2017 HRS/EHRA/ECAS/APHRS/SOLAECE expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation: executive summary.

S

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Search for gravitational waves associated with gamma-ray bursts detected by Fermi and Swift during the LIGO–Virgo run O3b

We search for gravitational-wave signals associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the Fermi and Swift satellites during the second half of the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo (2019 November 1 15:00 UTC–2020 March 27 17:00 UTC). We conduct two independent searches: a generic gravitational-wave transients search to analyze 86 GRBs and an analysis to target binary mergers with at least one neutron star as short GRB progenitors for 17 events. We find no significant evidence for gravitational-wave signals associated with any of these GRBs. A weighted binomial test of the combined results finds no evidence for subthreshold gravitational-wave signals associated with this GRB ensemble either. We use several source types and signal morphologies during the searches, resulting in lower bounds on the estimated distance to each GRB. Finally, we constrain the population of low-luminosity short GRBs using results from the first to the third observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. The resulting population is in accordance with the local binary neutron star merger rate

Supercritical carbon dioxide anti-solvent precipitation of anti-oxidative zeaxanthin highly recovered by elution chromatography from Nannochloropsis oculata

Zeaxanthin, a kind of xanthophylls, rich in Marigold flowers and a few micro algae, acts as a strong antioxidant capable of protecting human eye-sight from age-related macular degeneration. This study examined elution chromatography coupled with supercritical anti-solvent precipitation applied for generation of zeaxanthin-rich particulates from micro-algal Nannochloropsis oculata species. Crude of the ultrasonic acetone extract subjected to the column fractionation successfully yields a fraction containing 303.02 mg/g (30%) of zeaxanthin with recovery of 90%. Supercritical anti-solvent precipitation of the algal solution at 200 bar and 313 K was used in producing submicron-sized particulates of 50% zeaxanthin. These extracts were subjected to tests of antioxidant capacities in 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate free-radical assay and human adult retinal pigment epithelium-19 cells. This work provided a fast and environmental benign process to generate anti-oxidative capable algal micronized powders from the N. oculata

Multiplexed Printed Sensors For \u3ci\u3eIn Situ\u3c/i\u3e Monitoring In Bivalve Aquaculture

Non-intrusive sensors that can be attached to marine species offer opportunities to study the impacts of environmental changes on their behaviors and well-being. This work presents a thin, flexible sensor tag to monitor the effects of dissolved oxygen and salinity on bivalve gape movement. The measurement range studied was 0.5–6 ppm for the dissolved oxygen sensor and 4–40 g kg−1 for the salinity sensor. The curvature strain sensor based on electrodeposited semiconducting fibers enabled measurements of an oyster\u27s gape down to sub-mm displacement. The multiplexed sensors were fabricated by low-cost techniques, offering an economical and convenient platform for aquaculture studies

Multiplexed printed sensors for in situ monitoring in bivalve aquaculture.

Non-intrusive sensors that can be attached to marine species offer opportunities to study the impacts of environmental changes on their behaviors and well-being. This work presents a thin, flexible sensor tag to monitor the effects of dissolved oxygen and salinity on bivalve gape movement. The measurement range studied was 0.5-6 ppm for the dissolved oxygen sensor and 4-40 g kg-1 for the salinity sensor. The curvature strain sensor based on electrodeposited semiconducting fibers enabled measurements of an oyster's gape down to sub-mm displacement. The multiplexed sensors were fabricated by low-cost techniques, offering an economical and convenient platform for aquaculture studies

Nanoparticulated Honokiol Mitigates Cisplatin-Induced Chronic Kidney Injury by Maintaining Mitochondria Antioxidant Capacity and Reducing Caspase 3-Associated Cellular Apoptosis

Cisplatin is a potent anti-cancer drug, however, its accompanied organ-toxicity hampers its clinical applications. Cisplatin-associated kidney injury is known to result from its accumulation in the renal tubule with excessive generation of reactive oxygen species. In this study, we encapsulated honokiol, a natural lipophilic polyphenol constituent extracted from Magnolia officinalis into nano-sized liposomes (nanosome honokiol) and examined the in vivo countering effects on cisplatin-induced renal injury. We observed that 5 mg/kg body weight. nanosome honokiol was the lowest effective dosage to efficiently restore renal functions of cisplatin-treated animals. The improvement is likely due the maintenance of cellular localization of cytochrome c and thus preserves mitochondria integrity and their redox activity, which as a consequence, reduced cellular oxidative stress and caspase 3-associated apoptosis. These improvements at the cellular level are later reflected on the observed reduction of kidney inflammation and fibrosis. In agreement with our earlier in vitro study showing protective effects of honokiol on kidney cell lines, we demonstrated further in the current study, that nanosuspension-formulated honokiol provides protective effects against cisplatin-induced chronic kidney damages in vivo. Our findings not only benefit cisplatin-receiving patients with reduced renal side effects, but also provide potential alternative and synergic solutions to improve clinical safety and efficacy of cisplatin treatment on cancer patients