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To solve the optimization problem of tugboat scheduling for assisting ships in entering and exiting ports in uncertain environments, this study investigates the impact of the decisions of tugboat operators and port dispatchers on tugboat scheduling under the scenario of dynamic task arrival and fuzzy tugboat operation time. Considering the features of the shortest distance tugboat principle, the first available tugboat principle, and the principle of fairness in the task volume of each tugboat, the tugboat company aims to minimize the total daily fuel consumption of tugboat operations, maximize the total buffer time of dynamic tasks, and minimize the total completion time as the objective functions. Due to the limitations of port vessel berthing and departure, as well as the allocation standards for piloting or relocating tugboats, the present study proposes a Stackelberg game-based fuzzy model for port tugboat scheduling with the tugboat operator and port dispatcher acting as decision makers at the upper and lower levels, respectively. A seagull optimization algorithm based on priority encoding and genetic operators is designed as a solution approach. CPLEX, genetic algorithm, standard seagull optimization algorithm, and simulated annealing algorithm are used to compare and analyze the solution results for the 45 problem cases generated from the actual data obtained from the Guangzhou Port. The results verify the efficiency of the proposed seagull optimization algorithm based on priority encoding and genetic operators. Furthermore, additional experiments are conducted to evaluate the changes in fairness coefficient, uncertain parameter correlation coefficients, and objective function correlation coefficients to demonstrate the practicality of the fuzzy programming model. This analysis involves adjusting the confidence level incrementally from 0 to 100% with respect to the model's uncertain parameters., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Amidst the intensifying impact of climate change, the extension of navigable periods along Arctic Shipping Routes (ASRs) has garnered attention as a maritime route for container vessels. The urgency to comprehend the reverberations of ASRs on the global container shipping network (GCSN) led to the development of the Latitudinal Centrality Index (LCI), which integrates latitude and centrality in maritime analysis. This index evaluates ASRs' influence across 968 port nodes within the GCSN. By exploring scenarios encompassing seasonal fluctuations over the years, this study delves into the sway of ASRs compared to a benchmark state devoid of ASR engagement. The study's revelations highlight a discovery: the assimilation of ASRs augments interconnectivity, or resilience, within the GCSN. The GCSN thrives as a cohesive and adaptable entity upon full integration of ASRs, indicating a promising trajectory for global container shipping., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.)

Aims: This study aimed to review meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials that evaluated the effectiveness of the Mediterranean Diet for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease., Methods: Five databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL and ProQuest) were searched from inception to November 2022. Inclusion criteria were: (i) systematic review of randomised controlled studies with metanalysis; (ii) adults ≥18 years from the general population with (secondary prevention) and without (primary prevention) established cardiovascular disease; (iii) Mediterranean Diet compared with another dietary intervention or usual care. Review selection and quality assessment using AMSTAR-2 were completed in duplicate. GRADE was extracted from each review, and results were synthesised narratively., Results: Eighteen meta-analyses of 238 randomised controlled trials were included, with an 8% overlap of primary studies. Compared to usual care, the Mediterranean Diet was associated with reduced cardiovascular disease mortality (n = 4 reviews, GRADE low certainty; risk ratio range: 0.35 [95% confidence interval: 0.15-0.82] to 0.90 [95% confidence interval: 0.72-1.11]). Non-fatal myocardial infarctions were reduced (n = 4 reviews, risk ratio range: 0.47 [95% confidence interval: 0.28-0.79] to 0.60 [95% confidence interval: 0.44-0.82]) when compared with another active intervention. The methodological quality of most reviews (n = 16/18; 84%) was low or critically low and strength of evidence was generally weak., Conclusions: This review showed that the Mediterranean Diet can reduce fatal cardiovascular disease outcome risk by 10%-67% and non-fatal cardiovascular disease outcome risk by 21%-70%. This preventive effect was more significant in studies that included populations with established cardiovascular disease. Better quality reviews are needed., (© 2024 The Author(s). Nutrition & Dietetics published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Dietitians Australia.)

Objectives: Well-established clinical practice for assessing progress in labor involves routine abdominal palpation and vaginal examination (VE). However, VE is subjective, poorly reproducible and painful for most women. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the feasibility of systematically integrating transabdominal and transperineal ultrasound assessment of fetal position, parasagittal angle of progression (psAOP), head-perineum distance (HPD) and sonographic cervical dilatation (SCD) to monitor the progress of labor in women undergoing induction of labor (IOL). We also aimed to determine if ultrasound can reduce women's pain during such examinations., Methods: Women were recruited as they presented for IOL in three maternity units. Ultrasound assessments were performed in 100 women between 37 + 0 and 41 + 6 weeks' gestation. A baseline combined transabdominal and transperineal scan was performed, including assessment of fetal biometry, umbilical artery and fetal middle cerebral artery Doppler, amniotic fluid index, fetal spine and occiput positions, psAOP, HPD, SCD and cervical length. Intrapartum scans were performed instead of VE, unless there was a clinical indication to perform a VE, according to protocol. Participants were asked to indicate their level of pain by verbally giving a pain score between 0 and 10 (with 0 representing no pain) during assessment. Repeated measures data were analyzed using mixed-effect models to identify significant factors that affected the relationship between psAOP, HPD, SCD and mode of delivery., Results: A total of 100 women were included in the study. Of these, 20% delivered by Cesarean section, 65% vaginally and 15% by instrumental delivery. There were no adverse fetal or maternal outcomes. A total of 223 intrapartum ultrasound scans were performed in 87 participants (13 women delivered before intrapartum ultrasound was performed), with a median of two scans per participant (interquartile range (IQR), 1-3). Of these, 76 women underwent a total of 151 VEs with a median of one VE per participant (IQR, 0-2), with no significant difference between vaginal- or Cesarean-delivery groups. After excluding those with epidural anesthesia during examination, the median pain score for intrapartum scans was 0 (IQR, 0-1) and for VE it was 3 (IQR, 0-6). Cesarean delivery was significantly associated with a slower rate of change in psAOP, HPD and SCD., Conclusions: Comprehensive transabdominal and transperineal ultrasound assessment can be used to assess progress in labor and can reduce the level of pain experienced during examination. Ultrasound assessment may be able to replace some transabdominal and vaginal examinations during labor. © 2024 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology., (© 2024 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Recycling of used products can provide substantial economic and environmental benefits for supply chain players. However, many factors associated with the design of closed-loop supply chain networks are uncertain in their nature, including demand, opening cost of facilities, capacity of opened facilities, transportation cost, and procurement cost. Therefore, this study proposes a novel fuzzy programming model for closed-loop supply chain network design, which directly relies on the fuzzy ranking method based on a credibility measure. The objective of the presented optimization model aims at minimizing the total cost of the network when selecting the facility locations and transportation routes between the nodes of the network. Based on the problem characteristics, a Migratory Birds Optimization Algorithm with a new product source encoding scheme is developed as a solution approach. The inspiration for the product source coding method originates from the label information of raw material supplier and manufacturing factories on product packaging, as well as the information of each logistics node on the delivery order. This novel encoding method aims to address the limitations of four traditional encoding methods: Prüfer number based encoding, spanning tree based encoding, forest data structure based encoding, and priority based encoding, thereby increasing the likelihood of heuristic algorithms finding the optimal solution. Thirty-five illustrative examples are developed to evaluate the proposed algorithm against the exact optimization method (LINGO) and a Genetic Algorithm, Ant Colony Optimization, Simulated Annealing, which are recognized as well-known metaheuristic algorithms. The results from extensive experiments show that the proposed algorithm is able to provide optimal and good-quality solutions within acceptable computational time even for large-scale numerical examples. The suitability of the model is confirmed through a meticulous sensitivity analysis. This analysis involves adjusting the confidence level incrementally from 50% to 100%, in 5% intervals, with respect to the model's uncertain parameters. Consequently, it yields valuable managerial insights. The outcomes of this research are expected to provide scientific support for related supply chain enterprises and stakeholders., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ren et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

COVID-19 has had a serious impact on the development of the global shipping industry, especially since the impact on the cruise tourism industry was unprecedented. This study took cruise ships sailing in China ECA, China Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Yangtze River main line, and Xijiang River main line Chinese waters as an example to analyze the key changes in cruise ship emissions during the pandemic. Automatic identification system (AIS) data, vessel static data, and emission control regional data are used to conduct a comprehensive analysis of cruise ship emissions from multiple perspectives such as a port-to-regional comparison. As such, a vessel emission model (i.e., a bottom-up method) is constructed in this research for predicting China ECA and EEZ cruise ship emissions. Compared with 2019, the cruise activities sailing in China's Emission Control Area (ECA) are mainly at berth, and the emissions of cruise ships have dropped significantly, with SOx emissions reduced by 59.11%. In addition, this study also calculates the carbon emissions of China's regional cruises, supplementing China's cruise carbon pool. The research results suggest that cruise operators may improve fuel efficiency, decrease vessel speed, improve routing and scheduling, and enhance fleet management in order to further mitigate the negative effects of the cruise tourism industry on the marine environment., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) have received increasing attention from industrial practitioners, researchers, and policymakers because of industry 4.0 and the digitization of the maritime industry. Crucial questions related to security, safety of personnel and vessels, and socio-economic domains have been addressed to a certain extent. In recent years, China has arisen as one of the leading maritime players worldwide, and unmanned vessels could remarkably influence the Chinese maritime industry. However, there is still a lack of systematic studies aiming to develop a deep understanding of potential advantages and challenges associated with the deployment of unmanned vessels in China. Therefore, using a mixed-method research design, this study attempts to obtain valuable insights based on the viewpoints of the key Chinese stakeholders concerning unmanned vessels, including the benefits, the restrictions, the obstacles to large-scale implementation, the risks, and how to mitigate possible implementation barriers. The main advantage of deploying unmanned ships was found to be the reduction in the ship crew size or complete elimination of the ship crew, which would reduce the operating costs and eliminate human errors on board the ships. Nevertheless, along with important advantages, a number of challenges associated with the development and deployment of unmanned ships were identified, including technological challenges, regulatory challenges, safety and security challenges, and technology investment challenges. All these challenges have to be adequately addressed by the relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful deployment of unmanned ships around the globe in the following years., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Authors.)

The under-treated wastewater, especially remaining carcinogenic aromatic compounds in wastewater discharge has been expansively reported, wherein the efficiency of conventional wastewater treatment is identified as the primary contributor source. Herein, the advancement of wastewater treatments has drawn much attention in recent years. In the current study, combined sequential and hybridized treatment of thermolysis and coagulation-flocculation provides a novel advancement for environmental emerging pollutant (EP) prescription. This research is mainly demonstrating the mitigation efficiency and degradation pathway of pararosaniline (PRA) hybridized and combined sequential wastewater treatment. Notably, PRA degradation dominantly via a linkage of reaction: thermal cleavage, deamination, silication and diazene reduction. Thermolysis acts as an initiator for the PRA decomposition through thermally induced bond dissociation energy (BDE) for molecular fragmentation whilst coagulation-flocculation facilitates the formation of organo-bridged silsesquioxane as the final degradation product. Different from conventional treatment, the hybridized treatment showed excellent synergistic degradability by removing 99% PRA and its EPs, followed by combined sequential treatment method with 86% reduction. Comprehensive degradation pathway breakdown of carcinogenic and hardly degradable aromatic compounds provides a new insight for wastewater treatment whereby aniline and benzene are entirely undetectable in effluent. The degradation intermediates, reaction derivatives and end products were affirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (GC-MS, FTIR and UV-Vis). This finding provides valuable guidance in establishing efficient integrated multiple-step wastewater treatments., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

In this work, silicone nanofilament (SNF) coatings were prepared via a droplet-assisted growth and shaping (DAGS) approach, where the preparation of the coatings is allowed under ambient conditions. The application of SNF coatings as catalyst supports for amino moieties from (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) was investigated. With the optimized coating conditions identified, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface areas of a bare glass filter substrate and bare glass beads after the coating have increased by 5-fold and 16-fold, respectively. The SNF-coated filters were readily functionalized with amino groups via a liquid-phase deposition process, and their catalytic activities for a Knoevenagel reaction were evaluated using a batch reactor and a packed bed reactor. In both reactors, the as-prepared filters demonstrated superior catalytic performance over the functionalized filters without SNF coatings. Notably, the unique flexibility of the SNF coatings allowed the facile preparation of a packed bed reactor and a scalable catalytic system. It is expected that the packed bed system established in this study will support the development and the use of various SNF-supported organocatalysts and catalytic materials., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

One-dimensional silicone nanostructures, such as filaments, wires, and tubes, have attracted significant attention, owing to their remarkable application capabilities in a large range of material and surface science. However, the soft mechanical properties of silicone cause vulnerability and irregularity in the synthesized structures, which limits their applications. Herein, a simple, solvent-free, and efficient dynamic Droplet Assisted Growth and Shaping (d-DAGS) strategy is proposed for the one-step synthesis and in situ control of the shape of silicone nanostructures. The special designed bamboo-shaped silicone nanorods (SNRs) that are produced by the repetitive dynamic regulation of growth conditions, concomitant with the periodic purging and injection of precursors, exhibit highly-regular and tunable structure with a specific number of segments, indicating that they can be tailor-made according to the requirements of various properties. The enhanced mechanical stiffness and chemical durability strongly support their excellent performances in water-resistance under both static and dynamic wetting conditions. The SNRs significantly promote buoyancy and self-cleaning properties; and exhibit very high water-harvesting efficiency compared with existing designs. Notably, the well-structured ultra-long rods with an ultrahigh aspect ratio (≈176) can also be fabricated by the d-DAGS method, and they can remain standing straight upwards and regular, even though they consist of flexible silicone., (© 2022 The Authors. Small published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

COVID-19 is recognized as an infectious disease generated by serious acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. COVID-19 has rapidly spread all over the world within a short time period. Due to the coronavirus pandemic transmitting quickly worldwide, the impact on global healthcare systems and healthcare supply chain management has been profound. The COVID-19 outbreak has seriously influenced the routine and daily operations of healthcare facilities and the entire healthcare supply chain management and has brough about a public health crisis. As making sure the availability of healthcare facilities during COVID-19 is crucial, the debate on how to take resilience actions for sustaining healthcare supply chain management has gained new momentum. Apart from the logistics of handling human remains in some countries, supplies within the communities are urgently needed for emergency response. This study focuses on a comprehensive evaluation of the current practices of healthcare supply chain management in Hong Kong and the United States under COVID-19 settings. A wide range of different aspects associated with healthcare supply chain operations are considered, including the best practices for using respirators, transport of life-saving medical supplies, contingency healthcare strategies, blood distribution, and best practices for using disinfectants, as well as human remains handling and logistics. The outcomes of the conducted research identify the existing healthcare supply chain trends in two major Eastern and Western regions of the world, Hong Kong and the United States, and determine the key challenges and propose some strategies that can improve the effectiveness of healthcare supply chain management under COVID-19 settings. The study highlights how to build resilient healthcare supply chain management preparedness for future emergencies.

Objectives: To determine whether first-trimester biomarkers of placental function can be used to screen for spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB), and to develop prediction models using maternal factors, obstetric history and biomarkers of placental function at 11-13 weeks for the calculation of patient-specific risk for sPTB., Methods: This was a retrospective secondary analysis of data derived from a prospective cohort study on first-trimester screening for pre-eclampsia in singleton pregnancies attending for routine Down syndrome screening at 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks' gestation at a tertiary obstetric unit between December 2016 and September 2019. A split-sample internal validation method was used to explore and develop prediction models for all sPTB at < 37 weeks and for PTB at < 37 weeks after preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM) using maternal risk factors, uterine artery Doppler indices, serum placental growth factor (PlGF), pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG). Screening performance was assessed using receiver-operating-characteristics (ROC)-curve analysis, with calculation of the areas under the ROC curves (AUCs)., Results: A total of 9298 singleton pregnancies were included in this study. sPTB at < 37 weeks occurred in 362 (3.89%) cases, including 231 (2.48%) cases of PPROM. sPTB at < 34 weeks occurred in 87 (0.94%) cases, including 39 (0.42%) cases of PPROM. Identified maternal risk factors for sPTB at < 37 weeks included chronic hypertension, conception using in-vitro fertilization and history of PTB. Maternal risk factors for PPROM at < 37 weeks included conception using in-vitro fertilization and history of PTB. Median PlGF multiples of the median (MoM) and PAPP-A MoM were significantly reduced in women with sPTB at < 37 weeks, as well as in those who had PPROM, compared to those who delivered at term. Screening by a combination of maternal risk factors, PAPP-A and PlGF achieved better performance in predicting sPTB at < 37 weeks (AUC, 0.630 vs 0.555; detection rate (DR), 24.8% vs 16.6% at a false-positive rate (FPR) of 10%; P ≤ 0.0001) and PPROM at < 37 weeks (AUC, 0.643 vs 0.558; DR, 28.1% vs 17.0% at a FPR of 10%; P ≤ 0.0001) than using maternal risk factors alone. Both models were successfully applied to the internal validation dataset, with AUCs of 0.628 and 0.650, respectively., Conclusions: We demonstrated that low levels of maternal serum PAPP-A and PlGF in the first trimester are associated with increased risks of sPTB and PPROM at < 37 weeks. However, further research is needed to identify additional biomarkers to improve the screening performance of the combined model that includes maternal risk factors, PAPP-A and PlGF before clinical application. © 2022 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology., (© 2022 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

This study tested an ecological model of resilience that illustrated the influence of COVID-19-related stressors (i.e., social and health stressors) and various socio-ecological factors at microsystem (i.e., parent-child conflicts and couple relationship) and exo-system levels (i.e., the utilization of community resources) on family functioning among Chinese families during COVID-19. An anonymous telephone survey was conducted using random sampling method. The sample contained 322 respondents who were co-habiting with their child(ren) and their partner. Hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation modelling were used to examine the differential impacts of various levels of factors and the model that were proposed. Results showed that 13.2% of the households were categorized as at-risk of poorer family functioning. Couple relationship and stressors significantly accounted for much of the variance in family functioning. While stressors had a significant direct effect on family functioning, couple relationship, but not parent-child conflicts or utilization of community resources, significantly mediated and moderated the impact of stressors on family functioning. The findings highlighted the impacts of both individual and ecological factors on family functioning under COVID-19. Importantly, cultural and contextual factors should be considered when adopting ecological model of resilience to examine family functioning in diverse cultural groups., Competing Interests: We have no known conflicts of interests to disclose., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction of DNA standards into Pharmacopoeia in different parts of the world enables identification of herbal materials in a complementary manner. However, little has been discussed about the quality requirements for a testing laboratory to implement DNA barcoding methods for herbal materials, which has limited the test method to be developed as a routine service. To encourage the engagement of testing laboratory in application of DNA barcode, a practical workflow including the components of analytical run and the corresponding quality control plan was suggested and employed to address a real-life challenge faced by the differentiation of plant-derived Chinese Materia Medica (CMM), Herba Potentillae Chinensis (Wei ling Cai), Herba Potentillae Discoloris (Fan Bai Cai), Radix Pulsatillae (Bai Tou Weng), and Radix Arnebiae (Zi Cao), which share similar morphological characteristics and multiple species involved. The ITS2 barcode results indicated that there are significant differences among the four CMM, together with quality control plan data to ensure the measurement traceability and validity of test results.

Tropical cyclones are highly destructive weather systems, especially in coastal areas. Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained winds exceeding 74 mph (≈119 kph) are classified as typhoons in the Northwest Pacific, whilst the term 'hurricanes' applies to other regions. This study aims to investigate the general characteristics of the most devastating and catastrophic tropical cyclones in the USA Europe, and Asia. To achieve the study objectives, the three most devastating typical tropical cyclones in each region were selected. The tropical cyclones were examined based on various features, such as the number of deaths, minimum pressure, highest wind speed, total financial losses, and frequency per year. In contrast to Europe and Asia, the USA has recorded the highest number of catastrophic tropical cyclones. The damage induced by hurricanes Katrina, Harvey, and Maria in the USA totalled approximately USD USD 380 billion. In addition, the present research highlights the demand to improve the public attitude and behaviour toward the impact of climate change along with the enhancement of climate change alleviation strategies. The number of intense tropical cyclones is expected to rise, and the tropical cyclone-related precipitation rate is expected to increase in warmer-climate areas. Stakeholders and industrial practitioners may use the research findings to design resilience and adaptation plans in the face of tropical cyclones, allowing them to assess the effects of climate change on tropical cyclone incidents from an academic humanitarian logistics viewpoint in the forthcoming years.

Objective: The naked mole rats (NMRs, Heterocephalus glaber) are subterranean rodents that belong to the family Bathyergidae. They gained the attention of the scientific community for their exceptionally long lifespan of up to 30 years and have become an animal model of biomedical research on neurodegenerative diseases, aging and cancer. NMRs dig and survive in a maze of underground tunnels and chambers and demarcate toilet chambers for defecation and urination. Due to their coprophagic behaviours, we believed that the toilet chamber might play a role in maintaining optimal health of the NMRs. A 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was performed to characterize the bacterial microbiome of faecal samples collected from the toilet chamber of a laboratory NMR colony., Results: Four faecal samples were collected at different time points from the same toilet chamber of a laboratory NMR colony for analysis. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed that bacterial phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the dominant taxa in the bacterial microbiome of NMRs. The relative abundance of the bacterial taxa shifted substantially between time points, indicating a dynamic microbiome in the toilet chamber. The data provided an insight to the faecal microbiome of NMRs in the toilet chamber., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

In Hong Kong, transfer students encounter different challenges unfolding in their transition from community college to university study. However, limited research has been conducted to explore their discipline-specific challenges. To address this gap, in this study three engineering and science faculties were selected from which to collect data through 35 in-depth interviews with transfer students, followed by a thorough thematic analysis. With the concept of in-betweenness, three main themes were identified: (1) "shifted the focus of study" (three sub-themes: (i) academic excellence in community college; (ii) future career in the university; and (iii) university life); (2) "encountered challenges in the transition" (four sub-themes: (i) non-matching program articulation; (ii) heavy study workload and its associated consequences; and (iii) non-specific administration arrangement and support from university); and (3) "students' voices to enhance learning experiences" (four sub-themes: (i) modify the study duration; (ii) improve program articulation; (iii) improve social adjustment; and (iv) overseas exchange). The results of this study indicate the challenges faced by transfer students in their transition from community college to university and have implications for universities to design and implement appropriate strategies to prepare for the future., 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., (Copyright © 2022 Lau, Tang, Yiu, Ho, Kwok and Cheung.)

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally shifted learning from the traditional classroom approach to online learning. As such, this study used a revision centre as a case study to develop the factors that contribute to the theoretical framework of online peer learning in the higher education sector due to COVID-19. This study also explores the integrated effects of online peer learning on students and investigates whether advanced information technology creates new opportunities or additional burdens for students in adopting online peer learning environments. Descriptive statistical analysis, factor analysis, and correlation analysis were conducted on survey data gathered from 204 sub-degree students in Hong Kong. The results addressed four main factors developed from 39 variables: enhancement of learning ability, the attitude toward learning, motivation for learning, and interpersonal relationship which were closely associated. The study findings provide strategies and constructive recommendations for educators to develop a new online learning pedagogy, construct sustainable online peer learning, and effectively manage students' online learning to meet the needs for post-COVID online education., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2022.)

Radio frequency vacuum electronics are prone to multipactor discharges. These electron discharges, driven by secondary electron emission, can disrupt and damage devices and are particularly important in satellite communication systems. We present results from a new S-band coaxial multipactor test cell which demonstrates scaling to much higher frequencies (3.05 GHz) than previous coaxial experiments (10-150 MHz). The multipactor breakdown threshold has been found to agree very well with our earlier simulated predictions. The significant effect from multipactor self-conditioning has also been demonstrated and characterized. Future experiments will use this test cell to investigate various multipactor mitigation strategies.

Purpose: Hong Kong has experienced four waves of COVID-19 since the first case was confirmed in January 2020. Several studies have highlighted the psychological impacts of the outbreak in Hong Kong but have largely ignored the protective factors that contribute to resilience among vulnerable families. This study adopted an ecological resilience framework to explore the impact of this epidemic on members of families with youth with a delinquent tendency/mental health concerns and the ecological protective factors for these vulnerable families., Methods: Random sampling based on a sampling frame provided by one of the largest local social service organizations in Hong Kong led to the recruitment of 407 respondents who were interviewed using a battery of standardized questionnaires., Results: The results showed that 30.6% and 11.5% of respondents reported a moderate and a severe level of psychological distress, respectively, almost double the percentages reported in a previous study conducted in Hong Kong before the COVID-19 outbreak. Around 36.6% of respondents indicated they had encountered financial problems and almost 40% indicated aggravated financial circumstances since the outbreak. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that financial stress was the strongest predictor of psychological distress. Structural equation modeling indicated that family support, indoor leisure activities and community resources significantly mediated the negative influence of COVID-19-related stressors on psychological distress of family members., Conclusion: Family leisure activities, family support, community spirit and mutual help within the context of social-distancing restrictions may need to be promoted to benefit vulnerable families in Hong Kong under the COVID-19 epidemic., (© 2021. Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a tremendous impact on the pedagogy and learning experience of students in sub-degree education sector of Hong Kong. Online learning has become the "sole" solution to deal with student learning challenges during this chaotic period. In this study, we explore online learning for sub-degree students by using a community of inquiry (CoI). As such, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on survey data gathered from 287 sub-degree students from the business and engineering disciplines. Results indicated that the network speed for online education determines the perceived cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence of students, whereas gender and academic disciplines of students are not moderating factors that create a significant difference in perceived cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence of students. Our study findings for creating and sustaining a purposeful online learning community are highlighted., 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., (Copyright © 2021 Lau, Tang, Chau, Vyas, Sandoval-Hernandez and Wong.)

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, many countries are facing a dramatic situation in terms of the global economy and human social activities, including education. The shutdown of schools is affecting many students around the world, with face-to-face classes suspended. Many countries facing the disastrous situation imposed class suspension at an early stage of the coronavirus outbreak, and Asia was one of the earliest regions to implement live online learning. Despite previous research on online teaching and learning, students' readiness to participate in the real-time online learning implemented during the coronavirus outbreak is not yet well understood. This study explored several key factors in the research framework related to learning motivation, learning readiness and student's self-efficacy in participating in live online learning during the coronavirus outbreak, taking into account gender differences and differences among sub-degree (SD), undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) students. Technology readiness was used instead of conventional online/internet self-efficacy to determine students' live online learning readiness. The hypothetical model was validated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results revealed no statistically significant differences between males and females. On the other hand, the mean scores for PG students were higher than for UG and SD students based on the post hoc test. We argue that during the coronavirus outbreak, gender differences were reduced because students are forced to learn more initiatively. We also suggest that students studying at a higher education degree level may have higher expectations of their academic achievement and were significantly different in their online learning readiness. This study has important implications for educators in implementing live online learning, particularly for the design of teaching contexts for students from different educational levels. More virtual activities should be considered to enhance the motivation for students undertaking lower-level degrees, and encouragement of student-to-student interactions can be considered., (© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Ceritinib is an ALK receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved as first- and second-line treatment in adult patients with ALK + metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study investigated the drug-drug interaction (DDI) potential of ceritinib when coadministered with midazolam and warfarin as probe substrates for CYP3A and CYP2C9 activity, respectively., Methods: This was a phase I, multicenter, open-label, single sequence, crossover DDI study in 33 adult patients with ALK + NSCLC or other advanced tumors. A single dose of a cocktail consisting of midazolam and warfarin was administered with and without concomitant administration of ceritinib. The primary objective was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of midazolam and warfarin. Secondary objectives included pharmacokinetics, safety, tolerability, overall response rate (ORR), and duration of response (DOR) of ceritinib 750 mg once daily., Results: Ceritinib inhibited CYP3A-mediated metabolism of midazolam, resulting in a markedly increased AUC (geometric mean ratio [90% confidence interval]) by 5.4-fold (4.6, 6.3). Ceritinib also led to an increase in the AUC of S-warfarin by 54% (36%, 75%). The pharmacokinetics and safety profile of ceritinib in this study are consistent with previous reports and no new safety signals were reported. Among the 19 patients with NSCLC, efficacy (ORR: 42.1% and DCR: 63.2%) was similar to that reported previously in studies of pretreated patients with ALK + NSCLC., Conclusion: Ceritinib is a strong CYP3A inhibitor and a weak CYP2C9 inhibitor. These findings should be reflected as actionable clinical recommendations in the prescribing information for ceritinib with regards to concomitant medications whose pharmacokinetics may be altered by ceritinib.

After around four decades of fast growth, the cruise industry has become the most profitable and dynamic segment in the entire global leisure and tourism sector. Behind this growth is a significant shift in the profile of cruise consumers/passengers/tourists, with growth rates twice as fast as those of other types of tourists. China has become a strategic emerging market for the global cruise industry, quickly developing their cruise reception business and holding about 10% of the market share of global cruisers. In this paper, we examine and categorize various travel motivations of Chinese cruise tourists by means of a questionnaire via factor analysis, mean analysis, and K-cluster analysis. The results of the study indicate that Chinese cruise tourists are primarily encouraged to participate in cruise tourism by the motivational dimensions of family leisure/relaxation, natural and cultural exploration, bond/communication, social respect, tourism shopping, and cruise-promotion information sources. The strongest motivations for Chinese cruise tourists were found to be family leisure/relaxation and natural/cultural exploration. We identify four types of cruisers using the K-means cluster method. We find that for all cruiser demographics, leisure/relaxation is the most important motivational factor. Based on these results, we propose some specific solutions for expanding the customer pool in the Chinese cruise market., 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., (Copyright © 2021 Jiao, Hou and Lau.)

This data article describes the dataset of the International COVID-19 Impact on Parental Engagement Study (ICIPES). ICIPES is a collaborative effort of more than 20 institutions to investigate the ways in which, parents and caregivers built capacity engaged with children's learning during the period of social distancing arising from global COVID-19 pandemic. A series of data were collected using an online survey conducted in 23 countries and had a total sample of 4,658 parents/caregivers. The description of the data contained in this article is divided into two main parts. The first part is a descriptive analysis of all the items included in the survey and was performed using tables and figures. The second part refers to the construction of scales. Three scales were constructed and included in the dataset: 'parental acceptance and confidence in the use of technology', 'parental engagement in children's learning' and 'socioeconomic status'. The scales were created using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Multi-Group Confirmatory Analysis (MG-CFA) and were adopted to evaluate their cross-cultural comparability (i.e., measurement invariance) across countries and within sub-groups. This dataset will be relevant for researchers in different fields, particularly for those interested in international comparative education., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Background: Patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-rearranged (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with crizotinib inevitably relapse, with brain as common site of progression., Patients and Methods: ASCEND-6, a phase 1/2, single-arm study, included adult Chinese patients with stage IIIB or IV ALK+ NSCLC pretreated with crizotinib as the last therapy (irrespective of prior chemotherapies [≤2]). Primary endpoints were pharmacokinetics (PK), safety, and tolerability. Key secondary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR; investigator assessed)., Results: Of the 103 enrolled patients, all received prior crizotinib, 70 % received ≥1 prior chemotherapy regimen, and 63.1 % had brain metastases at baseline. In the phase 1 component, 20 patients completed a 5-day PK run-in period. Median T max (n = 16) was ∼6 h; geometric means of AUC 0-24 h (n = 16) and C max (n = 16) at steady state were 22,000 ng*h/mL and 1080 ng/mL, respectively. In the final analysis, median follow-up time was 34 months (range: 27.8-40.6). The ORR was 41.7 % (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 32.1-51.9), and median progression-free survival was 7.2 months (95 % CI: 4.1-7.5). Median overall survival was 17.5 months (95 % CI: 10.8-24.3). Most frequent adverse events, regardless of study drug relationship (mostly grade 1/2), were diarrhea (74.8 %), vomiting (62.1 %), alanine transaminase increased (59.2 %), aspartate transaminase increased (58.3 %), and nausea (58.3 %)., Conclusions: Ceritinib PK in Chinese patients is consistent with those observed in the global ASCEND-1 study. Ceritinib was well tolerated and showed durable responses in Chinese patients with ALK+ NSCLC who progressed after crizotinib and ≤2 prior lines of chemotherapy., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Over the past decades, Enterobacter spp. have been identified as challenging and important pathogens. The emergence of multidrug-resistant Enterobacteria especially those that produce Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase has been a very worrying health crisis. Although efforts have been made to unravel the complex mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenicity of different Enterobacter spp., there is very little information associated with AHL-type QS mechanism in Enterobacter spp. Signaling via N -acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) is the most common quorum sensing (QS) mechanism utilized by Proteobacteria. A typical AHL-based QS system involves two key players: a luxI gene homolog to synthesize AHLs and a luxR gene homolog, an AHL-dependent transcriptional regulator. These signaling molecules enable inter-species and intra-species interaction in response to external stimuli according to population density. In our recent study, we reported the genome of AHL-producing bacterium, Enterobacter asburiae strain L1. Whole genome sequencing and in silico analysis revealed the presence of a pair of luxI/R genes responsible for AHL-type QS, designated as easI/R , in strain L1. In a QS system, a LuxR transcriptional protein detects and responds to the concentration of a specific AHL controlling gene expression. In E. asburiae strain L1, EasR protein binds to its cognate AHLs, N -butanoyl homoserine lactone (C4-HSL) and N -hexanoyl homoserine lactone (C6-HSL), modulating the expression of targeted genes. In this current work, we have cloned the 693 bp luxR homolog of strain L1 for further characterization. The functionality and specificity of EasR protein in response to different AHL signaling molecules to activate gene transcription were tested and validated with β-galactosidase assays. Higher β-galactosidase activities were detected for cells harboring EasR, indicating EasR is a functional transcriptional regulator. This is the first report documenting the cloning and characterization of transcriptional regulator, luxR homolog of E. asburiae ., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2020 Lau et al.)

Introduction: Induction of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression due to constitutive oncogenic signaling has been reported in NSCLC models harboring echinoderm microtubule associated protein like 4 gene (EML4)-ALK receptor tyrosine kinase gene (ALK) rearrangements. We assessed the safety and activity of ceritinib plus nivolumab in these patients., Methods: In this open-label, phase 1B, multicenter, dose escalation and expansion study, previously treated (with ALK receptor tyrosine kinase [ALK] inhibitor [ALKI]/chemotherapy) or treatment-naive patients with stage IIIB or IV ALK-rearranged NSCLC received nivolumab, 3 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks, plus ceritinib, 450 mg/300 mg daily, with a low-fat meal., Results: In total, 36 patients were treated (a 450-mg cohort [n=14] and a 300-mg cohort [n=22]). In the 450-mg cohort, four patients experienced dose-limiting toxicities. In the 300-mg cohort, two patients experienced dose-limiting toxicities. Among ALKI-naive patients, the overall response rate (ORR) was 83% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 35.9-99.6) in the 450-mg cohort and 60% (95% CI: 26.2-87.8) in the 300-mg cohort. Among ALKI-pretreated patients, the ORR was 50% (95% CI: 15.7-84.3) in the 450-mg cohort and 25% (95% CI: 5.5-57.2) in the 300-mg cohort. The ORR point estimate was observed to be greater in patients who were positive for PD-L1 than in those who were negative for PD-L1, with overlapping CIs (e.g., at a cutoff ≥1% PD-L1, 64% of patients [95% CI: 35.1-87.2] had confirmed responses as compared with those with negative PD-L1 staining (31% [95% CI: 11.0-58.7]). The most frequently reported grade 3 or 4 adverse events were increased alanine aminotransferase level (25%), increased gamma-glutamyl transferase level (22%), increased amylase level (14%), increased lipase level (11%), and maculopapular rash (11%). The incidence of all-grade rash (grouped term) was 64% in both cohorts; grade 3 rash was reported in 29% and 14% of patients in the 450-mg and 300-mg cohorts, respectively; no grade 4 rash was reported., Conclusion: Ceritinib plus nivolumab has activity; ORR appears to correlate with PD-L1 at baseline. Toxicity, especially rash, is more common than with either single agent., (Copyright © 2019 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Digital intelligent hepatobiliary surgery has evolved over decades.It has experienced an evolution course from digital virtual human technology to the establishment of a quality-controlled and homogeneous three-dimensional visualization system for precision diagnosis and treatment of diseases, from three-dimensional visualization to the clinical transformation of digital intelligent technology and changes in the diagnosis and treatment model, from empirical diagnosis of diseases to the application of deep learning for the intelligent diagnosis and treatment of diseases, from empirical surgery to real-time multi-modal image guidance during surgery, and from the morphological diagnosis of tumors to accurate diagnosis from molecular imaging.During the whole process, only through continuous innovation in research, theory and technology can the "life" of digital intelligent surgery be endowed with new vitality.In the future, the definition of tumor boundary from the molecular and cellular levels and the early diagnosis and treatment of liver tumor through the functional visualization of key molecules will have significant clinical value for changing the prognosis of liver cancer.In addition, in order to realize intelligent navigation for hepatectomy and break through the technical bottleneck, it is of great clinical significance to develop an intelligent robot real-time navigation hepatectomy system with automatic navigation technology, machine learning intelligent planning technology and multimodal image fusion technology.This provides unprecedented opportunities and challenges for the development of digital intelligent hepatobiliary surgery.

Purpose: Ceritinib 750 mg/day was approved for the treatment of patients with untreated anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) based on ASCEND-4 study. The objective of this article is to introduce the use of time-dependent modeling approach in the updated exposure-efficacy analysis of ceritinib for the first-line indication., Methods: Exposure-efficacy analyses, including data from 156 patients, were first conducted using time-independent logistic regression model for response of complete or partial response and Cox regression model for progression-free survival (PFS). The exposure measure used was average C trough , which is defined as the geometric mean of all evaluable C trough for each patient. To further investigate the impact of exposure measure on exposure-efficacy analyses, a time-dependent modeling approach was used, where exposure at different time intervals was associated with the corresponding response endpoints in a longitudinal manner., Results: With exposure measure being average C trough , it was observed that higher exposure was associated with reduced efficacy in terms of response (odds ratio = 0.77) and PFS [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.12]. These time-independent models do not account for the impact of time-varying concentration due to dose modifications. Subsequently, a new time-dependent modeling approach was used, where exposure and efficacy were associated longitudinally in the analyses. The results showed that the odds ratio of response became 1.07, and the HR of PFS became 1.04, indicating no apparent reverse relationship between exposure and efficacy across the exposure range studied., Conclusion: The drug effect on efficacy in clinical trials could be better characterized using time-dependent exposure-response models.

Strains 2B12 T , FVG1-MFV-O17 and FVG10-MFV-A16 were isolated from fresh water samples collected in Asia and Europe. The nucleotide sequences of the gapA barcodes revealed that all three strains belonged to the same cluster within the genus Dickeya. Using 13 housekeeping genes (fusA, rpoD, rpoS, glyA, purA, groEL, gapA, rplB, leuS, recA, gyrB, infB and secY), multilocus sequence analysis confirmed the existence of a new clade. When the genome sequences of these three isolates and other Dickeya species were compared, the in silico DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values were found to be no more than 45.50 and 91.22 %, respectively. The closest relative species was Dickeya fangzhongdai. Genome comparisons also highlighted genetic traits differentiating the new strains from D. fangzhongdai strains DSM 101947 T (=CFBP 8607 T ) and B16. Phenotypical tests were performed to distinguish the three strains from D. fangzhongdai and other Dickeya species. The name Dickeya undicola sp. nov. is proposed with strain 2B12 T (=CFBP 8650 T =LMG 30903 T ) as the type strain.

Introduction: In an earlier report of the ASCEND-8 study (open-label, phase I, three-arm study, treatment-naive patients and pre-treated patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC), it was shown that ceritinib 450 mg with food had comparable exposure and better gastrointestinal tolerability than 750-mg fasted., Methods: Here, we report efficacy and updated safety data from primary efficacy analysis of the ASCEND-8 study. Key secondary endpoints were overall response rate and duration of response, assessed by blinded independent review committee (BIRC) using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1., Results: In total, 306 patients were randomized to ceritinib 450-mg fed (n = 108) or 600-mg fed (n = 87) or 750-mg fasted (n = 111), of which 304 patients were included in safety analysis and 198 treatment-naive patients (ALK receptor tyrosine kinase [ALK]-positive by immunohistochemistry) were included in the efficacy analysis (450-mg fed [n = 73], 600-mg fed [n = 51], and 750-mg fasted [n = 74]). The BIRC-assessed overall response rate was 78.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 66.9-86.9), 72.5% (95% CI: 58.3-84.1), and 75.7% (95% CI: 64.3-84.9), respectively; and the median duration of response (months) by BIRC was not estimable (NE) (95% CI: 11.2-NE), 20.7 (95% CI: 15.8-NE), and 15.4 (95% CI: 8.3-NE), respectively. Based on the safety analysis (n = 304), the 450-mg fed arm showed the highest median relative dose intensity (100% versus 78.5% versus 83.7%), lowest proportion of patients with dose reductions (24.1% versus 65.1% versus 60.9%), and lowest proportion of patients with gastrointestinal toxicities (75.9% versus 82.6% versus 91.8%)., Conclusion: Ceritinib at a dose of 450 mg with food compared to 750-mg fasted showed consistent efficacy and less gastrointestinal toxicity., (Copyright © 2019 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Digital intelligent diagnostic and treatment technology is a novel technology which is based by combining modern medicine with digitalized and intelligent high-tech to form a multidisciplinary and multi-knowledge domain. This technology plays an important role in areas including precision diagnosis, preoperative planning and surgical navigation. Its core technologies are: (1) quality control research on high-quality CT imaging data acquisition; (2) quality control and homogenization research on three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction; (3) high-quality 3D printed physical models; (4) virtual reality 3D simulation platform; (5) molecular fluorescence imaging to define tumor boundaries; (6) non-rigid registration multi-mode image fusion surgical navigation system; (7) image feature extraction and prediction model establishment. The workflow of this system includes: First, CT data acquisition and 3D visualization of hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases; followed by individualized vascular assessment, liver volume calculation and surgical planning using the 3D model; then virtual simulation surgery, 3D printing, virtual reality technology and molecular fluorescence imaging accordance to the required specific conditions. Preoperative radiomics are used to predict the risk of complications and long-term follow-up results. Intraoperative multi-modal fusion image navigation and its consistency are evaluated with the findings in actual surgery and preoperative planning. This technology, hopefully, will bring in novel strategies and approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases.

Pectobacterium carotovorum M022 T has been isolated from a waterfall source in Selangor district (Malaysia). Using genomic and phenotypic tests, we re-examined the taxonomical position of this strain. Based on 14 concatenated housekeeping genes (fusA, rpoD, rpoS, acnA, purA, gyrB, recA, mdh, mtlD, groEL, secY, glyA, gapA and rplB), multi-locus sequence analysis revealed that strain M022 T falls into a novel clade separated from the other Pectobacterium species. The in silico DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values were lower than the 70 and 95 % threshold values, respectively. In addition, by combining genomic and phenotypic tests, strain M022 T may be distinguished from the other Pectobacterium isolates by its incapacity to grow on d(+)-xylose, l-rhamnose, cellobiose and lactose. Strain M022 T (=CFBP 8629 T =LMG 30744 T ) is proposed as the type strain of the Pectobacteriumfontis sp. nov.

In gram-negative bacteria, bacterial communication or quorum sensing (QS) is achieved using common signaling molecules known as N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHL). We have previously reported the genome of AHL-producing bacterium, Enterobacter asburiae strain L1. In silico analysis of the strain L1 genome revealed the presence of a pair of luxI/R genes responsible for AHL-type QS, designated as easIR. In this work, the 639 bp luxI homolog, encoding 212 amino acids, have been cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3)pLysS. The purified protein (~25 kDa) shares high similarity to several members of the LuxI family among different E asburiae strains. Our findings showed that the heterologously expressed EasI protein has activated violacein production by AHL biosensor Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 as the wild-type E. asburiae. The mass spectrometry analysis showed the production of N-butanoyl homoserine lactone and N-hexanoyl homoserine lactone from induced E. coli harboring the recombinant EasI, suggesting that EasI is a functional AHL synthase. E. asburiae strain L1 was also shown to possess biofilm-forming characteristic activity using crystal violet binding assay. This is the first report on cloning and characterization of the luxI homolog from E. asburiae., (© 2018 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a rod-shaped Gram-negative bacterium which is notably known as a pathogen in humans, animals, and plants. Infections caused by P. aeruginosa especially in hospitalized patients are often life-threatening and rapidly increasing worldwide throughout the years. Recently, multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa has taken a toll on humans' health due to the inefficiency of antimicrobial agents. Therefore, the rapid and advanced diagnostic techniques to accurately detect this bacterium particularly in clinical samples are indeed necessary to ensure timely and effective treatments and to prevent outbreaks. This review aims to discuss most recent of state-of-the-art molecular diagnostic techniques enabling fast and accurate detection and identification of P. aeruginosa based on well-developed genotyping techniques, e.g., polymerase chain reaction, pulse-field gel electrophoresis, and next generation sequencing. The advantages and limitations of each of the methods are also reviewed.

The theme of present research demonstrates performance of copper (II) sulfate (CuSO 4 ) as catalyst in thermolysis process to treat reactive black 5 (RB 5) dye. During thermolysis without presence of catalyst, heat was converted to thermal energy to break the enthalpy of chemical structure bonding and only 31.62% of color removal. With CuSO 4 support as auxiliary agent, the thermally cleaved molecular structure was further destabilized and reacted with CuSO 4 . Copper ions functioned to delocalize the coordination of π of the lone paired electron in azo bond, C=C bond of the sp 2 carbon to form C-C of the sp 3 amorphous carbon in benzene and naphthalene. Further, the radicals of unpaired electrons were stabilized and RB 5 was thermally decomposed to methyl group. Zeta potential measurement was carried out to analyze the mechanism of RB 5 degradation and measurement at 0 mV verified the critical chemical concentration (CCC) (0.7 g/L copper (II) sulfate), as the maximum 92.30% color removal. The presence of copper (II) sulfate catalyst has remarkably increase the RB 5 dye degradation as the degradation rate constant without catalyst, k 1 is 6.5224 whereas the degradation rate constant with catalyst, k 2 is 25.6810. This revealed the correlation of conversion of thermal energy from heat to break the chemical bond strength, subsequent fragmentation of RB 5 dye molecular mediated by copper (II) sulfate catalyst. The novel framework on thermolysis degradation of molecular structure of RB 5 with respect to the bond enthalpy and interfacial intermediates decomposition with catalyst reaction were determined.

Digital medical technology is a powerful tool which has forcefully promoted the development of general surgery in China. In this article, we reviews the application status of three-dimensional visualization and three-dimensional printing technology in general surgery, introduces the development situation of surgical navigation guided by optical and electromagnetic technology and preliminary attempt to combined with mixed reality applied to complicated hepatectomy, looks ahead the development direction of digital medicine in the era of artificial intelligence and big data on behalf of surgical robot and radiomics. Surgeons should proactively master these advanced techniques and accelerate the innovative development of general surgery in China.

With intrinsic safety and much higher energy densities than supercapacitors, rechargeable nickel/cobalt-zinc-based textile batteries are promising power sources for next generation personalized wearable electronics. However, high-performance wearable nickel/cobalt-zinc-based batteries are rarely reported because there is a lack of industrially weavable and knittable highly conductive yarns. Here, we use scalably produced highly conductive yarns uniformly covered with zinc (as anode) and nickel cobalt hydroxide nanosheets (as cathode) to fabricate rechargeable yarn batteries. They possess a battery level capacity and energy density, as well as a supercapacitor level power density. They deliver high specific capacity of 5 mAh cm -3 and energy densities of 0.12 mWh cm -2 and 8 mWh cm -3 (based on the whole solid battery). They exhibit ultrahigh rate capabilities of 232 C (liquid electrolyte) and 116 C (solid electrolyte), which endows the batteries excellent power densities of 32.8 mW cm -2 and 2.2 W cm -3 (based on the whole solid battery). These are among the highest values reported so far. A wrist band battery is further constructed by using a large conductive cloth woven from the conductive yarns by a commercial weaving machine. It powers various electronic devices successfully, enabling dual functions of wearability and energy storage.

Introduction: Ceritinib, 750 mg fasted, is approved for treatment of patients with ALK receptor tyrosine kinase gene (ALK)-rearranged (ALK-positive) NSCLC previously treated with crizotinib. Part 1 of the ASCEND-8 study determined whether administering ceritinib, 450 mg or 600 mg, with a low-fat meal may enhance gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability versus 750 mg fasted in patients with ALK-positive NSCLC while maintaining similar exposure., Methods: ASCEND-8 is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase 1 study. Part 1 investigated the steady-state pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety of ceritinib, 450 mg or 600 mg, taken with a low-fat meal versus 750 mg fasted in patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC who were either treatment naive or pretreated with chemotherapy and/or crizotinib. Part 2 will assess efficacy and safety of ceritinib in treatment-naive patients., Results: As of June 16, 2016, 137 patients were randomized (450 mg fed [n = 44], 600 mg fed [n = 47], and 750 mg fasted [n = 46]); 135 patients received ceritinib. Median follow-up duration was 4.14 months. At steady state, relative to 750 mg fasted, 450 mg with food demonstrated comparable PK as assessed by maximum (peak) concentration of drug in plasma and area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to 24 hours, whereas 600 mg with food demonstrated approximately 25% higher PK. Relative to 750 mg fasted, 450 mg with food was associated with a lower proportion of patients with GI toxicities, mostly grade 1 (diarrhea [43.2%], nausea [29.5%], and vomiting [18.2%]); there were no grade 3 or 4 events, study drug discontinuations, or serious AEs due to GI toxicities., Conclusion: Ceritinib, 450 mg with food, had similar exposure and a more favorable GI safety profile than ceritinib, 750 mg in fasted patients with ALK-positive NSCLC., (Copyright © 2017 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The impact of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) on the pharmacokinetics (PK) and efficacy of ceritinib was evaluated., Methods: A healthy subject drug-drug interaction (DDI) study was conducted to assess the effect of esomeprazole on the PK of a single 750 mg dose of ceritinib. To further investigate the impact of PPIs on the PK and efficacy of ceritinib in ALK-positive cancer patients, two subgroup analyses were performed. Analysis 1 evaluated ceritinib steady-state trough concentration (C trough,ss ) and overall response rate (ORR) by concomitant use of PPIs in patients from the ASCEND-1, -2, and -3 studies; analysis 2 evaluated ceritinib single-dose and steady-state AUC 0-24h and C max by concomitant PPI use in patients from ASCEND-1 using a definition of PPI usage similar to that used in the healthy subject study., Results: In the healthy subject study, co-administration of a single 750 mg dose of ceritinib with esomeprazole 40 mg for 6 days decreased ceritinib AUC 0-∞ by 76% and C max by 79%. However, based on subgroup analysis 1, patients had similar C trough,ss and ORR regardless of concomitant PPI usage. Based on analysis 2, co-administration of a single 750 mg ceritinib dose with PPIs for 6 days in patients suggested less effect on ceritinib exposure than that observed in healthy subjects as AUC 0-24h decreased by 30% and C max decreased by 25%. No clinically meaningful effect on steady-state exposure was observed after daily dosing., Conclusions: Long-term administration of ceritinib with PPIs does not adversely affect the PK and efficacy of ceritinib in ALK-positive cancer patients.