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Small animal models that accurately model pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 variants are required for ongoing research efforts. We modified our human immune system mouse model to support replication of SARS-CoV-2 by implantation of human lung tissue into the mice to create TKO-BLT-Lung (L) mice and compared infection with two different variants in a humanized lung model. Infection of TKO-BLT-L mice with SARS-CoV-2 recapitulated the higher infectivity of the B.1.1.7 variant with more animals becoming infected and higher sustained viral loads compared to mice challenged with an early B lineage (614D) virus. Viral lesions were observed in lung organoids but no differences were detected between the viral variants as expected. Partially overlapping but distinct immune profiles were also observed between the variants with a greater Th1 profile in VIDO-01 and greater Th2 profile in B.1.1.7 infection. Overall, the TKO-BLT-L mouse supported SARS-CoV-2 infection, recapitulated key known similarities and differences in infectivity and pathogenesis as well as revealing previously unreported differences in immune responses between the two viral variants. Thus, the TKO-BLT-L model may serve as a useful animal model to study the immunopathobiology of newly emerging variants in the context of genuine human lung tissue and immune cells.

Introduction: Kidney transplantation is the most effective treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. However, the increasing number of ESRD patients and the limited availability of living and cadaveric donors has led to a growing waiting list for kidney transplantation. ABO-incompatible transplantation has emerged as an alternative for these patients in Nepal. Methods: This was an observational study of all the patients who underwent kidney transplantation from March 2017-Feb 2019. Data on demography of recipients and donor, blood group, human leukocyte antigen mismatch, induction agent, post-operative complications and creatinine clearance at discharge and one-year post-transplant were collected and analysed. Then we compared patient and kidney graft survival at one year between ABO incompatible and ABO compatible recipients. Results: During the study period, there were total of 124 kidney transplant recipients among them 12 were ABO incompatible and 112 were ABO compatible recipients. The study showed slightly lower patient and graft survival in ABO-incompatible recipients than ABO compatible recipients (83.3% vs 99.2%, p<0.001). However, death-censored graft survival were similar in both groups (100%, p<0.001). The graft function at one year measured by creatinine clearance was better in ABO-incompatible recipients than ABO-compatible recipients (67.1±11.75 vs 61.87±12.82, p<0.001). Postoperative complications were slightly higher, however, complications at one year were lower in ABO-incompatible recipients. Conclusion: The study showed that living donor ABO-incompatible kidney transplant recipients have a good outcome at one year but is associated with greater risks of patient and graft loss at early transplant period compared to ABO-compatible recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is used for the maintenance dialysis in patients with end stage renal disease. Treatment's complications in CAPD generally exist, of which transudate hydrothorax falls under the minority of the cases. Here, we aim to present a case of a 51 years old female, a newly diagnosed case of chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing CAPD for 3 weeks who presented at our institution with complaints of difficulty in breathing. The symptom had gradually progressed after her recent CAPD session. Several investigations were sought out, of which a chest X‐ray illustrated a right sided hydrothorax. Pleural fluid analysis showed a transudate characteristic, and other diagnostic tests suggested that a peritoneal fluid leak might have caused the hydrothorax. CAPD induced hydrothorax is one of the uncommon noninfectious complications associated with peritoneal dialysis; its diagnosis can be made by studying both biochemical and radiological parameters of the patient. The definitive diagnosis is made by establishing a pleuro‐peritoneal communication using peritoneal scintigraphy. An immediate halt in CAPD will allow the remission of hydrothorax as mentioned below in our case report. The definitive management includes video assisted thorascopic surgery with mechanical pleurodesis. An appropriate diagnostic and management approach should be sought in CAPD induced transudate hydrothorax. An immediate halt in CAPD with surgical interventions can be considered as a treatment options for such complication.

The changing environment has significantly affected Bangladesh for the past several decades, and a number of minerals and nutrients are in short supply in the human population. However, not only are we being affected by the effects of climate change, but also the crops cultivated on our farms are feeling its impact. The nutrient content and growth of food crops are affected by many components of climate change, such as rising temperatures, increased precipitation, rising CO2 levels, etc. It is commonly regarded that potatoes are one of the healthiest and most popular foods in Bangladesh, with an abundance of nutrients and electrolytes that are beneficial to the body. However, in the not-too-distant future, the production of potatoes will be affected by the high temperature and decreased precipitation resulting from climate change. As potatoes are one of the most essential staple foods in Bangladesh, a viable solution must be found for continuous potato production in the country. A comprehensive examination of the evolution, production, and important nutrients of potatoes will be performed in this study. A range of sensors, networks, drones, cameras, and applications will be collected for the purpose of monitoring the potato field and ensuring that the crops are cultivated in an acceptable environment. This idea can aid our country economically and agriculturally by increasing potato production. Potatoes are affordable for consumers from all socioeconomic classes. Through this idea, Producers will achieve a successful harvest of nutrient-rich potatoes for public consumption.

Summary: Background: While many patients seem to recover from SARS-CoV-2 infections, many patients report experiencing SARS-CoV-2 symptoms for weeks or months after their acute COVID-19 ends, even developing new symptoms weeks after infection. These long-term effects are called post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) or, more commonly, Long COVID. The overall prevalence of Long COVID is currently unknown, and tools are needed to help identify patients at risk for developing long COVID. Methods: A working group of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-radical (RADx-rad) program, comprised of individuals from various NIH institutes and centers, in collaboration with REsearching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) developed and organized the Long COVID Computational Challenge (L3C), a community challenge aimed at incentivizing the broader scientific community to develop interpretable and accurate methods for identifying patients at risk of developing Long COVID. From August 2022 to December 2022, participants developed Long COVID risk prediction algorithms using the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) data enclave, a harmonized data repository from over 75 healthcare institutions from across the United States (U.S.). Findings: Over the course of the challenge, 74 teams designed and built 35 Long COVID prediction models using the N3C data enclave. The top 10 teams all scored above a 0.80 Area Under the Receiver Operator Curve (AUROC) with the highest scoring model achieving a mean AUROC of 0.895. Included in the top submission was a visualization dashboard that built timelines for each patient, updating the risk of a patient developing Long COVID in response to clinical events. Interpretation: As a result of L3C, federal reviewers identified multiple machine learning models that can be used to identify patients at risk for developing Long COVID. Many of the teams used approaches in their submissions which can be applied to future clinical prediction questions. Funding: Research reported in this RADx® Rad publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health. Timothy Bergquist, Johanna Loomba, and Emily Pfaff were supported by Axle Subcontract: NCATS-STSS-P00438.

Different approaches for free-radical initiated grafting of functional monomers to polypropylene (PP) have been investigated with a view to enabling crosslinking of the polymer upon subsequent exposure to moisture, resulting in gel contents as high as 50--60 wt%. The first approach involved grafting a co-agent such as triallyl trimellitate (TATM) to the polymer using peroxide initiator to add carbon-carbon double bond functionality to the polymer, followed by peroxide-initiated grafting of mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) to the PP-TATM adduct. The second approach was the more traditional peroxide-mediated grafting of vinyltrime-thoxysilane (VTMS) to polypropylene, and was most effective at increasing melt state dynamic storage modulus. In the third approach, peroxide-mediated grafting of VTMS was followed by peroxide-initiated grafting of MPTMS. This process took advantage of the unsaturation created via chain scission in the first step to provide graft sites for the MPTMS in the second Step. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 51:237-246, 2011. ©2010 Society of Plastics Engineers, INTRODUCTION Polypropylene (PP) is widely used in applications that require fatigue resistance, deformation resistance, abrasion resistance, and chemical resistance. However, since PP is a semi-crystalline polymer, its upper service temperature [...]

Infected wounds pose significant challenges in clinical settings due to the risk of complications and delayed healing of wounds. The most common wound dressings are cotton balls and gauze, and yet these traditional wound dressings have inherent shortcomings including low antibacterial properties, less oxygen permeation, mechanical properties, and moisture content essential for wound healing of infected wounds. Herein, we fabricate polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan/pectin (PVA/CH/PEC) hydrogel loaded with green-synthesized nanometals, and synthetic antibiotics for the treatment of infected wounds with enhanced mechanical properties, synergistic antibacterial properties, higher moisture, and oxygen permeation content. The silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), synthesized via sea buckthorn leaf extract, and ciprofloxacin were incorporated in the bio-nanocomposite hydrogels. The particle size of AgNPs was found to be in the range of 15 to 42 nm. The synthesized bio-nanocomposite hydrogels confirm its biocompatible nature because of reduction in the percentage hemolysis from 1.7% to 1.4% and cell viability exceeding 87% in PVA/CH/PEC and poly vinyl alcohol/chitosan/pectin–Silver/ ciprofloxacin (PVA/CH/PEC-Ag/cipro) hydrogel membranes, respectively. Microscopic observation of PVA/CH/PEC/Ag-Ciprofloxacin hydrogels demonstrated the last stages of regeneration and skin reformation towards normal skin as compared to hydrogel scaffold without ciprofloxacin. The hydrogel promoted advanced stages of regeneration and skin reformation, signifying its potential as a promising dressing material for infected wound healing applications.

In India, the incidence of mucormycosis reached high levels during 2021–2022, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this, we established a multicentric ambispective cohort of patients hospitalised with mucormycosis across India. In this paper, we report their baseline profile, clinical characteristics and outcomes at discharge. Patients hospitalized for mucormycosis during March–July 2021 were included. Mucormycosis was diagnosed based on mycological confirmation on direct microscopy (KOH/Calcofluor white stain), culture, histopathology, or supportive evidence from endoscopy or imaging. After consent, trained data collectors used medical records and telephonic interviews to capture data in a pre-tested structured questionnaire. At baseline, we recruited 686 patients from 26 study hospitals, of whom 72.3% were males, 78% had a prior history of diabetes, 53.2% had a history of corticosteroid treatment, and 80% were associated with COVID-19. Pain, numbness or swelling of the face were the commonest symptoms (73.3%). Liposomal Amphotericin B was the commonest drug formulation used (67.1%), and endoscopic sinus surgery was the most common surgical procedure (73.6%). At discharge, the disease was stable in 43.3%, in regression for 29.9% but 9.6% died during hospitalization. Among survivors, commonly reported disabilities included facial disfigurement (18.4%) and difficulties in chewing/swallowing (17.8%). Though the risk of mortality was only 1 in 10, the disability due to the disease was very high. This cohort study could enhance our understanding of the disease’s clinical progression and help frame standard treatment guidelines.

The peroxide-initiated cografting of maleic anhydride (MAn) and allylic coagents to polypropylene (PP) is described. Both triallyl trimesate (TAM) and triallyl phosphate (TAP) are shown to be compatible with MAn, as the presence of either coagent has no apparent effect on the yield or distribution of anhydride grafts within functionalized PP. Therefore, the influence of chain scission on the melt-state rheological properties of maleated PP can be mitigated using coagent-assisted crosslinking. The success of this cografting strategy for controlling melt viscosity is shown to depend on the extent that a bimodal, branched architecture can provide the rheological properties demanded by a given application. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 49:1945-1950, 2009., INTRODUCTION The peroxide-initiated addition of polyolefins to maleic anhydride (MAn) is used widely to prepare adhesives and blend compatibilization agents (1), (2). However, the scope of this process is somewhat [...]

Rapid increase in the share of motorised two-wheeler vehicles in India has lead to increased crashes and fatalities. The ability of motorcycle riders to ride the vehicle safely is influenced by their physical, mental and psychological traits. Motorcycle rider behaviour was studied in one of India's mid-sized cities with over a million populations. The factor structure of the Motorcycle Rider Behaviour Questionnaire (MRBQ) was explored. The motorcycle-riding behaviour has been studied based on 34 items (N = 401 riders) incorporating various parameters. The use of 5-Likert scales ranging from 1= never, 2= rarely, 3= sometimes, 4= often, 5= always. The MRBQ questionnaire examined the demographic variables and their interaction effects based on age, gender, qualification, profession, and other factors. Using factor analysis, a 26- variable factor was created from 34 parameters connected to a specific example of motorcycle rider's road safety behaviour. The rider's behaviour was split into four categories: traffic violation errors, speed violation errors, control errors & safety, and stunt-related activities. The present study focuses on the psychological riding behaviours of motorcycle riders on-road and investigates motorcycle road user safety. The proper education, enforcement of traffic rules and regulations right from an early age played an essential role in enhancing the road safety of motorcycle riders in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency and selectivity of two approaches for introducing alkoxysilane functionality to polyethylene (PE) are examined along with the moisture-curing performance of the resulting products. Although the peroxide-initiated grafting of vinyltriethoxysilane to PE is accompanied by undesirable crosslinking, comparable silane contents can be introduced without affecting the melt viscosity through the addition of mercaptopropyltriethoxysilane (MPTES) to the unsaturation within the polymer. Rapid hydrogen atom donation by thiols underlies this unique selectivity for grafting versus molecular weight alteration, and gives rise to a remarkable tolerance of MPTES additions to phenolic antioxidants. Direct comparisons of the moisture-curing efficiencies provided by the two functionalization techniques reveal few significant differences in crosslink yields or composition distributions. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 46: 480-485, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers, INTRODUCTION The addition of alkoxysilane functionality to polyolefins produces value-added resins that bind covalently to siliceous fillers and moisture-cure into thermoset materials [1]. Silane-containing grades of polyethylene (PE) have been [...]

Smooth and curved microstructural topologies found in nature—from soap films to trabecular bone—have inspired several mimetic design spaces for architected metamaterials and bio‐scaffolds. However, the design approaches so far are ad hoc, raising the challenge: how to systematically and efficiently inverse design such artificial microstructures with targeted topological features? Herein, surface curvature is explored as a design modality and a deep learning framework is presented to produce topologies with as‐desired curvature profiles. The inverse design framework can generalize to diverse topological features such as tubular, membranous, and particulate features. Moreover, successful generalization beyond both the design and data space is demonstrated by inverse designing topologies that mimic the curvature profile of trabecular bone, spinodoid topologies, and periodic nodal surfaces for application in bio‐scaffolds and implants. Lastly, curvature and mechanics are bridged by showing how topological curvature can be designed to promote mechanically beneficial stretching‐dominated deformation over bending‐dominated deformation.

Reliable predictions of pavement performance are crucial for road maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction planning. To facilitate predictions of the International Roughness Index (IRI) changes over time on national highways in Nepal, this study develops a comprehensive overall model, along with regional models that consider climatic and traffic variations among the highways. The study models IRI over time using the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach and compares the results with those obtained from a multiple linear regression-based model. The models are developed using pavement IRI, traffic, and climatic (rainfall and temperature) data specific to national highways of Nepal, encompassing 1745 sections and 3710 total observations. The ANN-based overall model has a coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.82 and outperforms the regression-based model, which has an R2 value of 0.76. The regional models developed for the Terai, Hill, high volume Terai and low volume Terai highways have R2 values of 0.87, 0.91, 0.85 and 0.88, respectively, indicating a good fit. Analysis of the IRI trend over time, as observed from the performance curves generated from the ANN-based model, revealed an S-shaped pattern and lower Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) compared to the regression-based model. Sensitivity analysis highlighted the initial pavement IRI as the most significant parameter in all cases. High temperature days emerged as the second most influential parameter in most models, except for the high volume Terai model, where the number of commercial vehicles serves as the second most sensitive parameter after the initial IRI.