Effects of time averaging on noise floor in distortion product otoacoustic emissions

This paper examines distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) used to test peripheral auditory function, and how noise level in the ear affects the detectability of DPOAEs. The study examines the clinical feasibility of different time averages at different frequencies on the noise floor.

Conservation of open solar magnetic flux and the floor in the heliospheric magnetic field

The near-Earth heliospheric magnetic field intensity, |B|, exhibits a strong solar cycle variation, but returns to the same ``floor'' value each solar minimum. The current minimum, however, has seen |B| drop below previous minima, bringing in to question the existence of a floor, or at the very least requiring a re-assessment of its value. In this study we assume heliospheric flux consists of a constant open flux component and a time-varying contribution from CMEs. In this scenario, the true floor is |B| with zero CME contribution. Using observed CME rates over the solar cycle, we estimate the ``no-CME'' |B| floor at ~4.0 +/- 0.3 nT, lower than previous floor estimates and below |B| observed this solar minimum. We speculate that the drop in |B| observed this minimum may be due to a persistently lower CME rate than the previous minimum, though there are large uncertainties in the supporting observational data.

Investigation of air quality, comfort parameters and effectiveness for two floor-level air supply systems in classrooms

The method of distributing the outdoor air in classrooms has a major impact on indoor air quality and thermal comfort of pupils. In a previous study, ([11] Karimipanah T, Sandberg M, Awbi HB. A comparative study of different air distribution systems in a classroom. In: Proceedings of Roomvent 2000, vol. II, Reading, UK, 2000. p. 1013-18; [13] Karimipanah T, Sandberg M, Awbi HB, Blomqvist C. Effectiveness of confluent jets ventilation system for classrooms. In: Idoor Air 2005, Beijing, China, 2005 (to be presented).) presented results for four and two types of air distribution systems tested in a purpose built classroom with simulated occupancy as well as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling. In this paper, the same experimental setup has been used to investigate the indoor environment in the classroom using confluent jet ventilation, see also ([12]Cho YJ, Awbi HB, Karimipanah T. The characteristics of wall confluent jets for ventilated enclosures. In: Proceedings of Roomvent 2004, Coimbra, Portugal, 2004.) Measurements of air speed, air temperature and tracer gas concentrations have been carried out for different thermal conditions. In addition, 56 cases of CFD simulations have been carried to provide additional information on the indoor air quality and comfort conditions throughout the classroom, such as ventilation effectiveness, air exchange effectiveness, effect of flow rate, effect of radiation, effect of supply temperature, etc., and these are compared with measured data.

Histological Outcomes on the Development of New Space-making Devices for Maxillary Sinus Floor Augmentation

Background: Previous studies have pointed out that the mere elevation of the maxillary sinus membrane promotes bone formation without the use of augmentation materials. Purpose: This experimental study aimed at evaluating if the two-stage procedure for sinus floor augmentation could benefit from the use of a space-making device in order to increase the bone volume to enable later implant installation with good primary stability. Materials and Methods: Six male tufted capuchin primates (Cebus apella) were subjected to extraction of the three premolars and the first molar on both sides of the maxilla to create an edentulous area. The sinuses were opened using the lateral bone-wall window technique, and the membrane was elevated. One resorbable space-making device was inserted in each maxillary sinus, and the bone window was returned in place. The animals were euthanatized after 6 months, and biopsy blocks containing the whole maxillary sinus and surrounding soft tissues were prepared for ground sections. Results: The histological examination of the specimens showed bone formation in contact with both the schneiderian membrane and the device in most cases even when the device was displaced. The process of bone formation indicates that this technique is potentially useful for two-stage sinus floor augmentation. The lack of stabilization of the device within the sinus demands further improvement of space-makers for predictable bone augmentation. Conclusions: It is concluded that (1) the device used in this study did not trigger any important inflammatory reaction; (2) when the sinus membrane was elevated, bone formation was a constant finding; and (3) an ideal space-making device should be stable and elevate the membrane to ensure a maintained connection between the membrane and the secluded space.

Influence of rhBMP-2 on bone formation and osseointegration in different implant systems after sinus-floor elevation. An in vivo study on sheep

Background Several studies have reported certain bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) to have positive effects on bone generation Although some investigators have studied the effects of human recombinant BMP (rhBMP-2) in sinus augmentation in sheep, none of these studies looked at the placement of implants at the time of sinus augmentation Furthermore, no literature could be found to report on the impact that different implant systems, as well as the positioning of the implants had on bone formation if rhBMP-2 was utilized in sinus-lift procedures Purpose The aim of this study was to compare sinus augmentation with rhBMP-2 on a poly-D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid gelatine (PLPG) sponge with sinus augmentation with autologous pelvic cancellous bone in the maxillary sinus during the placement of different dental Implants Materials and methods Nine adult female sheep were submitted to bilateral sinus-floor elevation In one side (test group) the sinus lift was performed with rhBMP-2 on a PLPG-sponge, while the contralateral side served as the control by using cancellous bone from the iliac crest Three different implants (Branemark (R), 31 (R) and Straumann (R)) were inserted either simultaneously with the sinus augmentation or as a two staged procedure 6 weeks later The animals were sacrificed at 6 and 12 weeks for histological and histomorphometrical evaluations during which bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and bone density (BD) were evaluated Results BD and BIC were significantly higher at 12 weeks in the test group if the Implants were placed at the time of the sinus lift (p < 0 05) No difference was observed between the different implant systems or positions Conclusions The use of rhBMP-2 with PLPG-sponge increased BIC as well as BD in the augmented sinuses if compared to autologous bone Different implant systems and positions of the implants had no effect on BIC or BD (C) 2010 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery

Museum Personalized : The impact of floor staff on an exhibition - A holistic approach

The current paper presents a study conducted at The National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm to investigate the exhibition “Antarctica – that’s cool” from its first concept to the first workshop that is held in the exhibition. The focus is on the influence of floor staff on an exhibition and workshops as learning facilities in museums. Findings, based on visitor observation and the exhibition building process, go into the characteristics of low-budget productions and discuss the importance of staff on the exhibition floor for museums as life-long learning facilities. The holistic approach of the study provides deep insights into the complex interplay of visitors, staff and exhibitions. The results can be used for future exhibition building processes and educational programs in museums and should strengthen the museum’s position as life-long learning facility in nowadays society.

Tapping into Floor Staff: Using the knowledge of floor staff to conduct formative evaluations of exhibits in a Canadian science centre

Most science centres in Canada employ science-educated floor staff to motivate visitorsto have fun while enhancing the educational reach of the exhibits. Although bright andsensitive to visitors’ needs, floor staff are rarely consulted in the planning,implementation, and modification phases of an exhibit. Instead, many developmentteams rely on costly third-party evaluations or skip the front-end and formativeevaluations all together, leading to costly errors that could have been avoided. This studywill seek to reveal a correlation between floor staff’s perception of visitors’ interactionswith an exhibit and visitors’ actual experiences. If a correlation exists, a recommendationcould be made to encourage planning teams to include floor staff in the formative andsummative evaluations of an exhibit. This is especially relevant to science centres withlimited budgets and for whom a divide exists between floor staff and management.In this study, a formative evaluation of one exhibit was conducted, measuring both floorstaff’s perceptions of the visitor experience and visitors’ own perceptions of the exhibit.Floor staff were then trained on visitor evaluation methods. A week later, floor staff andvisitors were surveyed a second time on a different exhibit to determine whether anincrease in accuracy existed.The training session increased the specificity of the motivation and comprehensionresponses and the enthusiasm of the staff, but not their ability to predict observedbehaviours with respect to ergonomics, learning indicators, holding power, and successrates. The results revealed that although floor staff underestimated visitors’ success ratesat the exhibits, staff accurately predicted visitors’ behaviours with respect to holdingpower, ergonomics, learning indicators, motivation and comprehension, both before andafter the staff training.

WOW!floor: framework de visão computacional

Os tapetes interactivos são uma nova forma de interagir com sistemas informáticos de uma forma natural proporcionando uma experiência inovadora e cativando os utilizadores a interagirem com o conteúdo multimédia apresentado. No entanto é necessário encontrar formas de melhorar as Frameworks para que estas sejam mais flexíveis e fáceis de utilizar, e melhorar os tapetes interactivos para que sejam mais apelativos e mais naturais. Para isso estudou-se vários sistemas de tapetes interactivos de forma a determinar quais as principais funcionalidades das suas Frameworks, quais as arquitecturas de montagem mais favoráveis e que tipos de protótipos são mais comuns. O estudo efectuado levou à construção de sistema interactivo com um custo reduzido e com resultados satisfatórios que nos permitiram verificar que os tapetes interactivos são uma boa aposta para o futuro essencialmente nas áreas de marketing e publicidade, cultura, educação e lazer.

Real-Time Visual SLAM Using Pre - Existing Floor Lines as Landmarks and a Single Camera

SANTANA, André M.; SANTIAGO, Gutemberg S.; MEDEIROS, Adelardo A. D. Real-Time Visual SLAM Using Pre-Existing Floor Lines as Landmarks and a Single Camera. In: CONGRESSO BRASILEIRO DE AUTOMÁTICA, 2008, Juiz de Fora, MG. Anais... Juiz de Fora: CBA, 2008.

A special BEM for elastostatic analysis of building floor slabs on columns

This work presents a boundary element formulation for the analysis of building floor slabs, without beams, in which columns are coupled with the plate. An alternative formulation of boundary element method is presented, which considers three nodal displacements values (w, partial derivativew/partial derivativen and partial derivativew/partial derivatives) for the nodes at the boundary of the plate. In this formulation three boundary equations are written for all nodes at the boundary and in the domain of the plate. As the nodes of the column-plate connections are also represented by three nodal values, all these structural elements can be easily coupled. It is supposed that the cross-sections of the columns remain flat after the deflection and consequently the assumption of linear variation of the stress in the plate-column contact surface is also valid. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vegetal polymer in repair of defects of the orbital floor: an experimental study in rabbits

Background: An experimental study was done to assess the ability of the vegetal polymer miniplates and screws to repair defects of the orbital floor.Methods: An artificial standard-sized defect was created in the bony floor of right orbit of 45 albino rabbits. The animals were divided into three experimental groups: control group (G1) involving animals with orbital floor defect and no treatment; titanium group (G2) containing animals with orbital floor defect repaired by titanium miniplates and screws; vegetal polymer group (G3) composed of animals with similar orbital floor defects repaired by vegetal polymer miniplates and screws. Throughout the course of the experiment, the animals were clinically evaluated. At 15, 30 and 60 days after surgery, the animals were killed. They were X-rayed immediately after the floor defect and at the moment of sacrifice. Histological and morphometric evaluation of inflammatory reaction and bone healing was done. Data were statistically evaluated.Results: No implants were extruded. Bone consolidation was similar in G2 and G3 and better than in G1 group animals. Inflammatory reaction was most pronounced in animals of G3 15 days after surgery, and it subsided over time.Conclusion: Vegetal polymer miniplates and screws induces small inflammatory reaction and had the ability to stimulate bone growth with good integration in the orbital floor defect allowing to consider the vegetal polymer adequate option to treat orbital floor defects. Future studies involving long-term follow-up and biomechanical tests to evaluate material resistance to traction are needed.

Effect of intravaginal electrical stimulation on pelvic floor muscle strength

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of intravaginal electrical stimulation (IES) on pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength in patients with mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). Between January 2001 and February 2002, 40 MUI women (mean age: 48 years) were studied. Urge incontinence was the predominant symptom; 92.5% also presented mild stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Selection criteria were clinical history and urodynamics. Pre-treatment urodynamic study showed no statistical differences between the groups. Ten percent of the women in each group had involuntary detrusor contractions. Patients were randomly distributed, in a double-blind study, into two groups. Group G 1 (n=20), effective IES, and group G2 (n=20), sham IES, with follow-up at 1 month. The following parameters were studied: (1) clinical questionnaire, (2) examiner's evaluation of perineal muscle strength, (3) objective evaluation of perineal muscle by perineometry, (4) vaginal weight test, and (5) urodynamic study. The IES protocol consisted of three 20-min sessions per week over a 7-week period using a Dualpex Uro 996 at 4 Hz. There was no statistically significant difference in the demographic data of both groups. The number of micturitions per 24 h after treatment was reduced significantly in both groups. Urge incontinence, present in all patients before treatment, was reduced to 15% in G1 and 31.5% in G2 post-treatment. The subjective evaluation of PFM strength demonstrated a significant improvement in G1. Objective evaluation of PFM force by perineometer showed a significant improvement in maximum peak contraction post-treatment in both groups. In the vaginal weight test, there was a significant increase in average number of cone retentions post-treatment in both groups. With regard to satisfaction level, after treatment, 80% of the patients in G1 and 65% of the patients in G2 were satisfied. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups. There was a significant improvement in PFM strength from both effective and sham electrostimulation, questioning the effectiveness of electrostimulation as a monotherapy in treating MUI.