We present a distributed optical-fiber temperature sensor with enhanced sensitivity based on an Al-coated fiber using the Rayleigh backscattering spectra (RBS) shift in optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR). The Al-coated sensing fiber with a higher thermal expansion coefficient compared to silica produces a strain-coupled shift in the RBS under an increase in temperature. This effect leads to an enhanced temperature sensitivity of the distributed measurement scheme. Our results revealed that the temperature sensitivity obtained using the Al-coated fiber in OFDR was ~56% higher relative to that of a single-mode fiber. Moreover, the minimum measurable temperature recorded was 1 °C with a spatial resolution of 5 cm.

Background Despite the high vaccination coverage rate, in-hospital transmission of measles continues to occur in South Korea. We present a measles outbreak in which two healthcare workers (HCWs) with presumptive evidence of measles immunity were infected by a patient with typical measles at a single hospital in South Korea. This facilitated the evaluation of measles seroprevalence in all HCWs. Methods In 2018, suspected patients and contacts exposed during a measles outbreak were investigated based on their medical histories and vaccination status. Cases were confirmed by the detection of measles-specific immunoglobulin M or RNA. After the measles outbreak, all HCWs underwent measles IgG testing for point-prevalence surveillance. In addition, we have routinely performed measles IgG tests on new HCWs since 2019. The measles vaccine was administered to HCWs who tested negative or equivocally negative for IgG antibodies. Results An index patient who returned from China with fever and rash was diagnosed with measles at a hospital in Korea. Two additional HCWs were revealed as measles cases: one was vaccinated with the 2-dose measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccine, and the other, who was born in 1967, was presumed to have immunity from natural infection in South Korea. All three patients harbored the same D8 genotype. No additional measles cases were identified among the 964 contacts of secondary patients. After the measles outbreak, 2,310 HCWs underwent measles IgG tests. The average age at the time of the test was 32.6 years, and 74.3% were female. The overall seropositivity of measles was 88.9% (95% confidence interval, 87.5 –90.1). Although the birth cohorts between 1985 and 1994 were presumed to have received the measles-rubella (MR) catch-up vaccination in 2001, 175 (89.3%) HCWs were born after 1985 among the 195 seronegative cases. Conclusion Despite high population immunity, imported measles transmission occurred among HCWs, with presumed immunity. This report underscores the importance of understanding the prevalence of measles susceptibility among newly employed HCWs. This is important for policymaking regarding hospital-wide vaccinations to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases.

Although sarcopenia is known to be a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), whether NAFLD is a risk factor for the development of sarcopenia is not clear. We investigated bidirectional relationships between NAFLD and low skeletal muscle mass index (LSMI) using three different datasets. Participants were classified into LSMI and normal groups. LSMI was defined as a body mass index (BMI)-adjusted appendicular skeletal muscle mass <0.789 in men and <0.512 in women or as the sex-specific lowest quintile of BMI-adjusted total skeletal muscle mass. NAFLD was determined according to NAFLD liver fat score or abdominal ultrasonography. The NAFLD groups showed a higher hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for LSMI than the normal groups (HRs=1.213, 95% CIs=1.050–1.402). The LSMI groups also showed a higher HRs with 95% CIs for NAFLD than normal groups (HRs=1.564, 95% CIs=1.378–1.775). Participants with NAFLD had consistently less skeletal muscle mass over 12 years of follow-up. In conclusion, LSMI and NAFLD showed a bidirectional relationship. Maintaining muscle mass should be emphasized in the management of NAFLD.

In this study, we used statistical models to analyze nonlinear behavior links with atmospheric teleconnections between hydrometeorological variables and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) mode over the East Asia (EA) region. The analysis of atmospheric teleconnections was conducted using principal component analysis and singular spectrum analysis techniques. Moreover, the nonlinear lag-time correlations between climate indices and hydrological variables were calculated using mutual information (MI) techniques. The teleconnection-based nonlinear correlation coefficients (CCs) were higher than the linear CCs in each lag time. Additionally, we documented that the IOD has a direct influence on hydro-meteorological variables, such as precipitation within the Korean Peninsula (KP). Moreover, during the warm season (June to September) the variation of hydro-meteorological variables in the KP demonstrated significantly decreasing patterns during positive IOD years and they have neutral conditions during negative IOD years in comparison with long-term normal conditions. Finally, the revealed relationship between climate indices and hydro-meteorological variables and their possible changes will allow better understanding of stakeholder decision-making regarding to manage of freshwater management over the EA region. It can also provide useful data for long-range water resources prediction, to minimize hydrological uncertainties in a changing climate.

Hemangioblasts give rise to endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which also express the cell surface markers CD133 and C-kit. They may differentiate into the outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs) that control neovascularization in the developing embryo. Reduced levels of EPC in circulation have been linked to human cardiovascular disorders, according to numerous studies. Furthermore, preeclampsia and senescence have been linked to levels of EPCs produced from cord blood. Uncertainties surround how preeclampsia affects the way EPCs function. It is reasonable to speculate that preeclampsia may have an impact on the function of fetal EPCs during the in utero period; however, given the present literature's suggestion that maternal vasculopathies, including preeclampsia, damage fetal circulation. Additionally, the differentiation potential and general activity of EPCs may serve as an indicator of the health of the fetal vascular system since they promote neovascularization and repair during pregnancy. Thus, the purpose of this review is to compare, through assessment of their quantity, differentiation potency, angiogenic activity, and senescence, the angiogenic function of fetal EPCs obtained from cord blood for normal and pregnancy problems. This will shed light on the relationship between the angiogenic function of fetal EPCs and pregnancy complications, which could have an effect on the management of long-term health issues like metabolic and cardiovascular disorders in offspring with abnormal vasculature development.

A high-performance Lead-free Piezoelectric Energy Harvester (LPEH) based on a Ba0.85Ca0.15Ti0.90Zr0.10O3 + CuO 0.3 wt% (BCTZC0.3) composite was fabricated by sintering at 1450℃. The BCTZC0.3 composite, which has an enhanced high-energy-conversion constant (〖d_33×g〗_33), shows improved piezoelectric power-generation performance when compared with conventional piezoelectric energy harvesters. The BCTZC0.3-based LPEH produces instantaneous maximum power of 8.2 mW and an energy density of 107.9 mW/cm3 in a weak magnetic field of 250 μT. This energy harvester can be used to charge a capacitor and operate a wireless sensor network (WSN) system to provide temperature sensing and radio-frequency (RF) transmission in a 250 μT magnetic field. The proposed LPEH is a promising green-energy device for potentially self-powering WSN systems when applied.

Maternal hyperglycemia, induced by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), has detrimental effects on fetal vascular development, ultimately increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases in offspring. The potential underlying mechanisms by which these complications occur are through functional impairment and epigenetic changes in fetal endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), however, remain less defined. We confirm that intrauterine hyperglycemia leads to impaired angiogenic function of fetal EPCs, as observed through functional assays of outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs) derived from fetal EPCs of GDM pregnancies (GDM-EPCs). Notably, PCDH10 expression is increased in OECs derived from GDM-EPCs, which is associated with the inhibition of angiogenic function in fetal EPCs. Additionally, increased PCDH10 expression is correlated with hypomethylation of the PCDH10 promoter. Our findings demonstrate that in utero exposure to GDM can induce angiogenic dysfunction in fetal EPCs through altered gene expression and epigenetic changes, consequently increasing the susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases in offspring of GDM mothers.

Nowadays, in order to improve asphalt pavement performance, durability and reduce environmental pollution caused by asphalt binder, many researchers are studying to modify asphalt concrete (AC) and find alternative paving materials to extend service life of asphalt pavement. One of the successful materials used in a modification of AC are fibers. Different types of fibers have been reinforced in AC mixture and improvements have been observed. This research studies the performance of glass wool fiber reinforced in a dense-graded asphalt mixture. Generally, glass fibers are known to have excellent mechanical properties such as high tensile modulus, 100% elastic recovery and a very high tolerance to heat. The glass wool fibers are commonly used as a thermal insulation material. In this research to evaluate the performance of glass wool fiber in AC, laboratory tests Marshall mix design test, Indirect tensile strength (IDT), Tensile strength ratio (TSR) and Kim test were conducted to determine a proper mix design, tensile properties, moisture susceptibility, rutting and fatigue behaviors. Results show that addition of glass wool fibers does affect the properties of AC mixture. The use of glass wool fibers showed a positive consistence results, in which it improved the moisture susceptibility and rutting resistance of the AC. Also result showed addition of fiber increased tensile strength and toughness which indicates that fibers have a potential to resist distresses that occur on a surface of the road as a result of heavy traffic loading. The overall results showed that addition of glass wool fiber in AC mixture is beneficial in improving properties of AC pavements.

Background and Objectives: High rates of psychiatric disorders and comorbidities have been reported in juvenile detainees which have been associated with repeat offenses. However, research on this topic has been limited to Asian countries. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and sexual differences among juvenile detainees in a detention center in South Korea. Materials and Method: The participants comprised 54 males and 46 females, with a minimum intelligence score of 80. Psychiatric diagnosis was determined using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID). The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2 (MAYSI-2) was used to investigate gender differences. Results: Using the MINI-KID, the most frequent diseases were conduct disorder (CD), alcohol dependence, suicidal tendency, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with statistically significant differences between men and women. Only alcohol abuse was higher in men while the rest were higher in women. The items with a statistically significant gender difference in MAYSI-2, were alcohol/drug use, feeling depressed/anxious, somatic complaints, suicidal ideation, and traumatic experience. All items for which the gender difference was statistically significant were higher in the proportion of women. Conclusions: Juvenile detainees exhibit high rates of psychiatric disorders and comorbidities. CDs, alcohol dependence and ADHD are the most common psychiatric disorders among juvenile detainees in South Korea. Assessment of and intervention in psychiatric disorders may help prevent further offenses. These findings highlight the importance of diagnosing and intervening in psychiatric disorders within juvenile detention systems.

Background and Objectives: Although there has been growing interest in the association of ADHD with anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and self-esteem, there is a lack of consistent results and these associations remain unclear. This study investigated the differential patterns of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and self-esteem with regard to the presence of ADHD. Materials and Methods: The subjects were divided into a patient group and a control group. The patient group included 49 patients diagnosed with ADHD at the department of psychiatry of one university hospital. For the control group, 3,727 students were invited to complete a questionnaire. Of the 1,717 students who responded to the questionnaire, 245 were selected for patient-controlled studies. All the subjects were instructed to complete the Beck Suicide Ideation Scale, Children's Depression Inventory, Beck’s Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Results: ADHD subjects experienced more anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation as well as lower self-esteem compared to the control group comprising participants without ADHD. Conclusions: These findings suggest that ADHD symptoms may contribute to greater suicidal ideation through experienced depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem in school-aged children. Therefore, appropriate ADHD symptom management is necessary to reduce suicidal ideation among school-aged children with ADHD symptoms.

We propose a wave-like design on the surface of cathode channels (wave form cathode channels) to improve oxidant delivery to gas diffusion layers (GDLs) [1-2]. We performed experiments using PEMFCs combined with wave form surface design on cathodes. We varied the factors of the distance between wave-bumps (the Adhesive distance, AD), and the size of the wave-bumps (the Expansion ratio, ER). The ADs are 3, 4, and 5 times the size of the half-circle bump’s radius, and the ERs are 1/1.5, 1/2, and 1/3 times the channel’s height. We evaluated the performances of the fuel cells, and compared the current-voltage (I-V) relations. For comparison, we prepared PEMFCs with conventional flat-surfaced oxygen channels. Our aim in this work is to identify fuel cell operation by modifying the surface design of channels, and ultimately to find the optimal design of cathode channels that will maximize fuel cell performance.

Developing high performance HVAC system using natural refrigerants including carbon dioxide (CO₂) has been important in respect of environmental preservation and associated technologies. Thus studies to optimize the HVAC (heating ventilation air conditioner) system using natural refrigerants through clarifying the cycle performance characteristics are necessary. The CO₂ heat pump system using air and water sources was consisted to examine its performance characteristics, and by varying conditions of several factors that affect or characterize the system performance like the amount of refrigerant charge, EEV (electronic expansion valve) opening, and internal heat exchanger under cooling mode. The performance characteristics of CO₂ heat pump system were tested by using an air enthalpy calorimeter. In the case of the CO₂ heat pump system without internal heat exchanger, the opening of #3 EEV and #4 EEV was 60% and refrigerant charge amount was 5,600g. However, in the case of that with internal heat exchanger, the best performance was obtained when the opening of #2 EEV is 20%. From the present studies, it was observed that the performance variation and operational characteristics of the CO₂ heat pump system were affected by design factors like refrigerant charge amount, EEV opening, and internal heat exchanger and thereby, the configuration on an optimal operation conditions of the system was enabled.

Forest ecosystems make a greater contribution to carbon (C) stocks than any other terrestrial ecosystem. To understand the role of regional forest ecosystems in global climate change and carbon exchange, forest C stock and its spatial distribution within the small (2,300 km2) Liuxihe River basin were analyzed to determine the different contributors to the C stock. Forest C stocks were quantified by measuring the biomass of trees, understory vegetation, litter and roots, as well as soil organic C, using data from field samples and laboratory experiments. The results showed that forests stored 38.04 Tg C in the entire basin, with secondary and planted forests accounting for 89.82% and 10.18%, respectively, of the stored C. Five types of forests, a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, a subtropical coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, a subtropical coniferous forest, a timber forest, and a non-wood forest, stored 257.55 ± 15.01, 218.92 ± 9.59, 195.24 ± 18.29, 177.42 ± 17.55, and 117.86 ± 6.04 Mg C ha−1, respectively. In the forest ecosystem C stocks of the basin, soils averagely contribute about 73.78%, not including root underground biomass. It provides a comprehensive method for forest ecosystem carbon investigation and forest management in small basin scale.

In the context of reinforcement learning (RL), ensuring both safety and performance is crucial, especially in real-world scenarios where mistakes can lead to severe consequences. This study aims to address this challenge by integrating temporal logic constraints into RL algorithms, thereby providing a formal mechanism for safety verification. We employ a combination of theoretical and empirical methods, including the use of temporal logic for formal verification and extensive simulations to validate our approach. Our results demonstrate that the proposed method not only maintains high levels of safety but also achieves comparable performance to traditional RL algorithms. Importantly, our approach fills a critical gap in existing literature by offering a solution that is both mathematically rigorous and empirically validated. The study concludes that the integration of temporal logic into RL offers a promising avenue for developing algorithms that are both safe and efficient. This work lays the foundation for future research aimed at generalizing this approach to various complex systems and applications.

The study addresses the urgent environmental issue of climate change, focusing specifically on the role of local food, which is produced and consumed locally, helps reduce carbon emissions by eliminating the need for long-distance transportation. Through quantitative analysis, this study elucidates the potential benefits in environmental impact achieved through the consumption of local food: the significant reduction in carbon emissions. Specifically, the consumption of local food is found to yield an annual decrease of 2,421,296 tCO2 emissions, representing 2.5% of South Korea’s total greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. This reduction further translates into an estimated economic value of USD 54.23 million (KRW 70.5 billion). This study underscores the potential of local food consumption as a tangible strategy to overcome environmental problems. Moreover, its academic contribution lies in its comprehensive analysis of the economic and empirical impacts of local food consumption on environment. Moving forward, we propose policies such as supporting local food distribution networks, providing public education on local food, fostering the local food industry, and providing incentives to revitalize local food consumption.

Lake sediment records are of great importance for understanding the evolution of watershed environments. Various studies have been carried out to constrain the depositional ages of lake sediments and examine their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, aiming to construct historical vegetation, environment and climate patterns in Chinese lake watersheds. In this study, we obtained relevant literature on lake sediment records by searching the key word 'age-depth' from the databases – Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, the largest Chinese academic database). We analyzed the literature based on its type (published in a Chinese/English journal or as a Master’s/PhD thesis), period of publication, journal (if published in a journal), key authors, study area, dating scale, and main aims. The results suggest that the lakes in the plateau regions are the most popular research topic typically covering 100–200 years (short-term) and 500–30,000 years (long-term). The literature focuses on a wide range of topics, from past environmental evolution in the watershed to lake ecology, and provides a solid foundation for better understanding regional climate change and the preservation of lake environments and ecosystems. In the future, resulting data from environmental reconstruction with lake sediments will be needed to integrate with emerging information processing technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence and meta-analysis), to disentangle the complex interplay between Earth surface processes and global climate change; furthermore, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration will deepen our comprehension of man-land relationship and promote the sustainable management of lake ecosystems in the context of global climate change.

Technological advancements must keep pace with earth’s rising demand for energy, while minimizing the carbon footprint on earth. One such option is using space based solar (SBS) radio frequency (RF) microwave power beaming. This innovative and novel technology is currently being explored to address terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) intermittency and provide a method to transmit power to other spacecraft in various orbits. This modality of power generation and distribution presents a new way to power terrestrial off-grid applications and earth orbiting spacecraft. In 1968, Dr. Peter Glaser published "Power from the Sun: Its Future", which serves as the foundation of this paper to revitalize scientific interest and efforts in this topic. This paper will primarily focus on the reliance of SBS initiatives on reusable launch vehicles (RLV) to place SBS spacecraft in a designated orbit, as well as the technological, economic, and operational challenges associated with power beaming to earth and other spacecraft. This includes a discussion of the variables from the operational environment that contribute or accelerate spacecraft end of life.

The National Agrobiodiversity Center under the Rural Development Administration (RDA) in Jeonju, Republic of Korea, is the largest international genebank of Korea. The National Agrobi-odiversity Center has continuously been making efforts to introduce overseas genetic resources to its collection and has currently grown into a world-class PGR holding genebank. Currently, several steps are undertaken to, improve the accessibility of the collection to national as well as international researchers, improve data available on the resources and amend the passport in-formation of the accessions. With the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol, the origin of ge-netic resources is being highlighted as an important input in the passport information of germplasms. The RDA-Genebank actively responds to the Nagoya Protocol by supplementing passport data of resources lacking information on the origin of germplasm. In addition, a large number of conserved resources are continuously multiplied, and agronomic traits are investi-gated concurrently. With the traditional methods of characterization of the germplasm requiring a significant amount of time and effort, we have intiated high-throughput phenotyping using digital techniques to improve our germplasm data. Primarily, we have started adding seed phenotype information followed by measuring root phenotypes which are stored under agro-nomic traits. This may be the initial step for a germplasm center to use large-scale high-throughput techniques for their collection. In this shortcommunication, we aim to provide an introduction to the RDA- Genebank, adopted international standards, and establishment of high throughput phenotyping techniques for improvement of passport information.

The aim of this study was to analyze glucosinolates (GSLs) in germplasms that are currently conserved at the RDA-Genebank. The analysis focused on the glucosinolate diversity among the analyzed germplasms, with the goal of identifying those that would be most useful for future breeding efforts to produce nutritionally rich Choy sum plants..Twenty-three accessions of Choy sum which possessed ample background passport information were selected. By analyzing the glucosinolate content for 17 different glucosinolates, we observed aliphatic GSLs to be the most common. We identified one accession, IT228140 to synthesize high quantities of glucobrassi-canapin and progoitrin which have been reported to contain several therapeutic applications. Overall, this study highlights the importance of conserving and analyzing plant genetic re-sources, such as those held in national genebanks, for the purpose of developing new varieties of crops that are both nutritious and beneficial for human health. The identification of excellent germplasms for breeding material and the confirmation of the anticancer effects of glucosin-olates are significant contributions to the field of agricultural research and have the potential to positively impact public health.

Smart City has emerged as the mainstream paradigm for urban governance innovation, sustainable development, and strategy upgrades, which is drawing attention from scholars worldwide. However, current frameworks for Smart City assessment remain incomplete and simplistic. In is paper, 30 national or provincial capitals in China were selected and we designed a tri-dimensional SPI model—Social, Physical, and Information Space—for smart city spatial development assessment. Utilizing methods such as entropy weighting, coupled coordination degree models, and the Dagum Gini coefficient, this study assesses the spatial development and coupled coordination of 30 cities from 2011 to 2019. Finally, by means of BP neural networks, the study examines the contribution of each indicator to the spatial coupled coordination. The results indicated that with a narrowing disparity in development speeds among different regions, the spatial coupled coordination development level of smart capitals in China has steadily increased, presenting a pattern of staggered distribution. Moreover, the IS subsystem plays the most significant role in coupled coordination. The significance of this research lies in its tri-dimensional spatial perspective of the spatial development and coupled coordination differences of the Smart City, providing evidence-based support for the regional layout and optimization in China.

Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) elevation during capnoperitoneum can cause adverse cardiovascular and respiratory effects. This study aimed to determine if a sequentially increased IAP affects cardiovascular and respiratory variables in anesthetized dogs and evaluate the effects of constant rate infusion of dexmedetomidine (Dex) on cardiovascular and respiratory variables with increased IAP. Five dogs were anesthetized, instrumented, and the Veress needle was equipped to adjust the IAP using a carbonic anhydrase insufflator. Stabilization was conducted for 1 h, and physiological variables were measured in IAPs of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 mmHg and after desufflation. After the washout period, the dogs underwent similar procedures along with constant rate infusion of dexmedetomidine. Cardiovascular effects of increased IAP up to 20 mmHg were not significant in healthy beagle dogs and those administered with dexmedetomidine. In the control group, the arterial pressure slightly increased, but not statistically significant, at an IAP of 20 mmHg compared with that at baseline (mean arterial blood pressure, p = 0.399; systolic arterial blood pressure, p = 0.293; diastolic arterial blood pressure, p = 0.141). When comparing the control and dexmedetomidine groups, overall significant effects of dexmedetomidine were noted on heart rate, cardiac output, and systemic vascular resistance during the experiment. Respiratory effects were not affected by abdominal insufflation when compared between different IAPs and between the two groups. Overall, an increased IAP of until 20 mmHg did not significantly affect cardiovascular and respiratory variables in both control and dexmedetomidine groups. This study suggests that dexmedetomidine infusion administration is applicable in laparoscopic procedures in healthy dogs.

Recently, due to the miniaturization of electronic products, printed circuit boards (PCBs) have also become smaller. This trend has led to the need for high-precision electrical test equipment to check PCBs for disconnections and short circuits. The purpose of this study is to improve the position repeatability of the platform unit up to ±2.5 μm in a linear stage type test equipment. For this purpose, the causes of position errors of the platform unit are analyzed. The platform unit holding the PCB is driven by a single-axis linear ball screw drive system offset from its geometric center due to design constraints. The yaw rotation of the platform is found to have a dominant effect on position repeatability. To address this problem, the methods of adding balancing weights to the platform unit and adjusting the stiffness of LM Guides are proposed. This reduces the yaw rotation by moving the centers of mass and stiffness closer to the linear ball screw actuator. In the verification tests, the position repeatability was decreased to less than ±1.0 μm.

: The purpose of this research was to verify the importance and performance of crisis management in Korean fitness center using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). For this study, 304 fitness center executives and managers in Seoul and Gyeonggi region were selected as from March 21 to May 17, 2020. Frequency analysis was performed using SPSS 24.0 and exploratory factor analysis was conducted to verify the validity and reliability. Priority analysis and IPA analysis were performed to compare the mean values, and the following results were obtained. First, in the first quadrant, there were 6 attributes besides keep social distancing between employees and customers. Second, in the second quadrant, there were four attributes in addition to regular disinfection of the gymnasium. Third, in the third quadrant, there were 6 attributes besides maintain furniture clean. Third, there were 6 attributes other than maintaining furniture clean in the third quadrant. Fourth, in the fourth quadrant, there are three attributes in addition to the restriction of face-to-face meetings. The conclusion is as follows. First, equip supplies for prevention of covid19, keep social distance, and check government support policies. Second, analyze of economic support policies, and research on their application methods. Third, Prepare various non-face-to-face communication methods and Untact(non-contact) marketing strategies. Fourth, make a checklist for factors with relatively little importance.

The global warming our generation is experiencing is just one of the great environmental crises of the Anthropocene, a geological period that began with the use of fossil fuels and that, in merely one century and a few decades of industrial activity, has altered ecosystemic processes that sustain human health and well-being. Beyond the loss of the “intrinsic value of nature”, changes in the magnitude and direction of biogeochemical cycles and increases in temperature are phenomena that not only accompany the loss of habitats and species but impair resilience by ultimately generating greater and more complex numbers and types of exposures that constitute a danger to human health. In this study, we attempted to offer some notes about the margin, understood as that space with the greatest inequity and therefore the fastest growth of risk: the collision area where deprivation marks the social determinants of health and where the greatest interaction with causes of disease occur.

Studying the two famous old problems that why the moon can move around the Sun and why the orbit of the Moon around the Earth cannot be broken off by the Sun under the condition that calculating with F=GMm/R^2, the attractive force of the Sun on the Moon is almost 2.2 times that of the Earth. We found that the planet and moon are unified as one single gravitational unit which results in that the Sun cannot have the force of F=GMm/R^2 on the moon. The moon is moved by the gravitational unit orbiting around the Sun. It could indicate that the gravitational field of the moon is limited inside the unit and the gravitational fields of both the planet and moon is unified as one single field interacting with the Sun. The findings are further clarified by reestablishing Newton’s repulsive gravity.

This study proposes a method for image matching between infrared(IR)-RGB images using a deep learning network to estimate the deformation field. We propose a deformation field generator (DFG) that estimates the deformation field of the transformation matrix to match each pixel or IR image to the RGB image. DFG is a network that receives IR and RGB images as input; the output size is two channels and has the sample resolution as the input image. By warping the IR image through a grid-sampler that warps the image according to the value of the deformation field, we can obtain a warped IR image that matches the RGB image. Additionally, to check whether the warped IR image matched the RGB image, the masking images detecting the segmentation of objects were photographed in two images. Without directly comparing IR and RGB images, we proposed mask loss that warps the IR mask image through the deformation field and grid sampler and then compares the warped IR mask image with the RGB mask image. Mask loss solves the spatial similarity comparison problem with multi-modality images, such as IR and RGB images, by comparing the mask image with the same modality image as the mask image.

To date, various chimeric lysins have been developed as efficacious antibiotics against multidrug-resistant bacteria, but direct comparisons of their antibacterial activities have been difficult due to the preparation of multiple recombinant chimeric lysins. Previously, we reported an E. coli cell-free expression method to screen better chimeric lysins against Staphylococcus aureus, but we still needed to increase the amounts of expressed proteins enough to be able to detect them non-isotopically for quantity comparisons. In this study, we improved the previous cell-free expression system by adding a previously reported artificial T7 terminator and reversing the different nucleotides between the T7 promoter and start codon to those of the T7 phage. The new method increased the expressed amount of chimeric lysins enough for us to detect them using Western blotting. Therefore, the qualitative comparison of activity between different chimeric lysins has become possible via the adjustment of the amount variables between samples without protein purification. We applied it to select more active chimeric lysins derived from our previously reported chimeric lysin (ALS2). Finally, we compared the antibacterial activities of our selected chimeric lysins with reported chimeric lysins (ClyC and ClyO) and lysostaphin, and determined the rank orders of antibacterial activities on different S. aureus strains in our experimental conditions.

Climate change related increases in frequency and intensity of heatwaves affect viticulture, leading to losses in yield and grape quality. We assessed whether canopy architecture manipulation mitigates the effects of summer stress in a Mediterranean vineyard. Muscat of Alexandria grapevines were monitored during 2019-2020. Two canopy shoot positioning treatments were applied: Vertical shoot positioning (VSP); and Modulated shoot positioning (MSP), the west side upper foliage released to promote partial shoot leaning, shading the clusters. Clusters were sampled at pea size (PS), veraison (VER) and full maturation (FM). Measurements included rachis anatomy and hydraulic conductance, and aquaporins (AQP) and stress-related genes expression in cluster tissues. Results show significant seasonal and interannual differences in Kh and vascular anatomy. At VER, Krachis , Krachis+pedicels, and xylem diameter decreased but were unaffected by treatments. The Phloem/Xylem ratio was either increased (2019) or reduced (2020) in MSP, compared to VSP. Most AQP were down-regulated at FM in pedicels, and up-regulated at VER in pulp. A potential maturation shift in MSP was observed, confirmed by the up-regulation of several stress-related genes in all tissues. The study pinpoints the role of canopy architecture in berry water relations and stress response during ripening.

Hypoeutectic Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys are promising candidates for use in automobile parts. Therefore, various attempts have been made to develop alternative casting technologies to improve the mechanical properties of cast alloys. In this study, the effects of modification with different levels of strontium (Sr) on primary and eutectic silicon (Si) in hypoeutectic Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys were investigated. Using a gravity cast process, the Sr-modified samples were prepared from melts with four levels (100, 200, 300, and 400 ppm) of Sr. In addition, the wear properties of the cast samples were studied using a block-on-ring wear-testing machine. The sizes of the primary Si phases increased with increasing Sr content in the alloys. Moreover, more finely dispersed eutectic Si was observed with higher Sr content. In frictional wear tests, the specific wear rates of the test specimens decreased as the Sr content increased from 200 to 400 ppm. Coarse Si phases are considered to act as solid lubricants in the contact region during sliding.

.With the increasing use of carbon fiber reinforced plastics in various area, carbon fiber composites based on prepregs have attracted attention in industries and academia research. However, prepreg manufacturing processes are costly, and the strength of structures varies depending on the orientation and defects (pores and delamination). For non-contact evaluation of internal defects, we proposed lock-in infrared thermography to investigate orientation angles after a compression test. We also conducted a drop-weight impact test to study the behaviour of the composites after impact according the fibers orientation for composite fabricated using unidirectional carbon fiber prepregs. Using CAI tests, we determined the residual compressive strength and confirmed the damage modes using a thermal camera. The results of the drop weight impact tests show that the specimen laminated at 0° suffered the largest damage because of susceptibility of the resin to impact. In contrast, the specimens oriented in of 0°/90° and +45°/–45° directions transferred more than 90% of the impact energy back to the impactor because of the lamination of fibers in the orthogonal directions. Furthermore, the specimens that underwent complete damage in the impact tests were subjected to the lock-in method and showed internal delamination and cut fibers. With the finite elements analysis, the damage of each ply could be observed. Moreover, the temperature differences in the residual compression tests were not significant.

In this paper, we propose and evaluate two mechanisms aimed at improving the communication reliability of IEEE 802.15g SUN (Smart Utility Networks) in industrial scenarios: RTS (Re-Transmission Shaping), which uses acknowledgements to track channel conditions and dynamically adapt the number of re-transmissions per packet, and AMS (Adaptive Modulation Selection), which makes use of reinforcement learning based on MAB (Multi-Armed Bandits) to choose the modulation that provides the best reliability for each packet re-transmission. The evaluation of both mechanisms is performed through computer simulations using a dataset obtained from a real-world deployment and two widely used metrics, the PDR (Packet Delivery Ratio) and the RNP (Required Number of Packet transmissions). The PDR measures the ratio between received and transmitted packets, whereas the RNP is the number of packet repetitions before a successful transmission. The results show that both mechanisms allow to increase the communication reliability while not jeopardizing the battery life-time constraints of end devices. For example, when three re-transmissions per packet are allowed, the PDR reaches 98/96\% with a RNP of 2.03/1.32 using RTS and AMS, respectively. Additionally, the combination of both proposed mechanisms allows to reach a 99% PDR with a RNP of 1.7, making IEEE 802.15.4g SUN compliant with the stringent data delivery requirements of industrial applications.

The overcrowding of high-rise buildings in the city adversely affects the wind environment by changing the air currents in the surrounding areas. In particular, extreme climate phenomena caused by climate change are stronger and more frequent, causing social damages in cities. To comprehensively better understand the wind properties around high-rise buildings, actual filed measurement is necessary to determine the environment assessment of wind effect. We performed the on-site measurement on LCT residential complex regions (411.6m tall) with highly concentrated high-rise buildings in coastal city Busan, South Korea under extreme weather conditions such as typhoon invasions to determine wind fluid characteristics. In the field monitoring, five anemometers were installed to analyze the wind environment around high-rise buildings when typhoon 'Hinnamnor' invaded. Compared to the nearby weather station operated by KMA(Korea Meteorological Administration), the gust was 3.7 times stronger and the max 1 min-mean wind speed was 3.1 times stronger, and the characteristics of the downward wind and the canyon wind were shown depending on the location characteristics of the point. Turbulence intensity decreased as the wind speed increased and converged to a certain value. Likewise, the gust factor also decreased as the wind speed increased and converged to 2.0, which is considered to be the parameter that best represents the intensity of the instantaneous gust caused by the skyscraper wind effect.

This study analyses regional development in one of the poorest provinces in China, Guizhou Province, between 2000 and 2012 using a multiscale and multi-mechanism framework. In general, regional inequality has been declining since 2000. In addition, economic development in Guizhou Province presented spatial agglomeration and club convergence, which shows how the development pattern of one core area, two-wing areas and a contiguous area at the edge of the province have been developed between 2006 and 2012. Multilevel regression analysis revealed that industrialization and investment level were the primary driving forces of regional economic disparity in Guizhou Province. The influences of marketization and decentralization on regional economic disparity were relatively weak. Investment level reinforced regional economic disparity and the development of core-periphery structure in the province. However, investment level actually weakened the regional economic disparity in Guizhou Province when the variable of time was considered. In addition, both the topography and urban–rural differentiation were the two main reasons for forming a core-periphery structure in Guizhou Province.

Mucosal vaccines can target specific mucosal surfaces, such as the respiratory, genital, or intestinal mucosa. Conventional systemic immunization, such as intramuscular injections, do not provide mucosal immunity, including IgA, nor do they prevent pathogens from entering the mucous membranes. Nasal immunization protects mucosal membranes, but nasal antigen presentation appears to entail adjuvant to stimulate immunogenicity. Current treatments for mucosal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and allergic dermatitis only aimed to temporarily relieve symptoms. Moreover, these treatments not only have drug resistance or side effects, but the disease can recur, leading to switching to other treatments. Therefore, there is a need to develop safe and effective treatments that provide better long-term outcomes to reduce the risk of recurrence. Regulatory T (Treg) cells have been used to suppress inflammation. To find advances in mucosal treatment, we investigated the therapeutic effects of intranasal pep27 mutant immunization. Here, a new method of Treg induction through intranasal immunization without adjuvant has been developed to potentially overcome allergies and mucosal inflammation of the lung-gut axis in animal models. The implementation of the pep27 mutant for these therapies should be preceded by studies of Treg resilience through clinical translational studies of dietary changes.

Research on piezo-composite actuators has been actively conducted over the past two decades as a response to strong demand for light, compact actuators to replace electro-magnetic motor actuators in micro robots, small flying drones, and compact missile systems. Layered piezo-composite unimorph actuators have been studied to provide active vibration control of thin-walled aerospace structures, control the shapes of aircraft wing airfoils, and control the fins of small missiles, because they require less space and provide better frequency responses than conventional electro-magnetic motor actuator systems. However, based on the limited actuation strains of conventional piezo-composite unimorph actuators with poly-crystalline piezoelectric ceramic layers, they have not been implemented effectively as actuators for small aerospace vehicles. In this study, a lightweight piezo-composite unimorph actuator (LIPCA-S2) was manufactured and analyzed to predict its flexural actuation displacement. It was found that the actuated tip displacement of a piezo-composite cantilever could be predicted accurately using the proposed prediction model based on the nonlinear properties of the piezoelectric strain coefficient and elastic modulus of a piezoelectric single crystal.

Software Defined Networking (SDN) is positioning the standard for the management of networks due to its scalability and flexibility to program the network. The SDN provides many advantages but it also involves some specific security problems take down the controller using cyber attack and in result the whole network will shut down which makes it a single point of failure. In this paper, the DDoS attacks in SDN were detected using AI-enabled, machine and deep learning, models with some specific features for data-set under normal and DDoS traffic. In our approach, initial data-set is collected from 84 features on kaggle and then the 20 top most features are selected using permutation importance algorithm. The data-set were learned and tested with AI-enabled 5 models. Our experimental results showed that the use of machine learning based random forest model has achieved the highest accuracy rate of 99.97%, in DDoS attack detection in SDN. Our contributions through this study are, first, we found highest 20 attacks that absolutely contributed to DDoS attacks. Secondly, it can reduce the time and cost of comparing various learning models and performance required for determining a learning model suitable for DDoS detection. Finally, various experimental methods for evaluating the performance of the learning model are presented so that related researchers can utilize them.

This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the impact of radiation dose on the outcomes of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for benign meningiomas and determine an optimal dosing strategy for balancing tumor control and treatment-related toxicity. Clinical data of 147 patients with 164 lesions treated between 2014 and 2022 were reviewed. Primary outcomes included progression-free survival (PFS), local control rate (LCR), and radiation-induced toxicity, with secondary outcomes focusing on LCR and radiation-induced peritumoral edema (PTE) in two dose groups (≥14 Gy and <14 Gy). Results revealed a median follow-up duration of 47 months, with 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year PFS rates of 99.3%, 96.7%, and 93.8% respectively, and an overall LCR of 95.1%. Radiation-induced toxicity was observed in 24.5% of patients, primarily presenting mild symptoms. Notably, no significant difference in LCR was found between the two dose groups (P = 0.628), while Group 2 (<14 Gy) exhibited significantly lower PTE (P = 0.039). The study concludes that SRS with a radiation dose <14 Gy demonstrates comparable tumor control with reduced toxicity, advocating for consideration of such dosing to achieve a balance between therapeutic efficacy and safety.

Manipulating autophagy is a promising strategy for treating cancer as several autophagy inhibitors shown to induce autophagic cell death. One of these, autophagonizer (APZ), induces apoptosis-independent cell death by binding an unknown target via an unknown mechanism. To identify APZ targets we used a label-free drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) approach with a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) readout. Of 35 protein interactors, we identified Hsp70 as a key target protein of unmodified APZ in autophagy. Either APZ treatment or Hsp70 inhibition attenuates integrity of lysosomes, which leads to autophagic cell death exhibiting an excellent synergism with a clinical drug, temozolomide, in vitro, in vivo, and orthotropic glioma xenograft model. These findings demonstrate the potential of APZ to induce autophagic cell death and its development to combinational chemotherapeutic agent for glioma treatment. Collectively, our study demonstrated that APZ, a new autophagy inhibitor, can be used as a potent antitumor drug candidate to get over unassailable glioma and revealed a novel function of Hsp70 in lysosomal integrity regulation of autophagy.

This paper aims to investigate the rate of expansion and extraction within the solar system. We carried out the Solar system expansion calculations to do such a review. The Universe is expected to look the same from every point in it. After the big bang, Universe is expanding at some speed. Astrophysicists have been in a race to measure precisely how fast the Universe is expanding since Hubble announced that galaxies were systematically moving away from Milky Way Galaxy with a current speed in 1929. Hubble’s observations came after Einstein’s general relativity, which inspired the big bang theory. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe has created billions of years ago with an explosion and started to expand until today. The expansion of the Universe mostly happens in vast spaces, so clusters of galaxies move away from each other. For example, raising bread during baking will expand, but the raisings will stay the same size while moving each other to expand the bread. Observers have proven that an object (galaxies, a cluster of planets) held together by gravity has a patch of nonexpanding space produced by a gravitational field. However, some observers claimed the solar system is not expanding, while others claimed it is expanding. Does our solar system expand in an expanding Universe? The cosmological expansion of local systems is reviewed in the modern cosmological models. We showed answers related to this question with the help of literature. This review article revisited the proof of the Solar System’s expansion and its speed with about 0.32 nm/s in an expanding Universe.

Packet re-transmissions are a common technique to improve link reliability in low-power wireless networks. However, since packet re-transmissions increase the end-device energy consumption and the network load, a maximum number of re-transmissions per packet is typically set, also considering the duty-cycle limitations imposed by radio-frequency regulations. Moreover, the number of re-transmissions per packet is typically set to a constant value, meaning that all packet re-transmissions are treated the same regardless of actual channel conditions (i.e., multi-path propagation or internal/external interference effects). Taking that into account, in this paper we propose and evaluate the concept of re-transmission shaping, a mechanism that manages packet re-transmissions to maximize link reliability, while minimizing energy consumption and meeting radio-frequency regulation constraints. The proposed re-transmission shaping mechanism operates by keeping track of unused packet re-transmissions and allocating additional retransmission when the instantaneous link quality decreases due to channel impairments. To evaluate the re-transmission shaping mechanism we use trace-based simulations using a IEEE 802.15.4g SUN data-set and two widely used metrics, the PDR (Packet Delivery Ratio) and the RNP (Required Number of Packets). The obtained results show that re-transmission shaping is a useful mechanism to improve link reliability of low-power wireless communications, as it can increase PDR from 77.9% to 99.2% while sustaining a RNP of 2.35 re-transmissions per packet, when compared to using a single re-transmission per packet.

Disposable absorbent hygiene products have evolved for superior performance, enhancing the convenience of daily lives. Yet the use of disposable hygiene pads has brought safety concerns on chemical exposure, and significant efforts have been made to assess the potential risks associated with use of hygiene pads. This article intends to overview the safety assessment framework of diapers and feminine pads, which includes hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposure assessment, risk characterization, and postmarket risk management. Risk assessment of various constituents are reviewed for quantification methods and conservative estimation of exposure parameters. By reviewing the up-to-date considerations in risk assessment, we aim to provide insightful discussion on safety evaluation of current versions of disposable absorbent products. More clinical testing and postmarket surveillance are needed for continuous monitoring of potential health impacts of advanced products and constituents.

Baobab (Adansonia digitata) leaves are usually used in dry form in the preparation of a soup known as ‘miyan kuka’ in Northern Nigeria. The leaves are believed to have nutritional and medicinal benefits and have been used for those purposes in Africa and Asia. However there has been limited research on the detailed constituents of the dry leaves. In this study, phytochemical, elemental and proximate analyses of stored, sun and shade-dried baobab leaves were conducted. The results revealed a great variation in the nutritional contents of the leaves. The study reveals that the leaves are rich in phytochemicals such as glycosides, saponins, steroids and flavonoids while alkaloids, tannins and resins are absent. Also, they are important source of minerals such as zinc, copper, iron and manganese. In addition, they are rich in fibre, crude protein, nitrogen and ash. Contrasting responses were obtained in the samples studied. The implications of these responses are discussed in relation to crop yield.

Background: It is necessary to apply a behavior-based safety (BBS) program to prevent at-risk behavior. An effective BBS program requires the implementation of not only behavioral definitions and a customized critical behavior checklist (CBC) but also observations of behavior, coupled with customized interventions at power plants. Method: In this study, a customized CBC and behavioral definition were developed through a review of five different sites that previously used a CBC. The rules of observation, flow, and target were established to initiate the observations. Customized interventions were selected to increase safe behaviors. CBC scoring was used to evaluate observed safe behaviors for three years. Recognized safe behaviors were evaluated with a questionnaire that included four items each for conformity and participation behaviors and were then analyzed through a factor analysis and a t-test. The questionnaires were conducted three months before and after the implementation of the BBS program. Results: The customized CBC, behavioral definition, and interventions were effective, such that observed safe behaviors and the levels of workers’ recognized safe behaviors increased. Conclusion: The application of the BBS program was found to increase the observed and recognized safe behaviors. Therefore, the program applied to this site can help increase safe behaviors at other identical or similar sites, as well as prevent an accident, which also corresponds with the results of prior studies.

Sun glint, i.e., direct solar radiation reflected from a water surface, negatively affects the accuracy of ocean color retrieval schemes if entering the field-of-view of the observing instrument. Herein, a simple and robust method to quantify the sun glint contribution to top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectances in the visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) is proposed, exploiting concomitant observations of the sun glint’s morphology in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) characterized by reflectance contrasts typically higher than those resulting from other in-water or atmospheric processes. The proposed method, termed Glint Removal through Contrast Minimization (GRCM), requires high spatial resolution (ca. 10–50 m) imagery to resolve the sun glint’s characteristic morphology, meeting additional criteria on radiometric resolution and temporal delay between the individual band’s acquisitions. It has been applied with good success to a selection of Landsat 8 (L8) Operational Land Imager (OLI) scenes encompassing a wide range of environmental conditions in terms of observation geometry and glint intensity, as well as aerosol and Rayleigh optical depth. The method proposed herein is entirely image based and does not require ancillary information on the sea surface roughness or related parameters (e.g., surface wind), neither the presence of clear water areas in the image under consideration. Limitations of the proposed method are discussed, and its potential for sensors other than OLI and applications beyond glint removal is sketched.

Biocides used in antifouling (AF) paints, such as 4,5-dichlorine-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazole-3-one (DCOIT), can gradually leach into the environment. Some AF compounds can persist in the marine environment and cause harmful effects on non-target organisms. Nanoengineered materials, such as mesoporous silica nanocapsules (SiNC) containing AF compounds, have been developed to control their release rate and reduce their toxicity to aquatic organisms. This study aimed to evaluate the acute toxicity of new nanoengineered materials, SiNC-DCOIT and a silver-coated form (SiNC-DCOIT-Ag), as well as the free form of DCOIT and empty nanocapsules (SiNC), on the sun coral Tubastraea coccinea. T. coccinea is an invasive species and can be an alternative test organism for evaluating the risks to native species, as most native corals are currently threatened. The colonies were collected from the Alcatrazes Archipelago, SP, Brazil, and acclimatized to laboratory conditions. They were exposed for 96h to different concentrations of the tested substances: 3.33, 10, 33, and 100 µg L-1 of free DCOIT; 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 µg L-1 of SiNC; and 74.1, 222.2, 666.7, and 2000 µg L-1 of SiNC-DCOIT and SiNC-DCOIT-Ag. The test chambers consisted of 500 mL flasks containing the test solutions, and the tests were maintained under constant aeration, constant temperature of 23 ± 2°C, and photoperiod of 12h:12h (light/dark). At the end of the experiments, no lethal effect was observed; however, some sublethal effects were noticeable, such as the exposure of the skeleton in most of the concentrations and replicates, except for the controls, and embrittlement at higher concentrations. Adults of T. coccinea were considered little sensitive to the tested substances. This resistance may indicate a greater capacity for proliferation of the species, which is favored in substrates containing antifouling paints, to the detriment of the native species.

Adaptive mechanisms, such as channel hopping and packet replication, are used in low-power wireless networks to deal with the spatial and temporal variations in the link quality, and meet the reliability requirements of industrial applications (i.e., PDR>99%). However, the benefits of such mechanisms are limited and may have a large impact on end-to-end latency and energy consumption. Hence, in this paper we propose using adaptive modulation diversity, which allows to dynamically select different modulations, to improve link reliability. We present three adaptive modulation diversity selection strategies and validate them using the data derived from a real-world deployment using the IEEE 802.15.4g SUN modulations (i.e., SUN-FSK, SUN-OQPSK and SUN-ODFM) in an industrial environment. The results show that by using adaptive modulation diversity it is possible to improve link reliability regardless of node conditions.

A multimodal detection system with complementary capabilities for efficient detection was developed for impurity detection. The system consisted of a visible light camera, a multispectral camera, image correction and registration algorithms. It can obtain spectral feature and color feature at the same time, and has higher spatial resolution than a single spectral camera. This system was applied to detect impurities in Pu ’er tea to verify its high efficiency. The spectral and color features of each pixel in the images of Pu ’er tea were obtained by this system and used for pixel classification. The experimental results show that the accuracy of Support Vector Machine (SVM) model based on combined features is 93%, which is 7% higher than that based on only spectral features. By applying median filtering algorithm and contour detection algorithm to the label matrix extracted from pixel-classified images, 8 impurities except hair were detected successfully. Moreover, taking advantage of the high resolution of visible light camera, small impurities can be clearly imaged. By comparing the segmented color image with the pixel-classified image, small impurities such as hair could be detected successfully. Finally, it is proved that the system can obtain multiple images to allow a more detailed and comprehensive understanding of the detected items, and has excellent ability to detect small impurities.

Background: Implant surface topography is a key element in achieving osseointegration. Nanostructured surfaces have shown promising results in accelerating and improving bone healing around dental implants. The main objective of the present clinical and histological study is to compare, at 4 and 6 weeks, (w) bone-to-implant contact in implants having either machined surface (MAC), SLA medium roughness surface or a Nanostructured Calcium-Incorporated sur-face (XPEED®). Methods: 35 mini-implants with 3 different surface treatments (XPEED® (n=16) – SLA (n=13) – Machined (n=6), were placed in the posterior maxilla of 11 patients then, retrieved at either 4 or 6w in a randomized split-mouth study design. Results: The BIC rate measured at 4 and 6w respectively, was: 16.8 % (±5.0) and 29.0 % (±3.1) for MAC surface; 18.5 % (±2.3) and 33.7 % (±3.3) for SLA surface; 22.4 % (±1.3) and 38.6 % (±3.2) for XPEED® surface. In all types of in-vestigated surfaces, the time factor appeared to significantly increase the BIC rate (p < .05). XPEED® surface showed a significantly higher values when compared to both SLA and MAC values at 4w (p < .05). Also, at 6w, both roughened surfaces (SLA and XPEED® ) showed signifi-cantly higher values (p < .05) than turned surface (MAC). Conclusion: Nanostructured Calcium titanate coating is able to enhance bone deposition around implants at early healing stages.

Resistive random-access memory has emerged as a promising non-volatile memory technology, garnering substantial attention due to its potential for high operational performance, low power consumption, and scalability. Two-dimensional nanostructured materials play a pivotal role in RRAM devices, offering enhanced electrical properties and physical attributes that contribute to overall device improvement. In this study, self-rectifying switching behavior in RRAM devices is proposed based on molybdenum disulfide nanocomposites decorated with palladium on SiO2/Si substrates. The integration of Pd and MoS2 at the nanoscale effectively mitigates leakage currents decreasing from cross-talk in the RRAM array, eliminating the need for a separate selector device. The successful demonstration of the expected RRAM switching behavior follows the application of a Pd nanoparticle coating. The fabricated Pd-MoS2 synaptic device showed a high current ratio for forward/reverse current higher than 60 at a low resistance state and observed a memory on/off ratio of 103 performing stable resistance switching behavior.

A study was conducted to predict failure stresses, failure locations, and their paths of initiation of perforated polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) specimens as they were loaded using pins inserted into the holes. First, a series of experiments were conducted for perforated PMMA coupons. There were six different types of coupons. The test specimens had three different widths with a circular hole of a diameter of 8 mm, which was placed at two different locations along the specimen length. All the specimens were loaded using a pin inserted into the hole with three different pins of nominal diameters of 8 mm, 6 mm, and 5 mm, respectively. To predict the failure and compare the results against the experimental data, the recently proposed universal failure criterion was used in the study using finite element analyses. The failure criteria gave acceptable results as compared to the experimental data.

Reactive energetic plasticizers (REPs) coupled with hydroxy-telechelic poly(glycidyl azide-co-tetrahydrofuran) (PGT)-based energetic polyurethane (PU) binders for use in solid propellants and plastic-bonded explosives (PBXs) were investigated. The generation of gem-dinitro REPs along with a terminal alkyne stemmed from a series of finely designed approaches to not only satisfy the common demands as conventional energetic plasticizers but prevent the migration of plasticizers. The miscibility and rheological behavior of a binary mixture of PGT/REP with various REP fractions were quantitatively determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and rheometer, respectively, highlighting the promising performance of REPs in the formulation process. The kinetics on the distinct reactivity of propargyl vs. 3-butynyl species of REPs towards the azide group of the PGT prepolymer in terms of Cu-free azide-alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (1,3-DPCA) was studied by monitoring 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and analyzing the activation energies (Ea) obtained using DSC. The thermal stability of the finally cured energetic binders with the incorporation of REPs indicated that the thermal stability of the REP/PGT-based PUs was maintained independently of the REP content. The tensile strength and modulus of the PUs increased with increasing the REP content. In addition, the energetic performance and sensitivity of REP and REP triazole species was predicted.

To achieve user retention through multifactor synergy, Internet enterprises must reduce costs and increase efficiency and sustainable development. In response to the dilemma that Internet compa-nies are experiencing increasingly high user acquisition costs and serious user churn, this paper uses a sample of 46,695 user reviews of nine product series from Xiaomi Ecological Chain. Case studies and qualitative comparative analysis are used to explore the influence mechanisms of quality of experience, brand trust, and brand attachment on users' retention intentions. Our find-ings are as follows. (1) Brand attachment alone is not necessary for high user retention intention, but user perception, cognition, and brand trust are necessary. (2) Quality of experience positively impacts brand trust, attachment, and user retention intention. Therefore, improving user perception and cognition is critical in generating high user retention intention. (3) Five configuration paths can achieve high user retention intention, three configuration paths lead to low user retention intention, and there is an asymmetric relationship between these paths. Among them, the role of quality of experience-driven configuration paths in generating user retention intention is the most prominent. (4) In the substitution relationship between configuration paths, user perception, and cognition can substitute with brand trust and attachment. Our findings have important theoretical and practical implications for revealing the realization paths of high user retention intention in Internet companies and provide a new perspective for future research.

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), a group of small peptides capable of promoting the transport of molecular cargo across the plasma membrane, have become important tools in promoting the cellular uptake of exogenously delivered macromolecules. GV1001, a peptide derived from a reverse-transcriptase subunit of telomerase (hTERT) and developed as a vaccine against various cancers, reportedly has unexpected CPP properties. Unlike typical CPPs, such as the HIV-1 TAT peptide, GV1001 enabled the cytosolic delivery of macromolecules such as proteins, DNA and siRNA via extracellular heat shock protein 90 (eHSP90) and 70 (eHSP70) complexes. The eHSP-GV1001 interaction may have biological effects in addition to its cytosolic delivery function. GV1001 was originally designed as a MHC class II-binding cancer epitope, but its CPP properties may contribute to its strong anti-cancer immune response relative to other telomerase peptide-based vaccines. Cell signaling via eHSP-GV1001 binding may lead to unexpected biological effects, such as direct anticancer or antiviral effects. In this review, we focus on the CPP effects of GV1001 bound to eHSP90 and ehsp70.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a representative malignant brain tumor characterized by a dismal prognosis, with survival rates of less than 2 years and high recurrence rates. Despite surgical resection and several alternative treatments, GBM remains a refractory disease due to its aggressive invasiveness and resistance to anticancer therapy. In this report, we explore the role of fibronectin type III domain containing 3B (FNDC3B) and its potential as a prognostic and therapeutic biomarker in GBM. GBM exhibited a significantly higher cancer-to-normal ratio compared to other organs, and patients with high FNDC3B expression had a poor prognosis (p < 0.01). In vitro studies revealed that silencing FNDC3B significantly reduced the expression of Survivin, an apoptosis inhibitor, and also reduced cell migration, invasion, extracellular matrix adhesion ability, and stem cell properties in GBM cells. Furthermore, we identified that FNDC3B regulates PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling in GBM cells using MetaCore integrated pathway bioinformatics analysis and a proteome profiler phospho-kinase array with sequential western blot analysis. Collectively, our findings suggest FNDC3B as a potential biomarker for predicting GBM patient survival and for the development of treatment strategies for GBM.

Erlotinib inhibits epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase activity and is used to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite its high efficacy, recurrence can occur in patients who become resistant to the drug. To address the underlying mechanism of Erlotinib resistance, we investigated additional mechanisms related to mode-of-drug-action, by multiple protein-binding interactions, besides EGFR by using drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods with non-labeled Erlotinib. DNA polymerase alpha subunit B (POLA2) was identified as a new Erlotinib binding protein that was validated by the DARTS platform, complemented with cellular thermal shift assays. Genetic knock-down of POLA2 promoted the anti-proliferative effect of the drug in the Erlotinib-resistant cell line H1299 with high POLA2 expression, whereas overexpression of POLA2 restored anti-proliferative effects in the Erlotinib-sensitive cell line HCC827 with low POLA2 expression. Importantly, POLA2 expression levels in four NSCLC cell lines were positively correlated with anti-proliferative Erlotinib efficacy, verified by bio-statistical analysis (Pearson correlation coefficient, R=0.9886). These results suggest that POLA2 is a novel complementary target protein of Erlotinib, and could clinically provide validity as a surrogate marker for drug resistance in patients with NSCLC.

Human milk reduces risk for necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants. Necrotizing enterocolitis occurs in the ileocecal region where thousands of milk protein-derived peptides have been released from digestion. Digestion-released peptides may exert bioactivity, such antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities, in the gut. In this study, we applied mass spectrometry-based peptidomics to characterize peptides present in colostrum before and after in vitro digestion. Sequence-based computational modeling was applied to predict peptides with antimicrobial activity. We identified more peptides in undigested samples, yet the abundances were much higher in the digested samples. Heatmapping demonstrated highly different peptide profiles between undigested and digested samples. Four peptides (αS1-casein [157–163], αS1-casein [157–165], β-casein [153–159] and plasminogen [591–597]) were selected, synthesized and tested against common pathogenic bacteria associated with necrotizing enterocolitis. All four exhibited bacteriostatic, though not bactericidal, activities against Klebsiella aerogenes, Citrobacter freundii and Serratia marcescens, but not Escherichia coli.

Let ${\mathcal{SR}}^*$ be the class of starlike functions with real coefficients, i.e., the class of analytic functions $f$ which satisfy the condition $f(0)=0=f'(0)-1$, Re{z f'(z) / f (z)} > 0, for $z\in\mathbb{D}:=\{z\in\mathbb{C}:|z|<1 \}$ and $a_n:=f^{(n)}(0)/n!$ is real for all $n\in\mathbb{N}$. In the present paper, the sharp estimates of the third Hankel determinant $H_{3,1}$ over the class ${\mathcal{SR}}^*$ are computed.

We present a plausible solution to the now forty seven year old paleoclimatology riddle of the so-called Faint Young Sun Paradox via the combined hypothesis of the conservation of the state of radiation balance between the Earth and Sun and that of an expanding Earth, where, in the face of a changing (increasing) Solar luminosity, the Earth would maintain steady temperatures by re-adjusting the height of its atmosphere. That is to say, depending on whether or not the radius of the solid Earth is changing, this re-adjustment of the height of the Earth’s atmosphere would mean two things — i.e.: (1) either the height increases — in which event the Earth accretes matter from its immediate surroundings (i.e., the obvious pool formed by the Solar wind) thereby increasing the mass of the Earth’s atmosphere, or: (2) the height decreases — in which event the Earth naturally expels matter from its atmosphere, thereby decreasing the effective mass of the Earth. We demonstrate that if –- as the current state of the art ITRF observations seem to indicate, namely that — the Earth’s landmass is steadily expanding globally at a paltry rate of ∼+0.45±0.05mm·yr−1, and, that the Earth’s atmosphere is to have a present radial vertical height of about one third of the Earth’s radius (∼2860km) from the Earth’s surface, then, one can (might) with relative ease, explain not only the presence of liquid water on the Earth’s surface some ∼3.20±0.70Gyr ago during the Archaean eon when the Sun was about 75% of its current luminosity, but also the present radial expansion rate of the Earth. When all is said and done, the Earth system is herein cast as an auto-self-regulating incubator where the auto-self-regulating mechanism is as a result of the Earth’s atmosphere responding by automatically re-adjusting its height.

Background: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sunlight can harm skin cells, causing short-term effects, such as sunburns and long-term effects, such as pigmentation changes, changes in the skin's immune responses, and increased risk of skin cancer. These conditions can be largely prevented with proper sun protection measures and behavioural changes. This study aims to assess the knowledge on sun protection behaviour and baseline knowledge of medical students from the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania. Methods: Data in this cross-sectional study were collected through a Google Forms questionnaire, which was distributed from November 2023 to December 2023 via digital communication channels to students across all academic years. STROBE guidelines were consulted for data synthesis; Results: A total of 668 stu-dents responded. The student cohort demonstrated a commendable level of awareness of the risks associated with sun exposure and the advantages of employing sun protection factor (SPF); how-ever, the incidence of sunburns remained notably elevated (72.3%). Further analysis revealed cor-relations among gender, academic year, presence of photosensitizing conditions, and adherence to SPF application. Additionally, there is a need to improve understanding of the appropriate appli-cation techniques for SPF, as only 11.5% of the students exhibited proficiency in this regard; Con-clusions: As future healthcare providers, medical students hold significance in promoting healthy behaviours in the broader community. This study indicates that while their knowledge about sun protection is satisfactory, there is scope for enhancement.

In this article we present a deployment of 11 nodes using the three different SUN (Smart Utility Network) modulation schemes, as defined in the IEEE 802.15.4-2015 standard. The nodes were deployed in a 110.044 m2 warehouse for 99 days, and the resulting dataset contains a total of 10.710.868 measurements with RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator), CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) and PDR (Packet Delivery Ratio) values. The analyzed results show a high variability in average RSSI (i.e., between -82.1 dBm and -101.7 dBm) and CCA (i.e., between -111.2 dBm and -119.9 dBm) values, which are caused by the effects of multi-path propagation and external interference. Despite being above the sensitivity limit for each modulation, this values result in poor average PDR values (i.e., from 65.9% to 87.4%), indicating that additional schemes are required for low-power wireless communications to meet the dependability requirements of industrial applications. For that purpose, we also introduce the concept of modulation diversity, which can be combined with packet repetition to meet such requirements (i.e., PDR>99%) while minimizing the energy expenditure of nodes and meeting regulatory constraints.

Cryptotanshinone (CTT) is a natural product and a quinoid diterpene isolated from the root of the Asian medicinal plant, Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge. Notably, CTT has a variety of anti-cancer actions, including the activation of apoptosis, anti-proliferation, and a reduction in angiogenesis. We further investigated the anti-cancer effects of CTT in A549 and H460 which are NSCLC cell lines. CTT treatment in NSCLC cells reduced cell growth through PI3K/Akt/GSK3β pathway inhibition, G0 / G1 cell cycle arrest, and the activation of apoptosis. CTT induced increase of Bax and cleavage of apoptosis-related signaling such as caspase-3, caspase-9, poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), and Bax, as well as inhibition of anti-apoptosis related signaling such as Bcl-2, survivin, and cellular-inhibitor of apoptosis protein 1 and 2 (cIAP-1 and -2). It also induced G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest by decreasing the expression of cyclin A, cyclin D, cyclin E, Cdk 2, and Cdk 4. In addition, CTT reduced the protein expression of the PI3K/Akt/GSK3β signaling pathway related to cell proliferation. These results highlight the latent potential of CTT as natural therapeutic agent for NSCLC.

Ixodes scapularis is a blood-feeding obligate ectoparasite responsible for transmitting the Lyme disease (LD) agent, Borrelia burgdorferi. During the feeding process, I. scapularis injects B. burgdorferi into the host along with its saliva, facilitating the transmission and colonization of the LD agent. Tick calreticulin (CRT) is one of the earliest tick saliva proteins identified and is currently utilized as a biomarker for tick bites. Our recent findings revealed elevated levels of CRT in the saliva proteome of B. burgdorferi-infected I. scapularis nymphs compared to uninfected ticks. Differential precipitation of proteins (DiffPOP) and LC-MS/MS analyses were used to identify the interactions between Ixs (I. scapularis) CRT and human plasma proteins and further exploring its potential role in shielding B. burgdorferi from complement killing. We observed that although yeast expressed recombinant (r) IxsCRT binds to the C1 complex (C1q, C1r, and C1s), the activator of complement via the classical cascade, it did not inhibit deposition of the membrane attack complex (MAC) via the classical pathway. Intriguingly, rIxsCRT binds intermediate complement proteins (C3, C5, and C9) and reduces MAC deposition through the lectin pathway. Despite inhibition of MAC deposition in the lectin pathway, rIxsCRT did not protect a serum sensitive B. burgdorferi strain (B314/pBBE22Luc) from complement-induced killing. As B. burgdorferi establishes a local dermal infection before disseminating to secondary organs, it is noteworthy that rIxsCRT promotes the replication of B. burgdorferi in culture. We hypothesize that rIxsCRT may contribute to the transmission and/or host colonization of B. burgdorferi by acting as a decoy activator of complement and by fostering B. burgdorferi replication at the transmission site.

Pavement crack detection is one of the key links in highway pavement maintenance management. In the current road crack detection, the network model easily ignores the shallow geometric features of cracks and cannot extract the key feature information of cracks. Aiming at the above problems, an EC-YOLOX network model is proposed. The CFPN is constructed to cross-fuse different scale features to solve the feature scale invariance. In the strengthen feature extraction layer, ECANet is fused to enhance the ability to pay attention to key information. The WEIoU loss function is proposed, which assigns different penalty terms to the target box in the vertical and horizontal directions. In terms of data, geometric distortion constraint correction is performed on the single-point perspective pavement image. The experimental data show that the accuracy of EC-YOLOX on the self-built data set reaches 76.34% [email protected], which is 4.45% higher than that of YOLOX. The loss curve of EC-YOLOX is smoother than that of YOLOX, and the minimum training loss value is 2.136, which is 0.648 lower than the minimum loss value 2.784 of YOLOX. Many experiments have verified the effectiveness of EC-YOLOX in improving the detection effect in pavement crack detection.

The attitude dynamics and orbit dynamics of large rigid space structures are coupled with each other under gravity gradient, which may affect the stability of the large rigid space structures. In this paper, the gravity gradient stability of a large rigid space structure is studied under both small and large disturbances. Based on the rigid body dynamics and orbit dynamics, an accurate dynamic model without any linearization of the large rigid space structure is established via the natural coordinate formulation (NCF), which is able to describe the large overall motions of the structures. By using the generalized-α algorithm, the gravity gradient stability of the large rigid space structure is simulated and analyzed via various examples, including the influence of large disturbance angles, the positions at the stabilization and unstabilization regions. Finally, the relationship between spinning stability and gravity gradient stability is also investigated via a large spinning space structure.

Lipofibromatous hamartoma, first reported in 1953, is a rare, slowly-progressive soft tissue tumor, characteristics of which include enlargement of the affected nerve by epineurial and perineurial proliferation of adipose and fibrous tissues. Out of previously reported 200 cases of lipofibromatous hamartoma of the median nerve, there have been approximately 40 pediatric cases under the age of 18. Herein, we report a case of lipofibromatous hamatoma of the median nerve in a 3-year-old female patient, who was surgically decompressed by carpal tunnel release only and histologically confirmed. The patient was followed-up on outpatient clinic basis annually along with ultrasonography, and the postoperative 10th year follow-up did not show recurrence or any deficits in motor and sensory functions

Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is a genetic syndrome characterized by the growth of benign tumors in the nervous system, particularly bilateral vestibular schwannomas, meningiomas, and ependymomas. This review consolidates the current knowledge on NF2 syndrome, emphasizing the molecular pathology associated with the mutations in the gene of the same name, the NF2 gene, and the subsequent dysfunction of its product, the Merlin protein. Merlin, a tumor suppressor, integrates multiple signaling pathways that regulate cell contact, proliferation, and motility, thereby influencing tumor growth. The loss of Merlin disrupts these pathways, leading to tumorigenesis. We discuss the roles of another two proteins potentially associated with NF2-deficiency as well as Merlin: Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP), which may promote tumor growth, and Raf kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP), which appears to suppress tumor development. Additionally, this review discusses the efficacy of various treatments, such as molecular therapies that target specific pathways or inhibit neomorphic protein-protein interaction caused by NF2-deficiency. This overview not only expands on the fundamental understanding of NF2 pathophysiology but also explores the potential of novel therapeutic targets that affect the clinical approach to NF2 syndrome.

Gelidium jelly was traditionally made by boiling processed Gelidium seaweed and allowing the filtrate to congeal into jelly. The processing of Gelidium seaweed was very complicate involved the repeated procedures of water washing and sun drying for 7 times, and the seaweed was originally purple-red in color turned into yellow after the repeated wash and sun drying. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of halogen lamp drying methods in replace of sun drying on the physical-chemical qualities of Gelidium jellies. Properties included the agar yield, gelling temperature, hardness, springiness, rheological parameters, sensory attributes, color, and volatile compounds were investigated. The results demonstrated halogen lamp drying method required 12 times of washing and drying processes to achieve the similar jelly properties compared to sun drying for 7 times in the experimental conditions. Volatiles including heptanal, β-ionone, and (E)-2-decenal could be used as indicators to monitor the washing and drying processing. Halogen lamp was found could be an alternative processing method for seaweed drying, especially at rainy days.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) showed in vitro mesoderm-lineage differentiation and self-renew capacity. However, no comparative study was reported on the biological characteristics of stem cells derived from skeletal muscle (SM-MSCs), dermal skin (DS-MSCs), and adipose tissues (A-MSCs) from a single donor in camels. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of MSCs source on stem cell characteristics. We evaluated proliferation capacity and mesoderm-lineage differentiation potential from SM-MSCs, DS-MSCs, and A-MSCs. They showed spindle-like morphology after homogenization. The proliferation ability was no significant difference in all groups. Furthermore, the portion of the cell cycle and expression of pluripotent markers (Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog) were similar in all cell lines at passage 3. The differentiation capacity of A-MSCs into adipocytes was significantly higher than that of SM-MSCs and DS-MSCs. However, the osteoblast differentiation capacity of A-MSCs was significantly lower than that of SM-MSCs and DS-MSCs. Additionally, after osteoblast differentiation, the ALP activity and calcium content was significantly decreased in A-MSCs as compared to SM-MSCs and DS-MSCs. To the best of our knowledge, we primally established MSCs from the single camel and demonstrated their comparative characteristics including expression of pluripotent factors and proliferation, and in vitro differentiation capacity into adipocytes and osteoblasts.

In this paper, we introduce the partially degenerate Changhee-Genocchi polynomials and numbers and investigated some identities of these polynomials. Furthermore, we investigate some explicit identities and properties of the partially degenerate Changhee-Genocchi arising from the nonlinear dierential equations.

If environmental exposures are shown to cause an adverse health outcome, reducing exposure should reduce the disease risk. Links between exposures and outcomes are typically based on ‘associations’ derived from observational studies, and causality may not be clear. Randomised controlled trials to ‘prove’ causality are often not feasible or ethical. Here the history of evidence that tobacco smoking causes lung cancer – in observational studies – is compared to that of low sun exposure and/or low vitamin D status as causal risk factors for the autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis. Evidence derives from in vitro and animal studies, as well as ecological, case-control and cohort studies, in order of increasing strength. For smoking and lung cancer, the associations are strong, consistent, and biologically plausible – the evidence is coherent or ‘in harmony’. For low sun exposure/vitamin D as risk factors for MS, the evidence is weaker, with smaller effect sizes, but coherent across a range of sources of evidence, and biologically plausible. The association is less direct – smoking is directly toxic and carcinogenic to the lung, but sun exposure/vitamin D modulate the immune system, which in turn may reduce the risk of immune attack on self-proteins in the central nervous system. Opinion about whether there is sufficient evidence to conclude that low sun exposure/vitamin D increase the risk of multiple sclerosis, is divided. General public health advice to receive sufficient sun exposure to avoid vitamin D deficiency (<50nmol/L) should also ensure any benefits for multiple sclerosis.

In this paper, we investigate a new $q$-analogue of the higher order degenerate Changhee polynomials and numbers, which are called the Witt-type formula for the $q$-analogue of degenerate Changhee polynomials of order $r$. We can derive some new interesting identities related to the degenerate $(h,q)$-Changhee polynomials and numbers.

Kim-Kim ([9]) studied some properties of the degenerate gamma and degenerate Laplace transformation and obtained their properties. In this paper, we define modified degenerate gamma and modified degenerate Laplace Transformation and investigate some properties and formulas related to them.

Impact characterization of linear resonant actuator (LRA) is studied experimentally by newly developed drop tester, which can control various experimental uncertainty such as rotational moment, air resistance, secondary impact and so on. The feasibility of this test apparatus was verified by comparison with free fall test. By utilizing a high-speed camera and measuring the vibrational displacement of spring material, the impact behavior was captured and the damping ratio of the system was defined. Based on the above processes, the finite element model was established and the experimental and analytical results were successfully correlated. Finally, the damage of the system from impact loading can be expected by developed model and as a result, this research can improve the impact reliability of LRA.

Australia and New Zealand have the highest incidence of skin cancer. Sport is a fundamental part of Australasian culture, beginning in childhood, often with life-long participation. Participating in outdoor sports can contribute significantly to the lifetime ultraviolet radiation (UVR) dose individuals receive and their risk of developing skin cancer. This systematic scoping review explores the use of sun-protection by outdoor sporting participants in Australasia and considers how sun-protection practices may be better evaluated and improved in the community. A search of electronic databases using the search strategy “sun protection” AND “sport” AND “Australia” yielded 17 studies published in English from January 1992 to August 2021. Study methods included using UV-dosimeters to measure individual UVR-exposure; remote estimates of clothing-adjusted UVR-exposure; direct observation of sun-protection practices; and self-reported sun-exposure and sun-protection. Despite 40-years of ‘Slip Slop Slap’ campaigns in Australia, the use of sun-protection in most outdoor sports is inadequate. The paucity of comparable data limited our analyses, demonstrating a need for standardized, objective evaluation tools. Such tools, if used across a range of sports, should inform the development of workable recommendations that sporting clubs could implement and adopt into policy, thus empowering them to better protect the health of their participants.

Synthetic polymer-based gradient foams have considered as promising category of functionally graded materials with unique properties. In this study, the carbon dioxide (CO₂) foaming technology has used for PET-PEN (Polyethylene Terephthalate - Polyethylene Naphthalate) copolymer towards porous functional materials with thermal insulation with reasonable mechanical strength. Through scanning electron microscope based morphological characterization, a potential to fabricate gradient foam structures with micro-pores has identified. It has shown that variation of post-foaming temperature can tune the pore size distribution although the very high post-foaming temperature tends to cause structural instability. Thermal measurement data set the limits of operation, confirmed by simultaneous differential scanning calorimeter and thermo-gravimetric analysis. Mechanical stress and thermal conductivity also has measured to find rationale of thermal insulation with reasonable mechanical strength and to elucidate the actual 3D grid foam of copolymer.

Purpose: To report the early clinical outcomes of combining intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and intensity‐modulated proton therapy (IMPT) in comparison with IMRT alone in treating the oropharynx cancer (OPC) patients. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 148 OPC patients were retrospectively reviewed, who underwent definitive radiotherapy (RT) with concurrent systemic therapy, from January 2016 till December 2019 at Samsung Medical Center. During the 5.5 weeks’ RT course, the initial 16 (or 18) fractions were delivered by IMRT in all patients, and the subsequent 12 (or 10) fractions were either by IMRT in 81 patients (IMRT only) or by IMPT in 67 (IMRT/IMPT combination), respectively, based on comparison of adaptive re-plan profiles and availability of equipment. Propensity‐score matching (PSM) was done on 76 patients (38 from each group) for comparative analyses. Results: With the median follow‐up of 24.7 months, there was no significant difference in overall survival and progression free survival between groups, both before and after PSM. Before PSM, IMRT/IMPT combination group experienced grade ≥3 acute toxicities less frequently: mucositis in 37.0% and 13.4% (p<0.001); and analgesic quantification algorithm (AQA) in 37.0% and 19.4% (p=0.019), respectively. The same trends were observed after PSM: mucositis in 39.5% and 15.8% (p=0.021); and AQA in 47.4% and 21.1% (p=0.016), respectively. In multivariate logistic regression, grade ≥3 mucositis was significantly less frequent in IMRT/IMPT combination group, both before and after PSM (p=0.027 and 0.024, respectively). AQA score ≥3 was also less frequent in IMRT/IMPT combination group, both before and after PSM (p=0.085 and 0.018, respectively). Conclusions: In treating the OPC patients, with comparable early oncologic outcomes, more favorable acute toxicity profiles were achieved following IMRT/IMPT combination than IMRT alone.

The band gap research in graphene is still a very important topic for materials application. Here, we report a band gap opening and p-type semiconducting property of the graphene by using an electrochemical doping on graphene surface. The manganese-oxide nanopar-ticles adsorbed on the graphene were used as the dopants in an electrolyte, which induce the band gap opening and the change of electronic structure. In addition, the fabricated graphene FET shows the p-type semiconductor behaviors. The temperature dependent conductivity of the p-type doped graphene at applied potential of 1.5 V during electro-chemical doping shows the formation of band gap of 0.23 eV, which is obtained from the fitting of conductivity equation. The semiconducting properties of manganese-oxide doped graphene is attributed to the formation of manganese-oxide nanoparticle on the surface of graphene.

Understanding the ionic channel network of proton exchange membranes, which dictate fuel cell performance, is crucial when developing proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, itis difficult to characterize due to complicated nano structure and differing changes to their structure with different amounts of water uptake. Electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) can map surface charge distribution as nano special resolution by measuring the electrostatic force between a vibrating conductive tip and a charged surface under an applied voltage, . In this study, the ionic channel network of a proton exchange membrane is analyzed using EFM. A mathematical approximation model of the ionic channel network is first derived, to explain changes in force gradient on the surface using EFM. The phase lag of dry and wet Nafion under stepwise changes to bias voltage is then measured. Based on the model, variations in the ionic channel network of Nafion with different amounts of water uptake are analyzed numerically. The mean surface charge density of both membranes, which is connected with the ionic channel network, is calculated using the model. The results show that the difference between the mean surface charge of the dry and wet membranes is consistent with the variation in their proton conductivity.

We examined how combinations of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities lead to high performance in Korean companies. This study addressed two related questions to expand our limited knowledge in this area. The first was what combinations of CSR activities achieve high performance. The second was to identify how CSR activities form an interdependent system, depending on different corporate situations. Korean Economic Justice Institute index data, from 2012 to 2018, were used with fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis, and the results revealed several effective CSR activity factor combinations under given strategies and management environments. Companies with high performance exhibit complementarity between social contribution, environmental management, fairness, and employee satisfaction. By contrast, companies with low corporate performance show no complementarity between relatively unrelated activity factors. For companies whose CSR activities lead to low financial performance, most of the causal pathways focused only on activities at the primary stakeholder level, with weak diversity of CSR activities’ combinations at the primary and secondary stakeholder levels. These results indicate not only the appropriateness of CSR activity factor combinations for companies’ strategy and management environment contexts, but also their effectiveness, and are expected to provide companies with significant implications for CSR activities.

The sun bear is conservation mammal in Indonesia. The ecological problems as conflict among mammals and human often happen around wildlife, the one of the case is the conflict between sun bear (helarctos malayanus) with human. In Pasaman where around the anthropogenic landscape is bounded by natural forest as sun bear habitat. In this decade, the story has recorded about ±16 incidents. The aim of this research is to geospatial modeling the area of potential conflict between sun bear- human. The method in this research is to use natural logarithmic and regression logistic. The tool is geographical information system and maximum entropy. The result of this research, there has found the distribute energy each variable landscape ecosystem. The statistical model of the potential conflict it has spread on landscape ecosystem. The average value of AUC prediction in this model is at number of 0.91. The variable contribution which affect are forest edge at number of 39.2%, the alternative food (plantation) at number of 31.4%, and forest fragmentation at number of 16.9%.

The IEEE 802.15.4-2015 standard includes the SUN (Smart Utility Networks) modulations, i.e., SUN-FSK, SUN-OQPSK and SUN-OFDM, which provide long range communications and allow to trade data rate, occupied bandwidth and reliability. However, given the constraints of low-power devices and the challenges of the wireless channel, communication reliability cannot still meet the PDR (Packet Delivery Ratio) requirements of industrial applications, i.e., PDR>99%. Hence, in this paper we evaluate the benefits of improving communication reliability by combining packet transmissions with modulation diversity using multiple IEEE 802.15.4g SUN modulations. The results derived from a real-world deployment show that going from 1 to 3 packet transmissions with the same SUN modulation can increase PDR from 85.0/84.6/71.3% to 94.2/94.1/86.0% using SUN-FSK, SUN-OQPSK and SUN-OFDM, respectively. Combining the same number of packet transmissions with modulation diversity allows to further increase the average PDR to 97.1%, indicating its potential as a tool to help meeting the reliability requirements of industrial applications.

Core-shell structured magnetic nanoparticles combine hard and a soft phases to improve energy efficiency. The mutual interaction of the two phases can lead to the exchange spring effect leading to higher magnetic energy. In this regard, synthesis of Nd2Fe14B based core-shell structured powders have proven to be elusive due to the relatively reactive nature of this phase. In this study, a process has been established for successfully coating the surface of Nd2Fe14B powders with FeCo layer using galvanic displacement method. Initially, a binary phase magnetic powder was synthesized containing Nd2Fe14B and Nd2Fe17 phase. Subsequently, the powders were coated using a Co precursor at 303 K. During coating the metastable Nd2Fe17 phase was dissolved and the Fe ions were released into the solution. Subsequently, the Fe ions deposited together with the Co ions on the surface of Nd2Fe14B powder to form a FeCo shell. The deposited layer thickness and composition was confirmed using TEM analysis.

This paper treats the connection problem of expressing sums of finite products of Chebyshev polynomials of the third and fourth kinds in terms of five classical orthogonal polynomials. In fact, by carrying out explicit computations each of them are expressed as linear combinations of Hermite, generalized Laguerre, Legendre, Gegenbauer, and Jacobi polynomials which involve some terminating hypergeometric functions ${}_2 F_0, {}_2 F_1$, and ${}_3 F_2$.

This article combines the traditional definition of portfolio risk with minimum spanning tree based “interconnectedness risk" to improve the equal risk contribution portfolio performance. We use betweenness centrality to measure an asset’s importance in a market graph (network). After filtering the complete correlation network to a minimum spanning tree, we calculate the centrality score and convert it to a centrality heuristic. We develop an adjusted variance-covariance matrix using the centrality heuristic, to bias the model to assign peripheral assets in the minimum spanning tree higher weights. We test this methodology using the constituents of the S&amp;P 100 index. The results show that the centrality equal risk portfolio can improve upon the base equal risk portfolio returns, with a similar level of risk. We observe that during bear markets, the centrality-based portfolio can surpass the base equal risk portfolio risk.

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) represent a cornerstone in the complexity of the proteome, significantly contributing to diversifying protein structure and function. PTMs can significantly influence protein function, stability, localization, and interactions with other molecules. Therefore, it is important when choosing a protein expression system to ensure the precise incorporation of PTMs during protein synthesis, which is paramount for producing biologically active proteins. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) system has emerged as a powerful protein synthesis platform and research toolkit in synthetic biology. The open nature of the system allows the reaction environment to be tailored to any protein of interest to promote specific PTMs, thus allowing for the production of a protein with the desired modifications. This review presents various PTMs achieved in the CFPS systems, providing insights into the current challenges, successes, and future prospects.

Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are common birth defects deriving from abnormalities in renal differentiation during embryogenesis. CAKUT is the major cause of end-stage renal disease and chronic kidney diseases in children, but its genetic causes remain largely unresolved. Here we discuss advances in the understanding of how MAPK/ERK activity contributes to the regulation of ureteric bud branching morphogenesis, which dictates the final size, shape, and nephron number of the kidney. Recent studies also demonstrate that MAPK/ERK pathway is directly involved in nephrogenesis, regulating both the maintenance and differentiation of the nephrogenic mesenchyme. Interestingly, aberrant MAPK/ERK signaling is linked to many cancers, and recent studies suggest it also plays a role in the most common pediatric renal cancer, Wilms’ tumor.

In this paper, we study sums of finite products of Chebyshev polynomials of the first kind and Lucas polynomials and represent each of them in terms of Chebyshev polynomials of all kinds. Here the coefficients involve terminating hypergeometric functions ₂F₁ and these representations are obtained by explicit computations.

With the increasing of China's international status and the acceleration of the process of global economic integration, the internationalization strategy of Chinese enterprises is getting deeper and deeper. This paper analyzes the problems and challenges faced by the international supply chain management of Chinese bamboo weaving and creative products, and puts forward a set of supply chain management model that ADAPTS to the international development. Firstly, the concept, connotation and types of supply chain management are sorted out through literature review. Secondly, this paper analyzes the current situation of international supply chain management of bamboo editing and creative products, and points out the existing problems. Thirdly, based on the theory and practice of international supply chain management, this paper puts forward a set of supply chain management model suitable for the international development of bamboo editing and creative products. Finally, taking a bamboo weaving and creative products enterprise as an example, the application effect of the supply chain management model is empirically analyzed. The results show that the supply chain management model can effectively reduce the cost and improve the efficiency, and is conducive to the international development of bamboo editing and creative products.

Hutchison-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is an extremely rare genetic disorder caused by the mutant protein progerin, which is expressed by the abnormal splicing of LMNA gene. HGPS affects systemic levels, except cognition or brain development in children, showing that cellular aging can occur in the short term. However, the causes of aging that humanity is working to overcome remain poorly understood. Studying progeria could be useful for unraveling the causes of human aging (as well as fatal age-related disorders). Elucidating the clear cause of HGPS or the development of a therapeutic medicine will provide inconceivable comfort for young patients and enable them to live a normal life. This review aimed to: i) briefly describe how progerin was discovered as the causative agent of HGPS, ii) elucidate the puzzling observation of the absence of primary neurological disease in HGPS, iii) present several studies showing the deleterious effects of progerin and the beneficial effects of its inhibition, and iv) summarize research to develop a therapy for HGPS, and introduce clinical trials for its treatment.

As the major greenhouse gas, CO2 gas emission has been noticeably increased over the past decades resulting in global warming and climate change. As a result, it is imperative to reduce the excess CO2 in the atmosphere to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C (ideally 1.5°C) above pre-industrial levels set by the Paris Agreement on climate change. Among many ways, CO2 capture technology is considered as the most promising technology among the available technologies. Porous materials such as carbons, silica, zeolites, hollow fibers, and alumina are widely used as CO2 sorbents. However, among the available porous sloid sorbents, porous silica-based materials grabbed a significant attention due to their unique properties including high surface area, pore volume, good thermal and mechanical stability, and low cost. Therefore, development of porous silica materials as a promising CO2 absorbent is a continuously expanding research area in the current moment. Herein, we aim to visualize a full picture of the porous silica-based materials for CO2 capture. This review presents a comprehensive study of existing CO2 capture techniques and highlights the recent progress of different porous silica materials and synthesis processes. CO2 adsorption capacities of unmodified porous silica materials are less effective as compared with functionalized silica materials. Various research activities have been reported about functionalization of pours silica using amine groups. Therefore, in this review, different synthesis routes of amine-functionalized porous silica materials, CO2 adsorption capacities, gas selectivity and reusability were discussed. Moreover, the research challenges associated with the porous silica materials and future research directions are summarized.

An understanding of the mechanism underlying fruit ripening is critical for fruit quality improvement. Although post-harvest ethylene application is known to enhance the onset of fruit ripening, exact mechanisms remain unclear. To characterize the fruit ripening process and mechanism, we investigated the effects of exposing kiwifruit cultivars ‘Hayward’ and ‘Gamrok’ to exogenous ethylene treatment post-harvest using comprehensive proteomic analyses. Comparative two-dimensional gel electrophoresis showed that most of the proteins aggregated in ethylene-treated samples compared to the control (non-treated). We observed that among all ethylene treatments, 95 proteins from ‘Hayward’ and 106 from ‘Gamrok’ were differentially expressed. Interestingly, among the elicited protein successfully identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry, 50% from “Hayward’ and 60% from ‘Gamrok’ are associated with fruit ripening. Furthermore, 18% and 10% of proteins, respectively, are associated with defense response, whereas other major proteins are related to protein biosynthesis and photosynthesis/Calvin cycle. Interactions between identified proteins were demonstrated by bioinformatic analysis, providing insights into biological pathways and molecular functions in post-harvest kiwifruit ripening elicited by ethylene application. The present proteomic study in accordance with physiological analysis provides a quantitative evaluation of fruit ripening in response to exogenous ethylene in post-harvest kiwifruit.

This paper is concerned with representing sums of finite products of Chebyshev polynomials of the second kind and of Fibonacci polynomials in terms of several classical orthogonal polynomials. Indeed, by explicit computations each of them is expressed as linear combinations of Hermite, generalized Laguerre, Legendre, Gegenbauer and Jacobi polynomials which involve the hypergeometric functions ${}_1 F_1$ and ${}_2 F_1$.

It's challenging to achieve robust lane detection depending on single frame when considering complicated scenarios. In order to detect more credible lane markings by using sequential frames, a novel approach to fusing vision and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is proposed in this paper. The hough space is employed as the space where lane markings are stored and it's calculated by three steps. Firstly, a basic hough space is extracted by Hough Transform and primary line segments are extracted from it. In order to measure the possibility about line segments belong to lane markings, a CNNs based classifier is introduced to transform the basic hough space into a probabilistic space by using the networks outputs. However, this probabilistic hough space based on single frame is easily disturbed. In the third step, a filtering process is employed to smooth the probabilistic hough space by using sequential information. Pose information provided by IMU is applied to align hough spaces extracted at different times to each other. The final hough space is used to eliminate line segments with low possibility and output those with high confidence as the result. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed approach has achieved a good performance.

This paper proposes a new non-radial biennial Luenberger energy and environmental performance index (EEPI) to measure the EEP change in various Chinese cities. The sources of EEP change, in terms of technical efficiency change and technological change, are examined by Luenberger EEPI. The contributions from specific undesirable outputs and energy inputs to the EEP change are identified by means of the non-radial efficiency measure. The proposed approach is applied to evaluate the EEP of the industrial sector in 283 cities in China over 2010-2014. Factors influencing the emission abatement potential are investigated by employing geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. We find that 1) changes in EEP can be attributed to technological progress but that technological progress slows down across the study period; 2) the soot emission performance experiences a downtrend among four specific sub-performances in line with the truth that severe haze happened frequently in China; 3) the best performers begin to move from the coastal to inland cities with the less resource consumption and higher ecological equality; 4) cities with the strongest positive effect in regards to pollution intensity on emission abatement potential are located in the areas around the Bohai Gulf, where air pollution is particularly severe.

The formulation used by the most of studies on an elastic torus are either Reissner mixed formulation or Novozhilov's complex-form one, however, for vibration and some displacement boundary related problem of the torus, application of those formulations has encountered great difficulty. It is highly demanded to have a displacement-type formulation for the torus. In this paper, I will simulate some typical problems and free vibration of the torus. The numerical results are verified by both finite element analysis and H. Reissner's formulation. My investigations show that both deformation and stress response of an elastic torus are sensitive to the radius ratio, and suggest that the analysis of a torus should be done by using the bending theory of a shell, and also reveal that the inner torus is stronger than outer torus due to the property of their Gaussian curvature. Regarding the free vibration of the torus, our analysis indicates that both initial in u and w direction must be included otherwise will cause big errors in eigenfrequency.

The catenary shells of revolution are widely used in constructions due to their unique mechanics' feature. However, no publications on this type of shells can be found in the literature. To have a better understanding of the deformation and stress of the catenary shells of revolution, we formulate the principal radii for two kinds of catenary shells of revolution and their displacement type governing equations. Numerical simulations are carried out based on both Reissner-Meissner mixed formulations and displacement formulations. Our investigations show that both deformation and stress response of elastic catenary shells of revolution are sensitive to its geometric parameter $c$, and reveal that the mechanics of the catenary shells of revolution does much better than the spherical shells. Two complete codes in Maple are provided.

This paper is devoted to the analysis of fluctuations in the solar wind plasma and interplanetary magnetic field parameters observed by Solar Orbiter and WIND spacecraft at different scales, ranging from ~10^3 to 10^7 km. We investigated two long observation intervals when the spacecraft were near the Sun-Earth line, during which the distance between the spacecraft was 0.1 and 0.5 AU respectively. It is analyzed how the fluctuation properties in different types of SW, associated with quasi-stationary and transient solar phenomena, transform on the way from the Sun to the Earth. It is shown that the time series behavior of the bulk speed subject to the least change even at the large distance between the observation points, while the time series of the IMF magnitude, components and proton density were significantly transformed even at the relatively short distance. Regardless of the assumed change in the absolute value of the parameters, the conducted statistical analysis shows that the characteristics of their fluctuations (including the level of intermittency) remains near constant regardless of the distance between the observation points and depends mostly on the type of the solar wind.

More than twenty-five years ago the Global Solar UV index (UVI) has been introduced as a simple means of visualizing the intensity of ultraviolet radiation and to alert people to the need for sun protection. In our survey among directors of 436 kindergartens in southern Germany we investigated the level of awareness and knowledge about the UVI as well as the practical consequences for sun protection in kindergartens. Less than half of the directors (n=208, 47.7%) had ever heard of the UVI, and only a small minority of them (n=34, 8.7%) used the daily UVI information to adapt sun protective measures in their kindergartens. Detailed knowledge about the UVI was a rarity among the respondents. The proportion of respondents with self-perceived detailed UVI knowledge was five times higher than actual knowledge assessed by an in-depth structured interview using open-ended questions about the UVI (14.2% vs. 2.8%). No clear relationship of UVI awareness, knowledge, and use to directors' age and gender was found. The UVI-related variables also showed no association with directors' knowledge of risk factors for skin cancer and their attitudes towards tanned skin. Overall, the results paint a sobering picture regarding the penetration of the UVI into sun protection policies of German kindergartens. Future public health campaigns should target increasing awareness and understanding of the UVI as well as its importance for sun protection of children.

The formulation used by most of the studies on an elastic torus are either Reissner mixed formulation or Novozhilov's complex-form one, however, for vibration and some displacement boundary related problem of a torus, those formulations face a great challenge. It is highly demanded to have a displacement-type formulation for the torus. In this paper, I will carry on my previous work [ B.H. Sun, Closed-form solution of axisymmetric slender elastic toroidal shells. J. of Engineering Mechanics, 136 (2010) 1281-1288.], and with the help of my own maple code, I am able to simulate some typical problems and free vibration of the torus. The numerical results are verified by both finite element analysis and H. Reissner's formulation. My investigations show that both deformation and stress response of an elastic torus are sensitive to the radius ratio, and suggest that the analysis of a torus should be done by using the bending theory of a shell, and also reveal that the inner torus is stronger than outer torus due to the property of their Gaussian curvature. Regarding the free vibration of a torus, our analysis indicates that both initial in u and w direction must be included otherwise will cause big errors in eigenfrequency. One of the most intestine discovery is that the crowns of a torus are the turning point of the Gaussian curvature at the crown where the mechanics' response of inner and outer torus is almost separated.

Inspired by amazing result obtained by Semay [1], this study revisits generalised Kepler's third law of an n-body system from the perspective of dimension analysis. To be compatible with Semay's quantum n-body result, this letter reports a conjecture which had not be included in author's early publication [2] but formulated in the author's research memo. The new conjecture for quantum N-body system is proposed as follows: Tq|Eq|^3/2 = πG/√2[(Σ^N_i=1 Σ^N_j=i+1 m_im_j)³/(Σ^N_k=1 m_k)]^1/2. This formulae is, of course, consistent with the Kepler's third law of 2-body system, and exact same as Semay's quantum result for identical bodies.