Future Testing Research Articles

EXAMINING THE CONTENT ALIGNMENT BETWEEN LANGUAGE CURRICULUM AND A LANGUAGE TEST IN CHINA

This study examined the content alignment between an English as a foreign language skills curriculum and a provincial language test in China. When there is misalignment in the content between the standards of a curriculum and a test, conclusions about student abilities and teaching effectiveness can be questioned. To examine this, three categories of alignment were investigated using document analysis and expert judgment: categorical concurrence, range of knowledge correspondence, and balance of representation. Eight reviewers coded the curriculum and test items. Results showed that the curriculum aligned across the three criteria for the listening and reading skills. For the writing skills, the range of knowledge correspondence and balance of representation criteria were met, but categorical concurrence was not. The test did not include speaking items, so there was complete misalignment with that curriculum. The findings showed that the test partially aligned with the curriculum, suggesting that performance may not fully represent students’ ability to meet the curricular standards. We recommend that future tests should comprehensively cover all of the content in the curriculum and when doing so to ensure there is a sufficient number of items measuring each objective. This would improve how accurately interpretations of student performance can be made.

Structural analysis of factors related to FAM3C/ILEI dimerization and identification of inhibitor candidates targeting cancer treatment

FAM3 is a superfamily of four cytokines that maintain a single globular structure β −β −α of three classes: FAM3A, B, C and D. FAM3C was the first member of this family related to cancer and is functionally characterized as an essential factor for the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), leading to late delays in tumor progression. Due to its crucial role in EMT and metastasis, FAM3C has been termed an interleukin-like EMT (ILEI) inducer. There are several studies on the part of FAM3C in the progression of cancer and other diseases. However, little is known about its cellular receptors and possible inhibitors. In this study, based on in silico approaches, we performed structural analyses of factors related to FAM3C/ILEI dimerization. We also identified four possible inhibitor candidates, expected to be exciting prototypes and could be submitted to future biological tests targeting cancer treatment.

Effect of frequency and rhythmicity on flicker light-induced hallucinatory phenomena.

Flicker light stimulation (FLS) uses stroboscopic light on closed eyes to induce transient visual hallucinatory phenomena, such as the perception of geometric patterns, motion, and colours. It remains an open question where the neural correlates of these hallucinatory experiences emerge along the visual pathway. To allow future testing of suggested underlying mechanisms (e.g., changes in functional connectivity, neural entrainment), we sought to systematically characterise the effects of frequency (3 Hz, 8 Hz, 10 Hz and 18 Hz) and rhythmicity (rhythmic and arrhythmic conditions) on flicker-induced subjective experiences. Using a novel questionnaire, we found that flicker frequency and rhythmicity significantly influenced the degree to which participants experienced simple visual hallucinations, particularly the perception of Klüver forms and dynamics (e.g., motion). Participants reported their experience of geometric patterns and dynamics was at highest intensity during 10 Hz rhythmic stimulation. Further, we found that frequency-matched arrhythmic FLS strongly reduced these subjective effects compared to equivalent rhythmic stimulation. Together, these results provide evidence that flicker rhythmicity critically contributes to the effects of FLS beyond the effects of frequency alone, indicating that neural entrainment may drive the induced phenomenal experience.

Quasi-static and impact behaviour of foam-filled graded auxetic panel

Cellular structures (in general) and auxetic topologies (in particular) have excellent energy-dissipation characteristics and can be used as lightweight impact-energy absorbers. This paper aims to experimentally and computationally examine the behaviour of novel re-entrant auxetic graded aluminium panels filled with polyurethane foam in an auxetic pattern. The performance is compared with 3 non-graded, 1 graded and 2 foam-filled graded panels. The 6 compared auxetic panels share the same basic geometry but vary in the sheet thickness and the addition of polyurethane foam. The auxetic panels were built by corrugating and gluing 12 aluminium sheets. The material properties of the used aluminium sheets and foam were determined with standard mechanical testing. Detailed quasi-static and dynamic drop tests were conducted and compared with a non-linear computational model. The stress-strain relationships, deformation patterns, specific energy absorption, crash force efficiency and Poisson's ratio were comprehensively evaluated. Foam-filled panels revealed higher specific energy absorption and more stable deformation than non-filled panels. The developed computational models successfully describe mechanical and deformation behaviour and can be used for future virtual testing of other configurations.

Towards an advanced 3D-printed catalyst for hydrogen peroxide decomposition: Development and characterisation

The propellant form of hydrogen peroxide is a non-toxic alternative to hydrazine. However, catalysts used to induce hydrogen peroxide decomposition are often plagued by low melting point, high pressure drop and poor activity. 3D-printing may offer solutions to many of these issues, through the realisation of complex geometries such as triply-periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS). In this work, methods to print and coat such ceramic catalyst supports were developed. A flow reactor was used to quickly screen the catalysts and assess the influence of the chosen active phase, precursor, and support sintering temperature on their intrinsic activity. Platinum prepared from H2PtCl6 emerged as the most active catalyst, with a support sintering temperature of 1200 °C yielding the highest BET surface area. The latter was strongly correlated to catalytic activity. On a per weight basis, the printed Pt catalyst outperformed conventional silver screens and also matched the performance of Pt on a high surface area commercial support, due to its egg-shell distribution. These findings have laid the groundwork for future testing in a thruster configuration, where the proposed advantages of the 3D-printed structures will be evaluated.

Sexual selection does not drive hindwing tail elaboration in a moon moth,Actias luna

AbstractThe most emblematic animal traits are often attributed to sexual selection. While this pressure is an important force, elaborated traits that have been driven solely by natural selection are less enumerated. Here, we test an elaborate trait in moths—hindwing tails—that has been studied in an anti-predator context, but that remains unstudied for its role in mating. We gave female Actias luna (Saturniidae) moths a choice between two males of differing hindwing tail treatments. In our primary experiment, males with intact tails garnered more matings than males with tails removed. This difference appears to result from damage incurred by tail removal, however, as demonstrated with additional experiments. We created a tail/no-tail experimental set where we removed tails from both males, then reglued tails to one and applied glue only to the hindwings of the other. We found no significant difference in mating success between these males. To ensure that this result was not due to the glue itself, we offered females two intact males, with glue added to the wings of one. This set also had equal mating success. We therefore do not find evidence that tails play a role in sexual selection. These results, in combination with previous research on bat-moth battles using A. luna, indicate that the non-sexually dimorphic hindwing tail was likely driven by natural selection. We suggest that future research testing multiple selective forces is needed to reveal the prevalence of natural versus sexual selection as the primary force driving trait elaboration in diverse animal taxa.

Biological activity of a chitosan-carboxymethylcellulose-zinc oxide and calcium carbonate in 3D scaffolds stabilized by physical links for bone tissue engineering.

Today, regenerative osteogenesis represents a clinical need, due to the incidence of bone defects that involve groups of pathologies ranging from congenital anomalies to traumatic injuries, as well as problems presented surgically. This is why the design of a polymeric biomaterial (scaffold) of chitosan, carboxymethylcellulose, zinc oxide, and calcium carbonate with similar characteristics in terms of composition and bone structure offers high potential to help address this health problem. The technique for obtaining the scaffolds of this research was to develop a physical hydrogel to have the biofunctionality of the active groups of the polymer chains used, then make use of the lyophilization process to obtain three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds. The physicochemical and biological properties of the scaffolds were evaluated. The scaffolds presented morphology with pore size and interconnectivity that favor the need for cell proliferation and viability. The biocompatibility tests confirm that the designed scaffolds do not present cytotoxicity and the analyzes with alizarin red staining show calcium deposits in the materials with CaCO3 and ZnO. Osteoinduction assays to osteogenic lineage using runt-related transcription factor type 2 (RUNX2) and collagen type 1 (COL-1) antibodies allowed expression in differentiated cells. Therefore, the calcium carbonate-containing scaffolds stabilized by physical bonds have characteristics of being non-cytotoxic, bioactive, and osteoinductive, which motivate their use in future tests to evaluate their demeanor with rat models for bone engineering studies.

Abstract 1048: Enabling higher sensitivity liquid biopsies with multiplex digital PCR NSCLC-relevant drug resistance panels

Abstract Cancers, for example, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and colorectal cancer, are frequently associated with specific genetic mutations that serving as biomarkers to guide more specific treatments (targeted therapy). The most frequently mutated genes include EGFR, KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, HER2, PIK3CA, MET, etc. Unfortunately, screening and monitoring the most common cancer related mutations and identifying the breadth of the most common drug-resistant mutations in MRD monitoring has previously required NGS - but cost, and time for execution, limits testing frequency. Furthermore, sensitivity is typically 1-5% VAF, thus limiting early detection. While digital PCR (dPCR) can be run at a fraction of the cost, and with higher sensitivity (VAFs of 0.1 to 0.01%), due to the lack of high level of multiplexing, it was historically impractical for routine screening. Here, we show that the use 6-color naica® system (Stilla Technologies), incorporating a series of high multiplex panels developed by Atila BioSystems, is able to group and efficiently detect the most frequently druggable mutations in a single reaction within three hours. Furthermore, we are demonstrating the coverage, precision, and sensitivity necessary to make high-plex digital PCR a viable option for future liquid biopsy testing. Citation Format: Michael Granitsiotis, Kimberly Gutierrez, Youxiang Wang, Jialuo Li, Zhijie Yang. Enabling higher sensitivity liquid biopsies with multiplex digital PCR NSCLC-relevant drug resistance panels [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 1048.

The New Chapter of Transonic Compressor Cascade Design at the DLR

Abstract The design of compressor blades has been transformed by the advent of optimization algorithms, allowing designers to focus on finding the best optimization strategy for a desired application. However, transonic flow conditions on compressor blades still present considerable modeling challenges, even for a 2D blade section. This paper then focuses on the design of a new state-of-the-art compressor cascade for future test campaigns at the DLR’s Transonic Cascade Wind Tunnel (TGK). For this purpose, a review of the cascades previously tested at the TGK was performed to select a main reference with good efficiency at high loading. The data gathered also informed the optimization strategy applied with the DLR’s optimizer, AutoOpti. The process chain was evaluated with Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes CFD simulations using the DLR’s solver, TRACE. The optimization was set to minimize two objective functions: the first one focused on the efficiency at the design point, and the second one focused on the efficiency over the working range. The result is a Pareto front of cascades with a wide variety of design features with an efficiency improvement over the working range of about 24%. This improvement was achieved with a comparable aerodynamic loading. Further analyses were performed to select the “best” cascade for future test campaigns. The significant improvement obtained with respect to the reference and the wide variety of designs observed demonstrates that there is still much to be learned about blade design through optimization; even for 2D cascades and specially in transonic flow.

Perinatal exposure to the fungicide ketoconazole alters hypothalamic control of puberty in female rats.

Estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as diethylstilbestrol (DES) are known to alter the timing of puberty onset and reproductive function in females. Accumulating evidence suggests that steroid synthesis inhibitors such as ketoconazole (KTZ) or phthalates may also affect female reproductive health, however their mode of action is poorly understood. Because hypothalamic activity is very sensitive to sex steroids, we aimed at determining whether and how EDCs with different mode of action can alter the hypothalamic transcriptome and GnRH release in female rats. Female rats were exposed to KTZ or DES during perinatal (DES 3-6-12μg/kg.d; KTZ 3-6-12mg/kg.d), pubertal or adult periods (DES 3-12-48μg/kg.d; KTZ 3-12-48mg/kg.d). Ex vivo study of GnRH pulsatility revealed that perinatal exposure to the highest doses of KTZ and DES delayed maturation of GnRH secretion before puberty, whereas pubertal or adult exposure had no effect on GnRH pulsatility. Hypothalamic transcriptome, studied by RNAsequencing in the preoptic area and in the mediobasal hypothalamus, was found to be very sensitive to perinatal exposure to all doses of KTZ before puberty with effects persisting until adulthood. Bioinformatic analysis with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis predicted "Creb signaling in Neurons" and "IGF-1 signaling" among the most downregulated pathways by all doses of KTZ and DES before puberty, and "PPARg" as a common upstream regulator driving gene expression changes. Deeper screening ofRNAseq datasets indicated that a high number of genes regulating the activity of the extrinsic GnRH pulse generator were consistently affected by all the doses of DES and KTZ before puberty. Several, including MKRN3, DNMT3 or Cbx7, showed similar alterations in expression at adulthood. nRH secretion and the hypothalamic transcriptome are highly sensitive to perinatal exposure to both DES and KTZ. The identified pathways should be exploredfurther to identify biomarkers for future testing strategies for EDC identification and when enhancing the current standard information requirements in regulation.

Online error rate control for platform trials.

Platform trials evaluate multiple experimental treatments under a single master protocol, where new treatment arms are added to the trial over time. Given the multiple treatment comparisons, there is the potential for inflation of the overall typeI error rate, which is complicated by the fact that the hypotheses are tested at different times and are not necessarily pre-specified. Online error rate control methodology provides a possible solution to the problem of multiplicity for platform trials where a relatively large number of hypotheses are expected to be tested over time. In the online multiple hypothesis testing framework, hypotheses are tested one-by-one over time, where at each time-step an analyst decides whether to reject the current null hypothesis without knowledge of future tests but based solely on past decisions. Methodology has recently been developed for online control of the false discovery rate as well as the familywise error rate (FWER). In this article, we describe how to apply online error rate control to the platform trial setting, present extensive simulation results, and give some recommendations for the use of this new methodology in practice. We show that the algorithms for online error rate control can have a substantially lower FWER than uncorrected testing, while still achieving noticeable gains in power when compared with the use of a Bonferroni correction. We also illustrate how online error rate control would have impacted a currently ongoing platform trial.

148 A Feasibility Study for the Implementation of a Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program in the Rural South

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: As hospitals across the nation respond to the need to address community violence, there is a dearth of Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs) in the South despite having disproportionate rates. This research aims to identify key factors and strategies for implementation of an HVIP among rural patient populations in a southern state. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with medical providers, social service organizations, and patients transferred from four high-risk rural areas in Arkansas. Data will be analyzed using Framework Analysis, a rapid analysis approach involving framework development, code application, impactful statement identification, and content analysis. Evidence- Based Quality Improvement (EBQI), a group consensus making process, will be conducted to identify key implementation strategies and factors to adapt based interview findings. Priority areas for adaptation will be identified via systematic rating. The EBQI team, including researchers and key rural stakeholders will engage in a series of discussion, vote on final strategies, and develop a guide for future HVIP implementation and pilot testing. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Findings from this study will result in a prioritized list of barriers and facilitators across sample groups. Factors will be rated by level of importance. Cluster maps will display the relationships among factors. Go and no-go zones will be identified based on importance and feasibility. Implementation strategies will be mapped to barriers and facilitators. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The findings will result in a culturally and geographically relevant HVIP model and package of implementation strategies to test in future hybrid trials (feasibility pilot & multi-site RCT); and shape the future of violence prevention efforts in healthcare settings across the rural South.

MP48-14 PATIENT SHARED DECISION-MAKING IN URINARY DIVERSION AFTER RADICAL CYSTECTOMY

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023MP48-14 PATIENT SHARED DECISION-MAKING IN URINARY DIVERSION AFTER RADICAL CYSTECTOMY Janet Baack Kukreja, Ashley Dafoe, Grant Yoder, Brooke Dorsey Holliman, Megan Morris, Simon Kim, and Daniel Matolock Janet Baack KukrejaJanet Baack Kukreja More articles by this author , Ashley DafoeAshley Dafoe More articles by this author , Grant YoderGrant Yoder More articles by this author , Brooke Dorsey HollimanBrooke Dorsey Holliman More articles by this author , Megan MorrisMegan Morris More articles by this author , Simon KimSimon Kim More articles by this author , and Daniel MatolockDaniel Matolock More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003294.14AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: At a complex time in their life, a patient with bladder cancer faces a difficult process that is paramount to their quality of life after radical cystectomy (RC). Shared decision-making, where patients are informed of the complexities, risks and benefits of each of the three urinary diversion options is critical. Our objective was to understand urologist and patient perspectives on issues influencing decision for urinary diversion and develop a decision aid. METHODS: Urologists (n=11), all performing high volume RC, from across the country were recruited and interviewed for 30-60 minutes about their workflows, patient decision making, and ideal decision aid. Patients (n=14) currently undergoing or recently undergone RC were recruited, interviewed 30-60 minutes about their decision making process and ideal decision aid (content, format, delivery, value). All interviews were audio recorded, professionally transcribed, and uploaded to Atlas.ti for coding. Coding was done by a qualitative trained research collaborator using an inductive codebook developed by the team through iterative review of transcripts. There was double coding done in 20%. RESULTS: Three major themes were identified and used for the development of a decision aid for urinary diversion after RC. (1) The first theme focused on weighing of medical considerations, urologists weighted this consideration towards surgical risk, comorbidities and complications. Patients were concerned with maintenance and lifestyle. Urologists and patients thought age would impact recovery. (2) The second theme was the misalignment of body images and activity limitations. Urologists felt patients have a misconception that certain diversions will limit activity. Although patients perceived that certain diversions will limit activity, they were more concerned about the 'best fit.' Urologists perceive body image as a 'look' whereas patients felt it was more about feel and hygiene. Patients want help imagining life with the diversion. (3) The third theme was considerations about maintenance. Urologists felt items such as catherization avoidance was secondary to discomfort, while most patients actually disliked the idea due to increased risk of infections. Patients were concerned about their desire to maintain diversion, but urologists were concerned with the ability to perform maintenance. CONCLUSIONS: Urologists and patients have biases that can be addressed by working through a decision aid to align and activate conversation. Future work and testing is necessary for the newly developed decision aid. Source of Funding: Urology Care Foundation © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e660 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Janet Baack Kukreja More articles by this author Ashley Dafoe More articles by this author Grant Yoder More articles by this author Brooke Dorsey Holliman More articles by this author Megan Morris More articles by this author Simon Kim More articles by this author Daniel Matolock More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

295 Identification of Proteomic Biomarkers in Puerto Ricans with Pancreatic Cancer

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Our objective is to establish a proteomic protein labeling method from tumor tissue and blood samples obtained from patients undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer in Puerto Rico. Our goal is to discover potential biomarkers in the patient tumor/blood samples that are not expressed in normal control samples obtained from potential organ donors. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A pilot study with ten patients undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer will obtain tumor tissue and blood samples. Protein extracts isolated from tissue/cells will be reduced, alkylated, and digested overnight. Samples will be labeled with TMT reagents and mixed before fractionation and cleanup. Labeled samples will be analyzed with a high-resolution Orbitrap LC-MS/MS before data analysis to identify peptides and quantify the reporter ions. The altered proteins will be analyzed by ELISA to confirm their presence. The protein arrangements will be compared with results from proteomic profile banks to assess their prevalence. As controls, parallel protein analyses will be performed on normal tissue/blood samples from organ donors, facilitated by our local organ procurement organization. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We anticipate finding proteogenomic material defining PC and new proteomic subtypes not previously described in this population. In addition, studying protein overexpression and underexpression can identify relevant genes and potential biomarkers. We hypothesize that PC in the Hispanic population will show slight variations in tumor protein expression than in other populations, which could lead to the discovery of a new Hispanic-specific biomarker. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: We expect to provide essential information that will influence the next steps in developing future screening tests. Identifying specific proteins with the potential to become a preventive test should eventually lead to a reduction in morbidity and mortality of PC. The results of this work should lay the foundation that can guide future research.

180 Enhancing Engagement of Nursing Home Staff and Leaders in Intervention Development

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Recruiting under-resourced, rural nursing home (NH) staff to clinical research has proven especially difficult during COVID-19. The goal for this study was to leverage an existing group of NH providers to seek their opinions on the development of a novel person-centered risk management intervention for residents with dementia. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This study used community engagement studios (CES) to connect and engage with community experts (NH staff and leaders) attending, or in close vicinity to, a NH provider conference in Denver, Colorado July 25-30, 2022. Led by an experienced moderator and an assistant moderator using a semi-structured discussion guide, two CES were completed with 14 community experts. Community experts took part in a 90-minute facilitated and recorded discussion to gain their perspectives on the DIGNITY (Decision-making in aging and dementia for autonomy) study procedures and instruments along with recommendations for how to improve the acceptability, feasibility, and likelihood of intervention success. The local IRB determined this study to not be human research. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Community experts most often identified as white/Caucasian (64%) females (93%) holding jobs in NHs as direct-care nurse/nursing aide (n=5), nurse supervisor/director (n=4), other NH leadership (n=3), nursing aide union organizers (n=2), and state surveyor (n=1). The primary outcomes of the CES were suggestions that could be used to adapt the elements of the study design. Following CESs, transcripts were reviewed and summarized on a rapid feedback table. The study team made changes to five of the six intervention elements based on expert feedback. Most experts (79%) agreed that the DIGNITY intervention was acceptable, appropriate, and feasible to implement in the NH community. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This study highlighted the voices of NH staff and leaders that is often underrepresented in research development and provides critical information for how to adapt a novel intervention for future testing in rural NH communities. Results also support the usefulness of CES as a method to develop practical interventions in NH communities.

T-Evos: A Large-Scale Longitudinal Study on CI Test Execution and Failure

Continuous integration is widely adopted in software projects to reduce the time it takes to deliver the changes to the market. To ensure software quality, developers also run regression test cases in a continuous fashion. The CI practice generates commit-by-commit software evolution data that provides great opportunities for future testing research. However, such data is often unavailable due to space limitation (e.g., developers only keep the data for a certain period) and the significant effort involved in re-running the test cases on a per-commit basis. In this paper, we present T-Evos, a dataset on test result and coverage evolution, covering 8,093 commits across 12 open-source Java projects. Our dataset includes the evolution of statement-level code coverage for every test case (either passed and failed), test result, all the builds information, code changes, and the corresponding bug reports. We conduct an initial analysis to demonstrate the overall dataset. In addition, we conduct an empirical study using T-Evos to study the characteristics of test failures in CI settings. We find that test failures are frequent, and while most failures are resolved within a day, some failures require several weeks to resolve. We highlight the relationship between code changes and test failure, and provide insights for future automated testing research. Our dataset may be used for future testing research and benchmarking in CI. Our findings provide an important first step in understanding code coverage evolution and test failures in a continuous environment.

Measuring Students’ Sense of School Catholic Identity

As a ministry of the Catholic Church, Catholic schools are charged with educating stu­dents’ hearts and minds. Multiple standardized academic tests and other student assessments are available for monitoring both student and teacher outcomes in Catholic schools, but fewer measures exist for considering the school’s faith-related mission. Although tests of student religious knowledge and benchmarks related to specific Catholic elements of the school are available, we do not yet have a robust set of instruments that provide teachers and leaders an understanding of their progress in providing a school environment permeated by Catholic culture and faith. To consider how students in Catholic schools perceive the Catholicity of their school and how these perceptions vary among different student groups, we developed, piloted, and validated the Sense of School Catholic Iden­tity Survey (SSCI). This 20-­item survey measures Grade 5 through 8 students’ perceptions of their Catholic school as personal and invitational, sacramental, unitive, and eucharistic. Findings from the pilot study suggest that responses differ by student grade level, religious tradition, and gender. Future testing of the scale will examine school­-level differences in Catholic identity.

When does a particle arrive?

We compare the proposals that have appeared in the literature to describe a measurement of the time of arrival of a quantum particle at a detector. We show that there are multiple regimes where different proposals give inequivalent, experimentally discriminable, predictions. This analysis paves the way for future experimental tests.

A rabbit model for outer retinal atrophy caused by surgical RPE removal

PurposeWe aimed to establish a rabbit model with retinal atrophy induced by an iatrogenic retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) removal, for future testing of the efficacy and safety of cell therapy strategies.MethodsA localized detachment of the retina from the RPE/choroid layer was created in 18 pigmented rabbits. The RPE was removed by scraping with a custom-made extendable loop instrument. The resulting RPE wound was observed over a time course of 12 weeks with optical coherence tomography and angiography. After 4 days (group 1) and 12 weeks (group 2), histology was done and staining with hematoxylin and eosin, as well as immunofluorescence performed to further investigate the effects of debridement on the RPE and the overlying retina.ResultsAlready after 4 days, we observed a closure of the RPE wound by proliferating RPE and microglia/macrophage cells forming a multilayered clump. This pattern continued over the observation time course of 12 weeks, whereby the inner and outer nuclear layer of the retina became atrophic. No neovascularization was observed in the angiograms or histology. The observed changes were limited to the site of the former RPE wound.ConclusionsLocalized surgical RPE removal induced an adjacent progressive retinal atrophy. Altering the natural course of this model may serve as a basis to test RPE cell therapeutics.

Correlation Analysis between Strength and Defect of Nano-Cementitious Composites using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity

Recently, researchers are conducting studies to improve the mechanical and chemical properties of cementitious composites mixed with nanomaterials. Defects may occur inside nano-cementitious composites due to nanomaterial agglomeration in the manufacturing process. These defects can degrade the mechanical performance of the nano-cementitious composite. This study performs ultrasonic non-destructive and compressive strength tests according to the size of defects in nano-cementitious composites. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used for the nanomaterial, and internal defects of various sizes were considered in the center of the specimens. Ultrasonic pulse velocity was measured according to the defect size until 30 curing days, after which the compressive strength was measured. The ultrasonic pulse velocity of the nano-cementitious composites decreased by up to 9.6% in relation to that of the specimens without defects as the defect size increased, and the compressive strength decreased by up to 35.7%. This study's findings revealed a correlation between ultrasonic pulse velocity and compressive strength according to defect size. Future ultrasonic non-destructive tests will allow for the prediction of mechanical performance and the detection of defects within nano-cementitious composites.