Separate Analyses Research Articles

Вивчення життєздатних бактеріофагів за допомогою активації псевдолізогенного стану Pectobacterium carotovorum

The rare occurrence of viable bacteriophages is an issue in studying bacterial-phage systems of the phytopathogenic bacterium Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (Pcc). Aim. To obtain viable bacteriophages by activating pseudolysogeny of the Pcc strains. Methods. To obtain bacteriophage F66, isogenic clones of Nalr mutants of strains Pcc 66A and Pcc M2-4 were used. To study the properties of the phage, ultracentrifugation of viral particles, electron microscopy, electrophoretic separation, and comparative restriction analysis of virion DNA were used. Results. It was shown that some isogenic clones of Nalr -mutants of Pcc 66A and Pcc M2-4 can produce viable bacteriophages under conditions of intensive aeration. At the same time, induced phages are able to reproduce on the parent bacterial strains, which they were isolated from (pseudolysogenic response). A pure line was obtained for the phage isolate induced from pseudolysogenic Pcc 66A Nalr by consecutive single colony passages. This phage, named F66, was shown to be temperate and able to lyse and lysogenize strains of pectolytic bacteria isolated from soft rot affected potato tubers. Phage F66 has а virion with the A1 morphotype characterized by an isometric head with an average diameter of 52.0 ± 2.1 nm and a contractile tail with a length of 115.4 ± 3.2 nm. Showing low stability under environmental conditions, phage F66 differs significantly from the temperate phage ZF40 P. carotovorum, which has a similar virion morphology. Compared phages also differ in the restriction fragment patterns obtained using endonucleases HindIII, BamHI, and HpaI. Conclusions. Temperate phage F66 is a novel P. carotovorum virus. The method for activating the pseudolysogenic state proposed in the article is useful for obtaining viruses of phytopathogenic bacteria.

Preparation and performance analysis of polyamide-based rapid repair material for asphalt pavement shallow groove

In order to effectively remedy shallow grooves on asphalt pavements, this study presents an innovative solution, termed Polyamide-based Asphalt Pavement Shallow Groove Rapid Repair Material (PA-SGRRM). This material employs polyamide 6 (PA6) as the matrix resin, in conjunction with polypropylene (PP), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), and maleic anhydride-grafted polyethylene-octene copolymer (POE-g-MAH). It is manufactured through an extrusion granulation process. At the outset, a molecular dynamics approach was employed to assess the compatibility of the primary constituents and the adhesion between the matrix resin and asphalt, confirming the rationale behind the material selection. Subsequently, the orthogonal experimental design method was utilized to investigate the influence of design parameters (POE-g-MAH content, PP content, and EVA content) on the flexural strength, tensile strength, low-temperature toughness, and melt flow rate of PA-SGRRM. Following this, we prepared samples with the optimal proportions of EVA and POE-g-MAH and conducted a separate analysis to evaluate the impact of PP on the saturated moisture content of PA-SGRRM. Finally, we employed Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to observe the microstructures of the low-temperature fracture surface and ambient temperature tensile fracture surface of the PA-SGRRM and employed Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to deduce the primary chemical reactions occurring within the PA-SGRRM. The results demonstrated that POE-g-MAH played a crucial role in enhancing the compatibility of the simulated hybrid system consisting of PP and PA6. Additionally, it was observed that adhesion between PA6 and asphalt existed, with a gradual decrease as temperature rose. The content of POE-g-MAH and PP were the two primary parameters influencing the performance of PA-SGRRM. POE-g-MAH exerted a significant adverse impact on the flexural strength, tensile strength, and melt flow rate of PA-SGRRM, while substantially improving its low-temperature toughness. The PP positively reduced the water absorption characteristics of PA-SGRRM. Based on the experimental results, the optimal combination of design parameters for PA-SGRRM is recommended.

Mortality and Cardiovascular End Points In Relation to the Aortic Pulse Wave Components: An Individual-Participant Meta-Analysis.

Wave separation analysis enables individualized evaluation of the aortic pulse wave components. Previous studies focused on the pressure height with overall positive but differing results. In the present analysis, we assessed the associations of the pressure of forward and backward (Pfor and Pref) pulse waves with prospective cardiovascular end points, with extended analysis for time to pressure peak (Tfor and Tref). Participants in 3 IDCARS (International Database of Central Arterial Properties for Risk Stratification) cohorts (Argentina, Belgium, and Finland) aged ≥20 years with valid pulse wave analysis and follow-up data were included. Pulse wave analysis was done using the SphygmoCor device, and pulse wave separation was done using the triangular method. The primary end points consisted of cardiovascular mortality and nonfatal cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Multivariable-adjusted Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios. A total of 2206 participants (mean age, 57.0 years; 55.0% women) were analyzed. Mean±SDs for Pfor, Pref, Tfor, and Tfor/Tref were 31.0±9.1 mm Hg, 20.8±8.4 mm Hg, 130.8±35.5, and 0.51±0.11, respectively. Over a median follow-up of 4.4 years, 146 (6.6%) participants experienced a primary end point. Every 1 SD increment in Pfor, Tfor, and Tfor/Tref was associated with 27% (95% CI, 1.07-1.49), 25% (95% CI, 1.07-1.45), and 32% (95% CI, 1.12-1.56) higher risk, respectively. Adding Tfor and Tfor/Tref to existing risk models improved model prediction (∆Uno's C, 0.020; P<0.01). Pulse wave components were predictive of composite cardiovascular end points, with Tfor/Tref showing significant improvement in risk prediction. Pending further confirmation, the ratio of time to forward and backward pressure peak may be useful to evaluate increased afterload and signify increased cardiovascular risk.

Mirdzas Ķempes fenomens gelotoloģiskā tvērumā

Mirdza Ķempe (1904–1974) was the most recognised among Latvian women poets during the Soviet era. The poetry she predominantly dedicated to the imagined Soviet utopia, Lenin, and the glorification of the Communist Party was artistically weak. Endowed with a remarkable sense of humour, Ķempe composed ironic and satirical impromptu poems and prose for the circle of her friends and acquaintances. These poetry and prose works have not been compiled and separately analysed until now. They have been preserved in a dispersed form, mainly in the memories of her contemporaries. The article includes extensive references to Ķempe’s works in the genres of humour and satire, collected from both published sources and interviews conducted by the article’s author with the poet’s contemporaries. The article analyses these works and conducts a separate analysis of Ķempe’s biographical circumstances within the context of the life-writing method, highlighting the gelotological aspect of the poet’s humour. It can be concluded that she is the only Latvian female writer for whom humour and satire have been a characteristic form of self-expression. She has neither collected nor published her humorous impromptus. The article represents the first attempt to illustrate how the ideological stereotypes created by Ķempe and other poets during the Soviet era were “thawed” and melted in the laughter space of Gelos. Even if it had been Ķempe’s greatest desire during the Soviet era, these humorous impromptus could not have been published. They demonstrate that when writing and publishing something one does not believe in, there must be some compensatory mechanism for the writers. In Ķempe’s case, this was internal laughter expressed in humorous poetry and witty short prose.

Reproductive late effects and testosterone replacement therapy in male childhood cancer survivors: A population-based study (the Fex-Can study).

Childhood cancer survivors are at risk of various endocrine late effects affecting their quality of life. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and predictors of endocrine and reproductive outcomes in young adult survivors. A secondary aim was to assess possible associations between testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and other endocrine, cardiovascular and psychosocial late effects. This nationwide study comprised 1212 male childhood cancer survivors aged 19-40 years, identified through the National Quality Registry for Childhood Cancer in Sweden. Median age at diagnosis during 1981-2017 was 7 (range 0-17) and at study 29 (19-40) years. The study combined self-report survey data with cancer treatment data from the national registry. Hormone-induced puberty was self-reported by 3.8% of the survivors and ongoing TRT by 6.0%. In separate logistic regression analyses, these treatments were associated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cranial radiotherapy. Hormone-induced puberty was additionally associated with younger age at diagnosis. Men with TRT had a higher prevalence of other endocrine deficiencies, cholesterol medication, depressive symptoms and fatigue as well as a lower probability of living with a partner, having a biological child or current occupation. In the total male cohort, 28.2% reported having a biological child. Reassuring reproductive outcomes after less intensive therapies and low frequency of TRT were observed in young adult male childhood cancer survivors treated in the most recent treatment era. However, men with TRT suffered from several other endocrine, cardiovascular and psychosocial late effects, indicating a need for long-term monitoring of this high-risk group.

Switching Separation Migration Order by Switching Electrokinetic Regime in Electrokinetic Microsystems.

Analyte migration order is a major aspect in all migration-based analytical separations methods. Presented here is the manipulation of the migration order of microparticles in an insulator-based electrokinetic separation. Three distinct particle mixtures were studied: a binary mixture of particles with similar electrical charge and different sizes, and two tertiary mixtures of particles of distinct sizes. Each one of the particle mixtures was separated twice, the first separation was performed under low voltage (linear electrokinetic regime) and the second separation was performed under high voltage (nonlinear electrokinetic regime). Linear electrophoresis, which discriminates particles by charge, is the dominant electrokinetic effect in the linear regime; while nonlinear electrophoresis, which discriminates particles by size and shape, is the dominant electrokinetic effect in the nonlinear regime. The separation results obtained with the three particle mixtures illustrated that particle elution order can be changed by switching from the linear electrokinetic regime to the nonlinear electrokinetic regime. Also, in all cases, better separation performances in terms of separation resolution (Rs) were obtained by employing the nonlinear electrokinetic regime allowing nonlinear electrophoresis to be the discriminatory electrokinetic mechanism. These findings could be applied to analyze complex samples containing bioparticles of interest within the micron size range. This is the first report where particle elution order is altered in an iEK system.

Global trends in cutaneous malignant melanoma incidence and mortality.

Mortality from cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) increased in the past, but trends have been favorable in more recent years in many high-income countries. However, incidence has been increasing in several countries. We provided an up-to-date overview of mortality trends from CMM. We analyzed death certification data from the WHO in selected countries worldwide from 1980 to the most recent available calendar years. We also reported incidence data derived from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents from 1990 to 2012. Separate analyses were performed for young adults aged 20-44 and middle-aged adults aged 45-64 years. Mortality from CMM in all age groups showed a favorable pattern in the majority of the countries considered. Mortality trends declined by 40 to 50% in Australia over the last decades, confirming the importance of prevention measures. Considering young adults aged 20-44, Australia, New Zealand and Northern Europe reported the highest death rates for both sexes (>0.90/100 000 in men and >0.60/100 000 in women) while Japan, the Philippines, and Latin America the lowest ones (<0.50/100 000 and <0.35/100 000 in men and women, respectively). Incidence trends were stable or upward in most countries, with higher rates among women. Our study highlights a global reduction of CMM mortality over the last three decades. The increasing awareness of risk factors, mainly related to UV exposure, along with early diagnosis and progress in treatment for advanced disease played pivotal roles in reducing CMM mortality, particularly in Australia.

Lifetime Suicide Attempts in Otherwise Psychiatrically Healthy Individuals

Not all people who die by suicide have a psychiatric diagnosis; yet, little is known about the percentage and demographics of individuals with lifetime suicide attempts who are apparently psychiatrically healthy. If such suicide attempts are common, there are implications for suicide risk screening, research, policy, and nosology. To estimate the percentage of people with lifetime suicide attempts whose first attempt occurred prior to onset of any psychiatric disorder. This cross-sectional study used data from the US National Epidemiologic Study of Addictions and Related Conditions III (NESARC-III), a cross-sectional face-to-face survey conducted with a nationally representative sample of the US civilian noninstitutionalized population, and included persons with lifetime suicide attempts who were aged 20 to 65 years at survey administration (April 2012 to June 2013). Data from the NESARC, Wave 2 survey from August 2004 to September 2005 were used for replication. Analyses were performed from April to August 2023. Lifetime suicide attempts. The main outcome was presence or absence of a psychiatric disorder before the first lifetime suicide attempt. Among persons with lifetime suicide attempts, the percentage and 95% CI of those whose first suicide attempt occurred before the onset of any apparent psychiatric disorders was calculated, weighted by NESARC sampling and nonresponse weights. Separate analyses were performed for males, females, and 3 age groups (20 to <35, 35-50, and >50 to 65 years). In the total sample of 36 309 respondents, 1948 persons had lifetime suicide attempts; 66.8% (95% CI, 64.1%-69.4%) were female, and 6.2% (95% CI, 4.9%-7.4%) had no apparent lifetime psychiatric diagnoses when surveyed. In addition, 13.4% (95% CI, 11.6%-15.2%) made their first suicide attempt prior to psychiatric disorder onset. Thus, an estimated 19.6% of respondents first attempted suicide without an antecedent psychiatric disorder. No significant age or sex differences were detected in the percentage of those with lifetime suicide attempts absent psychiatric disorders, although females were more likely than males to attempt suicide in the year of psychiatric disorder onset (14.9% [95% CI, 12.5%-17.3%] vs 8.6% [95% CI, 6.0%-11.2%]; P < .001), and attempts were less frequent among those older than 50 to 65 years (3.9% [95% CI, 3.5%-4.4%] vs 6.1% [95% CI, 5.4%-6.8%] for 35-50 years and 6.2% [95% CI, 5.6%-6.9%] for 20 to <35 years; P < .001). In this study, an estimated 19.6% of individuals who attempted suicide did so despite not meeting criteria for an antecedent psychiatric disorder. This finding challenges clinical notions of who is at risk for suicidal behavior and raises questions about the safety of limiting suicide risk screening to psychiatric populations.

Stream Chemistry and Forest Recovery Assessment and Prediction Modeling in Coal-Mine-Affected Watersheds in Kentucky, USA

Kentucky is one of the largest coal-producing states; surface coal mining has led to changes in natural land cover, soil loss, and water quality. This study explored relationships between actively mined and reclaimed areas, vegetation change, and water quality parameters. The study site evaluated 58 watersheds with Landsat-derived variables (reclamation age and percentage of mining, reclaimed forest, and reclaimed woods) as well as topographic variables (such as elevation, slope, drainage density, and infiltration). Water samples were collected in spring (n = 9), summer (n = 14), and fall (n = 58) 2017 to study changes in water quality variables (SO42−, alkalinity, conductivity, Ca2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Al3+, and Fe2+, Fe3+) in response to changes in land cover. Pearson correlation analyses indicated that conductivity has strong to very strong relationships with water quality variables related to coal mining (except Al3+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Mn2+, elevation, slope, and drainage density) and land cover variables. In addition, separate regression analyses were performed, with conductivity values based on samples collected in the fall. First, conductivity responses to mining percentage, reclamation age and topographic variables were examined (adjusted R2 = 0.818, p &lt; 0.01). Next, vegetation cover change parameters were added to the same model, which yielded slightly improved R2 (adjusted R2 = 0.826, p &lt; 0.01). Finally, reclamation age and mining percentages were used to explain the quantity of reclaimed forested areas as a percentage of watersheds. The model was significant (p &lt; 0.01), with an adjusted R2 value of 0.641. Results suggest that the quantity (area as a percentage) of reclaimed forests may be a predictor of the mining percentage and reclamation age. This study indicated that conductivity is a predictable water quality indicator that is highly associated with Coal-Mine-Related Stream Chemistry in areas where agriculture and urban development are limited. Water quality is not suitable for various purposes due to the presence of contaminants, especially in mined sites. These findings may help the scientific community and key state and federal agencies improve their understanding of water quality attributes in watersheds affected by coal mining, as well as refine land reclamation practices more effectively while such practices are in action.

Robust and consistent measures of pattern separation based on information theory and demonstrated in the dentate gyrus.

Pattern separation is a valuable computational function performed by neuronal circuits, such as the dentate gyrus, where dissimilarity between inputs is increased, reducing noise and increasing the storage capacity of downstream networks. Pattern separation is studied from both in vivo experimental and computational perspectives and, a number of different measures (such as orthogonalisation, decorrelation, or spike train distance) have been applied to quantify the process of pattern separation. However, these are known to give conclusions that can differ qualitatively depending on the choice of measure and the parameters used to calculate it. We here demonstrate that arbitrarily increasing sparsity, a noticeable feature of dentate granule cell firing and one that is believed to be key to pattern separation, typically leads to improved classical measures for pattern separation even, inappropriately, up to the point where almost all information about the inputs is lost. Standard measures therefore both cannot differentiate between pattern separation and pattern destruction, and give results that may depend on arbitrary parameter choices. We propose that techniques from information theory, in particular mutual information, transfer entropy, and redundancy, should be applied to penalise the potential for lost information (often due to increased sparsity) that is neglected by existing measures. We compare five commonly-used measures of pattern separation with three novel techniques based on information theory, showing that the latter can be applied in a principled way and provide a robust and reliable measure for comparing the pattern separation performance of different neurons and networks. We demonstrate our new measures on detailed compartmental models of individual dentate granule cells and a dentate microcircuit, and show how structural changes associated with epilepsy affect pattern separation performance. We also demonstrate how our measures of pattern separation can predict pattern completion accuracy. Overall, our measures solve a widely acknowledged problem in assessing the pattern separation of neural circuits such as the dentate gyrus, as well as the cerebellum and mushroom body. Finally we provide a publicly available toolbox allowing for easy analysis of pattern separation in spike train ensembles.

PNER: Applying the Pipeline Method to Resolve Nested Issues in Named Entity Recognition

Named entity recognition (NER) in natural language processing encompasses three primary types: flat, nested, and discontinuous. While the flat type often garners attention from researchers, nested NER poses a significant challenge. Current approaches to addressing nested NER involve sequence labeling methods with merged label layers, cascaded models, and those rooted in reading comprehension. Among these, sequence labeling with merged label layers stands out for its simplicity and ease of implementation. Yet, highlighted issues persist within this method, prompting our aim to enhance its efficacy. In this study, we propose augmentations to the sequence labeling approach by employing a pipeline model bifurcated into sequence labeling and text classification tasks. Departing from annotating specific entity categories, we amalgamated types into main and sub-categories for a unified treatment. These categories were subsequently embedded as identifiers in the recognition text for the text categorization task. Our choice of resolution involved BERT+BiLSTM+CRF for sequence labeling and the BERT model for text classification. Experiments were conducted across three nested NER datasets: GENIA, CMeEE, and GermEval 2014, featuring annotations varying from four to two levels. Before model training, we conducted separate statistical analyses on nested entities within the medical dataset CMeEE and the everyday life dataset GermEval 2014. Our research unveiled a consistent dominance of a particular entity category within nested entities across both datasets. This observation suggests the potential utility of labeling primary and subsidiary entities for effective category recognition. Model performance was evaluated based on F1 scores, considering correct recognition only when both the complete entity name and category were identified. Results showcased substantial performance enhancement after our proposed modifications compared to the original method. Additionally, our improved model exhibited strong competitiveness against existing models. F1 scores on the GENIA, CMeEE, and GermEval 2014 datasets reached 79.21, 66.71, and 87.81, respectively. Our research highlights that, while preserving the original method’s simplicity and implementation ease, our enhanced model achieves heightened performance and competitive prowess compared to other methodologies.

The distinct development of stimulus and response serial dependence.

Serial dependence (SD) is a phenomenon wherein current perceptions are biased by the previous stimulus and response. This helps to attenuate perceptual noise and variability in sensory input and facilitates stable ongoing perceptions of the environment. However, little is known about the developmental trajectory of SD. This study investigates how the stimulus and response biases of the SD effect develop across three age groups. Conventional analyses, in which previous stimulus and response biases were assessed separately, revealed significant changes in the biases over time. Previous stimulus bias shifted from repulsion to attraction, while previous response bias evolved from attraction to greater attraction. However, there was a strong correlation between stimulus and response orientations. Therefore, a generalized linear mixed-effects (GLME) analysis that simultaneously considered both previous stimulus and response, outperformed separate analyses. This revealed that previous stimulus and response resulted in two distinct biases with different developmental trajectories. The repulsion bias of previous stimulus remained relatively stable across all age groups, whereas the attraction bias of previous response was significantly stronger in adults than in children and adolescents. These findings demonstrate that the repulsion bias towards preceding stimuli is established early in the developing brain (at least by around 10 years old), while the attraction bias towards responses is not fully developed until adulthood. Our findings provide new insights into the development of the SD phenomenon and how humans integrate two opposing mechanisms into their perceptual responses to external input during development.

Unintentional injury deaths associated with sport and recreation in Québec, Canada, 2006–2019

ObjectivesThis study examined trends in the frequencies and rates of deaths associated with unintentional injuries in sport and recreation in Québec, Canada, for the period January 2006–December 2019.MethodsIn this descriptive...

Generalisable deep learning method for mammographic density prediction across imaging techniques and self-reported race.

Breast density is an important risk factor for breast cancer complemented by a higher risk of cancers being missed during screening of dense breasts due to reduced sensitivity of mammography. Automated, deep learning-based prediction of breast density could provide subject-specific risk assessment and flag difficult cases during screening. However, there is a lack of evidence for generalisability across imaging techniques and, importantly, across race. This study used a large, racially diverse dataset with 69,697 mammographic studies comprising 451,642 individual images from 23,057 female participants. A deep learning model was developed for four-class BI-RADS density prediction. A comprehensive performance evaluation assessed the generalisability across two imaging techniques, full-field digital mammography (FFDM) and two-dimensional synthetic (2DS) mammography. A detailed subgroup performance and bias analysis assessed the generalisability across participants' race. Here we show that a model trained on FFDM-only achieves a 4-class BI-RADS classification accuracy of 80.5% (79.7-81.4) on FFDM and 79.4% (78.5-80.2) on unseen 2DS data. When trained on both FFDM and 2DS images, the performance increases to 82.3% (81.4-83.0) and 82.3% (81.3-83.1). Racial subgroup analysis shows unbiased performance across Black, White, and Asian participants, despite a separate analysis confirming that race can be predicted from the images with a high accuracy of 86.7% (86.0-87.4). Deep learning-based breast density prediction generalises across imaging techniques and race. No substantial disparities are found for any subgroup, including races that were never seen during model development, suggesting that density predictions are unbiased.

Exposure to Paracetamol in Early Pregnancy and the Risk of Developing Cerebral Palsy: A Case-Control Study Using Serum Samples

To investigate whether maternal paracetamol use in early pregnancy is associated with cerebral palsy (CP) in offspring. We conducted a registry and biobank-based case-control study with mother-child pairs. We identified CP cases (n=322) born between 1995 and 2014 from a nationwide CP-registry. Randomly selected controls (n=343) and extra preterm controls (n=258) were obtained from a birth registry. For each mother, a single serum sample from early pregnancy (gestation weeks 10-14) was retrieved from a biobank and analyzed for serum concentrations of paracetamol, categorized into unexposed (<1ng/ml), mildly exposed (1-100ng/ml), and highly exposed (>100ng/ml), and in quartiles. Analyses were performed using logistic regression and adjusted for potential confounders. Separate analyses were conducted including only those children born preterm and only those born term. Of the 923 participants, 36.8% were unexposed, 53.2% mildly exposed, and 10% highly exposed to paracetamol. Overall, prenatal exposure to paracetamol was not associated with CP. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses showed no clear associations between paracetamol and CP across strata of term/preterm birth as well as subtypes of CP. The present study does not support an association between intrauterine exposure to paracetamol in early pregnancy and the risk of CP. However, it is important to stress that the exposure estimate is based on a single serum sample.

Energy recovery and clean water remediation using antibiofouling polysaccharide coated PAN hollow fiber membrane obtained via green route synthesis

Biofouling is an important biological constrain in the water treatment process, and the control or management strategies using green principles have gained recent attention. Antibiofouling agents based on the biological source are now extensively studied due to their high efficacy and are environmentally friendly. In this present study, Poly Acrylo Nitrile (PAN)/Ulvan hollow fibre membranes of four different modules were fabricated for water treatment studies by testing against B. subtilis and E. coli along with separation efficiency studies on proteins such as albumin, pepsin, and clay. Ulvan (Ulv), green seaweed sulfated polysaccharide extracted from Ulva fasciata, was coated on PAN hollow fibres, fabricated using a wet-spinning process. Ulvan was dip-coated on membrane surface followed by cross-linking and resultant changes in terms of performance and morphology. PAN/Ulv hollow fibre membranes were examined for the pure water flux and protein separation analysis to analyse the membrane efficiency. SEM was used to analyse the membrane structure and ATR- FTIR for the determination of functional groups. Ulvan coated (310 C) hollow fibre membrane showed better performance than the other three membranes with a flux of 398.1 L m−2 h−1. Higher sample concentration of suspended solids paved simpler route for enhanced COD sequestration efficacy. Pepsin, albumin, and clay particles were rejected by the 310C Ulvan adorned membranes at rates greater than 80%. By incrementing suspended particles beyond 3200 mg/L, the greatest power recovery was reduced that portrays an adverse influence of bio-fouling process on membrane operation. Experimental results demonstrated that synthesised 310 C membrane possessed better separation performance and antifouling characteristics for aquatic water systems.

The m6A methylation and expression profiles of mouse neural stem cells after hypoxia/reoxygenation

BackgroundIschemia–reperfusion injury to the central nervous system often causes severe complications. The activation of endogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) is considered a promising therapeutic strategy for nerve repair. However, the specific biological processes and molecular mechanisms of NSC activation remain unclear, and the role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation modification in this process has not been explored.MethodsNSCs were subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) to simulate ischemia–reperfusion in vivo. m6A RNA methylation quantitative kit was used to measure the total RNA m6A methylation level. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect methyltransferase and demethylase mRNA expression levels. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-seq) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) were conducted for NSCs in control and H/R groups, and the sequencing results were analyzed using bioinformatics. Finally, the migration ability of NSCs was identified by wound healing assays, and the proliferative capacity of NSCs was assessed using the cell counting kit-8, EdU assays and cell spheroidization assays.ResultsOverall of m6A modification level and Mettl14 mRNA expression increased in NSCs after H/R treatment. The m6A methylation and expression profiles of mRNAs in NSCs after H/R are described for the first time. Through the joint analysis of MeRIP-seq and RNA-seq results, we verified the proliferation of NSCs after H/R, which was regulated by m6A methylation modification. Seven hub genes were identified to play key roles in the regulatory process. Knockdown of Mettl14 significantly inhibited the proliferation of NSCs. In addition, separate analysis of the MeRIP-seq results suggested that m6A methylation regulates cell migration and differentiation in ways other than affecting mRNA expression. Subsequent experiments confirmed the migration ability of NSCs was suppressed by knockdown of Mettl14.ConclusionThe biological behaviors of NSCs after H/R are closely related to m6A methylation of mRNAs, and Mettl14 was confirmed to be involved in cell proliferation and migration.

Identifying the Best Initial Oral Antibiotics for Adults with Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Network Meta-Analysis.

The objective of this network meta-analysis was to compare rates of clinical response and mortality for empiric oral antibiotic regimens in adults with mild-moderate community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We searched PubMed, Cochrane, and the reference lists of systematic reviews and clinical guidelines. We included randomized trials of adults with radiologically confirmed mild to moderate CAP initially treated orally and reporting clinical cure or mortality. Abstracts and studies were reviewed in parallel for inclusion in the analysis and for data abstraction. We performed separate analyses by antibiotic medications and antibiotic classes and present the results through network diagrams and forest plots sorted by p-scores. We assessed the quality of each study using the Cochrane Risk of Bias framework, as well as global and local inconsistency. We identified 24 studies with 9361 patients: six at low risk of bias, six at unclear risk, and 12 at high risk. Nemonoxacin, levofloxacin, and telithromycin were most likely to achieve clinical response (p-score 0.79, 0.71, and 0.69 respectively), while penicillin and amoxicillin were least likely to achieve clinical response. Levofloxacin, nemonoxacin, azithromycin, and amoxicillin-clavulanate were most likely to be associated with lower mortality (p-score 0.85, 0.75, 0.74, and 0.68 respectively). By antibiotic class, quinolones and macrolides were most effective for clinical response (0.71 and 0.70 respectively), with amoxicillin-clavulanate plus macrolides and beta-lactams being less effective (p-score 0.11 and 0.22). Quinolones were most likely to be associated with lower mortality (0.63). All confidence intervals were broad and partially overlapping. We observed trends toward a better clinical response and lower mortality for quinolones as empiric antibiotics for CAP, but found no conclusive evidence of any antibiotic being clearly more effective than another. More trials are needed to inform guideline recommendations on the most effective antibiotic regimens for outpatients with mild to moderate CAP.

Multi-Temporal Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 Data for Orchards Discrimination in Khairpur District, Pakistan Using Spectral Separability Analysis and Machine Learning Classification

Generating orchards spatial distribution maps within a heterogeneous landscape is challenging and requires fine spatial and temporal resolution images. This study examines the effectiveness of Sentinel-1 (S1) and Sentinel-2 (S2) satellite data of relatively high spatial and temporal resolutions for discriminating major orchards in the Khairpur district of the Sindh province, Pakistan using machine learning methods such as random forest (RF) and a support vector machine. A Multicollinearity test (MCT) was performed among the multi-temporal S1 and S2 variables to remove those with high correlations. Six different feature combination schemes were tested, with the fusion of multi-temporal S1 and S2 (scheme-6) outperforming all other combination schemes. The spectral separability between orchards pairs was assessed using Jeffries-Matusita (JM) distance, revealing that orchard pairs were completely separable in the multi-temporal fusion of both sensors, especially the indistinguishable pair of dates-mango. The performance difference between RF and SVM was not significant, SVM showed a slightly higher accuracy, except for scheme-4 where RF performed better. This study concludes that multi-temporal fusion of S1 and S2 data, coupled with robust ML methods, offers a reliable approach for orchard classification. Prospectively, these findings will be helpful for orchard monitoring, improvement of yield estimation and precision based agricultural practices.

Factors Associated with Opting Out of an Unrelated Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donor Registry: Differences and Similarities across Five Key Groups of Young Race/Ethnically Diverse Potential Donors in the United States

Young adults from underserved racial/ethnic groups are critically needed as unrelated hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) donors, yet they are more likely than other groups to opt out of donation after having matched a patient. Understanding which factors are most strongly associated with opting out among young underserved racial/ ethnic registered donors compared with their White counterparts will provide the basis for specific interventions to improve donor retention. We sought to determine the key, modifiable psychosocial, registry-related, and donation-related characteristics that are uniquely associated with opting out across 5 key racial/ethnic groups of young HSC donor registry members who had been contacted as a potential match for a patient. This study examines data from a large cross-sectional survey of young (age 18 to 30) registry members shortly after they preliminarily matched a patient (CT-stage) and continued toward or opted out of donation (CT-C and CT-NI), stratified by racial/ethnic group and sex. We assessed psychosocial, registry-related, and donation-related characteristics for all participants. We used chi-squared and F tests to assess differences between racial/ethnic groups. A separate logistic regression analysis for each racial/ethnic group was conducted to quantify adjusted associations between each variable and opting out. Then, we compared these associations across the racial/ethnic groups by evaluating the interaction effect between each variable and racial/ethnic group, with the same outcome (CT-C versus CT-NI) in question. Nine hundred thirty-five participants were surveyed, including 284 White, 165 Hispanic, 191 Black, 192 Asian/Pacific Islander, and 103 Multiracial/multiethnic participants. There were significant differences across racial/ethnic groups in values/goals, religious objections to donation, HSC-related medical mistrust, and parental involvement in donation decisions. Adjusted logistic regression subgroup analyses indicated that ambivalence was strongly associated with opting out across all racial/ethnic groups. Greater focus on intrinsic life goals (e.g., raising a family, becoming a community leader, influencing social values) was associated with opting out in the Multiracial/multiethnic, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander groups. Healthcare mistrust and insufficient registry contact was a significant factor for Hispanic participants. Protective factors against opting out included remembering joining the registry (Black participants), and parental support for donation decision (Asian/Pacific Islander participants). The performance of each logistic regression model was strong, with area-under-the curve ≥.88, CT-stage outcome classification accuracy ≥89%, and good fit between expected and observed opt-out probabilities. In the analysis across different racial/ethnic groups, the only significant interaction was race/ethnicity by whether more contact with the registry would have changed the decision at CT-stage; this variable was significant only for the Hispanic group. In the within-group analysis for Hispanic participants, the "more registry contact" variable was strongly associated with opting out (odds ratio 5.8, P = .03). Consistent with a growing body of HSC donor research, ambivalence was a key factor associated with opting-out for all racial/ethnic groups. Other key variables were differentially associated with opting-out depending on racial/ethnic group. Our study highlights key variables that registries should focus on as they develop targeted and tailored strategies to enhance commitment and reduce attrition of potential donors.