The Technique and Advantages of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in the Diagnosis and Follow-up of Traumatic Abdomen Solid Organ Injuries

Trauma is one of the most common causes of death or permanent disability in young people, so a timely diagnostic approach is crucial. In polytrauma patients, CEUS has been shown to be more sensitive than US for the detection of solid organ injuries, improving the identification and grading of traumatic abdominal lesions with levels of sensitivity and specificity similar to those seen with MDCT. CEUS is recommended for the diagnostic evaluation of hemodynamically stable patients with isolated blunt moderate-energy abdominal traumas and for the diagnostic follow-up of conservatively managed abdominal traumas. In this pictorial review we illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of CEUS and the procedure details with tips and tricks during investigation of blunt moderate-energy abdominal trauma as well as during follow-up in non-operative management.

New Insights on the Lower Lekhwair Formation offshore Abu Dhabi: Understanding the Key Role of Lithocodium/bacinella Floatstones on Large Scale Reservoir Quality Variations

The Lower Cretaceous Lekhwair Formation is one of the most prolific oil reservoirs in onshore and offshore UAE, yet the available literature on this interval remains limited. Based on a recent study carried out in collaboration with ADNOC Offshore, the present paper provides new insights into the comprehension of the interplay between primary depositional and secondary diagenetic controls on the reservoir performance, which is of crucial importance for the refinement of the static and dynamic models. In offshore Abu Dhabi, the Lower Lekhwair Formation is characterised by an alternation of relatively thick argillaceous (dense zones) and clean limestones (reservoir zones). Reservoir zones consist of basal, low to moderate energy inner ramp deposits, grading upward into thick inner and mid-ramp sediments. Lithocodium/Bacinella is the volumetrically dominant skeletal allochem and can form m-thick, stacked floatstone units. Such Lithocodium/Bacinella-rich floatstones are interpreted to originate from a mid-ramp depositional setting as a result of an increase in the accommodation space. By contrast, the contribution of Lithocodium/Bacinella floatstones is significantly reduced in inner ramp settings where these tend to form cm- to dm-scale, laterally discontinuous interbeds. The combination of sedimentological findings with diagenetic data provided an enhanced understanding of the origin and variations of the reservoir quality across the Lower Lekhwair Formation. In more detail, the best reservoir quality occurs within poorly cemented, Lithocodium/Bacinella-rich floatstones with grain-supported matrices, which favoured the preservation of a macropore-dominated pore system allowing an effective fluid flow. By contrast, the mud-supported textures with only rare and localised occurrence of mm- to cm-scale Lithocodium/Bacinella clumps, present the poorest reservoir quality due to the isolated nature of the macropores and the relatively tight micrite matrix surrounding them. At the large scale, the Lower Lekhwair shows an upward increase in reservoir quality, consistently with the upward increase in abundance and thickness of the Lithocodium/Bacinella-rich floatstones. The integration of depositional features with diagenetic overprint in the Lower Lekhwair Formation shows the fundamental role played by Lithocodium/Bacinella-rich floatstones with grain-supported matrices on the reservoir quality distribution. The impact of the Lithocodium/Bacinella floatstone matrices on the reservoir performance was never investigated before and hence represents an element of innovation and a powerful tool to predict the distribution of the areas hosting the best reservoir properties.

Stable dinitrile end-capped closed-shell non-quinodimethane as donor, acceptor and additive of organic solar cells

Non-fullerene acceptors exhibit great potential to improve photovoltaic performances of organic solar cells. However, it is important to further enhance chemical stability and device durability for future commercialization, especially for Y6-series small molecule acceptors with 2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydroinden-1-ylidene)malononitrile (IC) type as ending group. In this work, an IC-free photovoltaic material YF-CN consisting of 2-fluoren-9-ylidenepropanedinitrile terminal was designed and synthesized by stille coupling. YF-CN exhibited closed-shell chemical structure with enhanced photostability and improved morphological compatibility with the binary PCE10:Y6 blend. The moderate energy level makes YF-CN could serve as a multifunctional material, such as donor, acceptor and the third component. When adding YF-CN as second donor into PCE10:Y6 system, an improved power conversion efficiency of 12.03% was achieved for as-cast device. Importantly, the ternary PCE10:YF-CN:Y6-devices showed enhanced storage durability maintaining 91% of initial PCE after the 360 hours. This work provides new perspective to understand the open-shell character of donor and closed-shell structure of acceptors, respectively, as well as promising design concept of stable IC-free acceptors for organic solar cells.

Stable dinitrile end-capped closed-shell non-quinodimethane as donor, acceptor and additive of organic solar cells

Non-fullerene acceptors exhibit great potential to improve photovoltaic performances of organic solar cells. However, it is important to further enhance chemical stability and device durability for future commercialization, especially for Y6-series small molecule acceptors with 2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydroinden-1-ylidene)malononitrile (IC) type as ending group. In this work, an IC-free photovoltaic material YF-CN consisting of 2-fluoren-9-ylidenepropanedinitrile terminal was designed and synthesized by stille coupling. YF-CN exhibits enhanced photostability and improves morphological compatibility with the binary PCE10:Y6 blend. The moderate energy level makes YF-CN could serve as a multifunctional material, such as donor, acceptor and the third component. When adding YF-CN as second donor into PCE10:Y6 system, an improved power conversion efficiency of 12.03% was achieved for as-cast device. Importantly, the ternary PCE10:YF-CN:Y6-devices showed enhanced storage durability maintaining 91% of initial PCE after the 360 hours. This work provides new perspective to understand the open-shell and closed-shell structure of donors and acceptors, as well as promising design concept of stable IC-free acceptors for organic solar cells.

Effects of a 3-Week Inpatient Multidisciplinary Body Weight Reduction Program on Body Composition and Physical Capabilities in Adolescents and Adults with Obesity.

Background The aim of the present study was to examine the short-term changes in body composition and physical capabilities in subjects with obesity during a multidisciplinary inpatient body weight reduction program (BWRP). Methods One hundred thirty-nine adolescents (56 boys and 83 girls; BMI: 37.1±6.5 kg/m2; Fat Mass, FM: 45.3±7.2 %) and 71 adults (27 males and 44 females; BMI: 44±4.7 kg/m2; FM: 51.4±4.7 %) followed a 3-week inpatient BWRP consisting of regular physical activity, moderate energy restriction, nutritional education and psychological counseling. Before (T0) and after the end of the BWRP (T21), body composition was assessed with an impedancemeter, lower limb muscle power with Margaria Stair Climbing Test (SCT), lower limb functionality with Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and the capacity of performing activity of daily living (ADL) with Physical Performance Test (PPT). Results At T21, obese adolescents showed a 4% reduction in body mass (BM) (p<0.001), associated with a FM (kg) reduction in boys (-10%) and girls (-6%) (p<0.001) and with a 3% reduction in fat-free mass (FFM, kg) recorded only in boys (p=0.013). Obese adults showed a 5% BM reduction (p<0.001), associated with a 2% FFM (kg) reduction (p<0.001) and a reduction of 9% FM (kg) in males and 7% in females (p<0.001). Regarding physical capabilities, at T21 in obese adolescents, PPT score increased by ~4% (p<0.001), SCT (s) decreased by ~5% (boys) and ~7% (girls) (p<0.001), while SPPB score did not significantly change. In obese adults at T21, PPT score increased by 9% (p<0.001), SCT (s) decreased by ~16% (p<0.001) only in females, and SPPB score increased by ~7% (males) and ~10% (females) (p<0.01). Conclusions In conclusion, moderate energy restriction and regular physical activity determine a 4-5% BM reduction during a 3-week inpatient BWRP, improve physical capabilities and induce beneficial changes in body composition in adolescents and adults with obesity. Trial registration: This study was was approved by the Ethical Committee of the Istituto Auxologico Italiano (Milan, Italy; research code: 01C124; acronym: PRORIPONATFIS). Registered 11 November 2020 - Retrospectively registered.

93 Equivalent Effects of Growing Phase ADG and DOF at Various Placement Weights on Finishing Beef Cattle Performance Using Meta-analysis Approach

A meta-analysis approach was used to interpret effects of growing phase days and rate of gain on finishing performance at theoretically similar maturity using a dataset derived from 53 manuscripts. Growing phase feeding strategies included dry-lot feeding a high-energy finishing diet post-weaning (HG; n = 16), silage (DL-forg; n = 32) or a moderate energy diet (DL; n = 78), stocking cattle on winter wheat (WW; n = 16) or range (GR; n = 43). Independent variables of interest were initial growing phase body weight (initial BW), growing phase average daily gain (ADG), days-on-feed in growing phase (DOF), and final growing phase body weight. Data were analyzed using the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS, with treatment means weighted by experimental units (EU) per treatment. Optimal combinations of growing phase DOF and initial BW differed between models. Yet, for dressing percent (R2 = 0.39), LMA (R2 = 0.55), final finishing BW (R2 = 0.58), and HCW (R2 = 0.54) models, an 80-d growing phase for cattle starting at 240 kg resulted in greatest responses by these variables. Simulations evaluating effects of growing phase ADG on finishing performance (dressing percent; LMA; final body weight; HCW) were set equivalent to simulations evaluating the sensitivity of growing phase DOF in response to initial BW. Solving these simulations generated the initial BW at which cattle were more responsive to growing phase length (DOF) than ADG (LMAcritical point = 255 kg; DPcritical point = 242 kg; Final finishing BWcritical point = 231 kg; HCWcritical point = 233 kg). For finishing performance traits listed, each critical point represents the inflexion at which growing phase ADG exerts greatest influence on each trait modeled. Thus, for example, for cattle starting a growing phase at under 233 kg, faster growing phase ADG results in greater hot carcass weight response.

Energy cost of walking and body composition changes during a 9-month multidisciplinary weight reduction program and 4-month follow-up in adolescents with obesity

The purpose of the present study was to investigate changes in the energy cost of locomotion during walking (Cw) related to the changes in body mass (BM, kg) and body composition in adolescents with obesity. Twenty-six (12 boys and 14 girls) obese adolescents (mean: BMI, 33.6±3.7 kg/m2; 42.7±4.5 % fat mass) followed a 9-month multidisciplinary inpatient weight-reduction program consisting of lifestyle education, moderate energy restriction, and regular physical activity in a specialized institution. At baseline (M0), by the end of the 9-month program (M9) and after 4-months follow-up (M13), V’O2 and V’CO2 of standardized activity program were assessed by whole-body indirect calorimetry over 24 hours, and body composition was assessed by DXA. At M9, adolescents showed a 18% reduction in BM (p<0.001), 40% in total FM; while FFM (kg) remained stable in boys but decreased by ~6% in girls (p=0.001). Similarly, the mean Cw decreased by 20% (p<0.001). At M13, BM, FM and Cw were slightly higher compared than at M9. In conclusion, moderate energy restriction and regular moderate physical activities improved walking economy, improved exercise tolerance and induced beneficial changes in body composition of adolescents with obesity. Novelty bullets • Reduction of FM in the trunk region, and consequently reducing the work carried out by respiratory muscles, contribute to reduce Cw in adolescents with obesity. • A lower cost of walking can be effective in improving exercise tolerance and quality of life in obese adolescents.