Insufficient Power Research Articles

A study of the spatial network structure of ethnic regions in Northwest China based on multiple factor flows in the context of COVID-19: Evidence from Ningxia

As an underdeveloped and low-income region, the development of minority regions in Northwest China is crucial. As an important part of minority regions, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has insufficient endogenous power for stable economic development and high risk of returning to poverty. On the whole, the Ningxia county network shows a spatial pattern of high in the north and low in the south. However, there are great differences in the centrality of different factor flow networks. The factor connections between most counties are weak, and a close innovation network has not yet been formed. There is an obvious administrative clique structure, showing a certain degree of self-enclosure. The factor flows between counties are relatively uniform and greatly affected by geographic distance. From the perspective of integrated flow, the Ningxia county network presents a distinct core-periphery circle structure. Population size and GDP are the main factors affecting the spatial network. The policy implication of this study is that Ningxia Autonomous Prefecture should coordinate the planning of the region’s economy, technology, and transportation, so as to reduce the development gap between counties by enhancing the closeness of the county spatial association network, and ultimately realize the region’s high-quality development.

Present and future perspectives on mass spectrometry for clinical microbiology

In the last decade, MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been introduced and broadly accepted by clinical laboratory laboratories throughout the world as a powerful and efficient tool for rapid microbial identification. During the MALDI-TOF MS process, microbes are identified using either intact cells or cell extracts. The process is rapid, sensitive, and economical in terms of both labor and costs involved. Whilst MALDI-TOF MS is currently the gold-standard, it suffers from several shortcomings such as lack of direct information on antibiotic resistance, poor depth of analysis and insufficient discriminatory power for the distinction of closely related bacterial species or for reliably sub-differentiating isolates to the level of clones or strains. Thus, new approaches targeting proteins and allowing a better characterization of bacterial strains are strongly needed, if possible, on a very short time scale after sample collection in the hospital. Bottom-up proteomics (BUP) is a nice alternative to MALDI-TOF MS, offering the possibility for in-depth proteome analysis. Top-down proteomics (TDP) provides the highest molecular precision in proteomics, allowing the characterization of proteins at the proteoform level. A number of studies have already demonstrated the potential of these techniques in clinical microbiology. In this review, we will discuss the current state-of-the-art of MALDI-TOF MS for the rapid microbial identification and detection of resistance to antibiotics and describe emerging approaches, including bottom-up and top-down proteomics as well as ambient MS technologies.

Broadband Ca3MgZrGe3O12:Cr3+ garnet phosphor for high-performance NIR pc-LED application.

The near-infrared (NIR) phosphor-converted light-emitting diode (pc-LED) is heavily reliant upon the performance of NIR phosphors. However, the current NIR pc-LEDs suffer from low photoelectric efficiency and insufficient near-infrared output power. In this study, Cr3+-doped Ca3MgZrGe3O12 phosphors leading to high-performance NIR pc-LEDs were developed for the first time. They feature robust and wide NIR emission that extends over the spectrum from 650 to 1100 nm with a full width at half maximum of 120 nm, a high quantum yield of 82% and excellent thermal stability of T50% = 250 °C and I150 °C = 80% when excited at 460 nm. The NIR pc-LED was constructed by combining the Ca3MgZrGe3O12:0.04Cr3+ phosphor with a blue LED chip, resulting in a device that exhibits a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 20% and a near-infrared output power of 54.19 mW when operated at a current of 100 mA. The obtained luminous efficacy is superior to that of the vast majority of current broadband near-infrared pc-LEDs. In addition, this NIR pc-LED exhibits strong penetration and its applications in bio-imaging are demonstrated. The results indicate that Ca3MgZrGe3O12:Cr3+ NIR broadband phosphors are efficient for NIR pc-LEDs.

Thermodynamic study of molten pool during selective laser melting of alsi10mg alloy

A study of the thermodynamic behavior during the Selective Laser Melting process of AlSi10Mg alloy was conducted using a combined numerical simulation and experimental approach. A multiphase flow model incorporating gas-liquid-solid phases was established. The numerical simulation results aligned well with experimental findings, affirming the reliability of the numerical model. Insufficient and excessive laser power densities respectively led to incomplete fusion defects and spherical pore defects. The evolution of the melt pool was primarily influenced by recoil pressure, Marangoni force, and surface tension, resulting in keyhole formation, convective flow, and liquid surface oscillation as characteristic features of melt pool evolution. Solidification process and mechanical analyses revealed that the central region of the melt pool exhibited smaller temperature gradients and higher solidification rates. Properly increasing the scanning speed under suitable laser power conditions is more conducive to optimizing the solidification structure and enhancing the mechanical properties of SLM components. This study elucidates the thermodynamic evolution mechanism during the SLM process of aluminum-based alloys, providing theoretical support and guidance for optimizing the SLM process.

Quantifying network behavior in the rat prefrontal cortex.

The question of how consciousness and behavior arise from neural activity is fundamental to understanding the brain, and to improving the diagnosis and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. There is significant murine and primate literature on how behavior is related to the electrophysiological activity of the medial prefrontal cortex and its role in working memory processes such as planning and decision-making. Existing experimental designs, specifically the rodent spike train and local field potential recordings during the T-maze alternation task, have insufficient statistical power to unravel the complex processes of the prefrontal cortex. We therefore examined the theoretical limitations of such experiments, providing concrete guidelines for robust and reproducible science. To approach these theoretical limits, we applied dynamic time warping and associated statistical tests to data from neuron spike trains and local field potentials. The goal was to quantify neural network synchronicity and the correlation of neuroelectrophysiology with rat behavior. The results show the statistical limitations of existing data, and the fact that making meaningful comparison between dynamic time warping with traditional Fourier and wavelet analysis is impossible until larger and cleaner datasets are available.

ПРИМЕНЕНИЕ ПОВЫСИТЕЛЬНЫХ НАСОСНЫХ СТАНЦИЙ ДЛЯ МОДЕРНИЗАЦИИ СИСТЕМ ТЕПЛОСНАБЖЕНИЯ

The authors consider the problem of insufficient power of existing boiler houses and heat supply networks in large cities, which leads to overloads and accidents. Modernization of operation in heat supply system is aimed at improving energy efficiency, environmental safety and reliability of heat supply networks. The use of modern technologies provides a significant improvement in the operation of heat supply systems and makes the coolant more accessible and efficient for consumers. To ensure uninterrupted operation of heat supply facilities in residential areas and efficient operation of heat supply networks and heating mains in hard-to-reach areas with difficult terrain, the authors proposed to install or modernize booster pumping stations. Such stations help to keep the required parameters of the coolant and to provide heat consumers with quality coolant. The article discusses the operating principle of pumping stations and provides a functional diagram of process automation. Piezometric diagrams of preand post-installation of booster pumping stations allow us to speak about the positive effect of booster pumping stations modernization in the heat supply system. Thus, after reconstruction, the total capacity of pumping groups on the direct and return circuits increased by 1.33 times, the head in the system – by 1.12 times.

Investigation on different laser-powder alignments and their influence on part properties in high-speed Directed Energy Deposition

Efficient high-speed directed energy deposition via laser beam (HS DED-LB) requires precise knowledge of the powder focus location and diameter. The alignment of the laser and powder focus ensures maximum powder efficiency and minimizes potential defects caused by unmolten powder due to insufficient power input during the laser-powder interaction time. The focal characteristics, such as diameter or focus position, are dependent on the nozzle used and are affected by the powder gas jet parameters, like shielding gas- or carrier gas flow. This study analyses the effects of individual powder gas jet parameters on the focal position and -diameter. Additionally, the impact of different laser-powder alignments (unaligned and aligned) for HS DED-LB is investigated by adjusting the laser focus to the measured powder focus position. The analysis of these different settings focuses on the sample’s height, relative density, and microhardness.

Joint Linkage and Association Analysis Using GENEHUNTER-MODSCORE with an Application to Familial Pancreatic Cancer

Introduction: Joint linkage and association (JLA) analysis combines two disease gene mapping strategies: linkage information contained in families and association information contained in populations. Such a JLA analysis can increase mapping power, especially when the evidence for both linkage and association is low to moderate. Similarly, an association analysis based on haplotypes instead of single markers can increase mapping power when the association pattern is complex. Methods: In this paper, we present an extension to the GENEHUNTER-MODSCORE software package that enables a JLA analysis based on haplotypes and uses information from arbitrary pedigree types and unrelated individuals. Our new JLA method is an extension of the MOD score approach for linkage analysis, which allows the estimation of trait-model and linkage disequilibrium (LD) parameters, i.e., penetrance, disease-allele frequency, and haplotype frequencies. LD is modeled between alleles at a single diallelic disease locus and up to three diallelic test markers. Linkage information is contributed by additional multi-allelic flanking markers. We investigated the statistical properties of our JLA implementation using extensive simulations, and we compared our approach to another commonly used single-marker JLA test. To demonstrate the applicability of our new method in practice, we analyzed pedigree data from the German National Case Collection for Familial Pancreatic Cancer (FaPaCa). Results: Based on the simulated data, we demonstrated the validity of our JLA-MOD score analysis implementation and identified scenarios in which haplotype-based tests outperformed the single-marker test. The estimated trait-model and LD parameters were in good accordance with the simulated values. Our method outperformed another commonly used JLA single-marker test when the LD pattern was complex. The exploratory analysis of the FaPaCa families led to the identification of a promising genetic region on chromosome 22q13.33, which can serve as a starting point for future mutation analysis and molecular research in pancreatic cancer. Conclusion: Our newly proposed JLA-MOD score method proves to be a valuable gene mapping and characterization tool, especially when either linkage or association information alone provide insufficient power to identify the disease-causing genetic variants.

Torque control strategy of electric racing car based on acceleration intention recognition.

A torque control strategy based on acceleration intention recognition is proposed to address the issue of insufficient power performance in linear torque control strategies for electric racing cars, aiming to better reflect the acceleration intention of racing drivers. First, the support vector machine optimized by the sparrow search algorithm is used to recognize the acceleration intention, and the running mode of the racing car is divided into two types: Starting mode and driving mode. In driving mode, based on the recognition results of acceleration intention, fuzzy control is used for torque compensation. Based on the results of simulation and hardware in the loop testing, we can conclude that the support vector machine model optimized using the sparrow search algorithm can efficiently identify the acceleration intention of racing drivers. Furthermore, the torque control strategy can compensate for positive and negative torque based on the results of intention recognition, significantly improving the power performance of the racing car.

Optimization and management of flare gases through modification of knock-out drum HP flares by 4R approach based on 3E structures

The goal of this study is the Optimization and Management of Flare Gases through the Modification of Knock-out Drum HP Flares. The optimization of the K.O.D. is to create a shell around it and inject water steam into the shell, so that a uniform temperature distribution has done inside the drum, so freezing does not occur, and liquid that drops inside the burner, does not burn. The result of the simulations showed that in the drainage part of the drum, humidity associated with inlet gas freezes upon entering it after pressure and temperature drop suddenly. In the drainage part of the drum and the entrance of water steam with a temperature of 438 K and relative pressure of 550,000 Pa, the freezing of the coating part of it is eliminated. Finally, the water steam with liquid water caused by the heat transfer between the steam, and the bottoms of the drum is out from its drainage part. In the following, two issues were examined; First, simulating the drum to prove the insufficient power of the electric heater at the entrance of the drum. Second, simulating the drum with its surrounding cover in order to eliminate possible freezing. As the result, this work simulated and optimized the K.O.D. flare system to reduce valuable and toxic gas which burned in the flare system and caused environmental, economic, and social effects. This modelling optimized 8 points to add optimum heat flux and used a water steam jacket to prevent the formation of a freezing zone. The optimum zone around the bottom of K.O.D. steam injected this zone and observed no ice formation occurred in this zone. The steam jacket creates uniform heating by using this design and steam injection to the outer wall of the drum. For many reasons, the implementation of this project will reduce smoke and flare pollution: Inhibition of freezing in the liquid outlet of the K.O.D., the liquid level inside the drum remains constant and prevents the transfer of liquid droplets associated with the exhaust gas to the flare.

Kelp Nanofiber‐Based Composite Membranes for Highly Efficient Osmotic Energy Conversion

AbstractThe blue osmotic energy harvesting based on the nanofiber‐based layered membranes has received tremendous attention. However, the most nanofiber‐based ion‐selective membranes are suffering from uneconomical, environmentally unfriendly characteristics and a long growth cycle, as well as insufficient power density. In this work, kelp cellulose nanofibers (KCNFs) from green and inexpensive kelp with short growth cycle are compounded with hydrophilic MXene nanosheets to prepare KCNF/MXene nanofluidic membranes. Notably, the KCNF/MXene‐40 (40 is the mass fraction of KCNF) membrane with an aligned nacre‐like nanostructure achieves 3.03‐fold increase in mechanical strength compared to the pure MXene membrane. The ingenious combination of the surface charge of the MXene nanosheets and the space charge formed by negatively charged KCNFs endows the KCNF/MXene‐40 membrane with enhanced cation selectivity (≈0.85), high energy conversion efficiency of 24.04% and high power density of 66.23 W m−2 in a 500‐fold concentration gradient, which has exceeded most reported state‐of‐the‐art 2D nanofluidic membranes. More importantly, the membrane exhibits the exceptional long‐term stability with relatively unchanged power density within 6000 s. Under the conditions of the natural seawater and simulated river water, the KCNF/MXene‐based generator deliveries an output power density of ≈10.56 W m−2.

Highly Robust Self‐Switching Mode Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Misaligned Triple‐Cam Design

To enhance the robustness and lifespan of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and facilitate its industrial applications, herein, a self‐switching mode TENG that combines the advantages of contact mode and noncontact mode TENG is presented. Noncontact mode TENG prevents material wear but generates insufficient power, whereas contact enhances power generation by increasing the charge density on the electrode surface. The proposed device can automatically switch between contact and noncontact modes through a triple‐cam mechanism and gear train deceleration mechanism. Experimental results determine the optimal force value of 6 N and corresponding cam height of 1 mm, contact time of 8 min, and noncontact time of 30 min, to ensure good power output and minimal material wear. Simulation results demonstrate that the three cams have more stable mechanical properties and can improve the device's robustness. The cam repose angle and gear train structure are optimized based on the curves of electrical output versus time for both modes, and a method is proposed to extend the self‐switching time. The self‐switching mode TENG has a longer life than the other two modes, with its transfer charge maintaining 90% of its initial value after 80 h of continuous operation.

Numerical analysis and experimental validation of nonlinear broadband monostable and bistable energy harvesters

Vibration based piezoelectric energy harvesting has been receiving more and more attention for supplying usable electrical energy to low-power electronic devices. This type of energy can produce the desired voltage to power any low electronic device or wireless sensor. But most of them provide lower voltage and insufficient power. In this paper, the nonlinear magnetic field is introduced to broaden the effective resonant bandwidth for overcoming this issue. The dynamic linear and nonlinear model of magnetic coupling piezoelectric vibration energy harvester is established based on the Hamilton principle, Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, piezoelectric theory, and Kirchhoff's law and law of mechanics. Numerical solutions of nonlinear energy harvesting systems are studied by using the Runge-Kutta method. The bifurcation diagram, Poincare map, power spectrum, and phase trajectory of voltage output are investigated with different excitation amplitudes and frequencies. Simulation of linear and nonlinear model were illustrated at given excitation levels. Simulation results show the harvesting performance can be improved by proper external magnetic coupling and potential energy function. The theoretical harmonic balance analysis results verify the numerical solution and influence the mechanism of excitation levels and interface resistances. Experimental verification is carried out to measure the nonlinear restoring force and examine the performance of nonlinear bistable and monostable energy harvesters. The experiment results show the nonlinear bistable and monostable energy harvesters can provide larger voltage and more power.

RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN CAREGIVER BURDEN AMONG BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN AND WHITE ALL-CAUSE CAREGIVERS

Abstract Introduction As life expectancy and the numbers of older adults in our society continue to rise, serving as a caregiver is more common. Caregivers assist with a variety of daily tasks as changes in functional status occur. The Stress Process Model informs that there are potential buffers to negative caregiver outcomes including religious commitment or involvement and cultural justifications for caregiving. Previously, research has shown that caregivers may turn to religion and cultural practices to cope with or explain their roles. Methods This investigation examines racial differences in caregiver burden and the potential roles of caregiver religiosity and cultural justifications for caregiving as moderators of this effect. Individuals providing care for an adult age 45 and older for at least five hours per week were recruited. Results The sample size for this study was 80 and included 49 Black/African American caregivers (61.25%) and 31 White caregivers (38.75%) between the ages of 23 and 78. Multiple regression models with age, gender, income difficulty, and race as predictors revealed that Black/African American caregivers reported lower levels of caregiver burden compared to White caregivers, p < .05. Additional interaction terms added to the model revealed that religious commitment or involvement and cultural justifications for caregiving did not moderate the effect of race on caregiver burden. Conclusion The initial findings of this investigation may be the result of the study’s small sample size and insufficient power. Recruitment is ongoing to help identify factors to potentially explain why Black/African American caregivers report less caregiver burden.

Temporal Risk of Nonfatal Cardiovascular Events After Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbation: A Population-based Study.

Rationale: Cardiovascular events after chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations are recognized. Studies to date have been post hoc analyses of trials, did not differentiate exacerbation severity, included death in the cardiovascular outcome, or had insufficient power to explore individual outcomes temporally.Objectives: We explore temporal relationships between moderate and severe exacerbations and incident, nonfatal hospitalized cardiovascular events in a primary care-derived COPD cohort.Methods: We included people with COPD in England from 2014 to 2020, from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum primary care database. The index date was the date of first COPD exacerbation or, for those without exacerbations, date upon eligibility. We determined composite and individual cardiovascular events (acute coronary syndrome, arrhythmia, heart failure, ischemic stroke, and pulmonary hypertension) from linked hospital data. Adjusted Cox regression models were used to estimate average and time-stratified adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs).Measurements and Main Results: Among 213,466 patients, 146,448 (68.6%) had any exacerbation; 119,124 (55.8%) had moderate exacerbations, and 27,324 (12.8%) had severe exacerbations. A total of 40,773 cardiovascular events were recorded. There was an immediate period of cardiovascular relative rate after any exacerbation (1-14 d; aHR, 3.19 [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.71-3.76]), followed by progressively declining yet maintained effects, elevated after one year (aHR, 1.84 [95% CI, 1.78-1.91]). Hazard ratios were highest 1-14 days after severe exacerbations (aHR, 14.5 [95% CI, 12.2-17.3]) but highest 14-30 days after moderate exacerbations (aHR, 1.94 [95% CI, 1.63-2.31]). Cardiovascular outcomes with the greatest two-week effects after a severe exacerbation were arrhythmia (aHR, 12.7 [95% CI, 10.3-15.7]) and heart failure (aHR, 8.31 [95% CI, 6.79-10.2]).Conclusions: Cardiovascular events after moderate COPD exacerbations occur slightly later than after severe exacerbations; heightened relative rates remain beyond one year irrespective of severity. The period immediately after an exacerbation presents a critical opportunity for clinical intervention and treatment optimization to prevent future cardiovascular events.

Research on Grid-Connected Control Strategy of Photovoltaic (PV) Energy Storage Based on Constant Power Operation

In order to effectively mitigate the issue of frequent fluctuations in the output power of a PV system, this paper proposes a working mode for PV and energy storage battery integration. To address maximum power point tracking of PV cells, a fuzzy control-based tracking strategy is adopted. The principles and corresponding mathematical models are analyzed for the three-phase voltage PWM converter and bidirectional DC/DC converter, while feedforward decoupling double closed loop, constant power (PQ), and constant voltage charge/discharge control strategies are proposed. Space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) technology is utilized to generate power switching tube driver signals. Finally, a simulation model is developed in MATLAB/Simulink for system analysis. The results demonstrate that the proposed method enables constant grid-connected power generation and constant voltage charging of the energy storage battery when the PV cell’s power generation exceeds that of the grid. When insufficient solar power generation occurs, both the PV system and energy storage battery work together to achieve constant grid-connected power.

The effect of weather index insurance on social capital: Evidence from rural Ethiopia

AbstractWe study the effect of weather index insurance (WII) uptake on social capital. We measure individual social capital using experimental and survey‐based measures and relate it to the actual purchase of WII. We use propensity score matching (PSM) and an instrumental variable (IV) to address endogeneity concerns. Our descriptive and PSM estimates show that WII uptake negatively and significantly affects social capital. We find that insured households contribute less to the public good than uninsured households. We also find qualitatively and quantitatively similar results using our IV approach, yet insufficient power renders most of our IV estimates insignificant. We however report robust significant effects of instrumented WII uptake on sociopsychological outcomes—WII uptake increases perceptions of self‐sufficiency and free‐riding behavior: these are potential channels through which a negative effect on social capital comes about. Although far from conclusive, our paper provides several pieces of evidence that suggest WII uptake negatively affects social capital.

Polymer-Entangled Spontaneous Pseudo-Planar Heterojunction for Constructing Efficient Flexible Organic Solar Cells.

Flexible organic solar cells (FOSCs) have attracted considerable attention from researchers as promising portable power sources for wearable electronic devices. However, insufficient power conversion efficiency (PCE), intrinsic stretchability, and mechanical stability of FOSCs remain severe obstacles to their application. Herein, an entangled strategy is proposed for the synergistic optimization of PCE and mechanical properties of FOSCs through green sequential printing combined with polymer-induced spontaneous gradient heterojunction phase separation morphology. Impressively, the toughened-pseudo-planar heterojunction (Toughened-PPHJ) film exhibits excellent tensile properties with a crack onset strain (COS) of 11.0%, twice that of the reference bulk heterojunction (BHJ) film (5.5%), which is among the highest values reported for the state-of-the-art polymer/small molecule-based systems. Finite element simulation of stress distribution during film bending confirms that Toughened-PPHJ film can release residual stress well. Therefore, this optimal device shows a high PCE (18.16%) with enhanced (short-circuit current density) JSC and suppressed energy loss, which is a significant improvement over the conventional BHJ device (16.99%). Finally, the 1cm2 flexible Toughened-PPHJ device retains more than 92% of its initial PCE (13.3%) after 1000 bending cycles. This work provides a feasible guiding idea for future flexible portable power supplies.

Cardiac assessment and inflammatory markers in children with paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV2 (PIMS-TS) treated with methylprednisolone versus intravenous immunoglobulins: 6-month follow-up outcomes of the randomised controlled Swissped RECOVERY trial

Previous findings from the Swissped RECOVERY trial showed that patients with Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome-Temporally Associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) who were randomly assigned to intravenous immunoglobulins or methylprednisolone have a comparable length of hospital stay. Here, we report the 6-month follow-up outcomes of cardiac pathologies and normalisation of clinical or laboratory signs of inflammation from this study population. This pre-planned follow-up of patients with PIMS-TS included the Swissped RECOVERY Trial reports on the 6-month outcomes of the cohort after randomisation, with a focus on cardiac, haematological, and biochemical findings. The trial was an investigator-initiated randomised multicentre open-label two-arm trial in children and adolescents hospitalised with PIMS-TS at ten hospitals in Switzerland. Cardiological assessments and laboratory analyses were prospectively collected in the intention-to-treat analysis on pre-defined intervals after hospital discharge. Differences between randomised arms were investigated using Chi-square test for categorical and Wilcoxon test for continuous variables. The trial is registered with the Swiss National Clinical Trials Portal (SNCTP000004720) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04826588). Between May 21, 2021 and April 15, 2022, 75 patients with a median age of 9.1 years (IQR 6.2-12.2) were included in the intention-to-treat population (37 in the methylprednisolone group and 38 in the intravenous immunoglobulin group). During follow-up, the incidence of abnormal left ventricular systolic function, coronary artery aneurysms (CAA), and other signs of inflammation were comparable in both groups. However, we detected cardiac abnormalities with low incidence and a mild degree grade of pathology. CAAs were observed in 2/38 children (5.3%) in the IVIG group and 1/37 children (2.7%) in the methylprednisolone group at 6-month follow-up (difference proportion 0.75; 95% confidence interval (CI)-0.05 to 1.0; p=0.39). Methylprednisolone alone may be an acceptable first-line treatment as left ventricular systolic dysfunction and clinical/laboratory evidence for inflammation quickly resolved in all children. However, our findings need further confirmation through larger studies as our sample size is likely to be of insufficient power to address rare clinically relevant adverse outcomes. NOMIS, Vontobel, and Gaydoul Foundation.

Acidifying Spray Suspensions of Oxytetracycline and Kasugamycin Enhances Their Effectiveness for Fire Blight Control in Apple and Pear.

The stability of the fire blight control material, oxytetracycline, in water is strongly affected by pH, increasing with increasing acidity. From 2017 to 2021, pear and apple orchard trials were conducted to evaluate if acidic amendments to oxytetracycline sprays improve fire blight control. Compared with the water-treated control, infection suppression after two bloom applications of an acidified commercial oxytetracycline formulation averaged 85.9 ± 0.4% compared with 72.2 ± 1.7% without an acidifier, but individual trials frequently had insufficient statistical power to separate among acidified and non-acidified antibiotic treatments. Across trials, a significant linear relationship was observed for regression of relative infection suppression from oxytetracycline (hydrochloride formulation) on spray tank pH. Similar relationships were observed for oxytetracycline (calcium complex formulation) and kasugamycin (P values were 0.055 and 0.069, respectively). Also based on regression, acidified oxytetracycline and kasugamycin suppressed epiphytic populations of Erwinia amylovora on flowers to a greater degree than the antibiotic only. As spray suspensions, commercial oxytetracycline formulations at label rate and amended with citric acid (1.2 g/liter) in well water had pH values near 3.4, but after spraying, the pH of flowers washed in deionized water (1 ml/flower) measured in a range of 5.2 to 5.5 compared with a pH range of 5.8 to 6.0 after a treatment of oxytetracycline only. In pear fruit finish trials, sprays acidified with citric acid-based materials had negligible effects on fruit russeting. Based on a serological assay, the detectable residual of oxytetracycline on apple foliage was increased by co-application with citric acid compared with a non-acidified control.