bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phytoremediation of Vegetable Leachate by Nymphaea Nouchali
Authors: Mokhtar H , Muhamad N S , Abdul Rahman N A , Ayob A
Published: December 2020

Leachate normally contains high concentration of pollutants and regulated under stringent discharge standards. Conventional treatments of leachate are no longer adequate to ensure compliance with the standard. Phytoremediation is a relatively new approach to treat leachate contaminated by organic and inorganic substances. Nymphaea Nouchali is an abundant and easy-growing free-floating aquatic plants found in the rice fields, reservoir and polluted ponds. Nymphaea and Nuphar are the most commonly found species in Malaysia. In the last few decades there has been an increasing interest in the study of phytoremediator plants which can serve as an alternative for leachate treatment. The main objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of organic removal from vegetable leachate (VL) using Nymphaea Nouchali. The results exhibited that after 7 days of phytoremediation, sample R0.5 shows excellent removal of biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), colour and suspended solid (SS) to meet the allowable limit.
Efficiency of Natural Plant-Based Coagulants for Water Treatment
Authors: Aina Nadhillah Muhamad Nur , Fatihah Juhari Nurul , Noorazurah Mohamad Irma
Published: December 2020

Natural plant-based coagulant is a natural based coagulant that can be used in coagulation process of water treatment. This study was conducted to investigate the potential of plant-based materials as coagulants for surface water treatment. Two types of locally available plant-based materials were selected as natural coagulants in this study are soybean and banana peel. Their efficiency in removing turbidity and color from raw surface water were analysed. Findings from the present study showed that the coagulation efficiency using soybean and banana peel were comparable to conventional chemical coagulants. The treatment of surface water using soybean and banana peel coagulant were found to be the most effective at dosage of 120 mg/L. The turbidity removal efficiency for soybean and banana peel are 23.2% and 15% respectively. In present works, both plant-based coagulants were found to be a suitable coagulant for surface water on the basis of removal of turbidity and color, respectively.
Chemical and Fibre Properties by Lemon Grass in Chemical Pulping for Pulp Industry
Authors: Daud Zawawi , Azan Tajarudin Husnul , Gomesh Nair , Santiagoo Ragunathan , Awang Halizah , Zainuri Mohd Hatta Mohd , Arif Rosli Mohd , Detho Amir
Published: December 2020

Malaysia has a high rate of depleting forest activities than any other tropical countries in the world. This lead to an increasing of pollution and loss of forest trees include animal to our nature. Lemon grasses as a substitute material from non-wood material had been choose for pulp and papermaking industry. This study was going through the chemical composition analysis and fibre properties for lemon grass pulp. These conclude that lemon grass had a high percentage of cellulose; with a low lignin content; good fibre length by TAPPI method. Thus, lemon grass has a potential to be alternative material for becoming waste-wealth product especially for Malaysia’s pulp and papermaking industry.
Analysis of Chinese Patent Technology in Ship and Marine Engineering Equipment Industry
Authors: Jun Hu , Junmin Wu , Yongxiang Sheng , Jie Wu , Hegong Lei
Published: December 2020

Based on the current situation of China’s shipbuilding and marine engineering equipment industry, this paper divides the shipbuilding industry into three categories: general-purpose shipbuilding industry, special-purpose shipbuilding industry and marine engineering equipment industry. Patsnap patent search platform is used to analyze the patent trend, distribution of key technology branches and key applicants of the three types of shipbuilding industry in China. According to the analysis results, the corresponding policy strategies are put forward to provide reference for enterprises to accurately grasp the future direction of development and avoid patent risks.
Effects of asphalt modification by Nanosilica and Nanoclay on asphalt binder and hot mix asphalt properties
Authors: Oda Ahmed W. , El-Desouky Ahmed , Mahdy Hassan , Moussa Osama M.
Published: December 2020

In the Hot mix asphalt (HMA) is widely used in asphalt paving in most of countries. The goal of this paper is to study the effect of adding nanomaterials on the properties of asphalt binder and HMA. An experimental program has been conducted to study how to evaluate the performance of the modified asphalt binder and the modified HMA. Nanosilica (NS) and Nanoclay (NC) were used as modifiers. NS and NC were added at 3%, 5% and 7% by bitumen weight. Tests were performed to evaluate enhancement occurred in Penetration, softening point (SP), rotational viscosity (RV). Marshall stability tests, loss of stability and indirect tensile strength were performed on modified asphalt mixtures. Results were compared with control mix. Results shows significant enhancement in most of properties of asphalt binder and HMA. Penetration decreased by 24.07% at 3% NC and 20.37% at 5% NS. 3% NC and 5% NS were chosen to be optimum nanomaterial content (ONMC). Modified bitumens by 3% NC and 5% NS were used to produce modified asphalt mixtures. The modified mixtures showed a significant enhancement in stability and indirect tensile strength (IDT), but they, in contrast, had a harmful effect on the loss of stability (LOS).
Simulation and Optimizationof aMetallic Ferry under MLC70Loading
Authors: Lotfy Mohamed N. , Khalifa Yasser A. , Dessouki Abdelrahim k. , Fathallah Elsayed
Published: December 2020

Floating ferries are used for both civilian and military purposes. This study concerned with a ferry composed of sixteen connected floating pontoons. This ferry is simulated and optimized to carry Military Load Capacity MLC70 (Tank load). Consequently to the increasing demand of evolution and cost optimization, the design optimization is performed in this paper to obtain the optimum minimum weight which minimizesboth the cost and the buoyancy factor. The simulation of the ferry is performed using the finite element program ANSYSsoftware. Furthermore, different grades of the structural steel, hybrid materials (steel stiffeners covered with aluminium plates) and aluminium alloy are incorporated in this study. Thesimulation is verified with both practical and mathematical results. The performance of the ferry is investigated. In addition to the design parameters, constraints and objective functions are determined. The optimum weight of the ferry is obtained, followed by a reduction in the buoyancy factor; accordinglythe capacity of the ferry can be increased. Comparison between the behaviour of the different ferries using different materials is operated considering stresses, deformations and weight. Conclusions and recommendations are then stated.
Multi-objective optimization of sandwich composite pressure hull for decreasing weight and drag force and increasing buckling load capacity
Authors: Helal Mahmoud , Fathallah Elsayed
Published: December 2020

In underwater applications, space vehicles, and aircrafts, the weight becomes an important factor. Additionally, the design of composites structures greatly depends on the number of layers and the fiber orientation angle. Therefore, this work presents the optimization of sandwich composite pressure hull in order to minimize (weight and drag force) and maximize the buckling load capacity using ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL). Tsai-Wu and maximum stress failure criteria were incorporated for predicting the first-ply failure. The major and minor radius of the pressure hull, the ring and long beams dimensions, the fiber orientation angle and layer thickness are taken as design variables. The results illustrated that, core thickness (Tcore
) has a great effect to resist the shell buckling. While, has a little effect on both Tsai-Wu and maximum stress failure index.
Optimization of the Panels Used in Free-Form Buildings and Its Impact on Building Cost
Authors: Elkabany Sara N. , Elkordy Ahmed M. , Sobh Hesham A.
Published: December 2020

The described study presents the context of the process of optimization curved panels and the direct impact on reducing high cost, especially in this type of free-form buildings. The main motivation for this study is the avoidance of the traditional style of design where it needs to produce expensive designs because free shapes require a huge amount of specialization, the use of digital technology can overcome the problem of high cost through the production of optimized designs in addition to the ease of implementation of these forms which can be complicated in some cases as the number of freeform buildings that use building information modeling technology has increased recently. The importance of research is shown in guiding designers to optimize curved panels used in free formation during the early design stage so that design solutions can be correctly identified. This paper presents the results of analyzing the types of curved panels by comparing the cost before and after the optimization process, using algorithms for the selected materials (FRP, steel, and aluminum) that aim to reduce the value of curve coordinates while preserving the curve from deformation. In order to further devote attention to methodological frameworks to optimize curved panels besides cost control. the primary goal of the research is innovation at the initial design stage by designers through the use of algorithm-based assistance programs to optimize curved shapes that can produce contemporary project optimization curved panels are less expensive while maintaining the desired curved shape.
Optimization of Load-Bearing concrete Wall Using Genetic Algorithm To achieve Mechanically Integrated Behavior
Authors: Elkabany Sara N. , Elkordy Ahmed M. , Sobh Hesham A.
Published: December 2020

This paper proposes mechanical and growth characteristics of nature that inspire shapes to be applied to load-bearing walls. The problem is that this type of buildings needs a high cost due to its design without using optimization processes that have a big role in reducing cost while maintaining the required aesthetic shape. In this study, this is performed by analyzing the case studies of O-14 Building, Victoria Gate and The Broad Museum where the building materials used differ from case to case. A model was created through the SolidThinking Inspire program using the morphogenesis tool. The model design is based on the algorithm for topology optimization and will be compared in terms of structural and material performance with the selected case studies. Optimization results are found to be effective and designed with maximum stiffness in order to prevent deformation which is clearly reflected in the cost estimate in the initial design stages.
Deflection of Thin-Walled Panels Loaded in Shear with Different Types of End Stiffeners
Authors: Mousa E A , El-Boghdadi M H , Yossef N M
Published: December 2020

Numerical analysis for the load/deflection behavior of thin-web plate girders have been studied in this paper using a finite element program. An analytical approach presented in literature was discussed, and hence, it was used to calculate the load/deflection values in pre-bucking and post buckling stages. The validated finite element model is used to discuss the meaningful of the analytical approach. The effect of different parameters on load-deflection curves is proposed. Stiffener thickness (ts
), end post type (no end post (NEP), rigid end post (REP), and non-rigid end post (NREP)) and end distance (e) are the main parameters considered in this paper. The analytical approach estimates well the load/deflection behaviors of REP and NREP plate girders with (a/hw < 2.2). On the other hand, the analytical approach can’t estimate either for the shear strength or the deflection of NEP plate girders.
The Reflective Impact of Different Teaching Strategies in Teaching Architecture and Interior Design Practical Courses
Authors: Abdelalim Marwa , Aji Noura , Mahmoud Sherif A. , Fahmy Mohammad
Published: December 2020

Achieving learning outcomes in a creative manner, actually considers a vision for all instructors whether theoretical courses or practical courses, in a reflective way where such reflection interfere to boost students’ self-confidence while enhancing their knowledge. The research investigates some effective teaching strategies that attempt to bridge the gap between theories and real application trying to close the loop of getting both interior/architectural design projects, and construction technology integrated. The research adopts an ontological assumption of applying questionnaire and surveys to recognize this silent war, is it in the students’ mind as just fear of MAKE NO MISTAKE or fear from the future career. According to Tony Robbins. He said if you want a better result then ask yourself a better question. The main research problem is thinking about the rational beyond the reflection of effective teaching strategies as well as solving the problems that fear junior architects and interior designers, to know exactly where is the battle field? A whole mechanism of some teaching and learning strategies as well as direct assessment tools, in accordance with well-defined rubrics were applied. The researcher presents a considerable hypothesis that assures that believing in the architecture and interior design students’ abilities and the instructor’s variable teaching strategies can bring out examples of best practices in teaching philosophies.
Performative Design Optimization for Shading Screens
Authors: Youssef Mohga Ali Abdelslam , Elkordy Ahmed Mohamed , Sobh Hesham Ahmed
Published: December 2020

Building façade plays a significant role in architecture; it is not only a mean to express the design concepts but it is the main moderator between exterior environment and internal spaces. Ecological facades are defined as the ability to response and adapt to the changes of the environmental conditions. The geometry of the proposed screen is not a focal point of this paper, as the aim is to find a method for designing and evaluating non-conventional solar screens that improve indoor daylight quality, while the specified shading screen is installed in front of a transparent full floor to ceiling glass facade. It is assumed that by using the shading screen, the required lighting levels are being maintained, while the heat gain is being reduced. In addition, the designed patterns play a role as an architectural feature of the building. Ultimately, the presented shading screens are based on geometric ornamental patterns and arranged according to the lighting requirements. Results are indicating a multi-disciplinary approach in the design of the shading screens, which can be employed in creating similar prototypes with different climatic and loading requirements.
Comparison of Occupant Thermal Comfort with and without Passive Design for a Naturally Ventilated Educational Building: a case study in Cairo, Egypt
Authors: Fahmy Mohammad , Mahmoud Sherif A. , Olwy Ibrahim M. , Abdelalim Marwa
Published: December 2020

Occupant thermal comfort in educational buildings is important for students as it support the educational process itself. The passive design of naturally ventilated buildings plays a crucial role in achieving occupant thermal comfort but the passive design itself might be of higher cost to convince the owner even with proofs from the pre and while design simulation outputs. In this paper, the as built of a 1000 students’ educational building is simulated using Design Builder and compared with the same thermal zones of the as built but with passive cooling applications. Two wind catchers, shading devices, low e-glass windows, double skin façade, and double roof were applied as amelioration strategies. The status of student comfort was improved in terms of both Predicted Mean Vote and air temperature, compared with the base case of the building. It is concluded that shading the roofs and southern facade of the building envelope were the most efficient scenarios for the passively modified version of the building.
Architectural Design Firms’ Social Role to develop Sustainable Heritage Communities in Egypt
Authors: Elweshahy Dalia A , Othman Ayman A E
Published: December 2020

Cultural heritage buildings are a crucial element for future generations, as they preserve the cultural identity unique to where they are located. Moreover, they create one of the most dominant and memorable architectural achievement that have significant historical and cultural values. However, heritage buildings in Egypt suffer from a surge in demolition due to the deteriorated conditions of their surroundings areas, as well as, the maintenance of only the physical structures without considering the surrounding communities. Egypt constantly encounters many challenges such as poor coordination from the government due to shortage of skilled people, poor heritage awareness of local communities and lack of finance needed for achieving sustainable development. On the other hand, Architecture Design Firms (ADFs) act as a supporting tool for the government as they have a vital role in the local community development; which further act as the cornerstone of developing the historical regions. Hence, in order for the ADFs to achieve such development, they need to activate their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) role which is a driver for developing the heritage community. Consequently, this research aims to develop a matrix that correlates CSR with ADFs as an approach to achieve sustainable heritage communities in Egypt. A research methodology consists of literature review to investigate the topics of CSR, Heritage community development and ADFs. Finally, developing a matrix showing the relation between the architect’s social responsibility and the indicators of sustainable development of local communities.
Evaluation of Slum Upgrading Interventions - Methodological Approaches
Authors: El-Maradny Hesham , Mahdy Mohamed M. , El-Kady Hesham
Published: December 2020

This work addresses slums definition according to UN-Habitat, and provides some objectives of impact evaluation of slum upgrading projects. The main objective is to clarify the importance behind the slum upgrading projects (interventions), through over viewing the slum upgrading interventions and their main characteristics then summarize methodology of evaluation studies. This paper gives an overview of counterfactual question, qualitative and quantitative methodologies discusses main strategies to control bias in Quasi-experimental approaches, and provides a summary about common past evaluation challenges and recommendations which can be applied to future work.
Static and Dynamic Performance of Two Stage Concrete
Authors: Ali Mohamed A.E.M.
Published: December 2020

Concrete is arguably the most important construction material in the world. In the last decades, it has been reported that infrastructures faced extreme static and dynamic loads which caused structural catastrophic disasters [1]. The increase usage of conventional concrete in engineering industries led to high consumption of mineral resources which caused several environmental damages related to reduction in the rocket layers [2], besides, the economical damages due to the high demand of natural resources materials which rises the cost of construction [3]. Therefore, the utilization of recycled waste rubber (steel wires) in concrete can be a sustainable solution for waste construction developments [4]. Recently, two stage concrete (TSC) (non-traditional concrete) was introduced. Placing of coarse aggregate followed by injecting the cementitious materials among the aggregate layers in the formwork are the basic steps of producing TSC. Evaluating the static and dynamic performance of TSC were the objectives of this study. Cement, aggregates, water, recycled steel wires of rubber tires were utilized in manufacturing TSC specimens. The compressive characteristic and impact resistance of TSC test specimens were evaluated. Results showed that steel wires improved the dynamic behaviour of TSC, while a slight to no effect was observed on its compressive characteristics. This study demonstrates the potential to engineer sustainable TSC mixtures.
A Review on Investigating the experimental process for partial replacement of cement with sugarcane bagasse in the construction industry
Authors: Dawoud Nadin , Micheal Amany , Moussa Rania Rushdy
Published: December 2020

In the last few decades there has been speedily increasing in the agriculture and industrial wastes. This causes many environmental issues and raises the potential to contaminate the natural resources of living such as water, air and soil. Recently, the amount of organic waste produced daily has been rising, while it is poorly managed. It is either burned or disposed improperly, which effect negatively the environment and public health. On the other hand, during the cement production process many wastes, and pollutants are generated which have major negative impacts on the environment. Cement is considered as a substantial constituent of building materials in the construction industry. Many research’s intended to explore the potential of utilizing organic waste products in the construction industry by partially replacing cement with organic wastes such as sugarcane bagasse to create an eco-friendly brick with appropriate structure properties. Previous research’s used different treatment techniques to treat the organic waste and prepare it for construction industry. It was noticed that the treatment method used in previous research’s affected the structural properties of the new bricks with organic waste partially replacing. This research intends to study and analyse the process and techniques used by other researcher’s experimental work to treat and replace cement with sugarcane bagasse. This research will present the best procedures for partially replacing cement with sugarcane bagasse in cement bricks without compensating the structural properties of regular cement bricks. This study will analyse and compare previous researcher’s experimental work to obtain the best experimental program and to utilize sugarcane bagasse in brick industry.
IV—Moral Knowledge and Empirical Investigation in Late Ming China
Authors: Jenco Leigh K
Published: December 2020

This essay begins to explore the philosophical grounds on which Chinese literati thinkers came to legitimate, and in some cases value, alternative ways of life in the early modern era (sixteenth and seventeenth centuries). In this essay I examine arguments from two such scholars, the flamboyant iconoclast Li Zhi 李贄 (1527–1602) and his lifelong friend, the historian and classicist Jiao Hong 焦竑 (1540–1620), to show how this interest in the empirical world led them away from their commitments to moral universalism and toward an appreciation of the diversity and plurality of human moral values.
ExonSkipAD provides the functional genomic landscape of exon skipping events in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Yang Mengyuan , Ke Yiya , Kim Pora , Zhou Xiaobo
Published: December 2020

Exon skipping (ES), the most common alternative splicing event, has been reported to contribute to diverse human diseases due to the loss of functional domains/sites or frameshifting of the open reading frame (ORF) and noticed as therapeutic targets. Accumulating transcriptomic studies of aging brains show the splicing disruption is a widespread hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we built ExonSkipAD, the ES annotation database aiming to provide a resource/reference for functional annotation of ES events in AD and identify therapeutic targets in exon units. We identified 16 414 genes that have ~156 K, ~ 69 K, ~ 231 K ES events from the three representative AD cohorts of ROSMAP, MSBB and Mayo, respectively. For these ES events, we performed multiple functional annotations relating to ES mechanisms or downstream. Specifically, through the functional feature retention studies followed by the open reading frames (ORFs), we identified 275 important cellular regulators that might lose their cellular regulator roles due to exon skipping in AD. ExonSkipAD provides twelve categories of annotations: gene summary, gene structures and expression levels, exon skipping events with PSIs, ORF annotation, exon skipping events in the canonical protein sequence, 3′-UTR located exon skipping events lost miRNA-binding sites, SNversus in the skipped exons with a depth of coverage, AD stage-associated exon skipping events, splicing quantitative trait loci (sQTLs) in the skipped exons, correlation with RNA-binding proteins, and related drugs & diseases. ExonSkipAD will be a unique resource of transcriptomic diversity research for understanding the mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease development and identifying potential therapeutic targets in AD. Significance AS the first comprehensive resource of the functional genomics of the alternative splicing events in AD, ExonSkipAD will be useful for many researchers in the fields of pathology, AD genomics and precision medicine, and pharmaceutical and therapeutic researches.
Decoding the role of long noncoding RNAs in the healthy aging of centenarians
Authors: Jiang Jianjun , Cheng Lehua , Yan Liang , Ge Mingxia , Yang Liqin , Ying Haoqiang , Kong Qingpeng
Published: December 2020

Aging is the largest risk factor of major human diseases. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) as the key regulatory elements have shown a strong impact on multiple biological processes as well as human disease mechanisms. However, the roles of lncRNAs in aging/healthy aging processes remain largely unknown. Centenarians are good models for healthy aging studies due to avoiding major chronic diseases and disabilities. To illustrate their ubiquitous nature in the genome and the ‘secrets’ of healthy aging regulation from the perspective of lncRNAs, peripheral blood samples from two regions consisting 76 centenarians (CENs), 54 centenarian-children (F1) and 41 spouses of centenarian-children (F1SP) were collected for deep RNA-seq. We identified 11 CEN-specific lncRNAs that is particularly expressed in longevous individuals. By kmers clustering, hundreds of human lncRNAs show similarities with CEN-specific lncRNAs, especially with ENST00000521663 and ENST00000444998. Using F1SP as normal elder controls (age: 59.9 ± 6.6 years), eight lncRNAs that are differentially expressed in longevous elders (CEN group, age: 102.2 ± 2.4 years) were identified as candidate aging/health aging–related lncRNAs (car-lncs). We found that the expression of eight car-lncs in human diploid fibroblasts displayed dynamic changes during cell passage and/or H2O2/rapamycin treatment; of which, overexpression either of THBS1-IT1 and THBS1-AS1, two lncRNAs that highly expressed in CENs, can remarkably decrease p16, p21 and the activity of senescent related β-galactosidase, suggesting that THBS1-IT1 and THBS1-AS1 can inhibit cellular senescence. We provided the first comprehensive analysis of lncRNA expression in longevous populations, and our results hinted that dysregulated lncRNAs in CENs are potential protective factors in healthy aging process.
Penalized model-based clustering of fMRI data
Authors: Dilernia Andrew , Quevedo Karina , Camchong Jazmin , Lim Kelvin , Pan Wei , Zhang Lin
Published: December 2020

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data have become increasingly available and are useful for describing functional connectivity (FC), the relatedness of neuronal activity in regions of the brain. This FC of the brain provides insight into certain neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders, and thus is of clinical importance. To help inform physicians regarding patient diagnoses, unsupervised clustering of subjects based on FC is desired, allowing the data to inform us of groupings of patients based on shared features of connectivity. Since heterogeneity in FC is present even between patients within the same group, it is important to allow subject-level differences in connectivity, while still pooling information across patients within each group to describe group-level FC. To this end, we propose a random covariance clustering model (RCCM) to concurrently cluster subjects based on their FC networks, estimate the unique FC networks of each subject, and to infer shared network features. Although current methods exist for estimating FC or clustering subjects using fMRI data, our novel contribution is to cluster or group subjects based on similar FC of the brain while simultaneously providing group- and subject-level FC network estimates. The competitive performance of RCCM relative to other methods is demonstrated through simulations in various settings, achieving both improved clustering of subjects and estimation of FC networks. Utility of the proposed method is demonstrated with application to a resting-state fMRI data set collected on 43 healthy controls and 61 participants diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Risk of Acute Kidney Injury andClostridioides difficileInfection With Piperacillin/Tazobactam, Cefepime, and Meropenem With or Without Vancomycin
Authors: Lee Jazmin D , Heintz Brett H , Mosher Hilary J , Livorsi Daniel J , Egge Jason A , Lund Brian C
Published: December 2020

Background

Empiric antimicrobial therapy for healthcare-acquired infections often includes vancomycin plus an anti-pseudomonal beta-lactam (AP-BL). These agents vary in risk for adverse events, including acute kidney injury (AKI) and Clostrioides difficile infection (CDI). Studies have only examined these risks separately; thus, our objective was to evaluate AKI and CDI risks simultaneously with AP-BL in the same patient cohort.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included 789 200 Veterans Health Administration medical admissions from 1 July 2010 through 30 June 2016. The antimicrobials examined were vancomycin, cefepime, piperacillin/tazobactam, and meropenem. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to contrast risks for AKI and CDI across individual target antimicrobials and vancomycin combination therapies, including adjustment for known confounders.

Results

With respect to the base rate of AKI among patients who did not receive a target antibiotic (4.6%), the adjusted hazards ratios for piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime, and meropenem were 1.50 (95% CI: 1.43–1.54), 1.00 (.95–1.05), 0.92 (.83–1.01), respectively. Co-administration of vancomycin increased AKI rates (data not shown). Similarly, against the base rate of CDI (0.7%), these ratios were 1.21 (1.07–1.36), 1.89 (1.62–2.20), and 1.99 (1.55–2.56), respectively. Addition of vancomycin had minimal impact on CDI rates (data not shown).

Conclusions

Piperacillin/tazobactam increased AKI risk, which was exacerbated by concurrent vancomycin. Cefepime and meropenem increased CDI risk relative to piperacillin/tazobactam. Clinicians should consider the risks and benefits of AP-BL when selecting empiric regimens. Further well-designed studies evaluating the global risks of AP-BL and patient specific characteristics that can guide empiric selection are needed.
Dietary Pattern Trajectories in Middle Age and Physical Function in Older Age
Authors: Talegawkar Sameera A , Jin Yichen , Xue Qian-Li , Tanaka Toshiko , Simonsick Eleanor M , Tucker Katherine L , Ferrucci Luigi
Published: December 2020

Background

Increasingly, lifestyle factors in midlife are reported to impact health and functional status in old age. This work examines associations between dietary trajectories in middle age and subsequent impairments in physical function.

Method

Data are from 851 participants (61% men, mean age at first dietary assessment = 47 years, range 30–59 years) from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. We used latent class analysis to derive dietary trajectories based on adherence to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI), and further classified them based on tertiles, as poor (score <39.3), intermediate (39.3–48.9), or good (>48.9). Physical function was assessed with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Random effects tobit regression models were used to examine associations between dietary trajectories and later physical function.

Results

Two latent classes of AHEI scores were generated and labeled “greatly improved” or “moderately improved.” In the greatly improved class, participants showed a trend in overall AHEI score from poor/intermediate to good diet categories across dietary assessments with age, over time. In the moderately improved class, the overall AHEI score shifted from poor to intermediate diet categories over time, and the prevalence of the good diet category remained low. Mean AHEI score between ages 30 and 59 years was higher in the greatly, than moderately, improved class. The moderately improved class had 1.6 points lower SPPB score (indicating poorer physical function) at older age than the greatly improved class (p = .022).

Conclusions

Findings suggest that improving diet quality in middle age may contribute to better physical function in older age.
Heterochronic Parabiosis: Old Blood Induces Changes in Mitochondrial Structure and Function of Young Mice
Authors: Gonzalez-Armenta Jenny L , Li Ning , Lee Rae-Ling , Lu Baisong , Molina Anthony J A
Published: December 2020

Heterochronic parabiosis models have been utilized to demonstrate the role of blood-borne circulating factors in systemic effects of aging. In previous studies, heterochronic parabiosis has shown positive effects across multiple tissues in old mice. More recently, a study demonstrated old blood had a more profound negative effect on muscle performance and neurogenesis of young mice. In this study, we used heterochronic parabiosis to test the hypothesis that circulating factors mediate mitochondrial bioenergetic decline, a well-established biological hallmark of aging. We examined mitochondrial morphology, expression of mitochondrial complexes, and mitochondrial respiration from skeletal muscle of mice connected as heterochronic pairs, as well as young and old isochronic controls. Our results indicate that young heterochronic mice had significantly lower total mitochondrial content and on average had significantly smaller mitochondria compared to young isochronic controls. Expression of complex IV followed a similar pattern: young heterochronic mice had a trend for lower expression compared to young isochronic controls. Additionally, respirometric analyses indicate that young heterochronic mice had significantly lower complex I, complex I + II, and maximal mitochondrial respiration and a trend for lower complex II-driven respiration compared to young isochronic controls. Interestingly, we did not observe significant improvements in old heterochronic mice compared to old isochronic controls, demonstrating the profound deleterious effects of circulating factors from old mice on mitochondrial structure and function. We also found no significant differences between the young and old heterochronic mice, demonstrating that circulating factors can be a driver of age-related differences in mitochondrial structure and function.
GALLO: An R package for genomic annotation and integration of multiple data sources in livestock for positional candidate loci
Authors: Fonseca Pablo A S , Suárez-Vega Aroa , Marras Gabriele , Cánovas Ángela
Published: December 2020

Background

The development of high-throughput sequencing and genotyping methodologies has enabled the identification of thousands of genomic regions associated with several complex traits. The integration of multiple sources of biological information is a crucial step required to better understand patterns regulating the development of these traits.

Findings

Genomic Annotation in Livestock for positional candidate LOci (GALLO) is an R package developed for the accurate annotation of genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) located in regions identified in common genomic analyses performed in livestock, such as genome-wide association studies and transcriptomics using RNA sequencing. Moreover, GALLO allows the graphical visualization of gene and QTL annotation results, data comparison among different grouping factors (e.g., methods, breeds, tissues, statistical models, studies), and QTL enrichment in different livestock species such as cattle, pigs, sheep, and chickens.

Conclusions

Consequently, GALLO is a useful package for annotation, identification of hidden patterns across datasets, and data mining previously reported associations, as well as the efficient examination of the genetic architecture of complex traits in livestock.
Predicting pressure injury using nursing assessment phenotypes and machine learning methods
Authors: Song Wenyu , Kang Min-Jeoung , Zhang Linying , Jung Wonkyung , Song Jiyoun , Bates David W , Dykes Patricia C
Published: December 2020

Objective

Pressure injuries are common and serious complications for hospitalized patients. The pressure injury rate is an important patient safety metric and an indicator of the quality of nursing care. Timely and accurate prediction of pressure injury risk can significantly facilitate early prevention and treatment and avoid adverse outcomes. While many pressure injury risk assessment tools exist, most were developed before there was access to large clinical datasets and advanced statistical methods, limiting their accuracy. In this paper, we describe the development of machine learning-based predictive models, using phenotypes derived from nurse-entered direct patient assessment data.

Methods

We utilized rich electronic health record data, including full assessment records entered by nurses, from 5 different hospitals affiliated with a large integrated healthcare organization to develop machine learning-based prediction models for pressure injury. Five-fold cross-validation was conducted to evaluate model performance.

Results

Two pressure injury phenotypes were defined for model development: nonhospital acquired pressure injury (N = 4398) and hospital acquired pressure injury (N = 1767), representing 2 distinct clinical scenarios. A total of 28 clinical features were extracted and multiple machine learning predictive models were developed for both pressure injury phenotypes. The random forest model performed best and achieved an AUC of 0.92 and 0.94 in 2 test sets, respectively. The Glasgow coma scale, a nurse-entered level of consciousness measurement, was the most important feature for both groups.

Conclusions

This model accurately predicts pressure injury development and, if validated externally, may be helpful in widespread pressure injury prevention.
Estimates of Non-Alcoholic Food-Derived Ethanol and Methanol Exposure in Humans
Authors: Gürler Mukaddes , Martz Walter , Taştekin Burak , Najafova Tahmina , Dettmeyer Reinhard B
Published: December 2020

Food-derived alcohol is almost not in question due to its low concentration. Nevertheless, could it pose a problem for some risk groups and forensic cases? To answer this, we aimed to simultaneously evaluate ethanol and methanol ingredients of a variety of non-alcoholic foods in two different countries and estimate their possible health and forensic consequences. Alcohols in foods were analyzed by headspace gas chromatography. Human average acute daily food consumptions and food-derived blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) were determined by using the data of The European Food Safety Authority Nutrition Survey. Methanol and ethanol ingredients of similar foods varied between the two cities. Most foods produce higher methanol concentrations than the maximum allowable dose level (23 mg). Especially fruit juices lead to the critical level of ethanol for children (6 mg/kg body weight). Based on the results, adult daily intake of selected food groups does not bear ethanol that exceeds the legal limit of BAC or the limit not allowed from a religious perspective and does not lead to acute alcohol toxicity. But these low levels of ethanol and methanol consumed via non-alcoholic foods for life can raise the vulnerability to chronic health problems (cancer, liver cirrhosis, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, ocular toxicity and alterations in fetal development) and may lead to positive ethanol metabolite results (e.g., ethyl glucuronide) when a low cutoff level is used. Therefore, studies on the alcohol contents of various natural and processed non-alcoholic foods along with their effects on humans and new regulations on labeling the food products and conscious food consumption are of particular importance. It would also be important to consider unintentional alcohol consumption via non-alcoholic foods in the evaluation of clinical and forensic cases.
Fatal, Intentional Overdose of Ranolazine: Postmortem Distribution of Parent Drug and Its Major Metabolite
Authors: Gottardo Rossella , De Battisti Zeno , Federico Busetti , Murari Matilde , Tagliaro Franco
Published: December 2020

Ranolazine is a selective inhibitor of the late inward sodium current, approved for the treatment of chronic angina. Here, a case of a possibly suicidal death due to acute ranolazine overdosing is reported. A 41-year-old woman was found unconscious by her son and was urgently admitted to the intensive care unit. She had ingested an unknown amount of ranolazine tablets. Seventeen hours after admission, the patient died. An autopsy was performed 4 days postmortem. A routine screening analysis for drugs of abuse and medicinal drugs performed by liquid chromatography (LC)–ion trap mass spectrometry (MS) on autopsy samples of biological fluids did not detect any relevant presence of toxicologically relevant compounds, but ranolazine. A quantitative analysis was then carried out by liquid chromatography--triple quadrupole (LC–QqQ) MS in order to quantify ranolazine and its major metabolite o-desmethylranolazine in biological fluids and organs. Ranolazine concentrations in biological fluids were as follows: cardiac blood, 19.5 μg/mL; femoral blood, 12.3 μg/mL; bile, 0.87 μg/mL and vitreous humor, 15.4 μg/mL. For O-desmethylranolazine, the concentrations in cardiac blood, femoral blood, bile and vitreous humor were 10.7, 9.6, 11,103 and 11.4 μg/mL, respectively. The cause of death was attributed to ranolazine overdosing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a fatality associated with ranolazine, in which the postmortem distribution of ranolazine and its metabolite has been quantitatively assessed. The present study can therefore provide useful information for interpretation of the causes and mechanisms of death in ranolazine-associated fatalities.
Clinical significance of comprehensive genomic profiling tests covered by public insurance in patients with advanced solid cancers in Hokkaido, Japan
Authors: Kikuchi Junko , Ohhara Yoshihito , Takada Kohichi , Tanabe Hiroki , Hatanaka Kazuteru , Amano Toraji , C  Hatanaka Kanako , Hatanaka Yutaka , Mitamura Takashi , Kato Momoko , Shibata Yuka , Yabe Ichiro , Endoh Akira , Komatsu Yoshito , Matsuno Yoshihiro , Sugiyama Minako , Manabe Atsushi , Sakurai Akihiro , Takahashi Masato , Naruse Hirohito , Torimoto Yoshihiro , Dosaka-Akita Hirotoshi , Kinoshita Ichiro
Published: December 2020

Background

Comprehensive cancer genomic profiling has been used recently for patients with advanced solid cancers. Two cancer genomic profiling tests for patients with no standard treatment are covered by Japanese public health insurance since June 2019.

Methods

We prospectively analyzed data of 189 patients with solid cancers who underwent either of the two-cancer genomic profiling tests at Hokkaido University Hospital and its liaison hospitals and whose results were discussed in molecular tumor board at Hokkaido University Hospital between August 2019 and July 2020.

Results

All 189 patients had appropriate results. Actionable gene alterations were identified in 93 patients (49%). Frequent mutations included PIK3CA (12%) mutation, BRCA1/2 alteration (7%), ERBB2 amplification (6%) and tumor mutation burden-High (4%). The median turnaround time from sample shipping to acquisition by the expert panel was 26 days. Although 115 patients (61%) were provided with information for genotype-matched therapies, only 21 (11%) received them. Notably, four of eight patients below the age of 20 years were provided information for genotype-matched therapies, and three received them. Their response rates and disease control rates were 29% and 67%, respectively. Most patients who did not undergo the genotype-matched therapies were provided information for only investigational drugs in phases I and II at distant clinical trial sites in central Japan. Twenty-six patients were informed of suspected germline findings, while 11 patients (42%) received genetic counseling.

Conclusions

The publicly reimbursed cancer genomic profilings may lead to the modest but favorable therapeutic efficacy of genotype-matched therapy for solid cancer patients with no standard therapy. However, poor access to genotype-matched therapy needs to be resolved.
Ablation of Zfhx4 results in early postnatal lethality by disrupting the respiratory center in mice
Authors: Zhang Meiqin , Du Sichen , Ou Huayuan , Cui Renjie , Jiang Nan , Lin Yifeng , Ge Runsheng , Ma Duan , Zhang Jin
Published: December 2020

Breathing is an integrated motor behavior that is driven and controlled by a network of brainstem neurons. Zfhx4 is a zinc finger transcription factor and our results showed that it was specifically expressed in several regions of the mouse brainstem. Mice lacking Zfhx4 died shortly after birth from an apparent inability to initiate respiration. We also found that the electrical rhythm of brainstem‒spinal cord preparations was significantly depressed in Zfhx4-null mice compared to wild-type mice. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that Zfhx4 was co-expressed with Phox2b and Math1 in the brainstem and that Zfhx4 ablation greatly decreased the expression of these proteins, especially in the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN). Combined ChIP‒seq and mRNA expression microarray analysis identified Phox2b as the direct downstream target gene of Zfhx4, and this finding was validated by ChIP‒qPCR. Previous studies have reported that both Phox2b and Math1 play key roles in the development of the respiratory center, and Phox2b and Math1 knockout mice are neonatal lethal due to severe central apnea. On top of this, our study revealed that Zfhx4 is a critical regulator of Phox2b expression and essential for perinatal breathing.
A multiband map of the natural night sky brightness including Gaia
and Hipparcos integrated starlight
Authors: Masana Eduard , Carrasco Josep Manel , Bará Salvador , Ribas Salvador J
Published: December 2020

The natural night sky brightness is a relevant input for monitoring the light pollution evolution at observatory sites, by subtracting it from the overall sky brightness determined by direct measurements. It is also instrumental for assessing the expected darkness of the pristine night skies. The natural brightness of the night sky is determined by the sum of the spectral radiances coming from astrophysical sources, including zodiacal light, and the atmospheric airglow. The resulting radiance is modified by absorption and scattering before it reaches the observer. Therefore, the natural night sky brightness is a function of the location, time, and atmospheric conditions. We present in this work the GAia Map of the Brightness Of the Natural Sky (GAMBONS), a model to map the natural night brightness of the sky in cloudless and moonless nights. Unlike previous maps, GAMBONS is based on the extra-atmospheric star radiance obtained from the Gaia catalogue. The Gaia-Data Release 2 (DR2) archive compiles astrometric and photometric information for more than 1.6 billion stars up to G = 21 mag. For the brightest stars, not included in Gaia-DR2, we have used the Hipparcos catalogue instead. After adding up to the star radiance the contributions of the diffuse galactic and extragalactic light, zodiacal light and airglow, and taking into account the effects of atmospheric attenuation and scattering, the radiance detected by ground-based observers can be estimated. This methodology can be applied to any photometric band, if appropriate transformations from the Gaia bands are available. In particular, we present the expected sky brightness for V (Johnson), and visual photopic and scotopic passbands.