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•Succinct review on Chinese Baijiu Qu starters.•Flavor producing microbiota in Chinese Baijiu Qu starters.•The functional perspectives of microorganisms present in Chinese Baijiu Qu ...starters.•Correlation of microbiota in Qu starters and their functionality, especially flavor.
Chinese traditional fermented foods have a very long and complex history. These fermented foods have fascinating characteristics. These are mainly produced by autochthonous fermentation, involving an autochthonous complex microbiota in these fermented products which confers amazing functional characteristics. These include desirable taste, aroma, texture, exopolysaccharides, α-galactosidase, β-glucosidase, xylanase, antioxidants, and aglycone isoflavones which are produced along with other substances. Baijiu is a traditional Chinese spirit, which is widely consumed in East Asia, especially China, and is considered one of the most consumed spirits in the world. It is produced by autochthonously prepared traditional qu (starter culture), such as Xiaoqu, Daqu, Fuqu, and others. Microbial communities in various qu, thereof, have still not been properly characterized. There are several factors that contribute to microbial communities and to the final products of fermentation. This review shall succinctly describe recent scientific research on the production of flavor compounds by bacteria and fungi in Chinese traditional Baijiu qu (starter cultures), with special focus on the fungi and bacteria, and their functionalities with respect to flavor development in Baijiu.
Following the emergency use authorisation of the Pfizer–BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 (international non-proprietary name tozinameran) in Israel, the Ministry of Health (MoH) launched a ...campaign to immunise the 6·5 million residents of Israel aged 16 years and older. We estimated the real-world effectiveness of two doses of BNT162b2 against a range of SARS-CoV-2 outcomes and to evaluate the nationwide public-health impact following the widespread introduction of the vaccine.
We used national surveillance data from the first 4 months of the nationwide vaccination campaign to ascertain incident cases of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections and outcomes, as well as vaccine uptake in residents of Israel aged 16 years and older. Vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 outcomes (asymptomatic infection, symptomatic infection, and COVID-19-related hospitalisation, severe or critical hospitalisation, and death) was calculated on the basis of incidence rates in fully vaccinated individuals (defined as those for whom 7 days had passed since receiving the second dose of vaccine) compared with rates in unvaccinated individuals (who had not received any doses of the vaccine), with use of a negative binomial regression model adjusted for age group (16–24, 25–34, 35–44, 45–54, 55–64, 65–74, 75–84, and ≥85 years), sex, and calendar week. The proportion of spike gene target failures on PCR test among a nationwide convenience-sample of SARS-CoV-2-positive specimens was used to estimate the prevelance of the B.1.1.7 variant.
During the analysis period (Jan 24 to April 3, 2021), there were 232 268 SARS-CoV-2 infections, 7694 COVID-19 hospitalisations, 4481 severe or critical COVID-19 hospitalisations, and 1113 COVID-19 deaths in people aged 16 years or older. By April 3, 2021, 4 714 932 (72·1%) of 6 538 911 people aged 16 years and older were fully vaccinated with two doses of BNT162b2. Adjusted estimates of vaccine effectiveness at 7 days or longer after the second dose were 95·3% (95% CI 94·9–95·7; incidence rate 91·5 per 100 000 person-days in unvaccinated vs 3·1 per 100 000 person-days in fully vaccinated individuals) against SARS-CoV-2 infection, 91·5% (90·7–92·2; 40·9 vs 1·8 per 100 000 person-days) against asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, 97·0% (96·7–97·2; 32·5 vs 0·8 per 100 000 person-days) against symptomatic COVID-19, 97·2% (96·8–97·5; 4·6 vs 0·3 per 100 000 person-days) against COVID-19-related hospitalisation, 97·5% (97·1–97·8; 2·7 vs 0·2 per 100 000 person-days) against severe or critical COVID-19-related hospitalisation, and 96·7% (96·0–97·3; 0·6 vs 0·1 per 100 000 person-days) against COVID-19-related death. In all age groups, as vaccine coverage increased, the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 outcomes declined. 8006 of 8472 samples tested showed a spike gene target failure, giving an estimated prevalence of the B.1.1.7 variant of 94·5% among SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Two doses of BNT162b2 are highly effective across all age groups (≥16 years, including older adults aged ≥85 years) in preventing symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19-related hospitalisations, severe disease, and death, including those caused by the B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant. There were marked and sustained declines in SARS-CoV-2 incidence corresponding to increasing vaccine coverage. These findings suggest that COVID-19 vaccination can help to control the pandemic.
None.
The relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and economic growth in host countries is a heavily debated issue. Although some studies have found evidence of the positive impact of ...FDI on economic growth, others have revealed the opposite result. Studies that examined the causality between FDI and gross domestic product (GDP) also have found evidence of unidirectional causality and, in some cases, a bidirectional causality. This study investigated the causal nexus between FDI and GDP in Bangladesh by employing standard time-series econometric tools, namely, augmented Dickey-Fuller, augmented Dickey-Fuller generalized least square, Kwiatkowski-Phillips-Schmidt-Shin, and Lee-Strazicich unit root tests to check stationarity, augmented autoregressive distributed lag (augmented ARDL) bounds testing approach to check cointegration, and Granger causality to explore the direction of causality. The augmented ARDL model found a long-run relationship between FDI and GDP. In addition, the error correction model and Granger causality results indicated the presence of a unidirectional causality running from GDP to FDI.
•Comprehensive review of IoT-based agriculture management techniques for sustainable farming.•Detailed discussion on the introduction of AI and IoT-based intelligent techniques in achieving the UN ...SDGs.•Comparative discussions on manual versus technology-driven smart agriculture practices.•Identifying the research gaps that are essential for the sustainable implementation of IoT-based smart farming.
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations seek to promote an agriculture sector that can lead change on both a local and global scale. By helping farmers to produce more food sustainably, Internet of Things (IoT)-based agriculture management solutions are significantly contributing to the achievement of these SDGs. By 2050, the world's population is expected to reach 9.7 billion, necessitating a 60% increase in food production efficiency and security in order to meet the growing population's demands. Smart farming powered by the IoT and utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms is becoming a viable and sustainable method for increasing agricultural productivity and reducing environmental impact. The newest research and development initiatives in IoT-based smart farming are summarized in this comprehensive review article, along with how they might change the agricultural sector. The study gives a general overview of the machine abilities that smart farming is supported by, including perception, reasoning and learning, communication, task planning and execution, and systems integration. The use of robots and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in diverse agricultural contexts is also demonstrated in the paper, indicating the potential for improved productivity and diminished environmental effect. The report concludes by highlighting the significance of utilizing wireless communication LoraWan technology in the creation of smart systems that can further enable sustainable agriculture management.
Direct hyperspectral dual-comb imaging Martín-Mateos, Pedro; Khan, Farid Ullah; Bonilla-Manrique, Oscar Elías
Optica,
03/2020, Letnik:
7, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Even though dual-comb-based systems are employed almost routinely nowadays in an ever-increasing number of applications, an efficient combination of this effective technique with an imaging ...arrangement, which would undoubtedly revolutionize hyperspectral imaging, had not yet been demonstrated. Here we present, to our knowledge, the first hyperspectral dual-comb imaging system in which interferograms are directly detected by a video camera. The system, based on a dual-comb scheme capable of consistently generating interferograms at a rate of 1 Hz and below, combines fast hyperspectral imaging with unprecedented optical resolution and fully multiplex operation. Various proof-of-principle experiments demonstrating hyperspectral imaging of molecular resonances have proved that the direct hyperspectral dual-comb imaging method presented here is capable of characterizing a scene with super-fine resolution in a narrow optical span within 1 s.
To create a data-driven definition of post-COVID conditions (PCC) by directly measure changes in symptomatology before and after a first COVID episode.
Retrospective cohort study using Optum® ...de-identified Electronic Health Record (EHR) dataset from the United States of persons of any age April 2020-September 2021. For each person with COVID (ICD-10-CM U07.1 "COVID-19" or positive test result), we selected up to 3 comparators. The final COVID symptom score was computed as the sum of new diagnoses weighted by each diagnosis' ratio of incidence in COVID group relative to comparator group. For the subset of COVID cases diagnosed in September 2021, we compared the incidence of PCC using our data-driven definition with ICD-10-CM code U09.9 "Post-COVID Conditions", first available in the US October 2021.
The final cohort contained 588,611 people with COVID, with mean age of 48 years and 38% male. Our definition identified 20% of persons developed PCC in follow-up. PCC incidence increased with age: (7.8% of persons aged 0-17, 17.3% aged 18-64, and 33.3% aged 65+) and did not change over time (20.0% among persons diagnosed with COVID in 2020 versus 20.3% in 2021). For cases diagnosed in September 2021, our definition identified 19.0% with PCC in follow-up as compared to 2.9% with U09.9 code in follow-up.
Symptom and U09.9 code-based definitions alone captured different populations. Maximal capture may consider a combined approach, particularly before the availability and routine utilization of specific ICD-10 codes and with the lack consensus-based definitions on the syndrome.
Determining whether SARS-CoV-2 exhibits seasonality like other respiratory viruses is critical for public health planning. We evaluated whether COVID-19 rates follow a seasonal pattern using time ...series models. We used time series decomposition to extract the annual seasonal component of COVID-19 case, hospitalization, and mortality rates from March 2020 through December 2022 for the United States and Europe. Models were adjusted for a country-specific stringency index to account for confounding by various interventions. Despite year-round disease activity, we identified seasonal spikes in COVID-19 from approximately November through April for all outcomes and in all countries. Our results support employing annual preventative measures against SARS-CoV-2, such as administering seasonal booster vaccines in a similar timeframe as those in place for influenza. Whether certain high-risk individuals may need more than one COVID-19 vaccine booster dose each year will depend on factors like vaccine durability against severe illness and levels of year-round disease activity.
Abstract
BackgroundThe burden of noninvasive group B Streptococcus (GBS) infections in adults is unknown. We determined population-based rates of hospitalization where invasive or noninvasive GBS ...infections were identified among US adults in a defined catchment area.
MethodsWe identified adults with clinical and laboratory-confirmed evidence of GBS infection from January 2014 through December 2016 from 6 hospitals in Louisville, Kentucky. Invasive disease was defined as GBS isolated from a normally sterile site.
ResultsAmong 1076 adults with GBS infection, the median age was 52 years, 51% were male, and 89% had ≥1 chronic medical condition. The most prevalent infection sites were skin and soft tissue (39%), urinary tract (23%), bone and joint (16%), and bloodstream (11%). Forty percent of infections were polymicrobial. The annual incidence of GBS-associated hospitalization was 73 per 100 000 adults and 68 and 100 per 100 000 for patients aged 18–64 and ≥ 65 years, respectively. For every invasive GBS infection, 3.7 noninvasive infections occurred.
ConclusionsOur population-based study outlines the full burden of GBS-associated hospitalization in adults and found incidence rates comparable to those of pneumococcal disease, where vaccines are recommended. Noninvasive disease was 3–4 times more common than invasive disease, suggesting that the GBS burden among adults is considerably greater than previously recognized.
Adult group B Streptococcus (GBS) burden is considerably greater than previously recognized, and there is a need to develop ways to preventing GBS among the growing population of adults who are older or have chronic medical conditions.
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is associated with significant disease burden in adults but has not been measured uniformly. Reconciling differences across studies is critical for understanding ...the true burden of CAP.
We performed a systematic literature review of the incidence of hospitalized CAP among US adults and described the impact of key study characteristics on these estimates.
After review of 8361 articles as of January 31, 2019, we identified 28 studies with 41 unique estimates of hospitalized CAP incidence. Among adults ≥65 years of age, annual rates of hospitalized CAP ranged from 847 to 3500 per 100,000 persons with median = 1830. Rates were lower in studies that excluded patients with healthcare-associated (but community-onset) pneumonia (HCAP; median = 2003 vs 1286; P = 0.02) or immunocompromising conditions (median = 1895 vs 1409; P = 0.27) compared to those that did not. Rates of CAP were also lower in studies that used more restrictive criteria for diagnosing pneumonia (eg, pneumonia coded in any diagnosis position median = 2270 vs pneumonia coded in the first position only median = 1375 in studies of administrative claims; P = 0.02). For adults <65 years of age, rates of CAP were lower (range: 89 to 1138 per 100,000; median = 199).
CAP causes a significant disease burden among adults, particularly among those ≥65 years of age. Commonly-applied exclusion criteria (eg, persons with HCAP or immunocompromising conditions) or restrictive case definitions (eg, only including pneumonias coded in the primary diagnosis position) have led to systematic underestimation of CAP incidence in many previous studies. In studies that did not apply these restrictive criteria, the rate of hospitalization was approximately 2000 per 100,000 annually. Understanding the true burden of adult CAP is critical for highlighting the ongoing need for expanded prevention programs, including vaccination.
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