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

We developed a transparent and flexible electrochemical sensor using a platform based on a network of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) for the non-enzymatic detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) released from living cells. We decorated the SWCNT network on a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate with platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) using a potentiodynamic method. The PtNP/SWCNT/PET sensor synergized the advantages of a flexible PET substrate, a conducting SWCNT network, and a catalytic PtNP, and demonstrated good biocompatibility and flexibility, enabling cell adhesion. The PtNP/SWCNT/PET-based sensor demonstrated enhanced electrocatalytic activity towards H2O2 as well as excellent selectivity, stability, and reproducibility. The sensor exhibited a wide dynamic range of 500 nM to 1 M, with a low detection limit of 228 nM. In addition, Furthermore, the PtNP/SWCNT/PET sensor remained operationally stable even after bending at various angles (15°, 30°, 60°, and 90°) with no noticeable loss of current signal. These outstanding characteristics enabled the PtNP/SWCNT/PET sensor to be practically applied for the direct culture of HeLa cells and the real-time monitoring of H2O2 release by the HeLa cells under drug stimulation.

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

A flavonoid Astragalin (kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, Ast) has several biological activities including anti-oxidant, anti-HIV, and anti-allergic effects. Nonetheless, its insolubility in hydrophilic solvents imposes restrictions on its therapeutic applications. In this study, we investigated the effects of water-soluble astragalin-galactoside (kaempferol-3-O- β-D-isomaltotrioside, Ast-Gal) on dendritic cell (DC) maturation and T helper (Th) cell-mediated immune responses. Ast-Gal significantly increased maturation and activation of DCs through up-regulation of surface markers, such as CD80, CD86, and MHC II in a dose-dependent manner, while Ast had little effects. Also, Ast-Gal-treated DCs markedly secreted immune-stimulating cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-12. Importantly, Ast-Gal strongly increased expression of IL-12, a polarizing cytokine of Th1 cells. In a co-culture system of DCs and CD4+ T cells, Ast-Gal-treated DCs preferentially differentiates naïve CD4+ T cells into Th1 cells. The addition of neutralizing IL-12 mAb to cultures of Ast-Gal-treated DCs and CD4+ T cells significantly increased IFN- γ production, thereby indicating that Ast-Gal-stimulated DCs enhance the Th1 response through IL-12 production by DCs. Injection with Ast-Gal-treated DCs in mice increased IFN-γ-secreting Th1 cell population. Collectively, these findings indicate that hydrophilically modified astragalin can enhance Th1-mediated immune responses via DCs, and point to a possible application of water-soluble astragalin-galactoside as an immune adjuvant.

Traditional diagnosis of patent foramen ovale (PFO) in the heart has involved the use of transcranial doppler (TCD). However, TCD is essentially a blind test that cannot directly visualize the location of blood vessels. Since TCD relies on qualitative assessments by examiners, there is room for errors, such as misalignment of the ultrasound's angle of incidence with the actual blood vessels. This limitation affects the reproducibility and consistency of the examination. In this study, we presented an alternative approach for assessing right-to-left shunt (RLS) associated with PFO using contrast transcranial color-coded doppler (C-TCCD) with bubble contrast. The patient under consideration had been diagnosed with an ischemic stroke through imaging, but the subsequent cardiac work-up failed to determine the cause. Employing C-TCCD for RLS screening revealed a confirmed RLS of Spencer’s three grades. Subsequently, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was conducted to evaluate PFO risk factors, confirming an 8 mm PFO size, a 21 mm tunnel length, a hypermobile interatrial septum, and persistent RLS. The calculated high-risk PFO score was 4 points, categorizing it as a very high-risk PFO. This case underscores the importance of C-TCCD screening in detecting RLS associated with PFO, especially in cryptogenic stroke patients when identifying the underlying cause of ischemic stroke becomes challenging.

Hizikia fusiformis is a common, edible marine alga found in Asia. Although the anticancer activity of its extracts has previously been investigated, its active compounds have not been identified. In this study, saringosterol acetate (SA) was isolated from H. fusiformis extracts by centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) system (two phase solvents condition: n-hexane:ethyl acetate/methanol:water = 5:3:7:1, v/v), exhibited anticancer effects in the human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line, A549, by inducing apoptosis and sub-G1 phase cell cycle arrest. In addition, SA increased the expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins, Bax and cleaved caspase 3, and decreased that of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xL. Although, SA did not affect the expression of p53, induces expression of Bid and caspase 8. In conclusion, we suggested that SA induces apoptosis against A549 cells via Bid and caspase 8 dependent pathway.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between smartphone addiction of middle school students and smartphone usage types, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), stress, interpersonal problems, and parenting attitude. This study was also performed with the aim of verifying the relationships among depression, ADHD, perceived stress, interpersonal problems, and parenting attitude, which are predictors of smartphone addiction. The subjects of this study were 487 local middle school students (234 males and 253 females). The measurement instruments used were the smartphone addiction scale, depression scale (PHQ-9), ADHD scale (K-ARS), perceived stress scale (PSS), interpersonal problem scale (KIIP-SC), and the parenting attitude scale. This study identified the relationships between the variables with correlation analysis and examined the predictors of smartphone addiction with hierarchical multiple regression analysis. According to the study results, the factors that influenced smartphone addiction were gender, stress, and interpersonal problems. In addition, when the confounding variables of smartphone addiction were controlled to examine the effects of smartphone usage types on smartphone addiction, social media use and music/videos were found to have a positively significant effect on smartphone addiction while study had a negatively significant effect. The order of the usage types with the highest influence on smartphone addiction was enjoying music/videos, social media use, and study. This suggests that selective intervention depending on the main smartphone usage type can be effective.

As argued by ‘Declaration of Concrete Environment (2010)’ of Korea and ‘Declaration of Asian Concrete Environment (2011)’ of six Asian countries, concrete as a single material has lately shown extremely large impact on environmental issues such as climate change. Assessment of environmental impact from concrete material and production has considerable importance. Concrete is a major material used in the construction industry that emits a large amount of substances with environmental impacts during its life cycle. Accordingly, technologies for the reduction in and assessment of the environmental impact of concrete from the perspective of Life Cycle Assessment must be developed. At present, the studies in relation to greenhouse gas emission from concrete are being carried out globally as a countermeasure against climate change. In this study, a sustainable concrete mix design algorithm was designed using correlation analyses, and its carbon emission and cost reduction performances were assessed. Using correlation analyses, the concrete strength, w/b and s/a ratios, and CO₂ emissions were identified as major variables of concrete mix design that influenced other variables. Also, this study aims to evaluate the CO₂ emission reduction performance of the algorithm-deduced sustainable concrete mix design, and therefore, the CO₂ emissions of the sustainable concrete mix design are compared with those of the actual concrete mix design applied to the construction of the office building A in South Korea.

Schizophrenia continues to be an illness with poor outcome. Most mechanistic changes occur many years before the first episode of schizophrenia; these are not reversible after the illness onset. A developmental mechanism that is still modifiable in adult life may center on intracortical glutathione (GSH). A large body of pre-clinical data has suggested the possibility of notable GSH-deficit in a subgroup of patients with schizophrenia. Nevertheless, studies of intracortical GSH are not conclusive in this regard. In this review, we highlight the recent ultra-high field magnetic resonance spectroscopic studies linking GSH to critical outcome measures across various stages of schizophrenia. We discuss the methodological steps required to conclusively establish or refute the persistence of GSH-deficit subtype and clarify the role of the central antioxidant system in disrupting the brain structure and connectivity in the early stages of schizophrenia. We propose in-vivo GSH quantification for patient selection in forthcoming antioxidant trials in psychosis. This review offers directions for a promising non-dopaminergic early intervention approach in schizophrenia.

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

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

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

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

In this paper, a 100CMM regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) system based on a high heating device for low-emission combustion is implemented at a volatile organic compound (VOCs) gas generation workplace. Existing RTO has a structure that repeats the inflow and discharge of VOCs gas into a cylindrical drum-type rotating disk and has excellent energy efficiency with a heat recovery rate of 95% or more. However, when used for a long time, there is a problem that rotation stops or explodes due to the discharge of pollutants due to dust and thermal expansion due to high temperature of 800℃. To overcome this, a RTO based on a high heating device was developed to reduce low-emission combustion emissions and energy use. Through 177 hours of demonstration time, the oxidation efficiency of VOCs was 98.87%; the waste heat recovery rate was reduced by 95.78%, the fuel consumption was reduced by 21.95%, and the nitrogen oxide concentration was 3.9 ppm

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

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

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

Ral-interacting protein 76 (RLIP76) is a potential factor with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the corpus luteum and tumor angiogenesis. RLIP76, VEGF, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) are proteins that activate angiogenic functions in tumor and endothelial cells. RLIP76 is a main factor in tumor growth, and VEGF is a major endothelial cell protein for angiogenesis. Also, RLIP76 regulates a small GTPase (R-Ras, oncogene) in cell survival, spreading, and migration. HIF-1 is important in the corpus luteum, tumor angiogenesis, and tumor growth. VEGF and HIF-1 regulate the angiogenic function of RLIP76, and RLIP76 controls vascular growth in endothelial and tumor cells. RLIP76, R-Ras, VEGF, and HIF-1 may be useful in the research of corpus luteum and cancer therapy and the study of mechanisms of tumor angiogenesis. This review will help to elucidate the roles of RLIP76/R-Ras and VEGF via HIF-1 in corpus luteum and tumor angiogenesis, tumorigenesis, and the specific regulation of RLIP76 in luteal, tumor, and endothelial cells. Thus, we reviewed the angiogenesis of the corpus luteum and tumor in the ovarian and tumor microenvironment.

As a growing public interest in social health of elderly, studies focusing on social networks and interpersonal relationships of the elderly are needed. The present study was conducted to de-velop a structured interview to evaluate the interpersonal schema based on Self-Defining Memory of elderly. First, the word cues that the elderly often report on interpersonal events were con-firmed. Next, the indices and scoring rules were prepared, including Relationship frequency (RF), Conflict frequency (CF), Dominance mean (Dm), and Warmth mean (Wm). Healthy elderly peo-ple living alone (mean age = 71.81, SD = 3.95) were interviewed. Finally, the correlation between each index and Short form of Korean Inventory of Interpersonal Problems Circumplex Scales (KIIP-SC) was analyzed for criterion validity. The inter-rater reliability was substantial (Kappa = .61 ~ .66). Based on the analysis of criterion validity, the indices of CF, Dm, and Wm indices showed an appropriate level of criterion validity. This study developed a structural interview based on a novel system of reporting autobiographical memory and established indices with appropriate validity to evaluate interpersonal relationships. The interview is expected to identify the characteristics of interpersonal relationships of the elderly and contribute to the establishment of the elderly community, accordingly.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate and compare sleep quality between patients with chronic temporomandibular disorder and healthy controls, and to analyze the association of sleep quality with disease characteristics, obstructive sleep apnea risk factors, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Methods: Chronic temporomandibular disorder patients (n=503) and 180 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included, who completed well-organized clinical report and answered questions on sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), sleep apnea risk factors (STOP-Bang questionnaire), and excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth sleepiness scale). Results: Mean global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores were significantly higher in the patients (6.25±2.77) than in healthy controls (6.25±2.77) (p<0.001). Poor sleep was significantly more prevalent in the patient group (56.9%) than in healthy controls (22.2%) (p<0.001). Compared with healthy controls, chronic temporomandibular disorder patients had a higher likelihood of obstructive sleep apnea. (STOP-Bang total score ≥3; 7.2% vs. 16.1%; p<0.01) and higher excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth sleepiness scale score ≥10; 12.8% vs. 19.7%; p<0.05). Age (odds ratio=2.551; p<0.001), female sex (odds ratio=1.885; p=0.007), total Epworth sleepiness scale score (odds ratio=1.839; p=0.014), and headache attributed to temporomandibular disorder (odds ratio=1.519; p=0.049) were the most powerful predictors of poor sleep (global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score ≥5) in chronic temporomandibular disorder patients. Conclusion: Chronic temporomandibular disorder patients had sleep quality impairment. Various factors, including peripheral and central factors, affect the patient's sleep quality. Therefore, in addition to sleep quality and sleep-related problems, the underlying central mechanism for poor sleep quality should be assessed when treating chronic temporomandibular disorder patients.

We introduce the lower chaos grade of a real-valued function F defined on the Markov triple (E,μ,Γ), where μ is a probability measure and Γ is the carré du champ operator. As an application of this concept, we obtain the better estimate of the four moments theorem for Markov diffusion generators worked by Bourguin et al (2019). For our purpose, we need to find the largest number except zero in the set of eigenvalues corresponding to its eigenfunction in the case where the square of a random variable F, coming from a Markov triple structure, can be expressed as a sum of eigenfunctions, We give some examples of eigenfunctions of the diffusion generators such as Ornstein-Uhlenbeck, Jacobi and Romanovski-Routh. In particular, two bounds, called the four moments theorem and fourth moment theorem respectively, will be provided for the normal approximation of the case where a random variable F comes from eigenfunctions of a Jacobi generator.

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

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

In this work, we report the electric energy storage properties of (1-x)Bi0.5(Na0.8K0.2)0.5TiO3-xBi0.2Sr0.7TiO3 (BNKT-BST; x = 0.15-0.50) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics enhanced via a domain engineering method. A rhombohedral–tetragonal phase, the formation of highly dynamic PNRs, and a dense microstructure are confirmed from XRD, Raman vibrational spectra, and microscopic investigations. The relative dielectric permittivity (2664 at 1 kHz) and loss factor (0.058) were gradually improved with BST (x=0.45). The incorporation of BST into BNKT can disturb the long-range ferroelectric order, lowering the dielectric maximum temperature Tm and inducing the formation of highly dynamic polar nano-regions. In addition, the Tm shifts toward high temperature with frequency and a diffuse phase transition, indicating relaxor ferroelectric characteristics of BNKT-BST ceramics, which is confirmed by the modified Curie Weiss law (γ=1.83). The rhombohedral–tetragonal phase, fine grain size, and lowered Tm with relaxor properties synergistically contribute to a high recoverable energy density Wrec of 0.81 J/cm3 and a high energy efficiency η of 86.95% at 90 kV/cm for x = 0.45.

This paper describes the first results of an Image Recognition Based Location (IRBL) for mobile application focusing on the procedure to generate a Database of range images (RGB-D). In an indoor environment, to estimate the camera position and orientation, a prior spatial knowledge of the surrounding is needed. In order to achieve this objective a complete 3D survey of two different environment (Bangbae metro station of Seoul and E.T.R.I. building in Daejeon – Republic of Korea) was performed using LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) instrument and the obtained scans were processed in order to obtain a spatial model of the environments. From this, two databases of reference images were generated using a specific software realized by the Geomatics group of Politecnico di Torino (ScanToRGBDImage). This tool allow to generate synthetically different RGB-D images) centered in the each scan position in the environment. Later, the external parameters (X, Y, Z, ω, φ, κ) and the range information extracted from the DB images retrieved, are used as reference information for pose estimation of a set of acquired mobile pictures in the IRBL procedure. In this paper the survey operations, the approach for generating the RGB-D images and the IRB strategy are reported. Finally the analysis of the results and the validation test are described.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common and feared complication of radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer. Recently, tissue engineering is being attempted for post-prostatectomy ED, with controlled interactions between cells, growth factors, and extracellular matrix (ECM) being important for nerve regeneration's structural integrity. In this study, we evaluated the effects of biomechanical ECM patch on human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) morphology and behavior in bilateral cavernous nerve injury (BCNI) rat model. The ECM patch, made of decellularized human fibroblast-derived ECM (hFDM) and a biocompatible polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel, was tested with human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) on a bilateral cavernous nerve injury (BCNI) rat model. In vitro analysis showed that the hFDM/PVA + hBMSCs patches significantly increased neural development markers. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the rats treated with the hFDM/PVA patch had higher ICP/MAP ratio, a higher ratio of smooth muscle to collagen, increased content of nNOS, higher levels of eNOS protein expression, and a higher cGMP level compared to the BCNI group. These results indicate that the hFDM/PVA patch is effective in promoting angiogenesis, smooth muscle regeneration, and nitrergic nerve regeneration, which could contribute to improved erectile function in post-prostatectomy ED.

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

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

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

Fluorescent bioprobes are invaluable tools for visualizing live cells and deciphering complex biological processes by targeting intracellular biomarkers without disrupting cellular functions. In addition to protein-binding concepts, fluorescent probes utilize various mechanisms, including membrane, metabolism, and gating-oriented strategies. This study introduces a novel fluorescent mechanism distinct from existing ways. Here, we developed a B-cell selective probe, CDrB, with unique transport mechanisms. Through SLC-CRISPRa screening, we identified two transporters, SLCO1B3 and SLC25A41, by sorting out populations exhibiting higher and lower fluorescence intensities, respectively, demonstrating contrasting activities. We confirmed that SLCO1B3, with comparable expression levels in T and B cells, facilitates the transport of CDrB into cells, while SLC25A41, overexpressed in T lymphocytes, actively exports CDrB. The observation suggests that SLC25A41 plays a crucial role in discriminating between T and B lymphocytes. Furthermore, it reveals the potential for reversible localization of SLC25A41 to demonstrate its distinct activity. This study is the first report to unveil a novel strategy of SLC by exporting the probe. We anticipate that this research will open up new avenues for developing fluorescent probes.

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

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

This research analyzed the impact of quality of service as perceived by Hapkido students on their exercise continuation and recommendation intentions. It also identified the measures to reduce the rate of student dropout, strengthen competitiveness, and create more efficient marketing strategies for consumer patterns that are rapidly diversifying Hapkido. A questionnaire survey method was conducted with 300 middle and high school students aged 14–19 years having Hapkido training of three months to two years in Incheon and Bucheon during March–April 2019. Frequency, factor, reliability, correlation, and standard multiple regression analyses were conducted on the surveyed data. The conclusions are as follows. First, considering the impact of service quality on exercise continuation intention, service quality positively affects reliability, personification, and perceptual openness; in terms of possibility, it positively affects typicality, personification, and perceptual openness; and in terms of reinforcement, it positively affects reliability and perceptual openness. Second, examining the impact of service quality on recommendation intention positively affects reliability, personification, and perceptual openness. Third, exercise continuation intention positively affects recommendation intention.

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that continuously change their shape. Their main function is ATP production; however, they are additionally involved in a variety of cellular phenomena, such as apoptosis, cell cycle, proliferation, differentiation, reprogramming, and aging. The change in mitochondrial morphology is closely related to the functionality of mitochondria. Normal mitochondrial dynamics are critical for cellular function, embryonic development, and tissue formation. Thus, defect in proteins involved in mitochondrial dynamics that control mitochondrial fusion and fission can affect cellular differentiation, proliferation, cellular reprogramming, and aging. Here we review the processes and proteins involved in mitochondrial dynamics and its various associated cellular phenomena.

In federated learning (FL), clients train models locally without sharing raw data, ensuring data privacy. In particular, federated distillation transfers knowledge to clients regardless of the model architecture. However, when groups of clients with different data distributions exist, sharing the same knowledge among all clients becomes impractical. To address this issue, this paper presents an approach that clusters clients based on the output of a client model trained using their own data. The clients are clustered based on the predictions of their models for each label on a public dataset. Prior knowledge of the number of groups is not required. Evaluations on the MNIST dataset showed that our method accurately identified these group structures and improved accuracy by 15–75% compared with traditional federated distillation algorithms when distinct group structures were present. Additionally, we observed significant performance improvements in smaller client groups, bringing us closer to fair FL.

At the LHC, the process of a Higgs boson decaying into bottom or charm quarks produced in association with a pair of top quarks, tt¯H, allows for an empirical exploration of the heavy-flavor quark Yukawa couplings to the Higgs boson. Accordingly, the cross sections for the tt¯ + heavy-flavor production without the appearance of the Higgs boson have been measured at the LHC in various phase spaces using data samples collected in pp collisions at s = 7, 8 and 13 TeV with the ATLAS and CMS experiments. Flavor ratios of cross sections of tt¯ + additional jets processes with different flavors are also measured. In this paper, the measured cross sections and ratios are reviewed and the prospects with more data are presented.

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

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

This study compared condylar volume, length, and articular eminence (AE) characteristics in normal individuals and those with unilateral and bilateral juvenile idiopathic osteoarthritis (JOA). The 116 patients were divided into four groups: control (n=16), affected condyle of unilateral JOA (Aff-Uni) (n=36), non-affected condyle of JOA (NonAff-uni) (n=36), and bilateral JOA (Bi-JOA) (n=28). Volume and length differences in the condyle and AE were analyzed using ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests. The results showed that Bi-JOA had significantly different condylar volume, especially in the condylar head (p&lt;0.01), specifically the middle, anterior, and medial parts (p&lt;0.05). Condylar length also differed among the groups, with differences observed between the control group and the other three groups, as well as between the bilateral group and the other three groups (p&lt;0.01). AE total volume differed between the control group and Aff-Uni. In the detailed comparison, Aff-Uni and NonAff-Uni were smaller than the control group in the posterior, lateral, and medial sections (p&lt;0.05). In conclusion, depending on the involvement of unilateral or bilateral JOA, there were differences in condylar volume and AE compared to the normal control group. Therefore, prognosis should be evaluated by distinguishing between patients with unilateral and bilateral JOA.

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

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

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

Spectral image analysis has the potential to replace traditional approaches for assessing plant responses to different types of stress including herbicide, through non-destructive and high-throughput screening (HTS). Therefore, this study was conducted to develop a rapid bioassay method using a multi-well plate and spectral image analysis for diagnosis of herbicide activity and mode of action. Crabgrass (Digitaria ciliaris) as a model weed was cultivated in multi-well plates and subsequently treated with 6 herbicides with different modes of action when they reached the 1-leaf stage, using only a quarter of the recommended dose. To detect plant response to herbicides, plant spectral images were acquired after herbicide treatment using RGB, infrared (IR) thermal, and chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) sensors and analyzed for diagnosing herbicide efficacy and mode of action. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using all spectral data successfully distinguished herbicides and clustered depending on their modes of action. The performed experiments have shown that the multi-well plate assay combined with spectral image analysis can be successfully applied for herbicide bioassay. In addition, the use of spectral image sensors, especially in CF image, would facilitate HTS by enabling rapid observation of herbicide response, as early as 3 hours after herbicide treatment.

Corrosive burns lead to progressive esophageal stricture and dysphagia. There are many trials to prevent Esophageal stricture formation after corrosive burn. This study aimed to access the effects of EW-7197 on prevention for esophageal stricture formation after corrosive esophageal burn. animal study were classified divided into three groups: a healthy group, a control group (corrosive burn without EW-7197), and a treatment group (corrosive burn with EW-7197). Corrosive esophageal burns were produced using 30% NaOH on the lower esophagus. For 3 weeks, the control group received vehicle and the treatment group received 20 mg/kg/day EW-7197. Treatment efficacy was assessed by measuring the stenosis ratio by esophagogram with contrast media on day 21. histologic staining was performed to evaluate the fibrosis area ratio, and western blotting was performed to evaluate fibrotic markers. Among 20 rats that underwent surgery, 14 survived. Three in the treatment group died because of esophageal perforation, and three in the control group died due to their debilitating status. The esophageal stenosis ratio was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group (12.1 ± 9.5% and 42.2 ± 8.3%, respectively; p = 0.001). The histologic fibrosis area ratio was also significantly lower in the treatment group (12.5 ± 3.0% and 21.6 ± 2.1%, respectively; p = 0.001). The treatment group showed lower expressions of profibrogenic proteins such as TGF-β1, pSmad3, and α-SMA. EW-7197 may be a good alternative for the prevention esophageal stricture formation after corrosive burn.

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

Landslides impact on human activities and socio-economic development especially in mountainous areas. This study focuses on the comparison of the prediction capability of advanced machine learning techniques for rainfall-induced shallow landslide susceptibility of Deokjeokri catchment and Karisanri catchment in South Korea. The influencing factors for landslides i.e. topographic, hydrologic, soil, forest, and geologic factors are prepared from various sources based on availability and a multicollinearity test is also performed to select relevant causative factors. The landslide inventory maps of both catchments are obtained from historical information, aerial photographs and performing field survey. In this study, Deokjeokri catchment is considered as a training area and Karisanri catchment as a testing area. The landslide inventories content 748 landslide points in training and 219 points in testing areas. Three landslide susceptibility maps using machine learning models i.e. Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Deep Neural Network (DNN) are prepared and compared. The outcomes of the analyses are validated using the landslide inventory data. A receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) method is used to verify the results of the models. The results of this study show that the training accuracy of RF is 0.757 and the testing accuracy is 0.74. Similarly, training accuracy of XGBoost is 0.756 and testing accuracy is 0.703. The prediction of DNN revealed acceptable agreement between susceptibility map and the existing landslides with training and testing accuracy of 0.855 and 0.802, respectively. The results showed that, the DNN model achieved lower prediction error and higher accuracy results than other models for shallow landslide modeling in the study area

Ixodes scapularis is a blood-feeding obligate ectoparasite responsible for transmitting the Lyme disease (LD) agent, Borrelia burgdorferi. During the feeding process, I. scapularis injects B. burgdorferi into the host along with its saliva, facilitating the transmission and colonization of the LD agent. Tick calreticulin (CRT) is one of the earliest tick saliva proteins identified and is currently utilized as a biomarker for tick bites. Our recent findings revealed elevated levels of CRT in the saliva proteome of B. burgdorferi-infected I. scapularis nymphs compared to uninfected ticks. Differential precipitation of proteins (DiffPOP) and LC-MS/MS analyses were used to identify the interactions between Ixs (I. scapularis) CRT and human plasma proteins and further exploring its potential role in shielding B. burgdorferi from complement killing. We observed that although yeast expressed recombinant (r) IxsCRT binds to the C1 complex (C1q, C1r, and C1s), the activator of complement via the classical cascade, it did not inhibit deposition of the membrane attack complex (MAC) via the classical pathway. Intriguingly, rIxsCRT binds intermediate complement proteins (C3, C5, and C9) and reduces MAC deposition through the lectin pathway. Despite inhibition of MAC deposition in the lectin pathway, rIxsCRT did not protect a serum sensitive B. burgdorferi strain (B314/pBBE22Luc) from complement-induced killing. As B. burgdorferi establishes a local dermal infection before disseminating to secondary organs, it is noteworthy that rIxsCRT promotes the replication of B. burgdorferi in culture. We hypothesize that rIxsCRT may contribute to the transmission and/or host colonization of B. burgdorferi by acting as a decoy activator of complement and by fostering B. burgdorferi replication at the transmission site.

Introduction: This study explored the structural relationship between peer relations, exercise participation satisfaction, exercise commitment, and adherence to intention to exercise among Korean sports club participants. The objective was to offer insights that can enhance intentions for continuous exercise participation. Methods: To fulfill this objective, data were gathered using snowball sampling from teenagers at middle schools in Seoul and Gyeonggi, South Korea, who either currently participate in school sports clubs or have participated in the past. A total of 261 responses were analyzed using frequency, technical statistics, and confirmatory factor, reliability, correlation, and structural equation model analyses. Results: Through these analyses, this study found that peer relationships, exercise participation satisfaction, and exercise commitment were significant as both direct and indirect influences on exercise adherence intentions. Discussion: Intervention strategies should focus on fostering the positive emotions that stem from peer relationships.

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

Rice is an important cereal crop worldwide, the growth of which is affected by rice blast disease, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. As climate change increases the diversity of pathogens, the disease-resistance genes (R genes) in plants must be identified. The major blast-resistance genes have been identified in indica rice varieties; therefore, japonica rice varieties with R genes now need to be identified. Because leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain proteins possess R-gene properties, we used bioinformatics analysis to identify the rice candidate LRR domain receptor-like proteins (OsLRR-RLPs). OsLRR-RLP2, which contains six LRR domains, showed differences in the DNA sequence, containing 43 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in indica and japonica subpopulations. The results of M. oryzae inoculation analysis indicated that indica varieties with partial deletion of OsLRR-RLP2 showed susceptibility, whereas japonica varieties with intact OsLRR-RLP2 showed resistance. oslrr-rlp2 mutant generated using clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) showed increased pathogen susceptibility, whereas plants overexpressing this gene showed pathogen resistance. These results indicate that OsLRR-RLP2 confers resistance to rice, and OsLRR-RLP2 may be useful for breeding resistant cultivars.

According to the IPCC guidelines, CO₂ emissions from biomass should be excluded from the entire amount of CO₂ emissions when calculating CO₂ emissions and should be separately reported due to the “carbon neutrality.” Sewage sludge is one of the representative biomass fuels. And it is mixed with fossil fuels in terms of greenhouse gas reduction or is used as fuel to replace fossil fuels by itself. According to the results of this study, biomass contents of both the sewage sludge and the sewage sludge incineration exhaust gases did not amount to 100%. At present, in many countries(South Korea, Japan, and Germany), when calculating greenhouse gas emissions from sewage sludge incinerator, all CO₂ emissions from sewage sludge are judged to be biomass and only those greenhouse gas emissions that correspond to Non-CO₂ gases are calculated as greenhouse gas emissions. However, since, according our results, the content of sewage sludge is not 100% biomass, if CO₂ emissions are excluded according to the existing greenhouse gas emission calculation method, the amount of emissions may be underestimated. Therefore, to accurately calculate greenhouse gas emissions from sewage sludge incinerator, CO₂ emissions should be calculated in consideration of the fossil carbon contents of sewage sludge.

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

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

Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) is a promising treatment for stroke rehabilitation. Although the coordination between the upper and lower limbs is important for locomotor training, commercially available robotics for gait training mainly focus on the restoration of lower limb function. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and usability of complex upper and lower limb RAGT in stroke patients using the GTR-A®, end effector-type robotic device. Patients with subacute stroke (N=9) received 30-minute RAGT thrice a week for two weeks (six sessions). Functionally, the hand grip strength (HGS), Functional Ambulatory Categories, modified Barthel Index, muscle strength test sum score, Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go test, and Short Physical Performance Battery were used. The heart rate and a structured questionnaire were used to evaluate cardiorespiratory fitness and the usability of RAGT. Among the nine patients, all functional parameters between the baseline and post-training were significantly improved after RAGT, except for HGS and the muscle strength test. The questionnaire’s mean scores for each domain were as follows: safety 4.40±0.35, effects 4.23±0.31, efficiency 4.22±0.77, and satisfaction 4.41±0.25. The GTR-A® is a feasible and safe robotic device for patients with gait impairment after stroke. It showed functional improvement with endurance training effects.

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

The objective of this study is to design and synthesize substituted η6-chromium tricarbonyl metal complexes carrying o-carborane units as potential boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) agents. In this study, 1,2-Diphenyl-o-carborane units were used as starting materials to generate biologically active species. We investigated how the structural changes of 1,2-diphenyl-o-carborane substituted with chromium(0) tricarbonyl affect the biological properties; [(CO)3Cr]Ph2C2 (2) and [(CO)3Cr]2Ph2C2 (3) species were produced in moderate yields. The molecular structures of compounds 1–3 were identified and established by infrared (IR), 1H, 11B, and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and X-ray crystallography analyses. Crystal structures of o-carboranyl chromium complexes 1 [a = 10.859(1) Å, b = 24.953(3) Å, c = 13.938(2) Å, β = 111.854(2)º], 2 [a = 10.621(3) Å, b = 17.056(5) Å, c = 12.174(4) Å, β = 106.622(5)º], and 3 [a = 17.540(2) Å, b = 18.060(2) Å, c = 19.484(4) Å, α = 105.746(2)º, β = 110.226(2)º, γ = 91.256(2)º] were obtained. In vitro study using B16 and CT26 cancer cells containing the triphenyl-o-carboranyl chromium (0) complexes Ph3C2BCr2 and Ph3C2BCr3, which we have previously reported, the compounds 2 and 3 accumulated at higher levels than compounds Ph3C2BCr2 and Ph3C2BCr3. However, the phenylated o-carboranyl chromium(0) complexes have been found to be more cytotoxic than p-boronophenylalanine (BPA).

During early embryonic development, fertilized one-cell embryos develop into preimplantation blastocysts and subsequently establish three germ layers through gastrulation during post-implantation development. In recent years, stem cells have emerged as a powerful tool to study embryogenesis and gastrulation without the need for eggs, allowing the generation of embryo-like structures known as synthetic embryos or embryoids. These in vitro models closely resemble early embryos in terms of morphology and gene expression and provide a faithful recapitulation of early pre- and post-implantation embryonic development. Synthetic embryos can be generated through a combinatorial culture of three blastocyst-derived stem cell types, such as embryonic stem cells, trophoblast stem cells, and extraembryonic endoderm cells, or totipotent-like stem cells alone. This review provides an overview of the progress and various approaches in studying in vitro embryogenesis and gastrulation using stem cells. Furthermore, recent findings and breakthroughs in synthetic embryos and gastruloids are outlined. Despite ethical considerations, synthetic embryo models hold promise for understanding mammalian (including human) embryonic development and have potential implications for regenerative medicine and developmental research.

Global Positioning System (GPS) stations located along coastal areas have the ability to measure tide gauge (TG) records by reflected signal reception from the sea water surface. In this study we used the GPS signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) data from the SEPT station (44.63 ⁰N, 124.05 ⁰W) located at South Beach, Oregon, USA, to estimate the TG records using only a few measurements. First, we derived the TG record from a GPS station (GPS-TG) and used traditional TG data from the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) sentinel station (Station ID: 9435380) located in Oregon for validation purposes because it was closest to the SEPT station. Our results show that the GPS-TG and NWLON-TG correlate well with the correlation coefficient (CC) of 0.942 and the root mean square (RMS) of their residuals was about 12.90 cm. The corresponding TG prediction by autoregressive moving average (ARMA-TG) and singular spectrum analysis (SSA-TG) models are evaluated for their effectiveness over the station. The comparative analysis demonstrates that the GPS-TG has improved correlation with ARMA-TG (CC of ~0.981 CC, RMS of ~4.80 cm), and SSA-TG (CC of ~0.998 CC, RMS of ~ 0.88 cm) compared to the NWLON-TG (CC of ~0.942 CC, RMS of ~12.90 cm) values. We believe the outcomes from this study contribute to a better understanding of the numerical modeling of TG records as well as other measurements based on reflectometry techniques.

A cryptic invader of the genus Persicaria is recently increasing in the damper, northern parts of La Palma and Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands (Spain) and locally behaves as an invasive species. Examination of historical herbarium specimens showed this species to be present in Gran Canaria since the 1960’s and the same probably applies to La Palma. Up to now, this species had been assigned to the Old World weed P. maculosa. However, morphologically these plants clearly correspond with P. hydropiperoides, a common and widespread weed native to the New World, and morphologically similar indeed to P. maculosa. Diagnostic features for these two species, as well as for another similar species (P. decipiens, originally described from the Canary Islands), are compared, thoroughly discussed and copiously illustrated. The current distribution, ecology and naturalization status of P. hydropiperoides in the Canary Islands are also assessed. The variability of P. hydropiperoides is discussed, more precisely the taxonomic position of a southern ‘race’ of it that is sometimes referred to as a distinct species, P. persicarioides. In addition to our morphology-based study, a molecular phylogenetic analysis has been conducted on the nuclear ITS region and the plastid DNA region trnL-F.

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) are integral to managing and optimizing processes in various industries, including manufacturing, power generation, and more. However, the scarcity of widely adopted ICS datasets hampers research efforts in areas like optimization and security. This scarcity arises due to the substantial cost and technical expertise required to create physical ICS environments. In response to these challenges, this paper presents a groundbreaking approach to generating synthetic ICS data through a data-driven ICS network simulation. We circumvent the need for expensive hardware by recreating the entire ICS environment in software. Moreover, rather than manually replicating the control logic of ICS components, we leverage existing data to autonomously generate control logic. The core of our method involves the stochastic setting of setpoints, which introduces randomness into the generated data. Setpoints serve as target values for controlling the operation of the ICS process. This approach enables us to augment existing ICS datasets and cater to the data requirements of machine learning-based ICS intrusion detection systems and other data-driven applications. Our simulated ICS environment employs virtualized containers to mimic the behavior of real-world PLCs and SCADA systems, while control logic is deduced from publicly available ICS datasets. Setpoints are generated probabilistically to ensure data diversity. Experimental results validate the fidelity of our synthetic data, emphasizing its ability to closely replicate temporal and statistical characteristics of real-world ICS networks. In conclusion, this innovative data-driven ICS network simulation offers a cost-effective and scalable solution for generating synthetic ICS data. It empowers researchers in the field of ICS optimization and security with diverse, realistic datasets, furthering advancements in this critical domain. Future work may involve refining the simulation model and exploring additional applications for synthetic ICS data.

The magnetic heating effect for the superconducting quarter-wave resonator (QWR) cavities is investigated, and the Q slopes of the superconducting cavities are measured with an increasing accelerating field. Physical phenomena for zero-temperature limit are introduced. Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) resistance and Casimir force are calculated for the zero-temperature limit. The vertical test is shown for the performance test of the quarter-wave resonator (QWR) cavities. The parameters for the quarter-wave resonator (QWR) cavity are presented. The Q slopes are measured as a function of an accelerating electric field at 4.2 K. The surface resistance of the superconducting cavity increases with an increasing peak magnetic field. The magnetic defects cause the degradation for the quality factor. From the magnetic degradation, we can find the magnetic moments of the superconducting cavities. All the quarter-wave resonator (QWR) cryomodules are installed in the tunnel, and beam commissioning is performed successfully.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, is a complex gastrointestinal disorder with a multifactorial etiology, including environmental triggers, autoimmune mechanisms, and genetic predisposition. Despite advancements in therapeutic strategies for IBD, its associated mortality rate continues to rise, which is often attributed to unforeseen side effects of conventional treatments. In this context, we explored the potential of Ecklonia cava extract (ECE) derived from an edible marine alga known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in mitigating IBD. This study investigated the effectiveness of ECE as a preventive agent in a murine model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Our findings revealed that pretreatment with ECE significantly ameliorated colitis severity as evidenced by increased colon length, reduced spleen weight, and histological improvements demonstrated by immunohistochemical analysis. Furthermore, ECE significantly attenuated the upregulation of inflammatory cytokines and mediators and the infiltration of immune cells known to be prominent features of colitis in mice. Notably, ECE restored dysbiosis of intestinal microflora and aided in the recovery of damaged intestinal mucosa. Mechanistically, ECE exhibited protective effects against pathogenic colitis by inhibiting the NLRP3/NF-κB pathway known to be pivotal regulators in the inflammatory signaling cascade. These compelling results suggest that ECE holds promise as a potential candidate for IBD prevention. It might be developed into a functional food for promoting gastrointestinal health. This research sheds light on the preventive potential of natural compounds like ECE in the management of IBD, offering a safer and more effective approach to combating this challenging disease.

The current study investigated the use of two-dimensional spatial distribution mapping representing the chlorophyll-a level in a river generated via an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and an unmanned surface vehicle (USV). A domestically developed UAV (Remo-M, Uconsystem Inc., Korea) and a USV developed by our research team were used to collect data from the Nae Seong stream in Korea. An adaptation of the “Data Cleaner” tool was developed and used for USV data processing and analysis. The operation of the autonomous USV was successful. Four previously described indices for quantifying algal blooms in rivers were utilized to create chlorophyll-a images, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the normalized green red difference index, the green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI), and the normalized difference red edge index. The suitability of the linear regression analysis of the correlation between the spectral indices obtained using the UAV and the in situ chlorophyll-a data obtained using the USV was evaluated with the coefficient of determination (R2) at a significance level of p &lt; 0.001. In field application and correlational analysis the NDVI was strongly correlated with chlorophyll-a (R2 = 0.88, p < 0.001), and the GNDVI was moderately correlated with chlorophyll-a (R2 = 0.74, p < 0.001). The map of chlorophyll-a was successfully quantified using the UAV and USV hybrid platforms.

Water splitting plays an important role in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical conversion of energy devices. Electrochemical water splitting by the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a straightforward route to produce hydrogen (H2), which requires an efficient electrocatalysts to minimize energy consumption. Recent advances have created a rapid rise in new electrocatalysts, particularly those based on non-precious metals. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the recent developments of ternary and quaternary 6d-group transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) based electrocatalysts for water splitting, especially for HER. Detailed discussion is organized from binary to quaternary TMCs including, surface engineering, heterostructures, chalcogen substitutions, and hierarchically structural design in TMCs. Moreover, emphasis is placed on future research scope and important challenges facing these electrocatalysts for further development in their performance towards water splitting.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as a promising solution to tackle bacterial infections and combat antibiotic resistance. However, their clinical application has been hindered by their vulnerability to protease degradation and toxicity towards mammalian cells. To overcome these challenges, our study aims to develop a method to enhance the stability and safety of AMPs, applicable to effective drug-device combination products. KR12 antimicrobial peptide was chosen and in order to further enhance its delivery and efficacy, HIV TAT protein-derived cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) was fused to form CPP-KR12. A new product, CPP-KR12@Si, was developed by forming silica nanoparticles with self-entrapped CPP-KR12 peptide using the biomimetic silica precipitability due to its cationic nature. Peptide delivery from CPP-KR12@Si to bacteria and cells was delivered at a slightly delayed rate with improved stability against trypsin treatment and a reduction in cytotoxicity over CPP-KR12. Finally, the antimicrobial potential of CPP-KR12@Si/bone graft substitute (BGS) combination product was demonstrated, which is coated with CPP-KR12 in the form of nanoparticles on the surface of BGS. Self-entrapped AMP in silica nanoparticles is a safe and effective AMP delivery method that will be useful for developing a drug/device combination product for tissue regeneration.

In this study, carbon blocks were fabricated using isotropic coke and coal tar pitch as raw materials, with a variation in pressure during cold isostatic pressing (CIP). The CIP pressure was set to 50, 100, 150, and 200 MPa, and the effect of the CIP pressure on the mechanical and electrical properties of the resulting carbon blocks was analyzed. Microstructural observations confirmed that after the kneading, the surface of isotropic coke was covered with the pitch components. Subsequently, after the CIP, granules, which were larger than isotropic coke and the kneaded particles, were observed. The formation of these granules was attributed to the coalescence of kneaded particles under the applied pressing pressure. This granule formation was accompanied by the development of pores, some remaining within the granules, while others were extruded, thereby existing externally. The increase in the applied pressing pressure facilitated the formation of granules, and this microstructural development contributed to enhanced mechanical and electrical properties. At a pressing pressure of 100 MPa, the maximum flexural strength was achieved at 33.3 MPa, and the minimum electrical resistivity was reached at 60.1 μΩm. The higher the pressing pressure, the larger the size of the granules. Pores around the granules tended to connect and grow larger, forming crack-like structures. This microstructural change led to degraded mechanical and electrical properties. The isotropic ratio of the carbon blocks obtained in this study was estimated based on the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). The results confirmed that all carbon blocks obtained proved to be isotropic. In this study, a specimen type named CIP-100 exhibited the best performance in every aspect as an isotropic carbon block.

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

For the effective utilization of rice husk, organosolv fractionation was investigated to separate three main components (glucan, xylose, and lignin) with low acid concentration. Reaction temperatures of 170–190 °C, ethanol concentrations of 50–70% (v/v), and sulfuric acid concentrations of 0–0.7% (w/v) were investigated, with the reaction time and liquid-to-solid ratio kept constant at 60 min and 10, respectively. The fractionation conditions for the efficient separation into the three components of rice husk were determined to be 180 °C, 60% (v/v) of ethanol, and 0.25% (w/v) of sulfuric acid. Under these fractionation conditions, 86.8% of the xylan and 77.5% of the lignin were removed from the rice husk, and xylose and lignin were obtained from the liquid in 67.6% and 49.8% yields, respectively. The glucan digestibility of the fractionated rice husk was 85.2% with an enzyme loading of 15 FPU (filter paper unit) of cellulase per g-glucan.

In this study, a preload monitoring method using impedance signatures obtained from a piezoelectric-based smart interface is presented for bolted girder connections. Firstly, the background theory of the piezoelectric-based smart interface and its implementation into health monitoring of bolted connections are outlined. A simplified electro-mechanical (EM) impedance model of a smart interface-embedded bolted connection system is formulated to interpret mechanistic understanding of EM impedance signatures under the effect of bolt preload. Secondly, finite element modeling of a bolted connection is carried out to show the numerical feasibility of the presented method and to predetermine the sensitive frequency band of impedance signatures. Finally, impedance measurements are conducted on a lab-scaled bolted girder connection to verify the predetermined sensitive frequency range and to assess the bolt preload changes in the test structure.

In order to produce bioethanol from yellow poplar sawdust without detoxification, deacetylation (mild alkali treatment) was performed with aqueous ammonia solution. To select the optimal conditions, deacetylation process was carried out using different conditions: NH₄OH loading (2–10% (w/v)) and solid-to-liquid ratio (1:4–10) at 121 °C for 60 min. In order to assess the effectiveness of deacetylation, fractionation of deacetylated yellow poplar sawdust was performed using dilute acid (H₂SO₄, 0.5–2.0% (w/v)), reaction temperature (130–150 °C) and time (10–80 min). The toxicity-reduced hemicellulosic hydrolysates that were obtained through a two-step treatment at optimized conditions were fermented using Pichia stipitis for ethanol production, without any further detoxification. The maximum ethanol production was 4.84 g/L, corresponding to a theoretical ethanol yield of 82.52%, which is comparable to those of intentionally made hydrolyzates as controls.

Voice spoofing attempts to break into a specific automatic speaker verification (ASV) system by forging the user’s voice, and can be used through methods, such as text-to-speech (TTS), voice conversion (VC), and replay attacks. Recently, deep learning-based voice spoofing countermeasures have been developed. however, the problem with replay is that it is difficult to construct a large number of datasets because it requires a physical recording process. To overcome these problems, this study proposes a pre-training framework based on multi-order acoustic simulation for replay voice spoofing detection. Multi-order acoustic simulation utilizes existing clean signal and room impulse response (RIR) datasets to generate audios, which simulate the various acoustic configurations of the original and replayed audios. The acoustic configuration refers to factors, such as the microphone type, reverberation, time delay, and noise that may occur between a speaker and microphone during the recording process. We assume that a deep learning model trained on an audio that simulates the various acoustic configurations of the original and replayed audios can classify the acoustic configurations of the original and replay audios well. To validate this, we performed pre-training to classify the audio generated by the multi-order acoustic simulation into 3 classes: clean signal, audio simulating the acoustic configuration of the original audio, and audio simulating the acoustic configuration of the replay audio. We also set the weights of the pre-training model to the initial weights of the replay voice spoofing detection model using the existing replay voice spoofing dataset and then performed fine-tuning. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we evaluated the performance of the conventional method without pre-training and proposed method using an objective metric, i.e., the accuracy. As a result, the conventional method achieved 92.94% accuracy and proposed method achieved 98.16% accuracy.

Paper-based microfluidic analysis devices (μPADs) have attracted attention as a cost-effective platform for point-of-care testing (POCT), food safety, and environmental monitoring. Recently, three-dimensional (3D)-μPADs have been developed to improve the performance of μPADs. For accurate diagnosis of diseases, however, 3D-μPADs need to be developed to simultaneously detect multiple biomarkers. Here, we report a 3D-μPADs platform for the detection of multiple biomarkers that can be analyzed and diagnosed with a smartphone. The 3D-μPADs were fabricated using a 3D digital light processing printer and consisted of a sample reservoir (300 µL) connected to 24 detection zones (of 4 mm in diameter) through 8 microchannels (of 2 mm in width). With the smartphone application, eight different biomarkers related to various diseases were detectable in concentrations ranging from normal to abnormal conditions: glucose (0–20 mmol/L), cholesterol (0–10 mmol/L), albumin (0–7 g/dL), alkaline phosphatase (0–800 U/L), creatinine (0–500 µmol/L), aspartate aminotransferase (0–800 U/L), alanine aminotransferase (0–1000 U/L), and urea nitrogen (0–7.2 mmol/L). These results suggest that 3D-µPADs can be used as a POCT platform for simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers.

Radiotherapy for cancer has been known to affect the responses of immune cells, especially those of CD8+ T cells that play a pivotal role in anti-tumor immunity. Clinical success of immune checkpoint inhibitors led to an increasing interest into the ability of radiation to modulate CD8+ T cell responses. Recent studies that carefully analyzed the CD8+ T cell responses following radiotherapy suggest the beneficial roles of radiotherapy on anti-tumor immunity. In addition, numerous clinical trials that evaluate the efficacy of combining radiotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors are undergoing. In this review, we summarize the current status of knowledge regarding the changes of CD8+ T cells following radiotherapy from various preclinical and clinical studies. Furthermore, key biologic mechanisms that underlie such modulation, including both direct and indirect effects, are described. Lastly, we discuss the current evidence and essential considerations for harnessing radiotherapy as a combination partner for immune checkpoint inhibitors.

We present an automated system for nutrient solution management. Prior arts usually measure only pH and EC of the nutrient solutions for maintenance. When EC drops, they just simply add concentrated nutrient to the horticulture bed. Such approach can maintain the density of nutrient solution but cannot maintain the rates of individual ion particles. To prevent nutrition related disorders, fertilization methods with ion selective electrodes are widely introduced. This trend measures individual ion concentration of nutrient solution to maintain appropriate nutrient composition by supplying only insufficient ions. Many researchers have suggested ISE based automated fertilization systems. However, they failed to control a chemical artifact called ion interference effect, which becomes greater at higher density. Our system measures individual concentration of multiple ions and add only deficient nutrients, while handling the ion interference effect issue. To ensure the performance of ion selective electrodes, the system also performs fully automated 3-point calibration 24 times a day. A machine learning algorithm is applied on the sensory parts to remove ion interference effect which make measurement of complex solution with ISE almost impossible. With automated calibration and signal processing technology, the system robustly and continuously maintains nutrient condition for plants. We suggest applying this system on closed hydroponic systems such as smart farms or plant factory, to reduce water consumption and to provide more appropriate environment for the crops.

: The purpose of this research was to verify the importance and performance of crisis management in Korean fitness center using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). For this study, 304 fitness center executives and managers in Seoul and Gyeonggi region were selected as from March 21 to May 17, 2020. Frequency analysis was performed using SPSS 24.0 and exploratory factor analysis was conducted to verify the validity and reliability. Priority analysis and IPA analysis were performed to compare the mean values, and the following results were obtained. First, in the first quadrant, there were 6 attributes besides keep social distancing between employees and customers. Second, in the second quadrant, there were four attributes in addition to regular disinfection of the gymnasium. Third, in the third quadrant, there were 6 attributes besides maintain furniture clean. Third, there were 6 attributes other than maintaining furniture clean in the third quadrant. Fourth, in the fourth quadrant, there are three attributes in addition to the restriction of face-to-face meetings. The conclusion is as follows. First, equip supplies for prevention of covid19, keep social distance, and check government support policies. Second, analyze of economic support policies, and research on their application methods. Third, Prepare various non-face-to-face communication methods and Untact(non-contact) marketing strategies. Fourth, make a checklist for factors with relatively little importance.

Random copolymers made of both (PIM-polyimide) and (6FDA-durene-PI) were prepared for the first time by a facile one-step polycondensation reaction. By combining the highly porous and contorted structure of PIM (polymers with intrinsic microporosity) and high thermomechanical properties of PI (polyimide), the membranes obtained from these random copolymers [(PIM-PI)x-(6FDA-durene-PI)y] showed high CO₂ permeability (> 1047 Barrer) with moderate CO₂/N₂ (> 16.5) and CO₂/CH₄ (> 18) selectivity, together with excellent thermal and mechanical properties. The membranes prepared from three different compositions of two comonomers (1:4, 1:6 and 1:10 of x:y), all showed similar morphological and physical properties, and gas separation performance, indicating ease of synthesis and practicability for large-scale production. The gas separation performance of these membranes at various pressure ranges (100–1500 torr) was also investigated.

Over the last decade, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has severely affected poultry production systems across the globe. In particular, massive pre-emptive depopulation of all poultry within the certain distance has raised concerns regarding animal welfare and food security. Thus, alternative approaches to reducing unnecessary depopulation, such as risk-based depopulation, are highly demanded. This paper proposes a data-driven method to generate a rule table and risk score for each farm to identify preventive measures against HPAI. To evaluate the proposed method, 105 cases of HPAI occurring in a total of 381 farms in Jeollanam-do from 2014 to 2023 were evaluated. The accuracy of preventive measure identification was assessed for each case using both the conventional culling method and the proposed data-driven method. The evaluation showed that the proposed method achieved an accuracy of 84.19%, significantly surpassing the previous 10.37%. The result was attributed to the proposed method reducing the false-positive rate by 83.61% compared with the conventional method, thereby enhancing the reliability of identification. The proposed method is expected to be utilized in selecting farms for monitoring and management of HPAI.

We present a distributed optical-fiber temperature sensor with enhanced sensitivity based on an Al-coated fiber using the Rayleigh backscattering spectra (RBS) shift in optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR). The Al-coated sensing fiber with a higher thermal expansion coefficient compared to silica produces a strain-coupled shift in the RBS under an increase in temperature. This effect leads to an enhanced temperature sensitivity of the distributed measurement scheme. Our results revealed that the temperature sensitivity obtained using the Al-coated fiber in OFDR was ~56% higher relative to that of a single-mode fiber. Moreover, the minimum measurable temperature recorded was 1 °C with a spatial resolution of 5 cm.

Visfatin, a member of the adipokine family, plays an important role in many metabolic and stress responses. The mechanisms underlying the direct therapeutic effects of visfatin on wound healing have not been reported yet. In this study, we examined the effects of visfatin on wound healing in vitro and in vivo. Visfatin enhanced the proliferation and migration of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and keratinocytes, and significantly increased the expression of wound healing-related vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in vitro and in vivo. Treatment of HDFs with visfatin induced activation of both extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinases 1 and 2 (JNK1/2) in a time-dependent manner. Inhibition of ERK1/2 and JNK1/2 led to a significant decrease in visfatin-induced proliferation and migration of HDFs. Importantly, blocking VEGF with its neutralizing antibodies suppressed the visfatin-induced proliferation and migration of HDFs and human keratinocytes, indicating that visfatin induces the proliferation and migration of HDFs and human keratinocytes via increased VEGF expression. Moreover, visfatin effectively improved wound repair in vivo, which was comparable to the wound healing activity of epidermal growth factor (EGF). Taken together, we demonstrate that visfatin promotes the proliferation and migration of HDFs and human keratinocytes by inducing VEGF expression and can be used as a potential novel therapeutic agent for wound healing.

: This paper presents a couple of meal monitoring systems for senile dementia patients by using electronic weight and temperature sensors. These monitoring systems enable to convey the information of the amount of meal taken by the patients in real-time via wireless communication networks onto the mobile phones of their families or nurses in charge. Thereby, the nurses can easily spot the most desperate patient to take care of while the families can have relief to see the crucial information for survival of their parents at least three times a day. Meanwhile, the senile dementia patients tend to suffer the burn of their tongues because they can hardly recognize the temperature of hot meals served and therefore avoid the burn of tongues. This phenomenon can be discarded by utilizing the meal temperature monitoring system which displays alarm to the patients when the meal temperature is above the reference. These meal monitoring systems can be easily implemented by utilizing low-cost sensor chips and Arduino UNO boards so that elder-care hospitals and nursing homes can afford to exploit them with no additional cost. Hence, we believe that the proposed monitoring systems would be a potential solution to provide a great help and relief not only for the professional nursing nurses working in elder-care hospitals and nursing homes, but also for the families of the dementia patients.

Communication between devices has transitioned from wired to unwired. Wireless networks have been in use widely around the globe since the advent of smartphones, IoT devices and other technologies that are compatible with wireless mode of communication. At the same time security issues have also increased in such communication methods. The aim of this paper is to propose security and privacy issues of the wireless networks and present them through comprehensive surveys. In context of security issues, there are 2 typical DDoS attacks - HTTP flood and SYN flood. Other than DDoS attacks, there are several other threats to wireless networks. One of the most prevalent include security issues in Internet of Things. In terms of privacy issues in a wireless network, location-based applications, individual data, cellular network and V2G (Vehicle to Grid) network are surveyed. The survey is hosted using questionnaire and responses of 70 participants is recorded. It is observed from the survey results that many groups of people lack the knowledge of security and privacy of wireless technologies and networks despite their increased use, however, students are relatively more aware and have strong knowledge of those issues. It is concluded from the results that an effective solution to these problems can be hosting campaigns for spreading the security and privacy laws to help the groups of people who are lagging behind in this domain of knowledge become more aware. A unique solution is also presented to overcome the security issues which include implementation of detection and mitigation techniques, implementing Blockchain in the IoT devices and implementing fog computing solutions. The unique solutions to overcome the privacy issues are proposed in the form of a privacy approach from the LBS server between pairs of users to increase the implementation of DSPM and blockchain as a solution.

Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) represents a critical strategy for the electronics industry to balance economic objectives with environmental and social responsibility across complex global production networks. This multiple case study analysis investigates SSCM integration within leading Korean electronics manufacturers Samsung, LG, and Hyundai. In-depth qualitative data, focus groups, and sustainability report analysis reveals the policies, practices, results and implementation barriers related to incorporating sustainability criteria across procurement, manufacturing, distribution and recycling functions. Findings show sustainability considerations increasingly driven by cost, risk, reputational and regulatory factors, with vertical coordination initiatives helping transfer knowledge to assist suppliers on compliance and emissions reductions. Yet substantial obstacles persist around monitoring, coordination, transparency and technical capabilities, especially amongst lower tiers. The paper discusses how common reporting standards, ethical sourcing certification and partnerships can accelerate electronics supply chain sustainability. By mapping integration achievements and gaps, this study informs managerial best practices and policy reforms toward promoting socially and ecologically responsible models for Korea's vital export industry as it navigates rising stakeholder pressures.

Veterinary antibiotics (VAs) have been indiscriminately used in animal feed for the past five decades to increase and ensure profits with negligible environmental considerations. The VAs amoxicillin (AMX), chlortetracycline (CTC), and oxytetracycline (OTC), which can be unintentionally introduced by irrigation water during rice cultivation, were evaluated for their phytotoxic effects, absorption-translocation into plants, and soil residues using a randomized complete block design. It was found that exposure to VAs can severely affect the photosynthetic pathway of rice plants. The uptake and translocation of VAs by rice plants varied significantly. CTC and OTC translocated more easily than AMX, a member of the β-lactam class, which accumulated at the lowest concentration compared to CTC and OTC across all treatments. Rice yield was about 4.3 - 5.7% lower in the experimental plots that received fifty-fold the background levels of VAs compared to the control. The findings indicate that these widely used veterinary antibiotics can hamper crop production, leave residues in the soil, and constitute a risk to human health if introduced into the agro-ecosystem unintentionally.

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

A biocatalytic system that could produce bioactive resveratrol poly-glucosides using sucrose as a low-cost source of UDP-glucose donors and amylosucrase DgAS from Deinococcus geothermalis was developed in this study. This system boasts several advantages, including fast and direct conversion of substrates to products, thermostable, and regio-stereospecific, and effectiveness in vitro and in vivo at 40°C. With a success rate of around 97.0% in a short period in vitro and 95.0% in vivo, resveratrol-O-glucosides showed exciting outcomes in cosmetic activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and whitening effects when tested with Raw 264.7, B16, and HS68 cell lines. DgAS is recognized as an important biocatalyst due to its higher thermostability, effectiveness, and specificity among all known amylosucrases (ASases) in the production of poly-glucosides in a chain of polyphenols, like resveratrol, making it an ideal candidate for industrial use to cost-effective production of cosmetic items.

We aimed to investigate the relationship between membrane material and development of membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) using membranes with different pore sizes and hydrophilicities. Batch filtration tests were performed using submerged single hollow fiber membrane ultrafiltration (UF) modules with different polymeric membrane materials including cellulose acetate (CA), polyethersulfone (PES), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with activated sludge taken from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The three UF hollow fiber membranes were prepared by a non-solvent-induced phase separation method and had similar water permeabilities and pore sizes. The results revealed that transmembrane pressure (TMP) increased more sharply for the hydrophobic PVDF membrane than for the hydrophilic CA membrane in batch filtration tests, even when membranes with similar permeabilities and pore sizes were used. PVDF hollow fiber membranes with smaller pores had greater fouling propensity than those with larger pores. In contrast, CA hollow fiber membranes showed good mitigation of membrane fouling regardless of pore size. The results obtained in this study suggest that the surface hydrophilicity and pore size of UF membranes clearly affect the fouling properties in MBR operation when using activated sludge.

We simulated the glass-blowing process to model a shell resonator, which is a key component in MRIG (Micro Rate Integrating Gyroscope), using the finite elements method to solve a non-isothermal problem. We also calculated the mechanical characteristics of the modeled resonator, including effective mass, eigenfrequencies, angular gain, and energy loss, to predict the resonator's performance as a gyroscope. One key aspect we addressed is the bending of the resonator's rim toward the stem during glass-blowing process. This phenomenon occurs due to increased heat loss at the mold's edge and reduced heat flux at the side of the Gaussian heat source. To mitigate rim bending and the subsequent reduction in capacitance between the rim and 3D electrodes, which can degrade performance in micro glass-blown shell resonators for gyroscopes, we propose two potential mold solutions. The first is using a short-stem mold, which requires extensive polishing to eliminate the bent rim. The second solution is using a mold with a suitable chamfer at the edge, resulting in a straight rim. To quantitatively compare resonators created by these two types of molds, we calculated the noise factor for predicting its gyroscope performance. From these calculations, we find out that using the chamfered mold enables us to increase in the resonator's effective mass, eigenfrequency, angular gain, and quality factor, consequently reducing the noise factor compared to using the short-stem mold. This simulation process will assist us in getting insight into understanding a shell resonator as a gyroscope, designing a mold and determining experimental conditions.

A better study of the postnatal retinal development is not only essential for the in-depth understanding of the nature of the vision system but also may provide insights for treatment developments of eye conditions, such as retinopathy of premature (ROP). To date, quantitative analysis of postnatal retinal development is primarily limited to endpoint histological examination. This study is to validate in vivo optical coherence tomography (OCT) for longitudinal monitoring of postnatal retinal development in developing mouse eyes. Three-dimensional (3D) frame registration and super averaging were adopted to investigate the fine structure of the retina. Interestingly, a hyporeflective layer (HRL) between the nerve fiber layer (NFL) and inner plexiform layer (IPL) was observed in developing eyes and gradually disappeared with aging. To interpret the observed retinal layer kinetics, a model based on eyeball expansion, cell apoptosis, and retinal structural modification was proposed.

An 8-month-old, 3.4 kg, castrated male Toy Poodle was referred for progressive tetraparesis and respiratory disorder without a history of trauma. Diagnostic imaging, including dynamic CT and MRI, revealed concurrent atlanto-occipital dislocation (AOD) and atlantoaxial instability (AAI) with spinal cord compression. This case was unique due to its congenital nature and the absence of trauma. The surgical intervention involved precise removal of the C1 vertebra's ventral articular facet, which was compressing on the spinal cord, attributed to its fixed and malaligned position within the atlantooccipital joint. Following facetectomy, the stabilization of the occipital bone to the C2 vertebra was achieved by screws, wire, and polymethyl methacrylate. Postoperative recovery was monitored with CT and radiographs, showing successful decompression and gradual improvement in gait, despite mild residual ataxia. The dog experienced postoperative complications with screw loosening at 114 days, which was managed successfully by extracting the problematic screws. Postoperatively, the dog showed a near-normal gait and experienced no pain through 21 months of monitoring. This case represents the first report of concurrent congenital AOD and AAI treated with ventral surgical approach, contributing new insights to the understanding and management of such complex cranio-cervical junction disorders in veterinary neurosurgery.

South Asian countries experience frequent drought incidents recently, and due to this reason, many scientific studies were carried to explore the drought in South Asia. In this context, we review scientific studies related to drought in South Asia. The study initially identifies the importance of drought-related studies and discusses drought types for South Asian regions. The representative examples of drought events, severity, frequency, and duration in South Asian countries are identified. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was mostly adopted in South Asian countries to quantify and monitor droughts. Nevertheless, the absence of drought quantification studies in Bhutan and Maldives is of great concern. Future studies to generate a combined drought severity map for the South Asian region are required. Moreover, the drought prediction and projection in the regions is rarely studied. Further, the teleconnection between drought and large-scale atmospheric circulations in the South Asian area has not been discussed in detail in the most scientific literature. Therefore, as a take-home message, there is an urgent need for scientific studies related to drought quantification for some regions in South Asia, prediction and projection of drought for an individual country (or as a region), and drought teleconnection to atmospheric circulation.

The binary metal oxide mesoporous interfacial layers (bi-MO meso IF layer) templated by a graft copolymer is synthesized between a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate and nanocrystalline TiO2 (nc-TiO2). Amphiphilic graft copolymers, Poly(epichlorohydrin)-graft-poly(styrene), PECH-g-PS, was used as a structure-directing agent, and the fabricated bi-MO meso IF layer exhibits good interconnectivity and high porosity. Even if the amount of ZnO in bi-MO meso IF layer increased, it was confirmed that the morphology and porosity of bi-MO meso IF layer was well maintained. In addtion, bi-MO meso IF layer coated onto FTO substrates show higher transmittance compared with a pristine FTO substrate and dense-TiO2/FTO, due to the reduced surface roughness of FTO. The overall conversion efficiency (η) of a solid state photovoltaic cells, dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) fabricated with nc-TiO2 layer/bi-MO meso IF layer TZ1 used as a photoanode reaches 5.0% at 100 mW cm-2, which is higher than that of DSSC with a nc-TiO2 layer/dense-TiO2 layer (4.2%), resulting from enhanced light harvesting, good interconnectivity, and reduced interfacial resistance. The cell efficiency of the device did not change after 15 days, indicating that the bi-MO meso IF layer with solid-state electrolyte has improved electrode/electrolyte interface and electrochemical stability. Additionally, commercial scattering layer/nc-TiO2 layer/bi-MO meso IF layer TZ1 photoanode fabricated solid state photovoltaic cells (DSSC) achieved an overall conversion efficiency (η) of 6.4% at 100 mW cm-2.

Pig behavior is an integral part of health and welfare management, as pigs usually reflect their inner emotions through behavior change. The livestock environment plays a key role in pigs' health and wellbeing. A poor farm environment increases the toxic GHGs, which might deteriorate pigs' health and welfare. In this study a computer-vision-based automatic monitoring and tracking model was proposed to detect short-term pigs' physical activities in a compromised environment. The ventilators of the livestock barn were closed for an hour, three times in a day (07:00-08:00, 13:00-14:00, and 20:00-21:00) to create a compromised environment, which increases the GHGs level significantly. The corresponding pig activities were observed before, during, and after an hour of the treatment. Two widely used object detection models (YOLOv4 and Fast-er R-CNN) were trained and compared their performances in terms of pig localization and posture detection. The YOLOv4, which outperformed the Faster R-CNN model, coupled with a Deep-SORT tracking algorithm to detect and track the pig activities. The results showed that the pigs became more inactive with the increase in GHG concentration, reducing their standing and walking activities. Moreover, the pigs also shortened their sternal-lying posture increasing the lateral lying posture duration at higher GHG concentration. The high detection accuracy (mAP: 98.67%) and tracking accuracy (MOTA: 93.86% and MOTP: 82.41%) signify the models’ efficacy in monitoring and tracking pigs' physical activities non-invasively.

Titanium (Ti) and Ti-based alloys are commonly used in dental implants, and surface modifications of dental implants are important for achieving osseointegration (i.e., direct connection between the implant surface and bone). This study investigated the effect of an eco-friendly etching solution—a hydrogen peroxide–sodium bicarbonate mixture—on the surface properties and contact angles of and osteoblast adhesion and proliferation on Ti surfaces. Disk-shaped Ti specimens were prepared using different surface treatments (machining, sandblasting, and sandblasting/acid-etching), and they were immersed in the etching solution and then ultrasonically cleaned. Surface characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy, digital microscopy, contact angle analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. MG-63 osteoblasts were cultured on the specimens, and their adhesion to the specimen surface and their proliferation were examined using staining and the MTT assay, respectively. Additional etching with the etching solution caused the formation of nano/micro hierarchical structures, increased the surface roughness, and enhanced the hydrophilicity. Osteoblast adhesion and proliferation were found to improve on the modified surfaces. The eco-friendly etching method has the potential to enhance the biological properties of Ti implant surfaces and to thereby improve the dental implant performance.

Dermatoses are essentially due to infectious or free radical aggression, immunoallergic disor-ders, or can be secondary to general diseases. To investigate new antimicrobial sources against dermatoses, Opilia amentacea crude ethanol extracts and fractions were subjected to phytochemical screening and tested for antioxidant and antimicrobial activities on Gram-positive cocci, Gram negative bacilli and fungi. Phytochemical screening revealed secondary metabolites such as sterols, triterpenes, flavonoids and tannins. Leaves and stem bark of Opilia amentacea exhibited the highest total phenolic contain (65,92 ± 0,93 and 65,71 ± 0,57 mg GAE/g DW respectivily) and flavonoids (38,8 ± 1,05 and 26,81 ± 0,19mg QE/g DW respectively). Dichloromethane fractions of leaves (FDFe) and stem bark (FDET) exhibited the best antioxidant activity with FRAP values of 741,15 and 662,84 mMol AAE/g and IC50 values of ABTS of 88,40 and 36,85 µg/mL respectively. These fractions were also the most active on Gram positive bacilli while Hexane leaves (FHFe) and hexane root bark (FHER) fractions exhibited the best antifungal activity against Candida tropicalis at MIC values of 0.23 mg/mL and 0.43 mg/mL respectively. Gram-negative bacteria were particularly resistant. This study constitutes a solid scientific basis that could justify the traditional uses of Opilia amen-tacea as an antidermatosis plant.

This study evaluated the effects of high-temperature and high-pressure treatment on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of carrot extracts. The total polyphenol and flavonoid content of heated carrot extract increased as the heating temperature increased, with 403.93 mg GAE/100 g and 53.14 mg CE/100 g at 150°C. DPPH and ABTs radical scavenging activity (IC50) of heated carrot extract also increased as the heating temperature increased, with 4.65 mg/mL and 7.31 mg/mL, respectively, at 150°C. The reducing power increased with the heating temperature. Heated carrot extract did not exhibit any temperature- or concentration-dependent cytotoxicity. Nitric oxide (NO) generation was suppressed as the heating temperature and NO production increased. The heated carrot extract showed a decrease in the production of dose-dependent TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 compared to the control group. The above results show that heated carrot extract had effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

A high-performance Lead-free Piezoelectric Energy Harvester (LPEH) based on a Ba0.85Ca0.15Ti0.90Zr0.10O3 + CuO 0.3 wt% (BCTZC0.3) composite was fabricated by sintering at 1450℃. The BCTZC0.3 composite, which has an enhanced high-energy-conversion constant (〖d_33×g〗_33), shows improved piezoelectric power-generation performance when compared with conventional piezoelectric energy harvesters. The BCTZC0.3-based LPEH produces instantaneous maximum power of 8.2 mW and an energy density of 107.9 mW/cm3 in a weak magnetic field of 250 μT. This energy harvester can be used to charge a capacitor and operate a wireless sensor network (WSN) system to provide temperature sensing and radio-frequency (RF) transmission in a 250 μT magnetic field. The proposed LPEH is a promising green-energy device for potentially self-powering WSN systems when applied.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the leading causes of death worldwide, has a causal nexus with liver injury, inflammation, and regeneration that accumulate over decades. Observations from recent studies have accounted for the involvement of the gut-liver axis in the pathophysiological mechanism responsible for HCC. The human intestine nurtures a diversified colony of microorganisms residing in the host ecosystem. The intestinal barrier is critical for conserving the normal physiology of the gut microbiome. Therefore, a rupture of this barrier or dysbiosis cause the intestinal microbiome to serve as the main source of portal-vein endotoxins such as lipopolysaccharide, in the progression of hepatic diseases. Indeed, increased bacterial translocation is a key sign of HCC. Considering the limited number of clinical studies on HCC with respect to the microbiome, we focus on the clinical as well as animal studies involving the gut microbiota with the current understandings of the mechanism by which the intestinal dysbiosis promotes hepatocarcinogenesis. Future research might offer mechanistic insights into the specific phyla targeting the leaky gut, as well as microbial dysbiosis, and their metabolites, as key pathways that drive HCC-promoting microbiome-mediated liver inflammation and fibrosis, thereby restoring the gut barrier function.

Li⁺-conducting polyethylene oxide-based membranes, incorporating the N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, are as electrolyte separators for all-solid-state lithium polymer batteries operating at medium-high temperatures. The incorporation of the ionic liquid remarkably improves the thermal, ion-transport and interfacial properties of the polymer electrolyte, which, in combination with the wide electrochemical stability even at medium-high temperatures, allow high current rates without any appreciable lithium anode degradation. Battery tests carried out at 80 °C have shown excellent cycling performance and capacity retention even at high rates, never tackled by ionic liquid-free polymer electrolytes. No dendrite growth onto the lithium metal anode was observed.

In traditional oriental medicine, carrots (Daucus carota L.) are considered effective medicinal herbs; however, the use of D. carota leaves (DGL) as therapeutic agents has not been explored in depth. Therefore, we aimed to demonstrate the value of DGL, generally treated as waste while developing plants for wide industrial availability. Six flavone glycosides were isolated and identified from DGL, and their constituents were identified and quantitated using an NMR and HPLC/UV method, which was optimized and validated. The structure of chrysoeriol-7-rutinoside from DGL was elucidated for the first time. The method exhibited adequate relative standard deviation (&lt;1.89%) and recovery (94.89–105.97%). The deglycosylation of DGL flavone glycosides by Viscozyme L and Pectinex was assessed. Upon converting the reaction contents to percentages, the luteolin, apigenin, and chrysoeriol groups showed values of 85.8, 33.1, and 88.7%, respectively. The enzyme-treated DGL had a higher inhibitory effect on TNF-α and IL-2 expression than that of the carrot roots or carrot leaves without enzyme treatments. These results highlight the importance of carrot leaves and could be used as baseline standardization data for commercial development.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) play a significant role in the aging processes, further regarding as a hallmark of aging. Despite the importance, a lack of monitoring tools has hampered the study of relationship between AGEs and aging. Here, we firstly report a novel AGEs-selective probe, AGO. AGO presented its ability to detect AGEs more sensitively than a conventional approach of measuring autofluorescence from AGEs. In addition, we confirmed that AGO can detect AGEs depending on kinetics, reflecting by a preference to ribose-derived AGEs. Finally, AGO revealed its competence to visualize glycation products in glycation mimicking model, made by collagen framework. We believe that this study will enrich molecular toolboxes to understand physiological processes of AGEs during aging processes.