The impact of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors on health-related quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors on Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) compared with other hypoglycemic agents. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis based on randomized controlled trials was conducted following the Cochrane Handbook and PRISMA. Studies were identified by searching PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, Web of Science, CNKI, WANGFANG DATA, VIP DATABASE, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from database inception to Dec 30, 2023. The main result was HRQOL scores. The outcomes were extracted using the mean difference (MD) from each study. Sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were also performed. RESULTS: Forty studies (4,579 participants) were included, with 32 pooled for meta-analysis. DPP-4 inhibitors alongside conventional treatment significantly enhanced HRQOL compared to conventional treatment alone (MD = 9.85, 95% CI [7.98-11.71], P < 0.001; heterogeneity, I2 = 94%, P < 0.001), as assessed by SF-36 using a random-effects model. No additional benefit was found when measured by DTR-QOL using a fixed-effects model (MD = 2.29, 95% CI [-0.06-4.64], P = 0.06; heterogeneity, I2 = 49%, P = 0.1) and compared to SGLT-2 inhibitors. Subgroup analysis indicated that DPP-4 inhibitors favored patients ≥ 60 years old on medication for ≥ 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: DPP-4 inhibitors were superior for T2DM HRQOL improvement. More long-term, multicenter evidence is needed to generalize findings and compare them with newer hypoglycemic agents. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO: CRD42023440134.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of primary healthcare practitioners regarding pharmacist clinics: a cross-sectional study in Shanghai.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacist clinics offer professional pharmaceutical services that can improve public health outcomes. However, primary healthcare staff in China face various barriers and challenges in implementing such clinics. To identify existing problems and provide recommendations for the implementation of pharmacist clinics, this study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pharmacist clinics among primary healthcare providers. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey based on the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) model, was conducted in community health centers (CHCs) and private hospitals in Shanghai, China in May, 2023. Descriptive analytics and the Pareto principle were used to multiple-answer questions. Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and binary logistic regression models were employed to identify factors associated with the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pharmacist clinics. RESULTS: A total of 223 primary practitioners participated in the survey. Our study revealed that most of them had limited knowledge (60.1%, n = 134) but a positive attitude (82.9%, n = 185) towards pharmacist clinics, with only 17.0% (n = 38) having implemented them. The primary goal of pharmacist clinics was to provide comprehensive medication guidance (31.5%, n = 200), with medication education (26.3%, n = 202) being the primary service, and special populations (24.5%, n = 153) identified as key recipients. Logistic regression analysis revealed that education, age, occupation, position, work seniority, and institution significantly influenced their perceptions. Practitioners with bachelor's degrees, for instance, were more likely than those with less education to recognize the importance of pharmacist clinics in medication guidance (aOR: 7.130, 95%CI: 1.809-28.099, p-value = 0.005) and prescription reviews (aOR: 4.675, 95% CI: 1.548-14.112, p-value = 0.006). Additionally, practitioners expressed positive attitudes but low confidence, with only 33.3% (n = 74) feeling confident in implementation. The confidence levels of male practitioners surpassed those of female practitioners (p-value = 0.037), and practitioners from community health centers (CHCs) exhibited higher confidence compared to their counterparts in private hospitals (p-value = 0.008). Joint physician-pharmacist clinics (36.8%, n = 82) through collaboration with medical institutions (52.0%, n = 116) emerged as the favored modality. Daily sessions were preferred (38.5%, n = 86), and both registration and pharmacy service fees were considered appropriate for payment (42.2%, n = 94). The primary challenge identified was high outpatient workload (30.9%, n = 69). CONCLUSIONS: Although primary healthcare practitioners held positive attitudes towards pharmacist clinics, limited knowledge, low confidence, and high workload contributed to the scarcity of their implementation. Practitioners with diverse sociodemographic characteristics, such as education, age, and institution, showed varying perceptions and practices regarding pharmacist clinics.

Prevalence of depression and association with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among individuals with type 2 diabetes: a cohort study based on NHANES 2005-2018 data.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with diabetes have increased risk of depression, but there are limited nationally representative studies on this topic. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of depression, as well as its impact on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) using a prospective cohort study and a representative sample of the U.S. METHODS: We analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2005 to 2018 and linked it with the most recent publicly available National Death Index (NDI) data. Individuals aged 20 years or old who had depression measurements were included. Depression was defined as a Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score ≥ 10, and categorized into moderate (10-14 points) and moderately severe to severe (≥ 15 points). Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the association between depression and mortality. RESULTS: Among 5695 participants with T2DM, 11.6% had depression. Depression was associated with female gender, younger age, overweight, lower education, being unmarried, smoking, and a history of coronary heart disease and stroke. During a mean follow-up period of 78.2 months, 1161 all-cause deaths occurred. Total depression and moderately severe to severe depression significantly increased all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.36, 95% CI [1.09-1.70]; 1.67 [1.19-2.34]) and non-cardiovascular mortality (aHR 1.36, 95% CI [1.04-1.78]; 1.78, 95% CI [1.20-2.64]), but not cardiovascular mortality. Subgroup analysis showed a significant association between total depression and all-cause mortality in males (aHR 1.46, 95% CI [1.08-1.98]) and those aged 60 years or older (aHR 1.35, 95% CI [1.02-1.78]). Any severity of depression was not significantly associated with cardiovascular mortality in age- or gender- stratified subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: In a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults with T2DM, approximately 10% experienced depression. Depression did not significantly associate with cardiovascular mortality. However, comorbid depression in T2DM patients increased the risk of all-cause and non-cardiovascular mortality. The impact of depression on mortality varied across subgroups. Therefore, healthcare providers should consider incorporating depression screening and management into routine care, especially for subgroups with specific risk factors, due to the increased risk of all-cause mortality in T2DM patients with depression.

Identification and integrated analysis of differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs associated with periodontitis in humans.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) to compete for micro-RNAs (miRNAs) in regulation of downstream genes, various biological functions and diseases. Yet, the expression and regulation of lncRNAs in periodontitis are not fully understood. The objective of the study was to identify potential genes (lncRNA, messenger RNA [mRNA] and miRNA) involved in periodontitis, construct lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA networks, explore gene functions and validate gene expressions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data sets for the lncRNA, mRNA and miRNA expression profiles in gingival samples from periodontally healthy subjects and chronic periodontitis patients were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus. The differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs), mRNAs (DEmRNAs) and miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were identified, and ceRNA networks were then constructed. The expression of DElncRNAs and DEmRNAs was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Moreover, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were performed for exploring the potential functions and biological pathways. RESULTS: The GSE80715 and GSE54710 data sets were retrieved. Subsequently, 26 DElncRNAs, 436 DEmRNAs and 12 DEmiRNAs were identified (|fold change| ≥2, adjusted p < 0.05). Further bioinformatics analysis contributed to establishment of the ceRNA networks, which consisted of 10 DElncRNAs, 11 DEmiRNAs and 83 DEmRNAs. Notably, the qPCR results showed a marked decrease in the expression of lncRNA H19 and two mRNAs (NOS1 and MAPT) which further supported the identified ceRNA network. The GO results revealed that the up-regulated mRNAs were significantly enriched in inflammatory processes, whilst the down-regulated mRNAs were enriched in cellular potentials. CONCLUSION: Non-coding RNAs are critically involved in the regulatory mechanisms in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Further study is warranted to investigate the specific underlying genetic traits and networks.

Swapping the Positions in a Cross-Strand Lateral Ion-Pairing Interaction between Ammonium- and Carboxylate-Containing Residues in a ß-Hairpin.

Cross-strand lateral ion-pairing interactions are important for antiparallel ß-sheet stability. Statistical studies suggested that swapping the position of cross-strand lateral residues should not significantly affect the interaction. Herein, we swapped the position of ammonium- and carboxylate-containing residues with different side-chain lengths in a cross-strand lateral ion-pairing interaction in a ß-hairpin. The peptides were analyzed by 2D-NMR. The fraction folded population and folding free energy were derived from the chemical shift data. The ion-pairing interaction energy was derived using double mutant cycle analysis. The general trends for the fraction folded population and interaction energetics remained similar upon swapping the position of the interacting charged residues. The most stabilizing cross-strand interactions were between short residues, similar to the unswapped study. However, the fraction folded populations for most of the swapped peptides were higher compared to the corresponding unswapped peptides. Furthermore, subtle differences in the ion-pairing interaction energy upon swapping were observed, most likely due to the "unleveled" relative positioning of the interacting residues created by the inherent right-handed twist of the structure. These results should be useful for developing functional peptides that rely on lateral ion-pairing interactions across antiparallel ß-strands.

Subgingival microbial changes in Down Syndrome adults with periodontitis after chlorhexidine adjunct non-surgical therapy and monthly recalls-A 12-month case series study.

OBJECTIVES: Down Syndrome (DS) adults are at risk for periodontitis. Previous reports indicated difficulties in periodontopathogen reduction or eradication in DS individuals after periodontal treatment. This case series follows the subgingival microbial changes in adult DS individuals with periodontitis who received chlorhexidine adjunct non-surgical therapy plus 12-month recalls. METHODS: Twenty periodontitis DS participants (7 females; 25.5 ± 5.6 years of age; 3 with generalized periodontitis) partook in a study involving non-surgical mechanical periodontal therapy, twice daily chlorhexidine gel toothbrushing, chlorhexidine mouthwash, and monthly recalls. The subgingival microbiota profile was followed at baseline, 6-, and 12-months post-operation. RESULTS: Desulfobulbus, Saccharibacteria (TM7), Tannerella, and Porphyromonas were the major subgingival genera in this DS cohort. Favorable chlorhexidine adjunct non-surgical treatment outcomes were observed, with the relative abundance of Desulfobulbus sp. HMT 041, Saccharibacteria (TM7) [G-1] bacterium HMT 346 or 349, and Tannerella forsythia significantly reduced at the end of the study, but no significant reduction of Porphyromonas gingivalis or Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans could be observed. Relative abundance of Desulfobulbus sp. HMT 041 and T. forsythia were also found to be significantly associated with plaque, bleeding on probing, and probing pocket depth (PPD, in mm) at a site level, while the relative abundance of Halomonas pacifica was negatively associated with PPD. CONCLUSIONS: Successful chlorhexidine adjunct non-surgical treatment with hygiene care was accompanied by a subgingival microbial shift involving certain periodontopathogenic species, except P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans. Further investigations are required to clarify the mechanism underpinning the unchanged relative abundance of the above two pathogens despite favorable clinical responses. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: DS adults face challenges achieving optimal home care or hygiene for periodontal healing and disease prevention. Chemical adjunct mechanical periodontal therapy plus regular recalls appeared promising clinically and microbiologically, with subgingival periodontopathogenic species reduction. The persistence of A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis in subgingival niches post-treatment warrants further investigation.

VisTellAR: Embedding Data Visualization to Short-form Videos Using Mobile Augmented Reality.

With the rise of short-form video platforms and the increasing availability of data, we see the potential for people to share short-form videos embedded with data in situ (e.g., daily steps when running) to increase the credibility and expressiveness of their stories. However, creating and sharing such videos in situ is challenging since it involves multiple steps and skills (e.g., data visualization creation and video editing), especially for amateurs. By conducting a formative study (N=10) using three design probes, we collected the motivations and design requirements. We then built VisTellAR, a mobile AR authoring tool, to help amateur video creators embed data visualizations in short-form videos in situ. A two-day user study shows that participants (N=12) successfully created various videos with data visualizations in situ and they confirmed the ease of use and learning. AR pre-stage authoring was useful to assist people in setting up data visualizations in reality with more designs in camera movements and interaction with gestures and physical objects to storytelling.

Shrimp Extract Exacerbates Allergic Immune Responses in Mice: Implications on Clinical Diagnosis of Shellfish Allergy.

Tropomyosin has been identified as the major cross-reactive shellfish allergen, but recent studies showed the presence of other clinically relevant allergens. This study aims at determining the allergic immune responses of mice sensitized with raw and boiled shrimp extracts in comparison to recombinant tropomyosin (rTM). Female Balb/c mice were intragastrically sensitized and challenged with raw, boiled shrimp or rTM. Systemic, cellular and humoral allergic responses were compared, while allergenicity of the extracts was also compared by skin prick test (SPT) and immunoblot on shrimp allergic subjects. We showed that rTM and shrimp extracts induced IgE- and Th2-mediated allergic responses in mice, distinguished by remarkable intestinal inflammation in small intestine across all regimens. Notably, boiled shrimp extract exhibited the highest sensitization rate (73.7% of mice developed positive TM-specific IgE response) when compared with raw extract (47.8%) and rTM (34.8%). Mice sensitized with boiled extract manifested the highest allergen-specific IgE and Th2 cytokine responses than the others. Immunoblot results indicated that tropomyosin remained the major allergen in extract-based sensitization and had stronger allergenicity in a heat-treated form comparing to untreated TM, which was in line with the SPT results that boiled extract induced larger wheal size in patients. Hemocyanin and glycogen phosphorylase were also identified as minor allergens associated with manifestation of shrimp allergy. This study shows that boiled extract enhanced sensitization and Th2 responses in agreement with the higher allergenicity of heat-treated TM. This study thus presents three shrimp allergy murine models suitable for mechanistic and intervention studies, and in vivo evidence implies higher effectiveness of boiled extract for the clinical diagnosis of shellfish allergy.

Effect of charged amino acid side chain length at non-hydrogen bonded strand positions on ß-hairpin stability.

ß-Sheets have been implicated in various neurological disorders, and ∼20% of protein residues adopt a sheet conformation. Therefore, studies on the structural origin of sheet stability can provide fundamental knowledge with potential biomedical applications. Oppositely charged amino acids are frequently observed across one another in antiparallel ß-sheets. Interestingly, the side chains of natural charged amino acids Asp, Glu, Arg, Lys have different numbers of hydrophobic methylenes linking the backbone to the hydrophilic charged functionalities. To explore the inherent effect of charged amino acid side chain length on antiparallel sheets, the stability of a designed hairpin motif containing charged amino acids with varying side chain lengths at non-hydrogen bonded positions was studied. Peptides with the guest position on the N-terminal strand and the C-terminal strand were investigated by NMR methods. The charged amino acids (Xaa) included negatively charged residues with a carboxylate group (Asp, Glu, Aad in increasing length), positively charged residues with an ammonium group (Dap, Dab, Orn, Lys in increasing length), and positively charged residues with a guanidinium group (Agp, Agb, Arg, Agh in increasing length). The fraction folded and folding free energy for each peptide were derived from the chemical shift deviation data. The stability of the peptides with the charged residues at the N-terminal guest position followed the trends: Asp > Glu > Aad, Dap < Dab < Orn ∼ Lys, and Agb < Arg < Agh < Agp. The stability of the peptides with the charged residues at the C-terminal guest position followed the trends: Asp < Glu < Aad, Dap ∼ Dab < Orn ∼ Lys, and Agb < Arg ∼ Agp < Agh. These trends were rationalized by thermodynamic sheet propensity and cross-strand interactions.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of once-daily oral semaglutide versus placebo and subcutaneous glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists added to insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes in China.

Introduction: Oral semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) that improves glycated hemoglobin levels and body weight in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). We aim to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of once-daily oral semaglutide in comparison to placebo and injectable GLP-1 RAs in Chinese patients with T2DM inadequately controlled on basal insulin. Methods: The United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study Outcomes Model (UKPDS OM2.1) was used to estimate the cost-effectiveness by calculating the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Baseline characteristics of the simulation cohort were obtained from the PIONEER 8 trial. Utility and safety inputs were derived from a network meta-analysis of 12 trials. Direct medical costs were retrieved from published literature and discounted at an annual rate of 5%. We used a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $36,528.3 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. Scenario analysis, and one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed. Results: The effectiveness of oral semaglutide was 10.39 QALYs with a total cost of $30,223.10, while placebo provided 10.13 QALYs at a lower total cost of $20,039.19. Oral semaglutide was not cost-effective at an ICER of $39,853.22 and $88,776.61 per QALY compared to placebo and exenatide at the WTP. However, at an annual price of $1,871.9, it was cost-effective compared with dulaglutide, liraglutide, and lixisenatide. The model was most sensitive to the discount rate and annual cost of oral semaglutide. The price of oral semaglutide needed to be reduced to $1,711.03 per year to be cost-effective compared to placebo and other injectable GLP-1 RAs except for exenatide and semaglutide injection. Conclusion: We found that once-daily oral semaglutide, at a comparable price of semaglutide injection, proves to be a cost-effective add-on therapy to insulin for Chinese patients with T2DM, especially when compared to subcutaneous GLP-1 RAs other than injectable semaglutide and exenatide. However, to achieve cost-effectiveness in comparison to placebo, further cost reduction of oral semaglutide is necessary. The estimated annual cost of $1,711.03 for oral semaglutide demonstrates a more cost-effective option than placebo, highlighting its potential value in the management of T2DM.

Exploring Interactions with Printed Data Visualizations in Augmented Reality.

This paper presents a design space of interaction techniques to engage with visualizations that are printed on paper and augmented through Augmented Reality. Paper sheets are widely used to deploy visualizations and provide a rich set of tangible affordances for interactions, such as touch, folding, tilting, or stacking. At the same time, augmented reality can dynamically update visualization content to provide commands such as pan, zoom, filter, or detail on demand. This paper is the first to provide a structured approach to mapping possible actions with the paper to interaction commands. This design space and the findings of a controlled user study have implications for future designs of augmented reality systems involving paper sheets and visualizations. Through workshops ( N=20) and ideation, we identified 81 interactions that we classify in three dimensions: 1) commands that can be supported by an interaction, 2) the specific parameters provided by an (inter)action with paper, and 3) the number of paper sheets involved in an interaction. We tested user preference and viability of 11 of these interactions with a prototype implementation in a controlled study ( N=12, HoloLens 2) and found that most of the interactions are intuitive and engaging to use. We summarized interactions (e.g., tilt to pan) that have strong affordance to complement "point" for data exploration, physical limitations and properties of paper as a medium, cases requiring redundancy and shortcuts, and other implications for design.

Longitudinal trends in the prevalence and treatment of depression among adults with cardiovascular disease: An analysis of national health and nutrition examination survey 2009-2020.

Objectives: To assess the contemporary prevalence and decadal trends of depression and antidepressant use among adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the United States, as well as their risk factors from 2009 to 2020. Materials and methods: We used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data to calculate the weighted prevalence of depression and antidepressant use. Adults aged 20 years or older with CVD were included. Depression and CVD were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and self-report, respectively. Results: A total of 3,073 eligible participants with CVD aged >20 years were included. The overall prevalence of depression defined by PHQ-9 score ≥10 was 15.7% (95% CI 13.8-17.5), with a steady trend during 2009-March 2020 (p = 0.777). Female gender (aOR 1.78, 95% CI 1.20-2.64) and sleep disorder (aOR 2.62, 95% CI 1.78-3.86) were independent risk factors for depression in CVD patients, while high education level, high income, longer sleep duration, and non-current smokers were considered protective factors. The weighted prevalence of antidepressant use among depressed patients with CVD was 38.6%, which also remained unchanged during the survey period (p = 0.699). Participants with normal sleep pattern and duration were significantly less likely to take antidepressants (p = 0.003). Conclusion: The longitudinal trends in the prevalence of depression among CVD patients in the United States have been stable over the past decade, despite being significantly higher in women, and those with sleep disorders. Overall, antidepressant use was fairly low. Aggressive screening and tailored treatment are recommended for specific vulnerable subpopulations to improve their clinical outcomes.

Real-world safety of PCSK9 inhibitors: A pharmacovigilance study based on spontaneous reports in FAERS.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate alirocumab- and evolocumab-related adverse events (AEs) in real-world compared with all other drugs, overall and by gender and age subgroups; we also aimed to compare their risks of cognitive impairment, musculoskeletal disorders and diabetes with various statins and ezetimibe. Methods: We retrospectively extracted AE reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database during July 2015-June 2021. Disproportionality analyses were performed using reporting odds ratios (RORs) to detect AE signals of alirocumab and evolocumab in the overall population and in different age and gender subgroups, respectively. Results: Compared with all other drugs, both alirocumab and evolocumab had a significant signal in "musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders" (ROR1 = 2.626, 95% CI 2.552-2.702; ROR2 = 2.575, 95% CI 2.538-2.613). The highest ROR value of 2.311 (95% CI 2.272-2.351) was for "injury, poisoning and procedural complications" and was found in patients aged ≥65 years on evolocumab. The most frequent AEs were "general disorders and administration site conditions" and "musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders" for all subpopulations. At the preferred term level, the most frequent AE signal was myalgia for alirocumab and injection site pain for evolocumab, overall and by subgroups. Compared with statins/ezetimibe, PCSK9 inhibitors exhibited lower ROR values for adverse events associated with SOC "nervous system disorders", "psychiatric disorders" and "metabolism and nutrition disorders" (all RORs < 1), but mixed results for musculoskeletal disorders. Compared with all other drugs, undocumented AEs, such as acute cardiac event (ROR = 30.0, 95% CI 9.4-95.3) and xanthoma (ROR = 9.3, 95% CI 3.4-25.5), were also reported. Conclusion: Real-world evidence showed that PCSK9 inhibitors were associated with an increased risk of musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders and general disorders and administration site conditions, overall and by subgroups. Muscle toxicity, injection site reactions, and influenza-like illness were significant AE signals. Compared with various statins and ezetimibe, PCSK9 inhibitors have shown a favorable safety profile in muscle-related events, cognitive impairment and diabetes. Some undocumented AE signals were also reported. Due to the limitations of spontaneous reporting databases, further studies are still needed to establish causality and validate our results.

MobileVisFixer: Tailoring Web Visualizations for Mobile Phones Leveraging an Explainable Reinforcement Learning Framework.

We contribute MobileVisFixer, a new method to make visualizations more mobile-friendly. Although mobile devices have become the primary means of accessing information on the web, many existing visualizations are not optimized for small screens and can lead to a frustrating user experience. Currently, practitioners and researchers have to engage in a tedious and time-consuming process to ensure that their designs scale to screens of different sizes, and existing toolkits and libraries provide little support in diagnosing and repairing issues. To address this challenge, MobileVisFixer automates a mobile-friendly visualization re-design process with a novel reinforcement learning framework. To inform the design of MobileVisFixer, we first collected and analyzed SVG-based visualizations on the web, and identified five common mobile-friendly issues. MobileVisFixer addresses four of these issues on single-view Cartesian visualizations with linear or discrete scales by a Markov Decision Process model that is both generalizable across various visualizations and fully explainable. MobileVisFixer deconstructs charts into declarative formats, and uses a greedy heuristic based on Policy Gradient methods to find solutions to this difficult, multi-criteria optimization problem in reasonable time. In addition, MobileVisFixer can be easily extended with the incorporation of optimization algorithms for data visualizations. Quantitative evaluation on two real-world datasets demonstrates the effectiveness and generalizability of our method.

CO2 as a reaction medium for pyrolysis of lignin leading to magnetic cobalt-embedded biochar as an enhanced catalyst for Oxone activation.

Carbonaceous materials have been proven as advantageous supports for anchoring cobalt (Co) nanoparticles (NPs) to formulate Co/carbon composite catalysts for Oxone activation in degrading pollutants in water. While Co/carbon composites represent attractive catalysts, most carbonaceous supports are usually sophisticatedly fabricated using fine chemicals and immobilization of Co on carbon supports requires complicated post-modifications. As biochar appears as a versatile but easily-accessible carbon, pyrolysis of Co/lignin can result in a promising Co/biochar (CoBC) catalyst for Oxone activation. Especially, when CO2 is used to replace N2 as a reaction medium for pyrolysis of Co/lignin, the syngas production from pyrolysis can be enhanced and a magnetic CoBC is also obtained. This CoBC appears as a micro-sized composite of Co nanoparticles (NPs) well-distributed and embedded within carbon matrices, and exhibits several advantageous properties, such as high porosity, large surface area and magnetism, making it an advantageous catalyst for activating Oxone in water. As decolorization of Amaranth (AMR) dye is employed as a model test, CoBC successfully activates Oxone to fully decolorize AMR within 60 min with a rate constant of 0.33 min-1. CoBC also exhibits a much higher catalytic activity than CoBC prepared from pyrolysis in N2, and Co3O4, revealing its promising advantages. The activation energy of AMR decolorization by CoBC-activated Oxone is 48 kJ/mol, which is also lower than those reported in other studies. CoBC can be also re-used to activate Oxone over multiple cycles. These findings validate that CoBC is certainly a promising heterogeneous catalyst, which can be simply prepared from pyrolysis of Co/lignin in CO2 with concomitant enhanced syngas production.

Cobalt-impregnated biochar produced from CO2-mediated pyrolysis of Co/lignin as an enhanced catalyst for activating peroxymonosulfate to degrade acetaminophen.

-While sulfate radical (SO4-)-based processes are useful to degrade acetaminophen (ACE), studies of using peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade ACE are quite limited. In addition, although Co is validated as the most effective metal for activating PMS, very few Co catalysts have been developed and investigated for activating PMS to degrade ACE. Since carbon is a promising substrate to support Co nanoparticles (NPs) to form Co/carbon composite catalysts, most existing carbon substrates require delicate fabrications. As biochar is an easy-to-obtain but versatile carbon material, pyrolysis of Co/lignin affords an advantageous Co-impregnated biochar (CoIB) as an attractive catalyst for PMS activation. Specifically, as CO2 substitutes N2 as a reaction medium for pyrolysis of Co/lignin, the syngas production from pyrolysis can be substantially improved and a magnetic CoIB is afforded. This CoIB consists of evenly-distributed Co nanoparticles (NPs) impregnated in carbon matrices of biochar, and possesses several superior characteristics, such as high porosity, large surface area and magnetism, enabling CoIB a promising catalyst for activating PMS to degrade ACE. CoIB also shows a much higher catalytic activity of PMS activation than CoIBN2, and Co3O4 for degrading ACE. CoIB is also recyclable for activating PMS to effectively degrade ACE for multiple cycles. The ACE degradation pathway by this CoIB-activated PMS is proposed according to the degradation products. These findings validate that CoIB is assuredly an advantageous heterogeneous catalyst, which can be easily prepared from pyrolysis of Co/lignin in CO2 with concomitant enhanced syngas production for effectively activating PMS to degrade ACE.

The validity and reliability of four measures of gambling behaviour in a sample of Singapore University students.

The primary aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of measures for detecting problem gamblers for use with university students in a Singapore context. The four instruments commonly used in gambling research, the DSM-IV, GA-20, SOGS and CPGI were administered to a sample of students (n = 193) from a representative cross section of faculties from one university. The CPGI was found to be the most reliable (alpha = 0.922) and valid in terms of construct validity as demonstrated by factor analysis. Despite being a lengthy instrument it is recommended that future studies such as randomized controlled trials of problem gambling interventions in Singapore adopt a modified version of the CPGI, made simpler and easier to use with fewer items and more appropriate terminology.

Cobalt-embedded carbon nanofiber derived from a coordination polymer as a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for activating oxone in water.

Carbon fiber (CF) supported cobalt nanoparticles (NPs) are promising catalysts for activating Oxone because carbon is non-metal and earth-abundant, and CF-based catalysts exhibit a high aspect ratio, which affords more accessible and dense catalytic sites. Nevertheless, most of CF-supported catalysts are fabricated by post-synthetic methods, which involve complicated preparations. More importantly, metallic NPs are attached to the outer surface of CF rather than embedded within CF. However, there is still a great demand for developing Co-bearing carbon fibers for Oxone activation via simple and effective methods. Thus, this study proposes to develop a cobalt NP-embedded carbon nanofiber (CCNF) by a simple hydrothermal reaction of Co and nitrilotriacetic acid (NA), followed by one-step carbonization. Owing to the coordinative structure of CoNA, the derivative CCNF exhibits a fibrous carbon matrix embedded with evenly distributed and densely packed Co3O4 and magnetic Co0 nanoparticles. The fibrous structure, magnetism and embedded Co NPs enable CCNF to be a promising catalyst for Oxone activation. As degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) is selected as a model reaction, CCNF not only rapidly activates Oxone to fully degrade RhB but also shows a much higher catalytic activity than the most common Oxone activator, Co3O4. CCNF also exhibits the lowest activation energy than any reported catalysts for Oxone activation to degrade RhB. In addition, CCNF could be re-used to activate Oxone for RhB degradation. These results indicate that CCNF is a conveniently prepared and highly effective fibrous Co/C hybrid material for activating Oxone to oxidize contaminants in water.

Diagnosis of fish and shellfish allergies.

Seafood allergy is a hypersensitive disorder with increasing prevalence worldwide. Effective and accurate diagnostic workup for seafood allergy is essential for clinicians and patients. Parvalbumin and tropomyosin are the most common fish and shellfish allergens, respectively. The diagnosis of seafood allergies is complicated by cross-reactivity among fish allergens and between shellfish allergens and other arthropods. Current clinical diagnosis of seafood allergy is a complex algorithm that includes clinical assessment, skin prick test, specific IgE measurement, and oral food challenges. Emerging diagnostic strategies, such as component-resolved diagnosis (CRD), which uses single allergenic components for assessment of epitope specific IgE, can provide critical information in predicting individualized sensitization patterns and risk of severe allergic reactions. Further understanding of the molecular identities and characteristics of seafood allergens can advance the development of CRD and lead to more precise diagnosis and improved clinical management of seafood allergies.

Highly phosphorescent platinum(ii) emitters: photophysics, materials and biological applications.

In recent years a blossoming interest in the synthesis, photophysics and application of phosphorescent Pt(ii) complexes, particularly on their uses in bioimaging, photocatalysis and phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), has been witnessed. The superior performance of phosphorescent Pt(ii) complexes in these applications is linked to their diverse spectroscopic and photophysical properties, which can be systematically modulated by appropriate choices of auxiliary ligands. Meanwhile, an important criterion for the practical application of phosphorescent metal complexes is their stability which is crucial for biological utilization and industrial OLED applications. Taking both the luminescence properties and stability into consideration, chelating ligands having rigid scaffolds and with strong σ-donor atoms are advantageous for the construction of highly robust phosphorescent Pt(ii) complexes. The square-planar coordination geometry endows Pt(ii) complexes with the intriguing spectroscopic and photophysical properties associated with their intermolecular interactions in both the ground and excited states. In this article, we discuss the design and synthesis of phosphorescent Pt(ii) complexes with elaboration on the effects of ligands on the structure and luminescence properties. Based on their photophysical and emission properties, we intend to shed light on the great promise of highly robust phosphorescent Pt(ii) emitters in an array of applications from molecular materials to biosensors.