Purpose: Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) prognosis depends on the capability of the right ventricle (RV) to preserve its function in face of increased afterload.We hypothesize that, as for the left ventricle, right intra-ventricular (IVD) dyssynchrony may have a negative effect on the overloaded RV.The aim of the study was to assess right IVD by incorporating activation times of longitudinal deformation across all RV segments, representing the longitudinal deformation the major contribution to chamber contraction.Methods: Eighty patients with IPAH (52 female subjects), without right bundle branch block, were consecutively enrolled.All patients underwent WHO functional evaluation, 6-minutes walking test, right heart catheterization and a comprehensive echocardiographic examination within 24 hours from invasive procedure.RV longitudinal myocardial deformation was assessed by using 2D Speckle Tracking Echocardiography (2DSTE).We defined RV dyssynchrony, next called RV-SD4, as the standard deviation (SD) of the time-intervals between QRS onset and peak longitudinal systolic strain of mid and basal segments of the RV free wall and the inter-ventricular septum.Results: Patients with IPAH showed regional abnormalities of RV function in terms of time to peak of longitudinal systolic strain as expressed by RV-SD4.Multivariate regression analysis revealed that QRS duration, RV end-diastolic area and pulmonary vascular resistances (PVR) were independent predictors of RV-SD4 (r2 =0,36; p=,0.00001).Actuarial rates of patients who experienced clinical worsening (CW) were 25% at 6 months, 32% and 48% at 1 and 2 years respectively.Event-free survivors had better WHO functional class, 6-minutes walking distance, hemodynamic status, morphological and functional echocardiographic parameters.Multivariate analysis showed cardiac index (unit 0.5, HR 0.36, CI 95% 0.23-0.57),RV fractional area change (unit 5, HR 0.79, CI 95% 0.67-0,93) and RV-SD4 (unit 5, HR 1.06 CI 95% 1.00-1.13)as independent predictors of CW (x 2 =46.8, p=000001).The optimal ROC-derived RV-SD4 cut-off value as indicator of CW was ≥ 23 (Sensibility 92%, Specificity 67%).Conclusions: Our findings suggest that right intra-ventricular dyssynchrony can be accurately described by the 2DSTE derived measure RV-SD4.That index of RV dyssynchrony can help to distinguish non invasively those IPAH patients with a worse clinical and hemodynamic profile and could be considered among independent predictors of clinical worsening.
With safety measures towards the current Covid-19 pandemic, many retails clothing stores have restricted on-site fittings and shifted their business online. Inability to touch on product evaluations shows an apparent limitation as compared to retail shopping especially when the object's material information is crucial like clothing. Haptic technologies show potential of bridging the gap between online shops and the shoppers by providing a sense of touch, yet little research has been done especially on the effect of the simulation of tactile texture on the shopping experience. In this study, we modified a mock-up e-commerce website by adding clothing products and enabling a mid-air haptic interface with Ultrahaptics Evaluation Kit (UHEV1). We developed texture sensations using Time Point Streaming (TSP) modulation for clothing products with different texture materials and a user study was carried out to investigate the tactile texture sensation on shoppers' experience in evaluating online products. Our results show that tactile texture sensation using multipoint mid-air haptic feedback improves online shopper's satisfaction on the product browsing experience. This study contributes to the improvement of general lifestyle of the society in terms of e-commerce experience and could expand its application to impact different sectors like education and different communities including the visually impaired.
Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) was installed on Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in December 1993 during Servicing Mission 1 by the crew of Shuttle Mission STS-61. WFPC2 replaced Wide Field Planetary Camera 1 (WFPC1), providing improved UV performance, more advanced detectors, better contamination control, and its own corrective optics. After 16 years of exceptional service, WFPC2 was retired in May 2009 during Servicing Mission 4 (SM4), when it was removed from HST in order to allow for the installation of Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). WFPC2 was carried back to Earth in the shuttle bay by the crew of Shuttle Mission STS-125. In a joint investigation by Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), the Selectable Optical Filter Assembly (SOFA) of WFPC2 was extracted and the filter wheels removed and examined for any on-orbit changes. The filters were inspected, photographed and scanned with a spectrophotometer at GSFC. The data have been analyzed at STScI with a view towards understanding how prolonged exposure to the HST space environment affected the filters and what the resultant impacts are to WFPC2 calibrations. In this paper, we present our early results from these post-SM4 laboratory studies, including comparisons of preto post-mission filter transmission measurements for F343N, F160AW, F160BW, F450W, and F170W.
As part of the WFPC2 close-out calibrations, we examine the stability of the bandwidths of the narrow band and linear ramp filters. We measure the FWHM of the spots produced by VISFLAT exposures using linear ramp filters crossed with narrow band filters. We do this for eight different pairings of narrow band and linear ramp filters. We then compare results from 1995 and 2008, and find negligible change in the bandpass FWHM for all eight filter pairs tested. Any change in the combined bandwidth is less than about 1% of the bandwidth. Our constraints on any changes in the narrow band filters (taken alone) are less strong, but we can rule out bandwidth changes larger than about 5% for typical narrow band filters (16% for the narrowest filter, F656N).
The incidence of Clostridium (C.) difficile infection (CDI) was on the rise from 2001 to 2006 in Singapore. Recent unpublished data suggests that its incidence had remained stable or decreased in most local public hospitals between 2006 and 2010. It is, however, not known if the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ribotype 027 strains have been circulating, although reports suggest that this strain is emerging in Asia, with the first cases reported from Japan in 2007, as well as in Hong Kong and Australia in 2009. We initiated a culture-based surveillance to detect this epidemic strain in Singapore.From September 2008 to December 2009, all non-duplicate toxin-positive stool samples from the three largest public hospitals in Singapore were collected for culture and further analysis.Out of the 366 samples collected, 272 viable isolates were cultured. Of these, 240 tested toxin-positive and ten tested positive for the binary toxin gene; 35 different PCR ribotypes were found. Three isolates that tested positive for binary toxin contained the same PCR ribotyping pattern as the C. difficile 027 control strain. All three had the 18-bp deletion and single nucleotide tcdC deletion at position 117. Susceptibility testing was performed, demonstrating susceptibility to erythromycin and moxifloxacin.We report the first three isolates of C. difficile 027 from Singapore. However, their susceptibility patterns are more consistent with the historical 027 strains. Rising CDI incidence may not be associated with the emergence of the epidemic 027 strain at this time.
