COVID-19 is a highly infectious respiratory illness caused by SARS-CoV-2, and acute lung injury (ALI) is the major cause of COVID-19. The challenge in studying SARS-CoV-2 pathogenicity is the limited availability of animal models. Therefore, it is necessary to establish animal models that can reproduce multiple characteristics of ALI to study therapeutic applications. The present study established a mouse model that has features of ALI that are similar to COVID-19 syndrome to investigate the role of ACE2 and the administration of the Chinese herbal prescription NRICM101 in ALI. Mice with genetic modifications, including overexpression of human ACE2 (K18-hACE2 TG) and absence of ACE2 (mACE2 KO), were intratracheally instillated with hydrochloric acid. The acid intratracheal instillation induced severe immune cell infiltration, cytokine storms, and pulmonary disease in mice. Compared with K18-hACE2 TG mice, mACE2 KO mice exhibited dramatically increased levels of multiple inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-β1) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, histological evidence of lung injury, and dysregulation of MAPK and MMP activation. In mACE2 KO mice, NRICM101 could ameliorate the disease progression of acid-induced ALI. In conclusion, the established mouse model provided an effective platform for researchers to investigate pathological mechanisms and develop therapeutic strategies for ALI, including COVID-19-related ALI.

Excretory-secretory products (ESPs) are the main research targets for investigating the hosts and helminths interaction. Parasitic worms can migrate to parasitic sites and avoid the host immune response by secreting this product. Angiostrongylus cantonensisis an important food-borne zoonotic parasite that causes severe neuropathological damage and symptoms, including eosinophilic meningitis or meningoencephalitis in humans. Benzaldehydes are organic compounds composed of a benzene ring and formyl substituents. This compound has anti-inflammatory and antioxidation properties. Previous studies showed that 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde (3-HBA) and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (4-HBA) can reduce apoptosis in A. cantonensis ESPs treated astrocytes. These results on the protective effect underlying benzaldehyde have primarily focused on cell survival. The study was designed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) and oxidative stress in astrocytes in A. cantonensis ESPs treated astrocytes and to evaluate the therapeutic consequent of 3-HBA and 4-HBA. First, we initially established the RNA-seq dataset in each group, including Normal, ESPs, ESPs+3-HBA, and ESPs+4-HBA. We also found that benzaldehyde (3-HBA and 4-HBA) can stimulate astrocytes to express ER stress-related molecules after ESP treatment. The level of oxidative stress could also be decreased in astrocytes by elevating antioxidant activity and reducing ROS generation. These results suggested that benzaldehyde may be a potential therapeutic compound for human angiostrongyliasis to support brain cell survival by inducing the expression levels of ER stress- and oxidative stress-related pathway.

This study evaluates the incidence and characteristics of adverse events (AEs) following the second COVID-19 booster dose, leveraging Taiwan's distinctive approach of extending booster vaccinations to all citizens, unlike the targeted high-risk group strategies in other countries. Utilizing data from Taipei Veterans General Hospital's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) from October 27, 2022, to January 19, 2023, the research examines AEs in 441 out of 1711 second booster recipients, considering factors like age, vaccine brands, and booster combinations. The findings reveal incidence rates (IR) of 25.6% (95% CI: 21.1-30.8) after the first booster and 24.9% (95% CI: 20.5-30.0) after the second, mostly non-serious, with those having AEs post-first booster 5 times more likely to report them again (Incidence rat rato, 5.02, P<0.001). Significantly, switching from the mRNA1273 vaccine to another brand reduced AE risk by 18%. The study underscores that AEs are more repetitive than cumulative with additional booster doses, advocating for personalized vaccination strategies based on individual medical histories and previous vaccine reactions. These insights are valuable for healthcare providers in discussing potential AEs with patients, thereby improving vaccine compliance and public trust, and for policymakers in planning future booster vaccination strategies.

The increased global incidence of myopia requires the establishment of therapeutic approaches. Previous studies have suggested that inflammation plays an important role in the development and progression of myopia. We used human retinal pigment epithelial cell to study the molecular mechanisms on how FJE and PVE lowering the inflammation of the eye. The effect of FJE and PVE in MFD induced hamster model and explore the role of inflammation cytokines in myopia. Expression levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were upregulated in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells treated with IL-6 and TNF-α. FJ extract (FJE) + PV extract (PVE) reduced IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α expression in RPE cells. Furthermore, FJE and PVE inhibited inflammation by attenuating the phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT), and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B (NF-κB) pathway. In addition, we report two resveratrol + ursolic acid compounds from FJ and PV and their inhibitory activities against IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α expression levels in RPE cells treated with IL-6 and TNF-α. FJE, PVE, and FJE + PVE were applied to MFD hamsters and their axial length was measured after 21 days. The axial length showed statistically significant differences between phosphate-buffered saline- and FJE-, PVE-, and FJE + PVE-treated MFD eyes. FJE + PVE suppressed expressions of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α. They also inhibited myopia-related transforming growth factor-beta (TGF)-β1, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, and NF-κB expression while increasing type Ⅰ collagen expression. Overall, these results suggest that FJE + PVE may have a therapeutic effect on myopia and be used as a potential treatment option.

This purpose of the study presented in this article is to comparing different service quality measurements between Kano and TRIZ that plays the critical roles in the catering industrial. Data collected from a DINESERV questionnaire comprises service-quality standards to increase customer satisfaction of mobile dining car. Finally, the TRIZ is standardized measure designed to improve the idealization of strategy for selecting the most appropriate service quality model. In addition, the preferences of more than one decision maker are internally aggregated into the TOPSIS procedure. All these things provide several important theoretical and practical implications for developing a successful mobile catering app.

There are four categories of medical waste that cannot be mixed as this will cause serious problems such as environmental pollution or infection. In the past, the classification of medical waste often involved a lot of human and material resources to process, with workers at risk of exposure to infectious substances. Therefore, an augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) medical waste classification system and method were developed. This innovative medical waste classification system and method combines AR and AI identification technology to reduce the risk of manual judgment errors by clinical staff when handling medical waste.

This study focuses on the impact of weak partial discharges (PDs) on defect recognition accuracy in epoxy resin through phase-resolved partial discharge (PRPD) analysis. Two measurement conditions are compared until PRPD pattern saturation: one-minute and one-hour durations. The PD data specifically target three void types located at different positions within the epoxy material. The aim is to evaluate how the presence of weak PDs at the PD extinction voltage (PDEV) influences defect recognition accuracy. This research sheds light on the potential implications of neglecting the significance of weak PD signals in defect detection. A convolutional neural network (CNN) model is trained using PRPD data recorded at the PD inception voltage (PDIV) and tested using the new PRPD data from both conditions recorded from a lower PDIV to a PDEV. The trained CNN model achieves a defect recognition accuracy of 100% for a one-hour duration, highlighting the importance of not neglecting weak PD signals. This emphasizes the significance of extended measurement duration and pattern saturation in capturing and analyzing weak PD signals for improved defect recognition. This study contributes to the advancement of practical applications by understanding the behavior of the epoxy material and enhancing defect detection techniques.

Blocking the interaction of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme II (hACE2) protein serves as a therapeutic strategy for treating COVID-19. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments containing bioactive products could alleviate the symptoms of severe COVID-19. However, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has complicated the process of developing broad-spectrum drugs. As such, the aim in this study was to explore the efficacy of TCM treatments for SARS-CoV-2 variants through targeting the interaction of the viral spike protein with the hACE2 receptor. The antiviral activity was systematically evaluated using a pseudovirus system. Scutellaria baicalensis was found to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection through affecting the interaction of viral spike protein with the hACE2 protein. The active molecules of S. baicalensis were identified and analyzed. Baicalein and baicalin, a flavone and a flavone glycoside, respectively, found in S. baicalensis, exhibited strong inhibitory activities, targeting the viral spike protein or hACE2 protein, respectively. Under optimized conditions, virus infection was inhibited by 98% via baicalein-treated pseudovirus and baicalin-treated hACE2. In summary, we identified the potential SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors of the interaction of the Omicron spike protein and hACE2 receptor from S. baicalensis. Future studies on the therapeutic application of baicalein and baicalin against SARS-CoV-2 variants are needed.

The study aimed to estimate the prevalence and association between sarcopenia and blood biochemical parameters, nutritional intake, anthropometric measurements, physical performance, and physical activity in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). According to the diagnosis criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) in 2019, 110 patients with T2DM (aged: 50–80 years) were divided into three groups: Non-sarcopenia (n = 38), Possible Sarcopenia (n = 31, 28.2%), and Sarcopenia (n = 41, 37.3%). Blood samples were collected and nutritional intake was evaluated by a registered dietitian. A food frequency questionnaire and Godin leisure-time exercise questionnaire were used to assess their daily vitamin D intake and physical activity. There were significant differences in age, serum vitamin D3 levels, nutritional intake, anthropometric measurements, and physical performance between the three groups. In elderly patients with T2DM, there was a significant association between sarcopenia with BMI, body fat percentage (BF%), and dietary energy and protein intake. Low serum vitamin D3 is a significant risk factor for possible sarcopenia.

Rose (Rosa spp.), especially R. hybrida, is one of the most popular ornamental plants in the world and the third largest cut flower crop in Taiwan. Rose mosaic disease (RMD), showing mosaic, line patterns and ringspots on leaves, is a common rose disease caused by complex infection of various viruses. Due to pests and diseases, the rose planting area in Taiwan has been decreasing since 2008; however, no rose virus disease has been reported in the past five decades. In the spring of 2020, rose samples showing RMD-like symptoms were observed at an organic farm in Chiayi, central Taiwan. The virome in the farm was analyzed by RNA-seq. Rose genomic sequences were filtered from the obtained reads. The remaining reads were de novo assembled to generate 294 contigs, 50 of which were annotated as viral sequences corresponding to 10 viruses. Through reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction validation, a total of seven viruses were detected, including six known rose viruses, namely apple mosaic virus, prunus necrotic ringspot virus, rose partitivirus, apple stem grooving virus, rose spring dwarf-associated virus and rose cryptic virus 1, and a novel ilarvirus. After completing the whole genome sequencing and sequence analysis, the unknown ilarvirus was demonstrated as a new species, tentatively named rose ilarvirus 2. This is the first report of the rose viruses in Taiwan.

Background: Thyroid cancer incidence has increased globally in recent decades, especially in females, although its trends in Taiwan have not been studied extensively. This study aimed to investigate changes in female incidence and possible causes of thyroid cancer in Taiwan. Methods: Using the Taiwan Cancer Registry (TCR) Database, age-standardized incidence rates, age-specific incidence rates and birth cohorts were calculated. Correlation between female thyroid cancer incidence and cohort fertility rates were examined. Results: Thyroid cancer incidence increased in Taiwanese female, with age-adjusted rates per 100,000 people increasing from 7.37 during 1995-1999 to 20.53 during 2015-2019, APCs were 5.9% (95% CI, 5.3-6.5). Age-specific incidence rates increased with age, with peak rates occurring at younger ages. The APCs in the 50-54 age group were the highest (6.8%, 95% CI, 6.1-7.5). Incidence rates also increased with later birth cohorts. We observed a significant negative correlation between thyroid cancer incidence and fertility rates in the same birth cohort. Conclusion: We hypothesize that overdiagnosis may be a main reason for the rapidly increasing thyroid cancer incidence in Taiwanese female. Notably, we observed a strong negative correlation between fertility and thyroid cancer incidence. The associations with fertility will be an important subject for future thyroid cancer research.

Carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPOs) present a major threat to public health, demanding precise diagnostic techniques their detection. Discrepancies among CPO tests have raised concerns, partly due to limitations in detecting bacterial diversity within host/specimen. We explored the impact of unbiased colony selection on carbapenemase testing and assessed its relevance on various tests. Based on "FirstAll" for unbiased colony selection to reduce bias, we compared modified carbapenem inactivation method/EDTA-modified carbapenem inactivation method (mCIM/eCIM), Carba5, the CPO panel, and multiplex PCR (M-PCR). Initially, we compared FirstAll to conventional colony selection for mCIM. Second, we used M-PCR as a reference, to evaluate test performance across seven CPO species. The results revealed that FirstAll selection improved carbapenemase detection, revising false-negative in 10.5% of K. pneumoniae isolates. In addition, 12.4% of CPOs tested positive for multiple carbapenemase genes. Both the Carba5 test and CPO panel showed suboptimal performance (sensitivity/specificity: Carba5 75.5%/89.0%, CPO panel 78.1%/74.0%). Carba5 test provided specific carbapenemase class assignments but CPO panel failed in 20.3% of cases. Carba5 test and the CPO panel results correlated well with ceftazidime-avibactam minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Concordance for class A/D with MICs was 88.3% for Carba5 and 92.0% for the CPO panel; whereas for class B, it was 86.5% for Carba5 and 76.2% for the CPO panel. In conclusion, FirstAll as the unbiased colony selection impacted carbapenemase testing. With FirstAll, the diagnostic performance of either Carba5 or the CPO panel was compromised. The utilization of ceftazidime-avibactam guided by either the CPO panel or Carba5 was appropriate.

This paper proposes an approach for image data extraction and driving behavior analysis using geographic information and driving data. Information derived from geographic and global positioning systems was used for image data extraction. In addition, we used an onboard diagnostic II and a controller area network bus logger to record driving data for driving behavior analysis. Driving behavior was analyzed using sparse automatic encoders and data exploration to detect abnormal and aggressive behavior. A regression analysis was used to derive the relationship between aggressive driving behavior and road facilities. Several traffic improvements were proposed for specific intersections and roads. The results indicate that lane ratios without lane markings and with straight lane markings are important features that affect aggressive driving behaviors.

Reactions of N‚N'-bis(3-methylpyridyl)oxalamide (L1), N,N’-bis(3-methylpyridyl)adipoamide (L2) and N,N’-bis(3-methylpyridyl)sebacoamide (L3) with tricarboxylic acids and Cu(II) salts afforded {[Cu(L1)(1,3,5-HBTC)]·H2O}n (1,3,5-H3BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid), 1, {[Cu1.5(L2)1.5(1,3,5-BTC)(H2O)2]·6.5H2O}n, 2, [Cu(L2)0.5(1,3,5-HBTB)]n (1,3,5-H3BTB = 1,3,5-tri(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene), 3, [Cu4(L3)(OH)2(1,3,5-BTC)2]n, 4, {[Cu3(L3)2(1,3,5-BTB)2]·2.5MeOH·2H2O}n, 5, and {[Cu3(L3)2(1,3,5-BTB)2 ]·DMF·2H2O}n, 6, which have been structurally characterized by using single crystal X-ray crystallography. Complexes 1 – 4 form a 2D layer with the {44.62}-sql topology, a 2D layer with the (4.62)2(42.62.82)-bex topology, a 3-fold interpenetrated 3D net with the (412.63)-pcu topology and a 3D framework with the (410.632.83)(42.6)2(43.63) topology, respectively, whereas 5 and 6 are 3D frameworks with the (63)2(64.82)(68.85.102) topology. Complex 5 shows a better iodine-adsorption factor of 290.0 mg g-1 at 60 oC for 360 minutes than the other ones, revealing that the flexibility of the spacer ligand governs the structural diversity and the adsorption capacity.

Patients with schizophrenia had higher mortality risks and the role of antipsychotic medications remained inconclusive. In an aging society, elderly schizophrenia patients warrant increased attention. In this study, we aimed to explore medication dosage associations with mortality in schizophrenia patients, using Taiwan's national healthcare database from 2010 to 2014, with 102,964 patients with schizophrenia, and a subgroup of 6,433 elderly patients, compared to an age- and gender-matched control group. The findings revealed that schizophrenia patients with no antipsychotic exposure had the highest mortality risk as compared to the control sample—with a 3.61 and 3.37-fold risk for overall and cardiovascular mortality respectively in age and gender-adjusted model, followed by high, low, and moderate exposure groups. A similar pattern was observed in elderly schizophrenia patients but high exposure to antipsychotics was associated with the highest risk in both overall and cardiovascular mortality in elderly patients, with a 3.01, and 2.95-fold risk), respectively. In conclusion, the use of antipsychotics is beneficial to patients with schizophrenia, with recommended exposure levels being low to moderate. In elderly patients, high antipsychotic exposure was associated with the highest mortality risk. We should pay more attention to antipsychotic dosage in elderly schizophrenia patients.

In this study, an experiment was conducted on hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii), which is a common tree species in Taiwan. Holes with diameters of 4, 5, 7, 10, 12, and 14 cm were drilled in dry hoop pine timber with a diameter of 39 cm and a height of 57 cm, and an 800 MHz Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) antenna were used to determine the minimum image resolution and the size of the holes in the wood. GPR images of the timber were subjected to a filtering process to obtain characteristic reflection curves of the damage to the timber. Curves with clear waveforms were observed in the GPR profiles of eccentric holes with a diameter of 4 cm. Profiles of the damage were obtained and profile images with the trunk radius at the centre were transformed into polar coordinate images. From these polar coordinate images, the location, size and diameter of the eccentric holes in the wood were identified, and the reflection curves were characterised by waveforms and irregular fluctuations. The risk levels of tree trunks were determined on the basis of their t/R (minimum normal wall thickness of the cross-section of the trunk/radius of the trunk) values and hole area ratios. A comparison between the GPR-based results and the actual diameters of the holes revealed that the filtered GPR profiles could be used for the efficient and accurate assessment of damage to hoop pine timber (average error rate ≤ 4%).

A recent manuscript (Zhou, P. et al. “A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin”, Nature 579, 270–273 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2012-7) from Wuhan Institute of Virology claimed the identification of a bat coronavirus, RaTG13, which showed 96.2% genome homology with SARS-CoV-2. In this paper, we raise the puzzling observations surrounding the identification, characterization, unique genome features of this RaTG13 strain, as well as its 100% nucleotide identity in partial RdRp gene with another bat coronavirus strain BtCoV/4991. And the paper presented premature hypothesis of potential bat origin of SARS-CoV-2 while RaTG13 strain was not successfully isolated. We also present the concerns on the methodology, data quality and experiment procedures described in this paper. We call for the authors to provide additional data, to share related samples to be verified and further characterized by other scientists.

The operation of transformers suffers from natural or man-made disasters, subjecting the equipment to prolonged exposure to temperature, lightning strikes, transient over-voltages, and over-current, gradually producing insulation aging phenomenon, which results in partial discharges within the transformer. Without dealing with it beforehand properly, it may lead to insulation breakdown. Nowadays, with the mature development of microchip control technology and wireless communication technology, which is helpful for realizing the research for online real-time and long-term monitoring capabilities for power equipment. A transformer operating condition monitoring and diagnostic system that can rapidly and effectively prevent the breakdown of transformer insulation, which can impact the overall power supply system is developed in this paper. The system is divided into two parts based on its function. The first part is the operating condition monitoring and real-time alert unit for the transformer, primarily composed of an embedded computing module, a sensor module, and a transmission module. Its work content is to capture real-time online partial discharge ultrasonic signals and high frequency current comparator pulse signals, and analyze and determine the condition of the internal insulation and operational status whether it is fault or not. The second part is the central control unit, consisting mainly of an industrial computer and a transmission module. Its work content is to store the ultrasonic and high frequency current comparator pulse signals from the transformer operation monitoring and real-time alert unit. It uses the software to eliminate signal noise and interference, and then utilizes artificial neural networks to identify the type of fault. In this paper, the research for the phenomenon of insulation degradation in transformer equipment aims to establish aging trend profiles through the dual malfunctioning alert and aging process analysis, as well as the long-term measurement of ultrasonic signals from partial discharges and high-frequency current comparator pulse signals. This approach provides crucial reference data and a foundation for disposable on-site measurement, assessing the phenomenon of insulation aging stages, defects and damage of the transformers effectively. It allows for timely replacement or maintenance in advance, achieving the prevention of malfunctioning and predictive diagnosis of aging.

A facile iridium/graphene-catalyzed methodology providing an efficient synthetic route for C-N bond formation is reported. This catalyst can directly promote the formation of C-N bonds, without pre-activation steps, and without solvents, alkalis and other additives. This protocol provides a direct N -alkylation of amines using a variety of primary and secondary alcohols with good selectivity and excellent yields. Charmingly, the use of diols resulted in intermolecular cyclization of amines, and such products are privileged structures in biologically active compounds. Two examples illustrate the advantages of this catalyst in organic synthesis: the tandem catalysis to synthesize hydroxyine, and the intermolecular cyclyzation to synthesize cyclizine. Water is the only by-product, which makes this catalytic process sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Objectives To examine the comorbidity burden in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients using a nationwide population-based cohort by assessing the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI), Multimorbidity Index (MMI), and Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index (RDCI) scores and to investigate their predictive ability for all-cause mortality. Methods We identified 24,767 RA patients diagnosed between 1998–2008 in Taiwan and followed up until December 31, 2013. The incidence of comorbidities was estimated in three periods (before, during, and after the diagnostic period). The incidence rate ratios were calculated by comparing during vs. before and after vs. before the diagnostic period. One- and 5-year mortality rates were calculated and discriminated by low and high-score groups and modified models for each index. Results The mean score at diagnosis is 0.8 in CCI, 2.8 in ECI, 0.7 in MMI, and 1.3 in RDCI, and annual percentage changes are 11.0%, 11.3%, 9.7%, and 6.8%, respectively. The incidence of any increase in the comorbidity index is significantly higher in the periods of ‘during’ and ‘after’ the RA diagnosis (incidence rate ratios for different indexes: 1.33-2.77). The mortality rate significantly differs between the high and low-score groups measured by each index (adjusted hazard ratios: 2.5-4.3 for different indexes). CCI is slightly better in the prediction of 1- and 5-year mortality rates. Conclusion Comorbidities are common before and after RA diagnosis, and the rate of accumulation accelerates after RA diagnosis. All four comorbidity indexes are useful to measure the temporal changes and to predict mortality.

The synergistic features of a three-component, photoinitiating system (A/B/C) based on the measured data and proposed mechanism of Liu et al. are analyzed. The co-initiators/additives B and C have dual-functions of : (i) regeneration of photoinitiator A, and (ii) generation of extra radicals for enhanced conversion efficacy (CE). The synergistic effects led to higher CE for both free radical polymerization (FRP) and cationic polymerization (CP). The CE of FRP has 3 terms due to the direct (tyep-I) coupling of the triplet state of A with the monomer (M) and the coupling of the two radicals, R and R', with M. The CE of CP has a transient state proportional to the effective absorption constant (b), the light intensity (I) and initiator concentration (A0), but a steady state is independent of the light intensity (I). For the CE of FRP, the contribution from radical R had two cases: (i) linear dependence on T=bIA0, or (ii) nonlinear square root dependence T0.5. The synergistic effects led to higher conversion of FRP and CP, consistent with the measured results. The theoretically predicted new features include: (i) co-initiator [C] which always enhances both FRP and CP conversions, and (ii) co-initiator [B] which leads to more efficient FRP, but it also reduces CP.

We give a simple proof of the Chen inequality for the Chen invariant $\underbrace{\delta (2,...,2)}_{k\mbox{ terms}}$ of submanifolds in Riemannian space forms.

Taiwan is the world’s leading country regarding tuna longline fisheries; the combined catches with those from Japan account for more than half of the global total. However, the bycatch of sea turtles, seabirds, and dolphins in longline fisheries has attracted international concern. Regarding sea turtle conservation, the use of circle hooks in longline fisheries will inevitably become a trend. Meanwhile, Taiwanese fishermen are concerned whether the use of circle hooks will have a negative impact on the catch efficiency of target species. This study was conducted to compare the catch efficiency of circle and tuna hooks by the Taiwanese commercial tuna longline fishing vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The results indicated that if the effects of immersion time were considered, the catch rates of all groups were the same between 4.2-sun circle and tuna hooks. However, the catch rate of 4.0-sun circle hooks was significantly higher than the two types of 4.2-sun circle and tuna hooks. Regarding survival rates, fish caught with circle hooks showed higher survival rates than tuna hooks for total commercial fish, tunas and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). However, the survival rate was only determined at haulback; the relationship between survival rate and immersion time still needs further investigation. Regarding catch sizes, there were no significant differences in the sizes of bigeye (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin tuna between circle and tuna hooks. But based solely on mean weight, the value of yellowfin tuna caught using circle hooks may be higher than those using tuna hooks. In summary, the circle hooks used in this study did not show a negative impact on the catch efficiency of Taiwanese longline fisheries, and could show a superior performance than that of tuna hooks. These results could be actively promoted in the industry through the education and training of fishermen; thus enabling Taiwan to comply with international sea turtle conservation trends.

Two secondary waste materials, municipal incinerator bottom ash (MIBA) and sewage sludge ash (SSA), were mixed with clay for ceramic manufacturing in this study. Specimens with 5 different MIBA replacement amount of 0%, 5%,10%, 15%, and 20%(wt) and 3 different SSA replacement amount of 0%, 10%, and 20%(wt) were prepared and then a series of tests and analysis were conducted to investigate how the two materials affect the quality of the final product and to what extent. It concludes that a mix with up to 20% of SSA and 5% of MIBA could result in quality tiles complying with specifications for interior or exterior flooring applications at certain kiln temperatures.

Because imbalanced power will cause the loss of the propulsion motor of the railway vehicle, and the increase in temperature will shorten the service life of the electric vehicle. Not only this, but also increase the cost of electricity and maintenance. In the past, the industry only focused on methods to improve power quality such as load capacity, relay setting, and harmonic resolution. Now, the consider of three-phase unbalance rate (TPUR) must be applied. I propose special transformers wiring (STW) to improve the three unbalance rates and provide different transformer wiring methods. According to the IEEE Committee, in the future, power companies will need to install balanced relay stations to improve three-phase unbalance rate. the internal regulations of Taipower must be less than 4.5% (voltage unbalance rate (NPSUR)of 2.5% and motor temperature rise of 12.5%). the derivation of the transformer "three-phase unbalance rate" model is the focus of the railway system. This research is based on the model derivation of different wiring methods to improve the hot problem caused by the three-phase imbalance and improve the service life of the train. And pointed out that Scott, Le-Blanc, Modified-Woodbridge three wiring methods can be applied to future railway system routes to improve the three-phase unbalance rate, in line with the IEEE standard of less than 2%.

The Chen circuit system, a three-dimensional autonomous system with intriguing dynamics, has gained considerable attention due to its potential applications in diverse scientific fields. In this article, a Chen circuit-like system is defined and a comprehensive dynamics has been studied. The system exhibits chaotic dynamics, limit cycles, and bifurcations, making it a captivating subject of study. By employing numerical simulations and analytical techniques, we explore the system's stability and identify critical parameter values leading to qualitative changes. Notably, we delve Hopf bifurcations, which give rise to stability changes and the emergence of limit cycles. Furthermore, we analyze the fractal dimension of the system's attractor, providing insights into its complexity and self-similarity. Through a systematic examination of the Chen circuit-like system, we deepen our understanding of its intricate dynamics and offer valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms. The findings contribute to the field of dynamical systems and hold potential implications in areas such as chaos-based secure communications, signal processing, and nonlinear control. This work serves as a valuable reference for researchers and practitioners interested in the dynamics and bifurcation analysis of nonlinear systems.

Convenient labeling of proteins is important for observing its function under physiological conditions. In tissues particularly, heptamethine cyanine dyes (Cy-7) are valuable because they absorb in near infrared (NIR) region (750 – 900 nm) where light penetration is maximal. In this work, we found Cy-7 dyes with a meso-Cl functionality covalently binding to proteins with free Cys residues under physiological conditions (aqueous environments, at near neutral pH, and 37 °C). It transpired that the meso-Cl of the dye was displaced by free thiols in protein, while nucleophilic side-chains from amino acids like Tyr, Lys, and Ser did not react. This finding shows a new possibility for convenient and selective labeling of proteins with near-IR fluorescent probes.

Lung cancer is almost the most common cause of cancer death in the world. Clinically, the conventional therapy to eradicate the cancer cells is chemotherapy but a better drug remains required. In this study, the effects of three bufadienolides, kalantuboside B, kalantuboside A and bryotoxin C, isolated from Kalanchoe tubiflora (Harvey) were evaluated and characterized in CL1-5 highly metastatic human lung cancer cells. Contrary to the apoptosis-promoting activity in other cancer cells, these three bufadienolides did not induce apoptosis in CL1-5 cancer cells. Instead, they activated an autophagy pathway, as indicated by the increase of autophagosomes formation. The induction of autophagy by these three bufadienolides was demonstrated to link to down-regulation of p-mTOR as well as up-regulation of LC3-II, ATG5, ATG7, Beclin-1. Moreover, among these three compounds, kalantuboside B in which a monosaccharide is attached at the bufadienolide aglycon, exhibited a better autophagy induction. Our findings revealed an alternative mechanism of drug action by bufadienolides in lung cancer cells and provided evidence for the possibility of treating highly metastatic human lung cancer through an autophagy pathway.

Open source software such as OpenDSS has given a lot of help to distribution network researchers and educators. With high penetration of distributed renewable energy resources into distribution network, tradition distribution steady state analysis software such as OpenDSS is faced with difficulty in handling distributed generators. Three-phase distributed generators are often modeled in sequence frame while unbalanced distribution network are usually modeled in phase frame. So a load flow in sequence-phase coupled frame is proposed to handle models described in both frames. Voltage controlled DGs which are difficult to cope with in OpenDSS are handled in proposed program. The steady state analysis platform is programmed with open source Modelica language and the main aim of this paper is to introduce an open source platform for active distribution network steady analysis include load flow and short circuit analysis which can be easily adopted and improved by other educators and researchers.

The International Roughness Index (IRI) is the standard scale for evaluating road roughness in many countries in the world. The Taipei City government actively promotes a Road Smoothing Project and plans to complete the rehabilitation of the main and minor roads within its jurisdiction. This study aims to detect the road surface roughness in Taipei City and recommend appropriate IRI thresholds for road rehabilitation. A total of 171 asphalt concrete pavement sections in Taipei City with a total length of 803.49 km were analyzed and compared by IRI. The longitudinal profile of the detected road sections was measured using an inertial profiler. The statistical analysis showed that the IRI value prior to road leveling was mainly distributed between 5 and 8 m/km, while the IRI value after road leveling was mainly distributed between 3 and 4.5 m/km. This confirms that the implementation of the Road Smoothing Project has a significant effect on improving road smoothness. Moreover, based on the analysis results, it is recommended that the IRI threshold value for road rehabilitation in Taipei City be set at 4.50 m/km.

Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) combines the nontoxic photosensitizer (PS) and visible light to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can cause oxidative damages in (on) microbial organisms. Previously, we have shown that chitosan can augment the bactericidal efficacy mediated by PDI against bacteria and Candida. In this study, we showed that the antimicrobial action of chitosan to augment PDI relates to the enlargement of cell surface destruction. The microbial cell surfaces exhibit severe irregular shapes after PDI in the presence of chitosan. Furthermore, increase in the concentrations or incubation time of chitosan significantly reduce the amounts of photosensitizers TBO required, indicating that chitosan could be a synergistic agent with PDI against human pathogens. A prolonged lag phase was found in PDI surviving microbial cells, in which chitosan can act to synergistically eradicate the cells. Once the impaired cells rebuild their cellular functions from PDI-induced damage, the increased cytotoxic effect of chitosan disappeared. Together, our results suggest that chitosan with an augmented bactericidal activity after PDI is to inhibit the rehabilitation of PDI surviving cells, leading to microbial death.

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.

(1) Background: Due to the high proportion of disadvantaged students in a rural school in Taiwan and the gap between students’ concepts and practices of environmental protection and sustainable energy, four science and mathematics teachers in this school planned an engineering-centered PjBL of sustainable energy curriculum in a Makers Club to enhance students’ creativity, engineering skills, practices of environmental protection and sustainable energy, and learning attitudes; (2) Methods: This study is four-year action research. Teachers and students initiated the idea from rebuilding an old fan in a classroom; (3) Results: The students in the Makers Club improved their engineering skills and created various green-power generation devices (evolved from ventilation ball generator, hydropower, ocean current power generators to tiny, 3D-printing wind power generators). They turned environmental protection and sustainable energy concepts into actions during practices and won awards from science and engineering fairs every year. This creative and supportive atmosphere spread from the club to the whole school and improved the students’ practices of environmental protection and learning attitudes after long-term implementation; (4) Conclusions: The design principles of the engineering-centered PjBL of sustainable energy curriculum played a critical role and were outlined at the end of the study.

Sea surface partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) is a critical parameter in the quantification of air-sea CO2 flux, which plays an important role in calculating the global carbon budget and ocean acidification. In this study, we use chlorophyll-a concentration (Chla), sea surface temperature (SST), absorption due to dissolved and particulate detrital matter (Adg), diffuse attenuation coefficient of downwelling irradiance at 490nm (Kd) and mixed layer depth (MLD) as input data for retrieving the sea surface pCO2 in the North Atlantic based on a remote sensing empirical approach with the Categorical Boosting (CatBoost) algorithm. The results show that the root mean square error (RMSE) is 8.25μatm, the mean bias error (MAE) is 4.92μatm and the coefficient of determination (R2) can reach 0.946 in the validation set, which mean that the CatBoost model makes an improvement compared to other models in the published studies. In the further analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of the sea surface pCO2 in the North Atlantic, it can be found that the North Atlantic sea surface pCO2 has a clear trend with latitude variations and have strong seasonal changes. Furthermore, the sea surface pCO2 in this area is mainly affected by sea temperature and salinity, and influenced by biological activities in some sub-regions.

The spin-torsion theory is a gauge theory approach to gravity that expands upon Einstein's general relativity (GR) by incorporating the spin of microparticles. In this study, we further develop the spin-torsion theory to examine spherically symmetric and static gravitational systems that involve free-falling macroscopic particles. We posit that the quantum spin of macroscopic matter becomes noteworthy on cosmic scales. We further assume that the Dirac spinor and Dirac equation adequately capture all essential physical characteristics of the particles and their associated processes. A crucial aspect of our approach involves substituting the constant mass in the Dirac equation with a scale function, allowing us to establish a connection between quantum effects and the scale of gravitational systems. This mechanism ensures that the quantum effect of macroscopic matter is scale-dependent and diminishes locally, a phenomenon not observed in microparticles. For any given matter density distribution, our theory predicts an additional quantum term, the quantum potential energy (QPE), within the mass expression. QPE induces time dilation, distance contraction, and thus mimics a gravitational well. When applied to cosmology, our theory yields a static cosmological model. The QPE serves as a counterpart to the cosmological constant introduced by Einstein to balance gravity in his static cosmological model. The QPE also offers a plausible explanation for the origin of the Hubble redshift (traditionally attributed to the universe's expansion). The predicted luminosity distance-redshift relation aligns remarkably well with SNe Ia data from the cosmological sample of SNe Ia. In the context of galaxies, QPE functions as the equivalent of dark matter. The predicted circular velocities align well with the rotation curve data from the SPARC (Spitzer Photometry and Accurate Rotation Curves database) sample. Importantly, our conclusions in this paper are reached through a conventional approach, with the sole assumption of the quantum effects of macroscopic matter on large scales, without the need for additional modifications or assumptions.

Microbiota-based strategies are a novel auxiliary therapeutic and preventative way of moderating chronic kidney disease. Lactobacillus mixture (Lm) was previously demonstrated to exert a renal-protective function in the CKD mice model. The efficacy of probiotics in pet foods is a relatively new area of study, and thus verifying the potential health benefits is necessary. This study evaluated the efficacy of Lm treats in feline CKD and elucidated the mechanisms underlying host-microbe interactions. CKD cats (2 and 3 stages) were administrated probiotic pet treats daily (10 g) for 8 weeks. The results demonstrated that during the eight weeks of Lm administration, creatinine was reduced or maintained in all cats with CKD. Similarly, gut-derived uremic toxins (GDUT), IS, and TMAO were significantly downregulated in the serum (confidence intervals = 90%). The life quality of the cats also improved. Feline gut microbiome data, KEGG pathway, and renal function indicator analyses revealed the possible mechanisms involved in modulating CKD feline microbial composition. Further regulation of the microbial functions in amino acid metabolism after Lm administration contributed to downregulating deleterious IS, PCS, and TMAO. The current study provides potential adjuvant therapeutic insights into probiotic pet foods or treats for pets with CKD.

Due to the recent trend of unmanned economy, retail stores have gradually reduced their service and cashier manpower. The retail product recognition becomes one of key issues for unmanned shopping. Although the success of deep neural networks has made object recognition feasible in a variety of applications, it still struggles to perform well on a large number of classes of retail products. In this paper, we propose an improved ensemble learning-based approach for retail product recognition. In the proposed approach, the object classification network is first improved through feature extraction and block attention. An ensemble model is then built by integrating multiple network models and using loss selection as model weights. In the experiments, the feasibility of our ensemble learning-based approach has been evaluated through many production items. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach compared with previous retail product recognition methods.

A multi-decadal change analysis of the irrigation ponds in Taoyuan, Taiwan was conducted by using multi-source data including digitized ancient maps, declassified single-band CORONA satellite images, and multispectral SPOT images. Supervised LULC classifications were conducted using four textural features derived from the single-band CORONA images and spectral features derived from SPOT images. Post-classification analysis revealed that the number of irrigation ponds in the study area decreased during the post-World War II farmland consolidation period (1945 – 1965) and the subsequent industrialization period (1970 – 2000). However, efforts on restoration of irrigation ponds in recent years have resulted in gradual increases in the number (9%) and total area (12%) of irrigation ponds in the study area.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) reduces survival in cirrhotic patients and correlates with systemic inflammation and gut-liver disequilibrium. We investigated the association between propranolol treatment and outcomes for cirrhotic patients with HE. Using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified 4,754 cirrhotic patients newly diagnosed with HE. Among them, 519 patients received propranolol treatment and the other 519 patients without exposure to propranolol were enrolled into our study, both of which were matched by sex, age, and propensity score. The median overall survival (OS) was longer in the propranolol-treated cohort than in the untreated cohort (3.46 versus 1.88 years, p<0.001). A dose-dependent increase in survival was observed (median OS: 4.49, 3.29, and 2.46 years in patients treated with propranolol >30mg/day, 20–30mg/day, and <20mg/day, respectively [p<0.001, p=0.001, and p=0.079 versus the untreated group]). In addition to reduce the risk of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.58; p<0.001), propranolol also diminished the risk of sepsis-related death (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.31; p=0.006) according to the multivariate analysis. However, the risk of circulatory or hepatic failure was non-significantly altered by propranolol treatment. In conclusion, propranolol treatment was associated with a better OS in cirrhotic patients with HE and its effects were dose-dependent.

Flower color is an important ornamental feature, often modulated by the contents of flavonoid. Chalcone synthase is the first key enzyme in the biosynthesis of flavonoid, but little is known about the role of R. delavayi CHS in flavonoid biosynthesis. In this paper, three CHS genes (RdCHS1-3) were successfully cloned from R. delavayi flowers. According to multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, only RdCHS1 contained all the highly conserved and important residues, and classified into the cluster of bona fide CHSs. Thus RdCHS1 was then subjected for further functional analysis. Real-Time PCR analysis revealed that transcripts of RdCHS1 was the highest in leaves and lowest in root, did not match the anthocyanin accumulation patterns during flower development. Biochemical characterization displayed that RdCHS1 could catalyze p-coumaroyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA molecules to produce naringenin chalcone. Physiological function of RdCHS1 was checked in Arabidopsis mutant and tobacco, the results showed RdCHS1 transgenes could recover the color phenotypes of tt4 mutant and made tobacco flower color from pink to dark pink through modulating the expression of endogenous structural and regulatory genes in tobacco. All these results demonstrated that RdCHS1 is a bona fide CHS and contribute to flavonoid biosynthesis in R. delavayi.

Biocompatible and biodegradable poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA)/hexadecylamine-modified PPZn (m-PPZn) nanocomposites were prepared using a melt mixing process. Experimental results of wide-angle X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the stacking layers of the m-PPZn were partially intercalated and partially exfoliated into the PBSA polymer matrix. The isothermal crystallization kinetics of PBSA/m-PPZn nanocomposites were studied at the temperature range of 62−70 °C and the half-time for crystallization of 3 wt % PBSA/m-PPZn nanocomposite was reduced by 27−35% compared with that of pure PBSA. This finding suggests that the incorporation of m-PPZn might cause the heterogeneous nucleation and the subsequent crystallization growth, which enhances the isothermal crystallization rate of PBSA/m-PPZn nanocomposite. The biodegradation rates of PBSA using Lipase from Pseudomonas sp. increase as the contents of m-PPZn increase. The degradation behavior of the neat PBSA investigated using the change of weight-average molecular weight belongs to exo-type hydrolysis activity. It is necessary to point out that the change of degree of crystallinity and degradation rate are almost linearly proportional to the loading of hexadecylamine-modified PPZn. This finding would provide an important information for the manufacturing biodegradable PBSA nanocomposites.

Eco-innovation denotes developing green practices using environmentally friendly innovative approaches or technologies. Although, eco-innovation has been broadly applied in different in-dustries, such as low-carbon production and manufacturing, how to implement such innovation in education for sustainable development (ESD) has rarely been studied. Therefore, this research considered a reflective and cooperative learning approach to science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) education. A case study examined Wanluan Township of Pingtung County in southern Taiwan. Four departments’ students and teachers at Meiho University were involved in situated learning. Students of hospitality management played farm owners who en-gaged in organic agriculture to produce food and beverages. These agricultural products were farm-to-table, cooked and served for customers in a natural dining setting through the students’ teamwork. Students of tourism, sports & leisure management, and food science & nutrition played tourists in a self-guided travel context, who engaged in acts such as visiting buildings to understand heritage while observing that the houses were still in use a dwelling. This encouraged reflection on the importance of cultural preservation. According to the results from the role-play farm owners and tourists, eco-innovation can represent a sustainable marketing strategy for im-proving the local-community economy and can be implemented in a practical situation in STEAM. The goal of ESD for 2030 — societal transformation — is to foster students’ responsible behavior and attitudes in a personally authentic manner, thereby fostering sustainability learning and understanding.

Detailed kinetics for a 3-wavelength photopolymerization confinement (PC) system is presented for both numerical solutions and analytic formulas. The dynamic profiles are simulated for oxygen, free radical, and conversion for various situations of: blue-light only, 2-light (red and UV), and 3-light (red, blue, UV). An effective PC requires two conditions: (i) a strong N-inhibition for uncured regime with a low conversion (triggered by the UV-light); and (ii) a weak S-inhibition (oxygen-induced) for high conversion under the blue-light or blue and red-light initiation. Good PC candidates are governed by collective factors of: (i) the double ratio of light-intensity and initiator-concentration, (ii) monomers rate-constant; and (iii) effective absorption constants at specific wavelength and initiators. A new reverse feature for the role of N-inhibition on the blue-conversion is found. Higher oxygen concentration leads to a lower conversion, which could be enhanced by reducing the S-inhibition via a red or blue-light pre-irradiation, having a pre-irradiation time TP=200 s for red-light only, and reduced to 150 s, when both red and blue-light. System under UV-only leads a conversion lower than that of blue-only. However, conversion could be improved by the dual-light (blue and UV), and further enhanced by the pre-irradiation of red-light. The two competing factors, N-inhibition and S-inhibition, could be independently and selectively tailored to achieve: (a) high conversion of blue-light (without UV-light), enhanced by red-light pre-irradiation for minimal S-inhibition; and (b) efficient PC initiated by UV-light produced N-inhibition for reduced confinement thickness and for high print speed.

With the advancement of urbanization in China, effective control of pollutant emissions and air quality have become important goals in current environmental management. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), as a precursor of tropospheric ozone and fine particulate matter, plays a significant role in atmospheric chemistry research and air pollution control. However, the uneven ground monitoring stations and low temporal resolution of polar-orbiting satellites set challenges for accurately assessing near-surface NO2. To address this issue, a spatiotemporal refined NO2 retrieval model was established for China using the geostationary satellite Himawari-8. The spatiotemporal characteristics of NO2 were analyzed and its contribution factors were explored. Firstly, seven Himawari-8 channels sensitive to NO2 were selected by using the forward feature selection based on information entropy. Subsequently, a 2DCNN-LSTM network model was constructed, incorporating the selected channels and meteorological variables as retrieval factors to estimate hourly NO2 in China from March 2018 to February 2020 (with a resolution of 0.05°, per hour). The performance evaluation demonstrated that the full-channel 2DCNN-LSTM model had good fitting capability and robustness (R2=0.74, RMSE=10.93), and further improvements were achieved after channel selection (R2=0.87, RMSE=6.84). The 10-fold cross-validation results indicated that the R2 between retrieval and measured values was above 0.85, the MAE was within 5.60, and the RMSE was within 7.90. R2 varied between 0.85 and 0.90, showing better validation at mid-day (R2=0.89) and in spring and fall transition seasons (R2 =0.88 and R2 =0.90). To investigate the cooperative effect of meteorological factors and other air pollutants on NO2, statistical methods (Beta coefficients) were used to test the factor interpretability. Meteorological factors as well as other pollutants were analyzed. From a statistical perspective, PM2.5, Boundary Layer Height, and O3 were found to have the largest impacts on near-surface NO2, with each standard deviation change in these factors leading to 0.28, 0.24, and 0.23 in standard deviations of near-surface NO2, respectively. Findings of the study contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the spatiotemporal distribution of NO2 and provide a scientific basis for formulating targeted air pollution policies.

The orthogonal matrix with cube be symmetric is a common class of matrices with important properties. We pay attention to this kind of matrices. By using the close relationship between the eigenvalues of a matrix and the trace of its power, we obtain the algorithm for its all possible different eigenvalues and multiplicities. The calculation formula is expressed only by the trace of a matrix and its power, avoiding solving the characteristic polynomial. The method is simple and practical. Furthermore, a new essential characterization for the sum of orthogonal matrix pairs being orthogonal is given as well.

Human visual system (HVM) can quickly localize the most salient object in scenes, which has been widely applied on natural image segmentation [15]-[19]. In ultrasound (US) breast images, compared with background areas, tumor is more salient because of its higher contrast. In this paper, we develop a novel automatic localization method based on HVM for automatic segmentation of ultrasound (US) breast tumors. First, the input image is smoothed by convolution with a linearly separable Gaussian filter and then subsampled into a 9-layer Gaussian pyramid. Then intensity, blackness ratio, and superpixel contrast features are combined to compute saliency map, in which Winner Take All algorithm is used to localize the most salient region, presenting with a circle on the localized target. Finally the circle is taken as the initial contour of CV level set to finish the extraction of breast tumor. The localization method has been tested on 400 US beast images, among which 378 images have higher saliency than background areas and succeed in localization, with high accuracy 92.00%. The HVM localization method can be used to localize the tumors, combined with this method, CV level set can achieve the fully automatic segmentation of US breast tumors. By combing intensity, blackness ratio and superpixel contrast features, the proposed localization method can successfully avoid the interference caused by background areas with low echo and high intensity. Moreover, multi-object localization of US breast images can be considered in future employment.

Exploring the spatio-temporal differentiation characteristics and coupling coordination relationship of the composite ecosystem of urban agglomerations is of great significance for promoting the synergistic development and integration construction of urban agglomerations. This paper is based on LUCC data, DEM, temperature, precipitation and other multi-source data, taking the central Yunnan urban agglomeration as an example. The entropy weight method is first used to determine the comprehensive weights to evaluate the regional economic and social development level. Then, the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs)model was used to quantitatively calculate and analyze the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of the four ecosystem services, including water conservation, soil conservation, carbon sequestration services, and habitat quality. The coupling coordination model was used to quantitatively analyze the evolution of the coupling coordination of the composite ecosystems in the central Yunnan urban agglomeration during the period of 2010-2020, and to reveal its development law. The results show the following: ①During the study period, the socio-economic subsystems in central Yunnan urban agglomeration demonstrated an outward radiative growth from Kunming City, marked by underdeveloped sub-centers and prevalent low-level areas. ②Trends in ecosystem services varied, with water and soil conservation showing fluctuating increases, carbon sequestration remaining stable, and habitat quality declining. The integrated ecosystem services critically important zone is mainly located in the northeastern region and southwestern edge of the study area. ③Economic, social and ecological subsystems are highly coupled, with consistent overall development trends and strong interactions. ④The increase in the degree of harmonization amounted to 7.82%, with lagging subsystems varying in different degree of harmonization subregions. The study can provide a scientific basis for urban agglomerations to formulate scientific and reasonable development policies, promoting regional sustainable development and optimizing the spatial pattern of the national territory.

Hang-ju was one of five officinal varieties of Flos chrysanthemum for its edible and potable usage. Besides Flos Chrysanthemum (FL), there were also Bud Chrysanthemum (BC) and Fetal Chrysanthemum (FC) at the early and late stage of buds, respectively, in the consumption market of Hang-ju with higher prices. Whether the quality and efficiency of BC and FC was superior to FL or merely consumption misunderstandings? Three commercial products of Hongxinju, a representive cultivar of Hang-ju were studied with a GC-MS based metabolomics approach, complemented with morphology, contents of moisture and protein and the anti-oxidant activity, to reveal the metabolic alterations of violate components in Hongxinju in different flowering stage and at different processing periods. It revealed that most of the violate components were increased from fresh FC to FL, and the low-boiling fractions, inflammatory methyl arachidonate and air-polluting component of ethylbenzene were declined while the representative components with pungent flavor and cool nature of a-curcumene and (Z,Z,Z)-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, vision improving carotenol of rhodopin and high-boiling fractions were elevated after processed in final FL compared with that in BC and/or FC. Though the content of protein and anti-oxidative capacity of final BC and FC were nearly equal to those of FL, in comprehensive consideration of the representative components related with the efficiency in heat cooling and vision improving, as well as the representative components related with inflammation and air-pollution, final FL was recommended other than BC and FC in the practice of medicine with the yield and quality integrated into account.

The unknown timing of appropriate initiation of administration has led to controversy over the use of hydrocortisone in the treatment of neonatal sepsis. This study sought to compare the survival rate and NF-κB pathway expression level in newborn mice treated with hydrocortisone at different initiation times after sepsis to find the appropriate administration time window for clinical neonatal sepsis patients. Before building the sepsis model, 36 newborn C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into six groups with six mice, using quasi-randomization: five treatment subgroups(1 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h based on the initiation of hydrocortisone therapy) and 1 control group. The survival rate of mice in each group was compared. The expression levels of the NF-κB pathway and inflammatory factors were analyzed and compared among groups. Initiation of hydrocortisone therapy within 12 h of sepsis onset improved the survival of LPS-induced newborn septic mice. Treatment with hydrocortisone over 12 hours reduced the expression level of NF-κB and lowered serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels in cardiopulmonary tissues of mice. Administration of hydrocortisone early in sepsis (within 12 hours) promotes neonatal mouse survival by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway.

Elders have a higher rate of return visits to the emergency department (ED) than other patients. It is critical to understand the risk factors for return visits to the ED by elders. The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with return visits to the ED by elders. This study retrospectively reviewed the hospital charts of elders who return visits to the ED within 72 hours after discharge. The risk factors identified in the Triage Risk Screening Tool were applied in this study. Of the elders discharged from the ED, 8.64% made a return visit to the ED within 72 hours. The highest revisit rate occurred within 24 hours after discharge. Factors associated with return ED visits within 24 hours by elders were difficulty walking and having discharge care needs. Factors associated with ED return visits within 24–48 hours were cognitive impairment and polypharmacy. Difficulty walking, having discharge care needs and hospitalization within the past 120 days were associated with return visits made within 48–72 hours following discharge. Identifying the reasons for return visits to the ED and providing a continuous review of geriatric assessment and discharge planning could reduce unnecessary revisits.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a form of vasculitis that primarily affects children under the age of 5 years old. Patients may be missed diagnosis when initial clinical symptoms do not fulfill the traditional criteria. We aimed to analyze factors that clinicians could use to differentiate febrile children suspected of KD. Method: We retrospectively enrolled a total of 83 febrile children who were initially suspected of KD, but they did not meet the American Heart Association (AHA) criteria for a diagnosis. However, some of these patients were diagnosed with KD during their second visit. We analyzed patients' characteristics, clinical symptoms, and laboratory data. Results: In total, 50 patients were enrolled in the study. Of those, ten patients were diagnosed with KD on their second visit (group 1), while the other 40 patients still did not fit a KD diagnosis (group 2). A patient with a neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio greater than 1.33 combined with a C-reactive protein more than 33 mg/L was more likely to have KD. Conclusion: Among patients suspected of KD that did not initially meet the criteria, clinicians should pay special attention to elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios and CRP levels and closely follow up such patients.

The magnesium ion is an essential cation in the human body and participates in numerous physiological activities. A deficiency in magnesium ions is closely associated with tumor development, and supplementation with magnesium ions has been shown to partially inhibit tumor growth. However, the specific mechanisms by which magnesium ions suppress tumor proliferation remain unclear. Currently, studies have revealed that mitochondria may serve as a crucial intermediate link in the regulation of tumors by magnesium ions. Mitochondria might intervene in the proliferation and invasion of tumor cells by modulating energy metabolism and oxidative stress levels. Therefore, this article provides a comprehensive review of the relationship between magnesium ions and tumors, the mechanisms by which magnesium ions regulate mitochondrial function, and the theoretical basis and prospects of magnesium ion regulation of mitochondrial function for tumor treatment. This review aims to offer insights for clinical tumor treatment strategies involving magnesium ion intervention.

A typhoon-induced storm surge is considered one of the most severe coastal disasters in Taiwan. However, the combination of the storm surge and the astronomical tide called the storm tide can actually cause extreme flooding in coastal areas. This study implemented a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model to account for the interaction between tides and storm surges on the coast of Taiwan. The model was validated with observed water levels at Sauo Fish Port, Hualien Port, and Chenggong Fish Port under different historical typhoon events. The model results are in reasonable agreement with the measured data. The validated model was then used to evaluate the effects of the typhoon's intensity, bathymetric change, and the combination of the typhoon’s intensity and bathymetric change on the maximum storm tide and its distribution along the east coast of Taiwan. The results indicated that the maximum storm tide rises to 1.92 m under a typhoon with an intensity of a 100-year return period. The maximum storm tide increased from a baseline of 1.26 m to 2.63 m for a 90% bathymetric rise at Sauo Fish Port under the conditions of Typhoon Jangmi (2008). The combination of the intensity of a typhoon with a 100-year return period and a 90% bathymetric rise will result in a maximum storm tide exceeding 4 m, 2 m, and 3 m at Sauo Fish Port, Hualien Port, and Chenggong Fish Port, respectively. We also found that the distribution of the maximum storm tide on the east coast of Taiwan can expand significantly subject to the bathymetric rise.

Pain is a major problem in sick newborn infants, especially for those needing intensive care. Pharmacological pain relief is the most commonly used but may be ineffective, have side effects, including long-term neurodevelopmental sequelae. The effectiveness and safety of alternative analgesic methods are ambiguous. The objective is to review the effectiveness and safety of non-pharmacological methods of pain relief in newborn infants and to identify those that are the most effective. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched using the terms: ‘infant’, ‘premature’, ‘pain’, ‘acupuncture’, ‘skin to skin contact’, ‘sucrose’ ‘massage’, ‘musical therapy’ and ‘breastfeeding’. We included 24 studies assessing different methods of non-pharmacological analgesic techniques. Most resulted in some degree of analgesia but many were ineffective and some were even detrimental. Sucrose, for example, was often ineffective but more effective than music therapy, massage, breast milk (for extremely premature infants) or non-invasive electrical stimulation acupuncture. There were also conflicting results for acupuncture, skin to skin care and musical therapy. Most non-pharmacological methods of analgesia provide some modicum of relief for preterm infants but none are completely effective and there is no clearly superior method. Study is also required to assess potential long-term consequences of any of these methods.

This study examines how the design of museum archaeological boxes and the overall museum image affect behavioral intention. This research used partial least squares-structural equation modeling, indicating a relationship between aesthetics, symbolism, affective museum image, perceived value, and behavioral intention. This study found that symbolism predicted behavioral intention. Moreover, aesthetics, symbolism, and affective museum image affected perceived value, in turn triggering behavioral intention. This indicates theoretical and practical implications for museum products.

Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a common chronic allergic skin disease. In our previous study, we isolated two probiotic strains, Lactococcus cremoris subsp. cremoris MP01 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei MP02, from Mongolian fermented milk. These strains demonstrated potential in alleviating symptoms similar to AD and reducing specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in a mouse model of AD. Building upon this discovery, our current investigation sought to evaluate the therapeutic potential of these probiotics for treating CAD. We conducted an open-label, single-arm clinical trial where dogs diagnosed with AD were administered LCP capsules containing Lc. cremoris subsp. cremoris MP01 and L. paracasei subsp. paracasei MP02 once daily for 60 days. Stool, skin swab, and venous blood specimens were collected at three intervals: before, and after 30 and 60 days of LCP intervention. The skin and fecal microbiomes were analyzed using full-length 16S rRNA sequencing. After 60 days of LCP intervention, notable improvements were observed in skin lesions and scratching behaviors, accompanied by reductions in both the Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index (CADESI) and the Pruritus Visual Analogue Scale (PVAS) scores. Additionally, LCP intervention resulted in significant reductions in IgE levels and modulation in type 1 T helper (Th1)/ type 2 T helper cells (Th2)-related cytokine secretion. Microbiota analysis unveiled changes in the composition of both skin and gut microbiotas, including reductions in Shigella flexneri on the skin and Romboutsia in the gut. Levels of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) increased following the 60-days of LCP intervention. These effects were likely mediated by alterations in gut microbiota and the upregulation of SCFA levels, which subsequently reduced the secretion of allergy-related IgE. Collectively, these mechanisms contributed to alleviating CAD symptoms, regulating skin microbiota composition, and reducing the adherence and invasion of environmental microbes and pathogens. Overall, our findings highlight the promising therapeutic potential of the Lc. cremoris subsp. cremoris MP01 and L. paracasei subsp. paracasei MP02 mixture as an effective strategy for managing CAD in dogs.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are fast becoming the most common chronic liver disease and are often preventable with healthy dietary habits and weight management. Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is associated with obesity and NAFLD. However, the impact of different types of SSB, including artificially sweetened beverages (ASB), is not clear after controlling for total sugar intake and total caloric intake. In this study, we examined the association between different SSB consumption and the risk of NAFLD and NASH. A total of 3,739 US adults aged ≥20 years old who had completed 24-hour dietary recall interviews and measurements, including dietary, SSB, smoking, physical activity, and liver stiffness measurement, using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2020 surveys were included in this study. Chi-square tests, t-tests, and weighted logistic regression models were utilized for analyses. The prevalence of NASH was 20.5%, and NAFLD (defined without NASH) was 32.7% of .S.U.S. adults. We observed a higher prevalence of NASH/NAFLD in men, Mexican-Americans, sugar intake from SSB, light-moderate alcohol use, individuals with lower physical activity levels, higher energy intake, obesity, and medical comorbidities. Heavy sugar consumption through SSB was significantly associated with NAFLD (aOR=1.60, 95% CI=1.05-2.45). In addition, intake of ASB only (compared to non-SSB category) was significantly associated with NAFLD (aOR=1.78, 95% CI=1.04-3.05), after adjusting for demographic, risk behaviors, and body mass index. Higher sugar intake from SSB and exclusive ASB intake are both associated with the risk of NAFLD.

The kinetics and efficacy profiles of photoinitiated polymerization are theoretically presented. For the same dose, lower light intensity achieves a higher steady-state-efficacy (SSE) in type-I; in contrast, type-II has an equal SSE. Higher light intensity has a faster rising efficacy, due to faster depletion of photoinitiator (PS) concentration. However, type-II process is also affected by the available oxygen. Higher light intensity produces more efficient singlet oxygen, resulting a higher transient efficacy, in which all intensities reach the same SSE when oxygen is completely depleted. With external oxygen, type-II efficacy increases with time, otherwise, it is governed only by the light dose, i.e., same dose achieves same efficacy. Moreover, type-II has an efficacy follows Bunsen Roscoe law (BRL), whereas type-I follows non-BRL. The measured type-I efficacy and gelation profile are analyzed by our analytic formulas. Schematics of the photocrosslinking stage defined by the availability of oxygen is developed, where both type-I and –II coexist until the oxygen is depleted. The overall efficacy may be enhanced by resupply of PS or oxygen during the light exposure. The roles of light dose and PS concentration on the efficacy of photoinitiated polymerization should be are governed a new concept of a volume efficacy (Ve), defined by the product of the crosslink (or gelation) depth (CD) and local [efficacy].

China’s transportation industry has made rapid progress, which has led to a mass of carbon emissions. However, it is still unclear how the carbon emission from transport sector is punctuated by shifts in underlying drivers. This paper aims to examine the process of China’s carbon emissions from transport sector as well as its major driving forces during the period of 2000 to 2015 at the provincial level. We firstly estimate the carbon emissions from transport sector at the provincial level based on the fuel and electricity consumption using a top-down method. We find that the carbon emission per capita is steadily increasing across the nation, especially in the provinces of Chongqing and Inner Mongolia. However, the carbon emission intensity is decreasing in most provinces of China, except in Yunnan, Qinghai, Chongqing, Zhejiang, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Henan and Anhui. We then quantify the effect of socio-economic factors and their regional variations on the carbon emissions using panel data model. The results show that the development of secondary industry is the most significant variable in both the entire nation level and the regional level, while the effects of the other variables vary across regions. Among these factors, population density is the main motivator of the increasing carbon emissions per capita from transport sector for both the whole nation and the western region, whereas the consumption level per capita of residents and the development of tertiary industry are the primary drivers of per capita carbon emissions for the eastern and central region.

Optimal conditions for maximum efficacy of photoinitiated polymerization are theoretically presented. Analytic formulas are shown for the crosslink time, crosslink depth and efficacy function. The roles of photoinitiator (PI) concentration, diffusion depth and light intensity on the polymerization spatial and temporal profiles, for both uniform and non-uniform cases, are presented. For optimal efficacy, a strategy via controlled PI concentration is proposed, where re-supply of PI in high light intensity may achieve a combined-efficacy similar to low light intensity, but has a much faster procedure. A new criterion of efficacy based on the polymerization (crosslink) [strength] and [depth] is introduced. Experimental data are analyzed for the role of PI concentration and light intensity on the gelation time and efficacy.

We investigate the ammonium removal abilities of natural and synthetic zeolites, which have distinct Si/Al ratios and various surface areas, to study how adsorption and ion-exchange processes in zeolites perform under different ammonium concentrations and different temperatures. Five zeolites including natural mordenite, chabazite, erionite, clinoptilolite and synthetic merlinoite were immersed in 20 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg ammonium solutions. The results demonstrate that zeolites under high ammonium concentrations (100 mg/kg) possess higher physical adsorption capacity (0.398–0.468 meq/g), whereas those under lower ammonium concentrations (20 mg/kg) possess greater ion-exchange property (64–99%). The ion-exchange ability of zeolites are extremely dependent on the cation content of the zeolites, and the cation content is affected by the Si/Al ratio. The surface area of zeolites also has a partial influence on its physical adsorption ability. When the surface area is less than 100 m²/g, the adsorption ability of zeolite increases obviously with surface area; however, adsorption ability is saturated as the surface area becomes larger than this critical value of 100 m²/g. When we carried out the zeolites in 50 mg/kg ammonium concentration at different temperatures (5~50 ℃), we found that zeolites exhibit the highest ammonium removal ability at 30°C and the potassium release was enhanced at 30~40 ℃.

The kinetics and modeling of dual-wavelength controlled photopolymerization confinement (PC) are presented and measured data are analyzed by analytic formulas and numerical data. The UV-light initiated inhibition effect is strongly monomer-dependent and different monomers have different C=C bond rate constants and conversion efficacy. Without the UV-light, for a given blue-light intensity, higher initiator concentration (C₁₀) and rate constant (k’) lead to higher conversion, as also predicted by analytic formulas, in which the total conversion rate (R_T) is an increasing function of k’R, which is proportional to k[gB₁C₁]^0.5. However, the coupling factor b₁ plays a different role that higher b₁ leads to higher conversion only in the transient regime; whereas higher b₁ leads lower steady-state conversion. For a fixed initiator concentration C₁₀, higher inhibitor concentration (C₂₀) leads to lower conversion due to stronger inhibition effect. However, same conversion reduction was found for the same H-factor of H₀ = [b₁C₁₀ - b₂C₂₀]. Conversion of blue-only are much higher than that of UV-only and UV-blue combined, in which high C₂₀ results a strong reduction of blue-only-conversion, such that the UV-light serves as the turn-off (trigger) mechanism for the purpose of spatial confirmation within the overlap area of UV and blue light. For example, UV-light controlled methacrylate conversion of a glycidyl dimethacrylate resin formulated with a tertiary amine co-initiator, and butyl nitrite, subject to a continuous exposure of a blue light, but an on-off exposure of a UV-light. Finally, we developed a theoretical new finding for the criterion of a good material/candidate governed by a double ratio of light-intensity and concentration, [I₂₀C₂₀.]/[I₁₀C₁₀].

In China, there is an increasing need for greater genetic diversity in maize (Zea mays L.) germplasm and hybrids appropriate for mechanical harvesting. In order to test and distinguish American maize inbred lines with exceptional combining ability, four Chinese maize inbred lines (Chang7-2, Zheng 58, four-144 and four-287) were used to judge the combining ability and heterosis of 16 USA inbred lines by a NCII genetic mating method. The results showed that among the American inbred lines, 6M502A, LH208, NL001, LH212Ht, PHW51, FBLA and LH181 expressed good GCA for yield characteristics; while RS710, PHP76, FBLA, and PHJ89 showed excellent GCA for machine harvesting characteristics. Five hybrids (NL001 × Chang7-2, LH212Ht × Chang7-2, FBLA × four-144, LH181 × four-287, PHK93 × four-287) had better SCA values for yield characteristics, at 1.69, 1.07, 1.48, 1.84 and 1.05, respectively; while NL001 × Chang 7-2, 6M502A × Chang7-2, LH212Ht × Chang7-2, LH181 × four-287, PHW51 × Chang7-2 had better TCA values for yield characteristics, at 3.03, 2.80, 2.41, 2.19 and 1.91, respectively; NL001 × Chang7-2, 6M502A × Chang7-2, LH212Ht × Chang7-2, LH181 × four-287, PHW51 × Chang7-2 showed excellent Control Heterosis values, with 21.48%, 19.64%, 15.93%, 14.05% and 11.60% increases, respectively, compared to the check and potential for future utilization in Inner Mongolian corn production.

This paper proposes a novel symmetrical active-switched coupled-inductor high-step-up DC/DC converter. A new active-switched coupled inductor is used to allow much higher voltage gain of the proposed converter. The symmetrical circuit structure of the proposed converter evenly divides large input currents and reduce input current ripple by operating in interleaved mode so power density is increased. The switches also have low voltage stress. The operating principle and design considerations for the converter topology are described. The proposed converter with an input voltage of 40 V, an output voltage of 400 V and an output of 1000 W at a switching frequency of 50 kHz is implemented. The simulations and experimental results are thus depicted to verify the theoretical analysis. The highest efficiency is 95.5% at 200 W measured by using a HIOKI 3390. Consequently, the proposed converter is suitable for renewable energy generation systems that require high power, high voltage gain and high efficiency.

With the explosion of the generation, transmission and sharing of image data over the Internet and other unsecured networks, the need and significance for the development of novel image encryption algorithms is unprecedented. In this research work, we propose a novel framework for image encryption that is based on two hyperchaotic maps, utilized in conjunction with the single neuron model (SNM). The framework entails three successive stages, where in every stage, a substitution box (S-box) is applied, then XORing with an encryption key is carried out. The S-boxes and the encryption keys are generated from the numerical solutions of the hyperchaotic maps and the SNM. The performance of the proposed framework is gauged through a number of metrics, reflecting superior performance and complete asymmetry between the plain images and their encrypted versions. However, the main advantages of this work are: (1) The attained width of the key space; and (2) The achieved efficiency in software implementation. The superior key space of 2^{2551} is the result of employing the two hyperchaotic maps, while the improved efficiency, resulting in an average encryption rate of 8.54 Mbps, is the result of the utilization of the single neuron model, as well as the employment of optimized parallel processing techniques. In addition, the proposed encryption framework is shown to output encrypted images that pass the NIST SP 800 suite.

This study aims to implement a SSDBI (single-stage differential boost inverter, SSDBI) applying in a single-stage BESS (battery energy storage system, BESS) topology, which can supply power from lower voltage battery module to AC load. Compared with the common two-stage topology, which has a two-stage converter and higher voltage battery module array, the single-stage topology can reduce the number of cells and components, and improve the power density. In addition, a modified SPWM control was proposed to reduce the control complexity of the SSDBI while improving the THD of the inverter. The modified SPWM control can reduce the duty ratio of the SSDBI and the stress on the components to improve the AC voltage output waveform and reduce the THD value about 2.654%.

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells which can give rise to any types of cells in our body. Hence, they have been utilized for various applications such as drug testing and disease modeling. However, for the successful of those applications, the survival and differentiation of stem cells into specialized lineages should be well controlled. Growth factors and chemical agents are the most common signals to promote the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. However, those approaches holds several drawbacks such as the negative side effects, degradation or denaturation, and expensive. To address such limitations, nanomaterials have been recently used as a better approach for controlling stem cells behaviors. Graphene oxide is the derivative of graphene, the first 2D materials in the world. Recently, due to its extraordinary properties and great biological effects on stem cells, many scientists around the world have utilized graphene oxide to enhance the differentiation potential of stem cells. In this mini review, we highlight the key advances about the effects of graphene oxide on controlling stem cell growth and various types of stem cell differentiation. We also discuss the possible molecular mechanisms of graphene oxide in controlling stem cell growth and differentiation.

Mapping or quantitative inversion through remote sensing technology is an active way for mineral monitoring in large or uncultivated forest areas. Different spectral features of minerals, induced by ionic composition, can be identified which are related to mineral type or abundance. Based on the distinctive spectral absorption around 2.33µm induced by the carbonate ion, we use it as an analytic target to propose an improved continuum removal (ICR) algorithm to couple with normalized abundance to evaluate the relationship between continuum removal band depth (CRBD) and carbonate ion abundance. Through experimentally testing with synthetic and real image data, ICR with ratio abundance normalization can enhance the linear relation of CRBD and abundance. We find this technique performs best for abundance retrieval. The lowest root mean square error is 0.0400 for synthetic data and the mean relative error is as low as 6.80% for real image data. Compared with five other algorithms, coupling normalized carbonate mineral abundance with ICR can improve the quantitative retrieval accuracy of carbonate ion. By using a hyperspectral library, we also present a way to retrieve abundance without ground samples. These results make the quantitative inversion of mineral abundance more reasonable by distinct or enhanced features and provide great potential for use to extend mineral information extraction in the absence of sample data, even for surveys of the Moon and Mars for mineral quantitative analysis.

(1) Background: Group A rotaviruses (RVAs) are the primary cause of severe intestinal diseases in piglets. Porcine rotaviruses (PoRVs) are widely prevalent in Chinese farms, resulting in significant economic losses to the livestock industry. However, isolation of PoRVs is challenging, and their pathogenicity in piglets is not well understood. (2) Methods: We conduct clinical testing on a farm in Jiangsu Province, China, and isolate strains of porcine rotavirus by continuously passaging on MA104 cells. Subsequently, the pathogenicity of the isolated strain in piglets was investigated.The piglets of the PoRV-infection group were orally inoculated with 1 mL of 1.0 × 10⁶ TCID50 PoRV, whereas those of the mock-infection group were fed with an equivalent amount of DMEM. (3) Results: Fecal samples were collected from 28 piglets, all of which tested positive for RVAs. A G5P[23] genotype porcine rotavirus strain was successfully isolated from one of the positive samples and named RVA/Pig/China/JS/2023/G5P[23](JS). The genomic constellation of this strain was G5-P[23]-I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T1-E1-H1. Sequence analysis revealed that the genes VP3, VP7, NSP2, and NSP4 of the JS strain were closely related to human RVAs, whereas the remaining gene segments were closely related to porcine RVAs, indicating a reassortment between porcine and human strains. Furthermore, infection of 15-day-old piglets with the JS strain resulted in a diarrheal rate of 100% (8 of 8) and mortality rate of 37.5% (3 of 8).(4) Conclusion: The isolated G5P [23] genotype rotavirus strain, which exhibited strong pathogenicity in piglets, may have resulted from recombination between porcine and human strains. It may serve as a potential candidate strain for developing vaccines, and its immunogenicity can be tested in future studies.

The survey findings reveal that rivers worldwide carry an annual sediment load of 15 billion tons into the sea, and the Yellow River basin alone contributes 1.6 billion tons of sand. Therefore, understanding the science of wind and sand in the Yellow River is crucial to ensuring the safe development of similar basins across China and the world. This study examines the midstream wind and sand area of the Xiliugou tributary, a part of the upper Yellow River. The researchers used a stepped sand collector combined with an anemometer to measure the sand transport flux at 0-50 cm height on various underlying surfaces of the basin. Then, they estimated the amount of wind and sand entering the Yellow River using a function model based on the measured factors. Furthermore, the team analyzed the particle size composition of wind-eroded sand to better understand the principles of wind and sand erosion and accumulation in the basin. The results of the study show that the sand transport flux per unit area varies significantly across different underlying surfaces. Moreover, the contribution of moving sandy land, semi-fixed sand, and fixed sand to wind and sand deposition in the Yellow River basin was 77.08%, 15.30%, and 7.62%, respectively. The vertical change of sand transport rate on the basin's surface demonstrates that the total sand transport rate is an exponential function of wind speed. Based on this relationship, the researchers estimated that the total annual average wind and sand entering the Yellow River basin via the Xiliugou tributary is approximately 8.09×105t. Due to the basin's unique geography and sand source, the particle size composition of wind-eroded sand differs between the east and west sides of the river channel. On the west side, desert sand, mainly fine sand, and very fine sand constitutes the sand source. Conversely, on the east side, sand collected in the riverbed by secondary wind erosion is the primary sand source. Furthermore, human activities have disturbed the grain composition, mainly comprising powder and clay particles. This phenomenon, known as "wind-blown mud and water-washed sand," is evident in this geographical unit. In conclusion, the Yellow River basin still faces significant ecological security hazards. Understanding the coupling relationship between desert-basin-sand and wind is the foundation for effectively controlling wind and sand flow into the Yellow River basin.

This study introduces session-aware recommendation models, leveraging GRU (Gated Recurrent Unit) and attention mechanisms for advanced latent interaction data integration. A primary ad-vancement is enhancing latent context, a critical factor for boosting recommendation accuracy. We address existing models' rigidity by dynamically blending short-term (most recent) and long-term (historical) preferences, moving beyond static period definitions. Our approaches, pre-combination (LCII-Pre) and post-combination (LCII-Post) with fixed (Fix) and flexible learning (LP) weight configurations, are thoroughly evaluated. We conducted extensive experiments to as-sess our models' performance on public datasets such as Amazon and MovieLens 1M. Notably, on the MovieLens 1M dataset, LCII-PreFix achieved a 1.85% and 2.54% higher Recall@20 than II-RNN and BERT4Rec+st+TSA, respectively. On the Steam dataset, LCII-PostLP outperformed these models by 18.66% and 5.5%. Furthermore, on the Amazon dataset, LCII showed a 2.59% and 1.89% improvement in Recall@20 over II-RNN and CAII. These results affirm the significant enhancement our models bring to session-aware recommendation systems, showcasing their po-tential for both academic and practical applications in the field.

This study explored drivers’ emotion-based impressions of car-borne central control platforms (CBCCPs) personal-use vehicles. Thus, this preference-based study examined experts’ and drivers’ opinions regarding CBCCPs’ appeal from the perspective of Miryoku engineering. To this end, this study analyzed data via the EGM (evaluation grid method (EGM) and quantification theory type I. Results: Drivers’ preferences for specific CBCCP design characteristics were categorized into the factors “legible,” convenient,” and “tasteful,” which comprised the core of the EGM semantic hierarchical diagram. In addition, the importance of CBCCPs’ appeal factors and characteristics was assessed through quantification theory type I.The findings of this study provide valuable insights for designers, manufacturers, and researchers interested in the design of CBCCPs. Additionally, the results of this study can contribute to research on applied psychology, human-computer interactions, and car interface design.

In recent years, with the increasing research and development of the LED industry which contains GaN, it is expected that there will be a large amount of related wastes in the future. Especially the gallium has extremely high value of economic, therefore, it is necessary to establish the recycling system of the GaN waste. However, GaN is a direct-gap semiconductor and with high energy gap, high hardness, and high melting point make it difficult to recycle. Therefore, this study will analyze the physical characteristics of LED wastes containing GaN and carry out various leaching method to leach the valuable metals from the waste optimally. Different acids are used to find out the best reagent for leaching the gallium. Different experimental parameters are discussed such as the effect of the different acid agents , concentration, pressure, solid-liquid mass ratio, temperature, and time which influence the leaching efficiency of the gallium. In this study, various leaching methods which effect the leaching efficiency of the gallium are compared and the advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Finally, pressurized acid leaching method is preferred to leach the GaN waste, and hydrochloric acid is used as the leaching solution because of its better leaching efficiency of gallium. Eventually, the leaching efficiency of the gallium can reach to 98%.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the epidemic dynamics and clinical features of COVID-19 in southern Hainan Island, China, and provide experience for other tropical areas of the world. Methods: This retrospective study included confirmed cases of COVID-19 in southern Hainan. All enrolled patients were treated in Sanya, and data on epidemiological and clinical features of the disease and infection prevention and control measures adopted by the local government during the epidemic were collected. Results: Of the 74 cases, 71 (95.95%) were imported from Wuhan, Hubei Province (47, 63.51%), other cities in Hubei Province (11, 14.86%), or provinces other than Hubei and Hainan (13, 17.57%). Three (4.06%) patients were infected in southern Hainan, including one autochthonous case in Sanya. Fifty-four cases (72.97%) were detected in Sanya, and 27 cases (27.03%) were diagnosed in other cities. The rate of severe or critical cases was 28.38% (21/74), and mortality was 2.7% (2/74). The serum lactate levels and base excess of severe-critical patients were higher than those of patients with mild-moderate disease. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that chronic conditions were risk factors for severe and critical COVID-19. Seventy-four patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 over a 22-day period in Sanya, and the epidemic period in the city was 48 days. The outbreak was controlled rapidly because the local government adopted strict infection prevention and control measures. Conclusions: The clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in Hainan Island were similar to those reported in other regions. In Sanya, the rate of severe and very severe cases was higher than in other regions; however, most cases were imported, and there was only one autochthonous case. The rapid control of the outbreak in Sanya may be related to the tropical climate, adoption of strict infection prevention and control measures, daily reporting of new cases, increased public awareness about the epidemic, and other emergency actions implemented by the local government.

Overexpression of a constitutively active truncated form of OsCDPK1 (OEtr) in rice produced smaller seeds, but a double-stranded RNA gene-silenced form of OsCDPK1 (Ri) yielded large seeds, suggesting that OsCDPK1 plays a functional role in rice seed development. In the study presented here, we propose a model in which OsCDPK1 plays key roles in negatively controlling the grain size, amylose content, and endosperm appearance, and also affects the physicochemical properties of the starch. The dehulled transgenic OEtr grains were smaller than the dehulled wild-type grains, and the OEtr endosperm was opaque and had a low amylose content and numerous small loosely packed polyhedral starch granules. However, the OEtr grain sizes and endosperm appearances were not affected by the temperature being either optimal (25 °C ) or low (22 °C) or high (31 °C) during the grain-filling phase. In contrast, the transgenic Ri grains were larger, had higher amylose contents, and had more transparent endosperms filled with tightly packed polyhedral starch granules. This demonstrates that OsCDPK1 plays a novel functional role in starch biosynthesis during seed development and affects the transparent appearance of the endosperm. These results improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms through which the grain filling process occurs in rice.

To explore the expression characteristics and biological functions of related genes of medicago terrestris under long day conditions, and to lay a foundation for revealing the molecular mechanism of medicago terrestris under long day conditions. The leaves of 'R108' tribulus Medicago sativa at branch stage (A), bud stage (B), initial flowering stage (C) and full flowering stage (D) were sequenced by RNA-Seq technology. The genome of Medicago sativa, a related species of Tribulus tribulus, was used as a reference genome for sequence comparison. The transcriptomes of three adjacent periods (A vs B, B vs C, C vs D) were analyzed for differentially expressed genes and photoperiod related differentially expressed genes were screened. A total of 6875 differentially expressed genes were detected. GO functional analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in biological processes, cell components and molecular functions, among which the most differentially expressed genes were involved in cell components. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in circadian rhythm, photosynthesis - antenna protein, ribosome metabolism and other pathways. The number of single nucleotide variants detected by cSNP analysis was 312875, and the frequency of A/G and C/T were the highest. The function of eggNOG was divided into 23 categories, with a total of 26745 genes having similarities, 9008 genes were classified as function unknown, 2669 genes were classified as signal transduction mechanism, 2194 genes were classified as transcription, etc. In different developmental stages (A vs B, B vs C, C vs D), 3463 up-regulated and 3412 down-regulated differentially expressed genes were found. The difference between up-regulated and down-regulated genes was the most obvious between bud stage and initial flowering stage. In addition, a total of 79 flowering genes were found, of which 51 differential genes were screened out to participate in photoperiodic regulation pathway, 23 differential genes were up-regulated, and 28 differential genes were down-regulated. The ratio of gene-LOC11410562(GI), gene-LOC11435974(CO), gene-LOC11422615(TOC1) and gene-LOC11432385(LHY) was higher than that of gene-LOC25500742(PHYA) and gene-LOC11 431402(ELF3), gene-LOC11434778(Col13), gene-LOC25498015(Col6), and gene-LOC11415514(Col9) were preexpressed. The above differentially expressed genes were significantly expressed in different development stages of Terrestris alfalfa, which laid a foundation for further study of the molecular mechanism of Terrestris alfalfa.

The ingestion of contaminated aquatic products presents a potential risk for human exposure to bisphenols (BPs) residues. Nevertheless, there is little empirical research on this topic. To fill the current data gap, this study used stochastic sampling to gather 245 representative samples of aquatic products from local markets in Shenzhen. The samples comprised eight species and fell into three aquatic product categories: fish, crustaceans, and bivalves. A total of eight BPs were detected from aquatic products, namely, bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol AF (BPAF), bisphenol AP (BPAP), bisphenol B (BPB), bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol P (BPP), bisphenol Z (BPZ), and bisphenol F (BPF). All BPs were detected in aquatic products, except for BPAF, indicating pervasive contamination by BPs in aquatic products. BPS demonstrated the highest detection rate both before and after enzymatic hydrolysis, whereas BPAP exhibited the lowest detection rate before enzymatic hydrolysis, and BPB displayed the lowest detection rate after enzymatic hydrolysis. The concentration difference before and after enzymatic hydrolysis proved to be statistically significant. Moreover, 49%-96% of BPs in aquatic products were found in the combined state, underscoring the essentiality of conducting detections on aquatic product samples following enzymatic hydrolysis. While the health risks associated with ingesting BPs residues through aquatic product consumption were found to be minimal for residents at risk of exposure, the results suggest the necessity for more stringent regulations governing the consumption of aquatic products.

The total ionizing dose (TID) effect significantly impacts the electrical parameters of fully depleted silicon on insulator (FDSOI) devices and even invalidates the on-off function of devices. At present, most of the irradiation research on the circuit level is focused on the single event effect, and the research on the total ionizing dose effect is very little. Therefore, this study mainly analyzes the influence of TID effects on a CMOS inverter circuit based on 22 nm FDSOI transistors. First, we constructed and calibrated an N-type FDSOI metal-oxide semiconductor (NMOS) structure and P-type FDSOI metal-oxide semiconductor (PMOS) structure. The transfer characteristics and trapped charge distribution of these devices were studied under different irradiation doses. Next, we studied the TID effect on an inverter circuit composed of these two MOS transistors. The simulation results show that when the radiation dose is 400 krad (Si), the logic threshold drift of the inverter is approximately 0.052 V. These results help further investigate the impact on integrated circuits in the irradiation environment.

Image encryption is increasingly becoming an important area of research in information security and network communications, as digital images are widely used in various applications and are vulnerable to various types of attacks. In this research work, a color image cryptosystem that is based on a 3-layer permutation-substitution network (PSN) is proposed. For every layer, an encryption key and an S-box are generated and utilized. Those are based on a four-dimensional (4D) dynamical Chen system of a fractional-order, the Mersenne Twister, OpenSLL, Rule 30 Cellular Automata and Intel’s MKL. The sequential application of Shannon’s ideas of diffusion and confusion for 3 times guarantees a total distortion of any input plain image, resulting in a totally encrypted one. Apart from the excellent and comparable performance to counterpart algorithms from the literature, showcasing resistance to visual, statistical, entropy, differential, known plaintext and brute-force attacks, the proposed image cryptosystem provides an exceptionally superior performance in 2 aspects: a vast key space of 2^1658 and an average encryption rate of 3.34 Mbps. Furthermore, the proposed image cryptosystem is shown to successfully pass all the tests of the NIST SP 800 suite.

Forests have multifunctional roles. They not only increase forest carbon sinks through afforestation and management, but also indirectly realize multiple benefits of "economy + ecology + society". Therefore, we construct a multiple output-benefit system of forest carbon sinks based on the development of forest carbon sinks in provinces of China. This system is also able to distinguish the importance of forest carbon sinks from other outputs. For the efficiency evaluation of multi-level output systems, this paper constructs a cross-evaluation model based on evidential reasoning method, the original efficiency information by conducting efficiency evaluation before information fusion. Further, the spillover effects and influencing factors of forest carbon sink efficiency are analyzed through a spatial regression model to explore the spatial characteristics of forest carbon sink efficiency in China. The results show that: (1) there is a large gap between the cross-efficiency levels of forest carbon sinks in various regions of China, with significant spatial correlation. For the perspective of direct output benefits, the cross-efficiency of the eastern region is higher, while the cross-efficiency of the northwestern region is lower; for the perspective of indirect output benefits, the cross-efficiency of the southeastern region is higher. (2) China's forest carbon sink has a significant positive spillover effect, and the indirect output cross-efficiency has a significant negative impact on the forest carbon sink in its own region. Further analyzing the impact of indirect output cross-efficiency, it is found that the cross-efficiency of the ecological dimension and the cross-efficiency of the social dimension have a significant negative impact on the forest carbon sink in its own region, and the economic dimension has a significant positive impact on the forest carbon sink in its own region. In conclusion, corresponding policy recommendations are proposed for the development of forest carbon sinks to promote the realization of the dual-carbon goal.

A scalable optical convolutional neural network (SOCNN) based on free-space optics and Koehler illumination was proposed to address the limitations of the previous 4f correlator system. Unlike Abbe illumination, Koehler illumination provides more uniform illumination and reduces crosstalk. SOCNN allows for scaling up of the input array and the use of incoherent light sources. Hence, the problems associated with 4f correlator systems can be avoided. We analyzed the limitations in scaling the kernel size and parallel throughput and found that SOCNN can offer a multilayer convolutional neural network with massive optical parallelism.

Two types of trenches cross-section in conventional vertical and brand new reverse-V-shape have fabricated on SCD substrate by micro-jet water-assist laser, the epitaxial lateral overgrowth technique has applied by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition system in forming multiple micrometer-size channels. Raman and SEM techniques have applied in analyze both types growth layer characterization. Optical microscope has used to test microchannels hollowness. As a result, with the brand new reverse-V-shape trench, epitaxial lateral overgrowth layer reaches higher SCD surface morphology and crystal quality.

Due to the fact that abrasive media can deform flexibly in abrasive flow machining (AFM) making this method easily to polish the complex holes and the curved surface of the hard machining shapes. Although abrasive media dominate the polishing behavior in AFM process, the mechanism of the abrasive media are not easy to understand because of the high viscous gels, therefore, many finishing works need lots of time to design AFM process. Power laws of the abrasive gels is studied here to evaluate the non-Newtonian flow of abrasive gels in complex holes polishing firstly, at the mean time different abrasive gels are utilized to finish the complex holes to follow the results by non-Newtonian flow calculation. Moreover, traditional AFM has difficulty to achieve a uniform roughness of radial distribution in the complex holes polishing because of the non-uniform abrasive forces. So a helical passageway is proposed to create a multiple motion of abrasive medium and to obtain the even surface of the complex holes in AFM process.

Currently, the majority of industrial metal processing involves the use of taps for cutting. However, existing tap machines require relocation to specialized inspection stations and only assess the con-dition of the cutting edges for defects. They do not evaluate the quality of the cutting angles and the amount of removed material. Machine vision, a key component of smart manufacturing, is com-monly used for visual inspection. Taps are employed for processing various materials. Traditional tap replacement relies on the technician's accumulated empirical experience to determine the ser-vice life of the tap. Typically, inspecting tooth wear involves removing the tap and evaluating the degree of wear to determine if regrinding or replacement is necessary. Therefore, we propose the use of visual inspection of the tap's external features to determine whether replacement or regrinding is needed. We examined the bearing surface of the tap and utilized single images to identify the cutting angle, clearance angle, and cone angles. By inspecting the side of the tap, we calculated the wear of each cusp. We further investigated whether the cutting portion affected the length of the tool by measuring changes in tooth surface area and the amount of removed thread. This inspection process can facilitate the development of a tap life system, allowing for the estimation of the durability and wear of taps and nuts made of different materials. Statistical analysis can be employed to predict the lifespan of taps in production lines.

This paper addresses the problem of assessing and optimizing acoustic positioning system for underwater target localization with range measurements only. We present a new three-dimensional assessment model to assess the optimal geometric beacon formation whether meet user needs. For the sake of mathematical tractability, it is assumed that the measurements of the range between the target and beacons are corrupted with white Gaussian noise with variance is distance-dependent. Then by adopting dilution of precision (DOP) parameters in the assessment model, the relationship between DOP parameters and positioning accuracy is derived. In addition, the optimal geometric beacon formation that will yield the best performance is achieved by minimizing the values of geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) on condition that the position of target is known and fixed. Next, in order to make sure whether the estimate positioning accuracy over interesting region satisfy the precision needed by the users, geometric positioning accuracy (GPA), horizonal positioning accuracy (HPA) and vertical positioning accuracy (VPA) are utilized to assess the optimal geometric beacon formation. Simulation examples are designed to illustrate the exactness of the conclusion. Unlike other work which only use GDOP to optimize the formation and cannot assess the performance of the specified dimensions, this new three-dimensional assessment model can assess the optimal geometric beacon formation in each dimension for any point in three-dimensional space, which can provide users with guidance advices to optimize performance of every specified dimension.

This paper studies the evaporative heat transfer characteristics of R744 at low temperatures in a horizontal smooth tube as a cascade refrigeration system (CRS) among hybrid cascade refrigeration systems (HCRSs). There is a lack of research on the low-temperature evaporative heat transfer characteristics of R744 under the operating conditions of evaporators used in actual CRSs used in supermarkets. Therefore, this study aims to provide basic data on the evaporative heat transfer characteristics of R744 in the evaporators of refrigerators used in supermarkets. The tube used in the evaporation experiment conducted herein was a smooth horizontal copper tube with an inner diameter and length of 11.46 mm and 8000 mm, respectively. The experimental pa-rameters were as follows: heat fluxes of 12–21.5 kW/m2, mass fluxes of 75–225 kg/(m2·s), and saturation temperatures of −50–−30 °C. The main results are summarized as follows. (1) When designing the R744 evaporator, the mass and heat fluxes must be maximized within the operating conditions, and the saturation temperature must be designed to be as low as possible. (2) The evaporative heat transfer coefficient of R744 can be predicted well by using the correlation formula of Chen at the evaporation temperature of −40 °C in the CRS.

Objective: To compare the overall survival (OS) and surgical outcomes between open and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in a large cohort of women with Type II endometrial cancer. Methods: Using the National Cancer Database, we identified a cohort of women who underwent hysterectomy for type II endometrial cancer (serous, clear cell, carcinosarcoma) between January 2010 and December 2014. Primary outcome was the comparison of OS between MIS and the open approach. Secondary outcomes included the length of hospital stay, readmission rate, 30- and 90-day mortality. Multivariable logistic regression and inverse propensity weighting analyses were performed. Results: A total of 12,905 patients with Type II, Stage I-III endometrial cancer who underwent hysterectomy were identified. Among these patients, 7,123 (55.2%) underwent MIS. The utilization of MIS increased from 39% to 64% over the four-year period. In propensity-score-weighted analysis, MIS was associated with superior OS (101.7 vs. 86.7 months, p=0.0003 by the log-rank test), with a hazard ratio of 0.9 (CI 0.857-0.954, p=0.0002). MIS was also associated with improved perioperative outcomes, including a shorter length of stay (1 vs. 4 days, p<0.001), lower 30-day readmission rate (2.5% vs. 5%), and lower 30- and 90-day postoperative mortality (0.5% vs. 1.3% and 1.5% vs. 3.6%, respectively; p<0.001). The time interval between surgery and initiation of chemotherapy was shorter in the MIS group (38 vs. 41 days, p<0.001).The increase in MIS adoption correlated with a decrease in 90-day postoperative mortality (2.8% to 2.2%, r=-0.89; p=0.003) and 12-month overall mortality (51% to 38%, r=-0.95, p=0.006). Conclusions: In an epidemiologic study, MIS is associated with improved overall survival and superior perioperative outcomes compared to open surgery in women with Type II endometrial cancer.

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.

Surface roughness prediction is a pivotal aspect of the manufacturing industry, as it directly influences product quality and process optimization. This study introduces a predictive model for surface roughness in the turning of complex-structured workpieces, utilizing Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) informed by vibration signals. The model captures parameters from both the time and frequency domains of the turning tool, encompassing the mean, median, standard deviation (STD), and root mean square (RMS) values. The signal is from the time to frequency domain is executed using Welch's method, complemented by time-frequency domain analysis employing three levels of Daubechies Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT). The selected features are then utilized as inputs for the GPR model to forecast surface roughness. Empirical evidence indicates that the GPR model can accurately predict the surface roughness of turned complex-structured workpieces. This predictive strategy has the potential to improve product quality, streamline manufacturing processes, and minimize waste within the industry.

In recent years, artificial intelligence technology has widely influenced the field of design, bringing new ideas to efficiently and systematically solve urban renewal design problems. The purpose of this study is to create a stylized generation technology for building facade decoration in historic districts, which will aid in the design and control of district style and form. The goal is to use the technical advantages of conditional generative adversarial network (CGAN) in image generation and style transfer to create a method for independently designing a specific facade decoration style by interpreting image data of historical district facades. The research in this paper is based on the historical district of Putian in Fujian Province, through an experiment of image data acquisition, image processing and screening, model training, image generation, and style matching of the target area. The research found that: (1) CGAN technology can better identify and generate the decorative style of historical districts. It can realize the overall or partial scheme design of the facade; (2) in terms of adaptability, this method can provide a better scheme reference for historical district reconstruction, facade renovation, and renovation design projects. Especially for districts with obvious decorative styles, the visualization effect is better. In addition, it also has certain reference significance for the determination and design of the facade decoration style of a specific historical building; (3) This method can better learn the internal laws of the complex district style and form so as to generate a new design with a clear decoration style attribute. It can be extended to other fields of historical heritage protection to enhance practitioners' stylized control of the heritage environment and improve the efficiency and ability of professional design.

Background: Tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in virtually every aspect of tumorigenesis of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The dysfunctional TME promotes drug resistance, disease recurrence and distant metastasis. Recent evidence indicates that exosomes released by stromal cells within TME may promote oncogenic phenotypes via transferring signaling molecules such as cytokines, proteins and microRNAs. Results: In this study, clinical GBM samples were collected and analyzed. We found that GBM-associated macrophages (GAMs) secreted exosomes which were enriched with oncomiR-21. Co-culture of GAMs (and GAM derived exosomes) and GBM cell lines resulted in the increased GBM cells’ resistance against temozolomide (TMZ) by upregulating pro-survival gene, PDCD4 and stemness markers Sox2, STAT3, Nestin and miR-21-5p and increased M2 cytokines, IL-6 and TGF-β1 secreted by GBM cells, promoting the M2 polarization of GAMs. Subsequently, pacritinib treatment suppressed GBM tumorigenesis and stemness; more importantly, pacritinib-treated GBM cells showed markedly reduced ability to secret M2 cytokines and reduced miR-21 enriched exosomes secreted by GAMs. Pacritinib-mediated effects were accompanied by a reduction of oncomiR miR-21-5p, by which tumor suppressor PDCD4 was targeted. We subsequently established a patient-derived xenograft models where mice bore patient GBM and GAMs. The treatment of pacritinib, and the combination of pacritinib/TMZ appeared to significantly reduce tumorigenesis of GBM/GAM PDX mice, overcome TMZ-resistance, and M2 polarization of GAMs. Conclusion: In summation, we showed that potential of pacritinib alone or in combination with TMZ for suppressing GBM tumorigenesis via modulating STAT3/miR-21/PDCD4 signaling. Further investigations are warranted for adopting pacritinib for the treatment of TMZ-resistant GBM in the clinical settings.

Diastolic dysfunction, a prevalent condition characterized by impaired relaxation and filling of the left ventricle, significantly contributes to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Galectin-3, a β-galactoside-binding lectin, has garnered attention as a potential biomarker and mediator of fibrosis and inflammation in cardiovascular diseases. This comprehensive review investigates the impact of galectin-3 on diastolic dysfunction. We explore its molecular mechanisms, including its involvement in cellular signaling pathways and interaction with components of the extracellular matrix. Evidence from both animal models and clinical studies elucidates galectin-3's role in cardiac remodeling, inflammation, and fibrosis, shedding light on the underlying pathophysiology of diastolic dysfunction. Additionally, we examine the diagnostic and therapeutic implications of galectin-3 in diastolic dysfunction, emphasizing its potential as both a biomarker and a therapeutic target. This review underscores the significance of comprehending galectin-3's role in diastolic dysfunction and its promise in enhancing diagnosis and treatment approaches for HFpEF patients.

Skeletal muscle is a specialized tissue consisting of nondividing and multinucleated muscle fibers. Skeletal muscle-specific myostatin (MSTN) is a secreted protein that acts as a negative regulator of muscle mass by inhibiting proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts. In this study, we established a screening platform to monitor myostatin promoter activity in rat L8 myoblasts. Extract of Glycyrrhiza uralensis (GUE), an oriental herbal medicine, was identified through this screening platform and, the active fractions of GUE were identified by process-scale liquid column chromatography system. For in vivo study, the GUE as a feed additive was investigated in growth-finishing pigs. The results showed that GUE significantly increased body weight, carcass weight and lean content in pigs. Microbiota analysis indicated that GUE did not affect the composition of gut microbiota in pigs. In summary, this established rodent myoblast screening platform was used to identify a myogenesis-related phytogenic, GUE, and further demonstrated that the active fractions inhibited MSTN expression. These finding suggest a novel application for GUE in growth performance enhancement through modulation of MSTN expression. Furthermore, this established screening platform has great potential for identification and evaluation of a wide variety of phytogenics involving in myogenesis.

This manuscript critically reviews the design and delivery of spray-dried particles for the achievement of high total lung doses (TLD) with a portable dry powder inhaler. We introduce a new metric termed the product density, which is simply the TLD of a drug divided by the volume of the receptacle it is contained within. The product density is given by the product of three terms: the packing density (the mass of powder divided by the volume of the receptacle), the drug loading (the mass of drug divided by the mass of powder), and the aerosol performance (the TLD divided by the mass of drug). This manuscript discusses strategies for maximizing each of these terms. Spray drying at low drying rates with small amounts of a shell-forming excipient (low Peclet Number) leads to formation of higher density particles with high packing densities. This enables ultrahigh TLD (>100 mg of drug) to be achieved from a single receptacle. Emptying of powder from capsules is directly proportional to the mass of powder in the receptacle, requiring an inhaled volume of about 1 L for fill masses between 40 and 50 mg and up to 3.2 L for a fill mass of 150 mg.

Photoelectric smoke detectors are the most cost-effective devices for very early fire alarms. However, due to different light intensity response values for different fire smoke and interference from interferential aerosols, they have a high false alarm rate, which limits their popularity in Chinese homes. To address these issues, an embedded spatial-temporal convolutional neural network (EST-CNN) model is proposed for real fire smokes identification and aerosols (fire smokes and interferential aerosol) classification. EST-CNN consists of three modules including information fusion, scattering feature extraction, and aerosol classification. Moreover, a two dimensional spatial-temporal scattering (2D-TS) matrix is designed to fuse the scattered light intensities in different channels and adjacent time slices, which is the output of the information fusion module and the input of the scattering feature extraction module. EST-CNN is trained and tested with experimental data measured on the established fire test platform using the developed dual-wavelength dual-angle photoelectric smoke detector. The optimal network parameters are selected through extensive experiments resulting in an average classification accuracy of 95.6% for different aerosols with only 66 kB network parameters. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the designed EST-CNN model to be directly installed in existing commercial photoelectric smoke detectors to realize aerosol classification.

For older adults, approaching end-of-life (EOL) brings unique transitions related to family relationships. Unfortunately, most families greatly underestimate the need to discuss these difficult issues. For example, parents approaching EOL issues often struggle with receiving assistance from others, avoiding family conflict, and maintaining their sense of personhood. In addition, discussions of EOL issues force family members to face their parents’ mortality, which can be particularly difficult for the adult children to process emotionally. This study explored aging issues identified by aging parents and their families as they traverse these impending EOL changes. Ten focus groups of seniors (n = 65) were conducted. Focus groups were organized according to race (African American/Caucasian), gender, and whether the older adult was living independently or in an assisted care facility. When asked open-ended questions about discussing aging and EOL issues with family members, participants revealed tensions that led us to consider Relational Dialectics Theory as a framework for analysis. The predominant tension highlighted in this report was certainty versus uncertainty, with the two sub-themes of sustained life versus sustained personhood and confronting versus avoiding EOL issues. For these data, there were more similarities than differences as a result of gender, race, or living situation than one might expect, although culture and financial status were found to be influential in the avoidance of EOL discussions. The results of this study help to provide additional insight into relational dialectics related to aging, EOL, and the importance of communication in facilitating family coping.

In manual maintenance inspections of large-scaled photovoltaic (PV) or rooftop PV systems, several days are required to survey the entire PV field. To improve reliability and shorten the amount of time involved, this study proposes an electrical examination based method for locating multiple faults in the PV array. The maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm is used to estimate the maximum power of each PV panel; this is then compared with metering the output power of PV array. Power degradation indexes are parameterized to quantify the degradation between maximum power and metered output power. Bidirectional hetero-associative memory (BHAM) networks are then used to locate multiple faults within the entire PV field. For a rooftop PV system with two strings, as seen in Figure 1, experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model has computational efficiency for real-time applications and that its algorithm is easily implemented in a mobile intelligent vehicle.

Study design: Retrospective observational study. Objectives: To evaluate the change in adjacent segment disease (ASD) after hybrid dynamic stabilization with Dynesys-Transition-Optima (DTO). Methods: In 2012–2020, 115 lumbar spinal stenosis patients with spondylolisthesis re-fractory to nonsurgical management received hybrid dynamic stabilization with DTO system in a single medical center from a single neurosurgeon. After excluding those who did not receive L3–L4 dynamic stabilization and L4–L5 transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion fixation and those with incomplete postoperative data (n = 84), the 31 patients studied received follow-up vis-its at 6, 12 and 24 months postoperatively. Radiological assessment applied at the L2–L3, L3–L4 and L5–S1 segments separately included disc height, listhesis distance and angular change while in motion. Implant failure and screw loosening sign were both documented. Results: In the L3–L4 segment, the listhesis distance appeared 1 year after the operation; however, alterations in other segments showed at 6 months. At 2 years, the L3–L4 segment showed significantly less increase in listhesis distance and relatively less disc height reduction than other segments. In motion an-gular change, only the L3–L4 segment had a significant decrease at 2 years. Only the L3–L4 seg-ment maintained negative growth over 2 years in time-dependent assessment of motion angular change. Conclusions: In our study, disc height decreased, listhesis distance increased less and ASD changed later at the index level than the L2–L3 and L5–S1 levels. Angular change was re-duced at the index level while in motion. Although ASD was not significantly prevented, index level degeneration was both minor

Based on the geologic conditions of natural gas hydrate (NGH) accumulations in the Shenhu area, northern slope of the South China Sea, this paper used a method of combining reservoir stimulation technique (RST) with depressurization to investigate the conversion efficiency of marine NGH reservoirs in different intrinsic permeability and initial NGH saturation conditions, and analyze the influence of variably-stimulation effect on marine NGH conversion efficiency in different accumulation conditions, provided a reference scheme for improving the NGH conversion efficiency in the Shenhu area. In this work, we performed calculations for the variations in CH4 production rate and cumulative volume of CH4 in different initial NGH saturation, intrinsic permeability and stimulation effect conditions, variance analysis and range analysis methods were used to analyze the significance of these key factors and their interaction, and investigated the sensitivity of stimulation effect on NGH conversion efficiency, respectively. The simulation results showed that stimulation effect have a significant influence on NGH conversion efficiency, and the influence of interaction between these three factors were not obvious. Possibly most important, we clarified an optimum stimulation effect for higher NGH conversion efficiency under different accumulation conditions, especially in low-permeability and high-saturation, which corresponding stimulation effect were different.

Background and Objectives: Treatment for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) must deal with immunosuppression as well as infections associated with compromised immune system, such as tuberculosis (TB). Our aim was to overcome the gap in the literature concerning the risk of incidental TB after diagnosis of AAV. Materials and Methods: This retrospective population-based cohort study was based on the data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. We used a novel algorithm to identify patients with newly diagnosed granulomatous polyangiitis (GPA) or microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2012. The primary outcome was risk of incidental TB. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the association between AAV and incidental TB. Results: A total of 2,257 patients with AAV and a propensity-score matched cohort of 9,028 patients were studied. Overall, patients with AAV were at a 1.48x higher risk of contracting incidental TB than were patients in the matched cohort (adjusted HR 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-2.15). Note that the highest risk of contracting incidental TB was in the first two years following a diagnosis of AAV, with a nearly 1-fold increase in risk (adjusted HR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.01-3.60). Female AAV patients were 3.24x more likely than females without AAV to develop TB (adjusted HR 3.24; 95%CI, 1.85-5.67). Conclusion: Patients with AAV face an elevated risk of contracting incidental TB, particularly within the first two years after AAV diagnosis. The risk of contracting TB is higher among female AAV patients than among females without AAV.