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In the current study, the dynamic viscosity has been established by the preceding viscosity correlation equation in terms of thermo-occupancy function, Yh = Yh(h, T), for three types of chemically different pure substances between 283.15–398.15 K and up to 100 MPa. The thermo-occupancy function, Yh = Yh(h, T), comprises temperature T and hole (nano-void) fraction h = h(P, T) estimated by the Simha–Somcynsky equation of state through the published density data. The density fitting results were found by this report to be from 0.026 to 0.051%. The predictive dynamic viscosity of dialkyl carbonates, ethylene glycol dimethyl ethers, and di(2-ethylhexyl) sebacate was obtained with an overall uncertainty of 0.29%, 0.40%, and 0.38%, respectively. The effects of the optimized volumetric and rheological parameters on the compounds’ molecular structure and architecture were investigated. The increase in fraction h with an increasing temperature suggests a decrease in the rate of change in dynamic viscosity (viscoholibility) of the samples over a computed hole fraction range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Placebo effects are notable demonstrations of mind-body interactions 1,2 . During pain perception, in the absence of any treatment, an expectation of pain relief can reduce the experience of pain-a phenomenon known as placebo analgesia 3-6 . However, despite the strength of placebo effects and their impact on everyday human experience and the failure of clinical trials for new therapeutics 7 , the neural circuit basis of placebo effects has remained unclear. Here we show that analgesia from the expectation of pain relief is mediated by rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) neurons that project to the pontine nucleus (rACC→Pn)-a precerebellar nucleus with no established function in pain. We created a behavioural assay that generates placebo-like anticipatory pain relief in mice. In vivo calcium imaging of neural activity and electrophysiological recordings in brain slices showed that expectations of pain relief boost the activity of rACC→Pn neurons and potentiate neurotransmission in this pathway. Transcriptomic studies of Pn neurons revealed an abundance of opioid receptors, further suggesting a role in pain modulation. Inhibition of the rACC→Pn pathway disrupted placebo analgesia and decreased pain thresholds, whereas activation elicited analgesia in the absence of placebo conditioning. Finally, Purkinje cells exhibited activity patterns resembling those of rACC→Pn neurons during pain-relief expectation, providing cellular-level evidence for a role of the cerebellum in cognitive pain modulation. These findings open the possibility of targeting this prefrontal cortico-ponto-cerebellar pathway with drugs or neurostimulation to treat pain., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) is an open-source technology which enables remote peer-to-peer video and audio connection. It has quickly become the new standard for real-time communications over the web and is commonly used as a video conferencing platform. In this study, we present a different application domain which may greatly benefit from WebRTC technology, that is virtual reality (VR) based surgical simulations. Virtual Rotator Cuff Arthroscopic Skill Trainer (ViRCAST) is our testing platform that we completed preliminary feasibility studies for WebRTC. Since the elasticity of cloud computing provides the ability to meet possible future hardware/software requirements and demand growth, ViRCAST is deployed in a cloud environment. Additionally, in order to have plausible simulations and interactions, any VR-based surgery simulator must have haptic feedback. Therefore, we implemented an interface to WebRTC for integrating haptic devices. We tested ViRCAST on Google cloud through haptic-integrated WebRTC at various client configurations. Our experiments showed that WebRTC with cloud and haptic integrations is a feasible solution for VR-based surgery simulators. From our experiments, the WebRTC integrated simulation produced an average frame rate of 33 fps, and the hardware integration produced an average lag of 0.7 milliseconds in real-time.

Background: Characterizing the post-COVID health conditions is helpful to direct patients to appropriate healthcare., Aims: To describe the presence of symptoms in COVID-19 patients within 6 months after diagnosis and to investigate the associated factors in terms of reporting symptoms., Methods: Data of DEU-COVIMER (a telephone interview-based COVID-19 follow-up center established in a tertiary care hospital) was analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive participants aged ≥ 18 years from November 1st, 2020, to May 31st, 2021. Symptom frequencies were stratified by demographic and clinical characteristics at one, three, and 6 months after diagnosis. With the patients who had symptoms at baseline, generalized estimating equations were applied to identify the factors associated with reporting of symptoms., Results: A total of 5610 patients agreed to participate in the study. Symptom frequency was 37.2%, 21.8%, and 18.2% for the first, third, and sixth months. Tiredness/fatigue, muscle or body aches, and dyspnea/difficulty breathing were the most common symptoms in all time frames. In multivariate analysis, older age, female gender (odds ratio OR 1.74, 95% confidence interval 1.57-1.93), bad economic status (OR 1.37, 1.14-1.65), current smoking (OR 1.15, 1.02-1.29), being fully vaccinated before COVID-19 (OR 0.53, 0.40-0.72), having more health conditions (≥ 3 conditions, OR 1.78, 1.33-2.37), having more symptoms (> 5 symptoms, OR 2.47, 2.19-2.78), and hospitalization (intensive care unit, OR 2.18, 1.51-3.14) were associated with reporting of symptoms., Conclusions: This study identifies risk factors for patients who experience post-COVID-19 symptoms. Healthcare providers should appropriately allocate resources prioritizing the patients who would benefit from post-COVID rehabilitation., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.)

Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff (ARC) is a minimally invasive surgery of the shoulder. ARC training for surgeons is challenging due to confined space, anatomical complexity, requirement of complex hands-eye coordination skills, subjectivity, and low fidelity in existing training mediums. We therefore offer a virtual reality based photorealistic medical simulation, Virtual Rotator Cuff Arthroscopic Skill Trainer (ViRCAST) for objective training. In this study, as a part of ViRCAST, we introduce a virtual reality-based bone drilling simulation. Bone drilling task is one of the most important tasks that surgeons need to perform before anchor placement in ARC. Realistic simulation of bone drilling with force feedback is complex due to real-time mesh modification and simulation constraints. We introduce a GPU based realtime bone drilling simulation for ViRCAST using an adaptive mesh refinement technique. Our GPU based solution improves the drilling simulation realism by enhancing mesh resolution without sacrificing the simulation performance., (©2022 AMIA - All rights reserved.)

In this paper, the impulse response for a 3-D microfluidic channel in the presence of Poiseuille flow is obtained by solving the diffusion equation in radial coordinates. Using the radial distribution, the axial distribution is then approximated accordingly. Since Poiseuille flow velocity changes with radial position, molecules have different axial properties for different radial distributions. We, therefore, present a piecewise function for the axial distribution of the molecules in the channel considering this radial distribution. We lay evidence for our theoretical derivations for impulse response of the microfluidic channel and radial distribution of molecules through comparing them using various Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, the communication performance of the channel is examined.

Photosynthesis is limited by the slow relaxation of nonphotochemical quenching, which primarily dissipates excess absorbed light energy as heat. Because the heat dissipation process is proportional to light-driven thylakoid lumen acidification, manipulating thylakoid ion and proton flux via transport proteins could improve photosynthesis. However, an important aspect of the current understanding of the thylakoid ion transportome is inaccurate. Using fluorescent protein fusions, we show that the Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) two-pore K + channel TPK3, which had been reported to mediate thylakoid K + flux, localizes to the tonoplast, not the thylakoid. The localization of TPK3 outside of the thylakoids is further supported by the absence of TPK3 in isolated thylakoids as well as the inability of isolated chloroplasts to import TPK3 protein. In line with the subcellular localization of TPK3 in the vacuole, we observed that photosynthesis in the Arabidopsis null mutant tpk3-1 , which carries a transfer DNA insertion in the first exon, remains unaffected. To gain a comprehensive understanding of how thylakoid ion flux impacts photosynthetic efficiency under dynamic growth light regimes, we performed long-term photosynthesis imaging of established and newly isolated transthylakoid K + - and Cl - -flux mutants. Our results underpin the importance of the thylakoid ion transport proteins potassium cation efflux antiporter KEA3 and voltage-dependent chloride channel VCCN1 and suggest that the activity of yet unknown K + channel(s), but not TPK3, is critical for optimal photosynthesis in dynamic light environments., (© 2019 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.)

The aim of this study is to investigate whether abdominal aorta intima media thickness (aIMT), increases in obese children and to determine risk factors. Ninety-six children aged 5-16 (51 obese and 45 non-obese) were enrolled in this prospective and cross-sectional study. Age, gender, and relative body mass index (BMI) were recorded. Their serum lipids, thyrotropin, fasting glucose and insulin levels were analyzed. The homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) score was calculated for insulin resistance. Anthropometric and biochemical data were assessed along with aIMT. Findings in obese children were compared with those of non-obese control subjects. The aIMT was significantly greater in obese children. Similar trends were observed in both prepubertal children and adolescents. In obese children, the mean aIMT (mm) was 0.021 (years of age) +0.519. In non-obese children, the mean aIMT (mm) was 0.017 (years of age) +0.381. Our data suggests a relationship between glucose metabolism and aIMT in obese children. BMI was an independent risk factor for increasing aIMT. In conclusion, when compared with non-obese controls, obese children demonstrated significantly increased aIMT. Higher BMI, insulin, HOMA-IR and increased systolic blood pressure seem to be the main factors contributing to increased aIMT and risk for developing vascular disease. Childhood obesity contributes to the development of an increased aIMT.