51 research outputs found
Infection tracking in travellers using a mobile app (ITIT): the pilot study
BACKGROUND: Current surveillance of travellers' health captures only a small proportion of illness events. We aimed to evaluate the usability and feasibility of using an app to enable travellers to self-report illness. METHOD: This pilot study assesses a novel mobile application called Infection Tracking in Travellers (ITIT) that records travel-related symptoms with associated geolocation and weather data. Participants were recruited in three Swiss travel clinics between December 2021 and March 2022. A feedback survey was used to examine app ease of use, and data from the app was used to examine travel and illness patterns as a proof-of-concept for the larger ITIT study. RESULTS: Participants were recruited from Zurich, Basel, and Geneva, with 37 individuals completing a total of 394 questionnaires in 116 locations in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Illness symptoms were reported by 41% of participants, 67% of which were respiratory. The post travel questionnaire showed that all participants found the app easy to use and 63% said they would recommend it to others. Several users provided suggestions for improved usability. CONCLUSION: The app fulfilled its function as a research tool linking infection symptoms with geolocation and climate data
Illness tracking in SARS-CoV-2 tested persons using a smartphone app: a non-interventional, prospective, cohort study
There are few data on the range and severity of symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection or the impact on life quality in infected, previously healthy, young adults such as Swiss Armed Forces personnel. It is also unclear if an app can be used to remotely monitor symptoms in persons who test positive. Using a smartphone app called ITITP (Illness Tracking in Tested Persons) and weekly pop-up questionnaires, we aimed to evaluate the spectrum, duration, and impact of symptoms reported after a positive SARS-CoV-2 test according to sex, age, location, and comorbidities, and to compare these to responses from persons who tested negative. We followed up 502 participants (57% active participation), including 68 (13.5%) positive tested persons. Hospitalisation was reported by 6% of the positive tested participants. We found that positives reported significantly more symptoms that are typical of COVID-19 compared to negatives. These symptoms with odds ratio (OR > 1) were having difficulty breathing (OR 3.35; 95% CI: 1.16, 9.65; p = 0.03), having a reduced sense of taste (OR 5.45; 95% CI: 1.22, 24.34; p = 0.03) and a reduced sense of smell (OR 18.24; 95% CI: 4.23, 78.69; p < 0.001). Using a random forest model, we showed that tiredness was the single symptom that was rated as having a significant impact on daily activities, whereas the other symptoms, although frequent, had less impact. The study showed that the use of an app was feasible to remotely monitor symptoms in persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 and could be adapted for other settings and new pandemic phases such as the current Omicron wave
Transmission through a quantum dot molecule embedded in an Aharonov-Bohm interferometer
We study theoretically the transmission through a quantum dot molecule
embedded in the arms of an Aharonov-Bohm four quantum dot ring threaded by a
magnetic flux. The tunable molecular coupling provides a transmission pathway
between the interferometer arms in addition to those along the arms. From a
decomposition of the transmission in terms of contributions from paths, we show
that antiresonances in the transmission arise from the interference of the
self-energy along different paths and that application of a magnetic flux can
produce the suppression of such antiresonances. The occurrence of a period of
twice the quantum of flux arises to the opening of transmission pathway through
the dot molecule. Two different connections of the device to the leads are
considered and their spectra of conductance are compared as a function of the
tunable parameters of the model.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
On the photometric variability of blue supergiants in NGC 300 and its impact on the Flux-weighted Gravity-Luminosity Relationship
We present a study of the photometric variability of spectroscopically
confirmed supergiants in NGC 300, comprising 28 epochs extending over a period
of five months. We find 15 clearly photometrically variable blue supergiants in
a sample of nearly 70 such stars, showing maximum light amplitudes ranging from
0.08 to 0.23 magnitudes in the V band, and one variable red supergiant. We show
their light curves, and determine semi-periods for two A2 Ia stars. Assuming
that the observed changes correspond to similar variations in the bolometric
luminosity, we test for the influence of this variability on the Flux-weighted
Gravity--Luminosity Relationship and find a negligible effect, showing that the
calibration of this relationship, which has the potential to measure
extragalactic distances at the Cepheid accuracy level, is not affected by the
stellar photometric variability in any significant way.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
Martensitic transition and magnetoresistance in a Cu-Al-Mn shape memory alloy. Influence of aging
We have studied the effect of ageing within the miscibility gap on the
electric, magnetic and thermodynamic properties of a non-stoichiometric Heusler
Cu-Al-Mn shape-memory alloy, which undergoes a martensitic transition from a
-based (-phase) towards a close-packed structure (-phase).
Negative magnetoresistance which shows an almost linear dependence on the
square of magnetization with different slopes in the - and -phases,
was observed. This magnetoresistive effect has been associated with the
existence of Mn-rich clusters with the CuAlMn-structure. The effect of an
applied magnetic field on the martensitic transition has also been studied. The
entropy change between the - and -phases shows negligible dependence
on the magnetic field but it decreases significantly with annealing time within
the miscibility gap. Such a decrease is due to the increasing amount of
CuMnAl-rich domains that do not transform martensitically.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in PR
Report from the OECI Oncology Days 2014
The 2014 OECI Oncology Days was held at the ‘Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta’ Oncology Institute in Cluj, Romania, from 12 to 13 June. The focus of this year’s gathering was on developments in personalised medicine and other treatment advances which have made the cost of cancer care too high for many regions throughout Europe
Embedded Rh(1wt %)@Al2O3: Effects of high temperature and prolonged aging under methane partial oxidation conditions
A simple synthetic procedure for the production of catalysts stable at high temperature was investigated. Methane partial oxidation was studied over a Rh(1%)@Al2O3 catalyst, composed of Rh nanoparticles embedded in an Al2O3 matrix, in comparison to a reference Rh(1%)/Al2O3, obtained by standard wet impregnation procedure. Both Rh catalysts are active for MPO, reaching total CH4 conversion above 1023 K. The embedded catalyst is more resistant to deactivation. The protection offered by the surrounding layer of porous oxide prevents extensive sintering of the active metal phase, even after high temperature aging. Moreover, the embedded Rh(1%)@Al2O3 is more resistant towards the undesirable incorporation of Rh into the alumina under oxidising conditions. At 1023 K, stable MPO activity is observed for at least 60 hours, after which slow deactivation starts, essentially by coking. Treatment with O2 restores the catalytic activity, while switches to O2 during reaction prevent deactivation
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