Temperature dependent segregation behaviour of stepped surfaces

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Evaluation of the behavior of sows from weaning to 10 days post-weaning

The behavior of sows changes as they approach estrus and such changes have the potential to be used to predict the onset of estrus and the optimum time for insemination. There is limited published information on the changes in behavior of sows over the estrus cycle, particularly for those that are individually housed in gestation crates. The objective of this thesis was to provide an overview of endocrine and behavioral changes in sows during the estrus cycle and review approaches to estrus detection. In addition, a study was carried out to evaluate changes in posture of sows during the period immediately after weaning. This involved a cross-sectional survey involving 99 multi-parous sows that were weaned in 7 groups over time. The sows were housed in individual stalls and continuous video recording was carried out over an 11-day period following weaning. Videos were monitored by the same trained observer to record the posture of the sows (lying, standing, and sitting positions). Two sampling methods were used to monitor the videos over the 11-day study period. Firstly, scan sampling was carried out with the posture of each sow being recorded every 5 minutes, and, secondly, the videos were scanned continuously and the time that the sows were in each posture was recorded. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of sampling method for the percentage of observations or time that the sows exhibited any of the postures. During the study period, 96 of the sows exhibited the standing reflex, with the first display of this being at an average of 5.8 days following weaning (range 4 to 7 days). The number of days that sows exhibited the standing reflex averaged 2.6 (±0.56) days. Over the 11-day study period, the sows spent an average of 76.5 % of the time in the lying posture and 20.0 and 3.6 % of the time standing and sitting, respectively. The time that the sows were active (i.e., either standing or sitting) was greater on Day 5 and 6 post-weaning (28.4 and 27.9 % of time, respectively) than on the two previous days (Day 3 and 4 post-weaning; 18.7 and 21.0 % of time, respectively). This period of increased active postures corresponded to the days when most sows first exhibited the standing reflex. The results of this study suggest that changes in posture associated with the onset of estrus could provide the basis of an automated system to predict the onset of estrus and, therefore, the optimum time to inseminate sows. However, a fuller understanding of the extent of and causes of variation between individual sows in changes in posture during this critical period is needed before this approach can be advanced.Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2023-04-12 without embargo termsThe student, Nicole Moest, accepted the attached license on 2022-08-10 at 10:36.The student, Nicole Moest, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2022-08-10 at 10:48.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2022-08-16 at 11:38.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #18453 on 2023-04-12 at 07:22:5

Dental treatment on a German warship during a three-month deployment

Introduction: Despite routine dental screenings and treatments before military deployments, dental emergencies may arise due to acute infections, trauma or failed restorations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the dental service during a three-month deployment on a German warship. Methods: A retrospective analysis of dental attendances and treatments in a German naval task group of three ships with an average total of 650 soldiers. Diagnosis, treatments performed, percentage of emergencies, routine procedures and numbers of appointments were recorded. Results: Out of 650 soldiers, there were 71 patients (10.92%) with a mean age of 25.1±5.3 years. Out of 136 treatments, 17.65% were for emergency treatment, which is equivalent to 3.69% of all servicemen of the task group. Combining the reasons for dental emergencies, 95.84% were caused by caries. Conclusions: The pre-screening of sailors before an overseas deployment is necessary to avoid severe dental treatments. Caries remains the main cause for dental emergencies, and medical doctors should be trained to treat caries lesions if a dentist is not on board

Vascular access hands-on training for young nephrologists: The fellows’ experience of the N-PATH project REVAC module

Chronic kidney disease is a major public health problem, as population studies record a prevalence of 7.2% in individuals over 30 years and is expected to increase in the future. Many of them will end up undergoing hemodialysis treatment, and vascular access is not only an essential requirement for the technique, but also a determining factor in their prognosis; for all these reasons, every nephrologist should have both theoretical and practical knowledge of vascular access; however, the practical training is generally uneven and dependent on the hospital in which you train. It is within this context that the N-PATH (Nephrology Partnership for Advancing Technology in Healthcare) program was born with the objective of training 40 young European nephrologists in theoretical and practical aspects of Interventional Nephrology. To fulfill its mission, the 2-year program is composed of four modules of 6 months each including theoretical courses and hands-on training: Renal Expert in Molecular Pathology (REMAP), Renal Expert in Vascular Access (REVAC), Renal Expert in Medical Ultrasound (REMUS), and Renal Expert in Peritoneal Dialysis (REPED). By bringing together young nephrologists from all over Europe, the goal is also to create a strong network and promote Nephrology career at the European level. This publication highlights the experience of fellows who attended the REVAC hands-on training in Milan, focused on simulation and virtual reality for vascular access, and its impact on their nephrology training

Occult metastasis is no burden factor in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients when adhering to a standardized approach in neck dissection

Objectives Management of the neck in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is pivotal to oncologic control and survival. However, there is controversy regarding necessity of neck dissection (ND) in patients with clinically node-negative neck. We aimed to assess risk factors for occult metastasis and to explore whether the presence of occult lymph node metastases (LNMs) has an impact on recurrence and survival. Material and methods A retrospective cohort study was performed including patients with primary OSCC who underwent radical tumor resection and ND in a high-volume center adhering to the prevailing German guideline. The ND was performed according to a standardized approach. Results Four hundred twenty-one patients with primary surgically treated OSCC were included. The incidence of occult metastasis was 14.49%. A pathological T stage > 1 (multivariate analysis, odds ratio (OR) 3.958, p  = 0.042) and the presence of extranodal extension in LNMs (multivariate analysis, OR 0.287, p  = 0.020) were identified as independent risk factors for occult metastasis. When comparing patients with and without occult metastasis, there were no significant differences in terms of progression-free survival (log-rank, p  = 0.297) and overall survival (log-rank, p  = 0.320). There were no cases of ipsilateral neck recurrence. One patient developed contralateral neck metastasis; however, he initially presented with a unilateral pT1 pN0 tumor. Conclusions Overall, our findings suggest that conducting a standardized approach in ND should be applied in terms of management of the neck in order to maintain survival rates and to prevent neck recurrence in OSCC patients. Clinical relevance. None of the risk factors for occult metastasis can be reliably assessed preoperatively. Although elective ND does not guarantee the complete prevention of neck recurrence, it increases the likelihood of either timely removal of micrometastases or strengthens the justification for adjuvant therapy. Consequently, this approach leads to improvements in clinical outcomes.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (1041

Development of a porcine training model for microvascular fasciocutaneous free flap reconstruction

Background In reconstructive surgery, improvements are needed in the effective teaching of free flap surgery. There is a need for easily accessible and widely available training without high financial costs or ethical concerns while still providing a realistic experience. Our aim was to develop an appropriate training model for microvascular flaps. Methods We identified pig head halves as most appropriate regarding availability, cost, and realism. These accrue largely by the food industry, so no animals need to be sacrificed, making it more ethical from an animal welfare perspective. We evaluated the suitability as flap donor site and analyzed the vascular anatomy of 51 specimens. Results Anatomical evaluation revealed a reliable and constant vascular anatomy, allowing the design of a flap model that can effectively illustrate the entire process of microvascular flap surgery. The process was divided into 6 key steps. The flap can be harvested after marking the vascular pedicle 5.3 cm from the lateral corner of the mouth. Skin island design and subsequent tissue dissection follow until a fasciocutaneous flap is raised, similar to a radial flap. Upon completion of flap harvesting, it can be freely transferred for defect reconstruction. Microvascular anastomosis can be performed on recipient vessels in the cervical region, and the difficulty can be individually adjusted. Conclusions The developed training model is a reasonable compromise in terms of surgical realism, availability, didactic value, and cost/time effectiveness. We believe it is a powerful and effective tool with high potential for improving surgical education and training.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Universitätsklinikum Erlangen (8546

Comparison of the 7th and revised 8th UICC editions (2020) for oral squamous cell carcinoma: How does the reclassification impact staging and survival?

Since its introduction in 1968, the TNM (tumor, node, metastasis) classification established by the International Union Against Cancer has provided a consistent framework for staging of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The introduction of the 8th edition in 2017 brought about significant modifications, encompassing the integration of depth of invasion (DOI) and extranodal extension (ENE) into the T and N classifications. Further, the UICC the criteria for the T3 and T4a categories were amended in 2020. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of reclassification on staging and, subsequently, the survival of patients with OSCC. Primary OSCCs from 391 patients were classified according to the 7th and revised 8th UICC editions (2020). Stage migration was assessed, and stage-specific progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using the Kaplan–Meier method. The log-rank test was used to compare the different stages. Cox-proportional hazard modeling was used to compare the two editions. Incorporating the DOI into the T classification resulted in an upstaging of 77 patients, constituting 19.69% of the cohort. In addition, 49 (12.53%) patients experienced an upstaging when considering ENE in the N classification. Consequently, 103 patients underwent upstaging in UICC staging, accounting for 21.74% of cases. Upstaging mainly occurred from stage III to IVA (26.92%) and from stage IVA to IVB (31.78%). Upon comparing the categories in survival analysis, significant differences in OS and PFS were especially observed between stage IVB and lower stages. When examining the hazard ratios, it became evident that UICC 8 stage IVB is burdened by a 5.59-fold greater risk of disease progression than stage I. Furthermore, UICC 8 stage IVB exhibits a 3.83 times higher likelihood of death than stage I disease. We demonstrated significant stage migration from the 7th to the revised 8th UICC edition. Overall, incorporating DOI and ENE into the T and N classifications represents a substantial clinical advancement, leading to a more accurate staging of OSCC patients. Both staging systems exhibited statistically significant discrimination between stages; however, the 8th UICC edition allowed for a more precise categorization of patients based on their prognosis and led to enhanced hazard discrimination, particularly within higher stages.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (1041

KI-basierte Detektion von Gebäuden mittels Deep Learning und amtlichen Geodaten zur Baufallerkundung

Zusammenfassung: Es wird ein neuartiger Ansatz vorgestellt, der auf einer Erkennung von Gebäuden und Gebäudeveränderungen aus hochaufgelösten Luftbildern anhand von Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) beruht. Die zum Trainieren des KI-Systems notwendigen Datenbestände sind die Gebäudeumrisse aus der amtlichen Digitalen Flurkarte (DFK) und das lagerichtige Digitale Orthophoto (TrueDOP). Die semantische Detektion der Gebäude und Gebäudeveränderungen erfolgt über optische Aufnahmen und Oberflächenmodelle, wie dem normalisierten Oberflächenmodell (nDOM) und einem aus der Differenz von zwei Zeitepochen abgeleiteten Oberflächenmodell (tDOM). Am Beispiel der Baufallerkundung werden die Ergebnisse einer aktuellen Forschungskooperation zwischen der Bayerischen Vermessungsverwaltung (BVV) und der Technischen Universität München (TUM) aufgezeigt und bestehenden Verfahrenslösungen gegenübergestellt. Die vorgestellte KI-basierte Verfahrenslösung ist grundsätzlich auf alle Vermessungsverwaltungen der Länder bundesweit übertragbar. Summary: A novel approach is introduced which is based on the detection of buildings and building changes from high-resolution aerial images using artificial intelligence (AI). The data sets necessary for training the AI system are the building outlines from the official Digital Cadastre Map (DFK) and Digital Orthophotos without building lean (TrueDOP). The semantic detection of the buildings and building changes is carried out based on optical images and digital surface models, such as the normalized digital surface model (nDOM) and a Temporal Digital Surface Model (tDOM) derived from the difference of two time epochs. The results of the current cooperation between the Bavarian Agency for Digitisation, High-Speed Internet and Surveying (BVV) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) on the detection of buildings and building changes are presented and compared with results derived from existing approaches. The presented AI-based solution is basically transferable to all surveying administrations of the federal states nationwide