Wirklich dazugehören

Einbezogen sein – für die meisten Menschen ist das selbstverständlich. Doch für Menschen mit Handicap ist es ein Thema, das sie dauerhaft begleitet. Je nach Art ihrer Einschränkung ist es für sie schwierig bis unmöglich, an bestimmten Dingen teilzuhaben. Das Studium bewältigen viele von ihnen deshalb unter erschwerten Bedingungen

Elektrochemisches Verhalten von Aluminiumlegierungen zum kathodischen Korrosionsschutz von hoch legierten Stählen unter Bedingungen des maschinellen Geschirrspülens

Abstract der Posterpräsentation: Ebenso wie Geschirrspülmaschinen in deutschen Haushalten mit ca. 68 % eine weite Verbreitung finden, treten unästhetische Korrosionsproduktablagerungen und Lochkorrosion auf Besteckteilen auf [1]. Zur Vermeidung von Korrosionsschäden an metallischen Werkstoffen unter Bedingungen der maschinellen Geschirrreinigung liegt es nahe, eine Schutzanode in den Besteckkorb einzubringen. Der kathodische Korrosionsschutz mit Hilfe von Schutzanoden wird bekanntermaßen bei Schiffen, Pipelines und Bohrinseln genutzt. Der stabile metallische Kontakt durch das Verschrauben der Anode an das Schutzobjekt kann für Besteck im Geschirrspüler jedoch nicht gewährleistet werden, sodass das Aufstellen der Besteckteile auf die Anode zu wechselnden Widerstandsverhältnissen im Kontaktbereich führt. Zudem liegen während eines Spülganges sehr unterschiedliche Bedingungen (Reiniger: pH > 9,5; Klarspüler: pH < 3,5; Essensreste) vor, und es kommt auf Grund der dünnen Elektrolytfilme zu einer graduellen Änderung der lokalen Elektrodenpotentiale längs des Besteckteils. Elektrochemische Untersuchungen an Aluminiumwerkstoffen unterschiedlicher Zusammensetzung sowie an diversen Besteckstählen bestätigen ebenso wie Messungen an beiden Komponenten in galvanischem Kontakt, dass eine kathodische Polarisation des Stahls um mehrere 100 mV zustande kommt. Experimente im Geschirrspüler zeigten jedoch, dass unter verschiedenen Bedingungen eine dünne Ablagerung von Korrosionsprodukten auftrat, so dass die Eingangshypothese anodischer Korrosionsprozesse am Stahl offenbar revidiert werden muss. Ursachen hierfür werden analysiert, indem eine Dünnfilmströmungszelle, die pH-Wert-Messung bei Stahl-Anoden-Kontakt mit geringer Elektrolytmenge und Temperaturanstieg sowie das instrumentierte maschinelle Geschirrspülen (In-situ-Temperatur- und Potentialmessung des Stahles im direkten Kontaktbereich zur Anode) genutzt werden. Die Ursache der Korrosion des Stahles bei Kontakt mit der Anode konnte bisher nicht hinreichend geklärt werden

Submillisievert chest CT in patients with COVID-19 - experiences of a German Level-I center

Purpose: Computed tomography (CT) is used for initial diagnosis and therapy monitoring of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As patients of all ages are affected, radiation dose is a concern. While follow-up CT examinations lead to high cumulative radiation doses, the ALARA principle states that the applied dose should be as low as possible while maintaining adequate image quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate parameter settings for two commonly used CT scanners to ensure sufficient image quality/diagnostic confidence at a submillisievert dose. Materials and methods: We retrospectively analyzed 36 proven COVID-19 cases examined on two different scanners. Image quality was evaluated objectively as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)/contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) measurement and subjectively by two experienced, independent readers using 3-point Likert scales. CT dose index volume (CTDIvol) and dose-length product (DLP) were extracted from dose reports, and effective dose was calculated. Results: With the tested parameter settings we achieved effective doses below 1 mSv (median 0.5 mSv, IQR: 0.2 mSv, range: 0.3−0.9 mSv) in all 36 patients. Thirty-four patients had typical COVID-19 findings. Both readers were confident regarding the typical COVID-19 CT-characteristics in all cases (3 ± 0). Objective image quality parameters were: SNRnormal lung: 17.0 ± 5.9, CNRGGO/normal lung: 7.5 ± 5.0, and CNRconsolidation/normal lung: 15.3 ± 6.1. Conclusion: With the tested parameters, we achieved applied doses in the submillisievert range, on two different CT scanners without sacrificing diagnostic confidence regarding COVID-19 findings

Stents With Torsional Strength for Superficial Femoral Artery Disease:: The Prospective Q3-Registry

Purpose: This postmarketing surveillance study aimed to assess effectiveness and safety of a peripheral self-expanding stent with high torsional strength (POLARIS stent) for the treatment of de novo superficial femoral artery (SFA) lesions in the routine clinical practice. Materials and Methods: Consecutive patients with symptomatic de novo SFA occlusive disease who underwent POLARIS stent implantation were enrolled into the prospective, multicenter, observational postmarket surveillance study. Primary outcome measure was freedom from clinically driven target lesion revascularization (cdTLR) at 12 months. Main secondary outcomes were procedural success, primary clinical improvement, and freedom from major adverse cardiovascular and limb events (MACLE) throughout 24 months. Results: A total of 199 participants (70±11 years, 70.4% men) were included in the study at 9 German sites from December 2014 to August 2018. Half of them (52.6%) were current smokers, 37.6% had diabetes, and 25.0% were obese. Most participants suffered from intermittent claudication (88.4%). Mean lesion length was 98±83 mm, 43.5% of lesions were occluded, and 27.3% were severely calcified. Freedom from 12 months cdTLR was 94.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 90.6–98.2). At 24 months, freedom from cdTLR was 88.7% (95% CI, 83.0–94.4). Procedural success was achieved in 96.2% of participants. Primary clinical improvement occurred in 87.5% and 85.4% of participants at 12 and 24 months, respectively. Freedom from MACLE was 94.8% (95% CI, 91.4–98.1) and 93.8% (95% CI, 89.9–97.6) at 12 and 24 months, respectively. Conclusions: Treatment of SFA occlusive disease in a real-world setting using the POLARIS stent with high bidirectional torsional strength is efficacious and does not raise any safety concern in the medium term. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02307292)

Linking Cancer Stem Cell Plasticity to Therapeutic Resistance-Mechanism and Novel Therapeutic Strategies in Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer (EC) is an aggressive form of cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and adenocarcinoma (EAC) as two predominant histological subtypes. Accumulating evidence supports the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) able to initiate and maintain EAC or ESCC. In this review, we aim to collect the current evidence on CSCs in esophageal cancer, including the biomarkers/characterization strategies of CSCs, heterogeneity of CSCs, and the key signaling pathways (Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, Hedgehog, YAP, JAK/STAT3) in modulating CSCs during esophageal cancer progression. Exploring the molecular mechanisms of therapy resistance in EC highlights DNA damage response (DDR), metabolic reprogramming, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), and the role of the crosstalk of CSCs and their niche in the tumor progression. According to these molecular findings, potential therapeutic implications of targeting esophageal CSCs may provide novel strategies for the clinical management of esophageal cancer

Расчетно-экспериментальное определение поля нейтронного излучения в защите из полиэтилена

Целью представленной работы является верификация кода PHITS для моделирования параметров нейтронного поля от закрытого 239Pu-Be источника нейтронов, расположенного в защите из полиэтилена. Верификация выполнена путем сравнения результатов расчета с экспериментальными данными. Верифицируемая лабораторная установка состоит из двух основных компонентов. Первым является 239Pu-Be источник нейтронов, а вторым – полиэтиленовая защита в форме четырехугольной призмы формы ("призма"). Разработанная расчетная модель для программы PHITS повторяет конфигурацию установки. Поток тепловых и быстрых нейтронов рассчитывался программой для точек, расположенных на оси облучательного канала "призмы", в диапазоне от 1 до30 см от ее боковой поверхности, с шагом равным 1 см. Эксперименты по измерению потоков нейтThe purpose of this work is verification of PHITS-code calculations for the simulation of neutron field parameters from the sealed 239Pu-Be source in polyethylene shielding. The verification was made by means of comparison of calculation results with the experimental data. The laboratory model consists of two main components. The first component is the 239Pu-Be source and the second component is the polyethylene prism. An identical PHITS model was generated to simulate the laboratory case. The neutron flux for both thermal and fast neutrons was calculated by PHITS code for every 1 cm in the range from 0 to 30 cm in front of the irradiation channel of the prism. Experiments have been performed in TPU laboratory. The neutron flux was measured in the laboratory for thermal neutrons at discre