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Introduction: Perihematomal edema (PHE) represents secondary brain injury and a potential treatment target in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, studies differ on optimal PHE volume metrics as prognostic factor(s) after spontaneous, non-traumatic ICH. This study examines associations of baseline and 24-h PHE shape features with 3-month outcomes.Patients and methods: We included 796 patients from a multicentric trial dataset and manually segmented ICH and PHE on baseline and follow-up CTs, extracting 14 shape features. We explored the association of baseline, follow-up, difference (baseline/follow-up) and temporal rate (difference/time gap) of PHE shape changes with 3-month modified Rankin Score (mRS) – using Spearman correlation. Then, using multivariable analysis, we determined if PHE shape features independently predict outcome adjusting for patients’ age, sex, NIH stroke scale (NIHSS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and hematoma volume.Results: Baseline PHE maximum diameters across various planes, main axes, volume, surface, and sphericity correlated with 3-month mRS adjusting for multiple comparisons. The 24-h difference and temporal change rates of these features had significant association with outcome – but not the 24-h absolute values. In multivariable regression, baseline PHE shape sphericity (OR = 2.04, CI = 1.71–2.43) and volume (OR = 0.99, CI = 0. 98–1.0), alongside admission NIHSS (OR = 0.86, CI = 0.83–0.88), hematoma volume (OR = 0.99, CI = 0. 99–1.0), and age (OR = 0.96, CI = 0.95–0.97) were independent predictors of favorable outcomes.Conclusion: In acute ICH patients, PHE shape sphericity at baseline emerged as an independent prognostic factor, with a less spherical (more irregular) shape associated with worse outcome. The PHE shape features absolute values over the first 24 h provide no added prognostic value to baseline metrics.

As the volume of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries (LIB) used in electric vehicles increases, so does the demand for recycling to recover valuable active materials as secondary resources, reducing the need for primary raw materials and minimizing supply dependencies. In addition to pyro- and hydrometallurgy recycling processes, an increasingly examined approach is the direct recycling route, which involves disassembling battery systems into modules, modules to cells, and ultimately cells to electrodes. To minimize passive materials such as various metals from the housing, joints, arresters, plastics, foams, and adhesives in the subsequent crushed mass, the introduction of module disassembly processes into the existing LIB recycling process chain is promising for the resulting increase in recyclate purity. This study presents the conceptualization of a LIB module disassembly process chain which aims to elevate the depth of disassembly of LIB during early recycling stages. A reverse engineering approach is used to recover individual cells from two battery modules of one specific automotive manufacturer by removing their casing through milling and disconnecting the cells from the arresters. The experimental results are analyzed for influences on the disassembly possibilities for individual components as well as the interactions within the system, enabling the elaboration of a priority graph and a disassembly plan. In order to allow for scalable recycling process chains suitable for very high quantities, a concept for a fully automated and variant-compatible robot application based on the experiment is derived. Furthermore, the depth of disassembly is compared with the corresponding reduction of passive materials in the crushed mass. The findings indicate that several module components can be disassembled, resulting in cell recovery and a reduction of metal and plastic in the crushed mass by about 17 %, highlighting the importance of robotic disassembly in enhancing material separation efficiency during LIB recycling.

FINCA syndrome [MIM: 618278] is an autosomal recessive multisystem disorder characterized by fibrosis, neurodegeneration and cerebral angiomatosis. To date, 13 patients from nine families with biallelic NHLRC2variants have been published. In all of them, the recurrent missense variant p.(Asp148Tyr) was detected on at least one allele. Common manifestations included lung or muscle fibrosis, respiratory distress, developmental delay, neuromuscular symptoms and seizures often followed by early death due to rapid disease progression.

We aimed to determine whether amyloid imaging can help predict the location and number of future hemorrhages in cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA).

Efforts to improve land‐use practices to prevent contamination of surface waters with soil are limited by an inability to identify the primary sources of soil present in these waters. We evaluated the utility of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles of dry reference soils for multivariate statistical classification of soils collected from surface waters adjacent to agricultural production fields and a wooded riparian zone. Trials that compared approaches to concentrate soil from surface water showed that aluminum sulfate precipitation provided comparable yields to that obtained by vacuum filtration and was more suitable for handling large numbers of samples. Fatty acid methyl ester profiles were developed from reference soils collected from contrasting land uses in different seasons to determine whether specific fatty acids would consistently serve as variables in multivariate statistical analyses to permit reliable classification of soils. We used a Bayesian method and an independent iterative process to select appropriate fatty acids and found that variable selection was strongly impacted by the season during which soil was collected. The apparent seasonal variation in the occurrence of marker fatty acids in FAME profiles from reference soils prevented preparation of a standardized set of variables. Nevertheless, accurate classification of soil in surface water was achieved utilizing fatty acid variables identified in seasonally matched reference soils. Correlation analysis of entire chromatograms and subsequent discriminant analyses utilizing a restricted number of fatty acid variables showed that FAME profiles of soils exposed to the aquatic environment still had utility for classification at least 1 wk after submersion.

ABSTRACTA new selective medium (CNA-P) that reduces or eliminates the inhibitory activity of bacteriocin-producing Streptococcus salivariusagainst ß-hemolytic streptococci has been developed and compared with sheep blood agar (SBA) for the sensitive detection of small numbers of ß-hemolytic streptococci in clinical specimens. CNA-P has as its basis a commercial medium (Difco Columbia CNA agar) supplemented with 5% (vol/vol) sheep blood, and the CNA is further modified by addition of 100 mM PIPES buffer [piperazine-N,N'-bis(2-ethanesulfonic acid)] (pH 7.5) to maintain cultures at an alkaline pH during incubation. CNA-P was shown to inhibit the production and/or release of four different types of S. salivariusbacteriocins or bacteriocin-like inhibitory molecules. The efficacies of CNA-P and SBA for detection of ß-hemolytic streptococci in 1,352 pharyngeal samples from 376 children were compared. The ß-hemolytic streptococcal isolates recovered from the samples included 314 group A (S. pyogenes), 61 group G, 33 group B, and 5 group C streptococci. Of 314 samples that yielded S. pyogenes, 300 were positive on CNA-P (96%) and 264 (86%) were positive on SBA. A significantly greater number of S. pyogenesisolates from these samples were recovered only on CNA-P (50 of 314) compared with the number of isolates recovered only on SBA (14 of 314). In addition, the degree of positivity, a measure of the total numbers of S. pyogenesisolates on the plate, was significantly higher on CNA-P than on SBA (2.40 versus 2.07; P< 0.001). Interestingly, CNA-P was also found to enhance the hemolytic activity of streptolysin O, allowing detection of streptolysin S-deficient S. pyogenesstrains which might otherwise go undetected on SBA and other isolation media.

Mastertool MT8 is a new dry phototool for the production of printed circuit boards, which represents a completely new technology. MT8 is not sensitive to daylight, is free of silver and inherently environmentally safe as the material does not contain any toxic ingradients, no processing chemicals are required and no waste arises. For imaging, the nontransparent thin bismuth layer of MT8, embedded between polymers, is agglomerated into beads through IR laser radiation, making this area optically transparent. Light and electron microscopy as well as Xray diffractometry are used to characterise the composition of the material and the details of the recording processes. Based on finite element modelling, it was possible to interpret theoretically the experimentally determined dependence of the sensitivity on the recording speed. Understanding these material properties enables plotter optimisation for MT8.

Abstract:As has occurred in many programs around the country, the Minnesota School for the Deaf, Faribault, has in recent years begun programming for developmentally delayed deaf students. Since this is a new experience for us, it has necessitated a constant search for better ways to evaluate and teach the students. Our paper presents the program and evaluation system we are currently using for developing readiness skills and early communication.

Strains of Lactococcus lactisssp. lactisand Lactococcus lactisssp. cremoriswere cultured under aerobic and anaerobic conditions on plates of whey agar, Elliker agar, and M17L agar at 15, 20, and 30°C to determine the environmental conditions required for the expression of the ropy phenotype. Two strains, L. lactisssp. cremorisRopy 352 and L. lactisssp. cremorisHollandicus, exhibited two distinct polysaccharide phenotypes, ropy and mucoid. Expression of these phenotypes could be induced individually or simultaneously. The inducible nature of this response suggests that genetic regulators were present. Western blots were used to determine whether or not Lon protease and RcsA, two regulators of polysaccharide expression in Escherichia coli, were present in lactococci. Lon, a negative regulator, and RcsA, an unstable positive regulator, have been shown at the structural level to be conserved in a number of Gram-negative and Gram-positive microorganisms. The present study found evidence for structural conservation of Lon protease in lactococci. Less of the Lon-like protein was observed in the ropy strains than in the nonropy strains.