Time Frame Windows Research Articles

Degradation behaviour of Mg-4Ag and Mg-5Gd alloys under in-vitro conditions and different time-frames

The Mg-4Ag and Mg-5Gd binary alloys' degradation and corrosion properties were studied under in-vitro conditions (in a SBF solution of pH 7.4 at 37 °C) by using various analytical techniques and time-frame windows (up to 3 vs. 28 days), and compared with the pure Mg alloy. Different kinetics and mechanisms of the alloys' degradation were identified, influencing their corrosion rates' dynamics.The Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements, being performed for up to 3 days, revealed that the corrosion of all three alloys are under a kinetic-controlled mechanism, among which only pure Mg and Mg-4Ag show a repassivation ability in this time-frame. However, the corrosion rates of binary alloys after 28 days of incubation reaching a value of around 0.33 mm/y and a release of 64 mg/L Mg2+ ions, that was accompanied by a pH change up to 8.3, an be lower compared to the pure Mg alloy (0.62 mm/y, 117 mg/L of Mg2+, pH of 9.0). While thick and homogenous layers of differently-shaped and chemically secondary-phased Mg(OH)2 products were identified on both binary alloys, MgO products and an apatite structure are formed on the pure Mg alloy surface. The Mg-4Ag alloy seems to be biomedically the most appropriate regarding the in-vitro degradation process.

Eye and EEG activity markers for visual comfort level of images

Depth perception by binocular cues is based on the matching of image features from one retina with corresponding elements from the second retina. However, high disparities are related to the higher visual discomfort levels and may cause the eye fatigue during extended stereoscopic perception time. The goal of the investigation was to find a set of measurable features for stereoscopic image visual comfort level prediction. The investigation involved gaze, pupillometric and EEG data from 28 subjects who evaluated visual comfort level of 120 stereoscopic images. Six different time frame windows were used to analyze four measured features: the number of focus points; the dynamics of pupil size; disparity level at the focus points; the activity of EEG bands at the frontal lobe. A significant difference was found in all investigated stereoscopic image groups. 2-s and 5-s pre-DPI window showed best results for the selected feature sets. The higher disparity at the focus points, lower number of focus points are related to the lower levels of visual comfort. However, features such as the number of focus points, the pupil size and the disparity level for the images with lowest visual comfort scores showed similar results to the images scored as “comfortable” or “very comfortable”.

Event-Based Tone Mapping for Asynchronous Time-Based Image Sensor.

The asynchronous time-based neuromorphic image sensor ATIS is an array of autonomously operating pixels able to encode luminance information with an exceptionally high dynamic range (>143 dB). This paper introduces an event-based methodology to display data from this type of event-based imagers, taking into account the large dynamic range and high temporal accuracy that go beyond available mainstream display technologies. We introduce an event-based tone mapping methodology for asynchronously acquired time encoded gray-level data. A global and a local tone mapping operator are proposed. Both are designed to operate on a stream of incoming events rather than on time frame windows. Experimental results on real outdoor scenes are presented to evaluate the performance of the tone mapping operators in terms of quality, temporal stability, adaptation capability, and computational time.

MP54-05 EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCKWAVE LITHOTRIPSY AND THE RISK OF DIABETES MELLITUS: A POPULATION-BASED COHORT STUDY

You have accessJournal of UrologyStone Disease: Shock Wave Lithotripsy1 Apr 2016MP54-05 EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCKWAVE LITHOTRIPSY AND THE RISK OF DIABETES MELLITUS: A POPULATION-BASED COHORT STUDY Michael Ordon, Blayne Welk, Jason Lee, R. D'A John Honey, and Kenneth Pace Michael OrdonMichael Ordon More articles by this author , Blayne WelkBlayne Welk More articles by this author , Jason LeeJason Lee More articles by this author , R. D'A John HoneyR. D'A John Honey More articles by this author , and Kenneth PaceKenneth Pace More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2016.02.575AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Our objective was to perform a population-based retrospective cohort study to determine if patients treated with shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) are at a greater risk for the development of diabetes mellitus (DM) than those treated with ureteroscopy (URS) METHODS All SWL and URS treatments performed in the province of Ontario between January 1994 and December 2012 were identified using linked administrative healthcare databases. The primary outcome was the development of DM > 90 days following treatment. SWL, the study exposure, was utilized as a time-dependent exposure to account for those who underwent SWL following URS. Unadjusted analysis with the Kaplan Meier method was used to examine the time to development of DM across the SWL and URS groups. Multivariable analysis with Cox proportional hazards regression was utilized to assess the risk for DM between SWL and URS groups while controlling for age, gender, region of residence, income quintile and comorbidity index. A sensitivity analysis was performed adjusting the time frame window for development of DM to a minimum of >180 and 365 days following treatment, respectively. RESULTS We identified 99,144 patients who underwent SWL or URS over the study period with a median follow-up of 6.6 years (SWL 8.5 years, URS 5.6 years). The groups had similar baseline characteristics (Table 1). Unadjusted survival analysis demonstrated an increased risk for the development of DM in the SWL group compared to the URS group (p<0.0008) (Figure 1). Similarly, multivariable analysis demonstrated an increased risk of DM in the SWL cohort (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.12; p<0.0001). Sensitivity analysis revealed comparable results with an increased risk of DM in the SWL cohort both with the time for exclusion increased to 180 days (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.12; p<0.0001) and 365 days (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.05-1.13; p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Our population-based cohort study demonstrated a small, but significant increased risk of DM in patients undergoing SWL compared to URS. © 2016FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 195Issue 4SApril 2016Page: e728 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2016MetricsAuthor Information Michael Ordon More articles by this author Blayne Welk More articles by this author Jason Lee More articles by this author R. D'A John Honey More articles by this author Kenneth Pace More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

Configuring and executing etl tasks on grid environments - requirements and specificities

Data Warehouses store integrated and consistent data in a subject-oriented data repository dedicated especially to support business intelligence processes. Nevertheless, in order to maintain a data warehouse up-to-date, data intensive tasks retrieve regularly specialized information from specific preselected information sources, transforming and conforming it accordingly to some specific business requirements provided by decision-makers. Such tasks, commonly named as Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) processes, have a limited time frame window to be executed over an ever increasing amount of data with extremely complex operations. The common approach to deal with the need of more computational power is the acquisition of new and more powerful hardware. This expensive approach disregards the unused computational resources available in desktop computers already present at most enterprises’ computational environments. This paper intends to define a different approach to deal with ETL processes, taking advantage of parallel processing over a GRID environment using XML data as an effective support to data storage and communication, demonstrating that GRID environments could be a real alternative for the implementation of low cost data warehouses.

Intra-arterial therapy for acute ischemic stroke.

Intra-arterial therapy (IAT) for acute ischemic stroke refers to endovascular catheter-based approaches to achieve recanalization using mechanical clot disruption, locally injected thrombolytic agents or both. IAT may be used in addition to intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) or in patients who do not qualify for tPA, usually because they are outside the approved 3-h timeframe window or have contraindications, such as elevated international normalized ratio or partial thromboplastin time. Recanalization rates correlate with clinical improvement, and with the newest catheters it is possible to achieve recanalization in roughly 80% of patients treated. However, while the catheters are approved by the Food and Drug Administration, there are still no randomized trial data demonstrating the role of current IAT therapy vs either tPA or standard management. IAT is reserved for patients with large artery occlusions in the basilar, distal carotid, or proximal middle cerebral arteries. Imaging the penumbra using magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomographic perfusion is currently the most frequently used way to identify patients who might benefit. However, the imaging and clinical criteria for identifying which patients benefit, and perhaps more importantly those who will do poorly despite IAT, remain unclear.