Visitor safety and security compliance as a key component of event planning and implementation? Findings from a German research project on COVID-19

Introduction: Event Safety and Security Production (ESSP) typically involves event organizers, private security firms, authorities, police, fire brigades, and others. Their joint responsibility is to ensure safety, decide on measures, communicate them, and enforce them when necessary. Effective ESSP relies on visitor cooperation and rule compliance. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of rule compliance in event safety and security. With the event industry’s standstill and subsequent reopening under strict conditions, organizers had to implement comprehensive safety and hygiene measures. Studies on crowd compliance under pandemic conditions identified influencing factors. These include perceived threats, sociodemographic characteristics, group behavior, trust in institutions, etc..Methods: Little research focuses on actively promoting rule compliance. Therefore, this paper addresses three research questions (RQ): (1) To what extent does the compliance of visitor safety measures play a role in the planning and implementation of events? (2) To what extent have visitor safety measures been complied with at events during the pandemic and did that change throughout the pandemic? And finally (3) How can the compliance of measures for visitor safety explicitly be taken into account in event planning and implementation? Qualitative data from 11 expert interviews and quantitative data from a representative population survey (N = 10,239) from a German research project on non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) for the safe reopening of events during the pandemic are used to answer the first two questions (RQ1; RQ2). Results of the data triangulation point to recommendations for practical application (RQ3).Results and Discussion: Findings suggest a high level of compliance with COVID-19 measures among the survey respondents, with expert consensus on the need for active and communicative visitor involvement in the implementation and enforcement of visitor safety measures. These insights extend beyond pandemic-specific events to traditional security and safety measures in crowd management. For event practice, this indicates the importance of consistent, transparent, and engaging communication strategies starting well before the event, with the customer journey approach as a potential solution. Suitable approaches to visitor safety by event organizers should be implementable and enforceable; this is the key to ensuring that event communication in relation to ESSP is effective

Reef fish hybridization: lessons learnt from butterflyfishes (genus Chaetodon)

Natural hybridization is widespread among coral reef fishes. However, the ecological promoters and evolutionary consequences of reef fish hybridization have not been thoroughly evaluated. Butterflyfishes form a high number of hybrids and represent an appropriate group to investigate hybridization in reef fishes. This study provides a rare test of terrestrially derived hybridization theory in the marine environment by examining hybridization between Chaetodon trifasciatus and C. lunulatus at Christmas Island. Overlapping spatial and dietary ecologies enable heterospecific encounters. Nonassortative mating and local rarity of both parent species appear to permit heterospecific breeding pair formation. Microsatellite loci and mtDNA confirmed the status of hybrids, which displayed the lowest genetic diversity in the sample and used a reduced suite of resources, suggesting decreased adaptability. Maternal contribution to hybridization was unidirectional, and no introgression was detected, suggesting limited, localized evolutionary consequences of hybridization

Measurement of melatonin in body fluids: Standards, protocols and procedures

Abstract: The circadian rhythm of melatonin in saliva or plasma, or of the melatonin metabolite 6‐ sulphatoxymelatonin in urine, is a defining feature of suprachiasmatic nucleus function, the endogenous oscillatory pacemaker. These measurements are useful to evaluate problems related to the onset or offset of sleep and for assessing phase delays or advances of rhythms in entrained individuals. Additionally, they have become an important tool for psychiatric diagnosis, its use being recommended for phase typing in patients suffering from sleep and mood disorders. Thus, the development of sensitive and selective methods for the precise detection of melatonin in tissues and fluids of animals emerges as necessary. Due to its low concentration and the co‐existence of many other endogenous compounds in blood, the determination of melatonin has been an analytical challenge. This review discusses current methodologies employed for detection and quantification of melatonin in biological fluids and tissues

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M>70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0<e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level

Estimation of apparent tumor vascular permeability from multiphoton fluorescence microscopic images of P22 rat sarcomas in vivo

Objective: To develop an image processing-based method to quantify the rate of extravasation of fluorescent contrast agents from tumor microvessels, and to investigate the effect of the tumor vascular disrupting agent combretastatin A-4-P (CA-4-P) on apparent tumor vascular permeability to 40 kDa fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled dextran. Methods: Extravasation of FITC-dextran was imaged in 3 dimensions over time within P22 sarcomas growing in dorsal skin flap "window chambers" in BDIX rats using multiphoton fluorescence microscopy. Image processing techniques were used to segment the data into intra- and extravascular regions or classes. Quantitative estimates of the tissue influx (vascular leakage) rate constant, Ki, were obtained from the time courses of the fluorescence intensities in the two classes. Apparent permeability, P, was calculated, assuming Ki = PS/V, where S is vascular surface area in tumor volume V. Results: Combining image processing and kinetic analysis algorithms with multiphoton fluorescence microscopy enabled quantification of the rate of tumor vascular leakage, averaged over a large number of vessels. Treatment with CA-4-P caused a significant increase in Ki from 1.13 0.33 to 2.59 +- 0.20 (s-1 x 10-4; mean +- SEM), equivalent to an increase in P from 12.76 3.36 to 30.94 +- 2.64 (cm s-1 x 10-7). Conclusions: A methodology was developed that provided evidence for a CA-4-P-induced increase in tumor macromolecular vascular permeability, likely to be central to its anti-cancer activity

Long Distance Air Ambulance Transfers for Endovascular Thrombectomy

Background Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is limited to comprehensive stroke centers (CSCs), with patients who first present to primary stroke centers (PSCs) transferred for treatment by road ambulance or helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS). We aimed to determine if there were outcome differences in patients transferred for EVT via HEMS. Methods A retrospective observational study was performed in the setting of a large regional network with 1 CSC receiving patients directly, or via road ambulance from 3 metropolitan PSCs or HEMS from 13 more distant PSCs. Consecutive patients were identified from a mandatory national EVT registry. HEMS transfers were compared with 2 metropolitan patient groups: direct‐to‐CSC and metro PSC‐to‐CSC patients. The primary outcome was day 90 functional independence (modified Rankin scale score, 0–2). Secondary outcomes included day 90 death rate. Results A total of 1183 EVT‐treated patients were identified (45% women; median age, 69 years; 88% anterior circulation strokes; median baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, 16). A total of 332 (28%) patients were HEMS transfers, 428 (36%) were direct‐to‐CSC, and 423 (36%) were metro PSC‐to‐CSC transfers. The median transfer distances to the CSC were 11 (8–11) miles for road ambulance and 81 (70–121) miles for HEMS. HEMS patients were matched at baseline with the 2 metropolitan groups, except for a lower prevalence of congestive heart failure (P<0.001) and a higher thrombolysis rate (54% versus 42% and 45%; P=0.004). HEMS patients had longer onset‐to‐EVT‐groin time (median minutes 370 versus 195 direct‐to‐CSC patients and 255 metro PSC‐to‐CSC; P<0.001). Direct‐to‐CSC patients were more likely to be independent at day 90 (P=0.026), but there was no difference between the 2 transfer groups (P=0.911). There were no differences among the 3 cohorts in day 90 mortality rate for all stroke types (P=0.321) or independence in anterior circulation strokes (P=0.124). Conclusion In this large regional stroke network, patients transferred via HEMS for EVT had similar day 90 outcomes to their metropolitan counterparts despite longer transfer times. CSCs should not be discouraged from considering patients from more distant PSCs who require HEMS

Resuscitator's perceptions and time for corrective ventilation steps during neonatal resuscitation

BACKGROUND: The 2010 neonatal resuscitation program (NRP) guidelines incorporate ventilation corrective steps (using the mnemonic – MRSOPA) into the resuscitation algorithm. The perception of neonatal providers, time taken to perform these maneuvers or the effectiveness of these additional steps has not been evaluated. METHODS: Using two simulated clinical scenarios of varying degrees of cardiovascular compromise –perinatal asphyxia with (i) bradycardia (heart rate – 40 min(−1)) and (ii) cardiac arrest, 35 NRP certified providers were evaluated for preference to performing these corrective measures, the time taken for performing these steps and time to onset of chest compressions. RESULTS: The average time taken to perform ventilation corrective steps (MRSOPA) was 48.9 ± 21.4 s. Providers were less likely to perform corrective steps and proceed directly to endotracheal intubation in the scenario of cardiac arrest as compared to a state of bradycardia. Cardiac compressions were initiated significantly sooner in the scenario of cardiac arrest 89 ± 24 s as compared to severe bradycardia 122 ± 23 s, p < 0.0001. There were no differences in the time taken to initiation of chest compressions between physicians or mid-level care providers or with the level of experience of the provider. CONCLUSIONS: Effective ventilation of the lungs with corrective steps using a mask is important in most cases of neonatal resuscitation. Neonatal resuscitators prefer early endotracheal intubation and initiation of chest compressions in the presence of asystolic cardiac arrest. Corrective ventilation steps can potentially postpone initiation of chest compressions and may delay return of spontaneous circulation in the presence of severe cardiovascular compromise

Estimation of apparent tumor vascular permeability from multiphoton fluorescence microscopic images of P22 rat sarcomas in vivo

Objective: To develop an image processing-based method to quantify the rate of extravasation of fluorescent contrast agents from tumor microvessels, and to investigate the effect of the tumor vascular disrupting agent combretastatin A-4-P (CA-4-P) on apparent tumor vascular permeability to 40 kDa fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled dextran. Methods: Extravasation of FITC-dextran was imaged in 3 dimensions over time within P22 sarcomas growing in dorsal skin flap "window chambers" in BDIX rats using multiphoton fluorescence microscopy. Image processing techniques were used to segment the data into intra- and extravascular regions or classes. Quantitative estimates of the tissue influx (vascular leakage) rate constant, Ki, were obtained from the time courses of the fluorescence intensities in the two classes. Apparent permeability, P, was calculated, assuming Ki = PS/V, where S is vascular surface area in tumor volume V. Results: Combining image processing and kinetic analysis algorithms with multiphoton fluorescence microscopy enabled quantification of the rate of tumor vascular leakage, averaged over a large number of vessels. Treatment with CA-4-P caused a significant increase in Ki from 1.13 0.33 to 2.59 +- 0.20 (s-1 x 10-4; mean +- SEM), equivalent to an increase in P from 12.76 3.36 to 30.94 +- 2.64 (cm s-1 x 10-7). Conclusions: A methodology was developed that provided evidence for a CA-4-P-induced increase in tumor macromolecular vascular permeability, likely to be central to its anti-cancer activity