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Transparent heaters are promising devices because of their versatile applications in vehicles, smart windows, and sensors, etc. Indium tin oxide is widely used for transparent heater materials due to its high electronic conductivity and visible light transmittance. However, the cost of indium is too high, and its fabrication needs sophisticated processes, so that many studies have focused on alternative materials which are inexpensive and easy-to-synthesize. Graphene is a two-dimensional material in which carbon atoms bond to form a hexagonal structure, and it can be an alternative material due to its superior electronic/ thermal conductivity and cost-effectiveness. Here, we chemically treated graphite to synthesize large-sized graphene oxide (LGO), and coated it on a glass substrate, followed by reduction using hydrogen iodide for large-sized reduced graphene oxide (LrGO) on glass. From surface characterizations, we confirmed that the lateral size of the LGO was over 50 μm and the LGO sheets were uniformly coated on the glass, which minimized intersheet contact resistance. Structural characterizations demonstrated that the LGO sheets were reduced to LrGO and the LrGO sheets coated on the glass showed a transmittance of 76.2 % at 550 nm with a sheet resistance of 0.98 kΩ. Finally, the temperature of the substrate increased up to 30 oC when 30 V of voltage was applied for 5 min, and the frost on the glass surface vanished within 1 min.

Recombinant human parathyroid hormone (rhPTH) promotes tendon-to-bone healing in humans and animals with rotator cuff tear (RCT). However, problems regarding repeated systemic rhPTH injections in humans exist. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of topical rhPTH administration using 3-dimensionally (3D) printed nanofiber sheets on tendon-to-bone healing in a rabbit RCT model compared to that of direct topical rhPTH administration.Eighty rabbits were randomly assigned to 5 groups (n = 16 each). To create the chronic RCT model, we induced complete supraspinatus tendon tears in both shoulders and left them untreated for 6 weeks. All transected tendons were repaired in a transosseous manner with saline injection in group A, hyaluronic acid (HA) injection in group B, 3D-printed nanofiber sheet fixation in group C, rhPTH and HA injection in group D, and 3D-printed rhPTH- and HA-soaked nanofiber sheet fixation in group E. Genetic (messenger RNA expression evaluation) and histologic evaluations (hematoxylin and eosin and Masson trichrome staining) were performed in half of the rabbits at 4 weeks postrepair. Genetic, histologic, and biomechanical evaluations (mode of tear and load to failure) were performed in the remaining rabbits at 12 weeks.For genetic evaluation, group E showed a higher collagen type I alpha 1 expression level than did the other groups (P = .008) at 4 weeks. However, its expression level was downregulated, and there was no difference at 12 weeks. For histologic evaluation, group E showed greater collagen fiber continuity, denser collagen fibers, and more mature tendon-to-bone junction than did the other groups (P = .001, P = .001, and P = .003, respectively) at 12 weeks. For biomechanical evaluation, group E showed a higher load-to-failure rate than did the other groups (P .001) at 12 weeks.Three-dimensionally printed rhPTH-soaked nanofiber sheet fixation can promote tendon-to-bone healing of chronic RCT.

This paper provides a unified formulation of optimal guidance-to-collision law for a target with an arbitrary acceleration or deceleration. The collision course for general target acceleration or deceleration is first determined from the engagement geometry in conjunction with the nonlinear engagement kinematics in the proposed approach. The heading error de_ned in the collision course is then adopted as a variable to be nullified for accomplishing the intercept condition. The proposed guidance law is derived based on the heading error dynamics and the optimal error dynamics to ensure optimality and finite-time convergence. As illustrative examples, the proposed guidance command for a constant target acceleration and a target deceleration in the form of a quadratic function of speed are provided. Additionally, the time-to-go prediction method is suggested for implementing the proposed method. The characteristics of the proposed guidance command are analytically investigated to provide insight into the proposed method. The key benefits of the proposed method lie in not producing unnecessary guidance commands near a target compared to other methods and ensuring optimality in guidance command even in the nonlinear engagement kinematics. Finally, numerical simulations are performed to validate the proposed method and to show our findings.

The incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease in females is almost double that of males. To search for sex-specific gene associations, we build a machine learning approach focused on functionally impactful coding variants. This method can detect differences between sequenced cases and controls in small cohorts. In the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project with mixed sexes, this approach identified genes enriched for immune response pathways. After sex-separation, genes become specifically enriched for stress-response pathways in male and cell-cycle pathways in female. These genes improve disease risk prediction in silico and modulate Drosophila neurodegeneration in vivo. Thus, a general approach for machine learning on functionally impactful variants can uncover sex-specific candidates towards diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Graphene has been used in various fields because of its excellent mechanical, optical, electrical, and thermal properties. However, its intrinsic low sensitivity to pressure limits its sensor applications. To overcome this drawback, many researchers have tried to improve the sensitivity by controlling the defects on the graphene, but have yet to report a significant increase in sensitivity compared to the pristine graphene. Herein, we fabricated a graphene-based highly sensitive pressure sensor by flowing ammonia gas during chemical vapor deposition. The ammonia gas assisted the generation of nano-sized defects due to nitrogen doping in the graphene lattice, as well as macro-sized cracks in the graphene layer, due to the corrosion of the Cu surface. We regulated the concentration ratio of ammonia gas and methane gas during the graphene synthesis, which controlled the crack generation. These cracks weakened the in-plane force of the networks in the geometric structure of the graphene, thereby allowing them to deform more easily under external force, and changing the resistance of the sensor dramatically. As a result, the sensitivity of the pressure sensor increased about 10,000 times higher than that of the pristine graphene. These results suggest that controlling defects to improve graphene’s mechanical sensitivity provides a promising route to pressure sensor applications.

Oncogenic gene fusions drive many human cancers, but tools to more quickly unravel their functional contributions are needed. Here we describe methodology permitting fusion gene construction for functional evaluation. Using this strategy, we engineered the known fusion oncogenes, BCR-ABL1, EML4-ALK, and ETV6-NTRK3, as well as 20 previously uncharacterized fusion genes identified in The Cancer Genome Atlas datasets. In addition to confirming oncogenic activity of the known fusion oncogenes engineered by our construction strategy, we validated five novel fusion genes involving MET, NTRK2, and BRAF kinases that exhibited potent transforming activity and conferred sensitivity to FDA-approved kinase inhibitors. Our fusion construction strategy also enabled domain-function studies of BRAF fusion genes. Our results confirmed other reports that the transforming activity of BRAF fusions results from truncation-mediated loss of inhibitory domains within the N-terminus of the BRAF protein. BRAF mutations residing within this inhibitory region may provide a means for BRAF activation in cancer, therefore we leveraged the modular design of our fusion gene construction methodology to screen N-terminal domain mutations discovered in tumors that are wild-type at the BRAF mutation hotspot, V600. We identified an oncogenic mutation, F247L, whose expression robustly activated the MAPK pathway and sensitized cells to BRAF and MEK inhibitors. When applied broadly, these tools will facilitate rapid fusion gene construction for subsequent functional characterization and translation into personalized treatment strategies. Cancer Res; 77(13); 3502–12. ©2017 AACR.

Fusion expression detection by PCR (S1); MET fusion expression and signaling activation by immunoblot and N-terminal partner control assay (S2); NTRK2 fusion expression and signaling activation by immunoblot and N-terminal partner control assay (S3); Expression of BRAF fusion N-terminal partner controls and BRAF structure-function studies by immunoblot and qPCR (S4)

Fusion genes and their sequences from TCGA (S1-2); Primers for fusion PCR (S3); BRAF mutants and mutagenesis primers (S4); (q)PCR primers for expression detection (S5); Fusion gene construction efficiency and success rate (S6)

3D printing technology has significant potential for use in the field of microfluidics. Microfluidic chips are biochips that have been applied in biomedical areas such as disease diagnosis and drug...

In this study, a high-performance triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is developed based on cold spray (CS) deposition of composite material layers. Composite layers were fabricated by cold spraying of micron-scale tin (Sn) particles on aluminum (Al) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films, which led to improved TENG performance owing to functionalized composite layers as friction layers and electrodes, respectively. As-sprayed tin composite layers not only enhanced the flow of charges by strong adhesion to the target layer but also formed a nano-microstructure on the surface of the layers, thereby increasing the surface area during friction. More importantly, the electricity generation performance was improved more than 6 times as compared to the TENG without CS deposition on it. From parametric studies, the TENG using the cold-sprayed composite layer produced an electrical potential of 1140 V for a simple structure with a 25.4 × 25.4 mm

Providing constructive feedback is complex due to the interplay of emotional and motivational processes students experience when receiving such feedback. In the present study, we investigated const...

Far-infrared rays (FIR) are known to have various effects on atoms and molecular structures within cells owing to their radiation and vibration frequencies. The present study examined the effects of FIR on gene expression related to glucose transport through microarray analysis in rat skeletal muscle cells, as well as on mitochondrial biogenesis, at high and low glucose conditions. FIR were emitted from a bio-active material coated fabric (BMCF). L6 cells were treated with 30% BMCF for 24 h in medium containing 25 or 5.5 mM glucose, and changes in the expression of glucose transporter genes were determined. The expression of GLUT3 (Slc2a3) increased 2.0-fold (p < 0.05) under 5.5 mM glucose and 30% BMCF. In addition, mitochondrial oxygen consumption and membrane potential (ΔΨm) increased 1.5- and 3.4-fold (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001), respectively, but no significant change in expression of Pgc-1a, a regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis, was observed in 24 h. To analyze the relationship between GLUT3 expression and mitochondrial biogenesis under FIR, GLUT3 was down-modulated by siRNA for 72 h. As a result, the ΔΨm of the GLUT3 siRNA-treated cells increased 3.0-fold (p < 0.001), whereas that of the control group increased 4.6-fold (p < 0.001). Moreover, Pgc-1a expression increased upon 30% BMCF treatment for 72 h; an effect that was more pronounced in the presence of GLUT3. These results suggest that FIR may hold therapeutic potential for improving glucose metabolism and mitochondrial function in metabolic diseases associated with insufficient glucose supply, such as type 2 diabetes.

The ligand exchange process on gold nanorods (Au NRs) was explored by using laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDI-TOF-MS). Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) adsorbed on Au NRs was replaced with alkanethiol derivatives presenting different functional groups. The ligand exchange process was investigated under various conditions, such as in the presence of different functional groups in the ligands and with different concentrations of CTAB. The ligand-exchanged Au NRs were characterized by using a combination of UV–Vis spectroscopy and LDI-TOF-MS. Based on the results, it was revealed that LDI-TOF-MS analysis can provide crucial and distinct information about the degree of ligand exchange on Au NRs.

The strongest genetic risk factor for idiopathic late‐onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) is apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4, while the APOE ɛ2 allele is protective. However, there are paradoxical APOE ɛ4 carriers who remain disease‐free and APOE ɛ2 carriers with LOAD. We compared exomes of healthy APOE ɛ4 carriers and APOE ɛ2 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, prioritizing coding variants based on their predicted functional impact, and identified 216 genes with differential mutational load between these two populations. These candidate genes were significantly dysregulated in LOAD brains, and many modulated tau‐ or β42‐induced neurodegeneration in Drosophila. Variants in these genes were associated with AD risk, even in APOE ɛ3 homozygotes, showing robust predictive power for risk stratification. Network analyses revealed involvement of candidate genes in brain cell type‐specific pathways including synaptic biology, dendritic spine pruning and inflammation. These potential modifiers of LOAD may constitute novel biomarkers, provide potential therapeutic intervention avenues, and support applying this approach as larger whole exome sequencing cohorts become available.

Remanufacturing is one of the business models of the circular economy frame to cope with environmental problems such as depletion of resources and climate change, which is becoming hot issues all over the world, and the demand for revitalization of the remanufacturing industries are increasing. Among the various remanufacturing fields, the construction equipment has a large unit weight per product and it is mainly composed of cast iron, so it can be expected that the energy and resource saving effect through remanufacturing will be high. Leading construction equipment companies have been aware of the importance of remanufacturing from 20 ~ 30 years ago and are leading the construction equipment remanufacturing industry trend by fostering the remanufacturing business. The construction equipment remanufacturing industry in Korea is an early stage in which several interested companies participate. Key challenges include the need for objective evidence of the effectiveness of remanufacturing, securing skilled technical personnel, securing R & D infrastructure, and providing stable cores for remanufacturing. In this study, we analyzed the potential economic and environmental effects of remanufacturing in Korea’s construction equipment remanufacturing market. As a result of the analysis, when the registration of the construction equipment was invalidated, the economic effect was compared between the case where the construction equipment was dismantled and the case where the remanufacturing was carried out. In addition, environmental effects were analyzed by applying LCA method to reduce environmental impacts in terms of climate change, air pollutant emissions, and resource consumption.

Genetic variants drive the evolution of traits and diseases. We previously modeled these variants as small displacements in fitness landscapes and estimated their functional impact by differentiating the evolutionary relationship between genotype and phenotype. Conversely, here we integrate these derivatives to identify genes steering specific traits. Over cancer cohorts, integration identified 460 likely tumor-driving genes. Many have literature and experimental support but had eluded prior genomic searches for positive selection in tumors. Beyond providing cancer insights, these results introduce a general calculus of evolution to quantify the genotype–phenotype relationship and discover genes associated with complex traits and diseases.

Alloy 4822 (Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb at. pct) cast material was given a controlled heat treatment cycle to generate a casting nearly lamellar (CNL) microstructure that enhances the temperature capability over its current engineering casting duplex (CDP) microstructure form. The cycle consisted of three steps: a short α field annealing, an α + γ field annealing, and then aging at a low temperature, with each step being followed by controlled cooling. The resulted microstructure is shown to be a mixture of non-uniformly distributed ~ 250 μm size lamellar colonies containing ~ 0.15 µm spaced laths. Standard tensile testing at 700 °C shows a yield stress of 344 MPa that is ~ 55 MPa greater than that of the current engineering CDP form. The sequential microstructure evolution processes following the three-step thermal cycle are assessed and explained in terms of phase transformations taking place across and below the α transus upon isothermal treatment and subsequent cooling. The resulted increases in high-temperature strengthening are explained by the colony and γ grain size distributions. The strengthening mechanism along with the significance is discussed.

Circadian rhythm is linked to sleep, arousal and human health overall, affecting body temperature and heart rate. A 24-h natural-light cycle provides optimum lighting environment for humans. However, as people increasingly stay indoors with artificial lighting, lacking periodic characteristics, imbalance in the circadian rhythm ensues. Previous lighting-related studies to resolve such problem partially provided the colour temperatures of natural light but failed to reproduce the 24-h periodic characteristics of it. This study proposes a natural light-reproducing system that provides the daylight cycle characteristics of natural light in order to maintain the circadian rhythm. Natural light was measured through an optical measurement equipment, while the characteristics (colour temperature and short-wavelength ratio) of natural light by season and time were analysed. Subsequently, the control indicator of seasonal and hourly lighting was extracted and applied to the light-emitting diode lighting to provide lighting service, executing a daylight cycle that reflects the characteristics of natural light. After the sunset, especially, the circadian rhythm was maintained by minimizing the short-wavelength ratio of the lighting while maintaining indoor illumination.

철학자 데이비드 흄(David Hume)은 인과관계 자체가 사물의 실제 질서에 관한 판단이 아니라 마음의 임의적인 활동이므로, 우주를 전체로 파악하고 그 궁극적 원인을 밝히는 우주론적 증명은 이성적으로 불가능하다고 주장한다. 흄의 입장에서 우주론적 증명은 경험적 관찰로 도출하는 것이 불가능한 우주의 질서와 원인을 암묵적으로 전제하고 이를 경험적 관찰과 연결하는 순환론에 불과하다. 임마누엘 칸트(Immanuel Kant)는 개념과 존재를 절대적으로 구분하는 자신의 철학 체계를 바탕으로, 우주론적 신존재 증명이 전제하고 있는 신의 관념은 인간의 이성이 판단할 수 있는 실재가 아니라 순수이성의 이상(ideal)에 불과하다고 비판한다. 이러한 우주론적 신존재 증명의 일반적 형태에 대한 비판을 바탕으로 토마스 아퀴나스(Thomas Aquinas)의 우주론적 신존재 증명을 분석해 보았을 때, 아퀴나스의 증명은 아리스토텔레스의 형이상학과 기독교적인 창조교리를 바탕으로 한 자체필연유(ens necessarium per se)를 전제로 가지는 순환논증의 형태를 띠고 있음이 드러난다. 따라서, 흄과 칸트의 비판은 아퀴나스에게 유효하다. 그러나, 기독교적 창조교리를 바탕으로 아리스토텔레스의 형이상학을 창조적으로 전유한 아퀴나스의 우주론적 신존재 증명 방식은 13세기 아리스토텔레스 철학의 수용과정에서 이성과 종교적 고백 사이의 이분법을 극복하고 둘 사이의 생산적인 대화를 가능하게 했다는 점에서 종교사적으로 큰 의미가 있다. 따라서 아퀴나스의 우주론적 신존재 증명에서 드러난 순환은 악순환이 아니라 신앙과 이성 사이의 생산적인 대화를 일으킨 선순환이라고 볼 수 있으며, 이러한 점에서 아퀴나스가 아리스토텔레스를 창조적으로 전유한 방식은 오늘날 종교 언어가 지향해야 할 형태의 사유 중 하나이다.

The solidification pathway and peritectic transition characteristic related to the solute concentration in TiAl-Nb system are calculated using the Thermo-Calc software. The results show that there are four typical solidification modes in the TiAl-Nb system, which are single β, hypo-peritectic, hyper-peritectic and single α solidification. The mole fraction of peritectic growth αp can be used to describe the undergoing extent of the peritectic tranformation (EPT) directly for the alloys with the peritectic transition, and βp/βmax can also be used to describe the EPT for the hypo-peritectic and Lp/(1 − βmax) for the hyper-peritectic. The mole fraction of αp shows a parabolic shape variation on a plot of solute Al at constant Nb content. The composition of the complete peritectic transformation (PT) is around 46.5 at.% Al for the TiAl binary alloy, and it gradually shifts to the direction of high Nb content with increase of solute Al. A temperature gap (△Tp) corresponding to the peritectic transition exists in Nb containing TiAl alloys and the △Tp shows a parabolic shape on a plot of solute Al at constant Nb content. The experimental results are generally in accordance with the theoretical rules.

Grit, defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, has been found to be a powerful predictor of student success and persistence. Yet, it has been a recently scrutinized construct due to weaknesses in its discriminant and predictive validity. To investigate these issues further, we examined grit, its dimensions (perseverance of effort and consistency of interest), and other motivational factors—academic buoyancy and future time perspective—to test whether they were distinct constructs, and whether they were predictors of academic achievement, incorporating individual differences in gender, ethnicity, and major. The current study revealed that grit positively predicted undergraduates’ GPA (N = 328, Mage = 20.88, SDage = 1.70) over and beyond demographic and other motivational variables. Regarding individual differences, men and women differed on subscales of future time perspective, and Asian Americans reported lower grit compared to White and Hispanic students, despite higher GPA compared to Hispanics. The relevance of the findings is discussed along with implications for research and practice.

It has been reported that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) might induce major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), but the association between the use of SSRIs and MACE has not been elucidated as yet. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the use of SSRIs and MACE in depressed patients with previous cardiovascular events. Two researchers independently selected randomized-controlled studies (RCTs) according to the predefined inclusion criteria and evaluated the quality of articles. A quantitative analysis was carried out to estimate pooled risk ratios (RRs) for the association between the use of SSRIs and MACE. Ten RCTs were selected in the final analysis. The use of SSRIs in depressed patients with previous cardiovascular events significantly decreased the risk of MACE [RR: 0.74; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.55-0.99]. The risk of myocardial infarction was also reduced significantly (RR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.37-0.93), associations with stroke and all-cause-death (cardiac or other causes): risk of stroke (RR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.35-2.25) or all-cause death (RR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.66-1.05). This meta-analysis suggests that the use of SSRIs decreased the risk of MACE by significantly reducing the risk of myocardial infraction in patients with depression and previous cardiovascular events.

Neuraxial ultrasonography can improve the technical performance of spinal anesthesia. However, there are no data regarding the optimal approach for ultrasound-assisted spinal anesthesia. This study aimed to compare the midline and paramedian approaches for ultrasound-assisted spinal anesthesia in adult orthopedic patients.A single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial.Operating room.One hundred and twelve patients undergoing orthopedic surgery were included.Patients were randomized to undergo either the midline or paramedian approach for preprocedural ultrasound-assisted spinal anesthesia.The primary outcome was the number of needle passes required for successful dural puncture. Secondary outcomes were the number of needle insertions, first pass/attempt success rate, procedural time, and the incidence of periprocedural complications.The median number of needle passes was significantly lower in the paramedian group (1 [IQR, 1-2]) than in the midline group (3 [2-6]; P 0.001). The paramedian approach showed higher first pass/attempt success rates compared with the midline group (58.9% vs. 21.4%; 91.1% vs. 53.6%; both, P 0.001). Total procedure times were significantly shorter in the paramedian group than in the midline group (113 [72.5-146.5] vs. 196 [138-298.5] seconds; P 0.001). The quality of sonographic images was graded as good in 94.6% of paramedian sagittal oblique views and 54.5% of transverse median views. No significant intergroup differences were found in the incidence of periprocedural complications.Compared with the midline approach, the ultrasound-assisted paramedian approach showed improved efficacy in terms of the number of needle manipulations, first pass success rates, and procedural time. These results suggest that the paramedian approach may be more efficient for preprocedural ultrasound-assisted spinal anesthesia.NCT03491943.

This study targeted a four-bed ward with a ventilation system and a four-way cassette fan coil unit (4-way FCU) installed on the ceiling. The indoor air quality under summer and winter conditions was comparatively analyzed. The age of air was calculated by conducting tests and simulations under diverse conditions, assuming that the ventilation system and 4-way FCU were continuously operating. The use of an air cleaner and ward curtain was investigated for its impact on the air quality in the breathing zone of a patient lying on the bed, and effects of the airflow and discharge angle of the 4-way FCU were considered. Because the 4-way FCU was installed in the central part of the ceiling, where indoor air is sucked in and subsequently discharged in four directions, the age of air at each bed was found to vary depending on the airflow and discharge angle of the 4-way FCU. When the airflow and discharge angle of the 4-way FCU was fixed, the age of air at each bed appeared to be lower during winter heating than in summer cooling mode. The age of air was significantly lowered at each bed, depending on the use of the curtain and the air cleaner along with the ventilation system and 4-way FCU, and appropriate seasonal operating conditions were identified to maintain a lower age of air at each bed.

This paper aims to propose a nonlinear adaptive attitude control method for urban aerial mobility (UAM) to counteract its center of gravity (CG) variations, which is considered one of the challenging issues for UAM development. To this end, we firstly analyze the effect of the dynamic change caused by the CG variations rigorously. The analysis result uncovers that the model uncertainties (it can be regarded as the internal disturbances) due to the CG variations are not rapidly changing during the operation of UAM. Based on this observation, a nonlinear adaptive controller is suggested to attenuate the disturbances by leveraging on a two-stage design procedure with the concept of the disturbance observer-based control (DOBC) and the three-loop control topology in this paper. To be more specific, the baseline controller, based on the feedback linearization control (FBLC) in conjunction with the three-loop control structure, is designed by including the disturbances as exogenous inputs to the system. And then, the nonlinear disturbance observer is separately designed to estimate these disturbances. Finally, the performance of the proposed method is examined through numerical simulations.

This study deals with the design of the impact angle control guidance (IACG) laws using the finite-time convergence control (FTCL) methods. To design IACG laws, the guidance command is divided into two parts. The first part is the command to intercept the target by nullifying the miss distance. The second part is the command to satisfy the impact angle constraint only. Unlike the general tracking problems, the guidance problems, including IACG, can be regarded as the finite-time tracking problems. Namely, the terminal constraints should converge to the desired values before the target is intercepted. For accomplishing this goal, the concept of FTCL methods is utilized in this paper. To use the characteristics of FTCL methods enforcing a specific state variable to be zero for a given time, the impact angle error is defined as a state variable. The error dynamics of the impact angle is then derived. Finally, the proposed guidance commands are determined in a way to apply the concept of FTCL methods to the error dynamics of the impact angle. This study considers the two FTCL methods: the optimal error dynamics and the arbitrary time convergence control method. Finally, numerical simulations are performed to examine the characteristics of the proposed IACGs through FTCL methods.

This study sought to develop a novel diagnostic tool for atopic dermatitis (AD). Mouse transcriptome data were obtained via RNA-sequencing of dorsal skin tissues of CBA/J mice affected with contact hypersensitivity (induced by treatment with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene) or brush stimulation-induced AD-like skin condition. Human transcriptome data were collected from German, Swedish, and American cohorts of AD patients from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. edgeR and SAM algorithms were used to analyze differentially expressed murine and human genes, respectively. The FAIME algorithm was then employed to assign pathway scores based on KEGG pathway database annotations. Numerous genes and pathways demonstrated similar dysregulation patterns in both the murine models and human AD. Upon integrating transcriptome information from both murine and human data, we identified 36 commonly dysregulated differentially expressed genes, which were designated as a 36-gene signature. A severity score (AD index) was applied to each human sample to assess the predictive power of the 36-gene AD signature. The diagnostic power and predictive accuracy of this signature were demonstrated for both AD severity and treatment outcomes in patients with AD. This genetic signature is expected to improve both AD diagnosis and targeted preclinical research.

The use of air cleaners indoors has increased with the increase in indoor activities driven by the COVID-19 outbreak. In this study, the indoor air quality was determined at the location of each patient’s respirator in a four-bed hospital ward equipped with a ventilation system and curtains, by varying the position of one air cleaner. By operating the air cleaner alone without the ventilation system, it was confirmed that it is better to place the air cleaner close to the center of the ward, regardless of whether curtains are used. It was further identified that the farther away the air cleaner is from the center, the worse the age of air could be, compared to the case of operating it in the center. Moreover, the situation where the ventilation system and air cleaner were operated simultaneously in the hospital ward was considered. It was discovered that operating the air cleaner close to the ventilation inlets in the absence of curtains helps to improve the indoor air quality. Furthermore, it was found that the age of the air is generally low near the location where the air cleaner is operated in the presence of curtains. Selecting an optimal position for the air cleaner can improve the air quality at the location of each bed in a four-bed hospital ward.