Analysis of the C2_2 (d3Πg^3\Pi_g-a3Πu^3\Pi_u) Swan bands as a thermometric probe in CO2_2 microwave plasmas

The optical emission spectra of high pressure CO$_2$ microwave plasmas are usually dominated by the C$_2$ Swan bands. In this paper, the use of the C$_2$ Swan bands for estimating the gas temperature in CO$_2$ microwave plasmas is assessed. State by state fitting is employed to check the correctness of assuming a Boltzmann distribution for the rotational and vibrational distribution functions and, within statistical and systematic uncertainties, the C$_2$ Swan band can be fitted accurately with a single temperature for rotational and vibrational levels. The processes leading to the production of the C$_2$ molecule and particularly its d$^3\Pi_g$ state are briefly reviewed as well as collisional relaxation times of the latter. It is concluded that its rotational temperature can be associated to the gas temperature of the CO$_2$ microwave plasma and the results are moreover cross-checked by adding a small amount of N$_2$ in the discharge and measuring the CN violet band system. The 2.45~GHz plasma source is analyzed in the pressure range 180-925~mbar, for input microwave powers ranging from 0.9 - 3 kW and with gas flow rates of 5-100~L/min. An intense C$_2$ Swan bands emission spectrum can be measured only when the plasma is operated in contracted regime. A unique temperature of about 6000 $\pm$ 500 K is obtained for all investigated conditions. A spectroscopic database is constructed using the recent compilation and calculations by Brooke et al. \cite{BROOKE201311} of the line strengths and molecular constants for the C$_2$ (d$^3\Pi_g$-a$^3\Pi_u$) Swan bands system and made available as Supplementary Material in a format compatible with the open source MassiveOES software

Time-Resolved Optical Emission Spectroscopy Reveals Nonequilibrium Conditions for CO2_{2} Splitting in Atmospheric Plasma Sustained with Ultrafast Microwave Pulsation

Among the pool of Power-to-X technologies, plasmas show high potential for the efficient use of intermittent renewable energies. High efficiencies of CO$_{2}$ conversion have been reported while using microwave plasmas at vacuum conditions which are, however, not suitable for CO$_{2}$ mitigation at industrial scales. Here we show that ultrafast pulsation of microwaves allow significant improvements of energy efficiencies during CO$_{2}$ splitting at atmospheric pressure as compared to continuous wave operation of the microwave source. Moreover, by the interrogation of the plasma with time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy we can, for the first time, observe the evolution of the vibrational and rotational temperatures and define a time window where nonequilibrium can be expected at the beginning of the pulse of an atmospheric CO$_{2}$ microwave plasma. In spite of the evidence of nonequilibrium in our system, thermal mechanism appears to dominate the CO$_{2}$ dissociation. It is shown that a fine control of the energy deposition in the plasma is possible with ultrafast pulsation of the microwave energy supply

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Ultra-fast pulsed microwave plasma breakdown : evidence of various ignition modes

In this communication, we investigate the ignition of pulsed microwave plasmas in a narrow dielectric tube with an electrodeless configuration. The plasma is generated using a surfatron cavity. The power is modulated as a square wave with a rise-time of 30 ns at variable frequencies from 100 Hz up to 5 MHz. The ignition and plasma propagation inside the 3mm radius quartz tube are imaged spatially and resolved with nanosecond time resolution using an iCCD camera. The plasma is found to propagate in the form of a front moving from the launcher to theend of the plasma column with the microwave power being gradually absorbed behind it. The velocity of the plasma front decreases while the plasma goes towards a steady state. The ionization front is found to be strongly non-uniform and various structures as a function of the pulse repetition frequency (i.e. power-off time) are shown in the axial and radial directions. At low frequencies, finger-like structures are found. The plasma becomes more hollow at smaller power-off times. At higher repetition frequencies (kHz regime), a critical repetition frequency is found for which the plasma light intensity sharply increases at the head of the propagation front, taking a shape resembling a plasma bullet. This critical frequency depends on the pressure and power. For even higher frequencies, the bullet shape disappears and plasma volume ignition from the launcher to the end of the plasma column is observed. These results bring a new insight into the ignition mechanisms of pulsed microwave plasmas inside dielectric tubes. A wide variety of effects are found which seem to mostly depend on the background ionization degree. Moreover, the results show that only a 3D time-dependent model can, in general, correctly describe the ignition of a pulsed microwave discharge

Ground-state bromine atoms measurements by Two-Photon Absorption Laser-Induced Fluorescence

International audienc

Inductively-coupled plasmas of Cl<SUB>2</SUB>, O<SUB>2</SUB> and mixtures : measurement of atoms, Cl<SUB>x</SUB>O<SUB>y</SUB> and electron densities

International audienc

Electron impact transfer rates between metastable and resonant states of argon investigated by laser pump–probe technique

International audienc