In today's world, news events are emerging incessantly. Classifying the same event reported by different countries is of significant importance for public opinion control and intelligence gathering. Due to the diverse types of news, relying solely on translators would be costly and inefficient, while depending solely on translation systems would incur considerable performance overheads in invoking translation interfaces and storing translated texts. To address this issue, we mainly focus on the clustering problem of cross-lingual news. To be specific, we use a combination of sentence vector representations of news headlines in a mixed semantic space and the topic probability distributions of news content to represent a news article. In the training of cross-lingual models, we employ knowledge distillation techniques to fit two semantic spaces into a mixed semantic space. We abandon traditional static clustering methods like K-Means and AGNES in favor of the incremental clustering algorithm Single-Pass, which we further modify to better suit cross-lingual news clustering scenarios. Our main contributions are as follows: (1) We adopt the English standard BERT as the teacher model and XLM-Roberta as the student model, training a cross-lingual model through knowledge distillation that can represent sentence-level bilingual texts in both Chinese and English. (2) We use the LDA topic model to represent news as a combination of cross-lingual vectors for headlines and topic probability distributions for content, introducing concepts such as topic similarity to address the cross-lingual issue in news content representation. (3) We adapt the Single-Pass clustering algorithm for the news context to make it more applicable. Our optimizations of Single-Pass include adjusting the distance algorithm between samples and clusters, adding cluster merging operations, and incorporating a news time parameter.

Objective: We tested a model of individual health literacy information sharing with family members, personal preventive behaviours and family well-being during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Hong Kong. Methods: We analysed data of 1501 randomly selected Chinese adults from a cross-sectional survey in Hong Kong from 9 to 23 April, 2020. Individual health literacy about COVID-19 with the items extracted from the questionnaire in World Health Organization Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Action Plan Guidance for COVID-19 preparedness and response, COVID-19 information sharing with family members, preventive behaviours against COVID-19 and family well-being were measured. Structural equation modelling analysis tested the proposed model. Findings: COVID-19 information sharing with family members partially mediated the association between individual health literacy and personal preventive behaviours. The direct effect of 0.24 was shown, and the indirect effect through COVID-19 information sharing with family members was small at 0.03 (Z = 3.66, p < 0.001). Family well-being was associated with personal preventive behaviours against COVID-19. The model was adjusted for sex, age, and socioeconomic status factors and had good fit with RMSEA = 0.04, CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.96, and SRMR = 0.02. Conclusion: COVID-19 information sharing with family members was a partial mediator between individual health literacy and personal preventive behaviours against COVID-19. Strategies for enhancing health literacy and preventive measures against COVID-19 are needed to promote family well-being in the pandemic.

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with millions of people exposed to severe air pollution. (1) Background: Surface ozone, mostly produced photochemically from anthropogenic precursor gases is harmful to both human and vegetation. The phytotoxicity of ozone has been shown to damage plant photosynthesis, induce early leaf death and retard growth. (2) Methods: We use genotypes of bush bean Phaseolus vulgaris with various degrees of sensitivity to ozone to investigate the impacts of ambient ozone on the morphology and development of the bean. We use ozone-induced foliar injury index and measure the flowerings and fruit production to quantify the ozone stress on the plants. (3) Results: We expected that the ozone-sensitive genotype would suffer from a reduction of yield. Results however show that the ozone-sensitive genotype suffers higher ozone-induced foliar damage as expected but produces more pods and beans and heavier beans than the ozone-resistant genotype. (4) Conclusions: It is postulated that the high ozone sensitivity of the sensitive genotype causes stress-induced flowering and therefore results in higher bean yield. A higher-than-ambient concentration of ozone is needed to negatively impact the yield production of the ozone-sensitive genotype. This study demonstrate the usefulness of bioindicators to monitor the phytotoxic effects of ozone pollution in a subtropical city such as Hong Kong.

Ever since oil was discovered in the Persian Gulf Region in the 1920s, the oil and gas industries have been dominant in the area. These countries are responsible for generating approximately 35 percent of the world's natural gas and 25 percent of its crude oil, making them the largest crude oil producers globally. The release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere is directly linked to the use of fossil fuels. CO2 accounts for 58.8 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities and has a detrimental impact on urban residents through the urban heat island effect. A significant portion of these emissions can be attributed to residential buildings. Some nations exacerbate the problem by relying excessively on fossil fuels. Oil-rich countries provide energy subsidies to the public in order to lower energy costs for their citizens. However, this policy can have negative consequences, including wasteful energy usage in countries like Iran.

According to statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization, the world population will increase to about 91 million (Asia 51 million, Africa 19 million). A rise in the world’s population means an increased need for food. However, climate change has caused desertification and unpredictable weather, creating problems in the supply and demand of food. Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is an alternative to solving the food problem, as it is one of the world’s most important food crops, especially in developing countries. The tuberous roots of sweet potato are usually used as staple food, animal feed, industrial material, or raw material for alcohol production. In the future, more variations of sweet potato will be needed for breeding this crop. Recently, molecular markers developed for sweet potato have demonstrated good potential for use in genetic selection. In this study, a cDNA library was constructed from the total RNA of sweet potato leaves. A total of 789 copies of the cDNA were cloned in Escherichia coli by employing the pGEM-T Easy vector. Sequencing was carried out by Solgent Co. (Korea). As many as 579 expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers were designed (73.38%) from the known cDNA nucleotide base sequences. The lengths of the developed EST-SSR markers ranged from 100 to 499 bp (average length 238 bp). Their motif sequence types were varied, with most being dinucleotides and pentanucleotides, and the most commonly found motifs were CAGAAT (29.0%) and TCT (2.8%). Based on these SSR-containing sequences, 619 pairs of high-quality SSR primers were designed using WebSat and Primer3web. The total number of primers designed was 144. Polymorphism was evident in 82 EST-SSR markers among 20 Korean sweet potato cultivars tested and in 90 EST-SSR markers in the two parents of a mapping population, Yeseumi and Annobeny. In this study, the hexaploid sweet potato (2n = 6x = 90) EST-SSR markers were developed in the absence of full-sequence data. Moreover, by acting as a molecular tag for particular traits, the EST-SSR marker can also simultaneously identify information about the corresponding gene. These EST-SSR markers will allow the molecular analysis of sweet potato to be done more efficiently. Thus, we can develop high-quality sweet potato while overcoming the challenges from climate change and other unfavorable conditions.

Human detection from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) is gaining popularity in the field of disaster management, crowd counting, people monitoring. Real time human detection from UAV is a challenging task, because of many constraints involved. This study proposes a system for real time detection of humans on videos captured from UAVs addressing three of these constraints namely, flying height, computation time and scale of viewing. The proposed method integrated an android application with a binary classifier based on Haar-features to automatically detect human / non-human class from UAV images. The video frames were parsed and detected humans from image frames were geo-localized and visualized on Google Earth. The performance was evaluated for geo-localization accuracy, computation time and detection accuracy, considering human coverage – pixel size relationship for various heights and scale factor. Based on flying height - human size relationship and tradeoff between detection accuracy vs computation time, the study came up with optimal parameters for OpenCV’s cv2.cascadeClassifier. detectMultiScale function. This paper establishes a strong ground for further research relating to real time human detection from UAV.

Objective: This study aimed to demonstrate the availability of portable devices for nasal FeNO measurement, which could replace exhaled NO measurement based on the continuous aspiration of multiple flow measurement systems. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study. The healthy subjects without rhinosinusis disorders (control group) and those with diagnosed allergic rhinitis (AR group) were enrolled in the study. They underwent nasal and bronchial FeNO measurements by both fixed flow NObreath® connected to nasal mask and multiple flows HypAir FeNO®. Results: A total of 153 people were recruited including 63 healthy subjects and 90 subjects with AR. There were no statistically significant differences in anthropometric characteristics between the two groups (P > 0.05). There were a significant increase in FeNO values in the AR group compared to the control group; concentrations of nasal and bronchial FeNO mearsured by NObreath® were 76.0 ± 50.7 ppb (vs 36.0 ± 28.1 ppb, P < 0.01) and 32.3 ± 15.4 ppb (vs 9.2 ± 5.6 ppb, P < 0.001), and those mearsured by NObreath® Hypair FeNO® were 1796.9 ± 523.3 ppb (vs 400.2 ± 123.1 ppb, P < 0.001) and 37.3 ± 23.0 ppb (vs 17.4 ± 18.3 ppb, P < 0.01). A weak correlation between the values measured by NObreath® and Hypair FeNO® devices was observed (r = 0.023 and r = 0.089, respectively; p < 0.05). Conclusions: The handheld NObreath® device is effective in measuring FeNO concentrations in both normal subjects and AR patients. The advantages in price and size, creating a compact, low-cost device that is convenient for use and research.

Estimation and planning play a vital role in the construction of an autonomous navigation framework. However, these problems are often considered separately, while planning gives robot a free-collision path towards the desired goal, estimation algorithm presents the executed trajectory in the sense that it has to be closed to the ground truth path as much as possible. Recently, a unified probabilistic framework, which supports solving these problems simultaneously, dubbed STEAP has been proposed. Nevertheless, its current version is only designated for an omni wheels robot, which allows robot to move and turn in vertical direction. Differential drive robot, on the other hand, though limited to move along only one direction, has been used in various situations due to its flexibility and lower cost in hardware designing. Thus, in this extension, our aim is to control a differential drive robot via STEAP. Moreover, in a more complicated environment such as labyrinth or maze, the original STEAP sometimes fails to find a path. Indeed, this problem is mainly caused by the poor initialization and the non-linearity in optimizer constraints. In our implementation, instead of dealing with these constraints, we employ a global planner algorithm such as Dijkstra or RRT to treat STEAP as an effective local planner module that focus on following the global path. Consequently, the experimental results show that the extended STEAP not only able to navigate a differential drive robot but also in a more complicated and unstructured environment.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a cystic pulmonary disorder that has been known to primarily affect women of childbearing age. The disorder can develop with mutations in the tuberous sclerosis (TSC) genes TSC1 & TSC2 but may arise by other irregular cases in the lack of these mutations. LAM can manifest in a wide variety of ways and generally compounded in symptoms of other lung disorders such as bronchitis, emphysema, & asthma. However, due to lack of effective diagnostic methods, biomarkers of LAM leading to a treatment for the disorder are currently unmet. Using integrative dating analytics and bioinformatics approaches; this study used publicly available microarray data to identify biomarkers in LAM. The results showed important differential expressed genes (DEGs) including: CDH2, CXCL6, ANXA10, MFAP5, RPS4Y1, DCBLD2, PAPPA, TFPI2, SERPINE1, LOX, MYH11, RGS1, SEPP1, TMOD1, ID1, SFTPB, CDH1, HTR2B, OGN, and IGLC1. Furthermore, gene – network and gene ontology (GO) analysis were conducted to show the importance of these genes from a molecular understanding. Taken together, the results revealed could serve as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers with LAM patients.

The Asian clam Corbicula fluminea is a native aquatic species in Eastern Asia and Africa but has become one of the most ecologically and economically harmful invasive species in aquatic ecosystems in Europe, North America, South America. Due to their natural characteristics as a hermaphroditic species with high fecundity and dispersal capacity, Asian clams are extremely difficult to eradicate once they have infiltrated a waterbody. This is an emerging issue for states in the Northeastern United States as Asian clams expand their range farther North due to climate change. There has been extensive research conducted to develop chemical treatments to reactively control invasive mollusc populations and proactively prevent their further spread. However, treatments are mostly targeted toward biofouling bivalves in industrial settings. A comprehensive review of Asian clam chemical treatments used in open water systems was performed to evaluate molluscicides and identify toxicity ranges of emerging treatments that maximize Asian clam mortality and minimize negative impact to water quality and non-target species. The potential chemical applications in Asian clam control and management are summarized in this report to assist resource managers and practitioners on invasive Asian clam management.

Inorganic polymeric materials react slowly at room temperature and as a result usually require high-temperature curing. This study used the Arrhenius equation to analyze the correlation between curing temperature and curing duration during high-temperature curing. The test results show that optimal values exist for each alkali equivalent of the activator (weight ratio of Na2O/glass powder), curing temperature, and curing duration. Extending the curing duration and increasing the curing temperature have positive effects when the alkali equivalent is lower than the optimal value. However, over-curing results in invisible cracking in the specimens. Furthermore, despite exhibiting high strength initially, the strength of specimens gradually diminishes after standing in air. To ensure the durability of glass-based geopolymer, the curing temperature should not exceed 70℃, and the curing duration should be less than one day.

This article explores how digitalisation is impacting the hospitality industry and assesses the evolving role of Information Technology (IT) strategy in the digitalisation process. The research approach is qualitative and inductive, based on six in-depth interviews with senior IT professionals in the hospitality industry. Findings indicate significant differences in the role of IT strategy in guiding digitalisation in the companies studied. The depth of information provided by the interviewees supports the development and application of a model that profiles the companies regarding their degree of digitalisation and technology integration. Analysis of interview material allows the identification of key properties for successful digitalization: process agility, workforce adaptability, and technology manageability, along with a clear data culture and ensured cybersecurity. However, disparate systems and technologies, and a lack of data integrity, are key issues that leave hospitality companies with difficult choices in progressing digitalisation initiatives. The applied model and identification of key properties for successful digitalisation contribute to the development of related theory and can also be used as a reference point for senior IT professionals working in the industry.

To study the influence of Latin dance and Tai Chi on knee joint proprioception and balance. Method: All experiments were performed in the Beijing Normal University School of Physical Education and Sport Biomechanics Laboratory. An isokinetic test system (Biodex system 4, BS4) and a balance testing system (Biodex Balance System, BBS)from the United States Biodex medical system were used to test related indexes. Results: In the LOS test, the overall score of Latin group is much better than sedentary group. In the ASL test, Latin group have a better balance ability in anterior and posterior direction and overall score than sedentary group(p＜0.05); TAI CHI group have a better balance ability than sedentary group in anterior and posterior direction(p＜0.05)and right and left direction (p＜0.01). When the knee joint was at 15, 30, and 45degree positions, the Tai Chi exercise group was much better than sedentary group (P < 0.05), and the 45 degree position in the Tai Chi group was much better than that in the Latin dance group (P < 0.01).When the knee joint was at the 30 degree position, the quadriceps force sense was significantly better in the Tai Chi group than in the Latin dance and sedentary groups. In a test of the four angles, the hamstring force sense in the Tai Chi exercise group was obviously better than that in the sedentary group (P < 0.05); at the 15 degree position, the Tai Chi group was significantly better than the Latin group (P < 0.05); and at 30 degree position, the hamstring force sense of the Latin group was obviously better than that of the sedentary group (P < 0.05).

Apoptosis, the programmed and intentional death of senescent, damaged, or otherwise superfluous cells, is the natural end-point for most cells within multicellular organisms. Apoptotic cells are not inherently damaging, but if left unattended they can lyse through secondary necrosis. The resulting release of intracellular contents drives inflammation in the surrounding tissue and can lead to autoimmunity. These negative consequences of secondary necrosis are avoided by efferocytosis—the phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells. Efferocytosis is a product of both apoptotic cell and efferocyte mechanisms, which cooperate to ensure the rapid and complete removal of apoptotic cells. Herein, the processes used by apoptotic cells to ensure their timely removal, and the receptors, signaling, and cellular processes used by efferocytes to identify, remove, and process the apoptotic cells, are reviewed.

This paper proposed emotion recognition methods for consecutive facial images, and implements the inference of neural network model on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The proposed emotion recognition methods are based on a neural network model architecture that combines convolution neural networks (CNNs), long short-term memory (LSTM), and fully connected neural networks (FCNNs), called CLDNN or ConvLSTM-FCN. This type of neural network mod-el can analyze the local feature sequences obtained through convolution of data, making it suita-ble for processing time-series data such as consecutive facial images. In this paper, sequences of facial images are sampled from videos corresponding to various emotional state of subjects. The sampled images are then pre-processed with the processes includes facial detection, greyscale conversion, resize, and data augmentation if necessary. The 2-D CNN in ConvLSTM-FCN is used for feature extraction for these pre-processed facial images. These sequences of facial im-age features are time sequences with dependent properties between the elements within them. The LSTM is then used to model these time sequences followed by fully connected neural net-works (FCNNs) for classification. The proposed consecutive facial emotion recognition method achieves an average recognition rate of 99.51% on RAVDESS dataset, 87.80% on BAUM-1s dataset and 96.82% on eNTERFACE’05 data set, using 10-fold cross-validation on the PC. Some com-parisons of recognition accuracies between the proposed method and the other existing related works are conducted in this paper. According to the comparisons, the proposed emotion recog-nition methods outperform the existing related researches. The proposed emotion recognition methods are then implemented on an FPGA chip using the neural network model inference algo-rithms in this paper, and the accuracies of the experiments conducted on the FPGA chip are iden-tical to those obtained on the PC. This verifies that the proposed neural network model imple-mented on the FPGA chip performs well.

This study investigates how customers’ technological readiness affects service quality and the adoption of self-service banking by developing an empirical model. The model was proposed to explore the relationships between technology readiness, self-service quality, and customer satisfaction. The hypotheses and stability of the model were tested using structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that technology readiness, including the optimism, innovation, and insecurity dimensions, had a significant positive impact on self-service quality. In addition, service quality fully mediated the relationship between technological readiness and customer satisfaction. These results suggest that when customers are ready to embrace and use new technology, their evaluation of service quality is high. Thus, bank managers should drive customer perceptions of the quality of self-service banking by improving their technological readiness through various measures. Furthermore, based on the mediating effect of self-service quality, banks must be aware that improving service quality can enhance customer satisfaction and maintain a competitive advantage.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is characterized by lung cysts that cause lung deterioration, changes in the lymphatic system, and tumors in the kidneys. It mainly affects women of reproductive age and is a progressive disease. LAM can occur as an isolated disease or coexist with tuberous sclerosis (TSC). The source of LAM cells is unknown. Patients with confirmed LAM should be treated with an mTOR inhibitor, sirolimus, or everolimus. We present a case of LAM with TSC in a patient whose symptoms, including lymph nodes and chyaloperitoneum, mainly concern the abdominal cavity.

The production of oil by thraustochytrids is still costly because of its necessary and expensive culture medium. We evaluated the growth, lipid production, and fatty acid composition in an inexpensive, molasses-based (M) medium. Newly isolated thraustochytrid strains were identified as members of genus Aurantiochytrium based on 18S rRNA gene sequences. Isolated strains were repeatedly cultured in M medium for acclimatization to the medium. Acclimatized and non-acclimatized strains were cultured in basal GY medium and M medium. The lipid in the cultured cells were extracted by the Folch method, and the fatty acid composition was analyzed by gas chromatograph. The growth and lipid production in the non-acclimatized strains were significantly inhibited by culturing in M medium, whereas the growth and lipid production were improved by acclimatization treatment in the same medium. The fatty acid composition in the cultured cells were affected by the M medium compared to the basal GY medium. The production of some enzymes such as leucine and valine aryl-amidase was suppressed in the M medium, and the activities recovered by acclimatization treatment. The growth of some strains in the molasses medium was thus recovered by the acclimatization process, and the profiles of extracellular enzymes were also affected.

The goal of the project was to gain an understanding of the secondary school youth experience with food literacy and school gardens on their mental well-being. Over the course of five months, sixteen youth participated in a photovoice research project in which they expressed their personal experiences about food and gardening through photography and writing. The aspects of secondary school youths’ life experiences affected by exposure to food literacy and school gardens and their impact upon their well-being were identified. These included emotions and feelings, having a safe place, nutrition and relaxation. The youth explicitly connected relaxation with the themes of love and connectedness, growing food, garden as a place, cooking, and food choices. This was linked to nature, beauty, environment and sustainability. Youth clubs or groups were also identified as a key enabler for connection. Youth shared their food literacy experiences, observing that their engagement improved some aspect of their mental well-being. They identified food literacy and gardens as being the most important to mental well-being including: connecting, personal health and personal growth. The youth recognized that connecting comes from having community, relationships and respect. Fostering opportunities for food literacy such as growing and preparing food contributes to resiliency.

Evaluation of agronomic practices, genetic diversity and population structure of Moringa oleifera (Lam.) is crucial to its sustainable utilization to ensure food and nutritional security. Four agronomic practices of field preparation and soil analysis, regeneration, weeding and pruning, as well as harvesting, were adopted. Genetic diversity and population structure of 20 populations were evaluated using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) primer pairs (E-ACC/M-CAC and E-ACA/M-CAG). The effects of agronomic practices on leaf quantity production were evaluated using standard procedures. The physico-chemical and morphological data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while genetic diversity, population structure, dendrogram reconstruction, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were analyzed from the AFLP genetic data. Significant effects (P ≤ 0.05) of agronomic practices on the quantity of leaf production were recorded across the accessions. The two primer pairs generated a total of 80 alleles with a mean major allele frequency of 0.0250. Gene diversity and polymorphic information content (PIC) values were high with a mean of 0.98 and 0.974, respectively. The Gst value of 0.0490 indicated that 5 % of the total genetic divergence was among the population while 95 % within the population. Dendrogram reconstruction with genetic distance ranging from 0.87 to 0.96 segregated the accessions into eleven clusters while PCA generated six cluster groups. Field preparation and physico-chemical soil properties, regeneration, weeding and pruning, and stand development, as well as harvesting, influenced the leaf yield and genetic diversity observed in this study. The genetic data revealed that some accessions were clustered along eco-geographical lines while others grouped disparately. Identified potential parent genotypes with valuable and desirable genetic traits can be exploited for commercial, breeding and conservation purposes to ensure sustainable utilization of the species in Nigeria.

Polyurethane (PU) foam adhesives were prepared from castor oil as a polyol with isocyanate poly (4,4′-methylene diphenyl isocyanate) (PMDI) using a solvent-free process. The NCO/OH molar ratio used for the preparation of PU foams was 1.5. Water, organosiloxane and dibutyltin dilaurate were blowing agent, surfactant and catalyst, respectively. Effects of the ratio of blowing agent and catalyst were adjusted to optimize the properties. The results show that 4 wt% of castor oil of catalyst and blowing agent minimizes water absorption and maximizes volume expansion in the PU foams. FT-IR analysis shows that urethane bond was formed by hydroxyl group of castor oil and –NCO group of isocyanate PMDI. More blowing agent and catalyst could improve the volume expansion ratio and reduce water retention of PU foams. It was found that Moso bamboo charcoal (Phyllostachys pubescens) or/and China fir wood particle (Cunninghamia lanceolate) composites with setting densities of 500 and 600 kg/m³ can be prepared from optimized castor oil-based PU foam adhesive at 100 °C for 5 min under a pressure of 1.5 MPa. Increasing the amount of bamboo charcoal decreases the equilibrium moisture content, water absorption and internal bonding strength of the composite. Notably, bamboo charcoal composite exhibits excellent dimensional stability. The optimized density and bamboo charcoal percentages of the composite were 500 kg/m³ and 50 to 100%. The castor oil-based PU composites containing bamboo charcoal fulfilled the CNS 2215 standards for particleboard. This dimensionally stable, low-density bamboo charcoal composite has high potential to replace current indoor building materials.

Low-complexity ultrasound systems are increasingly desired for wearable point-of-care ultra-sound and massive-channel ultrasound for 3-D matrix imaging. However, the system complexity is closely associated with the imaging capabilities, remaining as a challenge. To resolve this limitation, this study revisits the general structures of analog and digital beamformers and in-troduces a hybrid approach to implement efficient ultrasound systems. The suggested hybrid beamforming takes two stages, where the first analog stage partially beamforms M-channel RF signals to N sum-out data (M-to-N beamforming), and the second digital stage beamforms N partial sums to single final beamformed data (N-to-1 beamforming). Our approach was systematically designed and implemented, which was demonstrated with a customized 64-channel 1-D phased array using a tissue mimicking phantom. The demonstrated results indicate that the analog-digital hybrid beamforming can be applied to any kind of arrays for sophisticated 3-D imaging and tiny wearable ultrasound applications.

Building on a framework of risk transmission to children of depressed parents, the present study investigated the associations between parents’ self-compassion, parent’s depressive symptoms, and child adjustment. A total 189 Chinese parents (101 mothers) whose children were 2-8 years old were recruited to complete a questionnaire, including measures of self-compassion, depressive symptoms and children’s prosocial behavior, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems. Findings indicated mediation effects, in that parents’ depressive symptoms mediated the associ-ation between their self-compassion and child adjustment outcomes, namely children’s internal-izing and externalizing problems, after controlling the effects of monthly family income, child gender, and parent gender. Competing hypothesis suggested that parents’ self-compassion did not moderate between parents’ depressive symptoms and child adjustment outcomes. Hence, the association between parental depressive symptoms and child adjustment was not dependent on the level of parents’ self-compassion. As an implication, researchers and practitioners should be made aware of the protective role of parents’ self-compassion in the family context.

In recent years, with the popularity of smart mobile devices, the interaction between devices and users, especially in the form of voice interaction, has become increasingly important. If smart devices can understand more users' emotional states through voice data, more customized services can be provided for users. This paper proposes a novel machine learning model for speech emotion recognition, which combines convolutional neural networks (CNN), long short-term memory neural networks (LSTM), and deep neural networks (DNN), called CLDNN. To make the designed system can recognize the audio signal closer to the human auditory system does, this article uses the Mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) of audio data as the input of the machine learning model. First, the MFCCs of the voice signal is extracted as the input of the model, and the feature values of the data are calculated using several local feature learning blocks (LFLB) composed of one-dimensional CNN. Because the audio signals are time-series data, the feature values obtained from LFLBs then input into LSTM layer to enhance the learning on time-series level. Finally, fully connected layers are used for classification and prediction. Three databases RAVDESS, EMO-DB and IEMOCAP are used for the experiments in this paper. The experimental results show that the proposed method can improve the accuracy compared to other related researches in speech emotion recognition.

This study aimed to assess the variations in the nutritional attributes of thirteen Moringa oleifera cultivars. Leaves from six-month-old plants were harvested and tested for various nutritional attributes. There were significant (p ≤ 0.05) differences in the carbohydrates, energy, some of the sugars and fibre amongst the cultivars. The levels of moisture in the cultivars ranged from 7.10% to 8.20%. Additionally, there were significant (p ≤ 0.05) differences across the cultivars in microelements studied except for zinc (Zn). These data revealed that plants from different geographical provenances differed in their adapting to varied environments. In general, under the same cultivation, management and environmental conditions, the main reasons for these differences occurred in cultivars could be associated with the genetic background of each M. oleifera germplasm. However, the study cautions on the differences of nutritional properties, as some of the cultivars have been reported not to be pharmacological potent.

Purpose: To explore the influence of education and other factors on an athlete’s decision to return to sport post-concussion injury, and whether general risk-taking tendencies are related to return to sport post-concussion decisions in these athletes. Participants and Methods: A self-administered electronic survey was designed to examine their decision-making process when faced with scenario-based questions regarding returning to sport post-concussion injury. Students from the Health Sciences and Medicine Faculty at Bond University were invited to participate. Participants were allocated to a concussion education or non-education group prior to commencement of questionnaire via the random generator on Qualtrics software function. The risk propensity scale was used to assess the risk aversion of each participant. Results: Sixteen respondents were randomized evenly to education and non-education groups. Seven (43.8%) had previously received concussion education training prior to completing the questionnaire, with one (14%) choosing to return to sport in the scenario-based questions. The education group reported two (25%) respondents return to sport, while three (75%) respondents out of four returned to sport with no education or previous concussion training. Influential factors that impacted the decision whether to return to sport or not included: game importance, concussion severity and symptoms, and various internal and external factors. Finally, there was a divergence in results from the risk propensity scale when deciding to return to sport and general risk-taking propensities. Conclusion: This study identified several influential factors including game importance, concussion severity and symptoms which play a significant role in the return to sport decisions post-concussion injury.

Many marine animals use chemicals to defend themselves and their eggs from predators. Beyond their ecologically relevant functions, these chemicals may also have properties that make them beneficial for humans, including with biomedical and industrial applications. For example, some chemical defenses are also powerful antimicrobial or anti-tumor agents with relevance to human health and disease. One such chemical defense, Escapin, an L–amino acid oxidase in the defensive ink of the sea hare Aplysia californica, and related proteins have been investigated for their biomedical properties. This review details our current understanding of Escapin’s antimicrobial activity, including the array of chemicals generated by Escapin’s oxidation of its major substrates, L–lysine and L–arginine, and mechanisms underlying these molecules’ bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects on planktonic cells and the prevention of formation and removal of bacterial biofilms. Models of Escapin’s effects are presented, and future directions are proposed.

Most diagnostic tests for tuberculosis (TB) rely on sputum samples, which are difficult to obtain and have low sensitivity in immunocompromised patients, patients with disseminated TB, and children, delaying treatment initiation. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls for the development of a rapid, biomarker-based, non-sputum test capable of detecting all forms of TB at the point-of-care to enable immediate treatment initiation. Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) is the only WHO-endorsed TB biomarker which can be detected in urine, an easily collected sample. This review discusses the characteristics of LAM as a biomarker, describes the performance of first-generation urine LAM tests and reasons for slow uptake, and presents considerations for developing the next-generation of more sensitive and impactful tests. Next-generation urine LAM tests have the potential to reach adult and pediatric patients regardless of HIV status or site of infection and facilitate global TB control. Implementation and scale-up of existing LAM tests and development of next-generation assays should be prioritized.

Abstract: Introduction: A retrospective case-controlled study was performed to evaluate the out-comes of shoulder arthroplasty performed as a day case in carefully selected patients, compared to the traditional inpatient approach. Materials & Methods: Patients who had total or hemiarthro-plasty of the shoulder performed as a day case or inpatient procedure were recruited. The primary outcome compared rates of uneventful recovery, defined by the absence of any complications or readmission to hospital within six months of surgery, between Inpatient and Outpatient groups. Secondary outcomes included examiner-determined functional scores and patient-determined pain scores at one, six, twelve, and twenty-four weeks post-surgery. A further assessment of pa-tient determined pain scores was carried out at a minimum of two years post-surgery (5.8 ± 3.2). Results: 73 patients (36 Inpatients and 37 Outpatients) were included in the study. Within this time frame 25/36 inpatients (69%) had uneventful recoveries compared to 24/37 outpatients (65%) (p = 0.17). Outpatients showed significant improvement over pre-operative baseline levels in more of the secondary outcomes (strength and passive range-of-motion) by six months post-operation. Outpatients also performed significantly better than Inpatients in external rotation (p<0.05) and internal rotation (p=0.05) at six-weeks post-surgery. Both groups showed significant improvement compared to pre-operative baselines in all patient-determined secondary outcomes except level of activity at work and sport. Inpatients, however, less severe pain at rest at six weeks (p=0.03), sig-nificantly less frequent pain at night (p=0.03) and extreme pain (p=0.04) at 24 weeks; and less se-vere pain at night at 24 weeks (p<0.01). By minimum two years postoperation, inpatients were more comfortable repeating their treatment setting for future arthroplasty (16/18) compared to outpatients (7/22) (p = 0.0002). Conclusions: At a minimum of two years follow up, there were no significant differences in rates of complications, hospitalisations, or revision surgeries between pa-tients that underwent shoulder arthroplasty as an inpatient versus as an outpatient. Outpatients demonstrated superior functional outcomes but reported more pain at six months post-surgery. Patients in both groups expressed a preference for inpatient shoulder arthroplasty in future. What is Known About This Subject: Shoulder arthroplasty is a complex procedure, and has tradition-ally been performed on an inpatient basis, with patients admitted for six to seven days post-surgery. One of the primary reasons for this is the high level of postoperative pain, usually treated with hospital-based opioid therapy. Two studies demonstrated outpatient TSA to have a similar rate of complications as inpatient TSA, however these studies only examined patients within a shorter term 90 day postoperative period, and did not evaluate functional outcomes between the two groups or in the longer term. What This Study Adds to Existing Knowledge: This study provides evidence supporting the longer-term results of shoulder arthroplasty done as a day case in carefully selected patients, which are comparable to outcomes in patients that are admitted to hospital post-surgery.

The production of Moringa oleifera capsules has emerged as a promising agricultural activity in Mexico, driven by the plant’s well-documented health and nutritional benefits. In response, farmers have begun producing Moringa oleifera as a dietary supplement, using artisanal methods with minimal production controls. This study aimed to estimate the processing times of the Moringa oleifera production system using simulation modeling with Arena® software, and to evaluate the economic feasibility of capsule production. Methodologically, it was approached as a case study in the state of Veracruz, processing times were estimated through systematic sampling and modeled with Arena simulation software. Three simulation scenarios were considered to select a technically and economically viable alternative for agricultural producers: one with a 200-capsule encapsulator (1E200C), another with two 200-capsule encapsulators (2E200C) and a third with an 800-capsule encapsulator (1E800C). For the initial diagnosis a research stay was conducted for 180 days, and the production capacity was set at 24,000 capsules due to raw material limitations. Results indicated that the 1E800C scenario reduced processing time by 60% compared to the1E200C scenario, and by 35% compared to the 2E200C scenario. Additionally, the 1E800C model required only 2 days (16 hours) of work, while the 2E200C required 4 days (32 hours), and the 1E200C required 7 days (56 hours). In terms of production costs per unit of 90 capsules, the 1E200C was 3.93 USD the 2E200C 3.64 USD and the 1E800C 3.45 USD The study concluded that due to raw material limitations, the company can produce 12,800 units per year of 90 capsules. It is recommended to adopt the 1E800C encapsulator, which would lower overall production costs by 12.23%, representing 0.48 USD per unit produced, resulting in an additional profit of 6,150.50 USD Over a five-year evaluation period, the benefit-cost ratio was 5.03, the NPV was 922,370.11 and the IRR was 42.09%, indicating that this type of agribusiness in Mexico is both technically and economically feasible.

Aims: A community-based multi-component intervention (increasing awareness of the importance of physical activity in chronic illness management through reading comic books, training regarding warm-up stretching exercises, identifying facilitators and barriers to exercise through photosharing, supporting self-reflection and development of action plans) was developed to promote physical activity (PA) among patients with diabetes and hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of this intervention on health behaviour (walking) and health outcomes. Design: A non-randomized controlled trial with waitlisted control and pre- and post-measures. Setting: Community centres for the elderly. Participants: A total of 204 older adults with diabetes and/or hypertension were recruited. They were assigned to either the intervention group (IG) or waitlisted to the control group (CG). Intervention: Under the supervision of a nurse, six weekly group meetings were arranged in community centres for the elderly in which the participants freely exchanged their views regarding the barriers and facilitators of regular physical activity. Participants were encouraged to take photos in their neighbourhood or at home and brought these photos to share at the group meetings. The photos showed both the barriers and the facilitators to PA. In the last meeting, each participant worked out a plan to perform PA in the coming four weeks. Measures: PA referred to the number of steps taken per day and it was measured by a Garmin Accelerometer at baseline, Week 6 and Week 10. Other measures included the nine-item Self-Efficacy Scale for Exercise - Chinese version (SEE-C), the 23-item Chinese Barriers to Exercise Scale and Senior Fitness Tests. Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) models compared the outcomes over time between IG and CG. Results: A statistically significant difference in the changes in the average number of steps taken daily between the two groups at Week 10 (mean difference = 965.4; 95% confidence interval: 92.2, 1838.6, p = 0.030) was observed, although the difference at Week 6 was non-significant (mean difference = 777.6; 95% confidence interval: −35.3, 1590.5, p = 0.061). IG participants also showed significant improvements in lower body strength (mean difference = 0.967; 95% confidence interval: 0.029, 1.904, p = 0.043) and lower limb flexibility (mean difference = 2.068; 95% confidence interval: 0.404, 3.731, p = 0.015) at Week 10 compared to CG participants. Conclusion: This multi-component intervention improved the participants’ physical activity level and physical fitness, particularly in lower limb flexibility and body strength.

Despite the popularity of Zumba in several countries, research is scarce about its impact on older adults. Meanwhile, the integration of cognitive tasks with physical exercises, known as dual-tasking, is an evolving strategy to facilitate activities for older people. This study investigated the perceptions of older adults regarding Zumba and the potential of implementing it in a dual-task program. We conducted a qualitative-descriptive research involving 44 Filipino older adults from August to November 2020. Content analysis was employed to analyze the data. Four themes were identified: moving towards match or mismatch; balancing benefits with burdens; dual-tasking as innovative yet potentially challenging; and overcoming barriers with enablers. While Zumba is an inclusive and beneficial activity, individual and contextual limitations could hinder its suitability for older people. Dual-tasking in Zumba was also recognized as an innovative approach, although challenges should be addressed to promote its utility. Several strategies could support the design of these programs in communities. This is the first study to explore older adults’ perceptions towards Zumba and its potential utilization as a dual-tasking program. Findings could guide the implementation of appropriate Zumba and dual-tasking activities that seek to integrate cognitive and physical training for older adults.

The incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is rising in the West, but little is known in Asia. This study elucidated changes in the incidence and HPV-positive portion of OPSCC in Hong Kong. Data from population-based cancer registry were used to analyze the incidence of OPSCC in associate with other head and neck cancers. Archived tumour tissues were tested for HPV. From 1986 to 2020, there was a marked decrease in the incidence of nasopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers, but a persistent increase in OPSCC from 36 cases in 1986 to 116 cases in 2020. The average positive rate for high-risk HPV was 36.1% (112/310) among OPSCC diagnosed in 2010-2020. The HPV positive rate in recent years was significantly higher than earlier cases (tonsil SCC: 64.7% (55/85) in 2016-2020 vs. 40.4% (19/47) in 2010-2015, P = 0.007). Patients with HPV-positive tonsil cancers were significantly younger than those negative (mean [SD]: 58.9 [9.9] vs. 64.3 [13.3] years, P = 0.006), but no significant difference between genders. A persistent increase in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer over the last few decades was observed in Hong Kong, which can be explained by the remarkable increase in HPV-positive tonsil cancers.

Radiotherapy is the primary treatment modality for non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) across all TNM-stages. Locoregional control rates have been impressive even from the 2D-radiotherapy (RT) era, except when the ability to deliver optimal dose coverage to the tumor is compromised. However, short- and long-term complications following head and neck RT are potentially debilitating, and thus, there had been much research investigating technological advances in RT delivery over the past decades, with the primary goal of limiting normal tissue damage. On this note, with a plateau in gains of therapeutic ratio by modern RT techniques, future advances have to be focused on individualization of RT, both in terms of dose prescription and delineation of target volumes. In this review, we analyzed the guidelines and evidence related to contouring methods, and dose prescription for early and locoregionally-advanced (LA-) NPC. Next, with the preference for induction chemotherapy (IC) in patients with LA-NPC, we assessed the evidence concerning radiotherapy adaptations guided by IC response, as well as functional imaging and contour changes during treatment. Finally, we discussed on RT individualization that is guided by EBV DNA assessment, and its importance in the era of combinatorial immune checkpoint blockade therapy with RT.

The annual construction and demolition waste (CDW) generated from EU construction sector was 850 million tons, which represented 31% of the total waste generation and about 28% of CDW was ceramics (bricks and tiles). In this study, the feasibility of using CDW brick powder as the precursor of alkali activated mortar (AAM) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) as the lightweight aggregates to form lightweight brick powder AAM (LW-BP-AAM) for non-structural applications was investigated. The thermal conductivity of LP-BPAAM was 0.112 W/m·K with density of about 1,135 kg/m³ which was lower than the counterparts with similar density in literature. The acid resistance of LW-BP-AAM is comparable to conventional fly ash based AAM and superior than ordinary Portland cement. From the scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, there was no severe damage on the surface of LW-BP-AAM but aluminate was removed from the matrix which was further verified in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The mass and strength loss of LP-BP-AAM was 1.5% and 33%, respectively. Although the compressive strength of the LP-BP-AAM was low (about 1.8 MPa), it can be improved by optimising the particle size of the XPS aggregates.

The study examines the return performance and resilience to market volatility of the recently introduced Environment, Social/Sustainable, and Governance (ESG) weight-tilted Hang Seng Index (HSIESG) compared to its parent, the Hang Seng Index (HSI). The ESG-infused index has a higher mean return and lower return volatility than the parent index, although the differences are statistically and economically insignificant, a result consistent with the high correlation between the two index returns. Most important, the ESG weighted-tilted index is more resilient to volatility spikes than the parent index and therefore has lower downside risks. The overall results show that stocks with high ESG ratings are less susceptible to trading pressures triggered by volatility-induced turnovers. The paper contributes to the literature by providing significant incremental information on the emerging market for ESG-related equity products in Hong Kong.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of incorporating linseed oil and fish oil in the diet on intake, ruminal fermentation milk yield and milk fatty acid profile in dairy goats. Four crossbred Saanen lactating goats in mid-lactation and milking 1.30±0.28 g/day were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. The basal diet consisted of concentrate and Para grass (C:F 40:60). Treatments included the basal diet without oil supplement (Ctrl) or with 2.5% linseed oil (LO2.5), 2.5% linseed oil and fish oil (3:2, w/w, LFO2.5), and 4.16% linseed oil and fish oil (3:2, w/w, LFO4.16). Diets had no effect on intake, milk yield, milk composition and ruminal fermentation patterns (P > 0.05). The lower (P < 0.05) proportions of C10:0-C14:0 in milk fat were observed with LFO4.16 compared with Ctrl. Compared with the Ctrl and linseed oil added alone, feeding LFO4.16 resulted in a 589% and 303% increase in C18:1 t11, respectively. Milk c9,t11 CLA was markedly increased with the LFO4.16 diet, accounting for 4.53 and 2.94 times greater concentrations than those in Ctrl and LO2.5 diets, respectively (P < 0.01). Goats fed LFO2.5 and LFO4.16 had greater levels of C22:6n-3 (0.63% and 0.87%; P < 0.001) compared with those fed Ctrl and LO2.5 diets (0.06% and 0.08%). Overall, the combined data suggested that including 4.16% linseed oil and fish oil in the diet of dairy goats is effective for improving the concentrations of healthy fatty acids in milk, without affecting milk production.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in both sexes globally. This is not unconnected with the heterogeneity and plasticity of CRC stem cells (CRC-SCs) which stealthily exploit niche-related and (epi)genetic factors to facilitate metastasis, chemoresistance, tumor recurrence, and disease progression. Despite accumulating evidence of the role of dysregulated microRNAs in malignancies, the therapeutic efficacy of pharmacological-targeting of CRC-SC-associated microRNAs is relatively under-explored. Experimental approach: In this present study, we employed relatively new bioinformatics approaches, analyses of microarray data, western blot, RT-PCR, and functional assays to show that hsa-miR-324-5p expression is significantly suppressed in CRC cells, and inversely correlates with the aberrant expression of SOD2. Results: This converse hsa-miR-324-5p/SOD2 relationship is associated with enhanced oncogenicity, which is effectively inhibited by 4-AAQB as evidenced by inhibited cell viability and proliferation, as well as, attenuated migration, invasion and clonogenicity in 4-AAQB-treated DLD1 and HCT116 cells. We also showed that 4-AAQB-induced re-expression of hsa-miR-324-5p, akin to short-interfering RNA reduced SOD2 expression, correlates with the concurrent down-regulation of SOD2, N-cadherin, vimentin, c-Myc, and BcL-xL2, with concomitant up-regulation of E-cadherin and BAX2 proteins. Enhanced expression of hsa-miR-324-5p in the CRC cells suppressed their tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, 4-AAQB synergistically potentiates FOLFOX anticancer effect by eliciting the re-expression of SOD2-suppressed hsa-miR-324 and inhibiting SOD2-mediated tumorigenicity. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the pre-clinical anti-CSC efficacy of 4-AAQB, with or without FOLFOX in CRC, and suggest a potential novel therapeutic strategy for CRC patients.

Background: Recently we demonstrated that Astragalus polysaccharide (PG2), the active ingredient in dried roots of astragalus membranaceus, ameliorates cancer symptom clusters and improve quality of life (QoL) in patients with metastatic disease by modulating inflammatory cascade, against the background that inflammatory cells including macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in tumor initiation, metastasis, and progression. Nevertheless, the role of PG2 in the modulation of anticancer immunogenicity and therapeutic response remains relatively underexplored and unclear. Purpose: The present study investigates how and to what extent PG2 modulates cellular and biochemical components of the inflammatory cascade, enhance anticancer immunity, and the therapeutic implication of same in patients with lung cancer. Methods and Results: Herein, we demonstrated that PG2 significantly increased the M1/M2 macrophage polarization ratio in non-small cell carcinoma (NSCLC) H441 and H1299 cells. This PG2-induced preferential pharmacologic up-regulation of tumoral M1 population in vitro, positively correlated with the downregulation of tumor-promoting IL-6 and IL-10 expression in NSCLC cell-conditioned medium, with concomitant marked inhibition of cell proliferation, clonogenicity and tumorsphere formation. Our ex vivo results, using clinical sample from our NSCLC cohort, demonstrated that PG2 also promoted the functional maturation of DCs with consequent enhancement of T cell-mediated anticancer immune responses. Consistent with the in vitro and ex vivo results, our in vivo studies showed that mice treated with PG2 exhibited significant time-dependent depletion of the tumor-associated M2 population, synergistically enhanced the anti-M2-based anticancer effect of cisplatin, and inhibition of xenograft tumor growth in the NSCLC mice models. Moreover, in the presence of PG2, cisplatin-associated dyscresia and weight-loss was markedly suppressed. Conclusion: These results do indicate a therapeutically-relevant role for PG2 in modulating the M1/M2 macrophage pool, facilitating DC maturation, and synergistically enhancing the anticancer effect of conventional chemotherapeutic agent, cisplatin; thus laying the foundation for further exploration of the curative relevance of PG2 as surrogate immunotherapy and/or clinical feasibility of its use for maintenance therapy in patients with lung cancer.

In 2015, the new installed capacity of global renewable energy power generation exceeded the newly installed capacity of conventional energy power generation, marking a structural change in the construction of the global power system. With the continuous improvement of wind energy utilization technology, the global wind power industry has developed rapidly in recent years. The world's available wind energy is 20 billion kilowatts and has become one of the most economical green power. In China, wind power has become the third largest source of electricity, with the installed capacity increasing from 3.1% in 2010 to 9.2% in 2017. In 2017, China's new installed capacity was 19,660 MW, accounting for 37.45% of the world's new installed capacity. This paper evaluates and compares the efficiency of wind power industry in the four regions of eastern, central, western and northeastern China through EBM models based on radial and non-radial factors. This paper discusses the contribution of China's wind power industry to CO2 emission reduction from the relationship between installed capacity efficiency and CO2 emission reduction efficiency. The conclusions show that the overall efficiency score and ranking of wind power in 2013-2017 is the best in the eastern region, followed by the northeast region and the western and central regions.

We describe a novel system for online prediction of lead seizures from long-term intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG) recordings for canines with naturally occurring epilepsy. This study adopts new specification of lead seizures, reflecting strong clustering of seizures in observed data. This clustering results in fewer lead seizures (~7 lead seizures per dog), and hence new challenges for online seizure prediction, that are addressed in the proposed system. In particular, machine learning part of the system is implemented using the Group Learning method suitable for modeling sparse and noisy seizure data. In addition, several modifications for the proposed system are introduced to cope with non-stationarity of noisy iEEG signal. They include: (1) periodic re-training of SVM classifier using most recent training data; (2) removing samples with noisy labels from training data; (3) introducing new adaptive post-processing technique for combining many predictions made for 20-second windows into a single prediction for 4 hr segment. Application of the proposed system requires only 2 lead seizures for training the initial model, and results in high prediction performance for all four dogs (with mean 0.84 sensitivity, 0.27 time-in-warning, and 0.78 false-positive rate per day). Proposed system achieves accurate prediction of lead seizures during long-term test periods, 3–16 lead seizures during 169–364 days test period, whereas earlier studies did not differentiate between lead vs. non-lead seizures and used much shorter test periods (~few days long).

Hydrogenases are iron-sulfur enzymes that catalyze proton reduction and H₂ oxidation with outstanding efficiency. They are considered blueprints for the design of transition metal complexes, e.g. as heterogenous catalysts in the context of H₂ production from water. Moreover, hydrogenases are biological model systems for metal hydride chemistry and proton-coupled electron transfer. Depending on the composition of the active site cofactor, [NiFe]-hydrogenases are distinguished from [FeFe]-hydrogenases. The former binds a hetero bimetallic nickel/iron site, embedded in the protein by four cysteine ligands. The later, by contrast, carries a homo bimetallic iron/iron site attached to the protein by only a single cysteine. Carbon monoxide and cyanide ligands (CO/CN) at the active site facilitated detailed investigations of hydrogenase catalysis by infrared spectroscopy, owing to strong signals and redox-dependent frequency shifts. However, the details of proton transfer have not been addressed experimentally.We found that specific redox state transitions in [NiFe]- and [FeFe]-hydrogenase can be triggered by visible light to record extremely sensitive ‘light-minus-dark’ infrared difference spectra monitoring key amino acid residues as shown in the ToC figure. As these transitions are coupled to protonation changes, our data allowed investigating dynamic hydrogen-bonding changes that go well beyond the resolution of protein crystallography. In [NiFe]-hydrogenase, photolysis of the bridging hydride ligand in the ‘Ni-C’ state was followed by rapid accumulation of the ‘Ni-SI_a’ state and/or ‘Ni-L’ state. Infrared difference spectra in various isotopic media clearly indicated the formation of a protonated cysteine residue as well as hydrogen-bonding changes involving the COOH group of a glutamic acid residue and a ‘dangling water’ molecule. These findings are in excellent agreement with crystallographic analyses of [NiFe]-hydrogenase in the Ni-R state and allowed devising a molecular precise model of catalytic proton transfer. In [FeFe]-hydrogenase, an external redox dye was used to accumulate the ‘Hred’ state over the oxidized resting state ‘Hox’. Infrared difference spectra of wild-type enzyme and numerous amino acid variants indicated hydrogen-bonding changes involving the COOH groups of two glutamic acid residues. Moreover, we noted the deprotonation of an arginine residue. Crystallographic analyses of [FeFe]-hydrogenase in the Hox state failed to explain the rapid proton transfer due to a ‘breach’ in the succession of residues. To this end, our findings facilitated a molecular precise model of ‘discontinued’ proton transfer.The comparison of catalytic proton transfer in bimetallic hydrogenases emphasizes the role of the outer coordination sphere. We suggest that the stable protonation of a nickel-ligating cysteine in [NiFe]-hydrogenase has a crucial influence on the preferred direction of proton flow and catalysis (i.e., H₂ oxidation). On the contrary, proton transfer in [FeFe]-hydrogenase involves an adjacent cysteine as a relay group that promotes both proton release and proton uptake. We presume that this causes the notable bidirectionality of [FeFe]-hydrogenase. These observations must guide the design of biomimetic compounds for the production or consumption of H₂.

This study aims to develop novel automated computer vision algorithms and systems for component replacement inspection for Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). The proposed algorithms are able to identify locations as well as sizes of different components. They are object detection algorithms based on keypoints of the target components. The algorithms can be implemented as neural networks consisting of two portions: frontend networks and backend networks. The frontend networks are used for the feature extractions of input images. The backend networks are adopted for producing component inspection results. Each component class can has its own frontend and backend networks. In this way, the neural model for the component class can be effectively reused for different PCBs. To reduce the computation time for the inference of the networks, different component classes can share the same frontend networks. A two-stage training process is proposed for effectively exploring features of different components for accurate component inspection. The proposed algorithm has the advantages of the simplicity for training data collection, high accuracy for defect detection, and high reusability and flexibility for online inspection. The algorithm is an effective alternative for the automated inspection in smart factory with growing demand for product quality and diversification.

Blockchain is the consensus-based technology to resolve the conflicts in Byzantine environments. Vehicles validate the messages received from the neighboring vehicles using Gradient Boosting Technique (GBT). Based on the validation results the message source vehicle generates the ratings that are to be uploaded to Road Side Units (RSUs) through that trust offset value can be calculated. All RSUs maintain the trust blockchain and each RSU tries to add their blocks to trust blockchain. We proposed a blockchain-based trust management model for VANET based on Tendermint. It eliminates the problem of malicious nodes entering the network and will also overcome the problem of power consumption. Simulation results also show that the proposed system is 7.8% and 15.6% effective and efficient in terms of Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR) and End-to-End Delay (EED) respectively to collect the trusted data between the vehicles.

Concurrent Optical and Magnetic Stimulation (COMS) combines extremely low frequency electromagnetic and light stimulation modalities for enhanced wound healing. In this report, we investigated the potential mechanistic synergism between magnetic and light components by comparing their individual and combined cellular responses. Although each individual stimulation mode was capable of stimulating cell proliferation, magnetic fields exposure alone produced greater proliferation enhancement than light alone, yet their combined effects of were supra-additive of the individual responses. Reactive oxygen species were incrementally reduced by exposure to light, magnetics fields and their combination, where statistical significance was ultimately achieved. On the other hand, ATP production was significantly enhanced in response to magnetic exposure alone or in combination with light. These results suggest that mitochondrial respiratory efficiency was preferentially improved by the combination of the two stimuli. Protein expression related to cell proliferation was preferentially enhanced by the combinatory COMS modality as were the protein levels of the TRPC1 cation channel previously implicated as part of a calcium-mitochondrial signaling axis invoked by electromagnetic exposure and involved in proliferation. These results corroborate that light facilitates functional synergism with magnetic fields that ultimately impinge on mitochondria-dependent developmental responses. The aminoglycoside antibiotics (AGAs) have been previously shown to antagonize TRPC1-mediated magnetotransduction. Streptomycin applied during the exposure to any of the stimulation modes reduced proliferation enhancement, whereas streptomycin added after the exposure did not. Notably, the COMS modality and magnetic field exposure were capable of partially overcoming streptomycin antagonism of proliferation, whereas light alone was not. Transductional antagonism of combinatorial photon-electromagnetic effects by streptomycin thus aligns with previous studies showing that the AGAs block TRPC1-mediated magnetotransduction when applied during exposure. The prophylactic usage of the AGAs (neomycin) should be avoided during COMS therapy to maintain clinical efficacy and would be a common concern with most other electromagnetic regenerative paradigms.

There is a major clinical need for accurate biomarkers for prostate cancer prognosis, to better inform treatment strategies and disease monitoring. Current clinically recognised prognostic factors, including prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, lack sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing aggressive from indolent disease, particularly in patients with localised intermediate grade prostate cancer. There has therefore been a major focus on identifying molecular biomarkers that can add prognostic value to existing markers, including investigation of DNA methylation, which has a known role in tumorigenesis. In this review, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of DNA methylation biomarker studies in prostate cancer prognosis, and highlight the advances that have been made in this field. We cover the numerous studies into well-established candidate genes, and explore the technological transition that has enabled hypothesis-free genome-wide studies and the subsequent discovery of novel prognostic genes.

Two austenitic stainless steel (ASS) plates, 304L and 316L, were cold-rolled (304R and 316R) with a 10 % reduction in thickness then subjected to laser welding. Cold-rolling caused a slight surface hardening and introduced residual tensile stress into the ASS plates. The susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of the welds (304RW and 316RW) was determined using the U-bend test pieces in a salt spray. To highlight the stress concentration at the weld’s fusion boundary (FB), the top weld reinforcement was not ground off before bending. Moreover, micro-shot peening (MSP) was performed to mitigate the SCC of the welds by imposing high residual compressive stress and forming a fine-grained structure. Cold-rolling increased the susceptibility of the 304R specimen to pitting corrosion (PTC) and intergranular (IG) microcracking. Moreover, PTC and SCC were found more often at the FBs of the 304RW. The corrosion pits of the peened 304RW (304RWSP) were finer but greater in amount than the un-peened one. The results also indicated that the 316L ASS welds with MSP was resistant to the incidence of PTC and SCC in a salt spray. The better reliability and longer service life of dry storage canister could be achieved by using 316L ASS for construction and application of MSP on it.

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

Three-dimensional (3D) imaging has attracted more and more interests because of its widespread applications, especially in information and life science. These techniques can be broadly divided into two types: ray-based and wavefront-based 3D imaging. Issues such as imaging quality and system complexity of these techniques limit the applications significantly, and therefore many investigations have focused on 3D imaging from depth measurements. This paper presents an overview of 3D imaging from depth measurements, and provides a summary of the connection between these the ray-based and wavefront-based 3D imaging techniques.

Background: Improving patients’ quality of life (QoL) is a principal objective of all treatment in any clinical setting, including oncology practice. Cancer-associated inflammation is implicated in disease progression and worsening of patients’ QoL. Conventional anticancer therapeutics while selectively eliminating cancerous cells, are evaded by stem cell-like cells, and associated with varying degrees of adverse effects, thus reducing patients’ QoL. This necessitates novel therapeutic approaches with enhanced efficacy, minimal or no treatment-related adverse effects, and improved QoL in patients with cancer, especially those with metastatic/advance stage disease. Methods: Sequel to our team’s previous publication, the present study explores probable effects of Astragalus polysaccharides (PG2) on cancer-related inflammatory landscape and known determinants of QoL, as well as the probable link between the two to provide mechanistic insight. In exploratory double blind randomized controlled trial using patients with metastatic disease (n=23), we comparatively evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of high (500mg) or low (250mg) dose PG2 administered intravenously (i.v.), with particular focus on its suggested anti-inflammatory function and the probable effect of same on QoL indices at baseline, then at weeks 4 and 8 post-PG2 treatment. Results: All 23 patients with metastatic disease treated with either low or high PG2 experienced reduced pain, nausea, vomiting and fatigue, as well as better appetite and sleep, culminating in improved global QoL. This was most apparent in the high dose group, with significant co-suppression of pro-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-13, IL-17, monocytes chemotactic protein (MCP)1, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor growth factor (TGF)-β1, interferon (IFN)-γ, and immune suppressors IL-10, and IL-12. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that IL-1β, IL-13 and GM-CSF are independent prognosticators of improved QoL. Conclusion: This proof-of-concept study provides premier evidence of functional association between PG2 anti-inflammatory effects and improved QoL in patients with advanced stage cancers, laying the groundwork for future larger cohort blinded controlled trials to establish the efficacy of PG2 as adjuvant anticancer therapy in metastatic or advanced stage clinical settings.

Abstract Background The number of immune-related endocrine dysfunctions (irEDs) has concurrently increased with the widespread use of immunotherapy in clinical practice and further expansion of the approved indications for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) combinations using different modalities of anti-cancer treatment. Method A retrospective analysis was conducted on consecutive patients >18 years of age with advanced solid malignancies who had received at least one dose of anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) and/or anti-CTLA4 antibodies between January 2014 and December 2019 at a Hong Kong university hospital. Patients were reviewed for up to two months after the last administration of an ICI. The types, onset times and grades of irEDs, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, adrenal insufficiency and immune-related diabetes mellitus, were recorded. Factors associated with irEDs were identified using multivariate analysis. Result A total of 953 patients (male: 603, 64.0%; median age: 62.0 years) received ICIs during the study period. Of these, 580 patients (60.9%) used ICI-alone, 132 (13.9%) used dual-ICI, 187 (19.6%) used an ICI combined with chemotherapy (chemo+ICI), and 54 (5.70%) used immunotherapy with a targeted agent (targeted+ICI). A significantly higher proportion of patients using targeted+ICI had irEDs and hypothyroidism; in contrast, a higher proportion of patients using dual-ICI had adrenal insufficiency. There was no significant difference in the incidence of irED between the younger (<65 years) and older (>65 years) patients. Using logistic regression, only treatment type was significantly associated with irEDs. Notably, older patients had a higher risk of having immune-related diabetes mellitus. Conclusions This large, real-world cohort demonstrates that combining ICI with targeted therapy has a higher risk of overall irED and hypothyroidism. Immunotherapy is safe and well-tolerated regardless of age, but close monitoring of fasting glucose is needed in older populations.

The southeast of Spain is one of the most arid and desertification-prone areas in continental Europe, with climate change contributing to this situation. Climatic conditions affect the availability of water in the plant structures of wild species, facilitating the onset and/or spread of forest fires and increasing aridity. The Region of Murcia, in southeastern Spain, has small forest stands of gall oak (Quercus faginea) with relict value. It is of interest to investigate the situation of these stands, allowing us to know about their distribution and their evolution in the face of climate change. For this purpose, previous dasometric, available from a specific stand, studies are considered to be contrasted with current data, individual trees were geolocated, and distribution maps of contrasting environmental conditions were created. In general, gall oak has been observed to be distributed up to 1200 m altitude, especially in shady areas and embedded valleys and north-northeast orientations. Importantly, there was a positive evolution of the vegetative development, with increments in the number of trees during the study period, despite some negative affections in specific areas due to climate change.

Hong Kong is the biggest consumer of eggs in the world and ranks on the top with an average consumption of 24.52kg/capita/year. The egg consumption trend in Hong Kong has been increasing specifically; a drastic increase of about 100% has been observed from 2008 to 2020. One of the reasons behind this significant increase is the increase in the gross national income of Hong Kong in addition to the population growth rate. However, there was a slight decline in egg consumption trend in the year 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been estimated that there was a bulk of 17,100 tons of recoverable waste eggshells in 2019 (pre-COVID-19 situation), having a daily yield of 47 tons per day. Based on the linear regression, it may be expected that if the pre-COVID-19 trend of egg consumption remains sustained, there will be a big bulk of more than 45,000 tons per year and up to 125 tons per day of waste eggshells till 2050. In addition, a public survey was conducted across the city targeting individuals, families, and restaurants majorly on egg consumption and reuse. The survey outcomes revealed that Chinese eggs have an extensive market in Hong Kong, and people have a positive attitude towards eggshell recycling. Also, a massive population disposes of the waste eggshells while only a trace population reuses them. Therefore, Hong Kong has a very high potential to improve the circular economy by reusing waste eggshells on a commercial level in cementitious products.

Clinically, knowing the number of red blood cells (RBCs) and white blood cells (WBCs) helps doctors to make the better decision on accurate diagnosis of numerous diseases. The manual cell counting is a very time-consuming and expensive process, and it depends on the experience of specialists. Therefore, a completely automatic method supporting cell counting is a viable solution for clinical laboratories. This paper proposes a novel blood cell counting procedure to address this challenge. The proposed method adopts SegNet - a deep learning semantic segmentation to simultaneously segment RBCs and WBCs. The global accuracy of the segmentation of WBCs, RBCs, and the background of peripheral blood smear images obtains 89% when segment WBCs and RBCs from the background of blood smear images. Moreover, an effective solution to separate grouped or overlapping cells and cell count is presented using Euclidean distance transform, local maxima, and connected component labeling. The counting result of the proposed procedure achieves an accuracy of 93.3% for red blood cell count using dataset 1 and 97.38% for white blood cell count using dataset 2.

Recent prolonged dry periods and lack of irrigation water have severely affected the productivity of coffee farms’ in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. This paper analyzes the efficiency of irrigation water use for Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora) in Lam Dong province, Highlands, Vietnam. A Cobb-Douglas production function was used to determine coffee productivity’s response to the application of irrigation water and other production factors using data collected from 194 farmers while the Technical Efficiency (TE) and Irrigation Water Use Efficiency (IWUE) were analyzed using a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. The correlation of different factors to IWUE was determined using the Tobit model. The production function analysis using Cobb-Douglas shows that the volume of irrigation water, amount of working capital, labor and farm size significantly influence coffee productivity. It also shows that indigenous farmers are more efficient in utilizing irrigation water than the (mostly Kinh) migrant farmers. The Tobit result, on the other hand. indicates that farmers’ experience, education level, distance of farm to water source, security of access to water source, extension contact and credit access significantly affect IWUE. The study findings further suggest that mitigating water shortages in coffee farms require sub-regional and national policy support such as better access to credit and extension services, training, land management and household-level effort to improve farming practices, through the application of appropriate technologies and traditional knowledge.

Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) plays a pivotal role in cell division regulation and emerges as a promising therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Consequently, the development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting PLK1 has become a focal point in contemporary research. The adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding site and the polo-box domain in PLK1 present crucial interaction sites for these inhibitors, aiming to disrupt the protein's function. However, designing potent and selective small-molecule inhibitors can be challenging, requiring a deep understanding of protein-ligand interaction mechanisms at these binding sites. In this context, our study leverages the fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method to explore these site-specific interactions in-depth. Through the FMO approach, we used the FMO method to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of small-molecule drug binding to these sites to design PLK1 inhibitors that are both potent and selective. Our investigation further entailed a comparative analysis of various PLK1 inhibitors, each characterized by distinct structural attributes. This comparison enhanced our understanding of the structure-activity relationships of these inhibitors, underscoring the efficacy of the FMO method in identifying critical binding features and predicting binding modes for small-molecule ligands. Furthermore, Our research spotlighted "hot spot" residues instrumental for selective and robust PLK1 binding. Our findings offer profound insights, priming the rational design of innovative potential PLK1 inhibitors with significant implications for developing anticancer therapeutics.

Helicobacter pylori is a gastric oncopathogen that infects over half of the world’s human population. It is a Gram-negative, microaerophilic, helix-shaped bacterium that is equipped with flagella, which provide high motility. Colonization of the stomach is asymptomatic in up to 90% of people but is a recognized risk factor for developing various gastric disorders such as gastric ulcers, gastric cancer and gastritis. Invasion of the human stomach occurs via numerous virulence factors such as CagA and VacA. Similarly, outer membrane proteins (OMPs) play an important role in H. pylori pathogenicity as a means to adapt to the epithelial environment and thereby facilitate infection. While some OMPs are porins, others are adhesins. The epithelial cell receptors SabA, BabA, AlpA, OipA, HopQ and HopZ have been extensively researched to evaluate their epidemiology, structure, role and genes. Moreover, numerous studies have been performed to seek to understand the complex relationship between these factors and gastric diseases. Associations exist between different H. pylori virulence factors, the co-expression of which appears to boost pathogenicity of the bacterium. Improved knowledge of OMPs is a major step towards combatting this global disease. Here, we provide a current overview of different H. pylori OMPs and discuss their pathogenicity, epidemiology and correlation with various gastric diseases.

The early detection of cognitive decline and timely non-pharmacological management or drug therapy are extremely important in providing care for Parkinson’s disease with dementia (PDD). In this study, we first conducted a discovery study to identify six plasma microRNAs that may allow for the differentiation of PD with or without mild cognitive impairment via NGS. A total of 120 participants were further recruited in a validation cohort and divided into four subgroups, namely, normal controls (HC), PD with no dementia (PDND), PD with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and PDD. Among the six candidates, miR-203a-3p was successfully detected in the plasma of the validation cohort using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Our results show that the ratio of miR-203a-3p/miR-16-5p observed in PDD was significantly increased compared to in PD-MCI (p < 0.001) and PDND (p = 0.041). Moreover, the ratio of miR-203a-3p/miR-16-5p showed a significant correlation with MoCA scores (r = -0.237, p = 0.024) in patients with PD (PwP). The ROC curve of the logistic regression model, consisting of the variables of age, the ratio of miR-203a-3p/miR-16-5p and the UPDRS III score, also demonstrated an average AUC of 0.883 via 5-fold cross-validation. In conclusion, the ratio of miR-203a-3p/miR-16-5p may serve as a potential biomarker for distinguishing cognitive dysfunction from PwP.

Malaysia implemented a movement control order (MCO) to curb the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in March 2020. Despite healthcare services remaining operational, rising COVID-19 infections and MCO restrictions have forced healthcare professionals to seek a compromise between service capacity and standard operating procedure compliance. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among public and private sector doctors, dentists and pharmacists to determine how lockdown measures impacted healthcare services. Responses from 413 doctors, 193 dentists, and 163 pharmacists were analysed. Pharmacy services remained mostly unaffected throughout the MCO. In contrast, operational capacities for surgical and dental services were severely affected during the MCO. All service sectors reported restricting patients or accompanying individuals at the workplace, reductions in staffing capacity, and shortened patient contact time at various degrees. Many pharmacy and medical participants reported supplying extended medication supplies to patients. Adoption of virtual healthcare services was generally poor. All private service sectors suffered financial losses ranging between 59 to 75%. Periodic assessments of the healthcare system throughout the pandemic are required to identify which patients have their treatment compromised so that healthcare managers and policy makers can plan and implement appropriate interventions that help alleviate pressure within the health system.

Several sun models suggest the radioactive balance where the concentration of greenhouse gases and the albedo effect are related to the Earth's surface temperature. There is a considerable increment of greenhouse gases due to anthropogenic activities. Climate change correlates with this alteration in the atmosphere and an increase in surface temperature. Efficient forecasting of climate change and its impacts of 1.5°C global warming above pre-industrial levels could be helpful to respond to the threat of c.c. and develop sustainably. Many studies have predicted the temperature change in the coming years. The global community has to create a model that can realize good predictions to ensure the best way to deal with the warming. Thus, we propose a finite-time thermodynamic (FTT) approach in the present work. The FTT can solve problems such as the faint young sun paradox. In addition, we use different machine learning models to evaluate our method and compare the experimental prediction and results.

Background: Cutaneous Melanoma (SKCM) is characterized by significant heterogeneity in its molecular, genomic, and immunologic characteristics. Methods: Whole transcriptome RNAseq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas of SKCM (n=328) was utilized. The immune microenvironment was characterized using CIBERSORTX to identify immune cell type composition. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering was performed based on immune cell type content. Samples were separated into those obtained from the primary tumor site and regional skin or soft tissue (locoregional), or distant metastasis and regional lymph node (metastatic). Analysis of overall survival (OS) was performed using Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox-regression multivariable analyses. Results: Four immune clusters were identified, largely defined by lymphocyte:monocyte (L:M) ratio, monocyte-enrichment, and M0-macrophage-enrichment (L:MLow, MonocyteHigh, M0High; L:MLow, MonocyteMid, M0Low; L:MMid, MonocyteLow, M0Low; L:MHigh, MonocyteLow, M0Low). The L:MLow, MonocyteHigh, M0High cluster demonstrated significantly worse OS than clusters 2-4 in the locoregional group (HR 2.804, 95% CI 1.262–6.234, p=0.0114). Membership in the L:MLow, MonocyteHigh, M0High cluster was an independently poor prognostic factor for survival (HR 3.03, 95% CI 1.12–8.20, p=0.029). The L:MLow, MonocyteHigh, M0High cluster correlated with higher rates of metastasis and decreased predicted response to immune checkpoint blockade compared to the other clusters as determined by the Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion tool (TIDE). Conclusion: Distinct tumor immune clusters with a M0-macrophage-enriched, L:M ratio low phenotype in the primary melanoma tumor site independently characterize an aggressive phenotype that may differentially respond to treatment.

We presented a fractional order model to capture the transmission dynamics of Anthrax infection with a nonlinear force of infection and its long-term impacts. Analysis by the standard Fabrizio Caputo approach established the model is well-posed and investigation on the stability of the model, Anthrax-free equilibrium as connected to the basic reproduction number R0

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

This study aims at the sustainable valorization of eggshells (ES) from different countries of origin in cement concrete as a cement replacement for Hong Kong. For this purpose, sixteen different eggs from different regions across the world were selected from the local market. Firstly, the extent of uniformity in the weight and mineral content of sampled eggshells were assessed by a specific gravity test and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. It was found that specific gravity varies between 2.02 and 2.39, with an average value of 2.20 ± 0.01, whereas CaCO₃ varies between 94.65% and 97.23%, with an average value of 96.33%. These values were a bit lower than those of extra-pure limestone (LS) because of the organic part and the porous structure of eggshells. Secondly, three different eggshells were selected for cement replacement in cement concrete, both in the uncalcined and calcined states, based on having the highest, medium, and lowest CaCO₃ content, respectively. To get the calcined eggshells, the eggshells were calcined at 800^oC for three hours. It was found that the strength of eggshells varies with CaCO₃, but the variation was acceptable. The calcined eggshells showed comparatively more compressive strength and were close to the LS because of the free CaO and the absence of an organic part. In general, the variation in the basic properties of eggshells from different regions across the world is negligible and suitable to use as a cement replacement with acceptable variation in strength in Hong Kong.

With increasing air and sea temperatures, the thermodynamic environments over the oceans become more favourable for the development of intense tropical cyclones (TCs) with rapid intensification (RI). In fact, the number of TCs undergoing RI is rising (Zhao, et al., 2018; Bhatia, et al., 2019; Song, et al., 2020; Hong & Wu, 2021; Liu, et al., 2022). RI over coastal sea areas before landfalling is particularly impactful and threatening to coastal lives and properties. There have been studies showing that offshore areas within 400 km of the coastline have experienced a significant increase in RI events with the count tripling from 1980 to 2020 (Li et al., 2023). The south China coastal region consists of highly densely populated cities especially the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. Intense TCs maintaining its strength or RI of TCs close to the coastal region presents substantial forecasting challenges. This study investigates the effect of sea surface and subsurface temperature and salinity on the intensification of five TCs, namely Super Typhoons Hato in 2017 and Mangkhut in 2018, Typhoon Talim, Super Typhoon Saola and Severe Typhoon Koinu in 2023, which significantly affected the south China coastal region and triggered high TC warning signals in Hong Kong. The analysis utilized the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) TC track and intensity data, along with the sea temperature and salinity profiles generated using the China Ocean ReAnalysis version 2 (CORA2) of the National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS) of China. While high sea surface temperature (SST) of 30°C or above, low surface sea surface salinity (SSS) of 34 psu or below, and strong salinity stratification of at least 0.8 psu per 100 m depth may offer useful hints for predicting RI, they are part of a broader set of contributing factors. This study represents the initial documentation of sub-surface salinity's impact on intense TCs over the South China Sea (SCS) in recent years and will encourage further research to refine forecasting RI of TCs before making landfall near PRD taking into account the effect of freshwater from the Pearl River.

Background: Monocyte-derived dendritic cells (mo-DCs) play a vital role in the innate immune response by activating Th17 cells, which in turn release the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17. We hypothesised that following repetitive mechanical strain, tenocytes activate monocyte-derived dendritic cells, which in turn, drive the pathogenesis of tendinopathy. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine if monocyte-derived dendritic cells are upregulated in a human tendinopathy model. Method: Torn supraspinatus tendon and matched intact subscapularis tendon samples were collected from 7 patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Healthy control samples of subscapularis tendon were collected from 5 patients undergoing arthroscopic stabilization surgery. Tendon biopsy samples were evaluated immunohistochemically by quantifying the presence of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (CD11C and CD206). Results: Tendinopathic tendon samples exhibited significantly greater (2-3-fold) monocyte-derived dendritic cell expression when compared with healthy control tissue (P &lt; .05). Conclusion: This study provides evidence for a monocyte-derived dendritic cell upregulation in early-stage human tendinopathy.

On-stream inspections are the most appropriate method for routine inspections during plant operation without going through production downtime. Ultrasonic inspection, one of the on-stream inspection methods, faces challenges when performed at high temperatures exceeding the recommended 52°C. This study aims to determine the ultrasonic velocity and attenuation with the known material grade, thickness, and temperatures by comparing theory calculation versus experiment with temperatures ranging between 30°C to 250°C on low carbon steel covering most petrochemical equipment material and working conditions. The theoretical analysis was to obtain Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and longitudinal velocity at different temperatures. The experiments validated the predicted results of ultrasonic change due to temperature increase and showed a maximum error of 3%. The experimental data of velocity and decibel change from the temperature range provide a reference for the future when dealing with unknown materials information on site that require a quick corrosion status determination.

Fine-grained image classification remains an ongoing challenge in the computer vision field, which is particularly intended to identify objects within sub-categories. It is a difficult task since there is a minimal and substantial intra-class variance. The current methods address the issue by first locating selective regions with Region Proposal Networks (RPN), object localization, or part localization, followed by implementing a CNN Network or SVM classifier to those selective regions. This approach, however, makes the process simple by implementing a single-stage end-to-end feature encoding with a localization method, which leads to improved feature representations of individual tokens/regions by integrating the transformer encoder blocks into the Yolov5 backbone structure. These Transformer Encoder Blocks, with their self-attention mechanism, effectively captured the global dependencies and enabled the model to learn relationships between distant regions. This improved the model ability to understand context and captured long-range spatial relationships in the image. We also replaced the Yolov5 detection heads with three transformer heads at the output for object recognition using the discriminative and informative features maps from transformer encoder blocks. We established the potential of the single stage detector for the fine-grained image recognition task, by achieving state of the art 93.4% accuracy, as well as outperforming the existing Yolov5 model. The effectiveness of our approach is assessed using the Stanford car dataset, which includes 16,185 images of 196 different classes of vehicles with significantly identical visual appearances.

Sweetpotato is an important miscellaneous grain crop in China, which is threatened by a variety of diseases and insect pests in the process of cultivation and production. sweetpotato stem rot is one of the common sweetpotato diseases, which seriously affects the yield and quality of sweetpotato. However, there are few studies on the mechanism of resistance to stem rot in sweetpotato. In this study, transcriptome sequencing analysis was carried out on the samples at different stages (T1, T2, T3) of stem rot pathogen infecting Xushu 48, and 44839 (T1-VS-T2), 81436 (T1-VS-T2) and 61932 (T2-VS-T3) differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained. The DEGs were mainly concentrated in Alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism (ko00250), Carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms (ko00710) and Amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism (ko00520) and some candidate genes related to plant pathogen infection, such as receptor-like protein kinase (RLK5, RLK7), LRR receptor-like serine/threonine-protein kinase (SERK1), bHLH137, ERF9, MYB73 and NAC053, were screened. The results of this study provide genetic resources for the research on stem rot resistance of sweetpotato and provide theoretical basis for sweetpotato resistance breeding.

Recent preclinical studies have shown the potential benefits of short-term calorie reduction (SCR) on cancer treatment. In this integrative review, we aimed to identify and synthesize current evidence regarding the feasibility, process, and effects of SCR in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Ovid Medline, PsychINFO, and Embase were searched for original research articles using various combinations of Medical Subject Heading terms. Among the 311 articles identified, seven studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the reviewed studies was small randomized controlled trials or cohort study with fair quality. The results suggest that SCR is safe and feasible. SCR is typically arranged around the chemotherapy with the duration ranging from 24 to 96 hours. Most studies examined the protective effects of SCR on normal cells during chemotherapy. The evidence supports that SCR had the potential to enhance both physical and psychological wellbeing of patients during chemotherapy. SCR is a cost-effective intervention with great potential. Future well-controlled studies with sufficient sample sizes are needed to examine the full and long-term effects of SCR and its mechanism of action.

Among the many neglected underutilized species, tuberous Andean root crops like the ahipas (Pachyrhizus ahipa) constitute a promising alternative for increasing diversity in nutrient sources and food security at a regional level. In this study, we present the content of some functional compounds in tuberous roots from several ahipa accessions and the progenies of the interspecific hybrid X207 (P. ahipa × P. tuberosus). A significant objective was to determine protein and free amino acids in the roots to evaluate their food quality as protein supply. The interspecific hybrids have been found to possess the root quality to provide the crop with a higher dry matter content. The high dry matter content of the P. tuberosus Chuin materials is retained in the root quality of the hybrids. Food functional components like carbohydrates, organic acids, and proteins were determined in several ahipa accessions and a stable (non-segregating) progeny of the interspecific hybrid, X207. The X207 roots showed a significantly higher dry matter content and a lower content in soluble sugars, but no significant differences were found in starch content or organic acids compared to the ahipa accessions. About the root mineral contents, Fe and Mn concentrations in X207 were significantly raised compared to the average of ahipa accessions. Among the ahipa and the hybrid, no prominent differences in protein content or protein amino acids were found, being both partially defective in providing sufficient daily intake of some essential amino acids. Root weight, a central component of root yield, was significantly higher in X207, but thorough field studies are required to substantiate the hybrid’s superior yield performance..

Recently, “mature” silkworms (MS) of Bombix mori have been considered as a potential nutraceutical, with a number of health benefits reported for steamed and lyophilized MS powder (SMSP). However, no obesity-related effects have been reported for SMSP. In the present study, anti-obesity effects of SMSP were investigated in adult mice in vivo, aged 12 weeks at the onset of drug administration, fed normal diet (ND) and high-fat diet (HFD), respectively, for 12 weeks. SMSP significantly suppressed body weight gain, intra-abdominal adipose tissue, and food efficiency in both ND-fed and HFD-fed adult mice. In addition, SMSP significantly decreased food intake and liver weight in HFD-fed mice, indicating that SMSP suppressed appetite and simultaneously reduced the conversion of feed into body weight in HFD-fed mice. SMSP also significantly lowered serum levels of glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, asparagine transaminase, alanine transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase. However, SMSP had no significant effect on the weights of kidney, spleen, and thymus and serum levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine. Taken together, the above results suggest that SMSP has potent anti-obesity effects and is safe for long-term use as a potential therapeutic and/or nutraceutical in both obese patients and non-obese individuals.

The taxonomic identity and phylogenetic relationships of several southern African perennial taxa related to Frankenia repens are discussed. In particular, F. nodiflora Lam., a misunderstood species described from the Cape region and synonymised to F. pulverulenta, is restored for plants endemic to salt-pans and riverbeds in the coastal lowlands across the Cape plains (Western Cape Province, South Africa). Further, a revision of morphologically close plants, usually identified as F. pulverulenta or F. repens, also occurring in similar saline ecosystems of the inland western South Africa revealed the existence of two distinct new entities not matching any described taxa of the genus. Molecular analyses of nuclear ribosomal (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region) DNA sequence data together with morphological divergence allow recognition of those taxa at species rank, within an independent lineage close to F. repens. In consequence, two new species are described in the so-called “F. repens group”: F. nummularia from the Nama-Karoo Biome (Western Cape and Northern Cape Provinces), and F. namaquana from the Succulent Karoo Biome (Northern Cape Province). Full morphological description and type designation are reported for each accepted species, as well as data on ecology, habitat, distribution and taxonomic relationships to other close relatives are given. Further, an identification key is presented to facilitate recognition of the southern African taxa of Frankenia.

While human activities and climate change are threatening available natural ecosystems, targeted studies on the biological cycle, propagation, and cultivation of threatened species are crucial both for their conservation and sustainable exploitation. This study was designed to bridge extant research gaps regarding the vulnerable local endemic Campanula pelviformis, a wild edible green traditionally consumed in Crete (Greece) with agro-alimentary and medicinal interest as well as ornamental value. New knowledge was obtained on the abiotic environmental conditions prevailing in its wild habitats (natural distribution mapped in Geographical Information Systems and linked with open-source databases). We collected seeds from wild-growing populations (three lowland, two semi-mountainous), we tested their germination at four different temperatures (10, 15, 20 and 25oC) and under different light conditions (light/dark and darkness), and we performed fertilization trails [integrated nutrient management (INF), chemical fertilization (ChF), control] examining morphological and physiological characteristics, above- and below-ground macro- and micronutrients contents, as well as their phenol content and antioxidant capacity. There were population and temperature effects on seed germination and their interaction was statistically significant. Campanula pelviformis germinated better at 10 and 15 oC (&gt;85% for all populations) with no preference on light conditions (98.75% and 95% in light and dark conditions). The INF application increased root dry mass, chlorophyll content index and chlorophyll fluorescence compared to other treatments and was beneficial for macro- and micronutrients concentrations in above-ground parts compared to previously studied wild-growing material, while below-ground parts were positively impacted by both fertilization types. Total phenols and antioxidant capacity were both increased by ChF fertilization. The data furnished herein led to the re-evaluation and upgrade of the feasibility and the readiness timescale for its sustainable exploitation in different economic sectors.

Nerve hydrodissection (HD), a technique used when treating nerve entrapments, involves using an anesthetic or solution such as saline or 5% dextrose solution to separate the nerve from the surrounding tissue, fascia, or adjacent structures. This technique aims to treat neuropathic pain, or pain caused by the nerve. Ultrasound-guided HD of peripheral nerves has gained significant attention in the medical profession and pain management fields in recent years. This is due to a number of high impact publications of randomized control trials demonstrating the efficacy and safety of this technique for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Even the 20th edition of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine textbook lists injection of 5% dextrose as an alternative local treatment that does not have the side effects of corticosteroids. At present, there is no review of the current literature on this technique. This manuscript will summarize and discuss the following: 1) the different approaches to doing ultrasound-guided HD of nervous structures, 2) its usages in different clinical situations, 3) its clinical pearls, 4) the solution used, and 5) the postulated mechanisms of action.

Cloud computing has become a widespread technology due to ICT advancements. It allows businesses to move and take advantage of the pay-as-you-go price model. Enterprises pay for what they use and don't have to buy, setup, or maintain resources. However, outsourcing core resources such as storage, servers, operating systems, and software applications from a third party needs careful decisions to take advantage of cloud facilities. Choice of appropriate service provider, deployment and service model must be aligned with business needs and goals. In this paper, we will present cloud computing benefits, cloud deployment methods, services, state-of-the-art migration methods, tools and techniques and will conclude with the role of SDN in cloud computing.

Vertically aligned Fe, S, and Fe-S doped anatase TiO₂ nanotube arrays are prepared by electrochemical anodization process using an organic electrolyte in which lactic acid is added as an additive. In the electrolyte, nanotube layers of greater length (12 μm) and high order with inner diameter of approx. 90 nm and outer diameter of approx. 170 nm are achieved. Doping of Fe, S, and Fe-S via simple wet impregnation method substituted Ti and O sites with Fe and S, which leads to enhance the rate performance at high discharge current densities. Discharge capacities of TiO₂ tubes increased from 82 mAh g-1 (bare) to 165 mAh g-1 for Fe-S doped TiO₂ at high current densities of 0.3 mAcm-2 after 100 cycles with exceptional capacity retention of 85% after 100 cycles. Owing to the enhancement of thermodynamic and kinetic properties by doping of Fe-S, Li-diffusion increas2ed resulting in remarkable discharge capacities of 143 mAh g-1 and 89 mAh g-1 at a current density of 7.4 mA cm-2 and 19 mA cm-2, respectively.

In this study, based on frost formation data provided by Harbin Meteorological Bureau, combined with geographical factors, temperature and population density, linear fitting, Mann-Kendall mutation test, pettitt method and sliding T test were used to analyze the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of frost date in Harbin Municipality and the effects of geographical factors, temperature and population density on frost regularity. The results showed that (1) The earliest year of FSD appeared was 1966 and 1967, on the 255th, i.e., August 18th, and the latest was 283 days, i.e., October 10th, 2006. The earliest year in which the FED appeared was April 24th of 2015, the 114th day of that year, and the latest was April 21st of 1974, the 141st day of that year. The year with the most frost was 2012, with 161 days, and the year with the shortest was 1966, with 123 days. (2) Throughout the study period, FSD increased by 7.8 days at a rate of -1.27d/10a, FED increased by 10.9 days at a rate of 1.77d/10a, and FFS increased by 18.9 days at a rate of 3.05d/10a. The tendency rate of FSD and FFS at each site in Harbin showed an increasing trend. For FED, the tendency rate of some sites showed an increasing trend. In general, FSD showed a delayed trend, FED showed an advanced trend, and FFS showed a prolonged trend. Using the method of unary linear regression, FSD of each site showed an increasing trend, FFS showed an increasing trend, and FED showed a decreasing trend in general. (3) Throughout the study period, FSD was mutated in 2000, and the arrival time of it in the study area averaged the 265th, i.e., September 22nd, and after that, the arrival time of it changed to the 272nd, i.e., September 29th of that year. FED was mutated in 2006, and the arrival time of it in the study area averaged 128th, i.e., April 8th. After the mutation, the arrival time of FED changed to 121st, i.e., April 1st of that year. FFS was mutated in 2004. Before the mutation, with an average arrival time of 137days in the study area .But after that, the time changed to 150 days.(4) FSD and FFS in Harbin Municipality were negatively correlated with latitude and positively correlated with temperature, while FED was positively correlated with latitude and negatively correlated with temperature. The FSD, FED and FFS in the central part of Harbin Municipality were the earliest, the latest and the longest, respectively, so the Pearson correlation coefficient method and the influence of longitude could not be reflected in the multiple regression. Several factors were judged by grey correlation analysis method. The longitude is significantly related to FSD, FED and FFS.

Antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) plays a pivotal role in infection prevention and treatment related to musculoskeletal surgery. The release efficacy of antibiotics from ALBC is closely tied to its surface area, yet little is known about the effective release depth. To investigate the relationship between surface area, volume, and antibiotic elution, spheric ALBC specimens with consistent outer diameters but different internal metal sphere diameters were prepared. Two vancomycin doses were utilized in ALBC specimens with an outer diameter of 35 mm: high (4 g) and low (1 g). Each dosage group included five specimens containing embedded metal spheres with diameters of 15, 25, 29, 32, or 33 mm. The resulting shell-like ALBC specimens had thicknesses of 10 mm, 5 mm, 3 mm, 1.5 mm, or 1 mm, respectively. The specimens were immersed in sterile phosphate buffer solution, and antibiotic elution was measured at designated sampling times (1, 3, 6, 10, 24, 48, 72, and 168 hours). Methylene blue was employed to visualize penetration depth. Vancomycin elution did not display statistically significant differences between high- and low-dose groups. In both groups, specimens with 1 mm thickness exhibited a higher vancomycin release efficiency (high-dose group: 18560±5474 μg, 6.7%; low-dose group: 2017±419 μg, 2.6%), decreasing sharply in thicker ALBC specimens. Methylene blue penetration depth showed no apparent difference between high-dose and low-dose groups. ALBC thickness does not significantly impact antibiotic elution, while surface area and antibiotic dose exert notable effects. These in vitro findings offer potential applications in clinical treatments for musculoskeletal infections.

In the trend of transforming existing systems and services into non-face-to-face models, the concert industry is also showing movements toward transitioning to virtual formats. Physical concerts in the real world require venues that can accommodate hundreds to tens of thousands of spectators, but non-face-to-face methods that can accommodate large audiences face various limitations. Moreover, to elevate the satisfaction level of virtual concert attendees to that of real-world concerts, it's important to implement interaction between performers and audiences. Modern metaverse platforms apply cutting-edge network technologies to accommodate numerous users within a single channel. Many researchers are adopting network technologies such as SDN (Software Defined Networking) and CDN (Content Delivery Network) to set up a virtual concert that can accommodate large audiences. In this paper, we propose a network framework to be designed for the composition of virtual concerts. In particular, we separate a channel dedicated to interaction in order to provide an immersive experience of exchanging interactions between performers and audiences. As massive audiences transmitting interaction data to the performer in a 1:N format can lead to problems with acceptance and latency, this study introduces a concept of a channel form called 'Zone' and proposes an interaction data channel network framework that does not compromise immersion. The proposed framework supports tasks for effectively transmitting interaction data using network technologies for metaverse platforms like XDN and clustering algorithms like fuzzy c-means. We also suggest a CDN-based architecture that can ensure low latency for performers to transmit interaction data to the audience.

Anti-interferon (IFN)-γ autoantibodies are linked to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection. Given the elevated risks of herpes zoster (HZ) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi), we aimed to examine the relationship between anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies with HZ development in JAKi-treated patients. In twenty-four RA patients with new-onset HZ and forty-two without HZ, serum titers of anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies, plasma levels of IFN-γ, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and IFN-γ inducible protein-10 (IP-10) were measured by ELISA. Significantly lower MCP-1 levels were observed in patients with HZ compared to those without (median, 98.21pg/ml, interquartile range (IQR) 77.63-150.30pg/ml versus 142.3pg/ml, IQR 106.7-175.6pg/ml, p&lt;0.05). There was no significant difference in anti-IFN-γ titers, IFN-γ levels, or IP-10 levels between patients with and without HZ. Three of 24 patients with HZ had severe HZ with multi-dermatomal involvement. Anti-IFN-γ titers were significantly higher in patients with severe HZ than in those with non-severe HZ (median 24.8ng/ml, IQR 21.0-38.2ng/ml versus 10.5ng/ml, IQR 9.9-15.0ng/ml, p&lt;0.005). In conclusion, patients with HZ had significantly lower MCP-1 levels than those without HZ, and patients with severe HZ had significantly higher titers of anti-IFN-γ than those with non-severe HZ. Given small sample size, our results need further validation in future studies.

Purpose Immune responses for cancer cells can be altered according to genetic variation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA). Association of HLA polymorphism with risk of various cancer types is well known. However, the association between HLA and glioblastoma (GBM) remains uncertain. We sought to evaluate the association of HLA polymorphism with risk of GBM development in Koreans. Materials and Methods A case-control study was performed to identify the odds ratios (OR) of HLA class I and II genes for GBM. The control group consisted of 142 healthy Korean volunteers, and the GBM group was 80 patients with newly diagnosed GBM at our institution. HLA class I (-A, -B, and –C) and class II (-DR, -DQ, and –DP) genotyping was performed by high-resolution polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT) methods. Results There were significantly decreased frequencies of HLA-A*26:02 (OR 0.22 CI 0.05-0.98), HLA-C*08:01 (OR 0.29 CI 0.10-0.87), and HLA-DRB1*08:03 (OR 0.32 CI 0.11-0.98), while there was significantly increased frequency of HLA-C*04:01 (OR 2.29 CI 1.05-4.97). In analysis of haplotypes, the frequency of DRB1*14:05-DQB1*05:03 was significantly decreased (OR 0.22 CI 0.05-0.98). Conclusion This study suggests that genetic variations of HLA may affect GBM development in Koreans. Further investigations with larger sample sizes are needed to delineate any potential role of the HLA polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of GBM development.

This review paper aims to understand the current processing plant maintenance systems and further identify on-stream phased array corrosion mapping (PACM) to reduce turnaround maintenance (TAM) activity during plant operations. Reducing the TAM duration and extending the TAM interval are common goals of most researchers. Thus, a detailed review was performed to understand the maintenance systems and the problems faced. Furthermore, a review of the current PACM application and the possibility of applying it during on-stream inspection was also per-formed. PACM has better detectability for localized corrosion, and the results can be obtained for a range of thicknesses, which is the main advantage of this method. The challenge is to apply it to a surface with high temperatures, owing to the greater probe contact and the limitation of ultrasonic properties. This literature review provides a more precise direction for future research to evaluate PACM on piping that can be utilized in inspection during plant operation at elevated temperatures. Detecting and monitoring corrosion growth without shutdown.

Remdesivir (RDV) has garnered much hope for its moderate anti-COVID-19 effects, but its limited amelioration of survival in hospitalized patient causes a huge controversy over the applicability of RDV to COVID-19 treatment. Developing strategies to improve its antivirus efficacy is urgently required. As anticipated, RDV exhibits similar behavior with other nucleotide analogs to disrupt the metabolism of natural endogenous ribonucleotides (RNs) and deoxyribonucleotides (dRNs). Alterations in endogenous RNs and dRNs play a critical role in virus replication as well as other key cellular functions. Thus elucidation of the disturbances of RDV on RNs and dRNs could help to understand its exact mechanism of action. Here, the metabolic profiling determined by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method showed a general increase in the abundance of nucleotides and a more than 2-fold increase for specific nucleotides. However, the variation of pyrimidine ribonucleotides was relative slight or even contrary, resulting in obvious imbalance between purine and pyrimidine ribonucleotides, which implied the obstacle of RDV to pyrimidine synthesis and could further block the transcription and replication of viral RNA. Additionally, the extreme disequilibrium between cytidine triphosphate (CTP) and cytidine monophosphate might result from the inhibition of CTP synthase and provide a metabolic target for the treatment of COVID-19 infection. Since nucleotides metabolism pathways are vulnerable to nucleotide analogues and are liable to be the regulation targets, it is promising to enhance the efficacy of RDV through co-administration with CTP synthase inhibitors or de novo pyrimidine synthesis inhibitors to exacerbate the imbalance of nucleotide pools.

Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme is a known procedure to treat severe Alzheimer's disease through increasing the acetylcholine level in the brain and thus slowing down the progression of Alzheimer's symptoms. The approved medications are only considered as palliative and addressed some reported deficiencies. Therefore, the demand for safe and effective compounds is substantially increasing. A newly series of coumaryl 1,3-selenazoles derivatives was synthesized in four steps. Then, their antioxidant activities were evaluated using DPPH, ABTS cation radical scavenging assay and cupric reducing antioxidant capacities (CUPRAC). The anticholinesterase activities were evaluated using the Ellman method. Then, the docking studies were carried out to explain the possible correlation between in vitro anticholinesterase activity results and the ligand-receptor interactions. Ten new coumaryl 1,3-selenazoles (5a-5d series and 6a-6f series) derivatives were successfully synthesized. The DPPH radical scavenging assay showed that all tested compounds have IC50 value &gt; 200 μM, for ABTS cation radical scavenging assay the IC50 value &gt; 1000 μM and for CUPRAC assay the IC50 value &gt; 200 μM. Compound 5c was found to be the most active compound against AChE and BChE in its series with IC50 value for AChE is 99.76 μM and IC50 for BChE is 140.28 μM while 6b exhibited the most potent inhibition in its series with IC50 value for AChE is 56.01 μM and IC50 for BChE is 121.34 μM. Besides, the docking studies showed that compound 5c and 6b formed π-π stacking interaction with aromatic residues at the active site of AChE and BChE, which is responsible for inhibiting the enzymes. This shows that the synthesized compounds contain skeletal structures that can interact and inhibit within the enzymes active site.

Extensive surface and upper air measurements of a typhoon over the northern part of the South China Sea, namely, Typhoon Talim in July 2023, are documented and analyzed in this paper. A number of features have been observed from the upper air measurements. First, the log law and the power law are found to be appropriate in fitting the wind profiles of the typhoon in the first 1000 m or so above the sea surface. A low level jet is observed in the lower troposphere from the observations of the radar wind profilers. The paper is also novel from the perspectives that the vertical wind profile from a Doppler LIDAR on an offshore platform over the northern part of the South China sea, and that ocean radar data are used to analyze the surface wind observations of a typhoon in the region. The results of this paper would be useful in understanding the structure of tropical cyclones, e.g. in wind engineering applications.

Photoacoustic technology is a promising tool to provide morphological and functional information in biomedical research. To enhance the imaging efficiency, the reported photoacoustic probes have been designed coaxially involving complicated optical/acoustic prisms to bypass the opaque piezoelectric layer of ultrasound transducers, but leading to bulky probes and hindering the applications in limited space. Though the emergence of transparent piezoelectric materials helps to save the effort on the coaxial design, the reported transparent ultrasound transducers were still bulky. In this work, a miniature photoacoustic probe with an outer diameter of 4 mm was developed, in which an acoustic stack was made of the combination of transparent piezoelectric material and gradient-index lens as a backing layer. The transparent ultrasound transducer exhibited a high center frequency of ~47 MHz and a -6 dB bandwidth of 29.4%, which could be easily assembled with a pigtailed ferrule of a single-mode fiber. The multi-functional capability of the probe was successfully validated through the experiments of fluid flow sensing and photoacoustic imaging.

Background: This paper investigates the statistical relationship between bilingualism and the Onset Age (OA) of AD and MCI across a clinical sample, consisting of 580 Alzheimer's Disease (AD) subjects and 1264 Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) subjects, via a statistical analysis conducted on the sample retrieved from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset. Method: To investigate whether bilingualism has any correlation with the OAs of AD or MCI subjects, our study leverages the full potential of the ADNI dataset, a dataset that covers both the OA and the bilingualism status of both the AD and MCI subjects. Prior to performing any meaningful statistical analysis, a regression model and a probabilistic model were developed in parallel to fill in the missing OA and bilingualism values. A simple least-square regression model that consists of an independent variable of registered age for Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was used to estimate the OA of the AD and MCI subjects in the ADNI dataset. After filling in the missing OA values, the number of subjects relevant for the statistical analysis increased from 816 (AD: 371, MCI: 445) to 1844 (AD: 580, MCI: 1264), which greatly enlarged the representation of the AD and MCI sample in the ADNI population. With increased sample size, a novel probabilistic classification model was introduced to infer an ADNI subject’s bilingualism when relevant demographic information and deterministic outcome were not readily available from the ADNI dataset. The weighted average OA for the bilinguals and the monolinguals was then computed, where the weights for the probabilistic labels were assigned based on the percentage of bilingualism in the general US population. Finally, a statistical analysis was performed to test whether any statistically significant correlation exists between the OA and the bilingualism of the AD and MCI subjects within the ADNI dataset. Findings: Our preliminary study demonstrates no significant statistical difference between the OA of the bilinguals and the monolinguals within the ADNI dataset. Thus, the monolingual speakers within the ADNI dataset do not statistically manifest earlier onset, as compared to the bilingual speakers, which is slightly inconsistent with some earlier statistical findings that bilingual speakers enjoy certain distinctive advantages, such as late onset of AD, as compared to monolingual counterparts.

(1) Background: Proximal humerus fractures can be a debilitating condition if not properly treated. These fracture patterns are varied and differ in every patient. Functional outcomes may be determined by the integrity of the shoulder girdle involving the rotator cuff insertion. The post-operative resorption or malreduction of the greater tuberosity is an important factor contributing to the poor functional outcome of a patient. (2) Methods: A single-center retrospective comparative study was performed to evaluate the functional outcomes of patients undergoing operative fixation for this injury. A total of 387 consecutive cases treated operatively from 2019-2021 were included for analysis. (3) Results: 94 cases fulfilled our criteria for analysis. A matched-group comparison of 19 patients each was performed to compare demographics, post-operative fracture characteristics and functional outcomes. (4) Conclusions: The resorption or malreduction of the greater tuberosity contributes greatly to the prognostic outcome in patients treated with ORIF surgery. In our demographic study, obesity is another contributing factor affecting the parameters of post-operative reduction in proximal humerus fractures. Appropriate surgical planning and post-operative multidisciplinary care must be taken into consideration to attain a satisfactory prognostic outcome.

A novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that is initially found to trigger human severe respiratory illness in Wuhan City of China in 2019, has killed 2,718 people in China by February 26, 2020, and which has been recognized as a public health emergency of international concern as well. And the virus has spread to more than 38 countries around the world. However, the drug has not yet been officially licensed or approved to treat SARS-Cov-2 infection. NSP12-NSP7-NSP8 complex of SARS-CoV-2, essential for viral replication and transcription, is generally regarded as a potential target to fight against the virus. According to the NSP12-NSP7-NSP8 complex (PDB ID: 6NUR) structure of SARS, two homologous models were established for virtual screening in the present study, namely NSP12-NSP7 interface model and NSP12-NSP8 interface model. Seven compounds (Saquinavir, Tipranavir, Lonafarnib, Tegobuvir, Olysio, Filibuvir, and Cepharanthine) were selected for binding free energy calculations based on virtual screening and docking scores. All seven compounds can combine well with NSP12-NSP7-NSP8 in the homologous model, providing drug candidates for the treatment and prevention of SARS-CoV-2.

The use of new assistive technologies in general, and Socially Assistive Robots (SAR) in particular is becoming increasingly common for supporting people’s health and well-being. However, it still faces many issues regarding long-term adherence, acceptability and utility. Most of these issues are due to design processes that insufficiently take into account the needs, preferences and values of intended users. Other issues are related to the currently very limited amount of long-term evaluations, performed in real world settings, for SAR. This study presents the results of two regional projects that consider as a starting hypothesis that the assessment in controlled environments and/or with short exposures may not be enough in the design of a SAR deployed in a retirement home and the necessity of designing for and with users. Thus, the proposed methodology has focused in use cases definitions that follow a human-centred and participatory design approach. The main goals have been facilitating system acceptance and attachment by involving stakeholders in the robots design and evaluation, overcoming usage barriers and considering user’s needs integration. The implementation of the first use case deployed and the two-phase pilot test performed in the retirement home are presented. In particular, a detailed description of the interface re-design process based on improving a basic prototype with users’ feedback and recommendations is presented together with main results of a formal evaluation that has highlighted the impact of changes and improvements addressed in the first redesign loop of the system.

Bedbug (Cimex spp.) are a nuisance public-health pest that is on the rise globally, particularly in crowded cities such as Hong Kong. To investigate the health impacts of bedbug infestations among bedbug victims, online surveys were distributed in Hong Kong between June 2019 to July 2020. Data on sociodemographics, self-rated health, average hours of sleep per day, and details of bedbug infestation were collected. Bivariate and multivariable analysis were performed using logistic regression. The survey identified 422 bedbug victims; among them, 223 (52.9%) experienced ≥5 bites in the past month, most bites occurred on the arms (n=202, 47.8%) and legs (n=215, 51%), and the most common reaction to bites were itchiness (n=322, 76.3%), redness, and swelling of the skin (n=246, 58.1%), and difficulties sleeping or restlessness (n=125, 29.6%). Bites usually occurred during sleep (n=230, 54.5%). For impact on daily life in the past month, most bedbug victims reported moderate to severe impact on mental and emotional health (n=223, 52.8%) and sleeping quality (n=239, 56.6%). Lower self-rated health (aOR&lt;1) was independently associated with impact to physical appearance (p=0.008), spending money on medication or doctor consultation (p=0.04), number of bites in the past month (p=0.023), and irregular time of bites (p=0.003). Lower average hours of sleep per day (aOR&lt;1) was independently associated with impact on mental and emotional health (p=0.016). This study brings attention to the neglected issue of bedbug infestation by considering bedbugs as an infectious agent instead of a vector and providing empirical evidence describing its health impacts.

Software-based ultrasound imaging systems provide high flexibility that allows easy and fast adoption of newly developed algorithms. However, the extremely high data rate required for data transfer from sensors (e.g., transducers) to the ultrasound imaging systems is a major bottleneck in the software-based architecture, especially in the context of real-time imaging. To overcome this limitation, in this paper, we present a Binary cLuster (BL) code, which yields an improved compression ratio compared to the exponential Golomb code. Owing to the real-time encoding/decoding features without overheads, the universal code is a good solution to reduce the data transfer rate for software-based ultrasound imaging. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated using in vitro and in vivo data sets. It was demonstrated that the BL-beta code has a good stable lossless compression performance of 20 ~ 30% while requiring no auxiliary memory or storage.

Petrochemical plants use on-stream inspection more often to detect and monitor the corrosion on the equipment and piping system. Compared to ultrasonic thickness gauging and pulse-echo A-scan, phased array corrosion mapping has better coverability and can scan a large area to detect general and localized corrosion. This paper's objective is to obtain documentary evidence on the accuracy of corrosion detection from 30°C to 250°C on A36 low-carbon steel by carrying out simulation experiments every 10°C steps. A minimum of three sets of phased array corrosion mapping data in each temperature were collected to study and evaluate the detectability. The data evidence could enhance the confidence level of the plant's end users to use the phased array mapping in the future during an inspection. The experiments were found to be insufficiently thorough despite addressing the initial concerns, leaving more area for discussion in further studies, such as expanding the investigation to thicker carbon steel, stainless steel, and wedge materials.

Background: Covid-19 was first reported in Wuhan, China in Dec 2019. Since then, it has been transmitted rapidly in China and the rest of the world. While Covid-19 transmission rate has been declining in China, it is increasing exponentially in Europe and America. Although there are numerous studies examining Covid-19 infection, including an archived paper looking into the meteorological effect, the role of outdoor air pollution has yet to be explored rigorously. It has been shown that air pollution will weaken the immune system, and increase the rate of respiratory virus infection. We postulate that outdoor air pollution concentrations will have a negative effect on Covid-19 infections in China, whilst lockdowns, characterized by strong social distancing and home isolation measures, will help to moderate such negative effect. Methods: We will collect the number of daily confirmed Covid-19 cases in 31 provincial capital cities in China during the period of 1 Dec 2019 to 20 Mar 2020 (from a popular Chinese online platform which aggregates all cases reported by the Chinese national/provincial health authorities). We will also collect daily air pollution and meteorology data at the city-level (from the Chinese National Environmental Monitoring Center and the US National Climatic Data Center), daily inter-city migration flows and intra-city movements (from Baidu). City-level demographics including age distribution and gender, education, and median household income can be obtained from the statistical yearbooks. City-level co-morbidity indicators including rates of chronic disease and co-infection can be obtained from related research articles. A regression model is developed to model the relationship between the infection rate of Covid-19 (number of confirmed cases/population at the city level) and outdoor air pollution at the city level, after taking into account confounding factors such as meteorology, inter- and intra-city movements, demographics, and co-morbidity and co-infection rates. In particular, we shall study how air pollution affects infection rates across different cities, including Wuhan. Our model will also study air pollution would affect infection rates in Wuhan before and after the lockdown. Expected findings: We expect there be a correlation between Covid-19 infection rate and outdoor air pollution. We also expect that reduced intra-city movement after the lockdowns in Wuhan and the rest of China will play an important role in reducing the infection rate. Interpretation: Infection rate is growing exponentially in major cities worldwide. We expect Covid-19 infection rate is related to the air pollution concentration, and is strongly dependent on inter- and intra-city movements. To reduce the infection rate, the international community may deploy effective air pollution reduction plans and social distancing policies.

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

In this paper, the performance of Cu-(In,Ga)-S2 (CIGS2) solar cells with adjusting composite CGI-ratio absorber is explored and compared through an improved three-stage co-evaporation technique. For co-evaporating CIGS2 absorber as a less toxic alternative to Cd-containing film, we analyse the effect of the CGI-ratio stoichiometry and crystallinity, and explore its opto-electric sensing characteristic of individual solar cell. The results of this research signify the potential of high-performance CIGS2-absorption solar cells for photovoltaic (PV)-module industrial applications. For the optimal CIGS2-absorption film (CGI=0.95), the Raman main-phase signal (A1) falls at 291 cm-1, which is excited by the 532-nm line of Ar+-laser. Using photo-luminescence (PL) spectroscopy, the corresponding main-peak bandgaps measured is 1.59 eV at the same CGI-ratio film. Meanwhile, the best conversion efficiency (=3.212%) and the average external quantum efficiency (EQE=51.1% in the visible-wavelength region) of photo-electric properties were achieved for the developed CIGS2-solar cells (CGI=0.95). The discoveries of this CIGS2-absorption PV research provide a new scientific understanding of solar cells. Moreover, this research undeniably contributes to a major advancement towards practical PV-module applications and can help more to build an eco-friendly community.

IL1RA intron 2 86-bp repeat and IL4 intron 3 70-bp repeat are VNTRs that have been associated with various diseases, but their role in obesity is elusive. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of IL1RA and IL4 VNTRs with obesity and adiposity in 315 Malaysian subjects (128 M/187 F; 23 Malays/251 ethnic Chinese/41 ethnic Indians). The allelic distributions of IL1RA and IL4 were significantly different among ethnicities, and the alleles were associated with total body fat (TBF) classes. Individuals with IL1RA I/II genotype or allele II had greater risk of having higher adiposity - even after controlling for ethnicity [Odds Ratio (OR) of I/II genotype = 12.21 (CI = 2.54, 58.79; p = 0.002); II allele = 5.78 (CI = 1.73, 19.29; p = 0.004)]. However, IL4 VNTR B2 allele was only significantly associated with overall adiposity status before adjusting for ethnicity [OR = 1.53 (CI = 1.04, 2.23; p = 0.03)]. TBF was also significantly higher in those with IL1RA II allele compared with I allele (31.79 ± 2.52 vs. 23.51 ± 0.40; p = 0.005). Taken together, IL1RA intron 3 VNTR seems to be a genetic marker for overall adiposity status in Malaysian subjects.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM), a malignant grade IV tumor, is the most malignant brain tumor due to its hyper-proliferative and apoptosis-evading characteristics. The signal transducer and activators of transcription (STAT) family genes, including STAT3 and STAT5A, have been indicated to play important roles in GBM progression. Increasing number of reports suggest that Garcinol, a polyisoprenylated benzophenone and major bioactive component of Garcinia indica contains potent anti-cancer activities. Material & Methods: The present study investigated the anti-GBM effects of garcinol, focusing on the STAT3/STAT5A activation, using a combination of bioinformatics, in vitro, and ex vivo assays. Results: Our bioinformatics analysis of TCGA - GBM cohort (n=173) showed that STAT3 and STAT5A are preferentially elevated in primary and recurrent GBM, compared to non-tumor brain tissues, and is significantly correlated with reduced overall survival. In support, our immunohistochemical staining of a GBM cohort (n=30) showed an estimated 5.3-fold (p<0.001) elevation in STAT3 and STAT5A protein expression in primary and recurrent GBM versus the non-tumor group. In vitro, garcinol treatment significantly suppressed the proliferative, invasive, and migratory potential of U87MG or GBM8401 cells, dose-dependently. In addition, garcinol anticancer effect significantly attenuated the GBM stem cell-like phenotypes, as reflected by diminished ability of U87MG or GBM8401 to form colonies and tumorspheres and suppressed expression of OCT4 and SOX2. Furthermore, analysis on GBM transcriptome revealed an inverse correlation between the level of STAT3/5A and hsa-miR-181d. Garcinol-mediated anti-GBM effects were associated with an increased hsa-miR-181d/STAT3 and hsa-miR-181d/5A ratio. Conclusion: We present evidence of anti-GBM efficacy of garcinol mediated by enhancing the hsa-miR-181d/STAT3 and hsa-miR-181d/5A ratios in GBM cells. Our findings suggest a potential new therapeutic agent for combating aggressive GBM.

Introduction: The presence of multiple comorbidities increases the risk of all-cause mortality, but the effects of the comorbidity sequence before the baseline date on mortality remained unexplored. This study investigated the relationship between coronary heart disease (CHD), atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) sequence on all-cause mortality risk in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: This study included patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus prescribed antidiabetic/cardiovascular medications in public hospitals of Hong Kong between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2009 with follow-up until death or December 31st, 2019. Cox regression was used to identify comorbidity sequences predicting all-cause mortality in patients with different medication subgroups. Results: A total of 249291 patients (age: 66.0±12.4 years, 47.4% male) were included. At baseline, 7564, 10900 and 25589 patients had AF, HF and CHD, respectively. Over follow-up (3524±1218 days), 85870 patients died (mortality rate: 35.7 per 1000 person-years). Sulphonylurea users with CHD developed later, but insulin users with CHD developing earlier, in the disease course had lower mortality risks. Amongst insulin users with two of the three comorbidities, CHD with preceding AF (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.06, 95% CI: [2.60-3.61], p<0.001) or HF (HR: 3.84 [3.47- 4.24], p<0.001) had a higher mortality. In users of lipid-lowering agents with all three comorbidities, those with preceding AF had higher risk of mortality (AF-CHD-HF: HR: 3.22, [2.24-4.61], p<0.001; AF-HF-CHD: HR: 3.71, [2.66-5.16], p<0.001). Conclusion: The sequence of comorbidity development affects the risk of all-cause mortality to varying degrees in diabetic patients on different antidiabetic/cardiovascular medications.