Laryngopharyngeal Reflux in Patients Who Received or Declined Nissen Fundoplication.

Objective: To evaluate whether Robotic or Laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication (LNF) improves voice outcomes and symptoms in patients with Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR) compared to patients who were candidates for surgery but elected to receive treatment with antireflux medical management alone.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients who visited the office of the senior author, received a diagnosis of LPR, and were candidates for LNF.

Minimal Clinically Important Difference of Vestibular Migraine Patient Assessment Tool and Handicap Inventory (VM-PATHI).

Objective: To calculate the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for the Vestibular Migraine Patient Assessment Tool and Handicap Inventory (VM-PATHI).

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: A single tertiary care balance and falls center.

A placebo controlled, randomized clinical trial of galcanezumab for vestibular migraine: The INVESTMENT study.

Objective: To study if galcanezumab is effective for vestibular migraine (VM).

Background: There are currently no placebo-controlled trials showing that treatment is effective for VM. Therefore, we performed the first placebo controlled, randomized clinical trial of a calcitonin gene-related peptide-targeted monoclonal antibody for VM.

A Month of Vestibular Migraine: Symptom Characterization Using Ecological Momentary Assessment.

Objective(s): This study investigated the frequency and intensity of vestibular migraine (VM) symptoms using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). This approach was intended to provide insights into the day-to-day experiences of individuals with VM, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of this condition.

Methods: Participants reported symptoms to an automated text system, rating their dizziness over the prior 24 h as none, mild, moderate, or severe.

Does Catastrophizing Predict Response to Treatment in Patients With Vestibular Disorders? A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Determine levels of catastrophizing in patients with vestibular disorders and prospectively evaluate their relationship with patient-reported outcome measures.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary care neurotology vestibular disorders clinic.

Visually enhanced vestibulo-ocular reflex gain in patients with vestibular disease.

Objective: Vestibular migraine (VM) is a diagnostic challenge. Visually enhanced vestibulo-ocular reflex (VVOR) gain, a measure of the visual-vestibular interaction, has been proposed as a tool for diagnosing VM. This study seeks to evaluate VVOR gain's diagnostic capability to predict VM and to compare the phenotypes of vestibular patients with elevated versus normal/low VVOR gain.

VM-PATHI Correlates With Cognitive Function Improvement After Successful Treatment in Patients With Vestibular Migraine.

Objective: To assess changes in cognitive function in vestibular migraine patients undergoing treatment.

Study Design: Prospective cohort.

Setting: Single-institution tertiary-care center.

Vestibular Migraine: Cognitive Dysfunction, Mobility, Falls.

Objective: Recent evidence has shown that vestibular migraine is strongly associated with cognitive difficulties. However, limited data exist on real-world effects of that dysfunction. The objective of this study is to understand the epidemiology of cognitive dysfunction with vestibular migraine and associated sequelae using National Health Interview Survey data.

Wearable Cardiorespiratory Sensors for Aerospace Applications.

Emerging Air Traffic Management (ATM) and avionics human-machine system concepts require the real-time monitoring of the human operator to support novel task assessment and system adaptation features. To realise these advanced concepts, it is essential to resort to a suite of sensors recording neurophysiological data reliably and accurately. This article presents the experimental verification and performance characterisation of a cardiorespiratory sensor for ATM and avionics applications.

Effect of conventional transcranial direct current stimulation devices and electrode sizes on motor cortical excitability of the quadriceps muscle.

Background: There is a growing concern among the scientific community that the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are highly variable across studies. The use of different tDCS devices and electrode sizes may contribute to this variability; however, this issue has not been verified experimentally.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of tDCS device and electrode size on quadriceps motor cortical excitability.

Active and Passive Electro-Optical Sensors for Health Assessment in Food Crops.

In agriculture, early detection of plant stresses is advantageous in preventing crop yield losses. Remote sensors are increasingly being utilized for crop health monitoring, offering non-destructive, spatialized detection and the quantification of plant diseases at various levels of measurement. Advances in sensor technologies have promoted the development of novel techniques for precision agriculture.

Evaluation of motor cortical excitability using evoked torque responses: A new tool with high reliability.

Background: Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are typically recorded via surface electromyography (EMG). However, another suitable alternative may be recording torque output associated with MEPs, especially when studying multiheaded muscles (e.g.

Vehicular Sensor Network and Data Analytics for a Health and Usage Management System.

Automated collection of on-vehicle sensor data allows the development of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for vehicular systems' diagnostic and prognostic processes to better assess the state-of-health, predict faults and evaluate residual life of ground vehicle systems. One of the vital subsystems, in terms of safety and mission criticality, is the power train, (comprising the engine, transmission, and final drives), which provides the driving torque required for vehicle acceleration. In this paper, a novel health and usage monitoring system (HUMS) architecture is presented, together with dedicated diagnosis/prognosis algorithms that utilize data gathered from a sensor network embedded in an armoured personnel carrier (APC) vehicle.

Network Optimisation and Performance Analysis of a Multistatic Acoustic Navigation Sensor.

This paper addresses some of the existing research gaps in the practical use of acoustic waves for navigation of autonomous air and surface vehicles. After providing a characterisation of ultrasonic transducers, a multistatic sensor arrangement is discussed, with multiple transmitters broadcasting their respective signals in a round-robin fashion, following a time division multiple access (TDMA) scheme. In particular, an optimisation methodology for the placement of transmitters in a given test volume is presented with the objective of minimizing the position dilution of precision (PDOP) and maximizing the sensor availability.

A Cyber-Physical-Human System for One-to-Many UAS Operations: Cognitive Load Analysis.

The continuing development of avionics for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) is introducing higher levels of intelligence and autonomy both in the flight vehicle and in the ground mission control, allowing new promising operational concepts to emerge. One-to-Many (OTM) UAS operations is one such concept and its implementation will require significant advances in several areas, particularly in the field of Human-Machine Interfaces and Interactions (HMI). Measuring cognitive load during OTM operations, in particular Mental Workload (MWL), is desirable as it can relieve some of the negative effects of increased automation by providing the ability to dynamically optimize avionics HMI to achieve an optimal sharing of tasks between the autonomous flight vehicles and the human operator.

Uncertainty Quantification for Space Situational Awareness and Traffic Management.

This paper presents a sensor-orientated approach to on-orbit position uncertainty generation and quantification for both ground-based and space-based surveillance applications. A mathematical framework based on the least squares formulation is developed to exploit real-time navigation measurements and tracking observables to provide a sound methodology that supports separation assurance and collision avoidance among Resident Space Objects (RSO). In line with the envisioned Space Situational Awareness (SSA) evolutions, the method aims to represent the navigation and tracking errors in the form of an uncertainty volume that accurately depicts the size, shape, and orientation.

GNSS Performance Modelling and Augmentation for Urban Air Mobility.

One of the primary challenges facing Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and the safe integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the urban airspace is the availability of robust, reliable navigation and Sense-and-Avoid (SAA) systems. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are typically the primary source of positioning for most air and ground vehicles and for a growing number of UAS applications; however, their performance is frequently inadequate in such challenging environments. This paper performs a comprehensive analysis of GNSS performance for UAS operations with a focus on failure modes in urban environments.

Sensor Networks for Aerospace Human-Machine Systems.

Intelligent automation and trusted autonomy are being introduced in aerospace cyber-physical systems to support diverse tasks including data processing, decision-making, information sharing and mission execution. Due to the increasing level of integration/collaboration between humans and automation in these tasks, the operational performance of closed-loop human-machine systems can be enhanced when the machine monitors the operator's cognitive states and adapts to them in order to maximise the effectiveness of the Human-Machine Interfaces and Interactions (HMI). Technological developments have led to neurophysiological observations becoming a reliable methodology to evaluate the human operator's states using a variety of wearable and remote sensors.

Stent malapposition, strut coverage and atherothrombotic prolapse after percutaneous coronary interventions in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Aims: Stent implantation in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients can be challenging and sometimes associated with immediate and long-term suboptimal results. Stent malapposition and strut uncoverage, predictors of stent thrombosis, are frequently detected in STEMI patients at medium/long-term follow-up. Nevertheless, data at a short follow-up are missing.

Acoustic Sensors for Air and Surface Navigation Applications.

This paper presents the state-of-the-art and reviews the state-of-research of acoustic sensors used for a variety of navigation and guidance applications on air and surface vehicles. In particular, this paper focuses on echolocation, which is widely utilized in nature by certain mammals (e.g.

A Novel 3D Multilateration Sensor Using Distributed Ultrasonic Beacons for Indoor Navigation.

Navigation and guidance systems are a critical part of any autonomous vehicle. In this paper, a novel sensor grid using 40 KHz ultrasonic transmitters is presented for adoption in indoor 3D positioning applications. In the proposed technique, a vehicle measures the arrival time of incoming ultrasonic signals and calculates the position without broadcasting to the grid.

Efficacy of contrast medium induced Pd/Pa ratio in predicting functional significance of intermediate coronary artery stenosis assessed by fractional flow reserve: insights from the RINASCI study.

Aims: The need of adenosine administration for the achievement of maximal hyperaemia limits the widespread application of fractional flow reserve (FFR) in the real world. We hypothesised that Pd/Pa ratio registered during submaximal reactive hyperaemia induced by conventional non-ionic radiographic contrast medium (contrast medium induced Pd/Pa ratio: CMR) can be sufficient for the assessment of physiological severity of stenosis in the vast majority of cases. The aim of the present study was to test the accuracy of CMR in comparison to FFR.

Three-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography and quantification of jeopardised myocardium to predict functional significance of intermediate coronary artery stenosis.

Aims: Despite the fact that fractional flow reserve (FFR) is better than angiography in guiding PCI, in the real world the choice to perform PCI is generally based on angiography. Three-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography (3D-QCA) may increase the accuracy of angiography, especially in intermediate coronary artery stenosis (ICAS). The aim of the study was to assess the best cut-off values of area stenosis % (AS%) and the extent of jeopardised myocardium for predicting FFR and for excluding the need to perform FFR.

Influence of the amount of myocardium subtended by a stenosis on fractional flow reserve.

Background: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) specifically relates to the severity of a stenosis to the mass of tissue to be perfused. Accordingly, the larger the territory to be perfused, the greater the flow and the pressure gradient induced by maximal hyperemia. Although this notion may be considered intuitive, its unequivocal demonstration is still lacking.