Peak Time Research Articles

Hansen Solubility Parameters and QbD-Oriented HPLC Method Development and Validation for Dermatokinetic Study of a Miconazole-Loaded Cationic Nanoemulsion in Rat Model.

Miconazole (MCZ) is a potential antifungal drug to treat skin infections caused by Candida, Tinea pedis (athlete's foot fungal infection), Tinea cruris (jock itching in the groin and buttocks), and Tinea corporis (red scaly rash on the skin). The current study focused on Hansen parameter-based solvent selection (HSPiP software) and method development optimization using an experimental design tool for sensitive, accurate, reproducible, economic, rapid, robust, and precise methodology to quantify MCZ in rat plasma. Moreover, a Taguchi design was used for screening two independent factors (flow rate and ACN content). Quality by design (QbD) was employed to optimize and identify the right ratio of mobile phase composition and its impact on the peak and retention time. The elution of MCZ was achieved using methanol and acetonitrile (15:85 v/v ratio) at a retention time of 6 min and optimal flow rate (1 mL/min). Finally, the method was validated based on accuracy, precision, linearity, selectiveness, and high recovery at varied concentrations as per the International Council for Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The method was linear (r2 = 0.999) over the explored concentration range (250-2000 ng/mL) at 270 nm detection wavelength. The optimized method was used to quantify in vivo pharmacokinetic (PK) study after transdermal application of MCZ-loaded formulations (MCNE11, MNE11, MCZ-Sol, and MCZ-MKT). HSP-oriented solvent selection and quality by design-based optimized process variables and composition in the optimized analytical methodology were quite convincing and have been a cutting-edge MCZ analysis method so far. The validated method was robust, economic, and rapid with high specificity and selectivity.

Assessing the Knowledge and Attitude of Farmers towards Climate Change in Kishanganj District, Bihar, India

Climate change is viewed as the main problem of agriculture development in India. High dependence on agriculture and allied sectors makes the Indian state of Bihar vulnerable to climate change. Farmers' perceptions of climate change and their preferences for adaptation strategies must be understood in order to improve policies for addressing the issues that climate brings to farmers. Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to understand farmer’s perception of awareness of the climate change and their perception towards coping mechanism for changing climate. A total of 240 respondents were selected using purposive sampling in the % villages of Kishanganj district from March to May 2023. A descriptive research design was used in the study. Data was collected through face to face interview method using a semi structured interview schedule and analyzed using suitable statistical tools and techniques. It was found that the majority of farmers had a medium level of socio-economic characteristics. From the study result it was found that farmers were aware of about the climate change. Farmers agreed that the peak time of seasons has changed and there is a change in the onset of monsoon. Farmers exhibited resilience to changing climate through various local adaptation practices such as Switch to timely weather forecasting information, Climate-resilient practices, etc. The findings will help to refine and enrich the knowledge among the stakeholders to provide an effective framework for decisions and policy making.

Impact and analysis of urban water system connectivity project on regional water environment based on Storm Water Management Model (SWMM)

SWMM stands as a dynamic rainfall-runoff urban hydrological model, crafted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It adeptly replicates urban rainfall production and ground runoff, and the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) theory artfully reflects human-environment interactions. Urban Water System Connectivity (UWSC) fortifies connections among regional rivers, transforming them into an intricate, dense network. To study the improvement of the regional water environment by the UWSC project, this study takes the UWSC project in Runan County, Zhumadian, China as the research object, constructs a hydrodynamic and water quality model based on SWMM, and simulates it under different rainfall situations. At the same time, the ecological service value theory and PSR theory are used to establish an ecological effect index system to analyze the ecological effect before and after the UWSC project. This paper evaluates the urban water system connectivity project from three aspects: hydrodynamic, water quality, and ecological effects. Results underscore that the post-UWSC era witnesses decreased river flood flows in varied design rainfalls, accompanied by delayed flood peaks. Under P = 10a and P = 20a rainfalls, peak flow reductions of 6.6% and 4.96% respectively, manifest with peak time lags of 0.17h. Flow rate adjustments align with flow behavior, exhibiting decreased peak flow rates accompanied by temporal lags. Initial river flow increases by about 30%, amplifying river water body exchange capacity. Following the UWSC implementation, the study area's five primary rivers display TSS reductions ranging from 46% to 86.94%, COD from 36.98% to 92.43%, TN from 45.9% to 92.96%, TP from 35.71% to 84.78%, and NH3–N from 38.52% to 92.19%. Simulated point source pollution, under comparable initial conditions, indicates pollutant decay rates escalating from 3.2%–20%–35.71%–92.43%. Ecological impact ascends from 6.33 × 108 RMB to 9.65 × 108 RMB, reflecting a 52.5% escalation. The UWSC initiative enriches urban river flood resilience and water quality, emblematic of urban water ecological civilization progress.

Thematic Analysis of Mental Health Nurses' Views of Contributing Factors Fueling Workplace Violence in Psychiatric Hospitals: Insights From Unsung Soldiers.

Workplace violence against mental health nurses is an international phenomenon that sparks concerns for nurses' safety and mental health. This phenomenon has recently arisen as a crucial concern in the Middle East as it has become pervasive and has negative implications, causing nurses to accumulate psychological and emotional distress. However, no research has yet investigated the contributing factors of this phenomenon in Jordanian psychiatric hospitals from the nurses' perspectives. This study aimed to explore the factors contributing to workplace violence in Jordanian psychiatric hospitals from the perspective of mental health nurses. An exploratory, qualitative design was utilized. Using audio-recorded, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews, a purposive sample of 24 mental health nurses were interviewed to collect data. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Four overarching themes were identified: Peak Time of Violence, Unavoidable Part of the Job, Poor Organization and Lack of Policy, and Bite the Bullet. From nurses' perspectives, an in-depth understanding of factors contributing to workplace violence provides a foundation for developing preventive interventions, improving work environment safety, and promoting nurses' mental health. Prevention strategies and further studies are warranted to limit this phenomenon.

Development and validation of a simple and rapid UPLC-MS/MS method for loganin and its application in pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies

Ethnopharmacological relevanceCornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. is a medicinal and edible homolog in traditional Chinese medicine. Loganin, an iridoid glycoside, is one of the main active components of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. Loganin has been demonstrated to improve depression-like behavior and may be a potential antidepressant candidate. However, the pharmacokinetic characteristics and tissue distribution of loganin, especially in the brain region, are still unclear. Aim of the studyThis study aims to investigate the pharmacokinetic characteristics and tissue distribution after oral administration of loganin in rats. Materials and methodsA simple, rapid and reproducible UPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the determination of loganin in rat plasma and tissues. The samples were prepared by acetonitrile precipitation with chloramphenicol as internal standard (IS). Loganin was separated by gradient elution on ACQUITY UPLC®BEH C18 (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) using multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) mode. Concentration-time data was subjected to pharmacokinetic analysis. The pharmacokinetic parameters of loganin in rat plasma were analyzed by compartment model using DAS 2.0 software. ResultsThe established UPLC-MS/MS method was accurate and reliable with a good linearity (R2 > 0.99) in the respective concentration range, satisfying the quantitative requirements. This method was successfully used to study the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution after oral administration of loganin in rats. The peak time (Tmax) of oral administration was about 40 min, and the half-life (t1/2) was about 50 min, indicating that loganin was quickly absorbed and eliminated in rats. Oral bioavailability was 5.50%. The dose correlation results showed that AUC had a poor correlation with dose, while Cmax had a good correlation with dose. In tissues, loganin (35 mg/kg) was highly distributed in the stomach, small intestine, kidney, liver and lung. When the dose was 70 mg/kg, loganin had significant distribution in the cortex. ConclusionIn this study, a simple and sensitive UPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the determination of loganin in rat plasma and tissues. Loganin was absorbed quickly, eliminated quickly, and had low bioavailability. The distribution of loganin in the cortex was higher than that in the hippocampus. We hope that our results can provide a reference for loganin to become a new antidepressant.

Effect of fluid viscosity on the biomechanical sequence of oropharyngeal swallowing in healthy males

Objective: To confirm the effect of fluid with different viscosity on the normal biomechanical sequence of oropharyngeal swallowing in healthy males. Methods: Fifteen healthy male subjects [(27.7±1.8) years old] were recruited from November 2011 to February 2012 and instructed to swallow 15 ml of water (W), nectar-like fluid (N), and honey-like fluid (H) in an upright sitting position. The sensing system was consisted of tongue pressure sensor sheet, bend sensor, surface electrodes and microphone. They were used to monitor tongue pressure, hyoid activity, surface electromyography (EMG) of swallowing-related muscles and swallowing sound, respectively. The swallowing sound was chosen as the reference time. The significance of biomechanical sequence of structural events was determined by repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: When swallowing liquid of any consistency, hyoid premotor and suprahyoid muscle electromyography (EMG) appeared synchronously (P>0.05), followed by the simultaneous appearances of hyoid rapid movement, peak time of suprahyoid muscle EMG, onset of infrahyoid muscle EMG, and anterior tongue pressure production (P>0.05). The peak time of infrahyoid muscle EMG was very close to the peak time of anterior tongue pressure (P>0.05), and both of them were earlier than the time that the hyoid reaching the highest position (P<0.05). At last, the time that the hyoid departing the highest position was synchronized with the disappearances of suprahyoid muscle EMG, infrahyoid muscle EMG, and tongue pressure (P>0.05). The tongue pressure production and peak time of tongue pressure arose from anterior to posterior along the midline of hard palate during normal swallowing, with the significances for tongue pressure production between the anterior site and the middle site (W: P=0.035, N: P=0.027, H: P=0.013) as well as the anterior site and the posterior site (W: P<0.001, N: P<0.001, H: P<0.001), while the appearance and peak time of the circumferential tongue pressure were very close (P>0.05). The increase of fluid viscosity did not affect the biomechanical sequence of the above structural physiological movements during normal swallowing. There were statistically significant differences between the hyoid premotor and the onset of suprahyoid muscle EMG when swallowing the honey-like liquid [(-1.03±0.47) and (-0.90±0.50) s] and water[(-0.87±0.32) and (-0.74±0.31) s] (P<0.001). Among the delayed structural events, except for the onset of infrahyoid muscle EMG and the tongue pressure production on the anterior site (P>0.05), the occurrences of all the parameters in swallowing honey-like fluid were significantly later than those in swallowing water (onset of hyoid rapid movement, P=0.007; time of hyoid reaching the highest position, P=0.034; time of hyoid departing the highest position, P=0.041; offset of hyoid movement, P=0.035; peak time of suprahyoid muscle EMG: P=0.040; offset of suprahyoid muscle EMG, P=0.014; peak time of infrahyoid muscle EMG: P=0.042; offset of infrahyoid muscle EMG, P=0.028; peak time of Ch.1: P=0.045; offset of Ch.1: P=0.012; onset of Ch.2: P=0.038; peak time of Ch.2: P=0.009; offset of Ch.2: P=0.034; onset of Ch.3: P=0.043; peak time of Ch.3: P=0.011; offset of Ch.3: P=0.026;onset of Ch.4: P=0.040; peak time of Ch.4: P=0.038; offset of Ch.4: P=0.033; onset of Ch.5: P=0.046; peak time of Ch.5:P=0.028; offset of Ch.5: P<0.001), but not for those between nectar-like fluid and honey-like fluid (P>0.05). Conclusions: The alteration of fluid viscosity did not affect healthy male biomechanical sequence of tongue, hyoid and swallowing-related muscles during normal swallowing. The biomechanics of the oropharyngeal structures is physiologically regulated with the alteration of fluid viscosity to ensure swallowing safely and smoothly.

Sweet potato starch-based tapioca grits: influence of moringa seed flour inclusion on the functional, rheological, and sensory qualities of the gruel

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of moringa seed flour (MSF) inclusion on the functional and rheological properties of sweet potato starch (SPS)-based tapioca grits and the sensory acceptability of the gruel. The MSF (2-10%) was properly blended with the SPS (90-98%), using the Central Composite Rotatable Design of the Design-Expert Software. Each blend of the SPS and the MSF, 100%SPS, and cassava starch (CS) were separately toasted at 120 -150oC for 20 min. The grits' functional and pasting properties and the gruel's sensory acceptability were determined using standard methods. The results depict that the MSF inclusion increased the bulk density (80.00 to 83.00%) and oil absorption capacity (70.00 – 81.50%), while the water absorption capacity (518.50 – 108.50%), solubility index (14.00 – 2.00%), and swelling power (13.75-5.58%) decreased. Also, the SPS-MSF tapioca grit’s peak (332.88 – 426.17 RVU), trough (162.04 – 302.71 RVU), final (228.08 – 456.59 RVU), and setback (66.04 – 153.88 RVU) viscosities, peak time (4.34 – 5.90 min) and pasting temperature (57.40 – 82.40oC) increased with MSF inclusion, and the breakdown viscosity (170.84- 52.79 RVU) decreased. Although all the sensory attributes of the SPS-MSF tapioca gruel fall within the likeness range, tapioca gruel produced from 98 g SPS and 10 g MSF blends (7.91) was very much liked compared to the CS tapioca gruel (7.09) in terms of the overall acceptability. Therefore, adding MSF to the SPS-based tapioca grits influences most of the cooked gruel's rheological properties and sensory acceptability.

Telework, travel times, and peak hour avoidance in England: An overview using travel times across five weekdays

This study examines the association of telework and travel times for work and non-work purposes at peak and off-peak times over the five-day workweek (Monday-Friday). Two seemingly competing hypotheses are considered. The first is that teleworkers travel less and avoid peak hours because of a greater flexibility of their working hours. The second is that teleworkers have to travel at peak times as much as others, due to the temporal ordering of the cities and society. Data for residents of England from the 2015–2019 UK National Travel Surveys (NTS) are used. Overall, the analysis suggests that when considering the five-day workweek, teleworkers experience longer travel times than other workers for both work and non-work purposes. The longer travel times for work reflect the fact that teleworkers are more likely to hold professional or managerial positions, have higher incomes, commute by train, and/or work in London. The association of telework and non-work travel times remains once employment, commute, socioeconomic and location factors are taken into account. There is also indicative evidence for some net peak avoidance among teleworkers for commuting but not for non-work travel. The findings thus suggest that both hypotheses may hold, although the first for commuting and the second for non-work travel. Whether the conclusions extend to teleworking after the COVID-19 pandemic remains to be examined using NTS or similar data, but it is not implausible that qualitative differences in teleworkers’ travel times and peak hour travel pre- and post-pandemic may not be as large as public discourse might suggest.

Getting Jab or Regular Test: Observations from an Impulsive Epidemic COVID-19 Model.

Several safe and effective vaccines are available to prevent individuals from experiencing severe illness or death as a result of COVID-19. Widespread vaccination is widely regarded as a critical tool in the fight against the disease. However, some individuals may choose not to vaccinate due to vaccine hesitancy or other medical conditions. In some sectors, regular compulsory testing is required for such unvaccinated individuals. Interestingly, different sectors require testing at various frequencies, such as weekly or biweekly. As a result, it is essential to determine the optimal testing frequency and identify underlying factors. This study proposes a population-based model that can accommodate different personal decision choices, such as getting vaccinated or undergoing regular tests, as well as vaccine efficacies and uncertainties in epidemic transmission. The model, formulated as impulsive differential equations, uses time instants to represent the reporting date for the test result of an unvaccinated individual. By employing well-accepted indices to measure transmission risk, including the basic reproduction number, the peak time, the final size, and the number of severe infections, the study shows that an optimal testing frequency is highly sensitive to parameters involved in the transmission process, such as vaccine efficacy, disease transmission rate, test accuracy, and existing vaccination coverage. The testing frequency should be appropriately designed with the consideration of all these factors, as well as the control objectives measured by epidemiological quantities of great concern.

Modeling and analysis of the influence caused by micro-vibration on satellite attitude control system

A closed-loop integrated model including micro-vibration disturbance, dynamic characteristics of satellite, optical system of star sensor and attitude control algorithm is established. The control torque error caused by additional disturbance torque and the star sensor imaging error caused by structural resonance is fully integrated analyzed, which are firstly presented into the attitude control system (ACS). Steady-state and transient response analyses are completed to evaluate the impact of such two errors on performances of (ACS). Steady-state response results show that the effect of control torque error appears in lower frequency band with a peak of 6.784E-8″ at 53 Hz, while influence of star sensor imaging error on attitude determination mainly concentrates in high frequency band with maximum response of 0.4101″ at 315 Hz. Transient response results show that the two errors will not significantly affect control indicators such as rise time, overshoot and peak time. The results indicate that the influence of star sensor imaging error is non-negligible for satellite ACS which required milli-arc-second attitude control accuracy. According to the analytical results, traditional analysis only on payload optical axis cannot reveal the whole impact of micro vibration on LOS error, the two errors of micro-vibration introduced to ACS in this work must be considered for the development of spacecraft with 0.1″ pointing accuracy.

To vaccinate or to isolate? Establishing which intervention leads to measurable mortality reduction during the COVID-19 Delta wave in Poland.

During the Delta variant COVID-19 wave in Poland there were serious regional differences in vaccination rates and discrepancies in the enforcement of pandemic preventive measures, which allowed us to assess the relative effectiveness of the policies implemented. Creating a model that would predict mortality based on vaccination rates among the most vulnerable groups and the timing of the wave peak enabled us to calculate to what extent flattening the curve reduced mortality. Subsequently, a model was created to assess which preventive measures delayed the peak of infection waves. Combining those two models allowed us to estimate the relative effectiveness of those measures. Flattening the infection curve worked: according to our model, each week of postponing the peak of the wave reduced excess deaths by 1.79%. Saving a single life during the Delta wave required one of the following: either the vaccination of 57 high-risk people, or 1,258 low-risk people to build herd immunity, or the isolation of 334 infected individuals for a cumulative period of 10.1 years, or finally quarantining 782 contacts for a cumulative period of 19.3 years. Except for the most disciplined societies, vaccination of high-risk individuals followed by vaccinating low-risk groups should have been the top priority instead of relying on isolation and quarantine measures which can incur disproportionately higher social costs. Our study demonstrates that even in a country with uniform policies, implementation outcomes varied, highlighting the importance of fine-tuning policies to regional specificity.

Ozone air quality deteriorated by inter-provincial transport downwind of Seoul metropolitan area

While ozone air quality has continuously improved in major cities worldwide, it has recently degraded in cities in East Asia, including South Korea. This study aims to examine one possible mechanism for an ozone episode during the summertime that is the deteriorated air quality by inter-provincial transport. We analyzed an ozone episode that occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area and its surrounding areas during early summer. We used the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model, employing the Process Analysis (PA) method, to estimate the contributions of inter-provincial transport of ozone and its precursors from the metropolitan area to downwind cities. First of all, the observation data showed that the daily maximum 1-h average ozone (O3) concentrations in the surrounding cities exceeded 100 ppb for at least three consecutive days from June 2nd to 6th, 2019. In the cluster analysis of diurnal patterns, it was evident that the daily maximum O3 concentration increased from the metropolitan area to the downwind cities, with peak times occurred up to 2-h later. In the PA results of surface O3 concentration in the CMAQ simulations, a significant downward diffusion of ozone was observed in Seoul during the daytime due to the strong chemical reduction of ozone (i.e., NO titration). On the other hand, Chuncheon and Wonju, the major downwind cities, exhibited a significant positive contribution of vertical transport to surface O3 concentration as the boundary layer develops in the morning. The ozone in the residual layer at night was primarily produced in the metropolitan area and ,then, transported to downwind cities through inter-provincial transport. Consequently, this implies that the inter-provincial transport of ozone in the atmospheric boundary layer plays an important role in the formation of a multi-day ozone episode in the downwind cities of metropolitan area.

Low-cost nutrient-dense composite flours for children aged 1-5 years developed from locally available foods

Childhood malnutrition persists in low-income countries due to inadequate diet diversity and nutrient density. For seasonal crops, consumers make food substitutions based on price variations which has dietary implications and can cause episodes of nutritional deficiencies. Locally available foodstuffs can be used to formulate low-cost nutritionally adequate food mixtures. Design-Expert® and Nutrisurvey software were used to generate nutrient-dense formulations for the dry season (n=2) and wet season (n=5) from low-cost locally available foods in Eastern Uganda (sweet potatoes, sorghum, soybeans, beans, sesame, groundnuts and maize). Composite flours of the formulations were prepared and cooked following the World Food Program (WFP) recommendations and consumer acceptability determined using a consumer panel (n=43). The most acceptable formulation for the dry season (D2) and the most acceptable formulation for the wet season (R5) were selected for the determination of functional properties (dispersibility, bulk density and water absorption index (WAI) and water solubility index (WSI)), pasting properties (peak viscosity, breakdown viscosity, final viscosity, setback viscosity and peak time), color and nutrient density (energy content, sugars, starch, protein, crude fat, fiber, ash, iron and zinc). D2 contained 25.35g of sorghum, 1.31g of soybeans, 4.34g of beans, 33.11g of sesame and 35.89g of groundnuts per 100g of formulation. R5 contained 4.95g of maize, 20.98g of sorghum, 5.49g of beans, 29.39g of sesame and 39.19g of groundnuts per 100g of formulation. The nutrient densities of D2 and R5 when cooked according to WFP recommendations were also determined. D2 and R5 had high dispersibility (77.2-76.8%), low water absorption index (1.7-2.0g/g) and high water solubility index (0.2-0.3g/g). The pasting properties indicated that the formulations form stable low viscosity pastes that can withstand breakdown during cooking and have high resistance to retrogradation on cooling. Cooked D2 (100g) contained 87.2kcal, 9.5g starch, 2.3g sugars, 5.8g protein, 1.6g fat, 1.7g fiber, 2.3mg iron and 1.6mg zinc. Cooked R5 (100g) had 71.4kcal, 7.1g starch, 2.6g sugars, 4.2g protein, 0.9g fat, 1.0g fiber, 1.9mg iron and 1.4mg zinc. The cooked samples provided more than 50% of the Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) for children aged 1-5 years for protein and zinc per serving (200g for children aged 1-3 years and 250g for children aged 4-5 years). Adopting formulations developed in this study can potentially contribute to reducing undernutrition in children aged 1-5 years. Key words: Low-cost nutrient-dense foods, composite flours, infant feeding, pasting properties, malnutrition

Direction-dependent differences in the quality and quantity of horizontal reaching in people after stroke.

Arm reaching is often impaired in individuals with stroke. Nonetheless, how aiming directions influence reaching performance and how such differences change with motor recovery over time remain unclear. Here, we elucidated kinematic parameters of reaching toward various directions in people with poststroke hemiparesis in the subacute phase. A total of 13 and 15 participants with mild and moderate-to-severe hemiparesis, respectively, performed horizontal reaching in eight directions with their more-affected and less-affected sides using an exoskeleton robotic device at the time of admission to and discharge from the rehabilitation ward of the hospital. The movement time, path length, and number of velocity peaks were computed for the mild group (participants able to reach toward all eight directions). In addition, the total amount of displacement (i.e., movement quantity) toward two simplified directions (mediolateral or anteroposterior) was evaluated for the moderate-to-severe group (participants who showed difficulty in completing the reaching task). Motor recovery was evaluated using the Fugl-Meyer assessment. The mild group showed worse values of movement parameters during reaching in the anteroposterior direction, irrespective of the side of the arm or motor recovery achieved. The moderate-to-severe group exhibited less movement toward the anteroposterior direction than toward the mediolateral direction at admission; however, this direction-dependent bias in movement quantity decreased, with the movement expanding toward the anteroposterior direction with motor recovery at discharge. These results suggest that direction-dependent differences in the quality and quantity of reaching performance exist in people after stroke, regardless of the presence or severity of hemiparesis. This highlights the need to consider the task work area when designing rehabilitative training.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Arm reaching, a fundamental function required for the upper extremities, is often impaired after stroke due to muscle weakness and abnormal synergies. Nonetheless, how aiming directions influence performance remains unclear. Here, we report that direction-dependent differences in the quality and quantity of reaching performance exist, surprisingly regardless of the presence or severity of hemiparesis. This result highlights the need to consider the task work area when designing rehabilitative training.

Seasonality of cholera in Kolkata and the influence of climate

BackgroundCholera in Kolkata remains endemic and the Indian city is burdened with a high number of annual cases. Climate change is widely considered to exacerbate cholera, however the precise relationship between climate and cholera is highly heterogeneous in space and considerable variation can be observed even within the Indian subcontinent. To date, relatively few studies have been conducted regarding the influence of climate on cholera in Kolkata.MethodsWe considered 21 years of confirmed cholera cases from the Infectious Disease Hospital in Kolkata during the period of 1999–2019. We used Generalised Additive Modelling (GAM) to extract the non-linear relationship between cholera and different climatic factors; temperature, rainfall and sea surface temperature (SST). Peak associated lag times were identified using cross-correlation lag analysis.ResultsOur findings revealed a bi-annual pattern of cholera cases with two peaks coinciding with the increase in temperature in summer and the onset of monsoon rains. Variables selected as explanatory variables in the GAM model were temperature and rainfall. Temperature was the only significant factor associated with summer cholera (mean temperature of 30.3 °C associated with RR of 3.8) while rainfall was found to be the main driver of monsoon cholera (550 mm total monthly rainfall associated with RR of 3.38). Lag time analysis revealed that the association between temperature and cholera cases in the summer had a longer peak lag time compared to that between rainfall and cholera during the monsoon. We propose several mechanisms by which these relationships are mediated.ConclusionsKolkata exhibits a dual-peak phenomenon with independent mediating factors. We suggest that the summer peak is due to increased bacterial concentration in urban water bodies, while the monsoon peak is driven by contaminated flood waters. Our results underscore the potential utility of preventative strategies tailored to these seasonal and climatic patterns, including efforts to reduce direct contact with urban water bodies in summer and to protect residents from flood waters during monsoon.

Relationships between starch molecular components and eating and cooking qualities of rice using single-segment substitution lines with different Wx loci

Waxy (Wx) gene in rice endosperm synthesizes amylose and amylopectin extra-long chain (ELC). Five rice lines with different Wx locus single-segment substitutions under the same genetic background were investigated for relationships of their starch molecular components and eating and cooking qualities (ECQs) including pasting, thermal, textural and sensory properties. Rice lines with different Wx loci exhibited different ECQs, and their starches had different apparent amylose contents (AACs), true amylose contents (TACs), ELC contents (ELCCs), and amylopectin chain length distributions. The AAC was correlated positively to hardness and cohesiveness of cooked rice, and negatively to adhesiveness and palatability of cooked rice and breakdown viscosity of rice flour. The TAC was correlated positively to gelatinization temperature range and negatively to gelatinization temperature and enthalpy. ELCC showed a positive relationship with pasting peak time of rice flour and chewiness of cooked rice, and could potentially be used as an important reference for rice ECQ evaluation. This study could help the applications of Wx loci in rice quality breeding.

The Iron Yield of Core-collapse Supernovae

We present a systematic analysis of 191 stripped-envelope supernovae (SE SNe), aimed at computing their 56Ni masses from the luminosity in their radioactive tails () and/or in their maximum light, and the mean 56Ni and iron yields of SE SNe and core-collapse SNe. Our sample consists of SNe IIb, Ib, and Ic from the literature and from the Zwicky Transient Facility Bright Transient Survey. To calculate luminosities from optical photometry, we compute bolometric corrections using 49 SE SNe with optical and near-IR photometry, and develop corrections to account for the unobserved UV and IR flux. We find that the equation of Khatami & Kasen for radioactive 56Ni-powered transients with a single free parameter does not fit the observed peak time–luminosity relation of SE SNe. Instead, we find a correlation between , peak time, peak luminosity, and decline rate, which allows for measuring individual 56Ni masses to a precision of 14%. Applying this method to the whole sample, we find, for SNe IIb, Ib, and Ic, mean 56Ni masses of 0.066 ± 0.006, 0.082 ± 0.009, and 0.132 ± 0.011 M ⊙, respectively. After accounting for their relative rates, for SE SNe as a whole, we compute mean 56Ni and iron yields of 0.090 ± 0.005 and 0.097 ± 0.007 M ⊙, respectively. Combining these results with the recent Type II SN mean 56Ni mass derived by Rodríguez et al., core-collapse SNe, as a whole, have mean 56Ni and iron yields of 0.055 ± 0.006 and 0.058 ± 0.007 M ⊙, respectively. We also find that radioactive 56Ni-powered models typically underestimate the peak luminosity of SE SNe by 60%–70%, suggesting the presence of an additional power source contributing to the luminosity at peak.

Accurately summarizing an outbreak using epidemiological models takes time.

Recent outbreaks of Mpox and Ebola, and worrying waves of COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, have all led to a sharp increase in the use of epidemiological models to estimate key epidemiological parameters. The feasibility of this estimation task is known as the practical identifiability (PI) problem. Here, we investigate the PI of eight commonly reported statistics of the classic susceptible-infectious-recovered model using a new measure that shows how much a researcher can expect to learn in a model-based Bayesian analysis of prevalence data. Our findings show that the basic reproductive number and final outbreak size are often poorly identified, with learning exceeding that of individual model parameters only in the early stages of an outbreak. The peak intensity, peak timing and initial growth rate are better identified, being in expectation over 20 times more probable having seen the data by the time the underlying outbreak peaks. We then test PI for a variety of true parameter combinations and find that PI is especially problematic in slow-growing or less-severe outbreaks. These results add to the growing body of literature questioning the reliability of inferences from epidemiological models when limited data are available.

Rapid Detection of Co‐Seismic Ionospheric Disturbances Associated With the 2015 Illapel, the 2014 Iquique and the 2011 Sanriku‐Oki Earthquakes

AbstractCo‐seismic Ionospheric disturbances (CID, or “ionoquakes”) are disturbances in the electron density or total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere, produced by the ground motion due to earthquakes. Usually, ionoquakes are detected in the near‐epicentral region within 8–10 min after an earthquake onset time. In this work, we present a new methodology that allows to estimate the CID arrival time based on determining the CID peak time in TEC measurements with respect to the peak time of seismic waves registered by the nearest seismic station. Our methodology also allows to understand the altitude of GNSS detection that otherwise remains ambiguous. We apply the newly developed techniques to detect CID signatures associated with three large earthquakes: the 2015 Illapel, the 2014 Iquique, and the 2011 Sanriku‐Oki. We show that for these events, the CID arrive 250–430 s after the time of the seismic wave peak, or 350–700 s after the earthquake onset time. Our analysis show that the first CID are detected at the altitudes of 150–180 km (the Sanriku earthquake) and of 200–300 km (the Illapel and the Iquique earthquakes). The disturbances represent high‐frequency acoustic oscillations that propagate with a horizontal speed faster than 0.75 km/s.

PEAKS PREDICTION OF BUILDING CARBON EMISSION BASED ON BUILDING ENERGY CONSUMPTION MONITORING: A CASE STUDY OF NINGBO CITY

ABSTRACT The premise of implementing the total amount control plan of building carbon emission should be based on the prediction of the future change trend of building carbon emission. This paper investigates and analyzes peaks of building carbon emission in Ningbo city of China through the Ningbo’s building energy monitoring platform and uses the STIRPAT model to predict the medium and long-term carbon emissions in Ningbo. The peak time and peak value of carbon in the construction field at the city level under the dynamic scenario are simulated based on the Monte Carlo method. The results show that under the benchmark scenario, the carbon emission in the construction field of Ningbo will peak around 2037, with a peak of 22.68 million tons. Through the improvement of building energy-saving laws and regulations, the popularization of green energy-saving buildings, and the establishment of a building energy-saving system, the Ningbo construction department will achieve its carbon emission peak time in 2031 (±2), with a peak of about 15.45 (±1.07) million tons of CO2.