Association of serum protein electrophoresis with clinicopathological characteristics and its prognostic relevance in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients.

Objective: To assess the association of serum protein electrophoresis abnormalities with clinicopathological characteristics, and its impact on overall survival in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients. METHODS: The prospective study was conducted at Haematology and Immunology departments of the University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan, from 2019 to 2022, and comprised newly diagnosed chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients. Lactate dehydrogenase and beta-2 microglobulin levels were measured by spectrophotometric principle, whereas serum protein electrophoresis was determined through commercially available capillary electrophoresis systems. Patients were followed up for 2 years post-diagnosis. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: Of the 50 patients, 40(80%) were males and 10(20%) were females. The overall mean age was 60±11 years. Serum protein electrophoresis was available for 40(80%) patients, and, among them, 12(30%) patients had abnormal levels, while 29(72.5%) required treatment. Overall response rate was 25(86.2%), and median two-year overall survival was 16.5 months (95% confidence interval: 10-20 months). Abnormal serum protein electrophoresis was significantly associated with Binet stage C, lower mean haemoglobin levels and higher median levels of lactate dehydrogenase and beta-2 microglobulin (p<0.05)). Regarding overall survival, the survival curves of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients with normal and abnormal serum protein electrophoresis status differed significantly (p=0.04). Conclusion: Abnormal serum protein electrophoresis could be considered a surrogate marker for advanced chronic lymphocytic leukaemia disease.

Detection of Partially Structural Collapse Using Long-Term Small Displacement Data from Satellite Images.

The development of satellite sensors and interferometry synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technology has enabled the exploitation of their benefits for long-term structural health monitoring (SHM). However, some restrictions cause this process to provide a small number of images leading to the problem of small data for SAR-based SHM. Conversely, the major challenge of the long-term monitoring of civil structures pertains to variations in their inherent properties by environmental and/or operational variability. This article aims to propose new hybrid unsupervised learning methods for addressing these challenges. The methods in this work contain three main parts: (i) data augmentation by the Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm, (ii) feature normalization, and (iii) decision making via Mahalanobis-squared distance. The first method presented in this work develops an artificial neural network-based feature normalization by proposing an iterative hyperparameter selection of hidden neurons of the network. The second method is a novel unsupervised teacher-student learning by combining an undercomplete deep neural network and an overcomplete single-layer neural network. A small set of long-term displacement samples extracted from a few SAR images of TerraSAR-X is applied to validate the proposed methods. The results show that the methods can effectively deal with the major challenges in the SAR-based SHM applications.

Genetic Alterations, DNA Methylation, Alloantibodies and Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Type III von Willebrand Disease.

Type III von Willebrand disease is present in the Punjab province of Pakistan along with other inherited bleeding disorders like hemophilia. Cousin marriages are very common in Pakistan so genetic studies help to establish protocols for screening, especially at the antenatal level. Factors behind the phenotypic variation of the severity of bleeding in type III vWD are largely unknown. The study was conducted to determine Mutations/genetic alterations in type III von Willebrand disease and also to determine the association of different mutations, methylation status, ITGA2B/B3 mutations and alloimmunization with the severity of type III vWD. After informed consent and detailed history of the patients, routine tests and DNA extraction from blood, mutational analysis was performed by Next Generation Sequencing on Ion Torrent PGM. DNA methylation status was also checked with the help of PCR. In our cohort, 55 cases were detected with pathogenic mutations. A total of 27 different mutations were identified in 55 solved cases; 16 (59.2%) were novel. The mean bleeding score in truncating mutations and essential splice site mutations was relatively higher than weak and strong missense mutations. The mean bleeding score showed insignificant variation for different DNA methylation statuses of the VWF gene at the cg23551979 CpG site. Mutations in exons 7,10, 25, 28, 31, 43, and intron 41 splice site account for 75% of the mutations.

Association of early donor chimerism status with survival outcomes in post allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant patients of nonmalignant diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To highlight the association of early donor chimerism status at 2nd month with various survival outcomes. Method: The retrospective study was conducted at the Armed Forces Bone Marrow Transplant Centre, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and comprised patient data from January 2011 to July 2016. Data related to participants who underwent human leukocyte antigen-matched transplants for bone marrow failure syndrome and beta thalassemia major. Short tandem repeat-based polymerase chain reaction was used to assess donor chimerism status. Overall survival, disease-free survival, relapse-free survival, and graft versus host disease-free survival rates were noted. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. RESULTS: Of the 106, 64(60.4%) had bone marrow failure syndrome and 42(39.6%) had beta thalassemia major. The overall median follow-up was 13.53 months (range: 1.81-62.73 months). Early donor chimerism status was associated with overall survival (p=0.02) and disease-free survival (p=0.01). Mixed donor chimerism was less hazardous in terms of overall survival (p=0.04) and disease-free survival (p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Early mixed donor chimerism contributed to optimal survival in nonmalignant disease.

Effect of Circumference of Open Window Thoracostomy on Chest Wall Closure, Pleural Cavity Clearance, and Lung Expansion.

Introduction Managing chronic empyema thoracis (CET) due to tuberculosis (TB) in debilitated patients is complicated. Open window thoracostomy (OWT) is one of the ways to manage these high-risk patients. Closure of OWT is sometimes difficult to attain. The purpose of this study is to compare the outcome of OWT in terms of chest wall closure in two similar groups. The only difference between these groups was the circumference of the OWT created. This study will benefit patients of CET with OWT to attain early chest wall closure without being subjected to another surgical trauma. Methods This is a prospective comparative study, conducted in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, from August 2019 to July 2020. A total of 48 patients, 22 and 26 patients in group A and group B, respectively, were included in this study. Both groups were matched for age, gender, diagnosis, body mass index, and stage of empyema, with the difference only in the OWT circumference. Results Both groups had a history of multiple chest tube intubations. Among group A patients, a smaller circumference of OWT (20-24 cm; mean 22 cm) was created as compared to group B (30-34 cm; mean 33 cm). Spontaneous OWT closure was seen in 21 (95.5%) patients in group A and seven (26.9%) patients in group B in a time period of 6.2 ± 1.5 and 11.4 ± 0.5 months, respectively (p-value: ≤ 0.001). Pleural cavity clearance was attained in 21 (95.5%) patients in group A and 24 (92.35%) patients in group B in a time duration of 4 ± 1.4 months and 4 ± 4.1 months, respectively (p-value: ≤ 0.97). Complete lung expansion was found in 21 (95.5%) patients in group A and 24 (92.3%) patients in group B in a time duration of 5 ± 1.7 months and 4.7 ± 1.6 months, respectively (p-value: ≤ 0.62). Conclusion This prospective single-center study shows that successful spontaneous early closure of OWT primarily depends on the size of the OWT created. A smaller-sized OWT, if created judiciously, not only closes spontaneously but also facilitates the clearance of purulent discharge and potentially helps in the definitive healing of bronchopleural fistulae and consequent lung expansion, thereby avoiding more invasive procedures like decortication in a debilitated patient. Furthermore, there is no need for a second surgery for closure of OWT.

Intraocular foreign body in the anterior chamber angle of the eye-a 30-year-old 'emergency'.

We report an unusual case of a missed intraocular foreign body, which was incidentally discovered in the anterior chamber drainage angle of the left eye of a retired masonry worker, some 30 years after the inciting injury. The ocular penetration and intraocular foreign body were missed during initial emergency management, despite the high-velocity mechanism of chiselling granite, which was reported. This case effectively highlights the need for a careful history and examination in high-velocity injuries to the eye (such as those caused by hammering and grinding), a high index of suspicion for intraocular foreign bodies, and considers best practice in managing such presentations.

Electrically controlled 1 × 2 tunable switch using a phase change material embedded silicon microring.

Phase change material Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) has recently emerged as a highly promising candidate for photonic device applications owing to its high optical contrast, self-holding bi-stability, and fast material response. Here, we propose and analyze a 1×2 tunable switch using a GST embedded silicon microring resonator exploiting high optical contrast during GST phase change and a high thermo-optic coefficient of amorphous phase GST. Our device exhibits high extinction ratios of 25.57 dB and 18.75 dB at through and drop ports, respectively, with just a 1 µm long GST layer. The two states of the switch are realizable by electrically inducing phase change in GST. For post phase change from amorphous to crystalline and vice versa, the fall time down the 80% of phase transition temperature is ∼66ns and ∼45ns, respectively. The resonance wavelength shift per unit active length is 0.661 nm/µm, and the tuning efficiency is 1.16 nm/mW. The large wavelength tunability (4.63 nm) of the proposed switch makes it an attractive option for reconfigurable photonic integrated circuits.

Role of Anti-Tuberculous Treatment in the Outcome of Decortication for Chronic Tuberculous Empyema.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic tuberculous empyema (CTE) is a common complication of tuberculosis that requires some form of surgical intervention along with anti-tuberculosis therapy (ATT). The aim of this study was to determine the optimum duration of pre-operative ATT in CTE prior to the decortication and its outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This comparative prospective study was conducted from August 2019 to August 2020 in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 70 patients were included in the study. They were grouped into two arms: patients operated at or within six weeks of ATT commencement (Group A) and patients operated after six weeks of ATT (Group B). Both groups had 35 participants each. Patients were evaluated based on a self-administered questionnaire. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULT: In this study, there were 55 (78.6%) males and 15 (21.4%) females with a mean age of 33.5 ± 11.2 years. Diagnosis of CTE was most commonly made through sputum acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear (n=35, 50%) which most commonly involved right upper (n=20, 28.6%) and lower lung lobes (n=20, 28.6%). Complications such as air leaks, need for ventilator support, need for intensive care unit (ICU) stay, residual collection, and pneumothorax all were significantly higher in Group A (31 patients out of 35) compared to Group B (18 patients out of 35). In Group B, 21 (60%) participants had full post-operative expansion of lungs, compared to eight (22.8%) in Group A (p=0.002). In total five participants had failure to expand lungs; all of them belonged to Group A (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: The optimum timing of surgery and preoperative ATT is crucial for achieving better outcomes and requires good collaboration between the treating pulmonologist and thoracic surgeon. Our study highlights the importance of pre-operative ATT for at least more than six weeks before undertaking decortication for better outcomes and minimizing morbidity.

Pattern and Outcome of Thoracic Injuries in a Busy Tertiary Care Unit.

INTRODUCTION: Thoracic traumas are one of the most commonly encountered injuries in the emergency room. They range from blunt chest injuries due to road traffic accidents to penetrating chest injuries. Immediate medical and surgical interventions are essential to improve the outcome. This study was conducted to assess the pattern of thoracic trauma presenting to the emergency room, their outcome and factors contributing to it. METHODS: This prospective, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center, Karachi from January 1 until July 31, 2020, with institutional ethical approval. Patients age ≥12 years presenting with traumatic thoracic injury with or without associated injuries were included. Characteristics of their injuries and management outcome were studied. All data was processed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). RESULTS: A total of 199 patients were included; 154 (77.4%) patients were male and 45 (22.6%) patients were female. The most common age group presenting with trauma was the middle age (30-60 years), which included 101 (50.8%) patients. Out of the total, 126 (63.3%) had blunt chest injuries and 73 (36.6%) had penetrating chest injuries. Road traffic accidents were the most common cause of blunt chest injuries seen in 83 (65.8%) patients, whereas gunshot was the most common mode of penetrating chest injuries encountered in 41 (56.2%) cases. Tube thoracostomies were performed in 166 (83.4%) patients and thoracotomies in seven (3.51%) patients. Out of the total, 57 (28.6%) patients required mechanical ventilation and it was associated with blunt trauma, hemothorax, rib fracture, abdominal and head injuries (p ≤0.05). Mortality was seen in 22 (11.1%), which was associated with hemothorax, head injuries, mechanical ventilation and severe blood loss (p ≤0.05). CONCLUSION: Traumatic thoracic injuries are a preventable cause of mortality. Blunt chest injuries are more common than penetrating chest injuries. Proper implementation of public safety measures ensures less frequent and severe outcomes. Emergency department team and specialized thoracic surgeons must come together to manage these critical patients with utmost care.

Surface functionalization of wool via microbial-transglutaminase and bentonite as bio-nano-mordant to achieve multi objective wool and improve dyeability with madder.

Recently, natural dyes have a widening scope in various traditional and advanced applications due to their eco-friendly environment. However, improved dyeability of natural dyes still remains a challenging task. This research was aimed to achieve multi-objective wool with improved dyeability using bio-nano-mordant composed of m-Trans-glutaminase, m-TGase, and bentonite nanoclay. Wool fiber was treated through sonochemical method using different concentrations of m-TGase and bentonite. The surface morphology of wool fabric samples was examined by field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and Fourier transform Infrared Radiation (FTIR). Further, wool samples treated at different conditions were applied to madder for dyeability examination. The optimum conditions of color coordinates, color strength, K/S, and washing fastness of madder on treated wool fabric with m-TGase and bentonite, were also examined. The results revealed well-made interactions among m-TGase, bentonite, and wool fibers. In addition, surface morphology was strongly influenced by variations in enzyme concentrations so that extra addition of m-TGase lead to clear damage scales or less cuticle surface in SEM images. Moreover, the results showed that the value of K/S for treated wool samples was better than untreated samples. Indeed, amongst all, 5% concentrations of bio-nano-mordant for m-TGase and bentonite have the most constructive K/S values. Similarly, results of ΔE and antibacterial investigations also confirmed its superiority.

Management Outcome in Simple and Complex Hydatid Cysts of Lung.

INTRODUCTION: Hydatid cyst (HC) of lung is a frequently encountered entity in Pakistan. The clinical and radiological manifestations of HC in lung depend on the integrity of the cyst. Patients may remain asymptomatic for years in cases of simple HC or may present with a wide variety of complications when it ruptures. The aim of this study was to compare management outcomes in simple and complex HCs. METHODS: This prospective, observational study was conducted from February 2019 until May 2020. Patients were divided into two groups: simple HC (Group A) and complex HC (Group B). Preoperative complications, surgical procedures, postoperative complications, duration of hospital stay, duration of chest tube placement and need for readmission were noted and compared between the two groups. All data was processed through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). RESULTS: Sixty-two patients were included out of which Group A had 28 (45.2%) patients and Group B had 34 (54.8%) patients. There were 39 (62.9%) males and 23 (37.1%) females. The mean age was 31.11 ± 11.02 years. Preoperative complications in Group B included empyema seen in 10 (28.5%) patients, rupture of cyst into bronchus in 8 (23.5%), biliopleural fistula in 4 (11.7%), hydropneumothorax in 2 (5.8%), bronchopleural fistula in 1 (2.9%), airway compromise in 1 (2.9%) and pneumonia in 1 (2.9%) patient. Group B required longer days of chest tube placement, longer intensive care unit stay and longer hospital stay (p<0.001). The frequency of postoperative intervention was more in group B (p<0.05), therefore requiring readmission. CONCLUSION:  Surgery has favorable outcomes in the management of HC of lung. Complications associated with complex HC not only requires preoperative intervention like chest tubes but can also lead to life-threatening complications. There is also a frequent need for additional procedures during surgery in cases with complex HC along with greater risk of postoperative complications. All these are associated with prolonged hospital stay, readmissions and greater morbidity. Hence, early diagnosis and referral is needed to avoid these preventable complications associated with cyst rupture.

Early Functional Results of Surgery for Organizing Phase of Empyema Thoracis in a High Output Centre for Thoracic Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the early functional outcome of pulmonary decortication (PD) in patients having organized empyema thoracic (ET).  Methodology: This is a prospective study conducted at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Karachi from July 2019 to June 2020. The study included 76 patients referred to the department for assessment and surgery for the indication of organized empyema thoracis. After careful assessment and evaluation of the patients' computed tomography (CT) scans and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in addition to their symptoms, history, etiology of empyema, physical examination and nutrition status, they were recommended pulmonary decortication to release the underlying entrapped lung. Functional improvement was measured in terms of forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) three to six months after PD. RESULTS: A total of 76 empyema thoracis patients were included in the study. The mean age of participants was 33.4±11.9 years. The mean duration of empyema symptoms was 7.21±3.7 months. Majority were males (n=61; 80.3%). The full-lung expansion was achieved in 43 patients and partial lung expansion was achieved in 27 patients. The lung failed to expand in five patients. There was one death (lung failed to expand) due to respiratory failure as a result of septicemia. Most of the patients who achieved full-lung expansion had tuberculosis (26; 60.5%), followed by penetrating lung injury (7; 16.2%) and ruptured pulmonary hydatid cysts (5; 11.6%). Statistically significant association was found between etiology and full-lung expansion (p=0.042). Early functional improvement was seen in all patients with PD as mean FEV1 improved from 1.23±0.27 to 2.02±0.5 (63% increase; p<0.001) and FVC from 2.10±0.27 to 2.72±0.41 (29.7% increase; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Based on the results obtained in the present study, it is concluded that pulmonary decortication in carefully selected patients has a vital role in significantly improving early functional results in terms of pulmonary functions.

Mid-infrared non-volatile silicon photonic switches using nanoscale Ge2Sb2Te5 embedded in silicon-on-insulator waveguides.

We propose and numerically analyze hybrid Si-Ge2Sb2Te5 strip waveguide switches for the mid-infrared wavelength of 2.1 µm. The switches investigated are of one input-one output (on-off) and one input-two outputs (directional coupler) types. The reversible transition between the switch states is achieved by inducing phase transition from crystalline to amorphous and vice-versa by application of voltage pulses. The approach of embedding the nanoscale active material Ge2Sb2Te5 within the Si waveguide is taken to enhance the interaction of light with the active region of the switches. The dimensions of the active regions of the switches are optimized to achieve low insertion loss, low switching energy and high extinction ratio. In the case of the on-off switch, an extinction ratio of 33.79 dB along with an extremely low insertion loss of 0.52 dB is achieved using an optimum Ge2Sb2Te5 length of only 0.92 µm. For the directional coupler switch, an extinction ratio of 10.33 dB and 5.23 dB is obtained in the cross and bar states respectively using an active length of 52 µm. These values of extinction ratio, which are otherwise 18.59 dB and 8.33 dB respectively, are due to the necessity of doping the Si beneath the Ge2Sb2Te5 to facilitate the electrical conduction needed for Joule heating. A suitable gap of 100 nm is maintained between the active and passive arm of the directional coupler switch. Electro-thermal co-simulations confirm that phase change occurs in the whole of the Ge2Sb2Te5 region in both types of switches.

Electrospun carbon nanofibers with multi-aperture/opening porous hierarchical structure for efficient CO2 adsorption.

HYPOTHESIS: Carbonaceous materials are believed to be excellent source for developing essential vessels for carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorption. However, most of the carbonaceous materials used for CO2 capture have particle form, which is hard to recycle and also may cause choking of the gas pipes. Additionally, they also either require chemical activation or attachment of any functional groups for proficient CO2 capture. Thus, facile fabrication of multi-aperture porous carbon nanofiber (CNF) based CO2 sorbent via combination of three simple steps of electrospinning, washing, and carbonization, may be an effective approach for developing efficient sorbents for CO2 capture. EXPERIMENT: PAN/PVP composite solution was electrospun, PVP was used as pore forming template and PAN was opted as nitrogen rich precursor for carbon during electrospinning process. Selective removal of PVP from the electrospun PAN/PVP fiber matrix prior to carbonization generated highly rough and extremely porous PAN nanofibers, which were then carbonized to develop multi-aperture/opening porous carbon nanofibers (PCNF) with ultra-small pores with average pore diameter of ~0.71 nm. FINDINGS: Synthesized PCNF exhibited high CO2 gas selectivity (S = 20) and offered superior CO2 adsorption performance of 3.11 mmol/g. Moreover, no apparent change in mass for up to 50 cycles of CO2 adsorption/desorption unveil the long-term stability of synthesized PCNF, making them a potential candidate for CO2 adsorption application.

Porous, flexible, and core-shell structured carbon nanofibers hybridized by tin oxide nanoparticles for efficient carbon dioxide capture.

HYPOTHESIS: Carbon based nanofibrous materials are considered to be promising sorbents for the CO2 capture and storage. However, the precise control of porous structure with flexibility still remains a challenging task. In this research, we report a simple strategy to develop tin oxide (SnO2) embedded, flexible and highly porous core-shell structured carbon nanofibers (CNFs) derived from polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) core-shell nanofibers. EXPERIMENT: PAN/PVDF core-shell solutions were electrospun using co-axial electrospinning process. The as spun PAN core, and PVDF shell, with an appropriate amount of SnO2, fibers were stabilized followed by carbonization to develop SnO2 embedded highly porous and flexible core-shell structured CNFs. FINDINGS: The optimized CNFs membrane shows a prominent CO2 capture capacity of 2.6 mmol g-1 at room temperature, excellent CO2 selectivity than N2, and a remarkable cyclic stability. After 20 adsorption-desorption cycles, the CO2 capture capacity retains >95% of the preliminary value showing the long-term stability and practical worth of the final product. The loading of SnO2 nanoparticles in the carbon matrix not only enhanced the thermal stability of the precursor nanofibers, their surface characteristics, and porous structure to capture CO2 molecules, but also improves the flexibility of the CNFs by serving as a plasticizer for single-fiber-crack connection. Meaningfully, the flexible SnO2 embedded core-shell CNFs with excellent structural stability can prevail the limitations of annihilation and collapse of structures for conventional adsorbents, which makes them strongly useful and applicable. This research introduces a new route to produce highly porous and flexible materials as solid adsorbents for CO2 capture.

Refining the role of phenology in regulating gross ecosystem productivity across European peatlands.

The role of plant phenology as a regulator for gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) in peatlands is empirically not well constrained. This is because proxies to track vegetation development with daily coverage at the ecosystem scale have only recently become available and the lack of such data has hampered the disentangling of biotic and abiotic effects. This study aimed at unraveling the mechanisms that regulate the seasonal variation in GEP across a network of eight European peatlands. Therefore, we described phenology with canopy greenness derived from digital repeat photography and disentangled the effects of radiation, temperature and phenology on GEP with commonality analysis and structural equation modeling. The resulting relational network could not only delineate direct effects but also accounted for possible effect combinations such as interdependencies (mediation) and interactions (moderation). We found that peatland GEP was controlled by the same mechanisms across all sites: phenology constituted a key predictor for the seasonal variation in GEP and further acted as a distinct mediator for temperature and radiation effects on GEP. In particular, the effect of air temperature on GEP was fully mediated through phenology, implying that direct temperature effects representing the thermoregulation of photosynthesis were negligible. The tight coupling between temperature, phenology and GEP applied especially to high latitude and high altitude peatlands and during phenological transition phases. Our study highlights the importance of phenological effects when evaluating the future response of peatland GEP to climate change. Climate change will affect peatland GEP especially through changing temperature patterns during plant phenologically sensitive phases in high latitude and high altitude regions.

Highly Efficient, Transparent, and Multifunctional Air Filters Using Self-Assembled 2D Nanoarchitectured Fibrous Networks.

Particulate matter (PM) pollution is a significant burden on global economies and public health. Most present air filters are heavy, bulky, and nontransparent and typically have inevitable compromise between removal efficiency and air permeability. We report a scalable strategy to create ultralight, thin, rubbery, self-assembled nanoarchitectured networks (nanonetworks) with high-efficiency and transparency (ULTRA NET) as air filters using capacitive-like electronetting technology. By controlling the ejection, deformation, and phase separation of charged droplets from a Taylor cone, our approach allows continuously welded two-dimensional nanonetworks (∼20 nm fiber diameter) to assemble into filters on a large scale. The resulting ULTRA NET filters exhibit integrated properties of desirable pore structure yet maintaining strikingly low thickness (∼350 nm) and free-standing capability, 99.98% removal efficiency, and <0.07% of atmosphere pressure for PM0.3 filtration at ∼85.6% transmittance, which enable them to serve as a multifunctional filter against PMs either in rigid solid or in soft oil forms and even biohazard pathogens. This work should serve as a source of inspiration for the design and development of high-performance fibrous materials for various filtration and separation applications.

Ecosystem Services Related to Carbon Cycling - Modeling Present and Future Impacts in Boreal Forests.

Forests regulate climate, as carbon, water and nutrient fluxes are modified by physiological processes of vegetation and soil. Forests also provide renewable raw material, food, and recreational possibilities. Rapid climate warming projected for the boreal zone may change the provision of these ecosystem services. We demonstrate model based estimates of present and future ecosystem services related to carbon cycling of boreal forests. The services were derived from biophysical variables calculated by two dynamic models. Future changes in the biophysical variables were driven by climate change scenarios obtained as results of a sample of global climate models downscaled for Finland, assuming three future pathways of radiative forcing. We introduce continuous monitoring on phenology to be used in model parametrization through a webcam network with automated image processing features. In our analysis, climate change impacts on key boreal forest ecosystem services are both beneficial and detrimental. Our results indicate an increase in annual forest growth of about 60% and an increase in annual carbon sink of roughly 40% from the reference period (1981-2010) to the end of the century. The vegetation active period was projected to start about 3 weeks earlier and end ten days later by the end of the century compared to currently. We found a risk for increasing drought, and a decrease in the number of soil frost days. Our results show a considerable uncertainty in future provision of boreal forest ecosystem services.

The effectiveness of script training to restore lost communication in a patient with Broca's aphasia.

Aphasia is considered as an acquired neurological disorder of communication, which is characterised by the symptoms on all levels of language dysfunction. The current study was planned to explore the outcomes of script training in a patient with Broca's aphasia through quantitative approach using a single-subject-multiple-baseline research design across behaviours. The probes were obtained during the baseline, treatment, maintenance and generalisation phases for tracking the spoken use of scripted content. All the probes were transcribed verbatim and no value of Cohen's Kappa Coefficient (K) was below 0.61, indicating robust inter-rater reliability. The subject learned all six scripts successively and over 80% of mastery level on all dependent variables was achieved. The largest effect size, above 10.1, was reported for the percent of intelligible scripted words (PISW). Script training was found to be an effective therapy for rejuvenating lost communication of patients with severe Broca's aphasia.