In this study, the biosorption mechanisms of methylene blue (MB) and Cr(
iii
) onto pomelo peel collected from our local fruits are investigated by combining experimental analysis with
ab initio
...simulations. Factors that affect the adsorption such as pH, adsorption time, adsorbent dosage and initial adsorbate concentration, are fully considered. Five isotherm models-Langmuir, Freundlich, Sips, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich-are employed to estimate the capacity of pomelo peel adsorption, whereas four kinetic models-pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich and intra-diffusion models-are also used to investigate the mechanisms of the uptake of MB and Cr(
iii
) onto the pomelo fruit peel. The maximum biosorption capacities calculated from the Langmuir models for MB and Cr(
iii
) at 303 K are, 218.5 mg g
−1
and 11.3 mg g
−1
, respectively. In particular, by combining, for the first time, the experimental FT-IR spectra with those obtained from
ab initio
calculations, we are able to demonstrate that the primary adsorption mechanisms of the uptake of MB onto pomelo fruit peel are electrostatic attraction and hydrogen-bond formations, whereas the adsorption mechanisms for Cr(
iii
) are electrostatic attraction and n-d interactions.
In this study, the biosorption mechanisms of methylene blue (MB) and Cr(
iii
) onto pomelo peel collected from our local fruits are investigated by combining experimental analysis with
ab initio
simulations.
Although the application of transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography in clinical diagnosis of cerebral vasospasm is popular in clinical practice in Vietnam, available evidence of the predictive ...value of vasospasm on TCD in the literature was mostly reported from large institutions in developed countries. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate the value of TCD ultrasonography in the diagnosis of vasospasm in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in Vietnam.
This is a prospective observational study of all aneurysmal SAH patients consecutively admitted to a single center between 2008 and December 2011. TCD and 64-slice computed tomographic angiography (CTA) were used to cerebral vasospasm in SAH patients.
316 patients were analyzed (mean age = 52.97±12.27 years, 52.2% males). There were statistically significant difference rates of the cerebral vasospasm by Hunt and Hess Classification and Fisher classification (p <0.01). The proportion of the patients with cerebral vasospasm who were diagnosed exactly by TCD was 95.2%, while the proportion of the patients without cerebral vasospasm diagnosed exactly was 91.5%. TCD predictive diagnostic value was the highest, with the sensitivity of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91-0.98), specificity of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.85-0.96), positive predictive value of 0.94 (5% CI: 0.90-0.97) and negative predictive value of 0.93 (95 CI: 0.87-0.97). Hemiplegia was the clinical symptom with the highest diagnostic value with the sensitivity of 0.34 (95% CI: 0.27-0.41), specificity of 0.92 (95% CI: 0.86-0.96), positive predictive value of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.76-0.93) and negative predictive value of 0.49 (95% CI: 0.41-0.54).
Evidence of vasospasm diagnosis on TCD ultrasonography was found with high accuracy. Current study enables to suggest the wide application of TCD in Vietnam health facilities from central to grassroots levels instead of the CTA use.
In this report, the adsorption of Cr(VI) onto MnO2/CS nanocomposite material from aqueous solution is investigated. All the factors, which affect the adsorption, such as pH, adsorption time, Cr(VI) ...initial concentration and adsorbent dosage, are also examined. The results obtained show that the Cr(VI) uptake is strongly affected by pH and ion strength. Analysis within the nonlinear isotherm models indicates that the Sips isotherm combining with the Langmuir and Freundlich models offer the best fit to the experimental data due to the obtained highest R2 and smallest RMSE and χ2 values. The calculated Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity is 61.56 mg g−1 at pH of 2.0 and adsorption time of 120 min. Moreover, the mechanism studies by combining theoretical models with analytical spectroscopies reveal that the electrostatic attraction plays the important role to the uptake of Cr(VI) onto MnO2/CS nanocomposite. Therefore, the present nanocomposite material can be applied to remove total Cr from wastewater produced by the galvanized manufacturing factory with a relatively high efficiency.
Display omitted
•MnO2/CS nanocomposite was used as an adsorbent to remove Cr(VI) from aqueous solution.•The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity is 61.56 mg g−1.•The primary mechanism of the uptake of Cr(VI) onto MnO2/CS was proposed.•MnO2/CS was applied to remove total Cr in effluent with the high removal of 94.21%.
The axis-offset collision of two vortex rings with their various circulation ratios was numerically investigated using the vortex-in-cell method combined with the large-eddy simulation model. For the ...ratio of 0.1, the robust ring, moving through the weak ring, remains unchanged in its shape and deforms the weak ring. The small-scale vortices are not generated at this ratio. For the ratio of 0.2, the robust ring is still maintained after collision, while parts of the weak ring near the collision regions are entrained by the robust ring. The interaction of these entrained parts with the robust ring produces many small-scale vortices. For the ratio of 0.5, the robust ring is broken into smaller-scale vortices, and the interaction of these vortices with the entrained parts of the weak ring results in many other small-scale vortices. The reconnection takes place at the unity ratio, at which half the first ring links another half the second one to form elliptical vortex rings and produce various vortices including small rings in the collision regions. These rings are rapidly distorted and interact with small vortices surrounding them to establish clusters of various-scale vortices. The energy spectrum of induced flow at high wavenumbers approaches the
k
−5/3
slope of Kolmogorov’s theorem after the collision, and mixing two vortex rings is the best at the ratio of 0.5. It is stated that the vortex reconnection and formation, as well as the turbulent energy cascade and mixing efficiency, significantly depend on the initial circulation ratio of two vortex rings.
For a power-law elliptical body, the drag force in a high-speed rarefied gas flow is calculated based on several local models. By solving the variational problem, the exponent in the generatrix for ...a minimum drag body of various aspect ratio is determined depending on the ellipticity coefficient.
Antiviral CD8
T cell immunity depends on the integration of various contextual cues, but how antigen-presenting cells (APCs) consolidate these signals for decoding by T cells remains unclear. Here, ...we describe gradual interferon-α/interferon-β (IFNα/β)-induced transcriptional adaptations that endow APCs with the capacity to rapidly activate the transcriptional regulators p65, IRF1 and FOS after CD4
T cell-mediated CD40 stimulation. While these responses operate through broadly used signaling components, they induce a unique set of co-stimulatory molecules and soluble mediators that cannot be elicited by IFNα/β or CD40 alone. These responses are critical for the acquisition of antiviral CD8
T cell effector function, and their activity in APCs from individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 correlates with milder disease. These observations uncover a sequential integration process whereby APCs rely on CD4
T cells to select the innate circuits that guide antiviral CD8
T cell responses.
Dioxin levels in the breast milk of mothers residing near a contaminated former airbase in Vietnam remain much higher than in unsprayed areas, suggesting high perinatal dioxin exposure for their ...infants. The present study investigated the association of perinatal dioxin exposure with autistic traits in 153 3-year-old children living in a contaminated area in Vietnam. The children were followed up from birth using the neurodevelopmental battery Bayley-III. The high-2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposed groups (⩾3.5 pg per g fat) showed significantly higher Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (ASRS) scores for both boys and girls than the mild-TCDD exposed groups, without differences in neurodevelopmental scores. In contrast, the high total dioxin-exposed group, indicated by polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDDs/Fs)--the toxic equivalents (TEQ) levels⩾17.9 pg-TEQ per g fat, had significantly lower neurodevelopmental scores than the mild-exposed group in boys, but there was no difference in the ASRS scores. The present study demonstrates a specific impact of perinatal TCDD on autistic traits in childhood, which is different from the neurotoxicity of total dioxins (PCDDs/Fs).
The intestinal barrier is often disrupted in disease states, and intestinal barrier failure leads to sepsis. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is a bile acid that may protect the intestinal barrier. We ...hypothesized that UDCA would protect the intestinal epithelium in injury models. To test this hypothesis, we utilized an in vitro wound-healing assay and a mouse model of intestinal barrier injury. We found that UDCA stimulates intestinal epithelial cell migration in vitro, and this migration was blocked by inhibition of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), or ERK. Furthermore, UDCA stimulated both COX-2 induction and EGFR phosphorylation. In vivo UDCA protected the intestinal barrier from LPS-induced injury as measured by FITC dextran leakage into the serum. Using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine injections, we found that UDCA stimulated intestinal epithelial cell migration in these animals. These effects were blocked with either administration of Rofecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor, or in EGFR-dominant negative Velvet mice, wherein UDCA had no effect on LPS-induced injury. Finally, we found increased COX-2 and phosphorylated ERK levels in LPS animals also treated with UDCA. Taken together, these data suggest that UDCA can stimulate intestinal epithelial cell migration and protect against acute intestinal injury via an EGFR- and COX-2-dependent mechanism. UDCA may be an effective treatment to prevent the early onset of gut-origin sepsis. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this study, we show that the secondary bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid stimulates intestinal epithelial cell migration after cellular injury and also protects the intestinal barrier in an acute rodent injury model, neither of which has been previously reported. These effects are dependent on epidermal growth factor receptor activation and downstream cyclooxygenase 2 upregulation in the small intestine. This provides a potential treatment for acute, gut-origin sepsis as seen in diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis.
Summary
Background
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. It remains incompletely understood in the real world how anti‐viral therapy affects ...survival after HCC diagnosis.
Methods
This was an international multicentre cohort study of 2518 HBV‐related HCC cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2015. Cox proportional hazards models were utilised to estimate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% (CI) for anti‐viral therapy and cirrhosis on patients' risk of death.
Results
Approximately, 48% of patients received anti‐viral therapy at any time, but only 17% were on therapy at HCC diagnosis (38% at US centres, 11% at Asian centres). Anti‐viral therapy would have been indicated for >60% of the patients not on anti‐viral therapy based on American criteria. Patients with cirrhosis had lower 5‐year survival (34% vs 46%; P < 0.001) while patients receiving anti‐viral therapy had increased 5‐year survival compared to untreated patients (42% vs 25% with cirrhosis and 58% vs 36% without cirrhosis; P < 0.001 for both). Similar findings were seen for other patient subgroups by cancer stages and cancer treatment types. Anti‐viral therapy was associated with a decrease in risk of death, whether started before or after HCC diagnosis (adjusted HR 0.62 and 0.79, respectively; P < 0.001).
Conclusions
Anti‐viral therapy improved overall survival in patients with HBV‐related HCC across cancer stages and treatment types but was underutilised at both US and Asia centres. Expanded use of anti‐viral therapy in HBV‐related HCC and better linkage‐to‐care for HBV patients are needed.
Predicting the structural condition of sewer pipes plays a vital role in the predictive maintenance of sewer pipes and renewal plans of many water utilities. This study explores the simultaneous ...utilization of physical and environmental features of sewer pipes in sewer structural condition prediction. Three (3) hybrid machine learning models which are the combination of Bagging (BG), Dagging (DG), and Rotation Forest (RotF) ensembles with a J48 Decision Tree (J48DT) based classifier were used to predict sewer pipe conditions in Ålesund city, Norway. The classification performance of the machine learning models was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC-ROC) and the area under the precision-recall (AUC-PRC) curves. The RotF-J48DT model had the highest (AUC-ROC = 0.857, AUC-PRC = 0.918) values, followed by the BG-J48DT, and the base classifier J48DT. The RotF-J48DT hybrid model should be considered when predicting the condition of sewer pipes in the study area.
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