VMXR: a EUD Environment for Virtual Merchandizing in XR

This paper presents the current development state of VMXR, a Proof of Concept (PoC) environment allowing people without programming experience to create and configure product showcases in a Virtual and eXtended reality setting. The aim of the PoC is to identify proper metaphors and workflows for supporting showcase designers in creating interactions with the virtual product representation or enhancing the physical environment through additional information and media

Antimicrobial promotion of pig growth is associated with tissue-specific remodeling of bile acid signature and signaling

The spread of bacterial resistance to antimicrobials (AMA) have intensified efforts to discontinue the non-therapeutic use of AMA in animal production. Finding alternatives to AMA, however, is currently encumbered by the obscure mechanism that underlies their growth-promoting action. In this report, we demonstrate that combinations of antibiotics and zinc oxide at doses commonly used for stimulating growth or preventing post-weaning enteritis in pigs converge in promoting microbial production of bile acids (BA) in the intestine. This leads to tissue-specific modifications in the proportion of BA, thereby amplifying BA signaling in intestine, liver, and white adipose tissue (WAT). Activation of BA-regulated pathways ultimately reinforces the intestinal protection against bacterial infection and pathological secretion of fluids and electrolytes, attenuates inflammation in colon and WAT, alters protein and lipid metabolism in liver, and increases the circulating levels of the hormone FGF19. Conceivably, these alterations could spare nutrients for growth and improve the metabolic efficiency of AMA-treated animals. This work provides evidence that BA act as signaling molecules that mediate host physiological, metabolic, and immune responses to the AMA-induced alterations in gut microbial metabolism, eventually permitting the growth-promoting action of AMA. Consequently, BA emerge as a promising target for developing efficacious alternatives to AMA

The use of mobile near-infrared spectroscopy for real-time pasture management

Changes in pasture nutrients over the growing season are typically not monitored but doing so may help farmers improve how effectively they utilize forage. The aim of this research was to assess the use of real-time near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for monitoring seasonal changes in nutrient concentrations of different pasture types used for grazing and silage production. Three permanent pastures and three temporary ley pastures (3 years old) grazed by cattle or sheep and/or used for silage production were monitored weekly for 20 weeks from April to August 2017 in the UK. Five pasture samples per field were obtained per week for NIRS analysis and estimation of fresh and dry matter herbage cover (both kg per hectare). Herbage height was also measured each week. Permanent pastures included a diverse range of native UK grass species, and temporary ley pastures were predominantly perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) with either white (Trifolium repens) or red clover (Trifolium pretense). Effects of pasture type (permanent or temporary), phase of production (grazed or rested for regrowth) and month of year (April to August) on pasture nutrients [dry matter, crude protein, acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), water soluble carbohydrate (WSC), ash, digestible organic matter (DOMD), and dry matter digestibility (DMD)] were assessed by fitting a linear mixed model. Considerable variation was observed in pasture production and in the concentrations of drymatter, crude protein and WSC in pastures. This study suggests that grazing pastures to a mean height of below 7 cm results in a significantly reduced concentration of crude protein, DOMD, and DMD, which may be detrimental to the grass intake and protein intake of the grazing animal. The DOMD and DMD of pasture were positively correlated with herbage height and herbage cover crude protein concentration. An approach of real-time nutrient monitoring will facilitate more timely adaptive pasture management than currently feasible for farmers. This should lead to productivity gain

A Reappraisal of Lymphadenectomy in Common Gynecological Cancers

Objectives: Lymph node dissection (LND) in gynecological malignancies has always been a cornerstone in the diagnosis of metastasis, it is also considered an important prognostic factor, and a reliable guide to management strategies. However, its incidence of complications, namely lymphedema, vascular injuries and other lesions, has led to a reconsideration of its efficacy and a comparison of the role of systematic vs. sentinel lymph node (SLN) dissection. Mechanism: Review of the literature using keywords such as “lymph nodes”, “sentinel lymph nodes”, “morbidity and mortality”, “gynecological cancers”, “endometrial cancer”, “ovarian cancer”, and “cervical cancer”. Findings in Brief: In the case of endometrial cancer, several studies have investigated the efficacy of SLN compared with systematic LND. Most of the results demonstrated the efficacy of SLN dissection in endometrial cancer, with the added benefit of lower morbidity. In patients with ovarian cancer, the mainstay of treatment is debulking with optimal cytoreductive surgery. Recent studies have compared systematic lymphadenectomy to non-lymphadenectomy, with an additional advantage in the cases of lymphadenectomy. However, since its publication, the lymphadenectomy in ovarian cancers (LIONS) trial, has revolutionized the standard of care for patients with advanced ovarian cancer and has called into question the increased morbidity and mortality in systematic lymphadenectomy. In cervical cancers, lymph node status is considered to be the most important prognostic factor. In this case, limiting lymphadenectomy to the borders of the inferior mesenteric artery seems promising, and studies are currently being carried out to investigate the feasibility of SLN dissection instead of systematic lymph node dissection. Conclusions: SLN dissection is associated with lower morbidity and mortality, and has been shown to be superior to systematic lymphadenectomy in several studies. However, more research and specific guidelines are needed to better select either one or the other method in the management of gynecological cancers. Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)

Multi-stakeholder development of a serious game to explore the water-energy-food-land-climate nexus: The SIM4NEXUS approach

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Water, energy, food, land and climate form a tightly-connected nexus in which actions on one sector impact other sectors, creating feedbacks and unanticipated consequences. This is especially because at present, much scientific research and many policies are constrained to single discipline/sector silos that are often not interacting (e.g., water-related research/policy). However, experimenting with the interaction and determining how a change in one sector could impact another may require unreasonable time frames, be very difficult in practice and may be potentially dangerous, triggering any one of a number of unanticipated side-effects. Current modelling often neglects knowledge from practice. Therefore, a safe environment is required to test the potential cross-sectoral implications of policy decisions in one sector on other sectors. Serious games offer such an environment by creating realistic 'simulations', where long-term impacts of policies may be tested and rated. This paper describes how the ongoing (2016-2020) Horizon2020 project SIM4NEXUS will develop serious games investigating potential plausible cross-nexus implications and synergies due to policy interventions for 12 multi-scale case studies ranging from regional to global. What sets these games apart is that stakeholders and partners are involved in all aspects of the modelling definition and process, from case study conceptualisation, quantitative model development including the implementation and validation of each serious game. Learning from playing a serious game is justified by adopting a proof-of-concept for a specific regional case study in Sardinia (Italy). The value of multi-stakeholder involvement is demonstrated, and critical lessons learned for serious game development in general are presented.The work described in this paper has been conducted within the project SIM4NEXUS. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 689150 SIM4NEXUS

Effect of different inorganic phosphorus sources on growth performance, digestibility, retention efficiency and discharge of nutrients in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

This study aims to evaluate the effect of different sources of inorganic phosphate, monosodium phosphate (MSP), monocalcium phosphate (MCP) and monoammonium phosphate (MAP), included in a diet for rainbow trout, on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, nutrient retention efficiency and discharge of nutrients to the water. Juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with an initial weight of 120 g were fed for 56 days four experimental diets: basal diet containing 430 g kg−1 protein, 210 g kg−1 lipids and 6.7 g kg−1 total phosphorus (P) (Control), and three experimental diets consisting in the basal diet plus 4 g P kg−1 from MSP, MCP and MAP, respectively. Both MSP and MAP resulted in higher levels of P apparent digestibility (≈90%) compared to MCP (70%), increasing the dry matter digestibility of the nutrient in the feed. The retention efficiency of P in fish tissues was increased by nearly 15% units over the Control when MSP and MAP were used as P supplement, whereas in agreement with the lower digestibility observed in MCP, P retention efficiency from this phosphate source was lower than the other sources. Total P discharge to the water was similar for MSP, MCP and MAP (4.12–4.58 g kg−1 BW fish gain). However, fish fed with MCP showed higher solid/particulate P discharge to the water through faeces due to the lower digestibility of this P–source within the gut of the fish. Among the phosphate salts evaluated, fish fed MSP and MCP did not show differences for soluble or solid N discharged fractions. However, fish fed the diet supplemented with MAP released a higher amount of non–protein N fraction to the water, probably as undigested ammonium through the faeces released by fish.Fil: Morales, Gabriel Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Unidad Ejecutora de Investigaciones en Producción Animal. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Unidad Ejecutora de Investigaciones en Producción Animal; ArgentinaFil: Azcuy, Rosendo Lucas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Casaretto, Matías Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Unidad Ejecutora de Investigaciones en Producción Animal. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Unidad Ejecutora de Investigaciones en Producción Animal; ArgentinaFil: Márquez, Lorenzo. Universidad Católica de Temuco; ChileFil: Hernández, Adrián J.. Universidad Católica de Temuco; ChileFil: Gómez, Federico. Yara International ASA; NoruegaFil: Koppe, Wolfgang. Simplyfish AS; NoruegaFil: Mereu, Alessandro. Yara International ASA; Norueg

Glioblastoma cell fate is differentially regulated by the microenvironments of the tumor bulk and infiltrative margin

Glioblastoma (GBM) recurrence originates from invasive margin cells that escape surgical debulking, but to what extent these cells resemble their bulk counterparts remains unclear. Here, we generated three immunocompetent somatic GBM mouse models, driven by subtype-associated mutations, to compare matched bulk and margin cells. We find that, regardless of mutations, tumors converge on common sets of neural-like cellular states. However, bulk and margin have distinct biology. Injury-like programs associated with immune infiltration dominate in the bulk, leading to the generation of lowly proliferative injured neural progenitor-like cells (iNPCs). iNPCs account for a significant proportion of dormant GBM cells and are induced by interferon signaling within T cell niches. In contrast, developmental-like trajectories are favored within the immune-cold margin microenvironment resulting in differentiation toward invasive astrocyte-like cells. These findings suggest that the regional tumor microenvironment dominantly controls GBM cell fate and biological vulnerabilities identified in the bulk may not extend to the margin residuum

GATA2 Promotes Hematopoietic Development and Represses Cardiac Differentiation of Human Mesoderm.

In vertebrates, GATA2 is a master regulator of hematopoiesis and is expressed throughout embryo development and in adult life. Although the essential role of GATA2 in mouse hematopoiesis is well established, its involvement during early human hematopoietic development is not clear. By combining time-controlled overexpression of GATA2 with genetic knockout experiments, we found that GATA2, at the mesoderm specification stage, promotes the generation of hemogenic endothelial progenitors and their further differentiation to hematopoietic progenitor cells, and negatively regulates cardiac differentiation. Surprisingly, genome-wide transcriptional and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed that GATA2 bound to regulatory regions, and repressed the expression of cardiac development-related genes. Moreover, genes important for hematopoietic differentiation were upregulated by GATA2 in a mostly indirect manner. Collectively, our data reveal a hitherto unrecognized role of GATA2 as a repressor of cardiac fates, and highlight the importance of coordinating the specification and repression of alternative cell fates.Ramón y Cajal Program, Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness, Spanish Cancer Association, FERO, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, European Social Fund, MINECO, PERIS Program of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Obra Social la Caixa-Fundacion Josep Carreras, Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III, Wellcome Trust, MRC, CRUK, NIH-NIDD

Influence of Temperature and Humidity on Bakelite Resistivity

Presentation made at RPC99 and submitted to Elsevier PreprintThe use of phenolic or melaminic bakelite as RPC electrodes is widespread. The electrode resistivity is an important parameter for the RPC performance. As recent studies have pointed out, the bakelite resistivity changes with temperature and is influenced by humidity. In order to gain a quantitative understanding on the influence of temperature and humidity on RPC electrodes, we assembled an apparatus to measure resistivity in well-controlled conditions. A detailed description of the experimental set-up as well as the first resistivity measurements for various laminates in different environmental conditions are presented

Robot-assisted pelvic floor reconstructive surgery: an international Delphi study of expert users.

Robotic surgery has gained popularity for the reconstruction of pelvic floor defects. Nonetheless, there is no evidence that robot-assisted reconstructive surgery is either appropriate or superior to standard laparoscopy for the performance of pelvic floor reconstructive procedures or that it is sustainable. The aim of this project was to address the proper role of robotic pelvic floor reconstructive procedures using expert opinion. We set up an international, multidisciplinary group of 26 experts to participate in a Delphi process on robotics as applied to pelvic floor reconstructive surgery. The group comprised urogynecologists, urologists, and colorectal surgeons with long-term experience in the performance of pelvic floor reconstructive procedures and with the use of the robot, who were identified primarily based on peer-reviewed publications. Two rounds of the Delphi process were conducted. The first included 63 statements pertaining to surgeons' characteristics, general questions, indications, surgical technique, and future-oriented questions. A second round including 20 statements was used to reassess those statements where borderline agreement was obtained during the first round. The final step consisted of a face-to-face meeting with all participants to present and discuss the results of the analysis. The 26 experts agreed that robotics is a suitable indication for pelvic floor reconstructive surgery because of the significant technical advantages that it confers relative to standard laparoscopy. Experts considered these advantages particularly important for the execution of complex reconstructive procedures, although the benefits can be found also during less challenging cases. The experts considered the robot safe and effective for pelvic floor reconstruction and generally thought that the additional costs are offset by the increased surgical efficacy. Robotics is a suitable choice for pelvic reconstruction, but this Delphi initiative calls for more research to objectively assess the specific settings where robotic surgery would provide the most benefit