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In a new type of automated parts-to-picker warehouse system - a Robotic Mobile Fulfillment System (RMFS) - robots are sent to transport pods (movable shelves) to human operators at stations to pick/put items from/to pods. There are many operational decision problems in such a system, and some of them are interdependent and influence each other. In order to analyze the decision problems and the relationships between them, there are two open-source simulation frameworks in the literature, Alphabet Soup and RAWSim-O. However, the steps between simulation and real-world RMFS are not clear in the literature. Therefore, this paper aims to bridge this gap. The simulator is firstly transferred as core software. The core software is connected with an open-source ERP system, called Odoo, while it is also connected with real robots and stations through an XOR-bench. The XOR-bench enables the RMFS to be integrated with several mini-robots and mobile industrial robots in (removed) experiments for the purpose of research and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A superior diagnostic quality compared to other post-processing (PP) techniques for three-dimensional (3D) inner ear imaging has been attributed to volume rendering (VR). We defined and assessed a VR protocol for 3D visualization of the inner ear in a routine imaging setting. Following definition of a VR protocol by using lower threshold values, surface shading, perspective views and related parameters, standardized 3D views of the inner ear were generated and evaluated in 32 patients suffering from sensorineural or combined hearing loss. Comprehensive inner ear visualization was achieved in 28 patients by means of two 3D shaded-surface views. Incomplete data acquisition (1/32), motion and pulsation artefacts (2/32) and interposed fluid-retaining mastoid cells (1/32) were responsible for non-diagnostic image quality in 4/32 patients. In 5/32 patients modifications of the PP protocol involving the threshold value and depth-cueing parameters helped to establish diagnostic image quality. Mean post-processing time amounted to 5.8 min per site. 3D imaging with the VR technique is suitable for routine inner ear assessment if direct VR, predefined PP protocols and standardized labyrinthine views are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation by solventogenic clostridia can be harnessed to produce CO 2 emission neutral bio-based 1-butanol, a valuable compound with a broad range of applications, e.g., in industrial production, as a solvent and as a fuel additive or replacement. However, the relatively low butanol titers and high feedstock costs prevent bio-butanol production on an industrial scale. Agricultural side-stream materials, like milling byproducts, are starch-rich, low-cost and produced all year round. They could be suitable substrates for bio-butanol production by ABE fermentation., Results: The milling byproducts wheat red dog (WRD), rye second flour (RSF), wheat bran (WB), rye bran (RB) and ergot sclerotia-containing rye waste stream (ER) were found to contain between ~ 30 and ~ 85% glucan, most of which was starch based. WRD, RSF and ER had the highest glucan content, while the brans contained significant xylan concentrations. Four strains selected from the collection of solventogenic clostridia available in our group produced > 6 g/L butanol on the majority of these substrates, with Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 showing the best ABE production performance when regarding all tested substrates. Toxic ergot sclerotia-containing waste material was found to be a suited substrate for ABE fermentation. Strain NCIMB 8052 exhibited butanol titers of up to 9 g/L on substrate mixtures of WRD plus ER and the highest butanol yield per used sugars. Finally, a semi-continuous ABE fermentation of C. beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 on WRD plus ER could be maintained for 96 h. The volumetric ABE productivity during the continuous phase of fermentation was ~ 0.41 g L -1  h -1 and a total of 37.7 g ABE was produced out of 168.2 g substrate., Conclusions: Based on their carbohydrate composition, WRD, RSF and ER were the milling byproducts best suited as substrates for bio-butanol production by clostridial ABE fermentation. Importantly, also ergot sclerotia-containing waste materials can be used as substrates, which can help to reduce process costs. The semi-continuous fermentation showed that clostridial ABE fermentation on milling byproducts may represent a suitable avenue for commercial butanol production after further process and/or strain optimization., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: All authors gave their consent for publication. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: We present a digital therapeutic (DTx) using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to digitally personalize lifestyle interventions for people with type 2 diabetes (T2D)., Method: A study of 118 participants with non-insulin-treated T2D (HbA 1c ≥ 6.5%) who were already receiving standard care and had a mean baseline (BL) HbA 1c of 7.46% (0.93) used the DTx for three months to evaluate clinical endpoints, such as HbA 1c , body weight, quality of life and app usage, for a pre-post comparison. The study also included an assessment of initial long-term data from a second use of the DTx., Results: After three months of using the DTx, there was an improvement of 0.67% HbA 1c in the complete cohort and -1.08% HbA 1c in patients with poorly controlled diabetes (BL-HbA 1c ≥ 7.0%) compared with standard of care ( P < .001). The number of patients within the therapeutic target range (< 7.0%) increased from 38% to 60%, and 33% were on the way to remission (< 6.5%). Patients who used the DTx a second time experienced a reduction of -0.76% in their HbA 1c levels and a mean weight loss of -6.84 kg after six months ( P < .001) compared with BL., Conclusions: These results indicate that the DTx has clinically relevant effects on glycemic control and weight reduction for patients with both well and poorly controlled diabetes, whether through single or repeated usage. It is a noteworthy improvement in T2D management, offering a non-pharmacological, fully digital solution that integrates biofeedback through CGM and an advanced AI algorithm., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: J.V., N.T., K.L.P., O.W., and T.S. are employed at Perfood GmbH. T.S. and C.S. are co-founders of Perfood GmbH and minority shareholders. G.F. is general manager and medical director of the Institute for Diabetes Technology (Institut für Diabetes-Technologie (IfDT) Forschungs-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH an der Universität Ulm, Ulm, Germany), which carries out clinical studies, eg, with medical devices for diabetes therapy on its own initiative and on behalf of various companies. G.F. and IfDT have received speakers’ honoraria or consulting fees in the last three years from the following companies: Abbott, Berlin Chemie, Boydsense, Dexcom, Lilly Deutschland, Novo Nordisk, Perfood, Pharmasens, Roche, Sinocare, Terumo, and Ypsomed. M.S. runs an Institute for Diabetology and has received speakers’ honoraria or consulting fees in the last three years from Novo Nordisk, Lilly Deutschland, Astra Zeneca, Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim, Berlin Chemie, Novartis, and Perfood.

Background and Purpose: Orbital compartment syndrome is a sight-threatening emergency caused by rising pressure inside the orbit. It is usually diagnosed clinically, but imaging might help when clinical findings are inconclusive. This study aimed to systematically evaluate imaging features of orbital compartment syndrome., Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included patients from 2 trauma centers. Proptosis, optic nerve length, posterior globe angle, morphology of the extraocular muscles, fracture patterns, active bleeding, and superior ophthalmic vein caliber were assessed on pretreatment CT. Etiology, clinical findings, and visual outcome were obtained from patient records., Results: Twenty-nine cases of orbital compartment syndrome were included; most were secondary to traumatic hematoma. Pathologies occurred in the extraconal space in all patients, whereas intraconal abnormalities occurred in 59% (17/29), and subperiosteal hematoma in 34% (10/29). We observed proptosis (affected orbit: mean, 24.4 [SD, 3.1] mm versus contralateral: 17.7 [SD, 3.1] mm; P  < .01) as well as stretching of the optic nerve (mean, 32.0 [SD, 2.5] mm versus 25.8 [SD, 3.4] mm; P  < .01). The posterior globe angle was decreased (mean, 128.7° [SD, 18.9°] versus 146.9° [SD, 6.4°]; P  < .01). In 69% (20/29), the superior ophthalmic was vein smaller in the affected orbit. No significant differences were detected regarding the size and shape of extraocular muscles., Conclusions: Orbital compartment syndrome is characterized by proptosis and optic nerve stretching. In some cases, the posterior globe is deformed. Orbital compartment syndrome can be caused by an expanding pathology anywhere within the orbit with or without direct contact to the optic nerve, confirming the pathophysiologic concept of a compartment mechanism., (© 2023 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.)

Strain MD1 T is an anaerobic, Gram-stain-negative bacterium isolated from a lab-scale biogas fermenter fed with maize silage. It has a rod-shaped morphology with peritrichously arranged appendages and forms long chains of cells and coccoid structures. The colonies of MD1 T were white, circular, slightly convex and had a smooth rim. The isolate is mesophilic, displaying growth between 25 and 45 °C with an optimum at 40 °C. It grew at pH values of pH 6.7-8.2 (optimum, pH 7.1) and tolerated the addition of up to 1.5% (w/v) NaCl to the medium. The main cellular fatty acids of MD1 T are C 14:0 DMA and C 16:0 . Strain MD1 T fermented xylose, arabinose, glucose, galactose, cellobiose, maltose, maltodextrin10, lactose starch, and xylan, producing mainly 2-propanol and acetic acid. The genome of the organism has a total length of 4163427 bp with a G+C content of 38.5 mol%. The two closest relatives to MD1 T are Mobilitalea sibirica P3M-3 T and Anaerotaenia torta FH052 T with 96.44 or 95.8 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity and POCP values of 46.58 and 50.58%, respectively. As MD1 T showed saccharolytic and xylanolytic properties, it may play an important role in the biogas fermentation process. Closely related variants of MD1 T were also abundant in microbial communities involved in methanogenic fermentation. Based on morphological, phylogenetic and genomic data, the isolated strain can be considered as representing a novel genus in the family Lachnospiraceae , for which the name Variimorphobacter saccharofermentans gen. nov., sp. nov. (type strain MD1 T =DSM 110715 T =JCM 39125 T ) is proposed.

Purpose: The aim was to analyze the incidence and survival of patients living with HIV (PLWH) with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and to compare with a control group of HIV-negative HNSCC patients., Methods: Clinicopathological data and predictors for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were investigated (2009-2019)., Results: 50 of 5151 HNSCC patients (0.97%) were PLWH, and 76% were smokers. Age ≤ 60 years, HIV-PCR ≤ 50 copies, CD4 cells ≤ 200/mm 3 , cART treatment, T and UICC classification, oral cavity and nasal/paranasal sinuses, and therapy were significantly associated with OS in univariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, only age and HIV-PCR independently predicted OS. The OS of the 50 PLWH was not significantly altered compared with the 5101 HIV-negative controls. However, OS and DFS were significantly inferior in advanced tumor stages of PLWH compared with an age-matched control group of 150 HIV-negative patients., Conclusions: PLWH were diagnosed with HNSCC at a significantly younger age compared to HIV-negative patients. Taking into account patient age at initial diagnosis, both OS and DFS rates in PLWH are significantly worse compared with a matched control group of HIV-negative patients in advanced tumor stages UICC III/IV. The prognosis (OS) is improved when taking cART treatment, the HIV viral load is undetectable and CD4 count is high., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Neck management in patients with early-stage, clinically node-negative oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a matter of discussion. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) represents a treatment alternative to avoid elective neck dissection (END) in this cohort and different protocols and tracers exist. Here we present the clinical outcome of SLNB using 99m Tc-tilmanocept in a two-day protocol in patients suffering from early-stage OSCC. A total of 13 patients (males: 6; females: 7; mean age: 65.7 years, ranging from 47 to 89 years) were included in this study. Most of the patients suffered from an OSCC of the floor of mouth ( n = 6), followed by tongue ( n = 5) and upper alveolar crest/hard palate ( n = 2). Sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) were successfully identified in all cases (range: 1-7). The average length of hospital stay was 4.7 days (range: 3-8 days) and mean duration of surgical intervention was 121 min (range: 74-233 min). One patient who suffered from an OSCC of the tongue was sentinel lymph node positive (SLN+). The mean follow-up for all sentinel lymph node negative (SLN-) patients ( n = 12) was 20.3 months (range: 10-28 months). No local or nodal recurrences were observed within the observation period. In our patient cohort, SLNB using 99m Tc-tilmanocept in a two-day protocol proved to be a reliable and safe staging method for patients suffering from early-stage, clinically node-negative OSCC. These results and their possible superiority to colloid tracers have to be confirmed in a prospective randomized controlled study.

Carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) are vital for the lignocellulose-based biorefinery. The development of hypersecreting fungal protein production hosts is therefore a major aim for both academia and industry. However, despite advances in our understanding of their regulation, the number of promising candidate genes for targeted strain engineering remains limited. Here, we resequenced the genome of the classical hypersecreting Neurospora crassa mutant exo - 1 and identified the causative point of mutation to reside in the F-box protein-encoding gene, NCU09899. The corresponding deletion strain displayed amylase and invertase activities exceeding those of the carbon catabolite derepressed strain Δ cre - 1 , while glucose repression was still mostly functional in Δ exo - 1 Surprisingly, RNA sequencing revealed that while plant cell wall degradation genes are broadly misexpressed in Δ exo - 1 , only a small fraction of CAZyme genes and sugar transporters are up-regulated, indicating that EXO-1 affects specific regulatory factors. Aiming to elucidate the underlying mechanism of enzyme hypersecretion, we found the high secretion of amylases and invertase in Δ exo - 1 to be completely dependent on the transcriptional regulator COL-26. Furthermore, misregulation of COL-26, CRE-1, and cellular carbon and nitrogen metabolism was confirmed by proteomics. Finally, we successfully transferred the hypersecretion trait of the exo - 1 disruption by reverse engineering into the industrially deployed fungus Myceliophthora thermophila using CRISPR-Cas9. Our identification of an important F-box protein demonstrates the strength of classical mutants combined with next-generation sequencing to uncover unanticipated candidates for engineering. These data contribute to a more complete understanding of CAZyme regulation and will facilitate targeted engineering of hypersecretion in further organisms of interest., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.

Clostridium beijerinckii strain mbf-VZ-132 was isolated from soil in Freising-Weihenstephan (Bavaria, Germany). The 16S rRNA gene sequence showed a 99.9% sequence identity to that of Clostridium diolis DSM 15410, which was recently reclassified as C. beijerinckii In this study, we present the draft genome sequence of C. beijerinckii mbf-VZ-132 based on PacBio sequencing., (Copyright © 2021 Thieme et al.)

Mobilitalea sibirica strain P3M-3 T is a strictly anaerobic, halotolerant, organotrophic bacterium of the family Lachnospiraceae that can utilize various plant-derived polysaccharides as its carbon source. The strain was originally isolated from a microbial mat in western Siberia (Russia). In this study, we present the draft genome sequence of M. sibirica P3M-3 T based on Illumina paired-end sequencing., (Copyright © 2021 Thieme et al.)

Open injuries bear the risk of foreign body contamination. Commonly encountered materials include gravel debris, glass fragments, wooden splinters or metal particles. While foreign body incorporation is obvious in some injury patterns, other injuries may not display hints of being contaminated with foreign body materials. Foreign objects that have not been detected and removed bear the risk of leading to severe wound infections and chronic wound healing disorders. Besides these severe health issues, medicolegal consequences should be considered. While an accurate clinical examination is the first step for the detection of foreign body materials, choosing the appropriate radiological imaging is decisive for the detection or non-detection of the foreign material. Especially in cases of impaired wound healing over time, the existence of an undetected foreign object needs to be considered.Here, we would like to give a practical radiological guide for the assessment of foreign objects in head and neck injuries by a special selection of patients with different injury patterns and various foreign body materials with regard to the present literature.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of plain radiography (X-ray. XR), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MR) in visualising commonly seen foreign bodies. A special focus was put on objects relevant to head and neck surgery., Method: Thirty-four commonly encountered objects of different compositions including wood, plastic, and glass were embedded in a gelatin gel phantom and imaged using XR, CT and MR. The success rates of radiologists in detecting and correctly identifying the foreign objects were evaluated. Subjective visibility was rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Objective visibility was analysed using region of interest-based contrast for CT., Results: Sensitivity in foreign bodies detection was highest in MR (97.1 %) followed by CT (86.0 %) and x-ray (61.8 %). Success rates for the correct identification of the objects and material types were highest in MR (33.3 % and 39.2 %, respectively) followed by CT (25.5 % for both) and XR (16.7 % and 15.7 %). Overall, subjective visibility was rated higher in CT and MR imaging ("good visibility"), as compared to XR ("poor visibility"). Interreader agreement was high across modalities (Kendall's W = 0.935, 0.834 and 0.794 for XR, MR and CT, respectively)., Conclusions: Detection and identification of non-ferromagnetic objects was most successful in MR followed by CT imaging in this experimental setup., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Butanol is a platform chemical that is utilized in a wide range of industrial products and is considered a suitable replacement or additive to liquid fuels. So far, it is mainly produced through petrochemical routes. Alternative production routes, for example through biorefinery, are under investigation but are currently not at a market competitive level. Possible alternatives, such as acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation by solventogenic clostridia are not market-ready to this day either, because of their low butanol titer and the high costs of feedstocks. Here, we analyzed wheat middlings and wheat red dog, two wheat milling byproducts available in large quantities, as substrates for clostridial ABE fermentation. We could identify ten strains that exhibited good butanol yields on wheat red dog. Two of the best ABE producing strains, Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 and Clostridium diolis DSM 15410, were used to optimize a laboratory-scale fermentation process. In addition, enzymatic pretreatment of both milling byproducts significantly enhanced ABE production rates of the strains C. beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 and C. diolis DSM 15410. Finally, a profitability analysis was performed for small- to mid-scale ABE fermentation plants that utilize enzymatically pretreated wheat red dog as substrate. The estimations show that such a plant could be commercially successful.Key points• Wheat milling byproducts are suitable substrates for clostridial ABE fermentation.• Enzymatic pretreatment of wheat red dog and middlings increases ABE yield.• ABE fermentation plants using wheat red dog as substrate are economically viable. Graphical abstract.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to compare the image quality, including artifacts, of a T1-weighted gradient-recalled echo (GRE) MRI sequence with a radial sampling approach to that of both 2D turbo spin-echo (TSE) and cartesian 3D GRE MRI sequences performed in the head and neck region. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The retrospective study included 26 datasets of patients who underwent MRI examination for inflammatory or neoplastic diseases of the head and neck region performed using a 1.5-T system. All examination protocols comprised three fat-saturated T1-weighted sequences performed in the axial plane after contrast agent administration. Axial FOV and spatial resolution in plane and along the z -axis were recorded. Sequences were evaluated independently by two readers for qualitative and quantitative parameters, including homogeneity of fat saturation and discrimination of pharyngeal wall structures. Qualitative parameters were evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS. For comparison, mean values of Likert scale scores were generated from the two readers' data. Fat saturation was significantly better on the radial GRE sequences (1.942) than on the TSE (2.346; p = 0.002) and cartesian GRE (2.365; p = 0.008) sequences. The overall impact of foreign material artifacts was comparable among sequences (radial GRE, 1.731; TSE, 1.731 [ p = 1.000]; cartesian GRE, 1.769 [ p = 0.414]); however, on direct comparison, the mean area that was not evaluable because of susceptibility was smaller on radial GRE sequences (53.8 mm) than on TSE sequences (59.8 mm; p = 0.062) and cartesian GRE sequences (59.6 mm; p = 0.079). Overall image quality was 1.635 with the use of radial GRE, 2.423 with TSE ( p = 0.000), and 2.500 with cartesian GRE ( p = 0.000). CONCLUSION. For imaging of the head and neck region, radial GRE has several advantages, including improved fat saturation and reduced extent of susceptibility artifacts, compared with TSE and cartesian GRE, leading to improved overall image quality.

Filamentous fungi, such as Neurospora crassa , are very efficient in deconstructing plant biomass by the secretion of an arsenal of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes, by remodeling metabolism to accommodate production of secreted enzymes, and by enabling transport and intracellular utilization of plant biomass components. Although a number of enzymes and transcriptional regulators involved in plant biomass utilization have been identified, how filamentous fungi sense and integrate nutritional information encoded in the plant cell wall into a regulatory hierarchy for optimal utilization of complex carbon sources is not understood. Here, we performed transcriptional profiling of N. crassa on 40 different carbon sources, including plant biomass, to provide data on how fungi sense simple to complex carbohydrates. From these data, we identified regulatory factors in N. crassa and characterized one (PDR-2) associated with pectin utilization and one with pectin/hemicellulose utilization (ARA-1). Using in vitro DNA affinity purification sequencing (DAP-seq), we identified direct targets of transcription factors involved in regulating genes encoding plant cell wall-degrading enzymes. In particular, our data clarified the role of the transcription factor VIB-1 in the regulation of genes encoding plant cell wall-degrading enzymes and nutrient scavenging and revealed a major role of the carbon catabolite repressor CRE-1 in regulating the expression of major facilitator transporter genes. These data contribute to a more complete understanding of cross talk between transcription factors and their target genes, which are involved in regulating nutrient sensing and plant biomass utilization on a global level., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest., (Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.)

Introduction: Oral metastatic tumors due to malignancies at distant locations are very rare. There are only few cases in the literature reporting about mandible/cervical metastases. Sometimes the oral finding is the manifestation of the disease., Presentation of Case: We report on a 50-year-old patient who was diagnosed with a pathological mandibular fracture and cervical lymph node metastases due to an adenocarcinoma of the lung without other peripheral metastases. Following the interdisciplinary tumor board decision, resection and ipsilateral neck dissection including a mandible reconstruction using a microvascular fibula transplant was performed. The patient received an adjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin/pemetrexed., Discussion: The combination of cervical metastases and a pathological mandibular fracture has not been reported before. Distinction between oligometastatic and polymetastatic disease may be difficult. Bone lesions and a high number of metastases are associated with a negative outcome. In cases of limited oligometastatic diseases, metastasectomy might sometimes be indicated. Due to the absence of other peripheral metastases decision of metastasectomy was made., Conclusion: Due to rare occurrence of cervical metastases special attention should be paid to the incidence of possible metastases of distant malignancies at uncommon regions., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)