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Motivation: Within the field of bio-implants one topic deals with the in-vitro production of 3D tissues from cell cultures. A major challenge in the cultivation of biopreparations is the imitation of the vascular system with its surrounding tissue. Additiv manufacturing of such vascularisation could be supported with an adequate template from high-resolution 3D radiographs. Goals: Evaluation of highresolution 3D-imaging methods and 3D-analysis approaches to extract the vascularisation from tissue samples. Methods: To provide such template, vascular structure of small tissues samples (partially treated with contrast medium) were recorded and compared using high-resolution CT and MRI imaging modalities. Optimal measurement parameters were selected for the acquisition of very small vessels. Interactive and semi-automated segmentation of the vessel system were investigated and compared. Results: MRI scans yield a higher contrast than CT scans, but are much slower. Duration of interactive segmentation ranges between 1 to 12 hours. Runtime of the (semi) automatic method was between 5 and 20 minutes, not counting manual adjustment of the parameters. Correlation between manual and automatic segmentation yield Hausdorff distances of 0.024 (CT) and 0.74 (MRI) and Dice coefficients of 0.7 (CT) and 0.39 (MRI). Conclusion: Both imaging methods are appropriate for high-resolution vessel detection and segmentation, nevertheless, MRI with no contrast agent seems preferable if the imaging time can be reduced.

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o nível de satisfação de usuários em relação aos atributos de usabilidade do aplicativo móvel SINE Fácil, considerando os fatores de interface (categorias): impressões gerais; tela; multimídia; aprendizagem; capacidade do aplicativo; terminologia e retorno do aplicativo; tutorial online e instalação do software. A abordagem avaliativa utilizada foi a centrada em consumidores. A coleta de dados foi mediada pelo Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction - QUIS, disponibilizado por meio da plataforma digital Google Drive e enviado por e-mail a 115 respondentes, obtendo retorno de 32 participantes. A análise de dados considerou cálculos estatísticos referentes à distribuição das frequências das respostas e à apuração das médias aritméticas ponderadas dos itens e das médias aritméticas alcançadas pelos indicadores relativos aos atributos. A interpretação dos dados se fez com base nos desempenhos dos itens e dos seus respectivos indicadores. As conclusões apontaram alta satisfação dos usuários em relação a dois indicadores - Organização da informação e Desempenho - e satisfação média frente aos demais. Com isso, o SINE Fácil atendeu em parte os atributos de usabilidade avaliados. Entre outras, as recomendações sublinharam a necessidade de melhorias no aplicativo móvel, diante de sua relevância social que pode cumprir no contexto das políticas públicas relacionadas ao trabalho, emprego e renda.

In radiation tumor therapy, irradiation, on one hand, should cause cell death to the tumor. On the other hand, the surrounding non-tumor tissue should be maintained unaffected. Therefore, methods of local dose enhancements are highly interesting. Gold nanoparticles, which are preferentially uptaken by very-fast-proliferating tumor cells, may enhance damaging. However, the results in the literature obtained from cell culture and animal tissue experiments are very contradictory, i.e., only some experiments reveal increased cell killing but others do not. Thus, a better understanding of cellular mechanisms is required. Using the breast cancer cell model SkBr3, the effects of gold nanoparticles in combination with ionizing radiation on chromatin network organization were investigated by Single-Molecule Localization Microscopy (SMLM) and applications of mathematical topology calculations (e.g., Persistent Homology, Principal Component Analysis, etc.). The data reveal a dose and nanoparticle dependent re-organization of chromatin, although colony forming assays do not show a significant reduction of cell survival after the application of gold nanoparticles to the cells. In addition, the spatial organization of γH2AX clusters was elucidated, and characteristic changes were obtained depending on dose and gold nanoparticle application. The results indicate a complex response of ALU-related chromatin and heterochromatin organization correlating to ionizing radiation and gold nanoparticle incorporation. Such complex whole chromatin re-organization is usually associated with changes in genome function and supports the hypothesis that, with the application of gold nanoparticles, not only is DNA damage increasing but also the efficiency of DNA repair may be increased. The understanding of complex chromatin responses might help to improve the gold nanoparticle efficiency in radiation treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a nanosecond-pulsed CdSiP2 (CSP) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by a Q-switched 2.06 µm Ho:LiLuF4 (Ho:LLF) laser in a compact linear cavity with a 10 mm long crystal. Utilizing a non-collinear type-I phase-matching configuration, the OPO achieved an average output power exceeding 3 W in the mid-IR region with good beam quality. The idler and signal waves can be tuned in a wide range of 3.5–4.7 µm by pump tilt and crystal rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined college students' learner orientation (grade vs. learning) and their willingness to comply with instructor use of prosocial and antisocial behavior alteration techniques/messages (BATs/BAMs). Specifically, the relationships between students' willingness to comply with instructor BATs/BAMs and their learning and grade orientations were examined. Results indicated that grade oriented students and students who were low or high in both grade and learning orientation were more willing to comply with antisocial BATs/BAMs, while learning oriented students were more willing to comply with prosocial BATs/BAMs. Instructors should adapt their persuasive strategies based on their students' learner orientations to increase student compliance.

Abstract Permeability and porosity are the two most important parameters of rocks for the evaluation and exploitation of oil/gas reservoirs. In this study, a modified pulse‐decay method has been developed to measure both permeability and porosity simultaneously. In the present method, the gas pressure in one chamber is changed (increased or decreased) instantaneously and then maintained constant, while the pressure response changing with time in the other one is monitored. A mathematical model of this procedure has been formulated, and a general analytical solution, including the early‐time and late‐time evolutions, has been obtained. The late‐time solution is presented for postprocessing of experimental data, which leads to the simultaneous measurement of permeability and porosity values of tight rocks. Our measurements agree well with those from the classical pulse‐decay and gas expansion methods. Compared with measuring the permeability and porosity separately, the proposed method can reduce the total test time and ensure the permeability and porosity are measured under the same effective stress condition.

The Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, Canada, defined as the type zone of Avalonia, is believed to have been impacted by several orogenetic and deformation events since the Neoproterozoic. Previous studies have determined that the lowest degree of metamorphism reached in the successions was of the prehnite--pumpellyite or greenschist facies. We sampled and measured 13 mainly clastic sedimentary sections ranging from the late Ediacaran to the Early Ordovician and analyzed the illite 'crystallinity' of 331 samples using the Kubler index. Our results show that the occurrence of diagenetic zones relates to lithology, age and burial depth, and regional setting. Samples adjacent to the fault zones bounding the Holyrood Horst experienced the highest degree of metamorphism (anchizone) in the study area. The lowest degree of thermal alteration occurs in the high stratigraphic sections at the centre of the horst structure where shallow diagenetic conditions are preserved. Fault zones, which were probably active during at least the Acadian Orogeny, may have served as potential paths for hot fluids in bounding areas of the horst, whereas the centre of the horst remained almost unaffected by any metamorphic overprint. The thermal impact decreases from the Bonavista Peninsula west of the study area from greenschist facies to anchizonal and diagenetic. The study area experienced lower metamorphic conditions than those in the major regions of Avalonia south of the study area, namely the mainland of New Brunswick and Maine and eastward in Europe, but is in part consistent with a few other areas of Avalonia, such as the Mira Terrane and the Antigonish Highlands in Nova Scotia. Key words: illite 'crystallinity', Kubler index, diagenesis, Holyrood Horst, Avalon Peninsula, southeastern Newfoundland. La peninsule dAvalon (Terre-Neuve, Canada), definie comme etant la region type de lAvalonie, aurait subi les effets de plusieurs episodes orogeniques et de deformation depuis le Neoproterozoique. Des etudes passees ont determine que le metamorphisme le plus faible atteint durant ces episodes est au facies prehnite-pumpellyite ou des schistes verts. Nous avons echantillonne et mesure 13 coupes sedimentaires principalement clastiques allant de l'Ediacarien tardif a l'Ordovicien precoce et analyse la << cristallinite >> de l'illite de 331 echantillons a l'aide de l'indice de Kubler. Nos resultats demontrent que la presence de zones diagenetiques est reliee au type de roche, a l'age et a la profondeur d'enfouissement, respectivement, et au contexte regional. Des echantillons attenants aux zones de faille bordant le horst de Holyrood ont subi le metamorphisme le plus intense (anchizone) dans la region d'etude. Le degre le plus faible d'alteration thermique est observe dans les coupes stratigraphiques hautes situees au centre de la structure de horst, ou des conditions de diagenese peu profonde sont preservees. Des zones de faille, a tout le moins probablement actives durant l'orogenese acadienne, pourraient avoir servi de voies d'ecoulement de fluides chauds dans les zones bordant le horst, alors que le centre de ce dernier est demeure presque exempt de tout effet du metamorphisme. L'impact thermique diminue a partir de la peninsule de Bonavista, a l'ouest de la region d'etude, passant du facies des schistes verts a l'anchizone a la zone diagenetique. La region d'etude a subi des conditions de metamorphisme plus faibles que de grands secteurs de l'Avalonie au sud, dans la partie continentale du Nouveau-Brunswick et du Maine et plus a lest en Europe, mais qui concordent du moins partiellement avec celles de quelques autres regions de l'Avalonie, comme le terrane de Mira et les hautes terres d'Antigonish en Nouvelle-Ecosse. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: cristallinite de l'illite, indice de Kubler, diagenese, horst de Holyrood, peninsule d'Avalon, sud-est de Terre-Neuve., Introduction The upper Ediacaran and lower Palaeozoic rocks of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, Canada, have been studied for decades (e.g., Howell 1925; Hutchinson 1962; Fletcher 1972, [...]

Abstract Modeling of tsunami waves generated by subaerial landslides is important to provide accurate hazard and risk assessments in coastal areas. We perform small-scale laboratory experiments where a tsunami-like wave is generated by the gravity-driven collapse of a subaerial granular column into water. We show that the maximal amplitude reached near-shore by the generated wave in our experiments is linked to the instantaneous immersed volume of grains and to the ultimate immersed deposit. Despite the differences in scale and geometry between our small-scale experiments and the larger-scale geophysical events, a rather good agreement is found between the experimental law and the field data. This approach offers an easy way to estimate the amplitude of paleo-tsunamis.

Background and AimsDelirium is the most common acute neuropsychiatric syndrome in hospitalized patients. Higher age and cognitive impairment are known predisposing risk factors in general hospital populations. However, the interrelation with precipitating gastrointestinal (GI) and hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) diseases remains to be determined.Patients and methodsProspective 1-year hospital-wide cohort study in 29’278 adults, subgroup analysis in 718 patients hospitalized with GI/HPB disease. Delirium based on routine admission screening and a DSM-5 based construct. Regression analyses used to evaluate clinical characteristics of delirious patients.ResultsDelirium was detected in 24.8% (178/718). Age in delirious patients (median 62 years [IQR 21]) was not different to non-delirious (median 60 years [IQR 22]), p = 0.45). Dementia was the strongest predisposing factor for delirium (OR 66.16 [6.31–693.83], p < 0.001). Functional impairment, and at most, immobility increased odds for delirium (OR 7.78 [3.84–15.77], p < 0.001). Patients with delirium had higher in-hospital mortality rates (18%; OR 39.23 [11.85–129.93], p < 0.001). From GI and HPB conditions, cirrhosis predisposed to delirium (OR 2.11 [1.11–4.03], p = 0.023), while acute renal failure (OR 4.45 [1.61–12.26], p = 0.004) and liver disease (OR 2.22 [1.12–4.42], p = 0.023) were precipitators. Total costs were higher in patients with delirium (USD 30003 vs. 10977; p < 0.001).ConclusionDelirium in GI- and HPB-disease was not associated with higher age per se, but with cognitive and functional impairment. Delirium needs to be considered in younger adults with acute renal failure and/or liver disease. Clinicians should be aware about individual risk profiles, apply preventive and supportive strategies early, which may improve outcomes and lower costs.

Un aumento exponencial de la población penitenciaria en las últimas décadas da luces de un giro punitivo que potenció una crisis del sistema penitenciario y ubica a las personas privadas de libertad como grupo vulnerable frente a problemáticas como la emergencia sanitaria por Covid-19. En América Latina esta vulnerabilidad aumenta dado el hacinamiento y condiciones precarias de vida dentro de las prisiones. El presente trabajo recupera voces silenciadas dentro del sistema penitenciario y desde una metodología cualitativa, se analizan acciones de reclamo de mujeres privadas de libertad en una prisión de Lima-Perú durante los primeros meses de la emergencia sanitaria. Se sostiene que las mujeres privadas de libertad se posicionan para reclamar el abandono del Estado desde tres ejes auto-identificatorios: 1. El sentido de colectividad; 2. La resocialización enmarcadas en la lógica de la categorización penitenciaria; y 3. Su rol como reproductoras de cuidado. Se concluye que estas son estrategias de despliegue de agencia y acciones propositivas por parte de las mujeres encarceladas.