Predictors for prehospital first-pass intubation success in Germany

(1) Background: Endotracheal intubation in the prehospital setting is an important skill for emergency physicians, paramedics, and other members of the EMS providing airway management. Its success determines complications and patient mortality. The aim of this study was to find predictors for first-pass intubation success in the prehospital emergency setting. (2) The study was based on a retrospective analysis of a population-based registry of prehospital advanced airway management in Germany. Cases of endotracheal intubation by the emergency medical services in the cities of Tübingen and Jena between 2016 and 2019 were included. The outcome of interest was first-pass intubation success. Univariate and multivariable regression analysis were used to analyse the influence of predefined predictors, including the characteristics of patients, the intubating staff, and the clinical situation. (3) Results: A total of 308 patients were analysed. After adjustment for multiple confounders, the direct vocal cord view, a less favourable Cormack–Lehane classification, the general practitioner as medical specialty, and location and type of EMS were independent predictors for first-pass intubation success. (4) Conclusions: In physician-led emergency medical services, the laryngoscopic view, medical specialty, type of EMS, and career level are associated with FPS. The latter points towards the importance of experience and regular training in endotracheal intubation

Tribological behavior of self-lubricating carbon nanoparticle reinforced metal matrix composites

The present study focuses on investigating the dominant friction and wear mechanisms in case of dry sliding of carbon nanoparticle reinforced nickel matrix composites under elastic and elasto-plastic contact conditions. For this purpose, multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNT), onion-like carbon (OLC) and nanodiamonds (nD) were chosen to represent a large variety of carbon nanoparticles as they can be systematically distinguished regarding their carbon hybridization state (sp 2 vs. sp3) as well as their morphology and size (“0D” vs. “1D”). Contact simulations based on the Greenwood-Williamson model are conducted in order to calculate the required contact loads. Friction and wear analysis is supported by complementary characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, light microscopy as well as laser scanning microscopy. It is found, that only CNT provide efficient lubrication as reinforcement phase in composites, presenting different lubrication mechanisms for the tested contact conditions. The high aspect ratio of CNT is found to be essential for the lubrication mechanisms, allowing the particles to be dragged into the direct tribological contact. The lubrication effect increases with increasing volume content of CNT, reaching a maximum steady state frictional reduction of 50% compared to the unreinforced nickel reference

Miniaturized Laser Altimeter for Small Satellite Applications

Laser Altimetry is a powerful tool to create absolutely calibrated digital terrain maps of planetary surfaces, to analyze their surface geology, and to get insight into the interior structure of planetary bodies by measuring tidal elevations and libration amplitudes and frequencies. The recent ESA missions BepiColombo and the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) carry the first European laser altimeter instruments, i.e., the BepiColombo Laser Altimeter (BELA) and the Ganymede Laser Altimeter (GALA), the latter of which has a strong contribution from JAXA teams. The measurement principle of a laser altimeter is very simple. It is based on the time-of-flight measurement of an optical pulse. BELA, which is now on the way to Mercury orbit, applies a diode-laser pumped Nd:YAG laser sending pulses with an energy of 50 mJ, a width of about 5 ns, and a repetition rate of 10 Hz. Over typical ranging distances of 400 km to more than 1000 km, the BELA telescope collects pulses with a few hundred photons and a width of about 25 ns where the time of arrival gives the mean topographic altitude of the area illuminated by the 5 to 40 m diameter laser beam. The return pulse width further gives information on slope and roughness within this area. GALA is a similar instrument with 17 mJ pulse energy but 30 Hz repetition rate and was launched in April 2023 to enter the Jovian system after a eight-year cruise to fly-by at Europa and Callisto and finally orbit the Jovian moon Ganymede at an altitude of about 500 km above its icy surface. BELA and GALA are instruments that consume about 50 W and have a mass of close to 15 kg and 25 kg, respectively. The instrument dimensions are largely determined by the telescope diameter of about 30 cm. In order to enable the use of these instruments on small satellites the size, weight and power (SWaP) budgets need to be drastically reduced. This can be achieved by deriving the time-of-flight information from just a single return photon. The reduction factor of about 100 in the detected photon number can be shared by a reduction in laser energy and a reduction of telescope aperture diameter. Our aim is to reduce laser pulse energy from 17 mJ to 1 mJ and telescope diameter from 22 cm (for GALA) to 8 cm which implies in total a reduction factor about 130. GALA typically detects 700 photons per pulse at an altitude of 500 km which leads to about 5 photons to be analyzed per event by a single photon detection laser altimeter. The major challenges for a single photon detection laser altimeter are the reduction of the background photon rate by reducing the field-of-view of the telescope as well as better spectral filtering. We present first results from a conceptual experimental study of such a system designed for use on small satellites applying a newly developed detection scheme using a Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) and a diode-laser pumped microchip Nd:YAG laser emitting 1 mJ pulses with a pulse width of 1 ns. The reductions in dimension, mass, and power consumption of this instrument are discussed, and the scientific performance is simulated based on first experimental results. The feasibility of accommodating the instrument on the modular TUBiX20 microsatellite platform developed by Technische Universität Berlin is explored and the necessary requirements for attitude and orbit determination and control as well as SWaP budgets are derived

Development and analysis of the Soil Water Infiltration Global database

In this paper, we present and analyze a novel global database of soil infiltration measurements, the Soil Water Infiltration Global (SWIG) database. In total, 5023 infiltration curves were collected across all continents in the SWIG database. These data were either provided and quality checked by the scientists who performed the experiments or they were digitized from published articles. Data from 54 different countries were included in the database with major contributions from Iran, China, and the USA. In addition to its extensive geographical coverage, the collected infiltration curves cover research from 1976 to late 2017. Basic information on measurement location and method, soil properties, and land use was gathered along with the infiltration data, making the database valuable for the development of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for estimating soil hydraulic properties, for the evaluation of infiltration measurement methods, and for developing and validating infiltration models. Soil textural information (clay, silt, and sand content) is available for 3842 out of 5023 infiltration measurements ( ∼ 76%) covering nearly all soil USDA textural classes except for the sandy clay and silt classes. Information on land use is available for 76% of the experimental sites with agricultural land use as the dominant type ( ∼ 40%). We are convinced that the SWIG database will allow for a better parameterization of the infiltration process in land surface models and for testing infiltration models. All collected data and related soil characteristics are provided online in *.xlsx and *.csv formats for reference, and we add a disclaimer that the database is for public domain use only and can be copied freely by referencing it. Supplementary data are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.885492 (Rahmati et al., 2018). Data quality assessment is strongly advised prior to any use of this database. Finally, we would like to encourage scientists to extend and update the SWIG database by uploading new data to it

Measuring the iron content of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra with MRI relaxometry

In Parkinson's disease, the depletion of iron-rich dopaminergic neurons in nigrosome 1 of the substantia nigra precedes motor symptoms by two decades. Methods capable of monitoring this neuronal depletion, at an early disease stage, are needed for early diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is particularly suitable for this task due to its sensitivity to tissue microstructure and in particular, to iron. However, the exact mechanisms of MRI contrast in the substantia nigra are not well understood, hindering the development of powerful biomarkers. In the present report, we illuminate the contrast mechanisms in gradient and spin echo MR images in human nigrosome 1 by combining quantitative 3D iron histology and biophysical modeling with quantitative MRI on post mortem human brain tissue. We show that the dominant contribution to the effective transverse relaxation rate (R-2*) in nigrosome 1 originates from iron accumulated in the neuromelanin of dopaminergic neurons. This contribution is appropriately described by a static dephasing approximation of the MRI signal. We demonstrate that the R-2* contribution from dopaminergic neurons reflects the product of cell density and cellular iron concentration. These results demonstrate that the in vivo monitoring of neuronal density and iron in nigrosome 1 may be feasible with MRI and provide directions for the development of biomarkers for an early detection of dopaminergic neuron depletion in Parkinson's disease

White blood cell counts of diseased frogs.

<p>Average relative abundance of neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, and monocytes per 100 white blood cells (WBC) +1 standard error from <i>Litoria caerulea</i> displaying clinical signs of chytridiomycosis (diseased, n = 7) or not displaying clinical signs of disease (non-diseased, n = 19). WBC abundance profiles were significantly different between disease states (MANOVA, P<0.001, F_1,20 = 12.26). Blood smears from diseased frogs contained significantly fewer lymphocytes and eosinophils and significantly more neutrophils than smears from non-diseased frogs (Sheffe’s range test, P<0.001). Disease states had similar numbers of monocytes (NS) and basophils (not shown).</p

Evaluation of diseased frogs.

<p>Mean body condition (Fig. 3A), resting metabolic rate (RMR, Fig. 3B), log transformed <i>Bd</i> zoospore equivalents +1 (Fig. 3C), plasma corticosterone (CORT, Fig. 3D), plasma sodium (Fig. 3E), and plasma potassium (Fig. 3F) ±1 standard error for <i>Litoria caerulea</i> that displayed clinical signs of disease (diseased) or did not display clinical signs of disease (non-diseased). Disease states were significantly different for all measures (ANOVA/ANCOVA, P<0.05). Sample sizes vary among measures because of sampling limitations.</p

Change in body mass throughout infection.

<p>Average change in body mass (±1 standard error) of <i>Litoria caerulea</i> that eventually became diseased (n = 9) or remained non-diseased (n = 14) for chytridiomycosis between dates leading up to sacrifice on 12/12/09. Disease states were statistically different (Repeated measures ANOVA, Disease status: P<0.001, F_1,21 = 38.06, Time: P<0.001, F_1,42 = 12.25, Disease status × Time: P = 0.2).</p

Impurity states in the magnetic topological insulator V:(Bi,Sb)2Te3\mathrm{V:(Bi,Sb)_{2}Te_{3}}

The ferromagnetic topological insulatorV:(Bi,Sb)$_{2}$Te$_{3}$ has been recently reported as a quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) system. Yet the microscopic origins of the QAH effect and the ferromagnetism remain unclear. One key aspect is the contribution of the V atoms to the electronic structure. Here the valence band of V:(Bi,Sb)$_{2}$Te$_{3}$ thin films was probed in an element-specific way by resonant photoemission spectroscopy. The signature of the V 3d impurity band was extracted and exhibits a high density of states near the Fermi level, in agreement with spin-polarized first-principles calculations. Our results indicate the occurrence of a ferromagnetic superexchange interaction mediated by the observed impurity band, contributing to the ferromagnetism in this system