Blocking Level Research Articles

The Effects of Different Puncture Points on Labor Analgesia Onset: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Parturients suffer severe pain during the stages of labor, especially the first and second. Epidural anesthesia is an effective method to alleviate labor pain. L2-3, L3-4 and L4-5 spaces have been reported to be the recommendable puncture points owing to the adequate analgesia effect and high safety. However, the speed of pain alleviation via the three points has hardly been determined, which is of great importance to parturients. Thus, the aim of this study is to compare the onset time of parturients' painless uterine contraction after epidural labor analgesia through different puncture points. It is a prospective, randomized, controlled, and subject- and assessor-blinded study. Totally, 150 subjects scheduled for vaginal delivery are going to be randomly assigned into the L2-3 and L3-4 group. Puncture point in L2-3 group is lumbar 2-3 space, while in L3-4 group it is lumbar 3-4 space. Analgesia initiation and maintenance are the same between the two groups. Primary outcome will be percentage of painless uterine contraction 15 min after epidural labor analgesia initiation. Secondary outcomes will be the sensory blocking level, motor blocking score, adverse effects of parturients, drug liquid consumption in unit interval, apgar score and degree of satisfaction of the parturients. This study estimates the onset time of parturients' painless uterine contraction after epidural labor analgesia through L2-3 or L3-4 space. The results may provide a better choice to relieve labor pain as soon as possible.

Assessing the effects of water flow patterns on dam construction in degraded tropical peatlands

Tropical peat swamp forest becomes degraded through forest removal and drainage, usually followed by land use change and fire. Restoration of the degraded peatland requires rewetting, which involves canal blocking and water level management. The purpose of canal blocking is to rewet the peat so that peat-forming trees can re-establish or crops be grown with minimal greenhouse gas emissions and peat subsidence. In addition, wet peat is more fire resistant than degraded dry peat. Canal construction faces several technical problems, including stress that causes bending, water seepage under the dam, and erosion of peat by water forcing its way around the sides when the water level upstream exceeds the dam height. This research examined the behaviour of water flows in canals in peatland in Central Kalimantan after blocking with dams of different designs. This study used a survey method and hydraulic physical model test with a horizontal scale of 1:30 and a vertical scale of 1:10. Field measurements were carried out on the primary canal of the former Mega Rice Project (MRP) Block C to build a physical model test prototype for laboratory research, includes measurement of cross-sections, canal length and water flow for a distance of 100 metres upstream and downstream of the construction. The test included three types of the physical model, reviewed for the effect of flow patterns caused by flood discharge frequencies of 5, 25, 50 and 100 years. The effects of flow patterns on canal dam construction in peatland were obtained from the physical model test.

Immunogenicity of a third COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccine dose in primary immunodeficiency disorder patients with functional B-cell defects

Immunogenicity of a third COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccine dose in primary immunodeficiency disorder patients with functional B-cell defects

Search for high-strength multilayer free-standing film filters with high transmittance in the wavelength range of the "water window" (2.3-4.4 nm)

Some variants of the composition of multilayer absorption film filters with a high transmittance in the spectral region of the "water window" (2.3-4.4 nm) have been considered. Having created an ultimate pressure difference between the sides of free-standing films at which they are damaged, we compared the strength of 100 nm thick Ti-based multilayer filters with Al, Be, C interlayers and 100 nm thick V-based multilayer filters with Al interlayers. Sc and Cr was also considered as interlayers. Among the tested periodic multilayer structures, the best strength characteristics were demonstrated by Ti/Be (with a fraction of Ti in a period of about 0.6) and V/Al (with a fraction of V in a period of about 0.4) multilayer filters. Despite the fact that Ti/Be and V/Al filters are inferior in strength to Ti and V monolayer filters of the same thickness, these multilayer filters may be of interest, since they have either a higher transmittance in the "water window" (Ti/Be) or more high level of blocking of visible radiation (V/Al). Keywords: spectral region of the "water window" multilayer free-standing filters, ultimate pressure difference, film filter strength, transmittance in the soft x-ray, visible light blocking level.

Machine-Vision-Based Algorithm for Blockage Recognition of Jittering Sieve in Corn Harvester

Jittering sieve is a significant component of corn harvester, and it is used to separate kernels from impurities. The sieves may be blocked by kernels during the separating process, leading to the reduction of working performance. Unfortunately, the automatic recognition of blockage has not been studied yet. To address this issue, in this study we develop machine-vision-based algorithms to divide the jittering sieve into sub-sieves and to recognize kernel blockages. Additionally, we propose the metric to evaluate blocking level of each sub-sieve, aiming to provide the basis for automatic blockage clearing. The performance of the proposed algorithm is verified through simulation experiments on real images. The success ratio of edge determination reaches 100%. The mean cross-correlation coefficient of the blockage levels and the actual numbers of blocked kernels for all test scenes is 0.932. The results demonstrate the proposed algorithm can be used for accurate blockage recognition, and the proposed metric is appropriate for evaluating the blockage level.

Steganography of Quantum Color Images Based on Blocking and Gray Level Difference

Steganography of Quantum Color Images Based on Blocking and Gray Level Difference

Who is Next: Patient Prioritization Under Emergency Department Blocking

Upon arrival at emergency departments (EDs), patients are classified into different triage levels indicating their urgency. Using data from a large hospital in Canada, we find that within the same triage level, the average waiting time (time from triage to initial assessment by a physician) of patients who are discharged is shorter than that of patients who are admitted for middle-to-low acuity patients, suggesting that the order in which patients are served deviates from FCFS (first-come-first-served), and to a certain extent, discharged patients are prioritized over admitted patients. This observation is intriguing as among patients of the same triage level, admitted patients--who need further care in the hospital--should be deemed no less urgent than discharged patients who only need treatment at the ED. To understand how ED decision makers choose the next patient for treatment, we estimate a discrete-choice model and find that ED decision makers apply urgency-specific delay-dependent prioritization. Moreover, we find that when the ED blocking level is sufficiently low, admitted patients are prioritized over discharged patients for high acuity patients, whereas disposition does not affect the prioritization of middle-to-low acuity patients. When the ED blocking level becomes sufficiently high, decision makers start to prioritize discharged patients in an effort to avoid further blocking the ED. We then analyze a stylized model to explain the rationale behind the change in decision makers' prioritization behavior as the ED blocking level increases. Using a simulation study, we demonstrate how policies inspired by our findings improve ED operations by reducing the average patient waiting time and length of stay, resulting in significant cost savings for hospitals. We also show how to leverage our findings to improve the accuracy of ED waiting time predictions. By testing and highlighting the central role of decision makers' patient prioritization behavior, this paper advances our understanding of ED operations and patient flow.

Using InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum well Green light-Emitting Diodes as a Promising Replacement of Conventional light Sources

In this particular paper we increase a graded indium composition p type InGaN (p InGaN) conduction level to supplant the p type AlGaN electron blocking level & a p GaN level to update the mild yield intensity of a GaN based green light transmitting diode (LED). The indium structure of the p InGaN coating reduced from 10.4 % to zero % across the development heading. A tale configuration is proposed for n-electrode with openings to be connected in Thin-GaN light-transmitting diodes (LEDs). The impact of the n-electrode with gaps on the thermal and electrical qualities of a Thin-GaN LED chip is researched utilizing a three-dimensional numerical simulation The IQE of green LED is restricted by the deformities and the internal electric field in MQW. Thusly, we talk about the ongoing advancement in improving the IQE of green LED in detail. These techniques can be partitioned into two classes. A portion of these techniques were proposed to upgrade precious stone nature of InGaN/GaN MQW with high. In composition and low thickness of deformities by adjusting the development conditions. Different strategies concentrated on expanding electron−hole wave function cover by dispensing with the polarization impact.

Using InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum well Green light-Emitting Diodes as a Promising Replacement of Conventional light Sources

In this particular paper we increase a graded indium composition p type InGaN (p InGaN) conduction level to supplant the p type AlGaN electron blocking level & a p GaN level to update the mild yield intensity of a GaN based green light transmitting diode (LED). The indium structure of the p InGaN coating reduced from 10.4 % to zero % across the development heading. A tale configuration is proposed for n-electrode with openings to be connected in Thin-GaN light-transmitting diodes (LEDs). The impact of the n-electrode with gaps on the thermal and electrical qualities of a Thin-GaN LED chip is researched utilizing a three-dimensional numerical simulation The IQE of green LED is restricted by the deformities and the internal electric field in MQW. Thusly, we talk about the ongoing advancement in improving the IQE of green LED in detail. These techniques can be partitioned into two classes. A portion of these techniques were proposed to upgrade precious stone nature of InGaN/GaN MQW with high. In composition and low thickness of deformities by adjusting the development conditions. Different strategies concentrated on expanding electron−hole wave function cover by dispensing with the polarization impact.

Stratified Flows over and around Long Dynamically Tall Mountain Ridges

AbstractUniformly stratified flows approaching long and dynamically tall ridges develop two distinct flow components over disparate time scales. The fluid upstream and below a “blocking level” is stagnant in the limit of an infinite ridge and flows around the sides when the ridge extent is finite. The streamwise half-width of the obstacle at the blocking level arises as a natural inner length scale for the flow, while the excursion time over this half-width is an associated short time scale for the streamwise flow evolution. Over a longer time scale, low-level horizontal flow splitting leads to the establishment of an upstream layerwise potential flow beneath the blocking level. We demonstrate through numerical experiments that for sufficiently long ridges, crest control and streamwise asymmetry are seen on both the short and long time scales. On the short time scale, upstream blocking is established quickly and the flow is well described as a purely infinite-ridge overflow. Over the long time scale associated with flow splitting, low-level flow escapes around the sides, but the overflow continues to be hydraulically controlled and streamwise asymmetric in the neighborhood of the crest. We quantify this late-time overflow by estimating its volumetric transport and then briefly demonstrate how this approach can be extended to predict the overflow across nonuniform ridge shapes.

Family level variation in Wolbachia-mediated dengue virus blocking in Aedes aegypti

BackgroundThe mosquito vector Aedes aegypti is responsible for transmitting a range of arboviruses including dengue (DENV) and Zika (ZIKV). The global reach of these viruses is increasing due to an expansion of the mosquito’s geographic range and increasing urbanization and human travel. Vector control remains the primary means for limiting these diseases. Wolbachia pipientis is an endosymbiotic bacterium of insects that has the ability to block the replication of pathogens, including flaviviruses such as DENV or ZIKV, inside the body of the vector. A strain of Wolbachia called wMel is currently being released into wild mosquito populations to test its potential to limit virus transmission to humans. The mechanism that underpins the virus blocking effect, however, remains elusive.MethodsWe used a modified full-sib breeding design in conjunction with vector competence assays in wildtype and wMel-infected Aedes aegypti collected from the field. All individuals were injected with DENV-2 intrathoracically at 5–6 days of age. Tissues were dissected 7 days post-infection to allow quantification of DENV and Wolbachia loads.ResultsWe show the first evidence of family level variation in Wolbachia-mediated blocking in mosquitoes. This variation may stem from either genetic contributions from the mosquito and Wolbachia genomes or environmental influences on Wolbachia. In these families, we also tested for correlations between strength of blocking and expression level for several insect immunity genes with possible roles in blocking, identifying two genes of interest (AGO2 and SCP-2).ConclusionsIn this study we show variation in Wolbachia-mediated DENV blocking in Aedes aegypti that may arise from genetic contributions and environmental influences on the mosquito-Wolbachia association. This suggests that Wolbachia-mediated blocking may have the ability to evolve through time or be expressed differentially across environments. The long-term efficacy of Wolbachia in the field will be dependent on the stability of blocking. Understanding the mechanism of blocking will be necessary for successful development of strategies that counter the emergence of evolved resistance or variation in its expression under diverse field conditions.

Topographic control of stratified flows: upstream jets, blocking and isolating layers

AbstractOptimal solutions to the nonlinear, hydrostatic, Boussinesq equations are developed for steady, density-stratified, topographically controlled flows characterized by blocking and upstream influence. These flows are jet-like upstream of an isolated obstacle and are contained within an asymmetric, thinning stream tube that is accelerated as it passes over the crest. A stagnant, nearly uniform-density isolating layer, surrounded by a bifurcated uppermost streamline, separates the accelerated flow from an uncoupled flow above. The flows are optimal in the sense that, for a given stratification, the solutions maximize the topographic rise above the blocking level required for hydraulic control while minimizing the total energy of the flow. Hydraulic control is defined mathematically by the asymmetry of the accelerated flow as it passes the crest. A subsequent analysis of the Taylor–Goldstein equation shows that these sheared, non-uniformly stratified flows are indeed subcritical upstream, critical at the crest, and supercritical downstream with respect to gravest-mode, long internal waves. The flows obtained are relevant to arrested wedge flows, selective withdrawal, stratified towing experiments, tidal flow over topography and atmospheric flows over mountains.

Incidence and risk factors of hypotension after spinal anesthesia induction in 1 000 patients

The clinical parameters of 1 000 patients undergoing spinal aesthesia were recorded and analyzed.Hypotension fulfilling the predefined criteria occurred in 173 patients.The logistic regression analysis revealed that the regression coefficients of height, weight and amount of fluid infusion during anesthesia were negative while those of age, emergency operation, hypertension/hypotension, heart disease, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, use of sedative drugs and sensory blocking level of anesthesia positive.The area of receiver operating characteristic was 0.905.This study contributes to the identification of patients with high risks for hypotension after spinal induction. Key words: Anesthesia, subarachnoid space; Hypotension

Coexistence Evaluation of LTE with Active Antenna System

Due to the new radio architecture of Active Antenna System (AAS), the LTE BS equipped with AAS will have more flexible RF planning than that equipped with passive antenna. However, the new RF characteristic of AAS will have potential impacts on the existing BS RF requirements, which is imperative to be evaluated. In this paper, general antenna pattern and spatial Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR) are introduced considering the new RF features of AAS, and the impacts of AAS on BS performance are analyzed based on the AAS fundamental applications. System-level coexistence simulation is conducted to evaluate the RF features of transmitter and receiver of AAS on BS performance. Simulation results show that RF feature of spatial ACLR of AAS transmitter has little impact on throughput loss in victim system and ACLR of 45 dB per transmitter of AAS can fully meet the coexistence requirement; RF feature of in-band blocking level of individual receiver of AAS is higher than that of receiver of BS equipped with passive antenna around 1-4 dB, which imposes harder requirement to design the channel selection filter in the individual receiver of AAS, thus in-band blocking requirement needs to be redefined for AAS BS in the existing 3GPP specification.

Thermal burn injury associated with a forced-air warming device

Thermal burn injury associated with a forced-air warming device

Determining the Proper Number and Price of Software Licenses

Software houses sell their products by transferring usage licenses of various software components to the customers. Depending on the kind of software, there are several different license types that allow controlled access of services. The two most popular types are the fixed license, which gives access rights for an identified workstation, and the floating license, which restricts the number of simultaneous users to a certain bound. The latter of these types is advantageous when the users do not demand full-time services and occasional lack of access is bearable. The problem of deciding the number of floating licenses is studied in the present paper. Based on the expected usage profile of the software, we calculate the minimal number of licenses that guarantees that the customers get service better than a given lower bound. The problem is studied by using certain queuing models, known as the Erlang toss system, the Erlang delay system, and the Engset model. None of these analytic models consider, however, the transient period that we analyze by means of simulation and by the so-called modified offered load approximation. We also give simple formulas presenting how the number of software licenses needed to keep the probability of nonaccess below a given blocking level grows as a function of the offered load, which is the proportion of the time used in the case that all requests were successful. Results of the study may be used for setting license prices and for determining the proper number of licenses.

A Tandem Queue with Server Slow-Down and Blocking

We consider two variants of a two-station tandem network with blocking. In both variants the first server ceases to work when the queue length at the second station hits a ‘blocking threshold.’ In addition, in variant 2 the first server decreases its service rate when the second queue exceeds a ‘slow-down threshold, ’ which is smaller than the blocking level. In both variants the arrival process is Poisson and the service times at both stations are exponentially distributed. Note, however, that in case of slow-downs, server 1 works at a high rate, a slow rate, or not at all, depending on whether the second queue is below or above the slow-down threshold or at the blocking threshold, respectively. For variant 1, i.e., only blocking, we concentrate on the geometric decay rate of the number of jobs in the first buffer and prove that for increasing blocking thresholds the sequence of decay rates decreases monotonically and at least geometrically fast to max{ρ1, ρ2}, where ρ i is the load at server i. The methods used in the proof also allow us to clarify the asymptotic queue length distribution at the second station. Then we generalize the analysis to variant 2, i.e., slow-down and blocking, and establish analogous results.

SAMs functionalised by α-quaterthiophene as model for polythiophene grafting

A model of polythiophene grafting on a SAM functionalised by α-quaterthiophene is presented. The elaboration and characterisation of the dodecanethiol monolayer terminated by α-quaterthiophene are reported. Blocking level of substrates, structure of the alkyl chains and organisation of the quaterthiophene units as well as their chemical behaviour are analysed. HREELS spectra showed that the extreme surface of the monolayers is entirely covered by quaterthiophene units after typical adsorption times of 12 h. PM-IRRAS spectra allow to follow the orientation of molecules within the monolayer versus adsorption time. It is shown that the long axis of quaterthienyl groups stand slightly tilted with respect to the perpendicular. In addition, interfacial reactions of the SAM layer with a model molecule, the end-capped terthiophene, were electrochemically induced via the formation of radical cations. The number of grafted molecules that depends on the 4T film structure is discussed in regard to the 4T moiety reactivity.

Advances in Resist Materials for 193 nm Lithography.

The performance of a 193nm single layer resist based on a norbornene-malefic anhydride matrix resin has been optimized through a series of statistical design experiments. The SDE demonstrated the importance of setting the PEB temperature above the SB temperature with optimum performance being observed at a SB of 150°C and a PEB of 160°C. The lithographic performance of the resist was also strongly influenced by polymer composition, specifically acrylate loading and blocking level. Optimizing the composition of the polymer, gave resists with high etch resistance, square profiles and 0.130 micron dense line ultimate resolution in 0.5 micron thick films. The resist formulations are compatible with industry standard 0.262N TMAH. During exposure the resist does not suffer from the outgassing of volatile species (less than 1e12 molecules/cm2 x sec). A new thermally curable undercoat for bi-layer application has also been developed whose optical properties have been optimized to reduce reflectivity at the desired wavelength. The reflectivity has been reduced by a factor of eight over an earlier UV-cured version.

Dissolution Characteristics of Chemically Amplified DUV Resists.

Dissolution kinetics of a chemically amplified deep ultraviolet (DUV) positive resist, which consists of tert-butoxycarbonyl (t-BOC) protected phenolic resin, benzenesulfonic acid derivative as a photoacid generator (PAG) and an additional dissolution inhibitor, has been investigated by focusing on the polymer structures (t-BOC blocking level, molecular weight and molecular weight dispersion) and photo-acid structures. Based on the analysis of the dissolution rate curve and Arrhenius plots, it was concluded that only one mechanism, namely, the penetration of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) developer into hydrophobic t-BOC resin, rules the dissolution kinetics. It was also found that a steep slope of the dissolution rate curve is very effective for improving resolution capability. Moreover, ideal dissolution characteristics which can realize superior resolution capability, were obtained by analyzing both experimental dissolution rate and resist profile simulation.