A novel flexible humidity sensor, incorporating gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and a trifunctional organosilica compound, has been developed through the integration of sol-gel processing, free radical polymerization, and self-assembly techniques. The trifunctional organosilica was initially synthesized by modifying (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (thiol-MPTMS) with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (vinyl-TMSPMA). Subsequently, a hydrophilic polyelectrolyte, [3(methacryloylamino)propyl]trimethyl ammonium chloride (MAPTAC), was grafted onto the MPTMS-TMSPMA gel. The Au NPs were assembled onto the thiol groups present in the MPTMS-TMSPMA-MAPTAC gel network. The compositional and microstructural properties of the Au NPs/MPTMS-TMSPMA-MAPTAC composite film were investigated utilizing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The presence of thiol groups and mesoporous silica skeletons ensured the stability of the humidity-sensing film on the substrate under highly humid conditions, while the hydrophilic groups functioned as humidity-sensitive sites. This innovative humidity sensor demonstrated high sensitivity, acceptable linearity, minimal hysteresis, and rapid response time across a broad range of working humidity levels. Based on the complex impedance spectra analysis, hydronium ions (H₃O⁺) were determined to govern the conductance process of the flexible humidity sensor.

The buildup dynamics of diode-pumped passively mode-locked solid-state laser is thoroughly explored by the real-time measurement with temporal sampling rate up to 40 GHz. A concise cavity is developed to ensure the transient dynamics purely arising from the gain medium and saturable absorber. Experimental results reveal that the laser output in the buildup process exhibits numerous passively Q-switched pulses followed with a damped relaxation oscillation prior to the stable mode locking. Furthermore, it is confirmed that the laser output has already displayed single clean mode-locked pulses inside the first several Q-switched envelopes before stepping into the stage of relaxation oscillation. The present real-time exploration is expected to provide important information for practical applications with temporal modulation of the pump intensity.

In order to sustain the marine environment relationship between the environmental factors and marine biota must be investigated. This study aims to study such a correlation in the adjacent waters of Nan Wan Bay, Kenting, Taiwan, and to explore the covariance of environmental factors on marine life (whether they enhance or diminish it). To achieve these objectives, factor analysis was used to identify potential latent variables that could affect the water quality of the adjacent waters, including phytoplankton (quantity), zooplankton (quantity), and fish (quantity and species). These potential variables were named based on the results of past studies and related literature. Finally, a structural equation model (SEM) was constructed to establish a marine ecological model among the potential variables. The factor analysis results revealed that nutrients, upwelling, and primary productivity are the primary factors affecting the environmental changes in the adjacent waters of Nan Wan Bay. The comprehensive SEM showed that nutrients and primary productivity significantly impact plankton. Path analysis indicated that primary productivity has the highest direct effect on the phytoplankton cluster. However, the upwelling has a low significance in its effect on phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish clusters. Compared to the results of past related studies, the SEM proposed in this study can reflect a considerable degree of change in the waters.

Buckypaper (BP), a flexible and porous material, exhibits photovoltaic properties when exposed to light. In this study, we have employed Radio Frequency (RF) Sputtering of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) followed by rapid thermal annealing to enhance the photovoltaic response of BP. We investigated the impact of various sputtering parameters, such as the gas flow ratio of argon to oxygen and deposition time, on the morphology, composition, resistivity, and photovoltaic characteristics of ZnO-modified BP. Additionally, the photovoltaic performance of the samples under different illumination modes and wavelengths was compared. It was found that optimal sputtering conditions—argon to oxygen flow ratio of 1:2, deposition time of 20 minutes, and power of 100 watts—resulted in a ZnO film thickness of approximately 45 nanometers. After annealing at 400°C for 10 minutes, the ZnO-modified BP demonstrated a significant increase in photocurrent and photovoltage, along with a reduction in resistivity, compared to unmodified BP. Moreover, under gradient illumination, the ZnO-modified BP exhibited a photovoltage enhancement of 14.70 times and a photocurrent increase of 13.86 times, compared to uniform illumination. Under blue light, it showed a higher photovoltaic response than under other colors. The enhancement in photovoltaic response is attributed to the formation of a Schottky junction between ZnO and BP, an increased carrier concentration gradient, and an expanded light absorption spectrum. Our results validate that ZnO sputtering followed by annealing is an effective method for modifying BP for photovoltaic applications such as solar cells and photodetectors.

This paper aims to present a smart high speed battery charger, powered by a photovoltaic module array, for a LiFePO4 battery as a solar energy storage device. With a battery charging strategy, the presented battery charger involves a Buck converter as the core equipped with a simple maximum power point (MPP) tracker. Considering complexity reduction and easy hardware implementation, a constant voltage MPP tracking approach is adopted such that the maximum amount of output power can be delivered to the load in response to an arbitrary change in the solar radiation. A smart two-stage charging strategy, with a constant current mode followed by a constant voltage mode, is employed in such a way that the battery charge process can be accelerated largely, while the damage caused by overcharging can be prevented. In the end, the performance of this proposal is validated experimentally.

This is a survey study that dialysis patients were randomly sampled from a medical center in northern Taiwan, and those who gave their consent to participate were included in this study. The purpose of this study was to explore the correlation between depression, hope, and quality of life of dialysis patients. All subjects agreed to take "Beck’s Depression Inventory", " The Chinese version of Herth Hope Index" and " The Chinese version of Kidney Disease Quality of Life" (KDQOL-SFTM). Data were processed using SPSS for descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that patients were 12.45±SD 9.03, which was mild depression, the mean score of hope was 34.25, which was equivalent to 72.60%, and was at the middle level. In KDQOL-SFTM, the score in mental composite (M=42.65, SD=8.81) was higher than in physical composite (M=37.38, SD=9.28), and the score was at the intermediate quality of life, and hope and depression were significantly and negatively correlated. This study suggests that dialysis case managers provide nursing guidance to help dialysis patients learn comfortable care methods and support the resilience they need.

Algal-bacterial granular sludge, a new biological technology, has been widely recognized due to its highly effective pollutant treatment and energy efficiency. This study investigated the effects of environmental concentrations of Cr(VI) (0.5-2.5 mg/L) on the performance of algal-bacterial gran-ular sludge and self-defensive responses after 90 days of cultivation. The results showed that Cr(VI) affected chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia-N and phosphate removal with different trends being apparent. A linear decline in COD removal was observed, whereas an initial de-creasing and then increasing ammonia-N and phosphate removal took place. Algal-bacterial granular sludge effectively removed Cr(VI) from wastewater through biological adsorption and reduction, showing the potential to treat Cr(VI)-contaminated wastewater. Cr(VI) affected the community abundance of the algal-bacterial granular sludge, in which Chlorophyceae and cya-nobacteria were vulnerable under Cr(VI)-induced stress. To reduce the toxicity of Cr(VI), over-produced EPS-PN and antioxidant enzymes (MDA, SOD and CAT) acted as self-defensive responses to resist oxidative damage. This study showed that algal-bacterial granular sludge can remove 00.5 mg/L of Cr(VI) without performance loss. It is hoped that this study can provide useful information for improved engineering feasibility of algal-bacterial granular sludge.

In the clock network design, the trade-off between power consumption and timing closure is an important and difficult issue. To achieve this target, a hybrid clock network architecture that combines both clock tree and clock mesh seems to be a promising solution. In this paper, we propose a novel clock mesh architecture – cross-mesh, with the average dispersion of the overall driving force, our methodology creates small non-zero skew clock trees. In addition, we integrate clock gating and register clustering techniques to further reduce dynamic power consumption. The proposed algorithms have four stages: cross-mesh planning, register clustering, mesh line connecting, and load balancing. Experimental results show that our methodology and algorithms get feasible solution effectively and improve both power consumption and clock skew simultaneously.

Over the past 10 years, developments in precision oncology have led to a rise in the demand for predictive tools that assist the screening and stratification of patients for treatment. The possibility digitizing tissue slide images has led to the creation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms in digital pathology, which could ultimately improve patient care. In this context, we assessed a variety of AI-based computational models for digital pathology. In this review, we described the latest AI applications in oncology, current challenges and future prospects.

Background: People with Williams syndrome (WS) are characterized with hypersociability, fluency in languages, and advantageous face-processing skills, leading to the proposal of a social module. Previous studies on the mentalizing abilities of people with WS using two-dimensional pictures and mindreading from eyes, including normal-like, delayed, and deviant behaviors, have yielded mixed results. This study thus examined the mentalizing ability of people with WS through structured computerized animations of false belief tasks to investigate whether inferences about other people’s minds can be improved in this population. Method: Participants were shown animations with unexpected location and content changes. After viewing each animation, participants had to answer four types of questions: character identification, reality, memory, and false belief. Their responses were recorded and analyzed. Results: Comprehension of false belief was observed in 4-year-old healthy children, whereas children with WS showed unsuccessful comprehension of false belief (until they attained a mental age of 5.3 years), suggesting an improvement in theory of mind resulting from viewing structured computerized animations. This age is earlier than that reported by previous studies for using theory of mind to pass false belief tests (8.5 years old), even challenging the age at which individuals failed to pass the tests (12.10 years old). Conclusions: Structured computerized animations enhanced the mentalizing ability of people with WS to a certain extent. Compared to the typically developing controls, people with WS presented with a lower developmental level in processing false belief tasks. The educational implication of this study is to develop computerized social skills interventions for people with WS.

This study evaluated the mechanical strengths of three types of orthodontic micro-implants by analyzing their structural configurations. Thirty micro-implants of three types (diameter 1.5 mm, Types A, B, C) were assessed. All micro-implants were manually driven into artificial bones at an 8-mm depth. The insertion torque (IT), pullout strength (PS), and gripping volume (GV) of each type were measured. Intergroup comparisons and intragroup correlation were investigated by statistical analysis. Type B had the greatest inner–outer diameter ratio (0.67), and Type A had the smallest (0.53). The IT of Type A (5.26 Ncm) was significantly (p = 0.038) lower than that of Type C (8.8 Ncm). There was no significant difference in the pullout strength (p = 0.868). The GV of Type A (9.7 mm3) was significant (p < 0.01) greater than Type C (8.4 mm3). Type C was significant (p < 0.01) greater than Type B (7.2 mm3). Spearman’s rho rank correlation test showed that PS of Type B was correlated significantly with GV. In conclusion, the design of thread and its GV were the important factors on the mechanical strengths of micro-implant.

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

Our results demonstrated that SWT stimulates osteoblastogenesis and increase the cell number of osteoblasts, suggesting positive regulatory effects on osteoblast differentiation. However, the effect of SWT on bone formation need further examination, since the expression of alp gene is downregulated. On the other hand, SWT appears to negatively regulate osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption, as number of osteoclasts and the expression of critical bone resorptive genes are all downregulated. Collectively, SWT might change the equilibrium of bone remodeling and increase the bone mass. Our data provided supportive evidences that this medicine formulation can be applied to treat osteoporosis or bone destructive diseases.

This study integrated coastal-watershed models and combined a risk assessment method to develop a methodology to investigate the impact resulting from coastal disasters under climate change. The mid-western coast of Taiwan suffering from land subsidence was selected as the demonstrative area for the vulnerability analysis based on prediction of sea level rise (SLR), wave run-up, overtopping, and coastal flooding under the scenarios of 2020 to 2039. Database from tidal gauges and satellite images were used to analyze sea level rise using EEMD (Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition). Extreme wave condition and storm surge were estimated by numerical simulation using WWM (Wind Wave Model) and POM (Princeton Ocean Model). Coastal inundation was then simulated via WASH123D watershed model. The risk map of study areas based on the analyses of vulnerability and disaster were established using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) technique. Predictions of sea level rise, the maximum wave condition and storm surge under the scenarios of 2020 to 2039 are presented. The results indicate that the sea level at the mid-western coast of Taiwan will rise in an average of 5.8 cm, equivalent to a rising velocity of 2.8 mm/year. The analysis indicates that Wuqi, Lukang, Mailiao, and Taixi townships are susceptive, low resistant and low resilient, and reaches the high risk level. The assessment provides that important information for making adaption policy in the mid-western coast of Taiwan.

Through the half-unit circle area computation using the integration of the corresponding curve power series representation, we deduce a slow converging positive infinite series to $\pi$. However, by studying the remainder of that series we establish sufficiently close inequalities with equivalent lower and upper bound terms allowing us to estimate, more precisely, how the series approaches $\pi$. We use the obtained inequalities to compute up to four-digit denominator, what are in this sense, the best rational numbers that can replace $\pi$. It turns out that the well-known convergents of the continued fraction of $\pi$, $22/7$ and $355/113$ called, respectively, Yuel\"{u} and Mil\"{u} in China are the only ones found. Thus we apply a similar process to find rational estimations to $\pi+e$ where $e$ is taken as the power series of the exponential function evaluated at $1$. For rational numbers with denominators less than $2000$, the convergent $920/157$ of the continued fraction of $\pi+e$ turns out to be the only rational number of this type.

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

The movement of liquid droplets on the energy gradient surface has attracted extensive attention. Inspired by biological features in nature, such as the periodic spindle-shaped nodes in spider silks and conical-like barbs of cacti, the structure-property-function relationship of multifunctional gradient surfaces. In this study, a series of specific patterns are fabricated by 3D printing technology, followed by modification via the atmospheric pressure plasma treatment and liquid phase chemical deposition, resulting in enhancing the ability of water droplets of 5μL to travel 18.47mm on a horizontal plane and 22.75mm against gravity up to 20° tilting angle. Additionally, analysis techniques have been employed including contact angle analyzer, ESCA and laser confocal microscope to evaluate the sample performance. This work could further be applied to many applications related to microfluidic devices, drug delivery and water/fog collection.

Background: People with Down syndrome (DS) have a trisomy of chromosome 21 and marked deficits in verbal memory but relatively preserved visuospatial perception. Verbal memories are related to semantic knowledge. Little is known about the organization of semantic knowledge in people with DS, which was the aim of this study. Aims: The extent of false memory in people with DS was examined. Possible differences in the number of false memories induced by nominal and verbal themes were examined. Methods and Procedures: In the study phase, ten word lists with semantically related associates were presented. In the recognition phase, participants made judgments on whether each word had been represented previously as semantically related lures, old words, and semantically unrelated new words. Outcomes and Results: Differences in the processing of nominal and verbal theme-related lures were observed among people with DS. When processing nominal theme-related lures, people with DS showed delayed false positives. When processing verbal theme-related lures, people with DS showed no differences compared to controls. Similar patterns have been observed in people with DS when processing nominal theme-related associates and verbal theme-related associates. People with DS have delayed recognition of associates. When processing unrelated words, they showed significantly higher false positives than controls for both nominal and verbal eliciting themes. Further analyses of the themes revealed differences in false positives across syntactic categories among groups. Conclusions and Implications: People with DS showed a delayed recognition of associates and deviance in recognizing unrelated words in the nominal and verbal theme categories. People with DS were delayed in terms of nouns, but deviated with verbs in associated and unrelated words. Additionally, people with DS showed distinct patterns in processing five nominal lures and three verbal lures, suggesting that they formed false memories differently based on distinct syntactic categories. Thus, it was concluded that people with DS develop a deviant semantic structure. Category-based interventions for people with DS should be implemented in order to improve their semantic knowledge through lexical connections.

In a single-center, retrospective study, 22 cases were enrolled and divided into two groups: those who underwent surgical wide excision (group A) and those who did not (group B). The study included 13 cases in group A and 9 cases in group B. In group A, 6 cases solely underwent surgical wide excision, while 7 cases received additional treatments like radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Conversely, in group B, 4 cases received chemotherapy, 4 cases received radiotherapy, and 1 case was managed through observation alone. The mean follow-up time was 60.15 months in group A and 43.44 months in group B, with no significant difference observed. In group A, 9 cases resulted in mortality, whereas 6 cases died within the follow-up period in group B. Lesion-free intervals post-operation were observed predominantly in group A, while 7 cases in group B never experienced freedom from skin lesions. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis demonstrated a significant difference between the survival curves of the two groups (P = 0.046). Among non-HIV Kaposi’s sarcoma patients, surgical wide excision appears to have a role in treatment. Patients in group A exhibit a more favorable outcome in the survival curve analysis.

People with aphantasia exhibit the inability to voluntarily generate or form mental imagery in their minds. Since the term “aphantasia” was proposed by Zeman et al. in 2015 to describe this, it has gained increasing attention from psychiatrists, neuroscientists, and clinicians. Previous studies have mainly focused on definition, prevalence, and measurement, its impacts on individuals’ cognitive and emotional processing, and theoretical frameworks synthesizing existing findings, which have contributed greatly to our understanding of aphantasia. However, there are still some debates regarding the conclusions derived from existing research and the theories that were constructed from various sources of evidence. Building upon existing endeavors, the current systematic review emphasizes that future research is much needed to refine definition and diagnosis of aphantasia, strengthen empirical investigations at behavioral and neural levels, and more importantly, develop or update theories. These multiple lines of efforts could lead to a deeper understanding of aphantasia and further guide researchers in future research directions.

This study analyzed the risk of falls in the elderly and the safety of the environment in a teaching hospital in Brazil. The Morse Falls Scale was used to stratify the risk of falls in 45 hospitalized elderly individuals, and a checklist was used to analyze the hospital environment. The analysis was based on the chi-square test and multiple regression. The moderate risk of falls was predominant (51.1%). The variable age group (p-value = 0.024) showed statistical evidence of association with the risk of falls. However, the multiple regression analysis showed no difference between the age groups and the risk situation for falls. The hospital wards showed an adequate arrangement of furniture, but some aspects had inadequacies, such as objects in the corridors, non-functional bells in some beds, and inadequacy of the toilet bowls in terms of the recommended height, the absence of non-slip flooring and the support bar in some bathrooms. In conclusion, the moderate risk of falls among the elderly and the adequacy of the hospital environment to technical standards were evident, with the exception of failures in the emergency communication system and sanitary installation.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) results from infection by the protozoa Leishmania infantum and L. donovani. HIV-coinfected patients may have a relapsing course of VL, even after secondary prophylaxis with amphotericin B. This study investigated whether host factors would explain the relapses. First, susceptibility to amphotericin B of L. infantum isolates was evaluated in vitro. Then, clinical data and the lipid profile of patients with relapsing and non-relapsing VL were assessed. Susceptibility to amphotericin B was similar between the isolates. CD4+ lymphocytes were reduced in both patients in the first episode and with relapsing VL. Still, the strongest blood cell associated with relapses was low total lymphocyte counts. Total plasma cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and, uniquely, triglycerides of the six individuals in the first episode and 23 with relapsing VL were lower in relapsing patients than those in the first episode. Deceased patients had extremely low, low-density lipoprotein. After CD4+ decrease, lymphocyte CD8+ reduction seem to be the final stage of the immunological failure. The lower lipid concentrations appear to be secondary to the depletion of fat stores by inflammation-induced cachexia provoked by the co-occurrence of both diseases, which can finally lead to death.

In this work, we study the dynamical behaviors of the electromagnetic fields and material responses in the hyperbolic metamaterial consisting of periodically arranged metallic and dielectric layers. The thickness of each unit cell is assumed to be much smaller than the wavelength of the electromagnetic waves, so the effective medium concept can be applied. When electromagnetic (EM) fields are present, the responses of the medium in the directions parallel to and perpendicular to the layers are like that of Drude and Lorentz media, respectively. We derive the energy density of the EM fields and the power loss in the effective medium based on Poynting theorem and the dynamical equations of the polarization field. We also show that the Lagrangian density of the system can be constructed. The Euler-Lagrangian equations yield the correct dynamical equations of the electromagnetic fields and the polarization field in the medium. The canonical momentum conjugates to every dynamical field can be derived from the Lagrangian density via differentiation or variation with respect to that field. We apply Legendre transformation to this system, and find that the resultant Hamitonian density is identical to the energy density, up to an irrelevant divergence term.

Much has been explored in the individual health issue, and most of them adopt the objective data such as laboratory tests or health services utilization to analyze individual health assessment. However, the factors influencing individuals in self‐assessed health is still unclean. The study considers that self‐assessed health is viewed as catalyst in health management and explores various dimensions associated with self‐assessed health. Totally, 800 participants who were randomly sampled from the citizen of Porter County, Indiana completed the Needs Assessment Citizen Survey in 2007.After adjustment for age, gender, education, income, and health coverage, life quality (β=1.5538, sdandard erro of β=0.8404), and Medicaid assistance (β= -0.7715, sdandard erro of β= 0.3958) are the main determinants of individuals’ self‐assessed health. The results suggest that public health officials should consider improving citizens’ self-assessed health by providing good living and socio-economic environment.

Vaccination represents the historical milestone in medical sciences, which has been saving millions of lives. Nonetheless, continued outbreaks of emergent infectious diseases are swamping from every coast to every border all over the world. Modern vaccines are our most powerful arsenals to defend the public health of a global population ever since 1796. As unexpected, modern vaccination approaches have brought out all sorts of unwelcome pathogenic disorders to varying extents. Pathogenic viruses have also continued to evolve to defeat elaborate arsenals devised by human intelligence. In this review, we have covered a variety of vaccination approaches along with their sophisticated materials from the past to the most recent development. Furthermore, we discuss varied serious pathogenic outcomes elicited by contemporary vaccination programmes involving novel materials in real clinical trials. The complex immune mediators will be discussed in the context to tackle the complication of vaccine-induced pathogenesis. We will offer the insight into the intractable discrepancy of vaccine-associated pathology. The precision approach bestowed with evolutionary concepts will be considered as a feasible option to confront various issues of pathogenic complicacy.

Breast cancer is an important disease that threatens the lives of women. The majority of breast screening health education is printed promotional material, which is ineffective in enhancing women’s knowledge on breast screening in Taiwan, and showed low breast cancer screening rate in women. This provided the impetus for us to carry out this study to understand the major barrier of women on breast cancer and screening procedures. This study used quasi-experimental design and purposive sampling. The study participants were 45–69 year-old women. Data collection was carried out before and after intervention. The health belief model was used as a research framework to examine changes in the study participants after multimedia health education intervention for detecting which factors most affect women's breast cancer screening behavior. Then we could make the policy for enhancing women's breast cancer screening in the future. Our study showed that after multimedia health education intervention, the scores of perceived susceptibility, perceived seriousness, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy in the experimental group were all significantly higher than the control group. We believe that the effectiveness of multimedia health education is better than traditional health education methods, and can enhance women to receive breast cancer screening.

Multi-chiplet technique is expected to be a promising solution to achieve high-density system integration with low power consumption and high usage ratio. This technique can be integrated with glass interposer to accomplish a competitive low fabrication cost compared with the silicon-based interposer architecture. In this study, process-oriented stress simulation is performed by the element activation and de activation technique in finite element analysis architecture. Submodeling technique is also utilized to mainly conquer the scale mismatch and difficulty in mesh gridding design. It is used as well to analyze the thermomechanical responses of glass interposer with chiplet arrangement and capped epoxy molding compound (EMC) during curing. A three-factor, three-level full factorial design is applied using the analysis of variance method to explore the significance of various structural design parameters on stress generation. Analytic results reveal that the maximum first principal stresses of 130.75 and 17.18 MPa are introduced on the sidewall of Cu-filled via and the bottom of glass interposer, respectively. Moreover, the EMC thickness and through glass via pitch are the dominant factors in the adopted vehicle. They significantly influence the stress magnitude during heating and cooling.

Embryo stage of oxidation of an epi Ge(001)-2×1 by atomic oxygen and molecular O₂ is studied via synchrotron radiation photoemission. The topmost surface buckled with the up- and down-dimer atoms and the first subsurface layer behave distinctly from the bulk by exhibiting surface core-level shifts in the Ge 3d core-level spectrum. The O₂ molecules become dissociated upon reaching the epi Ge(001)-2×1 surface. One of the O atom removes off the up-dimer atom, and the other bonds with the underneath Ge atom in the subsurface layer. Atomic oxygen adsorbed on the epi Ge(001)-2×1 preferentially in between the up-dimer atoms and the underneath subsurface atoms without affecting the down-dimer atoms. The electronic environment of the O-affiliated Ge up-dimer atoms becomes similar to that of the down-dimer atoms. Both exhibit an enrichment in charge, where the subsurface of the Ge layer is maintained in a charge-deficient state. The dipole moment originally generated in the buckled reconstruction no longer exists, thereby resulting in a decrease in the ionization potential. The down-dimer Ge atoms and the back-bonded subsurface atoms remain inert to atomic O and molecular O₂, a possible cause of low reliability in Ge-related metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices.

Background: The target volume for post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) in breast cancer patients with reconstruction has been a subject of debate. This study aimed to assess the radiation dose distribution and treatment outcomes associated with different chest wall (CW) delineation according to ESTRO ACROP guideline for patients underwent implant-based reconstruction. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of breast cancer patients who underwent mastectomy followed by two-stage implant-based breast reconstruction and adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) between 2007 and 2022. The expanders/implants were positioned retropectorally. The chest wall target volumes were categorized into two groups: the prepectoral group, which excluded the deep lymphatic plexus, and the whole expander group. Results: The study included 26 patients, 15 in prepectoral group and 11 in whole expander group. No significant differences were observed in normal organs exposure between the two groups. There was a trend toward a lower ipsilateral lung mean dose in the prepectoral group (10.2 vs. 11.1 Gy, p=0.06). Both groups exhibited limited instances of reconstruction failure and local recurrence. Conclusions: For patients undergoing two-stage expander-implant retropectoral breast reconstruction and PMRT, our data have provided comparable outcomes and normal organs exposure for those omitting the deep lymphatic plexus.

This study used the sol–gel method to synthesize a non-halogenated hyperbranched flame retardant containing nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon, HBNPSi, which was then added to a polyurethane (PU) matrix to form an organic–inorganic hybrid material. Using 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of P- and Si-mapping, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, this study determined the organic and inorganic dispersity, morphology, and flame retardance mechanism of the hybrid material. The condensation density of the hybrid material PU/HBNPSi was found to be 74.4%. High condensation density indicates a dense network structure of the material. The P- and Si-mapping showed that adding inorganic additives in quantities of either 20% or 40% results in homogeneous dispersion of the inorganic fillers in the polymer matrix without agglomeration, indicating that the organic and inorganic phases had excellent compatibility. In the burning test, adding HBNPSi to PU resulted in the material passing the UL-94 standard at the V2 level, unlike the pristine PU, which did not meet the standard. The results demonstrated that after non-halogenated flame retardant was added to PU, the material’s flammability and dripping were lower, thereby proving that flame retardants containing elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicon exert an excellent flame retardant synergistic effect.

We aimed to investigate the mechanism underlying social stress (SS)-induced erectile dysfunction (ED) and evaluate the effects of a single sub-anesthetic dose of ketamine on SS-related ED. Male FVB mice were exposed to retired male C57BL/6 mice for 60 minutes daily over a 4-week period. In the third week, SS mice received intraperitoneal injections of either saline (SSS group) or ketamine (SSK group). Erectile function was assessed by measuring intra-cavernosal pressure (ICP) during electrical stimulation at the major pelvic ganglia. Corpus cavernosum (CC) strips were utilized for wire myography to assess their reactivity. Both SSS and SSK mice exhibited significantly lower ICP in response to electrical stimulation than control. SS mice showed increased contractility of CC induced by phenylephrine. Acetylcholine-induced relaxation was significantly reduced in SSS and SSK mice. Sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxation was higher in SSS mice compared to control and SSK mice. Nicotine-induced neurogenic and nitric oxide (NO)-dependent relaxation was significantly impaired in both SSS and SSK mice. Immunohistochemically analysis revealed co-localization of tyrosine hydroxylase and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-immunoreactive fibers in the CC. These findings highlight the complex nature of SS-related ED and suggest the limited efficacy of ketamine as a therapeutic intervention in this condition.

This study aims to develop an elderly care system for improving the interpersonal relationship of the elderly with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by employing the speaker recognition technique and association functionality of social network platforms. Firstly, the speaker recognition units based on the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and Gaussian Mixture Model-Universal Background Model (GMM-UBM) are implemented to identify the visitor via individual input utterance. After the visitor is identified, the proposed system will be linked to the private database and social network platforms to extract the associated message of two parties. Experimental results indicate that the speaker recognition unit based on GMM-UBM achieves the best performance. Finally, five elderly persons are invited to measure the usability of the proposed system. A questionnaire is used to survey the five elderly persons, and the result indicates that the proposed system is highly potentially applicable in improving the interpersonal relationship of the elderly with MCI.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is commonly used for super-selective analysis through nanostructured silver layers in the environment, food quality, biomedicine, and materials science. To fabricate a high-sensitivity but more accessible device of SERS, dc magnetron sputtering technology was used to realize high sensitivity, low cost, stable deposition rate, and rapid mass production. This study investigated various thicknesses of a silver film ranging from 3.0 to 12.1 nm by field-emission-scanning-electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In the rhodamine 6G (R6G) testing irradiated by a He-Ne laser beam, the analytical enhancement factor (AEF) of 9.35x108, the limit of detection (LOD) of 10-8 M, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.61% were better than other SERS substrates fabricated by the same dc sputtering process because the results show that the 6 nm thickness silver layer has the highest sensitivity, stability, and lifetime. The paraquat and acetylcholine analytes were further investigated and high sensitivity was also achievable. The proposed SERS samples were evaluated and stored in a low humidity environment for up to forty weeks, and no spectrum attenuation could be detected. Soon, the proposed technology to fabricate high sensitivity, repeatability, and robust SERS substrate will be an optimized process technology in multiple applications.

Mulberry is an economically significant crop for the sericulture industry worldwide. Stresses such as drought exposure have a significant influence on plant survival. Metabolome directly reflects plant physiological status; thus, a way to assess this impact is to perform a global metabolomic analysis. This study investigated the effect of drought stress on mulberry Yu-711 metabolic balance using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based on an untargeted metabolomic approach. For this objective, Yu-711 leaves were subjected to two weeks of drought stress treatment and control without drought stress. Multivariate and univariate statistical analyses highlighted numerous differentially-accumulated metabolic elements as a function of time and treatment. Drought stress led to a more differentiated metabolites response than the control. We found that the levels of total lipids and galactolipids, and phospholipids (PC, PA, PE) were significantly altered, producing 48% of the total differentially expressed metabolites. Fatty acyls were the most abundant lipids expressed and decreased considerably by 73.6%. Prenol lipids class of lipids increased in drought leaves. Other classes of metabolites, including polyphenols( flavonoids and cinnamic acid), organic acid (amino acids), carbohydrates, benzenoids, and organoheterocyclic, all had a dynamic trend in response to the drought stress. However, their levels under drought stress generally decreased significantly compared to the control. These results provide an overview of the metabolic profile of the mulberry plant through differentially-accumulated compounds and provide a better understanding of global plant metabolic changes in defense mechanisms.

High-strength low-alloy steels (HSLAs) are widely used in the structural body components of many domestic motor vehicles owing to their better mechanical properties and greater resistance. The real production process of HSLA steelmaking can be regarded as a model that builds on the relationship between process parameters and product quality attributes. A surrogate modeling method is used, and the resulting production process model can be applied to predict the optimal manufacturing process parameters. We used different methods in this paper to build such a surrogate model, including linear regression, random forests, support vector regression, multilayer perception, and a simplified VGG model. We then applied three bio-inspired search algorithms, namely particle swarm optimization, the artificial bee colony algorithm, and the firefly algorithm, to search for the optimal controllable manufacturing process parameters. Through experiments on 9,000 test samples used for building the surrogate model, and 299 test samples for making the optimal process parameter selection, we found that the combination of a simplified VGG model and the firefly algorithm was the most successful at reaching a success rate of 100%—in other words, when the product quality attributes of all test samples satisfy the mechanical requirements of the end products.

This paper introduces a rigorous and comprehensive approach for the assessment of marine shafting systems through the utilization of an advanced Pi-Theorem based scaling methodology. Integrating journal bearing similarity assessment and shaft-line scaling methodology with advanced dimensional analysis, the study aims to provide a methodology foundation for systematic replication and analysis of marine shafting systems through scaled models. The proposed scaling methodology ensures geometric and mechanical similarity in terms of shaft-line deflection, considering key scaling parameters such as shaft length, diameter, weight, loads, rotational speed, material properties, bearing locations, and offsets. The advanced dimensional analysis computes specific non-dimensional ratios to guarantee a close resemblance between a real-size system and a scaled lab model, enabling meaningful experimentation. The methodology is analytically derived and validated with numerical simulations for a case study, conducting comparative analysis, evaluating discrepancies, and utilizing the integrated framework for experimentation.

This research aims to apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods, specifically Artificial Immune Systems (AIS), to design an optimal control strategy for a multivariable control plant. Two specific industrial control approaches are investigated: I-PD (Integral-Proportional Derivative) and PI-D (Proportional-Integral Derivative) control. The motivation for using these variations of PID controllers is that they are functionally implemented in modern industrial controllers, where they provide precise process control. The research results in a novel solution to the control synthesis problem for the industrial system. In particular, the research deals with the synthesis of I-P control for a two-loop system in the technological process of a distillation column. This synthesis is carried out using the AIS algorithm, which is the first application of this technique in this specific context. Methodological approaches are proposed to improve the performance of industrial multivariable control systems by effectively using optimization algorithms and establishing modified quality criteria. The numerical performance index ISE justifies the effectiveness of the AIS-based controllers in comparison with conventional PID controllers (ISE₁ = 1.865, ISE₂ = 1.56). The problem of synthesis of the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) control system is solved, considering the interconnections due to the decoupling procedure.

In most countries, the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is no more than 1 per 100,000 for both men and women; however, it is much higher for men and women in Taiwan. The use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of NPC and its treatment-related side effects has been increasing. The National Health Insurance (NHI) covers 99.6% of Taiwan’s residents. In the present population-based cohort study, we aimed to investigate the pattern of utilization of Chinese herbal products (CHPs) for NPC from 2001 through 2011 in Taiwan. We identified a total of 30294 patients with newly diagnosed NPC from the Registry for Catastrophic Illnesses Patient Database (RCIPD). Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analysis were employed to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for CHP utilization. From 2001 through 2011, 17816 patients aged ≥20 years were newly diagnosed with NPC. Of these, 4749 patients used TCM outpatient services for NPC treatment. TCM users were more likely to be women, young, residents of Central Taiwan, and white-collar workers. The most commonly prescribed formula CHP was Gan-Lu-Yin, followed by Xin-Yi-Qing Fei-Tang and Shan-Shen-Mai-Men-Dong-Tang. The most commonly prescribed single CHP was Hedyotis diffusa, followed by Radix Scrophulariae and Radix Ophiopogonis. These findings provide information regarding personalized therapies for NPC and can promote further clinical experiments and pharmacological research on CHPs for NPC treatment in Taiwan. Further well-designed randomized controlled studies and basic mechanistic studies should assess the safety and effectiveness of CHPs for NPC treatment.

The development of cost-effective methods for estimating hydraulic conductivity profiles has been an ongoing effort in the field of engineering practice, which can be used to increase availability to clarify the hydrogeological complexity of fractured rock aquifers for the aid of solving groundwater-related problems. A methodology is presented, which combines electrical well logs, fluid conductivity logs, double packer hydraulic tests, Archie’s law, and the Kozeny-Carman-Bear equation to investigate relations between formation factor and hydraulic conductivity. This method was applied to develop hydraulic conductivity profiles based on the data collected from 88 boreholes in Taiwan's mountainous areas. The investigation results include: (1) Well logging signals were suggested to be categorized by rock types to establish effective relationships with hydraulic conductivity. (2) Removing the mud-bearing section data with two proposed data clustering techniques could effectively enhance the correlation between the formation factor and hydraulic conductivity. (3) The predictive models for estimating hydraulic conductivity have been developed for sandstone, schist, and slate. (4) The prevalence of clay content in most of Taiwan's mountainous rock formations has been found, which implies that careful consideration of clay-related issues in complex geologic formations is essential while applying Archie's law theory.

A typical white-light light-emitting diode (LED) can achieve a sunlight-like spectral profile in the visible spectrum by means of using an optical filter, with an inverted transmission profile to the white LED, fabricated using a deposition coating process. The unfiltered white LED generates white light by mixing light emitted by a blue LED (450 nm) with emission from the yellow phosphorescence excited by the blue light and differs significantly from the characteristics of the full-spectrum natural light. In this study, the spectral characteristics of the filtered LED light can be improved to reach a general color rendering index value (Ra) of 95.6 at the D65.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the effect of early pelvic binder use in emergency management of suspected pelvic trauma, compared with the conventional stepwise approach. Methods: We enrolled trauma patients with initial stabilization using a pelvic binder for suspecting pelvic injury. Inclusion criteria were traumatic injury requiring a trauma team and at least one of the following: loss of consciousness or Glasgow coma score (GCS) < 13; systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg; falling from ≥6 m; injury to multiple vital organs; and suspected pelvic injury. Various parameters, including gender, age, mechanism of injury, GCS, mortality, hospital stay, initial vital sign, revised trauma score, injury severity score, and outcome, were assessed and compared with historical controls. Results: A total of 204 patients with high-energy multiple-trauma from single level I trauma center in North Taiwan were enrolled in the study from August 2013 to July 2014. The two group baseline patient characteristics were all collected and compared. The trauma patients with suspected pelvic fractures initially stabilized with a pelvic binder had shorter hospital and ICU stays. The study group achieved statistically significantly improved survival and lower mean blood transfusion volume and mortality rate although they were more severe in the trauma score. Conclusions: We recommend prompt pelvic binder use for suspected pelvic injury before definitive imaging is available, as a cervical spine collar is used to protect the cervical spine from further injury prior to definitive identification and characterization of an injury.

Background: Older adults with bipolar disorder (OABD) are individuals aged 50 years and older with bipolar disorder (BD). People with BD may have fewer coping strategies or resilience. A long course of the disease, such as in OABD, could impact the development of resilience strategies, but this remains under-researched in OABD. Therefore, this study aims to assess resilience levels within the OABD and explore associated factors, hypothesizing that resilience could improve psychosocial functioning, wellbeing and quality of life of OABD patients. Methods: This study sampled 33 OABD patients from the OABD cohort at the Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit of Hospital Clinic of Barcelona. This was an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study. Demographic and clinical variables as well as psychosocial functioning, resilience and cognitive reserve were analyzed. Resilience was measured using the CD-RISC-10. Non-parametric tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: The average CD-RISC-10 score was 25.67 points (SD 7.87). Resilience negatively correlated with the total number of episodes (p = 0.034), depressive episodes (p = 0.001), and the FAST (p < 0.001). Participants with normal resilience had a lower FAST (p = 0.046), a higher CRASH (p = 0.026), and more EOBD (p = 0.037) compared to those with low resilience. Conclusions: OABD individuals may exhibit lower resilience levels which correlate with more psychiatric episodes, particularly the number of depressions and worse psychosocial functioning and cognitive reserve. Better understanding and characterization of resilience could aid in early identification of patients requiring additional support to foster resilience and enhance OABD management.

Meta-heuristic algorithms are methods that try to solve problems by imitating events and systems existing in nature. It can be very difficult to solve nonlinear problems with the help of known classical algorithms. In this study, a new meta-heuristic method, the Pi algorithm, is proposed. Pi is a special number that is not periodic and contains many different number combinations in its digits calculated so far. The most important part of meta-heuristic methods is the equations and parameters used to ensure the diversity of the created population. In this study, a specific Pi coefficient for each attribute was calculated with the help of the Monte-Carlo method. These coefficients were used in the Pi algorithm in other parts of the study. In the application for data clustering, experiments were made on 5 different data sets. The best accuracy rate of 95.5% was achieved. In this respect, it has been seen that the Pi algorithm works successfully as a meta-heuristic method. It can be studied on a population-based data clustering, classification, prediction, etc. It can be easily applied in all areas.

In this paper, an adaptive proportional and integral (PI) controller for speed control of electric drives is developed. The adaptive PI controller is designed based on model reference adaptive identification and the Lyapunov function so that the system stability can be proved. To identify the inertia, the viscous friction torque coefficient, and the load torque simultaneously and smoothly, sinusoidal speed reference is usually employed. A modified motion equation considering the low-pass filter for feedback speed and the Coulomb friction torque is introduced and the relationship between the identified parameters and their actual values are clarified. A high-precision digital simulation model is built based on MATLAB/Simulink. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by simulations under various conditions.

Identifying locations of landslide slip surfaces provides critical information for understanding the volume of landslides and the scale of disasters, which is essential for formulating disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies. Based on hydrogeological survey data from 24 deep-seated landslide-prone sites in Taiwan's mountainous regions, this study first developed the hydraulic conductivity potential index (HCPI) using principal component analysis to quantify hydraulic properties of disturbed rock formation with six geological factors. Then, The regression analysis was performed to construct a permeability estimation model for the geological environment of landslides. Finally, the established model was utilized to develop an identification method for potential slip depths in landslide-prone sites. Results indicated a strong relation between HCPI and hydraulic conductivity with a determination coefficient of 0.895. The relation equation confirmed that its generated data concerning the depths of significant changes in hydraulic conductivity could be used to identify potential slip surfaces. Additionally, this study successfully establishes a rule for identifying potential slip zones by summarizing data concerning the generated hydraulic conductivity profiles, stratigraphic lithology, existing inclinometer slip depth records, and groundwater level of landslide sites. This identification method was then applied to predict potential slip depths for ten landslide sites where slip surfaces have not yet occurred. These findings offer a new alternative to having early information on potential sliding depths for timely disaster management and control implementation.

Enclosed public spaces are the hotspots for airborne disease transmission. To measure and maintain indoor air quality in terms of airborne transmission, an open source, low cost and distributed array of Particulate Matter Sensors has been developed and named as Dynamic Aerosol Transport for Indoor Ventilation or DATIV system. This system can use multiple Particulate Matter Sensors (PMS) simultaneously and can be remotely controlled using a Raspberry Pie based operating system. The data acquisition system can be easily operated using the GUI within any common browser installed on a remote device such as a PC or Smartphone with corresponding IP address. The software architecture and validation measurements are presented together with possible future developments.

Force reduction is one of the most important benefit of applying ultrasonic vibration on milling. However, most of studies so far are limited to experimental investigation. In the current study, an analytical predictive model on cutting forces in ultrasonic vibration-assisted milling is proposed. The three types of tool-workpiece criteria are considered based on the instantaneous position and velocity of tool center. Type I criterion indicates that there is no contact if the instantaneous velocity is opposite to tool rotation direction. Type II criterion checks whether the vibration displacement is larger than the instantaneous uncut chip thickness. Type III criterion considers the overlaps between current and previous tool paths due to vibration. If none of these criteria is satisfied, milling forces are nonzero. Then the calculation is performed by transforming milling and tool geometry configuration to orthogonal cutting at each instant. The orthogonal cutting forces are predicted through the exhaustive search of shear angle and calculation of shear flow stress on tool-chip interface. The axial force is then calculated based on tool geometry, and the milling forces in feed, cutting, and axial directions are calculated after coordinate transformation. The proposed predictive force model in ultrasonic vibration-assisted milling is validated through comparison to experimental measurements on Aluminum alloy 2A12. The predicted values are able to match the measured milling forces with high accuracy of average difference of 13.6% in feed direction and 13.8% in cutting direction.

In laser-assisted milling, higher temperature in shear zone softens the material potentially resulting in a shift of mean residual stress, which significantly affects the damage tolerance and fatigue performance of product. In order to guide the selection of laser and cutting parameters based on the preferred mean residual stress, inverse analysis is conducted by predicting residual stress based on guessed process parameters, which is defined as the forward problem, and applying iterative gradient search to find process parameters for next iteration, which is defined as the inverse problem. An analytical inverse analysis is therefore proposed for the mean residual stress in laser-assisted milling. The forward problem is solved by analytical prediction of mean residual stress after laser-assisted milling. The residual stress profile is predicted through the calculation of thermal stress, by treating laser beam as heat source, and plastic stress by first assuming pure elastic stress in loading process, then obtaining true stress with kinematic hardening followed by the stress relaxation. The variance-based recursive method is applied to solve inverse problem by updating process parameters to match the measured mean residual stress. Three cutting parameters including depth of cut, feed per tooth, and cutting speed, and two laser parameters including laser-tool distance and laser power, are updated with respected to the minimization of resulting residual stress and measurement in each iteration. Experimental measurements are referred on the laser-assisted milling of Ti-6Al-4V grade 5 and ELI. The percentage difference between experiments and predictions is less than 5% for both materials, and the selection is completed within 50 loops.

Guided ultrasonic waves are suitable for use in the context of structural health monitoring of thin-walled, plate-like structures. Hence, observing the wave propagation in the plates can provide an indication of whether damage has occurred in the structure. In this work, the wave propagation in fiber metal laminate consisting of thin steel foils and layers of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer is studied, focusing on the main propagation characteristics like dispersion diagrams and displacement fields. For this purpose, the dispersion diagrams derived from the analytical framework and numerical simulations are first determined and compared to each other. Next, the displacement fields are computed using the global matrix method for two excitation frequencies. The results derived from the analytical framework is used to validate numerically determined displacement fields based on a 2D and a 3D modeling approach. For both investigations the results of the analytical treatment and the numerical simulation show good agreement. Furthermore, the displacement field reveals the typical and well-known characteristics of the propagation of guided waves in thin-walled structures. Since the use of full 3D models involves a very high computational cost, this work also successfully investigates the possibility for model order reduction to decrease the computational time and costs of the simulation without the loss of accuracy.

Silicon (Si) is the major material of semiconductor element. For semiconductor element producing, Si need to refined into high-purity silicon crystals, which has the approximate characteristics of intrinsic semiconductor, then doping 13th group or 15th group trace element. Producing the high-purity silicon crystals with well-lattice structure need a lot of energy and highly cost. Besides, the high-purity silicon is very hard and fragile which limits the scope of application. For this reason, this study added low-grade non-complete lattice silicon in the elastic polymer, and then doped with high concentrations of fine carbon powder. This material can be conductive by physisorption;therefore, it can be used to making semiconductors. Using this material to produce electronic components can significantly reduce the cost of purification and crystallization, saving energy at the same time. Moreover, because this elastic polymer materials containing silicon, which has soft, warm, and durable physical properties. With those properties, the design of the device could be more flex, full scalability and close to the skin.

Lamb waves occur in thin-walled structures in two wave modes, the symmetric and antisymmetric mode. Their oscillation on the structures‘ surfaces is either in phase (symmetric) or shifted by a phase angle of π (antisymmetric). In this work, a method is developed to compare the surfaces‘ oscillation phase relation. It is based on the evaluation of time signals regarding the instantaneous phase angle using the continuous wavelet transformation and as a comparative method the short-time Fourier transformation. For this purpose, numerical simulations utilizing the finite element method provide time signals from the top and bottom surface of different thin-walled structures. They differ with respect to their material settings and laminate configurations. The numerically obtained time signals are evaluated by the developed methods. The occurring oscillation phase differences on the top and bottom surface are studied and both methods are compared. Subsequently, the oscillation phase is evaluated experimentally for the wave propagation in a fiber metal laminate. It is shown that the method based on the continuous wavelet transformation is suitable for the evaluation of oscillation phase relations in time signals. Additionally, it is proven that fiber metal laminates show only two phase relations which indicates the occurrence of Lamb waves.

ZrO2-YO1.5-TaO2.5(ZYTO) composite ceramic is considered to be the candidate of next generation of thermal barrier coatings as its excellent thermal stability and low thermal conductivity in high temperature, however, the mechanical properties and fracture tougheness of ZYTO system may be the shortcomings compared with the 8YSZ. In this study, ZYTO composite ceramics were successfully prepared by chemical coprecipitation reaction, the microsture of resulting composites were studied as a function of doping of M-YTaO4. Mechanical properties, including the density, porosity, hardness and Young's modulus, are determinate; the toughening mechanism were verified by the crack growth behavior of Vickers indentation test Results suggested that M-YTaO4 refines the fluorite phase grain and strengthens the grain interface in the composite ceramic. The thermal mismatch between the second phase and matrix produces residual stress in the bulk and affects the crack propagation behavior. With the increase of M-YTaO4 doping, the grain coarsening and ferroelastic domains are observed in the experiments. The ferroelastic domains with orthogonal polarization directions near crack tip evidences the ferroelastic toughening mechanism. The competition among these crack behaviors, such as cracks deflection, bridging and bifurcation, dominates the actual fracture toughness of the composite. The best toughening formula is determinate in the two-phase region and the highest fracture toughness is about to 3.1MPa·m1/2. Above all, mechanical properties of ZYTO composite ceramics look potential for thermal barrier coatings materials.

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

Exercise training influences the risk of vascular thrombosis in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Mitochondrial functionalities in platelets involve the cellular bioenergetics and thrombogenesis. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of cycling exercise training (CET) on platelet mitochondrial bioenergetics in PAD patients. Forty randomly selected patients with PAD engaged in general rehabilitation (GR) with CET (i.e., cycling exercise at ventilation threshold for 30 min/day, 3 days/week) (GR+CET, n=20) or to a control group that only received GR course (n=20) for 12 weeks. Systemic aerobic capacity and platelet mitochondrial bioenergetics that included oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and electron transport system (ETS) were measured using automatic gas analysis and high-resolution respirometry, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that GR+CET for 12 weeks significantly (i) elevated VO2peak and lowered VE-VCO2 slope, (ii) raised resting ankle-brachial index and enhanced cardiac output response to exercise, (iii) increased the distance in 6-minute walk test and raised the Short Form-36 physical/mental component scores, and (iv) enhanced capacities of mitochondrial OXPHOS and ETS in platelets by activating FADH2 (Complex II)-dependent pathway. Moreover, changes in VO2peak levels were positively associated with changes in platelet OXPHOS and ETS capacities. However, no significant changes in systemic aerobic capacity, platelet mitochondrial bioenergetics, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) occurred following GR alone. Hence, we conclude that CET effectively increases the capacities of platelet mitochondrial bioenergetics by enhancing Complex II activity in patients with PAD. Moreover, the exercise regimen also enhanced functional exercise capacity, consequently improving HRQoL in PAD patients.

Polydimethylsiloxane with hydroxy groups was functionalized to form functionalized polydimethylsiloxane, which subsequently underwent an addition reaction with isophorone diisocyanate to form the prepolymer. Next, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) reacted with 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTS) to produce bridged polysilsesquioxanes, and the sol–gel technology was employed to form hyperbranched polysiloxane nanoparticles with hydroxy groups, which was used as the additive. The hyperbranched polysiloxane and the prepolymer containing NCO functional groups then underwent an addition reaction to produce the hybrid materials. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance were used to characterize the structure of the polyurethane hybrid. Regarding thermal stability, after the hyperbranched polysiloxane nanoparticles was introduced, the integral procedural decomposition temperature increased from 348 ºC for polyurethane matrix to 859 ºC for the hybrid material. The results revealed that the thermal stability of the hybrid material substantially increased by approximately 247%.

This paper focuses on parametric model order reduction (PMOR) of guided ultrasonic wave propagation and its interaction with damage in a fiber metal laminate (FML). Structural health monitoring in FML seeks to detect, localize and characterize the damage with high accuracy and minimal use of sensors. This can be achieved by the inverse problem analysis approach which employs the signal measurement data recorded by the embedded sensors in the structure. The inverse analysis requires to solve the forward simulation of the underlying system several thousand times. These simulations are often exorbitantly expensive and triggered the need for improving their computational efficiency. A PMOR approach hinged on the proper orthogonal decomposition method is presented in this paper. An adaptive parameter sampling technique is established with the aid of a surrogate model to efficiently update the reduced-order basis in a greedy fashion. A numerical experiment is conducted to illustrate the parametric training of the reduced-order model. The results show that the reduced-order solution based on the PMOR approach is accurately complying with that of the high fidelity solution.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancies in women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype is a breast cancer subset without ER, PR and HER2 expression, limiting treatment options and presenting a poorer survival rate. Thus, we investigated whether HDACi would be used as potential anti-cancer therapy on breast cancer cells. In this study, we found TNBC and HER2-enrich breast cancers are extremely sensitive to Panobinostat, Belinostat of HDACi via experiments of cell viability assay, apoptotic marker identification and flow cytometry measurement. On the other hand, we developed a bioluminescence based live cell non-invasive apoptosis detection sensor (IADS) detection system to evaluate the quantitative and kinetic analyses of apoptotic cell death by HDAC treatment on breast cancer cells. In addition, the use of HDACi may also be accompanied with chemotherapeutic agent such as doxorubicin to synergic drug sensitivity on TNBC cell (MDA-MB-231), but not in breast normal epithelia cells (MCF-10A), providing therapeutic benefits against breast tumor in clinic.

More than 700 thousand human deaths from mosquito bites are observed annually in the world. It is more than 2 times the number of annual murders in the world. In this regard, the invention of new more effective methods of protection against mosquitoes is necessary. In this article for the first time, comprehensive studies of mosquito neutralization using machine vision and a 1 W power laser are considered. Developed laser installation with Raspberry Pi that changing the direction of the laser with a galvanometer. We developed a program for mosquito tracking in real. The possibility of using deep neural networks, Haar cascades, machine learning for mosquito recognition was considered. We considered in detail the classification problems of mosquitoes in images. A recommendation is given for the implementation of this device based on a microcontroller for subsequent use as part of an unmanned aerial vehicle. Any harmful insects in the fields can be used as objects for control.

This manuscript presented an autonomous home farm for predicting metrological characteristics that can not only automate the process of growing crops but also, due to a neural network, significantly increase the productivity of the farm. The developed farm monitors and manages the following indicators: illumination, soil PH, air temperature, earth temperature, air humidity, CO2 concentration, and soil moisture. The presented farm can also be considered as a device for testing various weather conditions to determine the optimal temperature characteristics for different crops. This farm as a result is completely autonomous grows tomatoes at home.

There is a potential for synergy effects in utilizing CO2 for both enhanced gas recovery (EGR) and geothermal energy extraction (CO2-plume geothermal, CPG) from natural gas reservoirs. This “combined CO2-EGR–CPG system” has been introduced as a feasible approach that constitutes a CO2 Capture double-Utilization and Storage (CCUUS) system. In this study, we carry out reservoir simulations, using TOUGH2, to evaluate the sensitivity of the natural gas recovery, pressure buildup, and geothermal power generation performance of the combined system to various key reservoir and operational parameters. The reservoir parameters include horizontal permeability, permeability anisotropy, reservoir temperature, and pore-size-distribution index; while the operational parameters include wellbore diameter and ambient surface temperature. Using an example of a natural gas reservoir model, we also investigate the effects of different strategies of transitioning from the CO2-EGR stage to the CPG stage on the energy-recovery performance metrics and on the two-phase fluid-flow regime in the production well. The simulation results show that overlapping the CO2-EGR and CPG stages and having a relatively brief period of CO2 injection but no production (which we call the CO2-plume establishment stage) achieves the best overall energy (natural gas and geothermal) recovery performance. Permeability anisotropy and reservoir temperature are the parameters the natural gas recovery performance of the combined system is most sensitive to. The geothermal power generation performance is most sensitive to the reservoir temperature and the production wellbore diameter. The results of this study pave the way for future CPG-based geothermal power-generation optimization studies. For a CO2-EGR–CPG project, the results can be a guide regarding the required accuracy of the reservoir parameters during exploration and data acquisition.

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

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

Objectives. Invasive fungal spondylodiscitis (IFSD) is rare and could be lethal in certain circumstances. Previous literature revealed limited data concerning the outcomes. This study aimed to establish a risk-scoring system. Methods. A total of 53 patients were included in the study from a multi-centered database in Taiwan. All the clinicopathological and laboratory data were retrospectively analyzed. Variables strongly related to 1-year mortality were identified using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to express the performance of our IFSD scoring model. Results. Five strong predictors were included in the IFSD score: predisposing immunocompromised state, the initial presentation of either radiculopathy or myelopathy, initial laboratory findings of WBC > 12.0 or < 0.4 103/uL, hemoglobin < 8 g/dL, and evidence of candidemia. 1-year mortality rates for patients with IFSD Scores of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 0%, 16.7%, 56.3%, 72.7%, and 100%, respectively. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.823. Conclusions. We developed a practical scoring model with easily obtained demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters to predict the probability of 1-year mortality in patients with IFSD. However, more large-scale and international validations would be necessary before this scoring model is commonly used.

Wearable assistant devices play an important role in daily life for people with disabilities. Those who are hearing impaired may face dangers while walking or driving on the road. The major danger is their inability to hear warning sounds from cars or ambulances. Thus, the goal of this study is to develop a wearable assistant device for the hearing impaired to recognize emergency vehicle sirens on the road using edge computing. An EfficientNet-based fuzzy rank-based ensemble model was proposed to classify seven audio sounds, including human vocalizations and emergency vehicle sirens. This model was embedded in an Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense development board. The audio files were respectively obtained from the CREMA-D dataset and Large Scale Audio dataset of emergency vehicle sirens on the road, with a total number of 8756 files. The seven audio sounds included neutral vocalization, anger vocalization, fear vocalization, happy vocalization, car horn sound, siren sound, and ambulance siren sound. The audio signal was converted into a spectrogram by the short-time Fourier transform as the feature. When one of the car horns, sirens, or ambulance sirens was detected, the wearable assistant device presented alarms through vibration and messages on the OLED panel. The performances of the EfficientNet-based fuzzy rank-based ensemble model in offline computing achieved an accuracy of 97.1%, precision of 97.79%, sensitivity of 96.8%, and specificity of 97.04%. In edge computing, the results were an accuracy of 95.2%, precision of 93.2%, sensitivity of 95.3%, and specificity of 95.1%. Thus, the proposed wearable assistant device has the potential benefit of helping the hearing impaired avoid traffic accidents.

Hyperuricemia (HC) was one of the important risk factors for gout, arteriosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease. Animal studies have shown that Lactobacillus plantarum can improve the microbiota, immune regulation, and inhibit the uric acid production. However, it was not clear whether L. plantarum can improve HC and intestinal microbiota. We used potassium oxonate (PO) to induce HC in male SD rats, and then treated L. plantarum TCI227 in a dose dependent (HC+LD, HC+MD, HC+HD) for 4 weeks, and examined weight organs, biochemical examination of blood and urine, and analyzed the intestinal microbiota in feces by 16s rDNA sequence analysis. In this study, TCI227 improved body weight, decreased creatinine, serum uric acid, and increased urine uric acid compared to the HC group. Furthermore, TCI227 increased short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In fecal microbiota (family), TCI227 increased the level of Lactobacillaceae, and then decreased the level of Deferribacteres and Prevotellaceae compared to the HC group. Finally, in fecal microbiota (genus), TCI227 decreased the level of Prevotella, and then increased the level of Lactobacillus and Ruminococcus compared to the HC group. This study suggested that TCI227 can improve HC and change the compositions of the intestinal microbiota in PO induced male HC SD rats.

This study centers on childcare facilities catering to children with moderate cerebral palsy, exploring a four-phase process: (1) cultivating an understanding and acceptance, (2) integrating specialized resources, (3) developing strategic plans, and (4) establishing stable collaboration. The case study demonstrates the profound impact of well-rounded support systems. Children with cerebral palsy showed marked improvements in development and emotional stability. Concurrently, their peers developed greater empathy and cooperative skills, smoothly adjusting to the inclusive setting. Additionally, the childcare staff refined their methods and attitudes, enhancing their ability to meet each child's specific needs and thus elevating the standard of integrated care.Concluding with three strategic recommendations, the paper proposes measures to augment the quality of care for children with special needs. These include defining clearer guidelines and policies for special needs care in childcare environments, emphasizing professional development and the amalgamation of diverse resources to cultivate a more skilled caregiving workforce, and encouraging robust partnerships between parents and childcare facilities. These recommendations are expected to significantly influence the domain of inclusive education, providing crucial insights for those engaged in early childhood care and education..

For the numerical simulation of components made of short fiber-reinforced composites the correct prediction of the deformation including the elastic and plastic behavior and its spatial distribution is essential. When using purely deterministic modeling approaches the information of the probabilistic microstructure is not included in the simulation process. One possible approach for the integration of stochastic information is the use of random fields. In this study numerical simulations of tensile test specimens are conducted utilizing a finite deformation elastic-ideal plastic material model. A selection of the material parameters covering the elastic and plastic domain are represented by cross-correlated second-order Gaussian random fields to incorporate the probabilistic nature of the material parameters. To validate the modeling approach tensile tests until failure are carried out experimentally, that confirm the assumption of spatially distributed material behavior in both the elastic and plastic domain. Since the correlation lengths of the random fields cannot be determined by pure analytic treatments, additionally numerical simulations are performed for different values of the correlation length. The numerical simulations endorse the influence of the correlation length on the overall behavior. For a correlation length of 5mm a good conformity with the experimental results is obtained. Therefore, it is concluded, that the presented modeling approach is suitable to predict the elastic and plastic deformation of a set of tensile test specimens made of short fiber-reinforced composite sufficiently.

Keywords: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, baculovirus surface display vectors, neutralizing antibody, IFN-γ, IL-4.

We construct a repeated quantum game with public goods by the quantum entanglement and strong reciprocity. By using the paradigm of quantum game analysis, we obtain that both the quantum entanglement and strong reciprocity are helpful to intensify cooperation and achieving Pareto optimality. In addition, under an example which is greenhouse green viable planting industry, we verify that the quantum entanglement and strong reciprocity have a positive role in cooperation.

The pharmacological effects of the fruiting body of Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Os) exerted antioxidant, anti-virus, and immunomodulatory, whereas the anti-inflammatory effects and active components of Os mycelial submerged culture (OMSC) are not known. This study aimed to investigate the active compounds in the fermented liquid (FLOS), hot water (WEOS), and 50-95% (EEOS-50, EEOS-95) ethanol extracts of OMSC and their anti-inflammatory effects and potential mechanisms in LPS-stimulated microglial BV2 cells. The results demonstrated that all of the OMSC extracts could inhibit NO production in BV2 cells. EEOS-95 exhibited the strongest inhibitory effects (41 % inhibitory ability at 500 µg/mL), and its ergosterol, GABA, total phenolic, and total flavonoid contents were significantly higher than those of the other extracts (18.60, 18.60, 2.28, and 2.14 mg/g, p &lt; 0.05, respectively). EEOS-95 also has a strong inhibitory ability against IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α with IC50 of 617, 277 and 507 µg/mL, respectively, which is higher than that of 1 mM melatonin. The anti-inflammatory mechanism of EEOS-95 seems to be associated with up-regulation of PPAR-γ/Nrf-2/HO-1 antioxidant-related expression and down-regulation of NF-κB/COX-2/iNOS pro-inflammatory expression signaling. Therefore, we hypothesized that EEOS-95 can prevent neurodegenerative diseases, but the effect on the application in vivo should be further investigated.

The outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in 2019 is in dire need of finding potential therapeutic agents. In this study, we used molecular docking to repurpose HIV protease inhibitors and nucleoside analogues for COVID-19, with evaluations based on docking scores calculated by AutoDock Vina and RosettaCommons. Our results suggest that Indinavir and Remdesivir possess the best docking scores, and comparison of the docking sites of the two drugs reveal a near perfect dock in the overlapping region of the protein pockets. After further investigation of the functional regions inferred from the proteins of SARS coronavirus, we discovered that Indinavir does not dock on any active sites of the protease, which may give rise to concern in regards to the efficacy of Indinavir. On the other hand, the docking site of Remdesivir is not compatible with any known functional regions, including template binding motifs, polymerization motifs and nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) binding motifs. However, when we tested the active form (CHEMBL2016761) of Remdesivir, the docking site revealed a perfect dock in the overlapping region of the NTP binding motif. This result suggests that Remdesivir could be a potential therapeutic agent. Clinical trials still must be done in order to confirm the curative effect of these drugs.

Holistic information integrity for managing wicked problems, developing equity is getting attention. Artifitial intelligence based topologies, dual sensor-information nodes, are prototyped to offer more availability, reliability, maintainability for operating healthy urbanism. Bipartite spider-webs, cube-connected cycles are aimed in ‘the radial-ring urban-building skeleton’ and ‘wetlands and sparsely populated areas’, respectively. Furthermore, honeycomb tori, mathematical HT(m), m≥2, for tasks related to wireless communications, are found having two mutually independent Hamiltonian paths (MIHP). This parallelism creates dual cipher-coding, supports logistic privacy, and help prevent information loss, electromagnetic interference, unexpected changes caused by such as clogged water.

Embracing innovative digital technologies within educational systems is essential for overcoming challenges in modern learning environments, especially in the post-COVID-19 era. Teaching sustainability management in higher education institutions with innovative digital tools plays a fundamental role in the transition toward sustainable societies. Suitable game design elements play a significant role in facilitating sustainable learning. This study explored the effectiveness of incorporating business simulation games with project-based learning (PBL) in a flipped classroom setting. This approach was adopted within the context of a university cross-border e-commerce course to prepare students for acquiring 21st -century skills as higher-order thinking skills in a rapidly changing educational landscape. A quasi-experimental method was employed, involving a total of 60 university students from China's Zhejiang Province. Participants completed an online questionnaire designed to assess their learning engagement across three dimensions (cognitive, emotional, and behavioral) as well as their higher-order thinking skills (problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity). The results show that the business simulation games combined with flipped classroom learning had a significantly positive impact on students’ learning outcomes, enhancing their problem-solving, critical thinking, and creative capabilities. Importantly, this approach also improved student engagement and promoted sustainable practices by applying real-life scenarios in an interactive environment. We conclude that business simulation games integrated with project-based learning (PBL) in flipped classroom settings represent a valuable educational approach. This approach not only enhances learning engagement but also fosters the development of higher-order thinking skills, encouraging students to adopt sustainable learning practices.

In all areas of medicine, especially in radiology, computers are increasing year by year. Filmless radiology, speech recognition software, electronic application forms, and teleradiology are recent developments that have greatly improved radiologists' performance. This research explores radiology software trends, predictions, and the challenges posed by informatics and historical trend analysis. The rationale behind this research is that information technology (IT) is overgrowing almost every day. We must continuously seek new ways to apply IT to make more use of resources. Consequently, IT becomes increasingly crucial to radiology organizations' innovative thinking, workflow, and business models. This study aimed to analyze all radiology software publications in the Science Citation Index (SCI). From 1991 to July 2021, SCI was used to search for publications systematically. We have also widely used this historical method in radiology software research. The findings and discussions are base on an assessment of trends, predictions, contributions, and challenges in radiology software, and we are exploring radiology software with six evolutionary stages. The gift of this research is that radiology managers realize that the use of new information technologies is closely related to survival in a competitive environment. Radiology companies can review these new technologies to develop more innovative business models and services to improve operational deficiencies.

This work investigates how integrated polyimide inlays with applied sensor bodies influence the guided ultrasonic wave propagation in narrow glass fiber-reinforced polymer specimens. Preliminary numerical simulations indicate that in a damping-free specimen, the inlays show reflections for the S0-mode propagation. Hence, an air-coupled ultrasonic technique and a 3D laser Doppler vibrometer measurement are used to measure different parts of the propagating waves’ displacement field after burst excitation at different frequencies. No significant reflections on the inlay can be seen in the experiments. However, it is shown that the reflections from the strip specimen’s narrow width cause periodical reflections that superimpose with the excited wave fronts. A continuous wavelet transformation in the time-frequency domain filters discontinuities from the measurement signal and is used for reconstruction of the time signals. The reconstructed signals are used in a spatial continuous wavelet transformation to identify the occurring wavelengths and hence to prove the assumption of reflections from the narrow edges. Since the amplitude of the reflections identified in the numerical data at the polyimide inlays are an order of magnitude smaller than the excited wave packages, it is concluded that material damping of the epoxy resin matrix extincts possible reflections from the inlays.

The primary purpose of this article is to study the asymptotic and numerical estimates in detail for higher degree polynomials in $\pi(x)$ having a general expression of the form, \begin{align*} P(\pi(x)) - \frac{e x}{\log x} Q(\pi(x/e)) + R(x) \end{align*} $P$, $Q$ and $R$ are arbitrarily chosen polynomials and $\pi(x)$ denotes the \textit{Prime Counting Function}. The proofs require specific order estimates involving $\pi(x)$ and the \textit{Second Chebyshev Function} $\psi(x)$, as well as the famous \textit{Prime Number Theorem} in addition to certain meromorphic properties of the \textit{Riemann Zeta Function} $\zeta(s)$ and results regarding its non-trivial zeros. A few generalizations of these concepts have also been discussed in detail towards the later stages of the paper, along with citing some important applications.

Static standing postural stability has been measured by multiscale entropy (MSE), which is used to measure complexity. In this study, we used the average entropy (AE) to measure the static standing postural stability, as AE is a good measure of disorder. The center of pressure (COP) trajectories were collected from 11 subjects under four kinds of balance situation, from stable to unstable: bipedal with open eyes, bipedal with closed eyes, unipedal with open eyes, and unipedal with closed eyes. The AE, entropy of entropy (EoE), and MSE methods were used to analyze these COP data, and EoE was found to be a good measure of complexity. The AE of the 11 subjects sequentially increased by 100%as the balance situations progressed from stable to unstable, but the results of EoE and MSE did not follow this trend. Therefore, AE, rather than EoE or MSE, is a good measure of static standing postural stability. Furthermore, the comparison of EoE and AE plots exhibited an inverted U curve, which is another example of a complexity versus disorder inverted U curve.

Wind energy is a kind of renewable energy with great potential for development. This study mainly investigated the application of shock waves generated by high-pressure gases (wind energy) for generating energy. In this study, we designed a new supersonic shock wave generator that can be reused without disassembling and assembling bolts and developed a supersonic shock wave monitoring system. This system monitored the velocity of the generated shock waves, which was Mach 3-5, and the output pressure was more than 100 times higher than the input pressure of the shock wave generator tank.Then, we developed a power generation system driven by supersonic shock waves based on the characteristics of the new shock wave generator, which can generate high-pressure and high-speed blast waves and can be reused. The shock wave generator can repeatedly generate high-pressure waves to drive the Tesla turbine and then the magnetic energy generator for power generation. We established a complete control process for power generation driven by shock waves by controlling the valve stem. The system can detect the tank pressure, output pressure, gas flow, rotation speed, voltage, and current during the control process for the performance analysis of power generation.

Thalassemia is a heterogeneous congenital hemoglobinopathy common in the Mediterranean region, Middle East, Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia with increasing incidence in Northern Europe and North America due to immigration. Iron overloading is one of the major long-term complications in patients with thalassemia and can lead to organ damage and carcin-ogenesis. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies in both transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) and non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT). The incidence of HCC in patients with thalassemia has increased over time, as better chelation therapy confers a sufficiently long lifespan for the development of HCC. The mechanisms of iron overloading-associated HCC development include the increased　reactive oxygen species (ROS), inflammation cytokines, dysregulated hepcidin, and ferroportin metabolism. The treat-ment of HCC in patients with thalassemia was basically similar to those in general population. However, due to the younger age of HCC onset in thalassemia, regular surveillance for HCC development is mandatory in TDT and NTDT. Other supplemental therapy and experience of novel treatment for HCC in thalassemia population were also reviewed in this article.

Aging and obesity make humans more prone to cardiovascular and metabolic syndrome diseases, leading to several serious health conditions, including dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, and sleep disturbance. Hyperlipidemia means elevated blood lipid levels, including cholesterol and triglycerides. This study aimed to explore the hypolipidemic effect of fermented citrus lemon juice using a hyperlipidemic hamster model. Sugar-free lemon juice’s fermentation was optimized, and the characteristics of fresh and fermented lemon juice (FLJ) were evaluated and compared. In addition, tests were conducted to determine the appropriate hamster feed for the functional animal tests. Then, experiments were conducted to evaluate the hypolipidemic effect of the FLJ, which contained polyphenols and superoxide dismutase-like activity, on a hyperlipidemic hamster model. This study’s pre-fermentation efficiency evaluation found that 21–30 days of bacterial DMS32004 and DMS32005 fermentation of fresh lemon juice provided the best fermentation benefits. In addition, the fermentation evaluation showed that a sugar-free fermentation method provided FLJ with the best benefits. Results showed that the absorption and utilization efficiency of FLJ was higher compared with the unfermented lemon juice. After six weeks of feeding, the total cholesterol and triglyceride values in the blood and liver of the FLJ treatment groups were de-creased compared with the high-fat diet (HFD) group. In addition, the blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly reduced in the FLJ treatment groups compared with the HFD group. In contrast, the blood high-density lipoprotein to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio increased considerably in the FLJ treatment groups, and the total to high-density lipoprotein ratio was significantly lower than in the HFD group. Compared with the HFD group, the total cholesterol content in the FLJ treatment groups’ feces increased significantly. This study demonstrated that the sugar-free fermentation method and fermentation cycle management provided FLJ with the potential to regulate blood lipids. Further research and verification will be carried out to isolate specific substances from the FLJ and identify their mechanisms of action.

The standard treatment for early-stage lung cancer is complete tumor excision by limited resection of the lung. Pre-operative localization is used before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) to improve the accuracy of pulmonary nodule excision. However, lung atelectasis and hypoxia resulting from controlling apnea during the localization procedure may affect the localization accuracy. Pre-procedural pulmonary recruitment may improve respiratory mechanics and oxygenation during localization. In this study, we investigated the potential benefits of pre-localization pulmonary recruitment prior to pulmonary ground-glass nodule localization in a hybrid operating room. We hypothesized that pre-localization pulmonary recruitment would increase localization accuracy, improve oxygenation, and prevent the need for re-inflation during the localization procedure. We retrospectively enrolled patients with multiple pulmonary nodule localizations before surgical intervention in our hybrid operating room. We compared localization accuracies between patients who had undergone pre-procedure pulmonary recruitment and patients who had not. Saturation, re-inflation rate, apnea time, procedure-related pneumothorax, and procedure time were also recorded as secondary outcomes. Patients who had undergone pre-procedure recruitment had better saturation, shorter procedure time, and higher localization accuracy. The pre-procedure pulmonary recruitment maneuver was effective in increasing regional lung ventilation, leading to improved oxygenation and localization accuracy.

To enhance industrial competitiveness and increase productivity, every country has strived to create a smart factory by introducing technologies such as Internet of Things, big data and artificial intelligence into production line and build cyber-physical system for the purpose of promoting manufacturing efficiency. For mission assignment, production line management or manufacturing field analysis, the location information of employee, machine and material is very essential. To promote manufacturing efficiency, of course, the location information became more important. A Bluetooth low energy (BLE) positioning system for the manufacturing is developed in this research. A "Tag tracking" mechanism is addressed and adopted, which uses Beacon to catch the location information and a BLE receiver is also used to receive the broadcasting information from Beacon. The position information from the BLE receiver will be compared with the data in the database for calculating the location of the target. The status of the target may also be obtained by using the data from the BLE receiver. Comparing with the mobile device, this method can reduce energy consumption and make the maintenance simple and easy. In the real applications, the target may not be limited to human. The "Regional label positioning technology" is also investigated in this research. Defining a suitable zone location and arranging BLE receiver location, and positioning analysis theory are the key factors included in this developed technology. The developed system will be tested for real industry applications. The test results show that the feasibility of this technology.

Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) is an innovative technology with little industry guidance for its hull design. Various FOWT floaters with different hull shapes claim to support the same turbines. Structural integrity and material expense analyses of different pontoon shapes were conducted, and it was found that some configurations, such as those with every two columns connected by both pontoon and bracing, have advantages over others. However, it is important to note that the choice of pontoon shape should be based on the wave loading conditions the floater will be exposed to. While a T-shaped pontoon provides a cost-effective solution under certain wave loading scenarios, it may not be the best option for all conditions. Specifically, ring pontoon designs with full bracing were found to be necessary for withstanding certain wave loads. Therefore, it is important to consider different Dominant Load Parameters (DLP) and ensure that a FOWT floater can withstand all applicable DLPs. An uneven hexahedral column shape, which combines the best attributes of square and round shapes, is proposed as a better alternative to cylindrical columns. It offers ease of manufacture and reasonably low drag. Bracing is found to be necessary for withstanding the wind turbine’s incurred moment and forces. The conclusion is that platform design should prioritize manufacturing costs and strength over maximizing hydrodynamic performance.

(1) Background: Previous systematic review suggested a beneficial effect of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. However, poor quality of eligible studies impaired the reliability and validity of findings. Moreover, additional potential studies with good quality published in Chinese language have been published recently. The aim of the present systematic review was to investigate the value of PMR training in preventing and alleviating nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy among cancer patients. (2) Methods: We assigned two independent investigators to search all potential studies in PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trial (CENTRAL), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), China Biomedical Literature database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang data. We used data extraction sheet extracted all essential information, and used the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool to appraise the quality of eligible studies. Finally, we qualitatively summarized the results of all included studies. (3) Results: Six studies enrolling 288 patients were considered to meet our selection criteria finally. Of these 6 studies, three were labeled as moderate quality, and the remaining studies were low quality. All included studies consistently suggested that PMR has a positive impact on nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy among cancer patients especially alleviating the incidence, frequency and degree of delayed nausea and vomiting. (4) Conclusions: Independent studies indicated that PMR was a beneficial approach to prevent and alleviate nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy among cancer patients. However, further studies considering other types of primary tumors should be designed in order to increase the generality of PMR because studies included in the present systematic review mainly enrolled lung cancer and breast cancer.

Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt), the causal agent of wheat stem rust, poses a significant threat to global wheat production. Genetic resistance offers a cost-effective and sustainable solution. The durum wheat landrace PI 94701 was previously hypothesized to carry two stem rust resistance (Sr) genes, but their chromosomal locations were unknown. In this study, we mapped and characterized an all-stage Sr gene in PI 94701, temporarily designated as SrPI94701. In seedling tests, SrPI94701 was effective against all six Pgt races tested. Using a large segregating population (2,302 gametes), we mapped SrPI94701 within a 0.17-cM region flanked by markers pku69124 and pku69228, corresponding to 1.04- and 2.15-Mb genomic regions in the Svevo and Chinese Spring reference genomes. Within the candidate region, eight genes exhibited differential expression between the Pgt-inoculated resistant and susceptible plants. Among them, two NLR genes, TraesCS5B03G1334700 and TraesCS5B03G1335100, showed high polymorphism between parental lines, with upregulation observed in the resistant F4 line compared to its susceptible sister line. However, the flanking and completely linked markers developed in this study could not accurately predict the presence of SrPI94701 in uncharacterized wheat genotypes. SrPI94701 holds promise as a valuable component in breeding programs aimed at enhancing resistance against Pgt.

Background: Despite progress in access to family planning services in many sub-Saharan 11 African countries in recent decades, advances in early postpartum contraceptive adoption remain 12 low, and the unmet need for early postpartum contraceptives is high. According to the Ethiopia 13 Demographic and Health Survey report, early postpartum modern contraceptive method uptake is 14 still unacceptably low in Ethiopia. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the magnitude of 15 intention to adoption of early postpartum modern contraceptive methods and its associated factors 16 among pregnant women in Dessie and Kombolcha town zones, northeast Ethiopia. Methods: A 17 community-based cross-sectional study was deployed from January 15–February 15, 2023, in the 18 Dessie and Kombolcha zones, north-east Ethiopia among pregnant women. The study involved 780 19 pregnant women using the cluster sampling technique. A census was conducted in 20 randomly 20 selected clusters to identify eligible pregnant women. Actual data were collected home-to-home in 21 the community through face-to-face interviews. Data were collected by Open Data Kit (ODK) and 22 exported to STATA 17 for analysis. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was done and the 23 goodness of the model was checked by Hosmer-Lemeshow's test statistic and rock curve. An ad- 24 justed odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval and P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically sig- 25 nificant. Result: The study revealed that 49.6% of pregnant women lack autonomy and 50% lack 26 knowledge about early postpartum contraception, with participants' wealth index status ranging 27 from rich (36.6%) to poor (33.2%). The study found that 75.8% of pregnant women intended to adopt 28 early postpartum modern contraceptive methods early after childbirth. After controlling the poten- 29 tial confounder’s mothers age (AOR = 6.2 [2.6–14.6], birth interval (AOR = 2.5 [1.6–3.7]), have paid 30 work (AOR = 1.9 [1.3–2.8]), health facility from home (AOR=2.6[1.5-4.4]), last delivery 31 Place(AOR=2.4[1.1-5.7]), knowledge on (AOR = 1.5 [1.1-2.1]), and antenatal care follow-up (AOR = 32 1.9 [1.2-3.3]) were significant associated factors of intention to uptake early postpartum modern con- 33 traceptive methods among pregnant women. Conclusion: The study found that 75% of the partici- 34 pants had the intention to adoption of contraceptive methods during the early postpartum period. 35 Identified factors influencing this intention were age, birth interval, women's employment status, 36 area of residence, distance to health facilities, last delivery place, knowledge of early postpartum 37 modern contraception, gravidity, and antenatal care follow-up. These findings highlight the need 38 for targeted interventions to address these factors, framing the intended users and enabling access 39 to early adoption of postpartum contraceptive methods.

Ischemic neuron loss contributes to brain dysfunction in patients with cardiac arrest (CA). Histidine–tryptophan–ketoglutarate (HTK) solution is a preservative used during organ transplantation. Can HTK also protect neurons from severe hypoxia (SH) following CA? We isolated rat primary cortical neurons and induced SH with or without HTK. Changes in caspase-3, hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α), and NADPH oxidase-4 (NOX4) expression were evaluated at different time points till 72 h. Using a rat asphyxia model, we induced CA-mediated brain damage and then completed resuscitation. HTK or sterile saline was administered into the left carotid artery. Neurological deficit scoring and mortality were evaluated for 3 days. Then the rats were sacrificed for evaluating NOX4 and H2O2 level in blood and brain. In the in vitro study, HTK attenuated SH- and H2O2-mediated cytotoxicity in a volume- and time-dependent manner, associated with persisted HIF-1α expression, reductions in procaspase-3 activation and NOX4 expression. The inhibition of HIF-1α abrogated HTK’s effect on NOX4. In the in vivo study, neurological scores were significantly improved by HTK. H2O2 level, NOX4 activity and NOX4 gene expression were all decreased in the brain specimen of HTK-treated rats. Our results suggest that HTK acts as an effective neuroprotective solution.

Tocilizumab against interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) has been demonstrated to inhibit the progression of diverse cancers in vitro and in vivo. Nonetheless, evidence regarding the anti-tumor effects of Tocilizumab on human colorectal carcinoma (CRC) corresponding to IL-6R expression levels re-mains scarce. To investigate the influence of IL-6R expression, SW480 and HT-29 cells inoculated subcutaneously into NU/NU mice were used as our human CRC xenograft models with anti-IL-6R antibody (Tocilizumab) therapy. IL-6R expression levels, the histology of CRC growth/ invasiveness and tumor growth-related signaling pathway were estimated by H&E and immunohistochemical staining. SW480 tumor cells with higher IL-6R expression levels exerted better responsiveness in Tocilizumab therapy than the treated HT-29 group. Likewise, therapeutic effects of Tocilizumab on the proliferative ability with mitotic index and Ki-67 expressions, the invasiveness with MMP-9 proteinase expressions, ERK 1/2 and STAT3 signaling transduction in SW480 treatment group were superior to HT-29 treatment group. In light of our results, IL-6R is the key indicator for the efficacy of Tocilizumab treatment in CRC xenografts. From the perspective of precision medicine, tumor response to anti-IL-6R antibody therapy could be predicted on the basis of IL-6R expression levels. In this manner, Tocilizumab may serve as a targeted and promising anti-CRC therapy.

Taiwan's bed and breakfast (B&B) development has been more than 25 years ago, from the first generation of retirement to the B&B industry, serving tourists from all over the world accom-modation, providing breakfast and accommodation mode to the present, after the change of employees from the second generation, more and more attention is paid to the cultivation and cultivation of business ability. With the advent of the era of AI technology networking, the ca-pabilities required for B&B operation are more focused on all aspects of service, and the good marketing ability of B&B can promote a green chimney-free tourism economy, which is also a favorite industry of various governments and the public. This study explores the basic vocational competency indicators required for running a B&B, with (1)EQ emotion management skills, (2)Financial management ability, (3)(SK) technical skills, and (4)Marketing and promotion management capabilities. Through the study method, the K-S Z test was determined by the con-sensus conclusion of expert reliability and validity p value

The objective of this study is to investigate the use of excavation behavior prediction and analysis software in the field of civil en-gineering. PLAXIS and SoilWorks, widely used in the engineering and academic communities, were employed as research tools for analyzing gravel layers and deriving appropriate ranges of soil elastic modulus for different software programs. By collecting excavation cases in the Xindian area of New Taipei City, Taiwan, and conducting deep excavation analysis using the displacement of retaining walls, this study provides recommended ranges for localized selection of soil elastic modulus. The suggested range for PLAXIS is 7,840 N/m² to 9,800 N/m², while Soil-Works suggests a range of 2,450 N/m² to 3,430 N/m². These ranges allow for reasonable estimation of maximum deformations during the final excavation stage. Based on the research findings, it is recommended that engineers refer to the provided ranges when selecting soil elastic modulus for excavation analysis in gravel layers using different soft-ware programs in the Xindian area of Taiwan to improve the accuracy of deformation predictions during the final excavation stage. These results serve as important references for engineers and contribute to the effective prediction and management of excavation behavior in civil engineering projects.

Aluminum alloy (Al6061) sheet micro-hole processing is extensively used in smartphones, tablet PC, and smart wearable devices. The micro-hole processing is commonly performed using laser, micro drilling, microstamping, micro discharge, and chemical etching technologies. Micro-stamping technology is characterized by precision and rapid processing, but the precision positioning of the punch head and lower die is one of the major difficulties in micro-hole stamping, especially in manufacturing array micro-holes. This study used stamping without die technology. This technology uses an array punch head to punch the lower die holes on the base, then performs array micro-hole stamping. The experimental results show that a micro-hole array with 37 micro-holes were successfully manufactured and can be reproduced many times. Tapered array micro-holes with a high aspect ratio can be manufactured using this stamping without die technology; the micro-hole depth can be 260μm, the inlet diameter is 116μm, and the outlet diameter is 25μm. This study has successfully developed the feasibility of array micro-hole stamping technology.

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

Agriculture is an industry that heavily relies on the environment. The increasing frequency of ex-treme disasters attributable to climate change has adversely affected agricultural land and dis-rupted the stability of the supply of agricultural products. Therefore, we implemented a research program focused on current strategies for adapting to agricultural meteorological disasters. The primary goal was to actively promote disaster prevention information and techniques through information platforms and applications and to provide refined forecasting and an early warning system to enhance preparedness for and recovery from agricultural disasters. This initiative can transform passive mitigation into dynamic action by disseminating crucial information to farmers. We integrated meteorological data and crop characteristics to develop disaster prevention strate-gies for the predisaster, during-disaster, and postdisaster stages to empower farmers to implement autonomous disaster prevention, ensuring their profitability and minimizing the impact of disas-ters. This paper presents an agricultural disaster prevention system involving cross-disciplinary collaboration to establish an early warning system for crop disasters. However, the effectiveness of the early warning system relies on the availability of complete meteorological and crop infor-mation, necessitating high-density agricultural meteorological stations, refined weather forecast services, historical crop damage data, and ongoing research and development on disaster preven-tion technology. In the system, a diversified social media interface is used to provide local farmers with weather forecast information. When impending disasters are identified, the platform acti-vates disaster prevention measures to reduce agricultural losses. This article paper introduces Taiwan’s agricultural disaster prevention system as a complete disaster prevention strategy.

Background: This retrospective study evaluates the survival effects of metronomic maintenance therapy with fluoropyrimidine in patients with stage III colorectal cancer (CRC) according to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression. Methods: We enrolled 197 patients with stage III CRC who had undergone radical resection and FOLFOX regimen adjuvant chemotherapy. The clinicopathological features and effects of metronomic maintenance therapy on survival according to treatment group and EGFR expression were analyzed. By conducting an in vitro cell line study and in vivo study through knockdout of EGFR gene, we analyzed the capacities of cell proliferation and migration. Results: Postoperative relapse and mortality were significantly more common in the FOLFOX group. Metronomic maintenance therapy was a significantly independent predictive factor of postoperative relapse and mortality, as well as a prognostic factor of disease-free survival and overall survival. The significant differences of survival between the two groups were only observed in patients with positive EGFR expression. Conclusions: The present study suggested EGFR expression as the prognostic factor in patients with stage III CRC receiving metronomic maintenance therapy. By analyzing EGFR expression, we can identify the potential candidates with optimal survival benefit from metronomic maintenance therapy in patients with stage III CRC.

There is a need for cost-effective and non-invasive methods of monitoring feeding behavior in livestock operations, considering the significant impact of feed costs on economic efficiency and assisting in detecting health issues of group-fed animals. This paper proposes using deep learning-based computer vision techniques to detect pen-fed beef cattle feeding behavior using Mask Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (RCNN). A deep learning model was pre-trained on the Common Objects in Context (COCO) dataset to generate cattle instance segmentation. Manually defined feed bunk polygons are compared with these segmentation masks to derive feeding time for each bunk. A full day’s worth of video data and the corresponding physical sensor data are collected for the experiment. By benchmarking the computer vision detected data with physical ground truth over random time segments from morning to evening (thus various lighting conditions), the optimal thresholds for Mask RCNN are determined to be 0.7 for bounding boxes and 0.1 for masks. Using these parameters. The reports suggest that the computer vision system achieved a precision of 87.2% and a recall of 89.1%, signifying precise detection of feeding events. Our study, to the best of our knowledge, was one of the first investigations of instance segmentation on feeding time sense, which combines deep learning methods with traditional computer vision logistics, reporting on feeding time data collection and processing, camera testing and adjustment, and performance evaluation. Future research directions include computer vision applied in feed grading and animal re-identification for individual production analysis.

This paper reassesses the detrimental effect on fatigue performance due to thicker sections based on extensive fatigue strength test database, taken from research program worldwide over the past half of a century in offshore oil &amp; gas and renewable industry. The data entries in the database have been evaluated to ensure its data integrity. Statistical analyses on these S-N data are performed with or without the thickness correction at different exposure level to corrosive environment, in order to re-evaluate the suitability of current standards in regard to the thickness effect. The study has concentrated on T-joint, transverse butt welded joint and tubular joint as these are the most commonly used joint types in the offshore wind industry. The analysis indicates general agreement of fatigue strength with the thickness effects in current standard for in air conditions but great conservatism for corrosive environment.

The concept of Design Fatigue Factors (DFFs) was introduced for providing desired level of safety in structural fatigue design, often associated with damage calculated from S-N curves. Calculation of fatigue damage from S-N curves can be affected by multiple factors, e.g. types of weld class, corrosion condition, loading conditions, stress concentration on different geometries etc. Each of them can be subject to different level of uncertainties. This study intends to recalibrate the DFFs from a detailed reliability analysis by investigating the probabilistic models derived from the database of S-N curves that has been most frequently used in offshore wind industry. The results of such study indicate that the DFFs can be reduced substantially for the corrosive environmental fatigue models from current standards to the same level of target reliability.

Aberrant neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation and the loss of barrier integrity in inflamed intestinal tissues have long been associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, whether NETs alter intestinal epithelium permeability during colitis remains elusive. Here, we demonstrated that NETs promote the breakdown in intestinal barrier function for the pathogenesis of intestinal inflammation in mouse models of colitis. NETs were abundant in the colon of mice with colitis experimentally induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) or 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). Analysis of the intestinal barrier integrity revealed that NETs impaired gut permeability, enabling the initiation of luminal bacterial translocation and inflammation. Furthermore, NETs induced the apoptosis of epithelial cells and disrupted the integrity of tight junctions and adherens junctions. Intravenous administration of DNase I, an enzyme that dissolves the web-like DNA filaments of NETs, during colitis restored the mucosal barrier integrity which reduced the dissemination of luminal bacteria, and attenuated intestinal inflammation in both DSS and TNBS models. We conclude that NETs serve a detrimental factor in the gut epithelial barrier function leading to the pathogenesis of mucosal inflammation during acute colitis.

Dry eye syndrome (DES) has become increasingly prevalent due to the prolonged use of digital devices in modern society. Individual supplementation with lutein or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) demonstrated potential benefits for eye health. This study aimed to investigate the effects of lutein plus DHA complex supplementation on DES, visual function, and memory in healthy individuals. Thirty-four participants, aged 40~60 years, received lutein/DHA complex supplements (containing 10 mg free-form lutein, 200 mg DHA, 30 mg red algae extract (astaxanthin), phosphatidylserine, and vitamin A) for 12 weeks. Ophthalmological examinations and memory tests were carried out, and a questionnaire was administered at weeks 0, 6, and 12 of the study. After 12 weeks of the intervention, the tear break-up time had significantly increased, and intraocular pressure (IOP) had significantly decreased. This suggests that lutein/DHA complex supplementation may reduce the IOP and offer potential benefits for DES, as indicated by improved tear stability.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common type of cancer, and is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths each year. It involves a multi-step progression and is strongly associated with chronic inflammation induced by the intake of environmental toxins and/or viral infections (i.e., hepatitis B and C viruses). Although several genetic dysregulations are considered to be involved in disease progression, the detailed regulatory mechanisms are not well defined. Homeobox (Hox) genes that encode transcription factors with homeodomains control cell growth, differentiation, and morphogenesis in embryonic development. Recently, more aberrant expressions of Hox genes were found in a wide variety of human cancer, including HCC. In this review, we summarize the currently available evidence related to the role of Hox genes in the development of HCC. The objective is to determine the roles of this conserved transcription factor family and its potential use as a therapeutic target in future investigations.