Differential effects of tobacco cigarettes and electronic cigarettes on endothelial function in healthy young people

In our study of otherwise healthy young people, baseline flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a predictor of atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular risk, was not different among tobacco cigarette (TC) smokers or electronic cigarette (EC) vapers who had refrained from smoking, compared with nonsmokers. However, acutely smoking one TC impaired FMD in smokers, whereas vaping a similar EC “dose” (as estimated by change in plasma nicotine levels) did not. Finally, although it is reassuring that acute EC vaping did not acutely impair FMD, it would be premature and dangerous to conclude that ECs do not lead to atherosclerosis or increase cardiovascular risk.

Grave Goods

Arts-based research challenges inquirers into marketplace behavior to address the ontological turn in the social sciences by representing their understanding of consumption in an aesthetic key. Unfolding from the premise that experience is an assemblage, this short story examines the phenomenon of vibrant matter through an exploration of entangled objects. The account is set in the context of death rituals in a consumer culture and scrutinizes the process of disposition long neglected in the marketing literature. The transubstantiation of assemblage components is captured in kairos-moment ruptures of chronos-baseline flow.

Numerical investigation of tandem-cylinder noise reduction using plasma-based flow control

The noise of flow over tandem cylinders at $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}{\mathit{Re}}_D= 22\, 000$ and its reduction using single dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) plasma actuators are simulated numerically both to confirm and extend experimental results. The numerical approach is based on large-eddy simulation (LES) for the turbulent flow field, a semi-empirical plasma actuation model, and Lighthill’s theory for acoustic calculation. Excellent agreement between LES and experimental results is obtained for both the baseline flow and flow with plasma control in terms of wake velocity profiles, turbulence intensity, and frequency spectra of pressure fluctuations on the downstream cylinder. The validated flow-field results allow an accurate acoustic analysis based on Lighthill’s equation, which is solved using a boundary-element method. The effectiveness of plasma actuators for reducing noise is clearly demonstrated. In the baseline flow, the acoustic field is dominated by the interaction between the downstream cylinder and the upstream wake. Through suppression of vortex shedding from the upstream cylinder, the interaction noise is reduced drastically by the plasma flow control, and the vortex-shedding noise from the downstream cylinder becomes equally important. At a free-stream Mach number of 0.2, the peak sound pressure level is reduced by approximately 16 dB. This suggests the viability of plasma actuation for active aeroacoustic control of airframe noise.

Sensitivity of Digital Thermal Monitoring Parameters to Reactive Hyperemia

Both structural and functional evaluations of the endothelium exist in order to diagnose cardiovascular disease (CVD) in its asymptomatic stages. Vascular reactivity, a functional evaluation of the endothelium in response to factors such as occlusion, cold, and stress, in addition to plasma markers, is the most widely accepted test and has been found to be a better predictor of the health of the endothelium than structural assessment tools such as coronary calcium scores or carotid intima-media thickness. Among the vascular reactivity assessment techniques available, digital thermal monitoring (DTM) is a noninvasive technique that measures the recovery of fingertip temperature after 2–5 min of brachial occlusion. On release of occlusion, the finger temperature responds to the amount of blood flow rate overshoot referred to as reactive hyperemia (RH), which has been shown to correlate with vascular health. Recent clinical trials have confirmed the potential importance of DTM as an early stage predictor of CVD. Numerical simulations of a finger were carried out to establish the relationship between DTM and RH. The model finger consisted of essential components including bone, tissue, major blood vessels (macrovasculature), skin, and microvasculature. The macrovasculature was represented by a pair of arteries and veins, while the microvasculature was represented by a porous medium. The time-dependent Navier–Stokes and energy equations were numerically solved to describe the temperature distribution in and around the finger. The blood flow waveform postocclusion, an input to the numerical model, was modeled as an instantaneous overshoot in flow rate (RH) followed by an exponential decay back to baseline flow rate. Simulation results were similar to clinically measured fingertip temperature profiles in terms of basic shape, temperature variations, and time delays at time scales associated with both heat conduction and blood perfusion. The DTM parameters currently in clinical use were evaluated and their sensitivity to RH was established. Among the parameters presented, temperature rebound (TR) was shown to have the best correlation with the level of RH with good sensitivity for the range of flow rates studied. It was shown that both TR and the equilibrium start temperature (representing the baseline flow rate) are necessary to identify the amount of RH and, thus, to establish criteria for predicting the state of specific patient’s cardiovascular health.