Live delivery of neurosurgical operating theater experience in virtual reality

A system for assisting in microneurosurgical training and for delivering interactive mixed reality surgical experience live was developed and experimented in hospital premises. An interactive experience from the neurosurgical operating theater was presented together with associated medical content on virtual reality eyewear of remote users. Details of the stereoscopic 360-degree capture, surgery imaging equipment, signal delivery, and display systems are presented, and the presence experience and the visual quality questionnaire results are discussed. The users reported positive scores on the questionnaire on topics related to the user experience achieved in the trial.Peer reviewe

Pyöränlaakerivikojen todentamismenetelmät

Työssä selvitettiin nykyisin käytössä olevat menetelmät laakerivikojen todentamiseen ja tutkittiin vaihtoehtoisia menetelmiä. Tarkoituksena oli kehittää autojen kuntotarkastuksia tarjoavaa Autotohtori-palvelua. Nykyisin käytössä olevia menetelmiä selvitettiin kyselytutkimuksen sekä tutkimusjulkaisujen avulla. Työssä havaittiin vikojen diagnosoinnin korjaamoilla perustuvan pääasiassa asentajan tulkintaan ja tieajokokeisiin, mutta autoalan ulkopuolella vaihtoehtoisia menetelmiä on saatavilla. Menetelmien soveltaminen autoalan käyttöön vaatisi kuitenkin laajat koemittaukset. Jokaisella katsastusasemalla on käytössään jarrudynamometri, joten parhaaksi vaihtoehdoksi vaihtoehtoisen menetelmän toteuttamiseen arvioitiin sen soveltaminen jarrudynamometrin yhteyteen. Tällöin testaaminen olisi nopeaa eikä siitä syntyisi ylimääräistä työvaihetta myöhemmässä vaiheessa tarkastusta. Menetelmä olisi kuitenkin toteutettava siten, että tarkastusta suorittava henkilö pystyisi käyttämään sitä itsenäisesti.The aim of this thesis was to research methods used to diagnose wheel bearing faults and also research possibilities to use alternative methods. The results were meant to be used to improve car inspection services. The research was done with an enquiry to automobile repair shops and via research publications. Most repair shops rely on mechanics and test drives to find the damaged bearings. However, alternative methods are used in different industries. Applying these methods to detect car wheel bearing faults would require large scale testing. Since every car inspection office has a brake dynamometer, it would be reasonable to develop a system where bearing inspection is done simultaneously with brake testing. This way the testing would be quick and it would not add a new stage to the inspection later on. The requirement is that the person doing the inspection is able to do it independently

IL-17A gene polymorphism rs2275913 is associated with the development of asthma after bronchiolitis in infancy

Background: Interleukin-17 (IL-17A) is a mainly pro-inflammatory cytokine, and IL-17 signaling implicates in the development of allergic asthma. The polymorphism rs2275913 in the promoter region of the IL-17A gene has in previous studies been associated with asthma susceptibility. The objective was to evaluate the association between IL-17A rs2275913 (-197G>A) polymorphism and post-bronchiolitis asthma and/or allergic rhinitis in a prospective 11–13 years post-bronchiolitis follow-up. Methods: 166 previously healthy full-term infants, hospitalized for bronchiolitis at age less than 6 months, were invited to follow-up visits at the ages of 5–7 years and 11–13 years. Asthma diagnoses and presumptive symptoms, allergic rhinitis and use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) were registered. Blood samples for IL-17A rs2275913 (-197G>A) polymorphism were obtained during hospitalization or at the 5–7 years control visit. Results: There were no significant differences between children with the wild GG and variant GA or AA genotype in the severity of bronchiolitis during hospitalization or in the outcomes until the age 5–7 years. At 11–13 years of age, children with the variant GA or AA genotype had significantly less often current asthma, use of ICSs during last 12 months or allergic rhinitis than those with the wild GG genotype. The ICS use during last 12 months retained the statistical significance in adjusted analyses (adjusted OR 0.25), whereas current asthma and allergic rhinitis marginally lost it. Conclusions: The IL-17A rs2275913 (-197G>A) polymorphism decreased the risk of post-bronchiolitis asthma at 11–13 years of age, but not earlier in life, in the present prospective, long-term follow-up study