Comparison of clinical, para-clinical and laboratory findings in survived and deceased patients with COVID-19: diagnostic role of inflammatory indications in determining the severity of illness

Background: Since December 2019, when a cluster of pneumonia cases due to SARS-CoV-2 initially emerged in Wuhan city and then rapidly spread throughout the world, the necessity for data concerning the clinical and para-clinical features of Iranian patients with COVID-19 was highlighted. Therefore, we aimed to compare the clinical, para-clinical and laboratory evidences of deceased patients with survival group. Methods: We extracted data regarding 233 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from Buali Hospital in Iran; clinical/para-clinical and inflammatory indexes data were collected and analyzed. The data of laboratory examinations and chest CT findings were compared between deceased and survived patients. Results: The mean age of the patients was 49.8 years and 64 of our patients were male. The acute respiratory distress syndrome occurred in 64 patients, 52 who were admitted to the ICU, which all of them underwent invasive mechanical ventilation, and 28 who died. Lymphopenia (79), neutrophilia (79), and thrombocytopenia (21) were the most frequently observed laboratory findings of the deceased group on admission. Most patients (68) had a high systematic immune-inflammation (SII) index of > 500 and increased C-reactive protein level (88). Levels of inflammatory indexes such as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and SII were documented to be significantly elevated in the deceased group when compared with the patients who survived (P < 0.0001, P < 0.001, P < 0.0001, respectively). The most commonly presented symptoms were fever (70) and cough (63) on admission. Headache was uncommon (11). Ground-glass opacity with consolidation (mixed) was the most common radiologic finding on chest CT (51). No radiographic or CT abnormality was found in 15 of 204 patients (7). Conclusion: Small fraction of patients with COVID-19 may present without fever and abnormal radiologic findings. Elevated NLR, PLR and SII can be considered as prognostic and risk stratifying factor of severe form of disease. © 2020, The Author(s)

Microstructural evolution in solution heat treatment of gas- atomised Al alloy (7075) powder for cold spray

Cold gas dynamic spray is being explored as a repair technique for high-value metallic components, given its potential to produce pore and oxide-free deposits of between several micrometers and several millimeters thick with good levels of adhesion and mechanical strength. However, feedstock powders for cold spray experience rapid solidification if manufactured by gas atomization and hence can exhibit non-equilibrium microstructures and localized segregation of alloying elements. Here, we used sealed quartz tube solution heat treatment of a precipitation hardenable 7075 aluminum alloy feedstock to yield a consistent and homogeneous powder phase composition and microstructure prior to cold spraying, aiming for a more controllable heat treatment response of the cold spray deposits. It was shown that the dendritic microstructure and solute segregation in the gas-atomized powders were altered, such that the heat-treated powder exhibits a homogeneous distribution of solute atoms. Micro-indentation testing revealed that the heat-treated powder exhibited a mean hardness decrease of nearly 25% compared to the as received powder. Deformation of the powder particles was enhanced by heat treatment, resulting in an improved coating with higher thickness (* 300 lm compared to * 40 um for untreated feedstock). Improved particle–substrate bonding was evidenced by formation of jets at the particle boundaries

Statistics of Heat Transfer in Mesoscopic Circuits

A method to calculate the statistics of energy exchange between quantum systems is presented. The generating function of this statistics is expressed through a Keldysh path integral. The method is first applied to the problem of heat dissipation from a biased mesoscopic conductor into the adjacent reservoirs. We then consider energy dissipation in an electrical circuit around a mesoscopic conductor. We derive the conditions under which measurements of the fluctuations of heat dissipation can be used to investigate higher order cumulants of the charge counting statistics of a mesoscopic conductor.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

An Audit of Nursing Care and Placement of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter in Infants

Background and Objective: The performance quality of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) by nurses has a direct effect on the improvement of patient care and safety. The aim of this study is to audit the placement and nursing care of PICC in infants. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 130 PICC procedures in the neonatal intensive care units of Rouhani and Amirkola hospitals in Babol in 2018-2021. All infants who needed PICC placement for any reason were selected. In order to collect the data, the observational researcher-made checklist and the infant demographic characteristics questionnaire were used. The checklist included 44 questions and four parts of nursing care before catheter insertion, hand washing, nursing care during the procedure, and nursing care after catheter placement. The scores obtained from the checklist were classified into conversion percentage and two groups of unfavorable placement (less than 67) and favorable placement (68-100). To confirm its reliability, intraclass correlation coefficient was used (ICC=0.90). Findings: A total of 130 cases of PICC placement and nursing care were audited (Rouhani Hospital 98 cases 75.4%, Amirkola 32 cases 24.6%). In the studied sample, 83 (63.8%) were boys and 53 (43.1%) were diagnosed with prematurity. The most common PICC location was the armpit (42.3%). The percentages of compliance of nursing care before PICC insertion according to the standard (97.43%), hand washing (100%), nursing care during the procedure (87.14%) and nursing care after PICC insertion (94.84%) were favorable. Nurses did not use glasses and ultrasound guidance during PICC insertion; (85.4%) and (90%), respectively. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, although the quality of PICC insertion and care in three stages was at a favorable level, nurses need training regarding the use of glasses and ultrasound guidance during PICC insertion

Heat treatment of cold-sprayed C355 Al for repair: microstructure and mechanical properties

Cold gas dynamic spraying of commercially pure aluminum is widely used for dimensional repair in the aerospace sector as it is capable of producing oxide-free deposits of hundreds of micrometer thickness with strong bonding to the substrate, based on adhesive pull-off tests, and often with enhanced hardness compared to the powder prior to spraying. There is significant interest in extending this application to structural, load-bearing repairs. Particularly, in the case of high-strength aluminum alloys, cold spray deposits can exhibit high levels of porosity and microcracks, leading to mechanical properties that are inadequate for most load-bearing applications. Here, heat treatment was investigated as a potential means of improving the properties of cold-sprayed coatings from Al alloy C355. Coatings produced with process conditions of 500 °C and 60 bar were heat-treated at 175, 200, 225, 250 °C for 4 h in air, and the evolution of the microstructure and microhardness was analyzed. Heat treatment at 225 and 250 °C revealed a decreased porosity (~ 0.14% and 0.02%, respectively) with the former yielding slightly reduced hardness (105 versus 130 HV0.05 as-sprayed). Compressive residual stress levels were approximately halved at all depths into the coating after heat treatment, and tensile testing showed an improvement in ductility

Recovery in Stroke Rehabilitation through the Rotation of Preferred Directions Induced by Bimanual Movements: A Computational Study

Stroke patients recover more effectively when they are rehabilitated with bimanual movement rather than with unimanual movement; however, it remains unclear why bimanual movement is more effective for stroke recovery. Using a computational model of stroke recovery, this study suggests that bimanual movement facilitates the reorganization of a damaged motor cortex because this movement induces rotations in the preferred directions (PDs) of motor cortex neurons. Although the tuning curves of these neurons differ during unimanual and bimanual movement, changes in PD, but not changes in modulation depth, facilitate such reorganization. In addition, this reorganization was facilitated only when encoding PDs are rotated, but decoding PDs are not rotated. Bimanual movement facilitates reorganization because this movement changes neural activities through inter-hemispheric inhibition without changing cortical-spinal-muscle connections. Furthermore, stronger inter-hemispheric inhibition between motor cortices results in more effective reorganization. Thus, this study suggests that bimanual movement is effective for stroke rehabilitation because this movement rotates the encoding PDs of motor cortex neurons

Direct Mass Measurements in the Light Neutron-Rich Region Using a Combined Energy and Time-of-Flight Technique

Historically, masses have been determined one at a time via decay or reaction Q-value measurements. In general only after several such individual measurements could one establish a trend in the binding energies and thus develop an improved understanding of the nuclear mass surface. With the advancement of online mass spectrometers, it became possible to measure long isotopic sequences. Although only alkali elements have been extensively measured to date, this technique has proved successful in revealing sudden changes in nuclear structure and in pointing out systematic deficiencies of various mass models. In the experiment described herein, we have worked to extend mass measurement capabilities one step further with the development of a more general approach in which a whole series of nuclei can be measured simultaneously, independent of their N or Z. Below we demonstrate that direct mass measurements can be performed for fast recoiling nuclei using a combined energy and time-of-flight (i.e., M proportional to ET/sup 2/) technique