Restricted Period Research Articles

The consequence of the closure of primary care dental services on secondary care during the COVID-19 pandemic – A national outlook

BackgroundAfter the global pandemic of COVID-19 in March 2020, restrictions were implemented on all aspects of routine dental-care with a primary focus to urgent care only. AimTo investigate the impact on secondary care medical facilities and Emergency Department (ED) admissions for the management of severe dental infections as a result of restricted access to routine primary dental-care during the period of COVID-19 restrictions. DesignNational level Hospital Episode Statistics was used to describe the number of inpatient admissions for the drainage of a dental abscess and the attendance for dental related to ED. Data was stratified across ethnicity, sex and deprivation. ResultsThere was a decrease in admission to secondary care for dental infection and total admissions during the initial period of national lockdown due to COVID-19. Incidence of dental abscess drainage equalled 4.51 per100,000 person years from 2018 to 2021. There was a 209 % increase in admissions in patients with greatest deprivation. This was much more exaggerated compared to that of non-dental comparison conditions and total inpatient admissions. Using subsequent inpatient admission as a marker of severity, 4.2 % dentally related ED attendance required onward admission. ConclusionA large proportion of ED attendances with dental related conditions did not require inpatient admission, therefore a large proportion of ED attendances could be managed more appropriately in specific dental services. Dental infections requiring surgical admission disproportionality affects the most deprived communities of the population which is much more exaggerated compared to peri-anal and total inpatient admissions. This highlights the inequalities and links with deprivation that exist in oral and dental health in England, which is much greater than that of general health if total admissions are used as maker for this. This research highlights the need to improve access to primary dental-care services.

Long-term influence of sleep/wake history on the dynamic neurobehavioural response to sustained sleep restriction.

Chronic sleep restriction, common in today's 24/7 society, causes cumulative neurobehavioural impairment, but the dynamics of the build-up and dissipation of this impairment have not been fully elucidated. We addressed this knowledge gap in a laboratory study involving two, 5-day periods of sleep restriction to 4 hr per day, separated by a 1-day dose-response intervention sleep opportunity. We measured sleep physiological and waking neurobehavioural responses in 70 healthy adults, each randomized to one of seven dose-response intervention sleep doses ranging from 0 to 12 hr, or a non-sleep-restricted control group. As anticipated, sleep physiological markers showed homeostatic dynamics throughout the study, and waking neurobehavioural impairment accumulated across the two sleep restriction periods. Unexpectedly, there was only a slight and short-lived effect of the 1-day dose-response intervention sleep opportunity. Whether the dose-response intervention sleep opportunity involved extension, further restriction or total deprivation of sleep, neurobehavioural functioning during the subsequent second sleep restriction period was dominated by prior sleep-wake history. Our findings revealed a profound and enduring influence of long-term sleep-wake history as a fundamental aspect of the dynamic regulation of the neurobehavioural response to sleep loss.

The experiences of family members of persons with intellectual disabilities who used residential care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe global COVID-19 pandemic has shown the vulnerability of some population groups, including persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).AimThe present paper will provide more clarity and understanding of the experiences of family members of persons with IDD housed in residential facilities in Catalonia within the period of maximum restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods and proceduresSemi-structured interviews were conducted using an interpretive phenomenological qualitative approach. Study participants consisted of 14 relatives of IDD individuals who were institutionalized in residence facilities or homes. The guiding questions emerged from group discussions with relatives of those with IDD who did not participate in the subsequent interviews. Drawing from this group, the factors that were identified to have had the greatest impact on their lives were later used to guide the interviews. Data collection was carried out in face-to-face individual interviews that were recorded together with the observations of two researchers between February and October 2022.ResultsOur analysis identified 4 main themes that developed into additional factors: the decision to stay at home or in the residence, fear, illness, and protocol. Individuals with IDD lost their daily routines, suffered from social isolation, and did not understand the situation.ConclusionThe results of this study allow for a better understanding of the experiences of families of persons with IDD in residential centres during the lockdown by identifying their needs and how to better support them in the future.Outcomes and resultsKnowledge and understanding of these events should allow for better management of similar situations in the future.

The Implications of the Pandemic with Covid-19 in the Glycemic Control of People with Type 2 Diabetes.

The COVID-19 lockdown influenced the glycemic control and other metabolic parameters in people with type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus. To study the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our study group included 120 Romanian people with T2DM from both urban and rural areas. We employed a structured questionnaire with multiple-choice to collect data about DM management during lockdown, the interaction with their diabetologist, the access to treatment, and what other factors influenced their DM management during the lockdown. We did not observe an increase of numbers of hyper or hypoglycemia during the restriction period in people with T2DM. The number of glycemic imbalances was higher in people treated with insulin than those with oral antidiabetics (OAD) (p=0.003, X2=8.91). Regarding the causes of imbalances, we did not obtain a significant difference during the restriction period, neither between patients following treatment with insulin nor with OAD. On the contrary, we observed that only 26.7% of people with T2DM managed to maintain their weight or lost weight vs 73.3% patients who gained several extra kg (p<0.001, X2=52.26). The findings of this study have demonstrated that in people with T2DM, the COVID-19 lockdown determines better glycemic control among patients treated with OAD compared to those treated with insulin therapy. Anxiety, stress, and emotions were the main reasons that led to the increase in glycemic values of these patients. Also, most patients have gained weight either due to lack of physical activity or due to stress.

The COVID-19 pandemic and neurology: A survey on previous and continued restrictions for clinical practice, curricular training, and health economics.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted health systems worldwide. Here, we assessed the pandemic's impact on clinical service, curricular training, and financial burden from a neurological viewpoint during the enforced lockdown periods and the assumed recovery by 2023. An online 18-item survey was conducted by the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) NeuroCOVID-19 Task Force among the EAN community. The survey was online between February and March 2023. Questions related to general, demographic, clinical, work, education, and economic aspects. We collected 430 responses from 79 countries. Most health care professionals were aged 35-44 years, with >15 years of work experience. The key findings of their observations were as follows. (i) Clinical services were cut back in all neurological subspecialties during the most restrictive COVID-19 lockdown period. The most affected neurological subspecialties were services for patients with dementia, and neuromuscular and movement disorders. The levels of reduction and the pace of recovery were distinct for acute emergencies and in- and outpatient care. Recovery was slow for sleep medicine, autonomic nervous system disorders, neurorehabilitation, and dementia care. (ii) Student and residency rotations and grand rounds were reorganized, and congresses were converted into a virtual format. Conferences are partly maintained in a hybrid format. (iii) Affordability of neurological care and medication shortage are emerging issues. Recovery of neurological services up to spring 2023 has been incomplete following substantial disruption of neurological care, medical education, and health economics in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The continued limitations for the delivery of neurological care threaten brain health and call for action on a global scale.

ANALYSIS OF CARBONMONICIDE (CO) AIR QUALITY IN DKI JAKARTA DUE TO LARGE-SCALE SOCIAL RESTRICTIONS (PSBB) POLICIES FIRST VOLUME USING CLOUD- BASED COMPUTING ON GOOGLE EARTH ENGINE

VThe corona virus first appeared in Wuhan, China and spread to Indonesia in 2020, causing the Indonesian government to implement Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) in several cities, one of which is DKI Jakarta. The government is implementing Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) which aims to stop the spread of the corona virus. During the Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) period, all community activities were mostly carried out at home, many public facilities were closed. With the implementation of the Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) policy which limits community activities in DKI Jakarta, it turns out it also has an impact on the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) gas emissions in the air . This research uses a statistical analysis method for CO gas emissions from Sentinel-5P imagery which is extracted using cloud-based computing on Google Earth Engine. V isualization of the spatial distribution of CO gas emission content was carried out by interpolating CO data extracted using the kriging interpolation method. The results of the research show that in the first volume of the PSBB on April 10 - June 4 2020 , an unstable CO concentration pattern was seen and the average CO was obtained, namely, 0.03187 mol/m 2 . In the period a year after the first volume of PSBB 10 A April-4 June 2021, there was an increase in CO concentration by 10% to 0.0352 mol/m 2 , so this shows that the implementation of the first volume of PSBB in DKI Jakarta affected the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) in the air

Stitchers of Instagram

Stitchers of Instagram

Variation in litter occupancy and dust bathing patterns among layer strains following periods of litter restriction

Producers are moving toward cage-free systems to house laying hens. These include aviary styles with multilevel wire enclosures and litter areas on the floor. In aviaries with doors hens can be confined within the tiered enclosure, which can be done to promote oviposition in nests and prevent hens from laying eggs in litter. However, there are multiple genetic strains of laying hen used in the egg industry, and some show different temporal patterns for key behaviors that could affect when they want to be on litter. For example, though dust bathing by laying hens is typically considered to peak in early afternoon, there may be variation in timing of motivation to dust bathe among strains. Differences in hens' temporal patterns, coupled with aviary configurations or management practices, may restricts birds' ability to perform important behaviors, such as dust bathing (DB), when they would most prefer to do them. Our objective was to determine if there were strain differences in the temporal pattern of DB. We examined the timing of DB in 4 strains of laying hen (Hy-Line Brown [HB], Bovans Brown [BB], DeKalb White [DW], and Hy-Line W36 [W36]) housed in aviaries using 144 hens of each strain per aviary unit (4 units/strain). We recorded the number of hens DB and on litter using instantaneous scan sampling every 5 min using video collected at 26 and 28 wk of age beginning at 11:35 (when litter access began each day) to 20:00 (lights off). Brown strains acclimated to litter access more slowly than white strains. Hens of all strains DB most often soon after gaining access to litter, and more white hens (DW and W36) DB simultaneously and in the presence of more conspecifics. Further examination of diurnal rhythm of behaviors, such as dust bathing, under unconstrained conditions by a range of genetic strains of laying hens is needed to design management practices and aviary styles that best meet hens' needs.

Variability in Stomatal Adaptation to Drought among Grapevine Cultivars: Genotype-Dependent Responses

Leaf stomata are the primary determinants of the plant water relations. Physiological adaptations of stomata in response to water stress have been extensively reported for grapevine. On the contrary, little is known about how the plasticity in stomatal anatomical features may affect their adaptability to drought conditions. In this study, we investigated, at the molecular and anatomical level, the effect of water stress on the stomatal anatomical features of four grapevine varieties extensively cultivated in the north of Italy. Potted plants of Garganega, Glera, Moscato giallo, and Merlot varieties were subjected to a 12–13 day period of water restriction during two consecutive seasons. Stomatal density and size were investigated in newly developed young leaves, 7 days after tip separation, following the occurrence of a water stress event. Furthermore, the gene expression of three key stomagenesis genes (VvEPFL9, VvEPF1, and VvEPF2) was analysed. The response of stomatal anatomical features to drought varied among the studied varieties. Moscato and Glera showed an increase in stomatal density and a decrease in stomatal size. On the contrary, Merlot displayed a reduction in stomatal number, while Garganega remained unchanged in terms of these values. Transcript levels of VvEPFL9 were overall in agreement with stomatal densities measured in the four varieties, showing an up-regulation when drought induced an increase in stomatal density or a down-regulation when the stomatal number decreased. The wide variability in stomatal response observed in the four varieties under study suggests that anatomical changes in stomatal characteristics are genotype dependent. These variations contribute to the intra-specific variability in grapevine’s response to water stress.

The Effect of A Period of Resistance Training and Blood Flow Restriction on Body Fat Percentage, Muscle Mass and Testosterone to Cortisol Ratio in the Elderly

The Effect of A Period of Resistance Training and Blood Flow Restriction on Body Fat Percentage, Muscle Mass and Testosterone to Cortisol Ratio in the Elderly

Australian adults cooked more and tried new recipes during COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns

The lockdowns and restrictions due to COVID-19 caused changes in both food accessibility and availability for people around the globe resulting in changes in food habits and behaviours. To enable a better public health response to the next pandemic, lessons must be learnt from this most recent emergency. This study aimed to examine self-reported changes in food habits and behaviours, of Australian adults during COVID-19 restrictions in 2020. A cross-sectional, convenience, Australia-wide survey, with open-ended and closed-ended questions was conducted online. Respondents were asked to report their demographic characteristics, positive food habit development, worst food-related experiences, changes in food habits and behaviours and cooking and food preparation practices during the COVID-19 restriction period. Adult Australian residents, recruited through social media advertising of the survey. Respondents (n = 764) were mostly female (86%), over 55 years of age (57%, mean age (SD) 53.4 (18.1) years), and half (51%) were not in paid employment. Nearly two-thirds (63%) developed positive food habits, including trying new recipes (54%), eating less take-away (53%) and cooking from scratch (46%) during the COVID-19 restrictions. Furthermore, respondents reported including family members in food preparation and eating together as a family. Negative experiences included being unable to buy certain foods (due to lack of stock and store limits), cooking at home, and being unable to access some food outlets. Australians experienced both positive and negative food experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown periods, with most experiencing positive changes such as cooking at home from scratch and trying new recipes and relying on less take-away. Females and those who experienced a change in employment status were more likely to develop positive new food habits.

Thermal comfort and ventilation preferences of dairy calves raised in paired outdoor hutches during summertime

Dairy calves are social creatures who are highly motivated for access to a companion. Additionally, heat stress negatively affects the welfare and productivity of calves housed in outdoor hutches. However, no studies have examined the potential tradeoffs pair-housed calves face between competing motivations for social contact and thermal comfort. We evaluated the effects of hutch ventilation on thermoregulatory and behavioral responses of pair-housed calves in outdoor hutches during a Wisconsin summer. Fifty Holstein-Friesian heifer calves were pair-housed (n = 25 pairs) in adjacent hutches with a shared outdoor area. In each pair of hutches, 1 was ventilated (V) with 2 windows at the rear base and the rear bedding door propped open; the other had no rear windows and a closed bedding door (nonventilated, NV). Calves were exposed to 4 conditions for 1 h each (1100-1200 h and 1230-1330 h on 2 consecutive days during wk 4, 6, and 9 of life) in a 2 × 2 factorial design in a balanced order: individually or in pairs in the NV or V hutch. Immediately before and after the 1 h hutch restriction period, respiration rate (RR) and rectal temperature (RT) were recorded while calves were outside. On the subsequent 3 d in those weeks, the locations of each calf (outdoors or inside a hutch) were recorded at 15-min intervals using time-lapse cameras. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate the fixed effects of ventilation, number of calves inside the hutch, week of life, and their interactions, on change in temperature-humidity index (THI), RR, and RT after 1 h; pair of calves was the subject of the repeated statement. Within weeks, the proportion of time calves spent in each hutch and together were averaged across the 3 d of observation. One-sample t-tests were used to evaluate preferences compared with 50% (chance, no preference): (1) for the V (vs. NV) hutch and (2) to be together (or separate) in either the V or NV hutch as well as overall. The THI gain inside the V hutch after 1 h with calves present was lower relative to the NV hutch (0.90 vs. 1.79 units, respectively, standard error of the mean [SEM] = 0.16). Calves in wk 9 of life increased the hutch THI more than in wk 6 of life (1.81 vs. 0.72 units respectively, SEM = 0.16). After 1 h, RR decreased versus was unchanged, respectively, when calves were in the V versus NV hutch (-14.4 vs. -0.9 breaths/min, respectively, SEM = 1.4 breaths/min). No differences were detected in RT. Calves chose to be together most of the time regardless of location (wk 4, 6, and 9, respectively: 83.1% ± 2.4%, 80.3% ± 2.1%, and 78.0% ± 3.1%). Calves had no hutch preference during wk 4 but developed a preference for the V hutch as they aged (wk 4, 6, and 9, respectively: 47.3% ± 4.5%, 61.2% ± 5.1%, and 72.8% ± 4.3%). This is the first study to demonstrate passive ventilation improves animal welfare by reducing heat stress in pair-housed dairy calves in outdoor hutches.

PSXII-30 Changes in Ruminal Digesta and Ruminal Ammonia-N Concentration with Differing Durations Feed Restriction for Sheep

Abstract During transient periods of feed restriction (FR), ruminal ammonia-N (NH3-N) concentrations and fluid volume may parallel the reduction in feed and water intake. However, changes in ruminal digesta characteristics and NH3-N during FR have not been characterized. Thus, the objective was to determine how FR duration impacts ruminal digesta weight and the liquid and solid fractions, and ruminal NH3-N concentration. Lambs (n = 9 wethers and 12 rams, stratified by BW and castration status) were fed ad libitum (AL, n = 7) or subjected to 5-d (FR5, n = 7) or 10-d of FR (FR10, n = 7) at 30% of AL intake. Lambs were killed 4 h post-feeding to excise the gastrointestinal tract and ruminal digesta was weighed. Sub-samples of digesta were collected for separation into solid and liquid fractions using a winepress, used for DM determination, and another was strained and preserved with sulfuric acid to analyze ruminal NH3-N concentration. Data were analyzed with PROC GLIMMIX (SAS 9.4) with the fixed effect of treatment and random effects of lamb specified to the R-sided matrix. Linear regression (PROC REG) was used to evaluate the relationship between ruminal NH3-N concentration and quantity relative to ruminal fluid weight and PROC CORR was used to generate Pearson correlation coefficients. The ruminal digesta weight did not differ (P = 0.97) among treatments but AL ruminal digesta was drier (P &amp;lt; 0.01) than FR5 and FR10 digesta (40.2% decrease in DM% relative to AL). As such, FR5 and FR10 had 0.7 ± 0.16 kg less (P = 0.01) ruminal solids than AL while they tended to have more (P = 0.09) ruminal fluid. Ruminal NH3-N concentration was greater (P &amp;lt; 0.01) for FR5 and FR10 compared with AL (2.4 and 2.0 vs. 0.4 ± 0.52 mg/dL, respectively). The quantity of ruminal NH3-N (mg) followed the same pattern with FR5 and FR10 having, on average, 51.5 ± 18.39 mg NH3-N more (P &amp;lt; 0.01) in their ruminal fluid than AL. The quantity of ruminal NH3-N was strongly correlated (ρ = 0.87, P &amp;lt; 0.01) to the total ruminal fluid such that 75% of the variance was explained by the relationship. The strength of the correlation (ρ = 0.81, R2 = 0.66, P &amp;lt; 0.01) between ruminal NH3-N concentration and total ruminal fluid was slightly lesser, but the two parameters were still strongly associated. From these data, we surmise that FR is associated with a reduction in ruminal DM content and may increase ruminal liquid that corresponds to increased ruminal NH3-N, independent of the duration of exposure.

Speed and Nighttime Usage Restrictions and the Incidence of Shared Electric Scooter Injuries

Electric scooter (e-scooter) crashes have become a serious health issue worldwide. The need for effective e-scooter regulations has been established in numerous instances. To investigate the association of restrictions on top speed and nighttime usage on the incidence of e-scooter-related injuries. A retrospective comparative cohort study of all patients with an injury related to shared e-scooter riding sustained in Helsinki, Finland. Data were collected from the electric patient database from 3 trauma hospitals representing all public hospitals treating patients with acute trauma in Helsinki. Shared e-scooter injuries from 2 periods were compared: an unrestricted period (January 1 to August 31, 2021) and a restricted period (January 1 to August 31, 2022). Data were analyzed from September 2022 to September 2023. The restrictions established for shared e-scooters during the restricted period were: (1) the daytime top speed of 20 km/h, as opposed to the previous top speed of 25 km/h, (2) the use of shared e-scooters was prohibited on Friday and Saturday nights between 12 am and 5 am, and (3) the nighttime top speed was decreased to 15 km/h from Sunday to Thursday between 12 am and 5 am, as opposed to 25 km/h. The incidence of e-scooter injuries compared with the total trips made by e-scooters. There were 528 e-scooter injuries requiring hospital care during the unrestricted period and 318 injuries during the restricted period of similar length. The median (IQR) age of the patients in the study periods was 25 (21-32) and 28 (22-37), respectively; 308 (58%) and 191 (60%) were male, respectively. The incidence of e-scooter injuries was 19 (95% CI, 17-20) for every 100 000 rides during the unrestricted period and 9 (95% CI, 8-10) per 100 000 rides during the restricted period. In the risk analysis, the odds ratio for shared e-scooter injuries was 0.5 (95% CI, 0.4-0.6) for the restricted period when adjusted for hourly temperature, rain amount, wind speed, and visibility. After introducing the restrictions, the number of e-scooter injuries decreased significantly between 11 pm and 5 am. The number of injuries decreased after implementing restrictions on the top speed and nighttime usage of e-scooters. Similar restrictions in cities with shared e-scooter services should be explored.

Have consumers escaped from COVID-19 restrictions by seeking variety? A Machine Learning approach analyzing wine purchase behavior in the United States

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic itself constitutes an environment for people to experience the potential loss of control and freedom due to social distancing measures and other government orders. Variety-seeking has been treated as a mechanism to regain a sense of self-control. Using Machine Learning model and household-level data with a focus on the wine market in the United States, this study showcases the changing variety-seeking behavior over the pandemic year of 2020, in which people’s perception of the status of restriction measures influences the degree of their use of variety-seeking behavior as a coping strategy. It is the shopping pattern and store environments that drive the behavioral responses in wine purchases to freedom-limited circumstances. Coupon use is associated with a lower variety-seeking tendency at the beginning of the stay-at-home order, but the variety level resumes when more time has passed in the restriction periods. Variety-seeking tendency increases with shopping frequency at the beginning of the social distancing measure but decreases to a level lower than all the non-restriction periods.

Comparative effects of drought stress on leaf gas exchange, foliar ABA and leaf orientation in four grapevine cultivars grown in Northern Italy.

Drought tolerance varies greatly across Vitis vinifera cultivars, depending on physiological responses and structural and morphological adaptations. In this study, responses to water stress were examined in three extensively cultivated varieties from Northern Italy. Over the course of two seasons, mature potted vines were subjected to a 12 or 13-day period of water restriction. Vine water relations were investigated using measures of water potential, gas exchanges, and leaf ABA content. Leaf angle response to increasing water stress was analysed in the four cultivars as a mechanism that improves stress tolerance. Different physiological responses were observed among cultivars, suggesting a near-isohydric water-use strategy for Moscato and a near-anisohydric one for Garganega, Glera and Merlot. Results of leaf ABA analysis highlighted a variability among the studied varieties, indicating higher contents and lower sensitivity to ABA for the anisohydric ones. In all varieties, a similar increase in midday leaf inclination was observed in response to decreasing stem water potentials, indicating that leaf angle adjustments may represent a common adaptive response to drought. These findings increase the understanding of the leaf physiological and structural mechanisms that contribute to water stress tolerance in grapevine, supporting a more efficient cultivar selection to cope with the expected changes in Mediterranean climate.

Production and economics of Gangetic mystus (Mystus cavasius) farming under different feed restriction periods in cages of floodplain ecosystem

High feed cost is a major problem for the promotion of a nutrient rich fish like Gangetic mystus (Mystus cavasius) in cages under floodplain ecosystem. To address this problem, production and economics of cage farming of Gangetic mystus were evaluated under different feed restriction periods in Atrai River of Chalan Beel. Four feed restriction periods were tested in floating cages under four different treatments (T1-0 day i.e., regular feeding, T2-1 day, T3-2 days, and T4-3 days feed restriction per week). Fish were fed twice daily with commercial floating pellet containing 32% protein. Water quality parameters (water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and ammonia-nitrogen) were within the suitable range for fish culture. Final weight, weight gain, % weight gain, average daily gain, specific growth rate and survival rate were found significantly higher at treatment T1 whereas a better feed conversion ratio was observed in T2. Significantly higher fish production and benefit were also obtained from treatment T2. The present study concluded that Gangetic mystus with a stocking density of 50 fish m–3 fed with 32% protein containing feed maintaining 1 day feeding restriction per week are economically feasible for cage culture in running water.

Growth of nitrate contribution to aerosol pollution during wintertime in Xi'an, northwest China: Formation mechanism and effects of NH3

With the strengthened controls on SO2 emissions and extensive increases in motor vehicles’ exhaust, aerosol pollution shifts from sulfate-rich to nitrate-rich in recent years in Xi'an, China. To further gain insights into the factors on nitrate formation and efficiently mitigate air pollution, highly time-resolved observations of water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs) in PM2.5 were measured in a suburban area of Xi'an, China during wintertime. Hourly concentration of total WSIIs is 39.8 μg m−3 on average, accounting for 50.3% of PM2.5 mass. In contrast to a slight decrease in the mass fraction of SO42−, NO3− shows a significant increase of the PM2.5 contribution with the aggravation of aerosol pollution. This suggests the importance of NO3− formation to haze evolution. Furthermore, homogeneous reactions govern the formation of NO3−, while alkali metals such as calcium and sodium play an additional role in retaining NO3− in PM2.5 during clean periods. However, the heterogeneous hydrolysis reaction contributed more to NO3− formation during the pollution periods under high relative humidity. Our investigation reveals that temperature, relative humidity, oxidant, and ammonia emissions facilitate rapid NO3− formation. Using the random forest (RF) model, NO3− concentrations were successfully simulated with measured variables for the training and testing datasets (R2 > 0.95). Among these variables, CO, NH3, and NO2 were found to be the main factors affecting the NO3− concentrations. Compared with the period without vehicle restriction, the contributions of NO3− and NH4+ to PM2.5 mass decreased by 5.3% and 3.4% in traffic restriction periods, respectively. The vehicle restriction leads to the decreases of precursor gases of NO2, SO2, and NH3 by 12.8%, 5.9%, and 27.6%, respectively. The results demonstrate collaborative emission reduction of NOx and NH3 by vehicle restrictions, and using new energy vehicles (or electric vehicles) can effectively alleviate particulate matter pollution in northwest China.

The Impact of The COVID-19 Pandemic on Smoking Cessation

Objective: In our study, we aimed to reveal the number of applications made to the smoking cessation clinic in our hospital, smoking cessation behavior, and the relationship between this situation and the status of being diagnosed with COVID-19 in the nine months before and after March 11, 2020, when the first case with a diagnosis of COVID-19 was detected in our country.&#x0D; Methods: Individuals over 18 who applied to the Ministry of Health’s Ordu University Training and Research Hospital smoking cessation outpatient clinic within nine months before (Group A) and after the COVID-19 pandemic (Group B) were included in our study. Age, gender, chronic diseases, Fagerström addiction scores, and treatment they received for smoking cessation were noted through the tobacco addiction treatment monitoring system (TÜBATİS), and their smoking status was questioned by reaching them three months after their application to us. In the first year of the pandemic, the patients in Group A were reached again and questioned about whether they had been diagnosed with COVID-19 (PCR positivity).&#x0D; Results: It was determined that there were 320 patients in Group A and 60 patients in Group B, and there was a statistically significant difference in age and smoking cessation behavior between the two groups (p &lt; 0.05). While 20.6% of Group A was 55 years old and over and 8.1% was under 25 years old, these rates were 13.3% and 21.7% in Group B, respectively (p = 0.041). The percentage of those who quit smoking was 48.9% in Group A and 30.9% in Group B (p = 0.029). When the patients in Group A were re-evaluated in the first year of the pandemic, the rate of having COVID-19 was 6.6% in those who quit smoking, 6.3% in those who did not quit, and 31.2% in those who quit and started again (p = 0.001).&#x0D; Conclusion: Health services have had to give up their workforce to fight the epidemic during the pandemic process, and therefore, there has been a decrease in patient admissions in smoking cessation polyclinics. During the restriction periods, there was an increase in the tendency to smoke due to reasons such as social isolation, increased mental and physical slowdown, psychological effects, and economic concerns, and a decrease in the application to health centers due to the risk of transmission, especially in elderly patients with chronic diseases. We think the decrease in our smoking cessation rates and especially in the applications of patients over 55 years old compared to the pre-pandemic period may be due to this reason. Smoking cessation studies should be carried out more decisively, and information should be provided about the combined risks associated with smoking, even in regular outpatient clinic meetings.

263 Effects of Programmed Compensatory Gain on Feedlot Steer Performance

Abstract The objective was to determine the effects of programmed compensatory gain on feedlot steer growth performance. After a period of growth restriction, a return to ad libitum intake will result in compensatory gain as cattle convert feed more efficiently due to reduced maintenance costs. Simmental × Angus steers (n = 159; BW = 278 ± 49 kg) were blocked by BW, stratified by sire, and allotted to 10 pens. Each pen contained a 3.0 m-long bunk to allow 19 cm of linear bunk space per steer. Pens were randomly assigned to one of two treatments on d 0: control (CON) or programmed compensatory gain (PCG). To achieve programmed compensatory gain, previously growing animals were maintained at a constant BW by reducing the amount of feed offered by 3.29% daily for 10 consecutive d. Thus, on d 54, PCG steers were consuming 72% of original dry matter intake (DMI) and subsequently returned to ad libitum intake to facilitate a period of compensatory gain. Feed intake for CON pens was managed using slick bunk management for the entire experiment. Steers were fed a common diet consisting of 20% corn silage, 20% modified wet distillers grains, 25% high moisture corn, 25% dry rolled corn, and 10% supplement inclusion on a dry matter basis. Steers were feed twice daily at 0800 h and 1200 h. Data were analyzed using MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4 using a beta distribution. The model included fixed effects of treatment and block. From d 39 to 63, average daily gain (ADG) was greater (P = 0.03) for PCG steers compared with CON steers. No treatment effect (P = 0.36) for dry matter intake was observed from d 39 to 63 as PCG and CON steers were consuming 9.49 and 9.67 kg, respectively. Thus, PCG steers had a greater (P = 0.01) gain:feed (G:F) than CON steers from d 39 to 63. Body weight was not different (P = 0.38) on d 148. Also, ADG from d 0 to 148 was not different (P = 0.54) as PCG and CON steers gained 1.92 and 1.91 kg, respectively. From d 0 to 148, overall dry matter intake was not affected (P = 0.91) by treatment. However, programmed compensatory gain steers had a greater G:F (P = 0.01) compared with CON steers for the overall feeding period (0.216 vs 0.210, respectively). In conclusion, programmed compensatory gain improved G:F of feedlot steers over a 148 d-finishing phase without affecting final body weight. Effects of programmed compensatory gain should be further evaluated in a commercial setting with large feedlot pens.