Multi-touch table system for medical visualization: application to orthopedic surgery planning

Medical imaging plays a central role in a vast range of healthcare practices. The usefulness of 3D visualizations has been demonstrated for many types of treatment planning. Nevertheless, full access to 3D renderings outside of the radiology department is still scarce even for many image-centric specialties. Our work stems from the hypothesis that this under-utilization is partly due to existing visualization systems not taking the prerequisites of this application domain fully into account. We have developed a medical visualization table intended to better fit the clinical reality. The overall design goals were two-fold: similarity to a real physical situation and a very low learning threshold. This paper describes the development of the visualization table with focus on key design decisions. The developed features include two novel interaction components for touch tables. A user study including five orthopedic surgeons demonstrates that the system is appropriate and useful for this application domain.     

Peroxyacetic Acid Oxidation of Olefins and Alkanes Catalyzed by a Dinuclear Manganese(IV) Complex with 1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane

Natural terpenes, (−)-limonene and (+)-carvone, can be epoxidized by peroxyacetic acid (PAA) at room temperature if a dinuclear manganese(IV) complex with 1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane (L), [Mn₂L₂O₃] [PF₆]₂, is used as a catalyst. The total yield of the epoxides based on the consumed olefins are 97 and 95%, respectively. A kinetic study of the dec-1-ene and cyclohexane oxygenations including the investigation of their simultaneous competitive oxidation was carried out. The olefin epoxidation rate does not depend on dec-1-ene concentration and the dec-1-ene concentration does not affect the rate of cyclohexane oxidation. The cyclohexane oxidation rate is proportional to the alkane concentration. The kinetic analysis led to the conclusion that two species X ₁ and X ₂ are generated in the system, and there is no their mutual interconversion. The rate equation for the dec-1-ene epoxidation was proposed: W = k ₊₁[cat][PAA], where cat is the initial manganese complex or its derivative, and the constant was determined: k ₊₁ = 3.5 mol⁻¹ dm³ s⁻¹. Species X ₁ is apparently an effectively epoxidizing manganese peroxo derivative whereas species X ₂ is an alkane hydroxylating manganese oxo complex.     

Therapeutic Strategies To Counteract Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA Biofilm-Associated Infections

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as one of the leading causes of persistent human infections. This pathogen is widespread and is able to colonize asymptomatically about a third of the population, causing moderate to severe infections. It is currently considered the most common cause of nosocomial infections and one of the main causes of death in hospitalized patients. Due to its high morbidity and mortality rate and its ability to resist most antibiotics on the market, it has been termed a “superbug”. Its ability to form biofilms on biotic and abiotic surfaces seems to be the primarily means of MRSA antibiotic resistance and pervasiveness. Importantly, more than 80 % of bacterial infections are biofilm-mediated. Biofilm formation on indwelling catheters, prosthetic devices and implants is recognized as the cause of serious chronic infections in hospital environments. In this review we discuss the most relevant literature of the last five years concerning the development of synthetic small molecules able to inhibit biofilm formation or to eradicate or disperse pre-formed biofilms in the fight against MRSA diseases. The aim is to provide guidelines for the development of new anti-virulence strategies based on the knowledge so far acquired, and, to identify the main flaws of this research field, which have hindered the generation of new market-approved anti-MRSA drugs that are able to act against biofilm-associated infections     

Preparation and characterization of safe microparticles based on xylan

This work describes the preparation and evaluation of safe xylan-based microparticles prepared by cross-linking polymerization using sodium trimetaphosphate. The resulting microparticles were evaluated for morphology, particle size, polymer-cross-link agent interaction, and in vitro toxicity. The microparticles showed narrow monodisperse size distributions with their mean sizes being between 3.5 and 12.5?µm in dried state. FT-IR analyzes confirmed the interaction between sodium trimetaphosphate and xylan during the cross-linking process with formation of phosphate ester bonds. Additionally, the X-ray diffraction patterns and FT-IR analyzes suggested that little or no cross-linking agent remained inside the microparticles. Furthermore, the in-vitro studies using Artemia salina and human erythrocytes revealed that the microparticles are not toxic. Therefore, the overall results suggest that these xylan microparticles can be used as a platform for new drug delivery system.     

‘I Work With my Heart’: Experiences of Migrant Care Workers in a Northern,Rural Context

In Norway, long-term care needs are rising rapidly. Due to the dual-earner family model and the fact that many people live far away from frail parents and other dependent family members, the growing care needs may not be met through informal care. Through the Nordic welfare system, formal care services are provided to all citizens in need of care, regardless of their age, income or family relations. Since the 1990s, however, Norway has experienced a shortage of healthcare personnel. In this ‘care deficit’ situation, skilled immigrants play an increasingly important role. To date, the international literature has examined the experiences of the professional migrant care workers in a limited way. In particular, there is a lack of knowledge of this issue in rural contexts where recruitment challenges may be even more pronounced than in urban areas. This article addresses this knowledge gap by examining the spatial and relational experiences of skilled migrants working in the healthcare sector in Finnmark, northernmost Norway. In this study, the informants share largely positive experiences, stating that their care services are highly valued and that caring provides them with a sense of joy and mastery. Moreover, they talk about the importance of establishing trust in the relationship with their users and note that some patients end up becoming almost like family members. The migrants’ relationships with colleagues and management at the workplace are also defined by mainly positive feelings, trust and respect. Caring is hence perceived by the migrants as an inherently sense-making practice.     

New opportunities for gluten-free diet:teff (Eragrostis tef) as fibre source in baking products

This study assessed physicochemical parameters of high fibre and gluten-free breads made with teff and associated flours. Four breads samples were developed: wheat flour (T1), teff flour (T2), teff flour + cassava starch + rice flour (T3 and T4). Hedonic evaluation of sensory attributes characterising the samples was performed by coeliac and non-coeliac subjects. Breads made with different percentages of teff flour showed huge amount of total and insoluble fibres. The wheat bread presented the highest values for pH and the texture parameters analysed, except for crumb hardness and elasticity. The sensory analysis showed that all samples made with teff were well accepted by coeliac and non-coeliac subjects. Purchase intention and the acceptability index suggested a potential market success for the developed products. Teff flour showed promising use for its technological and nutritional values as well as sensory properties, supporting the hypothesis that it is possible to develop new gluten-free bakery products without decreasing consumers’ satisfaction.     

Insights into the Role of the Microbiota and of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Rubinstein–Taybi Syndrome

The short-chain fatty acid butyrate, produced by the gut microbiota, acts as a potent histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. We assessed possible ameliorative effects of butyrate, relative to other HDAC inhibitors, in in vitro and in vivo models of Rubinstein–Taybi syndrome (RSTS), a severe neurodevelopmental disorder caused by variants in the genes encoding the histone acetyltransferases CBP and p300. In RSTS cell lines, butyrate led to the patient-specific rescue of acetylation defects at subtoxic concentrations. Remarkably, we observed that the commensal gut microbiota composition in a cohort of RSTS patients is significantly depleted in butyrate-producing bacteria compared to healthy siblings. We demonstrate that the effects of butyrate and the differences in microbiota composition are conserved in a Drosophila melanogaster mutant for CBP, enabling future dissection of the gut–host interactions in an in vivo RSTS model. This study sheds light on microbiota composition in a chromatinopathy, paving the way for novel therapeutic interventions.     

全球化进程中的创意城市及创意规划

全球化提升了城市的竞争力,其中一种最成功的发展模式是创意城市。将创意作为城市发展的基本要素,需要重新界定城市的发展目标和重点,提出新的发展战略。从经济发展角度看,创意城市的发展需要依赖文化创意产业的系统化;从空间形态角度看,创意城市中包括文化特区和创意集群两种空间形态。从多伦多文化计划和加拿大圣凯瑟琳斯创新总体规划两个案例来看,创意城市规划应在战略或规划目标中突出体现"创意",以挖掘城市空间的新的增长潜力。     

Long-term stability of a Raman instrument determining iodine value in pork adipose tissue

The stability of a calibration model from a non-destructive Raman instrument during a period of three years was studied. A calibration model created on a dataset measuring pork adipose tissue in 2005 determining iodine value (IV), was transferred to a dataset measuring pork adipose tissue three years later in 2008. During these three years the fibre optic cable had been changed and the output of the laser was reduced to 60% compared with the power in 2005. The samples were also taken from different parts of the carcass. Aligning the peak positions and pre-processing with multiplicative scatter correction together with a selection of wavelengths/wavenumbers gave, for IV, a correlation coefficient of 0.95 for measured versus predicted IV of the 2008 samples. The accuracy expressed as root mean square error of prediction was 2.04 g iodine added to 100 g of melted fat with 6 partial least squares factors for the 2008 samples. This study shows that it is possible, with minor modifications, to transfer the model from spectra measured three years later on the same instrument. It is concluded that a quantitative use of Raman instruments are robust over time.