Efficacy of Grignard Pure to Inactivate Airborne Phage MS2, a Common SARS-CoV-2 Surrogate.

Grignard Pure (GP) is a unique and proprietary blend of triethylene glycol (TEG) and inert ingredients designed for continuous antimicrobial treatment of air. TEG has been designated as a ″Safer Chemical" by the US EPA. GP has already received approval from the US EPA under its Section 18 Public Health Emergency Exemption program for use in seven states. This study characterizes the efficacy of GP for inactivating MS2 bacteriophage─a nonenveloped virus widely used as a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2. Experiments measured the decrease in airborne viable MS2 concentration in the presence of different concentrations of GP from 60 to 90 min, accounting for both natural die-off and settling of MS2. Experiments were conducted both by introducing GP aerosol into air containing MS2 and by introducing airborne MS2 into air containing GP aerosol. GP is consistently able to rapidly reduce viable MS2 bacteriophage concentration by 2-3 logs at GP concentrations of 0.04-0.5 mg/m3 (corresponding to TEG concentrations of 0.025 to 0.287 mg/m3). Related GP efficacy experiments by the US EPA, as well as GP (TEG) safety and toxicology, are also discussed.

Course and predictors of physical aggressive behaviour after discharge from a psychiatric inpatient unit: 1 year follow-up.

The present study analyzes course and predictors of physically aggressive behaviour over a 1-year follow up in a sample of patients discharged from a psychiatric inpatient unit. One hundred and eighty-six patients discharged from a locked short-term Psychiatric Inpatient Unit at the Bologna University Hospital. After discharge, two data collection contacts at 1 month and at 1 year were scheduled. In particular, psychiatrists, nurses, and other professionals were interviewed by the research staff using the Overt Aggression Scale. About 20 % of discharged patients showed physical aggressiveness in subsequent follow-up contacts. Risk factors for physical violence in the short-time period were social problems and a longer time from the first psychiatric contact. Living in residential facilities and physical aggressiveness during hospitalization were correlated to violence in the long-time period. Risk factors for physically violent behaviour differed in the short-term and long-term follow-ups; different causes of violent behaviour could be hypothesized.

Controlled filamentation instability as a scalable fabrication approach to flexible metamaterials.

Long and flexible arrays of nanowires find impactful applications in sensing, photonics, and energy harvesting. Conventional manufacturing relies largely on lithographic methods limited in wafer size, rigidity, and machine write time. Here, we report a scalable process to generate encapsulated flexible nanowire arrays with high aspect ratios and excellent tunable size and periodicity. Our strategy is to control nanowire self-assembly into 2D and 3D architectures via the filamentation of a textured thin film under anisotropic stretching. This is achieved by coupling soft lithography, glancing angle deposition, and thermal drawing to obtain well-ordered meters-long nanowires with diameters down to 50 nanometers. We demonstrate that the nanowire diameter and period of the array can be decoupled and manipulated independently. We propose a filamentation criterion and perform numerical simulations implementing destabilizing long-range Van der Waals interactions. Applied to high-index chalcogenide glasses, we show that this decoupling allows for tuning diffraction. Finally, harnessing Mie resonance, we demonstrate the possibility of manufacturing macroscopic meta-grating superstructures for nanophotonic applications.

Predictors of violent behavior among acute psychiatric patients: clinical study.

AIM: Violence risk prediction is a priority issue for clinicians working with mentally disordered offenders. The aim of the present study was to determine violence risk factors in acute psychiatric inpatients. METHODS: The study was conducted in a locked, short-term psychiatric inpatient unit and involved 374 patients consecutively admitted in a 1-year period. Sociodemographic and clinical data were obtained through a review of the medical records and patient interviews. Psychiatric symptoms at admission were assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Psychiatric diagnosis was formulated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Past aggressive behavior was evaluated by interviewing patients, caregivers or other collateral informants. Aggressive behaviors in the ward were assessed using the Overt Aggression Scale. Patients who perpetrated verbal and against-object aggression or physical aggression in the month before admission were compared to non-aggressive patients, moreover, aggressive behavior during hospitalization and persistence of physical violence after admission were evaluated. RESULTS: Violent behavior in the month before admission was associated with male sex, substance abuse and positive symptoms. The most significant risk factor for physical violence was a past history of physically aggressive behavior. The persistent physical assaultiveness before and during hospitalization was related to higher BPRS total scores and to more severe thought disturbances. Higher levels of hostility-suspiciousness BPRS scores predicted a change for the worse in violent behavior, from verbal to physical. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive evaluation of the history of past aggressive behavior and psychopathological variables has important implications for the prediction of violence in psychiatric settings.

Baseline indoor air quality measurements collected from 136 metropolitan New York region commercial office buildings between 1997-1999.

Between January 1997 and December 1999, 648 surveys were performed in 136 commercial office buildings in the metropolitan New York region as part of an ongoing proactive indoor environmental quality (IEQ) program. Sampling was performed on a spot basis in "nonproblem" buildings, during normal business hours, either quarterly or semiannually. Carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) were among the various physical and gaseous parameters sampled for. More than 15,000 data points were collected, and the results were analyzed to determine the mean, median, mode, and standard deviation for each of those parameters. The data was then compared to various standards and/or guidelines applicable to the indoor environment. The results indicated that 98% of the CO2 readings were below 1000 ppm, and 99.9% of the CO readings were below 10 ppm. However, for TVOCs, nearly 88% of the readings exceeded the proposed European guideline value of 0.3 mg/m3. Ultimately, these results can be used to compare both baseline and periodic readings collected in future studies, and to help determine if potential problems exist within a building.