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Copyright of Der Schmerz is the property of Springer Nature 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. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: The objective of this study is to compare the 5 year overall survival of patients with stage I–III colon cancer treated by laparoscopic colectomy versus open colectomy. Methods: Using Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Cancer Registry data from 2008 to 2018, we will emulate a phase III, multicenter, open-label, two-parallel-arm hypothetical target trial in adult patients with stage I–III colon cancer who received laparoscopic or open colectomy as an elective treatment. An inverse-probability weighted Royston‒Parmar parametric survival model (RPpsm) will be used to estimate the hazard ratio of laparoscopic versus open surgery after confounding factors are balanced between the two treatment arms. Further to the hazard ratio, we will also compute differences in the absolute risk (at 1, 3, and 5 years) and restricted mean survival time (up to 1, 3, and 5 years). A weighted Kaplan‒Meier curve will be used to compare five-year overall survival in both treatment arms. Various comparator and sensitivity analyses will be performed to check the robustness of the results that will be estimated by the RPpsm main model. Treatment period- and stage-specific results will also be provided. Discussion: This study aims to causally model the effect of laparoscopic versus open colectomy on 5 year overall survival using a target trial emulation approach. As the cancer registry data do not cover BMI, comorbidity, and previous abdominal surgery for non-malignant indications, the potential for residual confounding arising from these factors is a limitation of this study. This will be approached in a quantitative bias analysis using the E-method. The results will substantiate existing evidence on the comparative effectiveness of laparoscopic versus open colectomy in patients with stage I–III colon cancer and may guide clinical decisions as to whether a laparoscopic approach is as safe as an open approach in terms of improving 5-year overall survival in these patient groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ECHA guidance on persistence (P) assessment has been updated with respect to non-extractable residues (NER). Unless further characterized, total NER shall be considered as non-degraded parent compound. We investigated how different NER fractions affect degradation half-lives (DegT50) of chemicals and the P assessment. Total NER consist of the fractions sorbed/sequestered (NER I), covalently bound (NER II), and bioNER (incorporated into the biomass, NER III). NER I pose a risk due to potential release, NER II have much lower release potential, and bioNER do not have any. NER I and NER II are considered as xenoNER. Data from 46 degradation tests with 24 substances were analyzed to find DegT50 for four scenarios: (i) extractable parent compound, (ii) parent plus total NER, (iii) parent plus xenoNER, and (iv) parent plus NER I. The microbial turnover to biomass (MTB) model was applied to calculate bioNER, and then xenoNER were calculated as total NER minus bioNER. The half-lives were determined by the fit program CAKE, using single first-order kinetics (SFO) for all fits. We found increasing degradation half-lives for the scenarios: extractable parent only < parent + NER I < parent + xenoNER < parent + total NER. A third of all chemicals show half-lives above the persistence criterion (120 days in OECD 307 and 308, and 40 days in OECD 309) for scenario i, and two thirds with scenario ii and, therefore, would be classified as 'persistent'. For two compounds, the subtraction of bioNER led to a change to 'not persistent'. The inclusion of NER in the P assessment (ECHA 2017, 2023) will thus have significant effects on the DegT50 of compounds and the persistence assessment. Experimental quantification of NER I (scenario iv) significantly reduces half-lives, in comparison to total NER (scenario ii). The results are closer to half-lives for parent only (scenario i) and give the lowest acceptable DegT50 below the vP criteria under the latest guidance. In addition, refining the DegT50 based on modelled bioNER can provide a more realistic option for persistence assessment, without laborious and costly analyses for NER I determination, when considered in the regulatory assessment of persistence. Moreover, bioNER can also be calculated for existing test data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work in explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) attempts to render opaque AI systems understandable through a divide-and-conquer strategy. However, this fails to illuminate how trained AI systems work as a whole. Precisely this kind of functional understanding is needed, though, to satisfy important societal desiderata such as safety. To remedy this situation, we argue, AI researchers should seek mechanistic interpretability, viz. apply coordinated discovery strategies familiar from the life sciences to uncover the functional organisation of complex AI systems. Additionally, theorists should accommodate for the unique costs and benefits of such strategies in their portrayals of XAI research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an approach for the data-driven modeling of nonlinear viscoelastic materials at small strains which is based on physics-augmented neural networks (NNs) and requires only stress and strain paths for training. The model is built on the concept of generalized standard materials and is therefore thermodynamically consistent by construction. It consists of a free energy and a dissipation potential, which can be either expressed by the components of their tensor arguments or by a suitable set of invariants. The two potentials are described by fully/partially input convex neural networks. For training of the NN model by paths of stress and strain, an efficient and flexible training method based on a long short-term memory cell is developed to automatically generate the internal variable(s) during the training process. The proposed method is benchmarked and thoroughly compared with existing approaches. Different databases with either ideal or noisy stress data are generated for training by using a conventional nonlinear viscoelastic reference model. The coordinate-based and the invariant-based formulation are compared and the advantages of the latter are demonstrated. Afterwards, the invariant-based model is calibrated by applying the three training methods using ideal or noisy stress data. All methods yield good results, but differ in computation time and usability for large data sets. The presented training method based on a recurrent cell turns out to be particularly robust and widely applicable. We show that the presented model together with the recurrent cell for training yield complete and accurate 3D constitutive models even for sparse bi- or uniaxial training data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recently, radiotheranostics comprising the true matched radionuclide pair 203/212Pb could serve as real dosimetric planning utility using 203Pb-radiolabelled pharmaceuticals before therapy with 212Pb-radiolabelled counterparts. 212Pb might act as the missing radionuclide therapy between standard β– therapies (e.g. with 177Lu or 90Y), in some cases leading to β– resistance and highly cytotoxic α therapies (e.g. with 225Ac) leading in some cases to renal insufficiency or even renal failure, due to the daughter nuclide 213Bi, which accumulates in > 90% within the kidneys during 225Ac therapy. 212Pb converts to 212Bi by β–-decay and the following pathway of decay bears in sum only one α decay, which certainly happens within the targeted tumour tissue. Following daughter nuclides (e.g. 208Tl), which could distribute in organs at risk have only β− or γ decay, which is not as cytotoxic as α decay. Results: By ingenious customization of the standard cassettes of the ML EAZY it was possible to adapt the manual radiosynthesis of [212Pb]Pb-PSC-PEG2-TOC ([212Pb]Pb-VMT-α-NET) to a GMP-compliant synthesis module. The whole process of production, namely conditioning of C18 cartridge for purification, elution of the 224Ra/212Pb-generator, radiolabelling, C18 purification and sterile filtration performed automatically within one hour to access [212Pb]Pb-VMT-α-NET for patient application. [212Pb]Pb-VMT-α-NET was radiolabelled with high radiochemical purity > 95% and high radiochemical yield > 95% with molar activity ~ 15.8 MBq/nmol. Conclusions: The Lead-it-EAZY process performed stable and robust over ten radiosyntheses and yielded sterile [212Pb]Pb-VMT-α-NET in high purity for patient application. By changing the precursor this process could easily be adapted to other 212Pb-radiopharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affective states are reflected in the facial expressions of all mammals. Facial behaviors linked to pain have attracted most of the attention so far in non-human animals, leading to the development of numerous instruments for evaluating pain through facial expressions for various animal species. Nevertheless, manual facial expression analysis is susceptible to subjectivity and bias, is labor-intensive and often necessitates specialized expertise and training. This challenge has spurred a growing body of research into automated pain recognition, which has been explored for multiple species, including cats. In our previous studies, we have presented and studied artificial intelligence (AI) pipelines for automated pain recognition in cats using 48 facial landmarks grounded in cats’ facial musculature, as well as an automated detector of these landmarks. However, so far automated recognition of pain in cats used solely static information obtained from hand-picked single images of good quality. This study takes a significant step forward in fully automated pain detection applications by presenting an end-to-end AI pipeline that requires no manual efforts in the selection of suitable images or their landmark annotation. By working with video rather than still images, this new pipeline approach also optimises the temporal dimension of visual information capture in a way that is not practical to preform manually. The presented pipeline reaches over 70% and 66% accuracy respectively in two different cat pain datasets, outperforming previous automated landmark-based approaches using single frames under similar conditions, indicating that dynamics matter in cat pain recognition. We further define metrics for measuring different dimensions of deficiencies in datasets with animal pain faces, and investigate their impact on the performance of the presented pain recognition AI pipeline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the relation between the microstructure and the material's effective behavior is an important aspect in inverse computational materials engineering. Especially in the context of localized, inelastic phenomena like plasticity and crack growth, the microstructure morphology plays a crucial role. Due to the stochastic nature of heterogeneous media, a statistical analysis over multiple simulations is necessary, since even with the same material, the simulated crack paths and effective crack lengths are highly dependent on the specific locations of microstructural features. A relevant factor that limits this type of investigation is the high cost of real microstructure data. This work presents a digital workflow for exploring the fracture properties of materials. Therein, the required statistical analyses are facilitated by an algorithm that reconstructs multiple realization of a material structure given a single example. The reconstructed structures are discretized with a regular non-conforming mesh with a diffuse interface and crack representation. Crack phase-field simulations are conducted in order to analyze the effective response. An in-depth introduction to the required methods is given together with a statistical evaluation of the conducted numerical experiments. It is concluded that the statistical variation of the effective material behavior overshadows morphological trends in the presented case. This confirms the relevance and utility of complementing simulation-based workflows with microstructure reconstruction and statistical analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countertransference (CT) is now recognized as the most important tool in psychodynamic procedures. Despite extensive practical and theoretical research on the patient's interpersonal patterns reflected in the countertransference, little is known about the therapist's contribution to this phenomenon. A difficulty in studying this aspect is the recording of a phenomenon that many researchers unconsciously understand as ego-syntonic. So far, the topic has primarily been approached through case reports by clinically active authors. This article provides a comprehensive review of the empirical research on this subject, drawing on a systematic search of scientific databases. The systematic search was performed using the electronic databases PsycINFO, PsycArticles, PubMed and PSYNDEX and finally included 10 publications in the analysis after title and abstract screening of 1037 studies. It became clear that the studies included vary significantly in their definitions of therapist contribution and countertransference as well as their attempts to measure them. To address the therapistʼs contribution in the context of countertransference events an extension of the concept of Hayes is proposed, which integrates therapist personality traits and attitudes, sociodemographic characteristics, and biographical experiences (subjective assessments versus objective information) to better capture the therapist's role in countertransference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficiently creating a concise but comprehensive data set for training machine-learned interatomic potentials (MLIPs) is an under-explored problem. Active learning, which uses biased or unbiased molecular dynamics (MD) to generate candidate pools, aims to address this objective. Existing biased and unbiased MD-simulation methods, however, are prone to miss either rare events or extrapolative regions—areas of the configurational space where unreliable predictions are made. This work demonstrates that MD, when biased by the MLIP's energy uncertainty, simultaneously captures extrapolative regions and rare events, which is crucial for developing uniformly accurate MLIPs. Furthermore, exploiting automatic differentiation, we enhance bias-forces-driven MD with the concept of bias stress. We employ calibrated gradient-based uncertainties to yield MLIPs with similar or, sometimes, better accuracy than ensemble-based methods at a lower computational cost. Finally, we apply uncertainty-biased MD to alanine dipeptide and MIL-53(Al), generating MLIPs that represent both configurational spaces more accurately than models trained with conventional MD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The administration of a 166Ho scout dose is available as an alternative to 99mTc particles for pre-treatment imaging in Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT). It has been reported that the 166Ho scout dose may be more accurate for the prediction of microsphere distribution and the associated therapy planning. The aim of the current study is to compare the scintigraphic imaging characteristics of both isotopes, considering the objectives of the pre-treatment imaging using clinically geared phantoms. Methods: Planar and SPECT/CT images were obtained using a NEMA image quality phantom in different phantom setups and another body-shaped phantom with several inserts. The influence of collimator type, count statistics, dead time effects, isotope properties and patient obesity on spatial resolution, contrast recovery and the detectability of small activity accumulations was investigated. Furthermore, the effects of the imaging characteristics on personalized dosimetry are discussed. Results: The images with 99mTc showed up to 3 mm better spatial resolution, up to two times higher contrast recovery and significantly lower image noise than those with 166Ho. The contrast-to-noise ratio was up to five times higher for 99mTc than for 166Ho. Only when using 99mTc all activity-filled spheres could be distinguished from the activity-filled background. The measurements mimicking an obese patient resulted in a degraded image quality for both isotopes. Conclusions: Our measurements demonstrate better scintigraphic imaging properties for 99mTc compared to 166Ho in terms of spatial resolution, contrast recovery, image noise, and lesion detectability. While the 166Ho scout dose promises better prediction of the microsphere distribution, it is important to consider the inferior imaging characteristics of 166Ho, which may affect individualized treatment planning in SIRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is mostly caused by a CGG triplet expansion in the fragile X mental retardation 1 gene (FMR1). Up to 60% of affected males fulfill criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), making FXS the most frequent monogenetic cause of syndromic ASD. It is unknown, however, whether normal variants (independent of mutations) in the fragile X gene family (FMR1, FXR1, FXR2) and in FMR2 modulate autistic features. Here, we report an accumulation model of 8 SNPs in these genes, associated with autistic traits in a discovery sample of male patients with schizophrenia (N = 692) and three independent replicate samples: patients with schizophrenia (N = 626), patients with other psychiatric diagnoses (N = 111) and a general population sample (N = 2005). For first mechanistic insight, we contrasted microRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of selected extreme group subjects with high‐ versus low‐risk constellation regarding the accumulation model. Thereby, the brain‐expressed miR‐181 species emerged as potential “umbrella regulator”, with several seed matches across the fragile X gene family and FMR2. To conclude, normal variation in these genes contributes to the continuum of autistic phenotypes.

This article presents the case of a 75-year-old woman with an advanced neuroendocrine tumor who underwent SPECT/CT imaging using the radionuclide 212Pb. The patient had previously received various treatments over 7 years. The SPECT/CT images showed high accumulation of the 212Pb-labeled peptide in liver metastases, consistent with previous imaging. The study demonstrates the potential of 212Pb for targeted alpha particle therapy in cancer treatment. The patient did not experience any adverse events. The data from this study are available upon request. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Die Ophthalmologie is the property of Springer Nature 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. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Studying bacterial adhesion to mineral surfaces is crucial for understanding soil properties. Recent research suggests that minimal coverage of sand particles with cell fragments significantly reduces soil wettability. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we investigated the influence of hypertonic stress on Pseudomonas fluorescens adhesion to four different minerals in water. These findings were compared with theoretical XDLVO predictions. To make adhesion force measurements comparable for irregularly shaped particles, we normalized adhesion forces by the respective cell-mineral contact area. Our study revealed an inverse relationship between wettability and the surface-organic carbon content of the minerals. This relationship was evident in the increased adhesion of cells to minerals with decreasing wettability. This phenomenon was attributed to hydrophobic interactions, which appeared to be predominant in all cell–mineral interaction scenarios alongside with hydrogen bonding. Moreover, while montmorillonite and goethite exhibited stronger adhesion to stressed cells, presumably due to enhanced hydrophobic interactions, kaolinite showed an unexpected trend of weaker adhesion to stressed cells. Surprisingly, the adhesion of quartz remained independent of cell stress level. Discrepancies between measured cell–mineral interactions and those calculated by XDLVO, assuming an idealized sphere-plane geometry, helped us interpret the chemical heterogeneity arising from differently exposed edges and planes of minerals. Our results suggest that bacteria may have a significant impact on soil wettability under changing moisture condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fracture of materials with rate-dependent mechanical behaviour, e.g. polymers, is a highly complex process. For an adequate modelling, the coupling between rate-dependent stiffness, dissipative mechanisms present in the bulk material and crack driving force has to be accounted for in an appropriate manner. In addition, the resistance against crack propagation can depend on rate of deformation. In this contribution, an energetic phase-field model of rate-dependent fracture at finite deformation is presented. For the deformation of the bulk material, a formulation of finite viscoelasticity is adopted with strain energy densities of Ogden type assumed. The unified formulation allows to study different expressions for the fracture driving force. Furthermore, a possibly rate-dependent toughness is incorporated. The model is calibrated using experimental results from the literature for an elastomer and predictions are qualitatively and quantitatively validated against experimental data. Predictive capabilities of the model are studied for monotonic loads as well as creep fracture. Symmetrical and asymmetrical crack patterns are discussed and the influence of a dissipative fracture driving force contribution is analysed. It is shown that, different from ductile fracture of metals, such a driving force is not required for an adequate simulation of experimentally observable crack paths and is not favourable for the description of failure in viscoelastic rubbery polymers. Furthermore, the influence of a rate-dependent toughness is discussed by means of a numerical study. From a phenomenological point of view, it is demonstrated that rate-dependency of resistance against crack propagation can be an essential ingredient for the model when specific effects such as rate-dependent brittle-to-ductile transitions shall be described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is the main therapeutic target in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) inclisiran is a new drug, which targets PCSK9 mRNA in the liver, reducing concentrations of circulating LDL-C. In randomized trials, inclisiran demonstrated a substantial reduction in LDL-C. The German Inclisiran Network (GIN) aims to evaluate LDL-C reductions in a real-world cohort of patients treated with inclisiran in Germany. Methods: Patients who received inclisiran in 14 lipid clinics in Germany for elevated LDL-C levels between February 2021 and July 2022 were included in this analysis. We described baseline characteristics, individual LDL-C changes (%) and side effects in 153 patients 3 months (n = 153) and 9 months (n = 79) after inclisiran administration. Results: Since all patients were referred to specialized lipid clinics, only one-third were on statin therapy due to statin intolerance. The median LDL-C reduction was 35.5% at 3 months and 26.5% at 9 months. In patients previously treated with PCSK9 antibody (PCSK9-mAb), LDL-C reductions were less effective than in PCSK9-mAb-naïve patients (23.6% vs. 41.1% at 3 months). Concomitant statin treatment was associated with more effective LDL-C lowering. There was a high interindividual variability in LDL-C changes from baseline. Altogether, inclisiran was well-tolerated, and side effects were rare (5.9%). Conclusion: In this real-world patient population referred to German lipid clinics for elevated LDL-C levels, inclisiran demonstrated a high interindividual variability in LDL-C reductions. Further research is warranted to elucidate reasons for the interindividual variability in drug efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To identify risk factors associated with the occurrence of complete uterine rupture (CUR) in comparison to partial uterine rupture (PUR) to further investigate to what extent a standardized definition is needed and what clinical implications can be drawn. Methods: Between 2005 and 2017 cases with CUR and PUR at Charité University Berlin, Germany were retrospectively identified. Demographic, obstetric and outcome variables were analyzed regarding the type of rupture. Binary multivariate regression analysis was conducted to identify risk factors associated with CUR. In addition, the intended route of delivery (trial of labor after cesarean delivery (TOLAC) and elective repeat cesarean delivery (ERCD)), divided according to the type of rupture, was compared. Results: 92 cases with uterine rupture were identified out of a total of 64.063 births (0.14%). Puerperal complications were more frequent in CUR (67.9 versus 41.1%, p = 0.021). Multiparity ≥ 3 was more frequent in CUR (31 versus 10.7%, p = 0.020). Factors increasing the risk for CUR were parity ≥ 3 (OR = 3.8, p = 0.025), previous vaginal birth (OR = 4.4, p = 0.011), TOLAC (OR = 6.5, p < 0.001) and the use of oxytocin (OR = 2.9, p = 0.036). After multivariate analysis, the only independent risk factor associated with CUR was TOLAC (OR = 7.4, p = 0.017). Conclusion: TOLAC is the only independent risk factor for CUR. After optimized antenatal counselling TOLAC and ERCD had comparable short-term maternal and fetal outcomes in a high resource setting. A high number of previous vaginal births does not eliminate the risk of uterine rupture. A clear distinction between CUR and PUR is essential to ensure comparability among studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The X‐chromosomal MECP2/Mecp2 gene encodes methyl‐CpG‐binding protein 2, a transcriptional activator and repressor regulating many other genes. We discovered in male FVB/N mice that mild (~50%) transgenic overexpression of Mecp2 enhances aggression. Surprisingly, when the same transgene was expressed in C57BL/6N mice, transgenics showed reduced aggression and social interaction. This suggests that Mecp2 modulates aggressive social behavior. To test this hypothesis in humans, we performed a phenotype‐based genetic association study (PGAS) in >1000 schizophrenic individuals. We found MECP2 SNPs rs2239464 (G/A) and rs2734647 (C/T; 3′UTR) associated with aggression, with the G and C carriers, respectively, being more aggressive. This finding was replicated in an independent schizophrenia cohort. Allele‐specific MECP2 mRNA expression differs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by ~50% (rs2734647: C > T). Notably, the brain‐expressed, species‐conserved miR‐511 binds to MECP2 3′UTR only in T carriers, thereby suppressing gene expression. To conclude, subtle MECP2/Mecp2 expression alterations impact aggression. While the mouse data provides evidence of an interaction between genetic background and mild Mecp2 overexpression, the human data convey means by which genetic variation affects MECP2 expression and behavior.

Chemically complex multicomponent alloys possess exceptional properties derived from an inexhaustible compositional space. The complexity however makes interatomic potential development challenging. We explore two complementary machine-learned potentials—the moment tensor potential (MTP) and the Gaussian moment neural network (GM-NN)—in simultaneously describing configurational and vibrational degrees of freedom in the Ta-V-Cr-W alloy family. Both models are equally accurate with excellent performance evaluated against density-functional-theory. They achieve root-mean-square-errors (RMSEs) in energies of less than a few meV/atom across 0 K ordered and high-temperature disordered configurations included in the training. Even for compositions not in training, relative energy RMSEs at high temperatures are within a few meV/atom. High-temperature molecular dynamics forces have similarly small RMSEs of about 0.15 eV/Å for the disordered quaternary included in, and ternaries not part of training. MTPs achieve faster convergence with training size; GM-NNs are faster in execution. Active learning is partially beneficial and should be complemented with conventional human-based training set generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, many sites are considered waste, due to high potentially toxic metal (PTM) concentration. Recycling of globally critical metals requires development of environmentally friendly processes for metal recovery. To study plants response to elevated Zn and Cu concentration in soil, a greenhouse experiment was designed using hyperaccumulator Brassica juncea. Plants were irrigated daily with PTM solutions, with final mass of both Zn and Cu added to the soil reaching 104.5, 209, 313.5, and 330 mg. After 8 weeks, samples were harvested, dried, weighed, and elemental analysis was conducted using atomic emission spectrometry (Agilent Technologies 4210 MP-AES). Phytotoxicity was determined based on visual observation, biomass, and chlorophyll measurements. The highest accumulation of Zn and Cu was found in the stem and leaf material, with observed concentrations of Zn in the leaf being 16.750 mg kg−1 and 7.170 mg kg−1 of Cu in the stem. The highest allocated in the biomass mass of Zn and Cu was in T4 treatment reaching 25.8 mg and 9.5 mg, respectively. Treatment with 330 mg Zn and Cu application displayed a 62.3% decrease in stem mass, a 25% decrease in average root mass (LD30 reached), and a 59% decrease in leaf mass when compared with the control. With increasing PTM concentration, root, biomass (from about 0.4 to 0.1 g; from about 3.8 to 2.0 g, respectively) and chlorophyll “a” (from about 24 to 19 μg/cm2) decline was observed, which correlates with observed chlorosis. This study reaffirmed the capabilities of B. juncea to bioaccumulate Zn and Cu from an enriched soil and provided further understanding as to how Zn and Cu translocate within plant tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manual tools for pain assessment from facial expressions have been suggested and validated for several animal species. However, facial expression analysis performed by humans is prone to subjectivity and bias, and in many cases also requires special expertise and training. This has led to an increasing body of work on automated pain recognition, which has been addressed for several species, including cats. Even for experts, cats are a notoriously challenging species for pain assessment. A previous study compared two approaches to automated 'pain'/'no pain' classification from cat facial images: a deep learning approach, and an approach based on manually annotated geometric landmarks, reaching comparable accuracy results. However, the study included a very homogeneous dataset of cats and thus further research to study generalizability of pain recognition to more realistic settings is required. This study addresses the question of whether AI models can classify 'pain'/'no pain' in cats in a more realistic (multi-breed, multi-sex) setting using a more heterogeneous and thus potentially 'noisy' dataset of 84 client-owned cats. Cats were a convenience sample presented to the Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover and included individuals of different breeds, ages, sex, and with varying medical conditions/medical histories. Cats were scored by veterinary experts using the Glasgow composite measure pain scale in combination with the well-documented and comprehensive clinical history of those patients; the scoring was then used for training AI models using two different approaches. We show that in this context the landmark-based approach performs better, reaching accuracy above 77% in pain detection as opposed to only above 65% reached by the deep learning approach. Furthermore, we investigated the explainability of such machine recognition in terms of identifying facial features that are important for the machine, revealing that the region of nose and mouth seems more important for machine pain classification, while the region of ears is less important, with these findings being consistent across the models and techniques studied here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we present a new data-driven multiscale framework called FE ANN which is based on two main keystones: the usage of physics-constrained artificial neural networks (ANNs) as macroscopic surrogate models and an autonomous data mining process. Our approach allows the efficient simulation of materials with complex underlying microstructures which reveal an overall anisotropic and nonlinear behavior on the macroscale. Thereby, we restrict ourselves to finite strain hyperelasticity problems for now. By using a set of problem specific invariants as the input of the ANN and the Helmholtz free energy density as the output, several physical principles, e. g., objectivity, material symmetry, compatibility with the balance of angular momentum and thermodynamic consistency are fulfilled a priori. The necessary data for the training of the ANN-based surrogate model, i. e., macroscopic deformations and corresponding stresses, are collected via computational homogenization of representative volume elements (RVEs). Thereby, the core feature of the approach is given by a completely autonomous mining of the required data set within an overall loop. In each iteration of the loop, new data are generated by gathering the macroscopic deformation states from the macroscopic finite element simulation and a subsequently sorting by using the anisotropy class of the considered material. Finally, all unknown deformations are prescribed in the RVE simulation to get the corresponding stresses and thus to extend the data set. The proposed framework consequently allows to reduce the number of time-consuming microscale simulations to a minimum. It is exemplarily applied to several descriptive examples, where a fiber reinforced composite with a highly nonlinear Ogden-type behavior of the individual components is considered. Thereby, a rather high accuracy could be proved by a validation of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social-emotional developmental risks (SE-DR) of preschool children is largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of this prospective longitudinal dynamic cohort study was to assess changes in preschoolers' SE-DR from before the pandemic to after the first COVID-19 wave. SE-DR were assessed annually with the instrument "Dortmund Developmental Screening for Preschools" (DESK). Longitudinal DESK data from 3- to 4-year-old children who participated both in survey wave (SW) three (DESK-SW3, 2019) and SW four (DESK-SW4, 2020) from August 1 to November 30 were used, respectively. Additionally, data from previous pre-pandemic SW were analyzed to contextualize the observed changes (SW1: 2017; SW2: 2018). A total of N = 786 children were included in the analysis. In the pre-pandemic DESK-SW3, the proportion of children with SE-DR was 18.2%, whereas in DESK-SW4 after the first COVID-19 wave, the proportion decreased to 12.4% (p = 0.001). Thus, the prevalence rate ratio (PRR) was 0.68. Compared to data from previous SW (SW1-SW2: PRR = 0.88; SW2-SW3: PRR = 0.82), this result represents a notable improvement. However, only short-term effects were described, and the study region had one of the highest preschool return rates in Germany. Further studies are needed to examine long-term effects of the pandemic on preschoolers' SE-DR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accounts of mental disorders focusing either on the brain as neurophysiological substrate or on systematic connections between symptoms are insufficient to account for the multifactorial nature of mental illnesses. Recently, multiplexes have been suggested to provide a holistic view of psychopathology that integrates data from different factors, at different scales, or across time. Intuitively, these multi-layered network structures present quite appealing models of mental disorders that can be constructed by powerful computational machinery based on increasing amounts of real-world data. In this paper, I systematically examine what challenges psychopathology models face and to what extent different species of psychopathology models can address them. My analysis highlights that while multiplexes, as they are usually conceived, appear promising, they suffer from the same problems as other approaches. To remedy this, I suggest, we must go a step further and combine different kinds of multiplexes into 4D models. Once we embrace 4D multiplexes and identify appropriate ways to constrain them, we might unlock the true potential of multiplexes for making headway in psychopathology research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While laparoscopic liver surgery has become a standard procedure, experience with robotic liver surgery is still limited. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate safety and feasibility of robotic liver surgery and compare outcomes with conventional laparoscopy. Methods: We here report the results of a single-center, prospective, post-marketing observational study (DRKS00017229) investigating the safety and feasibility of robotic liver surgery. Baseline characteristics, surgical complexity (using the IWATE score), and postoperative outcomes were then compared to laparoscopic liver resections performed at our center between January 2015 and December 2020. A propensity score-based matching (PSM) was applied to control for selection bias. Results: One hundred twenty nine robotic liver resections were performed using the da Vinci Xi surgical system (Intuitive) in this prospective study and were compared to 471 consecutive laparoscopic liver resections. After PSM, both groups comprised 129 cases with similar baseline characteristics and surgical complexity. There were no significant differences in intraoperative variables, such as need for red blood cell transfusion, duration of surgery, or conversion to open surgery. Postoperative complications were comparable after robotic and laparoscopic surgery (Clavien–Dindo ≥ 3a: 23% vs. 19%, p = 0.625); however, there were more bile leakages grade B–C in the robotic group (17% vs. 7%, p = 0.006). Length of stay and oncological short-term outcomes were comparable. Conclusions: We propose robotic liver resection as a safe and feasible alternative to established laparoscopic techniques. The object of future studies must be to define interventions where robotic techniques are superior to conventional laparoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological data reveal that there is a need for prevention measures specifically targeted at children with low SES. In the German federal state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania preschools in socially deprived regions can apply for additional funds to support children with developmental risks. Mandatory criteria for obtaining these funds involve an annual assessment of all children using the "Dortmunder Developmental Screening for Preschools (DESK 3-6 R)." This instrument can detect and monitor developmental risks in the domains fine motor skills, gross motor skills, language, cognition, and social development. In this study, we examine the domain "Attention and concentration," which is included for the 5 to 6-year-old age group, using data from two consecutive survey waves (sw). Research questions: (1) Does the prevalence rate ratio (PRR) improve over time? (2) Is the rate of improvements (developmental risk at sw1, no developmental risk at sw2) higher than the rate of deteriorations (no developmental risk at sw1, developmental risk at sw2)? Prospective cohort analysis (n = 940). The prevalence rate of a developmental risk in this DESK domain decreases over time (PRR = 0.78; p = 0.019). The ratio of the rate of improvements is 8.47 times higher than the rate of deteriorations. The results provide evidence of the effectiveness of targeted intervention measures in preschools focusing on skills that improve attention and concentration. This is significant considering the small-time interval and the categorization method of DESK scores. Nevertheless, over the same time period, the DESK results of some children deteriorated. Therefore, preschools also have to be aware that it is natural for some children to show modest declines in their skills over time. German Clinical Trials Register, ID: DRKS00015134, Registered on 29 October 2018, retrospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While minimally invasive liver surgery has been increasingly adopted at least for minor resections, experience with robotic liver surgery is still limited to a few highly specialized centers. Due to the fear of abdominal adhesions, a history of prior surgeries is still used as an argument for open approaches. Methods: Clinical data of all consecutive robotic resections at our center, using the da Vinci Xi surgical system, between April, 2018 and December, 2020, were collected and analyzed as part of a prospective, post-marketing observational study (DRKS00017229). Prior abdominal surgeries were specified according to the surgical approach and localization. Baseline and perioperative outcome criteria were compared between patients with prior surgeries (PS) and patients with no prior surgeries (NPS) in univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Out of the 126 patients undergoing robotic liver resections, 59% had a history of abdominal surgeries, which were most often colorectal resections (28%) followed by liver resections (20%). Patients with NPS were more likely to undergo robotic liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma or benign tumors, and to have underlying liver cirrhosis when compared to patients with PS. Other baseline characteristics as well as the extent of resections were similar. Duration of surgery (258 min), conversion rates (6%), and postoperative complications rates (21% Clavien–Dindo ≥ 3) showed no differences between NPS and PS. A subgroup of patients with a history of prior liver surgery showed a longer duration of surgery in univariate analysis. However, this was not confirmed in multivariate analysis which instead revealed tumor entity and liver cirrhosis as independently correlated with duration of surgery. Conclusions: We propose robotic liver resection to be safe and feasible, including in patients with prior abdominal surgeries. Each patient should be evaluated for a minimally invasive procedure regardless of a history of previous operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation: Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie (GIO) is the property of Springer Nature 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. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Persistence is a key criterion for the risk assessment of chemicals. In degradation tests, microbial biodegradation of labeled test chemicals leads to the incorporation of the label in microbial biomass, resulting in biogenic non-extractable residues (bioNER), which are not considered as harmful in persistence assessment. The amount of bioNER can be estimated using the microbial turnover to biomass (MTB) model. MTB estimates the biomass growth during productive degradation of a compound from theoretical growth yield and CO2-formation and gives an upper and a lower value for bioNER formation. The aim of this study is use available experimental data for bioNER to assess the validity, accuracy and precision of the MTB method as new tool in persistence assessment. Results: We collected experimental data in order to test accuracy and precision of this estimation method. In total, 16 experimental studies were found in literature where bioNER was experimentally quantified. Hereof, 13 studies used the amount of label recovered from total amino acid (tAA) content as proxy for bioNER. Unfortunately, the comparison with experimental data was difficult due to the variety of employed methods. A conversion factor is required to extrapolate from tAA on bioNER, and this factor may vary during the experiment and between experiments. The bioNER formation for all compounds tested was calculated with the MTB method, and the outcome was compared to measured tAA as proxy for bioNER. The relation between predicted and measured bioNER was significant, but no better correlation was obtained than with CO2 to tAA. The mean absolute error of the prediction (low MTB versus tAA) was 5% applied label (range 0.3 to 16%). Some deviation between measured results and calculated bioNER could be contributed to uncertainties in the experimental determination, as shown by variance in replicates (bromoxynil) or high background of label in sterile samples (sulfadiazine). Conclusions: MTB thus provides a robust model for determining of the potential amounts of biomass and bioNER formed from the degradation of organic chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Altered pupillary function may reflect nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE). Neurological pupil index (NPi) assessed by automated pupillometry is a surrogate marker of global pupillary function. We aimed to assess NPi changes in relation to NCSE treatment response. Methods: In this prospective observational study, serial automated pupillometry was performed in 68 NCSE episodes. In accordance with local standards, patients were treated with clonazepam (1–2 mg), levetiracetam (40 mg/kg), and lacosamide (5 mg/kg) in a stepwise approach under continuous electroencephalography monitoring until NCSE was terminated. Patients with refractory NCSE received individualized regimens. NPi was assessed bilaterally before and after each treatment step. For statistical analysis, the lower NPi of both sides (minNPi) was used. Nonparametric testing for matched samples and Cohen's d to estimate effect size were performed. Principal component analysis was applied to assess the contribution of baseline minNPi, age, sex, and NCSE duration to treatment outcome. Results: In 97.1% of 68 episodes, NCSE could be terminated; in 16.2%, NCSE was refractory. In 85.3% of episodes, an abnormal baseline minNPi ≤ 4.0 was obtained. After NCSE termination, minNPi increased significantly (p < 0.001). Cohen's d showed a strong effect size of 1.24 (95% confidence interval 0.88–1.61). Baseline minNPi was higher in clonazepam nonresponders vs. responders (p = 0.008), minNPi increased in responders (p < 0.001) but not in nonresponders. NCSE refractivity was associated with normal baseline minNPi (principal component analysis, component 1, 32.6% of variance, r = 0.78), male sex, and longer NCSE duration (component 2, 27.1% of variance, r = 0.62 and r = 0.78, respectively). Conclusions: Automated pupillometry may be a helpful noninvasive neuromonitoring tool for the assessment of patients with NCSE and response to treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, an artificial neural network (ANN)-based approach for the efficient automated modeling and simulation of isotropic hyperelastic solids is presented. Starting from a large data set comprising deformations and corresponding stresses, a simple, physically based reduction of the problem's dimensionality is performed in a data processing step. More specifically, three deformation type invariants serve as the input instead of the deformation tensor itself. In the same way, three corresponding stress coefficients replace the stress tensor in the output layer. These initially unknown values are calculated from a linear least square optimization problem for each data tuple. Using the reduced data set, an ANN-based constitutive model is trained by using standard machine learning methods. Furthermore, in order to ensure thermodynamic consistency, the previously trained network is modified by constructing a pseudo-potential within an integration step and a subsequent derivation which leads to a further ANN-based model. In the second part of this work, the proposed method is exemplarily used for the description of a highly nonlinear Ogden type material. Thereby, the necessary data set is collected from virtual experiments of discs with holes in pure plane stress modes, where influences of different loading types and specimen geometries on the resulting data sets are investigated. Afterwards, the collected data are used for the ANN training within the reduced data space, whereby an excellent approximation quality could be achieved with only one hidden layer comprising a low number of neurons. Finally, the application of the trained constitutive ANN for the simulation of two three-dimensional samples is shown. Thereby, a rather high accuracy could be achieved, although the occurring stresses are fully three-dimensional whereas the training data are taken from pure two-dimensional plane stress states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the citizen science project "Flowering meadows for Saxonian butterflies", more than 640 meadows are partially and at maximum three times annually mowed in order to change urban lawns into habitats for insects. In 2019, insect diversity was evaluated using the 100 sweep net technique during five visits at nine butterfly meadows (BM) and nine intensively mowed lawns (IML). The mean arthropod biomass of these five visits per site is significantly higher on BM compared to IML. All adult individuals of Apidae, Coleoptera, Heteroptera, Orthoptera, Papilionoidea as well as Asilidae and Syrphidae have been identified morphologically, revealing 260 species from all study sites. The mean number of species per visit is significantly higher on BM compared to IML. 90 species are recorded as larva and the mean number of species per visit is significantly higher on BM compared to IML. 42 species are recorded as larva as well as adult. The records of larvae provide evidence for reproduction on the meadows. Implications for insect conservation: Our results clearly demonstrate that a reduced mowing frequency together with an always partial mowing of the area support higher biomass, abundances and diversities of insects as well as reproduction of insects on urban lawns. Therefore, reduced mowing frequency together with partial mowing is recommended for urban lawns as well as meadows in the countryside and conservation areas to foster insect diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What kinds of norms constrain mechanistic discovery and explanation? In the mechanistic literature, the norms for good explanations are directly derived from answers to the metaphysical question of what explanations are. Prominent mechanistic accounts thus emphasize either ontic (Craver, in: Kaiser, Scholz, Plenge, Hüttemann (eds) Explanation in the special sciences: the case of biology and history, Springer, Dordrecht, pp 27–52, 2014) or epistemic norms (Bechtel in Mental mechanisms: philosophical perspectives on cognitive neuroscience, Routledge, London, 2008). Still, mechanistic philosophers on both sides agree that there is no sharp distinction between the processes of discovery and explanation (Bechtel and Richardson in Discovering complexity. Decomposition and localization as strategies in scientific research, MIT Press, Cambridge, 2010; Craver and Darden in In search of mechanisms: discoveries across the life sciences, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2013). Thus, it seems reasonable to expect that ontic and epistemic accounts of explanation will be accompanied by ontic and epistemic accounts of discovery, respectively. As we will show here, however, recent discovery accounts implicitly rely on both ontic and epistemic norms to characterize the discovery process. In this paper, we develop an account that makes explicit that, and how, ontic and epistemic norms work together throughout the discovery process. By describing mechanism discovery as a process of pattern recognition (Haugeland, in: Having thought. Essays in the metaphysics of mind, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, pp 267–290, 1998) we demonstrate that scientists have to develop epistemic activities to distinguish a pattern from its background. Furthermore, they have to determine which epistemic activities successfully describe how the pattern is implemented by identifying the pattern's components. Our approach reveals that ontic and epistemic norms are equally important in mechanism discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Psychotherapeut is the property of Springer Nature 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. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Psychotherapeut is the property of Springer Nature 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. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Forschung im Ingenieurwesen is the property of Springer Nature 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. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The local strain approach (LSA) is an established concept to calculate the fatigue life of mechanical components for failure criterion crack initiation in several fields of engineering. In an elastic static finite element simulation, the critical stress state is detected and forms the basis for an elastic–plastic fatigue calculation with the LSA in a post-processing routine. This paper introduces extension options of the LSA to consider the influences of forming processes on the fatigue life of components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the fatigue life of thin-walled components, not only fatigue crack initiation, but also crack growth is decisive. The phase-field method for fracture is a powerful tool to simulate arbitrary crack phenomena. Recently, it has been applied to fatigue fracture. Those models pose an alternative to classical fracture-mechanical approaches for fatigue life estimation. In the first part of this paper, the parameters of a phase-field fatigue model are calibrated and its predictions are compared to results of fatigue crack growth experiments of aluminium sheet material. In the second part, compressive residual stresses are introduced into the components with the help of laser shock peening. It is shown that those residual stresses influence the crack growth rate by retarding and accelerating the crack. In order to study these fatigue mechanisms numerically, a simple strategy to incorporate residual stresses in the phase-field fatigue model is presented and tested with experiments. The study shows that the approach can reproduce the effects of the residual stresses on the crack growth rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phase-field approach has proven to be a powerful tool for the prediction of crack phenomena. When it is applied to inelastic materials, it is crucial to adequately account for the coupling between dissipative mechanisms present in the bulk and fracture. In this contribution, we propose a unified phase-field model for fracture of viscoelastic materials. The formulation is characterized by the pseudo-energy functional which consists of free energy and dissipation due to fracture. The free energy includes a contribution which is related to viscous dissipation that plays an essential role in coupling the phase-field and the viscous internal variables. The governing equations for the phase-field and the viscous internal variables are deduced in a consistent thermodynamic manner from the pseudo-energy functional. The resulting model establishes a two-way coupling between crack phase-field and relaxation mechanisms, i.e. viscous internal variables explicitly enter the evolution of phase-field and vice versa. Depending on the specific choice of the model parameters, it has flexibility in capturing the possible coupled responses, and the approaches of recently published formulations are obtained as limiting cases. By means of a numerical study of monotonically increasing load, creep and relaxation phenomena, rate-dependency of failure in viscoelastic materials is analysed and modelling assumptions of the present formulation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2002, Alaria (A.) alata mesocercariae (AM) have been found during routine Trichinella inspection of wild boars in many European countries. To date, human infection with AM through consumption of undercooked or raw AM infested wild boar meat cannot be excluded. In Germany, data on the parasite's prevalence in wild boars are scarce. To better understand temporal and spatial fluctuations of this parasite, this study investigated the prevalence of AM in wild boars in the German federal state of Brandenburg during three hunting seasons from 2017 to 2020. In total, 28.3% (100/354, 95% CI: 23.3–33.3%) of all wild boars sampled in eight counties of Brandenburg were tested positive for AM by Alaria alata mesocercariae migration technique (AMT). AM were detected in wild boars from seven different counties. Samples from one county (Havelland) tested completely negative for AM (0/16). Prevalences of the seven AM positive counties of Brandenburg ranged from 11.5 (3/26, 95% CI: 2.5–30.1%) in Märkisch-Oderland to 64.1% (25/39, 95% CI: 47.2–78.8%) in Uckermark. An association between sex and A. alata positivity could not be determined. A statistically significant increase in frequency of older AM positive wild boars was observed (p = 0.001). For a nationwide assessment of the prevalence of A. alata in wild boars and the risk for consumers of ingesting viable AM by consumption of raw or undercooked AM infested wild boar meat, further long-term studies in different regions of Germany are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atom Probe Tomography (APT) is currently a well-established technique to analyse the composition of solid materials including metals, semiconductors and ceramics with up to near-atomic resolution. Using an aqueous glucose solution, we now extended the technique to frozen solutions. While the mass signals of the common glucose fragments CxHy and CxOyHz overlap with (H2O)nH from water, we achieved stoichiometrically correct values via signal deconvolution. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to investigate the stability of the detected pyranose fragments. This paper demonstrates APT's capabilities to achieve sub-nanometre resolution in tracing whole glucose molecules in a frozen solution by using cryogenic workflows. We use a solution of defined concentration to investigate the chemical resolution capabilities as a step toward the measurement of biological molecules. Due to the evaporation of nearly intact glucose molecules, their position within the measured 3D volume of the solution can be determined with sub-nanometre resolution. Our analyses take analytical techniques to a new level, since chemical characterization methods for cryogenically-frozen solutions or biological materials are limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: The implications of multi-incision (MILS) and hand-assisted (HALS) laparoscopic techniques for minimally invasive liver surgery with regard to perioperative outcomes are not well defined. The purpose of this study was to compare MILS and HALS using propensity score matching. Methods: 309 patients underwent laparoscopic liver resections (LLR) between January 2013 and June 2018. Perioperative outcomes were analyzed after a 1:1 propensity score match. Subgroup analyses of matched groups, i.e., radical lymphadenectomy (LAD) as well as resections of posterosuperior segments (VII and/or VIII), were performed. Results: MILS was used in 187 (65.2%) and HALS in 100 (34.8%) cases, with a significant decrease of HALS resections over time (p = 0.001). There were no significant differences with regard to age, sex, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Score, previous abdominal surgery and cirrhosis between both groups. Patients scheduled for HALS were characterized by a significantly higher rate of malignant tumors (p < 0.001) and major resections (p < 0.001). After propensity score matching (PMS), 70 cases remained in each group and all preoperative variables as well as resection extend were well balanced. A significantly higher rate of radical LAD (p = 0.039) and posterosuperior resections was found in the HALS group (p = 0.021). No significant differences between the matched groups were observed regarding operation time, conversion rate, frequency of major complications, length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, overall hospital stay and R1 rate. Conclusion: Our analysis suggests MILS and HALS to be equivalent regarding postoperative outcomes. HALS might be particularly helpful to accomplish complex surgical procedures during earlier stages of the learning curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Minimally invasive techniques have been broadly introduced to liver surgery during the last couple of years. In this study, we aimed to report the incidence and potential risk factors for incisional hernia (IH) as well as health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after laparoscopic liver resections (LLR). Methods: All patients undergoing LLR between January 2014 and June 2017 were contacted for an outpatient hernia examination. In all eligible patients, photo documentation of the scar was performed and IH was evaluated by clinical examination and by ultrasound. Patients also completed a questionnaire to evaluate IH-specific symptoms and HRQoL. Obtained results were retrospectively analyzed with regard to patients' characteristics, perioperative outcomes and applied minimally invasive techniques, such as multi-incision laparoscopic liver surgery or hand-assisted/single-incision laparoscopic surgery (HALS/SILS). Results: Of 184 patients undergoing surgery, 161 (87.5%) met the inclusion criteria and 49 patients (26.6%) participated in this study. After a median time of 26 months (range 19–50 months) after surgery, we observed an overall incidence of IH of 12%. Five of 6 patients were overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 25) and 5 of 6 hernias were located at the umbilical site. Univariate analysis suggested the performance status at time of operation (ASA score ≥ 3; HR 5.616, 95% CI 1.012–31.157, p = 0.048) and the approach (HALS/SILS, HR 6.571, 95% CI 1.097–39.379, p = 0.039) as potential risk factors for IH. A higher frequency of hernia-related physical restrictions (HRR; p = 0.058) and a decreased physical functioning (p = 0.17) were noted in patients with IH; however, both being short of statistical significance. Conclusion: Advantages of laparoscopic surgery with regard to low rates of IH can be translated to minimally invasive liver surgery. Even though there are low rates of IH, patients with poor performance status at the time of operation should be monitored closely. While patients' characteristics are hard to influence, it might be worth focusing on surgical factors such as the approach and the closure of the umbilical site to further minimize the rate of IH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contribution we provide benchmark problems in the field of computational solid mechanics. In detail, we address classical fields as elasticity, incompressibility, material interfaces, thin structures and plasticity at finite deformations. For this we describe explicit setups of the benchmarks and introduce the numerical schemes. For the computations the various participating groups use different (mixed) Galerkin finite element and isogeometric analysis formulations. Some programming codes are available open-source. The output is measured in terms of carefully designed quantities of interest that allow for a comparison of other models, discretizations, and implementations. Furthermore, computational robustness is shown in terms of mesh refinement studies. This paper presents benchmarks, which were developed within the Priority Programme of the German Research Foundation 'SPP 1748 Reliable Simulation Techniques in Solid Mechanics—Development of Non-Standard Discretisation Methods, Mechanical and Mathematical Analysis'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]