Coronary bypass surgery using the radial artery. An alternative in patients with varicose veins

Arterial revascularization of the heart with the radial artery was performed in twenty patients with varicosities of the lower legs. The patients all had a good functional result and were free of angina pectoris after the operation. None of the patients had complications from harvest of the radial artery. The patients were mobilized early, as no veins had been harvested from the legs.     

Bcl-2 protein expression: association with p53 and prognosis in colorectal cancer

In myocardial SPECT perfusion imaging, reorientation algorithms from transaxial image planes are used to generate short- and long-axis views of myocardial tracer uptake. We performed phantom experiments with 201Tl to delineate how image reorientation affects the results of quantitative image analysis. METHODS: Thirty consecutive patient studies were analyzed to characterize the distribution of the angle of reorientation in a clinical setting. Short-axis SPECT images of a cardiac phantom with and without a 180 degrees cold-spot insert were reconstructed with three different backprojection filters (ramp, Metz and Butterworth) and reoriented through different angles ranging from 45 degrees to 89 degrees. Four interpolation algorithms were used to calculate from the transaxial images the pixel values of the reoriented images: (a) a simple interpolator that averages the pixel values of the eight neighboring pixels of the transaxial image; (b) a three-dimensional linear interpolator; (c) a hybrid interpolator that combines a two-dimensional linear in-plane with a one-dimensional cubic across-plane interpolation; and (d) a three-dimensional cubic convolution interpolator. Images were reoriented twice with opposite angles so that the original and the reoriented images could be directly compared. Circumferential profile analysis was applied to determine the root mean square error of corresponding profiles and the difference of the extent and the severity of perfusion defects. Single and multivariate analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare the effects of the reorientation angle, the backprojection filter and the interpolation algorithm. RESULTS: In the clinical studies, the angle between the transaxial and reoriented images was 75 degrees +/- 10 degrees (s.d.). In 48 phantom experiments, multivariate ANOVA demonstrated that the backprojection filter and the interpolation algorithm significantly affect the circumferential profiles and the extent and severity of a perfusion defect (p < 0.05). In contrast, the angle of reorientation was not a significant factor (p = ns). By univariate analysis, the three-dimensional cubic interpolator was associated with significantly (p < 0.05) less error than the simple and three-dimensional linear algorithms. Relative computation times (simple interpolator = 100%) were 119% for the three-dimensional linear, 136% for the hybrid and 243% for the three-dimensional cubic interpolator. CONCLUSION: For quantitative analysis of myocardial SPECT perfusion images, a Metz filter for filtered backprojection in combination with a three-dimensional cubic convolution interpolation for image reorientation appears to offer improved accuracy.     

T lymphocytes bearing the gamma/delta T-cell receptor in cutaneous lesions of dermatitis herpetiformis

T lymphocytes bearing the gamma/delta T-cell receptor are a rare component of normal human GI epithelium and skin. Recently, however, an unusually high percentage of T lymphocytes with gamma/delta receptors has been described in gastrointestinal biopsies from patients with dermatitis herpetiformis, implicating the gamma/delta T cell subset in the pathogenesis of this disease. We investigated a possible role for this subset of lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of the cutaneous lesions of dermatitis herpetiformis. Using a standard immunoperoxidase technique, we labelled perilesional skin biopsies from patients with dermatitis herpetiformis and other inflammatory dermatoses with monoclonal antibodies to CD3, CD4, CD8, alpha/beta T cell receptor, gamma/delta T cell receptor, and IL-2 receptor. We found no differences in the percentage of gamma/delta positive T lymphocytes in skin lesions of dermatitis herpetiformis as compared to other selected inflammatory conditions. These findings suggest that the pathogenesis of the cutaneous lesions of dermatitis herpetiformis is not mediated through gamma/delta T cells, and that the cutaneous lesions may develop through mechanisms different from those operative in the gastrointestinal tract.     

Using business critical design rules to frame new architecture introduction in multi-architecture portfolios

When introducing new architectures to an industrial portfolio, counting multiple existing product and manufacturing solutions, time-to-market and investments in manufacturing equipment can be significantly reduced if new concepts are aligned with the existing portfolio. This can be done through component sharing, or sharing critical design principles. This alignment is not trivial, as extensive design knowledge is needed to overview a portfolio with many, often highly different products and manufacturing lines. In this paper, we suggest establishing a frame of reference for new-product introduction based on several ‘game rules’, or Business Critical Design Rules (BCDRs), which denote the most critical features of the product and manufacturing architectures, and should be considered an obligatory reference for design when introducing new architectures. BCDRs are derived from the portfolio, architecture and module levels, including modelling of the most critical links between the product and manufacturing domains. The suggested modelling principle has been tested as a frame for new-architecture introduction, capturing critical modularisation principles in a large and global OEM. Application of the suggested method revealed a potential for reducing time-to-market and potentially cutting 35% off investments in new manufacturing equipment when introducing new products in the portfolio.     

Validity of the Acti4 software using ActiGraph GT3X+accelerometer for recording of arm and upper body inclination in simulated work tasks

The validity of inclinometer measurements by ActiGraph GT3X+ (AG) accelerometer, when analysed with the Acti4 customised software, was examined by comparison of inclinometer measurements with a reference system (TrakStar) in a protocol with standardised arm movements and simulated working tasks. The sensors were placed at the upper arm (distal to the deltoid insertion) and at the spine (level of T1-T2) on eight participants. Root mean square errors (RMSEs) values of inclination between the two systems were low for the slow- and medium-speed standardised arm movements and in simulated working tasks. Fast arm movements caused the inclination estimated by the AG to deviate from the reference measurements (RMSE values up to ～10°). Furthermore, it was found that AG positioned at the upper arm provided inclination data without bias compared to the reference system. These findings indicate that the AG provides valid estimates of arm and upper body inclination in working participants.     

Yield surface of polyurethane and aluminium replicated foam

It has been proposed in the literature, based on theoretical considerations and on finite-element calculations, that all three stress tensor invariants govern the yield surface of cellular materials. Recent experiments on 75 μm pore size aluminium replicated foams (Combaz E, Bacciarini C, Charvet R, Dufour W, Mortensen A. Multiaxial yield behaviour of Al replicated foam, submitted for publication) showed such a dependence of the yield surface in axisymmetric tests. This study explores the yield behaviour of 400 μm pore size aluminium replicated foams: experiments confirm the influence of the third invariant on the yield surface shape, together with the observations that (i) the yield surface shape does not depend on relative density and (ii) measured flow vectors conform with normality. A simple parabolic model fitting data in the previous study also captures well the present data under all tested stress states (biaxial, axisymmetric and Π-planes in stress space). Biaxial and axisymmetric tests are also performed on 400 μm pore size polyurethane (PU) replicated foams with a similar mesostructure. Results show yield to occur at a value lower than predicted by micromechanical models for both matrix materials (aluminium and PU). This suggests that the “knock-down” factor usually observed between predicted and observed stress values probably cannot be explained by a lowered yield stress in the material making the foam. The data also suggest an influence of the matrix nature on the yield surface geometry.     

Software Implementation of Biological Repository for Human Genetic Material

To provide biological specimens for scientific studies, the Medical Automation Research Center (MARC) designed and constructed a large-scale device that emphasizes the use of robotics and automation to integrate many associated laboratory operations. These included analysis, dilution, archival storage, and retrieval of purified human-derived specimens. Designers of automated biological repositories are challenged by complex engineering problems. In this paper, we present an overview of the biological repository (biorepository) and give details of the software architecture.     

Characterisation and Assessment of Load Response, Failure and Fatigue Phenomena in Sandwich Structures Induced by Localised Effects: A Review

Abstract:  The objective of the paper is to provide an overview of the mechanical effects, which determine the occurrence and severity of localised bending effects in sandwich structures, and to provide a survey of the available structural sandwich models, with special emphasis on their ability to describe local bending effects. The presentation includes a brief survey of the various structural models, including classical, 'first-order shear', 'high-order' and continuum mechanics-based models. Moreover, the paper focuses on and addresses the experimental characterisation and assessment of local effects in sandwich structures based on realistic engineering practice, examples including sandwich panels with core materials of different stiffness (core junctions), sandwich plates with inserts and junctions between sandwich panels of different curvature. The issues of general load response (global and local) as well as failure and fatigue of such sandwich structures subjected to out-of-plane and in-plane loads are discussed in some detail, with the inclusion of recent theoretical and experimental results.     

Behavioral patterns of older-adults in assisted living

In this paper, we examine at-home activity rhythms and present a dozen of behavioral patterns obtained from an activity monitoring pilot study of 22 residents in an assisted living setting with four case studies. Established behavioral patterns have been captured using custom software based on a statistical predictive algorithm that models circadian activity rhythms (CARs) and their deviations. The CAR was statistically estimated based on the average amount of time a resident spent in each room within their assisted living apartment, and also on the activity level given by the average number of motion events per room. A validated in-home monitoring system (IMS) recorded the monitored resident's movement data and established the occupancy period and activity level for each room. Using these data, residents' circadian behaviors were extracted, deviations indicating anomalies were detected, and the latter were correlated to activity reports generated by the IMS as well as notes of the facility's professional caregivers on the monitored residents. The system could be used to detect deviations in activity patterns and to warn caregivers of such deviations, which could reflect changes in health status, thus providing caregivers with the opportunity to apply standard of care diagnostics and to intervene in a timely manner.