Considerations for the measurement of core, skin and mean body temperatures

Despite previous reviews and commentaries, significant misconceptions remain concerning deep-body (core) and skin temperature measurement in humans. Therefore, the authors have assembled the pertinent Laws of Thermodynamics and other first principles that govern physical and physiological heat exchanges. The resulting review is aimed at providing theoretical and empirical justifications for collecting and interpreting these data. The primary emphasis is upon deep-body temperatures, with discussions of intramuscular, subcutaneous, transcutaneous and skin temperatures included. These are all turnover indices resulting from variations in local metabolism, tissue conduction and blood flow. Consequently, inter-site differences and similarities may have no mechanistic relationship unless those sites have similar metabolic rates, are in close proximity and are perfused by the same blood vessels. Therefore, it is proposed that a gold standard deep-body temperature does not exist. Instead, the validity of each measurement must be evaluated relative to one\u27s research objectives, whilst satisfying equilibration and positioning requirements. When using thermometric computations of heat storage, the establishment of steady-state conditions is essential, but for clinically relevant states, targeted temperature monitoring becomes paramount. However, when investigating temperature regulation, the response characteristics of each temperature measurement must match the forcing function applied during experimentation. Thus, during dynamic phases, deep-body temperatures must be measured from sites that track temperature changes in the central blood volume

Gender Based Approaches to the Law and Juris Dictio in Europe

Gender Based Approaches to the Law and Juris Dictio in Europe collects and re-works the contributions presented during the online Conference that took place in June 2020. This Conference represented a very important achievement for ELaN, “European Law and Gender” project, funded by the European Commission under the Jean Monnet Actions 2019-2022, aimed at offering a specific focus on the relevance of gender equality within the European Union, promoting different, at once comprehensive, trans-disciplinary, and highly innovative perspectives. All the four sections of the book well represent this attempt to critically use the European Law and European background to highlight how gendered relationships and asymme­tries may affect the different fields of regulation. It has been projected in a challenging scenario, characterized by the health and social emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, in which gender relationships are critically overturned, requiring a combined effort in order to recreate the conditions for further developments of and in gender equality, equity and gender justice. This book is going to represent the first step toward a wider research path on genderiza­tion process of law (making) within the European scenario, which the University of Pisa, and the Department of Law in particular, are going to follow

Sharpening the skein: assessing and targeting perpetual private land conservation programs

Kaylan Kemink assessed outcomes from a private land conservation program in the US Prairie Pothole Region. Her results supported including dynamics into prioritisation strategies, the need for impact evaluation, and highlighted non-financial motives for leveraging participation in the future. Regional non-profit organizations are using the results of her study

Assessing prioritization measures for a private land conservation program in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region

Private land conservation has become an important tool for protecting biodiversity and habitat, but methods for prioritizing and scheduling conservation on private land are still being developed. While return on investment methods have been suggested as a potential path forward, the different processes linking private landscapes to the socioeconomic systems in which they are embedded create unique challenges for scheduling conservation with this approach. We investigated a range of scheduling approaches within a return on investment framework for breeding waterfowl and broods in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. Current conservation targeting for waterfowl in the region focuses mostly on the distribution and abundance of breeding waterfowl. We tested whether MaxGain approaches for waterfowl conservation differed from MinLoss approaches in terms of return on investment and which approach performed best in avoiding loss of waterfowl and broods separately. We also examined variation in results based upon the temporal scale of the abundance layers used for input and compared the region's current scheduling approach with results from our simulations. Our results suggested that MinLoss was the most efficient scheduling approach for both breeding waterfowl and broods and that using just breeding waterfowl to target areas for conservation programs might cause organizations to overlook important areas for broods, particularly over shorter timespans. The higher efficiency of MinLoss approaches in our simulations also indicated that incorporating probability of wetland drainage into decision-making improved the overall return on investment. We recommend that future conservation scheduling for easements in the region and for private land conservation in general include some form of return on investment or cost-effective analysis to make conservation more transparent

Analysis, design and "in silico" evaluation of e-selectin antagonists

E-selectin, is member of a family of cell-adhesion proteins, which plays a crucial role in many physiological processes and diseases [1], and in particular, in the early phases of the inflammatory response. Its role is to promote the tethering and the rolling of leukocytes along the endothelial surface [2]. These steps are then followed by integrin-mediated firm adhesion and final transendothelial migration. Therefore, control of the leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion process may be useful in cases, where excessive recruitment of leukocytes can contribute to acute or chronic diseases such as stroke, reperfusion injury, psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis [3]. In this work, efforts to develop in silico-based protocols to study the interaction between E-selectin and its ligands, are presented. Hence, different protocols had to be developed and validated. In particular, a new procedure for the analysis of the conformational preferences of E-selectin antagonists was established and the results compared to those obtained with the MC(JBW)/SD approach, which had already demonstrated its validity in the past [161,168]. Thus, the comparison between the two protocols permitted to recognize a different conformational preference of the two methods for the orientation of the sialic acid moiety of sLex (3) (torsions Φ3 and Ψ3, Figure A), which reflects the contrasting opinions existing for the conformation adopted by sLex (3) in solution [150–168]. A more detailed analysis revealed that probably both approaches deliver only a partially correct view and that in reality, in solution, sLex (3) exists as a mixture of low energy conformers and not as supposed to date [150–154,161–163] as a population of a single conformer. In addition, a docking routine was established and the impact of different partialcharge methods and of explicit solvation on the binding mode studied. MD simulations enabled to gain an insight into the dynamical character of the protein-ligand interactions. In particular, the observations done in an atomic-force microscopy study [350], describing the interactions between the carboxylic group of sLex and Arg97, and between the 3– and 4–hydroxyls of fucose and the calcium ion, as the two main energy barriers for the dissociation process of the protein-ligand complex, found confirmation in our MD-investigations. Thus, these two contacts always lasted longer than any other in the MD simulation. QSAR-models with Quasar [270–272,351] and Raptor [315,316,335] were successfully derived and will permit a semi-quantitative in silico estimation of the binding affinity for the ligands that will be designed in the future. Finally, the developed protocols and models were applied for the development of new E-selectin antagonists. Unfortunately, to date, only few biological data is available to evaluate our design strategies. However, the impact of the ligand’s pre-organization on the binding affinity could be established at least for the Lexcore of sLex (3). Hence, the importance of the exo-anomeric effect, of the steric compression, and of the hydrophobic interaction between the methyl group of fucose and the β-face of galactose was clearly demonstrated

Analysis, design and "in silico" evaluation of e-selectin antagonists

E-selectin, is member of a family of cell-adhesion proteins, which plays a crucial role in many physiological processes and diseases [1], and in particular, in the early phases of the inflammatory response. Its role is to promote the tethering and the rolling of leukocytes along the endothelial surface [2]. These steps are then followed by integrin-mediated firm adhesion and final transendothelial migration. Therefore, control of the leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion process may be useful in cases, where excessive recruitment of leukocytes can contribute to acute or chronic diseases such as stroke, reperfusion injury, psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis [3]. In this work, efforts to develop in silico-based protocols to study the interaction between E-selectin and its ligands, are presented. Hence, different protocols had to be developed and validated. In particular, a new procedure for the analysis of the conformational preferences of E-selectin antagonists was established and the results compared to those obtained with the MC(JBW)/SD approach, which had already demonstrated its validity in the past [161,168]. Thus, the comparison between the two protocols permitted to recognize a different conformational preference of the two methods for the orientation of the sialic acid moiety of sLex (3) (torsions Φ3 and Ψ3, Figure A), which reflects the contrasting opinions existing for the conformation adopted by sLex (3) in solution [150–168]. A more detailed analysis revealed that probably both approaches deliver only a partially correct view and that in reality, in solution, sLex (3) exists as a mixture of low energy conformers and not as supposed to date [150–154,161–163] as a population of a single conformer. In addition, a docking routine was established and the impact of different partialcharge methods and of explicit solvation on the binding mode studied. MD simulations enabled to gain an insight into the dynamical character of the protein-ligand interactions. In particular, the observations done in an atomic-force microscopy study [350], describing the interactions between the carboxylic group of sLex and Arg97, and between the 3– and 4–hydroxyls of fucose and the calcium ion, as the two main energy barriers for the dissociation process of the protein-ligand complex, found confirmation in our MD-investigations. Thus, these two contacts always lasted longer than any other in the MD simulation. QSAR-models with Quasar [270–272,351] and Raptor [315,316,335] were successfully derived and will permit a semi-quantitative in silico estimation of the binding affinity for the ligands that will be designed in the future. Finally, the developed protocols and models were applied for the development of new E-selectin antagonists. Unfortunately, to date, only few biological data is available to evaluate our design strategies. However, the impact of the ligand’s pre-organization on the binding affinity could be established at least for the Lexcore of sLex (3). Hence, the importance of the exo-anomeric effect, of the steric compression, and of the hydrophobic interaction between the methyl group of fucose and the β-face of galactose was clearly demonstrated

Advanced Information Systems and Technologies

This book comprises the proceedings of the VI International Scientific Conference “Advanced Information Systems and Technologies, AIST-2018”. The proceeding papers cover issues related to system analysis and modeling, project management, information system engineering, intelligent data processing, computer networking and telecomunications, modern methods and information technologies of sustainable development. They will be useful for students, graduate students, researchers who interested in computer science

Wearable Hip Protectors: Validation of a Novel Test System and Evaluation Utilizing Pressure Sensing Methods

Hip fractures are strongly associated with sideway falls to the hip, poor response time, lack of soft tissue energy absorption, and subpar proximal femur strength (Cummings and Nevitt, 2001). Hip protectors are a common intervention aimed to lower the femoral neck loads below the fracture threshold and reduce the risk of hip fracture (Robinovitch et al., 2009). These protective devices typically consist of a padded material embedded in undergarments which absorb or shunt impact energies. Lack of testing standards for these protective devices have resulted in many unregulated hip protectors produced, a wide range of biomechanical test results represented by various test systems, and inconclusive clinical trials (Combes and Price, 2014; Kannus et al., 1999; Laing et al., 2011; van Schoor et al., 2006). The International Hip Protector Research Group (IHPRG) have consolidated evidence-based recommendations for the specifications and parameters for a biomechanical hip protector test system (Robinovitch et al., 2009). A drop tower and surrogate pelvis test system was developed to evaluate various hip protectors in a simulated sideways fall from a range of impact velocities. This test system was validated using the IHPRG recommendations and compared with femoral neck loads for unpadded and padded conditions in Laing et al. (2011). After testing combinations from 3 different foam products and 2 different trochanteric soft tissue thicknesses (TSTT), the selected baseline hip form consisted of a FlexFoam-iT! V product at a 24 mm TSTT. When tested at a 3.4 m/s impact velocity, this baseline hip form had an average peak femoral neck force of 2145 N and an average peak neck force attenuation of 20.1% and 25.9% for Hipsaver and Safehip Air-X protectors respectively, which closely matched the test system used in Laing et al. (2011). The test system with this baseline hip form was then verified to have excellent reliability between trials (ICC = 0.99 average across impact velocities) and poor reliability between hip forms (ICC range = -0.18 to 0.404 between impact velocities). Additionally, the hip form did not incur any visible interior or exterior damage after being drop tested for 60 repeated impacts at the specified various velocities. Only a few studies had previously looked into pressure distribution of hip protectors during simulated falls. Limitations in literature include the evaluation of pressure only at the outer surface of the hip protector and at low impact velocities. The Tekscan I-Scan pressure mapping system allowed for measurements directly at the hip protector-skin interface for impact velocities up to 3.4 m/s. The goal of this study was to look at significant differences between hip protector conditions for various force and pressure-related outcome variables, investigate which pressure-related variables were related to the traditional biomechanical effectiveness metric, and to provide initial insight regarding the protective mechanism of hip protector designs. Significant differences between the unpadded and the four hip protectors were seen except for total force at 3.4 m/s. Significant associations were observed between peak neck force attenuation and average pressure at 2.8 m/s and contact area at 2.8 m/s and 3.4 m/s. Although peak pressure was independent on peak neck force attenuation, it can be used to distinguish the mechanism of hip protectors where high peak pressure relates to energy-shunting and lower peak pressure relates energy-absorbing. The initial insights show potential for further investigation to use pressure-related variables in hip protector testing and design

Transforming Trauma

This book focuses on research developments, models, and practical applications of animal-assisted interventions for diverse populations who have experienced trauma. Physiological and psychological trauma is explored across three broad areas: 1) child maltreatment and family violence; 2) acute and post-traumatic stress, including that which is associated with military service, war, and developmental trauma; and 3) times of crisis, such as natural disasters and the ever-increasing risks associated with climate change, community violence, terrorism, and periods of personal loss and grief. Contributing authors, who include both national and international experts in the fields of human-animal connection and trauma, discuss how our relationships with animals can help build resiliency and foster healing to transform trauma and trauma response

Learning by correlation for computer vision applications: from Kernel methods to deep learning

Learning to spot analogies and differences within/across visual categories is an arguably powerful approach in machine learning and pattern recognition which is directly inspired by human cognition. In this thesis, we investigate a variety of approaches which are primarily driven by correlation and tackle several computer vision applications