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This study observed the cutaneous analgesic effect of adrenergic agonists when combined with lidocaine. We aimed at the usefulness of four adrenergic agonists and epinephrine as analgesics or as tools to prolong the effect of local anesthetics using a model of cutaneous trunci muscle reflex (pinprick pain) in rats. We showed that subcutaneous four adrenergic agonists and epinephrine, as well as the local anesthetic bupivacaine and lidocaine, developed a concentration-dependent cutaneous analgesia. The rank order of the efficacy of different compounds (ED

Several cases of herpes zoster-induced psoriasis have been reported in the literature.Our nationwide retrospective cohort study is designed to examine the risk association between herpes zoster and psoriasis.From the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 26,623 patients from 1999 to 2013 with a diagnosis of herpes zoster and no prior history of psoriasis were selected as the study subjects. The control group was established during the study period from those without a herpes zoster diagnosis and was propensity score matched to minimize confounding factors. Both cohorts were followed for cases of psoriasis development. Data analysis was done via Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox Proportional-Hazards Models.Comparing the study group to control, the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.66 (95% CI, 1.31-2.13: p 0.05) after adjusting for covariates (age, gender, urbanization, selected comorbidities and selected medications use). Statistical analysis found no interaction effect among herpes zoster and other covariates for risk modification of psoriasis development.This study demonstrated an increased risk of psoriasis in patients diagnosed with herpes zoster.

Objectives The purpose of the experiment was to estimate whether intrathecal antimalarial drugs could provoke spinal block, and their comparison with lidocaine. Methods Rats were intrathecally administrated with antimalarial agents (primaquine, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and amodiaquine) and lidocaine, and neurobehavioural examinations (nociception, proprioception and motor function) were assessed; n = 8 per group. One-way and two-way analysis of variance were designed to analyse data. Key findings At a concentration of 20 mM, primaquine (0.46 mg/rat) exhibited the longest duration and the most potent effect of nociceptive, proprioceptive and motor blockade (P < 0.01) among five drugs, whereas the other antimalarial drugs displayed a lesser or similar potency of spinal blockade compared with lidocaine (0.29 mg/rat). In dose-dependent studies, primaquine was more potent (P < 0.01) than lidocaine for spinal block. At ED25, ED50 and ED75 equipotent doses, primaquine produced a greater duration of spinal motor, proprioceptive and nociceptive blockade when compared with lidocaine (P < 0.01). Conclusions Primaquine, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and amodiaquine produced spinal blockade. Primaquine was more potent and displayed a prolonged life of local anaesthetic effect compared with lidocaine, whereas the other antimalarial drugs displayed a lesser or similar potency compared with lidocaine.

Background This study aimed to assess the use of medical record items in clinical research in one large academic medical center in Taiwan. Methods A descriptive survey design was adopted to collect the data. Articles published in 2018 by Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) staff as the first author were obtained. The types of specialties and types of research were analyzed. To understand the conditions for the use of medical records, the retrospective research using hospital's medical records were analyzed. Each article was read in entirety to realize the use and number of patients and the medical record items. Results Among the 362 articles first-authored by TVGH staff in 2018, 219 (60.4%) were classified as clinical studies, 60 (16.6%) as basic studies, 53 (14.6%) as database studies, and 30 (8.2%) as other categories. About 50% of the retrospective research using TVGH medical records had a case number less than 100 (67 cases, 49.6%) with an average number of 41 cases and 13 studies (9.6%) had a case number greater than 1000. Analysis of the number of medical record items used in 135 retrospective research studies based on TVGH medical records showed that 118 (87.4%) used basic patient information. In addition to basic information, notes written by professionals were used most frequently (73 cases, 54.0%), whereas medication information was used in 50 cases (37.0%); laboratory test data was used in 49 cases (36.2%) ; and body measurements was used in 27 cases (20%). Conclusion More than one-third of publications utilized medical records, but the patient numbers and record items in use were relatively limited. In the era of digitalization and big data analytics, the potential of medical records in research deserves attention. Investment in establishing a more accessible database of medical records to access nonstructural, descriptive medical records could be considered.

MoO3/TiO2–SiO2 layered spherical composites with hierarchical structures have been synthesized via a template and sol-gel methods in which TOKEM-320Y anion exchanger was used as template. The properties of MoO3/TiO2–SiO2 spherical composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, 3D X-ray microtomography, N2 sorption, Infrared and Raman spectroscopies and ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The photocatalytic activity of MoO3/TiO2–SiO2 composites was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) aqueous solution under irradiated with an I2 excilamp (λmax = 312 nm) and its photoabsorption energy properties are related to the interaction between TiO2–SiO2 and MoO3 which occurs through oxygen in Ti-O-Mo and Si-O-Mo. The layered hierarchical structure results in lower oxygen vacancy concentrations in composites (0.0425) and a reduced bandgap width (2.58 eV in compare to 3.18 eV for MoO3 spheres), which increases the composite's absorption of light in the visible light regime (λ absorption edge is 480.5 nm). Photocatalytic degradation of the MB dye followed the pseudo-first-order-kinetics. Degradation product analysis was done using the HPLC-MS technique. The dye degradation is initiated by demethylation of the molecule and lead to formation of azure A, B and C and thionin. The results showed that MoO3/TiO2–SiO2 composites exhibited a much higher photocatalytic activity (rate constant is 0.0645 min‒1) than that of MoO3 spheres and other MoO3 samples in the literature. This investigation demonstrates that MoO3/TiO2–SiO2 layered spherical composites is a promising candidate material for photocatalytic decomposition of organic dyes in textile waste water which are considered as one of the greatest threats to the environment.

In February 2021, Asian Ethnicity formed a new team of editors-in-chief, led by Ian G. Baird, professor of geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Matthew W. King, associate professor of religi...

This study explores issues on post-adoption services in intercountry adoptions based on the perspectives of adoption professionals from Taiwan and Australia. Findings revealed that both birth and adoptive families identify service needs for material and emotional support and connection after the adoption process is finalized. However, the current lack of government funding for post-adoption services result in gaps in service delivery. Adoption agencies experience challenges in funding and balancing the interests of the child and the two families. Implications for practice and policy are discussed to enhance the quality of post-adoption services and improve the well-being of the adoption triad.

Oligodendrocytes (OLs), myelin-producing glia in the central nervous system (CNS), produce a myelin extension that enwraps axons to facilitate action potential propagation. An effective approach to induce oligodendrogenesis and myelination is important to foster CNS development and promote myelin repair in neurological diseases. Hericium (H.) erinaceus, an edible and culinary-medicinal mushroom, has been characterized as having neuroprotective activities. However, its effect on OL differentiation has not yet been uncovered. In this study using oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) cultures and an ex vivo cerebellar slice system, we found that the extract from H. erinaceus mycelium (HEM) not only promoted the differentiation of OPCs to OLs in the differentiation medium, but also increased the level of myelin basic protein (MBP) on neuronal fibers. Moreover, daily oral administration of HEM into neonatal rat pups for 7 days enhanced MBP expression and OLs in the corpus callosum of the postnatal rat brain. The effect of HEM-derived bioactive compounds, the diterpenoid xylosides erinacine A (HeA) and HeC and a sesterterpene with 5 isoprene units called HeS, were further evaluated. The results showed that HeA and HeS more potently stimulated MBP expression in OLs and increased the number of OLs. Moreover, overlap between MBP immunoreactivity and neuronal fibers in cultured cerebellar tissue slices was significantly increased in the presence of HeA and HeS. In summary, our findings indicate that HEM extract and its ingredients HeA and HeS display promising functional effects and promote OL maturation, providing insights into their potential for myelination in neurodevelopmental disorders.

In this study, a novel response acquisition method was proposed and verified in a capacitive tactile sensing array, which collected signals from shared capacitors between two adjacent sensing units. In the proposed design, the electrodes of a capacitor exhibited intentional misalignments in the xy -plane and four types of misalignments existed in the array. The tactile sensing array was then numerically evaluated, fabricated, and demonstrated. With the proposed method, the previously undetectable normal force was resolvable with noticeable (at least 225%) spatial resolution enhancement. Because the composition of the sensing array, number of capacitors in the array, and electrode dimensions in the capacitors were all unaltered from the conventional design, high detection sensitivities (on average 3.261 pF/ N for the normal force) were obtained. Additionally, although the four types of sensing unit required four corresponding algorithms to derive the shear angles, results proved that the supportiveness was remained and accuracy was unaltered compared to existing similar works.

Parahydrogen-induced polarization of 13C nuclei by side-arm hydrogenation (PHIP-SAH) for [1-13C]acetate and [1-13C]pyruvate esters with application of PH-INEPT-type pulse sequences for 1H to 13C polarization transfer is reported, and its efficiency is compared with that of polarization transfer based on magnetic field cycling (MFC). The pulse-sequence transfer approach may have its merits in some applications because the entire hyperpolarization procedure is implemented directly in an NMR or MRI instrument, whereas MFC requires a controlled field variation at low magnetic fields. Optimization of the PH-INEPT-type transfer sequences resulted in 13C polarization values of 0.66 ± 0.04% and 0.19 ± 0.02% for allyl [1-13C]pyruvate and ethyl [1-13C]acetate, respectively, which is lower than the corresponding polarization levels obtained with MFC for 1H to 13C polarization transfer (3.95 ± 0.05% and 0.65 ± 0.05% for allyl [1-13C]pyruvate and ethyl [1-13C]acetate, respectively). Nevertheless, a significant 13C NMR signal enhancement with respect to thermal polarization allowed us to perform 13C MR imaging of both biologically relevant hyperpolarized molecules which can be used to produce useful contrast agents for the in vivo imaging applications.

The purpose of this study was to apply a peroxo sol–gel method to prepare silver and silica co-doped TiO2 to enhance the stability of sol, TiO2 particle size distribution, and improve photocatalytic activity under UV light or visible light irradiation. TiO2 sol was prepared by peroxo sol–gel method using TiCl4 as precursor and H2O2 as peptizing agent in order to induce the formation of TiO2 nanoparticles that converted from Ti(OH)4 at 95 °C. Silver and SiO2 were then added in the TiO2 sol to improve the photocatalytic activity and the transmittance of the sol. The Ag/TiO2–SiO2 nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The sols remained neutral, stable, and did not precipitate after storage for over a year. TiO2 was anatase as confirmed by XRD. Ag/TiO2–SiO2 films were active for destruction of methylene blue under UV light and visible light irradiation. The optimum Ag/SiO2/TiO2 molar ratio was 0.02/5/1. It showed the highest photocatalytic activities under both of UV light and visible light irradiation among all catalysts. The antibacteria test showed that after irradiation by UVA light for 3 h, the Ag/TiO2–SiO2 had a high antibacteria ability, and the antibacteria rate reached over 99.9%.

Ir-based heterogeneous catalysts for photocatalytic CO2 reduction have rarely been reported and are worthy of investigation. In this work, TiO2 nanosheets with a higher specific surface area and more oxygen vacancies were employed to support Ir metal by impregnation (Imp) and ethylene glycol (EG) reduction methods. In comparison with Ir/TiO2 (Imp) and TiO2, Ir/TiO2 (EG) exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance toward CO2 reduction, especially for CH4 production on account of the oxygen defect of TiO2 and rich surface hydroxyl groups produced from the interaction between TiO2 nanosheets and metallic Ir. In situ ESR suggested that the oxygen defect was significant for CO2 adsorption/activation. Furthermore, metallic Ir was beneficial for photogenerated electron transfer, surface hydroxyl generation, and adsorption of the CO intermediate, generating more available electrons and reducing agents for CH4 production. In situ CO2 DRIFTS confirmed the key synergistic interaction between the oxygen defect and metallic Ir in the photoreduction from CO2 to CH4.

A series of mesoporous alumina (MA) doped with acidic (Ti, W) or alkaline earth (Ba, Mg) elements were prepared. They were used as the supports for Pd catalysts. These catalysts were characterized by N2 sorption, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy of CO adsorption and temperature-programmed reduction. Complete oxidation of toluene on these catalysts was tested in a fixed-bed micro-reactor. The results of in situ IR of CO adsorption indicated that the doping of basic element was beneficial for the dispersion of PdO particles, while the doping of acid element suppressed the dispersion of PdO particles. The binding energy of Pd in Pd/Ba-MA shifted to high energy, indicating that the interaction between PdO and support was enhanced. The results of H2-TPR showed that the reducibility of PdO doped with alkaline element was stronger than those of catalysts doped with acidic element. The doping of basic elements promoted the dispersion of PdO particles, changed the electronic state of Pd and enhanced the reducibility of PdO, which led to its high activity. The catalysts doped with the basic elements had higher activities than those doped with acidic elements, among which the Pd/Ba-MA catalyst had the highest activity among all catalysts.

While there is a strong assumption of a direct link between family climate and school bullying victimization, studies on such a direct link have shown inconsistent results. Furthermore, family climate and children’s social relationships with teachers and peers at school have been considered potential protective factors against school bullying victimization among adolescents. However, not much is known about how these factors function as protectors against school bullying victimization among children early in middle childhood. Studies examining how these protective factors work together to reduce school bullying victimization are also lacking. This paper attempts to fill the gap by studying how children’s social relationships with peers and teachers at school mediate the association of family climate with school bullying victimization among children in the early period of their middle childhood in Taiwan. It also examines how sex influences the mediating effects and interrelationships among family climate, children’s school social relationships at school, and school bullying victimization. Data were obtained from a nationally representative sample of 1230 third graders (about 8 years old) in Taiwan. The results showed that family climate had a nonsignificant direct link with school bullying victimization, but a significant indirect link with school bullying victimization mediated through relationships with peers and teachers. These findings are relevant for both sexes. Findings provide empirical support that family climate has an indirect link with school bullying victimization through relationships with teachers and peers. The study indicated that to reduce school bullying victimization among those who are early in middle childhood, potential intervention programs may consider promoting students’ relationships with teachers and peers.

The purpose of the experiment was to study the effect of pulsed ultrasound (PUS) on post-thoracotomy pain and local tissue temperature and to correlate the findings with the alteration in spinal anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Mechanical sensitivity, subcutaneous temperature and spinal interleukin-10 (IL-10), IL-6 or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) expression were examined in a rat model of experimental post-thoracotomy pain. Group 1 received a sham surgery where thoracotomy was performed except for rib retraction. Group 2 underwent thoracotomy with rib retraction (TRR). Group 3 received the TRR procedure followed by PUS. Group 4 underwent the TRR procedure followed by only the massage with the ultrasound turned off. Compared with group 1 (sham), groups 2-4 showed a decrease in mechanical withdrawal thresholds on postoperative days (PODs) 10 and 11. On PODs 16, 23 and 30, group 3 (TRR+PUS-1) displayed an increase in mechanical withdrawal thresholds compared with groups 2 and 4. Subcutaneous and body temperatures in group 3 were not prominently different from group 1, group 2 (TRR only) or group 4 (TRR+PUS-0). Compared with group 2, group 3 had an increase in spinal IL-10 level on POD 30 and a decrease in spinal IL-6 or TNF-α expression on PODs 16 and 30. We concluded that mechanical hypersensitivity after TRR is postponed by PUS, and its effect continues for 3 wk. A PUS dose not increase local tissue temperature. The beneficial effect of PUS appears related to upregulation of spinal anti-inflammatory cytokine and downregulation of spinal pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Objective: The impact of laryngeal dysfunction on airflow has not been well characterized in motor neuron disease (MND). This study aimed to detect and characterize extreme airflow oscillations informally observed during volitional cough and forced vital capacity (FVC) tasks in individuals with MND who demonstrated neurolaryngeal impairments including reduced speed and extent of vocal fold abduction compared to healthy controls during volitional cough expulsion. The extreme airflow oscillations in the MND group, when viewed as a flow-volume loop, appeared similar to the “sawtooth-sign.” If the airflow oscillations are periodic in a range similar to phonation, they may reflect reduced laryngeal patency. Methods: Volitional cough and FVC airflow data (3 trials each) from 12 participants with MND with bulbar/laryngeal involvement (3 F; ages 45-76) and 12 healthy controls (6 F; ages 41-68) were analyzed for periodicity. Percent and absolute durations of periodicity of the flow oscillations were calculated by an algorithm applied to the airflow signals. In addition, the frequency, magnitude, and kurtosis of the periodic airflow oscillations were described and compared between groups. Results: In both volitional cough and FVC trials, the percent of airflow periodicity during forced expiration was significantly higher ( z = 3.54) in individuals with MND, adjusted for age and sex. Periodic airflow accounted for on average 28% of the total time in participants with MND and was within a frequency range similar to phonation. Magnitude of the airflow oscillations was also larger for participants with MND ( z = 3.46), and kurtosis of airflow was smaller ( z = −4.70) during forced expiration, indicating persistent airflow oscillations throughout exhalation. Conclusions: The significantly larger-magnitude, lower-kurtosis, and more prominent presence of sawtooth-like airflow periodicity within a frequency range similar to phonation observed in individuals with MND with neurolaryngeal impairments suggests glottic airflow resistance during forced expiration.

Connection and reunion is central to adoption, though complicated by geographical, cultural and linguistic differences in the intercountry adoption space. Drawing from narrative interviews, this study investigated perspectives on connection from the perspectives of adult adopted persons and adoptive parents in Australia, from families of origin in Taiwan and from professionals in both countries. Two primary themes characterising perspectives were found: openness to the possibilities of connection was the predominant theme among adoptees and adoptive parents, and concerns about disrupting the status quo was most common among birth mothers. These two perspectives are both distinct and at times simultaneously held. While connection in adoption is inherently personal and relational, due to the complex, sensitive and evolving nature of connections in adoption, developing and negotiating connections relies strongly on statutory and institutional policies and practices. The article concludes by discussing implications for policies and practices related to openness in intercountry adoption.

BCL-2, a key protein in inhibiting apoptosis, has a 65-residue-long highly flexible loop domain (FLD) located on the opposite side of its ligand-binding groove. In vivo phosphorylation of the FLD enhances the affinity of BCL-2 for pro-apoptotic ligands, and consequently anti-apoptotic activity. However, it remains unknown as to how the faraway, unstructured FLD modulates the affinity. Here we investigate the protein-ligand interactions by fluorescence techniques and monitor protein dynamics by DEER and NMR spectroscopy tools. We show that phosphomimetic mutations on the FLD lead to a reduction in structural flexibility, hence promoting ligand access to the groove. The bound pro-apoptotic ligands can be displaced by the BCL-2-selective inhibitor ABT-199 efficiently, and thus released to trigger apoptosis. We show that changes in structural flexibility on an unstructured loop can activate an allosteric protein that is otherwise structurally inactive., Lan et al. make single and triple phosphomimetic mutations in a long flexible loop domain of BCL-2 and show that these mutations reduce structural flexibility and promote ligand access to the groove. Their study indicates that changes in structural flexibility on an unstructured loop can activate an allosteric, otherwise inactive protein.

The calcium phosphate spherical material with a hierarchical structure has been used as a bone implantation material. To improve the properties of the implant material, the compositions of calcium phosphate, silicon, and titanium are crucial. The presence of silicon on the surface of the phosphate–calcium material accelerates the bonding of the implant with the bone (osseointegration). The aim of this work was to develop a sol–gel method to prepare spherical calcium-phosphate@TiO2–SiO2 biomaterials for bone implantation. The CaO@TiO2–SiO2 biomaterial with a core–shell structure was synthesized by the sol–gel method. The biological properties of the materials were studied with a simulated body fluid (SBF). The sample had a spherical shape. The sample exhibited bioactive properties because an increase in the content of calcium and phosphorus ions in the shell and the presence of precipitated ions from the solution were detected on the surface. The TiO2–SiO2 framework was uniformly fixed on the CaO core. Heat treatment of the hybrid mesostructure led to the formation of mesoporous materials with a specific regular structure in the nanometer size in the shell, which is necessary for the fixation of biological cells when the sample is introduced into the biological medium. The formation of a calcium–phosphate layer on the materials and the release of soluble silicon and calcium ions into the SBF are the key factors for the rapid connection of these materials with tissue. The results demonstrate that the CaO@TiO2–SiO2 biomaterial with a core–shell structure is a good candidate for bone implantation.

In this investigation, we propose and demonstrate an integrated vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and blue light emitting diode (LED) based visible light communication (VLC) system by using the decode-and-forward (DF) relay scheme indoors. The 682 nm visible VCSEL can reach 3 Gbit/s on-off keying (OOK) modulation rate for 4 m free space transmission by applying 1.25 GHz bandwidth PIN photodiode (PD). Then, the VLCVCSEL signal connects to multiple blue LEDs for broadcasting VLCLED traffic in parallel. Therefore, the maximum VLCLED rates of 775, 700, and 600 Mbit/s are obtained at the free space transmission lengths of 2, 3, and 4 m, respectively within the forward error correction (FEC) target under 4 m VLC transmission at the low detected power of 15 μW. In addition, the number of LEDs used in the DF relay VLC system depends on the practical requirement of VLCLED rate and traffic length indoors.

In this study, we fabricated fine straight-line patterns of AgNWs from a wet coating strip solution by the coffee-ring effect. The AgNW solution included two kinds of solvents (ethylene glycol and glycerol). The morphologies of the patterns for various process temperatures and glycerol contents were analyzed and discussed. Triple lines can be formed once with the addition of 0.5-wt% glycerol and the process temperature at 90 °C. It is the first time to make triple conductive lines from a wet coating line by the coffee-ring effect. The conductivity of the central line is similar to that of sidelines, featuring the resistivity of 4.05 × 10−7 Ω · m. The formation of the central line may be attributed to the fact that the glycerol possesses a higher boiling point, surface tension, and viscosity than those of ethylene glycol, which make some AgNWs deposit on the central part of the strip through the shrinkage of solvents in later evaporation period.

In this study, stoppers were designed and allocated in a planar four-capacitor (P4C) sensing unit for modulating capacitive tactile sensor (CTS) characteristics. The stoppers deterred the structural deformation of the CTS when applied with normal forces, realizing a three-stage operation: high detection sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and saturation. Comprehensive studies including theoretical design, numerical evaluation, demonstrator fabrication, experimental analysis, and a technical discussion were conducted. The proposed CTS achieved 0.901 pF/N sensitivity, enhanced dynamic range by 235.3%, and supported 2.1 N detection in the first, second, and third stages under normal force applications, respectively. With the CTS characteristics resulting from varying stopper locations, a relationship between the capacitive response and applied force is established to support typical P4C CTSs in arbitrary dimensions. In addition, systematic tolerance is studied to explain detection accuracy for the first time. The proposed CTS provides operation flexibility in normal force detections, and unaltered supportiveness on shear force and its angle detections, compared with typical CTSs.

A series of WO3-modified TiO2 sols with various WO3 contents were synthesized by peroxo sol–gel method using H2O2 as the agent. The as-synthesized WO3-TiO2 sols were light yellow in color. The maximum amount of WO3 which could be incorporated into the TiO2 sol was 4 wt.%. The pH values of the as-prepared sols were near neutral. These sols were very stable even after 2 years in stock. The sols were used to coat on glass substrate. The XRD patterns and the SAED patterns indicated that the phase of TiO2 was anatase. There were no characteristic XRD peaks of WO3 in the WO3-modified TiO2 sol, possibly due to low WO3 loading. The particles were rhombus shaped with the major axis and minor axis of 30–77 nm and 15–31 nm, respectively. WO3 was incorporated into the surface structure of TiO2 and modified the electronic state of Ti. The film coated onto glass substrate was very uniform, and the film thickness was ~ 160 nm. The XPS results exhibited that W existed as 5 + and 6 + oxidation states and Ti existed in Ti3+ and Ti4+. These four chemical states play a role of gathering the photogenerated holes and capturing the photogenerated electrons in the lower conduction band of WO3, respectively. This can effectively enhance the separation rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and increase the photoactivity. WO3/TiO2 samples had high photocatalytic activity under UV light illumination to degrade methylene blue, because it had high OH and O2− group contents.

Background Pneumococcus is one of the most common human airway pathogens that causes life-threatening infections. Ambient fine particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) is known to significantly contribute to respiratory diseases. PM2.5-induced airway inflammation may decrease innate immune defenses against bacterial infection. However, there is currently limited information available regarding the effect of PM2.5 exposure on molecular interactions between pneumococcus and macrophages. Results PM2.5 exposure hampered macrophage functions, including phagocytosis and proinflammatory cytokine production, in response to pneumococcal infection. In a PM2.5-exposed pneumococcus-infected mouse model, PM2.5 subverted the pulmonary immune response and caused leukocyte infiltration. Further, PM2.5 exposure suppressed the levels of CXCL10 and its receptor, CXCR3, by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathways. Conclusions The effect of PM2.5 exposure on macrophage activity enhances pneumococcal infectivity and aggravates pulmonary pathogenesis.

Background/purpose: Treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) has entered a new era since the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). Numerous clinical trials have shown that treatment response as well as tolerability of DAAs are superior to those of conventional therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. However, the results of clinical trials may not be directly applied to real-world practice. Therefore our study tried to investigate the effectiveness of various DAA regimens in Taiwanese patients with chronic hepatitis C. Methods: We performed a retrospective study on 400 CHC patients. The primary endpoint was undetectable HCV RNA (an HCV RNA level of

The purpose of this study is to improve the machining precision and processing efficiency in the milling process of thin workpieces. A static analysis is conducted in commercial software ANSYS with the predicted cutting force exerted on the feature points. In this study, the cutting forces are measured by a sensory tool holder and the data coordinate transformation between the tool and workpiece has been established. Modified tool paths for compensation volumetric errors were built according to the deformation data as a CL (cutter location) file. Moreover, three program interfaces are developed based on MATLAB for calculating the cutting constants, predicting cutting forces, and generating the compensated tool path, respectively. A thin workpiece machining example was made for demonstration and verification, including a tool path simulation in NX CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) software and practical machining on a CNC milling machine. The result shows that the presented method successfully improved machining precision and processing efficiency.

This study reports a novel honeycomb oxygen-generator using Y-doped Bi2O3 as the electrolyte and Ag as the electrode. The oxygen generator with a honeycomb-type structure has the dimensions of 40 mm × 35 mm × 30 mm and consists of 13 × 12 channels. The external wire circuitries of the channels arrayed in series-parallel hybrid connections were evaluated to achieve the best efficiency of oxygen evolution, which facilitated the maximum oxygen output of 117 sccm and high purity of >99.9% at 550 °C under a current flow of 14 A. Five Ag electrodes with 5 wt% silane and various amounts of high-temperature glass up to 5 wt% were employed to increase the thermal stability of the modules during operation. The results indicated that the module with an Ag electrode having 3 wt% glass exhibits the best performance with the oxygen output per unit area of 0.87 cm/min at a current density of 0.385 A/cm2 and the lowest decay rate.

A series of Ag/TiO2 with various Ag contents were prepared by photoreduction method. Commercial TiO2 from Evonik-Degussa was used as the catalyst. Ag was used as the cocatalyst. This facial synthesis method is cheap and easy. TiO2 was suspended in water with various concentrations of silver nitrate. The solution was illuminated by UV light for 36 h. Ag would deposit on the surface of TiO2. This method can deposit all Ag cation in the starting material on TiO2 after 36 h irradiation by UV light. X-ray diffraction, high resolution-TEM, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the surface, morphology and chemical composition of the catalysts. Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in water on these catalysts was carried out under UV and visible light irradiation, respectively. The methylene blue concentration in water was measured by a UV-vis spectrophotometer. The results showed that the bulk structure of TiO2 did not change and some of Ag was incorporated into the surface of TiO2 lattice. The change in the electronic state of Ti on surface is attributed to the replacement of titanium atoms by silver atoms on the TiO2 surface structure which induced visible light response and enhanced the photocatalytic activity. 1 wt% Ag is the optimum loading to have high activity.

The aim of this study was to develop a method to prepare WO3-TiO2 film which has high anticorrosion property when it was coated on type 304 stainless steel. A series of WO3-modified TiO2 sols were synthesized by peroxo-sol gel method using TiCl4 and Na2WO4 as the starting materials. TiCl4 was converted to Ti(OH)4 gel. H2O2 and Na2WO4 were added in Ti(OH)4 solution and heated at 95°C. The WO3-TiO2 sol was transparent, in neutral (pH~7) solution, stable suspension without surfactant, nano-crystallite and no annealing is needed after coating, and very stable for 2 years in stock. WO3-TiO2 sol was formed with anatase crystalline structure. These sols were characterized by XRD, TEM, and XPS. The sol was used to coat on stainless steel 304 by dip-coating. The WO3-TiO2 was anatase in structure as characterized by X-ray diffraction. There were no WO3 XRD peaks in the WO3-TiO2 sols, indicating that WO3 particles were very small, possibly incorporating into TiO2 structure, providing the amount of WO3 was very small. The TiO2 particles were rhombus shape. WO3-TiO2 had smaller size area than pure TiO2. The SEM results showed that the film coated on the glass substrate was very uniform. All films were nonporous and dense films. Its hardness reached 2 H after drying at 100°C, and reached 5 H after annealing at 400°C. The WO3-TiO2 film coated on 304 stainless steel had better anticorrosion capability than the unmodified TiO2 film under UV light illumination. The optimum weight ratio of TiO2: WO3 was 100:4.

We design a formation controller for Multi Agent Systems such that the agents can form into the desired shape and track a given reference trajectory. The main feature of the proposed design is that not only the orientation of individual agents, but also the orientation of the whole formation is considered and is designed to be aligned with the moving direction of the reference trajectory, which helps the tracking movement to be smoother compared with the common tracking results. Moreover, the control inputs are designed in predefined input ranges to reflect the practical system. System stability is proved based on nonlinear system theory and some simulations are given to validate the proposed results.

Objectives The purpose of the experiment was to study the effect of L-NAME (N(Omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) and its cotreatment with lidocaine on the spinal block and infiltrative cutaneous analgesia. Methods The quality of cutaneous analgesia was examined by the block of the cutaneous trunci muscle reflexes following needle stimuli in the rat. Spinal anaesthetic potency was assessed by measuring three neurobehavioral examinations of nociceptive, proprioceptive and motor function following intrathecal injection in the rat. Key findings L-NAME (0.6, 6 and 60 nmol) when cotreatment with lidocaine (ED50) produced dose-related cutaneous analgesia. Coadministration of L-NAME (0.6 μmol) with lidocaine intensified (P < 0.01) and prolonged (P < 0.001) cutaneous analgesia, whereas subcutaneous L-NAME (0.6 μmol) and saline did not provoke cutaneous analgesic effects. Adding L-NAME (2.5 μmol) to lidocaine intrathecally prolonged spinal sensory and motor block (P < 0.01), while intrathecal L-NAME (2.5 μmol) or 5% dextrose (vehicle) produced no spinal block. Conclusions L-NAME at 60 nmol (the minimum effective dose) increases and prolongs the effect of cutaneous analgesia of lidocaine. L-NANE at an ineffective dose potentiates lidocaine analgesic and anaesthetic effects.

Molecular imaging based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) requires a contrast agent with high relaxivity and specificity. Much effort has been devoted to this goal over the past decades. In this work, we continue this endeavor by synthesizing an MRI contrast agent that can penetrate the cellular membrane and bind with specific proteins. It was characterized with one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy, NMR micro-imaging, and mass spectroscopy. The target specificity has been further confirmed by both molecular dynamics simulation and micro-imaging on a living biological system. It is one of the largest of peptide-based bioactivated MRI contrast agents, and its relaxivity enhancement factor is among the highest of MRI contrast agents hitherto published. We envision interesting applications and extension of this smart MRI contrast agent with bio-specificity and high contrast for molecular imaging.

To alleviate the impact of fake news on our society, predicting the popularity of fake news posts on social media is a crucial problem worthy of study. However, most related studies on fake news emphasize detection only. In this paper, we focus on the issue of fake news influence prediction, i.e., inferring how popular a fake news post might become on social platforms. To achieve our goal, we propose a comprehensive framework, MUFFLE, which captures multi-modal dynamics by encoding the representation of news-related social networks, user characteristics, and content in text. The attention mechanism developed in the model can provide explainability for social or psychological analysis. To examine the effectiveness of MUFFLE, we conducted extensive experiments on real-world datasets. The experimental results show that our proposed method outperforms both state-of-the-art methods of popularity prediction and machine-based baselines in top-k NDCG and hit rate. Through the experiments, we also analyze the feature importance for predicting fake news influence via the explainability provided by MUFFLE.

This study sought to assess the cutaneous (peripheral) analgesic effects of antihistamine chlorpheniramine, compared with the long-lasting local anesthetic bupivacaine. After chlorpheniramine and bupivacaine were subcutaneously injected under the dorsal skin of the rats, the cutaneous analgesia effect was quantitatively evaluated by scoring the number to which the animal failed to react (cutaneous trunci muscle reflex). The quality and duration of chlorpheniramine and bupivacaine on infiltrative cutaneous analgesia were compared. We revealed that subcutaneous chlorpheniramine, as well as the local anesthetic bupivacaine elicited cutaneous analgesia in a dosage-dependent manner. Based on their ED50s (50% effective doses), the relative potency was found to be chlorpheniramine [1.13 (1.05–1.22) μmol]

Synthesis of the multidentate coordinated chelate N3C–H2, composed of a linked functional pyridyl pyrazole fragment plus a peripheral phenyl and pyridyl unit, was obtained using a multistep protoco...

The purpose of the study was to investigate spinal sensory and motor block by antiparkinsonian drugs (pramipexole and selegiline), and the combination of pramipexole and the local anesthetic lidocaine.Using a technique of spinal blockade in rats, the effects of pramipexole, selegiline, and coadministration of pramipexole and lidocaine on spinal blockades of motor and sensory function were investigated.Under a concentration of 100 mM, pramipexole displayed more potent and had a longer duration of nociceptive, proprioceptive, and motor block than selegiline, whereas pramipexole and selegiline were less potent in comparison to lidocaine. Pramipexole produced spinal nociceptive, proprioceptive, and motor blocks in a dose-related manner. On the EDPramipexole and selegiline were less potent than lidocaine to block sensory and motor responses. The duration of the spinal anesthetic effect of pramipexole was longer than lidocaine. At a non-effective dose, pramipexole increased the duration of efficacy of lidocaine.

Background: The objective of the study was to determine predictors for upper-limb functional recovery trajectory after occupational therapy in a population with chronic stroke. Methods: In this retrospective secondary analysis, Fugl–Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) scores before and after intervention and at the 3-month follow-up were used to divide 105 participants with chronic stroke into three groups of recovery trajectories: fast (participants who reached an improvement of 7 after intervention), extended (those who reached an improvement of 7 at follow-up), and limited (those who did not reach an improvement of 7) recovery. Comparisons among the three groups were made in demographics, stroke characteristics, and baseline assessment scores. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine predictors for group membership. Results: Time after onset of stroke and the baseline scores of FMA-UE, Stroke Impact Scale-Hand (SIS-Hand), Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT)-Quality, WMFT-Time scores, Motor Activity Log-Amount of Use (MAL-AOU), and Motor Activity Log-Quality of Movement (MAL-QOM) scores were significantly different among the three groups. Univariate logistic regressions confirmed that SIS-Hand, WMFT-Quality, WMFT-Time, MAL-AOU, and MAL-QOM were significant predictors for both the fast versus limited recovery group membership and the extended versus limited group membership. Time after stroke onset and baseline FMA-UE were additional predictors for the fast versus limited recovery group membership. Conclusion: These findings may assist healthcare professionals in making optimal therapeutic decisions and in informing clients and caregivers about the outcomes of stroke recovery.

Oligodendrocytes (OLs), myelin-producing glia in the central nervous system (CNS), produce a myelin extension that enwraps axons to facilitate action potential propagation. An effective approach to induce oligodendrogenesis and myelination is important to foster CNS development and promote myelin repair in neurological diseases. Hericium (H.) erinaceus, an edible and culinary-medicinal mushroom, has been characterized as having neuroprotective activities. However, its effect on OL differentiation has not yet been uncovered. In this study using oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) cultures and an ex vivo cerebellar slice system, we found that the extract from H. erinaceus mycelium (HEM) not only promoted the differentiation of OPCs to OLs in the differentiation medium, but also increased the level of myelin basic protein (MBP) on neuronal fibers. Moreover, daily oral administration of HEM into neonatal rat pups for 7 days enhanced MBP expression and OLs in the corpus callosum of the postnatal rat brain. The effect of HEM-derived bioactive compounds, the diterpenoid xylosides erinacine A (HeA) and HeC and a sesterterpene with 5 isoprene units called HeS, were further evaluated. The results showed that HeA and HeS more potently stimulated MBP expression in OLs and increased the number of OLs. Moreover, overlap between MBP immunoreactivity and neuronal fibers in cultured cerebellar tissue slices was significantly increased in the presence of HeA and HeS. In summary, our findings indicate that HEM extract and its ingredients HeA and HeS display promising functional effects and promote OL maturation, providing insights into their potential for myelination in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Sulfate is among the major components of atmospheric aerosols or fine particulate matters. Aerosols loaded with sulfate result in low air quality, damage to ecosystems, and influences on climate change. Sulfate aerosols could originate from that directly emitted to the atmosphere and that produced by atmospheric physicochemical processes. The latter is generated from sulfur dioxide (SO2) via oxidation either in the gas phase reactions or in the aqueous phase. Several mechanisms of SO2 oxidation have been proposed, but the differentiation of the various mechanisms and identification of the sources remain challenging. To meet this need, a new method to estimate the contribution of the gas-phase reaction between hydroxyl radical (OH) and SO2 to the sulfate aerosol is proposed and investigated. Briefly, we consider the OH-reaction rates of the respective trace gases that compete for OH radicals with SO2 in the troposphere, and estimate the fraction of SO2-OH reaction in the total OH reactivity. Then the relationship between sulfate concentration and the SO2-OH reaction is analyzed statistically to investigate the sources of sulfate in aerosols. We test this method using the data from ground-based observations and aircraft measurements made during the Effect of Megacities on the transport and transformation of pollutants on the Regional to Global scales in Asia (EMeRGe-Asia) over the western Taiwan and West Pacific regions. Our results show that the estimated SO2-OH reactivity fraction is well-correlated with sulfate concentration. The sulfate production from SO2-OH reaction accounts for approximately 30 % of the total sulfate in aerosols collected at the surface and near-surface (altitude 2-OH reaction regionally and globally.

Objective This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of neural mobilization (NM) in the management of sensory dysfunction and nerve degeneration related to experimental painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN). Methods This is a pre-clinical animal study performed in the streptozocin-induced diabetic rat model. Three groups were included: a treatment group of rats with PDN receiving NM under anesthesia (PDN-NM, n = 10), a sham treatment group of rats with PDN that received only anesthesia (PDN-Sham, n = 9), and a vehicle control group with nondiabetic animals (Vehicle, n = 10). Rats in the PDN-NM and PDN-Sham groups received 1 treatment session on days 10, 12, and 14 after streptozocin injection, with a 48-hour rest period between sessions. Behavioral tests were performed using von Frey and Plantar tests. Evaluation for peripheral nerve degeneration was performed through measuring protein gene product 9.5-positive intra-epidermal nerve fiber density in hind-paw skin biopsies. All measurements were performed by a blinded investigator. Results The behavioral tests showed that a single NM session could reduce hyperalgesia, which was maintained for 48 hours. The second treatment session further improved this treatment effect, and the third session maintained it. These results suggest that it requires multiple treatment sessions to produce and maintain hypoalgesic effects. Skin biopsy analysis showed that the protein gene product 9.5-positive intra-epidermal nerve fiber density was higher on the experimental side of the PDN-NM group compared with the PDN-Sham group, suggesting NM may mitigate the degeneration of peripheral nerves. Conclusion This study demonstrated that NM may be an effective method to manage experimentally induced PDN, potentially through mitigation of nerve degeneration. Further studies are needed to develop standardized protocols for clinical use. Impact These findings provide neurophysiological evidence for the use of NM in PDN and can form the basis for the development of physical therapy-based programs in clinics.

We present PneuSeries, a series of modularized inflatables where their inflation and deflation are propagated in-between stage by stage to form various shapes. The key component of PneuSeries is the bidirectional check valve that passively regulates the air flowing in/out from/to adjacent inflatables, allowing each of the inflatables to be inflated/deflated one by one through serial propagation. The form of the inflatable series thus is programmed by the sequential operations of a pump that push/pull the air in/out. In this paper, we explored the design of PneuSeries and implemented working prototypes as a proof of concept. In particular, we built PneuSeries with (1) modularized cubical, cuboidal, tetrahedral, prismatic, and custom inflatables to examine their shape forming, (2) fast assembly connectors to allow quick reconfiguration of the series, and (3) folding mechanism to reduce irregularity of the shrunken inflatables. We also evaluated the inflating and deflating time and the flow rate of the valve for simulating the inflating and deflating process and display the steps and time required to transform in our software. Finally, we demonstrate example objects that show the capability of PneuSeries and its potential applications.