With high biodiversity and a large demand for environmental restoration, China has become a global hotspot for the investigation and application of hyperaccumulator plants aiming to effectively decontaminate polluted soils. After harvesting, the abnormally high content of heavy metals (HMs) in the aboveground tissues of hyperaccumulators requires proper treatment in downstream processes to boost the economic potential and avoid secondary pollution. This paper covers the significance of phytoextraction research in the remediation of HM-contaminated soil in China. The technical trends and the major scientific advances for the eco-friendly valorization of HM-enriched hyperaccumulators are comprehensively reviewed. A systematic survey of the thermochemical and biological routes to upcycle the hyperaccumulator biomass is conducted by emphasizing the transformation strategies for green and valuable products, along with the safe recovery of HM streams. In addition, challenges and perspectives on the valorization of hyperaccumulators in the future are presented.

Serverless computing allows developers to create workflows for complex tasks through the composition of serverless functions. Current serverless workflow engines rely on master-side patterns which hinder the interaction between serverless functions, causing performance issues. In this paper, a decentralized worker-side pattern is proposed that provides enhanced performance by allowing each workflow function to schedule itself from the current node to the next without having to interact with the master controller. It treats the serverless workflow as a whole unit and uses a locality strategy to optimize performance. A new high-performance workflow engine called BriskChain has been implemented to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. Experiments on a real-world application show that BriskChain is able to achieve 2.5 times better performance than a state-of-the-art serverless workflow engine.

A Case of Close Lip Schizencephaly with absent septum pellucidum in adult presenting with seizure disorderChhabi Khadka1, Umang Gupta2, Prakriti Bhandari3, Prabin Pandey1, Shailes Paudel3National Academy of Medical Sciences, NepalMaharajgunj Medical Campus, NepalPatan Academy of Health Sciences, NepalCorrespondenceShailes Paudel, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal Email: shailespaudel@gmail.com

Background: Maternal folic acid supplementation is protective against the development of neural tube defects (NTDs) in babies. However, recent public-facing communications have raised concerns about a causal relationship between folic acid supplementation, particularly after the first trimester, and ankyloglossia (tongue-tie) in infants. Non-evidence-based communications are potentially harmful because they could adversely affect adherence to folic acid supplementation, increasing NTD occurrence. Objectives: To review evidence on the relationships between maternal folic acid supplementation during preconception and/or pregnancy and the risk of ankyloglossia in infants. Search Strategy: We searched online bibliographic databases for studies investigating the effect of maternal folic acid supplementation during preconception or pregnancy on the occurrence of ankyloglossia in offspring. Selection Criteria: Observational, interventional studies, and systematic reviews assessing the relationships between folic acid and ankyloglossia. Data Collection and Analysis: The database searches yielded 93 articles. After removing duplicates and screening titles and abstracts, 26 remained. One article was judged relevant for inclusion in analyses; a case-control study that directly mentions the relationship between folic acid supplementation and ankyloglossia Main Results: One case-control study reported that regular intake of folic acid supplements was higher in women with infants with ankyloglossia. However, this study has limitations regarding design, selection bias, and confounding, calling the findings into question. Conclusions: Insufficient evidence exists for a relationship between folic acid supplementation and ankyloglossia. Currently, the benefits of folic acid supplementation far outweigh the risks. This must be clearly communicated to patients by their clinicians during preconception and antenatal care.

Objective. To explore the relationship between pelvic floor thickness and bony pelvic outlet, in nulliparous and multiparous women of black and white South African (SA) ethnic group groups. Design. Quantitative retrospective analysis of computerised tomography (CT) scans. Setting. Academic Hospital and University in Pretoria, SA. Population/sample. Black and white women of SA ethnic groups. Methods. A total of 125 CT scans were sampled from a tertiary hospital in Pretoria South Africa, where 50 belonged to SA white women and 75 to SA black women. The data was reconstructed with Mevislab software to measure pelvic floor thicknesses and bony parameters. Statistical analyses were performed using Paleontological Statistics Comparisons (PAST). Main outcome measures. Variations were observed in pelvic floor thicknesses and bony parameters measured in SA women, which varied according to ethnic group, age and parity. Results. Greater bony dimensions (except anteroposterior pelvic outlet) were found in white compared to black women. A thicker pelvic floor was noted in black compared to white women. Some bony dimensions increased with parity. Pelvic floor thickness became thinner with increasing parity and age in both ethnic groups. Conclusion. There existed an interethnic variation in pelvic floor thickness and bony dimensions, where white women presented with thinner pelvic floor and greater bony pelvic dimensions when compared to black women.

An Unusual Cause of Chronic Diarrhea in a Young Patient – Diagnostic Challenge

A document by Jiangbo Cui. Click on the document to view its contents.

For estimating cost and effort of any software product, measuring functionality of that application is an essential aspect for deciding its value. However, IoT applications are not completely equivalent to software solutions due to the inherent requirement of hardware components. Also, as there has been a surge in development of IoT applications, measuring the application’s cost and effort is required. This article applied the traditional measurement methods for estimating the appropriateness of an IoT solution before its adoption. In this article, we have made an attempt to measure the functionality of an IoT system using function point count technique (FPC). For evaluating it, all the essential characteristics of typical IoT applications were considered. Five different IoT applications namely IoT based healthcare, smart environment monitoring, IoT based inventory management, smart home security and smart home automation were considered and FPC values for all these applications were calculated. The different values of function points directly could be used to infer the applicability of the product.

Objective: Does an ‘after hours’ delivery affects the rate of third and fourth degree tears (Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries, OASIS) Design: a single -centre retrospective cohort study Setting: A major regional Australian hospital Population: All cephalic vaginal deliveries at 37+ weeks over a 3-year period. Exclusions: previous/planned Caesarean section, prematurity, multiple pregnancies, non-cephalic presentations and models of care other than mainstream consultant-led care. Methods: Data collected was age, parity, gestation, body mass index, induction of labour, use of oxytocin, second stage duration, mode of delivery, perineal trauma, episiotomy and birth weight. Main Outcome Measures: Compare the rates and risk factors of OASIS between deliveries occurring “in hours” (8am-8pm weekdays) and “after hours” (8pm-8am, weekends and public holidays) Results: 2404 patients were included. 57.4% of deliveries occurred ‘after hours’. The overall rate of OASIS was 3.12% with no statistical difference between ‘in hours (3.22%) and ‘out of hours’ (3.04%), p=0.8. More primigravid deliveries and spontaneous onset of labours occurred ‘out of hours’ (both p<0.001). More multigravid deliveries, labours requiring oxytocin and prolonged second stage occurred ‘in hours’(p=<0.01). No statistical significance was noted for epidural analgesia (34.0% vs 34.3%, P=0.85), spontaneous vaginal birth (90.4% vs 90.1%, P=0.81), operative vaginal birth (9.6% vs 9.9%, P=0.81) and episiotomy use (17.2% vs 18.4%, P=0.41). Conclusions: No statically significant difference was noted in the rate of OASIS ‘in hours’ and ‘out of hours’ in our centre.

A document by Clair Barnes. Click on the document to view its contents.

Maternal lineages of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are recognized as important components of intra- and inter-specific biodiversity and help us to disclose the phylogeny and divergence times of many taxa. Species of the genus Capra are canonical mountain dwellers. Among these is the Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica), which is regarded as a relic species whose intra-specific classification has been controversial so far. We collected 54 samples in Xinjiang, China, and analyzed the mtDNA genes to shed light on the intra-specific relationships of the C. sibirica populations and estimate the divergence time. Intriguingly, we found that the mtDNA sequences of C. sibirica split into two main lineages in both phylogenetic and network analyses: the southern lineage, sister to C. falconeri, consisting of samples from India, Ulugqat, and Kagilik in Xinjiang; and the northern lineage further divided into four monophyletic clades A–D corresponding to their geographic origins. Samples from Urumqi, Sawan, and Arturk formed a distinct monophyletic clade C within the northern lineage. The genetic distance between the C. sibirica clades ranges from 3 to 8.6 percent, with values of FST between 0.72 and 0.95, indicating notable genetic differentiation. The split of the genus Capra occurred approximately 6.75 Mya during the late Miocene. The northern lineage diverged around 5.88 Mya, following the divergence of Clades A–D from 3.3 Mya to 1.9 Mya during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. The radiation between the southern lineage and C. falconeri occurred at 2.29 Mya during the early Pleistocene. Our results highlight the importance of extensive sampling when relating to genetic studies of alpine mammals and call for further genomic studies to draw definitive conclusions.

Cirrhosis is a serious health condition, where along with scar tissue formation there is deposition of collagen in the liver, finally leading to liver failure. It is preceded by liver fibrosis, a dynamic pathological condition that can be decelerated during its early phases. Acute hepatitis is the cause of about 10% cases of liver damage and another 50% result from drug induced hepatic injury. In absence of appropriate clinical management of fibrosis, its progresses to cirrhosis and eventually results in liver failure or primary liver cancer both of which are irreversible conditions. Various in vivo animal models have been developed where hepatic injury is induced by diet, drugs, chemicals or surgical methods. These animal models are routinely employed for the assessment of drugs. But there is a need to discover new methods that will reduce animal sacrifice or be associated with animal recovery. Ex-vivo tissue culture techniques also aid in the evaluation of different stages of cirrhosis. Future research may result in the study of pathology of an individual patient through hepatic decellularisation and hepatic tissue bioengineering.

Abstract: Path planning is a crucial component for ensuring the safety and efficiency of flight missions, especially for fighter aircraft. To enhance the combat effectiveness of fighter aircraft, it is important to consider how to avoid danger sources and terrain obstacles, reduce fuel consumption, and utilize the aircraft’s own performance to accomplish the mission objectives. In the modern battlefield environment, the shortest path is not the only criterion for planning, but also other factors such as the threat level to the aircraft, fuel consumption, mission completion time, and minimum turning radius. In this paper, we propose a multi-constraint path planning method for fighter aircraft that incorporates these factors into an improved particle swarm algorithm. We transform the constraints of three-dimensional terrain, threat source, fuel consumption, and mission time into an aggregated fitness function. We construct a limit curvature matrix to evaluate the feasibility of the generated path. We also introduce an adaptive adjustment strategy based on the activation function for the parameters in the particle swarm algorithm. The weights of each constraint are determined according to the actual demand. The experiment results show that our method can efficiently plan the optimal path that satisfies the requirements. Compared with other improved particle swarm algorithms, our method has higher optimal search efficiency and better convergence effect. We also provide optimal values for important parameters such as mission energy consumption, mission time, flight speed and others to support the overall mission planning. Our method has certain practical application value.

Background Patients presenting with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary (HNSCCUP) remain challenging clinical scenarios as large variation exists in practices used to locate the primary. Objective To perform a systematic review of the literature and offer recommendations for oropharyngeal biopsies in HNSCCUP. Method Pubmed, Medline and Embase were searched to identify studies from inception to October 2021. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Results 483 articles were included and screened, 40 studies met the inclusion criteria, including over 3400 patients from the original articles and 1575 patients from 3 meta-analyses. The primary site identification rate following random biopsies or deep tissue biopsies is less than 5% in most studies. The mean detection rate following ipsilateral tonsillectomy is 34%; two pooled analyses indicate that the mean detection rate following tongue base mucosectomy is 64%, with this figure rising when the tonsils are negative. Conclusions High level evidence is lacking, with heterogeneity in the reported studies. Published meta analyses are based on retrospective data. There is little evidence supporting the practice of random/non-directed oropharyngeal biopsies. Available evidence supports palatine tonsillectomy and tongue base mucosectomy compared to deep tissue biopsies.

The free oscillations of a functionally graded (FG) porous vertical cantilever beam in the frame work of Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. The beam is subjected to the gravity-load and the properties of the FG material such as the modulus of elasticity and the density are supposed to change through the thickness of the beam according to power-law relations. The equation of motion is derived using Newton’s second law. The Numerical Chebyshev collocation method is utilized to determine the transverse frequencies of the FG porous hanging and standing cantilever Euler-Bernoulli beams. A parametric study is conducted to determine the effects of various factors such as the transverse functionally graded index, the porosity factor, and the elastic and the mass density ratios on the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of the FG porous vertical hanging and standing cantilever thin beams under their self-weight. The accuracy of the proposed numerical method is evaluated through comparisons of the frequencies obtained from the present approach with those available in previous literature.

Purpose: To assess the ADRs reported (2010-2020) for transgender population in India. Methods: The study was based on the surveillance data received during the study period at Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), as IPC is authorized for collating and analyzing ADRs submitted by healthcare professionals, marketing authorization holders and consumers under the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI). Results: We analyzed the Individual Case Safety Reports (ICSRs) reported for transgender population from January 2010 to December 2020. 94 ICSRs were found to be associated with the use of pharmaceutical drugs in the transgender population and out of these 2.7% were found to be serious in nature. The highest percentages of reports (47%) were from the age group of 20-30 years and the trend showed a consistent decline in ICSRs as the age of transgenders progressed. Reactions like mouth sore, oesophageal stenosis and oropharyngeal candidiasis were found only in transgender patients due to the use of Anti-retroviral drugs. Considering the spectrum of this minority gender within the general population. Discussion: The results of the present study may help to understand medication safety in transgender population. This article would stimulate the ADRs reporting for transgender group by other countries to their national pharmacovigilance centres.

Microbiomes in soil ecosystem play a significant role in solubilizing insoluble inorganic and organic phosphate sources with low availability and mobility in the soil. They transfer the phosphate ion to plants, thereby promoting plant growth. In this study, we isolated an unidentified fungal strain, POT1 ( Penicillium olsonii TLL1), and confirmed its ability to promote root growth, especially under phosphate deficiency as well as solubilizing activity for insoluble phosphates such as AlPO 4, FePO 4·4H 2O, Ca 3(PO 4) 2 and hydroxy apatite. Indeed, in vermiculite containing low and insoluble phosphate, POT1 promoted the growth of Arabidopsis and leafy vegetable. We also tested the growth of crops in Singapore local soil containing highly insoluble phosphate and confirmed an improved crop growth for Bok Choy and Rice with POT1. Furthermore, we demonstrated that plant growth promotion and phosphate solubilizing activity of POT1 were more effective than those of four different Penicillium strains such as P. bilaiae, P. chrysogenum, P. janthinellum and P. simplicissimum under phosphate limiting conditions. Our findings uncover a new fungal strain and provide a better understanding of symbiotic plant–fungal interactions and suggest the potential use of POT1 as a biofertilizer to improve phosphate uptake and use efficiency in phosphate-limiting conditions.

When attempting to maximize the crop yield from field-grown soy ( Glycine max (L.) Merr.) by means of improving the light conditions for photosynthesis in the canopy, it is crucial to find the optimal planting density and nitrogen application rate. The soy plants were cultivated in N-dense mutual pairs, and included two cultivars with different leaf shapes; one sported ovate leaves (O-type) and the other lanceolate leaves (L-type). We analyzed the results quantitatively to gauge the effect of the experimental parameters on the yield as well as the photosynthetic light and nitrogen use efficiency. Results indicate that the different leaf shapes were responsible for significant disparities between the photosynthetic utilization of direct and diffuse light. The light interception rate of the L-type canopy was lower than that of the O-type, but its canopy apparent photosynthetic nitrogen and light use efficiency were higher. However, the nitrogen and light use efficiency contributions associated with exposure to diffuse light were greater for the latter than for the former. Our conclusion is that optimizing the yield from densely planted L-type soy hinges on using an appropriate nitrogen application rate, while O-type soy requires optimizing its nitrogen and light use efficiency under conditions of diffuse lighting.

Introduction: Obesity is a major risk factor in the development of endometrial cancer (EC) in young patients of reproductive age. Fertility sparing treatment is a viable option for a select group of patients with early EC, and involves systemic and intra-uterine hormonal therapy. Weight loss has been associated with improved outcomes in this group. Bariatric surgery (BS) has been shown to be the most efficient and durable method of weight loss in obese patients. However, there is a paucity of data studying the benefit of BS as part of fertility sparing treatment. Methods: We present a retrospective case series of five patients who are undergoing fertility sparing treatment for early EC, who also underwent BS for treatment of obesity and related comorbidities. We aim to show early regression of EC for all the patients and also report on the other health benefits of BS. Results: All five patients in the series achieved regression of EC within six months of undergoing BS. They also achieved significant weight loss consistent with previous studies, and three patients who had comorbidities related to obesity had remission of these conditions. One of the patients with EC regression also managed to conceive with IVF. Conclusion: Patients on fertility sparing treatment for early EC who underwent BS was associated with early regression within 6 months, significant weight loss and resolution of comorbidities. BS could be a promising component of fertility sparing treatment. Long term, prospective studies are required to confirm the benefits reported in this case series.

Bacillus cereus is a Gram positive rod-shape bacterium, that causes severe food poisoning. Bacillus form spores that enable it to resist the environmental stresses, such as drought, heat, pH changes. Spores can remain dormant for many years, and back to the vegetative cells when suitable conditions available for bacterial growth. Several food poisoning outbreaks in cereal products showed that B. cereus was the main causative agent. Recently, the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (m-PCR) has provide a rapid and highly sensitive method for the detection of specific pathogenic microorganisms in the aquatic environment. To date, most m-PCR assays for pathogen detection have focused on only one, two or three different types of organisms. The lack of knowledge in the development of a multiplex PCR assay for the specific detection of Bacillus cereus inspire us to spot the light on the development of the method for Bacillus cereus detection in one rapid multiplex PCR assay and the potential application of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for the simultaneous detection of other multi-pathogen systems.

Background: As the ongoing public health crisis from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic puts strains on current models of cancer care, many health care centers had to adapt to minimize the risk of exposure and infection. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in a comprehensive cancer center were determined. Purpose: To measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on care delivery at a comprehensive cancer center. Methods: The number of on-site and telehealth visits (TH) were obtained from scheduling software. Multiple factors including total visits, telehealth visits, screenings for cancer diagnosis, and cancer treatments were tracked from two years before the pandemic onset through 2022. The length of stay (LOS) and Case Mix Index (CMI) were calculated using hospital database. Results: In the third quarter of FY 2020, telehealth visits (TH) represented a fifth of total patient encounters. Cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery, decreased during the pandemic with number of surgeries being most affected (23% decrease in 2020 compared to the previous fiscal year). The average length of stay (LOS) was also longer with less discharges per given time during the pandemic. The increased LOS was related to increased severity of patient illnesses since CMI was higher. Screening mammograms decreased to a nadir of 58% in 2021 as compared to those screened in pre-pandemic fiscal years. Conclusions : The COVID-19 pandemic impacted many aspects of care, such as treatment and screenings. Many of these factors had to be postponed due to the fear of acquiring COVID-19 and access to care. The findings presented implicate that the delays and changes in cancer care during the pandemic resulted in less screening and treatment of more advanced disease.

A document by Saumik Basu. Click on the document to view its contents.

Cold agglutinins are autoantibodies that can cause agglutination or clumping of red blood cells (RBCs) at temperatures below normal body temperature. This case report discusses a 37-year-old male patient who suffered from multiple injuries due to a motorcycle accident. The patient's laboratory tests revealed a high level of cold agglutinins, which resulted in abnormal RBC parameters. The study aims to investigate the impact of cold agglutinins on RBC parameters in a trauma patient. The findings of this case report highlight the importance of recognizing cold agglutinins in trauma patients to avoid misinterpretation of laboratory results.

Accurate and precise estimation of process variables is key to effective process monitoring. The estimation accuracy depends on the choice of the sensor network. Therefore, this paper aims at developing convex optimization formulations for designing the optimal sensor network using information-theoretic measures in linear steady-state data reconciliation. To this end, the estimation errors are characterized by a multivariate Gaussian distribution, and thus the analytical form for entropy and Kullback-Leibler divergences (forward, reverse, and symmetric) of estimation errors can be obtained to formulate the optimal sensor network design. The proposed information theoretic-based optimal sensor selection problems are shown to be integer semidefinite programming problems where the relaxation of binary decision variables results in solving a convex optimization problem. Thus, we use a branch and bound method to obtain a globally optimal sensor network design. Demonstrative case studies are presented to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed optimal sensor selection formulations.