3,198 research outputs found
Extra- and intra-cellular accumulation of platinum group elements by the marine microalga, Chlorella stigmatophora.
To better understand the marine biogeochemistry of the platinum group elements (PGE), Rh(III), Pd(II) and Pt(IV) were added in combination and at ppb concentrations to cultures of the marine microalga, Chlorella stigmatophora, maintained in sea water at 15 °C and under 60 Οmol m(-2) s(-1) PAR. The accumulation of PGE was established in short-term (24-h) exposures, and under varying conditions of algal biomass and PGE concentration, and in a longer-term exposure (156-h) by ICP-MS analysis of sea water and nitric acid digests and EDTA washes of the alga. In short-term exposures, and under all conditions, the extent of accumulation by C. stigmatophora was in the order: Rh > Pd >> Pt; and Pd was internalised (or resistant to EDTA extraction) to a considerably greater extent than Rh and Pt. Accumulation isotherms were quasi-linear up to added PGE concentrations of 30 Οg L(-1) and all metals displayed a significant reduction in accumulation on a weight-normalised basis with increasing density (biomass) of C. stigmatophora, an effect attributed to the production of exudates able to stabilise metals in sea water through complexation. In the longer-term exposure, kinetic constraints on the reactivities of Rh and, in particular, Pt, resulted in final degrees of accumulation and internalisation by C. stigmatophora that were greatest for Rh and similar between Pd and Pt. Among the PGE, therefore, Rh is predicted to participate in biological removal and transport processes in the marine environment to the greatest extent while decoupling in the biogeochemistries of Pd and Pt is predicted in shorter-term or more transient processes
Metal accumulation kinetics by the estuarine macroalga, Fucusceranoides
The kinetics of Cu, Cd and Pb accumulation by the macroalga, Fucus ceranoides, was studied under simulated estuarine conditions. Accumulation of Cu and Pb proceeded via a pseudo-first-order reaction that was reversible, suggesting desorption or efflux of accumulated metal, with forward rate constants on the order of 0.1h-1. For both metals, reaction reversibility increased and the equilibrium constant decreased with increasing salinity (from 1 to 33.5) and system response times were <10h throughout. Accumulation of Cd proceeded via a first-order reaction that was irreversible, suggesting little desorption or efflux of metal, with rate constants that decreased with increasing salinity (from 0.023 to 0.015h-1) and reaction half-lives ranging from approximately 30-50h. Inorganic equilibrium speciation calculations suggest that interactions of Cu, Cd and Pb principally involve the respective free ions, but that additional ions (e.g. CdCl+) and biotic processes may also be significant. â˘Accumulation of Cu, Cd and Pb by the estuarine macroalga, Fucus ceranoides, decreases along a salinity gradient.â˘Accumulation of Cu and Pb proceeds via a reversible pseudo-first-order reaction.â˘In contrast, accumulation of Cd proceeds via an irreversible first-order reaction.â˘Differences in reaction mechanisms are attributed to differences in the ability of metals to be internalised. Š 2013 Elsevier Ltd
Perceived impacts and residents\u27 support for tourism development in Port Dickson, Malaysia
This study evaluates the image that residents perceive of their location and its influences on their understanding of tourism impacts, and their support for the development of the tourism. The data was collected from 422 residents of Port Dickson in Malaysia and were examined by applying PLS-SEM. Results displayed a positive image of place will lead to positive perceptions of tourism development impacts leadings to residents\u27 support for tourism development. Practical implications of these outcomes are also discussed relative to tourism planning and development
Elucidation of Directionality for Co-Expressed Genes: Predicting Intra-Operon Termination Sites
We present a novel framework for inferring regulatory and sequence-level
information from gene co-expression networks. The key idea of our methodology
is the systematic integration of network inference and network topological
analysis approaches for uncovering biological insights. We determine the gene
co-expression network of Bacillus subtilis using Affymetrix GeneChip time
series data and show how the inferred network topology can be linked to
sequence-level information hard-wired in the organism's genome. We propose a
systematic way for determining the correlation threshold at which two genes are
assessed to be co-expressed by using the clustering coefficient and we expand
the scope of the gene co-expression network by proposing the slope ratio metric
as a means for incorporating directionality on the edges. We show through
specific examples for B. subtilis that by incorporating expression level
information in addition to the temporal expression patterns, we can uncover
sequence-level biological insights. In particular, we are able to identify a
number of cases where (i) the co-expressed genes are part of a single
transcriptional unit or operon and (ii) the inferred directionality arises due
to the presence of intra-operon transcription termination sites.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, accepted in Bioinformatic
Projected costs associated with school-based screening to inform deployment of Dengvaxia: Vietnam as a case study
Background: After new analysis, Sanofi Pasteur now recommends their dengue vaccine (Dengvaxia) should only be given to individuals previously infected with dengue and the World Health Organization's recommendations regarding its use are currently being revised. As a result, the potential costs of performing large-scale individual dengue screening and/or dengue serosurveys have become an important consideration for decision making by policymakers in dengue-endemic areas. Methods: We used an ingredients-based approach to estimate the financial costs for conducting both a school-based dengue serosurvey and school-based individual dengue screening within a typical province in Vietnam, using an existing commercial indirect immunoglobulin G enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. This costing is hypothetical and based on estimates regarding the resources that would be required to perform such activities. Results: We estimated that performing a school-based individual screening of 9-year-olds would cost US197,827 in total for a typical province. We also estimated that a school-based serosurvey would cost US$10,074, assuming one class from each of the grades that include 8- to 11-year-olds are sampled at each of the 12 selected schools across the province. Conclusions: The study indicates that using this vaccine safely on a large-scale will incur noteworthy operational costs. It is crucial that these be considered in future cost-effectiveness analyses informing how and where the vaccine is deployed
Personalised randomised controlled trial designsâa new paradigm to define optimal treatments for carbapenem-resistant infections
Antimicrobial resistance is impacting treatment decisions for, and patient outcomes from, bacterial infections worldwide, with particular threats from infections with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter baumanii, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Numerous areas of clinical uncertainty surround the treatment of these highly resistant infections, yet substantial obstacles exist to the design and conduct of treatment trials for carbapenem-resistant bacterial infections. These include the lack of a widely acceptable optimised standard of care and control regimens, varying antimicrobial susceptibilities and clinical contraindications making specific intervention regimens infeasible, and diagnostic and recruitment challenges. The current single comparator trials are not designed to answer the urgent public health question, identified as a high priority by WHO, of what are the best regimens out of the available options that will significantly reduce morbidity, costs, and mortality. This scenario has an analogy in network meta-analysis, which compares multiple treatments in an evidence synthesis to rank the best of a set of available treatments. To address these obstacles, we propose extending the network meta-analysis approach to individual randomisation of patients. We refer to this approach as a Personalised RAndomised Controlled Trial (PRACTical) design that compares multiple treatments in an evidence synthesis, to identify, overall, which is the best treatment out of a set of available treatments to recommend, or how these different treatments rank against each other. In this Personal View, we summarise the design principles of personalised randomised controlled trial designs. Specifically, of a network of different potential regimens for life-threatening carbapenem-resistant infections, each patient would be randomly assigned only to regimens considered clinically reasonable for that patient at that time, incorporating antimicrobial susceptibility, toxicity profile, pharmacometric properties, availability, and physician assessment. Analysis can use both direct and indirect comparisons across the network, analogous to network meta-analysis. This new trial design will maximise the relevance of the findings to each individual patient, and enable the top-ranked regimens from any personalised randomisation list to be identified, in terms of both efficacy and safety
Beyond Intuition, a Framework for Applying GPs to Real-World Data
Gaussian Processes (GPs) offer an attractive method for regression over
small, structured and correlated datasets. However, their deployment is
hindered by computational costs and limited guidelines on how to apply GPs
beyond simple low-dimensional datasets. We propose a framework to identify the
suitability of GPs to a given problem and how to set up a robust and
well-specified GP model. The guidelines formalise the decisions of experienced
GP practitioners, with an emphasis on kernel design and options for
computational scalability. The framework is then applied to a case study of
glacier elevation change yielding more accurate results at test time.Comment: Accepted at the 1st ICML Workshop on Structured Probabilistic
Inference and Generative Modelling (2023
The estimates of the health and economic burden of dengue in Vietnam
Dengue has been estimated to cause a substantial health and economic burden in Vietnam. The most recent studies have estimated that it is responsible for 39884 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) annually, representing an economic burden of US$94.87 million per year (in 2016 prices). However, there are alternative burden estimates that are notably lower. This variation is predominantly due to differences in how the number of symptomatic dengue cases is estimated. Understanding the methodology of these burden calculations is vital when interpreting health economic analyses of dengue. This review aims to provide an overview of the health and economic burden estimates of dengue in Vietnam. We also highlight important research gaps for future studies
Detection of molecular hydrogen at z=1.15 toward HE 0515-4414
A new molecular hydrogen cloud is found in the sub-damped Ly-alpha absorber
[log N(HI)=19.88+/-0.05] at the redshift z=1.15 toward the bright quasar
HE0515-4414 (zem = 1.71). More than 30 absorption features in the Lyman band
system of H2 are identified in the UV spectrum of this quasar obtained with the
Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope.
The H2-bearing cloud shows a total H2 column density N(H2)=(8.7^{+8.7}_-{4.0})
10^16 cm^-2, and a fractional molecular abundance f(H2)=(2.3^{+2.3}_{-1.1})
10^-3 derived from the H2 lines arising from the J=0-5 rotational levels of the
ground electronic vibrational state. The estimated rate of photodissociation at
the cloud edge I_0<=1.8 10^{-8} s^-1 is much higher than the mean Galactic disk
value, I_MW~=5.5 10^{-11} s^-1. This may indicate an enhanced star-formation
activity in the z=1.15 system as compared with molecular clouds at z~=3 where
I~=I_MW. We also find a tentative evidence that the formation rate coefficient
of H2 upon grain surfaces at z=1.15 is a factor of 10 larger than a canonical
Milky Way value, R_MW~=3 10^-17 cm^3 s^-1. The relative dust-to-gas ratio
estimated from the [Cr/Zn] ratio is equal to k=0.89+/-0.19 (in units of the
mean Galactic disk value), which is in good agreement with a high molecular
fraction in this system. The estimated line-of-sight size of L~=0.25 pc may
imply that the H2 is confined within small and dense filaments embedded in a
more rarefied gas giving rise to the z=1.15 sub-damped Ly-alpha absorber.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Valuing the unpaid contribution of community health volunteers to mass drug administration programs
Community health volunteers (CHVs) are being used within a growing number of healthcare interventions, and they have become a cornerstone for the delivery of mass drug administration within many neglected tropical disease control programs. However, a greater understanding of the methods used to value the unpaid time CHVs contribute to healthcare programs is needed. We outline the two main approaches used to value CHVs' unpaid time (the opportunity cost and the replacement cost approaches). We found that for mass drug administration programs the estimates of the economic costs relating to the CHVs' unpaid time can be significant, with the averages of the different studies varying between US60-90 million. There is a need for greater transparency and consistency in the methods used to value CHVs' unpaid time
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