Retroperitoneal Laparoscopy in Dogs: Access Technique, Working Space, and Surgical Anatomy

Objective: To develop and describe a laparoscopic retroperitoneal access technique, investigate working space establishment, and describe the surgical anatomy in the retroperitoneal space as an initial step for clinical application of retroperitoneal laparoscopy in dogs. Study Design: Cadaveric and experimental study. Animals: Cadaveric (n58) and healthy (n56) adult dogs. Methods: The retroperitoneal access technique was developed in 3 cadavers based on the human technique and transperitoneal observation. Its application and working space establishment with carbon dioxide (CO2) insufflation alone was evaluated in 5 cadavers by observing with a transperitoneal telescope and in 6 live dogs by repeated computed tomography (CT) scans at pressure of 0, 5, 10, and 15 mmHg. Recordings of retroperitoneoscopy as well as working space volume and linear dimensions measured on CT images were analyzed. Results: Retroperitoneal access and working space establishment with CO2 insufflation alone were successfully performed in all 6 live dogs. The only complication observed was in 1 dog that developed subclinical pneumomediastinum. As pressure increased, working space was established from the ipsilateral to the contralateral side, and peritoneal tearing eventually developed. Working space volume increased significantly from 5 mmHg and linear dimensions increased significantly from 0 to 10 mmHg. With pneumo-retroperitoneum above 5 mmHg, retroperitoneal organs, including kidneys and adrenal glands, were easily visualized. Conclusion: The retroperitoneal access technique and working space establishment with CO2 insufflation starting with 5 mmHg and increasing to 10 mmHg provided adequate working space and visualization of retroperitoneal organs, which may allow direct access for retroperitoneal laparoscopy in dogs.OAIID:RECH_ACHV_DSTSH_NO:T201622608RECH_ACHV_FG:RR00200001ADJUST_YN:EMP_ID:A000300CITE_RATE:1.295FILENAME:정준모.pdfDEPT_NM:수의학과EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:YFILEURL:https://srnd.snu.ac.kr/eXrepEIR/fws/file/c102ca68-4a4d-4030-b323-ee99c3af083f/linkCONFIRM:

EEG Beta Oscillations in the Temporoparietal Area Related to the Accuracy in Estimating Others' Preference

Humans often attempt to predict what others prefer based on a narrow slice of experience, called thin-slicing. According to the theoretical bases for how humans can predict the preference of others, one tends to estimate the other's preference using a perceived difference between the other and self. Previous neuroimaging studies have revealed that the network of dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) is related to the ability of predicting others' preference. However, it still remains unknown about the temporal patterns of neural activities for others' preference prediction through thin-slicing. To investigate such temporal aspects of neural activities, we investigated human electroencephalography (EEG) recorded during the task of predicting the preference of others while only a facial picture of others was provided. Twenty participants (all female, average age: 21.86) participated in the study. In each trial of the task, participants were shown a picture of either a target person or self for 3 s, followed by the presentation of a movie poster over which participants predicted the target person's preference as liking or disliking. The time-frequency EEG analysis was employed to analyze temporal changes in the amplitudes of brain oscillations. Participants could predict others' preference for movies with accuracy of 56.89 ?? 3.16% and 10 out of 20 participants exhibited prediction accuracy higher than a chance level (95% interval). There was a significant difference in the power of the parietal alpha (10~13 Hz) oscillation 0.6~0.8 s after the onset of poster presentation between the cases when participants predicted others' preference and when they reported self-preference (p < 0.05). The power of brain oscillations at any frequency band and time period during the trial did not show a significant correlation with individual prediction accuracy. However, when we measured differences of the power between the trials of predicting other's preference and reporting self-preference, the right temporal beta oscillations 1.6~1.8 s after the onset of facial picture presentation exhibited a significant correlation with individual accuracy. Our results suggest that right temporoparietal beta oscillations may be correlated with one's ability to predict what others prefer with minimal information

Automatic rule generation of fuzzy logic controllers based on asynchronous coevolution of rule-level subpopulations

This paper proposes a rule-level coevolutionary approach based on multiple subpopulations to evolve fuzzy logic controllers (FLCs). Each rule is used as an individual and the subpopulations, each comprising a number of candidate rules, are randomly probed for evolution [asynchronous coevolution] via evolution strategy (ES). The rules belonging to the same subpopulation compete while those in different subpopulations cooperate to achieve the goal of finding a better FLC. During this process, the rules within each subpopulation become specialized into a kind of expert in the corresponding problem domain. For this approach, a simple credit assignment scheme for rule evaluation is introduced to reduce the search space effectively. The superiority of the proposed algorithm over traditional FLC-level evolution approaches has been demonstrated by evolving FLCs for two typical nonlinear control problems - the ball-and-beam and the cart-pole systems.X11sciescopu

Tailoring grain boundary structures and chemistry of Li7La3Zr2O12 solid electrolytes for enhanced air stability

Solid-state batteries with inorganic solid electrolytes provide a fundamental solution for resolving safety concerns. Garnet-type Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) is considered a promising candidate for solid electrolytes because of its high Li+ conductivity and superior chemical/electrochemical stability against metallic Li. However, when exposed to ambient air, LLZO electrolytes react with H2O and CO2 to form Li2CO3, resulting in significant degradation of Li+ conductivity. In this study, we propose a simple but effective approach to enhance air stability of LLZO via tailoring grain boundary structures and chemistry. The interfacial stability of the solid electrolytes is examined under accelerated durability test (ADT) conditions, where the concentrations of O2, H2O, and CO2 are precisely controlled to promote interfacial reactions. We show that Ga incorporation into Ta-doped LLZO (LLZTO) plays a crucial role in governing the grain growth behavior during the sintering process to modify the density, morphology, and composition of the grain boundaries. Furthermore, Ga-incorporated LLZTO (Ga-LLZTO) exhibits remarkably improved stability over LLZTO upon ADTs with high H2O and CO2 concentrations and enables stable cycling of metallic Li electrodes. The combined microstructural/compositional analyses and theoretical simulations suggest that the enhanced air stability of Ga-LLZTO can be attributed to the remarkably reduced grain boundary density with enlarged grains and segregation of H2O/CO2-tolerant lithium gallate (LiGaO2) in the grain boundaries. The findings of this study are critical for understanding the role of microstructural engineering in mitigating the degradation of Li+ conductivity and developing highly conductive and stable LLZO electrolytes. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.FALS

Variations in Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Contamination Values in Subtidal Surface Sediment via Oil Fingerprinting after an Accidental Oil Spill: A Case Study of the Wu Yi San Oil Spill, Yeosu, Korea

This study determined the PAH contamination variations in the subtidal surface sediment with oil fingerprinting in the Wu Yi San oil spill in Yeosu, Korea, in January 2014. The ∑16 PAHs and ∑alkyl PAHs were investigated in surface sediment and seawater 1 month after the oil spill for 1 year at 3-month intervals in the accident (St. A-F) and adjacent areas (St. 1-20). The averaged ∑16 PAHs and ∑alkyl PAH concentration in the five samplings were 42.2–171.7 ng/g and 211.5–221.8 ng/g, respectively. Comparing the PAH levels in St.E and St.17 indicated a decreased tendency, from 357.9 to 31.1 ng/g dw. in ∑16 PAHs, and from 1900.9 to 211.5 ng/g dw. in ∑alkyl PAHs. The PAHs were not statically correlated between surface sediment and seawater (p > 0.05), implying that the fate of PAHs was rapidly dispersed toward adjacent coasts and beaches. Pyrogenic origin was predominant in 16 PAHs, and petrogenic origin in alkylated PAHs. Notably, C2-D/C2-P and C3-D/C3-P ratios in the accident area during the first sampling were similar to accident oil, but the similarity was not shown in other samplings. Only the C2-naphthalene (St.A), C1-phenanthrene (St.A and St.B), and C2-phenanthrene (the entire accident area points) concentrations were higher than the ERL SQG

Munc18-1 induces conformational changes of syntaxin-1 in multiple intermediates for SNARE assembly

Abstract In neuronal exocytosis, SNARE assembly into a stable four-helix bundle drives membrane fusion. Previous studies have revealed that the SM protein Munc18-1 plays a critical role for precise SNARE assembly with the help of Munc13-1, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we used single-molecule FRET assays with a nanodisc membrane reconstitution system to investigate the conformational dynamics of SNARE/Munc18-1 complexes in multiple intermediate steps towards the SNARE complex. We found that single Munc18-1 proteins induce the closed conformation of syntaxin-1 not only in the free syntaxin-1 but also in the t-SNARE (syntaxin-1/SNAP-25) complex. These results implicate that Munc18-1 may act as a gatekeeper for both binary and ternary SNARE complex formation by locking the syntaxin-1 in a cleft of Munc18-1. Furthermore, the kinetic analysis of the opening/closing transition reveals that the closed syntaxin-1 in the syntaxin-1/SNAP-25/Munc18-1 complex is less stable than that in the closed syntaxin-1/Munc18-1 complex, which is manifested by the infrequent closing transition, indicating that the conformational equilibrium of the ternary complex is biased toward the open conformation of syntaxin-1 compared with the binary complex