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It is very common that retailers are storing and managing perishables of multiple types together. Due to chemical or biological reactions, the preservation period of some perishables (e.g., vegetables, fruits, fish, meats) either prolongs or shortens with the co-storage of other product types. Although this phenomenon is significant, it has not been mentioned in the perishable inventory literature. Therefore in this research, we first introduce the concept of cross-perishability. We then formulate an inventory model with a novel control variable of preservation effort that in turn affects the preservation period with cross-perishability when multiple product-types coexist. With an Internet of Things (IoT) sensor system as the background, this model takes the advantage of real time data, based on which the cross perishable effect, inventory characteristics and control policy can be analyzed. Our results indicate that an integrated decision making mechanism with consideration of the cross perishable effect should lead to an improved global mixed perishable inventory policy, in terms of reducing the deterioration cost, decreasing the inventory level, and improving the perishables quality. We prove the upper and lower bound conditions for the decision variables and utilize this result to facilitate the searching algorithm for a fast convergence to the feasible global optima for the non-linear problem with multiple product types and cross perishable effects. In conclusion, we offer managerial and policy implication for the perishable inventory system where the cross perishable effect should be seriously considered.

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare but clinically well-known auto-inflammatory disorder. Cytokine storm, the hallmark of AOSD, is mediated by neutrophil hyperactivation and enhanced neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation. Type I interferons (IFNs), having a primary role in the initiation of proinflammation responses, can induce subsequent inflammatory cytokine production. However, the role of type I IFNs in AOSD is unclear. Indeed, high levels of IFN-α and IFN-β expression are presented by AOSD patients. In this investigation, hierarchical unsupervised clustering was performed on IFN-α and IFN-β data to identify a cluster of AOSD patients who had a serious condition. Neutrophils from treatment-naïve active AOSD patients showed very strong enrichment in their IFN-α response, as shown by RNA-seq and confirmed by the IFN score. Whether IFN-α stimulates NET formation was also tested. IFN-α had the ability to form NETs that contained oxidized mitochondrial DNA (ox-mtDNA). Moreover, the JAK inhibitor could be used to dampen type I IFN-induced NET formation and eventually control ox-mtDNA release. Our results demonstrated the important roles of type I IFNs in the pathogenesis of AOSD through their promotion of NET formation, as characterized by the enhanced level of ox-mtDNA. The findings open up new avenues of research into therapeutic approaches for AOSD.

The rise of ubiquitous systems is sustained by the development and progressive adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) devices and their enabling technologies. IoT has been shown to have significant potential in high-risk Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) industries. In these industries, human lives are at stake and IoT-based applications are primed to offer safe, reliable, and efficient solutions due to their ability to operate at a fine granular level and provide rich low-level information. We review existing published research on IoT-based applications in high-risk EHS industries with specific emphasis on healthcare industry, food supply chain (FSC), mining and energy industries (oil & gas and nuclear), intelligent transportation (e.g., connected vehicles), and building & infrastructure management for emergency response operations until 2016. We also highlight IoT-related challenges and proposed solutions in high risk EHS industries. We then conclude by presenting research challenges and expected trends for IoT in these industries.

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare autoinflammatory disease with systemic involvement, and its pathophysiology remains unclear. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in the Chinese population have revealed an association between AOSD and the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus; however, causal variants in the MHC remain undetermined. In the present study, we identified independent amino-acid polymorphisms in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules that are associated with Han Chinese patients with AOSD by fine-mapping the MHC locus. Through conditional analyses, we identified position 34 in HLA-DQα1 (p = 1.44 × 10−14) and Asn in HLA-DRβ1 position 37 (p = 5.12 × 10−11) as the major determinants for AOSD. Moreover, we identified the associations for three main HLA class II alleles: HLA-DQB1*06:02 (OR = 2.70, p = 3.02 × 10−14), HLA-DRB1*15:01 (OR = 2.44, p = 3.66 × 10−13), and HLA-DQA1*01:02 (OR = 1.97, p = 1.09 × 10−9). This study reveals the relationship between functional variations in the class II HLA region and AOSD, implicating the MHC locus in the pathogenesis of AOSD.