Search

Based on the ultrasonic welding technology, this study uses three different welding widths to weld copper cables with different specifications. The influence of welding width on the mechanical properties and microstructure of each group of welded joints was systematically studied for the first time. The thermal shock test was carried out for each group of welded joints under optimum welding width to simulate the influence of severe temperature change environment on joint performance. It is found that the cross-sectional area of joint is 20 mm2 and optimal welding width of joint composed of two and three cables is 7 mm. The optimal welding temperature of the joint composed of four cables is 5 mm. Under the optimal welding width, the average shear strength of two-cable joint reaches 309.4 N. The four-cable joint is only 232.2 N. Moreover, the welding strength weakens significantly as the number of cables and the peak temperature decreases. The high temperature of bonding interface is the key factor to form a good weld. The peak temperature during welding is negatively correlated with the porosity of joint and positively correlated with peeling strength of joint. In addition, the morphology of ultrasonically welded joints has changed obviously after thermal shock test. With the participation of oxygen, the surface of welded joint is gray and bright brass, while the interior of joint is purple due to lack of oxygen. Moreover, the phenomenon of atomic diffusion and thermal expansion generates joints which were initially in a mechanically interlocked form and welding interface of the metallurgical bond under the action of high temperature. So the maximum joint peel strength is slightly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opinion statement: Anaplastic thyroid cancer presents formidable challenges, particularly in cases of recurrence or metastasis. Timely BRAF V600E testing is imperative at diagnosis, initially through immunohistochemistry, followed by comprehensive genomic profiling encompassing genes such as NTRK, RET, ALK, and assessment of tumor mutation burden (TMB). FDA-approved treatment options include dabrafenib and trametinib for patients with BRAF mutations, while those exhibiting high TMB may benefit from pembrolizumab. Further therapeutic decisions hinge upon mutational profile, urgency of response required, airway integrity, and access to targeted therapies There is growing use of immunotherapy for ATC based on published reports of activity, but currently there is no FDA approved agent for ATC. The off-label utilization of "precision medicine" combinations imposes a considerable financial strain, underscoring the necessity for further clinical trials to elucidate promising therapeutic avenues for this orphan disease. There is a pressing need for the development and support of clinical trials investigating genomically driven and immune-based therapies for anaplastic thyroid cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vestibular schwannomas (VS) are benign tumors that lead to significant neurologic and otologic morbidity. How VS heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment (TME) contribute to VS pathogenesis remains poorly understood. In this study, we perform scRNA-seq on 15 VS, with paired scATAC-seq (n = 6) and exome sequencing (n = 12). We identify diverse Schwann cell (SC), stromal, and immune populations in the VS TME and find that repair-like and MHC-II antigen-presenting SCs are associated with myeloid cell infiltrate, implicating a nerve injury-like process. Deconvolution analysis of RNA-expression data from 175 tumors reveals Injury-like tumors are associated with larger tumor size, and scATAC-seq identifies transcription factors associated with nerve repair SCs from Injury-like tumors. Ligand-receptor analysis and in vitro experiments suggest that Injury-like VS-SCs recruit myeloid cells via CSF1 signaling. Our study indicates that Injury-like SCs may cause tumor growth via myeloid cell recruitment and identifies molecular pathways that may be therapeutically targeted. Vestibular schwannomas are benign tumours which can lead to neurological symptoms and morbidity. Here, the authors use single cell RNA-seq and ATAC-seq to identify Schwann cell subtypes in the tumour microenvironment which mimic a nerve injury phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fog computing contains resource-constrained devices closer to user proximity, which are insufficient for compute-intensive and large workloads. Cloud computing can help to address this limitation by transparently integrating fog and cloud data centers. However, the existing state-of-the-art does not integrate cloud and fog resources for maintaining application performance by dynamically offloading the tasks to the cloud while minimizing the cost. This paper introduces a new workload/job placement method that performs two-way offloading between cloud and fog to efficiently utilize the fog resources while minimizing the cost of using cloud resources to serve the workload. Our proposed solution is evaluated on various setups, including small-scale and large-scale data centers having homogeneous and heterogeneous physical machines (PMs) with different job batches, and compared with the existing state-of-the-art baseline method. Overall, the proposed solution outperforms the baseline method by utilizing 40.87 % more fog resources while reducing × 1.68 times cloud cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gully erosion affects the landscape and human life in many ways, including the destruction of agricultural land and infrastructures, altering the hydraulic potential of soils, as well as water availability. Due to climate change, more areas are expected to be affected by gully erosion in the future, threatening especially low-income agricultural regions. In the past decades, quantitative methods have been proposed to simulate and predict gully erosion at different scales. However, gully erosion is still underrepresented in modern GIS-based modeling and simulation approaches. Therefore, this study aims to develop a QGIS plugin using Python to assess gully erosion dynamics. We explain the preparation of the input data, the modeling procedure based on Sidorchuk's (Sidorchuk A (1999) Dynamic and static models of gully erosion. CATENA 37:401–414.) gully simulation model, and perform a detailed sensitivity analysis of model parameters. The plugin uses topographical data, soil characteristics and discharge information as gully model input. The plugin was tested on a gully network in KwaThunzi, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The results and sensitivity analyses confirm Sidorchuck's earlier observations that the critical runoff velocity is a main controlling parameter in gully erosion evolution, alongside with the slope stability threshold and the soil erodibility coefficient. The implemented QGIS plugin simplifies the gully model setup, the input parameter preparation as well as the post-processing and visualization of modelling results. The results are provided in different data formats to be visualized with different 3D visualization software tools. This enables a comprehensive gully assessment and the derivation of respective coping and mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is motivated by the apparent shortage of DevOps practices being used in global software development. DevOps is an attractive option for software development companies due to its benefits such as bridging the gap between development and operations teams, efficient software development within budget and time, reduced errors, improved product quality, faster failure identification, and faster development and deployment of new modifications. Global software development (GSD) grows extensively due to its various benefits like cost effectiveness, access to large multi-skilled workforces, reduced time to market, etc. GSD quickly becomes the norm, although it is structurally different from local Software Engineering development. DevOps becomes more challenging in GSD, due to the socio-cultural, geographically and temporal boundaries. For management DevOps activities in software organizations, frameworks, like RMDevOps, have been developed, however, this framework is insufficient in providing detailed information about the DevOps practices in GSD context. Using systematic literature review (SLR) approach, the mentioned research gap has been tried to fill in this study, by identifying the key factors and their practices that could positively impact the DevOps methods in GSD context. Total 13 success factors are identified finally by conducting SLR that could assist vendor organizations in the selection of DevOps in the GSD environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand side management (DSM) is beneficial for the reduction in energy consumption during peak hours. DSM in large-scale buildings modifies the load profile of these extensive consumers, playing a significant role in reducing the peak load. This research work uses genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize the load curve of a large-scale building with industrial loads. The objectives are to mitigate the energy cost and peak to average ratio (PAR). An optimal schedule is generated for the industrial user based on controllable loads. The consumers are motivated to shift their loads to off-peak hours according to the provided schedule to reduce the peak load and cost of energy. Furthermore, DSM becomes more effective by integration with the renewable energy source distributed generator (DG). Cost reduction becomes more prominent because of load sharing between utility and renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perioperative aspiration of gastric contents is a serious complication and its severity depends upon the gastric volume and nature of the aspirate. Diabetic patients are more prone for aspiration because of delayed gastric emptying. USG-guided gastric examination can help in aspiration risk assessment by identifying the nature and volume of the gastric contents. This prospective observational study compared, USG-guided gastric contents and volume in fasting diabetic and non-diabetic patients posted for elective surgery under general anesthesia. Based on the history of diabetes mellitus (DM), 50 patients were divided into two groups, i.e., group A (diabetic for > 5 years, n = 25) and group B (non-diabetic, n = 25). After standard fasting period of 8 h, bedside ultrasound was conducted to assess gastric antral cross-sectional area, gastric volume and contents. Results: The mean gastric antral cross-sectional area (3.96 ± 2.07 versus 2.96 ± 1.88, P value 0.08), mean gastric volume (17.88 ± 19.48 versus 9.72 ± 12.29, P value 0.083) and the mean gastric volume per kg body weight (0.16 ± 0.374 versus 0.04 ± 0.20, P value 0.164) after 8 h fasting were higher in diabetics as compared to non-diabetics, but were statistically insignificant. Conclusions: Diabetic patients had comparatively slower gastric emptying and hence higher mean effecting gastric volume and gastric volume/kg body weight, after fixed hours of fasting. However, no patient had gastric volume/kg body weight > 1.5 ml/kg or presence of any solid food was visualized in any of the groups. Hence, the fixed 8 h fasting guarantees the safety from the risk of aspiration in diabetic and non-diabetic adult population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) of bone is a rare presentation of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), which remains asymptomatic or present late in clinical course as bone pain or pathological fracture. We report a case of a 15-year-old male child presenting with diffuse joint pain and swelling over his left shoulder and elbow, associated with B symptoms. Radiological examination revealed lytic lesions in multiple bones along with collection along the left iliopsoas and hip joint, suggestive of infective etiology. The diagnostic dilemma was resolved on biopsy, which confirmed DLBCL involving bones and soft tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zirconium silicate (ZrSiO4) is widely used commercially as an opacifying agent in the ceramic tile industry. But due to the high price of ZrSiO4, its alternatives are being discovered. In this research, a novel approach of replacing zirconium silicate with talc [Mg3Si4O10 (OH)2] in ceramic floor tile glaze has been investigated to make the glaze cost effective. Zirconium silicate is gradually replaced by six different weight percentages of talc in glaze compositions. All the prepared compositions were fired in a roller kiln under industrial conditions. After firing, all the samples were collected from the kiln exit and were subjected to various quality check tests like water absorption, bending strength, chemical test, thermal expansion and shrinkage. The color index for the fired samples is measured by CIELEB color space, and it is concluded that better opacity can be achieved by totally replacing zirconium silicate with talc. Resistance of the fired sample tiles to the chemicals attack is also studied, and no significant changes are observed on the surface of the sample tiles. The surface morphology of all the glazed sample tiles is analyzed by SEM and EDX. At the end, both opacifying agents, i.e., zirconium silicate and talc are economically analyzed, and it is concluded that the replacing of zirconium silicate with talc can reduce the cost of opacifier by 82%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current mass spectrometry methods enable high-throughput proteomics of large sample amounts, but proteomics of low sample amounts remains limited in depth and throughput. To increase the throughput of sensitive proteomics, we developed an experimental and computational framework, called plexDIA, for simultaneously multiplexing the analysis of peptides and samples. Multiplexed analysis with plexDIA increases throughput multiplicatively with the number of labels without reducing proteome coverage or quantitative accuracy. By using three-plex non-isobaric mass tags, plexDIA enables quantification of threefold more protein ratios among nanogram-level samples. Using 1-hour active gradients, plexDIA quantified ~8,000 proteins in each sample of labeled three-plex sets and increased data completeness, reducing missing data more than twofold across samples. Applied to single human cells, plexDIA quantified ~1,000 proteins per cell and achieved 98% data completeness within a plexDIA set while using ~5 minutes of active chromatography per cell. These results establish a general framework for increasing the throughput of sensitive and quantitative protein analysis. Proteomics of small sample sizes using data-independent acquisition methods achieves higher throughput with multiplexing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to perform their daily activities, a person is required to communicating with others. This can be a major obstacle for the deaf population of the world, who communicate using sign languages (SL). Pakistani Sign Language (PSL) is used by more than 250,000 deaf Pakistanis. Developing a SL recognition system would greatly facilitate these people. This study aimed to collect data of static and dynamic PSL alphabets and to develop a vision-based system for their recognition using Bag-of-Words (BoW) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) techniques. A total of 5120 images for 36 static PSL alphabet signs and 353 videos with 45,224 frames for 3 dynamic PSL alphabet signs were collected from 10 native signers of PSL. The developed system used the collected data as input, resized the data to various scales and converted the RGB images into grayscale. The resized grayscale images were segmented using Thresholding technique and features were extracted using Speeded Up Robust Feature (SURF). The obtained SURF descriptors were clustered using K-means clustering. A BoW was obtained by computing the Euclidean distance between the SURF descriptors and the clustered data. The codebooks were divided into training and testing using fivefold cross validation. The highest overall classification accuracy for static PSL signs was 97.80% at 750 × 750 image dimensions and 500 Bags. For dynamic PSL signs a 96.53% accuracy was obtained at 480 × 270 video resolution and 200 Bags. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tarloxotinib, a hypoxia-activated prodrug of an irreversible pan-ErbB tyrosine kinase inhibitor, represents a novel therapeutic which exploits the tumor-specific hypoxic environment as a mechanism for tumor-specific targeting. This study evaluated the safety and activity of tarloxotinib in recurrent or metastatic (R/M) cutaneous (CSCC) or head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods: This was a phase II two-stage multi-centre study for patients with R/M HNSCC or CSCC. All patients received tarloxotinib 150 mg/m2 on days 1,8,15 and 22 in a 28-day cycle. Stage 1 enrolled patients in three cohorts: p16-negative HNSCC, p16-positive oropharyngeal SCC, and CSCC. In order for a cohort to proceed to stage 2 a minimum response rate of 5% was required. Results: 30 patients were enrolled: 23% were female with median age of 63.3 years. The median duration of follow-up was 20 weeks. The median progression-free survival was 2.0 months (95%CI 1.8–3.4) and median overall survival 5.7 months (95%CI 3.6-8.0). Treatment was well tolerated. The objective response rate was 3% with one patient with CSCC having a partial response. Conclusions: Hypoxia-activated prodrugs represent a novel approach to cancer treatment, however, no clinically meaningful benefit for tarloxotinib in R/M HNSCC or CSCC was identified in this study. Trial Registration Number: NCT02449681 (May 20, 2015). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic activation of persulfate (PS) is recently emerged as an energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable approach for pollutants degradation, which enables to leverage the strengths of low-cost solar energy and heterogeneous catalysis. Herein, we investigated the photocatalytic decomposition of reactive red 120 (RR120) dye using PS-activated Fe2O3 nanoparticles and elucidated the effect of their facets, α–Fe2O3 (001), β–Fe2O3 (100), and γ–Fe2O3 (111). β–Fe2O3 not only boosted the charge carrier separation but also provided more active sites for PS activation resulting in 6- and 3.5-fold higher photocatalytic activities compared to α–Fe2O3 and γ–Fe2O3, respectively. Response surface methodology and artificial neural network coupled with genetic algorithm models were utilized to optimize and foresee Fe2O3/PS system under visible light. Almost 100% color removal and 82% organic removal were observed under the optimum conditions at 20 mg/L RR120, 22 mg/L β–Fe2O3, 18 mg/L PS, and pH: 3. Scavenger test indicated that both sulfate and hydroxyl radicals are responsible for the observed RR120 removal. Although cell viability test indicated that cytotoxicity of wastewater is not significantly reduced after treatment. All the results proposed that β–Fe2O3/PS at relatively low doses has a great potential to decompose and mineralize recalcitrant dyes in wastewater under invisible light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the Japanese government has announced the national objective of turning the economy of Japan carbon–neutral by 2050. This declaration has therefore enhanced the imperativeness of replacing the use of unclean energy with cleaner alternatives so that the carbon-neutrality agenda can be attained in due course. Against this backdrop, this study aims to assess whether enhancing government investments in research and development for developing clean energy can help Japan curb its carbon dioxide emission figures. In addition, the analysis also controls for the environmental effects of clean electricity output, economic growth, international trade, financial globalization, and urbanization on Japan's carbon dioxide emission figures. The cointegration test results confirm long-run relationships between all these variables. Besides, the regression results showed that scaling-up research and development-related investments for clean energy development reduces carbon dioxide emissions only in the long run. Similar emission-inhibiting impacts are also evidenced to be associated with greater output of clean energy-fired electricity. Moreover, it is also observed that higher clean energy development-related investments play a mediating role in amplifying the carbon dioxide emission-reducing effects of clean electricity generation in the long run. In addition, economic growth is seen to dampen environmental quality by triggering higher emissions of carbon dioxide both in the short and long run. Simultaneously, enhancing openness to international trade and greater urbanization is found to boost the carbon dioxide emission figures of Japan. However, an influx of foreign direct investments is not observed to influence carbon dioxide emissions in Japan, neither in the short run nor in the long run. Accordingly, concerning the achievement of carbon neutrality goal by 2050, these findings emphasize the importance of boosting clean energy development-related investments, increasing clean electricity output, greening economic activities, reducing the trade of unclean commodities, adopting environmentally sustainable urbanization policies, and facilitating the influx of clean foreign direct investments within the Japanese economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell PEMFC is nonlinear source so modeling its output is essential. Also PEMFC is extremely prone to change in ambient conditions. Previously the complex modeling techniques have been used to model PEMFC voltage, but these technique are not good for online purposes. Hence a semiempirical approach has been suggested for PEMFC voltage prediction which uses the combination of theoretical and empirical equations. But most of the semiempirical models have lot of deficiencies which need to be corrected with the help of experimentation of different PEMFC systems at different conditions. In this research paper, a novel semiempirical model has been chosen which is less complex, dynamic and has the ability to diagnose fault as well. The model is only tested on two PEMFC stacks but never tested on single PEMFC. In this research, the model has been tested on single-cell PEMFC system and the parameters are optimized by using lightening search algorithm. The temperature and voltage model have been validated, and the new optimized parameters are recorded for different ambient conditions. The model discrepancies have been identified, and the new equations for parameters have been proposed which can be helpful in the making of generic model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intestinal immune system is an important modulator of glucose homeostasis and obesity-associated insulin resistance. Dietary factors, the intestinal microbiota and their metabolites shape intestinal immunity during obesity. The intestinal immune system in turn affects processes such as intestinal permeability, immune cell trafficking, and intestinal hormone availability, impacting systemic insulin resistance. Understanding these pathways might identify mechanisms underlying treatments for insulin resistance, such as metformin and bariatric surgery, or aid in developing new therapies and vaccination approaches. Here, we highlight evolving concepts centered on intestinal immunity, diet, and the microbiota to provide a working model of obesity-related metabolic disease. At the centre of intestinal health and the fight against obesity and metabolic syndrome is the intestinal microbiota and its interaction with our immune systems. Here the authors Review the current understanding of how these systems interact and how we can capitalize on recent advances to provide better therapeutic options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is important in the assessment of degenerative spine disease. However, its role is limited in the identification of spinal instability; therefore, weight-bearing and dynamic studies like X-rays are required. The supine position eliminates the gravitational pull, corrects the vertebral slippage, and opens the facet joints leading to the collection of the synovial fluid into the joint space, which is detected on the MRI and can serve as a marker for instability. We aim to compare the facet fluid, facet hypertrophy, facet angle, and disc degenerative changes among the patients presenting with degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) and those without. Methods: We performed a retrospective review for all the patients treated at our institution from January 2015 to December 2016. Facet Fluid Index (FFI) (ratio of facet fluid width and facet joint width) was calculated to assess the joint fluid. The percentage of spondylolisthesis was measured on X-rays. Each radiological parameter was compared between the two groups, i.e., patients with DS and patients without DS. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: In total, 61 patients, 28 with DS and 33 without DS, were enrolled. Baseline characteristics were similar in the two groups (p > 0.05). The average values of FFI, facet fluid width, and the difference between the superior and inferior facet were significantly higher in the group with instability (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated a 4.44 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.03–5.365) times increase in the odds of instability with a unit increase in FFI, p < 0.0001. Conclusions: We report a positive linear correlation between the facet joint effusion and facet hypertrophy on MRI and the percentage of vertebral translation on X-ray. Prospective studies will determine if these markers can play a role in predicting spinal instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Anastomotic leak is a feared complication of rectal cancer surgery. A diverting stoma is believed to act as a safety mechanism against this undesirable outcome. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the role of loop ileostomy in the prevention of this complication. Methods: The Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing anastomotic complications after rectal cancer surgery in the presence or absence of diverting ileostomy. The need for reoperation and postoperative complications were also analysed. The length of hospital stay, intraoperative blood loss and operating time were analysed as secondary endpoints. Results: A significantly higher number of anastomotic leaks was detected in patients with no diverting ileostomies than in those with diversion (odds ratio (OR) 0.292 and 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.177–0.481), and more patients required reoperations in this group (OR 0.219 and 95% CI 0.114–0.422). The rate of complications other than anastomotic leak was significantly higher in patients with diverting ileostomies than in those without (OR 3.337 and 95% CI of 1.570–7.093). The operating time was longer in the ileostomy group than in the no ileostomy group (P 0.001), but no significant differences in the intraoperative blood loss or postoperative hospital stay length were observed between the two groups(P 0.199 and 0.191 respectively). Conclusion: A lower leak rate in the presence of diverting ileostomy is supported by relatively weak evidence. While mitigating the consequences of leakage, diverting ileostomies lead to numerous other complications. High-quality RCTs are needed before routine ileostomy diversions can be recommended after rectal cancer surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasticizers depress the glass transition temperature (Tg) of polymers and produce a flowable material at lower temperatures. The use of plasticizers to depress Tg of lignin is important, since at high processing temperatures lignin crosslinks, making it intractable. The goal of this study was to assess plasticizers and polymer blends for the ability to retard a commercial softwood kraft lignin from crosslinking and also serve as thermal and rheological property modifiers during thermal processing in the attempt to produced moldable and spinnable lignin for lignin and carbon fiber products. The Tg of the lignin and the lignin mixed with various amounts of plasticizers and with different thermo-mechanical mixing were determined using differential scanning calorimetry. The Tg and the change in heat capacity at the glass transition (ΔCp) decreased and increased, respectively, about linearly within this plasticizers range with increased plasticizer weight percentage. Gel permeation chromatography results for extruded lignin as well as extruded lignin-plasticizer blends with glycerol, N-allyurea, citric acid with and without sodium hypophosphite, and oleic acid indicate that the presence of these materials reduced the rate of molecular weight increase at temperatures between 100 and 200 °C. Continuous, homogenous films and fibers could be produced by thermal processing with plasticized lignin samples and plasticized lignin-polymer blends, but not with lignin alone. These fibers could be carbonized, yielding up to about 50% of carbon. The present findings have shown the advantages of plasticizers in thermally processing a commercial softwood kraft lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nocturia is generally considered a urological condition, but may be an indicator of cardiovascular disease, as prior studies have found associations with cardiovascular risk factors as well as clinical and subclinical markers of coronary artery disease. This study aimed to explore potential associations between nocturia and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC). We analyzed 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dual energy x-ray absorptiometry-derived AAC data and concurrent interview data on kidney conditions from respondents aged 40–80 years. AAC was defined as a score ≥ 1 on the 24-point semi-quantitative AAC scale. Nocturia was defined as an average of ≥ 2 voids per night. Three incremental multivariate logistic regression models controlling for (1) age, (2) sex, race, and BMI, and (3) hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and smoking history were used to determine whether nocturia predicted AAC. These models were and modified to exclude age and/or sex to perform age- and/or sex-specific sub-analyses, respectively. Complete data were available from 2,945 participants (29.1% AAC, 31.4% nocturia). On univariate analysis, the association between nocturia and AAC was significant in women (OR 1.77 [95% CI 1.37–2.29], p < 0.001), but not in men (1.14 [0.74–1.76], p = 0.531). Multivariate analysis showed nocturia was an independent predictor of AAC in women in Models I-II (ORs 1.49–1.58, p ≤ 0.032) but not Model III (1.37 [0.90–2.09], p = 0.133). Stratification by age revealed a strong univariate association among women aged 50–59 (3.88 [1.97–7.61], p < 0.001), which persisted across all multivariate models (ORs 4.05–4.41, p ≤ 0.001). The presence of nocturia is an important clue of AAC in women, especially those middle-aged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic hazard analysis is carried out in this study by estimating ground motion for hypothetical earthquakes in the area of Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, with the MT solution of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. The earth's topography influences seismic waves by scattering and reflecting it, thereby causing spatial variation in seismic response. Using the moment tensor solution of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, we perform 25 spectral element method (SEM)-based 3D simulations along major faults in the study area. The SEM model incorporates the topography and homogeneous half-space characteristics. Our results show that, beside topography, the relative location of the source with respect to slopes also has an influence on the observed variation in ground shaking amplitudes. By integrating the mean and standard deviation of estimated ground shaking from 25 simulations, we present a seismic hazard map for the study area. The map summarizes the topographic and potential source location effect on seismic-induced ground shaking in the study area. It provides a classification from hazardous to safe in relative terms and can be used as a guide in earthquake preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development of an automated machine learning approach to gain an understanding of the built environment and its relationship to crime. This involves the automatic capture of street-level photographs using Google Street View (GSV), followed by the use of supervised machine learning techniques (specifically image feature recognition) to recognise features of the built environment. In this exploratory proof-of-concept work, 8 key features (building, door, fence, streetlight, tree, window, hedge, and garage) are considered and a worked case-study is demonstrated for a small geographical area (8300 square kilometres) in Northern England. A total of 60,100 images were automatically collected and analysed across the area where 5288 crime incidents were reported over a twelve-month period. Dependency between features and crime incidents are measured; however, no strong correlation has been identified. This is unsurprisingly considering the high number of crime incidents in a small geographic region (8300 square kilometres), resulting in an overlap between specific features and multiple crime incidents. Furthermore, due to the unknown precise location of crime instances, an approximation technique is developed to survey a crime's local proximity. Despite the absence of a strong correlation, this paper presents a first-of-a-kind cross-discipline approach to attempt and use computation techniques to produce new empirical knowledge. There are many avenues of future research in this fertile and important area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Few effective treatments exist for cocaine use disorders due to gaps in knowledge about its complex etiology. Genetically defined animal models provide a useful tool for advancing our understanding of the biological and genetic underpinnings of addiction-related behavior and evaluating potential treatments. However, many attempts at developing mouse models of behavioral disorders were based on overly simplified single gene perturbations, often leading to inconsistent and misleading results in pre-clinical pharmacology studies. A genetically complex mouse model may better reflect disease-related behaviors. Objectives: Screening defined, yet genetically complex, intercrosses of the Collaborative Cross (CC) mice revealed two lines, RIX04/17 and RIX41/51, with extreme high and low behavioral responses to cocaine. We characterized these lines as well as their CC parents, CC004/TauUnc and CC041/TauUnc, to evaluate their utility as novel model systems for studying the biological and genetic mechanisms underlying behavioral responses to cocaine. Methods: Behavioral responses to acute (initial locomotor sensitivity) and repeated (behavioral sensitization, conditioned place preference, intravenous self-administration) exposures to cocaine were assessed. We also examined the monoaminergic system (striatal tissue content and in vivo fast scan cyclic voltammetry), HPA axis reactivity, and circadian rhythms as potential mechanisms for the divergent phenotypic behaviors observed in the two strains, as these systems have a previously known role in mediating addiction-related behaviors. Results: RIX04/17 and 41/51 show strikingly divergent initial locomotor sensitivity to cocaine with RIX04/17 exhibiting very high and RIX41/51 almost no response. The lines also differ in the emergence of behavioral sensitization with RIX41/51 requiring more exposures to exhibit a sensitized response. Both lines show conditioned place preference for cocaine. We determined that the cocaine sensitivity phenotype in each RIX line was largely driven by the genetic influence of one CC parental strain, CC004/TauUnc and CC041/TauUnc. CC004 demonstrates active operant cocaine self-administration and CC041 is unable to acquire under the same testing conditions, a deficit which is specific to cocaine as both strains show operant response for a natural food reward. Examination of potential mechanisms driving differential responses to cocaine show strain differences in molecular and behavioral circadian rhythms. Additionally, while there is no difference in striatal dopamine tissue content or dynamics, there are selective differences in striatal norepinephrine and serotonergic tissue content. Conclusions: These CC strains offer a complex polygenic model system to study underlying mechanisms of cocaine response. We propose that CC041/TauUnc and CC004/TauUnc will be useful for studying genetic and biological mechanisms underlying resistance or vulnerability to the stimulatory and reinforcing effects of cocaine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gypsum is an important industrial mineral, the demand of which has increased manifold over the years, especially due to growing cement industry. Considering the industrial significance of gypsum, we employed advanced space-borne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) multispectral data to map gypsum outcrops in the Kohat area, northern Pakistan. Kohat area, also known as Kohat Plateau, is the western extension of the Himalaya fold–thrust belt, characterized by Eocene gypsum reserves at many places, striking generally in east–west direction. In the present research, an attempt has been made to map the outcrops of gypsum through several remote sensing mapping techniques. These techniques include band ratio 4 + 8/6, decorrelation stretch RGB-468 composite, Principle Component PC4 and thermal infrared bands 10, 11 and 12 used as sulfate index. All these methods have helped in discriminating the gypsum outcrops from surrounding various lithologies, illustrating that ASTER is a powerful tool to map different rocks units in arid, remote and inaccessible areas. Results were verified through field mapping at numerous selected stations within proposed study area, which were further confirmed through X-ray analysis of selected gypsum specimens. The results of the applied techniques were compared with each other to better asses and evaluate their effectiveness and accuracy. Overall, all the methods successfully mapped gypsum; however, PC4 results exhibit higher degree of accuracy compared to other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Up to 40% of cancer patients on immune checkpoint inhibitors develop clinically significant immune-related adverse events (irAEs). The role of host immune status and function in predisposing patients to the development of irAEs remains unknown.Methods: Sera from 65 patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors and 13 healthy controls were evaluated for 40 cytokines at pre-treatment, after 2-3 weeks and after 6 weeks and analysed for correlation with the development of irAEs.Results: Of the 65 cancer patients enrolled, 55% were women; the mean age was 65 years and 98% received anti-PD1/PDL1 therapy. irAEs occurred in 35% of cases. Among healthy controls, cytokine levels were stable over time and lower than those in cancer patients at baseline. Significant increases in CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11 and CXCL13 occurred 2 weeks post treatment, and in CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, CXCL13, IL-10 and CCL26 at 6 weeks post treatment. Patients who developed irAEs had lower levels of CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11 and CXCL19 at baseline and exhibited greater increases in CXCL9 and CXCL10 levels at post treatment compared to patients without irAEs.Conclusions: Patients who developed irAEs have lower baseline levels and greater post-treatment increases in multiple cytokine levels, suggesting that underlying immune dysregulation may be associated with heightened risk for irAEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, several attempts have been made to use the phytopharmaceuticals from plant extracts as reducing, capping and stabilizing agents for the biomimetic synthesis of various metal nanoparticles conjugated to the phytopharmaceuticals. These biogenic metal nanoparticles are non-toxic and can be used as contrast agents, drug delivery vehicles and photothermal agents for cancer therapy. Herein, we report the synthesis of both silver and gold nanoparticles using the pollen extract of Phoenix dactylifera (Date Palm), characterization using UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, quantitation of phytochemicals capping the nanoparticles using Folin - Ciocalteu’s method, cytotoxicity studies on MCF-7 breast cancer cells, cancer cell death analysis using fluorescent microscopy, and modulation of expression of the pro-apoptotic p53 and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins. The biosynthesis resulted in stable and poly-dispersed silver nanoparticles and gold nanoparticles, exhibiting strong and broad surface plasmon absorption peaks. The elemental analysis confirmed the presence of gold and silver of high purity and also the organic moieties from the plant extract acting as capping and stabilizing agents. The biogenic nanoparticles also exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cells and showed signs of apoptotic cell death. Immunoassays revealed the upregulation of the pro-apoptotic protein p53 and down-regulation of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 after the nanoparticle treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fog computing is a new paradigm that extends the Cloud platform model by providing computing resources on the edges of a network. It can be described as a cloud-like platform having similar data, computation, storage and application services, but is fundamentally different in that it is decentralized. In addition, Fog systems are capable of processing large amounts of data locally, operate on-premise, are fully portable, and can be installed on heterogeneous hardware. These features make the Fog platform highly suitable for time and location-sensitive applications. For example, Internet of Things (IoT) devices are required to quickly process a large amount of data. This wide range of functionality driven applications intensifies many security issues regarding data, virtualization, segregation, network, malware and monitoring. This paper surveys existing literature on Fog computing applications to identify common security gaps. Similar technologies like Edge computing, Cloudlets and Micro-data centres have also been included to provide a holistic review process. The majority of Fog applications are motivated by the desire for functionality and end-user requirements, while the security aspects are often ignored or considered as an afterthought. This paper also determines the impact of those security issues and possible solutions, providing future security-relevant directions to those responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining Fog systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with poor outcome of decompressive craniectomy (DC) for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in pediatric patients. Methods: This retrospective study is conducted on pediatric population (age 1-15 years) presenting with TBI who underwent DC at our institute between January 2000 and 2010. Based on Glasgow outcome score (GOS) at a minimum follow-up of 5 months, patients were divided into two groups, namely poor outcome (GOS 1, 2, and 3) and good outcome (GOS 4 and 5). Records were reviewed and analyzed for preoperative and intraoperative predictors. Results: We found 25 patients who were eligible as per selection criteria. Mean age at presentation was 6 ± 4 years and there was male preponderance (84 %). Fall (60 %) was the most common mechanism of injury followed by gunshots and road traffic accident. On univariate analysis, presenting GCS ≤5 ( p value = 0.009), delay in presentation of more than 150 min ( p value = 0.010), DC performed after more than 4 h of arrival in hospital ( p value = 0.042), and intraoperative blood loss exceeding 300 ml ( p value = 0.001) were significant predictors of poor outcome. Conclusion: Our study suggests that DC in children is not only a life-saving procedure, but also leads to a good functional outcome after severe injury. However, patient selection still remains an important aspect, and the above-mentioned factors should be considered while deciding for DC to improve survival. Further prospective studies on larger sample size are warranted to validate our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present here a facile method to produce macroporous-activated carbon nanofibers (AMP-CNFs) by post-treating electrospun cobalt(II) chloride (CoCl) containing polyacrylonitrile (PAN/CoCl) nanofibers with hydrogen sulfide (HS) followed by carbonization. A range of techniques including scanning and transmission electron microscopy, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy is used to examine and characterize the process. Because of the phase behavior between carbon and cobalt, cobalt particles are formed in the nanofibers, some of which leave the fibers during the heat treatment process leading to macroporous fibrous structures. The number of the macroporous increase significantly with increasing CoCl concentration in the precursor HS-treated PAN/CoCl nanofibers. The cobalt phase in the fibers also leads to catalytic graphitization of the carbon nanofibers. The produced AMP-CNFs may be a promising candidates in many applications including anode layer in lithium ion batteries, air and liquid purifiers in filters, as well as in biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focused on optimizing the upstream process time for production of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) from sucrose by two-stage batch and fed-batch fermentation with Alcaligenes latus ATCC 29714. The study included selection of strain, two-stage batch fermentations with different time points for switching to nitrogen limited media (14, 16 or 18 h) and fed-batch fermentations with varied time points (similar to two stage) for introducing nitrogen limited media. The optimal strain to produce PHB using sucrose as carbon source was A. latus ATCC 29714 with maximum-specific growth rate of 0.38 ± 0.01 h and doubling time of 1.80 ± 0.05 h. Inducing nitrogen limitation at 16 h and ending second stage at 26 h gave optimal performance for PHB production, resulting in a PHB content of 46.7 ± 12.2 % (g PHB per g dry cell weight) at the end of fermentation. This was significantly higher ( P ≤ 0.05) (approximately 7 %) than the corresponding fed batch run in which nitrogen limitation was initiated at 16 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporation of nanoparticles composed of surface-functionalized fumed silica (FS) or native colloidal silica (CS) into a nanostructured block copolymer yields hybrid nanocomposites whose mechanical properties can be tuned by nanoparticle concentration and surface chemistry. In this work, dynamic rheology is used to probe the frequency and thermal responses of nanocomposites composed of a symmetric poly(styrene- b-methyl methacrylate) (SM) diblock copolymer and varying in nanoparticle concentration and surface functionality. At sufficiently high loading levels, FS nanoparticle aggregates establish a load-bearing colloidal network within the copolymer matrix. Transmission electron microscopy images reveal the morphological characteristics of the nanocomposites under these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The addition of cellulose acetate (CA) to a mixed solvent of N,N dimethylacetamide (DMA) and water is examined at different CA concentrations and water contents. Unlike the addition of water to a CA/DMA solution, the addition of CA to a DMA/water solution leads to a transition from a homogeneous solution at low water content to a two-phase system at higher water contents. The two-phase system has an upper liquid layer with an almost clear “solution-like” appearance and a lower gel-like layer. Treating the two-phase system at 100 °C for 30 min results in the formation of a uniform gel structure, similar to that produced by directly adding water to a CA/DMA solution. Although the phase behavior of these systems is similar, their viscoelastic properties are not. The moduli of the heat treated gels do not significantly vary from that of the bottom gel-like portion of the original two-phase samples. This may indicate that thermal treatment at 100 °C is not able to disrupt the pre-established CA intra- and intermolecular interactions and form the stronger CA-DMA interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sorption of long-lived radionuclides of cesium, strontium and cobalt (134Cs, 85Sr and 60Co) on bentonite under various experimental conditions, such as contact time, pH, sorbent and sorbate concentrations have been studied. The uptake of Cs and Sr was rapid and equilibrium was reached almost instantaneously in both the cases, while Co sorption was time dependent. The sorption of these nuclides increased by increasing pH. The uptake of Cs, Sr and Co increased with increasing the amount of the bentonite clay. The percentage sorption for Cs, Sr and Co decreased with increasing metal concentrations. The desorption studies with 0.01M CaCl2 and ground water at low-metal loadings on bentonite showed that about 95% of Cs, 85-90% of Sr and 97% of Co were irreversibly sorbed. These results could be helpful for nuclear waste management, for waste water effluents containing low concentrations of cesium, strontium and cobalt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical gelation can be induced in various organic and silicone-based liquids, as well as in polymeric melts, upon addition of 1,3:2,4-dibenzylidene sorbitol (DBS). Such gels are stabilized by the formation of a percolated DBS network composed of highly interconnected nanofibrils. In this study, we explore several factors affecting the rheological properties of poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) gelled by DBS. To ascertain the effect of PPG molecular weight (MPPG) on gel formation and rheology, we have investigated three series of DBS-induced PPG gels in which MPPG varies from 425 g/mol to 4000 g/mol. Dynamic stress measurements reveal that the DBS concentration identifying the onset of PPG gelation decreases with increasing MPPG. Since the solubility parameter (δs) of PPG decreases sharply as MPPG increases over this MPPG range, this observation suggests that DBS gelation is sensitive to δs of the matrix liquid, in agreement with previously reported data collected from DBS-gelled solvents. Moreover, the elastic modulus and yield stress are found to increase with increasing (i) DBS concentration for the three series of PPG/DBS gels examined here and (ii) recovery time after cessation of an introductory shear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suspension rheology of fungal fermentations is important in determination of mass transfer rates, as well as mixing quality. We have characterized Trichorderma reesei RUT-C30 suspension rheology during growth on xylose (soluble) and cellulose (particulate) substrates, using both steady and dynamic shear measurements. Biomass growth was monophasic on xylose and biphasic on cellulose; the latter behavior is consistent with relatively rapid, early growth on soluble sugars derived from rapidly hydrolyzed material, followed by a second, slower growth phase owing to hydrolysis of more recalcitrant cellulose by increasing cellulase concentrations. Steady shear measurements established the presence of a yield stress for fermentation broths when using a 10 (vol)% fungal inoculum. The Casson equation represented all data well. Casson parameters of viscosity and yield stress followed biomass evolution: two maxima in both parameters were observed with cellulose substrates, and a single maximum with xylose. Dynamic shear measurements on broths indicated a gel behavior at small strains and a shear thinning liquid behavior at larger displacements. These results indicate the need to include rheology and mixing considerations in the subsequent development of a full biological and physical kinetic description of T. reesei cellulose conversions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intestinal immune system is emerging as an important contributor to obesity-related insulin resistance, but the role of intestinal B cells in this context is unclear. Here, we show that high fat diet (HFD) feeding alters intestinal IgA+ immune cells and that IgA is a critical immune regulator of glucose homeostasis. Obese mice have fewer IgA+ immune cells and less secretory IgA and IgA-promoting immune mediators. HFD-fed IgA-deficient mice have dysfunctional glucose metabolism, a phenotype that can be recapitulated by adoptive transfer of intestinal-associated pan-B cells. Mechanistically, IgA is a crucial link that controls intestinal and adipose tissue inflammation, intestinal permeability, microbial encroachment and the composition of the intestinal microbiome during HFD. Current glucose-lowering therapies, including metformin, affect intestinal-related IgA+ B cell populations in mice, while bariatric surgery regimen alters the level of fecal secretory IgA in humans. These findings identify intestinal IgA+ immune cells as mucosal mediators of whole-body glucose regulation in diet-induced metabolic disease. The effect of diet-induced obesity on intestinal B cell populations is not well understood despite emerging evidence of a critical role for the intestinal immune system in contributing to insulin resistance. Here, the authors show important functions of IgA in regulating metabolic disease and for intestinal immunity in modulating systemic glucose metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access control mechanisms are widely used in multi-user IT systems where it is necessary to restrict access to computing resources. This is certainly true of file systems whereby information needs to be protected against unintended access. User permissions often evolve over time, and changes are often made in an ad hoc manner and do not follow any rigorous process. This is largely due to the fact that the structure of the implemented permissions are often determined by experts during initial system configuration and documentation is rarely created. Furthermore, permissions are often not audited due to the volume of information, the requirement of expert knowledge, and the time required to perform manual analysis. This paper presents a novel, unsupervised technique whereby a statistical analysis technique is developed and applied to detect instances of permission creep. The system (herein refereed to as Creeper) has initially been developed for Microsoft systems; however, it is easily extensible and can be applied to other access control systems. Experimental analysis has demonstrated good performance and applicability on synthetic file system permissions with an average accuracy of 96%. Empirical analysis is subsequently performed on five real-world systems where an average accuracy of 98% is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article " Measurement of Insulin Resistance by QUCKI Can Predict the Degree of Fibrosis in Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)," by Saad Khan, Michelle A. Abadie, and Satheesh Nair is presented.

Microbial biochemistry contributes to a dynamic environment in the gut. Yet, how bacterial metabolites such as hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) mechanistically alter the gut chemical landscape is poorly understood. Here we show that microbially generated H 2 S drives the abiotic reduction of azo (R-N = N-R') xenobiotics, which are commonly found in Western food dyes and drugs. This nonenzymatic reduction of azo compounds is demonstrated in Escherichia coli cultures, in human faecal microbial communities and in vivo in male mice. Changing dietary levels of the H 2 S xenobiotic redox partner Red 40 transiently decreases mouse faecal sulfide levels, demonstrating that a xenobiotic can attenuate sulfide concentration and alleviate H 2 S accumulation in vivo. Cryptic H 2 S redox chemistry thus can modulate sulfur homeostasis, alter the chemical landscape in the gut and contribute to azo food dye and drug metabolism. Interactions between chemicals derived from microbial communities may be a key feature shaping metabolism in the gut., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)