Hybrid conferences: opportunities, challenges and ways forward

Hybrid conferences are in-person events that have an online component. This type of meeting format was rare before the COVID-19 pandemic, but started to become more common recently given the asynchronous global progression of the pandemic, the uneven access to vaccines and different travel regulations among countries that led to a large proportion of participants being unable to attend conferences in person. Here we report the organization of a middle-sized (581 participants: 159 onsite, 422 online) international hybrid conference that took place in France in September 2021. We highlight particular organizational challenges inherent to this relatively new type of meeting format. Furthermore, we surveyed both in-person and online participants to better understand their conference experience and to propose improvements based on the feedback received. Finally, we compare the advantages and disadvantages of three types of conferences (onsite-only, online-only and hybrid) and suggest that hybrid events should be favored in the future because they offer the most flexibility to participants. We conclude by proposing suggestions and ways forward to maximize accessibility and inclusivity of hybrid conferences. Our study brings novel insights on the challenges and opportunities created by hybrid conferences, by reporting not only the organizing committee experience but also by considering the participants’ perspective

Early-versus-Late Endovascular Stroke Treatment: Similar Frequencies of Nonrevascularization and Postprocedural Cerebrovascular Complications in a Large Single-Center Cohort Study.

Endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke is now performed more frequently in the late window in radiologically selected patients. However, little is known about whether the frequency and clinical impact of incomplete recanalization and postprocedural cerebrovascular complications differ between early and late windows in the real world. We retrospectively reviewed all patients with acute ischemic stroke receiving endovascular treatment within 24 hours from 2015 to 2019 and included in the Acute STroke Registry and Analysis of Lausanne. We compared rates of incomplete recanalization and postprocedural cerebrovascular complications (parenchymal hematoma, ischemic mass effect, and 24-hour re-occlusion) in the early (<6 hours) versus late window (6-24 hours, including patients with unknown onset) populations and correlated them with the 3-month clinical outcome. Among 701 patients with acute ischemic stroke receiving endovascular treatment, 29.2% had late endovascular treatment. Overall, incomplete recanalization occurred in 56 patients (8%), and 126 patients (18%) had at least 1 postprocedural cerebrovascular complication. The frequency of incomplete recanalization was similar in early and late endovascular treatment (7.5% versus 9.3%, adjusted P =.66), as was the occurrence of any postprocedural cerebrovascular complication (16.9% versus 20.5%, adjusted P = .36). When analyzing single postprocedural cerebrovascular complications, rates of parenchymal hematoma and ischemic mass effect were similar (adjusted P = .71, adjusted P = .79, respectively), but 24-hour re-occlusion seemed somewhat more frequent in late endovascular treatment (4% versus 8.3%, unadjusted P = .02, adjusted P = .40). The adjusted 3-month clinical outcome in patients with incomplete recanalization or postprocedural cerebrovascular complications was comparable between early and late groups (adjusted P = .67, adjusted P = .23, respectively). The frequency of incomplete recanalization and of cerebrovascular complications occurring after endovascular treatment is similar in early and well-selected late patients receiving endovascular treatment. Our results demonstrate the technical success and safety of endovascular treatment in well-selected late patients with acute ischemic stroke

Comparison of the levels of depression and anxiety during the first and fourth waves of coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic in Brazil

OBJECTIVE To compare the levels of depression, anxiety, physical activity, and mobility restrictions between the first wave in June 2020 and the fourth wave in January 2022 of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Brazil. PATIENTS AND METHODS Brazilian citizens answered a self-administered questionnaire that included questions related to personal information, mobility restriction levels, physical activity levels, and the status of mood disorders in June 2020 (n=1853) and January 2022 (n=728). RESULTS The levels of mobility restrictions (p<0.001), anxiety (p<0.001), and depression (p<0.001) significantly decreased from 2020 to 2022. In June 2020, 23.2% of the participants presented moderate to severe anxiety, and in January 2022, this percentage decreased to 14.8%. In June 2020, 29.6% of the participants presented moderate to severe depressive symptoms, and in January 2022 this percentage decreased to 19.3%. On the contrary, physical activity levels significantly increased between 2020 and 2022 (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS During the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, participants were less restricted and more physically active than in the first wave. Furthermore, anxiety and depression levels were significantly lower in the fourth wave than in the first wave. Despite this reduction, levels of anxiety and depression remain high; therefore, the authors suggest measures to encourage physical activity and promote mental health

5-grass pollen tablets achieve disease control in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis unresponsive to drugs : a real-life study

BACKGROUND: An important subpopulation in allergic rhinitis is represented by patients with severe form of disease that is not responsive to drug treatment. It has been reported that grass pollen subcutaneous immunotherapy is effective in drug-resistant patients. In a real-life study, we evaluated the efficacy of 5-grass pollen tablets in patients with grass pollen-induced allergic rhinitis not responsive to drug therapy. METHODS: We carried out this multicenter observational study in adults and adolescents with grass-induced allergic rhinitis not responsive to drug therapy who were treated for a year with 5-grass pollen tablets. Clinical data collected before and after sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) included Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) classification of allergic rhinitis, response to therapy, and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients entered the study. By ARIA classification, three patients had moderate to severe intermittent allergic rhinitis, ten had mild persistent allergic rhinitis, and 34 had moderate to severe persistent allergic rhinitis. There were no cases of mild intermittent allergic rhinitis before SLIT. After SLIT, 33 patients had mild intermittent allergic rhinitis, none had moderate to severe intermittent allergic rhinitis, seven had mild persistent allergic rhinitis, and seven had moderate to severe persistent allergic rhinitis. The mean medication score decreased from 4.2\ub11.3 before to 2.4\ub12.0 after SLIT (P<0.01), representing a reduction of 42%. The response to treatment before SLIT was judged as poor by 70% of patients and very poor by 30%. Patient satisfaction was significantly increased after SLIT (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: In real life, most patients with grass pollen-induced allergic rhinitis not responsive to drug treatment can achieve control of the condition with one season of treatment using 5-grass pollen tablets. KEYWORDS: allergen immunotherapy, drug resistance, effectiveness, grass pollen, patient satisfaction, rhiniti

Drivers and technology-related obstacles in moving to multichannel retailing

Today, multichannel retailing is a key strategic issue for most retailers. Yet, while there are many drivers associated with retailers going multichannel so too are there technology-related obstacles, however, few prior empirical studies explore these themes. In light of this, by using a multi-case approach to understand the key drivers and technology-related obstacles associated with retailers moving to multichannel retailing our study makes two key contributions. First, we extend prior theory by providing novel empirical insights into the main drivers underpinning retailers using a multichannel strategy. We find that meeting customer needs and increasing sales were the primary drivers behind retailers using the strategy, although there is diversity in the way retailers respond to these motives. Second, we provide empirical support for a proposed theoretical framework which summarises the key technology-related obstacles retailers encounter when going multichannel, by stage of implementation. The framework reveals that retailers face technology-related obstacles when implementing a multichannel strategy due to the need to switch/acquire resources and achieve channel integration. Furthermore, the framework highlights that these resource and channel integration issues are often interrelated with each other and with other staff engagement and cultural issues, vary by retailer and stage of implementation, and pose greater obstacles to retailers using new and multiple channels than the extant literature suggests

Search for non-Gaussian events in the data of the VIRGO E4 engineering run

International audienc

Analysis of an Autogenous Propellant Pressurization System for Nuclear Thermal Rocket

Since the NERVA project, hydrogen has been the most proposed propellant for nuclear propulsion systems thanks to its overwhelming performance. However, its low density and the need to store it in cryogenic conditions, combined with the long duration of the foreseen interplanetary missions, led to the design of propulsion systems with enormous envelopes and the introduction of complex systems for propellant management. On the other hand, ammonia presents a clear loss of performance compared to hydrogen due to its higher molecular weight, limiting the spectrum of missions made accessible by the use of this propellant in a nuclear thermal propulsion system. However, the greater density of ammonia and its high vapor pressure at around 373 K allow for much more compact and less complex propellant management system configurations. This work proposes a new propellant management configuration for an ammonia-fueled nuclear thermal propulsion system for a class of missions involving cargo displacements between LEO and the lunar orbits of interest for future space programs. The suggested configuration maximizes the advantage deriving from the self-pressurization of ammonia by exploiting the thermal power lost by the nuclear reactor towards the vacuum space due to the escaping particles. In this layout a tank containing ammonia in saturated conditions is placed near the nuclear reactor and receives an input thermal power proportional to the dose of gamma rays and neutrons absorbed by the ammonia and the tank walls. This thermal power accelerates the vaporization process of the saturated ammonia, thus increasing the pressure in the tank. A pressure regulator valve exploits this overpressure to pressurize the ammonia propellant contained in a run tank to the level required by the mission by connecting the two ammonia volumes. The pressure achieved inside the run tank pushes the propellant with an adequate mass flow rate inside the nuclear reactor. The Homogeneous Equilibrium Model and the Two-Temperature Model describe the coupled dynamics of these two tanks, while a study of neutron and photon transport performed with the Monte Carlo code OpenMC provides the thermal power input received from the pressurizing ammonia tank. The developed analysis shows how this propellant management system can provide a constant mass flow to the nuclear reactor without using a turbopump assembly. This capacity depends on the relative distance between the tank and the nuclear fission reactor. Another advantage of the proposed concept concerns the reduction of the mass of the radiation shield: it does not have to protect the tanks from nuclear radiation, as happens for hydrogen-based projects, and therefore, its dimensions are governed exclusively by the radial size of the payload. For some missions, this equates to having a smaller shield size and, consequently, a lower mass