Kadonneen Bysantin etsintä

Vaikka nykykatsannossa Bysantti tuntuu marginaalialueelta, Euroopan laidalle ja vähän sen toisellekin puolelle jääneeltä kulttuurilta, sen vaikutus eurooppalaista kulttuuria hahmotettaessa on ollut kiistaton. Bysantti oli innovaatiokeskus ja välittäjä ei pelkästään Balkanin alueelle ja Venäjälle, vaan myös Länsi-Euroopalle

Advances in Spatially Faithful (3D) Telepresence

Benefits of AR technologies have been well proven in collaborative industrial applications, for example in remote maintenance and consultancy. Benefits may also be high in telepresence applications, where virtual and mixed reality (nowadays often referred as extended reality, XR) technologies are used for sharing information or objects over network. Since the 90’s, technical enablers for advanced telepresence solutions have developed considerably. At the same time, the importance of remote technologies has grown immensely due to general disruption of work, demands for reducing travelling and CO2, and the need for preventing pandemics. An advanced 3D telepresence solution benefits from using XR technologies. Particularly interesting are solutions based on HMD or glasses type of near-eye-displays (NED). However, as AR/VR glasses supporting natural occlusions and accommodation are still missing from the market, a good alternative is to use screen displays in new ways, better supporting e.g. virtual meeting geometries and other important cues for 3D perception. In this article, researchers Seppo Valli, Mika Hakkarainen, and Pekka Siltanen from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland describe the status, challenges, and opportunities in both glasses and screen based 3D telepresence. The writers also specify an affordable screen based solution with improved immersiveness, naturalness, and efficiency, enhanced by applying XR technologies

Clinical Study of Nanofibrillar Cellulose Hydrogel Dressing for Skin Graft Donor Site Treatment

Objective: Skin graft donor site management is a concern particularly for elderly patients and patients with poor wound healing competence, and also because donor sites are a source of pain and discomfort. Although different types of dressings exist, there is no consensus regarding optimal dressing type on donor site care to promote healing, reduce pain, and improve patients' comfort. Approach: This prospective, single-center clinical trial evaluated the performance of nanofibrillar cellulose (NFC) wound dressing (FibDex (R) by UPM-Kymmene Corporation) for treatment of donor sites compared with a polylactide-based copolymer dressing. The study enrolled 24 patients requiring skin grafting with mean age of 49 +/- 18. The primary outcome measure was wound healing time. Secondary outcomes, the epithelialization, subjective pain, the scar appearance assessed using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS), and skin elasticity and transepidermal water loss (TEWL), were evaluated at 1 and 6 months postoperatively. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed between NFC and copolymer dressings regarding wound healing time, epithelialization, experience of pain, or TEWL. Significant differences were observed in the POSAS results for thickness and vascularity in the Observer score, in the favor of NFC over copolymer dressing. Moreover, skin elasticity was significantly improved with NFC dressing in terms of viscoelasticity and elastic modulus at 1 month postoperatively. Innovation: NFC dressing is a new, green sustainable product for wound treatment without animal or human-origin components. Conclusion: NFC dressing provides efficient wound healing at skin graft donor sites and is comparable or even preferable compared with the copolymer dressing.Peer reviewe

Effect of Partial Crystallization on the Structural and Luminescence Properties of Er3+-Doped Phosphate Glasses

Er-doped phosphate glass ceramics were fabricated by melt-quenching technique followed by a heat treatment. The effect of the crystallization on the structural and luminescence properties of phosphate glasses containing Al2O3, TiO2, and ZnO was investigated. Themorphological and structural properties of the glass ceramics were characterized by Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Additionally, the luminescence spectra and the lifetime values were measured in order to study the influence of the crystallization on the spectroscopic properties of the glasses. The volume ratio between the crystal and the glassy phases increased along with the duration of the heat treatment. The crystallization of the glass ceramics was confirmed by the presence of sharp peaks in the XRD patterns and different crystal phases were identified depending on the glass composition. Sr(PO3)2 crystals were found to precipitate in all the investigated glasses. As evidenced by the spectroscopic properties, the site of the Er3+ ions was not strongly affected by the heat treatment except for the fully crystallized glass ceramic which does not contain Al2O3, TiO2, and ZnO. An increase of the lifetime was also observed after the heat treatment of this glass. Therefore, we suspect that the Er3+ ions are incorporated in the precipitated crystals only in this glass ceramic

Abdominal obesity and circulating metabolites : A twin study approach

Objective. To investigate how obesity, insulin resistance and low-grade inflammation link to circulating metabolites, and whether the connections are due to genetic or environmental factors. Subjects and methods. Circulating serum metabolites were determined by proton NMR spectroscopy. Data from 1368 (531 monozygotic (MZ) and 837 dizygotic (DZ)) twins were used for bivariate twin modeling to derive the genetic (r(g)) and environmental (re) correlations between waist circumference (WC) and serum metabolites. Detailed examination of the associations between fat distribution (DEXA) and metabolic health (HOMA-IR, CRP) was performed among 286 twins including 33 BMI-discordant MZ pairs (intrapair BMI difference >= 3 kg/m(2)). Results. Fat, especially in the abdominal area (i.e. WC, android fat % and android to gynoid fat ratio), together with HOMA-IR and CRP correlated significantly with an atherogenic lipoprotein profile, higher levels of branched-chain (BCAA) and aromatic amino acids, higher levels of glycoprotein, and a more saturated fatty acid profile. In contrast, a higher proportion of gynoid to total fat associated with a favorable metabolite profile. There was a significant genetic overlap between WC and several metabolites, most strongly with phenylalanine (r(g) = 0.40), glycoprotein (r(g) = 0.37), serum triglycerides (r(g) = 0.36), BCAAs (r(g) = 0.30-0.40), HDL particle diameter (r(g) = -0.33) and HDL cholesterol (r(g) = -0.30). The effect of acquired obesity within the discordant MZ pairs was particularly strong for atherogenic lipoproteins. Conclusions. A wide range of unfavorable alterations in the serum metabolome was associated with abdominal obesity, insulin resistance and low-grade inflammation. Twin modeling and obesity-discordant twin analysis suggest that these associations are partly explained by shared genes but also reflect mechanisms independent of genetic liability. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Distinct contributions of metabolic dysfunction and genetic risk factors in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Background & Aims: There is substantial inter-individual variability in the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Part of which is explained by insulin resistance (IR) ('MetComp') and part by common modifiers of genetic risk ('GenComp'). We examined how IR on the one hand and genetic risk on the other contribute to the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Methods: We studied 846 individuals: 492 were obese patients with liver histology and 354 were individuals who underwent intrahepatic triglyceride measurement by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A genetic risk score was calculated using the number of risk alleles in PNPLA3, TM6SF2, MBOAT7, HSD17B13 and MARC1. Substrate concentrations were assessed by serum NMR metabolomics. In subsets of participants, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and their flux were assessed by D-5-glycerol and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (n = 41), and hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) was measured by D2O (n = 61). Results: We found that substrate surplus (increased concentrations of 28 serum metabolites including glucose, glycolytic intermediates, and amino acids; increased NEFAs and their flux; increased DNL) characterized the 'MetComp'. In contrast, the 'GenComp' was not accompanied by any substrate excess but was characterized by an increased hepaticmitochondrial redox state, as determined by serum beta-hydroxybutyrate/acetoacetate ratio, and inhibition of hepatic pathways dependent on tricarboxylic acid cycle activity, such as DNL. Serum beta-hydroxybutyrate/acetoacetate ratio correlated strongly with all histological features of NAFLD. IR and hepatic mitochondrial redox state conferred additive increases in histological features of NAFLD. Conclusions: These data show that the mechanisms underlying 'Metabolic' and 'Genetic' components of NAFLD are fundamentally different. These findings may have implications with respect to the diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD. Lay summary: The pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can be explained in part by a metabolic component, including obesity, and in part by a genetic component. Herein, we demonstrate that the mechanisms underlying these components are fundamentally different: the metabolic component is characterized by hepatic oversupply of substrates, such as sugars, lipids and amino acids. In contrast, the genetic component is characterized by impaired hepatic mitochondrial function, making the liver less able to metabolize these substrates. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of European Association for the Study of the Liver.Peer reviewe

On-the-job learning and vocational skills demonstrations: information for workplace instructors

Kehittämishankkeessa tuotettiin materiaalia työpaikkaohjaajille pääosin puutuoteteolli-suuden tarpeisiin. Työssä koottiin yhtenäinen tietopaketti, jota voidaan hyödyntää yhte-nä työpaikkaohjaajien tiedonsaannin lähteenä. Tietoa koottiin eri lähteistä tiiviiseen muotoon, jolloin varsinkin uudet työpaikkaohjaajat voivat saada tarvitsemansa perustie-don aiheesta nopeastikin. Työn tavoitteeksi määriteltiin työpaikkaohjaajien ja raportin tekijän tiedon lisääminen se-kä tekijän pedagogisen kasvun tukeminen. Raportti rakennettiin kahden teeman; työssäoppimisen ja ammattiosaamisen näyttöjen ympärille. Raportissa päädyttiin käsittelemään työssäoppimista ja niitäteemoja, jotka ovat tärkeitä onnistuneelle työpaikkaohjaukselle. Koska ammattiosaamisen näytöt ovat tulossa tärkeäksi osaksi ammatillista koulutusta, päädyttiin raportissa tuomaan esille näyttöihin liittyvää informaatiota ja niitä teemoja,jotka työpaikkaohjaajan on hyvä tietää toimiessaan näyttöjen parissa. Raporttiin laadittiin ammattiosaamisen näytön esimerkki-kuvaus ikkunateollisuuden yrityksessä. Raportissa päädyttiin korostamaan työhön perehdyttämisen tärkeyttä sekä työsuojelua osana jokapäiväistä toimintaa työssäoppimispaikoilla.This development project produced material for workplace instructors, mainly for the needs of forest product industry. A coherent information package was compiled to be used as one of the information sources for workplace instructors. Information was derived from various sources and modified to form an easily accessible source of basic information especially to new work-place instructors. The object of this project was defined as the increasing of knowledge on the subject, both the workplace instructors' and the author's, as well as the supporting of the author's pedagogical growth. This report is compiled around two themes: on-the-job learning and vocational skills demon-strations. The report focuses on on-the-job learning and those themes that are of importance in successful workplace instruction. As vocational skills demonstrations form an increasingly important part of vocational training, the report presents information on vocational skills dem-onstrations and the themes useful to workplace instructors when working with vocational skills demonstrations. An example of a vocational skills demonstration was compiled for the report at a window industry company. Thereport emphasizes the importance of workplace initiation and occupational health and safety as part of everyday life in on-the-job learning