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This study investigated the impact of metal doping on the DeNOx and anti-poisoning performance of MnOx/m-ZrO2. The DeNOx performance increases from 96% to nearly 100% by Co or Sm doping. However, the anti-poisoning performance was enhanced more by Sm doping, and the DeNOx performance remained at 90.97% after water and sulfur compound poisoning. The improved redox performance caused by the interaction between Sm and Mn resulted in more acidic sites that aid in the adsorption of NOx and NH3, and the presence of Sm effectively inhibits the formation of sulfate and ammonium sulfate, thus enhancing the DeNOx and anti-poisoning performance.

It is commonly acknowledged that the human factor and the interaction between the human factor and the road environment are among the most common causes of road accidents. Physiological signals can provide a real-time assessment of the driver's state because they can be collected continuously without interfering with the driver's task performance or the drivers' perception of the road. This study presents a method for measuring and quantifying drivers' physiological responses when approaching T-junctions and roundabouts using electrodermal activity and speed variations. Speed and electrodermal activity were collected continuously during a driving study which took place on a test environment based at Cranfield University and surrounding roads. Twenty participants were involved in the study. The analysis focused on four crossing manoeuvres on two T-junctions and a roundabout. The association Rule with the Apriori algorithm was used in order to evaluate associations between the variables related to electrodermal activity, i.e. the number and amplitude of the SCR peaks (assessed by the Electrodermal Impact Index in aggregate form), and the variables related to speed, i.e. the speed variation and its sign (positive or negative), for each type of intersection. The main results of this study can be summarized as follows: 1) the rules obtained for the manoeuvres on the T-Junctions show that the T-junctions induce low variations in the electrodermal activity and are often associated with a significant speed increase (between 20% and 30%); 2) the rules obtained for the manoeuvres on the roundabout highlights that the roundabout induces high variations in the electrodermal activity and is associated with a significant speed reduction (between 20% and 40%).

The supply chain of every company is essential to its overall operation. Global disruption has an unanticipated and immediate impact on supply chains across all industrial sectors. The supply chain must, therefore, demonstrate resilience in order to resist such upheaval because it is dynamic and extremely vulnerable to global uncertainties. Moreover, it must not only return to its initial form but also prove able to achieve steady, sustainable performance. To do so, supply chain activities necessitate value co-creation between stakeholders. One means of achieving this objective is through the application of service-dominant logic (SDL) whose eleven core premises define the behaviour, governance, and consequences of service-based exchange. The novelty of the research reported here lies in the mapping and review frameworks of current supply chain resilience towards sustainability (SCRTS) from an SDL perspective. This study represents the first to combine an SDL perspective and SCRTS since no formula has yet been devised to address this combination of factors. This study proposes the application of a conceptual framework of SCRTS from an SDL perspective by involving selected premises, resource integration, institutional structures, and collaboration. Type of Paper: Conceptual Framework.

This paper presents the PLC-Based system for controlling the SCR power module which is AC–DC converter proposes to linearity output voltage with trigger signal. The technique converted the trigger signal by arccosine function and analog module in the PLC. Converted signal from PLC system is fed to SCR power module instant the traditional signal. Proposed of this paper describes the PLC hardware configuration, compute/math and trigonometric functions with Studio 5000 software. In addition, the interfacing, parameters configuration, and monitoring are considered for testing. The technique with PLC-based, devices configuration and experimental results have been presented will be useful for electric power supply in the industry with more and more demand to apply the PLC system to develop the traditional industry to semi or automatic control in the industry.

Alkali and heavy metal chlorides cause the deactivation of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts during municipal solid waste incineration. In this study, the synergistic poisoning of KCl and PbCl2 on commercial V2O5-MoO3/TiO2 SCR catalysts was investigated. Compared with KCl, PbCl2 could combine with Mo components and protect V sites from poisoning. Besides, the chemical bonds between PbCl2 and V sites were weaker. Hence, the single poisoning of PbCl2 was weak to the denitrification of SCR catalyst. Whereas, under the co-poisoning of KCl and PbCl2, V-O-Cl structures were formed, which suppressed NH3 activation, thereby causing the deactivation of SCR catalyst.

New EU7 emission standards are currently under development. While the timing and exact level of stringency of these standards is not available, both OEMs and suppliers are preparing to meet significantly reduced tailpipe NOx and particle number standards for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles. We present here some of the emission control systems that are likely to be implemented and details on the advanced component technologies.

To comply with environmental regulations, ship operators may adopt exhaust after-treatment devices such as scrubbers or selective catalytic reduction (SCR). Beyond gaseous emission control, these technologies impact the exhaust particles emitted from marine engines to the atmosphere. This study characterizes comprehensively the chemical composition and physical properties of exhaust aerosol particles upstream and downstream a hybrid scrubber operating in open loop mode on-board a modern cruise ship. The study considers two engines, one equipped with SCR and both with scrubber, during engine load conditions of 75 % and 40 %, and the influence of marine gas oil (MGO) use in addition to heavy fuel oil (HFO). At least 4 different particle types were observed in the exhaust based on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies both upstream and downstream scrubber, and both scrubber and SCR affected the particle number size distribution (PSD). The geometric mean diameter (GMD) of the particles increased over scrubber both due to removal of nucleation mode particles and particle growth in the scrubber. The scrubber effectively decreased particle number (PN) and, also, non-volatile particles, but the effect depended on particle size and no significant decrease was observed in number of particles above 50 nm, typically comprising black carbon (BC) and in the case of HFO combustion, also asymmetrical metal containing particles. In addition to PN, concentrations of PAH compounds were reduced in the scrubber. The results may be further utilized when including the exhaust aerosol characteristics from ships applying scrubbers to emission inventories, as well as climate and air quality models., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Niina Kuittinen reports financial support was provided by K. F. and Maria Dunderberg Foundation. Niina Kuittinen reports financial support was provided by Merenkulun säätiö Foundation. If there are other authors, they 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 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study is an exhaustive investigation on engine performance and combustion features of a conventional diesel engine charged with biodiesel produced from biomass waste. Grapeseed oil methyl ester resulted in poor thermal efficiency with enormous quantity of harmful emissions. As an effort to reduce the engine pollutants, Grapeseed oil methyl ester was doped with zinc oxide nano particles, engine cylinder shape modification and exhaust gas recirculation method was used. Hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and smoke emissions reduced considerably, whereas reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions was low. Selective catalytic reduction technique at optimized mass flow rate of aqueous urea solution minimized the nitrogen oxide emissions by 76.9% compared to grapeseed oil methyl ester without compromise in brake thermal efficiency.

The European Commission is developing legislative proposals for Euro 7 emissions regulations for light- and heavy-duty vehicles. The new regulation will likely focus on ensuring the emissions from heavy-duty vehicles are minimized over extensive on-road operating conditions, in particular urban driving and cold-start operation. The vehicles will need to achieve low secondary emissions like NH3 and N2O as well. The paper outlines the ultra-low pollutant emissions achieved by a heavy-duty diesel demonstrator vehicle. The Euro VI long-haul truck is equipped with an innovative layout of state-of-the-art emission control technologies, combined with active thermal management. The new emissions control system integrates a close-coupled DOC including an electrically heated catalyst (EHC), a catalyzed DPF, dual-SCR system - one in a close-coupled position -, with twin AdBlue® dosing controlled by FEV-developed software. Both SCR catalysts contain an ammonia slip catalyst. The innovative system layout allows ultra-low NOx emissions and well controlled secondary emissions in even the most challenging conditions with minimal impact on CO2 emissions. Pollutant emissions were evaluated over a broad range of operating conditions, the testing was conducted with a single payload of 10% to show the emissions reduction potential.

Fear acquisition and generalization play key roles in promoting the survival of mammals and contribute to anxiety disorders. While previous research has provided much evidence for the repercussions of social exclusion on mental health, how social exclusion affects fear acquisition and generalization has received scant attention. In our study, participants were divided into two groups according to two Cyberball paradigm conditions (exclusion/inclusion). Both groups underwent a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and skin conductance response (SCR) assessments. We aimed to determine the effects of social exclusion on fear acquisition and generalization and whether modulation of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) mediates this relationship. Our results showed that socially excluded participants featured significantly higher and lower shock risk scores to safety stimuli (conditioned stimulus, CS-) and threatening stimuli (CS+), respectively, than did socially included subjects during fear acquisition. The exclusion group had increased skin conductance responses (SCRs) to CS and exhibited heightened shock risk and increased SCRs to generalized stimuli compared with the inclusion group. The fNIRS results demonstrated that the CS ​+ ​evoked larger oxy-Hb changes in the mPFC in the inclusion group than in the exclusion group during fear acquisition. Furthermore, the oxy-Hb of left mPFC of CS ​+ ​mediated the effect on the association between social exclusion and perceived risk of CS+ in the fear acquisition. Our results indicate that social exclusion impairs fear acquisition and generalization via the mediation of the mPFC and that social exclusion increases susceptibility to anxiety disorders through bias processing of fear discrimination in fear acquisition and generalization. By studying the role of social relationship in fear acquisition and generalization, our research provides new insights into the pathological mechanisms of anxiety disorder.

NOx emissions from diesel vehicles generally deteriorate with increased durability mileage owing to the wear and deterioration of engines and after-treatment systems. Three China-VI heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs) were selected for four-phase long-term real driving emission (RDE) tests using the portable emission measurement system (PEMS). After 200,000 km of on-road driving, the maximum NOx emission factor of the test vehicles (387.06 mg/kWh) was found to be significantly lower than the NOx limit of 690 mg/kWh. Under all driving conditions, the NOx conversion efficiency of selected catalytic reduction (SCR) decreased almost linearly as the durability mileage increased. Importantly, the deterioration rate of the NOx conversion efficiency in low-temperature intervals was discernibly higher than that in high-temperature intervals. The NOx conversion efficiency at 200 °C dropped by 16.67-19.82% with higher durability mileage; however, the highest values at 275-400 °C only decreased by 4.11%. Interestingly, the SCR catalyst at 250 °C showed strong NOx conversion efficiency and durability (maximum decline of 2.11%). Overall, the poor de-NOx performance of SCR catalysts at low temperatures significantly challenges the long-term effective control of NOx emissions from HDDVs. Thus, improving the NOx conversion efficiency and durability at low-temperature intervals is the top priority for SCR catalyst optimization; NOx emissions from HDDVs at low velocities and loads should also be monitored by environmental authorities. The linear fitting coefficient for the NOx emission factors of the four-phase RDE tests was 0.90-0.92, indicating that NOx emissions deteriorated linearly with an increase in mileage. Based on the linear fitting results, the NOx emission control of the test vehicles during 700,000 km of on-road driving was highly likely to be qualified. These results can be used by environmental authorities to supervise the NOx emission conformity of in-use HDDVs after validation using other types of vehicles., 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 © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Catalytic reduction of NO using CO, which is usually present in the flue gas of the iron and steel industry, is considered as an economical and eco-friendly de-NO x method (CO-SCR). However, the oxygen present in the flue gas will significantly inhibit the CO-SCR activity of the catalyst, thereby limiting its industrial application. Herein, catalysts based on iron and cerium oxides were prepared and modified with different metals to investigate their performance for the CO-SCR reaction in the presence of oxygen. The results show that the Fe/CeO 2 catalyst can reach 99% NO conversion at 200 °C, but its activity decreased dramatically to 42.7% when the oxygen is present (0.5 vol%). By contrast, the NO conversion of Ni-doped Fe/CeO 2 catalyst demonstrated significant enhanced oxygen resistance and could achieve 92% even at 150 °C in the presence of 0.5 vol% oxygen. Characterization techniques such as N 2 adsorption, XRD, SEM/TEM, XPS, H 2 -TPR, and in situ DRIFT were employed to investigate the mechanism of the improved oxygen resistance property of Ni-doped catalyst. The results show that the doped Ni can interact with Fe species, increases the BET surface area of the catalyst and generates more surface oxygen vacancies (SOV) and surface synergetic oxygen vacancy (SSOV) in CO-SCR reaction, thereby improving the redox performance of the catalyst. In situ DRIFT results show that the better redox performance of NiFe/CeO 2 catalyst is conducive to the conversion of adsorbed NO x species to the reactive intermediate NO 2 - species during the reaction. Meanwhile, the enhanced SOV/SSOV in the NiFe/CeO 2 catalyst exhibits a promising catalytic activity in CO-SCR reaction when oxygen is present.2 catalyst exhibits a promising catalytic activity in CO-SCR reaction when oxygen is present., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: Superior capsule reconstruction (SCR) is a treatment option for irreparable massive rotator cuff tears (MRCT). The purpose of this study is to describe a classification system for graft integrity and tear location., Methods: Patients who underwent SCR at a single institution were included. Pre-operative age, gender, prior surgery, Hamada grade, and Goutallier stage were recorded. An MRI was performed postoperatively to assess graft integrity and tear location., Results: 53 patients met inclusion criteria. Mean age was 60.1 ± 7.9 years. A post-operative MRI was performed in 42 (80%) patients at a mean of 14 ± 7 months (range, 6-40 months). MRIs demonstrated an intact graft in 16 (38%) shoulders. Of the 26 graft tears, 14 (54%) were from the glenoid, 5 (19%) mid-substance, 6 (23%) from the tuberosity, and 1 (3.8%) had complete graft absence., Conclusion: Graft tears are common following SCR. We describe four different graft tear locations and submit a classification system that can be used in future studies to better compare outcomes based on graft integrity and tear location. Clinical correlation with graft integrity and graft tear location needs to be further investigated., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Numerous methods exist for the pre-processing and analysis of skin-conductance response (SCR) data, but there is incomplete consensus on suitability and implementation, particularly with regard to signal filtering in conventional peak score (PS) analysis. This is particularly relevant when SCRs are measured during fMRI, which introduces additional noise and signal variability. Using SCR-fMRI data (n = 65 women) from a fear conditioning experiment, we compare the impact of three nested data processing methods on analysis using conventional PS as well as psychophysiological modeling. To evaluate the different methods, we quantify effect size to recover a benchmark contrast of interest, namely, discriminating SCR magnitude to a conditioned stimulus (CS+) relative to a CS not followed by reinforcement (CS-). Findings suggest that low-pass filtering reduces PS sensitivity (Δd = -20%), while band-pass filtering improves PS sensitivity (Δd = +27%). We also replicate previous findings that a psychophysiological modeling approach yields superior sensitivity to detect contrasts of interest than even the most sensitive PS method (Δd = +110%). Furthermore, we present preliminary evidence that filtering differences may account for a portion of exclusions made on commonly applied metrics, such as below zero discrimination. Despite some limitations of our sample and experimental design, it appears that SCR processing pipelines that include band-pass filtering, ideally with model-based SCR quantification, may increase the validity of SCR response measures, maximize research productivity, and decrease sampling bias by reducing data exclusion., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Technological advances in heavy-duty vehicle engines, allowing them to reach NO x emissions comparable to European diesel passenger cars per km driven, are being compromised by aftermarket defeat devices such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR) emulators, many of which can be quickly deactivated by the driver. In a pilot study, the prevalence of trucks with excess NO x emissions on Czech motorways was evaluated using an ordinary Customs Administration patrol vehicle temporarily fitted with a portable fast-response Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) analyzer, acting as an impromptu chase vehicle. The Euro emissions category of the truck was provided from the motorway toll collection transponders. A total of 222 unique trucks were measured during a one-week pilot project. Of these, 66% were Euro VI, 25% were Euro V, and 9% were older categories. NO/CO 2 ratios were calculated as a ratio of numerical integrals of the peaks of measured concentrations, as a ratio of maximum measured concentrations, and by linear regression, with the regression approach yielding most realistic results and mean calculated error of 0.2 g/kWh NO. At assumed 85% NO in NO x and 634 g/kWh mean CO 2 emissions, the mean emissions of the cleanest 83% of Euro V and cleanest 63% of Euro VI trucks were within the corresponding NO x limit (2 g/kWh for Euro V, 0.46 g/kWh for Euro VI) multiplied by a factor of 1.5. Providing for some allowance for legitimate occurrences of high NO x emissions, about 10-15% of Euro V and about 10-25% of Euro VI trucks are believed to be excess emitters, with no SCR functionality on about 10-15% of Euro VI trucks. The portable FTIR, temporarily mounted on a law enforcement vehicle, can be readily used as a screening tool, identifying vehicles to be stopped for additional inspection, but also during roadside emissions inspections., 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 © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Superior capsular reconstruction (SCR) of the shoulder is an increasingly common procedure in the treatment of patients with massive, irreparable rotator cuff tears lacking significant osteoarthritis. Post-operatively, the appearance of failed grafts has only been described in isolated case reports and review articles., Methods: From January 2016 through December 2017, surgical records at a single tertiary-care facility were queried to identify all patients undergoing SCR. Patient records were reviewed for patient demographic information, reason for post-operative MRI, and post-operative surgeon assessment. 74 patients underwent SCR, of whom 12 received a follow-up MRI post-operatively. One patient was excluded due to missing records; the remaining 11 patients comprise the study cohort. Post-operative MRIs were obtained at mean six months after surgery., Results: On review of post-operative MRIs, three distinct locations of failure were identified. Four patients (40%) had midsubstance failure of the allograft with all glenoid and humeral head fixation remaining intact. One patient (10%) had complete detachment of the allograft from both glenoid and humeral head fixation. Five patients (50%) had detachment of the allograft from the glenoid., Conclusion: In this series of ten failed SCRs, the most common mode of failure was loss of fixation on the glenoid, followed closely by midsubstance rupture. We found no instances of isolated fixation failure on the humeral head. This series illustrates the need for careful imaging in patients whose post-operative course suggests clinical failure. These findings suggest that strengthening glenoid fixation may provide better clinical outcomes as this procedure becomes more common., Level of Evidence: III - Retrospective study., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this study was to test the potential for NO x emissions improvements on a typical Euro 6 diesel vehicle, following modifications to its emissions control system, under Real Drive Emissions (RDE) testing conditions. A commercially available car was selected and was first measured in its original configuration according to RDE on the road and an initial conformity factor (CF) of 5.4 was determined. Subsequent engine calibration and installation of a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) device were conducted and tested on a fully transient engine dyno setup, which precisely reproduced the engine operation under the on-road RDE test. The NO x reduction achieved with those upgrades was 90%, leading to a CF of 0.53, with no CO 2 or fuel consumption penalty. These findings demonstrate that diesel vehicles can reach low NO x levels under real world driving conditions, when well-designed modern exhaust aftertreatment components are installed and properly calibrated., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this work, protonated titanate nanotubes was performed as a potential useful support and different vanadium precursors (NH 4 VO 3 and VOSO 4 ) were used to synthesize deNO x catalysts. The results showed that VOSO 4 exhibited better synergistic effect with titanate nanotubes than NH 4 VO 3 , which was caused by the ion-exchange reaction. Then high loading content of vanadium, uniformly active phase distribution, better dispersion of vanadium, more acid sites, better V 5+ /V 4+ redox cycles and superior oxygen mobility were achieved. Besides, VOSO 4 -based titanate nanotubes catalysts also showed enhanced alkaline resistance than particles (P25) based catalysts. It was strongly associated with its abundant acid sites, large surface area, flexible redox cycles and oxygen transfer ability. For the loading on protonated titanate nanotubes, active metal with cation groups was better precursors than anion ones. V 2 O 5 /TNTs catalyst was a promising substitute for the commercial vanadium catalysts and the work conducted herein provided a useful idea to design uniformly active phase loaded catalyst., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The central brain of Drosophila consists of the supraesophageal ganglion (SPG) and the subesophageal ganglion (SEG), both of which are generated by neural stem cell-like neuroblasts during embryonic and postembryonic development. Considerable information has been obtained on postembryonic development of the neuroblasts and their lineages in the SPG. In contrast, very little is known about neuroblasts, neural lineages, or any other aspect of the postembryonic development in the SEG. Here we characterize the neuroanatomy of the larval SEG in terms of tracts, commissures, and other landmark features as compared to a thoracic ganglion. We then use clonal MARCM labeling to identify all adult-specific neuroblast lineages in the late larval SEG and find a surprisingly small number of neuroblast lineages, 13 paired and one unpaired. The Hox genes Dfd, Scr, and Antp are expressed in a lineage-specific manner in these lineages during postembryonic development. Hox gene loss-of-function causes lineage-specific defects in axonal targeting and reduction in neural cell numbers. Moreover, it results in the formation of novel ectopic neuroblast lineages. Apoptosis block also results in ectopic lineages suggesting that Hox genes are required for lineage-specific termination of proliferation through programmed cell death. Taken together, our findings show that postembryonic development in the SEG is mediated by a surprisingly small set of identified lineages and requires lineage-specific Hox gene action to ensure the correct formation of adult-specific neurons in the Drosophila brain., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A particulate oxidation catalyst (POC) was employed to perform experiments on the engine test bench to evaluate the effects on the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM) emissions from diesel engine. The engine exhaust was sampled from both upstream and downstream of the POC. The results showed that the POC increased the ratios of NO2/NOx significantly in the middle and high loads, the ratio of NO2/nitrogen oxides (NOx) increased 4.5 times on average under all experiment modes with the POC. An engine exhaust particle sizer (EEPS) was used to study the particle number-weighted size distributions and the abnormal particle emissions with the POC. The results indicated that the average reduction rate of particle number (PN) was 61% in the operating range of the diesel engine. At the engine speed of 1,400 r/min, the reduction rates of PN tended to decrease with the larger particle size. In the long time run under the steady mode (520 Nm, 1,200 r/min), abnormal particle emissions after the POC happened seven times in the first hour, and the average PN concentration of these abnormal emission peaks was much higher than that in normal state. The particle emissions of peaks 1-5 equaled the particles emitted downstream of the POC in normal state for 1.9h in number concentration, and for 3.6h in mass concentration. The PN concentrations tended to increase over time in 5h under the steady engine mode and the increase of the PN in the size range of 6.04-14.3 nm was more evident., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The National Kidney Disease Education Program group demonstrated that MDRD equation is sensitive to creatinine measurement error, particularly at higher glomerular filtration rates. Thus, MDRD-based eGFR above 60 mL/min/1.73 m² should not be reported numerically. However, little is known about the impact of analytical error on CKD-EPI-based estimates. This study aimed at assessing the impact of analytical characteristics (bias and imprecision) of 12 enzymatic and 4 compensated Jaffe previously characterized creatinine assays on MDRD and CKD-EPI eGFR. In a simulation study, the impact of analytical error was assessed on a hospital population of 24084 patients. Ability using each assay to correctly classify patients according to chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages was evaluated. For eGFR between 60 and 90 mL/min/1.73 m², both equations were sensitive to analytical error. Compensated Jaffe assays displayed high bias in this range and led to poorer sensitivity/specificity for classification according to CKD stages than enzymatic assays. As compared to MDRD equation, CKD-EPI equation decreases impact of analytical error in creatinine measurement above 90 mL/min/1.73 m². Compensated Jaffe creatinine assays lead to important errors in eGFR and should be avoided. Accurate enzymatic assays allow estimation of eGFR until 90 mL/min/1.73 m² with MDRD and 120 mL/min/1.73 m² with CKD-EPI equation., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The enhancing effects of the complement system for humoral immunity have primarily focused upon the recognition of complement-bound foreign antigens by a co-receptor complex of the antigen-specific B cell receptor (BCR) and complement receptor 2 (Cr2). In vivo experiments using Cr2 gene deficient mice (which lack the expression of both the Cr1 and Cr2 proteins) do demonstrate depressed humoral responses to immunization but cannot be used to define specific contributions of the singular Cr1 or Cr2 proteins on B cell functions. To study the effect of a Cr2 deficiency in a Cr1 sufficient environment we created a mouse line in which the alternative splice site required for the expression of the Cr2 isoform was removed. This mouse line, Cr2KO, still expressed Cr1 on B cells but was deficient for the full length Cr2 protein. Surprisingly a new alternative splice within the Cr2 gene created a truncated product that encoded a novel protein termed iCr2 that was expressed on the surface of the cells. The Cr2KO mouse thus provides a new model system for the analysis of Cr1 and Cr2 functions in the immune response of the mouse., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Background: The pediatric-modified Risk, Injury, Failure and Loss, and End-Stage (pRIFLE) criteria and a different but conceptually similar system termed Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) were created to standardize the definition of acute kidney injury (AKI) in children. Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) currently recommends a combination of AKIN and pRIFLE in AKI. This study aimed to compare the three classifications for predicting AKI in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac operations., Methods: We analyzed the prospectively collected data of 1,489 consecutive pediatric patients undergoing cardiac operations between January 2004 and December 2008. AKI presence and severity was assessed for each classification using the change in serum creatinine and estimated creatinine clearance levels calculated by the Schwartz equation., Results: AKI was present in 285 (20%), 481 (34%), and 409 (29%) patients according to the AKIN, pRIFLE, and KDIGO systems, respectively. The KDIGO classification categorized 121 patients (8%) who were placed in the AKIN 0 category, whereas the pRIFLE system categorized 74 (5%) in KDIGO 0 and 200 (14%) in AKIN 0 stages as having an AKI. The overall mortality rate was 3.9%. The KDIGO stage III (odds ratio [OR], 18.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.6 to 36.6, p < 0.001), the AKIN stage III (OR, 38.3; 95% CI, 20.6 to 70.9, p < 0.001), and pRIFLE failure group (OR, 13.6, 95% CI, 7 to 26.3; p < 0.001) were associated with increased mortality., Conclusions: The pRIFLE system was the most sensitive test in detecting AKI, and this was especially so in the infant age group and also in the early identification of AKI in low-risk patients. The AKIN system was more specific and detected mostly high-risk patients across all age groups. The KDIGO classification system fell between pRIFLE and AKIN in performance. All three had increasing severity of AKI associated with mortality., (Copyright © 2014 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The screening of all atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) patients for factor H autoantibodies is best practice. However, there is no consensus assay for the reporting of factor H autoantibody titres. In this study, three European complement laboratories with expertise in the field of autoantibody testing address this by systematically evaluating several ELISA methods used for the detection of factor H autoantibodies. All methods tested adequately detect high titre samples. However, this study recommends the Paris method for the detection and reporting of factor H autoantibodies to be used when setting up a factor H autoantibody screen. The importance of individual sample background subtraction in these ELISA tests was established. The use of a relative or arbitrary unit index with a common positive and negative serum allowed for consistent comparison of findings from different test centres. Therefore, it is recommended that a standard arbitrary unit scale based on a titration curve from a common positive anti-serum be adopted to allow future establishment of the relative importance of particular titres of factor H autoantibodies in aHUS. Systematic assay for the presence of factor H autoantibodies in patients using the Paris method will provide the longitudinal analysis needed to fully establish the importance of factor H autoantibodies in disease. This will feed into additional research to clarify whether additional factors have a bearing on the phenotype/outcome of autoimmune aHUS., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is characterized by the qualitative abnormality of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in circulation and deposits of IgA in the renal mesangium. Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) plays a key role in fibrogenesis and the progression of renal damage. This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathologic data on IgAN in northeastern China and the presence of TGF-β1, total IgA, and secretory IgA in the glomeruli and sera, as well as changes in galactose-deficient IgA1 in the serum. We investigated the clinicopathologic data of 1050 cases of IgAN diagnosed in a single center over 13 years. We then assessed the concentrations of TGF-β1 and immunoglobulins in the serum of 100 patients with IgAN and 56 healthy control subjects by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and investigated their presence in the glomeruli by immunofluorescence and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. From our data, 76.17% of the IgAN cases belonged to classes I and II according to the World Health Organization classification, representing the early stage. Compared with other studies, we found significantly lower frequencies of segmental glomerulosclerosis (27.71%) but higher frequencies of endocapillary proliferation (50.67%), and a similar proportion of mesangial hypercellularity (68.48%) and tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (moderate, 17.81%; severe, 1.52%) in the northeastern Chinese cohort. There was an increased presence of TGF-β1 and immunoglobulins in the serum and glomeruli of IgAN, which correlates with the progression of pathologic classification. The pathologic variables of the Oxford classification correlated significantly with the WHO classifications. TGF-β1 and immunoglobulins could be used as biomarkers of IgAN pathogenic mechanisms, acting as important adjuncts to the original Oxford Classification., (Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)