Objective: To investigate whether periconceptional maternal intake of ultra-processed foods (UPF) impairs first-trimester utero-placental vascular development, and whether macronutrients and dietary patterns substantiate the associations. Design: Prospective observational cohort. Setting: Academic hospital. Population or Sample: Ongoing pregnancies. Methods: 93 women completed a food frequency questionnaire from which we calculated percentage of energy intake from UPF, intake of energy and macronutrients and adherence to dietary patterns. We performed sequential three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasounds of the first-trimester utero-placental vasculature. VOCAL software, Virtual Reality segmentation and a skeletonization algorithm were applied to measure placental volume (PV), utero-placental vascular volume (uPVV) and generate the utero-placental vascular skeleton (uPVS). Absolute vascular morphology was quantified by assigning a morphologic characteristic to each voxel in the uPVS (end-, bifurcation-, crossing- or vessel point) and used to calculate density of vascular branching. Main Outcome Measures: PV, uPVV, uPVS characteristics and density of vascular branching. Results: Fully adjusted linear mixed models showed a 10%/day higher UPF intake was associated with increased first-trimester density of vascular branching (bifurcation points: β=0.465√n, 95%CI=0.148;0.782). Higher carbohydrate intake of 10g/day was associated with increased trajectories of uPVV (β=0.017, 95%CI=0.001;0.032) and uPVS (end points (β=0.286, 95%CI=0.062;0.511), bifurcation points (β=0.004, 95%CI=0.003;0.006), vessel points (β=0.772, 95%CI=0.137;1.408). The associations were substantiated by the adherence to the “Snack” dietary pattern. Conclusions: Periconceptional maternal intake of UPF is associated with impaired first-trimester utero-placental vascular development, whereas the intake of carbohydrates and strong adherence to a ‘Snack’ dietary pattern, is positively associated with first-trimester utero-placental vascular development.

Barbro Westerholm, 1933-2023

This letter establishes and analyzes the micro-motion echoes of helicopters in different motion states. A moving helicopter echo model was constructed by establishing multiple coordinate systems to construct a state matrix for transformation between coordinate systems and vector decomposition of target velocity. After the simulation, the echo of the helicopter will change when accelerating or decelerating from the time-frequency results of the simulation. The establishment of this model reveals the changes in micro-motion echoes of helicopters under different motion states, which is of great significance for identifying helicopter combat intentions.

Background Gestational hypertension and preeclampsia are potentially linked to similar pathophysiological processes. Maternal preeclampsia increases the occurrence of early-onset neonatal thrombocytopenia. We hypothesized that maternal gestational hypertension would likewise impact the incidence of early-onset neonatal thrombocytopenia. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective study to validate our hypothesis. Methods In this study, we included 538 neonates, comprising 318 and 220 neonates born to healthy mothers and those with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), respectively. The minimum platelet count within 72 hours of birth was recorded for these neonates. The incidence of early-onset thrombocytopenia in neonates in relation to maternal gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and health status was evaluated. The differences between the three groups were analyzed using the chi-square test. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between maternal gestational hypertension or preeclampsia and the risk of early-onset neonatal thrombocytopenia. Results The incidence of early-onset thrombocytopenia in neonates born to mothers with preeclampsia was significantly higher than in those born to mothers with gestational hypertension or healthy mothers. Significant differences were observed between the three groups (30.0% vs. 13.3% vs. 7.9%, P < 0.001). Maternal gestational hypertension (OR=2.55, 95% CI 1.10–5.91, P < 0.05) and preeclampsia (OR=2.41, 95% CI 1.18–4.93, P <0.05) increased the risk of early-onset neonatal thrombocytopenia when compared to healthy mothers. Conclusions Our findings suggest that maternal gestational hypertension increases the occurrence of early-onset neonatal thrombocytopenia. Therefore, we recommend conducting platelet count screening in the early stages for newborns of mothers with gestational hypertension.

It is in urgent requirement to directly measure the droplet coalescence frequency for the application of the population balance model. In this study, a method was firstly developed to directly measure the droplet coalescence frequency in turbulent flow field by using a specially designed mixing tank and a high-speed camera. The effects of the rotating speed and holdup fraction on the droplet coalescence frequency was quantitatively investigated. The increasing of rotation speed promotes first and then inhibits the coalescence, while the holdup fraction has little influence on the coalescence frequency function. The droplet collision frequency was also counted and the coalescence efficiency was calculated. The models in literature were tested with our experimental data and were found failing to predict the coalescence frequency in the stirring tank. Empirical correlations were finally proposed and good agreement was found between the prediction results and the experimental data.

This study explores the aerobic Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of cyclohexanone into ε-caprolactone using metalloporphyrin and benzaldehyde, a greener process to replace hazardous concentrated peroxyacid. The reaction mechanism involves a series of free radical reactions, identified through in-situ EPR. In this complex three-component reaction, we developed an intrinsic kinetic model based on the proposed mechanism. Utilizing a hyperbolic equation, the model well fits experimental data, describing biomimetic catalytic behavior of the aerobic Baeyer-Villiger oxidation. The reaction orders for the three reactants corroborate the kinetic model, with the activation energy of oxygen (130.27 kJ/mol) surpassing cyclohexanone (94.85 kJ/mol) and benzaldehyde (40.73 kJ/mol), implying slow initial oxygen activation while rapid subsequent benzaldehyde oxidation, making oxygen transfer and activation key steps. This unified approach to elementary reaction, mechanism, and intrinsic kinetics provides robust forecasts and lays the groundwork for additional studies, such as side reactions control and mass transfer enhancement and reactor design.

An analytically derived criterion for R1-R2 phenomenon is combined with the Weisz criterion for R1-D phenomenon to allow the development of assignment criteria for the overall controlling factors in R1-R2-D phenomena. The overall assignment criteria are found to be dependent on the internal effectiveness factors η_1 and η_2, as well as the rate of the individual reactions at the surface of the catalyst particle. Applying the developed criteria to a two-step methanol oxidation reaction suggests that the selectivity of the formaldehyde intermediate species can be enhanced at high reaction temperature when catalysts are specifically designed to enhance the rate of formaldehyde formation. However, CO formation needs to be suppressed to enhance selectivity towards formaldehyde at moderately low temperature. This reaction-diffusion theoretical framework provides guidance for the development of highly selective catalyst for two-reactions-in-series systems and can be extended for higher-number multiple reactions in series and in parallel.

The importance of geologic and hydrogeologic characterizations of aquifer settings seems to be ignored in submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) estimations. Groundwater flow is highly controlled by the geologic and hydrogeologic settings of an aquifer. However, most of the submarine groundwater discharge estimation techniques, including the geophysical and geochemical tracers and water balance methods do not consider geologic heterogeneities, while aquifer geology and the associated hydraulic conductivity values vary in orders of magnitude, suggesting potential inaccuracy of the SGD estimates. This paper summarizes the importance of integrating geologic and hydrogeologic characterizations with any of the SGD estimation techniques to come up with effective decisions and conclusions in coastal aquifer management and monitoring plans.

The study of changes in rice evapotranspiration (ET) is important for agricultural water management. In this study, the Surface Energy Balance Algorithms for Land (SEBAL) and MODIS products were used to estimate long-term rice ET from 2003 to 2018 in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China, and the spatial and temporal variations in rice ET and related influencing factors were analyzed. The results showed that the SEBAL model accurately estimated the daily ET on the Sanjiang Plain. Rice ET in the Sanjiang Plain increased at a rate of 5.05 mm·year -1. The spatial distribution of rice ET varied significantly under different typical years. Temperature was the main factor affecting rice ET on the Sanjiang Plain, with a correlation coefficient of 0.67. The increase in rice ET per ha was positively correlated with rice area expansion, with a correlation coefficient of 0.79. The growth rate of rice ET slowed after 2011, which was related to the cooling effect of irrigation due to rice area expansion.

Objective: To assess the accuracy of prenatal echocardiography in defining pulmonary vasculature in pulmonary atresia with VSD (PAVSD). The second aim is to compare the perinatal and postnatal outcomes of different pulmonary blood supply types. Design:The cases prenatally diagnosed with PAVSD between January 2017- October 2022 in a single tertiary fetal medicine center were identified on the electronic database. Fetal echocardiography reports and images were reviewed retrospectively. Postnatal outcomes and images were acquired from the hospital records of relevant pediatric cardiology and cardiovascular surgery clinics. Fetal echocardiography results were compared with postnatal results. Perinatal and postnatal outcomes were compared between the pulmonary vascular supply types. Results: Among the 24 PAVSD cases, six were diagnosed with major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCA) dependent, eleven were diagnosed with ductus arteriosus (DA) dependent pulmonary vascular supply, and seven were diagnosed with double pulmonary supply (MAPCA + DA) on prenatal echocardiography. Seventeen cases were live-born and have undergone postnatal investigations. Fetal echocardiography was 88.2% accurate about the type of pulmonary vascular supply. The accuracy of fetal echocardiography regarding pulmonary vascular anatomy was 82.3%. Four cases were demised before surgical interventions. Postoperative survival was 69.2%. Mortality and postoperative survival did not differ between pulmonary supply groups. Survival was disrupted with extracardiac anomalies. The need for early surgical interventions was significantly higher in the DA group. Conclusion:The anatomy of pulmonary vascularization in PAVSD can be defined precisely on fetal echocardiography. The source of pulmonary blood supply does not impact postnatal short-term outcomes significantly; however, it affects the postnatal management. The associated anomalies highly contribute to postnatal mortality. Therefore, MAPCAs, the anatomy of the pulmonary arteries, and accompanying abnormalities should be intensely searched on fetal ultrasonography.

Most existing makeup transfer techniques focus on light makeup styles, which limits the task of makeup transfer to color manipulation issues such as eye shadow and lip gloss. However, the makeup in real life is diverse and personalized, not only the most basic foundation, eye makeup, but also the painted patterns on the face, jewelry decoration and other personalized makeup. Inspired by the painting steps of drawing the outline first and then coloring, we propose a makeup transfer network for personalized makeup, which realizes face makeup transfer by learning outline correspondence. Specifically, we propose the outline feature extraction module and outline loss that can promote outline correspondence. Our network can not only transfer daily light makeup, but also complete transfer for complex facial painting patterns. Experiments show that our method can obtain visually more accurate makeup transfer results. Quantitative and qualitative experimental results show that the method proposed in this paper achieves superior results in extreme makeup transfer compared to the state-of-the-art methods.

A document by Lauren Lawson. Click on the document to view its contents.

This review article presents recent advancements in deep learning method-ologies and applications for autonomous navigation. It analyzes state-of-the-art deep learning frameworks used in tasks like signal processing, attitude estimation, obstacle detection, scene perception, and path planning. The implementation and testing methodologies of these approaches are critically evaluated, highlighting their strengths, limitations, and areas for further development. The review emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of autonomous navigation and addresses challenges posed by dynamic and complex environments, uncertainty, and obstacles. With a particular focus on mobile robots, self-driving cars, unmanned aerial vehicles, and space vehicles to underscore the importance of navigation in these domains. By synthesizing findings from multiple studies, the review aims to be a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners, contributing to the advancement of novel approaches. Key aspects covered include the classification of deep learning applications, recent advancements in methods, general applications in the field, innovations, challenges, and limitations associated with learning-based navigation systems. This review also explores current research trends and future directions in the field. This extensive overview, initiated in 2020, provides a valuable resource for researchers of all levels, from seasoned experts to newcomers. Its main purpose is to streamline the process of identifying , evaluating, and interpreting relevant research, ultimately contributing to the progress and development of autonomous navigation technologies.

The selective separation of CO2 from CH4-containing gases is crucial to produce clean energy gases. In this study, triazole anion-functionalized ionic liquids (TAFILs) were designed by combining low molecular weight cations with triazole anions containing N electronegative site, and further mixed with physical solvents to form physicochemical absorbents. The results indicated that [Cho][Triz]/TMS (80 wt%/20 wt%) not only absorb 0.125 g CO2/g absorbent equal to that of 30 wt% MEA solution at 40 °C and 1 bar, but also have low enthalpy of -35.76 kJ/mol less than half of 30 wt% MEA solution. Simultaneously, superhigh CO2/CH4 selectivity of 191.0 higher than most of reported absorbents is obtained for [Cho][Triz]/TMS solvents. Such great performance of CO2 separation was attributed to relatively weak chemical and physical interaction between CO2 and TAFIL binary absorbents. This study may provide novel promising IL absorbents for CO2 capture applications from clean energy gases.

Pervaporation (PV) of membrane separation technology has become an efficient approach to separate alcohols from aqueous solution. In this study, focusing on breaking the trade-off in PV and enhancing alcohols recovery, an ultra-thin and high flux poly-Dimethyldiethoxysilane (PDMDES) / poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composite membrane was prepared. By employing various means, the characterizations of PDMDES/PVDF composite membrane were extensively investigated and the promising results indicated the high hydrophobicity and good affinity to alcohols. To be specific, PDMDES selective layer with different thicknesses, the thinnest of which was approximate 265 nm, were fabricated, and the better PV performance can be achieved in a thickness range of 1.1~1.69 μm. The optimal PV performance of PDMDES/PVDF composite membrane was obtained in separating methanol from 5 wt% methanol/water solution at 40 ℃, resulting in a greatly high total permeation flux of 5375.5 g∙m-2 h-1 and a separation factor of 3.466.

Pulmonary actinomycosis causing an unusual presentation in a patient with COPD: A case report

Crohn Disease with Gastritis and Constipation without Diarrhoea: A Diagnostic EnigmaAbstractThere are multiple atypical manifestations of Crohn disease which sometimes delay diagnosis or even more often result in complete misdiagnosis especially in poorly equipped facilities. This is the case of an elderly woman with Crohn disease who presented with gastritis and constipation. She had hitherto been wrongly managed for peptic ulcer disease based mainly on her symptoms. Further workup revealed the actual diagnosis, but only after some years of failed symptomatic management. This case aims to improve awareness on the sundry variants of Crohn disease presentation and to encourage clinicians to reduce complacency in diagnosing apparently simple conditions.Keywords: Crohn disease, gastritis, intestinal obstruction, constipationIntroductionCrohn disease falls under the umbrella of inflammatory bowel disease and can involve any part of the gastrointestinal tract. It is many a time misdiagnosed or diagnosed late.1 This is even more so when health centres are not well equipped to go through what would be for them, an investigative wild goose chase. Common presentations include abdominal pain, diarrhea, unintentional weight loss and haematochezia, and is usually seen in young adults.2There are however enigmatic variants that do not present with these tell-tale symptoms. These include those that manifest with obstructive symptoms, dyspeptic symptoms as well as those with more extra-intestinal than gastrointestinal symptoms such as arthritis, aphthous stomatitis and uveitis.Case PresentationThis is the case of a 78-year old Ghanaian woman who was admitted on account of an acute exacerbation of Crohn disease. She was diagnosed about a year prior to the index presentation, after being managed for incomplete intestinal obstruction, by subsequent workup and lower GI endoscopy. No treatment was started after the diagnosis on the patient’s request. This current presentation was a week’s history of severe generalized abdominal pain graded 9/10, colicky in her lower abdomen and burning in her epigastric region. It was associated with constipation (hard, scanty, infrequent stools averaging once a week) and non-projectile vomiting, non-bilious and non-bloody. The symptoms waxed and waned and were worst at night. She also reported having anorexia, and unintentional weight loss but no pain related to meals (eating or fasting). Antacids gave partial relief to her epigastric pain. There was no abdominal distension related with her symptoms; her constipation was not absolute, as she was able to pass flatus. There was no alternation of the constipation with diarrhea and no melaena or haematochezia. Her other symptoms included borborygmi, lower back and bilateral knee pain. Patient was hypertensive and on amlodipine, no other medication. She had completed empirical triple therapy for peptic ulcer disease several years prior to this presentation, but without resolution of her occasional dyspeptic symptoms. There was no history of abdominal surgeries and she had never smoked nor consumed alcohol.Her physical examination showed mild pallor and moist mucous membranes. She was afebrile. Her abdomen was soft, non-distended, moved with respiration. There was generalized tenderness which was worst at her lower abdomen. There were no palpable masses, percussion notes were tympanitic and bowel sounds were high pitched and frequent. Both knees were mildly tender on passive joint movement (worse on the left) but not swollen or warm, and there was mild tenderness at her lower back. All other examination findings were normal.An initial diagnosis of acute exacerbation of Crohn disease with partial bowel obstruction and peptic ulcer disease was made. Differentials included a large bowel tumour (possibly left sided because of the obstructive symptoms) and osteoarthritis of both knees.Her renal and liver function tests were normal. She however had normocytic normochromic anaemia of 10.6g/dl on her complete blood count and low calcium and magnesium levels of 1.61mmol/L, 1.07mmol/L respectively. An erect and supine abdominal x-ray showed mildly dilated jejunum as well as gall stones. A contrast CT scan of the abdomen showed mild to moderate narrowing of the mid segment of the ileum with enhancing mucosa and prestenotic dilatation of the ileum and jejunum. The dilated bowel measured 3.8cm-4.5cm. There were no masses seen and the large bowel was normal. It also confirmed the presence of the gall stones. Both ESR and CRP were high (30mm/h and 147 respectively). Stool RE was normal and stool for occult blood and H. pylori antigen were negative.A final diagnosis of acute exacerbation of Crohn disease with partial bowel obstruction and gastritis was made. Complications of the condition noted were cholelithiasis, arthritis of both knees and sacroiliitis. Her calculated Crohn Disease Activity Index (CDAI) was 263; for moderate disease. She was hydrated with IV fluids, then put on hyoscine bromide for her crampy abdominal pains, IV omeprazole for her gastritis, IV metronidazole, SC enoxaparin for DVT prophylaxis and syrup lactulose for her constipation. After her vomiting subsided, she was switched to oral medications. Oral mesalazine 1g 6 hourly, oral prednisolone 30mg daily and oral paracetamol 1g 8 hourly were added to her medications. She showed improvement as well as reduced frequency of the flares. She was on admission for 6 days before discharge with the following plan: review in a 2 weeks with a lower GI endoscopy, high fibre diet (with dietitian review), at least 3L of oral hydration daily, and compliance on her medications.DiscussionIntestinal obstruction caused by strictures of Crohn disease widens the differential diagnoses for clinicians. These include intraluminal causes such as tumours, impacted faeces and foreign bodies, intramural causes such as intussusception and extramural causes such as strangulated hernias, adhesions and volvulus.3-5 Most of these are purely surgical causes. It is no surprise the patient in question had to pass through the general surgery team first. It is quite unusual that she had never experienced diarrhea or had it alternate with her constipation. This is because it is expected that before the strictures form, the preceding and causal inflammation would irritate the intestinal tract enough to cause some diarrheal symptoms.6 The patient also had peptic ulcer-like symptoms which had been treated unsuccessfully in the past. Because of the rareness of dyspepsia as a symptom of Crohn disease,7 it is unlikely to be the marker to point to the accurate diagnosis. Evidently, this patient had been managed empirically for peptic ulcer disease for a long time. This is common practice because of the low availability of endoscopy in the Central Region of the country. Given her age and presentation, it was most likely she had IBD-related arthritis on an osteoarthritis of her knees. This is because there were flares with the joint pains as well; instances when she could experience excruciating pain even at rest. She required a walking aid because of this disabling pain. Abdominal pain in Crohn disease has several mechanisms8, and because of the transmural inflammatory pattern, tenderness on palpation is not a surprising finding, as was in this patient.Hypocalcaemia and hypomagnesemia as was seen in the patient is a common finding in Crohn disease due to fat malabsorption resulting in vitamin D deficiency, as well as anorexia caused by the abdominal pain and inflammatory cytokines.9 The malabsorption is also the reason for formation of gallstones as in this patient (figure 1 and figure 2). The gallstones form as a result of failed reabsorption of bile acid and hence failed enterohepatic circulation, which in turn increases the concentration of cholesterol in the biliary system, precipitating the formation of cholesterol stones.10It is usually asymptomatic and an incidental finding on radio imaging.Starting the patient on prednisolone and mesalazine resulted in a decline in symptoms by the 5th day of admission. 5-aminosalicylic acid derivatives such as mesalazine provide symptomatic relief for patients and remain the first line drugs for mild to moderate disease.11 It was effective in this patient as well, as she was ready for discharge by admission day 6. Lactulose also improved her constipation by enabling her pass soft stools daily.ConclusionCrohn disease should not be expected to manifest as abdominal pain with diarrhea all the time. Its extra-intestinal manifestations as well as its capacity to affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract requires that every clinician have a high suspicion index for its diagnosis. Common presentations such as gastritis and intestinal obstruction need to be well-investigated with less complacency in order to ensure accurate causal diagnosis is made all the time.Competing interestsNone declared.ReferencesCard TR, Siffledeen J, Fleming, KM. Are IBD patients more likely to have a prior diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome? Report of a case-control study in the General Practice Research Database. United European Gastroentrol J 2014 Dec; 2(6): 505-512. PMID: 25452846Cheema YA, Munir M, Zainab K, Ogedegbe OJ. An Atypical Presentation of Crohn’s Disease: A Case Report. Cureus. 2022 Sep; 14(9): e29431. PMID: 36299929Catena F, De Simone B, Coccolini F, Di Saverio S, Sartelli M, Ansaloni L. Bowel obstruction: a narrative review for all physicians. World J Emerg Surg. 2019 Apr; 20 (14)Yeo HL, Lee SW. Colorectal emergencies: review and controversies in the management of large bowel obstruction. J Gastrointest Surg. 2013; 17(11): 2007-12Roses RE, Folkert IW, Krouse RS. Malignant bowel obstruction: reappraising the value of surgery. Surg Oncol Clin N Am. 2018; 27(4): 705-15Anbazhagan AN, Priyamvada S, Alrefai, WA, Dudeja PK. Pathophysiology of IBD associated diarrhea. Tissue Barriers. 2018; 6(2): e1463897. PMID: 29737913Zhi TX, Hong GJ, Li T, Sun D, Yu XD, Chen QZ, Li T. Gastric Crohn’s Disease: A Rare Cause of Intermittent Abdominal Pain and Vomiting. Am J Med. 2017; 130 (5)Bielefeldt K, Davis B, Binion GD. Pain and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2009 May; 15(5): 778-788. PMID: 19130619Naser SA, Abdelsalam A, Thanigachalam S, Naser SA, Alcedo K. Domino effect of hypomagnesemia on the innate immunity of Crohn’s disease patients. World J Diabetes. 2014 Aug; 5(4): 527-535. PMID: 25126398Fevery, J. Pigment gallstones in Crohn’s disease. Gastroenterology. 1999; 116(6): 1492-1494Iacucci M, de Silva S, Ghosh S. Mesalazine in inflammatory bowel disease: A trendy topic once again? Can J Gastroenterol. 2010 Feb; 24(20):127-133. PMID: 20151072

Background and Purposes: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy commonly causes neuropathic pain. The pathogenesis of CIPN is unclear, and effective therapies are also lacking. Naringenin, a dihydroflavonoid compound in Rutaceae plants and citrus fruits, has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-tumor activities. However, its effect on chemotherapy-induced pain has not been investigated. Experimental Approach: We used Paclitaxel (PTX) to establish a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced pain. Mechanical and thermal pain thresholds, glial activation, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) expression, c-fos expression, phosphorylation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron excitability, and cell survival of pancreatic, colorectal, and gastric cancer cell lines were measured. Key Results: Systemic application of Naringenin reduced the mechanical and thermal pain hypersensitivity induced by PTX. Naringenin reduced the activation of glial cells in both DRGs and the spinal dorsal horn of PTX-treated mice. Naringenin decreased the PTX-enhanced CGRP expression in DRG and spinal neurons. Naringenin reversed the PTX-enhanced c-fos expression and excitability of DRG neurons. Naringenin downregulated PTX-elevated NF-κB phosphorylation in the spinal cord. Additionally, co-administration of Naringenin with PTX enhanced the inhibitory effect of PTX on pancreatic and colorectal cancer cell growth, whereas the application of Naringenin alone inhibited the survival of pancreatic cancer cells. Conclusion and Implications: Naringenin alleviates PTX-induced pain and may facilitate PTX’s anti-tumor effect. The mechanism involves the inhibition of glial activation, CGRP production, and neuronal sensitization in PTX-treated mice. Our study suggests the multiple beneficial actions of Naringenin in chemotherapy by mitigating side effects and inhibiting tumor growth.

Parental investment theory proposes two non-mutually exclusive hypotheses to explain variation in anti-predator behaviour in relation to the age of offspring: the “reproductive value of offspring” hypothesis and the “harm to offspring” hypothesis. The relative importance of the two factors underlying the hypotheses, reproductive value and harm, may change depending on environmental conditions such as food availability. To test the relative importance of the two hypotheses under different food conditions, we conducted a supplementary feeding experiment in red kite (Milvus milvus) breeding pairs and used a live eagle owl (Bubo bubo) as decoy nest predator to trigger anti-predator behaviour. We used time-to-capture in mist nets mounted next to the decoy predator as proxy for mobbing intensity. Under natural food conditions we found a nearly constant mobbing intensity throughout the entire nestling period. However, under food-enhanced conditions mobbing intensity was reduced in parents with young nestlings and increased in parents with old nestlings. These results suggest greater importance of the “reproductive value of offspring” hypothesis in situations of favourable food availability. Moreover, mobbing intensity depended on brood size and weather conditions. The results suggest that parental anti-predator investment increases with the reproductive value of the brood under favourable breeding conditions, but that this pattern is adjusted to the current context, including the vulnerability of the brood and environmental conditions.

Background: Lisinopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi), is a frequently prescribed antihypertensive drug in the pediatric population, while being used off-label under the age of 6 years in the US and for all pediatric patients globally. The SAFEPEDRUG project (IWT-130033) investigated lisinopril pharmacokinetics in hypertensive pediatric patients corresponding with the day-to-day clinical population. Methods: The dose-escalation pilot study included 13 children with primary and secondary hypertension who received oral lisinopril once daily in the morning; doses ranged from 0.05mg.kg-1 to 0.2 mg.kg-1. Patients were aged between 1.9 and 17.9 years (median 13.5 years) and weight ranged between 9.62 and 97.2kg (median 53.2kg). All data were analyzed using Monolix version 2020R1 (Lixoft®, France) and R version 3.6.2. Results: A one-compartment model with 1st order absorption and 1st order elimination optimally describes the data. Parameter estimates of ka (0.077h-1 [9.6%], typical value [relative standard error]), V/F (32.9L 70.g-1 [37%]) and CL/F (23.1L h-1 .70kg-1[8.5%]) show good predictive ability. Significant covariate effects include total body weight on elimination clearance, and distribution volume and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) on elimination clearance. The effects of eGFR on the elimination clearance are optimally described by a power law parameterization centered around 105 mL.min.1.73m2. The effects of body weight were implemented using fixed allometric exponents centered around an adult weight of 70kg. Conclusion: Lisinopril dose and regimen adjustments for pediatric patients should include eGFR on top of weight adjustments. An expanded model characterizing the pharmacodynamic effect is required to identify the optimal dose and dosing regimen.

The impact of influenza B (FLUB) was relatively less researched than influenza A (FLUA), because of its lower pandemic potential. We aimed to compare the clinical presentations and disease severity between FLUA and B. This study involved children hospitalized with virologically-confirmed influenza between 2010-2020. The disease severity was assessed according to admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), mechanical ventilation requirement, length of hospital, and ICU stay and death. FLUA and B were compared within predefined age groups (0-2, 3-9, and 10-18 years) and in all age groups. Of 343 patients, FLUA and B were detected in 260 (75.8%) and 83 (24.2%) children, respectively. Headache and abdominal pain were more common in FLUB (P<0.05). Children with FLUA were prescribed antibiotics and antivirals 1.6 and 2.3-fold more than those with FLUB. From subgroup analysis by age, patients between 3-9 with FLUB had a higher rate of headache and abdominal pain; additionally, headache occurred in 5 (100%) children aged 10-18 years with FLUB and 10 (38.5%) with FLUA (P<0.05). Children between 0-2 with FLUA were more often admitted to ICU than those with FLUB (22.9% vs. 6.0%; P<0.05). Eight patients with FLUA died, and one with FLUB (P>0.05). The clinical presentation was similar between FLUA and B, except for headache and abdominal pain, which were notably more common in older patients with FLUB. Children aged 0-2 years with FLUA had a significant risk for ICU admission. Higher levels of awareness and attention should be paid to children under two years with FLUA.

Energy intensity—an expression normalizing pump energy use by water volume, also called specific energy—is becoming a more commonly used key performance indicator as water utilities seek to analyze and optimize their energy use. Its theoretical basis, however, has not been well documented. Beginning with Newton's second law, we derive the pump power equation and the pump energy intensity equation, provide specific values for engineering reference, and discuss applications. In a perfectly efficient system pumping water, the minimum energy intensity is 0.00272 kWh/m3 per meter of head or 3.14 kWh/Mgal per foot of head. Considering typical pump efficiencies, these references may be scaled and used for analyzing pump performance or estimating future energy uses. As a key performance indicator, energy intensity is a convenient input-output quotient where both parts can be observed directly, enabling tracking over time and comparison among individual facilities. As a planning tool, energy intensity can estimate expected energy use without having to know details of the pumping system. Such are the high-level applications water systems may find as a prelude to deeper energy analyses in pursuit of sustainable infrastructure.

Perovskites and Ruddlesden Popper oxide should have piqued the interest of researchers looking for an alternative to fossil fuels to fill societal gaps. Thus, in this paper, a comparative analysis of the structural and electrical properties of perovskite SrSnO 3 and Ruddlesden Popper oxide Sr 2SnO 4 was carried out. Both the samples were prepared via solid-state reaction route by taking stoichiometric amounts of SrCO 3, SnO 2 in accordance with SrSnO 3 and Sr 2SnO 4. The single phase of the samples was obtained by heat treatment at several temperatures, such as 1000°C and 1200°C. The X-ray diffraction analysis of both samples suggests the formation of cubic structure under the space group pm-3m and tetragonal structure under I4/mmm respectively for SrSnO 3 and Sr 2SnO 4. The lattice strain and crystallite size were found to be higher for Sr 2SnO 4 than SrSnO 3, which might be due to difference in atomic arrangement. The Raman studies confirm the symmetry and structure at the local level. The electrical properties of SrSnO 3 and Sr 2SnO 4 were studied as a function of frequency (100 Hz to 2.5 MHz) and temperature range of (50–600°C). These studies have indicated that the Sr 2SnO 4 shows improved value of electrical parameters such as electrical conductivity, dielectric constant, and tangent loss than SrSnO 3. It has been observed that in Sr 2SnO 4, the migration of mixed type conduction takes place mainly along the a and c directions, i.e., via perovskite cells useful for the mixed ionic and electronic conductor for the intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell. The current work can be further explored to develop electrode materials for IT-SOFCs by lattice and structural modification.

2-Benzamidoacetic acid is a conjugate aromatic organic amino acid compound. These conjugated bonds attract the attention due to having high nonlinear optical properties which is applicable in various optical applications. Single crystals of pure and potassium diahydrogen phosphate (KDP) doped 2-Benzamidoacetic acid are grown by slow evaporation method at room temperature. These crystals are confined in size with limpid appearance and non-hygroscopic nature. UV-visible study shows transparent nature of grown crystals in the over the visible region (400 to 800 nm). The transparent nature of crystal shows less absorption of light in the visible region. Absorption coefficient (α), Extinction coefficient (k), refractive index (n), optical conductivity (σop), Polarisability (P), Susceptibility (χop) all these optical data are supported the experimental data. The lower cut-off wavelengths are 305 and 350 nm of grown crystals of pure and (KDP) doped 2-Benzamidoacetic acid. The optical band gap indicates that doping of KDP in 2-Benzamidoacetic acid crystal turn into organic to semiorganic crystal. The range of optical band gap shows that crystal is useful in optoelectronics devices. For the NLO property second harmonic generation test was performed. This study shows that grown crystals are recommend for fabrication of green light emission device. The various functional groups of the grown crystal were designated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The crystal dimensions of the grown crystal of pure and doped 2-Benzamidoacetic acid were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD) and the crystalline nature of crystal was confirmed and hkl planes were indexed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) shows good surface morphology of grown crystals. Vickers hardness test shows good mechanical strength for manufacturing of devices.