From scraps to purification: innovative use of food waste-derived hydrochar in eradicating pharmaceutical pollutants.

Chemical products (CPs) such as carbamazepine and naproxen, present in aquatic environments, pose significant risks to both aquatic life and human health. This study investigated the use of hydrothermally carbonized food waste-derived hydrochar (AC-HTC) at three distinct temperatures (200, 250, and 300 °C) as an adsorbent to remove these CPs from water. Our research focused on the impact of hydrothermal carbonization temperature on hydrochar properties and the effects of chemical activation with phosphoric acid on adsorption capacity. Hydrothermal carbonization increased the hydrochar's surface area from 1.47 to 7.52 m2/g, which was further enhanced to 32.81 m2/g after activation with phosphoric acid. Batch adsorption experiments revealed that hydrochar produced at 250 °C (AC-HTC-250) demonstrated high adsorption capacities of 49.10 mg/g for carbamazepine and 14.35 mg/g for naproxen, outperforming several conventional adsorbents. Optimal adsorption occurred at pH 4, aligning well with the Langmuir and pseudo-first-order models. The hydrochar showed potential for regeneration and multiple uses, suggesting its applicability in sustainable wastewater treatment. Future research will explore scalability and effectiveness against a broader range of pollutants.

Static anti-windup compensator design for locally Lipschitz systems under input and output delays.

This paper proposes a static anti-windup compensator (AWC) design methodology for the locally Lipschitz nonlinear systems, containing time-varying interval delays in input and output of the system in the presence of actuator saturation. Static AWC design is proposed for the systems by considering a delay-range-dependent methodology to consider less conservative delay bounds. The approach has been developed by utilizing an improved Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, locally Lipschitz nonlinearity property, delay-interval, delay derivative upper bound, local sector condition, L2 gain reduction from exogenous input to exogenous output, improved Wirtinger inequality, additive time-varying delays, and convex optimization algorithms to obtain convex conditions for AWC gain calculations. In contrast to the existing results, the present work considers both input and output delays for the AWC design (along with their combined additive effect) and deals with a more generic locally Lipschitz class of nonlinear systems. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is demonstrated via simulations for a nonlinear DC servo motor system, possessing multiple time-delays, dynamic nonlinearity and actuator constraints.

Comparison of radiation exposure associated with transradial and transfemoral access: An updated meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess differences in radiation exposure between transradial access (TRA) and transfemoral access (TFA) for coronary procedures. BACKGROUND: TRA is associated with increased radiation exposure as compared to TFA. We compared radiation exposure between the two access sites. METHODS: Databases were searched from June 2014 to August 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting coprimary outcomes of fluoroscopy time (FT) and/or dose area product (DAP) comparing TRA with TFA. Meta-regression was performed to assess the behavior of weighted mean difference (WMD) in FT from 1995 to 2021. Observational study data was used for corroborative evidence. RESULTS: Data from 8 RCTs (11,611 patients) showed the WMD of FT was 0.62 min (37 s) (95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.08-1.17], p = 0.023) in favor of TFA, WMD in DAP (9169 patients) was 1.94 Gy.cm2 (95% CI: [-2.1 to 5.9], p = 0.35) showing no significant difference. Pooled data from OBS and RCTs (83,990 patients) showed a similar trend. Studies from outside US between 1995 and 2021 showed WMD of FT between TRA and TFA of 0.88 min (52 s) (95% CI: [0.67-1.09], p = 0.005) versus 2.1 min (126 s) (95% CI: [1.38-2.8], p = 0.005) for US in favor of TFA. Meta-regression showed a declining WMD of FT between TRA and TFA from 1.6 min (96 s) in 1996 to 0.5 min (30 s) in 2020 with the lower limit of CI crossing the zero line in 2019. CONCLUSION: Radiation exposure between TRA and TFA continues to decrease overtime and is becoming clinically nonsignificant.

Preserving Radial Patency: Multiple Prior Radial Procedures and Now Large-Bore Access.

6 French percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), has become widely adopted. We describe a case of successful 8 French transradial access (TRA) coronary intervention using state of the art hemostasis technique with preservation of radial patency after the procedure.

Prevalence and Pattern of Dermatological Manifestations Among Substance Users Across Kashmir Valley in North India.

Background: Substance use has turned out to be one of the growing social problems of the present society cutting across all sorts of boundaries of the world with Kashmir Valley being no exception to this growing pathological phenomenon. Aims and Objectives: To find the prevalence and pattern of dermatological manifestations among substance users across Kashmir Valley. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study where patients of all age-groups, irrespective of gender, were enrolled in the three largest districts of Kashmir Valley over a span of 18 months. Results: Sample size was 710 with a male/female ratio of 12.4:1. The mean age of the cases was 25.2 ± 7.05 years. Heroin, one of the opioids, was the most common substance used (n = 515), followed by cannabis (n = 334). Pruritus was found to be the most common dermatological manifestation overall and statistically significant among heroin users. Stigmata of injection drug use (IDU) with the presence of track marks and sooting tattoos (93.1%), atrophic scars secondary to skin popping (30.7%), active skin ulcers (18.8%), and puffy hand syndrome (8.7%) were specifically seen among injection drug users. Oral involvement was seen in 48.5%, including periodontal disease, oral thrush, and stomatitis nicotinica. Hyperhidrosis was present in 30%, and hesitation cuts over arms in 16.3% of all substance users. Conclusion: Dermatological manifestations are quite prevalent among substance users in the population of Kashmir. Pruritus with temporal relation to substance use, stigmata of injectable drug use including track marks and sooting tattoos, atrophic scars at injection sites, active skin ulcers, and skin and soft tissue infections, and hyperhidrosis are among important dermatological clues for detecting substance use. Recognition of such cutaneous signs is important in these cases for more effective diagnosis and treatment.

Efficacy of Fractional CO2 Laser for Improvement of Limited Mouth Opening in Systemic Sclerosis.

Background: Systemic sclerosis is a multisystem auto-inflammatory disease-causing fibrosis in the skin and internal organs. A frequent complication of systemic sclerosis is the limited mouth opening (LMO), a difficult-to-treat condition with only a few treatment options available. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser resurfacing in LMO associated with systemic sclerosis. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based prospective study in which diagnosed cases of systemic sclerosis were taken. Patients who had significant LMO and who gave informed consent were included in the study. Fractional CO2 laser treatment was performed in the perioral area. Patients were assessed at baseline, after three and six sessions, and 3 months after the last session. Assessment was done by measurement of the interincisor distance (IID) using a ruler and calculation of the mouth handicap in systemic sclerosis (MHISS) scale. Results: Improvement in IID occurred 3 months after the first session with a mean gain of +5 mm (range 2-7). At 6 months, a mean gain of +8.5 mm (range 7-10) in IID was observed (P < 0.001). The MHISS score decreased by a mean of 14 (range 11-17) (P < 0.001). All patients showed improvement of mouth opening, which allowed the patients to have better phonation and the patients were able to have proper dental care posttreatment in the form of brushing of teeth and other dental procedures. The adverse effects noted in these patients included erythema that resolved spontaneously or after icing posttreatment. Other adverse effects noted were stinging and burning sensations that were mild and transient. Conclusion: Fractional CO2 laser forms a safe, effective, and well-tolerated treatment modality for improvement of LMO in systemic sclerosis. Limitations: The limitations of this study were less number of patients and no long-term follow-up.

How Long Has It Been? Self-Construal and Subjective Time Perception.

Do people with independent and interdependent self-construals perceive the amount of time that has passed differently? Results from four experiments (one preregistered) and three supplementary ones reveal that an independent (vs. interdependent) self-construal elongates time perception by making individuals feel that more time has passed than in reality. We find evidence that this is likely because an independent self-construal increases arousal that affects one's "internal clock," which determines the subjective passage of time. We find this effect with externally valid and practical measures, such as by measuring how long an online video feels, how long loading a webpage feels, and how long waiting in a line feels. Our research adds to an understanding of the consequences of self-construal for one of human beings' most important judgments-time. We discuss the theoretical and practical considerations of our results as well as research limitations in closing.

Assessment, reliability, and validity of trichoscopy in the evaluation of alopecia in women.

BACKGROUND: Alopecia in women is generally difficult to diagnose clinically. Trichoscopy may help make the correct diagnosis in doubtful cases. OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to assess the trichoscopic features of different types of alopecia in women, the reliability of trichoscopy vis-à-vis clinical findings, and the validity of trichoscopy in cases with a doubtful clinical diagnosis. METHODS: A hospital-based observational, cross-sectional study was carried out on female patients with alopecia. A trichoscopic diagnosis was made and correlated with a clinical diagnosis. The validity of trichoscopy in doubtful cases was evaluated by reporting the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic value. RESULTS: On trichoscopy, increased hair diameter diversity > 20%, single-hair follicular unit, vellus hair, peripilar sign, and focal atrichia were commonly seen in female pattern hair loss. In telogen effluvium, there was a scarceness of specific findings. In cicatricial alopecias, loss of follicular ostia, erythema, white macules, blue-gray dots, white dots, tufted hair, and keratotic follicular plugging were observed. A good agreement between trichoscopy and clinical diagnosis was found (Cohen's Kappa = 0.824; 95% confidence interval, 0.756-0.892). The validity of trichoscopy in doubtful cases was evaluated using the validity parameters, which were high in all alopecias. LIMITATIONS: Histopathology testing was not done in all patients. CONCLUSION: Trichoscopy helped reach a definitive diagnosis in patients in whom the clinical diagnosis was doubtful. Thus, trichoscopy is a sensitive and specific investigation that can be valuable in women with alopecia.

Privacy concerns can explain unwillingness to download and use contact tracing apps when COVID-19 concerns are high.

Governments around the world have increasingly relied on technology to promote public health, such as using electronic health records and portable fitness devices. During the COVID-19 pandemic, "contact tracing apps" for smartphones have also been promoted in many countries as a way to allow public officials to facilitate contact tracing. But uptake in virtually all countries where such apps have been promoted is slow, one reason being privacy concerns. Conducting three experiments across France (n = 471), Australia (n = 202), and the United States (n = 1005), we explore if salient COVID-19 concerns, which intuitively should increase concerns about personal and public health, might in fact increase privacy concerns and thereby reduce uptake of contact tracing apps. Using an experimental design where we randomly assign participants to either a disease concerns or control condition, we find that salient COVID-19 concerns decrease intentions to download contact tracing apps. Mediation results reveal that greater valuations of privacy explain the lower willingness. We therefore explain why COVID-19 contact tracing apps that are promoted when the pandemic is at its peak see low levels of uptake. Our results provide policy makers with implications concerning how to promote uptake to help "flatten the curve" of not just the current pandemic but potentially also future ones.

Female Pattern Hair Loss-An Update.

Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is nonscarring progressive thinning of hair with gradual decrease in the number of hair, especially in the frontal, central, and parietal scalp, due to a process known as follicular miniaturization. The etiopathogenesis of FPHL is complex with multiple factors such as genetics, inflammation, hormones, and environment playing role in it. It usually manifests as slowly progressive hair thinning, mainly over the vertex and upper parietal scalp, the frontal hairline is often spared and the miniaturization is also not as severe as in men. A thorough history, clinical examination, hair loss evaluation tests, dermoscopy, and scalp biopsy can help in establishing the diagnosis. Various biochemical tests may be needed in patients with hyperandrogenism. The treatment includes medical and surgical modalities. Topical minoxidil is still considered the first line of treatment. Along with medical therapy, cosmetic camouflage may also be needed in some cases.

A Rare Case of Unicuspid Aortic Valve with Postoperative Heart Block.

Unicuspid aortic valve (UAV) is an extremely rare cause of aortic stenosis, accounting for about 0.02% of the adult population. We present a rare case of UAV in a young woman who presented with dyspnea on exertion. She underwent extensive work-up, including a transthoracic echocardiogram, which was notable for critical aortic stenosis with significant pulmonary hypertension. A subsequent transesophageal echocardiogram confirmed the severe degree of aortic stenosis and revealed the possibility of a UAV. She was referred to a cardiothoracic surgeon and underwent bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement. Intraoperative evaluation confirmed the rare occurrence of a UAV. Postoperative course was complicated by complete heart block necessitating pacemaker placement.

Valorisation of food waste via hydrothermal carbonisation and techno-economic feasibility assessment.

Food waste constitutes a remarkable portion of municipal solid waste. About one-third of the global food waste produced is lost with the food supply chain. Food waste in many countries is still dumped of in landfill or incinerated simultaneously with other municipal wastes. Food waste requires proper management and recycling techniques in order to minimise its environmental burden and risk to human life. Despite considerable research on food waste conversion still, there is a shortage of comprehensive reviews of the published literature. In this review, we provide a mini global perspective of food waste with special emphasis on New Zealand and their conversion into the useful material through hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC). Other thermal technologies such as incineration and pyrolysis are also briefly discussed. The review discusses why HTC is more suitable thermal technology than others, which are currently available. Recognising the importance of techno-economic feasibility of HTC, we present a cost analysis on the production of value-added products via HTC with examples taken from the literature to gather information in the feasibility assessment process. Finally, key challenges and future directions for a better productive way of handling food waste are being suggested.

Left Ventricular Assist Device: What the Internist Needs to Know. A Review of the Literature.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have revolutionized therapy for patients with Stage D heart failure (HF) with reduced systolic function providing not only improved survival benefits but also meaningful changes in quality of life and functional capacity. With technological advances and improved durability of devices, length of survival has significantly improved. With continued organ donor shortage, LVADs are frequently serving as a substitute for cardiac transplant as destination therapy, particularly among the elderly. Internists not only face the important challenge of identifying the patients in need referral for these advanced therapies, they are also faced with the challenges of taking care of these patients. This review will help the internists to better understand the present status, indications and advances in LVADs and also understand the complications and adverse effects associated with these devices.

Effect of temperature on the fuel properties of food waste and coal blend treated under co-hydrothermal carbonization.

A blended feedstock containing food waste and coal was used to perform co-hydrothermal carbonization (Co-HTC) at different temperatures to observe the effect of temperature on the solid fuel properties of different hydrochars. Moreover, these hydrochars were mixed with molasses which act as a binder to prepare high mechanical strength pellets. A range of techniques was used to characterise the hydrochars and pellets. Food waste and coal hydrochars produced at 300 °C exhibited high heating value (HHV) of 31.1 and 31.4 MJ/kg respectively, however, high heating value of the Co-HTC 300 °C hydrochar decreased to 28.6 MJ/kg. The ash content of hydrochar obtained via the Co-HTC at 300 °C, was 53% less than the ash content of raw coal. Combustion results showed that the Co-HTC of food waste and coal is thermally more suitable than HTC of food waste and coal. During pelletization molasses played an important role in making solid bridge between the hydrochars. The tensile strength of all the hydrochars ranged between 2 and 4.5 MPa. The blend treated at 300 °C showed the highest tensile strength of 4.5 MPa. The mass density of food waste and blend increased as the temperature was increased, however, the mass density of the coal sample showed a decreasing trend. The energy densities of all the hydrochars ranged between 22.2 and 39 GJ/m3 and the energy density of the blends were higher than the coal and food waste hydrochar.

Physicochemical, structural and combustion characterization of food waste hydrochar obtained by hydrothermal carbonization.

A solid carbon-rich product hydrochar, was prepared using hydrothermal carbonisation of food waste at temperatures of 200, 250 and 300 °C. To acquire detailed insight into physicochemical and structural properties, hydrochar samples were characterised using a range of techniques. The carbon content and higher heating value of food waste increased considerably from 39 to 73% and 15 to 31 MJ/kg corresponding to the heating temperature. The blends of hydrochar and coal prepared in three different ratios (5%, 10% and 15%) exhibited different thermal behaviour. The overall results of co-combustion study showed that the activation energy of hydrochar samples decreased from 56.78 KJ/mol to 29.80 KJ/mol with increase in temperature. Hydrochar prepared at 300 °C with coal blending ratio of 10% exhibited the lowest activation energy of 19.45 KJ/mol. Additionally thermal gravimetric analysis of the samples showed that high temperature carbonization can increase the combustion properties of hydrochar.

Morbidity and Mortality: A Case Report of Metastatic Bone Disease.

Metastatic prostate cancer and multiple myeloma (MM) usually present with bone lesions, posing a diagnostic challenge in males presenting in late stages. In this case report, an 86-year-old male who had not seen a physician in over 30 years presented with complaints of hip pain and progressive difficulty in walking for three weeks. Outpatient X-ray of the right hip showed multiple lytic bone lesions, raising suspicion of MM. Other laboratory tests revealed elevated serum calcium and elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA), supporting a diagnosis of prostate cancer. The patient was admitted for further workup. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine showed diffuse metastatic disease throughout the spine as well as pelvis with multilevel central canal and neuro-foraminal narrowing due to degenerative changes. Central canal narrowing at L1-L2 due to tumor involvement could not be ruled out on MRI. Subsequently, urology was consulted and the patient was taken to the operating room for prostate biopsy and possible bilateral orchiectomy. Two intraoperative prostate biopsies were negative for malignancy but patient underwent bilateral orchiectomy due to high clinical suspicion for prostate cancer. Bone lesions in the pelvis were so extensive that orthopedic surgeons recommended complete non-weight bearing as the risk of fracture with weight bearing was thought to be very high. Eventually, laboratory workup for MM came out to be positive. Radiation oncologist recommended radiation therapy; however, at this point, the patient refused further intervention. He opted for palliative care. Consequently, a bone marrow biopsy could not be obtained for a definitive diagnosis of MM. The patient was eventually discharged to a nursing home for hospice care. This case sheds light on the importance of preventative care in routine outpatient setting, which can often screen, identify, and detect malignancies at earlier stages. It also signifies the importance of an interdisciplinary approach and precise knowledge in differentiating and diagnosing such malignancies. In our patient's case, his extensive bone disease precluded his ability to be weight bearing which is an uncommon finding only seen in extensive metastatic bone disease. A definitive diagnosis is warranted to guide appropriate management.

A hybrid antenna array design for 3-d direction of arrival estimation.

A 3-D beam scanning antenna array design is proposed that gives a whole 3-D spherical coverage and also suitable for various radar and body-worn devices in the Body Area Networks applications. The Array Factor (AF) of the proposed antenna is derived and its various parameters like directivity, Half Power Beam Width (HPBW) and Side Lobe Level (SLL) are calculated by varying the size of the proposed antenna array. Simulations were carried out in MATLAB 2012b. The radiators are considered isotropic and hence mutual coupling effects are ignored. The proposed array shows a considerable improvement against the existing cylindrical and coaxial cylindrical arrays in terms of 3-D scanning, size, directivity, HPBW and SLL.

Moisturizing effect of stable cream containing Crocus sativus extracts.

The present study is about to prepare stable cream of water-in-oil emulsion containing extracts of Crocus sativus against its base (without extracts) taken as control, to determine its stability on different storage conditions and effects on skin moisture contents and transepidermal water loss. The formulation contains 3% Crocus sativus (Saffron) concentrated extracts, and the base containing no extract, were formulated. Different stability tests were done on samples, which placed at 8°C, 25°C, 40°C and 40°C with 75% relative humidity, for 4 week period. These formulations (Creams) were applied on the cheeks of human volunteers for 8week period. To evaluate any effect produced by these formulations different skin parameters were monitored every week. The significant results of this study explored the fact that water-in-oil emulsion topical cream of saffron formulated from Crocus sativus extract has absolute physical stability at different storage conditions. The increase in skin moisture contents and changes in transepidermal water loss were significant (p<0.05) with respect to base and formulation respectively. Topical cream of Crocus sativus showed significant moisturizing effects on human skin.

Screening of various botanical extracts for antioxidant activity using DPPH free radical method.

Aiming at the exploration of herbal use by society, crude extracts of the seeds of some commonly used medicinal plants (Vitis vinifera, Tamarindus indica and Glycin max) were screened for their free radical scavenging properties using ascorbic acid as standard antioxidant. Free radical scavenging activity was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical. The overall antioxidant activity of grape seeds (Vitis vinifera) was the strongest, followed in descending order by soybean (Glycin max) and tamarind (Tamarindus indica). The seeds extract of Vitis vinifera, Glycin max and Tamarindus indica showed 85.61%, 83.45% and 79.26%, DPPH scavenging activity respectively.

Caspase-1 recognizes extended cleavage sites in its natural substrates.

OBJECTIVE: The preferred amino acids in the proteolytic sites have been considered to be similar between caspase-1 and caspase-9, which do not support their differential functions in inflammatory pyroptosis and apoptosis. We attempted to solve this problem. METHODS: We analyzed the flanking 20 amino acid residues in the cleavage sites in 34 caspase-1 and 11 capase-9 experimentally identified substrates. RESULTS: This study has made the following findings: first, we verified that caspase-1 and caspase-9 shared 100% aspartic acid in the P1 position. However, the structures in the cleavage sites of most caspase-1 substrates are different from that of caspase-9 substrates in the following three aspects, (a) the amino acid residues with the statistically high frequencies; (b) the hydrophobic amino acid occurrence frequencies; and (c) the charged amino acid occurrence frequencies; second, the amino acid pairs P1-P1' are different; third, our identified cleavage site patterns are useful in the prediction for the 91.4% cleavage sites of 35 new caspase-1 substrates. CONCLUSION: Since most caspase-1 substrates are involved in vascular function, inflammation and atherogenesis, our novel structural patterns for the caspases' substrates are significant in developing new diagnostics and therapeutics.