Effect of bromide on the degradation kinetics of antibiotic resistance genes during water chlorination.

Degradation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in water chlorination can be influenced by bromide (Br-), a common component in water matrices; however, detailed kinetic information on this process is limited. This study investigated the degradation kinetics tetA and blaTEM-1 genes, contained within the plasmid pWH1266, when exposed to bromine, chlorine, and chlorine with varying concentrations of Br- across a pH range of 7.0-8.5. The degradation of four ARG amplicons, measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, was observed to pursue second-order kinetics with bromine, exhibiting k of 4.0 × 102 - 1.6 × 103 M-1 s-1 at pH 7.0 and 2.6 × 102 - 9.6 × 102 M-1 s-1 at pH 8.5. These k values increased linearly with the length of the ARG sequences (209-1136 bps), yielding sequence-independent k of 1.2 and 7.4 × 10-1 (M AT + GC)-1 s-1 at pH 7.0 and 8.5, respectively. The degradation rate of ARGs during chlorination increased with rising Br- concentration due to the bromine formation through the reaction between chlorine with Br-, which subsequently degrades ARGs more rapidly than chlorine. This behavior was successfully simulated using a kinetic model derived from the reaction kinetics of bromine and chlorine reactions with ARGs. The existence of dissolved organic matter extracts only marginally decreased the enhanced degradation of ARGs with Br-, while ammonia significantly inhibited this process during chlorination, both with and without Br-, due to the low reactivity of NH2Cl and NH2Br toward ARGs. These findings highlight the importance of Br- in ARG degradation during water chlorination and the need for further studies in diverse water matrices.

The liver and muscle secreted HFE2-protein maintains central nervous system blood vessel integrity.

Liver failure causes breakdown of the Blood CNS Barrier (BCB) leading to damages of the Central-Nervous-System (CNS), however the mechanisms whereby the liver influences BCB-integrity remain elusive. One possibility is that the liver secretes an as-yet to be identified molecule(s) that circulate in the serum to directly promote BCB-integrity. To study BCB-integrity, we developed light-sheet imaging for three-dimensional analysis. We show that liver- or muscle-specific knockout of Hfe2/Rgmc induces BCB-breakdown, leading to accumulation of toxic-blood-derived fibrinogen in the brain, lower cortical neuron numbers, and behavioral deficits in mice. Soluble HFE2 competes with its homologue RGMa for binding to Neogenin, thereby blocking RGMa-induced downregulation of PDGF-B and Claudin-5 in endothelial cells, triggering BCB-disruption. HFE2 administration in female mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a model for multiple sclerosis, prevented paralysis and immune cell infiltration by inhibiting RGMa-mediated BCB alteration. This study has implications for the pathogenesis and potential treatment of diseases associated with BCB-dysfunction.

Dependable Fire Detection System with Multifunctional Artificial Intelligence Framework.

A fire detection system requires accurate and fast mechanisms to make the right decision in a fire situation. Since most commercial fire detection systems use a simple sensor, their fire recognition accuracy is deficient because of the limitations of the detection capability of the sensor. Existing proposals, which use rule-based algorithms or image-based machine learning can hardly adapt to the changes in the environment because of their static features. Since the legacy fire detection systems and network services do not guarantee data transfer latency, the required need for promptness is unmet. In this paper, we propose a new fire detection system with a multifunctional artificial intelligence framework and a data transfer delay minimization mechanism for the safety of smart cities. The framework includes a set of multiple machine learning algorithms and an adaptive fuzzy algorithm. In addition, Direct-MQTT based on SDN is introduced to solve the traffic concentration problems of the traditional MQTT. We verify the performance of the proposed system in terms of accuracy and delay time and found a fire detection accuracy of over 95%. The end-to-end delay, which comprises the transfer and decision delays, is reduced by an average of 72%.

Phantom acupuncture: dissociating somatosensory and cognitive/affective components of acupuncture stimulation with a novel form of placebo acupuncture.

In a clinical setting, acupuncture treatment consists of multiple components including somatosensory stimulation, treatment context, and attention to needle-based procedures. In order to dissociate somatosensory versus contextual and attentional aspects of acupuncture, we devised a novel form of placebo acupuncture, a visual manipulation dubbed phantom acupuncture, which reproduces the acupuncture needling ritual without somatosensory tactile stimulation. Subjects (N = 20) received both real (REAL) and phantom (PHNT) acupuncture. Subjects were retrospectively classified into two groups based on PHNT credibility (PHNTc, who found phantom acupuncture credible; and PHNTnc, who did not). Autonomic and psychophysical responses were monitored. We found that PHNT can be delivered in a credible manner. Acupuncture needling, a complex, ritualistic somatosensory intervention, induces sympathetic activation (phasic skin conductance [SC] response), which may be specific to the somatosensory component of acupuncture. In contrast, contextual effects, such as needling credibility, are instead associated with a shift toward relative cardiovagal activation (decreased heart rate) during needling and sympathetic inhibition (decreased SC) and parasympathetic activation (decreased pupil size) following acupuncture needling. Visual stimulation characterizing the needling ritual is an important factor for phasic autonomic responses to acupuncture and may undelie the needling orienting response. Our study suggests that phantom acupuncture can be a viable sham control for acupuncture as it completely excludes the somatosensory component of real needling while maintaining the credibility of the acupuncture treatment context in many subjects.

Differential autonomic response to acupuncture at wood and metal of five-shu acupoints.

OBJECTIVES: The study examined differential autonomic nervous responses to acupuncture stimulation at the wood points ([Formula: see text]) and the metal points ([Formula: see text]) among the five-shu points of the Pericardium and Triple Energizer Meridian. DESIGN: This was a crossover study of different acupuncture points with randomized order. SUBJECTS: The study subjects were 30 healthy female volunteers (22.8 ± 2.6 years old). INTERVENTIONS: The acupuncture sessions were carried out over four sessions at 2-5-day intervals at the same time of day with one of the four acupoints: the wood distal point (Zhongchong, PC9), metal distal point (Zhongzhu, TE3), wood proximal point (Jianshi, PC5), and metal proximal point (Guanchong, TE1) on the left hand. After 5 minutes' rest (Pre-Acup), acupuncture needles were inserted, manipulated promptly, and were retained for 20 minutes followed by 5 minutes' rest (Post-Acup). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Heart rate variability, skin conductance response, respiration rate, and peripheral skin temperature were measured. RESULTS: For the normalized low-frequency band of heart rate variability, there was a statistically significant increase during Acup and Post-Acup at the PC9 and TE3 wood points compared with Pre-Acup. Statistically significant decreases for PC5 and TE1 were evident at the metal points. Skin conductance response and peripheral skin temperature, which are indicative of sympathetic activity and blood flow, respectively, were significantly induced at PC9 during Acup compared to Pre-Acup. CONCLUSIONS: The wood points PC9 and TE3 increase sympathetic activity; and the metal points TE1 and PC5 increase the parasympathetic activity. The effect of acupuncture on the autonomic nervous system differs between the wood and the metal points.