The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in millions of patients infected worldwide and indirectly affecting even more individuals through disruption of daily living. Long-term ...adverse outcomes have been reported with similar diseases from other coronaviruses, namely Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Emerging evidence suggests that COVID-19 adversely affects different systems in the human body. This review summarizes the current evidence on the short-term adverse health outcomes and assesses the risk of potential long-term adverse outcomes of COVID-19. Major adverse outcomes were found to affect different body systems: immune system (including but not limited to Guillain-Barré syndrome and paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome), respiratory system (lung fibrosis and pulmonary thromboembolism), cardiovascular system (cardiomyopathy and coagulopathy), neurological system (sensory dysfunction and stroke), as well as cutaneous and gastrointestinal manifestations, impaired hepatic and renal function. Mental health in patients with COVID-19 was also found to be adversely affected. The burden of caring for COVID-19 survivors is likely to be huge. Therefore, it is important for policy makers to develop comprehensive strategies in providing resources and capacity in the healthcare system. Future epidemiological studies are needed to further investigate the long-term impact on COVID-19 survivors.
The dispersive sweep of fast radio bursts (FRBs) has been used to probe the ionized baryon content of the intergalactic medium
, which is assumed to dominate the total extragalactic dispersion. ...Although the host-galaxy contributions to the dispersion measure appear to be small for most FRBs
, in at least one case there is evidence for an extreme magneto-ionic local environment
and a compact persistent radio source
. Here we report the detection and localization of the repeating FRB 20190520B, which is co-located with a compact, persistent radio source and associated with a dwarf host galaxy of high specific-star-formation rate at a redshift of 0.241 ± 0.001. The estimated host-galaxy dispersion measure of approximately Formula: see text parsecs per cubic centimetre, which is nearly an order of magnitude higher than the average of FRB host galaxies
, far exceeds the dispersion-measure contribution of the intergalactic medium. Caution is thus warranted in inferring redshifts for FRBs without accurate host-galaxy identifications.
Abstract
We report the energy-resolved broadband timing analysis of the black hole X-ray transient MAXI J1631-479 during its 2019 outburst from February 11 to April 9, using data from the ...Insight−Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT), which caught the source from its hard-intermediate state to the soft state. Thanks to the large effective area of Insight-HXMT at high energies, we are able to present the energy dependence of fast variability up to ∼100 keV. Type-C quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) with a frequency varying between 4.9 and 6.5 Hz are observed in the 1–100 keV energy band. While the QPO fractional rms increases with photon energy from 1 keV to ∼10 keV and remains more or less constant from ∼10 keV to ∼100 keV, the rms of the flat-top noise first increases from 1 keV to ∼8 keV and then drops to less than 0.1% above ∼30 keV. We suggest that the disappearance of the broadband variability above 30 keV could be caused by the nonthermal acceleration in the Comptonizing plasma. At the same time, the QPOs could be produced by the precession of either a small-scale jet or a hot inner flow model.
Hong Kong has been severely affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Contact in households and healthcare settings is thought to be important for transmission, putting children at ...particular risk. Most data so far, however, have been for adults. We prospectively followed up the first ten children with SARS managed during the early phase of the epidemic in Hong Kong. All the children had been in close contact with infected adults. Persistent fever, cough, progressive radiographic changes of chest and lymphopenia were noted in all patients. The children were treated with high-dose ribavirin, oral prednisolone, or intravenous methylprednisolone, with no short-term adverse effects. Four teenagers required oxygen therapy and two needed assisted ventilation. None of the younger children required oxygen supplementation. Compared with adults and teenagers, SARS seems to have a less aggressive clinical course in younger children.
Abstract
We analyse observations of eight quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries in globular clusters and combine them to determine the neutron star mass–radius curve and the equation of state of dense ...matter. We determine the effect that several uncertainties may have on our results, including uncertainties in the distance, the atmosphere composition, the neutron star maximum mass, the neutron star mass distribution, the possible presence of a hotspot on the neutron star surface, and the prior choice for the equation of state of dense matter. The distance uncertainty is implemented in a new Gaussian blurring method that can be directly applied to the probability distribution over mass and radius. We find that the radius of a 1.4 solar mass neutron star is most likely from 10 to 14 km and that tighter constraints are only possible with stronger assumptions about the nature of the neutron stars, the systematics of the observations, or the nature of dense matter. Strong phase transitions in the equation of state are preferred, and in this case, the radius is likely smaller than 12 km. However, radii larger than 12 km are preferred if the neutron stars have uneven temperature distributions.
In 2016, meetings of groups of physicians and paediatricians with a special interest in lipid disorders and familial hypercholesterolaemia were held to discuss several domains of management of ...familial hypercholesterolaemia in adults and children in Hong Kong. After reviewing the evidence and guidelines for the diagnosis, screening, and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia, consensus was reached on the following aspects: clinical features, diagnostic criteria, screening in adults, screening in children, management in relation to target plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, detection of atherosclerosis, lifestyle and behaviour modification, and pharmacotherapy.
Abstract
We present a spectral study of the black hole candidate MAXI J1348−630 during its 2019 outburst, based on monitoring observations with Insight-HXMT and Swift. Throughout the outburst, the ...spectra are well fitted with power-law plus disk-blackbody components. In the soft-intermediate and soft states, we observed the canonical relation
L
∝
T
in
4
between disk luminosity
L
and peak color temperature
T
in
, with a constant inner radius
R
in
(traditionally identified with the innermost stable circular orbit). At other stages of the outburst cycle, the behavior is more unusual, inconsistent with the canonical outburst evolution of black hole transients. In particular, during the hard rise, the apparent inner radius is smaller than in the soft state (and increasing), and the peak color temperature is higher (and decreasing). This anomalous behavior is found even when we model the spectra with self-consistent Comptonization models, which take into account the upscattering of photons from the disk component into the power-law component. To explain both anomalous trends at the same time, we suggest that the hardening factor for the inner-disk emission was larger than the canonical value of ≈1.7 at the beginning of the outburst. A more physical trend of radii and temperature evolution requires a hardening factor evolving from ≈3.5 at the beginning of the hard state to ≈1.7 in the hard-intermediate state. This could be evidence that the inner disk was in the process of condensing from the hot, optically thin medium and had not yet reached a sufficiently high optical depth for its emission spectrum to be described by the standard optically thick disk solution.
Insect chitin deacetylases (CDAs) are carbohydrate esterases that catalyze N‐deacetylation of chitin to generate chitosan, a process essential for chitin organization and compactness during the ...formation of extracellular chitinous structure. Here we identified two CDA2 splice variants (LdCDA2a and LdCDA2b) in Leptinotarsa decemlineata. Both splices were abundantly expressed in larval foregut, rectum, and epidermis; their levels peaked immediately before ecdysis within each instar. In vivo results revealed that the two isoforms transcriptionally responded, positively and negatively respectively, to 20‐hydroxyecdysone and juvenile hormone signaling pathways. RNA interference (RNAi)‐aided knockdown of the two LdCDA2 variants (hereafter LdCDA2) or LdCDA2b, rather than LdCDA2a, resulted in three negative effects. First, foliage consumption was significantly reduced, larval developing period was lengthened, and larval growth was retarded. Second, chitin contents were reduced, whereas glucose, trehalose, and glycogen contents were increased in the LdCDA2 and LdCDA2b RNAi larvae. Third, approximately 20% of LdCDA2 and LdCDA2b RNAi larvae were trapped within the exuviae and finally died. About 60% of the abnormal pupae died as pharate adults. Around 20% of the RNAi pupae emerged as deformed adults, with small size and wrinkled wings. These adults eventually died within 1 week after molting. Our results reveal that knockdown of CDA2 affects chitin accumulation. Consequently, LdCDA2 may be a potential target for control of L. decemlineata larvae.
Gravitational‐wave high‐energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All‐sky Monitor (GECAM) is a space‐borne instrument dedicated to monitoring high‐energy transients, including Terrestrial Gamma‐ray Flashes ...(TGFs) and Terrestrial Electron Beams (TEBs). We implemented a TGF/TEB search algorithm for GECAM, with which 147 bright TGFs, 2 typical TEBs and 2 special TEB‐like events are identified during an effective observation time of ∼9 months. We show that, with gamma‐ray and charged particle detectors, GECAM can effectively identify and distinguish TGFs and TEBs, and measure their temporal and spectral properties in detail. A very high TGF‐lightning association rate of ∼80% is obtained between GECAM and GLD360 in east Asia region.
Plain Language Summary
Terrestrial gamma‐ray flashes (TGFs) and Terrestrial Electron Beams (TEBs) represent the most energetic radioactive phenomena in the atmosphere of the Earth. They reflect a natural particle accelerator that can boost electrons up to at least several tens of mega electron volts and produce gamma‐ray radiation. With novel detection technologies, Gravitational‐wave high‐energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All‐sky Monitor (GECAM) is a new powerful instrument to observe TGFs and TEBs, as well as study their properties. For example, it is difficult for most space‐borne high‐energy instruments to distinguish between TGFs and TEBs. However, we show here that, with the joint observation of gamma‐ray and charged particle detectors, GECAM can effectively identify TGFs and TEBs. GECAM can also reveal their fine features in the light curves and spectra.
Key Points
During 9‐month observation, Gravitational‐wave high‐energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All‐sky Monitor (GECAM) has detected 147 bright Terrestrial Gamma‐ray Flashes (TGFs), 2 typical Terrestrial Electron Beams (TEBs), and 2 special TEB‐like events
With novel detector design, GECAM can effectively classify TGFs and TEBs, and reveal their fine temporal features
We obtained a very high TGF‐lightning association rate (∼80%) between GECAM and GLD360 in east Asia region
PDF
