Regeneration performance of metal–organic frameworks

Notions about the reception of print fiction as well as new media texts have a strong tendency to fall back upon the dichotomy between naïve and critical reading. It is presupposed that reception will be characterized by either the one or the other. We will try to critique this dichotomy on the basis of the hypothesis that media cultural change brings with it new and hybrid textual forms, ways of reading, and patterns of reception which not lend themselves to description in simple terms of naïve or critical. We make a case for the necessity of transgressing the dominant assumptions of transactional reception theory within literary studies and instead move in the direction of what we call creative reading and media-reflexivity

Staphylococcus aureus infections in children in an Iranian referral pediatric Hospital

Introduction. Staphylococcus aureus is associated with various infections ranging from skin and soft tissues such as surgical site infections and abscesses to lower respiratory tracts and blood- stream. The aim of this study was to evaluate underlying condi- tion of patients with S. aureus infections in an Iranian referral pediatric Hospital. Material and methods. Information was extracted retrospec- tively from the medical records of patients who were diagnosed with S. aureus infections. Data obtained about the study subjects included basic demographics, reason for admission, culture site, length of hospital stay, and methicillin susceptibility. Results. The underlyning condition of of patients with S.aureus infection during November 2011 and March 2013 were included in the study. The most frequent diagnosis in patients with S. aureus infection was jaundice (12%), abscess (10%), cellulitis (10%), wound infection (8%), septic arthritis (7%) and sezeire (5%). Wound was the most common infection sites among all subjects 34/98 (35%) following by blood (20/98, 20%) as well as skin and soft tissue (19/98, 19%). The proportion of MRSA infections among all S. aureus isolates was 79% (77/98) during the study period. In addition, 58/74 (78%) met the definition of Hospital-Associated Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus (HA- MRSA) infections and the rest; 20/24 patients (83%), were classified as Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus (CA- MRSA). Conclusion. In our study, the high frequency of MRSA was found not only in HA S. aureus but also in CA S. aureus isolates; there- fore, the strategic goals to optimize antimicrobial use includin

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection among cystic fibrosis and ICU patients in the referral Children Medical Hospital in Tehran, Iran

Introduction. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the important causes of hospital-acquired infections in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and considered as a major determinant of morbidity and mortality in patients affected by cystic fibrosis (CF). The aim of this study was to investigate clonal diversity among randomly picked P. aeruginosa isolates of CF and the other hospitalized patients in ICU. Methods. Cultivation, identification, and antimicrobial suscep- tibility testing of P. aeruginosa isolates were performed using standard techniques. The genetic similarity of the strains was investigated by amplification of the Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) sequence. Results and discussion. Among 49 isolates, sixteen were isolated from 11 patients affected by CF and 33 came from an epidemiologi- cal investigation of 25 P. aeruginosa infected patients of ICU. Five clusters were generated for all isolates analyzed through ERIC-PCR genotyping. Two major clusters (B and C) were discovered in P. aer- uginosa isolates of ICU and CF patients during the whole period of this study. Fifteen unique antibiogram patterns obtained from all iso- lates and multi-resistant P. aeruginosa (MRPA) were identified in 23 isolates (47%). MRPA isolates were detected in all clusters (except A) while pan-resistant isolates were recovered only in cluster C. The high prevalence of related or identical isolates in CF and non-CF patients can be due to transmission of particular domi- nant clones in ICU ward. Therefore, enhanced infection-control may become necessary to prevent further spread of clonal strains

Reproducibility of species recognition in modern planktonic foraminifera and its implications for analyses of community structure

Applications of planktonic foraminifera in Quaternary palaeoceanographic and palaeobiological studies require consistency in species identification. Yet the degree of taxonomic consistency among the practitioners and the effects of any potential deviations on community structure metrics have never been quantitatively assessed. Here we present the results of an experiment in taxonomic consistency involving 21 researchers representing a range of experience and taxonomic schools from around the world. Participants were asked to identify the same two sets of 300 specimens from a modern subtropical North Atlantic sample, one sieved at  &gt; 125&thinsp;µm and one at  &gt;  150&thinsp;µm. The identification was carried out either on actual specimens (slide test) or their digital images (digital test). The specimens were fixed so the identifications could be directly compared. In all tests, only between one-quarter and one-eighth of the specimens achieved absolute agreement. Therefore, the identifications across the participants were used to determine a consensus ID for each specimen. Since no strict consensus ( &gt; 50&thinsp;% agreement) could be achieved for 20–30&thinsp;% of the specimens, we used a soft consensus based on the most common identification. The average percentage agreement relative to the consensus of the slide test was 77&thinsp;% in the  &gt; 150&thinsp;µm and 69&thinsp;% in the  &gt; 125&thinsp;µm test. These values were 7&thinsp;% lower for the digital analyses. We find that taxonomic consistency is enhanced when researchers have been trained within a taxonomic school and when they regularly perform community analyses. There is an almost negligible effect of taxonomic inconsistency on sea surface temperature estimates based on transfer function conversion of the census counts, indicating the temperature signal in foraminiferal assemblages is correctly represented even if only two-thirds of the assemblage is consistently identified. The same does not apply to measures of diversity and community structure within the assemblage, and here we advise caution in using compound datasets for such studies. The decrease in the level of consistency when specimens are identified from digital images is significant and species-specific, with implications for the development of training sets for automated identification systems.</p

Adenosine versus intravenous calcium channel antagonists for supraventricular tachycardia

BACKGROUND: People with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) frequently are symptomatic and present to the emergency department for treatment. Although vagal manoeuvres may terminate SVT, they often fail, and subsequently adenosine or calcium channel antagonists (CCAs) are administered. Both are known to be effective, but both have a significant side effect profile. This is an update of a Cochrane review previously published in 2006. OBJECTIVES: To review all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compare effects of adenosine versus CCAs in terminating SVT. SEARCH METHODS: We identified studies by searching CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and two trial registers in July 2017. We checked bibliographies of identified studies and applied no language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA: We planned to include all RCTs that compare adenosine versus a CCA for patients of any age presenting with SVT. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard methodological procedures as expected by Cochrane. Two review authors independently checked results of searches to identify relevant studies and resolved differences by discussion with a third review author. At least two review authors independently assessed each included study and extracted study data. We entered extracted data into Review Manager 5. Primary outcomes were rate of reversion to sinus rhythm and major adverse effects of adenosine and CCAs. Secondary outcomes were rate of recurrence, time to reversion, and minor adverse outcomes. We measured outcomes by calculating odds ratios (ORs) and assessed the quality of primary outcomes using the GRADE approach through the GRADEproGDT website. MAIN RESULTS: We identified two new studies for inclusion in the review update; the review now includes seven trials with 622 participants who presented to an emergency department with SVT. All included studies were RCTs, but only three described the randomisation process, and none had blinded participants, personnel, or outcome assessors to the intervention given. Moderate-quality evidence shows no differences in the number of people reverting to sinus rhythm who were treated with adenosine or CCA (89.7% vs 92.9%; OR 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.85 to 2.68; participants = 622; studies = 7; I(2) = 36%). Low-quality evidence suggests no appreciable differences in major adverse event rates between CCAs and adenosine. Researchers reported only one case of hypotension in the CCA group and none in the adenosine group (0.66% vs 0%; OR 3.09, 95% CI 0.12 to 76.71; participants = 306; studies = 3; I(2) = 0%). Included trials did not report length of stay in hospital nor patient satisfaction. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Moderate-quality evidence shows no differences in effects of adenosine and calcium channel antagonists for treatment of SVT on reverting to sinus rhythm, and low-quality evidence suggests no appreciable differences in the incidence of hypotension. A study comparing patient experiences and prospectively studied adverse events would provide evidence on which treatment is preferable for management of SVT

Piezoelectric Property of Electrospun PVDF Nanofibers as Linking Tips of Artificial-Hair-Cell Structures in Cochlea

This is the final version. Available from MDPI via the DOI in this record. The death of hair cells and damage of natural tip links is one of the main causes of hearing-loss disability, and the development of an advanced artificial hearing aid holds the key to assisting those suffering from hearing loss. This study demonstrates the potential of using electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) fibers to serve as the artificial tip links, for long-term hearing-aid-device development based on their piezoelectric properties. We have shown that the electrospun PVDF-fiber web, consisting of fibers ranging from 30-220 nm in diameter with high β-phase content, possesses the high piezoresponse of 170 mV. Analyses based on combined characterization methods including SEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR, Raman, DSC, XPS, PFM and piezoelectricity have confirmed that an optimized value of 15 wt.% PVDF could act as an effective candidate for a tip-link connector in a vibration-frequency prototype. Based on this easily reproducible electrospinning technique and the multifunctionalities of the resulting PVDF fibers, this fundamental study may shed light on the bio-inspired design of artificial, self-powered, high performance, hair-cell-like sensors in cochlea to tackle the hearing loss issue.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC

Effect of synthesis conditions on formation pathways of metal organic framework (MOF-5) Crystals

Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) represent a class of nanoporous crystalline materials with far reaching potential in gas storage, catalysis, and medical devices. We investigated the effects of synthesis process parameters on production of MOF-5 from terephthalic acid and zinc nitrate in diethylformamide. Under favorable synthesis conditions, we systematically mapped a solid formation diagram in terms of time and temperature for both stirred and unstirred conditions. The synthesis of MOF-5 has been previously reported as a straightforward reaction progressing from precursor compounds in solution directly to the final MOF-5 solid phase product. However, we show that the solid phase formation process is far more complex, invariably transferring through metastable intermediate crystalline phases before the final MOF-5 phase is reached, providing new insights into the formation pathways of MOFs. We also identify process parameters suitable for scale-up and continuous manufacturing of high purity MOF-5

Damage Detection in Tensegrity using Interacting Particle-Ensemble Kalman Filter

The 10th EWSHM, originally scheduled for the first week of July 2020, is planned to be held the first week of July 2022 in Palermo.International audienceTensegrity structures form a special class of truss with dedicated cables and bars, that take tension and compression, respectively. To ensure equilibrium, the tensegrity members are required to be prestressed. Over prolonged usage, the cables may lose their prestress while bars may buckle, affecting the structural stiffness as well as its dynamic properties. The stiffness of tensegrities also vary with the load even in the absence of damage. This can potentially mask the effect of damage leading to a false impression of tensegrity health. This poses a major challenge in tensegrity health monitoring especially when the load is stochastic and unknown. Present study develops a vibration based output-only time-domain approach for monitoring the health of any tensegrity in the presence of uncertainties due to ambient force and measurement noise. An Interacting Particle Ensemble Kalman Filter (IPEnKF) has been used that can efficiently monitor tensegrity health from contaminated response data. IPEnKF combines a bank of Ensemble Kalman Filters to estimate response states while running within a Particle Filter envelop that estimates a set of location based health parameters. Further to make damage detection cheaper, strain responses are used as measurements. The efficiency of the proposed methodology has been demonstrated using numerical experiments performed on a simplex tensegrity

Women’s health and well-being in low-income formal and informal neighbourhoods on the eve of the armed conflict in Aleppo

Objectives To explore how married women living in low-income formal and informal neighbourhoods in Aleppo, Syria, perceived the effects of neighbourhood on their health and well-being, and the relevance of these findings to future urban rebuilding policies post-conflict. Methods Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with eighteen married women living in informal or socioeconomically disadvantaged formal neighbourhoods in Aleppo in 2011, a year before the armed conflict caused massive destruction in all these neighbourhoods. Results Our findings suggest that the experience of neighbourhood social characteristics is even more critical to women’s sense of well-being than environmental conditions and physical infrastructure. Most prominent was the positive influence of social support on well-being. Conclusions The significance of this study lies, first, in its timing, before the widespread destruction of both formal and informal neighbourhoods in Aleppo and, second, and in its indication of the views of women who lived in marginalised communities on what neighbourhood characteristics mattered to them. Further research post-conflict needs to explore how decisions on urban rebuilding are made and their likely influence on health and well-being