Recovery Stage Research Articles

Comparison of the effectiveness of zero-profile device and plate cage construct in the treatment of one-level cervical disc degenerative disease combined with moderate to severe paraspinal muscle degeneration.

Recent evidence indicates that cervical paraspinal muscle degeneration (PMD) is a prevalent and age-related condition in patients with cervical disc degenerative disease (CDDD). However, the relationship between surgery selection and post-operative outcomes in this population remains unclear. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the disparities in clinical outcomes, radiological findings, and complications between two frequently utilized anterior cervical surgical procedures. The objective is to offer guidance for the management of PMD in conjunction with CDDD. A total of 140 patients who underwent single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) at our department were included in this study. The patients were divided into three groups based on the severity of PMD: mild (n=40), moderate (n=54), and severe (n=46), as determined by Goutalier fat infiltration grade. The subjects of interest were those with moderate-severe PMD, and their clinical outcomes, radiological parameters, and complications were compared between those who received a stand-alone zero-profile anchored cage (PREVAIL) and those who received a plate-cage construct (PCC). The JOA, NDI, and VAS scores exhibited significant improvement at all postoperative intervals when compared to baseline, and there were no discernible differences in clinical outcomes between the two groups. While the PCC group demonstrated more pronounced enhancements and maintenance of several sagittal alignment parameters, such as the C2-7 angle, FSU angle, C2-7 SVA, and T1 slope, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. The incidence of dysphagia in the zero-profile group was 22.41% at one week, which subsequently decreased to 13.79% at three months and 3.45% at the final follow-up. In contrast, the plate cage group exhibited a higher incidence of dysphagia, with rates of 47.62% at one week, 33.33% at three months, and 11.90% at the final follow-up. Notably, there were significant differences in the incidence of dysphagia between the two groups within the first three months. However, the fusion rate, occurrence of implant subsidence, and adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) were comparable at the final follow-up. For patients with one-level cervical disc degenerative disease combined with paraspinal muscle degeneration, both the zero-profile technique and PCC have demonstrated efficacy in ameliorating clinical symptoms and maintaining the postoperative sagittal balance. Although no significant disparities were observed between these two technologies in terms of complications such as adjacent segment degeneration and implant subsidence, the zero-profile technique exhibited superior performance over PCC in relation to dysphagia during the early stages of postoperative recovery. To validate these findings, studies with longer follow-up periods and evaluations of multilevel cervical muscles are warranted.

Characteristic stages of heat transfer for supercritical CO2 flowing downward in a vertical tube under cooling conditions

The present work investigates the streamwise development stages of supercritical carbon dioxide downward cooling flow and heat transfer in a vertical tube through direct numerical simulation. The tube has a diameter of 2 mm and an inlet Reynolds number of 5400. The formation mechanisms of flow stages are investigated by studying turbulence statistics and momentum balance analysis. The results indicate that there are three distinct development stages for both flow and heat transfer, including a deterioration stage, a recovery stage, and a re-deterioration stage. The last stage only occurs in some flows and is less well-understood than the first two stages. In the flow deterioration stage, both the weakening of the external buoyancy effect (due to mean flow modification) and the negative influence of the structural effect (direct interactions between the fluctuating density and the thermal field) contribute to flow laminarization. In the flow recovery stage, the increase in buoyancy further reduces the streamwise pressure gradient, increasing near-wall velocity. At this point, the velocity profile becomes M-shaped, accompanied by turbulence regeneration. As the bulk temperature drops around pseudo-critical temperature, a sudden global deceleration occurs due to the increased fluid density, which weakens both the external and structural effects and causes a decrease in turbulence, and hence the flow and heat transfer enter the re-deterioration stage. Moreover, the inlet temperature and wall heat flux have a pronounced effect on the development stages, which affects the duration distance of the deterioration stage and the corresponding enthalpy value at the beginning of the recovery stage.

An Experimental Study of Polymer Flooding to Enhance Oil Recovery

Experimental investigation of the impact of a synthetic polymer used to enhance oil recovery in an Egyptian oilfield was the goal of the current study. According to the findings of the current study, polymer solutions display non-Newtonian flow behavior under a variety of temperature, salinity, and shear rate conditions. The shear rate, salt level, temperature, and solution concentration all affect the apparent viscosities of polymer solutions. Studying how salinity and temperature affect how polymer solutions of various concentrations flow through porous media revealed that, up to a certain point, the mobility of the solutions increases with the flow rate, after which the mobility decreases with the flow rate. The mobility as a function of water saturation showed that during the tertiary recovery stage as compared to that during the secondary recovery stage, both the water mobility and the total mobility greatly reduced, and the oil mobility somewhat rose. The mobility analysis suggested that motion might be important in understanding how these processes increase oil recovery.

Pre-stroke physical activity is associated with post-stroke physical activity and sedentary behavior in the acute phase

This study investigated the link between pre-stroke and acute-stage physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior. Forty individuals with stroke (aged 73.6 ± 8.9 years) were enrolled. Post-stroke activity, including metabolic equivalents (METs), sedentary behavior, light PA, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), was measured using a tri-axial accelerometer (ActiGraph wGT3X-BT) over 11 consecutive days starting from the 4th day post-stroke. Pre-stroke PA levels were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). We measured skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) and phase angle using a bioelectrical impedance analyzer (Inbody S10) upon admission. Physical therapists assessed the Brunnstrom recovery stage (BRS) within 3 days post-stroke. Total daily activity averaged 1.05 ± 0.05 METs. Throughout the day, 91.2 ± 5.1, 7.6 ± 4.1, and 1.2 ± 1.3% was spent in sedentary behavior, light PA, and MVPA, respectively. Only pre-stroke PA was independently associated with METs (β = 0.66), sedentary behavior (β = −0.58), light PA (β = 0.50), and MVPA (β = 0.71) after adjusting for age, sex, stroke severity, and activities of daily living. This suggests that pre-stroke PA might play a crucial role in reducing sedentary behavior and promoting PA during the acute phase.

A multi-layer nanocased model to explain the U-shaped evolution of shale gas permeability at constant confining pressure

Understanding the evolution of shale permeability is critical in efficiently recovering gas from shale reservoirs. Two representative profiles of permeability evolution are typically experimentally observed under constant confining pressure and incremented gas pressure – “U-shape” with increasing gas pressure but sometimes absent the second upright limb of the “U” at high gas pressures. Current models fail to address these two different profiles, potentially leading to inappropriate explanation of experiment observations or inaccurate predictions of gas production. In order to determine the mechanistic reason, a multi-layer nanocased model, in which transmissive nanotubes are embedded within a cylindrical sheath of matrix, is proposed. In the model, permeability evolution is defined as a function of the evolving nanotube radius within a total matrix radius. The ensemble structure governs the transition from local deformation of the nanotube wall to the global deformation of the matrix sheath, particularly as sorbing/swelling gas gradually permeates the sheath wall. The finite element method is employed to calculate permeability evolution from an initial equilibrium state to final equilibrium. We develop a series of permeability evolution curves that match various experimental profiles. Contrasting observed permeability responses are attributed to the competition between nanotube strain and matrix global strain. The former term enlarges the nanotube radius while the latter term swells the matrix declining the permeability value. Therefore, when the matrix global strain dominates at late time, permeability decreases. Conversely, a permeability recovery stage is barely observed in the late stage because in most cases global swelling dominates the permeability evolution and an extended observational period is necessary before this swelling appears. This is also the reason why the observed final permeability ratio is rarely greater than unity. A small nanotube radius or a large adsorption strain favors a significant decrease in permeability. When the nanotubes are located within the inorganic matrix, the permeability profile conforms to poro-elastic theory and the decreasing permeability stage is barely apparent or absent. The proposed model thus provides insight into the controls on permeability evolution in shales and the controlling impact of shale matrix properties by considering the inhomogeneities of the shale matrix.

The Utility of a Novel Electrocardiogram Patch Using Dry Electrodes Technology for Arrhythmia Detection During Exercise and Prolonged Monitoring: Proof-of-Concept Study.

Accurate detection of myocardial ischemia and arrhythmias during free-living exercise could play a pivotal role in screening and monitoring for the prevention of exercise-related cardiovascular events in high-risk populations. Although remote electrocardiogram (ECG) solutions are emerging rapidly, existing technology is neither designed nor validated for continuous use during vigorous exercise. In this proof-of-concept study, we evaluated the usability, signal quality, and accuracy for arrhythmia detection of a single-lead ECG patch platform featuring self-adhesive dry electrode technology in individuals with chronic coronary syndrome. This sensor was evaluated during exercise and for prolonged, continuous monitoring. We recruited a total of 6 consecutive patients with chronic coronary syndrome scheduled for an exercise stress test (EST) as part of routine cardiac follow-up. Traditional 12-lead ECG recording was combined with monitoring with the ECG patch. Following the EST, the participants continuously wore the sensor for 5 days. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to assess the utility of detecting arrhythmias with the patch by comparing the evaluations of 2 blinded assessors. Signal quality during EST and prolonged monitoring was evaluated by using a signal quality indicator. Additionally, connection time was calculated for prolonged ECG monitoring. The comfort and usability of the patch were evaluated by a web-based self-assessment questionnaire. A total of 6 male patients with chronic coronary syndrome (mean age 69.8, SD 6.2 years) completed the study protocol. The patch was worn for a mean of 118.3 (SD 5.6) hours. The level of agreement between the patch and 12-lead ECG was excellent for the detection of premature atrial contractions and premature ventricular contractions during the whole test (ICC=0.998, ICC=1.000). No significant differences in the total number of premature atrial contractions and premature ventricular contractions were detected neither during the entire exercise test (P=.79 and P=.18, respectively) nor during the exercise and recovery stages separately (P=.41, P=.66, P=.18, and P=.66). A total of 1 episode of atrial fibrillation was detected by both methods. Total connection time during recording was between 88% and 100% for all participants. There were no reports of skin irritation, erythema, or pain while wearing the patch. This proof-of-concept study showed that this innovative ECG patch based on self-adhesive dry electrode technology can potentially be used for arrhythmia detection during vigorous exercise. The results suggest that the wearable patch is also usable for prolonged continuous ECG monitoring in free-living conditions and can therefore be of potential use in cardiac rehabilitation and tele-monitoring for the prevention of exercise-related cardiovascular events. Future efforts will focus on optimizing signal quality over time and conducting a larger-scale validation study focusing on both arrhythmia and ischemia detection.

Coupled effects of temperature and relative humidity on desiccation curling of a clayey soil

Soil curling caused by drying is a common phenomenon in nature, and it can vary depending on different atmospheric effects. To investigate the coupled effects of temperature and relative humidity on soil curling, a sequence of desiccation experiments were performed by using elongated strip soil samples in the laboratory. The soil curling process is divided into five stages: vertical settlement stage, lateral contraction stage, concave-up curling stage, curling recovery stage and convex-up curling stage. In this study, the soil evaporation characteristic and curvature curves are obtained under different temperature and relative humidity conditions. The findings revealed that a lower relative humidity results in a higher evaporation rate and a smaller maximum concave-up curling curvature for soil samples. Additionally, as the temperature increased, the water content associated with concave curling decreased. The maximum concave-up curling curvature was determined by the transition from the appearance of concave-up curling to the maximum curvature of concave-up curling. Under the coupled effect of temperature and relative humidity, all the water content associated with the occurrence of concave-up curling, maximum concave-up and convex-up curling appearance are reduced with increasing temperature and decreasing relative humidity. As the temperature ranged from 20 °C to 40 °C, the maximum concave-up curling curvature initially decreased and then increased. Conversely, the maximum concave-up curling curvature increased within the relative humidity range of 30% to 45%.

The Pandemic’s Impact on the Intersections of Financial Literacy, AI, and Behavioral Economics

In the present day of artificial intelligence and technology’s boom during the recovery stages of the pandemic, there has been a significant impact on our economy. The decision-making biases of those affected by the COVID-19 epidemic have changed due to an increased reliance on e-commerce sites and technology in general. Additionally, the socioeconomic statuses of individuals have been affected by the pandemic, and this has been a big factor in the mental well-being of these people. Studies on both the correlation between consumer behavior and online shopping as well as the relationship between an individual's mental health and their income level have been analyzed and presented by this paper. This publication will also look into the implications and limitations of technology’s impact on the economy, considering the effects of the pandemic.

Cytotoxic Stress Transiently Increases the Contribution of Platelet-Biased Hematopoietic Stem Cells to Platelet Production

While hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and megakaryocyte (Mk)/platelet lineages exhibit substantial phenotypic and transcriptional overlap, direct Mk production from HSCs is still under investigation. In particular, the hypothesis that specific HSC clones might facilitate rapid megakaryopoiesis and their physiological roles are yet to be elucidated. Previous clonal studies using either single cell transplantations (Yamamoto, Cell 2013; Carrelha, Nature 2018) or barcoding assays (Pei, Cell Stem Cell 2020; Rodriguez-Fraticelli, Nature 2020) have identified subsets of HSCs with Mk-biased output, designated as Mk-biased HSCs or platelet-biased HSCs (P-HSCs), in contrast to multi-lineage HSCs (MUL-HSCs) with balanced output. Moreover, P-HSCs exhibit up-regulated platelet-lineage gene expression and chromatin accessibility, and they generate platelets at a faster rate than MUL-HSCs, pointing towards a direct platelet formation pathway (Rodriguez-Fraticelli, Nature 2020; Meng, 2023 Nat Cell Biol). Notably, under inflammatory stress, direct Mk progenitor (MkP) production and Mk formation from HSCs have been shown to accelerate (Haas, Cell Stem Cell, 2015; Morcos, Nat Commun 2022), suggesting that P-HSCs could drive rapid platelet production during hematopoietic emergencies. To probe this premise, we re-analysed previously published RNA-seq data on HSC subtypes and discovered that the gene Vldlr is markedly expressed in MUL-HSCs relative to P-HSCs. We subsequently created a Vldlr-Cre transgenic mouse model for lineage tracing of platelet production from MUL-HSCs and P-HSCs. Flow cytometry analysis across the HSC-MPP2-preMegE-MkP-platelet developmental sequence revealed a notable increase in the percentages of Tomato- HSCs and platelets, in comparison to MPP2-preMegE-MkP, suggesting that Tomato- HSCs significantly bypass the conventional MPP2-preMegE-MkP pathway in platelet formation. Transplantation of labelled and non-labelled HSCs confirmed that Vldlr-Cre predominantly labelled MUL-HSCs, whilst Tomato- HSCs were rich in P-HSCs and largely generated Tomato- platelets, implying that platelets derived from the direct P-HSC pathway can be identified as Tomato- through Vldlr-Cre lineage tracing. We exploited this model to examine the distinct roles of classical and direct pathways during emergency thrombopoiesis, induced by either antibody-mediated platelet depletion mimicking immune thrombocytopenia or a cytotoxic drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) that causes severe hematopoietic disruption. Both interventions precipitated a significant decrease in platelet counts, as previously demonstrated. However, the proportion of Tomato- platelets did not change during platelet recovery following antibody intervention, while the percentage of Tomato- platelets rose up to four-fold in early recovery stage following 5-FU treatment, suggesting an acceleration of the direct pathway under this stressor. The percentage of Tomato- platelets returned to baseline following platelet count normalization. Further analysis of bone marrow progenitors post-intervention revealed that the proportion of Tomato- MkP was maintained during recovery from antibody treatment but significantly expanded after 5-FU treatment. Nevertheless, the fraction of Tomato- HSCs remained unaltered under both interventions, indicating that neither reagent selectively activates P-HSCs or MUL-HSCs. We hypothesize that the 5-FU treatment, by significantly eliminating bone marrow progenitors, permits P-HSCs to rapidly replenish the MkP pool and platelets due to their faster platelet formation kinetics, whereas progenitors are not affected by the antibody, leaving both pathways to contribute to platelet recovery. In summary, our findings suggest that P-HSCs provide a fast-track for platelet formation, enabling them to contribute to platelet recovery more rapidly following progenitor depletion induced by cytotoxic stress.

A Multi-Omic Single-Cell Landscape of Cytokine Release Syndrome in Multiple Myeloma Patients after Anti-BCMA CAR-T Cell Therapy

Introduction: Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy targeting BCMA has achieved great success in the treatment of multiple myeloma, yet cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is the most severe and common complication that limits the safety and increases the expense of CAR-T cell therapy. Precise prediction of CRS severity is critical for early intervention and control of CRS, which warrants a detailed understanding of underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. While certain cytokines have been identified as the main contributors of CRS, a comprehensive landscape of CRS unset and progression remains enigmatic. Methods and Results: We analyzed clinical samples from patients with multiple myeloma receiving BCMA-CAR-T cell therapy, and obtained a multimodal dataset pertaining to CRS severity by multiplexed cytokine and multi-omic single-cell analyses. First, we generated a multi-plex profile to comprehensively reveal the kinetics of CRS-related cytokines. Plasma samples were collected from 6 patients with severe CRS, at serial time points: before lymphodepletion, after CAR-T infusion before CRS initiation, at CRS initiation, CRS peak and CRS recovery stage. These samples were analyzed for a 45-plex cytokine profile, and we identified 3 main cytokines (IL-2, IL-4 and IL-17A) as signatures of CRS initiation and 24 cytokines at the CRS peak stage, with the latter consisting of known CRS biomarkers (IL-1, IL-6 and CRP) and new CRS-related cytokines (IL-3, CCL20 and CXCL1). Next, we conducted single-cell multi-omic analyses on the transcriptome, immunome and epigenome of CAR-T and bystander immune cells. We collected 111 samples from 16 patients (5 with severe CRS, 6 with mild CRS and 5 non-CRS) for scRNA-seq and scTCR-seq, and 28 samples from 10 patients (3 with severe CRS, 4 with mild CRS and 3 non-CRS patients) for scATAC-seq. scRNA-seq analysis demonstrated systematic and diverse changes across cellular subpopulation and their dynamic cytokine expression across the course of CRS. Moreover, integrated scRNA-seq and scTCR-seq analyses illustrated the developmental trajectory and clonal diversity of CAR-T and endogenous T cells. Specifically, we detected clonal expansion of a CD8+ effector memory T cell subsets upon CRS recovery, which was positively correlated with the persistence of CAR T cells in vivo. Meanwhile, combined analyses of scATAC-seq and scRNA-seq deciphered the chromatin accessibility and cis-regulatory network in CAR-T cells at different CRS stages. Finally, we identified a CD40LG + CD4 + subpopulation in pre-infusion CAR-T products which was associated with CRS severity and could be used as a predictive biomarker of severe CRS. These results were further validated by sorting CD40LG+ CD4+ CAR-T cell subset from the product, and co-culture with monocytes and tumor cells. This subpopulation of CAR-T cells was shown to upregulate IL-13 production and activate monocytes, resulting in the elevation of multiple cytokines associated with CRS. Significance: Our comprehensive multi-omics analyses provide a temporal atlas of CRS at the single-cell level, delineating the critical roles of CAR-T cells, monocytes, endogenous T cells and NKT cells across the course of CRS. Further, we identified a key subpopulation in pre-infusion CAR-T products as a biomarker of CRS severity, providing clinically-relevant insights about both prediction and intervention of CRS.

In situ product removal

Abstract During current years, the industrial biotechnology area has grown at giant steps, supported by the necessity of a sustainable supply chain and the inevitable depletion of petrochemical feedstocks. From this accelerated growth, the need for the development of more efficient bioprocesses in term of productivity and cost has emerged. A substantial number of bioprocesses have their potential hindered by product inhibition, a phenomenon that appears due to microbial metabolites produced in concentrations that become toxic even for the producing microorganism. In situ product recovery (ISPR) appears as a strategy to overcome such problems by primary recovery stage to the upstream, thus continuously extracting a desired or undesired target molecule from the fermentation broth as soon as it is produced. In this chapter, we will review the inherent advantages of implementing this technology in the production process, not only in terms of productivity, but also in equipment. A revision across the main the ISPR technologies can be found, explaining their main mechanisms and configurations, the appropriate scenarios to use each one and the main factors that must be considered that affect process efficiency. The chapter will be divided into three parts according to the types of ISPR that are reviewed, liquid–liquid, solid–liquid and gas–liquid techniques. Some recent trends and further perspectives for each method are also mentioned leaving space for further analysis of these technologies.

Heritage as businesses: COVID-19 disruptions to Texas museums, heritage sites, parks, and protected places, and their responses to evolving guidance

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted business services across all industries. Conflicting policies at the federal, state, and local levels further compounded business entities' delivery of services. One business often understudied in disasters is museums, heritage sites, parks, and protected places. While these entities carry the hallmarks of business, including business models, operating frameworks, and strategies for profitability, they also serve their own missions to educate while preserving and conserving cultural and environmental resources. In this study, we examine the impact during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on Texas museums, heritage sites, parks, and protected places with a focus on the evolving, and often conflicting, government policies. Texas serves as an important case study because it was one of the first states to resume normal business operations under state mandates. We identify through surveys and interviews that the ability of museums, heritage sites, parks, and protected places to adjust to the pandemic were temporally dynamic and highly contingent on sustained revenue streams, COVID-19 restrictions, and outdoor versus indoor programmatic offerings. Specifically, conflicting guidance from different government entities resulted in study participants' concerns related to safety and their lack of choice in removing disease mitigation measures. We also found that earlier crises prepared many entities to survive during the first year of the pandemic and that these entities' return to operations reflect the stages of disaster and crisis recovery. Our findings provide useful information for museums, heritage sites, parks, and protected places to develop disaster risk reduction strategies for future events.

The Role of Motivation in Work Teams

This article aims to establish the state of the art of motivation in work teams in the scientific literature. The research was of a descriptive type in which a bibliometric review scheme was adapted that includes the stages of recovery, migration, analysis, visualization, and interpretation of information. As a result, 59 research articles were obtained from which it stands out that the United States and China are the main scientific producers on the subject. Likewise, production has been constant and balanced in the 2018-2022 period, with research that mainly addressed aspects such as motivation, leadership, work teams, performance, and human talent, among others. Finally, research that addressed the consequences of motivation on the performance of work teams stands out, as well as the effect of leadership and other moderating variables on the motivation of people in work teams. It is expected that studies related to work teams will continue to grow, especially when work dynamics in today's organizations are strongly oriented towards the creation of competitive, high performance, autonomous, and self-regulated work teams.

Government expenditure and economic growth nexus: How valid is Wagner’s law in the Nigeria situation?

This study specifically aims at verifying if Wagner’s law is consistent with the Nigerian situation by adopting the ARDL method. Findings from the estimation prove that Wagner’s law is a fallacy in Nigerian experience. In contrast, the Keynesian theory of national income is applicable to the economy of Nigeria, as demonstrated by the strong positive impact of government expenditure on economic growth. Equally important, FDI inflows demonstrate a strong positive relationship with the economic growth of Nigeria. Note that Nigeria went into recession recently and is now going through the recovery stage. This, in line with the findings, calls for the adoption of an expansionary fiscal policy in order to stimulate aggregate demand and, by implication, improve output performance in the economy. Most importantly, the increased government spending should be tailored toward viable sectors with close monitoring to avoid diversion of resources through corruption. Efforts should also be made to attract foreign companies to invest in the economy.

CONCEPT AND RELEVANCE OF JALOOKAVACHARANA IN THE FIRST STAGE OF PERIARTHRITIS OF SHOULDER JOINT

Periarthritis of the shoulder joint is a painful, progressive, and disabling disease. The structures involved in the disease are joint capsules, tendons, ligaments, and bursae. The disease progresses through three unique stages: a stage of pain, a phase of stiffness, and a stage of recovery. In the conventional system, the treatment modalities involve using anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroid injections in the initial phases and surgical decompression in the later stages. This only gives symptomatic relief and has its complications. The initial stages of the disease present with Amsa ruk (Shoulder Pain) and Amsasandhi Sopha (swelling of shoulder joint) of kapha pitta predominance with Raktadusti. The procedures like lepana, upanaha and internal medications adopted in this stage do not give permanent and complete relief from symptoms. Thus, by considering the dosha vitiation in the initial phases of the disease, Jalookavacharana (Leech Therapy) would be an appropriate intervention since it has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

Heat Stress Recovery of Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) Leaves through Nitrogen Levels

To study the impact of nitrogen application on the photosynthetic structure and photosystem activity of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) leaves during the recovery stage after heat stress, the OJIP curve and JIP parameters were determined through a control experiment in an artificial climate chamber. The tomato variety was “Jinfen No. 1”. Four day/night temperature levels (25 °C/15 °C as control CKT; 30 °C/20 °C, lightly high-temperature LHT; 35 °C/25 °C, moderate high-temperature MHT; 40 °C/30 °C, severe high-temperature SHT) were set for a duration of 7 days. Five nitrogen supply levels (N1–N5: 0, 1.3, 1.95, 2.6 and 3.75 g/plant, respectively; 2.6 g/plant is the recommended nitrogen application rate, CKTN4) were applied. The results showed that the O, K, J, I and P phases on the chlorophyll a fluorescence curve were significantly affected by different nitrogen treatments in heat stress recovery. Compared with CKT, with the increase in nitrogen supply, the fluorescence intensity of SHTN2-SHTN5 treatment increased significantly at P, I and J phases, while that of MHTN1-MHTN4 treatment decreased. The fluorescence intensity of SHTN5 and SHTN3 increased by 13.27% and 10.10% in the P phase, 13.52% and 12.1% in the I phase and 20.16% and 26.18% in the J phase, respectively. There were highly significant differences (p < 0.01) in the impact of high temperatures and nitrogen levels on the fluorescence parameters. On the 1st day after short-term heat stress, N had no significant effect on Fv/FM, Fv, Fo and FM; however, their interaction was significant (p < 0.05). On the 8th day, there were no significant interaction effects between HT and N for Fv/Fo, ABS/RC and DIo/RC. Fv/Fo proved to be sensitive to the application of both high temperatures and nitrogen. Under all five nitrogen applications, temperature played a significant role in increasing DIo/RC, especially for N2 and N3. The results indicated that decreasing the nitrogen application under SHT resulted in a higher number of active RCs and an increased value of specific energy flux (ABS/RC, TRo/RC and DIo/RC), indicating the enhanced ability of RC to reduce plastoquinone. The study provides a reference for the diagnosis of nitrogen nutrition under high-temperature stress using chlorophyll fluorescence methods.

Energy, exergy and environmental impacts analyses of Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS) and Hydrogen (H2) energy storage processes

The objective of the present research is to compare the energy and exergy efficiency, together with the environmental effects of energy storage methods, taking into account the options with the highest potential for widespread implementation in the Brazilian power grid, which are PHS (Pumped Hydro Storage) and H2 (Hydrogen). For both storage technologies, energy pathways were envisioned, starting with electricity production from renewable sources (mostly intermittent ones), delivering more power than required during low-demand periods, and using the excess power, respectively, to pump water from the bottom to the top of hydroeletric powerplant lakes or to create gaseous H2 through water electrolysis. One and the other processes proceed with the energy recovery (re-electrification) stage, either utilizing traditional hydroelectricity technology or by combustion of H2 using latest gas turbines, when necessary, for ultimate consumption. The resources and emissions associated with both energetic pathways were investigated using the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) approach, together with the latest established exergy-environmental methodologies and available data. It was considered that the identical quantity of stored power is re-electrified in the Pumped Hydro Storage situation. For an accurate comparison, it was also hypothesized that the same amount of energy a PHS could pump is electrically available for the Hydrogen storage case. With regard to energy and exergy efficiency, exergy costs of non-renewable, renewable, and total resources, in addition to the emissions cost of CO2 of both researched energy storage alternatives, numerical and comparative data were produced and presented. A sizable advantage for PHS is seen in the energy and exergy efficiency findings (more than 23 percentual points). The environmental exergy calculations for this scenario's findings show that PHS has benefits over H2 in that it uses only 84 % of the Hydrogen alternative's total resource exergy costs and emits 23 % less CO2.

Correlations of systemic blood cytokines in patients with coronary heart disease and experienced COVID-19

Coronavirus infection brings an extreme threat to older people and particularly to patients with severe cardiovascular pathology, including coronary heart disease (CHD). Recovery in these patients largely depends on the severity of cytokine disorders in the acute phase of the disease, since they negatively affect cardiomyocytes, including those through the development of complications in other organs and systems. However, changes in the plasma cytokines of elderly patients with CHD who have experienced COVID-19 have not been studied in practice. Objective. To study the correlations of plasma cytokines in older patients with CHD in the early recovery stages after COVID-19. Subjects and methods. The investigation enrolled 40 elderly patients with CHD at weeks 3-4 following recovery from COVID-19 and 38 patients of the same age with CHD without COVID-19 in their history. The fasting plasma cytokine level was determined using a Becton Dickinson FACS Canto 2 apparatus (USA) in the morning. The relations between the cytokines were studied by the correlation method. Results. Interleukin (IL)-6 showed the greatest number of significant correlations (direct weak and medium associations with other cytokines), including a direct statistically significant average correlation with IL-17 (r=0.63), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (r=0.42), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) (r=0.39), IL-2 (r=0.35), IL-3 (r=0.33), as well as a weak significant relationship to IL-7 (r=0.29). IFN-γ had three direct significant correlations with IL-6 (r=0.39), IL-7 (r=0.36), and TNF-α (r=0.29). The latter showed two direct average significant correlations with IL-6 and IL-17. Conclusion. In the early stages of recovery, in 60–74-year old patients with CHD after experienced COVID-19, IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α cytokines had the greatest conjugacy, which can be used as markers of recovery in this patient cohort.

THE EXPOSITION OF THE GREAT FATHERLAND WAR GUNSHOT WOUNDS ANATOMICAL PREPARATIONS AS A LEARNING AND MATERIAL BASE FOR MILITARY DOCTORS TRAINING

In the initial period of the Great fatherland war, one of the reasons for significant sanitary losses was the insufficient staffing of army units with experienced military medical specialists. Civilian doctors urgently mobilized in the first days of the war did not have sufficient knowledge in the field of military field surgery. There was a need to generalize the experience acquired by military doctors when providing assistance at the stages of medical evacuation, as well as by military field surgeons who performed surgical interventions in medical battalions and hospitals. To study the morphology of gunshot wounds of various parts of the body and organs, it was necessary to create an equipped educational and material base, including preparations with wounds of almost all parts of the body and organs. To study them, by order of the main military sanitary department of the army, mobile pathological anatomical laboratories were created, whose employees collected and documented a large collection of pathological anatomical preparations, which were transferred to the Military Medical Museum in St. Petersburg. After the end of the war, for several decades, a significant part of the exhibits lost their demonstration qualities, and some exhibits fell into disrepair. In 1988, thanks to the efforts of Professor Ivan Guyvoronsky, these exhibits were transferred to the Department of Normal Anatomy of the Kirov Military Medical Academy, where under the guidance of Professor Pavel Pashchenko were restored using a specially developed method. The essence of the method consisted in several sequential stages of drug recovery. At the first stage, mechanical manual cleaning of the preparations from mold was carried out, removing decayed and torn fragments and giving it the proper form for display. At the next stage, thorough washing was carried out, followed by bleaching of the preparations in solutions of hydrogen peroxide of various concentrations and special solutions. By 1990, a special “Exhibition of gunshot wounds” was created, which is part of the fundamental anatomical museum of the department. Currently, the materials from this exhibition are used as unique visual material in the process of training and educating military doctors.

Dynamic high-order buckling and spontaneous recovery of active epithelial tissues

Active epithelial tissues can adapt to quasi-static compressive forces through buckling instability, but their responses to dynamic forces at shorter timescales remain elusive. We firstly establish a cytoarchitectural model that can accurately capture the experimentally observed high-order buckling and postbuckling (e.g., spontaneous flattening and stress recovery) behaviors of epithelia under fast compression. It is found that the stress evolution of epithelia can be divided into three stages: loading, phase transition, and stress recovery. In the loading stage, we observe the high-order instability with a buckling mode highly correlated with the strain rate, and derive its analytical relation, showing that the rate-dependent buckling mode is quantitatively determined by the viscoelastic and geometrical characteristics of epithelia. In the phase transition and stress recovery stages, we demonstrate that the postbuckling process is governed by the active tension generated by the actomyosin network. Furthermore, by proposing a minimal model, we obtain the explicit solutions of the flattening time and stress recovery extent as functions of the applied strain or strain rate, which are in quantitative agreement with our simulations and relevant experiments. In addition, depending on the stress evolution route, we construct a universal phase diagram for the morphology evolution of the epithelia in a wide range of strain and strain rate. This study elucidates the dominative roles of the activity and rheological characteristics of active soft materials in their dynamic mechanical behaviors, offering an approach for studying the complex morphology evolution.