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Spatiotemporal optical coherence tomography (STOC-T) is the novel modality for high-speed, crosstalk- and aberration-free volumetric imaging of biological tissue in vivo. STOC-T extends the Fourier-Domain holographic Optical Coherence Tomography by the spatial phase modulation that enables the reduction of spatial coherence of the tunable laser. By reducing the spatial coherence of the laser, we suppress coherent noise, and, consequently, improve the imaging depth. Furthermore, we remove geometrical aberrations computationally in postprocessing. We recently demonstrated high-speed, high-resolution STOC-T of human retinal imaging in vivo. Here, we show that the dataset produced by STOC-T can be processed differently to reveal blood flow in the human retina in vivo. To render the blood flow, we first pre-process STOC-T holographic data to access the approximated information about the Doppler-shifted optical field backscattered from the sample. Then, we analyze it using methods from the laser Doppler flowmetry, namely, by analyzing the Doppler broadening caused by moving light scatterers (red blood cells). However, contrary to conventional approaches, we use multiple illumination wavelengths. This enables us to render the structural volumetric and blood flow images from the same dataset concurrently. Our method, denoted as multiwavelength laser Doppler holography (MLDH), links laser Doppler flowmetry with multiwavelength holographic detection to enable noninvasive visualization and possible blood flow quantification at different human retina layers at high speeds and high transverse resolution in vivo.

Smithfield Foods, a major meat processor, has agreed to pay a $2 million settlement for child labor violations at its plant in Minnesota. An investigation found that the company employed at least 11 children aged 14 to 17, allowing them to work after allowable hours and perform potentially dangerous tasks. Smithfield has also committed to steps to ensure future compliance with child labor laws, although it denies knowingly hiring underage workers. The settlement sends a strong message that child labor violations will not be tolerated in Minnesota. [Extracted from the article]

Durch die Covid 19 Pandemie und der damit einhergehenden Effekte auf die Arbeitswelt ist die Belastung der Mitarbeitenden in einen stärkeren Fokus gerückt worden. Dieser Umstand trifft unter anderem durch den umfassenden Wechsel in die Remote Work auch auf agile Software-Entwicklungsteams in vielen Unternehmen zu. Eine zu hohe Arbeitsbelastung kann zu diversen negativen Effekten, wie einem erhöhten Krankenstand, dem Wohlbefinden der Mitarbeitenden oder reduzierter Produktivität führen. Es ist zudem bekannt, dass sich die Arbeitsbelastung in der Wissensarbeit auf die Qualität der Arbeitsergebnisse auswirkt. Dieser Forschungsbeitrag identifiziert potenzielle Faktoren der Arbeitsbelastung der Mitglieder eines agilen Software-Entwicklungsteam bei der Otto GmbH & Co KG. Auf der Grundlage der Faktoren präsentieren wir Maßnahmen zur Reduzierung von Arbeitsbelastung und erläutern unsere Erkenntnisse, die wir im Rahmen eines Experiments validiert haben. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass bereits kleinteilige Maßnahmen, wie das Einführen von Ruhearbeitsphasen während des Arbeitstages, zu positiven Effekten bspw. hinsichtlich einer gesteigerten Konzentrationsfähigkeit führen und wie sich diese auf die Qualität der Arbeitsergebnisse auswirken.

This article discusses the historical use of invert sugar in British brewing and provides four methods for making invert sugar in the brewhouse. Invert sugar was introduced in the 1800s as a way for brewers to reduce taxes on malt. The article explains the differences between Belgian and British syrups and the process of inverting sucrose to create invert syrup. It also provides information on the different types of invert syrup and the importance of using high-quality starting sugars. The article concludes with four methods for making invert sugar, including a low and slow method, a modern commercial method, a fast and loose method, and the author's preferred method. The author also includes a recipe for a post-WWI mild ale that uses invert syrup as a flavoring ingredient. [Extracted from the article]

Automated tools to collect, store, and process semiconductor manufacturing defect data are becoming more commonplace and more powerful [1]. Trends toward larger wafer formats (300 mm) and smaller critical dimensions […]

Marathon Oil has reached a $241.5 million settlement with the federal government for alleged air quality violations at its oil and gas operations on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. The settlement requires Marathon to reduce emissions from its facilities, resulting in over 2.3 million tons of pollution reduction. Marathon, the seventh-largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas industry, will eliminate the equivalent of over 2.25 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions and nearly 110,000 tons of volatile organic compound emissions. The settlement is part of the EPA's initiative to reduce methane emissions and is the largest of 12 similar efforts by the Biden administration. [Extracted from the article]

We investigated how sharing performance on Facebook and Twitter is influenced both by news articles’ content characteristics and the availability of additional news articles reporting on the same news topic. We conducted a multi-method study, integrating automated data collection and manual/automated content analyses of 1,764 German online news articles. Our findings show the influence of news factors and, more importantly, news outlets on sharing performance, while simultaneously highlighting differences between the logics of news sharing on Facebook and Twitter. We also find that the first article reporting on a news event is shared more often than subsequent articles.

Corneal biomechanics play a fundamental role in the genesis and progression of corneal pathologies, such as keratoconus; in corneal remodeling after corneal surgery; and in affecting the measurement accuracy of glaucoma biomarkers, such as the intraocular pressure (IOP). Air-puff induced corneal deformation imaging reveals information highlighting normal and pathological corneal response to a non-contact mechanical excitation. However, current commercial systems are limited to monitoring corneal deformation only on one corneal meridian. Here, we present a novel custom-developed swept-source optical coherence tomography (SSOCT) system, coupled with a collinear air-puff excitation, capable of acquiring dynamic corneal deformation on multiple meridians. Backed by numerical simulations of corneal deformations, we propose two different scan patterns, aided by low coil impedance galvanometric scan mirrors that permit an appropriate compromise between temporal and spatial sampling of the corneal deformation profiles. We customized the air-puff module to provide an unobstructed SSOCT field of view and different peak pressures, air-puff durations, and distances to the eye. We acquired multi-meridian corneal deformation profiles (a) in healthy human eyes in vivo, (b) in porcine eyes ex vivo under varying controlled IOP, and (c) in a keratoconus-mimicking porcine eye ex vivo. We detected deformation asymmetries, as predicted by numerical simulations, otherwise missed on a single meridian that will substantially aid in corneal biomechanics diagnostics and pathology screening.

The organization of fibrillar tissue on the micrometer scale carries direct implications for health and disease but remains difficult to assess in vivo. Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography measures birefringence, which relates to the microscopic arrangement of fibrillar tissue components. Here, we demonstrate a critical improvement in leveraging this contrast mechanism by employing the improved spatial resolution of focus-extended optical coherence microscopy (1.4 µm axially in air and 1.6 µm laterally, over more than 70 µm depth of field). Vectorial birefringence imaging of sheep cornea ex vivo reveals its lamellar organization into thin sections with distinct local optic axis orientations, paving the way to resolving similar features in vivo.

Byline: Michael Isikoff, Mark Hosenball, Michael Karnowski and Piotr Zaremba, Mary Carmichael and Claudia Kalb, Sudip Mazumdar, Tara Pepper, Nicole Joseph, Sean Smith U.S. Affairs: Last-Minute Evidence Special counsel Patrick [...]

Stromal collagen organization has been identified as a potential prognostic indicator in a variety of cancers and other diseases accompanied by fibrosis. Changes in the connective tissue are increasingly considered for grading dysplasia and progress of oral squamous cell carcinoma, investigated mainly ex vivo by histopathology. In this study, polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) with local phase retardation imaging is used for the first time to visualize depth-resolved (i.e., local) birefringence of healthy human oral mucosa in vivo. Depth-resolved birefringence is shown to reveal the expected local collagen organization. To demonstrate proof-of-principle, 3D image stacks were acquired at labial and lingual locations of the oral mucosa, chosen as those most commonly affected by cancerous alterations. To enable an intuitive evaluation of the birefringence images suitable for clinical application, color depth-encoded en-face projections were generated. Compared to en-face views of intensity or conventional cumulative phase retardation, we show that this novel approach offers improved visualization of the mucosal connective tissue layer in general, and reveals the collagen fiber architecture in particular. This study provides the basis for future prospective pathological and comparative in vivo studies non-invasively assessing stromal changes in conspicuous and cancerous oral lesions at different stages.

Make no mistake, Roman Giertych can be a real fire-breather. The leader of the right-wing League of Polish Families delivers his message with passionate conviction--and it's exactly what his audience [...]

Copyright of MODA is the property of Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System on behalf of the Wisconsin Union Directorate and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. Black is Powerful, Black is Excellent, "Black is King": HOW BEYONCÉ'S "BLACK IS KING" DEPICTS A WORLD OF AFROFUTURISM. [Extracted from the article]

It is challenging to recover local optic axis orientation from samples probed with fiber-based polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT). In addition to the effect of preceding tissue layers, the transmission through fiber and system elements, and imperfect system alignment, need to be compensated. Here, we present a method to retrieve the required correction factors from measurements with depth-multiplexed PS-OCT, which accurately measures the full Jones matrix. The correction considers both retardation and diattenuation and is applied in the wavenumber domain, preserving the axial resolution of the system. The robustness of the method is validated by measuring a birefringence phantom with a misaligned system. Imaging ex-vivo lamb trachea and human bronchus demonstrates the utility of reconstructing the local optic axis orientation to assess smooth muscle, which is expected to be useful in the assessment of airway smooth muscle thickness in asthma, amongst other fiber-based applications.

Standard optical systems in ophthalmology are strictly dedicated either to retinal or to anterior segment imaging due to the refractive properties of the eye. We demonstrate a swept source optical coherence tomography platform with an electrically tunable lens (ETL) for versatile 3D in vivo imaging of both the eye’s anterior segment and the retina. The optimized optical setup with adaptive operational states of the ETL permits focusing on the retina and on the anterior segment. Dynamic control of the optical beam focus allows for OCT image enhancement, leading to the visualization of the vitreous details at both the vitreo-lenticular and vitreo-retinal attachment sites in an unprecedented manner. ETL tuning enables sequential visualization of the anterior and posterior segment of the eye, and such whole eye imaging can be also used to perform quantitative ocular biometry.

In this paper, we describe a technique capable of visualizing mechanical properties at the cellular scale deep in living tissue, by incorporating a gradient-index (GRIN)-lens micro-endoscope into an ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence elastography system. The optical system, after the endoscope, has a lateral resolution of 1.6 µm and an axial resolution of 2.2 µm. Bessel beam illumination and Gaussian mode detection are used to provide an extended depth-of-field of 80 µm, which is a 4-fold improvement over a fully Gaussian beam case with the same lateral resolution. Using this system, we demonstrate quantitative elasticity imaging of a soft silicone phantom containing a stiff inclusion and a freshly excised malignant murine pancreatic tumor. We also demonstrate qualitative strain imaging below the tissue surface on in situ murine muscle. The approach we introduce here can provide high-quality extended-focus images through a micro-endoscope with potential to measure cellular-scale mechanics deep in tissue. We believe this tool is promising for studying biological processes and disease progression in vivo.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota announced a settlement Monday in its lawsuit against Juul Labs and tobacco giant Altria - the first of thousands of cases against the e-cigarette maker to reach trial - just ahead of closing arguments. David Bernick, an attorney for Juul, countered during opening statements that Juul's purpose was always to convert adult smokers to a less-dangerous product that would still provide a satisfying nicotine experience. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the Minnesota's trial against Juul Labs, accusing the e-cigarette maker of unlawfully targeting children with deceptive tactics to promote nicotine addiction. The state is seeking over 100 U.S. million Dollars in damages, while Juul argues that other states' settlements could have been used to reduce tobacco use in Minnesota.

The article reports that the Delta jet goes off an icy taxiway after landing in a snowstorm in Minneapolis, where the nose gear of the plane exited the taxiway while turning toward the gate due to icy conditions and major winter storms in California. It further mentions that no passengers were injured, and the plane returned to land safely, as reported by the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

A novel, time-resolved interferometric technique is presented that allows the reconstruction of the complex electric field output of a swept source laser in a single-shot measurement. The power of the technique is demonstrated by examining a short cavity swept source designed for optical coherence tomography (OCT) applications with a spectral width of over 100 nm. The novel analysis allows a time-resolved real-time characterization of the roll-off, optical spectrum, linewidth, and coherence properties of a dynamic, rapidly swept laser source.

In den Veröffentlichungen und Vorträgen, die sich mit den Folgen der Digitalisierung beschäftigen, taucht häufig der Begriff „Digital Natives“ (vgl. Prensky 2001) als Bezeichnung der Generation auf, die mit den Möglichkeiten, die uns die Digitalisierung bietet, groß geworden ist. Synonym verwandt werden Begriffe wie „Net Genners“, „Millennials“, „Net Generation“ oder „Net Kids“ (vgl. Paus-Hasebrink et al. 2010). Die Personen, auf die dieses Kriterium nicht zutrifft, werden als „Digital Immigrants“ (vgl. Prensky 2001) bezeichnet. Die Selbstverständlichkeit, mit der die Native-Immigrant-Dichotomie mittlerweile auch im akademischen Diskurs verwendet wird, suggeriert, dass sie 1) klar definiert ist und 2) die Annahmen, die damit verbunden werden, eindeutig belegt sind. Anliegen dieses Beitrages ist es, die Annahmen Prenskys theoretisch einzuordnen auf der Basis verschiedener Sekundärdatenanalysen die Forschungsergebnisse zu hinterfragen und somit zur weiteren Systematisierung und Konzeptionalisierung der Forschung zu den Digital Natives beizutragen. In papers and presentations dealing with the consequences of digitalization, the generation which was born into and grew up during the digitalization process is often called “digital natives” (cf. Prensky 2001). Other expressions used are “net genners”, “millennials”, “net generation”, or “net kids” (cf. Paus-Hasebrink et al. 2010). People who do not match this criterion are called “digital immigrants” (cf. Prensky 2001). The undisputed use of this “digital native” “digital immigrant” dichotomy in today’s academic discourse suggests, however, that (1) there is a clear definition and (2) that there is evidence for all assumptions linked to this classification. This paper aims at three things: We want to check and present previous research, question existing assumptions using secondary data and thus help to systemize and conceptualize research on “digital natives”.

Ewart Oakeshott, of Ely, England, spent a lifetime assembling one of Europe's finest collections of swords: bronze, circa 1800 B.C., British military swords from the mid-1800s. He amassed a few [...]