(1) Background: Extremely low alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels are be-ing recognized as a risk factor of increasing mortality in the elderly in relation to frailty. In the elderly, both frailty and ischemic stroke are not only common, but also associated with mortality. This study aimed to investigate whether extremely low ALT levels increase the all-cause mortality rate in the elderly after ischemic stroke. (2) Methods: A retrospective review was performed on 901 patients with ischemic stroke admitted to a university-affiliated hospital between February 2014 and April 2019. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis was performed to determine whether extremely low ALT lev-els are an independent risk factor of mortality in elderly patients after ischem-ic stroke. (3) Results: This study enrolled 323 older adults (age ≥65 years) who were first diagnosed with ischemic stroke. The mean age of the participants was 76.5 ± 6.6 years, mean survival time was 37.1 ± 20.4 months, and the num-ber of deaths was 96 (29.7%). The multivariate Cox proportional hazard analy-sis revealed that the risk factors for all-cause mortality in the elderly after is-chemic stroke were age, initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, serum creatinine, and extremely low ALT level (<10 U/L) at the time of diag-nosis (adjusted hazard ratio: 3.243, 95% confidence interval: 1.945–5.408; P < 0.001) (4) Conclusions: Extremely low ALT level at the time of diagnosis (<10 U/L) is an independent risk factor that increases the mortality rate in the el-derly after ischemic stroke.

A simple model has been used to investigate the nature of chemical order in Na-Pb and Na-Hg liquid binary alloy at 700K and 673K respectively. The energy parameter obtained from the model was used to calculate the concentration dependent mixing properties such as Gibb’s free energy of mixing, Concentration fluctuations in the long wavelength limit and the Warren-Cowley chemical short range order parameter. Results obtained showed that both alloys are hetero-coordinated throughout the entire concentration and there is tendency for segregation and demixing to take place in the liquid alloys. We observed that Na-Hg liquid alloy is more strongly interacting binary alloy and chemically ordered than Na-Pb liquid alloy.

Intermetallic compounds are increasingly being expected to utilize in tribological environments, but to date the works are hindered by insufficient ductility at low and medium temperature. This paper presents a novel multiphase intermetallic alloy with the chemical composition of Mo-40Ni-13Si (at.%). Microstructure characterization reveals that a certain amount of ductile Mo phases formed during the solidification process of ternary Mo-Ni-Si alloy melt, which is undoubtedly beneficial to the ductility improvement of intermetallic alloy. Tribological properties of the designed alloy, including wear resistance, friction coefficient and metallic tribological compatibility, were evaluated under dry sliding wear test conditions at room temperature. Results suggested that the multiphase alloy possesses an excellent property for room-temperature wear applications, which is attributed to the unique microstructural features and thereby good combination in hardness and ductility. The corresponding wear mechanism is also reported by observing the worn surface, subsurface and wear debris of alloy, which to be found is soft abrasive wear.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been postponed due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The implications for industries related to the Olympics—tourism, hotels and restaurants, and others—are expected to be affected by reduced demand. Japanese workers in these industries were prepared to offer their hospitality to visitors from around the world. They would be satisfied from not only an increase in income but also in offering visitors a taste of Tokyo’s great hospitality if the Olympics had been held in 2020. However, postponement of the sporting event is likely to have a significant impact on their happiness level. We independently collected individual-level panel data from March to April 2020. Based on this, we found that the happiness level of workers in the tourism and restaurant sectors declined drastically after the announcement of the postponement. Only two weeks later, their happiness level did not alter from the pre-announcement level. This tendency was strongly observed in Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures, but not in other prefectures. However, workers engaged in the tourism and restaurant sectors did not predict a decrease in their income even after the postponement. Combined, these findings indicate that loss of extending hospitality, rather than reduction in income, temporarily reduces the happiness level of workers.

The excessive intake of sodium (Na) and insufficient intake of potassium (K) are major concerns to prevent hypertension. Using low-Na/K seasonings (reducing 25% of the NaCl and adding K salt) may improve the dietary Na/K ratio and help prevent hypertension. To devise an intervention study using low-Na/K seasonings at a company cafeteria, we calculated the Na and K contents of the meals served at the cafeteria and estimated changes in the intakes when suitable low-Na/K seasonings were used. We also considered using milk as a good source of K. We used an ingredient list of a company cafeteria and calculated Na and K contents in each dish. The average amounts of NaCl and K per use were 5.04 g and 718 mg, respectively. Seasonings contributed 70.9% of the NaCl. With the use of low-Na/K seasonings, an estimated reduction in NaCl of 0.8 g/day and an estimated increase in K of 308 mg/day was achieved. An additional serving (200 mL) of milk, NaCl was reduced by 0.57 g/day and K was increased by 610 mg/day, with an overall decrease in the dietary Na/K ratio from 3.20 to 2.40. The use of low-Na/K seasonings and dairy may improve the dietary Na/K ratio among cafeteria users and help prevent hypertension.

Chitosan (CS) nanoparticles are under investigation for a wide range of applications in nanomedicine. The structural, molecular and physicochemical properties of chitosan nanoparticles have a direct bearing on their efficacy in drug conjugation and delivery, gene delivery, and tissue engineering. Herein we report on the structural, morphological and molecular properties of chitosan nanoparticles synthesized using the ionic gelation method with the intended purpose of being used for drug delivery. The chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs) were prepared in the 0.25 to 1.0% w/v concentration range, whereas separate samples of the 1.0% w/v CS-NPs were also functionalized with polyethylene oxide (PEO) alone and with a diblock copolymer of PEO and polypropylene glycol (PPG). The average size of the CS-NPs was determined from TEM imaging to be in the range of 11.3 to 14.8 nm. The XRD and TEM analyses show that the CS-NPs have semi-crystalline structure with the degree of crystallinity depending upon the nature of synthesis. Our results show that functionalizing the 1.0% w/v CS-NPs with PEO increases the degree of crystallinity whereas functionalizing with the diblock copolymer PEO - PPG results in a significant increase in their degree crystallinity. The CS/TPP concentration (CS:TPP fixed at 1:1 ratio) had no apparent effect on the degree of crystallinity of the CS-NPs. The results from the FTIR analysis confirm incorporation of TPP with CS in the CS-NPs. Additionally, FTIR analysis shows an enhancement of hydrogen bonding that is consistent with the increase in the degree of crystallinity of the CS-NPs.

The atomic structures of Zn and Na borophosphate glasses were studied by X-ray and neutron diffraction. Peaks assigned to the B−O, P−O, and O−O distances confirm that only BO4 units co-exist with the PO4 tetrahedra. The Zn−O and Na−O coordination numbers are found to be a little larger than four. The narrowest peaks of the Zn−O first-neighbor distances exist for the glasses along a line connecting the Zn(PO3)2 and BPO4 compositions (50 mol% P2O5) which is explained by networks of ZnO4, BO4, and PO4 tetrahedra with twofold coordinated oxygens. Calculated amounts of the available oxygen support this interpretation. Broadened peaks occur for glasses with lower P2O5 contents, consistent with the presence of threefold coordinated oxygens. The two distinct P−O peak components of the Zn and Na borophosphate glasses differ in their relative abundances which is interpreted by Na+ cations that coordinate oxygens in some P−O−B bridges, something not seen for the Zn2+ ions.

Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent and serious brain disorders, affecting 70 million people worldwide. Antiseizure medications (ASMs) though relieve symptoms and prevent the occurrence of future seizures in epileptic patients have limited effect on epileptogenesis. Addressing the multifaceted nature of epileptogenesis and its association with Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-mediated neuroinflammation requires a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms for development of targeted therapeutic strategies beyond conventional antiseizure treatments. Several types of NLRP3 inhibitors have been developed and their effect has been validated both in vitro and in vivo models of epileptogenesis. In this review, we discuss the advances in understanding the regulatory mechanisms of NLRP3 activation as well as progress made and challenges facing in the development of NLRP3 inhibitors for the treatment of epilepsy.

Artificial intelligence (AI) agents are widely used in the retail and distribution industry, often in-corporating human-like elements such as possessing names and genders. This paper examines the influence of AI agent gender and brand concepts on trust and grounding within virtual brand spaces; exploring the correlation between user identification with AI agents and subsequent brand recommendations. The study revealed that in virtual brand spaces centered around a functional concept, male AI agents generated higher levels of trust than female AI agents, whereas, when focused on an experiential concept, female AI agents induced higher levels of grounding than male AI agents. Furthermore, this research indicates that the association between customers’ iden-tification with AI agents and recommendations for actual brand purchases is mediated by trust and grounding. These findings support the idea that users who strongly identify with AI agents are more inclined to recommend brand products after engaging in conversations within the virtu-al brand space.

Introduction With the global population increasingly relying on the internet for information, YouTube has emerged as a significant platform for communication and information sharing, particularly in the field of medicine. However, concerns persist regarding the reliability and quality of medical information on YouTube, given the lack of regulation and guidelines. This study aims to systematically evaluate the reliability of health-related information on YouTube. Methods: Data collection was conducted in September 2023 on YouTube, with stringent selection criteria for videos. Videos were evaluated using the "Internet Health Information Certification Standards" by the Korean Medical Association and the Global Quality Scale. A plastic surgeon assessed information quality based on specific criteria. The study analyzed the influence of keywords on information accessibility and compared the evaluation tools. Results: 76 Korean search results were analyzed using keywords. Certified South Korean medical providers appeared more in "ptosis surgery" results (50%) than "droopy eyelid diagnosis" (5%). Medical professionals produced 86.7% of videos, with some non-medical content. "Ptosis surgery" had the highest KMA scale score (16.3), "droopy eyelid diagnosis" the lowest (13.8). Out of 76 videos, 39 by plastic surgeons, 20 by ophthalmologists, and 5 by dermatologists. A GQS comparison showed specialists with higher scores (3.12) than non-specialists (1.53). Conclusion: YouTube and similar platforms offer valuable access to medical information, but quality and reliability remain significant concerns. Collaborative efforts from government agencies, medical organizations, and users are essential to enhance the quality of online health information. Users should also cultivate critical thinking skills to discern trustworthy information.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a vital economic vegetable crop, and TRM (TONNEAU1 Recruiting Motif) gene plays a key role in cucumber organ growth. However, the pan-genomic characteristics of the TRM gene family and their expression patterns under different stresses have not been reported in cucumber. In this study, we identified 29 CsTRMs from the pan-genomes of 13 cucumber accessions, with CsTRM29 existing only in PI183967. Most CsTRM proteins exhibited differences in sequence length, except five CsTRMs having consistent protein sequence lengths among the 13 accessions. All CsTRM proteins showed amino acid variations. Analysis of CsTRM gene expression patterns revealed that six CsTRM genes strongly changed in short-fruited lines compared with long-fruited lines. And four CsTRM genes strongly responded to salt and heat stress, while CsTRM14 showed responses to salt stress, powdery mildew, gray mold and downy mildew. Some CsTRM genes were induced or suppressed at different treatment timepoint, suggesting that cucumber TRM genes may play different roles in responses to different stresses, with expression patterns varying with stress changes. Remarkably, the expression of CsTRM21 showed considerable change between long and short fruit and in responses to abiotic stresses (salt stress, heat stress) as well as biotic stresses (powdery mildew, gray mold), suggesting a dual role of CsTRM21 in both fruit shape determination and stress resistance. Collectively, this study provided a base for further functional identification of CsTRM genes in cucumber plant growth and stress resistance.

White oak mortality is a significant concern in forest ecosystems due to its impact on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Understanding the factors influencing white oak mortality is crucial for effective forest management and conservation efforts. In this study, we aimed to investigate the spatial pattern of white oak mortality rates at different locations of the eastern US and explore the underlying processes involved with the spatial distribution patterns. Multicycle Forest Inventory and Analysis data were compiled to capture white oak plots across the eastern US. White oak mortality data were collected across plot systems that utilized Diameter at Breast Height between two periods. Ripley’s K function was used to study the spatial pattern of white oak mortality rate. Results found clustered patterns at both local and broad scales and random patterns at broad scales only across the southern and northern regions. However, the central region indicated both clustered and random patterns at local scale only. We found uniform patterns at a broad scale across all regions. Our findings demonstrated the importance of the spatial pattern of the white oak mortality rate and the underlying factors associated with it. This research can inform forest management practices for the conservation of white oak populations at varying scales. Future research is needed for a comprehensive assessment of biotic and abiotic factors for forest management strategies at various spatial scales aimed at mitigating white oak mortality.

Background: Despite tremendous efforts to reduce neonatal mortality worldwide and in 24 Ethiopia, there is the country is one of the countries with highest neonatal morbidity and health 25 losses. Never the less, the past three decades’ national trend and subnational distribution of 26 neonatal morbidity and mortality and its health loss in Ethiopia, was not well documented. 27 Hence, this study had aimed to analyze the trend and distributions as well as health losses 28 resulting from neonatal morbidity in the past three decades in Ethiopia, 2019. 29 Objective: To assess the national trend and sub national distributions of neonatal morbidity and 30 neonatal mortality in the previous three decades by using Global Burden of Diseases, 2019 data. 31 Methods: The data sources were primary and secondary data related to risk factors, morbidity, 32 disability, deaths, Disability Adjusted Life Years, Years Lived with Disability and Years Life Lost 33 were collected form case studies and case series, household surveys, socio-demographic surveys 34 and surveillances, health facilities surveys, Health facility observations and interviews and 35 published and unpublished literatures. The prevalence, deaths and health losses were calculated 36 by using embedded model. The study period covered from 1990 to 2019. Results were presented 37 buy using texts, tables and graphs. 38 Results: Seventy percent of neonatal disorders had occurred among early neonates aged 0 to 6 39 days. Between 1990 and 2019, the national prevalence of neonatal disorders had increased by 40 47% in to 28,319 (95% UI, 25646-30,361). Bet Similarly, the highest number of neonatal deaths 41 caused by neonatal sepsis had shifted from Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples region to 42 Oromia region while Harari remains to bear the lowest burden in the last three decades. The 43 highest and the lowest YLL as a result of neonatal disorders had occurred in Oromia 44 [(2,753,038,95% UI, 2,184,142-3,497-926) and Amhara 1,360,847 [(95% UI, 95% UI, 45 1,062,660-1,762,028)] regions respectively. Unlike other regions, Addis Ababa had the highest 46 (52%) prevalence of preterm birth in 2019 47 Conclusion and Recommendation: About seven in ten of neonatal death had occurred among 48 early neonates indicating narrowed occurrence of the event. The highest and the lowest number 49 of neonatal death and health loss had occurred in Oromia and Harari regions respectively. The 50 main causes of death were neonatal sepsis and other infections, neonatal preterm, hemolytic 51 disease and other jaundice and neonatal encephalopathy and trauma. Hence, Contextualized, 52 locally accepted innovative early neonatal care is crucial to avert the event.

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

In this work, satellite data from the Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments is analyzed to determine how the global absorbed sunlight and global entropy generation rate have changed during the time period from 2002 to 2023. The data is used to test hypotheses derived from the Maximum Power Principle (MPP) and Maximum Entropy Production Principle (MEP) about the evolution of earth’s surface and atmosphere. The results indicate that the amount of absorbed sunlight has increased over the last 20 years but rising surface temperatures have caused the entropy generation rate to remain approximately constant despite that decrease in albedo. The results are simpler to explain using the MPP but do not completely rule out the MEP. Given the acceptance of the MPP or MEP, some extensions and nuances are discussed.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether chronic undernutrition modifies the response to rostafuroxin in juvenile rats. Chronic undernutrition was induced in male rats using a multideficient diet known as Regional Basic Diet (RBD), mimicking alimentary habits in impoverished regions worldwide. Animals were given RBD – or a control/CTRL normal diet for rodents – from weaning to 90 days, and rostafuroxin (1 mg/kg body mass) or vehicle were orally administered during the last 30 days. Undernourished rats became hypertensive at 55–60 days of age (tail-cuff recording). During the last two days, the rats were hosted in metabolic cages to measure food/energy, water, Na+ ingestion, and urinary volume. Blood and kidneys were collected after euthanasia. Rostafuroxin increased food/energy and Na+ intake in CTRL and RBD rats but had opposite effects on Na+ balance (intake minus urinary excretion): negative in CTRL and positive in RBD. The drug normalized the decreased plasma Na+ concentration found in RBD rats, increased urinary volume in RBD but not in CTRL, and decreased and increased urinary Na+ concentration in the RBD and CTRL groups, respectively. Rostafuroxin decreased the ouabain-sensitive (Na++K+)ATPase and increased the ouabain-resistant, furosemide-sensitive Na+-ATPase from proximal tubule cells in both groups, and normalized the systolic blood pressure in RBD without effect in CTRL rats. We conclude that chronic undernutrition modifies the response of blood pressure, caloric metabolism, Na+ distribution in liquid compartments, mobilization of Na+ from non-osmotic compartments, Na+ and water balance, and activity of renal Na+-transporting ATPases to rostafuroxin.

In a global context, the story of the Jesuit compound in Shanghai, since its establishment by French Jesuits in 1847, reflected not only conflicts between rival powers in Europe but also the fight for their interests in the Eastern world. The Pope, who was stuck without legal status in the Vatican after 1861, was also seeking the chance to save the authority of the Church in the face of questions regarding the extent of his temporal power and the status of Rome in the context of Italian unification. As in the Reformation, a break-through in the east seemed to offer a solution for losses in Europe. However, the Jesuits to the East in the late 19th century were not only troops working and fighting on behalf of the Pope; their identities under the French Protectorate added complexity to an already complicated story involving not just the Church, but the course of world history.The female Catholic orders at the east bank of Zi-ka-wei compound became a unique window to approach the complexity.

The scalp is a unique anatomical region with distinct challenges for reconstruction, especially in cases of melanoma excision. This study explores the utilization of the O-Z flap technique as an alternative approach for patients with melanoma, where traditional free flap reconstruction may not be feasible due to age or underlying health conditions. However, in this case, the patient had a history of angina and was unwilling to undergo a long operation due to his advanced age. This study highlights the importance of following NCCN guidelines for melanoma resection margins based on tumor thickness and underscores the value of staged resection planning to minimize deficits. This requires an individualized approach as each patient may have different circumstances (general health condition, age, compliance, etc.). So we planned a staged excision first. In the first surgery, we would resect the tumor minimally and then determine the exact size of the tumor. Then, in the second surgery, we resected it with a safety margin according to the guidelines. The O-Z flap, a local flap with an "O"-shaped defect and "Z"-shaped incision line, is introduced as a reconstructive option. The surgical procedure, advantages, and limitations of this approach are discussed. This study provides valuable insights into achieving successful scalp reconstruction while considering aesthetic outcomes and patient-specific factors.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) poses a significant public health challenge due to its irreversible and progressive nature while lack of a cure. As a potential strategy to combat AD, its prevention becomes increasingly attractive. Mild Cognitive Impairment due to AD (MCI-AD) represents a critical transitional stage between normal age-related cognitive decline and more severe AD conditions, occurring just before dementia onset. Unfortunately, there is currently no established animal model that accurately recapitulates MCI-AD characteristics. While many laboratories have traditionally used normally aged wild-type animals as experimental models, this approach falls short in representing the inherently worse state of MCI-AD compared to normal aging. To address this gap, we introduce an animal model—a transgenic mouse line with genetic inactivation of G protein-coupled receptor kinase-5 (GRK5), commonly known as the GRK5 knockout (GRK5KO) mouse. These GRK5KO mice exhibit amnesia, cognitive deficits, increased β-amyloid levels, neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) immunopositive axonopathy, and hippocampal neurodegenerative changes. Importantly, these pathological alterations predominantly impact the entorhinal, transentorhinal, and hippocampal cortices, aligning with human MCI-AD criteria and Braak stage II of human AD progression. Notably, female GRK5KO mice show approximately 2.5 times more NFT-positive axonopathy than males, mirroring the higher prevalence of AD cases in women. Collectively, existing data strongly supports the GRK5KO mouse as a qualified animal model for studying MCI-AD.

In this study, we evaluated the antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella Typhimurium in fried fish paste using floating electrode-dielectric barrier discharge (FE-DBD) plasma (1.1 kV, 43 kHz, N2 1.5 m/s, 1-60 min). In addition, quality evaluation (pH, VBN) of fried fish paste was conducted after FE-DBD plasma treatment. When FE-DBD plasma was treated for 1, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 60 min, S. aureus decreased by 0.16-1.13 log10 CFU/g, and S. Typhimurium decreased 0.25-1.13 log10 CFU/g. Both decreased &gt; log10 CFU/g at 60 min. The D-value was 58.92 and R2 was 0.97 for S. aureus using first-order kinetics, and the D-value was 43.60 and R2 was 0.97 for S. Typhimurium using the Weibull model. There was no significant difference in pH after FE-DBD plasma treatment (p &gt; 0.05). However, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) significantly decreased as the treatment time increased (p &lt; 0.05), and it was the lowest at 60 min to 3.46. Therefore, FE-DBD plasma treatment could be considered as a technology for preserving the quality of processed foods.

In France, the regional airport’s demand for services is facing challenges due to the continuous expansion of the high-speed train, high-speed line, and highway networks. This study focuses on the viability of regional airports in France through technical efficiency using data envelopment, principle component analysis, Malmquist productivity index, and regression analysis using bootstrapping. To face the current competitive environment, the regional airports in France adopted strategies, such as the construction of low-cost carrier (LCC) dedicated terminals (LCCTs) with lower expenses to attract more LCCs, increasing non-aeronautical revenue, and hosting regional hubs of LCCs. This is the first study that analyzes all of the French regional airports. The findings indicate that the existence of LCCTs positively affects technical efficiency on the airport’s performance, and share of LCCs at a regional airport leads to neither the efficiency nor the profit level.

The recent remarkable progress in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has renewed the discussion on the possibility of human-level AI. Despite the difficulty of the problem and the presence of many large gaps and challenges, most people working in the field think that human-level AI is achievable, but they disagree on the date. In this paper, I briefly discuss the possibility of human-level AI from the perspective of two traditions in the Islamic world, namely Kalam and Sufism, and despite their different mode of investigation, they converge to the same conclusion on this topic.

The implementation of Emissions Trading System (ETS) poses significant challenges for the Indian maritime sector. This paper investigates the regulatory implications of ETS, focusing on how these regulations impact compliance and operational practices within the Indian shipping sector. It also analyzes the economic effects, including the financial burden and competitive dynamics faced by the Indian shipping companies in a global context. Additionally, the paper explores various adaptation strategies, emphasizing technological innovations and operational adjustments essential for navigating ETS requirements. By integrating recent industry data and case studies, this study offers a comprehensive overview of how the Indian shipping industry can effectively address the evolving regulatory landscape of ETS.

As lung cancer shows the highest mortality in cancer related death, serum biomarkers are demanded for the lung cancer diagnosis and its treatment. To discover lung cancer protein biomarkers, secreted proteins from primary cultured lung cancer and adjacent normal tissues from patients were subjected to LC/MS-MS proteomic analysis. Quescin sulfhydryl oxidase(QSOX1) was selected as a biomarker candidate from the proteins enriched in the secretion of lung cancer cells. QSOX1levels were higher in 82% (51 of 62 tissues) of lung cancer tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. Importantly, QSOX1 serum levels were significantly higher in cancer patients (p<0.05, AUC=0.89), when measured by multiple reaction monitoring(MRM). Higher levels of QSOX1 are also uniquely detected in lung cancer tissues among several other solid cancers by immunohistochemistry. QSOX1 knock-downed Lewis lung cancer (LLC) cells was less viable from oxidative stress and had reduced migration and invasion. In addition, LLC mouse models with QSOX1 knock-down also proved that QSOX1 functions in promoting cancer metastasis. In conclusion, QSOX1 might be a lung cancer tissue-derived biomarker and involved in the promotion of lung cancers, and thus can be a therapeutic target for lung cancers.

In pursuit of carbon neutrality, the demand for metals that are necessary for the development of clean energy technologies is rapidly increasing. Metallurgical waste, such as slag, presents a promising secondary source of these key metals. This research aims to develop an eco-friendly hydrometallurgical process to recover Cu, Ni, and Co from discarded copper/nickel slag. The high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) was used to selectively leach Ni, Cu, and Co from the fayalite slag, yielding high leaching efficiencies of 99.9%, 89.4%, and 99.9%, respectively, with low Fe and Si tenors to the pregnant leach solution (PLS). The solvent extraction (SX) technique utilizing LIX 984N was used to selectively extract and enrich copper from the dilute PLS to about 23 g/L Cu with a very low Fe concentration of 0.05 g/L. Potassium amyl xanthate (PAX) solution was used to form Ni and Co xanthate complexes from the raffinate solution. Nickel was selectively recovered using ammonia solution, while cobalt xanthate complex was thermally decomposed and recovered as cobalt oxide solids of about 25 wt.% Co. A comprehensive process flowsheet is presented, furthermore, to realize the real application of the developed slag cleaning process, a preliminary economic evaluation was performed.

Cohesion in the refractory metals Cr, Mo, and W is phenomenologically described in this work via a n-body energy functional with a set of physically motivated parameters that were optimized to reproduce selected experimental properties characteristic of perfect and defective crystals. The functional contains four terms accounting for the hard-core repulsion, the Thomas-Fermi kinetic energy repulsion and for contributions to the binding energy of s and d valence electrons. Lattice dynamics, molecular statics, and molecular dynamics calculations show that this model describes satisfactorily thermodynamic properties of the studied metals whereas, unlike other empirical approaches from the literature, predictions of phonon dispersion relations and of surface and point defect energetics reveal in fair good agreement with experiments. These results suggest that the present model is well adapted to large-scale simulations and whenever total energy calculations of thermodynamic properties are unfeasible

DNA polymerases replicate cell genomes and/or participate in the maintenance of genome integrity. DNA polymerases sharing high sequence homology with E. coli DNA polymerase I (pol I), have been grouped in Family A. Pol I participates in Okazaki fragment maturation and in bacterial genome repair. Since its discovery in 1956, pol I has been extensively studied, primarily to get deeper insights into the mechanism of DNA replication. As research on DNA polymerases advances, many novel functions of this group of polymerases are uncovered. For example, human DNA polymerase θ (a Family A DNA pol) has been shown to synthesize DNA using RNA as a template, a function typically attributed to retroviral reverse transcriptase. A heightened interest in drug discovery against pol θ has emerged due to its roles in cancer. Likewise, Pol I family enzymes also appear attractive drug-development targets against microbial infections. Development of antimalarial compounds targeting apicoplast apPOL, an ortholog of Pol I, further extends the druggability of this family of enzymes. Here, we summarize reported drug-development efforts against Family A polymerases, and future perspective regarding these enzymes as antibiotic targets. Current techniques such artificial intelligence can be used to facilitate the goal of new drugs.

Multi-level direct networks fueled by the evolving technology of active optical cables and increasing pin-bandwidth achieve reduced diameters and cost, with high-radix switches. These networks, like Dragonfly, are becoming the preferred aspirants for extreme high-performance parallel machines such as exa-scale computing. In this paper, we introduce a Hyper Z-Tree topology, which deploys the Z-Tree, a variant of fat-tree, as a computing node of a Generalized Hypercube (GHC) configuration. The resulting configuration provides higher bisection bandwidth, lower latency for some applications and higher throughput. Furthermore, the levels of the fat tree offer several path diversities across the GHC dimensions, hence conceding a more fault tolerant architecture. To profit from these path diversities, we propose two adaptive routing algorithms, which are extensions to the routing algorithm suggested in HyperX topology. These two algorithms exhibit better latencies and throughput than the HyperX.

We consider the second order differential equation y'' + ω^(2)ρ(x)y = 0 where ω is a positive parameter. The principal concern here is to find conditions on the function ρ^(−1/2)(x), which ensure that the consecutive differences of sequences constructed from the zeros of a nontrivial solution of the equation are regular in sign for ω sufficiently large. In particular, if c_(νk)(α) denotes the k-th positive zero of the general Bessel (cylinder) function C_(ν)(x; α) = J_(ν)(x) cos α−Y_(ν)(x) sin α of order ν, and if |ν| < 1/2, we prove that (−1)^(m)∆^(m+2)c_(νk)(α) > 0 (m = 0, 1, 2, ...; k = 1, 2, ...), where ∆a_(k) = a_(k+1) − a_(k). This type of inequalities was conjectured by Lorch and Szego in 1963. We also show that the differences of the zeros of various orthogonal polynomials with higher degrees possess the sign-regularity.

Density Functional Theory (DFT) full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method with the Modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) approximation is used to perform spin polarised calculations of the transition metal perovskites MoScO₃ and WScO₃. Both depict half metallic behaviour with semiconducting and metallic in the minority and majority spins respectively. MoScO₃ and WScO₃ have indirect R− Γ band gaps in the minority spin channels of 3.61 and 3.82eV respectively. Moreover, they both show substantial magnetic moments of 2.99μ_B. In addition, we calculate the dielectric function, optical conductivity and the optical constants, namely, the refractive index, the reflectivity, the extinction and absorption coefficients.

(1) Background: in the context of sustainable development goals (SDGs), this work explores the repair direction of future cultivated land protection policies based on the Smith policy implementation model from the historical evolution to ensure that the cultivated land protection policy does not deviate during the implementation process. (2) Methods: this paper uses literature research and inductive deduction methods to sort out the evolution process of Chinese cultivated land protection policy, summarize the successful experience of transferring the focus of cultivated land protection in chronological order, and conclude the repair direction of Chinese cultivated land protection. (3) Results: although the Chinese cultivated land protection policy in the historical evolution has through three significant phases, there are still certain issues in the development trend of Chinese cultivated land protection policy based on regional division of labor for grain transportation and sales. (4) Conclusion: directly utilizing feedback from farmers as stakeholders will contribute to the maturity and improvement of cultivated land protection policies in the specific implementation of cultivated land protection policies.

To reduce the carbon emissions during heating in the manufacturing process, microwaves have attracted significant attention. Microwave has a lot of advantages rather than traditional heating method such as rapid heating, lower thermal damage and eco-friendly process. In order to apply microwaves to manufacturing process, uniform and efficient heating is required. We have analyzed the effect of various design parameters such as cavity heights, the application of the reflector, and the number and positions of waveguides for uniform and efficient heating by numerical simulation and verified that by experiment. The results showed that a slight change in the cavity height altered the electromagnetic field distribution and heating parameters, such as the coefficient of variance and power absorption efficiency. With reflectors installed, uniform heating was achieved and power absorption was improved, with the spherical reflector showing the maximum efficiency. The use of double waveguides heated the target material in a uniform manner. An increase in the power supply also led to uniform heating. This large-scale analysis will be helpful in applying microwaves to actual industrial sites.

In this paper, we present a study of various ZnO/SiO2-stacked thin film structures for flexible micro-energy harvesting devices. Two groups of micro-energy harvesting devices, SiO2/ZnO/SiO2 micro-energy generators (SZS-MGs) and ZnO/SiO2/ZnO micro-energy generators (ZSZ-MGs), were fabricated by stacking both SiO2 and ZnO thin films, and the resulting devices were characterized. With a particular interest in the fabrication of flexible devices, all the ZnO and SiO2 thin films were deposited on ITO-coated PEN substrates using an RF magnetron sputtering technique. The effects of the thickness and/or position of the SiO2 films on the device performance were investigated by observing the variations of output voltage in comparison with that of a control sample. As a result, compared to the ZnO single-layer device, all the ZSZ-MGs showed much better output voltages, while all the SZS-MG showed only slightly better output voltages. Among the ZSZ-MGs, the highest output voltages were obtained from the ZSZ-MGs where the SiO2 thin films were deposited using a deposition power of 150 W. Overall, the device performance seems to depend significantly on the position as well as the thickness of the SiO2 thin films in the ZnO/ SiO2-stacked multilayer structures, in addition to the processing conditions.

The initiation reactions of DNA synthesis are central processes during human chromosomal DNA replication. They are separated into two main processes: the initiation events at replication origins, the start of the leading strand synthesis for each replicon, and the numerous initiation events taking place during lagging strand DNA synthesis. In addition, a third mechanism is the re-initiation of DNA synthesis after replication fork stalling, which takes place when DNA lesions hinder the progression of DNA synthesis. The initiation of leading strand synthesis at replication origin is regulated at multiple levels, from the origin recognition to the assembly and activation of replicative helicase, the Cdc45-MCM2-7-GINS (CMG) complex. In addition, the multiple interactions of the CMG complex with the eukaryotic replicative DNA polymerases such as DNA polymerase α-primase (Pol α), DNA polymerase δ and ε at replication forks play pivotal roles in the mechanism of initiation reactions including the initiation of signalling unperturbed and stalled replication forks, ‘replication stress’ events, via ATR (ATM-Rad 3-related protein kinase). All these processes are essential for the accurate transfer of the cells’ genetic information to their daughters. Failures and dysfunctions in these processes gives rise to genome instability followed by genetic diseases including cancer. Thus, in their review ‘Hallmarks of Cancer: New Dimensions‘ Hanahan and Weinberg (2022) called genome instability a fundamental function in the development process of cancer cells. In recent years, the understanding of the initiation processes and mechanisms of human DNA replication has made substantial progress at all levels which will be discussed in the review.

The disparity between software design and implementation, especially concerning IoT security and forensics, often lacks clarity and precision. Formal languages, rooted in mathematical rules, logic, and symbols, have proven priceless for expressing specifications and verifying system designs. Various semi-formal and formal languages, such as JSON, XML, predicate logic, and regular expressions, along with formal models like Turing machines, cater to specific domains. This paper introduces a novel formal language, named ObTFL (Object Transaction Formal Language), initially developed for IoT forensics and authentication purposes but later extended to encompass general distributed systems. The paper elucidates the syntax and semantics of ObTFL and presents several case studies showcasing its versatility and effectiveness.

Since the controllers of the variable speed seawater pump and the 3-way valve of a ship central cooling system receive the feedback signal from the same output, the two controllers may interfere and operate inefficiently under certain conditions. Therefore, studying an efficient control tuning method for the central cooling water system is necessary. The central cooling water system was modeled in this study using MATLAB Simulink, utilizing actual operation data, and unknown parameters are estimated to fine-tune. The model is then verified using another operating data set. Additionally, transfer functions are developed for freshwater output temperature against 3-way valve openness input and seawater pump motor electric power frequency input. Then, the two PI controllers are tuned through the Internal Model Control guide, supposing the two systems are decoupled. Moreover, the modified IMC tuning method is suggested for the seawater pump system, which has larger time constants because of a heat exchanger. This method simplifies combining the two PI controller tuning, enhancing the seawater pump's overall efficiency and 3-way valve operation. This study determined that the proposed tuning methods through the IMC guide confirmed the efficiency of controlling the seawater pump speed and 3-way valve with reasonable control of freshwater outlet temperature.

In this work, Al-Mo-B(CN) thin coatings were deposited by magnetron sputtering using composite metal-ceramic Al-Mo-B4C target. A metal-ceramic composite target for magnetron sputtering was fabricated by a robotic complex for detonation spraying of coatings equipped with a multi-chamber detonation accelerator. The powder composition (30Mo-30Al-40B4C) was sprayed onto the copper plate base of the composite target-cathode. The obtained cathode target with Al-Mo-B4C coating (thickness 280-300 μm) was used to deposit the Al-Mo-B(CN) coating (DC mode) on flat specimens of AISI 316 steels and silicon using equipment for magnetron sputtering UNICOAT 200. The Al-Mo-B4C coating has a lamella-type structure with inclusions of boron car-bide particles the elemental composition is evenly distributed in the material. The structure and morphology of coatings were studied using methods of optical, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray analysis (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectros-copy (XPS). Mechanical and tribological properties of the Al-Mo-B(CN) thin coatings were determined using methods of nanoindentation, scratch testing, and tribological testing under fluid-free friction regime at room temperature. The Al-Mo-B(CN) coating (thickness ~ 1 μm) exhibited a dense uniform fine-grained structure with no columnar elements and were well-adherent to the substrates after deposition. Al-Mo-B(CN) coating has a amorphous structure. XPS analysis confirmed the formation of the MoB2 and AlN phase with an admixture of oxygen in the form of aluminum oxide, molybdenum oxide and boron oxide. Al-Mo-B(CN) coating possess hardness of 13 GPa, elasticity modulus of 114 GPa, elastic recovery of 45%, and friction coefficient of 0.8 against steel 100 Cr6 ball. The failure mode occurring in the tested coatings was fatigue and abrasive. The adhesion strength of Al-Mo-B(CN) coating amounted to about 11 N, and the failure mode was cohesive associated with plastic deformation and formation of fatigue cracks in the coating material.

In this study, the effect of NaOCl (10–200 ppm of Cl2) on the inactivation of human norovirus (HuNV) GII.4 and hepatitis A virus (HAV) in groundwater was investigated using PMA/RT­qPCR. Initially, 4.00 log copies/μL of HuNV GII.4 or 5.50 log copies/μL of HAV were artificially inoculated in ground water. The titers of HuNV GII.4 and HAV decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with increasing Cl2 concentrations. Ground water was treated with 10, 30, 50, 100, 150, and 200 ppm of Cl2, and the viable HuNV GII.4 was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced to 3.28 (0.21 log reduction), 3.18 (0.31 log reduction), 3.01 (0.48 log reduction), 2.75 (0.74 log reduction), 2.54 (0.95 log reduction), and 2.34 (1.15 log reduction) log copies/μL, respectively. The viable HAV was also significantly (p < 0.05) reduced to 4.99 (0.23 log reduction), 4.76 (0.46 log reduction), 4.55 (0.67 log reduction), 4.21 (1.01 log reduction), 3.89 (1.33 log reduction), and 3.64 (1.58 log reduction) log copies/μL, respectively. The decimal reduction time (D-value) (1-log reduction) of HuNV GII.4 and HAV infectivity in ground water was predicted as 116.7 and 98.9 ppm of Cl2, respectively using the first-order kinetics model (HuNV GII.4 ; y = - 0.0054x + 3.3585, R2= 0.97, HAV ; y = - 0.0091x + 5.0470, R2= 0.97). The result specifically suggests that 150–200 ppm Cl2 can potentially be used for the inactivation of > 1 log copies/μL HuNV GII.4 and HAV in ground water.

In this paper, a 100CMM regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) system based on a high heating device for low-emission combustion is implemented at a volatile organic compound (VOCs) gas generation workplace. Existing RTO has a structure that repeats the inflow and discharge of VOCs gas into a cylindrical drum-type rotating disk and has excellent energy efficiency with a heat recovery rate of 95% or more. However, when used for a long time, there is a problem that rotation stops or explodes due to the discharge of pollutants due to dust and thermal expansion due to high temperature of 800℃. To overcome this, a RTO based on a high heating device was developed to reduce low-emission combustion emissions and energy use. Through 177 hours of demonstration time, the oxidation efficiency of VOCs was 97.87%; the waste heat recovery rate was reduced by 95.78%, the fuel consumption was reduced by 21.95%, and the nitrogen oxide concentration was 3.9 ppm

Climate change is expected to result in rising temperatures, leading to increased occurrences of extreme weather events like heat waves and cold spells. Urban planning responses are crucial for improving the adaptive capacity of cities and communities in dealing with significant temperature variations across seasons. This study aims to investigate the relationship between urban temperature fluctuations and urban morphology throughout the four seasons. Through quadrant and statistical analyses, the study identifies built-environment factors that contribute to moderate seasonal land surface temperatures (LST). The research focuses on Seoul, South Korea as a case study and calculates seasonal LST values at both the grid level (100m×100m) and street-block level, incorporating factors such as vegetation density, land use patterns, albedo, two- and three-dimensional building forms, and gravity indices for natural reserves. The quadrant analysis reveals spatial segregation between areas demonstrating high LST adaptability (cooler summers and warmer winters) and those displaying LST vulnerability (hotter summers and colder winters), with significant differences in vegetation and building forms. The spatial regression analysis demonstrates that higher vegetation density and proximity to water bodies play key roles in moderating LST, leading to cooler summers and warmer winters. Building characteristics have an invariant impact on LST across all seasons, where horizontal expansion contributes to higher LST, while vertical expansion reduces LST. These findings are consistent for both grid- and block-level analyses. The study emphasizes the flexible role of the natural environment in moderating temperatures.

A flexible structure is applied to improve the lubrication performance of a misaligned journal bearing. The journal bearing is representative sliding bearing and there are damages due to metal-to-metal contact by misalignment. Since misalignment is an unavoidable phenomenon, a journal bearing with a flexible structure was proposed as a way to improve it. The lubrication characteristics of the bearing are evaluated numerically under steady-state condition. EHL (elastohydrodynamic lubrication) analysis considering elastic deformation was performed. The lubrication performance is compared in accordance with variation of the geometry of the flexible structure and evaluated based on the minimum film thickness. Moreover, the results of the journal bearing with flexible structure are compared with those of the journal bearing without the flexible structure. The flexible structure is then applied in the form of a groove to the area supporting high load on the journal bearing; it is elastically deformed by the generated oil-film pressure, which helps to obscure a larger oil film. Through numerical analysis, it is found that the journal bearing with flexible structure can improve the lubrication performance in the misaligned condition.

The retinoblastoma (RB) transcriptional corepressor 1 (RB1) is a critical tumor suppressor gene, governing diverse cellular processes implicated in cancer biology. Dysregulation or deletion in RB1 contributes to the development and progression of various cancers, making it a prime target for therapeutic intervention. RB1's canonical function in cell cycle control and DNA repair mechanisms underscores its significance in restraining aberrant cell growth and maintaining genomic stability. Understanding the complex interplay between RB1 and cellular pathways is beneficial to fully elucidate its tumor-suppressive role across different cancer types and for therapeutic development. As a result, investigating vulnerabilities arising from RB1 deletion-associated mechanisms offers promising avenues for targeted therapy. Recently, several findings highlighted multiple methods as a promising strategy for combating tumor growth driven by RB1 loss, offering potential clinical benefits in various cancer types. This review summarizes the multifaceted role of RB1 in cancer biology and its implications for targeted therapy.

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

The rapid retreat of coastal cliffs poses a profound risk to property, transport infrastructure and public safety both in Ireland and globally. This study combines historical data (maps and orthophotos, 1842 to 2000) with contemporary UAV surveys (2019 to 2023) to quantify cliff top and cliff face retreat along a 250 m wide coastal drumlin at Silverstrand in Galway Bay, Ireland. Retreat rates for the cliff top and cliff face were calculated using 2D mapping and 3D modelling, respectively. Critically, the choice of method appears to have a major impact on apparent rates of cliff top retreat, with output from the 2D mapping approach (0.14 +/- 0.02 m yr-1) being double that of the 3D modelling approach (0.08 +/- 0.02 m year-1). The aperiodic development of a talus cone, which offers temporary protection to the cliff from storm waves, also influences the estimation of cliff retreat. The repeat cycles of talus slope formation and removal in this high wave energy climate suggest that the drumlin transitions between a periodically transport-limited system and supply limited system over short- and long-time periods, respectively, on the continuum of cliff types. These results warrant further research to identify and quantify the rates, patterns, drivers (marine and subaerial processes), and timing of cliff retreat rates in response to climate change.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), a targetable transmembrane glycoprotein receptor of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family, plays a crucial role in cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation. Aberrant HER2 signaling is implicated in various cancers, particularly breast and Gastric cancer, where HER2 overexpression or amplification correlates with aggressive tumor behavior and poor prognosis. Her2 activating mutations contribute to accelerated tumorigenesis and metastasis. This review provides an overview of HER2 biology, signaling pathways, mechanisms of dysregulation, diagnostic approaches, and therapeutic strategies targeting HER2 in cancer. Understanding the intricate details of HER2 regulation is essential for developing effective targeted therapies and improving patient outcomes.

This study developed Makgeolli (Korean traditional alcoholic beverage) by adding raw 20% Codium fragile (Cf), a green seaweed, to a mixed base consisting of rice and oats (1:1 ratio) (COM) and analyzed its quality characteristics and antioxidant activity. The rice based Makgeolli supplemented with raw 20% Cf was designated as control (CRM). The physicochemical (pH, acidity), microbiological (yeast, lactic acid bacteria), antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS), and sensory properties (7-henodonic scale) of CRM and COM were investigated during 7 days of fermentation. The pH/acidity levels of CRM and COM reached 3.66/0.68 and 3.69/0.95 after 7 days of fermentation, respectively. Compared to CRM, COM had lower alcohol and sugar contents (P < 0.05) (CRM: 14.5%/9.8 Brix, COM: 11.2%/7.4 Brix). However, COM contained more yeast and lactic acid bacteria (P < 0.05) (CRM: 1.30/4.28 log, COM: 6.04/6.09 log) compared to CRM. The antioxidant activity of DPPH/ABTS (P < 0.05) in COM was approximately 1.5 times that of CRM (CRM: 40.00/51.57%, COM: 56.76/70.91%). In addition, COM had an excellent sensory preference score (P < 0.05) due to its overall fresh flavor and savory taste (CRM: 4.93, COM: 6.06). Therefore, COM was shown to be Makgeolli with enhanced antioxidant function, with yeast and lactic acid bacteria, and improved flavor, suggesting the possibility of commercializing this Makgeolli.

ABSTRACT Background Ubiquitination plays an important role in protein post-translational processes and has been found to be involved in a number of regulatory functions including proteasome degradation, DNA repair, transcription, signal transduction, endocytosis, and sorting. As the identification of ubiquitination site is critical to furthering our understanding of the mechanism of ubiquitination, various experimental and machine learning methods have been used to conduct this task. It has been an important but challenging task to improve the accuracy of ubiquitination site prediction. In this research, we explore the possibility of improving the prediction performance of machine learning by incorporating grid search in the training process. Method We developed grid search procedures for each of six widely used machine learning methods including NB, LR, DT, SVM, LASSO, and KNN, and applied them to ubiquitination site prediction using the six PCP datasets that were previously developed. For each of the ML methods, we developed a set of values for each of the tunable hyperparameters available to the method. These sets of values then can be combined to form a large grid of hyperparameter settings, and each of these settings is used in the grid search. We integrated 5-fold cross-validation in grid search to train and test ML models and applied an additional independent validation procedure by conducting a pre-training 80-20 sample split. We evaluated the performance of the six methods by comparing them side by side for each of the six datasets. We also compared the grid search results with the results that were previously published without doing grid search. To optimize the prediction performance, we trained 1.1 million ML models in total through grid search. Results We compared the overall prediction performance of these six methods, as well as their prediction performance when working with balanced vs. imbalanced data, and large-scale vs. small-scale data. From the perspective of dataset, we find that the overall performance of every PCP dataset has been significantly improved in this study compared to the previous study, with the percentage increase of the average AUC of all six datasets ranging from 7.9% (PCP-4) up to 17.0% (PCP-1). From the perspective of method, we find that three out of four methods significantly benefit from grid search comparing to their previously published non-grid search results, with the maximum AUC improvement as high as 47% (LASSO on PCP-5), 43.3% (NB on PCP-1), and 33.7% (SVM on PCP-6). SVM overall ranks number one, followed by KNN as the number two performer based on their average AUCs on all datasets. But these two also ranked the top two (KNN 76 days and SVM 15 days) in terms of the total running time that they need to do grid search. We also find that SVM, KNN, and DT tend to handle small-scale and imbalanced datasets better, while LR, and LASSO are doing well with large-scale and balanced datasets. NB is more sensitive to data imbalance while less sensitive to the size of a dataset. Conclusions Our results show that using grid search has improved the performance of ubiquitination prediction significantly. We find that the performance of a method is closely related to its hyperparameter setting and the type of data it handles. Even though SVM is on average an outperformer, none of the methods can provide the best performance for all datasets. When sufficient computing resources are well accessible, grid search is an effective way to identify both a top performing model for a machine learning method and a suitable machine learning method for a particular dataset.

The microstructural evolution, thermodynamics and kinetics of Mo-21%Tm₂O₃ (mass fraction, %) powder mixtures during ball milling were investigated using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Ball milling induced Tm₂O₃ to be decomposed and then dissolved into Mo crystal. The supersaturated nanocrystalline solid solution of Mo (Tm, O) was obtained after 96 h of ball milling. The elements of Mo, Tm and O were distributed uniformly in the ball-milled particles. Based on the semi-experimental theory of Miedema, a thermodynamic model was developed to calculate the driving force of phase evolution. There was no chemical driving force to form a crystal solid solution of Tm atoms in Mo crystal or an amorphous phase because the Gibbs free energy for both processes was higher than zero. For Mo-21%Tm₂O₃, it was mechanical work, not negative heat of mixing, that provided the driving force to form supersaturated nanocrystalline Mo (Tm, O) solid solution.

This study determines the threshold for the computational rate of actuator motor controllers for unmanned underwater vehicles necessary to accurately follow discontinuous square wave commands. Motors must track challenging square-wave inputs, and identification of key computational rates permit application of deterministic artificial intelligence (D.A.I.) to achieve tracking to a machine-precision degree of accuracy in direct comparison to other state-of-art approaches. All modeling approaches are validated in MATLAB simulations where the motor process is discretized at varying step-sizes (inversely proportional to computational rate). At a large step-size (fast computational rate), discrete D.A.I. shows a mean error more than three times larger than that of a ubiquitous model-following approach. Yet, at a smaller step size (slower computational rate), the mean error decreases by a factor of 10, only three percent larger than that of continuous D.A.I. Hence, the performance of discrete D.A.I. is critically affected by the sampling period for discretization of the system equations and computational rate. Discrete D.A.I. should be avoided when small step-size discretization is unavailable. In fact, continuous D.A.I. has surpassed all modeling approaches which makes it the safest and most viable solution to future commercial applications in unmanned underwater vehicles.

Silybin is a natural compound extensively studied for its hepatoprotective, neuroprotective and anti-cancer properties. Envisioning the enhancement of silybin potential by suitable modifications in its chemical structure, here, a series of new 7-O alkyl silybins derivatives were synthesized by Mitsunobu reaction starting from the silybins and tyrosol-based phenols, such as tyrosol (TYR, 3), 3-methoxytyrosol (MTYR, 4) and 3-hydroxytyrosol (HTYR, 5). This research sought to explore the antioxidant and anticancer properties of new eighteen derivatives and their mechanisms. In particular, the antioxidant properties of new derivatives outlined by DPPH assay, showed a very pronounced activity depending on the tyrosyl moiety (HTYR&gt;MTYR&gt;&gt;TYR). A significant contribution of the HTYR moiety was observed for silybins and 2,3-dehydro-silybin based derivatives. According to the very potent antioxidant activity, 2,3-dehydro-silybin derivatives 15ab, 15a and 15b exerted the most potent anticancer activity in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis for cell cycle and apoptosis revealed that 15ab, 15a and 15b induce strong G1 phase arrest and increase late apoptotic population in PC-3 cells. Additionally, western blotting for apoptotic marker cleaved caspase-3 confirmed apoptosis induction by these silybin derivatives in PC-3 cells. These findings hold significant importance in the investigation of anticancer properties of silybin derivatives and strongly encourage swift investigation in pre-clinical models and clinical trials.

Optical power splitters play a crucial role as the fundamental building blocks for many integrated optical devices. They should have low losses, broad bandwidth, and a high tolerance to fabrication errors. Adiabatic optical power splitters inherently possess these qualities while being compatible with foundry processes well-suited for mass-production. The long device lengths of adiabatic power splitters, however, are a limiting factor to achieve compact device sizes, which must be reduced. Here, we use a polynomial taper profile optimization algorithm to design 1×2 and 2×2 adiabatic power splitters with significantly shorter lengths than their adiabatic counterparts. The best performing 1×2 and 2×2 power splitters have 20 μm and 16 μm coupling lengths, respectively. Our designs have minimum feature sizes ranging from 140 nm to 200 nm, and our measurements averaged across 9 different chips show excellent consistency in performance for devices with 180 nm and 200 nm minimum features. Both the 1×2 and 2×2 adiabatic optical power splitters have excess losses less than 0.7 dB over a 100 nm bandwidth, with a standard deviation lower than 0.3 dB. Furthermore, our measurements show greater than 20 dB extinction ratios over 130 nm bandwidth. We also demonstrate the design of 1×2 power splitters with arbitrary splitting ratios, where splitting ratios ranging from 50:50 to 94:6 were achieved with standard deviations between 2% and 6%.

University course scheduling (UCS) is one of the most important and time-consuming issues that all educational institutions face yearly. Most of the existing techniques to model and solve UCS problems have applied approximate methods, which are different in terms of efficiency, performance, and optimization speed. Accordingly, this research aims to apply an exact optimization method to provide an optimal solution to the course scheduling problem. In other words, in this research, an integer programming model is presented to solve the USC problem. In this model, hard and soft constraints include the facilities of classrooms, courses of different levels and compression of students' curriculum, courses outside the faculty and planning for them, and the limited time allocated to the professors. The objective is to maximize the weighted sum of allocating available times to professors based on their preferences in all periods. To evaluate the presented model's feasibility, it is implemented using the GAMS software. Finally, the presented model is solved in a larger dimension using a real data set from a college in China and compared with the current program in the same college. The obtained results show that considering the mathematical model's constraints and objective function, the faculty courses' timetable is reduced from 4 days a week to 3 working days. Moreover, master courses are planned in two days, and the courses in the educational groups do not interfere with each other. Furthermore, by implementing the proposed model for the real case study, the maximum teaching hours of the professors are significantly reduced. The results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed model and solution method in terms of optimization speed and solution accuracy.

Advances in early detection of Breast cancer and treatment improvements have significant-ly increased survival rates. Traditional screening methods, including mammography, MRI, ultrasound, and biopsies, while effective, often come with high costs and risks. Recently, thermal imaging has gained attention due to its minimal risks compared to mammography, although it is not widely adopted as a primary detection tool since it depends on identifying skin temperature changes and lesions. The advent of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) has enhanced the effectiveness of breast cancer detection and diagnosis using this technology. In this study a novel methodology for developing an interpretable computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for breast cancer detection, leveraging explaina-ble Artificial Intelligence (XAI) throughout its various phases. To achieve these goals, we proposed a new multi-objective optimization approach named Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (HPSO) and Hybrid spider Monkey Optimization algorithm (HSMO). These algorithms simultaneously combine the continuous and binary representations of PSO and SMO to effectively manage trade-offs between Accuracy, feature selection and hyperparameter tuning. We evaluate several CAD models and investigate the impact of handcrafted methods such as Local Binary Patterns (LBP), Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG), Gabor filters, and edge detection. We further shedding light on the effect of feature selection and optimization on feature attribution and model decision-making processes using the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) framework, with a particular emphasis on cancer classification using the DMR-IR dataset. The results of our experiments demonstrate in all trials that the performance of the model is improved. Also with HSMO our models achieved a high accuracy of 98.27% and F1- score of 98.15% while selecting only 25.78% of the HOG features. This approach not only boosts the performance of CAD models but also ensures comprehensive interpretability. This method emerges as a promising and transparent tool for early breast cancer diagnosis.

Gain-scheduled autopilots have emerged as a dominant strategy to achieve adaptive control of coupled, non-linear engineering complexities, owing to an ability to adapt to changing operational conditions and uncertainties. This study focuses on utilizing bilinear interpolation of gain-scheduled autopilots, emphasizing enhanced system performance and robustness. Through a comprehensive investigation and comparative analysis using three disparate cases, advantages over conventional methods are revealed. Strengths and weaknesses of both simple and specialized variants (such as linear, and real-time gain-scheduling) are introduced. Three missile guidance case–studies utilize simulation time and miss distance figures of merit. Potential to achieve precise control across various mission scenarios, while ensuring reduced computational complexity is revealed by nearly two–hundred percent improved missile miss distances with comparable distances traveled and slightly improved computational burden.

Although the dockless bike-sharing system, which can be regarded as a typical example of the resource-sharing system, has been increasingly popular for years with people especially in China, the imbalanced distribution of shared bikes gradually becomes a major problem for both bike-sharing companies and their customers. To solve the imbalance problem, we aim to investigate the long-term performance of a system under the influence of some key factors (with an emphasis on the unequal demand between different nodes), which can guide us to discover the causes of the problem and offer several valuable suggestions to the operators. According to the fundamental principle of a dockless bike-sharing system, we propose a model reduction method to reduce the complexity of the theoretical network models, which are developed based on the Markovian queueing theory with the consideration of higher-demand nodes and lower-demand nodes. The theoretical network models provide us with steady-state probabilities of having a certain number of bikes at one node, which are used as an important part of the optimization model for solving the imbalance problem by carrying out an operator-based relocation strategy. The objective of the optimization model is to maximize the total profit and determine the optimal relocation frequency. It is found that most of the shared bikes are possible to gather at one low-demand node eventually in the long run under the influence of the different arrival rates at different nodes, but the decrease of the number of bikes at the high-demand nodes is more sensitive to the unequal demands and may cause a great loss for operators, which should be payed attention to especially when solving the relocation problems.

As construction costs continue to rise and adequate amounts of funding continues to be a challenge, the allocation of resources is of critical importance when it comes to the maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) of highway infrastructure. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is presented here that integrates realistic traffic conditions in the operational phase to compare M&R scenarios over the analysis period of a 26-km stretch of Interstate-495. Pavement International Roughness Index (IRI) were determined using AASHTO’s PavementME System. Meanwhile, vehicle fuel consumption and emission factors were calculated using a combination of Google Maps®, the U.S. EPA’s Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator, the SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study, and MassDOT’s Transportation Data Management System. The evaluation of pavement performance with realistic traffic conditions, varying M&R strategies and material characteristics was quantified in terms of Life Cycle Cost (LCC), Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) for both agencies and users. The inclusion of realistic traffic conditions into the use phase of the LCA resulted in a 6.4% increase in CED and GWP when compared to baseline conditions simulated for a week long operation duration. Results from this study show that optimization of M&R type, material selection and timing may lead to a 2.72% decrease in operations cost and 47.6% decrease in construction/maintenance costs.

With the economic recession and the deterioration of the ecological environment becoming more and more prominent in the world, the sustainable operation of enterprises is facing the most difficult choice in history. For each responsible enterprise, it is crucial to choose the market power expansive strategy that can improve the realistic viability or the technological innovation strategy that can improve the future development potential. This is of great significance to reduce the negative external effects of the corporate social environment and ensure their sustainable development. In this paper, we select the data of 18 large listed petrochemical companies from 2003 to 2018 as samples and construct a linear regression model for empirical analysis. Meanwhile, we put forward more practical business management strategies for the sustainable development of petrochemical enterprises in developing countries in further research.

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

The present study conducts the phase analysis, microstructural characteristics, and mechanical property evaluation on the as-cast and quenched Ti-15Mo-xFe alloys with high iron content ranging from 4 to 12 weight percent. All the four alloys were produced in a button-arc melting furnace. Heat treatment in the form of solution treatment was performed in a muffle furnace at a temperature of 1100°C, with a 1-hour holding time. The samples were rapidly quenched in ice-brine. Various characterization techniques were used to analyze samples both in the as cast and quenched conditions. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) was used to analyses the phases present in each alloy whereas the optical microscope (OM) was employed to track the microstructural evolution. The mechanical properties of the alloys were evaluated using a tensile test method while the micro-Vickers hardness measurements were conducted to evaluate hardness of the alloys. OM micrographs revealed equiaxed β grains and substructures in as-cast TMF0, dendritic structure, and equiaxed β grains with pores forming around the grain boundaries in TMF1, and micrograph full of dendrites and pores was observed in the as-cast TMF2 and TMF3 alloys. The quenched TMF0 showed only β equiaxed grains whereas TMF1, TMF2, and TMF3 revealed micrographs full of equiaxed grains of β phase with pores throughout the grain boundaries. The XRD patterns of cast TMF0 showed peaks belonging to the β and orthorhombic α″ martensitic phases and the quenched sample showed the bcc β phase only. The TMF1, TMF2, and TMF3 alloys in as-cast condition indicated peaks belonging to β , α″ and intermetallic B2 TiFe phases, however, their quenched samples showed the presence of β and Fe·Ti·O2 phases in TMF2 and TMF3 alloys. The tensile properties such as ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elastic modulus (E) of as-cast TMF0 were 264 MPa and 79 GPa and these properties changed upon quenching to 411 MPa and 66 GPa respectively. The elastic modulus of TMF1 in as-cast condition was 74 GPa. The UTS and E of TMF1, TMF2, and TMF3 in as cast and quenched conditions were not recorded due to the fragility of the samples that failed prior to yielding any useful data. The micro-Vickers hardness in as cast and quenched conditions showed a similar trend with hardness increasing slightly upon quenching for TMF0, TMF1, and TMF3 alloys but slightly decreased in the case of TMF2. 6). The fracture surfaces of TMF0 exhibited both ductile and brittle fracture in as cast and quenched conditions whereas the only brittle fracture mode was observed in the TMF1, TMF2 and TMF3 alloys in both conditions.

In the development of the safety-critical systems, it is important to perform Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) process to identify potential failures. However, traditional FMEA activities tend to be considered difficult and time-consuming tasks. To compensate for the difficulty of the FMEA task, various types of tools are used to increase the quality and the effectiveness of the FMEA reports. This paper explains an Automatic FMEA tool which integrates the Model-based Design (MBD), FMEA, and Simulated Fault Injection techniques in a single environment. The Automatic FMEA tool has the following advantages compared to the existing FMEA analysis tool. First, the Automatic FMEA tool automatically generates FMEA reports compared to the traditional spreadsheet-based FMEA tools. Second, the Automatic FMEA tool analyzes the causality between the failure modes and the failure effects by performing model-based fault injection simulation. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the Automatic FMEA, we used the electronic fuel injection system (EFI) Simulink model. The results of the Automatic FMEA were compared to that of the legacy FMEA.

Turbine generator operates with complex cooling system due to the challenge in controlling the peak temperature of the stator bar caused by ohm loss, which is unavoidable. Therefore, it is important to characterise and quantifies the thermal performance of the cooling system. The focus of the present research is to investigate the heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics of typical cooling system, so-called stator ventilation duct. A real scale model was built at its operating conditions for the present study. The direction of cooling air is varied to consider its operation condition, so that there are (1) outward flow and (2) inward flow cases. In addition, the effect of (3) cross flow (inward with cross flow case) is also studied. The transient heat transfer method using thermochromic liquid crystals is implemented to measure full surface heat transfer distribution. A series of Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis is also conducted to support the observation from the experiment. For the inward flow case, the results suggest that the average Nusselt number of the 2nd duct is about 30% higher than the 3rd duct. The trend is similar with the effect of cross flow. The CFD results are in good agreement with the experimental data.

This paper considers a hybrid relay network consisting of the source, the amplify-and-forward (AF) relay, the decode-and-forward (DF) relay, and the destination. We propose the optimal power allocation schemes between two different relays which maximize the achievable rate under a sum relay power constraint for given channel gains and transmit power from source. By solving the optimization problem to maximize the achievable rate for each relay network, the transmit power values in closed-form are derived. When the channel gains are the same, the optimal power allocation scheme for AF-DF relay network proves that a more power should be allocated at the first relay to maximize the achievable rate. In case of the DF-AF relay network, we derive the optimal power allocation scheme for the possible four cases. Under the same SNR condition at the first hop, we show that the achievable rate of AF-DF relay network is greater than that of DF-AF relay network when the channel gain between two relays is higher than that between the second relay and destination. Simulation results show that the proposed power allocation schemes provide a higher achievable rate than the equal power allocation schemes.

Alumina dispersion-strengthened copper, Glidcop, is used widely in high-heat-load ultra-high-vacuum components for synchrotron light sources (absorbers), accelerator components (beam intercepting devices) and in nuclear power plants. Glidcop has similar thermal and electrical properties to OFE (oxygen free electrical) copper, but has superior mechanical properties, thus making it a feasible structural material; its yield and ultimate strength are equivalent to those of mild-carbon steel. The purpose of this work has been to develop a brazing technique to join Glidcop to Mo, using a commercial Cu-based alloy. The effects of the excessive diffusion of the braze along the grain boundaries on the interfacial chemistry and joint microstructure, as well as on the mechanical performance of the brazed joints, has been investigated. In order to prevent the diffusion of the braze into the Glidcop alloy, a copper barrier layer has been deposited on Glidcop by means of RF-sputtering.

Objectives: Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by elevated platelet counts and an increased risk of thrombotic events, including ischemic strokes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from consecutive ischemic stroke patients with ET between March 2014 and February 2023. Results: This case series describes the clinical presentation, radiological features, and management of five patients with ET-associated ischemic strokes, all harboring the JAK2 mutation. The diverse radiological findings suggest that both large and small vessel diseases may be influenced by the prothrombotic state induced by ET. A significant elevation in platelet count was observed to correlate with the emergence of new acute infarctions in some cases. Conclusions: The study highlights combined use of antiplatelet and cytoreductive therapy in preventing secondary stroke events in patients with ET and JAK2 mutations. The heterogeneity of stroke patterns in this population necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and tailored therapeutic approaches.

Na⁺/H⁺ exchangers (NHEs) are known to be important regulators of pH in multiple intracellular compartments of eukaryotic cells. Sperm function is especially dependent on changes in pH and thus it has been postulated that NHEs play important roles in regulating the intracellular pH of these cells. For example, in order to achieve fertilization, mature sperm must maintain a basal pH in the male reproductive tract and then alkalize in response to specific signals in the female reproductive tract during the capacitation process. Eight NHE isoforms are expressed in mammalian testis/sperm: NHE1, NHE3, NHE5, NHE8, NHA1, NHA2, NHE10, and NHE11. These NHE isoforms are expressed at varying times during spermatogenesis and localize to different subcellular structures in developing and mature sperm where they contribute to multiple aspects of sperm physiology and male fertility including proper sperm development/morphogenesis, motility, capacitation, and the acrosome reaction. Previous work has provided evidence for NHE3, NHE8, NHA1, NHA2, and NHE10 being critical for male fertility in mice and NHE10 has recently been shown to be essential for male fertility in humans. In this article we review what is known about each NHE isoform expressed in mammalian sperm and discuss the physiological significance of each NHE isoform with respect to male fertility.

Under batch experiment conditions, this work seeks to successfully remove Diclofenac-Na (DCF-Na) from an aqueous solution utilizing a composite sorbent made of Bentonite, Kaolinite clay, and Worm casting (BKW). This study investigated the structural modification of the H₃PO₄ Modified Clay by X-ray fluorescence and the effect of selected adsorption factors – DCF-Na concentration and modified BKW composite dosage. The concentration equilibrium data was used to study six isotherm models. Freundlich isotherm model better explained the adsorption of DCF-Na onto modified BKW composite with a correlation coefficient close to 1. Kinetics models were examined, and the Elovich model gave a better fit than other kinetic models studied. Mass diffusion mechanisms and thermodynamics studies were successfully carried out. The enthalpy change values evaluated were negative, which revealed the spontaneity of DCF-Na remediation onto modified BKW, and that DCF-Na adsorption is exothermic and occurred through a physisorption process.

The Na+/K+ ATPase is a protein involved in the active transport of ions across the cellular membrane. Ouabain is a cardiotonic glycoside that, by inhibiting the Na+/K+ pump, interferes with cell processes mediated directly by the pump, but also indirectly influences other cellular processes, such as cellular cycle and proliferation, growth, cell differentiation, angiogenesis, migration, adhesion and invasion. We used the SK-BR-3 breast cancer cell line, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) in vitro for determining the changes induced by Ouabain in concentration of 10-5 M, 10-6 M, 10-8 M, 10-9 M on these cellular types, employing specific methods: SEM for morphological evaluation; immunocytochemistry, flowcytometry to assess immunophenotypical markers expression, cell cycle and Annexin V/PI assay for cellular proliferation and viability testing; flowchamber assay to evaluate functional adhesion behavior; RT-PCR for Na+/K+ ATPase subunits molecular expression. Being indicative of the pro-apoptotic and inhibitory effect of Ouabain on tumor invasion and metastasis, the results support the addition of Ouabain to the oncological therapeutic arsenal, trailing the “repurposing drugs” approach.

The concern about consuming eco-friendly products has motivated research in the development of new materials. Therefore, films based on natural polymers have been used to replace traditional polymers. This study consists of a production of films based on gelatin reinforced with black pepper essential oil-loaded nanoemulsions and Cloisite Na⁺. The films were characterized by water vapor permeability, mechanical and thermal properties, surface contact angle, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that the films containing the nanoemulsion have higher permeability values and an increase in their mechanical resistance. The addition of nanoclay contributed to an increase in the surface hydrophobicity of the film and an increase in the tensile strength at break by about 150%. The addition of essential oil nanoemulsions led to an increase in thermal stability. The presence of clay dispersion contributed to the formation of a surface that was slightly rougher and grainier. The addition of the black pepper essential oil nanoemulsion resulted in an increase in porosity of the gelatin matrix. Through X-ray diffraction analysis, it was possible to conclude that both the polymeric gelatin matrix and the essential oils nanoemulsion are intercalated with the clay dispersion.

The multidrug resistance transporter NorM is an important drug resistance pump and plays a critical role in multidrug resistance in bacteria and mammals. In this study we carried out molecular dynamics simulation to study the mechanism of Na+ binding and dynamical structures of two long loops in the substrate-releasing process in substrate binding NorM. Our simulation study identified several key residues (D41, E261 D377) along the Na+ binding pathway and a multi-state ion-binding mechanism is proposed based on the simulation study. In this proposed model, the transport of Na+ is a multi-stage process with D41 being the first station for binding to Na+, followed by Na+ binding to the second station E262 and finally to the cation-binding site of E262 and D377. During the transport of Na+, the transmembrane components TM1, TM7 and TM2 are rearranged to facilitate the ion transport as well conformational changes of NorM to a closed state. Further, substrate-bound simulation revealed that Loop3-4 and Loop9-10 control the substrate-releasing process.

Although the signaling function of Na/K ATPase is been studied for decades, the chasm between the pumping function and the signaling function of Na/K – ATPase is still an open issue. This article explores the relationship between ion pumping and signaling with attention to the amplification of oxidants through this signaling function. Starting with some experimental observations published by our laboratories and others, we develop some predictions regarding cellular oxidant stress.

This study presents the algorithm ACTION, defined as Automatic Center detection of Tropical cyclone (TC) using Image processing based on the Operational radar Network. Based on the high visibility of weather radar imagery, the TC’s motion vector is calculated from the continuous image change using optical flow, producing its rotation center as the TC’s center. The algorithm’s performance was verified for typhoons (TCs in the Northwestern Pacific) affecting the Korean Peninsula from 2018–2021 and showed a high detection rate of 80.8% within an error distance of 40 km compared to the best track of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The detection rate was 100% for typhoons with temporally consistent morphological characteristics. ACTION automatically generates TC center information upon the TC’s initial entry inside the observation radius even in the absence of uniform radar data. ACTION easily calculates using Open Source Computer Vision, performs in real time, and can be directly applied to rapidly generated weather radar images; hence, it is currently being utilized by the KMA. The high-temporal-resolution TC center information calculated through ACTION is expected to improve the efficiency of TC forecasting.

We prove general stability theorems for $n$-dimensional quartic-cubic-quadratic-additive type functional equations of the form \begin{eqnarray*} \sum_{i=1}^\ell c_i f \big( a_{i1}x_1 + a_{i2}x_2 + \cdots + a_{in}x_n \big) = 0 \end{eqnarray*} by applying the direct method. These stability theorems can save us much trouble of proving the stability of relevant solutions repeatedly appearing in the stability problems for various functional equations.

Using a theorem of Ulam and Hyers, we will prove the Hyers-Ulam stability of two-dimensional Lagrange's mean value points $(\eta, \xi)$ which satisfy the equation, $f(u, v) - f(p, q) = (u-p) f_x(\eta, \xi) + (v-q) f_y(\eta, \xi)$, where $(p, q)$ and $(u, v)$ are distinct points in the plane. Moreover, we introduce an efficient algorithm for applying our main result in practical use.

Proper Post-Activation Performance Enhancement helps to improve athletic performance. This study aimed to investigate the effects of two different velocity loss (VL), 10%VL and 20%VL, on post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) in 20m sprint performance among sprint athletes. Twenty-four male sprint athletes (100m sprint time: 10.96±0.15 s) were recruited. A randomized crossover experimental design was used for traditional group (TG), 10%VL, and 20%VL interventions. Sprint tests were conducted at the 4th, 8th, 12th, and 16th minutes after the intervention. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed an interaction effect between group and time on 20m sprint performance (F=2.817, p=0.037, partial η²=0.585). Simple effect analyses showed significant differences compared to baseline at the 4th minute for the 20%VL group (P&lt;0.05). Cohen's d values indicated improvement in 10m sprint times at the 8th minute of the rest interval for all three intervention groups (TG: ES=-0.270, 10%VL: ES=-0.038, 20%VL: ES=-0.279). Improvement in 20m sprint times was observed at the 4th minute for the 20%VL group (ES=-0.296) and at the 16th minute for the 10%VL group (ES=-0.276). Compared to traditional PAPE schemes based on 1RM, PAPE schemes based on velocity loss (20%VL) can better induce PAPE effects in sprint athletes.

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is a common autoimmune disease, with its prevalence rapidly increasing. Both genetic and environmental risk factors contribute to the development of HT. Recently, viral infection has been suggested to act as a trigger of HT by eliciting the host immune response and subsequent autoreactivity. We analyzed features of HT through bioinformatics analysis so as to identify markers of HT development. We accessed public microarray data of HT patients from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and obtained differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under HT. Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed for functional clustering of our protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Utilizing ranked gene lists, we performed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) using the clusterprofiler R package. By comparing the expression signatures of the huge perturbation database with the queried rank-ordered gene list, connectivity map (CMap) analysis was performed to screen potential therapeutic targets and agents. The gene expression profile of the HT group was in line with general characteristics of HT. Biological processes related to the immune response and viral infection pathways were obtained for the upregulated DEGs. GSEA results revealed activation of autoimmune disease-related pathways and several viral infection pathways. Autoimmune disease and viral infection pathways were highly interconnected by common genes, while the HLA genes which are shared by both were significantly upregulated. CMap analysis suggested that perturbagens, including SRRM1, NLK, and CCDC92, have the potential to reverse the HT expression profile. Several lines of evidence suggested that viral infection and the host immune response are activated during HT. Viral infection is suspected to act as a key trigger of HT by causing autoimmunity. SRRM1, an alternative splicing factor, which responds to viral activity, might serve as potential marker of HT.

This paper uses the spatial analysis software GeoDa as a tool, takes GRP (Gross regional product) of Sichuan Province in 2012 and 2018 as the dependent variable, and takes the city (autonomous prefecture) factor-driven, investment-driven and innovation-driven indicators as the dependent variable to explore the impact of innovation activities on regional economic development and the spatial distribution characteristics of regional economy. Through the comparison of the global correlation and local correlation, this paper explores the crux of the regional economic polarization and unbalanced development, and puts forward some measures to solve the existing economic development problems, such as cultivating and improving the regional industrial dependence, accelerating the regional transportation accessibility and convenience, and constructing the regional collaborative innovation system, So as to achieve the strategic goal of the construction of innovative Province in Sichuan Province.

The awareness of ciliate importance in freshwater has changed dramatically in the last decades, reflecting methodological attempts. We analysed two decades (1994-2018) of data on the surface (0-3 m) ciliate assemblage in the Slapy reservoir (Vltava River, Czech Republic) during two different nutrient-load defined periods. We identified, quantified, and evaluated the biomass of ciliates in the quantitative protargol-stained preparations. We used water age, nutrients, bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates and rhodomonads as the main explanatory background variables. The sampling median and interquartile range data analysis and a non-metric multidimensional scaling were applied. Ciliates were grouped according to their feeding behaviour. The picoplankton filtering species dominated the assemblages in an annual mean (halteriids and minute strobilidiids followed by peritrichs). Algae hunters Balanion planctonicum, urotrichs and nanoplankton filtering tintinnids were important before the spring phytoplankton peak when a maximum of ciliate biomass reflected mixotrophic nanoplankton filtering pelagostrombidiids. Only there, ciliate biomass tightly followed their quantified prey. Heterotrophic and mixotrophic Askenasia and Lagynophrya were typical raptorial/flagellate hunters; only Mesodinium spp. peaked during autumn. The oligotrophication increased the ciliate assemblage biomass in the surface layer during the stratification in concordance with the PEG model.

Since the discovery of graphene, due to its excellent optical, thermal, mechanical and electrical properties, it has a broad application prospect in energy, materials, biomedicine, electromagnetism and other fields. A great quantity of researches on the physical mechanism of graphene has been applied to engineering in electromagnetism and optics. To study the properties of graphene, different kinds of numerical methods have been developed for simulating the electromagnetic field effects of graphene, and equivalent boundary conditions have been employed to replace graphene in the computational domain. In this work, the numerical methods with equivalent boundary conditions are reviewed, and some examples are provided to illustrate their applicability.

Monascus pigments (MPs) have been used as food colorants for several centuries in Asian countries and nowadays in the whole world via Asian catering. The MPs biosynthetic pathway has been well-illustrated, however, the functions of a few genes including mrpigH in the MPs gene cluster of M. ruber M7 are still unclear. In current study, mrpigH was disrupted in Δmrlig4ΔmrpyrG, a highly efficient gene modification system, using mrpyrG as a selection marker, and ΔmrpigHΔmrlig4ΔmrpyrG::mrpyrG and ΔmrpigHΔmrlig4ΔmrpyrG have been obtained. Subsequently, their morphologies, biomasses, MPs and citrinin (CIT) production were analyzed, respectively. These results have revealed that the deletion of mrpigH has significant effects on the morphology and growth of M. ruber M7. Moreover, compared with M. ruber M7, the yields of MPs and CIT were drastically increased and decreased in mrpigH mutants, respectively.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of stretching methods for flexibility, muscle activation, and pressure pain threshold in ballet dancers, and to suggest an effective stretching method. Methods: Thirty-three ballet dancers were randomized to a static stretching group (n=11), muscle energy technique stretching group (n=11), and vibration-assisted stretching group (n=11). The angle of hip joint extension in arabesque, the activation of rectus femoris in Devéloppé, and the pressure pain threshold on rectus femoris in sitting position were measured to compare the effects of different stretching methods. Results: Hip joint extension angles increased in all stretching methods (p<0.05), however, vibration-assisted stretching and muscle energy technique stretching were more effective than static stretching (p<0.05). The activation of the rectus femoris decreased in all groups (p<0.05), but the muscle energy technique stretching group and the vibration-assisted stretching group showed a significant decrease compared to the static stretching group (p<0.05). The pressure pain threshold showed significant improvement only in the static stretching group (p<0.05), and the vibration-assisted stretching group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Vibration-assisted stretching compared to static stretching and muscle energy technique stretching is a beneficial method for flexibility, muscle activation, and pressure pain threshold in ballet dancers.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia, significantly influenced by the Apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) gene and gender. This study aims to use machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict brain age and assess AD risk by considering the effects of APOE4 genotype and gender. Methods: We collected brain volumetric MRI data and medical records from 1100 cognitively unimpaired individuals and 602 AD patients. We applied three ML regression models—XGBoost, Random Forest (RF), and Linear Regression (LR)—to predict brain age. Additionally, we introduced two novel metrics, Brain Age Difference (BAD) and Integrated Difference (ID), to evaluate model performance and analyze the influence of APOE4 genotype and gender on brain aging. Results: AD patients displayed significantly older brain ages compared to their chronological ages, with BADs ranging from 6.5 to 10 years. The RF model outperformed both XGBoost and LR in terms of accuracy, delivering higher ID values and more precise predictions. Comparing APOE4 carriers with non-carriers, the models showed enhanced ID values and consistent brain age predictions, improving overall performance. Gender-specific analyses indicated slight enhancements, with models performing equally well on both genders. It indicates that APOE4 may be a more robust predictor of brain age than gender. Conclusion: Robust ML models for brain age prediction can be pivotal in the early detection of AD risk via MRI brain structural imaging, especially for APOE4 carriers. Such early identification may facilitate timely preventive interventions for AD.

We examined the relationship between living alone and the prevalence of depressive symptoms in older Korean widows and assessed the individual contributions of health, social ties, and socioeconomic factors to the development of depressive symptoms. The study was a secondary analysis using data from widows 65 years of age and older who participated in the Living Profiles of Older People Survey (LPOPS). A logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the contributions of health, social ties, and socioeconomic factors to the development of depressive symptoms. Working status and equivalent household income were significantly associated with depressive symptoms in both those living with others and those living alone. Adjustment for health status and social ties did not change the impact of living alone on the prevalence of depressive symptoms. However, adjustment for equivalent household income eliminated the negative association between living alone and depressive symptoms. Our findings indicate that economic resources are more important than health and social ties for alleviating the negative impact of living alone on the development of depressive symptoms in older widows.

In this study, we resequenced the mitogenomes of P. megacephalus from different regions using a “primer bridging” approach with Sanger sequencing technologies. The mitogenome of this species was found to contain two copies of the ND5 genes and three copies of the control regions. Furthermore, multiple tandem repeats were identified in the control regions. Notably, we observed that there was no correlation between the distribution of species and their genetic distance. However, our research revealed the discovery of the “missing” ATP8 gene in P. megacephalus as well as three other previously published Polypedates, as a result of manual data curation. Using the mitogenome, gene expression analysis was performed via RT-qPCR of liver samples and determined that COIII, ND2, ND4, and ND6 were reduced to 0.64±0.24, 0.55±0.34, 0.44±0.21 and 0.65±0.17 under the low-temperature stress (8℃), respectively, as compared with controls (P<0.05). Remarkably, the transcript of long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) between positions 8029 and 8612 decreased significantly with exposure to low-temperature stress (8℃). Antisense ND6 gene expression showed a downward trend but this was not significant. These results reveal that modulations of protein-coding mitogenomes genes and lncRNAs of P. megacephalus play a crucial part in the molecular response to cold stress.

(1) Background: The CEO message of hospital homepage contain various contents such as the hospital's future vision, promises with customers, upgraded services and public activities. The CEO’s message of the homepage includes non-financial information as well as financial information of corporates. Also, it provides useful information for not only company's goals and vision but also firm performance and strategies for the future. This study aims to investigate associations between CEO’s message of hospitals homepages and financial status. We used the balanced scorecard frame to analyze what content on the hospital's homepage is related to the hospital's various financial ratios. (2) Methods: We adopt a text mining method to extract significantly repeated keywords from the CEO’s message of hospital website. And we classify these keywords by a balanced scorecard frame. To examine the relationship between keywords of CEO’s message of the hospital homepage and hospital’s financial ratio, T-test is conducted for the difference in the TF-IDF (Term Frequency is Divided by Inverse Document Frequency) mean of the home page contents and its relationship with the views of the balanced scorecard framework. (3) Results: According to empirical results on 65 samples collected from local hospitals, there are some significant relationship between the qualitative content of the hospital's homepage and the quantitative financial ratio that indicates profitability, activity, leverage, liquidity, and transfer to essential business fund (EBF) income. (4) Conclusions: The introduction section of a homepage is most accessible to customers, containing the aims and ideals of hospitals and reflecting their values and visions [1]. In addition, in view of financial status, they can either emphasize financial strength or focus on other areas to mask weakness of financial information. This study reminds us of the importance of hospital website’s disclosure, and it can be inferred from the financial status of the hospital. It also highlights the need for harmonization between quantitative data, financial statements, and qualitative data, CEO’s messages. (5) Implications: To our best knowledge, this paper is the first research attempting to investigate the relation between text of hospital homepage and financial ratio of hospital through text mining technique and balanced scorecard frame. Hospitals take a crucial part in a country’s welfare and healthcare backbone industry. Nevertheless, in many countries, hospital organization sectors tend to remain a source of critical fiscal deficits due to its ineffective and sloppy management. We expect that the result of this paper can provide hospital managers to useful information.

KThe promising possibility of organic photodetector (OPD) is emerging in the field of sensing applications for its tunable absorption range, flexibility, and large-scale fabrication abilities. In this work, we fabricated bulk heterojunction OPD with a device structure of glass/ITO/PEDOT:PSS/ P3HT:PC61BM/Al by spin coating process and characterized the dark and photocurrent at different applied bias conditions for red, green, and blue incident LED light. OPD photocurrent density exhibited up to 2.5–3 orders higher magnitude compared to the dark current density at -1 V bias while it increased up to 3–4 orders at zero bias conditions for red, green, and blue lights showing an increasing trend higher voltage applied in the negative direction. Different OPD inner periphery shapes, OPD to LED distance, and OPD area were also considered to bring the variation in OPD dark and photocurrent, which can affect the on/off ratio of the OPD–LED hybrid system and is a critical phenomenon for any sensing application.

Inflammation is known to be risk factors for metabolic diseases. The purpose of this study was to develop a Food-based Index of Dietary Inflammatory Potential (FBDI) and conduct its validation assessment. This study analyzed raw data from Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study 2012–2014 data of 17,771 people. We carried out the correlation analysis between 51 food groups and hs-CRP. The FBDI was developed by multiple regression method with hs-CRP and selected 17 food group. For the validation of FBDI, 7795 people in the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHAES) was used. Binary logistic regression analysis was used for risk analysis of metabolic syndrome and FBDI. The FBDI model included that 7 were composed of anti-inflammatory food groups and 3 of inflammatory food groups. The FBDI was calculated by multiplying the intake of food group by β coefficients. KNHAES were included in the validation of FBDI. The risk of metabolic syndrome was found to be 2.152 times higher in the group with the highest FBDI than in the group with the lowest one (95% Cl:1.458–3.178, p for trend = 0.000). This study developed FBDI reflecting food intake for Koreans, which showed a significant relationship with the risk of metabolic syndrome.

The influence of pore size on the toughness of Fe-Mo-Cu-C sintered and carburized components was investigated. The charpy impact value of the component made from Fe-0.4%Mo diffusion-alloyed steel powder mixed with 2%Cu powder and 0.3% graphite powder significantly increased with a decrease in pore size. The highest impact value of 17 J/cm2 was obtained at the average pore size of 12 µm. This value was 25% higher than that of the sintered and carburized component made from conventional Fe- 4%Ni-1.5%Cu-0.5%Mo alloyed steel powder called 4Ni even though the component was made from a Ni-free alloyed steel powder. The mechanism of the improvement of the impact value by pore size refinement and the influence of microstructural difference between the components made from Fe- 0.4%Mo diffusion-alloyed steel powder and 4Ni on toughness is discussed based on optical microstructural observation and crystal orientation analysis data.

This research investigated high-temperature corrosion (500 °C) of Cr-Mo steel processed using water jet peening or multifunction cavitation (MFC), and the suitability of such steel for high-temperature boilers and reaction vessels. High-temperature corrosion was induced using an embedment test and a coating test using sulfide-type K2SO4-Na2SO4 powder. To measure the relaxation of the residual stress due to the decrease in work hardening caused by an increase in specimen temperature and the difference in thermal shrinkage between the surface and interior of the specimen, a thermal cycling test was conducted. For the MFC-processed specimen, the oxide film that formed on the surface suppressed mass loss, prevented crack formation, and reduced the compressive residual stress caused by high-temperature corrosion. MFC-processed Cr-Mo steel is thus suitable for a high-temperature corrosion environment.

Remote video imagery using shoreline edge detection is widely used in coastal monitoring in order to acquire measurements of nearshore and swash processes. Some of these systems have very limited flexibility due to their rigid structures and require considerable investment in hardware. As such, there is a need for an autonomous low-cost system (~€500) that can be rapidly deployed in the field, while still producing the outcomes required for coastal monitoring. This research presents a sensitivity analysis of time-lapse intervals for two low-cost cameras located in a remote coastal area, overlooking a dissipative beach-dune system. The analysis shows that RMSD in the detected shoreline is similar to other studies for intervals ranging between 1 second and 30 seconds (i.e., RMSDmax for Camera 1 = 2.8 m and Camera 2 = 1.3 m). The increase of the sampling interval from 1 s to 30 s is shown to have no significant adverse effect on the precision of shoreline detection. The research found that the limitations of battery life and memory storage substantially decrease when sampling intervals increase without an effect on the data quality. This also has a positive effect for low-cost systems and removes the requirement for external battery and memory storage. On the systems used, the battery life increased from ~10 days to ~100 days when the sampling interval was increased from 1 to 5 s., As such, the current standard of producing Timex images from 1 s sampling intervals over 10 minutes can be changed depending on the application and requirements needed for analysis.

Tefluthrin (Tef) is categorized as a type-I pyrethroid insecticide, telmisartan (Tel) functions as an angiotensin II receptor blocker, and KB-R7943 was identified as an inhibitor of Na+-Ca2+ exchange process. However, the influence of these compounds on the amplitude and gating properties of voltage-gated Na+ current (INa) in neurons associated with pain signaling remains unclear. In cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, whole-cell current recordings revealed that Tef or Tel increased the peak amplitude of INa, concomitant with an elevation in the time constant of INa inactivation, particularly in the slow component. Conversely, exposure to KB-R7943 resulted in a depression in INa, coupled with a decrease in the slow component of the inactivation time constant of INa. Theoretical simulations and bifurcation analyses were performed on a modeled interneuron in the spinal dorsal horn. The occurrence of INa inactivation accentuated the subthreshold oscillations (SO) in the membrane potential. With an increase in applied current, SO became more pronounced, accompanied by the emergence of high-frequency spiking (HF) with a frequency of approximately 150 Hz. Moreover, an elevation in INa conductance further intensified both SO and HF. Consequently, through experimental and in silico studies, this work reflects that Tef, Tel, or KB-R7943 significantly impacts the magnitude and gating properties of INa in neurons associated with pain signaling. The alterations in INa magnitude and gating in these neurons suggest a close relationship with pain transmission.

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

This study investigated the effects of silibinin, derived from milk thistle (Silybum marianum), on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced morphological changes in mouse macrophages. Silibinin was treated at various doses and time points to assess its effects on macrophage activation including morphological changes and phagocytosis. Silibinin effectively inhibited LPS-induced pseudopodia formation and size increase, while unstimulated cells remained round. Silibinin's impact on phagocytosis was dose- and time-dependent, showing a decrease. We explored its mechanism of action on kinases using a MAPK array. Among the three MAPK family members tested, silibinin had a limited effect on JNK and p38 but significantly inhibited ERK1/2 and related RSK1/2. Silibinin also inhibited MKK6, AKT3, MSK2, p70S6K, and GSK-3β. These findings highlight silibinin's potent inhibitory effects on phagocytosis and morphological changes in macrophages. We suggest its potential as an anti-inflammatory agent due to its ability to target key inflammatory pathways involving ERK1/2 and related kinases. Overall, this study demonstrates the promising therapeutic properties of silibinin in modulating macrophage function and inflammation.

The corrosion of prestressing steel in prestressed concrete bridges is a critical issue for bridge maintenance. To assess structures with corroded strands, it is necessary to define the mechanical properties of the strands and their influence on the structural behavior. In this study, corroded strands are taken from external tendons in existing bridges and tested to define the effects of corrosion on the tensile properties of the strand. Empirical equations for the tensile strength and ductility of the corroded strand are proposed using test results. The most corroded wire governs the mechanical properties of the strand. Experiments on prestressed concrete beams with a single corroded strand are conducted to investigate the structural behavior. A reduction in the flexural strength and maximum deformation is observed from the experiment. According to the section loss of a wire in a strand and its location in a beam, the flexural capacity can be evaluated using the proposed equation. The reduced ultimate strain of the corroded strand can be the governing factor of the flexural strength.

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) can act as a nonpermeating cryoprotectant, reducing the toxicity of glycerol. The dog spermatozoa were diluted and frozen in freezing extender supplemented with 0 (control), 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, or 0.75 % (w/v) CMC. Post-thaw, the sperm kinematic parameters (CASA), viability (SYBR-14/PI), and acrosome integrity (FITC-PSA) were evaluated. The expression of genes related to apoptosis (BCL2, BAX, and ANAXA), motility (BACTIN), cold shock proteins (YBX3), and ROS (CAT, ROMO1, and SMOX) was evaluated using qPCR. The total motility was higher in the 0.1 % CMC group compared to the other groups (p<0.05). In addition, the expression of the antiapoptotic gene BCL2 was upregulated in 0.1 % CMC group compared to the control, whereas the gene expression of BAX and SMOX exhibited lower levels in 0.1 and 0.25 % CMC groups than the control group (p<0.05). The expression of YBX3 genes was significantly decreased with 0.25 % CMC supplementation. No significant differences were found in viability, acrosome integrity, or the relative expression of ANAXA, BACTIN, CAT, and ROMO1 genes between the groups. In conclusion, the addition of CMC to a freezing extender improved sperm motility and alleviated cryostress by regulating the gene expression of BCL2, BAX, SMOX, and YBX3.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) can be used as carrier materials for the controlled release of pesticides while reducing their negative environmental impact. In this study, we screened an active ingredient, p-cymene (PC), with an excellent inhibitory effect on rice bacterial blight. Subsequently, the PC was successfully loaded onto MSNs via physisorption(PC@MSNs). PC@MSNs, characterized by a regular spherical shape, smooth surface, and an MSN average size of 262.9 nm, achieved an 8.6 % drug loading capacity. The release kinetics of the PC from the PC@MSNs demonstrated a sustained release (288 h) pattern influenced by drug diffusion. The efficacy of the PC@MSNs against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae paralleled those of PC. Acute toxicity assays re-vealed that the PC@MSNs were less toxic to aquatic life (LC50=257.867 mg/L) and that the formu-lation showed no adverse effects on rice seedling growth. In summary, these results suggest that PC@MSNs can broaden PC's application scope in managing rice diseases.

The synergistic efficacy of combined treatment mild heat (MH) and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in Bacillus cereus-contaminated red pepper powder was tested. A cocktail of three strains of B. cereus (NCCP 10623, NCCP 14579, ATCC 11778) was inoculated onto red pepper powder and then treated with MH (60 ℃ for 5-20 min) and DBD plasma (5-20 min). Treatment with MH and DBD plasma alone for 5~20 min resulted in reductions of 0.23~1.43 and 0.12~0.96 log CFU/g, respectively. Combined treatment with MH and DBD plasma was the most effective at reducing B. cereus counts on red pepper powder and resulted in log-reductions of ≥ 6.0 log CFU/g. The largest synergistic values (4.24-4.42 log) against B. cereus in red pepper powder were obtained by the combination of 20 min MH and 5~15 min DBD plasma. Hunter color ‘‘L’’, ‘‘a’’, and ‘‘b’’ values of the combination-treated samples were not significantly different from those of non-treated samples. Also, no significant (p > 0.05) differences in pH values between samples were observed. Therefore, these results suggest that the combination of MH treatment and DBD plasma can be potentially utilized in the food industry to effectively inactivate B. cereus without incurring quality deterioration of red pepper powder.

To obtain a cost-effective and high-performance composite material of polybutylene adipate-terephthalate (PBAT), for this study we selected microcrystalline cellulose, which is inexpensive and easily available, as the reinforcing medium. Hexadecyl trimethoxysilane (HDTMS) containing a long carbon chain was chosen to silanize the microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) to obtain silanized cellulose (SG). Three types of SGs with different degrees of silanization were obtained by controlling the reaction ratio. Characterization of these three types of SGs was conducted using FTIR, TEM, and water absorption analysis. Subsequently, PBAT/SG composites were prepared through a sol-gel method, and the effects of these three types of SGs on the thermal stability, compatibility, mechanical properties, and dynamic thermomechanical properties of PBAT were evaluated. Furthermore, the mechanism behind enhancing the mechanical properties of the composite was analyzed. The results demonstrated successful synthesis of SG. As the reaction ratio between HDTMS and MCC increased, the nanoparticle size increased, while the water absorption decreased significantly. After SG was added to the PBAT composites, the yield stress increased while maintaining good thermal stability. Both the SEM and DMA results indicated good compatibility of the PBAT/SG composites. Analysis of the mechanical properties revealed that the tensile strength initially increased and then decreased with increasing blending ratio for all three composites tested; among them, the PBAT/SG2 composites exhibit superior performance, with a maximum tensile strength reaching 22 MPa at an 85/15 blending ratio—nearly 30% higher than that of pure PBAT alone. The addition of SG significantly improved the strength of the PBAT, and we speculated as to the underlying mechanism involved. This study provides a new idea for the industrial-scale development of degradable polyesters with low cost and good mechanical properties.

The endometrium is an important part of the uterus. The human endometrium is a complex and dynamic tissue that goes through phases of growth and regression during any menstrual cycle. A thin endometrium might be relevant to a lower rate of implantation as well as a higher rate of miscarriage. Several treatments have been developed for thin endometrium, such as granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, stem cell therapy, acupuncture and physical therapy, among others. These approaches have been shown to have effects on the endometrium related to reducing the area of fibrosis, increasing the number of glands, promoting angiogenesis, increasing endometrial thickness, improving tissue structure, and increasing pregnancy rates. This review summarizes the key role of these treatments in repairing thin endometrium and improving clinical pregnancy rates

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.

We employ another approach to quantize electromagnetic fields in the coordinate space, instead of the mode (or Fourier) space, such that local features of photons can be efficiently, physically, and more intuitively described. To do this, coordinate-ladder operators are defined from mode-ladder operators via the unitary transformation of systems involved in arbitrary inhomogeneous dielectric media. Then, one can expand electromagnetic field operators through the coordinate-ladder operators weighted by non-orthogonal and spatially-localized bases, which are propagators of initial quantum electromagnetic (complex-valued) field operators. Here, we call them QEM-CV-propagators. However, there are no general closed form solutions available for them. This inspires us to develop a quantum finite-difference time-domain (Q-FDTD) scheme to numerically time evolve QEM-CV-propagators. In order to check the validity of the proposed Q-FDTD scheme, we perform computer simulations to observe the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect resulting from the destructive interference of two photons in a 50/50 quantum beam splitter.