Impact of Power and Time in Hepatic Microwave Ablation: Effect of Different Energy Delivery Schemes.

Microwave ablation often involves the use of continuous energy-delivery protocols with a fixed power and time. To achieve larger ablation zones, a range of protocols and power levels have been studied in experimental studies. The objective of the present study was to develop and experimentally evaluate the performance of a coupled computational electromagnetic-bioheat transfer model of 2.

Does Muscle Pain Induce Alterations in the Pelvic Floor Motor Unit Activity Properties in Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome? A High-Density sEMG-Based Study.

Several studies have shown interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), a chronic condition that poses challenges in both diagnosis and treatment, is associated with painful pelvic floor muscles (PFM) and altered neural drive to these muscles. However, its pathophysiology could also involve other alterations in the electrical activity of PFM motor units (MUs). Studying these alterations could provide novel insights into IC/BPS and help its clinical management.

Improving Thermo-Sealing of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) by Blending with Polycaprolactone.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is a biodegradable biopolymer from the PHAs family that has potential to replace conventional plastics and reduce plastic pollution. However, PHBV has thermo-sealability issues, making it challenging to use for bags. Blending it with polycaprolactone (PCL) could address this but may alter the barrier properties of the films, affecting their effectiveness as food packaging material.

Mechanical Properties and In Vitro Digestibility of Fermented Lentil and Quinoa Flour Food Prototypes for Older Adults.

: The increase in the older adult population worldwide and the need to switch to vegetal-origin protein consumption for environmental sustainability point to legumes and pseudocereals as alternative ingredients in new food formulations. This study aimed to assess the impact of food structure and fungal fermentation on the digestibility of new food prototypes made with quinoa and/or lentil flours addressed to older adults. : Four gels and six breads were elaborated and subjected to mechanical analysis and simulated gastrointestinal in vitro digestion.

Valorizing Astringent 'Rojo Brillante' Persimmon Through the Development of Persimmon-Based Bars.

This study developed a new energy bar using the astringent 'Rojo Brillante' variety of persimmons to address postharvest losses. The bar was formulated with dehydrated persimmons, walnuts, hazelnuts, and chia seeds to enhance their nutritional profile. The proximate composition was evaluated and the mechanical and optical properties, soluble tannins, carotenoids, and antioxidant activities were monitored during storage.

Silver mean sequence in extended depth of focus intraocular lenses: a comparative study of kinoform and stepwise designs.

In this work, we present two new multifocal intraocular lens (MIOL) designs, both based on the silver mean kinoform diffractive lens. We demonstrate that a single aperiodic diffractive profile can be used to create two different MIOLs: one with a kinoform structure and the other with a stepwise profile. Quantitative assessment of the designs was carried out using the through focus modulation transfer function and the area under the modulation transfer function for the prediction of their visual performance.

Longitudinal chiral forces in photonic integrated waveguides to separate particles with realistically small chirality.

Chiral optical forces exhibit opposite signs for the two enantiomeric versions of a chiral molecule or particle. If large enough, these forces might be able to separate enantiomers all optically, which would find numerous applications in different fields, from pharmacology to chemistry. Longitudinal chiral forces are especially promising for tackling the challenging scenario of separating particles of realistically small chiralities.

Luminescence and Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species in Solution by TaBr Clusters.

An intrinsic metal cluster NIR-II emission of the {TaBr} aqua/hydroxocomplexes was determined in aqueous solutions under inert atmosphere. The photoluminescence (PL) is enhanced in DO, and the lifetime scale expands from nanoseconds to microseconds. Possible cluster emission transitions have been assigned and analyzed from a computational perspective.

Validation of CLASS MRI for personalized ACL footprints identification.

Purpose: In modern anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, the focus is usually on anatomical reconstruction to restore the natural kinematics of the knee. The individual optimal positioning of the ACL footprints (FPs) in primary surgery is still controversial and, especially in revision surgery, difficult to realize surgically. In this regard, a new MRI-based sequence, the Compressed Lateral and anteroposterior Anatomic Systematic Sequence (CLASS) with marked femoral and tibial FPs as a template, could help.

Injectable cell-laden gelatin-chondroitin sulphate hydrogels for liver in vitro models.

Liver extracellular matrix-based models that precisely reproduce liver physiology and functions are required as 3D culture microenvironments for multiple applications in toxicology and metabolism, or for understanding the mechanisms implicated in liver disease. We introduced injectable gelatin-chondroitin sulphate (Gel/CS) hydrogels for culturing HepG2 cells, and evaluated the mechanical properties and functionality of cells in different Gel/CS compositions. The Gel/CS hydrogels exhibited soft mechanical properties and allowed the HepG2 culture.

Solving Allen-Cahn equations with periodic and nonperiodic boundary conditions using mimetic finite-difference operators.

In this paper, we investigate and implement a numerical method that is based on the mimetic finite difference operator in order to solve the nonlinear Allen-Cahn equation with periodic and non-periodic boundary conditions. In addition, we also analyze the performance of this mimetic-based method by using the classical heat equation with a variety of boundary conditions. We assess the performance of the mimetic-based numerical method by comparing the errors of its solutions with those obtained by a classical finite difference method and the pdepde built-in Matlab function.

Effect of farm size on vulnerability in beekeeping: Insights from mediterranean Spain.

There is broad consensus on the socioeconomic importance of beekeeping and the essential services it provides through pollination. However, beekeeping is being impacted by global environmental changes, and more specific insights are needed. Beekeeping is not a homogeneous activity; it is practiced in various ways and contexts.

Antinutritional factors and protein digestibility of broad bean flours hydrolysed during soaking using vacuum enzyme impregnation.

The hydrolysis of legume proteins improves their nutritional and functional properties. Usually done by mixing flour with an enzyme solution, the process can be simplified using vacuum enzyme impregnation during soaking. This study used vacuum impregnation with papain or bromelain to obtain hydrolysed broad bean flours.

Multifunctional Heterogeneous Cobalt Catalyst for the One-Pot Synthesis of Benzimidazoles by Reductive Coupling of Dinitroarenes with Aldehydes in Water.

The endeavor of sustainable chemistry has led to significant advancements in green methodologies aimed at minimizing environmental impact while maximizing efficiency. Herein, a straightforward synthesis of benzimidazoles by reductive coupling of o-dinitroarenes with aldehydes is reported for the first time in aqueous media while using a non-noble metal catalyst. This work demonstrates that the combination of nitrogen and phosphorous ligands in the synthesis of supported heteroatom-incorporated Co nanoparticles is crucial for obtaining the desired benzimidazoles.

Additive-Free Commercial Alumina Catalyzes the Halogen Exchange Reaction of Long Alkyl Halides in Batch and in Flow Processes.

The synthesis of alkyl halides can be performed by simply halide exchange reactions between two different alkyl halides, catalyzed by aluminosilicates. Here, we show that commercially available alumina shows a superior catalytic activity for the halogen exchange reaction between long alkyl halides (more than 6 carbons), including fluorides, in either batch or flow modes. The catalytic activity of the solid alumina is modulated by alkaline countercations on the surface, and sodium-supported alumina shows the optimal performance for the iodo-bromo and iodo-fluoro exchange under inflow reaction conditions, after >24 h reaction time, without any external additive.

Printable and Tunable Bioresin with Strategically Decorated Molecular Structures.

As personalized medicine rapidly evolves, there is a critical demand for advanced biocompatible materials surpassing current additive manufacturing capabilities. This study presents a novel printable bioresin engineered with tunable mechanical, thermal, and biocompatibility properties through strategic molecular modifications. The study introduces a new bioresin comprising methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), and a photoinitiator, which is further enhanced by incorporating high molecular weight polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) to improve biostability and mechanical performance.

Navigational object-location memory assessment in real and virtual environments: A systematic review.

Navigational object-location memory (OLM) is a form of spatial memory involving actual or virtual body displacement for repositioning previously encoded objects within an environment. Despite its potential for higher ecological validity measures, navigational OLM has been less frequently assessed than static OLM. The present systematic review aims to characterize the methodology and devices used for OLM assessment in navigational real and virtual environments and synthesize recent literature to offer a comprehensive overview of OLM performance in both pathological and non-pathological adult samples.

Dielectric spectroscopy and TD-NMR investigation for assessing water solid dynamics in normal and wooden breast chicken.

Dielectric Spectroscopy (DS) and TimeDomain-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (TD-NMR) were exploited to investigate water and solid dynamics in chicken's Pectoralis major muscles having macroscopically normal appearance (N) and affected by Wooden Breasts (WB) abnormality. 147 PMM were collected and classified as macroscopically normal (N) (N=74) or Wooden Breast (WB) (N=73) based on their visual appearance and manual palpation. Protons' T (transverse relaxation time), and dielectric properties were carried out.

Real-time ultrasound shear wave elastography using a local phase gradient.

Background And Objective: Current approaches for ultrasound spectral elastography make use of block processing, resulting in long computational times. This work describes a real-time, robust, and quantitative imaging modality to map the elastic and viscoelastic properties of soft tissues using ultrasound.

Methods: This elastographic technique relies on the spectral estimation of the shear-wave phase speed by combining a local phase-gradient method and angular filtering.

Monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions and compost quality during olive mill waste co-composting at industrial scale: The effect of N and C sources.

Olive mill wastes (OMW) management by composting allows to obtain valuable fertilizing products, but also implies significant fluxes of greenhouse gases (GHG). For a proper OMW composting, high C- and N co-substrates are necessary, but little is known concerning their effect on GHG emissions in OMW-industrial scale composting. In this study, different co-composting agents (cattle manure (CM), poultry manure (PM), sheep manure (SM) and pig slurry solid fraction (PSSF) as N sources and olive leaves (OLW) and urban pruning residues (UPR) as bulking agents and C sources) were used for OMW composting at industrial scale.

A qPCR Assay for the Quantification of the Overwintering Chasmothecia of in Grapevine Bark.

Powdery mildew (PM) disease causes serious losses in Mediterranean vineyards, where suitable environmental conditions promote conidial infections. The frequency and intensity of these infections are directly linked to the amount of primary inoculum, i.e.