Applicability of an integrated moving sponge biocarrier-osmotic membrane bioreactor MD system for saline wastewater treatment using highly salt-tolerant microorganisms

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. Osmotic membrane bioreactors (OsMBRs) are a recent breakthrough technology designed to treat wastewater. Nevertheless, their application in high-salinity wastewater treatment is not widespread because of the effects of saline conditions on microbial community activity. In response, this study developed an integrated sponge biocarrier-OsMBR system using highly salt-tolerant microorganisms for treating saline wastewater. Results showed that the sponge biocarrier-OsMBR obtained an average water flux of 2 L/m2 h during a 92-day operation when 1 M MgCl2 was used as the draw solution. The efficiency in removing dissolved organic compounds from the proposed system was more than 99%, and nutrient rejection was close to 100%, indicating excellent performance in simultaneous nitrification and denitrification processes in the biofilm layer on the carriers. Moreover, salt-tolerant microorganisms in the sponge biocarrier-OsMBR system worked efficiently in salt concentrations of 2.4%. A polytetrafluoroethylene MD membrane (pores = 0.45 μm) served to regenerate the diluted draw solution in the closed-loop system and produce high-quality water. The moving sponge biocarrier-OsMBR/MD hybrid system demonstrated its potential to treat salinity wastewater treatment, with 100% nutrient removal and 99.9% conductivity rejection

VEGFR2 Expression Correlates with Postnatal Development of Brain Arteriovenous Malformations in a Mouse Model of Type I Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia

\ua9 2023 by the authors.Brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs) are a critical concern in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) patients, carrying the risk of life-threatening intracranial hemorrhage. While traditionally seen as congenital, the debate continues due to documented de novo cases. Our primary goal was to identify the precise postnatal window in which deletion of the HHT gene Endoglin (Eng) triggers BAVM development. We employed SclCreER(+);Eng2f/2f mice, enabling timed Eng gene deletion in endothelial cells via tamoxifen. Tamoxifen was given during four postnatal periods: P1–3, P8–10, P15–17, and P22–24. BAVM development was assessed at 2–3 months using latex dye perfusion. We examined the angiogenic activity by assessing vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) expression via Western blotting and Flk1-LacZ reporter mice. Longitudinal magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) was conducted up to 9 months. BAVMs emerged in 88% (P1–3), 86% (P8–10), and 55% (P15–17) of cases, with varying localization. Notably, the P22–24 group did not develop BAVMs but exhibited skin AVMs. VEGFR2 expression peaked in the initial 2 postnatal weeks, coinciding with BAVM onset. These findings support the “second hit” theory, highlighting the role of early postnatal angiogenesis in initiating BAVM development in HHT type I mice

Euler semigroup, Hardy-Sobolev and Gagliardo-Nirenberg type inequalities on homogeneous groups

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Differences in flowering sex ratios between native and invasive populations of the seagrass Halophila stipulacea

Deviations from the 1:1 sex ratio are common in dioecious plants. The tropical seagrass Halophila stipulacea is among an extremely rare group of dioecious plants which is widely recognized as female-biased. Here we report on differences in sex ratios between native (Eilat, northern Red Sea) and invasive (Cyprus, Mediterranean Sea) populations. While H. stipulacea populations were female-biased in the native region, invasive populations were either male- or female-biased. The existence of both sexes simultaneously in the Mediterranean invasive population, might help its ongoing expansion in the Mediterranean, thereby threatening local seagrasses species

Mobocertinib (TAK-788) in EGFR Exon 20 Insertion+ Metastatic NSCLC: Patient-Reported Outcomes from EXCLAIM Extension Cohort.

Mobocertinib, an oral, first-in-class epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor selective for EGFR exon 20 insertions (ex20ins), achieved durable responses in adults with previously treated EGFR ex20ins+ metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) in the EXCLAIM extension cohort of a phase 1/2 study (N = 96; NCT02716116). We assessed patient-reported outcomes (PROs) with mobocertinib 160 mg once daily (28-day cycles) in EXCLAIM (N = 90) with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) v3.0, lung cancer module (QLQ-LC13), EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire, and selected PRO Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) questionnaire. Median treatment duration was 6.8 (range, 0.0-18.8) months (median follow-up: 13.0 [0.7-18.8] months; data cutoff: 1 November 2020). Clinically meaningful improvements in lung cancer symptoms measured by EORTC QLQ-LC13 were observed for dyspnea (54.4% of patients), cough (46.7%), and chest pain (38.9%), evident at cycle 2 and throughout treatment (least-squares mean [LSM] changes from baseline: dyspnea, -3.2 [p = 0.019]; cough, -9.3 [p < 0.001]; chest pain, -8.2 [p < 0.001]). EORTC QLQ-C30 results indicated no statistically significant changes in global health status/quality of life (LSM change from baseline: -1.8 [p = 0.235]). On symptom scores, significant worsening from baseline was observed for diarrhea (LSM change from baseline: +34.1; p < 0.001) and appetite loss (+6.6; p = 0.004), while improvements were observed for dyspnea (LSM change from baseline: -5.1 [p = 0.002]), insomnia (-6.5 [p = 0.001]), and constipation (-5.7 [p < 0.001]). EQ-5D-5L health status was maintained. Common PRO-CTCAE symptoms were diarrhea, dry skin, rash, and decreased appetite (mostly low grade); in the first 24 weeks of treatment, 64.4% of patients had worsening diarrhea frequency and 67.8% had worsening dry skin severity. Overall, PROs with mobocertinib showed clinically meaningful improvement in lung cancer-related symptoms, with health-related quality of life maintained despite changes in some adverse event symptom scales

Using Neural Networks for Relation Extraction from Biomedical Literature

Using different sources of information to support automated extracting of relations between biomedical concepts contributes to the development of our understanding of biological systems. The primary comprehensive source of these relations is biomedical literature. Several relation extraction approaches have been proposed to identify relations between concepts in biomedical literature, namely, using neural networks algorithms. The use of multichannel architectures composed of multiple data representations, as in deep neural networks, is leading to state-of-the-art results. The right combination of data representations can eventually lead us to even higher evaluation scores in relation extraction tasks. Thus, biomedical ontologies play a fundamental role by providing semantic and ancestry information about an entity. The incorporation of biomedical ontologies has already been proved to enhance previous state-of-the-art results.Comment: Artificial Neural Networks book (Springer) - Chapter 1

Permeability during magma expansion and compaction

Plinian lapilli from the 1060 Common Era Glass Mountain rhyolitic eruption of Medicine Lake Volcano, California, were collected and analyzed for vesicularity and permeability. A subset of the samples were deformed at a temperature of 975°, under shear and normal stress, and postdeformation porosities and permeabilities were measured. Almost all undeformed samples fall within a narrow range of vesicularity (0.7–0.9), encompassing permeabilities between approximately 10−15 m2 and 10−10 m2. A percolation threshold of approximately 0.7 is required to fit the data by a power law, whereas a percolation threshold of approximately 0.5 is estimated by fitting connected and total vesicularity using percolation modeling. The Glass Mountain samples completely overlap with a range of explosively erupted silicic samples, and it remains unclear whether the erupting magmas became permeable at porosities of approximately 0.7 or at lower values. Sample deformation resulted in compaction and vesicle connectivity either increased or decreased. At small strains permeability of some samples increased, but at higher strains permeability decreased. Samples remain permeable down to vesicularities of less than 0.2, consistent with a potential hysteresis in permeability-porosity between expansion (vesiculation) and compaction (outgassing). We attribute this to retention of vesicle interconnectivity, albeit at reduced vesicle size, as well as bubble coalescence during shear deformation. We provide an equation that approximates the change in permeability during compaction. Based on a comparison with data from effusively erupted silicic samples, we propose that this equation can be used to model the change in permeability during compaction of effusively erupting magmas

Using small molecules to facilitate exchange of bicarbonate and chloride anions across liposomal membranes

Bicarbonate is involved in a wide range of biological processes, which include respiration, regulation of intracellular pH and fertilization. In this study we use a combination of NMR spectroscopy and ion-selective electrode techniques to show that the natural product prodigiosin, a tripyrrolic molecule produced by microorganisms such as Streptomyces and Serratia, facilitates chloride/bicarbonate exchange (antiport) across liposomal membranes. Higher concentrations of simple synthetic molecules based on a 4,6-dihydroxyisophthalamide core are also shown to facilitate this antiport process. Although it is well known that proteins regulate Cl-/HCO3- exchange in cells, these results suggest that small molecules may also be able to regulate the concentration of these anions in biological systems

Access route selection for percutaneous coronary intervention among Vietnamese patients: Implications for in-hospital costs and outcomes

Background:Little is known about rates of access site (transradial (TRI) or transfemoral (TFI)) preference for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and in-hospital costs of patients undergoing these procedures in lower-and middle-countries. Here, we report on access site use, in-hospital costs and outcomes of patients undergoing PCI in Vietnam.Methods:Information from 868 patients were included in the cohort of 1022 patients recruited into the first PCI registry in Vietnam. The total hospital costs and in-hospital outcomes of patients undergoing TRI and TFI were compared. Hospital costs were obtained from the hospital admission system, and major adverse cardiac events, major bleeding events and length of stay were identified through review of medical records.Findings:TRI was the dominant access site for interventionists (694/868 patients). The TFI group reported more lesions of the left main artery, more previous coronary artery bypass grafts and previous PCI in comparison with the TRI group (all p Interpretations:Among patients undergoing PCI, TRI was associated with lower costs and favourable clinical outcomes relative to TFI