Active gas camera mass flow quantification (qOGI): Application in a biogas plant and comparison to state-of-the-art gas cams.

Gas cameras are primarily used to detect gas leaks, but their use has been increasingly extended to mass flow quantification (qOGI). We employ the previously published active illuminated gas camera [Bergau et al. "Real-time active-gas imaging of small gas leaks," J. Sens. Sens. Syst. 12, 61-68 (2023) and Bergau et al. "Flow rate quantification of small methane leaks using laser spectroscopy and deep learning," Process Saf. Environ. Prot. 182, 752-759 (2024)] in a real-world application for quantification, enhancing the camera with two new features: sensitivity adaptation and camera-gas distance detection. This technology was applied to a gas leak found in the pressure swing adsorption room of a biogas plant in Germany. We compare its performance with state-of-the-art quantification gas cameras (qOGI), such as Sensia Mileva 33. Such a comparison between active and passive gas cameras is possible for the first time due to the introduced sensitivity tuning. Additionally, we enclosed the gas leak and measure the methane concentration with a flame ionization detector, providing a gold standard for comparison. Our findings revealed relative offsets to our gold standard of -57% and +319% for the DAS-camera and the Sensia, respectively, suggesting that the accuracy of mass flow quantification could be improved through the use of active gas cameras.

Neural correlates of social influence on risk perception during development.

Studies have shown that adolescents are more likely than adults to take risks in the presence of peers than when alone, and that young adolescents' risk perception is more influenced by other teenagers than by adults. The current fMRI study investigated the effect of social influence on risk perception in female adolescents (aged 12-14) and adults (aged 23-29). Participants rated the riskiness of everyday situations and were then informed about the (alleged) risk ratings of a social influence group (teenagers or adults), before rating each situation again. The results showed that adolescents adjusted their ratings to conform with others more than adults did, and both age groups were influenced more by adults than by teenagers. When there was a conflict between the participants' own risk ratings and the ratings of the social influence group, activation was increased in the posterior medial frontal cortex, dorsal cingulate cortex and inferior frontal gyrus in both age groups. In addition, there was greater activation during no-conflict situations in the right middle frontal gyrus and bilateral parietal cortex in adults compared with adolescents. These results suggest that there are behavioral and neural differences between adolescents and adults in conflict and no-conflict social situations.

Do They Really Mean It? Children's Inference of Speaker Intentions and the Role of Age and Gender.

Interpreting other people's intentions during communication represents a remarkable challenge for children. Although many studies have examined children's understanding of, for example, sarcasm, less is known about their interpretation. Using realistic audiovisual scenes, we invited 124 children between 8 and 12 years old to watch video clips of young adults using different speaker intentions. After watching each video clip, children answered questions about the characters and their beliefs, and the perceived friendliness of the speaker. Children's responses reveal age and gender differences in the ability to interpret speaker belief and social intentions, especially for scenarios conveying teasing and prosocial lies. We found that the ability to infer speaker belief of prosocial lies and to interpret social intentions increases with age. Our results suggest that children at the age of 8 years already show adult-like abilities to understand literal statements, whereas the ability to infer specific social intentions, such as teasing and prosocial lies, is still developing between the age of 8 and 12 years. Moreover, girls performed better in classifying prosocial lies and sarcasm as insincere than boys. The outcomes expand our understanding of how children observe speaker intentions and suggest further research into the development of teasing and prosocial lie interpretation.

Near-threshold photodissociation of cool OH+ to O + H+ and O+ + H.

We have measured the spectrum of laser photodissociation of OH+ molecular ions to O + H+ and O+ + H fragments for photon energies of 38 100-40 900 cm-1. The OH+ ions were stored as a fast beam (5.50 MeV) in the storage ring TSR for several seconds to achieve rovibrational cooling into the lowest rotations N'' = 0-11 of the vibrational ground state X3Σ-(v'' = 0), close to room temperature (≈300 K). The many resonances in the spectra reveal the energies, widths, and O/O+ branching ratios of 44 predissociating quasibound levels (Feshbach resonances) that lie between the fine-structure states of the O fragment and belong to the last, near-threshold vibrational states v' = 9 and 10 of the A3Π electronic state. For the A3Π0,1 substates, isolated levels with v' = 11 are observed and attributed to double-well distortions of these curves due to nonadiabatic interactions. Another five isolated levels are assigned to the v' = 0 and 1 states of the shallow 15Σ- electronic state, borrowing oscillator strength from nearby A3Π levels. Together, the near-threshold levels deliver a new value D0 = 40 253.8(1.1) cm-1 for the dissociation energy of OH+. Through a two-step photodissociation process, 72 levels from the lower bound states A3Π(v' = 7-8) appear as well and are rotationally analyzed. The level energies are used to construct improved A3Π and 15Σ- Born-Oppenheimer potentials. The totality of the spectral data (energies, widths, intensities, and branching ratios) can provide tight constraints for the potentials and nonadiabatic interactions assumed in future coupled-channel calculations of OH+ photodissociation or of the related charge-exchange reaction O + H+ → O+ + H.

Changes in the Effects of Peyronie's Disease After Treatment With Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum: Male Patients and Their Female Partners.

INTRODUCTION: Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (CCH) intralesional injection was efficacious for the management of Peyronie's disease (PD) in the double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled Investigation for Maximal Peyronie's Reduction Efficacy and Safety Studies I and II (IMPRESS I and II). Little is known about the consequences of PD or treatment on the sexual partners of affected men. AIM: To assess the safety and efficacy of CCH treatment in men who received placebo in the IMPRESS I or II study and to evaluate the men's PD symptoms and partner bother as reported by female sexual partners. METHODS: In this phase 3, open-label study (NCT01685437), men (n = 189) received up to eight injections of CCH (0.58 mg/injection). Female sexual partners who provided informed consent at screening (n = 30) participated in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Co-primary end points were change or percentage of change in penile curvature deformity and change in PD symptom bother domain score of the Peyronie's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ) from baseline to week 36. Participating women completed the PDQ for female sexual partners (PDQ-FSP) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). RESULTS: Statistically significant mean improvements were observed in penile curvature deformity (36.3% decrease; 95% CI = -41.6 to -30.9) and PDQ symptom bother score (2.4-point decrease; 95% CI = -3.0 to -1.8) from baseline to week 36. Most treatment-emergent adverse events were mild or moderate. After CCH treatment of their male partners, female sexual partners reported improvement (using the PDQ-FSP) in their male partner's PD symptoms and female bother regarding their partner's PD. The percentage of female sexual partners with sexual dysfunction (FSFI total score ≤ 26.55) also decreased after male partner treatment, from 75.0% at baseline to 33.3%. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the safety and efficacy of CCH in the management of appropriate patients with PD and the potential benefits for patients' partners. Goldstein I, Knoll LD, Lipshultz LI, et al. Changes in the Effects of Peyronie's Disease After Treatment With Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum: Male Partners and Their Female Partners. Sex Med 2017;5:e124-e130.

Perception and recognition of faces in adolescence.

Most studies on the development of face cognition abilities have focussed on childhood, with early maturation accounts contending that face cognition abilities are mature by 3-5 years. Late maturation accounts, in contrast, propose that some aspects of face cognition are not mature until at least 10 years. Here, we measured face memory and face perception, two core face cognition abilities, in 661 participants (397 females) in four age groups (younger adolescents (11.27-13.38 years); mid-adolescents (13.39-15.89 years); older adolescents (15.90-18.00 years); and adults (18.01-33.15 years)) while controlling for differences in general cognitive ability. We showed that both face cognition abilities mature relatively late, at around 16 years, with a female advantage in face memory, but not in face perception, both in adolescence and adulthood. Late maturation in the face perception task was driven mainly by protracted development in identity perception, while gaze perception abilities were already comparatively mature in early adolescence. These improvements in the ability to memorize, recognize and perceive faces during adolescence may be related to increasing exploratory behaviour and exposure to novel faces during this period of life.

Effect of the probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae on ligature-induced periodontitis in rats.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the effects of the local use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as monotherapy and as an adjuvant to the mechanical treatment of ligature-induced periodontitis in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Periodontitis was induced in 72 rats via the installation of a ligature around the mandibular first molar. After 7 d, the ligature was removed and the rats were placed in one of the following groups: no treatment (C; n = 18); scaling and root planing (SRP; n = 18); local irrigation with probiotics (PRO; n = 18); and SRP followed by local irrigation with probiotics (SRP/PRO; n = 18). Six rats from each group were killed at 7, 15 and 30 d. The histological characteristics, alveolar bone loss (ABL) and immunolabeling of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1beta (IL-1ß), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and TRAP on the furcation area of the first molar were assessed. RESULTS: The PRO group showed features of acceleration of the tissue-repair process during the entire experiment. On day 15, there was less ABL in the SRP/PRO group compared with the C group. There were fewer TRAP-positive cells in the SRP and SRP/PRO groups at 30 d. There was less immunostaining for TNF-α in the PRO and SRP/PRO groups and less immunostaining for IL-1ß in the PRO group. However, there was more immunostaining for IL-10 in the PRO group on day 15. CONCLUSION: Local use of the probiotic did not result in any adverse effects on periodontal tissues. When used as monotherapy or as an adjuvant, the probiotic was effective at controlling periodontitis in rats.

Left prefrontal cortex activation during sentence comprehension covaries with grammatical knowledge in children.

Children's language skills develop rapidly with increasing age, and several studies indicate that they use language- and age-specific strategies to understand complex sentences. In the present experiment, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and behavioral measures were used to investigate the acquisition of case-marking cues for sentence interpretation in the developing brain of German preschool children with a mean age of 6 years. Short sentences were presented auditorily, consisting of a transitive verb and two case-marked arguments with canonical subject-initial or non canonical object-initial word order. Overall group results revealed mainly left hemispheric activation in the perisylvian cortex with increased activation in the inferior parietal cortex (IPC), and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) for object-initial compared to subject-initial sentences. However, single-subject analysis suggested two distinct activation patterns within the group which allowed a classification into two subgroups. One subgroup showed the predicted activation increase in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) for the more difficult object-initial compared to subject-initial sentences, while the other group showed the reverse effect. This activation in the left IFG can be taken to reflect the degree to which adult-like sentence processing strategies, necessary to integrate case-marking information, are applied. Additional behavioral data on language development tests show that these two subgroups differ in their grammatical knowledge. Together with these behavioral findings, the results indicate that the use of a particular processing strategy is not dependent on age as such, but rather on the child's individual grammatical knowledge and the ability to use specific language cues for successful sentence comprehension.

Treatment of recurrent urinary incontinence after artificial urinary sphincter placement using the AdVance male sling.

OBJECTIVES: We report on the use of the AdVance male sling to treat men who had an artificial urinary sphincter placed and subsequently developed recurrent urinary incontinence. METHODS: Nineteen men who had undergone placement of an artificial urinary sphincter for post prostatectomy urinary incontinence, and who had developed recurrent incontinence, were treated by placing an AdVance sling. Self-reported pad use preoperatively was 2-5 pads per day. RESULTS: All 19 patients (100%) reported improvement in their incontinence as documented by decreased pad use. Of these men, 15 (79%) became dry, using no further pads, and four (21%) decreased pad use to 1 pad per day. Of the 15 dry patients, 8 remained dry without reactivation of the artificial sphincter (53%); the other 7 maintained complete continence with a combination of the sling and an activated artificial sphincter. CONCLUSIONS: Men who suffer from recurrent urinary incontinence secondary to cuff compression atrophy can be made continent by the placement of a male sling. The technique of sling placement requires no special modification in these patients. By not revising the artificial urinary sphincter the capsule surrounding the device is not violated, which may decrease the risk of postoperative infection. In addition, the patient may not need to rely upon the use of his artificial sphincter to maintain continence.

Electrical characterization of strained and unstrained silicon nanowires with nickel silicide contacts.

We present electrical characterization of nickel monosilicide (NiSi) contacts formed on strained and unstrained silicon nanowires (NWs), which were fabricated by top-down processing of initially As(+) implanted and activated strained and unstrained silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. The resistivity of doped Si NWs and the contact resistivity of the NiSi to Si NW contacts are studied as functions of the As(+) ion implantation dose and the cross-sectional area of the wires. Strained silicon NWs show lower resistivity for all doping concentrations due to their enhanced electron mobility compared to the unstrained case. An increase in resistivity with decreasing cross section of the NWs was observed for all implantation doses. This is ascribed to the occurrence of dopant deactivation. Comparing the silicidation of uniaxially tensile strained and unstrained Si NWs shows no difference in silicidation speed and in contact resistivity between NiSi/Si NW. Contact resistivities as low as 1.2 x 10(-8) Omega cm(-2) were obtained for NiSi contacts to both strained and unstrained Si NWs. Compared to planar contacts, the NiSi/Si NW contact resistivity is two orders of magnitude lower.

Physician and patient satisfaction with the new AMS 700 momentary squeeze inflatable penile prosthesis.

INTRODUCTION: A single-armed, prospective, multicenter study evaluated the redesigned American Medical Systems (AMS) 700 Momentary Squeeze (MS) pump inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) with enhanced features for ease of implantation and patient manipulation. The device incorporates design changes to all components: pump, cylinders, rear-tip extenders, and reservoir. AIM: To assess physician and patient satisfaction with the new AMS 700 MS pump. METHODS: Patients were selected from the existing population experiencing erectile dysfunction (ED) without previous prosthetic implantation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Survey questionnaires were used to capture physician feedback on ease of implantation and patient education. Patient satisfaction with the device and existence of autoinflation were assayed. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients were implanted at seven U.S. sites. Mean age was 60.1 +/- 9.6 years. History of ED was >5 years in 34 (44.7%) patients. Main ED etiology was organic, nonspecific (32%). Eighty-four percent of the physicians felt proximal cylinder insertion was easier because of the smaller angle of cylinder input tubing and narrower base diameter. The new pump was felt easier to implant than the previous model by 57% of the physicians. The patients found the manipulation of the pump simple at device activation, with 96% easily locating the inflation bulb and 94% deflating the device with one push of the deflation button. Reviews were mixed among physicians concerning ease of training compared with the Tactile pump. Patient training was easier in 71%, harder in 21%, and same in 8%. Nevertheless, 67% of the patients were trained in 6 minutes or less. At 6 months, 77% of the patients were very satisfied, 9% somewhat satisfied, and 14% dissatisfied. Autoinflation occurred in two patients (3%). CONCLUSION: The new AMS 700 MS IPP seems a distinct improvement over previous devices with most physicians feeling implantation and patient instruction were easier. The device also satisfied 86% of the users and virtually eliminated autoinflation.

Use of small intestinal submucosa graft for the surgical management of Peyronie's disease.

PURPOSE: We report on the long-term followup of porcine small intestinal submucosal graft as a closure material for the tunica albuginea after plaque incision. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 162 patients with at least a 12-month history of Peyronie's disease with penile curvature of 60 degrees or more were evaluated. Patient age ranged from 33 to 69 years (mean 52). Preoperatively all patients underwent intracavernous injection and photographic documentation of curvature. Surgisis ES, derived from porcine small intestine, was immersed in normal saline and was used to graft the tunical deficit after plaque incision using a subcoronal incisional approach. RESULTS: Surgical correction of penile curvature was achieved in 148 of 162 patients (91%). At a mean followup of 38 months (range 6 to 96) 79% of the patients were fully potent with 21% requiring assistance. No reports of intraoperative penile shortening, long-term pain, infection, bulging at the graft site or evidence of a local immunogenic rejection reaction have been noted. CONCLUSIONS: Surgisis grafts for the coverage of cavernous defects after Peyronie's plaque incision allow for satisfactory clinical results in long-term followup. The ease of surgical handling and placement, no associated comorbidities from harvesting techniques, and no adverse reactions make this material an anatomical and functional tunical substitute.

Early experience with the American Medical Systems new tactile pump: results of a multicenter study.

INTRODUCTION: A new Tactile Pump for the American Medical Systems (AMS) 700 Inflatable Penile Prosthesis (IPP) had been developed in an effort to improve usability for the patient. Aim. To assess the ease of use of the new Tactile Pump. METHODS: A prospective, multicenter study was conducted at four investigative sites. Preoperatively, patients completed an evaluation of the new Tactile Pump vs. the current design 700 pump placed in scrotal models. Patients compared the ease of inflation and deflation of each model. All patients were implanted with the AMS 700 IPP including the new Tactile Pump. Patients returned at 6 weeks for activation of the device and for follow-up evaluation at 3 and 6 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Preoperatively patients compared ease of use of the Tactile Pump vs. the current design. Postoperatively both physicians and patients assessed device functionality for inflation and deflation, ease of use of the pump, and time required to learn device operation. RESULTS: Thirty patients were implanted with the AMS 700 IPP and Tactile Pump. Thirty patients completed an activation visit, 20 patients completed the 3-month evaluation, and 9 patients completed the 6-month evaluation. The average age was 62.1 years. Primary erectile dysfunction etiologies included organic, nonspecific 10 (33.3%), vasculogenic 6 (20.0%), prostatectomy 6 (20.0%), diabetes mellitus 4 (13.3%), Peyronie's disease 3 (10.0%), and spinal cord injury 1 (3.3%). Preoperatively 93.3% (P < 0.001) of patients favored the Tactile Pump over the current pump on locating and working the inflation mechanism in the scrotal model. Patients also found the Tactile Pump deflation mechanism easier to find 100% (P < 0.001) and deflate 96.7% (P < 0.001). Most patients (86.7%) were trained to use their devices within 3 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: The AMS Tactile Pump provides benefit to patients and physicians by improving ease of use and training over the current IPP 700 pump.

Use of porcine small intestinal submucosal graft in the surgical management of tunical deficiencies with penile prosthetic surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To report the use of a new acellular xenographic porcine jejunal submucosal graft as a closure material for tunica albuginea deficiencies (distal erosion, attenuation) after penile prosthesis insertion. METHODS: Seventeen patients with at least a 36-month history of having an indwelling three-piece inflatable penile prosthesis developed tunica albuginea deficiencies. Nine patients with unilateral distal erosion of the tunica and eight with attenuation of the tunica underwent penile prosthesis revisionary surgery and tunical reconstruction using lyophilized small intestinal submucosa (Surgisis). The reconstructive techniques used a suprapubic and subcoronal incisional approach and a new three-piece inflatable prosthesis. RESULTS: Reconstructive surgical correction of the tunical defect was achieved in all 17 patients. At a mean follow-up of 21 months (range 6 to 34), no patient had had separation of the graft from the tunica or recurrence of the deficiency. All patients had a satisfactorily functioning prosthesis. Infection, pain, bulging, or evidence of a local inflammatory response at the graft site has not occurred. No patient required any additional surgery. CONCLUSIONS: At the initial long-term follow-up, acellular porcine jejunal submucosal grafts for coverage of tunical deficiencies with penile prosthetic surgery allow for satisfactory clinical results. The ease of surgical handling and placement, elimination of nonabsorbable synthetic grafting materials, and no associated comorbidities from graft harvesting techniques, coupled with no adverse reactions, make this graft an anatomic and functional tunical substitute.

Adaptation of signature-tagged mutagenesis for Toxoplasma gondii: a negative screening strategy to isolate genes that are essential in restrictive growth conditions.

The obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii can infect virtually any nucleated cell in any warm-blooded host. Through the effort of many researchers, we are beginning to learn what makes T. gondii such a successful protozoan parasite. A high throughput genetic screen that allows simultaneous examination of a large panel of mutants would greatly facilitate a global investigation of this parasite. Signature-tagged mutagenesis uses a unique DNA sequence to tag an individual mutant so that it can later be identified within a pool. This system allows the efficient identification of parasites carrying mutations in genes that are essential for growth in restrictive but not permissive conditions. We have generated a bank of approximately 4900 signature-tagged T. gondii tachyzoites represented in 89 pools, each of which contains 60 uniquely tagged mutant parasites. We have demonstrated the usefulness of this negative screening strategy with a tissue culture model for pyrimidine salvage using resistance to the pro-drug FUDR. Mutants that are defective for growth in any defined growth condition versus standard tissue culture conditions can now be identified (eg, sensitive to a specific drug, growth in a specialized cell line, or growth within animals).

Rate coefficients and final states for the dissociative recombination of LiH+.

The dissociative recombination of LiH+ ions with low-energy electrons is observed at a storage ring and the final states are analyzed using fragment imaging and field ionization techniques. The rate coefficient is found to be larger than its estimated value used in astrophysical models. Mostly the highest energetically possible Rydberg states of the lithium atom are populated by the reaction, indicating a common trend for molecular recombination via the noncrossing mode.

Use of porcine small intestinal submucosal graft in the surgical management of Peyronie's disease.

OBJECTIVES: To report the use of a new acellular, xenographic porcine jejunal submucosal graft as a closure material for the tunica albuginea after plaque incision. METHODS: Twelve patients with at least a 12-month history of Peyronie's disease with a penile curvature of 70 degrees or greater were evaluated. Patient age ranged from 39 to 61 years (mean 50). Preoperatively, all underwent Doppler ultrasound after an intracavernous injection. Lyophilized (freeze-dried) small intestinal submucosa immersed in normal saline was used to graft the tunical deficit after the plaque incision using a subcoronal incisional approach. RESULTS: Surgical correction of the penile curvature was achieved in 11 of 12 patients. At a mean follow-up of 11 months (range 5 to 20), all patients were potent, with one requiring intracavernous injection therapy. One patient developed a 60 degrees curvature 6 months postoperatively and required reoperation. No reports of penile shortening, pain, infection, hematoma, bulging at the graft site, or evidence of a local immunogenic rejection reaction have been noted. CONCLUSIONS: At this early stage, acellular porcine jejunal submucosal grafts for coverage of cavernosal defects after Peyronie's plaque incision allow for satisfactory clinical results. The ease of surgical handling and placement and no associated comorbidities from harvesting techniques, coupled with no adverse reactions, make this material an anatomic and functional tunical substitute.

Enhanced quantum correlations in bound higher-order solitons

Quantum effects in N-bound solitons can be drastically enhanced compared to the fundamental soliton. In particular, the spectral photon-number correlations are much stronger. The formation of spectral domains of almost perfect positive and negative correlations is predicted. Criteria that are based on the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality are used for studying nonclassical correlations. Interferences between different soliton components of the N-bound solution being responsible for the strong changes in the coherent amplitude may also be a mechanism for the strong correlations. The results offer novel possibilities of producing light with highly nonclassical properties.

Prospective multicenter study of transperineal prostatic block for transurethral needle ablation of the prostate.

The choice of anesthesia during thermal therapy of the prostate plays a significant role in the morbidity profile, patient convenience, and cost. We report 39 men with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia who underwent transurethral needle ablation of the prostate under transperineal prostatic block. This method of local anesthesia proved safe, convenient, and satisfactory during the procedure.