Subjective Experiences During Sedation Induced by Equipotent Dose of Dexmedetomidine, Propofol, Sevoflurane and S-ketamine

Studies conducted in clinical and experimental settings have shown that unresponsive persons undergoing anesthetic infusion often report subjective experiences, such as dreaming, when interviewed afterwards. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence and quality of subjective experiences in healthy young participants sedated with dexmedetomidine, propofol, sevoflurane or S-ketamine. We addressed how participant’s responsiveness (measured as behavioral response to auditory stimulus) during sedation is related to reporting experiences. Further, we explored the differences between anesthetics in the prevalence and nature of subjective experiences. Participants received equisedative doses of either dexmedetomidine (n = 40), propofol (n = 40), sevoflurane (n = 41), or S-ketamine (n = 24) and were interviewed of their subjective experiences immediately after termination of anesthetic administration. The interview transcripts were content analyzed by two independent raters for dream-likeness, incorporations of the experimental setting, awareness of the research environment, and complexity and modalities of experiences. There were no differences in the prevalence or contents of experiences between those classified as unresponsive and responsive. Of all participants who could be interviewed, 49.0% reported subjective experiences, most frequently dreaming (98.0%). Incorporations of the experimental setting were also quite frequent (36.0%) while awareness of the environment was rare (4.1%). Participants receiving dexmedetomidine and S-ketamine reported subjective experiences most often and S-ketamine induced the most multimodal experiences. This study shows that unresponsiveness does not equal unconsciousness, and that participant’s responsiveness during sedation with equipotent dose is not associated with the likelihood of reporting subjective experiences. Subjective experiences are frequently reported after sedation and the subjective experiences may slightly differ between anesthetics administered in equipotent doses. Further studies should not consider responsiveness as an indicator of consciousness and should focus on how to distinguish unresponsive individuals who can experience external stimuli from those unresponsive individuals who cannot

Analog parallel processor solutions for video encoding

This thesis deals with Cellular Nonlinear Network (CNN) analog parallel processor networks and their implementations in current video coding standards. The target applications are low-power video encoders within 3rd generation mobile terminals. The video codecs of such mobile terminals are defined by either the MPEG-4/H.263 or H.264 video standard. All of these standards are based on the block-based hybrid approach. As block-based motion estimation (ME) is responsible for most of the power consumption of such hybrid video encoders, this thesis deals mostly with low-power ME implementations. Low-power solutions are introduced at both the algorithmic and hardware levels. On the algorithmic level, the introduced implementations are derived from a segmentation algorithm, which has previously been partly realized. The first introduced algorithm reduces the computational complexity of ME within an object-based MPEG-4 encoder. The use of this algorithm enables a 60% drop in the power consumption of Full Search ME. The second algorithm calculates a near-optimal block-size partition for H.264 motion estimation. With this algorithm, the use of computationally complex Lagrange optimization in H.264 ME is not required. The third algorithm reduces the shape bit-rate of an object-based MPEG-4 encoder. On the hardware level a CNN-type ME architecture is introduced. The architecture includes connections and circuitry to fully realize block-based ME. The analog ME implemented with this architecture is capable of lower power than comparable digital realizations. A 9×9 test chip has also been realized. Additionally implemented is a digital predictive ME realization that takes advantage of the introduced partition algorithm. Although the IC layout of the ME algorithm was drawn, the design was verified as an FPGA.reviewe

Opettajien kokemuksia digitaalisten pelien ja sovellusten käytöstä opetuksessa ja sen tukena

Digitalisaation myötä digitaaliset pelit ja sovellukset ovat tulleet osaksi opetusta, ja ne ovat mahdollistaneet opetuksen oppilaille kiinnostavalla tavalla. Pelillistäminen, oppimispelit, pelioppiminen ja opetuksen tukena käytettävät sovellukset ovat arkipäivää koulussa ja niiden käyttö vaatii opettajalta digipedagogista osaamista ja halua kouluttaa itseään, sekä tutustua uusiin digitaalisiin peleihin ja sovelluksiin. Digitaalinen kompetenssi heijastuu oleellisena tekijänä, kun kyseessä on taito käyttää eri tieto- ja viestintäteknologisia sovelluksia oikeassa kontekstissa. Tämän tutkimuksen avulla tarkastellaan, miten peruskoulussa ja lukiossa toimivat opettajat kokevat digitaaliset pelit ja sovellukset osana opetustaan ja miten ne mahdollistavat opetuksen tukemisen. Tutkimuksen kohteena ovat myös opettajien kokemat digipedagogiset valmiudet. Tutkimus toteutettiin määrällisenä aineistoanalyysina, jonka otoskoko oli 84. Tutkimuksen aineisto kerättiin keväällä 2023. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittivat, että erityisopettajat pitävät digitaalisten pelien ja sovellusten käyttöä hyödyllisenä, ja he kokevat niiden lisäävän eriyttämismahdollisuuksia. Kokeneemmat opettajat saattavat käyttää näitä työvälineitä enemmän. Opettajien ammattinimikkeellä, iällä, työkokemuksella tai tieto- ja viestintäteknologisilla taidoilla ei voitu selittää digitaalisten pelien ja sovellusten käyttöä. Vanhemmat opettajat kuitenkin käyttivät digitaalisia pelejä ja sovelluksia vähemmän opetuksessaan. Opettajien oma arvio tieto- ja viestintäteknologisista taidoistaan oli yhteydessä heidän digipedagogiseen pätevyyteensä. Tuloksista selvisi myös, että työelämässä olevat opettajat hakevat uusia digitaalisia pelejä ja sovelluksia enimmäkseen sosiaalisen median ryhmistä, mutta eivät välttämättä tunne eroa digitaalisten pelien ja sovellusten välillä. Tutkimuksessa ei havaittu tilastollisesti merkittäviä eroja ammattinimikkeiden ja työkokemuksien välillä työmäärän suhteen. Eriyttämisen osalta opettajat kokevat digitaalisten pelien ja sovellusten käytön mahdollistavan opetuksen eriyttämistä entistä paremmin. Aktiivisesti digitaalisia välineitä käyttävät opettajat kokevat pystyvänsä eriyttämään oppimateriaaleja ja tehtäviä paremmin kuin vähemmän aktiiviset kollegansa

Occupational class and the changing patterns of hospitalization for affective and neurotic disorders : a nationwide register-based study of the Finnish working-age population, 1976–2010

This study aimed to examine the long-term changes and socioeconomic disparities in hospitalization for affective and neurotic disorders among the Finnish working-age population from 1976 to 2010. Register-based study, consisting of a 5-year follow-up of 3,223,624 Finnish working-age (18-64-year old) individuals in seven consecutive cohorts. We calculated the hazard ratios of psychiatric hospitalization for different occupational classes using Cox regression models. The risk of hospitalization for affective and neurotic disorders increased in all occupational classes after the economic recession in the 1990s, and then decreased in the 2000s. Before the 2000s, the risk was the highest among manual workers. In the 2000s the disparities between upper-level non-manual employees and other occupational classes increased. Hospitalization rates remained high among female manual workers and non-manual lower-level employees. This study revealed important similarities and differences between occupational classes in terms of long-term changes in hospitalization for affective and neurotic disorders. The results suggest that the labor market changes and healthcare reforms during the 1990s and 2000s in Finland have been more beneficial for higher than for lower occupational classes.Peer reviewe

Performing electromagnetic side-channel attack on a commercial AES-256 device

In this paper an electromagnetic side-channel attack on a commercial AES-256 USB-encryption module operating in ECB mode is introduced. In preparation for the attack, oscilloscope, electromagnetic probe with low-noise amplifier and isolated power supply were used together with computer to record 10000 plaintext encryptions. The attack was conducted with the collected plaintext-ciphertext pairs and EM traces corresponding to each encryption. The attack was con-ducted with Correlation Power Analysis method and Matlab software. The power consumption (and thus the EM emission) of the device was modeled using hamming distance metric. The correlation between modeled power consumption and measured traces allowed the extraction of AES round keys one byte at a time. For AES-256 last two round keys (rounds 13 and 14) were needed to complete the key schedule. Finding these two keys allowed to calculate the original secret key from which they were expanded. For successful attack several trials were required to find right measurement setup for oscilloscope and electromagnetic head position. In this attack 30 out of the 32 round key bytes were found using side-channel attack and the two remaining were found using brute force. The device was found to have some kind of backdoor mechanism

Human service work and long-term sickness absence due to mental disorders : a prospective study of gender-specific patterns in 1,466,100 employees

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate sickness absence due to mental disorders in human service occupations. Methods: Participants (n = 1,466,100) were randomly selected from two consecutive national 9-year cohorts from the Statistics Finland population database; each cohort represented a 33% sample of the Finnish population aged 25-54 years. These data were linked to diagnosis-specific records on receipt of sickness allowance, drawn from a national register maintained by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, using personal identification numbers. Results: Sociodemographic-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for sickness absence due to mental disorders in all human service occupations combined were 1.76 for men (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.70-1.84) and 1.36 for women (95% CI, 1.34-1.38) compared with men and women in all other occupations, respectively. Of the 15 specific human service occupations, compared with occupations from the same skill/education level without a significant human service component, medical doctors, psychologists, and service clerks were the only occupations with no increased hazard for either sex, and the HRs were highest for male social care workers (HR 3.02: 95% CI, 2.67-3.41). Conclusions: Most human service occupations had an increased risk of sickness absence due to mental disorders, and the increases in risks were especially high for men. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Human service work, gender and antidepressant use : a nationwide register-based 19-year follow-up of 752 683 women and men

Objectives To examine antidepressant use among male and female human service professionals. Methods A random sample of individuals between 25 years and 54 years of age (n=752 683; 49.2% women; mean age 39.5 years). Information about each individual’s filled antidepressant prescriptions from 1995 to 2014 was provided by the Social Insurance Institution. First, antidepressant use in five broad human service categories was compared with that in all other occupations grouped together, separately for men and women. Then, each of the 15 human service professions were compared with all other occupations from the same skill/education level (excluding other human services professions). Cox models were applied and the results are presented as HRs for antidepressant use with 95% CIs. Results The hazard of antidepressant use was higher among men working in human service versus all other occupations with the same skill/occupational level (1.22, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.27), but this was not the case for women (0.99, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.01). The risks differed between professions: male health and social care professionals (including medical doctors, nurses, practical nurses and home care assistants), social workers, childcare workers, teachers and psychologists had a higher risk of antidepressant use than men in non-human service occupations, whereas customer clerks had a lower risk. Conclusions Male human service professionals had a higher risk of antidepressant use than men working in non-human service occupations. Gendered sociocultural norms and values related to specific occupations as well as occupational selection may be the cause of the elevated risk.Peer reviewe

Consistency and similarity of MEG- and fMRI-signal time courses during movie viewing

Movie viewing allows human perception and cognition to be studied in complex, real-life-like situations in a brain-imaging laboratory. Previous studies with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and with magneto-and electroencephalography (MEG and EEG) have demonstrated consistent temporal dynamics of brain activity across movie viewers. However, little is known about the similarities and differences of fMRI and MEG or EEG dynamics during such naturalistic situations. We thus compared MEG and fMRI responses to the same 15-min black-and-white movie in the same eight subjects who watched the movie twice during both MEG and fMRI recordings. We analyzed intra-and intersubject voxel-wise correlations within each imaging modality as well as the correlation of the MEG envelopes and fMRI signals. The fMRI signals showed voxel-wise within-and between-subjects correlations up to r = 0.66 and r = 0.37, respectively, whereas these correlations were clearly weaker for the envelopes of band-pass filtered (7 frequency bands below 100 Hz) MEG signals (within-subjects correlation r <0.14 and between-subjects r <0.05). Direct MEG-fMRI voxel-wise correlations were unreliable. Notably, applying a spatial-filtering approach to the MEG data uncovered consistent canonical variates that showed considerably stronger (up to r = 0.25) between-subjects correlations than the univariate voxel-wise analysis. Furthermore, the envelopes of the time courses of these variates up to about 10 Hz showed association with fMRI signals in a general linear model. Similarities between envelopes of MEG canonical variates and fMRI voxel time-courses were seen mostly in occipital, but also in temporal and frontal brain regions, whereas intra-and intersubject correlations for MEG and fMRI separately were strongest only in the occipital areas. In contrast to the conventional univariate analysis, the spatial-filtering approach was able to uncover associations between the MEG envelopes and fMRI time courses, shedding light on the similarities of hemodynamic and electromagnetic brain activities during movie viewing.Peer reviewe

Distinctive role of income in the all-cause mortality among working age migrants and the settled population in Finland : A follow-up study from 2001 to 2014

Background: Although income level may play a significant part in mortality among migrants, previous research has not focused on the relationship between income, migration and mortality risk. The aim of this register study was to compare all-cause mortality by income level between different migrant groups and the majority settled population of Finland. Methods: A random sample was drawn of 1,058,391 working age people (age range 18–64 years; 50.4% men) living in Finland in 2000 and linked to mortality data from 2001 to 2014. The data were obtained from Statistics Finland. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the association between region of origin and all-cause mortality in low- and high-income groups. Results: The risk for all-cause mortality was significantly lower among migrants than among the settled majority population (hazards ratio (HR) 0.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53–0.62). After adjustment for age, sex, marital status, employment status and personal income, the risk of mortality was significantly reduced for low-income migrants compared with the settled majority population with a low income level (HR 0.46; 95% CI 0.42–0.50) and for high-income migrants compared with the high-income settled majority (HR 0.81; 95% CI 0.69–0.95). Results comparing individual high-income migrant groups and the settled population were not significant. Low-income migrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia had the lowest mortality risk of any migrant group studied (HR 0.32; 95% CI 0.27–0.39). Conclusions: Particularly low-income migrants seem to display a survival advantage compared with the corresponding income group in the settled majority population. Downward social mobility, differences in health-related lifestyles and the healthy migrant effect may explain this phenomenon.Peer reviewe