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Background: Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a parasite that mainly infects the heart and pulmonary arteries of rats and causes human eosinophilic meningitis or meningoencephalitis in certain geographical areas. Current diagnostic methods include detection of the parasite in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and eosinophilic immune examination after lumbar puncture, which may be risky and produce false-positive results. 18F- Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), a Positron emission tomography (PET) tracer, has been used to assess different pathological or inflammatory changes in the brains of patients. In this study, we hypothesized that A. cantonensis infection-induced inflammatory and immunomodulatory factors of eosinophils result in localized pathological changes in the brains of non-permissive hosts, which could be analyzed using in vivo18F-FDG PET imaging. Methodology/Findings: Non-permissive host ICR mice and permissive host SD rats were infected with A. cantonensis, and the effects of the resulting inflammation on 18F-FDG uptake were characterized using PET imaging. We also quantitatively measured the distributed uptake values of different brain regions to build an evaluated imaging model of localized neuropathological damage caused by eosinophilic inflammation. Our results showed that the uptake of 18F-FDG increased in the cerebellum, brainstem, and limbic system of mice at three weeks post-infection, whereas the uptake in the rat brain was not significant. Immunohistochemical staining and western blotting revealed that Iba-1, a microglia-specific marker, significantly increased in the hippocampus and its surrounding area in mice after three weeks of infection, and then became pronounced after four weeks of infection; while YM-1, an eosinophilic chemotactic factor, in the hippocampus and midbrain, increased significantly from two weeks post-infection, sharply escalated after three weeks of infection, and peaked after four weeks of infection. Cytometric bead array (CBA) analysis revealed that the expression of TNF in the serum of mice increased concomitantly with the prolongation of infection duration. Furthermore, IFN-γ and IL-4 in rat serum were significantly higher than in mouse serum at two weeks post-infection, indicating significantly different immune responses in the brains of rats and mice. We suggest that 18F-FDG uptake in the host brain may be attributed to the accumulation of large numbers of immune cells, especially the metabolic burst of activated eosinophils, which are attracted to and induced by activated microglia in the brain. Conclusions: An in vivo18F-FDG/PET imaging model can be used to evaluate live neuroinflammatory pathological changes in the brains of A. cantonensis-infected mice and rats. Author summary: Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection in humans can cause brain inflammation, and there is currently no effective diagnostic method to clarify the pathological changes in the brain. Current diagnostic methods include CSF detection and eosinophilia immune examination after lumbar puncture, but these protocols are risky and may produce false-positive responses. Non-invasive medical imaging techniques might allow for the circumvention of these problems. The effective use of 18F-FDG PET imaging as a diagnostic tool for parasitic infections has been reported. In this study, we hypothesize that the A. cantonensis infection-induced inflammatory and immunomodulatory factors of eosinophils have an impact on the localized pathological changes in the brains of non-permissive hosts. These changes can be analyzed using live in vivo18F -FDG PET medical imaging. A. Cantonensis was infected in non-permissive ICR mice and permissive SD rats, after which the effects of the resulting inflammation on energy metabolism were characterized via nuclear medicine imaging. We also quantitatively measured the distributed uptake values of different brain regions, to build an evaluated imaging model of localized neuropathological damages caused by eosinophil-inflammation. Through the completion of this study, we intend to develop a specific radiological medical imaging analysis model of angiostrongyliasis for important endemic zoonotic parasitic diseases. We are trying to develop a cross-disciplinary research project combining parasitology and nuclear medicine and to establish an imaging model for analyzing angiostrongyliasis that can be applied to clinical evaluation and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of data-driven analytics and intelligent monitoring systems is radically transforming the world of competitive sports. However, robust real-time activity recognition remains elusive for rapid-paced sports like table tennis due to the complexity of strokes and quick maneuvering. This paper tries to overcome this challenge through an innovative cloud-supported system integrating the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and wearable sensors for automated analysis of table tennis gameplay. We strategically set up a multi-camera IoT system around a table tennis court to compile a rich labeled image dataset encapsulating over 15,000 frames. To improve model generalization, the images captured various playing styles, lighting conditions, and camera angles. We developed tailored SVM and CNN architectures optimized for table tennis activity classification. The models were trained on GPU-accelerated platforms using the curated dataset. After hyperparameter tuning and cross-validation, the CNN model achieved 96.2% accuracy, a precision value of 96.3%, a recall value of 95.2%, and an F1-score of 96.3% in classifying standard strokes and serves. Additionally, the models exhibited impressive processing speeds of 22–34 fps, enabling real-time utilization. Our proposed model outperformed the latest models in this field with higher accuracy, recall values, F1-score, and precision. While expanding the dataset diversity and testing variations of deep network architectures could further enhance performance, this paper demonstrates a crucial leap toward helping real-time analytics in table tennis using an AI-powered computer vision approach. The hybrid system combining IoT, wearables, and machine learning establishes a framework to transform data into actionable and timely insights for table tennis players and coaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties and termite and decay resistance performance of wood-based panel used in wooden houses were evaluated. The physical and mechanical properties, along with the resistance levels, of commonly used wood-based panels, including oriented strand board, structural particleboard, and particleboard for use in interior, were compared. The structural particleboard complied with the physical, mechanical, and formaldehyde emission standards of the International Organization for Standardization and Japanese Industrial Standard, surpassing the requirements for oriented strand board. The structural particleboard exhibited excellent water resistance and a consistent performance. Decay tests classified the particleboard and structural particleboard as "Resistant," with mass losses of 7.82 to 12.72% (white rot) and 14.69 to 16.55% (brown rot). Pine (Pinus densiflora) and oriented strand board exhibited no decay resistance, with mass losses exceeding 45%. The particleboard and structural particleboard demonstrated superior termite resistance, resulting in 100% termite mortality in three days without chemical treatment. The structural particleboard exhibited excellent water, decay, and termite resistance, which can be an advantage in wooden-house construction in terms of maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal finishing materials for large auditoriums or public facilities are regulated in South Korea to ensure their flame-retardant performance. Flame-retardant treatment of low-density fiberboard (LDF), an eco-friendly material, was performed to expand its use as a sound absorber by improving its fire safety. In this study, an LDF with a target density of 0.15 g/cm3 was prepared from radiata pine wood fibers and melamine–urea– formaldehyde resin, and recommended amounts of commercially available flame retardants (liquid type) were applied immediately after hot pressing. A powder-type flame retardant was blended with the resin used in LDF manufacture. The surface color and material changed partially depending on the flame-retardant type. The external application method slightly increased the moisture content and density, but it did not affect the physical properties of the LDF. The flame-retardant treatment reduced the emission of formaldehyde, as a scavenger. After treatment, the char area and char length of the LDFs decreased significantly to 9.42–23.64%, and 6.11–11.91%, respectively. The sound absorption performance of the flame-retardant-treated LDFs improved 4.08–9.11%, while their thermal-insulation performance remained unaffected. The flame-retardant-treated LDFs satisfy the regulation of flame retardancy, while maintaining sound absorption and thermal insulation functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The androgen-dependent or -independent pathways are regarded as primary therapeutic targets for the neoplasm of the prostate. Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue 1 (MALT1) acting as a paracaspase in the regulation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signal transduction plays a central role in inflammation and oncogenesis in cancers. This study confirmed the potential linkages between androgen and NF-κB activation by inducing MALT1 in the androgen receptor-full length (ARFL)-positive LNCaP and 22Rv1 prostate cancer cells. Although androgen did not stimulate MALT1 expression in AR-null or ectopic ARFL-overexpressed PC-3 cells, the ectopic overexpression of the AR splicing variant 7 (ARv7) upregulated MALT1 to activate NF-κB activities in 22Rv1 and PC-3 cells. Since the nuclear translocation of p50 and p65 was facilitated by ARv7 to motivate NF-κB activity, the expressions of MALT1, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and N-myc downstream regulated 1 (NDRG1) were therefore induced in ectopic ARv7-overexpressed prostate cancer cells. Ectopic ARv7 overexpression not only enhanced 22Rv1 or PC-3 cell growth and invasion in vitro but also the tumor growth of PC-3 cells in vivo. These results indicate that an androgen receptor induces MALT1 expression androgen-dependently and -independently in ARFL- or ARv7-overexpressed prostate cancer cells, suggesting a novel ARv7/MALT1/NF-κB-signaling pathway may exist in the cells of prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mortality rate of red-tide dinoflagellates owing to predation is a major parameter that affects their population dynamics. The dinoflagellates Ansanella granifera and Ansanella sp. occasionally cause red tides. To understand the interactions between common heterotrophic protists and A. granifera, we explored the feeding occurrence of nine heterotrophic protists on A. granifera and the growth and ingestion rates of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Gyrodinium dominans on A. granifera as a function of prey concentration and those of Oxyrrhis marina at a single high prey concentration. The heterotrophic dinoflagellates Aduncodinium glandula, G. dominans, Gyrodinium moestrupii, Luciella masanensis, Oblea rotunda, O. marina, Polykrikos kofoidii, and Pfiesteria piscicida and the naked ciliate Strombidium sp. were able to feed on A. granifera. With increasing mean prey concentrations, the growth and ingestion rates of G. dominans feeding on A. granifera rapidly increased and became saturated or slowly increased. The maximum growth and ingestion rates of G. dominans on A. granifera were 0.305 d-1 and 0.42 ng C predator-1 d-1 (3.8 cells predator-1 d-1), respectively. Furthermore, the growth and ingestion rates of O. marina on A. granifera at 1,700 ng C mL-1 (15,454 cells mL-1) were 0.037 d-1 and 0.19 ng C predator-1 d-1 (1.7 cells predator-1 d-1), respectively. The growth and ingestion rates of G. dominans and O. marina feeding on A. granifera were almost the lowest among those on the dinoflagellate prey species. Therefore, G. dominans and O. marina may prefer A. granifera less than other dinoflagellate prey species. The low mortality rate of A. granifera may positively affect its bloom formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[99mTc]Tc TRODAT-1 is a widely used single photon emission tomography (SPECT) radiopharmaceutical in Asian practice for early detection of central dopaminergic disorders. However, its imaging quality remains sub-optimal. To overcome this problem, mannitol, an osmotic agent was used to observe its effect on improving striatal [99mTc]Tc TRODAT-1 uptake in rat brain by titrated human dosages to investigate a clinically feasible way to improve human imaging quality. [99mTc]Tc TRODAT-1 synthesis and quality control were performed as described. Sprague–Dawley rats were used for this study. The animal in vivo nanoSPECT/CT and ex vivo autoradiography were employed to observe and verify the striatal [99mTc]Tc TRODAT-1 uptake in rat brains using clinically equivalent doses (i.e., 0, 1 and 2 mL groups, each n = 5) of mannitol (20% w/v, equivalent to 200 mg/mL) by an intravenous administration. Specific binding ratios (SBRs) were calculated to express the central striatal uptake in different experimental groups. In the NanoSPECT/CT imaging, the highest SBRs of striatal [99mTc]Tc TRODAT-1 were reached at 75–90 min post-injection. The averaged striatal SBRs were 0.85 ± 0.13 (2 mL normal saline, the control group), 0.94 ± 0.26 (1 mL mannitol group) and 1.36 ± 0.12 (2 mL mannitol group, p < 0.01 which were significantly different than the control as well as 1 mL mannitol groups (p < 0.05). The SBRs from ex vivo autoradiography also showed a comparable trend of the striatal [99mTc]Tc TRODAT-1 uptake in the 2 mL, 1 mL mannitol and the control groups (1.76 ± 0.52, 0.91 ± 0.29, and 0.21 ± 0.03, respectively, p < 0.05). No remarkable changes of vital signs were found in the mannitol groups and the controls. Pre-treated mannitol revealed a significant increase of the central striatal [99mTc]Tc TRODAT-1 uptake in a rat model which not only enabled us to perform pre-clinical studies of dopaminergic related disorders but also provided a potential way to further optimize image quality in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The WNT1 inducible signaling pathway protein 1 (WISP1), a member of the connective tissue growth factor family, plays a crucial role in several important cellular functions in a highly tissue-specific manner. Results of a RT-qPCR indicated that WISP1 expressed only in cells of the human prostate fibroblasts, HPrF and WPMY-1, but not the prostate carcinoma cells in vitro. Two major isoforms (WISP1v1 and WISP1v2) were identified in the HPrF cells determined by RT-PCR and immunoblot assays. The knock-down of a WISP1 blocked cell proliferation and contraction, while treating respectively with the conditioned medium from the ectopic WISP1v1- and WISPv2-overexpressed 293T cells enhanced the migration of HPrF cells. The TNFα induced WISP1 secretion and cell contraction while the knock-down of WISP1 attenuated these effects, although TNFα did not affect the proliferation of the HPrF cells. The ectopic overexpression of WISP1v1 but not WISP1v2 downregulated the N-myc downstream regulated 1 (NDRG1) while upregulating N-cadherin, slug, snail, and vimentin gene expressions which induced not only the cell proliferation and invasion in vitro but also tumor growth of prostate carcinoma cells in vivo. The results confirmed that WISP1 is a stroma-specific secreting protein, enhancing the cell migration and contraction of prostate fibroblasts, as well as the proliferation, invasion, and tumor growth of prostate carcinoma cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a blockchain-enabled energy trading method is proposed to deal with the inefficiency and security issues in energy trading for electric vehicles in smart grids. It includes the design of a smart contract and the excitation mechanism of energy sharing. The credit points of each vehicle as a node are considered in the design of the smart contract, which is used to supervise the process of energy trading. A strategy to estimate the credit points of each node and describe the excitation mechanism is illustrated. The connection between the credit points and the probability that a node would be accepted for energy trading has been established. To control the energy trading access, a double auction method is used to choose the part of the nodes participating in energy trading. Only selected nodes with winning bids can supply or request energy from the blockchain-based platform. Then it reaches the conclusion that the higher the credit points they have, the more trading initiative they would have during the energy transaction and transmission. The smart contract design and the excitation mechanism proposed in this paper would reward the vehicles that perform well and punish the beguiling vehicles for regulating the trading process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a simple electrospinning approach for fabricating poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) semiconductive nanofiber mat triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Measurements of the electrical properties of the P3HT/PVDF-HFP semiconductive nanofiber TENGs revealed that the output voltage could be enhanced up to 78 V with an output current of 7 μA. The output power of the device reached 0.55 mW, sufficient to power 500 red light-emitting diodes instantaneously, as well as a digital watch. The P3HT/PVDF-HFP semiconductive nanofiber TENG could be used not only as a self-powered device but also as a sensor for monitoring human action. Furthermore, it displayed good durability when subjected to 20,000 cycles of an external force test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromyograms (EMG signals) may be contaminated by electrocardiographic (ECG) signals that cannot be easily separated with traditional filters, because both signals have some overlapping spectral components. Therefore, the first challenge encountered in signal processing is to extract the ECG noise from the EMG signal. In this study, the EMG, mixed with different degrees of noise (ECG), is simulated to investigate the variations of the EMG features. Simulated data were derived from the MIT-BIH Noise Stress Test (NSTD) Database. Two EMG and four ECG data were composed with four EMG/ECG SNR to 32 simulated signals. Following Pan-Tompkins R-peak detection, four ECG removal methods were used to remove ECG with different compensation algorithms to obtain the denoised EMG signal. A total of 13 time-domain and four frequency-domain EMG features were calculated from the denoised EMG. In addition, the similarity of denoised EMG features compared to clean EMG was also evaluated. Our results showed that with the ratio EMG/ECG SNR = 10 and 20, the ECG can be almost ignored, and the similarity of EMG features is close to 1. When EMG/ECG SNR = 1 and 2, there is a large variation of EMG features. The results of our simulation study would be beneficial for understanding the variations of EMG features upon the different EMG/ECG SNR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging molecular and precision medicine makes nuclear medicine a de facto choice of imaging, especially in the era of target-oriented medical care. Nuclear medicine is minimally invasive, four-dimensional (space and time or dynamic space), and functional imaging using radioactive biochemical tracers in evaluating human diseases on an anatomically configured image. Many radiopharmaceuticals are also used in therapies. However, there have been concerns over the emission of radiation from the radionuclides, resulting in wrongly neglecting the potential benefits against little or any risks at all of imaging to the patients. The sound concepts of radiation and radiation protection are critical for promoting the optimal use of radiopharmaceuticals to patients, and alleviating concerns from caregivers, nuclear medicine staff, medical colleagues, and the public alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Polymyxin-associated nephrotoxicity remains a major concern in the clinical setting • The overall incidence of AKI was 33.5% among 14 Chinese teaching hospitals • Loading dose and use of multiple nephrotoxic drugs are independent risk factors for AKI • Severity of AKI may be higher in patients with elevated baseline creatinine levels This study aimed to assess the current incidence and risk factors for polymyxin B-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) in Chinese hospitals for a more effective clinical use for polymyxin B. This multicenter, retrospective cohort study included patients from 14 Chinese teaching hospitals who received polymyxin B therapy. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine the factors associated with polymyxin B-associated incident AKI. Furthermore, a multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the independent risk factors for AKI. A total of 251 patients were included in the analysis. The overall incidence of AKI was 33.5%. A multivariate logistic regression model identified the loading dose (hazard ratio (HR), 1.84; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01–3.38; P = 0.0491) and the use of two or more nephrotoxic drugs (HR, 3.56; 95% CI, 1.55–8.18; P = 0.0029) as independent risk factors for the occurrence of AKI. Meanwhile, the estimated glomerular filtration rate had a protective effect (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98–0.99; P = 0.0006) on the occurrence of AKI. The daily dose, cumulative dose, and treatment duration of polymyxin B did not affect the occurrence of AKI. The use of polymyxin B loading doses and the combined use of multiple nephrotoxic drugs are independent risk factors for polymyxin B-associated AKI. The severity of AKI may be higher in patients with elevated baseline creatinine levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dicentric chromosome assay (DCA), the gold standard for radiation biodosimetry, evaluates an individual absorbed radiation dose by the analysis of DNA damage in human lymphocytes. The conventional (C-DCA) and QuickScan (QS-DCA) scoring methods are sensitive for estimating radiation dose. The Biodosimetry Laboratory at Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER), Taiwan, participated in intercomparison exercises conducted by Health Canada (HC) in 2014, 2015 and 2018 to validate the laboratory's accuracy and performance. Blood samples for the conventional dose response curve for Taiwan were irradiated with 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Gy. Ten blind blood samples were provided by HC. Either or both of two methods of conventional (C) or QuickScan (QS) scoring could be chosen for the HC's intercomparison. For C-DCA triage scoring, only cells with 46 centromeres were counted and each scorer recorded the number of dicentrics in the first 50 metaphases or stopped scoring when 30 dicentrics were reached. Scorers also recorded how much time it took to analyze 10, 20, and 50 cells. Subsequently, the data were entered into the Dose Estimate software (DoseEstimate_v5.1) and dose estimates were calculated. With QS-DCA scoring, a minimum of 50 metaphase cells (or 30 dicentrics) were scored in apparently complete metaphases without verification of exactly 46 centromeres. For the blinded blood samples irradiated at HC and shipped to INER, the mean absolute deviation (MAD) derived after scoring 50 cells for C-DCA and QS-DCA was <0.5 Gy for all three intercomparisons, meeting the criteria for acceptance. The results indicated that the Biodosimetry Laboratory at INER can provide reliable dose estimates in the case of a large-scale radiation accident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the implications for explaining the global dominance of particular microalgae, their key eco-evolutionary strategy, and prediction of harmful red tide outbreaks. It mentions that feeding diverse prey as an excellent strategy of mixotrophic dinoflagellates for global dominance.

Water temperature is known to affect the growth and feeding of marine dinoflagellates. Each dinoflagellate species grows well at a certain optimal temperature but dies at very cold and hot temperatures. Thus, changes in water temperatures driven by global warming and extremely high or low temperatures can affect the distribution of dinoflagellates. Yihiella yeosuensis is a mixotrophic dinoflagellate that can feed on only the cryptophyte Teleaulax amphioxeia and the chlorophyte Pyramimonas sp. Furthermore, it grows fast mixotrophically but rarely grows photosynthetically. We explored the direct and indirect effects of water temperature on the growth and ingestion rates of Y. yeosuensis feeding on T. amphioxeia and the growth rates of T. amphioxeia and Pyramimonas sp. under 7 different water temperatures (5- 35°C). Both the autotrophic and mixotrophic growth rates of Y. yeosuensis on T. amphioxeia were significantly affected by temperature. Under the mixotrophic and autotrophic conditions, Y. yeosuensis survived at 10-25°C, but died at 5°C and ≥30°C. The maximum mixotrophic growth rate of Y. yeosuensis on T. amphioxeia (1.16 d-1) was achieved at 25°C, whereas the maximum autotrophic growth rate (0.16 d-1) was achieved at 15°C. The maximum ingestion rate of Y. yeosuensis on T. amphioxeia (0.24 ng C predator-1 d-1) was achieved at 25°C. The cells of T. amphioxeia survived at 10-25°C, but died at 5 and ≥30°C. The cells of Pyramimonas sp. survived at 5-25°C, but died at 30°C. The maximum growth rate of T. amphioxeia (0.72 d-1) and Pyramimonas sp. (0.75 d-1) was achieved at 25°C. The abundance of Y. yeosuensis is expected to be high at 25°C, at which its two prey species have their highest growth rates, whereas Y. yeosuensis is expected to be rare or absent at 5°C or ≥30°C at which its two prey species do not survive or grow. Therefore, temperature can directly or indirectly affect the population dynamics and distribution of Y. yeosuensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does local economic inequality affect the native-immigrant gap in immigration attitudes? Existing studies do not distinguish between native and immigrant citizens, which is problematic because immigrants represent an increasing share of the population and voting public. Immigrant citizens, as legal residents, receive the same legal and social protections as native citizens. However, as an out-group, they are less likely to be attached to the national and cultural identity of a host country. This paper uses the Australian Election Study to show that immigrant citizens prioritise cultural or psychological considerations in forming immigration attitudes. As local economic inequality rises, immigrant citizens' support for immigration strengthens regardless of their country of origin, reason for migration and length of stay in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug abuse poses great physical and psychological harm to humans, thereby attracting scholarly attention. It often requires experience and time for a researcher, just entering this field, to find an appropriate method to study drug abuse issue. It is crucial for researchers to rapidly understand the existing research on a particular topic and be able to propose an effective new research method. Text mining analysis has been widely applied in recent years, and this study integrated the text mining method into a review of drug abuse research. Through searches for keywords related to the drug abuse, all related publications were identified and downloaded from PubMed. After removing the duplicate and incomplete literature, the retained data were imported for analysis through text mining. A total of 19,843 papers were analyzed, and the text mining technique was used to search for keyword and questionnaire types. The results showed the associations between these questionnaires, with the top five being the Addiction Severity Index (16.44%), the Quality of Life survey (5.01%), the Beck Depression Inventory (3.24%), the Addiction Research Center Inventory (2.81%), and the Profile of Mood States (1.10%). Specifically, the Addiction Severity Index was most commonly used in combination with Quality of Life scales. In conclusion, association analysis is useful to extract core knowledge. Researchers can learn and visualize the latest research trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia can indeed impact the survival of protists, which play a crucial role in marine ecosystems. To better understand the protistan community structure and species that can thrive in hypoxic waters, we collected samples from both the surface and bottom waters during the hypoxic period in Jinhae and Masan Bays and the non-hypoxic period in Jinhae Bay. Subsequently, we utilized metabarcoding techniques to identify the protistan species. During hypoxia, with dissolved oxygen concentrations of 0.8 mg -1 in Jinhae Bay and 1.8 mg -1 in Masan Bay within the bottom waters, the phylum Dinoflagellata exhibited the highest amplicon sequence variants richness among the identified protist phyla. Following the Dinoflagellata, Ochrophyta and Ciliophora also displayed notable presence. In hypoxic waters of Jinhae and Masan Bays, we identified a total of 36 dinoflagellate species that exhibited various trophic modes. These included one autotrophic species, 14 mixotrophic species, 9 phototrophic species with undetermined trophic modes (either autotrophic or mixotrophic), 2 kleptoplastidic species, and 10 heterotrophic species. Furthermore, the hypoxic bottom water exhibited a greater number of heterotrophic dinoflagellate species compared to the non-hypoxic surface water within the same water column or the non-hypoxic bottom water. Therefore, feeding by mixotrophic and heterotrophic dinoflagellates may be partially responsible for their dominance in terms of the number of species surviving in hypoxic waters. This study not only introduces the initial documentation of 26 dinoflagellate species surviving in hypoxic conditions but also establishes a foundation for a more comprehensive understanding of the ecophysiology of dinoflagellates in hypoxic marine environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Although hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) can produce community-acquired infections that are fatal in young and adult hosts, such as pyogenic liver abscess, endophthalmitis, and meningitis, it has historically been susceptible to antibiotics. Carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) is usually associated with urinary tract infections acquired in hospitals, pneumonia, septicemias, and soft tissue infections. Outbreaks and quick spread of CRKP in hospitals have become a major challenge in public health due to the lack of effective antibacterial treatments. In the early stages of K. pneumoniae development, HvKP and CRKP first appear as distinct routes. However, the lines dividing the two pathotypes are vanishing currently, and the advent of carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (CR-hvKP) is devastating as it is simultaneously multidrug-resistant, hypervirulent, and highly transmissible. Most CR-hvKP cases have been reported in Asian clinical settings, particularly in China. Typically, CR-hvKP develops when hvKP or CRKP acquires plasmids that carry either the carbapenem-resistance gene or the virulence gene. Alternatively, classic K. pneumoniae (cKP) may acquire a hybrid plasmid carrying both genes. In this review, we provide an overview of the key antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, virulence factors, clinical presentations, and outcomes associated with CR-hvKP infection. Additionally, we discuss the possible evolutionary processes and prevalence of CR-hvKP in China. Given the wide occurrence of CR-hvKP, continued surveillance and control measures of such organisms should be assigned a higher priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The species in the dinoflagellate order Suessiales have 5-24 latitudinal paraplate series and include many fossil and extant species. There have been a few studies on the ecophysiology of the phototrophic species Biecheleriopsis adriatica, and no study on its predators. Thus, we explored the feeding occurrence by common heterotrophic protists on B. adriatica and the growth and ingestion rates of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina on B. adriatica BATY06 as a function of prey concentration. The common heterotrophic dinoflagellates Aduncodinium glandula, O. marina, Gyrodinium dominans, Gyrodinium moestrupii, Luciella masanensis, Pfiesteria piscicida, and Oblea rotunda and two naked ciliates Strombidinopsis sp. and Pelagostrobilidium sp. were able to feed on B. adriatica, but the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Polykrikos kofoidii was not. However, B. adriatica supported the positive growth of O. marina, but did not support that of G. dominans and O. rotunda. With increasing prey concentrations, the growth and ingestion rates of O. marina on B. adriatica increased and became saturated. The maximum growth rate of O. marina on B. adriatica was 0.162 d-1. Furthermore, the maximum ingestion rate of O. marina on B. adriatica was 0.2 ng C predator-1 d-1 (2.0 cells predator-1 d-1). In the order Suessiales, the feeding occurrence by common heterotrophic protists on B. adriatica is similar to that on Effrenium voratum and Biecheleria cincta, but different from that on Yihiella yeosuensis. However, the growth and ingestion rates of O. marina on B. adriatica are considerably lower than those on E. voratum and B. cincta, but higher than those on Y. yeosuensis. Therefore, B. adriatica may be less preferred prey for O. marina than E. voratum and B. cincta, but more preferred prey than Y. yeosuensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phototrophic dinoflagellate Biecheleriopsis adriatica is a small suessioid species characterized by a fragile thin wall. Although the morphology of this dinoflagellate is well established, there is currently little information available on its distribution and the environmental factors that influence this distribution. Thus, to investigate the spatial and seasonal distributions of the vegetative cells of B. adriatica in Korean waters, surface water samples were collected on a seasonal basis from 28 stations in the East, West, and South Sea of Korea and Jeju Island from April 2015 to October 2018, and abundances of the vegetative cells of B. adriatica were quantified using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions, for which we developed the species-specific primer and probe set. Simultaneously, major environmental parameters, including temperature, salinity, nutrient concentrations, and dissolved oxygen concentrations were measured. The vegetative cells of B. adriatica were detected at 20 of the 28 sampling stations: 19 stations in summer and 6 in autumn, although from no stations in either spring or winter. The ranges of water temperature and salinity at sites where this species was detected were 17.7-26.4°C and 9.9-34.3, respectively, whereas those of nitrate and phosphate concentrations were not detectable-96.2 and 0.18-2.66 µM, respectively. Thus, the sites at which this species is found are characterized by a narrow range of temperature, but wide ranges of salinity and concentrations of nitrate and phosphate. The highest abundance of the vegetative cells of B. adriatica was 41.7 cells mL-1, which was recorded in Jinhae Bay in July 2018. In Jinhae Bay, the abundance of vegetative cells was significantly positively correlated with the concentration of nitrate, but was negatively correlated with salinity. On the basis of these findings, it appears that the abundance of B. adriatica vegetative cells shows strong seasonality, and in Jinhae Bay, could be affected by the concentrations of nitrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how South Korea's 2016 corruption scandal and subsequent presidential impeachment affected voter decisions in that country's 19th presidential election. Both aggregate and individual-level analyses indicate that the landslide defeat of the country's conservative party does not portend a fundamental shift in voter-party alignment. At the aggregate level, we find that the normal vote share of the conservative party in the 19th presidential election was similar to that of the 18th. At the individual level, an analysis of the 2017 Korean Election Panel Studies data demonstrates that regional and generational cleavages are influential factors in vote switching by majorparty supporters. Aside from their attitudes regarding the impeachment, those who changed their votes from conservative parties generally hold similar issue preferences to those who did not change. Therefore, once the political salience of the impeachment issue wanes, it is questionable whether the current disunity will end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A total of 658 clinical specimens were prospectively evaluated with both assays. • High agreement was observed between the two assays for the three viruses test. • The Xpert assay showed high specificity and sensitivity in the clinical evaluation. • The Xpert cycle threshold value linearly correlate with virus titer in the sample. Abstract Background The Xpert Xpress Flu/RSV assay is released by FDA for rapid detection of influenza A (FluA), influenza B (FluB), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This study aimed to evaluate its clinical performance in comparison to that of the RT-PCR assay cleared by China FDA (CFDA-PCR). Methods Nasopharyngeal specimens were collected from patients and tested by the two assays side by side. Discordant results were tested with a laboratory-developed real-time PCR for resolution. Viral load in the sample was quantified with a droplet digital PCR. Results A total of 658 specimens were involved and gave 94.7%–99.1% agreement between the two assays. The Xpert assay showed higher sensitivity for FluA (100% vs. 89.8%) and FluB detection (100% vs. 95.3%), and also higher accuracy (98.9% vs. 95.7%) for FluA than the CDFA-PCR. The positive and negative predictive values (NPV) for the three viruses ranged from 90.5% to 100% in the two assays, with higher NPV for FluA and FluB in Xpert assay. Moreover, the Xpert Ct values showed a linear correlation with virus titer in specimens tested. Conclusion Overall, the Xpert assay is a reliable and sensitive tool for the detection of FluA, FluB and RSV in our clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional drilling is widely adopted to manufacture holes in difficult-to-cut materials such as superalloys. However, as a newer hole processing technology, helical milling possesses several advantages including low cutting forces, reduced tool wear, and improved hole quality. In this study, different hole-making processes like conventional drilling and helical milling were conducted on the superalloy (MSRR7197). Combining the deformation mechanism of the hole wall material, the influence of both hole-making processes on the processing quality of the MSRR7197 were investigated. The experimental results demonstrate that the axial force for the helical milling is about 1/10 of that for the drilling. Compared with drilling, the flank wear, rake wear, and wear of tool tip for the helical milling are smaller. The hole wall quality such as surface morphology and roughness of helical milling is better than that of the drilling. Last but not least, the helical milling can get a higher machining accuracy such as circularity and aperture. Hence, helical milling remains the favorable and alternative to conventional drilling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a framework to systematically generate event landslide inventory maps from satellite images in southern Taiwan, where landslides are frequent and abundant. The spectral information is used to assess the pixel land cover class membership probability through a Maximum Likelihood classifier trained with randomly generated synthetic land cover spectral fingerprints, which are obtained from an independent training images dataset. Pixels are classified as landslides when the calculated landslide class membership probability, weighted by a susceptibility model, is higher than membership probabilities of other classes. We generated synthetic fingerprints from two FORMOSAT-2 images acquired in 2009 and tested the procedure on two other images, one in 2005 and the other in 2009. We also obtained two landslide maps through manual interpretation. The agreement between the two sets of inventories is given by the Cohen’s k coefficients of 0.62 and 0.64, respectively. This procedure can now classify a new FORMOSAT-2 image automatically facilitating the production of landslide inventory maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests in Honduras are endangered as a result of the relentless occurrence of wildfires during the dry season, and their frequency and area burned have been gradually increasing, a pattern attributable to the numerous ignition sources. For this reason, there is a substantial need to identify the major drivers of wildfires and map the regions where they are most likely to occur. In this study, we integrated the wildfire occurrences throughout the 2010–2015 period with a series of variables using the random forest algorithm. We included variables related to human activities such as the continuous distances to infrastructure and settlements. Other variables included are satellite observations that reflect the seasonal vegetation change, climatic conditions over the country, and topographical variables. The analysis of the explanatory variables revealed that the dry fuel conditions and low precipitation combined with the proximity to non-paved and paved roads were the major drivers of wildfires in the region. The estimated area with high and very high wildfire susceptibility was 15% of the country, located mainly in the central and eastern regions. The proposed national-scale wildfire susceptibility map can lead to enhanced preventive measures to minimize risk and the impacts caused by wildfires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, tunnel field-effect transistor (TFETs) with polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si) channel film has been demonstrated to exhibit better short-channel effects (SCEs) immunity than conventional poly-Si thin-film transistors. Oxygen (O2) plasma surface treatment before the deposition of gate dielectric can produce a plasma-induced interfacial layer, which can passivate the interface trap state density ~25%. In addition, the ON-state transconductance Gm is improved ~54% due to the decrease of tunneling distance of band-to-band tunneling. However, the Gm improvement of poly-Si TFETs is decreased with the scaling down of channel length due to the less trap state density in the small area of poly-Si channel film. Moreover, the O2 plasma surface treatment can also reduce the grain boundary trap state density of poly-Si channel film ~37%, which can reduce the trap-assisted tunneling current of poly-Si TFETs to suppress the length dependence of drain leakage current in the subthreshold region. Consequently, the O2 plasma surface treatment can not only improve the ON-state current and OFF-state leakage current of poly-Si TFETs, but also further improve the SCEs of poly-Si TFETs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mixotrophic dinoflagellates act as primary producers, prey, and predators in marine planktonic food webs, whereas exclusively autotrophic dinoflagellates are primary producers and prey. Species of the dinoflagellate genus Scrippsiella are commonly found in marine ecosystems and sometimes cause harmful red tides. Among the 28 formally described Scrippsiella species, S. acuminata has been found to be mixotrophic and two unidentified species have been found to be mixotrophic. To determine whether the other species in this genus are similarly mixotrophic, the mixotrophic ability of S. donghaiensis SDGJ1703, S. lachrymosa SLBS1703, S. masanensis SSMS0908, S. plana SSSH1009A, and S. ramonii VGO1053 was explored using 15 potential prey items, including 2-µm fluorescently labeled microspheres (FLM) and heterotrophic bacteria (FLB), the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp., and various microalgal prey species. The ability of S. acuminata to feed on FLM and FLB was also investigated. We found that S. donghaiensis, S. lachrymosa, S. masanensis, S. plana, and S. ramonii did not feed on any potential prey tested in this study, indicating a lack of mixotrophy. However, S. acuminata fed on both FLM and FLB, confirming its mixotrophic ability. These results lowered the proportion of mixotrophic species relative to the total number of tested Scrippsiella species for mixotrophy from 100% to 29-38%. Owing to its mixotrophic ability, S. acuminata occupies an ecological niche that is distinct from that of S. donghaiensis, S. lachrymosa, S. masanensis, S. plana, and S. ramonii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like many cities on the east coast of China, Guangzhou has experienced dramatic urban growth since the late 1970s and become the largest metropolis in southern China. This study examined urbanization in the central districts of Guangzhou in two parts: (1) analyzing the spatiotemporal changes of urban land expansion from 1980 to 2010, and (2) analyzing the spatial relationship between urban land ratio and its determinants in not fully built-up areas in 2010. Results from the first part showed that the study area's urban land doubled during the three decades but the rate of expansion had slowed down considerably after 1990. The expansion was primarily in the eastward direction away from the old city center, in a process combining outlying growth, infill, and edge expansion. Results from the second part revealed that, due to the spatial autocorrelation of urban land ratios, spatial regression performed better than ordinary least squares regression in explaining their spatial distribution. Among the determinants in the spatial regression models, road density and distances to transportation services, bank, and hotel were most important, followed by distances to company office and major road, suggesting the importance of convenient daily transport to urban residents. The two spatial regression models were consistent in both the performance statistics and the selection of significant explanatory variables, thus confirming the usefulness and reliability of spatial regression in modeling urban land patterns. These results are relevant to studies of the urban condition and urban planning in Guangzhou as well as rapidly urbanizing China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let G be a subgroup of S6, the symmetric group of degree 6. For any field k, G acts naturally on the rational function field k(x1, … , x6) via k-automorphisms defined by σ · xi = xσ(i) for any σ ∈ G and any 1 ≤ i ≤ 6. We prove the following theorem. The fixed field k(x1, … , x6)G is rational (i.e., purely transcendental) over k, except possibly when G is isomorphic to PSL2(F5), PGL2(F5), or A6. When G is isomorphic to PSL2(F5) or PGL2(F5), then C(x1, … , x6)G is C-rational and k(x1, … , x6)G is stably k-rational for any field k. The invariant theory of wreath products will be investigated also. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study calculated the long-term average landslide erosion rate in the Kaoping River watershed in southern Taiwan and investigated the relative importance of extreme rainfall events on landslide erosion. The method followed three steps: first, calculating landslide volumes for 10 rainfall events from a multi-temporal, event-based landslide inventory; second, estimating the frequency of landslide-generating rainfall by using hydrologic frequency analyses; and third, combining the two sets of data to estimate the average landslide erosion rate. Results of the study showed that the average landslide erosion rate is 2.65–5.17 mm yr − 1 , corresponding well to rates reported in other studies using other methods. The study also found that extreme-intensive rainfall events play a more important role on landslide erosion than frequent-moderate rainfall events. Extreme rainfall (maximum 24-h rainfall > 600 mm) contributes 64–79% of the average landslide erosion rate. Moreover, the natural variation of landslide erosion magnitudes is extremely large and can cause significant uncertainty in estimating the landslide erosion rate from total landslide volume. This study found ± 1.2 mm yr − 1 of uncertainty based on simulation results involving a hypothetical 100-year landslide inventory. In summary, this study demonstrates the importance of extreme rainfall events on landslide erosion, and the method proposed in this study is capable of calculating a reliable estimate of average landslide erosion rate in areas with insufficient landslide records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: China has been the engine of global urban population growth, with nearly one-third of the global urban population growth realized in China in 2000–2010. This rapid process of urbanization will continue in the coming decades based on media reports, thus raising concerns about urban land expansion and sustainable urban development in China. Using satellite images and government statistics as data sources, this study compared urban land expansion in Shenzhen and Dongguan, two adjacent and sometimes competing cities in the economically most dynamic region of China. Our data show that the two cities were similar in urban land expansion rate and intensity in 1990–2008 but Shenzhen had higher population growth and urban population density than Dongguan during the period, suggesting that Shenzhen had achieved a higher level of sustainable urban development than Dongguan. To explain this difference, we analyzed the driving factors and found that (1) Shenzhen was more successful than Dongguan in transforming its industrial structure to develop more capital- and technology-intensive industries; (2) Shenzhen had much higher total GDP and per capita GDP than Dongguan; (3) Shenzhen had benefited from a number of government policies targeted at the city's economic development; and (4) in addition to geographically adjacent to Hong Kong, Shenzhen had better transportation facilities than Dongguan, including an international airport and three container ports. Through these favorable driving factors, more people had moved into Shenzhen and, in the process, helped transform the city to become more sustainable in its urban development. The findings of this study can help us better understand urbanization in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Simple Summary: The effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on prostate cancer has not been thoroughly explored. CAPE downregulated the expression of androgen receptor (AR) and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue 1 (MALT1) but enhanced that of p53, thus decreasing androgen-induced activation of MALT1 and prostate-specific antigen expressions in AR-positive prostate carcinoma cells. CAPE inhibited the activity of NF-κB in p53- and AR-negative prostate carcinoma cells. Although CAPE induced the ERK/JNK/p38/AMPKα1/2 signaling pathways, pretreatment with the corresponding inhibitors of MAPK or AMPK1/2 did not inhibit the CAPE effect on MALT1 blocking. Our results reveal that CAPE blocks the expression of the MALT1 gene to decrease the cell proliferation, invasion, and tumor growth of prostate carcinoma cells via the p53 and NF-κB signaling pathways, and they further verify that CAPE is an effective antitumor agent for human androgen-dependent and -independent prostate carcinoma cells by inhibiting MALT1 expression in vitro and in vivo. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), a honeybee propolis-derived bioactive ingredient, has not been extensively elucidated regarding its effect on prostate cancer and associated mechanisms. The mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue 1 gene (MALT1) modulates NF-κB signal transduction in lymphoma and non-lymphoma cells. We investigated the functions and regulatory mechanisms of CAPE in relation to MALT1 in prostate carcinoma cells. In p53- and androgen receptor (AR)-positive prostate carcinoma cells, CAPE downregulated AR and MALT1 expression but enhanced that of p53, thus decreasing androgen-induced activation of MALT1 and prostate-specific antigen expressions. p53 downregulated the expression of MALT in prostate carcinoma cells through the putative consensus and nonconsensus p53 response elements. CAPE downregulated MALT1 expression and thus inhibited NF-κB activity in p53- and AR-negative prostate carcinoma PC-3 cells, eventually reducing cell proliferation, invasion, and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. CAPE induced the ERK/JNK/p38/AMPKα1/2 signaling pathways; however, pretreatment with the corresponding inhibitors of MAPK or AMPK1/2 did not inhibit the CAPE effect on MALT1 blocking in PC-3 cells. Our findings verify that CAPE is an effective antitumor agent for human androgen-dependent and -independent prostate carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo through the inhibition of MALT1 expression via the AR/p53/NF-κB signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Landslide mapping is important for emergency management and landslide risk assessment. In this study, we propose a new mapping method, which combines the spectral signal contained in a satellite image and the geoenvironmental information included in a landslide susceptibility map. The image analysis captures areas with spectral signatures of event landslides in the image, while the landslide susceptibility map filters sub-areas, which do not have landslide prone conditions. The method assigns to every pixel of the satellite image a combined probability of landslide presence. We mapped typhoon-triggered landslides in southern Taiwan using the method. To compare with a landslide inventory prepared from orthophotos, we converted the probability map to a binary map of landslides and landslide free areas. Map comparison resulted in an overall accuracy of 0.93, an area percentage of overlapped landslides of 0.84, a modified success rate of 0.89, and a kappa statistic of 0.73. The method is fast, flexible, and relatively easy to use, and the probability map the method produces is useful by itself. We expect that the method can facilitate the rapid production of event landslide inventory maps, which in turn can assist emergency management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Many shallow landslides in Taiwan are triggered by typhoons (tropical cyclones) during the summer months. Each typhoon produces a different rainfall distribution, depending on its track and position and the atmospheric conditions. This study investigated whether the additional rainfall data in a landslide susceptibility model can improve its performance in predicting typhoon-triggered landslides, and whether information on past typhoon events, combined with an event-based landslide inventory, can help predict landslides triggered by a typhoon. To answer these questions, the study adopted a method that integrates rainfall data with the critical rainfall model (a landslide susceptibility model based on geoenvironmental factors) to derive a logistic regression model for predicting landslide occurrence. Results of a back analysis of landslides triggered by nine typhoons from 2001 to 2009 reveal that, by including rainfall data, the integrated method performs better than the critical rainfall model in the average overall accuracy rate (0.78 vs. 0.45) and the average modified success rate (0.75 vs. 0.68). Our preliminary results also suggest that it is possible to predict landslides triggered by a typhoon by using a catch-all model developed from all other typhoon events in an inventory, or a group model developed from other typhoon events of similar rainfall characteristics in an inventory. This study opens up a new research direction in analyzing rainfall-triggered landslides in Taiwan and elsewhere. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With increasing demand on higher performance for high-speed blade servers, the signal integrity aware (SI-aware) layouts and equalization have been attributed as the critical techniques to improve the electrical performance. This paper describes the SI-aware layouts of patterned ground and capsule-shaped antipad to enhance the connector performance. Besides, a new differential equalizer by taking advantage of differential via-stubs is proposed to restore the deteriorated eye diagram. Their application of a 117.5-cm SATA-II links demonstrates significant improvement in eye height and timing jitter. Furthermore, a viable approach is suggested to successfully reopen the eyes when the data rate increases from the current 3 to 12 Gb/s. The measurement results are also provided to validate the proposed design concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this study, we first propose a simple yet novel method to measure the diffusion coefficient of ions through a nanochannel. Back-side track etching is used for the fabrication of a nanochannel on an n-type silicon substrate. A metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) like device named the metal-semiconductor-solution field-effect transistor (MSSFET) is implemented to control the ion diffusion current. When a negative gate voltage is applied, positive ions that travel along the nanochannel are confined to the central zone of the nanochannel allowing the radial Brownian movements to be reduced. The effect is equivalent to an increase of the diffusion coefficient. However, a positive gate voltage can produce an opposite Zeta potential on the nanochannel surface. The cations in the nanochannel are dragged to the channel surface. This condition can be regarded as a decrease of the diffusion coefficient. Experimental results illustrate that the transfer characteristics of the MSSFET are similar to those of a p-channel depletion-type MOSFET. The ion diffusion coefficient in a nanochannel can be controlled when the initial ion concentration difference across a nanochannel is larger than a certain threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study aims to investigate whether an amperometric biosensor in an array configuration can increase its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) so as to increase its performance, like sensitivity. Uric acid biosensor (UAB) was used as an example in this study. Both single UAB (UAB-1×1) and UAB array (UAB-1×2 and UAB-1×3) were fabricated with uricase immobilized on commercial graphite working electrodes. The UAB showed an excellent (r 2 >0.96) linear response range (0–0.8mM) and moderate response time (∼20s). Results showed that the sensitivity and SNR of UAB can be significantly increased by the use of an array configuration. It was found that the sensitivity and SNR of the UAB-1×3 is significantly higher (p <0.05 in all cases) than that of the UAB-1×1 (sensitivity: 3.1-fold; SNR: 4.4-fold) and UAB-1×2 (sensitivity: 1.9-fold; SNR: 3.4-fold). Moreover, an excellent linear relationship (r 2 =0.96) was found between the sensitivity and SNR. Finally, the UAB showed good repeatability (maximal relative standard deviation=4.9%) and long-term stability (retained 92% of its initial value of current response after storing 60 days). In conclusion, the use of an array configuration can result in the increase of SNR, subsequently resulting in the increase of sensitivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A coupled model has been developed to simulate, at watershed level, landslides and debris flows induced by a severe typhoon (tropical cyclone) in Taiwan. The model comprises a landslide susceptibility model to predict landslide occurrence, an empirical model to select debris-flow initiation points, and a debris flow model to simulate the transport and deposit of failed materials from the identified source areas. In raster format with a 10m spatial resolution, the model output includes unstable cells, debris-flow initiation cells, debris-flow velocities, runout paths, and deposition zones. The model was first tested and calibrated in a small area, where the damage by landslides had been investigated and recorded. It was then applied to a watershed, and the simulation results were validated by comparing them with a landslide/debris-flow inventory map prepared from satellite images using a multiple change detection technique. Model test and validation results confirm the usefulness of the model in predicting the number and size of affected areas (landslides and runouts combined), runout path, and volume of runout deposits. It is a common practice in Taiwan to separate landslide and debris-flow inventories and to study debris flows only in select drainage basins. This study suggests that landslide and debris flow should be modeled as a sequential process for efficient watershed management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An important part of landslide research is the interpretation and delineation of landslides, which has increasingly been based on high-resolution satellite images in recent years. Using pre- and post-event FORMOSAT-2 satellite images as the data sources, this study presents a new method that combines four change detection techniques for mapping shallow landslides triggered by typhoons in Taiwan. The four techniques are normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI), spectral angle, principal component analysis, and independent component analysis. We apply the multiple change detection (MCD) technique to map landslides triggered by two typhoons of vastly different magnitudes. Comparisons are then made between MCD results with landslide inventory maps compiled by using a single index (change in NDVI) in one case study and visual analysis in another. Comparison results show that MCD can perform better than change in NDVI in dealing with old landslides and landslides with non-homogeneous spectral responses. MCD is also able to detect small landslides, which are often missed by visual analysis. Additionally, landslide maps prepared by MCD include runout features of sediment deposits from debris flows. A relatively fast processing chain, MCD is expected to become a useful new tool for emergency management after a typhoon event, which occurs on average four to five times a year in Taiwan. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the western North Pacific, including Taiwan, typhoons (tropical cyclones) and rainfall rates are predicted to intensify as a result of climate change. Because typhoons are the major triggers of shallow landslides in Taiwan, landslide activity is expected to increase as global warming continues. To assess the worst scenario of landslide occurrence in a mountainous watershed till the end of the century, this study developed a method to select a global climate model (GCM) from 21 available GCMs and correct its monthly precipitation data, before downscaling annual maximum (24-h) rainfall from the corrected GCM data as input to the factor-of-safety model for landslide prediction. Average annual maximum rainfall is expected to increase from 322mm in 1960–2008 to 371mm in 2010–2099. Average total unstable area is expected to increase from 1135ha in 1960–2008 to 1280ha in 2010–2099, a 12% increase. As a first attempt to assess landslide activity due to global warming, this study is useful as a reference for watershed management in Taiwan. The results must be evaluated in light of uncertainties caused by the correction and downscaling of GCM data and the input parameters to the slope stability model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cationic polymers are potential intracellular carriers for small interfering RNA (siRNA). The short and rigid nature of an siRNA chain often results in larger and more loosely packed particles compared to plasmid DNA (pDNA) after complexing with carrier polycations, and in turn, poor silencing effects are seen against the target mRNAs. A helper polyanion, pDNA, was incorporated along with siRNA to form compact nanosized polyplexes. At C/A (cation/anion) ratios of 2 and 5, poly(l-lysine) (PLL)/siRNA-pGFP and PLL/siRNA-pGFP-OSDZ (oligomeric sulfadiazine (OSDZ) for endosomolysis) complexes produced particles 90–150 nm in size with a 15–45 mV surface charge, while PLL/siRNA complexes yielded particles 1–2 μm in size at the same C/A ratios. The PLL/siRNA-pGFP (C/A 2) complexes showed significantly higher specific gene silencing (50–90% vs. 10–25%) than the complexes formed at C/A 5. PLL/siRNA-pGFP-OSDZ (C/A 2) complexes improved the specific gene silencing (90%) more dramatically than PLL/siRNA-pGFP (C/A 2) complexes (50%), demonstrating a potential role for OSDZ. PLL/siRNA-pGFP-OSDZ (C/A 2) complexes sustained higher specific gene silencing compared with PLL/siRNA-pGFP (C/A 2) complexes. Other oligomeric sulfonamides (OSA) with varying pKa used in PLL/siRNA-pGFP-OSA complexes also caused effective gene silencing. The pGFP in the PLL/siRNA-pGFP complexes successfully expressed GFP protein without interfering with the siRNA. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that long pDNA helps effectively form nanosized siRNA particles and that OSA enhances specific gene silencing. In a single nucleic acid carrier formulation, co-delivery of siRNA and pDNA is feasible to maximize therapeutic effects or to include therapeutic or diagnostic functionalities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The necessity of assessing uncertainties to guarantee safety in structural design arises the potential of reliability-based design optimisation (RBDO), which is a methodology based on reliability analysis and design optimisation through probabilistic models. RBDO differs from conventional design optimisation by the presence of probabilistic constraints, which are evaluated using reliability index approach (RIA) or performance measure approach (PMA). It is generally known that PMA is more stable and efficient than RIA. Despite the advantages brought by PMA, RBDO still requires excessive computational cost for large scale structures involving complex finite element analysis. Accordingly, this paper presents a new scheme for RBDO achieving improved stability and efficiency by combining response surface method with PMA. The moving least squares (MLS) method is used to approximate the limit state function. Applications to a mathematical example, the 10-bar truss problem and the vehicle side impact problem verify that the proposed method shows better convergence and efficiency than other approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To fulfill the demands of ever increasingly smaller sizes, lighter weight, and lower price points for optoelectronic products, the size and thickness of each component must as a result be reduced. Since a thinner liquid crystal display (LCD) panel can effectively reduce the thickness of an optoelectronic product, the thickness of a LCD panel is usually thinned out through polishing. However, polishing is likely to produce an uneven surface on the LCD panel which can lead to incomplete fracturing of the anisotropic conductive film (ACF), disabling electrical conductivity. This research focuses on the elimination of the influences of uneven LCD panels in the chip on glass (COG) process. In addition to the standard process parameters a thin film of Teflon was inserted between the bonding head and the driving IC to minimize the influences of an uneven LCD panel. Experiments show that a 0.1 mm thick Teflon film in association with a 290°C bonding head temperature, a 7 s bonding duration, and a 17 kg bonding pressure, can effectively overcome the influence of an uneven LCD panel with 20 μm surface roughness. The yield rate in the production line is thus improved from 95.5 to 99.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Thermal fluorination of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was performed to improve their hydrogen storage capacity, based on three considerations. First, the surface of the MWCNTs was altered by thermal fluorination to create a pathway for the storage of hydrogen molecules inside the MWCNTs. These surface treatments increased the number of MWCNT defects through attack by fluorine radicals. The defects were identified using Raman peaks and TEM images. Second, thermal fluorination changed the pore structure by enlarging the specific surface area and the pore volume, which increased the number of hydrogen adsorption sites. Last, the induced fluorine groups enhanced the hydrogen storage capacity through attraction effects on the electron in the hydrogen molecules due to the high electronegativity of fluorine. In conclusion, thermal fluorination increased the hydrogen storage capacity of MWCNTs four-fold to 1.69 wt%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It is predicted that depression will become the most common neurological disease in the new millennium. Its incidence is currently about 3% of diseases worldwide. Serotonin is an essential neurotransmitter for the central and peripheral nervous systems and plays a crucial role in neuropsychiatric disorders. 123I-labeled ADAM was developed to facilitate an early diagnosis of serotonin transporter (SERT) abnormalities in the brain. Many studies have confirmed that the binding of this radiotracer to SERTs is associated with depression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute and subacute toxicity of ADAM and to determine its no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) by administering it via intravenous injection to Sprague-Dawley rats for 14 consecutive days. None of the animals died, and no treatment-related clinical signs were observed. Urinalysis, hematology, and clinical chemistry analysis revealed that daily administration of ADAM (2-2-dimethylaminomethylphenylthio-5-iodophenylamine) for 2 weeks had no toxicological effects. It is concluded that ADAM exerts no adverse toxic effects on this animal model. The NOAEL was 155 μg/kg/day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a noninvasive method suitable for extracting the HR when monitoring the physiological condition. The PPG waveform is readily contaminated by various mechanisms, such as raising or lowering the hand, breathing, changes in stroke volume, the presence of double dicrotic notches, and cardiovascular diseases. These made heart rate extraction a difficult problem. The purpose of this study was to propose a heart rate extraction method that has better performance than the wavelet and correlation methods. A fuzzy logic discriminator was used to discriminate the truth of each peak of the slope of the PPG signal based on weights. A determining algorithm used these weights to extract the heart rate, and also to insert an interpolated peak near the time of a missing peak. This allowed the physiologic condition of a patient during the rapid heart rate change to be reliably monitored. The study applied six different PPG waveforms to test our desired method. The root-mean-square error values relative to the reference showed that the desired method for Case I is 5.15 beats/min, and for Case IV (1) it is 0. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]