Assessing Gait Stability before and after Cochlear Implantation

Background. It is known that cochlear implantation may alter the inner ear and induce vestibular disorders. Research Question. How does cochlear implantation influence gait stability? Material and Methods. An experimental group of twenty-one subjects scheduled for cochlear implantation underwent gait testing twice, on the day before cochlear implantation (BCI) and three months after cochlear implantation (ACI), using a motion capture system. A control group of 30 age-matched healthy individuals were also tested. Results. In the experimental group, the gait stability ratio (GSR) was found to improve in 17 subjects after implantation, by an average of 6%. Certain other parameters also showed statistically significant improvement between the two experimental group tests: step time (p<0.001), single-support phase walking speed (p<0.05), and center of mass (CoM) (p<0.05). Using the CoM results of the control group, we devised a stability classification system and applied it to the pre- and postimplantation subjects. After implantation, increases were seen in the number of subjects classified in interval II (strong stability) and III (weak stability). The number of subjects in interval I (perfect stability) decreased by 1 and in interval IV (no stability) by 4. Significance. (1) Although cochlear implantation intervenes in the vestibular area, we found evidence that gait stability improves in most subjects after the surgery, reducing the risk of falls. (2) We found statistically significant improvements in individual parameters (such as single-support phase time), in GSR, and in CoM. (3) Based on CoM results, we proposed a new rule-of-thumb way of classifying patients into gait stability intervals, for use in rehabilitation planning and monitoring

Consensus standards for acquisition, measurement, and reporting of intravascular optical coherence tomography studies

Objectives: The purpose of this document is to make the output of the International Working Group for Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography (IWG-IVOCT) Standardization and Validation available to medical and scientific communities, through a peer-reviewed publication, in the interest of improving the diagnosis and treatment of patients with atherosclerosis, including coronary artery disease. Background: Intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT) is a catheter-based modality that acquires images at a resolution of ∼10 μm, enabling visualization of blood vessel wall microstructure in vivo at an unprecedented level of detail. IVOCT devices are now commercially available worldwide, there is an active user base, and the interest in using this technology is growing. Incorporation of IVOCT in research and daily clinical practice can be facilitated by the development of uniform terminology and consensus-based standards on use of the technology, interpretation of the images, and reporting of IVOCT results. Methods: The IWG-IVOCT, comprising more than 260 academic and industry members from Asia, Europe, and the United States, formed in 2008 and convened on the topic of IVOCT standardization through a series of 9 national and international meetings. Results: Knowledge and recommendations from this group on key areas within the IVOCT field were assembled to generate this consensus document, authored by the Writing Committee, composed of academicians who have participated in meetings and/or writing of the text. Conclusions: This document may be broadly used as a standard reference regarding the current state of the IVOCT imaging modality, intended for researchers and clinicians who use IVOCT and analyze IVOCT data

Performance analysis of Enterprise Service Buses of Open Source type

Rosnące zainteresowanie firm integracją oraz interoperacyjnością systemów informatycznych spowodowało wzrost znaczenia architektury usługowej (ang. Service-Oriented Architecture), która zapewnia narzędzia umożliwiające integrację aplikacji korporacyjnych (ang. Enterprise Application Integration). W tym sensie magistrala usług (ang. Enterprise Service Bus) zapewnia techniczne możliwości komunikacji między systemami informatycznymi. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie wyników badań wydajności wybranych magistral usług typu Open Source. Podstawą przeprowadzonego badania wydajności rozwiązania integracyjnego był przypadek biznesowy realizacji zamówienia w sklepie internetowym sieci sprzedającej sprzęt elektroniczny. W celu realizacji zamówienia wymagana była współpraca trzech systemów informatycznych. Rozwiązanie integracyjne zostało zaimplementowane przy wykorzystaniu każdej z wybranych do badania magistral usług: WSO2, Mule oraz Talend. Określono scenariusze testów i przeprowadzono testy wydajnościowe dla każdej z trzech wybranych magistral usług. Na podstawie uzyskanych wyników można stwierdzić, że każda z porównywanych platform ma swoje mocne i słabe strony. Koncentrując się na zaletach, należy wskazać, że WSO2 uzyskuje najkrótsze czasy transmisji przy komunikatach niewielkich rozmiarów, małej liczbie użytkowników i dodatkowo nie obciąża znacząco procesora. Magistrala Talend uzyskuje najkrótsze czasy transmisji przy przesyłaniu komunikatów o zarówno małych, jak i dużych rozmiarach, przy dużej liczbie użytkowników, jednak najmocniej obciąża procesor. Z badań wynika, że przy doborze magistrali usług do budowy rozwiązania integracyjnego warto wcześniej przeanalizować parametry przesyłanych komunikatów. Wyniki pokazują, że magistrala Talend może być dobrym wyborem przy budowie rozwiązania integracyjnego w środowisku biznesowym z dużą liczbą użytkowników oraz zróżnicowanymi komunikatami.The growing interest in business integration and interoperability of IT systems led to an increase in the importance of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), which provides tools for Enterprise Application Integration (EAI). In this sense, Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) provides technical capabilities for communication between IT systems. The aim of this article is to present the results of performance tests of selected ESBs of Open Source type. The basis for our performance analysis was a business case of the order realization in the Internet shop of electronics retailer. The order realization requires a collaboration of three IT systems. The business case has been implemented with the use of each selected ESBs: WSO2, Mule, and Talend. Test scenarios were defined and performance tests were conducted for each of the three selected ESBs. On the basis of the collected results it can be concluded that each service bus has its own strengths and weaknesses. Focusing on the merits it should be noted that WSO2 copes very well with files of small size, for small number of users, and also does not burden the CPU significantly. Results for Talend ESB, show that it does well with both kind of files, small and large sizes, for large number of users, but harder utilizes CPU. Research shows that it is worth to analyze the parameters of transmitted messages while selecting ESB for building integration solution. The results show that the Talend ESB may be a good choice for construction of integration solution in a business environment with a large number of users and diversified communications

PreNitLPC® as a future-proof alternative to carburising steel

Technologia próżniowego nawęglania stali posiada liczne zalety związane z ekonomią produkcji i jakością finalnych produktów tego procesu. Technologia ta jest także bardziej przyjazna środowisku w porównaniu do metod konwencjonalnych. Ale są też ograniczenia. Należą do nich konstrukcyjne niedostatki piecówThe vacuum steel carburising technology offers numerous advantages in terms of the production economy and quality of final products. The technology is also more environmentally friendly than conventional methods. There are, however, certain limitations, such as furnace design shortfalls

The Effect of Non-Metallic Inclusions Formed as a Result of Deoxidation on the Fatigue Strength of 15CrNi6 and 16MnCr5 Steel

This paper presents the findings of fatigue strength tests of 15CrNi6 steel following low-pressure carburizing and oil quenching, subjected to cycles of one-sided three-point bending. The fatigue fractures were compared with the results of fatigue strength studies of 16MnCr5 steel following low-pressure carburizing and nitrogen quenching. The fatigue tests for 16MnCr5 steel were conducted as part of a high-cycle resonance test, with a pendular bending load. The study also involved an analysis of the effects on non-metallic inclusions in the structure on the mechanism of fatigue destruction. The inclusions were found to initiate fatigue cracks. In both cases, a similar method of a fatigue fissure initiation was observed, independent of the study method or specimen material