Spider Ecophysiology

With over 43,000 species, spiders are the largest predacious arthropod group. They have developed key characteristics such as multi-purpose silk types, venoms consisting of hundreds of components, locomotion driven by muscles and hydraulic pressure, a highly evolved key-lock mechanism between the complex genital structures, and many more unique features. After 300 million years of evolutionary refinement, spiders are present in all land habitats and represent one of the most successful groups of terrestrial organisms. Ecophysiology combines functional and evolutionary aspects of morphology, physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology with ecology. Cutting-edge science in spiders focuses on the circulatory and respiratory system, locomotion and dispersal abilities, the immune system, endosymbionts and pathogens, chemical communication, gland secretions, venom components, silk structure, structure and perception of colours as well as nutritional requirements. Spiders are valuable indicator species in agroecosystems and for conservation biology. Modern transfer and application technologies research spiders and their products with respect to their value for biomimetics, material sciences, and the agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Heuristic decomposition and LP-based scheduling in make-and-pack production

In this paper, we are concerned about the short-term scheduling of industrial make-and-pack production processes. The planning problem consists in minimizing the production makespan while meeting given end-product demands. Sequence-dependent changeover times, multi-purpose storage units with finite capacities, quarantine times, batch splitting, partial equipment connectivity, material transfer times, and a large number of operations contribute to the complexity of the problem. Known MILP formulations cover all technological constraints of such production processes, but only small problem instances can be solved in reasonable CPU times. In this paper, we develop a heuristic in order to tackle large instances. Under this heuristic, groups of batches are scheduled iteratively using a novel MILP formulation; the assignment of the batches to the groups and the scheduling sequence of the groups are determined using a priority rule. We demonstrate the applicability by means of a real-world production process.

NA61/SHINE facility at the CERN SPS: beams and detector system

NA61/SHINE (SPS Heavy Ion and Neutrino Experiment) is a multi-purpose experimental facility to study hadron production in hadron-proton, hadron-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron. It recorded the first physics data with hadron beams in 2009 and with ion beams (secondary 7Be beams) in 2011. NA61/SHINE has greatly profited from the long development of the CERN proton and ion sources and the accelerator chain as well as the H2 beamline of the CERN North Area. The latter has recently been modified to also serve as a fragment separator as needed to produce the Be beams for NA61/SHINE. Numerous components of the NA61/SHINE set-up were inherited from its predecessors, in particular, the last one, the NA49 experiment. Important new detectors and upgrades of the legacy equipment were introduced by the NA61/SHINE Collaboration. This paper describes the state of the NA61/SHINE facility — the beams and the detector system — before the CERN Long Shutdown I, which started in March 2013.

Influence of dental materials used for sealing caries lesions on laser fluorescence measurements

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of thickness and aging on the intrinsic fluorescence of sealing materials and their ability to block fluorescence from the underlying surface as assessed using a laser fluorescence device. Cavities of 0.5 mm and 1 mm depth were drilled into acrylic boards which were placed over two surfaces with different fluorescence properties: a low-fluorescence surface, to assess the intrinsic fluorescence of the sealing materials, and a high-fluorescence surface, to assess the fluorescence-blocking ability of the sealing materials. Ten cavities of each depth were filled with different sealing materials: Adper Scotchbond Multi-Purpose, Adper Single Bond 2, FluroShield, Conseal f and UltraSeal XT Plus. Fluorescence was measured with a DIAGNOdent pen at five different time points: empty cavity, after polymerization, and 1 day, 1 week and 1 month after filling. The individual values after polymerization, as well as the area under the curve for the different periods were submitted to ANOVA and the Tukey test (p < 0.05). At 0.5 mm, Scotchbond, FluroShield and UltraSeal showed insignificant changes in intrinsic fluorescence with aging and lower fluorescence after polymerization than Single Bond and Conseal. At 1 mm, Scotchbond and FluroShield showed the lowest intrinsic fluorescence, but only Scotchbond showed no chagnes in fluorescence with aging. At both depths, Scotchbond blocked significantly less fluorescence. All sealing materials blocked more fluorescence when applied to a depth of 1 mm. At 0.5 mm, fissure sealants blocked more fluorescence than adhesives, and did not show significant changes with aging. Scotchbond had the least affect on the fluorescence from the underlying surface and would probably have the least affect on the monitoring of sealed dental caries by laser fluorescence.

Multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) of mountaineering casualties in the Swiss Alps - Advantages and limitations

As an Alpine country, Switzerland has not only a thriving mountaineering tourist industry, but also many mountaineering casualties. At the request of the state attorney, most of the victims undergo only an external inspection without autopsy. One of the main tasks of the forensic pathologist under these circumstances is the correct identification of the deceased for a fast release to their kin. Nevertheless, detailed knowledge of the injuries sustained may lead to improved safety measures, such as better protective equipment. In this study, we examined the feasibility of using cross-sectional imaging with postmortem multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) to detect lesions of the skeletal structures and internal organs. For this purpose, we used whole-body MSCT to examine 10 corpses that suffered fatal falls from great height while climbing in the Swiss part of the European Alps from the years 2007 to 2009. We conclude that postmortem CT imaging is a valuable tool for dental identification and is superior to plain X-rays as a viable compromise between a solely external legal inspection and an autopsy because it delivers otherwise irretrievable additional internal findings non-invasively. This fact is of great importance in cases where an autopsy is refused.

Webinar Training: an acceptable, feasible and effective approach for multi-site medical record abstraction: the BOWII experience

Background Abstractor training is a key element in creating valid and reliable data collection procedures. The choice between in-person vs. remote or simultaneous vs. sequential abstractor training has considerable consequences for time and resource utilization. We conducted a web-based (webinar) abstractor training session to standardize training across six individual Cancer Research Network (CRN) sites for a study of breast cancer treatment effects in older women (BOWII). The goals of this manuscript are to describe the training session, its participants and participants' evaluation of webinar technology for abstraction training. Findings A webinar was held for all six sites with the primary purpose of simultaneously training staff and ensuring consistent abstraction across sites. The training session involved sequential review of over 600 data elements outlined in the coding manual in conjunction with the display of data entry fields in the study's electronic data collection system. Post-training evaluation was conducted via Survey Monkey©. Inter-rater reliability measures for abstractors within each site were conducted three months after the commencement of data collection. Ten of the 16 people who participated in the training completed the online survey. Almost all (90%) of the 10 trainees had previous medical record abstraction experience and nearly two-thirds reported over 10 years of experience. Half of the respondents had previously participated in a webinar, among which three had participated in a webinar for training purposes. All rated the knowledge and information delivered through the webinar as useful and reported it adequately prepared them for data collection. Moreover, all participants would recommend this platform for multi-site abstraction training. Consistent with participant-reported training effectiveness, results of data collection inter-rater agreement within sites ranged from 89 to 98%, with a weighted average of 95% agreement across sites. Conclusions Conducting training via web-based technology was an acceptable and effective approach to standardizing medical record review across multiple sites for this group of experienced abstractors. Given the substantial time and cost savings achieved with the webinar, coupled with participants' positive evaluation of the training session, researchers should consider this instructional method as part of training efforts to ensure high quality data collection in multi-site studies.

Comparison of contrast-enhanced multi-station MR angiography and digital subtraction angiography of the lower extremity arterial disease

PURPOSE: To compare diagnostic accuracy of multi-station, high-spatial resolution contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA) of the lower extremities with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as the reference standard in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial occlusive disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 485 consecutive patients undergoing a run-off CE-MRA, 152 patients (86 male, 66 female; mean age, 71.6 years) with suspected peripheral arterial occlusive disease were included into our Institutional Review Board approved study. All patients underwent MRA and DSA of the lower extremities within 30 days. MRA was performed at 1.5 Tesla with a single bolus of 0.1 mmol/kg body weight of gadobutrol administered at a rate of 2.0 mL/s at three stations. Two readers evaluated the MRA images independently for stenosis grade and image quality. Sensitivity and specificity were derived. RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity ranged from 73% to 93% and 64% to 89% and were highest in the thigh area. Both readers showed comparable results. Evaluation of good and better quality MRAs resulted in a considerable improvement in diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSION: Contrast-enhanced MRA demonstrates good sensitivity and specificity in the investigation of the vasculature of the lower extremities. While a minor investigator experience dependence remains, it is standardizable and shows good inter-observer agreement. Our results confirm that the administration of Gadobutrol at a standard dose of 0.1 mmol/kg for contrast-enhanced runoff MRA is able to detect hemodynamically relevant stenoses. Use of contrast-enhanced MRA as an alternative to intra-arterial DSA in the evaluation and therapeutic planning of patients with suspected peripheral arterial occlusive disease is well justified. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;37:1427-1435. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[On quality of life after surgical therapy of oral cancer - a retrospective multi-center study: the connection between dedentition, denture, quality of life, and dysphagia, and the resulting rehabilitation schemes]

PURPOSE: The surgical treatment of oral cancer results in functional and aesthetical impairments. Patients' quality of life is considerably impaired by oral symptoms resulting from therapy of oral cancer. In many cases the inevitable resection of the tumor, as well as the adjuvant radiochemotherapy will cause the destruction of physiologically and anatomically important structures. One focus of research was the specific rehabilitation of dental loss by functional dentures. Another was the course of 19 impairments (comprehension of speech for unknown others, comprehension of speech for familiar others, eating/swallowing, mobility of the tongue, opening range of the mouth, mobility of lower jaw, mobility of neck, mobility of arms and shoulders, sense of taste, sense of smell, appearance, strength, appetite, respiration, pain, swelling, xerostomia, halitosis). METHODS: Commissioned by the German, Austrian and Swiss cooperative group on tumors of the maxillofacial region (DOSAK), data were collected in 3.894 questionnaires at 43 hospitals in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The catalogue comprised 147 items in 9 chapters. At the end of the enquiry, 1.761 anonymous questionnaires were returned by 38 hospitals. 1.652 of these could be evaluated regarding the question. RESULTS: The sum score of the 19 impairments was highly increased immediately after the operation and recovered over the next 6 months, without, however, reaching the pre-surgery level. Of 1.652 patients, only 35% did not lose any teeth during therapy. 23% lost up to 5, 17% up to 10 teeth. A quarter of the patients lost more than 10 teeth. The more teeth were lost, the greater the decline of quality of life (p < or = 0.001), although this could be allayed by the functionality of the dentures (p < or = 0.001). There is a reciprocal dependence between the functionality of dental prosthetics and impairment by eating/swallowing (p < or = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients' quality of life after radical surgery of a carcinoma of the oral cavity depends not only on the functionality of dentures and the specificity of rehabilitation, but also from the initial findings, the extent and location of the resection, the chosen therapy, the general circumstances of the patient's life as well as their strategies of coping. These factors, however, unlike those of functionality of dental prosthesis and rehabilitation, are not modifiable.

Multi-detector row CT of the small bowel: peak enhancement temporal window--initial experience

PURPOSE: To prospectively determine quantitatively and qualitatively the timing of maximal enhancement of the normal small-bowel wall by using contrast material-enhanced multi-detector row computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This HIPAA-compliant study was approved by the institutional review board. After information on radiation risk was given, written informed consent was obtained from 25 participants with no history of small-bowel disease (mean age, 58 years; 19 men) who had undergone single-level dynamic CT. Thirty seconds after the intravenous administration of contrast material, a serial dynamic acquisition, consisting of 10 images obtained 5 seconds apart, was performed. Enhancement measurements were obtained over time from the small-bowel wall and the aorta. Three independent readers qualitatively assessed small-bowel conspicuity. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed during the arterial phase, the enteric phase (which represented peak small-bowel mural enhancement), and the venous phase. Statistical analysis included paired Student t test and Wilcoxon signed rank test with Bonferroni correction. A P value less than .05 was used to indicate a significant difference. RESULTS: The mean time to peak enhancement of the small-bowel wall was 49.3 seconds +/- 7.7 (standard deviation) and 13.5 seconds +/- 7.6 after peak aortic enhancement. Enhancement values were highest during the enteric phase (P < .05). Regarding small-bowel conspicuity, images obtained during the enteric phase were most preferred qualitatively; there was a significant difference between the enteric and arterial phases (P < .001) but not between the enteric and venous phases (P = .18). CONCLUSION: At multi-detector row CT, peak mural enhancement of the normal small bowel occurs on average about 50 seconds after intravenous administration of contrast material or 14 seconds after peak aortic enhancement.

Hypervascular liver tumors: low tube voltage, high tube current multi-detector row CT for enhanced detection--phantom study

PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate, for the depiction of simulated hypervascular liver lesions in a phantom, the effect of a low tube voltage, high tube current computed tomographic (CT) technique on image noise, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), lesion conspicuity, and radiation dose. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A custom liver phantom containing 16 cylindric cavities (four cavities each of 3, 5, 8, and 15 mm in diameter) filled with various iodinated solutions to simulate hypervascular liver lesions was scanned with a 64-section multi-detector row CT scanner at 140, 120, 100, and 80 kVp, with corresponding tube current-time product settings at 225, 275, 420, and 675 mAs, respectively. The CNRs for six simulated lesions filled with different iodinated solutions were calculated. A figure of merit (FOM) for each lesion was computed as the ratio of CNR2 to effective dose (ED). Three radiologists independently graded the conspicuity of 16 simulated lesions. An anthropomorphic phantom was scanned to evaluate the ED. Statistical analysis included one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: Image noise increased by 45% with the 80-kVp protocol compared with the 140-kVp protocol (P < .001). However, the lowest ED and the highest CNR were achieved with the 80-kVp protocol. The FOM results indicated that at a constant ED, a reduction of tube voltage from 140 to 120, 100, and 80 kVp increased the CNR by factors of at least 1.6, 2.4, and 3.6, respectively (P < .001). At a constant CNR, corresponding reductions in ED were by a factor of 2.5, 5.5, and 12.7, respectively (P < .001). The highest lesion conspicuity was achieved with the 80-kVp protocol. CONCLUSION: The CNR of simulated hypervascular liver lesions can be substantially increased and the radiation dose reduced by using an 80-kVp, high tube current CT technique.

Thoracolumbar spine fractures in patients who have sustained severe trauma: depiction with multi-detector row CT

PURPOSE: To determine if multi–detector row computed tomography (CT) can replace conventional radiography and be performed alone in severe trauma patients for the depiction of thoracolumbar spine fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred consecutive severe trauma patients who underwent conventional radiography of the thoracolumbar spine as well as thoracoabdominal multi–detector row CT were prospectively identified. Conventional radiographs were reviewed independently by three radiologists and two orthopedic surgeons; CT images were reviewed by three radiologists. Reviewers were blinded both to one another’s reviews and to the results of initial evaluation. Presence, location, and stability of fractures, as well as quality of reviewed images, were assessed. Statistical analysis was performed to determine sensitivity and interobserver agreement for each procedure, with results of clinical and radiologic follow-up as the standard of reference. The time to perform each examination and the radiation dose involved were evaluated. A resource cost analysis was performed. RESULTS: Sixty-seven fractured vertebrae were diagnosed in 26 patients. Twelve patients had unstable spine fractures. Mean sensitivity and interobserver agreement, respectively, for detection of unstable fractures were 97.2% and 0.951 for multi–detector row CT and 33.3% and 0.368 for conventional radiography. The median times to perform a conventional radiographic and a multi–detector row CT examination, respectively, were 33 and 40 minutes. Effective radiation doses at conventional radiography of the spine and thoracoabdominal multi–detector row CT, respectively, were 6.36 mSv and 19.42 mSv. Multi–detector row CT enabled identification of 146 associated traumatic lesions. The costs of conventional radiography and multi–detector row CT, respectively, were $145 and $880 per patient. CONCLUSION: Multi–detector row CT is a better examination for depicting spine fractures than conventional radiography. It can replace conventional radiography and be performed alone in patients who have sustained severe trauma.

Dose Reduction in Standard Head CT: First Results from a New Scanner Using Iterative Reconstruction and a New Detector Type in Comparison with Two Previous Generations of Multi-slice CT

PURPOSE Computed tomography (CT) accounts for more than half of the total radiation exposure from medical procedures, which makes dose reduction in CT an effective means of reducing radiation exposure. We analysed the dose reduction that can be achieved with a new CT scanner [Somatom Edge (E)] that incorporates new developments in hardware (detector) and software (iterative reconstruction). METHODS We compared weighted volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) and dose length product (DLP) values of 25 consecutive patients studied with non-enhanced standard brain CT with the new scanner and with two previous models each, a 64-slice 64-row multi-detector CT (MDCT) scanner with 64 rows (S64) and a 16-slice 16-row MDCT scanner with 16 rows (S16). We analysed signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios in images from the three scanners and performed a quality rating by three neuroradiologists to analyse whether dose reduction techniques still yield sufficient diagnostic quality. RESULTS CTDIVol of scanner E was 41.5 and 36.4 % less than the values of scanners S16 and S64, respectively; the DLP values were 40 and 38.3 % less. All differences were statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios were best in S64; these differences also reached statistical significance. Image analysis, however, showed "non-inferiority" of scanner E regarding image quality. CONCLUSIONS The first experience with the new scanner shows that new dose reduction techniques allow for up to 40 % dose reduction while still maintaining image quality at a diagnostically usable level.

Multi-modal glioblastoma segmentation: man versus machine

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Reproducible segmentation of brain tumors on magnetic resonance images is an important clinical need. This study was designed to evaluate the reliability of a novel fully automated segmentation tool for brain tumor image analysis in comparison to manually defined tumor segmentations. METHODS We prospectively evaluated preoperative MR Images from 25 glioblastoma patients. Two independent expert raters performed manual segmentations. Automatic segmentations were performed using the Brain Tumor Image Analysis software (BraTumIA). In order to study the different tumor compartments, the complete tumor volume TV (enhancing part plus non-enhancing part plus necrotic core of the tumor), the TV+ (TV plus edema) and the contrast enhancing tumor volume CETV were identified. We quantified the overlap between manual and automated segmentation by calculation of diameter measurements as well as the Dice coefficients, the positive predictive values, sensitivity, relative volume error and absolute volume error. RESULTS Comparison of automated versus manual extraction of 2-dimensional diameter measurements showed no significant difference (p = 0.29). Comparison of automated versus manual segmentation of volumetric segmentations showed significant differences for TV+ and TV (p<0.05) but no significant differences for CETV (p>0.05) with regard to the Dice overlap coefficients. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients (ρ) of TV+, TV and CETV showed highly significant correlations between automatic and manual segmentations. Tumor localization did not influence the accuracy of segmentation. CONCLUSIONS In summary, we demonstrated that BraTumIA supports radiologists and clinicians by providing accurate measures of cross-sectional diameter-based tumor extensions. The automated volume measurements were comparable to manual tumor delineation for CETV tumor volumes, and outperformed inter-rater variability for overlap and sensitivity.