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In this study, we report on the synthesis and evaluation of a sodium, magnesium, and aluminum (Na-Mg-Al) layered double hydroxide (LDH) based sorbent for hydrogen chloride (HCl) removal at concentrations found in lignocellulosic biomass derived syngas. The LDH was synthesized by a spontaneous self-assembly method and further calcined at 700 °C to produce a mixed metal oxide sorbent that we evaluated in the hot gas cleanup of hydrogen chloride at 100 parts per million. The performance of this sorbent was evaluated in a fixed bed reactor from 400 to 600 °C against that of a commercial magnesium and aluminum LDH (ComLDH) material that does not contain sodium in the matrix as well as two other commercial sorbents, sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and sodium aluminate (NaAlO2).Our Na-Mg-Al LDH is thermally stable in the hot gas cleanup temperature range. During fixed bed experiments, our calcined LDH mixed metal oxide was effective in reducing hydrogen chloride’s concentration below the breakthrough concentration of 1 ppm from 400 to 600 °C for more than 14 h. The better performance of our calcined LDH compared to calcined commercial LDH supported our hypothesis that sodium incorporation in the LDH matrix enhances HCl sorption. Based on comparison against the commercial Na-based sorbents, the following rankings by temperature observed: LDH > NaAlO2 > Na2CO3 at 400 °C; LDH = NaAlO2 > Na2CO3 at 500 °C; and Na2CO3 = NaAlO2 = LDH at 600 °C.

Pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) is a Neotropical fish of major importance for South American aquaculture. Septicemia caused by Aeromonas hydrophila bacteria is currently considered a substantial threat for pacu aquaculture that have provoked infectious disease outbreaks with high economic losses. The understanding of molecular aspects on progress of A. hydrophila infection and pacu immune response is scarce, which have limited the development of genomic selection for resistance to this infection. The present study aimed to generate information on transcriptome of pacu in face of A. hydrophila infection, and compare the transcriptomic responses between two groups of time-series belonging to a disease resistance challenge, peak mortality (HM) and mortality plateau (PM) groups of individuals. Nine RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) libraries were prepared from liver tissue of challenged individuals, generating ∼160 million 150 bp pair-end reads. After quality trimming/cleanup, these reads were assembled de novo generating 211,259 contigs. When the expression of genes from individuals of HM group were compared to individuals from control group, a total of 4,413 differentially expressed transcripts were found (2,000 upregulated and 2,413 downregulated candidate genes). Additionally, 433 transcripts were differentially expressed when individuals from MP group were compared with those in the control group (155 upregulated and 278 downregulated candidate genes). The resulting differentially expressed transcripts were clustered into the following functional categories: cytokines and signaling, epithelial protection, antigen processing and presentation, apoptosis, phagocytosis, complement system cascades and pattern recognition receptors. The proposed results revealing relevant differential gene expression on HM and PM groups which will contribute to a better understanding of the molecular defense mechanisms during A. hydrophila infection.

Abstract The European Commission mandated EFSA to review a new data package provided by the company Elanco, for the possible integration/non‐integration of the DNA plasmid vaccine CLYNAV into the genome of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and to indicate whether EFSA agrees with the conclusions drawn by Elanco. The vaccine is injected into fish to confer protection against pancreas disease caused by the salmonid alphavirus. The majority of the experimental data provided by the company was for muscle tissue close to the injection site and for gonadal tissue. EFSA considers that the long persistence of DNA plasmid in muscle tissue close to the injection site and the potential heritability of an integration event in gonad cells support the focus of the assessment on both these tissues. The experimental data did not provide scientifically robust evidence for a true integration event. The company overall concluded that the likelihood of integration is negligible, based on considerations in the context of the company's environmental risk assessment, but did not provide a quantitative value for the rate of integration linked to the term ‘negligible’. It is therefore not possible to evaluate this statement specifically with regard to integration rates. EFSA notes that knowledge about homologous and non‐homologous integration predicts that integration could occur with certain frequency. Therefore, EFSA has constructed worst‐case scenarios leading to upper estimates for possible integration rates of the DNA plasmid vaccine into the Atlantic salmon genome. EFSA concludes that, based on the worst‐case scenarios described here and taking into account additional factors decreasing the likelihood of integration, the actual integration rate is likely to be orders of magnitude lower than the upper estimated integration rate calculated in the context of the worst‐case scenarios. With the available evidence, the actual integration rate cannot be estimated with more precision.

Context: In this article, the authors discuss potential advantages that business rules methodology offers for improvement of public health operational guidance and documents., Program: Immunization Information Systems (IIS) program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)., Implementation: Systematic methods of business analysis and business rules were successfully employed in two multi-year efforts to develop guidance for various aspects of IIS operations., Evaluation: Independent evaluation findings indicate that application of these best practice recommendations in the IIS domain of state and local health departments resulted in improved data quality, reduced staff time, and increased efficiencies across immunization programs, as well as in uniformity and reduced ambiguity for clinical decision support. Also, to illustrate the approach, a special case study presents a systematic analysis of highly regarded work by the prominent scientist and renowned writer Isaac Asimov, identifying inconsistencies, typical challenges, and areas for improvement., Discussion: The two successful case studies in the IIS domain of public health point to the potential of applying business rules methods in rigorously documenting operational guidance, substantially reducing ambiguity, and ultimately, improving the uniformity, completeness, and practicality of information within critical documents of public health programs. Experience gained with these projects can be leveraged and built upon going forward. Also, a special study of writings by Dr. Asimov provides a strong word of caution about the unintended consequences and potential shortcomings of formulating guidance without leveraging a systematic approach, such as offered by business rules techniques. This is an opportune time for public health to embrace this proven methodology, expanding its arsenal of practicable tools to analyze and improve public health guidance.

Aim: A systematic review of neuroscience articles on the emotional states of fear, anxiety, and pain to understand how emotional response is linked to the visual characteristics of an image at the level of brain behavior., Background: A number of outcome studies link exposure to visual images (with nature content) to improvements in stress, anxiety, and pain perception. However, an understanding of the underlying perceptual mechanisms has been lacking. In this article, neuroscience studies that use visual images to induce fear, anxiety, or pain are reviewed to gain an understanding of how the brain processes visual images in this context and to explore whether this processing can be linked to specific visual characteristics., Conclusions: The amygdala was identified as one of the key regions of the brain involved in the processing of fear, anxiety, and pain (induced by visual images). Other key areas included the thalamus, insula, and hippocampus. Characteristics of visual images such as the emotional dimension (valence/arousal), subject matter (familiarity, ambiguity, novelty, realism, and facial expressions), and form (sharp and curved contours) were identified as key factors influencing emotional processing. The broad structural properties of an image and overall content were found to have a more pivotal role in the emotional response than the specific details of an image. Insights on specific visual properties were translated to recommendations for what should be incorporated-and avoided-in healthcare environments.

Objective: To determine the stated art preferences of pediatric patients through an art survey and determine whether preferences vary, with different age groups associated with different stages of cognitive development., Background: Exposure to visual art has been shown to have an impact on improved health and satisfaction outcomes. However, there is little literature on the effect of art on pediatric patients. While designing pediatric wards, a common assumption is to use fantasy and Disney-like themes; but research across all age groups on whether children prefer these themes is limited., Methodology: A survey including 20 images with a variety of subject matter and styles was administered to 64 pediatric inpatients (ages 5-17) at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX. Children were asked to rate the selection of, and their emotional response to, the images in the survey. Qualitative comments were recorded. Results were analyzed for each of the three age groups (5-6, 7-10, and 11-17 years) according to Piaget's developmental stages, as well as across all age groups., Results: There were significant differences in art preferences across the different age groups, especially with respect to child art (art created by children). Overall, the results for 5-10-year-olds were more significant than those for 11-17-year-olds (adolescents). Nature elements were preferred across all age groups, but all nature images were not rated similarly. Images that were bright and colorful were rated better than images that were pale. The presence of a strong context that children could associate with was a defining feature of preferred images. Content drove preference more than style, though color was a key determinant. Comments on the artwork tended to be more objective/absolute for the youngest patients and more subjective/relative for the oldest., Conclusions: The combination of bright colors, engaging themes, and nature content is consistently highly rated by pediatric patients. However, pediatric preferences vary significantly among the three operational stages, so one should be careful before using the "one-size-fits-all" approach. Child art, typically used in pediatric wards, is better suited for younger children than for older children.