Nielsenpowers1682

The deterioration of hydrogen charging performances resulting from the surface chemical action of electrophilic gases such as CO2 is one of the prevailing drawbacks of TiMn1.52 materials. In this study, we report the effect of autocatalytic Pd deposition on the morphology, structure, and hydrogenation kinetics of TiMn1.52 alloy. Both the uncoated and Pd-coated materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). XRD analyses indicated that TiMn1.52 alloy contains C14-type Laves phase without any second phase, while the SEM images, together with a particle size distribution histogram, showed a smooth non-porous surface with irregular-shaped particles ranging in size from 1 to 8 µm. The XRD pattern of Pd-coated alloy revealed that C14-type Laves phase was still maintained upon Pd deposition. This was further supported by calculated crystallite size of 29 nm for both materials. Furthermore, a Sieverts-type apparatus was used to study the kinetics of the alloys after pre-exposure to air and upon vacuum heating at 300 °C. The Pd-coated AB2 alloy exhibited good coating quality as confirmed by EDS with enhanced hydrogen absorption kinetics, even without activation. This is attributed to improved surface tolerance and a hydrogen spillover mechanism, facilitated by Pd nanoparticles. Vacuum heating at 300 °C resulted in removal of surface barriers and showed improved hydrogen absorption performances for both coated and uncoated alloys.Primary glioblastoma (GBM), IDH-wildtype, especially with multifocal appearance/growth (mGBM), is associated with very poor prognosis. Several clinical parameters have been identified to provide prognostic value in both unifocal GBM (uGBM) and mGBM, but information about the influence of radiological parameters on survival for mGBM cohorts is scarce. This study evaluated the prognostic value of several volumetric parameters derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Data from the Department of Neurosurgery, Leipzig University Hospital, were retrospectively analyzed. Patients treated between 2014 and 2019, aged older than 18 years and with adequate peri-operative MRI were included. Volumetric assessment was performed manually. One hundred and eighty-three patients were included. Survival of patients with mGBM was significantly shorter (p less then 0.0001). Univariate analysis revealed extent of resection, adjuvant therapy regimen, residual tumor volume, tumor necrosis volume and ratio of tumor necrosis to initial volume as statistically significant for overall survival. In multivariate Cox regression, however, only EOR (for uGBM and the entire cohort) and adjuvant therapy were independently significant for survival. Decreased ratio of tumor necrosis to initial tumor volume and extent of resection were associated with prolonged survival in mGBM but failed to achieve statistical significance in multivariate analysis.Many activities may elicit a biomechanical overload. Among these, lifting loads can cause work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Aspiring to improve risk prevention, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) established a methodology for assessing lifting actions by means of a quantitative method based on intensity, duration, frequency and other geometrical characteristics of lifting. In this paper, we explored the machine learning (ML) feasibility to classify biomechanical risk according to the revised NIOSH lifting equation. Acceleration and angular velocity signals were collected using a wearable sensor during lifting tasks performed by seven subjects and further segmented to extract time-domain features root mean square, minimum, maximum and standard deviation. The features were fed to several ML algorithms. Interesting results were obtained in terms of evaluation metrics for a binary risk/no-risk classification; specifically, the tree-based algorithms reached accuracies greater than 90% and Area under the Receiver operating curve characteristics curves greater than 0.9. In conclusion, this study indicates the proposed combination of features and algorithms represents a valuable approach to automatically classify work activities in two NIOSH risk groups. These data confirm the potential of this methodology to assess the biomechanical risk to which subjects are exposed during their work activity.

Subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become a routine treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). DBS surgery is commonly performed under local anesthesia (LA) to obtain reliable microelectrode recordings. However, procedural sedation and/or analgesia (PSA) is often desirable to improve patient comfort. The impact of PSA in addition to LA on outcome is largely unknown. Therefore, we performed an observational study to assess the effect of PSA compared to LA alone during STN DBS surgery on outcome in PD patients.

Seventy PD patients (22 under LA, 48 under LA + PSA) scheduled for STN DBS implantation were included. Dexmedetomidine, clonidine or remifentanil were used for PSA. The primary outcome was the change in Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Score III (MDS-UPDRS III) and levodopa equivalent daily dosage (LEDD) between baseline, one month before surgery, and twelve months postoperatively. Secondary outcome measures were motor function during activities of daily living (MDS-UPDRS II), cognitive alterations and surgical adverse events. Postoperative assessment was conducted in "on" stimulation and "on" medication conditions.

At twelve months follow-up, UPDRS III and UPDRS II scores in "on" medication conditions were similar between the LA and PSA groups. ZCL278 The two groups showed a similar LEDD reduction and an equivalent decline in executive function measured by the Stroop Color-Word Test, Trail Making Test-B, and verbal fluency. The incidence of perioperative and postoperative adverse events was similar between groups.

This study demonstrates that PSA during STN DBS implantation surgery in PD patients was not associated with differences in motor and non-motor outcome after twelve months compared with LA only.

This study demonstrates that PSA during STN DBS implantation surgery in PD patients was not associated with differences in motor and non-motor outcome after twelve months compared with LA only.