Background
While the clinical characteristics and outcomes of asthma‐chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap (ACO) have been frequently compared with those of COPD or asthma, the ...prevalence and features of ACO in patients with severe asthma are unclear.
Objectives
Evaluation of the prevalence and clinical features of ACO using the Korean severe asthma registry.
Methods
At the time of registration, ACO was determined in patients with severe asthma by attending specialists. Patients were classified into ACO and non‐ACO groups, and the demographic and clinical characteristics of these two groups were compared.
Results
Of 482 patients with severe asthma, 23.7% had ACO. Patients in the ACO group were more likely to be male (P < .001), older (P < .001), and ex‐ or current smokers (P < .001) compared with those in the non‐ACO group. Patients in the ACO group had lower mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second (P < .001) and blood eosinophil percentage (P = .006), but higher blood neutrophil percentage (P = .027) than those in the non‐ACO group. The ACO group used more inhaled long‐acting muscarinic antagonist (P < .001), methylxanthine (P = .001), or sustained systemic corticosteroid (P = .002). In addition, unscheduled emergency department visits due to exacerbation were more frequent in the ACO group (P = .006).
Conclusion
Among patients with severe asthma, those with ACO were older, predominantly male, and were more likely to have a smoking history than those with asthma only. Patients with ACO used more systemic corticosteroid and had more frequent exacerbations related to emergency department visits than those with severe asthma only.
We found that about one‐fourth of patients with severe asthma was diagnosed with ACO by specialists. The most common reason for ACO diagnosis was smoking history. ACO patients were predominantly male, older, and had more smoking history compared with non‐ACO patients. ACO patients had higher blood neutrophil count, but lower lung function. ACO patients used more LAMA, methylxanthine, and systemic corticosteroid and had more frequent exacerbations related to ER visits compared with those with severe asthma only. Abbreviations: ACO, asthma‐COPD overlap; ER, emergency room; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in one second.
ABSTRACT Under the Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmological models, massive galaxies are expected to be larger in denser environments through frequent hierarchical mergers with other galaxies. Yet, ...observational studies of low-redshift early-type galaxies have shown no such trend, standing as a puzzle to solve during the past decade. We analyzed 73,116 early-type galaxies at 0.1 ≤ z < 0.15, adopting a robust nonparametric size measurement technique and extending the analysis to many massive galaxies. We find for the first time that local early-type galaxies heavier than 1011.2 M show a clear environmental dependence in mass-size relation, in such a way that galaxies are as much as 20%-40% larger in the densest environments than in underdense environments. Splitting the sample into the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and non-BCGs does not affect the result. This result agrees with the ΛCDM cosmological simulations and suggests that mergers played a significant role in the growth of massive galaxies in dense environments as expected in theory.
Abstract
We study the mass–size relation of quiescent galaxies across various environments, with a particular focus on its environmental dependence at the low-mass part of
log
(
M
star
/
M
⊙
)
≲
10.0
.... Our sample consists of 13,667 quiescent galaxies with
log
(
M
star
/
M
⊙
)
≥
9.4
and 0.01 <
z
< 0.04 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We discover that the mass–size relation of low-mass quiescent galaxies (LQGs) with
log
(
M
star
/
M
⊙
)
≲
10.0
depends on their environment, with LQGs in the highest-density environments exhibiting an average size ∼70% larger than those in isolated environments. Moreover, the slope of the mass–size relation for LQGs in high-density environments is significantly shallower than that of their counterparts in isolated environments. This is in contrast with high-mass quiescent galaxies with
log
(
M
star
/
M
⊙
)
≳
10.5
that show a nearly identical mass–size relation across all environments. Combined with additional discoveries that the mass–size relation slopes of LQGs and star-forming galaxies are similar to each other in high-density environments, and that LQGs in higher-density environments exhibit more disk-like structures, our results support the idea that LQGs in high-density environments have evolved from star-forming galaxies through environmental effects, which are capable of causing their quenching and transformation into quiescent galaxies. With the aid of an analysis of merger rates for simulated galaxies from a cosmological galaxy formation simulation, we suggest that the steep slope and low normalization of the mass–size relation of LQGs in the lowest-density environments may originate from recent gas-rich mergers, which occur over 10–30 times more frequently in the progenitors of LQGs in the lowest-density environments than in their counterparts in high-density environments at low redshifts.
Abstract
We study the impact of galaxy mergers on stellar population profiles/gradients of early-type galaxies (ETGs) using ETGs at
z
< 0.055 in the Stripe 82 region of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey ...and MaNGA integral field unit spectroscopic data. Tidal features around ETGs, which are detected from deep coadded images, are regarded as direct observational evidence for recent mergers. We find that ETGs with tidal features have less negative metallicity gradients and more positive age gradients than ETGs without tidal features at
M
star
≳ 10
10.6
M
⊙
. Moreover, when integrating all the resolved stellar populations, ETGs with tidal features have lower metallicities by ∼0.07 dex and younger ages by ∼1–2 Gyr than ETGs without tidal features. Analyzing star formation histories, we discover that the mass fraction of young stellar populations with age <5 Gyr is higher in the central regions of ETGs with tidal features than in the same regions of the counterparts without tidal features. Compared to normal ETGs, ETGs with tidal features have a slow metal-enrichment history in the early universe, but they have been accelerating the metal enrichment through recently formed stars over the last few billion years. Many of our results can be explained if the effects of recently occurred mergers are different from those in the early universe, which are more likely to be rich in gas.
Biodegradable polymers are seen as a potential solution to the environmental problems generated by plastic waste. In particular, the renewable aliphatic polyesters of poly(hydroxyacid)-type ...homopolymers and copolymers consisting of polylactic acid (PLA), poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), and poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) constitute the most promising bioresorbable materials for applications in biomedical and consumer applications. Among those polymers, PLA has attracted particular attention as a substitute for conventional petroleum-based plastics. PLA is synthesized by the fermentation of renewable agricultural sources, including corn, cellulose, and other polysaccharides. Although some of its characteristics are disadvantageous (e.g., poor melt properties, mechanical brittleness, low heat resistance, and slow crystallization), there exist potential routes to resolve these shortcomings. These include copolymerization, blending, plasticization modification, or the addition of reinforcing phases (e.g., chitosan (Cs), cellulose, and starch). In this review, we discuss the degradation mechanisms of PLA and its modified form in the environment, current issues that hinder the achievement of good Cs/PLA combination, and ways to overcome some of these problems. Furthermore, our discussion is extended to cover the subjects of hydrolytic degradation and weathering effects with different Cs/PLA blends.
•Phosphate sorption to magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles had a maximum sorption capacity of 5.03mgPg−1.•Phosphate sorption was relatively constant at an acidic solution pH.•Phosphate sorption to ...magnetic nanoparticles showed endothermic nature of sorption process.•Magnetic nanoparticles could be used as adsorbents for phosphate removal with regeneration and repeated use.
Phosphate (P) removal by magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles was investigated using kinetic, equilibrium and thermodynamic experiments. The results demonstrate that phosphate sorption to the magnetic nanoparticles reached equilibrium at 24h with the maximum sorption capacity of 5.03mgPg−1 under given experimental conditions (initial P concentration range=2–20mgPL−1; adsorbent dose=0.6gL−1; reaction time=24h). The phosphate removal was relatively constant at an acidic solution pH (3.0–3.1mgPg−1 at pH 2.0–6.0), whereas the phosphate removal decreased sharply as the solution pH approached a highly alkaline condition (0.33mgPg−1 at pH 11.1). Thermodynamic tests indicate that phosphate sorption to the magnetic nanoparticles increased with increasing temperature from 15 to 45°C, indicating the spontaneous and endothermic nature of sorption process (ΔH0=39.17kJmol−1; ΔS0=156.35JK−1mol−1; ΔG0=−5.88∼−10.57kJmol−1). The results indicate that the pseudo second-order model was most suitable for describing the kinetic data. Regarding the equilibrium data, the Freundlich and Redlich–Peterson isotherms were fitted well. This study demonstrates that magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles could be used for phosphate removal from aqueous solutions with regeneration and repeated use.
Background
The determinants linked to the short- and long-term improvement in lung function in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) on biological treatment (BioT) remain elusive.
Objective
...We sought to identify the predictors of early and late lung function improvement in patients with SEA after BioT.
Methods
140 adult patients with SEA who received mepolizumab, dupilumab, or reslizumab were followed up for 6 months to evaluate improvement in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV
1
). Logistic regression was used to determine the association between potential prognostic factors and improved lung function at 1 and 6 months of treatment.
Results
More than a third of patients with SEA using BioT showed early and sustained improvements in FEV
1
after 1 month. A significant association was found between low baseline FEV
1
and high blood eosinophil count and sustained FEV
1
improvement after 1 month (0.54 0.37–0.79 and 1.88 1.28–2.97 odds ratios and 95% confidence interval, respectively). Meanwhile, among patients who did not experience FEV
1
improvement after 1 month, 39% exhibited improvement at 6 months follow-up. A high ACT score measured at this visit was the most reliable predictor of late response after 6 months of treatment (OR and 95% CI 1.75 1.09–2.98).
Conclusion
Factors predicting the efficacy of biological agents that improve lung function in SEA vary according to the stage of response.
Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the seventh most common malignant tumor and the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subpopulation ...of cells within tumors that drive chemoresistance and tumor recurrence in various cancers. We characterized CSCs in primary HCC and identified CD133 as a CSC surface marker. CD133+ HCC cells displayed more stem cell-like properties, tumor spheroid-forming ability, chemoresistance, migration ability, and tumorigenic capacity than CD133- HCC cells. The biological function and molecular mechanism of CD133 remain unclear. HCC cell lines with a high level of CD133 expression overexpressed EGFR, which is overexpressed in approximately 70% of conventional HCCs. CD133 depletion destabilized EGFR by augmenting EGFR internalization and thus inhibited EGFR-AKT signaling. CD133 would therefore serve to sustain aberrant EGFR-mediated oncogenic signaling. Furthermore, EGFR-deficient CD133+ HCC cells manifested greater sensitivity to anticancer drugs and less spheroid-formation capacity than control CD133+ HCC cells. Our results strongly indicate that CD133 facilitates CSC-like properties by stabilizing EGFR-AKT signaling in HCC. It might therefore be feasible to use CD133 as a novel target to sensitize HCC cells that manifest resistance to EGFR-targeted therapy.
Abstract
Current thermochemical methods to generate H
2
include gasification and steam reforming of coal and natural gas, in which anthropogenic CO
2
emission is inevitable. If biomass is used as a ...source of H
2
, the process can be considered carbon-neutral. Seaweeds are among the less studied types of biomass with great potential because they do not require freshwater. Unfortunately, reaction pathways to thermochemically convert salty and wet biomass into H
2
are limited. In this study, a catalytic alkaline thermal treatment of brown seaweed is investigated to produce high purity H
2
with substantially suppressed CO
2
formation making the overall biomass conversion not only carbon-neutral but also potentially carbon-negative. High-purity 69.69 mmol-H
2
/(dry-ash-free)g-brown seaweed is produced with a conversion as high as 71%. The hydroxide is involved in both H
2
production and in situ CO
2
capture, while the Ni/ZrO
2
catalyst enhanced the secondary H
2
formation via steam methane reforming and water-gas shift reactions.
Industry 4.0 requires high-speed data exchange that includes fast, reliable, low-latency, and cost-effective data transmissions. As visible light communication (VLC) can provide reliable, ...low-latency, and secure connections that do not penetrate walls and are immune to electromagnetic interference; it can be considered a solution for Industry 4.0. The non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) technique can achieve high spectral efficiency using the same frequency and time resources for multiple users. It means that smaller amounts of resources will be used compared with orthogonal multiple access (OMA). Therefore, handling multiple data transmissions with VLC-NOMA can be easier for factory automation than OMA. However, as the transmit power is split, the reliability is reduced. Therefore, this study proposed a deep neural network (DNN)-based power-allocation algorithm (DBPA) to improve the reliability of the system. Further, to schedule multiple nodes in VLC-NOMA system, a priority-based user-pairing (PBUP) scheme is proposed. The proposed techniques in VLC-NOMA system were evaluated in terms of the factory automation scenario and showed that it improves reliability and reduces missed deadlines.
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