Cylindrical lamps are usually equipped in the tubular UV reactor to offer UV radiation. This paper describes the axisymmetric characteristics of UV radiation from the cylindrical UV lamp. Axisymmetric lamp emission models are developed in a two-dimensional axisymmetric space for the line source, the superficial source and the volumetric source. The present axisymmetric lamp emission models are easy to understand and of simple mathematical expressions. The experimental data in literature is used to validate the present axisymmetric lamp emission models. Good agreements have been obtained between the experimental data and the computations. A comparison show that the present models obtain the identical results as previous models.

A document by Ze Tang. Click on the document to view its contents.

Abstract Aim: The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) ranges widely and has been reported to be as high as 21%. However, the demographic, clinical, and angiographic characteristics of AF patients with de novo MI is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of patients presenting with de novo MI with AF. Methods: The study was performed as a sub-study of the MINOCA-TR (Myocardial Infarction with Non-obstructive Coronary Arteries in Turkish Population) Registry, a multicenter, cross-sectional, observational, all-comer registry. MI patients without a known history of stable coronary artery disease and/or prior coronary revascularization were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into AF and Non-AF groups according to their presenting cardiac rhythm. Results: A total of 1793 patients were screened and 1626 were included in the study. Mean age was 61.5 (12.5) years. 70.7% of patients were men. Prevalence of AF was 3.1% (51 patients). AF patients were older [73.4 (9.4) vs. 61.0 (12.4) years, p<0.001] than non-AF patients. The proportion of women to men in the AF group was also higher than in the non-AF group (43.1% vs. 28.7%, p=0.027). Dramatically, the minority of patients were previously diagnosed with AF (14 patients, 27.4%) and only 1 out of every 5 AF patients (10 patients, 19.6%) was using oral anticoagulants (OAC). Conclusions: AF prevalence in patients presenting with de novo MI was lower than reported in previous studies. The majority of AF patients did not have any knowledge of their arrhythmia and were not undergoing OAC therapy at admission, emphasizing the vital role of successful diagnostic strategies, patient education, and implementations for guideline adaptation.

Background: The prevalence of prehospital delay is high among older adults with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), resulting in adverse health outcomes. The current study aimed to examine the associated factors of prehospital delay among patients with ACS during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of 300 older adults with ACS admitted to the emergency department. Bivariate and multivariate analyses, including stepwise linear regression, were used to explore the predictors of prehospital delay and length of stay. Results: Being widowed, education, pain intensity, the gradual onset of ACS symptoms, symptoms lasting for more than 30 minutes, feeling anxious about their ACS symptoms due to the COVID-19 pandemic, perceiving their symptoms as dangerous due to the COVID-19 pandemic, history of myocardial infraction (MI), and mode of transportation were associated with the time taken before seeking emergency care among older adults with ACS during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Length of prehospital delay among the participants varied according to certain sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and biomarkers. Improved understanding of the associations between prehospital delay and these characteristics is crucial for achieving optimal ACS patient outcomes under the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authors: Alexander Uzikov(ID 105825), Shifat Sahariar Bhuiyan(ID 86582), Anton Komar(105826), Zekarias Tiruneh(ID 106773) Nitin Varghese(ID 82840)

Fe3O4/C composite materials have the advantages of both carbon-based materials and ferrosoferric oxide that more and more attention has been paid by people. Carbon-based materials have adjustable interface engineering, high specific surface area, high dielectric loss, and light weight and ferrosoferric oxide raw materials are easily obtained which have high magnetic sensitivity, easy surface functional modification and low toxicity.According to more than 200 papers published in the past 15 years, this article systematically analyzed and summarized the preparation, characterization and application of Fe3O4/C composite materials. Arc discharge method, hydrothermal method, solvothermal method, co-precipitation method and pyrolysis method were commonly used methods for preparing Fe3O4/C Ccomposite materials.Fe3O4/C composite materials could absorb heavy metal impurities in water, for example, lead, mercury, cadmium, Chromium, arsenic, etc., impurity, lead was the most common. the treatment of wastewater containing organic dyes, catalysts and activators, electrode materials and absorbing materials have been widely used.

Purpose: Given that nearly a quarter of the US physician workforce are international medical graduates (IMGs), many of whom remain on temporary work visas for prolonged periods due to processing delays, the pandemic has posed unique challenges to these frontline workers and has arbitrarily limited our physician workforce. Objective: The objective of the study is to understand the role of IMG physicians practicing in the US, their limitations and challenges due to immigration related issues. Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey across social media platforms, we obtained data from IMGs regarding their role in healthcare, to the impact of visa-related restrictions on their personal and professional lives. Results: A total of 2630 IMGs responded to the survey, Hospital Medicine (1684, 65.7%) being the predominant specialty encountered. 64.1% were practicing in Medically Underserved Areas (MUA) or Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA), with 45.6% practicing in a rural area. Nearly 89% of respondents had been involved with direct care of COVID-19 patients, with 63.7% assuming administrative responsibilities for COVID-19 preparedness. 93% physicians expressed inability to serve in COVID-19 surge areas due to visa-related restrictions. 72% physicians reported that their families would be at risk for deportation in case of their disability or death. Most respondents (98.8%) felt that permanent resident status would help alleviate the above concerns. Conclusion: Easing immigration restrictions could prove significantly bolster the current physician workforce and prove beneficial in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hyperkalemia is a frequent complication among kidney transplant recipients that can lead to fatal arrhythmias. The causes of hyperkalemia post kidney transplant are multifactorial and often are drug-induced, and include decreased glomerular filtration rate, tubular dysfunction, and impaired sodium delivery in the distal nephron. This review will discuss pathophysiology and management of both acute and chronic hyperkalemia in kidney transplant recipients.

Phenotypic plasticity affords invasive plant species the ability to colonize a wide range of habitats, but physiological plasticity of their stems is seldom recognized. Investigation of the stem plasticity of invasive plant species could lead to a better understanding of their invasiveness. We performed a pot experiment involving defoliation treatments and an isolated culture experiment to determine whether the invasive species Mikania micrantha exhibits greater plasticity in the stems than do three native species that co-occur in southern China and then explored the mechanism underlying the modification of its stem photosynthesis. Our results showed that the stems of M. micrantha exhibited higher plasticity in terms of either net or gross photosynthesis in response to the defoliation treatment. These effects were positively related to an increased stem elongation rate. The enhancement of stem photosynthesis in M. micrantha resulted from the comprehensive action involving increases in the Chl a/b ratio, D1 protein and stomatal aperture, changes in chloroplast morphology and a decrease in anthocyanins. Increased plasticity of stem photosynthesis may improve the survival of M. micrantha under harsh conditions and allow it to rapidly recover from defoliation injuries. Our results highlight that phenotypic plasticity promotes the invasion success of alien plant invaders.

Background: Although mostly common adverse events associated to dry needling can be considered minor, serious adverse events including induced pneumothorax cannot be excluded, and safety instructions for reducing the risk of pleura puncture are needed. Objective: To investigate if anthropometric features can predict the rhomboid major muscle and pleura depth in a sample of healthy subjects to avoid the risk of pneumothorax during dry needling. Methods: A diagnostic study was conducted on 59 healthy subjects (52.5 % male) involving a total of 236 measurements (both sides in maximum inspiration and expiration), to calculate the accuracy of a prediction model for both pleura and rhomboid depth, as assessed with ultrasound imaging, based on sex, age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), breathing and chest circumference. A correlation matrix and a multiple linear regression analyses were used to detect those variables contributing significantly to the variance in both locations. Results: Men showed greater height, weight, BMI, thorax circumference and skin-to-rhomboid, rhomboid-to-pleura y skin-to-pleura distances (p<0.001). Sex, BMI, and thorax circumference explained 51.5% of the variance of the rhomboid (p<0.001) and 69.7% of pleura (p<0.001) depth limit. In general, inserting a maximum length of 19 mm is recommended to reach the deep limit of rhomboid major decreasing the risk of passing through the pleura. Conclusion: This study identified that gender, BMI and thorax circumference can predict both rhomboid and pleura depth, as assessed with ultrasonography, in healthy subjects. Our findings could assist clinicians in the needle length election for avoiding the risk of induced pneumothorax during dry needling.

The young leaves are the main source of nucleic acids for population genetic studies in palm-trees; however, the access to this tissue may be limited by specific features of each species. Using root tissues as an alternative source of nucleic acids could facilitate the sampling in large populations. This study tests root tissue viability as an alternative nucleic acids source (root vs. leaf) and explores different protocols (tissue storage and DNA purification methods) to obtain high-quality DNA samples. The results showed no significant differences in DNA concentration and quality for the comparisons of tissue source (leaf vs. root) and DNA purification method (manual vs. kit). For tissue storage method, DNA concentration was significantly higher for root tissues stored in 70% and 90% alcohol solutions versus those obtained from leaf tissue, however for the quality parameters, no differences were found. Results showed the effective potential of using root tissue as an alternative source for nucleic acids, which could facilitate populations sampling of palm-tree species for future studies and this methodological alternative could be applied to other plant systems with similar sampling challenges.

1. Behavior and organization of social groups is thought to be vital to the functioning of societies, yet the contributions of various roles within social groups towards population growth and dynamics have been difficult to quantify. A common approach to quantifying these role-based contributions is evaluating the number of individuals conducting certain roles, which ignores how behavior might scale up to effects at the population-level. Manipulative experiments are another common approach to determine population-level effects, but they often ignore potential feedbacks associated with these various roles. 2. Here, we evaluate the effects of worker size distribution in bumblebee colonies on worker production in 24 observational colonies across three environments, using functional linear models. Functional linear models are an underused correlative technique that has been used to assess lag effects of environmental drivers on plant performance. We demonstrate potential applications of this technique for exploring high-dimensional ecological systems, such as the contributions of individuals with different traits to colony dynamics. 3. We found that more larger workers had mostly positive effects and more smaller workers had negative effects on worker production. Most of these effects were only detected under low or fluctuating resource environments suggesting that the advantage of colonies with larger-bodied workers becomes more apparent under stressful conditions. 4. We also demonstrate the wider ecological application of functional linear models. We highlight the advantages and limitations when considering these models, and how they are a valuable complement to many of these performance-based and manipulative experiments.

The Cannulation through the femoral artery is the preferred method of establishing peripheral extracorporeal circulation in totally thoracoscopic minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS). However, facing to contraindications of femoral artery cannulation, a modified aortic cannulation is an alternative approach for totally thoracoscopic MICS.

China is one of the native places of yams with abundant representative local varieties. However, the genetic differences between these local varieties remains unclear, thus considerably inhibiting their utilization and development. In this study, 26 phenotypic traits of 112 accessions from 21 provinces in China were evaluated, and 24 simple sequence repeat (SSR) and 29 sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers were used for the genetic diversity analysis. A total of 56 variations of 20 quality traits were detected in 112 accessions, and the most diverse phenotypic trait was stem color. Meanwhile, seven principal components were obtained from 26 phenotypic traits, with a cumulative contribution rate of 69.39%, and all the accessions were divided into six groups by clustering the phenotypic traits. Unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means and principal coordinate analysis based on SSR-SRAP marker data showed that 112 accessions were also divided into six groups, similar to the result of phenotypic traits but with a slight difference among few accessions. Results of genetic structure analysis showed that 112 accessions could be divided into two groups; one group composed of the accessions of D. opposita, the most abundant resource in China, and the other group was a collection of the other accessions. In addition, the analysis of the origin and genetic relationship of yam also indicated that the specie of D. opposita may have originated in China. These results clarified the genetic differences in yam in China, thereby providing a basis for the identification, evaluation, and conservation of yam resource.

A 63-year-old man was admitted for acute left heart failure after field operations. He rapidly developed refractory cardiogenic shock due to a large left atrial myxoma which was found by bed-side echocardiography. Veno-arteriovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was performed immediately, and the patient was transferred for further surgery with a good outcome. Therefore, timely echocardiographic evaluation and surgical removal of myxomas is recommended, and ECMO could be used as a bridge between the transfer and perioperative period.

Increasingly animal behaviour studies are enhanced through the use of accelerometry. To allow translation of raw accelerometer data to animal behaviours requires the development of classifiers. Here, we present the “rabc” package to assist researchers with the interactive development of such animal-behaviour classifiers based on datasets consisting out of accelerometer data with their corresponding animal behaviours. Using an accelerometer and a corresponding behavioural dataset collected on white stork (Ciconia ciconia), we illustrate the workflow of this package, including raw data visualization, feature calculation, feature selection, feature visualization, extreme gradient boost model training, validation, and, finally, a demonstration of the behaviour classification results.

Maternally inherited endosymbionts are one of the most abundant bacteria infecting arthropods and show extensive horizontal transfer. Such widespread distribution and extensive recombination among these endosymbionts could be an outcome of horizontal transfer as for such genetic exchanges to occur their hosts should come in contact. One such level of biological organization where different hosts can do that is the ecological community. Despite various studies focusing on known model species and specific ecological interactions among hosts, reports on community wide endosymbiont data are rare. To better understand endosymbiont spread, we investigated the incidence, diversity, extent of horizontal transfer and recombination of three such endosymbionts (Wolbachia, Cardinium and Arsenophonus) in a specific soil arthropod community. Wolbachia strain characterization was done using multiple genes whereas single 16S rRNA gene was used for Cardinium and Arsenophonus. Amongst 3509 individual host arthropods belonging to 390 morphospecies, 12.05% were infected with Wolbachia, 2.82% with Cardinium and 2.05% with Arsenophonus. Phylogenetic incongruence between host and endosymbiont indicated extensive horizontal transfer of endosymbionts within this community. Three cases of recombination between Wolbachia supergroups and eight incidences of within supergroup genetic exchange were also found. Statistical tests of similarity indicated supergroup A Wolbachia and Cardinium to show a pattern consistent with rapid horizontal transfer within the community. However same tests done for super group B Wolbachia and Arsenophonus did not show similar patterns. We highlight the importance of extensive community wide studies for a better understanding of the spread of endosymbionts across global arthropod communities.

This is the first report using an anti-tumor drug called Pazopanib for a case of solitary fibrous tumor that occurred in the ear canal. Pazopanib will be useful for clinicians involved in this case in the future, we have reported the detailed progress and immunological analysis.

We report a 64-years old man with B-cell CLL infected by SARS-CoV-2 during his hospitalization for a spondylodiscitis. Because of his health conditions the duration of the antiviral therapy was restricted to one week where we observed a transient disappearance of CD19+/CD5+ B-lymphocytes in peripheral blood.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Penetrating injuries of the intrathoracic great vessels are well recognized although uncommon in pediatric patients, management in pediatric patients presents challenges. Surgical repair by median sternotomy is the exposure of choice for accessing innominate artery injuries, but endovascular intervention in being increasingly introduced in the hemodynamically stable

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have exhibited exceptional properties which meet the demands of future applications. These materials appeared after discovery of graphene in 2004 offered such device grade characteristics at nanoscale which did not appear on bulk scale. The research turned to search alternate 2D materials when drawbacks of graphene became surfaced. Despite significant successes and unprecedented efforts which consequent upon several beyond-graphene 2D materials, the complete potentials of such materials are still unexplored which may restrict their usage in devices. This work was carried out with motivation to investigate the thermal stability of several 2D-mono-layered materials including graphene, Borophene, Aluminene, Germanene, BN, SiC and MoS2 based on classical Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Prior to the implementation of the conditions for thermal calculations, the structures were optimized using Geometry-Optimization method. It appeared that all the structural parameters which includes lattice-constant, bond-length and dihedral angles were precisely determined. On the contrary, it was found that several materials beyond graphene can resist up-to certain temperature ranges, depicting the material dependent thermal stability. The radial distribution function (RDF) was calculated which pointed towards thermal broadening, bond breakage and bond formation for the slabs. The RDF-peaks were found to characterize the probability of finding any particle in the nearest neighbors which extend the phenomenon of thermal stability. Thermal stability was compared by plotting the temperature and energy curves from which, the phase transition temperature and heat capacity was determined for the slabs including graphene as benchmark. The phase transition temperatures are found as 4510 K, 2273 K, 933 K, 1670 K, 3246 K, 4050 K, and 1460 K for graphene, Borophene, Aluminene, Germanene, BN, SiC and MoS2 respectively. Besides the analysis of temperature-energy variations, the thermal broadening is also determined and discussed to examine the thermal-stability for usage of the materials in high temperature applications.

This article proposes an extension of the hygiene hypothesis to explain chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) and their increase with westernization. Instead of emphasizing microbes that are missing/reduced due to westernization, a hypothesis is proposed that emphasizes the importance of microbes that are relatively novel. Environmental microbes encountered in association with a pre-agricultural lifestyle would presumably be the most coevolved with the human immune system and thus less likely to promote chronic disease. Post-hunter-gatherer era microbes (PHMs) are microbes that are encountered more frequently and/or at higher levels since humans ceased to live as nomadic hunter-gatherers. It is hypothesized that some PHMs, particularly those increasing with westernization, colonize human tissues and dysregulate/suppress the immune system. This hypothesized colonization of PHMs could cause allergy/hypersensitivity reactions leading to physiological stress, attacks on self-tissue, hypersensitivity reactions to similar cross-reacting environmental microbes and other allergens/antigens, greater vulnerability to diverse infections (e.g., COVID-19) and CIDs. Low-level colonization with diverse PHMs could explain high levels of comorbidities among CIDs, allergic responses to self-tissue (auto allergy), allergies to varied microbial taxa and allergen-initiated stress effects. Allergic reactions and the stress they cause might be adaptive by promoting expulsion and avoidance of potentially dangerous microbes. This is consistent with the observation that selective IgE deficiency leads to increased levels of diseases such as asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis, otitis media and autoimmune disease. PHMs that could be related to CIDs include microbes in tobacco smoke, increased Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus that occurs in some situations, and increased exposure to Pseudomonas fluorescens and Yersinia spp. Additionally, fungi that tolerate multiple extreme environments have been found to be more likely to be opportunistic pathogens. This might suggest that microbes associated with human-created novel and extreme environments (e.g., antibiotics, xenobiotics) would have an increased ability to colonize and persist in humans. The PHM hypothesis could help explain contradictory findings on diet, why many chronic inflammatory diseases resemble chronic infections and why stress and xenobiotics are associated with CID incidence and exacerbations. Four foundations and 11 related hypotheses are discussed. Examples discussed include sarcoidosis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, long-term COVID-19 and Kawasaki disease.

7.9% babies are born preterm per year. It is well described that extremely preterm babies born in a high activity tertiary centre with a NICU have a better outcome but despite this only 72% babies are born in “the right place”. There are challenges in both maternity and neonatal services due to problems accepting women for in utero transfer, prediction of preterm birth and neonatal cot capacity. This article describes these challenges and how we can resolve them by working together as perinatal teams.

Accurately predicting and mitigating the effects of climate change on species ranges and interactions is a critical challenge. In particular, mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue are poised to shift with climate change. Understanding this impact hinges on a key open question: How will mosquitoes adapt to climate change? Here we adapt a simple framework widely used in conservation biology—evolutionary rescue models—to investigate the potential for mosquito climate adaptation, and we synthesize current evidence, focusing on adaptation to rising temperatures. Short mosquito generation times, high population growth rates, and strong temperature-imposed selection favor mosquito thermal adaptation. However, knowledge gaps about the extent of phenotypic and genotypic variation in thermal tolerance within mosquito populations, the environmental sensitivity of selection, and the role of phenotypic plasticity constrain our ability to make more precise estimates. Future research efforts should prioritize filling these data gaps. Specifically, we outline how common garden and selection experiments can be used to this end. Collecting and incorporating these data into an evolutionary rescue framework will improve estimates of mosquito adaptive potential and of changes in mosquito-borne disease transmission under climate change, and this approach can be applied more broadly to pests as well as species of conservation concern.