A document by Samuel Speak. Click on the document to view its contents.

Aims. The exposure-response relationship of bevacizumab may be confounded by various factors, i.e. baseline characteristics, time-dependent target engagement and recursive relationships between exposure and response. This work aimed at investigating the exposure-response relationships of bevacizumab in mCRC patients while mitigating potential sources of bias. Methods. Bevacizumab pharmacokinetics was described using target-mediated drug disposition (TMDD) modeling. The relationships between target kinetics, and progression-free (PFS) and overall (OS) survivals were assessed using joint pharmacokinetic and parametric hazard function models. Both potential biases due to prognostic-driven and response-driven of the concentration-effect relationship were mitigated. These models were used to evaluate the effect of increased antigen target levels and clearance, as well as intensified dosing regimen, on survival. Results. Estimated target-mediated pharmacokinetic parameters in 130 assessed patients were: baseline target levels (R0=8.4 nM), steady-state dissociation constant (KSS=10 nM) and antibody-target complexes elimination constant (kint=0.52 day-1). Distribution of R0 was significantly associated with an increased baseline CEA and circulating VEGF levels, and the presence of extra-hepatic metastases. Unbound target levels (R) significantly influenced both progression and death hazard functions. Increased R0 or CL values led to decreased bevacizumab unbound concentrations, increased R levels, and shortened PFS and OS, whereas increasing bevacizumab dose led to decreased R and longer survival. Conclusion. This study is the first to show the relationship between bevacizumab concentrations, target involvement and clinical efficacy by mitigating potential sources of bias. Most of target amount may be tumoral in mCRC. A more in-depth description of this relationship should be made in future studies.

Brilliant blue dye (BB) is being extensively used in textile and cosmetic industries. Recently BB has been reported to be carcinogenic and asthma causing agent. Hence, its use has been banned in several European countries. During the current study ZnO and Bi-ZnO were synthesized by using sol-gel method. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by x-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis (BET). Both ZnO and Bi-ZnO were used for the photocatalytic degradation of BB under solar light irradiation. Different parameters affecting the photocatalytic degradation of BB like contact time, dye concentration, catalyst concentration, and pH were evaluated and optimized. Both catalysts degraded BB efficiently but Bi-ZnO displayed better degradation potential (maximum 92 %) than ZnO (maximum 76 %). The band gap for ZnO and Bi-ZnO was found to be 3.10 and 2.95 eV, respectively. Surface area and pore size for ZnO and Bi-ZnO were determined to be 104.03 m 2/g and 199 nm, and 114.67 m 2/g and 203 nm, respectively. Kinetics analysis of the experimental data revealed that the photocatalytic degradation of BB followed pseudo-first-order kinetics (R 2 = 0.9581). The value of first order rate constant (k 1) was found to be 3.14 x 10 -3 min -1. The results of the scavenging studies indicated that superoxide radicals ( •O 2 −) and hydroxyl radicals ( •OH) produced by Bi-ZnO are mainly responsible for the degradation of BB. Finally, the current field challenges are presented, along with widely applied recommendations and detailed concluding remarks.

A two-year-old recently foaled pony was presented to the Large Animal Medicine Unit of Madras Veterinary Teaching Hospital with a history of reduced appetite and inability to walk. Physical examination revealed mild muscle tremors, stiffness of hindlimbs, ataxia, dry muzzle, and elevated temperature. Laboratory investigation revealed phosphorus, potassium, and decreased Calcium. Based on the history, clinical signs and laboratory findings, the case was diagnosed as hypocalcaemia. With 400 ml of Inj. 25% Calcium Borogluconate I/V and supportive therapies, the animal responded positively to treatment and showed good recovery. Keywords: Lactation tetany, Calcium Boro-gluconate

Proteomics is a collective approach using other “omics” technologies for analyzing and identifying the function and structure of proteins with greater precision. Along with the revolution in technologies and increase in statistical computing models, proteomics has been cognate promptly over the last ten years and enlightened on resolving complex diseases. Identification of various protein biomarkers, expression patterns of proteins in diseases, and the mechanism of pathogenicity, there is a demand for Proteomics-based technologies. This article profound impact on proteomics across diverse scientific domains, including disease biomarker discovery, drug development, structural biology, and functional genomics, complex biological systems, and underscores the significance of various techniques, including mass spectrometry, protein microarrays, SILAC, and iTRAQ. This review aims to illustrate several technologies of proteomics with their principle, the latest advancements, and their role in research.

A document by Athmanathan Senthilnathan. Click on the document to view its contents.

The purpose of the paper is to examine the influence of electronic-Human Resource Management (e-HRM) post-adoption behaviour in ABC Municipality’s HRM strategy. The study adopted a qualitative and a case study approach. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data at ABC Municipality from Top management, HR Practitioners in the HR department. Official documents (Strategic plan documents and e-HRM manuals) were also analysed to uncover how e-HRM was adopted and how it influences HRM strategy at ABC Municipality. The study discovered that the e-HRM’s post – adoption behaviour aligned well with the strategic goals that the HRM department seeks to achieve. The study was only done in Gauteng Province at ABC, meaning the study only covered one province and only one government entity. Generalizations on findings could not be made as they may not apply to other organisations, private or government. The study investigated e-HRM post-adoption behaviour’s influence to the HRM strategy at ABC Municipality based on the SCT perspectives. The study findings show that behaviour (affect), personal (self-efficacy, anxiety and outcome expectations) and environmental (social influence) (as SCT factors) played a significant role in ensuring e-HRM post-adoption behaviour at ABC Municipality. Top management support, end-user involvement in innovation initiatives/technology roadmaps presentations, engagements with trade unions, HR support’s availability factors also influenced the post-adoption behavior. To help improve e-HRM post-adoption behavior at South African municipalities, municipalities should consider these factors when implementing systems aimed at supporting HR department’s end-users to embrace Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in general, in this instance the e-HRM.

The invasion of alien plant species poses a threat to native community’s composition and diversity. However, the invasiveness of alien plants and invisibility of native communities should be depended on the interactions between biotic and abiotic factors, such as natural enemies and nutrient availability. In a study, we simulated the invasion of nine invasive plants into native plant communities with two levels of nutrient availability and natural enemies suppression. We explored how the biotic and abiotic factors affect the response of alien target species and the resistance of native communities to invasion. The results showed that enemy release (i.e., presence of enemy) increased biomass proportion of alien plants and decreased that of native community under without nutrient addition. Furthermore, we also found that the negative effect of enemy suppression on the evenness of native community and the root-to-shoot ratio of alien target species was greatest under nutrient addition. Therefore, nutrient deficiency and natural enemies might promote the invasive success of alien species in native community, whereas nutrient addition and enemy suppression can better enhance the resistance of native plant communities to invasion.

INTRODUCTIONAn unpleasant experience for both the patient and the anesthetist, post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a complication of spinal anesthesia or lumbar puncture. It is believed to be caused by cerebral vasodilation, which is an indirect consequence of low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, or meningeal traction linked to low CSF pressure.1 PDPH incidence varies, although it is generally thought to be 36% or more after lumbar puncture, 0%-10% after spinal anesthesia, and 81% after an unintentional dural puncture during epidural insertion.2, 3 Although PDPH typically resolves on its own, it can make it difficult for mothers to care for their infants and lengthen hospital stays. Serious side effects such as subdural hematoma, convulsions, sagittal sinus thrombosis, and cranial nerve palsies are more infrequently linked to PDPH.

Throughout history, human beings have caused irreversible changes to the environment. However, with the emergence of modern science in recent decades, scientists have been able to quantify the extent of these changes. It is therefore crucial to monitor the environment comprehensively in order to establish laws and standards that ensure its cleanliness. Traditional chemical analysis methods often do not adhere to the twelve principles of Green Chemistry, are costly, and involve large amounts of toxic and harmful solvents that can harm the environment. As a result, it is essential to develop reliable analytical techniques that meet the requirements of Green Analytical Chemistry, complement, or replace traditional classical methods, and are environmentally friendly. Bioassays offer a potential alternative. It has long been acknowledged that high plants, particularly Vicia faba, are excellent genetic models for identifying mutagenic and cytogenetic agents and are commonly used in environmental monitoring studies. V. faba-based bioassays have been employed to investigate the DNA damage caused by various substances, such as metal compounds, pesticides, complex mixtures, petroleum derivatives, toxins, nanoparticles, and industrial effluents, resulting in chromosomal and nuclear errors. V. faba's test system is widely used to assess toxic agents due to its numerous advantages, and it has become a crucial bioassay for ecotoxicological studies. The aim of this study was to demonstrate how V. faba bioassays can be complementary alternatives to traditional analysis methods, satisfy Green Analytical Chemistry criteria, and comply with environmental monitoring laws and regulations.

In spite of the high potential shown by spiking neural networks (e.g., temporal patterns), training them remains an open and complex problem [1]. In practice, while in theory these networks are computationally as powerful as mainstream artificial neural networks [2], they have not reached the same accuracy levels yet. The major reason for such situation seems to be represented by the lack of adequate training algorithms for deep spiking neural networks, since spike signals are not differentiable, i.e. no direct way to compute a gradient is provided. Recently a novel training method, based on the (digital) simulation of certain quantum systems, has been suggested. It has already shown interesting advantages, among which the fact that no gradient is required to be computed. In this work, we apply this approach to the problem of training spiking neural networks and we show that this recent training method is capable of training deep and complex spiking neural networks on the MNIST data set.

Understanding the effects of ecological restoration in abandoned coal mine on soil and plant is important to improve the knowledge of ecosystems evolution and facilitate taking appropriate ecological restoration management practices. This study aims to evaluate the coupling relationship between plant diversity and soil properties after ecological restoration in abandoned coal mine area. The plant diversity of arbor, shrub, and herb layers, and the soil properties in different depth layers were investigated in four sites of different ecological restoration patterns in Fengcheng county, a typical coal- rich area in the history of southern China. The results indicated that: 1) the PSR ( Pinus massoniana and Schima superba gardn restoration) site had higher Shannon-Wiener index and Simpson index values than PR ( Pinus massoniana restoration) site, and the plant diversity of herb layer was significantly improved than that of the arbor and shrub layers; 2) in the PSR site, the soil properties were improved more notably than that of PR and NR (nature restoration) sites, and the plant diversity were also better than PR site; 3) Clay, SOM (soil organic matter), and MBC (microbial biomass carbon) made a great contribution to the plant diversity. It was concluded ecological restoration patterns had significant effects on soil nutrient content and plant diversity, and there exists evident coupling relationship between soil properties and plant diversity. The results of this study is of great significance for improving the effects of ecological restoration and management in abandoned coal mine area.

The world’s limited natural resources are under extreme stress due to the planet’s rising population and changing climate. This review article highlights some significant issues about land degradation, its effects, and current trends in solving these issues in Ghana. The foundational natural resources for the agricultural production system are soil and water. The leading causes of the degradation of these natural resources are anthropogenic and unfavorable biological activity. Soil erosion is one of the significant dangers to the depletion of soil and water resources among the different degradation processes. 35% of Ghana’s land is threatened by desertification and overgrazing. Grasslands, woodlands, and forests are disappearing due to land degradation, and natural water bodies are also drying up due to protracted droughts and sedimentation of river channels. According to most farmers in these two regions in Ghana (Eastern and Northern Region), over-cultivation, deforestation, and extreme rainfall are the main contributors to severe erosion. Farmers in the Eastern and Northern Regions of the country think soil erosion severity has worsened during the previous ten years by 58.6% and 75.0%, respectively. Protecting soil and water against deterioration calls for developing and deploying new technologies, prudent use of natural resources, and efficient management techniques. For long-term agricultural sustainability and soil health, the state needs to emphasize the state of natural resource degradation, erosion processes, and soil and water conservation techniques.

1. Over the last four decades coral disease research has continued to provide reports of disease states, the occurrence and severity of disease outbreaks, and associated disease signs however nomenclature and protocols for microscopic disease descriptions have yet to be implemented. Histopathology using systematic protocols is a gold standard for the microscopic assessment of diseases in veterinary and medical research. Increasing disease outbreaks on coral reefs as human impacts intensify highlights the need to also establish standardised diagnostic terminology and methodology for coral disease research. 2. Here we apply a systematic approach to collating, reviewing, and evaluating histopathological methods used to study white diseases in hard coral taxa and map research effort in this field spanning study design, sample processing and analysis in the 33 publications identified between 1984 and 2022. 3. We find that studies to-date have not uniformly detailed methodologies, and terminology associated with histopathological reporting and disease description is inconsistent between studies. Combined these limitations reduce study repeatability, limiting the uptake of histopathology in coral disease research and the capacity for researchers to compare disease reports. 4. A primary outcome of this study is revision of the most widely used terminology applied to coral tissue and development of recommendations for standardised reporting procedures with the aim of increasing accessibility and uptake of histopathology in addition to allowing for ongoing comparative analysis through living systematic reviews for the coral disease field.

This paper proposes a fault-tolerant control strategy for the air path system of a turbocharged diesel engine, considering the simultaneous presence of matched and mismatched external disturbances, additive and loss of effectiveness fault modes in the EGR and VGT subsystems. Firstly, a disturbance observer based on H ∞ theory is designed for estimating additive faults and external disturbances, and the upper bound of observation error is obtained. Based on the observation information, an integral sliding mode surface is designed, and the effectiveness of the sliding mode surface is analyzed. For the loss of effectiveness faults in the actuators, a novel adaptive update sliding mode controller is designed. The proposed control algorithm can get the fault information of the system and achieve fault-tolerant control of through controller reconstruction. Ultimately, the effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through simulations and comparative analysis.

A document by Ahmed Gamal Sayed. Click on the document to view its contents.

Background and Objectives: Initially developed as immunosuppressive agents, mTOR inhibitors are currently used widely in the management of vascular malformations and tumors. The incidence of infectious complications in the vascular anomalies (VA) population is not well defined. The goal of this systematic review was to better define the types and severity of reported infectious complications in patients with VAs treated with mTOR inhibition. Methods: This was a systematic review conducted following PRISMA guidelines evaluating all research articles focused on infectious complications in patients with VAs treated with sirolimus or everolimus. Thirty articles including 1181 total patients and 315 infections (in 290 unique patients) were ultimately included. Results: The majority of infections were viral upper respiratory (n=137, 54%), followed by pneumonia (n=52, 20%), and cutaneous infections (n=20, 8%). There were 6 total infection-related fatalities, which all occurred in patients younger than 2 years. Only 1 case of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) was reported. This was in an infant with KHE who was also treated with steroids and did not receive PJP prophylaxis. Almost 1/3 (n=95, 32%) of infectious complications were graded 3 to 4 according to CTCAE criteria. Details of patient age, subtype of VA, and timing of infection were lacking from many reports. Conclusions: Most infectious complications reported in patients with VA on mTOR inhibitors were viral respiratory infections and non-severe. Bacteremia, infectious fatalities, and PJP are exceedingly rare. Future studies are needed to clarify the spectrum of infectious risks in VA patients and to provide guidance for infection prevention.

While the survival of children with cancer has improved over time, infection remains a major morbidity and mortality risk. We conducted a systematic literature review to determine the unmet needs in diagnosing infection in immunocompromised children with cancer. The comprehensive search strategy followed the guidelines established by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 statement and spanned multiple bibliographic databases and other public sources from January 1, 2012–June 23, 2022. From 5,188 records, 34 unique pediatric-focused studies met inclusion criteria. This review highlights the lack of published data on infectious disease testing in pediatric oncology patients and the need for well-designed clinical impact and cost-effectiveness studies of both existing and novel diagnostic platforms. Such studies are necessary to optimize diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship, leading to improvement in patient outcomes.

1. Fine roots play a pivotal role in terrestrial carbon and nutrient cycling. However, our knowledge on drivers of fine-root biomass (FRB) and productivity (FRP) focus on functional traits, biodiversity and abiotic factors, while less attention on allometric constraints, an indispensable driver of organism carbon partitioning. 2. We measured FRB (FRP) for 24 plots using 216 soil cores (ingrowth cores) from four forest types (birch, oak, larch and pine) on a warm-temperate mountain of north China, and investigated leaf, stem and fine-root functional traits, stand factors, diversity and soil fertility. We tested the allometric relationships among FRB, FRP, aboveground (leaf) biomass and functional traits, and examined how allometry, size-dependent growth strategies, the mass-ratio and complementary effects affected FRB and FRP directly and indirectly. 3. There is stable allometric relationship between FRP and FRB at both the soil-core and plot levels, and the former supported the predicted exponent for leaves (=1) of the metabolic scaling theory. Contrary to common observations, plot-scale FRB and FRP showed negative (or non-significant) relationships with aboveground (leaves) biomass. Instead, higher aboveground biomass led to more conservative growth strategies, which led to lower FRB, and thus lower FRP due to allometric constraints. Root traits (mass-ratio effect) showed the strongest direct effect on FRB, while diversity (complementary effect) and soil fertility revealed weak effects. FRP was strongly driven by allometry (FRB) and soil nitrogen, while functional traits and diversity affected FRP via FRB instead of directly. 4. Our results do not conflict with the positive correlations of FRB (FRP) with aboveground (leaf) biomass reported by large-scale studies, but together suggest changes of growth strategies with tree size vs. climate, which may affect aboveground-root relationship simultaneously. Thus, we suggest to carefully test allometric relationships to better understand how biodiversity, traits and stand factors affect fine-root dynamics.

α-Olefins as aliphatic terminal alkenes could be obtained easily from numerous contemporary synthetic reactions as well as petrochemical industry, and also found in natural products. Compared to the alkenes attaching the directing groups or activating group, the catalytic asymmetric reaction of unactivated terminal alkenes presents great challenges due to the weak electron effect and small steric hindrance effect. This review mainly summerizes the latest progress of the asymmetric reaction of unactivated terminal olefins since 2016.

The use of simulators is essential for developing control algorithms for prototype trains. Simulators allow for sufficient testing of algorithms before testing on real trains, saving time and money. Recently, researchers have been trying to apply algorithms that require many iterations, such as reinforcement learning, to automatic train operation. For such a large number of iterations, it is important to have a simulator with fast execution time so that more trials can be performed. However, when high-speed simulation is implemented, errors that do not occur in real-time simulation occur, especially the positioning error, and this paper describes the cause of such errors and describes the configuration and interface method of the simulator to reduce the error. The suitability of the proposed algorithm is verified by comparing simulation results with actual train tests and existing simulators.

Onychomycoses are diseases of fungal origin that affect the nail plate and have high rates of relapse and resistance to conventional antifungals. In addition to the impact on patient health, skin infections by fungi influence socioeconomic aspects, which, together with the resistance of the isolates, favor the development of strategies for obtaining new compounds with antifungal potential and of less expensive formulations. Hence, here we evaluated the therapeutic properties of cinnamaldehyde (CNM) alone and in combination with conventional antifungals against yeast isolated from infected nails. In addition, we tested the therapeutic effect of CNM on Tenebrio molitor larvae infected by Candida. Antifungal activity was analyzed using the broth microdilution assay and the fractional combination index (FIC) between CNM and antifungals by the checkerboard test. Anti-adhesion and antibiofilm activities were evaluated by colony-forming units counting method. CNM’s antimicrobial activity revealed MIC values ranged from 19.5 to 156 µg / mL and significantly reduced Candida’s adherence ability, biofilm formation and preformed biofilms. At sub-inhibitory concentration CNM was also capable of reducing Candida hyphae formation. CNM interacted synergistically with itraconazole (ITL) against C. parapsilosis and indifferent against Kodamaea ohmeri. Candida-infected larvae treated with CNM had a higher survival rate than those treated with ICL or fluconazole showing their high therapeutic potential. This study showed CNM’s antifungal and antivirulent activities and suggests the use of the compound, alone or in combination with antimycotics, as an alternative in the preparation of antifungal formulations.

Introduction: This hospital-based cross-sectional study aimed to assess the compliance of 251 healthcare workers (HCWs) with Infective Prevention and Control (IPC) standard procedures. The study addresses the critical issue of IPC compliance among HCWs, as it plays a pivotal role in reducing the risk of infectious disease transmission within healthcare settings. Methodology: Analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at St. Francis Referral Hospital, involving 251 healthcare workers from different departments including Internal medicine, Surgery, and Emergency. The Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale (CSPS) tool developed by WHO was used. Descriptive and regression analysis was done. A P-value of less than 0.05 indicated statistical significance. Results: Overall average compliance with IPCSPs was 54% whereby only 24.7% (62/251) of healthcare workers had a good compliance. The majority of HCWs (85.3%) reported highest compliance on proper disposal of used sharp items into sharp boxes and low compliance rate (11.6%) was on the disposal of the sharp box, sharp box is only disposed when it is full. Statistical significant were found between IPCSPs and number of years of working experience, level of education, profession, IPC training and IPC meeting attendance. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study has shed light on the critical challenges faced by healthcare workers in complying with IPCSPs. Findings revealed a concerning compliance with IPCSPs which is below the WHO standard and national level standard as well. We therefore recommend enhancement of IPC training program, IPC awareness campaign, and more implementational research for IPCSPs compliance.

Motor adaptations are responsible for recalibrating actions and facilitating the achievement of goals in an ever-changing environment. Once consolidated, the decay of motor adaptation is a process affected by available sensory information during deadaptation. However, the cortical response to task error feedback during the deadaptation phase has received little attention. Here, we explored changes in brain cortical responses due to feedback of task-related error during deadaptation. Twelve healthy volunteers were recruited for the study. Right hand movement and EEG were recorded during repetitive trials of a hand reaching movement. A visuomotor rotation of 30° was introduced to induce motor adaptation. Volunteers participated in two experimental sessions organized in baseline, adaptation, and deadaptation blocks. In the deadaptation block, the visuomotor rotation was removed, and visual feedback was only provided in one session. Performance was quantified using angle end-point error, mean speed, and movement onset time. Non-parametric spatiotemporal cluster-level permutation test was used to analyze the EEG recordings. During deadaptation, participants experienced a greater error reduction when feedback of the cursor was provided. The EEG responses showed larger activity in the left centro-frontal parietal areas during the deadaptation block when participants received feedback, as opposed to when they did not receive feedback. Centrally distributed clusters were found for the adaptation and deadaptation blocks in the absence of visual feedback. The results suggest that visual feedback of the task-related error activates cortical areas related to performance monitoring. Different neural circuits contribute to the deadaptation process depending on the available surrounding information.