Follow-up of patients with COVID-19 by the Delta variant after hospital discharge in Guangzhou, Guandong, China

The B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has contributed to a new increment in cases across the globe. We conducted a prospective follow-up of COVID-19 cases to explore the recurrence and potential propagation risk of the Delta variant and discuss potential explanations for the infection recurrence. A prospective, non-interventional follow-up of discharged patients who had SARS-CoV-2 infections by the Delta variant in Guangdong, China, from May 2021 to June 2021 was conducted. The subjects were asked to complete a physical health examination and undergo nucleic acid testing and antibody detection for the laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19. In total, 20.33% (25/123) of patients exhibited recurrent positive results after discharge. All patients with infection recurrence were asymptomatic and showed no abnormalities in the pulmonary computed tomography. The time from discharge to the recurrent positive testing was usually between 1-33 days, with a mean time of 9.36 days. The cycle threshold from the real-time polymerase chain reaction assay that detected the recurrence of positivity ranged from 27.48 to 39.00, with an average of 35.30. The proportion of vaccination in the non-recurrent group was higher than that in the recurrently positive group (26% vs. 4%; χ2 = 7.902; P < 0.05). Two months after discharge, the most common symptom was hair loss and 59.6% of patients had no long-term symptoms at all. It is possible for the Delta variant SARS-CoV-2 patients after discharge to show recurrent positive results of nucleic acid detection; however, there is a low risk of continuous community transmission. Both, the physical and mental quality of life of discharged patients were significantly affected. Our results suggest that it makes sense to implement mass vaccination against the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2

Topological optimization of an offshore-wind-farm power collection system based on a hybrid optimization methodology

This paper proposes a hybrid optimization method to optimize the topological structure of an offshore-wind-farm power collection system, in which the cable connection, cable selection and substation location are optimally designed. Firstly, the optimization model was formulated, which integrates cable investment, energy loss and line construction. Then, the Prim algorithm was used to initialize the population. A novel hybrid optimization, named PSAO, based on the merits of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and aquila optimization (AO) algorithms, was presented for topological structure optimization, in which the searching characteristics between PSO and AO are exploited to intensify the searching capability. Lastly, the proposed PSAO method was validated with a real case. The results showed that compared with GA, AO and PSO algorithms, the PSAO algorithm reduced the total cost by 4.8%, 3.3% and 2.6%, respectively, while achieving better optimization efficiency.Web of Science112art. no. 27

Diversity and Complexity of the Large Surface Protein Family in the Compacted Genomes of Multiple Pneumocystis Species

Pneumocystis, a major opportunistic pathogen in patients with a broad range of immunodeficiencies, contains abundant surface proteins encoded by a multicopy gene family, termed the major surface glycoprotein (Msg) gene superfamily. This superfamily has been identified in all Pneumocystis species characterized to date, highlighting its important role in Pneumocystis biology. In this report, through a comprehensive and in-depth characterization of 459 msg genes from 7 Pneurnocystis species, we demonstrate, for the first time, the phylogeny and evolution of conserved domains in Msg proteins and provide a detailed description of the classification, unique characteristics, and phylogenetic relatedness of five Msg families. We further describe, for the first time, the relative expression levels of individual msg families in two rodent Pneumocystis species, the substantial variability of the msg repertoires in P. coda from laboratory and wild rats, and the distinct features of the expression site for the classic msg genes in Pneumocystis from 8 mammalian host species. Our analysis suggests multiple functions for this superfamily rather than just conferring antigenic variation to allow immune evasion as previously believed. This study provides a rich source of information that lays the foundation for the continued experimental exploration of the functions of the Msg superfamily in Pneumocystis biology. IMPORTANCE Pneumocystis continues to be a major cause of disease in humans with immunodeficiency, especially those with HIV/AIDS and organ transplants, and is being seen with increasing frequency worldwide in patients treated with immunode-pleting monoclonal antibodies. Annual health care associated with Pneumocystis pneumonia costs similar to$475 million dollars in the United States alone. In addition to causing overt disease in immunodeficient individuals, Pneumocystis can cause subclinical infection or colonization in healthy individuals, which may play an important role in species preservation and disease transmission. Our work sheds new light on the diversity and complexity of the msg superfamily and strongly suggests that the versatility of this superfamily reflects multiple functions, including antigenic variation to allow immune evasion and optimal adaptation to host environmental conditions to promote efficient infection and transmission. These findings are essential to consider in developing new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.Peer reviewe

Video Object Matching Based on SIFT and Rotation Invariant LBP

Object detection and tracking is an essential preliminary task in event analysis systems (e.g. Visual surveillance).Typically objects are extracted and tagged, forming representative tracks of their activity. Tagging is usually performed by probabilistic data association. However, as data may have been collected at different times or in different locations, it is often impossible to establish such associations in systems capturing disjoint areas. In this case, appearance matching is a valuable aid. This paper proposes a object matching method for multi-camera by combining HOG and block LBP, and computes accuracy rate by SVM. Using independent tracks of 30 different persons, we show that the proposed representation effectively discriminates visual object and that it presents high resilience to incorrect object segmentation and illumination. Experimental results show that the average accuracy DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/telkomnika.v11i10.341

Deep eutectic solvents as efficient extractants of caffeoylquinic acids from Blumea aromatica: A comparative analysis of content and antioxidant potential

This study conducted a comparative analysis of the extraction efficiency and antioxidant potential of caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs) from Blumea aromatica using deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and traditional solvents. Utilizing UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS, the quantification of seven CQAs revealed concentrations ranging from 0.46 to 7.60 mg/g, with 1,5-diCQA identified as the most abundant. DESs demonstrated significant advantages (P < 0.05) over traditional solvents. The optimal extraction occurred with DES-6 (choline chloride / 1,4-butanediol) for 3-CQA (4.71 ± 0.31 mg/g) and 4,5-diCQA (2.28 ± 0.19 mg/g), DES-7 (choline chloride / oxalic acid) for 4-CQA (2.05 ± 0.05 mg/g), and DES-5 (choline chloride / glycerol) for 5-CQA (1.70 ± 0.14 mg/g). Antioxidant activity assessment through DPPH, ABTS, and reducing power assays indicated that DES extracts outperformed conventional solvents. Notably, DES-3 (choline chloride / ethylene glycol) displayed remarkable activity, with IC50 values of 197.36 ± 1.05 and 14.86 ± 3.33 μg/mL for DPPH and ABTS radicals, respectively. DES-6 exhibited the highest reducing power. Correlation analysis established positive relationships between phenolic acid content and antioxidant activity, notably for 3-CQA and 5-CQA (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05). Additionally, 4-CQA, 1,3-diCQA, 3,4-diCQA, and 4,5-diCQA displayed specific and correlated antioxidant activities. Crucially, the environmentally friendly DESs extraction method proposed in this study offers a sustainable approach for obtaining CQAs from B. aromatica, concurrently ensuring their antioxidant potential is fully realized. This research not only advances our understanding of B. aromatica but also highlights a green and efficient method for extracting bioactive compounds with potential applications in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries

A passive air sampler for characterizing the vertical concentration profile of gaseous phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in near soil surface air

Air–soil exchange is an important process governing the fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A novel passive air sampler was designed and tested for measuring the vertical concentration profile of 4 low molecular weight PAHs in gaseous phase (PAHLMW4) in near soil surface air. Air at various heights from 5 to 520 mm above the ground was sampled by polyurethane foam disks held in down-faced cartridges. The samplers were tested at three sites: A: an extremely contaminated site, B: a site near A, and C: a background site on a university campus. Vertical concentration gradients were revealed for PAHLMW4 within a thin layer close to soil surface at the three sites. PAH concentrations either decreased (Site A) or increased (Sites B and C) with height, suggesting either deposition to or evaporation from soils. The sampler is a useful tool for investigating air–soil exchange of gaseous phase semi-volatile organic chemicals