BACKGROUND Dysphagia consists in alteration of the swallowing mechanism, due to different pathological conditions, which can occur at different levels. The exact prevalence of dysphagia is unclear, even if some AA suggest that 15% of the elderly population is affected. Aim of this study is to analyze the main VFMSS findings in elderly dysphagic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS The VFMSS of 59 ...

With the use of a new ultrasonic volume flow meter (VFM), over 8000 measurements of common carotid blood flow were made in 120 normal control subjects and 550 patients with various neurological disease. The accuracy of the flow meter in measuring blood flow on an experimental model ranged from 93 to 97%. In normal subjects, common carotid blood flow varies with age. It increased from newborn to...

Important new features are found for a family of swirling jets with velocity v;z, where z is the distance from the jet origin. First, there is a sharp minimum of the pressure coefficient at a certain value of the swirl number Sw which is nearly n independent; this feature can be utilized in technological devices. Second, as Sw increases, a separation zone develops, where the fluid is not at res...

Steady-state process models are common in virtual flow meter applications due to low computational complexity, and model development maintenance cost. Nevertheless, the prediction performance of steady-state typically degrades with time inherent nonstationarity underlying being modeled. Few studies have investigated how learning methods can be applied sustain accuracy meters. This paper explore...

Sea fog detection has received widespread attention because it plays a vital role in maritime activities. Due to the lack of sea observation data, meteorological satellites with high temporal and spatial resolution have become an essential means detection. However, performance is unsatisfactory low clouds are hard distinguish on satellite images they similar spectral radiance characteristics. T...

background: along with the rapid growth of technology its related tools such as computer, monitors and video display terminals (vdts) grow as well. based on the studies, the most common complaint reported is of the vdt users. methods: this study attempts to design a proper tool to assess the visual fatigue of the vdt users. first draft of the questionnaire was prepared after a thorough study on...

Recent transport sector liberalisation, as well as global economic crisis, is favouring the implementation of transport infrastructure projects through PublicePrivate Partnerships (PPP). However, there is a debate as to whether PPP schemes are a better option than conventional procurement. To this end, an evaluation framework is proposed, to assess which of these two alternative schemes for tra...

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rates are rising, and there is little consensus about what puts someone at risk for an ACL injury. Finite element models provide effective platform systemically determining the effect of possible factors on strain concentrations. However, accuracy a finite model relies material used in its construction. Standard characterization methods require assumption...

The Asia-Pacific region first introduced public private partnerships (‘PPPs’) in the mid 1990s. These were isolated transactions often negotiated from unsolicited bids and the results were mixed – few projects survived in their original form and many either failed or were renegotiated. Early PPPs were encouraged by national governments and development agencies as a substitute for scarce state c...