1,324 research outputs found
Modeling the effects of concentration of solid nanoparticles in liquid feedstock injection on high-velocity suspension flame spray process
This paper presents the effects of the concentration of solid nanoparticles in the liquid feedstock injection on the
high-velocity suspension flame spray (HVSFS) process. Four different concentrations of solid nanoparticles in suspension
droplets with various droplet diameters are used to study gas dynamics, vaporization rate, and secondary breakup. Two types of
injections, viz. surface and group, are used. The group-type injection increases the efficiency of droplet disintegration and the
evaporation process and reduces the gas cooling. The initiation of the fragmentation process is difficult for small droplets carrying
a high concentration of nanoparticles. Also, smaller droplets undergo rapid vaporization, leaving clogs of nanoparticles in the
middle of the barrel. For larger droplets, severe fragmentation occurs inside the combustion chamber. For a higher concentration
of nanoparticles, droplets exit the gun without complete evaporation. The results suggest that, in coating applications involving a
higher concentration of nanoparticles, smaller droplet sizes are preferred
Prediction of cardiac worsening through to cardiogenic shock in patients with acute heart failure
Aims: Acute heart failure (AHF) can result in worsening of heart failure (WHF), cardiogenic shock (CS), or death. Risk factors for these adverse outcomes are not well characterized. This study aimed to identify predictors for WHF or new‐onset CS in patients hospitalized for AHF. Methods and results: Prospective cohort study enrolling consecutive patients with AHF admitted to a large tertiary care centre with follow‐up until death or discharge. WHF was defined by the RELAX‐AHF‐2 criteria. CS was defined as SCAI stages B–E. Potential predictors were assessed by fitting logistic regression models adjusted for age and sex. N = 233 patients were enrolled, median age was 78 years, and 80 were women (35.9%). Ischaemic cardiomyopathy was present in 82 patients (40.8%). Overall, 96 (44.2%) developed WHF and 18 (9.7%) CS. In‐hospital death (8/223, 3.6%) was related to both events (WHF: OR 6.64, 95% CI 1.21–36.55, P = 0.03; CS: OR 38.27, 95% CI 6.32–231.81, P < 0.001). Chronic kidney disease (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.25–3.93, P = 0.007), logarithmized serum creatinine (OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.51–5.82, P = 0.002), cystatin c (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.27–2.77, P = 0.002), tricuspid valve regurgitation (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.11–3.94, P = 0.023) and logarithmized pro‐adrenomedullin (OR 3.01, 95% CI 1.75–5.38, P < 0.001) were significant predictors of WHF. Chronic kidney disease (OR 3.17, 95% CI 1.16–9.58, P = 0.03), cystatin c (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.00–3.53, P = 0.045), logarithmized pro‐adrenomedullin (OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.19–7.19, P = 0.019), and tricuspid valve regurgitation (OR 10.44, 95% CI 2.61–70.00, P = 0.003) were significantly with new‐onset CS. Conclusions: Half of patients admitted with AHF experience WHF or new‐onset CS. Chronic kidney disease, tricuspid valve regurgitation, and elevated pro‐adrenomedullin concentrations predict these events. They could potentially serve as early warning signs for further deterioration in AHF patients
Adherence to subcutaneous interferon beta-1a treatment using an electronic injection device:a prospective open-label Scandinavian noninterventional study (the ScanSmart study)
Background: Disease modifying drugs help control the course of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS); however, good adherence is needed for long-term outcomes.
Objective: To evaluate patient adherence to treatment with subcutaneous interferon beta-1a using RebiSmart® and assess injection-site reactions and treatment satisfaction.
Methods: This prospective, single-arm, open-label, noninterventional multicenter Phase IV trial included disease modifying drug-experienced mobile patients with RRMS. Adherence was measured over 12 weeks. Items 13–23, 35, 37, and 38 of the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Concerns Questionnaire (injection-site reactions and treatment satisfaction) were recorded at 12 weeks.
Results: Sixty patients were recruited (mean age 43.7 [±SD 7.9] years; 83% female; mean years since multiple sclerosis diagnosis 6.7 [SD 4.5]). Adherence data were obtained in 54 patients only due to technical problems with six devices. Over 12 weeks, 89% (n=48) of patients had ≥90% adherence to treatment. Most patients experienced mild influenza-like symptoms and injection-site reactions, and global side effects were minimal. Most patients (78%) rated the convenience as the most important aspect of the device, and most experienced no or mild pain.
Conclusion: RRMS patients treated with subcutaneous interferon beta-1a, administered with RebiSmart, demonstrated generally good adherence, and the treatment was generally well tolerated
Surface Screening Charge and Effective Charge
The charge on an atom at a metallic surface in an electric field is defined
as the field-derivative of the force on the atom, and this is consistent with
definitions of effective charge and screening charge. This charge can be found
from the shift in the potential outside the surface when the atoms are moved.
This is used to study forces and screening on surface atoms of Ag(001)
c -- Xe as a function of external field. It is found that at low
positive (outward) fields, the Xe with a negative effective charge of -0.093
is pushed into the surface. At a field of 2.3 V \AA the charge
changes sign, and for fields greater than 4.1 V \AA the Xe experiences
an outward force. Field desorption and the Eigler switch are discussed in terms
of these results.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, RevTex (accepted by PRL
Pro‐adrenomedullin associates with congestion in acute heart failure patients
Aim: Congestion is a major determinant of outcomes in acute heart failure. Its assessment is complex, making sufficient decongestive therapy a challenge. Residual congestion is frequent at discharge, increasing the risk of re‐hospitalization and death. Mid‐regional pro‐adrenomedullin mirrors vascular integrity and may therefore be an objective marker to quantify congestion and to guide decongestive therapies in patients with acute heart failure. Methods and results: Observational, prospective, single‐centre study in unselected patients presenting with acute heart failure. This study aimed to assess adrenomedullin's association with congestion and clinical outcomes: in‐hospital death, post‐discharge mortality and in‐hospital worsening heart failure according to RELAX‐AHF‐2 trial criteria. Pro‐adrenomedullin was quantified at baseline and at discharge. Congestion was assessed applying clinical scores. Cox and logistic regression models with adjustment for clinical features were fitted. N = 233, median age 77 years (IQR 67, 83), 148 male (63.5%). Median pro‐adrenomedullin 2.0 nmol/L (IQR 1.4, 2.9). Eight patients (3.5%) died in hospital and 100 (44.1%) experienced in‐hospital worsening heart failure. After discharge, 60 patients (36.6%) died over a median follow‐up of 1.92 years (95% CI: 1.76, 2.46). Pro‐adrenomedullin concentrations (logarithmized) were significantly associated with congestion, both at enrolment (β = 0.36 and 0.81 depending on score, each P < 0.05) and at discharge (β = 1.12, P < 0.001). Enrolment of pro‐adrenomedullin was associated with in‐hospital worsening heart failure [OR 4.23 (95% CI: 1.87, 9.58), P < 0.001], and pro‐adrenomedullin at discharge was associated with post‐discharge death [HR 3.93 (1.86, 8.67), P < 0.001]. Conclusion: Elevated pro‐adrenomedullin is associated with in‐hospital worsening heart failure and with death during follow‐up in patients with acute heart failure. Further research is needed to validate this finding and to explore the ability of pro‐adrenomedullin to guide decongestive treatment
Navigating overgrazing and cultural values through narratives and participatory mapping : a socio-cultural analysis of sheep grazing in the Faroe Islands
Long-term livestock grazing has shaped landscapes, biodiversity, societies, cultures, and economies in the North Atlantic over time. However, overgrazing has become a major environmental sustainability challenge for this region, covering the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Scotland. The objective of this study was to elicit narratives and spatial patterns of local people's management preferences for sheep grazing in the Faroe Islands through a socio-cultural lens. We collected data via a Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) survey with an open question about hopes and concerns for sheep management in the Faroe Islands and a mapping exercise for expressing spatial preferences for sheep management. Four distinct narratives emerged from a qualitative analysis of responses to the open question (n = 184): (1) Sustainable sheep management, (2) Nature without sheep, (3) Sheep as part of Faroese culture, and (4) Sheep as nuisance. Visual inspection of narrative-specific maps with locations where either no or fewer sheep were preferred indicated that sheep management is not simply a 'sheep vs. no sheep' issue but embedded in a more nuanced consideration of the place of sheep in the landscape and society. For example, for some residents sheep-farming is not a commercial enterprise but a social activity and local source of food. Our combined methodological approach using qualitative and spatial data can help researchers in other fields identify the interplay between place-specific areas of grazing management concern and socio-cultural values, enabling more targeted land-use management policies or plans.Peer reviewe
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Surface Layering in Liquid Gallium: An X-Ray Reflectivity Study
Surface-induced atomic layering in liquid gallium has been observed using x-ray reflectivity, ultrahigh vacuum conditions, and sputtered clean surfaces. Reflectivity data, collected on a supercooled liquid sample to momentum transfers as large as = 3.0 Å, exhibit a strong maximum near 2.4 Å indicating a layer spacing that is comparable to its atomic dimensions. The amplitude of the electron density oscillations decays with a characteristic length of 6 Å. This is unexpectedly twice that of recent results for Hg, and the difference may be related to covalent bonding or supercooling.Engineering and Applied Science
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