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Key-value (KV) stores play an increasingly critical role in supporting diverse large-scale applications in modern data centers hosting terabytes of KV items which even might reside on a single server due to virtualization purposes. The combination of the ever-growing volume of KV items and storage/application consolidation is driving a trend of high storage density for KV stores. Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) represents a promising technology for increasing disk capacity, which however comes with the increased complexity of handling random writes. To take the best advantages of SMR drives, applications are expected to work in an SMR-friendly way. In this work, we present SEALDB, a Log-Structured Merge tree (LSM-tree) based key-value store that is specifically optimized for SMR drives via avoiding random writes and the corresponding write amplification on SMR drives. First, for LSM-trees, SEALDB collects and groups participating data of each compaction into sets. Using a set as the basic unit for compactions, SEALDB improves compaction efficiency by reducing random I/Os. Second, SEALDB creates variable sized bands on original HM-SMR drives, named dynamic bands. Dynamic bands store sets in an SMR-friendly way to eliminate the auxiliary write amplification from SMR drives. Third, SEALDB employs two light-weight garbage collection (GC) policies to further improve the space efficiency. We demonstrate the advantages of SEALDB via extensive experiments with various workloads. Overall, SEALDB delivers impressive performance compared with LevelDB, e.g., $3.42\times$3.42×/$2.65\times$2.65× faster for random writes (without or with GCs), and $3.96\times$3.96× faster for sequential reads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strategy for the photoelectrochemical detection of miRNA with ultra-low background noise was developed using tungsten diselenide–cysteine–dopamine (WSe2/Cys/DA) as a nanoprobe coupled with mismatched catalytic hairpin assembly target recycling. A superior detection limit of 3.3 aM toward miRNA-221 was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shewanella xiamenensis is an emerging pathogen causing intra‐abdominal infection and intestinal colonization. Epidemiologic clues suggest its role as a potential food‐borne zoonotic agent. To date, four genome sequences of S. xiamenensis have been made publicly available. All of them were isolated from water samples. In this study, we characterized the genome of a S. xiamenensis strain isolated from a giant grouper in Taiwan. The genome of S. xiamenensis ZYW1 is 4,827,717 bp in length and encodes 4,239 open reading frames. Its genomic sequence shares high homology with other S. xiamenensis strains. blaOXA‐416 was identified. This is the first detection of S. xiamenensis in Taiwan. These genomic data and analyses contribute to our understanding of S. xiamenensis and may help to elucidate disease‐causing mechanisms in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic used to treat infections caused by drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying colistin resistance in Shewanella algae are not well understood. In this study, we sequenced and compared the genomes of 23 mcr-negative colistin-resistant and sensitive S. algae samples from various sources. We applied a computational approach to identify combinatorial mutations associated with colistin resistance. Our analysis revealed a combination of three mutations (PmrB 451, PmrE168, PmrH292) that were strongly associated with colistin resistance in S. algae. This study provides insights into the genetic mechanisms of colistin resistance in S. algae and demonstrates the utility of a computational approach for identifying epistatic interactions among mutations. Identifying the genetic mutations responsible for colistin resistance in S. algae can inform the development of new treatments or strategies to combat infections caused by this emerging pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Different crystallographic MnO x were tested for Hg0 removal. • α-MnO 2 exhibits a better regeneration performance for Hg0 removal than γ-MnO 2. • Regeneration mechanisms of α- and γ-MnO 2 are proposed. Manganese oxides with different crystallographic structures were investigated for gas-phase elemental mercury removal. The inherent thermal regeneration performance and mechanism of α- and γ-MnO 2 were studied. The manganese dioxides were found to possess a mercury removal efficiency of higher than 96% even after 120 min mercury exposure except for β-MnO 2 which removed much less mercury than Mn 2 O 3. The α-MnO 2 was found to have a higher recyclability of mercury capture and better durability for regeneration than γ-MnO 2. During the first 1 h of exposure, α-MnO 2 showed an excellent mercury capacity of 128 μg/g over 5 regeneration cycles. While for γ-MnO 2 , the mercury capacity of the fifth cycle was reduced to 68.74 μg/g, which is much lower than 131.42 μg/g for the first cycle. The microstructure of α-MnO 2 was maintained throughout regeneration cycles due to its capability to retain lattice oxygen. In comparison, γ-MnO 2 experienced reconstruction and phase transformation induced by oxygen vacancies due to lattice oxygen loss during regeneration process, leading to a degradation in mercury capture. The α-MnO 2 oriented composite was found to be better developed into a regenerable catalytic sorbent for mercury removal from flue gases of coal-fired power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Emergence of carbapenem-resistant S. algae is a severe problem. • Re-sensitization of S. algae to carbapenem by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. • The bla OXA-55 -like gene is essential for carbapenem resistance in S. algae. • One-plasmid genome editing system for CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in S. algae. • CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing is a promising approach to validate the gene function. Antibiotic resistance in pathogens is a growing threat to human health. Of particular concern is resistance to carbapenem, which is an antimicrobial agent listed as critically important by the World Health Organization. With the global spread of carbapenem-resistant organisms, there is an urgent need for new treatment options. Shewanella algae is an emerging pathogen found in marine environments throughout the world that has increasing resistance to carbapenem. The organism is also a possible antibiotic resistance reservoir in humans and in its natural habitat. The development of CRISPR/Cas9-based methods has enabled precise genetic manipulation. A number of attempts have been made to knock out resistance genes in various organisms. The study used a single plasmid containing CRISPR/Cas9 and recE/recT recombinase to reverse an antibiotic-resistant phenotype in S. algae and showed bla OXA-55 -like gene is essential for the carbapenem resistance. This result demonstrates a potential validation strategy for functional genome annotation in S. algae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality affects survival after cardiac arrest. We aimed to investigate if a smartwatch with real-time feedback can improve CPR quality by healthcare professionals.Methods: An app providing real-time audiovisual feedback was developed for a smartwatch. Emergency Department (ED) professionals were recruited and randomly allocated to either the intervention group wearing a smartwatch with the preinstalled app, or to a control group. All participants were asked to perform a two-minute CPR on a manikin at a 30:2 compression-ventilation ratio. Primary outcomes were the mean CCR and CCD measured on the manikin. A secondary outcome was the percentage of chest compressions meeting both the guideline-recommended rate (100-120 min-1) and depth (50-60 mm) of high-quality CPR during a 2-min period. Differences between groups were evaluated with t-test, Chi-Square test, or Mann-Whitney U test depending on the distribution.Results: Eighty participants were recruited. 40 people were assigned to the intervention and 40 to the control group. The compression rates (mean ± SD, min-1) were significantly faster (but above the guideline recommendation, P < 0.001) in the control (129.1 ± 14.9) than in the intervention group (112.0 ± 3.5). The compression depths (mean ± SD, mm) were significantly deeper (P < 0.001) in the intervention (50.9 ± 6.6) than in the control group (39.0 ± 8.7). The percentage (%) of high-quality CPR was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the intervention (median 39.4, IQR 27.1-50.1) than in the control group (median 0.0, IQR 0.0-0.0).Conclusion: Without real-time feedback, chest compressions tend to be too fast and too shallow. CPR quality can be improved with the assistance of a smartwatch providing real-time feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signalling, alteration of the uterine microenvironment and a reduction in human chorionic gonadotrophin production have been linked with fetal trisomy 16-induced early embryonic death (EED). However, the detailed biological mechanism of EED remains unclear. Using quantitative proteomics we successfully screened differentially expressed proteins in the villous tissues from patients with EED and fetal trisomy 16 (EEDT16), patients with EED but normal fetal chromosomes (EEDNC) and patients undergoing elective abortion with normal fetal chromosomes (EANC) as the reference group. Compared with the reference group, we identified 337 and 220 differentially expressed proteins in EEDT16 patients and EEDNC patients respectively; these were involved in critical biological processes including immune response, superoxide metabolism, inflammatory responses and so on. We found that differential expression of immunological function-related molecules, such as human leukocyte antigen-g (HLA-G), HLA-C, Fc Fragment Of IgG Receptor III (FcγR III), also named CD16, interleukin 18 (IL-18) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), might induce EED in both EEDT16 and EEDNC patients. More severe immunological dysfunction was observed in EEDT16 patients than that in EEDNC patients. Furthermore, differential expression of implantation and invasion-related molecules, such as cytochrome b-245 light chain (CYBA), neutrophil cytosol factor 2 (NCF2), Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 4 (MAP3K4), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), MMP9 and tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) might induce EED in both EEDT16 and EEDNC patients, although more severe dysfunction in the implantation and invasion ability of villous tissues was observed in EEDT16 patients. Since the detailed biological mechanism of EEDT16 remains unclear, this study used quantitative proteomics to screen differentially expressed proteins in the villous tissues from patients with EEDT16, EEDNC and EANC. Dysfunction in immunological function and in the implantation and invasion ability was observed in EEDT16 and EEDNC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaginal fluid and saliva are of great importance in forensic sciences. The identification of vaginal fluid or saliva is especially important in criminal cases. Microbes are considered as a promising marker for the identification of body fluids. In this study, 18 salivary fluids and 18 vaginal fluid samples were collected from 18 healthy women of the Han population in Guangdong province, China. The microbes of the above samples were analyzed by 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the microbes whose proportions are over 1% in saliva samples distributed across 12 genera and 57 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), and in vaginal fluid distributed across 4 genera and 9 OTUs. The microbes that dominated in saliva were quite different from those dominated in vaginal fluids. The linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) algorithm was used to screen out the specific microbes of the studied samples, and the results showed that the specific microbes in saliva samples are Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Veillonella parvula, and Aggregatibacter segnis, while in vaginal fluid is Lactobacillus iners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • CMV viremia was associated with substantial PET use and hospitalizations. • PET use was 3-fold higher in CD34-selected compared with conventional HCT. • CMV viremia increased the number and length of stay of readmissions in CD34-selected HCT. • One-third of readmissions among CD34-selected HCT were for CMV management. Abstract We quantified cytomegalovirus (CMV) antiviral use and hospital length of stay (LOS) associated with CMV infection in a contemporary cohort of conventional (CONV) and CD34-selected (T cell–depleted) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients managed by preemptive therapy (PET) in a single US center. Adults who received first allogeneic HCT at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from June 2010 through December 2014 were analyzed. Days on PET, number of readmissions, and readmission LOS by day 180 post-HCT were summarized. Estimated unit value (EUV) was defined as the expected number of PET days for a cohort of 100 HCT with characteristics as the analyzed cohort. Standardized incidence ratio was calculated as the ratio of observed outcomes of patients with CMV viremia over the outcomes of patients without CMV viremia. Of 318 patients, 88 received CONV and 230 CD34-selected HCT. Rates of CMV viremia were 26.3% for CONV and 41.9% for CD34-selected (P =.003). Among patients with viremia 68.2% CONV and 97.9% CD34-selected received PET. EUV for PET was 852 days and 2821 days for CONV and CD34-selected, respectively. The standardized incidence ratios for number of readmission and readmission LOS were 1.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4 to 2.1) and 1.2 (95% CI, 1.1 to 1.3), respectively, for CONV HCT and 1.7 (95% CI, 1.3 to 2.1) and 1.6 (95% CI, 1.5 to 1.7), respectively, for CD34-selected HCT. Overall survival was similar between patients with and without CMV viremia by HCT type. CMV end-organ disease was associated with lower overall survival only in CD34-selected HCT (P =.0007). CMV infection managed by PET requires substantial antiviral use and is associated with longer readmission LOS more, particularly among CD34-selected HCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Long CNTs can be homogeneously coated on CF surface to form porous networks. • The epoxy serves as a local "welder" by the laser heating. • The networks were favourable for high-viscosity resin infiltration. • CNT/CF hybrids could afford a significantly higher interfacial bonding strength. • This method can be developed as a facile, scalable and cost-effective approach. Abstract A facile method to prepare carbon nanotube/carbon fiber hybrid fiber was explored by an intermittent ultrasonic-directed electrophoretic deposition, and a following laser transient heating was used for welding the deposited carbon nanotubes on carbon fibers at joints. The formed porous networks were favourable for resin infiltration, leading a significant increase in interfacial bonding strength of carbon fiber reinforced polycarbonate composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sentiment analysis plays an important role in behavior sciences, which aims to determine the attitude of a speaker or a writer regarding some topic or the overall contextual polarity of a document. The problem nevertheless is not trivial, especially when inferring sentiment or emotion from visual contents, such as images and videos, which are becoming pervasive on the Web. Observing that the sentiment of an image may be reflected only by some spatial regions, a valid question is how to locate the attended spatial areas for enhancing image sentiment analysis. In this paper, we present Sentiment Networks with visual Attention (SentiNet-A) — a novel architecture that integrates visual attention into the successful Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) sentiment classification framework, by training them in an end-to-end manner. To model visual attention, we develop multiple layers to generate the attention distribution over the regions of the image. Furthermore, the saliency map of the image is employed as a priori knowledge and regularizer to holistically refine the attention distribution for sentiment prediction. Extensive experiments are conducted on both Twitter and ARTphoto benchmarks, and our framework achieves superior results when compared to the state-of-the-art techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, the visual analogue scale (VAS) has been proposed to overcome the limitations of ordinal measures from Likert-type scales. However, the function of VASs to overcome the limitations of response styles to Likert-type scales has not yet been addressed. Previous research using ranking and paired comparisons to compensate for the response styles of Likert-type scales has suffered from limitations, such as that the total score of ipsative measures is a constant that cannot be analyzed by means of many common statistical techniques. In this study we propose a new scale, called the Visual Analogue Scale for Rating, Ranking, and Paired-Comparison (VAS-RRP), which can be used to collect rating, ranking, and paired-comparison data simultaneously, while avoiding the limitations of each of these data collection methods. The characteristics, use, and analytic method of VAS-RRPs, as well as how they overcome the disadvantages of Likert-type scales, ranking, and VASs, are discussed. On the basis of analyses of simulated and empirical data, this study showed that VAS-RRPs improved reliability, response style bias, and parameter recovery. Finally, we have also designed a VAS-RRP Generator for researchers’ construction and administration of their own VAS-RRPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premature ovarian failure (POF) caused by chemotherapy is a growing concern for female reproductive health. The use of metformin (MET), which has anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, in the treatment of POF damaged by chemotherapy drugs remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of MET on POF caused by cyclophosphamide (CTX) combined with busulfan (BUS) and M1 macrophages using POF model mice and primary granule cells (GCs). Our findings demonstrate that intragastric administration of MET ameliorates ovarian damage and alleviates hormonal disruption in chemotherapy-induced POF mice. This effect is achieved through the reduction of inflammatory and oxidative stress-related harm. Additionally, MET significantly relieves abnormal inflammatory response, ROS accumulation, and senescence in primary GCs co-cultured with M1 macrophages. We also observed that this protective role of MET is closely associated with the AMPK/PPAR-γ/SIRT1 pathway in cell models. In conclusion, our results suggest that MET can protect against chemotherapy-induced ovarian injury by inducing the expression of the AMPK pathway while reducing oxidative damage and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planar‐chiral cyclophanes have received increasing attention for drug discovery and catalyst design. However, the catalytically asymmetric synthesis of planar‐chiral cyclophanes has been a longstanding challenge. We describe the first Pd(II)‐catalyzed enantioselective C−H olefination of prochiral cyclophanes. The low rotational barrier of less hindered benzene ring in the substrates allows the reaction to proceed through a dynamic kinetic resolution. This approach exhibits broad substrate scope, providing the planar‐chiral cyclophanes in high yields (up to 99 %) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99 % ee). The ansa chain length scope studies reveal that the chirality of the cyclophanes arises from the bond rotation constraint of the benzene ring around the macrocycle plane, rather than the C−N axis. The C−H activation approach is also applicable to the late‐stage modification of bioactive molecules and pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planar‐chiral cyclophanes have received increasing attention for drug discovery and catalyst design. However, the catalytically asymmetric synthesis of planar‐chiral cyclophanes has been a longstanding challenge. We describe the first Pd(II)‐catalyzed enantioselective C−H olefination of prochiral cyclophanes. The low rotational barrier of less hindered benzene ring in the substrates allows the reaction to proceed through a dynamic kinetic resolution. This approach exhibits broad substrate scope, providing the planar‐chiral cyclophanes in high yields (up to 99 %) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99 % ee). The ansa chain length scope studies reveal that the chirality of the cyclophanes arises from the bond rotation constraint of the benzene ring around the macrocycle plane, rather than the C−N axis. The C−H activation approach is also applicable to the late‐stage modification of bioactive molecules and pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α-MnO 2 was in-situ supported onto silica coated magnetite nanoparticles (MagS-Mn) to study the adsorption and oxidation of Hg0 as well as the effecting patterns of SO 2 and O 2 on Hg0 removal. MagS-Mn showed Hg0 removal capacity of 1122.6 μg/g at 150 °C with the presence of SO 2. Hg0 adsorption and oxidation efficiencies were 2.4% and 90.6%, respectively. Hg0 removal capability deteriorated at elevated temperatures. Surface oxygen and manganese chemistry analysis indicated that SO 2 inhibited the Hg0 removal through consumption of adsorbed oxygen and reduction of high valence manganese. This inhibiting effect was observed to be counteracted by O 2 at lower temperatures. O 2 tended to compete with SO 2 for active sites and further create additional adsorbed oxygen sites for Hg0 surface reaction via surface dissociative adsorption rather than replenish the active sites consumed by SO 2. The high valence manganese was also preserved by O 2 which was essential to Hg0 oxidation. The intervention of O 2 in the inhibition of SO 2 on Hg0 removal was weakened at temperatures higher than 250 °C. Aa a result, Hg0 tends to be catalytic oxidized in the condition of low reaction temperatures and with the presence of O 2 over α-MnO 2 oriented composites. [Display omitted] • A novel α-MnO 2 in-situ supported magnetic composite was synthesized for Hg0 removal. • Mutual intervening patterns of SO 2 , O 2 and temperature on Hg0 removal were proposed. • The adsorption and oxidation of SO 2 over the composite was investigated quantitatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study mercury sorbent based on manganese oxides impregnated γ-alumina was synthesized. Mercury retention characteristics were investigated by mercury speciation and thermal desorption experiments. No gaseous mercuric oxide was observed in mercury speciation experiments with a mercury mass balance ratio of 89.11%. Maximum mercury desorption peak at 480 °C indicated that mercury was adsorbed in the form of mercuric oxide. Three cycles of mercury retention were tested with different thermal treatment in-between to evaluate the cyclic performance. Changes in surface phase and manganese chemistry before and after thermal treatment were characterized by XRD and XPS. Deterioration in mercury retention capacity was observed after thermal desorption at 500 °C, which was interpreted with reduced initial adsorption rate calculated by Pseudo-second order kinetic model. XPS studies suggested that atomic ratios of Mn 4+ /(Mn 4+ +Mn 3+ ) decreased from 73.2% to 32.3% and 33.9% after thermal desorption in N 2 and air, respectively. The reduction of MnO 2 to Mn 2 O 3 was irreversible thus the mercury retention capacity could not be restored by thermal desorption at high temperatures. Spent sorbents that were reactivated at 200 °C in air without thermal desorption at 500 °C possessed considerable cycling performance for mercury retention due to the preserved Mn 4+ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia after CD34+‐selected hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) often requires prolonged antiviral therapy. We report rates and outcomes of resistant CMV in a contemporary cohort of CD34+‐selected HCT recipients managed preemptively. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 220 consecutive, CMV‐seropositive recipients (R+), who received CD34+‐selected HCT at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center between June 2010 and December 2014. Patients were monitored by quantitative CMV PCR and were treated preemptively. CMV resistance was tested by a genotypic assay. Results: One hundred and sixty‐one (73%) patients developed CMV viremia and 47 (29% of viremic and 21% of total patients) had CMV resistance testing by one‐year from HCT. CMV resistance was confirmed in 19 (12% of viremic and 9% of total) patients and was identified >3 months from HCT in 90% of patients. Twelve patients had mutations in UL97 only; the remaining 7 patients had mutations in UL54 only or UL54 and UL97. By 1 year from HCT, 11 of 19 (58%) patients with mutations had CMV end‐organ disease. CMV‐related mortality in patients with resistance was 42%. Conclusions: Nine percent of CMV R+, CD34+‐selected HCT recipients had resistant CMV by 1 year from HCT. Of 19 patients with resistant CMV, 58% had CMV end‐organ disease and 42% died of CMV. Effective strategies for CMV prevention and restoration of CMV immunity are needed for CD34+‐selected HCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics simulation (MD) of the observed stepwise oxidation of core-shell structured Al/Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles is presented. Different from the metal ion hopping process in the Cabrera-Mott model, which is assumed to occur only at a certain distance from the oxide layer, the MD simulation shows that Al atoms jump over various interfacial gaps directly under the thermal driving force. The energy barrier for Al ionization is found to be increased along with the enlargement of interfacial gap. A mechanism of competition between thermal driving force and ionization potential barrier is proposed in the interpretation of stepwise oxidation behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using molecular dynamics simulation, local plasticity of bcc Fe (0 0 1) is studied at different density of Fe–H cluster. H-induced softening and hardening of Fe substrate are observed along with the tensile elongation at low and high density, respectively. The two contradictory phenomena are ascribed to H behaviours-related plastic deformation. At high H partial pressure, initial H aggregation would lead to the formation of many H-enriched clusters similar to hydride. Tensile strain-induced dislocations (TSID) prefer to be generated and grow at the weakening interface of clusters and iron substrate. At low H partial pressure, TSIDs are uniformly distributed in the whole substrate. Owing to the affinity between H and dislocations, the diffusion of H appears to be distinct under different spatial distribution of TSIDs. H aggregation and dispersion can be enhanced and produce nonuniform and uniform plastic deformation during the continuous tensile process at high and low Fe–H cluster density, respectively. The former can stimulate local failures and accelerate the degradation of mechanical property. The results are helpful for better understanding of Fe–H cluster-related hardening and softening considering external strain-altered H behaviours except for the mechanism of H-dislocation interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A droplet-based flexible wireless force sensor has been developed for remote tactile-sensing applications. By integration of a droplet-based capacitive sensing unit and two circular planar coils, this inductor-capacitor (LC) passive sensor offers a platform for the mechanical force detection in a wireless transmitting mode. Under external loads, the membrane surface of the sensor deforms the underlying elastic droplet uniformly, introducing a capacitance response in tens of picofarads. The LC circuit transduces the applied force into corresponding variations of its resonance frequency, which is detected by an external electromagnetic coupling coil. Specifically, the liquid droplet features a mechanosensitive plasticity, which results in an increased device sensitivity as high as 2.72MHz N-1. The high dielectric property of the droplet endows our sensor with high tolerance for noise and large capacitance values (20–40 pF), the highest value in the literature for the LC passive devices in comparable dimensions. It achieves excellent reproducibility under periodical loads ranging from 0 to 1.56N and temperature fluctuations ranging from 10 °C to 55 °C. As an interesting conceptual demonstration, the flexible device has been configured into a fingertip-amounted setting in a highly compact package (of 11 mm x 11 mm x 0.25 mm) for remote contact force sensing in the table tennis game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Rates of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) declined since routine childhood immunization with the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in 2000. We studied the impact of PCV7 on the incidence of IPD in cancer patients. Methods. This was a retrospective analysis of adult and pediatric patients treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from 1992 to 2012. Recovery of Streptococcus pneumoniae from a sterile site defined IPD. IPD incidence was calculated as cases per 1,000 unique patient-visits per year (UPV). IPD incidence was calculated for the periods: "before PCV7" (1992-2000), "after PCV7" (2001-2010) and "after PCV13" (2011-2012). Results. Of 343 IPD cases, 165, 155, and 23 cases occurred "before PCV7," "after PCV7" and "after PCV13" respectively. The IPD incidence declined from 0.43 "before PCV7" to 0.17 "after PCV7" (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.33-0.46, P < .001) and 0.11 "after PCV13" (95% CI: 0.42-0.96, P = .004). Adults with hematologic malignancies and children had the highest incidence. In patients 1-4 years old, the incidence declined from 11.2 "before PCV7" to 2.38 "after PCV7" (79% decrease, 95% CI: 0.1-0.4, P < .001). In patients with hematologic malignancies, the incidence declined from 2.55 "before PCV7" to 0.92 "after PCV7" (64% decrease, 95% CI: 0.27-0.47, P < .001). Conclusions. The incidence of IPD among cancer patients sharply declined after introduction of PCV7; especially in high risk groups. The decline in adults suggests an indirect effect from PCV7 childhood vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of microbial species has depended predominantly upon culture-based techniques. However, the difficulty with which types of organisms are cultured implies that the grown species may be overrepresented by both cultivation and plate counts. In recent years, culture-independent analysis using high-throughput sequencing has been advocated for use as a point-of-care diagnostic tool. Although it offers a rapid and unbiased survey to characterize the pathogens in clinical specimens, its accuracy is reduced by the high level of contamination of human DNA. In this paper, we propose using a culture-independent analysis for a Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical strain within a liver abscess using nanopore sequencing. Owing to the highly-contaminated cell population within a liver abscess, we managed to reduce the confounding effects of human DNA through the use of DNase and differential centrifugation. Genomic DNA was sequenced through the use of Nanopore MinION sequencer and analyzed using a suite of bioinformatics approaches. K. pneumoniae was successfully identified along with antibiotic-resistant genes. Our results indicate that, by integrating real-time nanopore sequencing and bioinformatics software, real-time pathogen identification in a liver abscess can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Alcohol consumption is known to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). Whether the genotypes of alcohol-metabolizing genes (alcohol dehydrogenase [ADH1B]) are associated with the risk of AF recurrence after catheter ablation remains unclear. Methods and results The ADH1B genotypes of 281 patients who received catheter ablation for AF were examined. We followed this group of patients to monitor their AF recurrence. Alcohol consumption levels of this cohort were evaluated before and after catheter ablation. There was no difference in the underlying diseases presented by the patients with different ADH1B genotypes. Regardless of the ADH1B genotypes, the amount of alcohol consumption was the only factor associated with left atrial dilatation. The ADH1B*2 alleles (hazard ratio: ADH1B*1/*2 vs *1/*1: 2.64; ADH1B*2/*2 vs *1/*1: 1.80, P = 0.02) and the levels of alcohol consumption were independently associated with AF recurrence in the patients with paroxysmal AF after catheter ablation. ADH1B polymorphisms were not associated with AF recurrence in the patients with nonparoxysmal AF. We also found that the association of increased AF recurrence with alcohol consumption and the ADH1B genotypes cannot be explained by mechanisms of systemic inflammation. Conclusions ADH1B*2/*2 genotype and amount of alcohol consumption increase the risk of AF recurrence after catheter ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keyframe selection is a common way to summarize video contents. However, delimiting shot boundaries to extract a representative keyframe from each shot is not trivial as most shot boundary techniques are heuristic and sensitive to the types of video transitions. This paper proposes a new shot boundary detection algorithm, that learns a dictionary from the given video using sparse coding and updates atoms in the dictionary, following the philosophy that different shots cannot be reconstructed using the learned dictionary. Technically, our algorithm conducts the learning by simultaneously minimizing the reconstruction loss, restricting the sparsity of the reconstruction matrix, and preserving the structure across patches and frames. Once shot boundaries are determined, one representative keyframe is selected from each shot and then a video summary is constructed by concatenating the representative keyframes through a post process. On two standard video datasets across various genres, i.e., VSUMM and YouTube datasets, our method is shown to be powerful for video summarization with superior performance over several state-of-the-art techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High-throughput sequencing offers higher throughput and lower cost for sequencing a genome. However, sequencing errors, including mismatches and indels, may be produced during sequencing. Because, errors may reduce the accuracy of subsequent de novo assembly, error correction is necessary prior to assembly. However, existing correction methods still face trade-offs among correction power, accuracy, and speed. Results: We develop a novel overlap-based error correction algorithm using FM-index (called FMOE). FMOE first identifies overlapping reads by aligning a query read simultaneously against multiple reads compressed by FM-index. Subsequently, sequencing errors are corrected by k-mer voting from overlapping reads only. The experimental results indicate that FMOE has highest correction power with comparable accuracy and speed. Our algorithm performs better in long-read than short-read datasets when compared with others. The assembly results indicated different algorithms has its own strength and weakness, whereas FMOE is good for long or good-quality reads. Conclusions: FMOE is freely available at https://github.com/ythuang0522/FMOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the impacting mechanism of investors’ attention and crude oil prices, we construct a direct, timely and unambiguous proxy for investor attention in crude oil market by aggregating the Google search volume index (GSVI). Based on the GSVI, we employ the Structural Vector Autoregression (SVAR) model to empirically explore the impact of investor attention on WTI crude oil price from January 2004 to November 2016. The results indicate that: (1) investor attention does have significant negative impact on WTI crude oil price during the sample period; (2) investor attention shocks contributes 15% to the long-run fluctuation of WTI crude oil price during the sample period, which is second only to that of supply shocks (69%) among the contributors concerned; and (3) when the business cycle stays in expansion, it has positive influence on both investor attention and WTI crude oil price. Meanwhile, our robustness check, using Brent crude oil price and a different construction form of the GSVI, confirms that the central results are reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-enhanced fluorescence of fluoroquinolones (FQs) was first observed in aqueous solutions. In addition, a new type of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) was synthesized with simple and easy synthetic processes and environmentally friendly compounds. The effects of different concentrations of AgNPs on the fluorescence behaviours of ciprofloxacin (CIP), enrofloxacin (ENR) and lomefloxacin (LMF) in aqueous solutions were investigated, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that the fluorescence peak shapes and the locations of the features in the excitation and emission spectra for each FQ that was mixed with AgNPs were almost the same as those of the standard FQs. An enhancement or quenching of the fluorescence can also be observed, depending on the exact conditions. Compared with the identical control samples that lack AgNPs, the fluorescence of each FQ in aqueous solutions was greatly enhanced by AgNPs with concentrations at a volume ratio of 5%. Moreover, at the optimum AgNP concentration, novel sensitive fluorometric methods for the separate determination of trace amounts of CIP, ENR and LMF in aqueous solutions were established. Under optimal experimental conditions, the linear dynamic ranges for the determination of CIP, ENR and LMF concentrations varied from 0.025 to 1.0 mg L −1 , 5.0 to 160 ng L −1 and 0.01 to 0.8 mg L −1 , and the limits of detection were 90, 5 and 6 ng L −1 , respectively; the relative standard deviation was less than 1.2% (n = 9). The experimental recovery results for the determination of CIP, ENR and LMF in aqueous solutions ranged from 99% to 102%, 90% to 103% and 92% to 107%, respectively. Compared with the established method in which no AgNPs were added, the quantitation limits of the silver nanoparticle-enhanced fluorometric methods were approximately 2-fold lower for CIP, 2.6-fold lower for ENR and 4-fold lower for LMF. Significantly, the novel silver nanoparticle-enhanced fluorometric methods were successfully applied to directly determine CIP, ENR and LMF concentrations in pharmaceutical preparations, demonstrating the methods’ advantages of simplicity, sensitivity and low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burden of disability, premature death, escalating health care costs and lost economic productivity due to obesity and its associated complications including hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes is staggering [1,2] . A better understanding of metabolic homeostatic pathways will provide us with insights into the biological mechanisms of obesity and how to fundamentally address this epidemic [3–6] . In mammals, energy balance is maintained via a homeostatic system involving both peripheral and central melanocortin systems; changes in body weight reflect an unbalance of the energetic state [7–9] . Although the primary cause of obesity is unknown, there is significant effort to understand the role of the central melanocortin pathway in the brain as it has been shown that deficiency of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) [10,11] and melanocortin 4 receptors (MC4R) [12–15] in both rodents and humans results in severe hyperphagia and obesity [16–23] . In this review, we will summarize how the central melanocortin pathway helps regulate body mass and adiposity within a ‘healthy’ range through the ‘nutrient sensing’ network [24–28] . This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Melanocortin Receptors - edited by Ya-Xiong Tao. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recipients of ex vivo T cell–depleted (TCD) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are at risk of infection by double-stranded (ds) DNA viruses. We report rates of dsDNA viremia, end-organ disease (EOD), infection-related mortality, and overall survival (OS) in a contemporary cohort of adult TCD HCT recipients routinely monitored for cytomegalovirus (CMV), adenovirus (ADV), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Healthcare utilization in the first 6 months post-HCT was compared between patients with dsDNA viremia versus no viremia. This was an observational study of adult patients with acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome who received CD34 + selected, peripheral blood HCT at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from March 2012 through December 2014. Patients were prospectively monitored by quantitative PCR assays for CMV, ADV, HHV6, and EBV in whole blood or plasma. The cumulative incidence of viremia(s) at day +180, EOD at 1 year, and OS at 1 year were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test among patient with and without viremia/EOD. Standardized incidence ratios were used to compare overall length of hospital stay (LOS), number of readmissions after HCT, and length of readmissions through day +180. Of 156 patients, 96 (62%) were CMV recipient seropositive. Forty-two patients received grafts from matched related (27%), 86 from matched unrelated (55%), and 28 from mismatched (18%) donors. Overall, 132 patients (85%) had ≥1 viremia and 52 (33%) ≥2 viremias by day +180. The cumulative incidences for CMV, HHV6, ADV, and EBV viremia were 44%, 61%, 7%, and 16%, respectively, with median times of onset 28 days (interquartile range [IQR], 25 to 33), 33 days (IQR, 25 to 47), 60 days (IQR, 19 to 84), and 79 days (IQR, 54 to 106) post-HCT, respectively. Twenty-eight patients (18%) developed EOD by dsDNA viruses at 1 year post-HCT. Treatment for CMV accounted for 91% total antiviral treatment-days. Compared with patients with no viremia, patients with CMV viremia, HHV6 viremia, or ≥2 viremias experienced longer LOS ( P  <   .001) and a higher number of readmissions ( P  <   .001) by day +180. OS rate at 1 year was 79% and was similar between patients with or without dsDNA viremias. EOD was associated with lower 1-year OS rates (63.4%) versus without EOD (81.1%) ( P  = .02). Of 33 patients who died, 10 died due to infection, and 7 of these infection-related deaths were due to dsDNA viruses. Viremia by dsDNA viruses occurred in 85% of TCD HCT recipients by day +100 and 33% of patients experienced ≥2 viremias by day +180. CMV accounted for most antiviral use. CMV, HHV6, or ≥2 viremias were associated with more readmissions and longer LOS. One year OS rate was 78%. EOD by dsDNA viruses was associated with decreased 1-year OS. Infections by dsDNA viruses pose a substantial burden after TCD HCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reveal the interfacial adhesion nature between a carbon fiber (CF) and its surrounding polycarbonate (PC) matrix, the carbon fibers were electrochemically oxidized to differentiate the surface roughness and chemistry status. The fiber surfaces were characterized by SEM, XPS, AFM and dynamic contact angle measurements. Both surface-coating and hot-pressing methods were adopted to prepare specimens for evaluating the CF/PC interfacial adhesion properties by single-filament fragmentation tests. The surface-coating method gave a relatively weak interfacial shear strength (IFSS) result, which varied almost monotonously with the fiber surface roughness, suggesting that in this case the interfacial properties should be dominated by a mechanical interlocking mechanism. However, the hot-pressing process gave a 46–81% higher IFSS result than the solution-coating one, and the IFSS data increased almost linearly with polar component of the carbon fiber surface energy. It was very possible that the interfacial adhesion properties were largely controlled by the chemical reactions (e.g., ester-exchange reaction) at high temperature, which were easy to occur in the presence of oxygenated functionalities at CF surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the trends in collaborative learning is using mobile devices for supporting the process and products of collaboration, which has been forming the field of mobile-computer-supported collaborative learning (mCSCL). Although mobile devices have become valuable collaborative learning tools, evaluative evidence for their substantial contributions to collaborative learning is still scarce. The present meta-analysis, which included 48 peer-reviewed journal articles and doctoral dissertations written over a 16-year period (2000–2015) involving 5,294 participants, revealed that mCSCL has produced meaningful improvements for collaborative learning, with an overall mean effect size of 0.516. Moderator variables, such as domain subject, group size, teaching method, intervention duration, and reward method were related to different effect sizes. The results provided implications for future research and practice, such as suggestions on how to appropriately use the functionalities of mobile devices, how to best leverage mCSCL through effective group learning mechanisms, and what outcome variables should be included in future studies to fully elucidate the process and products of mCSCL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article cited above, affiliation 6 was incorrectly listed as "Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China" due to a composition error. The correct affiliation 6 is "Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China." The editors apologize for the error. The online version of the article (https://doi.org/10.2337/db22-0260) has been updated to correct the affiliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonaceous gases such as CO and alkanes are commonly used as additives to enhance the selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) performance due to their high reducibility. This study compared the effect of CO and CH 4 on NO reduction in a tubular reactor with simulated flue gas. The enhancement of C 3 H 8 on SNCR process was tested at extremely low temperature, i.e. 650 °C. Experimental results suggested that reactions between NH 3 and SO 2 were favored at low temperatures and the competition for NH 3 between SO 2 and NO was influenced by gas additives. A maximum downward shift of 25 °C and 100 °C in temperature window for 50% NO reduction efficiency was obtained with the addition of CO and CH 4 , respectively. Considerable CO emission was observed with addition of CH 4 . The addition of CH 4 contributed to the formation of a self-accelerating reaction route within NO/O 2 /NH 3 SNCR reaction system. NO 2 produced from NO accelerates the oxidation of CH 4 to CO, while the oxidation of CH 4 returns to enhance the NO reduction globally. Optimal NO reduction of 44% was achieved with addition of C 3 H 8 at 650 °C. Substantial portion of C 3 H 8 was partially oxidized to CO and the remaining was converted into C 2 H 4 and C 3 H 6 during the SNCR process. Oxidative dehydrogenation of C 3 H 8 was involved. High reactivity of C 3 H 6 and C 2 H 4 favored the further oxidation and cracking to produce CO. These differences in oxidation behavior significantly influence the promotion capacities of CO, CH 4 and C 3 H 8 for NO reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of new-found RNA molecules that have a special covalent loop structure without a 5′ cap and 3′ tail. Researchers have found that circRNAs may be generated by intron-pairing-driven or lariat-driven circularization. They are cleared up by way of extracellular vesicles. They have some advantages such as stability, conservation, and tissue specificity. By serving as sponges of microRNAs, interacting with long non-coding RNAs, mRNA, or proteins, circRNAs regulate gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and contribute to carcinogenesis. In recent years, circRNAs have been found to be correlated with many cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma, one of the most common cancers with high mortality. This article will first introduce the biogenesis, properties, and functions of circRNAs. Then we focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying some circRNAs, including hsa_circ_0001649, hsa_circ_0005075, and cerebellar degeneration-related protein 1 antisense, on hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the career-interest profiles of students has both practical and theoretical significance; however, a minimal amount of research has been conducted to address this issue. The present study combined latent profile analysis and differentiation values to investigate the career-interest profiles of 13,853 junior-high-school students. The results indicate that while the students’ interests could be stratified into 25 profiles, 44.6% of students could be classified the as having low-differentiation profiles (such as like or dislike all types of vocational activities) and 24.9% of students could be classified the as having the artistic-social (like both artistic and social types of activities) profile. In addition, the proportions of females and males differed significantly among the profiles, but different grades did not. The proportion of males was higher for all three low-differentiation groups than of female proportions. Implications for career practices and future research are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textual analysis has been applied to various fields, such as discourse analysis, corpus studies, text leveling, and automated essay evaluation. Several tools have been developed for analyzing texts written in alphabetic languages such as English and Spanish. However, currently there is no tool available for analyzing Chinese-language texts. This article introduces a tool for the automated analysis of simplified and traditional Chinese texts, called the Chinese Readability Index Explorer (CRIE). Composed of four subsystems and incorporating 82 multilevel linguistic features, CRIE is able to conduct the major tasks of segmentation, syntactic parsing, and feature extraction. Furthermore, the integration of linguistic features with machine learning models enables CRIE to provide leveling and diagnostic information for texts in language arts, texts for learning Chinese as a foreign language, and texts with domain knowledge. The usage and validation of the functions provided by CRIE are also introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies indicated that panic disorder is correlated with erectile dysfunction (ED). The primary aim of this study was to explore the incidence rate of ED among panic disorder patients in an Asian country. The secondary aim was to compare the risk of ED in panic disorder patients that were treated with different kinds of antidepressants, and to explore the possible mechanism between these two disorders. We identified 1393 male patients with newly diagnosed panic disorder from the Taiwan's National Health Insurance Database. Four matched controls per case were selected for the study group by propensity score. After adjusting for age, obesity and comorbidities, the panic disorder patients had a higher hazard ratio of ED diagnosis than the controls, especially among the untreated panic disorder patients. This retrospective dynamic cohort study supports the link between ED and prior panic disorder in a large sample of panic disorder patients. This study points out the need of early antidepressant treatment for panic disorder to prevent further ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrathin Ni Co Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) sheets directly grew on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets by a facile hydrothermal route in a mixed solvent of water and ethylene glycol, yielding the RGO/Ni 0.75−x Co x Al 0.25 -LDH (x = 0, 0.05, 0.15) composites. Structural analyses revealed that the resulting composites presented a unique morphology of crumpled silk veil waves, in which the ultrathin Ni 0.75−x Co x Al 0.25 -LDH sheets, composed of 2–3 host layers, were entangled with the rippled RGO nanosheets. Electrochemical analyses demonstrated that the RGO/Ni 0.70 Co 0.05 Al 0.25 -LDH composite showed superior supercapacitive performance, as compared with the pure Ni 0.70 Co 0.05 Al 0.25 -LDH and the RGO/Ni 0.75−x Co x Al 0.25 -LDH (x = 0, 0.15) composites. It exhibited not only ultrahigh cycling stability and good rate capability, but also considerably high specific capacitance. It possessed a high specific capacitance of 1544 F g −1 at current densities of 1 A g −1 , still delivering a high capacitance of 1081 F g −1 at an increased current density of 40 A g −1 . After cycled at 10 A g −1 for 2000 cycles, it retained a capacitance of 1343 F g −1 without capacitance decay observed. The superb supercapacitive performance along with the facile synthesis method adopted suggested that the RGO/Ni 0.70 Co 0.05 Al 0.25 -LDH composite was promising for supercapacitor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical models have been employed in a wide variety of computer vision tasks. Assignments of latent variables in typical models usually suffer the confused explanation in sampling way. In this paper we present discriminative sequential association Latent Dirichlet Allocation, a novel statistical model for the task of visual recognition, and especially focus on the case of few training examples. By introducing the switching variables and formulating the direct discriminative analysis, the sequential associations are considered as priori to establish a relevance determination mechanism to obtain the reasonable assignments of latent variables and avoid the invalid labeling oscillations. We demonstrate the power of our model on two common-used datasets, and the experiment results show that our model can achieve better performances with efficient convergence and give well interpretations of specific topic assignments at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to determine if language acquisition can occur in a virtual situation in the absence of explicit instruction. After spending 1 year establishing a virtual community, the authors observed and analyzed interpersonal interactions and the development of Chinese communication competence, communication models, and interaction frequency. The results revealed that (1) language acquisition can be improved autonomously in a virtual situation; (2) communication competence occurs in a loop of processes that include receiving, exploring, dialogue, assimilation, adaptation, asking questions, problem solving, and conversation; (3) social interactions and a friendly environment are the most crucial factors in a virtual community; (4) community consensus, individual motivation, individual personalities, speaking behaviors, language competence, and leading techniques affect how individuals develop communication competence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The effectiveness of preemptive treatment (PET) for cytomegalovirus (CMV) in recipients of ex vivo T cell–depleted (TCD) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) by CD34 + selection is not well defined. We analyzed 213 adults who received TCD-HCT at our institution from June 2010 through May 2014. Patients were monitored by a CMV quantitative PCR assay if recipient (R) or donor (D) were CMV seropositive. CMV viremia occurred early (median, 27 days after HCT) in 91 of 213 (42.7%) patients for a 180-day cumulative incidence of 84.5%, 61.8%, and 0 for R+/D+, R+/D−, and R−/D+ patients, respectively. CMV disease occurred in 5% of patients. In Cox regression analysis, R+/D+ status was associated with increased risk for CMV viremia compared with R+/D− (hazard ratio [HR], 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16 to 2.76, P = .01), whereas matched unrelated donor allograft was associated with decreased risk (HR, .62; 95% CI, .39 to .97, P = .04). Of 91 patients with CMV viremia, 52 (57%) had persistent viremia (>28 days duration). Time lag from detection of CMV viremia to PET was associated with incremental risk for persistent viremia (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.18; P = .03). Overall, 166 of 213 (77.9%) patients were alive 1 year after HCT, with no difference between patients with and without CMV viremia or among the different CMV serostatus pairs ( P = not significant). CMV viremia occurred in 70% of R + TCD-HCT. Delay in PET initiation was associated with persistent viremia. With PET, CMV R/D serostatus did not adversely impact survival in TCD-HCT on 1-year survival in the present cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mefunidone ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced pulmonary edema and hyperemia. • Mefunidone alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced pulmonary structure disorder, inflammatory cells infiltration and pro-inflammatory cytokines release. • Mefunidone inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced phosphorylation levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase. • Mefunidone reduces reactive oxygen species generation through increasing expression of nuclear factor erythroid2-related factor 2. Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening disease which has high mortality and lacks effective pharmacological treatments. Excessive inflammation and oxidative stress are the key pathogenesis of ALI. Mefunidone (MFD), a novel small molecule compound, displayed anti-inflammation and anti-oxidative stress effects on streptozocin (STZ) and db/db mice in our previous studies. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of MFD on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI and explore the potential molecular mechanisms. We investigated the effects of MFD on LPS-induced ALI mouse model and LPS-stimulated immortalized mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (iBMDMs). MFD could alleviate pulmonary structure disorder and attenuate pulmonary neutrophils infiltration induced by LPS. MFD could also decreased proinflammatory cytokines release and reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation stimulated by LPS. Further, MFD could significantly reduce LPS-induced phosphorylation levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), increase expression of nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and restore the expressions of antioxidant enzymes. Our results firstly supported that MFD effectively protected LPS-induced ALI against inflammation and oxidative stress through inhibiting MAPK signaling pathway and activating Nrf2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have indicated that there is a negative correlation between test anxiety and performance. However, how the type of anxiety/stress, the examinees’ personal characteristics, and the method of assessment affect this relationship remained uninvestigated. Thus, the present study examined the relationship between test anxiety and learning achievement among secondary-school students, as well as tested two anxiety-performance relationship models. The analysis of test-anxiety scores and the standardized entrance examination scores of 1931 Taiwanese ninth-graders revealed an overall coefficient of 0.18 for the correlation between anxiety and achievement. Students in the lower-achievement group (i.e., ranked from percentile 1 to percentile 50, PR1–50) exhibited a positive correlation between anxiety and achievement ( r  = 0.22), which is consistent with the motivational enhancement model, whereas students in the higher-achievement group (PR51–99) exhibited a negative correlation ( r  = −0.16), which corresponds to the cognitive interference model. This study also found that although girls report experiencing higher test anxiety than boys, the correlations between test anxiety and achievement are the same among boys and girls. Because both the motivational enhancement and cognitive interference models could not completely explain the results, we proposed a “stress-of-uncertainty” model to explain the inverted-U shape of the anxiety for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biosorption of Eu(III) and U(VI) on Bacillus subtilis ( B. subtilis ) as a function of reaction time, pH, ionic strength, temperature was investigated by macroscopic and modeling techniques. The macroscopic experiments indicated that the biosorption kinetics and isotherms of Eu(III) and U(VI) on B. subtilis can be satisfactorily fitted by pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model, respectively. No effect of ionic strength revealed that the inner-sphere surface complexation dominated the biosorption of Eu(III) and U(VI) onto B. subtilis . The maximum sorption capacity of B. subtilis calculated from Langmuir model at pH 4.5 and 298 K was 58.80 and 90.91 mg/g for Eu(III) and U(VI), respectively. According to the surface complexation modeling, the biosorption of Eu(III) and U(VI) on B. subtilis can be simulated by diffuse layer modeling with three inner-sphere surface complexation sites such as phosphoryl, carboxyl and hydroxyl groups. The findings presented herein suggested that B. subtilis is a promising bio-adsorbent for the preconcentration and retardation of radionuclides in the environmental remediation strategy such as permeable reactive barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to determine whether IntraLase surgery can cause rainbow glare. Monte-Carlo ray tracing method is used to study visual conditions of an ordered microstructure array on the cornea. A corneal flap in the simulated eye model can generate numerous microbubbles caused by IntraLase surgery. Moreover, this study evaluates the visual performance under different conditions such as the size and interval of the microbubble structure on the cornea with vary incident angles and diameters of light. The results of this study can help elucidate the real cause of rainbow glare as a side effect of IntraLase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Virus inactivation of plasma products is conducted using stainless-steel vessels. Single-use technology can offer significant benefits over stainless such as operational flexibility, reduced capital infrastructure costs, and increased efficiency by minimizing the time and validation requirements associated with hardware cleaning. This study qualifies a single-use bag system for solvent/detergent (S/D) virus inactivation.Study Design and Methods: Human plasma and immunoglobulin test materials were S/D-treated in Mobius single-use bags using 1% tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP) with 1% Triton X-100 or 1% Tween 80 at 31°C for 4 to 6 hours to evaluate the impact on protein quality. Volatile and nonvolatile organic leachables from low-density polyethylene film (Pureflex film) used in 1-L-scale studies after exposure to S/D in phosphate-buffered saline were identified compared to controls in glass containers. Virus inactivation studies were performed with xenotropic murine leukemia virus (XMuLV) and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) to determine the kinetics of virus inactivation, measured using infectivity assays.Results: S/D treatment in Mobius bags did not impact the protein content and profile of plasma and immunoglobulin, including proteolytic enzymes and thrombin generation. Cumulative leachable levels after exposure to S/D were 1.5 and 1.85 ppm when using 0.3% TnBP combined with 1% Tween 80 or 1% Triton X-100, respectively. Efficient inactivation of both XMuLV and BVDV was observed, with differences in the rate of inactivation dependent on both virus and S/D mixture.Conclusion: Effective S/D virus inactivation in single-use container technology is achievable. It does not alter plasma proteins and induces minimal release of leachables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high effective adsorbent materials is of great importance for the removal of oil spillage and chemical leakage in environmental cleanup. Herein, the uptake of lubricating oil on a new type of expanded graphite was investigated by batch techniques. The results indicated that the maximum adsorption capacity of expanded graphite can be maintained over a wide ionic strength range, from 0.001 to 1.0 mol/L of NaCl, making them suitable for lubricating oil cleanup under harsh conditions. The outstanding adsorption performance of expanded graphite is attributed to its unique physical properties such as high porosity, high hydrophobicity, low density and excellent mechanism stability. The finding presented herein indicated that the expanded graphite is a promising candidate for the uptake of lubricating oil in environmental remediation in oil spillage and chemical leakage accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]