The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic came as a rare, unprecedented event and governments around the globe scrambled with emergency actions including social distancing measures, public awareness ...programs, testing and quarantining policies, and income support packages. In this paper, we examine the expected economic impact of government actions by analyzing the effect of such actions on stock market returns. Using daily data from January 22 to April 17, 2020 from 77 countries, we find announcements of government social distancing measures have a direct negative effect on stock market returns due to their adverse effect on economic activity, while an indirect positive effect through the reduction in COVID-19 confirmed cases. Government announcements regarding public awareness programs, testing and quarantining policies, and income support packages largely result in positive market returns. Our findings have important policy implications, primarily by showing that government social distancing measures have both positive and negative economic impact.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
To investigate bilateral axial length (AL) growth patterns and interactions of myopic eyes in anisometropic children during unilateral orthokeratology (OK) treatment in their singularly myopic eyes ...(Eyes1), followed by bilateral treatment when their second eyes (Eyes2) developed myopia.
This study enrolled 94 eyes from 47 anisometropes (20 males). All patients had undergone monocular OK treatment for > 1 year followed by binocular treatment for > 1 year. Axial growth of Eyes1 and Eyes2 during the first year of monocular treatment (Stage 1), average annual axial elongation during the monocular treatment period, and axial elongation during the first year of binocular treatment (Stage 2) were respectively termed: S1E1 and S1E2, Annual E1 and Annual E2, and S2E1 and S2E2. Associations between AL growth and age, sex, interval time, and ocular parameters were analysed using correlation and generalised estimating equation (GEE) analysis.
During the monocular period, Eyes1 showed less AL growth (S1E1: 0.05 ± 0.18 mm; Annual E1: 0.05 ± 0.21 mm) than Eyes2 (S1E2: 0.51 ± 0.24 mm; Annual E2: 0.52 ± 0.25 mm) (all p < 0.001). During the binocular period, there was no significant difference between S2E1 and S2E2(0.21 ± 0.14 mm v. 0.19 ± 0.17 mm, p = 0.951). Between monocular and binocular periods, Eyes1 had significantly higher S2E1 compared to S1E1 and Annual E1 (both p < 0.001), and Eyes2 had significantly lower S2E2 than S1E2 and Annual E2 (both p < 0.001). In the GEE model, spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and between periods interval time showed independently significant associations with AL growth after adjusting for age and sex.
Orthokeratology can significantly control AL growth in unilateral myopia. AL growth of the initial myopic OK-treated eyes accelerated relative to the monocular period when contralateral eyes developed myopia and assumed OK treatment. During the binocular treatment phase, OK lenses showed moderate and comparable effects on AL retardation across both eyes.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Boarding, the period in which a patient spends in the emergency department (ED) before admission, may be hazardous to critically ill patients, particularly the elderly. This study investigated the ...associations of boarding with hospital course, prognosis, and medical expenditure in older patients.
From January 2019 to December 2021, the medical records of older patients (age ≥ 65) visiting the ED of a tertiary referral hospital who were admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) were retrospectively reviewed. Eligible patients were categorized into two groups according to boarding time with a cutoff set at 6 h. Primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, ICU/hospital length of stay, and total/average hospitalization cost. Subgroup analyses considered age and disease type.
Among 1318 ICU admissions from the ED, 36% were subjected to boarding for over 6 h. Prolonged boarding had a longer ICU (8.9 ± 8.8 vs. 11.2 ± 12.2 days, P < .001) and hospital (17.8 ± 20.1 vs. 22.8 ± 23.0 days, P < .001) stay, higher treatment cost (10.4 ± 13.9 vs. 13.2 ± 16.5 thousands of USD, P = .001), and hospital mortality (19% vs. 25% P = .020). Multivariate regression analysis showed a longer ICU stay in patients aged 65-79 (8.3 ± 8.4 vs. 11.8 ± 14.2 days, P < .001) and cardiology patients (6.9 ± 8.4 vs. 8.8 ± 9.7 days, P = .001). Besides, the treatment cost was also higher for both groups (10.4 ± 14.6 vs. 13.7 ± 17.7 thousands of USD, P = .004 and 8.4 ± 14.0 vs. 11.7 ± 16.6 thousands of USD, P < .001, respectively).
Extended ED boarding for critically ill medical patients over 65 years old was associated with negative outcomes, including longer ICU/hospital stays, higher treatment costs, and hospital mortality.
• Plant biomass allocation may be optimized to acquire and conserve resources. How trade-offs in the allocation of tropical tree seedlings depend on different stressors remains poorly understood. ...Here we test whether above- and below-ground traits of tropical tree seedlings could explain observed occurrence along gradients of resources (light, water) and defoliation (fire, herbivory).
• We grew 24 tree species occurring in five African vegetation types, varying from dry savanna to moist forest, in a glasshouse for 6 months, and measured traits associated with biomass allocation.
• Classification based on above-ground traits resulted in clusters representing savanna and forest species, with low and high shoot investment, respectively. Classification based on root traits resulted in four clusters representing dry savanna, humid savanna, dry forest and moist forest, characterized by a deep mean rooting depth, root starch investment, high specific root length in deeper soil layers, and high specific root length in the top soil layer, respectively.
• In conclusion, tree seedlings in this study show root trait syndromes, which vary along gradients of resources and defoliation: seedlings from dry areas invest in deep roots, seedlings from shaded environments optimize shoot investment, and seedlings experiencing frequent defoliation store resources in the roots.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The fundamental properties and ultimate performance limits of organolead trihalide MAPbX3 (MA = CH3NH3+; X = Br– or I–) perovskites remain obscured by extensive disorder in polycrystalline MAPbX3 ...films. We report an antisolvent vapor-assisted crystallization approach that enables us to create sizable crack-free MAPbX3 single crystals with volumes exceeding 100 cubic millimeters. These large single crystals enabled a detailed characterization of their optical and charge transport characteristics. We observed exceptionally low trap-state densities on the order of 109 to 1010 per cubic centimeter in MAPbX3 single crystals (comparable to the best photovoltaic-quality silicon) and charge carrier diffusion lengths exceeding 10 micrometers. These results were validated with density functional theory calculations.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The quantum Hall (QH) effect supports a set of chiral edge states at the boundary of a two-dimensional system. A superconductor (SC) contacting these states can provide correlations of the ...quasiparticles in the dissipationless edge states. Here we fabricated highly transparent and nanometre-scale SC junctions to graphene. We demonstrate that the QH edge states can couple via superconducting correlations through the SC electrode narrower than the superconducting coherence length. We observe that the chemical potential of the edge state exhibits a sign reversal across the SC electrode. This provides direct evidence of conversion of the incoming electron to the outgoing hole along the chiral edge state, termed crossed Andreev conversion (CAC). We show that CAC can successfully describe the temperature, bias and SC electrode width dependences. This hybrid SC/QH system could provide a novel route to create isolated non-Abelian anyonic zero modes, in resonance with the chiral edge states.
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IJS, NUK, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The aims of this study were to evaluate health outcomes and the economic burden of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the United States.
Hospitalized patients with a primary or secondary discharge ...diagnosis code for COVID-19 (ICD-10 code U07.1) from 1 April to 31 October 2020 were identified in the Premier Healthcare COVID-19 Database. Patient demographics, hospitalization characteristics, and concomitant medical conditions were assessed. Hospital length of stay (LOS), in-hospital mortality, hospital charges, and hospital costs were evaluated overall and stratified by age groups, insurance types, and 4 COVID-19 disease progression states based on intensive care unit (ICU) and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) usage.
Of the 173,942 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the median age was 63 years, 51.0% were male, and 48.5% were covered by Medicare. The most prevalent concomitant medical conditions were cardiovascular disease (73.5%), hypertension (64.8%), diabetes (40.7%), obesity (27.0%), and chronic kidney disease (24.2%). Approximately one-fifth (21.9%) of the hospitalized COVID-19 patients were admitted to the ICU and 16.9% received IMV; most patients (73.6%) did not require ICU admission or IMV, and 12.4% required both. The median hospital LOS was 5 days, in-hospital mortality was 13.6%, median hospital charges were $43,986, and median hospital costs were $12,046. Hospital LOS and in-hospital mortality increased with ICU and/or IMV usage and age; hospital charges and costs increased with ICU and/or IMV usage. Patients with both ICU and IMV usage had the longest median hospital LOS (15 days), highest in-hospital mortality (53.8%), and highest hospital charges ($198,394) and hospital costs ($54,402).
This retrospective administrative database analysis relied on coding accuracy and a subset of admissions with validated/reconciled hospital costs.
This study summarizes the severe health outcomes and substantial hospital costs of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the US. The findings support the urgent need for rapid implementation of effective interventions, including safe and efficacious vaccines.
Hip fractures are associated with high morbidity, mortality, and costs. One strategy for improving outcomes is to incentivize hospitals to provide better quality of care. We aimed to determine ...whether a pay-for-performance initiative affected hip fracture outcomes in England by using Scotland, which did not participate in the scheme, as a control.
We undertook an interrupted time series study with data from all patients aged more than 60 years with a hip fracture in England (2000 to 2018) using the Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (HES APC) data set linked to national death registrations. Difference-in-differences (DID) analysis incorporating equivalent data from the Scottish Morbidity Record was used to control for secular trends. The outcomes were 30-day and 365-day mortality, 30-day re-admission, time to operation, and acute length of stay.
There were 1 037 860 patients with a hip fracture in England and 116 594 in Scotland. Both 30-day (DID -1.7%; 95% confidence interval (CI) -2.0 to -1.2) and 365-day (-1.9%; 95% CI -2.5 to -1.3) mortality fell in England post-intervention when compared with outcomes in Scotland. There were 7600 fewer deaths between 2010 and 2016 that could be attributed to interventions driven by pay-for-performance. A pre-existing annual trend towards increased 30-day re-admissions in England was halted post-intervention. Significant reductions were observed in the time to operation and length of stay.
This study provides evidence that a pay-for-performance programme improved the outcomes after a hip fracture in England. Cite this article:
2019;101-B:1015-1023.
We report the experimental demonstration of femtosecond electron diffraction using high-brightness MeV electron beams. High-quality, single-shot electron diffraction patterns for both polycrystalline ...aluminum and single-crystal 1T-TaS2 are obtained utilizing a 5 fC (∼3 × 104 electrons) pulse of electrons at 2.8 MeV. The high quality of the electron diffraction patterns confirms that electron beam has a normalized emittance of ∼50 nm rad. The transverse and longitudinal coherence length is ∼11 and ∼2.5 nm, respectively. The timing jitter between the pump laser and probe electron beam was found to be ∼100 fs (rms). The temporal resolution is demonstrated by observing the evolution of Bragg and superlattice peaks of 1T-TaS2 following an 800 nm optical pump and was found to be 130 fs. Our results demonstrate the advantages of MeV electrons, including large elastic differential scattering cross-section and access to high-order reflections, and the feasibility of ultimately realizing below 10 fs time-resolved electron diffraction.
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