Modern perspective of the Rice Diet for hypertension and other metabolic diseases.

Background: In the early 1940s, before antihypertensive drugs were available, the Rice Diet Programme (RDP) was developed to treat severe hypertension and, later, diabetes and obesity. Despite significant advancements in dietary management for these conditions since then, debates remain regarding the proper guidelines for sodium and macronutrients intakes. The patient care records of RDP offer a unique source of longitudinal examination of a very low sodium (<10 mmol/day), fat, cholesterol and protein diet on blood pressure (BP), other health markers and survival.

neutron diffraction to investigate the solid-state synthesis of Ni-rich cathode materials.

Studying chemical reactions in real time can provide unparalleled insight into the evolution of intermediate species and can provide guidance to optimize the reaction conditions. For solid-state synthesis reactions, powder diffraction has been demonstrated as an effective tool for resolving the structural evolution taking place upon heating. The synthesis of layered Ni-rich transition-metal oxides at a large scale (grams to kilograms) is highly relevant as these materials are commonly employed as cathodes for Li-ion batteries.

Stimulated emission depletion microscopy with a single depletion laser using five fluorochromes and fluorescence lifetime phasor separation.

Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy achieves super-resolution by exciting a diffraction-limited volume and then suppressing fluorescence in its outer parts by depletion. Multiple depletion lasers may introduce misalignment and bleaching. Hence, a single depletion wavelength is preferable for multi-color analyses.

Self-Supervised Learning Methods for Label-Efficient Dental Caries Classification.

High annotation costs are a substantial bottleneck in applying deep learning architectures to clinically relevant use cases, substantiating the need for algorithms to learn from unlabeled data. In this work, we propose employing self-supervised methods. To that end, we trained with three self-supervised algorithms on a large corpus of unlabeled dental images, which contained 38K bitewing radiographs (BWRs).

How To Improve Capacity and Cycling Stability for Next Generation Li-O2 Batteries: Approach with a Solid Electrolyte and Elevated Redox Mediator Concentrations.

Because of their exceptionally high specific energy, aprotic lithium oxygen (Li-O2) batteries are considered as potential future energy stores. Their practical application is, however, still hindered by the high charging overvoltages and detrimental side reactions. Recently, the use of redox mediators dissolved in the electrolyte emerged as a promising tool to enable charging at moderate voltages.

Understanding the fundamentals of redox mediators in Li-O2 batteries: a case study on nitroxides.

The development of aprotic lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries suffers from high charging overvoltages. Dissolved redox mediators, like nitroxides, providing increased energy efficiency and longer lifetime are promising tools to overcome this challenge. Since this auspicious concept is still in its infancy, the underlying chemical reactions as well as the impact of the different (electro)chemical parameters are poorly understood.

TEMPO: a mobile catalyst for rechargeable Li-O₂ batteries.

Nonaqueous Li-O2 batteries are an intensively studied future energy storage technology because of their high theoretical energy density. However, a number of barriers prevent a practical application, and one of the major challenges is the reduction of the high charge overpotential: Whereas lithium peroxide (Li2O2) is formed during discharge at around 2.7 V (vs Li(+)/Li), its electrochemical decomposition during the charge process requires potentials up to 4.

Isolation and functional characterization of pericytes derived from hamster skeletal muscle.

Aim: At the interface of tissue and capillaries, pericytes (PC) may generate electrical signals to be conducted along the skeletal muscle vascular network, but they are functionally not well characterized. We aimed to isolate and cultivate muscle PC allowing to analyse functional properties considered important for signal generation and conduction.

Methods: Pericytes were enzymatically isolated from hamster thigh muscles and further selected during a 16-30 days' cultivation period.

Effective medium approximations for modeling optical reflectance from gratings with rough edges.

Line edge roughness (LER) has been identified as a potential source of uncertainty in optical scatterometry measurements. Characterizing the effect of LER on optical scatterometry signals is required to assess the uncertainty of the measurement. However, rigorous approaches to modeling the structures that are needed to simulate LER can be computationally expensive.

Self-calibration for transmitted wavefront measurements.

Micro-optic components and subsystems are becoming increasingly important in optical sensors, communications, data storage, and many other diverse applications. To adequately predict the performance of the final system, it is important to understand the element's effect on the wavefront as it propagates through the system. The wavefront can be measured using interferometric means, however, random and systematic errors contribute to the measurement.

Expression of G(alpha)(s) proteins and TSH receptor signalling in hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules with TSH receptor mutations.

Objective: Constitutively activating mutations of the thyrotrophin receptor (TSHR) are the main molecular cause of hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules (HTNs). The G protein coupling is an important and critical step in the TSHR signalling which mainly includes G(alpha)(s), G(alpha)(i) and G(alpha)(q)/11 proteins.

Design: We investigated the in vitro consequences of overexpressing G(alpha) proteins on signalling of the wild-type (WT) or mutated TSHR.

GAS TRANSPORT IN THE HAEMOLYMPH OF ARACHNIDS - OXYGEN TRANSPORT AND THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLE OF HAEMOCYANIN.

Oxygen equilibrium curves and the relationships between the partial pressure of CO2 and pH were determined for the haemolymph of the arachnids Eurypelma californicum, Pandinus imperator and Cupiennius salei. A new type of experimental apparatus was constructed, tested and used to make these measurements on small undiluted cell-free haemolymph samples. Most of its components were made in our workshop and were inexpensive.

A multichannel PWM telemetry system for kinematic gait analysis.

A multichannel biotelemetry system using pulse-width modulation-frequency modulation (PWM-FM) is described in detail for laboratory construction. Its application in a kinematic gait-analysis system is demonstrated, employing minimally encumbering electrogoniometry and foot-contact switches. The triaxial electrogoniometers sense rotational joint motion, and four foot-switches under the sole of each foot provide information on placement and temporal contact.

Radioanalysis of 82Rb generator eluates.

The activity of 82Rb produced from a 82Sr/82Rb generator is dependent on elution conditions (volume and eluent flow rate) and sampling conditions (time and position of collection). Assays for 82Rb in generator eluates are described using a commercial dose calibrator in a static procedure and a plastic scintillator in a dynamic procedure. Dynamic assays more accurately reflect the 82Rb administered when the eluate is injected directly.