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Introduction: Heavy drinking and depression frequently co-occur and make a substantial contribution to the global non-communicable disease burden. Positive evidence exists for the use of digital interventions with these conditions alone, but there has been limited assessment of combined approaches.Objective: A systematic review of the effectiveness of combined digital interventions for comorbid heavy drinking and major depression in community-dwelling populations.Methods and Analysis: Electronic databases were searched to October 2021 for randomised controlled trials that evaluated any personalised digital intervention for comorbid heavy drinking and depression. Primary outcomes were changes in quantity of alcohol consumed and depressive symptoms. Two reviewers independently assessed study eligibility, extracted data, and undertook risk of bias assessment. Due to the limited number and heterogeneity of studies identified, meta-analysis was not possible, therefore data were synthesised narratively.Results: Of 898 articles identified, 24 papers were reviewed in full, five of which met the inclusion criteria (N = 1503 participants). Three utilised web-based intervention delivery; two computer programmes delivered in a clinic setting. All involved multi-component interventions; treatment length varied from one to ten sessions. Four studies found no evidence for the superiority of combined digital interventions for comorbid heavy drinking and depression over therapist-delivered approaches, single condition interventions (including online), or assessment-only controls. Positive impacts of integrated online therapy compared to generalist online health advice were reported in a fifth study, but not maintained beyond the 1-month follow-up.Limitations: Few eligible, heterogeneous studies prevented meta-analysis.Conclusion: Limited evidence exists of the effectiveness of combined digital interventions for comorbid heavy drinking and depression in community dwelling populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infections of very young children or immunocompromised people with Salmonella of higher subspecies are a well-known phenomenon often associated with contact to cold-blooded animals. We describe the molecular characterization of three S . enterica subsp. diarizonae strains, isolated consecutively over a period of several months from a hospital patient suffering from diarrhea and sepsis with fatal outcome. With the initial isolate the first complete genome sequence of a member of subsp. diarizonae is provided and based on this reference we revealed the genomic differences between the three isolates by use of next-generation sequencing and confirmed by phenotypical tests. Genome comparisons revealed mutations within gpt , hfq and purK in the first isolate as a sign of clonal variation rather than host-directed evolution. Furthermore, our work demonstrates that S. enterica subsp. diarizonae possess, besides a conserved set of known Salmonella Pathogenicity Islands, a variable portfolio of additional genomic islands of unknown function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent thermohaline pollution at a site along the northern coast of Israel, due to power and desalination plants, is used as a natural laboratory to evaluate the effects of rising temperature and salinity levels on benthic foraminifera living in shallow hard-bottom habitats. Biomonitoring of the disturbed area and a control station shows that elevated temperature is a more significant stressor compared to salinity, thus causing a decrease in abundance and richness. Critical temperature thresholds were observed at 30 and 35 °C, the latter representing the most thermally tolerant species in the studied area Pararotalia calcariformata , which is the only symbiont-bearing species observed within the core of the heated area. Common species of the shallow hard-bottom habitats including several Lessepsian invaders are almost absent in the most exposed site indicating that excess warming will likely impede the survival of these species that currently benefit from the ongoing warming of the Eastern Mediterranean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since distinguishing pulmonary (PTB) from latent tuberculosis (LTBI) in pediatric patients remains a challenge, we aimed to investigate the efficacy of immune mediators in diagnosing PTB and LTBI in this population. In this cross-sectional study performed with children and adolescents, serum levels of 20 biomarkers were assessed and data were analyzed according to age groups. We included 65 participants (PTB, n = 28 and LTBI, n = 37). Overall, levels of TNF-α, IL-1Ra, IL-6, IL-17A, VEGF, MMP-1, and procalcitonin were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in adolescents and children <10 years-old with PTB. Also, principal component analysis (PCA) showed that immune mediators were able to distinguish PTB from LTBI. VEGF and IL-1Ra presented the highest area under the curve (AUC) values, both separately (AUC 0.890 and 0.785) and combined (AUC 0.99). Taken together, we showed that VEGF and IL-1Ra are promising biomarkers to distinguish PTB from LTBI in pediatric patients, especially in children <5 years-old. • Diagnosing pulmonary and latent tuberculosis (PTB/LTBI) in children is a challenge. • Children with PTB showed higher levels of immune mediators. • VEGF and IL-1Ra are promising biomarkers to and distinguish PTB from ILTB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To test the feasibility of free carnitine (FC) determination in dried blood spot specimens (DBS) by stable isotope-dilution electrospray-ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Methods: The MS/MS method established for newborn screening, measuring acylcarnitines by positive precursor ion scan of m/z 85 in DBS, was adapted by omitting the butylation and heating step during sample preparation. FC measurement in DBS by this non-butylating MS/MS assay was compared with the butylating MS/MS method and the spectrophotometric Cobas method. Results: FC measurement by the non-butylating MS/MS method meets the demands for a bioanalytical microassay with respect to linearity, detection limit (LOD), accuracy, and precision. Formation of FC was 0–1% and 1–4% in liquid samples and in DBS by the non-butylating MS/MS method, while 3–10% and 8–16% by the butylating method, respectively. Acid-catalysed hydrolysis (butanolysis) in liquid samples was higher for short-chain acylcarnitines (acetyl- and propionylcarnitine). Hydrolysis in DBS was more pronounced for long-chain acylcarnitines. FC concentrations in healthy newborns without butylation were 35% lower than those measured by the established newborn screening assay. Conclusions: The non-butylating MS/MS assay provides a simple and accurate method for FC determination in DBS and represents a trivial but important adaptation of a method already used in many laboratories. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Key measures to halt the spread of tuberculosis (TB) include early diagnosis, effective treatment, and monitoring disease management. We sought to evaluate the use of serum immunoglobulin levels against antigens present in cell envelope of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to monitor TB treatment response in children and adolescents with pulmonary (PTB) or extrapulmonary TB (EPTB). Blood samples were collected prior to and one, two, and six months following treatment initiation. Serum immunoglobulin levels against cardiolipin, sulfatide, mycolic acid and Mce1A protein were measured by ELISA. Serum from 53 TB patients and 12 healthy participants were analyzed. After six months of successful treatment, there was a significant decrease (p < 0.0001) in IgM levels against cardiolipin, sulfatide, mycolic acid and Mce1A protein and IgG levels against Mce1A protein when compared to baseline immunoglobulin levels. There was no significant variation in antibody levels during follow-up between participants with PTB and EPTB, confirmed and unconfirmed TB diagnosis, and HIV infection status. Antibody levels in control participants without TB did not decrease during follow-up. These results suggest that immunoglobulin responses to mycobacterial cell wall products may be a useful tool to monitor treatment response in children and adolescents with PTB or EPTB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiral Galaxies is a pencil-and-paper puzzle played on a grid of unit squares: given a set of points called centers , the goal is to partition the grid into polyominoes such that each polyomino contains exactly one center and is 180 ∘ rotationally symmetric about its center. We show that this puzzle is NP-complete, ASP-complete, and #P-complete even if (a) all solutions to the puzzle have rectangles for polyominoes; or (b) the polyominoes are required to be rectangles and all solutions to the puzzle have just 1 × 1 , 1 × 3 , and 3 × 1 rectangles. The proof for the latter variant also implies NP/ASP/#P-completeness of finding a noncrossing perfect matching in distance-2 grid graphs where edges connect vertices of Euclidean distance 2. Moreover, we prove NP-completeness of the design problem of minimizing the number of centers such that there exists a set of galaxies that exactly cover a given shape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Worldwide, huge amounts of mineral oil containing metalworking fluids (MWF) are applied for industrial metal machining. Future challenges in the field of lubricant usage are to overcome the consumption of finite resources and to solve problems like compatibility of MWFs to human health and environment as well as laborious deoiling and costly disposal. In this context, ecological and economic properties of a novel glycerol/water-based MWF are introduced. Investigations revealed that if a proportion of ≥35% of the biostatic trihydric alcohol glycerol was present in the MWF, the addition of biocides for fluid protection was unnecessary. Technical grade glycerol, a renewable by-product from the biodiesel market, proved a sufficient purity for application. Compared to common MWFs, the cleaning of metal surfaces just by rinsing with water was distinctly facilitated because of the water solubility of all fluid components. A disposal of the MWF at the end of service life or the wash waters had not to be considered because of the microbiological degradability of the organic components of the diluted MWF. The novel glycerol-fluid is available for energetic or even material recovery which contributes to cost reduction and covers the aspect of sustainability. Concerning the costs of application of the novel MWF in industrial production processes, the fluid even nowadays appears to be competitive to many common mineral oil based lubricants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Since 1993, all new cars sold in the European Union had to be fitted with catalytic converters. Undoubtedly, these measures brought about a great progress concerning traffic emission controls. However, this technology also led to new emissions. A rapid accumulation of the catalytic active noble metals Pt, Pd, and Rh in the environment was observed and concern arose about potential environmental and health risks. This work aimed at a contribution to a monitoring of platinum group element (PGE) emission and accumulation by comparing analytical data, all generated in 1999 and in 2005 in an urban area in Germany. Oriented at the 1999 sampling strategy, soil and airborne dust samples were taken in 2005 at the same sampling sites located mainly close to heavily used roads in the region of Braunschweig. For the enrichment of the analytes, conditioned soil samples as well as loaded glass fiber filters from air sampling were transferred to the nickel sulphide fire assay. For analyses, the ICP-MS technique was applied. High Pt, Pd, and Rh concentrations were detected especially in top soil layers (0–2 cm) directly at the roadsides or on center strips. At one road outside the city, where traffic moved with a constant speed of about 80 km/h, maximum concentrations in soil were found to be 50.4 μg/kg for Pt, 43.3 μg/kg for Pd, and 10.7 μg/kg for Rh. PGE concentrations were the highest close to that road and exponentially declined with growing distance. At a second road, where vehicles run with a constant speed of 50 km/h, the highest concentrations were detected in the center strip soil: 88.9 μg/kg (Pt), 77.8 μg/kg (Pd), and 17.6 μg/kg (Rh). At a third crowded street in the centre of Braunschweig with stop and go traffic, the highest soil concentrations were determined, namely 261 μg/kg for Pt, 124 μg/kg for Pd and 38.9 μg/kg for Rh. The sampling of airborne dust at this roadside revealed for Pt 159 pg/m3 air or 1730 μg/kg dust, for Pd 37.8 pg/m3 air or 410 μg/kg dust, and for Rh 10.0 pg/m3 air or 110 μg/kg dust. A comparison of analytical results of 2005 with those of 1999 revealed a distinct increase of PGE concentrations in soils closely along heavy traffic roads by a factor of 2.1 to 8.9; once even a factor of 15 was determined. The findings also document, that especially Pt and Rh concentrations were elevated in airborne dust. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper, we present a novel methodology to manage arrival traffic in terminal airspace. We define two areas around the airport, aiming to efficiently schedule incoming traffic. A four-dimensional (4D) trajectory negotiation/synchronization process between the air traffic control officer (ATCO) and the aircraft is performed in the pre-sequencing area, while the aircraft are still in the en-route phase of flight. On the other hand, in the dynamic-trajectories area, the ATCO, with the help of a ground support tool, generates dynamic arrival routes that automatically adapt to the current traffic demand. These arrival routes allow the aircraft to fly neutral continuous descent operations (CDOs, descents with idle thrust and no speed-brakes usage) and to ensure a separation throughout the arrival procedure. We choose a mixed-integer-programming approach to generate the arrival routes, while we formulate and solve an optimal control problem to generate a set of candidate CDOs per aircraft. Results show that, with a sufficient look-ahead time, it is possible to assign a required time of arrival (RTA) within each aircraft-arrival time window that would allow to efficiently schedule traffic even in the most challenging and dense scenarios. Besides improving efficiency of current operations in terminal airspace, the methodology presented in this paper could become a technical enabler towards an extended arrival manager (E-AMAN) with extended capabilities and, ultimately, to a fully deployed trajectory based operations (TBO) environment. • Aircraft arrival routes change dynamically depending on the current traffic demand. • Aircraft fly efficient descent trajectories in an optimal arrival tree. • Technical enabler towards an extended arrival manager with extended capabilities. • Technical enabler towards a fully deployed trajectory based operations environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tuberculosis in childhood was until recently considered a neglected disease and many cases are not identified. • TB screening of children who are close contacts of pulmonary TB cases is recommended by international guidelines. • TB diagnosis in children is hampered by the lack of sensitive and accessible diagnostic methods. • This appears to be the largest cohort of children with TB in Brazil ever to be published. • Rio de Janeiro is the state with the second highest TB incidence rate and the highest mortality rate in Brazil. To evaluate the clinical characteristics, diagnostic approach, and treatment outcomes of tuberculosis (TB) in children living in a high-burden metropolitan area. This was a retrospective study, based on a medical chart review, involving children under 15 years old treated for TB between 2007 and 2016, in four primary health units (PHU) and three reference centers (RC) in five cities of Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area. Factors associated with TB treatment setting, microbiological diagnosis, and treatment outcomes were evaluated. A total of 544 children were enrolled; 71% were treated in PHU, 36% were under 5 years old, and 72% had pulmonary TB (PTB). The HIV prevalence was 10% (31/322). Fifty-three percent had at least one microbiological test for TB, 68% of them (196/287) had TB confirmed. Among 222 children with previous TB contact, information on LTBI was available for 78 (35%), and only 17% (13/78) were treated. Extrapulmonary TB (56% vs 32%), microbiologically confirmed TB (77% vs 60%), and HIV positivity (18.5% vs 4.0%) were significantly more frequent in RC. Treatment in RC (odds ratio (OR) 3.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.74–5.44) and PTB (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.34–4.56) were independently associated with a microbiological diagnosis of TB. The treatment success rate was 85%. In the logistic regression analysis, HIV-infected children had a 2.5-fold higher risk of an unfavorable outcome (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.0–6.38; p = 0.05). Opportunities for TB prevention and early TB treatment are missed due to suboptimal close contact screening. Microbiological diagnosis of TB and drug susceptibility testing in children should be made available through more sensitive and accessible tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]