During the continuous casting of Ti‐stabilized ULC/IF steel grades clogging of the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) is frequently observed. A new statistical evaluation indicates that increasing ...Ti/Al‐ratios in these steels lead to an increase in the occurrence of clogging and its intensity. Investigations of samples of two TiULC heats, taken at the RH‐degasser, show a remarkable increase of inclusions due to FeTi‐addition. The presence of Ti‐bearing alumina particles contrary to the thermodynamical expectations, indicate that their formation takes place as a consequence of FeTi‐addition. Laboratory‐scale experiments confirm the formation of alumina inclusions containing traces of Ti. Their size is found to be significantly smaller compared to pure alumina inclusions. Rising numbers of small inclusions within the steel are suspected to accelerate the buildup of clogging deposits. Two mechanisms are proposed to explain the formation of these particles. On the one hand ferrotitanium acts as a source of oxygen, resulting in the formation of new inclusions during dissolution. On the other hand, the modification of preexisting deoxidation products in regions with high Ti‐contents may play a role.
Titanium is commonly used as a stabilizer for IF steel grades. The FeTi‐addition is known to cause clogging problems in the continuous casting process, which is also shown in a statistical evaluation of the clogging tendency of 3326 melts. Examinations of samples from RH‐processing and laboratory scale‐experiments indicate that FeTi‐addition leads to the formation of small inclusions which are prone to clogging.
Superspreading events shaped the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and their rapid identification and containment are essential for disease control. Here, we provide a national-scale ...analysis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) superspreading during the first wave of infections in Austria, a country that played a major role in initial virus transmissions in Europe. Capitalizing on Austria's well-developed epidemiological surveillance system, we identified major SARS-CoV-2 clusters during the first wave of infections and performed deep whole-genome sequencing of more than 500 virus samples. Phylogenetic-epidemiological analysis enabled the reconstruction of superspreading events and charts a map of tourism-related viral spread originating from Austria in spring 2020. Moreover, we exploited epidemiologically well-defined clusters to quantify SARS-CoV-2 mutational dynamics, including the observation of low-frequency mutations that progressed to fixation within the infection chain. Time-resolved virus sequencing unveiled viral mutation dynamics within individuals with COVID-19, and epidemiologically validated infector-infectee pairs enabled us to determine an average transmission bottleneck size of 10
SARS-CoV-2 particles. In conclusion, this study illustrates the power of combining epidemiological analysis with deep viral genome sequencing to unravel the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and to gain fundamental insights into mutational dynamics and transmission properties.
Currently, emissions from internal combustion vehicles are not properly monitored throughout their life cycle. In particular, a small share of vehicles (< 20 %) with malfunctioning after-treatment ...systems and old vehicles with outdated engine technology are responsible for the majority (60 %–90 %) of traffic-related emissions. Remote emission sensing (RES) is a method used for screening emissions from a large number of in-use vehicles. Commercial open-path RES systems are capable of providing emission factors for many gaseous compounds, but they are less accurate and reliable for particulate matter (PM). Point sampling (PS) is an extractive RES method where a portion of the exhaust is sampled and then analyzed. So far, PS studies have been predominantly conducted on a rather small scale and have mainly analyzed heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), which have high exhaust flow rates. In this work, we present a comprehensive PS system that can be used for large-scale screening of PM and gas emissions, largely independent of the vehicle type. The data analysis framework developed here is capable of processing data from thousands of vehicles. The core of the data analysis is our peak detection algorithm (TUG-PDA), which determines and separates emissions down to a spacing of just a few seconds between vehicles. We present a detailed evaluation of the main influencing factors on PS measurements by using about 100 000 vehicle records collected from several measurement locations, mainly in urban areas. We show the capability of the emission screening by providing real-world black carbon (BC), particle number (PN) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission trends for various vehicle categories such as diesel and petrol passenger cars or HDVs. Comparisons with open-path RES and PS studies show overall good agreement and demonstrate the applicability even for the latest Euro emission standards, where current open-path RES systems reach their limits.
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The Routledge Handbook of Ecolinguistics is the first comprehensive exploration into the field of ecolinguistics, also known as language ecology. Organized into three sections that treat the ...different topic areas of ecolinguistics, the Handbook begins with chapters on language diversity, language minorities, and language endangerment, with authors providing insight into the link between the loss of languages and the loss of species. It continues with an overview of the role of language and discourse in describing, concealing, and helping to solve environmental problems. With discussions on new orientations and topics for further exploration in the field, chapters in the last section show ecolinguistics as a pacesetter into a new scientific age. This Handbook is an excellent resource for students and researchers interested in language and the environment, language contact and beyond.ii
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Climate change represents a global challenge and nations are increasingly looking to decarbonise their economies by developing roadmaps for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in accordance with ...international treaties, such as the Paris Agreement 1. As the healthcare sector remains a key contributor to GHG emissions 2, an examination of the global carbon footprint of its operations and treatment pathways is essential to identify targets for decarbonisation.
Relievers account for the majority of inhaler use and associated GHG emissions. Implementing treatment guidelines can reduce the unmet need in respiratory care by improving disease control and reducing reliever overuse and the overall carbon footprint.
https://bit.ly/3zh3c2B
Emissions from internal combustion vehicles are currently not properly monitored throughout their life cycle. Remote emission sensing (RES) is a technology that can measure emissions under real ...driving conditions without contact. Current light extinction based RES systems are capable of providing emission factors for various gases, but lack accuracy for particulate matter (PM). Point Sampling (PS) is an extraction-based RES technique that can measure gases as well as various particle metrics such as black carbon or particle number. In this work, we evaluated the performance of a recently developed PS system and the state-of-the-art light extinction based remote sensing devices EDAR (HEAT) and ORSD (OPUS RSE) during co-location measurements. Validation measurements with portable emission measurement systems and emissions screening of several thousand cars in three European cities provide detailed insights into system's performance. Meteorological evaluations showed that the PS capture rate is strongly influenced by wind, but no other weather influences were found. Both light extinction based systems are unable to measure during rain. We found that all three systems tested were capable of screening NOx emissions from pre-Euro 6 diesel cars. Measurement results show the ability of the PS system to quantify high and low PM emitters equally well. The open-path RES systems (EDAR, ORSD) are capable of estimating PM emissions from pre-Euro 5 diesel cars. However, deficiencies of open-path RES systems are evident in the quantification of PM emissions from newer engine technologies (diesel Euro 5 and beyond) and from petrol cars. The PS system has a 2 to 5 times lower capture rate than open-path RES systems, but the PS measurement results are more accurate (more than 5 times for PM and more than 1.35 times for NOx). The good accuracy of individual measurements makes PS a powerful tool for reliable high emitter identification.
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•Point sampling is a useful tool for fleet screening and high emitter identification.•All methods tested are capable of screening NOx emissions from pre-Euro 6 cars.•Only point sampling can measure PM emissions from the latest diesel and petrol cars.•Point sampling captures fewer vehicles, but measurements are more accurate.•Accuracy of open-path RES must be improved to screen the latest engine technologies.
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T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 has been implicated in COVID-19 severity and virus control. Here, we identified nonsynonymous mutations in MHC-I-restricted CD8
T cell epitopes after deep sequencing ...of 747 SARS-CoV-2 virus isolates. Mutant peptides exhibited diminished or abrogated MHC-I binding in a cell-free in vitro assay. Reduced MHC-I binding of mutant peptides was associated with decreased proliferation, IFN-γ production and cytotoxic activity of CD8
T cells isolated from HLA-matched COVID-19 patients. Single cell RNA sequencing of ex vivo expanded, tetramer-sorted CD8
T cells from COVID-19 patients further revealed qualitative differences in the transcriptional response to mutant peptides. Our findings highlight the capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to subvert CD8
T cell surveillance through point mutations in MHC-I-restricted viral epitopes.
ObjectivesWe explore the importance of SARS-CoV-2 sentinel surveillance testing in primary care during a regional COVID-19 outbreak in Austria.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingA single sentinel ...practice serving 22 829 people in the ski-resort of Schladming-Dachstein.ParticipantsAll 73 patients presenting with mild-to-moderate flu-like symptoms between 24 February and 03 April, 2020.InterventionNasopharyngeal sampling to detect SARS-CoV-2 using real-time reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR).Outcome measuresWe compared RT-qPCR at presentation with confirmed antibody status. We split the outbreak in two parts, by halving the period from the first to the last case, to characterise three cohorts of patients with confirmed infection: early acute (RT-qPCR reactive) in the first half; and late acute (reactive) and late convalescent (non-reactive) in the second half. For each cohort, we report the number of cases detected, the accuracy of RT-qPCR, the duration and variety of symptoms, and the number of viral clades present.ResultsTwenty-two patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 (eight early acute, seven late acute and seven late convalescent), 44 patients tested SARS-CoV-2 negative and 7 were excluded. The sensitivity of RT-qPCR was 100% among all acute cases, dropping to 68.1% when including convalescent. Test specificity was 100%. Mean duration of symptoms for each group were 2 days (range 1–4) among early acute, 4.4 days (1–7) among late acute and 8 days (2–12) among late convalescent. Confirmed infection was associated with loss of taste. Acute infection was associated with loss of taste, nausea/vomiting, breathlessness, sore throat and myalgia; but not anosmia, fever or cough. Transmission clusters of three viral clades (G, GR and L) were identified.ConclusionsRT-qPCR testing in primary care can rapidly and accurately detect SARS-CoV-2 among people with flu-like illness in a heterogeneous viral outbreak. Targeted testing in primary care can support national sentinel surveillance of COVID-19.
An efficacious tuberculosis (TB) vaccine is critical to reducing the global burden of TB. TB vaccine trials require the identification of multiple sites globally that have both a high incidence of TB ...and the capacity to conduct a clinical trial. To expand the diversity of potential phase III TB vaccine trial sites to be considered for inclusion, we describe a novel epidemiologic method that incorporates approaches from a variety of public health practices. Our approach incorporates analytic methodology to enable quantification and validation of qualitative information from disparate data sources, and epidemiologic analysis to systematically assess site-specific TB epidemiology. The integration of robust data-driven practices, and more quantitatively focused analysis, allowed for the objective evaluation of sites, which resulted in the identification of sites and catchment areas with high TB burden that may not have been previously considered. This suggests that an integrated epidemiologic methodology, not traditionally utilized for clinical trial site evaluations, could be integrated into site feasibility assessments as it results in more rapid site identification and reduces unintended bias.
This study provides updated species definitions for five rose-colored Cithaerias butterflies, starting with a historical overview of their taxonomy. Given their mostly transparent wings, genitalia ...morphology yielded the most reliable characters for species definition and identification. Genitalic divergence is more pronounced when multiple species occur in sympatry than between parapatric taxa. Cithaerias aurorina is granted full species status, C. cliftoni is reinstated as a full species, and one new combination is proposed, i.e. C. aurora tambopata. Two new synonyms are proposed, Callitaera phantoma and Callitaera aura = Cithaerias aurora.
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