NOVEL USAGE OF FIVE-HOLE PROBES: TIDAL CHANNEL TURBULENCE MEASUREMENTS

A fast-response five-hole probe has been developed for the measurement of turbulent flow structures in tidal channels. Such measurements are vital for accurate prediction of unsteady loads on tidal turbines. Existing field-based velocimeters are unable to capture the required range of frequencies or are too expensive to profile the variation of turbulence across a typical tidal power site, and thus the data they provide is inadequate for turbine design. This work adapts an established measurement technique from the turbomachinery community – a fast-response, multi-hole pneumatic probe – to achieve a low cost device which covers the required frequency range for tidal turbine applications. The main issues to be overcome in the marine environment are: the fact that, at depth, the ambient hydrostatic pressure is much higher than the dynamic pressure, and the need for devices to be water-tight and robust. These issues have been addressed by using novel calibration coefficients and by installing the sensors and amplifier board within the probe head. A prototype device has been tested in a flume tank using LDV measurements for comparison. The probe can now be developed for trials in the marine environment

Plasma Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Concentration and Alveolar Nitric Oxide as Potential Predictors of Disease Progression and Mortality in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Declining lung function signifies disease progression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentration is associated with declining lung function in 6 and 12-month studies. Alveolar nitric oxide concentration (CANO) is increased in patients with IPF, however its significance is unclear. This study investigated whether baseline plasma VEGF concentration and CANO are associated with disease progression or mortality in IPF. METHODS: 27 IPF patients were studied (maximum follow-up 65 months). Baseline plasma VEGF concentration, CANO and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were measured. PFTs were performed the preceding year and subsequent PFTs and data regarding mortality were collected. Disease progression was defined as one of: death, relative decrease of ≥10% in baseline forced vital capacity (FVC) % predicted, or relative decrease of ≥15% in baseline single breath diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide (TLCO-SB) % predicted. RESULTS: Plasma VEGF concentration was not associated with progression-free survival or mortality. There was a trend towards shorter time to disease progression and death with higher CANO. CANO was significantly higher in patients with previous declining versus stable lung function. CONCLUSION: The role of VEGF in IPF remains uncertain. It may be of value to further investigate CANO in IPF. KEYWORDS: alveolar nitric oxide; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; vascular endothelial growth facto

An Unsteady Pressure Probe for the Measurement of Flow Unsteadiness in Tidal Channels

IEEE An unsteady five-hole probe has been developed for the measurement of turbulent flow in tidal channels. Such measurements are vital for accurate prediction of unsteady loads on tidal turbines. Existing field-based velocimeters are either unable to capture the required range of frequencies or are too expensive to profile the variation of turbulence across a typical tidal power site, and thus the available data is inadequate for turbine design. This work adapts the traditional five-hole wind tunnel probe to achieve a low-cost device with sufficient frequency range for tidal turbine applications. The main issue in the marine environment is that the ambient hydrostatic pressure is much higher than the dynamic pressure. This has been overcome by using novel calibration coefficients and differential transducers. In flume tank tests against laser Doppler velocimeter measurements, the frequency response of the probe has been shown to be sufficient to capture all the frequencies necessary for tidal turbine design

The starch-deficient plastidic <em>PHOSPHOGLUCOMUTASE </em>mutant of the constitutive crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) species <em>Kalancho\ueb fedtschenkoi</em> impacts diel regulation and timing of stomatal CO₂ responsiveness

\ua9 The Author(s) 2023.• Background and Aims Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a specialized type of photosynthesis characterized by a diel pattern of stomatal opening at night and closure during the day, which increases water-use efficiency. Starch degradation is a key regulator of CAM, providing phosphoenolpyruvate as a substrate in the mesophyll for nocturnal assimilation of CO2. Growing recognition of a key role for starch degradation in C3 photosynthesis guard cells for mediating daytime stomatal opening presents the possibility that starch degradation might also impact CAM by regulating the provision of energy and osmolytes to increase guard cell turgor and drive stomatal opening at night. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the timing of diel starch turnover in CAM guard cells has been reprogrammed during evolution to enable nocturnal stomatal opening and daytime closure. • Methods Biochemical and genetic characterization of wild-type and starch-deficient RNAi lines of Kalancho\ueb fedtschenkoi with reduced activity of plastidic phosphoglucomutase (PGM) constituted a preliminary approach for the understanding of starch metabolism and its implications for stomatal regulation in CAM plants. • Key Results Starch deficiency reduced nocturnal net CO2 uptake but had negligible impact on nocturnal stomatal opening. In contrast, daytime stomatal closure was reduced in magnitude and duration in the starch-deficient rPGM RNAi lines, and their stomata were unable to remain closed in response to elevated concentrations of atmospheric CO2 administered during the day. Curtailed daytime stomatal closure was linked to higher soluble sugar contents in the epidermis and mesophyll. • Conclusions Nocturnal stomatal opening is not reliant upon starch degradation, but starch biosynthesis is an important sink for carbohydrates, ensuring daytime stomatal closure in this CAM species

The effect of guideline-based antimicrobial therapy on the outcome of fracture-related infections (EAT FRI Study)

Aim: This study investigated the compliance with a guideline-based antibiotic regimen on the outcome of patients surgically treated for a fracture-related infection (FRI). Method: In this international multicenter observational study, patients were included when diagnosed with an FRI between 2015 and 2019. FRI was defined according to the FRI consensus definition. All patients were followed for at least one year. The chosen antibiotic regimens were compared to the published guidelines from the FRI Consensus Group and correlated to outcome. Treatment success was defined as the eradication of infection with limb preservation. Results: A total of 433 patients (mean age 49.7 ± 16.1 years) with FRIs of mostly the tibia (50.6%) and femur (21.7%) were included. Full compliance of the antibiotic regime to the published guidelines was observed in 107 (24.7%) cases. Non-compliance was mostly due to deviations from the recommended dosing, followed by the administration of an alternative antibiotic than the one recommended or an incorrect use or non-use of rifampin. Non-compliance was not associated with a worse outcome: treatment failure was 12.1% in compliant versus 13.2% in non-compliant cases (p = 0.87). Conclusions: We report good outcomes in the treatment of FRI and demonstrated that minor deviations from the FRI guideline are not associated with poorer outcomes.</p

Detection of the NS3 Q80K polymorphism by Sanger and deep sequencing in hepatitis C virus genotype 1a strains in the UK

AbstractThe Q80K polymorphism in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 enzyme reduces susceptibility to simeprevir and other novel protease inhibitors. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of Q80K in treatment-naïve HCV-1a carriers in the North West region (NW) and South East region (SE) of England, investigate the occurrence of Q80K as a minority variant, and characterize viral phylogeny. Plasma samples from subjects who were naïve to anti-HCV therapy were subjected to conventional (Sanger) and deep (Illumina-Miseq, 1% interpretative cut-off) sequencing of NS3. Q80K occurred in 44 of 238 subjects (18.5%, 95% CI 13.6–23.4%), including 19 of 70 (27.1%) in the NW and 25 of 168 (14.9%) in the SE (p 0.0425), with no difference in HCV RNA load or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status. Q80K frequencies in reads of samples subjected to Illumina sequencing were >40% in all cases. Among subjects with Q80K, five of 44 (11.4%) showed one additional major resistance-associated mutation in NS3, detected at frequencies of >10% (V36L and V55A) or <10% (V36M). Phylogenetic analyses identified the two recognized HCV-1a lineages with (clade I) and without (clade II) Q80K. Overall, 148 of 238 (62.2%) sequences occurred within regional or inter-regional clusters, each comprising 3–20 sequences. There was no unique clustering of English sequences relative to strains from continental Europe and North America. In conclusion, Q80K was found at a high prevalence among treatment-naïve HCV-1a carriers in England, and was reliably detected by conventional sequencing, with no increased detection by deep sequencing. English sequences were highly interspersed with sequences from elsewhere in Europe (clade II) and North America (clade I), and their phylogeny was consistent with multiple introductions from different areas

Burden, coping, physical symptoms and psychological morbidity in caregivers of functionally dependent family members

Objectives: this study assessed burden, coping, physical symptoms and psychological morbidity in caregivers of functionally dependent family members. Methods: fifty family caregivers completed self-reported measures of burden, physical symptoms, psychological morbidity and coping strategies. Results: there was a significant negative correlation between coping strategies and the different clinical variables, as well as a significant positive correlation between coping strategies and duration of care. It appears that the stronger bond between caregiver and family member leads to a poorer use of adaptive coping strategies. It also appears that the deterioration of the relationship between them and the lower perceived self-efficacy are more prominente in caregivers of family members with cognitive impairment, indicating that caregivers with family members without cognitive impairment face fewer difficulties. Conclusion: these results emphasize the need for interventions to include coping strategies, since they are important in reducing caregivers’ burden, psychological morbidity and physical symptoms

Translation initiation from conserved non-AUG codons provides additional layers of regulation and coding capacity

Neurospora crassa cpc-1 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae GCN4 are homologs specifying transcription activators that drive the transcriptional response to amino acid limitation. The cpc-1 mRNA contains two upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in its >700 nt 5’-leader and its expression is controlled at the level of translation in response to amino acid starvation. We used N. crassa cell-free extracts and obtained data indicating that cpc-1 uORF1 and uORF2 are functionally analogous to GCN4 uORF1 and uORF4 in controlling translation. We also found that the 5’ region upstream of the main coding sequence of the cpc-1 mRNA extends for more than 700 nucleotides without any in-frame stop codon. For 100 cpc-1 homologs from Pezizomycotina and from selected Basidiomycota, 5’ conserved extensions of the CPC1 reading frame are also observed. Multiple non-AUG near-cognate codons (NCCs) in the CPC1 reading frame upstream of uORF2, some deeply conserved, could potentially initiate translation. At least four NCCs initiated translation in vitro. In vivo data were consistent with initiation at NCCs to produce N-terminally extended N. crassa CPC1 isoforms. The pivotal role played by CPC1, combined with its translational regulation by uORFs and NCC utilization, underscore the emerging significance of non-canonical initiation events in controlling gene expression.This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants (GM068087 to J.C.D., D.B.-P., M.F., and M.S.S. and GM47498 to M.S.S.), the Science Foundation Ireland (grant 08/IN.1/B1889 to J.F.A.), the Wellcome Trust (grant 106207) to A.E.F., and the Texas A&M Institute for Advanced Study (to J.C.D., D.B.-P., and M.S.S.). Funding for the open access charge was from the National Institutes of Health

2019 international consensus on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care science with treatment recommendations : summary from the basic life support; advanced life support; pediatric life support; neonatal life support; education, implementation, and teams; and first aid task forces

The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation has initiated a continuous review of new, peer-reviewed, published cardiopulmonary resuscitation science. This is the third annual summary of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations. It addresses the most recent published resuscitation evidence reviewed by International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Task Force science experts. This summary addresses the role of cardiac arrest centers and dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the role of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in adults and children, vasopressors in adults, advanced airway interventions in adults and children, targeted temperature management in children after cardiac arrest, initial oxygen concentration during resuscitation of newborns, and interventions for presyncope by first aid providers. Members from 6 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation task forces have assessed, discussed, and debated the certainty of the evidence on the basis of the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria, and their statements include consensus treatment recommendations. Insights into the deliberations of the task forces are provided in the Justification and Evidence to Decision Framework Highlights sections. The task forces also listed priority knowledge gaps for further research