Characteristics of respiratory microdroplet nuclei on common substrates

To evaluate the role of common substrates in the transmission of respiratory viruses, in particular SARS-CoV-2, uniformly distributed microdroplets (approx. 10 µm diameter) of artificial saliva were generated using an advanced inkjet printing technology to replicate the aerosol droplets and subsequently deposited on five substrates, including glass, polytetrafluoroethylene, stainless steel, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and melamine. The droplets were found to evaporate within a short timeframe (less than 3 s), which is consistent with previous reports concerning the drying kinetics of picolitre droplets. Using fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy, we found that the surface deposited microdroplet nuclei present two distinctive morphological features as the result of their drying mode, which is controlled by both interfacial energy and surface roughness. Nanomechanical measurements confirm that the nuclei deposited on all substrates possess similar surface adhesion (approx. 20 nN) and Young's modulus (approx. 4 MPa), supporting the proposed core–shell structure of the nuclei. We suggest that appropriate antiviral surface strategies, e.g. functionalization, chemical deposition, could be developed to modulate the evaporation process of microdroplet nuclei and subsequently mitigate the possible surface viability and transmissibility of respiratory virus.

A Quality Control Check to Ensure Comparability of Stereophotogrammetric Data between Session and Systems

Optoelectronic stereophotogrammetric (SP) systems are widely used in human movement research for clinical diagnostics, interventional applications, and as a reference system for validating alternative technologies. Regardless of the application, SP systems exhibit different random and systematic errors depending on camera specifications, system setup and laboratory environment, which hinders comparing SP data between sessions and across different systems. While many methods have been proposed to quantify and report the errors of SP systems, they are rarely utilized due to their complexity and need for additional equipment. In response, an easy-to-use quality control (QC) check has been designed that can be completed immediately prior to a data collection. This QC check requires minimal training for the operator and no additional equipment. In addition, a custom graphical user interface ensures automatic processing of the errors in an easy-to-read format for immediate interpretation. On initial deployment in a multicentric study, the check (i) proved to be feasible to perform in a short timeframe with minimal burden to the operator, and (ii) quantified the level of random and systematic errors between sessions and systems, ensuring comparability of data in a variety of protocol setups, including repeated measures, longitudinal studies and multicentric studies.

Procedural Developments at the International Criminal Court (2020)

The current column covers selected procedural developments at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2020. During this particular year, the Court has undertaken a multi-layered response to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations. The ICC temporarily closed its headquarters building in The Hague from March to June 2020. Nevertheless, the Court successfully implemented, in a short timeframe, new remote working arrangements to ensure business continuity. These measures have allowed it to maintain a certain productivity. As a result, during the reporting period, the ICC delivered numerous decisions, taking such opportunities to clarify specific aspects of proceedings before the Court.

TAMI-09. INTRAOPERATIVE MICRODIALYSIS AS A FEASIBLE PLATFORM FOR METABOLIC AND PHARMACODYNAMIC BIOMARKER DISCOVERY

BACKGROUND Progress for gliomas is slowed in part by the paucity of mechanistic feedback during treatment with experimental therapies. Access to extracellular tumor pharmacodynamic biomarkers could provide an avenue to accelerate progress. We have initiated a program of intra-operative microdialysis to accelerate biomarker discovery and to identify candidate outcome measures for translational therapies. METHODS Intraoperative microdialysis was performed with M-dialysis 100kDA catheters and 107 variable rate pumps under an IDE. Four IDH-mutant and two IDH-WT lesions were studied intraoperatively with 3 divergently placed catheters. Microperfusate (artifical CSF+ 3% dextran) was perfused at 2uL/min and collected in 20 min increments. Paired CSF was also obtained when accessible. A parallel cohort of nude mice bearing human IDH-mutant, IDH-WT, or sham intracranial xenografts (n=6-12) underwent intratumoral microdialysis. A pilot murine study of intracranial drug delivery was performed via concurrent microdialysis during convection-enhanced delivery (CED) of saline or the IDH-inhibitor AG120. RESULTS Microdialysate from IDH-mutant intracranial xenografts revealed >100 differentially abundant metabolites compared to sham or IDH-WT tumors, including D2-HG (21x) and MTA(18x), p< 10^-5. The most significantly abundant metabolite was DMA (4x, p< 10^-10). 15-1000uM D2HG was recovered from intra-operative human IDH-mutant tumors and 1-2uM from normal brain adjacent to IDH-WT gliomas and < 1uM in all IDH-WT samples. Forty metabolites differentiated enhancing tumor from adjacent brain in 3/3 paired human samples including upregulated Aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and downregulated purine metabolism. Serial aliquots of microdialysate during saline CED yielded steady D2-HG levels whereas CED with AG120 yielded undetectable D2-HG within 6 hours. CONCLUSION The extracellular metabolic landscape of glioma is diverse, dynamic and reflects tumor biology and response to therapy. Collectively, these studies suggest that intra-tumoral drug testing should be feasible with realistic expectation of gaining metabolic feedback within a short timeframe. Leveraging this paradigm can provide opportunities to accelerate therapeutic translation for gliomas.

Microwave Sintering Rapid Synthesis of Nano/Micron β-SiC from Waste Lithium Battery Graphite and Photovoltaic Silicon to Achieve Carbon Reduction

The paper describes one promising method and approach for the recycling, reuse, and co-resource treatment of waste photovoltaic silicon and lithium battery anode graphite. Specifically, this work considers the preparation of nano/micron silicon carbide (SiC) from waste resources. Using activated carbon as a microwave susceptor over a very short timeframe, this research paper shows that nano/micron β-SiC can be successfully synthesized using microwave sintering technology. The used sintering temperature is significantly faster and more energy-efficient than traditional processes. The research results show that the β-SiC particle growth morphology greatly affected by the microwave sintering time. In a short microwave sintering time, the morphology of the β-SiC product is in the form of nano/micron clusters. The clusters tended to be regenerated into β-SiC nanorods after appropriately extending the microwave sintering time. In the context of heat conversion and resource saving, the comprehensive CO2 emission reduction is significantly higher than that of the traditional SiC production method.

COORNET: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO SURFACE PROBLEMATIC CONTENT, MALICIOUS ACTORS, AND COORDINATED NETWORKS

As much as the field of mis/disinformation studies flourished during the last few years, the efforts to measure its prevalence and effects are often hindered or significantly limited by the fuzziness of the phenomenon under study. Differently from approaches based on sole content or actors detection, the authors implement an integrated approach to understand the interplay between manipulative actors, deceptive behavior, and harmful content. To do so, the authors present a study on patterns of coordinated activity on Facebook (named “Coordinated Link Sharing Behavior”) during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Coordinated Link Sharing Behavior” (CLSB) refers to the coordinated shares of the same news article in a very short timeframe by networks of pages, groups, and verified public profiles. CLSB is a strategy used to boost the reach of content by gaming algorithms that govern the distribution of posts. Additionally, this coordinated activity has been proven to be consistently associated with the spread of problematic information before the 2018 and 2019 Italian elections. In this paper, the authors devote specific attention to discuss the methodology and tool employed in the context of existing literature on mis/disinformation as well as to present the results of the case study.

Defective ORF8 dimerization in delta variant of SARS CoV2 leads to abrogation of ORF8 MHC-I interaction and overcome suppression of adaptive immune response

In India, the breakthrough infections during second wave of COVID-19 pandemic was due to SARS-COV-2 delta variant (B.1.617.2). It was reported that majority of the infections were caused by the delta variant and only 9.8% percent cases required hospitalization whereas, only 0.4% fatality was observed. Sudden dropdown in COVID-19 infections was observed within a short timeframe, suggesting better host adaptation with evolved delta variant. Down regulation of host immune response against SARS-CoV-2 by ORF8 induced MHC-I degradation has been reported earlier. The Delta variant carried mutations (deletion) at Asp119 and Phe120 amino acids which are critical for ORF8 dimerization. The deletions of amino acids Asp119 and Phe120 in ORF8 of delta variant results in structural instability of ORF8 dimer caused by disruption of hydrogen bonding and salt bridges as revealed by structural analysis and MD simulation studies of ORF8 dimer. Further, flexible docking of wild type and mutant ORF8 dimer revealed reduced interaction of mutant ORF8 dimer with MHC-I as compared to wild type ORF8 dimer with MHC-1, thus implicating its possible role in MHC-I expression and host immune response against SARS-CoV-2. We thus propose that mutant ORF8 may not hindering the MHC-I expression thereby resulting in better immune response against SARS-CoV-2 delta variant, which partly explains the sudden drop of SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 predominated by delta variant in India

Training nurses to perform water swallow test with use of standardised patients

Introduction: During the COVID-19 epidemic in Singapore, there was an urgent demand to train more nurses within a short timeframe to perform the Water Swallow Test (WST). The previous training model involved training with actual patients and was time-consuming. Hence, the model was revamped and standardised patients (SPs) were engaged for nurses’ training. This study further investigated nurses’ feedback about the new training model and compared the efficiency and learner-reported outcomes of the previous and new models. Methods: Nurses who completed WST training from January 2018 to July 2020 were enrolled. Training records were accessed to determine the number of nurses trained under the previous and new models. Nurses were invited to complete post-training evaluation forms and their responses were analysed. Descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test were used for data analysis. Results: Under the previous model, 52 nurses were trained over 2 years, whereas under the new model, 112 nurses were trained over two months. From the evaluation form responses, the majority of nurses trained under the new model agreed that they achieved the learning objectives and were confident in performing the WST. There was also no significant difference (p>0.05) found between learner-reported outcomes for both training models. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that the new model that engaged SPs was more efficient in training more nurses. Nurses were also satisfied with the new training model, which achieved similar learner-reported outcomes as the previous model.

Part III Emergency Arbitration Procedure, 5 The Conduct of an Emergency Arbitration

This chapter details the conduct of an emergency arbitration following its commencement and the appointment of the emergency arbitrator. Emergency arbitration is a flexible procedure. An emergency arbitrator has a wide discretion to conduct proceedings in the manner deemed appropriate for the circumstances of the case, provided that the parties have a reasonable opportunity to be heard, the decision is rendered within the short timeframe prescribed by the applicable arbitration rules, and the proceedings are conducted in accordance with the parties' agreement and any applicable mandatory laws. If inappropriate procedural decisions are taken, or the emergency arbitrator does not take control over the conduct of proceedings, the procedure has the potential to be derailed. Thus, in exercising the wide procedural discretion, the emergency arbitrator must seek to instil discipline and control over the proceedings from the outset.

Provincial Immigration Policies: The Case of Ontario’s Pilot PNP

This paper explores the involvement of provincial governments in the selection, recruitment and settlement of immigrants to Canada, focusing on Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Taking as a case study the pilot PNP that the province of Ontario launched in 2007, it asks the question: what are these expanding and increasingly popular programs accomplishing for Canada's immigration project that the federal immigration program isn't? The study argues that PNPs have been able to overcome some of the shortcomings of federal policy of immigrant selection through matching immigrants with jobs, involving receiving communities and institutions in the integration process, bringing immigrants in a relatively short timeframe, and leading to more balanced geographic distribution of immigrants while attracting immigration to provinces and areas unpopular with the general immigrant stream.