More than smell - COVID-19 is associated with severe impairment of smell, taste, and chemesthesis

Recent anecdotal and scientific reports have provided evidence of a link between COVID-19 and chemosensory impairments such as anosmia. However, these reports have downplayed or failed to distinguish potential effects on taste, ignored chemesthesis, generally lacked quantitative measurements, were mostly restricted to data from single countries. Here, we report the development, implementation and initial results of a multi-lingual, international questionnaire to assess self-reported quantity and quality of perception in three distinct chemosensory modalities (smell, taste, and chemesthesis) before and during COVID-19. In the first 11 days after questionnaire launch, 4039 participants (2913 women, 1118 men, 8 other, ages 19-79) reported a COVID-19 diagnosis either via laboratory tests or clinical assessment. Importantly, smell, taste and chemesthetic function were each significantly reduced compared to their status before the disease. Difference scores (maximum possible change+/-100) revealed a mean reduction of smell (-79.7+/- 28.7, mean+/- SD), taste (-69.0+/- 32.6), and chemesthetic (-37.3+/- 36.2) function during COVID-19. Qualitative changes in olfactory ability (parosmia and phantosmia) were relatively rare and correlated with smell loss. Importantly, perceived nasal obstruction did not account for smell loss. Furthermore, chemosensory impairments were similar between participants in the laboratory test and clinical assessment groups. These results show that COVID-19-associated chemosensory impairment is not limited to smell, but also affects taste and chemesthesis. The multimodal impact of COVID-19 and lack of perceived nasal obstruction suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection may disrupt sensory-neural mechanisms.Additional co-authors: Veronica Pereda-Loth, Shannon B Olsson, Richard C Gerkin, Paloma Rohlfs Domínguez, Javier Albayay, Michael C. Farruggia, Surabhi Bhutani, Alexander W Fjaeldstad, Ritesh Kumar, Anna Menini, Moustafa Bensafi, Mari Sandell, Iordanis Konstantinidis, Antonella Di Pizio, Federica Genovese, Lina Öztürk, Thierry Thomas-Danguin, Johannes Frasnelli, Sanne Boesveldt, Özlem Saatci, Luis R. Saraiva, Cailu Lin, Jérôme Golebiowski, Liang-Dar Hwang, Mehmet Hakan Ozdener, Maria Dolors Guàrdia, Christophe Laudamiel, Marina Ritchie, Jan Havlícek, Denis Pierron, Eugeni Roura, Marta Navarro, Alissa A. Nolden, Juyun Lim, KL Whitcroft, Lauren R. Colquitt, Camille Ferdenzi, Evelyn V. Brindha, Aytug Altundag, Alberto Macchi, Alexia Nunez-Parra, Zara M. Patel, Sébastien Fiorucci, Carl M. Philpott, Barry C. Smith, Johan N Lundström, Carla Mucignat, Jane K. Parker, Mirjam van den Brink, Michael Schmuker, Florian Ph.S Fischmeister, Thomas Heinbockel, Vonnie D.C. Shields, Farhoud Faraji, Enrique Enrique Santamaría, William E.A. Fredborg, Gabriella Morini, Jonas K. Olofsson, Maryam Jalessi, Noam Karni, Anna D'Errico, Rafieh Alizadeh, Robert Pellegrino, Pablo Meyer, Caroline Huart, Ben Chen, Graciela M. Soler, Mohammed K. Alwashahi, Olagunju Abdulrahman, Antje Welge-Lüssen, Pamela Dalton, Jessica Freiherr, Carol H. Yan, Jasper H. B. de Groot, Vera V. Voznessenskaya, Hadar Klein, Jingguo Chen, Masako Okamoto, Elizabeth A. Sell, Preet Bano Singh, Julie Walsh-Messinger, Nicholas S. Archer, Sachiko Koyama, Vincent Deary, Hüseyin Yanik, Samet Albayrak, Lenka Martinec Novákov, Ilja Croijmans, Patricia Portillo Mazal, Shima T. Moein, Eitan Margulis, Coralie Mignot, Sajidxa Mariño, Dejan Georgiev, Pavan K. Kaushik, Bettina Malnic, Hong Wang, Shima Seyed-Allaei, Nur Yoluk, Sara Razzaghi, Jeb M. Justice, Diego Restrepo, Julien W Hsieh, Danielle R. Reed, Thomas Hummel, Steven D Munger, John E Haye

International nosocomial infection control consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 36 countries, for 2004-2009

The results of a surveillance study conducted by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) from January 2004 through December 2009 in 422 intensive care units (ICUs) of 36 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe are reported. During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN; formerly the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system [NNIS]) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infections, we gathered prospective data from 313,008 patients hospitalized in the consortium's ICUs for an aggregate of 2,194,897 ICU bed-days. Despite the fact that the use of devices in the developing countries' ICUs was remarkably similar to that reported in US ICUs in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were significantly higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals; the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection in the INICC ICUs of 6.8 per 1,000 central line-days was more than 3-fold higher than the 2.0 per 1,000 central line-days reported in comparable US ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia also was far higher (15.8 vs 3.3 per 1,000 ventilator-days), as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (6.3 vs. 3.3 per 1,000 catheter-days). Notably, the frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates to imipenem (47.2% vs 23.0%), Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (76.3% vs 27.1%), Escherichia coli isolates to ceftazidime (66.7% vs 8.1%), Staphylococcus aureus isolates to methicillin (84.4% vs 56.8%), were also higher in the consortium's ICUs, and the crude unadjusted excess mortalities of device-related infections ranged from 7.3% (for catheter-associated urinary tract infection) to 15.2% (for ventilator-associated pneumonia). Copyright © 2012 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

The efficiency of fan and pad cooling system, sensible and latent heat transfer in a venlo glasshouse

Bu araştırmada; Venlo tip cam seralarda fan-ped serinletme sisteminin duyulur ve gizli ısı transferine olan etkisinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla denemeler, boyutları 18 m (uzunluk)x6.4 m (genişlik)x3.9 m (yükseklik) olan Venlo tip bir cam serada yürütülmüştür. Serada duyulur ısı transferi, dış ortam ve sera ortamı arasındaki sıcaklık farkı artışına bağlı olarak artmıştır. Duyulur ısı transferi, 32.8-81 W/m2 değerleri arasında değişmiştir. Serada günün ilk yarısında, ortalama özgül nem farkının düşük olması nedeniyle, gizli ısı transferi ortalama -135 W/m2 olarak gerçekleşmiştir. Öğleden sonraki dönemlerde, buharlaşma oranı yüksek olduğundan, gizli ısı transferi ortalama -263 W/m2 olarak belirlenmiştir. Serada Bowen oranı $(\beta)$, -0.17 ve -0.59 arasında değişmiştir. Günlük ortalama $\beta$ değeri -0.29 olarak hesaplanmıştır, $\beta$ değeri, özgül nem farkı artışına bağlı olarak artmıştır, $\beta$ değerleri dikkate alındığında, fan-ped sisteminin buharlaştırma etkisi nedeniyle, deneme serasında gizli ısı transferi duyulur ısı transferinden daha fazladır, $\beta$ 'nın negatif (-) değerde olması, sera ortamındaki hava sıcaklığının dış ortamdan daha düşük buna karşılık, özgül nemin dış ortamdan daha yüksek olduğunu belirtir. Bu nedenle, seralar için tasarımlanacak olan nemlendirmen serinletme sistemlerinin negatif (-) değerde $\beta$ sağlamaları gerekir.This study deals with the determination of effects of fan and pad cooling system on sensible and latent heat transfer in a Venlo glasshouse.. The greenhouse, 25.6 m wide and 18 m long, is made of four adjacent 6.4 m wide span covered with glass of 4 mm thick. The sensible heat transfer increased as the temperature difference between the outside and inside the glasshouse rose. Since the absolute humidity difference between the outside and inside the glasshouse was lower in the morning, the latent heat transfer was -135 W/m2 in the glasshouse. The laten heat transfer was -135 W/m2 in the afternoon due the evaporation rate was higher in the glasshouse. Bowen ratio ($\beta$) changed between -0.17 and -0.59. It was found that the average value of the $\beta$ was -0.29. The experimental data showed that the $\beta$ increased as the absolute humidity difference rose

Sera ısıtma için güneş enerjisinin faz değiştiren materyalde (PCM) depolanması üzerine bir araştırma

TEZ2732Tez (Doktora) -- Çukurova Üniversitesi, Adana, 1997.Kaynakça (s. 192-200) var.xviii, 206 s. ; 30 cm.…Bu çalışma Ç.Ü. Bilimsel Araştırma Projeleri Birimi Tarafından Desteklenmiştir. Proje No: FBE 94. 53

The influence of climate on greenhouse design

Sera yapıları, ürünlerin bitki hastalıkları ve ekstrem sıcaklıklar kadar rüzgar, yağmur, dolu ve kar gibi iklimsel etkilere karşı korunması için kullanılır. Seranın yapısal tasarımı ve iç ortamdaki mikro-klimanın kalitesini etkileyen e_n önemli iklim etmenleri; sıcaklık, güneş ışınımı, rüzgar hızı ve yağıştır. Bölgesel iklim koşullan, serada sadece ortam kontrolü için kullanılan ekipmanları etkilemekle kalmaz, aynı zamanda seranın yapısartasarımını da etkiler. Sera tasarımı, örtü materyali ve kullanılan iklimlendirme sistemleri değişik bölgesel iklim koşullarının gerektirdiği şekilde belirlenir. Bu nedenle sera tasarımında bölgesel iklimle ilgili düzenlemeler dikkate alınır. İklim etmenleri sera tasarımında bütünleşik bir etkiye sahiptir. Özel bölgesel koşullara bağlı olarak, seranın dayanımı ve işlevselliğinde olumlu veya olumsuz etkilere sahip olabilirler. Bu çalışmada, iklim özelliklerinin sera tasarımına olan etkileri incelenmiştir.Greenhouses are used for protecting crops against wind, rain, hail and snow as well as plant diseases or extreme temperatures. The most important climatic factors influencing the structural design and the quality of the indoor micro-climate are the temperature, the global solar radiation, the wind intensity and the precipitation. Thus, local meteorological conditions strongly influence not only the indoor climate control equipment of greenhouses but also their structural design. The design, the covering material and the acclimatization equipments must satisfy requirements imposed by the various lacal climatic conditions. Therefore, the greenhouse design must follow regulations related to the local climate. The climatic factors generates a combination of effects which have either favourable or negative influence on the functionality and the stability of the greenhouse depending on the particular local circumstances. In the present study, the influences of climatic factors to the greenhouse design are investigated.

The nocturnal heat loss and internal temperatures in plastic tunnel greenhouses with thermal screens

The actual rate of heat loss from the plastic tunnels and overall heat loss coefficients, which were used to compare the results from the different greenhouses were determined. In addition, the effects on internal air temperature and the air-tightness of the screens were also investigated. For the PE-screened plastic tunnel, the heat loss was calculated to be 15 % lower than that of the unscreened plastic tunnel. The rate of heat loss per square meter of floor area from the polyester-screened plastic tunnel was 20 % lower than that from the unscreened tunnel. It was calculated that average increases in temperature above the outside temperature were 5, 4.2 and 0.2 °C in the polyester-screened, PE-screened and unscreened plastic tunnels, respectively

Plastik tünel seralarda ısı perdelerinin mikrokima ve toplam ısı kayıp katsayısına etkisi

Bu çalışmada, açık polietilen (PE) ve polyester malzemeden yapılmış ısı perdelerinin plastik tünel seralarda mikro-klima ve toplam ısı kayıp katsayısına etkisi incelenmiştir. Plastik tünel seralar 6 m genişlik, 20 m uzunluk ve 3 m yüksekliğindedir. Araştırmada üç farklı düzenleme yapılmıştır: (1) perdesiz tek katlı tünel (kontrol), (2) PE perdeli tek katlı tünel ve (3) polyester perdeli tek katlı tünel. UV + IR katkılı PE ve polyester malzemeden yapılmış ısı perdeleri, plastik tünel seralarda 2.5 m yükseklikte yerleştirilmiş ve tellerle desteklenmiştir. Hava sıcaklığı, bağıl nem, rüzgar hızı, güneş ışınımı ve fotosentez için etkin ışınım (PAR) değerleri ölçülmüş ve veri kaydedicide kaydedilmiştir. Plastik tünel seralarda; toplam ısı kayıp katsayısı, verilen ısı miktarı, hava sızdırmazlık için kontrol faktörü , ısı kayıp hızı ve ısı perdesi etkinliği hesaplanmıştır. Polyester ve PE perdeli seralarda, iç ortam sıcaklığının dış ortamdan 4.8 $^\circ$ C ve 2.5 $^\circ$ C daha yüksek olduğu belirlenmiştir. Plastik tünel seralarda toplam ısı kayıp katsayılarının önemli ölçüde farklı olduğu belirlenmiştir. Toplam ısı kayıp katsayısı ile rüzgar hızı ve dış ortam sıcaklığı arasındaki ilişkiler modellenmiştir. Perde etkinlik faktörü; PE perde için % 16, polyester perde için % 19.8 olarak belirlenmiştir.The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of thermal screens made of clear polyethylene (PE) and polyester material on the microclimate and overall heat loss coefficient in plastic tunnel greenhouses. The dimensions of the plastic tunnels were: width 6 m, length 20 m and height 3 m. Three different installations were used: (1) a single cover without a screen (as a control); (2) a single cover with a PE screen; and (3) a single cover with a polyester screen. The thermal screens made of PE with UV+1R additives and polyester materials were placed at a height of 2.5 m in the plastic tunnels, and supported with wires. Air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, solar radiation and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) were measured and recorded on a data-logger. In the plastic tunnels, the overall heat loss coefficient, heat input, the control factor for air-tightness, the rate of heat loss and the thermal screen effectiveness were calculated. The results showed that the polyester and PE screens were able to keep the air temperature inside the plastic tunnels 4.8 $^\circ$ C and 2.5 °C higher than that outside, respectively. Comparison of the calculated overall heat loss coefficients shows that the differences in the values between the plastic tunnels were large. The relationships between the overall heat loss coefficient and the wind speed, and the outside temperature were modeled, including the measured and calculated values. It was found that the thermal screen effectiveness was 16% and 19.8% for the PE and polyester screens, respectively

Structural characteristics of greenhouses in European union counties

Sera tarımı geçtiğimiz on yıl içinde bütün Avrupa'da hızlı bir şekilde gelişmiştir. Sera yetiştiriciliği, Avrupa ülkelerinin çoğunda kazançlı bir tarım sektörüdür. Bu araştırmada, Avrupa Birliği (AB) ülkelerinde yaygın olarak kullanılan sera tipleri incelenmiştir. Bu çalışmanın asıl amacı; AB'nde yer alan ülkelerdeki sera teknolojisinin mevcut durumu, tasarım gereksinimi ve etkili faktörleri incelemektir. Bu amaçla; iklim, bölgesel düzenlemeler, yetiştirilen ürünler, yapı malzemelerinin durumu vb. gibi sera tasarımında etkili değişik etmenler değerlendirilmiştir.Cultivation in greenhouses has steadily expanded throughout Europe during the recent decade. This kind of production has been proved to be a highly competitive and profitable sector of agriculture in most of the European countries. Greenhouse types existing in Europe, built with different covering materials and designed, to fit the local climate were presented. The structural and functional characteristics of the most representative greenhouse types currently used in six European Union countries are given

The research onthe control of temperature and relative humidity in glasshouses

Bu araştırma, serada sıcaklık ve bağıl nem oranını kontrol etmek amacıyla, taban alanı 115 m2 olan Venlo tip cam serada yürütüjmüştür. Araştırmada, algılayıcılardan gelen sinyaller, sayısal ve anolog sinyal akış kartları tarafından işlenmiştir. Kartlardan bilgisayara gönderilen veriler, geliştirilen yazılım sayesinde bilgisayarda komut olarak işlenmiştir. Kullanıcı tarafından istenilen iklim koşulları bilgisayara girildiğinde, bilgisayar tarafından kartlara gönderilen sinyallej, kartlar tarafından komut olarak son kontrol elemanlarına gönderilerek ortam kontrolü sağlanmıştır. Geliştirilen yazılım modeli okunan verileri 20 saniye aralıklarla kayıt yapmıştır. Bu veriler incelenerek çalışma modelinin sıcaklık ve bağıl nem kontrolüne uygunluğu araştırılmıştır. Dış ortam sıcaklığı, 20-26.6 CC arasında değişmesine karşın, sera iç ortamındaki hava sıcaklığı 18-21.9°C arasında değişmiştir. Serada geliştirilen donanım yardımıyla, iç ortam sıcaklığı yaklaşık 2 dakikalık zaman aralığında 1 °C azaltılmıştır. İç ortam bağıl nem oranı yaklaşık 5 dakikalık zaman aralığında % 5 arttırılmıştır.This study deals with the control of temperature and relative humidity in 115 m2 Venlo type glasshouse. In this research, signals came from sensors have been processed by digital and analog signal flow cards. Data sent by cards have been processed to the computer. When climatic conditions, which are required by users conducted to the computer, signals sent by card as command are transmitted to the final control component and thus, control of surroundings has been provided by computers. Data have been recorded 20-second intervals by improved software model. Consequently, appropriateness of working model to the control of temperature and relative humidity has been investigated. While the outside temperature varied from 20 °C to 26.6 °C, the internal air temperature varied from 18 °C to 21.9 °C during the experimental period. The temperature of the air inside the experimental glasshouse was decreased by 1 °C by means of the control unit during 2 minutes interval. The relative humidity of the air inside the glasshouse was increased by 5 % by means of the control unit during 5 minutes interval

Greenhouse heating with solar energy and phase change energy storage

A Phase-Change Energy Storage (PCES) system was used to heat a greenhouse of 180 m2. For the seasonal heat storage unit, paraffin was used as the phase change material (PCM). The system consists mainly of four units: solar air heaters, the seasonal heat storage unit, the greenhouse and a computerized data-acquisition/control unit. The absorber surface of the installed air heaters is 0.15 m2 per square meter of greenhouse ground surface. The storage tank volume is 0.055 m3 per square meter of greenhouse ground surface, and the storage volume is about 0.37 m3 per square meter of the solar air heaters. The storage tank contains 6 000 kg of paraffin PCM, of which the thermal properties, as measured with a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), were: melting temperature range of 48 - 60 °C and latent heat of melting 190 kJ/kg. All the temperatures at the inlet and outlet of the storage tank, the solar air heaters, and in the tank and the greenhouse were measured by thermistors each second, and the 15-minute averages were recorded and fed into the data-logger and computer control system. In this paper, the preliminary results obtained during the charging period of the storage tank, August and September 1994 in the first year of the experiment are presented. During the charging periods of August and September of 1994, an average values of the air temperature at the outlet of the collectors were 59.6 and 56.7 °C, respectively. The average temperature of the paraffin reached 46.8 °C and 49.3 °C during August and September 1994, respectively