A method for determining the parameters in a rheological model for viscoelastic materials by minimizing Tikhonov functionals

Mathematical models describing the behavior of viscoelastic materials are often based on evolution equations that measure the change in stress depending on its material parameters such as stiffness, viscosity or relaxation time. In this article, we introduce a Maxwell-based rheological model, define the associated forward operator and the inverse problem in order to determine the number of Maxwell elements and the material parameters of the underlying viscoelastic material. We perform a relaxation experiment by applying a strain to the material and measure the generated stress. Since the measured data varies with the number of Maxwell elements, the forward operator of the underlying inverse problem depends on parts of the solution. By introducing assumptions on the relaxation times, we propose a clustering algorithm to resolve this problem. We provide the calculations that are necessary for the minimization process and conclude with numerical results by investigating unperturbed as well as noisy data. We present different reconstruction approaches based on minimizing a least squares functional. Furthermore, we look at individual stress components to analyze different displacement rates. Finally, we study reconstructions with shortened data sets to obtain assertions on how long experiments have to be performed to identify conclusive material parameters.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures, 6 table

High resolution propagation-based lung imaging at clinically relevant X-ray dose levels

Absorption-based clinical computed tomography (CT) is the current imaging method of choice in the diagnosis of lung diseases. Many pulmonary diseases are affecting microscopic structures of the lung, such as terminal bronchi, alveolar spaces, sublobular blood vessels or the pulmonary interstitial tissue. As spatial resolution in CT is limited by the clinically acceptable applied X-ray dose, a comprehensive diagnosis of conditions such as interstitial lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or the characterization of small pulmonary nodules is limited and may require additional validation by invasive lung biopsies. Propagation-based imaging (PBI) is a phase sensitive X-ray imaging technique capable of reaching high spatial resolutions at relatively low applied radiation dose levels. In this publication, we present technical refinements of PBI for the characterization of different artificial lung pathologies, mimicking clinically relevant patterns in ventilated fresh porcine lungs in a human-scale chest phantom. The combination of a very large propagation distance of 10.7 m and a photon counting detector with [Formula: see text] pixel size enabled high resolution PBI CT with significantly improved dose efficiency, measured by thermoluminescence detectors. Image quality was directly compared with state-of-the-art clinical CT. PBI with increased propagation distance was found to provide improved image quality at the same or even lower X-ray dose levels than clinical CT. By combining PBI with iodine k-edge subtraction imaging we further demonstrate that, the high quality of the calculated iodine concentration maps might be a potential tool for the analysis of lung perfusion in great detail. Our results indicate PBI to be of great value for accurate diagnosis of lung disease in patients as it allows to depict pathological lesions non-invasively at high resolution in 3D. This will especially benefit patients at high risk of complications from invasive lung biopsies such as in the setting of suspected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)

Potential wine ageing during transportation

In a global world, wineries have to satisfy the demand of consumers who wish to drink high quality wines from countries all over the world. To fulfill this request wines have to be transported, crossing thereby great distances from the place of production to the consumer country. At the Institute of Enology of Hochschule Geisenheim University examinations with White-, Rosé- and Red-Wines of different origins which had been transported over longer distances within Europe (Portugal, France, Italy to Germany) by trucks were carried out. Shipping of wines was simulated in a climatized cabinet to analyze the influence on wine quality during this way and conditions of transportation. Time and temperature profiles were based on real transport situtations which were recorded during shipping from Germany to Japan using data loggers. White, Rosé and Red wines were transported during 6 to 8 weeks and then were analytically and sensorically compared to those which were stored at a constant temperature of 15 ∘C. Besides the effect of temperature, the movements and vibrations encountered by the wines were also examined. Analytically wines were analyzed for general analytical parameters with Fourier-Transformation-Infrared-Spectroscopie (FTIR), Colour differences (Spectralphotometrie) and free and total sulfuric acid with Flow-Injection-Analysis (FIA). Sensory examinations with a trained panel were performed in difference tests in form of rankings and triangular tests. Summarizing the results from the different tests it could be found that transportation had an influence on the potential ageing of wines depending on the wine matrix. Especially high and varying temperatures during transportations over a longer distance and time had negative influences on wine quality. Also the movement of wine at higher temperatures had showed a negative effect whereas transport at cool temperatures even below 0 ∘C did not influence wine characteristics. Sophisticated, younger white and lighter wines with distinct levels of carbon dioxide showed tendencially clearer analytical and sensorical differences between transported and non-transported samples

Analysis of primary care of victims of interpersonal and self inflicted violence during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Objectives: to analyze the epidemiological profile of aggression victims admitted at the emergency room on a trauma hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, to compare these data in different restriction periods and with prepandemic data from the same service. Methods: cross-sectional study with probabilistic sampling using medical records of patients who were victims of aggression admitted at the hospital between June 2020 and May 2021. In addition to the epidemiological variables, other variables collected were the current restriction level, mechanism of aggression, resulting injuries and the Revised Trauma Score (RTS). The data was compared between the three restriction levels and the proportion of attendances during the study period was compared with the pre-pandemic study (December 2016 to February 2018). Results: the average age was 35.5 years, 86.1% of the patients were male and 61.6% of the attendances were due to blunt injury. The highest average of attendances per day occurred during the “yellow” restriction level (2.9), however there was no significant difference when comparing the restriction periods two by two. There was also no significant difference either in the analysis of the standardized residuals of the proportions of aggressions or the mechanism of aggression in the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Conclusions: there was a predominance of attendances due to blunt trauma and in young male patients. There was no significant difference between the average daily attendance for aggression during the three restriction levels and between the proportion of attendances in the pre-pandemic and pandemic period

MicroRNA-199b targets the nuclear kinase Dyrk1a in an auto-amplification loop promoting calcineurin/NFAT signalling

MicroRNAs (miRs) are a class of single-stranded, non-coding RNAs of about 22 nucleotides in length. Increasing evidence implicates miRs in myocardial disease processes. Here we show that miR-199b is a direct calcineurin/NFAT target gene that increases in expression in mouse and human heart failure, and targets the nuclear NFAT kinase dual-specificity tyrosine-(Y)-phosphorylation regulated kinase 1a (Dyrk1a), constituting a pathogenic feed forward mechanism that affects calcineurin-responsive gene expression. Mutant mice overexpressing miR-199b, or haploinsufficient for Dyrk1a, are sensitized to calcineurin/NFAT signalling or pressure overload and show stress-induced cardiomegaly through reduced Dyrk1a expression. In vivo inhibition of miR-199b by a specific antagomir normalized Dyrk1a expression, reduced nuclear NFAT activity and caused marked inhibition and even reversal of hypertrophy and fibrosis in mouse models of heart failure. Our results reveal that microRNAs affect cardiac cellular signalling and gene expression, and implicate miR-199b as a therapeutic target in heart failure.