Starfire Optical Range 3.5-m telescope adaptive optical system

A 941 channel, 1500 Hertz frame rate adaptive optical (AO) system has been installed and tested in the coude path of the 3.5m telescope at the USAF Research Laboratory Starfire Optical Range. This paper describes the design and measured performance of the principal components comprising this system and present sample results from the first closed-loop test of the system on stars and an artificial source simulator

SMARThealth India: A stepped-wedge, cluster randomised controlled trial of a community health worker managed mobile health intervention for people assessed at high cardiovascular disease risk in rural India

BACKGROUND:Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are rising in India resulting in major health system challenges. METHODS:Eighteen primary health centre (PHC) clusters in rural Andhra Pradesh were randomised over three, 6-month steps to an intervention comprising: (1) household CVD risk assessments by village-based community health workers (CHWs) using a mobile tablet device; (2) electronic referral and clinical decision support for PHC doctors; and (3) a tracking system for follow-up care. Independent data collectors screened people aged ≥ 40 years in 54 villages serviced by the PHCs to create a high CVD risk cohort (based on WHO risk charts and blood pressure thresholds). Randomly selected, independent samples, comprising 15% of this cohort, were reviewed at each 6-month step. The primary outcome was the proportion meeting systolic blood pressure (SBP) targets (<140mmHg). FINDINGS:Eight-four percent of the eligible population (n = 62,254) were assessed at baseline (18.4% at high CVD risk). Of those at high risk, 75.3% were followed up over two years. CHWs screened 85.9% of the baseline cohort and doctors followed up 70.0% of all high risk referrals. There was no difference in the proportion of people achieving SBP targets (41.2% vs 39.2%; adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.01 95% CI 0.76-1.35) or receiving BP-lowering medications in the intervention vs control periods respectively. There was a high discordance in risk scores generated by independent data collectors and CHWs, resulting in only 37.2% of the evaluation cohort exposed to the intervention. This discordance was mainly driven by fluctuating BP values (both normal variability and marked seasonal variations). In the pre-specified high risk concordant subgroup, there was greater use of BP-lowering medications in the intervention period (54.3% vs 47.9%, OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.03-1.44) but no impact on BP control. CONCLUSIONS:The strategy was well implemented with increased treatment rates among high risk individuals assessed by CHWs, however effects on BP were not demonstrated. Use of guideline-recommended BP thresholds for identifying high risk individuals substantially affected the reproducibility of risk assessment, and thus the ability to reliably evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. In addition, unanticipated seasonal variation in BP in the context of a stepped-wedge trial highlights the inherent risks of this study design. TRIAL REGISTRATION:Clinical Trials Registry of India CTRI/2013/06/ 003753

Do financial development and institutional quality impede or stimulate the shadow economy? A comparative analysis of developed and developing countries

Financial development (FD) and institutional quality (IQ) shape the invisible informal economies. This study conducts an empirical analysis of how financial development (FD) and institutional quality (IQ) impact the hidden shadow economy, with a particular focus on the differences between developed and developing countries. Using the CS-ARDL estimation technique, the findings reveal that FD and improved IQ significantly reduce the shadow economy in developing countries while these factors fuel the growth of the underground economy in developed nations. The study also illustrates that in developing nations, a synergy between economic growth, enhanced IQ, and advanced FD effectively contributes to shrinking the shadow economy. These empirical insights offer valuable policy implications, suggesting that adaptive strategies considering the stage of financial development and institutional quality can effectively mitigate the impact of the shadow economy.National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences, NPOPSS, (21BJY113)This project was supported by National Social Science Fund of China (Grant No. 21BJY113)

Analyzing the Pattern of Smoker in Karachi

An attempt was made to know the about the smoking tenure, patterns and quantity of smoking consumption. Smoking is a common behavior among youngsters and it has been increasing day by day due to quick availability of the product. In order to assess smoking patterns the data was collected from different areas of Karachi including educational and non-educational with minimum qualification FA and age from 18 to onward. The self made scale was used to achieve the objective of the study. The sample size was 288, male=260 and female=22 were approached randomly by convenient sampling method. Results indicated that there are on smoking tenure the scores were male (x=2.94, sd=.885) and female (x=1.68, sd=.64) and significant difference was found (t(280)= 6.50, p= .123, F=2.39) but there was no significant difference on number of packets consumed (t(280)= 64.47, p= .801, F=.064). The following results indicate that there is difference in smoking tenures of the sample group but number of packets consumption is much more equal among the identified population

A HOMER-Aided Study for PV System Design and Cost Analysis for a College Campus in Baghdad

Due to the lack of electric power generation in Iraq and as a step forward to adopting a sustainable campus of the Electrical Engineering Technical College (EETC), Middle Technical University, in Baghdad, Iraq, and the critical demand for energy in our institutions, particularly educational institutions, this pilot study was proposed. The study aims to analyze the adoption of PV solar systems on the campus in the presence and absence of grid power and how that affects our design discussion in the matter of Net Present Cost (NPC), Cost of Energy (COE), Operation Cost, initial cost, power production, fuel consumption, and the annual net consumed energy from the grid. Forty-five different scenarios were analyzed for all possible cases. The existence of backup generators on the campus was also taken into consideration; G1-350kVA and G2-500kVA. The study has two stages. In the first stage, they used a walkthrough energy audit in the (EETC) to estimate the load profile of the campus, while in the second stage, they used HOMER Pro to analyze this data. The results show that adding an on-grid PV system to the campus grid can reduce the COE by 58%, and it is the best scenario when the grid is present, with an NPC, operation cost ($/yr), and initial capital ($) equal to $77,680,$1,460, and $59,018 respectively. When the grid was absent, the winning scenario was using a PV solar system with a 100-kWh lithium battery storage and a converter. Despite that scenario being the best solution, the produced energy cost is 372$/kWh) in Iraq, with an NPC, operation cost ($/yr.), and initial capital ($) equal to $337,291,$7,855, and 236878 respectively. Finally, both winning scenarios have no generator, and this will have a high impact on the campus environment

The professional and personal impact of the coronavirus pandemic on US neurointerventional practices: a nationwide survey

Background Little is currently known about the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on neurointerventional (NI) procedural volumes or its toll on physician wellness. Methods A 37-question online survey was designed and distributed to physician members of three NI physician organizations. Results A total of 151 individual survey responses were obtained. Reduced mechanical thrombectomy procedures compared with pre-pandemic were observed with 32% reporting a greater than 50% reduction in thrombectomy volumes. In concert with most (76%) reporting at least a 25% reduction in non-mechanical thrombectomy urgent NI procedures and a nearly unanimous (96%) cessation of non-urgent elective cases, 68% of physicians reported dramatic reductions (\u3e50%) in overall NI procedural volume compared with pre-pandemic. Increased door-to- puncture times were reported by 79%. COVID-19-positive infections occurred in 1% of physician respondents: an additional 8% quarantined for suspected infection. Sixty-six percent of respondents reported increased career stress, 56% increased personal life/family stress, and 35% increased career burnout. Stress was significantly increased in physicians with COVID-positive family members (P\u3c0.05). Conclusions This is the first study designed to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on NI physician practices, case volumes, compensation, personal/family stresses, and work-related burnout. Future studies examining these factors following the resumption of elective cases and relaxing of social distancing measures will be necessary to better understand these phenomena

Starfire Optical Range 3.5-m telescope adaptive optical system

A 941 channel, 1500 Hertz frame rate adaptive optical (AO) system has been installed and tested in the coude path of the 3.5m telescope at the USAF Research Laboratory Starfire Optical Range. This paper describes the design and measured performance of the principal components comprising this system and present sample results from the first closed-loop test of the system on stars and an artificial source simulator

Effects of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery: an international prospective cohort study

We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05-1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4-7 days or ≥ 8 days of 1.25 (1.04-1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11-1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care

Bioelectronic nose and its application to smell visualization

There have been many trials to visualize smell using various techniques in order to objectively express the smell because information obtained from the sense of smell in human is very subjective. So far, well-trained experts such as a perfumer, complex and large-scale equipment such as GC-MS, and an electronic nose have played major roles in objectively detecting and recognizing odors. Recently, an optoelectronic nose was developed to achieve this purpose, but some limitations regarding the sensitivity and the number of smells that can be visualized still persist. Since the elucidation of the olfactory mechanism, numerous researches have been accomplished for the development of a sensing device by mimicking human olfactory system. Engineered olfactory cells were constructed to mimic the human olfactory system, and the use of engineered olfactory cells for smell visualization has been attempted with the use of various methods such as calcium imaging, CRE reporter assay, BRET, and membrane potential assay; however, it is not easy to consistently control the condition of cells and it is impossible to detect low odorant concentration. Recently, the bioelectronic nose was developed, and much improved along with the improvement of nano-biotechnology. The bioelectronic nose consists of the following two parts: primary transducer and secondary transducer. Biological materials as a primary transducer improved the selectivity of the sensor, and nanomaterials as a secondary transducer increased the sensitivity. Especially, the bioelectronic noses using various nanomaterials combined with human olfactory receptors or nanovesicles derived from engineered olfactory cells have a potential which can detect almost all of the smells recognized by human because an engineered olfactory cell might be able to express any human olfactory receptor as well as can mimic human olfactory system. Therefore, bioelectronic nose will be a potent tool for smell visualization, but only if two technologies are completed. First, a multi-channel array-sensing system has to be applied for the integration of all of the olfactory receptors into a single chip for mimicking the performance of human nose. Second, the processing technique of the multi-channel system signals should be simultaneously established with the conversion of the signals to visual images. With the use of this latest sensing technology, the realization of a proper smell-visualization technology is expected in the near future