The Effect of Haptic Feedback on Efficiency and Safety During Preretinal Membrane Peeling Simulation.

PurposeWe determine whether haptic feedback improves surgical performance and outcome during simulated a preretinal membrane peeling procedure.MethodsA haptic-enabled virtual reality preretinal membrane peeling simulator was developed using a surgical cockpit with two multifinger haptic devices. Six subjects (three trained retina surgeons and three nonsurgeons) performed the preretinal membrane peeling surgical procedure using two modes of operation: visual and haptic feedback, and visual feedback only.ResultsTask completion time, tool tip path trajectory, tool-retina collision force, and retinal damage were all reduced with haptic feedback used and compared to modes where haptic feedback was disabled.ConclusionsHaptic feedback improves efficiency and safety during preretinal membrane peeling simulation.Translational relevanceThese findings highlight the potential benefit of haptic feedback for improving performance and safety of vitreoretinal surgery

TGF beta 1 reinforces arterial aging in the vascular smooth muscle cell through a long-range regulation of the cytoskeletal stiffness

Here we report exquisitely distinct material properties of primary vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells isolated from the thoracic aorta of adult (8 months) vs. aged (30 months) F344XBN rats. Individual VSM cells derived from the aged animals showed a tense internal network of the actin cytoskeleton (CSK), exhibiting increased stiffness (elastic) and frictional (loss) moduli than those derived from the adult animals over a wide frequency range of the imposed oscillatory deformation. This discrete mechanical response was long-lived in culture and persistent across a physiological range of matrix rigidity. Strikingly, the pro-fibrotic transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1) emerged as a specific modifier of age-associated VSM stiffening in vitro. TGF beta 1 reinforced the mechanical phenotype of arterial aging in VSM cells on multiple time and length scales through clustering of mechanosensitive alpha(5)beta(1) and alpha(v)beta(3) integrins. Taken together, these studies identify a novel nodal point for the long-range regulation of VSM stiffness and serve as a proof-of-concept that the broad-based inhibition of TGF beta 1 expression, or TGF beta 1 signal transduction in VSM, may be a useful therapeutic approach to mitigate the pathologic progression of central arterial wall stiffening associated with aging

Contribution of Atmospheric Oxygenated Organic Compounds to Particle Growth in an Urban Environment

Gas-phase oxygenated organic molecules (OOMs) can contribute substantially to the growth of newly formed particles. However, the characteristics of OOMs and their contributions to particle growth rate are not well understood in urban areas, which have complex anthropogenic emissions and atmospheric conditions. We performed long-term measurement of gas-phase OOMs in urban Beijing during 2018-2019 using nitrate-based chemical ionization mass spectrometry. OOM concentrations showed clear seasonal variations, with the highest in the summer and the lowest in the winter. Correspondingly, calculated particle growth rates due to OOM condensation were highest in summer, followed by spring, autumn, and winter. One prominent feature of OOMs in this urban environment was a high fraction (similar to 75%) of nitrogen-containing OOMs. These nitrogen-containing OOMs contributed only 50-60% of the total growth rate led by OOM condensation, owing to their slightly higher volatility than non-nitrate OOMs. By comparing the calculated condensation growth rates and the observed particle growth rates, we showed that sulfuric acid and its clusters are the main contributors to the growth of sub-3 nm particles, with OOMs significantly promoting the growth of 3-25 nm particles. In wintertime Beijing, however, there are missing contributors to the growth of particles above 3 nm, which remain to be further investigated.Peer reviewe

Development and applications of chromosome-specific BAC-FISH probes in Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai)

Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) is an economically important marine shellfish for aquaculture and is distributed throughout eastern Asia. Although a lot of genetic breeding work has been carried out, chromosome identification in abalone is still a challenging task. Here, we developed a set of BACs to be chromosome-specific probes in Pacific abalone, and to study chromosome evolution in the related species. Through BAC paired-end sequencing and sequence alignment, we were able to in silico anchor 168 BACs onto 18 pseudochromosomes of Pacific abalone genome. After selecting 42 BACs that contained DNA inserts with minimal repetitive sequences, we validated them through PCR and Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) test. As a result, We obtained specific FISH signals for 26 clones on the chromosomes of Pacific abalone with at least one BAC mapped per chromosome. We also applied the chromosome-specific BAC-FISH probes to a close relative of Pacific abalone, Xishi abalone (H. gigantea), which revealed that chromosome 13 and 15 between the two species underwent a chromosomes rearrangement event. This study provides the first set of chromosome-specific probes for the family Haliotidae, which can serve as an important tool for future cytogenetics and genomics research

Beam test of a 180 nm CMOS Pixel Sensor for the CEPC vertex detector

The proposed Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) imposes new challenges for the vertex detector in terms of pixel size and material budget. A Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS) prototype called TaichuPix, based on a column drain readout architecture, has been developed to address the need for high spatial resolution. In order to evaluate the performance of the TaichuPix-3 chips, a beam test was carried out at DESY II TB21 in December 2022. Meanwhile, the Data Acquisition (DAQ) for a muti-plane configuration was tested during the beam test. This work presents the characterization of the TaichuPix-3 chips with two different processes, including cluster size, spatial resolution, and detection efficiency. The analysis results indicate the spatial resolution better than 5 $\mu m$ and the detection efficiency exceeds 99.5 % for both TaichuPix-3 chips with the two different processes

Climate change : strategies for mitigation and adaptation

The sustainability of life on Earth is under increasing threat due to humaninduced climate change. This perilous change in the Earth's climate is caused by increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, primarily due to emissions associated with burning fossil fuels. Over the next two to three decades, the effects of climate change, such as heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, storms, and floods, are expected to worsen, posing greater risks to human health and global stability. These trends call for the implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies. Pollution and environmental degradation exacerbate existing problems and make people and nature more susceptible to the effects of climate change. In this review, we examine the current state of global climate change from different perspectives. We summarize evidence of climate change in Earth’s spheres, discuss emission pathways and drivers of climate change, and analyze the impact of climate change on environmental and human health. We also explore strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation and highlight key challenges for reversing and adapting to global climate change