Modified Cooper Harper Scales for Assessing Unmanned Vehicle Displays

In unmanned vehicle (UV) operations, displays are often the only information link between operators and vehicles. It is essential these displays present information clearly and efficiently so that operators can interact with the UVs to achieve mission objectives. While there are a variety of metrics to evaluate displays, there is no current standardized methodology for operators to subjectively assess a display’s support and identify specific deficiencies. Such a methodology could improve current displays and ensure that displays under development support operator processes. This report presents a quasi- subjective display evaluation tool called the Modified Cooper-Harper for Unmanned Vehicle Displays (MCH-UVD) diagnosis tool. This tool, adapted from the Cooper-Harper aircraft handling scale, allows operators to assess a display, translating their judgments on potential display shortcomings into a number corresponding to a particular deficiency in operator support. The General MCH-UVD can be used to diagnose deficiencies for any UV display, while the Specific MCH-UVD is UV and mission specific in its evaluation of displays. This report presents the General MCH-UVD and provides guidance on how to adapt it to create a Specific MCH-UVD through the use of UV mission taxonomies and a questioning method. A UGV search mission case study provides a how-to guide example for generating a Specific MCH-UVD. The report also presents an experiment conducted to validate the MCH-UVD and assess if a mission-specific version is necessary, or if the general form of the MCH-UVD is sufficient for different UV display evaluation. The report concludes with discussion on how to administer the scale, when a Specific scale is necessary, MCH-UVD diagnosis tool limitations, and future work.Prepared for US Army Aberdeen Testing Cente

Modified Cooper Harper scales for assessing unmanned vehicle displays

Unmanned vehicle (UV) displays are often the only information link between operators and vehicles, so their design is critical to mission success. However, there is currently no standardized methodology for operators to subjectively assess a display's support of mission tasks. This paper proposes a subjective UV display evaluation tool: the Modified Cooper-Harper for Unmanned Vehicle Displays (MCH-UVD). The MCH-UVD is adapted from the Cooper-Harper aircraft handling scale by shifting focus to support of operator information processing. An experiment was conducted to evaluate and refine the MCH-UVD, as well as assess the need for mission-specific versus general versions. Participants (86%) thought that MCH-UVD helped them identify display deficiencies, and 32% said that they could not have identified the deficiencies without the tool. No major additional benefits were observed with mission-specific versions over the general scale.U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Cente

Renal replacement therapies in the aftermath of the catastrophic Marmara earthquake

Renal replacement therapies in the aftermath of the catastrophic Marmara earthquake.BackgroundRenal replacement therapy is of vital importance in the treatment of crush syndrome victims, who are frequently encountered after catastrophic earthquakes. The Marmara earthquake, which struck Northwestern Turkey in August 1999, was characterized by 477 victims who needed dialysis.MethodWithin the first week of the disaster, questionnaires containing 63 clinical and laboratory variables were sent to 35 reference hospitals that treated the victims. Information considering the features of dialyses obtained through these questionnaires was submitted to analysis.ResultsOverall, 639 casualties with renal complications were registered, 477 of whom (mean age 32.3 ± 13.7 years, 269 male) needed dialysis. Among these, 452 were treated by a single dialysis modality (437 intermittent hemodialysis, 11 continuous renal replacement therapy and 4 peritoneal dialysis), while 25 victims needed more than one type of dialysis. In total, 5137 hemodialysis sessions were performed (mean 11.1 ± 8.0 sessions per patient) and mean duration of hemodialysis support was 13.4 ± 9.0 days; this duration was shorter in the non-survivors (7.0 ± 8.7 vs. 10.0 ± 9.8 days, P = 0.005). Thirty-four victims who underwent continuous renal replacement therapy had higher mortality rates (41.2 vs. 13.7%, P < 0.0001). Only eight victims were treated by peritoneal dialysis, four of whom also required hemodialysis or continuous renal replacement therapy. The mortality rate in the dialyzed victims was 17.2%, a significantly higher figure compared to the mortality rate of the non-dialyzed patients with renal problems (9.3%; P = 0.015).ConclusionSubstantial amounts of dialysis support may be necessary for treating the victims of mass disasters complicated with crush syndrome. Dialyzed patients are characterized by higher rates of morbidity and mortality

Atrioventricular thrombus in a 14-year-old patient: a case report

Right atrioventricular thrombus was diagnosed by echocardiography in a 14-year-old boy. Thrombus was reached through the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery and it was caused to tricuspit valve insufficiency. Surgical thrombectomy was performed and, he was treated with oral anticoagulation in postoperative period

The 1000 Mitoses Project : A Consensus-Based International Collaborative Study on Mitotic Figures Classification

Introduction. The identification of mitotic figures is essential for the diagnosis, grading, and classification of various different tumors. Despite its importance, there is a paucity of literature reporting the consistency in interpreting mitotic figures among pathologists. This study leverages publicly accessible datasets and social media to recruit an international group of pathologists to score an image database of more than 1000 mitotic figures collectively. Materials and Methods. Pathologists were instructed to randomly select a digital slide from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets and annotate 10-20 mitotic figures within a 2 mm2 area. The first 1010 submitted mitotic figures were used to create an image dataset, with each figure transformed into an individual tile at 40x magnification. The dataset was redistributed to all pathologists to review and determine whether each tile constituted a mitotic figure. Results. Overall pathologists had a median agreement rate of 80.2% (range 42.0%-95.7%). Individual mitotic figure tiles had a median agreement rate of 87.1% and a fair inter-rater agreement across all tiles (kappa = 0.284). Mitotic figures in prometaphase had lower percentage agreement rates compared to other phases of mitosis. Conclusion. This dataset stands as the largest international consensus study for mitotic figures to date and can be utilized as a training set for future studies. The agreement range reflects a spectrum of criteria that pathologists use to decide what constitutes a mitotic figure, which may have potential implications in tumor diagnostics and clinical management.Peer reviewe

HYDROBORATION SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF NOVEL CYCLIC PRECERAMIC POLYMERS: TRANSITION TO SiBOC CERAMICS

WOS: 000371556800012Novel preceramic polymers were synthesized by hydroboration reaction and pyrolyzed under continuous nitrogen flow to obtain boron containing silicon oxycarbide (SiBOC) ceramics. The preceramic SiBOC polymers were synthesized with different cyclicsiloxane/borane molar ratios. Structure of the SiBOC polymers and transformation of them to the SiBOC ceramics investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) technique and Scanning Electron microscope (SEM. Since the cyclicsiloxanes used in smaller sizes according to literature, variations were observed in structure of obtained polymers and ceramics. During the pyrolysis of polymers, loss of the carbon was little. The transformation from amorphous form to the beta-SiC crystal was achieved above 1200 degrees C and consequently thermally stable SiBOC ceramics were obtained at higher temperatures. Antibacterial activity of SiBOC polymers were evaluated by disc diffusion method against E. coli ATCC 25922- for the first time. The new polymers inhibited the growth of Gram-negative bacteria well enough.Scientific Research Projects Unit of Akdeniz UniversityAkdeniz University [2012.02.0121.006]The authors gratefully acknowledge Scientific Research Projects Unit of Akdeniz University (2012.02.0121.006) for financial support

Comparative Antibacterial, Chemical and Morphological Study of Essential Oils of Thymbra spicata var. spicata Leaves by Solvent-Free Microwave Extraction and Hydro-Distillation

WOS: 000357627600001The essential oils of Thymbra spicata var. spicata were obtained by both hydrodistillation and solvent-free microwave extraction methods. Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oils were examined. The main constituents of both essential oils obtained by solvent-free microwave extraction and hydrodistillation from Thymbra spicata var. spicata were carvacrol (44.8-36.1%), gamma-terpinene (23.8-26.1%), and p-cymene (7.3-9.6%), respectively. The essential oil obtained from solvent-free microwave extraction contained substantially higher amounts of oxygenated compounds and lower amounts of monoterpenes than hydrodistillation. The antibacterial activities of the essential oils from solvent-free microwave extraction and hydrodistillation were evaluated by the disc diffusion method against six bacterial strains. The essential oil extracted by solvent-free microwave extraction was more effective than the essential oil extracted by hydrodistillation against the tested bacteria except for E. coli ATCC 25922- and S. aureus ATCC 25923+. Especially, S. aureus ATCC 25923+ was more sensitive against the essential oils obtained from Thymbra spicata var. spicata. Scanning electron microscopy measurements show that glands (that are filled with essential oils) were subjected to more severe thermal stresses and localized high pressure by microwave heating, the pressure build up within the glands could have exceeded their capacity for expansion and break down of cell walls. Solvent-free microwave extraction resulted in more extract release more rapidly than in hydrodestillation.Scientific Research Projects Unit of Akdeniz UniversityAkdeniz UniversityThe authors gratefully acknowledge Scientific Research Projects Unit of Akdeniz University for financial support

PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS OF A DE NOVO PARTIAL TRISOMY 6q AND PARTIAL MONOSOMY 18p ASSOCIATED WITH CEPHALOCELE: A CASE REPORT

A 28-year-old woman underwent amniocentesis at 18 weeks' gestation upon detection of increased fetal nuchal fold and parietal cephalocele on the second trimester ultrasound examination. Prenatal microarray showed a de novo unbalanced translocation resulting in a gain in 6q and loss in 18p. A female infant was delivered at 38 weeks' gestation. At birth, cephalocele and webbed neck were noted as major dysmorphic features. The case presented here shows how a combination of different genetic studies is used to accurately elucidate a chromosomal anomaly in a prenatal setting

An unusual translocation between 12tel and 14q11 in a large kindred.

In one couple investigated because of recurrent abortions, the female was found to have an unusual translocation between the long arm of the telomeric region of chromosome 12 and the long arm of the chromosome 14 at band q11. We studied ten additional members of the family who were under the risk: of the same chromosomal rearrangement, and four of them were found to be carriers. The diagnosis of this translocation was determined using different banding techniques and FISH. The karyotype was found to be 45,XX,t(12;14)(qtel;q11)

Posterior nutcracker syndrome: caused by pelvic pain

Posterior nutcracker syndrome is one of the abdominal venous entrapments caused by compression of the left renal vein between the vertebral column and the abdominal aorta. In this article, we report our first experience in a patient with posterior nutcracker syndrome who was referred to our clinic with pelvic congestion symptoms. A 39-year-old female patient was admitted to our clinic with the complaint of pelvic pain especially on the left side. Abdominal computed tomography angiography demonstrated vascular congestion appearance extending from pelvis at retroperitoneal space On the left side. End-to-side gonadocaval bypass was performed to the patient. Postoperative abdominopelvic tomography revealed that perirenal and retroperitoneal hematoma resolved completely. All of her previous complaints disappeared in the second postoperative months. We believe that gonadocaval bypass is an open surgical procedure which can be safely performed for selected patients