Comparative Study on the Effectiveness of Silicone and Polyester-Plastinated Bovine Brains for Face-to-Face and Online Neuroanatomy Education

Anatomy is regarded as one of the most essential and challenging courses in veterinary medicine. The study evaluated the student perceptions of silicone and polyester-plastinated cattle brains in both face-to-face and online neuroanatomy education. A total of six cattle heads were collected from a slaughterhouse, processed using four plastination steps. These specimens were evaluated by 240 first-year veterinary students (from 248 enrolled), with 108 participating in face-to-face evaluation and 132 completing online evaluations of the specimens. The online survey for the assessments revealed that 75.9% of face-to-face participants strongly agreed that anatomical structures were well represented in silicone-plastinated whole brains (mean score: 4.7, SD: 0.6). Sliced silicone plastinates achieved 71.3% agreement on providing enhanced contrast between gray and white matter (mean score: 4.57, SD: 0.8). Polyester plastinates also demonstrated high clarity, with 62% of face-to-face respondents strongly agreeing on their improved differentiation of gray and white matter (mean score: 4.38, SD: 0.95). Students appreciated the odorless, durable, and nontoxic nature of plastinated specimens. Limitations included reduced tactile resemblance (mean score: 2.19) and natural color fidelity (mean score: 2.74). Despite these drawbacks, 69.4% of face-to-face students strongly supported incorporating plastinated specimens alongside cadaveric materials in anatomy courses. Plastinated cattle brain specimens demonstrated excellent anatomical detail and usability, making them valuable resources for anatomy education. The findings support their use in both face-to-face and online teaching environments as preferred alternatives or complements to traditional formalin-preserved specimens.Ankara Universitesi [21L0239025]; Ankara University Scientific Research Projects Unit [21L0239025]Ankara Universitesi, Grant/Award Number: 21L0239025This study was financially supported by Ankara University Scientific Research Projects Unit (Project no: 21L0239025)

Measurement of Double-Differential Charged-Current Drell-Yan Cross-Sections at High Transverse Masses in pp Collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

Barakat, Marawan/0000-0001-5740-1866; Bhatta, Somadutta/0000-0002-9045-3278; Ernani Martins Neto, Daniel/0000-0003-2793-5335; Abbott, Braden/0000-0002-5888-2734; Jackson, Paul/0000-0002-0847-402X; Quinn, Ryan/0000-0002-0879-6045; Rompotis, Nikolaos/0000-0003-2577-1875; Camplani, Alessandra/0000-0002-6386-9788; Cheong, Sanha/0000-0002-2797-6383; Aboulhorma, Asmaa/0000-0002-9987-2292; Koffas, Thomas/0000-0001-9612-4988; Petersen, Troels/0000-0003-0221-3037; Angerami, Aaron/0000-0001-7834-8750; White, Martin/0000-0001-5474-4580; Camarda, Stefano/0000-0003-0479-7689; Gwilliam, Carl/0000-0002-9401-5304; Carmignani, Joseph (Joe)/0000-0002-1705-1061; Jia, Jiangyong/0000-0002-5725-3397; Hoppesch, Matthew/0000-0002-7773-3654; Das, Sruthy Jyothi/0000-0003-2693-3389; Bona, Marcella/0000-0002-9660-580X; Meloni, Federico/0000-0001-7075-2214; Vecchio, Valentina/0000-0002-1351-6757; Chu, Ming-Chung/0000-0002-1971-0403; Affolder, Anthony/0000-0002-9058-7217; Abicht, Nils Julius/0000-0001-5763-2760; Abdelhameed, Sara/0000-0002-0287-5869; Onyisi, Peter/0000-0003-4201-7997; Montella, Alessandro/0000-0002-5578-6333; Sadrozinski, Hartmut/0000-0003-0019-5410; Dinu, Ioan-Mihail/0000-0002-2683-7349; Sampsonidou, Despoina/0000-0003-0384-7672; Kretzschmar, Jan/0000-0002-8515-1355; Mlinarevic, Marin/0000-0003-3587-646X; Abramowicz, Halina/0000-0001-5329-6640; Ghosh, Aishik/0000-0003-0819-1553; Yabsley, Bruce/0000-0002-2680-0474; Chan, Jay/0000-0001-7069-0295; Vigl, Matthias/0000-0003-2281-3822; Mitsou, Vasiliki A./0000-0002-1533-8886; Aad, Georges/0000-0002-6665-4934; Kowalewski, Robert/0000-0002-7314-0990; Varvell, Kevin/0000-0003-1017-1295; Doglioni, Caterina/0000-0002-1509-0390; Volkotrub, Yuriy/0000-0002-3114-3798; Panizzo, Giancarlo/0000-0002-0352-4833; Stark, Giordon/0000-0001-6616-3433; Umaka, Ejiro/0000-0001-7725-8227; Chwastowski, Janusz/0000-0002-6190-8376; Islam, Wasikul/0000-0002-5624-5934; Haley, Joseph/0000-0002-6938-7405; Warburton, Andreas/0000-0002-2298-7315; Beretta, Matteo Mario/0000-0002-7026-8171; Moser, Brian/0000-0001-6750-5060This paper presents a first measurement of the cross-section for the charged-current Drell-Yan process pp -> W-+/- -> l(+/-)nu above the resonance region, where l is an electron or muon. The measurement is performed for transverse masses, m(T)(W), between 200 GeV and 5000 GeV, using a sample of 140 fb(-1) of pp collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2015-2018. The data are presented single differentially in transverse mass and double differentially in transverse mass and absolute lepton pseudorapidity. A test of lepton flavour universality shows no significant deviations from the Standard Model. The electron and muon channel measurements are combined to achieve a total experimental precision of 3% at low m(T)(W). The single- and double differential W-boson charge asymmetries are evaluated from the measurements. A comparison to next-to-next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions using several recent parton distribution functions and including next-to-leading-order electroweak effects indicates the potential of the data to constrain parton distribution functions. The data are also used to constrain four fermion operators in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory formalism, in particular the lepton-quark operator Wilson coefficient c(lq)((3)).CERN; NDGF (Denmark, Norway, Sweden); KIT/GridKA (Germany); INFN-CNAF (Italy); NL-T1; BNL (U.S.A.); ANPCyT, Argentina; YerPhI, Armenia; ARC, Australia; BMWFW; FWF, Austria; ANAS; CNPq; FAPESP, Brazil; NSERC; CFI, Canada; NSFC, China; MEYS CR, Czech Republic; DNRF; DNSRC, Denmark; IN2P3-CNRS; CEA-DRF/IRFU, France; BMBF; MPG, Germany; RGC and Hong Kong SAR, China; ICHEP; Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Israel; INFN, Italy; MEXT; JSPS, Japan; CNRST, Morocco; NWO, Netherlands; RCN, Norway; MNiSW, Poland; FCT, Portugal; MNE/IFA, Romania; MSSR, Slovakia; Wallenberg Foundation, Sweden; SNSF and Cantons of Bern and Geneva, Switzerland; NSTC, Taipei; STFC/UKRI, United Kingdom; DOE; NSF, United States of America; BCKDF; CANARIE; CRC; DRAC, Canada; FORTE [CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004632]; PRIMUS, Czech Republic; ERC [101116429]; ERDF; Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, European Union; Investissements d'Avenir Labex, Investissements d'Avenir Idex; ANR, France; DFG; AvH Foundation, Germany - EU-ESF; Greek NSRF, Greece; BSF-NSF; NCN; La Caixa Banking Foundation; CERCA Programme Generalitat de Catalunya; PROMETEO; Generalitat Valenciana, Spain; Goran Gustafssons Stiftelse, Sweden; Royal Society [NIF-R1-231091, ECA DE-AC02-76SF00515]; Leverhulme Trust, United Kingdom; Armenia: Yerevan Physics Institute (FAPERJ); CERN: European Organization for Nuclear Research; Chile: Agencia Nacional de Investigacion y Desarrollo (FONDECYT) [1230812]; FONDECYT [1240864]; China: Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology [MOST-2023YFA1605700, MOST-2023YFA1609300]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [NSFC -12175119, NSFC 12275265]; Czech Republic: Czech Science Foundation; Ministry of Education Youth and Sports [ERC-CZ-LL2327]; PRIMUS Research Programme [PRIMUS/21/SCI/017]; EU [ERC - 101002463]; European Union: European Research Council [ERC - 948254, 101089007]; European Regional Development Fund (SMASH COFUND) [101081355, CHIST-ERA-19-XAI00]; European Union [FAIR-NextGenerationEU PE00000013, EuroHPC - EHPC-DEV-2024D11-051]; France: Agence Nationale de la Recherche [ANR-21-CE31-0013, ANR-21-CE31-0022]; Germany: Baden-Wurttemberg Stiftung; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [DFG - 469666862, DFG - CR 312/52]; China: Research Grants Council (GRF); Ministero dell'Universita e della Ricerca; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI) [JP22H01227, JP22H04944, JP22KK0227, JP23KK0245, RCN-314472, 9722]; Polish National Science Centre (NCN) [2021/42/E/ST2/00350]; NCN OPUS [2022/47/B/ST2/03059, UMO-2020/37/B/ST2/01043, UMO-2022/47/O/ST2/00148, UMO-2023/49/B/ST2/04085, UMO-2023/51/B/ST2/00920, UMO-2024/53/N/ST2/00869]; Generalitat Valenciana; FEDER [IDIFEDER/2018/048, NextGenEU PCI2022-135018-2]; MICIN FEDER [PID2021-125273NB, RYC2019-028510-I, RYC2020-030254-I, RYC2021-031273-I, RYC2022-038164I]; Swedish Research Council (Swedish Research Council) [2023-04654, VR 2021-03651, VR 2022-03845, VR 2022-04683, VR 2023-03403, VR 2024-05451]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW 2018.0458, KAW 2022.0358, SNSF -PCEFP2_194658]; United Kingdom: Leverhulme Trust (Leverhulme Trust) [RPG-2020-004]We thank CERN for the very successful operation of the LHC and its injectors, as well as the support staff at CERN and at our institutions worldwide without whom ATLAS could not be operated efficiently. The crucial computing support from all WLCG partners is acknowledged gratefully, in particular from CERN, the ATLAS Tier-1 facilities at TRIUMF/SFU (Canada), NDGF (Denmark, Norway, Sweden), CC-IN2P3 (France), KIT/GridKA (Germany), INFN-CNAF (Italy), NL-T1 (Netherlands), PIC (Spain), RAL (U.K.) and BNL (U.S.A.), the Tier-2 facilities worldwide and large non-WLCG resource providers. Major contributors of computing resources are listed in ref. [102]. We gratefully acknowledge the support of ANPCyT, Argentina; YerPhI, Armenia; ARC, Australia; BMWFW and FWF, Austria; ANAS, Azerbaijan; CNPq and FAPESP, Brazil; NSERC, NRC and CFI, Canada; CERN; ANID, Chile; CAS, MOST and NSFC, China; Minciencias, Colombia; MEYS CR, Czech Republic; DNRF and DNSRC, Denmark; IN2P3-CNRS and CEA-DRF/IRFU, France; SRNSFG, Georgia; BMBF, HGF and MPG, Germany; GSRI, Greece; RGC and Hong Kong SAR, China; ICHEP and Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Israel; INFN, Italy; MEXT and JSPS, Japan; CNRST, Morocco; NWO, Netherlands; RCN, Norway; MNiSW, Poland; FCT, Portugal; MNE/IFA, Romania; MSTDI, Serbia; MSSR, Slovakia; ARIS and MVZI, Slovenia; DSI/NRF, South Africa; MICIU/AEI, Spain; SRC and Wallenberg Foundation, Sweden; SERI, SNSF and Cantons of Bern and Geneva, Switzerland; NSTC, Taipei; TENMAK, Turkiye; STFC/UKRI, United Kingdom; DOE and NSF, United States of America. Individual groups and members have received support from BCKDF, CANARIE, CRC and DRAC, Canada; CERN-CZ, FORTE and PRIMUS, Czech Republic; COST, ERC, ERDF, Horizon 2020, ICSC-NextGenerationEU and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, European Union; Investissements d'Avenir Labex, Investissements d'Avenir Idex and ANR, France; DFG and AvH Foundation, Germany; Herakleitos, Thales and Aristeia programmes co-financed by EU-ESF and the Greek NSRF, Greece; BSF-NSF and MINERVA, Israel; NCN and NAWA, Poland; La Caixa Banking Foundation, CERCA Programme Generalitat de Catalunya and PROMETEO and GenT Programmes Generalitat Valenciana, Spain; Goran Gustafssons Stiftelse, Sweden; The Royal Society and Leverhulme Trust, United Kingdom. In addition, individual members wish to acknowledge support from Armenia: Yerevan Physics Institute (FAPERJ); CERN: European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN DOCT); Chile: Agencia Nacional de Investigacion y Desarrollo (FONDECYT 1230812, FONDECYT 1230987, FONDECYT 1240864); China: Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST-2023YFA1605700, MOST-2023YFA1609300), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC -12175119, NSFC 12275265); Czech Republic: Czech Science Foundation (GACR -24-11373S), Ministry of Education Youth and Sports (ERC-CZ-LL2327, FORTE CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004632), PRIMUS Research Programme (PRIMUS/21/SCI/017); EU: H2020 European Research Council (ERC - 101002463); European Union: European Research Council (ERC - 948254, ERC 101089007, ERC, BARD, 101116429), European Regional Development Fund (SMASH COFUND 101081355, SLO ERDF), Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (MUCCA - CHIST-ERA-19-XAI00), European Union, Future Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR-NextGenerationEU PE00000013), Horizon 2020 (EuroHPC - EHPC-DEV-2024D11-051), Italian Center for High Performance Computing, Big Data and Quantum Computing (ICSC, NextGenerationEU); France: Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-21-CE31-0013, ANR-21-CE31-0022, ANR-22-EDIR-0002); Germany: Baden-Wurttemberg Stiftung (BW Stiftung-Postdoc Eliteprogramme), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG - 469666862, DFG - CR 312/52); China: Research Grants Council (GRF); Italy: Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (ICSC, NextGenerationEU), Ministero dell'Universita e della Ricerca (NextGenEU I53D23000820006 M4C2.1.1); Japan: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI JP22H01227, JSPS KAKENHI JP22H04944, JSPS KAKENHI JP22KK0227, JSPS KAKENHI JP23KK0245); Norway: Research Council of Norway (RCN-314472); Poland: Ministry of Science and Higher Education (IDUB AGH, POB8, D4 no 9722), Polish National Science Centre (NCN 2021/42/E/ST2/00350, NCN OPUS 2023/51/B/ST2/02507, NCN OPUS nr 2022/47/B/ST2/03059, NCN UMO-2019/34/E/ST2/00393, UMO-2020/37/B/ST2/01043, UMO-2022/47/O/ST2/00148, UMO-2023/49/B/ST2/04085, UMO-2023/51/B/ST2/00920, UMO-2024/53/N/ST2/00869); Portugal: Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT); Spain: Generalitat Valenciana (Artemisa, FEDER, IDIFEDER/2018/048), Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN ; NextGenEU PCI2022-135018-2, MICIN ; FEDER PID2021-125273NB, RYC2019-028510-I, RYC2020-030254-I, RYC2021-031273-I, RYC2022-038164I); Sweden: Carl Trygger Foundation (Carl Trygger Foundation CTS 22:2312), Swedish Research Council (Swedish Research Council 2023-04654, VR 2021-03651, VR 2022-03845, VR 2022-04683, VR 2023-03403, VR 2024-05451), Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW 2018.0458, KAW 2022.0358, KAW 2023.0366); Switzerland: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF -PCEFP2_194658); United Kingdom: Leverhulme Trust (Leverhulme Trust RPG-2020-004), Royal Society (NIF-R1-231091); United States of America: U.S. Department of Energy (ECA DE-AC02-76SF00515), Neubauer Family Foundation

Design and Empirical Validation of a Low-Cost Outdoor Mmwave Altimetry Test Bench for Uas

Dalveren, Yaser/0000-0002-9459-0042The increasing adoption of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in diverse urban applications necessitates reliable and precise altimetry solutions for situational awareness and landing safety. Despite significant advancements in the realm of waveform design and signal processing, empirical validation of millimeter wave (mmWave) Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) waveforms for altimetry use case remains a critical gap in literature. This study argues the necessity of empirical validation of candidate FMCW waveforms by proposing an inexpensive and practical outdoor test bench. The multipath propagation model for the said test bench is presented along with a simplified testing methodology suitable for implementation on contemporary mmWave automotive radars. The specifics of the test bench are deliberated where a flat concrete wall with a sufficiently large surface area is employed as a static target. The underpinnings established by this body of work shall serve dynamic testing on a drone platform against various terrain types in the next phase of research. The experimental results demonstrate the potential of practical use of mmWave altimetry on UAS in urban deployment

DFB Fiber Laser Based Underwater Acoustic Sensing

The Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)Distributed feedback (DFB) fiber lasers are increasingly employed in underwater acoustic sensing for both civil and military applications due to their compact size, ease of fabrication, and inherent resistance to water-induced degradation. These fiber lasers are fabricated by inscribing π-phase shifted fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) forming a resonant cavity with FBGs serving as highly reflective mirrors on either side. The π-phase shift introduces a central resonance, making the cavity exceptionally sensitive to external influences. These external perturbations alter the effective refractive index and length of the fiber, consequently modulating the laser's emission wavelength and frequency. In this study, we implement an interrogator system based on a Michelson interferometer, utilizing the phase-generated carrier (PGC) technique to convert frequency deviations within the fiber laser, induced by underwater acoustic signals, into phase variations. A detailed characterization of both the DFB fiber laser and the interrogator system is provided, supported by experimental measurements. Key limiting factors such as laser frequency noise and system sensitivity are analyzed, with comparisons to existing literature. The designed system achieved a high dynamic range over 100 dB up to 5 kHz detection frequency, while minimizing system phase noise down below 5x10-5 rad/√Hz and frequency noise down under 25 Hz/√Hz at 1 kHz. © 2025 SPIE. All rights reserved.Bilkent Üniversites

Impact of 68Ga-PSMA PET/MRI on the Accuracy of MRI-Derived Grading Systems for Predicting Extraprostatic Extension in Prostate Cancer

Objectives: Accurate preoperative staging and prediction of extraprostatic extension (EPE) are critical for optimal surgical planning in prostate cancer (PCa). This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of 68Ga-PSMA PET for EPE assessment, compared it with the standardized multiparametric MRI (mpMRI)-derived EPE-grading system, and examined whether integrating semi-quantitative PSMA PET parameters improves diagnostic performance using hybrid PET/MRI. Methods: This retrospective, single-center study included treatment-na ; iuml;ve, biopsy-proven PCa patients who underwent 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/MRI followed by radical prostatectomy. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed for clinical variables (PSA, ISUP grade), mpMRI features, mpMRI-derived EPE-grading system, visual PET findings, and semi-quantitative PET parameters (SUVmax, SUVmean, PSMA-tumor volume [PSMA-TV]). Optimal cut-offs were determined using the Youden index. Multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to compare the predictive value of clinical, mpMRI, or PET-derived variables, with histopathology as the reference standard. Results: Forty-five patients were included; EPE was histologically confirmed in 19 (42.2%). Predictors of EPE included capsular irregularity, neurovascular bundle asymmetry, curvilinear contact length >= 1.5 cm, seminal vesicle invasion, tumor size >= 14.25 mm, EPE grade >= 2, ISUP grade >= 3, overt EPE on PET, SUVmax >= 13.84, SUVmean >= 7.20, and PSMA-TV >= 1.40 cm3. The highest ROC performance (AUC = 0.890) was achieved by combining overt EPE on PET, SUVmax, and PSMA-TV. Incorporating PET parameters or tumor size into the EPE-grading system improved predictive accuracy. Conclusions: PSMA uptake in the primary tumor is an independent predictor of EPE. Integrating PSMA PET with mpMRI may provide additional information for preoperative EPE assessment.Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa Rectorate; [26777]This research was funded by Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa Rectorate (Project number: 26777)

Kalmannet-Aided Target Tracking with 1-Bit Decisions in Wireless Sensor Networks

In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), 1-bit quantization provides an energy-efficient and bandwidth-conserving solution, albeit at the expense of considerable information loss in state estimation tasks. This paper introduces a modified KalmanNet architecture tailored for scenarios where the process noise statistics are known, but the measurement noise characteristics are unknown due to binary quantization. In contrast to the original KalmanNet, which processes temporally differenced, continuous-valued observations, the proposed model operates directly on 1-bit sensor decisions, interpreting them as independent Bernoulli samples at each time step. To ensure scalability in dense sensor deployments, we incorporate architectural compression inspired by SqueezeNet, significantly reducing the number of trainable parameters without sacrificing model expressiveness. The proposed approach is benchmarked against the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) using raw sensor measurements, and the Particle Filter (PF) with 1-bit decisions under both adaptive and non-adaptive thresholding schemes driven by approximate mutual information and Fisher information criteria, namely Mutual Information Upper Bound - Adaptive (MIUB-A), Mutual Information Upper Bound - Shared (MIUB-S) and the Fisher Information Matrix Adaptive (FIM-A) designs. Simulation results show that the non-adaptive KalmanNet not only outperforms PF without adaptive thresholding, but also closely approaches the estimation accuracy of a representative adaptive scheme (MIUB-S). These findings underscore the potential of data-driven filtering in quantized WSNs, paving the way for robust, scalable, and feedback-free tracking systems. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved

Precision Measurement of the B0 Meson Lifetime Using B0→J/Ψk∗0 Decays with the ATLAS Detector

A measurement of the B0 meson lifetime using B0→J/ψK∗0 decays in data from 13 TeV proton–proton collisions with an integrated luminosity of 140fb-1 recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC is presented. The measured effective lifetime is (Formula presented.) The average decay width extracted from the effective lifetime, using parameters from external sources, is (Formula presented.) where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic and from external sources. The earlier ATLAS measurement of Γs in the Bs0→J/ψϕ decay was used to derive a value for the ratio of the average decay widths Γd and Γs for B0 and Bs0 mesons respectively, of (Formula presented.) The measured lifetime, average decay width and decay width ratio are in agreement with theoretical predictions and with measurements by other experiments. This measurement provides the most precise result of the effective lifetime of the B0 meson to date. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved

A New Concept in Public Relations: A Systematic Review on "Corporate Social Advocacy"

Görece yeni bir kavram olan kurumsal sosyal savunuculuk bireylerin markalara yönelik dönüşen beklentileriyle birlikte önemli bir araştırma ve tartışma alanı yaratmıştır. Toplumun ‘daha yaşanılabilir bir dünya’ için markalardan beklentileri, hem şirketlerin kurumsal sosyal savunuculuk eksenli dönüşümünde belirleyici bir rol üstlenmiş hem de alana yönelik akademik araştırmaları zorunlu hale getirmiştir. Buradan hareketle bu çalışma, bir yandan kurumsal sosyal savunuculuğa ilişkin kavramsal bir değerlendirme ortaya koymayı amaçlarken; diğer yandan akademik alana yönelik araştırmalar üzerine gerçekleştirilen sistematik analiz yoluyla hem akademisyenler hem de şirketlere konuya yönelik bir çerçeve sunmayı hedeflemektedir. Bu amaçla yapılan analiz sonucunda kurumsal sosyal savunuculuğun giderek hem kurumsal yapılar hem de akademik çalışmalar bağlamında önem kazandığı görülmekle beraber, akademik alanda konuya yönelik gerçekleştirilen araştırmalarda yöntemsel eksiklikler tespit edilmiştir. Çalışmanın bir diğer önemli bulgusu, araştırmaların büyük oranda ABD toplumu ve şirketleri üzerine gerçekleştirilmesi dolayısıyla alanın ABD’ye ilişkin literatürle sınırlı kalmış olmasıdı

A Critical Challenge in the Heart Transplant Process: Left Ventricular Assist Device Infections

Objective: This study aimed to investigate infections, microbiological agents, and factors affecting mortality in patients with end-stage heart failure who underwent left ventricular assist device (LVAD) surgery at our hospital since 2012, providing insights into patient follow-up and treatment strategies. Methods: This cross-sectional and retrospective study included 88 patients who underwent LVAD surgery at our hospital between 2012 and 2023 and subsequently developed infections. LVAD-specific and non-specific infections were classified according to the 2024 criteria of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT). Results: A total of 88 patients who underwent LVAD implantation were included in the study. The mean age at implantation was 49.51 +/- 14.07 years, and the mean time to infection development was 17.90 +/- 13.55 months. Infections were observed in 94.3% of patients, while 45.4% developed sepsis and 53.4% had systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). The rate of intensive care unit admissions was 75.0%. Among the patients, 12.5% underwent debridement, 10.2% required complete device removal, and 6.8% underwent device exchange. The number of patients who underwent heart transplantation was 11, while 65 patients died. A total of 252 infection episodes were identified in 83 patients. The most common LVAD-specific infection was percutaneous driveline infection (40.8%). The most frequently observed clinical findings were discharge and fever, while Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most commonly isolated pathogens. Nasal S. aureus carriage was detected in 27 (10.7%) patients, and among these, 16 (59.3%) patients developed S. aureus infections, which was statistically significant (p=0.001). Among Gram-negative bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli were the most commonly isolated pathogens. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 35.4% of cases, while extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production was detected in 19.4%. Elevated creatinine levels, hypoalbuminemia, SIRS, and sepsis were found to be significantly associated with mortality (p0.05). Additionally, age, Pitt bacteremia score, and Charlson comorbidity index were significantly higher in deceased patients, while INTERMACS scores were significantly lower (p0.05). Conclusion: This study, conducted in patients with LVADs who have highly complex clinical conditions, provides significant insights into infection rates and factors influencing mortality. Our findings will contribute to future patient follow-up strategies and advanced-level research in this field

A Quantum Resistance Memristor for an Intrinsically Traceable International System of Units Standard

The recent revision of the International System of Units (SI)-which fixed the numerical values of nature's fundamental constants-has opened new perspectives for practical realizations of SI units. Here we demonstrate an intrinsic resistance standard based on memristive nanoionic cells that operate in air at room temperature and are directly accessible to end users. By driving these devices into the quantum conductance regime and using an electrochemical-polishing-based programming strategy, we achieved quantum conductance levels that can be exploited as intrinsic standard values. An interlaboratory comparison confirmed metrological consistency, with deviations of -3.8% and 0.6% from the agreed SI values for the fundamental quantum of conductance, G0, and 2G0, respectively. These results lay the groundwork for the implementation of national metrology institute services on chip and for the development of self-calibrating measurement systems with zero-chain traceability.EMPIR, 20FUN06 MEMQuD [20FUN06, EMPIR 20FUN06]; European project MEMQuD; European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research (EMPIR); European UnionThis work was supported by the European project MEMQuD, code 20FUN06. This project (EMPIR 20FUN06 MEMQuD) has received funding from the European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research (EMPIR) cofinanced by the participating states and from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme