The oral cavity is thought to be one of the portals for SARS-CoV-2 entry. Because there is limited evidence of active oral infection by SARS-CoV-2 viruses, we assessed the capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to infect and replicate in oral epithelial cells. Oral gingival epithelial cells (hTERT TIGKs), salivary gland epithelial cells (A-253), and oral buccal epithelial cells (TR146), which occupy different regions of the oral cavity, were challenged with replication competent SARS-CoV-2 viruses and with pseudo-typed viruses expressing SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. All oral epithelial cells expressing undetectable or low levels of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) but high levels of the alternative receptor CD147 were susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Viral dynamics in hTERT TIGKs were different from those in A-253 and TR146 cells. For example, levels of viral transcripts were sustained in hTERT TIGKs but were significantly decreased in A-253 and TR146 cells at day 3 after infection. Analysis of oral epithelial cells infected by replication competent SARS-CoV-2 viruses expressing GFP showed that the signals of GFP and SARS-CoV-2 mRNAs were not evenly distributed. Taken together, our results demonstrated oral epithelial cells were susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 viruses despite of low or undetectable levels of hACE2, suggesting that alternative receptors contribute to SARS-CoV-2 infection and may be considered for development of future vaccines and therapeutics.

Taiwan developing offshore wind power to promote green energy and self-electricity production. In this study, a Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) was set up at Chang-Hua development zone one on the sea and 10km away from the seashore. At Lidar location, WRF (3.33km & 2km grid lengths) model and WAsP were used to simulate the wind speed at various elevations. Three days mean wind speed of simulated results were compared with Lidar data. From the four wind data sets, developed five different comparisons to find an error% and R-Squared values. Comparison between WAsP and Floating Lidar was shown good consistency. Lukang meteorological station 10 years wind observations at 5m height were used for wind farm energy predictions. The yearly variation of energy predictions of traditional and TGC wind farm layouts are compared under purely neutral and stable condition. The one-year cycle average surface heat flux over the Taiwan Strait is negative (-72.5 (W/m2) and 157.13 STD), which represents stable condition. At stable condition TGC (92.39%) and 600(92.44%), wind farms were shown higher efficiency. The Fuhai met mast wind data was used to estimate roughness length and power law exponent. The average roughness lengths are very small and unstable atmosphere.

Complex illumination condition is one of the most critical challenging problems for practical face recognition. In this paper, we propose a novel method to improve the illumination invariants for solving this challenge. Firstly, a new method based on the Lambert reflectance model is proposed to extract illumination invariant, which is less insensitive to complex illumination variations. Secondly, in order to repair the defects caused by process of illumination invariants extraction, Fast Mean Filter is utilized to smooth and remove noise. Lastly, for raising the richness of information in output image, a nonlinear normalization transformation is proposed. Compared with the state-of-the-arts, experimental results show that the proposed method can extract more robust illumination invariants. Apart from it, the richness of information in processed image is greater and superior performance in face recognition rate is superior.

Intelligent ship technology is currently an international research hotspot, and model predictive control is widely used in the path-tracking control of intelligent vehicles. To construct an intelligent ship anti-disturbance path-tracking control method, firstly, an environmental disturbance model was constructed with the actual meteorological data of the target sea area. Secondly, the Fossen ship equation of motion is linearized and discretized as the ship motion model. Thirdly, the expression of the prediction equation is derived from the ship motion model. Fourthly, the cost function is constructed by using the polar diameter and polar angle values of the ship. Fifth, the power function in the cost function is replaced with an exponential function to obtain an improved cost function. Sixthly, according to the Lyapunov theory and the MPC terminal constraint theory, the stability of the improved cost function is verified. Seventh, different test paths are set up, the environmental disturbance model is taken as the external disturbance, the ship motion model, the prediction equation, and the improved cost function are used to design the anti-disturbance path-tracking control algorithm according to the model prediction control idea for simulation experiments. Finally, different MATLAB simulation results show that the improved cost function can resist disturbance of the external wave, current, and wind, and effectively track the target path. Therefore, this study provides a reference for improving the navigation safety of ship path-tracking.

Dysregulation of cartilage homeostasis and the changes in the density and the architecture of the subchondral bone were postulated as a potent mechanically pathological activity contributing to osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a new, none invasive and effective method in the treatment of animal OA model. In the current study, we demonstrated that shockwave induced the expression of protein-disulfide isomerase-associated 3 (Pdia-3) which is a multifunctional protein hypothesized to be a significant mediator for 1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25(OH)₂D₃) signaling pathway using two-dimensional electrophoresis. Histological analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were verified and observed that the expression of Pdia-3 at 2 weeks was significantly higher than that of any other group at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks post-shockwave treatment in early OA knee of rat. The other factors of the 1α,25(OH)₂D₃ rapid membrane signaling pathway including extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 (ERK1), osteopontin (OPG), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and matrix metallopeptidase 13 (MMP13) were measured and significantly increased by qPCR at 2 weeks post-shockwave treatment in early OA knee. Our proteomic data revealed significant Pdia-3 expression in microenvironments of joint tissue that could be actively responded to ESWT, which may potentially regulate biological function of chondrocytes and osteoblasts in the treatment of OA knee.

Pharmacovigilance databases are showing evidence of injury in the context of the COVID-19 modified mRNA shots. According to recent publications, adverse event reports linked to the mRNA COVID-19 products largely point to the spike protein as an aetiological agent of adverse events, but we propose that the platform itself may be culpable. To assess the safety of current and future mRNA vaccines, further analysis on the risks due to the platform itself, and not specifically the expressed antigen. If harm can be exclusively and conclusively attributed to the spike protein, then it is possible that future mRNA vaccines expressing other antigens will be safe. If harms are attributable to the platform itself, then regardless of the toxicity, or lack thereof, of the chosen payload therein, the platform may be inherently unsafe, pending modification. In this work, we examine previous studies of RNA-based delivery by a lipid nanoparticle and break down the possible etiological elements of harm.

Abstract: Background: The optimal strategy for the microelimination of HCV within community settings remains ambiguous. We evaluated the percentage of participants who achieved linkage to care (LTC) following the conclusion of the screening campaign, and examined the diverse factors influencing LTC among these individuals. The effectiveness of recall intervention for the non-LTC population and its barriers were analyzed. Methods: We initiated an HCV patients recall program to identify the HCV participants who might not be treated after the HCV screening campaign. A program staff recalled HCV participants who lost to follow-up through the telephone from March 2019 to June 2019. They were informed of HCV treatment's importance, efficacy, availability, and safety. Result: Among 185 HCV-infected participants, 109 (58.9%) HCV-infected participants had obtained LTC. Compared with those who had LTC, those without LTC were older, lower education levels, were less aware of their HCV infection, less frequently lived in urban areas, and had less health insurance. At the end of the recall program, 125 (67.6 %) persons had liked to care. The proportion of LTC increased by 8.7 %. 119 persons had an HCV RNA test, and 82 (68.9%) had viremia. Of 82 patients with viremia, 78 (95.1%) received antiviral therapy. 76 (97.4 %) of them achieved a sustained virological response. Conclusion: After a community screening campaign, 59 % of participants with anti-HCV positive had LTC. The recall program can increase by 9 %. However, there were still 32% of HCV participants who couldn't be linked to care. Outreach care for non-LTC patients is a way worth trying to achieve micro-elimination of HCV in the rural community.

Various vaccines have been developed in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and the safety of vaccines has become an important issue. COVID-19 vaccines-related central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating diseases (CNS IDDs) have been reported recently. We present one case of AstraZeneca vaccine-related myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated disease and literature review another 78 patients published from January 2020 to October 2022. Patients were divided into three vaccine groups (viral vector, mRNA and inactivated vaccines) for further analyses. Among 79 patients with COVID-19 vaccines-related CNS IDDs, 49 (62%) cases received viral vector vaccines, 20 (25.3%) received mRNA vaccines and 10 (12.7%) received inactivated vaccines. Twenty-seven cases (34.2%) were confirmed with autoantibodies, including 15 patients (19%) with anti-MOG, 11 (13.9%) with anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4), and one (1.3%) with both antibodies. Significantly, more males developed CNS IDDs post viral vector vaccines compared to mRNA and inactivated vaccines. Patients receiving mRNA vaccines were older than other groups. Furthermore, mRNA and inactivated vaccines correlated more with anti-AQP4 antibodies, while viral vector vaccines showed higher MOG positivity. The research suggests potential associations between COVID-19 vaccines-related CNS IDDs and gender, age, and autoantibodies, contingent on vaccine types. Protein sequence analysis implies similarities between the S protein and AQP4/MOG. Further studies may elucidate the mechanisms of CNS IDDs, aiding vaccine selection for specific groups.

Taiwan’s auditors have suffered from processing excessive audit data, including drawing audit evidence. This study advances sampling techniques by integrating machine learning with sampling. This machine learning integration helps avoid sampling bias, keep randomness and variability, and target the risker samples. We first apply a Naive Bayes classifier to classify data into some classes. Next, a user-based, item-based, or hybrid approach is employed to draw audit evidence. The representativeness index is the primary metric for measuring the representativeness of audit evidence. The user-based approach denotes the selection of samples between two percentiles in a class as audit evidence. It may be equivalent to a combination of monetary and variable sampling methods. The item-based approach represents the choice of risky samples as audit evidence. It may be identical to a combination of non-statistical and monetary sampling methods. Auditors can hybridize those user-based and item-based approaches to balance representativeness and riskiness in selecting audit evidence. Three experiments show that sampling using machine learning integration has the benefits of drawing unbiased samples, handling complex patterns, correlations, and unstructured data, and improving efficiency in sampling big data. However, the limitations are the classification accuracy output by machine learning algorithms and the range of prior probabilities.

This study proposes and validates a novel combustion control system for Oil-Fired Boilers aimed at reducing air pollutant emissions through flame image prediction. The proposed system is easily applicable to existing ships. Traditional proportional combustion control systems supply fuel and air at fixed ratios according to the set steam load, without considering the emission of air pollutants. To address this, a stable and immediate control system is proposed, which adjusts the air supply to modify the combustion state. The combustion control system utilizes oxygen concentration predictions from flame images via SEF+SVM as control inputs, and applies Internal Model Control (IMC)-based Proportional-Integral (PI) control for real-time combustion control. Due to the complexity of modeling the image-based system, IMC parameter tuning through experimentation is essential for achieving effective control performance. Experiments conducted on a 3000 kg/h marine oil-fired boiler in actual operation optimized the controller parameters for stability and responsiveness, and validated their effectiveness. The results demonstrate the potential of the proposed system to improve combustion efficiency and reduce emissions of air pollutants. This study provides a feasible and effective solution for enhancing the environmental performance of marine oil-fired boilers. Given its ease of application to existing ships, it is expected to contribute to sustainable air pollution reduction across the maritime environment.

Metal additive manufacturing technologies have large potential for future use in load bearing aerospace applications, requiring a deeper understanding of mechanical performance and influencing factors. The objective of this study is to manufacture fatigue specimens by laser powder bed fusion with comparable bulk and different as-built surface quality (without post-processing). This goal was pursued by using identical bulk/hatch scan parameters while varying contour scan parameters. The bulk quality was evaluated by density measurements according to Archimedes’ principle and tensile testing. The surfaces were investigated using the optical fringe projection method and surface quality was assessed by the areal surface texture parameters Sa (arithmetic mean height) and Sk (core height, derived from material ratio curve). The resulting mean values of max (ultimate tensile strength) were between 375 and 405 MPa, which is a variation of roughly 8%, for seven different surface conditions. It could be confirmed that the influence of contour scan variation on bulk quality is insignificant for the assessed samples.

Mechanical ventilation (MV), used in patients with acute lung injury (ALI), induces diaphragmatic myofiber atrophy and contractile inactivity, termed ventilator-induced diaphragm dysfunction. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase- (PI3K-) is crucial in modulating fibrogenesis during the reparative phase of ALI; however, the mechanisms regulating the interactions among MV, myofiber fibrosis, and PI3K- remain unclear. We hypothesized MV with or without bleomycin treatment would increase diaphragm muscle fibrosis through the PI3K- pathway. Five days after receiving a single bolus of 0.075 units bleomycin intratracheally, C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 6 or 10 mL/kg MV for 8 h after receiving 5 mg/kg of AS605240 intraperitoneally. In wild-type mice, bleomycin exposure followed by MV 10 mL/kg prompted significant increases in disruptions of diaphragmatic myofibrillar organization, transforming growth factor-1, oxidative loads, Masson’s trichrome staining, extracellular collagen levels, positive staining of -smooth muscle actin, PI3K- expression, and myonuclear apoptosis (P < 0.05). Decreased diaphragm contractility and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor- coactivator-1 levels were also observed (P < 0.05). MV-augmented bleomycin-induced diaphragm fibrosis and myonuclear apoptosis were attenuated in PI3K-γ-deficient mice and through AS605240-induced inhibition of PI3K- activity (P < 0.05). MV-augmented diaphragm fibrosis after bleomycin-induced ALI is partially mediated through PI3K-γ. Therapy targeting PI3K-γ may ameliorate MV-associated diaphragm fibrosis.

Antibiotic beads were used to treat surgical infections. In this study, polylactide–polyglycolide (PLGA) was mixed with vancomycin, osteogenic enhancer lithium chloride (LiCl), and hot com-pressing to form PLGA-vancomycin-LiCl delivery beads to treat bone infection. An elution method was employed to characterize the in vitro release characteristics of the vancomycin and the Li over a 42-day period. The released profiles lasted for more than 42 days for vancomycin and 28 days for Li. The concentration of vancomycin in each sample was well above the breakpoint sensitivity. Lithium co-treatment enhanced the bactericidal effect of vancomycin. Released Li and vancomycin increased mRNA or protein expressions of osteogenic markers of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In vivo, the PLGA delivery systems were implanted into the rabbit distal femoral cavities and the cavity fluid content was aspirated and analyzed at each time point. The released Li and vancomycin lasted more than 6 weeks, and vancomycin concentrations were much above the breakpoint sensitivity. Four rabbits in each group were killed at 8 weeks for histologic observation. More mature bone tissue was shown in the Li treatment group. This study provides a PLGA drug delivery system to meet the requirements of patients with bone infections.

Surfaces of additively manufactured metal parts from powder-based processes typically show powder particle agglomerations and other features, resulting in high surface roughness. Proper characterization of those surfaces is necessary in order to assess part quality with respect to coatability, mechanical performance or corrosion resistance for use in aerospace, automotive, medical and more industrial applications. Optical surface texture measurement allows for collection of areal surface data, while the established contact stylus method only captures line profile data. When applying optical methods for surface topography measurements, proper data acquisition and post-processing in order to assess surface texture may be complex. A number of variables can be adjusted, such as different measurement settings, approaches to outlier removal, evaluated area size or form removal. This work shows the influence of selected z-range prior to measurement and the influence of choosing pre-defined outlier removal settings in MountainsMap 9.2 on selected ISO 25178-2:2022 parameters calculated from data obtained from confocal microscopy for as-built Ti6Al4V from laser powder bed fusion. The aim is to show the influence of variation in measurement and post-processing on calculated surface texture parameters and stress the importance of proper documentation in order to achieve reproducibility of data for quality management.

ABSTRACT:This paper presents arguments for why it is important to include disability in the undergraduate medical curriculum. I, the first author am currently involved with my doctoral thesis proposal titled "Proposing clinician competency guidelines for the inclusion of disability in the undergraduate medical curriculum of South Africa. An exploratory study.” As part of my research, I conducted a literature search and developed arguments to strengthen the reasons why the research I propose in my thesis is necessary. It is important that I position myself in this research. I am a South African, Caucasian, female medical doctor, with an interest in physical rehabilitation medicine and I am a person with a physical disability. Although this research study will be conducted in South Africa, I am hopeful that the findings will be transferable to medical schools across the world.

According to many research groups, high glucose induces over production of superoxide anions, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in general is the link between high glucose levels and the toxicities seen at cellular levels. Respiratory complex anomalies could lead to the production of ROS. Calcium [Ca2+], at physiological levels serves as a second messenger in many physiological functions. Accordingly, mitochondrial calcium [Ca2+]m overload leads to ROS production which could be lethal to the mitochondria through various mechanisms. The F1F0-ATPase (ATP syn-thase or complex V) is the enzyme that is responsible for catalyzing the final step of oxidative phosphorylation. It does so by coupling the translocation of protons in the mitochondrial in-termembrane space and shuttling them to the mitochondrial matrix for ATP synthesis to take place. Mitochondrial complex V T8993G mutation specifically blocks the translocation of protons across the intermembrane space thereby blocking ATP synthesis leading to Neuropathy, Ataxia and Retinitis Pigmentosa Syndromes (NARP). This study seeks to explore the possibility of [Ca2+]m overload mediating the pathological roles of high glucose in defective respiratory chain mediated mitochondrial stress. The NARP cybrids are the in vitro experimental models for the cells with F1FO-ATPase defects, these cells harbor 98% of mtDNA T8993G mutation. Their coun-terparts 143B osteosarcoma cell lines are the parental cell lines used for comparisons. We uncov-ered that, NARP cells mediated and enhanced the death of the cells (apoptosis) when incubated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and high glucose respectively as depicted by the MTT assay of cell viability. Furthermore, using the fluorescence probe-coupled laser scanning confocal imag-ing microscopy, NARP cells significantly enabled mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) formation and enhanced the depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). Elucidating the mechanisms of sugar enhanced toxicity on mitochondria would help in the fu-ture to alleviate the symptoms of patients associated with (NARP) syndromes.

In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, a need has arisen to prevent and treat two related conditions, Covid vaccine injury and long Covid, both of which have a significant vascular component. Therefore, the management of these conditions require the development of strategies to prevent or dissolve blood clots and restore circulatory health. This review summarizes the evidence on strategies that can be applied to treat both long and vaccine injuries based on similar mechanisms of action.

To safeguard against meat supply shortages during pandemics or other catastrophes, this study analyzed the potential to provide the average household’s entire protein consumption using either soybean production or distributed meat production at the household level in the U.S. with: 1) pasture-fed rabbits, 2) pellet and hay-fed rabbits, or 3) pellet-fed chickens. Only using the average backyard resources, soybean cultivation can provide 80%-160% of household protein and 0%-50% of a household’s protein needs can be provided by pasture-fed rabbits using only the yard grass as feed. If external supplementation of feed is available, raising 52 chickens while also harvesting the concomitant eggs or alternately 107 grain-fed rabbits can meet 100% of an average household’s protein requirements. These results show that resilience to future pandemics and challenges associated with growing meat demands can be incrementally addressed through backyard distributed protein production. Backyard production of chicken meat, eggs, and rabbit meat reduces environmental costs of protein due to savings in production, transportation, and refrigeration of meat products and even more so with soybeans. Generally, distributed production of protein was found to be economically competitive with centralized production of meat if distributed labor costs were ignored.

Gastric inflammation-related disorders are commonly observed digestive system illnesses char-acterized by the activation of proinflammatory cytokines, particularly tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). This results in the induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)/prostaglandin E2 (PEG2) and matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9). These factors contribute to the pathogenesis of gastric in-flammation disorders. We examined the preventive effects of Lonicera japonica Thunb. ethanol ex-tract (Lj-EtOH) on gastric inflammation induced by TNF-α in normal GES-1 cells. The GES-1 cell line was used to establish a model that simulated the overexpression of COX-2/PGE2 and MMP-9 proteins induced by TNF-α, to examine the anti-inflammatory properties of Lj extracts. The re-sults indicated that Lj-EtOH exhibits significant inhibitory effects on COX-2/PEG2 and MMP-9 ac-tivity, attenuates cell migration, and provides protection against TNF-α-induced gastric inflam-mation. The protective effects of Lj-EtOH are associated with the modulation of COX-2/PEG2 and MMP-9 through activation of TNFR–ERK 1/2 signaling pathways as well as the involvement of c-Fos and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways. Based on our findings, Lj-EtOH ex-hibits a preventive effect on human gastric epithelial cells. Consequently, it may represent a novel treatment for the management of gastric inflammation.

The use of selective pro resolving mediators including the monohydroxylates are promising substances for the management of different acute and chronic diseases.In the field of obstetrics many clinical entities like uterine contractions or the occurrence of pre-eclampsia are still serious complications during pregnancy.The use of enriched marine oil nutritional’s may contribute to an attenuation of these diseases as the containing selective pro resolving mediators exhibit pro resolutive actions that can positively modulate inflammatory diseases and those leading to serious obstetrical complications.

Hill stream loaches are a group of fish that inhabit fast flowing shallow freshwater. The family has radiated over Asia. For some species their range is limited to single catchments; they provide an excellent example of biogeographical speciation on multiple scales. Hill stream loaches have a range of adaptations which help them exploit environments where competitors and predators would be washed away. They have streamlined bodies and keeled scales reminiscent of Mako sharks and potentially many other as yet undiscovered drag reducing features. They adhere to rocks, crawl over shallow films of water, glide over hard surfaces using ground effects and launch into currents to attack prey or evade predation. They offer a test of modern approaches to organismal biology and a broad range of biomimetic potential. In this paper we analyse what behaviour is associated with their physical adaptations and how this might relate to their evolution and radiation. Our intent here is to review information that is presently available but also to derive new insight through combination and statistical analysis of existing material. We also use our own observations and critically argue several contradictory, or poorly supported assertions in the existing scientific literature. Our conclusion is that, although extensively studied, there remain major gaps in knowledge about their organismal biology. We summarise the research opportunities in the form of hypotheses that are worth testing.

Xinjiang, as a climate-sensitive region in northwest China, holds significant importance in studying extreme weather events for agricultural production and socioeconomic development. Based on data from 52 meteorological stations and 23 extreme climate indicators in Xinjiang from 1960 to 2021, the 5a moving average, linear trend estimation, climate tendency rate, and GIS spatial analysis methods are used to analyze the distribution and change characteristics of extreme climate. The results revealed that from 1960 to 2021, TXx, TNx, TXn, TNn, FD, ID, TN10p, TX10p, and WSDI showed a significant upward trend, while SU, TR, TN90p, TX90p, and CSDI showed a significant downward trend. What is more, the range of changes in the extreme temperature indexes from 1990 to 2021 is higher than that of 1960 to 1989. The high-value areas of extreme indexes are primarily concentrated in the northern part, while the high-value areas of cold event indexes are mainly distributed in the southern part. The upward/downward trends all accounting for over 80.00% of the entire region. The Rx1day, Rx5day, PRCPTOT, R95p, R99p, R10, R20, and R25 showed a significant growth trend from 1960 to 2021, and the range of change in the extreme precipitation indexes from 1990 to 2021 was lower than that from 1960 to 1989. Moreover, their high-value areas and high climate tendency areas are mainly concentrated in the northern and western parts of Xinjiang, with upward trends all accounting for over 71.00% of the entire region. The research results provide theoretical foundations for formulating climate risk strategies in the northwest region of China.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are particularly susceptible to respiratory infections like influenza, which exacerbate symptoms and increase healthcare utilization. While smoking cessation and influenza vaccination are recommended preventive measures, their combined impact on healthcare resource utilization is underexplored. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) assesses comorbidity burden in COPD patients and may influence healthcare outcomes. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 357 COPD patients, evaluating smoking cessation success over one year and influenza vaccination receipt, stratifying patients by CCI scores. Healthcare utilization outcomes included emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and medical expenses. Results showed that 51.82% of patients quit smoking and 59.66% received influenza vaccination, with higher comorbidity prevalence in advanced COPD stages (p=0.002). Both smoking cessation and influenza vaccination independently correlated with decreased emergency room visits, hospital admissions, days, and costs. Patients who both quit smoking and received influenza vaccination exhibited the lowest healthcare utilization rates. In conclusion, smoking cessation and influenza vaccination significantly reduce healthcare resource utilization in COPD patients, with the combination yielding synergistic benefits, particularly in those with lower CCI scores. Integrating these interventions and comorbidity management in COPD strategies is essential for optimizing patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency.

A fast and effective determination method of different species of vegetable seeds oil is vital in the plant oil industry. The near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) method was developed in this study to massively analyze the oil and moisture contents of Camellia gauchowensis Chang and C. semiserrata Chi seeds kernels. In the prediction models of NIRS, the levels of accuracy obtained were sufficient for C. gauchowensis Chang and C. semiserrata Chi, the correlation coefficient of which oil were 0.983 and 0.962, respectively, while which of moisture were 0.937 and 0.907, respectively. The near infrared spectrum of crush seeds kernels was more precise compared to intact kernels. Based on the calibration models of the two Camellia species, the NIRS predictive oil contents of C. gauchowensis Chang and C. semiserrata Chi seeds kernels were 48.71 ± 8.94% and 31.71 ± 7.39%, respectively, and the NIRS predictive moisture contents were 4.39 ± 1.08% and 3.49 ± 0.71%, respectively. Compared with the traditional chemical measurement, the rapid, precise measurement of oil and moisture of C. gauchowensis Chang and C. semiserrata Chi seeds kernels can be actualized by NIRS method.

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.

This study reports rapid hydrolysis, acylation, and lipolysis with lipase B from Candida antarctica (CalB) and nanofructosome encapsulated CalB (CalB@NF) enzymes immobilized on silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles (Si-MNPs). Enzymatic hydrolysis was confirmed for conversion to p-nitrophenol (p-NP, λex=400 nm) from p-nitrophenyl butyrate (p-NPB, λex=270 nm), and various catalytic parameters such as Km, Vmax, and Kcat were calculated from Michaelis-Menten and Lineweaver-Burk plot. Efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis was in the order of CalB > Si-MNPs@CalB > CalB@NF > Si-MNPs@CalB@NF, and reusability was much better with the enzyme immobilized on Si-MNPs than with the native enzyme. Enzymatic acylation was confirmed by the formation of benzyl benzoate (λex=229 nm) from benzoic anhydride (λex=240 nm), and efficiency exceeded 99% in all samples. Finally, enzymatic lipolysis was confirmed by the decomposition of olive oil to fatty acid such as oleic acid (λex=230 nm) using thin-layer chromatography (TLC), column chromatography, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H -NMR). The lipases immobilized on Si-MNPs have the advantage of good thermal stability and reusability and are thus applicable to a wide range of industries.

The emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases caused by viruses continue to be a major public health concern globally, affecting both humans and animals. One such disease is monkeypox, a zoonotic infection caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV) that has recurred in sub-Saharan Africa over several decades. Notably, the 2022 outbreak of monkeypox in Nigeria follows a deadly outbreak in 2017, which was preceded by the disease's first recorded outbreak in 1978. Epidemiological investigations in 2017 showed no apparent link between human monkeypox cases and the outbreak that year, indicating the potential existence of multiple sources of the virus and limited human-to-human transmission. This underscores the presence of an alternative ecological niche in humans. Furthermore, in some communities in Nigeria, monkeys are regarded as sacred and not hunted or consumed, leading to their proliferation and increased likelihood of MPXV transmission. This mini-review focuses on the occurrence, epidemiological distribution, geographical distribution, endemicity, and possible solutions to reduce the spread of human monkeypox in Nigeria. The implications of this reemergence and the need for effective public health measures to prevent and control outbreaks of monkeypox are also discussed.

Commercial sleep devices and mobile-phone applications for scoring sleep are gaining ground. In order to provide reliable information about the quantity and/or quality of sleep, their performance needs to be assessed against the current gold-standard, i.e. polysomnography (PSG; measuring brain, eye and muscle activity). We here assessed some commercially available sleep trackers, namely; a commercial activity tracker: Mi band (Xiaomi, BJ, CHN), a scientific actigraph: Motionwatch 8 (CamNTech, CB, UK), and a much used sleep application: Sleep Cycle (Northcube, GOT, SE). We recorded 27 nights in healthy sleepers using PSG and these devices. Surprisingly, all devices had very poor agreement with the gold standard. Sleep parameter comparisons revealed that specifically the Mi band and the sleep cycle application had difficulties in detecting wake periods which negatively affected the total sleep time and sleep efficiency estimations. However, all 3 devices were good in detecting the most basic parameter, the actual time in bed. In summary, our results suggest that, to-date; available sleep trackers do not provide meaningful sleep analysis but may be interesting for simply tracking times in bed. A much closer interaction with the scientific field seems necessary if reliable information shall be derived from such devices in the future.

In order to obtain stable super-hydrophobicity, suitable hydrophobic treatment agent should be selected according to different materials. In this paper, cotton and poly (-ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabric was respectively coated by dodecyl methacrylate (LMA) via argon combined capacitively coupled plasma (CCP), and the surface hydrophobicity and durability of treated cotton and polyester fabrics were also discussed. An interesting phenomenon was happened that LMA coated cotton fabric (Cotton-g-LMA) had better water repellency and mechanical durability than LMA coated PET fabric (PET-g-LMA), and LMA coated hydroxyl grafted PET fabrics (PET fabrics were successively coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and LMA, PET-g-PEG&LMA) had similar performance to those of cotton fabrics. The water contact angle (WCA) of Cotton-g-LMA, PET-g-LMA and PET-g-PEG&LMA was 156 °, 153 ° and 155 °, respectively, and after 45 washing cycles or 1000 rubbing cycles, the corresponding WCA was decreased to 145 °, 88 °, 134 °and 146 °, 127 °, 143 °, respectively. Also, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and polyamides-6 (PA6) fabrics were all exhibited the same properties to PET fabric. Therefore, the grafting of hydroxyl can improve the hydrophobic effect of LMA coating and the binding property between LMA and fabrics effectively without changing the wearing comfort..

The log interpretation and evaluation of Chang 8 tight sandstone reservoir in Longdong West area, Ordos Basin, is facing great challenges due to the existence of low resistivity contrast oil pays. To better guide the exploration of oil resources in this area, the characteristics and control mechanism of low resistivity contrast oil pays were studied in this research. Firstly, according to the relative value of apparent resistivity increase rate of the target formation, the reservoir was divided into two types: low resistivity contrast oil pay (LRCP) and high resistivity oil pay (HRP). Then, the reservoir characteristics were studied by comparing and analyzing the experimental data, formation water data and logging data collected from the two reservoir types. On this basis, the control mechanism of LRCP was studied and summarized into reservoir micro factors and regional macro factors, respectively. It is found that the reservoir rock composition between LRCP and HRP is basically the same. Compared with HRP reservoir, the average porosity and permeability of LRCP reservoir are relatively better, but the pore structure is relatively poorer because of the high content of micro pores. When the filling pressure of crude oil is sufficient enough, the high oil saturation can be formed in LRCP reservoir. The high irreducible water saturation and high formation water salinity are the main micro factors reduced the reservoir resistivity. Besides, the difference of hydrocarbon expulsion capacity of source rock and the regional difference of formation water salinity are the macro factors influenced the distribution of LRCP and HRP from vertical and horizontal of the region. The formation of LRCP is controlled by the comprehensive influence of reservoir micro factors and regional macro factors. And the comprehensive consideration of the influence of micro factors and macro factors on LRCP is suggested during the log interpretation and evaluation.

In the event of an abrupt sunlight reduction scenario there is a time window that occurs between when food stores would likely run out for many countries (~6 months or less) and ~1 year when resilient foods are scaled up. A promising temporary resilient food is leaf protein concentrate (LPC). Although it is possible to extract LPC from tree biomass (e.g. leaves and needles), neither the yields nor the toxicity of the protein concentrates for humans from the most common tree species has been widely investigated. To help fill this knowledge gap, this study uses high-resolution mass spectrometry and an open source toolchain for non-targeted screening of toxins on five common North American coniferous species: Western Cedar, Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, Western Hemlock, and Lodgepole Pine. The yields for LPC extraction from the conifers ranged from 1% to 7.5%. The toxicity screenings confirm that these trees may contain toxins that can be consumed in small amounts and additional studies including measuring the quantity of each toxin are needed. The results indicate that LPC is a promising candidate to be used as resilient food, but future work is needed before LPCs from conifers can be used as a wide-scale human food.

In Taiwan, mountainous areas account for approximately two-thirds of the total area. The steep terrain and concentrated rainfall during typhoons cause landslides, which pose a considerable threat to mountain settlements. Therefore, models for analyzing rainfall-induced landslide hazards are urgently required to ensure adequate land use in mountainous areas. In this study, focusing on Pingtung County in southern Taiwan, we developed a landslide hazard index (IRL) to land use. Using FORMOSA-2 and SPOT-5 satellite images, data were collected before and after four typhoons (one in 2009 and three in 2013). The ArcGIS random tree classifier was used for interpreting satellite images to explore surface changes and disasters, which were used to analyze slope disturbances. The product of the maximum 3-h rolling rainfall intensity and effective accumulated rainfall was used as a rainfall trigger index (IRT). Considering environmental and slope disturbance factors, an index of slope environmental strength potential (ISESP) was developed through logistic regression (LR). Landslide hazard to land use was estimated using IRT and ISESP. The average coefficient of agreement (Kappa) was approximately 0.71 (medium to high accuracy); the overall accuracy of slope environmental strength potential analysis was approximately 80.4%. At a constant ISESP, IRT increased with the increasing hazard potential of rainfall-induced landslides. Furthermore, IRT and ISESP were positively correlated with landslide occurrence. When large ISESP values occur (e.g., fragile environment and high land development intensity), small IRT values may induce landslides.

The regional recycling of plant waste from municipal green space maintenance, private households and private gardens is traditionally carried out in partially open composting plants. In addition to climate-relevant gases, dust, germs and odours are emitted. Compared to aerobic rotting the pyrolysis at higher temperatures and/or reforming offers industrial utilisation of plant based biowaste, with additional availability of energetic by-products. A high-quality plant charcoal derived from a pilot plant is used in a one-year field trial to establish a theoretical comparability with substrates from composting. The advantages and disadvantages of composting and high-quality pyrolysis is shown for comparison, to foster further investigation in advanced technologies for production of plant charcoal aiming the sequester of biogenic Carbondioxide.

Zinc cobalt oxide-zinc hydroxide (ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2) microspheres were successfully fabricated on carbon cloth via a sample hydrothermal method. The surface morphology of these microspheres and their efficacy in degrading methyl violet were further modulated by varying the thermal annealing temperatures. The manipulation of thermal annealing temperatures was pivotal in adjusting the porosity of ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres to amplify their photocatalytic performance. Various analytical techniques were utilized to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of the ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres, including field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field-emission transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. Compared to untreated ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres, those subjected to thermal annealing exhibited increased specific surface area and light absorption capacity, rendering them highly effective photocatalysts under UVC light exposure. Subsequent studies have confirmed the superior performance of ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres as a reusable photocatalyst for degrading methyl violet and tetracycline. Additionally, trapping experiments during the photodegradation process involving ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres have identified hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and superoxide radicals (·O2–) as the primary reactive species.

Hierarchical tungsten oxide assemblies such as spindle-like, flowers with sharp petals, nanowires and regular hexagonal structures are successfully synthesized via a solvothermal reduction method by simply adjusting the reaction conditions. On the basis of the experimental results, it is determined that the reaction time significantly influences the phase transition, microstructure and photocatalytic activity of the prepared samples. The possible mechanisms for the phase transition and morphology evolution process have been systematically proposed. Moreover, the as-prepared products exhibit significant morphology-depended photocatalytic activity. The flower-like W18O49 prepared at 6 h possesses large specific surface area (150.1 m²g^-1), improved separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs and decreased electron-transfer resistance by the photoelectrochemical measurements. As a result, the flower-like W₁₈O₄₉ prepared at 6 h exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Methyl orange aqueous solution. The radical trap experiments showed that the degradation of MO was driven mainly by the participation of h⁺ and •O²⁻ radicals.

In Nigeria, the adoption of sustainable biomass for energy generation is on the rise. One crucial factor that affects the efficiency of Biomass utilization is the moisture content. This study investigates the economic impact of moisture at different stages of the wood biomass distribution chain, considering the entire chain. The methodology employed includes a comprehensive literature review, interviews, and economic calculations. By analyzing these factors, this research aims to provide valuable insights into the economics of moisture in wood biomass, contributing to the sustainable development of the Biomass energy sector in Nigeria. Based on the outcomes of this investigation, it has been discovered that the costs associated with moisture content in Nigeria amount to approximately ₦500,000,00 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira only). Utilizing wood Biomass with a moisture content of 32% weight, as opposed to 18% weight, has proven to be more costly. Transportation contributes to a significant portion of this increase, while the reduction in burning efficiency accounts for the remaining half. To further elaborate on these findings, it is crucial to understand that the transportation costs are impacted by the additional weight and volume of biomass with higher moisture content. This necessitates the use of more fuel and resources during transportation, resulting in increased expenses. Additionally, the decreased burning efficiency associated with higher moisture content poses a challenge. It leads to reduced energy output and increased fuel consumption, ultimately impacting the overall economic viability of wood biomass as an energy source. By identifying these factors, this study aims to provide insights into the economic implications of moisture content in the wood biomass distribution chain in Nigeria. These findings can serve as a basis for developing strategies to optimize the use of biomass, reduce costs, and enhance the sustainability of the energy generation process. One of the most convenient and cost-effective solutions to reduce transportation expenses and improve combustion efficiency is through planned air drying of wood biomass. Large-scale power plants typically prefer utilizing wood biomass that has undergone air drying, resulting in a moisture content ranging from 18% to 36% by weight. By implementing planned air-drying techniques, the moisture content of wood biomass can be significantly reduced, thereby decreasing transportation costs. As the biomass becomes lighter and less bulky, transportation requirements are optimized, leading to enhanced efficiency and reduced expenses. Moreover, air-dried wood biomass offers improved combustion characteristics. The reduced moisture content allows for better heat transfer during the combustion process, resulting in higher energy output and increased fuel efficiency. This not only improves the overall economics of utilizing wood biomass but also contributes to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy generation system. The application of planned air drying in the wood biomass distribution chain in Nigeria can serve as a practical solution to address the economic challenges associated with moisture content. By adopting this approach, stakeholders can maximize the potential of wood biomass as a renewable energy resource while minimizing costs and promoting sustainable practices.

Globally increasing antibiotic resistance has been connected to the use of antibiotics in medical, veterinary, and agricultural medicine, contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Asia and Europe. The main objective of this study was to correlations of antimicrobial-resistant of various pathogens in three compartments: humans, animals and the environment in India and Germany. A systematic search was carried out in Medline via PubMed, Google Scholar, and science direct, including studies published in 2022. Out of 532 papers, 24 were considered for meta-analysis. This study reveals that in India, β-lactam is highly resistant in animals. Quinolone, on the other hand, was highly resistant in humans. Furthermore, in the environment and integrated studies, aminoglycosides and β-lactams is resistant. While in Germany, a high rate of AMR resistance in all three sectors was reported in β-lactam. However, E. coli was the most frequent pathogen in both countries and is highly resistant to β-lactam, followed by cephalosporin in all the compartments. Monitoring and evaluating antibiotic-sensitivity patterns and developing proper antibiotic regimens may lead to improved outcomes for inhibiting and controlling E. coli infections in various parts of the world.

The objective of this work is to analyze the improvement of heat transfer in trapezoidal fin heat exchangers using numerical simulation. Heat exchangers are essential components frequently used in contemporary electronic gadgets to effectively disperse heat produced by high-power components. Nevertheless, as electronic devices continue to advance and become more powerful, the heat transfer capacity of heat exchangers is facing more requirements, therefore requiring enhanced heat dissipation efficiency. Afterwards, various fin angles were adjusted, and the heat transmission efficiency was compared. Modifying the angles can significantly improve the effi-ciency of convective heat dissipation. Moreover, it has been found that employing an optimized trapezoidal fin structure can further enhance the efficiency of heat transfer. The results indicate that trapezoidal fin heat exchangers provide superior heat dissipation efficiency compared to conventional heat exchangers. This is important for enhancing the thermal dissipation capabili-ties of electrical gadgets, hence guaranteeing steady functionality and extending their longevity. Subsequent study might explore supplementary methods to boost heat transmission in different heat exchanger configurations in order to meet the growing requirements for heat dissipation.

The allocation of funding for higher education typically focuses on competition in neoliberal mechanisms. Surprisingly, much less attention has been paid to considering the effect of fund locations for sustainable development through public goods purposes in neoliberal contexts. This study aims to examine specific funding schemes and determine the influential factors impacting funding for teaching, research, and public goods transformation. Taking Taiwan's Higher Education Sprout Project (HESP) as an example, we explored the effect of policy initiatives on public goods transformation towards sustainable development. The data were collected from the Ministry of Education and Scopus databases. First, a regression analysis was conducted to determine which factors influence the effect of funding allocations in academic institutes. Second, we used logistic regression to detect the effects of the system and the sector. Third, we used partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to explore the causal effects among the selected impact variables on expected outcomes. Finally, we used the bootstrap method to demonstrate the model’s robustness. Our study found that only diversity was shown in private technology groups receiving less HESP funding. At the same time, it did not widen the differences in the sector and system in the transformation process. Our findings suggest that funding allocations will not affect teaching and research based on sectors and systems. In contrast, this study demonstrates that transforming public goods through special funding can play a critical role in leading sustainable development in higher education.

Abstract. Graphene family (GF)-Calcium phosphate (CaP) composites, holds great potential as components of bone regeneration materials. GF nanomaterials can be modified physically as well as chemically, which are to be biomimetic, mechanically to be hard due to their capability to support exceptional mechanical, thermal and electronic properties. These biocompatible GF composites coated on the calcium phosphate can enhance and tolerate stem cell growth and differentiation, proliferation into various lineages or interact with bioorganisms. The development in CF-CaP materials and their physicochemical/biointeractions and strategies towards osteoblasts is a great concern to promote faster healing and reconstructions of large bone imperfections or defects. In this review, we explain the influence of the CF-CaP and summarize recent developments on designing CF-CaP architectures as multifunctional bone regeneration platforms. We have also explored the typical biological applications concerning these CF-CaP based bioactive nanocomposites. Furthermore, the future viewpoints and evolving challenges will also be emphasized. Due to the shortage of full-length reviews in this emerging research field, this review would be caught great attention and encourage various new chances across a wider range of disciplines.

Successful translation of biofortified orange maize (BOM) to a household staple food is dependent on farmers’ ability to cultivate the maize and it subsequent utilization. In this study, we assessed farmers ‘allocation of their land to cultivation of BOM and con-ventional white maize (CWM) varieties in districts where AFI-KEPO Nutrition Program is implemented in Malawi. Results show farmers were skeptical of allocating more land to cultivation of BOM. CWM was allocated significantly more land (1.75 ± 0.51 acres) than BOM (1.12 ± 0.32 acres) (p

Maize is the staple cereal in Malawi, with a daily per capita consumption of 383g (dry matter basis), primarily consumed as dehulled maize flour used to cook nsima, a thick porridge. However, the extent of mass and nutrient loss during dehulling remains unclear in this food-insecure country, where the household maize harvest typically lasts only 6–7 months. In the current study, a milling experiment to determine yield and micronutrient losses was conducted. Milling batches (30 kg) of four maize grain varieties were dehulled at three abrasive disk dehullers under controlled conditions. Mass losses ranged from 18.8% to 42.7%, with a mean of 28.2±5.7%. Maize variety and dehuller significantly affected mass loss (p<0.05). Initial protein, iron, and zinc concentrations were 8.8 ±1.0 g/100g, 20.5±2.0 µg/g, and 18.2 ±2.6 µg/g, respectively. Post-dehulling nutrient true retention varied for protein (49.7% to 75.6%, mean=64.7±7.0%), iron (18.7% to 71.6%, mean=37.6±12.0 %), and zinc (11.0% to 46.2%, mean=27.9±8.7 %). Maize variety significantly influenced mass and protein loss (p < 0.05), while dehuller influenced mass, iron, and zinc losses. However, no significant difference (p > 0.05) was found in the interaction between dehullers and variety on mass and nutrient losses, respectively. Given Malawi's precarious food insecurity situation, transitioning from dehulled maize flour nsima to whole maize flour or less refined nsima, is imperative. Our study findings can have food and nutritional savings for other southern Africa countries where the dehulling practice is rampant.

Background. Metronidazole treats obligate anaerobic bacterial and protozoal infections, with an elimination half-life of around eight hours. The long elimination half-life, the favorable ratio of steady-state serum levels to minimum inhibitory concentration, and the presence of active metabolites lead to consideration of metronidazole use at 12-hour dosage intervals. This systematic review aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of twice-daily and thrice-daily metronidazole dosing. Methods. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to systematically identify all relevant studies published up to June 16, 2023. Results. The final analysis included two published retrospective cohort studies; a single site (n = 200) and a multisite study (n = 85) of ‘good’ quality, as measured by the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The reported baseline characteristics of the 8-hour and 12-hour dosing groups were comparable, and neither study identified significant differences in primary and secondary clinical outcomes. Meta-analysis of the need to escalate antibiotic therapy also showed no statistically significant differences using the Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effect method (95% CI: 47.6% lower to 6.4 times higher risk, p = 0.342) and inverse-variance method (RR: 1.87, 95% CI: 0.52-6.65, p = 0.336). Conclusions. Dosing metronidazole every 12 hours is as effective as every 8-hour dosing for anaerobic infections. Healthcare systems may consider the adoption of every 12-hour metronidazole dosing with continued evaluation of patient outcomes.

Entrepreneurship has been viewed as an opportunity for economic development and changing economic scenarios in global markets. Women are viewed as a reservoir of entrepreneurial talent, so they can be growth engines in novel markets. Previous studies have considered entrepreneurship as the most effective way towards the economic empowerment of women. Female students engaged in entrepreneurial education have been addressed persistently, while what transforms them in an education process is still unclear. Considering the transforming global economy and its influence on higher education, this study aims to detect female students transforming entrepreneurial competency, mindset, and intention into sustainable entrepreneurship. Using a self-compiled survey, we targeted 752 female students to investigate their entrepreneurial competency, mindset, and intention. SPSS and AMOS were used to transform the data for interpretation. We assumed that the impact of female students’ entrepreneurial competency could be modified by an entrepreneurial mindset and result in entrepreneurial intention. To detect this causal relationship, this study employed reliability, factor, structural equation modeling (SEM), and bootstrap-ping analyses to verify the evidence. The result of the SEM confirms that female students’ entrepreneurial competency will, through their entrepreneurial mindset, impact entrepreneurial intention. With bootstrapping, 5000 samples were collected, and it was demonstrated that the measure constructs were still reliable in the model. This study found that there is a mediation effect between entrepreneurial competency and entrepreneurial intention. The entrepreneurial mindset plays a crucial role in the transformation process. Without an entrepreneurial mindset, entrepreneurial competency cannot exert a significant effect on entrepreneurial intention. The findings can help reinvent related entrepreneurial education in higher education.

The continuous casting process of helical fiber reinforced metal matrix composites was proposed, and the experimental equipment was designed and manufactured. The relationship model be-tween the process parameters and the helical shape of the fibers in the metal matrix is analyzed by differential geometry. Helical carbon fiber reinforced lead matrix composites were prepared under different conditions. When the melting temperature and cooling intensity were increased, the helical radius of helical carbon fiber in lead matrix was increased. When the fiber rotation speed was increased, the helical radius was decreased, and the helical pitch was de-creased proportionally. The experimental results are consistent with the process model. Carbon fiber rein-forced aluminum composites were prepared. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the infiltration between the aluminum matrix and the carbon fiber was not complete. As the volume fraction of carbon fiber which was added in composites is too small, the mechanical properties of the composites have not been significantly improved.

The increased consumption of high fat-containing foods has been linked to the prevalence of obesity and abnormal metabolic syndromes. Rhizopus oligosporus, a fungus in the family Mucoraceae, is widely used as a starter for homemade tempeh. Although R. oligosporus can prevent the growth of other microorganisms, it grows well with lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Lactobacillus plantarum can produce β-glucosidase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucoside isoflavones into aglycones (with greater bioavailability). Therefore, the development of a soybean-based functional food by the co-inoculation of R. oligosporus and L. plantarum is a promising approach to increase the bioactivity of tempeh. In this study, the ameliorative effect of L. plantarum in soy tempeh on abnormal carbohydrate metabolism in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperglycemic rats was evaluated. The co-incubation of L. plantarum with R. oligosporus during soy tempeh fermentation reduced the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, HbA1c, serum glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, free fatty acid, insulin, and low-density lipoprotein contents and significantly increased the high-density lipoprotein content in HFD rats. It also increased the LAB counts as well as the bile acid, cholesterol, triglyceride, and short-chain fatty acid contents in the feces of HFD rats. Our results suggested that the modulation of serum glucose and lipid levels by LAB occurs via alterations in the internal microbiota, leading to the inhibition of cholesterol synthesis and promotion of lipolysis. Tempeh, produced with both L. plantarum and R. oligosporus, may be a beneficial dietary supplement for individuals with abnormal carbohydrate metabolism.

The Cav3.2 T-type calcium channel is implicated in various pathological conditions, including cardiac hypertrophy, epilepsy, autism, and chronic pain. Phosphorylation of Cav3.2 by multiple kinases plays a pivotal role in regulating its calcium channel function. The calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine phosphatase, calcineurin, interacts physically with Cav3.2 and modulates its activity. However, it remains unclear whether calcineurin dephosphorylates Cav3.2, the specific spatial regions on Cav3.2 involved, and the extent of the quantitative impact. In this study, we elucidated the serine/threonine residues on Cav3.2 targeted by calcineurin using quantitative mass spectrometry. We identified six serine residues in the N-terminus, II-III loop, and C-terminus of Cav3.2 that were dephosphorylated by calcineurin. Notably, a higher level of dephosphorylation was observed in the Cav3.2 C-terminus, where calcineurin binds to this channel. Additionally, a previously known CaMKII-phosphorylated site, S1198, was found to be dephosphorylated by calcineurin. Furthermore, we also discovered that a novel CaMKII-phosphorylated site, S2137, underwent dephosphorylation by calcineurin. In CAD cells, a mouse central nervous system cell line, membrane depolarization led to an increase in the phosphorylation of endogenous Cav3.2 at S2137. Mutation of S2137 affected the calcium channel function of Cav3.2. Our findings advance the understanding of Cav3.2 regulation not only through kinase phosphorylation but also via calcineurin phosphatase dephosphorylation.

Abstract: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a continually advancing respiratory disorder, characterized by enduring airflow limitation along with long-lasting inflammation in the airways. An expanding pool of evidence is emphasizing how mitochondrial dysfunction directly impacts the development and progression of COPD. This comprehensive review delves deeper into the intricate cellular and molecular biology of mitochondria within the framework of COPD, spotlighting significant alterations in structure and function that accompany mitochondrial dysfunction. In this narrative, we delve into the observed changes in mitochondrial shape, behavior, and respiratory chain complex alterations seen in individuals afflicted with COPD. The discussion includes implications on cellular signaling pathways and how this affects the natural process of programmed cellular death (apoptosis) and cellular aging, particularly in reference to COPD. Additionally, we consolidate ongoing therapeutic strategies, honing in on the management of COPD through a focus on mitochondrial dysfunction. Prominent among these strategies is the potential role of antioxidants and mitochondrial biogenesis inducers, which are emerging as promising fields of intervention. Furthermore, we embark on an overview of the possible use of mitochondrial biomarkers as innovative tools in diagnosing COPD, evaluating disease progression, and monitoring the efficacy of COPD treatments. As we unravel the rather complex interplay between mitochondrial biology and COPD, this review highlights the critical importance of formulating treatments that target mitochondrial dysfunction. The ultimate goal of these strategic interventions is to slow down the rate of COPD progression and significantly improve patient outcomes. Lastly, though our understanding of the nexus between COPD and mitochondrial dysfunction has significantly enhanced, ample scope remains for further investigation. Improved insights into the mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction, discovered biomarkers, and targeted therapies could encompass a revolutionary step towards comprehensive disease management. The future of COPD treatment seems to lean towards a combination of strategies, prioritizing not only the management of symptoms but also focused on preserving and restoring lung function, improving physical capacity, and enhancing quality of life for COPD patients.

Commuting is a vital travel channel for college students throughout their higher education career; nevertheless, excessive commute time negatively impacts students’ school satisfaction, academic achievement, health, and quality of life. Meanwhile, few studies have explored students’ commute time, covering a large population and scope. Therefore, this study analyzes the dwelling type that influences college and graduate students’ school commute times in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, using data from the 2016 Household Travel Diary Survey. This study uses spatial data on housing development to classify five dwelling types (i.e., new town, housing site development, Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do). A multiple linear regression model empirically analyses students’ household and personal characteristics. The results reveal that dwelling type significantly affects students’ commute time. Specifically, Students living in Seoul have a shorter commute to school than those living in new towns. Socioeconomic characteristics have less effect on college and graduate students' school commute time. This study discusses the problem of excessive commuting of college and graduate students in new towns.

This study explores the public library service evaluation domain through user-generated content on Google Maps, highlighting digital feedback's significant yet underexplored potential in understanding public library patronage across Taiwan's six major cities. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, this study integrates Google Maps review content analysis with Social Network Analysis to delineate public perceptions and identify areas for service enhancement in public libraries. It innovatively leverages personal experiences extracted from over 60,000 Google Maps reviews to evaluate public library services in cities such as Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. The research taps into the National Library of Taiwan's National Library Statistics System to provide a robust analysis of library performance and user satisfaction, offering a novel perspective by emphasizing user-centric feedback from Google Maps as a primary data source. This approach provides quantitative data on library usage and geographic distribution and enriches our understanding of the qualitative experiences of library users. In analyzing the keywords from Google Maps reviews of public libraries, we categorize and interpret these under the three core LibQUAL+ dimensions—Affect of Service, Information Control, and Library as Place. The findings expose variances in perceived service quality among the cities, with Kaohsiung and Taichung receiving the highest accolades for service satisfaction. Simultaneously, the study identifies potential areas for improvement, particularly in cities with lower satisfaction ratings like Taipei. This personalized feedback illustrates the intimate relationship between public libraries and their communities, offering invaluable insights for policymakers and library management to enhance service delivery and user experience.

Concrete cracks and local damage can affect the bond performance between concrete and steel bars, thereby reducing the durability of reinforced concrete structures. Compared with general concrete crack repair methods, biomineralization repair not only has effective bonding capabilities but is also particularly environmentally friendly. In view of this, this study aimed to apply biomineralization technology to repair damaged fiber-reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC). Two groups of LWAC specimens were prepared. The control group used lightweight aggregates (LWAs) without bacterial spores and nutrient sources, and the experimental group used LWAs containing bacterial spores and nutrient sources. These specimens were first subjected to compression tests and pull-out tests, respectively, and thus were damaged. After the damaged specimen healed itself in different ways for 28 days, secondary compression and pull-out tests were conducted. The self-healing method of the control group involved placing the specimens in an incubator. The experimental group was further divided into experimental group I and experimental group II. The self-healing method of experimental group I was the same as that of the control group. The self-healing method of experimental group II involved soaking the specimen in a mixed solution of urea and calcium acetate for two days, and then taking it out and placing it in an incubator for two days, with a cycle of four days. The test results showed that, compared with the control group specimens, the relative bond strength ratio of the experimental group II specimens increased by 17.9%. Moreover, the EDS and XRD analysis results confirmed that the precipitate formed at the crack was calcium carbonate, which improved the compressive strength and bond strength after self-healing. This indicates that the biomineralization maintenance method used in experimental group II is more effective.

In 2020 the world experienced the threat of the COVID-19 epidemic, as seniors and chronic disease patients typically try to reduce their exercise and social activities to avoid increasing the risk of infection, which could lead to increased loneliness and even many diseases. This research combining golf croquet games with AIoT companion robots constructs a home-based intelligent exercise system thus uses the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), deduces users’ intention to use this system based on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, and adds the needs of love and belonging, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, and self-actualization in Maslow’s needs theory to conduct system needs analysis. The analysis results show that participants have a high level of acceptance of this system, believing that it is easy to learn and operate, can increase interaction with others, also found that this system can improve self-confirmation, satisfying the third for knowledge, feeling happy, and self-actualization needs are easier to fulfill. In the future, we shall collect and record the seniors in the process of use, so as to find out their health problems as soon as possible, expand their daily life through this exercise, and achieve the goal of happy living and health care.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common form of presenile dementia; however, its diagnosis has been poorly investigated. Previous attempts to diagnose FTD using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) have yielded inconsistent results in both spectral and functional connectivity analyses. This study aimed to introduce an accurate qEEG marker that could be used to diagnose FTD and other neurological abnormalities. We used open-access electroencephalography data from OpenNeuro to investigate the power ratio between the frontal and temporal lobes in the resting state of 23 patients with FTD and 29 healthy controls. Spectral data were extracted using a Fast Fourier Transform in the delta (1–4 Hz), theta (4–8 Hz), alpha (8–13 Hz), beta (13–32 Hz), and gamma (32–45 Hz) bands. We found that the spectral power ratio between the frontal and temporal lobes is a promising qEEG marker of FTD. Frontal/temporal (F/T) theta/alpha, alpha/theta, al-pha/gamma, and gamma/alpha showed a consistently high discrimination score for the diagnosis of FTD for different parameters and referencing methods. The study findings can serve as reference for future research focused on diagnosing FTD and other neurological anomalies.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a non-protein-producing amino acid, is extensively found in microorganisms, plants and vertebrates, and is abundantly expressed in the spinal cord and brain. To date, GABA is considered to be the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Its physiological effects are related to the regulation of synaptic transmission, the promotion of neuronal development and relaxation, and the prevention of insomnia and depres-sion. Mediated through its specific receptors, it plays a pivotal role in the control of neuronal ex-citability, which can serve as anovel target for developing analgesics for pain management. This review provides an update on the accumulating evidence of specific GABA receptors and their subtypes in the involvement of pain analgesia.

Since first described by Dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki in 1967, the clinical diagnosis of Kawasaki disease (KD) has remained relatively unchanged. However, studies since then have suggested that diagnoses using only that original clinical criteria may lead to underdiagnosis. In this review, updated KD diagnostic methods, diagnostic methods for “atypical” KD, diagnostic pitfalls, and other differential diagnoses are discussed. Peripheral blood eosinophil showed important in distinguishing KD from febrile children. We review herein the current literature regarding new biomarkers, scoring systems, and microRNA panels that may aid in the diagnosis of KD, the importance of eosinophil and treatment updates.

The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly advancing despite public health measures. Pharmaceutical prophylaxis is an established approach to potentially control infectious diseases and is one solution to the urgent public health challenge posed by COVID-19. Screening and development of new vaccines and antivirals is expensive and time consuming while the repositioning of available drugs should receive priority attention as well as international government and agency support. Here we propose an old drug chloroquine (CQ) to be urgently repositioned as an ideal antiviral prophylactic against COVID-19. CQ has ability to block viral attachment and entry to host cells. Its proven clinical efficacy against a variety of viruses including COVID-19 and its current deployment in COVID-19 therapeutic trials strengthens its potential candidacy as a prophylactic. Furthermore, CQ has a long safety record, is inexpensive and widely available. Here we reviewed CQ's antiviral mechanisms, its laboratory efficacy activity against COVID-19, as well as CQ's pharmacokinetics in its established use against malaria and autoimmune diseases to recommend safe and potentially efficacious dose regimens for protection against COVID-19: a pre-exposure prophylaxis of 250-500mg daily and post-exposure prophylaxis at 8mg/kg/day for 3 days. We recommend further urgent research on CQ for COVID-19 prevention and urge that the above regimens be investigated in parallel with mass deployment by relevant agencies in attempts to contain the pandemic without unnecessary regulatory delays as benefits far outweigh risks or costs.

The objective is to describe infant feeding practices and the nutritional status of infants under six months among Syrian refugees in Greater Beirut, Lebanon. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Syrian refugee mothers with children under five years (July-October 2018), mothers with infants under six months were included in the analysis (n=114). Additionally, eleven focus groups discussions were conducted to explore supportive factors and barriers associated with early breastfeeding practices. The prevalence of pre-lacteal feeding was high (62.5%), whereas early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) was low (31%), and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) very low (24.6%). About one-fifth of the infants were suffering from anemia (20.5%) and 9.6% were wasted. Supporting factors of adequate infant feeding practices comprised knowledge on maternal nutrition and EBF, in addition to receiving support from healthcare professionals and family members. Identified barriers included preterm delivery, pre-lacteal feeding, an at-risk waist circumference and moderate to severe depression among mothers, bottle feeding, early introduction of food, maternal health reasons, breastmilk substitutes’ distribution, and misinformation offered by mothers-in-law. To address sub-optimal feeding practices documented among Syrian refugees in our study, existing infant and young child feeding policies and programs need to be strengthened and revised to tackle the identified gaps.

In many developing countries, plastic waste management is left to citizens. This usually results in hazardous landfilling or open-air burning, leading to emissions that are harmful to human health and the environment. An easy, profitable, and clean method of processing and transforming the waste into value is required. In this context, this study provides an open-source methodology to transform low-density polyethylene drinking water sachets, into pavement blocks by using a streamlined do-it-yourself approach that requires only modest capital. Two different materials, sand, and ashes are evaluated as additives in plastic composites and the mechanical strength of the resulting blocks are tested for different proportion mix of plastic, sand, and ash. The best composite had an elastic modulus of 169MPa, a compressive strength of 29MPa, and a water absorptivity of 2.2%. The composite pavers can be sold at 100% profit while employing workers at 1.5X the minimum wage. In the West African region, this technology has the potential to produce 19 million pavement tiles from 28,000 tons of plastic water sachets annually in Ghana, Nigeria, and Liberia. This can contribute to waste management in the region while generating a gross revenue of 2.85 billion XOF (4.33 million USD).

In Taiwan, colorectal cancer is ranked second and third in terms of mortality and cancer incidence, respectively. In addition, medical expenditures related to colorectal cancer are considered to be the third highest. While advances in treatment strategies have provided cancer patients with longer survival, potentially harmful second primary cancers can occur. Therefore, second primary colorectal cancer analysis is an important issue with regard to clinical management. In this study, a novel predictive scheme was developed for predicting the risk factors associated with second colorectal cancer in patients with colorectal cancer by integrating five data mining classification techniques, including support vector machine, random forest, multivariate adaptive regression splines, extreme learning machine, and extreme gradient boosting. In total, 4,287 patients in the datasets provided by three hospital tumor registries were used. Our empirical results revealed that this proposed predictive scheme provided promising classification results and the identification of important risk factors for predicting second colorectal cancer based on accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve metrics. Collectively, our clinical findings suggested that the most important risk factors were the combined stage, age at diagnosis, BMI, surgical margins of the primary site, tumor size, sex, regional lymph nodes positive, grade/differentiation, primary site, and drinking behavior. Accordingly, these risk factors should be monitored for the early detection of second primary tumors in order to improve treatment and intervention strategies.

The value of an NBA basketball player varies at each crucial point in time, depending on the player’s career and performance. This study constructs a player’s value assessment model. The model comprises two parts. First, from an objective perspective, entropy is employed to measure each player’s achievement in five categories—rebounds, assists, steals, blocked shots, and scores. The total entropy assessment value is calculated and then combined with the players’ scores to develop a player's value matrix to assess the relative value model among players of the same type.

Accurate and reliable mid-long runoff prediction (MLTRP) is of great importance in water re-sources management. However the MLTRP is not suitable in each basin and how to evaluate the applicability of MLTRP is still a question. Therefore, the total mutual information (TMI) index is developed in this study based on the predictor selection method using mutual information (MI) and partial MI (PMI). The relationship between the TMI and the predictive performance of five models is analyzed by applying five models in 222 forecasting scenarios in Australia. The results over 222 forecasting scenarios demonstrate that, compared with the MI, the developed TMI index can better represent the available information in the predictors, and has more significant negative correlation with the RRMSE with the correlation coefficient between -0.62 and -0.85. This means the model's predictive performance will become better along with the increase of TMI, and there-fore the developed TMI index can be used to evaluate the applicability of MLTRP. When TMI is more than 0.1, the available information in the predictors can support the construction of MLTRP models. In addition, the TMI is used to partly explain the difference of predictive performance among five models. In general, the complex models, which can better utilize the contained infor-mation, are more sensitive to the TMI, and have more significant improvement in terms of predic-tive performance along with the increase of TMI. This research can provide support for the study of MLTRP.

The nonlinear dynamics exhibited by aircraft flying at high angle of attack (AOA) pose great challenges to the design of flight control. The control design based on nonlinear dynamic inversion (NDI) is to reversely find the required control input based on the current nonlinear dynamics of the aircraft and the control objectives to be achieved. Since it is derived from the nonlinear dynamics of the aircraft, a single NDI controller can cover the entire flight envelope without the need for controller switching or gain scheduling. This paper employs the layered structure of the flight control loop to implement the NDI controller through the combination of aerodynamic control and thrust vectoring control (TVC). The resulting NDI controller is applied to an experimental F-16 installed with TVC to verify its high AOA maneuverability in the post-stall region. The verification simulation shows that the experimental F-16 under the NDI control can effectively track the high AOA command and successfully demonstrate the Herbst maneuver by performing the heading reversal with 70° AOA.

The application of Virtual Reality in a driving simulation is not novel, yet little is known about the use of this technology by senior populations. The effects of age, sex, control device (joystick or handlebar), and task type on wayfinding proficiency using a virtual reality (VR) driving simulation were explored. The driving experimental model involved 96 randomly recruited participants, including 48 young people and 48 seniors (split evenly by gender in each group). The experimental results and statistical analyses indicate that in a VR driving scenario task type significantly affected VR driving performance. Navigational scores were significantly higher for the straight (easy) task than for the curved (difficult) task. The aging effect was the main reason for significant and interacting effects of sex and control device. It was found that interactions between age and sex difference indicated that the young group exhibited better wayfinding performance than the senior group, and in the young group males had better performance than females. Similarly, interactions between age and control device indicated that the handlebar control device type resulted in better performance than the joystick device in the young group, but no difference was found in the senior group due to age or learning effects. Findings provide an understanding of the evaluation of the interface designs of navigational support systems, taking into consideration any effects of age, sex, control device, and task type within three-dimensional VR games and driving systems. With a VR driving simulator, seniors can test drive inaccessible products, such as electric bicycles or cars, using a computer at home.

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies show potential for the development of functionally integrated lightweight designs, biomimetic structures and material savings. Typically, as-built surfaces show powder particle agglomerations and re-entrant features, leading to rough surfaces, which are associated with poor fatigue performance. To benefit from the full range of advantages with special focus on aerospace applications, critical features for crack initiation when subjected to fatigue loading need to be identified and mitigated. A first step toward achieving this goal is the surface texture characterisation based on the quantification of surface features. In this paper, selected areal height, functional and feature parameters from ISO 25178-2:2022 are generated and process-specific features are examined for as-built AlSi7Mg0.6 from laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB). A connection with the particle size distribution of the used powder is demonstrated. It is shown that surface feature analysis opens up opportunities to use physically meaningful surface characteristics in future quality assurance and part qualification processes.

Among the plethora of financial management tools available, stock investments stand out as the most recognizable and widely accepted option. However, investors often make buying and selling decisions based on unverified information provided by stock analysts. Since the credibility of this information remains uncertain, it frequently results in investment losses. Ordinary investors relying solely on rumors often miss out on prime opportunities for buying and selling stocks. In the current volatile investment landscape, various investment strategies cater to different situations. If individuals can effectively identify opportunities within this complex environment and dynamically adapt suitable investment strategies at any given time, substantial returns can be achieved. The ability of investors to promptly detect shifts in the current stock market environment and make accurate decisions regarding stock selection, timing, and capital allocation strategies is of utmost importance. This study presents a dynamic framework for investment decision support, which utilizes evolutionary strategies to determine the optimal timing for key strategic tools such as stock selection, timing, and capital allocation. By leveraging historical data for training and testing, this approach aims to assist investors in adapting to the ever-changing stock market environment. If investors can successfully identify and implement an appropriate investment strategy to aid in making accurate decisions, it is possible to achieve significant excess returns.

Neurotrauma continues to contribute to significant mortality and disability. The need for better protective equipment is apparent. This review focuses on improved helmet design and the necessi-ty for continued research. We start by highlighting current innovations in helmet design for sport and subsequent utilization in the lay community for construction. The current standards by sport and organization are summarized. We then address current standards within the military envi-ronment. The pathophysiology is discussed with emphasis on how helmets provide protection. As innovative designs emerge, protection against secondary injury becomes apparent. Much research is needed, but this focused paper is intended to serve as a catalyst for improvement in helmet de-sign and implementation to provide more efficient and reliable neuroprotection across broad arenas.

In the Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), the investigations showed a wide range of active molecules their biological properties. However, most of these studies were conducted on the wid varieties, while cultivated plan addressed. This study aimed to characterize the biomolecules and biological activities of Lemongrass growing us African conditions sons in in Marocco. Marocco. Phenolic compound profiles of aqueous (AE) E) ethanol ethanol (EE), (EE), and methanol (ME) extract: fractions were obtained with steric exclusion chromatography on Sephadex 050 gel and identified by LC-MS/MS polyphenols (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), and antioxidant activities (FRAP: scavenging value and TAC: Total Antioxidant C the fraction were evaluated as well as the antimicrobial activity Obtained results showed that the ME contained e compounds (ie. Apigenine-7-0-rutinoside and myricitine-3-0-rutinoside). The AE showed the presence of five mole kaemiferol-3-0-glucuronide), while EE showed the presence of three molecules (Le. Quercetine-3-0-rutinoside). Reg chemical characterization, the rization, e highest value of Total phenolic content (TPC) was obtained in conten btained in AE ΑΕ (25) (4.60-0.29 mg highest value of Total flavonoids content (TFC) was obtained Ined in ME (29) (0.7±0.08 mg/g). Concerning the antioxide the highest FRAP was obtained in ME (29) (97.89%) and the highest total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was obtained (89.89%) Correlation between FRAP, TPC, and TFC was noted poly in fractions of AE and ME. All tested extracts of and their fractions showed a significant antimicrobial effect. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) wa for ME against E. col. Extracts biological activities and their fractions were governed by their active molecules. Ther new and clarify a novel aspect of bioactive molecules in the extracts of cultivated C. citratus Equaly, throughout this we clarified the relationship between identified molecules and their biological properties including antioxidant and comparative studies new activities, which is new for the study area. This study is suggested to be a reference. assays of other biological activities for the study plant

Allocations of funding for higher education have typically focused on competition in neoliberal mechanisms. Surprisingly, much less attention has been paid to considering the effect of fund allocations for public goods purposes in neoliberal contexts. This study aims to examine specific funding schemes and determine the influential factors impacting the funding for teaching, research, and public goods intention. Taking Taiwan's Higher Education Sprout Project (HESP) as a unique example, we explored the effect of policy initiatives on public goods transformation. The data was collected from the Ministry of Education and Scopus database. First, the t-test and ANOVA were used to detect the differences between the system and sector; Second, regression analysis was used to determine influential factors for funding allocations; Final, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to explore the causal effects among the selected variables. The study found that only diversity was shown in private technology groups receiving less HESP funding. The findings suggest that the funding allocation may not affect teaching and research based on sectors and systems. In contrast, this study demonstrates that transforming the public good through special funding can play a critical role in policy intention in neoliberal higher education.

Owing to their extraordinary properties, carbon-based nanomaterials are gaining traction in biomedicine. Green synthesis is the cost-effective method for fabricating carbon-based nanomaterials due to its rapidity, renewable nature, and sustainability. This study emphasis on the graphene oxide (GO) reduction using a simple one-pot technique that does not require the use of toxic reducing agents. This article reports the green synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) using Hibiscus sabdariffa L. calyxes extract as the natural reducing agent. Additionally, this article also provides analysis RGO using X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and Raman spectroscopy. XRD result showed that the GO peak at 11o diminished, and a new hump appear at 22o indicating that the GO is fully reduced when it is refluxed for 6 hours, at 100oC with 1:3 ratio of GO:PE. The UV-Vis data indicated absorption peak of GO (237 nm) and RGO (265 nm) at distinct locations. This finding shed new light on the enormous potential of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. calyxes extract for green GO reduction. As a result, this environmentally friendly method can help reduce dependence on chemical materials.

In order to achieve the dual carbon goal and simplify the decarbonization process, a CO2 recovery process of the fire-flooding exhaust was designed. The process adopted the two-stage membrane separation method to recover CO2 and obtain high purity CO2 rich flow, and then through the mixed refrigerant liquefaction and rectification column, food grade liquid CO2 was obtained. HYSYS process simulation shows that for the fire-flooding exhaust with a flow rate of 1000 kg/h and a given composition, the process can achieve a CO2 recovery of 69.02%, total product sales S=2086.8 yuan/h, and specific power consumption of 2.818 kW∙h/kg. On this basis, a hybrid simulation platform of HYSYS & Matlab was established. Taking the specific power consumption of the product as the objective function, sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm was adopted to optimize the process, and the optimized specific power consumption was reduced by 18.8%. Finally, by adjusting N2/CO2 components, the adaptability of the optimization condition was analyzed.

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

As the natural resources are getting exhausted, the concept of sustainable development of region has received increasing attentions, especially for resource-dependent cities. In this paper an innovative method that emergy analysis and IPAT (Human Impact Population Affluence Technology) model were combined in order to analyze the quantitative relationship of economic growth and energy consumption and further to evaluate its overall sustainability level. Taiyuan, a traditional, resource-dependent city in China, is selected as the case study region. The main results show that total emergy of Taiyuan increased from 9.023× 1023 sej in 2007 to 9.116× 1023sej in 2014, with 38% reduction on non-renewable emergy and 125% growth on imported emergy. Regional emergy money ratio (RMB) was reduced by 48% from 5.31× 1013sej/$ in 2007 to 2.74× 1013sej/$ in 2014, indicating that the increasing speed of consuming resources and energy was faster than the increase of GDP, and that Taiyuan’s money purchasing power declined. The lower emergy sustainability index (ESI) indicates that Taiyuan was explored and produced large quantities of mineral resources, which puts more stress on the environment as a consequence, and that this is not sustainable in the long run. The IPAT analysis demonstrates that Taiyuan sticks to the efforts of energy conservation and environmental protection, in order to promote regional sustainable development, it is necessary to take an integrated effort. Policy insights suggest that resourceful regions should improve include energy and resource efficiency, optimizing energy and resourceful structure.

The three-pronged sliding universal coupling is a new kind of three-pronged coupling. To study its kinematic and dynamic characteristics, directional cosine matrices are utilized as tools to analyze the coordinate systems by establishing simplified geometric models and corresponding motions. Through the analysis of the motions of the input and output shafts and employing the method of single-force element, a set of equilibrium equations for the forces acting on the output shaft and the input shaft are formulated for solution analysis. The research indicates that during the rotation process, there exists a small angular difference between the input shaft and the intermediate shaft, demonstrating the quasi-constant angular velocity characteristics of the new tripod sliding universal coupling. The curves of the forces and torques acting on each component of the coupling approximate sinusoidal curves. The optimal operating angle range for the new tripod universal coupling is at angle , during which the system exhibits good transmission and mechanical performance.

In an IoT system, the sheer volume of data generated by numerous sensing devices necessitates a well-designed scheme for storing and retrieving data efficiently, enabling streamlined data processing and analytics. One promising storage architecture involves utilizing solid-state drives (SSDs) to cache data from hard disk drives (HDDs), thereby creating an SSD-based caching storage system. To further enhance access performance, it is possible to employ readahead techniques to minimize data access latency. However, the existing Linux readahead scheme falls short in fully leveraging SSD-based caching storage systems. We address this limitation by introducing a novel cross-layered readahead architecture that effectively communicates with the VFS layer, the file system layer, and the block I/O layer. This communication facilitates the acquisition of readahead timing, readahead data continuity, and readahead data location, respectively. To guide prefetching decisions, our architecture analyzes the degree of data access sequentiality, the performance model of the target storage device, and the access patterns of the I/O workload on the corresponding storage device. The implementation of this new architecture in the Linux kernel yields promising experimental results, demonstrating its robustness by consistently outperforming the stock Linux kernel. Notably, our architecture reduces the total execution time of the stock Linux kernel by up to 49%, except in cases of random workloads where both the stock Linux kernel and our architecture exhibit similar performance.

Civic engagement refers to the ways in which citizens participate in the life of a community to help shape its future or improve conditions for others. While it might have been shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, this study explored how college students perceive civic engagement on selected campuses that were partially locked down. We sampled 1036 student volunteers from six universities in Taiwan by using a self-designed module of civic engagement and transferable capabilities. The Student’s t-test, ANOVA, regression, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to interpret the differences and relationships among these variables. This study provides a more detailed example of the current status of civic engagement and its relative to transferable capabilities in a higher education setting. The related programs and institutes should take responsibility for enhancing students’ civic engagement and transferable capabilities during the pandemic. How to ameliorate the situation? The findings suggest that it should consider a student’s academic major, learning experiences in the department, and time spent on related activities during the pandemic recovery. The findings might prove useful to various campuses for enhancing ongoing practices.

Recharge is a crucial section of water balance for both surface and subsurface models in water resource assessment. However, quantifying its spatiotemporal distribution at a regional scale poses a significant challenge. Empirical and numerical modeling are the most commonly used methods at the watershed scales. However, integrated model inherently contain a vast number of unknowns and uncertainties, which can limit their accuracy and reliability. In this work, we have proposed integrated SWAT-MODFLOW and Transient Water Table Fluctuation Method (TWTFM) to evaluate the spatiotemporal distribution of groundwater recharge in Anyang wa-tershed, South Korea. Since TWTFM also uses SWAT model percolation output data, calibration was performed for individual models and coupled model. The coupled model was calibrated using daily streamflow and hydraulic head. SWAT-MODFLOW model performed well during the simulation of streamflow compared SWAT model. The study output showed that the study watershed had significant groundwater recharge variations during the simulated period. A sig-nificant amount of recharge happens in the wet season. It contributes about 34% of the average annual precipitation of the region. The direct flow components (surface and lateral) showed sig-nificant contributions when the water balance components were evaluated in the region. TWTFM showed a glimpse to estimate recharge, which requires representative monitoring wells in the study region. Comprehensively, the SWAT-MODFLOW model estimated groundwater recharge with reasonable accuracy in the region.

This paper discovers that current variational principle and Noether theorem for different physics systems with (in)finite freedom systems have missed the double extremum processes of the general extremum functional that both is deduced by variational principle and is necessarily taken in deducing all the physics laws, but these have not been corrected for over a century since Noether's proposing her famous theorem, which result in the crisis deducing relevant mathematical laws and all physics laws. This paper discovers there is the hidden logic cycle that one assumes Euler-Lagrange equations, and then he finally deduces Euler-Lagrange equations via the equivalent relation in the whole processes in all relevant current references. This paper corrects the current key mistakes that when physics systems choose the variational extreme values, the appearing processes of the physics systems are real physics processes, otherwise, are virtual processes in all current articles, reviews and (text)books. The real physics should be after choosing the variational extreme values of physics systems, the general extremum functional of the physics systems needs to further choose the minimum absolute extremum zero of the general extremum functional, otherwise, the appearing processes of physics systems are still virtual processes. Using the double extremum processes of the general extremum functionals, the crisis and the hidden logic cycle in current variational principle and current Noether theorem are solved. Furthermore, the new mathematical and physical double extremum processes and their new mathematical pictures and physics for (in)finite freedom systems are discovered. This paper gives both general variational principle and general Noether theorem as well as their classical and quantum new physics, which would rewrite all relevant current different branches of science, as key tools of studying and processing them.

Two Iron Age settlements, Tuzusai and Taldy Bulak 2 (ca. 500 BCE to 1 CE), located in Southeastern Kazakhstan on the Talgar alluvial fan north of the Tian Shan range, have yielded a small collection of bone, antler/horn, bronze, and stone artifacts with affinity to nomadic art of the first millennium BCE. Both settlements date within the period of late Saka culture. Two pieces have decorative ornamentations with zoomorphic imagery: a small carved fragment of a with carved images of a wing and an ear and a perforated bone disk with the carving of three birds’ heads. The other artifacts include objects associated with Saka weaponry or nomadic economy such as the two antler/horn psalia (cheek pieces) and a bronze amulet. A carnelian bead will also be described as an imported object. These special finds are found on the occupation floors of mud brick houses and pit houses of settlements, not in grave or burial contexts. The objects are placed in stratigraphic sequence in the settlement sites. Then the method for placing these objects within the chronological framework of “animal-style art” is through comparisons with similar objects found throughout Eurasia—a method used in Soviet and Post-Soviet archaeology. The results show that functional and stylistic elements of the six objects indicate that the Talgar settlements were part of a larger world-system of trade and communication along the early Silk Route(s).

This paper discovers that current canonical variational principle and canonical Noether theorem of (in)finite freedom systems for different physics systems have neglected doublet extreme value processes of the general extreme value functional that both is derived by variational principle and is necessarily be taken in deriving all ( quantum ) physics laws in phase space, but which have not been done for over one century since Noether's showing her distinguished theorem, which lead to the crisis deriving all (quantum) physics laws (necessary) in phase space. We discover there is the hidden logic cycle that people assume canonical equations, and then they finally deduce canonical equations by the equivalent relation in the whole processes in all current references. We correct the current key mistake concepts that when physics systems take the variational extreme values, the appearing processes of the physics systems are real physics processes, otherwise, are virtual processes in all current references. The real physics should be what after taking the physics systems' variational extreme values, the physics systems' general extremum functional needs to further take the general extremum functional's minimum absolute extremum zero, otherwise, the appearing processes of physics systems still are virtual processes. Conservation current equations and conservation currents, in phase space, of general canonical variational principle and general canonical Noether theorem are, respectively, deduced for the first time. Using the general extremum functionals' doublet extreme value processes, the hidden logic cycle and the crisis in current canonical variational principle and current canonical Noether theorem are solved. Consequently, the new mathematical pictures, classical and quantum new physics in phase space and the new mathematical and physical doublet extremum processes for (in)finite freedom systems are discovered. General canonical variational principle and general canonical Noether theorem naturally are given, which would rewrite all the different sciences in phase space, as key tools of studying and dealing with them.

Binge-eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN) have adverse psychological and medical consequences. Novel interventions, like the integration of virtual reality (VR) with cue-exposure therapy (VR-CET), enhance outcomes for refractory patients compared to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Little is known about the feasibility and acceptability of translating VR-CET into real-world settings. To investigate this question, adults previously treated for BED or BN with at least one objective or subjective binge episode/week were recruited from an outpatient University eating disorder clinic to receive up to eight weekly one-hour VR-CET sessions. Eleven of 16 (68.8%) eligible patients enrolled; nine (82%) completed treatment; 82% (9/11) provided follow-up data 7.1 (SD=2.12) months post-treatment. Overall, participant and therapist acceptability of VR-CET was high. Intent-to-treat objective binge episodes (OBEs) decreased significantly from 3.3 to 0.9/week (p < .001). Post-treatment OBE 7-day abstinence rate for completers was 56%, with 22% abstinent for 28 days at follow-up. Among participants purging at baseline, episodes decreased from a mean of one to zero/week, with 100% abstinence maintained at follow-up. The adoption of VR-CET into real-world clinic settings appears feasible and acceptable, with a preliminary signal of efficacy. Findings, including some loss of treatment gains during follow-up may inform future treatment development.

The European Union Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC; WFD) aims to achieve a good ecological and chemical status of all bodies of surface water by 2027. The development of an integrated guidance on surface water chemical monitoring (e.g. WFD Guidance Document No. 7/19) has been transferred into national German law (Ordinance for the Protection of Surface Waters, OGewV). For the majority of compounds, this act requires a monthly sampling frequency to assess the chemical water quality status of a surface water body. To evaluate the representativeness of the sampling strategy under the OGewV, high-frequency online monitoring data is investigated under different sampling scenarios and compared with current, monthly grab sampling strategy. About 23 million data points were analyzed for this study, three chemical parameters (dissolved oxygen, nitrate-nitrogen, chloride concentration) and discharge data were selected from four catchment of different sizes ranging from 51391 km² to 84 km² (Elbe, Vereinigte Mulde, Neiße and two stations at Lockwitzbach). In this paper we proposed short-term online-monitoring (STOM) as a sampling alternative. STOM considers the placement of online sensors over a limited duration and return interval. In general we: (I) compare the results of conventional grab sampling with STOM, (II) investigate the different performance of STOM and grab sampling using discharge data as proxy for analyzing event-mobilized pollutants and (III) investigate the related uncertainties and costs of both sampling methods. Results show, that STOM outperforms grab sampling for parameters where minimum/maximum concentrations are required by law as the probability to catch a single extreme value is higher with STOM. Furthermore, parameters showing a pronounced diurnal pattern, like dissolved oxygen, are also captured considerably better. The performance of STOM showed no substantial improvements for parameters with small concentration variability, as nitrogen-nitrate The analysis of discharge events as a proxy parameter for event-mobilized pollutants proved that the probability of capturing samples during events is significantly increased by STOM.

Visual data on the geographic distribution of carbon storage helps policy maker to formulate countermeasures on global warming. However, Taiwan, as an island showing diversity in climate and topography, had lacked valid visual data in distribution of forest carbon storage between the last to forest surveys (1993-2015). This study established a model to achieve an estimation that capable to demonstrate the distribution of forest carbon storage. This model uses land use, stand morphology, carbon conversion coefficient databases accordingly for 51 types of major forest in Taiwan. An estimation on 2006 was conducted and shows an overall carbon storage of 165.65 Mt C, with forest carbon storage per unit area of 71.56 t C ha–1, where natural forests and plantations respectively contributed of 114.15 Mt C (68.9%) and 51.50 Mt C (31.1%). By assuming no change in land use type, the carbon sequestration from 2006 to 2007 by the 51 forest types was estimated to be 5.21 Mt C yr–1 using historical tree growth and mortality rates. The result reflects the reality of the land use status and event of coverage shifting with time by combining to the two forest surveys in Taiwan.

Background: Cancer patients require cross-professional care during the diagnosis and treatment periods. Therefore, methods for effectively carrying out case management are essential to tumor care. Purpose: To investigate the effects of using the community software LINE Official Ac-count on oral cancer case management. Methods: An experimental design was used; 100 patients were randomly divided into two groups by using a computer-generated random number table. The experimental group used LINE Official Account, which gave them self-care information, timely messages, and one-on-one health-care consultations. The control group followed standard healthcare practices. Results: The experimental group was satisfied with the self-care information provided by LINE Official Account (86.9%), patients regularly checked the self-care information (89.4%) and would check the information when receiving a push notification (54.3%). Ten patients used the one-on-one consultation(20.0%). LINE Official Account had a significant effect on the rate of participation in support groups. Generalized estimating equations indicated a significant difference between the two groups regarding the overall quality of life over 7 days (P = 0.023). Conclusion: Community software applications used in oncological case management can improve self-management and empower, also enable tracking of long-term follow-up effectiveness and reinforce the case manager’s role as a family therapist. Therefore, this study recommends that case manager systems be incorporated into mobile applications to increase the sustainable management, accessibility, effectiveness, and satisfaction of oncological management systems. This study also provides the value of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with Good Health and Well-being, and decreased social withdrawal among patients with oral cancer.

Our study explores the role of cancer-derived extracellular exosomes (EXs), particularly focusing on collagen alpha-3 (VI; COL6A3), in facilitating tumor dissemination and metastasis in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We found that COL6A3 is expressed in aggressive ES2 derivatives, SKOV3 overexpressing COL6A3 (SKOV3/COL6A3), and mesenchymal-type ovarian carcinoma stromal progenitor cells (MSC-OCSPCs), as well as their EXs, but not in less aggressive SKOV3 cells or ES2 cells with COL6A3 knockdown (ES2/shCOL6A3). High COL6A3 expression correlates with worse overall survival in EOC patients, as evidenced by TCGA and GEO data analysis. In vitro experiments showed that EXs from MSC-OCSPCs or SKOV3/COL6A3 cells significantly enhance invasion ability in ES2 or SKOV3/COL6A3 cells, respectively (both, P <0.001). In contrast, ES2 cells with ES2/shCOL6A3 EXs exhibit reduced invasion ability (p<0.001). In vivo, the average disseminated tumor numbers in the peritoneal cavity were significantly greater in mice receiving intraperitoneally injected SKOV3/COL6A3 cells than in SKOV3 cells (p<0.001). Furthermore, mice intravenously (IV) injected with SKOV3/COL6A3 cells and SKOV3/COL6A3-EXs showed increased lung colonization compared to mice injected with SKOV3 cells and PBS (p=0.007) or SKOV3/COL6A3 cells and PBS (p=0.039). Knockdown of COL6A3 or treatment with EXs inhibitor GW4869 or rapamycin-abolished COL6A3-EXs may suppress the aggressiveness in EOC.

This study investigated the inhibitory effect of Siegesbeckia orientalis ethanolic extract (SOE) on growth and metastasis of hepatic tumors in C57BL/6JNarl mice, which is the model of tumor-igenesis induced by subcutaneous injection of Hepa1-6 murine hepatoma cells on the back of mice. Feeding 25 mg SOE/kg BW daily for 14 days effectively reduced the hepatoma weight in tu-mor-bearing mice by 59.7%. SOE intervention reduced the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene in tumor tissue by 48.5% and down-regulated the antioxidant system, by reducing the gene ex-pression of catalase (48.0%), glutathione peroxidase (46.3%), and superoxide dismutase (32.0%). In addition, SOE intervention increased the production of ROS by 21.4%, and the gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 by 135.3%, 179.3% and 91.7%, respectively, indicating that SOE intervention promoted the acute inflammatory response. Results of H&E staining analysis showed that SOE had the ability to inhibit angiogenesis in tumor tissue. Fur-thermore, SOE treatment inhibited the expression of migration-related genes, such as MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-9 and β-catenin, and the inhibition rates were 24.8%, 27.4%, 10.4% and 21.9%, respectively. These results imply that SOE had the ability to suppress tumor metastasis. On the other hand, SOE intervention decreased the serum contents of inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 by 27.4%, 30.4%, and 30.7%, respectively, indicating that SOE intervention has an anti-inflammatory effect on normal tissues of mice. Since SOE intervention had no signif-icant effect on liver and kidney weights, and no mice died throughout the experiment, it shows that it is safe to feed SOE under this experimental condition. Based on the above results, SOE has a great potential to be used in the treatment of hepatoma.

Road cracks significantly affect the serviceability and safety of roadways, especially in mountainous terrain. Traditional inspection methods, such as manual detection, are excessively time-consuming, labor-intensive, and inefficient. Additionally, multi-function detection vehicles equipped with various sensors are expensive and not suitable for mountainous roads due to poor conditions. To address these challenges, this study proposes a customized Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) inspection system designed for automatic crack detection. The system focuses on enhancing autonomous capabilities in mountainous terrains by incorporating embedded algorithms for route planning, autonomous navigation, and automatic crack detection. The slide window method is proposed to enhance the autonomous navigation of UAV flights by generating path planning in mountainous roads. This method compensates for GPS/IMU positioning errors, particularly in GPS-denied or GPS-drift scenarios. Moreover, the YOLOv8 algorithm is introduced to conduct autonomous crack detection from UAV imagery in the offboard module. To validate our UAV inspection system's performance, we conducted several experiments to assess its accuracy, robustness, and efficiency. The experimental results demonstrate that our UAS inspection system accurately estimates the flight trajectory along the mountainous road for autonomous navigation. Furthermore, the experimental detection results also demonstrate that the YOLOv8 algorithm achieves higher recognition accuracy compared to the YOLOv5, and YOLOv7-tiny algorithms, exceeding 3.1%,and 6.8% of mAP, respectively. In summary, the UAV inspection system proposed in this study can provide a useful tool and technological guidance for the regular inspection of mountainous roads.

Species identification and phylogenetic relationships clarification are fundamental goals in species delimitation. Yet these tasks pose challenges when based on morphologies, geographic distribution, and genomic data. Previously, two new species of fern genus Bolbitis, B. × multipinna and B. longiaurita, were described based on morphological traits, are phylogenetically intertwined with B. sinensis and fail to form monophyletic groups. To address the unclear phylogenetic relationships within the B. sinensis species complex, RAD sequencing was performed on 65 individuals from five populations. Our integrated analysis of phylogenetic tree, neighbor net, and genetic structure, indicate that the B. sinensis species complex should not be considered as separate species. Moreover, our findings reveal differences in the degree of genetic differentiation among five populations, ranged from low to moderate, which might be influenced by geographical distance and gene flow. The Fst values also confirmed that genetic differentiation intensifies with increasing geographic distance. Collectively, this study clarifies the complex phylogenetic relationships within the B. sinensis species complex, elucidates the genetic diversity and differentiation across the studied populations, and offers valuable genetic insights that contribute to the broader study of evolutionary relationships and population genetics within the Bolbitis species.

Multi-view stereo (MVS) employs multi-point photography for image point positioning and three-dimensional reconstruction technology. Recently, this technology has been introduced into the monitoring of road slopes due to advances in photography and computing technology. In general, the various phases of post-image processing procedures are applied to various photographic data. In this study a novel, automated image-monitoring system is proposed to improve the ability of automatic processing. First, an Internet of things (IoT)-based digital photography system architecture was constructed to provide automatic control of camera photography and real-time transmission of image data. In addition, a visual SfM-MVS 3D reconstruction technique was used to develop related software and hardware interfaces based on the built-in Python computing framework of Photoscan Pro. The software integrates fully automatic photography, image transmission, monitoring of data processing and product release programs. The experimental results show that the system architecture can be applied to fully automatic three-dimensional monitoring of road slopes.

The farnesoid X receptor (FXR)/βKlotho/fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) pathway is crucial for maintaining the intestinal barrier and preventing colorectal cancer (CRC). We used an FXR ago-nist, GW4064, and FXR knockout (KO) mice to investigate the role of FXR/Klothos/FGFs pathways in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction and colon carcinogenesis. The results showed that upregulation of FXR in enterocytes effectively ameliorated intestinal tight junction markers (claudin1, Zonula occludens-1), inflammation, and bile acid levels, thereby protecting mice from intestinal barrier dysfunction and colon carcinogenesis. GW4064 treatment increased FXR, αKlotho, βKlotho, FGF19, FGF21, and FGF23 in wild-type mice exposed to LPS, while FXR KO mice had decreased levels. FXR KO mice exhibited elevated colon cancer markers (β-catenin, LGR5, CD44, CD34, Cyclin D1) under LPS, underscoring the pivotal role of FXR in inhibiting the development of colon tumorigenesis. The varying gut microbiota responses in FXR KO mice versus wild-type mice post-LPS exposure emphasize the pivotal role of FXR in pre-serving intestinal microbial health, involving Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides acidifaciens, and Helicobacter hepaticus. Our study validates the effectiveness of GW4064 in alleviating LPS-induced disruptions to the intestinal barrier and colon carcinogenesis, emphasizing the importance of the FXR/αKlotho/βKlotho/FGFs pathway and the interplay between bile acids and gut microbiota.

Simply Summary: Translation of new cancer treatments between pets and human were noticed in comparative oncological investigation. The current study aims at evaluating a polyacetylenic glucoside purified from an edible herb, Bidens pilosa, to present its anti-angiogenic effects. We innovatively find this polyacetylenic glucoside, cytopiloyne, shows anti-angiogenic effect on different in vitro assays and various in vivo animal models under hypoxia. Based on results of this study, cytopiloyne will be a prospective herb angiogenesis inhibitor candidate to control animal or human cancer formation as adjuvant therapy. Abstract: Anti-angiogenesis is a pivotal combination treatment approach in cancer therapy but rare using on companion animals. This study aimed at evaluating the anti-angiogenic effect of a B. pilosa sourced polyacetylenic glucoside, cytopiloyne, on various in vitro assays and in vivo models. We provide evidences showing that CP has anti-angiogenic activities. Firstly, CP inhibited sponge/ Matrigel plug angiogenesis from tumor cells and decreased the survival of tumor cells on hypoxic conditions. Besides, CP declined PKCα protein expression which a protein leads to the growth and spread of tumors under hypoxia. Secondly, inhibitory effects of CP on endothelial angiogenesis were confirmed by chick chorioallantoic membrane assay, tube formation of SVEC4-10 cells and Matrigel plug assay. A dose-dependent CP treatment inhibited 4T1 cells proliferation under hypoxia and migration. It also suppresses VEGF transcription under hypoxia. Finally, we found that CP decreased PDIA4, a novel regulator of cancer growth, expression in endothelial cells. This effect was confirmed by PDIA4 knockout mice with reduced angiogenesis in Matrigel plug assay. Taken together, these results suggest that CP might act as a promising anti-angiogenic herbal agent candidate to be used in animal hypervascularized cancer of veterinary medicine or in combination to control human cancer as adjuvant therapy.

The heavy metal lead (Pb) can irreversibly damage the human nervous system. To help understand Pb-induced damage, we applied a genetically encoded Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based Pb biosensor Met-lead 1.44 M1 to two living systems to monitor the concentration of Pb: induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes as a semi-tissue platform, and Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies as an in vivo animal model. Different FRET imaging modalities were used to obtain FRET signals, which represented the presence of Pb in the tested samples in different spatial dimensions. Using iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, the relationship between beating activity (20–24 beats per minute, bpm) determined from the fluctuation of fluorescent signals and the concentrations of Pb represented by the FRET emission ratio values of Met-lead 1.44 M1 was revealed from simultaneous measurements. Pb (50 μM) affected the beating activity of cardiomyocytes, whereas two drugs that stop the entry of Pb differentially affected this beating activity: verapamil (2 μM) did not reverse the cessation of beating, whereas 2-APB (50 μM) partially restored this activity (16 bpm). The results clearly demonstrate a potential of this biosensor system as an anti-Pb drug screening application. In the Drosophila model, Pb was detected within the adult brain or larval central nervous system (Cha-gal4>UAS-Met-lead 1.44 M1) using fast epifluorescence and high-resolution two-photon 3D FRET ratio image systems. The tissue-specific expression of Pb biosensors provides an excellent opportunity to explore the possible Pb-specific populations within living organisms. We believe that this integrated Pb biosensor system can be applied to the prevention of Pb poisoning and advanced research on Pb neurotoxicology.

As an important support for power system with high penetration of renewable energy, energy storage system (ESS) has changed the traditional model of simultaneous implementation of electricity production and consumption, and its installed capacity under the source-grid-load scenario is rising year by year, but it faces the problems of insufficient utilization and benefits. This study analyzes the functional combination of ESS under the source-grid-load scenarios, and proposes a comprehensive benefit evaluation method of energy storage projects based on fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and super efficiency data envelopment analysis (DEA) model, which considers the perspective of economic and social environment. Firstly, the functional requirements of energy storage on the source-grid-load scenarios are explored respectively, and the characteristics of various functions are analyzed to form functional combination schemes. Secondly, index modeling is carried out from three aspects: the whole life cycle cost, functional combination benefit and social environmental benefit, and the comprehensive benefit evaluation index system of energy storage project is proposed, which includes both economic and social environment. Then, the intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy number is combined with DEMATEL to form an effective analysis method for the input-output relationship of the indexes, and the comprehensive evaluation is realized based on the super efficiency DEA model. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed evaluation method and the rationality of the functional combination are verified under source-grid-load scenarios respectively.

Abstract: The frequency and intensity of air pollution are two of most critical issues the world faces in dealing with global environmental problems. They are both important areas that need to be improved. Our previous research [20] examines the assessment of fine dust pollution in Baekryeong island by statistical reasoning through one specific example of inland city (Yanggu) in Republic of Korea; however, given that Baekryeong Island is a remote island, there has been little focus on in-depth examination of its effect on the high density of fine dust in Baekryeong Island. The purpose of this article is twofold: (i) to examine the effect of a remote island on the high density of fine dust on Baekryeong Island using statistical reasoning and to provide a more specific statistical basis for the claim that one of the non-negligible factors influencing the high density of fine dust on Baekryeong Island is the geographic proximity to China; and (ii) to present brief discussion of fundamental cause of fine dust and global air pollution issues, which are not discussed in [20].

The purpose of this study was to arrange a green roof on a sheet metal house to achieve winter heat preservation and summer thermal insulation using different plants and soil media, and to maintain the advantage of cost-saving and quick installation of sheet metal houses. In terms of the research method, the roof insulation, heat preservation and plant growth index were tested. Plants were grown in 10 container-type green roofs on the sheet metal house roof, and the physical environment of the building was monitored for one year. Five containers of commercially-available culture soil and five containers of sustainable composite were used as the media for growing five kinds of plants, respectively. The control group only had a sheet metal house roof. There were 11 experimental modules for testing whether the green roofs had thermal insulation, heat preservation and plant growth effects on a general sheet metal house. The results showed that, regarding the thermal insulation benefit assessment, the Sedum acre cv. robustum of green roof Groups B to D caused the temperature to be 38.29°C lower than the surface of the simple sheet metal house roof in August, showing a temperature difference of 54%.

In Taiwan, farmers often apply excess compost to ensure adequate crop yield in highly frequent tillage, highly weathered, and lower fertility soils. The potential of biochar (BC) for diminishing soil C mineralization, and improving soil nutrient availability in compost over-fertilized soil is promising, but the study is still under-examined. To test the hypothesis, 434 days in vitro C mineralization kinetics of incubation experiment were conducted. Woody BC 0%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0% (w/w) made of lead tree (Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de. Wit) were added to an Oxisols, and two Inceptisols of Taiwan. In each treatment, 5% swine manure compost (2 times recommended amount) was added and served as the over-fertilized soil. The results indicated that soil type strongly influenced the impact of BC addition on soil carbon mineralization potential. Respiration per unit of total organic carbon (total mineralization coefficient, TMC) of three studied soils significantly decreased with BC addition increased. Principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that for retaining more plant nutrients in addition to the effects of carbon sequestration, it is recommended that farmer could use locally produced biochars and composts in highly weathered and highly frequent tillage soil. Adding 0.5%-1% woody BC in soil should be reasonable and appropriate.

In Taiwan, farmers often apply excess compost to ensure adequate crop yield in highly frequent tillage, highly weathered, and lower fertility soils. The potential of biochar (BC) for diminishing soil C mineralization, and improving soil nutrient availability in compost over-fertilized soil is promising, but the study is still under-examined. To test the hypothesis, 434 days in vitro C mineralization kinetics of incubation experiment were conducted. Woody BC 0%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0% (w/w) made of lead tree (Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de. Wit) were added to an Oxisols, and two Inceptisols of Taiwan. In each treatment, 5% swine manure compost (2 times recommended amount) was added and served as the over-fertilized soil. The results indicated that soil type strongly influenced the impact of BC addition on soil carbon mineralization potential. Respiration per unit of total organic carbon (total mineralization coefficient, TMC) of three studied soils significantly decreased with BC addition increased. Principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that for retaining more plant nutrients in addition to the effects of carbon sequestration, it is recommended that farmer could use locally produced biochars and composts in highly weathered and highly frequent tillage soil. Adding 0.5%-1% woody BC in soil should be reasonable and appropriate.

Cognitive impairment and sarcopenia may share common risk factors and pathophysiological pathways. This study was performed to examine the association between impairments in specific cognitive domains and sarcopenia (and its defining components) in a large group of community-dwelling older adults. Cross-sectional analysis was performed on the baseline data of 3,014 adults aged 70–84 years enrolled in the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS). The final analysis included 1,887 adults underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and cognitive function assessments. Those with disability in activities of daily living, dementia, severe cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s disease, musculoskeletal complaints, neurological disorders, or who were illiterate were excluded. Cognitive function was assessed using the Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Packet, the Frontal Assessment Battery. For sarcopenia, we used the diagnostic criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 9.6% for men and 7.6% for women. Sarcopenia (odds ratio [OR] 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–2.99) and slow gait speed (OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.34–4.99) were associated with cognitive impairment in men. Only slow gait speed (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.05–3.36) was associated with cognitive impairment in women. Sarcopenia is associated with cognitive impairment mainly due to slow gait speed. Our results suggested that cognitive impairment domains, such as processing speed and executive function, are associated with sarcopenia-related slow gait speed.

This paper presents a deep learning-based multi-guidance line detection approach, enabling an autonomous four-wheeled agricultural robot to navigate strip farmland. The integration of Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) and Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC) systems optimizes the velocity and heading angle of robot, facilitating smooth navigation along identified guidance line. Enhance cornering maneuverability with real-time kinematics (RTK)-assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) (RTK-GNSS) positioning. Additionally, the spraying system combined with deep learning can effectively identify weeds and crop nutrient deficiencies to achieve precise spraying. The guidance system prioritizes irrigation lines for navigation, with additional guidance from crop and furrow lines. Trigonometric analysis determines the angular deviation between the identified guidance line and the vertical line of the top view image. Experiments under diverse weather conditions demonstrate the stable navigation of robot at 12.5 cm/s, achieving up to 90% accuracy in weed and nutrient deficiency identification. The spraying accuracy for weeds and deficiencies averages 87% and 73%, respectively, underscoring the system's contribution to sustainable and precision horticulture practices.

: In the automotive industry, high-strength plates have been increasingly used to reduce the vehicle body weight due to stringent regulations on fuel economy and safety. Such plates achieve tensile strengths as high as 1.5 GPa owing to the hot-stamping process. However, these plates suffer from scale generation and surface decarburization because of the surface oxidation of the material. Recently, studies on materials subjected to high-frequency induction heating have reported strength improvement owing to the coil shape and cooling method. This study presents the surface temperature changes, mechanical properties, and microstructures of boron steels subjected to longitudinal heating, which uses eddy currents generated from high-frequency induction heating. The surface temperature data were analyzed under different high-frequency induction heating powers (15, 18, 21, 24, 27, and 30 kW) and distances from the specimen (6, 9, and 15 mm). The mechanical properties and microstructures were also analyzed in different high-frequency induction heating coil directions. The correlations between the high-frequency induction heating power and the distance from the specimen with the maximum tensile strength were determined.

Carnivore protoparvovirus 1 (CPPV-1) is a DNA virus causing gastrointestinal disease and immunosuppression in various terrestrial carnivores. Domestic dogs and cats are considered the primary CPPV-1 reservoirs. The habitat overlaps of wild carnivores and free-roaming dogs increases the threat of CPPV-1 transmission between them. This study explored the CPPV-1 distribution among wild carnivores through PCR screening and compared the DNA sequences of the partial capsid protein (VP2) between wild and domestic carnivores. In total, 181 samples were screened for the CPPV-1 VP2 gene, including 32 masked palm civets (Paguma larvata), 63 Chinese ferret badgers (Melogale moschata), and 86 crab-eating mongooses (Herpestes urva), from 2015 to 2019 in Taiwan. The average prevalence of CPPV-1 was 17.7% (32/181), with the highest prevalence in masked palm civets (37.5%). In addition, a masked palm civet was coinfected with two CPPV-1 strains. Among the 33 partial VP2 gene sequences, 23 were identical to sequences amplified from domestic dogs and cats in Asia and the remaining 10 were identified for the first time. This study demonstrated that CPPV-1 has circulated between domestic and wild carnivores in rural Taiwan. Therefore, further population control and health management of free-roaming domestic carnivores are recommended.