Stochastic hybrid systems (SHS) have attracted a lot of research interests in recent years. In this paper, we review some of the recent applications of SHS to biological systems modeling and analysis. Due to the nature of molecular interactions, many biological processes can be conveniently described as a mixture of continuous and discrete phenomena employing SHS models. With the advancement of...

The soft-and-hard surface (SHS) is employed to suppress the surface wave generated by a patch antenna integrated with high dielectric-constant LTCC multilayer packages. Two antenna structures are investigated to demonstrate the potential capability of the SHS in surface-wave suppression. The first is a stacked patch antenna on a large-size substrate. It is shown that using SHS can increase the ...

BACKGROUND Children's exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) has been causally linked to a number of childhood morbidities and mortalities. Over 50% of UK children whose parents are smokers are regularly exposed to SHS at home. No previous review has identified the factors associated with children's SHS exposure in the home. AIM To identify by systematic review, the factors which are associated w...

This commentary is written to accompany a special research topic, Second Hand Smoke and COPD: lessons from animal studies, hosted by Frontiers in Respiratory Physiology. Model systems allow researchers to study disease, to tease out cause and effect and mechanisms of action, and to conduct the preliminary studies of the safety and efficacy of treatments. The underlying objective of the research...

BACKGROUND An increasing number of epidemiological and experimental studies have associated exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) during pregnancy with adverse outcomes in newborns. As we have previously shown in mice, in utero exposure to SHS at critical stages of fetal development, results in altered lung responses and increased disease susceptibility upon re-exposure to irritants (SHS or ovalb...

BACKGROUND Although it has been well recognized that exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) is associated with cardiovascular mortality, the mechanisms and time course by which SHS exposure may lead to cardiovascular effects are still being explored. METHODS Non-smoking workers were recruited from a local union and monitored inside a union hall while exposed to SHS over approximately 6 ho...

This study investigates how secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure influences neonatal birth weight in Jordan, a country with high smoking prevalence. The findings revealed that as the average number of SHS exposure hours per week increased in the second trimester, the neonatal birth weight decreased while holding all covariates constant. Women who reported a higher average number of SHS exposure hour...

INTRODUCTION The workplace remains a significant source of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. This pollutant is known to be associated with respiratory and cardiovascular problems, but its effects on specific pulmonary function parameters remain largely unexplored. The objectives of this study were to measure SHS exposure among non-smoking employees of bar and restaurants in Santiago, Chile and t...

AIM To measure exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) in New Zealand bars before and after comprehensive smoke-free legislation enacted on 10 December 2004. METHODS Cotinine is the main specific metabolite of nicotine and a well-established biomarker for SHS exposure. We measured cotinine levels in saliva of non-smoking volunteers before and after a 3 h visit to 30 randomly selected bars in 3 ci...