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Esophagectomy for esophageal cancer is a highly invasive gastrointestinal surgical procedure. The National Clinical Database (NCD) of Japan, initiated in 2011, has compiled real-world data on esophagectomy, one of nine major gastroenterological surgeries. This review examines outcomes after esophagectomy analyzed using the Japanese big databases. Certification systems by the Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery (JSGS) and the Japan Esophageal Society (JES) have shown that institutional certification has a greater impact on short-term surgical outcomes than surgeon certification. Minimally invasive esophagectomy has emerged as a viable alternative to open esophagectomy, although careful patient selection is crucial, especially for elderly patients with advanced tumors. The NCD has significantly contributed to the assessment and enhancement of surgical quality and short-term outcomes, while studies based on Comprehensive Registry of Esophageal Cancer in Japan (CRECJ) have provided data on patient characteristics, treatments, and long-term outcomes. The JES has conducted various questionnaire-based retrospective clinical reviews in collaboration with authorized institutions certified by JES. The Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) database provides administrative claims data including itemized prices for surgical, pharmaceutical, laboratory, and other inpatient services. Analyzing these nationwide databases can offer precise insights into surgical quality for esophageal cancer, potentially leading to improved treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the intricate, multifaceted nature of financial data in e-commerce enterprises, this article presents a T-DPC algorithm for analyzing financial management in these businesses. The algorithm utilizes the t-SNE method to reduce the dimensionality of financial data, whilst also implementing an enhanced DPC algorithm based on the K-nearest neighbor concept to analyze financial data clusters. The results show that the F-measure metrics of the DPC algorithm optimized by t-SNE improve 16.7% and 3.07% over the DPC algorithm after testing on the PID and Wine datasets, and its running time is faster than the DPC algorithm on the Aggregation, D31, and R15 datasets by 16.2. Therefore, the algorithm has reference significance for the financial analysis of e-commerce enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The vitality of the pulp and the formation of new dentin are important for the success of direct pulp capping (DPC). Accordingly, the present study aims to histologically evaluate the pulp reaction to potassium nitrate in polycarboxylate cement (KNO 3 /PCA) compared with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) in immature dogs' teeth. DPC was done on 48 teeth in three dogs (16 for each dog, 8 for each material). Materials and Methods After 2, 3, and 4 months, a dog was euthanized at each time interval. Capped teeth were extracted, demineralized, and processed for histopathological examination based on the presence of inflammation, granulation tissue, hard tissue, and dentin bridge. Results Inflammatory changes were absent in both MTA- and KNO 3 /PCA-capped teeth at the three time intervals. The incidence of granulation tissue formation was higher in MTA- (75, 87.5, and 87.5%) than in KNO 3 /PCA-capped teeth (62.5, 75, and 75%) after 2, 3, and 4 months after DPC, respectively. Hard tissue was seen after 3 months of DPC with both MTA and KNO 3 /PCA. It was more evident in MTA-capped teeth with an incidence of 75 and 75%, and 12.5 and 25% in teeth capped with KNO3/PCA after 3 and 4 months, respectively. Dentin bridge was only noticed in MTA-capped teeth after 3 and 4 months intervals. Conclusion Taken all together, pulpal responses in the form of granulation and hard tissues, and dentin bridge formation are more evident in MTA-capped teeth than those capped with KNO 3 /PCA in immature dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of a cloud is three-dimensional (3-D). Nevertheless, cloud research is predominantly developed in one-dimensional (1-D) hypothesis from passive optical satellite measurements. Cloud retrieval algorithms typically do not consider the parallax displacement of clouds in multi-view images. Inversion of cloud properties based on two-dimensional (2-D) coordinates cannot solve multi-view radiation changes which are caused by macro-structure of a cloud in 3-D space. In this study, we included the 3-D structure of clouds by repositioning cloud pixels within a 3-D coordinate system utilizing the directional polarization camera (DPC) data before conducting cloud property retrieval. It is followed by identification of location of cloud in each observational view's image plane. Observational paths of clouds are rebuilt at each observational view. Furthermore, computer graphics methods are employed to establish spatial relationship among different cloud observational paths. The radiational and geometrical information are relocated in unified 3-D sub-pixel space. Finally, 3-D cloud radiation information could be applied to retrieve cloud properties. The case results demonstrate that our method can effectively reduce mixed pixels of clouds and clear sky by 5.79% while decrease indistinguishable pixels in cloud phase classification by 2.11%. It leads to an enhancement in the classification accuracy of water clouds and ice clouds by 3.30% and 4.03%, respectively. Therefore, it is concluded that considering the impact of cloud structure before retrieval would significantly improve accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an algorithm for harvesting optimal power points (OPP) utilizing the direct power control (DPC) technique of the dual-fed induction generator (DFIG) wind turbine. The conventional Fibonacci search algorithm (FSA) technique cannot find the exact global peak (GP) strategy and may fail. It proposes a new modified Fibonacci search algorithm (MFSA) to extract (OPP) with variable-speed wind energy turbines (VSWET), which is very important for many people and companies. Among the other different algorithms, the MFSA is more efficient and has a simple strategy to track the optimal power point that depends on calculating the effective speed of the Ωm in an interval [a, b]. The research paper suggests modifying the Fibonacci-based search on the rotor side conversion (RSC) of a 7.5 KW DFIG in the WECS wind energy conversion strategy. The simulation uses the built-in MATLAB/SIMULINK (R2023a) software. It demonstrates the ease of implementation, lower total harmonic distortion THD and efficiency since it uses a step size that is not fixed based on the Fibonacci sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the effects of different plant growth retardants on the main economic traits of cut sunflower, in this study, Vincent cut sunflower was used as the test material, foliar spray treatments were carried out with different concentrations of PP333(40, 80, 160, 240 mg/L), CCC(100, 200, 400, 800 mg/L), and DPC(50, 100, 150, 200 mg/L) solutions with water as the control. The stem, leaf, and flower traits of cut sunflower were determined under different treatment conditions after reaching harvest maturity. The results showed that compared with the control, the 12 treatments showed the characteristics of reduced plant height, increased stem diameter, shortened internodes, increased diameter-to-height ratio, shortened petioles, thickened leaves, increased chlorophyll content, and increased flower diameter, indicating that the economic traits of Vincent cut sunflower were significantly improved and the quality of cut flowers was significantly improved. Among these treatments, PP333 240 mg/L, CCC 800 mg/L, and DPC 150 mg/L had the most significant effects on the economic traits of cut sunflower. Under 240 mg/L of PP333 treatment, the plant height of cut sunflower decreased by 24.1%, stem diameter increased by 41.6%, leaf thickness increased by 52%, SPAD value increased by 47.5%, and flower diameter increased by 26.3%. Under 800 mg/L of CCC treatment, plant height decreased by 15.8%, stem diameter increased by 35.7%, leaf thickness increased by 59.9%, SPAD value increased by 48%, and flower diameter increased by 24.8%.Under 150 mg/L of DPC treatment, the plant height decreased by 22.2%, the stem diameter increased by 44.5%, the leaf thickness increased by 74.8%, the SPAD value increased by 39.3%, and the flower diameter increased by 22.7%. Comprehensive comparative analysis showed that the economic traits of cut sunflower under 240 mg/L of PP333 treatment were the most prominent, and the comprehensive effect was the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DPC in Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) is a valuable method for mapping the electric fields in semiconductor materials. However, optimising the experimental conditions can be challenging. In this paper, we test and compare critical experimental parameters, including the convergence angle, camera length, acceleration voltage, sample configuration, and orientation using a four‐quadrant segmented detector and a Si specimen containing layers of different As concentrations. The DPC measurements show a roughly linear correlation with the estimated electric fields, until the field gets close to the detection limitation, which is ∼0.5 mV/nm with a sample thickness of ∼145 nm. These results can help inform which technique to use for different user cases: When the electric field at a planar junction is above ∼0.5 mV/nm, DPC with a segmented detector is practical for electric field mapping. With a planar junction, the DPC signal‐to‐noise ratio can be increased by increasing the specimen thickness. However, for semiconductor devices with electric fields smaller than ∼0.5 mV/nm, or for devices containing curved junctions, DPC is unreliable and techniques with higher sensitivity will need to be explored, such as 4D STEM using a pixelated detector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Xinjiang Agricultural Sciences is the property of Xinjiang Agricultural Sciences Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With the rapid development of the information age, new technological means are constantly applied to the field of education and produce good results. This paper uses data mining algorithms to extract and analyze data on college English education and explore how to adjust the teaching methodology. On the basis of improving the inherent defects of the DPC algorithm, this paper determines the clustering center through a scoring function, uses the K-neighbor method to form the cluster backbone, and proposes a nearest-neighbor-based label propagation method to propagate the labels to their adjacent nodes to complete data mining. After mining and analyzing the current situation of English education, it was found that the age group over 30 years old accounted for 77.6%, female teachers accounted for 74.6% of the total number of teachers, teachers with the titles of lecturer and assistant professor accounted for 58%, and 33% of the students were not too satisfied or dissatisfied with the content of the English course. It shows that the English teaching team of universities in this province has shortcomings such as gender imbalance, insufficient young and senior teachers, and less than satisfactory content of English courses, which need to be improved in several aspects.

In this paper, a novel direct power control technique founded on fuzzy logic controller (FLC-DPC) is selected to master and control the DFIG for wind energy conversion system (WECS). The fuzzy logic controller replaces both hysteresis regulators and the switching table in the proposed strategy. Seeking to enhance the control and overcome the defects associated with the conventional DPC (C-DPC) technique, this control depends on the errors of both active and reactive powers. The suitable rotor voltage vector for the inverter is obtained by FLC-DPC. The proposed control strategy is applied to the WT-DFIG system, in order to study its effectiveness. To reflect a real WECS operation, this study considers the wind’s random behaviour in successive and continuous ways throughout all WT-DFIG operating modes. Also, it takes into consideration all compensated local reactive power modes. The studied system and the proposed control were tested under MATLAB/Simulink environment. The obtained results showed the high effectiveness of the proposed control in terms of response time, robustness and ease. Consequently, C-DPC’s drawbacks are eliminated, and the ripples in compensated local reactive and produced active powers are reduced. Additionally, the total harmonic distortions (THDs) of injected currents are reduced, which improves their quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the difficulty of determining a clear-cut boundary of a cluster, three-way clustering methods search for a new type of cluster structure characterized by a pair of a core region with tightly connected objects and a fringe region with relatively loosely connected objects. The density peak clustering (DPC) algorithm is a noniterative process that does not require a predetermined number of clusters. In this paper, taking advantage of these two classes of clustering methods, we propose a new three-way adaptive density peak clustering (3W-ADPC) method. The main contribution of proposed method is that the 3W-ADPC algorithm can adaptively select the most applicable neighbor (i.e., the natural nearest neighbor) for each sample and does not need the parameter of a cutoff distance threshold based on two improved definitions of local density and local distance. In other words, 3W-ADPC is a parameter-free three-way clustering algorithm. The experimental results show that the 3W-ADPC algorithm can not only provide an explainable clustering structure, but also has good performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Xinjiang Agricultural Sciences is the property of Xinjiang Agricultural Sciences Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article focuses on the Irish Data Protection Commission fined TikTok 345 million Euros for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regarding children's personal data. It reports the investigation, initiated in September 2021, involved supervisory authorities and the European Data Protection Board. It highlights TikTok's processing activities and its vast E.U. user base, particularly among children.

To address the issues of the existing dry granulation process, which mostly relies on manual adjustments based on empirical experience and lacks the analysis of theoretical data, a simplified model of tablet pressing based on a modified Drucker–Prager Cap (DPC) material constitutive model was proposed to simulate and analyze the forming process of tablets, and study the impacts of the feeding speed, roller speed, friction coefficient and roller clearance on the density distribution of the pressed tablets via ABAQUS. The results show that the roller speed significantly impacts the density of tablets, and a lower roller speed and a higher friction coefficient are beneficial to the formation of tablets. As the roller clearance decreases, the average density at the clearance increases, and the unevenness of the lateral density distribution of the tablets increases, showing a distribution trend of larger density at the center and smaller density on both sides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technologies have transformed business models quickly, making sustainable, inventive performance essential for the survival of businesses, particularly in emerging markets. However, a lot of English educational institutions struggle to make use of digital platform capability (DPC) due to a lack of funding, resources, and experience that stifles prospects for advanced innovation. After the COVID-19 pandemic, this study suggests a framework to investigate how English educational institutions might improve their innovation performance using DPC. The study examines the relationship between digital innovation (DI) and innovation performance (IP), as well as the moderating effects of digital technology (DT). This study uses a quantitative methodology and questionnaire survey with 435 respondents from institutions that support DPC. The analysis examines the hypotheses using correlations, regression analyses, and 5000 bootstraps. The results demonstrate a positive relationship between DPC and IP, with DI acting as a mediator. Additionally, the outcomes show that the development of digital technology strengthens the positive influence of DPC on innovation performance. Through filling research gaps, this study adds to the body of knowledge. It also has significant management implications for English educational institutions looking to improve their innovation performance by fostering digital platform ability and digital innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we address the optimization of the direct power control of a doubly fed induction generator within a wind conversion system under actual wind conditions. The primary objective is to enhance the dynamic response of the wind energy conversion system (WECS) while minimizing the impact of wind fluctuations on power generation. To achieve this goal, we introduce a novel control methodology based on the super-twisting algorithm (STA). This approach allows for effective regulation of both reactive and active power output in the WECS. We employ comprehensive simulations using a detailed model of the WECS and real wind profiles to evaluate the efficacy of the STA-based control strategy. Our simulations demonstrate that the adopted STA-based control strategy successfully tracks the desired power set-point and effectively mitigates the adverse effects of wind power fluctuations and uncertainties on the WECS power output. Specifically, it exhibits superior performance in managing transients and rejecting disturbances compared to a conventional approach employing a switching table and hysteresis controller. These results suggest the practical viability and potential applications of the STA-based control strategy in real-world wind energy systems.

Introduction: Laparoscopic low anterior resection (L-LAR) has become widely accepted for the treatment of rectal cancer. However, little is known about the superiority of L-LAR in a real-world setting (including low-volume hospitals) and the association between the short-term outcomes and hospital volume focusing on L-LAR. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. A total of 37,821 patients who underwent LAR for rectal cancer were analyzed using the Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) database from January 2014 to December 2017. The short-term surgical outcomes were analyzed using a multilevel analysis. Hospital volumes were divided into quartiles, including low (1–31), middle (32–55), high (56–91), and very-high volume (92–444 resections per 4 years). The effects of hospital volume on the outcomes were investigated. Results: The study population included 8,335 patients (22%) who underwent open low anterior resection (O-LAR) and 29,486 patients (78%) who underwent L-LAR. The in-hospital mortality and morbidity were consistent with previous reports. In patients who underwent L-LAR, the in-hospital mortality (0.12% vs. 0.41%; OR: 0.33; p = 0.005), the rate of reoperation (3.76% vs. 6.48%; OR: 0.67; p < 0.001), and the perioperative transfusion rate (3.81% vs. 5.90%; OR: 0.66; p < 0.001) were significantly lower in very-high-volume hospitals than in low-volume hospitals. These effects of hospital volume were not observed in O-LAR. Conclusions: Our present study demonstrates that high volume improves outcomes in patients who underwent L-LAR in a real-world setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Przegląd Elektrotechniczny is the property of Przeglad Elektrotechniczny and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper studies thermal characteristics of new polycarbonates obtained using the bisphenol A-free technology. Thermal tests of polycarbonates were carried out in a wide temperature range using the DSC (diffrential scanning calorimetry) and TG (thermogravimetry) analyses. The DSC data confirmed that all materials are homogeneous whereas the endothermic peaks are responsible for melting. Additionally, the analysis of the released gases was made by means of the infrared spectroscopic analysis. Our research proved that the new polycarbonates are relatively heat resistant. In the range of the thermal destruction of the studied materials there can be considered, two types of degradation reactions. The first step around 200 °C and the second one around 300 °C. Gel permeation chromatography were performed to determined molar masses of polymers. XRD analysis showed that the obtained polycarbonates showed a partially crystalline structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients requiring femoral venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal life support (ECLS) are at risk of distal lower limb hypoperfusion and ischemia of the cannulated leg. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of using continuous noninvasive lower limb oximetry with near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to detect tissue hypoxia and guide distal perfusion catheter (DPC) placement on the rates of leg ischemia requiring surgical intervention. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who had undergone femoral VA-ECLS at our institution from 2010 to 2014 (pre-NIRS era) and 2017 to 2021 (NIRS era). Patients who had undergone cannulation during the 2015 to 2016 transition era were excluded. The baseline characteristics, short-term outcomes, and ischemic complications requiring surgical intervention (eg, fasciotomy, thrombectomy, amputation, exploration) were compared across the two cohorts. Of the 490 patients included in the present study, 141 (28.8%) and 349 (71.2%) had undergone cannulation before and after the routine use of NIRS to direct DPC placement, respectively. The patients in the NIRS cohort had had a greater incidence of hyperlipidemia (53.7% vs 41.1%; P =.015) and hypertension (71.4% vs 60%; P =.020) at baseline, although they were less likely to have been supported with an intra-aortic balloon pump before ECLS cannulation (26.9% vs 37.6%; P =.026). These patients were also more likely to have experienced cardiac arrest (22.9% vs 7.8%; P ≤.001) and a pulmonary cause (5.2% vs 0.7%; P =.04) as an indication for ECLS, with ECLS initiated less often for acute myocardial infarction (15.8% vs 34%; P ≤.001). The patients in the NIRS cohort had had a smaller arterial cannula size (P ≤.001) and a longer duration of ECLS support (5 vs 3.25 days; P ≤.001) but significantly lower rates of surgical intervention for limb ischemia (2.6% vs 8.5%; P =.007) despite comparable rates of DPC placement (49.1% vs 44.7%; P =.427), with only two patients (1.1%) not identified by NIRS ultimately requiring surgical intervention. The use of a smaller arterial cannula (≤15F) and continuous NIRS monitoring to guide selective insertion of DPCs could be a valid and effective strategy associated with a reduced incidence of ischemic events requiring surgical intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of a focused X-ray beam with a sample in a scanning probe experiment can provide a variety of information about the interaction volume. In many scanning probe experiments X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is supplemented with measurements of the transmitted or scattered intensity using a pixelated detector. The automated extraction of different signals from an area pixelated detector is described, in particular the methodology for extracting differential phase contrast (DPC) is demonstrated and different processing methods are compared across a range of samples. The phase shift of the transmitted X-ray beam by the sample, extracted from DPC, is also compared with ptychography measurements to provide a qualitative and quantitative comparison. While ptychography produces a superior image, DPC can offer a simple, flexible method for phase contrast imaging which can provide fast results and feedback during an experiment; furthermore, for many science problems, such as registration of XRF in a lighter matrix, DPC can provide sufficient information to meet the experimental aims. As the DPC technique is a quantitative measurement, it can be expanded to spectroscopic studies and a demonstration of DPC for spectro-microscopy measurements is presented. Where ptychography can separate the absorption and phase shifts by the sample, quantitative interpretation of a DPC image or spectro-microscopy signal can only be performed directly when absorption is negligible or where the absorption contribution is known and the contributions can be fitted.

Copyright of Petroleum Refinery Engineering is the property of Petroleum Refinery Engineering Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

[Display omitted] • Plasmodium DDI1 protein is expressed in all major life cycle stages and is crucial for parasite development. • Infection of mice with DDI1 knock-down parasites confers immunity to subsequent infection. • Plasmodium DDI1 is associated with chromatin and DNA-protein crosslinks. • DDI1 knock-down parasites show enhanced susceptibility to HIV protease inhibitor lopinavir and antimalarial artemisinin. • Plasmodium DDI1 could be a therapeutic target for malaria control. DNA damage inducible 1 protein (DDI1) is involved in a variety of cellular processes including proteasomal degradation of specific proteins. All DDI1 proteins contain a ubiquitin-like (UBL) domain and a retroviral protease (RVP) domain. Some DDI1 proteins also contain a ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domain. The three domains confer distinct activities to DDI1 proteins. The presence of a RVP domain makes DDI1 a potential target of HIV protease inhibitors, which also block the development of malaria parasites. Hence, we investigated the DDI1 of malaria parasites to identify its roles during parasite development and potential as a therapeutic target. DDI1 proteins of Plasmodium and other apicomplexan parasites share the UBL-RVP domain architecture, and some also contain the UBA domain. Plasmodium DDI1 is expressed across all the major life cycle stages and is important for parasite survival, as conditional depletion of DDI1 protein in the mouse malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei and the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum compromised parasite development. Infection of mice with DDI1 knock-down P. berghei was self-limiting and protected the recovered mice from subsequent infection with homologous as well as heterologous parasites, indicating the potential of DDI1 knock-down parasites as a whole organism vaccine. Plasmodium falciparum DDI1 (Pf DDI1) is associated with chromatin and DNA-protein crosslinks. Pf DDI1-depleted parasites accumulated DNA-protein crosslinks and showed enhanced susceptibility to DNA-damaging chemicals, indicating a role of Pf DDI1 in removal of DNA-protein crosslinks. Knock-down of Pf DDI1 increased susceptibility to the retroviral protease inhibitor lopinavir and antimalarial artemisinin, which suggests that simultaneous inhibition of DDI1 could potentiate antimalarial activity of these drugs. As DDI1 knock-down parasites confer protective immunity and it could be a target of HIV protease inhibitors, Plasmodium DDI1 is a potential therapeutic target for malaria control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the successful application of direct power control (DPC) based algorithm in the DC–AC conversion of a standalone system. This algorithm is successful at the smooth variation of active power in the standalone mode of operation of renewable power generating system. Thus, it can supply the variable nature of power demand. The algorithm also successfully rejects the variation of DC voltage at the input of the inverter. The power output of the inverter in this standalone mode is successfully maintained during this condition. So, it can be said that the DPC in the standalone mode, is flexible enough to adopt the fluctuation of the DC voltage. It has also been seen that the inverter operating with DPC-based control can deliver constant power at the load end even under fluctuating load impedance. The claims stated, in theory, are successfully justified in both simulation and real-time environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As fluorescence parameters such as lifetime, quantum yield, anisotropy and polarisation quantum are extremely sensitive to fluorophores' microenvironmental changes, changes in the properties of the fluorescence probe have been widely used to study hydrophobic interactions in protein and membrane biology. The current study determines the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of mixed micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cationic surfactant N-dodecyl phosphocholine (DPC) based on fluorescence intensity measurements. biomolecular structure analysis and dynamics revealed through the measure of changes in the nanosecond time range. As the temperature rises, the onset of micellization tends to occur at higher concentrations. It was measured versus micelle concentration over a temperature range of (288–338) K. The obtained results were used to estimate the micellization thermodynamic parameters. Surfactant CMC drops to a minimum (T = 308 K) and then rises with temperature forming a parabolic curve as a function of temperature, according to experimental data. The CMCs are first correlated by a polynomial equation to determine the enthalpy of micellization. Both Δ H mic and Δ S mic appear to decrease monotonically as temperature rises. ΔGmic is negative, indicating that the micellization process is exothermic and favorable. The compensation temperature (Tc) ranged from (313–318) K by linear regression over the whole temperature range and for DPC, SDS, and mixed micelles together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The translocator protein (TSPO) is a ubiquitous transmembrane protein of great pharmacological interest thanks to its high affinity to many drug ligands. The only high-resolution 3D-structure known for mammalian TSPO was obtained by NMR for the mouse mTSPO in DPC detergent only in presence of the high-affinity PK 11195 ligand. An atomic structure of free-ligand mTSPO is still missing to better understand the interaction of ligands with mTSPO and their effects on the protein conformation. Here, we decipher the solution structures of the recombinant mTSPO without ligand both in (i) SDS, the detergent used to extract and purify the protein from E. coli inclusion bodies, and (ii) DPC, the detergent used to solve the PK 11195-binding mTSPO NMR structure. We report partially refolded and less flexible mTSPO helices in DPC compared to SDS. Besides, DPC stabilizes the tertiary structure of mTSPO, as shown by a higher intrinsic Trp fluorescence and changes in indole environment. We evaluate by SEC-MALLS that ∼135 SDS and ∼100 DPC molecules are bound to mTSPO. SEC-small-angle X-ray (SAXS) and neutron (SANS) scattering confirm a larger mTSPO-detergent complex in SDS than in DPC. Using the contrast-matching technique in SEC-SANS, we demonstrate that mTSPO conformation is more compact and less flexible in DPC than in SDS. Combining ab initio modeling with SANS, we confirm that mTSPO conformation is less elongated in DPC than in SDS. However, the free-ligand mTSPO envelope in DPC is not as compact as the PK 11195-binding protein NMR structure, the ligand stiffening the protein. [Display omitted] • mTSPO 3D-structure is partially unfolded in SDS environment. • mTSPO can refold progressively to a more native state from SDS to DPC. • mTSPO helicity and coiled coil increase from SDS to DPC environment. • Intrinsic fluorescence from mTSPO 12 Trp increases in DPC compared to SDS. • mTSPO is more compact in DPC but not as much as in presence of a stabilizing ligand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) are considered green generators, environmentally friendly, and fully suitable energy sources to replace fossil energy sources. WECS's output power is hugely dependent on the random nature of the wind. There are many solutions to improve the output power for WECSs, such as adjusting the profile of turbine blades, locating installation places, improving generators, etc. Nevertheless, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms for WECSs are optimal and the most effective because they are flexible in controlling different variable wind speeds and match all types of WECS. The parameters on the generator side control or the grid side control will be adjusted when MPPT algorithms are used, allowing the output power of WECSs to be maximized while maintaining stability in variable-speed wind. There are various MPPT algorithms, but the current problem is their efficiency and whether it requires deep knowledge to select the best MPPT solutions because each method has different advantages and disadvantages. This study has implemented an overview of modern maximum power tracking algorithms applied to permanent magnet synchronous generators in WECS with MPP methods based on speed convergence, efficiency, self-training, complexity, and measurement of wind parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of a focused X-ray beam with a sample in a scanning probe experiment can provide a variety of information about the interaction volume. In many scanning probe experiments X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is supplemented with measurements of the transmitted or scattered intensity using a pixelated detector. The automated extraction of different signals from an area pixelated detector is described, in particular the methodology for extracting differential phase contrast (DPC) is demonstrated and different processing methods are compared across a range of samples. The phase shift of the transmitted X-ray beam by the sample, extracted from DPC, is also compared with ptychography measurements to provide a qualitative and quantitative comparison. While ptychography produces a superior image, DPC can offer a simple, flexible method for phase contrast imaging which can provide fast results and feedback during an experiment; furthermore, for many science problems, such as registration of XRF in a lighter matrix, DPC can provide sufficient information to meet the experimental aims. As the DPC technique is a quantitative measurement, it can be expanded to spectroscopic studies and a demonstration of DPC for spectro-microscopy measurements is presented. Where ptychography can separate the absorption and phase shifts by the sample, quantitative interpretation of a DPC image or spectro-microscopy signal can only be performed directly when absorption is negligible or where the absorption contribution is known and the contributions can be fitted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent line of research has focused on Ubiquitination, a pervasive and proteasome-mediated protein degradation that controls apoptosis and is crucial in the breakdown of proteins and the development of cell disorders, is a major factor. The turnover of proteins and ubiquitination are two related processes. We predict ubiquitination sites; these attributes are lastly fed into the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) classifier. We develop reliable predictors computational tool using experimental identification of protein ubiquitination sites is typically labor- and time-intensive. First, we encoded protein sequence features into matrix data using Dipeptide Deviation from Expected Mean (DDE) features encoding techniques. We also proposed 2nd features extraction model named dipeptide composition (DPC) model. It is vital to develop reliable predictors since experimental identification of protein ubiquitination sites is typically labor- and time-intensive. In this paper, we proposed computational method as named Ubipro-XGBoost, a multi-view feature-based technique for predicting ubiquitination sites. Recent developments in proteomic technology have sparked renewed interest in the identification of ubiquitination sites in a number of human disorders, which have been studied experimentally and clinically. When more experimentally verified ubiquitination sites appear, we developed a predictive algorithm that can locate lysine ubiquitination sites in large-scale proteome data. This paper introduces Ubipro-XGBoost, a machine learning method. Ubipro-XGBoost had an AUC (area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve) of 0.914% accuracy, 0.836% Sensitivity, 0.992% Specificity, and 0.839% MCC on a 5-fold cross validation based on DPC model, and 2nd 0.909% accuracy, 0.839% Sensitivity, 0.979% Specificity, and 0. 0.829% MCC on a 5-fold cross validation based on DDE model. The findings demonstrate that the suggested technique, Ubipro-XGBoost, outperforms conventional ubiquitination prediction methods and offers fresh advice for ubiquitination site identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread adoption of data intensive applications such as navigation systems for mobile devices and unmanned vehicles, analyzing trajectory data has become a key research area. One of the main tasks is trajectory clustering, which consists of automatically grouping similar trajectories into clusters. To perform this task, Density Peak Clustering (DPC) is widely used due to its speed and small number of artificial parameters. However, a major problem is that its performance does not scale well for large datasets. To address this issue, this paper proposes an efficient parallel trajectory clustering algorithm, named Tra-PDPC (Trajectory-Parallel DPC). It is applied in three steps, namely trajectory division and partition, trajectory similarity calculation, and clustering. Those steps are all designed to run in a distributed fashion using the Spark programming model. For the first step, a scheme is proposed to divide sub-trajectories based on local grid area density. Then, a combined similarity measurement method based on Euclidean space and grid space is defined for sub-trajectories similarity calculation. Finally, a version of DPC is applied, which dramatically improves clustering speed. Experiments on multiple large realistic trajectory datasets have demonstrated that the proposed Tra-PDPC algorithm can considerably decrease runtime while providing a high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AQEE-30 is one of the VGF peptides, which are derived from the VGF polypeptide precursor, and related to various physiological phenomena including neuroprotective effects in Huntington′s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although various functions of AQEE-30 have been reported so far, the structure of this peptide has not been reported yet. In this study, the structure of human AQEE-30 was investigated in hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and dodecyl phosphocholine (DPC) micelle solutions, using circular dichroism (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. CD results showed that AQEE-30 had a partial helical structure in aqueous buffer, and the helical structure was stabilized in the HFIP and DPC micelle solutions. The 3D structures determined by NMR spectroscopy showed that AQEE-30 adopted mainly α-helical structure in both the HFIP and DPC micelle solutions. The surface of AQEE-30 showed that it was predominantly negatively charged. The residues from 601 to 611 in both the HFIP and DPC micelle solutions showed amphiphilicity with four negatively charged residues, glutamate. The C-terminal consecutive arginine residues formed a partial positively charged surface. These results suggest an α-helical active structure of AQEE-30 in the cell-membrane environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Appendicitis is classified as either complicated (CA) or uncomplicated (UA). Some authors have shown that the epidemiologic trends of CA and UA may differ. The aim of this study was to clarify differences in backgrounds and surgical outcomes between CA and UA patients. Methods This study was a cohort study. We extracted case data from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) database from January 2014 to December 2017. Patients were classified into three groups, depending on whether they underwent emergency appendectomy for CA (CA group), emergency appendectomy for UA (UA group), or elective appendectomy (EA group). We evaluated patient characteristics and surgical outcomes for each group. Results We included 89,355 adult patients in the study, comprising 29,331 CA, 48,691 UA, and 11,333 EA patients. Old age, larger body mass index, smoking, and medication with antidiabetic drugs, oral corticosteroids, oral antiplatelet drugs, and oral anticoagulant drugs were independent risk factors for CA. The percentage of CA increased with age. In‐hospital mortality (0.15%, 0.02%, and 0.00%) and 30‐d mortality (0.09%, 0.01%, and 0.00%), respectively, of CA patients were significantly higher than those of the UA and EA groups. The duration of postoperative antibiotic administration, duration of fasting, and time before removal of a prophylactic drain were significantly longer in the CA group than in the UA and EA groups. Conclusion Backgrounds and treatment outcomes of CA and UA patients after emergency surgery are entirely different. Thus, the treatment strategy of CA and UA patients should differ accordingly.

This paper explores ship dynamics through numerical investigation using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH). To enhance the performance of SPH simulations, we implement the Dummy Particle Condition (DPC) floating-fluid interaction scheme in our numerical model, substituting the original Dynamic Boundary Condition (DBC). The accuracy of the updated model is validated by conducting a series of two-dimensional (2D) benchmark tests. Subsequently, based on both DBC and DPC, we simulate three-dimensional (3D) ship motion in a series of regular waves, including low and high waves, and compare the simulation results with model test data. It is demonstrated that, compared with the original DBC, the DPC floating-fluid interaction scheme effectively enhances SPH simulation performance in terms of ship dynamics for all wave conditions. Then, the correlation between simulation accuracy, wave height, and particle size in SPH is quantitatively discussed, and a clear relationship is observed for DPC results. • DPC is implemented in the SPH model to solve the unphysical gap problem caused by DBC. • The enhancements due to DPC is validated by the 2D benchmark tests. • 3D ship simulations show DPC better matches test data and is more robust. • Compared to low wave conditions, both DPC and DBC models perform better under high nonlinear wave conditions. • DPC shows a clear error relation to wave height/particle size ratio concerning ship dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the issues of the existing dry granulation process, which mostly relies on manual adjustments based on empirical experience and lacks the analysis of theoretical data, a simplified model of tablet pressing based on a modified Drucker–Prager Cap (DPC) material constitutive model was proposed to simulate and analyze the forming process of tablets, and study the impacts of the feeding speed, roller speed, friction coefficient and roller clearance on the density distribution of the pressed tablets via ABAQUS. The results show that the roller speed significantly impacts the density of tablets, and a lower roller speed and a higher friction coefficient are beneficial to the formation of tablets. As the roller clearance decreases, the average density at the clearance increases, and the unevenness of the lateral density distribution of the tablets increases, showing a distribution trend of larger density at the center and smaller density on both sides.

In this paper, an improved direct power command strategy based on backstepping was designed to ensure the proper operation of DFIG during the electrical grid faults and to control the stator powers through the injection of the reactive power into the electrical grid to guarantee the voltage return. This strategy contributes to the elimination of high peak currents and stabilizes the active power at its desired optimal value. The backstepping controller used to develop this command is based on the lyapunov function in order to guarantee the stability and robustness of the aero-generator. A Matlab/Simulink simulation and a comparative study were carried out to prove the robustness and efficiency of our developed command. Moreover, despite the variable wind speed, the obtained results prove the validation of the developed command with a total harmonic distortion (THD) that does not exceed 0.33%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The DPC is a multiangle sensor that detects atmospheric parameters. However, the retrieval of high-precision and high-spatial-resolution aerosol products from the DPC remains a great challenge due to the ill-posed nature of the problem. Thus, a novel aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieval algorithm was proposed using visible surface reflectance relationships (VISRRs). The VISRR algorithm accounts for the surface anisotropy and needs neither a shortwave infrared band nor a surface reflectance database that can retrieve AOD over dark and bright land cover. Firstly, moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface reflectance (MYD09) products were used to derive the preceding surface reflectance relationships (SRRs), which are related to surface types, scattering angle, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Furthermore, to solve the problem of the NDVI being susceptible to the atmosphere, an innovative method based on an iterative atmospheric correction was proposed to provide a realistic NDVI. The VISRR algorithm was then applied to the thirteen months of DPC multiangle data over the China region. AOD product comparison between the DPC and MODIS showed that they had similar spatial distribution, but the DPC had both high spatial resolution and coverage. The validation between the ground-based sites and the retrieval results showed that the DPC AOD performed best, with a Pearson correlation coefficient (R) of 0.88, a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.17, and a good fraction (Gfrac) of 62.7%. Then, the uncertainties regarding the AOD products were discussed for future improvements. Our results revealed that the VISRR algorithm is an effective method for retrieving reliable, simultaneously high-spatial-resolution and full-surface-coverage AOD data with good accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroelectric materials exhibit switchable spontaneous polarization below Curie's temperature, driven by octahedral distortions and rotations, as well as ionic displacements. The ability to manipulate polarization coupled with persistent remanence, drives diverse applications, including piezoelectric devices. In the last two decades, nanoscale exploration has unveiled unique material properties influenced by morphology, including the capability to manipulate polarization, patterns, and domains. This paper focuses on the characterization of nanometric sodium niobate (SN) synthesized from metallic niobium through alkali hydrothermal treatment, utilizing electron microscopy techniques, including high-resolution differential phase contrast (DPC) in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The material exhibits a nanoribbon structure forming a tree root-like network. The study identifies crystallographic phase, atomic columns displacement directions, and surface features, such as exposed planes and the absence of particular atomic columns. The high sensitivity of integrated DPC images proves crucial in overcoming observational challenges in other STEM modes. These observations are essential for potential applications in electronic, photocatalytic, and chemical reaction contexts., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

In order to improve the spraying efficiency of cotton chemical topping agents, a field experiment was conducted to compare the effects of 250 g·L−1 mepiquat chloride aqueous solutions sprayed by a T30 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a boom sprayer. The cotton agronomic parameters, pesticide utilization rate, yield, and fiber quality were determined. The results showed that the pesticide utilization rates of the T30 UAV and the boom sprayer were 48.71% and 30.37%, respectively. After 10, 20, 30, and 40 days of T30 UAV spraying, the plant height inhibition rates of the two varieties of cotton were 12.97%, 13.78%, 20.91%, and 26.14% for Xinluzao 52 and 8.64%, 13.37%, 14.72%, and 18.03% for Huiyuan 720. After spraying with a boom sprayer, the plant height inhibition rates were 7.94%, 11.13%, 18.23%, and 23.69% for Xinluzao 52 and 6.09%, 9.98%, 11.78%, and 15.14% for Huiyuan 720 after 10, 20, 30, and 40 days of spraying. The T30 UAV spraying chemical topping agent was shown to have a significant beneficial effect on the utilization rate of the pesticides, as well as the agronomic properties, yield, and the fiber quality of the cotton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Agricultural Science & Technology (1008-0864) is the property of Journal of Agricultural Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Remote Sensing is the property of Editorial Office of Journal of Remote Sensing & Science Publishing Co. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This review introduces the National Hospital Organization (NHO) database in Japan. The NHO has maintained two databases through a system of data collection from 140 hospitals in the NHO. National Hospital Organization Clinical Data Archives (NCDA) is collecting clinical information in real time from the electronic medical records since January 2016, and Medical Information Analysis (MIA) databank is collecting daily insurance claims data since April 2010. The NHO database covers more than 8 million patients in 140 hospitals throughout Japan. The database consists of the information of patient profiles, hospital admission and discharge, diagnosis with ICD-10 codes, text data from medical chart, daily health insurance claims such as medical procedures, medications or surgeries, vital signs and laboratory data, and so on. The NHO database includes a wide variety of diseases and settings, including acute, chronic and intractable diseases, emergency medical services, disaster medicine, response to emerging infectious disease outbreaks, medical care according to health policies such as psychiatry, tuberculosis, or muscular dystrophy, and health systems in sparsely populated non-urban areas. Among several common diseases, the database has representativeness in terms of age distribution compared with the Patient Survey 2017 by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Interested researchers can contact ([email protected]) the NHO database division to obtain more information about the NHO database for utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Consultation-liaison psychiatry (CLP)—professional psychiatric care provided to coordinate with surgical or medical treatment of inpatients with psychiatric disorders—was included in universal health coverage in Japan in 2012. Despite evidence of benefits of CLP, basic data and geographic distribution information regarding CLP at the national level remain unclear. This study aimed to 1) identify the geographic disparity of CLP in Japan and 2) investigate the association between number of consultations per CLP patient and region. Methods We retrospectively analyzed anonymized data retrieved from the Japanese administrative inpatient database regarding inpatients who were provided CLP between April 2012 and March 2017. Demographic characteristics were summarized and geographic disparity by prefecture was visualized for fiscal years 2012 and 2016; we also summarized the data according to region. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to investigate association between the number of consultations per CLP patient and region after adjusting for covariates. Results Data from a total of 46,171 patients who received 138,866 CLP services were included. Results revealed more patients aged 75–84 years received CLPs than any other age group (29.7%) and the overall male/female ratio was 53:47 in 2016. In 2012 and 2016, 24.2 and 30.7% of CLP patients, respectively, were transferred to other hospitals; 9.7 and 8.8%, respectively, discharged due to the death. CLP services were provided in 14 prefectures in 2012 and 33 by 2016; 14 prefectures had no available CLP services. After adjusting for covariates, Tohoku (β = − 0.220, p