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This study investigated how different learning tasks influence students' collaborative interactions in immersive Virtual Reality (iVR). A set of chemistry learning activities was designed with iVR, and 35 pairs of undergraduate students went through the activities. Videos of students' interactions were analysed to identify patterns in students' physical, conceptual, and social interactions. When students were manipulating conceptually familiar virtual objects (several water molecules), they perceived the tasks as a simple extension of prior knowledge and did not attempt to explore the 3D visualisation much. They did not move around to take different perspectives, and conceptual discussions were brief. Their prior power relations (leader-follower) carried over in iVR environments. In contrast, when conceptually unfamiliar chemical structures (protein enzyme) were displayed, students perceived the tasks as complex, demanding a new mode of learning. They spontaneously moved around to explore and appreciate the 3D visualisation of iVR. Walking to different positions to observe the virtual objects from multiple angles, students engaged in more collaborative, exploratory conceptual discussions. As the perceived complexity of learning tasks or virtual objects triggers different collaborative interactions amongst students, careful considerations need to be placed on the design of iVR tasks to encourage productive collaborative learning.

In recent years, chemistry educators are increasingly adopting immersive virtual reality (IVR) technology to help learners visualise molecular interactions. However, educational studies on IVR mostly investigated its usability and user perceptions leaving out its impact on improving conceptual understanding. If they evaluated students' knowledge gains, they tended to use information recall tests to assess knowledge gains. Employing interviews and diagram-drawing tasks, this study explored how students' conceptual understanding of the nature of hydrogen bonds and the shape of snowflakes changed through a collaborative IVR experience on snowflakes. Participants were 68 undergraduate chemistry students. Videos of pre-/post-interviews and student-generated diagrams were analysed. The results indicated a marked improvement in students' conceptual understanding of the nature of hydrogen bonds among water molecules in snowflakes. After IVR, 57 students provided scientifically acceptable explanations of the nature of hydrogen bonds. Improvements in students' understanding were related to the intermolecular nature of hydrogen bonds, the role of lone pairs of electrons in forming hydrogen bonds, and molecular interactions in 3D space. This study suggests that collaborative IVR could be a powerful way for students to visualise molecular interactions, examine their alternative conceptions, and build more coherent understanding. Implications for the design and implementation of IVR activities for science learning are discussed.

This article reports the design of a scientific board game, named "Element Enterprise Tycoon" (EET), which creates a scenario combining chemical elements, techniques, and products in daily life. The game cards are designed to motivate students not only to retrieve information about chemical elements, but also to be proficient in chemistry. Moreover, the game creates opportunities for group interactions and competitions to engage students in learning chemical elements as they do in regular science curricula. The EET has been field-tested with a group of middle school students to evaluate its applicability. Empirical data show that students improve their understanding of chemistry concepts with a median level of effect size. In particular, students achieve better performance in terms of chemistry-related technique concepts. The follow-up interviews reflect students' positive feedback and attitudes toward science learning through board game playing and their willingness to continue to play the game. It is suggested that learning through science games can indeed help students learn new chemical knowledge.

Chemistry is a subject which involves a number of abstract concepts, making it a difficult and frustrating learning process for many students. Educators and researchers believe that technology could provide an opportunity to address this problem. However, it is challenging to find a model for appropriately and successfully integrating technology into chemistry education. Therefore, in this study, a review was conducted on the technology-enhanced chemistry learning studies published in Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) journals from 2010 to 2019. This study searched the target articles from the Web of Science (WOS) database and excluded those studies that did not adopt a comparative research design. Finally, 60 studies were included in this research trend analysis. A coding scheme was developed for the types of technology, the types of learning tools, the roles of technology in chemistry learning, learning topics, learning environments, participants, research designs, and the learning outcomes the researchers evaluated. From the analysis results, it was found that (1) inorganic chemistry and physical chemistry courses were the main learning topics, while the formal classroom was most often referred to as the research setting. The most frequently discussed issue was students' learning achievement. (2) Regarding technology integration, offering students learning content through personal computers was the main activity mode. The technology was used for lower-level implementation, that is, providing supplementary materials for students. (3) Finally, using keyword analysis, it is possible to extract the recent concerns of the researchers, and from the results of the study, it is clear that the researchers are placing increasing emphasis on learners' experience and skill development in the learning process. Accordingly, this study highlights the features of the research trends and then provides suggestions for researchers in the technology-enhanced chemistry learning field.

In this study, we reviewed 76 journal articles on employing drawing assessment as a research tool in science education. Findings from the systematic review suggest four justifications for using drawing as a type of research tool, including assessment via drawing as (a) an alternative method considering young participants' verbal or writing abilities, and affective or economic reasons, (b) a unique method that can reveal aspects not easily measured by other methods, (c) a major method that reflects characteristics of science subjects, and (d) a formative assessment to diagnose students' ideas to benefit their learning. Furthermore, five research trends of studies using drawing as assessment tools are identified, including: (a) students' conceptions of scientists from the Draw-a-Scientist-Test (DAST) and evolving studies, (b) students' understanding or mental models of science concepts, (c) participants' conceptions of science learning or teaching, (d) students' inquiry abilities and modelling skills via drawing, and (e) technology to support drawing. For each trend, we synthesised and commented on the current findings. A framework conceptualising phases and issues when designing research and instruments employing drawing assessments is proposed. The review provides insights into the design and future direction of research employing drawing assessments in science education.

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the intellectual structure of the research on educational technology in science education (ETiSE) within the most recent years (2008-2013). Based on the criteria for educational technology research and the citation threshold for educational co-citation analysis, a total of 137 relevant ETiSE papers were identified from the "International Journal of Science Education," the "Journal of Research in Science Teaching," "Science Education," and the "Journal of Science Education and Technology." Then, a series of methodologies were performed to analyze all 137 source documents, including document co-citation analysis, social network analysis, and exploratory factor analysis. As a result, 454 co-citation ties were obtained and then graphically visualized with an undirected network, presenting a global structure of the current ETiSE research network. In addition, four major underlying intellectual subfields within the main component of the ETiSE network were extracted and named as: (1) technology-enhanced science inquiry, (2) simulation and visualization for understanding, (3) technology-enhanced chemistry learning, and (4) game-based science learning. The most influential co-citation pairs and cross-boundary phenomena were then analyzed and visualized in a co-citation network. This is the very first attempt to illuminate the core ideas underlying ETiSE research by integrating the co-citation method, factor analysis, and the networking visualization technique. The findings of this study provide a platform for scholarly discussion of the dissemination and research trends within the current ETiSE literature.

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationships between conceptions of learning and approaches to learning in chemistry. Two questionnaires, conceptions of learning chemistry (COLC) and approaches to learning chemistry (ALC), were developed to identify 369 college chemistry-major students' (220 males and 149 females) conceptions of and approaches to learning chemistry. First, it was found that students in higher grade levels (juniors and seniors) tended to express more agreement with higher-level COLC, such as learning chemistry by transforming, than those in lower grades (freshmen and sophomores). The regression analyses, in general, revealed that the students who expressed lower-level COLC, such as learning chemistry by memorizing and preparing for tests, tended to use surface approaches to learning chemistry, whereas those students possessing higher-level COLC, that is, learning chemistry by transforming, tended to use deep approaches to learning chemistry. However, inconsistent with theoretical perspectives, this study revealed that learning chemistry by memorizing could positively predict a deep motive for learning chemistry, while learning chemistry by transforming was associated with a surface motive for learning chemistry. The special features of learning chemistry which might account for these relationships are discussed.

Direct electrochemical ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR) using NiCu-based anodes is effective in removing ammonia from wastewater. However, this type of anode frequently produces undesired byproducts NO3−. Here, we investigated three configurations of novel Cu/Ti cathodes (Cu(111)/Ti, Cu(200)/Ti, Cu(220)/Ti) coupled with Cu/Ni foam (Cu/NF) anode to enhance N2 selectivity (SN2) in a direct ammonia electrolysis cell. Cu(200)/Ti cathode improved SN2 from 35 % (bare Ti cathode) to 60 % and it achieved 10–15 % higher SN2 compared to Cu(111)/Ti and Cu(220)/Ti. The improvement of SN2 on Cu(200) facet was ascribed to the high nitrate electroreduction activity and its conversion to N2. In real wastewater, Cu/NF anode-Cu(200)/Ti cathode paired electrolysis system demonstrated its excellent capability of 88 % NH3 removal with 95 % SN2. Our electrolysis system was capable to maintain the residual NH3-N and the NO3-N below 8 mg L−1, meeting effluent discharge standards. Our findings highlighted the importance of the control of Cu cathode facet orientations for an efficient elimination of NO3– and improvement of N2 production during direct ammonia electrolysis.

Ascribing to the abundance of Ti element, exceptional electrical conductivity, and electrocatalytic performance, titanium carbide MXene (Ti3C2Tx, MX) is considered as an ideal conductive matrix and employed for in situ preparation of promising TiO2 NPs@MX/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) heterojunction electrodes for uric acid (UA) detection. However, the incapability of achieving the controllable growth and synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) on MX nanosheets is a bottleneck in fabricating optimal and controllable TiO2 NPs@MX hybrid. Herein, an “on‐site transformation strategy” is developed to synthetize TiO2 NPs@MX/rGO heterojunction platform controllably by in situ electrochemical oxidizing MX nanosheets at various treatment times. The proposed approach allows for the greater operability to controllably grow and synthetize TiO2 NPs on the surface of MX nanosheets. The heterojunction electrodes present a linear voltammetric response toward UA in the concentration range of 0.003–0.3 and 0.3–300 μm and a low detection limit of 0.78 nm (S/N = 3). Additionally, a handheld electrochemical system with a smartphone readout is developed for point‐of‐care health monitoring, enabling fast, precise, and specific recognition of UA in real urine samples. The study provides a facile and controllable approach to fabricate TiO2 NPs@MX/rGO heterojunction platform for future use in other biomolecules' detection.

The present study investigated whether gender differences were present on the confidence judgments made by 8th grade Taiwanese students on the accuracy of their responses to acid-base test items. A total of 147 (76 male, 71 female) students provided item-specific confidence judgments during a test of their knowledge of acids and bases. Using the correctness of the answer responses, a confidence rating score, an unweighted rating score, and a relative confidence rating score were calculated for each respondent. The correlations between the boys and girls for each score area showed girls as scoring higher than boys in their knowledge of acids and bases, were more confident in this knowledge, and more willing to express different levels of confidence among the test items.

Context-aware ubiquitous learning (u-learning) is an innovative approach that integrates wireless, mobile, and context-awareness technologies to detect the situation of learners in the real world and provide adaptive support or guidance accordingly. In this paper, a context-aware u-learning environment is developed for guiding inexperienced researchers to practice single-crystal X-ray diffraction operations. Experimental results showed that the benefits of this innovative approach are that it is "systematic", "authentic", and "economical", which implies the potential of applying it to complex science experiments, such as physics, chemistry or biotechnology experiments, for graduate and PhD students in colleges, or research workers in research institutes. (Contains 4 tables and 5 figures.)

The growing popularity of computer and network technologies has attracted researchers to investigate the strategies and the effects of information technology applied instructions. Previous research has not only demonstrated the benefits of applying information technologies to the learning process, but has also revealed the difficulty of applying them effectively. One of the major difficulties is due to the lack of an easy-to-follow procedure for inexperienced teachers to design course content with proper use of suitable information technologies. In this paper, a model for conducting information technology applied instructions is proposed. The novel approach can assist teachers in designing information technology applied course content based on the features of subject materials and the learning status of the students. An experiment on a Chemistry course in a junior high school was conducted to evaluate the performance of our novel approach. (Contains 10 tables and 8 figures.)

Explores the interrelationships between students' general science achievement, scientific epistemological beliefs, and cognitive structure outcomes derived from instruction of basic atomic theory. Contains 19 references. (DDR)

This paper explores the application of The World Avatar (TWA) dynamic knowledge graph to connect isolated data and assess the impact of rising sea levels in Singapore. Current sea level rise vulnerability assessment tools are often regional, narrow in scope (e.g., economic or cultural aspects only), and are inadequate in representing complex non-geospatial data consistently. We apply TWA to conduct a multi-perspective impact assessment of sea level rise in Singapore, evaluating vulnerable buildings, road networks, land plots, cultural sites, and populations. We introduce OntoSeaLevel, an ontology to describe sea level rise scenarios, and its impact on broader elements defined in other ontologies such as buildings (OntoBuiltEnv ontology), road networks (OpenStreetMap ontology), and land plots (Ontoplot and Ontozoning ontology). We deploy computational agents to synthesise data from government, industry, and other publicly accessible sources, enriching buildings with metadata such as property usage, estimated construction cost, number of floors, and gross floor area. An agent is applied to identify and instantiate the impacted sites using OntoSeaLevel. These sites include vulnerable buildings, land plots, cultural sites, and populations at risk. We showcase these sea level rise vulnerable elements in a unified visualisation, demonstrating TWA’s potential as a planning tool against sea level rise through vulnerability assessment, resource allocation, and integrated spatial planning.

Elastic polymer composite materials possess physical properties such as softness, durability, and heat preservation, making them suitable for designing flexible, snug, and highly ductile devices. While polymers are generally electrical insulators, they can become electrically conductive when doped with carbon powder. Carbon can strongly interact with polymers, enabling the composites to exhibit electrical conductivity through this adsorption process. By heating and melting the polymer and incorporating thin but heavily concentrated carbon powder, these composites can achieve electrical properties similar to those of conductors or semiconductors. This study examines the adsorption and electrical properties of elastic polymer composite materials, focusing on aspects such as resistance temperature characteristics and conductivity. The results indicate that electrically conductive elastic polymers have potential applications in electrothermal devices, thermostatic control systems, sensors, and variable resistors. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is employed to analyze the material’s structure for further research.

Hu antigen R (HuR) plays a key role in regulating genes critical to the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). This study investigates the therapeutic potential of niclosamide (NCS) as an HuR inhibitor in DN. Uninephrectomized mice were assigned to four groups: normal control; untreated db/db mice terminated at 14 and 22 weeks, respectively; and db/db mice treated with NCS (20 mg/kg daily via i.p.) from weeks 18 to 22. Increased HuR expression was observed in diabetic kidneys from db/db mice, which was mitigated by NCS treatment. Untreated db/db mice exhibited obesity, progressive hyperglycemia, albuminuria, kidney hypertrophy and glomerular mesangial matrix expansion, increased renal production of fibronectin and a-smooth muscle actin, and decreased glomerular WT-1+-podocytes and nephrin expression. NCS treatment did not affect mouse body weight, but reduced blood glucose and HbA1c levels and halted the DN progression observed in untreated db/db mice. Renal production of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers (NF-κBp65, TNF-a, MCP-1) and urine MDA levels increased during disease progression in db/db mice but were halted by NCS treatment. Additionally, the Wnt1-signaling-pathway downstream factor, Wisp1, was identified as a key downstream mediator of HuR-dependent action and found to be markedly increased in db/db mouse kidneys, which was normalized by NCS treatment. These findings suggest that inhibition of HuR with NCS is therapeutic for DN by improving hyperglycemia, renal inflammation, and oxidative stress. The reduction in renal Wisp1 expression also contributes to its renoprotective effects. This study supports the potential of repurposing HuR inhibitors as a novel therapy for DN.

The interaction between environmental stressors, such as cold exposure, and immune function significantly impacts human health. Research on effective therapeutic strategies to combat cold-induced immunosuppression is limited, despite its importance. In this study, we aim to investigate whether traditional herbal medicine can counteract cold-induced immunosuppression. We previously demonstrated that cold exposure elevated immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in mice, similar to the effects of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatments. This cold-induced rise in circulating IgG was mediated by the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system and linked to vascular constriction. In our mouse model, the cold-exposed groups (4 °C) showed significantly elevated plasma IgG levels and reduced bacterial clearance compared with the control groups maintained at room temperature (25 °C), both indicative of immunosuppression. Using this model, with 234 mice divided into groups of 6, we investigated the potential of tanshinone IIA, an active compound in Salvia miltiorrhiza ethanolic root extract (SMERE), in alleviating cold-induced immunosuppression. Tanshinone IIA and SMERE treatments effectively normalized elevated plasma IgG levels and significantly improved bacterial clearance impaired by cold exposure compared with control groups injected with a vehicle control, dimethyl sulfoxide. Notably, bacterial clearance, which was impaired by cold exposure, showed an approximately 50% improvement following treatment, restoring immune function to levels comparable to those observed under normal temperature conditions (25 °C, p < 0.05). These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of traditional herbal medicine in counteracting cold-induced immune dysregulation, offering valuable insights for future strategies aimed at modulating immune function in cold environments. Further research could focus on isolating tanshinone IIA and compounds present in SMERE to evaluate their specific roles in mitigating cold-induced immunosuppression.

Oxidative stress elicited by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and chronic inflammation are involved both in deterring and the generation/progression of human cancers. Exogenous ROS can injure mitochondria and induce them to generate more endogenous mitochondrial ROS to further perpetuate the deteriorating condition in the affected cells. Dysfunction of these cancer mitochondria may possibly be offset by the Warburg effect, which is characterized by amplified glycolysis and metabolic reprogramming. ROS from neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are an essential element for neutrophils to defend against invading pathogens or to kill cancer cells. A chronic inflammation typically includes consecutive NET activation and tissue damage, as well as tissue repair, and together with NETs, ROS would participate in both the destruction and progression of cancers. This review discusses human mitochondrial plasticity and the glucose metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells confronting oxidative stress by the means of chronic inflammation and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).

This review explored the role of mitochondria in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which are essential for visual processing. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a key factor in the pathogenesis of various vision-related disorders, including glaucoma, hereditary optic neuropathy, and age-related macular degeneration. This review highlighted the critical role of mitochondria in RGCs, which provide metabolic support, regulate cellular health, and respond to cellular stress while also producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can damage cellular components. Maintaining mitochondrial function is essential for meeting RGCs’ high metabolic demands and ensuring redox homeostasis, which is crucial for their proper function and visual health. Oxidative stress, exacerbated by factors like elevated intraocular pressure and environmental factors, contributes to diseases such as glaucoma and age-related vision loss by triggering cellular damage pathways. Strategies targeting mitochondrial function or bolstering antioxidant defenses include mitochondrial-based therapies, gene therapies, and mitochondrial transplantation. These advances can offer potential strategies for addressing mitochondrial dysfunction in the retina, with implications that extend beyond ocular diseases.

Blastocyst vitrification has significantly improved embryo transfer methods, leading to higher implantation success rates and better pregnancy outcomes in subsequent frozen embryo transfer cycles. This study aimed to simulate the transcriptional changes caused by vitrifying human blastocysts using mouse blastocysts as a model and to further investigate these changes’ effects. Utilizing a human vitrification protocol, we implanted both vitrified and fresh embryos into mice. We observed the implantation success rates and performed transcriptomic analysis on the blastocysts. To validate the results from messenger RNA sequencing, we conducted reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to measure the expression levels of specific genes. Based on mRNA profiling, we predicted the microRNAs responsible for the regulation and used qPCR basic microRNA assays for validation. Our observations revealed a higher implantation success rate for vitrified embryos than fresh embryos. Transcriptomic analysis showed that vitrified–warmed blastocysts exhibited differentially expressed genes (DEGs) primarily associated with thermogenesis, chemical carcinogenesis-reactive oxygen species, oxidative phosphorylation, immune response, and MAPK-related signaling pathways. RT-qPCR confirmed increased expression of genes such as Cdk6 and Nfat2, and decreased expression of genes such as Dkk3 and Mapk10. Additionally, gene-microRNA interaction predictions and microRNA expression analysis identified twelve microRNAs with expression patterns consistent with the predicted results, suggesting potential roles in uterine epithelial cell adhesion, trophectoderm development, invasive capacity, and immune responses. Our findings suggest that vitrification induces transcriptomic changes in mouse blastocysts, and even small changes in gene expression can enhance implantation success. These results highlight the importance of understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying vitrification to optimize embryo transfer techniques and improve pregnancy outcomes.

It is not clear whether immunoregulatory cytokines and cells are associated with Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) scores and ultrasound grades/scores. Here, we investigated the relationships between immunoregulatory cytokines or cells and different DAS28 scores or ultrasound grades/scores in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study enrolled 50 RA patients (with 147 visits) who had remission/low/moderate DAS28-ESR scores (92% in remission and low disease activity) at baseline. Blood was collected and an ultrasound was performed three times in a year. Percentages of regulatory B cells and T regulatory type 1 cells and M2 macrophage numbers in the blood were examined. Plasma levels of 10 immunoregulatory cytokines IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, IL-10, IL-13, IL-27, IL-35, TGF-β1, sTNF-R1, and sTNF-R2 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) were assessed using ELISA assay. The correlations of cytokines and cells with different DAS28 scores and ultrasound grades were investigated, and cytokines and cells were compared between different categories of DAS28 scores and ultrasound grades. Plasma TGF-β1 levels were higher in the DAS28-ESR < 2.6 (remission) subgroup than in the DAS28-ESR ≥ 2.6 (nonremission) subgroup (p = 0.037). However, plasma TGF-β1 levels were higher in the high ultrasound grade subgroup than those in the low ultrasound grade subgroup (p = 0.007). The number of M2 macrophages was lower in the DAS28-MCP-1 < 2.2 subgroup than in the DAS28-MCP-1 ≥ 2.2 subgroup (p = 0.036). The levels of TGF-β1, sTNF-R2, IL-10, and IL-27 were higher in patients with high ultrasound grades than in those with low ultrasound grades. IL-27 was also higher in the nonremission DAS28-ESR subgroup than the remission one (p = 0.025). Moreover, sTNF-R1 levels in the 2011 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) remission subgroup were significantly lower than in the 2011 ACR/EULAR nonremission subgroup (p = 0.007). This trend was reflected in that lower sTNF-R1 levels correlated with low DAS28-MCP-1 scores (rho = 0.222, p = 0.007). We conclude that high plasma TGF-β1 levels indicate the DAS28-ESR remission (

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age globally. Emerging evidence suggests that the dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) and gut dysbiosis are linked to the development of PCOS. In this study, the effects of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei DSM 27449 (DSM 27449) were investigated in a rat model of PCOS induced by letrozole. The administration of DSM 27449 resulted in improved ovarian function, reduced cystic follicles, and lower serum testosterone levels. Alterations in miRNA expressions and increased levels of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax in ovarian tissues were observed in PCOS-like rats. Notably, the administration of DSM 27449 restored the expression of miRNAs, including miR-30a-5p, miR-93-5p, and miR-223-3p, leading to enhanced ovarian function through the downregulation of Bax expressions in ovarian tissues. Additionally, 16S rRNA sequencing showed changes in the gut microbiome composition after letrozole induction. The strong correlation between specific bacterial genera and PCOS-related parameters suggested that the modulation of the gut microbiome by DSM 27449 was associated with the improvement of PCOS symptoms. These findings demonstrate the beneficial effects of DSM 27449 in ameliorating PCOS symptoms in letrozole-induced PCOS-like rats, suggesting that DSM 27449 may serve as a beneficial dietary supplement with the therapeutic potential for alleviating PCOS.

Adenomyosis, endometriosis of the uterus, is associated with an increased likelihood of abnormal endometrial molecular expressions thought to impair implantation and early embryo development, resulting in disrupted fertility, including the local effects of sex steroid and pituitary hormones, immune responses, inflammatory factors, and neuroangiogenic mediators. In the recent literature, all of the proposed pathogenetic mechanisms of adenomyosis reduce endometrial receptivity and alter the adhesion molecule expression necessary for embryo implantation. The evidence so far has shown that adenomyosis causes lower pregnancy and live birth rates, higher miscarriage rates, as well as adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes. Both pharmaceutical and surgical treatments for adenomyosis seem to have a positive impact on reproductive outcomes, leading to improved pregnancy and live birth rates. In addition, adenomyosis has negative impacts on reproductive outcomes in patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology. This association appears less significant after patients follow a long gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) protocol, which improves implantation rates. The pre-treatment of GnRHa can also be beneficial before engaging in natural conception attempts. This review aims to discover adenomyosis-associated infertility and to provide patient-specific treatment options.

Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) for early-stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) has recently gained prominence. We investigated the clinical significance of mucin 5 AC (MUC5AC), which exists in two major glycoforms, a less-glycosylated immature isoform (IM) and a heavily glycosylated mature isoform (MM), as a biomarker in resected PDA. Immunohistochemistry was performed on 100 resected PDAs to evaluate the expression of the IM and MM of MUC5AC using their respective monoclonal antibodies, CLH2 (NBP2-44455) and 45M1 (ab3649). MUC5AC localization (cytoplasmic, apical, and extra-cellular (EC)) was determined, and the H-scores were calculated. Univariate and multivariate (MVA) Cox regression models were used to estimate progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Of 100 resected PDA patients, 43 received NAT, and 57 were treatment-naïve with upfront surgery (UpS). In the study population (n = 100), IM expression (H-scores for objective response vs. no response vs. UpS = 104 vs. 152 vs. 163, p = 0.01) and MM-MUC5AC detection rates (56% vs. 63% vs. 82%, p = 0.02) were significantly different. In the NAT group, MM-MUC5AC-negative patients had significantly better PFS according to the MVA (Hazard Ratio: 0.2, 95% CI: 0.059–0.766, p = 0.01). Similar results were noted in a FOLFIRINOX sub-group (n = 36). We established an association of MUC5AC expression with treatment response and outcomes.

Ocimum gratissimum (O. gratissimum), a medicinal herb with antifungal and antiviral activities, has been found to prevent liver injury and liver fibrosis and induce apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. In this study, we evaluated the effect of aqueous extracts of O. gratissimum (OGE) on improving the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs in HCC cells. Proteomic identification and functional assays were used to uncover the critical molecules responsible for OGE-induced sensitization mechanisms. The antitumor activity of OGE in combination with a chemotherapeutic drug was evaluated in a mouse orthotopic tumor model, and serum biochemical tests were further utilized to validate liver function. OGE sensitized HCC cells to the chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin. Proteomic analysis and Western blotting validation revealed the sensitization effect of OGE, likely achieved through the inhibition of breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein (BRCA1). Mechanically, OGE treatment resulted in BRCA1 protein instability and increased proteasomal degradation, thereby synergistically increasing cisplatin-induced DNA damage. Moreover, OGE effectively inhibited cell migration and invasion, modulated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and impaired stemness properties in HCC cells. The combinatorial use of OGE enhanced the efficacy of cisplatin and potentially restored liver function in a mouse orthotopic tumor model. Our findings may provide an alternate approach to improving chemotherapy efficacy in HCC.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have a variety of cardiovascular and renoprotective effects and have been developed as novel agents for the treatment of heart failure. However, the beneficial mechanisms of SGLT2i on cardiac tissue need to be investigated further. In this study, we established a mouse model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) using coronary artery constriction surgery and investigated the role of dapagliflozin (DAPA) in protecting cardiomyocytes from hypoxic injury induced by AMI. In vitro experiments were done using hypoxic cultured H9c2 ventricular cells to verify this potential mechanism. Expression of the SIRT family and related genes and proteins was verified by qPCR, Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining, and the intrinsic potential mechanism of cardiomyocyte death due to AMI and hypoxia was comprehensively investigated by RNA sequencing. The RNA sequencing results of cardiomyocytes from AMI mice showed that the SIRT family may be mainly involved in the mechanisms of hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte death. In vitro hypoxia-induced ventricular cells showed the role of dapagliflozin in conferring resistance to hypoxic injury in cardiomyocytes. It showed that SIRT1/3/6 were downregulated in H9c2 cells in a hypoxic environment, and the addition of dapagliflozin significantly increased the gene and protein expression of SIRT1, 3 and 6. We then verified the underlying mechanisms induced by dapagliflozin in hypoxic cardiomyocytes using RNA-seq, and found that dapagliflozin upregulated the hypoxia-induced gene downregulation, which includes ESRRA, EPAS1, AGTRAP, etc., that associated with SIRTs-related and apoptosis-related signaling to prevent H9c2 cell death. This study provides laboratory data for SGLT2i dapagliflozin treatment of AMI and confirms that dapagliflozin can be used to treat hypoxia-induced cellular necrosis in cardiomyocytes, in which SIRT1 and SIRT3 may play an important role. This opens up further opportunities for SGLT2i in the treatment of heart disease.

Carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) is a promising approach to accomplishing net zero CO2 emissions. Among CO2RR catalysts, nitrogen-doped graphene-supported single-atom catalysts show a remarkable conversion rate from CO2 to CO; however, the low production amount has been limited using the conversion H cell, hindering its industrial development. In this work, we synthesize a nitrogen-doped graphene-supported nickel-single-atom catalyst and conduct CO2RR in a flow cell, exhibiting a CO2-to-CO Faradaic efficiency of 96% and a partial current density of 144 mA cm−2. It can also achieve the highest partial current density of 204 mA cm−2 with a turnover frequency of 7,852 h−1. According to the techno-economic analysis, these preeminent activities meet the industrial criteria (Faradaic efficiency >60% and partial current density >100 mA cm−2). This activity enhancement using a flow system can significantly accelerate net-zero CO2 emission realization.

Electroencephalography (EEG) has been widely used in the research of stress detection in recent years; yet, how to analyze an EEG is an important issue for upgrading the accuracy of stress detection. This study aims to collect the EEG of table tennis players by a stress test and analyze it with machine learning to identify the models with optimal accuracy. The research methods are collecting the EEG of table tennis players using the Stroop color and word test and mental arithmetic, extracting features by data preprocessing and then making comparisons using the algorithms of logistic regression, support vector machine, decision tree C4.5, classification and regression tree, random forest, and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). The research findings indicated that, in three-level stress classification, XGBoost had an 86.49% accuracy in the case of the generalized model. This study outperformed other studies by up to 11.27% in three-level classification. The conclusion of this study is that a stress detection model that was built with the data on the brain waves of table tennis players could distinguish high stress, medium stress, and low stress, as this study provided the best classifying results based on the past research in three-level stress classification with an EEG.

The association of a commercially-available iron (III) chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3∙6H2O) with cationic 2,2′-bipyridyl in water was proven to be an operationally simple and reusable catalytic system for the highly-selective reduction of nitroarenes to anilines. This procedure was conducted under air using 1–2 mol% of catalyst in the presence of nitroarenes and 4 equiv of hydrazine monohydrate (H2NNH2∙H2O) in neat water at 100 °C for 12 h, and provided high to excellent yields of aniline derivatives. After separation of the aqueous catalytic system from the organic product, the residual aqueous solution could be applied for subsequent reuse, without any catalyst retreatment or regeneration, for several runs with only a slight decrease in activity, proving this process eco-friendly.

Summary: The protocol outlines the steps for growing silica nanowires on various substrates such as glass and stainless-steel foil. Silica nanowires are grown by thermal chemical vapor deposition via a vapor-liquid-solid mechanism, in which silicon wafers are used as silicon sources and platinum films as catalysts. This protocol can be used to grow silica nanowires on other substrates such as quartz filter, quartz sphere, alumina plate, and silicon wafer, provided the substrate materials can tolerate the temperature during process heating.For complete details on the use and execution of this profile, please refer to Lee et al. (2019), Tsai and Shieh (2019), and Tsai et al. (2021).

(1) Background: Bladder cancer is a malignant tumor mainly caused by exposure to environmental chemicals, with a high recurrence rate. NR1H4, also known as Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR), acts as a nuclear receptor that can be activated by binding with bile acids, and FXR is highly correlated with the progression of cancers. The aim of this study was to verify the role of FXR in bladder cancer cells. (2) Methods: A FXR overexpressed system was established to investigate the effect of cell viability, migration, adhesion, and angiogenesis in low-grade TSGH8301 and high-grade T24 cells. (3) Results: After FXR overexpression, the ability of migration, adhesion, invasion and angiogenesis of bladder cancer cells declined significantly. Focal adhesive complex, MMP2, MMP9, and angiogenic-related proteins were decreased, while FXR was overexpressed in bladder cancer cells. Moreover, FXR overexpression reduced vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA and protein expression and secretion in bladder cancer cells. After treatment with the proteosome inhibitor MG132, the migration, adhesion and angiogenesis caused by FXR overexpression were all reversed in bladder cancer cells. (4) Conclusions: These results may provide evidence on the role of FXR in bladder cancer, and thus may improve the therapeutic efficacy of urothelial carcinoma in the future.

M1 microglia induce neuroinflammation-related neuronal death in animal models of spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage. Zileuton is a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor that reduces the levels of downstream pro-inflammatory cytokines. This study aimed to investigate whether zileuton inhibits microglial activation and describe its underlying mechanisms. BV-2 cells were exposed to 1 mg/mL haemolysate for 30 min, followed by treatment with different concentrations (5, 10, 15, or 20 μM) of zileuton for 24 h. The cells were then assessed for viability, polarisation, and protein expression levels. Haemolysate increases the viability of BV-2 cells and induces M1 polarisation. Subsequent exposure to high concentrations of zileuton decreased the viability of BV-2 cells, shifted the polarisation to the M2 phenotype, suppressed the expression of 5-lipoxygenase, decreased tumour necrosis factor α levels, and increased interleukin-10 levels. Furthermore, high concentrations of zileuton suppressed the expression of myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88 and reduced the phosphorylated-nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB)/NF-kB ratio. Therefore, phenotype reversal from M1 to M2 is a possible mechanism by which zileuton attenuates haemolysate-induced neuroinflammation after spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage.

The emerging method of femtosecond crystallography (FX) may extend the diffraction resolution accessible from small radiation-sensitive crystals and provides a means to determine catalytically accurate structures of acutely radiation-sensitive metalloenzymes. Automated goniometer-based instrumentation developed for use at the Linac Coherent Light Source enabled efficient and flexible FX experiments to be performed on a variety of sample types. In the case of rod-shaped Cpl hydrogenase crystals, only five crystals and about 30 min of beam time were used to obtain the 125 still diffraction patterns used to produce a 1.6-Å resolution electron density map. For smaller crystals, high-density grids were used to increase sample throughput; 930 myoglobin crystals mounted at random orientation inside 32 grids were exposed, demonstrating the utility of this approach. Screening results from cryocooled crystals of β2-adrenoreceptor and an RNA polymerase II complex indicate the potential to extend the diffraction resolution obtainable from very radiation-sensitive samples beyond that possible with undulator-based synchrotron sources.

Removal of baseline wander (BW) is an important preprocessing step before manually or automatically interpreting electrocardiogram (ECG) records. It is a challenging issue to fully remove BW while preserving original clinical information because BW is usually mingled with low-frequency ECG components. A dual-adaptive approach based on discrete cosine transform (DCT) is presented in this study. Firstly, the cardiac fundamental frequency (CFF) of ECGs is accurately calculated through DCT domain analysis. Secondly, DCT coefficients of ECGs, whose frequencies are below CFF, are used to construct an amplitude vector in which the optimal cut-point between BW and ECGs is distinctly reflected. Finally, a new filtering technique based on DCT is exploited to suppress BW with its cutoff frequency adjusted to the optimal cut-point. The proposed method is applied to both real ECG records and simulated ECGs with its results compared to those of three previous methods published in the literature. The experimental results show that substantial improvements in performance can be achieved when adopting this dual-adaptive approach.

People with cerebral palsy (CP) suffer primarily from lower-limb impairments. These impairments contribute to the abnormal performance of functional activities and ambulation. Footprints, such as plantar pressure images, are usually used to assess functional performance in people with spastic CP. Detecting left and right feet based on footprints in people with CP is a challenge due to abnormal foot progression angle and abnormal footprint patterns. Identifying left and right foot profiles in people with CP is essential to provide information on the foot orthosis, walking problems, index gait patterns, and determination of the dominant limb. Deep learning with object detection can localize and classify the object more precisely on the abnormal foot progression angle and complex footprints associated with spastic CP. This study proposes a new object detection model to auto-determine left and right footprints. The footprint images successfully represented the left and right feet with high accuracy in object detection. YOLOv4 more successfully detected the left and right feet using footprint images compared to other object detection models. YOLOv4 reached over 99.00% in various metric performances. Furthermore, detection of the right foot (majority of people’s dominant leg) was more accurate than that of the left foot (majority of people’s non-dominant leg) in different object detection models.

Doxorubicin (Dox) is a commonly used anthracycline chemotherapy with a side effect of cardiotoxicity, which may increase the risk of heart failure for cancer patients. Although various studies have demonstrated the cardioprotective property of dapagliflozin (DAPA), a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, the detailed mechanism underlying its effect on Dox-induced cardiomyopathy is still limited. In this study, we showed that DAPA induced the activation of AKT/PI3K signaling in cardiac myoblast H9c2 cells following Dox treatment, leading to the upregulation of antioxidant HO-1, NQO1, and SOD, as well as an improved mitochondrial dysfunction via Nrf2. In addition, the reduced oxidative stress resulted in the downregulation of hypertrophy (ANP and BNP) and fibrosis (phospho-Smad3, collagen I, fibronectin, and α-SMA) markers. Furthermore, the inflammatory IL-8 concentration was inhibited after DAPA, possibly through PI3K/AKT/Nrf2/p38/NF-κB signaling. Moreover, our results were validated in vivo, and echocardiography results suggested an improved cardiac function in DAPA-receiving rats. In summary, we demonstrated that the administration of DAPA could mitigate the Dox-elicited cardiotoxicity by reducing oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, fibrosis, hypertrophy, and inflammation via PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 signaling.

Background: Imidacloprid (IMD) is a widely used neonicotinoid-targeting insect nicotine acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). However, off-target effects raise environmental concerns, including the IMD’s impairment of the memory of honeybees and rodents. Although the down-regulation of inotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) was proposed as the cause, whether IMD directly manipulates the activation or inhibition of iGluR is unknown. Using electrophysiological recording on fruit fly neuromuscular junction (NMJ), we found that IMD of 0.125 and 12.5 mg/L did not activate glutamate receptors nor inhibit the glutamate-triggered depolarization of the glutamatergic synapse. However, chronic IMD treatment attenuated short-term facilitation (STF) of NMJ by more than 20%. Moreover, by behavioral assays, we found that IMD desensitized the fruit flies’ response to mechanosensitive, nociceptive, and photogenic stimuli. Finally, the treatment of the antioxidant osthole rescued the chronic IMD-induced phenotypes. We clarified that IMD is neither agonist nor antagonist of glutamate receptors, but chronic treatment with environmental-relevant concentrations impairs glutamatergic plasticity of the NMJ of fruit flies and interferes with the sensory response by mediating oxidative stress.

In modern medicine, medical imaging technologies such as computed tomography (CT), X-ray, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, etc., have been proven to provide useful diagnostic information by displaying areas of a lesion or tumor not visible to the human eye, and may also help provide additional recessive information by using modern data analysis methods. These methods, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, are based on deep learning architectures, and have shown remarkable results in recent studies. However, the lack of explanatory ability of connection-based, instead of algorithm-based, deep learning technologies is one of the main reasons for the delay in the acceptance of these technologies in the mainstream medical field. One of the recent methods that may offer the explanatory ability for the CNN classes of deep learning neural networks is the gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) method, which produces heat-maps that may offer explanations of the classification results. There are already many studies in the literature that compare the objective metrics of Grad-CAM-generated heat-maps against other methods. However, the subjective evaluation of AI-based classification/prediction results using medical images by qualified personnel could potentially contribute more to the acceptance of AI than objective metrics. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and how the Grad-CAM heat-maps can help physicians and radiologists in making diagnoses by presenting the results from AI-based classifications as well as their associated Grad-CAM-generated heat-maps to a qualified radiologist. The results of this study show that the radiologist considers Grad-CAM-generated heat-maps to be generally helpful toward diagnosis.

Recently, many artificial intelligence applications in smart cars have been utilized in real life. Making an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) capable of moving autonomously has become a critical topic. Hence, in this work, a novel method for a UGV to realize path planning and obstacle avoidance is presented using a deep deterministic policy gradient approach (DDPG). More specifically, the lidar sensor mounted on the vehicle is utilized to measure the distance between the vehicle and the surrounding obstacles, and the odometer measures the mileage of the vehicle for the purpose of estimating the current location. Then, the above sensed data are treated as the training data for the DDPG training procedure, and several experiments are performed in different settings utilizing the robot operating system (ROS) and the Gazebo simulator with a real robot module, TurtleBot3, to present a comprehensive discussion. The simulation results show that using the presented design and reward architecture, the DDPG method is better than the classic deep Q-network (DQN) method, e.g., taking fewer steps to reach the goal, less training time to find the smallest number of steps for reaching the goal, and so on.

Allograft bone particles, hydroxyapatite/β-hydroxyapatite-tricalcium phosphate (HA/β-TCP), calcium sulfate (CS), and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement are biomaterials clinically used to fill defective pedicles for pedicle screw augmentation. Few studies have systematically investigated the effects of various biomaterials utilized for salvage screw stabilization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical properties of screws augmented with these four different materials and the effect of different pilot hole sizes and bone densities on screw fixation strength. Commercially available synthetic bones with three different densities (7.5 pcf, 15pcf, 30 pcf) simulating different degrees of bone density were utilized as substitutes for human bone. Two different pilot hole sizes (3.2 mm and 7.0 mm in diameter) were prepared on test blocks to simulate primary and revision pedicle screw fixation, respectively. Following separate specimen preparation with these four different filling biomaterials, a screw pullout test was conducted using a material test machine, and the average maximal screw pullout strength was compared among groups. The average maximal pullout strength of the materials, presented in descending order, was as follows: bone cement, calcium sulfate, HA/β-TCP, allograft bone chips and the control. In samples in both the 3.2 mm pilot-hole and 7.0 mm pilot-hole groups, the average maximal pullout strength of these four materials increased with increasing bone density. The average maximal pullout strength of the bone cement augmented salvage screw (7.0 mm) was apparently elevated in the 7.5 pcf test block. Salvage pedicle screw augmentation with allograft bone chips, HA/β-TCP, calcium sulfate, and bone cement are all feasible methods and can offer better pullout strength than materials in the non-augmentation group. Bone cement provides the most significantly augmented effect in each pilot hole size and bone density setting and could be considered preferentially to achieve larger initial stability during revision surgery, especially for bones with osteoporotic quality.

Hemorrhagic cystitis is a recognizable complication of cyclophosphamide (CYP) attributable to its lively metabolite acrolein, which produces urothelial injury. The study intended to examine the uroprotective efficacy of total ginsenosides in Chinese ginseng (TGCG) in CYP-induced hemorrhagic cystitis. In total, 24 virgin female rats were randomized into four groups as follows: group 1 (control group; injected with normal saline), group 2 (injected with CYP plus a placebo with normal saline), group 3 (given CYP and TGCG (200 mg/kg)), and group 4 (given CYP and 2-mercaptoethane sulfonate sodium (Mesna, 30 mg/kg)). An evaluation by cystometry was conducted. Values of the voiding interval were assessed in anesthetized rats and histological examinations of the bladders were measured. In the cystometry analysis, the voiding interval was significantly reduced in the CYP group. TGCG and Mesna significantly increased in the voiding interval values, individually. Bladder edema and urothelial injury were examined after contact with CYP. Contrasted to the group given CYP, CYP-induced hemorrhagic cystitis, TGCG significantly increased the urothelial thickness, and significantly reduced scores of mucosal break and submucosal edema in the bladder. In conclusion, these findings mean that the treatment with TGCG in CYP rats can avoid hemorrhagic cystitis. TGCG decreases urothelial injury. TGCG may participate as the chief character of uroprotection in CYP-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.

In terms of gait recognition, face recognition is currently the most commonly used technology with high accuracy. However, in an image, there is not necessarily a face. Therefore, face recognition cannot be used if there is no face at all. However, when we cannot obtain facial information, we still want to know the person’s identity. Thus, we must use information other than facial features to identify the person. Since each person’s behavior will be somewhat different, we hope to learn the difference between one specific human body and others and use this behavior to identify the human body because deep learning technology advances this idea. Therefore, we used OpenPose along with LSTM for personal identification. We found that using people’s walking posture is feasible for identifying their identities. Presently, the environment for making judgments is limited, in terms of height, and there will be restrictions on distance. In the future, using various angles and distances will be explored. This method can also solve the problem of half-body identification and is also helpful for finding people.

Lidocaine injection is a common treatment for tendon injuries. However, the evidence suggests that lidocaine is toxic to tendon cells. This study investigated the effects of lidocaine on cultured tendon cells, focusing on the molecular mechanisms underlying cell proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) production. Tendon cells cultured from rat Achilles tendons were treated with 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mg/mL lidocaine for 24 h. Cell proliferation was evaluated by Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) assay and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed by Annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) stain. Cell cycle progression and cell mitosis were assessed through flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. The expression of cyclin E, cyclin A, cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), p21, p27, p53, matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9), type I collagen, and type III collagen were examined through Western blotting, and the enzymatic activity of MMP-9 was determined through gelatin zymography. Lidocaine reduced cell proliferation and reduced G1/S transition and cell mitosis. Lidocaine did not have a significant negative effect on cell apoptosis. Lidocaine significantly inhibited cyclin A and CDK2 expression but promoted p21, p27, and p53 expression. Furthermore, the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 increased, whereas that of type I and type III collagen decreased. Lidocaine also increased the enzymatic activity of MMP-9. Our findings support the premise that lidocaine inhibits tendon cell proliferation by changing the expression of cell-cycle-related proteins and reduces ECM production by altering levels of MMPs and collagens.

An electroluminescent quantum-dot light-emitting diode (QLED) device and a micro QLED device array with a top-emitting structure were demonstrated in this study. The QLED device was fabricated in the normal structure of [ITO/Ag/ITO anode]/PEDOT:PSS/PVK/QDs/[ZnO nanoparticles]/Ag/MoO3, in which the semi-transparent MoO3-capped Ag cathode and the reflective ITO/metal/ITO (IMI) anode were designed to form an optical microcavity. Compared with conventional bottom-emitting QLED, the microcavity-based top-emitting QLED possessed enhanced optical properties, e.g., ~500% luminance, ~300% current efficiency, and a narrower bandwidth. A 1.49 inch micro QLED panel with 86,400 top-emitting QLED devices in two different sizes (17 × 78 μm2 and 74 × 40.5 μm2) on a low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) backplane was also fabricated, demonstrating the top-emitting QLED with microcavity as a promising structure in future micro display applications.

To overcome the challenges brought about by abnormal weather and the growing industrial water consumption in Taiwan, the Taiwanese government is transporting water from the northern to the southern part of the country to help with droughts occurring in Taoyuan and Hsinchu. In addition, the government invested NTD 2.78 billion to build the backup water pipelines necessary in Taiyuan and Hsinchu, which help ensure a stable and safe water supply required for regional economic development. The construction adheres to the four major strategic goals of “open source, throttling, dispatch, and backup”. However, the leakage rate of water pipelines remains high. To help with large-scale right-of-way applications and the timeliness of emergency repairs, establishing a system that can detect the locations of leakages is vital. This study intended to apply artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning to develop a water pipe leakage and location identification system. This research established an intelligent sound-assisted water leak identification system, developed and used a localized AI water leak diagnostic instrument to capture on-site dynamic audio, and integrated Internet of Things (IoT) technology to simultaneously identify and locate the leakage. Actual excavation verification results show that the accuracy of the convolutional neural network (CNN) after training is greater than 95%, and the average absolute error calculated between the output data and the input data of the encoder is 0.1021, confirming that the system has high reliability and can reduce the cost of excavation by 26%.

The inclusion of transition metal elements within metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is considered one of the most promising approaches for enhancing the catalytic capability of MOFs. In this study, MOF-253 containing bipyridine coordination sites is investigated for possible transition metal chelation, and a consequent possible CO2 reduction mechanism in the formation of formic acid. All transition metal elements of the third, fourth and fifth periods except hafnium and the lanthanide series are considered using density functional theory calculations. Two distinct types of CO2 reduction mechanisms are identified: (1) the five-coordination Pd center, which promotes formic acid generation via an intramolecular proton transfer pathway; (2) several four-coordination metal centers, including Mn, Pd, and Pt, which generate formic acid by means of heterolytic hydrogen activation. The MOF-253 environment is found to promote beneficial steric hindrance, and to constrain metal–ligand orientation, which consequently facilitates the formation of formic acid, particularly with the tetrahedral Mn center at high-spin electronic state.