Solid waste management (SWM) is an integral part of an environmental management system. SWM approaches have been modified into a more practical and effective option to establish sustainability based ...on the “reduce”, “reuse”, and “recycle” (3R) principles. This review provides an overview of a wide range of existing SWM strategies with the following key objectives: (i) to comprehensively describe current technologies, strategic innovations, and monitoring tools, (ii) to provide an overview of prevailing waste management scenarios across different countries, (iii) to identify the roles of life cycle assessment (LCA) and other modeling tools in SWM, and (iv) to showcase feasible approaches for sustainable recycling and utilization of solid wastes. The current review finds that geographical positions and economic status of nations are important to dictate waste characteristics. A number of economic and LCA models have been described to facilitate future workers vis-à-vis organizations for the selection of appropriate waste management algorithms and for the evaluation of their eventual performance. In addition, this paper showcases various innovative solutions that have been reported for the achievement of smart and sustainable waste management plans in many countries.
Summary Surveillance of healthcare-associated infection has been associated with a reduction in surgical site infection (SSI). Our aim was to evaluate the Korean Nosocomial Infection Surveillance ...System (KONIS) in order to assess its effects on SSI since it was introduced. SSI data after gastrectomy, total hip arthroplasty (THA), and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between 2008 and 2012 were analysed. The pooled incidence of SSI was calculated for each year; the same analyses were also conducted from hospitals that had participated in KONIS for at least three consecutive years. Standardized SSI rates for each year were calculated by adjusting for SSI risk factors. SSI trends were analysed using the Cochran‒Armitage test. The SSI rate following gastrectomy was 3.12% (522/16,918). There was a significant trend of decreased crude SSI rates over five years. This trend was also evident in analysis of hospitals that had participated for more than three years. The SSI rate for THA was 2.05% (157/7656), which decreased significantly from 2008 to 2012. The risk factors for SSI after THA included the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance risk index, trauma, reoperation, and age (60–69 years). The SSI rate for TKA was 1.90% (152/7648), which also decreased significantly during a period of five years. However, the risk-adjusted analysis of SSI did not show a significant decrease for all surgical procedures. In conclusion, the SSI incidence of gastrectomy and prosthetic joint replacement declined over five years as a result of active surveillance by KONIS.
There have been limited data on the risk of onward transmission from individuals with Omicron variant infections who return to work after a 5-day isolation.
To evaluate the risk of transmission from ...healthcare workers (HCWs) with Omicron variant who returned to work after a 5-day isolation and the viable-virus shedding kinetics.
This investigation was performed in a tertiary care hospital, Seoul, South Korea. In a secondary transmission study, we retrospectively reviewed the data of HCWs confirmed as COVID-19 from March 14th to April 3rd, 2022 in units with five or more COVID-19-infected HCWs per week. In the viral shedding kinetics study, HCWs with Omicron variant infection who agreed with daily saliva sampling were enrolled between February and March, 2022.
Of the 248 HCWs who were diagnosed with COVID-19 within 5 days of the return of an infected HCW, 18 (7%) had contact with the returned HCW within 1–5 days after their return. Of these, nine (4%) had an epidemiologic link other than with the returning HCW, and nine (4%) had contact with the returning HCW, without any other epidemiologic link. In the study of the kinetics of virus shedding (N = 32), the median time from symptom onset to negative conversion of viable virus was four days (95% confidence interval: 3–5).
Our data suggest that the residual risk of virus transmission after 5 days of isolation following diagnosis or symptom onset is low.
ObjectiveSporadic early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) has bad prognosis, yet is poorly represented by cell line models. We examine the key mutational and transcriptomic alterations in an organoid ...biobank enriched in EOCRCs.DesignWe established paired cancer (n=32) and normal organoids (n=18) from 20 patients enriched in microsatellite-stable EOCRC. Exome and transcriptome analysis was performed.ResultsWe observed a striking diversity of molecular phenotypes, including PTPRK-RSPO3 fusions. Transcriptionally, RSPO fusion organoids resembled normal colon organoids and were distinct from APC mutant organoids, with high BMP2 and low PTK7 expression. Single cell transcriptome analysis confirmed the similarity between RSPO fusion organoids and normal organoids, with a propensity for maturation on Wnt withdrawal, whereas the APC mutant organoids were locked in progenitor stages. CRISPR/Cas9 engineered mutation of APC in normal human colon organoids led to upregulation of PTK7 protein and suppression of BMP2, but less so with an engineered RNF43 mutation. The frequent co-occurrence of RSPO fusions with SMAD4 or BMPR1A mutation was confirmed in TCGA database searches. RNF43 mutation was found in organoid from a leukaemia survivor with a novel mutational signature; and organoids with POLE proofreading mutation displayed ultramutation. The cancer organoid genomes were stable over long culture periods, while normal human colon organoids tended to be subject to clonal dominance over time.ConclusionsThese organoid models enriched in EOCRCs with linked genomic data fill a gap in existing CRC models and reveal distinct genetic profiles and novel pathway cooperativity.
Molecular quantum magnetism involving an isolated spin state is of particular interest due to the characteristic quantum phenomena underlying spin qubits or molecular spintronics for quantum ...information devices, as demonstrated in magnetic metal-organic molecular systems, the so-called molecular magnets. Here we report the molecular quantum magnetism realized in an inorganic solid Ba3Yb2Zn5O11 with spin-orbit coupled pseudospin-½ Yb(3+) ions. The magnetization represents the magnetic quantum values of an isolated Yb4 tetrahedron with a total (pseudo)spin 0, 1 and 2. Inelastic neutron scattering results reveal that a large Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction originating from strong spin-orbit coupling of Yb 4f is a key ingredient to explain magnetic excitations of the molecular magnet states. The Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction allows a non-adiabatic quantum transition between avoided crossing energy levels, and also results in unexpected magnetic behaviours in conventional molecular magnets.
Recent advances in neuroscience together with nanoscale electronic device technology have resulted in huge interests in realizing brain-like computing hardwares using emerging nanoscale memory ...devices as synaptic elements. Although there has been experimental work that demonstrated the operation of nanoscale synaptic element at the single device level, network level studies have been limited to simulations. In this work, we demonstrate, using experiments, array level associative learning using phase change synaptic devices connected in a grid like configuration similar to the organization of the biological brain. Implementing Hebbian learning with phase change memory cells, the synaptic grid was able to store presented patterns and recall missing patterns in an associative brain-like fashion. We found that the system is robust to device variations, and large variations in cell resistance states can be accommodated by increasing the number of training epochs. We illustrated the tradeoff between variation tolerance of the network and the overall energy consumption, and found that energy consumption is decreased significantly for lower variation tolerance.
Background
Patients with a previous history of hypersensitivity reaction (HSR) to iodinated contrast media (ICM) are at high risk of the development of HSR to ICM. Many studies have tried to evaluate ...the diagnostic potential of skin tests in this population but have not yet reached a common conclusion. We investigated the role of skin tests in patients with HSR to ICM in terms of positive rate, cross‐reactivity rate, and tolerability to skin test‐negative ICM according to the type of HSR.
Methods
We performed literature searches of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and included studies where skin tests were performed in patients with HSR to ICM, with extractable outcomes. Outcomes were pooled using a random‐effects model.
Results
Twenty‐one studies were included. Pooled per‐patient positive rates of skin tests were 17% (95% CI, 10–26%) in patients with immediate HSR, and up to 52% (95% CI, 31–72%) when confined to severe immediate HSR. Among patients with nonimmediate HSR, the positive rate was 26% (95% CI, 15–41%). The pooled per‐patient cross‐reactivity rate was higher in nonimmediate HSR (68%; 95% CI, 48–83%) than that in immediate HSR (39%; 95% CI, 29–50%). Median per‐test cross‐reactivity rates between pairs of ICM were 7% (IQR, 6–9%) in immediate HSR and 38% (IQR, 22–51%) in nonimmediate HSR. Pooled per‐patient recurrence rates of HSR to skin test‐negative ICM were 7% (95% CI, 4–14%) in immediate HSR and 35% (95% CI, 19–55%) in nonimmediate HSR.
Conclusion
Skin tests may be helpful in diagnosing and managing patients with HSR to ICM, especially in patients with severe immediate HSR.
Layered double hydroxides (LDH) belong to the class of two-dimensional materials having a wide variety of applications ranging from energy storage to catalysis. Often, these materials when used for ...nonenzymatic electrochemical glucose sensing tend to be interfering with oxygen evolution reaction (OER), resulting in overestimation of the glucose. Herein, to address this, NiFe-based LDH were selected because of their ability to vary the metal ratios. The synthesized LDH have been characterized using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Among the LDH synthesized, Ni4Fe-LDH have been able to differentiate the glucose oxidation potential and the onset potential of OER with minimum interference. The Ni4Fe-LDH sensor shows a sensitivity of 20.43 μA mM–1 cm–2 in the linear range of 0–4 mM concentrations. To further enhance the sensitivity, composites of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have been synthesized in situ, and the Ni4Fe/rGO5 composites have shown an increased sensitivity of 176.8 μA mM–1 cm–2 attributed to the charge-transfer interactions. To understand the experimental observations, detailed computational studies have been carried out to study the effect of the electronic structure on the metal ratios of the LDH and its role in differentiating glucose sensing and the oxygen evolution reaction. Along with this, theoretical calculations are also carried out on LDH–graphene composites to study the charge-transfer interactions.
Of the 27 healthcare workers (HCWs) who had contact with a fatally ill patient with severe thrombocytopenia syndrome in Korea (SFTS), 4 who were involved in cardiopulmonary resuscitation complained ...of fever and were diagnosed with SFTS via seroconversion. Exposure to respiratory secretions, blood, or gowns soiled by body fluids was significantly associated with infection of HCWs.
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