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The spatial relationship between traffic-related air pollution and noise in two Danish cities: Implications for health-related studies
No full textAir pollution and noise originating from urban road traffic have been linked to the adverse health effects e.g. cardiovascular disease (CVD), although their generation and propagation mechanisms vary. We aimed to (i) develop a tool to model exposures to air pollution and noise using harmonized inputs based on similar geographical structure (ii) explore the relationship (using Spearman's rank correlation) of both pollutions at residential exposure level (iii) investigate the influence of traffic speed and Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) on air-noise relationship. The annual average (2005) air pollution (NOx, NO2, PM10, PM2.5) and noise levels (Lday, Leve, Lnight, Lden, LAeq,24h) are modelled at address locations in Copenhagen and Roskilde (N = 11,000 and 1500). The new AirGIS system together with the Operational Street Pollution Model (OSPM®) is used to produce air pollution estimates. Whereas, noise is estimated using Common Noise Assessment Methods in the EU (CNOSSOS-EU, hereafter CNOSSOS) with relatively coarser inputs (100 m CORINE land cover, simplified vehicle composition). In addition, noise estimates (Lday, Leve, Lnight) from CNOSSOS are also compared with noise estimates from Road Traffic Noise 1996 (RTN-96, one of the Nordic noise prediction standards). The overall air-noise correlation structure varied significantly in the range |rS| = 0.01–0.42, which was mainly affected by the background concentrations of air pollution as well as non-traffic emission sources. Moreover, neither AADT nor traffic speed showed substantial influence on the air-noise relationship. The noise levels estimated by CNOSSOS were substantially lower, and showed much lower variation than levels obtained by RTN-96. CNOSSOS, therefore, needs to be further evaluated using more detailed inputs (e.g. 10 m land cover polygons) to assess its feasibility for epidemiological noise exposure studies in Denmark. Lower to moderate air-noise correlations point towards significant potential to determine the independent health effects of air pollution and noise
Systematic evaluation of machine learning methods for identifying human-pathogen protein-protein interactions
No full textIn recent years, high-throughput experimental techniques have significantly enhanced the accuracy and coverage of protein-protein interaction identification, including human-pathogen protein-protein interactions (HP-PPIs). Despite this progress, experimental methods are, in general, expensive in terms of both time and labor costs, especially considering that there are enormous amounts of potential protein-interacting partners. Developing computational methods to predict interactions between human and bacteria pathogen has thus become critical and meaningful, in both facilitating the detection of interactions and mining incomplete interaction maps. In this paper, we present a systematic evaluation of machine-learning-based computational methods for human-bacterium protein-protein interactions (HB-PPIs). We first review a vast number of publicly available databases of HP-PPIs, and then critically evaluate the availability of these databases. Benefitting from its well-structured nature, we subsequently preprocess the data and identified six bacterium pathogens that could be used to study bacterium subjects in which a human was the host. Additionally, we thoroughly reviewed the literature on “host-pathogen interactions” whereby existing models were summarized that we used to jointly study the impact of different feature-representation algorithms and evaluate the performance of existing machine-learning computational models. Owing to the abundance of sequence information and the limited scale of other protein-related information, we adopted the primary protocol from the literature and dedicated our analysis to a comprehensive assessment of sequence information and machine-learning models. A systematic evaluation of machine-learning models and a wide range of feature-representation algorithms based on sequence information are presented as a comparison survey towards the prediction performance evaluation of HB-PPIs
Cell-free protein synthesis in hydrogel materials
No full textWe report a method for embedding cell-free protein synthesis reactions in macro-scale hydrogel materials without a free liquid phase. This paper focuses on methods of preparation for a variety of hydrogels and an investigation of the impact that the hydrogel material has on cell-free protein synthesis
Manganese complex [Mn(CO)₃(tpa-κ³N)]Br increases antibiotic sensitivity in multidrug resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae
No full textObjectives
The emergence of multidrug-resistance (MDR) in Streptococcus pneumoniae clones and non-vaccine serotypes necessitate the development of novel treatment strategies. This work aimed to determine the efficacy of the Mn complex [Mn(CO)³(tpa-κ³N)]Br against clinically important MDR strains of S. pneumoniae.
Methods
Twenty MDR clinicalS. pneumoniae strains were included in this study. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of [Mn(CO)₃(tpa-κ³N)]Br were determined via broth microdilution alone and in combination with other antimicrobial agents using checkerboard assays and/or disc diffusion tests. In vitro efficacy was assessed by time-kill assays while in vivo efficacy was tested using the insect model Galleria mellonella.
Results
[Mn(CO)₃(tpa-κ³N)]Br showed moderate in vitro efficacy against S. pneumoniae coupled with bactericidal activity. Checkerboard and disc diffusion assays showed synergy between [Mn(CO)₃(tpa-κ³N)]Br and tetracycline, and the combination of both agents caused rapid kill-kinetics and reduced the MIC below the susceptibility breakpoint of 1 mg/L even for tetracycline-resistant strains of S. pneumoniae. Similar results were observed for the erythromycin- and the co-trimoxazole-Mn complex combination. In the G. mellonella infection model, mortality and morbidity rates at 96 h were significantly lower in larvae treated with [Mn(CO)₃(tpa-κ³N)]Br than phosphate buffered saline, while treatment with the tetracycline-Mn complex combination was superior to monotherapy, resulting in significantly lower mortality and morbidity rates (p ˂ 0.049).
Conclusions
We show that [Mn(CO)₃(tpa-κ³N)]Br has in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activity against clinically relevant strains of S. pneumoniae and has the potential to be used in combination with currently available antibiotics to increase their effectiveness against MDR S. pneumoniae.</p
Predicting outcome in liver patients admitted to intensive care: A dual-centre non-specialist hospital external validation of the Liver injury and Failure evaluation score
No full textBackground: Acute hepatic dysfunction in the critically ill population with pre-existing liver cirrhosis is associated with a high mortality. Several prediction models have been developed to risk stratify patients with liver disease.
Methods: This UK dual-centre non-specialist hospital retrospective study (2015–2019) externally validated the Liver injury and Failure evaluation score (incorporating lactate, bilirubin and International Normalised Ratio), alongside two other general intensive care unit prediction models (Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II). Inclusion criteria matched a recent UK-wide study including at least one of biopsy proven cirrhosis, imaging suggestive of cirrhosis, hepatic encephalopathy or portal hypertension.
Results: One hundred and ninety-nine admissions met inclusion criteria over the study period (n¼169), mean age
57(�13). In-hospital mortality was 40% in this cohort compared to 18% of all intensive care unit individuals during the same period. Variceal bleeding was associated with a lower short-term (18% versus 47%, P<0.001, odds ratio 0.3 (95% confidence interval 0.1–0.5)) and longer-term mortality (log rank P¼0.015). In-patient mortality was higher in
cases requiring renal replacement therapy (82% versus 29%, odds ratio 11.1 (95% confidence interval 4.6–26.9),
P<0.001) or ventilation (47% versus 32%, odds ratio 1.9 (1.1–3.4), P¼0.03). For in-patient mortality, area under
the receiver operating characteristic curves were Liver injury and Failure evaluation 0.69 (95% confidence interval
0.62–0.77), Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre 0.80 (0.74–0.86) and Acute Physiology and Chronic
Health Evaluation II 0.73 (0.65–0.81). Forty-one per cent of cases were alive at one-year follow-up. Area under the
receiver operating characteristic curves for one-year survival were Liver injury and Failure evaluation 0.69 (0.61–0.77),
Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre 0.75 (0.67–0.82) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health
Evaluation II 0.69 (0.61–0.77).
Conclusion: This first Liver injury and Failure evaluation score validation in a UK non-specialist hospital setting suggests
this parsimonious, easy to calculate model may have utility in prediction of short-term and one-year mortality. As with
previous studies variceal haemorrhage was associated with lower mortality
Critical Review of Recent Progress of Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells
No full textPerovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a ‘rising star’ in recent years due to their high-power conversion efficiency (PCE), extremely low cost and facile fabrication techniques. To date, PSCs have achieved a certified PCE of 25.2% on rigid conductive substrates, and 19.5% on flexible substrates. The significant advancement of PSCs has been realized through various routes, including perovskite composition engineering, interface modification, surface passivation, fabrication process optimization, and exploitation of new charge transport materials. However, compared with rigid counterparts, the efficiency record of flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs) is advancing slowly, and therefore it is of great significance to scrutinize recent work and expedite the innovation in this field. In this article, we comprehensively review the recent progress of FPSCs. After a brief introduction, the major features of FPSCs are compared with other types of flexible solar cells in a broad context including silicon, CdTe, dye-sensitized, organic, quantum dot and hybrid solar cells. In particular, we highlight the major breakthroughs of FPSCs made in 2019/2020 for both laboratory and large-scale devices. The constituents of making a FPSC including flexible substrates, perovskite absorbers, charge transport materials, as well as device fabrication and encapsulation methods have been critically assessed. The existing challenges of making high performance and long-term stable FPSCs are discussed. Finally, we offer our perspectives on the future opportunities of FPSCs in the field of photovoltaics
Information and nonmarket strategy: Conceptualizing the interrelationship between big data and corporate political activity
No full textWhile extant research acknowledges the importance of information for corporate political activity (CPA), there is limited understanding of how information is actually used to deploy political strategies. This gap reflects a broader problem in the literature whereby Big Data (BD) research is overly focused on the impact of information on market performance but overlooks the impact on nonmarket performance. In this paper, we draw on the resource-based view to conceptualize the interrelationship between BD (i.e. information) and CPA. We argue that CPA motivates BD investments, which, in turn, shape the organization of CPA and spur the development of data-driven political capabilities. Our conceptual model, which unpacks the intricate linkages between CPA success factors, BD and political capabilities, generates important theoretical, practical and further research implications
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