Nowadays, the uses of laser and optics in the medical areas are extremely vivid, especially low-level laser therapy. The light with the wavelength of 633 nm to 1200 nm could penetrate and propagate deep in biological tissue. To develop the low-level laser therapy device, optimizing light delivery is critical to accurately stimulate the biological effects inside the biological tissue. Nevertheless, each form of the tissues at each zone on the body had various refractive optic, absorption, scattering, and anisotropy coefficients. This paper describes the simulation results of low-level laser propagation from skin surface at the lower spine, the knee, the femur and the prostate gland with four wavelengths (633 nm, 780 nm, 850 nm, and 940 nm) by the Monte Carlo method. These simulation results are the base for developing the low-level laser therapy device, that could be used in clinical for treating the fracture, knee osteoarthritis, spinal degeneration, and benign prostatic hypertrophy.

The Oil reservoirs with low permeability account for a large proportion in the world, they surpass half of the total number of the oil reservoirs in China, it is important to exploit this kind of reservoir effectively. The exploitive results of these reservoir using normal water flooding methods are very poor because of the thine pores, bad connections and so on. However, these problems can be well solved by applying gas injection techniques. In this paper, the effects on the recovery effects exerted by the injection parameters such as the oxygen content in the injected air, the injection speed etc. were studied by several experiments using independently designed equipments aiming at one low permeable sandstone reservoir in China. Several conclusions were made from the experiment results: the best recovery effects can be achieved by injecting the oxygen reduced air with 8% of oxygen at the speed of 0.3ml/min (7.41×10-4PV/min) using the methods of injecting the air slugs and the foaming agent slugs alternately; the best oxidation time of the oil was 168 hours and the final oil recovery could be enhanced by 26.5% in this method. It was also showed by the experiments that the larger the permeability ratio is, the larger the recovery factor will be increased. At last, several equations about relationships between the EOR and the air injection parameters were revealed according to the results of the experiments which may offer some references to the LTO process mechanisms study in the similar oil reservoir.

Microsystems are key enabling technologies, with applications found in almost every industrial field, including in-vitro diagnostic, energy harvesting, automotive, telecommunication, drug screening, etc. Microsystems, such as microsensors and actuators, are typically made up of components below 1000 microns in size that can be manufactured at low-unit cost through mass-production. Yet, the development of microsystems for commercial or educational purposes, has typically been limited to upper income countries due to the initial investment costs associated with the microfabrication equipment and processes. However, recent technological advances have enabled the development of low-cost microfabrication tools. In this paper, we describe a range of low-cost approaches and equipment (below £1000), developed or adapted and implemented in our laboratories. We describe processes including photolithography, micromilling, 3D printing, xurography and screen-printing used for the microfabrication of structural and functional materials. The processes that can be used to shape a range of materials with sub-millimetre feature sizes are demonstrated here in the context of Lab-on-Chips, but they can be adapted for other applications. We anticipate that this paper, which will enable researchers to build a low-cost microfabrication toolbox in a wide range of settings, will spark a new interest in microsystems.

This study was conducted to determine the dynamic effects of dietary crude protein (CP) intake on nitrogen (N) balance, ileal amino acid digestibility, and gene expression levels of digestive enzymes at three stages in pigs. In Experiment 1, 18 growing pigs (average body weight (BW) = 9.5 kg) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments (n = 6/treatment group), including normal (20% CP), low (17% CP), and very low (14% CP) protein intake. In Experiment 2, 18 growing pigs (average BW = 30 kg) were allotted randomly to one of three treatments (n = 6/treatment group), including normal (18% CP), low (15% CP), and very low (12% CP) protein intake. In Experiment 3, 18 growing pigs (average BW = 45 kg) were assigned randomly to one of three treatments (n = 6/treatment group), including normal (16% CP), low (13% CP), and very low (10% CP) protein intake. Growing pigs fed the 14% CP and 17% CP diets had lower final BW (P < 0.05) and average daily gain (ADG) (P < 0.05) compared to pigs fed the 20% CP diet. Reducing the dietary CP level from 20 to 14% decreased urinary N excretion by 52.8% (P < 0.001) in Experiment 1. Reducing the dietary CP level from 18 to 12% decreased urinary N excretion by 55.3% (P < 0.001) and reduced fecal N excretion by 34% (P < 0.05) in Experiment 2. Reducing the dietary CP level from 16 to 10% decreased urinary N excretion by 56.4% (P < 0.001) and fecal N excretion by 47.1% (P < 0.001) in Experiment 3. Pigs fed the very low (14%, 12%, and 10% CP) diets showed higher digestibility for CP (P < 0.05), His (P < 0.05), Ile (P < 0.05), Phe (P < 0.05), Thr (P < 0.05), Trp (P < 0.05), Glu (P < 0.05), and Ser (P < 0.05) compared to pigs fed the normal (20%, 18%, and 16% CP) diets among the three experiments. Pigs fed the very low (14%, 12%, and 10% CP) diets showed higher mRNA levels for chymotrypsin C (P < 0.01 in Experiment 1 and 2; P < 0.05 in Experiment 3) compared to pigs fed the normal (20%, 18%, and 16% CP) diets among the three experiments. These results indicated that a reduction in dietary CP by 6% limited the growth performance of growing pigs, and a reduction of dietary CP by 3% supplemented with essential amino acids could reduce the excretion of N into the environment without affecting weight gain.

We present the design, fabrication, and response of a polymer-based Laterally Amplified Chemo-Mechanical (LACM) humidity sensor based on mechanical leveraging and parametric amplification. The device consists of a sense cantilever asymmetrically patterned with a polymer and flanked by two stationary electrodes on the sides. When exposed to a humidity change, the polymer swells after absorbing the analyte and causes the central cantilever to bend laterally towards one side, causing a change in the measured capacitance. The device features an intrinsic gain due to parametric amplification resulting in an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). 11-fold magnification in sensor response was observed via voltage biasing of the side electrodes without the use of conventional electronic amplifiers. The sensor showed a repeatable and recoverable capacitance change of 11% when exposed to a change in relative humidity from 25-85%. The dynamic characterization of the device also revealed a response time ~1s and demonstrated a competitive response with respect to a commercially available reference chip.

As an essential synthetic material used in continuous casting of steels, mold fluxes improve the surface quality of steel slabs. In this study, a CaO-SiO₂-Na₂O based low-fluorine mold flux was solidified by an improved water-cooled copper probe with different temperatures of molten flux and different probe immersion times. The heat flux through solid films and the film structures were calculated and inspected, respectively. The results indicate: large internal cracks (formed in the glassy layer of films during solidification) were observed, the formation and evolution of those cracks contributed to the the unstable heat flux density. The roughness of the surface in contacted with the water-cooled copper probe formed as films were still glassy and the roughness have no causal relationship with crystallization or devitrification. Combeite with columnar and faceted dendritic shapes is the main crystal in the film.

Identifying group movement patterns of crowds and understanding group behaviors is valuable for urban planners, especially when the groups are special such as tourist groups. In this paper, we present a framework to discover tourist groups and investigate the tourist behaviors using mobile phone call detail records (CDRs). Unlike GPS data, CDRs are relatively poor in spatial resolution with low sampling rates, which makes it a big challenge to identify group members from thousands of tourists. Moreover, since touristic trips are not on a regular basis, no historical data of the specific group can be used to reduce the uncertainty of trajectories. To address such challenges, we propose a method called group movement pattern mining based on similarity (GMPMS) to discover tourist groups. To avoid large amounts of trajectory similarity measurements, snapshots of the trajectories are firstly generated to extract candidate groups containing co-occurring tourists. Then, considering that different groups may follow the same itineraries, additional traveling behavioral features are defined to identify the group members. Finally, with Hainan province as an example, we provide a number of interesting insights of travel behaviors of group tours as well as individual tours, which will be helpful for tourism planning and management.

Due to an increase in the number of image achieves, Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) has gained attention for research community of computer vision. The image visual contents are represented in a feature space in the form of numerical values that is considered as a feature vector of image. Images belonging to different classes may contain the common visuals and shapes that can result in the closeness of computed feature space of two different images belonging to separate classes. Due to this reason, feature extraction and image representation is selected with appropriate features as it directly affects the performance of image retrieval system. The commonly used visual features are image spatial layout, color, texture and shape. Image feature space is combined to achieve the discriminating ability that is not possible to achieve when the features are used separately. Due to this reason, in this paper, we aim to explore the low-level feature combination that are based on color and shape features. We selected color moments and color histogram to represent color while shape is represented by using invariant moments. We selected this combination, as these features are reported intuitive, compact and robust for image representation. We evaluated the performance of our proposed research by using the Corel, Coil and Ground Truth (GT) image datasets. We evaluated the proposed low-level feature fusion by calculating the precision, recall and time required for feature extraction. The precision, recall and feature extraction values obtained from the proposed low-level feature fusion outperforms the existing research of CBIR.

Low Back Pain (LBP) is one of the most common problems among adults. The usual physiotherapy treatment is to perform physical exercises. However, some LBP patients have false beliefs regarding their pain and they tend to avoid physical movements which might increase their pain and disability. Virtual Reality (VR) has shown to be an effective intervention in improving motor functions and reducing pain perception. Existing VR interventions for LBP rehabilitation were based on a non-immersive VR, whereas to effectively reduce the pain intensity, we need an immersive VR. In this paper, we introduce the development and evaluation of a serious game called RabbitRun with an immersive experience to engage the patients in a virtual environment and distract them from the pain while performing LBP exercises. The initial usability evaluation results suggest that RabbitRun game is enjoyable and acceptable. The game is easy to play and learn and most of the participants are willing to play the game at home. This solution will enhance the rehabilitation outcome since the patients who are suffering from LBP can use the system at their home and train more for long period of time using a smartphone and low-cost virtual reality device such as Google Cardboard.

A study of photovoltaic solar window technologies is reported, focusing on their structural features, functional materials, system development, and suitability for use in practical field applications, e.g. public infrastructures and agricultural installations. Energy generation performance characteristics are summarized and compared to theory-limit predictions. Working examples of pilot-trial solar window-based installations are described. We also report on achieving electric power outputs of about 25 W_p/m² from clear and transparent large-area glass-based solar windows.

Starting from the environmental issues related to global warming, climate change and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, this review paper describes how CO₂ recycling can represent a challenging strategy suitable to explore new concepts and opportunities for catalytic and industrial development. In this view, the production of dimethyl ether (DME) from catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ appears as a viable technology, able to meet also the ever-increasing need for alternative environmentally-friendly fuels and energy carriers. Basic considerations on thermodynamic aspects controlling DME production from CO₂ are presented, then summarizing the main catalytic systems developed in such a field. Special attention is paid on the role assumed during last years by zeolite-based systems, either in the methanol-to-DME dehydration step or in the one-pot CO₂-to-DME hydrogenation. On the whole, the productivity of DME results significantly to be dependent on several catalyst features, linked not only to the metal-oxide phase responsible for CO₂ activation/hydrogenation, but also to specific properties of the zeolites (i.e., topology, porosity, surface area, acidity, interaction with active metals, distributions of metal particles, …) influencing activity and stability of hybridized bifunctional heterogeneous catalysts.

To improve carbon efficiency for urban logistics service system composed of a third-party logistics service provider (3PLs) and an e-business enterprise, low-carbon operation game between them was studied. Considering low carbon technology investment cost and sales expansion effect of low carbon level, profit functions for both players were constituted. Based on their different bargaining capabilities, totally 5 types of game scenarios were designed. Through analytical solution, Nash Equilibria under varied scenarios were obtained. By analyzing these equilibria, 4 major propositions were given, in which, some key variables and system performance index were compared. Results show that the best system yields could only be achieved under the fully cooperative situation; limited cooperation only for carbon emission reduction would not benefit the system performance improvement; E-business enterprise-leading game’s performance overtook 3PLs-leading ones.

Product introductions play a pivotal role in the success and competitiveness of manufacturing, particularly in the context of new product development. Low-volume manufacturing companies exhibit distinct characteristics that significantly influence the product introduction process. Notably, the quality of information exchange between product design and production interfaces becomes paramount in this high-mix and low-volume industry. Consequently, there exists a pressing need to explore various methods for adapting and customizing management mechanisms and strategies to align with the unique requirements and characteristics of low-volume manufacturing and its associated product introduction processes. While the need for this knowledge is critical in the context of low-volume manufacturing, a majority of existing studies predominantly focus on the management aspects within high-volume manufacturing. Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to investigate the customization of product introduction management strategies to enhance the quality of information content within the realm of low-volume manufacturing. Drawing upon a longitudinal analysis of new product introductions within a low-volume manufacturing company, this study narratively elucidates how the examined company implemented product introduction management strategies to facilitate the enhancement of information content quality during the product introduction phase. The study presents its findings on management strategies across three key stages: pre-implementation, post-implementation, and subsequent modification and refinement of strategies following the initial round of implementation. By shedding light on these strategies, this study offers a comprehensive understanding of management approaches in the context of low-volume product introduction. As a result, it makes a valuable contribution to the discourse on information management and interface management in the high-mix, low-volume manufacturing literature.

Growing incidence of myopia worldwide justifies the search for efficient methods of myopia prevention. Numerous pharmacological, optical, and lifestyle measures have already been utilized, but there remains a need to explore more practical and predictable methods for myopia control. This paper presents a review of the latest literature on preventing the progression of myopia using Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments Spectacle Lenses (DIMSsl), Repeated Low-level Red-Light Therapy (RLRL), and the combination of low-dose atropine (0.01%) with orthokeratology lenses.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is an umbrella term for cancerous malignancies affecting the ovaries, yet treatment options for all subtypes are predominantly derived from high-grade serous ovarian cancer, the largest subgroup. The concept of "functional precision medicine" involves gaining personalized insights on therapy choice, based on direct exposure of patient tissues to drugs. This especially holds promise for rare subtypes like low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC). This study aims to establish an in vivo model for LGSOC using zebrafish embryos, comparing treatment responses previously observed in mouse PDX models, cell lines, and 3D tumor models. To address this goal, a well characterized patient-derived LGSOC cell line with the KRAS mutation c.35 G > T (p.(Gly12Val)) was used. Fluorescently labelled tumor cells were injected into the perivitelline space of 2 days post fertilization zebrafish embryos. At 1 day post-injection xenografts were as-sessed for tumor size, followed by random allocation into treatment groups with trametinib, luminespib, and trametinib + luminespib. Subsequently xenografts were euthanized and analysed for apoptosis and proliferation by confocal microscopy. Tumor cells formed compact tumor masses (n=84) in vivo and with clear Ki67 staining, indicating proliferation. Zebrafish xenografts exhibited sensitivity to trametinib and luminespib, individually or combined, within a two-week period, establishing them as a rapid and complementary tool to existing in vitro and in vivo models for evaluating targeted therapies in LGSOC.

To reduce the redundant counting of TDC in high-speed applications and thus reduce power consumption, a TDC architecture is proposed to quantify the difference between two adjacent rows of pixel signals. This structure can remove the identical part between two rows of pixel signals by adjusting the start and stop signal of the TDC, which will reduce the number of flipping of D flip-flops in the TDC. In the 110nm CMOS process, simulation results show that this design achieves an effective number of bits (ENOB) of 4.72 bits and a Figure of Merit (FoM) of 104.7 fJ/step - 162.3 fJ/step with a power consumption ranging from 60 µW to 93 µW. Compared with traditional counting methods, the proposed TDC can reduce counting power consumption by 30%.

This paper provides a comparative analysis of AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and Salsa20 algorithm implementations, focusing on power consumption efficiency in passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags and ultra-low-power devices. The main objective of this work is to determine which of these algorithms is more suitable to operate in these types of devices. For this purpose, ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) implementations of AES and Salsa20 based on low-power approaches were developed and their power consumption was evaluated. Results demonstrate that Salsa20 power consumption is lower than AES (2.82μW and 4.01μW, respectively - both in 0.18μm), indicating that Salsa20 is a better choice than AES for passive RFID tags.

C-peptide is used as a measure of endogenous insulin production. Given that insulin and C-peptide are produced in equal amounts, C-peptide is typically used to differentiate between external and endogenously produced insulin in insulin-treated type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). In a clinical setting, a decline in C-peptide is regarded as a loss of beta cell function. However, physiological conditions may also be associated with low C-peptide levels. The authors of this paper use a low-carbohydrate diet, the so-called paleolithic ketogenic diet (PKD), in the treatment of various conditions and observed that C-peptide is typically low on this diet. In order to characterize C-peptide levels on this diet, we designed a study to retrospectively assess C-peptide levels in 100 non-T1DM subjects. We found that 55% of the subjects had a C-peptide level below the standard reference range. C-peptide levels correlated with glucose levels. A significant correlation was found between C-peptide and age, with younger subjects having lower C-peptide levels. Males also showed lower C-peptide levels than females. Given the increasing number of patients using low-carbohydrate diets worldwide, physicians should be aware of laboratory correlates of low-carbohydrate diets, including low C-peptide levels, most importantly to prevent incorrect T1DM diagnosis.

A millimeter-wave microstrip leaky-wave antenna array based on the substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) and the complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR) is proposed in this paper. The slow wave characteristics of the SIW are enhanced by etching two rows of symmetrical CSRR-type slots on the surface of the SIW layer. The magnetic coupling between the CSRR-SIW layer and equally spaced circular patches array on the upper layer realizes the radiation of electromagnetic energy. In the 23~30 GHz (relative bandwidth 26.4%) operating frequency band, the horizontal polarization radiation beam scanning from -62° to -2° is realized, with a peak gain of 9.6~11.7 dBi, and the cross-polarization ratio is more than 43.8 dB.

Background: Hemangiomas are an aberrant proliferation of blood vessels and are the most frequent benign pediatric soft tissue tumors. Despite their being common, genital localisation is rare. This study aimed to assist doctors in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of paediatric vulvovaginal hemangiomas by conducting a review of the literature and also gathering some cases of patients from our clinic.Methods: We conducted a literature review including papers published between October 2021 and April 2023, and we described the cases of 3 patients who referred to our clinic with vulvovaginal hemangioma.Results: While most of hemangiomas are usually indolent and resolve with time, in some cases, especially vaginal and cervical ones, they might present with severe symptoms like heavy bleeding and need further instrumental investigation for diagnosis, like CT or MRI. As for the treatment many options are available with medical therapy or expectant management being the first choice.Conclusions: Vulvovaginal pediatric hemangiomas are rare and, so, more research should be done to how to detect and manage this lesions, especially the symptomatic and the psychologically impacting ones. For the time being treatment should personalized based also on the patient situation and clinician’s expertise.

Water scarcity challenges have necessitated the adoption of water-saving techniques in protected and nom-protected farming. This study aimed to assess the performance of a water-saving soil-less cultivation technique and to compare it with conventional soil-based cultivation in protected farming. The soilless technique used local gravel and a mixture of peat-moss, humin-substrate, and perlite in ratios of 4:3:1.5. Three irrigation regimes were imposed using emitters 8Lh-1 design discharge (D1) emitters with 6Lh-1 design discharge (D0.75) and 4Lh-1 de-sign discharge (D0.5) for the two cultivation methods during the growth cycle of tomato by drip irrigation. The vegetative growth, fruit yield and water consumption were measured and water productivity was determined. Moreover, an economic assessment was carried out by estimating and comparing economic coefficients for the two cultivation methods. Estimated coefficients include revenues, net profit, benefit-cost ratio, break-even levels of production and prices, revenues over variable cost, and revenues on investment. The tomato fruit yield under soil-based cultivation overtopped the yield under soilless cultivation. The water productivity under the soilless cultivation was almost twice that (24.3 kg m-3) of the soil-based cultivation (15.5 kg m-3). The soilless cultivation saved 50% of irrigation water applied by the conventional soil-based method, saving energy and soil from deterioration. Revenues and net profits stimulated by higher yield coupled with lower variable cos supported the soil-based cultivation. The economic assessment showed that both cultivation methods were economically viable. However, the soil-based cultivation method was more profitable due to its higher fruit yield. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the soilless cultivation technique is a viable option for wa-ter-saving cultivation. However, the soil-based cultivation method is still more profitable due to its higher fruit yield

Objective: To observe the effect of the combination of fluid-increasing decoction, low molecular heparin sodium and aspirin in the treatment of oligohydramnios in pregnancy. Methods: In this study, 114 pregnant women with oligohydramnios during pregnancy admitted to our hospital between May 2019 and March 2022 were selected as objects, and the pregnant women were equally divided into the observation group and the experimental group by random number table method, with 57 cases in each group. The observation group received conventional fluid infusion, low molecular heparin sodium and aspirin, while the experimental group was treated with fluid-increasing decoction on the basis of the observation group. The treatment effect, S/D level, amniotic fluid index, maximum vertical pocket (MVP), coagulation indexes (plasma prothrombin time (PT), plasma activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB)), pregnancy outcome and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results: The total effective rate of treatment was obviously better in the experimental group than that in the observation group (P＜0.05); the S/D level after treatment in the experimental group was remarkably lower than that in the observation group (P＜0.05). The amniotic fluid index and MVP were remarkably higher in the experimental group than in the observation group after treatment (P < 0.05). No significant differences in PT, APTT and FIB were found between the two groups before and after treatment (P > 0.05). The rate of oligohydramnios at delivery, cesarean section rate, neonatal weight status and preterm delivery rate were dramatically better in the experimental group than in the observation group (P < 0.05). Post-partum haemorrhage rate, neonatal asphyxia rate, amniotic fluid contamination rate and incidence of adverse events were not significantly different between the two groups of pregnant women (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The combination of fluid-increasing decoction, low molecular heparin sodium and aspirin is clinically effective and safe in the treatment of pregnant women with oligohydramnios during pregnancy. The combination is effective in reducing the S/D ratio of fetal umbilical blood flow, enhancing the amniotic fluid index and MVP in pregnant women with oligohydramnios during pregnancy, whilst not adversely influencing the coagulation function of the mother, thus contributing to a reduction in the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Controlling injection parameters is paramount when it comes to producing high-quality green parts using powder injection molding. This work combines experimental and numerical approaches to study the impact of injection parameters on mold in-cavity pressure and on the overall quality of green parts produced by low-pressure powder injection molding. The properties of two low-viscosity feedstocks (formulated from a water-atomized stainless-steel powder and wax-based binder system) were measured and implemented in an Autodesk Moldflow numerical model to quantify the molding pressures, which were finally validated using experimental real-scale injections. The results confirmed that an increase in mold temperature, an increase in feedstock temperature, and a decrease in solid loading decrease the mold in-cavity pressure, which was correlated with the feedstock viscosity. As a key result, real-scale injections confirmed that a minimum flow rate was required to avoid atypical high in-cavity pressure leading in several visual defects such as weld lines, flow marks, cracks, sinks, and incomplete filling. Due to differences in its thermal transfer properties, this flow rate threshold value decreases as the feedstock solid loading increases. For injection speeds higher than this value, the injection pressure measured experimentally was linearly correlated with the injection flow rate.

Pharmaceutical poisoning is a significant global public health concern, causing approximately 190,000 deaths yearly. This scoping review aims to comprehensively map the available literature on pharmaceutical poisoning and compare patterns between high-income countries (HICs) and low-middle-income countries (LMICs). A systematic search was performed across the following databases: Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and CINAHL. Studies included were from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2020, in English, with full text available. Seventy-nine articles were included in the study; 21 were from LMICs and 58 were from HICs. The toxic exposure was largely intentional (77%) in LMICs and accidental (68%) in HICs. Drugs acting on the nervous system were responsible for 95% of toxicities worldwide with analgesics accounting for the largest subtherapeutic group in both LMICs (40%) and HICs (58%). Notable statistics were that HICs accounted for 99% of opioid overdoses, and LMICs accounted for 19% of anti-epileptic-induced toxicities. Overall, the medical outcomes of poisonings were generally worse in LMICs. The review provides possible interventions to target specific geographic locations, based on the trends identified, to reduce the burden worldwide. Many gaps within the literature were recognised, calling for more robust analytical research.

The unreliable prediction of the low frequency components from inverted acoustic impedance causes uncertainty in quantitative seismic interpretation. To address this issue, we first calculate various seismic and geological attributes that contain low frequency information, such as relative geological age, interval velocity, and integrated instantaneous amplitude. Then, we develop a method to predict the low frequency content of seismic data using these attributes, their high frequency components, and recurrent neural networks. Next, we test how to predict the low frequency components using stacking velocity obtained from velocity analysis. Using all the attributes and seismic data, we propose a supervised deep learning method to predict the low frequency components of the inverted acoustic impedance. The results obtained in both synthetic and real data cases show that the proposed method can improve the prediction accuracy of the low frequency components of the inverted acoustic impedance, with the best improvement in a real data example of 57.7% compared with the impedance predicted using well log interpolation.

This paper introduces an advanced method that integrates contingent valuation and machine learning (CVML) to estimate residents’ demand for reducing or mitigating environmental pollutions and climate change. To be precise, CVML is an innovative hybrid machine-learning model, and it can leverage a limited amount of survey data for prediction and data enrichment purposes. The model comprises of two interconnected modules: Module I, an unsupervised learning algorithm, and Module II, a supervised learning algorithm. Module I is responsible for grouping the data into groups based on common characteristics, thereby grouping the corresponding dependent variable, whereas Module II is in charge of demonstrating the ability to predict and the capacity to appropriately assign new samples to their respective category based on input attributes. Take a survey on the topic of air pollution in Hanoi in 2019 as an example, we found that CVML can predict households’ willingness– to– pay for polluted air mitigation at a high degree of accuracy (i.e., 98%). We found that CVML can help users reduce costs or save resources because it makes use of secondary data that is available on many open data sources. These findings suggest that CVML is a sound and practical method that could be widely applied in a wide range of fields, particularly environmental economics and sustainability science. In practice, CVML could be used to support decision-makers in improving the financial resources to maintain and/or further support many environmental programs in years to come.

Mercury emissions from small-scale coal-fired boilers are still a serious environmental problem in Poland and the Czech Republic. The publication presents the results of mercury emission tests conducted using five different small-scale coal-fired boilers and five different coal fuels. The research was carried out under laboratory conditions, but also using residential users' heating devices. They covered a wide range of operational parameters, both energy and emission. It was shown that more than 94% of the mercury contained in coal fuel undergoing combustion is emitted into the atmosphere with the volatile products of combustion (including dust), and the amount of emissions is strongly dependent on the original mercury content of the fuel. One solution to the problem of mercury emissions from small-scale coal-fired boilers may be to replace traditional coal with low-emission carbon fuels. The paper shows that mercury emissions from burning such fuels are many times lower than from burning coal. The widespread use of low-emission carbon fuels in individual heating systems in Poland and the Czech Republic would reduce mercury emissions to the atmosphere by up to 90% compared to the current level of emissions generated by individual heating systems in these countries.

A high perovskite activity is sought for use in magnetic applications. In this paper, we present the simple synthesis of (2.5 and 5%) Tellurium-impregnated-LaCoO3 (Te-LCO), Te and LaCoO3 (LCO) by using a ball mill, chemical reduction, and hydrothermal synthesis, respectively. We also explored the structure stability along with the magnetic properties of Te-LCO. Te has a rhombohedral crystal structure, whereas Te-LCO has a hexagonal crystal system. The reconstructed Te was imbued with LCO that was produced by hydrothermal synthesis; as the concentration of the imbuing agent grew, the material became magnetically preferred. According to the X-ray photoelectron spectra, the oxidation state of the cobaltite is one that is magnetically advantageous. As a result of the fact that the creation of oxygen-deficient perovskites has been shown to influence the mixed (Te4+/2-) valence state of the incorporated samples, it is abundantly obvious that this process is of utmost significance. The TEM image confirms the inclusion of Te in LCO. The samples start out in a paramagnetic state (LCO), but when Te is added to the mixture, the magnetic state shifts to a weak ferromagnetic one. It is at this point that hysteresis occurs due to the presence of Te. Despite being doped with Mn in our prior study, rhombohedral LCO retains its paramagnetic characteristic at room temperature (RT). As a result, the purpose of this study was to determine the impacts of RT field dependency of magnetization (M-H) for Te-impregnated LCO in order to improve the magnetic properties of RT because it is a low-cost material for advanced multi-functional and energy applications.

Low-temperature accumulation is one of the essential stages in the growth process of woody ornamental plants. In this study, two different low-temperature treatments, 6℃ and 10℃, were used to analyze the effects of different low-temperature treatments on dormancy release and flowering of the 'Gulihong' plant using artificial low temperatures. Based on the experimental results, four typical early-blooming Prunus mume cultivars widely planted in Yangling area of Henan Province, China, including 'Zaoyudie', 'Zaohualve', 'Nanjing gongfen', and 'Gulihong', were selected as the experimental materials. The effects of low-temperature accumulation on the flowering characteristics of different cultivars were analyzed using a 6℃ artificial low-temperature treatment. The suitable cultivation temperature for early-blooming P. mume cultivars was screened to provide a theoretical basis for further exploration of P. mume bonsai cultivation techniques. The results showed that the flowering rate, flower diameter, flowering quantity, flowering uniformity, and bud development in the 6℃ treatment were significantly better than those in the 10℃ treatment. The flowering rate and quality of different cultivars gradually increased with the accumulation of low-temperature. Therefore, chill accumulation plays a significant role in promoting flowering quality.

Background: Low-level (LLLT) and high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) can be beneficial additions to knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rehabilitation exercises; however, it is still being determined which modality is more effective. Aim: To compare the effects of LLLT and HILT as adjuncts to rehabilitation exercise (LL+EX and HL+EX) on clinical outcomes in KOA. Methods: Thirty-four adults with mild to moderate KOA were randomly allocated to either LL+EX (n = 17) or HL+EX (n = 17) groups. All participants underwent their designated laser treatment combined with rehabilitation exercises weekly for twelve consecutive weeks. The Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), active knee flexion, and Timed Up-and-Go test (TUG) were assessed at baseline and immediately post-intervention. Results: Post-intervention, both groups significantly improved their KOOS, NPRS, active knee flexion, and TUG scores compared to baseline (p &lt; 0.01). The mean difference of change in KOOS, NPRS, and active knee flexion scores for the HL+EX group surpassed the minimal clinically important difference threshold. In contrast, the LL+EX group only demonstrated clinical significance in NPRS scores. Conclusions: Incorporating HILT as an adjunct to usual KOA rehabilitation led to significantly higher improvements in pain, physical function, and knee-related disability compared to LLLT.

Hillslope and mountain roads are often the source of erosion, which in turn can lead to larger landslides and other types of mass-movements. For this reason, low-cost repeat surveys that can be done by practitioners and not solely scientists and engineers is essential. To solve this issue the present contribution shows the testing and applicability of a mix of SfM-MVS and low-cost SLAM technology to provide erosion information. The low-cost SLAM generated between 300 ~ 900 points per square meter, while SfM-MVS created between ~11,000 to 900,000 points. The density is however a trade-off against a spatially varying error, although the variability at the road-cut scale only ranges from 2 cm vertically to 2.5 cm in x,y,z based on the C2C algorithm. Furthermore, this error tends to be more important in the higher section of the cutout (further away from the sensor and at a flatter angle). It is thus possible to measure small-scale roadside change, providing that the change is in the range of >5 cm (adding the maximum potential error twice) and providing that the road-cut is such that the sensors can be brought close to the surface (camera or sensor on a pole). The authors suggest that it can be a solution for state and agencies with limited funding and that cannot afford regular laser or for roadside that are difficult to access.

Small rodents and insectivores are potential reservoirs of many pathogens transmissible to humans such as bacteria, parasites and viruses responsible for epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in West Africa. Few studies on small mammal species in the Kolikoro and Sikasso regions are available, hence the interest in investigating the different species of small rodents and insectivores, and their role in the transmission of pathogens to humans. The study aims to identify commensal small mammal species circulating in Faladjè and Bougouni areas, and likely to represent major risks of epidemic disease emergence. Sessions of trapping were carried out in December 2016 in Faladjè and Bougouni with wire mesh traps type “Besançon tous services” (BTS) baited with peanut butter and/or onion. All animals captured were identified morphologically. Out of 123 small rodents and insectivores captured in 674 trap nights, 75 (60.97%) were from Faladjè and 48 (39.02%) from Bougouni, Of these, six species of small rodents belong to the family Muridae (Mastomys erythroleucus, Mastomys natalensis, Rattus rattus, Praomys daltoni, Gerbilliscus gambianus, Taterillus gracilis) and two species of insectivores associated with the genus Crocidura spp. belong to the family Soricidae and Erinaceidae (Crocidura cf olivieri and Atelerix cf albiventris) respectively. There is low specific diversity within these two stands, but the variation in relative abundance is significant (binomial test, p = 0.018 ˂ 0.05) between the Faladjè and Bougouni stands of small mammals. Mastomys erythroleucus was the most dominant species (57.33%, 43/75) in the Faladjè settlement and R. rattus dominated (37.5%,18/48) that of Bougouni. These two species of small mammals are potentially involved in the transmission of bacteria, parasites and pathogenic viruses to humans.

This paper addresses the difficulty of balancing real-time response and low power consumption in intelligent manhole cover application scenarios. It proposes a method to distinguish normal and abnormal events by segmenting the boundary where the acceleration of the intelligent manhole cover deviates from a set threshold and lasts for a certain period, based on the difference in vibration patterns of the intelligent manhole cover when a normal event and an abnormal event occur. This paper uses digital output motion sensor data autonomous data fusion to implement the pattern mentioned above recognition algorithm, which reduces the MCU computing and working time and the overall power consumption of the system while meeting the real-time response requirements. The test results demonstrate that the method has a high rate of anomaly recognition accuracy. The method ensures the system's real-time response capability, and the actual low power consumption test demonstrates that the device can operate continuously for 9.5 years. The low power consumption index exceeds the requirements of the existing national standard, thereby resolving the issue that it is challenging to balance intelligent manhole cover abnormality recognition and low power consumption.

Chronic pain is a source of major alterations in quality of life. It represents significant costs for health systems, and reduces the competitiveness of the working population. Vulnerability can drive the incidence of chronic pain, through its influence on modifiable risk factors, and reduced utilization of health care systems. But vulnerability can also be the consequence of a chronic pain: illness can push people into precariousness. We analysed the factors associated with pain intensity among vulnerable persons with a chronic condition, in five European countries (N=1,364). Pain was, among the whole set of variables, the main predictor of sleep problems, fatigue, depression, self-perceived health, physical and mental quality of life. This is in line with other studies showing the major impact of pain on an individual’s health and life. Multivariable analyses, adjusting for the whole set of variables, showed that women had more intense pain, as well as participants with a lower education level. These results confirm the social component in the complex etiology of pain and clearly plaid in favor of integrated care, taking into account individual characteristics and environment.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have become the preferred battery system for portable electronic devices and transportation equipment because of their high specific energy, good cycling performance, low self-discharge and no memory effect. However, too low ambient temperature will seriously affect the performance of LIBs, almost cannot discharge at -40~-60 ℃. There are many factors affecting the low temperature performance of LIBs, among which the electrode material is an important factor. Thus it is urgent to develop electrode materials or modify existing materials with excellent low temperature LIBs performance. Carbon-based anode is a kind of LIBs candidate. In recent years, it has been found that the diffusion coefficient of lithium ion in graphite anode decreases more obviously at low temperature, which is one of the important bottlenecks limiting its low temperature performance. However, the structure of amorphous carbon materials is complex, amorphous carbon materials have good ionic diffusion properties, and its grain size, specific surface area, layer spacing, structural defects, surface functional groups and doping elements may have a greater impact on the low temperature performance of the material. In this work, the low temperature performance of LIBs is obtained by modifying the carbon-based material from the perspective of electronic modulation and structural engineering.

When bone substitutes materials are used, the increased risk of infection due to the none-autogenic graft is often discussed. The treatment of large bone defects in geriatric patients, often with osteoporotic bone, often presents major challenges to surgery. Bone substitutes materials are available indefinitely without the risk of additional surgery in each patient. Can bone substitutes materials be used without hesitation in the geriatric patient?Eighty-three patients suffered traumatic fractures of the distal radius, proximal humerus, and proximal tibia. The defect zones were filled with bone substitute material based on nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (NHA) or calcium phosphate (CP). For comparison, a reference group without the void filling with a bone graft substitute (void defects, ED) was studied. All patients over the age of 64 years were retrospectively evaluated for complications and radiological outcomes. Results: 106 patients sustained traumatic fractures of the distal radius (68.9%), proximal humerus (5.7%), and proximal tibia (22.6%). No differences in infections were found when comparing the groups (p=1.0). retrospectively evaluated. The KEM group had a nonsignificantly lower rate of pseudarthrosis (p=0.09). A relative risk (RR) reduction of complications of 32.64% was observed when bone grafting material was used. The NNT for the prevention of complications was 5.99. When bone healing was assessed by radiological images, some follow-up studies showed significant differences in fracture bridging (p<0.001).Conclusions: In contrast to previous studies, bone substitutes materials can support the healing process in geriatric patients without relevant disadvantages. With an NNT of 6 regarding complications, many patients could benefit from bone graft augmentation. No increased infection rate was observed.

When bone substitutes materials are used, the increased risk of infection due to the none-autogenic graft is often discussed. The treatment of large bone defects in geriatric patients, often with osteoporotic bone, often presents major challenges to surgery. Bone substitutes materials are available indefinitely without the risk of additional surgery in each patient. Can bone substitutes materials be used without hesitation in the geriatric patient? Eighty-three patients suffered traumatic fractures of the distal radius, proximal humerus, and proximal tibia. The defect zones were filled with bone substitute material based on nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (NHA) or calcium phosphate (CP). For comparison, a reference group without the void filling with a bone graft substitute (void defects, ED) was studied. All patients over the age of 64 years were retrospectively evaluated for complications and radiological outcomes. Results: 106 patients sustained traumatic fractures of the distal radius (68.9%), proximal humerus (5.7%), and proximal tibia (22.6%). No differences in infections were found when comparing the groups (p=1.0). retrospectively evaluated. The KEM group had a nonsignificantly lower rate of pseudarthrosis (p=0.09). A relative risk (RR) reduction of complications of 32.64% was observed when bone grafting material was used. The NNT for the prevention of complications was 5.99. When bone healing was assessed by radiological images, some follow-up studies showed significant differences in fracture bridging (p<0.001). Conclusions: In contrast to previous studies, bone substitutes materials can support the healing process in geriatric patients without relevant disadvantages. With an NNT of 6 regarding complications, many patients could benefit from bone graft augmentation. No increased infection rate was observed.

The electronic structural evolution of LLM-105 crystal and the (101) plane of LLM-105 crystal under different pressures is investigated by the density functional theory (DFT) calculations and the surface properties of seven low-Miller-index planes of LLM-105 crystal were investigated in this study. The result demonstrates that the surface energy of (101) plane of LLM-105 is much smaller when compared with other low-Miller-index planes of LLM-105.In order to further investigate the stability of crystal structure and (101) plane of LLM-105 under different pressures, a series of pressures ranged from 0 GPa to 55 GPa were applied during the DFT calculation, and the result shows that the electronic structures of LLM-105 crystal and the (101) plane changed with the increase of external pressure and the evolution process of (101) plane is different from that of LLM-105 crystal structure.

The copper end paste used in multilayer ceramic capacitors sintered in nitrogen atmosphere will lead to carbon residue of organic vehicle, which will lead to the reduction of electrode conduc-tivity and high scrap rate. With an attempt to leave no residue in the sintering, the compatibility of solvents and thickeners should be improved because it has an important influence on the hi-erarchical volatilization and carbon residue of organic vehicles. In this work, the volatility of different solvents was compared and several solvents were mixed in a definite proportion to prepare an organic vehicle with polyacrylate resins. The hierarchical volatility and solubility parameters of mixed solvents were adjusted effectively by changing proportions of different components, the thermogravimetric curves of resins and organic vehicles were measured by thermogravimetric analyzer, the effect of solubility parameter on the dissolvability of resins in the solvent and the residual of organic vehicles were studied. Results showed that the hierar-chical volatilization of solvents can be obtained by mixing different solvents; the intrinsic vis-cosity of the organic vehicle is higher and the thermal decomposition residue of polyacrylate resins is lower when the solubility parameters of mixed solvents and polyacrylate resins are closer. The low residual sintering of organic vehicles can be achieved by using the mixed solvent with hierarchical volatility and approximate solubility parameters as resins.

Existing methods enhance mid-low resolution remote sensing ship detection by feeding super-resolved images to the detectors. Although these methods marginally improve the detection accuracy, the correlation between image super-resolution (SR) and ship detection is under-exploited. In this paper, we propose a simple but effective ship detection method called ShipSR-Det, in which both the output image and the intermediate features of the SR module are fed to the detection module. Using the super-resolved feature representation, the potential benefit introduced by image SR can be fully used for ship detection. We apply our method to the SSD and Faster-RCNN detectors and develop ShipSR-SSD and ShipSR-Faster-RCNN, respectively. Extensive ablation studies validate the effectiveness and generality of our method. Moreover, we compare ShipSR-Faster-RCNN with several state-of-the-art ship detection methods. Comparative results on the HRSC2016, DOTA and NWPU VHR-10 datasets demonstrate the superior performance of our proposed method.

Existing Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes based transition models do not accurately predict separation induced transition for low pressure turbines. Therefore, in this study, a novel framework based on computational fluids dynamics driven machine learning coupled with multi-expression and multi-objective optimization is explored to develop models which can improve the transition prediction for the T106A low pressure turbine at an isentropic exit Reynolds number of Re2is=100,000. Model formulations are proposed for the transfer and laminar eddy viscosity terms of the laminar kinetic energy transition model using seven non-dimensional pi groups. The multi-objective optimization approach makes use of cost functions based on the suction-side wall-shear stress and the pressure coefficient. A family of solutions is thus developed, whose performance is assessed using Pareto analysis and in terms of physical characteristics of separated-flow transition. Two models are found which bring the wall-shear stress profile in the separated region at least two times closer to the reference high-fidelity data than the baseline transition model. As these models are able to accurately predict the flow coming off the blade trailing edge, they are also able to significantly enhance the wake-mixing prediction over the baseline model.

In this letter, we show an alternative low-cost fabrication method to obtain poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic devices. The proposed method allows the inscription of micron resolution channels on polystyrene (PS) surfaces, used as a mold for the wanted microchip’s production, by applying a high absorption coating film on the PS surface to ablate it with a focused low-power visible laser. The method allows obtaining micro resolution channels at powers between 2 and 10mW and can realize any two-dimensional polymeric devices. The effect of the main processing parameters on the channel’s geometry is presented.

There is accumulating evidence that prenatal exposure to air pollution disturbs fetal growth and development, but little is known about these effects in cold climates or their season-specific or joint effects. Our objective was to assess independent and joint effects of prenatal exposure to specific air pollutants on the risk of low birth weight (LBW). We utilized the 2568 children of the Espoo Cohort Study, born between 1984 and 1990, and living in the City of Espoo. We conducted stratified analyses for births during warm and cold seasons separately. We analyzed the effect estimates using multi-pollutant Poisson regression models with risk ratio (RR) as the measure of effect. The risk of LBW was related to exposure to CO and (adjusted RR 1.44, 95% CI: 1.04-2.00) and exposure to O3 in the spring-summer season (1.82, 1.11-2.96). There was also evidence of synergistic effects between CO and O3 (relative risk due to interaction, RERI, all year 1.08, 95% CI: 0.27-4.94, spring-summer 3.97, 2.17-25.85) and PM2.5 and O3 (all year 0.72, -0.07-3.60, spring-summer 2.80, 1.36-19.88). We present new evidence of both independent and joint effects of prenatal exposure in a cold climate on the risk of LBW at low levels of air pollution.

Central nervous system (CNS) uses vision, vestibular, and somatosensory information to maintain body stability. Research has shown that there is more lumbar proprioception error among low back pain (LBP) individuals as compared to healthy people. In this study, two groups of 20 healthy people and 20 non-specific low back pain participants (LBP) took part in this investigation. This investigation focused on somatosensory sensors and in order to alter proprioception, a vibrator (frequency of 70Hz, amplitude of 0.5 mm) was placed on the soleus muscle area of each leg and two vibrators were placed bilaterally across the lower back muscles. Individuals, whose vision was occluded, were placed on two surfaces (foam and rigid) on force plate, and trunk angles were recorded simultaneously. Tests were performed in 8 separate trials; the independent variables were vibration (4 levels) and surface (2 levels) for within subjects and 2 groups (healthy and LBP) for between subjects (4×2×2). MANOVA and multi-factor ANOVA tests were done. Linear parameters for center of pressure (COP) (deviation of amplitude, deviation of velocity, phase plane portrait (PPP), and overall mean velocity) and nonlinear parameters for COP and trunk angle ((recurrence quantification analysis) RQA and Lyapunov exponents) were chosen as dependent variables. Results indicated that NSLBP individuals relied more on ankle proprioception for postural stability. Similarly, RQA parameters for the COP on both sides and for the trunk sagittal angle indicated more repeated patterns of movement among the LBP cohort. Analysis of short and long Lyapunov exponents showed that people with LBP caused no use of all joints in their bodies (non-flexible), are less stable than healthy subjects.

Background: There are major air pollution monitoring gaps in sub-Saharan Africa. Developing capacity in the region to conduct air monitoring in the region can help estimate exposure to air pollution for epidemiology research. The purpose of our study is to develop a land use regression (LUR) model using low-cost air quality sensors developed by a research group in Uganda (AirQo). Methods: Using these low-cost sensors, we collected continuous measurements of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) between May 1, 2019 and February 29, 2020 at 22 monitoring sites across urban municipalities of Uganda. We compared average monthly PM2.5 concentrations from the AirQo sensors with measurements from a BAM-1020 reference monitor operated at the US Embassy in Kampala. Monthly PM2.5 concentrations were used for LUR modeling. We used eight Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and ensemble modeling; using 10-fold cross validation and root mean squared error (RMSE) to evaluate model performance. Results: Monthly PM2.5 concentration was 60.2 µg/m³ (IQR: 45.4-73.0 µg/m³; median= 57.5 µg/m³). For the ML LUR models, RMSE values ranged between 5.43 µg/m³ - 15.43 µg/m³ and explained between 28% and 92% of monthly PM2.5 variability. Generalized additive models explained the largest amount of PM2.5 variability (R²=0.92) and produced the lowest RMSE (5.43 µg/m³) in the held-out test set. The most important predictors of monthly PM2.5 concentrations included monthly precipitation, major roadway density, population density, latitude, greenness, and percentage of households using solid fuels. Conclusion: To our knowledge, ours is the first study to model the spatial distribution of urban air pollution in sub-Saharan Africa using air monitors developed from the region itself. Non-parametric ML for LUR modeling performed with high accuracy for prediction of monthly PM2.5 levels. Our analysis suggests that locally produced low-cost air quality sensors can help build capacity to conduct air pollution epidemiology research in the region.

The study of turbulent heat transfer in liquid metal flows has gained interest because of applications in several industrial fields. The common assumption of similarity between the dynamical and thermal turbulence, namely the Reynolds analogy, has been proven to be not valid for these fluids. Many methods have been proposed in order to overcome the difficulties encountered in a proper definition of the turbulent heat flux, such as global or local correlations for the turbulent Prandtl number or four parameter turbulence models. In this work we assess a four parameter logarithmic turbulence model for liquid metals based on RANS approach. Several simulation results considering fluids with Pr = 0.01 and Pr = 0.025 are reported in order to show the validity of this approach. The Kays turbulence model is also assessed and compared with integral heat transfer correlations for a wide range of Peclet numbers.

It has been regarded that Vibrio cholerae O1 inhabit in environmental water. As many cholera patients emerge in Kolkata, it has been thought that V. cholerae O1 is easily detected in environmental water in Kolkata. However, the detection of V. cholerae O1 is rare, though other V. cholerae (NAG Vibrio) is constantly detected. To clear the reason for the difference of the detection rate of two Vibrios, we examined the viability of V. cholera O1 and NAG Vibrios in low ionic strength aquatic medium. We observed greater declining viability of V. cholerae O1 possessing cholera toxin gene (ctx) in low ionic strength solution, but the decline of NAG Vibrios non-possessing ctx is small. To evaluate the concerning of ctx in the viability, we examined the viabilities of V. cholerae O1which do not possess ctx and NAG Vibrios possessing ctx under the same condition. The result indicated that the existence of the ctx induces the decrease the viability of the host in low ionic strength solution. The decrease observed in this experiment might relate with the low detection of V. cholerae O1 possessing ctx in environmental water, though NAG Vibrio is constantly detected.

Contemporary architects and the construction industry are trying to cope with increasing requirements concerning energy efficiency and environmental impact. One of the available options is the active utilization of energy gains from the environment, specifically solar energy gains. These gains can be utilized by, for example, solar walls and facades. The solar façade concept has been under development for more than a century. However, it hasn’t achieved widespread use for various reasons. Rather recently the concept was enhanced by the application of transparent insulation materials that have the potential to increase the efficiency of such façades. The presented study evaluates the environmental efficiency of 10 solar façade assemblies in the mild climate of the Czech Republic, Central Europe. The evaluated façade assemblies combine the principles of a solar wall with transparent insulation based on honeycomb and polycarbonate panels. The study applies Life-Cycle Assessment methodology to the calculation of environmental impacts related to the life cycle of the evaluated assemblies. The results indicate that even though there are several limiting factors, façade assemblies with transparent insulation have lower environmental impacts compared to a reference assembly with standard thermal insulation. The highest achieved difference is approx. 84% (in favour of the assembly with transparent insulation) during a modelled 50-year façade assembly service life.

Iron Doped TiO₂ nanoparticles (Fe-TiO₂) were synthesized and photocatalitically investigated under high and low fluence values of UV-radiation. The Fe-TiO₂ physical characterization was performed using X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) technique. The XPS evidenced that ferric ion (Fe³⁺) was in the lattice of TiO₂ and co-dopants no intentionally added were also present due to the precursors of the synthetic method. The Fe³⁺ concentration played a key role in the photocatalytic generation of hydroxyl radical (•OH) and estriol (E3) degradation. Fe-TiO₂ materials accomplished E3 degradation, and it was found that the catalyst with 0.3 at. % content of Fe (0.3 Fe-TiO₂) enhanced the photocatalytic activity under low UV-irradiation compared with no intentionally Fe-added TiO₂ (zero-iron TiO₂) and Aeroxide^® TiO₂ P25. Furthermore, the enhanced photocatalytic activity of 0.3 Fe-TiO₂ under low UV-irradiation may have applications when radiation intensity must be controlled, as in medical applications, or when strong UV absorbing species are present in water.

Global warming and climate change have led to extreme changes in climatic conditions in recent years. The Taiwan government designates the construction of the Kinmen County as low carbon islands, to promote the operation of 100 electric motorcycles and battery demonstration. This study combined with island tourism, after boarding the island, visitors can rent electric motorcycles from the passenger service center and coordinate with the island tour map to show the location of the battery exchange points, so as to facilitate the search. During the operation, the amount of electric motorcycle lease is 15,551 times, the total mileage of motor vehicle is 284,404 km, the number of battery exchange is 622 times, the lease income is about NT$900,000. To reduce carbon and economic benefits of the assessment, compared to the motorcycles (50 c.c), electric motorcycles (EM 100) can reduce the carbon emissions by 8,726 kg, reducing energy costs of NT$422,594.

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are a subclass of porous materials that have unique properties such as varieties of structures from different metals and organic linkers, tunable porosity from a structure or framework design, etc. Moreover, modification/functionalization of the material structure could optimize the material properties and demonstrate high potential for a selected application. MOF materials exhibit exceptional properties and make these materials widely applicable including in energy storage and heat transformation applications. This review aims to give a broad overview of MOFs and their development as adsorbent materials having the potential for heat transformation applications. We summarize current investigations, developments, and possibilities of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) especially the tuning of the porosity and hydrophobic/hydrophilic design required for this specific application. These materials applied as adsorbent are promising in the thermal driven adsorption for heat transformation using water as working fluid and related application.

The present study examined and compared the effects of high- and low-molecular weight (MW) chitosan, a nutraceutical, on intestinal and liver lipid metabolism in rats fed with high-fat diet. Both high- and low-MW chitosan decreased liver weight, elongated small intestine, improved the dysregulation of blood lipids and liver fat accumulation, and increased fecal lipid excretion in high-fat diet-fed rats. Supplementation of both high- and low-MW chitosan significantly inhibited the decreased phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)α protein expressions and the increased lipogenesis/cholesterogenesis-associated protein expressions (sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)1c, SREBP2, and PPARγ) and the decreased apolipoprotein (Apo)E and microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTTP) protein expressions in the livers of high-fat diet-fed rats. Both high and low-MW chitosan supplementation could also suppress the increased MTTP protein expression and the decreased angiopoietin-like protein (Angptl)4 protein expression in the intestines of high-fat diet-fed rats. Comparison between high and low-MW chitosan, high-MW chitosan has a higher efficiency than low-MW chitosan on the inhibition of intestinal lipid absorption and the increase of hepatic fatty acid oxidation, which can improve liver lipid biosynthesis and accumulation.

In this paper, the Fourier-based synchrosqueezing transform (FSST) method is introduced into the power system to realize low frequency oscillation identification. Firstly, the modal components of low frequency oscillation signal are separated by FSST, and calculating the instantaneous parameters including magnitude, frequency and phase of every mode component with Hilbert transform. Then , calculating the damping ration of every modal component based on above parameters and derived the formulas. Thus, it realized effective identification of of modal parameters of low frequency oscillation signal. The experimental results of simulated data and 16-generator system demonstrate the validity and correctness of the FSST method. Comparing with the classical Prony method shows that the FSST method is better in the identification accuracy when the low frequency oscillation signal is polluted by noise. Finally, the effectiveness of the FSST in Actual power grid is verified based on the real data from Sichuan power grid.

The effect of the acetylene and hydrogen gases mixture ratios in direct low-temperature vacuum carburization was investigated. The gas ratio is an important parameter for producing the free radicals in the carburization. The free radicals can remove the natural oxide film by the strong reaction of the hydrocarbons, and then thermodynamically activity can be increased. When the gas ratio was below 1, the supersaturation expanded austenite layers were formed on the surface of the AISI 316L stainless steel, which had the maximum carbon solubility up to 11.5 at.% at 743 K, were formed. On the other hand, when the gas ratio was above 1, the carbon concentration of them remained low even if the process time was enough increased to reach the maximum carbon solubility. As a result, the carbon concentration underneath the surface was determined to be highly dependent on the gas mixture ratio of acetylene and hydrogen. In conclusion, it is necessary to restrict the ratio of acetylene and hydrogen gases to total mixture gases to form the expanded austenite layer with the high carbon concentration in the direct low-temperature vacuum carburization.

Clinical rehabilitation and sports performance analysis both require the objectification of movement. Kinovea^© is a free 2D motion analysis software that enables the establishment of kinematics parameters. This low-cost technology has been used in sports sciences, as well as clinical field and research work. Although it has been validated as a tool with which to assess time-related variables, this is not yet the case regarding angular and distance variables. The main objective of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Kinovea software in obtaining angular and distance data at different perspectives of 90°, 75°, 60° and 45°. For this purpose, a figure with 29 points was designed (in AutoCAD) and 24 frames analysed. Each frame was examined by three observers who each made two attempts. For each export data item, 20 angles and 20 distance variables were calculated, with intra- and inter-observer reliability also analysed. To evaluate Kinovea reliability and validity a multiple approach was applied involving the following analysis: -systematic error with a two-way ANOVA 2x4; -relative reliability with ICC and CV (95% confidence interval); -absolute reliability with Standard Error. The results thus obtained indicate that the Kinovea software is a valid and reliable tool that is able to measure accurately at distances up to 5 m from the object and at an angle range of 90°–45°. Nevertheless, for optimum results an angle of 90° is suggested.

Continued high rates of both under- and over-nutrition in low- and low-middle-income countries highlight the importance of understanding dietary practices such as early and exclusive breastfeeding, and dietary patterns such as timely, appropriate complementary feeding—these behaviors that are rooted in complex cultural ecologies. A systematic review and synthesis of available qualitative research related to infant and young child dietary patterns and practices from the perspective of parents and families in low income settings is presented, with a focus on barriers and facilitators to achieving international recommendations. Data from both published and grey literature from 2006-2016 was included in the review. Quality assessment consisted of two phases (CASP guidelines and assessment using GRADE-CERQual), followed by synthesis of the studies identified, and subsequent thematic analysis and interpretation. The findings indicated several categories of both barriers and facilitators, spanning individual and system level factors. The review informs efforts aimed at improving child health and nutrition, and represents the first such comprehensive review of the qualitative literature, uniquely suited to understanding complex behaviors leading to infant and young child dietary patterns.

The creep behaviors of TA2 and R60702 at low and intermediate temperature were presented and discussed in this paper. Experimental results indicated that an apparent threshold stress exhibited in the creep deformation of R60702. Meanwhile, the primary creep phase was found as the main pattern in the room temperature creep behavior of TA2. Compared with exponential law, the power law has been proved to be a proper constitutive model in the description of primary creep phase. It also showed that θ projection method had its significant advantage in the evaluation of accelerated creep stage. Thus, a composite model which combined power law with θ projection method was applied in the creep curves evaluation at low and intermediate temperature. Based on the multiaxial creep deformation results, the model was modified and discussed. A linear relationship existed between composite model parameters and applied load. Finally, the creep life could be accurately predicted and the composite model method is suitable for application in low and intermediate temperature creep life analysis.

In small-scale hydropower scheme, the most important component is electro-mechanical equipment. Since cost contribution of this component is high because hydrokinetic projects require negligible civil works. Turbine and alternator contribute major fraction of the hydrokinetic projects. Thus, there is a requirement to estimates the electromechanical equipment cost for the hydrokinetic hydropower scheme. The present paper investigates design parameters of the hydrokinetic turbines and intends to develop cost correlation which depends on most critical parameters of hydropower sites such as velocity and power capacity. In this present work, three zero head turbines are considered including straight blade Darrieus, two Stage Savonius, and Gorlov Helical. The size and cost of major components have been calculated based on material, manufacturing, research and design, and assembly costs. Based on cost and site parameters, cost correlation has been developed. The obtained cost has been validated with available zero head turbines in the market and installed projects. A techno-economic analysis has been carried out to select economical hydrokinetic turbine for river and canal application.

Multi-Alignment method coupled with phylogenetic analysis we disclosed the Nsp9 and Nsp10 non-structural proteins of Corona Virus as rRNA RlmH/K methyltransferases with similarities with bin recombinase and int-core integrase fold. Further, Nsp9 has similarities to S8 ribosomal protein and Nap10 has similarity to S10 ribosomal protein. Previously, we showed Nsp13, Nsp14, Nsp15 and Nsp16 are also different types of rRNA RlmE/N and Cfr-like methyltransferases-ribonuclease with RNA helicase domains. Two domains of Nsp13 astonishingly have similarities to ribosomal proteins L6 and L9. Taken together, Nsp9/10 and Nsp13-16 proteins could mimic host ribosome assembly and also could methylate rRNA of mitobibosome preventing mitochondrial protein synthesis and oxidative phosphorylation. Low ATP synthesis causes lowering blood pressure following coma but very ATP concentration (1-10nM) surely induces platelets aggregation through vWA, collagen and GpIIb/IIIa proteins followed by fibrin formation and blood clotting as recently have seen in the lung of many Corona virus infected patients. We have also postulated that two polyproteins itself resemble like 28S and 38S mitoribosome subunits and compete with rRNAs inhibiting the ribosome turnover and new protein synthesis due to their similarities with many ribosomal proteins. Such finding may be valuable in computer-based novel drug design against Corona virus.

Despite the increasing role of machine learning in various fields, very few works considered artificial intelligence for frequency estimation (FE). This work presents a comprehensive analysis of deep-learning (DL) approach for frequency estimation of single-tones. It is shown that DL network with two layers having a few nodes can estimate frequency more accurately than well-known classical techniques. The study is comprehensive, filling gaps of existing works, where it analyzes error under different signal-to-noise ratios, numbers of nodes, and numbers of input samples; also, under missing SNR information. It is found that DL-based FE is not significantly affected by SNR bias or number of nodes. DL-based approach can work properly using minimal number of input nodes N at which classical methods fail. It is possible for DL to use as little as two layers with two or three nodes each, with complexity of O{N} versus O{Nlog2 (N)} for DFT-based FE, noting that less N is required for DL. Hence, DL can significantly reduce FE complexity, memory, cost, and power consumption, making DL-based FE attractive for resource-limited systems like some IoT sensor applications. Also, reduced complexity opens the door for hardware-efficient implementation using short word-length (SWL) or time-efficient software-defined radio (SDR) communications.

Worldwide emission standards are now required to cover engine operation under extreme ambient conditions, which affect the raw emissions and the efficiency of the exhaust aftertreatment systems. These regulations also target new combustion technologies for decarbonization, such as neat hydrogen (H2) combustion or dual-fuel strategies, which involve a challenge to the analysis of exhaust aftertreatment systems requirements and performance. This work addresses the impact of high altitude and low ambient temperature conditions on the reactivity of an oxidation catalyst in the presence of H2. A reaction mechanism is proposed to cover the main conversion paths of CO, HC, and H2, including the formation and consumption of high-energy surface reaction intermediates. The mechanism has been implemented into a faster-than-real-time reduced-order model for multi-layer washcoat honeycomb catalytic converters. The model was utilized to investigate the effect of H2 concentration on the reactivity of CO and HC within the catalyst under various operating and ambient conditions. By applying the model and examining the selectivity towards different reaction pathways in the presence H2, insights into surface intermediates and reactivity across different cross-sections of the monolith were obtained. This analysis discusses the underlying causes of reactivity changes promoted by H2 and its relative importance as a function of driving boundary conditions.

Preschoolers with disabilities and their caregivers have been neglected in health and social service provision in most low-income countries and arguably too in low resourced areas of more affluent nations. Yet as this rapid review of published literature identifies, there are low-cost, evidence-based strategies to address their needs that can be implemented in communities by local people. Five key features of the necessary supports are examined. First the leadership functions required to create and implement the support services. Second, the family-centred, home-based support provided to caregivers and the personnel undertaking this form of support. Third, providing opportunities for peer support to flourish and encouraging the formation of advocacy groups across families. Fourth, mobilizing the support of significant groups within the community; notably traditional healers and leaders; health services and poverty alleviation initiatives. Fifth, devising ways in which preschool educational opportunities can be offered to children as a prelude to their inclusion in primary schools. The review serves a further purpose. It provides an example of how public health researchers and academics could achieve more rapid implementation of evidence-based knowledge into existing and new support services through dissemination to community practitioners.

Objective: We report a case of acute pancytopenia and liver injury after concomitant administration of low-dose methotrexate (MTX), and high-dose esomeprazole and metamizole. Case summary: A 71-year-old patient with chronic systemic idiopathic erosive arthritis was admitted after a pelvic ring fracture. After hospital admission, she received MTX in addition to esomeprazole and metamizole. Subsequent laboratory tests revealed pancytopenia and elevated liver enzymes. The follow-up clinical examinations were unremarkable, with the exception of sub-febrile temperatures. Further investigations did not detect a definitive etiology. Due to the suspicion of methotrexate-induced hematotoxicity and hepatotoxicity, antagonizing therapy with calcium folinate was administered, after which the blood counts and liver parameters normalized. Discussion: Due to the administration of high-dose metamizole immediately before the administration of low-dose MTX, the pre-existing hematotoxic pharmacodynamic effect of MTX was acutely enhanced by that of metamizole, although folic acid was administered preemptively. In addition, the concomitant administration of high-dose esomeprazole and normal dose torasemide resulted in a pharmacokinetic interaction with MTX by decreasing its renal secretion and elimination, further enhancing the concentration-dependent hematotoxic and hepatotoxic side effects of MTX. Conclusions: The relatively high demand for analgesics in patients with chronic rheumatic diseases already being treated with MTX and proton pump inhibitors necessitates that clinicians consider drug-drug interactions as potential causes of adverse drug reactions after the administration of metamizole or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In this category of patients, it is strongly recommended to switch to analgesics of other classes.

One of the measures required by the European Green Deal to decarbonise the freight transport sector is the promotion of inland waterway transport (IWT), in particular intermodal transport in Europe. To facilitate intermodal transport on the Danube, we developed six new barge designs for the transport of 45' pallet-wide high-cube containers using a four-step approach. Our approach consisted of detailed desk research, followed by design and further analysis of the identified barge types, taking into account, for example, sight lines or stability. The container carrying capacity reaches up to 90 containers in three layers, which is double the capacity of existing standard barges on the Danube. Nevertheless, three-layer transport is hardly feasible in several cases, due to restrictions regarding sight lines and stability. We conclude that each loading condition must be evaluated separately to determine the best barge design option for each case. The study is limited by its geographical scope and the type of container used to develop the new barge designs. This could be a possible direction for further research on this topic: using other container types and/or extending the geographical scope.

The transition to sustainable mobility is a recognized socio-economic and environmental challenge, particularly among young adults in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This paper addresses the lack of comprehensive research on mobility patterns for LMICs by examining the travel patterns of students, staff, and lecturers at the National Advanced School of Public Works, Yaoundé (NASPW) to understand transport mode choices and barriers to the use of public and active transport modes. Data was collected through online questionnaires from 425 participants. Findings revealed that most students (27.5%) used multiple modes of transport, with moto-taxis being the most common (21%). Lecturers primarily used private cars (50%), while staff relied on taxis or multiple modes (33%). Accessibility, vehicle speed, and flexibility appeared as the most important reasons for the preferred modes of transport. Barriers included long waiting times and traffic congestion for public transport, and distance and inadequate infrastructure for active mobility. The usage of public transportation was encouraged by its affordability and reduced travel time, whilst active options were preferred due to their cost savings and health benefits. To promote sustainable mobility for campus travel, it is crucial to encourage active modes, develop mass transport systems, and raise awareness through symposiums and conferences among students and staff.

This research focuses on exploring generalized electron emissions in one-dimensional conducting materials, specifically examining field emission and thermionic emission. Additionally, the study investigates one-dimensional thermal radiation. The current density is derived for both one-dimensional thermionic emission and one-dimensional field emission. A generalized current density in one dimension is devised, taking into account arbitrary accelerating fields and temperature conditions. The formula for the one-dimensional current density is depicted with accelerating field and temperature across various work function materials. The current is also represented as a function of both temperature and electric field for various temperatures.

UV-digital printing belongs to the commonly used method for custom large-area substrate decoration. Despite low surface energy and adhesion, transparent polymer materials, such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC), represent an ideal substrate for such purposes. The diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge (DCSBD) in a novel compact configuration was used for substrate activation to improve ink adhesion to the polymer surface. This industrially applicable version of DCSBD was prepared, tested, and successfully implemented for the UV-digital printing process. Furthermore, wettability and surface free energy measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force and scanning electron microscopy evaluated the surface chemistry and morphology changes. The changes in adhesion of the surface and of ink were analyzed by a peel-force and a crosscut test, respectively. A short plasma treatment (1-5 s) enhanced the substrate's properties of PMMA and PC while providing the pre-treatment suitable for further in-line UV-digital printing. Furthermore, we did not observe damage or significant change of roughness affecting the substrate's initial transparency.

Nutrition and calorie intake are associated with subtle changes of thyroid function tests in subjects with intact Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid axis. Iodine deficiency and extreme fluctuations in calorie intake, such as those occurring during periods of starvation or overfeeding could lead to alterations of thyroid hormones. The dietary macronutrient composition could also influence the thyroid function. Recently, Low-Glycemic Load (LGL) diets are very popular and effective in the treatment and/or prevention of several medical conditions, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and epilepsy. In this review, we report the available data from the literature regarding the association between LGL diets and thyroid function or dysfunction. Unfortunately, there are only a few studies in this field, with inconsistent findings.

The transportation sector stands out as California's primary contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, necessitating urgent action from government agencies to promote the adoption of low-carbon transportation (LCT) within the heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) and off-road equipment (ORE) sectors. This study conducts content analysis to delve into the impact of behavioral factors, specifically awareness and impression, on LCT adoption within these sectors. The analysis results are honed using a generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool. Positive associations emerge between the potential for LCT adoption and awareness, as well as factors linked to LCT (government incentives, environmental considerations). Notably, the study reveals that financial barriers and incentives hold greater significance for small-fleet organizations compared to their large-fleet counterparts. These findings offer actionable insights for government agencies to formulate targeted strategies, including mandates and incentives, tailored to the unique needs of organizations within the HDV and ORE sectors.

This article couples human metabolic factors and heating environmental factors, and uses a 57 node human thermal physiological model to study the heating effect of radiators. It provides a way to objectively calculate and directly quantify the effect of heating equipment on human thermal physiological parameters. As the inlet speed increases, the surface temperature of the human body first increases and then decreases. At a speed of 3m/s, it basically reaches a high value. Continuing to increase the wind speed, as the indoor convection intensity further increases, the surface temperature of the human body will decrease, leading to a decrease in thermal comfort. Compared with floor radiation heating under similar indoor temperature conditions, forced convection radiator heating has similar skin temperatures in various parts of the human body after the indoor design temperature exceeds 20 ℃, and the overall thermal comfort of the two technical solutions is equivalent. Research has shown that the turbulence wind speed of convective radiators should not be too small, with a wind speed range of 2.5m/s to 3m/s. The heating effect of using horizontal air outlet from the lower part of the radiator is better than that of vertical air outlet from the upper part. Convection type radiator heating is more suitable for buildings with rooms that are not too high due to the large indoor temperature gradient.

This study presents the design and implementation of a PLC microprocessor adhering to the IEC-61131-3 standard, executed on a Cyclone-V FPGA using a DE10-NANO development board. Our microprocessor optimizes the central processing unit by streamlining the data path, achieving a remarkable simulated response time of approximately 60 ns, equivalent to three clock cycles at a 50MHz frequency for Boolean operations. To substantiate our approach, we conducted practical experiments utilizing a FESTO conveyor station, employing relays as actuators, and incorporating optical and inductive sensors. The results underscore the feasibility of our proposed approach and serve as practical validation of its efficacy. This work introduces a promising avenue for the development of cost-effective PLCs employing SoC FPGA variants. Additionally, a thorough comparison of execution times with other early reported architectures. Our microprocessor outperforms even well-established PLCs like the S7-312, with substantial reductions in execution times of 94.54% for floating-point operations, 71.42% to 93.33% for word operations, and up to 78.57% for bit operations.

Obesity and overweight are associated with many metabolic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, which are closely related to a sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise. Aerobic exercise effectively increases the high-density lipoproteins-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and decreases the triglyceride (TG) levels. The consumption of Cuban policosanol (Raydel®) is also effective in enhancing the HDL-C quantity and HDL functionality to treat dyslipidemia and hypertension. On the other hand, no study has examined the effects of a combination of high-intensity exercise and policosanol consumption in obese subjects to improve metabolic disorders. In the current study, 17 obese subjects (average BMI 30.0±1.1 kg/m2, eight male and nine female) were recruited to participate in a program combining exercise and policosanol (20 mg) consumption for 12 weeks. After completion, their BMI, waist circumference, total fat mass, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) decreased by approximately 15% (p=0.022), 12.7% (p=0.008), 33% (p=0.006), 11% (p<0.046), and 13% (p=0.007), respectively. In the serum lipid profile, at week 12, they showed a remarkable decrease in the total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels, up to 17% (p<0.019) and 54% (p<0.002) from the baseline, respectively. Although the serum HDL-C was increased by approximately +12% from the baseline, the percentage of HDL-C in TC, HDL-C/TC (%), was increased by up to +32% (p=0.007) at week 12. The serum coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) level was increased 1.2-fold in all participants at week 12 from the baseline. In particular, the male participants showed a 1.4-fold increase (p=0.027) from the baseline. The larger increase in serum CoQ10 was correlated with the larger increase in the serum HDL-C during 12 weeks. The hepatic function parameters were improved; the serum -glutamyl transferase decreased at week 12 by up to 55% (p<0.007), while the aspartate aminotransferase and alanine transaminase levels decreased within the normal range. In the lipoprotein level, the extent of oxidation and glycation were reduced significantly in VLDL and LDL, with a remarkable decrease in the TG content in particles. The antioxidant abilities of HDL2 and HDL3, such as paraoxonase (PON) and ferric ion reduction ability (FRA), were enhanced significantly by up to 1.8-fold (p<0.001) and 1.6-fold (p<0.001) at week 12. The particle size and number of HDL2 were increased up to +10% during the 12 weeks with a remarkable decrease in the TG content, glycation extent, oxidation up to 32% (p=0.032), 18% (p=0.043), and 11% (p=0.023), respectively. The particle number and diameter of HDL3 were increased by up to +9% with a remarkable increase in the PON activity, FRA activity, and TC content of +82% (p<0.001), +56% (p<0.001), and +32% (p=0.009), respectively. Expression of apolipoproteinA-I in HDL2 and HDL3 were significantly elevated more in both gender around 30~48% with more distinct band intensity and less glycation at week 12. These improvements in HDL quality and functionality were linked to the higher survivability of adult zebrafish and their embryos. Under the co-presence of carboxymethyllysine (CML), a microinjection of HDL2 to zebrafish embryo from week 0 resulted in approximately 47% survivability with developmental defects and attenuated speed. On the other hand, the HDL2 microinjection from week 12 resulted in remarkably higher survivability (~ 70%). In conclusion, 12 weeks of Cuban policosanol (Raydel®, 20 mg) consumption with high-intensity exercise showed significant improvement in blood pressure, body fat mass, blood lipid profile without liver damage, CoQ10 metabolism, and renal impairment. At week 12, all participants showed a remarkable decrease in oxidation and glycation extent in the VLDL and LDL with a decrease in the TC and TG content. Significant enhancement of the qualities and functionalities in HDL2 and HDL3 by the policosanol consumption were also detected: increase in apoA-I content, TC content, particle size, and particle numbers along with antioxidant abilities, such as PON and FRA.

The rapid advancement of technology has led to increased electronic consumption and a corresponding rise in e-waste generation. To address this issue, this study develops a low-carbon e-commerce closed-loop supply chain (LCE-CLSC) system with remanufacturer, platform, and the government as key stakeholders. An evolutionary game approach is employed to investigate the system's dynamics, analyzing the impact of stakeholder strategies on system equilibrium. Numerical simulations reveal important findings: Firstly, government initiatives promoting recycling, carbon taxes on traditional products, can incentivize remanufacturers to produce low-carbon items and encourage platform investment in recycling services. Secondly, higher sales revenues motivate remanufacturers to produce low-carbon products. Thirdly, consumer sensitivity to recycling services strengthens waste recovery when platforms increase investments in these services, leading to remanufacturers choosing low-carbon production. Lastly, government subsidies may become ineffective if the cost of remanufacturers' carbon reduction and platforms' recycling services exceeds their affordability. These findings offer insights for the sustainable development of obsolete electronic product recycling systems.

Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP), defined as pain persisting for at least 12 weeks, is a significant public health issue, with prevalence intensifying due to an ageing global population, amassing approximately 619 million cases in 2020 and projected to escalate to 843 million by 2050. Given the multitude of therapeutic modalities available for CLBP, this research sought to ascertain their respective efficacies in ameliorating pain and disability. We specifically scrutinized Multidisciplinary Biopsychosocial Rehabilitation (MBR) among adults enduring non-specific low back pain for over 12 weeks, excluding acute pain conditions and pre-study surgical interventions. MBR is an approach encompassing various modalities, including exercise, behavioral therapies, educational programs, and work conditioning aspects, necessitating a comprehensive Network Meta-Analysis (NMA) to fully grasp the extensive scope of its impact. The constructed network comprised diverse MBR modalities (behavioral, educational, and work conditioning) alongside exercise therapy (ET), minimal intervention, and usual care, serving as controls with pain and disability as outcomes. Through the analysis of 4,619 initially identified studies, 93 were included, encompassing a total of 8,059 participants. The NMA conducted substantiated that both ET and MBR modalities were notably effective in alleviating CLBP, with education-oriented MBR emerging as the most efficacious for pain mitigation and behavior-focused MBR for disability reduction. Nevertheless, the discerned differences amongst the treatments were minimal and uncertain, highlighting that no modality was definitively superior to the others. The analysis revealed low global and local inconsistency within the network, underscoring the reliability of the observed outcomes. Given the intricate nature of CLBP, embodying various facets, our findings advocate for a combined therapeutic approach to optimize treatment efficacy. Nonetheless, the presence of high study heterogeneity and potential biases necessitates cautious interpretation of the results, prompting future research.

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) have been shown as selective and environmentally friendly solvents for the extraction of bioactive compounds. However, studies on the solubility of low molecular weight carbohydrates (LMWC) in NADES are scarce. In this work, new solubility data of LMWC in NADES are provided and a new approach based on the use of these solvents for the efficient fractionation of bioactive carbohydrates was explored for the first time. Several mono- and disaccharides and three NADES based on choline chloride (ChCl) and different donors [2-ethylene glycol (EtG), glycerol (Gly) and ethanedioic acid dihydrate (Eth)] were considered. While degradation of carbohydrates, mainly ketoses, was detected with ChCl:Eth due to its acidic nature, ChCl:EtG and ChCl:Gly were found to be useful alternatives for selectively separating bioactive ketoses and their corresponding aldoses (e.g. lactulose/lactose and tagatose/galactose) present in equimolar binary mixtures. In addition, the usefulness of ChCl:EtG for the selective enrichment of lactulose to be used as food ingredient or nutraceutical was proven (from a 25% in the reaction mixture to a 56% in the purified sample). NADES could be used for the selective fractionation of value-added carbohydrates from interfering sugars for several applications including food science, engineering or pharmaceuticals.

This study examined the impact of Vibration-Assisted Drilling (VAD) on hole quality and residual stress in Ti-6Al-4V ELI material. Ti-6Al-4V ELI possesses excellent mechanical properties but presents challenges in machining, including chip evacuation, burr formation, and elevated cutting temperatures. VAD, particularly Low-Frequency Vibration-Assisted Drilling (LF-VAD), has been explored as a potential solution to address these issues. The research com-pares LF-VAD with conventional drilling (CD) under various cutting and cooling conditions. LF-VAD exhibits higher maximum cutting forces under specific conditions, which result in accel-erated tool wear. However, it also demonstrates lower RMS (Root Mean Square) forces com-pared to CD, offering better control over chip formation, reduced burr formation, and improved surface roughness within the hole. Furthermore, LF-VAD generates greater compressive residual stresses on the hole's inner surface compared to CD, suggesting enhanced fatigue performance. These findings indicate that LF-VAD holds promise for improving hole quality, fatigue life, and overall component durability in Ti-6Al-4V machining applications.

Background Most of the Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) cases are bilateral and sequential, how-ever there are rare unilateral examples, or those in which the delay of onset of vision loss between one and the other eye is longer. In the case of presumed childhood amblyopia in one eye, the vision loss in the good eye may be the only symptom of bilateral disease, that was unnoticed in previ-ously amblyopic eye, or a preexisting episode of LHON on the “amblyopic” eye. Clinical decision in such cases may be difficult and suggestive for other forms of atypical optic neuropathy until confirmed by genetic testing. Case series We present three genetically confirmed (MT-ND1:m.3700G>A, MT-ND6:m14484 T>C, and MT-ND4:m.11778G>A) patients with subacute vision loss in previously good eye with the other eye believed to be amblyopic from the childhood, and their features different of what would be expected in true amblyopia. In all, electrophysiology testing showed bilaterally reduced ampli-tude of PERG with low VEP P100 wave amplitudes and prolonged peak time in both eyes, also unusual for amblyopia. During the follow-up, pallor of the optic discs progressed in all eyes. Significant thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer around the optic disc (pRNFL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) in the macular region was present. All three patients had peculiar history. First patient was treated for presumed hyperopic amblyopia that did not improve since child-hood and experienced visual loss on the good eye at the age of 17 and was negative for the three typical LHON mutations. Extended testing confirmed atypical pathogenic variant MT-ND1:m.3700G>A in homoplasmy. The second patient with presumed strabismic amblyopia had unusual presentation of vision loss only at the age of 61 and after exclusion of other causes, typical MT-ND4:m.11778G>A pathogenic variant was found in homoplasmy. The third case was peculiar as he had presumed strabismic amblyopia since childhood and had some degree of disc pallor in the amblyopic eye upon presenting with loss of vision on the good eye at the age of 21 and typical pathogenic variant m14484 T>C, p.Met64Val was subsequently confirmed. However, one year after the disease onset, he started to experience significant spontaneous functional im-provement in the non-amblyopic up to 1.0 Snellen, whilst improvement in the presumed amblyop-ic eye was modest, suggesting preexisting amblyopia. This interestingly extensive improvement was carefully followed by electrophysiology as well as visual acuity and fields. Conclusion This report shows three different scenarios of presentation of LHON in patients with presumed uniocular amblyopia from childhood. In such cases, the diagnosis may be difficult and detailed structural and functional evaluation of the optic nerve head is necessary to assess whether earlier LHON episode was misdiagnosed as amblyopia or whether LHON presented bilaterally on both eyes whilst only being noticed in the previously good eye.

Background:This study evaluated the effect of low-level laser therapy on postoperative pain and wound healing in children undergoing primary molar extractions.Methods:40children,6-10years of age, systemically healthy, and had atraumatic extraction indications of bilateral primary molar teeth were included in the study. First session randomly selected tooth was extracted under local anesthesia. In the control group, only the clot formation on the socket was observed and photographed. Other group extraction's performed 2weeks later. The LLLT group treated with980nm wavelength Doctor Smile Wiser diode laser and photographed. Non-epithelialized surface measurements performed with the ImageJ program. Pain assessment was performed with Wong-Baker Pain Scale. Statistical analyzes were performed with SPSS software.Results: There was no statistically significant difference in Wong-Baker values(p&gt;0.05). The laser group had more '0' values on days 1 and7; same values as the control group were recorded on other days. In soft tissue healing 3rd day evaluations, non-epithelialized surface of laser socket was found to be smaller than control group, and measurement results were found to be statistically significant(p&lt;0.05). The other days' measurement results were not statistically significant(p&gt;0.05).Conclusions:Although LLLT not found to be very effective in reducing postoperative discomfort after extraction of primary molars, it provides better wound healing in extraction sockets.

This publication aims to disseminate a step-by-step process that walks through the conceptualization and building of a low-cost (~ $150 monitoring device for airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5), based on miniaturized sensors and components. Details on the implementation of the hardware and software are provided which facilitate the data acquisition, capture and analysis. The central components and their setup discussed in what follows include: the sensor device (called “P.ALP” – Ph.D. Air quality Low-cost Project), Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment) and R code (open-access software). A monitoring device for PM2.5, using low-cost sensors and technologies was successfully conceptualized, designed, and implemented. The P.ALP monitoring system was designed and developed to be a basic device, which can be further customized and implemented using the wide range of low-cost sensors available on the market.

Genetic adaptation of Hermetia illucens (BSF) to suboptimal single sourced wastes can open new perspectives for insect production. Here, four replicate BSF lines were maintained on a single sourced, low-quality wheat bran diet (WB) or on a high-quality chicken feed diet (CF) for 13 generations. We continuously evaluated evolutionary responses in several performance traits to rearing at the two diets. Subsequently, we tested responses to interchanged diets, i.e. of larvae that had been adapted to low-quality feed and to high quality feed and vice versa to evaluate costs associated with diet adaptation. BSF were found to experience rapid adaptation to the diet composition. While performances on WB diet were always inferior to CF diet, the adaptive re-sponses were stronger to the former diet. This stronger response was likely due to stronger se-lection pressure experienced by BSF fed on the low-quality single sourced diet. The interchanged diet experiment found no costs associated with diet adaptation but confirmed diet adaptation for the larval biomass and insect frass traits for the WB diet treatment. Our results revealed that BSF can rapidly adapt to diet through evolutionary responses, which has potential to be utilized to produce lines tailored to specific diets.

Breakage and damage of fiber optic cable fibers seriously affect the normal operation of fiber optic networks and it is important to quickly and accurately determine the type and location of faults when they occur. The advantages of wavelet transform in singular signal detection and signal filtering are used to analyze Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) curve signal and the fault detection method of fiber communication link with no relay and large span in high altitude area is given, which realizes the accurate detection and location of optical fiber communication link fault events under strong noise. The theoretical analysis is basically consistent with the experimental data. The accuracy of optical fiber fault location has been greatly improved in performance. The method has been directly applied to the field detection of ultra-long optical fiber links in high altitude areas, which has certain significance for the future real-time monitoring of optical fiber cables.

The safe and efficient mining of coal seams with low porosity, low permeability and high inhomogeneity under complex geological conditions is a major challenge, among which the permeability of coal seams is crucial for coal mine gas extraction. The development of coal seam permeability enhancement technology can help coal mines to produce safely and efficiently, and the extracted coal bed methane can be utilized as a green energy. In order to study the effect of freezing and thawing on the evolution of mechanical and permeability properties of coal, triaxial permeability tests were carried out on low-permeability coal under two kinds of surrounding pressures. At the same time, dry, saturated and freeze-thaw coal were set up for comparison, and the effects of water and freeze-thaw were separated from each other. The triaxial mechanics and percolation laws of dry, saturated and freeze-thaw coal rocks were obtained, and the mechanism of the influence of freeze-thaw on the permeability evolution law of coal was revealed. The research results can provide theoretical guidance for the gas extraction technology of low permeability coal seams with increased permeability.

Plastics are highly beneficial for the day-to-day activities of human beings; however, their decomposition is limited due to their strong covalent bonding. The concept of degradation of these big molecules into smaller ones or monomers was attempted by several researchers in the preceding decades with limited success. Pyrolysis is one of the ideas used to convert plastics into fuel, rather than small molecules, compared to the crowded structure of polymers. Among these plastics, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is largely used as carry bags throughout the world, and, herein, the results of catalytic pyrolysis of the conversion of LDPE into fuel are reported. Different dosages of zinc oxide (ZnO) were used as a catalyst to do the pyrolysis at a specific temperature in a batch reactor specially designed at our laboratory. 0.6 g of ZnO was found to be the optimal dosage for a 50 g waste LDPE batch to get the maximum oil yield. The yielded oil was analyzed chemically through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Reformulyzer M4 Hydrocarbon Group Type Analyzer. Evaluation of physical and chemical exergy along with exergetic efficiency of the process was done.

Children five years or younger in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are severely affected by diarrhoea disease, especially in the sub-Saharan region. Hence, the study aimed at determining the prevalence and determinants of diarrhea disease among children under 5 years in Epworth Township, Zimbabwe. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at a local clinic in Epworth Township, Harare. A convenience sampling strategy was used to recruit study participants for participation and 386 children were enrolled in the study. The majority were male children (n=229; 59.3%), while there were more female caregivers (n=370; 95.9%) than male caregivers (n=16; 4.1%). The prevalence of diarrhea disease in the study was 25.1%. The determinants associated with diarrhea were being partially vaccinated (OR 2.38, CI 95% 2.80–8.22), collecting water more than 1 kilometre from a household (OR 4.55; CI 95% 2.10–9.85) and using untreated water (OR 6.22; CI 95% 2.13–18.20). The age of the caregiver and using a clean water container (OR 0.05; p=0.020) were protective factors. Provision of primary health care, especially prevention of disease through immunization and rendering environmental health services could reduce the prevalence of diarrhea in disadvantaged townships.

This study evaluates the agricultural carbon emission efficiency of Shandong Province from 2011 to 2020 using the DEA-SBM model. The nexus between endogenous and exogenous variables is estimated using the Tobit model. The findings reveal an overall increasing trend in agricultural carbon emissions, with significant variations in efficiency values among different cities, leading to a severe polarization. Spatial evaluation shows a high distribution trend in the central region and low in the eastern and western regions of Shandong Province. The empirical tests conducted for Shandong Province and its three regions indicate that urbanization plays a major role in sup-porting the growth of agricultural carbon emission efficiency, while the education level of the la-bor force has a suppressive impact. Economic development and crop cultivation structure, how-ever, have no significant influence. The impact of these variables varies across the eastern, central, and western regions. The proposed countermeasures include improving planting structure and reducing brain drain in the eastern region, strengthening agricultural and rural inputs and in-creasing the added value of agricultural products in the central region, and intensifying the link-age between urbanization and industrial layout in the western region to reduce agricultural car-bon emissions efficiency in Shandong Province.

The review presents the most developed by date hypotheses on the mechanisms of the influence of low-frequency magnetic fields (LFMF) on organisms. Biophysical models that explain the resonance-like responses of biological systems to LFMF with a specific frequency and amplitude are described. Two groups can be distinguished among these models: one considers ions-cofactors of proteins as the primary targets for the LFMF influence, and the other regards the magnetic moments of particles in biomolecules. Attention is paid to the dependence of resonance-like LFMF effects on the cell type. A radical-pair mechanism of the magnetic field's influence on biochemical processes is described with the example of cryptochrome. Conditions for this mechanism's applicability to explain the biological effects of LFMF are given. A model of the influence of LFMF on radical pairs in biochemical oscillators, which can explain the frequency-amplitude efficiency windows of LFMF, is proposed.

This paper investigates the use of contactless power ultrasonic excitation to decrease the electrical impedance of the weld in laser welding. The literature extensively documents the impact of em-ploying contact power ultrasonic excitation on the microstructure morphology and refinement of grain in the weld. This study involves characterizing an industrial High Power Ultrasound Transducer (HPUT) by determining the optimal distance and angle for contactless excitation of the fusion zone in the weld, aiming to achieve the maximum amplitude. Subsequently, the transducer is integrated into the laser welding system, resulting in the creation of an ultrasonic-assisted welding system. To find the improvement due to the contactless vibration assistance, the welding area was char-acterised by an impedance ohmmeter device. The results indicate an approximately 6 % im-provement in the welding quality in terms of the impedance value, an important parameter for battery pack welding. In response to the issue of overheating in the industrial transducer during prolonged welding operations, an alternative transducer was proposed to overcome this challenge. Further investigations are carried out by the alternative transducer to find the effect of different wave types, namely, shear and compressional waves, on the welding quality. The contact vibration can excite the plate approximately 50 times higher in acceleration amplitude than contactless ex-citation. Nevertheless, enhancements of 10% and 6% are observed in the impedance value when utilising compressional and shear waves, respectively, as compared to the results obtained with contactless vibration.

Choosing new energy vehicles for travel, especially electric vehicles, is an important component of building a low-carbon urban transportation system. However, the charging need of electric vehicle users is still constrained by the unreasonable layout and insufficient supply of public charging piles in the city. Private charging pile sharing as an alternative policy tool can play a very good role in solving this problem. But it needs decision-makers in urban transportation to take corresponding measures to promote. This paper constructs an evolutionary game model to study the decision behavior of participants in private piles sharing platform. Through numerical simulation analysis, it is found that under most parameter conditions, the government tends to establish a shared charging pile platform based on public interests. Private charging pile owners are influenced by the relationship between the cost of supply modification and revenue, and they tend to join the shared platform when they expect to recover the modification cost. The research conclusions of this paper will provide support for exploring how participants make decisions to maximize overall benefits in the development of low-carbon urban transportation.

Magnetoelectric (ME) sensor is a new type magnetic sensor with ultrahigh sensitivity, low power consumption, and suitable for the measurement of low frequency weak magnetic field. In this study, metglas/PZT-5B ME sensor with a mechanical resonance frequency f_res of 60.041 kHz was prepared. It is interesting to note that its magnetic field resolution reaches 0.20 nT at f_res and 0.34 nT for DC field, respectively. In order to measure the ultralow frequency AC magnetic fields, a frequency upconversion technique was employed. Under this technique, a limit of detection (LOD) of AC magnetic field lower than 1 nT at 8 Hz is obtained, and the minimum LOD of 0.51 nT is achieved at 20 Hz. The high resolution ME sensor with sub-pT level is promising in the field of low frequency weak magnetic field measurement technology.

The alteration of natural land cover to impervious surfaces during development increases stormwater runoff. Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) are used to manage water quantity and enhance water quality by restoring the hydrologic cycle altered by development. Often, SCMs have an outflow pipe to handle overflows or to manage the release of water detained when infiltration is not possible. Traditionally, these are static controls (e.g. a small orifice is used to restrict the volume of outflow), however, these systems can be improved by instituting real-time controls (RTC). RTC improve the functionality of SCMs by dynamically controlling outflows to adjust to environmental conditions. A major impediment to the widespread implementation of RTC is the high cost of installation and operation. This study utilized machine learning methods to develop a forecasting approach for the implementation of low-cost RTC that were implemented on a programmable gate of the outlet structure of a multi-stage basin in southeastern Pennsylvania. The goals were to decrease the peak flow exiting the basin during rain events, increase the volume of water detained, decrease the number of overtopping events, maintain healthy vegetation in the basin, and protect the downstream vegetation from erosion. Multiple popular data science algorithms were evaluated including multiple linear regression and long short-term memory. These algorithms were used with a dataset, which consisted of four years of historical sensor data, collected in 5-minute intervals, to train models to predict water levels to optimize operations. The accuracy of 30 models with three different methods of handling missing values were compared. A long short-term memory model configured with a 30-minute lead time produced the best results. Having an approximate same lag time of 30 minutes for the contributing drainage area of the SCM provided a sufficient RTC functioning period to improve the performance of the outlet structure.

Advanced Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is no longer a terminal illness. This change was mainly attributed to the development of new treatments including tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPIs) but the financial toxicity of treating advanced HCC is of a major concern specially in low middle-income countries (LMICs) where the patients are still battling for their most basic rights. Most of advanced HCC patients in LMICs have very limited accessibility to the new treatments including ICPIs. Searching for out of the box solutions to improve access to treatments -mainly ICPIs- is an utmost necessity for LMICs advanced HCC patients.

Fluorescence microscopy is an important tool for disease diagnosis, often requiring costly optical components, such as fluorescence filter cubes and high-power light sources. Due to its high cost, conventional fluorescence microscopy cannot be fully exploited in low-income settings. Smartphone-based fluorescence microscopy becomes an interesting low-cost alternative, but raises challenges in the optical system. We present the development of a low-cost inverted laser fluorescence microscope, that uses a smartphone to visualize the fluorescence image of biological samples. Our fluorescence microscope uses a laser-based simplified optical filter system, that provides analog optical filtering capabilities of a fluorescence filter cube. Firstly, we validated our inverted optical filtering by visualizing microbeads labeled with three different fluorescent compounds or fluorophores, commonly used for disease diagnosis. Secondly, we validated the disease diagnosis capabilities, by comparing the results of our device with those of a commercial fluorescence microscope. We successfully detected and visualized Trypanosoma cruzi parasites, responsible of the Chagas infectious disease, and the presence of Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies of the ANCA non-communicable autoimmune disease. The samples were labeled with the fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) fluorophore, one of the most commonly used for disease diagnosis. Our device provides a 400 X magnification and is at least two orders magnitude cheaper than conventional commercial fluorescence microscopes.

In Japan, the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) has been estimated to be approximately 10%, which is the highest among developed countries. This high prevalence might affect the prevalence of LBW-associated diseases in the adult population of Japan. Recently, LBW has been recognized as a contributing factor to post-adaptive focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in adulthood; however, few reports to date have evaluated the clinical and pathological characteristics of post-adaptive FSGS. A 13-year-old girl was referred to our hospital owing to mild proteinuria, which was detected at a school urinary screening. She was born at a gestational age of 23 weeks, with a very LBW of 630 g. Dipstick urinalysis revealed grade (2+) proteinuria. Her serum creatinine level was 1.02 mg/dL, and she was diagnosed as having stage 2 chronic kidney disease (CKD). Her serum uric acid level was 7 mg/dL. Her mother and 16-years old brother had hyperuricemia, too. A percutaneous renal biopsy leads to a diagnosis of FSGS. After 3 years of treatment with an angiotensin receptor blocker, her proteinuria decreased. However, her serum creatinine level was 1.07 mg/dL, and she still had stage 2 CKD. We considered that in this patient, the first hit was her LBW, and the second hit was hyperuricemia. The second hit might be associated with the development of CKD. The birth history of patients is not usually confirmed by nephrologists. Our case demonstrates that obtaining information regarding the preterm birth and LBW of patients is important in the diagnosis of noncommunicable diseases, because school urinary screening is not routinely performed in countries other than Japan.

The orthodontic treatment brings numerous benefits and, in most cases, the benefits outweigh the possible disadvantages. Root resorption (RR) is a common adverse phenomenon associated with orthodontic treatment. This study evaluates the role of low-level laser emission / Photobiomodu-lation (LE/P) in quantitative measurements of root resorption (QRR). The application of LE/P was done after each orthodontic activation with 4 types of treatment intervention (TI) on the RR after fixed orthodontic treatment (FOT) of the upper arch with ectopic eye tooth/teeth [EET]. 32 Orthodontic patients scheduled for FOT were selected and assigned to the 4 groups. These were LE/P+Self ligating bracket (SLB), LE/P+Conventional bracket (CB), Non-Photobiomodulation (non-LE/P)+SLB, and non-LE/P+CB. Standard management stages of FOT were followed in the maxilla. Each patient received a single application of LE/P labially/buccally and palatally, a total of 5 different points during each activation or appointment. The main outcome measure was QRR in maxillary anteriors before and after FOT assessed via cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) using 3D OnDemand software. Insignificant QRR was found between before and after FOT in SLB, CLB, and LE/P, non-LE/P groups (p > 0.05). QRR in the SLB vs CB and LE/P vs non-LE/P group was significantly different in 11, 13, and 23 (p < 0.05). QRR in the LE/P+SLB group (p < 0.05) was significantly different in 11, 13, and 23 than that in the other groups. The most severe QRR was found on the 13 (0.88 ± 0.28mm and 0.87±0.27mm) and 23 (1.19 ± 0.14 mm and 1.16±0.13mm) in the CB and non-LE/P group (p < 0.001). LE/P+SLB showed highly significant superior outcome (p < 0.001) in relation to non-LE/P+CB, the QRR of 23 were 0.813± 0.114mm and 1.156± 0.166mm respectively. Significantly higher amount of QRR found in EET patients after FOT treated with the CB, non-LE/P, and non-LE/P+CB system and warrants further investigation to explore potential specific causes.

Although commercially-available low-cost air quality sensors have low accuracy, the sensor system are being used to collect the data for the regulation of PM2.5 emission caused by industrial activities or to estimate the personal exposure for PM2.5. In this work, to solve the accuracy problem of low-cost PM sensor, we developed a new PM2.5 calibration model by combining the deep neural network (DNN) optimized in calibration problem and a LSTM optimized in time-dependent characteristics. First, two datasets were generated to test the accuracy performance and generalization performance of the PM2.5 calibration machine learning (ML) model. The PM2.5 concentrations, temperature and humidity by low-cost sensor and gravimetric-based PM2.5 measuring instrument were sampled for a sufficiently long time. The proposed model was compared with benchmark (multiple linear regression model) and low-cost sensor results. For root mean square error (RMSE) for PM2.5 concentrations, the proposed model reduced 41-60% of error compared to the raw data of low-cost sensor, and reduced 30-51% of error compared to the benchmark model. R2 of ML model, MLR and raw data were 93, 80 and 59 %. Also, the developed model still showed consistent calibration performance when calibrated with new sensors in different locations. Low-cost sensors combined with ML model not only can improve the calibration performance of benchmark, but also can be applied to the sensor monitoring systems for various epidemiologic investigations and regulatory decisions.

Carbon farming is a capable strategy for more sustainable production of food and other related products. It seeks to produce the diverse array of natural farming methods and marketable products simultaneously. In agroforestry system, carbon sequestration is done by incorporating carbon dioxide (CO2) into plant biomass via photosynthesis. Carbon is, thus, stored in reserves of above-ground biomass, such as timber or branches, and below-ground biomass such as roots, or organic carbon in the soil. In addition to the significance of carbon sequestration in climate change mitigation, soil organic carbon (SOC) is an imperative indicator for the soil health as well as fertility. The change in SOC can explain whether the land use pattern degrades or improves the soil fertility. SOC, found in the soil in the form of soil organic matter (SOM), helps to improve soil health either directly or indirectly. Its direct consequence is related to the process of mineralization. Further, agroforestry is highly capable of generating huge amounts of bio-mass. In fact, agroforestry is believed to be particularly suitable for replenishment of SOC. Therefore, efforts should be made to convince farmers for their resource-use efficiency and soil conserving ability in order to get maximum benefits out of agriculture. According to food and agriculture organization (FAO,) agriculture, forestry, and other land use practices account for 24% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and total global livestock emissions of 7.1 gigatons of CO2-equivalent per year, representing 14.5% of total anthropogenic GHG emissions. Agroforestry system that deliberately integrates trees and crops with livestock in the agricultural production could potentially increase carbon sequestration and decrease GHG emission from the terrestrial ecosystems, thus, helping in global climatic change mitigation. This study, therefore, aimed at clarification about carbon farming, modifications in carbon cycle and carbon sequestration during agricultural development in addition to benefits of agroforestry.

Low night temperature (LNT) can be a practical and economical target in tomato breeding programs in terms of energy saving in greenhouses. This study was conducted to investigate the physiological responses to LNT using four tomato accessions of cherry and large fruit types with LNT tolerance and sensitivity grown in two greenhouses with night temperature set-points of 10 and 15°C for heating. LNT significantly reduced plant height regardless of fruit types and LNT tolerance. The number of flowers were significantly reduced in 10°C in cherry but not in large fruit types. Fruit set in 10°C was significantly lower in LNT sensitive accessions than tolerant ones regardless of fruit types, which was due to abnormal flower morphology in 10°C. Proline accumulation patterns between 10 and 15°C significantly differed between fruit types as well as between LNT tolerant and sensitive accessions. Chlorophyll content in 10 °C was significantly higher at later growth stages in LNT tolerant accessions than sensitive ones in both fruit types. No clear difference in photosynthetic parameters was observed between fruit types or tolerance and sensitive accessions except for photosynthetic rate, which was significantly lower in tolerant than sensitive accessions during early growing period. These results suggest that different tomato fruit types may have different mechanisms for LNT tolerance.

This paper describes how to construct a low-cost magnetic levitation system (MagLev). The MagLev has been intensively used in the engineering education, allowing instructors and students to learn through hands-on experiments essential concepts, such as electronics, electromagnetism, and control systems. Built from scratch, the proposed MagLev depends only on simple, low-cost components readily available on the market. In addition to showing how to construct the MagLev, this paper presents a semi-active control strategy which seems novel when applied in the MagLev. Experiments performed in the laboratory have compared the proposed control scheme with the classical PID control. The corresponding real-time experiments illustrate both the effectiveness of the approach and the potential of the MagLev for education.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is an emerged layer-by-layer manufacturing process. However, its broad adoption is still hindered by limited material options, different fabrication defects, and inconsistent part quality. Material extrusion (ME) is one of the most widely used AM technologies, and, hence, is adopted in this research. Low-cost metal ME is a new and AM technology used to fabricate metal composite parts using sintered metal infused filament material. Since the involved materials and process are relatively new, there is a need to investigate the dimensional accuracy of ME fabricated metal parts for real-world applications. Each step of the manufacturing process, from the material extrusion to sintering, might significantly affect the dimensional accuracy. This research provides a comprehensive analysis of dimensional changes of metal samples fabricated by the ME and sintering process, using statistical and machine learning algorithms. Machine learning (ML) methods can be used to assist researchers in sophisticated pre-manufacturing planning and product quality assessment and control. This study compares linear regression to neural networks in assessing and predicting the dimensional changes of ME made components after 3D printing and sintering process. The prediction outcomes using a neural network performed the best with the highest accuracy as compared to regression. The findings of this study can help researchers and engineers to predict the dimensional variations and optimize the printing and sintering process parameters to obtain high quality metal parts fabricated by the low-cost ME process.

In this study, the external magnetic field emitted by a wireless power transfer (WPT) system and the internal electric field induced into human body models during recharging operations of a compact electric vehicle (EV) are evaluated. To this aim an ad-hoc formulation for the source modeling is coupled with a commercial software that performs numerical dosimetry. Specifically, two realistic anatomical models both in a driving position and in a standing posture are considered, and the chassis of the EV is modeled either as a currently employed aluminum alloys and as a futuristic carbon fiber composite panel. Aligned and misaligned coil configurations of the WPT system are considered as well. The analysis of the obtained results shows that the ICNIRP reference levels are exceeded in the driving position, especially for the carbon fiber chassis, whereas no exceedance is observed in terms of basic restrictions, at least for the considered scenarios.