Antimicrobial Resistance of Salmonella and E. coli from Pennsylvania Dairy Herds

The emergence and dissemination of bacterial antimicrobial resistance has become a major public health concern. A total of 444 manure composite samples were collected from 80 dairy farms in Pennsylvania, representing pre-weaned calves, post-weaned calves, dry cows, and lactating cows. E. coli and Salmonella were isolated, and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. Salmonella was isolated from at least one sample from 51 (64%) farms and was more prevalent in adult animals than young animals. The predominant serotypes were Cerro, Montevideo and Kentucky. Salmonella isolates were mostly susceptible to all antimicrobials. E. coli were commonly resistant to tetracycline, streptomycin, sulfisoxazole and ampicillin. Resistance of up to 8 classes of antibiotics was observed in E. coli isolated from young animals. The blaCMY- and blaCTX-M-carrying E. coli were detected in 35% and 5% of the farms, respectively. The presence of multi-drug resistant E. coli suggested potential risks to human health associated with dairy farming

Bone cements for percutaneous vertebroplasty and balloon kyphoplasty: Current status and future developments

SummaryOsteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) have gradually evolved into a serious health care problem globally. In order to reduce the morbidity of OVCF patients and improve their life quality, two minimally invasive surgery procedures, vertebroplasty (VP) and balloon kyphoplasty (BKP), have been developed. Both VP and BKP require the injection of bone cement into the vertebrae of patients to stabilize fractured vertebra. As such, bone cement as the filling material plays an essential role in the effectiveness of these treatments. In this review article, we summarize the bone cements that are currently available in the market and those still under development. Two major categories of bone cements, nondegradable acrylic bone cements (ABCs) and degradable calcium phosphate cements (CPCs), are introduced in detail. We also provide our perspectives on the future development of bone cements for VP and BKP

NiO-polyoxometalate nanocomposites as efficient catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane and isobutane

Novel nanocomposites of NiO and polyoxometalate (Cs2.5H0.5PMo12O40) with particle sizes in the range of 5-10 nm showed exceptional oxygen and ammonia adsorption capabilities, and the nanocomposites catalyzed the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane and isobutane efficiently under mild conditions.NSFC [20625310, 20773099, 20873110]; National Basic Research Program of China [2005CB221408]; Program for New Century Excellent Talents in Fujian Provinc

Chemical synthesis of lactic acid from cellulose catalysed by lead(II) ions in water

该工作是博士生王炎良（实验）和王斌举（理论）以及邓卫平博士紧密合作的成果。The direct transformation of cellulose, which is the main component of lignocellulosic biomass, into building-block chemicals is the key to establishing biomass-based sustainable chemical processes. Only limited successes have been achieved for such transformations under mild conditions. Here we report the simple and efficient chemocatalytic conversion of cellulose in water in the presence of dilute lead(II) ions, into lactic acid, which is a high-value chemical used for the production of fine chemicals and biodegradable plastics. The lactic acid yield from microcrystalline cellulose and several lignocellulose-based raw biomasses is >60% at 463 K. Both theoretical and experimental studies suggest that lead(II) in combination with water catalyses a series of cascading steps for lactic acid formation, including the isomerization of glucose formed via the hydrolysis of cellulose into fructose, the selective cleavage of the C3–C4 bond of fructose to trioses and the selective conversion of trioses into lactic acid.该项研究工作得到国家自然科学基金委、科技部和教育部创新研究团队项目的资助

Identification of Balanced Chromosomal Rearrangements Previously Unknown Among Participants in the 1000 Genomes Project: Implications for Interpretation of Structural Variation in Genomes and the Future of Clinical Cytogenetics

Purpose Recent studies demonstrate that whole-genome sequencing (WGS) enables detection of cryptic rearrangements in apparently balanced chromosomal rearrangements (also known as balanced chromosomal abnormalities, BCAs) previously identified by conventional cytogenetic methods. We aimed to assess our analytical tool for detecting BCAs in The 1000 Genomes Project without knowing affected bands. Methods: The 1000 Genomes Project provides an unprecedented integrated map of structural variants in phenotypically normal subjects, but there is no information on potential inclusion of subjects with apparently BCAs akin to those traditionally detected in diagnostic cytogenetics laboratories. We applied our analytical tool to 1,166 genomes from the 1000 Genomes Project with sufficient physical coverage (8.25-fold). Results: Our approach detected four reciprocal balanced translocations and four inversions ranging in size from 57.9 kb to 13.3 Mb, all of which were confirmed by cytogenetic methods and PCR studies. One of DNAs has a subtle translocation that is not readily identified by chromosome analysis due to similar banding patterns and size of exchanged segments, and another results in disruption of all transcripts of an OMIM gene. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the extension of utilizing low-coverage WGS for unbiased detection of BCAs including translocations and inversions previously unknown in the 1000 Genomes Project

The large area detector onboard the eXTP mission

The Large Area Detector (LAD) is the high-throughput, spectral-timing instrument onboard the eXTP mission, a flagship mission of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China National Space Administration, with a large European participation coordinated by Italy and Spain. The eXTP mission is currently performing its phase B study, with a target launch at the end-2027. The eXTP scientific payload includes four instruments (SFA, PFA, LAD and WFM) offering unprecedented simultaneous wide-band X-ray timing and polarimetry sensitivity. The LAD instrument is based on the design originally proposed for the LOFT mission. It envisages a deployed 3.2 m2 effective area in the 2-30 keV energy range, achieved through the technology of the large-area Silicon Drift Detectors - offering a spectral resolution of up to 200 eV FWHM at 6 keV - and of capillary plate collimators - limiting the field of view to about 1 degree. In this paper we will provide an overview of the LAD instrument design, its current status of development and anticipated performance

Design and Analysis of Omnidirectional Receiver with Multi-Coil for Wireless Power Transmission

In order to solve the misalignment problem of wireless power transmission, this paper designed and analyzed the omnidirectional receiver with multi-coil. The circuit models and transmission characteristics of the wireless power transfer system (WPTS) containing multi-coil were established. Besides, an accurate mutual inductance modelling method of the circular coil under different horizontal offset and angular deflection was presented. Based on the circuit models and the mutual inductance model, the relationship between transmission characteristics and the coil parameters were studied. Simultaneously, the design method which can synthetically and quantificationally consider the radius of the coil and the number of turns was proposed. Finally, an omnidirectional receiver with multi-coil using the quantificational model and transmission characteristics in different horizontal offset and angular deflection was designed.The transmission efficiency of three-coils-receiver system was up 12.3% higher than that of one-coil-receiver system and 4% higher than that of two-coils-receiver system when horizontal offset was between 0 cm and 30 cm. Similarly, when angular deflection was between 0 and π/2, the efficiency of three-coils-receiver system was up 73.25% higher than that of one-coil-receiver system and 1.6% higher than that of two-coils-receiver system

The effects of prophylactic cranial irradiation versus control on survival of patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis of 14 trials

Abstract Background A recent Japanese study suggested prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) failed to improve survival of extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, previous studies showed that PCI was beneficial in reducing the rate of mortality for extensive-stage SCLC. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of PCI on the survival of patients diagnosed with extensive-stage SCLC by meta-analysis. Methods PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane library and Chinese Biomedical Literature database (CBM) were systematically searched to identify eligible clinical studies assessing the efficacy of PCI in extensive-stage SCLC patients. After extracting survival data, brain metastasis, and response rates, the pooled estimates were calculated. Results A total of 14 clinical studies were included, involving 1221 cases in the PCI group and 5074 in the control group. The results showed that PCI significantly improved overall survival (Hazard ratio (HR) = 0.57; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.47, 0.69; p < 0.001) and brain metastasis (risk ratio (RR) =0.47, 95%CI: 0.33, 0.69; p < 0.01). Subgroup analysis along with sensitivity analysis suggested that PCI effects on overall survival were independent of region, pre-PCI brain metastasis status and PCI administration timing. Conclusion PCI improves overall survival in extensive-stage SCLC. More randomized controlled trials are needed to verify our findings