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Summary: Numerous studies support the idea that neuromuscular blockade facilitates facemask ventilation after induction of anaesthesia. Although improved airway patency or pulmonary compliance and a resolution of laryngospasm have been suggested as possible causes, the exact mechanism remains unclear. We aimed to assess whether neuromuscular blockade improves facemask ventilation and to clarify whether this phenomenon is associated with the vocal cord angle. This prospective observational study included patients aged between 20 and 65 years scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia. After induction of anaesthesia, patients' lungs were ventilated with pressure‐controlled ventilation using a facemask. During facemask ventilation, a flexible bronchoscope was inserted through a self‐sealing diaphragm at the elbow connector attached to the facemask and breathing circuit and positioned to allow a continuous view of the vocal cords. The mean tidal volume and vocal cord angle were measured before and after administration of neuromuscular blocking drugs. Of 108 patients, 100 completed the study. Mean (SD) tidal volume ((11.0 (3.9) ml.kg‐1 vs. 13.6 (2.6) ml.kg‐1; p < 0.001) and mean (SD) vocal cord angle (17° (10°) vs. 26° (5°); p < 0.001) increased significantly after neuromuscular blockade. The proportional increase in mean tidal volume after neuromuscular blockade was positively correlated with vocal cord angle (Spearman's ρ = 0.803; p < 0.001). In conclusion, neuromuscular blockade facilitated facemask ventilation, and the improvement was correlated with further opening of the vocal cords. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Numerous studies support the idea that neuromuscular blockade facilitates facemask ventilation after induction of anaesthesia. Although improved airway patency or pulmonary compliance and a resolution of laryngospasm have been suggested as possible causes, the exact mechanism remains unclear. We aimed to assess whether neuromuscular blockade improves facemask ventilation and to clarify whether this phenomenon is associated with the vocal cord angle. This prospective observational study included patients aged between 20 and 65 years scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia. After induction of anaesthesia, patients' lungs were ventilated with pressure‐controlled ventilation using a facemask. During facemask ventilation, a flexible bronchoscope was inserted through a self‐sealing diaphragm at the elbow connector attached to the facemask and breathing circuit and positioned to allow a continuous view of the vocal cords. The mean tidal volume and vocal cord angle were measured before and after administration of neuromuscular blocking drugs. Of 108 patients, 100 completed the study. Mean (SD) tidal volume ((11.0 (3.9) ml.kg‐1 vs. 13.6 (2.6) ml.kg‐1; p < 0.001) and mean (SD) vocal cord angle (17° (10°) vs. 26° (5°); p < 0.001) increased significantly after neuromuscular blockade. The proportional increase in mean tidal volume after neuromuscular blockade was positively correlated with vocal cord angle (Spearman's ρ = 0.803; p < 0.001). In conclusion, neuromuscular blockade facilitated facemask ventilation, and the improvement was correlated with further opening of the vocal cords. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata is an important crop pest in eastern Asia. Nocturnal insects, including nocturnal moths, have phototactic behavior to an artificial light source. Phototactic behavior in insects is species-specific in response to different wavelengths of light sources. Our previous study showed that green (520 nm) light emitting diode (LED) light resulted in a significantly higher phototactic behavior in M. separata moths compared to the other wavelength LED lights. The goal of the present study is to investigate the influence of green light illumination on biological characteristics of different developmental stages in M. separata. Our results revealed that when different developmental stages of M. separata were exposed to the green light illumination in a dark period, several biological characteristics in all developmental stages except for egg stage were positively changed, but those of F1 generation M. separata which are next generation of the adults exposed to the green light did not significantly change compared with the control level. These findings suggest that green light illumination at night (or dark period) has a positive effect on the development and longevity of M. separata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An internal-type linear inductive antenna, that is, a double-comb-type antenna, was developed for a large-area plasma source having the size of 1020 mm×830 mm, and high density plasmas on the order of 2.3×1011 cm-3 were obtained with 15 mTorr Ar at 5000 W of inductive power with good plasma stability. This is higher than that for the conventional serpentine-type antenna, possibly due to the low impedance, resulting in high efficiency of power transfer for the double-comb antenna type. In addition, due to the remarkable reduction of the antenna length, a plasma uniformity of less than 8% was obtained within the substrate area of 880 mm×660 mm at 5000 W without having a standing-wave effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 16-channel transceiver radiofrequency (RF) array using Helmholtz coils was designed to improve the RF transmission | B |-field homogeneity for human brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 7 T. A numerical simulation of the proposed Helmholtz transceiver array was performed using the finite-difference time-domain method-the subset of the finite-element method simulation. The simulation results of proposed 16-channel Helmholtz transceiver array were compared with the generally used rectangular transceiver array in term of their | B |-field and specific absorption rate (SAR). The simulation of each single element in 16-channel Helmholtz and rectangular transceiver arrays was compared using water phantom in term of their magnetic flux | B | homogeneity for the full width at half maximum. From the simulation results, the proposed 16-channel Helmholtz transceiver array configuration offers superior | B |-field homogeneity and low SAR at 7 T. These modifications to the coil geometries of the transceiver array coil could be applied to a 7-T MRI, and also extended to increase the homogenous coverage on | B |field with low SAR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]