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An enhanced pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) based navigation algorithm, which uses two cascaded Kalman filters (TCKF) for the estimation of course angle and navigation errors, is proposed. The proposed algorithm uses a foot-mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU), waist-mounted magnetic sensors, and a zero velocity update (ZUPT) based inertial navigation technique with TCKF. The first stage filter estimates the course angle error of a human, which is closely related to the heading error of the IMU. In order to obtain the course measurements, the filter uses magnetic sensors and a position-trace based course angle. For preventing magnetic disturbance from contaminating the estimation, the magnetic sensors are attached to the waistband. Because the course angle error is mainly due to the heading error of the IMU, and the characteristic error of the heading angle is highly dependent on that of the course angle, the estimated course angle error is used as a measurement for estimating the heading error in the second stage filter. At the second stage, an inertial navigation system-extended Kalman filter-ZUPT (INS-EKF-ZUPT) method is adopted. As the heading error is estimated directly by using course-angle error measurements, the estimation accuracy for the heading and yaw gyro bias can be enhanced, compared with the ZUPT-only case, which eventually enhances the position accuracy more efficiently. The performance enhancements are verified via experiments, and the way-point position error for the proposed method is compared with those for the ZUPT-only case and with other cases that use ZUPT and various types of magnetic heading measurements. The results show that the position errors are reduced by a maximum of 90% compared with the conventional ZUPT based PDR algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the various types of alar deformations in Asians, alar retraction not only has the highest occurrence rate, but is also very complicated to treat because the ala is supported only by cartilage and its soft tissue envelope cannot be easily stretched. As patients' knowledge of aesthetic procedures is becoming more extensive due to increased information dissemination through various media, doctors must give more accurate, logical explanations of the procedures to be performed and their anticipated results, with an emphasis on relevant anatomical features, accurate diagnoses, detailed classifications, and various appropriate methods of surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design, fabrication, and evaluation results of a MEMS piezoresistive differential pressure sensor fabricated by the dry etching process are described in this paper. The proposed sensor is designed to have optimal performances in mid-pressure range from 0 psi to 20 psi suitable for a precision air data module. The piezoresistors with a Wheatstone bridge structure are implanted where the thermal effects are minimized subject to sustainment of the sensitivity. The rectangular-shaped silicon diaphragm is adopted and its dimension is analyzed for improving pressure sensitivity and linearity. The bridge resistors are driven by constant current to compensate temperature effects on sensitivity. The designed differential pressure sensor is fabricated by using MEMS dry etching techniques, and the fabricated sensing element is attached and packaged in a Kovar package in consideration of leakage and temperature hysteresis. The implemented sensors are tested and evaluated as well. The evaluation results show the static RSS (root sum square) accuracy including nonlinearity, non-repeatability, and pressure hysteresis before temperature compensation is about 0.09%, and the total error band which includes the RSS accuracy, the thermal hysteresis, and other thermal effects is about 0.11%, which confirm the validity of the proposed design process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This study aimed at overcoming the disadvantages of septal extension grafts and keeping the nasal tip as natural as possible by using different forms of the graft and additional supporting methods depending on the case. Methods Among 458 patients who received a septal extension graft from March 2008 to September 2011, 107 patients were selected who underwent at least a 6-month follow-up. Patients were categorized according to the primary objective of the operation; an upturned tip correction or tip lengthening, tip lengthening with tip projection, or retracted columella correction. Each group of patients received a different type of septal extension graft out of 3 different types of grafts based on the purpose of the operation. The evaluation of the results was made from by comparing preoperative and postoperative photographs of the tip angle, projection, and nasolabial angle. Results The average tip angle for the patients in the upturned tip correction group was reduced to 98.3 from 124.9 degrees. For the patients in the tip lengthening with tip projection group, the average tip angle was reduced to 96.8 from 122.4 degrees and the average tip projection was increased to 27.5 from 23.2 mm. The average nasolabial angle for the patients in the retracted columella correction group was increased to 94.6 from 74.8 degrees. Conclusions Sufficient nasal tip lengthening and projection could be achieved by applying a septal extension graft using the graft best suited for the group of patients categorized by surgical objective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Because of the variable course of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), it is important to generate an accurate prognosis at the time of diagnosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of blood biomarkers in IPF.Methods: The plasma level of the biomarkers, matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), Krebs von den Lungen-6 antigen, and surfactant protein (SP)-A and SP-D were retrospectively compared with the clinical course of 118 patients with IPF, 68 of whom had biopsy-proven IPF.Results: The median follow-up period was 24 months. Multivariate Cox analysis showed MMP-7 (HR, 1.056; P = .0063) and SP-A (HR, 1.011; P = .0001) were significant predictors of survival along with age, FVC, and extent of honeycombing. The patients with high levels of both MMP-7 (≥ 12.1 ng/mL) and SP-A (≥ 80.3 ng/mL) had shorter survival (1-year survival rate: 59%) and higher frequency (42%) of lung function decline (> 10% reduction in FVC in 6 months) compared with those with high levels of one biomarker (1-year survival rate: 81%; FVC decline: 27%) or low levels of both (1-year survival rate: 83.3%; FVC decline: 9%). Multivariate models demonstrated marginal improvement in the prediction of mortality (concordance index [C-index]: 0.731; P = .061) when MMP-7 and SP-A were included and compared with standard clinical predictors only (C-index: 0.686); however, it became significant with addition of MMP-7, SP-A, and Krebs von den Lungen-6 antigen (C-index: 0.730; P = .037).Conclusions: Our retrospective study suggested that at least three biomarkers are necessary to improve predictability of mortality in IPF compared with clinical parameters. Further study in a greater number of patients is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the non-specific immune responses and disease resistance against Edwardsiella tarda in olive flounder fed diets supplemented by astaxanthin. Four experimental diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous (45% crude protein) and isocaloric (17.1 MJ/kg, dry matter). Astaxanthin was added to the diets at 0 (control), 1%, 2%, and 3%. Three replicate fish groups (30 fish/tank) were fed one of the experimental diets for 15 days. After 15 days, 30 healthy fish per dietary treatment were selected and injected with 1 ml E. tarda suspension to evaluate the disease resistance of the fish. Dietary supplementation of astaxanthin resulted in significantly higher non-specific immune responses than in fish fed the control diet. Cumulative mortality in the challenge test with E. tarda was significantly lower in fish fed the astaxanthin-supplemented diets than in fish fed the control diet. Results indicate that dietary supplementation of astaxanthin can enhance non-specific immune responses and disease resistance of olive flounder against E. tarda, and that a relatively short feeding period of astaxanthin can improve immunity in fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pediatric reconstruction using microsurgery is accepted normal practice, and the use of perforator flaps is slowly increasing. This study presents clinical work using various perforator free flaps by free style approach to reconstruct lower extremity soft tissue defects in pediatric patients and evaluates its efficacy. Between June 2002 and February 2011, 32 cases (mean age: 10.1 years) were reconstructed with free style perforator free flaps. Retrospective evaluations for flap survival, growth character, and other associated morbidities were performed. Flaps used in this series are anterolateral thigh (ALT) perforator, superficial circumflex iliac artery perforator (SCIP), upper medial thigh perforator, and posterior interosseous perforator free flaps. The free style approach for pedicle dissection was successful in all cases. Early postoperative complications were 15.6% from hematoma collection to partial loss of flap. Although there was no total loss in this series, one case needed additional flap coverage to cover the partial loss of the flap. The long-term follow-up showed contracture along the margin, with 16% needing a releasing procedure. Bone growth was not affected by flap contracture. The overall results show perforator flaps using the free style approach to be a reliable and feasible approach for lower extremity reconstruction in the pediatric population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the findings of the study concerning the differences in pathologic and radiologic and collagen vascular disease (CVD)related usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). It mentions that the germinal centers score was the best discriminative between CVD-UIP and idiophatic pulmonary fibrosis with UIP (IPF/UIP) patients. Moreover, the study determines that age, total lung capacity (TLC) and honeycombing (HC) score were independent prognostic factors in all patients.

The article presents a case report of a 52-year-old female patient with a history of a soft tissue defect over the forehead and scalp because of an injury from a deadly metal weapon. The patient underwent a microvascular anastomosis, regraft of the amputated tissue under local anesthesia and dressings. The wound at the site of the transplantation healed after 21 months of the operation.

The fault tolerance estimation method is proposed to maintain reliable correspondences between sensor data and estimation performance regardless of the number of valid measurements. The proposed method is based on the 1-point random sample consensus (RANSAC) unscented Kalman filter (UKF), and the inverse covariance intersection (ICI)-based data fusion method is added to the update process in the proposed algorithm. To verify the performance of the proposed algorithm, two analyses are performed with respect to the degree of measurement error reduction and accuracy of generated information. In addition, experiments are conducted using the dead reckoning (DR)/global positioning system (GPS) navigation system with a barometric altimeter to confirm the performance of fault tolerance in the altitude. It is confirmed that the proposed algorithm maintains estimation performance when there are not enough valid measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a method for finding the enhanced heading and position of pedestrians by fusing the Zero velocity UPdaTe (ZUPT)-based pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) and the kinematic constraints of the lower human body. ZUPT is a well known algorithm for PDR, and provides a sufficiently accurate position solution for short term periods, but it cannot guarantee a stable and reliable heading because it suffers from magnetic disturbance in determining heading angles, which degrades the overall position accuracy as time passes. The basic idea of the proposed algorithm is integrating the left and right foot positions obtained by ZUPTs with the heading and position information from an IMU mounted on the waist. To integrate this information, a kinematic model of the lower human body, which is calculated by using orientation sensors mounted on both thighs and calves, is adopted. We note that the position of the left and right feet cannot be apart because of the kinematic constraints of the body, so the kinematic model generates new measurements for the waist position. The Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) on the waist data that estimates and corrects error states uses these measurements and magnetic heading measurements, which enhances the heading accuracy. The updated position information is fed into the foot mounted sensors, and reupdate processes are performed to correct the position error of each foot. The proposed update-reupdate technique consequently ensures improved observability of error states and position accuracy. Moreover, the proposed method provides all the information about the lower human body, so that it can be applied more effectively to motion tracking. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified via experimental results, which show that a 1.25% Return Position Error (RPE) with respect to walking distance is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effects of corticosteroid-based therapy in patients with idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (iNSIP), and factors affecting treatment outcome, are not fully understood. We aimed to investigate the long-term treatment response and factors affecting the treatment outcome in iNSIP patients from a multi-center study in Korea.Methods: The Korean interstitial lung disease (ILD) Study Group surveyed ILD patients from 2003 to 2007. Patients were divided into two groups to compare the treatment response: response group (forced vital capacity (FVC) improves ≥10% after 1 year) and non-response group (FVC <10%). Factors affecting treatment response were evaluated by multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results: A total of 261 patients with iNSIP were enrolled, and 95 patients were followed-up for more than 1 year. Corticosteroid treatment was performed in 86 patients. The treatment group showed a significant improvement in lung function after 1-year: FVC, 10.0%; forced expiratory volume (FEV1), 9.8%; diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLco), 8.4% (p < 0.001). Sero-negative anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) was significantly related with lung function improvement. Sero-positivity ANA was significantly lower in the response group (p = 0.013), compared to that in the non-response group. A shorter duration of respiratory symptoms at diagnosis was significantly associated with a good response to treatment (p = 0.018).Conclusion: Treatment with corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressants improved lung function in iNSIP patients, which was more pronounced in sero-negative ANA and shorter symptom duration patients. These findings suggest that early treatment should be considered in iNSIP patients, even in an early disease stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. We investigated the effects of corticosteroids on the 90-day mortality outcomes in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) because of acute respiratory failure (ARF). Methods. The medical records of 124 patients who had pulmonary tuberculosis with ARF and were admitted to the ICU at our tertiary referral center in South Korea between March 1989 and December 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. The 90-day mortality rate in this population was analyzed after adjustments with the inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) method. Results. The mean patient age was 62 years, and the 90-day mortality rate was 49.2% (61/124). Adjuvant steroids were used in 70 (56.5%) patients. The 90-day mortality rate was similar irrespective of corticosteroid use (48.6%, steroid group; 50.0%, nonsteroid group). The use of adjuvant steroids was not associated with the unadjusted 90-day mortality (odds ratio [OR], 0.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], .46-1.92; P = .875). In a comparison using an adjusted IPTW approach of the 90-day mortality between the 2 groups, we found that corticosteroid use was independently associated with reduced 90-day mortality (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, .22-.98; P = .049). Conclusions. The study results showed that corticosteroids could reduce the 90-day mortality rate in critically ill pulmonary tuberculosis patients with ARF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The clinical course of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) varies widely. Although the GAP model is useful for predicting mortality, survivals have not yet been validated for each GAP score. We aimed to elucidate how prognosis is related to GAP score and GAP stage in IPF patients. Methods: The Korean Interstitial Lung Disease Study Group conducted a national survey to evaluate various characteristics in IPF patients from 2003 to 2007. Patients were diagnosed according to the 2002 criteria of the ATS/ERS. We enrolled 1,685 patients with IPF; 1,262 had undergone DLCO measurement. Patients were stratified based on GAP score (0-7): GAP score Group 0 (n = 26), Group 1 (n=150), Group 2 (n = 208), Group 3 (n=376), Group 4 (n = 317), Group 5 (n = 138), Group 6 (n = 39), and Group 7 (n=8). Results: Higher GAP score and GAP stage were associated with a poorer prognosis (p < 0.001, respectively). Survival time in Group 3 was lower than those in Groups 1 and 2 (p = 0.043 and p = 0.039, respectively), and higher than those in groups 4, 5, and 6 (p=0.043, p=0.032, and p = 0.003, respectively). Gender, age, and DLCO (%) differed significantly between Groups 2 and 3. All four variables in the GAP model differed significantly between Groups 3 and 4. Conclusion: The GAP system showed significant predictive ability for mortality in IPF patients. However, prognosis in IPF patients with a GAP score of 3 were significantly different from those in the other stage I groups and stage II groups of Asian patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 12-wk feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the essentiality of choline supplementation in diets for parrot fish. Five isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets were supplemented with 0 (as control), 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg choline per kg diet, and a positive control diet without choline contained 0.3% of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol as choline biosynthesis inhibitor (designated as Con, C500, C1000, C2000 and Con+, respectively). Triplicate groups of fish (body weight, 8.8±0.01 g) were fed one of the experimental diets at a rate of 4% body weight twice daily. The fish fed Con+ diet revealed significantly lower growth performance and feed utilization efficiency than other fish groups. Supplementation of choline to the basal diet did not significantly influence fish growth. The highest liver lipid content was observed in fish fed the Con+ diet and inversely correlated with liver choline concentration although the differences were not significant. Also, significantly higher liver linoleic, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid contents were found in fish fed the Con+ diet. Innate immune parameters including respiratory burst and myeloperoxidase activities were not significantly affected by dietary choline levels. The findings in this study conclude that choline concentration of approximately 230 mg kg-1 diet meets the requirement of parrot fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the pathobiology of acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a condition that shares clinical and histopathological features with acute lung injury. Plasma biomarkers have been well studied in acute lung injury and have provided insight into the underlying disease mechanism. The objective of this study was to determine the plasma biomarker profile of acute exacerbation of IPF and compare this profile with that of stable IPF and acute lung injury. Plasma was collected from patients with stable IPF, acute exacerbation of IPF, and acute lung injury for measurement of biomarkers of cellular activity/injury (receptor for advanced glycation endproducts, surfactant protein D, KL-b, von Willebrand factor), systemic inflammation (IL-6), and coagulation/fibrinolysis (protein C, thrombomodulin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1). Plasma from patients with acute exacerbation of IPF showed significant elevations in markers of type II alveolar epithelial cell injury and/or proliferation, endothelial cell injury, and coagulation. This profile differed from the biomarker profile in patients with acute lung injury. These findings support the hypothesis that type II alveolar epithelial cells are centrally involved in the pathobiology of acute exacerbation of IPF. Furthermore, they suggest that acute exacerbation of IPF has a distinct plasma biomarker profile from that of acute lung injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]