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This paper provides a number of examples of relatively weakly compact sets in Orlicz spaces. We show some results arising from these examples. Particularly, we provide a criterion which ensures that some Orlicz function is increasing more rapidly than another (in a sense of T. Ando). In addition, we point out that if a bounded subset K of the Orlicz space LΦ is not bounded by the modular Φ, then it is possible for a set K to remain unbounded under any modular Ψ increasing more rapidly than Φ.

Abstract One of the most serious problems worldwide is heavy metal (HM) pollution. HMs can have a toxic effect on human health and thus cause serious diseases. To date, several methods have been used to clean environments contaminated by HMs, but most of them are expensive, and it is difficult to achieve the desired result. Phytoremediation is currently an effective and affordable processing solution used to clean and remove HMs from the environment. This review article discusses in detail the technology of phytoremediation and mechanisms of HM absorption. In addition, methods are described using genetic engineering of various plants to enhance the resistance and accumulation of HMs. Thus, phytoremediation technology can become an additional aid to traditional methods of purification.

The host immune response plays a critical role in the immunopathology of SARS-CoV2. Here the authors combine a systems biology approach to implicate monocytes as key drivers of cytokine storm and disturbed neutrophil activation in COVID-19 disease severity.

This paper provides a number of examples of relatively weakly compact sets in Orlicz spaces. We show some results arising from these examples. Particularly, we provide a criterion which ensures that some Orlicz function is increasing more rapidly than another (in a sense of T. Ando). In addition, we point out that if a bounded subset K of the Orlicz space L Φ is not bounded by the modular Φ, then it is possible for a set K to remain unbounded under any modular Ψ increasing more rapidly than Φ.

Abstract Background The peak of the global COVID-19 pandemic has not yet been reached, and many countries face the prospect of a second wave of infections before effective vaccinations will be available. After an initial phase of viral replication, some patients develop a second illness phase in which the host thrombotic and inflammatory responses seem to drive complications. Severe COVID-19 disease is linked to high mortality, hyperinflammation, and a remarkably high incidence of thrombotic events. We hypothesize a crucial pathophysiological role for the contact pathway of coagulation and the kallikrein-bradykinin pathway. Therefore, drugs that modulate this excessive thromboinflammatory response should be investigated in severe COVID-19. Methods In this adaptive, open-label multicenter randomized clinical trial, we compare low molecular weight heparins at 50 IU anti-Xa/kg twice daily—or 75 IU anti-Xa twice daily for intensive care (ICU) patients—in combination with aprotinin to standard thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. In the case of hyperinflammation, the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist anakinra will be added on top of the drugs in the interventional arm. In a pilot phase, the effect of the intervention on thrombotic markers (D-dimer) will be assessed. In the full trial, the primary outcome is defined as the effect of the interventional drugs on clinical status as defined by the WHO ordinal scale for clinical improvement. Discussion In this trial, we target the thromboinflammatory response at multiple levels. We intensify the dose of low molecular weight heparins to reduce thrombotic complications. Aprotinin is a potent kallikrein pathway inhibitor that reduces fibrinolysis, activation of the contact pathway of coagulation, and local inflammatory response. Additionally, aprotinin has shown in vitro inhibitory effects on SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry. Because the excessive thromboinflammatory response is one of the most adverse prognostic factors in COVID-19, we will add anakinra, a recombinant interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, to the regimen in case of severely increased inflammatory parameters. This way, we hope to modulate the systemic response to SARS-CoV-2 and avoid disease progressions with a potentially fatal outcome. Trial registration The EU Clinical Trials Register 2020-001739-28 . Registered on April 10, 2020.

Experimental fission studies for reaction physics or nuclear spectroscopy can profit from fast, efficient, and radiation-resistant fission fragment (FF) detectors. When such experiments are performed in-beam in intense thermal neutron beams, additional constraints arise in terms of target-detector interface, beam-induced background, etc. Therefore, wide gap semi-conductor detectors were tested with the aim of developing innovative instrumentation for such applications. The detector characterization was performed with mass- and energy-separated fission fragment beams at the ILL (Institut Laue Langevin) LOHENGRIN spectrometer. Two single crystal diamonds, three polycrystalline and one diamond-on-iridium as well as a silicon carbide detector were characterized as solid state ionization chamber for FF detection. Timing measurements were performed with a 500-µm thick single crystal diamond detector read out by a broadband amplifier. A timing resolution of ∼10.2 ps RMS was obtained for FF with mass A = 98 at 90 MeV kinetic energy. Using a spectroscopic preamplifier developed at INFN-Milano, the energy resolution measured for the same FF was found to be slightly better for a ∼50-µm thin single crystal diamond detector (∼1.4% RMS) than for the 500-µm thick one (∼1.6% RMS), while a value of 3.4% RMS was obtained with the 400-µm silicon carbide detector. The Pulse Height Defect (PHD), which is significant in silicon detectors, was also investigated with the two single crystal diamond detectors. The comparison with results from α and triton measurements enabled us to conclude that PHD leads to ∼50% loss of the initial generated charge carriers for FF. In view of these results, a possible detector configuration and integration for in-beam experiments has been discussed.

Background. Bilateral femoral neuropathy is an uncommon complication of various surgical and nonsurgical procedures, such as pelvic/abdominal surgery or vaginal delivery. Case Report. We report a case of a 41-year-old male who was found unresponsive against the wall in a “lithotomy-type” position with both knees flexed at approximately 90 degrees and both hips flexed and externally rotated at approximately 90 and 60 degrees, respectively, 24–48 hours after a drug overdose (combination of dihydrocodeine, paracetamol, diazepam, and amitriptyline). During his recovery, he complained of severe bilateral proximal lower limb weakness and bilateral distal lower limb pain and allodynia. His symptoms were initially attributed to critical illness myopathy/neuropathy (CIMN). However, thorough clinical and neurophysiological evaluation revealed that his symptoms were due to severe bilateral femoral neuropathies. Conclusions. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of bilateral femoral nerve palsy due to prolonged posturing in a “lithotomy-type” position in the context of a drug overdose.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

The major volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 has been shown to have significant effects on stratospheric chemistry and ozone depletion even at midlatitudes. Since then, only moderate but recurrent volcanic eruptions have modulated the stratospheric aerosol loading and are assumed to be one cause for the reported increase in the global aerosol content over the past 15 years. This particularly enhanced aerosol context raises questions about the effects on stratospheric chemistry which depend on the latitude, altitude and season of injection. In this study, we focus on the midlatitude Sarychev volcano eruption in June 2009, which injected 0.9 Tg of sulfur dioxide (about 20 times less than Pinatubo) into a lower stratosphere mainly governed by high-stratospheric temperatures. Together with in situ measurements of aerosol amounts, we analyse high-resolution in situ and/or remote-sensing observations of NO2, HNO3 and BrO from balloon-borne infrared and UV–visible spectrometers launched in Sweden in August–September 2009. It is shown that differences between observations and three-dimensional (3-D) chemistry-transport model (CTM) outputs are not due to transport calculation issues but rather reflect the chemical impact of the volcanic plume below 19 km altitude. Good measurement–model agreement is obtained when the CTM is driven by volcanic aerosol loadings derived from in situ or space-borne data. As a result of enhanced N2O5 hydrolysis in the Sarychev volcanic aerosol conditions, the model calculates reductions of ∼ 45 % and increases of ∼ 11 % in NO2 and HNO3 amounts respectively over the August–September 2009 period. The decrease in NOx abundances is limited due to the expected saturation effect for high aerosol loadings. The links between the various chemical catalytic cycles involving chlorine, bromine, nitrogen and HOx compounds in the lower stratosphere are discussed. The increased BrO amounts (∼ 22 %) compare rather well with the balloon-borne observations when volcanic aerosol levels are accounted for in the CTM and appear to be mainly controlled by the coupling with nitrogen chemistry rather than by enhanced BrONO2 hydrolysis. We show that the chlorine partitioning is significantly controlled by enhanced BrONO2 hydrolysis. However, simulated effects of the Sarychev eruption on chlorine activation are very limited in the high-temperature conditions in the stratosphere in the period considered, inhibiting the effect of ClONO2 hydrolysis. As a consequence, the simulated chemical ozone loss due to the Sarychev aerosols is low with a reduction of −22 ppbv (−1.5 %) of the ozone budget around 16 km. This is at least 10 times lower than the maximum ozone depletion from chemical processes (up to −20 %) reported in the Northern Hemisphere lower stratosphere over the first year following the Pinatubo eruption. This study suggests that moderate volcanic eruptions have limited chemical effects when occurring at midlatitudes (restricted residence times) and outside winter periods (high-temperature conditions). However, it would be of interest to investigate longer-lasting tropical volcanic plumes or sulfur injections in the wintertime low-temperature conditions.

In the companion (Part I) paper, we have described and evaluated a new versatile optical particle counter/sizer named LOAC (Light Optical Aerosol Counter), based on scattering measurements at angles of 12 and 60°. That allows for some typology identification of particles (droplets, carbonaceous, salts, and mineral dust) in addition to size-segregated counting in a large diameter range from 0.2 µm up to possibly more than 100 µm depending on sampling conditions (Renard et al., 2016). Its capabilities overpass those of preceding optical particle counters (OPCs) allowing the characterization of all kind of aerosols from submicronic-sized absorbing carbonaceous particles in polluted air to very coarse particles (> 10–20 µm in diameter) in desert dust plumes or fog and clouds. LOAC's light and compact design allows measurements under all kinds of balloons, on-board unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and at ground level. We illustrate here the first LOAC airborne results obtained from a UAV and a variety of scientific balloons. The UAV was deployed in a peri-urban environment near Bordeaux in France. Balloon operations include (i) tethered balloons deployed in urban environments in Vienna (Austria) and Paris (France), (ii) pressurized balloons drifting in the lower troposphere over the western Mediterranean (during the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment – ChArMEx campaigns), (iii) meteorological sounding balloons launched in the western Mediterranean region (ChArMEx) and from Aire-sur-l'Adour in south-western France (VOLTAIRE-LOAC campaign). More focus is put on measurements performed in the Mediterranean during (ChArMEx) and especially during African dust transport events to illustrate the original capability of balloon-borne LOAC to monitor in situ coarse mineral dust particles. In particular, LOAC has detected unexpected large particles in desert sand plumes.

The study of aerosols in the troposphere and in the stratosphere is of major importance both for climate and air quality studies. Among the numerous instruments available, optical aerosol particles counters (OPCs) provide the size distribution in diameter range from about 100 nm to a few tens of µm. Most of them are very sensitive to the nature of aerosols, and this can result in significant biases in the retrieved size distribution. We describe here a new versatile optical particle/sizer counter named LOAC (Light Optical Aerosol Counter), which is light and compact enough to perform measurements not only at the surface but under all kinds of balloons in the troposphere and in the stratosphere. LOAC is an original OPC performing observations at two scattering angles. The first one is around 12°, and is almost insensitive to the refractive index of the particles; the second one is around 60° and is strongly sensitive to the refractive index of the particles. By combining measurement at the two angles, it is possible to retrieve the size distribution between 0.2 and 100 µm and to estimate the nature of the dominant particles (droplets, carbonaceous, salts and mineral particles) when the aerosol is relatively homogeneous. This typology is based on calibration charts obtained in the laboratory. The uncertainty for total concentrations measurements is ±20 % when concentrations are higher than 1 particle cm−3 (for a 10 min integration time). For lower concentrations, the uncertainty is up to about ±60 % for concentrations smaller than 10−2 particle cm−3. Also, the uncertainties in size calibration are ±0.025 µm for particles smaller than 0.6 µm, 5 % for particles in the 0.7–2 µm range, and 10 % for particles greater than 2 µm. The measurement accuracy of submicronic particles could be reduced in a strongly turbid case when concentration of particles > 3 µm exceeds a few particles cm−3. Several campaigns of cross-comparison of LOAC with other particle counting instruments and remote sensing photometers have been conducted to validate both the size distribution derived by LOAC and the retrieved particle number density. The typology of the aerosols has been validated in well-defined conditions including urban pollution, desert dust episodes, sea spray, fog, and cloud. Comparison with reference aerosol mass monitoring instruments also shows that the LOAC measurements can be successfully converted to mass concentrations.

The eastern limestone cliff of Mount Néron (French Alps) was the theater for two medium-size rockfalls between summer and winter 2011. On 14 August 2011, a ~2000 m3 rock compartment detached from the cliff, fell 100 m below and propagated down the slope. Although most of the fallen rocks deposited on the upper part of the slope, some blocks of about 15 m in size were stopped by a ditch and an earthen barrier after a run-out of 800 m. An unstable overhanging ~2600 m3 compartment remained attached to the cliff and was blasted on 13 December 2011. During this artificially triggered event, 7 blocks reached the same ditch, with volumes ranging from 0.8 to 12 m3. A semi-permanent seismic array located about 2.5 km from the site recorded the two events, providing a unique opportunity to understand and to compare the seismic phases generated during natural and artificially triggered rockfalls. Both events have signal duration of ~100 s with comparable maximum amplitudes recorded at large distances (computed local magnitude of 1.14 and 1.05, respectively), most of the energy lying below 20 Hz. Remote sensing techniques (photogrammetry and lidar) were employed before and after the provoked rockfall, allowing the volume and fracturing to be characterized. This event was filmed by two video cameras, and the generated ground motions were recorded using two temporary 3C seismic sensors and three seismic arrays deployed at the slope toe. Videos and seismogram processing provided estimates of the propagation velocity during the successive rockfall phases, which ranges from 12 to 30 m s−1. The main seismic phases were obtained from combined video and seismic signal analyses. The two most energetic phases are related to the ground impact of fallen material after free fall, and to individual rock block impacts into the ditch and the earthen barrier. These two phases are characterized by similar low-frequency content but show very different particle motions. The discrete element technique allowed reproducing the key features of the rockfall dynamics, yielding propagation velocities compatible with experimental observations.

Aerosols from the Sarychev volcano eruption (Kuril Islands, northeast of Japan) were observed in the Arctic lower stratosphere a few days after the strongest SO2 injection which occurred on 15 and 16 June 2009. From the observations provided by the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) an estimated 0.9 Tg of sulphur dioxide was injected into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). The resultant stratospheric sulphate aerosols were detected from satellites by the Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imaging System (OSIRIS) limb sounder and by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) and from the surface by the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Changes (NDACC) lidar deployed at OHP (Observatoire de Haute-Provence, France). By the first week of July the aerosol plume had spread out over the entire Arctic region. The Sarychev-induced stratospheric aerosol over the Kiruna region (north of Sweden) was measured by the Stratospheric and Tropospheric Aerosol Counter (STAC) during eight balloon flights planned in August and September 2009. During this balloon campaign the Micro Radiomètre Ballon (MicroRADIBAL) and the Spectroscopie d'Absorption Lunaire pour l'Observation des Minoritaires Ozone et NOx (SALOMON) remote-sensing instruments also observed these aerosols. Aerosol concentrations returned to near-background levels by spring 2010. The effective radius, the surface area density (SAD), the aerosol extinction, and the total sulphur mass from STAC in situ measurements are enhanced with mean values in the range 0.15–0.21 μm, 5.5–14.7 μm2 cm−3, 5.5–29.5 × 10−4 km−1, and 4.9–12.6 × 10−10 kg[S] kg−1[air], respectively, between 14 km and 18 km. The observed and modelled e-folding time of sulphate aerosols from the Sarychev eruption is around 70–80 days, a value much shorter than the 12–14 months calculated for aerosols from the 1991 eruption of Mt Pinatubo. The OSIRIS stratospheric aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 750 nm is enhanced by a factor of 6, with a value of 0.02 in late July compared to 0.0035 before the eruption. The HadGEM2 and MIMOSA model outputs indicate that aerosol layers in polar region up to 14–15 km are largely modulated by stratosphere–troposphere exchange processes. The spatial extent of the Sarychev plume is well represented in the HadGEM2 model with lower altitudes of the plume being controlled by upper tropospheric troughs which displace the plume downward and upper altitudes around 18–20 km, in agreement with lidar observations. Good consistency is found between the HadGEM2 sulphur mass density and the value inferred from the STAC observations, with a maximum located about 1 km above the tropopause ranging from 1 to 2 × 10−9 kg[S] kg−1[air], which is one order of magnitude higher than the background level.

Possible reasons for deviations from Griffith’s criterion in slab avalanche triggerings are examined. In the case of a major basal crack, we show (i) that the usual form of Griffith’s criterion is valid if elastic energy is stored in a shallow and hard slab only, and (ii) that rapid healing of broken ice bonds may lead to shear toughnesses larger than expected from tensile toughness experiments. In the case of avalanches resulting from failure of multi-cracked weak layers, where a simple Griffith’s criterion cannot be applied, frequency/size plots obtained from discrete elements and cellular automata simulations are shown to obey scale invariant power law distributions. These findings are confirmed by both frequency/acoustic emission duration and frequency/size plots obtained from field data, suggesting that avalanche triggerings may be described using the formalism of critical phenomena.