Evacuation Hazards in Crowded Subway Stations

Underground subway system is the key transportation means in dense urban areas such as Hong Kong. Subway stations are crowded with passengers on the platforms and they are observed to squeeze into the train carriages during rush hours. Putting in platform screen doors made the situation even worse. As reported in the local news, subway management claims that after following the change in maximum capacity from six passengers per meter square to four passengers per meter square, the capacity is only 70% full at rush hours. However, the capacity can be over 90% of full loading under the new calculation. Subway stations become more crowded with an average weekday patronage of nearly 5.3 million passengers.  Subway stations are mostly located in the basement or ground levels connecting the shopping mall, commercial or residential building in downtown areas. The occupancy density of passengers can be much higher than expected during festivals with fireworks show and during large-scale movements such as Occupy Central. Therefore, evacuation time in emergency situation will be prolonged. To have a better understanding of the safety issue in subway stations, evacuation time in emergency situations will be studied in this paper.  Two subway stations, Station A and Station B are selected in this paper to study the evacuation hazard of crowded stations when a fire occurs. Station A is an interchange station between two railway lines, being one of the most crowded stations with high occupancy density. Station B is the first station in the local rail network to feature a special design - “Lift-only Entrancesâ€. This is a deep underground station which lies under 70 m of ground level, the passengers have to be evacuated by lift. The occupancy density in Station B is relatively much lower than Station A under normal conditions at the moment, though the station can be very crowded if there are train delays due to signal failure or other reasons.  In this paper, the evacuation effectiveness of Station A and Station B are estimated in terms of evacuation time in different scenarios by using Hydraulic Model Calculation. Moreover, the special evacuation feature of “Lift-only Entrances†in Station B and the fire safety management strategies for emergency evacuation will be discussed.  Three scenarios will be studied in each station:  Scenario A: Assume that the passengers are evenly distributed in different exits in emergency situation. All the possible factors such as passenger behaviors and conditions are eliminated.  Scenario B: Passengers have a higher tendency to evacuate at the larger exit, this is one of the passenger behaviors in emergency situation. Therefore, the passenger distribution which depends on the exit width will be studied.  Scenario C: Assume that some of the exit routes are blocked.  The most important factor for the above study is the passenger behaviors. As in scenario B, passenger behaviors would affect the evacuation time. Therefore, fire safety management is identified to be a key part in keeping efficient evacuation. For example, a good fire action plan on crowd control is needed

Transitional Cell Carcinoma in a Remnant Ureter after Retroperitoneoscopic Simple Nephrectomy for Benign Renal Disease

A 70-yr-old man presented with painless gross hematuria. He underwent right nephrectomy for benign disease 9 yr ago. Computed tomography and cystoscopy showed a mass in the distal region of the right ureteral stump. He underwent right ureterectomy and bladder cuff resection. Pathological examination showed T1 and WHO grade 2 transitional cell carcinoma. At 6 months postoperatively, the patient is alive without any evidence of recurrence

Low-Energy Charge-Density Excitations in MgB2_{2}: Striking Interplay between Single-Particle and Collective Behavior for Large Momenta

A sharp feature in the charge-density excitation spectra of single-crystal MgB$_{2}$, displaying a remarkable cosine-like, periodic energy dispersion with momentum transfer ($q$) along the $c^{*}$-axis, has been observed for the first time by high-resolution non-resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (NIXS). Time-dependent density-functional theory calculations show that the physics underlying the NIXS data is strong coupling between single-particle and collective degrees of freedom, mediated by large crystal local-field effects. As a result, the small-$q$ collective mode residing in the single-particle excitation gap of the B $\pi$ bands reappears periodically in higher Brillouin zones. The NIXS data thus embody a novel signature of the layered electronic structure of MgB$_{2}$.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR

A phase I study of bendamustine hydrochloride administered day 1+2 every 3 weeks in patients with solid tumours

The aim of the study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), the dose limiting toxicity (DLT), and the pharmacokinetic profile (Pk) of bendamustine (BM) on a day 1 and 2 every 3 weeks schedule and to recommend a safe phase II dose for further testing. Patients with solid tumours beyond standard therapy were eligible. A 30-min intravenous infusion of BM was administered d1+d2 q 3 weeks. The starting dose was 120 mg m−2 per day and dose increments of 20 mg m−2 were used. Plasma and urine samples were analysed using validated high-performance liquid chromatography/fluorescence assays. Fifteen patients were enrolled. They received a median of two cycles (range 1–8). The MTD was reached at the fourth dose level. Thrombocytopaenia (grade 4) was dose limiting in two of three patients at 180 mg m−2. One patient also experienced febrile neutropaenia. Lymphocytopaenia (grade 4) was present in every patient. Nonhaematologic toxicity including cardiac toxicity was not dose limiting with this schedule. Mean plasma Pk values of BM were tmax 35 min, t1/2 49.1 min, Vd 18.3 l m−2, and clearance 265 ml min−1 m−2. The mean total amount of BM and its metabolites recovered in the first micturition was 8.3% (range 2.7–26%). The MTD of BM in the present dose schedule was 180 mg m−2 on day 1+2. Thrombocytopaenia was dose limiting. The recommended dose for future phase II trials with this schedule is 160 mg m−2 per day

Stem cells and repair of lung injuries

Fueled by the promise of regenerative medicine, currently there is unprecedented interest in stem cells. Furthermore, there have been revolutionary, but somewhat controversial, advances in our understanding of stem cell biology. Stem cells likely play key roles in the repair of diverse lung injuries. However, due to very low rates of cellular proliferation in vivo in the normal steady state, cellular and architectural complexity of the respiratory tract, and the lack of an intensive research effort, lung stem cells remain poorly understood compared to those in other major organ systems. In the present review, we concisely explore the conceptual framework of stem cell biology and recent advances pertinent to the lungs. We illustrate lung diseases in which manipulation of stem cells may be physiologically significant and highlight the challenges facing stem cell-related therapy in the lung

Medium-term Outcomes of Myocarditis and Pericarditis following BNT162b2 Vaccination among Adolescents in Hong Kong

In this study, we examined the clinical and electrophysiological outcomes of adolescents in Hong Kong who developed myocarditis or pericarditis following BNT162b2 vaccination for COVID-19, and followed-up for 60 to 180 days after their initial diagnosis. Clinical assessments included electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiogram at the initial admission and follow-up were compared. Treadmill testing was also performed in some cases. Between 14 June 2021 and 16 February 2022, 53 subjects were approached to participate in this follow-up study, of which 28 patients were followed up for >60 days with a median follow-up period of 100 days (range, 61-178 days) and were included in this study. On admission, 23 patients had ECG abnormalities but no high-grade atrioventricular block. Six patients had echocardiogram abnormalities, including reduced contractility, small rim pericardial effusions, and hyperechoic ventricular walls. All patients achieved complete recovery on follow-up. After discharge, 10 patients (35.7%) reported symptoms, including occasional chest pain, shortness of breath, reduced exercise tolerance, and recurrent vasovagal near-syncope. At follow-up, assessments, including ECGs, were almost all normal. Among the three patients with possible ECG abnormalities, all their echocardiograms or treadmill testings were normal. Sixteen patients (57.1%) underwent treadmill testing at a median of 117 days post-admission, which were also normal. However, at follow-up, there was a significant mean bodyweight increase of 1.81kg (95%CI 0.47-3.1 kg, p=0.01), possibly due to exercise restriction. In conclusion, most adolescents experiencing myocarditis and pericarditis following BNT162b2 vaccination achieved complete recovery. Some patients developed non-specific persistent symptoms, and bodyweight changes shall be monitored

Independent optical excitation of distinct neural populations

Optogenetic tools enable examination of how specific cell types contribute to brain circuit functions. A long-standing question is whether it is possible to independently activate two distinct neural populations in mammalian brain tissue. Such a capability would enable the study of how different synapses or pathways interact to encode information in the brain. Here we describe two channelrhodopsins, Chronos and Chrimson, discovered through sequencing and physiological characterization of opsins from over 100 species of alga. Chrimson's excitation spectrum is red shifted by 45 nm relative to previous channelrhodopsins and can enable experiments in which red light is preferred. We show minimal visual system–mediated behavioral interference when using Chrimson in neurobehavioral studies in Drosophila melanogaster. Chronos has faster kinetics than previous channelrhodopsins yet is effectively more light sensitive. Together these two reagents enable two-color activation of neural spiking and downstream synaptic transmission in independent neural populations without detectable cross-talk in mouse brain slice.PostprintPeer reviewe

Effects of a simulation-based workshop on nursing students' competence in arterial puncture

Objective: To evaluate whether a short simulation-based workshop in radial artery puncture would improve nursing students’ competence to a level in which they could practise the procedure on a live patient without compromising his safety. Methods: Quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest study with 111 third-year nursing students. A 1.5-hour simulation-based workshop was implemented. This included a video-lecture, live demonstrations, selfdirected simulated practice in dyads and individual intermittent feedback. Participants’ skills, knowledge and self-efficacy in arterial puncture were measured before and after attending the workshop. Results: After the intervention, a total of 61.1% of the participants showed the level of competence required to safely practice radial artery puncture on a live patient under supervision. Conclusion: Effective simulation-based training in arterial puncture for nursing students does not necessarily need to be resource-intensive. Well-planned, evidence-based training sessions using low-tech simulators could help educators to achieve good educational outcomes and promote patient safety

Effects of Instruction in Morphological Awareness on Literacy Achievement: An Integrative Review

As many studies have now demonstrated that morphological awareness contributes to students' literacy development, there is growing interest in the educational value of instruction in morphological awareness. This review was undertaken to integrate findings of studies that sought to determine whether such instruction contributed to improvement in literacy. Analysis of the 16 studies that met selection criteria is organized around researchers' purpose(s) in studying the relation of morphological awareness instruction to key components of literacy development (i.e., phonology, orthography, word meaning). Results indicate that morphological awareness has the potential to contribute to students' literacy development in all three areas—most notably when it deepens students' understanding of the morphemic structure, spelling, and meaning of written words. However, examination of the design and quality of the studies of instruction in morphological awareness suggests that this is an emerging area of research. Much needs to be done to provide a clearer understanding of how, when, and why morphological awareness instruction contributes to students' literacy development. تزايد الاهتمام بالقيمة التعليمية للتدريس في مجال المعرفة الصرفية لأن العديد من الدراسات قد أثبتت الآن أن المعرفة الصرفية تسهم في تطوير القراءة والكتابة بالنسبة للطلاب. لقد تم العمل على هذه المراجعة النقدية لدمج النتاتج التي توصلت إليها الدراسات التي سعت إلى تحديد إن كان هذا التدريس قد أسهم في تحسين القراءة والكتابة. يتمحور تحليل الدراسات الستة عشرة التي تخضع لمعايير الانتقاء حول غرض/ أغراض الباحثين في دراسة العلاقة بين تعليم المعرفة الصرفية والمكونات الرئيسية لتطوير القراءة والكتابة ( أي علم الأصوات الكلامية والإملاء ومعنى الكلمة ). تشير النتائج أن للمعرفة الصرفية قدرة على الاسهام في تطوير القراءة والكتابة بالنسبة للطلاب في المجالات الثلاثة – لاسيما عندما تعمق فهم الطلاب للبنية الصرفية والاملاء وكذلك معنى الكلمات المكتوبة. ومع ذلك فإن دراسة التصميم وجودة دراسات تعليم المعرفة الصرفية توحي بأنها مجال ناشئ للبحث. نحتاج إلى القيام بالكثير من الأبحاث من أجل توفير فهم أوضح عن كيف ومتى ولماذا تسهم المعرفة الصرفية في تطوير القراءة والكتابة لدى الطلاب. 现今许多研究已证明词法意识有助学生的读写能力发展，而人们对词法意识在读写教学方面的教育价值之兴趣也日益俱增。本文献综述旨在结合有关确定词法意识教学对改善读写教学成效之研究结果。本文献综述分析16个符合挑选标准的相关研究进行。分析内容围绕着研究者在考查词法意识教学与读写能力发展的关键组成部分(即语音、拼字法，词义）之关系时所持之研究目的。分析结果显示，词法意识教学有促进学生在这三方面的读写能力发展的潜力，而最显著的是在加深学生对书面字词的语素结构、拼写及单词意义之认识方面的潜力。然而，考查词法意识教学研究之设计与素质结果显示这是一个新兴的研究领域。对于词法意识教学如何、何时及为何有助于学生读写能力发展，仍需要进一步研究， 寻求更清晰的认识。 Du fait que beaucoup d'études ont maintenant fait la preuve que la conscience morphologique contribue au développement de la littératie des élèves, il existe un intérêt croissant à l'égard de l'intérêt pédagogique que présente l'enseignement de la morphologie. Cette revue a été entreprise afin d'intégrer les résultats des études conçues pour déterminer si un tel enseignement contribue au développement de la littératie. L'analyse des seize études répondant aux critères de sélection a été effectuée sur les recherches ayant pour but d'étudier la relation entre l'enseignement de la conscience morphologique et des composants‐clé du développement de la littératie (c'est‐à‐dire la phonologie, l'orthographe, la signification des mots). Les résultats montrent que la conscience morphologique peut contribuer au développement de la littératie des élèves dans les trois domaines — elle permet en particulier d'approfondir la compréhension de la structure morphémique, l'orthographe, et la signification des mots écrits. Cependant, l'examen des plans expérimentaux et la qualité des recherches sur la conscience morphologique suggère qu'il s'agit là d'un secteur émergent de recherche. Il reste beaucoup à faire pour comprendre plus clairement comment, quand, et pourquoi la conscience morphologique contribue au développement de la littératie des élèves. Множество исследований свидетельствуют о том, что для развития грамотности учащихся важно понимание морфологического состава слова, поэтому растет интерес к соответствующим обучающим программам. Данный обзор охватывает результаты шестнадцати исследований, которые помогают определить, какой вклад вносят подобные программы в развитие грамотности. Исследования были проанализированы с точки зрения цели или целей, которые ставили перед собой ученые при изучении морфологического сознания учащихся в контексте общего развития грамотности по ключевым компонентам (фонология, орфография, семантика). Результаты подтверждают, что знание морфологии способно продвинуть учащихся во всех трех компонентах грамотности, поскольку углубляется понимание структуры слов, особенностей их написания и смысла. Однако, экспертиза уже предпринятых исследований показывает, что их качество оставляет желать лучшего и эта работа только начинается. Ученым еще предстоит понять как, когда и почему надо заниматься с учениками морфологией и какое значение имеет морфология для развития грамотности. Ya que muchos estudios han mostrado que la conciencia morfológica contribuye al desarrollo de la alfabetización de los estudiantes, está creciendo el interés en el valor docente de la enseñanza de la conciencia morfológica. Este repaso se ha hecho para integrar las conclusiones de estudios que trataron de determinar si dicha instrucción contribuyó al mejoramiento en la alfabetización. El análisis de los 16 estudios que cumplían los criterios de selección fue organizado de acuerdo a los objetivos de los investigadores para estudiar la relación que la instrucción sobre la conciencia morfológica tiene con los componentes claves del desarrollo de la alfabetización (o sea, la fonología, la ortografía, el significado de palabras). Los resultados indican que la conciencia morfológica tiene el potencial de contribuir al desarrollo de la alfabetización de los estudiantes en las tres áreas—particularmente cuando dicha conciencia profundiza el entendimiento de la estructura del morfema, la ortografía, y el significado de las palabras escritas. Sin embargo, la revisión del diseño y la calidad de los estudios de instrucción sobre la conciencia morfológica sugieren que esta área de investigación está comenzando. Falta mucho por hacer para tener un entendimiento claro de cómo, cuándo y por qué la instrucción sobre la conciencia morfológica contribuye al desarrollo de la alfabetización del estudiante.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/88040/1/RRQ.45.4.5.pd