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AbstractDengue is hyperendemic in Brazil, with outbreaks affecting all regions. Previous studies identified geographical barriers to dengue transmission in Brazil, beyond which certain areas, such as South Brazil and the Amazon rainforest, were relatively protected from outbreaks. Recent data shows these barriers are being eroded. In this study, we explore the drivers of this expansion and identify the current limits to the dengue transmission zone. We used a spatio-temporal additive model to explore the associations between dengue outbreaks and temperature suitability, urbanisation, and connectivity to the Brazilian urban network. The model was applied to a binary outbreak indicator, assuming the official threshold value of 300 cases per 100,000 residents, for Brazil’s municipalities between 2001 and 2020. We found a nonlinear relationship between higher levels of connectivity to the Brazilian urban network and the odds of an outbreak, with lower odds in metropoles compared to regional capitals. The number of months per year with suitable temperature conditions for Aedes mosquitoes was positively associated with the dengue outbreak occurrence. Temperature suitability explained most interannual and spatial variation in South Brazil, confirming this geographical barrier is influenced by lower seasonal temperatures. Municipalities that had experienced an outbreak previously had double the odds of subsequent outbreaks, indicating that dengue tends to become established in areas after introduction. We identified geographical barriers to dengue transmission in South Brazil, western Amazon, and along the northern coast of Brazil. Although a southern barrier still exists, it has shifted south, and the Amazon no longer has a clear boundary. Few areas of Brazil remain protected from dengue outbreaks. Communities living on the edge of previous barriers are particularly susceptible to future outbreaks as they lack immunity. Control strategies should target regions at risk of future outbreaks as well as those currently within the dengue transmission zone.Author summaryDengue is a mosquito-borne disease that has expanded rapidly around the world due to increased urbanisation, global mobility and climate change. In Brazil, geographical barriers to dengue transmission exist, beyond which certain areas including South Brazil and the Amazon rainforest are relatively protected from outbreaks. However, we found that the previous barrier in South Brazil has shifted futher south as a result of increased temperature suitability. The previously identified barrier protecting the western Amazon no longer exists. This is particularly concerning as we found dengue outbreaks tend to become established in areas after introduction. Highly influential cities with many transport links had increased odds of an outbreak. However, the most influencial cities had lower odds of an outbreak than cities connected regionally. This study highlights the importance of monitoring the expansion of dengue outbreaks and designing disease prevention strategies for areas at risk of future outbreaks as well as areas in the established dengue transmission zone.

Abstract Breakthrough alternative technologies are urgently required to alleviate the critical need to decarbonise our energy supply. We showcase non-conventional approaches to battery and solar energy conversion and storage (ECS) system designs that harness key attributes of immiscible electrolyte solutions, especially the membraneless separation of redox active species and ability to electrify certain liquid–liquid interfaces. We critically evaluate the recent development of membraneless redox flow batteries based on biphasic systems, where one redox couple is confined to an immiscible ionic liquid or organic solvent phase, and the other couple to an aqueous phase. Common to all solar ECS devices are the abilities to harvest light, leading to photo-induced charge carrier separation, and separate the products of the photo-reaction, minimising recombination. We summarise recent progress towards achieving this accepted solar ECS design using immiscible electrolyte solutions in photo-ionic cells, to generate redox fuels, and biphasic “batch” water splitting, to generate solar fuels.

The application of neutron emitting radioisotopes in brachytherapy facilitates the use of the higher biological effectiveness of neutrons compared to photons in treating some cancers. Different types of high intensity sources are in use for the treatment of different cancers. To improve the therapy of bulky tumors the dose can be augmented by the additional use of the boron capture reaction of thermal neutrons. This requires information about the thermal neutron dose component around the Cf source. In this work, a Mg/Ar‐ionization chamber internally coated with was used to measure the thermal neutrons. These measurements were performed on two different sources, one in use in the Gershenson Radiation Oncology Center at Harper Hospital in Detroit, MI, and one at the University Hospital of Chiang Mai in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The results of these measurements are compared and indicate that the differences in the construction of the sources influence the thermal dose component.

The high surface area, electrical and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube (CNT) composites has rendered them promising candidates for structural power composites. Nevertheless, it is important to understand their mechanical behaviour before they are applied in energy storage devices amid the safety concerns. This work explores the nail penetration behaviours of supercapacitor specimens consisting of CNT electrodes and pseudocapacitor specimens with carbon nanotube-polyaniline (CNT/PANI) electrodes. Specimens with and without electrolyte were tested. The dry cells without electrolyte follow a power law behaviour, while the wet cells with the electrolyte exhibit a piece-wise nonlinear relationship. The force, voltage and temperature of the supercapacitor were recorded during the nail penetration test. No temperature change or overheating was observed after short-circuit. Moreover, electrochemical testing is performed before and after the specimen penetration. The cyclic voltammetry shows the dramatic loss of capacitance, changing the cell behaviour from capacitor to resistor-like manner. Johnson-Cook model was used to predict the nail penetration behaviour. The coefficients of Johnson-Cook model are calibrated from the experimental load-displacement curves. The finite element model predictions are in a good agreement with the experimental results.

Abstract A standard mechanical engineering mass transfer analysis is adapted to obtain performance calculations for the cathode of a typical polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. Mathematical details are provided and sample calculations performed, based on a number of simplifying assumptions. The relative advantages of low and high-mass transfer formulations are critically appraised and compared to a highly-simplified method.

Thirty-four geothermal power plants for the production of electricity are currently active in the geothermal areas in Tuscany. The present study aimed to investigate the association between short-term exposure to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and acute health outcomes.This study used individual data on non-accidental, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, urgent hospital admissions (HA) and emergency department (ED) visits for cardiorespiratory diseases occurring from 2000 to 2017. All cases were georeferenced and matched to daily H2S data, derived from 18 monitoring sites. A case-crossover design following the matched pair interval approach was applied and conditional logistic regression models were fitted to estimate odds ratios and their 90% confidence intervals, adjusting for a set of time-dependent variables, such as influenza epidemics, holidays and temperature.A total of 8054 deaths, 30,527 HA and 15,263 ED visits occurred. Mortality for non-accidental (OR = 1.11, 90% CI 1.02-1.22) and cardiovascular causes (OR = 1.22, 90% CI 1.03-1.44) were associated with an increase of 10 µg/m3 of H2S daily levels only among men. Hospital admissions for respiratory diseases were positively associated with H2S exposure: OR = 1.11 (90% CI 1.00-1.22) among women. No associations were observed in ED visits analyses.In this case-crossover study in the Tuscan geothermal areas, short-term exposure to H2S was weakly associated with some mortality and morbidity outcomes. Our findings did not show a clear pattern as the results were not homogeneous between mortality and morbidity data or between men and women.

Ethanol metabolism by cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) produces free radical intermediates, identified as hydroxyethyl radicals. We have observed that in vitro addition or in vivo pretreatment of rats with Silipide, a new 1:1 complex of silybin with phosphatidyl-choline, is able to decrease the spin trapping of hydroxyethyl radicals in microsomes from chronic alcohol-fed rats. This effect is not due to an interference with the metabolism of ethanol by CYP2E1, but is rather related to the capacity of the silybin molecule to scavenge hydroxyethyl radicals. However, such an effect is lost when pure silybin in amounts comparable to those present in Silipide is administered instead, due to the low bioavailability of uncomplexed flavonoid. Further experiments in vivo have shown that Silipide administration also decreases hydroxyethyl radical signals detectable in the bile of rats acutely treated with ethanol. The ability of Silipide to scavenge ethanol-derived radicals along with its antioxidant activity suggests that this drug might be potentially useful in counteracting free radical-mediated injuries involved in the development of liver damage caused by alcohol abuse.