Multiple Naïve Bayes Classifiers Ensemble for Traffic Incident Detection

This study presents the applicability of the Naïve Bayes classifier ensemble for traffic incident detection. The standard Naive Bayes (NB) has been applied to traffic incident detection and has achieved good results. However, the detection result of the practically implemented NB depends on the choice of the optimal threshold, which is determined mathematically by using Bayesian concepts in the incident-detection process. To avoid the burden of choosing the optimal threshold and tuning the parameters and, furthermore, to improve the limited classification performance of the NB and to enhance the detection performance, we propose an NB classifier ensemble for incident detection. In addition, we also propose to combine the Naïve Bayes and decision tree (NBTree) to detect incidents. In this paper, we discuss extensive experiments that were performed to evaluate the performances of three algorithms: standard NB, NB ensemble, and NBTree. The experimental results indicate that the performances of five rules of the NB classifier ensemble are significantly better than those of standard NB and slightly better than those of NBTree in terms of some indicators. More importantly, the performances of the NB classifier ensemble are very stable

MEMBRANE DEVELOPMENT AND SYSTEM INTEGRATION OF MEMBRANE DISTILLATION (MD)

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (FOE

Exopolysaccharide from <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> YT013 and Its Apoptotic Activity on Gastric Cancer AGS Cells

Cancer is a significant health burden in the world. Natural product drugs have received widespread attention because of their safety and effectiveness, stable effects and fewer side effects. Some studies have demonstrated that exopolysaccharide (EPS) from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can inhibit the growth of many types of cancer cells. In this work, the effects of the EPS from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YT013 on gastric cancer cells were investigated. Its cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assay; at the concentration of 1000 μg/mL, the most significant inhibitory effect occurred in AGS cells, followed by SGC-7901, PANC-1 and HCT116, and less inhibited in HepG2 cells. Cell cycle results showed that EPS prevented AGS cells from transitioning from the S phase to the G2/M phase. In addition, the results of flow cytometry showed that EPS promoted apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. Western blotting also indicated that EPS might lead to apoptosis via the endogenous mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. The safety of lyophilized powder, cell-free culture supernatant and EPS from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YT013 were evaluated by observing tissue organs through H&E staining, and the results showed that the components were safe and effective and could provide a basis for the development of natural anticancer active drugs

Scale Up and Validation of Novel Tri-Bore PVDF Hollow Fiber Membranes for Membrane Distillation Application in Desalination and Industrial Wastewater Recycling

Novel tri-bore polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membranes (TBHF) were scaled-up for fabrication on industrial-scale hollow fiber spinning equipment, with the objective of validating the membrane technology for membrane distillation (MD) applications in areas such as desalination, resource recovery, and zero liquid discharge. The membrane chemistry and spinning processes were adapted from a previously reported method and optimized to suit large-scale production processes with the objective of translating the technology from lab scale to pilot scale and eventual commercialization. The membrane process was successfully optimized in small 1.5 kg batches and scaled-up to 20 kg and 50 kg batch sizes with good reproducibility of membrane properties. The membranes were then assembled into 0.5-inch and 2-inch modules of different lengths and evaluated in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) mode, as well as vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) mode. The 0.5-inch modules had a permeate flux >10 L m−2 h−1, whereas the 2-inch module flux dropped significantly to −2 h−1 according to testing with 3.5 wt.% NaCl feed. Several optimization trials were carried out to improve the DCMD and VMD flux to >5 L m−2 h−1, whereas the salt rejection consistently remained ≥99.9%

Laser-activatable oxygen self-supplying nanoplatform for efficiently overcoming colorectal cancer resistance by enhanced ferroptosis and alleviated hypoxic microenvironment

Abstract Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most deadly cancer worldwide, with chemo-resistance remaining a major obstacle in CRC treatment. Notably, the imbalance of redox homeostasis-mediated ferroptosis and the modulation of hypoxic tumor microenvironment are regarded as new entry points for overcoming the chemo-resistance of CRC. Methods Inspired by this, we rationally designed a light-activatable oxygen self-supplying chemo-photothermal nanoplatform by co-assembling cisplatin (CDDP) and linoleic acid (LA)-tailored IR820 via enhanced ferroptosis against colorectal cancer chemo-resistance. In this nanoplatform, CDDP can produce hydrogen peroxide in CRC cells through a series of enzymatic reactions and subsequently release oxygen under laser-triggered photothermal to alleviate hypoxia. Additionally, the introduced LA can add exogenous unsaturated fatty acids into CRC cells, triggering ferroptosis via oxidative stress-related peroxidized lipid accumulation. Meanwhile, photothermal can efficiently boost the rate of enzymatic response and local blood flow, hence increasing the oxygen supply and oxidizing LA for enhanced ferroptosis. Results This nanoplatform exhibited excellent anti-tumor efficacy in chemo-resistant cell lines and showed potent inhibitory capability in nude mice xenograft models. Conclusions Taken together, this nanoplatform provides a promising paradigm via enhanced ferroptosis and alleviated hypoxia tumor microenvironment against CRC chemo-resistance. Graphical Abstrac

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Neocryptolepine Derivatives as Potential Anti-Gastric Cancer Agents

Natural products play an important role in drug development and lead compound synthesis. Neocryptolepine is a polycyclic quinoline compound isolated from Cryptolepis sanguinolent. The cytotoxicity of neocryptolepine to gastric cancer cells AGS, MKN45, HGC27, and SGC7901 was not very strong, and it also had certain toxicity to gastric mucosa cells GES-1. Therefore, a series of neocryptolepine derivatives were synthesized by the modification of the structure of neocryptolepine, and their cytotoxicity was evaluated. The results showed that compounds C5 and C8 exhibited strong cytotoxicity to AGS cells. The cell colony formation and cell migration experiments suggested that compounds C5 and C8 could inhibit the proliferation and cell migration of AGS and HGC27 cells. Cell cycle and apoptosis experiments showed that compounds C5 and C8 did not cause the apoptosis of AGS and HGC27 cells but, mainly, caused cell necrosis. Compound C5 had no significant effect on AGS and HGC27 cell cycles at low concentration. After treatment with AGS cells for 24 h at high concentration, compound C5 could significantly arrest the AGS cell cycle in the G2/M phase. Compound C8 had no significant effect on the AGS and HGC27 cell cycles. The results of molecular docking and Western blot showed that compounds C5 and C8 might induce cytotoxicity through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Therefore, compounds C5 and C8 may be promising lead compounds for the treatment of gastric cancer

Additional file 1 of Laser-activatable oxygen self-supplying nanoplatform for efficiently overcoming colorectal cancer resistance by enhanced ferroptosis and alleviated hypoxic microenvironment

Additional file 1: Fig S1. Synthesis and characterization of C820 NPs. (A) Synthesis illustration of IR820-OH and L780. (B-D) 1H NMR analysis of IR820 (B), IR820-OH (C), L820 (D). (E) In vitro release profiles of IR820-OH from C820 NPs in PBS at pH 7.4, pH 6.5 and pH 5.0, respectively. (F-G) Mass spectrum of IR820-OH (F) and L820 (G). (H-J) Photothermal activity of IR820 (H), IR820-OH (I), L820 (J) dispersed in water at various concentrations. Fig S2. Cellular uptake and MTT assay of C820 NPs in colorectal cancer cells. (A, C) Fluorescence microscopy images of C820 NPs absorbed by RKO and LoVo at 0, 1, 2, 4, and 6 h. Scale bar: 150 μm. (B, D) Flow cytometry analysis of the time-dependent cellular absorption of C820. (E-G) Cell viability after treatments without laser irradiation. (H) IC50 of drugs in different groups of CDDP/LoVo, LoVo, and RKO cells without laser irradiation. (I) Apoptosis analysis in RKO cells treated with PBS, CDDP, IR820, L820, C820 NPs, and C820 NPs/Hyp by Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. Fig S3. The underlying mechanism of C820 NPs in cancer therapy. (A) Fluorescence microscopy images and (B and C) flow cytometry quantitative analysis for intracellular ROS generation of RKO cells using DCFH-DA as a probe. Scale bar: 150μm. (λ = 808 nm for IR820 and 660nm for L820 and C820 NPs, P = 1.0 W/cm2; irradiation time = 60s). (D) Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images and (E and F) flow cytometry quantitative analysis of the C11-BODIPY (581/591) probe detected lipid peroxidation in RKO cells. Scale bar: 20 μm. (λ = 808 nm for IR820 and 660nm for L820 and C820 NPs, P = 1.0 W/cm2; irradiation time = 60s). (G) Immunoblot analysis of ferroptosis markers (GPX4) in RKO cells treated as indicated. (H-I) Representative transmission electron microscopy images of C820 NPs-induced ferroptosis in colorectal cancer cells in LoVo cells (H) and RKO cells (I). Scale bar: 1 μm/500 nm. (λ = 808 nm for IR820 and 660nm for L820 and C820 NPs, P = 1.0 W/cm2; irradiation time = 60s). (J) CLSM images of LoVo/CDDP cells treated accordingly and stained with hypoxia probes in the presence of 1% O2. Scale bar: 30 μm. (K) Statistical analysis of mean fluorescence intensity in LoVo/CDDP cells treated with hypoxia and different drugs. (L) Flow cytometry analysis of intracellular hypoxia level in LoVo/CDDP cells after different treatments in a hypoxic environment. Data represent means ± SD (n = 3, one-way ANOVA, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001). Fig S4. Biosafety of C820 NPs in vivo.  (A) Fluorescence intensity statistics of BALB/c nude mice bearing RKO tumors at different time points after the injection of C820 NPs. (B) Fluorescence intensity statistics of tumors and different organs excised at 24 h post-injection with IR820, L820 or C820. (C) H&E staining of main organs under different treatment. Scale bar: 50 μm. (D-G) Biochemical analysis of the peripheral blood serum after treatment with saline, free CDDP, L820 and C820 NPs with laser irradiation (1 W∙cm-2, 5 min), (n=5). Data represent means ± SD (n = 3, one-way ANOVA, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001). Fig S5. Anti-tumor properties of C820 NPs in tumor-bearing mice bearing drug-resistant cells. (A-B) Biodistribution and photothermal (C-D) profile of C820 NPs in tumor-bearing BALB/c mouse model. (E) H&E staining of main organs and tumor under different treatment. Scale bar: 50 μm. (F-I) Biochemical analysis of the peripheral blood serum after treatment with saline, free CDDP, L820 and C820 NPs with laser irradiation (1 W∙cm-2, 5 min), (n=5). Data represent means ± SD (n = 3, one-way ANOVA, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001). Fig S6. Comparison of NOX and SOD Levels in Tumor Tissue with and without Laser Irradiation. A. Photographs of tumors from each group, visually illustrating the differences in tumor growth and response to treatment. (C820+Laser: 660 nm; P = 1.0 W/cm2) B. Tumor volume change graph. C. Final tumor volumes and the inhibition rate. D. Representative images of immunostaining. Scale bar: 50 μm

Risk Factors in Patients with Diabetes Hospitalized for COVID-19: Findings from a Multicenter Retrospective Study

Background and Purpose. Diabetes is common in COVID-19 patients and associated with unfavorable outcomes. We aimed to describe the characteristics and identify the risk factors for COVID-19 patients complicated with diabetes. Methods. In this multicenter retrospective study, patients with COVID-19 in China were included and classified into two groups according to whether they were complicated with diabetes or not. Demographic symptoms and laboratory data were extracted from medical records. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression methods were used to explore the risk factors. Results. 538 COVID-19 patients were finally included in this study, of whom 492 were nondiabetes and 46 were diabetes. The median age was 47 years (IQR 35.0-56.0). And the elderly patients with diabetes were more likely to have dry cough, and the alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, Ca, and mean hemoglobin recovery rate were higher than the other groups. Furthermore, we also found the liver and kidney function of male patients was worse than that of female patients, while female cases should be paid more attention to the occurrence of bleeding and electrolyte disorders. Moreover, advance age, blood glucose, gender, prothrombin time, and total cholesterol could be considered as risk factors for COVID-19 patients with diabetes through the multivariable logistic regression model in our study. Conclusion. The potential risk factors found in our study showed a major piece of the complex puzzle linking diabetes and COVID-19 infection. Meanwhile, focusing on gender and age factors in COVID-19 patients with or without diabetes, specific clinical characteristics, and risk factors should be paid more attention by clinicians to figure out a targeted intervention to improve clinical efficacy worldwide