Biomedical subjects

Andras Kemeny

Publications and source records attributed to Andras Kemeny.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Evaluating perception in driving simulation experiments.

The use of driving simulation for vehicle design and driver perception studies is expanding rapidly. This is largely because simulation saves engineering time and costs, and can be used for studies of road and traffic safety. How applicable driving simulation is to the real world is unclear however, because analyses of perceptual criteria carried out in driving simulation experiments are controversial. On the one hand, recent data suggest that, in driving simulators with a large field of view, longitudinal speed can be estimated correctly from visual information. On the other hand, recent psychophysical studies have revealed an unexpectedly important contribution of vestibular cues in distance perception and steering, prompting a re-evaluation of the role of visuo-vestibular interaction in driving simulation studies.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Visuovestibular perception of self-motion modeled as a dynamic optimization process.

This article describes a computational model for the sensory perception of self-motion, considered as a compromise between sensory information and physical coherence constraints. This compromise is realized by a dynamic optimization process minimizing a set of cost functions. Measure constraints are expressed as quadratic errors between motion estimates and corresponding sensory signals, using internal models of sensor transfer functions. Coherence constraints are expressed as quadratic errors between motion estimates, and their prediction is based on internal models of the physical laws governing the corresponding physical stimuli. This general scheme leads to a straightforward representation of fundamental sensory interactions (fusion of visual and canal rotational inputs, identification of the gravity component from the otolithic input, otolithic contribution to the perception of rotations, and influence of vection on the subjective vertical). The model is tuned and assessed using a range of well-known psychophysical results, including off-vertical axis rotations and centrifuge experiments. The ability of the model to predict and help analyze new situations is illustrated by a study of the vestibular contributions to self-motion perception during automobile driving and during acceleration cueing in driving simulators. The extendable structure of the model allows for further developments and applications, by using other cost functions representing additional sensory interactions.

Acceleration↗

PubMed2002

Radiosurgery for residual or recurrent nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma.

OBJECT: Nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas comprise approximately 30% of all pituitary tumors. The purpose of this retrospective study is to evaluate the efficacy and role of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) in the management of residual or recurrent nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. METHODS: A review was conducted of the data obtained in 42 patients who underwent adjuvant GKS at the University of Pittsburgh between 1987 and 2001. Prior treatments included transsphenoidal resection, craniotomy and resection, or conventional radiotherapy. Endocrinological, ophthalmological, and radiological responses were evaluated. The duration of follow-up review varied from 6 to 102 months (mean 31.2 months). Fifteen patients were observed for more than 40 months. The mean radiation dose to the tumor margin was 16 Gy. Conformal radiosurgery planning was used to restrict the dose to the optic nerve and chiasm. Tumor control after GKS was achieved in 100% of patients with microadenomas and 97% of patients with macroadenomas. Gamma knife radiosurgery was equally effective in controlling adenomas with cavernous sinus invasion and suprasellar extension. No patient developed a new endocrinological deficiency following GKS. One patient's tumor enlarged with an associated decline in visual function. Another patient experienced a deterioration of visual fields despite a decrease in tumor size. CONCLUSIONS: Gamma knife radiosurgery can achieve tumor control in virtually all residual or recurrent nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. Dose sparing facilitates tumor management even when the adenoma is close to the optic apparatus or invades the cavernous sinus.

Adenoma↗