Cancer-Associated Lymphoid Aggregates in Histology Images: Manual and Deep Learning-Based Quantification Approaches.

Quantification of lymphoid aggregates including tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) with germinal centers in histology images of cancer is a promising approach for developing prognostic and predictive tissue biomarkers. In this article, we provide recommendations for identifying lymphoid aggregates in tissue sections from routine pathology workflows such as hematoxylin and eosin staining. To overcome the intrinsic variability associated with manual image analysis (such as subjective decision-making, attention span), we recently developed a deep learning-based algorithm called HookNet-TLS to detect lymphoid aggregates and germinal centers in various tissues.

Sensitive analysis of selenium speciation in natural seawater by isotope-dilution and large volume injection using PTV-GC-ICP-MS.

Although oceans play a key role in the global selenium (Se) cycle, there is currently very little quantitative information available on the distribution of Se concentrations and Se speciation in marine environments. In general, determining Se concentration and speciation in seawater is highly challenging due to very low Se levels ((sub)ng⋅L), whereas matrix elements interfering Se pre-concentration and detection are up to the g⋅L levels. In this study, we established a sensitive method for the determination of the various Se chemical fractions present in natural seawater, i.

Tailored cancer therapy by magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia: A virtual scenario simulation method.

Background And Objective: Hyperthermia is a cancer treatment aiming to induce cell death by directly warming cancerous tissues above 40 °C. This technique can be applied both individually and together with other cancer therapies. The main challenge for researchers and medics is to heat only tumoral cells avoiding global or localized heating of sane tissues.

The SPARC DRC: Building a Resource for the Autonomic Nervous System Community.

The Data and Resource Center (DRC) of the NIH-funded SPARC program is developing databases, connectivity maps, and simulation tools for the mammalian autonomic nervous system. The experimental data and mathematical models supplied to the DRC by the SPARC consortium are curated, annotated and semantically linked via a single knowledgebase. A data portal has been developed that allows discovery of data and models both via semantic search and via an interface that includes Google Map-like 2D flatmaps for displaying connectivity, and 3D anatomical organ scaffolds that provide a common coordinate framework for cross-species comparisons.

Role of the GLUT1 Glucose Transporter in Postnatal CNS Angiogenesis and Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity.

Rationale: Endothelial cells (ECs) are highly glycolytic and generate the majority of their energy via the breakdown of glucose to lactate. At the same time, a main role of ECs is to allow the transport of glucose to the surrounding tissues. GLUT1 (glucose transporter isoform 1/) is highly expressed in ECs of the central nervous system (CNS) and is often implicated in blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction, but whether and how GLUT1 controls EC metabolism and function is poorly understood.

RF-INDUCED TEMPERATURE INCREASE IN A STRATIFIED MODEL OF THE SKIN FOR PLANE-WAVE EXPOSURE AT 6-100 GHZ.

This study assesses the maximum temperature increase induced by exposure to electromagnetic fields between 6 and 100 GHz using a stratified model of the skin with four or five layers under plane wave incidence. The skin model distinguishes the stratum corneum (SC) and the viable epidermis as the outermost layers of the skin. The analysis identifies the tissue layer structures that minimize reflection and maximize the temperature increase induced by the electromagnetic field.

Functionalized Anatomical Models for Computational Life Sciences.

The advent of detailed computational anatomical models has opened new avenues for computational life sciences (CLS). To date, static models representing the anatomical environment have been used in many applications but are insufficient when the dynamics of the body prevents separation of anatomical geometrical variability from physics and physiology. Obvious examples include the assessment of thermal risks in magnetic resonance imaging and planning for radiofrequency and acoustic cancer treatment, where posture and physiology-related changes in shape (e.

Targeted neurotechnology restores walking in humans with spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury leads to severe locomotor deficits or even complete leg paralysis. Here we introduce targeted spinal cord stimulation neurotechnologies that enabled voluntary control of walking in individuals who had sustained a spinal cord injury more than four years ago and presented with permanent motor deficits or complete paralysis despite extensive rehabilitation. Using an implanted pulse generator with real-time triggering capabilities, we delivered trains of spatially selective stimulation to the lumbosacral spinal cord with timing that coincided with the intended movement.

Anatomy of a fumarolic system inferred from a multiphysics approach.

Fumaroles are a common manifestation of volcanic activity that are associated with large emissions of gases into the atmosphere. These gases originate from the magma, and they can provide indirect and unique insights into magmatic processes. Therefore, they are extensively used to monitor and forecast eruptive activity.

In situ and space-based observations of the Kelud volcanic plume: The persistence of ash in the lower stratosphere.

Volcanic eruptions are important causes of natural variability in the climate system at all time scales. Assessments of the climate impact of volcanic eruptions by climate models almost universally assume that sulfate aerosol is the only radiatively active volcanic material. We report satellite observations from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) on board the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite after the eruption of Mount Kelud (Indonesia) on 13 February 2014 of volcanic materials in the lower stratosphere.

Beyond variability: Subjective timing and the neurophysiology of motor cognition.

Background: Movement simulation helps increasing the chances to reach goals. A cognitive task used to study the neuro-behavioral aspects of movement simulation is mental rotation: people mentally re-orient rotated pictures of hands. However, the involvement of the primary motor cortex (M1) in mental rotation is largely controversial.

Implicit self-other discrimination affects the interplay between multisensory affordances of mental representations of faces.

Face recognition is an apparently straightforward but, in fact, complex ability, encompassing the activation of at least visual and somatosensory representations. Understanding how identity shapes the interplay between these face-related affordances could clarify the mechanisms of self-other discrimination. To this aim, we exploited the so-called "face inversion effect" (FIE), a specific bias in the mental rotation of face images (of other people): with respect to inanimate objects, face images require longer time to be mentally rotated from the upside-down.

Sheep as a large animal ear model: Middle-ear ossicular velocities and intracochlear sound pressure.

Animals are frequently used for the development and testing of new hearing devices. Dimensions of the middle ear and cochlea differ significantly between humans and commonly used animals, such as rodents or cats. The sheep cochlea is anatomically more like the human cochlea in size and number of turns.

Noninvasive Deep Brain Stimulation via Temporally Interfering Electric Fields.

We report a noninvasive strategy for electrically stimulating neurons at depth. By delivering to the brain multiple electric fields at frequencies too high to recruit neural firing, but which differ by a frequency within the dynamic range of neural firing, we can electrically stimulate neurons throughout a region where interference between the multiple fields results in a prominent electric field envelope modulated at the difference frequency. We validated this temporal interference (TI) concept via modeling and physics experiments, and verified that neurons in the living mouse brain could follow the electric field envelope.

Ratiometric Fluorescent Probes for the Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are endogenously produced oxidants with various functions ranging from host defense to signaling. These transient species can cause severe damage to the body when their production is dysregulated or when environmental factors elevate their concentrations. To study their effects and prevent oxidative harm, tools capable of monitoring ROS in cells and tissue in a sensitive and selective fashion are required.

Development of a Modular Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for the Detection of Extracellular Superoxide.

Extracellular detection of endogeneous analytes (e.g., superoxide) can provide important insights into mechanisms of homeostasis and diseases, such as tumorigenesis.

Finding all multiple stable fixpoints of n-species Lotka-Volterra competition models.

One way to explore assembly of extant and novel communities from species pools, and by that biodiversity and species ranges, is to study the equilibrium behavior of dynamic competition models such as the Lotka-Volterra competition (LVC) model. We present a novel method (COMMUSTIX) to determine all stable fixpoints of the general LVC model with abundances x from a given pool of n species. To that purpose, we split the species in potentially surviving species (x>0) and in others going extinct (x=0).

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Cyanobacterial Serine Protease Inhibitors Aeruginosin 828A and Cyanopeptolin 1020 in Human Hepatoma Cell Line Huh7 and Effects in Zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Intensive growth of cyanobacteria in freshwater promoted by eutrophication can lead to release of toxic secondary metabolites that may harm aquatic organisms and humans. The serine protease inhibitor aeruginosin 828A was isolated from a microcystin-deficient Planktothrix strain. We assessed potential molecular effects of aeruginosin 828A in comparison to another cyanobacterial serine protease inhibitor, cyanopeptolin 1020, in human hepatoma cell line Huh7, in zebrafish embryos and liver organ cultures.

Engineering microbial consortia for controllable outputs.

Much research has been invested into engineering microorganisms to perform desired biotransformations; nonetheless, these efforts frequently fall short of expected results due to the unforeseen effects of biofeedback regulation and functional incompatibility. In nature, metabolic function is compartmentalized into diverse organisms assembled into robust consortia, in which the division of labor is thought to lead to increased community efficiency and productivity. Here we consider whether and how consortia can be designed to perform bioprocesses of interest beyond the metabolic flexibility limitations of a single organism.

Comparative effects of nodularin and microcystin-LR in zebrafish: 1. Uptake by organic anion transporting polypeptide Oatp1d1 (Slco1d1).

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and nodularin are hepatotoxins produced by several cyanobacterial species. Their toxicity is based on active cellular uptake and subsequent inhibition of protein phosphatases PP1/2A, leading to hyperphosphorylation and cell death. To date, uptake of MC-LR and nodularin in fish is poorly understood.

COMPUTATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF PREGNANT WOMAN MODELS EXPOSED TO UNIFORM ELF-MAGNETIC FIELDS: COMPLIANCE WITH THE EUROPEAN CURRENT EXPOSURE REGULATIONS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURES AT 50 Hz.

The Recommendation 1999/529/EU and the Directive 2013/35/EU suggest limits for both general public and occupational exposures to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields, but without special limits for pregnant women. This study aimed to assess the compliance of pregnant women to the current regulations, when exposed to uniform MF at 50 Hz (100 μT for EU Recommendation and 1 and 6 mT for EU Directive). For general public, exposure of pregnant women and fetus always resulted in compliance with EU Recommendation.

Scientific Basis for Regulatory Decision-Making of Nanomaterials Report on the Workshop, 20-21 January 2014, Center of Applied Ecotoxicology, Dübendorf.

The key findings of a workshop jointly organized by the Swiss Centre of Applied Ecotoxicity, the Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT), and the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) are summarized and provide a critical analysis of the current regulatory framework for nanomaterials and a snapshot of some hot topics in nanoscience.

Numerical modeling of heart valves using resistive Eulerian surfaces.

The goal of this work is the development and numerical implementation of a mathematical model describing the functioning of heart valves. To couple the pulsatile blood flow with a highly deformable thin structure (the valve's leaflets), a resistive Eulerian surfaces framework is adopted. A lumped-parameter model helps to couple the movement of the leaflets with the blood dynamics.

Preparation of Fluorescent Microcystin Derivatives by Direct Arginine Labelling and Their Biological Evaluation.

Microcystin is the most prevalent toxin produced by cyanobacteria and poses a severe threat to livestock, humans and entire ecosystems. We report the preparation of a series of fluorescent microcystin derivatives by direct arginine labelling of the unprotected peptides at the guanidinium side chain. This new method allows a simple late-stage diversification strategy for native peptides devoid of protecting groups under mild conditions.