Learning to See Forces: Surgical Force Prediction with RGB-Point Cloud Temporal Convolutional Networks

Robotic surgery has been proven to offer clear advantages during surgical procedures, however, one of the major limitations is obtaining haptic feedback. Since it is often challenging to devise a hardware solution with accurate force feedback, we propose the use of "visual cues" to infer forces from tissue deformation. Endoscopic video is a passive sensor that is freely available, in the sense that any minimally-invasive procedure already utilizes it. To this end, we employ deep learning to infer forces from video as an attractive low-cost and accurate alternative to typically complex and expensive hardware solutions. First, we demonstrate our approach in a phantom setting using the da Vinci Surgical System affixed with an OptoForce sensor. Second, we then validate our method on an ex vivo liver organ. Our method results in a mean absolute error of 0.814 N in the ex vivo study, suggesting that it may be a promising alternative to hardware based surgical force feedback in endoscopic procedures.Comment: MICCAI 2018 workshop, CARE(Computer Assisted and Robotic Endoscopy

Vertebral osteomyelitis with <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> – a case report and review of the literature of a very rare disease

Infections with Campylobacter species mainly cause gastrointestinal disease and are usually self-limiting. Systemic complications such as bacteremia and osteoarticular infections are rare. Here we report a very rare case of a vertebral osteomyelitis due to C. jejuni, and we reviewed the literature for similar cases, identifying six other cases. Therapy should be guided on resistance testing if available due to emerging resistance rates, especially to fluoroquinolones. Azithromycin may be a treatment option for C. jejuni spondylodiscitis.</p

Reconstructing the demographic history of orang-utans using Approximate Bayesian Computation

Investigating how different evolutionary forces have shaped patterns of DNA variation within and among species requires detailed knowledge of their demographic history. Orang-utans, whose distribution is currently restricted to the South-East Asian islands of Borneo (Pongo pygmaeus) and Sumatra (Pongo abelii), have likely experienced a complex demographic history, influenced by recurrent changes in climate and sea levels, volcanic activities and anthropogenic pressures. Using the most extensive sample set of wild orang-utans to date, we employed an Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) approach to test the fit of 12 different demographic scenarios to the observed patterns of variation in autosomal, X-chromosomal, mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal markers. In the best-fitting model, Sumatran orang-utans exhibit a deep split of populations north and south of Lake Toba, probably caused by multiple eruptions of the Toba volcano. In addition, we found signals for a strong decline in all Sumatran populations ~24 ka, probably associated with hunting by human colonizers. In contrast, Bornean orang-utans experienced a severe bottleneck ~135 ka, followed by a population expansion and substructuring starting ~82 ka, which we link to an expansion from a glacial refugium. We showed that orang-utans went through drastic changes in population size and connectedness, caused by recurrent contraction and expansion of rainforest habitat during Pleistocene glaciations and probably hunting by early humans. Our findings emphasize the fact that important aspects of the evolutionary past of species with complex demographic histories might remain obscured when applying overly simplified models

Morphometric, Behavioral, and Genomic Evidence for a New Orangutan Species

Six extant species of non-human great apes are currently recognized: Sumatran and Bornean orangutans, eastern and western gorillas, and chimpanzees and bonobos [1]. However, large gaps remain in our knowledge of fine-scale variation in hominoid morphology, behavior, and genetics, and aspects of great ape taxonomy remain in flux. This is particularly true for orangutans (genus: Pongo), the only Asian great apes and phylogenetically our most distant relatives among extant hominids [1]. Designation of Bornean and Sumatran orangutans, P. pygmaeus (Linnaeus 1760) and P. abelii (Lesson 1827), as distinct species occurred in 2001 [1, 2]. Here, we show that an isolated population from Batang Toru, at the southernmost range limit of extant Sumatran orangutans south of Lake Toba, is distinct from other northern Sumatran and Bornean populations. By comparing cranio-mandibular and dental characters of an orangutan killed in a human-animal conflict to those of 33 adult male orangutans of a similar developmental stage, we found consistent differences between the Batang Toru individual and other extant Ponginae. Our analyses of 37 orangutan genomes provided a second line of evidence. Model-based approaches revealed that the deepest split in the evolutionary history of extant orangutans occurred ∼3.38 mya between the Batang Toru population and those to the north of Lake Toba, whereas both currently recognized species separated much later, about 674 kya. Our combined analyses support a new classification of orangutans into three extant species. The new species, Pongo tapanuliensis, encompasses the Batang Toru population, of which fewer than 800 individuals survive

Bissverletzungen – Diagnose und Behandlung

50% der Schweizer Bevölkerung werden einmal im Leben von einem Tier gebissen. Knapp 20% aller Bissverletzungen führen zu Infektionen. Alle Bissverletzungen sollten debridiert und mit Kochsalzlösung gespült werden. Das primäre Wundmanagement ist entscheidend im Hinblick auf die Senkung des Infektrisikos. Verletzungen an den Händen und im Gesicht sollten unter Einbeziehung einer Fachärztin/eines Facharztes für Hand- oder Plastische Chirurgie erfolgen. In Switzerland 50% of the people get bitten by an animal once in their lifetime. Almost 20% of all bite injuries lead to infections. All bite wounds should be debrided and irrigated with saline. Primary wound management is critical in terms of reducing the risk of infection. Injuries to the hands and face should be treated by a hand or plastic surgeon. 50% des gens en Suisse sont mordues par un animal une fois dans leur vie. Près de 20% de toutes les blessures par morsure entraînent des infections. Toutes les plaies par morsure doivent être débridées et irriguées avec du sérum physiologique. Le traitement primaire de la plaie est essentiel pour réduire le risque d’infection. Les blessures aux mains et au visage doivent être traitées par un chirurgien de la main ou un chirurgien plastique

Auftreten eines Sweet-Syndroms beim Ubergang von einem myelodysplastischen Syndrom in eine Erythroleukamie. [The appearance of Sweet's syndrome during the transition from a myelodysplastic syndrome to erythroleukemia]

HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: Two months after being diagnosed as having refractory anaemia with an excess of blasts in transformation (RAEB-T), a 62-year-old man presented in the emergency room with fever (40 degrees C) for two weeks and scattered deep-red macular indolent efflorescences over the chest, back, face and thighs. Other than splenomegaly there were no significant findings on physical examination. INVESTIGATIONS: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate was increased to 38 mm in the first hour. Haemoglobin concentration and platelet count were at the lower limits of normal, white cell count within the normal range. Differential count: 60 erythroblasts per 100 leukocytes and 33.5 blast cells. Two skin biopsies revealed massive oedema in the upper corium and focal erythrocyte extravasations. There were perivascular and perifollicular inflammatory infiltrates in the deeper layers and elastosis of the corium. There was no leukocytoclastic vasculitis. These findings established the diagnosis of Sweet syndrome and erythroleukaemia. TREATMENT AND COURSE: The erythroleukaemia was treated symptomatically and the skin changes gradually receded under prednisone, 1 mg/kg, but new spots occurred when the prednisone dose was halved. Candida oesophagitis occurred as a complication of the erythroleukaemia. Chest radiogram showed diffuse infiltrates in both upper lobes of the lung. Despite intensive antimycotic and antibiotic treatment the patient died 10 days later from pulmonary aspergillosis. CONCLUSION: This case report describes the rare occurrence of Sweet syndrome during the transformation from a myelodysplastic Syndrome to erythroleukaemia

Forests and water

This study explains the role of forests in the hydrological cycle, with a particular focus on critical, "red flag" forest situations such as mountainous or steep terrain, river and coastal areas and swamp ecosystems, as well as the special case of mountainous small islands. It addresses the protection of municipal water supplies and emerging systems of payment for watershed services.--Publisher\u27s description

Solvent extraction of phenols from water

Methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) and diisopropyl ether (DIPE) have been evaluated as solvents for extraction of phenols, at high dilution, from water. Equilibrium distribution coefficients (K/sub D/) have been measured for phenol, dihydroxybenzenes and trihydroxybenzenes in both solvents as a function of pH. Particularly for the multihydric phenols, MIBK gives substantially higher values of K/sub D/ than does DIPE. The effect of pH can be described quantitatively through a simple ionization model, using published values of dissociation constants for the various phenols. Some method for removal of residual dissolved solvent must ordinarily be included in any extraction process for phenols. Possibilities include atmospheric-steam or inert-gas stripping, vacuum-steam stripping, and extraction with a second solvent. Vacuum-steam stripping is a particularly attractive choice for removal of MIBK; this reinforces the utility of MIBK as a solvent. The optimal temperature for vacuum stripping is generally the temperature of the extraction operation, which in turn is related to the effect of temperature on K/sub D/. Values of K/sub D/ for phenol-water-MIBK were determined at 30, 50, and 75/sup 0/C, and were found to decrease with increasing temperature at all concentrations