RISC-V offers a modular technical approach combined with an open, royalty-free instruction set architecture (ISA). This openness allows various researches to incorporate RISC-V into both open and proprietary solutions or services. However, despite its advantages as a fundamental building block for many embedded systems, the escalating complexity and functional demands of real-time applications have made adhering to response time deadlines challenging. This has led to an increased demand for comprehensive development insights for real-time systems based on RISC-V. To improve development efficiency, we offer a detailed performance analysis of RISC-V in comparison to various ISAs. In this paper, we analyze the real-time performance of RISC-V through two real-time approaches based on processor architectures. For RTOS applications, we adopted FreeRTOS and evaluated its performance on HiFive1 Rev B (RISC-V) and STM3240G-EVAL (ARM M) to evaluate real-time performance. For Real-time Linux, we utilized Linux with the Preempt-RT patch and tested its performance on VisionFive 2 (RISC-V), MIO5272 (x86-64), and Raspberry Pi 4 B (ARM A). Through these experiments, we examined the real-time mechanism of each operating system. Additionally, in the Preempt-RT experiments, scheduling latencies were evaluated using cyclictest. Finally, in order to practically show the real-time capabilities of RISC-V, we implemented motion control of a six-axis collaborative robot, which was performed on the VisionFive 2 platform. This implementation provided a comparative result of RISC-V’s performance against the x86-64 architecture of MIO-5272. Ultimately, the results indicated that the real-time performance of RISC-V for real-time applications was slightly inferior to that of the x86-64 architecture. A noticeable achievement of this research was the first implementation of an EtherCAT Master on RISC-V designed for real-time applications featuring a multi-tasking structure. The research offers valuable insights into the real-time capabilities of RISC-V compared to established architectures like x86-64. While RISC-V might not surpass these architectures in real-time performance, its flexibility, modularity, and open nature make it a compelling choice for a wide range of real-time applications. The successful implementation of the EtherCAT Master on RISC-V further expands its potential in the domain of real-time embedded control systems.

The aim of this study was to study the effect of leisure identity, flow, satisfaction, and re-participate intention among outdoor leisure activity participants in South Korea. Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a tendency to more frequently participate in outdoor leisure activities as opposed to indoor leisure activities. Leisure activities bestow various benefits. Therefore, this study was used to analyze the relationships amongst leisure identity, flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participate intention among various theories about leisure. The participants in this study were collected from amongst 369 people who were frequent participants in outdoor leisure activities. For the data analysis, the researchers used frequency, confirmatory analysis, reliability, correlation and structural equaling modeling. The findings were as follows: First, leisure identity had wielded an influence on leisure flow. Second, leisure identity had influence leisure satisfaction. did not have any significant influence on recreation specialization. Third, leisure identity had influence on re-participate intention. Fourth, leisure flow did not have any significant influence on leisure satisfaction. Fifth, leisure flow did not have any significant influence on leisure satisfaction. And finally, leisure satisfaction had an influence on re-participate intention. In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new leisure identity has been formed, and it is believed to be a new study on leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention. This study aims to provide basic data for constructing infrastructure to enable continued participation in outdoor sports in Korea.

Recently, the demand for electric vehicle is increasing worldwide due to eco-friendly policies and stricter emission regulations. As a traction motor for electric vehicle, interior permanent magnet synchronous motors are mainly used. For the design of the interior permanent magnet synchronous motor, the magnetic equivalent circuit method, which is a method of lumped constant circuit, and the finite element method, which is a method of distributed constant circuit, mainly are used. Magnetic equivalent circuit method is useful for simple design through fast and intuitive parameters, but it cannot derive the distribution of magnetic field. The finite element method can derive an accurate magnetic field distribution, but it takes a long time to analyze and it is difficult to analyze intuitive design parameters. In this paper, magnetic equivalent circuit method and Carter coefficient are mixed for rotor structure design. This design method will be called the hybrid magnetic equivalent circuit method. Intuitive design parameters are derived through this hybrid magnetic equivalent circuit method. We will derive the Air gap flux density distribution according to rotor shape, no-load induced voltage, and cogging torque, and compare and verify it with the finite element method.

Background: Transit-time flow measurement (TTFM) is frequently used to evaluate intraoperative quality control during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Although TTFM has the ability to assess graft failure intraoperatively, the perioperative factors affecting TTFM during CABG surgery remain poorly understood. Methods: Patients who underwent CABG surgery at a single institution between July 2016 and May 2018 were prospectively evaluated. Patients’ demographic characteristics, previous medical history, Euroscore, the results of preoperative blood tests, and intraoperative data were recorded. TTFM and blood viscosity were measured hemodynamically, and mean flow (mL/min) and pulsatility index (PI) were recorded. Arterial blood gas was analyzed immediately after anastomosis of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to the left descending artery (LAD) and before sternal closure. Factors associated with TTFM were assessed by multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Of the 62 patients who underwent CABG surgery during the study period, 57 were evaluated, including 49 who underwent off-pump and eight who underwent on-pump surgery. Blood viscosity was not significantly associated with TTFM (p > 0.05). However, TTFM was significantly associated with body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, and cardiac index (p < 0.05 each). Conclusions: Blood viscosity was not significantly associated with intraoperative graft flow. Blood flow of graft vessels, however, was significantly associated with BMI, systolic blood pressure, and cardiac index.

Human Pose Estimation (HPE) is a technique in computer vision and AI for detecting and tracking human body parts and poses from images or videos. Widely used in augmented reality, animation, fitness applications, and surveillance, HPE methods using monocular cameras are highly versatile due to their applicability in standard video and CCTV footage. These methods have evolved from 2D to 3D pose estimation. However, current 3D HPE methods trained on laboratory-based motion capture data encounter challenges such as limited training data, depth perception ambiguity, left/right switching, and issues with occlusions when applied in real-world environments. This study compares two representative 3D HPE methods by assessing their strengths and weaknesses with real-world videos. Then, we propose data processing techniques to eliminate and correct anomalies like left/right inversion and false detections of joint positions in daily life motions. Finally, we obtain joint angle trajectories using an optimization method based on a 3D humanoid simulator, taking as input the joint coordinate data corrected by applying the proposed human joint data processing technique. The efficacy of the proposed 3D HPE method is verified by applying it to three-dimensional freehand gymnastics exercises and comparing the joint angle trajectories during the motion.

Existing rammed earth construction methods have disadvantages such as increased initial costs for manufacturing the large formwork and increased labor costs owing to the labor-intensive construction techniques involved. To address the limitations of existing rammed earth construction methods, an autonomous rammed earth construction method is introduced herein. As this autonomous rammed earth construction method uses a modular formwork, alternative materials must be used in the construction to satisfy the requirements for the early-age binder performance. Accordingly, this study evaluates the use of an epoxy emulsion composed of epoxy and a hardener to enhance the performance of the binder. Preliminary experiments were conducted to determine the optimal formulation of the epoxy emulsion, following which the compressive strength, water loosening, shrinkage, rate of mass change, and microstructure of several red clay binder specimens with and without epoxy emulsion were analyzed at early ages. The results confirmed that the epoxy emulsion can be applied to satisfy the performance requirements for autonomous rammed earth construction by improving the durability and strength of the binder at early ages.

Objectives: Robotic bilateral axillary breast approach (BABA) thyroid surgery began in 2008 and is now one of the most widely used remote-access thyroid surgeries worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the results of 500 robotic BABA thyroid surgeries performed in a single institution in Korea compared with open thyroid surgery. Methods: From December 2018 to March 2020, 502 robotic BABA thyroidectomies (RTs) and 531 conventional open thyroidectomies (OTs) were performed in our institution by a single endocrine surgeon. We retrospectively reviewed patient medical records and performed a comparative analysis of OT and RT. Results: The RT group was younger (43.41±11.41 versus 54.28±13.41 years, p<0.001) and had a higher proportion of females (84.3% versus 69.3%, p<0.001), a lower BMI (24.66±3.97 versus 25.83±4.07 kg/m2), a higher proportion of lobectomies (52.6% versus 45.2%) and a lower proportion of lateral neck dissections (3.4% versus 10.0%, p<0.001). The RT group had a lnger operation time (145.33±40.80 versus 93.39±43.55 minutes, p<0.001) and higher surgical cost. Although the OT group had a larger tumor size and higher proportion of extrathyroidal extension, the numbers of retrieved lymph nodes were not significantly different between the two groups. Additionally, there was no difference in the stimulated thyroglobulin level before radioactive iodine therapy (7.01±35.73 versus 8.39±58.77, p=0.782). The rates of transient vocal cord palsy and transient hypoparathyroidism were significantly lower in the RT group, and those of scar-related complications were higher in the OT group. Conclusion: Robotic BABA thyroid surgery has advantages not only in better cosmetic outcomes but also in lower rates of vocal cord palsy and hypoparathyroidism, with comparable lymph node retrieval and serum thyroglobulin levels.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a tumor cell subpopulation that drives tumor progression and metastasis, leading to poor overall survival of patients. In colorectal cancer (CRC), hyper-activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by mutation of both Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and K-Ras increases the size of the CSC population. We previously showed that the CPD0857 inactivates Wnt/β-catenin signaling by promoting ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation of β-catenin and Ras proteins, thereby decreasing proliferation and increasing apoptosis of CRC lines. CPD0857 also decreased growth and invasiveness of CRC cells harboring mutant K-Ras resistant to EGFR mAb therapy. Here, we show that CPD0857 treatment decreases proliferation and increases neuronal differentiation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs). CDP0857 effectively reduced expression of CSC markers and suppressed self-renewal capacity. CPD0857 treatment also inhibited proliferation and expression of CSC markers in D-K-Ras MT cells carrying K-Ras, APC and PI3K mutations, indicating inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling. Moreover, CPD0857-treated xenograft mice showed regression of tumor growth and decreased numbers of CSCs in tumors. We conclude that CPD0857 could serve as the basis of a drug development strategy targeting CSCs activated through Wnt/β-catenin-Ras MAPK-PI3K/AKT signaling in CRCs.

An efficient design method is proposed for a compact common-mode rejection (CMR) filter utilizing dumbbell-shaped defected ground (DS-DG) structures and gap-coupled stub (GCS) resonators. A CMR filter for differential lines helps to improve the signal integrity of high-speed digital signals on printed circuit boards. The proposed CMR filter design is based on the equivalent circuit models, while the previous designs depended heavily on the DS-DG structure optimization using the EM simulations. The proposed CMR filter effectively reject the common-mode components with minimally affecting the differential signals. To prove the simplified design approach, a 5th-order Chebyshev band-stop filter has been designed with three DS-DG structures and two GCS resonators. From the simulated and measured results, it is found that the proposed CMR filter provides ~90% fractional frequency bandwidth with more than 20 dB of common-mode rejection ratio and less than 0.6 dB of insertion loss of the differential signal.

Febuxostat (FBX), a selective xanthine oxidase inhibitor, belongs to BCS class II showing low solubility and high permeability with a moderate F value (&lt; 49%). Recently, FBX/L-pyroglutamic acid cocrystal (FBX-PG) was developed with improving 4-fold increase of the FBX solubility. Nevertheless, in vivo pharmacokinetic property of FBX-PG has not been evaluated yet. Therefore, the pharmacokinetic feasibility of FBX in FBX and FBX-PG-treated rats and mice was compared in this study. The results showed that the F values of FBX were 210% and 159% in FBX-PG rats and mice, respectively. The 2.10-fold greater AUC of FBX was due to the increased absorption (i.e., 2.60-fold higher Cmax,1 at 15 min) and entero-hepatic circulation of FBX (i.e., 1.68-fold higher Cmax,2 at 600 min) in FBX-PG rats compared to the FBX rats. The 1.59-fold greater AUC of FBX was due to a 1.65-fold higher Cmax,1 at 5 min, and 1.15-fold higher Cmax,2 at 720 min of FBX in FBX-PG mice than those in FBX mice. FBX was highly distributed in the liver, stomach, small intestine, and lungs in both groups of mice, and the FBX distributions to the liver and lungs were increased in FBX-PG mice compared to FBX mice. The results suggest the FBX-PG has a suitable pharmacokinetic profile of FBX for improving its oral F value.

The wind observations for multiple levels (40–200 m) have been conducted for a long time (2016–2020) on Jeju Island of South Korea. This study aims at understanding the vertical and temporal characteristics of lower atmosphere. Jeju Island is a region located at mid-latitude and is affected by seasonal monsoon wind. The maximum wind speed appears in the lower layer during day time and is delayed in the upper layer during latter time in diurnal cycle. In summer season, the surface layer increases up to 160 m during day time via dominant solar radiation effect, which is higher than those for other seasons. However, the maximum wind speed in winter season appears irregularly among altitudes, and the surface layer is ~100 m, which is lower than that in summer season. It can be attributed to the increase in the mean wind speed in diurnal cycle caused by the strong northwestern wind for winter season. These results imply that the relationship between near-surface and higher altitudes is primarily affected by solar radiation and seasonal monsoon winds. These results are expected to contribute to site selection criteria for wind farms and to the assessment concerning planetary boundary layer modeling.

Microbubbles and nanobubbles can be prepared using various shells, such as phospholipids, polymers, proteins, and surfactants. They are echogenic and can be used as contrast agents for ultrasonic and photoacoustic imaging. These bubbles can be engineered in various sizes as vehicles for gas and drug delivery applications with novel properties and flexible structures. Hypoxic areas in tumors develop owing to an imbalance of oxygen supply and demand. In tumors, hypoxic regions have shown more resistance to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and photodynamic therapies. The efficacy of photodynamic therapy depends on the availability of oxygen in the tumor to generate reactive oxygen species. Micro/nanobubbles have been shown to reverse hypoxic conditions and increase tissue oxygen levels. This review summarizes the synthesis methods and shell compositions of micro/nanobubbles and methods deployed for oxygen delivery. In addition, the shortcomings and prospects of engineering micro/nanobubbles are discussed for their potential use in photodynamic therapy.

Titanium (Ti) and Ti-based alloys are commonly used in dental implants, and surface modifications of dental implants are important for achieving osseointegration (i.e., direct connection between the implant surface and bone). This study investigated the effect of an eco-friendly etching solution—a hydrogen peroxide–sodium bicarbonate mixture—on the surface properties and contact angles of and osteoblast adhesion and proliferation on Ti surfaces. Disk-shaped Ti specimens were prepared using different surface treatments (machining, sandblasting, and sandblasting/acid-etching), and they were immersed in the etching solution and then ultrasonically cleaned. Surface characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy, digital microscopy, contact angle analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. MG-63 osteoblasts were cultured on the specimens, and their adhesion to the specimen surface and their proliferation were examined using staining and the MTT assay, respectively. Additional etching with the etching solution caused the formation of nano/micro hierarchical structures, increased the surface roughness, and enhanced the hydrophilicity. Osteoblast adhesion and proliferation were found to improve on the modified surfaces. The eco-friendly etching method has the potential to enhance the biological properties of Ti implant surfaces and to thereby improve the dental implant performance.

Human adipose stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (hASC-EVs) are key mediators of paracrine signaling with promising therapeutic applications. Although hASC-EVs are derived from human cells and are less immunogenic, their immunogenicity cannot be completely excluded. Here, we evaluate the immune responses of ICR and C57BL/6 mice to high doses of hASC-EVs for 10 days after injection. Lymphocyte subpopulations are analyzed using flow cytometry at 0.5, 1, 3 and 24 h post injection. In the spleen and blood of C57BL/6 mice, neutrophils sharply increased at 0.5 h and decreased at 3 h following hASC-EV treatment. We observe increased proportions of monocytes, macrophages, and natural killer cells at 3 h but returned to similar level of vehicle control at 24 h post injection in the spleen and blood of ICR mice. Although the in vivo experiments reveal different immune responses to hASC-EV treatment in C57BL/6 and ICR strains, no major changes occur in human peripheral blood mononuclear cell composition after applying hASC-EVs in vitro. In conclusion, unlike those in mice, immune responses to hASC-EVs in humans are not detectable, indicating a minimal risk of fatal side-effects from hASC-EV-based therapies.

As the human-body controls depend on the brain neuro current, here assay is related to thinking nerve detection. For this purpose, the brain current was analyzed by electrochemical three-electrode systems using 0.1-mm micro wire in vivo probe, which probe was made by using carbon nanotube paste coated needle type. Here working electrode was inserted in the rat brain’s muscle core with a 0.3-mm-diameter needle type Ag/AgCl Cl-coated Ag wire reference, and counter electrode of 0.1-mm-diameter Pt micro needle was inserted 5 mm deep into the in vivo muscle skin, under anesthesia with 2.0 ~ -2.0 V potential windows, 50 mv/s cyclic scan and 1.0x10-5A chrono amperometric sensitivity on the body systems. Under the optimum conditions, diagnostic application was performed to such as smell signal, muscular strength, five sense assay and thinking neuro current.

We evaluated hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) for use in radio frequency (RF) applications in which liquid crystals (LCs) are used in layered structures that have various cell gap conditions. HTAB is a surfactant that can self-align vertically on the surface of indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates, and can induce homeotropic alignment of the LCs. For implementing RF devices with HTAB and LCs, we should consider limitations caused by the design conditions which are different from conventional liquid crystal displays such as cell gap. We quantified the concentration of HTAB ([HTAB]) that is necessary to form and maintain a sufficiently dense vertical alignment of 5CB (4-Cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl). The required [HTAB] for full-homeotropic alignment was proportional to the cell gap until it was too large to support the transfer of the surface alignment to the LC, due to the weak anchoring nature of HTAB. We also showed the phase-change characteristic of the LC mixture depended on [HTAB] for the design of RF devices driven by light or heat. This work may help to guide the development of new approaches to designing efficient RF devices that use LCs.

As climate changes, our daily life has been much influenced by abnormal meteorological phenomena such as heavy rainfall, heat wave, heavy snowfall, and fine dust. Atmospheric air quality is worsening day by day and indoor air quality is also affected by interconnected daily activities throughout the inside and outside of buildings and houses. Nowadays, pollutants from various sources are emitted, transformed by sunlight, vapor, and ozone and transported into the city from country to country. Due to these reasons, there have been high demands to monitor the transportation of particulate matters and improve air quality. Monitoring of pollutants and identification of type and its concentration enables us to track and control its generation and consequently find out the solution. However, monitoring of pollutants, especially, particulate matter generation and its transportation is still not fully operated in atmospheric air due to its open nature and meteorological factors. Even though indoor air is relatively easy to monitor and control than outdoor in the aspect of specific volume and contaminant source, but it still needs to consider the meteorological parameters because indoor air is not fully separated from the outdoor air flow and contaminants transportation. In this study, optical approach using spectral sensor was attempted to reveal the feasibility of wavelength and chromaticity values of reflected light from specific particles. From the analysis of reflected light of various particulate matters according to different liquid additives, parameter studies were performed to investigate which experimental conditions can contribute to the enhanced selective sensing of particulate matters. Five different particulate matters such as household dust, soil, talc powder, gypsum powder and yellow pine tree pollen were utilized and observed to elucidate the relationship between property of particulate matter and detected light spectrum. Applicable approaches to assist current particle matter sensors and improve the selective sensing were suggested.

Obesity, which is characterized by an excessive accumulation of body fat, is one of the critical factors causing metabolic syndrome. Many studies have been performed to identify appropriate agents to control obesity, but toxicity remains a problem. Herein, we identified that phenylbutyrate (PBA), which has been used to treat urea cycle disorder with very low toxicity for a long time, efficiently inhibited high fat-induced body weight gain in a diet-induced obesity mouse model (DIO model). PBA treatment decreased body fat mass and increased lean composition. Moreover, PBA increased brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity by increasing glucose uptake, thereby improving glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance. Interestingly, PBA could induce the expression of phosphofructokinase (PFKL), a key enzyme in the glycolytic pathway, and knocking down PFKL dramatically repressed the expression level of Ucp1 as well as those of Prdm16, Cidea, Pgc1α, and Pparγ, which are marker genes for BAT activation. These results strongly suggested that PBA could increase energy expenditure by increasing BAT activity via the induction of PFKL. Taken together, PBA could be used as a therapeutic agent for people with obesity to prevent the development of metabolic syndrome.

In South Korea, demolition waste (DW) management has become increasingly significant owing to the rising number of old buildings. Effective DW management requires an efficient approach that accurately quantifies and predicts the generation of DW (DWG) of various types, which necessitates access to the required information or technology capable of achieving this. Hence, we developed an artificial intelligence-based model that predicts the generation of ten DW types, specifically from buildings in redevelopment areas. We used an artificial neural network algorithm with < 10 neurons in the hidden layer to derive individual input variables and optimal hyperparameters for each DW type. All DWG prediction models achieved an average validation and test prediction performance (R²) of 0.970 and 0.952, respectively, with their ratios of percent deviation ≥ 2.5, ver-ifying them as excellent models. Moreover, a Shapley additive explanations analysis revealed that DWG was most impacted by the floor area for all the DW types, with a positive correlation with DWG. Conversely, other factors showed either a positive or negative correlation with DWG de-pending on the DW type. The study findings will enable demolition companies and local gov-ernments in making informed decisions for efficient DW management and resource allocation by accurately predicting the generation of various types of DW.

Thin people who undergo implant insertion into the chest wall face a high risk of implant exposure to the external environment. Five months after an 8-year-old boy underwent implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation in a subcutaneous pocket in the left anterolateral chest wall to manage long QT syndrome, ICD replacement became necessary owing to exposure risk from distal and lateral thinning of the ICD pocket. Pocket rupture and exposure would increase the risk of infection; therefore, we performed ICD removal and primary pocket closure. Two weeks later, a new suprafascial pocket was created, acellular dermal matrix (ADM) was attached to the inner wall to prevent ICD protrusion, and a new ICD was inserted. One year postoperatively, the ADM was engrafted, and no complications were observed. A thin subcutaneous layer increases the risk of ICD implantation complications. Inner wall strengthening with ADM can help prevent pocket rupture.

(1) Background: The analysis of athletic performance has always aroused great interest from sport scientist. This study utilized machine learning methods to build predictive models using a comprehensive CrossFit (CF) dataset, aiming to reveal valuable insights into the factors influencing performance and emerging trends.; (2) Methods: The study used Random Forest (RF) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) models to predict performance in four key weightlifting exercises within CF: clean &amp; jerk, snatch, back squat, and deadlift. Performance was evaluated using R-squared (R2) values and Mean Squared Error (MSE). Feature importance analysis was conducted using RF, XGBoost, and AdaBoost models.; (3) Results: The RF model excelled in deadlift performance prediction (R2 = 0.80), while the MLR model demonstrated remarkable accuracy in clean &amp; jerk (R2 = 0.93). Across exercises, clean &amp; jerk consistently emerged as a crucial predictor. The feature importance analysis revealed intricate relationships among exercises, with gender significantly impacting deadlift performance.; (4) Conclusions: This research advances our understanding of performance prediction in CF through machine learning techniques. It provides actionable insights for practitioners, optimize performance, and demonstrates the potential for future advancements in data-driven sports analytics.

Background: Inflammasomes recognize cytosolic danger signals, including pathogens, and subsequently induce the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1β. Studying inflammasomes in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is crucial from a wildlife veterinary and public health perspective, as it can be used to help control and prevent the transmission of zoonotic pathogens. The understanding of how diversity in inflammasomes across species affects pathogen carriage in the red fox is still limited. Methods: We investigated the activation and intracellular mechanisms of three inflammasomes (NLRP3, AIM2, and NLRC4) in fox peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), using established triggers and inhibitors derived from humans and mice. Results: Fox PBMCs exhibited normal activation and induction of IL-1β secretion in response to representative inflammasome triggers (ATP and nigericin for NLRP3, dsDNA for AIM2, flagellin for NLRC4). However, in inhibitor studies, MCC950, a selective NLRP3 inhibitor, suppressed IL-1β secretion mediated by the fox AIM2 and NLRC4 inflammasomes. Conclusions: These findings suggest that NLRP3 may have a common role in dsDNA- and flagellin-mediated inflammasome activation in the red fox. In conclusion, this fox inflammasome biology can be applied to the control of zoonotic infections and the treatment of inflammasome-mediated diseases in the red fox.

This paper proposes two max-pooling engines, named the RTB-MAXP engine and the CMB-MAXP engine, with a scalable window size parameter for FPGA-based convolutional neural network (CNN) implementation. The max-pooling operation for the CNN can be decomposed into two stages, i.e., a horizontal axis max-pooling operation and a vertical axis max-pooling operation. These two one-dimensional max-pooling operations are performed by tracking the rank of the values within the window in the RTB-MAXP engine and cascading the maximum operations of the values in CMB-MAXP engine. Both the RBM-MAXP engine and the CMB-MAXP engine were implemented using VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) and verified by simulations. They have been employed for and tested in our CNN accelerator targeting at the CNN model YOLOv4-CSP-S-Leaky for object detection.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which block the activity of cyclooxygenase (COX) isoenzymes and inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandin, have been used for pain relief. We have developed a method to separate a mixture of three NSAIDs, such as aspirin, paracetamol, and naproxen, using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). An isocratic mobile phase consisting of acidic water and acetonitrile was selected to run at a low flow rate, such as 0.8 mL/min. The mixture of three NSAIDs was injected at a low volume into a C18 column that was 150 mm in length and characterized using a UV detector at 230 nm. We identified three peaks in the chromatogram indicating the three compounds. The elution time of the peaks was less than 10 minutes. To identify multiple peaks on the isocratic flow using a short column, further studies are required regarding the proposed method to generate microfluidic devices for nanoLC.

There is a growing body of evidence supporting the significant role of bacterial biofilms in the pathogenesis of various human diseases including cancer. Biofilms are polymicrobial communities enclosed within an extracellular matrix composed of polysaccharides, proteins, extracellular DNA, and lipids. This complex matrix provides protection against antibiotics and host immune responses, enabling the microorganisms to establish persistent infections. Moreover, biofilms induce anti-inflammatory responses and metabolic changes in the host, further facilitating their survival. Many of these changes are comparable to those observed in cancer cells. This review will cover recent research on the role of bacterial biofilms in carcinogenesis, especially in colorectal (CRC) and gastric cancers, emphasizing the shared physical and chemical characteristics of biofilms and cancer. This review will also discuss the interactions between bacteria and the tumor microenvironment, which can facilitate oncogene expression and cancer progression. This information will provide insight into developing new therapies to identify and treat biofilm-associated cancers, such as utilizing bacteria as delivery vectors, using bacteria to upregulate immune function, or more selectively targeting biofilms and cancer for their shared traits.

Background: Relatively little is known and inconclusive about social inequality in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among teenagers in the United States. This study aims to investigate whether there is a social disparity in HPV vaccination among teenagers and if so, whether it can differ by the source of teen vaccination information (parental reports and provider records). 
Methods: We used the data from the 2019 National Immunization Survey-Teen (NIS-Teen; 42,668 teenagers, aged 13-17) including parental reported vaccination status. Among them, 18,877 teenagers had adequate provider reported vaccination records. Two socioeconomic status (SES) measures were used: mother’s education and annual family income. Multivariate logistic analyses were conducted. 
Results: False negatives of parental reports against provider records were more than two times higher (p < 0.001) in low SES teens than in high SES teens. In both SES measures, the proportion of HPV unvaccinated teenagers were lowest in the highest SES level in analyses with parental reports. However, it was the opposite in analyses with provider records. Interestingly, regardless of vaccination information source, the HPV unvaccinated rate was highest in the middle SES teens (>12 years, non-college graduates; and above poverty level, but not > $75K). 
Conclusion: A significant social inequality in HPV vaccination among teenagers exists in the United States. The pattern of social inequality in HPV vaccination can be distorted when only parent reported vaccination information is used.

Biocontrol strategies are gaining tremendous attention with the growing awareness of the irreparable harm caused by the continuous use of synthetic pesticides. This study examines the proteolytic and chitinolytic activities of Bacillus velezensis CE 100 and its termiticidal effect through cuticle degradation. The proteolytic and chitinolytic activities of B. velezensis CE 100 systematically increased with cell growth to the respective peak of 68.3, and 128.3 units/mL after seventh days of inoculation, corresponding with the highest cell growth of 16 x 107 colony forming units (CFU)/mL. The in vitro termiticidal assay showed that B. velezensis CE 100 caused a rapid and high rate of termite mortality with the median lethal time (LT50) of &gt; 1h, and the highest mortality rate of 91.1% and 92.2% recorded at 11h and 12h in the bacterial broth culture and crude enzyme fraction, respectively. In addition to broken setae and deformed sockets, termites treated with the bacterial broth culture exhibited degraded epicuticles, while the crude enzyme fraction caused severe disintegration of both the epicuticle and endocuticle. These results indicate a tremendously higher prospect of B. velezensis CE 100 in the biological control of subterranean termites compared to the previously used entomopathogenic bacteria.

Commiphora molmol myrrh resin extracts, which have different physical properties such as polarity and dielectric constant, were prepared by immersion in extraction solvents (hot water, DMSO, hexane, ethanol, and methanol). Methanolic myrrh resin extracts showed broad antibacterial activity against isolated airborne bacteria. Furanoeudesma-1,3-diene and curzerene, as the main terpenoids in the methanolic myrrh resin extract, were analyzed using GC-MS, and the methanolic myrrh resin extracts were found to have antiviral activity (81.2% viral RNA inhibition) against H1N1 influenza virus. Biochars (wood powder-and rice husk-derived) coated with myrrh resin extracts also showed antiviral activity (22.6% and 24.3% viral RNA inhibition), due to the adsorption of terpenoids onto biochar. Myrrh resin extract using methanol as the extraction solvent is a promising agent with antibacterial and antiviral efficacy, and it can be utilized as a novel material via adsorption onto biochar for air filtration processes, cosmetics, fertilizers, drug delivery, and corrosion inhibition.

Herein, we present the design technique of a resonant rectifier for piezoelectric (PE) energy harvesting. We propose two diode equivalents to reduce the voltage drop in the rectifier operation, a minuscule-drop-diode equivalent (MDDE) and a low-drop-diode equivalent (LDDE). The diode equivalents are embedded in resonant rectifier integrated circuits (ICs), which use symmetric bias-flip to reduce the power wasted for charging and discharging the internal capacitance of a PE transducer. The self-startup function is supported by synchronously generating control pulses for the bias-flip from the PE transducer. Two resonant rectifier ICs, using both MDDE and LDDE, are fabricated in a 0.18 μm CMOS process and their performances are characterized under external and self-power conditions. Under the external-power condition, the rectifier using LDDE delivers an output power POUT of 564 μW and a rectifier output voltage VRECT of 3.36 V with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 90.1%. Under self-power conditions, the rectifier using MDDE delivers a POUT of 288 μW and a VRECT of 2.4 V with a corresponding PCE of 74.6%. The result shows that the power extraction capability of the proposed rectifier is 5.9 and 3.0 times higher than that of a conventional full-bridge rectifier.

This study evaluated the ranking of comprehensibility of the pictograms for judo, taekwondo, boxing, and wrestling used in the six games from the 27th Sydney Olympics in 2000 to the 32nd Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The evaluation was done using the Fuzzy TOPSIS method, one of the multi-criteria decision-making methodologies commonly used in economics and others fields. The results are as follows. The first, pictograms from the 2008 Beijing Olympics ranked first in three sports: taekwondo, boxing, and wrestling, but there were no pictograms that consistently ranked first or sixth in all sports. Second, the result of the sensitivity analysis shows a possibility that the ranking will be reversed if the weight of the evaluation factors changes, but in the 1000-time repetitive prediction, the better the evaluation ranking, the closer the value of the priority ranking to the ideal solution on average even if the weight changes.

In order to investigate both the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying the impacts of organic selenium and nano-selenium on drought stress of Pak Choi (Brassica chinensis var. pekinensis. cv. ‘Suzhouqing’), we measured photosynthetic pigment, antioxidant, nutritional quality, and performed transcriptome sequencing of leaves using RNA-seq technology. Under drought conditions, the beneficial effects of organic selenium and nano-selenium on weight and quality of ‘Suzhouqing’ were primarily manifested in the following aspects. Firstly, there was an enhancement in photosynthetic capacity through upregulation of light-trapping pigment proteins: Lhca1, Lhca2, Lhca3, Lhca4, Lhcb1, Lhcb2, Lhcb3, Lhcb4 and Lhcb5. Secondly, effective regulation of reactive oxygen species homeostasis was achieved by activating the antioxidant system via up-regulation of glutathione S-transferase. Thirdly, water homeostasis was maintained through glutathione oxidase activity. Lastly, increased expression levels of ABC transporter, adenylate kinase and cysteine desulphurase contributed to elevated total selenium content. In addition, we screened hub core genes related to the above key metabolic pathways through Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis. Since the results were consistent with the up-regulated genes identified in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway of differentially expressed genes by transcriptome sequencing analysis, this confirms the accuracy and reliability of the transcriptome sequencing data.

There are two major proposed forms of dark energy: the cosmological constant and the quintessence scalar field. However, the former has the cosmological constant problem and the latter does not have observational evidence to support the theory. In this paper, we propose a dark energy paradigm to solve the cosmological constant problem and to predict lepton masses as evidence. The dark energy paradigm is a unified dark sector that is based on Planck's dimensional analysis, Lambda CDM, energy conservation, and force equilibrium. We find that dark energy can vary from the cosmological constant to the Planck scale. We find that the predicted values of lepton masses based on the dark energy paradigm agree with the observed values to 1% (or within error ranges).

This research intended to report amine-functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) prepared by a simple method for efficient and rapid removal of Reactive Yellow 2 (RY2) from water. EDS analysis showed that the N content increased from 0 to 2.42% and from 2.42 to 8.66% after modification by APTES and PEI, respectively. BET analysis displayed that the specific surface area, average pore size, and total pore volume were reduced from 405.22 to 176.16 m2/g, 39.67 to 6.30 nm, and 4.02 to 0.28 cm3/g, respectively. These results proved that the PEI/APTES-MWCNTs were successfully prepared. pH edge experiment indicated that pH 2 was optimal for RY2 removal. At pH 2 and 25 °C, the time required for adsorption equilibrium was 10, 15, and 180 min at initial concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 mg/L, respectively; and the maximum RY2 uptake calculated by the Langmuir model was 714.29 mg/g. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. 0-0.1 mol/L of NaCl showed negligible effect on RY2 removal by PEI/APTES-MWCNTs. Five adsorption/desorption cycles confirmed the good reusability of PEI/APTES-MWCNTs in RY2 removal. Overall, the PEI/APTES-MWCNTs are a potential and efficient adsorbent for reactive dye wastewater treatment.

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm. It affects young adults more and occurs more frequently in the extremities. ASPS is exceedingly rare in the nasal cavity. We report a case of ASPS in the nasal cavity of a 17-year-old female. Its most striking features included organoid and pseudoalveolar arrangement of tumor cells, which were large and polygonal, with vesicular nuclei and abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm rich in granules. There were PAS-positive, diastase-resistant crystalline rods within the cytoplasm. Our case displayed inapparent pseudoalveolar growth pattern and frank pleomorphism. The diagnosis of ASPS, which presents uncommon morphologic findings in unusual sites, is challenging. Recognition of ASPS is greatly assisted by attention to its characteristic cytological features, including intracytoplasmic crystals and immunohistochemistry showing absence of skeletal muscle, epithelial, and neuroendocrine markers.

Introduction: Given increasing adult use of amphetamine and methylphenidate and their high misuse potential, we examined suspected suicide attempts and other intentional misuse and medical outcomes and their associations with co-used other substances among amphetamine and methylphenidate exposure cases age 50+.Methods: Using the 2015-2021 U.S. National Poison Data System (N=7,701 amphetamine and/or methylphenidate cases), we fit two generalized linear models for a Poisson distribution with log link function, with suspected suicide attempt versus intentional misuse and major medical effect/death versus other outcomes as the dependent variables. Results: Of all amphetamine/methylphenidate exposure cases, suspected suicide attempts and intentional misuse were 28.4% and 13.2%, respectively. Benzodiazepine use was associated with a higher likelihood but any illicit drug use was associated with a lower likelihood of suspected suicide attempts compared to intentional misuse. Type of stimulant involved (amphetamine or methylphenidate) was not significant. Co-use of antidepressants (IRR=1.43, 95% CI=1.16-1.76), prescription opioids (IRR=1.48, 95% CI=1.21-1.81), drugs for cardiovascular disease (IRR=1.51 95% CI=1.20-1.90), antipsychotics (IRR=1.26, 95% CI=1.02-1.55), or illicit drugs (IRR=2.40, 95% CI=1.82-3.15) was associated with a higher likelihood of major effect/death.Conclusions: Suspected suicide attempts or intentional misuse accounted for more than 40% of amphetamine or methylphenidate exposure cases age 50+. The higher likelihood of major effect/death in cases involving antidepressants, antipsychotics, and cardiovascular disease drugs also suggests confounding effects of comorbid mental and physical health problems. Careful monitoring of those who were prescribed amphetamine or methylphenidate and use other substances are needed.

In this work, we report on the first attempt using size-controlled ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) to analyze role of thioacetamide (TAA) in forming ZnS nanostructures from ZnO. The size-controlled B(blue)_, G(green)_, Y(yellow)_ZnO QDs, and NC (nanocrystalline)_ZnO NPs were synthesized by sol-gel process as well as hydrothermal method, respectively and then reacted with an ethanolic TAA solution as sulfur source. After reacting with TAA, the formation of ZnS QDs was observed over time. The chemical reactions were identified using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), UV-vis spectroscopy, and Photoluminescence (PL). All results indicate that ZnS formation is due to direct crystal growth and/or chemical conversion of ZnO to ZnS. Our results enable a broader understanding of the synthetic mechanisms involved in the use of TAA as a sulfur source in forming ZnS nanostructures from ZnO.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, is characterized by disruptions in memory, cognition, and personality, significantly impacting morbidity and mortality rates among older adults. However, the exact pathophysiological mechanism of AD remains unknown, and effective treatment options for AD are still lacking. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are emerging as promising platforms for disease research, offering the ability to model genetic mutations associated with various conditions. Patient-derived iPSCs are useful for modeling neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, we generated AD iPSCs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from a 65-year-old patient with AD carrying the E682K mutation in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene. Cerebral organoids derived from AD iPSCs recapitulated the AD phenotype, exhibiting significantly increased levels of tau protein. Our analysis revealed that an iPSC disease model of AD is a valuable assessment tool for pathophysiological research and drug screening.

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) exhibit self-renewal activity and give rise to other cell types in tumors. Due to the infinite proliferative potential of CSCs, drugs targeting these cells are necessary to completely inhibit cancer development. beta-lapachone (bL) has been widely used to treat cancer development, but its effect on cancer stem cells remain elusive. Thus, we investigated the effect of bL on mammosphere formation using breast cancer stem cell (BCSC) marker positive cells, MDA-MB-231. Methods: MDA-MB-231 Cells, which is negative for NQO1 expression, was constructed to stably express NQO1(NQO1 stable cells) to see the effect of bL. The effect of bL on cells were evaluated by wound healing and Transwell cell culture chambers, and ALDEFLUOR assay. Results: Here, we show that bL inhibited the proliferative ability of mammosphere derived from BCSC marker-positive cells, MDA-MB-231, in an NQO1-dependent manner. bL treatment efficiently downregulated expression level of BCSC markers CD44, ALDH1A1, and DLGAP5 that recently identified as a stem cell proliferation marker in both cultured cells and mammosphered cells. Moreover, bL efficiently downregulates cell proliferation and migration activities. Conclusions: These results strongly suggest that bL could be a therapeutic agent targeting breast cancer stem cells with proper NQO1 expression.

Resection of malignant lesions in the oral and maxillofacial area causes functional and morphological defects. To recover from these defects, reconstruction surgery is needed such as a primary closure or a flap. There are advantages and disadvantages to the method of using the primary closure and the flap, and the choice of procedure is entirely up to a surgeon. The purpose of this study is to evaluate availability of primary closure in patients. For 10 years from January 2010 to May 2020, patients who recovered using flaps after removing malignant lesions from the oral cavity and those who closed the lesion using primary closure were investigated. The investigation was conducted by searching the database of the hospital. There were 85 patients who removed malignant lesions in the oral and maxillofacial area, and among them 16 patients closed the soft tissue defects using primary closure. Operation time, histologic types, stages, wound status, and period of hospitalization according to the patients' medical records were investigated retrospectively. Between the staging and the primary closure, statistically significant differences were observed between stage I and stage II patients in 13 patients using the primary closure. (P=0.046). Statistically significant differences were identified between operation time and primary closure, with an average of 4.02 hours (P=0.015). The average period of hospitality for patients who underwent primary closure was 13.4 days, compared to 26.7 days for those who underwent flap surgery. This difference was statistically significant (P=0.0003). This study evaluated the use of primary closure in patients who underwent resection of malignant lesions in the oral and maxillofacial area. Although the majority of patients underwent reconstruction with flaps, our results showed that primary closure can be a viable option for certain patients with early-stage lesions. Therefore, oral and maxillofacial surgeons should carefully consider various evaluation criteria and select appropriate reconstruction methods to optimize functional and aesthetic outcomes for each patient.

This study investigated the impact of boron and copper on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Spheroidal graphite Cast Iron (SCI). The addition of boron increased the ferrite content, while copper increased the stability of pearlite. The interaction between boron and copper significantly increased the ferrite content. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) revealed that boron decreased the enthalpy change of the α + Fe3C -> γ transformation and increased the enthalpy change of the α -> γ transformation. The addition of boron and copper reduced the tensile and yield strength but increased elongation and impact energy. The findings provide valuable insights into the effect of boron and copper on SCI, facilitating the design and development of high-performance SCI materials.

PEBAX-2533/metal salt/Al salt membranes were prepared for mixed olefin/paraffin separation. PEBAX-2533 with 80% ether group and 20% amide group was suggested as the polymer matrix for comparison of separation performance according to the functional group ratio in copolymer PEBAX. In addition, Al salts were used to stabilize metal ions for a long time as additives. High permeance was expected with the proportion of high ether groups since these functional groups provided relatively permeable regions. As a result, the PEBAX-2533 composite membrane showed a selectivity of 5 (propylene/propane) with 10 GPU. However, the permeance of membrane was not unexpectedly improved and the selectivity was reduced. The result was analyzed by SEM, FT-RAMAN and TGA, including FT-IR. The reduction in separation performance was determined by FT-IR. From these results, in order to stabilize the metal ions interacting with the polymer through Al(NO3)3, it was concluded that specific ratio of amide group was needed in PEBAX as polymer matrix.

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 &lt;0.789 in men and &lt;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.

Since the accident of Fukushima Nuclear Power plant in 2011, people have been more interested in radiation safety in life. This study investigated the level of exact recognition of 6 warning pictograms enacted and utilized as per Korea Industrial Regulation in relation to medical &amp; natural radiation safety at this time. Unless people recognize pictogram prepared for radiation safety correctly in accordance with its purpose, safety would be severely intimidated. The result of corroboratively analyzing recognition of radiation safety pictogram is as follows. First, some 63.3% of respondents negatively responded on understanding 6 pictograms related to radiation in life, showing low level of understanding. Second, the average mark of correct response on the questions asking the meaning of 6 pictograms presented in relation to radiation safety in life was 2.79 point (standard deviation 1.447 point), which was relatively low. As seen above, the level of recognition &amp; comprehension is low, because education related to life radiation safety in the school is insufficient and the present warning pictogram established by Korea Industrial Regulation needs to be revised &amp; supplemented. This study is meaningful in that the method of using pictogram is presented as one of diverse efforts to improve life radiation safety.

In recent years, frequent occurrences of low temperature disasters due to global climate change have significantly impacted the normal growth of crops. Research has indicated that inorganic selenium (which is more toxic) can not only enhance the effects of low temperature stress but also increase selenium content on plants; however, there is a scarcity of studies investigating the impacts of organic selenium and nano-selenium on crops. In order to investigate whether organic selenium and nano-selenium can enhance low-temperature tolerance and increase selenium content in pak choi (Brassica chinensis var. pekinensis. cv. ‘Suzhouqing’), different concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20 mg L-1) of exogenous selenium were applied in this experiment to assess their effects on plant growth, nutritional quality and antioxidant properties. RNA-Seq technology was used to sequence the transcriptome of the leaves. Based on the transcriptome data, a Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) was employed to construct a network that associates with physiological traits related to stress resistance. Two highly correlated gene co-expression modules were identified, and within them, nine hub genes associated with endocytosis, antioxidant stress, absorption, transport, and metabolism of selenium were discovered. The results indicated that the beneficial effects on yield and total selenium content under low temperature were attributed to (1) protection of photosynthetic pigments for enhancing photosynthetic capacity by the up-regulation of LHca2, LHcb1, LHca1, LHcb4 in KEGG pathway: photosynthesis-antenna proteins; (2) activation of antioxidant system for efficient ROS homeostasis such as SOD, POD and CAT by the genes such as Superoxide dismutase, Monodehydroascorbate and (3) selenium absorption by endocytosis, seleninum transportation by ABC transporter gene family and selenium metabolism related genes such as Cysteine synthase, Glutaredoxin. These findings provide a foundation for further investigation into the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of organic selenium and nano-selenium on cyanochloride production at low temperatures.

Many studies on magnetorheological fluid (MRF) have been carried out over last three decades several salient advantages such as fast phase change, easy control of the yield stress and so forth. Especially, several review articles of MRF technology have been reported for last two decades summarizing the development of MRFs and their applications. As specific examples, the review articles including the optimization of the particles and carrier liquid to achieve minimum off-state viscosity and maximum yield stress at on-state, the formulation of many constitutive models in-cluding Casson model and Herschel-Bulkley (H-B) model, the sedimentation enhancement using additives and nanosized particles, many types of dampers for automotive suspension and civil structures, medical and rehabilitation devices, MRF polishing technology, the methods of mag-netic circuit design, and the synthesis of various controllers have been published. More recently, the effect of the temperature and thermal conductivity on the properties of MRFs and application systems are actively being investigated by several works. However, there is no review article on this issue so far despite of that the thermal problem is one of crucial factors to be seriously con-sidered for the development of advanced MRFs and commercial products of application systems. In this work, studies on the thermal conductivity and temperature in MRFs themselves and tem-perature-dependent application systems are reviewed, respectively, and principal results are summarized emphasizing on the followings: how to reduce the temperature effect on the field-dependent properties of MRFs and how to design application system to minimize the thermal effect. It is noted here that the review summary is organized in a chronological format using tables.

Low night temperature (LNT) can be a practical and economical target in tomato breeding programs in terms of energy saving in greenhouses. This study was conducted to investigate the physiological responses to LNT using four tomato accessions of cherry and large fruit types with LNT tolerance and sensitivity grown in two greenhouses with night temperature set-points of 10 and 15°C for heating. LNT significantly reduced plant height regardless of fruit types and LNT tolerance. The number of flowers were significantly reduced in 10°C in cherry but not in large fruit types. Fruit set in 10°C was significantly lower in LNT sensitive accessions than tolerant ones regardless of fruit types, which was due to abnormal flower morphology in 10°C. Proline accumulation patterns between 10 and 15°C significantly differed between fruit types as well as between LNT tolerant and sensitive accessions. Chlorophyll content in 10 °C was significantly higher at later growth stages in LNT tolerant accessions than sensitive ones in both fruit types. No clear difference in photosynthetic parameters was observed between fruit types or tolerance and sensitive accessions except for photosynthetic rate, which was significantly lower in tolerant than sensitive accessions during early growing period. These results suggest that different tomato fruit types may have different mechanisms for LNT tolerance.

Rammed earth in a built environment has vapor diffusion characteristics and humidity control ability each of which are respectively attributed to the porous structures and the hydrophilic properties. Indeed, these structures and properties, which allows easily absorbing water parti-cles, hence, affecting the durability of a rammed earth wall. This paper presents the water repel-lency method for rammed earth walls which synthesizes siloxane copolymers containing fluo-rine. The water-repellent properties are investigated by measuring the contact angle, water ab-sorption rate, and compressive strength after spray coating with the synthesized siloxane co-polymers on the surface of the rammed earth specimens under study. The water contact angle of the specimen coated with a siloxane copolymer containing 10 mol.% of a silane monomer with a fluorine group is about 140o. The water absorption of the specimen obtained after immersing in water for 24 hours is low at about 3.5 wt.%. In addition, the compressive strength is remained more than 80% of the corresponding strength of the specimen which is not immersed into water. It is confirmed that the use of a 10% by volume of the siloxane copolymer containing the fluo-rine group may assure the water-repellent performance and the economic competitiveness.

Cathepsin D (CatD; EC 3.4.23.5) family peptidases of parasitic organisms are regarded as potential drug targets as they play critical roles in the physiology and pathobiology of parasites. Previously, we characterized the biochemical features of cathepsin D isozyme 2 (CatD2) in the carcinogenic liver fluke Clonorchis sinensis (CsCatD2). In this study, we performed all-atomic molecular dynamics simulations by applying different systems for the ligand-free/bound forms under neutral and acidic conditions to investigate the pH-dependent structural alterations and associated functional changes in CsCatD2. CsCatD2 showed several distinctive characteristics as follows: 1) CsCatD2-inhibitor complex formed more hydrogen bonds; 2) acidic pH caused major conformational transitions from open to closed state in this enzyme; 3) neutral pH induced displacement of the N-terminal part to hinder the accessibility of the active site and open allosteric site of this enzyme; and 4) the flap dynamics metrics, including distance (d1), TriCα angles (θ1 and θ2), and dihedral angle (ϕ), account for the asymmetrical twisting motion of the active site of this enzyme. These findings provide an in-depth understanding of the pH-dependent structural dynamics of CsCatD2 and basic information for the rational design of an inhibitor as a drug targeting CsCatD2.

This study investigated the physical properties of section-restoration mortar with calcium nitrite and carbon dioxide (CO2) nanobubble mixing water to develop materials and methods for the repair and reinforcement of cracks in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. As the calcium nitrite content increased, the generation rate and generated amount of nitrite-based hydration products increased, owing to the rapid reaction between NO2- ions in calcium nitrite and C3A(Al2O3). Further, the reaction with C3S and C2S was accelerated, thereby increasing the generation rates of Ca(OH)2 and C-S-H. Further, the large amount of Ca2+ ions in these hydration products reacted with CO32- ions in CO2 nanobubble water, thereby increasing the generation of calcite-based CaCO3 in the cement matrix. This appears to have affected the strength development and durability improvement via the densification of the structure. These results suggest that the performance of polymer cement mortar for repairing concrete structures can be improved if calcium nitrite and CO2 nanobubble water are properly combined and applied.

In traditional oriental medicine, carrots (Daucus carota L.) are considered effective medicinal herbs; however, the use of D. carota leaves (DGL) as therapeutic agents has not been explored in depth. Therefore, we aimed to demonstrate the value of DGL, generally treated as waste while developing plants for wide industrial availability. Six flavone glycosides were isolated and identified from DGL, and their constituents were identified and quantitated using an NMR and HPLC/UV method, which was optimized and validated. The structure of chrysoeriol-7-rutinoside from DGL was elucidated for the first time. The method exhibited adequate relative standard deviation (&lt;1.89%) and recovery (94.89–105.97%). The deglycosylation of DGL flavone glycosides by Viscozyme L and Pectinex was assessed. Upon converting the reaction contents to percentages, the luteolin, apigenin, and chrysoeriol groups showed values of 85.8, 33.1, and 88.7%, respectively. The enzyme-treated DGL had a higher inhibitory effect on TNF-α and IL-2 expression than that of the carrot roots or carrot leaves without enzyme treatments. These results highlight the importance of carrot leaves and could be used as baseline standardization data for commercial development.

Silica aerogels and their derivatives have outstanding thermal properties with exceptional values in the thermal insulation industry. However, the brittle nature restricts its large-scale commercialization. Thus, enhancing their mechanical strength without affecting their thermal insulating properties is essential. Therefore, for the first time, highly thermally stable Poly(acrylamide-Co-acrylic acid) partial sodium salt is used as a reinforcing polymer to synthesize hybrid P(AAm-CO-AAc)-silica aerogels via epoxy ring-opening polymerization in the present study. Functional groups in P(AAm-CO-AAc) partial sodium salts, such as CONH2 and COOH, acted as nucleophiles for the epoxy ring-opening reaction with (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane, which resulted in a seven-fold enhancement in mechanical strength compared to that of a pristine silica aerogel while maintaining the thermal conductivity at less than 30.6 mW/mK and porosity of more than 93.68%. Moreover, the hybrid P(AAm-CO-AAc)-silica aerogel demonstrated improved thermal stability up to 343 ⁰C owing to the synergetic effect between P(AAm-CO-AAc) and the silica aerogel, corresponding to thermal stability and strong covalent bonding among them. These excellent results illustrate that this new synthetic approach for producing hybrid P(AAm-CO-AAc)-silica aerogels is useful for enhancing the mechanical strength of a pristine silica aerogel without impairing its thermal insulating property and shows potential as an industrial heat insulation material.

FMD is a highly contagious animal disease that occurs in cloven-hoofed animals including pigs. To prevent FMD, vaccines and adjuvants are used to induce an immune response, but it is not sufficient to show the effect of preventing viral infection. In this study, we conducted to evaluate the increasing effect of FMD vaccine SP antibody by administrating Zn-ASP to 100 pigs from three test pig farms with feed. FMD vaccine antibody titer and immunological index were analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, and hematological and blood biochemical parameters were analyzed using an automatic blood analyzer. The titer of FMD vaccine SP antibody in the 0.2% Zn-ASP-administered group significantly increased compared to that in the positive control group only injected with FMD vaccine at 4 weeks after the first vaccination and at 4, 8 and 16 weeks after the second vaccination, respectively (p&lt;0.05). The FMD vaccine SP antibody positive rate was 100% until shipment. IFN-γ and IgA were significantly increased by Zn-ASP administration 4 weeks after the first vaccination and 4 weeks after the second vaccination (p&lt;0.05). On the other hand, serum AST, and CPK (p&lt;0.001) were significantly decreased by Zn-ASP. Our results show that the administration of Zn-ASP is effective in enhancing the antibody titer and immunity of the FMD vaccine by FMD vaccination, and it is thought that it can be used as an oral adjuvant (OrAd) to prevent viral diseases such as FMD.

Effective oral care is important to maintain a high quality of life. Therefore, plaque control can prevent the development and recurrence of periodontitis. Brushing with a toothbrush and toothpaste is a common way to remove plaque; however, excessive brushing or brushing with abrasive toothpaste can cause wear and tear on the dental crown. Hence, we aimed to quantitatively compare the plaque-removal efficiency and tooth wear of toothbrushes using bioelectric effect (BE) with those of mechanical electric toothbrushes. To generate the BE signal, an electronic circuit was developed and embedded in a toothbrush. Further, typodonts were coated with cultured artificial plaques and placed in a brushing simulator. A toothpaste slurry was applied, and the typodonts were eluted with tap water after brushing. The plaques of the typodonts were captured, and the images were quantified. For the tooth wear experiment, polymethyl methacrylate disk resin blocks were brushed twice a day, and the thickness of the samples was measured. Subsequently, statistical differences between the experimental toothbrushes and typical toothbrushes were analyzed. The BE toothbrush had a higher plaque-removal efficiency and could minimize tooth wear. This study suggests that the application of BE may be a new solution for oral care.

Background: To examine the association between income levels and mortality rates in patients with chronic kidney disease. Methods: We analyzed data obtained from 3,172 patients with chronic kidney disease obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance claims database (2003–2009). Each patient was monitored until December 2010 or until death, whichever came first. Individual income was estimated from the national health insurance premium. Information on mortality was obtained from the Korean National Statistical Office. Cox proportional hazard models were used to compare mortality rates between different income groups after adjusting for possible confounding risk factors. Results: A low income was significantly associated with a high mortality rate after adjusting for covariates (adjusted HR 1.298 [1.082–1.556]). In addition, dialysis patients who had low incomes were more likely to have higher mortality rates compared to those in dialysis patients who had high incomes (adjusted HR 1.528 [1.122–2.082]). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that chronic kidney disease patients with low incomes have the highest mortality risk. Promotion of targeted policies and priority health services for patients with low incomes may help reduce the mortality rate in this vulnerable group.

Genus Clematis is one of the largest within Ranunculaceae. Here we report the chloroplast genome of two Clematis species, C. brachyura and C. trichotoma endemic to Korea. The chloroplast genome lengths of C. brachyura and C. trichotoma are 159,532 bp and 159,170 bp, respectively. Gene contents in the complete chloroplast genomes of these two Clematis species are identical to that of most Ranunculaceae and other angiosperms. However, our data results demonstrated that genus Clematis has inversion and rearrangement events concerning gene rps4 gene, rps16 to trnH region, and trnL to ndhC region, and IR regions expansion. Comparison of IR regions among Ranunculaceae species revealed that Clematis species contained six protein coding genes (infA, rps8, rpl14, rpl16, rps3, and rpl22) usually found in the long single copy (LSC) region of other species. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that genus Clematis is closely related to genus Ranunculus. Differences in repeat structure, substitution rates, and IR expansion in genera Clematis and Ranunculus, explained their relationship. Clematis species showed slightly higher tandem repeats content than Ranunculus species. The six protein-coding genes showed lower synonymous substitution rates in the IR of Clematis species than in the LSC of Ranunculus species. Overall, the chloroplast genomes and results presented here provide important information on the evolution of Ranunculaceae.

This study employs the FLACS code to analyze hydrogen leakage, vapor dispersion, and subsequent explosions. Utilizing pseudo-source models, a liquid pool model, and a hybrid model combining both, we investigate dispersion processes for varying leak mass flow rates (0.225 kg/s and 0.73 kg/s) in a large open space. We also evaluate explosion hazards based on overpressure and impulse effects on humans. The computational results, compared with experimental data, demonstrated reasonable hydrogen vapor cloud concentration predictions, especially aligned with the wind direction. For higher mass flow rate of 0.73 kg/s, the pseudo-source model and hybrid model proved appropriate, while the liquid pool model was more suitable for lower mass flow rate of 0.225 kg/s. Regarding explosion analyses using overpressure-impulse diagram, higher mass flow rates leaded to potentially fatal overpressure and impulse effects on humans. However, lower mass flow rates may cause severe eardrum damage at the maximum overpressure point.

This study reports the recovery of Pd(II) from acid solution by a polyethylenimine (PEI) crosslinked chitin (PEI-chitin) biosorbent. FE-SEM analysis demonstrated that there are many slot-like pores on PEI-chitin. N2 adsorption-desorption experiment revealed that the average pore size was 47.12 nm. Elemental analysis verified the successful crosslinking of PEI with raw chitin. The Langmuir model better explained the isotherm experimental data and the theoretical maximum Pd(II) uptake was 59.6 mg/g. The adsorption kinetic data was better described by pseudo-second-order model and the adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 30 min for all initial Pd(II) concentrations of 50-200 mg/L. In the fixed-bed column, the adsorption of Pd(II) on PEI-chitin showed slow breakthrough and fast saturation performance. The desorption experiments achieved a concentration factor of 8.4 ± 0.4. In addition, adsorption-desorption cycles in the fixed-bed column were performed up to 3 times, consequently confirming the good reusability of PEI-chitin for Pd(II) recovery. Therefore, the PEI-chitin can be used as a promising biosorbent for the recovery of Pd(II) in practical applications.

Understanding the mechanism for heat tolerance is important for the hot pepper breeding program to develop heat-tolerant cultivars in changing climate. This study was conducted to investigate physiological and biochemical parameters related to heat tolerance and to determine leaf heat damage levels critical for selecting heat-tolerant genotypes. Seedlings of two commercial cultivars, heat-tolerant ‘NW Bigarim’ (NB) and susceptible ‘Chyung Yang’ (CY), were grown in 42 °C for ten days. Photosynthesis, electrolyte conductivity, proline content were measured among seedlings during heat treatment. Photosynthetic rate was significantly reduced in ‘CY’ but not in ‘NB’ seedlings in 42 °C. Stomatal conductivity and transpiration rate was significantly higher in ‘NB’ than ‘CY’. Proline content was also significantly higher in ‘NB’. After heat treatment, leaf heat damages were determined as 0, 25, 50 and 75% and plants with different leaf heat damages were moved to a glasshouse (30–32/22–24 °C in day/night). The growth and developmental parameters were investigated until 70 days. ‘NB’ was significantly affected by leaf heat damages only in fruit yield while ‘CY’ was in fruit set, number and yield. ‘NB’ showed fast recovery after heat stress compared to ‘CY’. These results suggest that constant photosynthetic rate via increased transpiration rate as well as high proline content in heat stress condition confer faster recovery from heat damage of heat-tolerant cultivars in seedlings stages.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICCA) is a malignant epithelial neoplasm characterized by biliary differentiation within the liver. ICCA is molecularly heterogeneous and exhibits a broad spectrum of histopathological features. It is a highly aggressive carcinoma with high mortality and poor survival rates. ICCAs are classified into two main subtypes: small duct type and large duct types. These two tumor types have different cell origins and clinicopathological features. ICCAs are characterized by numerous molecular alterations, including mutations in KRAS, TP53, IDH1/2, ARID1A, BAP1, BRAF, SAMD4, and EGFR, and FGFR2 fusion. Two main molecular subtypes–inflammation and proliferation–have been proposed. Recent advances in high-throughput assays using next-generation sequencing have improved our understanding of ICCA pathogenesis and molecular genetics. The diagnosis of ICCA poses a significant challenge for pathologists because of its varied morphologies and phenotypes. Accurate diagnosis of ICCA is essential for effective patient management and prognostic determination. This article provides an updated overview of ICCA pathology, focusing particularly on molecular features, histological subtypes, and diagnostic approaches.

Hybrid fiber reinforced composites can be controlled by price, weight and various mechanical properties depending on fiber ratio and lamination method. Despite these excellent hybrid properties, there is a disadvantage that inter-laminar fracture due to external impact, which is the biggest weakness of fiber reinforced composite materials, is weak. The test specimens were prepared by using a vacuum bag method, which is manufactured by using an autoclave device. The pre-preg is manufactured in the form of a B-stage. In the process of fabricating the nanoparticle pre-preg, the homogeneizer using an ultrasonic wave was used to disperse the epoxy subject without the curing agent into nanoparticles. The dispersion of the nanoparticles was dispersed by the weight of the epoxy resin. This is to take into account the cohesion of HNT and to understand the range of cohesion of HNT in a matrix with viscosity and its phenomenon. According to the Comparison of the interlayer interfacial properties and mechanical properties of Aramid / Basalt fiber hybrid composites by HNT addition, the fracture toughness, ILSS and bending strength of specimens with HNT content of more than a certain level were decreased because of the aggregation of HNT.

This paper describes some of the challenges that need to be addressed in order to develop collaborative spectrum sharing systems. The importance of these challenges stems from the assumption that rules for spectrum sharing can change after the deployment of radio networks and the whole system must be able to adapt to them. To address such a requirement, we used a policy-based approach in which transmissions are controlled by a policy interpreter system, and the policies can be modified during system operation. Our primary goal was to develop a prototype of such a system. In this paper, we outline the implementation of policy interpretation, automatic generation of transmission opportunities in case a request for transmission is denied by the policy reasoner, and the generation of rendezvous channels for the synchronization of otherwise asynchronously running software defined radios.

This review explores the field of retreatment strategies for the cases filled with calcium silicate-based root canal sealers. Since the introduction of calcium silicate-based materials in dentistry, calcium silicate-based root canal sealers have become popular among dentists because of their biocom- patibility, bioactivity, and sealing ability. Therefore, effective retreatment strategies are indispensable. This article aims to identify the challenges associated with the removal of calcium silicate-based sealers itself and gutta-percha with the sealers during retreatment, evaluate current techniques and materials, and provide future directions for research in this field. Regarding the strategies of removal of root canal sealers, calcium silicate-based sealers are still relatively new materials for clinicians compared with the traditional sealers such as epoxy- or eugenol-based sealers. First, no clinically established solvents have been reported. Second, calcium silicate-based sealers are currently utilized by clinicians in either cold sealer-based technique or warm vertical condensation technique. Third, the setting process of calcium silicate-based sealers generates byproducts primarily calcium hydroxide and secondarily hydroxyapatite, which could interact with dentine. Lastly, there is a lack of clinical studies evaluating the efficacy of retreatment protocols for teeth filled with calcium silicate-based sealers. Therefore, it is important to investigate chemo-mechanical properties of calcium silicate- based sealers itself and their reactions to solvents and/or mechanical instruments, and identify the interfacial properties of calcium silicate-based sealers in respect to dentine and gutta-percha. In addition, researchers in clinical field need to actively gather and report data on retreatments of teeth filled with calcium silicate-based sealers.

Arthroscopic capsular release (ACR) is used for persistent shoulder stiffness after an index surgery. No cases of post-ACR humeral head osteonecrosis have been reported to date. A 56-year-old male patient underwent open reduction and internal fixation using a hook plate for acromioclavicular joint dislocation. Despite hardware removal, the patient presented with unresolved shoulder pain and range-of-motion (ROM) limitation. He had a history of hypertension, chronic hepatitis B infection, and alcohol consumption. Preoperative ROM was forward flexion 90°and internal rotation sacral level. Preoperative functional status was visual analog scale (VAS) score 4, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score 51, and Constant–Murley (CMS) score 48, and normal radiography and magnetic resonance imaging. Standard ACR was performed with 360° release of the joint capsule via electrocautery ablation. Six-months post-ACR, ROM (forward flexion: 135°, abduction: 135°, external rotation: 70°, internal rotation: T10 vertebra) and functional outcomes (VAS 2; ASES79; CMS 75) were significantly improved, without interval change in radiographic assessment. However, 21 months later, he had recurrent shoulder pain and decreased ROM. Radiography revealed humeral head osteonecrosis. Patients with intrinsic or extrinsic risk factors related to humeral head circulation disturbance should be monitored for humeral head osteonecrosis post-ACR.

In industrial settings, gears play a crucial role by assisting various machinery functions such as speed control, torque manipulation, and altering motion direction.The malfunction or failure of these gear components can have serious repercussions, resulting in production halts and financial losses. As a result, there is an increasing requirement to monitor the state of these components in order to avoid such issues from occurring. To address this need, research efforts have focused on early defect detection in gears in order to reduce the impact of possible failures. This study focused on analyzing vibration and thermal datasets from two extruder machine gearboxes using an autoencoder Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model. The major goal is to implement an outlier detection approach to detect and classify defects. The results of this study highlighted the extraordinary performance of the Autoencoder LSTM model, which achieved an impressive accuracy rate of 94.42% in recognizing malfunctioning gearboxes within the extruder machine system. Furthermore, the study used a thorough global metrics evaluation methodology to further test the model’s dependability and efficacy, consequently substantiating the proposed approach’s validity.

As broiler farming facilities have become larger and more concentrated in response to external environmental changes, there is a possibility of increased concentrations of fine dust and aerosols inside these facilities due to enclosure. In particular, workers are exposed to high concentrations of organic particulate matter and harmful gases while performing their tasks, and as they age, they become more vulnerable to respiratory diseases. It is essential to directly monitor the concen-trations to which workers are exposed, along with the spatial distribution of aerosols inside broiler house. In this study, we analyzed the regional aerosol concentrations using passive samplers in commercial tunnel-ventilated broiler farms. Simultaneously, we employed active samplers at the height of the workers' breathing zones to monitor real-time aerosol concentrations by particle size along their work routes. Spatial aerosol concentrations generally increased from the inlet to the exhaust in the breathing zone. The average aerosol concentrations were TSP -1,042 µg/m³, PM-10 718 µg/m³, and PM-2.5 137 µg/m³. To analyze the workers' exposure environments, we categorized the tasks in the barn into Static work period (SWP) and Moving work period (MWP) based on video analysis. The results showed that during MWP, fine dust concentrations exceeded the standards by up to 214%. Particularly, during MWP, the concentrations were 1.74 times higher for TSP, 1.40 times higher for PM-10, and 1.22 times higher for PM-2.5 compared to SWP. It was observed that during the movement of workers, physical generation of particles around 10 µm, such as feces, feed, and bedding, occurred due to the movement of chicken, which influenced the aerosol concentration.

Many farms utilize closed-type livestock systems to enhance productivity and facilitate effective environmental management. However, the confined nature of these closed spaces poses an increased risk of exposure to harmful gases and organic dust for both workers and livestock. Additionally, the introduction of outside air through ventilation systems can lead to temperature fluctuations within the breeding environment, resulting in potential productivity issues. This research paper employs computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to develop ventilation operation management plans that address both the working environment and the breeding environment simultaneously. The proposed plans are designed to be easily implemented in practical farm settings. The findings of this study, based on simulation analysis, indicate that while ventilation is effective in reducing harmful gases and improving the working environment, its efficiency decreases after the initial 3 minutes of operation. Furthermore, uncontrolled ventilation can cause sudden temperature changes, which may adversely affect the well-being of the livestock. However, when upgraded ventilation structures are implemented, significant improvements in the working environment (an average of 27.3% improvement) can be achieved while maintaining temperature stability for the livestock. These results highlight the importance of referring to the provided ventilation operation management table before commencing work, as it enables workers to improve the working environment while minimizing the potential impact of ventilation on the breeding environment.

In previous researches, Job Crafting questionnaire to develop is consists of 3 factors which are Task Crafting, Cognitive Crafting, and Relationship Crafting with 12 to 17 items. The purpose of study is to develop JCQ for leisure sports instructor of Korean. 274 valid samples are used for analysis. Data collecting is purposeful sampling. At result, for Korean Sports Instructor Job Crafting Scale is constructed 3 factors with 12 items is constructed by 3 step procedure. KSIJCQ is confirmed on convergent discriminant validity evidence. In conclusion, KSIJCQ is a valid scale of the measuring and distributes Job Crafting of generalization in sports.

The degradation of Proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) gasket materials is crucial in electric vehicles as it can cause hazardous hydrogen fuel leaks, which are usually due to high temperatures, pressures, and hydrogen fuel exposure. Degradation of gasket materials in PEMFC presents a critical concern for electric vehicle safety due to potential hydrogen fuel leaks. This study utilizes finite element analysis (FEA) to assess the suitability of gasket materials for PEMFC applications, focusing on aging and tensile conditions. The dual degradation framework, incorporating contact pressure and von Mises stress, is employed to evaluate Liquid Silicon Rubber (LSR) and Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) materials. Under aging techniques, the Yeoh model exhibits the least Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and computational cost of 0.27 seconds, while the Ogden model records the highest computational cost of 0.89 seconds. In evaluating MAE, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and R-squared metrics, LSR and EPDM materials demonstrate respective averages of 0.25%, 0.275%, 0.945%, and 0.815%, 0.685%, 0.77%. Tensile testing (Uniaxial) reveals RMSE and MAE values of 0.30%, 0.40%, and 0.50%, 0.40%, respectively. FEA proves instrumental in identifying suitable gasket materials for PEMFC applications. LSR emerges as the superior choice, demonstrating enhanced FEA modelling performance under aging and tensile conditions. These findings contribute valuable insights to the design and development of improved gasket materials, bolstering the safety and reliability of electric vehicles.

The global shrimp farming industry is impacted by various infectious diseases, leading to marked production losses. Virulent Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains (VPAHPND) and other Vibrio species cause acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) in shrimp. We isolated a binary toxin PirA/B-bearing V. campbellii strain (HJ-2023) from a Korean shrimp farm. The biochemical characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility of HJ-2023 were analyzed and compared to those of PirA/B-bearing VPAHPND. Non-AHPND-causing V. campbellii was the control. The pathogenicity of each strain was analyzed in white-leg shrimp. Phylogenetic analysis classified the isolated HJ-2023 strain as V. campbellii. Biochemical tests confirmed distinct properties of HJ-2023, compared to the genetically similar V. harveyi group. The AHPND-causing toxin gene of HJ-2023 showed 100% similarity to the rpoD gene of VCAHPND. An antibiotic disc susceptibility test indicated that HJ-2023 showed resistance to ampicillin, clindamycin, lincomycin, and erythromycin, which is effective against gram-positive bacteria, and showed weak sensitivity to gentamycin. Furthermore, HJ-2023 was 25% less toxic than VPAHPND but could be lethal during aquaculture-related outbreaks. These results highlight the complexity and virulence of AHPND-causing strains through multiple pathways and confirm the pathogenicity of V. campbellii, which increases the risk posed by AHPND to shrimp aquaculture. Our findings could help prevent AHPND.

In this work, we report the electric energy storage properties of (1-x)Bi0.5(Na0.8K0.2)0.5TiO3-xBi0.2Sr0.7TiO3 (BNKT-BST; x = 0.15-0.50) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics enhanced via a domain engineering method. A rhombohedral–tetragonal phase, the formation of highly dynamic PNRs, and a dense microstructure are confirmed from XRD, Raman vibrational spectra, and microscopic investigations. The relative dielectric permittivity (2664 at 1 kHz) and loss factor (0.058) were gradually improved with BST (x=0.45). The incorporation of BST into BNKT can disturb the long-range ferroelectric order, lowering the dielectric maximum temperature Tm and inducing the formation of highly dynamic polar nano-regions. In addition, the Tm shifts toward high temperature with frequency and a diffuse phase transition, indicating relaxor ferroelectric characteristics of BNKT-BST ceramics, which is confirmed by the modified Curie Weiss law (γ=1.83). The rhombohedral–tetragonal phase, fine grain size, and lowered Tm with relaxor properties synergistically contribute to a high recoverable energy density Wrec of 0.81 J/cm3 and a high energy efficiency η of 86.95% at 90 kV/cm for x = 0.45.

This paper addresses a method to transmit streaming data via rolling shutter camera-based optical camera communications (OCC). Since the amount of data that can be contained within one frame is limited, and the continuity of received data cannot be guaranteed due to OCC environmental variations, we introduce the concept of dividing the streaming data into several fragmented sets that are transmitted sequentially. We propose a superframe to contain sequential packets of fragmented data and corresponding indexes, so that sequential packets for streaming data can be continuously collected. When redundant frame transmission is considered, any packet lost due to OCC environmental conditions can be recovered. Experimental results show that the proposed method can be successfully used to transmit streaming data, with the number of redundant frames required to acquire all data packets based on image resolution. In addition, we describe how to identify missing packets from a network point of view to reduce the number of redundant frames needed to acquire all the data. This paper presents baseline results of communication performance when sending streaming data via a rolling shutter-based OCC.

This paper presents the perspective that universe is relative. The universe, which changes according to the traveler’s proper time, is dynamic. While the universe generally expands, it could also contract if traveler accelerates sufficiently. The Hubble parameter merely represents that change. If the Hubble parameter is dependent on the proper time, the measurement can only be uncertain. Identifying the factors that influence the proper time could potentially lead to a more accurate measurement of the universe’s age, and it could also offer insights into the state of the early universe and the causes of the accelerated expansion observed in the current epoch.

The output of non-ferrous metal smelters is 450,000 tons (3.1% of world output), and copper ranks 10th in the world for health impact evaluation. According to the latest information from smelters, the overall average concentration in 2020 was 8.2 ppb each of SO2, NO2, O3, PM10, and PM2.5. 7.5 ppb, 30.8 ppb, 21.3 μg/m3, and 13.2 μg/m3, and the maximum concentrations were 390 ppb, 50 ppb, 167 ppb, 148 μg/m3, and 107 μg/m3. Art Corporation, A2C (Atmosphere to CFD) model was used to investigate the resident health follow-up management (cohort study) study (SAS Enterprise Guide) as the basis for the source of diffuse pollution in the area. The average concentration of PAHs (polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons) among carcinogens in the air by survey site was the highest in Seokpo 4-ri (60.7 ng/m3), followed by Seokpo 1-ri (48.6 ng/m3) and Seokpo. Among the respiratory diseases, the disease (Acute upper respiratory tract disease(J00-J06), Other upper respiratory tract diseases (J32-J39), Acute lower respiratory tract infection (excluding pneumonia) (J20-J22), Chronic lower respiratory disease (persons) (excluding J40-J47, J45-J46), Asthma (J45-J46), Rhinitis (J30-J31), Respiratory disease (J00-J99), Cough (R05)) that has a correlation between the exposed area and the control area is as follows.

Wi-Fi tethering using a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone or a tablet) as a hotspot for other devices has become a common practice. Despite the potential benefits of Wi-Fi tethering, the open source nature of mobile operating systems (e.g., Google Android) can be abused by a selfish device to manipulate channel-access parameters to gain an unfair advantage in throughput performance. This can cause serious performance problems within a well-planned Wi-Fi network due to an unauthorized selfish or misconfigured tethering device interfering with nearby well-planned access points (APs). In this paper, we demonstrate that the selfish behavior of a tethering node that adjusts the clear channel assessment (CCA) threshold has strong adverse effects in a multi-AP network, while providing the selfish node a high throughput gain. To mitigate this problem, we present a passive online detection scheme that identifies the network condition and detects selfish tethering nodes with high accuracy by exploiting the packet loss information of on-going transmissions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first research to consider the problem of detecting a selfish tethering node in managed Wi-Fi networks.

Graphene materials synthesized using direct laser writing (laser-induced graphene; LIG) are fa-vorable sensor materials because of their large surface area, ease of fabrication, and cost effec-tiveness. In particular, LIG decorated with metal nanoparticles (NPs) has been used in various sensors, including chemical sensors and electronic and electrochemical biosensors. However, the effect of metal decoration on LIG sensors remains controversial; hypotheses based on computa-tional simulations do not always match experimental results, and even experimental results re-ported by different researchers have not been consistent. In the present study, we explored the effects of metal decorations on LIG gas sensors, with NO2 and NH3 gases as representative oxi-dizing and reducing agents, respectively. To eliminate unwanted side effects arising from metal salt residues, metal NPs were directly deposited by vacuum evaporation. Although the gas sen-sitivities of the sensors deteriorate upon metal decoration irrespective of the metal work function in the case of NO2 gas, they improve upon metal decoration in the case of NH3 exposure. A careful investigation of the chemical structure and morphology of the metal NPs in the LIG sensors shows that the spontaneous oxidation of metal NPs with a low work function changes the be-havior of the LIG gas sensors and that the sensor behaviors under NO2 and NH3 gases follow different principles.

Over recent years, the swine industry has witnessed the withdrawal of antibiotics and continuous regulation of zinc and copper oxides in the early-life nutrition of piglets. Due to this development, alternative ingredients or additives from plant sources have been tremendously explored. Therefore, this study's objective was to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with tannins on weaned piglets’ growth performance, serum antioxidant capacity, and immune status using a meta-analysis approach. With only the inclusion of non-challenged weaned piglets, a total of 16 studies with parameters of interest were deemed eligible after a two-step screening process following a comprehensive literature search in the scientific databases of Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Two main categories of data, including the study’s characteristics and response variables (growth performance, serum antioxidant, and immune indices), were extracted. Applying the random-effects models, Hedges’ g effect size of supplementation with tannins was calculated using the R software to determine the standardized mean difference (SMD) at a 95% confidence interval. Sub-group analysis and meta-regression further explored heterogeneity (PSMD 0.05, I2 50%, n ≥10). Supplementation with tannin reduced average daily gain (p = 0.20) and feed conversion ratio (p 0.01); however, it increased average daily feed intake (p = 0.07) and final body weight (p 0.01). Meta-regression models indicated that tannin dosage and supplementation duration were directly associated with tannins' effectiveness on productive performance. In the serum, the concentration of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and total antioxidant capacity were elevated (p 0.01) in response to tannins supplementation, while malondialdehydes was reduced (p 0.01). Likewise, decreased immunoglobin A (p = 0.47) and increased immunoglobin M and G levels (p 0.01) were detected. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with tannins, particularly with chestnut and grape seed proanthocyanidins, increases the productivity of weaned piglets. At the same time, it is a possible nutritional strategy to mitigate oxidative stress and stimulate gut health. Thus, supplementing chestnut and grape seed proanthocyanidin tannins in the early phase of swine production could be used to alleviate the incidence of diarrhea.

This study numerically analyzed the effect of composition and temperature and oxygen concentration changes on the selfignition characteristics of n-heptane/methane blended fuels in order to cope with development of alternative fuels and international environmental regulations. CHEMKIN-PRO is used as the analysis program and the LLNL model is used as the reaction model. The numerical results revealed that on autoignition and ignition delay time were sensitive to changes in fuel composition and oxygen concentration. As the methane ratio increases, OH radicals causing ignition are delayed in generation and the concentration is lowered, thus longer the ignition timing. The oxygen concentration in the mixed fuels are changed to simulate the exhaust gas recirculation and a numerical analysis in then performed. As the oxygen concentration decreases, the ignition delay time longer because the nitrogen gas acts as a thermal load in the combustion chamber.

Based on electromagnetic heat transfer and metal phase transformation co-simulations, we modeled an AISI 1045 specimen under high-frequency heat treatment. Hardening zone predictions were confirmed through cooling and metal phase transformation simulations after obtaining the results from electromagnetic heat transfer simulations. The cooling process was modeled by applying the cooling coefficient of the cooling water in the same way as the actual heat-treatment process. To obtain the current flowing through the coil during high-frequency induction heating, the voltage was measured and applied using the resistance–inductance–capacitance circuit calculation method. Experimental and simulated results of the heating temperature and curing depth of an AISI 1045 specimen with a carbon content of 0.45% were compared; the comparison indicated good agreement between the two. Using the simulation results, we established a method for obtaining the current flowing through the induction coil for predicting the extent and depth of the hardening zone during high-frequency induction heat treatment.

This study aimed to increase the energy independence of buildings by utilizing solar energy to produce renewable energy. The subject of this study was a shading structure installed in an outdoor space to provide solar energy. Solar panels were applied to the shaded structures to generate energy actively. The solar panels were designed to be moved according to the optimal tilt angle each month to produce the optimal renewable energy. The architectural design of the shading structure and the energy simulation of the solar panels were conducted using a parametric design. The results of the energy simulation showed the generation of 31,570 kWh· year−1 of renewable energy. This amount of energy is 10% higher than that produced by fixed solar panels. Thus, the moving solar panel system developed in this study not only increases the energy independence of buildings, but also has the advantage of higher renewable energy production compared with fixed solar panels. Additionally, various types of shading structures can be designed depending on the combination of solar panel modules; in particular, moving solar panels have the potential to facilitate ecofriendly designs when applied to the exterior of buildings.

Past epigenetic information refers to the epigenetic modifications that have occurred in the past have since been updated. These modifications may no longer be present and not actively influencing on cellular functions. When past epigenetic modifications disappear, the precise records of those modifications typically may be vanish. If it is indeed true, a critical question arises: Can an organism sustain continuous survival and evolution without the information about past epigenetic modifications up to the present? It is reasonable to assume that among the information about past modifications, there could be crucial data essential for survival and evolution. If all these experiences were to vanish, rendering them unknowable in the present, it would undoubtedly pose significant challenges to survival and evolution. Therefore, the argument that such epigenetic information has been securely stored somewhere within the cell is not merely speculative but likely a factual reality.In this study, a new term “Epigenetic Archive”, is introduced in biology. It refers to a data repository that encompasses all experience data on past epigenetic modifications. The argument presented here underscores the importance of Epigenetic Archive and the need for its secure preservation. According to the argument, the information that cells experience should be continuously and securely stored, and any distortion of this information is said to be inconsistent with the principles of evolution and survival. This information is seen as evidence of a cell's successful existence up to the present, and it is emphasized that this successful record must be preserved. From this perspective, Epigenetic Archive should be designed to safely store past biological experiences and link this information securely to the present data. This study proposes that the data architecture in Epigenetic Archive is indeed akin to the principles of blockchain technology, particularly in terms of immutability and a distributed ledger securely preserving information across generations and ensuring that all cells possess consistent epigenetic information across a biological organism.The applications and implications of such an analogy of blockchain to Epigenetics could be an original contribution for future research on biology and genetics.

The study presents a mathematical modeling for supporting the premise that our body is composed of blockchain systems. A cell population is considered a space with peer-to-peer communication networks for applying blockchain protocol. Transaction is defined as gene expression that constantly occurs for protein synthesis in each cell. The transaction process proceeds according to the blockchain protocol with sharing and recording the data on the blockchain ledger. The premise comes from the clues of the previous research such that the cell population is a complex structured network system having cell-to-cell connections. Although individual cells exhibit stochastic nonlinear dynamic behavior, cell population shows consensus behavior that reaches to ensemble through interaction among cells. It is inferred that gene expression is not regulated by the corresponding cell only nor determined by external intelligence such as the brain. This is achieved through a consensus through stochastic interactions between cells over the whole cell population. These findings imply that mathematical blockchain modeling is a suitable for gene expression process. The original contribution of the study is a methodology for applying mathematically the blockchain protocol to the real biological gene expression process. In other words, the DNA sequence is converted into a numeral bit sequence that makes it possible to implement the blockchain protocol. A new DNA sequence scheme is proposed with adding methylated cytosine and adenine as the 5th and 6th bases for including epigenetic information which has profound effect on gene expression and regulation. The methodology was applied to the real biological synthesis process of protein samples. The protein is composed of amino acids that are encoded by triplet codons of 216 kinds with 6 base RNA sequence. The gene expression information is traced backward from a synthesized protein sample, amino acids of codons, RNA transcript up to DNA sequence. One of the results is a numeric value in the form of a bit sequence with which mathematical blockchain modeling is applicable. The cryptographic authentication and the consensus process are mathematically proven to work properly by the blockchain protocol. It implies that the same protein is synthesized, but with different epigenetic data, then protein's latent material properties will certainly be different. Although the result has not been justified by the biologic experiment yet, it is sure that the biological hidden algorithm inside DNA sequence will be revealed by the binary bit-logic with physical on/off states which is mathematically proven. The research will greatly contribute to disease treatment and medicine development as well as epigenetics in the future.

Xerostomia is a subjective symptom of dry mouth resulting from various causes, including side effects of medication, systemic disorders, radiation, and Sjögren’s syndrome. Recently, the number of patients afflicted with xerostomia has increased due to an increase in the elderly population and patients on medication.; (2) Methods: A systematic approach is required to determine the etiology and management of xerostomia. This review summarizes recent literatures on the diagnosis and management of xerostomia.; (3) Results: A patient with xerostomia experiences difficulty in chewing, swallowing, speaking, tasting, and maintaining oral hygiene. Xerostomia and hyposalivation are uncomfortable side-effects in many patients. Assessing the function of the salivary gland is essential for selecting an appropriate treatment, improving symptoms, and preventing oral complications. Also, a more systematic approach is required to differentiate the subjective symptoms of the patient from the objective hyposalivation.; and (4) Conclusions: Although there is no standardized treatment for xerostomia, doctors need to endeavor and adapt the various treatments of xerostomia, to unearth the optimal treatment required for the patient.

The objective of this study is to investigate the aquatic-toxic effects of glyoxal-containing cellulose ether with four different glyoxal concentrations (0, 1.4, 2.3 and 6.3%) in response to global chemical regulations, e.g., European Union Classification, Labeling and Packaging (EU CLP). Tests of the aquatic-toxic effects of glyoxal-containing cellulose ether on 11 freeze-dried microbial strains, Microcystis aeruginosa, Daphnia magna and zebrafish embryos were designed as an initial stage for toxicity screening, and were performed with the standardized toxicity test guidelines. Glyoxal-containing cellulose ether showed no significant toxic effects in the toxicity tests for the 11 freeze-dried microbial strains, Daphnia magna and zebrafish embryos. Alternatively, 6.3% glyoxal-containing cellulose ether led to more than a 60% reduction of Microcystis aeruginosa growth after 7 days of exposure. Approximately 10% developmental abnormalities (e.g., bent spine) in zebrafish embryos were also observed in the group exposed to 6.3% glyoxal-containing cellulose ether after 6 days of exposure. These results imply that <6.3% glyoxal-containing cellulose ether results in non-toxic effects on the acute toxicity of aquatic organisms. However, ≥6.3% glyoxal-containing cellulose ether may affect the health of aquatic organisms with long-term exposure. In order to better evaluate the eco-safety of cellulosic products contained in glyoxal, further studies regarding the toxic effects of glyoxal-containing cellulose ether with long-term exposure are required. The results from this study allow us to evaluate the auatic-toxic effects of glyoxal-containing cellulosic products, under EU chemical regulations, on the health of aquatic organisms.

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: Particulate matter and urban air pollution affect the human body and can lead to death. Epidemiological studies should consider the exposure to pollutants and the diverse responses of individuals depending on their sensitivity to the pollutants. Methods: In this study, air pollution measurements were obtained hourly at measuring stations operated by the national and local governments to increase the reliability of the measured values. A β-ray absorption method was used to analyze the measurements of fine dust and determine the particulate matter content. Results: The air pollution data were log-converted to enable the comparison of data from different time periods. The comparison was made, focusing on the period of Seoul's fine dust policy. As a result, the cancer incidence rate also decreased after the policy. The data on individual characteristics were obtained from a survey of Seoul citizens conducted from 2015 to 2016 and using indicators such as the quality of life and social trust of Seoul citizens. Concludions: The survey on the living environment and residence indicated that 80% of the heads of households were men. Women had a greater dissatisfaction than men with the residential, economic, and social environments. The survey questions on well-being were related to the internal and external environment such as air pollution, noise, and fine dust.

Supplementary lighting is commonly used in high-quality seedling production. In this study, grafted tomato seedlings were grown for 10 days in a glasshouse with a 16-hour daily supplementary lighting at 100 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ PPFD from either high pressure sodium (HPS), metal halide (MH), far-red (FR), white LEDs (W), or mixed LEDs (W₁R₂B₁) to determine which light sources improve the seedling quality. The control did not have any supplementary light. The physiological parameters and the expression of genes related to photosynthesis were analyzed. The results show that the root length, biomass, number of leaves, chlorophyll (SPAD), dry weight to height ratio (WHR) of the scion, and specific leaf weight (SLW) were the greatest for grafted seedlings grown in W₁R₂B₁. The level of root ball formation was the greatest for seedlings grown in W₁R₂B₁, followed by those grown in W, HPS, and MH. Seedlings grown in FR did not fare very well, as they were very thin and weak. Moreover, the expression of two photosynthetic genes (PsaA and PsbA) was significantly increased by W₁R₂B₁ and W, which suggests that the plastid or nuclear genes might be regulated. The overall results suggest that W₁R₂B₁ was the most suitable light source to enhance the quality of grafted tomato seedlings. The results of this study could be used as a reference for seedling production in glasshouses, and provide new insights in the research of lights affecting the development of plants.

This study aims to spatially analyze the distribution characteristics of vacant homes in Asan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, and understand the differences in factors causing vacant homes by type. We use a variety of statistical methods to examine these factors and identify key influencing factors such as the number of vacant stores, changes in overall population, land use complexity, and physical characteristics of land and buildings. The findings reveal that the factors contributing to the occurrence of vacant homes vary significantly by region and property type, highlighting the need for region-specific policies. For instance, in old town areas, small lot ratios and land use complexity are significant, while in rural village, the average number of floors and land use complexity play a major role. This study underscores the diversity of factors influencing vacant homes, suggesting that policies should be tailored to the unique characteristics of different regions to effectively address this issue.

This paper proposes a high-performance and low-cost in-flight collision avoidance system based on background subtraction for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The pipeline of proposed in-flight collision avoidance system is as follows: (i) dynamic background subtraction to remove the background and to detect moving objects, (ii) denoise using morphology and binarization methods, (iii) Euclidean clustering to cluster the moving object and to remove noise blobs, (iv) distinguish independent objects and track the movement using Kalman filter, and (v) collision avoidance using proposed decision-making techniques. This work focuses on the design and the demonstration of a vision-based fast moving object detection and tracking system with decision-making capabilities to perform evasive maneuvers to replace high vision system such as event camera. The development of high-performance, low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles paired with rapid progress in vision-based perception systems herald a new era of autonomous flight systems with mission-ready capabilities. One of the key features of an autonomous UAV is a robust mid-air collision avoidance strategy. The novelty of our method lies in the motion-compensating moving object detection framework, which accomplishes the task with background subtraction via 2-D transformation approximation. Clustering and tracking algorithms process detection data to track independent objects, and stereo-camera-based distance estimation is conducted to estimate the 3-D trajectory, which is then used during decision-making procedures. The examination of the system is conducted with a quadrotor UAV test vehicle, and appropriate algorithm parameters for various requirements are deduced.

Bullying makes learning difficult for nursing students, and using real-life scenarios during training can improve the understanding of workplace bullying. Thus, to mitigate bullying experienced by nurses, this study developed and evaluated a cognitive rehearsal education program that constituted of training nursing students through role-play simulations. A mixed-method research design was used to evaluate 39 nursing students from two universities. A quasi-experimental research design was applied to assess symptoms, knowledge, and perceptions of bullying, and a focus group interview was conducted with six participants. Quantitative analyses revealed that the program improved participants’ knowledge and perceptions, but not their symptoms. The focus group interview revealed that the program improved participants’ coping skills and desire for education. This program could be effective in raising awareness of workplace bullying and increasing relevant coping skills. It can be further developed as part of an overall strategy to manage workplace bullying and its consequences in hospital settings.

Changes in crude oil price affect the shipping freight market in three different channels. This study explores the dependence structure between oil prices and maritime freight rates to identify the strongest channel. Therefore, it investigates the relationship between oil prices and three major maritime freight rates; the Baltic Dry Index (BDI), the Baltic Dirty Tanker Index (BDTI), and the Baltic Clean Tanker Index (BCTI). We employ the decomposition method, not studied in the existing literature. The copula approach identifies the time-varying effects and asymmetry in the tail dependence structure between oil prices and freight rates. The main results of this analysis are as follows. The decomposed components display different conditional dependence patterns, and asymmetry is revealed in the upper and lower tail dependence. In the long run, we find more dependence in extreme periods like the financial crises. In short-run fluctuations, we find the dependence increases in an economic boom. The implications of the results suggest that dependence can vary over time and may change depending on extreme events, implying that the complementary strategies of the long run and short run should be different.

Patients undergoing dialysis through a permanent catheter often experience infection or malfunction. However, few studies have clarified the predictors of permanent catheter patency survival in patients undergoing hemodialysis. We assessed the relationship between parameters of body composition monitoring (BCM) determined before the initiation of dialysis and the patency survival of the permanent catheters inserted in 179 patients who commenced hemodialysis between January 14, 2020 and August 31, 2021. The relationships between permanent catheter patency at 6 weeks and BCM parameters, laboratory tests, age, sex, comorbidities, and medications at baseline were studied using Kaplan–Meier survival curves. Permanent catheter patency was observed to be superior at high extracellular-to-intracellular (ECW/ICW) ratio (P<0.005). After adjustment for covariates, the ECW/ICW ratio remained an independent factor associated with permanent catheter patency survival. When patients with non-patent catheters were subdivided into infection and malfunction groups, and the associations of BCM parameters were evaluated in those groups, the ECW/ICW ratio was not significantly associated with permanent catheter patency survival in the infection group (P = 0.327); instead, a significant association was found for the lean tissue index (P<0.001). In the malfunction group, the ECW/ICW ratio remained significantly associated with permanent catheter patency survival (P < 0.001).

Background: Infections of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) can cause long-term effects known as long COVID. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a clinical study as well as the efficacy and safety of traditional East Asian herbal medicines in alleviating fatigue and cognitive dysfunction “brain fog” in patients with long COVID. Methods: This prospective pilot study investigated the use of three types of herbal medicines, Bojungikki-tang (BIT), Kyungok-go (KOG), and Cheonwangbosim-dan (CBD), for a 12-week period as potential treatments for fatigue and cognitive dysfunction in patients with long COVID. Forty-five patients with long COVID were recruited, and one of three drugs was given based on the patient’s symptoms and pattern identification. The effect of herbal medications on fatigue and cognitive function outcomes was assessed over a 36-week period, with patient adherence closely monitored. Results: After 12 weeks of herbal drug administration, fatigue symptoms improved significantly across all groups, with treatment success rates of 80%, 53.33%, and 46.67% in the BIT, KOG, and CBD groups, respectively. However, “brain fog” symptoms showed less improvement, with treatment success rates of 40%, 46.67%, and 13.33% in the BIT, KOG, and CBD groups, respectively. All adverse events reported were mild and unrelated to the medication. The study design was found to be feasible with high medication adherence. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial with three herbal medicines to treat long COVID symptoms like fatigue and “brain fog.”

Background and Objectives: Chemokines have various biological functions and potential roles in the development or progression of neuroinflammatory diseases. However, the specific pathogenic roles of chemokines in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in older individuals, remain elusive. Chemokines interact with their receptors expressed in the endothelium and on leukocytes. The sulfation of tyrosine residues in chemokine receptors increases the strength of ligand–receptor interaction and modulates signaling. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to construct a human recombinant sulfated CXCR3 peptide trap (hCXCR3-S2) and mouse recombinant sulfated CXCR3 peptide trap (mCXCR3-S2) to demonstrate in vivo effects in preventing choroidal neovascularization and chemotaxis. Materials and Methods: First, the effect of hCXCR3-S was validated in vitro. Interestingly, hCXCR3-S2 inhibited the migration and invasion of two human cancer cell lines. Subsequently, the in vivo efficacy of mCXCR3-S2 was investigated using a mouse model of neovascular AMD. Results: Intravitreal injection of mCXCR3-S2 attenuated choroidal neovascularization and macrophage recruitment in neovascular lesions. These in vitro and in vivo effects were significantly stronger with CXCR3-S2 than with wild-type CXCR3 peptides. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that the sulfated form of the CXCR3 peptide trap is a valuable tool that could be supplemented with antivascular endothelial growth factors in AMD treatment.

The increased deployment of IoT devices in specific areas results in an interference among them and the quality of communications can be severely degraded. To deal with this interference issue, the IEEE 802.11ax standard has been established in hyper-densely wireless networking systems. The 802.11ax adopts a new candidate technology that is called multiple network allocation vector in order to mitigate the interference problem. In this paper, we point out potential problem in multiple network allocation vector which can cause delays to the communication among IoT devices in hyper-dense wireless networks. Furthermore, this paper introduces an adaptive beam alignment algorithm for interference issue resolution. In addition, we analyze potential delays of communications among IoT devices under interference conditions. Lastly, we simulate our proposed algorithm in densely deployed environment and show that the interference issue can be mitigated and the IEEE 802.11ax-based IoT devices can utilize the air interface more fairly compared to conventional IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function.

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.

For centuries, Foeniculi fructus (F. fructus) has been used as a traditional herbal medicine in China and Europe and is widely used as a natural therapy for digestive disorders, including indigestion, flatulence, and bloating. The mechanism by which F. fructus alleviates functional dyspepsia was analyzed through network pharmacology, and its therapeutic effect on an animal model of functional dyspepsia was investigated. The compounds, targets, and related diseases of F. fructus were studied utilizing the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology (TCMSP) database. Information on the target genes was classified using the UniProt database. A network was built using Cytoscape 3.9.1, and functional dyspepsia-related genes were checked using the Cytoscape string application. The efficacy of F. fructus on functional dyspepsia, including gastroparesis and gastrointestinal motility, was confirmed by treatment with its extract in a mouse model of loperamide-induced functional dyspepsia. Seven compounds targeted twelve functional dyspepsia-associated genes. In a functional dyspepsia mouse model, F. fructus significantly suppressed the symptoms when compared to that in the control group. Our animal studies showed that the mechanism of action of F. fructus is closely related to gastrointestinal motility. Based on animal experimental results, the results showed that F. fructus provides a potential means to treat functional dyspepsia, suggesting that its medical mechanism for functional dyspepsia can be described by the relationship between seven key compounds of F. fructus, including oleic acid and β-sitosterol, and 12 functional dyspepsia-related genes.

Commuting is a vital travel channel for college students throughout their higher education career; nevertheless, excessive commute time negatively impacts students’ school satisfaction, academic achievement, health, and quality of life. Meanwhile, few studies have explored students’ commute time, covering a large population and scope. Therefore, this study analyzes the dwelling type that influences college and graduate students’ school commute times in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, using data from the 2016 Household Travel Diary Survey. This study uses spatial data on housing development to classify five dwelling types (i.e., new town, housing site development, Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do). A multiple linear regression model empirically analyses students’ household and personal characteristics. The results reveal that dwelling type significantly affects students’ commute time. Specifically, Students living in Seoul have a shorter commute to school than those living in new towns. Socioeconomic characteristics have less effect on college and graduate students' school commute time. This study discusses the problem of excessive commuting of college and graduate students in new towns.

The low relative humidity (RH) levels in a greenhouse during the daytime in a strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch) cultivation period negatively affect the growth of strawberry related to photo-physiology. Therefore, this study was conducted to confirm an efficient RH management method by analyzing the phenotypic characteristics related to photo-physiology by controlling the RH in a greenhouse during the daytime with a fog system. Strawberry plants were grown respectively in a greenhouse affected by natural RH changes (control) and in a greenhouse with 40% ~ 50% RH adjusted during the daytime using a fog system. In the greenhouse, with controlled RH, the temperature decreased, and the RH was higher in the initial growth stage of strawberry planting than the control. It was observed a significant increase in the survival rate of the strawberry plant, as well as the incidence of powdery mildew, was lowered. In addition, the photosynthetic rate and OJIP chlorophyll a fluorescence transients related to photosystem II efficiency of strawberry leaves were significantly higher in the fog treatment than in the control. In winter, during the day, the number of days on which the temperature dropped below 20℃ has increased, the greenhouse temperature with controlled RH was lower due to the fog system. When the yield per strawberry plant in January and February was investigated, the control was higher than the RH treatment. Therefore, RH management using a fog system must be controlled at a level where a temperature range is adequate for plant growth, in which the efficient control of these parameters increases strawberry productivity.

To enhance the overall reliability of the power system, engineers have redirected their focus toward health monitoring and early detection of faults in transformers. Among these faults, transformer core defects demand particular attention. While fault simulation using software has traditionally been the preferred approach, these methods suffer from data inaccuracies in real-world conditions. Consequently, conducting actual experimental setups with induced faults is imperative to investigate core issues. This study uses Hilbert Transform (HT) as a signal processing technique to extract crucial data characteristics, thereby enhancing the performance of the classifier model. The research involves analyzing electric current signals from a single-phase 1kVA transformer. A comparative assessment of our proposed model was conducted using raw data and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), evaluating accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and computational time. The results demonstrate a significant improvement in all metrics for the classifier models, particularly the k-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm, which exhibited values of 83.89%, 84.39%, 83.89%, 83.79%, and 0.0156 seconds, respectively. Future work aims to extend this analysis under different loading conditions.

In this study, to reduce the use of cement and sand, porous feldspar with excellent economic efficiency was used as a substitute in heat storage concrete layer. When cement was replaced with porous feldspar, the compressive strength was approximately 16%–63% higher compared with when cement was replaced with silicate minerals. To compensate for the reduction in strength owing to the decreased cement content, mechanical and chemical activation methods were employed. When the specific surface area of porous feldspar was increased, the unit weight was reduced by approximately 30% and the compressive strength was increased by up to 90%. When chemical activation was applied using a solidifying agent, the strength was increased by approximately 30% even though 70% of the cement content was replaced with porous feldspar. When cement and sand were replaced with porous feldspar, the compressive strength was approximately two times that of ordinary cement mortar. When the heat storage concrete layer material was replaced with porous feldspar in a pilot scale experiment, the thermal conductivity and heat storage characteristics were better than those of ordinary cement mortar, and an energy-saving effect of approximately 57% was observed, confirming the excellent applicability of porous feldspar as a building material.