The prevalence of staphylococcus aureus contamination in the ambulances and on-call emergency medical service personnel of kashan city in iran

Objective: Emergency medical services systems are at the first line of dealing with patients who suffer from various infections. Conducting investigations on the bacterial contamination of emergency ambulances play a crucial role to improve the occupational health of staff as well as the quality of patient care. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of Staphylococcus aureus and other life treating bacteria in the urban and rural ambulances and their on-call emergency medical service personnel. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 12 front line pre-hospital emergency urban and rural ambulances in Kashan, Iran, in 2015. A total of 18 sites were sampled in each ambulance and from the nose of personnel. Grown colonies were confirmed based on colony morphology on mannitol salt agar plates, gram stain reaction and biochemical characteristics reactions. Results: The S. aureus contamination was only isolated from the nose of on-call emergency medical service providers of 12 urban and road ambulances, while no sign of contamination was found in 18 sampling sites of these front-line ambulances. Also, further evaluation of these sampling sites revealed the contamination with coagulase-negative staphylococci in all of them and oxygen tank was introduced as the most contaminated site inside the ambulances. Moreover, the prevalence of equipment contamination was significantly higher in urban ambulances. Conclusion: Identifying the rate of pathogens in clinical settings like the pre-hospital ambulance setting is an important issue which should be carefully considered. © 2020 The Author(s)

Revision of the Terellia virens Group (Diptera, Tephritidae) with Description of Three New Species

The Terellia virens group includes eight species of uniformly greenish flies with white setulose abdomens and hyaline wings, variable in the characters of the male and female terminalia. Three new species are described and illustrated: Terellia freidbergi sp. n. from Middle and Near East, from flower heads of Centaurea behen L., T. ivannikovi V. Korneyev et Evstigneev, sp. n. from European Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, breeding in flower heads of Ce. chartolepis Greuter, and T. whitei V.?Korneyev et Mohamadzade, sp. n. reared from flower heads of Cousinia spp. in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Iran. Illustrated diagnoses or redescriptions of other species and a key to the species of Terellia with hyaline wings and white setulose abdominal tergites are given.Группа Terellia virens включает в себя 8 видов однообразно зеленоватых мух с прозрачными крыльями и беловолосистым брюшком, отличающихся строеним гениталий самцов и самок. Описаны Terellia freidbergi sp. n. со Среднего и Ближнего Востока, выведенная из соцветий Centaurea behen?L., T. ivannikovi V.?Korneyev et Evstigneev, sp. n. из Европейской России, Казахстана и Узбекистана, развивающейся в соцветиях Ce. chartolepis Greuter, и T. whitei V. Korneyev et Mohamadzade, sp. n. связанная с соцветиями Cousinia spp. в Казахстане, Кыргызстане, Туркменистане и Иране. Представлены также иллюстрированные переописания других видов и определительная таблица видов рода Terellia c прозрачными крыльями и беловолосистыми тергитами брюшка

A conformal, dynamic pattern-reconfigurable antenna using conductive textile-polymer composite

A conformal antenna with electronically tuning capability of its radiation pattern between broadside and monopole-like patterns is proposed. The antenna is based on a proximity-fed circular patch, loaded with a ring patch and four rectangular slots. The design is planar without any use of rigid shorting posts or complex feeding network. The reconfigurability is achieved by activating and deactivating the slots using PIN diodes, to switch between TM02 (monopole-like mode) and perturbed TM02 distributions (broadside mode) of the antenna. For conformability, the antenna is fabricated using highly flexible PDMS-conductive fabric composite. All the antenna parts, including the RF switches, wires, and DC biasing circuit are fully encapsulated by PDMS to provide resilience against deformation and harsh environment. Investigations on the RF performance and mechanical stability of the antenna were conducted. Under various bendings, it was demonstrated that all the antenna components, including those for electronic switching, remained intact and in working order even under radius bending of 30 mm, thus maintaining good pattern reconfigurability and overall performance. When bent, the measured results at 5.2 GHz show a stable radiation performance relative to those of the flat case (i.e., maximum gain of 2.9 dBi and efficiency of 64% in broadside mode, corresponding to 1.75 dBi and 52% in monopole-like mode). To the best of our knowledge, all these features have never been demonstrated in previously published pattern reconfigurable antennas

The anti-cancer effect of Propranolol in K562 cell line: an in vitro study

Introduction: &Beta;-AR receptors are one of the proteins involved in cancer and stress. The therapeutic activity of &beta;-blockers such as propranolol is attributed to the blockade of &beta;1-adrenergic receptors (ARs). In this study, the effect of propranolol on the viability of K562 cell line was examined. Material and methods: In order to assessment of anti-tumoral effects of propranolol, different concentrations of propranolol were prepared. K562 cells were treated with different concentrations of propranolol, then the percentage of inhibitory effect of propranolol on K562 cell viability at different times (24, 48 and 72 hours) was estimated by MTT assay. Gel electrophoresis of DNA and DAPI staining were used for apoptosis investigation. Statistical comparisons were performed using two-sample t-test, Nominal significance level of each univariate test was 0.05. Results: Propranolol decreased viability of K562 cell line. The inhibitory effect of propranolol is time- and concentration-dependent, thus in higher concentrations and 72 hours after treatment, the maximum inhibitory effect was observed. (P<0.05). As the results showed, Propranolol induces apoptosis in K562 cell line. Conclusions: With respect to the inhibitory effect of propranolol on cell viability and its apoptotic effect on K562 cell line, this drug may be used for cancer therapy

A Flat and Thin Wideband Antenna with Band-Notch and Monopole-like Radiation Characteristics

International audienceA low profile wideband circular patch antenna with monopole-like radiation patterns and band-notch characteristics is presented. The proposed antenna covers from 3.8 to 9.3 GHz with a band rejection in 5 to 6.2 GHz. This is achieved by loading the antenna with two rectangular slots and two parasitic rings. By combination of two modes of TM01 and TM02, the monopole-like radiation patterns are achieved over the entire bandwidth. The profile of the proposed planar antenna is only 0.04 lambda(min) height

A Conformal Band-Notched Ultrawideband Antenna with Monopole-Like Radiation Characteristics

International audienceA conformal, planar, and low-profile ultrawideband antenna with monopole-like radiation and band-notched characteristics is presented. A circular patch shorted to the ground is combined with two rectangular slots and two concentric rings, to achieve an ultrawide bandwidth from 3.8 to 8.3 GHz with a single rejection band from 5 to 6 GHz. The monopole-like radiation features, generated by combining TM01 and TM02 operating modes of a circular patch antenna, are maintained over the entire operating bandwidth. The antenna has only 0.046λo height at 3.8 GHz and is realized using polydimethylsiloxane conductive fabric composite technology making it highly flexible and physically robust. This was validated through severe bending tests with various curvatures

A Conformal Ultrawideband Antenna with Monopole-Like Radiation Patterns

International audienceA simple conformal ultrawideband (UWB) antenna with monopole-like radiation patterns is proposed in this communication. To achieve the wide bandwidth, two rings are arranged concentrically around the main annular-ring circular patch antenna, in which two rectangular slots are added. The antenna has monopole-like radiation patterns generated by combining four propagation modes of TM01, TM02, TM03, and TM04 throughout the operating bands. To enhance the flexibility and robustness, the proposed antenna is fabricated using conductive fabric embedded into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer. To our knowledge, this is the first flexible UWB antenna with monopole-like radiation patterns reported in the open literature. The measured results show that the antenna achieves a 10 dB return loss bandwidth from 2.85 to 8.6 GHz. Monopole-like radiation patterns are maintained throughout the frequency band, agreeing well with simulated results. This has been validated through the measured Mean Realized Gain (MRG) pattern from 2.85 to 8.6 GHz. The fabricated antenna was bent and tested at various curvatures to verify its conformability. To evaluate suitability for UWB communications, the system-fidelity factors of the antenna are investigated using full-wave analysis in CST Microwave Studio, in both flat and bent conditions, validating its potential for UWB pulse transmission