In situ aerosol characterization at Cape Verde, Part 1: Particle number size distributions, hygroscopic growth and state of mixing of the marine and Saharan dust aerosol

Particle number size distributions and hygroscopic properties of marine and Saharan dust aerosol were investigated during the SAMUM-2 field study at Cape Verde in winter 2008. Aitken and accumulation mode particles were mainly assigned to the marine aerosol, whereas coarse mode particles were composed of sea-salt and a variable fraction of Saharan mineral dust. A new methodical approach was used to derive hygroscopic growth and state of mixing for a particle size range (volume equivalent) from dpve = 26 nm to 10 μm. For hygroscopic particles with dpve 250 nm. The mixing state of Saharan dust in terms of the number fraction of nearly hydrophobic particles showed the highest variation and ranges from 0.3 to almost 1. This study was used to perform a successful mass closure at ambient conditions and demonstrates the important role of hygroscopic growth of large sea-salt particles

Guidelines for the use of flow cytometry and cell sorting in immunological studies (third edition)

The third edition of Flow Cytometry Guidelines provides the key aspects to consider when performing flow cytometry experiments and includes comprehensive sections describing phenotypes and functional assays of all major human and murine immune cell subsets. Notably, the Guidelines contain helpful tables highlighting phenotypes and key differences between human and murine cells. Another useful feature of this edition is the flow cytometry analysis of clinical samples with examples of flow cytometry applications in the context of autoimmune diseases, cancers as well as acute and chronic infectious diseases. Furthermore, there are sections detailing tips, tricks and pitfalls to avoid. All sections are written and peer‐reviewed by leading flow cytometry experts and immunologists, making this edition an essential and state‐of‐the‐art handbook for basic and clinical researchers.DFG, 389687267, Kompartimentalisierung, Aufrechterhaltung und Reaktivierung humaner Gedächtnis-T-Lymphozyten aus Knochenmark und peripherem BlutDFG, 80750187, SFB 841: Leberentzündungen: Infektion, Immunregulation und KonsequenzenEC/H2020/800924/EU/International Cancer Research Fellowships - 2/iCARE-2DFG, 252623821, Die Rolle von follikulären T-Helferzellen in T-Helferzell-Differenzierung, Funktion und PlastizitätDFG, 390873048, EXC 2151: ImmunoSensation2 - the immune sensory syste

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Distribution and Mixing State of Saharan Dust in the Vertical Column - Airborne observations over the Atlantic Ocean in the Cape Verde region

During the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment (SAMUM) 2008 field campaign, particles with geometric diameters between approximately 0.1 to 25 µm were collected on board of the Falcon sampling aircraft of the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR, German Aerospace Centre). To investigate the spatial and vertical distribution of aerosol in the Cape Verde region, sampling was performed along the West African coastline and in the Cape Verde region. The chemical composition of these samples was determined by means of electron microscope single particle analysis. The major task of the conducted flights was to observe mixing of Saharan desert dust and biomass burning aerosol from the south Sahel belt. On all days investigated a distinct layer structure of biomass burning aerosol and desert dust layers was observed. The aerosol composition of the small particles (geometric diameter 0.5 µm) were dominated by silicates, which appeared to be mixtures of different minerals. In the Cape Verde region mineral dust is well mixed. For the aerosol arriving from central West Africa a determination of source regions by elemental or mineralogical composition was generally not possible. However, when the air mass followed another transport path, with longer travel time as observed for some high altitude trajectories, the dust origin appeared to be more in the south east of central West Africa, probably in the Bodélé. Refractive indices were calculated for each flight level, revealing a large variance in light absorption, resulting from the high number abundance of soot particles in the biomass burning layers. For a detailed modeling of radiation forcing and resulting effects on climate, the observed layer structure displaying different chemical and physical properties at the respective levels should be taken into account and might lead to some modification of the heretofore known results

Microphysics and chemical composition of particulate dry deposition measured at Fogo, Cape Verde

Samples were collected with a Sigma-2 sampler (Waza et al., 2019) on the Caldeira rim of Fogo, Cape Verde, between 28 May 2008 and 08 June 2008. The geographical coordinates are N 14.9759°, W 24.3379°, height is approximately 1,630 m above sea level. Two samples were collected in parallel at the same location, termed 'A' and 'B'. Samples were subject to automated scanning electron microscopy with coupled X-ray analysis (Kandler et al., 2018). Each data file is one sample (approximately diurnal collection), an overview with meta data is given in the sample list file. Please refer to the description files for more details

Microphysics and chemical composition of particulate dry deposition measured in Praia, Santiago, Cape Verde

Samples were collected with a Sigma-2 sampler (Waza et al., 2019) on top of SAMUM-2 container installation 13 January 2008 and 10 February 2008 (Ansmann et al., 2011; Kandler et al., 2011). The geographical coordinates are N 14.9475° and W 23.4845°, height is approximately 100 m above sea level. Samples were subject to automated scanning electron microscopy with coupled X-ray analysis (Kandler et al., 2018). Each data file is one sample, an overview with meta data is given in the sample list file. Please refer to the description files for more details

Investigating Primary Marine Aerosol Properties : CCN Activity of Sea Salt and Mixed Inorganic-Organic Particles

Peer reviewe

Implementing Non-violent Resistance, a Method to Cope with Aggression in Child and Adolescent Residential Care: Exploration of Staff Members Experiences

Staff members in residential care for youth are frequently confronted with aggressive behaviour, which has adverse effects on their stress levels and work satisfaction. This paper describes a qualitative evaluation to find out how staff members benefit from Non-violent Resistance (NVR), a method to create an aggression mitigating residential climate. Staff members were positive about NVR and reported feeling more relaxed. Most valued aspects of this method were the focus on being a team, delayed response and giving up the illusion of control. However, training and the intention to use NVR isn't enough, high quality implementation and maintenance are crucial