Generative Adversarial Networks in Digital Pathology: A Survey on Trends and Future Potential.

Image analysis in the field of digital pathology has recently gained increased popularity. The use of high-quality whole-slide scanners enables the fast acquisition of large amounts of image data, showing extensive context and microscopic detail at the same time. Simultaneously, novel machine-learning algorithms have boosted the performance of image analysis approaches.

Memory Traces Formed in Utero-Newborns' Autonomic and Neuronal Responses to Prenatal Stimuli and the Maternal Voice.

In our pilot study, we exposed third-trimester fetuses, from week 34 of gestation onwards, twice daily to a maternal spoken nursery rhyme. Two and five weeks after birth, 34 newborns, who were either familiarized with rhyme stimulation in utero or stimulation naïve, were (re-)exposed to the familiar, as well as to a novel and unfamiliar, rhyme, both spoken with the maternal and an unfamiliar female voice. For the stimulation-naïve group, both rhymes were unfamiliar.

Larch Bark as a Formaldehyde Scavenger in Thermal Insulation Panels.

The aim of this study is to investigate the formaldehyde content and emissions of bark-based insulation panels bonded with three types of adhesives: urea formaldehyde, melamine urea-formaldehyde, and tannin-based adhesives. These panels were produced at two levels of density-300 and 500 kg/m-and a thickness of 20 mm, and the influence of the adhesive amount and type on the formaldehyde emissions and content was measured. Other mechanical and physical properties such as modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity, internal bond, and dimensional stability were also scrutinized.

Tannin-Based Hybrid Materials and Their Applications: A Review.

Tannins are eco-friendly, bio-sourced, natural, and highly reactive polyphenols. In the past decades, the understanding of their versatile properties has grown substantially alongside a continuously broadening of the tannins' application scope. In particular, recently, tannins have been increasingly investigated for their interaction with other species in order to obtain tannin-based hybrid systems that feature advanced and/or novel properties.

Bark Thermal Insulation Panels: An Explorative Study on the Effects of Bark Species.

Tree bark is a byproduct of the timber industry which accrues in large amounts, because approximately 10% of the volume a log is bark. Bark is used primarily for low-value applications such as fuel or as a soil covering material in agriculture. Within the present study, thermal insulation panels made from larch, pine, spruce, fir and oak tree bark with different resins (urea formaldehyde, melamine formaldehyde, Quebracho, Mimosa) as a binder are discussed.

Assessment of approach-avoidance tendencies in body image using a novel touchscreen paradigm.

Background And Objectives: Approaching the thin-ideal and avoiding the stigma of fatness are motivational tendencies resulting from the internalisation of sociocultural appearance norms. Individual differences in subclinical levels of eating disorder symptomatology may be related to variation in motivational tendencies regarding thin vs. non-thin bodies.

Sound-Absorption Coefficient of Bark-Based Insulation Panels.

The objective of this study was to investigate the sound absorption coefficient of bark-based insulation panels made of softwood barks Spruce ( (L.) H. Karst.

Mitigation of Ammonia Emissions from Cattle Manure Slurry by Tannins and Tannin-Based Polymers.

With the extensive use of nitrogen-based fertilizer in agriculture, ammonia emissions, especially from cattle manure, are a serious environmental threat for soil and air. The European community committed to reduce the ammonia emissions by 30% by the year 2030 compared to 2005. After a moderate initial reduction, the last report showed no further improvements in the last four years, keeping the 30% reduction a very challenging target for the next decade.

Bio-Based Polymers for Engineered Green Materials.

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Synthesis and Characterization of High-Performing Sulfur-Free Tannin Foams.

Tannin foams are green lightweight materials that have attracted industrial interest for the manufacturing of sandwich panels for insulation purposes. However, the dimensions of the cells and the presence of sulfur in the formulation developed until now have discouraged their upscaling. In this work, we present the synthesis and the characterization of the more promising small cell and sulfur-free materials.

Larch Wood Residues Valorization through Extraction and Utilization of High Value-Added Products.

Many of current bio-based materials are not fully or partly used for material utilization, as the composition of their raw materials and/or possible applications are unknown. This study deals with the analysis of the wood extractives from three different tissue of larch wood: Sapwood mainly from outer part of the log, and sound knotwood as well as dead knotwood. The extractions were performed with an accelerated solvent extractor (ASE) using hexane and acetone/water.

Analysis of Larch-Bark Capacity for Formaldehyde Removal in Wood Adhesives.

Ecofriendly wood-based materials are required by consumers at present. Decorative panels are part of a large group of wood-composite materials, and their environmental properties must not be neglected. More environmentally friendly decorative panels can be achieved by various methods.

Understanding the Polymerization of Polyfurfuryl Alcohol: Ring Opening and Diels-Alder Reactions.

Polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) is one of the most intriguing polymers because, despite its easy polymerization in acid environment, its molecular structure is definitely not obvious. Many studies have been performed in recent decades, and every time, surprising aspects came out. With the present study, we aim to take advantage of all of the findings of previous investigations and exploit them for the interpretation of the completely cured PFA spectra registered with three of the most powerful techniques for the characterization of solid, insoluble polymers: Solid-State C-NMR, Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and UV-resonant Raman spectroscopy at different excitation wavelengths, using both an UV laser source and UV synchrotron radiation.

Effects of a Smartphone-Based Approach-Avoidance Intervention on Chocolate Craving and Consumption: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Repeatedly pushing high-calorie food stimuli away based on joystick movements has been found to reduce approach biases toward these stimuli. Some studies also found that such avoidance training reduced consumption of high-calorie foods.

Objective: This study aimed to test effects of a smartphone-based approach-avoidance intervention on chocolate craving and consumption, to make such interventions suitable for daily use.

On the development of sleep states in the first weeks of life.

Human newborns spend up to 18 hours sleeping. The organization of their sleep differs immensely from adult sleep, and its quick maturation and fundamental changes correspond to the rapid cortical development at this age. Manual sleep classification is specifically challenging in this population given major body movements and frequent shifts between vigilance states; in addition various staging criteria co-exist.

Comparative analysis of high CRP-levels in human blood using point-of-care and laboratory-based methods.

Objectives: The use of point-of-care (POC) methods and the measurements of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a diagnostic marker have both increased over the past years. This has led to an increase in POC-methods analysing CRP. High CRP levels are often seen as an indication for the subscription of antibiotics.

Immune Effects of the Nitrated Food Allergen Beta-Lactoglobulin in an Experimental Food Allergy Model.

Food proteins may get nitrated by various exogenous or endogenous mechanisms. As individuals might get recurrently exposed to nitrated proteins via daily diet, we aimed to investigate the effect of repeatedly ingested nitrated food proteins on the subsequent immune response in non-allergic and allergic mice using the milk allergen beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) as model food protein in a mouse model. Evaluating the presence of nitrated proteins in food, we could detect 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) in extracts of different foods and in stomach content extracts of non-allergic mice under physiological conditions.

Furfuryl Alcohol and Lactic Acid Blends: Homo- or Co-Polymerization?

Furfuryl alcohol (FA) and lactic acid (LA) are two of the most interesting biomolecules, easily obtainable from sugars and hence extremely attractive for green chemistry solutions. These substances undergo homopolymerization and they have been rarely considered for copolymerization. Typically, FA homopolymerizes exothermically in an acid environment producing inhomogeneous porous materials, but recent studies have shown that this reaction can be controlled and therefore we have implemented this process to trigger the copolymerization with LA.

Winter Exercise Reduces Allergic Airway Inflammation: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Physical exercise is often recommended as additional treatment for people suffering from allergic rhinitis and/or asthma, but less is known about the specific effects of recreational winter outdoor exercise on allergic airway inflammation. We performed a longitudinal, randomized controlled intervention study to investigate the effects of recreational winter exercise on allergic airway inflammation, quality of life, spirometry and cardiorespiratory fitness in adults suffering from allergic rhinitis and/or asthma. The exercise group participated in a ten-day winter sports program.

Pollutant Absorption as a Possible End-Of-Life Solution for Polyphenolic Polymers.

Tannin- and lignin-furanic foams are natural porous materials that have attracted high interest in the scientific and industrial communities for their high thermal and fire-resistant properties. However, no interesting solutions have been proposed for the management of their end-life as yet. In this study, the phenolic-furanic powders derived from the foams were analyzed for their capacity to remove different pollutants like neutral, cationic, and anionic organic molecules from wastewater.

Measuring approach-avoidance tendencies towards food with touchscreen-based arm movements.

Most tasks for measuring automatic approach-avoidance tendencies do not resemble naturalistic approach-avoidance behaviors. Therefore, we developed a paradigm for the assessment of approach-avoidance tendencies towards palatable food, which is based on arm and hand movements on a touchscreen, thereby mimicking real-life grasping or warding movements. In Study 1 (n = 85), an approach bias towards chocolate-containing foods was found when participants reached towards the stimuli, but not when these stimuli had to be moved on the touchscreen.

Effects of moderate mountain hiking and balneotherapy on community-dwelling older people: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Population aging is one of the greatest socio-economic challenges of the 21st century, as aging is a well-known risk factor for the development of chronic diseases and functional disabilities. A sedentary life-style promotes the progression of chronic diseases and impaired mobility in older people. Therefore, physical activity is essential for healthy aging.

Approach-avoidance tendencies towards food: Measurement on a touchscreen and the role of attention and food craving.

Automatic approach tendencies are often assessed with joystick-based approach-avoidance tasks (AATs). In line with similar studies, we have previously shown that individuals show an approach bias towards palatable food only when picture valence (i.e.

The protein corona suppresses the cytotoxic and pro-inflammatory response in lung epithelial cells and macrophages upon exposure to nanosilica.

Engineered amorphous silica nanoparticles (nanosilica) are one of the most abundant nanomaterials and are widely used in industry. Furthermore, novel nanosilica materials are promising theranostic tools for biomedicine. However, hazardous effects of nanosilica especially after inhalation into the lung have been documented.

Domain-specific data augmentation for segmenting MR images of fatty infiltrated human thighs with neural networks.

Background: Fat-fraction has been established as a relevant marker for the assessment and diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases. For computing this metric, segmentation of muscle tissue in MR images is a first crucial step.

Purpose: To tackle the high degree of variability in combination with the high annotation effort for training supervised segmentation models (such as fully convolutional neural networks).