Surgical Results of Lumbar Canal Recalibration by Modified Senegas Technique

The aim of recalibration of the lumbar canal using the Senegas technique guarantees stability and preserves movement, with a considerable reduction in surgical risk and faster incorporation into daily life. Objective: To evaluate the surgical results of recalibration of the lumbar canal using the modified Senegas technique. Materials and Methods: An ambispective and cross-sectional descriptive observational study was carried out at the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery between January 2011 and December 2019 that were evaluated 6 and 12 months after having been operated. Results: 70.7% of the patients manifested chronic low back pain, and dysesthesia was found in 39.8%. There were 15.8% complications. The clinical evolution according to the Lumbar and Lower Limb Verbal Numerical Scale and the functional one according to the Oswestry Disability Index was better at 6 and 12 months after the intervention compared to the preoperative period. The result was considered good at 82.7% and 89.4%, respectively, at 6 and 12 months. Conclusions: The clinical and functional evolution of the operated patients is significantly better at 6 and 12 months concerning the preoperative one. At both 6 and 12 months, surgical results are good in the vast majority of patients.

Approach to assessment of prerequisites for implementation of strategic directions of innovative development of industrial enterprises

The present research substantiates the theorical and methodological foundations of quantitative assessment of the prerequisites for the implementation of strategic directions of innovative development of industrial enterprises under conditions of changing technological arrangement and the fourth industrial revolution. External and internal prerequisites for catching-up, leading and outstripping innovative development were determined and systematized. The two-step approach to assessing the sufficiency of prerequisites for the implementation of these directions was developed. It was proposed to assess external prerequisites according to the relative values of the indicators of the Global Innovation Index of the analyzed country, which take into account the highest and the lowest estimates of all countries Unlike existing approaches, the point-based score, rather than rating estimates of the indicators of countries are taken into account, which increases the assessment objectivity. The compliance of quantitative estimates with the levels of sufficiency of external prerequisites was determined using the Harrington Verbal-Numerical scale. It was proposed to assess internal prerequisites according to the author’s method of expert evaluations, which unlike existing ones, allows assessing the level of sufficiency of subsystems of the potential of innovative development of an enterprise. The two-step approach allows quantitative and comprehensive assessment of sufficiency of the prerequisites for the implementation of strategic directions of innovative development of industrial enterprises. It is possible to identify problems of prerequisites’ sufficiency, which allows their reasonable correction. The sufficiency of prerequisites for alternative directions of innovative development of machine-building enterprises was evaluated using the new approach and the best directions were chosen. The analysis time was reduced by 25–33 %, the accuracy of choice of directions and the effectiveness of their implementation strategies are increasing. The new approach improves strategic management of innovative development of industrial enterprises in the context of technological transformations

The Effect of an Alternative Definition of “Percent Highly Annoyed” on the Exposure–Response Relationship: Comparison of Noise Annoyance Responses Measured by ICBEN 5-Point Verbal and 11-Point Numerical Scales

Since the development of the 5-point verbal and 11-point numerical scales for measuring noise annoyance by the ICBEN Team 6, these scales have been widely used in socio-acoustic surveys worldwide, and annoyance responses have been easily compared internationally. However, both the top two categories of the 5–point verbal scale and the top three ones of the 11-point numerical scale are correspond to high annoyance, so it is difficult to precisely compare annoyance responses. Therefore, we calculated differences in day–evening–night-weighted sound pressure levels (Lden) by comparing values corresponding to 10% highly annoyed (HA) on Lden_%HA curves obtained from measurements in 40 datasets regarding surveys conducted in Japan and Vietnam. The results showed that the Lden value corresponding to 10% HA using the 5-point verbal scale was approximately 5 dB lower than that of the 11-point numerical scale. Thus, some correction is required to compare annoyance responses measured by the 5-point verbal and the 11-point numerical scales. The results of this study were also compared with those of a survey in Switzerland.

Efforts to Improve Mudharabah Finance of Sharia Commercial Banks through Third Party Funds and Return on Asset

The main focus of this study is to analyze the effect of both partial and simultaneous third party funds and return on assets on mudharabah financing at Islamic Commercial Banks. The approach used in this study is a quantitative approach, because the data measurement uses a numerical scale (numbers). The population and sample in this study are the financial statements of Islamic Commercial Banks containing third party funds, return on assets and mudharabah financing. The years 2016 to 2019 were chosen as the sample for this study. The results showed that partially only third party funds had a positive and significant effect on mudharabah financing, while return on assets had no effect. Then simultaneously the two variables of third party funds and return on assets have a positive and significant effect on mudharabah financing at Islamic Commercial Banks.

Construction Of A Psychophysical Scale Of Visual Comfort of Lighting Based On A Neural Network: preparation Of The Experiment

One of the important questions in lighting engineering is to determine the sensation of discomfort from lighting installations. There is no unified psychophysical scale for assessing the visual comfort of lighting (VCL) at any arbitrary distribution of luminance in space. This article considers a mathematical model of the scale based on a neural network (NN) as an ‘expert’ that trained to determine the comfort of perception of lighting depending on the light source’s luminance and background. The experimental data obtained at the lighting engineering department of the National Research University “MPEI” were used to train the NN. The experiment results presented in this article are consistent with the numerical scale for estimating the VCL proposed by Lakiesch and Holladay. A new model allows predicting the sensation of VCL with an accuracy of up to 70 %. This work allows formulating criteria for NN’s input and output parameters to choose a metric for evaluating NN’s performance, such as the confusion matrix, ROC curves, and a metric, such as the probability distribution for each sensation depending on the input parameters. It clearly follows, that amount of initial data is not allowed to make a final conclusion. One more experiment required considering the algorithm used to calibrate the experimental installation, instructions for observers, and the obtained results processing.

Efficacy of triple surgery for cavovarus foot in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of surgical treatment to correct the main deformities associated with flexible cavovarus foot due to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Methods: Fifteen patients (18 feet) with flexible cavovarus feet due to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease were evaluated and underwent surgery between 2000 and 2015. We used a “triple surgery” protocol: a combination of plantar fasciotomy, valgus-inducing osteotomy of the calcaneus, and lengthening osteotomy of the first metatarsal. After a mean follow-up time of 105 (48 to 198) months, we developed a numerical scale to assess the main aspects of patient complaints: pain (3 points), function (3 points) and deformity (4 points). The scale considered the results of the visual analog pain scale, the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society Scale, and the Coleman block test, as well as clinical and radiographic evaluation of gait and cavovarus deformities. Results: According to the numerical scale, the results were considered satisfactory in 15 of the 18 feet (84%) and unsatisfactory in 3 (16%). Conclusion: In the medium term, the “triple surgery” protocol proved efficient for correcting cavovarus deformities, providing functional improvement while preserving mobility without pain complaints. In the final analysis, through the “triple surgery” protocol, early indication for arthrodesis can be avoided, postponing sacrifice of the hindfoot joints. Level of Evidence IV; Therapeutic Studies; Case Series.

Pemberian Aromaterapi Lavender Menurunkan Intensitas Nyeri Post Op Debridement Pada Pasien Ulkus Granulosum

Debridement adalah tindakan operasi yang dilakukan untuk mengangkat jaringan yang mati atau luka. Pasien yang dilakukan tindakan debridement mengakibatkan pasien mengalami nyeri. Sehingga salah satu tindakan yang dapat dilakukan selain menggunakan tehnik farmakologi menggunakan tehnik relaksasi aromaterapi. Relaksasi merupakan tehnik yang dilakukan untuk mengatasi stres ataupun perasaan nyeri pada seseorang yang bertujuan untuk terjadinya peningkatan aliran darah sehingga perasaan cemas dan suplai oksigenasi ke area nyeri dapat berkurang. Studi kasus yang bertujuan untuk mengetahui pemberian aromaterapi lavender terhadap penurunan intensitas nyeri post op debridement. Metode yang digunakan yaitu desain studi kasus deskriptif dengan pendekatan studi kasus berdasarkan penerapan evidence based practice pemberian aromaterapi lavender untuk menggurangi nyeri pada pasien post op debridement dengan ulkus granulosum . Sampel berjumlah 2 orang dalam studi ini adalah semua pasien post op debridement yang mengalami ulkus granulosum. Studi kasus ini dilaksanakan pada bulan januari 2020. Alat ukur menggunakan numerical scale. Hasil perbandingan skala nyeri antara ke dua responden sebelum dan sesudah di lakukan terapi menunjukan penurunan skala nyeri. Setelah di lakukan terapi pemberian aromaterapi lavender skala nyeri responden pertama menjadi 4 dan responden kedua menjadi 2. Ada penurunan intensitas nyeri pada pasien post op debridement dengan ulkus granulosum yang mengalami nyeri setelah di berikan terapi aromaterapi lavender.

Quantifications of the Secondary Qualities, Heat and Cold, on the Earliest Scales of Thermoscopes

While scaled thermoscopes were developed only at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the medical tradition had already started to quantify some secondary qualities towards the end of sixteenth century. However, degrees of heat and cold were only meaningful in connection with Galenic-Aristotelean ontology, consisting of elements, temperaments and degrees of the four humours. The first graduated thermoscopes transformed the prevailing conceptualizations of heat and cold. By delegating some specific senses of heat and cold to an external contrivance, together with the evolution towards a linear numerical scale, these qualities became objectified as observable phenomena. The degree of expansion and compression of air, and later liquid, became an observable measure of temperature and narrowed down the existing conceptualizations of temperature. The paper also discusses the three types of scale that were used in the early thermoscopes between 1610 and 1640.

Pain in the bipolar disorder: prevalence, characteristics and relationship with suicide risk

Objective: to know the prevalence and characteristics of pain, to verify how pain management has been carried out by the health services, and to correlate suicide risk with pain intensity in patients with bipolar disorder. Method: an observational study with a quantitative approach. The study included people with bipolar disorder assessed by the McGill-Reduced Pain Questionnaire, Body Diagram, Visual Numerical Scale, and the Suicidal Ideation Scale (Beck). Results: the sample of 60 participants was mainly composed of women with a mean age of 40 years old and a mean psychiatric treatment time of approximately 13 years. Of these, 83% reported feeling pain at the time of the interview. Half of the participants indicated that pain interferes with routine and 80% did not receive care in health institutions. The main descriptors that qualify the painful experience were as follows: painful, heavy and sensitive for the sensory descriptors, tiring and punishing in the affective category. Suicide attempt was reported by 57% of the participants. There was a correlation between suicide risk and pain intensity. Conclusion: pain presented a high prevalence. Suicide risk was identified in more than half of the participants. Pain intensity showed a significant correlation with suicide risk.

Psychovisual Perception Scale Based on a Neural Network

The purpose of this article is to construct a psychophysical scale of visual perception from lighting scene based on a direct propagation neural network using for assessment of real or synthesized images with spatial brightness distribution. Visual perception assessments of different scenes were obtained for 10 observers at the experimental installation of the Department of lighting engineering of the MPEI (NRU). These results were checked and found out agreed with the numerical scale of visual perception proposed by Lekish and Holladay. Neural network was trained to predict a sensation at the level of 40-70%, depending on the scale category. For more careful prediction level in each of 5 categories of scale a new experiment should be done with new calibration and with tested instructions and with more observers involved. The novelty consists in using a neural network as an expert to assess the degree of comfort of the lighting scene.