Here, the authors sought to develop a new metric to evaluate the efficacy of baseball pitchers using machine learning models. They found that the frequency of balls, was the most predictive feature for their walks/hits allowed per inning (WHIP) metric. While their machine learning models did not identify a defining trait, such as high velocity, spin rate, or types of pitches, they found that consistently pitching within the strike zone resulted in significantly lower WHIPs.
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Varying levels of disinfectant resistance among invasive Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates
The authors identify disinfectant-resistant bacterial strains of infection-causing bacteria from samples collected at a hospital setting.
Read More...Entropy-based subset selection principal component analysis for diabetes risk factor identification
In this article, the authors looked at developing a strategy that would allow for earlier diagnosis of Diabetes as that improves long-term outcomes. They were able to find that BMI, tricep skin fold thickness, and blood pressure are the risk factors with the highest accuracy in predicting diabetes risk.
Read More...Developing anticholinergic drugs for the treatment of asthma with improved efficacy
Anticholinergics are used in treating asthma, a chronic inflammation of the airways. These drugs block human M1 and M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, inhibiting bronchoconstriction. However, studies have reported complications of anticholinergic usage, such as exacerbated eosinophil production and worsened urinary retention. Modification of known anticholinergics using bioisosteric replacements to increase efficacy could potentially minimize these complications. The present study focuses on identifying viable analogs of anticholinergics to improve binding energy to the receptors compared to current treatment options. Glycopyrrolate (G), ipratropium (IB), and tiotropium bromide (TB) were chosen as parent drugs of interest, due to the presence of common functional groups within the molecules, specifically esters and alcohols. Docking score analysis via AutoDock Vina was used to evaluate the binding energy between drug analogs and the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. The final results suggest that G-A3, IB-A3, and TB-A1 are the most viable analogs, as binding energy was improved when compared to the parent drug. G-A4, IB-A4, IB-A5, TB-A3, and TB-A4 are also potential candidates, although there were slight regressions in binding energy to both muscarinic receptors for these analogs. By researching the effects of bioisosteric replacements of current anticholinergics, it is evident that there is a potential to provide asthmatics with more effective treatment options.
Read More...Cytotoxicity evaluation of Amaranthus extracts compared with AS20 on MCF-7 cancer cells
The authors test the antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing properties of an extract created from a traditional Indian medicinal plant of the Amaranthus genus.
Read More...Integrating microbial fuel cell with sedum green roof for stormwater retention and renewable energy generation
The authors looked at renewable energy generators and the ability to utilize green roofs as a solution to climate change.
Read More...Effect of heme vs. non-heme iron supplements on gut microbiome fitness
Here, based on identification of iron deficiencies of a majority of people around the world, the authors sought to understand how the two main forms of dietary iron, heme and non-heme, affect the bacteria found in the human gut. by using a cell plate study, they found that bacterial growth increased with increasing concentration os either form of iron, up until the point where the high iron content resulted in cytotoxicity. They suggest this evidence points to the potential dangers of overconsumption of iron.
Read More...Changing public opinions on genetically modified organisms through access to educational resources
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are crops or animals that have been genetically engineered to express a certain physical or biological characteristic and have various benefits that have made them become increasingly popular. However, the public has had mixed reactions to the use of GMOs, with some skeptical of their safety. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how opinions on genetically modified foods can change from exposure to small amounts of information
Read More...Examining the relationship between screen time and achievement motivation in an adolescent population
In this study, the authors conduct a survey of high school students to evaluate the effects of screen time and habits on motivation.
Read More...Influence of socioeconomic status on academic performance in virtual classroom settings
In this study, the authors conduct a survey to evaluate the impact of household socioeconomic status on effectiveness of distance learning for students.
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