This research provides novel insights into the diversity of DNA extracted from samples collected from the Turin Shroud in 1978, revealing its biological complexity through rigorous DNA and metagenomic analyses. Our findings highlight its preservation conditions and environmental interactions, offering valuable perspectives into the identified genetic variants, which originated from multiple biological sources. We identified several human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages, including K1a1b1a, which matches the 1978 official collector's mitogenome, H2a2 (i.e., the lineage of the mtDNA reference sequence rCRS), H1b, which is common in Western Eurasia, and the rare H33, which is also present in the Near East. Additionally, the reconstructed microbiome of the Shroud reveals a rich tapestry of multiple microbes commonly found on the human epidermis, as well as archaeal communities adapted to high salinity and fungi including molds. These findings are consistent with the preservation conditions experienced by the Shroud over the centuries. The presence of abundant Mediterranean endemic red coral, various cultivated plants (e.g., carrot, wheat, corn, bananas, and peanuts) and domesticated animals (e.g., cattle, pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats) provide a fascinating glimpse into the diverse biological sources of the contaminants that have accumulated on the Turin Shroud over time. Finally, radiocarbon dating of two distinct threads collected from the reliquary is consistent with their use in repair interventions of the Shroud carried out in 1534 and 1694 CE.
Flaring serves as an important safety and emissions compliance tool in industries such as oil and gas production, refineries, and landfills. Nonassisted, low-flow (≤100 thousand cubic feet per day (MSCFD)), utility (pipe) flares are widely used in practice, yet there are limited studies of real-world conditions. Additionally, while shrouds (windshields) are commonly used to mitigate wind effects, their impact on flare performance is previously undocumented. This study introduces a novel outdoor testing facility designed to evaluate low-flow flares and quantitatively assess their performance with and without shrouds. Experiments were conducted at flare-gas flow rates of 5 to 75 MSCFD using natural gas and an 80% natural gas/20% propane blend (by volume) under crosswind speeds from 0 to over 35 miles per hour (MPH). Combustion efficiency (CE) and methane destruction removal efficiency (DRECH4) were determined for all operating conditions. While CE for a baseline utility flare (3-inch diameter pipe equipped with a pilot ignition system) was over 96.5% for crosswinds below 10 MPH, the CE decreased rapidly for crosswinds above 10 MPH, with CE <70% for crosswinds above 30 MPH. The utility flare results were compared with results of prior wind-tunnel studies and prior proposed scaling relationships and incorporated into machine learning (ML) models. The scaling relationships show poor correlation with the body of data, but the ML models yielded good agreement (R2 = 0.84) when crosswind turbulence intensity was incorporated as an input parameter. The current work investigated retrofitting a utility flare with different shroud designs, which increased CE ≥96.5% for all conditions, demonstrating the effectiveness of shrouds as practical and cost-effective strategies to improve utility flare performance. The results showed low sensitivity to different shroud designs.Implications: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), industry and other monitoring organizations commonly assume flares operate at 98% destruction efficiency; however, recent aerial surveys have revealed efficiencies as low as 91.1%, resulting in up to five times more methane emissions than expected. Low-flow (≤100 MSCFD) utility flares, widely deployed at oil and gas production sites, have limited performance data under real world conditions. This study addresses that gap by providing new experimental data on low-flow utility flares, identifying a new parameter important for predicting flare efficiency and demonstrating a practical solution for significantly reducing emissions.
Unobscured freeform optical imaging systems have seen increasingly frequent design attention over the past two decades, particularly in the reflective triplet design format. While the optical and mechanical design of these systems has received much attention, comparatively little is published regarding the technologies and techniques useful in designing shrouds to manage stray light for these systems. We will explore several areas of shroud and baffle design for compact reflective triplets, including first-order design, vane placement, manufacturing methods, surface scatter, and useful surface treatments. Leveraging custom computational scripts, a scatterometer (CASI), and FRED software simulations, a complete shroud is designed and evaluated through simulation of the point source transmission. Several challenges are revealed for the compact freeform reflective triplet form factor, such that the stray light suppression of these telescopes may be sub-optimal despite methodical shroud design. This indicates that imaging scenarios with high sensitivity to stray light may see significant challenges if designed using a highly compact reflective triplet design form.
In this paper, the influence of the novel design of a ladle shroud (LS) on the liquid steel flow structure inside the working volume of a two-strand slab tundish was assessed, determining the best solutions for LS use to achieve the optimal level of active flow zones and protect the tundish lining. A 0.33 scale water model was used for physical experiments. Numerical simulations were carried out in the Ansys-Fluent 12.1 software for a 1:1 scale tundish. The effect of the influence of LS type, LS immersion depth, LS side ports position, LS misalignment and casting speed was examined. Finally, the use of the "umbrella" ladle shroud allows stable hydrodynamics to be maintained even with shroud misalignment. Moreover, the "umbrella" ladle shroud effectively decreases the average velocity of liquid steel inside the tundish and significantly decreases shear stresses and dynamic pressure at the tundish lining in the tundish pouring area.
Examination of cause of death patterns among disabled people is shrouded by death patterns in the general population. To remove this shroud, we focus on multiple causes of death (MCOD) comorbidity patterns between decedents with and without Down syndrome with Alzheimer's disease or unspecified dementia. Using 2005 to 2019 U.S. MCOD data, we examined comorbidity profiles of adults with (N = 7,936) and without (N = 4,593,118) Down syndrome using the broadest International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) "List of 113 Selected Causes of Death" (selected cause groups) of death classification scheme as well as the ICD-10 "Specific Conditions" (specific causes). Comparison of these classification schemes revealed that the use of selected cause groups veiled comorbidities common among adults with Down syndrome-choking-related deaths, seizures and hypothyroidism. Results from this study underscore the necessity to change cause of death classifications schemes and/or the reporting of this information to account for differences and to mitigate data inequities.
Electromagnetic composites (metamaterials) recently underwent explosive growth fueled in part by advances in nanofabrication. It is commonly believed that as the size of the components decreases, the behavior of a composite converges to the response of a homogeneous material (recent research indicates that in the limit of nanoscale composites, the constituent parameters of nanostructures may be quantitatively affected by nonlocal corrections). Here we show that this intuitive understanding of the electromagnetic response of composite media is fundamentally flawed, even at the qualitative level. In contrast to the well-understood (local) effective medium response, the properties of nanostructured composites can be dominated, not simply corrected, by electromagnetic nonlocality. We demonstrate that in composites, the interplay between the nonlocality and the structural inhomogeneity introduces two fundamentally new electromagnetic regimes: primordial metamaterials and homogenizable nonlocality. We develop an analytical description of these regimes and show that the behavior of metamaterials in the limits of vanishing nonlocality and of vanishing component size does not commute. Our work opens a new dimension in the design space of nanostructured electromagnetic composites.
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Flares in the oil and gas industry are assumed to achieve methane destruction efficiency of 98%; however, recent studies reveal significantly lower efficiencies and higher-than-expected methane emissions from some flares. This study combines real-world operating parameters and wind data on actual flares in North Dakota with new experimental measurements of utility flare performance to quantify the effects of wind on methane emissions from these low-flow flares. The results show that wind speeds of 4.5-6.7 m/s (10-15 MPH) reduce the average methane destruction efficiency to 96.4%, doubling methane emissions from low-flow flares relative to current assumptions. Retrofitting utility flares with shrouds can increase efficiencies to ≥98%, reducing methane emissions by half, potentially avoiding on the order of 0.204 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year, and highlighting an inexpensive methane mitigation opportunity. The results also indicate that methane source estimates and aerial measurements likely undercount low-flow (≤0.033 m3/s or ≤100 thousand standard cubic feet per day, MSCFD) flares, missing an important source of methane emissions.
China is readying to build one of the world's largest telescopes-but only scant details have emerged.
BackgroundPeritoneal dialysis (PD)-associated peritonitis remains a leading cause of hospitalization, technique failure, and transfer to in-center hemodialysis, with touch contamination during connections accounting for many episodes. Although shrouded connectors and "flush before fill" mechanisms reduce contamination risk, most automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) systems incorporate recessed fluid paths on only one side of the tubing-bag interface, potentially allowing bacterial transfer. We evaluated whether bilateral shrouded connectors with recessed fluid paths reduce bacterial contamination during simulated APD therapy.MethodsIn vitro microbiological testing was performed using three APD systems: Vantive/Baxter Claria™ (System A), Fresenius Liberty™ (System C), and Simergent Archimedes™ (System B). Connectors were deliberately contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus to simulate touch contamination, followed by a simulated APD treatment. Bacterial growth was quantified from pre-therapy flush fluid and the first patient fill ("mock peritoneum"). Agar imprinting was used to assess bacterial distribution relative to connector geometry.ResultsBacterial growth adjacent to the fluid path was observed with contaminated System A connectors but not with System B or System C, where growth was confined to the shroud. Quantitative cultures demonstrated markedly higher bacterial transfer with System A compared with System B and System C across both flush and mock peritoneal samples. Systems B and C employing bilateral shrouded, recessed connectors showed bacterial counts several orders of magnitude lower. All aseptic controls were sterile.ConclusionBilateral shrouded connectors with recessed fluid paths substantially reduce transfer of touch contaminants during simulated APD therapy. This design may mitigate a major mechanism of PD-related peritonitis, warranting clinical evaluation.
Drilling is a common task throughout various industry sectors. When holes are drilled in silica-containing materials such as concrete, brick, and stone, respirable dust containing respirable crystalline silica (RCS) can be generated. Prolonged exposure to RCS can lead to silicosis, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Current good control practice includes the application of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) directly to the drills. This is via an external extraction system fitted to a shroud which extracts the dust generated during drilling. For several years, integrated LEV has been available for drills. Integrated LEV offers advantages over external LEV by providing increased portability, interlocked control, reduced trip hazards and reduced costs. However, little is known regarding the control effectiveness of integrated systems. The capture efficiency of 4 different integrated extractors and 1 external extraction system for controlling dust was measured using a real time respirable dust monitor. Furthermore, for 1 drill personal air sampling was conducted to assess the exposure potential to respirable dust from drilling repeatedly into concrete over a 1-h period using no LEV, integrated LEV, and external LEV options. The capture efficiency for respirable dust for 4 integrated drill LEV units ranged between 98.6% and 99.6%. This was comparable to the respirable dust capture efficiency provided by a self-sealing shroud fitted to an external extraction unit which provided efficiencies between 99.4% and 99.8%. The personal exposure testing showed respirable dust exposure was reduced by 87.6% for integrated LEV and 93.3% for external LEV fitted with a self-sealing shroud. The reason for the lower efficiency for the integrated LEV was attributed to dust generated as their dust bins were emptied more often throughout the tests. Given the size of the integrated LEV dust bins and the frequency at which they may require emptying, appropriate control measures to protect workers from dust exposure should be considered-eg emptying the units outdoors in conjunction with RPE.
Of all mammalian receptor organs, the cochlea is the least understood. How it performs its most fundamental feat-the filtering of sound into different frequency bands over an enormous range of intensities-is still shrouded in mystery. Two of its neural systems, one a component of its dual output to the central nervous system (CNS) and the other a component of its dual feedback from the CNS, are in key cochlear positions but have escaped physiological study. At the same time, cochlear impairments affect an enormous and growing fraction of the population. Here we briefly highlight, from a system rather than molecular or biophysical viewpoint, recent breakthroughs that have forced a re-examination of assumptions deemed quite safe not too long ago and that herald a new renaissance in the study of this intricate sensory organ.
Grappling disciplines have immensely grown in popularity. These martial arts and sports, such as Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Sambo, and Mixed Martial Arts, utilize techniques and movements to maintain control, subdue, or submit an opponent. Grappling submissions introduce risk of injury through a variety of specific moves, positions, and mechanisms. Yet grappling disciplines remain relatively niche, shrouded with confusing, non-descriptive terminology and jargon. This often results in a poor understanding of injury mechanisms, anatomic regions injured, and pathophysiologic cause of injury. The lack of basic anatomic and physiologic understanding is a potential barrier to optimal care and future research endeavors by clinicians in a burgeoning patient population. As such, this study aims to provide a concise guide to common grappling submissions, with illustrative examples and pathophysiologic mechanisms, description of anatomic structures at risk, and a literature review of injuries, with intention of improving care, and facilitating future investigative efforts by clinicians.
The diagnosis of ADHD remains shrouded in controversy, resulting in alarming reports in (social) media. Danger of underdiagnosis, risk of overdiagnosis, and medicalization of social problems are all mentioned. The diagnostic uncertainty is largely due to the non-specific nature of ADHD symptoms. Yet, an ADHD diagnosis is more than an excuse: its chronic nature makes it a disabling condition when appropriate treatment is not provided. In most cases the general practitioner decides who is referred for further diagnosis; the controversial reporting can contribute to doubt and reluctance. The task in referring, however, is not to make a diagnosis, but to recognize the likelihood of psychiatric problems. This is done by inquiring about the presence and severity of symptoms and the existence of resulting distress. Knowledge of the context (such as work and living situation, family composition) and the patient's life history helps in distinguishing between temporary overload and chronic dysfunction.
To evaluate the knowledge, capacity, and performance related to wheelchair maintenance in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), as well as to determine which aspects of capacity and performance exhibited the most significant deficits. The secondary objective was to identify which participant characteristics were associated with a lower level of wheelchair maintenance knowledge, capacity, and performance. Cross-sectional. Community. Manual (MWC; n=76) and power wheelchair (PWC; n=89) users with SCI (N=165). Not applicable. Separate analysis was completed for MWC and PWC users using the Wheelchair Maintenance Training Questionnaire (WMT-Q) knowledge, capacity (ability to complete), and performance (frequency of completion) domains. There was a large variability in scores for knowledge (MWC=34.0% [SD=19.0]; PWC=40.5% [SD=15.5]), capacity (MWC=59.8% [SD=29.5]; PWC=58.6% [SD=25.1]), and performance (MWC=51.8% [SD=30.8]; PWC=51.7% [SD=26.2]) among participants. For MWC users, the maintenance items with the lowest performance were checking spokes, the cross brace, weld points, wheel alignment, and wheel and caster bearing. For PWC users, the lowest performance items were cleaning the power seat functions and checking tire pressure, shrouds, casters for flutter, and motor disengage levers. Contacting a maintenance expert had the highest performance for both groups. For all participants, those with >5 years of wheelchair use demonstrated greater knowledge (+7.19%), capacity (+11.78%), and performance (+12.10%). Women reported lower capacity (-15.54) and performance (-12.45) than men for all participants (MWC and PWC users, combined). This study highlights gaps in wheelchair maintenance knowledge, capacity, and performance among individuals with SCI. Specific maintenance tasks demonstrated larger deficits in capacity and performance and may represent critical targets for wheelchair maintenance training programs. Participant characteristics including shorter duration of wheelchair use and female sex were associated with lower WMT-Q scores, suggesting that earlier and more inclusive training may be beneficial.
Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy adoption in stage-II non-small cell lung cancer is shrouded by lack of clear survival advantages and stratification across randomized clinical trials. An individual patient's data (IPD) meta-analysis was conducted comparing overall survival of stage-II patients (per AJCC TNM 8th version) receiving neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in phase-3 randomized-controlled-trials with patients receiving upfront-surgery included in the pathological 8th and 9th-edition TNM-databases. IPD was extracted using the IPDfromKM method. Cox-regression-analyses estimated hazard-ratios (HR) and relative 95% confidence-intervals (95%CI). Meta-analysis and meta-regression comparing neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy and chemotherapy were also conducted. Relative-risk (RR) with 95%CI was derived. Overall-survival IPD was extracted from 275 stage-II patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy and from 6864 (8th-edition) and 7342 (9th-edition) patients receiving upfront-surgery in the pathological-TNM-database. Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy improved survival compared to upfront-surgery in the 8th-edition TNM-database (HR=0.68, 95%CI 0.53-0.87, p=0.002) but yield similar survival compared to the 9th-edition (HR 0.82, 95%CI 0.64-1.1, p=0.10). Compared to chemotherapy, pathologic complete response (RR=6.19; 95%CI=3.37-10.27; p<0.001 and major pathologic response (RR=3.08; 95%CI 2.27-4.16; p<0.001) favored neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy. Similarly, chemoimmunotherapy improved event-free survival HR=0.66; 95%CI=0.52-0.82; p<0.001, and overall-survival (HR=0.68; 95%CI=0.50-0.92;p=0.01). Similar rates of cancelled surgery, open-surgery, pneumonectomy, conversion from minimally-invasive to open-surgery and positive margin were found. Percentage of stage-II patients did not modulate surgical-related adverse-events, 90-days mortality and adjuvant treatment receipt. Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy has encouraging results in stage-II lung-cancer but stratification tools are warranted to select high-risk patients. Compared to chemotherapy, chemoimmunotherapy improves both long-term outcomes and pathological response with comparable surgical outcomes.
Color vision has been studied for centuries, but many fundamental questions remain about the nature of color perception and its neural underpinnings. Typical human color vision is trichromatic - based on three types of cone receptors - yet manifests in a wide variety of individual variations. Similarly, the processing of the cone signals depends on opponent mechanisms that compare the signals from different cone classes. However, the types of comparisons and how they ultimately relate to color appearance or different perceptual tasks are still shrouded in mystery. This review focuses on the processing of color in the retina within the context of the broader goals of color perception and highlights recent insights and questions.
IntroductionRecent advances in deep learning have significantly improved the ability to solve ill-posed problems, making 4D cone-beam CT (CBCT) reconstruction from projections of 3D CBCT imaging achievable. However, extracting respiratory signal from CBCT projections for 4D CBCT phase sorting remains a challenge. This study aims to evaluate conventional and deep learning methods for extracting respiratory signal from projections of clinical 3D CBCT imaging.MethodsThis study analyzed 70 sets of projections from clinical 3D CBCT imaging, involving thoracic and abdominal cancer patients with regular and irregular respiratory motion patterns. Using the labeled apex of the diaphragm as a reference, respiratory signals extracted using conventional methods-including intensity analysis (IA), Fourier transform (FT), Amsterdam Shroud (AS), and local principal component analysis (LPCA)-as well as a deep learning-based method (U-Net) were compared through correlation analysis and phase-sorting capability.ResultsThe U-Net significantly outperformed the conventional methods across varying conditions, achieving a correlation coefficient of 0.93 ± 0.07. Among the conventional methods, LPCA and AS outperformed IA and FT, with LPCA is considered superior because the AS method is influenced by the cutoff frequencies of the bandpass filter.ConclusionThe U-Net demonstrates superiority in extracting respiratory signals from clinical 3D CBCT projections, highlighting its potential to enhance respiratory phase sorting and 4D CBCT reconstruction.
PEGylation is essential for the effective function of biologics, shielding them from rapid degradation and clearance in the complex environment of the human body. Despite its significance, a mechanistic understanding of PEGylation's role in enhancing protein stability is incomplete, limiting the ability to design PEGylated proteins with predictable properties. Solvation, a well-known driving force in protein folding and stability, is hypothesized to play a central role in protein stabilization via PEGylation, but molecular mechanisms underlying solvent-driven stabilization are not well understood. Here, we investigated solvent dynamics and the interactions of the solvent with the PEGylated carbohydrate recognition domain of human Galectin-3 (Gal3C) in aqueous solutions. Two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy, which captures subpicosecond molecular ensembles, revealed polymer length-dependent differences in protein dynamics and solvent dynamics for PEGylated Gal3C. Slower solvent dynamics correlated with increased conjugate thermal stability. Complementing these data, multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provided evidence that Gal3C conjugated to longer PEG forms a noncovalent interaction "shroud", which correlated with changes in dynamics of the solvent and protein backbone. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations supported an interpretation of the experimental results that PEGylation did not reduce the protein's solvent-accessible surface area. The integration of these data challenges the idea that PEGylation stabilizes conjugated proteins by dehydrating a protein's surface. Instead, these data support a mechanism where PEGylation improves protein stability by stabilizing the protein's solvation shell. These insights offer guidance for optimizing polymer length to achieve the desired thermal stability in biologics.