Apparent Resistance Research Articles

Effect of hydrofluoric acid-modified Co3O4/Y-type molecular sieves on MFC performance

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a green technology that facilitates resource utilization of wastewater by generating electricity while degrading organic and ammonia nitrogen pollutants. The anode plays a crucial role in the MFC performance, demanding excellent electrochemical performance and high stability. In this paper, a new high-performance anode of Co3O4 composite Y molecular sieve (Co3O4/Y) was prepared, and the effect of the Co3O4 ratio and hydrofluoric acid (HF) modification on the Co3O4/Y performance was also investigated. The results showed that the Co3O4/Y, synthesized through the hydrothermal method with 30 wt% loading of Co3O4 followed by 10 % HF treatment, demonstrated superior electrochemical performance, which had the highest redox peak current density, the largest current response area, and the maximum exchange current density of 0.038 mA/cm2. Four anode catalysts of MFC, namely, blank carbon cloth (CC), Co3O4-CC, Co3O4/Y-CC, and H-Co3O4/Y-CC were prepared, and four groups of MFCs were constructed for the treatment of mixed wastewater consisting of the aged landfill leachate and shale gas fracturing wastewater. Notably, the H-Co3O4/Y-CC group showed the best performance in power generation, achieving a maximum stabilized output voltage (448 mV), a maximum power density (1179 mW/m2), and a minimum apparent internal resistance (466 Ω). Additionally, the removal rate of ammonia nitrogen exceeded 40 % in the mixed wastewater of the 4 groups of MFCs. This study provided a viable strategy for fabricating high-performance MFC anode materials and offered insights into the simultaneous disposal of domestic and industrial wastewater in MFCs.

Assess the Possibility to Substituting Crude Oil-based Film Formers in Automotive Epoxy Metal Primers with Coconut oil-derived Bio-based Polyurethane Film Formers

There is a potential risk that diminishing some islands in the world map within a short time period due to global warming unless people divert into new strategies to use crude oil sustainability or replace with renewable resources. Polyurethane (PU) is one of the most popular film-forming materials in the coating industry because of its better performance. A coconut oil-derived biobased polyol (BBP) was synthesized and acid value, viscosity, reaction water release, oil length, FTIR spectrum, differential scanning calorimetry and Lovibond colourimetric index were assessed during the synthesis. A series of pigmented renewable polyurethane metal primer (RPUMP) wet samples were prepared by using BBP under two categories as direct-to-metal (DTM) primers and undercoat primers (UCP) in two mixing ratios with polyisocyanate hardener as 2:1 and 4:1. All samples were comparatively tested with crude oil born commercially available epoxy metal (CAEMP) primers in Sri Lankan market for apparent viscosity, fineness of grinding, solid content, specific gravity, gloss, drying time, hardness, dry film thickness, adhesion, impact resistance, water resistance, salt spray resistance and cylindrical mandrel bending. According to the results, it was proven that RPUMP showed overall better performances with the corresponded CAEMP under the DTM category. But under the UCP category RPUMP showed better performances in apparent viscosity, drying time and water resistance but equal magnitude for pencil hardness. CAEMP showed better performances in solid content, specific gravity, dry film thickness, flexibility, impact resistance and salt spray resistance.

Porous MgO-based ceramics synthesized by the volume expansion effect: Designing and performance

High-quality porous ceramics are extremely attractive in terms of energy conservation and consumption reduction, and thus are one of the research hotspots pursued in recent years. For this purpose, porous MgO-based ceramics with outstanding thermal shock resistance and thermal insulation performance were designed and prepared by using the direct firing method and introducing alumina with different paticle sizes as additives. The results reveal that the in-situ formed MgAl2O4 phase by alumina additives simultaneously improves the apparent porosity, thermal insulation, and thermal shock resistance of the prepared MgO-based ceramics. Specifically, the increase in the apparent porosity can be attributed to the volume expansion effect of MgAl2O4 phase, so the industrial alumina with larger particle size is more effective (20 wt% addition: the apparent porosity from 43.5 % to 55.4 %, the thermal conductivity from 0.977 to 0.389 W m−1 K−1 at 800 °C); moreover, the enhancement in thermal shock resistance can be ascribed to the residual stress effect caused by the MgAl2O4 particles, so the micron alumina with smaller particle size is more efficient (10 wt% addition: the residual strength ratio from 93.48 % to 65.13 %–113.92 % and 94.47 % after one and five air-quenching). Therefore, this work demonstrates a novel synthetic strategy for porous ceramics with great potential in the field of high-temperature thermal insulation.

Structural size effect in the mode I and mixed mode I/II fracture of strain-hardening cementitious composites (SHCC)

The size effect in the fracture of solids represents a highly critical issue with a prolonged history of research. The size effect of traditional quasi-brittle materials can already be well described through the size effect model. However, there is still a lack of research on the size effect of strain-hardening cementitious composites (SHCC), a special type of fibre-reinforced concrete with macro-scale strain-hardening behaviour after first cracking. Being distinct from traditional quasi-brittle materials with softening nature, SHCC is thus expected to behave differently in terms of size effect. In this research, the structural size effect problem of SHCC is comprehensively studied by experimental investigation and theoretical analysis. Geometrically similar notched three-point bending specimens were tested in mode I and mixed mode I/II fracture condition. The whole-process of failure and matrix cracking zone around the main crack was captured with high resolution by digital image correlation technology. Experimental results showed that apparent fracture energy, nominal strength, structural ductility and fracture resistance curve are all structural size-dependent. The apparent fracture energy was shown to arise with specimen size within the tested range. This is related to large-scale pseudo yielding, i.e., enlargement of matrix cracking zone (like the yielding zone in metals) with increasing structural size. It thus provides an indirect method for the estimation of cohesive fracture energy of single crack with constitutive nature. Due to the scaled matrix cracking zone, an intermediate asymptote exists in the size effect curve of nominal strength, in addition to the plastic and LEFM asymptotes in the Bažant original size effect law. This resembles the recent finding of intermediate asymptote in plastic-hardening metal. The size-dependence of R-curve was also examined. Though size-dependent, the equivalent LEFM-based R-curves are shown to have three common stages reflecting different cracking processes. Based on experimental results, the size effect of fracture energy and nominal strength are finally modelled theoretically in the Bažant’s framework of equivalence between energy release and fracture resistance.

The inhibited response of accessory minerals during high‐temperature reworking

AbstractU–Pb zircon and monazite geochronology are considered to be among the most efficient and reliable methods for constraining the timing of high‐temperature (HT) metamorphic events. However, the reliability of these chronometers is coupled to their ability to participate in reactions. A case study examining the responsiveness of zircon and monazite has been conducted using granulite facies metapelitic and metamafic lithologies in the Warumpi Province, central Australia. In some instances, metapelitic granulites from this locality are polymetamorphic, with an early M1 assemblage containing orthopyroxene, cordierite, biotite, quartz, ilmenite and magnetite, and an M2 assemblage represented by garnet, sillimanite, orthopyroxene, cordierite, biotite, sapphirine, ilmenite and magnetite. M2 metamorphism is linked to HT peak conditions of 8–10 kbar and 850–915°C. Detrital and metamorphic zircon and monazite from these rocks dominantly record U–Pb dates of 1670–1610 Ma and have trace element compositions suggesting they grew prior to peak M2 garnet in the rock. Lu–Hf geochronology from M2 garnet gives ages of c. 1150 Ma. Zircon and monazite are therefore suggested to have remained largely inert during HT metamorphism. We attribute the relatively minor response of zircon and monazite during high‐temperature Mesoproterozoic metamorphism to the localized development of refractory bulk compositions at c. 1630 Ma during M1 metamorphism. This created refractory Mg–Al‐rich bulk compositions that were unable to undergo significant partial melting, despite experiencing subsequent temperatures of ~900°C at c. 1150 Ma. In contrast, metapelitic and metamafic rocks in the area that did not develop refractory bulk compositions during M1 metamorphism were able to partially melt and record c. 1150 Ma accessory mineral U–Pb ages. These results contribute to a small, but growing number of case studies investigating the systematics of the U–Pb system in zircon and monazite in polymetamorphic HT terranes and their apparent resistance to isotopic resetting. Where disequilibrium is apparent, garnet Lu–Hf geochronology can form an important tool to interrogate the significance of accessory U–Pb ages. In the Warumpi Province in central Australia, c. 1640 Ma zircon U–Pb ages had previously been interpreted to reflect the formation of HT garnet‐bearing granulites during a collisional event. Instead, the garnet‐bearing assemblages formed at c. 1150 Ma during the Mesoproterozoic, calling into question the existence of a late Palaeoproterozoic collisional system in central Australia.

Evaluation of anthelmintic resistance in Oklahoma beef cattle herds and assessment of composite sampling for herd level fecal egg count reduction testing

Beef cow-calf producers submitted fecal samples for fecal egg count reduction (FECR) tests. Anthelmintic administration practices were not controlled, and producers were encouraged to follow standard procedures for each herd. Fecal egg counts (FEC) were determined using the Wisconsin method with alimit of detection of 1 egg per gram (EPG). Inclusion criteria included a pretreatment FEC of 25 EPG. A FECR of ≤ 90% was considered indicative of resistance. Seventeen herds submitted a total of 19 sample sets. All major classes of anthelmintics were represented except for levamisole. Injectable, pour-onand oral as well as original label and generic products were represented. Sample sets from 3 herds were excluded from the final analysis based on inadequate pretreatment FEC. Of the 16 sample sets included in the final analysis, 13 exhibited resistance based on the arithmetic mean of individual FECR tests (FECRT). In addition to individual FEC, composite samples for each herd were created using 1 gram of feces from each animal. Four grams of each composite sample were used to determine a composite FEC. Composite samples from 13 herds were included in the final analysis and 11 of 13 exhibited resistance. There was complete agreement between the individual and composite samples for the detection of resistance. Based on the results of this small survey, apparent anthelmintic resistance appears to be widespread in beef cow-calf herds in Oklahoma. Composite sampling appears to be an effectivemethod for detection of herd level resistance.

Calm after the storm? Similar patterns of genetic variation in a riverine foundation species before and after severe disturbance.

In summer 2011, Tropical storms Lee and Irene caused an estimated 90% decline of the submersed aquatic plant Vallisneria americana Michx. (Hydrocharitaceae) in the Hudson River of New York (USA). To understand the genetic impact of such large-scale demographic losses, we compared diversity at 10 microsatellite loci in 135 samples collected from five sites just before the storms with 239 shoots collected from nine sites 4 years after. Although 80% of beds sampled in 2011 lacked V. americana in 2015, we found similar genotypic and genetic diversity and effective population sizes in pre-storm versus post-storm sites. These similarities suggest that despite local extirpations concentrated at the upstream end of the sampling area, V. americana was regionally resistant to genetic losses. Similar geographically based structure among sites in both sampling periods suggested that cryptic local refugia at previously occupied sites facilitated re-expansion after the storms. However, this apparent resistance to disturbance may lead to a false sense of security. Low effective population sizes and high clonality in both time periods suggest that V. americana beds were already small and had high frequency of asexual reproduction before the storms. Dispersal was not sufficient to recolonize more isolated sites that had been extirpated. Chronic low diversity and reliance on asexual reproduction for persistence can be risky when more frequent and intense storms are paired with ongoing anthropogenic stressors. Monitoring genetic diversity along with extent and abundance of V. americana will give a more complete picture of long-term potential for resilience.

Antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from pigs and associations with aggregated antimicrobial usage in Ireland: A herd-level exploration.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is of significant global concern and is a major One Health issue. There is evidence to suggest that increased antimicrobial usage (AMU) can be associated with AMR patterns, and therefore, there have been efforts to reduce AMU in anticipation of reducing AMR emergence risk. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there were any associations between AMU and AMR patterns of commensal Escherichia coli isolated from pig herds in Ireland. Data on AMR from a panel of antimicrobials (AMDs) were gathered as part of national surveillance activities. These data were associated with reported usage of AMDs, on a year-quarter basis, measured in mg/kg at a herd-level using generalized estimating equation regression analysis. Associations were tested with AMR presence or multi-drug resistance (MDR; ≥3 classes) profiles and total AMU during the contemporaneous quarter and previous quarter, respectively. Furthermore, individual and AMD class-based associations were tested. The final dataset contained 218 observations (herd-quarter usage and AMR resistance profile) from 122 herds during 2019-2021. Apparent resistance prevalence varied according to AMD type, with the highest mean prevalence found with tetracycline at 51.57% (95% CI: 45.06%-58.09%). There were significant associations between a herd obtaining a positive AMR result for any AMDs and the overall levels of AMU during the year-quarter. Furthermore, there were significant positive associations between MDR and total AMU. At the compound level, chloramphenicol resistance was significantly associated with increased usage of trimethoprim/sulfadiazine and chlortetracycline, respectively (p < 0.010). Tetracycline resistance was associated with increased use of chlortetracycline (p = 0.008). At the antimicrobial class level, there was a significant positive relationship between the usage of phenicol and the probability of a resistance for chloramphenicol (p = 0.026) and between the usage of tetracycline and tetracycline resistance probability (p = 0.018). Our data provide evidence of associations between overall AMU and AMR or MDR risk at the herd-quarter level. There was also evidence of associations between specific AMDs and patterns of resistance. Associations varied depending on whether time lags in usage were modelled or how usage was modelled (e.g. dichotomized or continuous). Associations with rarely used AMDs (e.g. critically important AMDs) were precluded due to a lack of statistical power. Continued monitoring of both AMU and AMR is crucial to assess the impacts of policy changes aimed at reducing AMU.

Epigenetic weapons in plant-herbivore interactions: Sulforaphane disrupts histone deacetylases, gene expression, and larval development in Spodoptera exigua while the specialist feeder Trichoplusia ni is largely resistant to these effects.

Cruciferous plants produce sulforaphane (SFN), an inhibitor of nuclear histone deacetylases (HDACs). In humans and other mammals, the consumption of SFN alters enzyme activities, DNA-histone binding, and gene expression within minutes. However, the ability of SFN to act as an HDAC inhibitor in nature, disrupting the epigenetic machinery of insects feeding on these plants, has not been explored. Here, we demonstrate that SFN consumed in the diet inhibits the activity of HDAC enzymes and slows the development of the generalist grazer Spodoptera exigua, in a dose-dependent fashion. After consuming SFN for seven days, the activities of HDAC enzymes in S. exigua were reduced by 50%. Similarly, larval mass was reduced by 50% and pupation was delayed by 2-5 days, with no additional mortality. Similar results were obtained when SFN was applied topically to eggs. RNA-seq analyses confirm that SFN altered the expression of thousands of genes in S. exigua. Genes associated with energy conversion pathways were significantly downregulated while those encoding for ribosomal proteins were dramatically upregulated in response to the consumption of SFN. In contrast, the co-evolved specialist feeder Trichoplusia ni was not negatively impacted by SFN, whether it was consumed in their diet at natural concentrations or applied topically to eggs. The activities of HDAC enzymes were not inhibited and development was not disrupted. In fact, SFN exposure sometimes accelerated T. ni development. RNA-seq analyses revealed that the consumption of SFN alters gene expression in T. ni in similar ways, but to a lesser degree, compared to S. exigua. This apparent resistance of T. ni can be overwhelmed by unnaturally high levels of SFN or by exposure to more powerful pharmaceutical HDAC inhibitors. These results demonstrate that dietary SFN interferes with the epigenetic machinery of insects, supporting the hypothesis that plant-derived HDAC inhibitors serve as "epigenetic weapons" against herbivores.

3D-dimensional Effective Stress Analysis of Wetting and Wetting Trapping Process in Wet-submerged Loess Tunnel Surrounding Rock Based on BP Neural Network

INTRODUCTION: China's loess is vast. Loess has apparent high strength and resistance to deformation once encountered with water immersion and humidification, fusible salts precipitated on the surface of soil particles, the soil's carry alkalization strength is relatively reduced, while the vertical tubular pores in the soil accelerate the infiltration of water, the earth will be in the self-weight or the overlying loads of the additional action of the soil body will produce a significant settlement deformation, which results in the structural damage of the upper building, which is the loss of the wetting of subsidence.&#x0D; OBJECTIVES: From China's practical point of view, the humidification and wetting process of wetted loess tunnel peripheral rock is deeply discussed and analyzed, and the water content distribution characteristics of wetted loess tunnel peripheral rock are sought.&#x0D; METHODS: Using the particle swarm algorithm, four neural optimization network models, namely, radial basis neural network (RBFNN), generalized regression neural network (GRNN), wavelet neural network (WNN), and fuzzy neural network (FNN), are simulated and created for the analysis of three-dimensional effective stresses in the process of humidity and wetness subsidence in the surrounding rock of loess tunnels of a northwestern city in China and a central city in China.&#x0D; RESULTS: By analyzing the comparison graphs between the predicted and actual values of these four models on the test data of two sets of experimental data, the distribution of the proportion of the expected difference to the true value, and the results of the calculation of the three error indexes, it can be found that when using the four neural networks, namely, RBFNN, GRNN, WNN, and FNN, for the analysis of the three-dimensional effective stresses during the process of increasing wetting and wetting of the surrounding rock of the tunnel in the soil-wetted loess, the prediction performance of the WNN is the best.&#x0D; CONCLUSION: The soil's unsaturated settlement characteristics differ for different water contents and humidification times. The shorter the period, the more the soil column water content difference. With the continuous increase of water content change in the soil layer, the distribution of water content change in the loess soil column tends to be relatively uniform, and the difference in damage rate between the upper and lower layers tends to be reduced—the amount, time, and pressure of humidification controls wet subsidence.

Antibody and B Cell Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination: The End of the Beginning.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved during the past years, interactions between human immune systems, rapidly mutating and selected SARS-CoV-2 viral variants, and effective vaccines have complicated the landscape of individual immunological histories. Here, we review some key findings for antibody and B cell-mediated immunity, including responses to the highly mutated omicron variants; immunological imprinting and other impacts of successive viral antigenic variant exposures on antibody and B cell memory; responses in secondary lymphoid and mucosal tissues and non-neutralizing antibody-mediated immunity; responses in populations vulnerable to severe disease such as those with cancer, immunodeficiencies, and other comorbidities, as well as populations showing apparent resistance to severe disease such as many African populations; and evidence of antibody involvement in postacute sequelae of infection or long COVID. Despite the initial phase of the pandemic ending, human populations will continue to face challenges presented by this unpredictable virus.

Effect of Berberine as efflux pump inhibitor in multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from urinary tract infections

The urinary tract infections with K. pneumoniae have increased over many years. The emergence of antibiotic resistance among these bacteria presents a challenging problem for the clinician regarding the management and treatment of infections. The multidrug resistance in K. pneumoniae is due to several mechanisms, one of which is the role of efflux pumps. The current study investigated the role of Efflux Pump Inhibitors Phenylalanine-Arginine β-Naphthylamide (PAβN) and Berberine as antibacterial agents with multidrug-resistant K. pneumonia isolates from urinary tract infections. The collection of study samples took place between December 2021 and completed at the end of April 2022; it included 260 urine samples collected from outpatients and inpatients suffering from urinary tract infections during this period, from both genders with ages ranging from 15 to 72 years in five hospitals in Baghdad. The results of selective media, biochemical tests, and the VITEK2 system identified 76 isolates (65.5%) as K. pneumoniae from all collected bacterial cultures. The results of the antimicrobial susceptibility test using the disc diffusion method for the isolates under study showed that K. pneumoniae clinical isolates were moderately resistant to most antibiotics tested. Most K. pneumoniae isolates were highly resistant to Amoxicillin (96.1%) and Trimethoprim (80.3%). Also, there was apparent resistance to Gentamicin and Amikacin, while the lowest percentage of resistance was for Meropenem (55.1%) and Ciprofloxacin (53.9%). The susceptibility of the strains to Ciprofloxacin was highly increased in the presence of the efflux pump inhibitor (PAβN). The PAβN reduced the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) by 4- to 64-fold. The results of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of Berberine against ten K. pneumoniae isolates with multidrug resistance revealed that the range of MICs of Berberine was (3.9-500 µg/ml) and it was obvious that there is a significant effect of Berberine on the growth of K. pneumoniae at deficient concentrations. This study concluded that using Berberine as an efflux pump inhibitor and antimicrobial agent may become a new generation of urgently needed antimicrobials that can overcome bacterial resistance mechanisms. Keywords: UTI infections, MDR, Berberine, Klebsiella pneumoniae

Application of Gd2ZnMnO6/ZnO nanocomposite for electrochemical measurement of acetaminophen, diphenhydramine, and phenylephrine

An electrochemical sensor with high sensitivity was designed and used to measure several drugs, including acetaminophen (AC), diphenhydramine (DPH), and phenylephrine (PHE). This sensor was created using a carbon paste electrode (CPE) that has been modified with a Gd2ZnMnO6/ZnO nanocomposite. In order to analyze the developed sensor, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques were used. The electrochemical behavior of the modified electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and apparent resistance spectroscopy methods. Also, the compound's diffusion coefficient (D) was calculated. By using the differential pulse voltammetry, AC, DPH, and PA were determined with detection limits of 2.5 × 10−8, 3.3 × 10−8, and 1.4 × 10−8 M in the linear concentration ranges of 0.09–900 μM. Finally, the designed sensor was utilized to measure the drug in real samples, and acceptable results were obtained.

Stevia rebaudiana leaves fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum exhibit resistance to microorganisms and cancer cell lines in vitro: A potential sausage preservative

Natural preservatives are causing a rethinking of current preservation means. As a sweetener resource, exploitation of Stevia rebaudiana leaves (SRLs) is still restricted due to human conventional cognition. Herein, Lactobacillus plantarum fermented SRLs containing diverse free secondary metabolites derived from microbial deglycosylation and bioenzymatic decomposition were investigated. The apparent resistance to typical foodborne bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomoas aeruginosa, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) by fermented SRLs and their extracts were validated. The metabolite diversity and in-depth organic solvent extraction gave the possibilities for better antimicrobial actions, anti-HepG2/SGC-7901 cells in vitro in contrast with aqueous extract of unfermented SRLs. Crucially, compound identification and attribution revealed that fermentation products may be maximally contributing to antimicrobial and antitumor mechanisms rather than intrinsic plant and/or microbial components. Additionally, pork sausage models with 15 g/kg ethyl acetate extract as a preservative candidate presented preferred storage characteristics (21 days and 37 °C) compared to those without ethyl acetate extract, e.g. the minimal total plate count (3.86 ± 0.27 log CFU/g), peroxsignide value (8.02 ± 0.92 meq/kg), and acid value (2.01 ± 0.04 (KOH)/(mg/g)).

Using integrated analysis from multicentre studies to identify RNA methylation-related lncRNA risk stratification systems for glioma

BackgroundN6-methyladenosine (m6A), 5-methylcytosine (m5C) and N1-methyladenosine (m1A) are the main RNA methylation modifications involved in the progression of cancer. However, it is still unclear whether RNA methylation-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) affect the prognosis of glioma.MethodsWe summarized 32 m6A/m5C/m1A-related genes and downloaded RNA-seq data and clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Differential expression analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were used to identify differentially expressed (DE-) RNA methylation-related lncRNAs in order to construct a prognostic signature of glioma and in order to determine their correlation with immune function, immune therapy and drug sensitivity. In vitro and in vivo assays were performed to elucidate the effects of RNA methylation-related lncRNAs on glioma.ResultsA total of ten RNA methylation-related lncRNAs were used to construct a survival and prognosis signature, which had good independent prediction ability for patients. It was found that the high-risk group had worse overall survival (OS) than the low-risk group in all cohorts. In addition, the risk group informed the immune function, immunotherapy response and drug sensitivity of patients with glioma in different subgroups. Knockdown of RP11-98I9.4 and RP11-752G15.8 induced a more invasive phenotype, accelerated cell growth and apparent resistance to temozolomide (TMZ) both in vitro and in vivo. We observed significantly elevated global RNA m5C and m6A levels in glioma cells.ConclusionOur study determined the prognostic implication of RNA methylation-related lncRNAs in gliomas, established an RNA methylation-related lncRNA prognostic model, and elucidated that RP11-98I9.4 and RP11-752G15.8 could suppress glioma proliferation, migration and TMZ resistance. In the future, these RNA methylation-related lncRNAs may become a new choice for immunotherapy of glioma.

Effect of Electro-Oil Acclimation of an Indigenous Strain on the Performance of Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells (SMFC)

Sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) is a type of MFC without a proton exchange membrane. However, SMFC have had problems with low-power production performance. In this paper, the effects of native bacteria (K1) in oily sludge and their electro-oil-induced domestication on the power generation and oil removal performance of SMFC were studied. The results showed that K1 belonged to Ochrobactrum intermedium. During the domestication process, an upward trend was shown in the OD600 and ORP values in the culture medium, and it grown best at 0.7 V. Ochrobactrum intermedium K1 significantly increased the average output voltage, electromotive force, and maximum power density of SMFC and reduced the apparent internal resistance of the battery. The maximum power density was 169.43 mW/m3, which was 8.59 times higher than that of the control group. Ochrobactrum intermedium K1 improved the degradation of crude oil by SMFC. Ochrobactrum intermedium K1 enhanced the degradation of high-carbon alkanes and even-carbon alkanes in n-alkanes. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry tests showed that after acclimation, Ochrobactrum intermedium K1 improved the extracellular electron transfer efficiency (EET) mediated by c-Cyts and flavin by increasing the surface protein redox potential.

Chitosan Oligomer as a Raw Material for Obtaining Polyurethane Foams.

Decreasing oil extraction stimulates attempts to use biologically available sources to produce polyols, which are the basic components for obtaining polyurethane foams. Plants are inexhaustible source of oils, sugars, starches, and cellulose. Similar substrates to obtain polyols are chitosans. Commercially available modified chitosans are soluble in water, which gives them the possibility to react with hydroxyalkylating agents. We used a water-soluble chitosan previously to obtain polyols suitable for producing rigid polyurethane foams. Here, we described hydroxyalkylation of a low-molecular-weight chitosan (oligomeric chitosan) with glycidol and ethylene carbonate to obtain polyols. The polyols were isolated and studied in detail by IR, 1H-NMR, and MALDI-ToF methods. Their properties, such as density, viscosity, surface tension, and hydroxyl numbers, were determined. The progress of the hydroxyalkylation reaction of water-soluble chitosan and chitosan oligomer with glycidol was compared in order to characterize the reactivity and mechanism of the process. We found that the hydroxyalkylation of chitosan with glycidol in glycerol resulted in the formation of a multifunctional product suitable for further conversion to polyurethane foams with favorable properties. The straightforward hydroxyalkylation of chitosan with glycidol was accompanied by the oligomerization of glycidol. The hydroxyalkylation of chitosan with glycidol in the presence of ethylene carbonate was accompanied by minor hydroxyalkylation of chitosan with ethylene carbonate. The chosen polyols were used to obtain rigid polyurethane foams which were characterized by physical parameters such as apparent density, water uptake, dimension stability, heat conductance, compressive strength, and heat resistance at 150 and 175 °C. The properties of polyurethane foams obtained from chitosan-oligomer and water-soluble-chitosan sources were compared. Polyurethane foams obtained from polyols synthesized in the presence of glycerol had advantageous properties such as low thermal conductivity, enhanced thermal resistance, dimensional stability, low water uptake, and high compressive strength, growing remarkably upon thermal exposure.

Preparation of morph-genetic aluminum-doped calcium oxide templated from cotton and the calcium looping performance for energy storage in the presence of steam

Calcium looping (CaL), which can be combined with concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, is considered a promising technology for energy storage. To overcome the deactivation of calcium based materials with increasing cycles, a novel morph-genetic aluminum doped calcium oxide was prepared by a biomass template method using limestone, aluminum nitrate and cotton as raw materials. The effects of preparation parameters and heat storage conditions (especially in presence of steam) on the energy storage performance were studied. The results showed that the hollow tubular structure of the biomass template was preserved in the synthesized material and stabilized by the support of Ca12Al14O33. The presence of the hollow microtubular structure resulted in an increased pore volume of the synthesized materials and a change of the pore distribution, promoting the diffusion of CO2. This phenomenon also explained the superior performance of the synthesized material in terms of the apparent kinetic properties and resistance to sintering. The optimal synthesized material had a high energy storage density and carbonation fraction, which were more than three times those of limestone. The presence of steam during calcination served to reduce the calcination temperature and mitigate the sintering effect of CaO. An optimization route combining solar steam system and CaL-CSP system was proposed based on the positive effect of steam, which was promising for high-efficiency energy storage.

Extensively Drug-Resistant Enteric Fever In Children: Surging Threats Of Antimicrobial Resistance And Possible Solutions.

Enteric fever is an infectious disease caused by Salmonella enterica including Salmonella Typhi and Paratyphi A and is associated with potentially serious outcomes, especially in developing countries. The study was conducted with the aim to present the clinical features, laboratory characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility in patients with culture-proven extensively drug-resistant (XDR) enteric fever and to explore drug combinations as a possible solution for the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Paediatric unit of Ayub teaching hospital. Patients admitted with culture-proven XDR enteric fever were included. Patient characteristics were documented on a predesigned proforma. Response to antimicrobial agents including ceftriaxone and levofloxacin, azithromycin and meropenem and meropenem alone was assessed. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 26. A total of 53 patients participated in this study. The majority of patients 36 (67.9%) were male and above 5 years of age(n=38,71.7%). The mean age of the participants was 7.08±3.02 years. The major presenting features included fever, anorexia and pain abdomen in 53 (100%), 51 (96.2%) and 41 (77.4%) respectively. The mean duration of symptoms prior to hospitalization was 8.92±3.361 days. Of the total patients, 32(60.4%) responded to the initial therapy with ceftriaxone and levofloxacin, 11(20.8%) patients responded to meropenem alone and 10 (18.9%) patients responded to meropenem and azithromycin in combination. There was no statistically significant difference in mean duration to show response in patients receiving either of the treatments (p=0.484). Paediatric patients with XDR enteric fever mainly presented with fever, anorexia and pain abdomen and showed good response to therapy with the combination of ceftriaxone and levofloxacin inspite of the apparent resistance on blood culture and sensitivity.

Pharmacogenomics and the Concept of Personalized Medicine for the Management of Hypertension

Pharmacogenomics and the Concept of Personalized Medicine for the Management of Hypertension