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This study developed and evaluated a prototype for augmented reality (AR) interaction among multiple users sharing a three-dimensional hologram within a shared physical space. A systems requirements analysis was conducted to determine necessary interactions, followed by an iterative implementation plan with testing at each step. The application for the HoloLens 2 (HL2) headset was developed using Unity for 3D design, C# for programming, and Photon for multiplayer capabilities. The prototype was evaluated in a user study utilizing custom and NASA TLX questionnaires, comparing participants' self-reported task success with recorded data to assess the accuracy of selfassessments. The prototype effectively facilitated multi-user interactions within a shared environment, achieving acceptable synchronization for two users. Most participants successfully completed tasks, with TLX scores indicating low cognitive and mechanical load during AR task execution. This study demonstrates AR's viability for displaying and manipulating complex three-dimensional structures within a collaborative medical context among multiple individuals in the same physical space.

In many somatic tissues of adult mammals, short-lived mature differentiated tissue cells are continuously renewed by long-lived stem cells that divide with asymmetric cell kinetics. Somatic stem cells divide into daughters that differ in cell kinetics fate. One daughter becomes a new stem cell, whereas depending on the tissue, the other daughter either differentiates immediately or divides to produce a pool of cells that differentiate into terminally arrested mature functional tissue cells. By asymmetric kinetics, stem cells preserve their number while simultaneously renewing differentiated cells. The difficulties in performing analyses of asymmetric cell kinetics by rare stem cells in vivo have resulted in limited progress in defining mechanisms that govern somatic stem cell kinetics. We have developed several cultured cell lines that recapitulate the essential features of somatic stem cell asymmetric kinetics. With these unique cell lines, we identified the first described asymmetric cell kinetics control genes. These genes turned out to be the p53 tumor suppressor gene and the gene encoding the rate-limiting enzyme for guanine-nucleotide biosynthesis, inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH). Along with their gene activation target (the p21wafl cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor) and products (guanine ribonucleotides), respectively, p53 and IMPDH constitute a molecular-biochemical pathway that controls asymmetric cell kinetics. This pathway is essential to normal somatic stem cell function and defects in it lead to pathological stem cell states like cancer.

Many animals change behaviour in response to pathogenic infections. White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal skin disease causing rapid declines of North American bats. Infection with Pseudogymnoascus destructans causes hibernating bats to arouse from torpor too often, potentially causing starvation. Mechanisms underlying increased arousals are not understood but fungal invasion of the wings could trigger thirst to relieve fluid loss or grooming to relieve skin irritation. Alternatively, bats might exhibit 'sickness behaviour', a suite of responses to infection that save energy. We quantified behaviours of healthy and experimentally inoculated little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) that could reflect active (i.e., drinking, grooming) or inactive (i.e., sickness behaviour) responses to infection. Infected bats groomed less and were less likely to visit their water dish compared to controls. These results are consistent with research suggesting that P. destructans causes sickness behaviour which could help bats compensate for energetic costs associated with infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]