LncRNA 51A: A promising diagnostic biomarker for assessing cognitive decline in occupationally exposed aluminum workers.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic utility of lncRNA 51 A in detecting cognitive decline among aluminum-exposed workers occupationally.

Methods: 921 male workers from an aluminum manufacturing facility underwent cognitive assessments, measurement of plasma aluminum levels and quantification of lncRNA 51 A levels. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the diagnostic potential of lncRNA 51 A.

Influence of Vanadium Microalloying on Microstructure and Property of Laser-Cladded Martensitic Stainless Steel Coating.

Martensitic stainless steel (MSS) coatings with different vanadium (V) contents (0-1.0 wt%) by microalloying have been successfully fabricated utilizing a unique laser cladding technique. The microstructure and properties of the resulting MSS coatings, with and without element V addition, have been carefully investigated by various advanced techniques, including XRD, SEM, TEM, microhardness tester, universal material testing machine, and electrochemical workstation.

A New Filtering System for Using a Consumer Depth Camera at Close Range.

Using consumer depth cameras at close range yields a higher surface resolution of the object, but this makes more serious noises. This form of noise tends to be located at or on the edge of the realistic surface over a large area, which is an obstacle for real-time applications that do not rely on point cloud post-processing. In order to fill this gap, by analyzing the noise region based on position and shape, we proposed a composite filtering system for using consumer depth cameras at close range.

Face and construct validation of a next generation virtual reality (Gen2-VR) surgical simulator.

Introduction: Surgical performance is affected by distractors and interruptions to surgical workflow that exist in the operating room. However, traditional surgical simulators are used to train surgeons in a skills laboratory that does not recreate these conditions. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a novel, immersive virtual reality (Gen2-VR) system to train surgeons in these environments.

Face validation of the Virtual Electrosurgery Skill Trainer (VEST©).

Background: Electrosurgery is a modality that is widely used in surgery, whose use has resulted in injuries, OR fires and even death. The SAGES has established the FUSE program to address the knowledge gap in the proper and safe usage of electrosurgical devices. Complementing it, we have developed the Virtual Electrosurgery Skill Trainer (VEST(©)), which is designed to train subjects in both cognitive and motor skills necessary to safely operate electrosurgical devices.

Modeling and control of tissue compression and temperature for automation in robot-assisted surgery.

Robotic surgery is being used widely due to its various benefits that includes reduced patient trauma and increased dexterity and ergonomics for the operating surgeon. Making the whole or part of the surgical procedure autonomous increases patient safety and will enable the robotic surgery platform to be used in telesurgery. In this work, an Electrosurgery procedure that involves tissue compression and application of heat such as the coaptic vessel closure has been automated.

A framework for providing cognitive feedback in surgical simulators.

Providing cognitive feedback in a virtual reality simulator during training is essential for subjects to correct and learn proper techniques. In this work, we have developed a framework to identify key skills and cognitive knowledge required to perform a task and methods to provide to the user. The framework was verified by implementing a test case scenario with the peg transfer task of the FLS.

Development of a Virtual Reality Simulator for Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) Cholecystectomy Procedure.

The first virtual-reality-based simulator for Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) is developed called the Virtual Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery Trainer (VTEST). VTEST aims to simulate hybrid NOTES cholecystectomy procedure using a rigid scope inserted through the vaginal port. The hardware interface is designed for accurate motion tracking of the scope and laparoscopic instruments to reproduce the unique hand-eye coordination.