ALICE 1 (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is the detector system at the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) optimized for the study of heavy-ion collisions. Its main aim is to study the behavior of strongly ...interacting matter and the quark gluon plasma. Currently all the information sent by the 18 sub-detectors composing ALICE are read out by DATE 2 (Data Acquisition and Test Environment), the ALICE data acquisition software, using several optical links called DDL3 (Detector Data Link), each one with a maximum throughput of 200 MB/s. In the last year a commercial transmission link with a throughput of 10 Gb/s has become a reality, with a low price affordable for everyone. The DATE system has been upgraded to also support this technology in addition to the DDL. This contribution will describe the VHDL firmware of a detector readout board, sending data using the UDP protocol and the changes made to the readout 4 part of DATE software to receive information coming from the 1 or 10 Gb/s Ethernet link. It will also describe the relevant details of the test firmware and software and will conclude with the results of the performance tests done at CERN using the new setup.
With the start of Large Hadron Collider approaching, storage and management of raw event data, as well as reconstruction and analysis data, is of crucial importance for the researchers. The CERN ...Advanced STORage system (CASTOR) is a hierarchical system developed at CERN, used to store physics production files and user files. CASTOR, as one of the essential software tools used by the LHC experiments, has to provide reliable services for storing and managing data. Monitoring of this complicated system is mandatory in order to assure its stable operation and improve its future performance. This paper presents the new monitoring system of CASTOR which provides operation and user request specific metrics. This system is build around a dedicated, optimized database schema. The schema is populated by PL/SQL procedures, which process a stream of incoming raw metadata from different CASTOR components, initially collected by the Distributed Logging Facility (DLF). A web interface has been developed for the visualization of the monitoring data. The different histograms and plots are created using PHP scripts which query the monitoring database.
The unexpected occurrence of the COVID-19 outbreak has undeniably disrupted the normalcy of life. Stress has become an important concern in education since the COVID-19 outbreak. This ...descriptive-correlational online survey administered in August 2020 utilized the COVID-19 Perceived Stress Scale (COVID-19 PSS-10) to assess the COVID-19 perceived stress among employed Filipino teachers. Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tested for differences while Spearman’s rho was used to analyze the correlation between variables. Results demonstrated that more than half of teachers experienced moderate COVID-19 stress. Females experienced significantly higher COVID-19 stress compared to males. A negative correlation was noted between self-rated health and COVID-19 stress while a positive correlation was found between the perceive risk of getting COVID-19 infection and COVID-19 stress. This study highlights that steps must be undertaken to help teachers deal with the stress of the COVID-19 crisis as well as they must be provided or taught with stress management interventions during this pandemic. This study could be used as a baseline for future research to assess the impact of COVID-19 stress among professional teachers.
La aparición inesperada del brote de COVID-19 ha interrumpido sin lugar a dudas la normalidad de la vida. El estrés se ha convertido en una preocupación importante en la educación desde el brote de COVID-19. Esta encuesta en línea descriptiva-correlacional administrada en agosto de 2020 utilizó la Escala de estrés percibido COVID-19 (COVID-19 PSS-10) para evaluar el estrés percibido por COVID-19 entre los profesores filipinos empleados. Whitney U y Kruskal-Wallis probaron las diferencias mientras que la rho de Spearman se utilizó para analizar la correlación entre las variables. Los resultados demostraron que más de la mitad de los maestros experimentaron un estrés moderado por COVID-19. Las mujeres experimentaron un estrés por COVID-19 significativamente mayor en comparación con los hombres. Se observó una correlación negativa entre la salud autoevaluada y el estrés por COVID-19, mientras que se encontró una correlación positiva entre el riesgo percibido de contraer la infección por COVID-19 y el estrés por COVID-19. Este estudio destaca que se deben tomar medidas para ayudar a los maestros a lidiar con el estrés de la crisis de COVID-19, así como se les debe proporcionar o enseñar intervenciones de manejo del estrés durante esta pandemia. Este estudio podría usarse como base para futuras investigaciones para evaluar el impacto del estrés por COVID-19 entre los profesores profesionales.
A detailed Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of pulverised coal combustion in a large-scale laboratory furnace is presented. To achieve a detailed representation of the flow, mixing and particle ...dispersion, a massively parallel LES was performed. Different phenomenological network models were applied and compared to each other in order to obtain the most adequate devolatilization kinetic data for the LES. An iterative procedure allowed to optimise the devolatilization kinetic data for the studied coal and operating conditions. The particle combustion history is studied by analysing particle instantaneous properties giving a perspective on coal combustion that currently is not available by other means than LES. Predicted major species and temperature were compared with measurements and a good agreement was obtained. The finely resolved near burner region revealed that the flame is stabilised very close to the burner. Furthermore, two distinct zones of CO2 production were found - one in the internal recirculation zone (IRZ) due to gaseous combustion, and one downstream of the vortex breakdown, due to intense char combustion. It was found that particle properties are inhomogeneous within the IRZ, whereas in the external recirculation zone (ERZ) and downstream of the vortex breakdown they were found to be homogeneous.
The goal of this work is to introduce the flamelet model into large eddy simulation (LES) of realistic coal furnaces. A flamelet table based on two mixture fractions (for volatile and char off-gases) ...and enthalpy is generated and used in a massively parallel LES of the semi-industrial IFRF coal furnace (Weber et al. 1992 1, 2) for which comprehensive experimental data is available enabling the validation of the flamelet model under realistic conditions. Comparison between experiment and simulation is shown by means of averaged quantities of velocities, species concentrations and temperature. Overall good agreement between experiment and simulation could be obtained, giving evidence for the suitability of the flamelet model. The results of the LES are further analyzed, focussing on instantaneous particle and gas phase data to gain additional insight into the coal conversion process inside the furnace.
This article investigates the effect of steam on the ignition of single particles of solid fuels in a drop tube furnace under air and simulated oxy-fuel conditions. Three solid fuels, all in the size ...range 125–150 µm, were used in this study; specifically, a low rank sub-bituminous Colombian coal, a low-rank/high-ash sub-bituminous Brazilian coal and a charcoal residue from black acacia. For each solid fuel, particles were burned at a constant drop tube furnace wall temperature of 1475 K, in six different mixtures of O2/N2/CO2/H2O, which allowed simulating dry and wet conventional and oxy-fuel combustion conditions. A high-speed camera was used to record the ignition process and the collected images were treated to characterize the ignition mode (either gas-phase or surface mode) and to calculate the ignition delay times. The Colombian coal particles ignite predominately in the gas-phase for all test conditions, but under simulated oxy-fuel conditions there is a decrease in the occurrence of this ignition mode; the charcoal particles experience surface ignition regardless of the test condition; and the Brazilian coal particles ignite predominately in the gas-phase when combustion occurs in mixtures of O2/N2/H2O, but under simulated oxy-fuel conditions the ignition occurs predominantly on the surface. The ignition delay times for particles that ignited in the gas-phase are smaller than those that ignited on the surface, and generally the simulated oxy-fuel conditions retard the onset of both gas-phase and surface ignition. The addition of steam decreases the gas-phase and surface ignition delay times of the particles of both coals under simulated oxy-fuel conditions, but has a small impact on the gas-phase ignition delay times when the combustion occurs in mixtures of O2/N2/H2O. The steam gasification reaction is likely to be responsible for the steam effect on the ignition delay times through the production of highly flammable species that promote the onset of ignition.
This article investigates the single particle fragmentation of three solid fuels in the early stages of combustion under dry and wet conventional and oxy-fuel conditions. The three solid fuels ...studied were a low rank sub-bituminous Colombian coal, a low-rank/high-ash sub-bituminous Brazilian coal, and a charcoal residue from black acacia. Particles, with size in the range 125–150 µm, were burned in a drop tube furnace with a constant wall temperature of 1475 K, under six different mixtures of O2/N2/CO2/H2O, which allowed simulating dry and wet conventional and oxy-fuel combustion conditions. A high-speed camera was used to record the fragmentation process during the early stages of combustion and the collected images were treated to characterize the fragmentation mode, probability and time. The observed fragmentation modes are characterized by the occurrence of exfoliation, radial fragmentation or a combination of both. The results disclose that the fragmentation mode is strongly affected by the fuel type, but less affected by the atmosphere; the fragmentation probability is strongly affected by both the fuel type and the atmosphere; and, finally, fragmentation in air occurs significantly dispersed after ignition, but it tends to cluster closer to the ignition under simulated oxy-fuel conditions.
Abstract Recently, we identified the peptide VYRKPPFNGSIFamide (Val1 -SIFamide) in the stomatogastric nervous system (STNS) of the American lobster Homarus americanus using matrix-assisted laser ...desorption/ionization-Fourier transform mass spectrometry (MALDI-FTMS). Given that H. americanus is the only species thus far shown to possess this peptide, and that a second SIFamide isoform, Gly1 -SIFamide, is broadly conserved in other decapods, including another astacidean, the crayfish Procambarus clarkii , we became interested both in confirming our identification of Val1 -SIFamide via molecular methods and in determining the extent to which this isoform is conserved within other members of the infraorder Astacidea. Here, we present the identification and characterization of an H. americanus prepro-SIFamide cDNA that encodes the Val1 isoform. Moreover, we demonstrate via MALDI-FTMS the presence of Val1 -SIFamide in a second Homarus species, Homarus gammarus . In contrast, only the Gly1 isoform was detected in the other astacideans investigated, including the lobster Nephrops norvegicus , a member of the same family as Homarus , and the crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus , P. clarkii and Pacifastacus leniusculus , which represent members of each of the extant families of freshwater astacideans. These results suggest that Val1 -SIFamide may be a genus ( Homarus )-specific isoform. Interestingly, both Val1 - and Gly1 -SIFamide possess an internal dibasic site, Arg3 -Lys4 , raising the possibility of the ubiquitously conserved isoform PPFNGSIFamide. However, this octapeptide was not detected via MALDI-FTMS in any of the investigated species, and when applied to the isolated STNS of H. americanus possessed little bioactivity relative to the full-length Val1 isoform. Thus, it appears that the dodeca-variants Val1 - and Gly1 -SIFamide are the sole bioactive isoforms of this peptide family in clawed lobsters and freshwater crayfish.
Abstract
Background
The majority of NSTEMI burden resides outside high-income countries (HICs). We describe presentation, care, and outcomes of NSTEMI by country income classification.
Methods and ...results
Prospective cohort study including 2947 patients with NSTEMI from 287 centres in 59 countries, stratified by World Bank country income classification. Quality of care was evaluated based on 12 guideline-recommended care interventions. The all-or-none scoring composite performance measure was used to define receipt of optimal care. Outcomes included in-hospital acute heart failure, stroke/transient ischaemic attack, and death, and 30-day mortality. Patients admitted with NSTEMI in low to lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs), compared with patients in HICs, were younger, more commonly diabetic, and current smokers, but with a lower burden of other comorbidities, and 76.7% met very high risk criteria for an immediate invasive strategy. Invasive coronary angiography use increased with ascending income classification (LLMICs, 79.2%; upper middle income countries UMICs, 83.7%; HICs, 91.0%), but overall care quality did not (≥80% of eligible interventions achieved: LLMICS, 64.8%; UMICs 69.6%; HICs 55.1%). Rates of acute heart failure (LLMICS, 21.3%; UMICs, 12.1%; HICs, 6.8%; P < 0.001), stroke/transient ischaemic attack (LLMICS: 2.5%; UMICs: 1.5%; HICs: 0.9%; P = 0.04), in-hospital mortality (LLMICS, 3.6%; UMICs: 2.8%; HICs: 1.0%; P < 0.001) and 30-day mortality (LLMICs, 4.9%; UMICs, 3.9%; HICs, 1.5%; P < 0.001) exhibited an inverse economic gradient.
Conclusion
Patients with NSTEMI in LLMICs present with fewer comorbidities but a more advanced stage of acute disease, and have worse outcomes compared with HICs. A cardiovascular health narrative is needed to address this inequity across economic boundaries.
Graphical Abstract
Graphical Abstract
Analysis of the ACVC-EAPCI EORP NSTEMI registry stratified by country income classification.
Abstract
Aims
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) EURObservational Research Programme (EORP) Non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) Registry aims to identify international ...patterns in NSTEMI management in clinical practice and outcomes against the 2015 ESC Guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting without ST-segment-elevation.
Methods and results
Consecutively hospitalised adult NSTEMI patients (n = 3620) were enrolled between 11 March 2019 and 6 March 2021, and individual patient data prospectively collected at 287 centres in 59 participating countries during a two-week enrolment period per centre. The registry collected data relating to baseline characteristics, major outcomes (in-hospital death, acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock, bleeding, stroke/transient ischaemic attack, and 30-day mortality) and guideline-recommended NSTEMI care interventions: electrocardiogram pre- or in-hospital, pre-hospitalization receipt of aspirin, echocardiography, coronary angiography, referral to cardiac rehabilitation, smoking cessation advice, dietary advice, and prescription on discharge of aspirin, P2Y12 inhibition, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi)/angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), beta-blocker, and statin.
Conclusion
The EORP NSTEMI Registry is an international, prospective registry of care and outcomes of patients treated for NSTEMI, which will provide unique insights into the contemporary management of hospitalised NSTEMI patients, compliance with ESC 2015 NSTEMI Guidelines, and identify potential barriers to optimal management of this common clinical presentation associated with significant morbidity and mortality.
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