A computational study of the thortveitite structure of zinc pyrovanadate, Zn2V2O7, under pressure

We performed a pressure-driven study of zinc pyrovanadate, Zn₂V₂O₇, using the first-principles approach under the framework of density functional theory (DFT). Zn₂V₂O₇ crystalizes in a monoclinic (α-phase) structure with the space group C2/c at ambient pressure. In comparison with the ambient phase, there are four different high-pressure phases, namely β, γ, κ and δ, found at 0.7, 3.8, 4.8 and 5.3 GPa, respectively. The detailed crystallographic analysis as well as their structures is consistent with the theory and experiment reported in the literature. All phases including the ambient phase are mechanically stable, elastically anisotropic and malleable. The compressibility of the studied pyrovanadate is higher than that of the other meta- and pyrovanadates. The energy dispersion of these studied phases reveals that they are indirect band gap semiconductors with wide band gap energies. The band gap energies follow a reduced trend with pressure except the κ-phase. The effective masses for all of these studied phases were computed from their corresponding band structures. The values of energy gaps obtained from the band structures are almost similar to the optical band gap obtained from the optical absorption spectra, as estimated by the Wood-Tauc theory.

Outcomes of WHO-conforming, longer, all-oral multidrug-resistant TB regimens and analysis implications

BACKGROUND: Evidence of the effectiveness of the WHO-recommended design of longer individualized regimens for multidrug- or rifampicin-resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB) is limited.OBJECTIVES: To report end-of-treatment outcomes for MDR/RR-TB patients from a 2015-2018 multi-country cohort that received a regimen consistent with current 2022 WHO updated recommendations and describe the complexities of comparing regimens.METHODS: We analyzed a subset of participants from the endTB Observational Study who initiated a longer MDR/RR-TB regimen that was consistent with subsequent 2022 WHO guidance on regimen design for longer treatments. We excluded individuals who received an injectable agent or who received fewer than four likely effective drugs.RESULTS: Of the 759 participants analyzed, 607 (80.0%, 95% CI 77.0-82.7) experienced successful end-of-treatment outcomes. The frequency of success was high across groups, whether stratified on number of Group A drugs or fluoroquinolone resistance, and ranged from 72.1% to 90.0%. Regimens were highly variable regarding composition and the duration of individual drugs.CONCLUSIONS: Longer, all-oral, individualized regimens that were consistent with 2022 WHO guidance on regimen design had high frequencies of treatment success. Heterogeneous regimen compositions and drug durations precluded meaningful comparisons. Future research should examine which combinations of drugs maximize safety/tolerability and effectiveness.

Double-negative metamaterial square enclosed Q.S.S.R For microwave sensing application in S-band with high sensitivity and Q-factor

Metamaterials have gained much attention due to their exciting characteristics and potential uses in constructing valuable technologies. This paper presents a double negative square resonator shape metamaterial sensor to detect the material and its thickness. An innovative double-negative metamaterial sensor for microwave sensing applications is described in this paper. It has a highly sensitive Q-factor and has good absorption characteristics approximately equal to one. For the metamaterial sensor, the recommended measurement is 20 by 20 mm. Computer simulation technology (C.S.T.) microwave studios are used to design the metamaterial structure and figure out its reflection coefficient. Various parametric analyses have been performed to optimize the design and size of the structure. The experimental and theoretical results are shown for a metamaterial sensor that is attached to five different materials such as, Polyimide, Rogers RO3010, Rogers RO4350, Rogers RT5880, and FR-4. A sensor's performance is evaluated using three different thicknesses of FR-4. There is a remarkable similarity between the measured and simulated outcomes. The sensitivity values for 2.88 GHz and 3.5 GHz are 0.66% and 0.19%, respectively, the absorption values for both frequencies are 99.9% and 98.9%, respectively, and the q-factor values are 1413.29 and 1140.16, respectively. In addition, the figure of merit (FOM) is analyzed, and its value is 934.18. Furthermore, the proposed structure has been tested against absorption sensor applications for the purpose of verifying the sensor's performance. With a high sense of sensitivity, absorption, and Q-factor, the recommended sensor can distinguish between thicknesses and materials in various applications.

Rare Presentation of Giant Cell Tumors of the Tendon Sheath: Bilateral Involvement of Tendoachilles

Giant cell tumor of tendon sheath arises from the synovium of tendon sheaths, joints, or bursa, mostly affects adults between 30 and 50 years of age, and is slightly more common in females. It corresponds to a localized form of pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS). Typically occur in the hand where they represent the second most common type of soft tissue tumors after synovial ganglions. Bilateral giant cell tumor of tendon sheath of tendoachilles is a rare presentation. We report the case of a 22-years-old female presenting with pain in both ankles without any history of trauma. On clinical examination, tenderness on both tendoachilles and local indurations were observed. Ultrasonography showed focal thickening of Achilles tendon bilaterally, and Doppler demonstrated increased flow in peritendinous area. MRI findings showed that most of the tumor had intermediate signal intensity and portions of the tumor had low signal intensity. Fine needle aspiration cytology confirmed the diagnosis of giant cell tumor of tendon sheath. Excision biopsy was done with no recurrence on subsequent follow-up.

A Case of Bilateral Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis with Unilateral M1 Stenting

Stroke is not only the third leading cause of death in Bangladesh but it also causes a high number of disability adjusted life years loss (485 per 10,000 people). Appropriate treatment of recurrent stroke has to be established. Here we present A 60 year's old male patient with history of recurrent stroke who came in our out patient department. He had progressing bilateral middle cerebral artery atherosclerotic stenosis (100.0% on right side and 52.0% on left side) which was less severs but symptomatic at dominant hemisphere (left). Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stenting was done to prevent further ischemia and to increase the blood supply of remaining brain parenchyma. On post stenting follow-up patient did not suffered from any new event of stroke for about 22 months. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stenting is an effective procedure to prevent recurrent stroke for intracranial atherosclerotic disease.

Correlation between Antero-posterior Diameter and Vertical Diameter of Both Ends of Fully Ossified Dry Human Clavicle

Clavicle is an upper limb locomotory bone which helps in formation of pectoral girdle and connected the upper limb with axial skeleton. There is no baseline data of clavicle in contrast to demographic variation in our country, so the study was designed to obtain baseline data on clavicle for anthropological, forensic and clinical use. This descriptive cross-sectional study was done among 150 (65 right and 85 left) fully ossified dry human clavicle in Mymensingh Medical College, Mymensingh, Bangladesh from January 2020 to December 2020. Sample was collected by the help of nonrandom purposive sampling technique from Department of Anatomy of Mymensingh Medical College and Community Based Medical College, Bangladesh, Mymensingh. The parameters were the antero-posterior diameter and vertical diameter of sternal and acromial ends of clavicle, measured with the help of digital vernier slide caliper and expressed in millimeter. In the current study the mean±SD antero-posterior diameter of sternal end of 65 clavicles of right side was 21.97±2.889mm and 85 clavicles of left side were 20.30±3.459mm. The mean±SD antero-posterior diameter of acromial end of 65 right sided clavicles was 21.96±5.161mm and 85 clavicles of left side were 21.00±4.002mm. Correlation was done in between antero-posterior diameter and vertical diameter of sternal end of clavicle and the differences were highly significant on both sides. Similarly, when correlation was done for the acromial end of clavicle the difference was found non-significant on right side and highly significant on left side.

Modified Snodgrass Urethroplasty for Distal Penile Hypospadias: Our Experience at BSMMU Hospital

Hypospadias is a developmental defect of male urethra characterized by absence of meatal opening at the tip of glans but is present at the ventral surface of penis anywhere along the shaft, even in the perineum. Usually this defect is associated with ventrally curved penis. Surgery is the single option to correct this birth defect. More than 300 techniques have been developed but none is universally acceptable as because, surgery is usually associated with fistula. Rate of fistula formation varies from technique to technique. Now a day, Snodgrass technique is widely practiced because of its low rate of fistula formation. Many factors are responsible for this post-operative complication. Most important one is developmentally defective ventral penile skin where some local factors like vascular and collagen tissues are insufficient. This observational study was performed to evaluate the role of dorsal vascular flap over the neourethra following urethroplasty by Snodgrass technique in terms of post-operative fistula formation in the Department of Paediatric Surgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh from March 2018 to March 2020. A total of 39 patients with distal penile hypospadias were included in this study. All underwent Snodgrass urethroplasty with additional dorsal vascular flap over the neourethra to support this ventrally deficient local factor. The outcome in terms of post operative urethrocutaneous fistula was evaluated. Only two patients (5.15%) developed urethrocutaneous fistula. In conclusion, addition of dorsal vascular flap over the neourethra by Snodgrass technique reduces the rate of the fistula formation.

Massive metamaterial system-loaded MIMO antenna array for 5G base stations

An integrated massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) antenna system loaded with metamaterial (MTM) is proposed in this article for fifth-generation (5G) applications. Besides, achievement of duple negative (DNG) characteristics using a proposed compact complementary split-ring resonator (SRR), a broad epsilon negative metamaterial (ENG) with more than 1 GHz bandwidth (BW), and near-zero refractive index (NZRI) features are presented. The proposed mMIMO antenna consists of eight subarrays with three layers that operate in the 5G mind band at 3.5 GHz (3.40–3.65 GHz) with high port isolation between adjacent antenna elements compared to an antenna that does not use MTM. Each subarray has two patches on the top layer, while the middle and bottom layers have two categories of full and partial ground plans, respectively. Simulated, produced, and tested are 32 elements with a total volume of 184 × 340 × 1.575 mm³. The measured findings reveal that the sub-6 antenna has a better than 10 dB reflection coefficient (S11), a lower than 35 dB isolation, and a peak gain of 10.6 dBi for each subarray. Furthermore, the recommended antenna loaded with MTM has demonstrated good MIMO performance with an ECC of less than 0.0001, total efficiencies of more than 90%, more than 300 MHz bandwidth, and an overall gain of 19.5 dBi.

Low Profile Monopole Meander Line Antenna for WLAN Applications

An antenna assumes a significant role in expanding the levels of communication to meet the demands of contemporary technologically based industry and private data services. In this paper, a printed compact meander line patch antenna array for wireless local-area network (WLAN) applications in the frequency span of 2.3685-2.4643 GHz is presented. The impedance matching of the antenna is generated by applying a partial rectangular-shaped ground plane backside of the meander line antenna. The proposed antenna evolved on the Rogers RT5880 substrate with a dielectric permittivity of 2.2, and the height of the substrate was 1.575 mm to accomplish the lowest possible return loss. The proposed antenna was developed to achieve particular outcomes, for example, voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) 1.32, reflection coefficient 20 dB with a bandwidth of 94.2 MHz, a gain of 2.8 dBi, and an efficacy measurement of 97%. This antenna is appropriate for WLAN applications that utilize a 2.4 GHz resonance frequency. The overall dimensions of the antenna are 15 mm × 90.86 mm.

What does family involvement in care provision look like across hospital settings in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and South Korea?

BACKGROUND

Family members provide care whilst staying in the patient's room across a range of cultural settings, irrespective of resource availability in many Asian countries. This has been reported as a contributing factor to the spread of several outbreaks, including COVID-19. Despite these reports, very little is known about the risk of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) transmission related to the involvement of family and private carers in the clinical setting. As a starting point to understanding this issue, this study aimed to provide insights regarding the patient care activities undertaken by family and private carers and the guidance provided to these carers around infection control measures in hospitals located in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and South Korea.

METHOD

A qualitative study involving 57 semi-structured interviews was undertaken in five tertiary level hospitals across the selected countries. Two groups of individuals were interviewed: (1) patients and their family carers and private carers; and (2) healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, hospital managers and staff members. Drawing upon the principles of grounded theory, an inductive approach to data analysis using thematic analysis was adopted.

RESULTS

Five main themes were generated from the analysis of the data: (1) expectation of family carers staying with a patient; (2) residing in the patient's environment: (3) caring activities undertaken by family carers; (4) supporting and educating family carers and (5) communication around healthcare-associated infection and infection prevention and control.

CONCLUSION

Based on the types of activities being undertaken, coupled with the length of time family and private carers are residing within the clinical setting, coupled with an apparent lack of guidance being given around IPC, more needs to be done to ensure that these carers are not being inadvertently exposed to HAI's or other occupational risks.

Management of Neglected Rupture of Tendoachilles with Long Gap by Flexor Hallucis Longus Tendon Transfer

The tendo achilles is one of most important tendon in human body which often injured through direct trauma or indirect stress on a weakened tendon. Longer the duration after injury the injured parts likely to move apart, fibrosis and degeneration leading to difficulty in repair or reconstruction. Usually a phase of 4 weeks or more without specific treatment is regarded as chronic or neglected rupture. Different authors described many management protocols about the tendo achilles rupture but there is no procedure of choice for neglected rupture with long gap. Prospective case series of 21 patients of neglected tendo achilles rupture with long gap treated with flexor hallucis longus tendon (FHLT) transfer was taken for study from January 2019 to December 2020 in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh. Average age of patients was 39.47 years with range 22-65 years. Fifteen (15) cases of traumatic rupture in this study with average age 32.66 years and pathologic 6 cases with average age 56.5 years were recorded. We grafted FHLT from channel by incising Henry's knot. Krackow et al.'s technique was followed for tendon mobilization and bone fixation. We made procedure simpler and cheaper; instead of using interference screw the sutured tendon pulled through the heel and anchored over rubber tube or button by Cole method. Post-operative complications were less with one patient with superficial infection which eventually recovered 3 cases of mild pain and 2 cases of numbness. Questionnaire for surgical outcome measure are satisfactory in 19 patients (90.47%). Final follow up AOFAS score at 6 month (91.61±5.41) was highly significant (p<0.001) in comparison to preoperative score (38.71±9.78). These are comparable to other study. Above mentioned scores indicate the reliability of the surgical system. But our study is a prospective case series with minimum cases. To establish the best procedure for neglected tendo achilles rupture with long gap we recommend further study with larger group and Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) study among different procedure.

Pattern of Initial Clinical Presentation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study from Bangladesh

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder involving multiple systems and often presents with diverse clinical manifestations. The objective of the present study was to investigate the initial clinical presentations of SLE patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 85 SLE patients diagnosed according to the 1997 ACR Revised Criteria for Classification of SLE attending the Lupus Clinic of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2012 to June 2013. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from patient interviews, physical examinations and medical records. Almost 75.0% of the patients aged below 30 years had a female predominance (male-female ratio 1:5.6). Fever (71.0%), joint pain (60.0%) and alopecia (28.0%) were the most common initial presentations among the patients. Constitutional symptoms such as fatigue, malaise and weakness (23.5%), malar rash (21.0%), oral ulcer (20.0%), photosensitivity (15.0%) and Raynaud's phenomenon (13.0%) were also present in variable proportions. The musculoskeletal and mucocutaneous systems were most commonly affected (85.0% and 75.0% respectively), followed by lupus nephritis (40.0%), hematological symptoms (22.0%) and vasculitis (17.6%). Out of 85 patients, 78 (92.0%) tested positive for anti-nuclear antibodies. SLE patients commonly present with musculoskeletal and nonspecific symptoms at the initial phase. Hence, physicians should consider this clinical and immunological evidence along with conventional symptoms included in the ACR criteria.

Echocardiographic Evaluation of Cardiac Changes in Patients with Hypothyroidism and the Response to Treatment

Thyroid hormone acts on heart and peripheral vascular system in multiple ways. Most of the cardiac manifestations are reversible with adequate and timely thyroid therapy. Echocardiographic changes are present in patients with untreated hypothyroidism and the changes are reversible with treatment. Aim of the study was to evaluate the structural and functional changes of the heart in hypothyroid patients and its response to treatment. This prospective observational study was performed in the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh from November 2012 to April 2013. The study included 35 cases and 35 control based on their thyroid hormonal status. The cases were previously untreated for hypothyroidism. By 2D and M-mode echocardiography LV septal wall and posterior wall thickness, LVIDD, LVIDS, LA and Aortic diameter and ejection fraction were measured. Mitral inflow pattern was observed through pulse wave Doppler and peak E velocity, a velocity and E/A ratio were noted. All the observations were noted both in cases and controls and in cases after normalization of hypothyroid status. Echocardiographic variables showed that septal wall and posterior wall thickness, LVIDD and LVIDS were higher in the cases than those in the control group. Left ventricular ejection fraction was lower in case group compared to control group. Of the mitral inflow parameters, a velocity was higher and E/A ratio lower in cases than those in control group. Following treatment of >3 months the septal wall and posterior wall thicknesses were reduced significantly (p<0.001 and p<0.001 respectively) and Left ventricular ejection fraction was also improved significantly (p<0.001) from its baseline status. Of the mitral inflow parameters, E-velocity was significantly increased, A-velocity significantly decreased and E/A ratio significantly increased from their baseline figures (p=0.016, p=0.032 and p<0.001 respectively). Cardiovascular complications of hypothyroidism increase the morbidity of the patients. Results of our study showed importance of early diagnosis and prompt treatment reversed the condition and that will diminish the extent of cardiac complications.

Safety and Feasibility of Trans Radial Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Approach in Elderly Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Coronary catheterization is usually performed using the transfemoral approach but trans-radial has been increasingly used as an alternative to transfemoral approach due to less vascular complications, earlier ambulation time and improved patient comfort. The aim of the study was to compare the safety and feasibility of trans-radial and transfemoral PCI in the elderly ACS patients. This prospective observational study was conducted in the NICVD, Dhaka from October 2017 to September 2018. Total 80 patients were categorized into two groups according to the approach of PCI. Group I consists 40 patients who underwent trans-radial PCI and Group II consists 40 patients who underwent transfemoral PCI. Patients with abnormal Allen's test, history of CABG, CKD were excluded. Patient's demographics were same in both groups. The mean procedural time in min (37.44±5.13 vs. 34.42±4.42, p=0.004) and fluoroscopy time in min (21.6±4.11 vs. 17.55±2.78, p=0.02) were more in Group I but the mean hemostasis time in min (7.58±1.11 vs. 15.59±3.33, p=0.005) and the ambulation time in hour (0.00±0.00 vs. 15.59±3.33, p=0.001) were more in Group II. Significant arterial spasm following puncture (10.0% vs. 0.0%, p=0.01) were more in Group I. Post procedural major bleeding (0.0% vs. 10.0%, p=0.004), minor bleeding (10.0% vs. 20.0%, p=0.004) were significant in Group II but vessel occlusion (5.0% vs. 0.0%, p=0.02) were significant in Group I. Transradial PCI is safe in respect of procedural and post procedural vascular complications. Transradial procedure leads to improved quality of life after the procedure and thus gives much comfort to the patient. It also shortened mean duration of hospital stay. So transradial approach is an attractive alternative to conventional transfemoral approach in the elderly.

A co-polarization-insensitive metamaterial absorber for 5G n78 mobile devices at 3.5 GHz to reduce the specific absorption rate

Specific absorption rate (SAR) by next-generation 5G mobile devices has become a burning question among engineers worldwide. 5G communication devices will be famous worldwide due to high-speed data transceiving, IoT-based mass applications, etc. Many antenna systems are being proposed for such mobile devices, but SAR is found at a higher rate that requires reduced for human health. This paper presents a metamaterial absorber (MMA) for SAR reduction from 5G n78 mobile devices at 3.5 GHz. The MMA is co-polarization insensitive at all possible incident angles to ensure absorption of unnecessary EM energies obeying the Poynting theorem for energy conservation and thus ensuring smooth communication by the devices. The unit cell size of the absorber is 0.114 \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\lambda$$\end{document}λ making it design efficient for array implementation into mobile devices. This absorber has achieved a minimum of 33% reduction of SAR by applying to the 5G n78 mobile phone model, equivalent to SAR by GSM/LTE/UMTS band mobile phones and making it suitable for SAR reduction from next-generation 5G mobile devices.

Hypertriton Production in p-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

The study of nuclei and antinuclei production has proven to be a powerful tool to investigate the formation mechanism of loosely bound states in high-energy hadronic collisions. The first measurement of the production of _{Λ}^{3}H in p-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV is presented in this Letter. Its production yield measured in the rapidity interval -1<y<0 for the 40% highest-multiplicity p-Pb collisions is dN/dy=[6.3±1.8(stat)±1.2(syst)]×10^{-7}. The measurement is compared with the expectations of statistical hadronization and coalescence models, which describe the nucleosynthesis in hadronic collisions. These two models predict very different yields of the hypertriton in charged particle multiplicity environments relevant to small collision systems such as p-Pb, and therefore the measurement of dN/dy is crucial to distinguish between them. The precision of this measurement leads to the exclusion with a significance larger than 6.9σ of some configurations of the statistical hadronization model, thus constraining the theory behind the production of loosely bound states at hadron colliders.

Radio Frequency Energy Harvesting Technologies: A Comprehensive Review on Designing, Methodologies, and Potential Applications

Radio frequency energy harvesting (RF-EH) is a potential technology via the generation of electromagnetic waves. This advanced technology offers the supply of wireless power that is applicable for battery-free devices, which makes it a prospective alternative energy source for future applications. In addition to the dynamic energy recharging of wireless devices and a wide range of environmentally friendly energy source options, the emergence of the RF-EH technology is advantageous in facilitating various applications that require quality of service. This review highlights the abundant source of RF-EH from the surroundings sources, including nearby mobile phones, Wi-Fi, wireless local area network, broadcast television signal or DTS, and FM/AM radio signals. In contrast, the energy is captured by a receiving antenna and rectified into a working direct current voltage. This review also summarizes the power of RF-EH technology, which would provide a guideline for developing RF-EH units. The energy harvesting circuits depend on cutting-edge electrical technology to achieve significant efficiency, given that they are built to perform with considerably small current and voltage. Hence, the review includes a thorough analysis and discussion of various RF designs and their pros and cons. Finally, the latest applications of RF-EH are presented.

Gap coupled symmetric split ring resonator based near zero index ENG metamaterial for gain improvement of monopole antenna

In this article, a symmetric split ring resonator (SRR) based metamaterial (MTM) is presented that exhibits three resonances of transmission coefficient (S₂₁) covering S, C, and X-bands with epsilon negative (ENG) and near zero index properties. The proposed MTM is designed on an FR4 substrate with the copper resonator at one side formed with two square rings and one circular split ring. The two square rings are coupled together around the split gap of the outer ring, whereas two split semicircles are also coupled together near the split gaps. Thus, gap coupled symmetric SRR is formed, which helps to obtain resonances at 2.78 GHz, 7.7 GHz and 10.16 GHz with desired properties of the MTM unit cell. The MTM unit cell's symmetric nature helps reduce the mutual coupling effect among the array elements. Thus, different array of unit cells provides a similar response to the unit cell compared with numerical simulation performed in CST microwave studio and validated by measurement. The equivalent circuit is modelled for the proposed MTM unit cell in Advanced Design System (ADS) software, and circuit validation is accomplished by comparing S₂₁ obtained in ADS with the same of CST. The effective medium ratio (EMR) of 10.7 indicates the compactness of the proposed MTM. A test antenna is designed to observe the effect of the MTM over it. Numerical analysis shows that the proposed MTM have an impact on the antenna when it is used as the superstrate and helps to increase the gain of the antenna by 95% with increased directivity. Thus, compact size, high EMR, negative permittivity, near zero permeability and refractive index makes this MTM suitable for S, C and X band applications, especially for antenna gain with directivity enhancement.

Polarization of Λ and Λ[over ¯] Hyperons along the Beam Direction in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s]_{NN}=5.02 TeV

The polarization of the Λ and Λ[over ¯] hyperons along the beam (z) direction, P_{z}, has been measured in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV recorded with ALICE at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The main contribution to P_{z} comes from elliptic flow-induced vorticity and can be characterized by the second Fourier sine coefficient P_{z,s2}=⟨P_{z}sin(2φ-2Ψ_{2})⟩, where φ is the hyperon azimuthal emission angle and Ψ_{2} is the elliptic flow plane angle. We report the measurement of P_{z,s2} for different collision centralities and in the 30%-50% centrality interval as a function of the hyperon transverse momentum and rapidity. The P_{z,s2} is positive similarly as measured by the STAR Collaboration in Au-Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV, with somewhat smaller amplitude in the semicentral collisions. This is the first experimental evidence of a nonzero hyperon P_{z} in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC. The comparison of the measured P_{z,s2} with the hydrodynamic model calculations shows sensitivity to the competing contributions from thermal and the recently found shear-induced vorticity, as well as to whether the polarization is acquired at the quark-gluon plasma or the hadronic phase.

Metamaterial sensor based on rectangular enclosed adjacent triple circle split ring resonator with good quality factor for microwave sensing application

In this article, a novel shaped metamaterial sensor is presented for the recognition of various oils, fluids, and chemicals using microwave frequency. The performance of the designed sensor structure has been studied both theoretically and experimentally, and it works well. A new sample holder for convenient operation is created and located just behind the designed structure. The results of this study performed better than those of prior liquids sensing studies. Various designs were explored using the Genetic Algorithm (GA), and it is embedded in the Computer Simulation Technology (CST) microwave studio, to optimize the optimal dimensions of the resonator. The suggested metamaterial sensor has a good-quality factor and sensitivity in both frequency shifting and amplitude changing. The resonance frequency shifted to 100 MHz between olive and corn oils, 70 MHz between sunflower and palm oils, 80 MHz between clean and waste brake fluids, and 90 MHz between benzene and carbon-tetrachloride chemicals. The quality factor of the sensor is 135, sensitivity is 0.56, and the figure of merit is 76 which expresses its efficient performance. Furthermore, the proposed sensor can sensitively distinguish different liquids by using the frequency shifting property. The study was carried out in three stages: dielectric constant (DK) measurement with the N1500A dielectric measurement kit, simulation of the structure, and experimental test study with the vector network analyzer. Since the recommended sensor has high sensitivity, good quality factor, and excellent performance, hence it can be used in chemical, oil, and microfluidic industries for detecting various liquid samples.

Measurement of the Groomed Jet Radius and Momentum Splitting Fraction in pp and Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

This article presents groomed jet substructure measurements in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV with the ALICE detector. The soft drop grooming algorithm provides access to the hard parton splittings inside a jet by removing soft wide-angle radiation. We report the groomed jet momentum splitting fraction, z_{g}, and the (scaled) groomed jet radius, θ_{g}. Charged-particle jets are reconstructed at midrapidity using the anti-k_{T} algorithm with resolution parameters R=0.2 and R=0.4. In heavy-ion collisions, the large underlying event poses a challenge for the reconstruction of groomed jet observables, since fluctuations in the background can cause groomed parton splittings to be misidentified. By using strong grooming conditions to reduce this background, we report these observables fully corrected for detector effects and background fluctuations for the first time. A narrowing of the θ_{g} distribution in Pb-Pb collisions compared to pp collisions is seen, which provides direct evidence of the modification of the angular structure of jets in the quark-gluon plasma. No significant modification of the z_{g} distribution in Pb-Pb collisions compared to pp collisions is observed. These results are compared with a variety of theoretical models of jet quenching, and provide constraints on jet energy-loss mechanisms and coherence effects in the quark-gluon plasma.

Evaluation of outcome of Coronavirus disease 2019 patients receiving RAAS inhibitors (OCRAS study): a prospective observational study of Bangladeshi hypertensive patients

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): Beximco Pharmaceutical Limited, Bangladesh

OnBehalf

Cardiology Study Group (Bangladesh)

Background

The fact that SAARS-Cov2 virus enters cells through ACE2 receptors and the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibitors (RAASi) upregulate the ACE2 receptors, there was speculation that use of RAASi may lead increased cellular entry of the virus.  There was a pause for a brief period of the use of RAASi in COVID 19 patients. But clinically the speculation has been found to be incorrect. Different professional societies come up with the assertion to continue to use RAASi. As the hesitancy among the clinicians appears to continue and there is no first hand data regarding the safety of the use of RAASi in Bangladeshi population, the study was undertaken to evaluate the safety of RAASi in COVID 19 patients.

Aims & Methods

This study was a prospective, observational multi-center study to evaluate the outcome of COVID-19 patients receiving RAAS inhibitors. Adult Hypertensive patients (age ≥18 years) with diagnosed COVID-19 confirmed by RT-PCR test who have a history of taking either ACE inhibitor/ARB or any other anti-hypertensive medication. Evaluation of outcome was assessed by rate of hospitalization, requirement of oxygen therapy, requirement of high flow nasal cannula, admission to ICU and mortality between two groups. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS for Windows, version 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).

Results

We collected data from 147 Covid-19 positive patients confirmed by RT-PCR. Among them, 117 (79.6%) had a history of taking RAAS inhibitor and 30 had history of taking other antihypertensive medications. Of them, two-third patients had more than 50 years of age and more than half of the patients had overweight or obesity. Other than hypertension they had several comorbidities such as Diabetes Mellitus (45.4%), Ischemic Heart Diseases (35.4%), Asthma or COPD (15%) etc. Rate of hospitalization had no statistical difference between RAAS inhibitor group and other hypertensive group (48.7% vs 46.70% respectively; p-value - 0.841). There was no statistical difference between two groups in terms of requirement of oxygen therapy (p-value - 0.297), High Flow Nasal Cannula (p-value - 0.430), intensive care unit (p-value - 0.194) and death (p-value – 0.383) also. Almost half and one-third of the patients had persistence of symptoms even after 14 days and 28 days respectively. Fatigue, cough, breathlessness, loss of appetite and taste were the most common symptoms among those.

Conclusion

In our study we found that RAAS inhibitor treatment had no adverse effect on the outcome of COVID-19 patients compared with other antihypertensive drugs. Patients may continue receiving ACEIs and ARBs for the treatment of any indication for RAASi without an increased risk of worse outcomes.