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The effects of soymilk fermented with single and mixed (1:1:1) cultures of three strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from sourdough from Fuchun Teahouse in Yangzhou City on the fermentation characteristics of dough and the quality of steamed bun were investigated. The results showed that the acidity and viable bacterial count of soymilk fermented with the mixed culture were 85.06 °T and 9.66 (lg(CFU/mL)), respectively, which were higher than those of the single culture fermented samples. Meanwhile, compared with the control group, the addition of fermented soymilk significantly increased the organic acid content and viable bacterial count of dough. The lactic acid content and viable bacterial count of dough supplemented with Lactobacillus pentosus 203 fermented soymilk were the highest, which were 18.57 mg/g and 8.94 (lg(CFU/g)), respectively. Dough added with Lactobacillus fermentum 202 fermented soymilk had the highest acetic acid content (3.81 mg/g). Compared with control steamed buns, the specific volume, elasticity and height to diameter ratio of four steamed buns supplemented with fermented soymilk were significantly increased, while the hardness and chewiness were significantly decreased. Steamed buns added with mixed-culture fermented soymilk had the highest overall acceptability. A total of 48 volatile flavor substances were detected in the five groups of steamed buns. Among them, the relative contents and types of flavor substances in the mixed culture group were the highest, which were 71.62% and 47, respectively. After being stored at 4 ℃ for 4 days, the moisture loss rate and retrogradation enthalpy of steamed buns added with fermented soymilk were significantly lower than those of the control group; the highest moisture content of 38.53% and the lowest retrogradation enthalpy of 1.00 J/g were found in the mixed culture group. In conclusion, adding fermented soymilk can effectively improve the quality and flavor and delay the aging of steamed buns, this effect being most pronounced with the incorporation of mixed-culture fermented soymilk.

Introduction: The Gap–Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF) is widely used in medical education, yet its reliability in real occupational therapy clinical settings remains unexplored. This study aimed to assess the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability, as well as random measurement error, of the GKCSAF in occupational therapy. Method: Five independent raters evaluated audio-recordings and transcripts of conversations involving 30 patients treated by 22 assessors (7 therapists and 15 students). Both direct and coded ratings were used. Results: For direct ratings, intra-rater reliability was moderate for total score (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.76), but poor for inter-rater (ICC = 0.31). minimal detectable change (MDC%) was acceptable for the same rater (17.8%) but not for different raters (38.3%). Weighted kappa values indicated poor to fair reliability (−0.01 to 0.34) for each domain score. Coded ratings showed moderate intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.69) and poor inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.22). MDC% was acceptable for the same rater (24.8%) but not for different raters (65.5%). Weighted kappa values indicated poor to fair reliability (−0.02 to 0.33) for each domain score. Conclusion: GKCSAF displays acceptable intra-rater but poor inter-rater reliability in occupational therapy clinical scenarios. Multiple raters are advised for enhanced reliability, while coding might not significantly enhance it. It is advisable to use the GKCSAF cautiously in occupational therapy education, ensuring adequate training, and possibly incorporating multiple raters for assessment consistency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The galloping of transmission lines (GTLs) has a significant impact on the development of smart grids. However, traditional vibration frequency monitoring devices for transmission lines suffer from issues such as low measurement accuracy, high environmental requirements, and the inability to achieve self‐powering. A self‐powered vibration frequency monitoring method is proposed based on frequency‐sensing triboelectric nanogenerator (F‐TENG) and micro thermoelectric generators (MTEG). Models for vibration frequency sensing based on F‐TENG and energy capture based on MTEG are established. A flexible self‐powered sensing prototype, integrating F‐TENG, MTEG, and a Signal processing and Energy harvesting Circuit (SEC), is fabricated. Additionally, an innovative solvothermal method for the preparation of MTEG materials is presented, resulting in Bi2Te3‐based thermoelectric materials with significantly high thermoelectric conversion performance. Experimental results demonstrate that within the range of 0.1–5.1 Hz, F‐TENG can precisely perceive the frequency of GTLs, with a maximum error of 1.274%. MTEG achieves a maximal open‐circuit voltage of 3.282 V. Finally, the SEC unit is designed to couple the outputs of F‐TENG and MTEG for frequency calculation and wireless transmission to a microcontroller. This device provides an efficient solution for monitoring the frequency of GTLs and offers robust support for the stability of the smart grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microtremor H/V spectral ratio is the ratio of the horizontal component to the vertical component of the ambient seismic noise at different frequencies, recorded at the earth surface. In the field of engineering earthquake, V and H are usually used to denote the vertical and horizontal components of the microtremor, respectively. Based on the measured H/V curve, which is a function of frequency, the sedimentary thickness or site amplification factor can be estimated using the established relationship between the peak of the H/V curve and the fundamental resonance frequency of the formation structure. Although it has been widely used in the field of engineering earthquake, the theoretical explanation on the microtremor H/V method, which is also called HVSR (Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio) or QTS (Quasi-Transfer Spectrum), is still under debate, since which is the dominant wave type of the microtremor (Rayleigh wave, S wave or the other types of waves) is unclear. This leads the microtremor H/V method to be developed in two directions. One is to identify the Rayleigh wave energy from the microtremor and calculate the ZH amplitude ratio of the Rayleigh wave (i.e.Rayleigh wave ellipticity), where Z represents the vertical component of the Rayleigh waveand V represents the eigenvalue of the horizontal component. As an independent variable, the Rayleigh wave ZH ratio is sensitive to shallow structure and it has been widely used to constrain the shallow structure combined with the phase or/and group velocity in regional-scale seismic tomography. This process assumes that the dominant energy in the H/V curve is from Rayleigh wave. Apart from being used in the joint inversion of the large scale earth structure with the Rayleigh wave dispersion and/or receiver function, Rayleigh wave ellipticity is also used to invert the near-surface S-wave velocity structure in engineering geophysical prospecting on a small scale. The peak of the H/V curve can be used to figure out the site characteristics under the assumption of that SH wave dominates the microtremor. This assumption is in consistent with the observation that the Rayleigh wave energy is usually dominated. Another direction of the microtremor H/V method development is to develop noise source model, with which all possible contributions of noise energy are considered. The H/V curve is then interpreted based on this model. The controversy on which type of wave dominates the microtremor is avoided. The model has been proved to be suitable for explaining the real microtremor record and the shape of H/V curve. This direction is developed with the develovement of seismic interference theory. We have reviewed the theory and application of Rayleigh wave ellipticity on the regional scale. This paper mainly reviews the theory and application of microtremor H/V method in the field of engineering earthquake and near-surface S-wave velocity structure inversions, including the theoretical interpretation of H/V curve based on SH wave resonance frequency, the application of microtremor H/V method in site estimation, and the noise source model developed to explain the H/V curve.

Objective To analyze the anatomical variations of V3 and V2 segments of the vertebral artery in the Chinese population. Methods The current retrospective study was an observational, anatomical, radiological research. Between 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019, the data of 589 continuous head‐and‐neck three‐dimensional computed tomography angiography were observed and analyzed using the open‐source software of Horos. There were 415 males and 174 females with an average age of 44.63 ± 2.5(18–74) years. The variations of the V3 segment were defined as persistent first intersegmental artery (PFIA) and paracondylar processes (PP). The variations of V2 segments were unusual vertebral artery entrance transverse foreman (UE‐V2S) and midline migration (MM). The incidences of all variations were summarized and the gender, side characters were compared. Results Among the patients, 4.34% (18/415) males and 4.60% (8/174) females were with the variation of PFIA. Meanwhile, 12.29% (51/415) males and 10.92% (19/174) females were with the variation of PP. Then 18.80% (78/415) males and 16.67% (29/174) females were with UE‐V2S. All the variations above were not different in genders. As for the variation of MM, 3.86% (16/415) males and 8.62% (15/174) females were identified, and the difference of genders was significant for this type of variation (P

Introduction: The safety and efficacy of cold snare polypectomy (CSP) compared to those of cold endoscopic mucosal resection (CEMR) have been reported. This meta-analysis compared the efficacy and safety of CEMR and CSP. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched to identify randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy and safety of CEMR and CSP in removing 3–10 mm polyps. The outcomes assessed included complete resection rate, intraoperative bleeding rate, delayed bleeding rate, perforation, and polyp removal time. The results are reported as risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) derived from a Mantel-Haenszel random-effects model. Results: Seven studies comprising 1,911 polyps were included in the analysis. The complete resection rate of CEMR was comparable to that of CSP (RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.99–1.04, p = 0.32). Comparable results were also demonstrated for intraoperative bleeding rate (polyp-based analysis: RR: 1.22, 95% CI: 0.33–4.43, p = 0.77), delayed bleeding rate (polyp-based analysis: RR: 1.34, 95% CI: 0.44–4.15, p = 0.61), and polyp removal time (mean difference: 28.31 s, 95% CI: −21.40–78.02, p = 0.26). No studies reported cases of perforation. Conclusion: CEMR has comparable efficacy and safety to CSP in removing 3–10 mm polyps. Further randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up are warranted to compare and validate efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis increasingly provides a promising minimally invasive alternative to tissue biopsies in precision oncology. However, there are no ctDNA analysis approaches available in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and current methods of ctDNA mutation profiling have limited resolution because of the high background noise and false‐positive rate caused by benign variants in plasma cell‐free DNA (cfDNA), majorly generated during clonal hematopoiesis. Although personalized parallel white blood cell genome sequencing suppresses the noise of clonal hematopoiesis variances, the system cost and complexity restrict its extensive application in clinical settings. We developed Matched WBC Genome sequencing Independent CtDNA profiling (MaGIC) approaches, which synergically integrated a ctDNA capturing panel for a hybrid capture cfDNA deep sequencing, in silico background elimination, and a reliable readout measurement. We profiled the ctDNAs of 80 plasma samples from 40 patients with NPC before and during chemotherapy by MaGICs. In addition, the public cfDNA sequencing data and The Cancer Genome Atlas project data were analyzed by MaGICs to evaluate their application in other scenarios of patient classification. The MaGIC version‐2 has the ability to predict the chemosensitivity of patients with NPC with high accuracy by utilizing a single sample of liquid biopsy from each patient prior to a standardized treatment regimen. Moreover, both versions of MaGICs are of ideal performance in the diagnosis of patients with prostate cancer by liquid biopsy and prognosis prediction of multiple cancers by tissue biopsy. This study has the potential to enhance the sensitivity and expand the application scope of ctDNA detection, independently of other paired genome sequencing methods. As a result, it might further increase the clinical utilization of liquid biopsy based on ctDNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing new click chemistry reactions for robust molecular assembly remains challenging. Here the authors report a light-induced primary amines and o-nitrobenzyl alcohols photoclick cyclization for rapid and modular functionalization of small molecules and native biomolecules, in vitro and in living systems.

New portable hydrogel sensors for Al3+ and Fe3+ detection were designed based on the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and color change of N-doped carbon dots (N-CDs). N-CDs with yellow fluorescence were prepared by a one-pot hydrothermal method from 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid and acrylamide. The fluorescence of N-CDs was enhanced by Al3+ about 20 times and quenched by Fe3+. It was interesting that although Fe3+ showed obvious quenching on the fluorescence of N-CDs it did not cause a noticeable change in the fluorescence of N-CDs + Al3+. The colorless solution of N-CDs appeared blue in the presence of Fe3+ without the influence of Al3+. Therefore, the turn-on fluorometry and colorimetry systems based on N-CDs were constructed for the simultaneous detection of Al3+ and Fe3+. Furthermore, the portable sensing of Al3+ and Fe3+ was realized with the assistance of hydrogel, filter paper, cellulose acetate, and cellulose nitrate film. The proposed approach was successfully applied to the detection of Al3+ and Fe3+ in food samples and cell imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]