The influence of three acid modifications on the physicochemical characteristics of tea-waste biochar pyrolyzed at different temperatures: a comparative study

Tea-waste is an abundant feedstock for producing biochar (BC) which is considered to be a cost effective carbonaceous adsorbent useful for water remediation and soil amendment purposes. In the present study, tea-waste BC (TWBC) produced at three different temperatures were subjected to nitric, sulfuric and hydrochloric acid modifications (abbreviated as NM, SM and HM respectively). Characteristics of the raw and modified BC such as ultimate and proximate analyses, surface morphology, surface acidity and functionality, point of zero charge, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and thermal stability were compared to evaluate the influence of pyrolysis temperature and of modifications incorporated. The amount of carboxylic and phenolic surface functionalities on TWBC was seen to decrease by 93.44% and 81.06% respectively when the pyrolysis temperature was increased from 300 to 700 °C. Additionally, the yield of BC was seen to decrease by 46% upon the latter temperature increment. The elemental analysis results provided justification for high-temperature BC being more hydrophobic as was observed by the 61% increase in H/C ratio which is an indication of augmented aromatization. The CEC was the highest for the low-temperature BC and was seen to further increase by NM which is attributed to the 81.89% increase in carboxylic functionalities. The surface area was seen to significantly increase for BC700 upon NM (∼27 times). The SM led to pore wall destruction which was observed in scanning electron microscopy images. Findings would enable the rational use of these particular modifications in relevant remediation and soil amendment applications.

Tea-waste biochar produced under different pyrolysis temperatures were subjected to three acid modifications and a comparative evaluation of their key physicochemical characteristics made.     

Verification and Validation of Computational Models Used in Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing: Potential Application of the ASME Verification and Validation 40 Standard and FDA Proposed AI/ML Model Life Cycle Management Framework

A wide variety of computational models covering statistical, mechanistic, and machine learning (locked and adaptive) methods are explored for use in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Limited discussion exists on how to establish the credibility of a computational model for application in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. In this work, we tried to use the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Verification and Validation 40 (V&V 40) standard and FDA proposed AI/ML model life cycle management framework for Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) in biopharmaceutical manufacturing use cases, by applying to a set of curated hypothetical examples. We discussed the need for standardized frameworks to facilitate consistent decision making to enable efficient adoption of computational models in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and alignment of existing good practices with existing frameworks. In the study of our examples, we anticipate existing frameworks like V&V 40 can be adopted.     

The first intermediate host of Paragonimus westermani in Sri Lanka

Freshwater snails (family Paludomidae, genus Paludomus) were collected from streams in Hedeniya and Peradeniya (the campus of Peradeniya University), Kandy district, Central Province, Sri Lanka, and found to harbor rediae and cercariae of a Paragonimus sp. These larvae were identified as Paragonimus westermani by using ITS2 DNA sequences. The infection rates of P. westermani in Paludomus sp. in Hedeniya and Peradeniya were 0.1% (one of 1014) and 0.2% (two of 1006), respectively. The snail has not been identified to species in the present study. This is the first report of the snail host of Paragonimus in Sri Lanka.     

Advances in Frontline Management of Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are a heterogeneous group of lymphomas that are frequently associated with a poor prognosis. For many decades, the standard-of-care has been CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone)-based therapy, but it is well-recognized that survival outcomes are unsatisfactory, especially when compared with B-cell lymphomas. Major recent advances in cancer diagnosis and management have the potential to significantly improve PTCL outcomes. These include: (1) improved diagnostic techniques that incorporate molecular genetic data to further refine diagnosis and subtyping; (2) the development of novel agents; and (3) improved monitoring modalities, such as ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography scans and circulating tumor DNA. In this review, we aim to explore these 3 advances in the context of frontline management of PTCL.     

Atypical Pupillary Light Reflex and Heart Rate Variability in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

We investigated pupillary light reflex (PLR) in 152 children with ASD, 116 typically developing (TD) children, and 36 children with non-ASD neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured simultaneously to study potential impairments in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) associated with ASD. The results showed that the ASD group had significantly longer PLR latency, reduced relative constriction amplitude, and shorter constriction/redilation time than those of the TD group. Similar atypical PLR parameters were observed in the NDD group. A significant age effect on PLR latency was observed in children younger than 9 years in the TD group, but not in the ASD and NDD groups. Atypical HRV parameters were observed in the ASD and NDD groups. A significant negative correlation existed between the PLR constriction amplitude and average heart rate in children with an ASD, but not in children with typical development.     

A novel ECG detector performance metric and its relationship with missing and false heart rate limit alarms

Purpose

Performance of ECG beat detectors is traditionally assessed on long intervals (e.g.: 30 min), but only incorrect detections within a short interval (e.g.: 10 s) may cause incorrect (i.e., missed + false) heart rate limit alarms (tachycardia and bradycardia). We propose a novel performance metric based on distribution of incorrect beat detection over a short interval and assess its relationship with incorrect heart rate limit alarm rates.

Toxocara canis and Toxocara vitulorum: molecular characterization, discrimination, and phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial (ATP synthase subunit 6 and 12S) and nuclear ribosomal (ITS-2 and 28S) genes

Toxocara canis and Toxocara vitulorum are two important parasites of dogs and buffaloes with public health concern. The objectives of the present study are to identify molecular markers to discriminate these closely related parasites and to determine their phylogenetic position and genetic diversity within the genus Toxocara. Thus, two mitochondrial genes (complete ATPase 6 and partial small subunit ribosomal RNA (12S rDNA)), two nuclear ribosomal genes (second internal transcribed spacer region (ITS-2)), and part of the large subunit 28S region were analyzed. Nucleotide sequence (597 bp) and predicted amino acid sequences of the complete ATPase 6 gene (199 amino acids) of both species (T. canis and T. vitulorum) are similar in size with the Toxocara cati and Toxocara malaysiensis. There was 88% nucleotide similarity between T. canis and T. vitulorum and many transversions present in the 12S gene. Analyses of the ITS-2 and 28S regions revealed that the 28S region was more conserved (95% nucleotide similarity between T. canis and T. vitulorum) than the ITS-2 region (85%). This study has provided useful molecular markers for the molecular epidemiological investigation of Toxocara species. Further, phylogenetic analyses of the ITS-2 and 28S genes have indicated that the members of the genus Toxocara form a distinct group with reference to their definitive hosts.     

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in South‐East Asian patients with mild cognitive impairment and dementia: prevalence,subtypes, and risk factors

Background

The subtypes and risk factors of neuropsychiatric symptoms remain largely unexplored in South‐East Asian populations.

Objective

We investigated the prevalence, subtypes, and risk factors, namely, demographic, medical morbidity, and cognitive impairment associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms in a South‐East Asian cohort of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.

Methods

A clinical cohort of 38 MCI and 198 mild–moderate dementia patients were assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory‐Questionnaire.

Results

Neuropsychiatric symptoms were equally prevalent among patients with MCI (74%) and mild–moderate dementia (85%). Three subtypes of symptoms were identified for each diagnostic group; for MCI, they included mood disturbances, anxiety/sleep problems, and psychosis, while for dementia, the subtypes included behavioral disturbances, psychosis/mood, and hyperactive behaviors. The largest risk for neuropsychiatric symptoms for both MCI and dementia patients was male gender. Among patients with MCI, burden of cerebrovascular disease and global cognitive impairment were small risks for neuropsychiatric symptoms, while for patients with dementia, an older age (>65 years) was a small risk and lower educational attainment was a moderate risk.

Discussion

These findings contribute to the worldwide epidemiology of neuropsychiatric symptoms in MCI and dementia and highlight that the profile of symptoms, subtypes, and risks is fairly homogenous across Western and Asian cultures. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.