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Mixed hyperlipidemia, characterized by high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol, is a key risk factor leading to atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases. Existing clinical drugs usually only work on a single indicator, decreasing either triglyceride or cholesterol levels. Developing dual-acting agents that reduce both triglycerides and cholesterol remains a great challenge. Pancreatic triglyceride lipase (PTL) and Niemann–Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) have been identified as crucial proteins in the transport of triglycerides and cholesterol. Here, cinaciguat, a known agent used in the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure, was identified as a potent dual inhibitor targeting PTL and NPC1L1. We presented in vitro evidence from surface plasmon resonance analysis that cinaciguat interacted with PTL and NPC1L1. Furthermore, cinaciguat exhibited potent PTL-inhibition activity. Fluorescence-labeled cholesterol uptake analysis and confocal imaging showed that cinaciguat effectively inhibited cholesterol uptake. In vivo evaluation showed that cinaciguat significantly reduced the plasma levels of triglycerides and cholesterol, and effectively alleviated high-fat diet–induced intestinal microbiota dysbiosis and metabolic disorders. These results collectively suggest that cinaciguat has the potential to be further developed for the therapy of mixed hyperlipidemia.

Sulforaphane (SFN), a natural anti-tumor compound from cruciferous vegetables, has been reported to induce protective autophagy to cancer cells, which might impair the anti-tumor efficiency of SFN. However, the accurate function and mechanism of SFN inducing autophagy in cancers are still obscure, especially in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), one of malignancies with high incidence in North China. Here, we mainly explored the potential function of autophagy upon SFN treatment in ESCC and molecular mechanism. We demonstrated that SFN could inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by activating caspase pathway. Moreover, we found activation of NRF2 pathway by SFN was responsible for the induction of autophagy and also a disadvantage element to the anti-tumor effects of SFN on ESCC, indicating that SFN might induce protective autophagy in ESCC. We, therefore, investigated effects of autophagy inhibition on sensitivity of ESCC cells to SFN and found that chloroquine (CQ) could neutralize the activation of SFN on NRF2 and enhance the activation of SFN on caspase pathway, thus improved the anti-tumor efficiency of SFN on ESCC in vitro and in vivo. Our study provides a preclinical rationale for development of SFN and its analogs to the future treatment of ESCC.

Biochar is a high-carbon-content organic compound that has potential applications in the field of energy storage and conversion. It can be produced from a variety of biomass feedstocks such as plant-based, animal-based, and municipal waste at different pyrolysis conditions. However, it is difficult to produce biochar on a large scale if the relationship between the type of biomass, operating conditions, and biochar properties is not understood well. Hence, the use of machine learning-based data analysis is necessary to find the relationship between biochar production parameters and feedstock properties with biochar energy properties. In this work, a rough set-based machine learning (RSML) approach has been applied to generate decision rules and classify biochar properties. The conditional attributes were biomass properties (volatile matter, fixed carbon, ash content, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen) and pyrolysis conditions (operating temperature, heating rate residence time), while the decision attributes considered were yield, carbon content, and higher heating values. The rules generated were tested against a set of validation data and evaluated for their scientific coherency. Based on the decision rules generated, biomass with ash content of 11–14 wt%, volatile matter of 60–62 wt% and carbon content of 42–45.3 wt% can generate biochar with promising yield, carbon content and higher heating value via a pyrolysis process at an operating temperature of 425°C–475°C. This work provided the optimal biomass feedstock properties and pyrolysis conditions for biochar production with high mass and energy yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue: Hospital alcohol and/or other drug (AOD) testing is important for identifying AOD‐related injuries; however, testing methods vary. This systematic review aimed to examine biological AOD testing methods from hospital‐based studies of injured patients and quantify what proportion reported key information on those testing methods. Approach: Observational studies published in English from 2010 onwards involving biological AOD testing for injured patients presenting to hospital were included. Studies examining single injury causes were excluded. Extracted data included concentration thresholds for AOD detection (e.g., lower limits of detection, author‐defined cut‐offs), test type (e.g., immunoassay, breathalyser) and approach (e.g., routine, clinical discretion), timing of testing, sample type and the proportion of injured cases tested for AODs. Key Findings: Of 83 included studies, 76 measured alcohol and 37 other drugs. Forty‐nine studies defined blood alcohol concentration thresholds (ranging from 0 to 0.1 g/100 mL). Seven studies defined concentration thresholds for other drugs. Testing approach was reported in 39/76 alcohol and 18/37 other drug studies. Sample type was commonly reported (alcohol: n = 69/76; other drugs: n = 28/37); alcohol was typically measured using blood (n = 60) and other drugs using urine (n = 20). Studies that reported the proportion of cases tested (alcohol: n = 53/76; other drugs: n = 28/37), reported that between 0% and 89% of cases were not tested for alcohol and 0% and 91% for other drugs. Timing of testing was often unreported (alcohol: n = 61; other drugs: n = 30). Implications and Conclusion: Variation in AOD testing methods alongside incomplete reporting of those methods limits data comparability and interpretation. Standardised reporting of testing methods will assist AOD‐related injury surveillance and prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obstacle detection system is a system that reacts to the object in the path and perform action such as stopping robot movement and collision prevention according to the design of algorithm which enhance the safety level of robot. This paper examines the overview of sensor technology that associates with obstacle detection system and car-like robot. This review summarizes the effectiveness and weakness of common type of sensors such as lidar, radar, ultrasonic sensor, infrared sensor, computer vision, sensor fusion and sensor array. This paper will also discuss on control methods for car-like robot that includes hand gestures, voice control, infrared remote control, Android based Bluetooth mobile control, and Wi-Fi based mobile control, outlining the effectiveness and limitation of each control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance use is a risk factor for being both a perpetrator and a victim of violence. The aim of this systematic review was to report the prevalence of acute pre-injury substance use in patients with violence-related injuries. Systematic searches were used to identify observational studies that included patients aged ≥15 years presenting to hospital after violence-related injuries and used objective toxicology measures to report prevalence of acute pre-injury substance use. Studies were grouped based on injury cause (any violence-related, assault, firearm, and other penetrating injuries including stab and incised wounds) and substance type (any substance, alcohol only, drugs other than alcohol only), and they were summarized using narrative synthesis and meta-analyses. This review included 28 studies. Alcohol was detected in 13%–66% of any violence-related injuries (five studies), 4%–71% of assaults (13 studies), 21%–45% of firearm injuries (six studies; pooled estimate = 41%, 95% CI: 40%–42%, n = 9,190), and 9%–66% of other penetrating injuries (nine studies; pooled estimate = 60%, 95% CI: 56%–64%, n = 6,950). Drugs other than alcohol were detected in 37% of any violence-related injuries (one study), 39% of firearm injuries (one study), 7%–49% of assaults (five studies), and 5%–66% of penetrating injuries (three studies). The prevalence of any substance varied across injury categories: any violence-related injuries = 76%–77% (three studies), assaults = 40%–73% (six studies), firearms = n/a, other penetrating injuries = 26%–45% (four studies; pooled estimate = 30%, 95% CI: 24%–37%, n = 319).Overall, substance use was frequently detected in patients presenting to hospital for violence-related injuries. Quantification of substance use in violence-related injuries provides a benchmark for harm reduction and injury prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objectives of this systematic review were to describe the current dose and content of usual care upper limb motor intervention for inpatients following stroke and examine if context factors alter dose and content. Data sources: A systematic search (EMBASE, MEDLINE) was completed from January 2015 to February 2023 (PROSPERO CRD42021281986). Methods: Studies were eligible if they reported non-protocolised usual care upper limb motor intervention dose data for stroke inpatients. Studies were rated using the Johanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool. Data were descriptively reported for dose dimensions of time (on task or, in therapy) and intensity (repetitions, repetition/minute), content (intervention type/mode), and context (e.g., severity strata). Results: Eight studies were included from four countries, largely reflecting inpatient rehabilitation. Time in therapy ranged from 23 to 121 min/day. Time on task ranged from 8 to 44 min/day. Repetitions ranged from 36 to 57/session, and 15 to 282/day. Time on task was lowest in the stratum of people with severe upper limb impairment (8 min/day), the upper limit for this stratum was 41.5 min/day. There was minimal reporting of usual care content across all studies. Conclusion: Upper limb motor intervention dose appears to be increasing in usual care compared to prior reports (e.g., average 21 min/day and 23 to 32 repetitions/session). Context variability suggests that doses are lowest in the stratum of patients with a severely impaired upper limb. Consistent reporting of the multiple dimensions of dose and content is necessary to better understand usual care offered during inpatient rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the functionality of NbOx-based selector devices on a flexible substrate. It was observed that the failure mechanism of cyclic tensile strain is from the disruption of atom arrangements, which essentially led to the crack formation of the film. When under cyclic compressive strain, buckling delamination of the film occurs as the compressed films have debonded from their neighboring layers. By implementing an annealing process after the strain-induced degradation, recovery of the device is observed with reduced threshold and hold voltages. The physical mechanism of the device is investigated through Poole–Frenkel mechanism fitting, which provides insights into the switching behavior after mechanical strain and annealing process. The result demonstrates the potential of the NbOx device in flexible electronics applications with a high endurance of up to 105 cycles of cyclic bending strain and the recovery of the device after degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The valorisation of biomass by synthesising a multi-biomass corridor can be an optimistic pathway to solving the growing waste management problem. However, the supply chain problem usually involves a massive number of variables, including the connectivity of the sink source and the selection of a technology pathway. In this work, a "Decomposition Approach" was utilised, wherein a P-graph was incorporated with a conventional mathematical model to reduce the number of variables. Although this type of approach is well established with respect to solving biomass supply chain problems, no previous works have comprehensively considered the effect of the maximum allowable travel distance (MATD) on a supply chain model. A case study in Peninsular Malaysia involving oil palm, paddy, and coconut biomass was conducted using the proposed approach. Moreover, a multiple linear regression (MLR) tool for formulating the cost-correlated function based on the best technology pathway obtained from a P-Graph was incorporated. As a result, the net profit of the biomass corridor was estimated to be USD 0.87 billion, with 1.45 × 107 tonnes per year of biomass being sent to 39 processing hubs over a 20-year lifespan. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was also conducted to investigate the impact of several cost-related parameters on the net profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binary similarity analysis is critical to many code-reuse-related issues, where function matching is its fundamental task. “1-to-1” mechanism has been applied in most binary similarity analysis works, in which one function in a binary file is matched against one function in a source file or binary file. However, we discover that the function mapping is a more complex problem of “1-to-n” (one binary function matches multiple source functions or binary functions) or even “n-to-n” (multiple binary functions match multiple binary functions) due to the existence of function inlining, different from traditional understanding. In this article, we investigate the effect of function inlining on binary similarity analysis. We carry out three studies to investigate the extent of function inlining, the performance of existing works under function inlining, and the effectiveness of existing inlining-simulation strategies. Firstly, a scalable and lightweight identification method is designed to recover function inlining in binaries. 88 projects (compiled in 288 versions and resulting in 32,460,156 binary functions) are collected and analyzed to construct four inlining-oriented datasets for four security tasks in the software supply chain, including code search, OSS (Open Source Software) reuse detection, vulnerability detection, and patch presence test. Datasets reveal that the proportion of function inlining ranges from 30–40% when using O3 and sometimes can reach nearly 70%. Then, we evaluate four existing works on our dataset. Results show most existing works neglect inlining and use the “1-to-1” mechanism. The mismatches cause a 30% loss in performance during code search and a 40% loss during vulnerability detection. Moreover, most inlined functions would be ignored during OSS reuse detection and patch presence test, thus leaving these functions risky. Finally, we analyze two inlining-simulation strategies on our dataset. It is shown that they miss nearly 40% of the inlined functions, and there is still a large space for promotion. By precisely recovering when function inlining happens, we discover that inlining is usually cumulative when optimization increases. Thus, conditional inlining and incremental inlining are recommended to design a low-cost and high-coverage inlining-simulation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work demonstrates oscillation frequency modulation in a NbO2-based relaxation oscillator device, in which the oscillation frequency increases with operating temperature and source voltage, and decreases with load resistance. An annealing-induced oxygen diffusion at 373 K was carried out to optimize the stoichiometry of the bulk NbO2 to achieve consistent oscillation frequency shift with device temperature. The device exhibits stable self-sustained oscillation in which the frequency can be modulated between 2 and 33 MHz, and a wider operating voltage range can be obtained. An additional surface treatment step was employed during fabrication to reduce the surface roughness of the bottom electrode and to remove surface contaminants that affect the interfacial properties of the device. The device frequency tunability coupled with high oscillating frequency and high endurance capability of more than 1.5 × 108 cycles indicates that the Pt/NbO2/Pt device is particularly suitable for applications in an oscillatory neural network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid population growth and urbanization contribute to an ever-increasing global energy demand, of which the building sector accounts for one-third. The increasing average height and density of buildings escalate the need for vertical transportation, expanding elevator usage and energy needs. This phenomenon accounts for a significant amount of the total building energy use, necessitating a study of elevator system energy consumption. This study aimed to analyze the energy consumption and carbon emissions of elevator systems in low- and high-rise buildings towards energy-efficient estimations. A comprehensive analysis was performed based on a hybrid approach of measurement and calculation using a formula and reference values derived from previous studies. Four buildings were selected and thoroughly studied, representing the low- and high-rise categories. Data were collected based on on-site sampling and observation, as well as information from the building management offices. The mechanical parameters of the elevator system in each building and operational factors in terms of speed, number of trips, load, travel distance, and time were studied. In this analysis, the energy consumption calculation was performed according to International Standard ISO 25745. Annual carbon emissions were calculated in accordance with the USA EPA and IPCC guidelines. The elevator energy efficiency class was determined based on daily energy consumption. It was found from this study that the annual energy consumption of an elevator system is positively correlated to an elevator's daily energy consumption. The annual carbon emissions of the elevator systems are dependent on increasing annual energy consumption, which is also connected to building height indirectly. The low-rise buildings showed better energy efficiency compared to the high-rise buildings due to lower travel distance, less trips, and fewer floors. The annual number of trips, travel distances, and energy consumption had an effect on the energy efficiency of the elevator systems in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: An analysis of the performance of a fixed‐plate air‐to‐air energy recovery system on its efficiency and recovered energy for potential building applications in the hot and humid environment was performed. Investigations were executed under controlled laboratory conditions in an energy testing chamber. Tests were carried out with varying operating parameters in terms of airflow rates that ranged from 1.0 to 3.0 m/s, intake air temperature of 28°C, 31°C, 35°C, 40°C and intake relative humidity of 70%, 75% and 80%. The performance was analysed by adopting the calculation methods of the ASHRAE Standard. This study showed that increased airflow rate decreased efficiency. The increase of airflow rate raised the recovered energy of the system. The study indicated that increasing values of intake air temperature (Tin) resulted in the increase of efficiency and recovered energy. A decrease in the efficiency of the system was observed, notably when the intake relative humidity (RHin) increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Migrant workers comprise about one-fifth of Singapore's resident population and form a substantial and vital component of the nation's workforce. However, limited data is available regarding the barriers that migrant workers face in accessing healthcare from the healthcare providers' perspective.Methods: We conducted a survey on doctors working in four restructured hospitals in Singapore, to assess what they perceived to be barriers faced by migrant workers in accessing healthcare. We also assessed the doctors' understanding of migrant-health-related policies in Singapore.Results: A total of 427 survey responses were collected. Most respondents were senior doctors (senior residents or consultants) who had been practising medicine for a median of ten years. Among doctors, the most common perceived barriers to migrant workers accessing healthcare were related to culture/language (92.3%) and finances (healthcare cost) (81.0%). Of the six questions asked pertaining to migrant healthcare policy in Singapore, the respondents achieved a median of four correctly answered questions (interquartile range 3-5), and about 55% were unaware or unsure of available resources for migrant workers.Conclusion: Our study identified healthcare providers' perceived barriers to the delivery of healthcare to migrant workers, which corroborate previously published data reported by migrant workers themselves. Further efforts should be directed towards diminishing these barriers and increasing the literacy of migrant health among healthcare workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Non‐fatal injuries sustained from animal–vehicle collisions are a globally under‐recognised road safety issue, with limited data on these crash types. The present study aimed to quantify the number and causes of major trauma events resulting from animal–vehicle collisions. Methods: The study was a retrospective analysis of major trauma cases occurring in Victoria, Australia, between 2007 and 2016, using data from the population‐based Victorian State Trauma Registry. To identify animal–vehicle collisions, Victorian State Trauma Registry injury codes were combined with text‐mining of the text description of the injury event. Results: Over the 10 year period, there were 152 major trauma patients who were admitted to Victorian trauma‐receiving hospitals due to vehicle collisions with animals. The crude population‐based incidence rate for animal–vehicle collisions increased by 6.7% per year (incidence rate ratio 1.07; 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.13; P = 0.02). Conclusion: Development of systematic recording methods of animal–vehicle collisions will improve reporting of these crash types to assist future studies in implementing effective countermeasures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanostructures containing binary transition metal compounds have shown great potential for applications such as electrocatalysis. In this article, we report a one-pot synthesis of Co(ii)–Fe(iii)–polydopamine (PDA) complex nanospheres as a facile approach to binary metal-doped carbon nanostructures. The complex nanospheres were prepared simply by polymerization of dopamine (DOPA) in a basic aqueous solution containing both types of transition metal ion. Results show that cobalt(ii) ions do not form complexes with DOPA, whereas can form coordination bonds with PDA oligomers after the initiation of polymerization, leading to irregular shaped complex particles. When both cobalt(ii) and Fe(iii) ions are present in the polymerization system, Fe(iii) ions, which are able to form complexes with DOPA before the initiation of polymerization, play a dominant role in determining the morphology of the complex nanostructure, leading to hybrid complex nanospheres. Furthermore, the Co(ii)–Fe(iii)–PDA complex nanospheres can be easily converted to mesoporous N-doped carbon nanospheres with embedded CoFe2O4/CoFe nanoparticles. Electrochemical studies suggest that these nanospheres exhibit enhanced bifunctional electrocatalytic performance over commercial Pt/C towards ORR and OER. They also show good stability with steady cycling performance for over 300 cycles when used as a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst in a rechargeable zinc–air battery cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An automated multiaxial cyclic loading pressure testing rig was developed as an alternative to the existing short-term test procedure specified by ISO 14692 and ASTM D2992. Conventionally, 14 months are required to estimate the residual properties at the end of expected life (20-50 years). The test periods and costs associated with this longterm test are high. To resolve this, a novel rig was developed based on the ultimate elastic wall stress (UEWS) algorithm, allowing five multiaxial stress ratios to be tested. The test involved the cyclic pressurizing of the pipe with 1-min of pressure and 1-min of zero pressure. The test rig was tested under five stress ratios using glass-epoxy composite pipes with winding angles of [±45°]4, [±55°]4 and [±63°]4. The rig is capable of testing both static and cyclic pressure loading, thereby reducing the test period and related costs. The results provide a more realistic failure envelope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the satisfaction with the dentist-patient interaction and factors associated with patient satisfaction among patients attending the outpatient dental clinic Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 229 patients who attended outpatient dental clinic Hospital USM that located in the East Coast region of Malaysia. A self-administered Skala Kepuasan Interaksi Perubatan – 11 (SKIP-11) questionnaire was used to assess the satisfaction towards dentist-patient interaction. Systematic random sampling was applied in this study. The data were analyzed using simple logistic regression analysis to determine the factors associated with patient satisfaction with dentist-patient interaction. Results: The mean age of patients was 32.6 ± 13.9 years, 71.6% of them study up to tertiary level, 31.5% came to for dental check up and 23.6% of them had tooth decay. More than half (64.6%) of the patients were satisfactory with dentist-patient interaction. The satisfaction percentage in the distress relief domain was 60.7%, 56.8% in the rapport domain, and 53.7% in the interaction outcome domain. Satisfaction with dentist-patient interaction was significantly associated with the dentists’ characteristics such as age (OR = 0.583, 95%CI 0.44-0.76, p=0.001), gender (OR = 0.386, 95% CI 0.22-0.69, p=0.001) and years of service (OR = 0.294, 95% CI 0.15-0.57, p=0.001). Conclusion: The result showed that slightly more than half of the patients who attended the outpatient dental clinic HUSM were satisfied with the dentist-patient interaction, which was found to be influenced by the characteristics of the dentists. Efforts to improve patient-dentist interaction are recommended to ensure delivery of good quality oral health care.

Inspired by the high transition-metal-ion content in mussel glues, and the cross-linking and mechanical reinforcement effects of some transition-metal ions in mussel threads, high concentrations of nickel(II), cobalt(II), and manganese(II) ions have been purposely introduced into the reaction system for dopamine polymerization. Kinetics studies were conducted for the Ni2+-dopamine system to investigate the polymerization mechanism. The results show that the Ni2+ ions could accelerate the assembly of dopamine oligomers in the polymerization process. Spectroscopic and electron microscopic studies reveal that the Ni2+ ions are chelated with polydopamine (PDA) units, forming homogeneous Ni2+-PDA complexes. This facile one-pot approach is utilized to construct transition-metal-ion-PDA complex thin coatings on graphene oxide, which can be carbonized to produce robust hybrid nanosheets with well-dispersed metallic nickel/metallic cobalt/manganese(II) oxide nanoparticles embedded in PDA-derived thin graphitic carbon layers. The nickel-graphene hybrid prepared by using this approach shows good catalytic properties and recyclability for the reduction of p -nitrophenol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]