A Dichoptic Optokinetic Nystagmus Paradigm for Interocular Suppression Quantification in Intermittent Exotropia

Purposes: To investigate the effectiveness of a dichoptic optokinetic nystagmus (dOKN) test to objectively quantify interocular suppression in intermittent exotropia (IXT) patients during the states of orthotropia and exodeviation.Methods: The OKN motion in subjects (15 controls and 59 IXT subjects) who viewed dichoptic oppositely moving gratings with different contrast ratios was monitored and recorded by an eye tracker. Interocular suppression in control subjects was induced using neutral density (ND) filters. The OKN direction ratios were fitted to examine the changes of interocular suppression in subjects under different viewing states. Two established interocular suppression tests (phase and motion) were conducted for a comparative study.Results: The dOKN test, which requires a minimal response from subjects, could accurately quantify the interocular suppression in both IXT and control subjects, which is in line with the established interocular suppression tests. Overall, although comparative, the strength of interocular suppression detected by the dOKN test (0.171 ± 0.088) was stronger than those of the phase (0.293 ± 0.081) and the motion tests (0.212 ± 0.068) in the control subjects with 1.5 ND filters. In IXT patients, when their eyes kept aligned, the dOKN test (0.58 ± 0.09) measured deeper visual suppression compared with the phase (0.73 ± 0.17) or the motion test (0.65 ± 0.14). Interestingly, strong interocular suppression (dOKN: 0.15 ± 0.12) was observed in IXT subjects during the periods of exodeviation, irrespective of their binocular visual function as measured by synoptophore.Conclusion: The dOKN test provides efficient and objective quantification of interocular suppression in IXT, and demonstrates how it fluctuates under different eye positions.

Comparisons among measurement approaches to determine blood loss with different environmental sanitary effects

Labour and delivery are hazardous processes for bleeding. It will have complications, and even death for maternal because of overdue recognition and identification of the early signs of bleeding. Postpartum hemorrhage is still a problem and a major cause of maternal death. The definition, bleeding threshold, and method of assessing blood loss are still being debated today. This literature review aimed to determine the methods that had been used in measuring the amount of blood loss and risk to the mother. The review used Science Direct and Pubmed electronic online databases with related keyword searches. Measurement of blood loss was categorized into several methods, including visual estimation, direct measurement, gravimetry, and photometry. These methods were explained and then compared with various similar methods. Several studies indicated that measuring the amount of blood loss still often used conventional methods, even though this method was very improper and tends to underestimate blood loss. Several accurate and objective quantification methods had been introduced, but they were still very complicated, expensive, and time-consuming. Based on the review results, various types of blood loss measurement methods were displayed, but they were still not practical, accurate, and reliable. Researchers continue to carry out improvement research in finding methods so that postpartum hemorrhage can be prevented and treated.

Digital analysis of colposcopic images in papillomavirus infection

Acetowhite epithelium (AWE) is one of the main clinical indicator of papillomavirus infection in squamous cell lesions. AWE has a different intensity in various degree of the cervix papillomavirus infection. The digital approach gives the opportunity to estimate AWE intensity by numeric values. The investigation aim is a quantitative assessment of cervical surface changes in papillomavirus infection with digital analysis and computer technologies. The spread of AWE on the cervical surface area has a value of the cervix papillomavirus infection in squamous cell lesions. These two features provide to create the index intensity (IndInt) and index grey value (IndGV). Open-source software ImageJ was used to analysis of colposcopic images. The 8-bit mode was used for the estimation of the AWE grey value. The algorithm of digital analysis detected indicators that provide the severity of papillomavirus infection. The outcomes of an algorithm were the identification of the cervix surface condition severity by an objective quantification.

Fundamental Requirements for Contemporary Performance Evaluation of Emergency-Response and Safety-Critical Teams

This is a review-article which selectively reviews key concepts adopted in team performance evaluation literature. This review intends to promote future innovative methods for objective quantification and analysis of team performance. The review summarizes methods, experimental frameworks, sensors for physiological and behavioral recordings, data processing to derive team level objective measures, in the light of team performance evaluation. Observing the advancements in sensor technologies and computation power, towards advancing team performance evaluation, this review summarizes some of the current multimodal based team research. Finally, the review provides suggestions on aspects that the future research focus to overcome some of existing limitations and drawbacks. <br>

Fundamental Requirements for Contemporary Performance Evaluation of Emergency-Response and Safety-Critical Teams

This is a review-article which selectively reviews key concepts adopted in team performance evaluation literature. This review intends to promote future innovative methods for objective quantification and analysis of team performance. The review summarizes methods, experimental frameworks, sensors for physiological and behavioral recordings, data processing to derive team level objective measures, in the light of team performance evaluation. Observing the advancements in sensor technologies and computation power, towards advancing team performance evaluation, this review summarizes some of the current multimodal based team research. Finally, the review provides suggestions on aspects that the future research focus to overcome some of existing limitations and drawbacks. <br>

Digital analysis and quantitative assessment of the cervical surface with dysplasia

The investigation aims - a quantitative assessment of cervical surface changes with digital analysis and computer technologies in dysplasia. Colposcopy was made in 90 women from 21 to 52 years (avr. age 33,9±8,13 y.o.) with mild epithelial dysplasia (CIN1), moderate dysplasia (CIN2), severe dysplasia (CIN3). The algorithm detected indicators which provide the cervical dysplasia classification on pre cytological and pre molecular-genetic patients investigations. The outcome of an algorithm was the identification of the cervix surface condition severity by an objective quantification. The cervical dysplasia type (CIN) was classified as IndGV values. The mild dysplasia (CIN1) had IndGV=8,5, moderate dysplasia (CIN2) - IndGV=13, severe dysplasia (CIN3) - IndGV=15,6. The cervical affected surface area (IndInt) equalled 0,17 in CIN1, 0,19 in CIN2, 0,22 in CIN3. A change severity has a direct relation with a grey color value. It demonstrates quantify classification in digital analysis. The algorithm is used in real-time mode and no requires considerable material outlays. This makes it possible to use an algorithm after clinical examination and predict patient management.

From collocations to call-ocations: using linguistic methods to quantify animal call combinations

Emerging data in a range of non-human animal species have highlighted a latent ability to combine certain pre-existing calls together into larger structures. Currently, however, there exists no objective quantification of call combinations. This is problematic because animal calls can co-occur with one another simply through chance alone. One common approach applied in language sciences to identify recurrent word combinations is collocation analysis. Through comparing the co-occurrence of two words with how each word combines with other words within a corpus, collocation analysis can highlight above chance, two-word combinations. Here, we demonstrate how this approach can also be applied to non-human animal communication systems by implementing it on a pseudo dataset. We argue collocation analysis represents a promising tool for identifying non-random, communicatively relevant call combinations in animals.