Single transducer for measurement of small displacements or forces

Introduction: One of the limits to characterization of tissues at the microscopic level is the substantial costs associated with the instrumentation required for such investigations. The use of strain gages for displacement or force measurements can be adapted to this microscopic scale provided the gages are incorporated into a transducer consisting of a curved geometry. Materials and Methods: Uniaxial strain gages 13 mm (L) × 6 mm (W) were secured to 0.2-mm thick brass shim stock fabricated to yield a 12.5-mm diameter semicircle with mounting tabs on either end. The terminal ends of the strain gage mounting pads were connected to an adjustable strain gage amplifier with adjustable gain and offset. For displacement calibration, the transducer was secured to the jaws of a digital caliper. Caliper displacement was set to ±0.25 mm increments from 0 to a maximum of ±1.5 mm. In this configuration, positive represents tension. Amplifier Gains were set to 500, 1000, and 5000 to observe nonlinearity. For each of three displacement calibration runs, output voltage from the transducer was recorded at each distance with the mean output at absolute distances averaged across each of three runs for each of six transducers. Using the same transducers, a mass balance was used to identify the unique individual mass associated with a total of 10 masses to within ±10 μg. The masses were sequentially secured to the transducer and the respective output voltage recorded. Amplifier Gains were set to 500, 1000 and 5000. For each of three force calibration runs, output voltage from the transducer was recorded with respect to the force generated by the suspended masses. The mean output across each of three runs for each of six transducers was subjected to linear regression. Results and Discussion: All transducers displayed good linearity when calibrated for displacement with regression R2 values of 0.9994, 0.9967, and 0.9941 for amplifier gains of 500, 1000, and 5000, respectively. Further, in displacement mode, the transducers provided a mean output of 0.66, 1.01, and 3.86 V/mm at amplifier gains of 500, 1000, and 5000, respectively. In force mode, regression R2 in excess of 0.9995 were observed over all amplifier gain settings examined. When employed as force transducers, the devices provided mean outputs of 0.60, 1.15, and 5.85 V/N at amplifier gains of 500, 1000, and 5000, respectively. The response of these devices to either applied displacement or force permits the use of a single device type to be used as either a displacement or force transducer. The electrical output in either mode at modest amplification gains of 5000 combined with excellent linearity affords the use of these devices for studies where characterization of tissues requires mN and μm level resolution. Conclusions: A transducer employing a strain gage had been configured so as to function as either a displacement or force measuring instrument. The resulting device displays high linearity and electrical output even at modest amplifier gains

Implantation of a poly-L-lactide GCSF-functionalized scaffold in a model of chronic myocardial infarction

A previously developed poly-l-lactide scaffold releasing granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (PLLA/GCSF) was tested in a rabbit chronic model of myocardial infarction (MI) as a ventricular patch. Control groups were constituted by healthy, chronic MI and nonfunctionalized PLLA scaffold. PLLA-based electrospun scaffold efficiently integrated into a chronic infarcted myocardium. Functionalization of the biopolymer with GCSF led to increased fibroblast-like vimentin-positive cellular colonization and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration within the micrometric fiber mesh in comparison to nonfunctionalized scaffold; PLLA/GCSF polymer induced an angiogenetic process with a statistically significant increase in the number of neovessels compared to the nonfunctionalized scaffold; PLLA/GCSF implanted at the infarcted zone induced a reorganization of the ECM architecture leading to connective tissue deposition and scar remodeling. These findings were coupled with a reduction in end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes, indicating a preventive effect of the scaffold on ventricular dilation, and an improvement in cardiac performance

Selection of antiseizure medications for first add-on use: A consensus paper.

Abstract Introduction When monotherapy used alone or sequentially fails to achieve seizure control, a trial of combination therapy may be considered. Objective To define optimal criteria to guide choice of an antiseizure medication (ASM) for use as first add-on. Methods A standardized Delphi procedure was applied to produce a list of consensus statements. First, an Expert Board consisting of 5 epileptologists agreed on a set of 46 statements relevant to the objective. The statements were then finalized through an iterative process by a Delphi Panel of 84 Italian pediatric and adult neurologists with expertise in the management of epilepsy. Panel members provided anonymous ratings of their level of agreement with each statement on a 9-point Likert scale. Results Consensus, defined as agreement by at least 80% of Panel members, was reached for 36 statements. Medication-related factors considered to be important for drug selection included efficacy, tolerability and safety, interaction potential, mechanism of action, and ease of use. The need to optimize adherence and to tailor drug selection to individual characteristics was emphasized. Conclusions Choice of an ASM for first add-on requires consideration of many factors, many of which also apply to choose initial treatment. Factors more specifically relevant to add-on use include drug interaction potential and the preference for an ASM with a different mechanism of action

A System for the Analysis of Snore Signals

AbstractSleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) is a disease consisting in the nocturnal cessation of oronasal airflow at least 10 seconds in duration. The standard method for SAS diagnosis is the polysomnographic exam (PSG). However it does not permit a mass screening because it has high cost and requires long term monitoring.This paper presents a preliminary software system prototype for snoring signal analysis, whose main goal is to support the doctor in SAS diagnosis and patient follow-up. The design of the system is modular to allow a future hardware implementation in a portable device for personal snore collection and monitoring

The application of artificial intelligence to understand the pathophysiological basis of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures

Abstract Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are episodes of paroxysmal impairment associated with a range of motor, sensory, and mental manifestations, which perfectly mimic epileptic seizures. Several patterns of neural abnormalities have been described without identifying a definite neurobiological substrate. In this multicenter cross-sectional study, we applied a multivariate classification algorithm on morphological brain imaging metrics to extract reliable biomarkers useful to distinguish patients from controls at an individual level. Twenty-three patients with PNES and 21 demographically matched healthy controls (HC) underwent an extensive neuropsychiatric/neuropsychological and neuroimaging assessment. One hundred and fifty morphological brain metrics were used for training a random forest (RF) machine-learning (ML) algorithm. A typical complex psychopathological construct was observed in PNES. Similarly, univariate neuroimaging analysis revealed widespread neuroanatomical changes affecting patients with PNES. Machine-learning approach, after feature selection, was able to perform an individual classification of PNES from controls with a mean accuracy of 74.5%, revealing that brain regions influencing classification accuracy were mainly localized within the limbic (posterior cingulate and insula) and motor inhibition systems (the right inferior frontal cortex (IFC)). This study provides Class II evidence that the considerable clinical and neurobiological heterogeneity observed in individuals with PNES might be overcome by ML algorithms trained on surface-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data

An Analysis of English - Indonesian Translation Method Used by Ingrid Dwijani Nimpoeno in Translating Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. Ane Anggraeni 147010040

This research paper entitled “An Analysis of English - Indonesian Translation Me thod Used by Ingrid Dwijani Nimpoeno in Translating Green’s The Fault in Our Stars ” . The objectives of the research are to find out what the translation method mostly used in translating complex sentences and to analyze how the translation result of the most translation method used in translating complex sentences by Ingrid Dwijani Nimpo eno. The writer uses qualitative research method and applied descriptive analysis. The main sources are 63 data or text of complex sentences on the novel entitled The Fault in Our Stars. The result of data analysis showed that the translation mostly used w ere first is communicative translation 31 of 63 data (49,2%), the second is faithful translation 19 of 63 data (30,16%), the third is literal translation 9 of 63 data (14,23%), the fourth is semantic translation 3 of 63 data (4,77%), and the last is word b y word translation 1 of 63 data (1,6%). The conclusion is Ingrid Dwijani Nimpoeno produced the good translation in translating complex sentences, because her translation results are easy to understand, and the messages well delivered. In addition, altho ugh the method mostly used is communicative translation but she still maintained to the source language emphasis . In other side, her translation result is relevant with the classifications of good translation that purposed by some expert. However, the writ er attempted to correct several data which irrelevant, based on the theory. Keywords: Translation Method, Complex Sentenc

Positivity to p-ANCA in patients with status epilepticus

BACKGROUND: Status epilepticus (SE) may occur in the setting of several internal or neurologic diseases. Anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are a group of Ig that may be observed in patients with different autoimmune disorders but are particularly associated with systemic vasculitis named ANCA-associated-vasculities (AAV). We herein report 3 patients with SE and positivity to p-ANCA. CASE PRESENTATION: One patient had a catastrophic evolution and died 5 months after disease onset. The other two patients had a good outcome and remained seizure-free at 30 months and 5 years of follow-up respectively. CONCLUSION: This report highlights the importance of considering ANCA dosage in patients with SE of unclear origin

A modified Rives–Stoppa technique with composite mesh (FLaPp) in large incisional hernia: a multicentric retrospective cohort study

Background Large incisional hernias (LIH) are challenging conditions, often necessitating complex surgical procedures such as transversus abdominis muscle release (TAR). We evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of tension-free abdominal wall repair of LIH with an innovative modified Rives–Stoppa procedure employing a composite free lateral polypropylene (FLaPp) prosthesis. Methods Symptomatic patients affected by LIH and treated with FLaPp composite prosthesis between April 2010 and December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. The FLaPp prosthesis is made up of two layers: an internal layer based on a polypropylene film that can be used in contact with the intestinal loops to address the posterior peritoneal defect, and an external layer based on a macroporous lightweight mesh, with which a classic repair according to Rives–Stoppa is carried out. Results Forty-three patients were enrolled in the study. All hernias were W3. Early complications were seroma (16.3%), hematoma (11.6%), wound infection (7.0%), and bowel injury (2.3%). Late complications were sinus tract (4.7%), occasional pain (2.3%), and stiff abdomen (9.3%). The median operative time was 126 min and median hospitalization was 8 days. At the median follow-up of 40 months (range 37.5–117), the recurrence rate was 9.3% (4/43). Conclusion Use of FLaPp mesh with a tension-free surgical approach is an effective strategy for managing LIH in selected cases with the presence of a posterior defect, with low rates of complications and recurrences