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Gold (Au) nano-island arrays were deposited on the glass substrate to fabricate surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates by in-situ thermal evaporation (deposited and annealed samples at the same time). The optimal SERS intensity deposited by various thicknesses and in-situ annealing temperatures of Au nano-island arrays would be investigated. The biomolecules (adenine) were dropped on the well-designed SERS substrate for precise and quantitative SERS detection. The characterization of Au nano-island arrays SERS substrate would be evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that the optimal deposition thickness and annealing temperature of Au nano-island arrays SERS substrate is about 14 nm and 200 °C respectively, which can construct the smallest interparticle spacing (W)/ particle diameter (D) ratio and the lowest reflection (%) and transmittance (%) to form the strongest SERS intensity. Moreover, finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation of the electromagnetic field distributions on Au nano-island arrays displays the similar trend with the experimental results. The 14 nm deposition with 200 °C in-situ annealing temperature would display the highest density of hot-spots by FDTD simulation. The reproducible Au nano-island arrays SERS substrates with tunable surface roughness, W/D ratio, and lower reflection and transmittance show promising potential for SERS detection of biomolecules, bacteria, and viruses., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Superior capsular reconstruction is a common treatment option for irreparable rotator cuffs. Arthroscopic surgery procedures mostly use anchor-based methods. However, difficulty in preoperative graft measurement and intra-articular knot-tying present an obstacle for most sport surgeons. Complementing the known advantages of the transosseous technique in rotator cuff repair, a feasible, economical arthroscopic transosseous superior capsular reconstruction technique is described in this Technical Note. This procedure results not only in similar fixation strength and stability and greater bone stock but also in greater cost effectiveness due to using fewer anchors. This Technical Note describes the procedure in detail and compares it with conventional procedures., (© 2023 The Authors.)

In this paper, a facile and rapid aqueous-based electrochemical technique was used for the phase conversion of Ni into Ni(OH) 2 thin film. The Ni(OH) 2 thin film was directly converted and coated onto the network surface of Ni foam (NF) via the self-hydroxylation process under alkaline conditions using a simple cyclic voltammetry (CV) strategy. The as-formed and coated Ni(OH) 2 thin film on the NF was used as the catalyst layer for the direct growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The self-converted Ni(OH) 2 thin film is a good catalytic layer for the growth of CNTs due to the fact that the OH - of the Ni(OH) 2 can be reduced to H 2 O to promote the growth of CNTs during the CVD process, and therefore enabling the dense and uniform CNTs growth on the NF substrate. This binder-free CNTs/NF electrode displayed outstanding behavior as an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) due to the large surface area of the CNTs, showing excellent specific capacitance values of 737.4 mF cm -2 in the three-electrode configuration and 319.1 mF cm -2 in the two-electrode configuration, at the current density of 1 mA cm -2 in a 6 M KOH electrolyte. The CNTs/NF electrode also displayed good cycling stability, with a capacitance retention of 96.41% after 10,000 cycles, and this the excellent cycling performance can be attributed to the stable structure of the direct growth of CNTs with a strong attachment to the NF current collector, ensuring a good mechanical and electrical connection between the NF collector and the CNTs.

The design and discovery of free-standing hybrid electrode materials with large absolute capacity and high cycling stability for energy storage become desirable and are still challenging. In this work, we demonstrate that the hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) device is assembled by 3D core-shell hierarchical nanorod arrays of Ni 3 S 2 @NiCoP nanocomposite for the first time. The Ni 3 S 2 @NiCoP nanocomposite is successfully synthesized through a facile stratagem containing hydrothermal process and the subsequent electrodeposition method. The 3D architecture of Ni 3 S 2 @NiCoP hybrid electrode composed of vertically aligned "hyperchannel" 1D Ni 3 S 2 nanorods and highly conductive interconnected 2D nanosheets of NiCoP is beneficial to fast electron transfer kinetics, thus leading to enhancing the ionic and electronic conductivity, kinetics of redox reaction, and synergistic behavior of active species. The fabricated HSC device with Ni 3 S 2 @NiCoP electrode delivers outstanding areal capacity of 109 µAh cm -2 at a current density of 1 mA cm -2 , brilliant energy density of 74.9 Wh kg -1 at a power density of 700 W kg -1 , and prominent cyclic performance of 92% capacity retention even after 144-h floating test. This work demonstrates that the core-shell hierarchical nanorod arrays of Ni 3 S 2 @NiCoP can be viewed as one of the novel battery-type electrode materials for high-performance HSCs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Viruses that cause tomato yellow leaf curl disease are part of a group of viruses of the genus Begomovirus , family Geminiviridae . Tomato-infecting begomoviruses cause epidemics in tomato crops in tropical, subtropical, and Mediterranean climates, and they are exclusively transmitted by Bemisia tabaci in the field. The objective of the present study was to examine the transmission biology of the tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand virus (TYLCTHV) by B. tabaci , including virus-infected tissues, virus translocation, virus replication, and transovarial transmission. The results demonstrated that the virus translocates from the alimentary gut to the salivary glands via the hemolymph, without apparent replication when acquired by B. tabaci . Furthermore, the virus was detected in 10% of the first-generation progeny of viruliferous females, but the progeny was unable to cause the viral infection of host plants. There was no evidence of transovarial transmission of TYLCTHV in B. tabaci . When combined with the current literature, our results suggest that B. tabaci transmits TYLCTHV in a persistent-circulative mode. The present study enhances our understanding of virus-vector interaction and the transmission biology of TYLCTHV in B. tabaci .

Lycopene is the most abundant carotenoid in tomatoes, which has been identified to have the properties of anti-inflammation in addition to the capability to inhibit the expression of adhesion molecules. Intercellular adhesion molecules play a critical role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Here, we report that the topical use of a lycopene decreased imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like inflammatory responses, the progress of which was based on adhesion molecules. In vitro analysis showed that lycopene decreased keratinocyte and monocyte adhesion. Evidence suggests that intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is a main mediator of psoriasis pathogenesis. Therefore, it will be interesting to investigate the factors that contribute to the lycopene-mediated inhibition of ICAM-1 expression in psoriasis. We expect that lycopene will with potential value in the treatment of psoriasis.

Glucocorticoid provokes bone mass loss and fatty marrow, accelerating osteoporosis development. Bromodomain protein BRD4, an acetyl-histone-binding chromatin reader, regulates stem cell and tissue homeostasis. We uncovered that glucocorticoid inhibited acetyl Lys-9 at the histone 3 (H3K9ac)-binding Runx2 promoter and decreased osteogenic differentiation, whereas bromodomain protein 4 (BRD4) and adipocyte formation were upregulated in bone-marrow mesenchymal progenitor cells. BRD4 knockdown improved H3K9ac occupation at the Runx2 promoter and osteogenesis, but attenuated glucocorticoid-mediated adipocyte formation together with the unaffected H3K9ac-binding PPARγ2 promoter. BRD4 regulated epigenome related to fatty acid metabolism and the forkhead box P1 (Foxp1) pathway, which occupied the PPARγ2 promoter to modulate glucocorticoid-induced adipocytic activity. In vivo, BRD4 inhibitor JQ-1 treatment mitigated methylprednisolone-induced suppression of bone mass, trabecular microstructure, mineral acquisition, and osteogenic differentiation. Foxp1 signaling, marrow fat, and adipocyte formation in glucocorticoid-treated skeleton were reversed upon JQ-1 treatment. Taken together, glucocorticoid-induced H3K9 hypoacetylation augmented BRD4 action to Foxp1, which steered mesenchymal progenitor cells toward adipocytes at the cost of osteogenic differentiation in osteoporotic skeletons. BRD4 inhibition slowed bone mass loss and marrow adiposity. Collective investigations convey a new epigenetic insight into acetyl histone reader BRD4 control of osteogenesis and adipogenesis in skeleton, and highlight the remedial effects of the BRD4 inhibitor on glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Purpose: Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has become a common practice for treating knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, the effectiveness and safety of this treatment are still questionable. This meta-analysis is aimed at determining the degree of pain reduction and functional outcome after ESWT for knee OA., Methods: We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and other online databases. The articles comparing the outcomes between ESWT and controls were included in the analysis., Results: Nine studies with 705 patients were included. The pooled data revealed significantly lower pain scores in the ESWT groups than in the control groups within two weeks of treatment and six months after treatment (visual analogue scale, - 1.59, p = 0.0003, 95% confidence interval (CI) - 2.45 to - 0.72 at 2 weeks; - 1.12, p = 0.005, 95% CI - 1.89 to - 0.34 at 6 months). The ESWT group also had better functional outcomes four to six weeks post treatment (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, - 11.96, p = 0.003, 95% CI - 19.76 to - 4.15). No rebound pain was noted for up to 12 months., Conclusion: Using ESWT to treat knee OA may reduce pain and improve functional outcomes. The effect may last six months to one year. More prospective studies are needed to investigate the settings for ESWT to optimize treatment results.

Rotator cuff lesion with shoulder stiffness is a major cause of shoulder pain and motionlessness. Subacromial bursa fibrosis is a prominent pathological feature of the shoulder disorder. MicroRNA-29a (miR-29a) regulates fibrosis in various tissues; however, the miR-29a action to subacromial bursa fibrosis remains elusive. Here, we reveal that subacromial synovium in patients with rotator cuff tear with shoulder stiffness showed severe fibrosis, hypertrophy, and hyperangiogenesis histopathology along with significant increases in fibrotic matrices collagen (COL) 1A1, 3A1, and 4A1 and inflammatory cytokines, whereas miR-29a expression was downregulated. Supraspinatus and infraspinatus tenotomy-injured shoulders in transgenic mice overexpressing miR-29a showed mild swelling, vascularization, fibrosis, and regular gait profiles as compared to severe rotator cuff damage in wild-type mice. Treatment with miR-29a precursor compromised COL3A1 production and hypervascularization in injured shoulders. In vitro, gain of miR-29a function attenuated COL3A1 expression through binding to the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of COL3A1 in inflamed tenocytes, whereas silencing miR-29a increased the matrix expression. Taken together, miR-29a loss is correlated with subacromial bursa inflammation and fibrosis in rotator cuff tear with shoulder stiffness. miR-29a repressed subacromial bursa fibrosis through directly targeting COL3A1 mRNA, improving rotator cuff integrity and shoulder function. Collective analysis offers a new insight into the molecular mechanism underlying rotator cuff tear with shoulder stiffness. This study also highlights the remedial potential of miR-29a precursor for alleviating the shoulder disorder.

Glucocorticoid excess escalates osteoclastic resorption, accelerating bone mass loss and microarchitecture damage, which ramps up osteoporosis development. MicroRNA-29a (miR-29a) regulates osteoblast and chondrocyte function; however, the action of miR-29a to osteoclastic activity in the glucocorticoid-induced osteoporotic bone remains elusive. In this study, we showed that transgenic mice overexpressing an miR-29a precursor driven by phosphoglycerate kinase exhibited a minor response to glucocorticoid-mediated bone mineral density loss, cortical bone porosity and overproduction of serum resorption markers C-teleopeptide of type I collagen and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b levels. miR-29a overexpression compromised trabecular bone erosion and excessive osteoclast number histopathology in glucocorticoid-treated skeletal tissue. Ex vivo, the glucocorticoid-provoked osteoblast formation and osteoclastogenic markers (NFATc1, MMP9, V-ATPase, carbonic anhydrase II and cathepsin K) along with F-actin ring development and pit formation of primary bone-marrow macrophages were downregulated in miR-29a transgenic mice. Mechanistically, tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 13b (TNFSF13b) participated in the glucocorticoid-induced osteoclast formation. miR-29a decreased the suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2) enrichment in the TNFSF13b promoter and downregulated the cytokine production. In vitro, forced miR-29a expression and SOCS2 knockdown attenuated the glucocorticoid-induced TNFSF13b expression in osteoblasts. miR-29a wards off glucocorticoid-mediated excessive bone resorption by repressing the TNFSF13b modulation of osteoclastic activity. This study sheds new light onto the immune-regulatory actions of miR-29a protection against glucocorticoid-mediated osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis deteriorates bone mass and biomechanical strength, becoming a life-threatening cause to the elderly. MicroRNA is known to regulate tissue remodeling; however, its role in the development of osteoporosis remains elusive. In this study, we uncovered that silencing miR-29a expression decreased mineralized matrix production in osteogenic cells, whereas osteoclast differentiation and pit formation were upregulated in bone marrow macrophages as co-incubated with the osteogenic cells in transwell plates. In vivo, decreased miR-29a expression occurred in ovariectomy-mediated osteoporotic skeletons. Mice overexpressing miR-29a in osteoblasts driven by osteocalcin promoter (miR-29aTg/OCN) displayed higher bone mineral density, trabecular volume and mineral acquisition than wild-type mice. The estrogen deficiency-induced loss of bone mass, trabecular morphometry, mechanical properties, mineral accretion and osteogenesis of bone marrow mesenchymal cells were compromised in miR-29aTg/OCN mice. miR-29a overexpression also attenuated the estrogen loss-mediated excessive osteoclast surface histopathology, osteoclast formation of bone marrow macrophages, receptor activator nuclear factor-κ ligand (RANKL) and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) expression. Treatment with miR-29a precursor improved the ovariectomy-mediated skeletal deterioration and biomechanical property loss. Mechanistically, miR-29a inhibited RANKL secretion in osteoblasts through binding to 3'-UTR of RANKL. It also suppressed the histone acetyltransferase PCAF-mediated acetylation of lysine 27 in histone 3 (H3K27ac) and decreased the H3K27ac enrichment in CXCL12 promoters. Taken together, miR-29a signaling in osteogenic cells protects bone tissue from osteoporosis through repressing osteoclast regulators RANKL and CXCL12 to reduce osteoclastogenic differentiation. Arrays of analyses shed new light on the miR-29a regulation of crosstalk between osteogenic and osteoclastogenic cells. We also highlight that increasing miR-29a function in osteoblasts is beneficial for bone anabolism to fend off estrogen deficiency-induced excessive osteoclastic resorption and osteoporosis.

Hard ticks infesting canine hosts were determined for the first time in northern Taiwan. Between May 2010 and April 2011, a total of 9467 ticks were collected from 2025 dogs. They were identified based on pictorial keys of their morphological characteristics. These ticks belong to three genus and six species: Rhipicephalus sanguineus, R. haemaphysaloides, Haemaphysalis hystricis, H. lagrangei, H. formosensis and Ixodes ovatus. Rhipicephalus sanguineus was the most dominant species (92.5%), followed by H. hystricis (4.6%), R. haemaphysaloides (2.3%), I. ovatus (0.54%), H. lagrangei (0.04%) and H. formosensis (0.01%). The overall density was 4.7 ticks per dog (ranging from 1.8 to 20.8) and the highest seasonal prevalence was observed in September with an average density of 8.2 ticks per dog. Our results not only provide the first survey of hard ticks infesting dogs in northern Taiwan, but also highlight the possible impact of these tick species on human health.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Even though scientists predict that abnormalities in lipid metabolism play an important role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, the actual underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Therefore, understanding the possible relationship between mechanisms of the occurrence of psoriasis and dyslipidemia is an important issue that may lead to the development of effective therapies. Under this principle, we investigated the influences of hyperlipidemia in imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like B6.129S2- Apoe tm1Unc /J mice and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-stimulated Hacat cells. In our study, we showed that a high-cholesterol diet aggravated psoriasis-like phenomena in IMQ-treated B6.129S2- Apoe tm1Unc /J mice. In vitro analysis showed that oxLDL increased keratinocyte migration and lectin-type oxLDL receptor 1 (LOX-1) expression. Evidence suggested that interleukin (IL)-23 was a main cytokine in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. High-cholesterol diet aggravated IL-23 expression in IMQ-treated B6.129S2- Apoe tm1Unc /J mice, and oxLDL induced IL-23 expression mediated by LOX-1 in TNF-α-stimulated Hacat cells. Therefore, it will be interesting to investigate the factors for the oxLDL induction of LOX-1 in psoriasis. LOX-1 receptor expression may be another novel treatment option for psoriasis and might represent the most promising strategy.

Nutrient-based meal recommendations have the potential to help individuals prevent or manage conditions such as diabetes and obesity. However, learning people's food preferences and making recommendations that simultaneously appeal to their palate and satisfy nutritional expectations are challenging. Existing approaches either only learn high-level preferences or require a prolonged learning period. We propose Yum-me , a personalized nutrient-based meal recommender system designed to meet individuals' nutritional expectations, dietary restrictions, and fine-grained food preferences. Yum-me enables a simple and accurate food preference profiling procedure via a visual quiz-based user interface and projects the learned profile into the domain of nutritionally appropriate food options to find ones that will appeal to the user. We present the design and implementation of Yum-me and further describe and evaluate two innovative contributions. The first contriution is an open source state-of-the-art food image analysis model, named FoodDist . We demonstrate FoodDist's superior performance through careful benchmarking and discuss its applicability across a wide array of dietary applications. The second contribution is a novel online learning framework that learns food preference from itemwise and pairwise image comparisons. We evaluate the framework in a field study of 227 anonymous users and demonstrate that it outperforms other baselines by a significant margin. We further conducted an end-to-end validation of the feasibility and effectiveness of Yum-me through a 60-person user study, in which Yum-me improves the recommendation acceptance rate by 42.63%.

Traditionally, the use of genomic information for personalized medical decisions relies on prior discovery and validation of genotype-phenotype associations. This approach constrains care for patients presenting with undescribed problems. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP) hypothesized that defining disease as maladaptation to an ecological niche allows delineation of a logical framework to diagnose and evaluate such patients. Herein, we present the philosophical bases, methodologies, and processes implemented by the NIH UDP. The NIH UDP incorporated use of the Human Phenotype Ontology, developed a genomic alignment strategy cognizant of parental genotypes, pursued agnostic biochemical analyses, implemented functional validation, and established virtual villages of global experts. This systematic approach provided a foundation for the diagnostic or non-diagnostic answers provided to patients and serves as a paradigm for scalable translational research.

In this study, we reported the synthesis of the two-dimensional (2D) nanocomposite of molybdenum disulfide and nitrogen-doped graphene oxide (MoS2/nGO) as a platinum-free counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and Raman spectroscopy were used to examine the characteristics of the 2D nanocomposite of MoS2/nGO. The cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS), and the Tafel polarization measurements were carried out to examine the electrocatalytic abilities. XPS and Raman results showed the 2D behaviors of the prepared nanomaterials. HRTEM micrographs showed the direct evidence of the 2D nanocomposite of MoS2/nGO. The results of electrocatalytic examinations indicated the MoS2/nGO owning the low charge transfer resistance, high electrocatalytic activity, and fast reaction kinetics for the reduction of triiodide to iodide on the electrolyte-electrode interface. The 2D nanocomposite of MoS2/nGO combined the advantages of the high specific surface of nGO and the plenty edge sites of MoS2 and showed the promoted properties different from those of their individual constituents to create a new outstanding property. The DSSC with MoS2/nGO nanocomposite CE showed a photovoltaic conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.95 % under an illumination of AM 1.5 (100 mW/cm(2)), which was up to 92.2 % of the DSSC with the conventional platinum (Pt) CE (PCE = 6.43 %). These results reveal the potential of the MoS2/nGO nanocomposite in the use of low-cost, scalable, and efficient Pt-free CEs for DSSCs.

Active and passive mobile sensing has garnered much attention in recent years. In this paper, we focus on chronic pain measurement and management as a case application to exemplify the state of the art. We present a consolidated discussion on the leveraging of various sensing modalities along with modular server-side and on-device architectures required for this task. Modalities included are: activity monitoring from accelerometry and location sensing, audio analysis of speech, image processing for facial expressions as well as modern methods for effective patient self-reporting. We review examples that deliver actionable information to clinicians and patients while addressing privacy, usability, and computational constraints. We also discuss open challenges in the higher level inferencing of patient state and effective feedback with potential directions to address them. The methods and challenges presented here are also generalizable and relevant to a broad range of other applications in mobile sensing.

A total of 578 Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks collected from dogs in Taiwan were examined for Babesia by species-specific polymerase chain reaction assay based on the 18S small subunit ribosomal RNA (ssrRNA) gene. Babesia DNA was detected in 1.04 % (6/578) of Rh. sanguineus ticks. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these Babesia spp. were genetically linked to the same clade within the genospecies of Babesia vogeli and could be discriminated from other genospecies of Babesia. Intra-species analysis based on the genetic distance values indicated a lower level (0.079) compared with other genospecies of Babesia (GD > 0.094) and out-group protozoa (GD > 0.236). This study provides the first molecular evidence of B. vogeli detected and identified in various stages of Rh. sanguineus ticks removed from dogs in Taiwan. Detection of Rh. sanguineus in flat male ticks may imply the possible mechanism of transstadial transmission in Rh. sanguineus ticks. The vector competence and the diversity of Babesia species harbored by Rh. sanguineus ticks need to be further investigated.

Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) is a bacterial species that causes periodontitis. GroEL from P. gingivalis may possess biological activity and may be involved in the destruction of periodontal tissues. However, it is unclear whether P. gingivalis GroEL enhances the appearance of atherogenic phenomena in endothelial cells and vessels. Here, we constructed recombinant GroEL from P. gingivalis to investigate its effects in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) in vitro and on aortas of high-cholesterol (HC)-fed B57BL/6 and B57BL/6-Tlr4(lps-del) mice in vivo. The results showed that GroEL impaired tube-formation capacity under non-cytotoxic conditions in HCAECs. GroEL increased THP-1 cell/HCAEC adhesion by increasing the expression of intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and vascular adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 in endothelial cells. Additionally, GroEL increased DiI-oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) uptake, which may be mediated by elevated lectin-like oxLDL receptor (LOX)-1 but not scavenger receptor expressed by endothelial cells (SREC) and scavenger receptor class B1 (SR-B1) expression. Furthermore, GroEL interacts with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and plays a causal role in atherogenesis in HCAECs. Human antigen R (HuR), an RNA-binding protein with a high affinity for the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of TLR4 mRNA, contributes to the up-regulation of TLR4 induced by GroEL in HCAECs. In a GroEL animal administration study, GroEL elevated ICAM-1, VCAM-1, LOX-1 and TLR4 expression in the aortas of HC diet-fed wild C57BL/6 but not C57BL/6-Tlr4(lps-del) mice. Taken together, our findings suggest that P. gingivalis GroEL may contribute to cardiovascular disorders by affecting TLR4 expression.

Platinum nanocubes (PtNCs) were deposited onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide glass by electrochemical deposition (ECD) method and utilized as a counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this study, we controlled the growth of the crystalline plane to synthesize the single-crystal PtNCs at room temperature. The morphologies and crystalline nanostructure of the ECD PtNCs were examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The surface roughness of the ECD PtNCs was examined by atomic force microscopy. The electrochemical properties of the ECD PtNCs were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry, Tafel polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectra. The Pt loading was examined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The DSSCs were assembled via an N719 dye-sensitized titanium dioxide working electrode, an iodine-based electrolyte, and a CE. The photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of the DSSCs with the ECD PtNC CE was examined under the illumination of AM 1.5 (100 mWcm(-2)). The PtNCs in this study presented a single-crystal nanostructure that can raise the electron mobility to let up the charge-transfer impedance and promote the charge-transfer rate. In this work, the electrocatalytic mass activity (MA) of the Pt film and PtNCs was 1.508 and 4.088 mAmg(-1), respectively, and the MA of PtNCs was 2.71 times than that of the Pt film. The DSSCs with the pulse-ECD PtNC CE showed a PCE of 6.48 %, which is higher than the cell using the conventional Pt film CE (a PCE of 6.18 %). In contrast to the conventional Pt film CE which is fabricated by electron beam evaporation method, our pulse-ECD PtNCs maximized the Pt catalytic properties as a CE in DSSCs. The results demonstrated that the PtNCs played a good catalyst for iodide/triiodide redox couple reactions in the DSSCs and provided a potential strategy for electrochemical catalytic applications.

A two-dimensional nanostructure of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) thin film exposed layered nanosheet was prepared by a low-temperature thermally reduced (TR) method on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate as a platinum (Pt)-free and highly electrocatalytic counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results show that the MoS2 sulfidization temperature was approximately 300 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicate that the stoichiometry and crystallization of MoS2 were more complete at higher temperatures; however, these temperatures reduce the number of edge-plane active sites in the short-range-order nanostructure. Accordingly, the DSSCs with 300 °C annealed TR-MoS2 CE exhibited an excellent photovoltaic conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.351 %, up to 91.7 % of which is obtained using the conventional TD-Pt CE (PCE = 6.929 %). The temperature of thermal reaction and the molar ratio of reaction precursors were found to significantly influence the resulting stoichiometry and crystallization of MoS2 nanosheets, thus affecting DSSCs' performance.

Objective: To create a relevant and clinically informative visualization of passively collected patient mobility data from smartphones of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients for rheumatologists., Methods: (1) Pilot analysis of smartphone mobility data in RA; (2) Assessment of rheumatologists' needs for patient data through semi-structured interviews; and (3) Evaluation of the visual format of the RA data using scenario-based usability methods., Results: We created a color-scale mobility index superimposed on a calendar to summarize the passive mobility measures from the smartphone that the rheumatologists confirmed would be clinically relevant., Conclusion: This assessment of clinician data needs and preferences demonstrates the potential value of passively collected smartphone data to resolve an important data question in RA. Efforts such as these are necessary to ensure that any smartphone data that patients share with their doctors will not exacerbate clinician information overload, but actually facilitate clinical decisions.

We herein report on the preparation of epoxy nanocomposites, which had enhanced thermal conductivities but were still electrical insulators, incorporating hybrid nanosheets (NSs) with sandwich structures composed of thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRGO) and silica. The silica layer covered the surface of the TRGO, hindering electrical conduction and effectively forming a 3D phonon transport channel that had a unique effect on the electrical and thermal properties of the epoxy matrix. A 1 wt% TRGO-silica NS epoxy nanocomposite maintained an electrical resistivity of 2.96 × 10(11)Ω cm, and its thermal conductivity was 0.322 W m(-1) K(-1), which is 61% higher than the conductivity of an epoxy nanocomposite without TRGO-silica NSs (0.2 W m(-1) K(-1)).

To protect fragile paintings and calligraphy, Taiwan's National Palace Museum (NPM) has policies controlling the frequency and duration of their exposure. So, visitors might not see the works they planned to see. To address this problem, the NPM installed an interactive tabletop for viewing the works. This tabletop, the first to feature multiresolution and gigapixel photography technology, displays extremely high-quality images revealing brushwork-level detail. A user study at the NPM examined the tabletop's performance and collected visitor feedback.

A Taiwan stink snake (Elaphe carinata) was captured in shrubbery at a fruit farm in southern Taiwan, and 3 female ticks (2 flat, one fully engorged) observed on this snake were collected and identified as Amblyomma helvolum, the first record of this host association in mainland Taiwan. The key morphological characters of female A. helvolum were photographed using a stereomicroscope. This first report of A. helvolum feeding on a reptilian host in Taiwan includes the first color illustrations of adult A. helvolum ever published. The increased international trade in wild reptiles may contribute to accidental transportation of ticks into Taiwan. The host range and vector capacity of A. helvolum for various tick-borne pathogens need to be further clarified., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

We synthesized platelet graphitic-nanofibres (GNFs) directly onto FTO glass and applied this forest of platelet GNFs as a highly porous structural counter-electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We investigated the electrochemical properties of counter-electrodes made from the highly porous structural GNFs and the photoconversion performance of the cells made with these electrodes.

We directly synthesized a platinum-nanoparticles/graphitic-nanofibers (PtNPs/GNFs) hybrid nanostructure on FTO glass. We applied this structure as a three-dimensional counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), and investigated the cells' photoconversion performance., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011)

Face recognition is one of the most intensively studied topics in computer vision and pattern recognition, but few are focused on how to robustly recognize faces with expressions under the restriction of one single training sample per class. A constrained optical flow algorithm, which combines the advantages of the unambiguous correspondence of feature point labeling and the flexible representation of optical flow computation, has been developed for face recognition from expressional face images. In this paper, we propose an integrated face recognition system that is robust against facial expressions by combining information from the computed intraperson optical flow and the synthesized face image in a probabilistic framework. Our experimental results show that the proposed system improves the accuracy of face recognition from expressional face images.

This study fabricates dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on TiO(2)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposite photoanodes obtained by the modified acid-catalyzed sol-gel procedure. Results show that incorporating MWCNTs into a TiO(2)-based electrode efficiently improves the physicochemical properties of the solar cell. The results of dye adsorption and cell performance measurements indicate that introducing MWCNTs would improve the roughness factor (from 834 to 1267) of the electrode and the charge recombination of electron/hole (e(-)/h(+)) pairs. These significant changes could lead to higher adsorbed dye quantities, photocurrent and DSSC cell performance. Nevertheless, a higher loading of MWCNTs causes light-harvesting competition that affects the light adsorption of the dye-sensitizer, and consequently reduces the cell efficiency. This study suggests an optimum MWCNT loading in the electrode of 0.3 wt%, and proposes a sol-gel synthesis procedure as a promising method of preparing the TiO(2)-based nanocomposite.

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) may be idiopathic or secondary to a variety of causes. Clinical distinction between primary and secondary forms of FSGS has crucial therapeutic consequences. Whereas the former may respond to immunosuppressive therapy, treatment of secondary forms of FSGS must aim to resolve the underlying diseases. Although the combination of nephrotic syndrome and Cushing's syndrome has been described anecdotally, the causal relationship between these two diseases remains controversial. We report herein a 37-year-old man who presented with lower extremity pitting edema. Heavy proteinuria and mild renal insufficiency prompted to perform a kidney biopsy and the specimen showed FSGS. On the other hand, admission physical examination was notable for a Cushingoid appearance. After endocrinological investigations, the patient was diagnosed as having Cushing's disease caused by pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone-producing microadenoma. Immunosuppressive therapy for the treatment of FSGS was not carried out and we treated his Cushing's disease with transsphenoidal resection of the pituitary microadenoma. Surprisingly, resolution of heavy proteinuria occurred when the patient's physical features characteristic of Cushing's disease were gradually resolved 3 months later. This case suggests a possible association of Cushing's disease with FSGS.

The preparation of the varieties of five-coordinate sixteen-electron manganese(I) complexes [Mn(CO)(3)(-EC(6)H(4)-o-E'-)](-) (E = Te, Se, S, O; E' = NH, S, O) by (a) oxidative addition of 2-aminophenyl dichalcogenides to anionic manganese(0)-carbonyl, (b) pi-donating ligand metathesis reaction of complex [Mn(CO)(3)(-TeC(6)H(4)-o-NH-)](-), and (c) reduction /deprotonation of the neutral dimetallic [(Mn(CO)(3))(2)(mu-SC(6)H(4)-o-S-S-C(6)H(4)-o-mu-S-)]/[(CO)(3)Mn(mu-SC(6)H(4)-o-NH(2)-)](2) proved successful approaches in this direction. The IR nu(CO) data of the coordinatively and electronically unsaturated [Mn(CO)(3)(-EC(6)H(4)-o-E'-)](-) (E = Te, Se, S, O; E' = NH, S, O) complexes suggest the relative order of pi-donating ability of the series of bidentate ligands being [TeC(6)H(4)-o-NH](2)(-) > [SeC(6)H(4)-o-NH](2)(-) > [SC(6)H(4)-o-NH](2)(-) > [SC(6)H(4)-o-S](2)(-) > [SC(6)H(4)-o-O](2)(-) > [OC(6)H(4)-o-O](2)(-). Proton NMR spectra of the [Mn(CO)(3)(-EC(6)H(4)-o-NH-)](-) (E = Te, Se, S) derivatives show the low-field shift of the amide proton ((1)H NMR (C(4)D(8)O): delta 9.66 (br) ppm (E = Te), 9.32 (br) ppm (E = Se), 8.98 (br) ppm (E = S)). The formation of the dimetallic [(CO)(3)Mn(mu-SC(8)N(2)H(4)-o-S-)](2)(2-) can be interpreted as coordinative association of two units of unstable mononuclear [(CO)(3)Mn(-SC(8)N(2)H(4)-o-S-)](-) and reflects the pi-donating ability of the bidentate ligand is responsible for the formation of pentacoordinate, sixteen-electron manganese(I) carbonyl complexes. The neutral bimetallic manganese(I)-bismercaptophenyl disulfide complex [(Mn(CO)(3))(2)(mu-SC(6)H(4)-o-S-S-C(6)H(4)-o-mu-S-)] with internal S-S bond length of 2.222(1) A and the five-coordinate sixteen-electron complex [Mn(CO)(3)(-SC(6)H(4)-o-S-)](-) are chemically interconvertible. In a similar fashion, treatment of complex [Mn(CO)(3)(-SC(6)H(4)-o-NH-)](-) with HBF(4) yielded neutral dinuclear complex [(CO)(3)Mn(mu-SC(6)H(4)-o-NH(2)-)](2) and showed that the amine deprotonation is reversible. Investigations of pi-donating ligand metathesis reactions of complex [Mn(CO)(3)(-TeC(6)H(4)-o-NH-)](-) revealed that the stable intermediate, not the pi-donating ability of bidentate ligands, is responsible for the final protonation/oxidation product. This argument is demonstrated by reaction of [Mn(CO)(3)(-TeC(6)H(4)-o-NH-)](-) with 1,2-benzenedithiol, hydroxythiophenol, and catechol, respectively leading to the formation of [Mn(CO)(3)(-EC(6)H(4)-o-E'-)](-) (E = S, O; E' = S, O), although any pi-donor containing the amido group is a more effective donor than any other pi-donor lacking an amido group. Also, the reactions of [Mn(CO)(3)(-TeC(6)H(4)-o-NH-)](-) with electrophiles occurring at the more electron-rich amide site support that the more electron-rich amide donor of the chelating 2-tellurolatophenylamido occupies an equatorial site as indicated by a shorter Mn(I)-N bond length of the distorted trigonal bipyramidal [Mn(CO)(3)(-TeC(6)H(4)-o-NH-)](-).

A three-dimensional transient thermal modeling of laser-densified gel-silica microlenses is described. This model simulates the three-dimensional temperature distribution in a porous gel-silica glass irradiated by a CO(2) laser. The heat induced by the laser gives rise to a gradient in temperature, which creates a gradient in density and index of refraction. The laser-densified region functions as a microlens. The modeling results include a temperature distribution with time within a volume of 2 mm × 2 mm × 2 mm. The calculated temperature distributions compare well with the measured property distributions of the microlens including microhardness and the peak positions of the Si-O-Si stretching vibration mode in IR spectra across the lens.

A copper disk pyrheliometer has been designed and constructed that utilizes a new methodology to measure solar radiation. By operating the shutter of the instrument and measuring the heating and cooling rates of the sensor at the very moment when the sensor is at the same temperature, the solar radiation can be accurately determined with these rates. The method is highly accurate and is shown to be totally independent of the loss coefficient in the measurement. The pyrheliometer has been tested using a standard irradiance lamp in the laboratory. The uncertainty of the instrument is identified to be +/-0.61%. Field testing was also conducted by comparing data with that of a calibrated (Eppley) Normal Incidence Pyrheliometer. This paper spells out details of the construction and testing of the instrument; the analysis underlying the methodology was also covered in detail. Because of the high accuracy, the instrument is considered to be well suited for a bench standard for measurement of solar radiation.

A continuous-temperature infrared calibrator is designed and constructed for providing reference video signals in temperature measurement using an infrared scanner. The calibrator can be controlled for a wide range of temperature settings and to present a continuous span of reference signals for calibration purposes. Both analytical and experimental methods are used to evaluate the performance of the calibrator. Results show that the calibrator has a normal total emissivity of at least 0.984, which is about 1% lower than the predicted value. Methods to improve the emissivity of the calibrator are also discussed. The paper provides for analytical equations useful for parameters estimation in the future design of the calibrator.