Exploring fractional-order new coupled Korteweg-de Vries system via improved Adomian decomposition method.

This paper aims to extend the applications of the projected fractional improved Adomian Decomposition method (fIADM) to the fractional order new coupled Korteweg-de Vries (cKdV) system. This technique is significantly recognized for its effectiveness in addressing nonlinearities and iteratively handling fractional derivatives. The approximate solutions of the fractional-order new cKdV system are obtained by employing the improved ADM in fractional form. These solutions play a crucial role in designing and optimizing systems in engineering applications where accurate modeling of wave phenomena is essential, including fluid dynamics, plasma physics, nonlinear optics, and other mathematical physics domains. The fractional order new cKdV system, integrating fractional calculus, enhances accuracy in modeling wave interactions compared to the classical cKdV system. Comparison with exact solutions demonstrates the high accuracy and ease of application of the projected method. This proposed technique proves influential in resolving fractional coupled systems encountered in various fields, including engineering and physics. Numerical results obtained using Mathematica software further verify and demonstrate its efficacy.

Impact of sex, race, and social determinants of health on neonatal outcomes.

Despite the global improvements in neonatal outcomes, mortality and morbidity rates among preterm infants are still unacceptably high. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly analyze the factors that affect these outcomes, including sex, race, and social determinants of health. By comprehending the influence of these factors, we can work towards reducing their impact and enhancing the quality of neonatal care. This review will summarize the available evidence on sex differences, racial differences, and social determinants of health related to neonates. This review will discuss sex differences in neonatal outcomes in part I and racial differences with social determinants of health in part II. Research has shown that sex differences begin to manifest in the early part of the pregnancy. Hence, we will explore this topic under two main categories: (1) Antenatal and (2) Postnatal sex differences. We will also discuss long-term outcome differences wherever the evidence is available. Multiple factors determine health outcomes during pregnancy and the newborn period. Apart from the genetic, biological, and sex-based differences that influence fetal and neonatal outcomes, racial and social factors influence the health and well-being of developing humans. Race categorizes humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally considered distinct within a given society. Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. These factors can include a person's living conditions, access to healthy food, education, employment status, income level, and social support. Understanding these factors is essential in developing strategies to improve overall health outcomes in communities.

Sex-Specific Differences in Nutrient Intake in Late Preterm Infants.

Challenging the assumption of uniform nutritional needs in preterm feeding, this study identifies crucial sex-specific disparities in formula milk intake and growth among late preterm infants. Premature infants have difficulty regulating their oral intake during feeds, which is why clinicians prescribe feeding volume, calories, and protein via the nasogastric route. However, premature male and female infants have different body compositions at birth, and, subsequently, there is no evidence to suggest that male and female preterm infants differ in their nutritional consumption once they begin feeding ad libitum. This study investigates whether there are any differences in the volume and nutrient intake between the sexes when fed formula ad libitum. METHODS: The study involved a retrospective analysis of preterm infants admitted to the NICU and evaluated between 34 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeks of corrected gestation. Late preterm infants appropriate for gestational age who were spontaneously fed formula milk ad-lib and free of any respiratory support for at least two days were included. The study excluded infants with short gut syndrome, severe chromosomal anomalies, or congenital heart conditions. We included 85 male and 85 female infants in this study. The data collected included sex, gestational age, birth weight, anthropometric data at birth, maternal data, nutritional intake, and neonatal morbidity. RESULTS: This study found that female infants consumed more volume, protein, and calories than male infants. The mean formula intake in female and male infants was 145.5 ± 20.8 mL/kg/d and 135.3 ± 19.3 mL/kg/d, respectively, with p = 0.002. However, ad-lib feeding duration was not different between the sexes. Growth velocity was also higher in female infants. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to demonstrate differences in formula milk intake among late preterm infants fed ad libitum. Additional research is needed to confirm our findings and understand sex-specific differences in neonatal nutrition in extremely early preterm infants.

Opportunistic dried blood spot sampling validates and optimizes a pediatric population pharmacokinetic model of metronidazole.

Pharmacokinetic models rarely undergo external validation in vulnerable populations such as critically ill infants, thereby limiting the accuracy, efficacy, and safety of model-informed dosing in real-world settings. Here, we describe an opportunistic approach using dried blood spots (DBS) to evaluate a population pharmacokinetic model of metronidazole in critically ill preterm infants of gestational age (GA) ≤31 weeks from the Metronidazole Pharmacokinetics in Premature Infants (PTN_METRO, NCT01222585) study. First, we used linear correlation to compare 42 paired DBS and plasma metronidazole concentrations from 21 preterm infants [mean (SD): post natal age 28.0 (21.7) days, GA 26.3 (2.4) weeks]. Using the resulting predictive equation, we estimated plasma metronidazole concentrations (ePlasma) from 399 DBS collected from 122 preterm and term infants [mean (SD): post natal age 16.7 (15.8) days, GA 31.4 (5.1) weeks] from the Antibiotic Safety in Infants with Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infections (SCAMP, NCT01994993) trial. When evaluating the PTN_METRO model using ePlasma from the SCAMP trial, we found that the model generally predicted ePlasma well in preterm infants with GA ≤31 weeks. When including ePlasma from term and preterm infants with GA >31 weeks, the model was optimized using a sigmoidal Emax maturation function of postmenstrual age on clearance and estimated the exponent of weight on volume of distribution. The optimized model supports existing dosing guidelines and adds new data to support a 6-hour dosing interval for infants with postmenstrual age >40 weeks. Using an opportunistic DBS to externally validate and optimize a metronidazole population pharmacokinetic model was feasible and useful in this vulnerable population.

Cable-Car Electrocatalysis to Drive Fully Decoupled Water Splitting.

The increasing demand for clean energy conversion and storage has increased interest in hydrogen production via electrolytic water splitting. However, the simultaneous production of hydrogen and oxygen in this process poses a challenge in extracting pure hydrogen without using ionic conducting membranes. Researchers have developed various innovative designs to overcome this issue, but continuous water splitting in separated tanks remains a desirable approach. This study presents a novel, continuous roll-to-roll process that enables fully decoupled hydrogen evaluation reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in two separate electrolyte tanks. The system utilizes specially designed "cable-car" electrodes (CCE) that cycle between the HER and OER tanks, resulting in continuous hydrogen production with a purity of over 99.9% and Coulombic efficiency of 98% for prolonged periods. This membrane-free water splitting system offers promising prospects for scaled-up industrial-scale green hydrogen production, as it reduces the cost and complexity of the system, and allows for the use of renewable energy sources to power the electrolysis process, thus reducing the carbon footprint of hydrogen production.

Exploration of computational approaches to predict the structural features and recent trends in α-amylase production for industrial applications.

Amylases are biologically active enzymes that can hydrolyze starch to produce dextrin, glucose, maltose, and oligosaccharides. The amylases contribute approximately 30% to the global industrial enzyme market. The globally produced amylases are widely used in textile, biofuel, starch processing, food, bioremediation of environmental pollutants, pulp, and paper, clinical, and fermentation industries. The purpose of this review article is to summarize recent trends and aspects of α-amylases, classification, microbial production sources, biosynthesis and production methods, and its broad-spectrum applications for industrial purposes, which will depict the latest trends in α-amylases production. In the present article, we have comprehensively compared the biodiversity of α-amylases in different model organisms ranging from archaea to eukaryotes using in silico structural analysis tools. The detailed comparative analysis: regarding their structure, function, cofactor, signal peptide, and catalytic domain along with their catalytic residues of α-amylases in 16 model organisms were discussed in this paper. The comparative studies on alpha (α) amylases' secondary and tertiary structures, multiple sequence alignment, transmembrane helices, physiochemical properties, and their phylogenetic analysis in model organisms were briefly studied. This review has documented the recent trends and future perspectives of industrially important novel thermophilic α-amylases. In conclusion, this review sheds light on the current understanding and prospects of α-amylase research, highlighting its importance as a versatile enzyme with numerous applications and emphasizing the need for further exploration and innovation in this field.

Generalized Rapid Synthesis of Supported Nanocluster Catalyst for Mild Hydrogenation of Phenol toward KA Oil.

Homogeneous and nanometric metal clusters with unique electronic structures are promising for catalysis, however, common synthesis techniques for metal clusters suffer from large size and even metal nanocrystals attributing to their high surface energy and unsaturated configurations. Herein, a generalized rapid annealing strategy for synthesizing a series of supported metal clusters as superior catalysts is developed. Remarkably, TiO2 supported platinum nanoclusters (Pt NC/TiO2 ) exhibits the excellent catalytic activity to realize phenol hydrogenation under mild conditions. The complete phenol conversion rate and 100% selectivity toward KA oil are achieved in aqueous solution at room temperature and normal pressure. Semi-continuous scale up production of KA oil is successfully performed under mild conditions. Such excellent performance mainly originates from the partial reconstruction of Pt NC/TiO2 in aqueous phenol solution. Considering that the phenol can be produced from lignin, this study underpins a facile, sustainable, and economical route to synthesize nylon from biomass.

Interstate Practice Variation and Factors Associated with Antibiotic Use for Suspected Neonatal Sepsis in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to estimate national time trends of overall and statewise antibiotic utilization (AU) rates for suspected neonatal sepsis (SNS) in the United States. STUDY DESIGN: In this cross-sectional study, we used retrospective linked birth cohort and vital records data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research database for the years 2016 to 2020 and analyzed data containing antibiotic use for SNS. The primary outcome was proportional national and state-specific AU rates per 1,000 live births during the birth hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included overall trends and association between maternal education, race, sex, chorioamnionitis, mode of delivery, gestational age at birth, Apgar's scores, and insurance status with antibiotics exposure for SNS among newborns. Contingency tables, two-tailed t-test, and chi-square for independence tests were performed with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: For a birth cohort of >18 million, 2.2% of infants received antibiotics during birth hospitalization nationwide. There were wide variations in AU among U.S. states and territories, whereas overall treatment rates decreased by 16.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.2-17.0; p < 0.001). Compared with White newborns, Black newborns had higher AU rates (odds ratio [OR]: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.32-1.34), and Asians had the lowest rates (OR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.95-0.97). There was a significant difference in mean AU rates by race (p < 0.001). Chorioamnionitis at birth significantly increased the odds for AU (OR: 14.5 ;95% CI: 14.4-14.6), although AU rates for chorioamnionitis showed a significant downward trend (OR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.50-0.53) during the study period. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that there has been a gradual decline in AU for SNS in more than a third of states in last 5 years. While risk-based management approaches achieve widespread implementation, state- and nationwide quality improvement collaborates might have contributed to the relative decline in antibiotic use in newborns. Further studies are warranted to understand factors related to practice variation in the management of SNS in the United States KEY POINTS: · Early and prolonged use of antibiotics can lead to altered gut microbiome and adverse long-term neonatal outcomes.. · There is considerable clinical practice variation in antibiotic-prescribing practices for suspected neonatal sepsis.. · This cross-sectional study reports the differences in neonatal antibiotic usage patterns by region and maternal factors.. · Antibiotic use should be limited to newborns at high risk of infection and proven sepsis.. · Judicious use of antibiotics can be promoted by following evidence-based approaches to sepsis risk assessment..

Association of Survival at 22 Weeks' Gestation With Use of Antenatal Corticosteroids and Mode of Delivery in the United States.

This cross-sectional study reports recent trends in US national live births at 22 completed weeks' gestational age and analyzes the association of antenatal corticosteroid use and cesarean delivery with birth-linked survival at birth certificate reporting time, 27 days of life, and 364 days of life.

Ultra-Narrow Linewidth Photo-Emitters in Polymorphic Selenium Nanoflakes.

Photoluminescence (PL) in state-of-the-art 2D materials suffers from narrow spectral coverage, relatively broad linewidths, and poor room-temperature (RT) functionality. The authors report ultra-narrow linewidth photo-emitters (ULPs) across the visible to near-infrared wavelength at RT in polymorphic selenium nanoflakes (SeNFs), synthesized via a hot-pressing strategy. Photo-emitters in NIR exhibit full width at half maximum (Γ) of 330 ± 90 µeV, an order of magnitude narrower than the reported ULPs in 2D materials at 300 K, and decrease to 82 ± 70 µeV at 100 K, with coherence time (τc ) of 21.3 ps. The capping substrate enforced spatial confinement during thermal expansion at 250 °C is believed to trigger a localized crystal symmetry breaking in SeNFs, causing a polymorphic transition from the semiconducting trigonal (t) to quasi-metallic orthorhombic (orth) phase. Fine structure splitting in orth-Se causes degeneracy in defect-associated bright excitons, resulting in ultra-sharp emission. Combined theoretical and experimental findings, an optimal biaxial compressive strain of -0.45% cm-1 in t-Se is uncovered, induced by the coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch at the selenium/sapphire interface, resulting in bandgap widening from 1.74 to 2.23 ± 0.1 eV. This report underpins the underlying correlation between crystal symmetry breaking induced polymorphism and RT ULPs in SeNFs, and their phase change characteristics.

The Rv3874-Rv3875 chimeric protein shows a promiscuous serodiagnostic potential for tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) stays a major cause of death globally after COVID-19 and HIV. An early diagnosis to control TB effectively, needs a fast reliable diagnostic method with high sensitivity. Serodiagnosis involving polyclonal antibodies detection against an antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in serum samples can be instrumental. In our study, Rv3874 and Rv3875 antigens were cloned, expressed, and purified individually and as a chimeric construct in Escherichia coli BL21. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) based findings revealed that the Rv3874-Rv3875 chimeric construct was two-fold more sensitive (59.7%) than the individual sensitivities of Rv3874 (28.4%) and Rv3875 (24.9%) for 201 serum TB positive samples. Furthermore, the fusion construct was a little more sensitive (60.4%) for male subjects than that for females (58.8%). Lastly, our preliminary findings, molecular insights of secondary structure, and statistical and in silico analysis of each construct also advocate that CEP can be considered a better immunodiagnostic tool in addition to previously reported EC skin test.

Tailoring TiO2/Al2O3 heterolayers as optical filters for the visible region.

Optical filters operating in the visible region of the spectrum are highly desired for applications ranging from optical communication and sensing to fluorescence microscopy and skin therapy. However, complex fabrication procedures and/or inferior performance, limit the practical applications of previously reported thin-film-based optical filters. Herein, we describe the structual design concepts and facile fabrication of vertically stacked heterolayers of TiO2/Al2O3 to obtain a bandpass filter and a longwave pass edge filter operating in the spectral range 410-600 nm and 400-597 nm, respectively. The optical filters are designed according to MacLeod simulation and fabricated via magnetron sputtering, depositing alternative stacks of low (Al2O3) and high (TiO2) refractive index materials with different thicknesses, as confirmed by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Owing to a reasonable matching between the design and the fabrication, our developed TiO2/Al2O3 heterolayer optical filters exhibited 54.60% transmission for 7-layer longwave pass edge filter and 15% reflectance for 14-layer bandpass filter of a selective set of wavelengths (400-800 nm).

Saving 80% Polypropylene in Facemasks by Laser-Assisted Melt-Blown Nanofibers.

The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic requires enormous production of facemasks and related personal protection materials, thereby increasing the amount of nondegradable plastic waste. The core material for facemasks is melt-blown polypropylene (PP) fiber. Each disposable facemask consumes ∼0.7 g of PP fibers, resulting in annual global consumption and disposal of more than 1 150 000 tons of PP fibers annually. Herein, we developed a laser-assisted melt-blown (LAMB) technique to manufacture PP nanofibers with a quality factor of 0.17 Pa-1 and significantly reduced the filter's weight. We demonstrated that a standard surgical facemask could be made with only 0.13 g of PP nanofibers, saving approximately 80% of the PP materials used in commercial facemasks. Theoretical analysis and modeling were also conducted to understand the LAMB process. Importantly, nanofibers can be easily scaled up for mass production by upgrading traditional melt blown line with scanning laser-assisted melt-blown (SLAMB).

Correlation between the binding affinity and the conformational entropy of nanobody SARS-CoV-2 spike protein complexes.

Camelid single-domain antibodies, also known as nanobodies, can be readily isolated from naïve libraries for specific targets but often bind too weakly to their targets to be immediately useful. Laboratory-based genetic engineering methods to enhance their affinity, termed maturation, can deliver useful reagents for different areas of biology and potentially medicine. Using the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein and a naïve library, we generated closely related nanobodies with micromolar to nanomolar binding affinities. By analyzing the structure-activity relationship using X-ray crystallography, cryoelectron microscopy, and biophysical methods, we observed that higher conformational entropy losses in the formation of the spike protein-nanobody complex are associated with tighter binding. To investigate this, we generated structural ensembles of the different complexes from electron microscopy maps and correlated the conformational fluctuations with binding affinity. This insight guided the engineering of a nanobody with improved affinity for the spike protein.

COVID-19 & differential effects in twins: Insights from Placenta Pathology.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 has been associated with several adverse pregnancy outcomes, including perinatal loss. Differential effects of COVID-19 in a twin pregnancy may provide unique insights into virus-placental interactions. We present a case of perinatal loss of a female fetus with survival of the male co-twin in a pregnancy complicated by COVID-19 and premature delivery. METHODS: Viral detection methods recommended by the NICHD task force were used to identify SARS-CoV-2 and its viral receptors in the placentas and fetal tissue (Antoun et al., 2020) [1] RESULTS: Compared with the surviving twin, we found a more severe intervillous necrosis and a relatively low detection of ACE2 membranous expression in the syncytiotrophoblasts of the female twin that succumbed. DISCUSSION: The interactions of SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2 at the maternal fetal interface within the placenta may play a significant role in perinatal loss, and the effects of fetal sex and gestational age at time of infection need to be explored further.

Early-life factors associated with neurobehavioral outcomes in preterm infants during NICU hospitalization.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of early-life pain/stress and medical characteristics on neurobehavioral outcomes in preterm infants. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted with 92 preterm infants (28-32 weeks gestational age [GA]). Early-life pain/stress was measured via the Neonatal Infant Stressor Scale (NISS) during the first 28 days of NICU hospitalization. Neurobehavioral outcomes were evaluated using the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale at 36-38 weeks post-menstrual age. Functional regression and machine learning models were performed to investigate the predictors of neurobehavioral outcomes. RESULTS: Infants experienced daily acute pain/stress (24.99 ± 7.13 frequencies) and chronic events (41.13 ± 17.81 h). Up to 12 days after birth, both higher acute and chronic NISS scores were associated with higher stress scores; and higher chronic NISS scores were also related to lower self-regulation and quality of movement. Younger GA predicted worse neurobehavioral outcomes; GA < 31.57 weeks predicted worse stress/abstinence, self-regulation, and excitability; GA < 30.57 weeks predicted poor quality of movement. A higher proportion of maternal breastmilk intake predicted better self-regulation, excitability, and quality of movement in older GA infants. CONCLUSIONS: Preterm infants are vulnerable to the impact of early-life pain/stress. Neurobehavioral outcomes are positively associated with increased GA and higher maternal breastmilk intake. IMPACT: During the first 12 days of life, preterm infant neurobehavioral outcomes were vulnerable to the negative impact of acute and chronic pain/stress. Future research is warranted to investigate the long-term effects of early-life pain/stress on neurobehavioral outcomes. Gestational age remains one of the critical factors to predict neurobehavioral outcomes in preterm infants; older gestational age significantly predicted better neurobehavioral outcomes. Feeding with a higher proportion of maternal breastmilk predicted better neurobehavioral outcomes. Future research is warranted to investigate how maternal breastmilk may buffer the negative effects of early-life pain/stress on neurobehavioral outcomes.

High-throughput production of kilogram-scale nanofibers by Kármán vortex solution blow spinning.

The interaction between gas flow and liquid flow, governed by fluid dynamic principles, is of substantial importance in both fundamental science and practical applications. For instance, a precisely designed gas shearing on liquid solution may lead to efficacious production of advanced nanomaterials. Here, we devised a needleless Kármán vortex solution blow spinning system that uses a roll-to-roll nylon thread to deliver spinning solution, coupled with vertically blowing airflow to draw high-quality nanofibers with large throughput. A wide variety of nanofibers including polymers, carbon, ceramics, and composites with tunable diameters were fabricated at ultrahigh rates. The system can be further upgraded from single thread to multiple parallel threads and to the meshes, boosting the production of nanofibers to kilogram scale without compromising their quality.

Trends of fecal calprotectin levels and associations with early life experience in preterm infants.

Background: Preterm infants are at risk for severe infections due to their immature immune systems. Factors such as early life pain/stress experiences and feeding may influence immune activation and maturation of immune systems. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Fecal calprotectin (FCP) is a noninvasive surrogate biomarker of mucosal inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract and has been used in detecting intestinal inflammation in specific pediatric gastrointestinal disorders. Objective: To describe the longitudinal trajectory of FCP levels in preterm infants and investigate the contributing factors that are associated with FCP levels. Design: A longitudinal study design was used. Settings: Preterm infants were recruited from 2 neonatal intensive care units (NICU) of a children's medical center in the North-eastern US. Methods: Preterm infants were followed during their first 4 weeks of NICU hospitalization. Stool samples were collected twice per week to quantify the FCP levels. Cumulative pain/stress experiences and feeding types were measured daily. A linear mixed-effect model was used to examine the associations between FCP levels and demographic and clinical characteristics, cumulative pain/stress, and feeding over time. Results: Forty-nine preterm infants were included in the study. Infants' FCP levels varied largely with a mean of 268.7±261.3 µg/g and increased over time. Preterm infants experienced an average of 7.5±5.0 acute painful procedures and 15.3±20.8 hours of chronic painful procedures per day during their NICU stay. The mean percentage of mother's own milk increased from the first week (57.1±36.5%) to the fourth week (60.7±38.9%) after birth. Elevated FCP concentration was associated with acute and cumulative (chronic) pain/stress levels, mother's own milk, non-White race, and higher severity of illness score. Conclusions: FCP levels were elevated in preterm infants with wide interindividual and intraindividual variations. Cumulative pain/stress during the NICU hospitalization, feeding, race, and health status may influence FCP concentrations in early life that may be associated with inflammatory gut processes.

Fetal gastric area ratio to predict severe neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) can occur in newborns exposed to opioids in pregnancy. Opioids delay gastric emptying and inhibit gastric motility in adults, but little is known about their effect in the fetus. We sought to assess gastric area ratio (GAR) in opioid-exposed fetuses. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study including opioid-exposed maternal-neonatal dyads between 2007-2017. Primary outcome: severe NOWS (three consecutive Finnegan scores ≥8 or three scores totaling ≥24 within 96 h of life). GAR: (gastric area)/(transverse abdominal area) × 100. Data analysis was by descriptive, parametric, and non-parametric tests. RESULTS: Forty-nine maternal-neonatal dyads were included, 67% (n = 33) with severe NOWS. GAR <95th percentile for gestational age was seen in 80% of neonates (n = 39). However, GAR was not different between groups (p = .90) and did not predict severe NOWS. CONCLUSION: Fetal GAR was <95th percentile in 80% of opioid-exposed neonates. However, fetal GAR may not predict NOWS treatment.