Module 4. Technical Skills Upgrade

Incorporar aquests documents a la Col·lecció del Centre de Recerca i Estudis pel Desenvolupament Organitzatiu. Considerar que el registre té més d'un arxiu, ja que s'incorpora traduït a diversos idiomes.This module is dedicated to capacity building to achieve a "Technical Skills Upgrade". The main focus will be laid on test facilities used in the automotive industry. So the training will start with an overview of test facilities in general and particular with the example of the proving ground of FH Joanneum and Hochschule Düsseldorf. The presentation will be continued answering the question how to build a test facility. Examples of projects conducted at the European partner institutions and examples of courses are presented. In a workshop the participants will have the opportunity to make up their minds how they advantageously could implement testing in class and in research

Impact of Chest X-Ray Before Discharge in Asymptomatic Children After Cardiac Surgery—Prospective Evaluation

In many paediatric cardiac units chest radiographs are performed routinely before discharge after cardiac surgery. These radiographs contribute to radiation exposure. To evaluate the diagnostic impact of routine chest X-rays before discharge in children undergoing open heart surgery and to analyze certain risk factors predicting pathologic findings. This was a prospective (6months) single-centre observational clinical study. One hundred twenty-eight consecutive children undergoing heart surgery underwent biplane chest X-ray at a mean of 13days after surgery. Pathologic findings on chest X-rays were defined as infiltrate, atelectasis, pleural effusion, pneumothorax, or signs of fluid overload. One hundred nine asymptomatic children were included in the final analysis. Risk factors, such as age, corrective versus palliative surgery, reoperation, sternotomy versus lateral thoracotomy, and relevant pulmonary events during postoperative paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) stay, were analysed. In only 5.5% (6 of 109) of these asymptomatic patients were pathologic findings on routine chest X-ray before discharge found. In only three of these cases (50%), subsequent noninvasive medical intervention (increasing diuretics) was needed. All six patients had relevant pulmonary events during their PICU stay. Risk factor analysis showed only pulmonary complications during PICU stay to be significantly associated (p=0.005) with pathologic X-ray findings. Routine chest radiographs before discharge after cardiac surgery can be omitted in asymptomatic children with an uneventful and straightforward perioperative course. Chest radiographs before discharge are warrantable if pulmonary complications did occur during their PICU stay, as this is a risk factor for pathologic findings in chest X-rays before discharg

An Extremely Rare Congenital Muscle Bundle Crossing the Right Atrial Cavity

Muscle bundles in the right atrium are an extremely rare congenital anomaly. We report the case of a patient with 2 atrial septal defects and a large muscle bundle crossing the right atrium. Only 3 comparable cases have previously been published. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.)

Bimetallic Carbonyl Complexes Based on Iridium and Rhodium: Useful Tools for Hydrodefluorination Reactions

A set of bimetallic complexes based on iridium and rhodium with bis(diphenylphosphino)methane, bis(di‐iso‐propylphosphino)methane, diphenyl‐2‐pyridylphosphine and 2‐(di‐iso‐propylphosphino)imidazole bridging ligands was prepared. The complexes were characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopy and studied quantum‐chemically using DFT methods. The bimetallic systems succeeded in catalytic hydrodefluorination reactions of lower fluorinated aryl fluorides using molecular hydrogen and sodium tert‐butoxide as a base. Effects of (i) ligand variation, (ii) mono‐ vs bimetallic nuclearity, and (iii) Ir vs Rh metal identity were studied and rationalized en route to achieve an effective hydrodefluorination.Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)Peer Reviewe

Enoxaparin therapy for arterial thrombosis in infants with congenital heart disease

Objective: To investigate efficacy and safety of enoxaparin for catheter-related arterial thrombosis in infants with congenital heart disease. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Pediatric Intensive Care and Cardiology Unit at the University Children's Hospital of Zurich. Patients: Acohort of 32 infants aged 0-12 months treated with enoxaparin for catheter-related arterial thrombosis from 2002 to 2005. Measurements: Dose requirements of enoxaparin, resolution of thrombosis by Doppler ultrasound, and bleeding complications. Results: Catheter-related arterial thrombosis was located in the iliac/femoral arteries in 31 (97%) infants and aorta in 1 infant, and was related to indwelling catheters and cardiac catheterization in 17 (53%) and 15 (47%) cases, respectively. Newborns required increased doses of enoxaparin to achieve therapeutic anti-FXa levels (mean 1.62 mg/kg per dose) compared with infants aged 2-12 months (mean 1.12 mg/kg per dose; p = 0.0002). Complete resolution of arterial thrombosis occurred in 29 (91%) infants at amean of 23 days after initiation of enoxaparin therapy. Partial or no resolution was observed in 1 (3%) and 2 (6%) infants, respectively, at amean follow-up time of 4.3 months. Bleeding complications occurred in 1 (3%) infant. Conclusion: Enoxaparin is efficient and safe for infants with congenital heart disease and catheter-related arterial thrombosis, possibly representing avalid alternative to the currently recommended unfractionated hepari

High-order harmonic spectroscopy in an ionized high-density target

We use high-order harmonic spectroscopy to study ionization dynamics in a macroscopic target with tunable density, spanning over six orders of magnitude. In an in situ pump-probe experiment, the target is prepared at different densities with varying degrees of laser-induced ionization. High-order harmonic radiation is generated in the pre-ionized target, and a steepening in the decrease of the harmonic yield is observed for increasing pre-ionization, allowing not only to identify the contributing quantum paths during high-order harmonic generation but also in determining the amount of ionization within the target. The measurements allow probing of ionization dynamics in laser-induced plasma with high spatio-temporal resolution and are specifically of interest for the optimization of the harmonic generation process in high-density targets with number densities of up to 1022 cm−3

Fetal trans-apical stent delivery into the pulmonary artery: prospects for prenatal heart-valve implantation

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess the technical feasibility of a fetal trans-apical stent delivery into the pulmonary artery using a novel hybrid-intervention technique as a possible route for prenatal minimally invasive heart-valve-implantation approaches. METHODS Pregnant Pre-Alp sheep between 122 and 128 days' gestation (n=3) underwent a midline laparotomy. The fetus was left in utero or partially externalized and its chest was opened via a left-sided minithoracotomy. The fetal heart was cannulated and a guide wire was introduced through the ductus arteriosus into the aorta. A 14-French delivery system was then mounted onto the guide wire and advanced to the landing zone in the pulmonary artery, where the stent was deployed. The position of the stent was confirmed using echocardiography, angiography as well as computed tomography. RESULTS The trans-apical implantation was successful in all animals. However, at necropsy in one animal, the stent was found to partly occlude one of the pulmonary valvular leaflets. Bleeding at the antero-apical incision occurred in all animals but could be managed without fetal demise. No fetal cardiopulmonary bypass was performed. In all animals, contrast angiography displayed normal perfusion of the pulmonary vasculature as well as the ductus arteriosus. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates the principal technical feasibility of a prenatal stent delivery into the pulmonary artery using a novel trans-apical hybrid-intervention technique. This approach demonstrates the first step towards possible future minimally invasive prenatal heart-valve-implantation procedure

Structural impairment and conflict load as vulnerability factors for burnout – A cross-sectional study from the German working population

IntroductionIndividual vulnerability and resilience factors are increasingly studied in burnout research. This is especially true for clinical variables that translate directly into intervention programs from a psychodynamic perspective. For example, few studies have examined the relationship between structural impairment and the individual spectrum of motivational conflicts according to the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis system (OPD) in relation to burnout. To substantiate previous findings, we hypothesized that structural impairment as well as motivational conflicts are related to burnout, but that structural impairment explained additional variance and mediated a possible relationship between conflicts and burnout.MethodThe present cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of the German working population (N = 545). Questionnaires were used to measure structural impairment (OPD-SQS), the conflict-modes along with the category K0 (OPD-CQ), as well as burnout (BOSS-I/-II).ResultsStructural impairment, a number of conflict modes, and burnout were significantly associated. Moreover, structural impairment explained additional variance in burnout. The requirements for the conflict-specific mediation models were given for 9 of the 12 OPD conflict modes. In these models the impact of the conflict modes on burnout was mediated by structural impairment.DiscussionThe current study broadens the comprehension of the relations between structural impairment, the conflict modes and burnout. In addition it higlights the role of structural impairment in predicting burnout risk and possible prevention approaches

Three-dimensional FIB-SEM reconstruction of microtubule-organelle interaction in whole primary mouse beta cells

Microtubules play a major role in intracellular trafficking of vesicles in endocrine cells. Detailed knowledge of microtubule organization and their relation to other cell constituents is crucial for understanding cell function. However, their role in insulin transport and secretion is currently under debate. Here, we use Fib-Sem to image islet beta cells in their entirety with unprecedented resolution. We reconstruct mitochondria, Golgi apparati, centrioles, insulin secretory granules and micro-tubules of seven beta cells, and generate a comprehensive spatial map of microtubule-organelle interactions. We find that micro-tubules form non-radial networks that are predominantly not connected to either centrioles or endomembranes. Microtubule number and length, but not microtubule polymer density, vary with glucose stimulation. Furthermore, insulin secretory granules are enriched near the plasma membrane where they associate with microtubules. In summary, we provide the first 3D reconstructions of complete microtubule networks in primary mammalian cells together with evidence regarding their importance for insulin secretory granule positioning and thus supportive role in insulin secretion