The aim of the study was to investigate how smoke-associated flavoring substances behave during storage in Frankfurter-type sausages. The diffusion behavior of seven selected aroma substances in the sausage matrix and the influence of the packaging and the casing were examined over a storage period of 28 days. The sausages were cut into uniformly thick layers at defined time intervals and examined by headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In general, three different groups could be distinguished: (1) even distribution over the entire product on the first day after smoking; (2) clear concentration gradient from outside to inside on the first day of storage, which leveled out until day 28 of storage; and (3) a clear concentration gradient that remained present throughout the storage period. In addition, only small effects were found in the distribution of flavorings between two types of packaging, selected casing, or different calibers.

The retina is often used to evaluate the vascular health status of eyes and the whole body directly and noninvasively in vivo. Retinal vascular parameters included caliber, tortuosity and fractal dimension. These variables represent the density or geometric characteristics of the vascular network apart from reflecting structural changes in the retinal vessel system. Currently, these parameters are often used as indicators of retinal disease, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Advanced digital fundus photography apparatus and computer-assisted analysis techniques combined with artificial intelligence, make the quantitative calculation of these parameters easier, objective, and labor-saving.

The retina, as an external extension of the diencephalon, can be directly, noninvasively observed by ocular fundus photography. Therefore, it offers a convenient and feasible mode to study nervous system diseases. Caliber, tortuosity, and fractal dimension, as three commonly used retinal vascular parameters, are not only the reflection of structural changes in the retinal microcirculation but also capture the branching pattern or density changes of the retinal microvascular network. Therefore, it contributes to better reflecting the subclinical pathological changes (e.g., lacunar stroke and small cerebral vascular disease) and predicting the risk of incident stroke and recurrent stroke.

Previously, variation in retinal vascular caliber has been reported in association with chronic kidney disease (CKD) but findings remain inconsistent. To help clarify this we conducted individual participant data meta-analysis and aggregate data meta-analysis on summary estimates to evaluate cross-sectional associations between retinal vascular caliber and CKD. A systematic review was performed using Medline and EMBASE for articles published until October 2018. The aggregate analysis used a two-stage approach combining summary estimates from eleven studies (44,803 patients) while the individual participant analysis used a one-stage approach combining raw data from nine studies (33,222 patients). CKD stages 3-5 was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate under 60 mL/min/1.73m2. Retinal arteriolar and venular caliber (central retinal arteriolar and venular equivalent) were assessed from retinal photographs using computer-assisted methods. Logistic regression estimated relative risk of CKD stages 3-5 associated with a 20 μm decrease (approximately one standard deviation) in central retinal arteriolar and venular equivalent. Prevalence of CKD stages 3-5 was 11.2% of 33,222 and 11.3% of 44,803 patients in the individual participant and aggregate data analysis, respectively. No significant associations were detected in adjusted analyses between central retinal arteriolar and venular equivalent and CKD stages 3-5 in the aggregate analysis for central retinal arteriolar relative risk (0.98, 95% confidence interval 0.94-1.03); venular equivalent (0.99, 0.95-1.04) or individual participant central retinal arteriolar (0.99, 0.95-1.04) or venular equivalent (1.01, 0.97-1.05). Thus, meta-analysis provided little evidence to suggest that cross sectional direct measurements of retinal vascular caliber was associated with CKD stages 3-5 in the general population. Hence, meta-analyses of longitudinal studies evaluating the association between retinal parameters and CKD stages 3-5 may be warranted.

Ever since Clausius in 1865 and Boltzmann in 1877, the concepts of entropy and of its maximization have been the foundations for predicting how material equilibria derive from microscopic properties. But, despite much work, there has been no equally satisfactory general variational principle for nonequilibrium situations. However, in 1980, a new avenue was opened by E.T. Jaynes and by Shore and Johnson. We review here maximum caliber, which is a maximum-entropy-like principle that can infer distributions of flows over pathways, given dynamical constraints. This approach is providing new insights, particularly into few-particle complex systems, such as gene circuits, protein conformational reaction coordinates, network traffic, bird flocking, cell motility, and neuronal firing.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of suture caliber and looped configurations on the integrity of 4-strand modified Kessler zone II flexor tendon repairs during progressive cyclic loading.
METHODS: Seventy-two flexor digitorum profundus tendons from 18 fresh human cadaver hands were divided into 4 repair groups. Thirty-six matched tendons underwent repair using either a 4-0 looped or 4-0 single-stranded suture, and an additional 36 tendons underwent 3-0 looped or 3-0 single-stranded repairs. Repair strength was tested by progressive cyclic loading. The force generating 2-mm gap formation, ultimate failure, and the mechanism of failure were recorded for each test. The impact of looped versus single-stranded configurations and the effect of tendon cross-sectional area on repair integrity were analyzed for each suture caliber.
RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between groups regarding the force to 2-mm gap formation or ultimate failure, and all values exceeded the minimum threshold of 27 N required to withstand an early active range of motion rehabilitation protocol. The use of a 3-0 caliber suture resulted in a significantly higher proportion of repairs failing by suture pullout through the tendon substance, including 63.5% of looped and 38.9% of single-stranded core sutures. By comparison, this occurred in 11.1% of 4-0 looped and 0% of 4-0 single-stranded sutures. Larger tendon cross-sectional areas were associated with more robust repairs, particularly in the 3-0 looped group.
CONCLUSIONS: In a human cadaver flexor tendon repair model, there was no significant difference in the mean force to failure between all 4 flexor tendon repair constructs under progressive cyclic loading. However, the 3-0 caliber suture failed more frequently by suture pullout, particularly with the use of a looped suture.
CONCLUSIONS: Four-strand flexor tendon repairs using a 3-0 caliber suture are more prone to early failure by suture pullout under progressive cyclic loading compared with a 4-0 caliber suture.

Methodologies that improve estimation of caliber from cranial bone defects are necessary to meet the ever increasing admissibility standards. The relationship between caliber, wound diameter, and bone mineral density (BMD) was examined. The formation of the permanent cavity is influenced by bullet yaw, velocity, distance, and tissue properties. The hypothesis was that including BMD, wound diameter could be explained by differences in caliber. The sample consists of 68 autopsy sections and 101 specimens from Phelps (1898). A subsample of 18 was scanned using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) for BMD measurement to test whether an increase in BMD affects wound diameter. Pearson product-moment correlations of the subsample indicate the strongest correlation is between BMD and minimum diameter (r = 0.7101), followed by a correlation between minimum diameter and caliber (r = 0.6854). Despite the previous use of thickness as a proxy for BMD, no correlation was found between BMD and thickness (r = 0.0143). A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) detected a significant influence of BMD and minimum diameter on caliber size (Prob > F = 0.0003). The logistic regression shows that caliber can be estimated from minimum diameter. Using the subsample, the results show that the inclusion of BMD strengthens the model for estimating caliber from entrance gunshot defects.

In modern-day simulations of many-body systems, much of the computational complexity is shifted to the identification of slowly changing molecular order parameters called collective variables (CVs) or reaction coordinates. A vast array of enhanced-sampling methods are based on the identification and biasing of these low-dimensional order parameters, whose fluctuations are important in driving rare events of interest. Here, we describe a new algorithm for finding optimal low-dimensional CVs for use in enhanced-sampling biasing methods like umbrella sampling, metadynamics, and related methods, when limited prior static and dynamic information is known about the system, and a much larger set of candidate CVs is specified. The algorithm involves estimating the best combination of these candidate CVs, as quantified by a maximum path entropy estimate of the spectral gap for dynamics viewed as a function of that CV. The algorithm is called spectral gap optimization of order parameters (SGOOP). Through multiple practical examples, we show how this postprocessing procedure can lead to optimization of CV and several orders of magnitude improvement in the convergence of the free energy calculated through metadynamics, essentially giving the ability to extract useful information even from unsuccessful metadynamics runs.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the caliber of the following arteries in the lower extremities: the common femoral artery, superficial femoral artery, popliteal artery, posterior tibial artery and dorsalis pedis artery and to determine the relation of the calibers to age, sex and morphological parameters of the body such as weight, height and BMI of the subject.
METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-eight healthy persons aged 18-81 were examined (average ±SD; 43.1±16.71): 134 women aged 19-74 (43.2±15.63) and 94 men aged 18-81 (43±18.22).
METHODS: The study was conducted with the use of a linear probe of 7.5 MHz frequency. The vascular caliber was assessed after the color map (color Doppler) was placed on a B-mode image.
RESULTS: The average and standard deviation values for the calibers of examined vessels were determined. The calibers of all vessels examined in the group of men were statistically significantly larger than those in the group of women. No statistically significant differences between the calibers of the right and left sides were determined. The statistically significant correlations were specified between the age and the caliber of the examined vessels; positive for large femoral arteries and negative for the arteries of the crus and foot. Positive, statistically significant correlations between the caliber and the height, weight and BMI were also reported.
CONCLUSIONS: The reported calibers of the arteries in the lower extremities and their relation to age, sex and morphological parameters of the subjects enable the differentiation of the physiological remodeling of the vessels from the pathological processes in e.g. atherosclerosis or hypertension.
Celem pracy jest ocena średnicy światła tętnic kończyn dolnych: tętnicy udowej wspólnej, tętnicy udowej powierzchownej, tętnicy podkolanowej, tętnicy piszczelowej tylnej i tętnicy grzbietowej stopy u osób zdrowych oraz ustalenie jej zależności od wieku, płci oraz parametrów morfologicznych ciała (waga, wzrost, BMI) badanego.
Zbadano 228 zdrowych osób w wieku 18–81 lat (średnia ±SD; 43,1±16,71): 134 kobiety w wieku 19–74 lat (43,2±15,63) i 94 mężczyzn w wieku 18–81 lat (43±18,22).
Badania przeprowadzano za pomocą sondy liniowej, o częstotliwości 7,5 MHz. Światło naczyń oceniano po nałożeniu na obraz w prezentacji B mapy kolorów (kolorowy doppler).
Ustalono średnie i odchylenie standardowe dla średnicy światła badanych naczyń. Średnice światła wszystkich zbadanych naczyń w grupie mężczyzn były istotnie statystycznie większe od wartości w grupie kobiet. Nie stwierdzono istotnych statystycznie różnic średnicy światła naczyń pomiędzy stronami (prawa – lewa). Wykazano występowanie istotnych statystycznie korelacji pomiędzy wiekiem a średnicą światła badanych naczyń, dla dużych tętnic uda – dodatnich, dla tętnic podudzia i stopy – ujemnych. Odnotowano także istotne statystycznie dodatnie korelacje pomiędzy wzrostem badanych, wagą i BMI a średnicą światła naczyń.
Ustalone średnice światła tętnic kończyn dolnych oraz ich zależności od wieku, płci i parametrów morfologicznych badanego umożliwią odróżnienie fizjologicznej przebudowy naczynia od procesu patologicznego, zachodzącego na przykład w przebiegu miażdżycy czy nadciśnienia.

OBJECTIVE: The population with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) is growing but validated models to guide their clinical management are lacking. We developed and validated prognostic models for all-cause mortality and non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) or coronary death in SCAD.
RESULTS: Models were developed in a linked electronic health records cohort of 102 023 SCAD patients from the CALIBER programme, with mean follow-up of 4.4 (SD 2.8) years during which 20 817 deaths and 8856 coronary outcomes were observed. The Kaplan-Meier 5-year risk was 20.6% (95% CI, 20.3, 20.9) for mortality and 9.7% (95% CI, 9.4, 9.9) for non-fatal MI or coronary death. The predictors in the models were age, sex, CAD diagnosis, deprivation, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, lipids, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, atrial fibrillation, stroke, chronic kidney disease, chronic pulmonary disease, liver disease, cancer, depression, anxiety, heart rate, creatinine, white cell count, and haemoglobin. The models had good calibration and discrimination in internal (external) validation with C-index 0.811 (0.735) for all-cause mortality and 0.778 (0.718) for non-fatal MI or coronary death. Using these models to identify patients at high risk (defined by guidelines as 3% annual mortality) and support a management decision associated with hazard ratio 0.8 could save an additional 13-16 life years or 15-18 coronary event-free years per 1000 patients screened, compared with models with just age, sex, and deprivation.
CONCLUSIONS: These validated prognostic models could be used in clinical practice to support risk stratification as recommended in clinical guidelines.