Extracting Conditions Optimization and Bioactivity of Polysaccharides from the Pods of Haricot Vert

Polysaccharides from the pods of haricot vert (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were extracted using a simple heating method, by varying extracting temperature, heating time, solid-to-liquid ratio, and solvent compositions. The obtained results were processed using statistical analysis that helped to identify the optimal conditions for the polysaccharides’ extraction process. This study represents a promising production method of bioactive polysaccharides extract in the food and pharmaceutical industry

Van der Waals Integration of 1D Nb 2 Pd 3 Se 8 and 2D WSe 2 for Gate‐Tunable In‐Sensor Image Processing

1D and 2D integrations provide significant promise for machine vision by enabling compact, power‐efficient optoelectronic devices. However, the potential of 1D materials in mixed‐dimensional structures for convolutional image processing remains largely unexplored. Here, high‐quality 1D‐Nb2Pd3Se8 is synthesized and integrated with 2D‐WSe2 to form self‐powered photodetectors, exhibiting gate‐tunable bi‐directional photoresponse for image processing. Utilizing the narrow band gap and favorable work function of 1D‐Nb2Pd3Se8, a type‐I junction and 1D van der Waals interface are established with transition metal dichalcogenides. The gate tunable built‐in electric field enables switching between n‐p and n‐n+ configurations, allowing the drift photocurrent direction to be reversed, achieving both negative and positive photocurrent. Furthermore, efficient conversion of high‐energy photons along one dimension enhances sensitivity at 375 nm. The device achieves a responsivity of 232 mA W−1, external quantum efficiency of 77% at 375 nm illumination, rapid response time of ~3 µs, detectivity of 6.35 × 1010 Jones, and broadband photodetection from ultraviolet to near‐infrared. The demonstrated gate‐controllable, bi‐directional photoresponse with linear power dependence in a 1D heterojunction offers a promising platform for in‐sensor convolutional processing with high integration and portability

A formal proof of the Kepler conjecture

This article describes a formal proof of the Kepler conjecture on dense sphere packings in a combination of the HOL Light and Isabelle proof assistants. This paper constitutes the official published account of the now completed Flyspeck project

Awareness and preparedness of healthcare workers against the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey across 57 countries.

BACKGROUND: Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been concerns related to the preparedness of healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to describe the level of awareness and preparedness of hospital HCWs at the time of the first wave. METHODS: This multinational, multicenter, cross-sectional survey was conducted among hospital HCWs from February to May 2020. We used a hierarchical logistic regression multivariate analysis to adjust the influence of variables based on awareness and preparedness. We then used association rule mining to identify relationships between HCW confidence in handling suspected COVID-19 patients and prior COVID-19 case-management training. RESULTS: We surveyed 24,653 HCWs from 371 hospitals across 57 countries and received 17,302 responses from 70.2% HCWs overall. The median COVID-19 preparedness score was 11.0 (interquartile range [IQR] = 6.0-14.0) and the median awareness score was 29.6 (IQR = 26.6-32.6). HCWs at COVID-19 designated facilities with previous outbreak experience, or HCWs who were trained for dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, had significantly higher levels of preparedness and awareness (p<0.001). Association rule mining suggests that nurses and doctors who had a 'great-extent-of-confidence' in handling suspected COVID-19 patients had participated in COVID-19 training courses. Male participants (mean difference = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.22, 0.46; p<0.001) and nurses (mean difference = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.53, 0.81; p<0.001) had higher preparedness scores compared to women participants and doctors. INTERPRETATION: There was an unsurprising high level of awareness and preparedness among HCWs who participated in COVID-19 training courses. However, disparity existed along the lines of gender and type of HCW. It is unknown whether the difference in COVID-19 preparedness that we detected early in the pandemic may have translated into disproportionate SARS-CoV-2 burden of disease by gender or HCW type

Extracting Conditions Optimization and Bioactivity of Polysaccharides from the Pods of Haricot Vert

Polysaccharides from the pods of haricot vert (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were extracted using a simple heating method, by varying extracting temperature, heating time, solid-to-liquid ratio, and solvent compositions. The obtained results were processed using statistical analysis that helped to identify the optimal conditions for the polysaccharides’ extraction process. This study represents a promising production method of bioactive polysaccharides extract in the food and pharmaceutical industry.</jats:p

Home-modification interventions addressing falls and participation in activities of daily living among older adults: a scoping review protocol

Introduction Falls are the second leading reason for incidental or unexpected deaths worldwide. Many older adults who fall, regardless of whether they are injured or not, tend to experience fear of fall and this can lead to decreased participation in activities of daily living (ADLs). Subsequent falls lead to weakness, a decline in physical functioning, increased chances of falling and a negative impact on the instrumental ADLs. Here, we present our scoping review protocol to appraise the literature to describe and explain the home-modification interventions used by occupational therapists to address falls and participation in ADLs among community-dwelling older adults. We are aiming to review the available home-modification intervention protocols, facilitators and barriers to such interventions, and the experiences of occupational therapists and clients after receiving these interventions.Methods and analysis This scoping review protocol follows existing guidelines for scoping reviews with a particular attention on Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and Colquhoun et al (2014). We will include the following databases: Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Google Scholar. We plan to conduct the literature search from August 16, 2020 to September 15, 2020. Two reviewers will independently screen eligible studies for inclusion. We will extract the bibliographic data, study design, details of the intervention provided, outcomes and experiences of occupational therapists and clients, and further organise them for better understanding.Ethics and dissemination As secondary data analysis, this scoping review does not require ethics approval. Results will summarise and disseminate the existing literature related to home-modification interventions provided by occupational therapists addressing falls and participation in ADLs among community-dwelling older adults. We plan to disseminate the results through peer-reviewed journals and conferences, targeting occupational therapists, other rehabilitation workers, researchers and policy makers

An 8-Year Breeding Program for Asian Seabass Lates calcarifer: Genetic Evaluation, Experiences, and Challenges

Selective breeding for marine finfish is challenging due to difficulties in reproduction, larval rearing, and on-growth in captive environments. The farming of Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) has all these problems and our knowledge of the quantitative genetic information (heritability and correlations) of traits necessary for commercial exploitation is poor. The present study was conducted to address this knowledge gap and to provide information that can be applied to sea bass and other aquaculture species. We carried out a comprehensive genetic evaluation for three traits (body weight, total length, and survival) collected from a breeding population for Asian seabass over an eight-year period from 2010 to 2017. Statistical analysis was carried out on 4,567 adult fish at 105, 180, 270, 360, 450, and 570 days post-hatch (dph). The heritabilities (h2) estimated for body weight and length using linear mixed model were moderate to high (0.12 to 0.78 and 0.41 to 0.85, respectively) and they differed between the measurement periods. Survival during grow-out phase was analyzed using threshold logistic and probit models. The heritability estimates for survival rate on the underlying liability scale (hL2) varied from 0.05 to 0.21. When the observed heritability obtained from the linear mixed model was back-transformed to the liability scale, they were similar but not significant. In addition, we examined effects of genotype by environment (G × E) interaction on body traits. The genetic correlation for body weight between tank and sea cage cultures were high (0.91–0.94) in the first and second rearing periods (180 and 270 dph) but the correlation was decreased to 0.59 ± 0.33 at 360 dph. This suggests that the genotype by environment interaction is important for body traits in this population. Furthermore, the genetic correlations of body weights between different measurement periods were moderate but different from one. This suggests that body weights measured at different time points may be different traits and selection for improved early weight may not capture all genetic expressions in subsequent rearing periods in Asian seabass. Selection of the nucleus in sea cages may produce genotypes that do not perform equally well in tanks, although this deserves further studies to determine a suitable selection environment and optimize the breeding program. This paper discusses challenges encountered during implementation of the selection program for L. calcarifer