Design, Construction, and Test of Compact, Distributed-Charge, X-Band Accelerator Systems that Enable Image-Guided, VHEE FLASH Radiotherapy.

The design and optimization of laser-Compton x-ray systems based on compact distributed charge accelerator structures can enable micron-scale imaging of disease and the concomitant production of beams of Very High Energy Electrons (VHEEs) capable of producing FLASH-relevant dose rates. The physics of laser-Compton x-ray scattering ensures that the scattered x-rays follow exactly the trajectory of the incident electrons, thus providing a route to image-guided, VHEE FLASH radiotherapy. The keys to a compact architecture capable of producing both laser-Compton x-rays and VHEEs are the use of X-band RF accelerator structures which have been demonstrated to operate with over 100 MeV/m acceleration gradients. The operation of these structures in a distributed charge mode in which each radiofrequency (RF) cycle of the drive RF pulse is filled with a low-charge, high-brightness electron bunch is enabled by the illumination of a high-brightness photogun with a train of UV laser pulses synchronized to the frequency of the underlying accelerator system. The UV pulse trains are created by a patented pulse synthesis approach which utilizes the RF clock of the accelerator to phase and amplitude modulate a narrow band continuous wave (CW) seed laser. In this way it is possible to produce up to 10 µA of average beam current from the accelerator. Such high current from a compact accelerator enables production of sufficient x-rays via laser-Compton scattering for clinical imaging and does so from a machine of "clinical" footprint. At the same time, the production of 1000 or greater individual micro-bunches per RF pulse enables > 10 nC of charge to be produced in a macrobunch of < 100 ns. The design, construction, and test of the 100-MeV class prototype system in Irvine, CA is also presented.

A randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of laparoscopic-guided transversus abdominis plane block in patients undergoing laparoscopic IPOM plus.

INTRODUCTION: Ventral hernia repairs, particularly laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR), have become common procedures among general surgeons worldwide. Despite the benefits of LVHR, acute postoperative pain remains a significant concern. Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks have been employed to alleviate postoperative pain in various laparoscopic procedures. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of laparoscopic-guided TAP block in laparoscopic IPOM plus and its impact on postoperative pain and analgesic requirements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a tertiary care center in India involving 72 patients undergoing laparoscopic IPOM plus. Patients were randomized into two groups: Group I received laparoscopic-guided TAP block, while Group II received standard general anesthesia without TAP block. Pain scores were assessed at 6, 12, and 24 h postoperatively using the numerical rating scale. Postoperative analgesic requirements were also recorded. RESULTS: Group I demonstrated significantly lower pain scores at 6 and 24 h postoperatively compared to Group II. The need for additional analgesics was significantly lower in Group I (13.8%) compared to Group II (72.2%). There were no significant differences in age, BMI, duration of surgery, or other demographic characteristics between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The findings of this randomized controlled trial demonstrate the effectiveness of laparoscopic-guided TAP blocks in reducing postoperative pain and analgesic requirements after laparoscopic IPOM plus.

Knifefish's suction makes water boil.

We discovered that knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons) during suction feeding can produce millimeter-sized cavitation bubbles and flow accelerations up to ~ 450 times the acceleration of gravity. Knifefish may use this powerful suction-induced cavitation to cause physical damage on prey hiding in narrow refuges, therefore facilitating capture.

Deploying Big Data to Crack the Genotype to Phenotype Code.

Mechanistically connecting genotypes to phenotypes is a longstanding and central mission of biology. Deciphering these connections will unite questions and datasets across all scales from molecules to ecosystems. Although high-throughput sequencing has provided a rich platform on which to launch this effort, tools for deciphering mechanisms further along the genome to phenome pipeline remain limited. Machine learning approaches and other emerging computational tools hold the promise of augmenting human efforts to overcome these obstacles. This vision paper is the result of a Reintegrating Biology Workshop, bringing together the perspectives of integrative and comparative biologists to survey challenges and opportunities in cracking the genotype to phenotype code and thereby generating predictive frameworks across biological scales. Key recommendations include promoting the development of minimum "best practices" for the experimental design and collection of data; fostering sustained and long-term data repositories; promoting programs that recruit, train, and retain a diversity of talent; and providing funding to effectively support these highly cross-disciplinary efforts. We follow this discussion by highlighting a few specific transformative research opportunities that will be advanced by these efforts.

The Influence of Carbosilane Nanosegregation on the Dynamics in 'de Vries-type' Liquid Crystals.

The mesogens QL32-6, QL33-6 and QL-34-6 contain 5-phenylpyrimidine cores and terminal nanosegregating carbosilane end groups of different lengths and are known to exhibit 'de Vries-type' properties of varying strength. We report a systematic study of the influence of the nanosegregating sublayer on the dynamics and rotational viscosities of the collective modes in the smectic A* (SmA*) and smectic C* (SmC*) phase using dielectric spectroscopy. It was found that the dynamics of the Goldstone mode corresponding to phase angle fluctuations are almost not affected while the relaxation time and rotational viscosity of the soft mode are influenced by the degree of nanosegregation. In other words, the nanosegregating sublayer does not influence the dynamics of ferroelectric switching in the SmC* phase, but is critical in inducing 'de Vries-type' properties.

Nomenclature in Abdominal Wall Hernias: Is It Time for Consensus?

Abdominal wall reconstruction is a rapidly evolving area of surgical interest. Due to the increase in prevalence and size of ventral hernias and the high recurrence rates, the academic community has become motivated to find the best reconstruction techniques. Whilst interrogating the abdominal wall reconstruction literature, we discovered an inconsistency in hernia nomenclature that must be addressed. The terms used to describe the anatomical planes of mesh implantation 'inlay', 'sublay' and 'underlay' are misinterpreted throughout. We describe the misinterpretation of these terms and give evidence of where it exists in the literature. We give three critical arguments of why these misinterpretations hinder advances in abdominal wall reconstruction research. The correct definitions of the anatomical planes, and their respective terms, are described and illustrated. Clearly defined nomenclature is required as academic surgeons strive to improve abdominal wall reconstruction outcomes and lower complication rates.

Design of liquid crystals with 'de Vries-like' properties: structural variants of carbosilane-terminated 5-phenylpyrimidine mesogens.

Structural variants of the 'de Vries-like' mesogen 5-[4-(12,12,14,14,16,16-hexamethyl-12,14,16-trisilaheptadecyloxy)phenyl]-2-hexyloxypyrimidine (QL16-6), including two isomers with branched iso-tricarbosilane end-groups, were synthesized and their mesomorphic and 'de Vries-like' properties were characterized by polarized optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, small angle and 2D X-ray scattering techniques. A comparative analysis of isomers with linear and branched tricarbosilane end-groups shows that they exhibit comparable mesomorphic and 'de Vries-like' properties. Furthermore, the difference in effective molecular length Leff between the linear and branched isomers in the SmA and SmC phases (ca. 4-5 Å), which was derived from 2D X-ray scattering experiments, suggests that the linear tricarbosilane end-group is hemispherical in shape on the time-average, as predicted by a DFT conformational analysis at the B3LYP/6-31G* level.

Electroclinic effect in a chiral carbosilane-terminated 5-phenylpyrimidine liquid crystal with 'de Vries-like' properties.

The chiral carbosilane-terminated liquid crystal 2-[(2S,3S)-2,3-difluorohexyloxy]-5-[4-(12,12,14,14,16,16-hexamethyl-12,14,16-trisilaheptadecyloxy)phenyl]pyrimidine () undergoes a smectic A*-smectic C* phase transition with a maximum layer contraction of only 0.2%. It exhibits an electroclinic effect (ECE) comparable to that reported for the 'de Vries-like' liquid crystal and shows no appreciable optical stripe defects due to horizontal chevron formation.

Nematic molecular core flexibility and chiral induction.

Electroclinic measurements, in which an applied electric field E induces a rotation Δθ ([proportional]E) of the liquid crystal director about the electric field axis in a chiral environment, were performed on several configurationally achiral liquid crystals in the presence of an imposed helical director profile. This imposed twist establishes a chiral symmetry environment for the liquid crystal. It was observed that a conformationally racemic mesogen possessing a flexible phenyl benzoate core exhibits a measurable electroclinic response in the nematic phase. On the other hand, when the phenyl benzoate mesogen is mixed with a mesogen containing a rigid, conformationally achiral core (fluorenone), or with a racemic dopant with an axially chiral core that mimics a mesogen having rigid right- and left-handed conformations (2,2'-spirobiindan-1,1'-dione), the magnitudes of the electroclinic responses were found to decrease sharply, apparently going to zero when extrapolated to the pure 2,2'-spirobiindan-1,1'-dione or fluorenone limit. (Note that neither of these additives possesses a nematic phase.). The results suggest that the flexibility of the core and its ability to deracemize conformationally in order to compensate the elastic energy cost of the imposed twist is the primary mechanism behind the observed electroclinic response.

Prey processing in the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens).

We studied prey processing in the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens), involving slow, easily observed head-bobbing movements, which were compared with prey processing in other aquatic feeding vertebrates. We hypothesized that head-bobbing is a unique prey-processing behaviour, which alternatively could be structurally and functionally analogous with raking in basal teleosts, or with pharyngognathy in neoteleosts. Modulation of head-bobbing was elicited by prey with different motility and toughness. Head-bobbing involved sustained mouth occlusion and pronounced cranial elevation, similar to raking. However, the hyoid and pectoral girdle were protracted, and not retracted as in both raking and pharyngognathy. High-speed videofluoroscopy of hyoid movements confirmed that head-bobbing differs from other known aquatic prey-processing behaviours. Nevertheless, head-bobbing and other prey-processing behaviours converge on a recurrent functional theme in the trophic ecology of aquatic feeding vertebrates; the use of intraoral and oropharyngeal dentition surfaces to immobilize, reduce and process relatively large, tough or motile prey. Prey processing outside the pharyngeal region has not been described for neoteleosts previously, but morphological evidence suggests that relatives of Betta might use similar processing behaviours. Thus, our results suggest that pharyngognathy did not out-compete ancestral prey-processing mechanisms completely during the evolution of neoteleosts.

Chiral nematic organo-siloxane oligopodes based on an axially chiral binaphthalene core.

The synthesis of a novel class of organosiloxane oligopodes, based on an axially chiral binaphthalene core is described and their mesogenic properties are fully characterised.

Design, synthesis, and characterization of mesogenic amine-capped nematic gold nanoparticles with surface-enhanced plasmonic resonances.

The use of the liquid-crystalline state to control the assembly of large (>5 nm) gold nanoparticles (NPs) is of considerable interest because of the promise of novel metamaterial properties of such systems. Here we report on a new approach for the preparation of large nematic gold NPs using a bifunctional capping agent that enables control over the particle size and serves as a linkage for subsequent functionalization with mesogenic groups. Properties of the NPs were characterized by HRTEM, NMR, DSC, TGA, UV/vis, OPM, and XRD studies. The results confirmed the formation of a stable nematic mesophase above 37.5 °C for NPs in the 6-11 nm size range.

Predicting the success of non-invasive ventilation in preventing intubation and re-intubation in the paediatric intensive care unit.

PURPOSE: To determine whether physiological parameters and underlying condition can be used to predict which patients can be managed successfully on non-invasive ventilation (NIV). METHODS: Review of case notes and computerised data of every paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission over 7 years where NIV was commenced. Data immediately prior to commencing NIV and 2 h after its establishment was collected. Univariable and multivariable statistical analysis was performed to compare variables. RESULTS: Eighty-three patients commenced NIV attempting to avoid intubation and 64% succeeded. Those who failed required a higher FiO2 (0.56 vs. 0.47, p = 0.038), had higher respiratory rates (53.3 vs. 40.3 breaths/min, p = 0.012) and lower pH (7.26 vs. 7.34, p = 0.032) before NIV and higher FiO2 after NIV commenced (0.54 vs. 0.43, p = 0.009). Those with a respiratory diagnosis were more likely to be successful. Patients with oncologic disease, particularly if septic, were less likely to avoid intubation using NIV. Multivariable models showed that after adjustment for mode of NIV and underlying diagnosis, respiratory rate before NIV was an independent predictor of success [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.95 (0.91, 0.99), p = 0.01]. Eighty patients were extubated to NIV but 15 required re-intubation. Those re-intubated had a higher systolic blood pressure (104 vs. 77.9 mmHg, p = 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (64.5 vs. 54.1 mmHg, p = 0.0037) after extubation. Multivariable models showed that systolic blood pressure 2 h after extubation was independently associated with outcome [adjusted OR 0.96 (0.93, 0.99), p = 0.007]. CONCLUSIONS: Parameters relating to respiratory and cardiovascular status can determine which patients will successfully avoid intubation or re-intubation when placed on NIV. Underlying disease and reason for admission should be considered when predicting the outcome of NIV.

Unexpected phenol production from arylboronic acids under palladium-free conditions; organocatalyzed air oxidation.

An intriguing class of quinones that efficiently catalyze the air oxidation (overall hydroxylation) of arylboronic acids to the corresponding phenol is reported. Autocatalysis in the parent system is particularly efficient and leads to rapid, quantitative synthesis of quinones such as 4 from boronic acid 1 at room temperature using air as stoichiometric oxidant. The efficiency results from a balance between two-stage conjugate addition and migration with each step driven by aromatization of a naphthalene fragment.

Evolution of muscle activity patterns driving motions of the jaw and hyoid during chewing in Gnathostomes.

Although chewing has been suggested to be a basal gnathostome trait retained in most major vertebrate lineages, it has not been studied broadly and comparatively across vertebrates. To redress this imbalance, we recorded EMG from muscles powering anteroposterior movement of the hyoid, and dorsoventral movement of the mandibular jaw during chewing. We compared muscle activity patterns (MAP) during chewing in jawed vertebrate taxa belonging to unrelated groups of basal bony fishes and artiodactyl mammals. Our aim was to outline the evolution of coordination in MAP. Comparisons of activity in muscles of the jaw and hyoid that power chewing in closely related artiodactyls using cross-correlation analyses identified reorganizations of jaw and hyoid MAP between herbivores and omnivores. EMG data from basal bony fishes revealed a tighter coordination of jaw and hyoid MAP during chewing than seen in artiodactyls. Across this broad phylogenetic range, there have been major structural reorganizations, including a reduction of the bony hyoid suspension, which is robust in fishes, to the acquisition in a mammalian ancestor of a muscle sling suspending the hyoid. These changes appear to be reflected in a shift in chewing MAP that occurred in an unidentified anamniote stem-lineage. This shift matches observations that, when compared with fishes, the pattern of hyoid motion in tetrapods is reversed and also time-shifted relative to the pattern of jaw movement.

Pulse compression and beam focusing with segmented diffraction gratings in a high-power chirped-pulse amplification glass laser system.

Segmented (tiled) grating arrays are being intensively investigated for petawatt-scale pulse compression due to the expense and technical challenges of fabricating monolithic diffraction gratings with apertures of over 1m. However, the considerable freedom of motion among grating segments complicates compression and laser focusing. We constructed a real compressor system using a segmented grating for an 18cm aperture laser beam of the Gekko MII 100TW laser system at Osaka University. To produce clean pulse shapes and single focal spots tolerant of misalignment and groove density difference of grating tiles, we applied a new compressor scheme with image rotation in which each beam segment samples each grating segment but from opposite sides. In high-energy shots of up to 50J, we demonstrated nearly Fourier-transform-limited pulse compression (0.5ps) with an almost diffraction-limited spot size (20microm).

Rhythmic chewing with oral jaws in teleost fishes: a comparison with amniotes.

Intra-oral prey processing (chewing) using the mandibular jaws occurs more extensively among teleost fishes than previously documented. The lack of muscle spindles, gamma-motoneurons and periodontal afferents in fishes makes them useful for testing hypotheses regarding the relationship between these sensorimotor components and rhythmic chewing in vertebrates. Electromyography (EMG) data from the adductor mandibulae (AM) were used to quantify variation in chew cycle duration in the bowfin Amia, three osteoglossomorphs (bony-tongues), four salmonids and one esocid (pike). All species chewed prey using their oral jaw in repetitive trains of between 3 and 30 consecutive chews, a pattern that resembles cyclic chewing in amniote vertebrates. Variance in rhythmicity was compared within and between lineages using coefficients of variation and Levene's test for homogeneity of variance. These comparisons revealed that some teleosts exhibit degrees of rhythmicity that are comparable to mammalian mastication and higher than in lepidosaurs. Moreover, chew cycle durations in fishes, as in mammals, scale positively with mandible length. Chewing among basal teleosts may be rhythmic because it is stereotyped and inflexible, the result of patterned interactions between sensory feedback and a central pattern generator, because the lack of a fleshy tongue renders jaw-tongue coordination unnecessary and/or because stereotyped opening and closing movements are important for controlling fluid flow in the oral cavity.

Functional morphology and biomechanics of the tongue-bite apparatus in salmonid and osteoglossomorph fishes.

The tongue-bite apparatus and its associated musculoskeletal elements of the pectoral girdle and neurocranium form the structural basis of raking, a unique prey-processing behaviour in salmonid and osteoglossomorph fishes. Using a quantitative approach, the functional osteology and myology of this system were compared between representatives of each lineage, i.e. the salmonid Salvelinus fontinalis (N = 10) and the osteoglossomorph Chitala ornata (N = 8). Divergence was found in the morphology of the novel cleithrobranchial ligament, which potentially relates to kinematic differences between the raking lineage representatives. Salvelinus had greater anatomical cross-sectional areas of the epaxial, hypaxial and protractor hyoideus muscles, whereas Chitala had greater sternohyoideus and adductor mandibulae mass. Two osteology-based biomechanical models (a third-order lever for neurocranial elevation and a modified four-bar linkage for hyoid retraction) showed divergent force/velocity priorities in the study taxa. Salvelinus maximizes both force (via powerful cranial muscles) and velocity (through mechanical amplification) during raking. In contrast, Chitala has relatively low muscle force but more efficient force transmission through both mechanisms compared with Salvelinus. It remains unclear if and how behavioural modulation and specializations in the post-cranial anatomy may affect the force/velocity trade-offs in Chitala. Further studies of tongue-bite apparatus morphology and biomechanics in a broader species range may help to clarify the role that osteology and myology play in the evolution of behavioural diversity.