Search

Low-frequency (5–30 kHz) discharge current oscillations characterize the operation of Hall thrusters and represent a valuable metric not only to monitor the thruster behavior, but also to optimize the thruster performance. Two types of low-frequency oscillation modes are commonly observed: a global "breathing" mode, associated with the propellant ionization, and a local mode, typically characterized by a lower oscillation amplitude and the appearance of azimuthal spokes. The main characteristics of discharge oscillations and the transition between the two oscillation modes vary greatly with the thruster geometry and the operating condition. In this work, we present the results of an experimental campaign carried out on a 20 kW-class thruster prototype, SITAEL's HT20k, with an exchangeable discharge channel and a magnetic circuit. Three different channel sizes were tested over a wide range of operating conditions and magnetic fields. For each operating point, a high frequency measurement of the discharge current was performed, recording the main characteristics of the oscillations. The data collected were then processed to derive the influence coefficients of each thruster parameter on the discharge current characteristics, as well as their dispersion. Finally, this allowed us to formulate general, data-driven scaling laws for the discharge current salient features, such as oscillation amplitude and dominant frequency. The gathered insight sheds light on the physical processes involved in the thruster discharge. At the same time, the possibility to model with simple functional laws the main oscillatory mode of Hall thrusters offers a unique aid to the optimization of thruster design and the evaluation of thruster performance during life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years the consumption of edible flowers has gained new popularity, and their use seems destined to grow thanks to their potential as functional elements and their ability to impart aroma to traditional foods. In this study, the volatile profile of several edible flowers was investigated to identify characteristic compounds to be used as product markers. 85 samples belonging to four cultivars were analyzed by HS-SPME/GC-MS. A PLS-DA was used to build a model capable of differentiating the investigated classes. The resulting model correctly predicted over 95% of the validation samples, highlighting a significant difference between the four types of edible flowers. The VIP analysis highlighted 29 compounds relevant for the characterization of different flowers, many of which were biologically active. The study aims to broaden the framework of objectively measurable tools useful for enhancing the qualitative peculiarity of one product compared to another and offering growth opportunities to emerging food chains., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To collect pilot data on medication disposal practices of unused and expired medications from three cities in three countries. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Pittsburgh, United States (US); Turin, Italy; and Kobe, Japan. A convenience sampling was utilized through drug take-back programs in Pittsburgh, US; pharmacy customers in Turin, Italy; and pharmacy students and family members in Kobe, Japan. Descriptive analysis was conducted to assess medications disposal practices including attitudes and beliefs of respondents. Results: The sample included 342 respondents [99 (Pittsburgh, US); 168 (Turin, Italy); and 75 (Kobe, Japan)]. The mean unused and expired medications per patient for Pittsburgh, US was (1.60±2.30 and 0.51±1.54); Turin, Italy (1.69±1.86 and 0.49±1.22) and Kobe, Japan (6.69±8.78 and 0.84±2.26). The major reason for unused medications in Pittsburgh, US (31.3%) was "Medication was as needed"; in Turin, Italy (28.0%) "No longer suffer from the condition"; and in Kobe, Japan (54.7%) "No longer suffer from the condition". The most common reason for expired medications was "No longer suffer from the condition" (Pittsburgh, US 17.2%; Turin, Italy 15.5%; Kobe, Japan 12.0%). The disposal method in Pittsburgh, US was disposing in the toilet (35.4%); returned to the pharmacy in Turin, Italy (51.2%); and disposed the original container in the trash in Kobe, Japan (82.7%). Conclusions: There is a need for counseling protocols regarding proper disposal, which can lead to better adherence, reduction of prescription drug abuse, and less environmental hazards due to improper disposal of prescription medications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Kamal et al.)

Objective: To explore important themes in patient experiences with migraine and to understand the relationship of these themes with external factors such as the health care system and societal influences., Methods: This qualitative study was part of a larger online survey (conducted for a period of 2 months from March 1, 2013, to April 30, 2013) that recruited participants with migraine through nonprobability-based sampling techniques. Respondents were asked an open-ended question to describe their experience with migraine. A codebook was developed based on existing literature and new categories that emerged from the responses. Deductive and inductive content analysis was conducted followed by axial coding of the themes based on the codebook., Results: The open-ended question resulted in 154 eligible responses. The final codebook contained 28 categories. The categories were combined into 6 distinct themes. The 6 themes included quality of life and health status, disease condition, societal response to disease, health care and medications, support, and patient response to disease. The most frequently occurring categories were pain and quality of life (QoL) (work functioning). The least frequent themes were cognitive symptoms, QoL economic functioning, and caregiver burden. Axial coding of the themes showed that QoL was the central theme. Aspects of the disease condition and negative societal responses were found to substantially affect QoL, leading to caregiver burden and absence/presence of social support., Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that pain and QoL are central to patient experience with migraine. Attention should be paid to improve the treatment and social support provided to patients and reduce stigma and invalidation., (© Copyright 2022 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.)

Background: There have been significant advances in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) treatment, with the introduction of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) modulators. Adherence is an important goal for CF management, as nonadherence is linked to poor health outcomes., Objective: To calculate the medication adherence in patients taking CFTR modulators using a national specialty pharmacy database., Methods: This retrospective observational cohort study utilized de-identified specialty pharmacy data from September 2017 to August 2018 to assess medication adherence for three CFTR modulators: ivacaftor, lumacaftor/ivacaftor, and tezacaftor/ivacaftor & ivacaftor. The primary outcome was proportion of days covered (PDC) for each medication, with mean PDC values compared across age groups and insurance characteristics. All analyses were performed using the SAS 9.4 University Edition (SAS Institute, Cary, NC)., Results: A total of 2,548 patients were analyzed, including 1,289 (50.59%) patients on lumacaftor/ivacaftor, 784 (30.77%) on ivacaftor, and 475 (18.64%) on tezacaftor/ivacaftor & ivacaftor. The mean PDC value for all CFTR modulators was above 0.80. Tezacaftor/ivacaftor & ivacaftor had the highest overall PDC of 0.92, while PDC values for both lumacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor were 0.84. Children/adolescents on lumacaftor/ivacaftor ( p  = 0.0001) and tezacaftor/ivacaftor & ivacaftor ( p  = 0.001) had significantly higher mean PDC values compared to adults but not for ivacaftor ( p  = 0.3744). No statistical differences were seen in PDC across insurance characteristics., Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the adherence of three CFTR modulators using a large nationwide specialty database. With high acquisition costs of CFTR modulator therapies, there is a need to improve rates of adherence in patients with CF., (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

Despite its recognized value, there is a gap in the assessment of patient satisfaction among patients with substance use disorder (SUD) in rehabilitation. The study objective was to determine patient satisfaction dimensions relevant to individuals receiving residential rehabilitation for SUD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the following: (1) adult males enrolled in the program and (2) counseling staff involved in the care of these individuals. A literature review formed the basis for interviews, which were audio recorded and transcribed. Text data was analyzed using directed content analysis to identify dimensions relevant to patient satisfaction. Eighteen individuals participated, including 14 men with SUD and four staff. Content analysis of the interview transcripts resulted in five themes: (1) counselor (skill), (2) programmatic structure (adhering), (3) skill development (personal responsibility), (4) comparison to other programs, and (5) case management facilitation. These dimensions will be utilized to create a patient satisfaction tool specific to SUD rehabilitation.

Pasta is a key element of the Mediterranean Diet and it has been declared by Unesco intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Despite seems a simple food, only made of semolina and water, pasta is produced following a multi-step process that strongly affect the final product. Drying stage is the one that has the greater influence on its organoleptic/nutritional characteristics. This study aimed to analyse the flavour of pasta to test whether the different drying treatments (High Temperature-Short time or Low Temperature-Long time) have a direct impact on its composition and consequently whether they could influence the end-product quality. The headspace solid-phase microextraction was optimized using an experimental design and 52 samples were analysed by HS-SPME/GC-MS and classified by PLS-DA. The resulting classification model (validated by repeated double cross-validation and permutation tests) allowed correctly predicting more than 80% of samples, confirming that drying may have a significant impact on pasta flavour., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)