Carrier Rate Research Articles

Assessment the carrier frequency of monogenic diseases in populations requiring assisted reproductive technology

PurposeThe objective of this study is to assess the carrier frequency and pathogenic variation of monogenetic diseases in a population of 114 subjects in Han Chinese from Hebei province who are undergoing assisted reproductive technology through the utilization of Expanded Carrier Screening (ECS).MethodsThe study utilized a panel consisting of 155 severe monogenic recessive genetic diseases for ECS. Next-generation sequencing technology was employed to identify specific variants associated with ECS in a cohort of 114 subjects from 97 couples, comprising 97 females and 17 male spouses.ResultsA total of 114 individuals received ECS. The carrier rate of pathogenic genes in the enrolled population was 44.74% (51/114). Among the 97 females, the carrier rate of pathogenic genes was higher in those without assisted reproduction indicators than in those with assisted reproduction indicators (59.09% vs. 41.33%). However, the carrier rate of pathogenic genes in males without assisted reproductive technology was slightly lower than that with assisted reproductive technology (40% vs. 41.67%). Among both female and male participants, the carrier rate of pathogenic genes between individuals without indicators of assisted reproduction and those with such indicators was 55.55% vs. 41.38%. In 51 carriers, 72.55% (37/51) carried one genetic variant, 25.49% (13/51) carried two genetic variants, and 1.96% (1/51) carried three genetic variants. A total of 38 pathogenic genes were detected in this study, and GJB2 and MMACHC were most common. The carrier rates of the two genes were both 5.26% (6/114). A total of 55 variations were detected, and c.235delC was most frequently found. The carrier rate was 3.51% (4/114). The incidence of couples carrying the same pathogenic genes was 1.03% (1/97).ConclusionsThe findings elucidate the carrier rate of pathogenic genes among 155 severe monogenic recessive genetic diseases and underscore the significance of ECS as a preventive measure against congenital anomalies. When both partners carry the same genetic mutation for a monogenic disease, preventive strategies can be taken in offspring through preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), prenatal genetic testing, or the utilization of donor gametes. ECS is instrumental in assessing reproductive risk, guiding fertility-related decisions, and reducing the prevalence of monogenic recessive genetic disorders in subsequent generations.

Mechanism study on quantification of sulfurization effect on methane decomposition with CuO oxygen carrier

The sulfur-containing impurity in natural gas, coal, and organic solid wastes generally exerts significant impacts on the dynamic evolution of sulfur oxides emission in atmosphere, and results in the degraded reaction performance of chemical looping process. Methane is the main component of natural gas and a typical pyrolysis and gasification product of solid waste, so it is of great significance to quantify the toxicological effects on the conversion of methane. this work realizes the accurate prediction of methane heterogeneous conversion in a multiscale kinetic model, and innovatively establishes a framework for quantifying the toxicological effect on the oxygen carrier particles. The kinetic parameters of methane oxidation over fresh and sulfurized oxygen carriers are calculated using density functional theory, and the sensitivity analysis of rate constant is conducted to forecast the priority of different reactions. Results indicate that the effect of residual sulfur in oxygen carrier is complex and not monotonically inhibited, and the sulfurization significantly limits the methane oxidation reactivity by reducing the reaction rate of the rate-limited dissociation step under the high-temperature condition. The multi-scale kinetic simulations reveal that the maximum instantaneous rate of sulfurized oxygen carrier is decreased by 7.45 %, which is deemed as the attenuation factor of 0.9255 derived from the toxicological effects of sulfurization.

Self-assembled chromium-based nitrogen carrier for chemical looping ammonia synthesis

Industrially, ammonia is generated mainly using the energy-intensive and CO2-emitting Haber-Bosch process, which is not conducive to sustainable economic and social development. The chemical looping ammonia synthesis (CLAS) is capable of coupling green energy, which is one of the available alternatives to the Haber-Bosch process, but the ammonia production rate of most of its nitrogen carriers is unsatisfactory. In this work, we designed a self-assembled nitrogen carrier using ZSM-5 molecular sieve (ZSM-5) and nickel (Ni) to modify chromium nitride (CrN). ZSM-5 molecular sieves have a rich pore structure, which enables the gas-phase reactants to react with the lattice nitrogen in the subsurface layer of the nitrogen carrier. Nickel can facilitate the dissociation of hydrogen during hydrogenation due to its higher hydrogen affinity. The ammonia production rate of the nitrogen carrier can reach 451.2 μmol g−1 h−1 at 700 °C and atmospheric pressure, and be able to remain 358 μmol g−1 h−1 after eight cycles. Furthermore, we also propose a full-coverage design strategy for nitrogen carriers: simultaneous optimization of the chemical and mass transfer processes in the nitrogen carrier. This work advances the design of high-performance nitrogen carrier, thus facilitating the applications of CLAS for the distributed ammonia synthesis.

Praseodymium doping-induced band structure tunning in bismuth ferrite (Bi1-xPrxFeO3) nanofibers for the enhanced photocatalytic properties

The study investigates the influence of praseodymium (Pr) doping on bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3/BFO) nanofibers and their structural, morphological, magnetic, optical, and photocatalytic properties. A series of bismuth ferrite nanofibers with varying concentration of Pr (Bi1-xPrxFeO3, x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15 mol%) were successfully synthesized using an electrospinning technique. XRD patterns revealed that structural transformation occurred from rhombohedral to orthorhombic upon effective doping of Pr3+ into BFO nanofibers. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed that Bi, Fe, and O maintained their native oxidation states of +3 and -2, respectively in the bare and doped systems. Furthermore, the optical band gap value was significantly reduced from 2.35 to 2.22 eV as well as the recombination rates of charge carriers in the doped systems, especially in BP0.15O system. The photocatalytic performance of the prepared samples was studied by measuring the decomposition of rhodamine B (RhB) under sunlight irradiation. Outcomes showed that the doped-BFO nanofibers exhibited enhanced photocatalytic performance compared to pure BFO, with the BP0.15O system showing the 98 % degradation in 60 min. This enhancement could be attributed to the presence of Pr-energy levels, which facilitating enhanced separation, and charge transfer to the surface for the effective redox reactions.

Collaborative modelling of gas-solid reacting flow in a fuel reactor equipped with process controllers in chemical looping combustion/conversion

Chemical reactors usually feature complex internal reacting flows, and they are usually equipped with process controllers to stabilise their operations, especially for highly dynamic reactors including chemical looping combustion/conversion (CLC). However, their dynamic internal states are not well understood due to the lack of reliable research tools. In this work, for the first time, an innovative numerical collaborative model is developed to describe the reacting flow details and simulate the response to a process controller. The collaborative model is applied to a fuel reactor (FR) in a CLC to demonstrate its effectiveness. The detailed internal flow patterns in the FR are obtained and described by the three-phase reacting flow CFD model, and the circulating rate of oxygen carrier (OC) is controlled and optimised by the fuzzy logic controller (FLC). The controller is designed to operate at varying control time intervals, 1 s, 2 s, and 5 s, to study the optimal frequency for data sampling and feedback. The efficiency of the controller to the FR is tested in terms of OC circulation, gas components and the general performance of the reactor. The results show that the stability of OC circulating rate and performance are effectively improved by the process controller; among the three control intervals, the 2 s interval shows the highest feasibility and capability of maintaining stable OC circulation and CO2 yield in the FR. Quantitatively, compared to the base case without a controller, the range of OC circulating rates has been narrowed from [0.014, 0.534] to [0.018, 0.385] in control case A, [0.075, 0.342] in control case B, and [0.004, 0.530] in control case C. Meanwhile, the CO2 yield increased from 86.93 % in the base case to 87.98 % in control case A, 88.16 % in control case B, but decreased to 85.4 % in control case C due to poor controlling performance. The combustion efficiency increased from 84.20 % in the base case to 84.87 % in control case A, 86.22 % in control case B, and 85.88 % in control case C. Among all control cases, control case B presents the narrowest data range and highest efficiency, indicating optimal control performance in improving OC circulation stability. The deviation of OC circulating rate values decreases from 0.123 to 0.058, and the CO2 yield increases from 86.93 % to 88.16 % in control case B with a 2 s interval. This work provides a new cost-effective tool for real-time simulating and controlling the reacting flow system including CLC for clean combustion and solid wastes conversion.

Near-infrared photodetection and time-resolved photocurrents in cadmium arsenide heterojunctions.

Dirac and Weyl semimetals, such as cadmium arsenide (Cd3As2), have recently attracted attention for use in high-speed photodetectors that operate at longer infrared wavelengths, where conventional semiconductor-based photodetectors have a limited performance. In this Letter, we explore near-infrared (960 nm) photodetection in a Cd3As2/AlSb heterojunction. We show that Cd3As2/AlSb heterojunctions allow for an unbiased operation and demonstrate an enhanced responsivity and quantum efficiency compared to AlSb and Cd3As2 reference devices. To characterize their high-speed response, the photocurrent dynamics of the heterojunctions were also explored via time-resolved photocurrent (TRPC) measurements, revealing a photocurrent process occurring over 200-500 ps in the Cd3As2/AlSb heterojunctions that is not observed in the AlSb and Cd3As2 reference devices. This time is attributed to the recombination rate of carriers in the heterojunction.

Hot carriers from intra- and interband transitions in gold-silver alloy nanoparticles

Hot electrons and holes generated from the decay of localised surface plasmons in metallic nanoparticles can be harnessed for applications in solar energy conversion and sensing. In this paper, we study the generation of hot carriers in large spherical gold-silver alloy nanoparticles using a recently developed atomistic modelling approach that combines a solution of Maxwell’s equations with large-scale tight-binding simulations. We find that hot-carrier properties depend sensitively on the alloy composition. Specifically, nanoparticles with a large gold fraction produce hot carriers under visible light illumination while nanoparticles with a large silver fraction require higher photon energies to produce hot carriers. Moreover, most hot carriers in nanoparticles with a large gold fraction originate from interband transitions which give rise to energetic holes and ‘cold’ electrons near the Fermi level. Increasing the silver fraction enhances the generation rate of hot carriers from intraband transitions which produce energetic electrons and ‘cold’ holes. These findings demonstrate that alloy composition is a powerful tuning parameter for the design of nanoparticles for applications in solar energy conversion and sensing that require precise control of hot-carrier properties.

Epidemiology of and risk factors associated with third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli carriage in children: A comparison between regions in Taiwan

BackgroundThe increasing prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the community is a global public health challenge. This study investigated the prevalence of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant (3GCR) E. coli fecal carriage in children, identified associated risk factors, and determined antimicrobial resistance patterns of E. coli across three regions of Taiwan. MethodsStool samples from children aged 0–18 years were collected in southern, northern, and eastern Taiwan from community or outpatient clinics between July 2022 and May 2023. E. coli colonies were selected and examined for antimicrobial susceptibility and multilocus sequence typing. Participant demographic data and potential risk factors for carrying resistant E. coli were surveyed using a questionnaire. ResultsOf the 246 children surveyed, 59.3% carried multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli, and 37.4% carried 3GCR E. coli. The prevalence of 3GCR E. coli carriage was highest in southern Taiwan (42.7%), followed by northern Taiwan (35.5%) and eastern Taiwan (28.4%). The study identified several risk factors which may be associated with the fecal carriage of 3GCR E. coli, such as having lower paternal education levels, being overweight or obese, having a nonvegetarian diet, and consuming eggs, with variations observed across regions. ConclusionThis study documented elevated fecal carriage rates of 3GCR and MDR E. coli across regions of Taiwan. The study also identified numerous demographic and environmental factors that require implementing comprehensive strategies to address this public health challenge.

Prevalence of Transcription Factor 4 Gene Triplet Repeat Expansion Associated with Fuchs’ Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy in the United States and Global Populations

ObjectiveAn intronic CTG triplet repeat expansion in the transcription factor 4 gene (TCF4) gene (CTG18.1) confers significant risk for the development of Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD). The objective of this study was to conduct an unbiased survey of the CTG18.1 repeat expansion allele frequencies in a multi-ethnic, population-based cohort from the United States and in global populations. DesignCross-sectional study SubjectsDallas Heart Study (DHS) cohort including 1,599 African Americans (AAs), 1,028 European Americans (EAs), and 458 Latinos; 2,500 individuals from the 1000 Genomes Project (1KGP) sampled from 26 populations across 5 continents. MethodsWe genotyped the CTG18.1 short tandem repeat in DHS using targeted polymerase chain reaction amplification followed by fragment analysis. We also inferred the CTG18.1 repeat genotype based on short-read whole-genome sequencing in 1KGP using the computational tool ExpansionHunter. Main Outcome MeasuresThe prevalence of an expanded CTG18.1 allele with ≥40 repeats was determined in U.S. and global populations. ResultsThe carrier rates of the expanded allele were 3.1%, 8.1%, and 3.3% in AAs, EAs, and Latinos, respectively, in the DHS, and 2.7%, 9.5%, 5.2%, 7.2%, and 5.2% in the African (AFR), European (EUR), East Asian (EAS), South Asian (SAS), and admixed American (AMR) continental populations, respectively, in the 1KGP. The distributions of the CTG18.1 repeat in DHS and in 1KGP are similar. The median repeat length was ∼17 with the interquartile range (IQR) between 12 and 23 in the DHS populations. The median repeat length was ∼19 in all the 1KGP populations with the IQR between 13 and 26. The highest prevalence of the expanded allele carriers ranging from 12.1% to 12.5% was observed in some EUR and AMR subpopulations. The frequency of expanded alleles carriers was absent or low (0 - 1.9%) in subpopulations of East Africa but was present at 6.2% in a Kenyan subpopulation in West Africa. ConclusionsThe TCF4 repeat expansion is most prevalent in people of European ancestry and least in African ancestry, which is consistent with FECD prevalence. The expanded TCF4 CTG18.1 allele is the most common disease-causing short tandem repeat in humans with worldwide implications for corneal disease.

The prevalence of SMN gene deletion/duplication in spinal muscular atrophy families referred to neuro-genetic centers of Mashhad, Iran

BackgroundSpinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a group of motor neuron diseases. In 95% of SMA patients, the telomeric copy of the SMN gene (SMN1) is homozygously deleted. Due to the autosomal recessive pattern of SMA inheritance, individuals with a family history of SMA are at risk of being carriers. A total of 622 individuals from SMA families, including parents, siblings, and first, second, and third-degree relatives, were recruited to the neuro-genetic clinic of Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. SMA cases and suspected carriers were referred to the genetic laboratory. Pregnant women underwent amniocentesis and chorionic villi sampling at 12–14 gestational weeks. RFLP-PCR and real-time PCR were performed for symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals (possible carriers), respectively. RFLP and real-time PCR were performed for amniotic fluid and chorionic villi samples.ResultsThe study enrolled 622 subjects from SMA-affected families, including 159 fetuses and 463 non-fetuses. Two samples were missing. A total of 268 individuals (43.2%) were healthy (wild type), 187 individuals (30.1%) were heterozygous for exon deletion of SMN1, and 143 individuals (23%) were homozygous for exon deletion of SMN1. Four individuals (0.6%) showed three copies of the SMN1 gene.ConclusionThe frequency of carriers with two SMN1 copies on a single chromosome (cis) was estimated at 2.9% (18/622), and the total rate of carriers was approximately 21.8%. Considering the high rate of SMA carriers in this study, genetic counseling and definitive prenatal diagnosis are of utmost importance for reducing the psychosocial burden of the SMA disease among Iranian families.

Pertarungan Harga dan Kualitas Pelayanan: Strategi Gojek Menjaga Konsumen Jakarta

This studies targets to analyze the effect of carrier best and rate on GOJEK user pleasure in DKI Jakarta. GOJEK, as one in all the biggest on-line transport applications in Indonesia, faces stiff competition from different agencies supplying similar services. consequently, it's miles vital for GOJEK to constantly improve its carrier best and offer competitive prices to maintain its dominant function. This studies makes use of quantitative methods with records collection thru questionnaires disbursed to GOJEK customers in DKI Jakarta. The sampling technique used was stratified sampling, with a complete of 124 respondents. The collected statistics had been analyzed using validity, reliability, classical assumption exams, and more than one linear regression analysis. The outcomes confirmed that provider high-quality and rate have a good sized impact on GOJEK person pride. The provider best variable has a nice affect on person satisfaction, as well as the price variable. The F test results show that service fine and fee simultaneously have a sizeable impact on person delight with a coefficient of dedication of 41.four%, which indicates that 41.4% of the version in person pride can be explained by means of service nice and charge. primarily based on these findings, GOJEK is recommended to retain improving its service exceptional and providing competitive costs to increase consumer pleasure and preserve customer loyalty amid more and more fierce opposition

Coupling interface, electronic and conjugation effects in C-COFs/TiO2 composite structure toward boosting photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Hydrogen energy, recognized as a pivotal clean energy source, has attracted considerable attention in the realm of photocatalytic hydrogen production. Nevertheless, inorganic materials were difficult to regulate band gaps, resulting in limited photogenerated carrier rates. Additionally, organic materials frequently suffer from insufficient stability and a propensity for electron recombination. Therefore, fully utilizing the interface effect will become an important breakthrough for novel and efficient catalysts. Herein, hydroxylate covalent organic frameworks (H-COFs) were formed by direct synthesis method, in addition, titanium dioxide (TiO2) was used as an inorganic substrate, and TiO2 was transformed titanium acid under weakly acidic conditions, meanwhile, chloride covalent organic frameworks (C-COFs) growth on TiO2 surface by interface effect when H-COFs were formed into C-COFs under titanium acid. The structure characteristics, photoelectric performance, bandgap width and stability of C-COFs/TiO2 were confirmed through characterization analysis. C-COFs/TiO2 exhibit strong stability, conjugation effects, electron deficiency effects, and catalytic efficiency. Hydrogen production rate up to 5598 μmol g−1 h−1 by C-COFs/TiO2 as photocatalyst. C-COFs/TiO2 lead to 161 times improvement in photocatalytic activity for TiO2 and 3.6 times improvement in photocatalytic activity for H-COFs. The catalytic reaction mechanism was obtained by utilizing experimental data and DFT calculation. This synergistic integration of organic inorganic combined catalyst provides a foundational framework for advancing research into novel photocatalysts.

Carriage Rate of Enterobacterales Resistant to Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporins in the Tunisian Population.

Enterobacterales resistant to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC) are a marker of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) burden. They are infecting humans, but the intestinal microbiota can also be transiently colonized without developing symptoms. Healthy carriage can promote silent dissemination of resistant bacteria, and data on this colonization are often lacking. Between 2021 and 2023, a sampling of healthy Tunisian people was carried out. Fecal samples (n = 256) were plated on selective agar, and all collected isolates were characterized by phenotypic (antibiograms) and genomic (whole-genome sequencing) methods. A total of 26 (26/256, 10.2%) isolates were collected, including 24 Escherichia coli and 2 Klebsiella pneumoniae. In total, 17 isolates (15 E. coli and 2 K. pneumoniae) presented an ESBL phenotype conferred by the blaCTX-M-15 gene, and 9 E. coli isolates presented an AmpC phenotype conferred by the blaDHA-1 gene. K. pneumoniae belonged to ST1564 and ST313, while E. coli belonged to diverse STs including the pandemic ST131 clone. Clonally related ST349 E. coli isolates carrying the blaDHA-1 gene were found in nine individuals. In parallel, four blaCTX-M-15 -positive E. coli isolates carried this ESC-resistance gene on an epidemic plasmid IncF/F-:A-:B53 previously identified in Tunisian pigeons and fish. These findings highlight the spread of genetically diverse ESC-resistant Enterobacterales as well as an epidemic plasmid in Tunisia, emphasizing the need for antimicrobial stewardship to limit the transmission of these resistances in the Tunisian population.

Investigating Hereditary Disorders of Simmental Frozen Bull Semen Imported to Türkiye during 10-Year Period

This study was aimed to determine Hereditary defects of frozen Simmental bull semen imported to Turkiye between 2013 and 2022. As the source of this study, the websites of various companies that produce semen, bull catalogues, and databases of bull semen companies have been used. A total of 13 websites including Simmental semen databases and bull catalogues were investigated. The result of the study showed that 438 of 1301 Simmental bull’s frozen semen carry at least one genetic defect during 10-year period of import. The most common hereditary defects are Bovine Male subfertility (BMS) for 164 frozen bull semen, Trombopathia (TP) for 155 bull semen and Fleckvieh Haplotype 4 (FH4) for 127 bull semen respectively. Significant effect was observed between different years and the rate of carriers was significantly decreased after 2019. As for origin of bull semen, the bull semen imported from Czech Republic showed significantly the least hereditary defect rate compared with those imported from Austria, Germany and Italy.

Customizing carrier screening in the Chinese population: Insights from a 334-gene panel.

This study aimed to evaluate the yield and applicability of expanded carrier screening and propose carrier rate screening thresholds suitable for the Chinese population by comparing the current screening panel with the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics recommended panel of 113 genes. Using targeted next-generation sequencing, a customized panel with 334 genes was performed on 2168 individuals without clinical phenotypes for expanded carrier screening purpose. Variant interpretation followed the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines. Carrier rates were calculated for each identified variant and each gene. At-risk couple rates were also assessed. The yield of expanded carrier screening was evaluated through calculating cumulative carrier rate. Overall, 65.87% of the individuals were found to be carriers of at least 1 disease causing variants. The overall at-risk couple rate was 11.76%, of which the GJB2:c.109G>A related at-risk couple rate was 5.78%. The cumulative carrier rate of 334-panel was 65.53%. When screened genes with gene carrier rate ≥1/1000, the expanded carrier screening can cover over 90% of the cumulative carrier rate and at-risk couples. A total of 86 genes overlapped with American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Tier-3 genes and were attributed to the cumulative carrier rate of 47.33%. Expanded carrier screening using the 334-gene panel showed high screening efficiency. A threshold of gene carrier rate ≥1/1000 is recommended for selecting carrier screening genes in the Chinese Han population. This study highlights the importance of customizing screening panels based on the ACMG Tier-3 genes in conjunction with population-specific carrier frequencies to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of expanded carrier screening.

Study of structural, elastic, electronic, optical, magnetic and thermoelectric characteristics of Hexafluoromanganets A2MnF6 (A = Cs, Rb, K) cubic double perovskites

We analyse a detailed investigation of structure, electronic, optical, magnetic and thermoelectric properties of (Cs, Rb, K)2MnF6 double perovskites with cubic Fm3¯m space group. The calculation method was the augmented plane-wave functions plus local orbitals as implemented in the WIEN2k code and the GGA followed by the most accurate GGA-mBJ as exchange potentials. The precision of our K2MnF6, Rb2MnF6 and Cs2MnF6 lattice constant compared with their available experimental data is in the range 1.2 % to 3.6 %. The calculated band gap of K2MnF6, Rb2MnF6 and Cs2MnF6 materials advantages them for use in light-emitting diode technology. These materials exhibit ferromagnetic behavior. The negative formation energy, free Helmholtz energy and the dispersion of phonons confirm their thermal, thermodynamic and dynamic stability. The calculated band gap of K2MnF6, Rb2MnF6 and Cs2MnF6 materials advantages them for use in light-emitting diode technology. The p-type charge carriers, direct band gap, and flat conduction and valence bands make them as good thermoelectric materials. The major contribution to the magnetization comes from the unfilled Mn-3d orbital. The high static dielectric constant reduces the recombination rate of charge carriers and the presence of absorption peaks in the ultraviolet region are advantageous in the exploitation in the optoelectronic field. The flat valence and conduction bands, high p-type conductivity, good thermoelectric parameters, as well as non-toxicity make these compounds mainly attractive in the thermoelectric application.

The Oral Cavity-Another Reservoir of Antimicrobial-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus?

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common potentially pathogenic bacteria that may asymptomatically colonize many sites of healthy carriers. Non-nasal carriage, especially in the oral cavity, and its role in transmitting antimicrobial-resistant S. aureus strains in the healthcare community, is poorly understood. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of S. aureus in both oral and nasal cavities among preclinical dentistry students. A total of 264 oral and nasal swabs were taken from 132 participants, and all specimens were cultured using standard diagnostic procedures and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (EUCAST). The prevalence of S. aureus exclusively in the nasal (11.4%) or oral (9.1%) cavity was comparable, while concurrent oral and nasal carriage was present in 27.3% of participants. Although antibiotic resistance rates observed in both oral and nasal isolates were similar (ranging from 2.7% to 95.5%), 16.7% of carriers exhibited distinct antibiotic resistance profiles between oral and nasal isolates. Three (2.7%) methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) were isolated from the mouth and nose but multidrug resistance (27.3%) was more frequent in the oral than in the nasal isolates: 34% and 21.1%, respectively. This study demonstrated that preclinical dentistry students have a similar rate of oral S. aureus carriage as the nasal carriage rate, and that the oral cavity can be colonized by antimicrobial-resistant strains that do not originate from the nose. Consequently, the oral cavity seems to be an unjustly overlooked body site in screening for S. aureus carriage.

Natural carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae is associated with increased experimental pneumococcal carriage but reduced conjugate vaccine efficacy in a human challenge model.

In Malawi, the national pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) demonstrated less herd immunity than the USA, likely due to higher natural pneumococcal carriage rates. We assessed PCV13 efficacy against experimental pneumococcal carriage in healthy Malawian adults. We explored how natural carriage (pneumococcal carriage of any other serotype apart from 6B) influenced experimental carriage rates and vaccine efficacy. Healthy adults aged 18-40 were randomly assigned PCV13 (n=98) or saline (n=106), followed by intranasal SPN 6B inoculation at 20,000 (n=40), 80,000 (n=74), or 160,000 (n=90) CFU/100µl, 28 days post-vaccination. We evaluated natural and experimental pneumococcal carriage before and after vaccination on days 2, 7, and 14 post-inoculation using culture and multiplex qPCR targeting lytA/cpsA genes and compared carriage rates by vaccination status. Of 204 participants, 19.6% (40) exhibited experimental carriage, detected by culture and 25.5% (52) by qPCR. Vaccinated individuals had lower experimental carriage rates (10.2%, n=10/98) compared to the placebo group (28.3%, n=30/106). This difference in vaccine efficacy was more pronounced in participants without natural carriage (PCV13=8% n=6/75 vs. placebo=25.9%, n=21/81) compared to those with natural carriage (PCV13=14.8%, n=4/27 vs. placebo=26.5%, n=9/34). Using a log-binomial model, vaccine effectiveness (VE) was 62%, whether assessed by culture or qPCR. Natural carriers had a lower VE of 52% compared to participants with no natural carriage (VE=69%). We have shown that PCV13 VE estimate (62%) is robust whether carriage is assessed by culture or qPCR. PCV13 had lower VE in natural carriers compared to those without natural carriage at the inoculation visit.

Proposal and evaluation of Mg2Si-based vertical tunnel field effect transistor for enhanced performance

This work investigates the performance of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) based vertical heterojunction tunnel FET with magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) as source material (Mg2Si-VTFET) with silicon-based counterpart (Si-VTFET). The investigation utilizes SILVACO TCAD tool to analyse various metrics including electrical characteristics, radio-frequency performance, linearity, and distortion. Incorporation of low bandgap material at source forms hetero-junction at source-channel interface, thereby reducing the tunneling path and enhancing the tunneling rate of charge carriers. ON-state current (ION) and current switching ratio (ION/IOFF) for Mg2Si-VTFET improves by factor of approximately ∼ 105 and 102 times. Mg2Si-VTFET outperforms Si-VTFET in terms of ION current for low biasing voltages, transconductance (gm), gain-bandwidth-product (GBP), cut-off frequency (fT) and transit-time. However, Mg2Si-VTFET has better linearity and reduced distortions in terms of VIP2 and HD2 metrics. HD2 suppresses by 53.8 % for Mg2Si-VTFET over Si-VTFET. This suggests that Mg2Si-VTFET is better suited for applications requiring low distortion, such as in audio amplifiers or communication systems. Therefore, Mg2Si-VTFET shows strong candidacy over Si based counterpart for low power circuits.

Enrichment culture evaluation and characterization of Streptococcus agalactiae among pregnant women in Japan.

Introduction. Maternal screening tests and prophylactic antibiotics are important to prevent neonatal and infant group B streptococcal (GBS) infections.Hypothesis/Gap Statement. The performance of enrichment broth media for GBS screening that are available in Japan is unclear. Whole-genome data of GBS isolates from pregnant women in Japan is lacking.Aim. The aim of this study was to compare the protocol performance of six enrichment broths and two subculture agar plates, which were all available in Japan, for GBS detection. In addition, we showed whole-genome data of GBS isolates from pregnant women in Japan.Methodology. We collected 133 vaginal-rectal swabs from pregnant women visiting clinics and hospitals in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, and compared the protocol performance of 6 enrichment broths and 2 subculture agar plates. All GBS isolates collected in this study were subjected to whole-genome sequencing analysis.Results. We obtained 133 vaginal-rectal swabs from pregnant women at 35-37 weeks of gestation from 8 private clinics and 2 local municipal hospitals within Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The detection rate of the protocol involving the six enrichment broths and subsequent subcultures varied between 95.5 and 100 %, depending on the specific choice of enrichment broth. The GBS carriage rate among pregnant women in this region was 18.8 %. All 25 isolates derived from the swabs were susceptible to penicillin, whereas 48 and 36 % of the isolates demonstrated resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin, respectively. The distribution of serotypes was highly diverse, encompassing seven distinct serotypes among the isolates, with the predominant serotype being serotype V (n = 8). Serotype V isolates displayed a tendency towards increased resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin, with all resistant isolates containing the ermB gene.Conclusion. There was no difference in performance among the culture protocols evaluated in this study. GBS strains isolated from pregnant women appeared to have greater genomic diversity than GBS strains detected in neonates/infants with invasive GBS infections. To confirm this result, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed.