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Background: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a widely used treatment for depression. However, limited resource availability poses several barriers to patients seeking access to care, including lengthy wait times and geographical limitations. This has prompted health care services to introduce electronically delivered CBT (eCBT) to facilitate access. Although previous reviews have compared the effects of eCBT to face-to-face CBT, there is an overall lack of adequately powered and up-to-date evidence in the literature to provide a reliable comparison between the two modes of administration. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of eCBT compared to face-to-face CBT through a systematic review of the literature. Methods: To be eligible for this review, studies needed to be randomized controlled trials evaluating the clinical effectiveness of any form of eCBT compared to face-to-face CBT. These encompassed studies evaluating a wide range of outcomes including severity of symptoms, adverse outcomes, clinically relevant outcomes, global functionality, participant satisfaction, quality of life, and affordability. There were no restrictions on participant age or sex.We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Psych Info, Cochrane CENTRAL and CINAHL databases from inception to February 20th, 2020 using a comprehensive search strategy. All stages of literature screening and data extraction were completed independently in duplicate. Data extraction and risk of bias analyses, including GRADE ratings, were conducted on studies meeting inclusion criteria. Qualitative measures are reported in a narrative summary. We pooled quantitative data in meta-analyses to provide an estimated summary effect. This review adheres to PRISMA reporting guidelines. Findings: In total, we included 17 studies in our analyses. Our results demonstrated that eCBT was more effective than face-to-face CBT at reducing depression symptom severity (Standardized mean difference [SMD]: −1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −2.72, −0.74; GRADE: moderate quality of evidence). There were no significant differences between the two interventions on participant satisfaction (SMD 0.13 95%; CI −0.32, 0.59; GRADE: low quality of evidence). One RCT reported eCBT to be less costly than face-to-face CBT (GRADE: low quality of evidence). Results did not differ when stratified by subgroups such as participant age and study location. Interpretation: Although we found eCBT to have moderate evidence of effectiveness in reducing symptoms of depression, high heterogeneity among studies precludes definitive conclusions for all outcomes. With the current reliance and accessibility of technology to increasing number of people worldwide, serious consideration in utilizing technology should be given to maximize accessibility for depression treatments. Our results found eCBT is at least as effective as face to face CBT, thus eCBT should be offered if preferred by patients and therapists. Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) is a major cause of urinary and bloodstream infections. Its association with extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) significantly complicates treatment. Its best-described component is the rapidly expanding H30Rx clade, containing allele 30 of the type 1 fimbrial adhesin gene fimH. This lineage appears to have emerged in the United States and spread around the world in part due to the acquisition of the ESBL-encoding blaCTX-M-15 gene and resistance to fluoroquinolones. However, non-H30 ST131 sublineages with other acquired CTX-M-type resistance genes are also emerging. Based on whole-genome analyses, we describe here the presence of an (fimH) H27 E. coli ST131 sublineage that has recently caused an outbreak of community-acquired bacteremia and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Denmark. This sublineage has acquired both a virulence plasmid (pAA) that defines the enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) diarrheagenic pathotype and multiple genes associated with extraintestinal E. coli (ExPEC); combined, these traits have made this particular ST131 sublineage successful at colonizing its human host and causing recurrent UTI. Moreover, using a historic World Health Organization (WHO) E. coli collection and publicly available genome sequences, we identified a global H27 EAEC ST131 sublineage that dates back as far as 1998. Most H27 EAEC ST131 isolates harbor pAA or pAA-like plasmids, and our analysis strongly implies a single ancestral acquisition among these isolates. These findings illustrate both the profound plasticity of this important pathogenic E. coli ST131 H27 sublineage and genetic acquisitions of EAEC-specific virulence traits that likely confer an enhanced ability to cause intestinal colonization. IMPORTANCE E. coli ST131 is an important extraintestinal pathogenic lineage. A signature characteristic of ST131 is its ability to asymptomatically colonize the gastrointestinal tract and then opportunistically cause extraintestinal infections, such as cystitis, pyelonephritis, and urosepsis. In this study, we identified an ST131 H27 sublineage that has acquired the enteroaggregative diarrheagenic phenotype, spread across multiple continents, and caused multiple outbreaks of community-acquired ESBL-associated bloodstream infections in Denmark. The strain’s ability to both cause diarrhea and innocuously colonize the human gastrointestinal tract may facilitate its dissemination and establishment in the community.

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli sequence type 410 (ST410) has been reported worldwide as an extraintestinal pathogen associated with resistance to fluoroquinolones, third-generation cephalosporins, and carbapenems. In the present study, we investigated national epidemiology of ST410 E. coli isolates from Danish patients. Furthermore, E. coli ST410 was investigated in a global context to provide further insight into the acquisition of the carbapenemase genes blaOXA-181 and blaNDM-5 of this successful lineage. From 127 whole-genome-sequenced isolates, we reconstructed an evolutionary framework of E. coli ST410 which portrays the antimicrobial-resistant clades B2/H24R, B3/H24Rx, and B4/H24RxC. The B2/H24R and B3/H24Rx clades emerged around 1987, concurrently with the C1/H30R and C2/H30Rx clades in E. coli ST131. B3/H24Rx appears to have evolved by the acquisition of the extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-encoding gene blaCTX-M-15 and an IncFII plasmid, encoding IncFIA and IncFIB. Around 2003, the carbapenem-resistant clade B4/H24RxC emerged when ST410 acquired an IncX3 plasmid carrying a blaOXA-181 carbapenemase gene. Around 2014, the clade B4/H24RxC acquired a second carbapenemase gene, blaNDM-5, on a conserved IncFII plasmid. From an epidemiological investigation of 49 E. coli ST410 isolates from Danish patients, we identified five possible regional outbreaks, of which one outbreak involved nine patients with blaOXA-181- and blaNDM-5-carrying B4/H24RxC isolates. The accumulated multidrug resistance in E. coli ST410 over the past two decades, together with its proven potential of transmission between patients, poses a high risk in clinical settings, and thus, E. coli ST410 should be considered a lineage with emerging “high-risk” clones, which should be monitored closely in the future. IMPORTANCE Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is the main cause of urinary tract infections and septicemia. Significant attention has been given to the ExPEC sequence type ST131, which has been categorized as a “high-risk” clone. High-risk clones are globally distributed clones associated with various antimicrobial resistance determinants, ease of transmission, persistence in hosts, and effective transmission between hosts. The high-risk clones have enhanced pathogenicity and cause severe and/or recurrent infections. We show that clones of the E. coli ST410 lineage persist and/or cause recurrent infections in humans, including bloodstream infections. We found evidence of ST410 being a highly resistant globally distributed lineage, capable of patient-to-patient transmission causing hospital outbreaks. Our analysis suggests that the ST410 lineage should be classified with the potential to cause new high-risk clones. Thus, with the clonal expansion over the past decades and increased antimicrobial resistance to last-resort treatment options, ST410 needs to be monitored prospectively.

Background Regional/national SARS-CoV-2 genomic data platforms (DP) have played a key role during the Covid-19 pandemic to centralize data, curate, process and re-share them in a consistent form and pseudonymized/anonymized to international repositories. In Europe, several countries were able to establish such infrastructures rapidly and put them in production over the course of 2021, some earlier. Methods This survey aimed to estimate the effort that was needed to establish and run these DPs during the sequencing peak of the pandemic in 2021, including activities from data curation to data brokering, and what it would take to expand these DPs to other pathogens and antimicrobial resistance from 2023 onwards. Results Overall, a median of 10 person-months (PM) were used by each DP over 2021 and a median of 18 PM (per year) would be needed to expand activities from 2023 onwards. This survey shows that short-term funding remains commonplace and a struggle for the majority of DPs. Key supporters and arguments (e.g. centered around efficiency and cost-savings) for public health authorities and research funding bodies have also been identified to help individual data platforms in strengthening their funding proposals. Conclusions Ultimately, we propose that DPs get connected into a supra-national entity to build a stronger case and get access to major infrastructure funding grants at the European and global levels.

Abstract Background Aspergillus flavus, a seed-borne fungal pathogen, colonizes host plants and exploits nutrients, hindering the growth of seedlings such as peanut and maize. This study investigates the effectiveness of cell-free supernatants (CFSs) from the plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) Bacillus albus strains NNK24 and NDP61, which belong to the Bacillus cereus group, in suppressing A. flavus AF1. Results The antifungal activity of these CFSs was attributed to their surfactant properties and chemical composition. These were characterized using rapid chemical assays and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-QTOF/MS), combined with bioinformatic tools such as Global Natural Product Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) and Natural Products Atlas (NPAtlas). Identified putative antifungal compounds included two diketopiperazines (cyclo(Pro-Leu) and cyclo(2-hydroxy-Pro-Leu)), four macrolactins (7-O-succinyl macrolactin A, 7-O-methyl-5′-hydroxy-3′-heptenoate-macrolactin, macrolactin B, and macrolactin C), two siderophores (petrobactin and bacillibactin), and three cyclic lipopeptides (kurstakin 1, 2 or 3, and 4). These compounds are hypothesized to act synergistically via multiple mechanisms, including disruption of fungal membranes, iron capture, direct antibiosis, and triggering plant immunity. Both CFSs strongly suppressed the harmful effects of A. flavus AF1 and seed-borne A. flavus on peanut and maize seedlings, reducing disease incidence (DI) and disease severity index (DSI) compared to controls. The disease control efficacy (DCE) of the CFSs was comparable to that of the commercial fungicide. Additionally, the CFSs enhanced seed germination, vigor, seedling length, and weight in both peanut and maize. Vigor index (VI) values increased by 222.4–286.0% in peanuts and 181.7–216.4% in maize at 7 days after treatment (DAT). Conclusion CFSs of B. albus NNK24 and NDP61 show significant potential as bioprotective agents for sustainable agriculture. Importantly, their use eliminates the need for live bacterial cells from the B. cereus group, addressing biosafety concerns. Graphical abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria was characterized by a high mortality rate and vaccination efforts yielded suboptimal results. Understanding population immunity is important as new SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to emerge. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the general population of Bulgaria and examine demographic variations in antibody presence. Materials and methods: In December 2023, 1895 serum samples were randomly collected from healthy individuals across all 28 provinces. Samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-specific IgG antibodies using ELISA method. A subset of the positive samples was subsequently tested for neutralizing antibodies. Seroprevalence was analyzed by sex, age group, and geographic region. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS v.26. Results: Overall seroprevalence was 91.9%, with similar rates between males (91.6%) and females (92.0%). Seroprevalence was highest in the 18-39 age group (95.1%) and lowest in those over 65 (89.3%). Regional seroprevalence ranged from 80.0% to 98.3%. Among samples tested for presence of neutralizing antibodies, 90.5% were positive, indicating effective immune response. Conclusions: The high seroprevalence suggests widespread prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and/or vaccination among the Bulgarian population. The strong presence of neutralizing antibodies might provide potential protection against severe disease. Targeted interventions towards older age groups could be appropriate in order to sustain immunity as COVID-19 remains a public health concern.

Background: Infection is one of the most common complications of cancer and cancer treatment. Most patients admitted for fever or infection come through the Emergency Department (ED), which is a primary site for blood culture collection. Contamination of blood cultures complicates the diagnoses, compromises quality of care, leads to unnecessary antibiotic exposure and increases financial burdens. It may also lead to unnecessary removal of central venous access devices or delay of critical therapy or procedures. At our institution, the contamination rate of blood cultures drawn in the ED was over twice that of the remainder of the hospital (2.8 versus 0.8), prompting this quality improvement project. Unlike on hospital floors, nurses, instead of phlebotomists, draw most blood cultures due to the urgency of managing suspected sepsis. Our aim was to decrease the ED contamination rate by 20 percent after the first PDSA cycle, and ultimately bring it on par with the remainder of the hospital. Methods: First, we compared ED contamination rates versus other hospital inpatient floors and outpatient centers over a three-month period. We then evaluated the contamination rates of ED nurses versus ED phlebotomists and peripheral versus central line blood draws. Process mapping and fishbone analysis helped identify practices contributing to higher contamination rates. Key drivers of these practices were diagrammed, and potential interventions were ranked on a prioritization matrix. Results: We identified use of alcohol rather than chlorhexidine swabs for peripheral disinfection and inconsistent techniques of blood draw by nurses as critical contributors to increased contamination rates in the ED. Our intervention was creating premade blood culture kits promoting the use of chlorhexidine swabs through availability and easy access in the fast-paced ED environment. Ten cubic centimeter (cc) syringes in the kits encouraged withdrawal of adequate blood samples in compliance with the 7-10 cc guideline. Designated nursing team leaders checked off ED nurses at the bedside, implementing education and adherence in using the blood culture collection kits. The average number of blood cultures in the emergency department was 1,400. A reduction in blood culture contamination from 2.46 percent to 1.89 percent was seen after two months. Conclusions: A guideline-driven, standardized blood culture collection process followed by ED nurses is vital to reducing blood culture contamination. Chlorhexidine is necessary to maintain the lowest contamination rates. Readily available premade blood culture kits improve compliance with materials and techniques associated with best practices.

Lyme borreliosis (LB), a tick-borne infection caused by bacteria in the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, is increasingly prevalent on the Balkan Peninsula, including Bulgaria, where it is the most common tick-borne disease. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of LB across Bulgaria by analyzing 1892 serum samples for specific IgG antibodies using a two-tier testing protocol involving an ELISA and immunoblot methods. The results revealed an overall seroprevalence rate of 5.4%, with significant variation based on age, sex, and residence. Seroprevalence increased with age, peaking at 8.4% in individuals over 65 years. Males had a seroprevalence of 8.4% compared to 3.3% in females, and rural residents showed higher seroprevalence (10.2%) compared to urban residents (4.4%). Regional analysis indicated that seroprevalence ranged from 0.0% to 20.0%, with higher rates in northern provinces such as Gabrovo (18.9%) and Targovishte (20.0%). This study highlights the importance of two-step testing protocols for accurate diagnosis and underscores the need for increased awareness and further research to enhance public health measures and the management of LB in Bulgaria.

Abstract Background Hemophilia A (HEMA) is an X-linked bleeding disorder caused by reduced/absent coagulation factor VIII expression, as a result of pathogenic variants in the F8 gene. Preimplantation prevention of HEMA should ideally include direct pathogenic F8 variant detection, complemented by linkage analysis of flanking markers to identify the high-risk F8 allele. Linkage analysis is particularly indispensable when the pathogenic variant cannot be detected directly or identified. This study evaluated the suitability of a panel of F8 intragenic and extragenic short tandem repeat markers for standalone linkage-based preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disorder (PGT-M) of the Inv22 pathogenic variant, an almost 600 kb paracentric inversion responsible for almost half of all severe HEMA globally, for which direct detection is challenging. Methods Thirteen markers spanning 1 Mb and encompassing both F8 and the Inv22 inversion interval were genotyped in 153 unrelated females of Viet Kinh ethnicity. Results All individuals were heterozygous for ≥ 1 marker, ~ 90% were heterozygous for ≥ 1 of the five F8 intragenic markers, and almost 98% were heterozygous for ≥ 1 upstream (telomeric) and ≥ 1 downstream (centromeric) markers. A prospective PGT-M couple at risk of transmitting F8 Inv22 were fully informative at four marker loci (2 intra-inversion, 1 centromeric, 1 telomeric) and partially informative at another five (2 intra-inversion, 3 centromeric), allowing robust phasing of low- and high-risk haplotypes. In vitro fertilization produced three embryos, all of which clearly inherited the low-risk maternal allele, enabling reliable unaffected diagnoses. A single embryo transfer produced a clinical pregnancy, which was confirmed as unaffected by amniocentesis and long-range PCR, and a healthy baby girl was delivered at term. Conclusion Robust and reliable PGT-M of HEMA, including the common F8 Inv22 pathogenic variant, can be achieved with sufficient informative intragenic and flanking markers.

Introduction The Core Outcome Measures for Improving Care (COM-IC) project aims to deliver practical recommendations on the selection and implementation of a suite of core outcomes to measure the effectiveness of interventions for dementia care.Methods and analysis COM-IC embeds a participatory action approach to using the Alignment–Harmonisation–Results framework for measuring dementia care in Australia. Using this framework, suitable core outcome measures will be identified, analysed, implemented and audited. The methods for analysing each stage will be codesigned with stakeholders, through the conduit of a Stakeholder Reference Group including people living with dementia, formal and informal carers, aged care industry representatives, researchers, clinicians and policy actors. The codesigned evaluation methods consider two key factors: feasibility and acceptability. These considerations will be tested during a 6-month feasibility study embedded in aged care industry partner organisations.Ethics and dissemination COM-IC has received ethical approval from The University of Queensland (HREC 2021/HE001932). Results will be disseminated through networks established over the project, and in accordance with both the publication schedule and requests from the Stakeholder Reference Group. Full access to publications and reports will be made available through UQ eSpace (https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/), an open access repository hosted by The University of Queensland.

Abstract Low activity has been the primary obstacle impeding the use of DNA enzymes (DNAzymes) as gene silencing agents in clinical applications. Here we describe the chemical evolution of a DNAzyme with strong catalytic activity under near physiological conditions. The enzyme achieves ~65 turnovers in 30 minutes, a feat only previously witnessed by the unmodified parent sequence under forcing conditions of elevated Mg2+ and pH. Structural constraints imposed by the chemical modifications drive catalysis toward a highly preferred UGUD motif (cut site underlined) that was validated by positive and negative predictions. Biochemical assays support an autonomous RNA cleavage mechanism independent of RNase H1 engagement. Consistent with its strong catalytic activity, the enzyme exhibits persistent allele-specific knock-down of an endogenous mRNA encoding an undruggable oncogenic KRAS target. Together, these results demonstrate that chemical evolution offers a powerful approach for discovering new chemotype combinations that can imbue DNAzymes with the physicochemical properties necessary to support therapeutic applications.

The production of highly efficient and reusable adsorbents that can be used in pigment treatment has been of great scientific interest. Metallic organic frameworks (MOFs) are considered a new type of material with extremely diverse structures and can be used as adsorbents to remove environmental pollutants. The selected Co/Fe-MOF material was synthesized in this study by using the solvent-thermal method. Then, the effects of several influencing factors such as adsorbent dosage, pH, initial concentration of MO, and exposure time on the adsorption capacity of methyl orange (MO) dyes by Co/Fe-MOF were evaluated. Under acidic conditions (pH 4), the effective removal of MO from aqueous solution reached equilibrium after 60 min upon exposure to MO at the concentration of 200 mg/L, and the adsorption capacity was 137.6 mg/g. The two models of adsorption isotherms, Freundlich and Langmuir, showed good compatibility with the experimental data, and the calculated correlation coefficients (R2) were both greater than 0.96. The MO adsorption efficiency was proposed to fit the pseudo-quadratic and pseudo-first-order kinetic models. Therefore, MOF materials can be considered as a potential agent for wastewater treatment, thereby providing a possible solution to solve water pollution.

Automatic pain recognition is essential in healthcare. In previous studies, automatic pain recognition methods preferentially apply the features extracted from physiological signals for conventional models. These methods provide good performance but mainly rely on medical expertise for feature extraction of physiological signals. This paper presents a deep learning approach based on physiological signals that have the role of both feature extraction and classification, regardless of medical expertise. We propose multi-level context information for each physiological signal discriminating between pain and painlessness. Our experimental results prove that multi-level context information performs more significantly than uni-level context information based on Part A of the BioVid Heat Pain database and the Emopain 2021 dataset. For Part A of the BioVid Heat Pain database, our experimental results for pain recognition tasks include Pain 0 and Pain 1, Pain 0 and Pain 2, Pain 0 and Pain 3, and Pain 0 and Pain 4. In the classification task between Pain 0 and Pain 4, the results achieve an average accuracy of 84.8 B1 13.3% for 87 subjects and 87.8 B1 11.4% for 67 subjects in a Leave-One-Subject-Out cross-validation evaluation. The proposed method adopts the ability of deep learning to outperform conventional methods on physiological signals.

Background: In the response to the current COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2, one of the groups at higher risk were healthcare workers (HCWs), especially those who worked on the frontline. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG antibodies (seropositivity) in certain populations provides better understanding of virus circulation and transmission. Our aim was to study the seroprevalence rates of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among a group of healthcare workers before and after vaccination/COVID-19 infection. Material and Methods: We determined the presence of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG and IgA antibodies against S-antigen of by ELISA method. In this study, we enrolled 74 healthcare workers and three months later, 48 of the participants were followed up. At the baseline, none of the participants was vaccinated or had suffered COVID-19. Results: SARS-Cov-2 specific IgG antibodies were found in 32.4% of the participants. Higher prevalence of class IgA antibodies – 44.6% was detected. All samples that were IgG seropositive were also positive or borderline for IgA antibodies. Overall, virus-specific antibodies were not detected in 40.6% of HCWs in the group. During the follow-up (after vaccination and/or COVID-19 infection) high rates of both IgG and IgA seroprevalence were established. SARS-C0V-2 specific IgG antibodies were detected in 95.8% of the participants. Statistically significant difference was found in the levels of IgG and IgA antibodies both before and after vaccination, p

Brown seaweed is a promising source of polysaccharides and phenolics with industrial utility. This work reports the development of a green enzyme-assisted extraction method for simultaneously extracting polysaccharides and phenolics from the brown seaweed Padina gymnospora. Different enzymes (Cellulast, Pectinex, and Alcalase), individually and in combination, were investigated, with Alcalase alone showing the highest efficiency for the simultaneous extraction of polysaccharides and phenolics. Yields from Alcalase-assisted aqueous extraction were higher than those obtained using either water alone or conventional ethanol extraction. Alcalase-assisted extraction was subsequently optimized using a response surface methodology to maximize compound recovery. Maximal polysaccharide and phenolic recovery was obtained under the following extraction conditions: a water-to-sample ratio of 61.31 mL/g, enzyme loading of 0.32%, temperature of 60.5 °C, and extraction time of 1.95 h. The extract was then fractionated to obtain alginate-, fucoidan-, and phenolic-rich fractions. Fractions exhibited potent 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity with IC50 values of 140.55 µg/mL, 126.21 µg/mL, and 48.17 µg/mL, respectively, which were higher than those obtained from conventional extraction methods. The current work shows that bioactive polysaccharides and phenolics can be obtained together in high yield through a single aqueous-only green and efficient Alcalase-assisted extraction.

We introduce our project, AGNSTRONG (Active Galactic Nuclei and STaR fOrmation in Nearby Galaxies). Our research goals encompass investigating the kinematic properties of ionized and molecular gas outflows, understanding the impact of AGN feedback, and exploring the coevolution dynamics between AGN strength activity and star formation activity. We aim to conduct a thorough analysis to determine whether there is an increase or suppression in star formation rates (SFRs) among targets with and without powerful relativistic jets. Our sample consists of 35 nearby AGNs with and without powerful relativistic jet detections. Utilizing submillimeter continuum observations at 450 and 850 μ m from SCUBA-2 at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, we determine SFRs for our sources using spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting models. Additionally, we employ high-quality, spatially resolved spectra from UV-optical to near-infrared bands obtained with the Double Spectrograph and Triple Spectrograph mounted on the 200 inch Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory to study their multiphase gas outflow properties. This paper presents an overview of our sample selection methodology, research strategy, and initial results of our project. We find that the SFRs determined without including the submillimeter data in the SED fitting are overestimated by ∼0.08 dex compared to those estimated with the inclusion of submillimeter data. Additionally, we compare the estimated SFRs in our work with those traced by the 4000 Å break, as provided by the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and Johns Hopkins University catalog. We find that our determined SFRs are systematically higher than those traced by the 4000 Å break. Finally, we outline our future research plans.

Coeliac disease (CeD) is a T-cell mediated enteropathy triggered by dietary gluten which remains substantially under-diagnosed around the world. The diagnostic gold-standard requires histological assessment of intestinal biopsies taken at endoscopy while consuming a gluten-containing diet. However, there is a lack of concordance between pathologists in histological assessment, and both endoscopy and gluten challenge are burdensome and unpleasant for patients. Identification of gluten-specific T-cell receptors (TCRs) in the TCR repertoire could provide a less subjective diagnostic test, and potentially remove the need to consume gluten. We review published gluten-specific TCR sequences, and develop an interpretable machine learning model to investigate their diagnostic potential. To investigate this, we sequenced the TCR repertoires of mucosal CD4+ T cells from 20 patients with and without CeD. These data were used as a training dataset to develop the model, then an independently published dataset of 20 patients was used as the testing dataset. We determined that this model has a training accuracy of 100% and testing accuracy of 80% for the diagnosis of CeD, including in patients on a gluten-free diet (GFD). We identified 20 CD4+ TCR sequences with the highest diagnostic potential for CeD. The sequences identified here have the potential to provide an objective diagnostic test for CeD, which does not require the consumption of gluten.

The first copper-doped titanium-based amine-dicarboxylate metal-organic framework was synthesized by the solvothermal approach in this article, with a Cu2+/Ti4+ ratio of 0.15 (15% Cu/Ti-MOFs). X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectra, N2 adsorption-desorption studies, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS) were all used to identify the crystalline and properties of the semiconductors. The rate constants of 15% Cu/Ti-MOFs to degrade Rhodamine B (RhB) were roughly two times higher than NH2-Ti-MOFs. Furthermore, 15% Cu/Ti-MOFs photocatalysts remained stable after three cycles. The trapping test revealed that the principal active species in the degradation performance were hydroxyl radicals and holes.

Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) attracts much attention due to its high abundance, environmental friendliness, and convenient transportation and storage. In this study, a novel catalyst of Pt3Mo alloy nanoparticles (NPs) on non-carbon Ti0.8W0.2O2 support was synthesized by microwave-assisted polyol process. The characteristic of Pt3Mo NPS/Ti0.8W0.2O2 catalyst was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. Pt3Mo NPs had an average diameter of approximate 5.18 nm and were uniformly anchored on Ti0.8W0.2O2 surface. The ratio of Mo in the Pt3Mo alloy was consistent with the theoretical value, which supported the effectiveness of the synthesis method. In addition, Pt3Mo/Ti0.8W0.2O2 electrocatalysts exhibited higher CO-like tolerance in methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) than commercial electrocatalysts, excellent catalytic activity, and strong durability after 2000 cycles. The synergistic effect of Pt-Mo alloy, and the strong interaction between the bimetallic Pt-Mo alloy and the mesoporous Ti0.8W0.2O2 support, could weaken the Pt-CO bond. Besides, the high corrosion resistance and superior electrochemical durability of TiO2-based oxide also contribute to the excellent stability of Pt3Mo/Ti0.8W0.2O2 electrocatalyst in harsh electrochemical media. These results revealed that this material could be a potential catalyst in DMFC technology.

This study focused on water quality assessment of farmed shrimp ponds in Binh Dai District, Ben Tre Province. The goals of the study were to provide chemical parameters of pond water for farmers, to identify problems and causes in farmed shrimp related to water quality and disease, and to help managers find appropriate solutions to minimize damage to local shrimp farming. Water samples were collected monthly from January to June 2021 from 90 vannamei farmers in six different areas, including Vang Quoi Dong, Dinh Trung Binh Thoi, Phu Long, Phu Vang, and Binh Thang of Binh Dai District. Parameters investigated in this study included pH, alkalinity, NH4+, NH3, NO2- and three other minerals. Water quality parameters were analyzed based on APHA standard analysis methods. The results showed that the water quality of shrimp farming areas in Binh Dai fluctuated from time to time, and water quality parameters were suitable for vannamei shrimp farming. However, the concentration of NO2- was always higher than the permitted threshold. The results from cluster analysis and MANOVA testing showed that water quality of the shrimp farming areas in Binh Dai was significantly different (p < 0.05), especially NO2-, Ca, Mg and alkalinity. These findings suggest that farmers must apply proper solutions for water quality management in each farming area to maximize crop production.

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted college students’ mental health and wellbeing. Even before the pandemic, young adults reported high mental health morbidity. During the pandemic, young adult college students faced unprecedented challenges, including campus closure and a pivot to fully online education.MethodsThis study employed a novel participatory approach to a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in an introductory epidemiology course to examine factors students considered important regarding their experience during the pandemic. Two groups of undergraduate students enrolled in this course (one in Fall 2020 and another in Spring 2021) and participated in the CURE. A sub-group of these students continued after the class and are authors of this article. Through repeated cross-sectional surveys of college students’ peer groups in northern California in October 2020 and March 2021, this student/faculty collaborative research team evaluated depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and several other topics related to mental health among the students’ young adult community.ResultsThere was a high prevalence of anxiety (38.07% in October 2020 and 40.65% in March 2021), depression (29.85% in October 2020 and 27.57% in March 2021), and suicidal ideation (15.94% in October 2020 and 16.04% in March 2021). In addition, we identified the significant burden of loneliness for college students, with 58.06% of students reporting feeling lonely at least several days in the past two weeks. Strategies that students used to cope with the pandemic included watching shows, listening to music, or playing video games (69.01%), sleeping (56.70%), taking breaks (51.65%), and connecting with friends (52.31%) or family (51.21%). Many reported distressing household experiences: more than a third reporting loss of a job or income (34.27%) in the first year of the pandemic. We explain the participatory research approach and share empirical results of these studies.DiscussionWe found this participatory CURE approach led to novel, experience-based research questions; increased student motivation; real-world benefits such as combatting imposter syndrome and supporting graduate school intentions; integration of teaching, research, and service; and development of stronger student-faculty relationships. We close with recommendations to support student wellbeing and promote student engagement in research.