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Although the household healthcare system is one of the cutting-edge application areas of anthropomorphic design, it remains to be further explored whether anthropomorphism is always effective. This article focuses on the context of aging-friendly household healthcare services and explores how anthropomorphic design affects users' sustained use intention through sentiment feedback mechanisms. With the help of questionnaire surveys, 511 valid samples were randomly collected for empirical analysis and hypothesis testing. The results showed that positive interactions, cultural backgrounds, and appearance could enhance users' perception of anthropomorphism from large to small. In addition, the positive (negative) sentiment of users plays a positive (negative) full mediating role in the relationship between anthropomorphic design and sustained use intention, and user technology anxiety moderates such relationships. That is, compared to low-level technology anxiety, in high-level states, anthropomorphic design for household healthcare systems and products has a weaker (stronger) positive (negative) effect on sustained use intention through positive (negative) emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the hole transport layer of molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) for inverted bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaics (OPVs), which were fabricated using a combination of a spray coating and low-temperature annealing process as an alternative to the thermal evaporation process. To achieve a good coating quality of the sprayed film, the solvent used for solution-processed MoO3 (S-MoO3) should be well prepared. Isopropanol (IPA) is added to the as-prepared S-MoO3 solution to control its concentration. MoO3 solutions at concentrations of 5 mg/mL and 1 mg/mL were used for the spray coating process. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) depends on the concentration of the MoO3 solution and the spray coating process parameters of the MoO3 film, such as flow flux, spray cycles, and film thickness. The results of devices fabricated from solution-processed MoO3 with various spray fluxes show a lower PCE than that based on thermally evaporated MoO3 (T-MoO3) due to a limiting FF, which gradually increases with decreasing spray cycles. The highest PCE of 2.8% can be achieved with a 1 mg/mL concentration of MoO3 solution at the sprayed flux of 0.2 mL/min sprayed for one cycle. Additionally, S-MoO3 demonstrates excellent stability. Even without any encapsulation, OPVs can retain 90% of their initial PCE after 1300 h in a nitrogen-filled glove box and under ambient air conditions. The stability of OPVs without any encapsulation still has 90% of its initial PCE after 1300 h in a nitrogen-filled glove box and under air conditions. The results represent an evaluation of the feasibility of solution-processed HTL, which could be employed for a large-area mass production method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the hydrophobicity of the composite film on the wood surface, the wettability of the wood surface and its morphology, chemical structure, roughness and free energy changes were investigated in this paper after modification treatments with different volume fractions of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). It can be found that the water contact angle and surface roughness of the hydrophobically modified wood increased with the increase in volume fraction, but the overall effect of OTS hydrophobic modification was better than that of PDMS, and a maximum water contact angle of up to 140.8° could be obtained at a volume fraction of 2% of OTS. In addition, the intensity of the stretching vibration peak of -OH was weakened after the modification, while the intensity of the stretching vibration peak of -CH2- was enhanced, resulting in an increase in hydrophobicity. At the same time, it can be found that the surface free energy of the modified wood specimens was reduced, which shows that OTS and PDMS improve the surface hydrophobicity of the wood by increasing the surface roughness and decreasing the surface free energy together. Finally, the hydrophobically modified Bi2O3-doped silica–titanium composite film still possessed high photocatalytic degradation activity for rhodamine B and gas formaldehyde, and the degradation rate could reach more than 90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The micro-physical characteristics of a typical sea of clouds process in Jiuxian Mountain are investigated by comprehensively analyzing parameters that delineate the micro-physical characteristics of clouds and atmospheric stratification based on data from a cloud radar, wind profiler, meteorological gradient observation in high mountains, and other observations. The results show that water vapor condenses into cloud particles via an entrained and mixing process accompanied by an updraft originating from orographic uplift. During the thickening stage of the sea of clouds, atmospheric motion within the clouds is featured as "downdraft on the top—updraft on the bottom". The zero vertical velocity area is located closely to the maximum of liquid water content. The thermal inversion layer is formed during the maintenance stage; however, the enhancement of inversion on the cloud top could suppress updraft in areas with a high liquid water content. The values mainly concentrate on the cloud top, and repetitively lifting and falling processes caused by the atmospheric upward and downward motion are in favor of the coalescence growth of cloud particles, which result in the persistence of strong radar echo. At the dissipation stage, warming on the cloud top is greater than that on the cloud bottom due to the short-wave absorption of clouds as the solar radiation enhances. As a result, the inversion layer thickens and elevates, evaporation caused by heating outweighs the condensation caused by cooling, a strong radar echo band descends from the top to the middle part of clouds, a sea of clouds dissipates gradually as cloud particles evaporates, and the particle size and concentration number of cloud particles decrease simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the rapid development of the global economy has led to a substantial increase in energy consumption, subsequently resulting in the emission of a significant quantity of toxic gases into the environment. So far, gas sensors based on polymer field-effect transistors (PFETs), a highly practical and cost-efficient strategy, have garnered considerable attention, primarily attributed to their inherent advantages of offering a plethora of material choices, robust flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Notably, the development of functional organic semiconductors (OSCs), such as poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT), has been the subject of extensive scholarly investigation in recent years due to its widespread availability and remarkable sensing characteristics. This paper provides an exhaustive overview encompassing the production, functionalization strategies, and practical applications of gas sensors incorporating P3HT as the OSC layer. The exceptional sensing attributes and wide-ranging utility of P3HT position it as a promising candidate for improving PFET-based gas sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human digestive system is susceptible to various viruses and bacteria, which can lead to the development of lesions, disorders, and even cancer. According to statistics, colorectal cancer has been a leading cause of death in Taiwan for years. To reduce its mortality rate, clinicians must detect and remove polyps during gastrointestinal (GI) tract examinations. Recently, colonoscopies have been conducted to examine patients' colons. Even so, polyps sometimes remain undetected. To help medical professionals better identify abnormalities, advanced deep learning algorithms that can accurately detect colorectal polyps from images should be developed. Prompted by this proposition, the present study combined U-Net and YOLOv4 to create a two-stage network algorithm called UY-Net. This new algorithm was tested using colonoscopy images from the Kvasir-SEG dataset. Results showed that UY-Net was significantly accurate in detecting polyps. It also outperformed YOLOv4, YOLOv3-spp, Faster R-CNN, and RetinaNet by achieving higher spatial accuracy and overall accuracy of object detection. As the empirical evidence suggests, two-stage network algorithms like UY-Net will be a reliable and promising aid to image detection in healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) to be deposited on flexible substrates by roll-to-roll (R2R) processes is highly attractive for rapid mass production. Many research teams have demonstrated the great potential of flexible OPVs. However, the fabrication of R2R-coated OPVs is quite limited. There is still a performance gap between the R2R flexible OPVs and the rigid OPVs. In this study, we demonstrate the promising photovoltaic characteristics of flexible OPVs fabricated from blends of low bandgap polymer poly[(2,6-(4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)-benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene))-alt-(5,5-(1′,3′-di-2-thienyl-5′,7′-bis(2-ethylhexyl)benzo[1′,2′-c:4′,5′-c′]dithiophene-4,8-dione)] (PBDB-T) and non-fullerene 3,9-bis(2-methylene-(3-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-indanone))-5,5,11,11-tetrakis(4-hexylphenyl)-dithieno[2,3-d:2′,3′-d′]-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b′]dithiophene (ITIC). We successfully R2R slot-die coated the flexible OPVs with high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of over 8.9% under irradiation of simulated sunlight. Our results indicate that the processing parameters significantly affect the PCE of R2R flexible OPVs. By adjusting the amount of solvent additive and processing temperature, as well as optimizing thermal annealing conditions, the high PCE of R2R slot-die coated OPVs can be obtained. These results provide significant insights into the fundamentals of highly efficient OPVs for the R2R slot-die coating process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheaf-like manganese-doped zinc silicate (Mn-doped Zn2SiO4) was successfully synthesized without surfactant by hydrothermal route using manganese acetate, zinc nitrate, and sodium silicate as precursors. The structure, morphology, and optical properties were well investigated by various analytical techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), and photoluminescence (PL). The results showed the enhancement of crystallinity and an increase in the length of the as-prepared sample, which was achieved by prolonging the hydrothermal time. Based on the analysis of the XRD pattern, it can be stated that the sheaf-like Mn-doped Zn2SiO4 possesses a large lattice distortion compared to pure Zn2SiO4. Moreover, it was observed that hydrothermal times played a crucial role in the PL property. The PL peak intensity of samples located at 522 nm generally increased with the increase in reaction time in the range of 12–48 h. However, when the treating time reached 72 h, the property of PL decreased. The results of the PL spectra showed that Mn-doped Zn2SiO4 obtained by a hydrothermal time of 48 h displayed an efficient luminescent performance. The key to the high PL property mainly lies in the sheaf-like structure and large lattice distortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In particular environments, such as the Gobi Desert, the problems encountered in a project are complex, resulting in reduced stability of the anchoring system and multiple forms of failure. This paper takes the factors influencing the stability of sand anchors under vibration loads as the research background. Theoretical analysis and indoor model tests were used to study the load-bearing performance of sand anchors under vibration loads; in addition, a comparative analysis of this performance along with failure forms of sand anchor systems, various sand soil moisture contents, and vibration parameters was performed. The results of the study showed that as the water content becomes higher, the cohesive force of the sand decreases and produces a higher displacement in the water content, with most of the anchor solids becoming prone to fatigue failure. When the water content and vibration frequency remain stable and the vibration amplitude increases, the anchor rod is disturbed after the ultimate pullout bearing capacity forms a decreasing trend, with a decline rate of approximately 40%. By keeping the water content and vibration amplitude stable and changing the vibration frequency, the ultimate pullout capacity of the anchor does not change significantly, and the frequency reaches a certain level when it attains a compacting effect on the surrounding soil and thus has less influence on the anchor. The anchor pullout resistance bearing is most sensitive to the change in sand moisture content, more sensitive to the vibration amplitude, and less sensitive to the vibration frequency, but its correlation is not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, people are becoming more concerned about their physical health and putting forward higher requirements for an early and painless diagnosis of diseases. Traditional methods, such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy (SERS), and colorimetric methods have been used for the detection of biomarkers with high selectivity and sensitivity; however, these methods still need to be further improved for immediate and rapid diagnosis. Herein, organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs)-based biosensors offer the advantages of good flexibility, low-cost fabrication, reasonable sensitivity, and great biocompatibility for efficient determination of biomarkers in complex samples, including saliva, sweat, urine, and blood, respectively, exhibiting great potential in early disease diagnosis and clinical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a surface self-cleaning wood was obtained by loading Bi2O3-doped silica–titanium composite film on the surface of wood by the sol–gel method. The effects of different Bi doping amounts on the structure and photocatalytic properties of the modified wood were investigated. The doping of Bi2O3 inhibited the growth of TiO2 crystals and the phase transition from anatase to rutile. In addition, Bi2O3 could improve the photocatalytic activity of the composite film by appropriately reducing the grain size of TiO2 and increasing the crystallinity of TiO2. Furthermore, doping with Bi2O3 shifted the absorption wavelength of the wood samples back into the visible range, indicating that the increase in Bi content favoured light absorption. The wood samples loaded with Bi2O3-doped Si–Ti composite membranes had the best photocatalytic activity and the highest reaction rate when n (Ti):n (Bi) = 1:0.015. Degradation rates of 96.0% and 94.0% could be achieved for rhodamine B and gaseous formaldehyde, respectively. It can be seen that wood samples loaded with Bi2O3-doped Si–Ti composite films on the surface exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity against both gaseous and liquid pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: There is limited evidence about the association of healthy lifestyle and all-cause mortality in individuals with metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). We aimed to examine this association and compare it with the association in those without MAFLD. Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed and linked mortality data through 2019 in the National Health Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999–2010). A healthy lifestyle score was constructed from cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, healthy eating score, and leisure-time physical activity. Risk stratification was conducted in participants with MAFLD by fibrosis biomarkers and liver enzymes. Survey-weight adjusted Cox regression was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause mortality associated with healthy lifestyle. Results: There was a protective association between healthy lifestyle and all-cause mortality in participants with MAFLD (HR per 1-unit increase of healthy lifestyle score 0.77 [95% CI 0.69–0.85]), with no difference from the association in participants without MAFLD (HR 0.77 [0.72–0.82]). In participants with MAFLD, the associations tended to be stronger in those with lower risk of advanced fibrosis (HR per 1-unit increase of healthy lifestyle score 0.64 [0.50–0.79] for low NAFLD fibrosis score [NFS] and 0.84 [0.75–0.93] for high NFS, p-value for interaction 0.02), but did not differ by liver enzymes. The results for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mirrored those for MAFLD. Conclusions: Healthy lifestyle showed protective associations with all-cause mortality regardless of MAFLD status, and the associations tended to be stronger in those with lower risk of advanced fibrosis. Timely lifestyle modification matters for individuals with MAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–rich cathodes have excess lithium in the transition metal layer and exhibit an extremely high specific capacity and good energy density. However, they still have some disadvantages. Here, we propose LiCoMnO4, a new nanolayer coating material with a spinel structure, to modify the surface of lithium cathode oxide (Li7/6Mn1/2Ni1/6Co1/6O2) with a layered structure. The designed cathode with nanolayer spinel coating delivers an excellent reversible capacity, outstanding rate capability, and superior cycling ability whilst exhibiting discharge capacities of 300, 275, 220, and 166 mAh g−1 at rates of 0.1 C at 2.0−4.8 V formation and 0.1, 1, and 5 C, respectively, between 2.0 and 4.6 V. The cycling ability and voltage fading at a high operational voltage of 4.9 V were also investigated, with results showing that the nanolayer spinel coating can depress the surface of the lithium cathode oxide layer, leading to phase transformation that enhances the electrochemical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping the thunderstorm electrical structure could provide an effective way for lightning-sensitive facilities protection, such as aircraft and maritime assets. However, the weather radar that is normally used to forecast storms and rainfall mainly detects precipitation in the atmosphere and indicates the existence of liquid raindrops and ice particles by reflectivity. Here, we use intra-cloud events of eight thunderstorm days in the warm season, which are detected by VLF/LF Total Lightning monitoring system, to reveal the thunderstorm electrical structures in the 300 × 300 km area of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. The differences in height range in four types of time intervals and three types of intro-cloud events proportions are compared on 16 May. With the proportion between 20% and 80% in the time interval of 15 min, the height distribution and the electrical structure of eight thunderstorm days are clearly exhibited. The positive IC events lie in the average height between 7.5 and 12.4 km, while the negative IC events are located between 5.3 and 11.7 km. The electrical structures show the variations during the evolution process, with a dipole structure in most circumstances, while temporary reversions are identified in the initial and the dissipating stage of thunderstorms, presenting the inverted dipole and the tripole structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic hepatitis B is a critical cause of many serious liver diseases such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The main challenges in hepatitis B treatment include the rebound of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related antigen levels after drug withdrawal and the immunosuppression caused by the virus. Herein, we demonstrate that the HBV-related antigen can be effectively inhibited and antiviral immunity can be successfully reactivated through codelivery of the small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting HBV X protein (HBx) and the plasmid encoding interleukin 12 (pIL-12) to hepatocytes and immune cells. After being treated by the siRNA/pIL-12 codelivery system, HBx mRNA and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) are dramatically reduced in HepG2.215 cells. More importantly, the downregulated CD47 and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and the upregulated interferon-β promoter stimulator-1 (IPS-1), retinoic acid-inducible gene-1 (RIG-1), CD80, and human leukocyte antigen-1 (HLA-1) in treated HepG2.215 cells indicate that the immunosuppression is reversed by the codelivery system. Furthermore, the codelivery system results in inhibition of extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) and phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) pathways, as well as downregulation of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and upregulation of p53, implying its potential in preventing the progression of HBV-induced HCC. In addition, J774A.1 macrophages treated by the codelivery system were successfully differentiated into the M1 phenotype and expressed enhanced cytokines with anti-hepatitis B effects such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Therefore, we believe that codelivery of siRNA and pIL-12 can effectively inhibit hepatitis B virus, reverse virus-induced immunosuppression, reactivate antiviral immunity, and hinder the progression of HBV-induced hepatocellular carcinoma. This investigation provides a promising approach for the synergistic treatment of HBV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When manufacturing enterprises employ sales team (or multiple salesmen) to sell products, there is asymmetric information such as the ability and efforts salesmen. Enterprises can use contracts to incentivize salesmen to work hard to maximize their profits. Assuming that market demand is sensitive to effort, and the salesman can exploit the market by increasing effort, a multi-agent model is established for the case of symmetrical information and asymmetrical information, in which the sales team has a loss aversion preference. In this multi-agent model, the agents' utility function is non-concave and cannot be solved by traditional methods. We use a backward stochastic differential equation (BSDE) to represent agents' contract through the martingale representation theorem and use the stochastic optimal control and matrix method to obtain the explicit solution of the optimal contract. Based on the conclusions of the research, an empirical analysis is made on the sales team of an enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni-rich nanodomains and Ti3Ni4 nanoprecipitates in the strain glass of Ni-rich Ti-Ni shape memory alloys (SMAs) play an important role in the origin and characteristic control of the strain glass transition. Ni-rich nanodomains are formed in the quenching process and dissolve during isothermal aging. Ti3Ni4 nanoprecipitates nucleate, grow and coarsen during aging. This study performed in situ small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and ex situ X-ray diffraction to investigate the structural evolutions with aging time of nanoparticles in Ti48.7Ni51.3 SMA aged isothermally at 250 °C in terms of relative volume fraction, radius, thickness, orientation, lattice ordering, and morphology. The mechanism and kinetics of the concurrent phase evolutions of Ni-rich nanodomains and Ti3Ni4 nanoprecipitates are revealed and discussed in detail. Frequency-dependent storage modulus vs. temperature at different frequencies for different aging times was measured to characterize the strain glass transition. Quantitative correlation of all structural evolutions and kinetics of Ni-rich and Ti3Ni4 nanoparticles with respect to the variation and loss of the strain glass transition during aging times of 0 to 20 h is presented. The roles of different nanoparticles in causing or suppressing the strain glass behavior are also experimentally revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a surface self-cleaning wood was obtained by loading Bi 2 O 3 -doped silica-titanium composite film on the surface of wood by the sol-gel method. The effects of different Bi doping amounts on the structure and photocatalytic properties of the modified wood were investigated. The doping of Bi 2 O 3 inhibited the growth of TiO 2 crystals and the phase transition from anatase to rutile. In addition, Bi 2 O 3 could improve the photocatalytic activity of the composite film by appropriately reducing the grain size of TiO 2 and increasing the crystallinity of TiO 2 . Furthermore, doping with Bi 2 O 3 shifted the absorption wavelength of the wood samples back into the visible range, indicating that the increase in Bi content favoured light absorption. The wood samples loaded with Bi 2 O 3 -doped Si-Ti composite membranes had the best photocatalytic activity and the highest reaction rate when n (Ti):n (Bi) = 1:0.015. Degradation rates of 96.0% and 94.0% could be achieved for rhodamine B and gaseous formaldehyde, respectively. It can be seen that wood samples loaded with Bi 2 O 3 -doped Si-Ti composite films on the surface exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity against both gaseous and liquid pollutants.

A full-length cDNA coding for hydroperoxide lyase (CsHPL) was isolated from cucumber fruits of No. 26 (Southern China type) and No.14-1 (Northern China type), which differed significantly in fruit flavor. The deduced amino acid sequences of CsHPL from both lines show the same and significant similarity to known plant HPLs and contain typical conserved domains of HPLs. The recombinant CsHPL was confirmed to have 9/13-HPL enzymatic activity. Gene expression levels of CsHPL were measured in different organs, especially in fruits of different development stages of both lines. The HPL activities of fruit were identified basing on the catalytic action of crude enzyme extracts incubating with 13-HPOD (13-hydroperoxy-(9Z,12E)-octadecadienoic acid) and 13-HPOD + 9-HPOD (9-hydroperoxy-(10E,12Z)-octadecadienoic acid), and volatile reaction products were analyzed by GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). CsHPL gene expression in No. 26 fruit occurred earlier than that of total HPL enzyme activity and 13-HPL enzyme activity, and that in No. 14-1 fruit was consistent with total HPL enzyme activity and 9-HPL enzyme activity. 13-HPL enzyme activities decreased significantly and the 9-HPL enzyme activities increased significantly with fruit ripening in both lines, which accounted for the higher content of C6 aldehydes at 0-6 day post-anthesis (dpa) and higher content of C9 aldehydes at 9-12 dpa.