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Literacy is a practice of freedom. It shapes our ability to critically question, assess, and respond to texts and information. However, reading has recently come under attack in many states [...]

What determines public support for trade liberalization? Scholars of international political economy have generally focused on the effects of openness on employment via individuals' skill level, sector, or occupation. Recent developments in trade economics suggest that the characteristics of individual citizens' employing firms may also shape their attitudes on trade policy. In this paper, using under-explored survey data combining trade opinion with measures of employer productivity (from the 2008 Japanese General Social Survey), we present evidence that employees of more productive, more globalized firms are much more supportive of trade openness than employees of less productive, domestically oriented firms, even when accounting for skill level and sectoral and occupational characteristics. Moreover, we find evidence that the effects of these characteristics described in the literature are conditioned by globalized firm employment. Last, we find that the effect of globalized firm employment is conditioned by employees' relative position within their firms. Those who are more likely to benefit directly from firm success--such as permanent employees and managers--hold the most pro-trade preferences. These findings suggest that economic interests affect individual policy preferences in more nuanced ways than previously recognized., doi: [...]

Topologically protected magnetic skyrmions in magnetic materials are stabilized by an interfacial or bulk Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI). Interfacial DMI decays with an increase of the magnetic layer thickness in just a few nanometers, and bulk DMI typically stabilizes magnetic skyrmions at low temperatures. Consequently, more flexibility in the manipulation of DMI is required for utilizing nanoscale skyrmions in energy-efficient memory and logic devices at room temperature (RT). Here, we demonstrate the observation of RT skyrmions stabilized by gradient DMI (g-DMI) in composition gradient-engineered CoPt single-layer films by employing the topological Hall effect, magnetic force microscopy, and nitrogen-vacancy scanning magnetometry. Skyrmions remain stable over a wide range of applied magnetic fields and are confirmed to be nearly Bloch-type from micromagnetic simulation and analytical magnetization reconstruction. Furthermore, we observe skyrmion pairs, which may be explained by skyrmion–antiskyrmion interactions. Our findings expand the family of magnetic materials hosting RT magnetic skyrmions by tuning g-DMI via gradient polarity and a choice of magnetic elements.

Quantum states can provide means to systematically manipulate the transport of electrons. Here we present electron transport across quasi-bound states of two heterogeneous quantum wells (QWs), where the transport of thermally excited electrons is blocked or enabled depending on the relative positions of the two quasi-bound states, with an abrupt current onset occurring when the two QW states align. The QW switch comprises a source (Cr), QW1 (Cr2O3), QW2 (SnOx, x< 2), a tunneling barrier (SiO2), and a drain (Si), where the effective electron mass of QW1 (m*QW1) is selected to be larger than QW2 (m*QW2). The current–voltage (I–V) measurements of the fabricated devices show abrupt current onsets, with the current transition occurring within 0.25 mV, corresponding to an effective electron temperature of 0.8 K at room temperature. Since transistor power consumption is fundamentally tied to effective electron temperature, this sub-1K cold-electron QW switching holds promise for highly energy-efficient computing.

ABSTRACTIntroductionScaffold hopping has emerged as a practical tactic to enrich the synthetic bank of small molecule antitumor agents. Specifically, it enables the chemist to refine the lead compound’s pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and physiochemical properties. Scaffold hopping opens up fresh molecular territory beyond established patented chemical domains.Area coveredThe authors present the scaffold hopping-based drug design strategies for dual inhibitory antitumor structural templates in this review. Minor modifications, structure rigidification and simplification (ring-closing and opening), and complete structural overhauls were the strategies employed by the medicinal chemist to generate a library of bifunctional inhibitors. In addition, the review presents an overview of the computational methods of scaffold hopping (software and programs) and organopalladium catalysis leveraged for the synthesis of templates designed via scaffold hopping.Expert opinionThe medicinal chemist has demonstrated remarkable prowess in furnishing dual inhibitory antitumor chemical architectures. Scaffold hopping-based drug design strategies have yielded a plethora of pharmacodynamically superior dual modulatory antitumor agents. An integrated approach involving computational advancements, synthetic methodology advancements, and conventional drug design strategies is required to increase the number of scaffold-hopping-assisted drug discovery campaigns.

Infections have a poor prognosis in inpatients with cirrhosis. We aimed to determine regional variations in infections and their association with clinical outcomes in a global cohort of inpatients with cirrhosis.

Precedential evidence ascertaining the overexpression of LSD1 and HDACs in colorectal cancer spurred us to design a series of dual LSD1-HDAC inhibitors. Capitalizing on the modular nature of the three-component HDAC inhibitory model, tranylcypromine as a surface recognition motif was appended to zinc-binding motifs via diverse linkers. A compendium of hydroxamic acids was generated and evaluated for in vitrocytotoxicity against HCT-116 cells (human colorectal cancer cell lines). The most potent cell growth inhibitor 2(GI50= 0.495 μMm HCT-116 cells) shows promising anticancer effects by reducing colony formation and inducing cell cycle arrest in HCT-116 cells. It exhibits preferential inhibition of HDAC6, along with potent inhibition of LSD1 compared to standard inhibitors. Moreover, Compound 2upregulates acetyl-tubulin, acetyl-histone H3, and H3K4me2, indicative of LSD1 and HDAC inhibition. In vivo, it demonstrates significant antitumor activity against colorectal cancer, better than irinotecan, and effectively inhibits growth in patient-derived CRC organoids.

Organic electrode materials for rechargeable batteries show great promise for improving the storage capacity, reducing production costs, and minimizing environmental impact toward sustainability. In this study, we report a series of newly synthesized arylamine-based polyimides, TPPA-PIs, with three different bridge functionalizations on the imide rings and isomeric constituents that can work as versatile battery electrodes. As a lithium-ion battery cathode, a maximum energy density of 248 Wh kg–1with high voltage operation up to 4.0 V can be achieved. As a lithium-ion battery anode, the TPPA-PIs showed a reversible storage capacity of 806 mA h g–1at 100 mA g–1current density with good rate capability up to a current density of 2000 mA g–1. Moreover, when applied as sodium-ion battery anodes, TPPA-PIs delivered an optimum specific capacity of up to 218 mA h g–1after 50 cycles at a 50 mA g–1current density and revealed a long cycling stability up to 1000 cycles under a high current density of 1000 mA g–1. More importantly, these electrochemical performances of TPPA-PIs are among the best compared with other reported polymer-based electrodes. The mechanistic studies show that both bridge functionalization on the imide units and isomerism impact the electrochemical performance by regulating their intrinsic properties such as charge storage behavior, ion diffusivity, and activation energy. We believe that such a detailed study of the structural design to electrochemical performance of these polymeric electrodes will offer insights into materials development and optimization for next-generation multifunctional energy storage devices in a wide range of applications.

Controlling the surface diffusion of particles on 2D devices creates opportunities for advancing microscopic processes such as nanoassembly, thin-film growth, and catalysis. Here, we demonstrate the ability to control the diffusion of F4TCNQ molecules at the surface of clean graphene field-effect transistors (FETs) via electrostatic gating. Tuning the back-gate voltage (VG) of a graphene FET switches molecular adsorbates between negative and neutral charge states, leading to dramatic changes in their diffusion properties. Scanning tunneling microscopy measurements reveal that the diffusivity of neutral molecules decreases rapidly with a decreasing VGand involves rotational diffusion processes. The molecular diffusivity of negatively charged molecules, on the other hand, remains nearly constant over a wide range of applied VGvalues and is dominated by purely translational processes. First-principles density functional theory calculations confirm that the energy landscapes experienced by neutral vs charged molecules lead to diffusion behavior consistent with experiment. Gate-tunability of the diffusion barrier for F4TCNQ molecules on graphene enables graphene FETs to act as diffusion switches.

ABSTRACTIntroductionSpleen tyrosine kinase (SYK), a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, has emerged as a vital component in the complex symphony of cancer cell survival and division. SYK activation (constitutive) is documented in various B-cell malignancies, and its inhibition induces programmed cell death. In some instances, it also acts as a tumor suppressor.Areas coveredInvolvement of the SYK in the cancer growth, specifically in the progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), diffuse large B cell lymphomas (DLBCLs), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and multiple myeloma (MM) is discussed. Therapeutic strategies to target SYK in cancer, including investigational SYK inhibitors, combinations of SYK inhibitors with other drugs targeting therapeutically relevant targets, and recent advancements in constructing new structural assemblages as SYK inhibitors, are also covered.Expert opinionThe SYK inhibitor field is currently marred by the poor translation rate of SYK inhibitors from preclinical to clinical studies. Also, dose-limited toxicities associated with the applications of SYK inhibitors have been evidenced. Thus, the development of new SYK inhibitory structural templates is in the need of the hour. To accomplish the aforementioned, interdisciplinary teams should incessantly invest efforts to expand the size of the armory of SYK inhibitors.

In the field of stock price forecasting, we are actively seeking to integrate various information to more accurately grasp market dynamics. Although historical stock prices and financial news have been widely used in previous studies, it is relatively rare to find research considering news-based, technical, and chip factors simultaneously and evaluating their combined effect. In this study, we innovatively propose a multi-kernel model that not only combines news-based, technical, and chip factor analysis but also utilizes market data provided by the Taiwan Stock Exchange, including institutional trading situations and stock price technical indicators. The aim is to further enhance the prediction accuracy of stock price dynamics. Based on the frequency of word occurrences, we design a new discriminant index to extract features highly correlated with stock prices from financial news. The empirical results show that our multi-kernel model significantly surpasses the single-kernel model in prediction accuracy. However, we also find that although financial news is somewhat correlated with stock price dynamics, information such as chip factors and stock price technical indicators contribute more significantly in our model. This further validates that our multi-kernel learning algorithm can effectively handle multifaceted data sources and give appropriate weights according to the importance of each data point, thereby enhancing the comprehensiveness of prediction. Through this research, we hope to bring new perspectives and inspirations to the field of stock price forecasting.

Easily the biggest financial planning and analysis (FP&A) challenge for most companies is predicting future revenues and cash flows--a challenge that became much harder during the COVID-19 pandemic. Past results [...]

This paper empirically analyzes the impact of social security contributions on firm performance using data from China's Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2022. The findings show that social security contributions have an inverted U-shaped relationship with firm performance, which is due to the fact that the human capital effect of social security contributions is greater than the crowding-out effect before the optimal point, and the crowding-out effect is greater than the human capital effect after the optimal point is reached. The above conclusion still holds after a series of robustness tests. In addition, this paper constructs the optimal social security contribution rate for enterprise performance from the relevant theory of factor endowment change in new structural economics, and at the same time finds that deviation from the optimal social security contribution rate reduces enterprise performance. This paper analyzes the heterogeneous roles played by both the social security contribution rate and the optimal social security contribution rate, and it can be found that these results vary across firms with different property rights and factor intensities. The findings of this paper provide policy considerations for setting the optimal social security contribution rate.

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a subset of the additive manufacturing process in which a laser beam selectively joins the metal powder into a desired part in a sequential layer process. Owing to its complex nature of rapid heating and cooling of the melt pool, there is a need to understand the melt pool behavior and its effects on the final manufactured part. A densely packed powder bed is highly desirable for fabricating a superior part using the LPBF process. In this work, discrete element model was used to generate powder beds with realistic powder properties and various factors affecting the packing density were studied. The powder beds generated were then irradiated with a high-power laser source to selectively melt the powder particles to study the melt pool dynamics using volume of fluid method. The effect of laser parameters like laser power and scan speed on the melt pool was studied using single-track and multi-track simulations. Multi-layer simulations were performed to replicate the actual LPBF process. The simulations were in close agreement with actual experimental efforts.

Tooth decay is a chronic disease resulting in pain, infection, and tooth loss. This illness is common because many factors, such as poor oral hygiene, sugar consumption, and microbial flora, contribute to dental cavities. Untreated or undetected tooth decay often escalates to a more severe stage, emphasizing the importance of early detection and intervention. We propose a portable, low-cost, and ergonomic optoelectronic device to provide a possible solution for the early detection of dental cavities before annual or regular dental checkups for the first time. This device integrates mini cameras on top of a dental impression tray to capture images of the teeth, and the photographs can be transmitted via Wi-Fi to the cloud for real-time cavity detection through a you only look once (YOLO) algorithm that is based on a convolutional neural network (CNN). Our results show the precision, recall, and mean average precision (mAP)@0.5:0.95 for YOLOv5 (0.72, 0.70, 0.75), YOLOv6 (0.59, 0.50, 0.58), and YOLOv7 (0.93, 0.94, 0.82). We also compared the YOLO algorithm with traditional techniques such as support vector machine (SVM) and k-nearest neighbor (kNN) algorithms. This intraoral cavity detection system paves the way for early detection of dental cavities with quick accessibility and affordable cost. We foresee that this optoelectronic device will play a role in advancing biomedical technologies, ultimately promoting the long-term well-being of individuals.

As organic pollutants are non-biodegradable, they pose a threat to the ecology and human health. Metol (MTL) is one of the most serious pollutants that gush into water sources. In this work demonstrates, a hydrothermal synthesized CuBi2O4and ultrasonication approach for the construction of the Copper bismuth oxide/hexagonal boron nitride nanocomposite (CuBi2O4/hBN). Therefore, this consistent structure which enhance to strong interfacial interactions between the CuBi2O4and hBN and also which facilitated the fast electron transfer efficiency in addition the physical and electrochemical characters of the CuBi2O4/hBN was characterize with supported by XRD, XPS, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, CV and DPV analysis. As a consequence, CuBi2O4/hBN/GCE surface modified electrode possessed a LOD of MTL 0.0052 µM at the sensitivity of 1.976 µA µM−1cm−2with 0.001 µM to 1987 µM linear rage. Furthermore, the feasibility of CuBi2O4/hBN/GCE to determine the MTL in the environmental water samples for instance pond, river, and tap water delivered a maximum recovery range about 97–99 % towards the detection of MTL. Therefore, CuBi2O4/hBN electrode material to attain superior electrochemical performances for the detection of MTL.

The purpose of this study was to develop two pictorial tools for assessing the attitudes of Taiwanese male senior high school students with intellectual disabilities toward sexually offensive behavior, focusing on cognitive distortion and victim empathy. A total of 181 male high school students at special education schools participated in this study. The validity and reliability were examined using exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. For the cognitive distortion scale, 18 items grouped into three factors, rationalization, denial, and victim blaming, and explained 69.72% of the variance; for the victim empathy scale, 12 items grouped into two factors, the victim’s feelings when the offensive behavior is perpetrated by another, and the victim’s feelings when the offensive behavior is perpetrated by oneself, and explained 68.00% of the variance. The reliability was .96 for the cognitive distortion scale and .93 for the victim empathy scale. In conclusion, the two scales developed in this research were found to be reliable and valid tools for evaluating male students’ attitudes toward sexually offensive behavior, and can also be used as reference material for courses in sex education.

Background: It remains unknown whether estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the refit Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation without a term for race is associated with mortality and the need for kidney replacement therapy (KRT) differentially between Black and White heart transplant recipients. Methods: We studied 25,900 adults included in the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. We classified recipients into six categories of eGFR (&lt; 30, 30 to &lt; 45, 45 to &lt; 60, 60 to &lt; 90, 90 to &lt; 120, ≥ 120 ml/min/1.73 m2) using the race-neutral CKD-EPI refit equation, and assessed survival with multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: The association between pre-transplant race-neutral eGFR and mortality varied by race (Pinteraction= 0.006). Compared to White patients with an eGFR of 90–120 ml/min/1.73 m2, the mortality rates were 57% (95% CI 1.25, 1.98), 29% (95% CI 1.11, 1.51), 34% (95% CI 1.19, 1.52), and 19% (95% CI 1.06, 1.33) higher in Black patients with an eGFR less than 30, 30–45, 45–60, and 60–90 ml/min/1.73m2, respectively; and 53% (95% CI 1.28, 1.82), 49% (95% CI 1.33, 1.66), and 23% (95% CI 1.11, 1.35) higher among White patients with an eGFR less than 30, 30–45, and 45–60 ml/min/1.73 m2, respectively. The association between pre-transplant eGFR and the need for KRT during follow-up was similar between Black and White patients (Pinteraction= 0.57). Conclusions: Worsening pre-transplant eGFR using the new race-neutral CKD-EPI refit equation was associated with a higher rate of post-heart transplant mortality and KRT in Black and White recipients. The racial disparity in post-heart transplant mortality was narrower in the setting of severe kidney dysfunction. Graphical abstract:

Purpose: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by diverse symptoms. Diagnosis relies on established criteria and comprehensive assessment. The Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) motor score assesses motor function but is susceptible to rater variability. This study employs MediaPipe and video-assisted methods to objectively calculate real-time motion parameters, aiming to enhance diagnostic accuracy and mitigate inter-rater discrepancies in PD assessment. Methods: Between 2021 and 2022, 30 videos featuring patients with PD were recorded at Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital and Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, compared with 30 normal controls. Using MediaPipe landmark detection, five movements were analyzed, and experienced specialists assessed movement severity based on MDS-UPDRS Motor Section. Results were organized for statistical analysis. Results: Significant differences in various motion parameters were observed between normal individuals and patients with PD (p&lt; 0.007). Motion severity, assessed by pose tracking, strongly correlated with MDS-UPDRS motor section as rated by movement disorder specialists (p &lt; 0.05). Even patients with mild symptoms showed differences from the control group (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: MediaPipe and video-assisted landmark detection provide an objective tool for assessing PD bradykinesia symptoms, which is comparable to manual rating, exhibiting good sensitivity even for very mild symptoms.

Objective: To estimate the net effect of living in a gentrified neighborhood on probability of having serious psychological distress. Data Sources: We pooled 5 years of secondary data from the California Health Interview Survey (2011-2015) and focused on southern California residents. Study Design: We compared adults (n = 43 815) living in low-income and gentrified, low-income and not gentrified, middle- to high-income and upscaled, and middle- to high-income and not upscaled neighborhoods. We performed a probit regression to test whether living in a gentrified neighborhood increased residents' probabilities of having serious psychological distress in the past year and stratified analyses by neighborhood tenure, homeownership status, and low-income status. Instrumental variables estimation and propensity scores were applied to reduce bias arising from residential selection and simultaneity. An endogenous treatment effects model was also applied in sensitivity analyses. Data Collection/Extraction Methods: Adults who completed the survey on their own and lived in urban neighborhoods with 500 or more residents were selected for analyses. Survey respondents who scored 13 and above on the Kessler 6 were categorized as having serious psychological distress in the past year. We used eight neighborhood change measures to classify respondents' neighborhoods. Principal Findings: Living in a gentrified and upscaled neighborhood was associated with increased likelihood of serious psychological distress relative to living in a low-income and not gentrified neighborhood. The average treatment effect was 0.0141 (standard error = 0.007), which indicates that the prevalence of serious psychological distress would have been 1.4 percentage points less if none of the respondents lived in gentrified neighborhoods. Gentrification appears to have a negative impact on the mental health of renters, low-income residents, and long-term residents. This effect was not observed among homeowners, higher-income residents, and recent residents. Conclusions: Gentrification levies mental health costs on financially vulnerable community members and can worsen mental health inequities. KEYWORDS gentrification, mental health, psychological, residence characteristics, social determinants of health, stress, 1 | INTRODUCTION Gentrification is a process marked by accelerated physical restructuring, rapid economic growth, and shifts in the social and cultural characteristics of neighborhoods. At worst, gentrification can disrupt [...]

IMPORTANCE: Guidelines recommend seizure prophylaxis for early posttraumatic seizures (PTS) after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Use of antiseizure medications for early seizure prophylaxis after mild or moderate TBI remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between seizure prophylaxis and risk reduction for early PTS in mild and moderate TBI. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science (January 1, 1991, to April 18, 2023) were systematically searched. STUDY SELECTION: Observational studies of adult patients presenting to trauma centers in high-income countries with mild (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS], 13-15) and moderate (GCS, 9-12) TBI comparing rates of early PTS among patients with seizure prophylaxis with those without seizure prophylaxis. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) reporting guidelines were used. Two authors independently reviewed all titles and abstracts, and 3 authors reviewed final studies for inclusion. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model with absolute risk reduction. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome was absolute risk reduction of early PTS, defined as seizures within 7 days of initial injury, in patients with mild or moderate TBI receiving seizure prophylaxis in the first week after injury. A secondary analysis was performed in patients with only mild TBI. RESULTS: A total of 64 full articles were reviewed after screening; 8 studies (including 5637 patients) were included for the mild and moderate TBI analysis, and 5 studies (including 3803 patients) were included for the mild TBI analysis. The absolute risk reduction of seizure prophylaxis for early PTS in mild to moderate TBI (GCS, 9-15) was 0.6% (95% CI, 0.1%-1.2%; P = .02). The absolute risk reduction for mild TBI alone was similar 0.6% (95% CI, 0.01%-1.2%; P = .04). The number needed to treat to prevent 1 seizure was 167 patients. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Seizure prophylaxis after mild and moderate TBI was associated with a small but statistically significant reduced risk of early posttraumatic seizures after mild and moderate TBI. The small absolute risk reduction and low prevalence of early seizures should be weighed against potential acute risks of antiseizure medications as well as the risk of inappropriate continuation beyond 7 days.

Gypenoside XIII is isolated from Gynostemma pentaphyllum(Thunb.) Makino. In mice, G. pentaphyllumextract and gypenoside LXXV have been shown to improve non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). This study investigated whether gypenoside XIII can regulate lipid accumulation in fatty liver cells or attenuate NASH in mice. We used HepG2 hepatocytes to establish a fatty liver cell model using 0.5 mM oleic acid. Fatty liver cells were treated with different concentrations of gypenoside XIII to evaluate the molecular mechanisms of lipid metabolism. In addition, a methionine/choline‐deficient diet induced NASH in C57BL/6 mice, which were given 10 mg/kg gypenoside XIII by intraperitoneal injection. In fatty liver cells, gypenoside XIII effectively suppressed lipid accumulation and lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, gypenoside XIII significantly increased SIRT1 and AMPK phosphorylation to decrease acetyl‐CoA carboxylase phosphorylation, reducing fatty acid synthesis activity. Gypenoside XIII also decreased lipogenesis by suppressing sterol regulatory element‐binding protein 1c and fatty acid synthase production. Gypenoside XIII also increased lipolysis and fatty acid β‐oxidation by promoting adipose triglyceride lipase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1, respectively. In an animal model of NASH, gypenoside XIII effectively decreased the lipid vacuole size and number and reduced liver fibrosis and inflammation. These findings suggest that gypenoside XIII can regulate lipid metabolism in fatty liver cells and improve liver fibrosis in NASH mice. Therefore, gypenoside XIII has potential as a novel agent for the treatment of NASH.

Clinical manifestations of phlebosclerotic colitis (PC) exhibit significant variability, necessitating diverse treatment strategies depending on disease severity. However, there is limited research exploring the relationship between imaging findings and disease severity. Hence, this retrospective study aimed to analyze the correlation between computed tomography (CT) findings, colonoscopic features, and disease severity. This study compared the abdominal CT characteristics, colonoscopy findings, and treatment modalities of 45 PC patients. CT images were assessed for the severity of mesenteric venous calcification, maximum colonic wall thickness, number of involved colonic segments, and presence of pericolic inflammation. Colonoscopic images were assessed for dark purple discoloration mucosa, erosive and ulcerative lesions, mucosal edema, luminal narrowing, and the number of involved colonic segments. In addition, patients were categorized into three groups: the observation (n= 15), medical treatment (n= 19), and operation (n= 11) groups. In CT images, a significant difference in pericolic inflammation (p= 0.039) was observed among groups. Further, significant differences in dark purple discoloration mucosa (p= 0.033), erosive or ulcerative lesions (p< 0.001), mucosal edema (p< 0.001), luminal narrowing (p= 0.012), and the number of involved colonic segments (p= 0.001) were observed in colonoscopy. Moreover, we found positive correlations between CT and colonoscopy features. In conclusion, CT manifestations and colonoscopy findings exhibited correlation with disease severity in PC. When limited to one diagnostic tool, observations from that tool can infer potential manifestations of the alternative tool.

There has been a lot of excitement surrounding the global electric vehicle (EV) market in the last decade. The emergence of companies such as Tesla in the United States and [...]

The primary studies on emerging market multinational firms (EMFs) thus far have depicted a picture of accelerated internationalization in which EMFs conduct a series of aggressive cross-border acquisitions to further enhance their competitive advantage. However, it is not clear whether the EMFs which conducted the acquisitions at a young age experience better performance. EMFs constrained by their home market development in economic institutions may encounter different challenges in their cross-border acquisitions. Using a sample of South African firms' acquisitions between 1994 and 2012, we find support for the benefit of foreign acquisitions at a young age as well as the moderation effects of economic distance and economic freedom. While early inorganic growth provides an excellent opportunity to propel South African firms' growth, the country level factors present important boundary conditions to examine the benefit of early internationalization. While facing a significant economic distance, older firms are better at utilizing their experience and experience better post-acquisition operating performance. By contrast, the younger firms benefit more from the post-acquisition when the home country has weaker economic freedom. Keywords Emerging-market multinational firms * South African firms * Economic distance * Economic freedom * Cross-border post-acquisition operating performance, 1 Introduction Lacking market-supporting institutions back home, emerging market multinational firms (EMFs) often choose to acquire internationally at an early stage of the company's development to escape the institutional constraints [...]

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) magnetometry offers an alternative tool to detect paramagnetic centers in cells with a favorable combination of magnetic sensitivity and spatial resolution. Here, we employ NV magnetic relaxometry to detect cytochrome C (Cyt-C) nanoclusters. Cyt-C is a water-soluble protein that plays a vital role in the electron transport chain of mitochondria. Under ambient conditions, the heme group in Cyt-C remains in the Fe3+state, which is paramagnetic. We vary the concentration of Cyt-C from 6 to 54 μM and observe a reduction of the NV spin–lattice relaxation time (T1) from 1.2 ms to 150 μs, which is attributed to the spin noise originating from the Fe3+spins. NV T1imaging of Cyt-C drop-casted on a nanostructured diamond chip allows us to detect the relaxation rates from the adsorbed Fe3+within Cyt-C.

Graphical abstract: Comparison of SLM parts printed at different angles with tensile stress and ANSYS stress-strain simulation

Contact sites between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plasma membrane (PM) play a crucial role in governing calcium regulation and lipid homeostasis. Despite their significance, the factors regulating their spatial distribution on the PM remain elusive. Inspired by observations in cardiomyocytes, where ER–PM contact sites concentrate on tubular PM invaginations known as transverse tubules, we hypothesize that PM curvature plays a role in ER–PM contact formation. Through precise control of PM invaginations, we show that PM curvatures locally induce the formation of ER–PM contacts in cardiomyocytes. Intriguingly, the junctophilin family of ER–PM tethering proteins, specifically expressed in excitable cells, is the key player in this process, whereas the ubiquitously expressed extended synaptotagmin-2 does not show a preference for PM curvature. At the mechanistic level, we find that the low-complexity region (LCR) and membrane occupation and recognition nexus (MORN) motifs of junctophilins can bind independently to the PM, but both the LCR and MORN motifs are required for targeting PM curvatures. By examining the junctophilin interactome, we identify a family of curvature-sensing proteins—Eps15 homology domain-containing proteins—that interact with the MORN_LCR motifs and facilitate the preferential tethering of junctophilins to curved PM. These findings highlight the pivotal role of PM curvature in the formation of ER–PM contacts in cardiomyocytes and unveil a mechanism for the spatial regulation of ER–PM contacts through PM curvature modulation.

Drought, a destructive natural disaster, poses a significant threat to vulnerable areas worldwide. Its occurrence in Taiwan brings up concerns, particularly for vital sectors, such as the high-end semiconductor chip industry. Many satellite-based indexes have been developed to monitor the drought. The temperature-vegetation dryness index (TVDI), a commonly used drought index, uses an empirical simplification of land surface temperature (LST) and fractional vegetation cover (FVC). The newly developed temperature-soil moisture dryness index (TMDI) using the LST–normalized difference latent heat index (NDLI) space is regarded as an alternative to TVDI due to its improved ability in vegetation-sparse areas. This article presents advancements in the TMDI using the novel fractional surface water availability (FSWA) derived from the NDLI, with an emphasis on enhanced edge selection in the LST–FSWA trapezoidal space for observing drought states. An effective method has been used to select the dry and wet edges within this trapezoid. The ability of the indexes was evaluated using indicators, including the surface energy balance algorithm for land (SEBAL)-based crop water stress index (CWSI) and evapotranspiration (ET), gross primary productivity (GPP), and in situ precipitation. The results show high correlations (r) between the TVDI and both CWSI and ET, with r values of 0.85 and −0.83, respectively. The TMDI reveals even stronger relationships with CWSI (r = 0.93) and ET (r = −0.94) and is more sensitive than individual variables (FVC, FSWA, and LST) and TVDI. It also indicates a high correlation between the TVDI and GPP (r = −0.69), while the TMDI displays a higher correlation with GPP (r = −0.75). Based on the spatiotemporal analysis, the TMDI was spatially well-matched with CWSI and GPP across most of the study area. Compared to other indexes, the TMDI exhibits the highest sensitivity to precipitation (r = −0.60). By leveraging the CWSI classification, a new TMDI threshold is proposed to assess drought status in southwestern Taiwan during the fourth quarter of the years 2014–2021. Overall, the TMDI accurately captures spatiotemporal variations in drought status, providing valuable insights for irrigation managers to effectively manage limited water resources.

Acrylamide (AA), a probable human carcinogen, is a widely-used industrial chemical but is also present in tobacco smoke and carbohydrate-rich foods processed at high temperatures. AA is metabolized to glycidamide (GA) to cause the formation of DNA adducts. N7-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl) guanine (N7-GAG), the most abundant DNA adduct induced by GA, was recently detected in urine of smokers and non-smokers. In this study, we assessed the variability of AA exposure and biomarkers of AA exposure in urine samples repeatedly collected from AA-exposed workers and explored the half-life of N7-GAG. A total of 8 AA-exposed workers and 36 non-exposed workers were recruited. Pre-shift and post-shift urine samples were collected from the exposed group in parallel with personal sampling for eight consecutive days and from the control group on day 1 of the study. Urinary N7-GAG and the mercapturic acids of AA and GA, namely N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoylethyl)-L-cysteine (AAMA) and N-(R,S)-acetyl-S-(1-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-l-cysteine (GAMA) were analyzed using on-line solid phase extraction-liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry methods. We found that N7-GAG levels in urine were significantly higher in exposed workers than in controls and that N7-GAG level correlated positively with AAMA and GAMA levels. Results from this study showed that AAMA and GAMA possibly remain the more preferred biomarkers of AA exposure and that N7-GAG levels could be elevated by occupational exposures to AA and serve as a biomarker of AA-induced genotoxicity for epidemiological studies.

In the era of technological advancements, additive manufacturing systems now facilitate users in remotely submitting their jobs. This collaborative approach empowers communities to share unique design patterns, fostering innovation and collaboration for cutting-edge part designs. However, the convenience of sharing information over the Internet introduces security challenges, notably the risk of man-in-the-middle attacks. These malicious activities could manipulate parameter values, potentially leading to inaccuracies or defects in the printed parts, thus affecting the mechanical properties negatively. In recent times, the additive manufacturing industry has witnessed numerous cyber-attacks, underscoring the importance of addressing and mitigating potential vulnerabilities in additive manufacturing processes. As we embark on this transformative journey of digital collaboration, it becomes imperative to implement robust security measures to safeguard the integrity of additive manufacturing systems and protect against cyber threats. In this paper, we introduce a comprehensive framework designed to fortify additive manufacturing systems against cyber attacks. This innovative framework serves as a secure platform, facilitating both clients and manufacturing industries to seamlessly submit jobs for remote printing. By implementing file integrity measures, the framework ensures the innocence of the additive manufacturing process, safeguarding against potential file modification attacks. The manipulated additive manufacturing file showing with voids have also been printed using laser powder bed fusion process to identify the affect of voids on tensile tests.

This qualitative study explores school leaders’ (principals and assistant principals) perspectives on crisis leadership roles and their competencies in responding to and managing a crisis. The role of school leaders has become increasingly disrupted by unexpected incidents that are diverse and complex in nature. As such, their knowledge of crisis leadership roles and competencies is critical for schools’ effectiveness in an era of crisis management. The study draws on complex adaptive system theory (CAST) to explore the roles necessary for school leaders to become crisis leaders and analyze school leaders’ experiences and responses to crises in the educational setting. This study investigates qualitative interview data from 20 principals and assistant principals who were knowledgeable of safety protocols and experienced a crisis in one southern K-12 school district in the United States. Data analysis yielded three main leadership roles: (a) agile decision-maker, (b) influencer, and (c) coordinator. Each role is supported with interview data and literature to describe the competencies that guide the action of leaders as they respond to and manage a crisis. The roles support school leaders in reshaping their understanding of a crisis leader, and the competencies explain the actions during crisis response for a school leader. Exploring school leadership roles to manage a crisis in the K-12 system contributes to the literature on crisis leadership in the educational setting during a crisis.

After three unsuccessful attempts to implement an energy tax, Taiwan introduced a carbon fee system through an amendment to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act at the end of 2020, opening a fourth window of opportunity for carbon pricing. However, this limited carbon fee illustrates that Taiwan has taken only a tiny step forward in climate governance and highlights its lock-in, high-carbon economic path. This seems infeasible without the exogenous pressure of the European Union’s Carbon Boundary Adjustment Mechanism. Compared with East Asia’s carbon-intensive industries in Korea, China, and Japan, Taiwan lags significantly in promoting carbon pricing. This study focuses on Taiwan’s carbon fee decision-making mechanisms, democratic processes, and structural constraints within a high-carbon economy as viewed through developmental environmentalism in the East Asian climate governance literature. This study further explores how the predicament of green transformation in high-carbon-emitting developing countries takes shape, including their climate policies, value, and industrial path dependence, and especially their authoritarian and recentralized bureaucratic decision-making mode, to explain the delay in the transformation. By examining Taiwan’s initial carbon fee decision-making, this study attempts to reinterpret developmental environmentalism, shedding light on the structural predicament arising from the internationally compulsory green transformation faced by all high-carbon-emitting manufacturing countries in Asia and globally.

An integrated approach combining finite element modelling, machine learning, and experimental verification was proposed for developing process maps to optimize the LPBF process for AlSi10Mg alloy. A transient thermal simulation model was validated to predict single-layer melt pool size by modifying laser beam power, scan rate, feedstock bed depth, and preheating of feedstock. Using the verified model, a pool of data was generated to develop a backpropagation neural network to predict melt pool dimensional ratios indicating printing defects. It was found that beyond process parameters, powder bed thickness and preheating temperature impacted defect formation. Excessively high preheating temperatures increased the lack of fusion defects by transforming melt pool dynamics from conduction to keyhole mode. Optimal combinations were identified as 30.0 μm thickness with 90.0 and 120.0 °C preheating and 50.0 μm thickness with 120.0 °C preheating. By reducing iterative physical testing, the integrated process mapping approach enables accelerated qualification of LPBF parameters for AlSi10Mg alloy.

This article explores the connection between Chinese kung-fu stories, climate change, and the author's personal experiences. The author reflects on their family's history and the role of martial arts in their upbringing. They discuss the importance of genre fiction, such as kung-fu stories, in addressing climate catastrophe and finding solace in a changing world. The article highlights the popularity of Louis Cha's novels in China and the United States and suggests that these stories can provide a source of collective consolation. [Extracted from the article]

Patients with esophageal cancer may be reluctant to proceed with surgery due to high complication rates. This study aims to compare outcomes between eligible surgical candidates who proceeded with surgery versus those who refused surgery.

An efficient synthesis of chromeno[4,3‐b]pyrrolidines has been successfully developed. This strategy involves a base‐catalyzed reaction of p‐VQMs and o‐hydroxy azomethine ylides via (3 + 2) cycloaddition/oxa‐1,6‐addition reaction sequence. The reaction condition is mild, and a series of chromeno[4,3‐b]pyrrolidines were obtained in 49‐95% yields with excellent diastereoselectivity (dr > 20:1). An efficient synthesis of chromeno[4,3‐b]pyrrolidines has been successfully developed. This strategy involves a base‐catalyzed reaction of p‐VQMs and o‐hydroxy azomethine ylides via (3 + 2) cycloaddition/oxa‐1,6‐addition reaction sequence.

Mulberroside F is isolated from the leaves and roots of Morus albaL. Here, we investigated whether mulberroside F could alleviate airway inflammation and eosinophil infiltration in the lungs of asthmatic mice. We also examined whether mulberroside F attenuated inflammatory responses in human tracheal epithelial BEAS‐2B cells. Female BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA), and administered different doses of mulberroside F via intraperitoneal injection. Additionally, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α‐stimulated BEAS‐2B cells were treated with various doses of mulberroside F, followed by detection of the expressions of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. The results demonstrated that mulberroside F mitigated the levels of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and CCL11, in inflammatory BEAS‐2B cells. Mulberroside F also suppressed reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and ICAM‐1 expression in TNF‐α‐stimulated BEAS‐2B cells, which effectively suppressed monocyte cell adherence. In an animal model of asthma, mulberroside F treatment attenuated airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophil infiltration, and goblet cell hyperplasia. Mulberroside F treatment also decreased lung fibrosis and airway inflammation in OVA‐sensitized mice. Moreover, mulberroside F significantly reduced expressions of Th2‐associated cytokines (including interleukin(IL)‐4, IL‐5, and IL‐13) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid compared to OVA‐sensitized mice. Our results confirmed that mulberroside F is a novel bioactive compound that can effectively reduce airway inflammation and eosinophil infiltration in asthmatic mice via inhibition of Th2‐cell activation.

1,2-diacetylbenzene (1,2-DAB) is a neurotoxic component of aromatic solvents commonly used in industrial applications that induces neuropathological changes in animals. This study unraveled the toxic impact of 1,2-DAB in nerve tissues, explant cultures, and neuron-glial cultures, and explored whether herbal products can mitigate its toxicity. The effects of DAB on axonal transport were studied in retinal explant cultures grown in a micro-patterned dish. The mitochondrial movement in the axons was captured using time-lapse video recordings. The results showed that 1,2-DAB, but not 1,3-DAB inhibited axonal outgrowth and mitochondrial movement in a dose-dependent manner. The toxicity of 1,2-DAB was further studied in spinal cord tissues and cultures. 1,2-DAB selectively induced modifications of microtubules and neurofilaments in spinal cord tissues. 1,2-DAB also potently induced cell damage in both neuronal and glial cultures. Further, 1,2-DAB-induced cellular ATP depletion precedes cell damage in glial cells. Interestingly, treatment with the herbal products silibinin or silymarin effectively mitigated 1,2-DAB-induced toxicity in spinal cord tissues and neuronal/glial cultures. Collectively, the molecular toxicity of 1,2-DAB in neural tissues involves protein modification, ATP depletion, and axonal transport defects, leading to cell death. Silibinin and silymarin show promising neuroprotective effects against 2-DAB-induced toxicity.

Failure to rescue (FTR), defined as in-hospital death following a major complication, has been increasingly studied in patients who undergo cardiothoracic surgery. This study tested the hypothesis that elderly patients undergoing lung cancer resection have greater rates of FTR compared with younger patients.

A Nickel (Ni) microcantilever beam array with tin (Sn) solder bumps has been designed for flip-chip bonding with high-density electrodes. Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology and the micro-electroplating process were used in the fabrication process. Utilizing the out-of-plane deformation of the suspended microcantilever beam, the satisfied heights partially compensate the substrate curvature to ensure a high flip-chip bonding yield, thus, improving package quality in terms of electrical connections. To demonstrate this technique, this study developed a flip-chip carrier for a typical micro-LED array with a beam length of $70~\mu \text{m}$ and a bump height of $2~\mu \text{m}$ . The measurement results revealed that the displacement of the microcantilever beam was approximately $0.8~\mu \text{m}$ when a $500~\mu \text{N}$ force was applied on top of the tin bump. When a glass substrate directly mounts to the flip-chip carrier through the tin bump at a heat reflow of 270 °C, most of the tin bumps successfully melt and solidify, which results in good bonding performance. These results revealed that the proposed approach could be applied to the wafer-level packaging process with high-density ball grid array electrodes.

Emotional dysregulation such as that seen in depression, are a long-term consequence of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), that can be improved by using neuromodulation treatments such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Previous studies provide insights into the changes in functional connectivity related to general emotional health after the application of rTMS procedures in patients with TBI. However, these studies provide little understanding of the underlying neuronal mechanisms that drive the improvement of the emotional health in these patients. The current study focuses on inferring the effective (causal) connectivity changes and their association with emotional health, after rTMS treatment of cognitive problems in TBI patients (N= 32). Specifically, we used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) together with spectral dynamic causal model (spDCM) to investigate changes in brain effective connectivity, before and after the application of high frequency (10 Hz) rTMS over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. We investigated the effective connectivity of the cortico-limbic network comprised of 11 regions of interest (ROIs) which are part of the default mode, salience, and executive control networks, known to be implicated in emotional processing. The results indicate that overall, among extrinsic connections, the strength of excitatory connections decreased while that of inhibitory connections increased after the neuromodulation. The cardinal region in the analysis was dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) which is considered to be the most influenced during emotional health disorders. Our findings implicate the altered connectivity of dACC with left anterior insula and medial prefrontal cortex, after the application of rTMS, as a potential neural mechanism underlying improvement of emotional health. Our investigation highlights the importance of these brain regions as treatment targets in emotional processing in TBI.

Representation of female surgical residents has slowly increased, but underrepresented in medicine (URiM) representation remains disappointingly low. National residency matching reports suggest that meaningful research experience improves surgical residency match success - therefore, formal funding opportunities and early mentorship for URiM medical students. In this study, we catalog medical student (MS) funding opportunities (funding type, eligibility by year, mission, compensation, length of commitment, number of awardees, and dollar investment amount per student) from 7 surgical departments (general surgery, thoracic surgery, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, otorhinolaryngology, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery) within 196 US medical schools and 20 professional surgical educational organizations through manually searching web pages. We recorded 146 surgical funding opportunities from medical school surgical departments and 16 surgical funding opportunities from professional organizations. Overall, we find that medical institutions' surgical departments and professional surgical educational organizations may not be effectively utilizing recruitment strategies in MS funding opportunities.

Radiotherapy (RT) is integral to breast cancer treatment, especially in the current era that emphasizes breast conservation. The aim of our study was to determine the incidence of subsequent primary lung cancer after RT exposure for breast cancer over a time span of 3 decades to quantify this risk over time as modern oncologic treatment continues to evolve.