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Abstract This study aimed at determining the intra- and inter-rater reliability in ultrasound body composition measurements and investigating the differences between malnourished and non-malnourished infants. Sonographic images for measurements of fat and muscle thickness were compared between 9 malnourished and 9 non-malnourished hospitalized infants. The mean of fat and muscle thickness sums were 12.44 ± 7.58 mm and 28.98 ± 7.18 mm, respectively. The intra- and inter-rater intraclass correlation coefficient were above 0.9 for both measurements, indicating high intra- and inter-rater reliability. Compared to non-malnourished infants, malnourished infants have 45% of fat thickness sum and 71% of muscle thickness sum. Ultrasound measurements of body composition in infants were different between hospitalized malnourished and non-malnourished infants. This approach has the potential to be utilized more broadly, from assessing the nutritional status of critically ill infants in intensive care units to screening for malnutrition in high-risk infant populations.

Key points The AI-aided interpretation improved the accuracy for doctors of every specialty. The AI model accurately identified more cases than the radiologists’ reports. The AI model increased the detection rate and may decrease required CT imaging.

The semi‐underground double‐storey squat silo (SUDSSS) is a new type of silo with the advantages of preserving grain quality. In this paper, a numerical model of SUDSSS was constructed using solid elements. The proposed numerical model was validated by test results of an experimental underground silo, and the results demonstrated that: (1) Before and after backfilling, the radial and circumferential stress of the underground storey reached their maximum at 2/3 from the bottom and 2/3 from the ground surface, respectively; (2) As the height of grain storage increases, the silo wall stress in the overground storey increases. From the top of the underground storey up to 1/4 height of the overground storey, the stress of silo wall increases. (3) For the underground storey, the maximum stress occurs at 1/3 of the way from the apex of bottom cone. Practical applications: The semi‐underground double‐storey squat silo is a new grain storage device proposed by this paper, which consists of two layers. The lower layer is located in the ground and can utilize the shallow ground temperature to realize the green and low‐temperature storage of grain, the upper layer is conducive to the turnover of grain, which can ensure the quality of grain storage. The new silo has the advantages of saving land, energy saving and carbon reduction. Based on the silo, this paper investigates the stress–strain properties of the silo before and after soil backfilling during the construction stage, and obtains the change pattern of the static mechanical properties of the silo. This paper analyses the mechanical properties of semi‐underground double‐storey squat silo under different storage conditions at the grain storage stage, and studies the change patterns of the mechanical properties of the silo body under different storage heights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concrete made using recycled aggregates may become less durable due to sulfate attack. In this study, the degradation of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) under external sulfate assault was investigated using a mesoscale numerical analysis method. A random convex polygon aggregate model with five phases—(1) aggregate, (2) aggregate–old bonded mortar interface transition zone (ITZ), (3) old bonded mortar, (4) old bonded mortar–new bonded mortar ITZ, and (5) new bonded mortar—was established using a self-compiled program in order to take into account the heterogeneity of RAC. The aggregate was considered an impervious phase, but the four other phases were considered pervious. In the model, the only chemical byproduct was the ettringite that causes expansion. The proposed method for modeling sulfate attack on RAC was validated by experiments. Sulfate diffusion, the impact of ITZ thickness, water:cement ratio, and surface sulfate content were investigated. The simulation results showed that (1) there was limited influence of surface sulfate ion concentration on the rate of sulfate erosion in RAC, (2) water:cement ratio has a significant impact on sulfate resistance in RAC, and (3) the sulfate attack procedure is largely unaffected by ITZ thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonylative and dehydrogenative cascade annulation of aldehydes with N‐(o‐cyanobiaryl)acrylamides was developed for the synthesis of a broad spectrum of alkyl‐ and carbonyl‐substituted pyrido[4,3,2‐gh]phenanthridines. Secondary and tertiary aldehydes can undergo the decarbonylative cascade under DTBP/malonic acid conditions, while aryl, primary, and secondary aldehydes can undergo dehydrogenative reaction under TBHP system. Such transformations were triggered by alkyl and acyl radicals, and the annulations were accomplished through intramolecular additions of carbon‐centered radical to nitrile group and iminyl radical to aromatic ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serratia marcescens is utilized as a significant enterobacteria in the production of various high‐value secondary metabolites. Acetoin serves as a crucial foundational compound of development and finds application in a broad range of fields. Furthermore, S. marcescens HBQA‐7 is capable of utilizing xylose as its exclusive carbon source for acetoin production. The objective of this study was to utilize a constitutive promoter screening strategy to enhance both xylose utilization and acetoin production in S. marcescens HBQA‐7. By utilizing RNA‐seq, we identified the endogenous constitutive promoter P6 that is the most robust, which facilitated the overexpression of the sugar transporter protein GlfL445I, α‐acetyl lactate synthase, and α‐acetyl lactate decarboxylase, respectively. The resultant recombinant strains exhibited enhanced xylose utilization rates and acetoin yields. Subsequently, a recombinant plasmid, denoted as pBBR1MCS‐P6‐glfL445IalsSalsD, was constructed, simultaneously expressing the aforementioned three genes. The resulting recombinant strain, designated as S3, demonstrated a 1.89‐fold boost in xylose consumption rate compared with the original strain during shake flask fermentation. resulting in the accumulation of 7.14 g/L acetoin in the final fermentation medium. Subsequently, in a 5 L fermenter setup, the acetoin yield reached 48.75 g/L, corresponding to a xylose‐to‐acetoin conversion yield of 0.375 g/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clostridium aceticum DSM1496 is an acid‐resistant strain in which ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) plays a crucial role in acid resistance. In this study, we expressed ODC derived from C. aceticum DSM1496 in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and thoroughly examined its enzymatic properties. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 55.27 kDa and uses pyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate (PLP) as a coenzyme with a Km = 0.31 mM. ODC exhibits optimal activity at pH 7.5, and it maintains high stability even at pH 4.5. The peak reaction temperature for ODC is 30°C. Besides, it can be influenced by certain metal ions such as Mn2+. Although l‐ornithine serves as the preferred substrate for ODC, the enzyme also decarboxylates l‐arginine and l‐lysine simultaneously. The results indicate that ODC derived from C. aceticum DSM1496 exhibits the ability to produce putrescine, cadaverine, and agmatine through decarboxylation. These polyamines have the potential to neutralize acid in an acidic environment, facilitating the growth of microorganisms. These significant findings provide a strong basis for further investigation into the acid‐resistant mechanisms contributed by ODC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]