Search

Prominent theories of visual working memory postulate that the capacity to maintain a particular visual feature is fixed. In contrast to these theories, recent studies have demonstrated that meaningful objects are better remembered than simple, nonmeaningful stimuli. Here, we tested whether this is solely because meaningful stimuli can recruit additional features—and thus more storage capacity—or whether simple visual features that are not themselves meaningful can also benefit from being part of a meaningful object. Across five experiments (30 young adults each), we demonstrated that visual working memory capacity for color is greater when colors are part of recognizable real-world objects compared with unrecognizable objects. Our results indicate that meaningful stimuli provide a potent scaffold to help maintain simple visual feature information, possibly because they effectively increase the objects' distinctiveness from each other and reduce interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While most visual working memory studies use static stimuli with unchanging features, objects in the real world are often dynamic, introducing significant differences in the surface feature information hitting the retina from the same object over time (e.g., changes in orientation, lighting, shadows). Previous research on dynamic stimuli has shown that change detection is improved if objects obey rules of physical motion, but it is unclear how memory for visual features interacts with object motion. In the current study, we investigated whether object motion facilitates greater temporal integration of continuously changing surface feature information. In a series of experiments, participants were asked to report the final color of continuously changing colored dots that were either moving or stationary on the screen. We found that the reported colors "lagged behind" the physical states of the dots when they were in motion. We also observed that the precision of memory responses was significantly higher for stimuli in the moving condition compared to the stationary condition. Together, these findings suggest that memory representation is improved – but lagged – for moving objects, consistent with the idea that object motion may facilitate integration of object information over longer intervals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human gastrointestinal tract is inhabited by trillions of symbiotic bacteria that form a complex ecological community and influence human physiology. Symbiotic nutrient sharing and nutrient competition are the most studied relationships in gut commensals, whereas the interactions underlying homeostasis and community maintenance are not fully understood. Here, we provide insights into a new symbiotic relationship wherein the sharing of secreted cytoplasmic proteins, called “moonlighting proteins,” between two heterologous bacterial strains (Bifidobacterium longum and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron) was observed to affect the adhesion of bacteria to mucins. B. longum and B. thetaiotaomicron were cocultured using a membrane-filter system, and in this system the cocultured B. thetaiotaomicron cells showed greater adhesion to mucins compared to that shown by monoculture cells. Proteomic analysis showed the presence of 13 B. longum-derived cytoplasmic proteins on the surface of B. thetaiotaomicron. Moreover, incubation of B. thetaiotaomicron with the recombinant proteins GroEL and elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu)—two well-known mucin-adhesive moonlighting proteins of B. longum—led to an increase in the adhesion of B. thetaiotaomicron to mucins, a result attributed to the localization of these proteins on the B. thetaiotaomicron cell surface. Furthermore, the recombinant EF-Tu and GroEL proteins were observed to bind to the cell surface of several other bacterial species; however, the binding was species dependent. The present findings indicate a symbiotic relationship mediated by the sharing of moonlighting proteins among specific strains of B. longum and B. thetaiotaomicron. IMPORTANCE The adhesion of intestinal bacteria to the mucus layer is an important colonization strategy in the gut environment. Generally, the bacterial adhesion process is a characteristic feature of the individual cell surface-associated adhesion factors secreted by a particular bacterium. In this study, coculture experiments between Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides show that the secreted moonlighting proteins adhere to the cell surface of coexisting bacteria and alter the adhesiveness of the bacteria to mucins. This finding indicates that the moonlighting proteins act as adhesion factors for not only homologous strains but also for coexisting heterologous strains. The presence of a coexisting bacterium in the environment can significantly alter the mucin-adhesive properties of another bacterium. The findings from this study contribute to a better understanding of the colonization properties of gut bacteria through the discovery of a new symbiotic relationship between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Animal welfare considerations with the 3R principles, Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement (3Rs), have become more important in regulatory toxicity testing. Modifying OECD inhalation toxicity test guidelines 412 and 413 aim to minimize animal use and maximize the number of endpoints that are measured for bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung burden measurement in toxicokinetics studies. The OECD test guidelines for animal experiments play an important role in evaluating the chemical hazards. Animal tests performed using OECD guidelines, especially when the good laboratory practice (GLP) principle is applied, reduce the duplication of toxicity testing and ensure the best mutual acceptance of data by the OECD's Mutual Acceptance of Data (MAD). The OECD inhalation toxicity test guidelines 412 (28 days) and 413 (90 days) have been revised. These OECD guidelines now reflect the inclusion of nanomaterials and recent scientific and technological developments. In particular, these test guidelines aim to evaluate the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in the lungs for objective toxicity evaluation, along with the existing subjective histopathological evaluation. For solid particles, the lung burden measurement of particles is required for toxicokinetic studies and, in order to properly perform a toxicokinetic study, two post-exposure observations are recommended. In light of the revised OECD guidelines, we propose a method to reduce the number of animals when testing is conducted for nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucagon hypersecretion from pancreatic islet α-cells exacerbates hyperglycemia in type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes. Still, the underlying mechanistic pathways that regulate glucagon secretion remain controversial. Among the three complementary main mechanisms (intrinsic, paracrine, and juxtacrine) proposed to regulate glucagon release from α-cells, juxtacrine interactions are the least studied. It is known that tonic stimulation of α-cell EphA receptors by ephrin-A ligands (EphA forward signaling) inhibits glucagon secretion in mouse and human islets and restores glucose inhibition of glucagon secretion in sorted mouse α-cells, and these effects correlate with increased F-actin density. Here, we elucidate the downstream target of EphA signaling in α-cells. We demonstrate that RhoA, a Rho family GTPase, plays a key role in this pathway. Pharmacological inhibition of RhoA disrupts glucose inhibition of glucagon secretion in islets and decreases cortical F-actin density in dispersed α-cells and α-cells in intact islets. Quantitative FRET biosensor imaging shows that increased RhoA activity follows directly from EphA stimulation. We show that in addition to modulating F-actin density, EphA forward signaling and RhoA activity affect α-cell Ca2+ activity in a novel mechanistic pathway. Finally, we show that stimulating EphA forward signaling restores glucose inhibition of glucagon secretion from human T1D donor islets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: It is important to fully automate the evaluation of gadoxetate disodium–enhanced arterial phase images because the efficient quantification of transient severe motion artifacts can be used in a variety of applications. Our study proposes a fully automatic evaluation method of motion artifacts during the arterial phase of gadoxetate disodium–enhanced MR imaging. Methods: The proposed method was based on the construction of quality‐aware features to represent the motion artifact using MR image statistics and multidirectional filtered coefficients. Using the quality‐aware features, the method calculated quantitative quality scores of gadoxetate disodium–enhanced images fully automatically. The performance of our proposed method, as well as two other methods, was acquired by correlating scores against subjective scores from radiologists based on the 5‐point scale and binary evaluation. The subjective scores evaluated by two radiologists were severity scores of motion artifacts in the evaluation set on a scale of 1 (no motion artifacts) to 5 (severe motion artifacts). Results: Pearson's linear correlation coefficient (PLCC) and Spearman's rank–ordered correlation coefficient (SROCC) values of our proposed method against the subjective scores were 0.9036 and 0.9057, respectively, whereas the PLCC values of two other methods were 0.6525 and 0.8243, and the SROCC values were 0.6070 and 0.8348. Also, in terms of binary quantification of transient severe respiratory motion, the proposed method achieved 0.9310 sensitivity, 0.9048 specificity, and 0.9200 accuracy, whereas the other two methods achieved 0.7586, 0.8996 sensitivities, 0.8098, 0.8905 specificities, and 0.9200, 0.9048 accuracies Conclusions: This study demonstrated the high performance of the proposed automatic quantification method in evaluating transient severe motion artifacts in arterial phase images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) was grafted onto polyurethane (PU), and Epichlorohydrin and Bisphenol A were attached to the free ends of PDMS groups and used to link the grafted PDMS to thereby introduce flexible crosslinks between the PU chains. The flexible crosslinks enhanced the crosslink density and solution viscosity of PU but did not change the melting and crystallization behaviors of the soft segments of PU. In particular, the flexible PDMS crosslinks increased the maximum tensile stress by up to 300% and the maximum tensile strain up to 180%. The shape recovery capability at 10°C and the shape retention capability at −25°C were maintained above 90% with the flexible crosslinking. Grafted PDMS moderately improved the low-temperature flexibility of PU due to its flexibility at low temperature. The flexible crosslinks of grafted PDMS successfully improved the tensile strength, shape recovery, and low-temperature flexibility of the PU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent rapid changes in climate due to global warming have increased the frequency of severe natural disasters. Such disasters easily damage the fruits with large weight and volume, inflicting a great loss on the farms. Although the central and regional governments have persuaded farm owners to obtain the Crop Yield and Revenue Insurance, the lack of objective criteria of damage analysis have often prevented an actual compensation. It has also been difficult to attain an accurate statistics of the national fruit production in South Korea, as the data collection through interviews and sample analyses was based on the manpower at the city and county agricultural technology centers. This study developed a deep learning model of citrus fruit detection to be used in the yield estimation and damage analysis for the Crop Yield and Revenue Insurance. The model was based on the YOLOv5 algorithm, which allows the fruit number to be estimated using images. The model showed an outstanding detection performance at AP50 0.817. This image-based deep learning model can also be widely applied in breeding. Notably, in breeding programs focused on increasing the production, the image-based high-throughput phenotyping could readily determine the fruit production per line. In the future, models for the detection of other fruit crops, including apples, and a smartphone application for the Crop Yield and Revenue Insurance and fruit production estimation will be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remarkable decrease in creep strain rate (86% decrease) was observed for Zr-1.1Nb alloy cladding coated with a thin Cr layer (16.8μm) compared to uncoated cladding in the present experiment at 380°C. The structural analysis with the in-house code and FEM analysis showed good agreement with the experimental results, demonstrating that the creep strain rate reduction was primarily occurred by mechanical cause. Cr coating layer induces extra compressive stress on the underlying cladding due to the strain compatibility, reducing the tensile stress level on the underlying cladding and thereby resulting in a decreased creep strain rate. This suggests the coating layer has non-negligible impact on the overall mechanical behavior of the underlying cladding despite of its significantly thin thickness. In addition, the XRD analysis found that the Cr coating layer has high compressive residual stress that also impedes the creep deformation of the underlying cladding. However, if the residual stress within the coating layer is limited or absent, the creep deformation will not be dramatically reduced. Inclusion of appreciable creep or plastic deformation of Cr coating led to the use of unrealistically high elastic modulus to match the experimental results. This result implies that creep or plastic deformation in the Cr coating layer is likely to be absent or negligible in the tested conditions. The magnitude of irradiation creep is markedly greater than that of thermal creep, and is less sensitive to the changes in stress which is induced by coating. Therefore, the extent of changes in creep strain rate in the reactor environment is anticipated to be less than that of an out-of-pile thermal creep experiments. It can be estimated that the creep strain rate will be decreased by 10–20% with Cr-coated cladding (Cr-thickness of 10μm - 20μm) at BOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we assessed whether hepatobiliary phase (HBP) signal intensity (SI) can be used to differentiate HCC and non-HCC malignancies within LR-M observations. 106 LR-M patients based on LI-RADS v2018 who underwent gadoxetate-disodium magnetic resonance imaging and surgery from January 2009 to December 2018 were included. SI of LR-M observation on HBP was analyzed by two radiologists and categorized into dark, low and iso-to-high groups. Tumor was classified as dark when more than 50% of tumor showed hypointensity compared to spleen, as low when more than 50% of tumor showed hyperintensity compared to spleen but hypointensity compared to liver parenchyma, and as iso-to-high if there was even a focal iso-intensity or hyperintensity compared to liver parenchyma. Analysis of clinicopathological factors and association between imaging and histology was performed. Out of 106 LR-M, 42 (40%) were showed dark, 61 (58%) showed low, and 3 (3%) showed iso-to-high SI in HBP. Three iso-to-high SI LR-M were HCCs (P = 0.060) and their major histologic differentiation was Edmondson grade 1 (P = 0.001). 43 out of 61 (71%) low SI LR-M were iCCA or cHCC-CCA (P = 0.002). Inter-reader agreement of HBP SI classification was excellent, with a kappa coefficient of 0.872. LR-M with iso-to-high SI in HBP is prone to being HCC while LR-M with low SI in HBP is prone to being tumor with fibrous stroma such as iCCA and cHCC-CCA. Classification of LR-M based on HBP SI may be a helpful method of differentiating HCC from non-HCC malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wooden Cultural Heritage (WCH) represents a significant portion of the world's historical and artistic heritage, consisting of immovable and movable artefacts. Despite the expertise developed since ancient times to enhance its durability, wooden artefacts are inevitably prone to degradation. Fungi play a pivotal role in the deterioration of WCH in terrestrial ecosystems, accelerating its decay and leading to alterations in color and strength. Reviewing the literature of the last 25 years, we aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of fungal diversity affecting WCH, the biochemical processes involved in wood decay, and the diagnostic tools available for fungal identification and damage evaluation. Climatic conditions influence the occurrence of fungal species in threatened WCH, characterized by a prevalence of wood-rot fungi (e.g., Serpula lacrymans, Coniophora puteana) in architectural heritage in temperate and continental climates and Ascomycota in indoor and harsh environments. More efforts are needed to address the knowledge fragmentation concerning biodiversity, the biology of the fungi involved, and succession in the degradative process, which is frequently centered solely on the main actors. Multidisciplinary collaboration among engineers, restorers, and life sciences scientists is vital for tackling the challenges posed by climate change with increased awareness. Traditional microbiology and culture collections are fundamental in laying solid foundations for a more comprehensive interpretation of big data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have found that real-world objects’ identities are better remembered than simple features like colored circles, and this effect is particularly pronounced when these stimuli are encoded one by one in a serial, item-based way. Recent work has also demonstrated that memory for simple features like color is improved if these colors are part of real-world objects, suggesting that meaningful objects can serve as a robust memory scaffold for their associated low-level features. However, it is unclear whether the improved color memory that arises from the colors appearing on real-world objects is affected by encoding format, in particular whether items are encoded sequentially or simultaneously. We test this using randomly colored silhouettes of recognizable versus unrecognizable scrambled objects that offer a uniquely controlled set of stimuli to test color working memory of meaningful versus non-meaningful objects. Participants were presented with four stimuli (silhouettes of objects or scrambled shapes) simultaneously or sequentially. After a short delay, they reported either which colors or which shapes they saw in a two-alternative forced-choice task. We replicated previous findings that meaningful stimuli boost working memory performance for colors (Exp. 1). We found that when participants remembered the colors (Exp. 2) there was no difference in performance across the two encoding formats. However, when participants remembered the shapes and thus identity of the objects (Exp. 3), sequential presentation resulted in better performance than simultaneous presentation. Overall, these results show that different encoding formats can flexibly impact visual working memory depending on what the memory-relevant feature is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy is the most common inherited cerebral microangiopathy. Its clinical features include recurrent central nervous system symptoms—including lacunar stroke, migraine, psychiatric disturbance, acute reversible encephalopathy, and cognitive impairment. We report a case of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy in a patient presenting with severe low back pain and a herniated nucleus pulposus. A 45-year-old female patient with a prior history of right-sided sciatic pain, hypoesthesia, and paresthesia in the right S1 sensory dermatome was referred after back surgery because of persistent low back pain and a spastic gait abnormality. Imaging revealed a right protruding disc herniation of L5/S1 with right S1 nerve root compression and right posterior disc bulging at L4/5 with foraminal stenosis and disc degeneration, for which she underwent surgery. After surgery, she experienced mild sciatica, an antalgic limping gait with foot-dragging, and progressive motor weakness. Her family history was significant for a parent and sibling affected by stroke. The diagnosis of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy was established by polymerase chain reaction sequencing, which showed a mutated exon 11 of NOTCH3 on chromosome 19. Clinicians should assess patients with non-specific extra-central nervous system symptoms or atypical courses for potential underlying diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has shown some potential as an adjunctive intervention for ameliorating negative symptoms of schizophrenia, but its efficacy requires optimization. Recently, 'functional targeting' of stimulation holds promise for advancing tDCS efficacy by coupling tDCS with a cognitive task where the target brain regions are activated by that task and further specifically polarized by tDCS. The study used 48-channel functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS) aiming to determine a cognitive task that can effectively induce a cortical activation of the left DLPFC in schizophrenia patients with predominant negative symptoms before running a tDCS trial. Sixty schizophrenia patients with predominant negative symptoms completed measures of clinical and psychosocial functioning characteristics and assessments across cognitive domains. Hemodynamic changes during n-back working memory tasks with different cognitive loads (1-back and 2-back) and verbal fluency test (VFT) were measured using fNIRS. For n-back tasks, greater signal changes were found when the task required elevated cognitive load. One sample t-test revealed that only 2-back task elicited significant activation in left DLPFC (t = 4.23, FDR-corrected p = 0.0007). During VFT, patients failed to show significant task-related activity in left DLPFC (one sample t-test, t = −0.25, FDR-corrected p > 0.05). Our study implies that 2-back task can effectively activate left DLPFC in schizophrenia patients with predominant negative symptoms. This neurophysiologically-validated task is considered highly potential to be executed in conjunction with high-definition tDCS for "functional targeting" of the left DLPFC to treat negative symptoms in a double-blind randomized sham-control trial, registered on ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (ID: NCT05582980). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can potentially enhance brain function and cognition in healthy individuals as well as in patients with cognitive impairment. However, neural correlates of repeated tDCS remain relatively unexplored in a healthy population. Purpose: To assess the effects of repeated tDCS on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in healthy volunteers in a pilot investigation. Material and Methods: Five healthy adults received bifrontal tDCS to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F3–F4 montage, 1 mA intensity, 30 minutes/session, five sessions/week) over four weeks. All participants underwent brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans at baseline and one week after the last tDCS session. Changes in rCBF were examined using Statistical Parametric Mapping. Results: Resting rCBF was significantly improved in the right superior frontal gyrus at the follow-up (P < 0.001). Adverse events were not reported and the stimulation was well-tolerated. Conclusion: Repeated tDCS may be effective for enhancing brain function in healthy participants. Larger sham-controlled studies should be performed to confirm our preliminary findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocomposites have been widely studied for sensor applications because of their high design flexibility. However, the creep behavior of polymeric materials is a crucial issue of nanocomposite‐based strain sensors in terms of sensing accuracy in high‐temperature environments, which acts as a bottleneck for the use of nanocomposites in embedded type sensors for monitoring the curing reactions and structural health of composite. Herein, we suggest a microwave‐assisted cross‐linking method for enhancing the reliability of polymer‐based coaxial‐structured fiber strain sensors in high temperatures. A dry‐jet wet‐spun ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene core fiber with a microwave post‐treatment in a peroxide bath provided superior strength (2.1 GPa), modulus (69 GPa), and enhanced creep resistance (>94%). By using a creep resistance‐enhanced core fiber, coaxial‐structured fiber strain sensors, which have multi‐layer structured shell parts, could be fabricated via the simple dip‐coating method. The fabricated coaxial‐structured fiber strain sensor showed a high gauge factor (4.12 with strain range of 0%–1%), a low‐temperature sensitivity coefficient (−6.5 × 10−4), and an improved sensing accuracy (<3% error at 80 °C) in high‐temperature environments. From these results, it can be confirmed that the microwave‐assisted cross‐linking method is very promising for use in nanocomposite‐based strain sensors for various application fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to demonstrate whether the radiation dose for patients in arms-down position can be reduced without affecting the diagnosis on abdominal computed tomography (CT). The patients were divided into two groups: group A, which included patients with arms-down position using dose modulation on, and group B, which included patients with arms-down position using dose modulation turned off. Quantitative evaluation was compared using Hounsfield units, standard deviation, and signal-to-noise ratio of the four regions. The qualitative evaluation was assessed for overall image quality, subjective image noise, and beam hardening artifacts. Dose evaluation for CT dose index (CTDI) and dose length product (DLP) was compared by comparing the CT images with dose modulation turned on and off. In the quantitative and qualitative evaluation, there was no statistically significant difference between groups A and B (p > 0.05). In the dose evaluation, the CT images with dose modulation turned off had significantly lower CTDI and DLP than the CT images with dose modulation turned on (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that, for the GE Revolution EVO CT scanner, turning off dose modulation and increasing the tube voltage can reduce the radiation dose for patients with the arms-down position without affecting the diagnosis. This study did not consider the change of tube potential according to the use of dose modulation, and we plan to conduct additional research in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional thermosetting composites exhibit advantageous mechanical properties owing to the use of an autoclave; however, their wide usage is limited by high production costs and long molding times. In contrast, the fabrication of thermoplastic composites involves out-of-autoclave processes that use press equipment. In particular, induction-heating molding facilitates a quicker thermal cycle, reduced processing time, and improved durability of the thermoplastic polymers; thus, the process cost and production time can be reduced. In this study, carbon fiber/polyphenylene sulfide thermoplastic composites were manufactured using induction-heating molding, and the relationships among the process, structure, and mechanical properties were investigated. The composites were characterized using optical and scanning electron microscopy, an ultrasonic C-scan, and X-ray computed tomography. In addition, the composites were subjected to flammability tests. This study provides novel insights into the optimization of thermoplastic composite manufacturing and thermoset composite curing processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia combustion is a promising energy source as a carbon free fuel without greenhouse gas emissions. However, since the auto-ignition temperature is 651 degrees Celsius and the range of flammability limit is not wide compared to other fuels, fundamental studies on ammonia fires have rarely been conducted so far. Therefore, this study aims to numerically estimate fire spread characteristics when ammonia fuel in a high-pressure state leaks to the outside, especially focusing on the flammability limit according to oxygen concentration. Three kinds of reaction mechanism for numerical analysis were adopted to compare the flame structure, flammability limit, and combustion characteristics. Plank-mean absorption coefficients of nitrogen species were taken for the radiation model, in addition to the optically thin model. The effect of radiation heat loss could be identified from the maximum flame temperature trend at a low strain rate. It was confirmed that the pyrolysis of ammonia in the preheated zone results in hydrogen production, and the generated hydrogen contributes to heat release rate in the flame zone. It is found that the contribution of hydrogen would be an important role in the flammability limit of ammonia combustion. Finally, Karlovitz and Peclet numbers showed well the extinction behaviors of ammonia combustion as a result of LOC (Limit Oxygen Concentration) analysis as a function of global strain rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: The study unveils Si's regulatory influence by regulating DEGs, TFs, and TRs. Further bHLH subfamily and auxin transporter pathway elucidates the mechanisms enhancing root development and nodulation. Soybean is a globally important crop serving as a primary source of vegetable protein for millions of individuals. The roots of these plants harbour essential nitrogen fixing structures called nodules. This study investigates the multifaceted impact of silicon (Si) application on soybean, with a focus on root development, and nodulation employing comprehensive transcriptomic analyses and gene regulatory network. RNA sequence analysis was utilised to examine the change in gene expression and identify the noteworthy differentially expressed genes (DEGs) linked to the enhancement of soybean root nodulation and root development. A set of 316 genes involved in diverse biological and molecular pathways are identified, with emphasis on transcription factors (TFs) and transcriptional regulators (TRs). The study uncovers TF and TR genes, categorized into 68 distinct families, highlighting the intricate regulatory landscape influenced by Si in soybeans. Upregulated most important bHLH subfamily and the involvement of the auxin transporter pathway underscore the molecular mechanisms contributing to enhanced root development and nodulation. The study bridges insights from other research, reinforcing Si’s impact on stress-response pathways and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis crucial for nodulation. The study reveals significant alterations in gene expression patterns associated with cellular component functions, root development, and nodulation in response to Si. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stomata are specialized pores that play a vital role in gas exchange and photosynthesis. Microscopic images are often used to assess stomatal characteristics in plants; however, this can be a challenging task. By utilizing Matterport's Mask R-CNN implementation as the foundational model, fine-tuning was conducted on a dataset of 810 microscopic images of Hedyotis corymbosa leaves' surfaces for automated stomatal pores detection. The outcomes were promising, with the model achieving a convergence of 98% mean average precision (mAP) for both detection and segmentation. The training loss and validation loss values converged around 0.18 and 0.37, respectively. Regression analyses demonstrated the statistical significance (p values ≤ 0.05) of predictor parameters. Notably, the tightest cluster of data points was observed in stomata pore area measurements, followed by width and length. This highlights the precision of the stomatal pore area in characterizing stomatal traits. Despite challenges posed by the original dataset's low-resolution images and artifacts like dust, bubbles, and blurriness, our innovative utilization of the Mask R-CNN algorithm yielded commendable outcomes. This research introduces a robust approach for stomatal phenotyping with broad applications in plant biology and environmental studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective identification and usage of genetic variation are prerequisites for developing nutrientefficient cultivars. A collection of 94 safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) genotypes (G) was investigated for important morphological and photosynthetic traits at four nitrogen (N) treatments. We found significant variation for all the studied traits except chlorophyll b (chl b) among safflower genotypes, nitrogen treatments and G × N interaction. The examined traits showed a 2.82-50.00% increase in response to N application. Biological yield (BY) reflected a significantly positive correlation with fresh shoot weight (FSW), root length (RL), fresh root weight (FRW) and number of leaves (NOL), while a significantly positive correlation was also observed among carotenoids (C), chlorophyll a (chl a), chl b and total chlorophyll content (CT) under all treatments. Superior genotypes with respect to plant height (PH), FSW, NOL, RL, FRW and BY were clustered into Group 3, while genotypes with better mean performance regarding chl a, chl b C and CT were clustered into Group 2 as observed in principal component analysis. The identified eight best-performing genotypes could be useful to develop improved nitrogen efficient cultivars. Genome-wide association analysis resulted in 32 marker-trait associations (MTAs) under four treatments. Markers namely DArT-45481731, DArT-17812864, DArT-15670279 and DArT-45482737 were found consistent. Protein-protein interaction networks of loci associated with MTAs were related to fatty acid and branched-chain amino acid metabolism and histone modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boron-assisted catalytic graphitization of carbonaceous materials is an attractive methodology for enhancing their electrical properties by modulating the chemical structures of pristine carbons. In this study, polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers (CFs) with highly developed microstructures were prepared by boron-assisted catalytic graphitization. Hydrothermally immersed CFs in boric acid were heat-treated up to 2700 °C, and their chemical structures were traced to investigate the boron-assisted catalytic graphitization mechanism. Boron from the gasified boron-related functional groups of CFs diffused into the CFs to form boron carbide, B 4 C. The boron-substituted CFs exhibited a highly developed crystalline structure that could not be achieved by heat treatment alone, indicating that boron accelerated the graphitic carbon structure. As a result, boron-assisted catalytic graphitization at 2700 °C simultaneously enhanced the electrical and thermal conductivities of CFs, with values of 3677.8 S/cm and 365.9 W/mK, respectively, which were 2.8 and 2.4 times higher than those of heat-treated CFs at 2700 °C. In addition, CFs were used to prepare CF papers using a wet-laid process, and their heat generation and thermal management capabilities were evaluated. Considering affordable CFs compared to nanomaterials, we believe that our study provides a feasible approach for fabricating heating elements and heat sinks. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced left-lateralized electroencephalographic (EEG) frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), a biomarker for the imbalance of interhemispheric frontal activity and motivational disturbances, represents a neuropathological attribute of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Unidirectional high-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (hf-tRNS) can increase the excitability of the cortex beneath the stimulating electrode. Yet, it is unclear if hf-tRNS can modulate electroencephalographic FAA in patients with schizophrenia. We performed a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial to contrast hf-tRNS and sham stimulation for treating negative symptoms in 35 schizophrenia patients. We used electroencephalography to investigate if 10 sessions of hf-tRNS delivered twice-a-day for five consecutive weekdays would modulate electroencephalographic FAA in schizophrenia. EEG data were collected and FAA was expressed as the differences between common-log-transformed absolute power values of frontal right and left hemisphere electrodes in the alpha frequency range (8–12.5 Hz). We found that hf-tRNS significantly increased FAA during the first session of stimulation (p = 0.009) and at the 1-week follow-up (p = 0.004) relative to sham stimulation. However, FAA failed to predict and surrogate the improvement in the severity of negative symptoms with hf-tRNS intervention. Together, our findings suggest that modulating electroencephalographic frontal alpha asymmetry by using unidirectional hf-tRNS may play a key role in reducing negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia is associated with increased resting-state large-scale functional network connectivity in the gamma frequency. High-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (hf-tRNS) modulates gamma-band endogenous neural oscillations in healthy individuals through the application of low-amplitude electrical noises. Yet, it is unclear if hf-tRNS can modulate gamma-band functional connectivity in patients with schizophrenia. We performed a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial to contrast hf-tRNS (N = 17) and sham stimulation (N = 18) for treating negative symptoms in 35 schizophrenia patients. Short continuous currents without neuromodulatory effects were applied in the sham group to mimic real-stimulation sensations. We used electroencephalography to investigate if a five-day, twice-daily hf-tRNS protocol modulates gamma-band (33–45 Hz) functional network connectivity in schizophrenia. Exact low resolution electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA) was used to compute intra-cortical activity from regions within the default mode network (DMN) and fronto-parietal network (FPN), and functional connectivity was computed using lagged phase synchronization. We found that hf-tRNS reduced gamma-band within-DMN and within-FPN connectivity at the end of stimulation relative to sham stimulation. A trend was obtained between the change in within-FPN functional connectivity from baseline to the end of stimulation and the improvement of negative symptoms at the one-month follow-up (r = −0.49, p = 0.055). Together, our findings suggest that hf-tRNS has potential as a network-level approach to modulate large-scale functional network connectivity pertaining to negative symptoms of schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cervical dystonia is considered as a network disorder affecting various brain regions in recent days. Presumably, deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the internal segment of globus pallidus (GPi) may exert therapeutic effects for cervical dystonia through modulation of the aberrant brain networks. In the present study, we investigated postoperative regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes after GPi DBS using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to identify significant activity changes in several relevant brain areas of cervical dystonia patients. Methods: A total of 9 patients with idiopathic cervical dystonia were recruited, and SPECT scans were conducted at baseline and 3 months after the bilateral GPi DBS. Voxel-wise changes of rCBF were analyzed using Statistical Parametric Mapping. Symptom severity of dystonia was measured using Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) at the baseline, and 1 week, and 3 months after GPi DBS. Results: At the 3-month follow-up after DBS, rCBF was increased in the left pons and right postcentral gyrus and decreased in the left middle frontal gyrus, left cerebellum, right putamen and pallidum, and left thalamus (p < 0.001). Severity of cervical dystonia assessed by TWSTRS was significantly decreased at 1-week and 3-month follow-up (p = 0.004). Conclusions: Clinical improvement of cervical dystonia after GPi DBS may be accompanied by rCBF changes in several brain areas of the cortico-basal ganglia-cerebellar network which are important for sensorimotor integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breeders persistently supply farmers with the best varieties in order to exceed consumer demand through plant-breeding processes that are resource-intensive. In order to motivate continuous innovation in variety development, a system needs to provide incentives for plant breeders to develop superior varieties, for example, exclusive ownership to produce and market those varieties. The most common system is the acquisition of intellectual property protection through plant variety protection, also known as the breeder's right. Most countries have adopted the system established by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). To be granted plant variety protection, the variety should prove to be unique by meeting three requirements: distinctness, uniformity, and stability. This review summarizes (1) the plant variety protection via UPOV convention, (2) technical methods for distinctness, uniformity, and stability testing via phenotype, molecular markers, and sequencing as well as their challenges and potentiality, and (3) additional discussions in essentially derived variety, value for cultivation and use testing, and open source seed initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the blood glucose-lowering effect of the peptide complex Deglusterol, which was isolated from corn extract, in insulin-resistance models. It was found to inhibit insulin receptor substrate (IRS) Ser302 phosphorylation, known as the insulin resistance mechanism, through the inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) signaling and the induction of AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of IRS Tyr632, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and AKT that is involved in the insulin action mechanism was decreased by TNF-α, whereas Deglusterol increased their phosphorylations, leading to an increase of glucose uptake rate by 190% through glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) compared with TNF-α-treated group in C2C12 cells. In addition to insulin signaling activation, Deglusterol treatment resulted in significantly greater mRNA expressions of IRS (190%) and GLUT4 (140%) as well as that of leptin (260%) and adiponectin (140%), which are indicators of insulin sensitivity. In animal models with type 2 diabetes, the blood glucose concentrations in the Deglusterol-administered group were significantly reduced by 50% compared with the control group. Deglusterol suppressed insulin resistance and restored insulin sensitivity, which contributed to lowering blood glucose concentrations in the insulin-resistant models, suggesting its potential as a blood glucose-lowering agent for people at high risk of type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) crop is well-known for its versatility worldwide and is also recognized as model species used extensively for various genetic studies. The aim of this research was to investigate both inter and intra-genetic diversity present among various tomato genotypes. This investigation was carried out through a comprehensive analysis encompassing morphological observations, biochemical assessments, and the utilization of SSR markers. A total of 15 discrete agro-morphological traits and six biochemical traits were undertaken in the current study for evaluating the analysis of variance, genetic parameters and correlation. The analysis of variance indicated significant differences across genotypes for all 15 agro-morphological traits and 6 biochemical traits tested, indicating that the experimental material included considerable variability. Morphological clustering divided the genotypes into 2 clusters and the genotype wise distance matrix was obtained to identify the most diverse genotypes. PCA analysis was conducted to understand the directive relation of traits and magnitude of variability contributed by them. SSR profiling with 24 primers identified 44 alleles with 1.83 as mean number of alleles/SSR with an average PIC value of 0.31. Structure analysis revealed two sub-populations (K = 2). The AMOVA indicated that 98% of the total variation was present within populations. This study presents a roadmap for composing future breeding strategies for integrating desirable traits in novel tomato lines that combine robustness and nutritive value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus fruit yield is essential for market stability, as it allows businesses to plan for production and distribution. However, yield estimation is a complex and time-consuming process that often requires a large number of field samples to ensure representativeness. To address this challenge, we investigated the optimal altitude for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imaging to estimate the yield of Citrus unshiu fruit. We captured images from five different altitudes (30 m, 50 m, 70 m, 90 m, and 110 m), and determined that a resolution of approximately 5 pixels/cm is necessary for reliable estimation of fruit size based on the average diameter of C. unshiu fruit (46.7 mm). Additionally, we found that histogram equalization of the images improved fruit count estimation compared to using untreated images. At the images from 30 m height, the normal image estimates fruit numbers as 73, 55, and 88. However, the histogram equalized image estimates 88, 71, 105. The actual number of fruits is 124, 88, and 141. Using a Vegetation Index such as IPCA showed a similar estimation value to histogram equalization, but I1 estimation represents a gap to actual yields. Our results provide a valuable database for future UAV field investigations of citrus fruit yield. Using flying platforms like UAVs can provide a step towards adopting this sort of model spanning ever greater regions at a cheap cost, with this system generating accurate results in this manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hair loss occurs due to various biological and environmental causes, which can have psychosocial consequences. The Wnt/β‐catenin signaling is well‐known for its role in hair growth and regeneration, as it induces the proliferation and differentiation of hair cells. When the leucine‐rich G protein‐coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) interacts with the R‐spondins, the frizzled receptor (FZD), a Wnt receptor, becomes stabilized, resulting in an increased β‐catenin activity. Aim: We investigated whether the octapeptide that binds to Lgr5 enhances proliferation and differentiation of human primary hair cells through the activation of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling. Methods: The binding affinity of the octapeptide to Lgr5 was evaluated using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). We confirmed changes in proliferation and related factors like β‐catenin activation and growth factors (GFs) expression in human hair follicle dermal papilla cells (HHFDPCs). Additionally, we observed the proliferation and the expression of differentiation markers in human hair follicle outer root sheath cells (HHFORSCs), human hair follicle germinal matrix cells (HHFGMCs), and human hair follicle stem cells (HHFSCs). We used three‐dimensional HHFDPC spheroid culture treated with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to create in vitro conditions that mimic androgenetic alopecia, and we studied the effects of octapeptide on Wnt expression and HHFSC differentiation. Results: The binding of the octapeptide to Lgr5 was confirmed using SPR analysis. In HHFDPCs, treatment with octapeptide resulted in a concentration‐dependent increase in proliferation. We also observed increased nuclear translocation of β‐catenin and increased expression of its downstream targets. HHFDPCs treated with octapeptide exhibited increased expression of growth factors and phosphorylation of Akt and ERK. In addition, we confirmed that octapeptide increased proliferation and induced differentiation in HHFORSCs, HHFGMCs, and HHFSCs. Under the HHFDPC spheroid culture conditions, we found that octapeptide restored the inhibition of Wnt‐5a and Wnt‐10b expressions by DHT. In HHFSCs treated with HHFDPC spheroid culture media, we observed that octapeptide recovered the inhibition of differentiation by DHT. Conclusion: We found that octapeptides activated the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling and induced the proliferation and differentiation of human primary hair cells by acting as an exogenous ligand for Lgr5. In addition, octapeptides recovered inhibited hair regeneration characters by DHT in androgenetic alopecia‐mimic in vitro model. These findings suggest that octapeptides may be a promising therapeutic option for treating hair loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been significant progress in enhancing the genetic foundation underlying important agricultural traits such as resistance to scab and the development of a columnar growth habit. V. inaequalis is a hemibiotrophic fungus widely distributed in temperate regions where apples are grown on commercial scale. The present investigation was undertaken to identify Vf gene and Co gene, which, respectively, confer resistance against apple scab disease and columnar phenotype in apple cultivar 'Rosalie' and introgression of both the genes in commercially important cultivar 'Fuji'. Polymorphism survey was carried out between the two parents using 22 simple sequence repeat (SSR) and sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers. The observations revealed that almost 50% hybrids fall in resistant category and 50% in susceptible category. The results of marker-assisted screening confirmed 38 F1s carrying resistance gene for scab while the remaining 32 F1 plants were found to be lacking the gene. The 38 genotypically scab-resistant hybrids were selected for further characterization as columnar and non-columnar plants. Based on the selection criteria, 21 individuals were categorized as columnar and the remaining 17 were categorized as non-columnar. The phenotypic screening was followed by screening of F1 s using molecular markers for Co gene. The amplification of Co-specific markers yielded columnar-specific fragments in the population and fitted the expected 1:1 Mendelian ratio. 18 scab-resistant F1 hybrids were found to carry Co gene and the remaining 20 did not possess the gene for columnar growth habit. Gene-specific primers identified in the present study can be directly used for screening large apple germplasm in a short period of time for developing resistant varieties against apple scab as well as varieties with columnar growth habit. Hybrids with verified scab resistance and columnar growth can be swiftly utilized as scab-resistant columnar cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare the diagnostic performance of the stretched exponential model to those of other DWI models and transient elastography (TE) and to evaluate the influence of confounding factors on the staging of liver fibrosis. Methods: This retrospective study included 78 consecutive patients who underwent both DWI and TE. The distributed diffusion coefficient (DDC) and intravoxel heterogeneity index (α) from the stretched exponential model, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), perfusion fraction (f), pseudodiffusion coefficient (Dp), true diffusion coefficient (Dt), and TE were obtained. Associations between imaging parameters and pathological fibrosis, inflammation, and steatosis were evaluated using Spearman's correlation and multiple regression analysis. Diagnostic accuracy of parameters for fibrosis staging was assessed via the Obuchowski measures. Results: DDC was the only parameter to differ between F0–1 and F2–3 (p < 0.001) and between F2–3 and F4 (p = 0.013). DDC showed significant correlation with fibrosis (p < 0.001) and inflammation (p = 0.001), but not with steatosis (p = 0.619), and was independently associated with only fibrosis in multiple regression analysis (β = − 0.114, p < 0.001). ADC, Dp, and Dt showed a significant correlation with steatosis (ps ≤ 0.038). DDC showed the highest diagnostic performance for liver fibrosis (0.717; 95% confidence interval, 0.653–0.765) followed by TE (0.681, 0.623–0.733) without a significant difference between DDC and TE (p > 0.999). Conclusions: DDC from the stretched exponential model is the most accurate DWI parameter with no confounding effect from steatosis and with overall similar diagnostic performance to TE. Key Points: • The distributed diffusion coefficient (DDC) from the stretched exponential model is the most accurate DWI parameter for staging liver fibrosis. • DDC and transient elastography have similar good diagnostic performance for evaluating liver fibrosis. • The stretched exponential DWI model has no confounding effect by steatosis, unlike other DWI models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To utilize eco-friendly materials in Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS) thin-film solar cells, a Zn-based buffer layer has been adopted to replace the conventional CdS buffer layer. Buffer layers can be grown using a variety of techniques, with chemical bath deposition (CBD) generally used for the preparation of the Zn(O,S) buffer layer. The growth rate of the CBD-Zn(O,S) buffer layer is determined by the dissociation rate of S during chemical reaction between Zn and S ions. Thiourea (TU) is a conventional precursor of S, but it suffers from poor dissociation rate of S, leading to prolonged layer deposition times. In this study, we replaced TU with thioacetamide (TAA), thereby drastically shortening the deposition time from 80 min (TU) to 7 min (TAA). Furthermore, incorporating Zn with S ions is known to be difficult owing to the high-speed release of S ions from TAA. However, by adjusting the molar concentration of ZnSO 4 , we discovered a process to effectively form the Zn–S bonds for the CBD-Zn(O,S) buffer layer. The efficiency of the CIGS thin-film solar cell shows the best performance at a ZnSO 4 concentration of 0.05 M, which rivals the performance of the TU base process. The physical and chemical properties of CBD-Zn(O,S) grown at a high deposition rate using TAA were examined as a function of ZnSO 4 molar concentration. We proposed a growth model that accounts for the changes in film thickness and surface morphology evolution, both of which depend on the ZnSO 4 concentration. Additionally, to investigate the p–n junction properties in terms of device operation, we elucidated the band alignment at the CIGS/CBD-Zn(O,S) interface, concentrating on the interfacial barrier height. It is empirically demonstrated that a lower ΔE C value improves the solar cell operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus fruit yield is essential for market stability, as it allows businesses to plan for production and distribution. However, yield estimation is a complex and time-consuming process that often requires a large number of field samples to ensure representativeness. To address this challenge, we investigated the optimal altitude for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imaging to estimate the yield of Citrus unshiu fruit. We captured images from five different altitudes (30 m, 50 m, 70 m, 90 m, and 110 m), and determined that a resolution of approximately 5 pixels/cm is necessary for reliable estimation of fruit size based on the average diameter of C. unshiu fruit (46.7 mm). Additionally, we found that histogram equalization of the images improved fruit count estimation compared to using untreated images. At the images from 30 m height, the normal image estimates fruit numbers as 73, 55, and 88. However, the histogram equalized image estimates 88, 71, 105. The actual number of fruits is 124, 88, and 141. Using a Vegetation Index such as IPCA showed a similar estimation value to histogram equalization, but I1 estimation represents a gap to actual yields. Our results provide a valuable database for future UAV field investigations of citrus fruit yield. Using flying platforms like UAVs can provide a step towards adopting this sort of model spanning ever greater regions at a cheap cost, with this system generating accurate results in this manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ankle-brachial index (ABI) is a simple method for diagnosing peripheral artery disease (PAD) but has limited reliability in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) because of medial artery calcification. Our study aims to investigate whether the toe brachial index (TBI) or the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) has a better detection over the ABI for diagnosing PAD in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Materials and Methods: A cohort of 368 patients (mean age 68.59 ± 13.14 years, 190 males and 178 females) with type 2 DM underwent ABI, TBI, and CAVI measurements at our outpatient clinic. Results: Of all enrolled patients, the TBI is significant in evaluating PAD, especially in patients whose chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3a with adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 6.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.63–25.97, p = 0.0080, stage 3b AOR = 7.47, 95% CI 1.52–36.81, p = 0.0135, and stage 4–5 AOR = 20.13, 95% CI 1.34–94.24, p = 0.0116. CAVI is also significant in CKD stage 1 with AOR = 0.16, 95% CI 0.03–0.77, p = 0.0223, stage 2 with AOR = 0.18, 95% CI 0.04–0.74, p = 0.0180, and stage 3a AOR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.10–0.93, p = 0.0375. Conclusion: TBI has a better yield of detection of PAD compared to ABI among Taiwanese patients with DKD. CAVI may play a role in the early stage of DKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zoysia grass (Zoysia spp.) is the most widely used warm-season turf grass in Korea due to its durability and resistance to environmental stresses. To develop new longer-period greenness cultivars, it is essential to screen germplasm which maintains the greenness at a lower temperature. Conventional methods are time-consuming, laborious, and subjective. Therefore, in this study, we demonstrate an objective and efficient method to screen maintaining longer greenness germplasm using RGB and multispectral images. From August to December, time-series data were acquired and we calculated green cover percentage (GCP), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Red Edge Index (NDRE), Soil-adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) values of germplasm from RGB and multispectral images by applying vegetation indexs. The result showed significant differences in GCP, NDVI, NDRE, SAVI, and EVI among germplasm (p < 0.05). The GCP, which evaluated the quantity of greenness by counting pixels of the green area from RGB images, exhibited maintenance of greenness over 90% for August and September but, sharply decrease from October. The study found significant differences in GCP and NDVI among germplasm. san208 exhibiting over 90% GCP and high NDVI values during 153 days. In addition, we also conducted assessments using various vegetation indexes, namely NDRE, SAVI, and EVI. san208 exhibited NDRE levels exceeding 3% throughout this period. As for SAVI, it initially started at approximately 38% and gradually decreased to around 4% over the course of these days. Furthermore, for the month of August, it recorded approximately 6%, but experienced a decline from about 9% to 1% between September and October. The complementary use of both indicators could be an efficient method for objectively assessing the greenness of turf both quantitatively and qualitatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective study investigated whether repetitive exposure to intravenous iodinated contrast media (ICM) affects long-term renal function in patients who undergo curative surgery for early gastric cancer (EGC) collected from the Korean Health Insurance and Review Assessment (HIRA) database. Patients diagnosed with gastric cancer between January 2010 and December 2013 underwent regular computed tomography (CT) scans to monitor for extragastric recurrence. Patients who already had chronic kidney disease (CKD) before cancer diagnosis or had undergone chemotherapy or repeated surgery were excluded. A nested case–control study design was chosen to analyze the effect of repetitive ICM exposure to long-term renal function by comparing patients who developed CKD 2 years after cancer diagnosis and patients who did not. Among 59,971 patients collected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, 1021 were diagnosed with CKD 2 years after cancer diagnosis. Using 1:5 matching after adjusting for age, sex and date of cancer diagnosis, 5097 control patients were matched to 1021 CKD patients. Conditional logistic regression showed that the number of CTs taken using ICM slightly increased the odds of CKD (odds ratio, 1.080; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.059, 1.100; P < 0.0001). Thus, the administration of ICM might contribute to chronic renal function impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PAN-based carbon fibers with highly developed microstructures via calcium-assisted thermal treatments is reported. • The catalytic effect of Ca compounds on CF graphitization at low temperatures of 1600 °C was observed. • The effect of Ca on the structural changes of CFs was investigated via AIMD simulations. • We suggest a new and affordable methodology to manufacture CF with significantly higher conductivities and moduli. Graphitized carbon fibers are attractive materials because of their high tensile modulus and thermal and electrical conductivities. These attributes derive from their crystalline structures that develop during heat treatments of up to 3000 °C. Despite the costly thermal processes, there is a structural limit for achieving these sought-after properties for polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers. Herein, the preparation of polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers with highly developed microstructures via calcium-assisted thermal treatments of up to 2700 °C is reported. Carbon fibers hydrothermally immersed in a solution of calcium carbonate were heat-treated and their chemical structures traced to investigate the calcium-assisted catalytic graphitization mechanism. Graphitic structures appeared at 1400 °C, accompanied by intermediate complexes of carbon and calcium on the carbon fibers surfaces. Further heat treatment of the calcium compounds at 1600 °C to incorporate carbon fibers resulted in an interlayer spacing of 0.3360 nm, which was unachievable solely through heat treatment at 2700 °C. In addition, the achieved tensile modulus and electrical conductivity of 480 GPa and 1.7 × 103 S/cm, respectively, were significantly higher than those of pure carbon fibers. The calcium ions penetrating the internal structure of the carbon fibers aligned the non-uniform graphene structure and developed the graphite structure of the carbon fibers by acting as catalysts, even at low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apple is rich in secondary metabolites, which play a role in maintaining health and disease prevention. Polyphenols are the principal constituents of apples. In this study, 25 apple cultivars cultivated at the same field conditions were analyzed for their antioxidant potential and polyphenolic content. The total phenolic content of apples ranged from 7.22 to 143.57 mg GAE/100 g fw, the flavonoid content varied from 17.54 to 143.00 mg CE /100 g fw. The maximum catechin content 2310 ± 7.45 µg/g fw. The maximum epicatechin, quercetin and phloridzin content was observed in Malus Floribunda i.e., 1740 ± 5.03 µg/g fw, 5110 ± 4 93 µg/g fw, and 2170 ± 8.76 µg/g fw, respectively. Maximum content observed significant relations with catechin (r = 0.2943) epicatechin (r = 0.2597), quercetin (r = 0.3995), apigenin (r = 0.4054), phloridzin (r = 0.3329). The most significant correlation was observed between DPPH and apigenin (r = 0.4054). Principal component analysis and component score matrix show the distribution of polyphenolics between 25 apple cultivars of diverse origins. The HCA divided the cultivars into three main metabolically rich clusters. Our study elucidates the variation in antioxidant potential of different apple cultivars which could be useful for the development of new apple cultivars by conventional and modern breeders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canopy coverage-based crop growth monitoring is highly dependent on the performance of crop segmentation algorithms. Under field conditions, crop segmentation for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery should be sophisticated considering geometric distortion of images by wind and illumination variations. Under Korean cultivation conditions, a plastic mulch used to restrict weeds and prevent cold weather damage increases the complexity of the image background. In particular, on-site monitoring of onion and garlic growth has been limited by their morphology because they have long narrow leaves. The ultimate goal of this study was to quantify the growth parameters of onion and garlic at multiple growth stages using red, green, and blue (RGB) imagery obtained with UAVs. Canopy coverage and plant height were used as predictor variables to develop mathematical models to estimate the fresh weights of onion and garlic. The use of a CIE L*a*b* color space and mean shift (MS) algorithm enhanced the extraction of the canopy coverage of onion and garlic from complex backgrounds, including plastic mulch, soil, and shadows under varying illumination conditions. Multiple linear regression models consisting of the a* band-based vegetation fraction (VF) and structure from motion (SfM)-based plant height (PH) fitted the fresh weight data of onion and garlic well with high coefficients of determination (R2) ranging from 0.82 to 0.92. The validation results showed an almost 1:1 slope with highly linear relationships (R2 > 0.82) between the onion and garlic fresh weights obtained with the UAV RGB imagery and actual fresh weights, confirming that the UAV-RGB imagery based on the use of the a*band and PH can be used to quantify the spatial and temporal variability of onion and garlic growth parameters during the growing season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of colorful solar cells is necessary for building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) applications in urban areas, where aesthetics play an important role. The conventional deposition process of multilayer color filters utilized in solar cells for BIPV applications is expensive because it requires multiple sputter targets. Herein, to address the issue of high cost, a single sputter target was used to produce a color filter consisting of a Zn-based multilayer structure. The oxygen content in the Zn(O,S) films could be controlled by adjusting the amount of oxygen gas supplied during the sputtering process. This allows for control of the optical properties of the films, including the refractive index and extinction coefficient. A color filter with the Zn(O 0.92 ,S 0.08)/ZnS structure repeated three times was applied to Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 thin-film solar cells; the resulting solar cell demonstrated a wide range of color expressions and less than 10% reduction in optical performance. The proposed technology is expected to significantly reduce the cost of optical filter processes and their applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Plants have developed complex defense mechanisms against pathogen attack, including expression of genes and production of different metabolites. • The study used molecular and biochemical techniques to investigate the expression of genes and molecules involved in incompatible interaction. • Results showed upregulation of genes involved in ROS metabolism and the phenylpropanoid pathway, higher levels of ROS and phenylpropanoid compounds. • Specific genes encoding enzymes involved in the synthesis of flavonoids and lignin were also upregulated in response to V. Inaequalis pathogenesis. Scab disease of apple caused by Venturia inaequalis results in significant economic losses in the apple industry throughout the apple growing regions of world. In present study, we investigated the response of apple cv. Prima against the V. inaequalis by examining the levels of antioxidants, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, and gene expression of the phenylpropanoid pathway. We found that the inoculated plant showed a significant increase in metabolites and enzyme activities involved in ROS metabolism. There was a considerable rise in antioxidants (metabolites) like apigenin, p-coumaric acid, (+) -catechin, epicatechin, quercetin, phloridzin, rutin, ferulic acid, and sinapic acid in the inoculated plant from 28 to 108.84 (g−1 FW). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased from 8.22 to 11.61 u/gm whereas catalase (CAT) activity increased from 22. 08 to 48.62 u/gm and peroxidase (POD) activity increased from 60.67 to 105.05 u/gm in treated. Gene expression was enhanced by 8.92, 19.92, 27.44, and 32.45 folds with respect to control at different stages of inoculation. The expression of genes in the phenylpropanoid pathway was also highly upregulated in response to the pathogen. The plant's defense response triggered a hypersensitive response (HR), which limited the growth of the pathogen V. inaequalis. The results suggest that the synthesis and accumulation of polyphenols play an essential role in the plant's defense response against the pathogen, and some components of the phenylpropanoid pathway may exhibit broad-spectrum disease resistance without yield penalties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been an increasing demand for robotic coil positioning during repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment. Accurate coil positioning is crucial because rTMS generally targets specific brain regions for both research and clinical application with other reasons such as safety, consistency and reliability and individual variablity. Some previous studies have employed industrial robots or co-robots and showed they can more precisely stimulate the target cortical regions than traditional manual methods. In this study, we not only developed a custom-TMS robot for better TMS coil placement but also analyzed the therapeutic effects on depression. Treatment effects were evaluated by measuring regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using single-photon emission computed tomography and depression severity before and after rTMS for the two positioning methods. The rTMS preparation time with our robotic coil placement was reduced by 53% compared with that of the manual method. The position and orientation errors were also significantly reduced from 11.17 mm and 4.06° to 0.94 mm and 0.11°, respectively, confirming the superiority of robotic positioning. The results from clinical and neuroimaging assessments indicated comparable improvements in depression severity and rCBF in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex between the robotic and manual rTMS groups. A questionnaire was used to determine the patients' feelings about the robotic system, including the safety and preparation time. A high safety score indicated good acceptability of robotic rTMS at the clinical site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zoysia grass (Zoysia spp.) is the most widely used warm-season turf grass in Korea due to its durability and resistance to environmental stresses. To develop new longer-period greenness cultivars, it is essential to screen germplasm which maintains the greenness at a lower temperature. Conventional methods are time-consuming, laborious, and subjective. Therefore, in this study, we demonstrate an objective and efficient method to screen maintaining longer greenness germplasm using RGB and multispectral images. From August to December, time-series data were acquired and we calculated green cover percentage (GCP), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Red Edge Index (NDRE), Soil-adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) values of germplasm from RGB and multispectral images by applying vegetation indexs. The result showed significant differences in GCP, NDVI, NDRE, SAVI, and EVI among germplasm (p < 0.05). The GCP, which evaluated the quantity of greenness by counting pixels of the green area from RGB images, exhibited maintenance of greenness over 90% for August and September but, sharply decrease from October. The study found significant differences in GCP and NDVI among germplasm. san208 exhibiting over 90% GCP and high NDVI values during 153 days. In addition, we also conducted assessments using various vegetation indexes, namely NDRE, SAVI, and EVI. san208 exhibited NDRE levels exceeding 3% throughout this period. As for SAVI, it initially started at approximately 38% and gradually decreased to around 4% over the course of these days. Furthermore, for the month of August, it recorded approximately 6%, but experienced a decline from about 9% to 1% between September and October. The complementary use of both indicators could be an efficient method for objectively assessing the greenness of turf both quantitatively and qualitatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the survival of patients with and without BAT activity on FDG PET/CT. Methods: PET/CT exams from 3937 breast cancer patients were retrospectively reviewed for bilateral symmetric elongated FDG activity in the neck and chest, typical of BAT activation. A control group of age-matched (± 1 year) breast cancer patients who underwent PET/CT the same week was also enrolled for comparison. Kaplan–Meier curves of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for BAT positive patients and the control group were calculated. Further sub-analysis was performed to account for the hormonal changes associated with menopause. Results: 2.0% (80/3937) of the breast cancer patients who underwent PET/CT demonstrated BAT activation, and 80 additional patients were analyzed for comparison as the group without BAT activity. Mean follow-up was 76 months (range 1–225 months). There were 4 recurrences in the BAT group, compared to 12 in the control. The mean PFS for the BAT group was 127 months, which was significantly lower than the mean PFS of 180 months in the control (p = 0.047). Sub-analysis of premenopausal women again showed longer PFS for the BAT group (129 vs. 196 months, p = 0.095) while no difference was found in postmenopausal women (mean 102 vs. 135 months, p = 0.360). Presence of BAT activity was also a significant predictor variable for PFS on Cox regression. Conclusion: Patients with BAT activity showed longer progression-free survival than those without, emphasizing the need for further evaluation of its role in metabolism, treatment response, tumor microenvironment and long-term prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Fatty change is commonly observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, the characteristics of steatotic and steatohepatitic HCCs are not well understood. Methods: This retrospective study included patients with HCCs who underwent resection between January 2014 and December 2019 to evaluate clinicopathological and magnetic resonance imaging features. Tumours were categorized as magnetic resonance imaging‐steatotic, pathology‐steatotic and steatohepatitic HCCs and were defined as HCCs with ≥50% steatosis on in‐and‐oppose phase images, ≥34% tumour cells with lipid droplets and ≥50% tumour areas with steatohepatitic features on light microscopy respectively. Results: Of 465 HCCs, 38 (8%), 23 (5%) and 15 (3%) were diagnosed as magnetic resonance imaging‐steatotic, pathology‐steatotic and steatohepatitic HCCs respectively. These HCC variants were less likely to be associated with hepatitis B virus infections than with type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, non‐tumour liver steatosis and steatohepatitis. Moreover, microvascular invasion was less likely to be associated with them than either tumour size or differentiation. Type 2 diabetes and non‐tumour steatosis were independent risk factors for magnetic resonance imaging‐steatotic HCCs. Pathology‐steatotic HCCs and steatohepatitic HCCs were significantly associated with magnetic resonance imaging‐steatotic HCCs. A targetoid appearance in the transitional or hepatobiliary phase was also more prevalent in steatohepatitic‐HCCs than in non–steatohepatitic‐HCCs. When magnetic resonance imaging‐steatotic HCCs were combined with one or more ancillary features, the sensitivity and specificity were 60% and 97% respectively. Conclusion: Underlying fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome are strongly associated with both steatotic and steatohepatitic HCCs. Clinicoradiological characteristics help identify steatohepatitic HCC with high specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generation of hydrogen fuel via electrochemical water splitting powered by sustainable energy, such as wind or solar energy, is an attractive path toward the future renewable energy landscape. However, current water electrolysis requires desalinated water resources, eventually leading to energy costs and water scarcity. The development of cost‐effective electrocatalysts capable of splitting saline water feeds directly can be an evident solution. Herein, a surface reconstructed nickel‐iron layered double hydroxide (NF‐LDH) is reported as an exceptionally active and durable bifunctional electrocatalyst for saline water splitting without chloride corrosion. The surface reconstructed NF‐LDH consists of Ni3Fe alloy phase interconnected in a 2D network in which an ultrathin (≈2 nm) and low‐crystalline NiFe (oxy)hydroxide phase are formed on the surface. The NiFe (oxy)hydroxide phase draws large anodic current densities, satisfying the level of practical application, while the Ni3Fe alloy phase is simultaneously responsible for the high catalytic activity for cathodic reactions and superior corrosion resistance. The surface reconstructed NF‐LDH electrode can be easily fabricated in a large electrode area (up to 25 cm2) and can successfully produce hydrogen fuels from saline water powered by the laboratory‐made low‐intensity photovoltaic cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Reconstruction experiments of biodeterioration on materials are crucial in testing biocides. • Interference of biocides with materials and pigments cannot be neglected. • Stone porosity strongly affects the biocidal efficiency. • Eco-friendly emulsifiers can act as tertiary bioreceptivity agents. Hypogeal environments due to their limited air circulation, low constant temperatures and high humidity could be threatened by microbial spreading. In cultural heritage preservation, natural bioactive molecules have been proposed as a possible alternative to traditional biocides. Although several papers report the in vitro effect of green biocides, scant information is available about their efficacy in direct application and interaction with historical materials. Then, we investigated five green biocidal formulations never applied before to control the biodeterioration of subterranean mural painting raising from Italian and South Korean traditions. We tested three emulsified essential oil-based (oregano and clove bud) water suspensions, and usnic acid-based water and 2-propanol/dimethyl sulfoxide (7:3) solutions for establishing: (i) possible interference with the reconstructed ancient wall paintings materials (colour and water adsorption changes), (ii) efficacy on recurrent biodeteriogens, trough optical/electronic microscopy, bioluminometric and culture-based methods. Results evidenced the different impact of such biocides on wall paintings' materials and pigments (e.g., higher on red and black Etruscan tiles). They also highlight the importance of reconstruction experiments for customizing treatments, avoiding interference with historical materials (e.g., changes in colour) and biodeteriogens' spreading. The active principles concentration and stone porosity strongly affect the biocidal efficacy, but the solvent and emulsifier used also had a relevant role. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besides apple mosaic virus (ApMV), apple necrotic mosaic virus (ApNMV) has also been found to be associated with apple mosaic disease. Both viruses are unevenly distributed throughout the plant and their titer decreases variably with high temperatures, hence requiring proper tissue and time for early and real-time detection within plants. The present study was carried out to understand the distribution and titer of ApMV and ApNMV in apple trees from different plant parts (spatial) during different seasons (temporal) for the optimization of tissue and time for their timely detection. The Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Reverse Transcription-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) was carried out to detect and quantify both viruses in the various plant parts of apple trees during different seasons. Depending on the availability of tissue, both ApMV and ApNMV were detected in all the plant parts during the spring season using RT-PCR. During the summer, both viruses were detected only in seeds and fruits, whereas they were detected in leaves and pedicel during the autumn season. The RT-qPCR results showed that during the spring, the ApMV and ApNMV expression was higher in leaves, whereas in the summer and autumn, the titer was mostly detected in seeds and leaves, respectively. The leaves in the spring and autumn seasons and the seeds in the summer season can be used as detection tissues through RT-PCR for early and rapid detection of ApMV and ApNMV. This study was validated on 7 cultivars of apples infected with both viruses. This will help to accurately sample and index the planting material well ahead of time, which will aid in the production of virus-free, quality planting material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]