Iliopsoas Release – A Systematic Review of Clinical Efficacy and Associated Complications

Objective: To perform a systematic review of the findings of iliopsoas release as it relates to resolution of snapping, improvement of groin pain, and associated complications. Design: Systematic review. Data Sources: Four electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched, identifying all literature pertaining to surgical treatment of a snapping hip/coxa saltans, iliopsoas impingement, or iliopsoas tendinitis. A total of 818 studies were identified. Two reviewers independently screened the titles, abstracts, and full-text articles for eligibility. Eligibility Criteria: All studies published in English that reported on iliopsoas release for snapping hip/coxa saltans, iliopsoas impingement, or iliopsoas tendinitis reporting outcomes or associated complications were eligible. Results: A total of 48 articles were included in this review. Three surgical indications were identified for iliopsoas release, internal snapping hip, labral tear secondary to iliopsoas impingement, and iliopsoas tendinopathy after total hip arthroplasty. Arthroscopic techniques seemed to be superior to open techniques with regards to reoccurrence of snapping (5.1% vs 21.7%) and groin pain relief (89.1% vs 85.6%) with fewer complications (4.2% vs 21.1%) overall. Conclusions: Both open and arthroscopic iliopsoas releases have been shown to be successful treatment options regardless of the surgical indications identified in this review. Arthroscopic release demonstrated a decreased failure rate, fewer complications, and improved outcomes when compared with open procedures

How is the Pilot Doing: VTOL Pilot Workload Estimation by Multimodal Machine Learning on Psycho-physiological Signals

Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft do not require a prolonged runway, thus allowing them to land almost anywhere. In recent years, their flexibility has made them popular in development, research, and operation. When compared to traditional fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft, VTOLs bring unique challenges as they combine many maneuvers from both types of aircraft. Pilot workload is a critical factor for safe and efficient operation of VTOLs. In this work, we conduct a user study to collect multimodal data from 28 pilots while they perform a variety of VTOL flight tasks. We analyze and interpolate behavioral patterns related to their performance and perceived workload. Finally, we build machine learning models to estimate their workload from the collected data. Our results are promising, suggesting that quantitative and accurate VTOL pilot workload monitoring is viable. Such assistive tools would help the research field understand VTOL operations and serve as a stepping stone for the industry to ensure VTOL safe operations and further remote operations.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Application of Ligninolytic Enzymes in the Production of Biofuels from Cotton Wastes

The application of ligninolytic fungi and enzymes is an option to overcome the issues related with the production of biofuels using cotton wastes. In this dissertation, the ligninolytic fungus and enzymes were evaluated as pretreatment for the biochemical conversion of Cotton Gin Trash (CGT) in ethanol and as a treatment for the transformation of cotton wastes biochar in other substances. In biochemical conversion, seven combinations of three pretreatments (ultrasonication, liquid hot water and ligninolytic enzymes) were evaluated on CGT. The best results were achieved by the sequential combination of ultrasonication, hot water, and ligninolytic enzymes with an improvement of 10% in ethanol yield. To improve these results, alkaline-ultrasonication was evaluated. Additionally, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed as fast methodology to identify structural differences in the biomass. The combination of ultrasonication-alkali hydrolysis, hot liquid water, and ligninolytic enzymes using 15% of NaOH improved 35% ethanol yield compared with the original treatment. Additionally, FT-IR and PCA identified modifications in the biomass structure after different types of pretreatments and conditions. In thermal conversion, this study evaluated the biodepolymerization of cotton wastes biochar using chemical and biological treatments. The chemical depolymerization evaluated three chemical agents (KMnO4, H2SO4, and NaOH), with three concentrations and two environmental conditions. The sulfuric acid treatments performed the largest transformations of the biochar solid phase; whereas, the KMnO4 treatments achieved the largest depolymerizations. The compounds released into the liquid phase were correlated with fulvic and humic acids and silicon compounds. The biological depolymerization utilized four ligninolytic fungi Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, Postia placenta, and Bjerkandera adusta. The greatest depolymerization was obtained by C. subvermispora. The depolymerization kinetics of C. subvermispora evidenced the production of laccase and manganese peroxidase and a correlation between depolymerization and production of ligninolytic enzymes. The modifications obtained in the liquid and solid phases showed the production of humic and fulvic acids from the cultures with C. subvermispora. The results of this research are the initial steps for the development of new processes using the ligninolytic fungus and their enzymes for the production of biofuels from cotton wastes