Pachydermoperiostosis (PDP) is a rare genetic disorder with unclear etiopathogenesis. We report a case of a 38-years-old male who presented with classic features of PDP. Patient showed a good initial response to Etoricoxib therapy but the safety and efficacy over long-term use are yet to be determined in further studies.

Background: Chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a distressing adverse effect in children receiving cancer treatment. There are evidence-based pediatric clinical practice guidelines (CPG) on chemotherapy emetogenicity and acute CINV prevention, but adherence to these guidelines is low. Procedure: A quality improvement-based study was conducted at McMaster Children’s Hospital. The SMART aim was to increase adherence to guidelines on prevention of acute CINV in hospitalized patients receiving high (HEC) and moderately (MEC) emetogenic chemotherapy from baseline 25% to >70% by June 2021. Barriers were identified by process mapping and a series of interventions were implemented. Results: Guideline adherence (GA) was assessed in 270 inpatient chemotherapy administrations (HEC, MEC). Data was collected on 131 charts pre-interventions and 139 charts post-interventions. Interventions included education, addition of guideline recommended anti-emetics to the inpatient formulary and implementation of a standardized CPG tool. Initial rates of total CINV GA were 25%, which improved to 72% post-intervention (p <0.001). In subgroup analysis, GA in the MEC group improved from 13% to 34% (p=0.015), and in the HEC group from 32% to 93% (p<0.001). The most common reason for non-adherence in the HEC group was failure to use aprepitant as anti-emetic, and in MEC was option for ondansetron monotherapy prophylaxis. Conclusion: Using quality improvement methodology, barriers to guideline adherence were identified and interventions implemented. Guideline adherence for prevention of CINV improved, particularly in the HEC group but less for the MEC group. Future steps will include sustainability of interventions and addressing adherence in the MEC group.

We report the case of a 14-year-old girl with pain and protrusion of the left eye and treated with Diclofenac. Clinical and paraclinical examinations revealed a cerebral empyema and a left retro-orbital abscess complicating an acute ethmoiditis. The delay in diagnosis would have led to the occurrence of these complications.

Oscillations in CO 2 assimilation rate and associated fluorescence parameters have been observed alongside the triose phosphate utilization (TPU) limitation of photosynthesis for nearly 50 years. However, the mechanics of these oscillations are poorly understood. Here we utilize the recently developed Dynamic Assimilation Techniques (DAT) for measuring the rate of CO 2 assimilation to increase our understanding of what physiological condition is required to cause oscillations. We found that TPU limiting conditions alone were insufficient, and that plants must enter TPU limitation quickly to cause oscillations. We found that ramps of CO 2 caused oscillations proportional in strength to the speed of the ramp, and that ramps induce oscillations with worse outcomes than oscillations induced by step change of CO 2 concentration. An initial overshoot is caused due to a temporary excess of available phosphate. During the overshoot, the plant out-performs steady state TPU and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate regeneration limitations of photosynthesis but cannot exceed the rubisco limitation. We performed additional optical measurements which support the role of photosystem I reduction and oscillations in availability of NADP + and ATP in supporting oscillations.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LA) is the most common subtype of lung cancer with non-significant manifestations. Some benign conditions can mimic LA in symptoms and even chest imaging. In this case report, we are discussing a young man without any significant past medical history with metastatic LA, initially presumed military TB.

Background Aberrant conduction during orthodromic reciprocating tachycardia (ORT) can prolong the ventriculo-atrial conduction time, which is found essential for the reentry in certain situations. Materials and Methods We searched for ORT cases relying on aberrancy from 220 cases in our center. Results 3 patients showed the phenomenon of aberrancy-dependent ORT. All accessory pathways were located at anterolateral regions of atrioventricular annulus. None of them had baseline bundle branch block. Creating functional bundle branch block was necessary to induce the tachycardias. In 2 cases, termination directly associated with resolution of aberration was observed. While in the other case, reentry required both interventricular block and slow pathway conduction. Conclusions We conclude that extra transseptal time caused by aberrancy can be an integral part of ORT, which can explain the infrequent or late onset and unsustainable episodes of ORT in certain patients and is useful in understanding the circuit and localizing the pathway.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a familial inherited cardiomyopathy associated with ventricular arrhythmias. With the development of molecular biology, histology, imaging, and other diagnostic techniques, the diagnosis rate and incidence of ARVC have gradually increased. However, ARVC remains rare in clinical practice. Currently, there is no specific treatment to eliminate arrhythmia. In this case report, we describe a clinical case of radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of ARVC with ventricular tachycardia and discuss the relevant literature.

IIntroduction: Influenza is an acute respiratory infection that usually causes a short-term and self-limiting illness. In high-risk populations, this can lead to several complications with an increase in mortality. Several studies have investigated the relationship between influenza and acute cardio and cerebrovascular events. Reviews of the thromboembolic complications associated with influenza are lacking. Objectives: the study aims to conduct a scoping review to analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients suffering from influenza and thromboembolic complications. Materials and methods: A computerized search of historical published cases using PubMed and the terms “influenza” or “flu” and “thrombosis” or “embolism” or “thromboembolism” or “stroke” or “infarct” was conducted. Only articles reporting detailed data on patients with thromboembolic complications of laboratory-confirmed influenza were considered eligible for inclusion. Results: 57 cases with laboratory documented influenza A or B and a related intravascular thrombosis were retrieved. Their characteristics were analyzed along with that of a patient who motivated our search. The localizations of thrombo-embolic events were pulmonary embolism 21/58 (36.2 %), DVT 12/58 (20.6 %), DVT and pulmonary embolism 3/58 (5.1 %), acute ischemic stroke 11/58 (18.9 percent), arterial thrombosis 4/58 (6.8 percent), and acute myocardial infarction 5/58. (8.6 %). Discussion: Our findings are important in clarifying which thromboembolic complications are more frequent in adults and children with influenza. Symptoms of pulmonary embolism and influenza can be very similar, so a careful clinical evaluation is required for proper patient management, possible instrumental deepening, and appropriate pharmacological interventions, especially for patients with respiratory failure.

The novel virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) is highly virulent and causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resulting in high morbidity and mortality mainly associated with pulmonary complications. Because this virus is highly transmissible, it was quickly spread globally, resulting in COVID-19 being declared as a pandemic. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of mortality and factors related to mortality due to COVID-19 in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) at a university hospital in the Central-West region of Brazil. This retrospective cross-sectional study was based on an analysis of the medical records of patients with SARS aged >18 years and admitted to an intensive care unit due to COVID-19 with the requirement of invasive mechanical ventilation. Hospital death was considered as an outcome variable in this study. Moreover, demographic and lifestyle-related variables as well as the therapeutic measures used during the hospital stay were recorded and correlated with the death outcome. After excluding 188 medical records, 397 were analyzed. Most participants were men (59.7%), and the mortality rate in patients with SARS due to COVID 19 was 46.1%. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the independent factors associated with mortality in patients with SARS due to COVID 19 were the age of >60 years (p = 0.000) and use of azithromycin (p = 0.012). The mortality rate in patients with SARS due to COVID 19 and mortality was associated with older age and use of azithromycin.

Background and purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a global health burden leading to significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. CS exposure is a crucial driver to various progressive lung diseases including COPD and there is an unmet need of potential therapeutics. The present study examined to decipher the therapeutic role of TWEAK/Fn14 selective inhibitor aurintricarboxylic acid in COPD pathogenesis. Experimental approach: In vitro alveolar type II cells and macrophages were stimulated with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) followed by aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) treatment. In vivo, rats were injected with CSE intraperitoneally twice a week for 16 weeks followed by ATA (10mg/kg) treatment for 4 weeks. Key results: Increased ROS generation, mitochondrial dysfunction in alveolar type II cells and nuclear translocation of NF-κB/p65 in macrophages were abrogated after ATA treatment. In vivo, lung inflammation induced by CSE followed by ATA treatment mitigated respiratory function impairment, immune cell infiltration, emphysema associated morphometric parameters and oxidative stress status. MALDI assessment of rat serum showed decreased CRP and related inflammatory proteins. In addition, ATA inhibited up-regulation of EMT related proteins including vimentin, α-SMA, and downstream transcription factor Snail via inhibition of β-catenin/wnt3a pathway. Furthermore, ATA reduced CSE-induced inflammatory makers including TNF-α, NF-κB and MAP kinases including p-p38, p-ERK1/2 and p-JNK in vitro and in vivo. Cumulatively, ATA enhanced lung regeneration and tissue repair by diminishing the inflammation and EMT transition. Hence, ATA can be a novel therapeutic candidate to reduce COPD associated pathological events and promote regeneration.

Bile Acid-Activated Receptors (BARs) such as a G-protein-coupled receptor (TGR5) and the farnesol X receptor (FXR) activated by bile acids (BAs) are implicated in the regulation of microbiota-host immunity in the intestine, as well as in dendritic cells, macrophages and T cells. The mechanistic roles of these receptors in immune signaling suggest they may also influence the development of metabolic disorders. In this perspective, we provide a summary of recent literature reports describing the main regulatory pathways and mechanisms of BARs and how they affect immune cell proliferation, activation, and signaling in the context of inflammatory diseases.

The advantages of the laser-guided bomb (LGB) as an air-to-ground precision-guided weapon are high hit rate, great power, and simplicity of usage. LGB is guided by semi-active laser ground-seeking, therefore the impact of the atmosphere can affect how well it hits its target. LGB’s spatial release region (SRR) is challenging to calculate precisely, especially with poor field of view, resulting in a lower real hit probability. To increase the hit probability of LGB in tough atmospheric situations, a novel method for calculating the SRR is proposed. This method is based on the transmittance model of the 1.06 μm laser in the atmospheric species and the laser diffuse reflection model of the target surface to determine the capture target time of the laser seeker. And then calculate the boundary ballistic space starting position by ballistic model, and get the spatial scope of the spatial release region. This method may determine the release region of laser-guided bombs based on flight test data such as instantaneous velocity, altitude, off-axis angle, and atmospheric visibility. The SRR calculation method helped us improve the 9.2% hit probability of LGB by more effectively employing aircraft release conditions, atmospheric visibility, and other factors.

A Fractional-order Proportional-Integrated-Derivative (FO-PID) controller is designed for the Buck converter, which in the control parameters are optimized by Antlion Optimization (ALO) algorithm. The Fractional-Order concept is a beneficial scheme that can provide several advantages such as lower sensitivity to parametric variation and noise. Also, the ALO algorithm is a modern nature-inspired algorithm used to tune the PID gains with better results under-constrained problems with diverse search spaces. Considering numerous disturbance on power converters, a FO-PID controller can be an appropriate alternative since it has a good robustness against harmful disturbances and has simple structure to be implemented in industrial applications. To better examine the superiority of the proposed method, conventional FO-PID and PID control techniques are also designed to be compared with this work. Both simulation and experimental results verify the robustness of the proposed method in different challenging scenarios.

Due to the lack of precise models for the multi-layer helical inductors, the actual performance of the vertical T-coil broadband ESD protection circuit could deviate from what estimated at the design stage. In this paper, we present an improved broadband ESD protection circuit with tunability and investigate the effectiveness of the capacitive tuning structure on improving and optimizing the frequency characteristics of the circuit.

Dependency Grammar has recently gained relevance with the increase of works using its methodology to perform automatic syntactic analysis. They are very productive in terms of syntactic disambiguation, considering the binary arrangement of the trees, and they also have been shown to be much more efficient for automatic parsing (NIVRE, 2005, p.1). With this new demand, Dependency Grammar has become a relevant term in Natural Language Processing works (KÜBLER et al., 2009; DE MARNEFFE and NIVRE; 2019). However, studies related to Dependency Grammars were marginalized compared to the traditional methodology of syntactic analysis, the constituents analysis, which made it difficult to access the theoretical foundation that this type of methodology follows. Considering this, this work intends to make an introductory review of the fundamentals that govern most of the syntactic theories that use the dependency methodology, to make the Dependency Grammar models, as well as the concept of dependency, clearer and more accessible.

This paper shows the design of the newly made ‘n’ bit incrementer and decrementer circuit using quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA). Ripple carry incrementer and decrementer are crucial for performing two numbers’ increment or decrement operation. This paper outlines the design of a novel low power ripple carry incrementer and ripple carry decrementer circuit based on QCA. The proposed ripple carry incrementer and ripple carry decrementer circuit are achieved with a new layout of the XOR gate, AND gate, and half adder circuit. This newly designed XOR and half adderare compared with state-of-the-artdesigns.QCA Designer 2.0.3 is used to design the circuits. The simulation results of 4-bit, 8-bit, and 16-bit incrementer and decrementer circuits are by the theoretical results.

Introduction: Preeclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP). DLX5 plays an important role in the migration and differentiation of subglobus pallidus precursor cells. Material and methods: We established a zebrafish line expressing high levels of DLX5 and investigated changes in behavior and development of the nervous system. Results: The ratios of brain volume area to whole body area at 96 hpf zebrafish in the experimental group (gRNA+CasRx) were significantly lower than the WT group and the negative control group (casRx)(P<0.01). Behavioral trajectory distances and movement speeds exhibited by the 6th day of development in zebrafish in the experimental group (gRNA+CasRx) were significantly shorter (P<0.01) and lower (P<0.05) than the negative control group (gRNA+CasRx), respectively. Conclusions: Data suggested that the increased expression levels of DLX5 can inhibit brain volume development and behavioral activities in zebrafish. Maybe the high expression levels of DLX5 in the pathological state of PE can inhibit the development of the nervous system in offspring.

The architect that is given the opportunity to design urban space, needs to take into account as much data as possible as well as his own unawareness. To do so, he needs the proper tools to handle the city complexity and when necessary, to control his lack of understanding. Modern theory of complexity developed in the region of hard physical or mathematical science can be used for a new fruitful extension of the architectural theory.For an architect, an urban designer, the final goal should always be the production of livable and vivid space within the city; Space that will satisfy the citizens' needs and reflect his own ideas expressed through his work, at the same time. While he tries to "decode" and understand urban space, conjectures are made by him, so as to create a simplified "image", a model representing in an abstract way a chaotic reality of infinite factors. His ideas, based on these "artificial" realities, represent an abstract approach to a desired goal. This procedure, even though seems the most logical or "sincere" approach, it always contains the risk of failure in the very primary conjectures made for the urban space. Concerning the urban dynamics the modern architect must be aware of their internal uncertainty of the urban dynamics produced by their non-linear character in accordance with the deterministic chaos included in nonlinear systems. An architect who seeks to reconnect his ideas, his personal theories, his beliefs with reality, while not becoming a mere facilitator of a fashion-style architectural approach at best, has to operate in the borderline between the two extremes. Moreover, establishing scale between them becomes crucial. Thus he will reach the golden ratio in the process of the production of space, choropoetics, and create high-quality urban space. Seeking the theoretical background that will answer how such a procedure could become possible, the theory of Complexity might be the proper tool that will define whether architecture is to be seen as an individual act, or an act of collective responsibility and involvement in which complex and infinite factors counteract dynamically.

The application of heterogeneous catalysts in dimethyl carbonate (DMC) synthesis from methanol is hindered by low activation efficiency of methanol to methoxy intermediates (CH3O*), which are the key intermediates for DMC generation. Herein, a catalyst of alkali metal K anchored on the CuO/ZnO oxide is rationally designed for offering Lewis acid-base pairs as dual active centers to improve the activation efficiency of methanol. Characterizations of CO2-TPD，XPS and DRIFTS revealed that the addition of Lewis base K observably boosted the dissociation of methanol and combined with Lewis acid CuO/ZnO oxide to stably adsorb the formed CH3O*, thus synergistically promoted the transesterification. Finally, the CuO/ZnO-9%K2O catalyst exhibited the optimal catalytic activity, achieving a high yield of 74.4% with an excellent selectivity of 98.9% for DMC at a low temperature of 90 °C. The strategy of constructing Lewis acid-base pairs provides a reference for the design of heterogeneous catalysts.

Precarious work is characterized by flexible and nonstandard employment relations. It affects people's economic relationships and participation in social and political movements. Based on the data of the Hong Kong Panel Study of Social Dynamics 2015, this paper explores the influence mechanism of precarious work on political participation with political attitude as a mediator. The results turn out that, for precarious workers, there is a significantly lower probability of institutionalized political participation and a higher probability of non-institutionalized political participation. Also, the young precarious workers have a lower probability of institutionalized political participation and a higher probability of non-institutionalized political participation compared with the middle-aged and the elderly. It shows that political attitude is a significant mediator between precarious work and political participation.

MicroRNA-196a-3p (miR-196a-3p) is known to increase in rat models subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). In the present work, we aimed to investigate the effects of miR-196a-3p in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Transient cerebral ischemia was induced in C57/BL6 mice subjected to MCAO. Mice were also administered miR-196a-3p antagomir by intracerebroventricular injection. MiR-196a-3p and its target ARF4 levels were quantified and cerebral infarct volume and neuronal apoptosis were evaluated. Primary neural stem cells (NSCs) were activated by oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation. NSCs were transfected with miR-196a-3p mimics, inhibitors, siARF4, or negative control using Lipofectamine 2000 reagent. ARF4, Ki-67, and Nestin expression levels were assessed using qRT-PCR and western blotting. The proliferation of NSCs was detected by CCK-8 assay and EdU staining. We found that levels of miR-196a-3p expression increased in vivo and in vitro when expression levels of its target ARF4 were decreased. We also found that miR-196a-3p aggravated cerebral I/R injury in vivo. We established that ARF4 is the target of miR-196a-3p using a dual-luciferase assay in vitro. Simultaneously, we observed that miR-196a-3p overexpression or the inhibition of ARF4 inhibited NSC proliferation. MiR-196a-3p inhibited NSC proliferation and aggravated cerebral I/R injury by targeting ARF4.

This study evaluated the combination effect of soil amendments with sandy soil on wastewater contaminants removal, and the ultimate impact on soil restoration. A soil column experiment was conducted with sandy soil (CK) or soil amended with 4% (w/w) compost, biochar or maize straw. Wastewater infiltration was recorded, and alfalfa was planted subsequently. Results showed that amendment of biochar and straw significantly decreased domestic wastewater infiltration rate in sandy soil, with a reduction of 62 and 50% compared to CK. All combination of soil and amendments had removal ability for wastewater contaminants, as indicated by the sorption capacity and the resist for desorption. The largest sorption capacity was found in biochar-amended soil. Plant and soil microbes also played important role in contaminants removal. The amendment of biochar and compost significantly improved plant growth, microbial abundance and diversity. The plant biomass of compost and biochar treatments was 3.8 and 4.6 folds of CK. After plant harvest, straw and compost treated soil had increased soil aggregates compared to CK. It is concluded that sandy soil-organic amendments-plant system could be used as an efficient wastewater treatment strategy for nutrient and pathogen removal. Moreover, wastewater input and plant cultivation could improve structure of the coarse-sandy soil.

Preparation of coemissive luminescent nanoparticles in continuous-flow microreactors for efficient light-harvesting systemsAndrea Pucci

The co-assembly of charged nanoparticles with oppositely charged molecular ions has emerged as a promising technique in the fabrication of nanoparticle superstructures. However, the underlying mechanism behind these molecular ions in mediating the repulsion between these charged nanoparticles remains elusive. Herein, coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are used to elucidate the effects of valency, shape and size of molecular anions on their co-assembly with gold nanoparticles coated with positively charged ligands. The findings suggest that the valency, shape and size of molecular anions significantly influence the repulsion and aggregating dynamics among these positively charged nanoparticles. Moreover, the free energy calculations reveal that ring-shaped molecular anions with higher valencies and larger sizes are more effective at reducing the repulsion between these gold nanoparticles and thus enhance the stability of the aggregate. This study contributes to a better understanding of the critical roles of valence, shape and size of ions in mediating the electrostatic co-assembly of nanoparticles with oppositely charged ions and it also guides the future design of DNA templates and DNA origami in co-assembly with oppositely charged nanoparticles.