This research carries out a comparative study to investigate a machine learning solution that employs the Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) for modeling compressive strength of high-performance ...concrete (HPC). This machine learning approach is utilized to establish the nonlinear functional mapping between the compressive strength and HPC ingredients. To train and verify the aforementioned prediction model, a data set containing 239 HPC experimental tests, recorded from an overpass construction project in Danang City (Vietnam), has been collected for this study. Based on experimental outcomes, prediction results of the GPR model are superior to those of the Least Squares Support Vector Machine and the Artificial Neural Network. Furthermore, GPR model is strongly recommended for estimating HPC strength because this method demonstrates good learning performance and can inherently express prediction outputs coupled with prediction intervals.
In this work, we propose the combination of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and high throughput, droplet based microfluidics as a powerful tool to investigate macromolecular interactions, ...directly related to protein solubility. For this purpose, a robust and low cost microfluidic platform was fabricated for achieving the mixing of proteins, crystallization reagents, and buffer in nanoliter volumes and the subsequent generation of nanodroplets by means of a two phase flow. The protein samples are compartmentalized inside droplets, each one acting as an isolated microreactor. Hence their physicochemical conditions (concentration, pH, etc.) can be finely tuned without cross-contamination, allowing the screening of a huge number of saturation conditions with a small amount of biological material. The droplet flow is synchronized with synchrotron radiation SAXS measurements to probe protein interactions while minimizing radiation damage. To this end, the experimental setup was tested with rasburicase (known to be very sensitive to denaturation), proving the structural stability of the protein in the droplets and the absence of radiation damage. Subsequently weak interaction variations as a function of protein saturation was studied for the model protein lysozime. The second virial coefficients (A2) were determined from the X-ray structure factors extrapolated to the origin. A2 obtained values were found to be in good agreement with data previously reported in literature but using only a few milligrams of protein. The experimental results presented here highlight the interest and convenience of using this methodology as a promising and potential candidate for studying protein interactions for the construction of phase diagrams.
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•The indirect and interactive effects of GHRM practices on environmental performance.•Interaction of training and employee involvement affects environmental performance.•OCBE mediates ...effects of training and performance management on environmental performance.•This study is the first to examine these effects in the hotel industry.
Previous studies have paid little attention to the links between green human resource management (GHRM) and environmental performance, especially examining an interaction and mediation analysis in the hospitality management. Therefore, the study bridges this research gap by extending the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity theory to explore the direct, indirect, and interactive roles of GHRM practices. A survey of 220 respondents at hotels suggests that: (1) training and employee involvement are critical tools in directly stimulating employee commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour towards the environment (OCBE), and hotels’ environmental performance; (2) OCBE plays an essential role in mediating the effects of training and performance management on environmental performance; and (3) the vital interaction of training and employee involvement significantly strengthens environmental performance. However, unexpected results are found: (1) performance management is an unimportant consideration in analysis of direct and interactive influences and (2) employee environmental commitment does not mediate the GHRM-environmental performance relationship.
Vaccines are effective and reliable public health interventions against viral outbreaks and pandemics. However, hesitancy regarding the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine is evident worldwide. ...Therefore, understanding vaccination-related behavior is critical in expanding the vaccine coverage to flatten the infection curve. This study explores the public perception regarding COVID-19 vaccination and identifies factors associated with vaccine hesitancy among the general adult populations in six Southeast Asian countries.
Using a snowball sampling approach, we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among 5260 participants in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam between February and May 2021. Binary logistic regression analysis with a backward conditional approach was applied to identify factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
Of the total, 50.6% were female, and the median age was 30 years (range: 15-83 years). The majority of the participants believed that vaccination effectively prevents and controls COVID-19 (81.2%), and 84.0% would accept COVID-19 vaccines when they become available. They agreed that health providers' advice (83.0%), vaccination convenience (75.6%), and vaccine costs (62.8%) are essential for people to decide whether to accept COVID-19 vaccines. About half (49.3%) expressed their hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. After adjustment for other covariates, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was significantly associated with age, residential area, education levels, employment status, and family economic status. Participants from Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam were significantly more likely to express hesitancy in receiving COVID-19 vaccines than those from Philippines.
In general, participants in this multi-country study showed their optimistic perception of COVID-19 vaccines' effectiveness and willingness to receive them. However, about half of them still expressed their hesitancy in getting vaccinated. The hesitation was associated with several socioeconomic factors and varied by country. Therefore, COVID-19 vaccination programs should consider these factors essential for increasing vaccine uptake in the populations.
T cell Ig and mucin domain (Tim) 3 is a surface molecule expressed throughout the immune system that can mediate both stimulatory and inhibitory effects. Previous studies have provided evidence that ...Tim-3 functions to enforce CD8 T cell exhaustion, a dysfunctional state associated with chronic stimulation. In contrast, the role of Tim-3 in the regulation of CD8 T cell responses to acute and transient stimulation remains undefined. To address this knowledge gap, we examined how Tim-3 affects CD8 T cell responses to acute Listeria monocytogenes infection. Analysis of wild-type (WT) mice infected with L. monocytogenes revealed that Tim-3 was transiently expressed by activated CD8 T cells and was associated primarily with acquisition of an effector phenotype. Comparison of responses to L. monocytogenes by WT and Tim-3 knockout (KO) mice showed that the absence of Tim-3 significantly reduced the magnitudes of both primary and secondary CD8 T cell responses, which correlated with decreased IFN-γ production and degranulation by Tim-3 KO cells stimulated with peptide Ag ex vivo. To address the T cell-intrinsic role of Tim-3, we analyzed responses to L. monocytogenes infection by WT and Tim-3 KO TCR-transgenic CD8 T cells following adoptive transfer into a shared WT host. In this setting, the accumulation of CD8 T cells and the generation of cytokine-producing cells were significantly reduced by the lack of Tim-3, demonstrating that this molecule has a direct effect on CD8 T cell function. Combined, our results suggest that Tim-3 can mediate a stimulatory effect on CD8 T cell responses to an acute infection.
Biolasers made of biological materials have attracted considerable research attention due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability, and have the potential for biosensing and biointegration. ...However, the current fabrication methods of biolasers suffer from several limitations, such as complicated processing, time-consuming and environmentally unfriendly nature. In this study, a novel approach with green processes for fabricating solid-state microsphere biolasers has been demonstrated. By dehydration via a modified Microglassification™ technology, dye-doped bovine serum albumin (BSA) droplets could be quickly (less than 10 minutes) and easily changed into solid microspheres with diameters ranging from 10 μm to 150 μm. The size of the microspheres could be effectively controlled by changing either the concentration of the BSA solution or the diameter of the initial droplets. The fabricated microspheres could act as efficient microlasers under an optical pulse excitation. A lasing threshold of 7.8 μJ mm-2 and a quality (Q) factor of about 1700 to 3100 were obtained. The size dependence of lasing characteristics was investigated, and the results showed a good agreement with whispering gallery mode (WGM) theory. Our findings contribute an effective technique for the fabrication of high-Q factor microlasers that may be potential for applications in biological and chemical sensors.
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a significant public health issue with an estimated increasing burden over the next 10 years. Early prediction of patients with a high risk of ESRD progression is ...crucial to monitor and initiate appropriate interventions, of which HLA alleles have been proposed as promising biomarkers. This cross-sectional study described HLA profiles of a Vietnamese cohort and investigated the association between HLA alleles and ESRD. All ESRD patients who were waitlisted to receive kidney transplant and potential donors in a tertiary hospital from March 2018 to April 2020 were invited to participate in the study. A total of 458 participants were eligible, including 126 ESRD patients and 126 family-related donors, 98 ESRD patients and 108 unrelated donors. HLA typing was performed using Luminex-based PCR-SSO technology. We found HLA-A*02, A*11, A*24, B*15, B*07, DRB1*12, DRB1*09, DQA1*01, DQA1*06, DQB1*03 and DQB1*05 as the most common alleles, which is similar to the general Vietnamese population and other countries in East and South-east Asia. HLA-B*07 (P = .040), DQA1*06 (P = .031), and DQB1*03 (P = .036) were susceptible to ESRD, while HLA-B*27 (P = .024) and DQB1*02 (P = .006) were associated with a decreased risk of ESRD.
Inflammatory cytokines induced by infection or vaccination with adjuvant act directly or indirectly on CD8 T cells to modulate their expansion, contraction, and acquisition of memory characteristics. ...Importantly, the initial exposure of naive T cells to inflammatory cytokines may occur before, during, or after their interaction with stimulating dendritic cells (DC) and it is unknown whether and how the timing of cytokine exposure impacts the CD8 T cell response. In this study, we use an immunization strategy with peptide-coated mature DC that, in the absence of inflammatory cytokines, results in a transient effector phase followed by the accelerated acquisition of memory characteristics by the responding CD8 T cells. Induction of inflammatory cytokines by TLR agonists, at the time of DC immunization or 2-4 days after DC immunization, prevented the early acquisition of memory characteristics by the responding CD8 T cells. Interestingly, although induction of inflammatory cytokines at the time of DC immunization increased the effector response, induction of inflammatory cytokines after DC immunization did not promote further expansion of the responding CD8 T cells but still prevented their early acquisition of memory characteristics. In contrast, induction of inflammatory cytokines 2 days before DC immunization did not prevent the CD8 T cells from early acquisition of memory characteristics. Furthermore, TLR ligand-induced inflammatory cytokines had the most significant impact on the phenotype and function of proliferating CD8 T cells. These data suggest that a default pathway of memory CD8 T cell differentiation is deflected toward sustained effector commitment by encounter with inflammatory cytokines during Ag-driven proliferation.
One-fourths of the patients have medication-resistant seizures and require seizure detection and treatment continuously to cope with sudden seizures. Seizures can be detected by monitoring the brain ...and muscle activities, heart rate, oxygen level, artificial sounds, or visual signatures through EEG, EMG, ECG, motion, or audio/video recording on the human head and body. In this article, we first discuss recent advances in seizure sensing, signal processing, time- or frequency-domain analysis, and classification algorithms to detect and classify seizure stages. Then, we show a strong potential of applying recent advancements in non-invasive brain stimulation technology to treat seizures. In particular, we explain the fundamentals of brain stimulation approaches, including (1) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), (2) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), (3) transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation (tFUS), and how to use them to treat seizures. Through this review, we intend to provide a broad view of both recent seizure diagnoses and treatments. Such knowledge would help fresh and experienced researchers to capture the advancements in sensing, detection, classification, and treatment seizures. Last but not least, we provide potential research directions that would attract seizure researchers/engineers in the field.
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