A sensor-based screening tool for identifying high pelvic mobility in patients due to undergo total hip arthroplasty

There is increasing evidence that pelvic mobility is a critical factor to consider in implant alignment during total hip arthroplasty (THA). Here, we test the feasibility of using an inertial sensor fitted across the sacrum to measure change in pelvic tilt, and hence screen for patients with high pelvic mobility. Patients (n = 32, mean age: 57.4 years) due to receive THA surgery participated in the study. Measures of pelvic tilt were captured simultaneously using the device and radiograph in three functional positions: Standing, flexed-seated, and step-up. We found a strong correlation between the device and radiograph measures for the change in pelvic tilt measure from standing to flexed-seated position (R2 = 0.911); 75% of absolute errors were under 5 degrees. We demonstrated that the device can be used as a screening tool to rapidly identify patients who would benefit from more detailed surgical planning of implant positioning to reduce future risks of impingement and dislocation

The sympathetic nervous system is controlled by transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 in the regulation of body temperature

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is involved in sensory nerve nociceptive signaling. Recently, it has been discovered that TRPV1 receptors also regulate basal body temperature in multiple species from mice to humans. In the present study, we investigated whether TRPV1 modulates basal sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. C57BL6/J wild-type (WT) mice and TRPV1 knockout (KO) mice were implanted with radiotelemetry probes for measurement of core body temperature. AMG9810 (50 mg/kg) or vehicle (2% DMSO/5% Tween 80/10 ml/kg saline) was injected intraperitoneally. Adrenoceptor antagonists or vehicle (5 ml/kg saline) was injected subcutaneously. In WT mice, the TRPV1 antagonist, AMG9810, caused significant hyperthermia, associated with increased noradrenaline concentrations in brown adipose tissue. The hyperthermia was significantly attenuated by the β-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol, the mixed α-/β-adrenoceptor antagonist labetalol, and the α(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin. TRPV1 KO mice have a normal basal body temperature, indicative of developmental compensation. d-Amphetamine (potent sympathomimetic) caused hyperthermia in WT mice, which was reduced in TRPV1 KO mice, suggesting a decreased sympathetic drive in KOs. This study provides new evidence that TRPV1 controls thermoregulation upstream of the SNS, providing a potential therapeutic target for sympathetic hyperactivity thermoregulatory disorders.—Alawi, K. M., Aubdool, A. A., Liang, L., Wilde, E., Vepa, A., Psefteli, M.-P., Brain, S. D., Keeble, J. E. The sympathetic nervous system is controlled by transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 in the regulation of body temperature

Metallikiillotus Vesa Virta Oy:n tuotekannattavuus

Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli selvittää toimeksiantajayrityksen valmistavia tuotteiden kannattavuutta, eroavaisuuksia, hinnoittelua ja kustannusrakennetta. Opinnäytetyössä lähdettiin käymään läpi, mitä nämä edellä mainitut asiat tarkoittavat, ja mitkä tekijät niissä tulee ottaa huomioon. Opinnäytetyöhön tuli kolme kappaletta, jotka käsittelivät teoriaa, nämä kappaleet olivat: kustannus, kannattavuus ja hinnoittelu. Näissä kappaleissa käytiin läpi näitä asioita käsitteenä ja mitä erilaisia muotoja ne pitävät sisällään, ja miten ne vaikuttavat tuotekannattavuuteen. Opinnäytetyön tutkimusosiossa taas kerrottiin toimeksiantajayrityksen eri tuotteista, ja peilattiin teoriaosuudessa ollutta tietoa yrityksen tuotteisiin ja siitä, miten ne vaikuttavat yrityksen tuotteiden kannattavuuteen. Opinnäytetyö oli tarpeellinen yritykselle, koska sen avulla yritys sai tärkeää tietoa siitä, millainen kannattavuus yrityksen eri tuotteilla on, ja mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat tuotekannattavuuteen. Tämän opinnäytetyön avulla yritys voikin tulevaisuudessa kehittää toimintaansa ja parantaa kannattavuuttaan.The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the employers product profitability, product difference, product pricing and product cost structure. The thesis started out by figuring of what did these different above mentioned concepts mean and what different factors should be taken into account. The thesis had three different theory chapters, which were: cost, profitability and pricing. These chapters were about telling what these different concepts meant and how did these things affect in product profitability. The examination part of the thesis was about telling from employers different products, and reflecting these products in to the information what was written on theory part and how did that affect on product profitability. This thesis was important for employer, because employer got important information from its’ product profitability, and what things affected on product profitability. By this thesis, the company can develop its’ business and improve profitability

Repeatability of inertial measurement units for measuring pelvic mobility in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty

Consideration of pelvic mobility when positioning implants for total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been shown to reduce the risk of complications such as dislocation, squeaking and excessive wear. We aim to test the repeatability of pelvic tilt measurements taken between three positions (standing, flexed-seated and step-up) by an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and hence, evaluate their reliability in screening for high pelvic mobility in patients undergoing THA. The repeated IMU measurements of pelvic tilt were analysed for consistency and compared with measures taken by x-ray analysis. Our study showed greater variation in measures taken by the IMU particularly in the flexed-seated position. The patient’s pelvic tilt in this position negatively correlated with their mid-back angle, suggesting the posture of the patient is a source of variation in the flexed-seated position if not kept consistent during assessments. IMUs were overall able to produce accurate and reliable measurements of pelvic tilt; however, protocols will need to be adjusted to factor in a patient’s mid-back angle when taking future readings

Coronal Heating as Determined by the Solar Flare Frequency Distribution Obtained by Aggregating Case Studies

Flare frequency distributions represent a key approach to addressing one of the largest problems in solar and stellar physics: determining the mechanism that counter-intuitively heats coronae to temperatures that are orders of magnitude hotter than the corresponding photospheres. It is widely accepted that the magnetic field is responsible for the heating, but there are two competing mechanisms that could explain it: nanoflares or Alfv\'en waves. To date, neither can be directly observed. Nanoflares are, by definition, extremely small, but their aggregate energy release could represent a substantial heating mechanism, presuming they are sufficiently abundant. One way to test this presumption is via the flare frequency distribution, which describes how often flares of various energies occur. If the slope of the power law fitting the flare frequency distribution is above a critical threshold, $\alpha=2$ as established in prior literature, then there should be a sufficient abundance of nanoflares to explain coronal heating. We performed $>$600 case studies of solar flares, made possible by an unprecedented number of data analysts via three semesters of an undergraduate physics laboratory course. This allowed us to include two crucial, but nontrivial, analysis methods: pre-flare baseline subtraction and computation of the flare energy, which requires determining flare start and stop times. We aggregated the results of these analyses into a statistical study to determine that $\alpha = 1.63 \pm 0.03$. This is below the critical threshold, suggesting that Alfv\'en waves are an important driver of coronal heating.Comment: 1,002 authors, 14 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, published by The Astrophysical Journal on 2023-05-09, volume 948, page 7