Experiences and perceptions of acute myocardial infarction patients with a prolonged decision-making phase of treatment seeking: A meta-synthesis.

AIMS: To describe the experiences and perceptions of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with a prolonged decision-making phase of treatment-seeking. BACKGROUND: Previous attempts to reduce the treatment-seeking time of AMI have been less than optimal. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the situation of prehospital delay is possibly worse. Decisions to seek treatment are influenced by multiple factors and need individualised interventions. Understanding patients' external and internal experiences and psychological perceptions is essential. DESIGN: Meta-synthesis. DATA SOURCES: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus and four Chinese databases from inception to April 2022. METHODS: We screened the retrieved articles with predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and reviewed articles using Thomas and Harden's (BMC Medical Research Methodology, 2008 8, 45) qualitative thematic synthesis approach. The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool for qualitative research was used to assess the quality of studies. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies were included, identifying four themes and nine sub-themes. The four primary themes were difficulty recognising and attributing symptoms, attempt to act, unwillingness to change and self-sacrifice. CONCLUSION: Deciding to seek treatment is a complex social and psychological process, which needs comprehensive interventions considering personal and sociocultural factors and factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Details of interventions for decisions to seek treatment in AMI patients need to be further designed and evaluated. IMPACT: Results would help healthcare professionals to implement individualised management of decision-making of treatment-seeking among AMI patients, and improve medical records of patients' prehospital experiences. REPORTING METHOD: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews 2020 checklist was used to report the findings. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Two AMI patients contributed to the data synthesis by giving simple feedback about the final themes.

Interfacial Protection Engineering of Sodium Nanoparticles toward Dendrite-Free and Long-Life Sodium Metal Battery.

The instability of interfacial solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer of metallic sodium (Na) anode during cycles results in the rapid capacity decay of sodium metal batteries (SMBs). Herein, the concept of interfacial protection engineering of Na nanoparticles (Na-NPs) is proposed first to achieve stable, dendrite-free, and long-life SMB. Employing an ion-exchange strategy, conformal Sn-Na alloy-SEI on the interface of Na-NPs is constructed, forming Sn@Na-NPs. The stable alloy-based SEI layer possesses the following three advantages: 1) significantly enhancing the transport dynamics of Na+ ions and electrons; 2) enabling the well-distributed deposition of Na+ ions to avoid the growth of dendrites; and 3) protecting the Sn@Na-NPs anode from the attack of electrolyte, thereby reducing the parasitic reaction and boosting the Coulombic efficiency of SMBs. Because of these virtues, the symmetric Sn@Na-NPs cell shows an ultralow voltage hysteresis of 0.54 V at 10 mA cm-2 after 600 h. Paired with the Na3 V2 (PO4 )2 O2 F (NaVPF) cathode, the NaVPF-Sn@Na-NPs full cell exhibits an initial discharge capacity of 89.2 mAh g-1 at 1 C and a high capacity retention of 81.6% after 600 cycles.

Phosphorylation of 5-LOX: The Potential Set-point of Inflammation.

Inflammation secondary to tissue injuries serves as a double-edged sword that determines the prognosis of tissue repair. As one of the most important enzymes controlling the inflammation process by producing leukotrienes, 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX, also called 5-LO) has been one of the therapeutic targets in regulating inflammation for a long time. Although a large number of 5-LOX inhibitors have been explored, only a few of them can be applied clinically. Surprisingly, phosphorylation of 5-LOX reveals great significance in regulating the subcellular localization of 5-LOX, which has proven to be an important mechanism underlying the enzymatic activities of 5-LOX. There are at least three phosphorylation sites in 5-LOX jointly to determine the final inflammatory outcomes, and adjustment of phosphorylation of 5-LOX at different phosphorylation sites brings hope to provide an unrecognized means to regulate inflammation. The present review intends to shed more lights into the set-point-like mechanisms of phosphorylation of 5-LOX and its possible clinical application by summarizing the biological properties of 5-LOX, the relationship of 5-LOX with neurodegenerative diseases and brain injuries, the phosphorylation of 5-LOX at different sites, the regulatory effects and mechanisms of phosphorylated 5-LOX upon inflammation, as well as the potential anti-inflammatory application through balancing the phosphorylation-depended set-point.

Thallium(I) Oxidation by Permanganate and Chlorine: Kinetics and Manganese Dioxide Catalysis.

The oxidation of the toxic heavy metal thallium(I) (Tl(I)) is an efficient way to enhance Tl removal from water and wastewater. However, few studies have focused on the kinetics of Tl(I) oxidation in water, especially at environmentally relevant pH values. Therefore, the kinetics and mechanisms of Tl(I) oxidation by the common agents KMnO4 and HOCl under environmentally relevant pH condition were explored in the present study. The results indicated that the pH-dependent oxidation of Tl(I) by KMnO4 exhibited second-order kinetics under alkaline conditions (pH 8-10) with the main active species being TlOH, while the reaction could be characterized by autocatalysis at pH 4-6, and Mn(III) might also play an essential role in the MnO2 catalysis. Furthermore, a two-electron transfer mechanism under alkaline conditions was preliminarily proposed by using linear free energy relationships and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Distinctively, the reaction rate of Tl(I) oxidation by HOCl decreased with increasing pH, and protonated chlorine might be the main active species. Moreover, the Tl(I)-HOCl reaction could be regarded as first order with respect to Tl(I), but the order with respect to HOCl was variable. Significant catalysis by MnO2 could also be observed in the oxidation of Tl(I) by HOCl, mainly due to the vacancies on MnO2 as active sites for sorbing Tl. This study elucidates the oxidation characteristics of thallium and establishes a theoretical foundation for the oxidation processes in thallium removal.

Psychosocial adaptation profiles in young and middle-aged patients with acute myocardial infarction: a latent profile analysis.

AIMS: We sought to explore the latent classifications of psychosocial adaptation in young and middle-aged patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and analyse the characteristics of different profiles of AMI patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional study was performed in 438 Chinese young and middle-aged patients with AMI. The investigation time was 1 month after discharge. Three different self-report instruments were distributed to the participants, including the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Social Support Rating Scale. The seven dimensions of the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale were then used to perform a latent profile analysis. All participants signed informed consent forms in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Finally, a total of 411 young and middle-aged AMI patients were enrolled. Three distinct profiles were identified, including the 'well-adapted group' (44.8%), 'highlight in psychological burdens group' (25.5%), and 'poorly adapted group' (29.7%). The influencing factors included stress perception, social support, occupational type, and marital status (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The psychosocial adaptation of young and middle-aged AMI patients can be divided into three profiles. Clinical nurses can carry out individualized psychological interventions according to the characteristics of patients in different potential profiles to improve the psychosocial adaptation of patients and the prognosis of their disease.

Dynamic retention of thallium(I) on humic acid: Novel insights into the heterogeneous complexation ability and responsiveness.

Widely distributed soil humic acid (HA) would significantly affect the environmental migration behavior of Tl(I), but a quantitative and mechanistic understanding of the dynamic Tl(I) retention process on HA is limited. A unified kinetic model was established by coupling the humic ion-binding model with a stirred-flow kinetic model, which quantified the complexation constants and responsiveness coefficients during dynamic Tl(I)-HA complexation. Furthermore, the heterogeneous complexation mechanism of HA and Tl(I) was revealed by batch adsorption experiments, stirred-flow migration experiments, and 2D-FTIR-COS analysis. An increase in pH significantly improved the responsiveness of HA organic binding sites, promoting Tl(I) dynamic retention. Monodentate carboxyl groups induced rapid Tl(I) complexation (kd = 1.9 min-1) in strongly acidic environments. Under weakly acidic conditions, Tl(I) retention on HA was mainly attributed to the synergistic complexation effect of carboxyl and amide groups. Among the groups, multidentate carboxyl-phenolic hydroxyl sites could achieve sustained Tl(I) retention due to their stable complexing properties (logK = 4.48∼7.46) and slow response (kd = 1.1 × 10-3 min-1). These findings are crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the environmental interactions of Tl(I) with humic substances in swamp environments.

Impact of biochar colloids on thallium(I) transport in water-saturated porous media: Effects of pH and ionic strength.

Understanding the migration behavior of thallium (TI) in subsurface environments is essential for Tl pollution prevention. With the wide production and utilization of biochar, the notable ability of biochar colloids to carry environmental contaminants may make these colloids important for Tl(I) mobility. This study systematically investigated the impact of wood-derived biochar (WB) and corn straw-derived biochar (CB) colloids on Tl(I) transport in water-saturated porous media under different pH (5, 7 and 10) and ionic strengths (ISs) (1, 5 and 50 mM NaNO3). WB colloids improved Tl(I) transport under all IS conditions at pH 7 due to the adsorption capacity of biochar and competition for adsorption sites on the sand surface. However, at IS 50 mM, CB colloids slightly impeded Tl(I) mobility due to the straining. In addition, both WB and CB colloids accelerated Tl(I) mobility under all pH conditions at IS 5 mM. At pH 10, the promotion effect was more obvious due to the deprotonation of O-containing functional groups and higher fluidity of biochar colloids. Furthermore, the two-site nonequilibrium model and two-site kinetic attachment/detachment model suitably described the breakthrough curves (BTCs) of Tl(I) and biochar colloids, respectively. The colloid-facilitated solute transport model could also describe Tl(I) transport influenced by biochar colloids reasonably well. This study provides insight into the migration and fate of Tl(I) in the presence of biochar colloids.

Effects of a virtual simulation-based interprofessional education activity for rehabilitation nursing using shared resources: A quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional education (IPE) is crucial for effective clinical practice but remains challenging to be implemented. The IPE activity using virtual simulation (VS) may potentially solve the time and space challenges of in-person interprofessional simulations. Using shared VS resources may increase the popularity of virtual teaching in conditions of limited resources. OBJECTIVES: Using shared resources, this study aimed to design and implement a VS-based IPE activity for undergraduate healthcare students, exploring the effects. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental design was used, with assessments conducted before and after the activity. SETTINGS: One university and its affiliated hospitals in south China. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-two undergraduate students majoring in nursing, clinical medicine, and rehabilitation therapy participated in this study. METHODS: A test composed of ten questions was used to evaluate knowledge of rehabilitation. The Chinese version of Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CTDI-CV) and the Chinese version of Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration in Student Learning Scale (AITCS-II (Student)-CV) were used to evaluate critical thinking and interprofessional collaboration. Participants' opinions about the activity were assessed, considering satisfaction, perceived effectiveness, the ease of shared VS platform use, and suggestions about the activity. RESULTS: Significant improvements were shown in pre- and post-test total scores on knowledge of rehabilitation, mean scores for overall critical thinking disposition, and mean item scores on overall interprofessional team collaboration. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides a reference for designing and implementing VS-based IPE but the effects of this innovative pedagogy on students' rehabilitation knowledge, critical thinking, and interprofessional collaboration ability still need to be further confirmed. Most of the students gave positive feedback on the activity. Technical issues should be addressed to decrease their impacts on the VS practice experience.

Melatonin-Primed Mesenchymal Stem Cells-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles Alleviated Neurogenic Erectile Dysfunction by Reversing Phenotypic Modulation.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an adverse side effect of pelvic surgery with no effective treatment. In this study, it is explored whether melatonin could improve the therapeutic effects of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), on cavernous nerve injury (CNI) ED, and the underlying mechanisms are investigated. The sEVs from melatonin-pretreated MSCs (MT-EVs) and MSCs (NC-EVs) are isolated and applied to CNI ED. Transplantation of MT-EVs remarkably increases erectile function and reduces phenotypic modulation in CNI ED rats. The therapeutic effects of MT-EVs are superior to those of NC-EVs. Sequencing implies that miR-10a-3p is enriched in MT-EVs, and directly targets the protein kinase inhibitor α (PKIA). After the suppression of miR-10a-3p, the therapeutic actions of MT-EVs are abolished, but are rescued by PKIA. Similarly, RhoA/ROCK is inhibited by MT-EVs, but this action is reversed by suppressing miR-10a-3p, accompanied by corresponding changes in PKIA. In conclusion, transplantation of MT-EVs could significantly alleviate CNI ED. MT-EVs may relieve the phenotypic modulation of the corpora cavernosum smooth muscle cells via the miR-10a-3p/PKIA/RhoA/ROCK signaling axis. These nanovesicles should be potential therapeutic vectors or bioactive materials for CNI ED.

Latent profile analysis and related factors of post-traumatic growth in young and middle-aged patients with acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: AMI incidence in young and middle-aged patients is increasing year by year, and such patients are prone to negative emotions after illness, which affects health outcomes. However, post-traumatic growth can bring about positive changes in the patient, which is beneficial to their recovery. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to understand the different types of post-traumatic growth characteristics and their related factors in young and middle-aged patients with acute myocardial infarction to help find precise intervention measures. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. Self-reported questionnaires were used to assess general demographic characteristics, post-traumatic growth, and rumination. The mean of the five dimensions of the Post-traumatic Growth Scale was used to perform a Latent profile analysis. RESULTS: A total of 312 participants, including 285 male and 27 female patients, with the mean age was 51.95±5.75. Latent profile analysis results showed that three-profile model was the most suitable. Three different profiles were named: the "Malgrowth group" (45.51%), the "Good growth group" (18.91%), and the "Excellent growth group" (35.58%). The related factors included rumination, age, monthly income, whether to return to work, marital status, residential address, classification of disease, and whether to perform PCI treatment (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: According to our results, the post-traumatic growth of young and middle-aged AMI patients can be divided into three profiles, and targeted intervention can be carried out for patients according to the determined patient profiles.

Thermodynamic and kinetic coupling modeling for thallium(I) sorption at a heterogeneous titanium dioxide interface.

The transformations of monovalent thallium (Tl) in an aqueous environment may be affected significantly by Tl(I) partitioning at the solid-water interface during sorption. Models used to quantify the kinetics of Tl(I) adsorption on heterogeneous adsorbents and formation of multiple complexes under a wide range of water chemistry conditions can accurately predict the environmental fate of thallium. In this study, Tl(I) sorption on representative titanium dioxide at different solution pH values and loading concentrations was investigated with two unified adsorption models, diffuse layer modeling and kinetics modeling. Three Tl(I) surface complexes, TiOTl, TiOHTl+, and TiOTlOH-, were used in the diffuse layer model and successfully described batch adsorption and the results of spectroscopic analyses. The contribution of TiOHTl+ to the adsorption capacity was much higher than those of TiOTl and TiOTlOH- under neutral and weakly alkaline conditions, while the species TiOTlOH- predominated among Tl(I) complexes in strongly alkaline environments. The adsorption and desorption rate coefficients derived from thermodynamics and kinetics coupling modeling suggested the influence of different complex characteristics on adsorption and desorption of Tl(I). Our results provide a comprehensive model for predicting the dynamic binding behavior of Tl at heterogeneous solid-water interfaces.

A critical review on sulfur reduction of aqueous selenite: Mechanisms and applications.

Selenite, which is extremely toxic at high concentrations, can easily be enriched in natural aquatic environments due to human activities, which causes great harm to ecosystems. Sulfur reduction can effectively reduce soluble selenite in large quantities to nontoxic solid elemental selenium, which plays a significant role in controlling the toxicity and cycle of selenium. In view of the bright prospects of the sulfur reduction reaction of selenite, this review comprehensively summarizes the continuous development in the sulfidation of selenite. First, the geochemical characteristics of aqueous selenium in different sulfur systems involving species distribution and various phase types at Eh-pH conditions were summarized. Second, sulfur reductions of selenite with chemical sulfide in natural water environments, sulfur reductase and extracellular polymer substances containing thiol groups in sulfate-reducing bacteria have been reviewed to further understand the corresponding mechanisms, rates and influencing factors. Furthermore, applications of sulfur reduction of selenium, including removal of selenium, enrichment of selenium, synthesis of selenoproteins and prevention of leakage of selenium, were also summarized. Finally, this review identified future research needs for the sulfidation of selenite for environmental applications.

Retention of thallium(I) on goethite, hematite, and manganite: Quantitative insights and mechanistic study.

The reversibility of monovalent thallium (Tl) absorption on widely distributed iron/manganese secondary minerals may affect environmental Tl migration and global cycling. Nevertheless, quantitative and mechanistic studies on the interfacial retention and release reactions involving Tl(I) are limited. In this study, batch and stirred-flow experiments, unified kinetics modeling, spectral detection, and theoretical calculations were used to elucidate the retention behaviors of Tl(I) on goethite, hematite, and manganite with different solution pH values and Tl loading concentrations. Sustained Tl(I) retention (kd, MeOHTl=0.005∼0.018 min-1) was induced by hydration of the surface hydroxyl groups. Rapid Tl(I) retention (kd,MeOTlOH=1.232∼2.917 min-1) was enhanced by the abundant hydroxide ions and deprotonated hydroxyl groups, which increased the Tl(I) binding ability. Compared to the ambient Tl concentration, pH had a more substantial effect on the formation and distribution of surface Tl(I) binding species. In alkaline environments, the large adsorption energy for Tl(I) binding to surface species (Eads=-6.14 eV) induced fast Tl(I) binding response on the surfaces of iron/manganese secondary minerals. This study provides new insights into the heterogeneous surface complexation and retention behaviors of Tl(I) and contributes to an in-depth understanding of the environmental fate of Tl and the remediation of Tl contamination.

Prediction of upcoming global infection burden of influenza seasons after relaxation of public health and social measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: a modelling study.

BACKGROUND: The transmission dynamics of influenza were affected by public health and social measures (PHSMs) implemented globally since early 2020 to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to assess the effect of COVID-19 PHSMs on the transmissibility of influenza viruses and to predict upcoming influenza epidemics. METHODS: For this modelling study, we used surveillance data on influenza virus activity for 11 different locations and countries in 2017-22. We implemented a data-driven mechanistic predictive modelling framework to predict future influenza seasons on the basis of pre-COVID-19 dynamics and the effect of PHSMs during the COVID-19 pandemic. We simulated the potential excess burden of upcoming influenza epidemics in terms of fold rise in peak magnitude and epidemic size compared with pre-COVID-19 levels. We also examined how a proactive influenza vaccination programme could mitigate this effect. FINDINGS: We estimated that COVID-19 PHSMs reduced influenza transmissibility by a maximum of 17·3% (95% CI 13·3-21·4) to 40·6% (35·2-45·9) and attack rate by 5·1% (1·5-7·2) to 24·8% (20·8-27·5) in the 2019-20 influenza season. We estimated a 10-60% increase in the population susceptibility for influenza, which might lead to a maximum of 1-5-fold rise in peak magnitude and 1-4-fold rise in epidemic size for the upcoming 2022-23 influenza season across locations, with a significantly higher fold rise in Singapore and Taiwan. The infection burden could be mitigated by additional proactive one-off influenza vaccination programmes. INTERPRETATION: Our results suggest the potential for substantial increases in infection burden in upcoming influenza seasons across the globe. Strengthening influenza vaccination programmes is the best preventive measure to reduce the effect of influenza virus infections in the community. FUNDING: Health and Medical Research Fund, Hong Kong.

Cotransport of thallium(I) with polystyrene plastic particles in water-saturated porous media.

Exploring the transport behaviors of thallium (Tl) in porous media is crucial for predicting Tl pollution in natural soils and groundwater. In recent years, the misuse of plastics has led to plastic becoming an emerging pollutant in soil. In this work, the effects of plastic particles on Tl(I) transport in water-saturated sand columns were investigated under different ionic strengths (ISs), pH values, and plastic particle sizes. The two-site nonequilibrium model was selected to fit the breakthrough curves (BTCs) of Tl(I). The results demonstrated that nanoplastics (NPs) accelerated Tl(I) transport at pH 7, which might be attributed to the competitive adsorption of NPs and Tl(I) on sand surfaces. However, at pH 5, the deposited NPs might provide more adsorption sites for Tl(I), and thus enhance its retention in the columns. In addition, the "straining" process could intercept microplastics (MPs) with Tl(I) that was attached under unfavorable attachment conditions, which would result in the inhibited mobility of Tl(I). On the other hand, the migration of plastics was restrained to some extent when Tl(I) was present. Overall, the findings from this work provided a new perspective for understanding the transport of Tl(I) and plastics in subsurface environments.

Mechanisms of Compound Kushen Injection for the treatment of bladder cancer based on bioinformatics and network pharmacology with experimental validation.

Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the urinary system. Compound Kushen Injection (CKI) is a Chinese medicinal preparation that has been widely used in the treatment of various types of cancers in the past two decades. However, the pharmacological effect of CKI on bladder cancer is not still completely understood. In the current study, network pharmacology combined with bioinformatics was used to elucidate the therapeutic mechanism and potential targets of CKI in bladder cancer. The mechanism by which CKI was effective against bladder cancer was further verified in vitro using human bladder cancer cell line T24. Network pharmacology analysis identified 35 active compounds and 268 target genes of CKI. Bioinformatics data indicated 5500 differentially expressed genes associated with bladder cancer. Common genes of CKI and bladder cancer suggested that CKI exerted anti-bladder cancer effects by regulating genes such as MMP-9, JUN, EGFR, and ERK1. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that CKI exerted therapeutic effects on bladder cancer by regulating certain biological processes, including cell proliferation, cell migration, and cell apoptosis. In addition, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis implicated pathways related to cancer, bladder cancer, and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Consistently, cell experiments indicated that CKI inhibited the proliferation and migration of T24 cells, and induced their apoptosis. Moreover, RT-qPCR and Western blot results demonstrated that CKI was likely to treat bladder cancer by down-regulating the gene and protein expression of MMP-9, JUN, EGFR, and ERK1. CKI inhibited the proliferation and migration, and induced the apoptosis of T24 bladder cancer cells through multiple biological pathways and targets. CKI also exhibited significant effects on the regulation of key genes and proteins associated with bladder cancer. Overall, our findings provide solid evidence and deepen current understanding of the therapeutic effects of CKI for bladder cancer, and further support its clinical use.

Immunoproteomic and mass spectrometric analysis of Eimeria acervulina antigens recognized by antisera from chickens infected with E. acervulina, E. tenella or E. necatrix.

BACKGROUND: Coccidiosis is caused by Eimeria spp. and can result in severe economic losses to the global poultry industry. Due to anticoccidial drug resistance rapidly developing in the parasites and drug residues in poultry products, efficacious and safe alternative coccidia control measures are needed. The objective of the present study was to identify common protective antigens which may be used as vaccine candidates in the development of subunit, multivalent, cross-protective vaccines against most of the economically important Eimeria species. METHODS: Whole sporozoite proteins of Eimeria acervulina were prepared and analyzed by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) followed by western blotting using immune sera specific to E. tenella, E. acervulina, or E. necatrix. The protein spots detected by all three immune sera were then excised from the preparative gel and protein ID was performed by MALDI-TOF-MS/MS. RESULTS: Approximately 620 E. acervulina sporozoite protein spots were demonstrated by 2-DE with silver staining, among which 23 protein spots were recognized by immune sera specific to all three Eimeria species. The results showed that 21 putative E. acervulina proteins were identified, which include proteins with known enzymatic properties, and those which are involved in protein translation, transport and trafficking, and ribosomal biogenesis and functions. There is one protein which may be involved in transcription and one heat-shock protein. Two proteins contain predicted domains, but with no apparent functions known. There were 2 protein spots which had no detectable proteins. None of the proteins has a predicted signal peptide or a transmembrane domain; however, 6 of the 21 putative proteins were predicted to be potentially secretory through the non-classical pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified a diverse group of antigens immunologically common to all three Eimeria species, none of which was previously characterized and tested as a vaccine candidate. Further research on immunogenicity and cross-protective potential of these individual proteins as vaccine candidates will aid the development of vaccines against the most common and pathogenic Eimeria spp.

Transport of Tl(I) in water-saturated porous media: Role of carbonate, phosphate and macromolecular organic matter.

Understanding the transport behaviors of thallium (Tl) in porous media is of considerable interest for both natural soils and artificial filtration removal of Tl. In this context, the transport behaviors of Tl(I) in water-saturated sand columns under different conditions were systematically investigated. It was found that, in addition to the effects of pH and ionic strength (IS), the transport of Tl(I) depended on the carbonate, phosphate and macromolecular organic matter as well. Tl(I) broken the columns more difficultly under higher pH and lower IS conditions. Moreover, the adsorption of carbonate and phosphate on sand surfaces may increase the retention of Tl(I) in columns. As for macromolecular organic matter, humic acid (HA) facilitated Tl(I) transport, especially under neutral and alkaline conditions (7.0 and 9.8), which was possibly associated with Tl-complexes formation and competed adsorption between Tl(I) and HA. However, bovine serum albumin (BSA) impeded Tl(I) transport for the reason that deposited BSA might provide more adsorption sites for Tl(I), though Tl(I) had a slight effect on BSA transport. In order to evaluate the mechanisms of transport, a dual-sites non-equilibrium model was applied to fit the breakthrough curves of Tl(I). Retardation factor (R) values of individual Tl(I) transport from model calculations were found to be higher than that of Tl(I) transport with HA and lower than that of Tl(I) transport with BSA. The fraction of instantaneous sorption sites (ß) was found to decrease with increasing pH, implying nonequilibrium sorption is a main sorption mechanism of Tl(I) with pH increasing. The fundamental data obtained herein demonstrated that carbonate, phosphate and macromolecular organic matter significantly influenced the Tl(I) migration and could lead to the leaking or bindings of Tl(I) at Tl-occurring sites.

Geometric factors affecting capillary discharge jet length in atmospheric pressure air.

The capillary discharge triggered by a pulse source can produce a certain length of plasma jet. In this paper, the physical process of the capillary discharge jet is analyzed, and it is pointed out that the capillary plasma-jet length is significantly affected by the expansion pressure caused by the arc discharge in the capillary chamber. The greater the pressure in the capillary chamber is, the longer the jet length. The experimental setup of the capillary discharge is established in atmospheric pressure air. The influence of the surface distance along the capillary wall, the diameter of the capillary cathode, and the length of the cathode tip on the plasma-jet length is studied under a specific trigger pulse. The experimental results show that the greater the deposited energy density in the capillary chamber is, the longer the plasma jet length. As the surface distance increases, the energy deposited in the arc channel increases first and then tends to be saturated. There is an optimum surface distance to maximize the energy density in the capillary chamber, while the plasma jet length is the longest.