LIBS applicability for investigation of re-deposition and fuel retention in tungsten coatings exposed to pure and nitrogen-mixed deuterium plasmas of Magnum-PSI

We have investigated the applicability of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for analyzing the changes in the composition and fuel retention of W and W-Ta coatings following exposure to D2 or mixed D2-N2 plasma beams in the linear plasma device Magnum PSI. The exposed samples were characterized by in situ ns-LIBS and complementary analysis methods Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and Nuclear Reaction Analysis. In agreement with the used complementary analysis methods, LIBS revealed the formation of up to 400 nm thick co-deposited surface layer in the central region of the coatings which contained a higher concentration of the main plasma impurities, such as N, and metals, such as Ta and Mo, the latter originating mainly from the substrate and from the plasma source. The deuterium retention on the other hand was highest outside from the central region of the coatings.</p

Changes in the use of anti-asthmatic medication in an international cohort

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldThe aim of this study was to describe changes in pharmacotherapy for asthma since the early 1990s in an international cohort of young and middle-aged adults. A total of 28 centres from 14 countries participated in a longitudinal study. The study included 8,829 subjects with a mean follow-up time of 8.7 yrs. Change in the prevalence of use for medication was expressed as absolute net change (95% confidence interval) standardised to a 10-yr period. The use of anti-asthmatics was found to have increased by 3.1% (2.4-3.7%) and the prevalence of symptomatic asthma by 4.0% (3.5-4.5%). In the sample with asthma in both surveys (n=423), the use of inhaled corticosteroids increased by 12.2% (6.6-17.8%). Despite this, only 17.2% were using inhaled corticosteroids on a daily basis at follow-up. Females with continuous asthma were more likely, compared with males, and smokers with asthma, to have started using inhaled corticosteroids since the first survey. The use of anti-asthmatics has increased in a pattern consistent with current consensus on treatment. However, despite increased use of inhaled corticosteroids, a large majority of subjects with symptomatic asthma do not use this treatment on a daily basis, particularly males and smokers with asthma

ОПТИМИЗАЦИЯ РАЗМЕЩЕНИЯ ОБЪЕКТОВ С УЧЕТОМ ИХ РЕПЛИКАЦИЙ НА УЗЛАХ РАСПРЕДЕЛЕННОЙ ИНФОРМАЦИОННО-ВЫЧИСЛИТЕЛЬНОЙ СИСТЕМЫ

Предлагается модель размещения объектов на узлах распределенной системы, учитывающаявведение репликаций, параметры объектов и потоков запросов к объектам, характеристики каналов передачи данных и узлов обработки запросов. Формулируется оптимизационная задача распределения объектов на узлах, предлагается алгоритм наискорейшего спуска решения задачи. Проводятся эксперименты, выявляющие закономерности и тренды в изменении параметров функционирования оптимизированной системы

Obesity and nocturnal gastro-oesophageal reflux are related to onset of asthma and respiratory symptoms

Several studies have identified obesity as a risk factor for asthma in both children and adults. An increased prevalence of asthma in subjects with gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome has also been reported. The aim of this investigation was to study obesity, nocturnal GOR and snoring as independent risk factors for onset of asthma and respiratory symptoms in a Nordic population. In a 5-10 yr follow-up study of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey in Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Estonia, a postal questionnaire was sent to previous respondents. A total of 16,191 participants responded to the questionnaire. Reported onset of asthma, wheeze and night-time symptoms as well as nocturnal GOR and habitual snoring increased in prevalence along with the increase in body mass index (BMI). After adjusting for nocturnal GOR, habitual snoring and other confounders, obesity (BMI >30) remained significantly related to the onset of asthma, wheeze and night-time symptoms. Nocturnal GOR was independently related to the onset of asthma and in addition, both nocturnal GOR and habitual snoring were independently related to onset of wheeze and night-time symptoms. This study adds evidence to an independent relationship between obesity, nocturnal gastro-oesophageal reflux and habitual snoring and the onset of asthma and respiratory symptoms in adults

Gastroesophageal reflux and snoring are related to asthma and respiratory symptoms : Results from a Nordic longitudinal population survey

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The AuthorsAim: To study if individuals with nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux (nGER) and habitual snoring are more likely to develop asthma and respiratory symptoms (i.e. wheeze, cough, chest tightness, breathlessness) than those without these conditions, and if these associations are additive. Methods: We used data from the population-based prospective questionnaire study Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) (11,024 participants), with data from 1999 and 2011. Participants with heartburn or belching after going to bed, at least 1 night/week, were considered to have nGER. Participants reporting loud snoring at least 3 nights/week were considered to have habitual snoring. Participants were grouped into four groups by their nGER and snoring status: “never”; “former”; “incident”; “persistent”. Incident respiratory symptoms were analyzed among participants without respective symptom at baseline. Results: Snoring and nGER were independently associated with incident asthma and respiratory symptoms. The risk of incident wheeze was increased in subjects with incident or persistent snoring (adjusted odds ratio (95 % CI): 1.44 (1.21–1.72)), nGER (2.18 (1.60–2.98)) and in those with both snoring and nGER (2.59 (1.83–3.65)). The risk of developing asthma was increased in subjects with incident or persistent snoring (1.44 (1.15–1.82)), nGER (1.99 (1.35–2.93)) and in those with both snoring and nGER (1.72 (1.06–2.77)). No significant interaction was found between snoring and nGER. A similar pattern was found for the incidence of all other respiratory symptoms studied, with the highest risk among those with both incident or persistent nGER and snoring. Conclusion: The risk of developing asthma and respiratory symptoms is increased among subjects with nGER and habitual snoring. These associations are independent of each other and confounding factors. Snoring and nGER together are additive on respiratory symptoms.Peer reviewe

The effect of farming environment on asthma; time dependent or universal?

Funding Information: MJA holds investigator-initiated grants from Pfizer and Boehringer-Ingelheim for unrelated research. He has undertaken an unrelated consultancy for and received assistance with conference attendance from Sanofi. He has also received a speaker’s fee from GSK. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant for the content of this article. Funding Information: The ECRHS/RHINE/RHINESSA study was supported by grants from The Faculty of Health, Aarhus University, Denmark (Project No. 240008), The Wood Dust Foundation (Project No. 444508795), The Danish Lung Association, the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, the Swedish Association Against Asthma and Allergy, the Swedish Association against Heart and Lung Disease, the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, The Bror Hjerpstedt Foundation, The Vårdal Foundation for Health Care and Allergic Research, The Norwegian Research Council (Grant Nos. 214123, 230827/F20, 228174 and 135773/330), The Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association, HelseVest Norway (Grant No. 911 631), The Icelandic Research Council, The University of Iceland Research Fund, The Icelandic GP’s Research Fund, The Estonian Science Foundation (Grant No. 4350), The Estonian Research Council (Grant No. PUT562), Melbourne University, National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia, SEPAR Spain, Sociedad Española de Neumologia y Cirugía Toracica Spain and Horizon2020 PHC1 (Grant No. 633212). For further information about funding sources, please consult www.rhinessa.net . Vivi Schlünssen and Cecilie Svanes are members of the COST BM1201 network. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, Springer Nature B.V.The increasing prevalence of asthma is linked to westernization and urbanization. Farm environments have been associated with a lower risk of asthma development. However, this may not be universal, as the association differs across birth cohorts and farming methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of farm upbringing with asthma in different generations and at different times in history. The study population consisted of three generations: 13,868 subjects participating in the ECRHS in 2010, their 9,638 parents, and their 8,885 offspring participating in RHINESSA in 2013. Information on place of upbringing and self-reported ever asthma was provided via questionnaires. Logistic regression was performed including subgroup analysis stratified by generation and birthyear into ten-year-intervals. The prevalence of asthma increased from 8% among grandparents to 13% among parents and to 18% among offspring. An overall analysis showed an inverse association of farm upbringing on the risk of asthma (OR = 0.64; 95%CI 0.55–0.74). Subgroup analysis stratified into ten-year-intervals showed a tendency towards a more pronounced inverse association between growing up on a farm and asthma among subjects born in the 1940s (0.74; 0.48–1.12), 1950s (0.70; 0.54–0.90) and 1960s (0.70; 0.52–0.93). For subjects born in 1970 and thereafter this association appeared less consistent. While growing up on a farm was associated with a reduced risk of developing asthma in participants born between 1945–1999, this was mainly driven by generations born from 1945 to 1973.Peer reviewe

Prevalence and Population Attributable Risk for Chronic Airflow Obstruction in a Large Multinational Study

Rationale: The Global Burden of Disease programme identified smoking, and ambient and household air pollution as the main drivers of death and disability from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).Objective: To estimate the attributable risk of chronic airflow obstruction (CAO), a quantifiable characteristic of COPD, due to several risk factors.Methods: The Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study is a cross-sectional study of adults, aged≥40, in a globally distributed sample of 41 urban and rural sites. Based on data from 28,459 participants, we estimated the prevalence of CAO, defined as a post-bronchodilator one-second forced expiratory volume to forced vital capacity ratio Measurements and Main Results: Mean prevalence of CAO was 11.2% in men and 8.6% in women. Mean PAR for smoking was 5.1% in men and 2.2% in women. The next most influential risk factors were poor education levels, working in a dusty job for ≥10 years, low body mass index (BMI), and a history of tuberculosis. The risk of CAO attributable to the different risk factors varied across sites.Conclusions: While smoking remains the most important risk factor for CAO, in some areas poor education, low BMI and passive smoking are of greater importance. Dusty occupations and tuberculosis are important risk factors at some sites

Cohort Profile: Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study

The Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study was established to assess the prevalence of chronic airflow obstruction, a key characteristic of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and its risk factors in adults (≥40 years) from general populations across the world. The baseline study was conducted between 2003 and 2016, in 41 sites across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, the Caribbean and Oceania, and collected high-quality pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry from 28 828 participants. The follow-up study was conducted between 2019 and 2021, in 18 sites across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. At baseline, there were in these sites 12 502 participants with high-quality spirometry. A total of 6452 were followed up, with 5936 completing the study core questionnaire. Of these, 4044 also provided high-quality pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry. On both occasions, the core questionnaire covered information on respiratory symptoms, doctor diagnoses, health care use, medication use and ealth status, as well as potential risk factors. Information on occupation, environmental exposures and diet was also collected

Simulation of cracking of metal alkoxide gel film formed on viscous precursor layer using a spring-block model

Drying-induced cracking of thin films attached to a non-solid (viscous) substrate is studied both experimentally and numerically. The numerical model is essentially a modification of the spring-block model, introducing a shear stress due to faster drying of the upper film layer, and annealed disorder in the distribution of the spring strengths. The simulation results are in a qualitative agreement with the experimental results, covering all the qualitatively different experimental regimes of the fragment formation. The model allows us to identify the physical processes responsible for the formation of micro-tubes in our experiments, and is helpful in designing and interpreting the film cracking experiments