The promotion of plant growth and suppression of plant disease using beneficial microorganisms is considered an alternative to the application of chemical fertilizers or pesticides in the field. In this study, a coconut-scented antagonistic Trichoderma strain LZ42, previously isolated from Genoderma lucidum-cultivated soil, was investigated for biostimulatory and biocontrol functions in tomato seedlings. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses suggested that strain LZ42 is closely related to T. atroviride. Tomato plants showed increased aerial and root dry weights in greenhouse trials after treatment with T. atroviride LZ42 formulated in talc, indicating the biostimulatory function of this fungus. T. atroviride LZ42 effectively suppressed Fusarium wilt disease in tomato seedlings, with an 82.69% control efficiency, which is similar to that of fungicide treatment. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by T. atroviride LZ42 were found to affect the primary root growth direction and promote the root growth of tomato seedlings in root Y-tube olfactometer assays. The fungal VOCs from T. atroviride LZ42 were observed to significantly inhibit F. oxysporum in a sandwiched Petri dish assay. SPME-GC-MS analysis revealed several VOCs emitted by T. atroviride LZ42; the dominant compound was tentatively identified as 6-pentyl-2H-pyran-2-one (6-PP). 6-PP exhibited a stronger ability to influence the direction of the primary roots of tomato seedlings but not the length of the primary roots. The inhibitory effect of 6-PP on F. oxysporum was the highest among the tested pure VOCs, showing a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 5.76 μL mL-1 headspace. In conclusion, T. atroviride LZ42, which emits VOCs with multiple functions, is a promising agent for the biostimulation of vegetable plants and integrated management of Fusarium wilt disease.

Developing clinically meaningful nanomedicines for cancer therapy requires the drugs to be effective, safe, simple, cheap, and easy to store. In the present work, we report that a simple cationic Fe(III)-rich salt of [FeIIICl(TMPPH2)][FeIIICl4]2 (Fe-TMPP) exhibits a superior anticancer performance toward a broad spectrum of cancer cell lines, including breast, colorectal cancer, liver, pancreatic, prostate, and gastric cancers, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values in the range of 0.098−3.97 μM (0.066−2.68 μg mL−1), and comparable to the best-reported medicines. Fe-TMPP can forms stand-alone nanoparticles in water without the need for extra surface modification or organic-solvent-assisted antisolvent precipitation. Critically, Fe-TMPP is TME-responsive (TME = tumor microenvironment), and can only elicit its function in the TME with overexpressed H2O2, converting H2O2 to the cytotoxic •OH to oxidize the phospholipid of the cancer cell membrane, causing ferroptosis, a programmed cell death process of cancer cells.

This study evaluated the effects of fluoride on subsurface enamel demineralization induced by two commonly used chemical models. Forty-eight enamel blocks were demineralized at pH = 5.0 by an acetate buffer (Group 1), a lactate buffer (Group 2), an acetate buffer with 0.02 ppm fluoride (Group 3) and a lactate buffer with 0.02 ppm fluoride (Group 4) at 25 °C for 3 weeks. The surface destruction percentage (SDP), mineral loss and lesion depth of the blocks were studied using micro-computed tomography. An elemental analysis of the enamel surface was evaluated using an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Surface micro-hardness was determined by the Knoop Hardness Test. The mean lesion depth of Groups 1 through 4 were 134.1 ± 27.2 µm, 96.1 ± 16.5 µm, 97.5 ± 22.4 µm and 91.1 ± 16.2 µm, respectively (p < 0.05; group 1 > 2, 3 > 4). The SDPs of groups 1 through 4 were 7.8 ± 8.93%, 0.71 ± 1.6%, 0.36 ± 1.70% and 1.36 ± 2.94% (p < 0.01; group 1 > 2, 3, 4). The fluoride in mean weight percentages of groups 1 through 4 were 1.12 ± 0.24%, 1.10 ± 0.20%, 1.45 ± 0.40% and 1.51 ± 0.51%, respectively (p < 0.01; group 3,4 > 1,2). The mean Knoop hardness values of groups 1 through 4 were 27.5 ± 13.3, 39.7 ± 19.3, 73.6 ± 44.2 and 91.0 ± 57.2, respectively (p < 0.01; group 4 > 3 > 2 > 1). The chemical model using an acetate buffer solution created significantly deeper zones of subsurface demineralization on enamel than the lactate buffer solution. An acetate buffer may damage the enamel surface, but the surface damage can be prevented by adding fluoride.

Limited knowledge is available about the association between autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and precocious puberty. Our study examined the association between the two medical conditions, and the effect modification by sex and neuropsychiatric comorbidities in a nationwide population. To compare the risk of precocious puberty between ASD and non-ASD cases, we conducted Cox regression analysis, using ASD as exposure and time-to-precocious puberty as outcome. We adjusted for sex, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), tics disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorder, intellectual disability, and epilepsy. We performed a moderation analysis to examine the potential moderating effects by sex or comorbidities. Patients with ASD were prone to have precocious puberty, with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.80 (95% CI: 1.61-2.01). For the effect modification, sex, specifically females, moderated the association between ASD and precocious puberty, with relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) 7.35 (95% CI 4.90-9.80). No significant effect modification was found for any of the comorbidities within the scope of additive effect modification. We found that patients with ASD were prone to precocious puberty, regardless of sex or comorbid neuropsychiatric disorders. Girls with ASD are at particularly higher risk to develop precocious puberty.

Although oncolytic viruses are currently being evaluated for cancer treatment in clinical trials, systemic administration is hindered by many factors that prevent them from reaching the tumor cells. When administered systemically, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) target tumors, and therefore constitute good cell carriers for oncolytic viruses. Methods: MSCs were primed with trichostatin A under hypoxia, which upregulated the expression of CXCR4, a chemokine receptor involved in tumor tropism, and coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor that plays an important role in adenoviral infection. After priming, MSCs were loaded with conditionally replicative adenovirus that exhibits limited proliferation in cells with a functional p53 pathway and encodes Escherichia coli nitroreductase (NTR) enzymes (CRAdNTR) for targeting tumor cells. Results: Primed MSCs increased tumor tropism and susceptibility to adenoviral infection, and successfully protected CRAdNTR from neutralization by anti-Adenovirus antibodies both in vitro and in vivo, and specifically targeted p53-deficient colorectal tumors when infused intravenously. Analyses of deproteinized tissues by UPLC-MS/QTOF revealed that these MSCs converted the co-administered prodrug CB1954 into cytotoxic metabolites, such as 4-hydroxylamine and 2-amine, inducing oncolysis and tumor growth inhibition without being toxic for the host vital organs. Conclusion: This study shows that the combination of oncolytic viruses delivered by MSCs with the activation of prodrugs is a new cancer treatment strategy that provides a new approach for the development of oncolytic viral therapy for various cancers.

The state of charge estimation is an important part of the battery management system, the estimation accuracy of which seriously affects the working performance of the lithium ion battery pack. The unscented Kalman filter algorithm has been developed and applied to the iterative calculation process. When it is used to estimate the SOC value, there is a rounding error in the numerical calculation. When the sigma point is sampled in the next round, an imaginary number appears, resulting in the estimation failure. In order to improve the estimation accuracy, an improved adaptive square root - unscented Kalman filter method is introduced which combines the QR decomposition in the calculation process. Meanwhile, an adaptive noise covariance matching method is implied. Experiments show that the proposed method can guarantee the semi-positive and numerical stability of the state covariance, and the estimation accuracy can reach the third-order precision. The error remains about 1.60% under the condition of drastic voltage and current changes. The conclusion of this experiment can provide a theoretical basis of the state of charge estimation in the battery management of the lithium ion battery pack.

Recent preclinical studies have shown the potential benefits of short-term calorie reduction (SCR) on cancer treatment. In this integrative review, we aimed to identify and synthesize current evidence regarding the feasibility, process, and effects of SCR in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Ovid Medline, PsychINFO, and Embase were searched for original research articles using various combinations of Medical Subject Heading terms. Among the 311 articles identified, seven studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the reviewed studies was small randomized controlled trials or cohort study with fair quality. The results suggest that SCR is safe and feasible. SCR is typically arranged around the chemotherapy with the duration ranging from 24 to 96 hours. Most studies examined the protective effects of SCR on normal cells during chemotherapy. The evidence supports that SCR had the potential to enhance both physical and psychological wellbeing of patients during chemotherapy. SCR is a cost-effective intervention with great potential. Future well-controlled studies with sufficient sample sizes are needed to examine the full and long-term effects of SCR and its mechanism of action.

In the natural environment, sand accumulation and desertification can influence the efficiency of photovoltaic arrays. In this study, PV module output characteristics were examined under different sand particle size, varying sand densities and inclination angles, and at wind speeds of 5m/s, 10m/s, and 15m/s. Both theoretical and experimental results showed that the output power of the module declines with increasing sand density. As the sand particle size increases, the module maximum output power rises and then stabilizes. The two control variables, namely sand density and sand particle size, influence the module temperature and light transmittance distinctly. Contrary to the impact of sand density on the module filling factor curve, the module filling factor exhibits varying trends under different sand particle sizes. Additionally, the pattern of the module filling factor as a function of sand density contrasts with that of the module temperature under analogous conditions. Specifically, when the sand density on the PV module surface increases from 0 to 40g/m², there is a 32.2% reduction in maximum output power. At a wind speed of 15m/s, this reduction was found consistent across all wind speed categories. Furthermore, the trend of the module filling factor rel-ative to sand accumulation density contrasts with the module temperature trend under analogous conditions. Notably, the filling factor reached its apex at a sand accumulation density of 35g/m², which corresponded to the module temperature's nadir during the experiment.

Bright morning light (BML) entrains the body clock, modulates circadian rhythm, and improves sleep-wake disturbances. However, its impact on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) at night remains unclear. Hence, we investigated the effects of BML exposure on activities of the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) at night. This non-randomized controlled pilot study included participants ≥60 years, diagnosed with a type of dementia or cognitive disorder. We excluded participants with pacemakers. The treatment group received 2500 lx BML, whereas the control group received approximately 200 lx of general lighting. We measured the heart rate variability to quantify ANS activity. The treatment group displayed significantly increased high-frequency (HF) power (Roy's largest root=2.44; P<.01) and insignificantly decreased normalized low-frequency (LF%) power. The corresponding low-frequency/high-frequency ratio (LF/HF), insignificant decrease, and cognitive function were correlated with PSNS activity (Roy's largest root=3.92; P<.01), which is effective for moderate dementia. BML exposure reduced SNS activity and enhanced PSNS activity at night, which consequently affected cognitive function. Furthermore, the light washout intervention markedly increased SNS activity at night. BML therapy may be a useful clinical tool for alleviating the deterioration of cognitive function.

Exploring the effect of the sample size on the estimation accuracy of airborne LiDAR forest attributes in a large-scale area can help in optimizing the technical application scheme of operational ALS-based large-scale forest stand inventories. In our study, sample datasets composed of different sample plots were constructed by repeated sampling from 1003 sample plots in a subtropical study area covering 2376 × 103 km2. Sixteen multiplicative power models were built in each forest type consisting of four forest attributes. Through these models, the variations of standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) of R2 and rRMSE of forest attribute estimation models for different quantity levels of sample plots were also analyzed. The results showed that, first, when the sample size increased from 30 to the top limit, the SD of the forest attributes and LiDAR variables showed a decreasing trend. Second, as the sample size increased, the rRMSE of the 16 forest attribute estimation models gradually decreased, while the R2 gradually increased. Third, when the sample size was small, both the SD of R2 and rRMSE of the models were large, and the SD of R2 and rRMSE gradually decreased as the sample size increased. In 50 models conducted for each attribute at the same sample size, for the mean standard deviations of forest attributes, the ten best performing models were lower than those of the total 50 models, and the worst ten models were the opposite. When the sample size increased, the accuracy of each forest attribute estimation model for each forest type gradually improved. The variation of forest attributes and the LiDAR variable of the construction model are critical factors that affect the model’s accuracy. To efficiently apply airborne LiDAR in order to survey large-scale subtropical forest resources, the sample size of the Chinese fir forest, pine forest, eucalyptus forest, and broad-leaved forest should be 110, 80, 85, and 70, respectively.

Influenced by the quasi-stationary Mei-yu front and the development of mesoscale low vortices on the Mei-yu front, a torrential rain event occurred in Suzhou on July 6, 2020. The 24-hour rainfall recorded by the automatic station exceeded 200 millimeters, with the highest hourly intensity surpassing 70 millimeters, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds. This heavy precipitation process was characterized by suddenness, extremity, long duration, high precipitation efficiency, and backward propagation. Using various data sources such as the European ERA5 reanalysis data, ground-based automatic stations, sounding, Doppler weather radar, and wind profile radar, this paper analyzed in detail the circulation characteristics and radar echo structures of this torrential rain event, and further studied the triggering, feature evolution, and maintenance mechanisms of the heavy precipitation.The results show: (1) The continuously strengthening low-level jet stream propagates downward forming an ultra-low-level jet stream. Heavy precipitation is located on the left front side of the jet exit area, where strong convergence and lifting in the boundary layer overlap with the ascending branch of the secondary circulation above the shear line, resulting in heavy precipitation. (2) A supercell storm with intense precipitation produced this heavy rainfall event, characterized by a low centroid of strong echo; echo-free vault, bounded weak echo region, and other supercell structural features. During this event, the high reflectivity factor areas corresponded to high KDP value areas, indicating a large amount of liquid water content. Vertically, the KDP column can track the rainwater mixing ratio well, and its location corresponds to the vicinity of the short-term heavy precipitation occurrence. The high KDP value area mainly consists of numerous precipitation particles, and the vertical vortex wind field structure causes rapid growth of precipitation particles through continuous rolling. Furthermore, it can be found through correlation coefficients (CC) that there are always high-value areas for CC since they correspond to areas of intense precipitation. (3) Continuous triggering of mesoscale convective cloud clusters on the east-west ground convergence line leads to new development and forms a "train effect." Strong frontogenesis in both horizontal and vertical directions triggers and sustains this heavy precipitation event. The significant increase in liquid water and water vapor density has indicative significance for the occurrence of heavy precipitation.

Deep learning has increasingly been employed to identify minerals. However, deep learning can only be used to identify minerals in the distribution of the training set, while any mineral outside the spectrum of the training set is inevitably categorized erroneously within a predetermined class from the training set. To solve this problem, the study introduces the approach that amalgamates One-Class Support Vector Machines (OCSVM) with the ResNet architecture for the out-of-distribution mineral detection. Initially, ResNet undergoes training using a training set comprising well-defined minerals. Subsequently, the earlier layers of the trained ResNet are employed to extract the discriminative features of the mineral under consideration. These extracted mineral features then become the input for OCSVM. When OCSVM discerns the mineral in the training set's distribution, it triggers the subsequent layers within the trained ResNet, facilitating the accurate classification of the mineral into one of the predefined categories encompassing the known minerals. In the event OCSVM identifies the mineral out of the training set's distribution, it is unequivocally categorized as an unclassified or 'unknown' mineral. Empirical results substantiate the method's capability to identify out-of-distribution minerals while concurrently maintaining a commendably high accuracy rate for the classification of the 36 in-distribution minerals.

In this study, we evaluated the effects of Cyclosporine A (CsA) on Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokine production in the genital tract of female rabbits. Twelve sexually mature and healthy female rabbits were randomly divided into four groups (n = 3 each). The rabbits in the LPS group were given an intrauterine infusion of Escherichia coli LPS (4 mg/kg body weight (BW)). Rabbits in the CsA group were given CsA (20 mg/kg BW). Rabbits in the LPS + CsA group were given LPS (4 mg/kg BW) and CsA (20 mg/kg BW). The control group received only LPS and CsA carrier. The gene expression and protein levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were observed using qRT-PCR and immuno-histochemical (IHC) assay, respectively. Our study showed that IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10, IL-13, and TGF-β were expressed in female genital organs. The LPS challenge increased the mRNA expression of IL-6 and TNF-α in the uterine body and IL-1β in the uterotubal junction compared to the control group. CsA increased the basal mRNA expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., IL-4 in the uterine body, uterotubal junction, and oviductal ampulla; IL-10 in the cervix, oviductal isthmus, and ampulla; and TGF-β in the uterotubal junction and oviductal ampulla) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., IL-6 and IL-8 in the cervix; IL-1β in the oviductal isthmus; TNF-α in the oviductal ampulla; and IFN-γ in the uterine body compared to the control group). In addition, CsA inhibited the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 in the uterine body, uterotubal junction, and oviductal isthmus; TNF-α in the uterine body; and IFN-γ in the uterotubal junction and oviductal isthmus induced by the LPS challenge. The IHC assay showed the LPS-induced increase in protein production of IL-6 in the uterine body and oviductal isthmus. CsA increased the protein production of IL-10 in the cervix, uterine body, oviductal ampulla, and isthmus. Moreover, CsA decreased the protein production of IL-6 in the uterine body and oviductal isthmus induced by LPS.

Tilapia lake virus (TiLV) is the main tilapia-infecting virus worldwide, causing serious economic losses. However, there is no vaccine for this viral disease. Here, TiLV ORF10 (TiLV-ORF10) encoding a protein with abundant epitopes was constructed into the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1, and used to evaluate the immune protective effects in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). RT-PCR and western blot analyses confirmed vaccine plasmid expression in tilapia muscle tissues. Moreover, the transcription levels of immunoglobulin M, toll-like receptor 2, myeloid differentiation factor 88, interleukin 8, tumor necrosis factor alpha, gamma-IFN, and nuclear factor κB immune-related genes were statistically significantly upregulated in the spleen, liver, and kidney of vaccinated tilapias (P < 0.05). TiLV challenge experiments showed that relative percent survival (RPS) was significantly enhanced in fish by this DNA vaccine. Moreover, RPS was enhanced further when using a higher amount of the DNA vaccine (85.72% RPS at a DNA dose of 45 μg pcDNA3.1–ORF10). Vaccination with pcDNA3.1–ORF10 significantly reduced virus replication, as evidenced by the low amount of virus in the spleen, liver, and kidney of vaccinated tilapias after TiLV challenge. Thus, pcDNA3.1–ORF10 could induce protective immunity in tilapia and may be a potential vaccine candidate for controlling diseases caused by TiLV.

Visible light communication (VLC) can offer the advantages of license and electromagnetic interference (EMI) free wireless transmission. As optical signal does not interference with the radio-frequency (RF) signal, VLC can be used to augment RF wireless communication to provide extra communication capacity while without degrading the performance of both signals. In order to achieve high performance VLC transmission, optical alignment between the optical transmit (Tx) and receiver (Rx) is very critical to enhance the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Optical beam-steering at the Tx can be utilized to ensure narrow optical beam can reach the Rx; however, complicated and active tracking are required. Lenses or compound parabolic concentrators (CPCs) can be install in front of the Rx for focusing to enhance the SNR. However, these will limit the Rx field-of-view (FOV) and making the VLC transmission more subjected to misalignment issue. Hence, many creative optical antennas have been proposed and demonstrated using special optical materials as well as special Rx to enhance the FOV of VLC systems. However, they have their limitations, such as data rates and FOVs. In this work, we put forward and demonstrate a bi-direction free-space VLC system supporting multiple moveable Rxs using a light-diffusing optical fiber (LDOF). The downlink (DL) signal is launched from an head-end or central office (CO) far away to the LDOF at the client side via a free-space transmission. When the DL signal is launched to the LDOF, which acts as an optical antenna to re-transmit the DL signal to different moveable Rxs. The uplink (UL) signal is sent via the LDOF towards the CO. In a proof-of-concept demonstration, the LDOF is 100 cm long and the free space VLC transmission between the CO and the LDOF is 100 cm. 210 Mbit/s DL and 850 Mbit/s UL transmissions, meeting the pre-forward-error-correction bit error rate (pre-FEC BER = 3.8 × 10−3) threshold are achieved.

To expand the application area of the reference group and enrich exercise theoretical research, based on Stimulus-Organism-Response (S–O-R) framework, this study examines the factors that motivate for adherence to exercise from the external. Taking reference group and strategy and cultural fit as the main stimulus, and personal investment and life satisfaction as mediating variables, this study try to explore the influence of external stimulus on residents’ exercise behavior. In order to enrich the sample size, two surveys of 734 Chinese residents in two cities (Xiamen vs. Fuzhou) were conducted using factor analyses, regression analysis, and T-test analysis. The results indicated that the reference group and strategic and cultural fit as external stimulus have impact on residents’personal investment, life satisfaction and exercise adherence, personal investment and life satisfaction as the organism has impact on residents’ exercise adherence. Personal investment and life satisfaction play a chain mediating role between the reference group and exercise adherence, strategy and cultural fit, and exercise adherence. Moreover, the T-test determined the differences between Xiamen and Fuzhou residents’ exercise adherence and life satisfaction. Residents’ surroundings affect their exercise behavior and life satisfaction. These findings have implications for policymaking aimed at promoting national exercise, which could gradually improve residents’ physical fitness, particularly in light of the current coronavirus emergency.

Nutrients are the driving force of plant and herbivore interactions. Different elements and fertilization levels in soil, or artificially fertilized substrates can have a direct impact on plant defense responses. Meanwhile, nutrient levels mediated by root associated microbes can indirectly affect plant-herbivore interactions. Nutrient uptake promoted by beneficial mycorrhizal fungi or rhizobacteria interacting with roots can stimulate plant tolerance to herbivore attack, as evidenced by herbivore performance, plant nutrient status, plant biomass allocation and compensatory growth. In return, herbivory affects nutrient fluxes between plants and their associated beneficial microbes. Furthermore, aboveground and belowground herbivory can affect the nutrient exchange between plants and soil microbial communities, mainly for carbon-and nitrogen-based resources supporting herbivores´ life cycles. These ecological interactions are governed by jasmonic acid (JA) and key enzymes on the molecular level. This review summarizes the current scientific literature on the role of nutrients in plant-herbivore interactions. This will support efforts to optimize plant defense strategy via managing nutrient variance.

This study chose the indoor soil column test as the main method and the field test as the validation test to investigate the effects of various straw mulching techniques (surface, deep and straw mulching + deep burial) on evaporation and salt dynamics in saline soils. The results showed that straw mulching treatment could effectively reduce soil water evaporation, promote desalination in the stage of leaching infiltration and alleviate salt return in the stage of water evaporation, and the effect of straw mulching + deep burial treatment was better than that of single-layer straw mulching treatment. The indoor soil column test showed that S2D1 treatment (a 2:1 ratio of soil surface cover to the amount of straw buried 40cm below the soil surface) had the best effect on the suppression of soil moisture evaporation, and the cumulative evaporation of soil moisture was reduced by 65.85% compared with that of the CK, and the rate of salinity return in the evaporation stage was effectively reduced by 92.04% compared with that of the CK. In addition, there is a significant positive correlation between cumulative evaporation of soil moisture and cumulative soil salinity, which implies that cumulative soil salinity increases with cu-mulative evaporation of soil moisture. The results of the field experiment were consistent with the soil column test, and the S2D1 treatment was able to maintain high soil moisture content in all soil layers in all periods of the experiment and kept soil salinity in the 0-40 cm soil layer at a low level. However, in the 40-80 cm soil layer, the soil salinity suppression effect of DB treatment (straw buried at 40 cm below soil surface) was the best. So in summary, the S2D1 treatment had the best salinity and evapo-transpiration suppression effect in saline soils. This study is of great significance for the resource uti-lization of straw waste, improvement of water utilization and efficiency, and soil salinization manage-ment.

This paper aims to build up a preference function to evaluate the public benefits of the type of agricultural farming, biodiversity, water provisions, land use type, ecotourism modes, and a monetary attribute (environmental trust fund and willingness to contribute) associated with an ecosystem service and land use program in a forest park. This study used the choice experiments to build a random utility model, analyze the average preference for the above land use attributes based on the conditional logit and used a latent class model to test the resident’s heterogeneous preferences for land use planning in the forest park. We also estimated the welfare derived from various land use programs. The empirical result had shown that: (1) increasing organic farming area, maintaining the status quo of species biodiversity, increasing the surface water provision, increasing the area of custom flora, increasing the wetland area, and setting up an integrated framework for ecotourism increase the public’s preference for the land use program; (2) we found that farmer and non-farmer haven’t the same land use preferences; (3) the ecotourism development program incorporating biodiversity, organic farming, ethnobotany, and wetland area with integrated ecotourism are more preferred than other land use program scenarios.

Entanglement is one of the most striking features in quantum systems. Today, quantum entanglement plays a vital role in quantum technology, the non-classical correlation of quantum entanglement is an important resource for quantum communication and quantum computing. Entanglement can be divided into two categories: between multi-particle systems and between various degrees of freedom in a single-particle system (intraparticle entangled states). This work first analogized the distinctions and connections between two kinds of entangled states. Then it designed three types of entanglement-swapping methods based on Bell state joint measurement, cross-Kerr medium, and linear optical elements for intraparticle entangled states by analogizing the entanglement swapping between multiple particles. Intraparticle entanglement swapping can be applied in super quantum dense encoding, quantum information transmission, and quantum teleportation. This work is beneficial for promoting the development of quantum information technologies.

High dietary phosphate intake and poor adherence to phosphate-binding-therapy elevate the risk of hyperphosphatemia in maintenance hemodialysis (HD; MHD) patients. Therefore, chronic kidney disease-related mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) indicators increase; consequently, risks of CKD-MBDs and inflammation are elevated. This double-blind, randomized control trial intervention study was designed to investigate the possibility of reducing blood CKD-MBD indicators and modulating inflammatory indicators by consuming low-phosphate (LP) meals accompanied by a minimum dose of a calcium-based phosphate binder (CaCO3). MHD patients were recruited and randomly assigned to an LP meal group (LP group) or a control group. After initial data collection, blood collection, and dietary counseling, subjects were asked to consume a washout diet for 1 week. During the washout diet period, subjects consumed their usual diet but took 1 tablet of calcium carbonate (1CaCO3) as a phosphate binder with each meal. After the washout diet period, subjects in the LP group and control group respectively consumed LP meals and regular meals twice a day for 1 week. Meat in the LP meals was boiled before the regular cooking process, but meat in control meals was not. All meals were supplied by a central kitchen so that the contents of phosphate and other nutrients could be identified. In total, 40 MHD patients completed the study program. After 1 week of the dietary intervention, the blood Ca x P product and dietary phosphate had significantly decreased in the LP group compared to the control group (p&lt;0.05). The LP group had significantly lower variations in dietary phosphate intake, blood calcium, Ca x P product, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α than the control group by comparing differences between after the dietary intervention and the baseline (△after intervention - baseline, p&lt;0.05). The increase in dietary phosphate intake (△3rd - 2nd dietary phosphate intake) augmented the increase in the TNF-α level by 6.24-fold (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 6.24 [1.12~34.92], p&lt;0.05). These results highlighted the conclusion that LP meals accompanied by a minimum dose of CaCO3 downregulated pro-inflammation by reducing CKD-MBD indicators which was triggered by decreasing dietary phosphate intake.

The cause-effect relationship between iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and osteoporosis has not been established in the general population. Thus, the current longitudinal study determined the role of IDA as a risk factor for osteoporosis by analyzing a large nationwide population-based sample. In a sample of 1,000,000 randomly sampled individuals from the 1998-2012 Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, patients with IDA (case group [n=35,751]) and individuals without IDA (control group [n=178,755]) were compared. Patients who were <20 years of age and who had pre-existing osteoporosis prior to the diagnosis of IDA were excluded. Each patient with IDA was age- and gender-matched to 5 individuals without IDA. The diagnoses of IDA and osteoporosis (coded using ICD-9CM) were further confirmed with blood test results and X-ray bone densitometry to ensure the accuracy of the diagnoses. Osteoporosis occurred more often among patients with IDA compared to individuals without IDA (2.27% vs. 1.32%, p<0.001). Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed that the risk for osteoporosis was significantly higher in the case than the control group (hazard ratio [HR]=1.74; 95% CI=1.61-1.88) and remained similar after adjustment for covariates (adjusted HR=1.81; 95% CI=1.67-1.97). Compared with individuals without IDA, the risk for osteoporosis was even higher for patients with IDA who received intravenous ferrum therapy (adjusted HR=2.21; 95% CI=1.85-2.63). In contrast, the risk for osteoporosis was reduced for patients with IDA who received a blood transfusion (adjusted HR=1.47; 95% CI=1.20-1.80). As a predictor, prior IDA is a significant and independent risk factor for development of osteoporosis. In contrast to blood transfusion treatment, the use of intravenous ferrum may further increase the risk for future osteoporosis.

We explored the dynamics of the two interacting information systems. We show that for the Markovian marginal systems the driving force for information dynamics is determined by both the information landscape and information flux. While the information landscape can be used to construct the driving force to describe the equilibrium time reversible information system dynamics, the information flux can be used to describe the nonequilibrium time-irreversible behaviours of the information system dynamics. The information flux explicitly breaks the detailed balance and is a direct measure of the degree of the nonequilibriumness or time irreversibility. We further demonstrate that the mutual information rate between the two subsystems can be decomposed into the equilibrium time-reversible and nonequilibrium time-irreversible parts respectively. This decomposition of the mutual information rate (MIR) corresponds to the information landscape-flux decomposition explicitly when the two subsystems behave as Markov chains. Finally, we uncover the intimate relationship between the nonequilibrium thermodynamics in terms of the entropy production rates and the time-irreversible part of the mutual information rate. We found that this relationship and MIR decomposition still hold for the more general stationary and ergodic cases. We demonstrate the above features with two examples of the bivariate Markov chains.

Carnivore protoparvovirus 1 (CPPV-1) is a DNA virus causing gastrointestinal disease and immunosuppression in various terrestrial carnivores. Domestic dogs and cats are considered the primary CPPV-1 reservoirs. The habitat overlaps of wild carnivores and free-roaming dogs increases the threat of CPPV-1 transmission between them. This study explored the CPPV-1 distribution among wild carnivores through PCR screening and compared the DNA sequences of the partial capsid protein (VP2) between wild and domestic carnivores. In total, 181 samples were screened for the CPPV-1 VP2 gene, including 32 masked palm civets (Paguma larvata), 63 Chinese ferret badgers (Melogale moschata), and 86 crab-eating mongooses (Herpestes urva), from 2015 to 2019 in Taiwan. The average prevalence of CPPV-1 was 17.7% (32/181), with the highest prevalence in masked palm civets (37.5%). In addition, a masked palm civet was coinfected with two CPPV-1 strains. Among the 33 partial VP2 gene sequences, 23 were identical to sequences amplified from domestic dogs and cats in Asia and the remaining 10 were identified for the first time. This study demonstrated that CPPV-1 has circulated between domestic and wild carnivores in rural Taiwan. Therefore, further population control and health management of free-roaming domestic carnivores are recommended.

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of brain activity. Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology formed by the EEG signal has become one of the hotspots at present. How to extract the feature signal of EEG is the most basic research of BCI technology. In this paper, A new method of recognizing fatigue, conscious, concentrated state of human brain is proposed by the combination of discrete wavelet transform and the neural network based on EEG signal. First of all, the law signal is preprocessed by the wavelet denoising method because the law EEG signal contains a large number of high frequency noise, which is decomposed into multi-layer high frequency signal and low frequency signal. thus, δ wave, θ wave, α wave, β wave are obtained by the wavelet transform. And then, frequency band energy of the different wave is regards as the feature signal of EEG. In the experiment, the feature signal is classified by radial basic function (RBF) and annealed chaotic competitive learning network (ACCLN). RBF and ACCLN networks are trained with 500 sets of sample data and are tested by 100 sets of samples in different mental states. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of RBF network under three conditions are 88.75%, 88.25%, 88.5%, respectively, and the correct rate of ACCLN network is 97%, 98%, 98%, respectively.

A special vibration damper is proposed for material property identification through a scratching process on a vibrating object. This paper presents the design and working principle of a scratching damper based on a scratch test device. A non-contact electromagnetic shaker is used to generate the shaking force for the vibration of the tested object. The required pressure on the scratched material during the scratching process is generated by a compression spring and adjusted by changing the amount of compression of the spring. The proposed damper is designed and tested on extruded aluminum samples for the determination of its Young’s modulus and hardness and validated by using the standard test instruments. Observations of physical dimensions of the scratching tracks are determined by microscope and were utilized to compute the scratching energy factor. Load curves are obtained at different pressure of the scratching process. The hysteresis loop energy during the scratching process of the tested object is measured and used for the determination of material properties of the object. Furthermore, energy conservation law, scratch energy release rate and loop energy release rate are used to determine the Young’s modulus and hardness of the sample. The measurement accuracy of the modulus and hardness of the tested sample is evaluated. The proposed method of material testing has several advantages over the traditional methods such as low cost and high repeatability, and may be used as an alternative to the standard modulus and hardness testers.

. In this paper, we introduce a series of definitions of generalized affine functions for vector-valued functions. We prove that our generalized affine functions have some similar properties with generalized convex functions. We present examples to show that our generalized affinenesses are different from one another, and also provide an example to show that our definition of presubaffinelikeness is non-trivial; presubaffinelikeness is the weakest generalized affineness introduced in this article. We work with optimization problems that are defined and taking values in linear topological spaces. We devote to the study of constraint qualifications, and derive some optimality conditions as well as a strong duality theorem. Our optimization problems have inequality constraints, equality constrains and abstract constraints; our inequality constraints are generalized convex functions and equality constraints are generalized affine functions.

In this paper, we prove that the sub convexlikeness introduced by V. Jeyakumar [1], and the subconvexlikeness defined in V. Jeyakumar [2] are equivalent in loccallly convex topological spaces. And then, we work with set-valued vector optimization problems and obtain some vector saddle-point theorems and vector Lagrangian theorems.

General wisdom thinks that the central of blackholes are singular and featured by mass, charge and spin exclusively; the microstate reflected in the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy can be accounted for only in some quantum gravity. We challenge this wisdom with two exact solution families to the sourceful Einstein equation which describe dust ball with oscillatory inner structure and variety of mass profiles. We attribute the matter content's oscillation across the central point of the system to the forward scattering domination in high energy collisions induced by inter-gravitating acceleration and provide their Penrose-Carter diagram representation and quantum description briefly. Our solution family provides a very simple semi-classic picture for the micorstate definition of black holes.

This general review assesses the impact of physical exercise on oxidative and nitrosative stress and the counteractive role of antioxidants, drawing from a systematic literature search up to March 2024 in databases like PubMed and Web of Science. The review highlights studies on the effect of exercise on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and antioxidant responses in both human and animal models based on rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria. Due to the variety of exercise types and participants' characteristics, a narrative synthesis approach was adopted. The findings indicate that moderate exercise boosts antioxidant defenses, known as hormesis, whereas excessive physical activity may increase oxidative and nitrosative damage. The review also explores the complex effects of antioxidant supplementation, revealing that while natural dietary antioxidants support health, high-dose supplements could potentially hinder positive adaptations to exercise. Recommendations for athletes and the general active population highlight the importance of balancing exercise and dietary intake to optimize health benefits. The review concludes with a call for more detailed research on tailored exercise and nutrition plans to dissect these intricate relationships further.

In this paper, mineralogical and elemental geochemical characteristics of massive sulfide samples collected from Jade hydrothermal field, located in the Izena depression in the central graben of Okinawa Trough, were analyzed by means of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron probe. The results show that the sulfide in Jade hydrothermal area can be divided into Zn-Cu-Pb rich massive sulfide and Zn-Fe rich massive sulfide. The former is composed of sphalerite, galena, anglesite, chalcopyrite and pyrite, and its formation stage can be divided into pyrite stage, sphalerite-chalcopyrite stage, anglesite stage and colloidal pyrite stage. The latter is mainly composed of sphalerite, pyrite, marcasite and a small amount of galena, which can be divided into galena stage, pyrite stage, sphalerite stage, pyrite and marcasite stage. Cu and Zn in pyrite may exist in the form of microinclusions, while Ag and Pb may exist in pyrite in the form of fine galena inclusions containing Ag. Fe and Cu may enter sphalerite in the form of ion replacement. Zn may enter chalcopyrite in the form of ion replacement, and As and Pb may be inclusions in chalcopyrite as As-bearing galena inclusions. Consistent with the previous understanding, the metal elements in the hydrothermal liquid system in Jade hydrothermal field mostly migrate with the hydrothermal fluid as sulfur complexes, and when the hydrothermal fluid mixes with seawater, the physical and chemical conditions of the fluid change, resulting in sulfide mineral precipitation. However, the chemical structure of chalcopyrite is still controversial, which restricts the understanding of the substitution mechanism of trace elements during chalcopyrite precipitation.

In this paper we study the class of mixed-index time fractional differential equations in which different components of the problem have different time fractional derivatives on the left hand side. We prove a theorem on the solution of the linear system of equations, which collapses to the well-known Mittag-Leffler solution in the case the indices are the same, and also generalises the solution of the so-called linear sequential class of time fractional problems. We also investigate the asymptotic stability properties of this class of problems using Laplace transforms and show how Laplace transforms can be used to write solutions as linear combinations of generalisedMittag-Leffler functions in some cases. Finally we illustrate our results with some numerical simulations.

Fire is a serious security threat that can lead to casualties, property damage, and environmental damage. However, despite the availability of object detection algorithms, challenges persist in detecting fires and smoke. These challenges include slow convergence speed, poor performance in detecting small targets, and high computational cost limiting deployments. In this paper, Fire smoke and human detection based on ConvNeXt and Mixed encoder (FCM-DETR), an end-to-end object detection algorithm based on Deformable DETR, is proposed. Firstly, we introduce ConvNeXt to take the place of Resnet, which greatly reduces the amount of computation and improves the ability to extract irregular flame features. Secondly, to effectively process multi-scale features, the original encoder is decoupled into two modules. Then Mixed encoder, an innovative encoder structure, is proposed, resulting in excellent performance of multi-scale fire and smoke features fusion. What can’t be overlooked is that the encoder block is compatible with any DETR-based models. Finally, the convergence speed is accelerated and the mean of average precision is improved by applying a novel loss function called Powerful IoU v2. The experimental results indicate that our model achieves the best detection accuracy compared to other models, with mAP reaching 66.7%, mAPs and Accuracyfire achieving impressive 50.2% and 98.05%, respectively.

With the advances in industry and commerce, passengers have become more accepting of environmental sustainability issues; thus, more people now choose to travel by bus. Government administration constitutes an important part of bus transportation services as the government gives the right-of-way to transportation companies allowing them to provide services. When these services are of poor quality, passengers may lodge complaints. The increase in consumer awareness and developments in wireless communication technologies have made it possible for passengers to easily and immediately submit complaints about transportation companies to government institutions, which has brought drastic changes to the supply-demand chain comprised of the public sector, transportation companies, and passengers. This study proposed the use of big data analysis technology including systematized case assignment and data visualization to improve management processes in the public sector and optimize customer complaint services. Taichung City, Taiwan was selected as the research area. There, the customer complaint management process in public sector was improved, effectively solving such issues as station-skipping, allowing the public sector to fully grasp the service level of transportation companies, improving the sustainability of bus operations, and supporting the sustainable development of the public sector-transportation company-passenger supply chain.

High-quality rice (Oryza sativa L.) is increasingly widely planted in China with the improvement of people's living standards and the achievement of rice breeding efforts in recent years. However, the agronomic and physiological performances of high-quality indica rice (HQIR) under different nitrogen(N) application conditions in southern China are little known. Two-year consecutive field experiments were conducted with two HQIR and two ordinary-quality indica rice (OQIR) varieties under moderate and high N application rates, with yield and yield components, biomass, N up-take, and their related traits investigated. We found that grain yields of HQIR were slightly de-creased, but grain yields of OQIR were significantly increased by 6.60%-8.88% under high N rate compared with moderate N rate in both years. Thereby, OQIR produced 8.34%-11.87% and 22.00%-22.50% higher grain yield than HQIR under moderate and high N rates, respectively. The different responses of grain yield to N application rates were mainly due to decreased grain set-ting rate in HQIR and increased spikelets m-2 in OQIR under high N rate. Furthermore, high N rate significantly reduced pre-anthesis AE and improved grain-leaf area ratio, while did not in-crease post-anthesis DM compared with moderate N rate in HQIR, which might result in carbon metabolic deterioration and imbalance of source-sink relationship and subsequently lower supply of carbohydrate to panicle. Our results suggest that a moderate N rate (165 kg N ha-1) is beneficial for HQIR varieties to balance the maximum grain yield and high quality in southern China

This study was to identify clinical cancer biomarkers for recurrent gastric cancer survivors using artificial intel-ligence. From a hospital-based cancer registry database in Taiwan, the datasets of the incidence of recurrence and clinical risk features were included in 2476 gastric cancer survivors. We benchmarked Random forest with MLP, C4.5, AdaBoost, and Bagging algorithms on metrics and leveraged synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) for imbalanced dataset issues, cost-sensitive learning for risk assessment, and SHapley Additive ex-Planations (SHAP) for feature importance analysis in this study. Our proposed Random forest outperformed the other models with an accuracy of 87.9%, a recall rate of 90.5%, an accuracy rate of 86% and F1 of 88.2% on re-current category by a 10-fold cross-validation in a balanced dataset. We identified clinical features of recurrent gastric cancer, which are the top five features, stage, number of regional lymph node involvement, Helicobacter pylori, BMI(body mass index), and gender, which significantly affect the prediction model's output, are worth paying attention to in the following causal effect analysis. Using an artificial intelligence model, the risk factors for recurrent gastric cancer could be identified and cost-effectively ranked according to their feature importance. In addition, they should be crucial clinical features to provide physicians with the knowledge to screen high-risk patients in gastric cancer survivors as well.

The quality of healthcare services is a very important indicator of social welfare in developed and emerging countries. Good quality levels are critical to ensuring patient safety, improving health outcomes, increasing patient satisfaction, optimizing resource utilization, and meeting regulatory requirements. The stable and sustainable operation of medical institutions urgently requires the establishment of a reliable and effective medical quality performance evaluation platform. However, the complexity of the evaluation process, involving numerous evaluators and the consideration of different subjective and objective criteria, poses significant challenges and essentially constitutes a group multi-criteria decision-making problem. This article uses the overall medical environment of the institution, medical service attitude, medical security, administrative service measures, etc. as measurement standards to deal with this challenge. It proposes a medical service quality measurement model suitable for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. In view of the heterogeneity of information, the two-tuple fuzzy language calculation method is introduced to enable evaluators to skillfully manage diverse information and effectively avoid potential information omission problems in the subjective evaluation integration process. The effectiveness and feasibility of the model were demonstrated by applying it to the operational framework of a medical institution in central Taiwan.

High temperature titanium alloys are widely used in aerospace hot parts, however, the thermal barrier temperature of 600 oC limits its service temperature. In this paper, a two-step hot-dip plating method is proposed to prepare the composite coating containing Ce on the surface of titanium alloy, which can make the oxidation resistance temperature of titanium alloy reach 800 oC The microstructure, phase composition and element distribution of Ce-containing Ti-Al-Si hot-dip coating, Ce-containing Ti-Al-Si pre-oxidation coating and Ce-containing Ti-Al-Si high-temperature oxidation coating were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The results show that the Ti-Al-Si hot-dip coating containing Ce is mainly composed of (Ti,Ce)(Al,Si)3 alloy phase layer, and the Ti-Al-Si pre-oxidation coating containing Ce is mainly composed of Ti-Al binary system phase layer and dense Al2O3 layer rich in CeO2. Ce in the high temperature oxidation coating of Ti-Al-Si containing Ce is mainly distributed in Ti3Al, TiAl, TiAl3+Ti5Si3 mixed phase layer and Al2O3. The addition of Ce can promote the formation of continuous Al2O3 layer, improve the uniformity of composite coating, prevent the spread of cracks, and improve the high temperature oxidation resistance of Ti-Al-Si coating.

Innovation is an essential key factor in the technology development history. Past research on innovation focused more on the innovation behavior of technology, but seldom described knowledge assets which also influence innovation behavior greatly. The effect of knowledge assets attribute and result on disruptive innovation is therefore regarded as the research topic in this study, where disruptive innovation is divided into outbound and inbound to combine combination-embeddednessandmajor business specificityof knowledge assets as the research model. Manufacturing enterprises in China are proceeded the questionnaire survey, and 173 valid copies are collected. The empirical analysis shows that combination-embeddedness of knowledge assets presents significantly positive effects on major business specificity and outbound innovationof an enterprise but reveals remarkably negative effects on inbound innovation. Enterprises are suggested to constantly accumulate knowledge assets with low major business specificity before disruptive innovation in order to reduce ineffective inbound innovation.

Many corporations have now revised their value statements to showcase their commitment to sustainable development and green business due to the pressing issues of climate and environmental damage. Despite the importance of value statements that can direct companies to achieve sustainable goals, what kind of values can be perceived as organizational orientations to sustainability remains unknown. This study explores how the general public views the inclusion of sustainable components in value statements from the listed companies in Hong Kong by using Q-sort methodology (n = 30). Analyzing the final sample of 40 value statements extracted from 27 listed companies, we identified three factors related to sustainability, namely, Empowering business process management, Empowering customer-centric excellence, and Empowering sustainable progress. This study provides an additional component to the traditional triple bottom line by suggesting that internal operation of a company is an emerging idea to understand corporate sustainability.

Introduction: The treatment of peritoneal dialysis in end-stage renal disease is increasing in clinical practice. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of far-infrared radiation therapy on inflammation and the cellular immunity of patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Materials and Methods: We recruited 56 patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis, and we included 32 patients from the experimental group and 24 patients from the control group in the final analysis. The experimental evaluation in our study was as follows: (1) We used abdominal computed tomography to measure the diameter and degree of hardening of the abdominal veins and large blood vessels to explore the changes in abdominal blood vessels. (2) The study compared the effects of peritoneal dialysis using albumin, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, white blood cell, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, Hs-CRP clearance rate, and HBAlC. (3) We compared the cytokine concentration of blood between the two groups while controlling for GM-CSF, IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-18, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IL-12p70, TNF-α, and IL-1β. Results and Discussion: (1) There was no significant difference in the abdominal blood vessels of the experimental group relative to the control group according to abdominal CT measured over 6 months. (2) Our study demonstrates the statistically significant effect of FIR therapy on the following parameters: albumin (p = 0.048*), creatinine (p = 0.039*), and Hs-CRP (p < 0.001**) decreased significantly, and glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, p = 0.043*) and glucose (p < 0.001**) increased significantly. Our study found that, in the experimental group, albumin and creatinine decreased significantly due to FIR therapy for 6 months. However, our study also found that, in the experimental group, glucose (p < 0.001**) increased significantly due to FIR therapy for 6 months. Peritoneal dialysis combined with FIR can reduce the side effects of glucose in dialysis buffer, which interferes with peritoneal inflammation and peritoneal mesothelial cell fibrosis. In addition, we also found that, in the experimental group, Hs-CRP (p < 0.001**) decreased significantly due to FIR therapy for 6 months. (3) No statistical significance in the inflammatory cytokines related to FIR therapy differences was observed in our study. IFN-γ (p = 0.124), IL-12p70 (p = 0.093), IL-18 (p = 0.213), and TNF-α (p = 0.254) did not exhibit significant improvements in peritoneal dialysis with FIR treatment over 6 months. IFN-γ and IL-18 in the plasma of patients in the experimental group and the control group were higher in the third month than in the first month. Conclusion: We found that the effect of peritoneal dialysis improved significantly with FIR therapy, and significant improvements in the peritoneal permeability and inflammatory response were observed. end-stage renal disease; peritoneal dialysis; far-infrared therapy (FIR)

Intradermal injection of botulinum neurotoxin is a frequently performed procedure in aesthetic dermatology to improve facial skin tone, texture, fine wrinkles, and enlarged pores. In practice, botulinum neurotoxin type A is also used to reduce skin oiliness of the face. There is increasing evidence that acetylcholine plays specific roles in sebum production, suggesting that botulinum neurotoxin type A may reduce sebum production by interfering with cholinergic transmission between sebaceous glands and autonomic nerve terminals. Botulinum neurotoxins can also inhibit several pathogenetic components of acne development, suggesting that botulinum neurotoxins can be used as a safe and effective treatment modality for acne and other skin disorders related to the overactivity of sebaceous glands. This review aims to explore the current evidence behind the treatment of oily skin and acne with botulinum neurotoxin type A.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a breakthrough technology that has been widely applied in many fields and its use in pharmacy is also gaining increasing attentions. Recently, ChatGPT, a newly developed virtual assistant and large language model, is showing strong ability in writing, which makes it a potential tool for review writing. Here in our study, we employ the public available ChatGPT and try to instruct it to generate a mini review on the topic of “lipid-based drug delivery systems” by conversation. Our results showed that ChatGPT can give reasonable outline for this topic and give seemingly sentences with concluding wording, which can give useful information to the readers. However, the accuracy and consistence of the review are not fully guaranteed and there is lack of reliable citations. Therefore, it is concluded that ChatGPT can only give general knowledge on the selected topic, but not capable of giving in-depth discussion. The generated review article can be a useful but occasionally unprecise electronic encyclopedia instead of rigorous scientific literature, which can give benefit for pharmaceutical education and interchange to some extent.

In this paper, the preparation methods of porous silicon nitride materials with controllable dielectric constant and pore structure were systematically studied. By using microwave sintering technology, porous silicon nitride materials with high closed pore ratio were prepared by adjusting the content of sintering additives and sintering process parameters, and controlling the grain boundary phase and pore structure and size. The effects of sintering conditions on the total porosity, closed porosity, pore structure and dielectric properties of materials were systematically studied.

This study examines the causal relationships between interest rates in the Korean financial market using a vector error correction model (VECM) and a Bayesian network. The Bayesian network, a novel approach in this context, identifies two distinct transmission channels: one led by call rates (reflecting monetary policy) and another by 10-year Treasury bond yields (reflecting fiscal policy). While the call rate channel aligns with traditional views, affecting bank lending rates, corporate bond spreads, and commercial paper rates, the 10-year Treasury yield channel highlights a separate fiscal policy transmission mechanism, influencing commercial paper rates indirectly through 30-year Treasury yields and directly impacting merchant bank lending rates. This finding suggests that fiscal intervention could potentially interfere with monetary policy, emphasizing the need for coordinated macroeconomic policy measures. The study also emphasizes the role of 10-year Treasury bonds as a benchmark in the Korean bond market, reflecting medium- to long-term economic outlooks and serving as the underlying asset for various derivatives.

Species richness is a widely used measure for assessing the diversity of a particular area. However, observed richness often underestimates the true richness due to resource limitations, particularly in the small-sized sample or highly heterogeneous assemblage. Estimating species richness in a large-scale region typically involves an integrated data set consisting of subsamples collected independently from different subregions. However, the pooled sample of integrated data is no longer a random sample from the entire region, and the use of different sampling schemes results in variations in data formats. Consequently, employing a single sampling distribution to model the pooled sample becomes impractical, rendering existing richness estimators inadequate. This study theoretically explains the applicability of Chao's lower bound estimators in estimating species richness for large-scale areas using the pooled sample. Additionally, a new nonparametric estimator is introduced, which adjusts the bias of Chao's lower bound estimator by leveraging the Good-Turing frequency formula. This proposed estimator only utilizes the pooled sample's singleton, doubleton, and tripleton richness. Simulated data sets across various models are employed to demonstrate the statistical performance of the estimator, showcasing its ability to reduce bias and provide accurate 95% confidence intervals. Real data sets are also utilized to illustrate the practical application of the proposed approach.

In response to injury, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) of the arterial wall dedifferentiate into a proliferative and migratory phenotype, leading to intimal hyperplasia. The ERK1/2 pathway participates in cellular proliferation and migration while dual-specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6, also named MKP3) can dephosphorylate activated ERK1/2. We showed that DUSP6 was expressed in low baseline levels in normal arteries; however, arterial injury significantly increased DUSP6 levels in the vessel wall. Compared with wild-type mice, Dusp6-deficient mice had smaller neointima. In vitro, IL-1β induced DUSP6 expression and increased VSMC proliferation and migration. Lack of DUSP6 diminished IL-1β-induced VSMC proliferation and migration. DUSP6 deficiency did not affect IL-1β-stimulated ERK1/2 activation. Instead, ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126 prevented DUSP6 induction by IL-1beta, indicating that ERK1/2 functions upstream of DUSP6 to regulate DUSP6 expression in VSMCs rather than downstream as a DUSP6 substrate. IL-1β decreased levels of cell cycle inhibitor p27 and cell-cell adhesion molecule N-cadherin in VSMCs whereas lack of DUSP6 prevented their downregulation, revealing novel functions of DUSP6 in regulating these two molecules. Taken together, our results indicate that lack of DUSP6 attenuated neointima formation following arterial injury by reducing VSMC proliferation and migration, which were likely mediated via maintaining p27 and N-cadherin levels.

We consider the inverse function $z=g(w)$ of a (normalized) starlike function $w=f(z)$ of order $\alpha$ on the unit disk of the complex plane with $0<\alpha<1.$ Krzy{\. z}, Libera and Z\l otkiewicz obtained sharp estimates of the second and the third coefficients of $g(w)$ in their 1979 paper. Prokhorov and Szynal gave sharp estimates of the fourth coefficient of $g(w)$ as a consequence of the solution to an extremal problem in 1981. We give a straightforward proof of the estimate of the fourth coefficient of $g(w)$ together with explicit forms of the extremal functions.

This study examined the tourism spatial distribution of nine cities in the Fujian province and assessed the impacts of COVID-19. The modified gravity model found that it was widely dispersed, with uneven and relatively independent tourism development in different cities. The social network analysis showed that tourism connections across cities were significantly reduced after the pandemic. The impacts of brand awareness and transport accessibility on spatial networks were positive in pre-pandemic but became negative during the pandemic. In contrast, tourist volume had negative impacts on spatial networks in pre-pandemic but had positive ones during the pandemic. Tourism resources and market performance had significantly positive impacts in the post-pandemic era. These findings provide advice on tourism recovery and destination management in coping with future critical events. It also contributes to the theoretical gravity framework in tourism and the research scope of the social networks analysis at the city level.

Oil-Gan, also known as emblica, is the fruit of the genus Phyllanthus emblica L. The fruits of these trees are high in nutrients and have excellent effects on health care and development values. There are many methods for the management of diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, there is a lack of effective drugs for treating DN from throughout the disease course. The primary aim of this study was to examine the protective effects (including urine analyses, the measurement of inflammatory cytokine levels, and histological examination) and mechanisms of action of an ethyl acetate extract of P. emblica (EPE) on db/db mice, an animal model of diabetic nephropathy, as well as a secondary aim of examining the expression levels of protein kinase Cα (PKCα) in the kidney and its downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibrosis gene transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) by Western blot analyses. Eight db/m C57BLKS/J mice were used as the control group. Forty db/db mice were randomly divided into five groups. Treatments included vehicle, EPE1, EPE2, EPE3 (at doses of 100, 200, or 400 mg/kg EPE), or the comparative drug aminoguanidine for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks of treatment, blood samples were collected for analyses of blood glucose, insulin, and HbA1c levels, and pancreatic and kidney tissues were dissected for histological analyses. The present study indicated that the administration of EPE to db/db mice effectively controlled hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia by markedly lowering blood glucose, insulin, and glycosylated HbA1c levels. Administration of EPE to db/db mice decreased the levels of BUN and creatinine both in blood and urine and reduced urinary albumin excretion and the albumin creatine ratio (UACR) in urine. Moreover, EPE treatment decreased the blood levels of inflammatory cytokines, including kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), C-reactive protein (CRP), and NLR family pyrin domain containing (NLRP3). Our findings showed that EPE not only had antihyperglycemic effects but also improved renal function in db/db mice. Histological examination of the kidney by immunohistochemistry indicated that EPE can improve kidney function by ameliorating glomerular morphological damage following glomerular injury; alleviating proteinuria by upregulating the expression of nephrin, a biomarker of early glomerular damage; and inhibiting glomerular expansion and tubular fibrosis. Moreover, the administration of EPE to db/db mice increased the expression levels of p- PKCα/t-PKCα but decreased the expression levels of VEGF and renal fibrosis biomarkers (TGF-β1, collagen IV, p-Smad2, p-Smad3, and Smad4), as shown by Western blot analyses. These results implied that EPE as a supplement has a protective effect against renal dysfunction through the amelioration of insulin resistance as well as the suppression of nephritis and fibrosis in a DN model.

Silicon-based photodetectors, as low-cost and environmentally friendly optical sensors, are attractive. Also, their compatibility with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology is advantageous for the development of silicon photonics systems. However, extending optical responsivity of silicon-based photodetectors to the mid-infrared (mid-IR) wavelength range remains challenging. In developing mid-IR infrared Schottky detectors, nanoscale metals are critical. Nonetheless, one key factor is the Fermi level pinning effect at the metal/silicon interface and the presence of metal-induced gap states (MIGS). Here, we demonstrate the utilization of the passivated surface layer on semiconductor materials as an insulating material in metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) contacts to mitigate the Fermi level pinning effect. The removal of Fermi level pinning effectively reduces the Schottky barrier height by 12.5% to 16%. The demonstrated devices exhibit a high responsivity of up to 234 μA/W at a wavelength of 2 μm, 48.2 μA/W at 3 μm, and 1.75 μA/W at 6 μm. The corresponding detectivities at 2 and 3 μm are 1.17×10^8 cm Hz^1/2 W^-1 and 2.41×10^7 cm Hz^1/2 W^-1, respectively. The expanded sensing wavelength range contributes to the application development of future silicon photonics integration platforms.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has greatly improved outcomes for patients with relapsed or refractory hematological malignancies. However, challenges such as treatment resistance, relapse, and severe toxicity still hinder its widespread clinical application. Traditional transcriptome analysis has provided limited insights into the complex transcriptional landscape of both leukemia cells and engineered CAR-T cells, as well as their interactions within the tumor microenvironment. However, with the advent of single-cell sequencing techniques, a paradigm shift has occurred, providing robust tools to unravel the complexities of these factors. These techniques enable unbiased analysis of cellular heterogeneity and molecular patterns. These insights are invaluable for precise receptor design, guiding gene-based T cell modification, and optimizing manufacturing conditions. Consequently, this review utilizes modern single-cell sequencing techniques to clarify the transcriptional intricacies of leukemia cells and CAR-Ts. The aim of this manuscript is to discuss the potential mechanisms that contribute to the clinical failures of CAR-T immunotherapy. We will examine the biological characteristics of CAR-Ts, the mechanisms that govern clinical responses, and the intricacies of adverse events. By exploring these aspects, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of CAR-T therapy, which will ultimately lead to improved clinical outcomes and broader therapeutic applications.

Keywords: mHealth; peritoneal dialysis; functionality; usability

Weighted Student Funding (WSF) systems have been implemented in various countries to give schools more autonomy over how to allocate their funding. School principals use funding to maintain school operations and foster innovation for achieving educational goals. However, despite the importance of this process, scholarly research has largely overlooked how principals make decisions about their financial resources. Accordingly, this study seeks to provide practical insights into the strategies used by one school by highlighting their staff’s perceptions about using their WSF to maintain school operations and spur innovation. Using a case study approach, we investigated a principal who effectively used a school’s WSF to transform a failing school into an innovative one. The findings revealed that the principal strategically implemented financial management mechanisms in a way that inspired teachers to deeply consider how a school's WSF can help achieve educational goals. The principal fostered consensus on the school's direction, encouraged innovation through hands-on experiential learning and strategic planning, and facilitated funding for innovative teachers by guiding proposal development. Insights into the shifting cultural and practical landscape of financial resource utilization within schools are discussed.

In response to the growing need for efficient energy conversion technologies, this pa-per introduces an innovative Tubular Thermoelectric Generator (TTEG), specifically de-signed for high-efficiency conversion of waste heat into electrical energy. Unlike conven-tional flat plate thermoelectric generators (FTEGs), the TTEG incorporates full-ring ther-moelectric elements within a tubular layout, offering a novel approach to thermal energy recovery from fluid-based systems. This design significantly enhances the heat transfer capabilities, thereby improving the efficiency of energy conversion. Comprehensive simulations and analyses form the core of this study, where the per-formance of the TTEG is rigorously compared with traditional FTEGs. These comparisons highlight the advantages of the tubular design in terms of energy conversion efficiency and practical applicability in various scenarios. The findings reveal that the TTEG not only outperforms its flat plate counterparts but also presents a scalable and adaptable so-lution for waste heat recovery in a wide range of industrial and automotive applications. This research contributes to the field of energy science and technology by presenting a detailed experimental setup, complete with reproducible procedures and results. It opens new pathways for the development of more sustainable and efficient energy conversion systems, aligning with the goal of harnessing renewable and sustainable energy sources. The potential applications of this technology in enhancing energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact are vast, making it a significant step forward in the quest for clean and sustainable energy solutions.

In this study, we used the natural and anthropogenic characteristics of a coastal region to generate risk maps showing vulnerability and potential hazards, and proposed design criteria for coastal defense and land use for the various kinds of risks faced. The Yunlin coast: a first-level protection area in mid-west Taiwan, was then used as an example to illustrate the proposed design criteria. The safety of the present coastal defenses and land use of the Yunlin coastal area was assessed, and coastal protection measures for hazard prevention were proposed based on the generated risk map. The results can be informative for future coastal management and the promotion of sustainable development of coastal zones.

Large quantities of clothing are routinely discarded, ending up in landfills that contribute to the environmental crisis; hence, it is worthwhile investigating how to dispose of this waste in a sustainable way. This study considered environmental values and prosocial behavior from a behaviorism theory. The aim was to set up an environmental protection model for the sustainable disposal of consumer clothing. A structural equation modeling analysis of 407 undergraduate and postgraduate consumer data in Taiwan revealed that consumers’ choice to donate clothing was influenced by environmental values and prosocial behaviors. Clothing resale was influenced by the factor of prosocial behavior. However, prosocial consumers used other disposal patterns instead of resale. Clothing reuse was not influenced by either environmental values or prosocial behavior. The results indicated that environmental values and prosocial behavior did in fact influence consumers’ choices regarding clothing donation. However, prosocial consumers used other disposal patterns instead of resale. Behaviorism theory model is effective in analyzing the factors influencing sustainable clothing disposal. To face clothing waste issues, one can intensify traditional values of industriousness and thriftiness, of compassion and sympathy to others, to accelerate the promotion of the sustainable disposal of clothing.

This article addresses the trajectory tracking between two non-identical systems with chaotic properties. We employ the Rossler chaotic and RCL-shunted Josephson junctions model in similar phase space to study trajectory tracking. In order to achieve the goal tracking, we afford two stages to approximate the target tracking. The first stage utilizes the active control technique to transfer the output signal from the RCLs-J system into the quasi-Rossler system. Then next, the RCLs-J system employs the proposed the iterative learning control scheme and the control signal from the drive system to trace the trajectory of Rossler system. The numerical results demonstrate the proposed method and the tracking system is asymptotically stable.

This research not only dedicated a less restrictive method of iteration-varying function for a learning control law to design a controller but also synchronize two nonlinear systems with free time-delay. In addition, the mathematical theory of system synchronization has proved rigorously and the theory verified through an example to demonstrate the behavior of each parameter in the theory. The design of a controller using the iterative learning control law is significant for robotic tracking. The controller in this research generates a feed-forward control input using the error dynamics among the drive-response systems. The error dynamics satisfies the Lyapunov function and the combination of output errors, which respectively represented relative estimated differences of the drive-response systems. The iterative learning control rule serves the function of a filter adding previous control error after the end of each iteration. The numerical example of a synchronous system is given a Lorenz system for driving and another with the iterative learning control law for response under different initial condition. The results verify and demonstrate the proposed mathematical theory. The simulation exhibits consistency in the behavior of each parameter to match mathematical theory.

Although the positive relationship between religion and environmental behavior is well-argued, empirical research about the relationship between religion and public pro-environmental behavior is relatively lacking. This paper aims to explore the group differences in the influence of religion on public pro-environmental behavior and the mediating role of environmental risk perception in religion and public pro-environmental behavior. Using the Chinese General Social Survey data in 2013 for empirical analysis, this study’s results show that there are group differences in the impact of religion on public pro-environmental behavior. Women with religious beliefs are more willing to engage in public pro-environmental behavior than those without religious beliefs. Religious believers over the age of 45 are more willing to participate in public pro-environmental behavior than those without religious beliefs. Political participants with religious beliefs are more willing to practice public pro-environmental behavior than those without religious beliefs. In addition, we found that environmental risk perception can act as partial mediation in religious and public pro-environmental behavior. In other words, religious beliefs are deeply embedded in local political and social culture. In order to correctly understand the relationship between religion and public pro-environmental behavior, it is necessary to consider religion in a specific cultural background.

The weight coefficients of the diaphragm spring depend on experiences in the traditional optimization. However, this method not only cannot guarantee the optimal solution but it is also not universal. Therefore, a new optimization target function is proposed. The new function takes the minimum of average compress force changing of the spring and the minimum force of the separation as total objectives. Based on the optimization function, the result of the clutch diaphragm spring in a car is analyzed by the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) and the solution set of Pareto is obtained. The results show that the pressing force of the diaphragm spring is improved by 4.09%by the new algorithmand the steering separation force is improved by 6.55%, which has better stability and steering portability. The problem of the weight coefficient in the traditional empirical design is solved. The pressing force of the optimized diaphragm spring varied slightly during the abrasion range of the friction film, and the manipulation became remarkably light.

The average working person can spend between 35-60 hours a week in the workplace, making it an influential place for mental well-being while also being a place for socio-economic contribution. Workplace incivility can diminish positive mental health outcomes and negatively impact work engagement through increased social anxiety. To investigate this, 118 working adults aged between 19 to 67 years old in Singapore were recruited for a survey comprising of demographics questions, the Workplace Incivility Scale, Brief DSM-5 Social Anxiety Disorder Severity Scale, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9 over the period of November 2022 to April 2023. Correlational, regression and mediation analysis showed workplace incivility scale scores to significantly pre-dict social anxiety after controlling for covariates, supporting our hypothesis that employees exposed to work-place incivility would have higher levels of social anxiety that mediated work engagement after controlling for age and gender. The findings here show workplace incivility to be a possible intervention target for social anx-iety to reduce negative impacts on work engagement in order to improve employee experience and retention for organizations.

Molecular hydrogen (H2) has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities that may reduce the development and progression of many diseases. In this study, Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) was obtained by reacting hybrid magnesium-carbon hydrogen storage materials with water. Then the effects of intake of HRW on the activities of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, membrane transporters, and oxidative stress in rats were investigated. Rats were given HRW ad libitum for 4 weeks. Results showed that intake of HRW had no significant effect on the activities of various cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes (CYP1A1, 1A2, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E1, 3A, 4A), glutathione-S-transferase and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase. Except for a slight lower plasma glucose concentration, intake of HRW had no effect on other plasma biochemical parameters in rats. P-Glycoprotein and multidrug resistance-associated protein (Mrp)2 protein expressions in liver were elevated after intake of HRW. However, HRW had no significant effects on glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, or lipid peroxidation in liver. Results from this study suggest that consumption of HRW may not affect xenobiotic metabolism or oxidative stress in liver. However, intake of HRW may increase the efflux of xenobiotics or toxic substances from the liver into bile by enhancing the expression of p-glycoprotein and Mrp2 protein.

This study explored the effects of cryogenic treatment on the microstructure, hardness, and wear-resistance of diamond-like carbon (DLC) by cryogenically treating NAK 80 mold steel coated with DLC. Raman spectroscopy analyzed the structure of the DLC film. Nanoindenter analyzed the hardness and Young’s modulus of the film, and their relationship determined the wear resistance. Wear test assessed the wear rate and friction coefficient of the DLC film. The results showed that cryogenic treatment increased the rate of carbide precipitation and refined the grain structure. Raman spectroscopy indicated that the Raman intensity rate (I_D/I_G) of treated DLC films was smaller than those without cryogenic treatment. When the sp3 bond increased, the hardness and wear-resistance of the DLC film also increased.

The model internal year-to-year variability (hereafter, internal variability) is a significant source of uncertainty when estimating anthropogenic aerosol effective radiative forcing (ERF). In this study, we investigate the impact of internal variability using large ensemble simulations (600 years in total) with the same climate model under prescribed anthropogenic aerosol forcings. A comparison of the magnitudes (i.e., standard deviation, Std) of these influences confirms that internal variability has negligible impacts on the instantaneous radiative forcing (RF) diagnosed by double radiation calls but has considerable impacts on estimating ERF through rapid adjustments (ADJ). Approximately half of the model grids exhibit strong internal variability influence on ERF (Std &gt; 5 W m−2). These strong internal variabilities lead to a 50% probability that 30-year linear change can reach 2 W m−2, and 10-year linear change can reach 4 W m−2. A 50-year simulation can provide a relatively stable annual mean map of ERF (ERF = ADJ + RF), but it fails for ADJ. The statistically significant areas in the annual mean maps of both ERF and ADJ from a 10-year simulation exhibit instability with evident chaotic features. These analyses contribute to the setup of comparative experiments and a more comprehensive understanding of the modeled anthropogenic aerosol ERF.

The Marchenko method is a data-driven way which makes it possible to calculate Green's functions from virtual points in the subsurface by the reflection data at the surface, only requiring a macro velocity model. This method requires collocated sources and receivers. However, in practice, subsampling of sources or receivers will cause gaps and distortions in the obtained focusing functions and Green's functions. To solve this problem, this paper proposes to integrate sparse inversion into the iterative Marchenko scheme. Specifically, we add sparsity constraints to the Marchenko equations and apply sparse inversion during the iterative process. Our work not only reduces the strict requirements on acquisition geometries, but also avoids the complexity and instability of direct inversion for Marchenko equations. This new method is applied to a two-dimensional numerical example with irregular sampled data. The result shows that it can effectively fill gaps of the obtained focusing functions and Green's functions in the Marchenko method.

These years have witnessed growing research on applying rheology in grinding and flotation treatment of finely disseminated ores. The slurry rheology has long been identified as the comprehensive effect of inter-particle interactions, including their aggregation (coagulation and flocculation) and dispersion states in slurry, which are more impactive under the fine-particle effect. In this regard, rheology has the potential to play a significant role in interpreting the flowing and deforming phenomenon of inter-particle aggregates, particle-bubble aggregates, and flotation froth. Though much attention has been paid to the rheological effect in industrial suspension, this has not been the case for mineral grinding and flotation for fine particles. The influential mechanism of rheology on the sub-processes of mineral processing has not been systemically concluded and revealed thoroughly, without which the underpinning mechanism for enhancing the processing efficiency has been difficult to discover. This paper reviews the current application and importance of rheology in the fine mineral processing, and the potential research direction in the field is proposed.

Crash prediction of the sharp horizontal curve segment (SHCS) of a freeway is an important tool in analyzing safety of SHCSs and in building a crash prediction model (CPM). The design and crash report data of 88 SHCSs from different institutions were surveyed and three negative binomial (NB) regression models and three generalized negative binomial (GNB) regression models were built to prove that the interactive influence of explanatory variables plays an important role in fitting goodness. The study demonstrates the effective use of the GNB model in analyzing the interactive influence of explanatory variables and in predicting freeway basic segments. Traffic volume, highway horizontal radius, and curve length have been formulated as explanatory variables. Subsequently, we performed statistical analysis to determine the model parameters and conducted sensitivity analysis. Among the six models, the result of model 6, which considered interactive influence, is much better than those of the other models by fitting rules. We also compared the actual results from crashes of 88 SHCSs with those predicted by models 1, 3, and 6. Results demonstrate that model 6 is much more reasonable than models 1 and 3.

Complex models have received significant interest in recent years and are being increasingly used to explain the stochastic phenomenon with upward and downward fluctuation such as the stock market. Different from existing semi-variance methods in traditional integer dimension construction for two variables, this paper proposes a simplified multi-factorized fractional dimension derivation with the exact Excel tool algorithm involving the fractional center moment extension to covariance, which is a complex parameter average that is a multi-factorized extension to Pearson covariance. By examining the peaks and troughs of gold price averages, the proposed algorithm provides more insight into revealing underlying stock market trends to see who is the financial market leader during good economic times. The calculation results demonstrate that the complex covariance is able to distinguish subtle differences among stock market performances and gold prices for the same field that the two variable covariance may overlook. We take the London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Toronto and Nasdaq as the representative examples.

Excessive body fat is a major contributor to obesity, which is related to high blood, total cholesterol and triglycerides. Lemons (Citrus limon) are renowned for their antioxidant and lipid-lowering properties. First, Sugar-free fermentation demonstrated better results lower sugar content and was identified as the preferred fermentation method. Next, the effect of two doses of sugar-free fermented lemon peel juice (SF-FLPJ) on obesity was investigated. Sprague Dawley (male rats) were randomly divided into 4 groups and fed a standard feed or high-fat diet (HFD) to induce fatness for eight weeks. The two groups of rats fed an HFD were administered SF-FLPJ at 0.45 or 0.9 g/kg body weight daily for eight weeks. The obese rats administered 0.9 g/kg (body weight/day) of SF-FLPJ exhibited significant reductions in body fat mass and percentage; they also had lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels than the other groups. Additionally, the rats displayed diminished liver fat accumulation. The results suggest that SF-FLPJ can be a supplement in managing body fat, contributing positively to addressing obesity within the context of health management, and reduce obesity-associated issues.

Trichoderma spp. are widely used in plant disease control as biocontrol agents. Inducing plant disease resistance is an important biocontrol mechanism of Trichoderma. It is of great significance to explore the factors involved in the surface recognition and interaction of Trichoderma with plants. Hydrophobin is a small molecular protein rich in cysteine in higher filamentous fungi and has been found to participate in the morphogenesis and interaction of fungi with other organisms. In this study, the type II hydrophobic protein-coding gene Thfb6 from T. harzianum TH33 was cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The purified recombinant protein Thfb6 induced a hypersensitive response in tobacco leaves, a burst of reactive oxygen species, and an accumulation of callose, phenolic substances, and lignin in tobacco, indicating that Thfb6 can induce an early defense reaction in tobacco. Thfb6 also enhanced the systemic resistance of tobacco against tobacco mosaic virus. The rate of lesion number reduction by treatment with Thfb6 could be up to 36.02%. Thfb6 increased the activity of tobacco defense-related enzymes, including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase, and peroxidase, which were all more than three times the control after 3–5 days post treatment of Thfb6. The transcription of resistance-related genes, including the PAL gene, non-expresser of pathogenesis-related gene1 (NPR1), and basic pathogenesis-related gene 1 (PR1-b), were upregulated after Thfb6 treatment. The relative expression levels of the PAL and NPR1 genes were highest on the third and fourth days after Thfb6 treatment, at 5.5 times and 8.3 times that of the control, respectively. The relative expression level of PR1 on the sixth day after Thfb6 treatment was 5.3 times that of the control. These results indicate that the improvement of defense-related enzyme activity and the induced expression of disease-resistance-related genes were the main mechanisms by which Thfb6 induced systemic resistance in tobacco.

This study presents an exploration into identifying the interactions between ocean waves and the continental margin in the origination of double-frequency (DF, 0.1-0.5 Hz) microseisms recorded at 33 stations across East Coast of USA (ECUSA) during a ten-day period of ordinary ocean wave climate. Daily primary vibration directions are calculated in three frequency bands and projected as great circles passing through each station. In each band, the great circles from all stations exhibit largest spatial density primarily near the continental slope in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Generation mechanisms of three DF microseism events are explored by comparing temporal and spatial variations of the DF microseisms with the migration patterns of ocean wave fronts in Wavewatch III hindcasts. Correlation analyses are conducted by comparing the frequency compositions of and calculating the correlation coefficients between the DF microseisms and the ocean waves recorded at selected buoys. The observations and analyses lead to a hypothesis that the continental slope causes wave reflection, generating low frequency DF energy and that the continental shelf is where high frequency DF energy is mainly generated in ECUSA. The hypothesis is supported by the primary vibration directions being mainly perpendicular to the strike of the continental slope.

At present, in the field of aviation industry, titanium alloy is mainly used to manufacture parts such as compressor disc, blade and casing of aircraft engine. When working, titanium alloy parts produce high temperature due to high-speed running friction, which makes the high temperature oxidation resistance and friction resistance of titanium alloy greatly reduced. When their working environment contains salt, titanium alloys are subjected to thermal corrosion, which limits their wider practical applications. This paper introduce the aluminide coating and its preparation methods. The characteristics and functional mechanism of three functional coatings for service environment, such as high temperature resistant alumina-based coating, thermal corrosion resistant alumina-based coating and wear-resistant alumina-based coating are summarized. Finally, the development direction of composite coatings of titanium and titanium alloys for complex service environment is prospected.

This article presents, for the first time, the kinetics and the general conversion features of free radical polymerization (FRP) in a 3-component system (A/B/N), with [A] being the initiator, and [B] and [N] are additives, based on the proposed mechanism of Rahal et al. Higher FRP can be achieved by additives [B] and [N], via the dual function of (i) regeneration [A], and (ii) generation of extra radicals (R) via the radicals (S' and S) produced by N.The initiator (coumarin) shows a dual photo-oxidation and photo-reduction character for high efficacy. The FRP conversion efficacy (CE) depends not only on the property of the initiator [A], the additives [B] and [N}, but also the types of monomers. For example, when [A]=CoumC, [A]/NPG is more efficient than [A]/Iod, but revserse trend occurs in some monomers. However, 2-component systems (with CE=0% to 80%) are always less efficient than that of 3-component systems (with CE=70% to 86%, in TMPTA). Specific systems with [A]=coumarins, [B]=Iodonium salt, and N=NPG are analyzed. Analytical formulas for the role of each component concentration, light intensity and coupling rates on the conversion efficacy are derived.

Chicken infectious anemia (CIA) poses a significant threat to the chicken industry in China. De-spite its non-specific symptoms, the disease is often overlooked. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the etiology and pathology of CIA in Guangxi Province, China. Three strains of the chicken infectious anemia virus (CIAV) were isolated from liver samples of diseased 20-week-old chickens. The complete genomes of these strains were sequenced, and experiments on specific pathogen-free (SPF) chicks revealed that the GX21121 strain exhibited high virulence. Histopathological examination of the deceased chicks showed liver cell necrosis, fibrous-serous exudation, inflammatory cell infiltration, hemorrhage in liver tissues, as well as congestion in lung and renal tissues. Phylogenetic analysis of the genome revealed that the three strains had a close genetic relationship to the Heilongjiang wild-type (GenBank KY486144). The genetic evolu-tion of their VP1 genes indicated that all three CIAV isolates belonged to genotype IIIc. In sum-mary, this study demonstrated the genomic diversity of three CIAV strains in adult layer hens. The isolation and characterization of the GX21121 strain as a highly virulent isolate provide val-uable information for further investigations into the etiology, molecular epidemiology, and viral evolution of CIAV.

Various vaccines have been developed in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and the safety of vaccines has become an important issue. COVID-19 vaccines-related central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating diseases (CNS IDDs) have been reported recently. We present one case of AstraZeneca vaccine-related myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated disease and literature review another 78 patients published from January 2020 to October 2022. Patients were divided into three vaccine groups (viral vector, mRNA and inactivated vaccines) for further analyses. Among 79 patients with COVID-19 vaccines-related CNS IDDs, 49 (62%) cases received viral vector vaccines, 20 (25.3%) received mRNA vaccines and 10 (12.7%) received inactivated vaccines. Twenty-seven cases (34.2%) were confirmed with autoantibodies, including 15 patients (19%) with anti-MOG, 11 (13.9%) with anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4), and one (1.3%) with both antibodies. Significantly, more males developed CNS IDDs post viral vector vaccines compared to mRNA and inactivated vaccines. Patients receiving mRNA vaccines were older than other groups. Furthermore, mRNA and inactivated vaccines correlated more with anti-AQP4 antibodies, while viral vector vaccines showed higher MOG positivity. The research suggests potential associations between COVID-19 vaccines-related CNS IDDs and gender, age, and autoantibodies, contingent on vaccine types. Protein sequence analysis implies similarities between the S protein and AQP4/MOG. Further studies may elucidate the mechanisms of CNS IDDs, aiding vaccine selection for specific groups.

MicroRNA (miRNA) is small non-coding RNAs that play vital roles in post-transcriptional gene regulation by inhibiting mRNA translation or promoting mRNA degradation. Dysregulation of miRNA has been implicated in numerous human diseases, including cancers. The family members of miR-34 (miR-34s), composed of miR-34a, miR-34b, and miR-34c, have emerged as the most extensively studied tumor-suppressive miRNAs. In this comprehensive review, we aim to provide an overview of the major signaling pathways and gene networks regulated by the miR-34s in various cancers and highlight the critical tumor suppressor role of miR-34s. Furthermore, we will discuss the potential of using miR-34 mimics as a novel therapeutic approach against cancer, while also addressing the challenges associated with their development and delivery. It is anticipated that gaining a deeper understanding of the functions and mechanisms of miR-34s in cancer will greatly contribute to the development of effective miR-34-based cancer therapeutics.

The synergic features and enhancing strategies for various photopolymerization systems are reviewed by kinetic schemes and the associated measurements. The important topics include: (i) photo crosslinking of corneas for the treatmnet of corneal deseases using UVA-light (365 nm) light and riboflavin as the photosensitizer; (ii) synergic effects by a dual-function enhancer in a 3-initiator system; (iii) synergic effects by a 3-initiator C/B/A system, having an electron-transfer and oxygen-mediated energy-transfer pathways; (iv) copper-complex (G1) photoredox catalyst in G1/Iod/NVK systems for free radiical (FRP) and cationic photopolymeriation (CP); (v) radical-mediated thiol-ene (TE) photopolymerizations; (vi) superbase photogenerator based-catalyzed thiol−acrylate Michael (TM) addition reaction; and the combined system of TE and TM usinghual wavelength; (vii) dual-wavelength (UV and blue) controlled photopolymerization confinement (PC); (viii) dual-wavelength (UV and red) selectively controlled 3D printing; and (ix) 3-wavelength selectively controlled in 3D printing and additive manufacturing (AM). With minimum mathematics, we present ( for the first time), the synergic features and enhancing strategies for various systems of multi-commponents, initiators, monomers, and under one- two- and there-wavelength light. Therefore, this Review provides not only the bridging between modeling and measurements, but also guidances for further experimantal stuides and new applications in 3D printings and additive manufacturing (AM), based on the innovative concepts (kinetics/schemes).

incipient fault diagnosis is particularly important in process industrial systems, as its early detection helps to prevent major accidents. Against this background, this study proposes a combined method of Mixed Kernel Principal Components Analysis and Dynamic Canonical Correlation Analysis (MK-DCCA). The robust generalization performance of this approach is demonstrated through experimental validation on a randomly generated dataset. Furthermore, Comparative experiments were conducted on a CSTR Simulink model, comparing the MK-DCCA method with DCCA and DCVA methods, demonstrating its excellent detection performance for incipient fault in nonlinear and dynamic system. Meanwhile, fault identification experiments were conducted, validating the high accuracy of fault identification method based on contribution. The experimental findings demonstrate that the method possesses a certain industrial significance and academic relevance.

This paper presents a numerical algorithm for solving high-order BVPs. We introduce the construction method of multiscale orthonormal basis in W^m[0; 1] by multiscale orthonormal basis in W¹[0; 1]. We de fine approximate solution, and obtain the approximate solution of high-order BVPs by using the approximate theory. Moreover, the convergence and stability of the algorithm are improved. At last, several numerical experiments show the feasibility of the proposed method.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent and disabling mental disorders worldwide. Among the symptoms of MDD, sleep disturbance such as insomnia is prominent and the first reason patients may seek professional help. However, the underlying pathophysiology of this comorbidity is still elusive. Recently, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have begun to unveil the genetic background of several psychiatric disorders, including MDD and insomnia. Identifying the shared genomic risk loci between comorbid psychiatric disorders could be a valuable strategy to understand their comorbidity. This study seeks to identify the shared genes and biological pathways between MDD and insomnia based on their shared genetic variants. First, we performed a meta-analysis based on the GWAS summary statistics of MDD and insomnia obtained from Psychiatric Genomics Consortium and UK Biobank, respectively. Next, we associated shared genetic variants to genes using two gene mapping strategies: (a) positional mapping based on genomic proximity and (b) expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) mapping based on gene expression linkage across multiple tissues. As a result, a total of 719 shared genes were identified. Over half (51%) of them are protein-coding genes. Functional enrichment analysis shows that the most enriched biological pathways are related to epigenetic modification, sensory perception, and immunologic signatures. We also identified druggable targets using a network approach. Together these results may provide insights into understanding the genetic predisposition and underlying biological pathways of comorbid MDD and insomnia symptoms.

We found an important fact that the beam footprint line of Ping will intersect with the real water depth when the initial incidence angle is about 45°, and sound velocity error hardly has an effect on it. This is contrary to our previous experience that the soundings of the central beam of multi-beam bathymetric system (MBS) is the most accurate. Firstly, the influence of sound velocity errors on central beam and seafloor topography distortion was analyzed. Secondly, the process of proving this fact was given, and the topography correction method was proposed by compensating the sound velocity profile area (SVP area). Finally, we showed in the first simulation of four type errors in SVPs that this fact is verified. The topography correction method used in the second simulation to correct the topography distortion of the first simulation is also verified.

Due to wood’s susceptibility to fire, it is crucial to treat wood-based materials with flame retardants, especially in construction applications. This study investigated the effectiveness of various grooving types, including transverse, longitudinal, both transverse and longitudinal, and surface grooving, in enhancing larch's vacuum pressure impregnation process. The results revealed that transverse grooving provided a slightly greater impregnation advantage than longitudinal grooving. Moreover, exceptional impregnation performance was observed in larch samples subjected to both longitudinal and transverse grooving and surface grooving, exhibiting a remarkable improvement of 214,7 % compared to untreated larch.

Hydrological connectivity plays a major role in solving water resource and eco-environmental problems. However, this phenomenon has not been afforded the attention it deserves. Detailed analysis of connectivity in river systems could provide considerable insight into structural and functional attributes of riverine landscapes. The current study used graph theory approach and associated connectivity indicators to explore the characteristics and evolution of river systems and hydrological connectivity in a large catchment (Poyang Lake, China). The results revealed that the structure of the river system tended to be complex during 1990-2020, characterized by a dynamic evolution of tributaries in certain northern areas. Both river density and complexity exhibited an increasing trend by up to 15%, with the change rate after 2000 approximately twice as high as that of the preceding period. Overall, human activities across the catchment are more likely to play a key role in leading to significant changes in the quantity, morphometric, and structure characteristics of the river system. Additionally, the functional connectivity analysis indicated that the index of connectivity (IC) in the downstream catchment is stronger than that of the upstream vegetation areas, suggesting a strong contribution to the runoff-sediment transport (r=0.6-0.7). This study highlights the spatial and temporal evolution of both the structural and functional connectivity in the large Poyang Lake catchment. The findings of this work will bene-fit future water resource management and applications by providing a strategy for protecting the surface hydrology and mass transport of large river basins under climate and land-use changes.

In this study, Cu/Ni and Cu/Al multilayer thin films with individual layer thickness varying from 25 nm to 200 nm were deposited at room temperature and further annealed up to 300 ℃. The mechanical and microstructural properties of the multilayers were characterized by nanoindentation, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Both systems exhibited an increase in hardness with increasing annealing temperature. However, the Cu/Ni system showed a gradual and moderate (up to 30%) hardness increase from room temperature to 300 ℃, while the Cu/Al system showed a sharp increase (~150%) between 125℃ and 200℃. This distinct strengthening behavior is attributed to solid solution formation in Cu/Ni and diffusion-activated intermetallic formation in Cu/Al.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant polyphenol in green tea. In this study, the effects of dietary EGCG on oxidative stress and the metabolism and toxicity of acetaminophen in liver were investigated. Rats were fed the diets with (0.54 %) or without EGCG supplementation for four weeks and were then intraperitoneally injected with acetaminophen (1g/kg). Results showed EGCG lowered hepatic oxidative stress and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2, 2E1, and 3A, and UDP-glucurosyltransferase activities prior to acetaminophen injection. After acetaminophen challenge, the elevations in plasma alanine aminotransferase activity and histological changes in liver were ameliorated by EGCG treatment. EGCG reduced acetaminophen-induced apoptosis by increasing the Bax/Bcl2 ratio in liver. EGCG mildly increased autophagy by increasing the LC3B II/I ratio. Lower hepatic acetaminophen-glutathione and acetaminophen-protein adducts contents were observed after EGCG treatment. EGCG increased glutathione peroxidase and NAD(P)H quinone 1 oxidoreductase activities and reduced organic anion-transporting polypeptides 1a1 expression in liver after acetaminophen treatment. Our results indicate that EGCG may lower oxidative stress and reduce the metabolism and toxicity of acetaminophen. The reductions in CYP-mediated acetaminophen bioactivation and uptake transporter, as well as enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, may limit the accumulation of toxic products in liver and thus lower hepatotoxicity

Serine/threonine kinase (AKT) signaling regulates diverse cellular processes and is one of the most important aberrant cell survival mechanisms associated with tumorigenesis, metastasis, and chemoresistance. Targeting AKT has become an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of many cancers. AKT3 (PKBγ), the least studied isoform of the AKT family, has emerged as a major contributor to malignancy. AKT3 is frequently overexpressed in human cancers, and many regulatory oncogenic or tumor suppressor small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), have recently been identified to be involved in regulating AKT3 expression. Therefore, a better understanding of regulatory miRNA/AKT3 networks may reveal novel biomarkers for diagnosis of patients with cancer and provide invaluable information for developing more effective therapeutic strategies. The aim of this review is to summarize current research progress in the isoform-specific functions of AKT3 in human cancers and the roles of dysregulated miRNA/AKT3 in specific types of human cancers.

Optical and mechanical properties of multilayer coatings depend on the selected layer materials and the deposition technology; therefore, knowledge of the performances of thin films is essential. In the present work, titanium dioxide (TiO2) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) thin films have been prepared by plasma ion-assisted deposition (PIAD). The optical, structural, and mechanical properties of thin films have been investigated using spectrometer/ellipsometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and laser interferometer. The results show that TiO2 film fabricated by PIAD induces a high refractive index, wide optical band gap, amorphous structure, smooth surface, and tensile stress. In the case of SiO2 film, high bias voltage leads to dense structure and compressive stress. As an application, a three-wavelength high reflectance at 632.8, 808, and 1550nm is optimized and deposited. The dependence of total stress in the multilayer on the substrate temperature is studied as well. In conclusion, it is demonstrated that PIAD is an effective method for the preparation of ultralow stress TiO2/SiO2 multilayer films. The achieved stress is as low as 1.4Mpa. The result could provide guidance to the stress optimization of most optical components without prefiguring, backside coating, and post-deposition treatments.

Emphasis on primary health care (PHC) is the most efficient and economical approach to achieving universal health coverage. The aim of the study is to examine PHC publications from 2011 to 2023 in the Asian Pacific region (APR) using the Web of Science (WoS) database. Academic papers in the WoS PHC subject category published in the APR from 2011 to 2023 were retrieved and analyzed. A total of 4,283 papers were published in the WoS PHC category from APR onwards. The annual number of published papers and their citations increased from 2011 to 2023. Australia led PHC publications in APR with 3,049 publications (71.19% of APR regional output). New Zealand had the highest number of citations per paper (13.76) and the highest mean impact factor (3.23±1.80). Publications in the WoS PHC category also covered a wide range of topics, including Medicine General Internal (64.77%), Health Care Sciences Services (21.88%), Health Policy Services and Public Environmental Occupational Health (21.36%), demonstrating the breadth of PHC research. Australia dominates the output of PHC publications in the APR. Australian Family Physician and Australian Journal of Primary Health are the leading journals publishing PHC papers in the APR.

Despite the importance of influenza vaccination for healthcare workers (HCWs), their uptake remains challenging. This study aimed to measure influenza vaccine hesitancy among HCWs in Nakhon Phanom province, Thailand. A representative cross-sectional survey was conducted at six hospitals during August – September 2020 using a self-administered questionnaire. HCWs delaying getting influenza vaccines, accepting but unsure, or refusing with doubts were categorized as hesitant. Those accepting without any doubts were classified as non-hesitant. Vaccine hesitancy determinants were identified by multivariable logistic regression analysis. A total of 338 participants (97%) completed the questionnaires; most were female nurses working at district hospitals without pre-existing chronic medical conditions. Nearly 60% of participants (197/338) exhibited influenza vaccine hesitancy, and significant factors included age above 50 years adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.2, 95% CI 1.3-8.5), fair knowledge of influenza/vaccination (aOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.8), and negative influence of other HCW (High level– aOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.1-4.8; Moderate level- aOR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-4.4). Imparting updated information to the HCW combined with positive guidance from influential peers may help reduce this hesitancy.

Alternative fertilizations are essential to minimize the deteriorating effects of chemical fertilizers on soil and water quality/health. Accordingly, the present work investigated the effects of combined organic-inorganic fertilization (COIF) on wheat and rice yields, soil nutrients, and soil Cd accumulation. Hence, seven different treatments were set up: control (CK); conventional fertilization (CF); optimized fertilization (OF); organic fertilizer replacing 25% (T1) and 50% (T2) of OF; and organic nitrogen (N) replacing 25% (M1) and 50% (M2) of OF-N. Overall, significant increases occurred in the yields of COIF crops. Compared with the CF, the highest wheat and rice yields happened in M1 treatment (approximately by18.5%) (P &lt; 0.05). COIF slightly alleviated soil acidification, and improved the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the study soils. Besides, COIF treatments significantly increased the contents of total phosphorus, total potassium, available phosphorus, and available potassium by 6.35 to 16.9 %, 3.17 to 10.9 %, 5.53 to 28.7 %, and 2.6 to 12 %, respectively (P &lt;0.05). Nevertheless, negligible increases took place in Cd content of COIF soils compared with the CK. Altogether, our results concluded on 25% replacement of OF-N by organic N (M1) to effectively improve the fertility/ecological sustainability of the study soils.

As a widely used plastic, the aging and degradation of polyethylene (PE) are inevitable problems, whether the goal is to prolong the life of PE products or address the issue of white pollution. Molecular simulation is a vital scientific tool in elucidating the mechanisms and processes of chemical reactions. To obtain the distribution and evolution process of PE's thermal oxidation products, this work employs the self-consistent charge density functional tight binding (SCC-DFTB) method to perform molecular simulations of the thermal oxidation of PE with different crystallinity and branched structures. We discovered that crystallinity does not affect the thermal oxidation mechanism of PE, but higher crystallinity makes PE more susceptible to cross-linking and carbon chain growth, reducing the degree of PE carbon chain breakage. The branched structure of PE results in differences in pore size between the carbon chains, with larger pores leading to a concentrated distribution of O2 and free radicals subsequently formed. The breakdown of PE is slowed down when free radicals are localized in low-density regions of the carbon chain. The specifics and mechanism of PE's thermal oxidation are clearly revealed in this paper, which is essential for understanding the process in-depth and for the development of anti-aging PE products.

Drug-target affinity (DTA) prediction is crucial for understanding molecular interactions and aiding drug discovery and development. While various computational methods have been proposed for DTA prediction, their predictive accuracy remains limited, failing to delve into the structural nuances of interactions. With increasingly accurate and accessible structure prediction of targets, we developed a novel deep learning model, named S2DTA, to accurately predict DTA by fusing sequence and structural knowledge of drugs, targets, and pockets using heterogeneous models based on graph and semantic networks. Experimental findings underscored that complex feature representations imparted negligible enhancements to the model’s performance. However, the integration of heterogeneous models demonstrably bolstered predictive accuracy. In comparison to three state-of-the-art methodologies, the supremacy of S2DTA became strikingly apparent. It showcased a noteworthy 25.2% reduction in Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and an impressive 20.1% decrease in Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). Furthermore, S2DTA exhibited substantial advancements in other pivotal metrics, including Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC), Spearman, Concordance Index (CI), and R2. These metrics experienced remarkable increments of at least 19.6%, 17.5%, 8.1%, and a remarkable 49.4%, respectively. Finally, we conducted interpretability analysis on the effectiveness of S2DTA by bidirectional self-attention mechanism, fully proving that S2DTA is a valuable and accurate tool for predicting DTA. For further exploration, the source data and code repository can be accessed at https://github.com/dldxzx/S2DTA.

In this research, 117,718 ionospheric perturbations, with a space size (t) of 20–300 s but no limit on amplitude (A) have been automatically searched globally by a software from ion density data measured by the DEMETER satellite for more than 6 years. The influence of the solar activity on the ionosphere has been firstly examined and the results have presented that the solar activities can globally enhance ionospheric irregularities but rarely induce plasma variations more than 100%. A statistical work has been performed on ion PERs to check their dependence on local time and it is shown that there are 24.8% perturbations appeared in daytime (10:30 LT) and 75.2% ones in nighttime (22:30 LT). Ionospheric fluctuations with an absolute amplitude A < 10% tend to be background variations and the percentages of positive perturbations with small A < 20% are 64% in daytime and 26.8% in nighttime, respectively, but this number is revers for mid-large amplitude PERs. There is a demarcation point in space size t = 120 s and occurrence probabilities of day PERs are always higher than that of nighttime ones before this point while this trend is contrary after this point. Distributions of PER according to various amplitudes or space scales have been characterized by typical seasonal variations either in daytime or in nighttime. The EIA only exists in dayside equinox and winter occupying two lowlatitude crests with lower Np. The huge WSA appears in all periods except for dayside summer full of PERs with enhanced amplitude, especially in winter night. The WN-like structure can be obviously figured out in all seasons showing absolutely space large-scales. In the meanwhile, several magnetic anomalous zones of planetary scale non-dipole fields, such as the SAMA, Northern Africa anomaly, and so on, have been also successfully detected by extreme negative ion perturbations in this time.

Objective: To explore the inflammatory markers for the development of obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) after adenovirus infection in children. Methods: In this retrospective study, the medical data of 62 children with adenovirus pneumonia treated in our hospital between February 2020 and November 2021 were collected and assigned to an OB group (n = 30) or non-OB group (n = 32) according to the presence of OB. Clinical characteristics of patients included gender, age, prematurity, underlying disease, length of hospitalization, type of adenovirus infection, ventilator use, length of ventilator use, and laboratory index levels. Results: Children with OB were associated with higher serum ferritin levels versus those without (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin-6 (IL-6), partial arterial pressure of oxygen (PaO₂), D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and lymphocyte absolute values between the two groups of children (P > 0.05). Logistic multifactorial regression analysis revealed that the length of ventilator use and serum ferritin level were inflammatory markers for the development of OB in children with adenovirus pneumonia. Conclusion: The length of ventilator use and serum ferritin levels are inflammatory markers for the development of OB after adenovirus infection in children, and timely measurement of the above indicators in children is instrumental in predicting the prognosis of children.

Brushless Direct Current Motors are significantly improved for using many electrical applications. The design investigation is increased year by year and most of the motor design researchers find out the superior efficiency of the BLDC motor. The traditional motor consumed more electrical power than BLDC motor. The design of BLDC motors that are compact, small, easy to control, save energy and light weight. Due to this fact, the design of BLDC motor should be analyzed to improve the motor characteristics performance. The research focuses on the design of BLDC motor performance using Taguchi Method and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for Finite Element Method (FEM). Firstly, the Taguchi Method is applied to identify the optimization point of design parameters and consider using the reference model of actual BLDC electric fan motor with a rated power of 26Watts design. Based on the Taguchi Method to create the RSM is used to two-step optimization design performance using in FEM analysis. The performances of motor design proposed approach to provide the effeteness for motor design investigator. In this investigation aims the better structural performances in output power, torque, efficiency and torque ripple. The final design of proposed model achieved an energy efficiency is 10% higher than the reference design of prototype modes, the output power result is 10W higher this reference design. We can reduce the loss of the proposed motor design. Furthermore, the maximum torque can also increase the 0.032Nm of that design. The design simulation results were produced and studied by the FEM analysis of JMAG software. From the evaluation results, the configurations of reference model design are compared with the proposed design by using the three methods of motor design optimization showed the best characteristics for performance of motor investigation design.

Privacy and information insurance have consistently been a priority for the European Union lawmaker. This paper presents whether the NIS prevails in its underlying endeavors to remain the congruity among residents and companies. It distinguishes current difficulties that specific business structures may experience while conforming to the Regulation. The exploration traces certain reasons which could impede the opportune reception of the new lawful ideas inside the system of the organizations. The exploration incorporates what is unique about the NIS; how it overlaps with existing frameworks; and how security requirements in the GDPR influence the NIS Directive. This paper furnishes different point of views of experts with the aim of setting up an entire examination

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the major cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and increases the risk of cardiovascular events. Hemodynamic, inflammatory and metabolic factors, which share the convergent pathway of fibrosis, are considered to involve in the pathogenesis of DKD. In spite of the emerging of angiotensin receptors blockers (ARBs)/ angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI), sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, and nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptors antagonists (NS-MRAs), current therapies still couldn’t arrest the progression of DKD. Glucagon like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are promising agents to play renoprotective roles in slowing the progression of DKD. Based on the treatment of heart failure, combined use of drugs is recommended for DKD rather than single use. Unearthing the mechanisms underlying DKD is urgent to investigate the management of DKD. Here, we elaborate on the potential mechanisms and the current therapies of DKD. We also discuss the additional value of the combined use of these drugs for DKD to establish novel concepts of treatment.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited cardiovascular disorder affecting 1 in 500 people in the general population. Although characterized by asymmetric left ventricular hypertrophy, cardiomyocyte disarray and cardiac fibrosis, HCM is in fact a highly complex disease with heterogenous clinical presentation, onset and complications. While HCM is generally accepted as a disease of the sarcomere, variable penetrance in families with identical genetic mutations challenges the monogenic origin of HCM and instead implies a multifactorial cause. Furthermore, large scale genome sequencing studies revealed that many genes previously reported as causative of HCM in fact have little or no evidence of disease association. These findings thus call for a re-evaluation of the sarcomere-centered view of HCM pathogenesis. Here, we summarize our current understanding of sarcomere-independent mechanisms of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, highlight the role of extracellular signals in cardiac fibrosis, and propose an alternative but integrated model of HCM pathogenesis.

Polyurethane (PU) foam adhesives were prepared from castor oil as a polyol with isocyanate poly (4,4′-methylene diphenyl isocyanate) (PMDI) using a solvent-free process. The NCO/OH molar ratio used for the preparation of PU foams was 1.5. Water, organosiloxane and dibutyltin dilaurate were blowing agent, surfactant and catalyst, respectively. Effects of the ratio of blowing agent and catalyst were adjusted to optimize the properties. The results show that 4 wt% of castor oil of catalyst and blowing agent minimizes water absorption and maximizes volume expansion in the PU foams. FT-IR analysis shows that urethane bond was formed by hydroxyl group of castor oil and –NCO group of isocyanate PMDI. More blowing agent and catalyst could improve the volume expansion ratio and reduce water retention of PU foams. It was found that Moso bamboo charcoal (Phyllostachys pubescens) or/and China fir wood particle (Cunninghamia lanceolate) composites with setting densities of 500 and 600 kg/m³ can be prepared from optimized castor oil-based PU foam adhesive at 100 °C for 5 min under a pressure of 1.5 MPa. Increasing the amount of bamboo charcoal decreases the equilibrium moisture content, water absorption and internal bonding strength of the composite. Notably, bamboo charcoal composite exhibits excellent dimensional stability. The optimized density and bamboo charcoal percentages of the composite were 500 kg/m³ and 50 to 100%. The castor oil-based PU composites containing bamboo charcoal fulfilled the CNS 2215 standards for particleboard. This dimensionally stable, low-density bamboo charcoal composite has high potential to replace current indoor building materials.