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Abstract Background The presence of sensory impairment among older age cohorts exerts a significant impact on both individuals and society generally. Although the impact of dietary patterns on health is vital across all stages of life, there still a paucity of comprehensive research on the association between dietary variety and sensory impairments. Objective To investigate the potential relationship between dietary diversity and the prevalence of visual and hearing impairment or dual sensory impairments (visual and hearing impairment) among the oldest old population. Methods This is a cross-sectional study relied on data obtained from the 2018 survey conducted by the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Subjects aged 80 and older with complete vision and hearing data were included in the study. Multivariate logistic regression models were developed to examine the association between dietary components and visual and hearing impairment while controlling for age, gender, socioeconomic demographic factors, living habits, other food habits, and general health status. Results The study included 10,093 participants, with an average age of 92.29 ± 7.75 years. Vision and hearing function were assessed based on the ability to distinguish the direction of the break in the circle and the requirement for hearing aids, respectively. Upon controlling for confounding variables, individuals with a greater Dietary Diversity Score (DDS, the number of food groups, range: 1–11) had a reduced likelihood of experiencing visual impairment (odds ratio [OR] = 0.944, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.915—0.974) and dual sensory impairment (OR = 0.930, 95% CI, 0.905—0.955). In comparison to the low dietary variety group (insufficient dietary diversity, DDS

Abstract Robust optimization is an essential tool for addressing the uncertainties in power systems. Most existing algorithms, such as Benders decomposition and column‐and‐constraint generation (C&CG), focus on robust optimization with decision‐independent uncertainty (DIU). However, increasingly common decision‐dependent uncertainties (DDUs) in power systems are frequently overlooked. When DDUs are considered, traditional algorithms for robust optimization with DIUs become inapplicable. This is because the previously selected worst‐case scenarios may fall outside the uncertainty set when the first‐stage decision changes, causing traditional algorithms to fail to converge. This study provides a general solution algorithm for robust optimization with DDU, which is called dual C&CG. Its convergence and optimality are proven theoretically. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the dual C&CG algorithm, we used the do‐not‐exceed limit (DNEL) problem as an example. The results show that the proposed algorithm can not only solve the simple DNEL model studied in the literature but also provide a more practical DNEL model considering the correlations among renewable generators.

Abstract Background To analyze the risk factors for the development of avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head after reduction surgery in children with developmental hip dysplasia (DDH), and to establish a prediction nomogram. Methods The clinical data of 134 children with DDH (169 hips) treated with closure reduction or open reduction from December 2016 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Independent risk factors for AVN after DDH reduction being combined with cast external immobilization were determined by univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression and used to generate nomograms predicting the occurrence of AVN. Results A total of 169 hip joints in 134 children met the inclusion criteria, with a mean age at surgery of 10.7 ± 4.56 months (range: 4–22 months) and a mean follow-up duration of 38.32 ± 27.00 months (range: 12–94 months). AVN developed in 42 hip joints (24.9%); univariate analysis showed that the International Hip Dysplasia Institute (IHDI) grade, preoperative development of the femoral head ossification nucleus, cartilage acetabular index, femoral head to acetabular Y-shaped cartilage distance, residual acetabular dysplasia, acetabular abduction angle exceeding 60°, and the final follow-up acetabular index (AI) were associated with the development of AVN (P

Abstract Accurate segmentation of oral surgery-related tissues from cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images can significantly accelerate treatment planning and improve surgical accuracy. In this paper, we propose a fully automated tissue segmentation system for dental implant surgery. Specifically, we propose an image preprocessing method based on data distribution histograms, which can adaptively process CBCT images with different parameters. Based on this, we use the bone segmentation network to obtain the segmentation results of alveolar bone, teeth, and maxillary sinus. We use the tooth and mandibular regions as the ROI regions of tooth segmentation and mandibular nerve tube segmentation to achieve the corresponding tasks. The tooth segmentation results can obtain the order information of the dentition. The corresponding experimental results show that our method can achieve higher segmentation accuracy and efficiency compared to existing methods. Its average Dice scores on the tooth, alveolar bone, maxillary sinus, and mandibular canal segmentation tasks were 96.5%, 95.4%, 93.6%, and 94.8%, respectively. These results demonstrate that it can accelerate the development of digital dentistry.

Objective To determine whether a chemokine receptor type 2 antagonist, DMX-200 (repagermanium), in combination with an angiotensin receptor blocker, candesartan, improves clinical outcomes in people with COVID-19.Design Prospective, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Setting Ten acute care hospitals in India.Participants Adults

Objectives This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate optic nerve head and retinal vascular parameters in children with hyperopia in relation to age and spherical equivalent refraction (SER) using artificial intelligence (AI)-based analysis of colour fundus photographs (CFP).Methods and analysis This cross-sectional study included 324 children with hyperopia aged 3–12 years. Participants were divided into low hyperopia (SER+0.5 D to+2.0 D) and moderate-to-high hyperopia (SER≥+2.0 D) groups. Fundus parameters, such as optic disc area and mean vessel diameter, were automatically and quantitatively detected using AI. Significant variables (p

Abstract The use of robots to augment human capabilities and assist in work has long been an aspiration. Robotics has been developing since the 1960s when the first industrial robot was introduced. As technology has advanced, robotic-assisted surgery has shown numerous advantages, including more precision, efficiency, minimal invasiveness, and safety than is possible with conventional techniques, which are research hotspots and cutting-edge trends. This article reviewed the history of medical robot development and seminal research papers about current research progress. Taking the autonomous dental implant robotic system as an example, the advantages and prospects of medical robotic systems would be discussed which would provide a reference for future research.

Introduction: In solid tumors, regulatory T cell (Treg) and mast cell perform different roles depending on the microenvironment. Nevertheless, mast cell and Treg-mediated interactions in gastric cancer (GC) are unclear, as are their regulation, function, and clinical significance. Objective: The present study demonstrated the mechanism of tumor-infiltrating mast cells stimulating ICOS+ regulatory T cells via the IL-33/IL-2 axis to promote the growth of gastric cancer. Methods: Analyses of 98 patients with GC were conducted to examine mast cell counts, ICOS+ Tregs, and the levels of IL-33 or IL-2. Isolated ICOS+ Treg and CD8+ T cell were stimulated, cultured and tested for their functional abilities in vitro and in vivo. Results: GC patients exhibited a significantly more production of IL-33 in tumors. Mast cell stimulated by tumor-derived IL-33 exhibited a prolonged lifespan through IL-33 mediated inhibition of apoptosis. Moreover, mast cells stimulated by tumor-derived IL-33 secreted IL-2, which induced Treg expansion. These inducible Tregs displayed an activated immunosuppressive phenotype with positive expression for the inducible T cell co-stimulator (ICOS). In vitro, IL-2 from IL to 33-stimulated mast cells induced increased numbers of ICOS+ Tregs with increased immunosuppressive activity against proliferation and effector function of CD8+ T cell. In vivo, ICOS+ Tregs were treated with anti-IL-2 neutralizing antibody followed by co-injection with CD8+ T cells in GC mouse model, which showed an increased CD8+ T cell infiltration and effector molecules production, meanwhile tumor growth and progression were inhibited. Besides, reduction in GC patient survival was associated with tumor-derived ICOS+ Tregs. Conclusion: Our results highlight a crosstalk between GC-infiltrating mast cells and ICOS+ Tregs and provide a novel mechanism describing ICOS+ Treg expansion and induction by an IL-33/mast cell/IL-2 signaling axis in GC, and also provide functional evidence that the modulation of this immunosuppressive pathway can attenuate GC-mediated immune tolerance.

Soft strain sensors that can transduce stretch stimuli into electrical readouts are promising as sustainable wearable electronics. However, most strain sensors cannot achieve highly-sensitive and wide-range detection of ultralow and high strains. Inspired by bamboo structures, anti-freezing microfibers made of conductive poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiphene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) are developed via continuous microfluidic spinning. The microfibers provide unique bamboo-like structures with enhanced local stress to improve both their length change and resistance change upon stretching for efficient signal conversion. The microfibers allow highly-sensitive (detection limit: 0.05% strain) and wide-range (0%–400% strain) detection of ultralow and high strains, as well as features of good stretchability (485% strain) and anti-freezing property (freezing temperature: −41.1 °C), fast response (200 ms), and good repeatability. The experimental results, together with theoretical foundation analysis and finite element analysis, prove their enhanced length and resistance changes upon stretching for efficient signal conversion. By integrating microfluidic spinning with 3D-printing technique, the textiles of the microfibers can be flexibly constructed. The microfibers and their 3D-printed textiles enable high-performance monitoring of human motions including finger bending and throat vibrating during phonation. This work provides an efficient and general strategy for developing advanced conductive hydrogel microfibers as high-performance wearable strain sensors.

The deformation of the curved pipeline in the mining subsidence area may be different from the ordinary straight pipeline. Curved pipeline is prone to large deformation in the mining subsidence area, which may cause pipeline accidents. Thus, it is of great importance to investigate the mechanical properties of the curved pipeline in the mining subsidence area. The numerical simulation model of pipeline-soil coupling was established by the nonlinear numerical simulation method in this study. The mechanical responses of the curved pipeline under the stratum settlement, collapse, and suspension are investigated. The results show that when the settlement area is located below the curved section of the pipeline, the maximum stress is in the middle of the curved section, there will be more high stress areas when the curved angle larger. When the settlement area is located below the half curved part and half straight part of the pipeline, the high stress area of the pipeline is located at the end of the curved section. The stress and displacement increase with the increase of angle in both cases, but the maximum stress in pipeline is not reached the yield strength. Whether the collapse interface is located in the middle of the curved section or at both ends of the curved section, the high stress area occurs near the collapse interface, the large curved angle of the pipeline is prone to generate large high stress area and produce large plastic strain, and the cross section of the pipeline has a tendency to squeeze to one side. For the suspended curved pipeline, the stress, plastic strain and displacement of the suspended curved pipeline increase with the increase of suspended length and curved angle.

Abstract Objective The purpose of the study is to construct meaningful nomogram models according to the independent prognostic factor for metastatic pancreatic cancer receiving chemotherapy. Methods This study is retrospective and consecutively included 143 patients from January 2013 to June 2021. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve with the area under the curve (AUC) is utilized to determine the optimal cut‐off value. The Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, univariate and multivariable Cox regression analysis are exploited to identify the correlation of inflammatory biomarkers and clinicopathological features with survival. R software are run to construct nomograms based on independent risk factors to visualize survival. Nomogram model is examined using calibration curve and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results The best cut‐off values of 966.71, 0.257, and 2.54 for the systemic immunological inflammation index (SII), monocyte‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were obtained by ROC analysis. Cox proportional‐hazards model revealed that baseline SII, history of drinking and metastasis sites were independent prognostic indices for survival. We established prognostic nomograms for primary endpoints of this study. The nomograms' predictive potential and clinical efficacy have been evaluated by calibration curves and DCA. Conclusion We constructed nomograms based on independent prognostic factors, these models have promising applications in clinical practice to assist clinicians in personalizing the management of patients.

Biodegradable and biocompatible biomaterials have several important applications in drug delivery. The biomaterial family known as poly(ester amide)s (PEAs) has garnered considerable interest because it exhibits the benefits of both polyester and polyamide, as well as production from readily available raw ingredients and sophisticated synthesis techniques. Specifically, α-amino acid-based PEAs (AA-PEAs) are promising carriers because of their structural flexibility, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Herein, we summarize the latest applications of PEAs in drug delivery systems, including antitumor, gene therapy, and protein drugs, and discuss the prospects of drug delivery based on PEAs, which provides a reference for designing safe and efficient drug delivery carriers.

Abstract As an invaluable Chinese sheep germplasm resource, Hu sheep are renowned for their high fertility and beautiful wavy lambskins. Their distinctive characteristics have evolved over time through a combination of artificial and natural selection. Identifying selection signatures in Hu sheep can provide a straightforward insight into the mechanism of selection and further uncover the candidate genes associated with breed‐specific traits subject to selection. Here, we conducted whole‐genome resequencing on 206 Hu sheep individuals, each with an approximate 6‐fold depth of coverage. And then we employed three complementary approaches, including composite likelihood ratio, integrated haplotype homozygosity score and the detection of runs of homozygosity, to detect selection signatures. In total, 10 candidate genomic regions displaying selection signatures were simultaneously identified by multiple methods, spanning 88.54 Mb. After annotating, these genomic regions harbored collectively 92 unique genes. Interestingly, 32 candidate genes associated with reproduction were distributed in nine genomic regions detected. Out of them, two stood out as star candidates: BMPR1B and GNRH2, both of which have documented associations with fertility, and a HOXA gene cluster (HOXA1‐5, HOXA9, HOXA10, HOXA11 and HOXA13) had also been linked to fertility. Additionally, we identified other genes that are related to hair follicle development (LAMTOR3, EEF1A2), ear size (HOXA1, KCNQ2), fat tail formation (HOXA10, HOXA11), growth and development (FAF1, CCNDBP1, GJB2, GJA3), fat deposition (ACOXL, JAZF1, HOXA3, HOXA4, HOXA5, EBF4), immune (UBR1, FASTKD5) and feed intake (DAPP1, RNF17, NPBWR2). Our results offer novel insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying the selection of breed‐specific traits in Hu sheep and provide a reference for sheep genetic improvement programs.

Background: Methods for washed microbiota transplantation (WMT) through the mid-gut include transendoscopic enteral tubing (TET) and manual spiral nasojejunal tube (SNT) placement have not been studied. Methods: This prospective interventional study was performed at a single centre. Patients were divided into the SNT and mid-gut TET groups based on their conditions and wishes. In the SNT group, an SNT was passively inserted into the stomach, and abdominal X-rays were taken within 24 h to confirm tube placement in the small intestine. In the mid-gut TET group, mid-gut TET was placed in the small intestine for gastroscopy. Data on the clinical efficacy of WMT, intubation time, cost, overall comfort score, adverse reactions, etc., were collected from the two groups. Results: Sixty-three patients were included in the study (SNT group (n = 40) and mid-gut TET group (n = 23)). The clinical efficacy of WMT in the SNT and mid-gut TET groups was 90 % and 95.7 %, respectively (P = 0.644). Compared with the mid-gut TET group, the SNT group showed a shorter operation time (120 s vs. 258 s, P = 0.001) and a lower average cost (641.7 yuan vs. 1702.1 yuan, P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the overall comfort score or the incidence of common discomfort symptoms between the two groups. Conclusion: The different implantation methods have different advantages; compared with mid-gut TET placement, manual SNT placement provides some benefits.

Citrus is one of the world's most economically important fruit crops cultivated by grafting. To support the growth of scion cultivars, rootstock is the primary source of resistance to various abiotic stresses. Herein, seedlings of two genotypes of Citrus junos Sieb. ex Tanaka (the novel rootstock 'Shuzhen No.1' and commonly used rootstock 'Ziyang Xiangcheng'), as well as three commonly used rootstocks including citrange (Citrus sinensis Osbeck. × Poncirus trifoliata Raf.), trifoliate orange (P. trifoliata), and red tangerine (Citrus tangerine Hort. Ex Tanaka), were used as testing materials. The seed characteristics were evaluated, and the rootstock seedlings were subjected to flooding, drought, alkaline, and freezing treatments. Over time, the contents of chlorophyll, soluble sugar, proline, malondialdehyde, and the activity of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase in the leaves under different treatments were examined. Furthermore, five citrus varieties were grafted as scions onto one-year-old seedlings from the four rootstocks. Graft success, shoot growth, and leaf greenness were measured and compared. The physiological and biochemical changes in 'Shuzhen No.1' were found to be similar to those in 'Ziyang Xiangcheng'. 'Shuzhen No.1' exhibited greater tolerance to flooding, alkaline, and freezing stress compared to the other four widely used citrus rootstocks, as indicated by physiological and biochemical indexes and principal component analysis. Moreover, the five citrus varieties grafted onto 'Shuzhen No.1' demonstrated vigorous growth and tree vigor. These findings provide valuable insights for the application of 'Shuzhen No.1' and future research on citrus rootstock.

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) play a crucial role in protein functionality and the control of various cellular processes and secondary metabolites (SMs) in fungi. Lysine succinylation (Ksuc) is an emerging protein PTM characterized by the addition of a succinyl group to a lysine residue, which induces substantial alteration in the chemical and structural properties of the affected protein. This chemical alteration is reversible, dynamic in nature, and evolutionarily conserved. Recent investigations of numerous proteins that undergo significant succinylation have underscored the potential significance of Ksuc in various biological processes, encompassing normal physiological functions and the development of certain pathological processes and metabolites. This review aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying Ksuc and its diverse functions in fungi. Both conventional investigation techniques and predictive tools for identifying Ksuc sites were also considered. A more profound comprehension of Ksuc and its impact on the biology of fungi have the potential to unveil new insights into post-translational modification and may pave the way for innovative approaches that can be applied across various clinical contexts in the management of mycotoxins.

Background: Vision loss is a leading cause of healthy life loss in late adulthood. We aimed to comprehensively examine the impact of population aging on vision loss prevalence worldwide. Methods: This population-based study used repeated cross-sectional data on vision loss and its related causes from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study. We investigated the impact of population aging by decomposing changes in vision loss prevalence into contributions of population growth, population aging, and epidemiological rate changes using the latest decomposition method and comparing the net effect of population aging and epidemiological rate changes. Results: The global vision loss prevalence attributed to population aging increased from 1991 to 2019, reaching 183.37 million in 2019. In relation to the 19 vision loss causes, the greatest increase in population aging-attributed vision loss prevalence was observed for near vision loss, refraction disorders, and cataract, whereas the contributions of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration were not substantial. The impact of population aging on vision loss prevalence varied greatly worldwide based on development levels. However, in most countries, the increase in vision loss prevalence caused by population aging exceeded far and could not be offset by epidemiological rate variations. Conclusions: With the aging of the population, vision loss has become one of the most serious public health concerns. It is imperative that policy makers invest more in vision health preventive medicine and implement proven, cost-effective interventions to combat the epidemic of vision loss as the population ages.

In this study, Mo–Cu/Cu plates were successfully fabricated by explosive welding and the influence of Mo content on their interfacial microstructure, shear strength, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity was investigated. The results showed that as the Mo content increased to 70 wt%, the number of serrations at the interface of the Mo70Cu30/Cu plate increased, exhibiting a more complete shape and periodically ordered arrangement. In addition, increasing the Mo content to 70 wt% leads to a significant improvement in the interdiffusion distance at the interface, resulting in significant improvements in shear strength, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity compared to the corresponding Mo70Cu30 plate. More serrations, more complete serrations and periodically arranged serrations benefit from increased Mo content to 70 wt% while improving the shear strength, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity compared to raw material of Mo–Cu plate.

With the rapid development of intelligent information technologies, remote sensing object detection has played an important role in different field applications. Particularly in recent years, it has attracted widespread attention in assisting with food safety supervision, which still faces troubling issues between oversized parameters and low performance that are challenging to solve. Hence, this article proposes a novel remote sensing detection framework for multi-scale objects with a rotating status and mutual occlusion, defined as EYMR-Net. This proposed approach is established on the YOLO-v7 architecture with a Swin Transformer backbone, which offers multi-scale receptive fields to mine massive features. Then, an enhanced attention module is added to exploit the spatial and dimensional interrelationships among different local characteristics. Subsequently, the effective rotating frame regression mechanism via circular smoothing labels is introduced to the EYMR-Net structure, addressing the problem of horizontal YOLO (You Only Look Once) frames ignoring direction changes. Extensive experiments on DOTA datasets demonstrated the outstanding performance of EYMR-Net, which achieved an impressive mAP0.5 of up to 74.3%. Further ablation experiments verified that our proposed approach obtains a balance between performance and efficiency, which is beneficial for practical remote sensing applications in transportation monitoring and supply chain management.

Enhancing crop nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in agricultural sciences is a pivotal challenge, particularly for high-demand crops like potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.), the world’s third most significant food crop. This study delves into the molecular responses of potatoes to low nitrogen (LN) stress, employing an integrative approach that combines transcriptomics and metabolomics to compare two cultivars with divergent NUE traits: XS6, known for its high NUE, and NS7, characterized by lower NUE. Our research unveils that XS6 exhibits higher chlorophyll and N content, increased tuber yield, and elevated N assimilation capacity under LN stress conditions compared to NS7. Through transcriptome analysis, we identified critical genes involved in C and N metabolism that had higher expression in XS6. A significant discovery was the high-affinity nitrate transporter 2.7 gene, which showed elevated expression in XS6, suggesting its key role in enhancing NUE. Metabolomics analysis further complemented these findings, revealing a sophisticated alteration of 1252 metabolites under LN stress, highlighting the dynamic interplay between carbon and N metabolism in coping with N scarcity. The integration of transcriptomic and metabolomic data underscored the crucial role of trehalose in mitigating N deficiency and enhancing NUE. This study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms governing NUE in potatoes, offering valuable perspectives for molecular breeding to enhance NUE in potatoes and potentially other crops.

In the glycerolysis process for diacylglycerol (DAG) preparation, free lipases suffer from poor stability and the inability to be reused. To address this, a cost-effective immobilized lipase preparation was developed by cross-linking macroporous resin with poly (ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) followed by lipase adsorption. The selected immobilization conditions were identified as pH 7.0, 35 °C, cross-linking agent concentration 2.0%, cross-linking time 4 h, lipase amount 5 mg/g of support, and adsorption time 4 h. Enzymatic properties of the immobilized lipase were analyzed, revealing enhanced pH stability, thermal stability, storage stability, and operational stability post-immobilization. The conditions for immobilized enzyme-catalyzed glycerolysis to produce DAG were selected, demonstrating the broad applicability of the immobilized lipase. The immobilized lipase catalyzed glycerolysis reactions using various oils as substrates, with DAG content in the products ranging between 35 and 45%, demonstrating broad applicability. Additionally, the changes during the repeated use of the immobilized lipase were characterized, showing that mechanical damage, lipase leakage, and alterations in the secondary structure of the lipase protein contributed to the decline in catalytic activity over time. These findings provide valuable insights for the industrial application of lipase.

Abstract Background Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are predisposed to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Bone mineral density (BMD) is linked to CVD, but most studies focused on women. Our analysis aims to explore the association of BMD and fracture with the prevalence of CVD in men with T2DM. Methods In this retrospective cross‐sectional study, 856 men with T2DM were enrolled. BMDs at the lumbar spine (L2‐4), femoral neck (FN), and total hip (TH) were measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). The CVD outcome was determined as the sum of the following conditions: congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, the requirement for coronary artery revascularization, and stroke. The relationship between BMDs and CVD was investigated by restricted cubic spline curves and logistic regression models. Results A total of 163 (19.0%) patients developed CVD. The restricted cubic spline curve revealed a linear and negative association between FN‐BMD, TH‐BMD, and CVD. After full adjustments for confounding covariates, the odds ratios were 1.34 (95% confidence interval [CI] [1.11–1.61], p

Introduction: Fall Risk Appraisal (FRA), a process that integrates perceived and objective fall risk measures, serves as a crucial component for understanding the incongruence between fear of falling (FOF) and physiological fall risk in older adults. Despite its importance, scant research has been undertaken to investigate how habitual physical activity (PA) levels, quantified in Monitor-Independent Movement Summary (MIMS), vary across FRA categories. MIMS is a device-independent acceleration summary metric that helps standardize data analysis across studies by accounting for discrepancies in raw data among research-grade and consumer devices.Objective: This cross-sectional study explores the associations between MIMS (volume and intensity) and FRA in a sample of older adults in the United States.Methods: We assessed FOF (Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International), physiological fall risk (balance: BTrackS Balance, leg strength: 30-s sit-to-stand test) and 7-day free-living PA (ActiGraph GT9X) in 178 community-dwelling older adults. PA volume was summarized as average daily MIMS (MIMS/day). PA intensity was calculated as peak 30-min MIMS (average of highest 30 non-consecutive MIMS minutes/day), representing a PA index of higher-intensity epochs. FRA categorized participants into following four groups: Rational (low FOF-low physiological fall risk), Irrational (high FOF-low physiological fall risk), Incongruent (low FOF-high physiological fall risk) and Congruent (high FOF-high physiological fall risk).Results: Compared to rational group, average MIMS/day and peak 30-min MIMS were, respectively, 15.8% (p = .025) and 14.0% (p = .004) lower in irrational group, and 16.6% (p = .013) and 17.5% (p < .001) lower in congruent group. No significant differences were detected between incongruent and rational groups. Multiple regression analyses showed that, after adjusting for age, gender, and BMI (reference: rational), only irrational FRA was significantly associated with lower PA volume (β = −1,452.8 MIMS/day, p = .034); whereas irrational and congruent FRAs were significantly associated with lower “peak PA intensity” (irrational: β = −5.40 MIMS/day, p = .007; congruent: β = −5.43 MIMS/day, p = .004).Conclusion: These findings highlight that FOF is a significant barrier for older adults to participate in high-intensity PA, regardless of their balance and strength. Therefore, PA programs for older adults should develop tailored intervention strategies (cognitive reframing, balance and strength exercises, or both) based on an individual’s FOF and physiological fall risk.

The development of alternative renewable energy technologies is crucial for alleviating climate change and promoting energy transformation. Of the currently available technologies, solar energy has promising application prospects owing to its merits of being clean, safe, and sustainable. Solar energy is converted into electricity through photovoltaic (PV) cells; however, the overall conversion efficiency of PV modules is relatively low, and most of the captured solar energy is dissipated in the form of heat. This not only reduces the power generation efficiency of solar cells but may also have a negative impact on the electrical parameters of PV modules and the service life of PV cells. To overcome the shortcomings, an efficient approach involves combining a PV cell with a thermoelectric generator (TEG) to form hybrid PV-TEG systems, which simultaneously improve the energy conversion efficiency of the PV system by reducing the operating temperature of the PV modules and increasing the power output by utilizing the waste heat generated from the PV system to generate electricity via the TEGs. Based on a thorough examination of the literature, this study comprehensively reviews 14 maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms currently applied to hybrid PV-TEG systems and classifies them into five major categories for further discussion, namely conventional, mathematics-based, metaheuristic, artificial intelligence, and other algorithms. This review aims to inspire advanced ideas and research on MPPT algorithms for hybrid PV-TEG systems.

The shadow mode-based regular sampling methods are usually used in the digital control of power inverters, which introduce a control delay of one and a half sampling periods. The control delay affects the closed loop bandwidth and the stability of dc–ac inverters. Recently, regular sampling methods based on the immediate mode is emerging and helpful for reducing the digital control delay. When employing the immediate mode, the induced vertical crossings may arouse the duty-cycle loss and dead-band effect during the modulation process, which deteriorate the normal operation of the inverters. Although the duty-cycle loss can be avoided by forcing the PWM signal to flip at the occurrence of vertical crossings, the introduced dead bands still exist. Thus, this paper investigates the phenomenon of vertical crossings and proposes a control algorithm composed of predicting the occurrence of vertical crossings and compensating the dead-band effect for regular sampling methods based on the immediate mode. Finally, experimental results on a single-phase dc–ac inverter prototype are provided to compare the efficacy of different approaches.

Chitosan samples were prepared from the shells of marine animals (crab and shrimp) and the cell walls of fungi (agaricus bisporus and aspergillus niger). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to detect their molecular structures, while headspace-gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) was employed to analyze their odor composition. A total of 220 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including esters, ketones, aldehydes, etc., were identified as the odor fingerprinting components of chitosan for the first time. A principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that chitosan could be effectively identified and classified based on its characteristic VOCs. The sum of the first three principal components explained 87% of the total variance in original information. An orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) model was established for tracing and source identification purposes, demonstrating excellent performance with fitting indices R2X = 0.866, R2Y = 0.996, Q2 = 0.989 for independent variable fitting and model prediction accuracy, respectively. By utilizing OPLS-DA modeling along with a heatmap-based tracing path study, it was found that 29 VOCs significantly contributed to marine chitosan at a significance level of VIP > 1.00 (p < 0.05), whereas another set of 20 VOCs specifically associated with fungi chitosan exhibited notable contributions to its odor profile. These findings present a novel method for identifying commercial chitosan sources, which can be applied to ensure biological safety in practical applications.