Assessment of infection probability indices for airborne diseases in confined spaces: combination of CFD and analytical modelling

The paper presents a framework for probabilistic assessment of likelihood of infection from airborne diseases in confined spaces which are continuously occupied for relatively long periods (e.g., school classrooms). The proposed approach is based on a combination of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) pre-calculations and analytical post-processing, to define relevant indices of infection probability. The practical applicability of the method is demonstrated through a case study, where different ventilation scenarios are considered for a school classroom. Corresponding infection probability indices are determined globally for the group of occupants. Furthermore, since the method does not rely on the well-mixing assumption, local probability indices are determined for each occupied location. The obtained results confirm the intuition that an increase of ventilation and/or air filtration reduces the overall likelihood of infection, though the observed positive effect is not uniform within the space. The presented methodology can also be considered as complementary to simpler approaches

Growing with smart products:Why customization capabilities matter for manufacturing firms

Manufacturing firms that engage in digital transformation develop increasingly smarter versions of their tangible products to reinvigorate growth in shrinking markets. However, they often struggle with translating their investments in digitalization capabilities into actual returns in the form of sales growth. The associated technological advantages often remain unexploited, and digital product innovations frequently fail. Building on the resource-based view of the firm and the demand-side perspective, we theorize that there is a need for complementary capabilities that integrate heterogeneous customer demands, thus, allowing firms to capture more value from smart products. We empirically investigate the mediating role of smart customization capability on the relationship between digitalization capabilities and sales growth. Moreover, we argue that this relationship is further strengthened by integrating information and data across sales and service channels (i.e., channel integration). We test and find support for our hypotheses based on a dataset comprising survey and archival data of 136 smart product manufacturers in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. In doing so, we enhance the theoretical understanding of resource and capability configurations needed for digital transformation in general and smart product success in particular. We further update the traditional concept of mass customization by showing how customization with smart products helps manufacturing firms provide personalized solutions at scale

Impaired nuclear import and viral incorporation of Vpr derived from a HIV long-term non-progressor

We previously reported an epidemiologically linked HIV-1 infected patient cohort in which a long-term non-progressor (LTNP) infected two recipients who then exhibited normal disease progression. Expression of patient-derived vpr sequences from each of the three cohort members in mammalian cells tagged with GFP revealed a significant reduction in Vpr nuclear import and virion incorporation uniquely from the LTNP, whereas Vpr from the two progressing recipients displayed normal localisation and virion incorporation, implying a link between efficient Vpr nuclear import and HIV disease progression. Importantly, an F72L point mutation in the LTNP was identified for the first time as being uniquely responsible for decreased Vpr nuclear import

Photochemical tissue bonding with chitosan adhesive films

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Photochemical tissue bonding (PTB) is a promising sutureless technique for tissue repair. PTB is often achieved by applying a solution of rose bengal (RB) between two tissue edges, which are irradiated by a green laser to crosslink collagen fibers with minimal heat production. In this study, RB has been incorporated in chitosan films to create a novel tissue adhesive that is laser-activated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Adhesive films, based on chitosan and containing ~0.1 wt% RB were manufactured and bonded to calf intestine by a solid state laser (λ = 532 nm, Fluence~110 J/cm², spot size~0.5 cm). A single-column tensiometer, interfaced with a personal computer, tested the bonding strength. K-type thermocouples recorded the temperature (T) at the adhesive-tissue interface during laser irradiation. Human fibroblasts were also seeded on the adhesive and cultured for 48 hours to assess cell growth.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The RB-chitosan adhesive bonded firmly to the intestine with adhesion strength of 15 ± 2 kPa, (n = 31). The adhesion strength dropped to 0.5 ± 0.1 (n = 8) kPa when the laser was not applied to the adhesive. The average temperature of the adhesive increased from 26°C to 32°C during laser exposure. Fibroblasts grew confluent on the adhesive without morphological changes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A new biocompatible chitosan adhesive has been developed that bonds photochemically to tissue with minimal temperature increase.</p

1 nA beam position monitoring system

A system has been developed at Jefferson Lab for measuring transverse position of very low current beams delivered to the Experimental Hall B of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). At the heart of the system is a position sensitive cavity operating at 1497 MHz. The cavity utilizes a unique design which achieves a high sensitivity to beam position at a relatively low cavity Q. The cavity output RF signal is processed using a down-converter and a commercial lock-in amplifier operating at 100 kHz. The system interfaces with a VME based EPICS control system using the IEEE, 488 bus. The main features of the system are simple and robust design, and wide dynamic range capable of handling beam currents from 1 nA to 1000 nA with an expected resolution better than 100 {mu}m. This paper outlines the design of the system

Reasoning with comparative moral judgements: an argument for Moral Bayesianism

The paper discusses the notion of reasoning with comparative moral judgements (i.e judgements of the form “act a is morally superior to act b”) from the point of view of several meta-ethical positions. Using a simple formal result, it is argued that only a version of moral cognitivism that is committed to the claim that moral beliefs come in degrees can give a normatively plausible account of such reasoning. Some implications of accepting such a version of moral cognitivism are discussed

Spinal Cord T-Cell Infiltration in the Rat Spared Nerve Injury Model: A Time Course Study.

The immune system is involved in the development of neuropathic pain. In particular, the infiltration of T-lymphocytes into the spinal cord following peripheral nerve injury has been described as a contributor to sensory hypersensitivity. We used the spared nerve injury (SNI) model of neuropathic pain in Sprague Dawley adult male rats to assess proliferation, and/or protein/gene expression levels for microglia (Iba1), T-lymphocytes (CD2) and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CD8). In the dorsal horn ipsilateral to SNI, Iba1 and BrdU stainings revealed microglial reactivity and proliferation, respectively, with different durations. Iba1 expression peaked at D4 and D7 at the mRNA and protein level, respectively, and was long-lasting. Proliferation occurred almost exclusively in Iba1 positive cells and peaked at D2. Gene expression observation by RT-qPCR array suggested that T-lymphocytes attracting chemokines were upregulated after SNI in rat spinal cord but only a few CD2/CD8 positive cells were found. A pronounced infiltration of CD2/CD8 positive T-cells was seen in the spinal cord injury (SCI) model used as a positive control for lymphocyte infiltration. Under these experimental conditions, we show early and long-lasting microglia reactivity in the spinal cord after SNI, but no lymphocyte infiltration was found