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The photo-enhanced electrocatalytic method of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) shows promise for enhancing the effectiveness of clear energy generation through water splitting by using renewable and sustainable source of energy. However, despite benefits of photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) water splitting, its uses are constrained by its low efficiency as a result of charge carrier recombination, a large overpotential, and sluggish reaction kinetics. Here, we illustrate that Nickel telluride (NiTe) synthesized by hydrothermal methods can function as an extremely effective photo-coupled electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (POER) catalyst. In this study, NiTe was synthesized by hydrothermal method at 145°C within just an hour of reaction time. In dark conditions, the NiTe deposited on carbon cloth substrate shows a small oxygen evolution reaction overpotential (261 mV) at a current density of 10 mA cm-2, a reduced Tafel slope (65.4 mV dec-1), and negligible activity decay after 12 h of chronoamperometry. By virtue of its enhanced photo response, excellent light harvesting ability, and increased interfacial kinetics of charge separation, the NiTe electrode under simulated solar illumination displays exceptional photoelectrochemical performance exhibiting overpotential of 165 mV at current density of 10 mA cm-2, which is about 96 mV less than on dark conditions. In addition, Density Functional Theory investigations have been carried out on the NiTe surface, the results of which demonstrated a greater adsorption energy for intermediate -OH on the catalyst site. Since the -OH adsorption on the catalyst site correlates to catalyst activation, it indicates the facile electrocatalytic activity of NiTe owing to favorable catalyst activation. DFT calculations also revealed the facile charge density redistribution following intermediate -OH adsorption on the NiTe surface. This work demonstrates that arrays of NiTe elongated nanostructure are a promising option for both electrochemical and photoelectrocatalytic water oxidation and offers broad suggestions for developing effective PEC devices.

Servitization increases uncertainty and complexity in manufacturing firms by introducing dynamic interdependencies within and between organisations. This study proposes the conceptual lens of Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) to frame manufacturers' service delivery systems and a hybrid simulation approach to explore the dynamic interdependencies of their servitization journeys. The case of a boiler manufacturer transforming to a provider of Heat-as-a-Service (HaaS) is used to examine the dynamic interdependencies between the growth of a service business, digitalisation efforts and operational efficiency as well as the interaction between the emerging service- and existing product business. The findings indicate that the manufacturer will experience an initial 'cost-shock' which will significantly decline as service delivery optimises and diagnostic accuracy improves. The study contributes to the servitization literature by introducing CAS as a theoretical perspective and hybrid modelling as a practical approach to explore and reconcile the strategic and operational dimensions of servitization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, anti-tetra-chiral-type bulking-induced auxetic meta-structure (generated by arraying periodic orthogonal elongated holes onto a sheet structure) was proved to exhibit superior aseismic performance. Anti-tetra-chiral-type auxetics, however, present strong anisotropic performance, which may limit their potential applications, as proper structural orientations are required during operations to utilize the beneficial auxetic effect. In analogy with anti-tetra-chiral-type bulking-induced auxetic meta-structure, an anti-tri-chiral-type bulking-induced auxetic meta-structure was therefore proposed by arraying periodic tri-dumbbell-shaped holes onto a sheet structure. Systematic finite element (FE) analyses were then conducted on a unit cell with periodic boundary conditions to elucidate the deformation mechanism and investigate the effective mechanical properties of the proposed auxetic meta-structure. Results show that the proposed design exhibits excellent auxeticity and planner isotropy. A novel auxetic buckling restrained brace (BRB) core brace was then designed based on the proposed auxetic meta-structure. Numerical calculations were then conducted to investigate the aseismic performance of the proposed auxetic BRB core. It is shown that the proposed auxetic BRB core brace demonstrates better energy dissipation capacity compared to a traditional BRB core brace with positive Poisson's ratio and a recently reported auxetic BRB core brace with orthogonal elliptical holes. Practically, the aseismic performance of the proposed BRB core brace is independent of the orientation of the perforated holes and hence can allow uncertain fairly big manufacturing errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the impact of poling direction and microstructure geometric parameters including PZT-7A volume fraction, PZT-7A layer number and unit cell amplitude-to-wavelength ratio on the homogenized electromechanical properties of PZT-7A/PVDF multilayered wavy composites are explored for the first time with the Multiphysics FVDAM. Then, a comprehensive parametric study is conducted toward microstructure effects of the above geometric parameters on the performance of the piezoelectric composites, evaluated by figures of merits. Further, the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm is proposed to combine with the Multiphysics FVDAM to effectively maximize the performance indices by optimizing the microstructure geometric parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we consider the k-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN) method in a single index regression model when the explanatory variable is valued in functional space in the setting of the quasi-association dependence condition. The main result of this work is the establishment of the asymptotic distribution for the k-NN kernel single index estimator. These results are established under fairly general conditions on the underlying models. As an application, the asymptotic confidence bands for the regression model based on the single-index model are presented. Some simulation studies are carried out to show the finite sample performances of the k-NN estimator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) such as polymer/ceramic composite have emerged as a prospective candidate for orthopedic implants, as they enable the incorporation of diverse material properties with mechanical biomimetic and biocompatibility of bone scaffolds. This study presents a novel approach for fabricating FGM scaffolds using a simplified additive manufacturing and impregnation-curing process, aiming to develop hydrophilic scaffolds with excellent mechanical properties. The graded composition of the scaffold was confirmed through micro-CT and SEM, with hydroxyapatite (HA) particles embedded on the surface of Polyactive acid (PLA) scaffold. The outermost layer exhibited a uniform distribution of HA with rough morphology, enhancing the hydrophilicity by 20 %. While the internal graded pure PLA core contributed to excellent mechanical strength. By adopting a programmable triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) approach, the relative density of the PLA core has been adjusted to tailor scaffold's mechanical properties. This innovative fabrication method opens avenues for polymer/ceramic composite development in orthopedic implants to enhance long-term stability and biocompatibility. [Display omitted] • Polymer/ceramic functionally graded material scaffold has been fabricated by a novel additive manufacturing. • The ceramics' hydrophilicity and polymer's toughness are integrated into the composite scaffold. • Continuous gradient changes between different materials enhance the bonding properties and avoid delamination cracks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attribution of mental states is fundamental to our engagement with fiction. Crucially, its social content depends on mental states recursively "embedded" within each other; for instance, when a person doesn't want other people to know about her intentions. Given that some characters seem to be consistently capable of embedding mental states on a higher level than others, this essay reviews factors that may influence authors' constructions of such mindreading hierarchies as well as their reversals. The argument focuses on the reversal scenes in films Goodbye Lenin, The Lives of Others, and Never Look Away, and on prosocial emotions evoked by their depiction of a more equitable distribution of a presumably valuable and scarce resource, that is, access to other people's minds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is rich research on tourism destination evolution, the literature on how normative social and environmental goals (as opposed to contingent events or economic imperatives) drive the evolution of tourism towards more sustainable forms remains under-developed. As a result, the overall understanding of how sustainability in tourism is pursued on the ground and what context-specific factors shape these processes is still insufficient. To address this lacuna, the paper draws upon the sustainability transitions (ST) agenda that focuses on the ground level processes of transitions and conceptualises sustainability transitions as multi-actor, multi-dimensional, evolutionary, disruptive and contested processes. As such, the paper offers a constructive response to Niewiadomski and Brouder's (2022) call for bridging the gap between the research on tourism evolution and the sustainability transitions agenda. More specifically, the paper adopts selected concepts of evolutionary economic geography (EEG) (which have long proved helpful in research on both tourism evolution and sustainability transitions) to address how sustainability in tourism is mindfully pursued in the Outer Hebrides (Scotland, UK) and what geographical and historical factors shape this transition. The analysis draws from 17 semi-structured interviews (conducted in 2020-2021 with tourism businesses and various organisations involved in tourism in the Outer Hebrides) and documentary analysis. Two main groups of place- and path-dependent factors that shape the ongoing transition to sustainable tourism in the Outer Hebrides are identified: 1) institutional and social fragmentation, and 2) infrastructural deficiencies and challenges. The paper finds that the transition to sustainability in tourism in the Outer Hebrides is fragmented and intermittent. Although numerous promising changes are taking place, the transition suffers from a lack of systemic and systematic governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the adoption of blockchain technology within the Ethiopian National Quality Infrastructure (NQI). Data from 178 professionals representing various organizations and roles were collected to investigate key adoption factors. By integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, external factors (Technology Compatibility, Relative Advantage, Government Support, and Policy) and internal factors (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intention to use) were examined. A dual-stage analytical approach involving partial least square-based structural equation model (PLS-SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN) analyses was employed. The findings emphasize the significance of technological compatibility, perceived usefulness, and top management support as determinants of blockchain adoption in the NQI. Particularly, the compatibility of the existing system emerges as the most influential factor in adopting blockchain technology within the Ethiopian NQI. This study enhances the understanding of blockchain adoption within the NQI context, providing valuable insights for successful implementation. It contributes to the existing knowledge in this area and offers practical implications for quality infrastructure management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an autosomal recessive disorder with a related enzyme deficiency involved in the adrenal corticosteroid synthesis pathway due to genetic mutations. 17α-hydroxylase deficiency(17α-OHD) is a rare form of CAH. Herein, we reported clinical data on diagnosis and treatment regimens for a 17α-hydroxylase-deficient patient. A 24-year-old female patient was admitted to the hospital with limb numbness for 7 days and sudden limb weakness. Full laboratory and radio-imaging investigations showed hypokalemia and abdominal occupation. Abnormal rhythm of cortisol(Cor) and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)was observed. The diagnosis was confirmed by molecular mutation detection, which showed a homozygous mutation of c.987del in the 17-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency (17OHD) lease-related CYP17A1 from both biological parents. The patient was treated with prednisone acetate and estradiol valerate. After one year of treatment with predisoone acetate and estradiol valerate, the patient had normal menstruation, increased blood potassium, estradiol and 24h-UFC, and decreased ACTH level. There is no significant change in large adrenal hyperplasia lesions although sexual characteristics and menstrual cycles have recovered. Through this case and literature review, it can be concluded that CAH with 17α-OHD can be diagnosed according to the genetic detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cover cropping (CC) is a promising in-field practice to mitigate soil health degradation and nitrogen (N) losses from excessive N fertilization. Soil N-cycling microbial communities are the fundamental drivers of these processes, but how they respond to CC under field conditions is poorly documented for typical agricultural systems. Our objective was to investigate this relationship for a long-term (36 years) corn [Zea mays L.] monocultures under three N fertilizer rates (N0, N202, and N269; kg N/ha), where a mixture of cereal rye [Secale cereale L.] and hairy vetch [Vicia villosa Roth.] was introduced for two consecutive years, using winter fallows as controls (BF). A 3 × 2 split-plot arrangement of N rates and CC treatments in a randomized complete block design with three replications was deployed. Soil chemical and physical properties and potential nitrification (PNR) and denitrification (PDR) rates were measured along with functional genes, including nifH, archaeal and bacterial amoA, nirK, nirS, and nosZ-I, sequenced in Illumina MiSeq system and quantified in high-throughput quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The abundances of nifH, archaeal amoA, and nirS decreased with N fertilization (by 7.9, 4.8, and 38.9 times, respectively), and correlated positively with soil pH. Bacterial amoA increased by 2.4 times with CC within N269 and correlated positively with soil nitrate. CC increased the abundance of nirK by 1.5 times when fertilized. For both bacterial amoA and nirK, N202 and N269 did not differ from N0 within BF. Treatments had no significant effects on nosZ-I. The reported changes did not translate into differences in functionality as PNR and PDR did not respond to treatments. These results suggested that N fertilization disrupts the soil N-cycling communities of this system primarily through soil acidification and high nutrient availability. Two years of CC may not be enough to change the N-cycling communities that adapted to decades of disruption from N fertilization in corn monoculture. This is valuable primary information to understand the potentials and limitations of CC when introduced into long-term agricultural systems.

Throughout the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the vulnerability of Black and other racialized communities in Canada emerged as a key concern for health and social service providers, policymakers, and researchers. A compounding of structurally generated inequalities affected income, access to health and social services, and susceptibility to contracting COVID-19. Black communities were a focal point that provided evidence to this disproportionate impact of the pandemic. This research presents findings of a grounded theory study of 20 front-line staff who provide social services at a Toronto-based agency. Utilizing a survey and in-depth interviews, the study explored how social service provisions to Black communities were understood and implemented and what the prospects were for future preparedness. Conceptually, a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) logic and a resilience lens were utilized to examine the agency's capacity for developing sustainable partnerships with vulnerable communities, as framed by SDG 11—Sustainable Cities and (Inclusive and Resilient) Communities, and SDG 17—Sustainable Partnerships. Findings illustrate a sustainability challenge for supporting Black communities. The study recommends research on, and the utilization of practice models based on community-based resilience initiatives (CRIs) and an SDG logic in social service agencies to support interventions based on collaboration, inclusivity, and resilience in emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, an attempt has been made to synthesize a high-quality fluorescent oligo(2,4-diaminotoluene) suitable for the development of a probe. The work introduces a new unique type of template (i.e., cage made of water-alcohol co-solvents) for oligomer containing 5–6 repeating units with remarkable water solubility and strong photoluminescence. Almost 16-fold enhancement of fluorescence properties compared to analogously structured polymer reported earlier has been achieved through aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Modern techniques like FTIR, NMR, PXRD, TGA, DTG, MALDI-TOF MS, SEM, TEM, SAED, and DLS are used to confirm the formation of the desired oligomer. Due to the high quantum yield (0.49), narrow emission band (full width at half maximum = 45 nm), and suitable chemical structure, the oligomer could be used as a potential fluorescent chemo-sensor for arsenic species. The reproducible LOD (2.47 mM) and wide LDR (0–100 mM) values along with robustness make the system highly relevant as an analytical tool. The structure, spectral properties, and sensing abilities of the oligomer have been understood in the light of computational chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clonal evolution to secondary paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) or myeloid neoplasia (MN) represents one of the long-term complications of patients with aplastic anemia (AA). The recent evidence in the field of immunology and the application of next-generation sequencing have shed light on the molecular underpinnings of these clonal complications, revealing clinical and molecular risk factors as well as potential immunological players. Particularly, whether MN evolution represents a failed tumor surveillance or a maladaptive recovery is still a matter of controversy in the field of bone marrow failure syndromes. However, recent studies have explored the precise dynamics of the immune-molecular forces governing such processes over time, generating knowledge useful for potential early therapeutic strategies. In this review, we will discuss the immune pathophysiology of AA and the emergence of clonal hematopoiesis with regard to the adaptive and maladaptive mechanisms at the basis of secondary evolution trajectories operating under the immune pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, composite films of a copolymer of vinylidene fluoride with trifluoroethylene P(VDF-TrFE) comprising microcrystals of deuterated triglycine sulfate (DTGS) were produced. The pyroelectric properties of the composite samples were studied by the dynamic method. Pyroelectric measurements indicated an extreme dependence of the pyroelectric coefficient on the concentration of DTGS inclusions in the composite. Piezoelectric modules were macroscopically measured in static mode. The measured piezoelectric moduli d31 and d33 show ambiguous dependences on the volume fraction of DTGS inclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a serious intracranial cerebrovascular disease. Cerebral hemorrhage caused by MMD will bring life risk to patients. Therefore, MMD detection is of great significance in the prevention of cerebral hemorrhage. In order to improve the accuracy of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in the diagnosis of ischemic MMD, in this paper, a deep network architecture combined with 3D convolutional neural network (3D CNN) and bidirectional convolutional gated recurrent unit (BiConvGRU) is proposed to learn the spatiotemporal features for ischemic MMD detection. Firstly, 2D convolutional neural network (2D CNN) is utilized to extract spatial features for each frame of DSA. Secondly, the long-term spatiotemporal features of DSA sequence are extracted by BiConvGRU. Thirdly, the short-term spatiotemporal features of DSA are further extracted by 3D convolutional neural network (3D CNN). In addition, different features are extracted when gray images and optical flow images pass through the network, and multiple features are extracted by features fusion. Finally, the fused features are utilized to classify. The proposed method was quantitatively evaluated on a data sets of 630 cases. The experimental results showed a detection accuracy of 0.9788, sensitivity and specificity were 0.9780 and 0.9796, respectively, and area under curve (AUC) was 0.9856. Compared with other methods, we can get the highest accuracy and AUC. The experimental results show that the proposed method is stable and reliable for ischemic MMD detection, which provides an option for doctors to accurately diagnose ischemic MMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zimbabwe African National Union (Patriotic Front) (ZANU[PF]) regime's survival strategies have been misleadingly presented as relying mainly upon political violence. This neglects analysis focusing on the ZANU(PF) regime's non-violent survival strategies, which have also been key to its longevity. While a growing body of literature discusses ZANU(PF) non-violent strategies, including patriotic history, cultural nationalism and provision of land for housing, it has missed much of what has kept ZANU(PF) in power. The existing studies failed to go beyond the idea that ZANU(PF) actors are deeply cynical and only interested in 'power', not 'believers' in their own ideology or responsive to people's needs. Using the cases of ZANU(PF)'s creation and co-optation of civil society organisations that challenge 'genuine' ones for advocacy space, especially labour unions and students' unions between 2000 and 2018, this study makes a twofold contribution to the literature on ZANU(PF)'s political survival. It demonstrates the importance of civil society engagement as a non-violent strategy in ensuring ZANU(PF)'s political survival and that ZANU(PF)'s political project is ideological in addition to being about staying in power. The article concludes that ZANU(PF)'s strategies in relation to civil society were equally critical for the regime's survival in that they necessarily complemented the violent strategies and worked in its favour by disorienting citizen objections and mobilising popular support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In post-2000s Zimbabwe, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has become one of the major economic activities that provides income and livelihood opportunities to millions of people. The article attempts to make sense of how such mining activities intertwined with the country's political economy and became implicated in shaping the dynamics of local and national politics. Taking the case of Kwekwe district, situated at the heart of the country, the article argues that ASGM as a socio-economic and political activity and a general way of life became the core of contemporary local Zimbabwean political relations, interactions and participation, and indeed a potent motor in party–state expansion and power consolidation. The new arrangements of politics, while facilitating the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union(Patriotic Front) (ZANU[PF])'s strong hold on power and territory in the face of powerful opposition politics represented by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), also encouraged local actors to expand their own statuses and influence away from political marginality towards the traditional political and elite centres such as the capital, Harare. The article shies away from literature that has emphasised state domination and subordination; this is in order to demonstrate that the relationship between the new political actors (buoyed by gold extraction) and the state is a flexible network of bargains and negotiated fusions, exchanges and appropriations. Largely ethnographical, it engages with an aspect of artisanal mining and politics in Zimbabwe that has yet to receive systematic scholarly attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, the gut microbiota has emerged as an important frontier in understanding the human body's homeostasis and the development of diseases. Gut flora in human beings regulates various metabolic functionalities, including enzymes, amino acid synthesis, bio-transformation of bile acid, fermentation of non-digestible carbohydrates (NDCs), generation of indoles and polyamines (PAs), and production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Among all the metabolites produced by gut microbiota, SCFAs, the final product of fermentation of dietary fibers by gut microbiota, receive lots of attention from scientists due to their pharmacological and physiological characteristics. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of SCFAs in the interaction between diet, gut microbiota, and host energy metabolism is still needed in-depth research. This review highlights the recent biotechnological advances in applying SCFAs as important metabolites to treat various diseases and maintain colonic health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many works have examined the variables driving the formation of North-South free trade agreements (FTAs) between developed and developing countries. This study analyzes the determinants shaping their utilization in the contexts of their political economy and of Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) schemes that are unilaterally granted by developed economies to developing countries' exports. Most of the goods liberalized through GSP are liberalized from early on in North-South FTAs; however, since FTA concessions are legally binding, goods that are excluded or only partially liberalized in GSP will be also excluded or protected in FTAs. As GSP schemes are subject to unilateral restriction/elimination by the developed country, exporters using GSP tariffs will lobby for the non-removable liberalization of their exports through an FTA and subsequently will have a high FTA utilization. These scenarios result in North-South FTAs being used to a great extent to export goods covered by and exported through GSP, thus consolidating pre-FTA trade patterns. These arguments were tested by analyzing disaggregated and rarely accessed data on Thailand's and Malaysia's exports through the Japanese GSP and their bilateral FTAs with Japan, as well as interviews with key actors involved in the policymaking of these FTAs. Most sectors in Thailand and Malaysia that benefited from GSP lobbied for FTA liberalization with Japan. Goods previously exported through GSP account for most of FTA utilization and the previous use of GSP preferences has a higher predictive value of subsequent FTA utilization than FTA tariff savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is extremely pathogenic and causes huge economic losses in the shrimp farming industry. Neutralizing antibodies against WSSV is expected to be an effective means of preventing infection with the virus. In the present study, eight monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against VP28 were developed by immunizing BALB/c mice with WSSV-VP28 recombinant protein. Among them, three mAbs named 3B7, 2G3 and 5D2 were determined to be able to delay the mortality of WSSV-infected shrimp in vivo neutralization assay, suggesting their neutralizing ability against WSSV infection. Immunoblotting results showed that the three mAbs reacted specifically with native VP28 of WSSV, and could also recognize the virions in the gills of WSSV-infected shrimp by IFA. Furthermore, the single chain variable fragment (scFv) genes specific for WSSV-VP28 were cloned from the three hybridoma cells and expressed in Escherichia coli. After purification and refolding, three biologically active scFv recombinant proteins were all capable of recognizing the native VP28 of WSSV and delayed the mortality of WSSV-infected shrimp, indicating their neutralizing capacity against WSSV. Subsequently, the eukaryotic expression plasmids of three scFv genes were constructed and the transcriptional properties of expression vectors in shrimp were analyzed. Animal experiments also proved that the scFv eukaryotic expression plasmids were able to partially neutralize WSSV infection. Thus, the production of neutralizing mAb and recombinant scFv antibodies against WSSV has a promising therapeutic potential in prevention and treatment of white spot disease of shrimp. • Three specific mAbs against WSSV-VP28 were developed. • Three scFv antibody genes against WSSV-VP28 were cloned from hybridoma cells producing the mAbs. • The three mAbs and scFvs all had a partial neutralizing ability against WSSV infection. • Eukaryotic expression plasmids of the scFv genes could partially neutralize WSSV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) is an important health care concern in the worldwide, and is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditure. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most frequent causative pathogen of CABP. Common treatment for hospitalized patients with CABP is empiric antibiotic therapy using β-lactams in combination with macrolides, respiratory fluoroquinolones, or tetracyclines. However, overuse of antibiotics has led to an increased incidence of drug-resistant S. pneumoniae , exacerbating the development of community-acquired drug-resistant bacterial pneumonia (CDBP) and providing a challenge for physicians to choose empirical antimicrobial therapy. Methods: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used as a complementary treatment for CDBP. Yinhuapinggan granules (YHPG) is widely used in the adjuvant treatment of CDBP. Experimental studies and small sample clinical trials have shown that YHPG can effectively reduce the symptoms of CDBP. However, there is a lack of high-quality clinical evidence for the role of YHPG as a complementary drug in the treatment of CDBP. Here, we designed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to explore the efficacy and safety of YHPG. A total of 240 participants will be randomly assigned to the YHPG or placebo group in a 1:1 ratio. YHPG and placebo will be added to standard treatment for 10 days, followed by 56 days of follow-up. The primary outcome is the cure rate of pneumonia, and the secondary outcomes includes conversion rate of severe pneumonia, lower respiratory tract bacterial clearance, lactic acid (LC) clearance rate, temperature, C-reactive protein (CRP), criticality score (SMART-COP score), acute physiological and chronic health assessment system (APACHEII score) and clinical endpoint events. Adverse events will be monitored throughout the trial. Data will be analyzed according to a pre-defined statistical analysis plan. This research will disclose the efficacy of YHPG in acquired drug-resistant pneumonia. Clinical Trial Registration : https://clinicaltrials.gov, identifier ChiCTR2100047501 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste tyre generation in South Africa is one of the issues that have not found a sustainable solution. Approximately 1.5 billion tyres are produced annually around the world, and South Africa contributes about 11 million tyres accounting to about 177 835 tons of waste annually. Numerous technologies have been used as possible pathways to recycle waste tyres. This review analyzes the main advances in waste tyre pyrolysis and gasification technologies and lists challenges and successes. For waste tyre pyrolysis, recovering high-value products such as limonene, benzene, xylene, and activated carbon can make the process profitable. For gasification, the objective of new studies is for the producer gas to have a desirable composition for further application in the production of chemicals, heat and power and synthesis of liquid fuels. Also, more research is required to fill the gap in the optimum conditions for solar integrated pyrolysis and gasification of waste tyres. A comprehensive comparative techno-economic analysis of chemicals production from waste tyre via gasification is required to determine the most commercially viable route for tyres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neonatal brain injury is a potentially devastating cause of neurodevelopmental impairment. There is no consensus, however, on the appropriate timing and frequency of routine head ultrasound (HUS) screening for such injuries. We evaluated the diagnostic utility of routine HUS screening at 30 days of life ("late HUS") for detecting severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) or cystic periventricular leukomalacia (c-PVL) in preterm infants with a negative HUS before 14 days of life ("early HUS"). Single-center retrospective cohort analysis of infants born at ≤ 32 weeks gestational age (GA) admitted to the University of Nebraska Medical Center NICU from 2011–2018. Demographics, HUS and MRI diagnoses were abstracted from clinical records. Fisher's exact test and t-test assessed associations between categorical and continuous variable, respectively. 205 infants were included—120 very preterm (28–32 weeks GA) and 85 extremely preterm (<28 weeks GA). Negative predictive value of early HUS for predicting any clinically significant anomalies (severe IVH or c-PVL) on late HUS was 100% for extremely and 99.2% for very preterm infants. Term-equivalent MRI detected previously undiagnosed c-PVL in 16.7% of the 24 patients that received MRI; all infants with new c-PVL on MRI had severe IVH on early HUS. Following negative early HUS, late HUS detected significant new abnormalities in one infant. These data suggest that in a unit with low prevalence of c-PVL, 30-day HUS may have limited clinical utility following negative screening. In infants with abnormal early HUS, clinicians should consider obtaining term-equivalent MRI screening to detect c-PVL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the article is to explore the fabrication of dental restorative composite materials and the ranking order using the preference selection index (PSI) as a multi criteria decision making (MCDM) technique under a set of conflict performance defining criteria (PDCs). The polymer matrix of the dental restorative composite was prepared using bisphenol a-glycidyl methacrylate (55 wt.%), triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (44 wt.%), camphorquinone (0.3 wt.%), and ethyl 4-(dimethylamino) benzoate (0.7 wt.%). Five different dental restorative composite material compositions were fabricated using hybrid nSiO2-TiO2 particulates with a variation of nSiO2 (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 wt.%) while TiO2 is constant (15 wt.%). The results revealed that an increasing trend has been found in compressive strength, flexural strength, Vickers hardness, etc., while a decreasing trend has been shown in depth of cure, polymerization shrinkage, degree of conversion etc. The performance analysis of five dental composite formulations via the PSI method shows the following ranking order: nS4 > nS6 > nS2 > nS0 > nS8. The obtained experimental results are associated with the ranking order of the different sets of dental composite formulations. Hence, the preference selection index approach is one of the best techniques among MCDM techniques for ranking under different PDCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the ENDS use and their associations with conventional cigarette smoking and nicotine addiction among Asian Americans (AAs). The study sample was restricted to Non-Hispanic AAs (n = 1,956) using the National Adult Tobacco Survey (NATS) 2013–2014. Chi-square tests and logistic regressions were employed. AAs who ever used ENDS reported they were more likely to smoke conventional cigarettes, smoke ≤100 cigarettes in a lifetime, and felt more difficulty concentrating without using tobacco than those who never used END. Study findings indicate that ENDS use may be associated with conventional cigarette smoking and may lead to nicotine addiction among AAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a life-threatening metabolic disorder necessitating urgent development of safe and effective therapy. Currently, limited such therapeutic measures are available for obesity. The present study was designed to develop a novel, safe and effective herbal therapy for the management of obesity. A polyherbal formulation (18KHT01) was developed by homogeneously mixing a specific proportion of crude Quercus acutissima (acorn jelly powder), Camellia sinensis (dry leaf buds), and Geranium thunbergii (dry aerial part) along with Citrus limon (fruit juice). Synergistic antioxidant, antiadipogenic, and anti-obesity activities were evaluated by in vitro as well as in vivo studies. In vitro experiments revealed strong synergistic antioxidant and anti-adipogenic activities of 18KHT01. Molecular assessment of 18KHT01 showed significant down-regulation of vital adipogenic factors such as PPARγ, C/EBPα, aP2, SREBP-1c, FAS, and LPL. Based on the results of the preliminary toxicity study, 75 and 150 mg/kg, twice daily doses of 18KHT01 were administered to evaluate anti-obesity activity in diet-induced obese (DIO) C57BL/6J mice model. The major obesity-related parameters such as body weight, weight gain, food efficiency ratio, as well as serum lipid profile were significantly reduced by 18KHT01 with potential synergism. Also, the high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance was suggestively alleviated by the formulation, and thus ameliorated fasting blood glucose. Histological evaluation of liver and white adipose tissue revealed that the significant reduction of fat depositions and thus reduction of these tissue weights. Synergy evaluation experiments exhibited that the 18KHT01 offered strong synergism by improving efficacy and reducing the toxicity of its ingredients. Overall results evidenced the 18KHT01 as a safe and potent anti-obesity herbal therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aminoglycoside antibiotics exhibit broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, good efficacy, and stability. However, due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance, their use as broad-spectrum antibiotics is restricted. Bacteria producing the bifunctional enzyme, 6′-aminoglycoside acetyltransferase 2″-aminoglycoside phosphotransferase [AAC(6′)-APH(2″)], can modify aminoglycoside antibiotics, leading to the emergence of clinical drug resistance. A method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) is reported to monitor the modification of aminoglycoside antibiotics and to screen potential inhibitors of AAC(6′)-APH(2″) from marine natural products. Instead of using purified AAC(6′)-APH(2″), Escherichia coli cells harboring AAC(6′)-APH(2″) were employed. In vivo enzyme assays, conducted in the physiological environment, compensated for the disparity between in vitro responses and those in living cells. The inhibition zone method was used to verify the reliability of the UHPLC-MS results. From a library of 63 marine natural products, Mer-C-3 and Mer-c-8e pyridine alkaloids were shown to provide inhibitory activity against AAC(6′)-APH(2″) in living bacteria. The UHPLC-MS-based approach offers improved speed, convenience, and sensitivity compared with the traditional inhibition zone assay for the screening of enzyme inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is increasingly understood that the epilepsies are characterized by network pathology that can span multiple spatial and temporal scales. Recent work indicates that infraslow (<0.2 Hz) envelope correlations may form a basis for distant spatial coupling in the brain. We speculated that infraslow correlation structure may be preserved even with some time lag between signals. To this end, we studied intracranial EEG (icEEG) data collected from 22 medically refractory epilepsy patients. For each patient, we selected hour-long background, awake icEEG epochs before and after antiseizure medication (ASM) taper. For each epoch, we selected 5,000 random electrode contact pairs and estimated magnitude-squared coherence (MSC) below 0.15 Hz of band power time-series in the traditional EEG frequency bands. Using these same contact pairs, we shifted one signal of the pair by random durations in 15-s increments between 0 and 300 s. We aggregated these data across all patients to determine how infraslow MSC varies with duration of lag. We further examined the effect of ASM taper on infraslow correlation structure. We also used surrogate data to empirically characterize MSC estimator and to set optimal parameters for estimation specifically for the study of infraslow activity. Our empirical analysis of the MSC estimator showed that hour-long segments with MSC computed using 3-min windows with 50% overlap was sufficient to capture infraslow envelope correlations while minimizing estimator bias and variance. The mean MSC decreased monotonically with increasing time lag until 105 s of lag, then plateaued between 106 and 300 s. Significantly nonzero infraslow envelope MSC was preserved in all frequency bands until about 1 min of time lag, both pre- and post-ASM taper. We also saw a slight, but significant increase in infraslow MSC post-ASM taper, consistent with prior work. These results provide evidence for the feasibility of examining infraslow activity via its modulation of higher-frequency activity in the absence of DC-coupled recordings. The use of surrogate data also provides a general methodology for benchmarking measures used in network neuroscience studies. Finally, our study points to the clinical relevance of infraslow activity in assessing seizure risk., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Joshi, Duckrow, Goncharova, Hirsch, Spencer, Godwin and Zaveri.)

The pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSC) fibrosis involves the rapid proliferation of skin fibroblasts, and current anti-fibrotic treatments are limited. This study investigated the relationship between ferroptosis and SSC skin fibroblasts. We observed that erastin-induced ferroptosis was suppressed in SSC fibroblasts. RSL3, a direct inhibitor of Glutathione Peroxidase 4 (GPX4), significantly reduced the viability of the fibroblasts, and upregulation of GPX4 in the SSC fibroblasts contributed to ferroptosis resistance. Furthermore, we demonstrated that transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) was a crucial transporter for iron deposition in the fibroblasts. Collectively, our results highlight that GPX4 inhibition could enhance the sensitivity to ferroptosis by SSC fibroblasts, which showed distinct characteristics of iron metabolism that were not observed in normal fibroblasts in this study. Taken together, these results suggest that targeting ferroptosis could be a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of SSC., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), contains tumour-specific gene mutation in blood circulation and could aid in postoperative risk stratification of non-metastatic breast cancer. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of detecting PIK3CA gene mutations in ctDNA in the preoperative (preop) and postoperative period (postop), and its prognostic significance in patients with breast cancer., Methods: A cohort of patients with breast cancer undergoing curative surgery with available blood samples preoperatively and postoperatively (Post op) at either Post op time period; week 1-2, week 3-4 or weeks 5-12 were enrolled. PIK3CA gene mutations at exons 9 and 20 were detected in ctDNA with High resolution melting (HRM) PCR and Allele specific fluorescence probe-based PCR., Results: A total of 62 patients (age, median (IQR), 51.50 (45.0-65.0) years), with a median follow-up of 90 months (interquartile range (IQR),60-120 months) were enrolled. In total, 25 (40.3%) and 22 (35%) patients with breast cancer had detectable PIK3CA gene mutations in ctDNA in preoperative and postoperative period, respectively. PIK3CA gene mutations in ctDNA in postoperative period (hazard ratio (H.R: 18.05, p = 0.001) were a negative prognostic factor for recurrencefree survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) (H.R: 11.9, p = 0.01) in patients with breast cancer. Subgroup analysis of ctDNA indicate that positive ctDNA in both preoperative/postoperative period and post op period only were found to have prognostic effect on RFS and OS (RFS; p < 0.0001, O·S; p = 0.0007). Moreover, ctDNA-based detection preceded clinical detection of recurrence in patients with an average lead time of 12 months (IQR:20-28.5 months) across all the breast cancer subtypes., Conclusion: We highlighted the prognostic ability of ctDNA in patients with breast cancer in perioperative period. However, future prospective studies are needed to assess the utility of ctDNA in clinical practice., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The author reports no conflicts of interest in this work., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In recent years, natural polysaccharides have received growing attention and interest in view of their values in food, medical, cosmetics and other fields. Eleutherococcus senticosus (E. senticosus) is a medicine and food homologous plant that possess anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, central nervous system and cardiovascular protection, anti-radiation, enhancement of human microcirculation, improvement of physical fatigue effects, mainly based on lignans, flavonoids and coumarin types. E. senticosus polysaccharides (ESPS), act as a kind of polysaccharide extracted and isolated from the root and rhizome of E. senticosus , have been found in many applications of medicine and food for their unique biological activity. Nevertheless, the existing studies are mostly concerned with small molecules of E. senticosus , less attention is paid to polysaccharides. Moreover, the types and structural characterization of ESPS reported in existing literature were also not summarized. In this paper, the research progress of ESPS is reviewed from the aspects of extraction, separation, structural characterization and biological activity, future perspectives from points of efficient extraction, resource utilization and quality control standards were also proposed, which provide reference for the further development and utilization of ESPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to shed light on the consumption of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) by gym goers in Israel and to learn about their attitudes toward AAS and their knowledge about it. This research is based on a structured, self-reported anonymous online questionnaire distributed to 665 gym goers. 4.6% of participants reported using steroid, 48.9% of participants knew gym goers who used steroids, 21.3% reported that they had been offered to use steroids, and 26% of respondents expressed curiosity about the effect of steroids on them. Acquaintance with gym goers who used steroids found to be revealed to the level of knowledge and to the level of attitudes toward AAS. Research and application recommendations were given at the end of the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were to: 1) Determine the association between subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and life satisfaction; and 2) Assess the gendered racial/ethnic disparities in the association between SCD and life satisfaction. Data were obtained from 3,795 participants from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. SCD was operationalized by "During the past 12 months, have you experienced confusion or memory loss that is happening more often or is getting worse?" Life satisfaction was operationalized by the question "In general how satisfied are you with your life?" Interaction terms of SCD*sex, SCD*race/ethnicity, and SCD*sex*race/ethnicity were used to determine potential effect measure modification. Crude and adjusted linear regression models, controlling for age, education, income and employment, were used to assess the association between SCD and life satisfaction by sex, race, and by gendered racial/ethnic groups: Black women, White women, Hispanic women, Other women; and Black men, White men, Hispanic men and Other men. SCD was negatively associated with life satisfaction in the overall sample (β: −0.55; 95% CI: −0.66, −0.43). However, the negative associations seen across gender, race/ethnicity, and gendered racial/ethnic groups were statistically similar (p for interaction terms > 0.05). The highest effect estimate was seen for Other men (β: −1.22; 95% CI: −1.37, −1.09). Interventions geared towards improving cognition may improve life satisfaction for all groups, irrespective of gender and/or race/ethnicity. Future research may include longitudinal studies to determine the temporal sequence between SCD and life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperature carbonization, an important approach to cleanly and efficiently use coal, refers to a complex process in which a series of physical phenomena and chemical reactions occur when coal is heated to ≥1000 °C in anoxic conditions. A furnace was developed for the in-situ small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) measurements with the scattering angle 2θ between 0° and 60° during sample heating from room temperature to 1200 °C. The usefulness of the furnace for high temperature carbonization of coal was verified at the 1W2A SAXS station at the Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, adsorption isotherms and thermodynamics were performed using aqueous solutions of chromium (VI) and an anion exchange resin which was have not yet been characterized for this ion. The adsorption results were fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Temkin-Pyzhev sorption models. The highest correlation factor (R2) was observed for the Freundlich isotherm which indicates sorption upon a heterogeneous surface. The thermodynamic parameters such as the Gibb's free energy (ΔG°), the standard enthalpy (ΔH°), and the standard entropy (ΔS°) were determined, indicating that the chromium (VI) adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. This study contributes to a clearer understanding of the Cr (VI) adsorption onto the studied anion resin. Our target is to found materials suitable with the world's growing interest in the treatment of wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immediately after the emancipation of Cape Town's enslaved population on 1 December 1838, the former enslaved moved en masse out of the houses in which they had previously lived. In this article, we investigate why they did so, where they went and how the exodus reshaped the social geography of the city. We argue that their departure from their former owners' houses was a rejection of their slave past and that they refused to sleep under the same roofs as heretofore. Rather, generally on the basis of the networks which had linked the enslaved to the manumitted, particularly among the Muslims, they found lodging space in highly congested alleys (steegjes) and courtyards and also in the cellars of larger houses. These were to be found, above all, close to the harbour, on the slopes of Signal Hill, in what was to be known as the Bo'kaap, and, increasingly, in newly built cheap houses to the East of the old city centre, around Hanover Street. We use the rate rolls of the Cape Town municipality for 1842 and 1849 to provide maps of the settlement of the newly free and how this changed in the course of the 1840 s. We demonstrate that the areas in which the ex-enslaved men came to live were invariably those where the value of the dwellings was lowest, and, furthermore, that the levels of segregation increased over the period. In contrast to this, however, there was a perceptible move of women out of the poorer districts of the city, which we attribute to the continuation under new circumstances of the pattern of young enslaved women marrying out of slavery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of world industrialization, the environmental pollution of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is becoming an increasingly serious problem. In particular, the mechanisms by which long-term and low-dose exposure to Cr(VI) leading the development of related cancers are not well understood. As senescent cells gradually lose their ability to proliferate and divide, they will not be malignantly transformed. However, Senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) released by senescent cells into the cellular microenvironment can act on neighboring cells. Since SASP has a bidirectional regulatory role in the malignant transformation of cells. Hence, It is very necessary to identified the composition and function of SASP which secreted by Cr(VI) induced senescent L02 hepatocytes (S-L02). Exosomes, a vesicle-like substances released extracellularly after the fusion of intracellular multivesicular bodies with cell membrane, are important components of SASP and contain a large number of microRNAs (miRNAs). By establishing Cr(VI)-induced S-L02 model, we collected the exosomes from the supernatants of S-L02 and L02 culture medium respectively, and screened out the highly expressed miRNAs in the exosomes of S-L02, namely the new SASP components. Among them, the increase of miR-222-5p was the most significant. It was validated that as SASP, miR-222-5p can inhibit the proliferation of L02 and S-L02 hepatocytes and at the same time accelerate the proliferation and migration ability of HCC cells. Further mechanistic studies revealed that miR-222-5p attenuated the regulatory effect of protein phosphatase 2A subunit B isoform R2-α (PPP2R2A) on Akt via repressing its target gene PPP2R2A, causing reduced expressions of forkhead box O3 (FOXO3a), p27 and p21, and finally increasing the proliferation of HCC cells after diminishing the negative regulation of on cell cycle. This study certainly provides valuable laboratory evidence as well as potential therapeutic targets for the prevention and further personalized treatment of Cr(VI)-associated cancers. By establishing a model of Cr(VI)-induced premature senescent hepatocytes, we found miR-222-5p highly expressed in the supernatant exosomes of S-L02 hepatocytes, i.e., new SASP components. The results suggest to us that miR-222-5p inhibits the proliferation of L02 and S-L02 hepatocytes while promoting the proliferation and migration of HCC cells. [Display omitted] • Senescent L02 hepatocytes induced by Cr(VI) are capable of secreting EV-SASP. • The highest Cr(VI)-induced EV-SASP components is miR-222-5p. • miR-222-5p regulates proliferation of wildtype/senescent hepatocytes and HCC cells. • miR-222-5p promotes HCC proliferation and migration by suppressing PPP2R2A expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An untargeted characterization was carried out to attempt the geographical discrimination of three high-valued Italian chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.), harvested in 2019 in three traditional and relatively close production areas: Navelli (Abruzzo, Central Italy), Cicerale (Campania, South Italy), and Valentano (Lazio, Central Italy). The present study aimed to develop and validate a potentially non-destructive and routine-compatible method for the geographical traceability of chickpea landraces of high traditional value. The outer part of 146 kernels belonging to the three varieties was analysed by Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform-Mid Infrared (ATR-FT-MIR) and FT-Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopies. Eventually, each sample was cut in two, and the cross-sections (the internal and external parts) were analysed by the two spectroscopic techniques. Spectral information was organized in four data blocks (MIRout, MIRin, NIRout, and NIRin), and single-block Partial Least Squares-Linear Discriminant Analysis (PLS-LDA) was applied. Accurate results were obtained from the single-block-processing of the spectroscopic profiles for the outer kernel part (MIRout and NIRout) that, combined with interesting outcomes from a preliminary class modelling approach suggest the real possibility of implementing a non-destructive authentication method. Notwithstanding, Sequential and Orthogonalized (SO)-PLS-LDA and SO-Covariance selection (Covsel)-LDA were applied to interpret better the information in the four collected data blocks. In this context, VIP (Variable Importance in Projection) analysis was performed to identify the significant variables, leading to a direct chemical interpretation of the classification models. • Geographical discrimination of traditional Italian chickpeas using spectroscopy. • Single-block PLS-LDA yields accurate results for outer kernel analysis. • Promising results for a non-destructive method in chickpea landraces traceability. • VIP analysis and SO-CovSel revealed significant variables for the classification. • A better chemical insight was achieved by multi-block classification models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The micellization behavior of anionic surfactant sodium hexadecyl sulfate (SHS) has been studied upon the addition of two imidazolium-based ionic liquids having different alkyl chains i.e., 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide [C3mim][Br] and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide [C4mim][Br] in aqueous media. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) was determined using conductivity measurements at temperatures (298.15, 303.15 and 308.15 K) at different concentrations (0.02, 0.05 and 0.1 wt. %) of both ILs [C3mim][Br] and [C4mim][Br] in aqueous medium. The thermodynamic parameters of micellization such as standard free energy of micellization ( Δ G m 0 ), standard enthalpy of micellization ( Δ H m 0 ), and standard entropy of micellization ( Δ S m 0 ) were evaluated by using the CMC obtained from conductivity measurements. In order to validate the CMC values obtained from conductivity measurements, fluorescence and UV-Visible spectroscopy has been utilized to obtain CMC value at 298.15 K. Further FT-IR spectroscopic studies have been done to investigate the structural alterations occurring in the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are one of the most common and serious birth defects in human beings caused by genetic and environmental factors. Folate insufficiency is involved in the occurrence of NTDs and folic acid supplementation can prevent NTDs occurrence, however, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. We established cell and animal models of folic acid deficiency to detect the methylation modification and expression levels of genes by MassARRAY and real-time PCR, respectively. Results and conclusion: In the present study, we found firstly that in human folic acid-insufficient NTDs, the methylation level of imprinted gene Mest/Peg1 was decreased. By using a folic acid-deficient cell model, we demonstrated that Mest/Peg1 methylation was descended. Meanwhile, the mRNA level of Mest/Peg1 was up-regulated via hypomethylation modification under low folic acid conditions. Consistent with the results in cell models, Mest/Peg1 expression was elevated through hypomethylation regulation in folate-deficient animal models. Furthermore, the up-regulation of Mest/Peg1 inhibited the expression of Lrp6 gene, a crucial component of Wnt pathway. Similar results with Lrp6 down-regulation of fetal brain were verified in animal models under folic acid-deficient condition. Taken together, our findings indicated folic acid increased the expression of Mest/Peg1 via hypomethylation modification, and then inhibited Lrp6 expression, which may ultimately impact on the development of nervous system through the inactivation of Wnt pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermo-responsive fluorescent materials are promising candidates for the development of fluorescent thermometers, biological sensors and biomedicine. Since the interesting phenomenon of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) was first defined by Tang in 2001, it has provided a wonderful platform for development of efficient luminescent materials. Over the past decade, luminophors with AIE characteristics were incorporated into thermo-responsive polymers to construct smart polymers with temperature-dependent fluorescent behaviors. In this review, we summarized the working principles and related applications of AIE-active thermo-responsive polymers developed recently, mainly focusing on fluorescence intensity enhancement with either increasing or decreasing temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we considered tourism collaboration for sustainable development as a co-creative practice of learning about tourism in order to achieve benefits for local communities. We focused on projects run by non-governmental development organisations (NGDOs) and the challenges relating to their long-term impact. These challenges concern the projects' potential to facilitate the emergence and/or reinforcement of local learning communities. The study was conducted by an academic and a representative of the NGDO that constituted the empirical case. The empirical investigation was based on a variety of data sources and explored both the NGDO's strategic approach to collaboration and the experience gained from two projects. We identified factors that can be crucially important for the promotion of collaboration driven by local actors and extending beyond the limited time horizon of the NGDOs' projects. The paper contributes to the literature by adopting the concepts of co-creative practices and communities of practice (CoPs) to study collaboration, elucidating the evolving linkages connecting CoP constellations in learning communities. The study also presents some reflections on collaborative research with non-academics as a useful way of promoting plurality, depth and reflexivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the molecular spectrum of β-thalassemia (β-thal) mutations in eastern Thailand. We identified β-thal mutations using allele specific-polymerase chain reaction (ASPCR) and direct DNA sequencing. We found 18 different β-thal mutations in a total of 191 unrelated subjects. Six common β-thal mutations comprised 86.91% of all the mutations, including codons 41/42 (–TTCT) (HBB: c.126_129delCTTT) (35.60%), codon 17 (A>T) (HBB: c.52A>T) (18.85%), −28 (A>G) (HBB: c.-78A>G) (15.71%), IVS-II-654 (C>T) (HBB: c.316-197C>T) (6.28%), IVS-I-1 (G>T) (HBB: c.92+1G>T) (5.76%) and codon 19 (A>G) (HBB:(c.59A>G) (4.71%). In addition, a novel 60 kb deletion in two unrelated cases was characterized and initially suspected to originate from eastern Thailand. Moreover, we demonstrated the molecular spectrum of recent β-thal mutations in Thailand, and data from this study were compared with five reference laboratory centers in Thailand. This study is the first to identify the comprehensive molecular spectrum of β-thal mutations in eastern Thailand, information that may be essential for screening, genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis (PND) in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cumulative evidence suggests that linked color imaging (LCI) can be used to identify gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM). We aimed to develop endoscopic grading for GIM (EGGIM) with LCI. Two hundred and seventy-seven patients who underwent high-resolution white-light gastroscopy followed by LCI for EGGIM estimation were included. LCI was performed for the entire mucosa, and images of five areas each were recorded from the lesser and greater curvatures of the antrum and corpus, and for the incisura. For each area, scores of 0 (no GIM), 1 (focal GIM, ≤30% of the area), and 2 (extensive GIM, >30% of the area) were attributed for 10 points. If GIM was suspected based on endoscopy findings, targeted biopsies were performed; if GIM was not evident, random biopsies were performed according to the Sydney system to estimate the operative link on GIM (OLGIM). GIM was staged as OLGIM 0, I, II, III, and IV in 136, 70, 37, 28, and 6 patients, respectively. For OLGIM III/IV diagnosis, the area under the receiver operating curve was 0.949 (95% CI 0.916–0.972). EGGIM of 4, with sensitivity and specificity of 94.12% (95% CI 80.3%–99.3%) and 86.42% (95% CI 81.5%–90.5%), respectively, was determined the best cut-off value for identifying OLGIM III/IV patients. Our findings demonstrated the ability of EGGIM for diagnosing the extent of intestinal metaplasia and showed that EGGIM is related to OLGIM staging. EGGIM of 4 was the best cut-off value for identifying OLGIM III/IV patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recurring translocation t(1;19) (q23;p13) with TCF3-PBX1 rearrangements are uncommon in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and their prognostic impact remains to be described in the era of modern chemotherapies. We investigated 427 adult patients with newly diagnosed pre-B ALL, 16 (4%) had t(1;19)(q23;p13) at diagnosis. All 16 patients achieved complete remission after induction with intensive chemotherapy, and with a median of 7-year follow-up, 2 relapsed. The 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse and overall survival rates were 14% and 82%, respectively. Our analysis showed that adult patients with t(1;19)(q23;p13) positive ALL had favorable prognosis with intensive chemotherapy regimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]