Sea fog event over the Eastern Yellow Sea on 15–16 April 2012 was reproduced in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) simulation with high-resolution to investigate the roles of phys-ical processes and synoptic-scale flows on advection fog with sea surface warming. Initially, longwave radiative cooling (LRC) with negative sensible heat flux (SHF) due to the turbulence af-ter sunset triggered a formation of cloud at the surface under the moist advection with a southerly wind. This is a conventional type of advection fog. At night, continuous cooling due to longwave radiation and SHF near the surface modulated the change of the SHF from negative to positive, resulting in a drastic increase in the latent heat flux (LHF) that provided sufficient moisture at lower atmosphere (self-moistening). This is a favorable condition for advection fog with sea sur-face heating (ssH), and this transition represents advection fog with ssH. Enhanced turbulent mixing driven by a buoyancy force increased the depth of the sea fog with a gradual rise in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) height, even at nighttime. In addition, cold advec-tion with a prevailing northerly wind at the top of the MABL led to a drastic increase in turbulent mixing and the MABL height, which resulted in rapid growth of the height of sea fog due to ver-tical diffusion. After sunrise, shortwave radiative warming in the fog layers offsetting the LRC near the surface weakened thermal instability, which contributed to the reduction in the MABL height, even during the daytime. In addition, dry advection of northerly wind induced dissipa-tion of the fog via evaporation. An additional sensitivity test of sea surface salinity showed weaker and shallower sea fog than the control due to the decrease in both the LHF and local self-moistening.

Liver cirrhosis is one of the most prevalent chronic liver diseases worldwide. In addition to viral hepatitis, genetic conditions such as steatohepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, sclerosing cholangitis, and Wilson’s disease can also lead to cirrhosis. Moreover, alcohol can cause cirrhosis on its own and exacerbate chronic liver disease from other causes. The treatment of cirrhosis can be divided into addressing the cause of cirrhosis and reversing liver fibrosis. To this date, there is still no clear consensus on the treatment of cirrhosis. Recently, there has been a lot of interest in potential treatments that modulate the gut microbiota and gut-liver axis for the treatment of cirrhosis. According to recent studies, modulation of the gut microbiome by probiotics ameliorates the progression of liver disease. The precise mechanism for relieving cirrhosis via gut microbial modulation has not been identified. This paper summarizes the role and effects of the gut microbiome in cirrhosis based on experimental and clinical studies on absorbable antibiotics, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics. Moreover, it provides evidence of a relationship between the gut microbiome and liver cirrhosis.

Recent progress in the fabricating flexible electronics has been developed significantly due to the increased interest of the flexible electronics which can be applied to enormous fields not only to conventional electronic devices but to bio/eco electronic devices. Flexible electronics can be applied to wide range of fields such as flexible display, flexible power storage, flexible solar cells, wearable electronics and healthcare monitoring devices. Recently, flexible electronics are being attached on the skin and even implanted into human body to monitor the bio-signals and for treatment purpose. To improve the electrical characteristic and the mechanical properties of flexible electronics, nanoscale fabrications using novel nano-materials are required. Advanced in nanoscale fabrication methods allow construction of the active materials that can combine with the ultra-thin soft substrate to form flexible electronics with high performances and reliability. In this review, wide range of nanoscale fabrication methods for flexible electronics classified in either top-down or bottom-up approaches such as conventional photolithography, soft lithography, nanoimprint lithography, growth, assembly and chemical vapor deposition(CVD) will be reported with specific fabrication processes and results. Here, our aim is to introduce various fabrication methods that can be used to fabricate the flexible electronics.

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between various asbestos exposure routes and asbestos-related disorders (ARDs). The study population comprised 11,186 residents of a metropolitan city who lived near asbestos factories, shipyards, or in slate roof-dense areas. ARDs were defined from chest X-rays indicating lower lung fibrosis (LFF), pleural disease (PD), and lung masses (LMs). Of the subjects, 11.2%, 10.4%, 67.2% and 8.3% were exposed to asbestos via occupational, household, neighborhood, and slate roof routes, respectively. Regarding adjusted confounders and other exposure routes, the odds ratio (OR) of PD from household exposure (i.e., living with asbestos-producing workers) was 1.9 (95% confidence interval: 0.9–4.2), and that of LLF and PD from neighborhood exposure, or residing near asbestos factories) for <19 or >20 years, or near a mine, were 4.1 (2.8–5.8) and 4.8 (3.4–6.7), 8.3 (5.5–12.3) and 8.0 (5.5–11.6), and 4.8 (2.7–8.5) and 9.0 (5.6–14.4), respectively. The ORs of LLF, PD, and LM among those residing in slate-dense areas were 5.5 (3.3–9.0), 8.8 (5.6–13.8), and 20.5 (10.4–40.4), respectively. Substantial proportions of citizens residing in industrialized city have potentially been exposed to asbestos, and various exposure routes are associated with the development of ARDs. Notably, this may be the first finding of the health effects of slate roof exposure. However, given the limitations of this study, including potential confounders such as socioeconomic status, further research is needed.

This paper presents the design of a miniaturized polyimide-based antenna for Ultra-Wideband (UWB) communication. Miniaturization is achieved through the utilization of adhesive material with a high dielectric constant (high-Dk). The goal of this work is to investigate the impact of such material on the antenna performance and to optimize its design for UWB operation. The manufacturing of the antenna using the proposed structure was developed and the prototype of antenna for UWB high-band (6 - 9 GHz) is measured and analyzed. By leveraging the high Dk of the adhesive material, the simulation and measurement results showed that the proposed antenna with high Dk adhesive film can achieve the compact dimension with good performance in gain, and time domain characteristics. The results of this study show a potential of exhibiting a reduction in the size of the antenna and will contribute to the advancement of miniaturized UWB antenna technology.

To analyze the combined response of ocular cyclotorsion and head tilt during body tilt and to interpret the physiologic role of those movements, each of the three subjects completed six different experiments of body tilt not fixating their head movements using a flight simulator, which consisted of combinations of three tilt angles (30, 45, and 60) and two visual conditions. Head tilt and ocular cyclotorsion of the right eye before, during, and after the tilt maneuver were recorded and analyzed by time sequence. In the active tilting phase, the right eye showed a stepladder pattern of multiple repeats of fast and slow cyclotorsion along with head tilt to obtain maximum visual information. During the stationary tilting phase, there occurred a small amount (mean, 2.3) of ocular cyclotorsion which was reciprocal to that of head tilt. The visual cue of body tilt through the central visual field induced a larger amount of head tilt but affected little ocular cyclotorsion. The maximum degree of ocular cyclotorsion during each experiment was 10.2 on average. In conclusion, the combined response of ocular cyclotorsion and head tilt develops during body tilt and it compromises the conflicting needs between binocular vision and gravitational orientation.

Milled MgH2, NaAlH4, MgH2–10NaAlH4, MgH2–30NaAlH4, MgH2–50NaAlH4, and MgH2–2Ni-10NaAlH4 samples were prepared by milling in hydrogen atmosphere (reactive mechanical milling, RMM). Decomposition temperatures of milled MgH2, NaAlH4, MgH2–10NaAlH4, and MgH2–30NaAlH4 were examined in a Sieverts-type hydrogen-absorption and release apparatus, in which the hydrogen pressures were kept constant during hydrogen absorption or release. As the content of NaAlH4 in the sample increased, the temperature at the highest peak in the ratio of increase in Hr to increase in T, dHr/dT, versus T curve decreased. The higher content of NaAlH4 is believed to have made effects of reactive mechanical milling stronger. Effects of the NaAlH4 content on the temperatures of intermediate reactions were studied for MgH2 – NaAlH4 composites. Phase formation in the cycled MgH2–50NaAlH4 were investigated. The hydrogen-storage properties of MgH2–30NaAlH4 were compared with those of Mg-based alloys in which oxide, halides, or fluoride was added.

This study focused on the precise detection and concordant analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to verify the usefulness of CTCs as promising clinical markers. CTCs are traditionally achieved using immune-fluorescence and morphological techniques. By combining two prostate cancer-specific genes (PSA and PSMA) and two epithelial-specific genes (EpCAM and KRT19), the CTC detection efficiency can be enhanced. The detection rates of localized prostate cancer (LPC), locally advanced prostate cancer (LAPC), metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), and metastatic castration-resistive prostate cancer (mCRPC) were 63.04 % (29/46), 70.59% (34/51), 94.34% (50/53), and 90% (126/140), respectively. Subsequent correlation analysis between the four genes, baseline PSA, and CTC count revealed that only the CTC count correlated with baseline PSA in the localized stages of prostate cancer, whereas all four genes were correlated with baseline PSA and CTC count in the metastatic stages of prostate cancer. The precise detection of CTCs using both numerical and transcriptomic analyses can improve the accuracy of biomarker investigations. This study provides valuable insights into the limitations of serum PSA testing and offers a promising alternative to diagnose and manage prostate cancer via the CTC number and specific genes for prostate cancer.

In this study, the changes in mass, compressive strength and length were analyzed to investigate sulfate resistance according to ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) blending ratio and type of sulfate solution. All alkali activated mortars showed excellent sulfate resistance when immersed in sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄) solution. However, when immersed in magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) solution, different sulfate resistance results were obtained depending on the presence of GGBFS. Alkali activated GGBFS blended mortars showed a tendency to increase mass, increase length and decrease compressive strength when immersed in magnesium sulfate solution, but the alkali activated FA mortars did not show any significant difference depending on the types of sulfate solution. The deterioration of alkali activated GGBFS blended mortars in the immersion of magnesium sulfate solution was confirmed by the decomposition of C-S-H which is the reaction product by magnesium ion and the formation of gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O) and brucite (Mg(OH)₂).

Minimally invasive surgery for adult spinal deformities (MIS deformity surgery) utilizes MIS lumbar interbody fusion and percutaneous pedicle screw fixation (PPSF) without posterior corrective osteotomy. While MIS reduces issues associated with open deformity surgery, it has limitations in correcting sagittal imbalance. This review discusses the limitations and solutions of lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) and introduces our experience in addressing marked sagittal deformities. We reviewed the literature and incorporated our clinical experience to evaluate the efficacy of recent MIS techniques, particularly focusing on oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) at L1-5 and L5-S1. The use of higher profile and greater angle cages and the application of PPSF with curved rods and percutaneous rod compression were discussed. Advances in MIS techniques, such as OLIF, have enabled significant improvements in increasing disc height and angle. Combining these new techniques and concepts, we successfully corrected marked sagittal deformities using MIS deformity surgery. Early onset of proximal junctional kyphosis was identified as a notable complication. Although recent advancements in MIS deformity surgery have shown promise in correcting sagittal deformities, further clinical experience and data are necessary to enhance outcomes and mitigate complications such as proximal junctional kyphosis.

Since 2007, highly pathogenic clade 2.3.2 H5N1 avian influenza A [A(H5N1)] viruses have evolved to clade 2.3.2.1a, b and c, and currently only 2.3.2.1c A(H5N1) viruses circulate in wild birds and poultry. During antigenic evolution, clade 2.3.2.1a and c A(H5N1) viruses acquired both S144N and V223I mutations around the receptor binding site of hemagglutinin (HA), with S144N generating an N-glycosylation sequon. We introduced single or combined reverse mutations, N144S and/or I223V, into the HA gene of clade 2.3.2.1c A(H5N1) virus and generated PR8-derived, 2 + 6 recombinant A(H5N1) viruses. When we compared replication efficiency in embryonated chicken eggs, mammalian cells and mice, the recombinant virus containing both N144S and I223V mutations showed increased replication efficiency in avian and mammalian hosts and pathogenicity in mice. The N144S mutation significantly decreased avian receptor affinity and egg white inhibition, but not all mutations increased mammalian receptor affinity. Interestingly, the combined reverse mutations dramatically increased the thermostability of HA. Therefore, the adaptive mutations possibly acquired to evade avian immunity may decrease viral thermostability as well as mammalian pathogenicity.

Acoustic emissions (AE) are produced by elastic waves generated by damage in solid materials. AE sensors have been widely used in several fields as a promising tool to analyze damage mechanisms such as cracking, dislocation movement, etc. However, accurately determining the location of damage in solids in a non-destructive manner is still challenging. In this paper, we propose a crack wave arrival time determination algorithm that can identify crack waves with low SNR(signal-to-noise ratios) generated in rocks. The basic idea comes from that the variances of the crack wave and noise have different characteristics depending on the size of the moving window. The results can be used to accurately determine the crack source location. The source location is determined by observing where the variance in the crack wave velocities of the true and imaginary crack location reach a minimum. By performing a pencil lead break test using rock samples, it was confirmed that the proposed method could successfully find wave arrival time and crack localization. The results using the proposed algorithm to detect crack wave source localization suggest use for evaluating and real-time monitoring of damage in tunnels or other underground facilities.

Background and objectives: Traditional intravenous, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) uses a fixed-rate continuous background infusion mode. However, some patients suffer from inadequate analgesia or opioid-related adverse effects due to the biphasic pattern of postoperative pain. Therefore, we investigated the postoperative analgesic efficacy of PCA using an optimizing background infusion mode (OBIM), where the background injection rate varies depending on the patient's bolus demand. Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled 204 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a randomized, controlled, double-blind study. Patients were allocated into either the optimizing (group OBIM) or the traditional background infusion group (group TBIM). The numeric rating scale (NRS) score for pain was evaluated at admission to and discharge from the recovery room, as well as at the 6th, 24th, and 48th postoperative hours. Data of bolus demand count, total infused volume, and background infusion rate was downloaded from the PCA device at 30-min intervals until the 48th postoperative hour. Results: The NRS score was not significantly different between groups throughout the postoperative period (P = 0.621), decreasing with time in both groups (P < 0.001). The bolus demand count was not significantly different between groups throughout (P = 0.756). The mean cumulative infused PCA volume was lower in group OBIM [84.0 (95% confidence interval: 78.9−89.1) mL) than in group TBIM [102 (97.8−106.0) mL] (P < 0.001). The background infusion rate was significantly different between groups throughout (P < 0.001); it was higher in group OBIM than in group TBIM before the 12th postoperative hour, and lower from the 18th to the 48th postoperative hours. Conclusions: The OBIM combined with bolus dosing is useful in that it reduces the cumulative PCA volume compared to the TBIM combined with bolus dosing, while yielding comparable postoperative analgesia and bolus demand in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Purpose: Carotid intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) increases risk of territorial cerebral ischemic events, but different sequences or criteria have been used to diagnose or quantify carotid IPH. The purpose of this study was to compare manual segmentation and semi-automatic segmentation for quantification of carotid IPH on magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition with gradient-echo (MPRAGE) sequences. Methods: Forty patients with 16–79% carotid stenosis and IPH on MPRAGE sequences were reviewed by two trained radiologists with more than five years of specialized experience in carotid plaque characterization with carotid plaque MRI. Initially, the radiologists manually viewed the IPH based on the MPRAGE sequence. IPH volume was then measured by three different semi-automatic methods, with high signal intensity 150%, 175%, and 200%, respectively, above that of adjacent muscle on the MPRAGE sequence. Agreement on measurements between manual segmentation and semi-automatic segmentation was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: There was near-perfect agreement between manual segmentation and the 150% and 175% criteria for semi-automatic segmentation in quantification of IPH volume. The ICC of each semi-automatic segmentation were as follows: 150% criteria: 0.861, 175% criteria: 0.809, 200% criteria: 0.491. The ICC value of manual vs. 150% criteria and manual vs. 175% criteria were significantly better than the manual vs. 200% criteria (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The ICC of 150% and 175% criteria for semi-automatic segmentation are more reliable for quantification of IPH volume. Semi-automatic classification tools may be beneficial in large-scale multicenter studies by reducing image analysis time and avoiding bias between human reviewers.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are characterized by dysregulated signaling pathways that are crucial for tumor formation and progression. The efficacy of traditional therapies is limited, particularly in treatment of PNETs at advanced stage. Epigenetic alterations profoundly impact the activity of signaling pathways in cancer development, offering potential opportunities for drug development. There is currently a lack of extensive research on epigenetic regulation in PNETs. To fill this gap, we first summarize major signaling events which are involved in PNET development. Then, we discuss the epigenetic regulation of these signaling pathways in the context of both PNET and commonly occurring, and therefore more extensively studied, malignancies. Finally, we will offer perspective on the future research direction of PNET epigenome and its potential applications in patient care.

Achievement of solid fusion of the lumbosacral junction (L5-S1 level) is an important factor in adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness and feasibility of injectable rhBMP-2 (a combination of Eschericia coli-derived rhBMP-2 and hydrogel type β-TCP carrier; NOVOSIS Inject) as a bone substitute for the fusion of lumbosacral junction. 20 patients (average age 69.1 years) diagnosed with ASD with sagittal imbalance who underwent surgical treatment including anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) in the L5-S1 level were evaluated. Injectable rhBMP-2 was applied in L5-S1 ALIF and followed-up for 1-year. Solid fusion rates and changes of clinical outcomes (Oswestry Disability Index [ODI], Visual Analog Scale [VAS] of back and leg) were measured and analyzed at 6 and 12 months after surgery. All postoperative adverse events were evaluated about the association with injectable rhBMP-2. Fusion rates were 68.4% and 100% at 6 and 12 months after surgery. Compared to baseline, ODI were improved to 45.8% and 63.7%, VAS(back) were improved to 69.2% and 72.8%, and VAS(leg) were improved to 49.2% and 64.8% at 6 and 12 months after surgery (p&lt;0.001, respectively). There were no adverse events associated with injectable rhBMP-2. Thus, injectable rhBMP-2 may be a suitable choice of a bone graft substitute when achieving solid interbody fusion in the lumbosacral junction.

There is a lack of data comparing sugammadex with anticholinesterase for the quality of anaesthesia recovery, especially following a single bolus dose of rocuronium. Thus, we evaluated the influence of reversal with sugammadex or neostigmine on post-operative quality of recovery by using the Post-operative Quality Recovery Scale (PQRS). A total of 86 patients undergoing trans-pars plana vitrectomy (TPPV) under general anaesthesia were intubated following a single bolus dose of rocuronium (0.6 mg/kg). At the end of surgery, patients were received either neostigmine or sugammadex. The quality of recovery was assessed using the PQRS at 15 minutes and 40 minutes after surgery, and on post-operative day 1. The recovery rate in the physiological domain was higher in the sugammadex group at 15 minutes after surgery (P = 0.02). Though there were no significant differences in the overall cognitive recovery domain, patients in the sugammadex group could recall more numbers in reverse order. However, there were no significant differences between the groups in the other domains of the PQRS. The use of sugammadex may increase the quality of the post-operative physiological recovery at early post-operative periods compared with neostigmine use following a single bolus dose of rocuronium in patients undergoing TPPV with general anaesthesia.

Controversy exists on whether animal and plant proteins influence obesity differently. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between total, animal, and plant protein intake with the obesity index and renal function in Korean adults. Study participants included Korean adults aged 60 years or older from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2013-2014. Height, weight, and waist circumference (WC) were measured and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. One-day 24-hour recall data were used to estimate the daily total, animal, and plant protein intake. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated by using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation. General linear modellings were used to assess the relationships between protein intake, BMI and WC. The mean age was 69.2 ± 0.2 years, 44.2% were male. The total daily protein intake was 1.1 ± 0.02 g/kg/d and 0.9 ± 0.02 g/kg/d for males and females, respectively. Only one third of protein intake was from animal sources. In males, BMI (p < 0.001, p = 0.016, p < 0.001 respectively) and WC (p < 0.001, p = 0.010, p < 0.001, respectively) decreased as daily intake of plant protein (g/kg/d), animal protein (g/kg/d) and total protein (g/kg/d) increased. Similar associations were shown in Korean female. GFR was not associated with protein intake regardless of protein source in both sexes. In Korean adults aged 60 years or older, the protein intake was associated with a favorable obesity index without decrease in renal function. The effect was similar in both male and females, with both animal and plant proteins.

Gastrodia pubilabiata is a nonphotosynthetic and mycoheterotrophic orchid belonging to subfamily Epidendroideae. Compared to other typical angiosperm species, the plastome of G. pubilabiata is dramatically reduced in size to be only 30,698 base pairs (bp). This reduction has led to the loss of most photosynthesis-related genes and some housekeeping genes in the plastome, which now only contains 19 protein coding genes, three tRNAs, and three rRNAs. This study decoded the entire mitogenome of G. pubilabiata, which consisted of 44 contigs with a total length of 867,349 bp. Its mitogenome contained 38 protein coding genes, nine tRNAs, and three rRNAs. To determine possible gene transfer events between the plastome and the mitogenome, individual BLASTN searches were conducted, using all available orchid plastome sequences and flowering plant mitogenome sequences. Plastid rRNA fragments were found at a high frequency in the mitogenome. Seven plastid protein coding gene frangments (ndhC, ndhJ, ndhK, psaA, psbF, rpoB, and rps4) were also identified in the mitogenome of G. pubilabiata. Phylogenetic trees using these seven plastid protein coding gene fragments suggested that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from plastome to mitogenome occurred before losses of photosynthesis related genes, leading to the lineage of G. pubilabiata. Compared to species phylogeny of the lineage of orchid, it was estimated that HGT might have occurred approximately 30 million years ago.

Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), induced by heat shock, environmental, and pathophysiological stressors, is a multi-dimensional protein that acts as a protein chaperone and an antioxidant. HSP27 plays a major role in the inhibition of apoptosis and actin cytoskeletal remodeling. HSP27 is upregulated in many cancers and is associated with poor prognosis, as well as treatment resistance whereby cells are protected from therapeutic agents that normally induce apoptosis. This review highlights the most recent findings and role of HSP27 in cancer, as well as strategies for using HSP27 inhibitors for therapeutic purposes.

Toward the standardization of O. biennis sprout extract (OBS-E), we aimed to obtain indicator compounds, using a validated method. HPLC-UVD allowed simultaneous quantification of indicator compounds quercetin 3-glucuronide and ellagic acid. The method was validated in terms of specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and limit of detection/limit of quantification (LOD/LOQ). High specificity and linearity was demonstrated, with correlation coefficients of 1.0000 for quercetin 3-glucuronide and 0.9998 for ellagic acid. The LOD/LOQ values were 0.486/1.472 μg/mL for quercetin 3-glucuronide and 1.003/3.039 μg/mL for ellagic acid. Intra-day and inter-day variability tests produced relative standard deviation for each compound of &lt;2%, a generally accepted precision criterion. High recovery rate were also obtained, indicating accuracy validation. The OBS-E prepared using various concentrations of ethanol were then analyzed. The 50% ethanol extract had highest content of quercetin 3-glucuronide, whereas the 70% ethanol extract possessed the lowest. However, the ellagic acid content was highest in the 70% ethanol extract and lowest in the 90% ethanol extract. Thus, quercetin 3-glucuronide and ellagic acid can be used industrially as indicator compounds for O. biennis sprout products, and our validated method can be used to establish indicator compounds for other natural products.

Antibiotics have been used in various fields such as livestock farm and fish farm as well as hospital in order to treat diseases caused by bacteria. However, the antibiotics that are not completely decomposed, but remains as residue and discharge to aquatic environment, can cause an imbalance in the gut flora of host, as well as regulate abnormal host gene regulatory system. We investigated the effects of chronic exposure with the low concentrations of erythromycin and ampicillin on gut microbiome and immune and stress-related gene expression using Korea native ricefish (Oryzias latipes). As a result of microbiome analysis, the proportion of Proteobacteria was increased in the ricefish when exposed to erythromycin and ampicillin chronically, whereas the proportion of other bacterial phyla decreased. In addition, the immune and stress-related genes were significantly influenced in the ricefish under the chronic antibiotics exposure. These results show that the internal microbial flora and the host gene expression are susceptible even in the low concentration of chronic antibiotic existing environments. This study provides the importance of the appropriate use of antibiotics dose to maintain the sustainable and healthy aquaculture industry and water ecosystem.

To explore more effective and safer mobilization strategies for multiple myeloma (MM) patients, we conducted a prospective trial comparing single-dose etoposide (375 mg/m2 for one day) plus G-CSF versus G-CSF alone followed by risk-adapted plerixafor. After randomization, 27 patients in the etoposide group and 29 patients in the G-CSF alone group received mobilization regimens. Six (22.2%) patients in the etoposide group and 15 (51.7%) patients in the G-CSF alone group received a risk-adapted plerixafor based on a peripheral blood CD34+ cell count of less than 15/mm3 (P = 0.045). The median total count of CD34+ stem cells collected was significantly higher in the etoposide group (9.5 × 106/kg vs. 7.9 × 106/kg; P = 0.018), but the optimal collection (CD34+ cell count ≥ 6 × 106/kg) rates were not significantly different between the etoposide group and the G-CSF alone groups (96.3% vs. 82.8%; P = 0.195). The rate of collected CD34+ stem cells of 8.0 × 106/kg or grater was significantly higher in the etoposide group (77.8% vs 44.8%; P = 0.025). Meanwhile, the rates of adverse events of were relatively low, with no neutropenic fever or septic shock observed in either group. After transplantation, the median days to neutrophil and platelet engraftment were not significantly different between the two groups (P =1.000 in both). Thus, both single-dose etoposide plus G-CSF and G-CSF alone with risk-adapted plerixafor were effective and safe, but the former may be the better option for patients who are expected to receive two or more transplantations.

The ASEAN Community-based Tourism (CBT) Standard has been adopted by 10 ASEAN member states in 2016 in order to collectively promote ASEAN as a competitive community-based tourism destination. Among the ASEAN member states, Lao PDR (Laos), has a unique CBT development experience through collaboration with various international development agencies. Such history has brought about issues when ASEAN CBT Standard was implemented at to provincial and district levels in Laos, including concerns of related communities on the Standard being not easily applicable considering the state of tourism development. While the application of the regional standard is a significant issue to the tourism industries in the Member States, however, there has been a lack of studies regarding the dynamics of implementation of regional tourism standards at the national level. In order to fill the research gap, this study utilized in-depth interviews with seven executives with significant experiences from the government, international development agency, international organization, and the private sector. Interviewees projected a diversity of perspectives on enabling factors and challenges in implementing ASEAN Community-based Tourism Standard at the national level focusing on Laos, which showed the complexity of CBT dynamics. The results also revealed how regional standards can be further recognized and promoted to the key stakeholders of Laos, better accepted and utilized by end users, and possibly better customized according to the local circumstances. Findings of this study evidence that collaboration among key stakeholders and the expected role of these stakeholders are critical when implementing ASEAN CBT Standard.

We successfully designed an optimized plenum fan with a three-dimensional, smooth, curved blade. The optimized model revealed that the static pressure in the channel had been increased uniformly and stably, and the flow separation at the leading edge was significantly reduced. To conclude, the three-dimensional blade stabilized the fluid flow, and the flow friction was reduced by suppressing the flow separation as much as possible so that both the static pressure and the static efficiency were clearly improved in comparison with those of the original model. The static efficiency, as a result, was improved by 6% compared with that of the original model.

The decline in global pollinator populations has raised serious concerns about the sustainability of ecosystems and agricultural productivity. Urban environments, often characterized by habitat loss and environmental stressors, are considered challenging habitats for pollinators. However, urban green spaces, including street and ornamental trees, can play a crucial role in supporting pollinators by providing essential food resources. This study aimed to evaluate the sugar and amino acid production of eight urban tree species to determine their potential contributions to pollinator nutrition. Our findings revealed significant variability among species regarding nectar volume, sugar content, and amino acid composition, emphasizing the importance of considering multiple factors when assessing the utility of floral resources. Consequently, Tilia amurensis, Heptacodium miconioides, Aesculus turbinata, and Wisteria floribunda demonstrated superior potential in supporting urban pollinator communities. Contrastingly, Sorbus commixta, Styrax japonicus, and Cornus kousa, often favored for their aesthetic appeal, showed less potential. This study underscores the need for urban tree selection that prioritizes species that provide diverse and abundant nutritional resources for pollinators while balancing aesthetic and ecological values. Our results offer a foundation for better-informed urban biodiversity management and contribute to creating pollinator-friendly urban environments.

In this work, we report the carbon fiber-based wire-type asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs). The highly conductive carbon fibers were prepared by the carbonized and graphitized process using the polyimide (PI) as a carbon fiber precursor. To assemble the ASC device, the CoMnO2-coated and Fe2O3-coated carbon fibers were used as the cathode and the anode materials, respectively. FE-SEM analysis confirmed that the CoMnO2-coated carbon fiber electrode exhibited the porous hierarchical interconnected nanosheet structures, depending on the added amounts of ammonium persulfate (APS) as an oxidizing agent, and Fe2O3-coated carbon fiber electrode showed a uniform distribution of porous Fe2O3 nanorods over the surface of carbon fibers. The nanostructured CoMnO2 were directly deposited onto carbon fibers by a chemical oxidation route without high temperature treatments. In particular, the electrochemical properties of the CoMnO2-coated carbon fiber with the concentration of 6 mmol APS presented the enhanced electrochemical activity, probably due to its porous morphologies and good conductivity. Further, to reduce the interfacial contact resistance as well as improve the adhesion between transition metal nanostructures and carbon fibers, the carbon fibers were pre-coated with the Ni layer as a seed layer using an electrochemical deposition method. The fabricated ASC device delivered a specific capacitance of 221 F g-1 at 0.7 A g-1 and good rate capability of 34.8% at 4.9 A g-1. Moreover, the wire-type device displayed the superior energy density of 60.16 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 490 W kg-1 and excellent capacitance retention of 95% up to 3,000 charge/discharge cycles.

ackground: This study aimed to examine the effects of a woodworking program on psychosocial health in older adults who had mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia (MD) in Korea. Setting: The study was carried out in a dementia center in Seoul in Korea. Population: A total of 61 participants who had MCI or MD were allocated into two groups: the experimental group (EG, n = 35) and the control group (CG, n = 26). Methods: This study was carried out using a nonequivalent control group pre-test–post-test design. The EG participated in the woodworking program a total of 10 times for 120 min per session twice a week for 5 weeks, and the CG did not participate in the woodworking program. Both groups completed the same survey before and after the intervention. In the survey, demographic characteristics, psychological health (life satisfaction, depression, self-efficacy, and resilience), and social health (social isolation and social support) were measured. Results: In the within-group comparison, there was no significant difference between any factors of the CG before and after the intervention. In contrast, the EG had a significant improvement before and after the woodworking program. Participants in the EG with MCI and MD significantly improved their social support (p < 0.05). Psychological factors (life satisfaction, depression, and self-efficacy) were positively changed, although not significantly. Conclusions: The woodworking program promoted psychosocial health, such as life satisfaction, resilience, and social support, among older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia.

Background and Objectives: In the literature, relationships between being married and having prediabetes or diabetes are inconsistent. We aimed to investigate whether marriage is a protective or risk factor for prediabetes and to uncover new insights into its impact on prediabetes. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, questionnaires were distributed by email to 1,039 staff members who participated in an employee health check from a hospital affiliated with a medical university in Taiwan. Fasting blood glucose and triglyceride (TG) levels were checked and the questionnaires elicited basic demographic characteristics and included the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. The chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, logistic regression, and mediation analysis were conducted for statistical analysis. Results: Among the group aged 20–37 years, married, obesity, neck and shoulder pain, and elevated TG levels were independent risk factors for prediabetes (impaired fasting glucose). For those >38 years old, overweight, obesity, and elevated triglyceride (TG) were the independent risk factors for impaired fasting glucose. Increased TG levels serve as a mediating factor linking marriage to an increased risk of prediabetes for the group aged 20–37 years. Conclusions: TG play a significant role in the association between marriage and prediabetes among the group aged 20–37 years. Therefore, dietary habits, especially those of young adult couples should be considered. Our findings connect marital status to prediabetes, facilitating advances in diabetes prevention.

Purpose: To evaluate clinical outcomes after bilateral mix-and-match cataract surgery using extended depth of focus (EDOF) and diffractive multifocal (DMF) intraocular lenses (IOLs). Methods: Thirty-seven patients received Tecnis Symfony EDOF IOL (ZXR00) implantation in the dominant eye, and Tecnis +3.25 DMF IOL (ZLB00) in the non-dominant eye. Patients were followed for 3 months, and uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity (UDVA, CDVA) , uncorrected intermediate and near visual acuity (UIVA, UNVA), contrast sensitivity, defocus curves, stereopsis, and patient satisfaction were assessed. Results: At 3 months, mean logMAR UDVA was 0.07 ± 0.09 in EDOF IOL eyes, 0.12 ± 0.11 in DMF IOL eyes, and 0.02 ± 0.05 in both eyes. UIVA was 0.11 ± 0.11 in EDOF IOL eyes, 0.16 ± 0.12 in DMF IOL eyes, and 0.04 ± 0.07 in both eyes. UNVA was 0.25 ± 0.15 in EDOF IOL eyes, 0.22 ± 0.16 in DMF IOL eyes, and 0.13 ± 0.13 in both eyes. Thirty patients(81.1%) were more than satisfied with near vision, and 8 patients(21.6%) complained of severe glare and halo. Spectacle independence for near vision was achieved in 34 patients(91.9%), and 31 patients(83.8%) had better than a 50 second arc of stereopsis. Conclusion: Mix-and-match cataract surgery with EDOF and DMF IOL implantation provided good visual outcomes through all distances. Also excellent patient satisfaction was achieved with high level of spectacle independence and minimal photic phenomena.

Marine yeasts have versatile applications in industrial, medical and environmental fields, but have received little attention compared to terrestrial yeasts and filamentous fungi. In this study, a phylogenetic analysis of 11 marine-derived yeasts was conducted using internal transcribed spacers and nuclear large subunit rDNA, and their bioactivities, such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and tyrosinase inhibition activities, were investigated. The 11 marine-derived yeasts were identified to belong to seven species including Geotrichum candidum, Metschnikowia bicuspidata, Papiliotrema fonsecae, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Vishniacozyma carnescens, Yamadazyma olivae, and Yarrowia lipolytica, and three strains of these were candidates for new species of the genera Aureobasidium, Rhodotorula, and Vishniacozyma. Most extracts showed antioxidant activity, whereas seven strains exhibited antibacterial activities against Bacillus subtilis. Only Aureobasidium sp. US-Sd3 among the 11 isolates showed tyrosinase inhibition. Metschnikowia bicuspidata BP-Up1 and Yamadazyma olivae K2-6 showed notable radical-scavenging activity, which has not been reported previously. Among the isolates, Aureobasidium sp. US-Sd3 exhibited the highest antibacterial and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Overall, our results demonstrate the potential of marine-derived yeasts as a source of bioactive compounds for improving industrial applications.

Cymbidium goeringii, locally known as the spring orchid in Korea, is one of the most important and popular horticultural species in the family Orchidaceae. C. goeringii cultivars were originated from plants with rare phenotypes in wild mountains where pine trees commonly grow. This study aimed to determine the cultivar-specific combined genotypes (CGs) of short sequence repeats (SSRs) by analyzing multiple samples per cultivar of C. goeringii. In this study, we collected more than 4,000 samples from 67 cultivars and determined the genotypes of 12 SSRs. Based on the most frequent combined genotypes (CG1s), the average observed allele number and combined matching probability were 11.8 per marker and 3.118×10-11, respectively. Frequencies of the CG1 in 50 cultivars (n ≥ 10) ranged from 40.9% to 100.0%, with an average of 70.1%. Assuming that individuals with the CG1 are genuine in the corresponding cultivars, approximately 30% of C. goeringii on the farms and markets may be not genuine. The dendrogram of the phylogenetic tree and principal coordinate analysis largely divided the cultivars into three groups according to their countries of origin; however, the genetic distances were not distant among the cultivars. In conclusion, this dataset of C. goeringii cultivar-specific SSR profiles could be used for ecogenetic studies and forensic authentication. This study suggests that genetic authentication should be introduced for the sale of expensive C. goeringii cultivars. We believe that this study will help establish a genetic method for the forensic authentication of C. goeringii cultivars.

Malnutrition and cognitive dysfunction are typical features of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and are correlated with the development of complications. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of nutritional state and diet on cognitive function in ALD. A total of 43 patients with compensated alcoholic cirrhosis were enrolled, and neuropsychological test was assessed according to body mass index (BMI, &lt;22 and ≥22). In the ALD animal study, mice were divided into 5 groups (n=9/group; normal liquid, 5% EtOH+regular liquid, 5% EtOH+high-carbohydrate liquid, 5% EtOH+high-fat liquid, and 5% EtOH+high-protein liquid diet) and fed the same calories for 8-week. To assess cognitive function, we performed T-maze studies weekly before/after alcohol binging. In cognitive function (BMI &lt;22 /≥22), language score of Korea mini-mental state (7.4±1.4/7.9±0.4), Rey-complex figure (72.0±25.9/58.4±33.6), Boston naming (11.7±2.7/13.0±1.8), forward digit span (6.7±1.8/7.5±1.6), Korean Color Word Stroop (24.2±26.5/43.6±32.4), and interference score (33.9±31.9/52.3±33.9) revealed significant differences. In the T-maze test, alcohol significantly delayed the time to reach food, and binge drinking provided a temporary recovery in cognition. The alcohol-induced delay was significantly reduced in the high-carbohydrate and high-fat diet groups. Synaptic function exhibited no changes in all groups. Cognitive dysfunction is affected by nutritional status and diet in ALD.

This study investigated defect formation and strain distribution in high Mg content Al-Mg alloys during normal rolling and cross-rolling processes. The finite element analysis (FEA) revealed the presence of wave defects and strain localization-induced zipper cracks in normal cold rolling, which were confirmed by experimental results. The concentration of shear strain played a significant role in crack formation and propagation. However, the influence of wave defects was minimal in the cross-rolling process, which exhibited a relatively uniform strain distribution. Nonetheless, strain concentration at the edge and center regions led to the formation of zipper cracks and edge cracks, with more pronounced propagation observed in the experiments compared to FEA predictions. Furthermore, texture evolution was found to be a crucial factor affecting crack propagation, particularly with the development of the Goss texture component which is observed by electron backscattered diffraction analysis at bending points. The Goss texture hindered crack propagation, while the Brass texture allowed cracks to pass through. This phenomenon was consistent with both FEA and experimental observations. To mitigate edge crack formation and propagation, potential strategies involve promoting the formation of the Goss texture at the edge through alloy and process conditions, as well as implementing intermediate annealing to alleviate stress accumulation. These measures can enhance the overall quality and reliability of Al-Mg alloys during cross-rolling processes. In summary, understanding the mechanisms of defect formation and strain distribution in Al-Mg alloys during rolling processes is crucial for optimizing their mechanical properties. The findings of this study provide insights into the challenges associated with wave defects, strain localization, and crack propagation. Future research and optimization efforts should focus on implementing strategies to minimize defects and improve the overall quality of Al-Mg alloys in industrial applications.

In this study, the effect of hot stamping forming process on the properties change of compound layer in Al–Si coated high-strength steel sheet with different thickness was investigated. The coating layer in hot stamped high-strength steel sheet was composed of a diffusion layer and a compound layer. As the hot stamping temperature and holding time for forming increased, the thickness of the compound layer in the Al–Si coated high-strength steel sheet increased. The thickness of coating layer with the hot stamping for 500 sec at 890, 910 and 950 °C was obtained 8.9, 11.8, and 20.6 micrometer, respectively. The thickness of coating layer with hot stamping for 180, 500 and 550 sec at 910 ^oC was obtained 5.7, 11.8, and 17.8 micrometer, respectively. The compound layer in hot stamped high-strength steel sheet with Al–Si coating layer consists of Al_5.4Fe₂ and Fe₂Si phases. In the compound layer, Al and Si were irregularly distributed.

Bioremediation of crude oil-contaminated soil in Kuwait was evaluated using the biowashing pilot reactor system, whose components included 3 biowashing reactors; an oil separator, a hydrocyclone, and a dissolved air flotation. The biowashing pilot reactor system was fed with hemoglobin, a cheap and rich nutrient source containing carbon and nitrogen for bacterial growth. The initial total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) concentration was about 84,000 mg/kg soil. The initial TPH concentration decreased to 38,000 mg/kg soil on day 1. The degradation extents of TPH were 55%, 91%, and 96% on days 1, 3, and 5. The first-order rate constant for TPH degradation rate was 0.6820.0004/day. The initial unresolved complex mixture (UCM) concentration was 78,000 mg/kg soil. The degradation extents of UCM were 53%, 91%, and 98% on days 1, 3, and 5. Then, the degradation extents of individual components of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), alkylated PAH, and n-alkanes were measured for 5 days. 16S rRNA gene copy number was measured during 5 days for bacterial population estimation. Although there was a day delay in the accretion of the number of copies, the number increased from day 2 to day 5. The present study suggests that the biowashing pilot reactor system with a capacity of 200 L is efficient for TPH degradation.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (lupus) and B-cell lymphoma (lymphoma) are serious diseases. Lupus and lymphoma co-occur at higher-than-expected rates and primarily depend on B-cells for their pathology, implicating shared inflammation-related B-cell molecular mechanisms as a potential cause of co-occurrence. We consequently implemented a novel Immune Imbalance Transcriptomics (IIT) algorithm and applied IIT to lupus, lymphoma, and healthy B-cell RNA-seq data to find shared- and contrasting mechanisms potentially targetable for treatment. We observed 8,562 genes significantly dysregulated in both lupus and lymphoma. Of those genes, we found 5,335 to have a significant immune imbalance, defined as significant dysregulation by both diseases, as determined by IIT. Gene Ontology (GO) term and pathway enrichment of IIT genes yielded immune-related “Neutrophil Degranulation” and “Adaptive Immune System”, validating that the IIT algorithm isolates biologically relevant genes in immunity and inflammation. We found that 389 IIT gene products are drug-targetable with established or repurposed drugs. Among our results, we found 40 known and 349 novel lupus targets, along with 151 known and 238 novel lymphoma targets. Known disease drug targets in our IIT results further validate that IIT isolates genes with disease-relevant mechanisms. We anticipate the IIT algorithm and shared and contrasting gene mechanisms uncovered here will contribute to the development of immune-related therapeutic options for lupus and lymphoma patients.

During 2021 and 2022 summers, we measured the total and dissolved (&lt; 0.45 mm) concentration of 25 elements in Utah Lake using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). Utah regulates twelve of these elements. ICP-OES sensitivity is at the ppb-level but is not the approved regulatory method. All regulations are for dissolved concentrations; except aluminum (Al) and phosphorus (P) which are for total recovery. We found total Al concentrations above allowable, but dissolved concentrations were well below allowable concentrations. We attribute high total concentrations to suspended clays. Dissolved copper (Cu) concentrations were below regulatory levels in 2021, but some samples were above regulatory levels in 2022. This could be related to the use of Cu-based algaecide treatments, or from other sources. Lead (Pb) data were inconclusive; dissolved Pb concentrations were well below the acute (1-hour average) limit, but the chronic concentration limit (4-hour average) is below the ICP-OES minimal detection limit. Arsenic (As) concentrations exhibit a seasonal trend that we attribute to groundwater inflows. This ppb-level study provides insight into regulated elements in Utah Lake previously not available due to the high sensitivity of the method and measurements of both total and dissolved concentrations.

Supplementation with 200% of the recommended daily dietary quantity of copper modified vascular contraction and relaxation through increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and prostaglandin formation, which modified the antioxidant status of middle–aged rats. In this study, young (1 month old) male Wistar rats (n/group = 10) received a diet supplemented with 6.45 mg copper/kg (100%—Group A) for 8 weeks. The experimental group received 12.9 mg copper/kg of diet (200%—Group B). Experimental supplementation with 200% copper increased the copper concentration in the blood, liver, and kidneys; increased the ROS concentration in the aortic rings; and enhanced the sensitivity of the aortic rings to acetylcholine. We observed increased participation of nitric oxide (NO) derived from inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in vascular contraction and a decreased net effect of vasodilator prostanoids derived from cyclooxygenase–2 (COX–2) in vascular relaxation. Supplementation with 200% copper was less significant than expected after previous studies conducted with middle–aged rats.

As renewable energy generation prediction systems have been introduced into the energy trading market, accurate prediction of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy generation has become a crucial challenge for ensuring stable trade of variable energy. Therefore, it is essential to quantitatively investigate and analyze current prediction technology and develop more advanced prediction systems. In this study, three models for predicting PV energy generation were investigated. Multiple regression, random forest, and gradient boosting machine (GBM) models were con-structed for 15 utility-scale power plants throughout South Korea. Model performance was evaluated in terms of root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE). The multiple regression-based model had an RMSE of 12.00% and MAE of 9.06%. The random forest model had an RMSE of 11.69% and MAE of 8.61%. The GBM model had an RMSE of 11.34% and MAE of 8.18%, indicating its superior accuracy among the three models in predicting PV energy generation. These findings provide valuable insights that may contribute to the development of advanced PV energy generation models and their application in grid operations.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. A key factor in assessing the risk of cardiovascular disease is left ventricular functional evaluation. Left ventricular (LV) systolic function is evaluated by measuring the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) using echocardiography data. Therefore, quick and accurate left ventricle segmentation is important for estimating the LVEF. However, it is difficult to accurately segment the left ventricle due to changes in the shape and area of the left ventricle during cardiac cycles. In this study, we proposed a framework that considers changes in the shape and area of the left ventricle during the cardiac cycle by applying the convolutional long short-term memory (CLSTM) approach. In addition, we evaluated the left ventricular segmentation and multidimensional quantification of the proposed system in comparison to manual and automated segmentation methods. In addition, to assess the validity of CLSTM, the values of multi-dimensional quantification metrics were compared and analyzed using graphs and Bland–Altman plots on a frame-by-frame basis. We demonstrated that the CLSTM method effectively segments the left ventricle by considering the LV activity. In conclusion, we demonstrated that LV segmentation based on our framework may be utilized to accurately estimate LVEF values.

Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) on immunological factors in a 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced atopic dermatitis (AD) model were investigated. Hairless mice were randomly assigned to control, acetone and olive oil solution-treated (AOO), PEMF 15 Hz, PEMF 75 Hz, and sham groups (n=5 each). AOO solution was used to dissolve DNCB. Both PEMF and sham groups were exposed to similar DNCB doses, causing similar AD symptoms. After AD induction for five weeks, only the PEMF group was exposed to PEMF stimulations (15 Hz, 75 Hz, and 15 mT) for two weeks inside the solenoid coil. In both groups, splenomegaly was observed, as AD was induced by hyperimmune reactions caused by DNCB sensitization. However, splenomegaly did not occur in the PEMF-exposed groups, and spleen weight decreased similarly to that of the control. Hence, the total splenocytes in the PEMF group were similar to those in the control group, whereas the sham group showed thrice the number of splenocytes compared to the PEMF group. The serum immunoglobulin E levels did not significantly change in the PEMF group; however, they increased more than fourfold in the sham group. These results demonstrate that PEMF stimulation ameliorates the abnormal symptoms caused by hyperimmune reactions.

Objectives: To assess clinical implications of increased nuchal translucency (INT) in twin pregnancies based on the chorionicity. Methods: This was a retrospective review of the twin pregnancies who underwent first trimester ultrasound with nuchal translucency (NT) measurement at 11-13 weeks of gestation from January 2006 to December 2014. Data were collected using the OB database and the chart review. Pregnancy outcomes including gestational weeks at the delivery, abnormal fetal karyotypes, fetal structural anomalies, twin specific complications were analyzed. Results: A total of 1,622 twin pregnancies with INT≥95th percentile in one or both fetuses were identified. In all twin pregnancies with INT, abnormal fetal karyotypes were identified in 17 (8.6%) patients (odds ratio=13.28, CI=5.990-29.447, P=0.000) and twin-specific complications were identified in 23 (11.6%) patients (odds ratio=2.398, CI=1.463-3.928, P=0.001) compared to those with normal NT. Among the INT group, when the groups were subdivided into monochorionic (MC) and dichorionic (DC) pregnancies, 14.8% and 29.6% of the MC pregnancies had structural anomalies in one or both fetuses (odds ratio=5.774, 95% CI=1.445-23.071, P=0.01) and twin-specific complications (odds ratio=4.379, 95% CI=1.641-11.684, P=0.03), respectively, compared to DC pregnancies. The prevalence of abnormal fetal karyotypes was not statistically different in patients with INT when compared between MC and DC pregnancies (P=0.329). Conclusions: INT was associated with a higher rate of twin-specific complications and fetal structural anomalies in MC twin pregnancies rather than abnormal fetal karyotype. Therefore, NT measurement in MC twin pregnancies can be a useful tool for prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Appropriate counseling and surveillance based on the chorionicity is imperative in prenatal care of twin pregnancies.

Estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer is common among postmenopausal women and is frequently treated with Letrozole. Letrozole inhibits aromatase from synthesizing estrogen from androgens. Decreased estrogen slows the growth of tumors and can be an effective treatment. Letrozole resistance is increasingly being observed, which poses a unique problem for patients. We reanalyzed transcriptomic data comparing individuals who responded to Letrozole therapy (responders) to those who were resistant to treatment (non-responders). We identified SOX11 and S100A9 as two genes that significantly differed between these patients; with “PLK1 signaling events” being the most significant signaling pathway. We also identified PRDX4 and E2F8 as the top transcriptional biomarkers for ER+ treatment resistance. Many of the other significant gene products play a known role in ER+ breast cancer or other types of cancer, which partially validate our results. Several of the gene products we identified do not have a characterized role in ER+ breast cancer. Our analysis identified a set of genes that warrant further research to elucidate the molecular mechanism of Letrozole resistance in this patient population, as well as novel high-performing biomarkers. We anticipate that these findings could contribute to improved therapeutic outcomes in human patients.

Tenascin C (TNC) is an element of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of various tissues, including the skin, and is involved in modulating ECM integrity and cell physiology. Although skin aging is apparently associated with changes in the ECM, little is known about the role of TNC in skin aging. Here we found that Tnc mRNA level was significantly reduced in the skin tissues of aged mice compared with young mice, consistent with reduced TNC protein expression in aged human skin. TNC-large (TNC-L; 330-kDa) and -small (TNC-S; 240-kDa) polypeptides were observed in conditional media from primary dermal fibroblasts. Both recombinant TNC polypeptides, corresponding to TNC-L and TNC-S, increased the expression of type I collagen and reduced the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 in fibroblasts. Treatment of fibroblasts with a recombinant TNC polypeptide, corresponding to TNC-L, induced phosphorylation of SMAD2 and SMAD3. TNC increased the level of TGF-β1 mRNA and upregulated the expression of type I collagen by activating the TGF-β signaling pathway. In addition, TNC also promoted the expression of type I collagen in fibroblasts embedded in a three-dimensional collagen matrix. Our findings suggest that TNC contributes to the integrity of ECM in young skin and to prevention of skin aging.

Inflammation is a natural protective process through which the immune system responds to injury, infection, or irritation. However, hyperinflammation or long-term inflammatory response can cause various inflammatory diseases. Although idebenone was initially developed for the treatment of cognitive impairment and dementia, it is currently used to treat various diseases. However, its anti-inflammatory effects and regulatory functions in inflammatory diseases is yet to be elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of idebenone in cecal ligation puncture-induced sepsis and lipopolysaccharide-induced systemic inflammation. Murine models of cecal ligation puncture-induced sepsis and lipopolysaccharide-induced systemic inflammation were generated, followed by treatment with various concentrations of idebenone. Additionally, lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages were treated with idebenone to elucidate its anti-inflammatory effects at the cellular level. Idebenone treatment significantly improved survival rate, protected against tissue damage, and decreased the expression of inflammatory enzymes and cytokines in mice models of sepsis and systemic inflammation. Additionally, idebenone treatment suppressed inflammatory responses in macrophages, inhibited the NF-κB signaling pathway, reduced reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, and normalized the activities of antioxidant enzyme. Idebenone possesses potential therapeutic application as a novel anti-inflammatory agent in systemic inflammatory diseases and sepsis.

In a power plant that uses seawater as a coolant, a debris filter is required to remove foreign substances from the seawater, and differential pressure leads to a decrease in the coolant flow rate, leading to a decrease in power generation efficiency. In this study, analysis was performed under different initial flow velocity conditions of 1.5m/s, 2.0m/s, and 2.5m/s for a debris filter used in a power plant to understand flow characteristics in CTCS. The flow and differential pressure characteristics of a CTCS with an installed debris filter were considered in a comparative analysis of velocity, pressure, and turbulent kinetic energy distribution. The results confirmed that a vortex was generated in the pipe with the debris filter, apparently due to the collision of the flow with the bracket of the debris filter. As the flow rate increased, the range of the vortex increased, causing a loss in flow.

Lymphoma is one of the most common cancers worldwide, categorized into Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) has become an essential imaging tool for evaluating patients with lymphoma in terms of initial diagnosis, staging, prognostication, and treatment response assessment. Recent advancements in imaging technology and methodologies, along with the development of artificial intelligence, have revolutionized the evaluation of complex imaging data, enhancing the diagnostic and predictive power of PET in lymphoma. However, FDG is not cancer-specific, but it primarily reflects glucose metabolism, which has prompted the investigation of alternative PET tracers to address this limitation. Novel PET radiotracers, such as fibroblast activation protein inhibitors targeting the tumor microenvironment, have recently shown promising results in evaluating various malignancies compared to FDG PET. Furthermore, with the rapid advancements in immunotherapy and the favorable imaging properties of 89Zr, immunoPET has emerged as a promising modality, offering insights into the functional and molecular status of the immune system. ImmunoPET can also facilitate the development of new antibody therapeutics and radioimmunotherapy by providing pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data. This review provides comprehensive insights into the current clinical applications of FDG PET in lymphoma, while also exploring novel PET imaging radiotracers beyond FDG, discussing their mechanisms of action and potential impact on patient management.

The open burning of sugarcane residue is commonly used as a low-cost and fast method during pre-harvest and post-harvest periods. However, this practice releases various pollutants, including dioxins. This study aims to predict polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs, or dioxins) emissions using the Grey Model (GM (1,1)) and to map the annual flux spatial distribution at the provincial level from 2023 to 2028. Using the activity rate of dry crop residue from national agencies and literature, and following the guidelines set by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), an annual emission inventory was developed at the provincial level. The distribution of emissions from 2016 to 2022 was then mapped. The average PCDD/Fs emission values exhibit significant variation among the provinces, averaging 309 pg TEQ/year. Spatially, in line sugarcane production, South Sumatra and East Jawa consistently show high emissions, often exceeding 400 pg/m². Emissions based on the UNEP emission factor tend to be higher compared to other factors, due to its generic nature and lack of regional specificity. The emission predictions using the Grey Model GM (1,1) indicate that North Sumatra is expected to experience a steady increase in PCDD/Fs emissions, whereas South Sumatra and Lampung are projected to see a slight decline. This forecast assumes there will be any changes in regional intervention strategies. Most regions in Jawa Island show a gradual increase in emissions, except for East Jawa, which is predicted to have a slight decline from 416 pg/year in 2023 to 397 pg/year in 2028. Additionally, regions like Gorontalo and parts of East Jawa are projected to remain "hotspots" with consistently high emissions, suggesting the need for targeted interventions. Future studies should consider developing monthly emissions profiles to account for local agricultural practices and seasonal conditions. The emission data generated in this study, which includes both spatial and temporal distributions, is valuable for air quality modeling studies. Utilizing this data can help assess the impact of current and future emissions on ambient air quality.

This study aims to explore the potential inhibition effects of staurosporine isolated from a Strepto-myces sp. SNC087 strain obtained from seawater on nasal polyps. Staurosporine possesses antimi-crobial and antihypertensive activities. This research focuses on investigating the effects of stau-rosporine on suppressing the growth and development of nasal polyps and elucidating the un-derlying mechanisms involved. The experimental design includes in vitro and ex vivo evaluations to assess the inhibition activity and therapeutic potential of staurosporine against nasal polyps. Nasal polyp-derived fibroblasts (NPDFs) were stimulated with TGF- β1 in the presence of staurosporine. The levels of -smooth muscle actin (-SMA), collagen type-I (Col-1), fibronectin, and phosphory-lated (p)-Smad 2 were investigated using western blotting. VEGF expression levels were analyzed in nasal polyp organ cultures treated with staurosporine. TGF-β1 stimulated the production of Col-1, fibronectin, and -SMA and was attenuated by staurosporine pretreatment. Furthermore, these inhibitory effects were mediated by modulation of the signaling pathway of Smad 2 in TGF-β1-induced NPDFs. Staurosporine also inhibits the production of VEGF in ex vivo NP tissues. The findings from this study will contribute to a better understanding of staurosporine’s role in nasal polyp management and provide insights into its mechanisms of action.

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

Betel quid (BQ) use disorder (BUD) is prevalent in many Asian countries, impacting approximately 600 million people. We conducted a randomized clinical trial to analyze the impact of MAOA genetic variations on the severity of BQ craving. This was measured using DSM-5 criteria and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for betel-quid (Y-BOCS-BQ). Participants were grouped according to the severity of BUD and MAOA gene single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs5953210 genotypes. Y-BOCS-BQ were assessed at baseline (week 0) and during follow-up at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8. The AA genotype group showed significantly greater reductions in Y-BOCS-BQ at weeks 2 (p=0.0194), 4 (p=0.0078), 6 (p=0.0277), and 8 (p=0.0376) compared to the GG genotype group. Additionally, within the antidepressant group, the AA genotype showed significant reductions in Y-BOCS-BQ at weeks 2 (p=0.0313), 4 (p=0.0134), 6 (p=0.0061), and 8 (p=0.0241) compared to the GG genotype. Statistical analysis revealed a significant interaction between the treatment and placebo groups based on MAOA genotypes, with the AA genotype in the treatment group exhibiting a more pronounced decrease in Y-BOCS-BQ (p interaction <0.05) at week 6. These findings highlight the importance of considering genetic factors when developing personalized treatment plans for BUD.

Groundwater is becoming increasingly important in the Pacific Northwest of the USA due to declining snowpack volumes and shifts in precipitation type and timing, all connected with climate change. The Upper Williamson Basin of the Klamath Watershed is a groundwater dominated watershed with massive fluctuations in year-to-year streamflow volumes over the past four decades, including the complete absence of any live flow for several years. The precise relationship between groundwater and streamflow in the basin has been difficult to assess due to a limited number of monitoring wells and significant gaps in the water level time history. To address this challenge, we use a novel imputation technique that leverages Earth observations and machine learning to impute gaps in water level records. We use these more complete datasets to compute a groundwater storage change time series for the basin. We show that groundwater storage is highly correlated to streamflow and that groundwater storage is correlated to rainfall with a three- to four-year delay that appears variable depending on groundwater storage volumes. The tools and relationships we present make it possible for water managers to estimate when streamflows will return to the basin and be more informed to support better management.

Reactions of Co(OAc)24H2O, N‚N'-bis(3-pyridylmethyl)oxalamide (L) and 4,4’-sulfonyldibenzoic acid (H2SDA) afforded four coordination polymers with the same mixed ligands, {[Co(L)(SDA)(H2O)2]·H2O·CH3OH}n, 1, {[Co(L)0.5(SDA)]·2H2O·0.5L}n, 2, {[Co(L)1.5(SDA)(H2O)]·H2O}n, 3, and {[Co2(L)1.5(SDA)2(H2O)2]·4H2O}n, 4, which have been structurally characterized by using single crystal X-ray crystallography. Complexes 1 – 4 are 2D layers, revealing the topologies of sql, 2,6L1, (4,4)Ia and 6L12, respectively, and demonstrating that the metal to ligand ratio, solvent system and reaction temperature are important in determining the structural diversity. Immersion of these complexes into various solvents show that the structural types govern the chemical stabilities of 1 – 4. Reversible structural transformation can be shown for complexes 1 and 2 upon solvent removal and adsorption, while those of 3 and 4 are irreversible.

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

A novel five-surface phosphor-in-glass (FS-PiG) for high illumination and excellent color uniformity in larger-scale LEDs for sensor light source application is demonstrated. YAG phosphor (Y3Al5O12:Ce3+) was uniformly mixed with ceramic and sintered at 680°C to form a phosphor wafer. A sophisticated laser engraving was employed on the phosphor wafer to form a saddle-shaped large-scale FS-PiG LEDs. The performance of the FS-PiG LEDs exhibited the illumination of 401lm, average color temperature (CCT) of 5488K±110K, and color coordinates (CIE) of (0.3179±0.003, 0.3352±0.003). In contrast to convention single-surface phosphor-in-glass (SS-PiG) LEDs, the performance exhibited the illumination of 380lm, average CCT of 5830K±758K, and CIE of (0.3083±0.07, 0.3172±0.07). These indicated that the performance of the FS-PiG LEDs was higher than the SS-PiG LEDs for illumination, CCT, and CIE of 1.7, 7, and 23 times, respectively. Furthermore, the FS-PiG LEDs demonstrate lower lumen loss of 2% and less chromaticity shift of 5.4x10-3 under accelerated aging at 350°C for 1008 hours, owing to the high ceramic melting temperature of up to 510°C. In this study, the proposed FS-PiG larger-scale LEDs having excellent optical performance and high reliability may be the promising candidates to replace the convention phosphor-in-organic silicone material used in high-power LEDs for the next generation of sensor light sources, display, and headlight applications.

The Epithelial-Mesenchymal-Transition (EMT) phenotype, identified as a significant clinical indicator in cancer, manifests as a biological process where cells transition from epithelial to mesenchymal characteristics. Physiologically, EMT plays a crucial role in tissue remodeling, promoting healing, repair, and responding to various tissue damages. This study investigates the impact of BNE-RRC on oral cancer cells (KB) and reveals its significant effects on cancer cell growth, migration, invasion, and EMT. BNE-RRC induces the epithelial-like morphology in KB cells, effectively reversing EMT to Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition (MET). Extraordinarily, sustained culture of cancer cells with BNE-RRC for 14 days maintains an epithelial status even after treatment withdrawal, suggesting BNE-RRC as a potential therapeutic agent for cancer. These findings highligh the promise of BNE-RRC as a comprehensive therapeutic agent in cancer treatment by inhibiting cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion, while also orchestrating a reversal of the EMT process. The study proposes that BNE-RRC could be effective agent for cancer treatment.

Background: Patients with burn scars often suffer from a ‘vicious cycle’ in which their skin becomes dry and pruritus. This greatly reduces patients' quality of life, but there is no well-known mechanism yet, and the development of drugs for effective treatment is necessary. Objective: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of cosmetic formulation containing arginine glutamate ion pair (named as RE:pair) on epidermal barrier function and reducing pruritus. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 patients [15 male and 5 female; average age 48.35 ± 13.13 years] participated in evaluating the effectiveness of using the RE:pair formula topically twice daily for up to 4 weeks after burn pruritus. Treatment efficacy was evaluated by Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for itching and pain, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration, Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) evaluation, and the patient’s overall satisfaction. Results: This formula was well-tolerated, with significant relief of NRS for itching and pain score after 2nd weeks and 4th weeks of application (p &lt; 0.05). The itching score was high in some patients, and overall, it decreased significantly after 4 weeks compared to before application. Also, the personal pain score decreased after 4th weeks. Overall TEWL showed 35 % improvement after 4th week, and 52 % improvement was confirmed in arms and 19 % in legs. The overall improvement effect of skin hydration was also 45 % (p = 0.0012), and the improvement effect was 40 % (p = 0.0371) in areas including arms and 54 % (p = 0.0313) in areas including legs. All patient satisfactory evaluations were "excellent". Conclusions: RE:pair formula was safe and effective in improving skin barrier and itch relief, and if further studies are conducted, it can be used as an excellent topical treatment for post-burn scar that strengthens the skin barrier.

This study explored the feasibility of fluoride removal from simulated semiconductor industry wastewater and its recovery as calcium fluoride using fluidized bed crystallization. The continuous reactor showed best performance (>90% fluoride removal and >95% crystallization efficiency) at a calcium to fluoride ratio of 0.6 within first 40 days of continuous operation. The resulting particle size increased by more than double during this time along with a 36% increase in the seed bed height indicating deposition of CaF2 onto the silica seed. The SEM-EDX analysis showed the size and shape of the crystals formed along with high amount of Ca-F ions presence. The purity of the CaF2 crystals were determined to be 91.1% though ICP-OES analysis. Following the continuous experiment, different process improvement strategies are explored. The addition of excess amount of calcium resulted in an additional 6% fluoride removal, however, compared to this single stage process, a two-stage approach was found to be better strategy to achieve a low effluent fluoride concentration. The fluoride removal reached 94% with this two-stage approach under optimum condition of 4 + 1 h HRT combinations and a [Ca2+]/[F-] ratio of 0.55 and 0.7 for the two reactors, respectively. CFD simulation showed the impact of inlet diameter, bottom-angle shape and width and height ratio of the reactor on mixing inside reactor and possibility of further improvement in reactor performance by optimizing the FBR configuration.

As renewable energy generation prediction system has been introduced into the energy trading market, making a model to accurately predict the quantity of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy generation has become a significant problem. Moreover, to encourage an accurate prediction of the quantity of energy generation, an incentive system has been implemented for those who predict the quantity of solar PV energy under the error rate of 8%. Therefore, it has become more important to investigate and analyze current prediction technology numerically and develop more advanced prediction system. In this study, we tried to develop a better model to improve the accuracy of solar PV energy generation quantity by comparing three models made with gradient boosting machine (GBM), Model 1, Model 2, Model 3 respectively. Model 1 was built with the whole training data set without any additional preprocessing. After conducting some additional preprocessing procedure to predict solar energy generation more accurately, we made Model 2 with the whole training data set and Model 3 with only upper 10% of energy generation capacity. To compare the accuracy of three models, normalized mean absolute error (nMAE) was used as an evaluation index. The nMAE of Model 1 was 9.64% while the Model 2 showed 8.41%. Also, Model 3, which was constructed with the training set of upper 10% energy generation capacity, outperformed with the nMAE of 8.08%. For further study, to check the effectiveness of models constructed with GBM, a time series model, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), was also built and the nMAE was compared.

The possibility of using Si-based anodes in lithium-ion batteries is actively investigated due to the increased lithium capacity of silicon. The paper reports the preparation of submicron silicon fibers on glassy carbon in the KI–KF–KCl–K2SiF6 melt at 720°C. For this purpose, the parameters of silicon electrodeposition in the form of fibers were determined by cyclic voltammetry, and ex-perimental samples of ordered silicon fibers with an average diameter from 0.1 to 0.3 μm were obtained under galvanostatic electrolysis conditions. Using the obtained silicon fibers, anode half-cells of lithium-ion battery was fabricated, and its electrochemical performance under mul-tiple lithiation and delithiation was studied. By means of voltametric studies, it is observed that charging and discharging of the anode based on the obtained silicon fibers occurs at potentials from 0.2 to 0.05 V and from 0.2 to 0.5 V, respectively. A change in discharge capacity from 520 to 200 mAh g-1 during the first 50 charge/discharge cycles at a charge current of 0.1C and a Coulomb ef-ficiency of 98-100% was shown. The possibility of charging silicon-based anode samples at charging currents up to 2C was also noted; the discharge capacity ranged from 25 to 250 mAh g-1.

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of velamentous cord insertion (VCI) and the actual association between pathologically confirmed VCI and perinatal outcomes in twins based on the chorionicity. Methods All twin pregnancies who received prenatal care at a specialty clinic for multiple pregnancies, from less than 12weeks of gestation until delivery in a single institution between 2015 and 2018 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Results A total of the 941 twins were included in the study. The prevalence of VCI in dichorionic (DC) twins and monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twins was 5.8% and 7.8%, respectively (p=0.251). In all study population, the prevalence of vasa previa and placenta accreta were higher in VCI group compared to that of non-VCI group (p=0.008 and 0.022). In MCDA twins with VCI, birth weight, 1 and 5-minute Apgar score were lower compared to DC twins with VCI (p=0.010, 0.002 and 0.000). There was no significant association between VCI and selective fetal growth restriction (p=0.708), twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (p=0.400) and birth-weight discordance (>20% and >25%) (p= 0.378 and 0.161) in MCDA twins. Conclusion VCI in twins was not a risk factor for adverse perinatal outcomes and twin-specific complications.

Background and objectives: Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain significantly impacts physical activity and quality of life in the elderly, potentially influencing mortality. This study explored the relationship between MSK pain, physical activity, muscle mass, and mortality among older adults. Material and Methods: We studied 1000 participants of the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA), a prospective, population-based cohort study of people aged 65 years or older. Survival status was tracked over a 5-year period. Correlations between Low back pain (LBP), knee pain, regular exercise, appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM), and other variables were analyzed. Logistic regression analyzes were used to identify independent risk factors for mortality. Results: Of the total participants, 829 (82.9%) survived after a 5-year period. Survivors tended to be younger, had a higher BMI, and were more active in regular exercise. In contrast, non-survivors exhibited a higher prevalence of both LBP and knee pain, along with increased instances of multiple MSK pain. Lower ASM correlated moderately with LBP and knee pain, whereas higher ASM was associated with regular exercise Lower ASM was moderately associated with LBP and knee pain, while higher ASM correlated with engagement in regular exercise. There was a moderate correlation between LBP and knee pain, both of which were associated with a lack of regular exercise. Age, sex, ASM, and regular exercise were significant predictors, even though MSK pain itself did not directly predict all-cause mortality. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the independent association between ASM, regular exercise, and mortality. Although MSK pain did not directly correlate with all-cause mortality, the non-survivor group had higher levels of both single and multiple MSK pain. Recognizing the interplay of MSK pain, physical activity, and muscle mass for older adults, the research underscores the need for holistic strategies to enhance health outcomes in older individuals with MSK pain.

A novel five-surface phosphor-in-ceramic (FS-PiC) for high illumination and excellent color uniformity in larger-scale LEDs for sensor light source application is demonstrated. YAG phosphor (Y3Al5O12:Ce3+) was uniformly mixed with ceramic and sintered at 680°C to form a phosphor wafer. A sophisticated laser engraving was employed on the phosphor wafer to form a saddle-shaped large-scale FS-PiC LEDs. The performance of the FS-PiC LEDs exhibited the illumination of 401lm, average color temperature (CCT) of 5488K±110K, and color coordinates (CIE) of (0.3179±0.003, 0.3352±0.003). In contrast to convention single-surface phosphor-in-ceramic (SS-PiC) LEDs, the performance exhibited the illumination of 380lm, average CCT of 5830K±758K, and CIE of (0.3083±0.07, 0.3172±0.07). These indicated that the performance of the FS-PiC LEDs was higher than the SS-PiC LEDs for illumination, CCT, and CIE of 1.1, 7, and 23 times, respectively. Furthermore, the FS-PiC LEDs demonstrate lower lumen loss of 2% and less chromaticity shift of 5.4x10-3 under accelerated aging at 350°C for 1008 hours, owing to the high ceramic melting temperature of up to 510°C. In this study, the proposed FS-PiC larger-scale LEDs having excellent optical performance and high reliability may be the promising candidates to replace the convention phosphor-in-organic silicone material used in high-power LEDs for the next generation of sensor light sources, display, and headlight applications.

Although the migration of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is important for hepatic fibrosis, the regulation of HSC migration is poorly understood. Interestingly, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 induces monocyte migration to sites of injury or inflammation in the early phase but inhibits cell migration in the late phase. In this study, we investigated the role of RhoA signaling in TGF-β1-induced HSC migration. We found that TGF-β1 increased the protein and mRNA levels of α-SMA and collagen type I in HSC-T6 cells. The level of RhoA-GTP in TGF-β1-stimulated cells was significantly higher than that in control cells. Moreover, cofilin phosphorylation and F-actin formation was more strongly detected in TGF-β1-stimulated cells than in control cells. Additionally, TGF-β1 induced the activation of NF-κB and the expression of extracellular matrix proteins and several cytokines in HSC-T6 cells. The active form of Rap1 (Rap1 V12) suppressed RhoA-GTP levels, whereas the dominant negative form of Rap1 (Rap1 N17) augmented RhoA-GTP levels. Therefore, we confirmed that Rap1 regulates RhoA activation in TGF-β1-stimulated HSC-T6 cells. These findings suggest that TGF-β1 regulates Rap1, resulting in RhoA suppression, NF-κB activation and F-actin formation during the migration of HSCs.

Various peptides or non-structural amino acids are recognized by their specific target proteins and perform biological role in various pathways in vivo. Understanding the interactions between target protein and peptides (or non-structural amino acids) provides key information on the molecular interactions, which can be potentially translated to the development of novel drugs. However, it is experimentally challenging to determine the crystal structure of protein-peptide complexes. To obtain structural information on substrate recognition of peptide-recognizing enzyme, X-ray crystallographic studies were performed using triglycine (Gly-Gly-Gly) as main-chain of peptide. The crystal structure of Parengyodontium album Proteinase K in complex with triglcyine was determined at 1.4 Å resolution. Two different bound conformations of triglycine were observed at the substrate recognition site. The triglycine backbone forms stable interactions with β5-α4 and α5-β6 loops of main-chain. One of the triglycine-binding conformations was identical with the binding mode of a peptide-based inhibitor from a previously reported crystal structure of Proteinase K. Triglycine has potential application X-ray crystallography to identify substrate recognition sites in peptide binding enzymes.

Perilla frutense var. acuta (Lamiaceae) has been used to treat indigestion, asthma, and allergies in traditional medicine. In this study, luteolin 7-O-diglucuronide (1), apigenin 7-O-diglucuronide (2), and rosmarinic acid (3) were isolated from the leaves of P. frutescens var. acuta. Various approaches were performed to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of the isolated compounds (1-3) and their working mechanisms. In silico docking simulation demonstrated that 1-3 would work as a PPAR-α/δ/γ agonist, and in vitro PPAR-α/δ/γ transcriptional assay showed that the Perilla extract and 3 increased PPAR-α luciferase activity [1.71 and 1.61 times of the control (PPAR-α + PPRE, p < 0.001)]. In the NF-κB luciferase assay, 1 suppressed NF-κB activity the most (56.83 % at 5 µM; 74.96 % at 10 µM; 79.86 % at 50 µM). In addition, 1 and 2 inhibited the mRNA expression of NF-κB target genes, including Il6, Mcp1, and Tnfa, at 50 µM, and 3 suppressed the genes at the mRNA level in a dose-dependent manner. We report that 1 and 2 exert anti-inflammatory effects through NF-κB inhibition, and PPAR-α/NF-κB signaling pathway is related to the anti-inflammatory activity of 3.

In this study, we demonstrate a high luminous efficacy of 118 lm/W and high reliability through 450°C thermal aging of white LEDs (WLEDs) utilizing four-inch YAG: Ce3+ phosphor-in-glass (PiG) plates designed for vehicle headlights. The sintering process of mixing glass and phosphor typically generates pores, which can scatter light and reduce the luminous efficacy of the fabricated PiG. In this study, we produced four-inch PiG plates under four different fabrication conditions to evaluate their luminous efficacy. Our results revealed that the PiG plate with a thin thickness of 0.08 mm exhibited a 16.83% increase in luminous efficacy compared to the 0.15 mm plate, attributed to reduced light interaction with the pores. Unlike silicone-based phosphor WLEDs, which offer high performance but lower reliability due to the silicone resin's low transition temperature (150°C), our novel thin PiG plate achieves high performance and reliability. This advancement suggests that the proposed thin PiG plate could replace traditional silicone-based phosphors, enabling the development of high-quality WLEDs for vehicle headlights in automotive applications.

Cervical cancer, primarily caused by high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) types 16 and 18, is a major global health concern. Persistent HR-HPV infection can progress from reversible pre-cancerous lesions to invasive cervical cancer, which is driven by the oncogenic activity of human papillomavirus (HPV) genes, particularly E6 and E7. Traditional screening methods, including cytology and HPV testing, have limited sensitivity and specificity. This review explores the ap-plication of p16/Ki-67 dual-staining cytology for cervical cancer screening. This advanced im-munocytochemical method allows for simultaneously detecting p16 and Ki-67 proteins within cervical epithelial cells, offering a more specific approach for triaging HPV-positive women. Dual staining and traditional methods are compared, demonstrating their high sensitivity and negative predictive value but low specificity. The increased sensitivity of dual staining results in higher detection rates of CIN2+ lesions, which is crucial for preventing cervical cancer progression. However, its low specificity may lead to increased false-positive results and unnecessary biopsies. The implications of integrating dual staining into contemporary screening strategies, particularly considering the evolving landscape of HPV vaccination and changes in HPV genotype prevalence are also discussed. New guidelines and further research are necessary to elucidate the long-term effects of integrating dual staining into screening protocols.

This study was to investigate and assess salivary biomarkers as a means of diagnosing periodontitis. A total of 121 subjects were included: 28 periodontally healthy subjects, 24 with stage I, 24 with stage II, 23 with stage III, and 22 with stage IV periodontitis. Salivary proteins including active matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8), pro-MMP-8, total MMP-8, C-reactive protein, secretory immunoglobulin A and planktonic bacteria including Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas nigrescens, Parvimonas micra, Campylobacter rectus, Eubacterium nodatum, Eikenella corrodens, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Actinomyces viscosus were measured from salivary samples. The performance of the diagnostic models was assessed by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and area under the ROC curve (AUC) analysis. The diagnostic models were constructed based on the subjects’ proteins and/or microbial profiles, resulting in two potential diagnosis models, which achieved better diagnostic powers with an AUC value &gt; 0.750 for the diagnosis of stage II, III, and IV periodontitis (Model PC-I; AUC: 0.796, sensitivity: 0.754, specificity: 0.712) and for the diagnosis of stage III and IV periodontitis (Model PC-II; AUC: 0.796, sensitivity: 0.756, specificity: 0.868). This study can contribute to screening for periodontitis based on salivary biomarkers.

Croton L. (Euphorbiaceae) is a very specious genus and consists of about 1,250 species, mainly distributed in tropical Asia and China. The first complete plastome sequence from the genus, Croton tiglium, is reported in this study (NCBI acc. No. MH394334). The plastome is 150,021 bp in length. The lengths of LSC and SSC are 111,654 bp and 18,167 bp, respectively. However, the length of the IR region is only 10,100 bp and includes only four rrn and four trn genes, and a small part of the ycf1 gene. We propose two-step IR contractions to explain this unique IR region of the C. tiglium plastome. First, the IR contracted from rps19-rpl2 to ycf2-trnL-CAA on the LSC/IRb boundary. Second, the IR contracted from ycf2-trnL-CAA to rrn16-trnV-GAC on the LSC/IRa boundary. In addition, duplicated copies of psaI genes were discovered in the C. tiglium plastome. Both copies were located side by side between accD and ycf4 genes, but one copy was pseudogenized because of a five-basepair (TAGCT) insertion in the middle of the gene following frameshift mutation. The plastome contains 112 genes, of which 78 are protein-coding genes, 30 are tRNA genes, and four are rRNA genes. Sixteen genes contain one intron and two genes have two introns. The infA gene is lost. Twelve large repeats were detected in the plastome. All large repeats are located in the LSC region. Also, 272 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified. The penta-SSRs accounted for 45% of total SSRs, followed by mono- (32%), di- (12%), tetra (6%) and tri-SSRs (5%). Most of them were distributed in the large single copy (LSC) region (85%). In addition, 76% of the SSRs were located in the intergenic spacer (IGS). Phylogenetic analysis suggested that C. tiglium is a sister group of Jatropha curcas with 100% bootstrap support. Seven Euphorbiaceae species formed one clade with 100% bootstrap support.

The normal growth and development of skeletal muscle is essential for the health of the body. The regulation of skeletal muscle by intestinal microorganisms and their metabolites has been continuously revealed. Acetate is the predominant short-chain fatty acid synthesized by gut microbiota through the fermentation of dietary fiber, however, the underlying molecular mechanisms governing the interaction between acetate and skeletal muscle during rapid growth stage remain to be further elucidated; Here, specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice, germ-free (GF) mice, and germ-free mice supplemented with sodium acetate (GS) were used to evaluate the effects of acetate on skeletal muscle growth and development of young mice with gut microbiota deficiency; We found the concentration of serum acetate, body mass gain, succinate dehydrogenase activity and expression of myogenesis maker gene of skeletal muscle in the GS group was higher than GF group following sodium acetate supplement. Furthermore, the transcriptome analysis revealed that acetate activated biological processes regulating skeletal muscle growth and development in GF group that are inhibited due to gut microbiota deficiency. In vitro experiment, we proved that acetate up-regulated Gm16062 to promote skeletal muscle cell differentiation; Overall, our findings proved that acetate promote skeletal muscle growth and development in young mice via increase Gm16062 expression.

: In the realm of data management, data preservation stands as a critical undertaking aimed at preserving and upholding the integrity of data. Regardless of whether it concerns personal or enterprise data, the detrimental effects of malicious alterations implemented by attackers cannot be overlooked. Particularly in conventional industrial control environments, the prevalent practice involves the transmission of data from sensors to databases for storage purposes. However, it is essential to recognize that this process exposes the data to various vulnerabilities. Thus, to ensure the long-term security and reliability of the data, it becomes imperative to implement robust data preservation strategies within these industrial control systems. However, the reliance of these databases on physical hard disks introduces inherent vulnerabilities, including the potential for data loss due to disk damage or targeted malicious attacks. Consequently, it becomes imperative to prioritize the implementation of robust data preservation measures. These measures are crucial in mitigating the risk of disruptions and protecting critical data from compromise. By establishing effective data backup systems, employing advanced security protocols, and implementing proactive monitoring mechanisms, organizations can bolster their data preservation capabilities and safeguard against potential threats to data integrity and availability. As a result, many enterprises opt to store their data with third-party providers to ensure data integrity. However, this approach carries inherent risks. If the third-party service experiences an attack or if the data is tampered with, it becomes challenging to verify the integrity of the data. To address these concerns and ensure data preservation within the context of the Internet of Things (IoT), a growing number of individuals are integrating IoT with Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). By leveraging DLT, the integrity of data can be ensured, reducing reliance on centralized third-party storage and enhancing security in the IoT ecosystem. In this article, IOTA is the DLT, which employs Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) to store transaction information. Compared to Ethereum or other blockchain technologies, IOTA offers notable advantages in terms of transaction verification speed, making it highly suitable for real-time IoT environments. However, the conventional transmission path from sensors to IOTA nodes entails a complex route, involving multiple hardware devices before reaching the intended destination. This complexity poses challenges in ensuring data integrity during transmission and introduces vulnerabilities such as man-in-the-middle attacks or SQL injection attacks. To address these issues, we propose a method to streamline the transmission path between sensors and IOTA, specifically tailored for industrial fields with numerous IoT devices. Our approach involves preprocessing the data stored on the server using our method before uploading, ensuring data confidentiality, and leveraging IOTA to guarantee data integrity. To achieve the shortest path between IoT and DLT nodes, it becomes necessary to establish IOTA nodes on lower-level devices, such as Raspberry Pi or IoT controllers. By simplifying the transmission path, we can reduce the potential for tampering and enhance overall data security. Implementing our proposed method enables the assurance of data confidentiality and integrity during both transmission and storage on the server, strengthening the trustworthiness of the IoT, and IOTA integration.

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

Land use and cover change (LUCC) is an important method to investigate the causes of global environment change. We utilized the emergy ecological footprint (EEF) model to construct a land-use change model to be used as a systematic measuring tool for monitoring sustainable development trends. In particular, we estimated the eco-security of the Cing-jing region as a case study so that responsible agencies can use it to maintain a balance between ecological preservation and tourism development. The results indicated the following: First, the ecological environment of the Cing-jing region satisfied the safety standard in 2008–2014; however, the related indices increased considerably. Second, the grey model predicted a decrease in 2015–2024 ecological carrying capacities of Cing-jing and a large increase in capita EFs, resulting in a larger ecological deficit and higher EFI. The eco-security from 2015–2024 was higher compared to 7 years ago and is predicted to reach the Grade 2 intermediate level in 2022; thus the Cing-jing region is gradually becoming ecologically unsustainable. Strengths of our study included the use of EEF theory in a quantitative analysis of slope lands for the effective evaluation of ecological security. Finally, we expanded our research to include ecological security issues.

For semiconducting two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides, carrier transport proper-ties of the material are affected by strain engineering. In this work, we investigate the carrier mo-bility of monolayer hafnium disulphide (HfS2) under different biaxial strains by first-principles calculations combined with Kubo-Greenwood mobility approach and compact band model. The decrease/increase in effective mass of conduction band of monolayer HfS2 caused by biaxial ten-sile/compressive strain is the major reason for the enhancement/degradation of its electron mobil-ity. Lower hole effective mass of valence bands in the monolayer HfS2 under biaxial compressive strain results in the better hole transport performance of monolayer HfS2 than the one with biaxial tensile strain. In summary, biaxial compressive strain decreases both effective mass and phonon scattering rate of monolayer HfS2, resulting in an increase in carrier mobility. When the biaxial compressive strain reaches 4%, for the conduction band of monolayer HfS2, electron mobility en-hancement ratio is ~90%. For the valence band of monolayer HfS2, the maximum hole mobility enhancement ratio appears ~13% at biaxial compressive strain of 4%. Our results indicate that the carrier transport performance of monolayer HfS2 can be greatly improved by the strain engineer-ing.

The morphological and compositional complexities of keratinized components make feathers ingenious skin appendages adapted to diverse ecological needs. Frizzling feathers, characterized by their distinct curling phenotypes, offer a unique model to explore the intricate morphogenesis in developing a keratin-based bioarchitecture over a wide range of morphospace. Here, we investigated the heterogeneous allocation of α- and β-keratins in flight feather shafts of homozygous and heterozygous frizzle chickens by analyzing the medulla-cortex integrations using quantitative morphology characterizations across scales. Our results reveal intriguing construction of frizzling feather shaft through modified medulla development, leading to a perturbed balance of the internal biomechanics and, therefore, introducing the inherent natural frizzling compared to those from wild-type chickens. We elucidate how the localized developmental suppression of the α-keratin in the medulla interferes with the growth of the hierarchical keratin organization by changing the internal stress in the frizzling feather shaft. This research not only offers insights into the morphogenetic origin of the inherent bending of frizzling feathers but also facilitates our in-depth understanding of the developmental strategies toward the diverse integuments adapted for ecological needs.

Objectives: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) negatively affects the quality of life and sexual function in women. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of radiofrequency (RF) therapy in reducing SUI symptoms and its impact on sexual function. Methods: Thirty-four women with SUI were enrolled and underwent a single RF treatment session using the Viveve® System (Viveve Medical Inc., USA) with parameters of 90 J/cm² and 220 pulses per hour. Assessments at baseline and 6 months post-treatment included perineal ultrasound and personal interviews to evaluate lower urinary tract symptoms and sexual function. Urodynamic studies, voiding diaries, and questionnaires such as the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Overactive Bladder Symp-tom Score (OABSS), Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 (UDI-6), Incontinence Impact Question-naire-7 (IIQ-7), and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) measured outcomes. Results: RF therapy significantly improved sexual function, with higher FSFI scores in all domains except pain at 6 months. SUI symptoms were significantly re-duced, as indicated by improved scores on OABSS, UDI-6, IIQ-7, and ICIQ-SF, alongside better voiding diary results. Anatomical changes included reduced bladder neck mobility, decreased vaginal width, and a reduced rotation angle of the proximal urethra. Conclusions: RF therapy is effective and safe for treating mild to moderate SUI and enhances sexual function, potentially due to changes in vaginal topography. These results suggest RF therapy as a viable non-surgical op-tion for managing SUI and improving sexual health.

Host immunological pathways have been proposed including TH1, TH2, TH3, TH9, TH17, TH22, TH1-like, and THαβ immune reactions. Besides TH2 and TH9 immune responses which are against multicellular parasites, host immunological pathways against viruses, intracellular micro-organisms (bacteria, protozoa, and fungi), and extracellular micro-organisms can use programmed cell death pathways to trigger immune reactions or to execute effective strategies to eliminate these pathogens. These programmed cell deaths include apoptosis, autophagic death, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, necroptosis, and NETosis. Apoptosis is related to host anti-virus eradicable THαβ immunity. Autophagic death is related to host anti-virus tolerable TH3 immunity. Pyroptosis is related to host anti-intracellular micro-organism eradicable TH1 immunity. Ferroptosis is related to host anti-intracellular micro-organism tolerable TH1-like immunity. Necroptosis is related to host anti-extracellular micro-organism eradicable TH22 immunity. NETosis is related to host anti-extracellular micro-organism tolerable TH17 immunity.

There are several causes of hypoxia during and after surgery, and atelectasis is a common symptom that occurs during surgery. In particular, elderly patients are more vulnerable to hypoxia due to their existing lung diseases or respiratory muscle weakness. This study presents the cases of two elderly patients who developed hypoxia during total hip arthroplasty under general anesthesia. Positive end expiratory pressure, recruitment maneuver, and increased fraction of inspired oxygen improved hypoxia only temporarily, and patients’ oxygen saturation level again dropped to 79%–80%. We suspected that hypoxia was caused by atelectasis and, therefore, re-sumed spontaneous respiration. Thereafter, both the patients showed an improvement in hypoxia. Intraopera-tive hypoxia that is suspected to be caused by atelectasis can be improved by securing sufficient lung volume for respiration through increased muscle tone with spontaneous respiration

Research on high-volume fly ash concrete, which utilizes large quantities of fly ash, has been actively conducted to promote resource recycling and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. However, while cement mixed with fly ash exhibits different temperature sensitivities compared to traditional cement, its hydration and mechanical properties vary depending on curing conditions. Despite this, there is a significant gap in research on this topic. In this study, high-volume fly ash concrete was produced with fly ash replacement rates of 35 % and 55 %. Compression strength tests were performed at various curing ages under three different curing temperature conditions, and the results were analyzed. Additionally, an isothermal calorimeter was used to analyze hydration characteristics under different curing conditions. The results indicated that concrete with high fly ash content was more sensitive to curing temperature compared to ordinary Portland cement.

Our lives are comprised of moment-to-moment activity experiences. According to the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO), our occupational experiences can be affected by volition, which consists of personal causation, values, and interests. This study investigated how momentary volition affected occupational satisfaction and mind-wandering while performing occupations. This study also examined the relationship between momentary volition and the overall life perspectives of life satisfaction and life balance. Undergraduate students participated in this cross-sectional study. The experience sampling method (ESM) was used to measure students’ momentary states such as activity, volition, occupational satisfaction, and mind-wandering. After conducting the ESM, the participants’ life satisfaction was measured using the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and their life balance was measured by the Life Balance Inventory (LBI). Forty-two participants and 1,092 sampling data were included in the analysis. Momentary personal causation, values, and interests contributed to occupational satisfaction. Mind-wandering was predicted negatively by interests but positively by personal causation. Momentary interests were positively correlated with SWLS and LBI scores. This study demonstrated that momentary volition was associated with occupational satisfaction and engagement, as well as life satisfaction and balance, in undergraduate students.

Refractive index measurements have been an important task for a long time because that index plays an essential role in describing the optical properties of a material. Many methods have been developed to perform that task. Some of them use interferometry to achieve high precision, however these configurations are complicated. Some measure the critical angle using simple structures, but the accuracy is not satisfactory because it is difficult to judge the exact critical angle with intensity variations. Here we propose several new schemes based on measuring the polarization change in the total internal reflection. The proposed method has the merits of simple structure and easy incident angle determination that gives the maximum phase change. Additionally, it is possible to find the material dispersion by measuring the wavelength dependence of the polarization ellipticity. Some useful formulas relating the refractive index with the maximum phase change are obtained. This work can provide valuable alternatives for index measurement.

Liver cirrhosis leads to hepatic dysfunction and life-threatening conditions. Though clinical efficacy of autologous bone marrow-drived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) transplantation in alcoholic cirrhosis (AC) was demonstrated, the relevant mechanism has not been elucidated. We aimed to identify predictive factors and gene/pathways for responders after autologous BM-MSC transplantation. Fifty-five patients with biopsy-proven AC underwent autologous BM-MSC transplantation. The characteristics of responders who showed improvement in fibrosis score (≥ 1) after transplantation were compared with those of non-responders. BM-MSCs were analyzed with cDNA microarrays to identify genes and pathways that were differentially expressed in responder after transplantation. Thirty-three patients (66%) were responders. In the multivariate analysis, initial high Laennec score (p=0.007, odds ratio 3.73) and performance of BM-MSC transplantation (p=0.033, odds ratio 5.75) were predictive factors for responder. Three genes (olfactory receptor 2L8, microRNA4520-2, and chloride intracellular channel protein 3) were upregulated in responders and 11 metabolic pathways (inositol phosphate, ATP-binding cassette transporters, protein kinase signaling, extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, endocytosis, phagosome, hematopoietic cell lineage, adipocytokine, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, fat digestion/absorption, and insulin resistance) were upregulated in non-responders (p<0.05). BM-MSC transplantation is warranted treatment for AC patients with high Laennec score. Cell-based therapy utilizing response-relating genes or pathway can be treatment candidate.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), belonging to the transforming growth factor-β superfamily, regulate many cellular activities including proliferation and neovascularization. The use of recombinant human bone morphogenic protein 2 (rh-BMP 2) in oral and maxillofacial surgery has seen a tremendous increase, especially with bone grafting materials to promote bone reconstruction processes; even though its interactions with the other essential processes in the human tissues are still not fully clear. investigating the effect of administrating rh-bmp2 on the clinical values of the gingival cell proliferation index Ki67 marker expression in the gingival tissue in comparison with normal human gingival tissue. The study includes 2 groups in a randomized controlled Clinical Trial: 40 gingival samples; 20 normal and 20 have been treated with 0.25µg of rh-BMP2 during dental implantation in the posterior mandible area, taken 3 months later in the time of healing abutments installation using a tissue puncher. Samples will be stained with hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemically. The expression of Ki67 will be measured in one way: the number of cells that express the marker. The comparison between groups will be done using One -a way ANOVA test in the numerical data SPSS 17.0 will be used as software. Differences would be considered significant at P=0.05. It is considered that rh-BMP2 can improve gingival tissue proliferation in patients undergoing dental implant treatment, and indicates better healing.

The essay focuses, from a sociological perspective, on the phenomenon of depopulation of Inner Areas in Italy. In this areas, younger generations, live a great inequality that exposed them to risk of social vulnerability. So, on the one hand, the desire to leave their community is growing among younger, on the other hand, the desire to deal with extreme adverse conditions is falling down. The research aims to explore the depopulation phenomenon in the context of Southern Italy, considering it as an emerging social vulnerability that impacts very deeply onto the sustainability of a social, economic and community systems such as the Molise region one. The following paper therefore presents an empirical web-survey conducted in the Molise region. The methodology used is Quantitative, and the research design is Exploratory. The essay underlines how proximity welfare can act as a flywheel to counter the depopulation Inner Areas of Italy enacted by the younger generations.

To accurately determine the refractive error of the eye, sufficient relaxation of eye accommodation is essential, either through the fogging technique or pharmacological cycloplegia. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical information revealed after cycloplegia and assess how age and non-cycloplegic refractive status influence the classification of eye refractive error. We analyzed the records of 472 non-population-based subjects aged 3–28 years (mean ± SD: 9.1 ± 4.6) who attended a private ophthalmology practice from January 2018 to December 2020. Cycloplegia was induced with one drop of cyclopentolate 1% in each eye, and refraction was measured 30 ± 5 min later using an objective autorefractometer. The average spherical equivalent (SE) difference (mean ± SD) induced by cycloplegia was 0.72 ± 0.73 D, with the highest difference observed in the 3-5 years age group (1.18 ± 0.85 D). Gender had no significant effect on the SE values before or after cycloplegia (p &gt; 0.05). Cycloplegia caused a hyperopic refractive shift in 83% of participants, no shift in 12%, and a myopic refractive shift in 6%. This study highlights the importance of cycloplegia use in children and young adults.

This research studies the impact of shopping tourism on retail sales and rents, using the Covid-19 pandemic as a quasi-experiment. Shopping tourism refers to individuals who travel primarily for shopping purposes, and their spending patterns can have significant effects on the retail sector. The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted global travel and resulted in a decline in shopping tourist arrivals, leading to a downturn in sales for retailers dependent on shopping tourism. Additionally, the decline in shopping tourism affected retail rents, as the reduced demand for retail spaces posed challenges for property owners in attracting tenants. The study focuses on Hong Kong, a prominent shopping destination, which experienced a significant decline in tourist arrivals and retail sales during the pandemic. The research analyzes the relationship between tourist arrivals, retail sales, and rents using time series analysis and identifies the impact of shopping tourism on retail spaces and rents. The findings suggest a positive association between tourist arrivals and retail sales, particularly during the period of shopping tourism growth. However, the pandemic severely reduced this effect, revealing the impact of shopping tourists on the retail sector. The study concludes by discussing the implications on retail resilience and highlighting the need for further research on the impacts of shopping tourists on retail sales and rents.

Recently, methods to detect DoS and spoofing attacks that occur on in-vehicle networks using CAN Protocol are being studied through deep learning models such as CNN, RNN, and LSTM. These studies have produced significant results in the field of In-Vehicle Network attack detection using deep learning models. In addition, significant results are being achieved through research on applying time series-based deep learning models such as LSTM to detect DoS attacks and replay attacks occurring in in-drone networks by expanding them to drones using the UAVCAN protocol. In this paper, we conducted an experiment to detect in-drone network attacks through non-time series analysis using machine learning models and deep learning models, and through appropriate learning for each attack type, it can also be analyzed through non-time series analysis. The results showed that it was possible to detect attacks.

A new study for CH4 reforming to hydrogen and hydrogen storage was performed using magnesium-based alloy. MgH2-12Ni (with the composition of 88 wt% MgH2 + 12 wt% Ni) was prepared in a planetary ball mill by milling in hydrogen atmosphere (reaction-involved milling). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were performed for the samples after reaction-involved milling and after reactions with CH4. The variation of adsorbed or desorbed gas with time was measured by a Sieverts’ type high-pressure apparatus at 773 K. The microstructures of the powders were observed using scanning transmission microscope (STEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The synthesized samples were also characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. XRD pattern of MgH2-12Ni after reaction with CH4 of 12 bar at 773 K and decomposition under 1.0 bar at 773 K exhibited phases of MgH2 and Mg2NiH4. This shows that reforming of CH4 was occurred, hydrogen produced after reforming of CH4 was then adsorbed on the particles, and hydrides were formed during cooling to room temperature. Ni and Mg2Ni formed during heating up to 773 K are believed to have brought about catalytic effects for reforming CH4. MgH2-12Ni adsorbed 0.8 wt% reformed CH4 within 1 min in a reaction with CH4 of 12 bar at 773 K and then desorbed 0.8 wt% reformed CH4 (hydrogen-containing mixture) within 1 min under 1 bar at 773 K. Attenuated total reflectance FT-IR spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) spectra of MgH2-12Ni after reactions under 12 bar CH4 at 723 K and 773 K showed peaks of C-H bending, C=C stretching, O-H stretching, O-H bending, and C-O stretching.

Recent studies have demonstrated a relationship between poor vitamin D status and respiratory infections and diarrhea among young children. Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) and diarrhea are among the two most important causes of death in under-5 children. In this analysis, we examine the extent to which vitamin-D deficiency (<10 ng/ml) predicts these outcomes using data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of daily folic acid and/ or vitamin B12 supplementation for six months in 6 to 30 months old children conducted in Delhi, India. Of the 960 subjects who had vitamin-D concentrations measured, 331(34.5%) were vitamin-D deficient. We found, after controlling for relevant potential confounders (age, sex, breastfeeding status, wasting, stunting, underweight, anemia status at base line and season), the risk of ALRI was significantly higher among vitamin-D deficient (OR 1.26; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.55) compared to vitamin-D-replete children in the six months follow-up period. Vitamin-D status was not significantly associated with episodes of diarrhea and clinical pneumonia. The extent of causal relationship of vitamin-D status and ALRI needs to be explored in further studies.

Quantitative analysis of human gait is critical for early discovery, progressive tracking, and rehabilitation of neurological and musculoskeletal disorders, such as Parkinson’s Disease, stroke, and Cerebral Palsy. Gait analysis typically involves estimating gait characteristics, such as spatio-temporal gait parameters and gait health indicators (e.g., step time, length, symmetry, and balance). Traditional methods of gait analysis involve the use of cameras, wearables, and force plates, but are limited in operational requirements when applied in daily life - such as direct line-of-sight, carrying devices, and dense deployment. This paper introduces a novel approach for gait analysis by passively sensing footstep-induced floor vibrations during walking using vibration sensors mounted on the floor surface. Our approach is non-intrusive, scalable, and perceived as more privacy-friendly, making it suitable for continuous gait health monitoring in daily life. We developed a floor vibration-based gait analysis framework to estimate various gait parameters that are used as standard metrics in medical practices, including temporal parameters (step, stride, stance, swing, double-support, single-support time) and spatial parameters (step length, width, angle, stride length), and extracts gait health indicators (cadence/walking speed, left-right symmetry, gait balance, initial contact types). The main challenge is that floor vibrations are distinct across different floor types. To address this challenge, our approach develops floor-adaptive algorithms to extract floor-specific features and is designed to be generalizable to various settings, including homes, hospitals, and eldercare facilities. We evaluate our approach through real-world walking experiments with 20 adults with 12,231 labeled gait cycles across concrete and wooden floors. Our results show 90.5% (RMSE 0.08s), 71.3% (RMSE 0.38m), and 92.3% (RMSPE 7.7%) accuracy in estimating temporal, spatial parameters, and gait health indicators, respectively.

Cementitious materials exhibit excellent binding properties and micropore structures that support the stabilization of TiO2 nanoparticles within the matrix. Therefore, these materials are ideal for the development of functional construction products with TiO2 nanoparticles. This study investigated the degree of hydration, microstructure, and mechanical properties of cement-containing TiO2 nanoparticles. The experimental results demonstrated that TiO2 nanoparticles accelerated the hydration rate of cement, reducing the setting times. Moreover, TiO2 nanoparticles changed matrix microstructure, decreasing the porosity and improving early-age strength. Although TiO2 nanoparticles function as nucleation sites in the cement hydration reaction, the tendency of the particles to clump implies that proper dispersion should be ensured when mixing in large quantities. When developing new building materials incorporating TiO2 nanoparticles, considering the effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on the hydration reaction of cementitious materials is crucial.

Regulatory T cells are key immune cells to initiate tolerable immune responses. TGFβ is the key cytokine of regulatory T cells. TGFβ is also the master cytokine to stimulate tissue fibrosis. Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease related to overt organ fibrosis. Thus, systemic sclerosis is a disease related to regulatory T cell over-representation. Besides, many end stage organ failures including heart failure, liver cirrhosis, uremia, and pulmonary fibrosis also related to tissue fibrosis. Thus, TGFβ producing regulatory T cells are also involved in the pathogenesis of these end stage organ failure. Once we know the significance of TGFβ and it induced tolerable immune reactions in the pathophysiology of end organ failure, we can develop better prevention or therapeutic strategies to combat these detrimental disorders.

Background: This study aimed to present the development process and characteristics of the Korean Registry of Acute Myocardial Infarction for Regional Cardiocerebrovascular Centers (KRAMI-RCC). Methods: We developed KRAMI-RCC, a web-based registry for patients with AMI. Patients from 14 RCCs were registered for more than 3 years from July 2016. It includes an automatic error-checking system, and user training and on-site monitoring are performed to manage data quality. Results: A total of 11,700 AMI patients were registered in KRAMI-RCC over 3 years (73.9% men). The proportions of patients with ST-elevation and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction at discharge were 43.4% and 56.6%, respectively. Of the total 3-year patients, 5.6% died in the hospital and 4.4% died 12 months after discharge. The case fatality within 12 months was 9.7%. Prehospital care data showed delayed arrival time after onset of symptoms (median 153 min) and low transportation rate by public ambulance (25.2%). Post-hospital care data showed lower participation rate in the second rehabilitation program (16.8%). Conclusions: The recently developed KRAMI-RCC registry has been more focused on pre-hospital and post-hospital data, which will be helpful in understanding the current state of AMI disease management and in making policy decisions to reduce case fatality in Korea.

Pericytes are increasingly recognized as being important in the control of blood-brain barrier permeability and vascular flow. Research on this important cell type has been hindered by widespread confusion regarding the phenotypic identity and nomenclature of pericytes and other perivascular cell types. In addition, pericyte heterogeneity and mouse-human species differences have contributed to confusion. Herein we summarize our present knowledge on the identification of pericytes and pericyte subsets in humans, primarily focusing on recent findings in humans and nonhuman primates. Precise identification and definition of pericytes and pericyte subsets in humans may help us to better understand pericyte biology and develop new therapeutic approaches specifically targeting disease-associated pericyte subsets.

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) is an important candidate gene in musculoskeletal phenotypes. Polymorphisms in VDR have been previously associated with several pathologies and muscular strength in athletes and elderly people, however literature reported contradictory results. The object of this research is to verify the association between the most studied VDR variants (rs2228570, rs7975232, and rs1544410) and the increase of muscle mass in elite young soccer players. A sample of 55 soccer players (15-18 years old) form a professional team was selected for this study. DNA was extracted by salting out method and polymorphisms were genotyped by PCR-RFLP, followed by 2% agarose gel electrophoresis. To test the effect of the three SNPs, logistic regression analysis was applied. Body composition was carried out through skinfold thickness method, and muscular area of arm and lower limb were calculated using Frisancho formulas. All three polymorphisms met Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p &gt; 0.05) and their frequencies fell within the worldwide variability. A significant correlation between rs1544410 and increase of calf muscle mass was observed. Individuals carrying A allele showed higher calf muscular mass than those carrying the G allele (p = 0.034). Moreover, haplotype analysis applied to the two SNPs in linkage disequilibrium (rs7975232 and rs1544410), showed that AG haplotype resulted negatively correlated to calf muscle area. In conclusion, we confirm an association between VDR polymorphisms and muscular mass that could encourage the genetic screening of VDR gene to identify a potential risk of injury and for individual nutritional interventions.

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

Accumulating reports have suggested that an inability to clear dead cells is a cause of inflammation and cancer and that the fascia is associated with cancer metastasis. Novel corpuscle-connected filiform structures (CCFSs) entangled on the fascia of the internal organs of rats were selectively visualized with high repeatability (93%) under vital staining with Janus Green B (JGB). Serial sections of CCFSs stained with haematoxylin and eosin and with Mattson Trichrome were microscopically examined. In parallel, the immunohistochemistry with CD31, Lyve 1, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were also used to investigate the novel properties of the CCFSs. All of the CCFSs enclosed JGB-stained granules, which was verified by the impromptu coupling of stereo and light microscopes and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The functions of the CCFSs were discovered under fluorescence microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy to be implicated in cell death: fragmented DNAs and f-actins with extracellular DNAs. The dead cells in the CCFSs were verified by using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling and TEM. Moreover, the CCFS had a relatively-high concentration of calcium, a main element for cell death in tissue, which was measured in 2-dimensionally images using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. Taken these results, we report for the first time that novel reticular CCFSs are widely entangled on the fascia of the internal organs of rats with the implication for cell death.

Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) using an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) enables determination of room-temperature structures without causing radiation damage. Using an optical pump-probe or mix-and-injection, SFX enables the intermediate state visualization of a molecular reaction. In SFX experiments, serial and stable microcrystal delivery to the X-ray interaction point is vital for reasonable data collection and efficient beam time. The Pohang Accelerator Laboratory X-ray Free Electron Laser (PAL-XFEL) facility established SFX instruments at a nanocrystallography and coherent imaging (NCI) experimental station. Various sample delivery methods, including injection, fixed-target scanning, and hybrid methods, have been developed and applied to collect XFEL diffraction data. Herein, we review the currently available sample delivery methods for SFX at the NCI experimental station at the PAL-XFEL. This article will help PAL-XFEL users access the SFX system for their experiments.