Bacterial infections, especially infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria, pose a serious threat to human health and bring huge challenges to clinical treatment. The excessive use of antibiotics can easily lead to the emergence of bacterial resistance, which severely limits clinical treatment options. There is an urgent need to develop high-efficiency antibacterial materials and treatment strategies to inhibit infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. In this work, a nanocomposite named Ofloxacin@HMPB@HA(OHH NPs) combined with the laser irradiation was used to reduce the development of drug resistance and accelerate wound healing in a model infected by Klebsiella pneumoniae(K.Pneumoniae). In vitro results showed that compared with OHH NPs or NIR laser irradiation alone, this combination strategy can exert a synergistic effect on anti-K.Pneumoniae by destroying cell integrity with generating ROS and reducing ATP, and also inhibit the development of bacterial resistance. Moreover, in vivo experiments have shown that the system effectively promotes wound healing through killing K.Pneumoniae and promoting the formation of new tissues. In summary, these results indicate that OHH NPs show great potential in the clinical application of bacterial infections.

Le recenti emissioni dei gas climalteranti in atmosfera, causa dell'attività antropica, rappresentano la prima causa del riscaldamento globale. Uno dei principali gas serra (GHG) è l'anidride carbonica (CO2), la quale viene prodotta principalmente dai processi di combustione dei combustibili fossili . Risulta indispensabile, dunque, definire nuove soluzioni per la riduzione dei livelli di gas climalteranti in atmosfera.Si necessita di soluzioni innovative in grado di rispondere alla richiesta di tecnologie green per la riduzione delle emissioni di gas climalteranti in atmosfera, secondo un metodo di cattura e riutilizzo della CO2 denominato Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU). In particolare, l'attività condotta ha consentito di analizzare ed ottimizzare le prestazioni di un innovativo bioreattore algale (SEED mPBR), brevettato dal gruppo di ricerca del SEED, studiando e confrontando due sistemi di illuminazione. I risultati ottenuti sono stati confrontati in termini di efficienza di cattura della CO2, produzione di biomassa valorizzabile e caratteristiche qualitative della biomassa prodotta.

Closed form expressions in real Clifford geometric algebras Cl(0,3), Cl(3,0), Cl(1,2), and Cl(2,1) are presented in a coordinate-free form for exponential function when the exponent is a general multivector. The main difficulty in solving the problem is connected with an entanglement (or mixing) of vector and bivector components ai and ajk in a form (ai-ajk)2, i≠ j≠ k . After disentanglement, the obtained formulas simplify to the well-known Moivre-type trigonometric/hyperbolic function for vector or bivector exponentials. The presented formulas may find wide application in solving GA differential equations, in signal processing, automatic control and robotics.

Cichlids include several fish species having a high economic value in the field of aquaculture. The ornamental fish export trade is mostly based on fish from the african Lake Malawi. Despite their huge economic importance, management of ornamental fisheries is challenged by a paucity of information on the status of the exploited fish stock. The possibility of guaranteeing healthy animals is of paramount importance and has several implications, both for commercial and sanitary reasons. Grossly, cutaneous nodules and black spots are pathological findings frequently encountered in fish, suggesting a meandering disease without a specific etiologic association. Ornamental fish species are plagued by mycobacteriosis, which is quite classically associated with granulomas. This work focuses on debilitated ornamental cichlids presenting cutaneous nodules and black spots and sampled during routinary managing activities held in an aquarium commercial facility; the fish underwent pathological analysis and the presence of pathogens was investigated through a molecular approach. In particular, the presence of lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV), typically associated with cutaneous nodular disease, was excluded.Histologically the granulomas were localized in the spleen, sometimes extending to the other visceral organs. Bacterial Heat-Shock Protein 65 PCR products were detected in tissues associated to granulomas and molecular investigation identified Mycobacterium spp. in two samples and Cutibacterium acnes in seven samples. Variably sized round “Hamazaki-Wesenberg-like” bodies were immunolabeled with C. acnes antibody within macrophages forming the granuloma in the spleen. C. acnes has been recently detected by Next Generation Sequencing in the microbiome of internal organs of fish. The role of C. acnes within internal fish tissues deserves attention; its role as potential granulomatogenous agent, is taken in consideration.

The IDUA gene (MIM 252800) provides instructions for producing alpha-L-iduronidase, which is essential for the breakdown of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Mutations in the IDUA gene have been found to cause mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MIM 607014). This leads to the accumulation of GAGs within lysosomes causing different organs to be dysfunctional.

Post-operative polyuria due to Diabetes Insipidus is a commonly reported complication of pituitary surgery. However, central DI post abdominal surgery is rare and may be related to pre-existing DI or prolonged surgery with intraoperative blood loss. A thorough workup needs to be done to exclude central DI in such patients.

Acute exposure to warming temperatures increases minimum energetic requirements in ectotherms. However, over and within multiple generations, increased temperatures may cause plastic and evolved changes that modify the temperature sensitivity of energy demand and alter individual behaviours. Here, we aimed to test whether populations recently exposed to geothermally elevated temperatures express an altered temperature sensitivity of metabolism and behaviour. We expected that long-term exposure to warming would moderate metabolic rate, reducing the temperature sensitivity of metabolism, with concomitant reductions in boldness and activity. We compared the temperature sensitivity of metabolic rate (acclimation at 20 versus 30°C) and allometric slopes of routine, standard, and maximum metabolic rates, in addition to boldness and activity behaviours, across eight recently divergent populations of a widespread fish species (Gambusia affinis). Our data reveal that warm-source populations express a reduced temperature sensitivity of metabolism, with relatively high metabolic rates at cool acclimation temperatures and relatively low metabolic rates at warm acclimation temperatures. Allometric scaling of metabolism did not differ with thermal history. Across individuals from all populations combined, higher metabolic rates were associated with higher boldness and activity. However, warm-source populations displayed relatively more bold behaviour at both acclimation temperatures, despite their relatively low metabolic rates at warm acclimation temperatures. Overall, our data suggest that in response to warming, multigenerational processes may not direct trait change along a simple “pace-of-life syndrome” axis, instead causing relative decreases in metabolism and increases in boldness. Ultimately, our data suggest that multigenerational warming may produce a novel combination of physiological and behavioural traits, with consequences for animal performance in a warming world.

In this paper, we are concerned with the asymptotic behavior of solutions to the Cauchy problem (or initial-boundary value problem) of one-dimensional Keller-Segel model. For the Cauchy problem, we prove that the solutions time-asymptotically converge to the nonlinear diffusion wave whose profile is self-similar solution to the corresponding parabolic equation, which is derived by Darcy’s law, as in [11, 28]. For the initial-boundary value problem, we consider two cases: Dirichlet boundary condition and null-Neumann boundary condition on (u, ρ). In the case of Dirichlet boundary condition, similar to the Cauchy problem, the asymptotic profile is still the self similar solution of the corresponding parabolic equation, which is derived by Darcy’s law, thus we only need to deal with boundary effect. In the case of null-Neumann boundary condition, the global existence and asymptotic behavior of solutions near constant steady states are established. The proof is based on the elementary energy method and some delicate analysis of the corresponding asymptotic profiles.

The goal of my project is to create a computer vision and AI based system that can interpret the face gestures in an intelligent and meaningful way, helping people with disabilities to do two way written and verbal communication. This system should also use face gestures to control the precise navigation of wheelchairs and other guided robotic devices, which will help their movement. Also, this system should be able to interpret and convert facial gestures into commands which can control home and office gadgets that will help them control the environment around them, such as lighting (on/off), temperature, and sound. 

People with spinal injuries, cerebral palsy, amputation, muscular dystrophy, etc. have little to no control of their hands or feet, and many times they cannot even speak to express their thoughts. Individuals with such impairments encounter extreme physical, social, and environmental challenges in their daily lives, which, in turn, create impediments to self-supported living and to opportunities to take part in economic and social aspects of life. To help these people, there is a need of a neuro bio signal-controlled, machine learning based system that can interpret their thoughts in a meaningful way, helping people with disabilities conduct daily activities, enabling them to improve their quality of life and live independently.

A document by Gentian Vyshka. Click on the document to view its contents.

COVID 19 has created one of the world’s worst pandemics and is associated with various life-threatening complications, such as Cytomegalovirus (CMV) co-infection. We present a life-threatening CMV viremia co-infection in a none-immunocompromised COVID 19 patient to highlight our management approach and a comprehensive literature review.

We experienced a case of a male IP fetus who survived until 19 weeks of gestation. The diagnosis of IP in mother and fetus was made genetically. In the autopsy of the boy, the degree of hepatocellular cytolysis was much more advanced than the postmortem changes of the other organs.

Il rapido aumento della popolazione mondiale sta mettendo a dura prova il nostro ambiente, l’uso eccessivo ed improprio delle risorse naturali si è moltiplicato a causa dell’aumento della domanda globale di cibo con conseguente incremento della produzione agricola. All'avanzamento della filiera agroalimentare  sono riconducibili  problematiche come: l'aumento della domanda di acqua, maggiori emissioni globali , degrado ambientale .Per far fronte a ciò è fondamentale garantire il  diritto di accesso al cibo a tutti , garantendo che sia sano, nutriente e sostenibile dal punto di vista ambientale ed  implementando una produzione alimentare quanto più naturale possibile in una prospettiva dell' economia circolare.  Negli ultimi anni stiamo assistendo alla diffusione dell’Agricoltura urbana ; l’acquaponica  è una forma di essa  e rappresenta l’integrazione simbiotica del sistema di acquacoltura e la coltivazione idroponica in un unico sistema produttivo a riciclo continuo.  Il presente lavoro sarà incentrato sullo studio di due sistemi acquaponici: uno convenzionale e  uno integrato con trattamenti innovativi ( MBR, disinfezione con UV e ozono)  con particolare focus sul recupero di nutrienti e sulla valutazione dell’efficacia di trattamenti specifici volti a migliorare la qualità e la produttività di essi. 

This paper is devoted to the study of Tur\’{an} type inequalities for some well-known special functions such as supersine and supercosine which are derived by using a new form of the Cauchy-Bunyakovsky-Schwarz inequality.

The vehicle acoustic overall performance optimization in an undertaking to determine the difficulty of sound techniques turned into created the noise within the cabin. In this paper to audit the advancements so far did in the discipline of optimization thinks approximately on lower of noise within the truck cabins with the aid of the use of acoustic materials. In mild of this, it's miles to analyze the opportunity of acoustic substances as aluminum, steel metallic and carbon fiber with plan to improve the cabin noise by NVH evaluation may be finished via using ansys and hypermesh software program's. By locating the analysis values of frequency, sound and weighted sound can be concluded the acoustic materials are excellent for quieter programs.

A nano-compartmentalized one-solvent (ONE-FLOW) procedure was developed for the two-step synthesis of Rufinamide, employing a combined simulation and experimental approach. Computer-aided solvent selection was combined with reagent/catalyst compartmentalization in a continuous flow set-up. The synthetic route encompassed azidation of benzyl chloride, followed by a Cu-catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction. A functional solvent was chosen via a COSMO-RS based method, which allowed a one-phase reaction while facilitating a thermally induced final product separation from the reaction mixture. To perform azidation and CuAAC reactions in a microfluidic system, both azidation reagent and Cu(I) catalyst were immobilized, on a packed bed and in the hydrophobic membrane of polymer vesicles, respectively, as this allowed a higher reaction efficiency, facile regeneration of azidation reagent, and recovery of the metal catalyst. This ONE-FLOW process has great benefits for the pharmaceutical industry in their quest to scalable, efficient and safe synthetic processes with minimal waste generation.

A recently published approach for modeling the cross flow in an extruder channel using a new solution to the biharmonic equation is utilized in a study of chaotic mixing in a free helix single screw extruder. This novel extruder was designed and constructed with the screw flight, also referred to as the helix, detached from the screw core. Each of the screw elements could be rotated independently to obtain chaotic motion in the screw channel. Using the new extruder, experimental evidence for the increased mixing of a dye, for both a Dirac and droplet input, with a chaotic flow field relative to the traditional residence time distribution is presented. These experimental results are compared using the new biharmonic equation-based model. Because of the ability to periodically rotate only the flight/helix, the chaotic mixing results are minimally confounded by the existence of Moffat eddies.

Patients with thalassemia syndromes(TS) affected with COVID 19 attending a thalassemia center in Sri Lanka situated in the region most affected with COVID 19 were studied over a 16- month period. To assess the collateral effects on overall thalassemia care in the center, data on transfusion, chelation, clinic attendance was analyzed. Morbidity events and deaths recorded during the COVID 19 period and a similar period before the beginning of COVID 19 infection in Sri Lanka too were reordered in all clinic registrants. Seven patients (of 502) with TS had developed COVID 19 during the 16-month period and all were minimally symptomatic and had recovered without complications. Number of monthly clinic visits reduced from 338 in pre-COVID19 to 268 during COVID-19 (P = 0.004). Iron chelators usage too reduced during pandemic period (P < 0.001). Though admissions related to morbidity reduced during the pandemic (58 vs 16, P <0.001) there were more non COVID19 deaths (8 vs 4). Numbers affected with COVID 19 and the severity of infection seemed milder in this cohort of patients with TS but the collateral effects on the management of the unit and its effects on mortality in this vulnerable population appears to have been substantial.

A document by Shawn Mondoux. Click on the document to view its contents.

Accumulating evidence suggest that autoimmune phenomena are frequent during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and may lead to clinically overt disease. The breakdown of immune tolerance and/or impaired immune reconstitution after the initial phase may be involved in the pathogenesis [1]. The ensuing autoimmunity may also be involved in Post-Acute COVID syndrome (PACS) [2]. Herein, we evaluate the current scenario based on anecdotal patient reports of new-onset autoimmune disease/diagnosis as a sequalae of COVID-19.

Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) is a third-generation sequencing technology that is gaining popularity in ecological research for its portable and low-cost sequencing possibilities. Although the technology is primarily developed for long-read sequencing, it can also be applied to sequence amplicons. The downside of ONT is the low quality of the raw reads. Hence, generating a high-quality consensus sequence is still a challenge. We present Amplicon_sorter, a tool for reference-free sorting of ONT sequenced amplicons based on their similarity in sequence and length and for building solid consensus sequences.

Tejeshwar Dhananjaya1, Sayantan Das1,2*, Monica Harpalani1, Michael A. Huffman3 and Mewa Singh1

Background/Aim: In patients with bicuspid aortic valves, guidelines call for regular follow-up to monitor disease progression and guide timely intervention. We aimed to evaluate how closely these recommendations are followed at a tertiary care center. Methods: This was retrospective cohort study at a tertiary care center. Among 48,504 patients who received echocardiograms between 2013-2018, 245 patients were identified to have bicuspid aortic valve. Bivariate analyses compared patient and echocardiographic characteristics between patients who did and did not receive follow-up by a cardiovascular specialist. Results: The mean age of the cohort was 55.2  15.6 years and 30.2% were female. During a median follow-up of 3.5  2.2 years, 72.7% of patients had at least one visit with a cardiovascular specialist after diagnosis of bicuspid aortic valve by echocardiogram. Patients followed by specialists had a higher proportion of follow-up surveillance by echocardiogram (78.7% vs. 34.3%, p< .0001), or by CT or MRI (41.0% vs. 3.0%, p < .0001), and were more likely to undergo valve or aortic surgery compared with patients not followed by specialists. Patients with moderate to severe valvular or aortic pathology (aortic stenosis/regurgitation, dilated ascending aorta) were not more likely to be followed by a cardiovascular specialist or receive follow-up echocardiograms. Conclusions: Follow-up care for patients with bicuspid aortic valve was highly variable, and surveillance imaging was performed sparsely despite guidelines. There is an urgent need for surveillance and clinical follow-up mechanisms to monitor this patient population with increased risk of progressive valvulopathy and aortopathy.