Selective Flocculation Study of Hematite in HematiteQuartz-Kaolinite System in Presence of Ca2+, Mg2+ and Fe3+ Ions. Part1: Optimization of Ligand

Separation of ultrafine hematite from quartz and kaolinite gangue minerals using selective flocculation technique is markedly affected by the state of inter mineral interaction which is governed by type and content of polyvalent metal ions. Because of the presence of polyvalent metal ions hetracoagulation of gangue minerals is widely acknowledged, thus selective flocculation of ultrafine hematite from associated gangue minerals is challenging task when their concentration is above 10 ppm. This study has shown that state of strong interaction of gangue minerals with hematite due to presence of 15 ppm Ca2+, 3 ppm Mg2+ and 3 ppm Fe3+ ions can be weakened by addition of optimal dose of Sodium Hexametaphosphate (SHMP) ligand. The optimization of ligand dose is achieved through analysis of Zeta Potential (ZP) as a function of slurry pH. It is noted that 50 ppm of SHMP is sufficient to restore the ZP of hematite, where selective dispersion of the slurry constituents are possible. Our results further showed that conventional strategy of obtaining minimum difference of ±30 mV in the ZP of hematite and gangue minerals quartz and kaolinite would not work especially in the presence of 15 ppm Ca2+, 3 ppm Mg2+ and 3 ppm Fe3+ ions. Attempts to achieve the minimum threshold difference in the ZP of the minerals will cause over dispersion.

Standardization of calibration scheme in NB Chirp ABR Hearing Assessment: A Preliminary Study Based on Normal Hearing Soldiers

Background: Optimal medical intervention for veterans suffering from military noise-induced hearing impairment is a major concern of the specialists in military medicine, otology, and audiology sectors. Thus, it is important to objectively and accurately reflect the hearing level of the subject in the intervention to aid hearing and improve the existing hearing disability evaluation program. Purpose: The present study intends to identify the optimal correction scheme by comparing the accuracy and range of deviation of narrow-band chirps evoked auditory brainstem responses (NB Chirp ABR) corrected by different schemes in estimating the hearing level of people with normal hearing. Methods: A total of 66 individuals could hear sounds of a frequency <25dB hearing level (HL) in the pure tone audiometry were randomly divided into a model group (26 subjects), test group 1 (with 20 subjects), and test group 2 (with 20 subjects). The mean threshold difference and the regression equation at each frequency were obtained through the model group, and the correction results of the “mean threshold difference scheme (S1)” and the “regression equation scheme (S2)” were compared in the test groups 1 and 2. All data were analyzed using SPSS 24.0. Results: 1) The accuracy of the estimated hearing level (eHL) of non-corrected NB Chirp ABR was significantly higher than that of NB Chirp ABR corrected by S1 or S2; 2) The range of deviation of the eHL of non-corrected NB Chirp ABR from the pure tone audiometry threshold was greater than that of NB Chirp ABR corrected by S1 or S2 from the pure tone audiometry threshold at 500 and 1000 Hz, while at 2000 and 4000 Hz, the values were similar. Conclusion: Among people with normal hearing, it was necessary to correct NB Chirp ABR at 500 and 1000 Hz for higher accuracy of the eHL, but the strengths of different correction schemes were not defined. For clinical convenience, the “mean threshold difference scheme,” with the correction values of 7 and 4 dB, was recommended for correction. At 2000 and 4000 Hz, it was not necessary to correct NB Chirp ABR. Thus, additional subjects with different HLs should be included in future studies to discuss the differences between the two schemes.

Can auditory brain stem response accurately reflect the cochlear function?

Auditory brain stem response (ABR) is more commonly used to evaluate cochlear lesions than cochlear compound action potential (CAP). In a noise-induced cochlear damage model, we found that the reduced CAP and enhanced ABR caused the threshold difference. In a unilateral cochlear destruction model, a shadow curve of the ABR from the contralateral healthy ear masked the hearing loss in the destroyed ear.

Is the Voided Volume at Office Uroflowmetry Physiological and Reliable? A Comparison between Voiding Diary and Uroflowmetry

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> We compared voided volumes (VV) at voiding diaries (VD) and at uroflowmetry (UF) in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This was a prospective, multicenter study. In a cohort of males with LUTS, VV reported in 3-day VD was compared to VV recorded at UF. Demographic data were analyzed. The patients were stratified according to VV. A sub-analysis dividing males by age strata was also performed. <b><i>Results:</i></b> We enrolled 169 patients. Mean VV were higher at UF than at VD in the entire population and in each group, stratified by age. VV significantly decreased with aging. Males with the lowest threshold difference (50 mL) were 29%, with a moderate threshold difference (&#x3c;100 mL) 55.6%, with an intermediate threshold difference 49.1% (51–150 mL), whereas 21.9% of men had a large threshold difference (&#x3e;150 mL). <b><i>Discussion/Conclusion:</i></b> VV correlation between VD and UF was poor. A large part of men performed UF with VV which were poorly comparable to the habitual VV assessed by 3-day VD. Therefore, our results indicate the relevance to obtain more than 1 UF in these patients.

Aplikasi Absensi Berbasis Android Menggunakan Differensi Fitur Biometrika Wajah

Technological developments have changed the way of works in a variety of human activities that were originally manual to digital where data and information can be processed anytime and anywhere. The development of mobile devices which is characterized by the increasing number of users of smart devices or smartphones has now made it possible to do a variety of jobs thanks to its quite high computing capability. Digital attendance is currently being developed on computer-based devices using authentication using fingerprint. This can cause a long queue if applied to an institution or company with a large number of employees and tight working hours. Digital attendance using smartphone devices especially Android has now begun to be developed to utilize smartphone devices as an alternative to recording employee attendance. The problem of digital attendance on smartphone devices especially Android is the fingerprint authentication facility is only available on devices with prices that are still relatively expensive, making it difficult to reach by employees, so cheap authentication that can be used today is using facial features. This study uses facial biometrics features to validate and authenticate the identity of the face owner using simple feature differentiation values so as to minimize the complexity of the authentication process while maintaining the accuracy of the authentication results. With a threshold difference of 30 - 50% the system built can detect the owner's face accurately with different lighting and positions. Keywords : Application, Attendance, Biometrics, Face.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Psychophysical Methods for Interpretability of Psychometric Functions and Their Descriptors

Many areas of research require measuring psychometric functions or their descriptors (thresholds, slopes, etc.). Data for this purpose are collected with psychophysical methods of various types and justification for the interpretation of results arises from a model of performance grounded in signal detection theory. Decades of research have shown that psychophysical data display features that are incompatible with such framework, questioning the validity of interpretations obtained under it and revealing that psychophysical performance is more complex than this framework entertains. This paper describes the assumptions and formulation of the conventional framework for the two major classes of psychophysical methods (single- and dual-presentation methods) and presents various lines of empirical evidence that the framework is inconsistent with. An alternative framework is then described and shown to account for all the characteristics that the conventional framework regards as anomalies. This alternative process model explicitly separates the sensory, decisional, and response components of performance and represents them via parameters whose estimation characterizes the corresponding processes. Retrospective and prospective evidence of the validity of the alternative framework is also presented. A formal analysis also reveals that some psychophysical methods and response formats are unsuitable for separation of the three components of observed performance. Recommendations are thus given regarding practices that should be avoided and those that should be followed to ensure interpretability of the psychometric function, or descriptors (detection threshold, difference limen, point of subjective equality, etc.) obtained with shortcut methods that do not require estimation of psychometric functions.

Age-related differences in binaural masking level differences: behavioral and electrophysiological evidence

The effects of aging and stimulus configuration on binaural masking level differences (BMLDs) were measured behaviorally and electrophysiologically, using the frequency-following response (FFR) to target brainstem/midbrain encoding. The tests were performed in 15 younger normal-hearing (<30 yr) and 15 older normal-hearing (>60 yr) participants. The stimuli consisted of a 500-Hz target tone embedded in a narrowband (50-Hz bandwidth) or wideband (1,500-Hz bandwidth) noise masker. The interaural phase conditions included NoSo (tone and noise presented interaurally in-phase), NoSπ (noise presented interaurally in-phase and tone presented out-of-phase), and NπSo (noise presented interaurally out-of-phase and tone presented in-phase) configurations. In the behavioral experiment, aging reduced the magnitude of the BMLD. The magnitude of the BMLD was smaller for the NoSo–NπSo threshold difference compared with the NoSo–NoSπ threshold difference, and it was also smaller in narrowband compared with wideband conditions, consistent with previous measurements. In the electrophysiology experiment, older participants had reduced FFR magnitudes and smaller differences between configurations. There were significant changes in FFR magnitude between the NoSo to NoSπ configurations but not between the NoSo to NπSo configurations. The age-related reduction in FFR magnitudes suggests a temporal processing deficit, but no correlation was found between FFR magnitudes and behavioral BMLDs. Therefore, independent mechanisms may be contributing to the behavioral and neural deficits. Specifically, older participants had higher behavioral thresholds than younger participants for the NoSπ and NπSo configurations but had equivalent thresholds for the NoSo configuration. However, FFR magnitudes were reduced in older participants across all configurations. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Behavioral and electrophysiological testing reveal an aging effect for stimuli presented in wideband and narrowband noise conditions, such that behavioral binaural masking level differences and subcortical spectral magnitudes are reduced in older compared with younger participants. These deficits in binaural processing may limit the older participant's ability to use spatial cues to understand speech in environments containing competing sound sources.

Ekstensifikasi Subjectum Litis dalam Perselisihan Pemilu Legislatif dan Pemilihan Kepala Daerah

Subjectum litis in The Legislative and Regional Head Election Disputes in Indonesia has been determined in a limited manner in The legislation and The regulation of the Constitutional Court. However along with the election, there is expansion and constriction of subjectum litis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinant factors that cause flexibility of subjectum litis in legislative and regional head election dispute. In addition, no previous studies that examine factors associated with the causes flexibility of subjectum litis in the legislative and the regional headselestion.The method used in this research is using qualitative methods with normative juridical approach by collecting data and information of the legislative and head regional election dispute advance in literature. The results obtained in this study that the shift in legislative elections expanded not only to political parties and individuals DPD that can be subjectum litis but also those of individual candidates of political parties can be subjectum litis in the legislative election disputes. The factor that caused it is the choice of electoral system is still used to 2014 electoral system. Meanwhile, the Regional Head election disputes in general as subjectum litis are that couple candidates for Governor and Vice Governor, Regent and Vice Regent and the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. But in its development, the narrowing of the only candidates who met the threshold difference of votes that can act as an applicant. Besides narrowing, there is also an extension where Consitutional court accommodate domestic election observers were registered and accredited by the KPU / KIP can act as subjectum litis and as the applicant would be candidates in the General Election of 2010. Factors that cause the narrowing and expansion in the elections of regional heads are the will of lawmakers and the limited authority of the Consitutional court as well as the presence of a single candidate who is not predictable by lawmakers in drafting electoral laws regional head. Whereas in 2010, the expansion of subjectum litis because the Court did extensive interpretation caused by serious violations of the right to be elected (rights to be a candidate). Suggestions for lawmakers tobe more thoroughly formulate norms by looking at the existing state of society so it can bring justice and legal certainty both for the expectant couple and society.