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This paper focuses on live streams as interactional phenomena from an ethnomethodology and conversation analysis (EMCA) perspective. It discusses how streamers and viewers manage attention and engagement and how noticing-based actions constitute a powerful and crucial resource to produce and display these, finely tuned to the asymmetric communicative affordances of live streams, which, in the case of expository live streams, enact a streamer on display for the perceptual consumption of remote viewers. It discusses how streamers and viewers may produce noticing sequences and noticing-based sequences. It also discusses how the orientation towards noticing in expository live streams may become contagious and lead to a 'noticing effervescence.' • Streams and streamers are oriented toward eliciting various responses from viewers. • A powerful resource for viewers to achieve engagement is to send messages designed as noticing-based actions. • Noticing-based actions index some prior perceptual realization regarding features or events in the stream. • Noticing-based action implies that what is treated as noticeable is deeply embedded in message designs. • Such an action format casts viewers as onlookers, framing the streaming activity as a spectacle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We identified and characterized a novel pollen allergen candidate as triosephosphate isomerase, which was different from already known types of pollen allergens and was recognized as Pla a 7 by WHO/IUIS Allergen Nomenclature Sub-committee. • The natural Pla a 7 displayed 41.4% IgE reactivity with the patients' sera, the reactivity was correlated to the IgE concentration against Platanus acerifolia pollen extract. • This finding is essential to enrich information on allergen components and pave the way for molecular diagnosis or treatment strategies for Platanus acerifolia pollen allergy. Platanus acerifolia is recognized as a source of allergenic pollen worldwide. Currently, five Platanus acerifolia pollen allergens belonging to different protein families have been identified, in which profilin and enolase were characterized by our group recently. Besides, we also screened and identified a novel allergen candidate as triosephosphate isomerase, which was different from already known types of pollen allergens. However, the role of this novel allergen group in Platanus acerifolia pollen allergy was unclear. Therefore, we further investigated the allergenicity and clarify its clinical relevance in this study. The natural triosephosphate isomerase from Platanus acerifolia pollen was purified by three steps of chromatography and identified by mass spectrometry. The cDNA sequence of this protein was matched from in-house transcripts based on internal peptide sequences, which was further confirmed by PCR cloning. The recombinant triosephosphate isomerase was expressed and purified from E. coli. Allergenicity analysis of this protein was carried out by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, immunoblot, and basophil activation test. A novel allergen group belonging to triosephosphate isomerase was firstly identified in Platanus acerifolia pollen and named as Pla a 7. The cDNA of Pla a 7 contained an open reading frame of 762 bp encoding 253 amino acids. The natural Pla a 7 displayed 41.4% IgE reactivity with the patients' sera by ELISA, in which the absorbance value showed correlation to the serum sIgE against Platanus acerifolia pollen extract. Inhibition of IgE-binding to pollen extracts reached 26%-94% in different Pla a 7-positive sera. The recombinant Pla a 7 exhibited weaker IgE-reactivity in ELISA than its natural form, but showed comparable activity in immunoblot. The allergenicity was further confirmed by basophil activation test. Triosephosphate isomerase (Pla a 7) was first recognized as pollen allergen in Platanus acerifolia pollen, which is a completely different type of pollen allergen from those previously reported. This finding is essential to enrich information on allergen components and pave the way for molecular diagnosis or treatment strategies for Platanus acerifolia pollen allergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uptake of 18F-FDG is higher in most malignancies than in benign tumors. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in vertebral vascular tumors. We retrospectively collected PET/CT and clinical data of patients with vertebral vascular tumors and analyzed the location, number, and bone destruction and FDG uptake features of the lesion. We measured SUVmax and maximum diameter and analyzed the correlations between SUVmax and the pathological results, size, and CT features. Twenty-one pathology-proven vertebral vascular tumors were included: 2 angiosarcomas (SUVmax, 11.6 and 32.3), 1 epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (SUVmax, 5.7), 1 epithelioid hemangioma (SUVmax, 8.5), and 17 aggressive hemangiomas. Twelve cases of typical hemangiomas were included as controls. The SUVmax and diameter of the aggressive hemangiomas were higher than those of the typical hemangiomas. The mean SUVmax of aggressive hemangiomas with cortical destruction was higher than that of those without cortical destruction (t = −2.566, P = 0.022). Radioactive distribution in aggressive hemangiomas was homogeneous and heterogeneous in nine and eight cases, respectively. In six aggressive hemangiomas, the FDG uptake of residual and marginal sclerosing bone was higher than that of the osteolytic destruction area and/or paravertebral soft tissue. Six aggressive hemangiomas involved the spinal canal, without clear visualization on PET/CT. 18F-FDG uptake of vertebral malignant vascular tumors is higher than that of hemangiomas. The FDG uptake of hemangiomas varies and may be related to concurrent cortical destruction. 18F-FDG PET/CT shows limitations in evaluating the spinal canal involvement of aggressive hemangioma. • This study compared the 18F-FDG PET/CT findings of vertebral vascular tumors with those of typical hemangiomas. • The results showed that 18F-FDG uptake of vertebral malignant vascular tumors is higher than that of hemangiomas. • The FDG uptake of hemangiomas varies and may be related to concurrent cortical destruction. • We demonstrate some features of these tumors seen on 18F-FDG PET/CT scans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of new liquid crystalline 1,3,4-oxa/thiadiazoles with a terminal 3-fluoro-4-cyanophenyloxy group were synthesized, and their structures were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The liquid crystal properties were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM). All of the 1,3,4-oxadizoles exhibited only Nematic mesophase, while the 1,3,4-thiadiazole analogues displayed Smectic A (SmA) and Smectic C (SmC) over a wide temperature range. The fluorescent properties were investigated using ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer (UV–Vis) and fluorescence spectrometer. The solutions of all final compounds in CH 2 Cl 2 individually displayed one absorption band with λ abs-max values at 319–340 nm, and exhibited an intense emission with λ em-max values at 432–448 nm, and the photoluminescence quantum yields reached 0.52–0.66. The effects of the heterocyclic structural units, the terminal alkoxy chain length and the lateral fluorine atom on liquid crystalline and fluorescent properties were comparatively discussed. A new class of aromatically substituted 1,3,4-oxa/thiadiazoles with a terminal 3-fluoro-4-cyanophenyloxy group were synthesized. All of the 1,3,4-oxadiazoles exhibited an enantiotropic nematic mesophase, while the 1,3,4-thiadiazoles showed more ordered smectic mesophases. All of the compounds displayed blue emission with high photoluminescence quantum yields. [Display omitted] • A series of new liquid crystalline 1,3,4-oxa/thiadiazoles with a terminal 3-fluoro-4-cyanophenyloxy group were synthesized, and their structures were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The liquid crystal properties were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM). • All of the 1,3,4-oxadizoles exhibited only Nematic mesophase, while the 1,3,4-thiadiazole analogues displayed Smectic A (SmA) and Smectic C (SmC) over a wide temperature range. • The fluorescent properties were investigated using ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer (UV–Vis) and fluorescence spectrometer. • Solutions of all final compounds in CH 2 Cl 2 individually displayed one absorption band with λ abs-max values at 319–340 nm, and exhibited an intense emission with λ em-max values at 432–448 nm, and the photoluminescence quantum yields reached 0.52–0.66. • The effects of the heterocyclic structural units, the terminal alkoxy chain length and the lateral fluorine atom on liquid crystalline and fluorescent properties were comparatively discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A single step QuEChERS method for analysis of 47 pesticides in chili products. • Multi-factor optimization was evaluated by recoveries and matrix effect. • MWCNTs and PSA were mixed with optimized salts as cleanup sorbents. • Validation data of the method demonstrated its great performance. • The method was applied in routine pesticide analysis with real samples. Abstract A novel rapid single-step cleanup method combined with quick, easy, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction approach for determining multi-pesticide residues was developed. For the single-step QuEChERS (sin-QuEChERS) cleanup procedure, a specified cartridge was fitted within an extraction centrifuge tube for removing non-target substances. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and Primary Secondary Amine (PSA) mixed with salts functioned as absorbents. Method validation was applied on 47 representative pesticides in pepper, chili peppers and chili sauce by LC-MS/MS and GC–MS/MS detection. Compared to the original QuEChERS method, the Sin-QuEChERS method was fast and convenient without any further vortex or centrifugation. Satisfactory recoveries of most pesticides at two concentration levels were in the range of 70–120% (except for pyrimethanil) with relative standard deviations (RSDs n = 5) lower than 17%. The limit of quantification (LOQs) for the 47 pesticides were 0.01 mg/kg in three matrices. Sin-QuEChERS method was successfully applied to monitor the market multi-residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-residue method was developed for the determination of 124 pesticide residues in Chinese liquor and liquor-making raw materials (sorghum and rice hull) by rapid Multi-plug Filtration Cleanup (m-PFC) and GC–MS/MS detection. Different combination and proportion sets of sorbents were initially optimized for each matrix with a dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) procedure. Satisfactory linearity was obtained for the 124 pesticides with regression coefficients (R 2 ) greater than 0.9901. Mean recoveries of 121 pesticides were in the range of 71–121% with Relative Standard Deviations (RSDs) lower than 16.8% except cyprodinil, diflufenican and prothioconazole. The Limit of Quantification (LOQs) was in the range of 1.0 × 10 −4 –5.0 × 10 −3 mg kg −1 and the Limit of Detection (LODs) ranged from 3.0 × 10 −5 to 1.5 × 10 −3 mg kg −1 for the 124 pesticides in the matrices. It is demonstrated the m-PFC procedure is superior to the d-SPE method and it could be used to routinely monitor of pesticide residues in market samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid and sensitive method for the determination of 171 pesticides in cowpea was developed using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as reversed-dispersive solid-phase (r-DSPE) extraction materials. The clean-up performance of MWCNTs was proved to be obviously superior to PSA and GCB. This method was validated on cowpea spiked at 0.01 and 0.1 mg kg −1 with five replicates. The mean recoveries for 169 pesticides ranged from 74% to 129% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) (n = 5) lower than 16.4%, except diflufenican and quizalofop-ethyl. Good linearity for all pesticides was obtained with the calibration curve coefficients (R 2 ) larger than 0.9970. The limit of detection (LODs) and limit of quantification (LOQs) for the 171 pesticides ranged from 0.001 to 0.003 mg kg −1 and from 0.002 to 0.009 mg kg −1 , respectively. The method was demonstrated to be reliable and sensitive for the routine monitoring of the 171 pesticides in cowpea samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Separating particles from a complex mixture is often necessary in many chemical and biomedical applications. This work presents a continuous-flow sheathless diamagnetic particle separation in ferrofluids through U-shaped microchannels. Due to the action of a size-dependent magnetic force, diamagnetic particles are focused into a single stream in the inlet branch of the U-turn and then continuously separated into two streams in its outlet branch. A 3D numerical model is developed to predict and understand the diamagnetic particle transport during this separation process. The numerical predictions are found to agree well with the experimental observations in a systematic study of the effects of multiple parameters including ferrofluid flow rate, concentration and magnet-channel distance. Additional numerical studies of the geometric effects of the U-turn reveal that increasing the outlet-branch width of the U-turn can significantly enhance the diamagnetic particle separation in ferrofluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We purified a new IgE binding protein belonging to enolase family from the extract of P. acerifolia pollen. • We obtained the recombinant form of the protein through expression and purification. • The allergenicity of this novel allergen was characterized by ELISA, Western blot, inhibition ELISA, and basophil activation test. The pollen from Platanus acerifolia (P. acerifolia) is one of the main causes of allergic disorders. To date, only 4 allergens have been identified from this pollen. But previous studies showed that there still exist under-recognized allergens in it. The aim of this study was to comprehensively investigate the newly identified enolase (Pla a 6) as a novel allergen in the P. acerifolia pollen. The natural (n) Pla a 6 was purified by combined chromatographic strategies. According to the identified internal peptides, the cDNA sequence encoding this allergen was matched from the mRNA-sequencing results of P. acerifolia pollen, which was further amplified and cloned. The recombinant (r) Pla a 6 was expressed and purified from E. coli. The allergenicity of this novel allergen was characterized by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot, inhibition ELISA, and basophil activation test (BAT). A novel allergen from P. acerifolia pollen, named as Pla a 6 was thoroughly studied, which contained an open reading frame of 1338 bp encoding 445 amino acids. The IgE-binding activity of nPla a 6 was initially proved by Western-blot, and a similar IgE-binding pattern to rPla a 6 was also exhibited. Moreover, the positivity for specific IgE against rPla a 6 was tested as 45.95% (17/37) by ELISA, and IgE binding to pollen extract could be inhibited up to 45.77% by 10 µg/ml of rPla a 6. The protein was also confirmed to activate patients' basophils. In this study, a novel allergen belonging to enolase family was comprehensively investigated and characterized through its natural and recombinant forms in P. acerifolia pollen. The study will contribute to the development of novel molecular-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for P. acerifolia pollen allergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Algebra matrix method integrates the structural factor and the state information of social networks. • Monte Carlo simulation experiments verify the effectiveness of the algebra matrix evaluation. • The evaluation deviations of diffusion threshold are shown best performance comparing with three popular mean field methods. • The weighted average strategy is proposed as applications. Tacit knowledge is the knowledge existing in human brain which is not easy to be recorded or quantified, and often is learned in the face-to-face interactions. The tacit knowledge diffusion depends on the decision-making of tacit knowledge owners, and the expression of explicit knowledge carriers. However, the comprehensive influence of the tacit knowledge owners, explicit knowledge carriers and the relations of them were not attracted enough attention. In this paper, an algebra matrix method is used to integrate the multidimensional information of network structures and the nodes' states. By the algebra matrix method, the diffusion threshold of the tacit knowledge is calculated, which is called algebra matrix evaluation. This evaluation method is proven to be effective by comparing with Monte Carlo simulations on three types of artificial networks and five reals. With applications of the algebra matrix evaluation, we construct a co-author network according the data of the academic papers from 1980 to 2017 on Aminer platform, and define states of tacit knowledge owners and the explicit knowledge carriers by the scholar's career lengths and the paper's cited quantities respectively. It is found that the thresholds of tacit knowledge diffusion are decreasing with the expansions of the scale of the largest connected components, whether tacit knowledge diffuses in the co-author networks or in the largest connected components. And with the evolution of cumulative co-author network, the diffusion thresholds of tacit knowledge in the largest connected component decrease in ladder-like with unequal steps. Furthermore, it is find ignoring the state factor will lead to the deviation in the evaluation of tacit knowledge diffusion thresholds, which is 16.33% in the largest connected components and 45.07% in the whole network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sensitive and specific method for the determination of glufosinate in plant origin foods was developed. The method involves extraction using modified QuPPe method, clean-up by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC-Cl) and detection with liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). The method was validated on twelve matrices spiked at 10 or 20, 100 and 500 μg/kg. The recovery ranged from 80% to 108% with intra-day RSDs ( n = 5) of 0.6–9.8% and inter-day RSDs ( n = 15) of 3.0–9.4%. Good linearities ( R 2 ⩾ 0.9991) were obtained for all matrices. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for the selected matrices ranged from 0.3 to 3.3 μg kg −1 and from 1 to 10 μg kg −1 , respectively. The method was demonstrated to be reliable and sensitive for the routine monitoring of glufosinate in plant origin foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quadratic polar coordinate transform technique is proposed to improve the demodulation accuracy of the circular carrier interferogram. Through the quadratic coordinate transform, the circular carrier interferogram is converted to the linear carrier interferogram with uniform spatial frequency, whose signal spectrum is significantly separated from the unwanted ones. Thus, the phase under test can be accurately retrieved by the conventional Fourier transform technique. Both the simulant and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed technique can be used for precise demodulation of the phase distribution of a circular carrier interferogram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The glass transition point of PVC was advanced by addition of FeCl2. [•] FeCl2 caused an earlier degradation and a more effective degradation of PVC. [•] FeCl2 changed the degradation products of PVC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An automated multi-plug filtration cleanup (m-PFC) method, based on QuEChERS extraction was developed for the analysis of 48 pesticides in green tea. The carboxyl functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH) were firstly packed in m-PFC columns and functioned as promising sorbents with better clean-up capability. The different parameters of automated m-PFC equipment and extraction conditions were optimized. The automated method integrated cleanup and filtration (through filter membrane) procedure into a single run before injected to the detection instrument. Comparison to d-SPE and manual m-PFC method, the automated method could handle a batch of samples simultaneously with better purification effect. Acceptable recoveries at three concentration levels from 71% to 114% were obtained (except carbendazim and bifenazate) with relative standard deviations lower than 18%. The proposed automated m-PFC method offered a great compromise between rapidity, convenience and efficiency. It was successfully applied for market monitoring of pesticide residues with robust analyze data. • Automated m-PFC method for analysis of 48 pesticides in green tea. • Functionalized MWCNTs were mixed with other sorbents to assess cleanup performance. • Extraction and automated m-PFC process were optimized by recovery and matrix effect. • Method validation showed superior purification efficiency and robust analysis data. • The automated method can handle a batch of real sample in routine pesticide analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The thermal behaviors of homologues, derivatives and adducts of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) are compared based on thermogravimetry (TG) and gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC–TOF-MS) analysis. Our results indicate that the number of glucose units and the introduced groups cause a considerable change in thermal decomposition mechanisms of these carbohydrates. Further, it is observed that the mass loss of the bicomponent aggregate formed by phenylarsonic acid (PAA) and β-CD is larger than that of each of the components at higher temperatures. Additionally, the decomposition of the adduct produces a series of arsenic compounds with high relative abundances, such as AsO+, As2O2 +, As3O4 + and As4O6 +, which is rather different from the decomposition behaviors of free PAA and the adduct of β-CD with sodium arsenite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, the difference in thermal degradation behavior between polypropylene glycol (PPG) and its complex of β-cyclodextrin was carefully compared by a gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) as well as in situ Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric (TG) analyses. The present data revealed a very interesting phenomenon that there was a variation in the order of thermal stability of PPG and its complex between the conditions of TG and GC-TOF-MS. In addition, the relative abundances of released fragments in the inclusion complex were changed with different programmed temperatures in GC-TOF-MS measurements. We believe that this work will provide a better understanding on the degradation behavior of polypseudorotaxanes. Graphical abstract:. Display Omitted [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The second-sphere interactions between ferrocene (Fc, guest) analogs and cyclodextrins (CD, host) have attracted sufficient attention in the past decades. However, there are some unanswered questions related with the interactions. For example, how such interactions are reflected by the thermal decomposition process? The present report describes our efforts to elucidate the correlation between the destruction of a second-sphere complex through the release of its members and the separate destruction of its members by a direct sample introduction device with programmed temperature in a gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Different kinds of mass spectra are analyzed to elicit accurate details about sample decomposition processes. It is found that on the one hand, the presence of Fc effectively delays the decomposition temperature of the complexed β-CD though a great part of Fc has been released from the complex. On the other hand, the special molecular structure of β-CD has served to prevent the sublimation of Fc to a certain degree. Furthermore, the thermal decomposition mode of the β-CD molecules complexed by Fc is drastically changed compared with that of free β-CD. Also, this study provides a paradigm that ferrocene decomposes in the β-CD cavity through the release of a CpFe+ moiety, and the remaining Cp ring remains contained in the host. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, the inclusion complexation between host and guest in cyclodextrin (CD) chemistry is carefully compared with the coordination interaction between central ion (M x+) and ligands in coordination chemistry. In view of the importance of the concept of the coordination number (CN) of M x+ in coordination compounds, the inclusion number (IN) is first defined to evaluate the nature of inclusion complexation between host and guest in CD supramolecular inclusion complexes. The similarities and differences between CN and IN are also discussed. The changes of the number and forms of water molecules both in CD hydrates and in CD crystal inclusion complex hydrates are reviewed. Moreover, this paper emphasizes the distinction between the two forms of CD-guest inclusion phenomenon, i.e., inclusion complexation and encapsulation interaction. Furthermore, the present work indicates that though chemical stoichiometric ratio can be used to characterize the inclusion phenomena, IN can better reveal the essence of inclusion phenomena in cyclodextrin chemistry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The thermal decomposition behavior of survived β-cyclodextrin in its inclusion complex of clove oil is investigated by nonisothermal thermogravimetry (TG) analysis at the heating rates of 5.0, 10.0, 15.0, 20.0 and 25.0Kmin−1. The TG profiles based on mass loss as a function of temperature show a clear trend of increased thermal decomposition temperature with increased heating rate. Gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) with a programmed temperature heating treatment is performed to experimentally investigate the relationship between procedural decomposition temperature and fragment composition of the sample. The results on the basis of fragment analysis explain the different mass loss of the sample corresponding to different temperatures on the gradient hot stage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cytokine gene polymorphisms influence the severity of infectious diseases of viral and parasitic origin. Interferon alpha (IFN-α) is known to be involved in the defence against hepatitis B. The promoter of the IFN-α-2 gene was investigated for mutations in 344 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected Vietnamese patients and 293 uninfected Vietnamese. We found a deletion in the promoter, which was present significantly more frequently in HBV-infected patients than in control individuals; 20% of the healthy, whereas 35% of the HBV-infected cohort carries this deletion (P <0.001). Reporter gene assays showed that a construct with the deletion had a lower level of transcription in comparison to the wild type (P =0.011). These findings indicate that the deletion in the promoter of the IFN-α-2 gene reduces the transcription of this gene in vitro. This reduction could explain the individually different interferon levels in humans and could also be one cause of susceptibility to hepatitis B. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background/Aims: Human parvovirus B19 (B19) has been identified in the serum of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected patients. However, the effect of B19-infection on the course of HBV-associated liver disease has not previously been investigated. We examined the prevalence of B19-DNA in HBV-infected Vietnamese patients and analysed the association between co-infection and the clinical outcome of HBV-infection. Methods: Serum samples from 399 HBV-infected patients and 64 healthy individuals were analysed for the presence of B19-DNA by PCR and DNA-sequencing. Results: B19-DNA was detected in 99/463 (21.4%) individuals. The proportion of HBV-infected patients who were also co-infected with B19 was higher than the healthy controls (P <0.001). B19-DNA was detected more frequently in patients with HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma compared to patients with acute and chronic HBV, HBV-associated liver cirrhosis and healthy subjects (P <0.006). A positive correlation was also found between B19-DNA loads and both serum HBV–DNA loads and alanine aminotransferase (ρ >0.250 and P <0.05). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that B19-infection is frequent in HBV-infected Vietnamese patients. Also, a significant correlation exists between HBV/B19 co-infection and a greater likelihood of progression to more severe hepatitis B-associated liver disease. Further studies are required to determine the role of B19-infection on HBV-associated pathogenesis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background/objectives: An ineffective cytokine response is thought to be one of the reasons for the failure to suppress hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication and to eliminate the virus. We investigated the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-12, and interferon (IFN)-γ in HBV-infected Vietnamese patients to determine whether they were related to the outcome of HBV infection. Study design: Samples from a total of 154 HBV-infected patients with well-characterised clinical profiles and 56 healthy controls were assessed. Results: Serum IL-6 levels, which were inversely correlated with transaminase levels, were highest in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and lowest in those with either asymptomatic (ASYM), acute or chronic HBV, and thus, represented the best marker of HBV-related clinical progression. Compared with the healthy control group, serum IL-12 was uniformly elevated in all HBV-infected patients apart from those with ASYM infections, implying no impairment of production of this cytokine in HBV-infected individuals. Serum IL-10 and IFN-γ levels, however, were uniformly low and showed no association with clinical presentation. Cytokine profiles were not influenced by the presence of hepatitis B e antigen (HbeAg). Conclusions: Serum IL-6 and IL-12 but not IL-10 and IFN-γ are associated with the clinical presentation in HBV-infected Vietnamese patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a constituent of the human innate immune system which may play an important role in combating a variety of infectious diseases. We investigated the distribution of MBL gene mutations in a Vietnamese population, using polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequence analysis, and sought associations with the outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. For this purpose we used samples from a total of 123 patients with confirmed, well-defined HBV infections, representing a full spectrum of clinical presentation from acute to chronic to malignant states, as well as from 112 healthy controls. The only MBL gene mutation found in this population, that at codon 54 of exon 1, was present at an overall frequency of 0.12, with a trend towards a higher frequency in the HBV-infected group compared with controls (0.15 versus 0.08, P=0.079). Within the HBV-infected group there was a non-significant trend towards higher viral loads in those with this mutation, accompanied by significantly higher serum transaminase levels in the same individuals. Segregation according to clinical presentation showed that the mutation was present at a significantly higher frequency in the group with acute hepatitis B (AHB) compared with the healthy control group (0.25 versus 0.08, P=0.01), and was associated with higher serum transaminase levels. Our results indicate that a mutation of the MBL gene might influence the clinical outcome of HBV infection in Vietnamese patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Despite persistent efforts in untangling the mechanism of scientists switching between research topics, little is investigated for the relationship of scholars' career stage switch leading to dynamics of research topics. In this paper, aiming to reveal career stage and its influence on research topics, we construct a two-layer network model, coauthors collaboration network (α -layer) for scholars research career stages and papers similarity network (β -layer) for research topic types, and analyze the relationship between the career stage switch and the topic type change. Applying the data set SMSEC from China to the model, the different statistics of the two layers show different forming mechanisms, the preference attachment and the rule of similarity inherited in the two layers, respectively. The coupling mechanism of the two layers is displayed by correlation of career stages and topic types, and presented by a framework with contributions of new added papers and associated scholars. The results show that the longer of research career is, the bigger contribution on the type of divided topics is; a scholar with large topic scopes would more likely insist in his/her research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of chronic kidney failure is significantly increasing in Vietnam, causing a burden for health care. This study assessed the relationship of HLA-A, -B, and –DRB1 alleles with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). A retrospective, cross-sectional study and a comparative study using secondary data analysis were conducted on 196 ESRD patients and 187 controls from 2009 to 2017. The patient and donor profiles were collected from medical records, including age, sex, etiology of renal failure, and HLA phenotypes. HLA-A*, -B*, and -DRB1* typing were done by polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primers. The most frequent HLA alleles in Vietnamese patients with ESRD were HLA-A*02, -A*11, -B*15, -B*46, -DRB1*04, -DRB1*09, and -DRB1*12. The haplotypes HLA-A*0233 (odds ratio [OR] = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.15–0.98) had a negative association for ESRD. The haplotypes HLA-B*1515 (OR = 4.14, 95% CI: 1.52–11.26) and HLA-DRB1*1212 (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.06–3.81) had a positive association for ESRD. The haplotypes HLA-B*1515 (OR = 4.69, 95% CI: 1.69–13.03) and -DRB1*1212 (OR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.10–4.21) had a positive association for ESRD related to glomerulonephritis. The HLA-B*1557 (OR = 17.34, 95% CI: 2.70–11.49) had a positive association for ESRD related to hypertension. The haplotypes of HLA class I and II had significant relationships with ESRD. The results of our study should be confirmed in further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibility of coalescence between rolling and static droplets is greater than that of static droplets. Due to the randomness of the velocity direction of rolling droplets and the position of static droplets, rolling and static droplets are more prone to non-frontal coalescence. Most studies focused on static droplets or head-on coalescence jumping, while non-frontal coalescence is poorly understood. In this work, we experimentally and numerically study the head-on and non-frontal coalescence of a rolling droplet and a static one. Furthermore, to measure the jumping characteristics of merged droplets, a "single camera defocusing imaging measurement" (SCDIM) method was proposed to obtain a 3D trajectory of the jumping droplet. For non-frontal coalescence, the morphological evolution of the merged droplet rotates counterclockwise during the coalescence process. The direction of horizontal jumping velocity deviates towards the rolling droplet. The non-frontal deviation and initial velocity determine whether rotation can occur and its strength. The higher initial velocity has a negative impact on the jumping velocity in the Z direction with the increase of non-frontal deviation, while the deviation angle could be negligible. As the non-frontal deviation ratio increases, the dominant mechanism of coalescence jumping is gradually transferred from the impact effect to the contraction of the merged droplets. Different from jumping velocity in the Z direction, the horizontal jumping velocity is approximately proportional to the dimensionless initial velocity. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leek, leaf lettuce and garland chrysanthemum are troublesome vegetables containing large amount of pigments which may bring serious matrix interferences in mass spectrometry analysis. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have a good effect for the cleanup of troublesome matrix. So the study was designed to develop a multi-residue method for the determination of 70 pesticide residues in leek, leaf lettuce and garland chrysanthemum based on a modified QuEChERS procedure using MWCNTs as reversed-dispersive solid phase extraction (r-DSPE) materials to remove the interferences of pigments. PSA and GCB were used as comparison. LC–MS/MS was used to identify and quantify the residue levels of multi-pesticides. The clean-up performance of MWCNTs was demonstrated to be obviously superior to GCB and PSA. This method was validated on leek, leaf lettuce and garland chrysanthemum spiked at the concentration of 10, 50 and 100 μg kg −1 with five replicates. The recoveries of 70 pesticides ranged from 74% to 119%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 14.2%. Good linearity ( R 2 ≥ 0.9903) was obtained at the range of 10–1000 μg/L for all pesticides in the selected matrices. The limit of quantification (LOQs) and limit of detection (LODs) of the 70 pesticides for the selected matrices ranged from 0.3 to 7.9 μg kg −1 and from 0.1 to 2.4 μg kg −1 respectively. The method was successfully applied to the routine monitoring of pesticide residues in market samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) sub-microspheres @ reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets core-shell composites with 3D architecture are successfully fabricated by a one-step method through co-reduction of irregular cupric citrate and graphene oxide nanosheets at room temperature. Comparing to the bare Cu 2 O sub-microspheres and the simple physical mixture of Cu 2 O and rGO (Cu 2 O-rGO-M), the Cu 2 O@rGO electrodes demonstrate dramatically improved capacity, cyclic stability and rate capability as anode materials for lithium ion batteries. At a low current density of 100 mA∙g −1 , Cu 2 O@rGO electrodes deliver a discharge capacity of 534 mAh∙g −1 after 50 cycles, retaining 94% of the initial capacity. Under a higher current density of 1000 mA∙g −1 , Cu 2 O@rGO electrodes exhibit a discharge capacity of 181 mAh∙g −1 after 200 cycles, approximately 4 times larger than that of bare Cu 2 O sub-microsphere electrodes. The rate capacity retention of Cu 2 O@rGO electrode is 74% at 200 mA∙g −1 and 38% at 1000 mA∙g −1 relative to 100 mA∙g −1 , much better than that for Cu 2 O-rGO-M (52% and 34%) and bare Cu 2 O electrodes (13% and 3%,). The enhanced electrochemical performance for Cu 2 O@rGO might be ascribed to the rGO coating and 3D architecture. The outer coated rGO nanosheets could provide additional 3D conductive networks as well as serve as the buffer layers for accommodating the large volume change of the inner Cu 2 O sub-microspheres during the charge-discharge cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PD-1/PD-L1 signalling involves T-cell exhaustion in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. • Increased expression of PD-1 is considered to be associated with infectious diseases. • PD-1.9 and PD-1.9 are associated with HBV-associated liver disease outcomes. • Increased sPD-1 levels are associated with HBV-related liver inflammation and fibrosis. Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) variants and circulating level of soluble PD-1 are associated with susceptibility to malignant and infectious disease. This study aimed to examine the association of PD-1.5 and PD-1.9 variants, and plasma sPD-1 level with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and disease progression. The study cohort consisted of adults infected with HBV (n =513) – stratified by clinical course, including chronic hepatitis B (CHB, n =173), liver cirrhosis (LC, n =134) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, n =206) – and matched healthy controls (HC, n =196). The PD-1.5 (rs2227981 C/T) and PD-1.9 (rs2227982 C/T) genetic variants were genotyped by Sanger sequencing, and plasma sPD-1 levels were quantified by enzyme immunoassay. Plasma sPD-1 levels were significantly higher among patients infected with HBV. The highest plasma sPD-1 levels were observed in patients with CHB, followed by patients with LC and HCC. In addition, the plasma sPD-1 levels correlated positively with liver inflammation [aspartate transaminase (AST): rho=0.57, P <0.0001; alanine aminotransferase: rho=0.57, P <0.0001], and were positively correlated with liver fibrosis [AST to platelet ratio index score: rho=0.53, P <0.0001). The PD-1.9 TT genotype was less common in patients with CHB compared with patients with LC, HCC, and HCC+LC in both codominant and recessive models (P <0.01), and was found to be a risk factor for HCC predisposition {HCC vs non-HCC: odds ratio (OR) 2.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13–3.7], P adj =0.017}. The PD-1.5 CT genotype was associated with reduced risk of acquiring HCC [OR 0.6 (95% CI 0.4–0.9), P adj =0.031]. sPD-1 level was associated with liver inflammation and progression of liver fibrosis, and the PD-1.5 and PD-1.9 variants were associated with HBV infection and progression of liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rosa rugosa is extensively cultivated in China for its remarkable fragrance and flavor, however, the metabolic changes in roses during growth and drying remain unclear. Our results revealed significant variations in phenol and flavonoid contents and antioxidant capacity in roses (Rosa rugosa f. plena (Regel) Byhouwer) under different conditions. Phenol contents were positively correlated with antioxidant capacity, with phytochemicals being most prominent in unfolded petals. The highest antioxidant capacity and phenol and flavonoid contents were observed in April. Considering their greater consumption value, whole flowers were more suitable than petals alone. Furthermore, considerable sensory and nutritional differences were observed in dried roses. Different drying methods increased their total phenol content of roses by 4.2–5.4 times and the antioxidant capacity by 2.9 times. Metabolomics revealed the altered contents of flavonoids, anthocyanins, lipids, amino acids, and saccharides. This study provides baseline data for the potential of roses as a natural source of antioxidants in the food and pharmaceutical industries. [Display omitted] • Bioactive chemicals in rose showed the highest level at the preanthesis stage. • Terpenes were the most volatile metabolites in roses during daytime. • Stamens had a much higher flavonoid content than petals and receptacles. • An increase in anthocyanin content maintained the desired appearance of freeze–dried roses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space Archimedean spiral is defined firstly in this paper. Thereafter, a new spiral tool path generation based on space Archimedean spiral is proposed for diamond turning optical freeform surfaces of quasi-revolution, which is defined as a surface close to some surface of revolution. By projecting the space Archimedean spiral onto the freeform surface along the normal direction of the base surface instead of a fixed direction like traditional method, a quasi-uniform spiral tool path on the freeform surface can be obtained. This method can be used on diamond turning optical freeform surfaces. Finally, two examples are presented to prove its effectiveness and adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel reflective multimode fiber vector bending sensor via specklegram is presented. • The beamsplitter prism and the manufactured reflective coating are used to realize the reflection operation. • A regression model of deep learning is trained to estimate bending orientations and curvatures. • The sensor is capable of 0–5.7 m−1 curvature sensing in 360° bending orientations. • The mean absolute error is lower than 4 % of the measurement range. The vector bending sensor that senses bend orientation and curvature is desperately needed in the smart medical field. However, the existing fiber-optic vector bending sensor is challenging to detect the 360° bending orientation, and both sides of the transmission structure need related equipment resulting in limited application. Here, a reflective multimode fiber vector bending (RMVB) sensor based on the specklegrams is proposed to overcome these challenges. Light source coupling and specklegrams capturing at the same side are achieved by the beamsplitter prism at the proximal end and the reflective coating at the distal end. Specklegrams can be used to estimate the bending state since the bending alters the mode interference. The bending state prediction network is trained using a dataset of 360° bending orientations and 0–5.7 m−1 curvatures. The bending orientation and curvature interval are predicted by the classification model with accuracies of 0.99 and 0.97, respectively. With the mean absolute error lower than 4 % of the measurement range, the regression model can accurately predict the bending orientation and curvature. Therefore, the RMVB sensor with a novel structure capable of curvature sensing in 360° bending orientation provides a promising approach for a single-fiber vector bending sensor and is expected for application in space-tight applications such as interventional operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of liquid marbles is critical to their application in sensors, microfluidic control, microreactors, and other fields. A more comprehensive understanding of the rupture kinetics of liquid marble is instructive for studies in improving the stability of liquid marble. However, the mechanism of rupture of liquid marbles is not clear at present, therefore, this paper addressed this issue by calculating the displacement of particles on the surface of a liquid marble using the DIC (Digital Image Correlation) algorithm. The distribution characteristics of the particles on the surface of the liquid marble and their movement patterns were clarified, the causes of cracks on the marble surface were analyzed, the mechanism of liquid marble rupture was derived, and the effect of volume on rupture kinetics was analyzed. Based on the obtained data, a method was proposed to control the maximum compression that the liquid marble can withstand by spraying different sizes of superhydrophobic coatings. This paper contributes to the study of the stability of liquid marble, allowing its wider application in industrial production. [Display omitted] • Particle displacements on the surface of liquid marbles were accurately measured by the DIC algorithm. • The displacement patterns of particles on the surface of liquid marbles and the causes of their cracks were analyzed. • The effect of the volume of the liquid marbles on the cracking mechanism was analyzed. • The maximum compression that liquid marble can withstand was controlled by different sizes of superhydrophobic coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Secondary infections prevail in North Vietnamese adults with few cases of severe disease. • Dengue virus serotypes DENV1 and DENV2 are predominant with higher viremia in primary infection than secondary infection. • Adult secondary dengue infection is distinguished by IgM:IgG ratio cut off <0.7. • Platelet loss correlates with dengue-specific IgG and IgM levels but does not necessarily lead to longer hospital stay or worsening illness. • Platelet autoantibodies in acute dengue infection and autoimmune complications in post-dengue warrant further investigation. The morbidity in dengue fever is dependent on the dengue virus (DENV) serotypes, the patient age, predisposing immunogenic markers and the frequency of primary and secondary infections. This study aims to distinguish acute primary from secondary dengue infections of Vietnamese adults and to assess the association of viremia and anti-dengue immunoglobulin levels with clinical outcomes. Viral RNA, dengue serotypes and levels of anti-dengue IgM and IgG of hospitalized adult cases were determined in EDTA-plasma samples prospectively collected during three consecutive years of dengue infection in Hanoi. Patients admitted to hospital within 7 days of their 1st reported fever were included. Primary infections were anti-dengue IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) negative on both day of hospital entry (day 0) and day two or three of hospitalization (day 2 or 3) with a positive anti-dengue IgM on either day 0 or day 2 or 3 hospitalization. The secondary infections were anti-dengue IgG ELISA positive on both day 0 and day 2 or 3 with positive anti-dengue IgM ELISA on either day 0 or day 2 or 3. The hospitalized dengue fever cases between October 2016 and March 2019 were predominantly secondary infections (74%, 68% and 77%, respectively) with DENV-1 (60% and 65%) and DENV-2 (22% and 26%) serotypes determined in the latter two years. The viremia in primary infection was significantly higher than that in secondary infection (P < 0.01) and positively correlated with the days of hospital stay. In secondary infections, platelet counts were lower than in primary infections (P = 0.04) and IgG levels in secondary infection negatively correlated with platelet counts (Spearman's r = −0.22, P < 0.01). Our results indicate high rates of secondary infection with DENV1 and DENV2 serotypes. Anti-dengue immunoglobulins negatively correlate with hospital stay and platelet counts with few warning signs or severe disease. Further investigations of specific antibodies in adults which predict auto-inflammatory activity after the recovery from dengue infection are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We observe three regimes in the expansion flow of viscoelastic flows. • We observe four regimes in the contraction flow of viscoelastic flows. • The size of expansion flow vortices increases non-monotonically with Reynolds number. • We propose the use of elasticity number to distinguish the flow regimes. A comprehensive understanding of the flow of viscoelastic polymer solutions in a contraction and/or an expansion geometry concerns numerous applications. The effects of polymer type, molecular weight, and concentration are investigated through controlled experiments with polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and hyaluronic acid (HA) solutions in a planar constriction microchannel in a wide range of Reynolds (R e) and Weissenberg (W i) numbers. The polymer structure renders drastic differences amongst the contraction flows of 3000 ppm PEO, PVP, and HA solutions despite having similar molecular weights. The expansion flow vortices of these solutions remain analogous to those in the inertial flow of water. Increasing the molecular weight or concentration of PEO polymer promotes the elastic instabilities in both the contraction and expansion flows. It, however, suppresses (and even blocks) the inertial vortices in the expansion flow and makes them start from the salient corners, in contrast to the lips of the expansion walls in water. Interestingly, a sudden decrease in the size of inertial vortices is observed in the expansion flow of 500 ppm, 1 megadalton PEO solution when the elastic disturbances start appearing in the contraction flow. The observed flow regimes and vortex development in the polymer solutions are summarized in the same dimensionless R e − W i and R e − χ L parameter spaces, where χ L is the normalized vortex length. The elasticity number, E l = W i / R e , is found to determine and distinguish the contraction and expansion flows. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Variations in natural killer cell receptors affect the risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and clinical outcomes. • Variation in KIR2DS4 is associated with a risk to chronic HBV. • Combinations of killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) ligands protect from chronic HBV and liver cirrhosis. • Activating KIR protects HBV patients from hepatocellular carcinoma. Genes of host immunity play an important role in disease pathogenesis and are determinants of clinical courses of infections, including hepatitis B virus (HBV). Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR), expressed on the surface of natural killer cells (NK), regulate NK cell cytotoxicity by interacting with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules and are candidates for influencing the course of HBV. This study evaluated whether variations in KIR gene content and HLA-C ligands are associated with HBV and with the development of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. A Vietnamese study cohort (HBV n = 511; controls n = 140) was genotyped using multiplex sequence-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR-SSP) followed by melting curve analysis. The presence of the functional allelic group of KIR2DS4 was associated with an increased risk of chronic HBV (OR = 1.86, pcorr = 0.02), while KIR2DL2+HLA-C1 (OR = 0.62, pcorr = 0.04) and KIR2DL3+HLA-C1 (OR = 0.48, pcorr = 0.04) were associated with a decreased risk. The pair KIR2DL3+HLA-C1 was associated with liver cirrhosis (OR = 0.40, pcorr = 0.01). The presence of five or more activating KIR variants was associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (OR = 0.53, pcorr = 0.04). KIR gene content variation and combinations KIR-HLA influence the outcome of HBV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Neopterin levels and Kyn/Trp ratios were significantly increased in dengue virus (DENV) patients and subsequently decreased after recovery. • Neopterin concentrations strongly correlated with Kyn/Trp ratios. • Neopterin levels and Kyn/Trp ratios could be used as indicators of the response to supportive care in DENV infection. During dengue fever, a pronounced gamma-interferon immune response produces neopterin and promotes tryptophan degradation by the enzyme indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO-1). Activated IDO-1 is indicated by an increased kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (Kyn/Trp) in patients. Plasma levels of neopterin, kynurenine, and tryptophan were measured in 72 hospitalized dengue virus (DENV) patients and 100 healthy individuals. Plasma levels of neopterin, kynurenine, and tryptophan were also measured prospectively in a second cohort of 13 DENV patients; on the day of hospitalization, on day 2–3 at discharge, and 7–10 days after discharge. DENV RNA positivity was determined by qualitative and quantitative methodologies. DENV RNA-positive patients presented significantly higher levels of neopterin (mean 36.5 nmol/l) and Kyn/Trp ratios (mean 102 μmol/mmol) compared to DENV RNA-negative individuals. A significant correlation between neopterin levels and Kyn/Trp ratios was observed in both DENV RNA-positive (Spearman's rho = 0.37, p < 0.01) and DENV RNA-negative (Spearman's rho = 0.89, p < 0.001) patients. Kyn/Trp ratios were negatively correlated with platelet counts (Spearman's rho = −0.43, p < 0.01) and positively correlated with liver enzymes: AST (Spearman's rho = 0.68, p < 0.01) and ALT (Spearman's rho = 0.51, p < 0.05). In addition, the follow-up data presented a significant decrease in neopterin levels and Kyn/Trp ratios within 10 days after hospital entry. Neopterin levels and Kyn/Trp ratios were significantly increased in DENV patients and subsequently decreased after recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperation network is one of the structural social relationships naturally formed in the evolution of human societies. Previous research has focused on well-mixed structures, and yet most individuals in real interactions have sentiments and unequal status in duration and changing in time. This raises the question of whether cooperation can persist despite different sentiments and unequal status of individuals. In this paper, sentiments are included the positive and the negative, and unequal statues are the small node and the big node based the node degree. We develop a game model to study cooperative behaviors based unequal statuses and sentiments, and experimentally examine the model by digital and real networks. Surprisingly, we find that small nodes are more prone to choose positive cooperation relative to comparable big nodes on the promise of enough profits of the tacit knowledge and the excess return. Our results reveal that the unequal status is the hidden mechanism for cooperative behaviors, and provide a new prospective to investigate the evolution of cooperation in more realistic environments. • Game strategies include the positive and the negative cooperation. • Unequal status players make asymmetric payoffs. • The node reputation is calculated by an exponent function on its degree. • Small nodes are more prone to choose positive cooperation relative to comparable big ones. • The tacit knowledge encourages small nodes to cooperate with big ones positively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • We report a portable absorption photometry-based microfluidic system for detection of human triglyceride, albumin and total protein. • A new pump-free microfluidic chip is developed and contributed to detection sensitivity and miniaturization. • Quantitative analysis of three blood test items in the required concentration range is robust and reproducible. Abstract We reported a novel integrated portable human blood system based on absorption photometry and microfluidic technology. A capillary pump for fluid control was embedded in microfluidic chip instead of heavy syringe pump. The analytes could automatically flow, mix and react in chip. It achieves long-term stability of hydrophilic microfluidic channel surface for rapid and sensitive detection. Herein, we detected three analytes from human blood, including triglyceride (TGL), albumin (ALB) and total protein (TP) which are very important for health examination. All components of this system including light-emitting diode (LED) light source, microfluidic chip, photodiode detector (PD), electronic circuit, Organic LED screen and memory card were fully integrated into a portable instrument with small size (11.2 × 7.2 × 6.1 cm). The pair of LED and PD was used for measuring light absorbance of biochemical assay. The limit of detections (LODs) for TGL, ALB and TP were estimated to be below 0.1 mmol/L, 4 g/L and 10 g/L respectively, which is significantly below the clinical cut-off value. Passing − Boblok regression analyses were used to achieve the evaluation for this system. It showed good accuracy and feasibility of our system and was expected to be useful as a potential clinical tool for human blood serum test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The NTCP S267F variant is associated with a lower risk of chronic HBV infection. • First study on NTCP S267F variant on concomitant HDV infection in Vietnamese population. • The NTCP S267F is correlated with a reduced risk on clinical progression of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Abstract Objectives To determine potential associations of the rs2296651 variant (c.800C > T, S267F) of NTCP with HBV and HBV plus concomitant HDV infection as well as with the progression of related liver diseases. Methods The S267F variant was genotyped by DNA sequencing in 620 HBV-infected patients and 214 healthy controls (HCs). Among the patients, 450 individuals were tested for HDV by a nested PCR assay. Logistic regression was applied to examine the association. Results The S267F variant was found more frequently among HCs (16%) compared to HBV-infected (6%) and HBV-HDV co-infected patients (3%) (HBV patients vs HC: OR = 0.32, P = 0.00002 and HDV patients vs. HC: OR = 0.17, P = 0.018). The frequency of S267F variant was inversely correlated with CHB, LC or HCC patients compared with HCs (OR = 0.31, P = 0.001; OR = 0.32, P = 0.013; OR = 0.34, P = 0.002, respectively). S267F variant was also associated with decreased risk of the development of advanced liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (Child B and C vs. Child A, OR = 0.26, adjusted P = 0.016; BCLC B,C,D vs. BCLC A, OR = 0.038, P = 0.045, respectively). In addition, patients with the genotype CT had lower levels of AST, ALT, total and direct bilirubin as well as higher platelet counts, indicating an association with a more favorable clinical outcome. Conclusion The NTCP S267F variant of the SLC10A1 gene exhibits protective effects against HBV and HDV infection and is associated with a reduced risk of developing to advanced stages of LC and HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, the preparation and sintering process of Lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate ceramics (PLZT 4/52/48) powders and ceramics were investigated. The PLZT powders were prepared by co-precipitation and sol-gel methods. It is confirmed that PLZT powders synthesized by sol-gel method had smaller grains and better dispersion. The atmosphere sintering and spark plasma sintering（SPS）technique were used to sinter the PLZT ceramics separately. After sintering, the physical, electrical, and optical properties of the PLZT ceramics sintered by different methods were tested. The results show that the SPS sintering can increase the densification degree (reaching 99.5%)of the PLZT ceramics, which improved the transparency, ferroelectric, piezoelectric and optical properties of PLZT ceramics. It is found that when the light intensity reached 600 mW/cm2, the maximum photo-induced strain of the SPS sintered ceramic was as high as 10. 84 × 10−3, which was almost 1.4 times larger than that of the atmosphere-sintered sample. Obviously, the sol-gel method and SPS process can enhance the comprehensive performance of PLZT ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core materials knowledge needed in the accelerated design, development, and deployment of new and improved materials is most accessible when cast in the form of computationally low cost (reduced-order) and reliable process-structure-property (PSP) linkages. Quantification of the material structure (also referred as microstructure) is the core challenge in this task. Conventionally, microstructure quantification has been addressed using highly simplified measures suggested by the governing physics, with the list of measures often suitably augmented by the intuition of the materials expert. In this paper, we develop an objective (data-driven) approach to efficiently and accurately link a three-dimensional (3-D) microstructure to its effective (homogenized) properties. Our method employs a 3-D convolutional neural network (CNN) to learn the salient features of the material microstructures that lead to good predictive performance for the effective property of interest. We then utilize 3-D CNN learned features as estimators of higher-order spatial correlations, and formulate an integrated framework combining 3-D CNN features with 2-point spatial correlations. In this work, we created an extremely large microstructure-property benchmark dataset of 5900 microstructures, and demonstrated that our CNN based approach not only learns interpretable microstructure features, but also leads to improved accuracy in property predictions for new microstructures, while achieving a dramatic reduction in the computation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction For the identification of bacterial pathogens, blood culture is still the gold standard diagnostic method. However, several disadvantages apply to blood cultures, such as time and rather large volumes of blood sample required. We have previously established an optimised multiplex real-time PCR method in order to diagnose bloodstream infections. Material and methods In the present study, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of this optimised multiplex RT-PCR in blood samples collected from 110 septicaemia patients enrolled at the 108 Military Central Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam. Results Positive results were obtained by blood culture, the Light Cylcler-based SeptiFast ® assay and our multiplex RT-PCR in 35 (32%), 31 (28%), and 31 (28%) samples, respectively. Combined use of the three methods confirmed 50 (45.5%) positive cases of bloodstream infection, a rate significantly higher compared to the exclusive use of one of the three methods ( P = 0.052, 0.012 and 0.012, respectively). The sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) of our assay were higher compared to that of the SeptiFast ® assay (77.4%, 86.1% and 0.8 vs. 67.7%, 82.3% and 0.73, respectively). Combined use of blood culture and multiplex RT-PCR assay showed a superior diagnostic performance, as the sensitivity, specificity, and AUC reached 83.3%, 100%, and 0.95, respectively. The concordance between blood culture and the multiplex RT-PCR assay was highest for Klebsiella pneumonia (100%), followed by Streptococcus spp. (77.8%), Escherichia coli (66.7%), Staphylococcus spp. (50%) and Salmonella spp. (50%). In addition, the use of the newly established multiplex RT-PCR assay increased the spectrum of identifiable agents ( Acintobacter baumannii, 1/32; Proteus mirabilis, 1/32). Conclusion The combination of culture and the multiplex RT-PCR assay provided an excellent diagnostic accomplishment and significantly supported the identification of causative pathogens in clinical samples obtained from septic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The KIR ( killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors ) gene family codifies a group of receptors that recognize human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and modulate natural killer (NK) cells response. Genetic diversity of KIR genes and HLA ligands has not yet been deeply investigated in South East Asia. Here, we characterized KIR gene presence and absence polymorphism of 14 KIR genes and two pseudogenes, as well as the frequencies of the ligands HLA-Bw4, HLA-C1 and HLA-C2 in a Vietnamese population from Hanoi (n = 140). Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction with specific sequence primers (PCR-SSP). We compared KIR frequencies and performed principal component analysis with 43 worldwide populations of different ancestries. KIR carrier frequencies in Vietnamese were similar to those reported for Thai and Chinese Han, but differed significantly from other geographically close populations such as Japanese and South Korean. This similarity was also observed in KIR gene-content genotypes and is in accordance with the origin from Southern China and Thailand proposed for the Vietnamese population. The frequencies of HLA ligands observed in Vietnamese did not differ from those reported for other East-Asian populations ( p  > .05). Studies regarding KIR-HLA in populations are of prime importance to understand their evolution, function and role in diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residue behavior and processing factors (PFs) of phorate, atrazine, malathion, metolachlor, chlorpyrifos, procymidone, tebuconazole and bifenthrin during distilled spirits production based on sorghum was systemically evaluated. The pesticides were determined by gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) after each processing step including soaking, steaming, fermentation, and distillation. Results showed that soaking process could significantly reduce phorate residues whereas it was not confirmed for other pesticides. The steaming process further reduced pesticide residues by 22%～81%. The fermentation reduced pesticide residues by 43%～76%. Finally the distillation proved the most effective process for reducing pesticide residues. The PFs for every pesticide after each step were less than 1 and the PFs of the overall process for all pesticides were lower than 0.004, which indicated that the distilled spirits making process could obviously reduce the pesticide residues that are present in raw sorghum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residue levels of dichlorvos, fenitrothion, pirimiphos-methyl, malathion and deltamethrin during sorghum distilled spirits production were examined. The analytical method for these pesticides in sorghum, fermented sorghum, rice hull and distilled spirits was validated through linearity, matrix effect, accuracy and precision, limit of quantification (LOQ) and limit of detection (LOD) parameters. The pesticide residue levels before/after each process of soaking, steaming, fermentation, and distillation were determined by gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS). Results showed that soaking process could obviously reduce dichlorvos residue with 87% decrease as its high vapor pressure. The steaming process reduced pesticide residues by 42–83% mainly due to evaporation or thermal degradation. Also, the fermentation could remove pesticide residues by 40–63% in favor of biological degradation. Moreover, the distillation process was proved to be effective for decreasing the pesticide residues in distilled spirits with the processing factors lower than other processes for each pesticide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The reported STAT4 variant (rs7574865) to be a trivial factor in CHB induced HCC. [•] No association between STAT4 rs7574865 with several clinical parameters. [•] No association between STAT4 rs7574865 with HBV genotype and viral loads. [•] The HLA-DQ rs9275319 was not in HW equilibrium in Vietnamese cohort with HBV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Activation of PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway is considered to cause HBV-specific CD8+T cell exhaustion in chronic HBV infection. • Increased expression of PD-L1 involves in various health conditions, including infectious diseases, chronic inflammations, cancers. • The missense variant PD-L1 rs2297136 is associated with HBV infection susceptibility and liver disease progression. • Plasma sPD-L1 correlated with liver inflammation and associated with clinical outcomes in HBV infected patients. Soluble molecules of programmed death ligand 1 (sPD-L1) are known to modulate T-cell depletion, an important mechanism of hepatitis B virus (HBV) persistence and liver disease progression. In addition, PD-L1 polymorphisms in the 3′-UTR can influence PD-L1 expression and have been associated with cancer risk, although not definitively. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of PD-L1 polymorphisms and circulating levels of sPD-L1 in HBV infection and live disease progression. In this study, five hundred fifty-one HBV infected patients of the three clinically well-defined subgroups chronic hepatitis B (CHB, n = 186), liver cirrhosis (LC, n = 142) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, n = 223) and 240 healthy individuals (HC) were enrolled. PD-L1 polymorphisms (rs2297136 and rs4143815) were genotyped by in-house validated ARMS assays. Logistic regression models were applied in order to determine the association of PD-L1 polymorphisms with HBV infection as well as with progression of related liver diseases. Plasma sPD-L1 levels were quantified by ELISA assays. The PD-L1 rs2297136 AA genotype was associated with HBV infection susceptibility (HBV vs. HC: OR = 1.6; 95%CI = 1.1–2.3; p = 0.0087) and disease progression (LC vs. CHB: OR = 1.8; 95%CI = 1.1–2.9; p = 0.018). Whereas, the rs2297136 GG genotype was a protective factor for HCC development. Plasma sPD-L1 levels were significantly high in HBV patients (p < 0.0001) and higher in the LC followed by CHB and HCC groups. High sPD-L1 levels correlated with increased liver enzymes and with advanced liver disease progression (Child-pugh C > B > A, p < 0.0001) and BCLC classification (BCLC D > C > B > A, p = 0.031). We could, for the first time, conclude that PD-L1 rs2297136 polymorphism and plasma sPD-L1 protein levels associate with HBV infection and HBV-related liver disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Uniform and well-dispersed BaMoO4:Ln3+ (Ln=Eu, Tb, Dy, and Sm) microspheres have been successfully synthesized through a facile hydrothermal approach by using trisodium citrate as surfactant. XRD results demonstrate that Ln3+-doped samples can be well indexed to the pure tetragonal scheelite-type BaMoO4, indicating that the Eu3+, Tb3+, Dy3+, and Sm3+ have been effectively doped into the BaMoO4 host lattices. SEM and TEM images indicate that the as-obtained BaMoO4 microspheres consist of tiny packed nanocrystallites. The as-synthesized BaMoO4:Ln3+ (Ln=Eu, Tb, Dy, and Sm) phosphors show strong light emissions with different colors coming from different activator ions under ultraviolet light excitation, which may find potential applications in light phosphor powders and advanced flat panel display devices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]