Diagnosis and Study of Mechanical Vibrations in Cargo Vehicles Using ISO 2631-1:1997.

This study presents the design and implementation of an electronic system aimed at capturing vibrations produced during truck operation. The system employs a graphical interface to display vibration levels, ensuring the necessary comfort and offering indicators as a solution to mitigate the damage caused by these vibrations. Additionally, the system alerts the driver when a mechanical vibration that could potentially impact their health is detected. The field of health is rigorously regulated by various international standards and guidelines. The case of mechanical vibrations, particularly those transmitted to the entire body of a seated individual, is no exception. Internationally, ISO 2631-1:1997/Amd 1:2010 oversees this study. The system was designed and implemented using a blend of hardware and software. The hardware components comprise a vibration sensor, a data acquisition card, and a graphical user interface (GUI). The software components consist of a data acquisition and processing library, along with a GUI development framework. The system underwent testing in a controlled environment and demonstrated stability and robustness. The GUI proved to be intuitive and could be integrated into modern vehicles with built-in displays. The findings of this study suggest that the proposed system is a viable and effective method for capturing vibrations in trucks and informing drivers about vibration levels. This system has the potential to enhance the comfort and safety of truck drivers.

El odontograma como articulador de afectos: una aproximación etnográfica más allá de la representación / Dental Chart as an Articulator of Affects: An Ethnographic Approach beyond Representation / O odontograma como articulador de afetos: uma abordagem etnográfica para além da representação

Este artículo ofrece una exploración empírica y conceptual del odontograma, un dispositivo usado cotidianamente en la práctica odontológica para evaluar el estado dental. Se tomaron como base los aportes del "giro ontológico" y algunas de las propuestas más recientes de las teorías del afecto para reflexionar más allá de las concepciones epistemológicas de la representación. El propósito es comprender las relaciones materiales, corporales y afectivas puestas en acción en la formación odontológica en relación con el odontograma. Se tomó como caso de estudio un programa de educación odontológica ubicado en una ciudad intermedia de Colombia, particularmente lo ocurrido en prácticas clínicas y en reuniones de profesores. Para el análisis, se partió de la noción de momento etnográfico propuesta por Marilyn Strathern. Se encontraron diversas situaciones que muestran la capacidad del odontograma para articular afectos, como discutir convenciones, diligenciar con lápiz los formatos de la historia clínica, mover la silla de la unidad odontológica para ver los dientes, secar con la jeringa triple, explicar diferencias sutiles entre anatomía y patología, y evaluar los odontogramas hechos por los estudiantes. Se concluye que la relación entre la boca del paciente y el odontograma es compleja y de mutuo exceso, lo cual posibilita una experiencia más rica de los dientes

This paper offers an empirical and conceptual exploration of the dental chart, a tool used to assess dental status. It is built on the "ontological turn" and recent affect theories to reflect beyond the epistemological concept of representation. This paper aims to understand the material, embodied, and affective relationships implemented in dental training regarding the dental chart. A dental education program in an intermediate city in Colombia was taken as a case study, mainly what happened in clinical practices and faculty meetings. It adopted the notion of "ethnographic moment" proposed by Marilyn Strathern for the analysis. Diverse situations were observed, which demonstrated the capacity of the dental chart to articulate affects, such as discussing conventions, filling out clinical records using a pencil, moving the chair of the dental unit to see the teeth, drying with the triple syringe, explaining subtle differences between anatomy and pathology, and evaluating the dental charts carried out by the students. It was inferred that the relationship between the patient's mouth and the dental chart is complex and mutually excessive, enabling a richer experience of the teeth.

Este artigo oferece uma exploração empírica e conceitual do odontograma, um dispositivo usado diaria- mente na prática odontológica para avaliar o estado dentário. As contribuições da "virada ontológica" e algumas das propostas mais recentes das teorias do afeto foram tomadas como base para refletir para além das concepções epistemológicas da representação. O objetivo do texto é compreender as relações materiais, corporais e afetivas postas em ação na formação odontológica em relação ao odontograma. Um programa de educação odontológica localizado em uma cidade intermediária na Colômbia foi tomado como um estudo de caso, particularmente o que aconteceu nas práticas clínicas e nas reuniões de professores. Para a análise, partimos da noção de "momento etnográfico" proposta por Marilyn Strathern. Foram encontradas várias situações que mostram a capacidade do odontograma de articular afetos, como discutir convenções, preencher formatos de história clínica com lápis, mover a cadeira da unidade odontológica para ver os dentes, secar com a seringa tríplice, explicar diferenças sutis entre anatomia e patologia e avaliar os odontogramas feitos pelos alunos. Conclui-se que a relação entre a boca do paciente e o odontograma é complexa e de excesso mútuo, o que possibilita uma experiência mais rica dos dentes.

Saccular intracranial neonatal aneurysm.

INTRODUCTION: Neonatal cerebral aneurysms are very rare condition and distinct from those of the adults. CASE REPORT: We reported a 14-day-old male neonate who presented subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured anterior cerebral artery saccular aneurysm. In addition, we present a review of the relevant literature. CONCLUSION: Intracranial hemorrhage due to cerebral aneurysm rupture in a newborn is an uncommon diagnosis, but it must be unequivocally excluded.

Hypertension Diagnosis with Backpropagation Neural Networks for Sustainability in Public Health.

This paper presents the development of a multilayer feed-forward neural network for the diagnosis of hypertension, based on a population-based study. For the development of this architecture, several physiological factors have been considered, which are vital to determining the risk of being hypertensive; a diagnostic system can offer a solution which is not easy to determine by conventional means. The results obtained demonstrate the sustainability of health conditions affecting humanity today as a consequence of the social environment in which we live, e.g., economics, stress, smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction, obesity, diabetes, physical inactivity, etc., which leads to hypertension. The results of the neural network-based diagnostic system show an effectiveness of 90%, thus generating a high expectation in diagnosing the risk of hypertension from the analyzed physiological data.

Comparative Analysis of Reconfigurable Platforms for Memristor Emulation.

The memristor is the fourth fundamental element in the electronic circuit field, whose memory and resistance properties make it unique. Although there are no electronic solutions based on the memristor, interest in application development has increased significantly. Nevertheless, there are only numerical Matlab or Spice models that can be used for simulating memristor systems, and designing is limited to using memristor emulators only. A memristor emulator is an electronic circuit that mimics a memristor. In this way, a research approach is to build discrete-component emulators of memristors for its study without using the actual models. In this work, two reconfigurable hardware architectures have been proposed for use in the prototyping of a non-linearity memristor emulator: the FPAA (Field Programing Analog Arrays) and the FPGA (Field Programming Gate Array). The easy programming and reprogramming of the first architecture and the performance, high area density, and parallelism of the second one allow the implementation of this type of system. In addition, a detailed comparison is shown to underline the main differences between the two approaches. These platforms could be used in more complex analog and/or digital systems, such as neural networks, CNN, digital circuits, etc.

A SHA-256 Hybrid-Redundancy Hardware Architecture for Detecting and Correcting Errors.

In emergent technologies, data integrity is critical for message-passing communications, where security measures and validations must be considered to prevent the entrance of invalid data, detect errors in transmissions, and prevent data loss. The SHA-256 algorithm is used to tackle these requirements. Current hardware architecture works present issues regarding real-time balance among processing, efficiency and cost, because some of them introduce significant critical paths. Besides, the SHA-256 algorithm itself considers no verification mechanisms for internal calculations and failure prevention. Hardware implementations can be affected by diverse problems, ranging from physical phenomena to interference or faults inherent to data spectra. Previous works have mainly addressed this problem through three kinds of redundancy: information, hardware, or time. To the best of our knowledge, pipelining has not been previously used to perform different hash calculations with a redundancy topic. Therefore, in this work, we present a novel hybrid architecture, implemented on a 3-stage pipeline structure, which is traditionally used to improve performance by simultaneously processing several blocks; instead, we propose using a pipeline technique for implementing hardware and time redundancies, analyzing hardware resources and performance to balance the critical path. We have improved performance at a certain clock speed, defining a data flow transformation in several sequential phases. Our architecture reported a throughput of 441.72 Mbps and 2255 LUTs, and presented an efficiency of 195.8 Kbps/LUT.

Terminal myelocystocele: Surgical management.

Background: The authors describe clinical and imaging findings, surgical technique, and outcomes in myelocystocele. Methods: We describe a surgical procedure performed in six patients, four males and two females, with myelocystocele treated at our hospital. We review the images obtained at the time of diagnosis and after surgery. The patients' age range was 12-56 months and had undergone surgery for terminal myelocystocele between 2015 and 2020. All patients had a large lumbar mass covered with healthy skin and presented spontaneous movements at birth. Two patients presented VACTERL syndrome. Results: A watertight closure of the soft tissues was performed in all cases. None of the patients presented postsurgical complications, such as cerebrospinal fluid leak or infection. All the patients had undergone excision of the meningocele sacs, the tethering bands were lysed, and the filum was detethered. The mean follow-up period was 34 (12-56) months. A motor deficit was seen in 2 patients (33.3%). Conclusion: Prenatal diagnosis and early corrective surgical intervention are recommended to prevent deterioration in neurological function. VACTERL association is a common condition and should be investigated.

CMOS Implementation of ANNs Based on Analog Optimization of N-Dimensional Objective Functions.

The design of neural network architectures is carried out using methods that optimize a particular objective function, in which a point that minimizes the function is sought. In reported works, they only focused on software simulations or commercial complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), neither of which guarantees the quality of the solution. In this work, we designed a hardware architecture using individual neurons as building blocks based on the optimization of n-dimensional objective functions, such as obtaining the bias and synaptic weight parameters of an artificial neural network (ANN) model using the gradient descent method. The ANN-based architecture has a 5-3-1 configuration and is implemented on a 1.2 µm technology integrated circuit, with a total power consumption of 46.08 mW, using nine neurons and 36 CMOS operational amplifiers (op-amps). We show the results obtained from the application of integrated circuits for ANNs simulated in PSpice applied to the classification of digital data, demonstrating that the optimization method successfully obtains the synaptic weights and bias values generated by the learning algorithm (Steepest-Descent), for the design of the neural architecture.

Actualización del diagnóstico prenatal y cirugía fetal del mielomeningocele / Update on prenatal diagnosis and fetal surgery for myelomeningocele

A partir del estudio seminal Management of Myelomeningocele Study en el año 2011, el cual demostró que la reparación prenatal del defecto del mielomeningocele antes de la semana 26 mejoraba los resultados neurológicos, la cirugía fetal fue incorporada dentro de las opciones de estándar de cuidado. Así, el diagnóstico prenatal del mielomeningocele dentro de la ventana terapéutica se convirtió en un objetivo obligatorio y, por ello, se intensificó la investigación de estrategias de tamizaje, sobre todo, en el primer trimestre. Además, se desarrollaron distintas técnicas de cirugía fetal para mejorar los resultados neurológicos y disminuir los riesgos maternos. El objetivo de la siguiente revisión es actualizar los avances en tamizaje y diagnóstico prenatal en el primer y segundo trimestre, y en cirugía fetal abierta y fetoscópica del mielomeningocel

A seminal study titled Management of Myelomeningocele Study, from 2011, demonstrated that prenatal myelomeningocele defect repaired before 26 weeks of gestation improved neurological outcomes; based on this study, fetal surgery was introduced as a standard of care alternative. Thus, prenatal myelomeningocele diagnosis within the therapeutic window became a mandatory goal; therefore, research efforts on screening strategies were intensified, especially in the first trimester. In addition, different fetal surgery techniques were developed to improve neurological outcomes and reduce maternal risks. The objective of this review is to provide an update on the advances in prenatal screening and diagnosis during the first and second trimesters, and in open and fetoscopic fetal surgery for myelomeningocele

Características epidemiológicas y clínicas de los menores de 18 años con hemofilia asistidos en el Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell. 2016 - 2018 / Epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of hemophilic patients of under 18 years of age assisted at the Pereira Rossell Hospital Center. 2016-2018 / Características epidemiológicas e clínicas de menores de 18 anos com hemofilia assistidos no Centro Hospitalar Pereira Rossell. 2016 - 2018

Resumen: Introducción: la hemofilia es una enfermedad hereditaria, ligada al cromosoma X, debida al déficit de factor VIII (tipo A) o IX (tipo B). La prevalencia estimada al nacimiento es de 24,6 casos cada 100.000 varones para hemofilia A y 5 casos cada 100.000 para hemofilia B. El Departamento de Medicina Transfusional (DMT) del Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell (CHPR) es el Centro de Referencia Nacional (CDRN) para los menores de 18 años. El abordaje integral, inter-disciplinario del paciente con hemofilia en un centro especializado disminuye la morbi-mortalidad y contribuye a mejorar la calidad de vida. Objetivo: describir las características epidemiológicas y clínicas de los menores de 18 años con hemofilia asistidos en el DMT-CHPR entre el 1 enero de 2016 y el 31 de diciembre de 2018. Metodología: estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo, de todos los menores de 18 años con hemofilia. Se describió: edad y circunstancias del diagnóstico, tipo y severidad de la hemofilia, controles en salud, estudios complementarios, complicaciones, frecuencia y motivos de hospitalización, tratamiento. El protocolo de estudio fue aprobado por el Comité de Ética Institucional. Resultados: se asistieron 67 pacientes, 57 con hemofilia A y 10 con hemofilia B. La mediana de edad fue 8 años. Presentaban hemofilia severa 61 pacientes, moderada 2 y leve 4. Presentaban antecedentes familiares de coagulopatía 41. La mediana de edad al diagnóstico fue 2 meses. Se diagnosticaron en el período neonatal 24 de los pacientes con hemofilia A y 5 con hemofilia B. Desarrollaron inhibidores 7 pacientes, todos con hemofilia severa. Conclusiones: en esta serie, predominaron los pacientes con hemofilia A, severa, antecedentes familiares conocidos de coagulopatía, en tratamiento profiláctico con factores de la coagulación. Esta comunicación aporta información valiosa sobre las características de estos pacientes, lo que contribuye a la gestión clínica y a planificar estrategias de mejora de la calidad asistencial.

Summary: Introduction: hemophilia is a hereditary disease, linked to chromosome X and caused by the deficit of factor VIII (type A) and IX (type B). Estimated prevalence at birth is 24.6 cases every 100,000 boys for hemophilia A and 5 cases every 100,000 cases for hemphilia B. The Transfusion Medical Department (TMD) of the Pereira Rossell Children's Hospital Center (CHPR, acronym in Spanish) is the national reference center (NRC) for patients under 18 years of age. A comprehensive, inter-disciplinary approach to hemophilic patients at a specialized center decreases morbidity and mortality and contributes to improving quality of life. Objective: to describe the epidemiologic, clinical and progression characteristics of hemophilic patients of under 18 years of age assisted at the TMD-CHPR between January 1st 2016 and December 31st, 2018. Methodology: descriptive, retrospective study of all hemophilic patients of under 18 years of age. Variables described: age, circumstances of diagnosis, type and severity of hemophilia, health check-ups, tests, complications, frequency and reasons for hospital admittance, treatment. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. Results: 67 patients were assisted, 57 with hemophilia A and 10 with hemophilia B. Median age was 8 years. Severe hemophilia was present in 61 patients, moderate in 2 and mild in 4. 41 had a family history of coagulopathy. Median age at diagnosis was 2 months. 24 patients with hemophilia A and 5 patients with hemophilia B were diagnosed during the neonatal period. 7 patients developed inhibitors, all of them with severe hemophilia. Conclusions: in this study there is a predominance of patients with severe hemophilia A, known family history of coagulopathy, under prophylactic treatment with coagulation factors. This study provides valuable information about the characteristics of these patients, which contributes to improved clinical management and planning strategies to improve their quality of care.

Resumo: Introdução: o Departamento de Medicina Transfusional (DMT) do Centro Hospitalar Pereira Rossell (CHPR) é o Centro Nacional de Referência (CNR) para menores de 18 anos de idade. A abordagem abrangente e interdisciplinar do paciente com hemofilia em um centro especializado reduz a morbimortalidade e contribui para a melhoria da qualidade de vida. Objetivo: descrever as características epidemiológicas, clínicas e evolutivas em crianças menores de 18 anos com hemofilia atendidas no DMT-CHPR entre 1 de janeiro de 2016 e 31 de dezembro de 2018. Metodologia: estudo descritivo, retrospectivo, de todos os menores de 18 anos com hemofilia. Descrevemos: idade e circunstâncias do diagnóstico, tipo e gravidade da hemofilia, controles de saúde, estudos complementares, complicações, frequência e motivos de hospitalização, tratamento. O protocolo do estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética Institucional. Resultados: 67 pacientes foram atendidos, 57 com hemofilia A e 10 com hemofilia B. A media de idade foi de 8 anos. Houve 61 pacientes com hemofilia grave, moderada 2 e leve 4. 41 tiveram história familiar de coagulopatia. A media de idade no diagnóstico foi de 2 meses. 24 dos pacientes com hemofilia A e 5 com hemofilia B foram diagnosticados no período neonatal e 7 desenvolveram inibidores, todos com hemofilia grave. Conclusões: neste estudo, predominaram pacientes com hemofilia A grave, história familiar conhecida de coagulopatia, em tratamento profilático com fatores de coagulação. O estudo fornece informações valiosas sobre as características desses pacientes, o que contribui para o manejo clínico e estratégias de planejamento para melhorar a qualidade do atendimento deles.

Update on prenatal diagnosis and fetal surgery for myelomeningocele. / Actualización del diagnóstico prenatal y cirugía fetal del mielomeningocele.

A seminal study titled Management of Myelomeningocele Study, from 2011, demonstrated that prenatal myelomeningocele defect repaired before 26 weeks of gestation improved neurological outcomes; based on this study, fetal surgery was introduced as a standard of care alternative. Thus, prenatal myelomeningocele diagnosis within the therapeutic window became a mandatory goal; therefore, research efforts on screening strategies were intensified, especially in the first trimester. In addition, different fetal surgery techniques were developed to improve neurological outcomes and reduce maternal risks. The objective of this review is to provide an update on the advances in prenatal screening and diagnosis during the first and second trimesters, and in open and fetoscopic fetal surgery for myelomeningocele.

A partir del estudio seminal Management of Myelomeningocele Study en el año 2011, el cual demostró que la reparación prenatal del defecto del mielomeningocele antes de la semana 26 mejoraba los resultados neurológicos, la cirugía fetal fue incorporada dentro de las opciones de estándar de cuidado. Así, el diagnóstico prenatal del mielomeningocele dentro de la ventana terapéutica se convirtió en un objetivo obligatorio y, por ello, se intensificó la investigación de estrategias de tamizaje, sobre todo, en el primer trimestre. Además, se desarrollaron distintas técnicas de cirugía fetal para mejorar los resultados neurológicos y disminuir los riesgos maternos. El objetivo de la siguiente revisión es actualizar los avances en tamizaje y diagnóstico prenatal en el primer y segundo trimestre, y en cirugía fetal abierta y fetoscópica del mielomeningocele.

Ventriculo-peritoneal shunting devices for hydrocephalus.

BACKGROUND: Hydrocephalus is a common neurological disorder, caused by a progressive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the intracranial space that can lead to increased intracranial pressure, enlargement of the ventricles (ventriculomegaly) and, consequently, to brain damage. Ventriculo-peritoneal shunt systems are the mainstay therapy for this condition, however there are different types of shunt systems. OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness and adverse effects of conventional and complex shunt devices for CSF diversion in people with hydrocephalus. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (2020 Issue 2); Ovid MEDLINE (1946 to February 2020); Embase (Elsevier) (1974 to February 2020); Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information Database (LILACS) (1980 to February 2020); ClinicalTrials.gov; and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. SELECTION CRITERIA: We selected randomised controlled trials or quasi-randomised trials of different types of ventriculo-peritoneal shunting devices for people with hydrocephalus. Primary outcomes included: treatment failure, adverse events and mortality. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors screened studies for selection, assessed risk of bias and extracted data. Due to the scarcity of data, we performed a Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) incorporating GRADE for the quality of the evidence. MAIN RESULTS: We included six studies with 962 participants assessing the effects of standard valves compared to anti-syphon valves, other types of standard valves, self-adjusting CSF flow-regulating valves and external differential programmable pressure valves. All included studies started in a hospital setting and offered ambulatory follow-up. Most studies were conducted in infants or children with hydrocephalus from diverse causes. The certainty of the evidence for most comparisons was low to very low. 1. Standard valve versus anti-syphon valve Three studies with 296 randomised participants were included under this comparison. We are uncertain about the incidence of treatment failure in participants with standard valve and anti-syphon valves (very low certainty of the evidence). The incidence of adverse events may be similar in those with standard valves (range 0 to 1.9%) and anti-syphon valves (range 0 to 2.9%) (low certainty of the evidence). Mortality may be similar in those with standard valves (0%) and anti-syphon valves (0.9%) (RD 0.01%, 95% CI -0.02% to 0.03%, low certainty of the evidence). Ventricular size and head circumference may be similar in those with standard valves and anti-syphon valves (low certainty of the evidence). None of the included studies reported the quality of life of participants. 2. Comparison between different types of standard valves Two studies with 174 randomised participants were included under this comparison. We are uncertain about the incidence of treatment failure in participants with different types of standard valves (early postoperative period: RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.13 to 1.27; at 12 months follow-up: RR 1.17, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.92, very low certainty of the evidence). None of the included studies reported adverse events beyond those included under "treatment failure". We are uncertain about the effects of different types of standard valves on mortality (range 2% to 17%, very low certainty of the evidence). The included studies did not report the effects of these interventions on quality of life, ventricular size reduction or head circumference. 3. Standard valve versus self-adjusting CSF flow-regulating valve One study with 229 randomised participants addressed this comparison. The incidence of treatment failure may be similar in those with standard valves (42.98%) and self-adjusting CSF flow-regulating valves (39.13%) (low certainty of the evidence). The incidence of adverse events may be similar in those with standard valves (range 0 to 1.9%) and those with self-adjusting CSF flow-regulating valves (range 0 to 7.2%) (low certainty of the evidence). The included study reported no deaths in either group in the postoperative period. Beyond the early postoperative period, the authors stated that nine patients died (no disaggregated data by each type of intervention was available, low certainty of the evidence). The included studies did not report the effects of these interventions on quality of life, ventricular size reduction or head circumference. 4. External differential programmable pressure valve versus non-programmable valve One study with 377 randomised participants addressed this comparison. The incidence of treatment failure may be similar in those with programmable valves (52%) and non-programmable valves (52%)  (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.24, low certainty of the evidence). The incidence of adverse events may be similar in those with programmable valves (6.19%) and non-programmable valves (6.01%) (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.44 to 2.15, low certainty of the evidence). The included study did not report the effect of these interventions on mortality, quality of life or head circumference. Ventricular size reduction may be similar in those with programmable valves and non-programmable valves (low certainty of the evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Standard shunt valves for hydrocephalus compared to anti-syphon or self-adjusting CSF flow-regulating valves may cause little to no difference on the main outcomes of this review, however we are very uncertain due to the low to very low certainty of evidence. Similarly, different types of standard valves and external differential programmable pressure valves versus non-programmable valves may be associated with similar outcomes. Nevertheless, this review did not include valves with the latest technology, for which we need high-quality randomised controlled trials focusing on patient-important outcomes including costs.

Correction: Limestone calcination under calcium-looping conditions for CO2 capture and thermochemical energy storage in the presence of H2O: an in situ XRD analysis.

Correction for 'Limestone calcination under calcium-looping conditions for CO2 capture and thermochemical energy storage in the presence of H2O: an in situ XRD analysis' by Jose Manuel Valverde et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017, 19, 7587-7596.

Translation affects mRNA stability in a codon-dependent manner in human cells.

mRNA translation decodes nucleotide into amino acid sequences. However, translation has also been shown to affect mRNA stability depending on codon composition in model organisms, although universality of this mechanism remains unclear. Here, using three independent approaches to measure exogenous and endogenous mRNA decay, we define which codons are associated with stable or unstable mRNAs in human cells. We demonstrate that the regulatory information affecting mRNA stability is encoded in codons and not in nucleotides. Stabilizing codons tend to be associated with higher tRNA levels and higher charged/total tRNA ratios. While mRNAs enriched in destabilizing codons tend to possess shorter poly(A)-tails, the poly(A)-tail is not required for the codon-mediated mRNA stability. This mechanism depends on translation; however, the number of ribosome loads into a mRNA modulates the codon-mediated effects on gene expression. This work provides definitive evidence that translation strongly affects mRNA stability in a codon-dependent manner in human cells.

Presurgical hyperconnectivity of the ablation volume is associated with seizure-freedom after magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy.

PURPOSE: Magnetic Resonance-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (MRgLITT) is an emerging minimally-invasive alternative to resective surgery for medically-intractable epilepsy. The precise lesioning effect produced by MRgLITT supplies opportunities to glean insights into epileptogenic regions and their interactions with functional brain networks. In this exploratory analysis, we sought to characterize associations between MRgLITT ablation zones and large-scale brain networks that portended seizure outcome using resting-state fMRI. METHODS: Presurgical fMRI and intraoperatively volumetric structural imaging were obtained, from which the ablation volume was segmented. The network properties of the ablation volume within the brain's large-scale brain networks were characterized using graph theory and compared between children who were and were not rendered seizure-free. RESULTS: Of the seventeen included children, five achieved seizure freedom following MRgLITT. Greater functional connectivity of the ablation volume to canonical resting-state networks was associated with seizure-freedom (p < 0.05, FDR-corrected). The ablated volume in children who subsequently became seizure-free following MRgLITT had significantly greater strength, and eigenvector centrality within the large-scale brain network. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide novel insights into the interaction between epileptogenic cortex and large-scale brain networks. The association between ablation volume and resting-state networks may supply novel avenues for presurgical planning and patient stratification.

Presurgical thalamocortical connectivity is associated with response to vagus nerve stimulation in children with intractable epilepsy.

Although chronic vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an established treatment for medically-intractable childhood epilepsy, there is considerable heterogeneity in seizure response and little data are available to pre-operatively identify patients who may benefit from treatment. Since the therapeutic effect of VNS may be mediated by afferent projections to the thalamus, we tested the hypothesis that intrinsic thalamocortical connectivity is associated with seizure response following chronic VNS in children with epilepsy. Twenty-one children (ages 5-21 years) with medically-intractable epilepsy underwent resting-state fMRI prior to implantation of VNS. Ten received sedation, while 11 did not. Whole brain connectivity to thalamic regions of interest was performed. Multivariate generalized linear models were used to correlate resting-state data with seizure outcomes, while adjusting for age and sedation status. A supervised support vector machine (SVM) algorithm was used to classify response to chronic VNS on the basis of intrinsic connectivity. Of the 21 subjects, 11 (52%) had 50% or greater improvement in seizure control after VNS. Enhanced connectivity of the thalami to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and left insula was associated with greater VNS efficacy. Within our test cohort, SVM correctly classified response to chronic VNS with 86% accuracy. In an external cohort of 8 children, the predictive model correctly classified the seizure response with 88% accuracy. We find that enhanced intrinsic connectivity within thalamocortical circuitry is associated with seizure response following VNS. These results encourage the study of intrinsic connectivity to inform neural network-based, personalized treatment decisions for children with intractable epilepsy.

Limestone calcination under calcium-looping conditions for CO2 capture and thermochemical energy storage in the presence of H2O: an in situ XRD analysis.

This work reports an in situ XRD analysis of whether the calcination/carbonation behavior of natural limestone (CaCO3) is affected by the addition of H2O to the calciner at a very low concentration under relevant Calcium-Looping (CaL) conditions for CO2 capture in coal fired power plants (CFPP) and Thermochemical Energy Storage (TCES) in Concentrated Solar Power plants (CSP). Previous studies have demonstrated that the presence of steam in the calciner at a high concentration yields a significant increase in the reaction rate. However, a further undesired consequence is the serious deterioration of the CaO mechanical strength, which would lead to particle attrition and mass loss in any CaL process based on the use of circulating fluidized beds. The results presented in this manuscript on the time evolution of the wt% and crystallite size of the phases involved in the calcination/carbonation reactions indicate that the calcination rate is still notably increased by the presence of H2O at very low concentrations whereas the reactivity toward carbonation and crystal structure of the formed CaO are not essentially affected, which suggests that the CaO mechanical strength is not impaired. Thus, the benefit of using steam for calcination in the CaL process could be still retained while at the same time particle attrition would not be promoted.

[Translated Title: Participatory research to develop a school violence observation instrument]. / Estudio participativo para el desarrolllo de un instrumento de observación de violencia escolar.

School violence has been recognized worldwide as a public health problem that negatively impacts the educational process. However, in Puerto Rico official statistics and the media generally focus on isolated incidents of extreme violence in which weapons are used or property is destroyed. Little data is available about the most common forms of violence that often occur in schools on a daily basis. The Instrumento de Observación de Violencia Escolar (INOVE), developed with the input of school communities participating in Project VIAS (Violence and Asthma Health Disparity Network) of Universidad del Este (UNE), was used in this study to gather information about the characteristics of violence in two Puerto Rican schools. Among the study findings we highlight gender differences in observed violence and aggressive games and interactions between students. The data collected have served as a basis for decision-making regarding violence prevention in participating schools and have implications for the development of prevention strategies and programs.

WHY ADULT VIEWS MATTER: SCHOOL PERSONNEL PERSPECTIVES ABOUT CHILD SCHOOL PARTICIPATION.

Community-Based Participatory Research promotes the inclusion of diverse voices in the research process and in decision-making processes. However, there are very few research studies that collaborate with children, especially within the context of schools. Promoting child participation has benefits both for children as well as for schools. Nonetheless, this may depend on how adults react to such participation. The present study is part of a broader study on school violence prevention. Our objective is to explore school personnel's concept of childhood and how it relates to their opinions about child school participation. We conducted a discussion group with nineteen (19) faculty and non-faculty members of a public school to ask them questions about the topic. We categorized participants' answers and analyzed relationships among them. Results suggest that participants' concept of childhood is linked to socio-cultural and historical factors and that it impacts their opinions about child participation. Also, school personnel recognize that child participation has benefits for children, the school and the wider society. This contrasts with deficiencies on how to articulate this participation beyond traditional classroom strategies. We discuss the implications of these results for pedagogical practice and for participatory research as promoters of children voices in context.

Thermal decomposition of dolomite under CO2: insights from TGA and in situ XRD analysis.

Thermal decomposition of dolomite in the presence of CO2 in a calcination environment is investigated by means of in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The in situ XRD results suggest that dolomite decomposes directly at a temperature around 700 °C into MgO and CaO. Immediate carbonation of nascent CaO crystals leads to the formation of calcite as an intermediate product of decomposition. Subsequently, decarbonation of this poorly crystalline calcite occurs when the reaction is thermodynamically favorable and sufficiently fast at a temperature depending on the CO2 partial pressure in the calcination atmosphere. Decarbonation of this dolomitic calcite occurs at a lower temperature than limestone decarbonation due to the relatively low crystallinity of the former. Full decomposition of dolomite leads also to a relatively low crystalline CaO, which exhibits a high reactivity as compared to limestone derived CaO. Under CO2 capture conditions in the Calcium-Looping (CaL) process, MgO grains remain inert yet favor the carbonation reactivity of dolomitic CaO especially in the solid-state diffusion controlled phase. The fundamental mechanism that drives the crystallographic transformation of dolomite in the presence of CO2 is thus responsible for its fast calcination kinetics and the high carbonation reactivity of dolomitic CaO, which makes natural dolomite a potentially advantageous alternative to limestone for CO2 capture in the CaL technology as well as SO2in situ removal in oxy-combustion fluidized bed reactors.