Extreme weather event may induce Microcystis blooms in the Qiantang River, Southeast China

Abstract

A severe cyanobacterial bloom in the mainstem of a large Chinese river was first reported from China. The Qiantang River is the longest river in the Zhejiang province, southeast China. It provides drinking water supply to ~ 16 million people, including Hangzhou city. Fifteen sites along the Qiantang River (including upper, middle (Fuchunjiang Reservoir), and lower reaches and tributaries) were sampled between August 13 and September 9, 2016 to conduct a preliminary examination of the outbreak of Microcystis blooms. Laboratory investigation revealed that Microcystis spp. are dominant in the Fuchunjiang Reservoir (an overflow reservoir on the mainstem of the Qiantang River) with an extremely high cell density of 2.3 × 10⁸ cells/L, leading to a severe bloom in the mainstem of the Qiantang River. Investigations of the meteorological, hydrological, and nutrient characteristics associated with the bloom indicated that extremely dry (6.8 mm rainfall from August 13 to September 9, 2016) and hot (32 consecutive days of temperatures > 30 °C from July 20 to August 31, 2016) weather might be the key factors triggering the bloom. Additionally, the extremely low flow of the tributary, Lanjiang River (142 ± 56 m³/s from August 13 to September 9), and its high nutrient background, favored the bloom. While nutrient reductions are important, the most immediate and effective management approach might be to implement appropriate minimal flow conditions to mitigate the blooms.

Fast and automatic bone segmentation and registration of 3D ultrasound to CT for the full pelvic anatomy: a comparative study

Abstract

Purpose

Ultrasound (US) is a safer alternative to X-rays for bone imaging, and its popularity for orthopedic surgical navigation is growing. Routine use of intraoperative US for navigation requires fast, accurate and automatic alignment of tracked US to preoperative computed tomography (CT) patient models. Our group previously investigated image segmentation and registration to align untracked US to CT of only the partial pelvic anatomy. In this paper, we extend this to study the performance of these previously published techniques over the full pelvis in a tracked framework, to characterize their suitability in more realistic scenarios, along with an additional simplified segmentation method and similarity metric for registration.

Method

We evaluated phase symmetry segmentation, and Gaussian mixture model (GMM) and coherent point drift (CPD) registration methods on a pelvic phantom augmented with human soft tissue images. Additionally, we proposed and evaluated a simplified 3D bone segmentation algorithm we call Shadow–Peak (SP), which uses acoustic shadowing and peak intensities to detect bone surfaces. We paired this with a registration pipeline that optimizes the normalized cross-correlation (NCC) between distance maps of the segmented US–CT images.

Results

SP segmentation combined with the proposed NCC registration successfully aligned tracked US volumes to the preoperative CT model in all trials, in contrast to the other techniques. SP with NCC achieved a median target registration error (TRE) of 2.44 mm (maximum 4.06 mm), when imaging all three anterior pelvic structures, and a mean runtime of 27.3 s. SP segmentation with CPD registration was the next most accurate combination: median TRE of 3.19 mm (maximum 6.07 mm), though a much faster runtime of 4.2 s.

Conclusion

We demonstrate an accurate, automatic image processing pipeline for intraoperative alignment of US–CT over the full pelvis and compare its performance with the state-of-the-art methods. The proposed methods are amenable to clinical implementation due to their high accuracy on realistic data and acceptably low runtimes.

The intelligent OR: design and validation of a context-aware surgical working environment

Abstract

Purpose

Interoperability of medical devices based on standards starts to establish in the operating room (OR). Devices share their data and control functionalities. Yet, the OR technology rarely implements cooperative, intelligent behavior, especially in terms of active cooperation with the OR team. Technical context-awareness will be an essential feature of the next generation of medical devices to address the increasing demands to clinicians in information seeking, decision making, and human–machine interaction in complex surgical working environments.

Methods

The paper describes the technical validation of an intelligent surgical working environment for endoscopic ear–nose–throat surgery. We briefly summarize the design of our framework for context-aware system's behavior in integrated OR and present example realizations of novel assistance functionalities. In a study on patient phantoms, twenty-four procedures were implemented in the proposed intelligent surgical working environment based on recordings of real interventions. Subsequently, the whole processing pipeline for context-awareness from workflow recognition to the final system's behavior is analyzed.

Results

Rule-based behavior that considers multiple perspectives on the procedure can partially compensate recognition errors. A considerable robustness could be achieved with a reasonable quality of the recognition. Overall, reliable reactive as well as proactive behavior of the surgical working environment can be implemented in the proposed environment.

Conclusions

The obtained validation results indicate the suitability of the overall approach. The setup is a reliable starting point for a subsequent evaluation of the proposed context-aware assistance. The major challenge for future work will be to implement the complex approach in a cross-vendor setting.

A virtual pointer to support the adoption of professional vision in laparoscopic training

Abstract

Purpose

To assess a virtual pointer in supporting surgical trainees' development of professional vision in laparoscopic surgery.

Methods

We developed a virtual pointing and telestration system utilizing the Microsoft Kinect movement sensor as an overlay for any imagine system. Training with the application was compared to a standard condition, i.e., verbal instruction with un-mediated gestures, in a laparoscopic training environment. Seven trainees performed four simulated laparoscopic tasks guided by an experienced surgeon as the trainer. Trainee performance was subjectively assessed by the trainee and trainer, and objectively measured by number of errors, time to task completion, and economy of movement.

Results

No significant differences in errors and time to task completion were obtained between virtual pointer and standard conditions. Economy of movement in the non-dominant hand was significantly improved when using virtual pointer ( \(p = 0.012\) ). The trainers perceived a significant improvement in trainee performance in virtual pointer condition ( \(p < 0.001\) ), while the trainees perceived no difference. The trainers' perception of economy of movement was similar between the two conditions in the initial three runs and became significantly improved in virtual pointer condition in the fourth run ( \(p = 0.017\) ).

Conclusions

Results show that the virtual pointer system improves the trainer's perception of trainee's performance and this is reflected in the objective performance measures in the third and fourth training runs. The benefit of a virtual pointing and telestration system may be perceived by the trainers early on in training, but this is not evident in objective trainee performance until further mastery has been attained. In addition, the performance improvement of economy of motion specifically shows that the virtual pointer improves the adoption of professional vision— improved ability to see and use laparoscopic video results in more direct instrument movement.

Computer-assisted liver graft steatosis assessment via learning-based texture analysis

Abstract

Purpose

Fast and accurate graft hepatic steatosis (HS) assessment is of primary importance for lowering liver dysfunction risks after transplantation. Histopathological analysis of biopsied liver is the gold standard for assessing HS, despite being invasive and time consuming. Due to the short time availability between liver procurement and transplantation, surgeons perform HS assessment through clinical evaluation (medical history, blood tests) and liver texture visual analysis. Despite visual analysis being recognized as challenging in the clinical literature, few efforts have been invested to develop computer-assisted solutions for HS assessment. The objective of this paper is to investigate the automatic analysis of liver texture with machine learning algorithms to automate the HS assessment process and offer support for the surgeon decision process.

Methods

Forty RGB images of forty different donors were analyzed. The images were captured with an RGB smartphone camera in the operating room (OR). Twenty images refer to livers that were accepted and 20 to discarded livers. Fifteen randomly selected liver patches were extracted from each image. Patch size was \(100\times 100\) . This way, a balanced dataset of 600 patches was obtained. Intensity-based features (INT), histogram of local binary pattern ( \(H__{riu2}}\) ), and gray-level co-occurrence matrix ( \(F_{\mathrm{GLCM}}\) ) were investigated. Blood-sample features (Blo) were included in the analysis, too. Supervised and semisupervised learning approaches were investigated for feature classification. The leave-one-patient-out cross-validation was performed to estimate the classification performance.

Results

With the best-performing feature set ( \(H__{riu2}}+\hbox {INT}+\hbox {Blo}\) ) and semisupervised learning, the achieved classification sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 95, 81, and 88%, respectively.

Conclusions

This research represents the first attempt to use machine learning and automatic texture analysis of RGB images from ubiquitous smartphone cameras for the task of graft HS assessment. The results suggest that is a promising strategy to develop a fully automatic solution to assist surgeons in HS assessment inside the OR.

A PRM approach for early prediction of breast cancer response to chemotherapy based on registered MR images

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to provide and optimize a performing algorithm for predicting the breast cancer response rate to the first round of chemotherapy using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This provides an early recognition of breast tumor reaction to chemotherapy by using the Parametric Response Map (PRM) method.

Methods

PRM may predict the breast cancer response to chemotherapy by analyzing voxel-by-voxel temporal intra-tumor changes during one round of chemotherapy. Indeed, the tumor recognizes intra-tumor changes concerning its vascularity, which is an important criterion in the present study. This method is mainly based on spatial image affine registration between the breast tumor MRI volumes, acquired before and after the first cycle of chemotherapy, and region growing segmentation of the tumor volume. To evaluate our method, we used a retrospective study of 40 patients provided by a collaborating institute.

Results

PRM allows a color map to be created with the percentages of positive, negative and stable breast tumor response during the first round of chemotherapy, identifying each region with its response rate. We assessed the accuracy of the proposed method using technical and medical validation methods. The technical validation was based on landmarks-based registration and fully manual segmentation. The medical evaluation was based on the accuracy calculation of the standard reference of anatomic pathology. The p-values and the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of the Receiver Operating Characteristics were calculated to evaluate the proposed PRM method.

Conclusion

We performed and evaluated the proposed PRM method to study and analyze the behavior of a tumor during the first round of chemotherapy, based on the intra-tumor changes of MR breast tumor images. The AUC obtained for the PRM method is considered as relevant in the early prediction of breast tumor response.

From ideas to long-term studies: 3D printing clinical trials review

Abstract

Purpose

Although high costs are often cited as the main limitation of 3D printing (3DP) in the medical field, current lack of clinical evidence is asserting itself as an impost as the field begins to mature. The aim is to review clinical trials in the field of 3DP, an area of research which has grown dramatically in recent years.

Methods

We surveyed clinical trials registered in 15 primary registries worldwide, including ClinicalTrials.gov. All trials which utilized 3DP in a clinical setting were included in this review. Our search was performed on December 15, 2017. Data regarding the purpose of the study, inclusion criteria, number of patients enrolled, primary outcomes, centers, start and estimated completion dates were extracted.

Results

A total of 92 clinical trials with \({N}=6\) 252 patients matched the criteria and were included in the study. A total of 42 (45.65%) studies cited China as their location. Only 10 trials were multicenter and 2 were registered as international. The discipline that most commonly utilized 3DP was Orthopedic Surgery, with 25 (27.17%) registered trials. At the time of data extraction, 17 (18.48%) clinical trials were complete.

Conclusions

After several years of case reports, feasibility studies and technical reports in the field, larger-scale studies are beginning to emerge. There are almost no international register entries. Although there are new emerging areas of study in disciplines that may benefit from 3DP, it is likely to remain limited to very specific applications.

A novel technology for 3D knee prosthesis planning and treatment evaluation using 2D X-ray radiographs: a clinical evaluation

Abstract

Purpose

 To present a clinical validation of a novel technology called "3X" which allows for 3D prosthesis planning and treatment evaluation in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using only 2D X-ray radiographs.

Materials and methods

 After local institution review board approvals, 3X was evaluated on 43 cases (23 for preoperative planning and 20 for postoperative treatment evaluation). All the patients underwent CT scans according to a standard protocol. The results measured on the CT data were regarded as the ground truth. Additionally, two X-ray images were acquired for each affected leg and were used by 3X technology to derive patient-specific measurements of the leg. In total, we compared seven parameters for planning TKA and five parameters for postoperative prosthesis alignment.

Results

 Our experimental results demonstrated that the mean distances between the surface models reconstructed from 2D X-rays and the associated surface models obtained from 3D CT data were smaller than 1.5 mm. The average differences for all angular parameters were smaller than \(1.5^{\circ }\) . In over 78% cases 3X technology derived the same femoral component size as the CT-based ground truth and this value went down to 70% when 3X technology was used to predict the size of tibial component.

Conclusion

 3X is a technology that allows for true 3D preoperative planning and postoperative treatment evaluation based on 2D X-ray radiographs.

Intraoperative stent segmentation in X-ray fluoroscopy for endovascular aortic repair

Abstract

Purpose

Fusion of preoperative data with intraoperative X-ray images has proven the potential to reduce radiation exposure and contrast agent, especially for complex endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). Due to patient movement and introduced devices that deform the vasculature, the fusion can become inaccurate. This is usually detected by comparing the preoperative information with the contrasted vessel. To avoid repeated use of iodine, comparison with an implanted stent can be used to adjust the fusion. However, detecting the stent automatically without the use of contrast is challenging as only thin stent wires are visible.

Method

We propose a fast, learning-based method to segment aortic stents in single uncontrasted X-ray images. To this end, we employ a fully convolutional network with residual units. Additionally, we investigate whether incorporation of prior knowledge improves the segmentation.

Results

We use 36 X-ray images acquired during EVAR for training and evaluate the segmentation on 27 additional images. We achieve a Dice coefficient of 0.933 (AUC 0.996) when using X-ray alone, and 0.918 (AUC 0.993) and 0.888 (AUC 0.99) when adding the preoperative model, and information about the expected wire width, respectively.

Conclusion

The proposed method is fully automatic, fast and segments aortic stent grafts in fluoroscopic images with high accuracy. The quality and performance of the segmentation will allow for an intraoperative comparison with the preoperative information to assess the accuracy of the fusion.

CARS 2018—Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery Proceedings of the 32nd International Congress and Exhibition Berlin, Germany, June 20–23, 2018

Prostate segmentation in MRI using a convolutional neural network architecture and training strategy based on statistical shape models

Abstract

Purpose

Most of the existing convolutional neural network (CNN)-based medical image segmentation methods are based on methods that have originally been developed for segmentation of natural images. Therefore, they largely ignore the differences between the two domains, such as the smaller degree of variability in the shape and appearance of the target volume and the smaller amounts of training data in medical applications. We propose a CNN-based method for prostate segmentation in MRI that employs statistical shape models to address these issues.

Methods

Our CNN predicts the location of the prostate center and the parameters of the shape model, which determine the position of prostate surface keypoints. To train such a large model for segmentation of 3D images using small data (1) we adopt a stage-wise training strategy by first training the network to predict the prostate center and subsequently adding modules for predicting the parameters of the shape model and prostate rotation, (2) we propose a data augmentation method whereby the training images and their prostate surface keypoints are deformed according to the displacements computed based on the shape model, and (3) we employ various regularization techniques.

Results

Our proposed method achieves a Dice score of 0.88, which is obtained by using both elastic-net and spectral dropout for regularization. Compared with a standard CNN-based method, our method shows significantly better segmentation performance on the prostate base and apex. Our experiments also show that data augmentation using the shape model significantly improves the segmentation results.

Conclusions

Prior knowledge about the shape of the target organ can improve the performance of CNN-based segmentation methods, especially where image features are not sufficient for a precise segmentation. Statistical shape models can also be employed to synthesize additional training data that can ease the training of large CNNs.

Removal of heavy metals from aluminum anodic oxidation wastewaters by membrane filtration

Abstract

Aluminum manufacturing has been reported as one of the largest industries and wastewater produced from the aluminum industry may cause significant environmental problems due to variable pH, high heavy metal concentration, conductivity, and organic load. The management of this wastewater with a high pollution load is of great importance for practitioners in the aluminum sector. There are hardly any studies available on membrane treatment of wastewater originated from anodic oxidation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the best treatment and reuse alternative for aluminum industry wastewater using membrane filtration. Additionally, the performance of chemical precipitation, which is the existing treatment used in the aluminum facility, was also compared with membrane filtration. Wastewater originated from anodic oxidation coating process of an aluminum profile manufacturing facility in Kayseri (Turkey) was used in the experiments. The characterization of raw wastewater was in very low pH (e.g., 3) with high aluminum concentration and conductivity values. Membrane experiments were carried out with ultrafiltration (PTUF), nanofiltration (NF270), and reverse osmosis (SW30) membranes with MWCO 5000, 200–400, and 100 Da, respectively. For the chemical precipitation experiments, FeCl₃ and FeSO₄ chemicals presented lower removal performances for aluminum and chromium, which were below 35% at ambient wastewater pH ~ 3. The membrane filtration experimental results show that, both NF and RO membranes tested could effectively remove aluminum, total chromium and nickel (>90%) from the aluminum production wastewater. The RO (SW30) membrane showed a slightly higher performance at 20 bar operating pressure in terms of conductivity removal values (90%) than the NF 270 membrane (87%). Although similar removal performances were observed for heavy metals and conductivity by NF270 and SW30, significantly higher fluxes were obtained in NF270 membrane filtration at any pressure that there were more than three times the flux values in SW30 membrane filtration. Due to the lower heavy metal (<65%) and conductivity (<30%) removal performances of UF membrane, it could be evaluated as pretreatment followed by NF filtration to protect and extend NF membrane life. The water treated by both NF and RO could be recycled back into the process to be reused with economic and environmental benefits.

The possible effects of anthropogenic acoustic pollution on marine mammals’ reproduction: an emerging threat to animal extinction

Abstract

For about 119 species of cetaceans and other aquatic animals, sound is the key source of learning about the environment, navigation, communication, foraging, and avoiding predators. However, in the recent era, the introduction of large quantities of anthropogenic noise into the ocean has significantly altered the ocean's acoustic environment. The anthropogenic noises travel very long distances, blanketing enormous areas. This can affect cetaceans, either by direct killing or compromising hearing, navigation, communication, predation, as well as normal behaviors. It has been suggested that acoustic pollution could possibly negatively affect cetacean reproduction, which is harmful for endangered and threatened species. However, it is still unknown how acoustic pollution can suppress cetacean reproduction. This is the first comprehensive review article, which focuses on the possible consequences affecting the reproduction of marine mammals resulting from acoustic pollution.

Characterization of potassium hydroxide modified anthracite particles and enhanced removal of 17α-ethinylestradiol and bisphenol A

Abstract

Anthracite is a natural inorganic-organic hybrid environmentally friendly material, which often is used as a filter medium in water treatment. In this study, we processed anthracite particles using potassium hydroxide (KOH) with different concentrations. The anthracites, before and after treatments, were characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Boehm titration. The specific surface area and the amount of total alkalinity of anthracite were 23.73 m² g⁻¹ and 0.38 mmol g⁻¹ (increased by 101 and 217%, respectively) for 4 M KOH treatments, but decreased to 10.09 m² g⁻¹ and 0.12 mmol g⁻¹ for 10 M KOH treatments. We selected 4 M KOH-modified anthracite particles to remove 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) and bisphenol A (BPA) from water with unmodified anthracite used in control experiments. The pseudo-second-order model fitted well for the whole adsorption process, and intraparticle diffusion was not the unique rate-controlling step. The equilibrium adsorption data fitted well with the Langmuir-Freundlich model, and the adsorption capacities of EE2 and BPA on anthracite particles after 4 M KOH treatments were 0.7914 and 0.4327 mg g⁻¹ (increased by 138 and 97%, respectively), because the active sites markedly increased. The ligand exchange, hydrogen bonds, and π-π electron donor-acceptor interactions were the main adsorption mechanisms. The 4 M KOH-modified anthracite could be promising in large-scale applications, both as filter medium and adsorbent for organic contaminants.

Zooplankton sensitivity and phytoplankton regrowth for ballast water treatment with advanced oxidation processes

Abstract

The ballasting and de-ballasting of ships are two necessary operations with ballast water that provide stability for safe navigation. Empty ships must ballast tanks with water, which contains living organisms and subsequently carries them away from their original distribution. De-ballasting represents an input of still viable zooplankton, phytoplankton, and microorganisms in the destination port, leading to the introduction of alien species, and consequently, the introduction of organisms will alter the local biodiversity. Ballast water treatment is necessary to comply with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the maximum viable organisms permitted. It is known that UVC eliminates microorganisms, but there are few studies on the other taxonomical groups, such as phytoplankton and zooplankton. The advance oxidation processes (AOPs) with UV-C can be a good alternative to manage the problem of ballast water, primarily for microorganisms. However, for larger organisms, there is more resistance, and, a stage with filtration (by physical filtration or hydrocyclone) is usually required. The filter can fail, or certain zooplankton organisms can escape across the filter and go to the AOPs or UVC reactor. According to the taxonomic group, there can be a different sensitivity to the treatment, and one could survive and generate a risk. The AOPs tested were natural solar radiation (RAD), UV/H₂O₂, UV/TiO₂, UV/TiO₂/H₂O₂, and UV/TiO₂/H₂O₂/RAD. Natural sea water was pumped and treated with the AOPs. The vital zooplankton organisms counted were polychaetes, cladocerans, ostracods, nauplii and calanoid, cyclopoid, and harpacticoid copepods. For the phytoplankton, the abundance was estimated, and the photosystem II efficiency was determined. To evaluate the phytoplankton regrowth after the treatments, the treated water was stored and populations counted for 20 days. The most effective treatment for the zooplankton groups was UVC/H₂O₂. Regarding the sensitivity, the cyclopoid copepods were the most resistant. The nauplii and polychaetes were more likely to be killed by the AOPs, greatly decreasing the risk from nauplii due to their abundance and ease of passing through the filters with their smaller size. Phytoplankton regrowth was observed in all treatments, and it even reached abundance values higher than in the intake water. For instance, additional dark conditions and retreatment on days 3 or 5 are suggested for any treatment.

Disrupting mating of Lobesia botrana using sex pheromone aerosol devices

Abstract

Pheromone-mediated mating disruption (MD) is widely used as a control tool to manage the European grapevine moth (EGVM), Lobesia botrana. Most of the MD formulations are "passive" reservoir dispensers, which need to be used at a rather large number of units per hectare. A promising alternative is represented by automatic aerosol devices, releasing pheromone puffs at programmed time intervals. Herein, we investigated the effectiveness of MD aerosol product Isonet® L MisterX841 in reducing EGVM infestation on grape in comparison to the reference MD product Isonet® L and the grower's standard. Experiments were carried out over 2 years in two different study sites of Aragon region (Spain). EGVM male catches were monitored using traps baited with the female sex pheromone. The effectiveness of MD formulations against the three generations of EGVM was assessed by determining the percentage of infested bunches and the number of nests per bunch. As expected, a much greater amount of male catches in the grower's standard over Isonet® L MisterX841 and Isonet ® L was observed. No significant differences about EGVM male catches were found in vineyards where Isonet® L MisterX841 and Isonet® L were used. EGVM-infested bunches, as well as number of nests per bunch, were higher in the grower's standard, if compared to vineyards where we tested Isonet® L MisterX841 and Isonet® L. However, the employ of the latter led to a lower EGVM bunch infestation, if compared to Isonet® L MisterX841. Overall, the MD approach proposed here is effective against EGVM. These aerosol devices require a lower number of units per hectare if compared to hand-applied dispensers, saving labor costs and contributing to reduce plastic disposal in agricultural settings.

Green separation and characterization of fatty acids from solid wastes of leather industry in supercritical fluid CO 2

Abstract

Considerable tannery waste is generated by leather industry around the world. Recovery of the value-added products as natural fats from the solid wastes gained interest of many researchers. In this study, supercritical fluid separation method was applied for the fatty acid isolation from leather industry solid wastes. Pre-fleshing wastes of the double-face lambskins were used as natural fat source. Only supercritical CO₂ was used as process media without any solvent additive in high-pressure view cell equipment. The effect of different conditions was investigated for the best separation influence. The parameters of pressure (100 to 200 bar), temperature (40 to 80 °C), and time (1 to 3 h) were considered. Extraction yields and fat yields of the parameters were statistically evaluated after the processes. Maximum 78.57 wt% fat yield was obtained from leather industry fleshings in supercritical fluid CO₂ at 200 bar, 80 °C, and 2 h. Morever, conventional Soxhlet and supercritical CO₂ extracted fatty acids were characterized by using gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) and flame ionization detector (FID). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) characterizations were also done. The results showed that supercritical fluid CO₂ extraction was highly effective for the fat separation as green solvent and leather industry tannery wastes could be used for the value-added products.

Preparation and characterization of CS/β-CD/Nano-ZnO composite porous membrane optimized by Box-Behnken for the adsorption of Congo red

Abstract

In this paper, an effective chitosan/beta-cyclodextrin/nanometer zinc oxide (CS/β-CD/Nano-ZnO) composite porous membrane was synthesized by sol-gel and polymer-assisted inverting method. Preparation conditions of CS/β-CD/Nano-ZnO were investigated by single-factor and Box-Behnken response surface methodology optimizing triethoxyvinylsilane (JH-V151), beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD), and nanometer zinc oxide (Nano-ZnO), and applied to study the adsorption characteristics of Cong red (CR) from aqueous solution using batch experiments. The optimum preparation conditions were determined that the volume fraction of JH-V151 alcohol solution was 11%, the ratio of β-CD to CS was 5.35, and the ratio of Nano-ZnO's mass to solution's volume was 0.36%. Different characterization methods including field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, and Universal Materials Tester were used to prove the appearance, crystallinity, functional groups, swelling degree, transmittance, and tensile property of CS/β-CD/Nano-ZnO. The optimized batch experimental parameters were 50 mg L⁻¹, 4 h, 7.0, 0.5 g L⁻¹, and 55.0 °C as initial concentration, contact time, pH, adsorbent dose, and temperature, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity on CR reached 96.33 mg g⁻¹, which is 4.34 times with respect to CS. The batch experimental data were best described by a pseudo-second-order kinetics model and Langmuir isotherm model (R² = 0.9965, theoretical saturated adsorption capacity 147.28 mg g⁻¹). The values ∆G were − 2.09, − 4.73, and − 7.37 kJ mol⁻¹ at 298, 308, and 318 K temperatures, respectively. The ∆H value was 76.68 kJ mol⁻¹, indicating the endothermic and spontaneous adsorption in nature. The ∆S value was 0.26 kJ mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, a signal of entropy increase during adsorption. The adsorption capacity decreased only by 5.8% after six recycling runs, which indicated the reusability of CS/β-CD/Nano-ZnO. Therefore, the CS/β-CD/Nano-ZnO composite porous membrane is a promising membrane material for the efficient removal of CR from any water at large and economic scales at moderate concentration.

Long non-coding RNA CASC15 promotes tongue squamous carcinoma progression through targeting miR-33a-5p

Abstract

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have gained a lot of attention because they participate in several human disorders, including tumors. This study determined the role of LncRNA CASC15 (cancer susceptibility candidate 15) in the development of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). Here, we identified that CASC15 expression was upregulated in TSCC samples and cell lines. We showed that overexpression of CASC15 promoted cell proliferation, cycle, and migration in TSCC. In addition, we revealed that miR-33a-5p expression was downregulated in TSCC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, we showed that the expression of CASC15 was negatively related with miR-33a-5p expression in TSCC tissues. Ectopic expression of miR-33a-5p suppressed cell proliferation, cycle, and migration in TSCC. Elevated expression of CASC15 suppressed miR-33a-5p expression and promoted ZEB1 expression in SCC4 cell. Ectopic expression of CASC15 promoted TSCC cell proliferation, cycle, and migration through targeting miR-33a-5p. These results suggested that lncRNA CASC15 and miR-33a-5p might be exploited as new markers of TSCC and were potential treatment targets for TSCC patients.

Supercritical carbon dioxide extract of Cinnamomum cassia bark: toxicity and repellency against two stored-product beetle species

Abstract

The extract from Cinnamomum cassia Presl bark was obtained with supercritical CO₂ fluid extraction (SFE). Chemical components of the SFE extract were characterized by GC-MS spectrometry. The repellency and contact toxicity of the SFE extract were evaluated against the adults of Tribolium castaneum and Lasioderma serricorne along with those of its two main compounds. The results of GC-MS analysis indicated that 33 volatile constituents were identified from the extract. The main components included trans-cinnamaldehyde (32.1%), 3,3-dimethylhexane (10.6%) and 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (7.9%). Testing results showed that the SFE extract had potent contact toxicity against T. castaneum and L. serricorne with LD₅₀ values of 3.96 and 23.89 μg/adult, respectively. LD₅₀ values of trans-cinnamaldehyde against T. castaneum and L. serricorne were 5.78 and 3.24 μg/adult, respectively. Additionally, percentage repellency values of the SFE extract and trans-cinnamaldehyde against T. castaneum and L. serricorne were rather high (PR = 100% and PR > 90%, respectively) at 78.63 and 15.73 nL/cm² at 2 h post-exposure. 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol showed some repellency against both beetle species. Considering its insecticidal and repellent effects, the SFE extract from C. cassia bark might be used in integrated pest management programs for T. castaneum and L. serricorne.

Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank Statistics

Benefits of School Nurse Training Sessions for Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management

Publication date: Available online 26 May 2018
Source:The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice
Author(s): Angela Tsuang, Zara Atal, Haidi Demain, Kathleen Patrick, Michael Pistiner, Julie Wang

Teledermatología: la importancia de implantarla con un objetivo claro

Publication date: Available online 25 May 2018
Source:Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas
Author(s): I. García-Doval

Modelos de práctica de la teledermatología en España. Estudio longitudinal 2009-2014

Publication date: Available online 25 May 2018
Source:Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas
Author(s): G. Romero, D. de Argila, L. Ferrandiz, M.P. Sánchez, S. Vañó, R. Taberner, P. Pasquali, C. de la Torre, F. Alfageme, J. Malvehy, D. Moreno-Ramírez
IntroducciónLa teledermatología (TD) es la especialidad clínica más desarrollada de la telemedicina. El desarrollo de la TD en un país completo no se ha estudiado previamente en profundidad.MétodosEl objetivo fue analizar los modelos de TD en práctica real en España, centrándose en la organización, los aspectos técnicos, la docencia y las ventajas/desventajas percibidas por los teledermatólogos. Se realizaron 2encuestas con teledermatólogos en 2009 y 2014.ResultadosSe identificaron 25 centros utilizando TD en 2009 y 70 en 2014. La encuesta ampliada fue completada por 21 centros en 2009 y 42 en 2014. Las características generales en 2014 fueron: TD almacenamiento (TDA) fue la técnica predominante (83%), solo el 12% TD en tiempo real y el 5% TD híbrida. El 75% de los pacientes vistos en TD viven a menos de 25 km (TD urbana). La mayoría de los centros utilizan cámaras bridge de gama media y solo el 12% utiliza los teléfonos móviles. El 15% practica teledermoscopia y el 15% TD terciaria. En el 25%, la TD se restringió a la oncología cutánea; el 66% utiliza la TD para formación de médicos de primaria. Las ventajas principales (puntuación 0-10) fueron priorización en oncología (8,3), asistencia rápida de urgencias (7,8), la formación y la comunicación con los médicos de primaria (7,6), el cribado de enfermedad banal (7,6) y la disminución de las visitas presenciales (7,6). Los principales inconvenientes fueron (puntuación 0-10): la baja calidad de imágenes (6,3), el miedo al error (5,7), difícil coordinación con los médicos de primaria (MP) (3,8) y consumo de tiempo (3,3). La evolución 2009-2014 mostró más centros con TD y más teledermatólogos, mejor tecnología y aumento de los modelos TDA y urbano.ConclusiónLa TD es una tecnología emergente que comienza su fase de consolidación en España. Más del 25% de los centros de dermatología en España han puesto en práctica un sistema de TD. El modelo predominante es TDA en un entorno urbano. Los dermatólogos perciben la TD como una opción efectiva con más ventajas que desventajas. La satisfacción general es alta, sin embargo, todavía hay áreas que necesitan mejoras significativas.IntroductionTeledermatology is the most advanced clinical specialty in telemedicine. The development of teledermatology in specific countries has not been studied in depth.MethodsOur objective was to analyze teledermatology models in clinical practice in Spain. We paid special attention to organization, technical aspects, training, and the advantages/disadvantages as seen by teledermatologists. Two surveys were carried out (2009 and 2014).ResultsTeledermatology was used at 25 centers in 2009 and at 70 in 2014. The extended survey was completed by 21 centers in 2009 and 41 in 2014. Store-and-forward teledermatology was the main technique (83%) in 2014. Only 12% of centers used the real-time method, and 5% used a hybrid modality. Patients lived less than 25km away in 75% of cases (urban teledermatology). Most centers used mid-range bridge cameras; only 12% used mobile phones. Teledermoscopy and tertiary teledermatology were each used in 15% of centers. Teledermatology was restricted to skin cancer in 25% of cases, and 66% of centers used it to train primary care physicians. The main advantages, assessed on a scale of 1 to 10, were prioritization in cancer screening (8.3), rapid emergency care (7.8), training of and communication with primary care physicians (7.6), screening for trivial conditions (7.6), and reduction in the number of face-to-face visits (7.6). The main disadvantages were poor image quality (6.3), fear of error (5.7), difficulty in coordinating with primary care physicians (3.8), and time commitment (3.3). Between 2009 and 2014, the number of centers using teledermatology and the number of teledermatologists increased, as did use of the store-and-forward and urban models. The technology used also improved.ConclusionTeledermatology is an emerging technology that is becoming well established in Spain. More than 25% of dermatology centers in Spain have implemented a teledermatology model. Store-and-forward in an urban setting is the most widely used modality. Teledermatologists see this technology as an effective option with more advantages than disadvantages. General satisfaction is high, although there is room for significant improvement in some areas.

Graphical abstract

Tumores de colisión sobre nevus sebáceo: claves para su diagnóstico dermatoscópico

Publication date: Available online 26 May 2018
Source:Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas
Author(s): A. Lobato-Berezo, P. Aguilera-Peiró, R.M. Pujol-Vallverdú

Higher order ignorance inside the margins

Abstract

According to the KK-principle, knowledge iterates freely. It has been argued, notably in Greco (J Philos 111:169–197, 2014a), that accounts of knowledge which involve essential appeal to normality are particularly conducive to defence of the KK-principle. The present article evaluates the prospects for employing normality in this role. First, it is argued that the defence of the KK-principle depends upon an implausible assumption about the logical principles governing iterated normality claims. Once this assumption is dropped, counter-instances to the principle can be expected to arise. Second, it is argued that even if the assumption is maintained, there are other logical properties of normality which can be expected to lead to failures of KK. Such failures are noteworthy, since they do not depend on either a margins-for-error principle or safety condition of the kinds Williamson (Mind 101:217–242, 1992; Knowledge and its limits, OUP, Oxford, 2000) appeals to in motivating rejection KK. "Introduction: KK and Being in a Position to Know" Section formulates two versions of the KK-Principle; "Inexact Knowledge and Margins for Error" Section presents a version of Williamson's margins-for-error argument against it; "Knowledge and Normality" and "Iterated Normality" Sections discuss the defence of the KK-Principle due to Greco (J Philos 111:169–197, 2014a) and show that it is dependent upon the implausible assumption that the logic of normality ascriptions is at least as strong as K4; finally, "Knowledge in Abnormal Conditions" and "Higher-Order Ignorance Inside the Margins" Sections argue that a weakened version of Greco's constraint on knowledge is plausible and demonstrate that this weakened constraint will, given uncontentious assumptions, systematically generate counter-instances to the KK-principle of a novel kind.

Ecotoxicological and biochemical mixture effects of an herbicide and a metal at the marine primary producer diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii and the primary consumer copepod Acartia tonsa

Abstract

Mixture effects of chemicals and their potential synergistic interactions are of great concern to the public and regulatory authorities worldwide. Intensive agricultural activities are leading to discharges of chemical mixtures to nearby estuarine and marine waters with possible adverse effects on the aquatic communities and for the trophic food web interlinking these communities. Further information about the impacts of these stressors on aquatic organisms is needed. This study addresses ecotoxicological and biochemical effects of single and mixtures of the metal copper and the herbicide Primextra® Gold TZ on the marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii and on the estuarine calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa by determining growth rate and survival, respectively, and changes on fatty acid(FA) profiles in both species. Mixture effects on diatom species revealed that copper and Primextra® acted most likely additively with respect to the concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) models with model deviation ratios (MDR), 0.752 and 1.063, respectively. For the copepod species, copper and Primextra® were most likely non-interactive with respect to the CA model (MDR = 1.521) but acted most likely synergistically with respect to the IA model (MDR = 2.026). A significant decline in the absolute FA concentration was observed for copepod species after mixture exposure including a considerable decrease of essential FAs that cannot be synthesized de novo by these grazers. We concluded that the mixture effects are more hazardous for primary consumer than for primary producer species in terms of both abundance and biomass quality, suggesting a potential for harmful effects for higher trophic levels and thus a decrease in energy flow through the ecosystem.

Discerning the pre-monsoon urban atmosphere aerosol characteristic and its potential source type remotely sensed by AERONET over the Bengal Gangetic plain

Abstract

In the present study, we evaluated the pre-monsoon urban atmosphere (UA) aerosol characteristics remotely sensed by Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) over the Bengal Gangetic plain (BGP) at Kolkata (KOL) and their implication in potential source types and spatiotemporal features. About 70% of the AERONET-sensed aerosol optical depth at 0.50 μ m, AOD_0.5 (Angstrom exponent, α at 0.44–0.87 μ m) during the pre-monsoon period (February to June) was greater than 0.50 (≤ 1); the pre-monsoon mean of AOD_0.5 (α) was 0.73 (0.83) which was found being slightly higher (lower) than nearby AERONET stations (Dhaka/Bhola) located over the eastern Ganges basin. The volume geometric mean radius for the fine mode (FM) (coarse mode, CM) UA aerosol from AERONET retrievals was estimated to be 0.14–0.17 (2.24–2.75) μ m. The spectral distribution of the monthly mean of UA aerosol single-scattering albedo (SSA) exhibited an increasing trend with an increase in wavelength throughout all wavelengths during April, unlike the rest of the pre-monsoon months. Investigation of aerosol types indicated the pre-dominance of dust during April and a mixture of urban/open burning with mixed desert dust during the rest of the pre-monsoon months. Potential aerosol source fields were identified over the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), east coast, northwestern India, and oceanic regions; these were estimated at elevated layers of atmosphere during April and May but that at surface layers during February and June. Comparison of aerosol characteristics over the BGP (at Kolkata, KOL) with that at six other coincident AERONET sites over India revealed mean AOD at KOL being 11 to 91% higher than the rest of the AERONET stations, with the relative increase at KOL being the highest during March; this was attributed to persistent high values of both FM and CM AOD unlike the rest of the stations. The monthly mean of SSA was the lowest at KOL among AERONET stations, during February and March. Comparison of the AOD from the AERONET aerosol retrievals over the BGP UA with the coincident Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) latest retrievals (C005 and C006) indicated a moderate correlation between the two retrievals; discrepancy in MODIS-retrieved relative distribution of FM and CM AOD was inferred compared to AERONET in the UA.