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Background: Survival estimation for patients with symptomatic skeletal metastases ideally should be made before a type of local treatment has already been determined. Currently available survival prediction tools, however, were generated using data from patients treated either operatively or with local radiation alone, raising concerns about whether they would generalize well to all patients presenting for assessment. The Skeletal Oncology Research Group machine-learning algorithm (SORG-MLA), trained with institution-based data of surgically treated patients, and the Metastases location, Elderly, Tumor primary, Sex, Sickness/comorbidity, and Site of radiotherapy model (METSSS), trained with registry-based data of patients treated with radiotherapy alone, are two of the most recently developed survival prediction models, but they have not been tested on patients whose local treatment strategy is not yet decided. Questions/purposes: (1) Which of these two survival prediction models performed better in a mixed cohort made up both of patients who received local treatment with surgery followed by radiotherapy and who had radiation alone for symptomatic bone metastases? (2) Which model performed better among patients whose local treatment consisted of only palliative radiotherapy? (3) Are laboratory values used by SORG-MLA, which are not included in METSSS, independently associated with survival after controlling for predictions made by METSSS? Methods: Between 2010 and 2018, we provided local treatment for 2113 adult patients with skeletal metastases in the extremities at an urban tertiary referral academic medical center using one of two strategies: (1) surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy or (2) palliative radiotherapy alone. Every patient's survivorship status was ascertained either by their medical records or the national death registry from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Administration. After applying a priori designated exclusion criteria, 91% (1920) were analyzed here. Among them, 48% (920) of the patients were female, and the median (IQR) age was 62 years (53 to 70 years). Lung was the most common primary tumor site (41% [782]), and 59% (1128) of patients had other skeletal metastases in addition to the treated lesion(s). In general, the indications for surgery were the presence of a complete pathologic fracture or an impending pathologic fracture, defined as having a Mirels score of ≥ 9, in patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification of less than or equal to IV and who were considered fit for surgery. The indications for radiotherapy were relief of pain, local tumor control, prevention of skeletal-related events, and any combination of the above. In all, 84% (1610) of the patients received palliative radiotherapy alone as local treatment for the target lesion(s), and 16% (310) underwent surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy. Neither METSSS nor SORG-MLA was used at the point of care to aid clinical decision-making during the treatment period. Survival was retrospectively estimated by these two models to test their potential for providing survival probabilities. We first compared SORG to METSSS in the entire population. Then, we repeated the comparison in patients who received local treatment with palliative radiation alone. We assessed model performance by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), calibration analysis, Brier score, and decision curve analysis (DCA). The AUROC measures discrimination, which is the ability to distinguish patients with the event of interest (such as death at a particular time point) from those without. AUROC typically ranges from 0.5 to 1.0, with 0.5 indicating random guessing and 1.0 a perfect prediction, and in general, an AUROC of ≥ 0.7 indicates adequate discrimination for clinical use. Calibration refers to the agreement between the predicted outcomes (in this case, survival probabilities) and the actual outcomes, with a perfect calibration curve having an intercept of 0 and a slope of 1. A positive intercept indicates that the actual survival is generally underestimated by the prediction model, and a negative intercept suggests the opposite (overestimation). When comparing models, an intercept closer to 0 typically indicates better calibration. Calibration can also be summarized as log(O:E), the logarithm scale of the ratio of observed (O) to expected (E) survivors. A log(O:E) > 0 signals an underestimation (the observed survival is greater than the predicted survival); and a log(O:E) < 0 indicates the opposite (the observed survival is lower than the predicted survival). A model with a log(O:E) closer to 0 is generally considered better calibrated. The Brier score is the mean squared difference between the model predictions and the observed outcomes, and it ranges from 0 (best prediction) to 1 (worst prediction). The Brier score captures both discrimination and calibration, and it is considered a measure of overall model performance. In Brier score analysis, the "null model" assigns a predicted probability equal to the prevalence of the outcome and represents a model that adds no new information. A prediction model should achieve a Brier score at least lower than the null-model Brier score to be considered as useful. The DCA was developed as a method to determine whether using a model to inform treatment decisions would do more good than harm. It plots the net benefit of making decisions based on the model's predictions across all possible risk thresholds (or cost-to-benefit ratios) in relation to the two default strategies of treating all or no patients. The care provider can decide on an acceptable risk threshold for the proposed treatment in an individual and assess the corresponding net benefit to determine whether consulting with the model is superior to adopting the default strategies. Finally, we examined whether laboratory data, which were not included in the METSSS model, would have been independently associated with survival after controlling for the METSSS model's predictions by using the multivariable logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. Results: Between the two models, only SORG-MLA achieved adequate discrimination (an AUROC of > 0.7) in the entire cohort (of patients treated operatively or with radiation alone) and in the subgroup of patients treated with palliative radiotherapy alone. SORG-MLA outperformed METSSS by a wide margin on discrimination, calibration, and Brier score analyses in not only the entire cohort but also the subgroup of patients whose local treatment consisted of radiotherapy alone. In both the entire cohort and the subgroup, DCA demonstrated that SORG-MLA provided more net benefit compared with the two default strategies (of treating all or no patients) and compared with METSSS when risk thresholds ranged from 0.2 to 0.9 at both 90 days and 1 year, indicating that using SORG-MLA as a decision-making aid was beneficial when a patient's individualized risk threshold for opting for treatment was 0.2 to 0.9. Higher albumin, lower alkaline phosphatase, lower calcium, higher hemoglobin, lower international normalized ratio, higher lymphocytes, lower neutrophils, lower neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, lower platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, higher sodium, and lower white blood cells were independently associated with better 1-year and overall survival after adjusting for the predictions made by METSSS. Conclusion: Based on these discoveries, clinicians might choose to consult SORG-MLA instead of METSSS for survival estimation in patients with long-bone metastases presenting for evaluation of local treatment. Basing a treatment decision on the predictions of SORG-MLA could be beneficial when a patient's individualized risk threshold for opting to undergo a particular treatment strategy ranged from 0.2 to 0.9. Future studies might investigate relevant laboratory items when constructing or refining a survival estimation model because these data demonstrated prognostic value independent of the predictions of the METSSS model, and future studies might also seek to keep these models up to date using data from diverse, contemporary patients undergoing both modern operative and nonoperative treatments. Level of Evidence: Level III, diagnostic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eucalypts (Myrtaceae tribe Eucalypteae) are currently placed in seven genera. Traditionally, Eucalyptus was defined by its operculum, but when phylogenies placed Angophora, with free sepals and petals, as sister to the operculate bloodwood eucalypts, the latter were segregated into a new genus, Corymbia. Yet, generic delimitation in the tribe Eucalypteae remains uncertain. Here, we address these problems using phylogenetic analysis with the largest molecular data set to date. We captured 101 low‐copy nuclear exons from 392 samples representing 266 species. Our phylogenetic analysis used maximum likelihood (IQtree) and multispecies coalescent (Astral). At two nodes critical to generic delimitation, we tested alternative relationships among Arillastrum, Angophora, Eucalyptus, and Corymbia using Shimodaira's approximately unbiased test. Phylogenetic mapping was used to explore the evolution of perianth traits. Monophyly of Corymbia relative to Angophora was decisively rejected. All alternative relationships among the seven currently recognized Eucalypteae genera imply homoplasy in the evolutionary origins of the operculum. Inferred evolutionary transitions in perianth traits are congruent with divergences between major clades, except that the expression of separate sepals and petals in Angophora, which is nested within the operculate genus Corymbia, appears to be a reversal to the plesiomorphic perianth structure. Here, we formally raise Corymbia subg. Blakella to genus rank and make the relevant new combinations. We also define and name three sections within Blakella (Blakella sect. Blakella, Blakella sect. Naviculares, and Blakella sect. Maculatae), and two series within Blakella sect. Maculatae (Blakella ser. Maculatae and Blakella ser. Torellianae). Corymbia is reduced to the red bloodwoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although cognitive-behavioral therapy is the first-line treatment for insomnia, pharmacotherapy is often prescribed to treat insomnia and related symptoms. In addition, muscle relaxants are commonly prescribed to alleviate muscle soreness when the pain is unbearable. However, pharmacotherapy can lead to numerous side effects. The non-drug strategy intravascular laser irradiation of blood (iPBM) has been advocated to improve pain, wound healing, blood circulation, and blood cell function to relieve insomnia and muscle soreness symptoms. Therefore, we assessed whether iPBM improves blood parameters and compared drug use before and after iPBM therapy. Methods: Consecutive patients who received iPBM therapy between January 2013 and August 2021 were reviewed. The associations between laboratory data, pharmacotherapies, and iPBM therapy were retrospectively analyzed. We compared patient characteristics, blood parameters, and drug use within the three months before the first treatment and the three months after the last treatment. We also compared the changes before and after treatment in patients who received ≥10 or 1–9 iPBM treatments. Result: We assessed 183 eligible patients who received iPBM treatment. Of them, 18 patients reported insomnia disturbance, and 128 patients reported pain in any part of their body. After the treatment, HGB and HCT significantly increased after treatment in both the ≥10 and 1–9 iPBM treatment groups (HGB p < 0.001 and p = 0.046; HCT p < 0.001 and p = 0.029, respectively). Pharmacotherapy analysis revealed no significant differences in drug use before and after treatment, though drug use tended to decrease after iPBM. Conclusions: iPBM therapy is an efficient, beneficial, and feasible treatment that increases HGB and HCT. While the results of this study do not support the suggestion that iPBM reduces drug use, further larger studies using symptom scales are needed to confirm the changes in insomnia and muscle soreness after iPBM treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wolbachia are among the most prevalent and widespread endosymbiotic bacteria on Earth. Wolbachia's success in infecting an enormous number of arthropod species is attributed to two features: the range of phenotypes they induce in their hosts, and their ability to switch between host species. Whilst much progress has been made in elucidating their induced phenotypes, our understanding of Wolbachia host‐shifting is still very limited: we lack answers to even fundamental questions concerning Wolbachia's routes of transfer and the importance of factors influencing host shifts. Here, we investigate the diversity and host‐shift patterns of Wolbachia in scale insects, a group of arthropods with intimate associations with other insects that make them well suited to studying host shifts. Using Illumina multitarget amplicon sequencing of Wolbachia‐infected scale insects and their direct associates we determined the identity of all Wolbachia strains. We then fitted a generalized additive mixed model to our data to estimate the influence of host phylogeny and the geographical distribution on Wolbachia strain sharing among scale insect species. The model predicts no significant contribution of host geography but strong effects of host phylogeny, with high rates of Wolbachia sharing among closely related species and a sudden drop‐off in sharing with increasing phylogenetic distance. We also detected the same Wolbachia strain in scale insects and several intimately associated species (ants, wasps and flies). This indicates putative host shifts and potential routes of transfers via these associates and highlights the importance of ecological connectivity in Wolbachia host‐shifting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Both electrocardiographic and echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) have been reported with an association with greater carotid intima‐media thickness (cIMT), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with hypertension, while the associations are unclear in physically fit young adults. Methods: A total of 1822 Taiwanese military personnel, aged 18–40 years, received an annual health examination including electrocardiography (ECG) and echocardiography in 2018–2020. Left carotid bulb cIMT was measured by high‐resolution ultrasonography. Multiple logistic regression analysis with adjustments for age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, mean blood pressure, and physical fitness was used to determine the associations between echocardiographic and ECG parameters and the highest quintile of cIMT (≥0.8 mm). Results: Cornell‐based LVH, Myers et al.‐based RVH and heart rate ≥75/min were associated with cIMT ≥0.8 mm [odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals: 1.54 (1.01, 2.35), 1.66 (1.18, 2.33), and 1.39 (1.06, 1.83), respectively], while echocardiographic LVH defined as ≥46.0 g/m2.7 for men and ≥38.0 g/m2.7 for women was inversely associated with cIMT ≥0.8 mm [OR: 0.45 (0.24, 0.86)]. Conclusion: In tactical athletes of military, the associations of ECG and echocardiographic LVH with cIMT were in opposite directions. Higher physical fitness may cause cardiac muscle hypertrophy and reduce the atherosclerosis severity, possibly leading to the paradoxical echocardiographic finding. This study suggests that ECG‐based LVH remains a good marker of subclinical atherosclerosis in our military population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To safely walk in a community environment requires dual cognitive–walking ambulation ability for people with Parkinson's disease (PD). A past study showed inconsistent results on cognitive–walking performance for PD patients, possibly due to the various cognitive tasks used and task priority assignment. This study designed cognitive–walking tests that used executive-related cognitive tasks to evaluate patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease who did not have obvious cognitive deficits. The effect of assigning task prioritization was also evaluated. Sixteen individuals with PD (PD group) and 16 individuals without PD (control group) underwent single cognitive tests, single walking tests, dual walking tests, and prioritizing task tests. Three types of cognitive, spatial memory, Stroops, and calculation tasks were employed. The cognitive performance was evaluated by response time, accuracy, and speed–accuracy trade off composite score. The walking performance was evaluated by the temporal spatial gait characteristics and variation in gait. The results showed that the walking performance of the PD group was significantly worse than the control group in both single and dual walking conditions. The group difference in cognitive performance was shown in composite score under the dual calculation walking task but not under the single task. While assigning priority to walking, no group difference in walking was observed but the response accuracy rate of PD groups declined. This study concluded that the dual task walking test could sharpen the cognitive deficits for early-stage PD patients. The task priority assignment might not be recommended while testing gait deficits since it decreased the ability to discriminate group differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A J-shaped relationship of body mass index (BMI) with severe periodontitis has been reported. However, it is unknown for other anthropometric indexes in young adults.Methods: A cross-sectional study examined the relationships in 325 military men and women, aged 20 to 45 years in Taiwan. Anthropometric indexes included BMI, waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). The severity of localized periodontitis was defined as healthy (n = 42), Stage I (initial) (n = 228), and Stage II/III (moderate/severe) (n = 55) according to the 2017 Periodontal Diseases Classification. Smooth curve fitting and multiple logistic regression analyses adjusting for age, sex, betel nut consumption, and smoking were used to determine the threshold effect between various anthropometric and the risk of localized Stage II/III periodontitis.Results: In the spline smoothing plot, the turning points for BMI, WC, and WHtR were 26.1 kg/m2 , 90.0 cm, and 0.50, respectively, and a J-shaped relationship was found for BMI (the likelihood ratio test, P <0.001). In the multiple logistic regressions, BMI ≥27.0 kg/m2 , WC ≥90.0 cm and WHtR ≥0.50 were associated with higher risk of localized Stage II/III periodontitis than their counterparts (24.0 to 26.9 kg/m2 for BMI) (odds ratios [OR] and 95% confidence intervals: 4.16 [1.39 to 12.49], 2.65 [1.01 to 7.11], and 2.95 [1.20 to 7.24], respectively; all P values <0.05). However, the risk for BMI <24.0 kg/m2 was not significant (OR, 1.47 [0.47 to 4.54]).Conclusion: In young adults, obesity defined by various anthropometrics was consistently associated with localized Stage II/III periodontitis and a J-shaped association was suggestive for BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To clarify the association between systemic and hepatic inflammation and localized periodontitis which has been reported to vary among races. Materials and Methods: The study included 1112 military males, aged 18–40 years, in Taiwan. Participants were classified as periodontally healthy/stage I (n = 796) or stage II/III periodontitis (n = 316), according to the 2017 world workshop criteria. Systemic and hepatic inflammation were defined by the highest tertiles of blood leukocyte counts (7.51 × 103/μl) and alanine aminotransferase (30 U/L), respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis with adjustments for age, metabolic syndrome, betel nut consumption and smoking was carried out. Results: There was a significant association between high systemic inflammation, irrespective of hepatic inflammation severity, and localized stage II/III periodontitis (odds ratio [OR], 1.62 [1.09–2.42] and 1.47 [1.00–2.15], respectively, in the presence of high or no hepatic inflammation. However, no significant association was found among participants with low systemic inflammation, irrespective of the severity of hepatic inflammation (OR, 1.31 [0.91–1.91]). Conclusions: An association between hepatic inflammation and localized periodontitis in Taiwanese was observed only if systemic inflammation coexisted, possibly accounting for the reported differences in the association between Japanese and non‐Asian populations in prior studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Wolbachia is one of the most successful endosymbiotic bacteria of arthropods. Known as the 'master of manipulation', Wolbachia can induce a wide range of phenotypes in its host that can have far‐reaching ecological and evolutionary consequences and may be exploited for disease and pest control. However, our knowledge of Wolbachia's distribution and the infection rate is unevenly distributed across arthropod groups such as scale insects. We fitted a distribution of within‐species prevalence of Wolbachia to our data and compared it to distributions fitted to an up‐to‐date dataset compiled from surveys across all arthropods. The estimated distribution parameters indicate a Wolbachia infection frequency of 43.6% (at a 10% prevalence threshold) in scale insects. Prevalence of Wolbachia in scale insects follows a distribution similar to exponential decline (most species are predicted to have low prevalence infections), in contrast to the U‐shaped distribution estimated for other taxa (most species have a very low or very high prevalence). We observed no significant associations between Wolbachia infection and scale insect traits. Finally, we screened for Wolbachia in scale insect's ecological associates. We found a positive correlation between Wolbachia infection in scale insects and their ant associates, pointing to a possible route of horizontal transfer of Wolbachia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced-representation sequencing (RRS) has made it possible to identify hundreds to thousands of genetic markers for phylogenomic analysis for the testing of phylogenetic hypotheses in non-model taxa. The use of customized probes to capture genetic markers (i.e., ultraconserved element (UCE) approach) has further boosted the efficiency of collecting genetic markers. Three UCE probe sets pertaining to spiders (Araneae) have been published, including one for the suborder Mesothelae (an early diverged spider group), one for Araneae, and one for Arachnida. In the current study, we developed a probe set specifically for the superfamily Araneoidea in spiders. We then combined the three probe sets for Araneoidea, Araneae, and Arachnid into a fourth probe set. In testing the effectiveness of the 4 probe sets, we used the captured loci of the 15 spider genomes in silico (6 from Araneoidea). The combined probe set outperformed all other probe sets in terms of the number of captured loci. The Araneoidea probe set outperformed the Araneae and Arachnid probe sets in most of the included Araneoidea species. The reconstruction of phylogenomic trees using the loci captured from the four probe sets and the data matrices generated from 50% and 75% occupancies indicated that the node linked to the Stegodyphus + RTA (retrolateral tibial apophysis) clade has unstable nodal supports in the bootstrap values, gCFs, and sCFs. Our results strongly indicate that developing ad hoc probe sets for sub-lineages is important in the cases where the origins of a lineage are ancient (e.g., spiders ~380 MYA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-B, non-C hepatocellular carcinoma (NBNC-HCC) may be related to metabolic syndrome, and the incidence of this tumor type is increasing annually. The definition of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) proposed in 2020 may help to more accuratelyassess the association between metabolic syndrome and NBNC-HCC. However, this new concept has not yet been applied in NBNC-HCC research. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with NBNC-HCC and CHB-HCC diagnosed between 2009-13 and 2014-18, focusing on metabolic risk factors and the new concept of MAFLD. Method: Patients with BCLC-0/A-HCC who received curative hepatectomy between January 2009 and December 2018 were retrospectively assessed; the associations between clinicopathological characteristics and clinical outcomes of NBNC-HCC and CHB-HCC were analyzed by multivariate analysis. Result: Compared to patients diagnosed in 2009-13, the frequency of metabolic disorders in NBNC-HCC was significantly higher in 2014-18 [DM (p =0.049), HTN (p =0.004), BMI (p =0.017) and MAFLD (p =0.003)]; there was no significant change in patients with CHB-HCC. Moreover, CHB-HCC was an independent risk factor for HCC recurrence (HR, 1.339; 95% CI, 1.010-1.775, p= 0.043) and death (HR, 1.700; 95% CI, 1.017-2.842, p =0.043) compared to NBNC-HCC. Conclusions: Therisk of MAFLD, obesity, DM, and hypertension in patients with early-stage NBNC have significantly increased in recent years, thus metabolic syndrome should be monitored in this special population. Moreover, NBNC-HCC tend to had a better prognosis than CHB-HCC, probably due to their distinct clinicopathological features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the associations between metabolic risk factors and periodontitis in young adults. Materials and methods: The study included 1123 participants, aged 19–40 years, in Taiwan. Metabolic syndrome components were defined by the International Diabetes Federation criteria. Localized periodontitis was graded to healthy (n = 828) and stage II/III (n = 295) according to the 2017 criteria of the World Workshop. Multiple logistic regression analysis with adjustment for sex, age, betel nut consumption, and smoking were used to determine the associations. Results: Greater waist circumference, serum triglycerides, and serum uric acid were associated with higher localized stage II/III periodontitis risk [odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04 (1.02–1.05), 1.004 (1.002–1.006), and 1.10 (1.00–1.21), respectively]. There were no associations for total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein, and blood pressure. There was a non‐linear association between fasting glucose and localized stage II/III periodontitis, where the turning point was 105 mg/dl [OR: 0.97 (0.95–0.99) and 1.06 (1.00–1.13) when the levels were <105 and ≥105 mg/dl, respectively]. Conclusions: The risks of localized stage II/III periodontitis vary with metabolic components, in which waist circumference, serum triglycerides, and serum uric acid are the risk factors, whereas plasma glucose shows a non‐linear relationship in young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine biofouling is a severe problem with a wide-reaching impact on ship maintenance, the economy, and ecosystem safety, among others. Inspired by complex multifunctional frogskins, wrinkled slippery coatings are created that exhibit remarkable antifouling, anti-icing, and self-cleaning properties through a combination of degradable di-block copolymer self-assembly [i.e., polystyrene-b-polylactide (PS-b-PLA)] and hydrolysis-driven dynamic release-induced surface wrinkling. Microwrinkled patterns can generate curved surfaces that are resistant to biofouling. Gyroid-forming PS-b-PLA can be used to produce nanoporous templates with cocontinuous nanochannels, which generate strong capillary forces for trapping and storing infiltrated lubricants. In this study, block-copolymer-derived hierarchically wrinkled slippery liquid-infused nanoporous surfaces (i.e., micro wrinkles with nanochannels infused with slippery fluids) are successfully fabricated after silicone oil infiltration. The antibiofouling performance of these surfaces is examined against different foulers under various conditions. The produced coatings exhibited flexible, stable, transparent, and easily tunable antibiofouling characteristics. In particular, the formation of an eco-friendly silicon-based lubricant layer without the use of fluorinated compounds and costly material precursors is an advantage in industrial practice that can be adopted in various applications, such as fuel transport, self-cleaning windows, anticorrosion protection, nontoxic coatings for medical devices, and optical instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boron isotopic ratio of 11B/10B (δ11BSRM951) and trace element composition of marine carbonates are key proxies for understanding carbon cycling (pH) and palaeoceanographic change. However, method validation and comparability of results between laboratories requires carbonate reference materials. Here, we report results of an inter‐laboratory comparison study to both assign δ11BSRM951 and trace element compositions to new synthetic marine carbonate reference materials (RMs), NIST RM 8301 (Coral) and NIST RM 8301 (Foram) and to assess the variance of data among laboratories. Non‐certified reference values and expanded 95% uncertainties for δ11BSRM951 in NIST RM 8301 (Coral) (+24.17‰ ± 0.18‰) and NIST RM 8301 (Foram) (+14.51‰ ± 0.17‰) solutions were assigned by consensus approach using inter‐laboratory data. Differences reported among laboratories were considerably smaller than some previous inter‐laboratory comparisons, yet discrepancies could still lead to large differences in calculated seawater pH. Similarly, variability in reported trace element information among laboratories (e.g., Mg/Ca ± 5% RSD) was often greater than within a single laboratory (e.g., Mg/Ca < 2%). Such differences potentially alter proxy‐reconstructed seawater temperature by more than 2 °C. These now well‐characterised solutions are useful reference materials to help the palaeoceanographic community build a comprehensive view of past ocean changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Anemia manifested as reduced red blood cell (RBC) amounts or hemoglobin levels has been associated with lower cardiorespiratory fitness. However, the relationship of smaller RBC with physical fitness was unknown. We included 2933 non‐anemic military males (hemoglobin levels: 11.1‐15.9 g/dL and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) <100 fL) in Taiwan during 2014. Aerobic fitness was assessed by time for a 3000‐meter run, and anaerobic fitness was evaluated by numbers of sit‐ups and push‐ups, each performed within 2 minutes. Multiple linear and logistic regression models adjusting for age, service specialty, lipid profiles, and hemoglobin levels were used to determine the associations. Microcytosis and normocytosis were defined as MCV ≤ 70 fL (n = 190) and MCV > 70 fL (n = 2743), respectively. The linear regression shows that as compared with microcytosis, normocytosis was associated with more numbers of sit‐ups performed within 2 minutes (β = 1.51, P‐value = 0.02). The logistic regression also reveals that those males with microcytosis had higher probability as the worst 10% performers in the 2‐minute push‐up test (odds ratio: 1.91, 95% confidence intervals: 1.18‐3.12). By contrast, there was no association of microcytosis with 3000‐meter running time. Our study suggests that non‐anemic microcytosis was associated with lower anaerobic fitness but not with aerobic fitness. Whether the causative factors for microcytosis such as iron deficiency status and thalassemia trait unavailable in the study might account for the relationship needs further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) manufacturing, the automatic recognition and classification of defects can help manufacturers monitor abnormalities, identify potential process problems, and swiftly respond to these process problems. Thus, yield loss can be reduced. However, capturing the content displayed on screen using cameras is challenging because it is often contaminated with moiré patterns. Moiré patterns originate from the interference between the pixel grids of inspection camera sensors and panel screens and adversely affect the visual quality of images, causing difficulty in determining the defect type, especially mura defects. Therefore, eliminating moiré patterns in defect images without impairing image quality is critical. However, moiré patterns are often dynamic and vary with sensor resolution, distance, and direction. Moreover, the frequency distribution of moiré patterns is broad, encompassing both low- and high-frequency components. Therefore, demoiréing is more challenging than other image restoration tasks. We investigated this problem and proposed an approach to eliminate moiré patterns from defect images based on a generative adversarial network architecture by using the U-net network as a generator and adding a discriminator. Moreover, we added an attention mechanism to focus on the local consistency of the restored moiré regions. The peak-signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index measure (SSIM) obtained using the proposed model were compared with those obtained using the U-net and pixel-to-pixel models. The experimental results of this study demonstrated that the proposed method can efficiently remove moiré patterns from defect images, and the proposed method quantitatively and qualitatively outperforms other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]