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Tissues actively involved in energy metabolism are more likely to face metabolic challenges from bioenergetic substrates and are susceptible to mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to metabolic diseases. The mitochondria receive signals regarding the metabolic states in cells and transmit them to the nucleus or endoplasmic reticulum (ER) using calcium (Ca2+) for appropriate responses. Overflux of Ca2+ in the mitochondria or dysregulation of the signaling to the nucleus and ER could increase the incidence of metabolic diseases including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam) may regulate Ca2+ flux via changing the mitochondrial membrane potential and signals to other organelles such as the nucleus and ER. Since Tfam is involved in metabolic function in the mitochondria, here, we discuss the contribution of Tfam in coordinating mitochondria-ER activities for Ca2+ flux and describe the mechanisms by which Tfam affects mitochondrial Ca2+ flux in response to metabolic challenges.

Using the Langevin dynamics simulations, we study the first-passage problem in a system where particles aggregate into clusters. We consider N Brownian particles strongly attracting each other so that upon encountering, they form bound states. We find that the search time, the mean time for a target to be found for the first time by particles, exhibits non-monotonic behavior with the number of particles N. At small N, the search time decreases with N, while as increasing N further, it turns to grow with N. The non-monotonic behavior can be understood by a thicker power law distribution of the first-passage time on typical time scales of aggregations.

Many camera apps and online video conference solutions support instant selfie segmentation or virtual background function for entertainment, aesthetic, privacy, and security reasons. A good number of studies show that Deep-Learning based segmentation model (DSM) is a reasonable choice for selfie segmentation, and the ensemble of multiple DSMs can improve the precision of the segmentation result. However, it is not fit well when we apply these approaches directly to the image segmentation in a video. This paper proposes an N-Frames (NF) ensemble approach for a selfie segmentation in a video using an ensemble of multiple DSMs to achieve a high-performance automatic segmentation. Unlike the N-Models (NM) ensemble which executes multiple DSMs at once for every single video frame, the proposed NF ensemble executes only one DSM upon a current video frame and combines segmentation results of previous frames to produce the final result. For the experiment, we use four state-of-the-art image segmentation models to make an ensemble. We evaluated the proposed approach using 81 videos dataset with a single-person view collected from publicly available websites. To measure the performance of segmentation models, Intersection over Union (IoU), IoU standard deviation, false prediction rate, Memory Efficiency Rate and Computing power Efficiency Rate parameters were considered. The average IoU values of the Two-Models NM ensemble, Two-Frames NF ensemble, Three-Models NM ensemble and Three-Frames NF ensemble were 95.1868%, 95.1253%, 95.3667% and 95.1734% each, whereas the average IoU value of single models was 92.9653%. The result shows that the proposed NF ensemble approach improves the accuracy of selfie segmentation by more than 2% on average. The result of cost efficiency measurement shows that the proposed method consumes less computing power like single models.

We consider a problem of finding a target located in a finite $d$-dimensional domain, using $N$ independent random walkers, when partial information on the target location is given as a probability distribution. When $N$ is large, the first-passage time sensitively depends on the initial searcher distribution, which invokes the question of what is the optimal searcher distribution that minimizes the first-passage time. Here, we analytically derive the equation for the optimal distribution and explore its limiting expressions. If the target volume can be ignored, the optimal distribution is proportional to the target distribution to the power of one-third. If we consider a target of a finite volume and the probability of initial overlapping of searchers with the target cannot be ignored in the large $N$ limit, the optimal distribution has a weak dependence on the target distribution, given as a logarithm of the target distribution. Using Langevin dynamics simulations, we numerically demonstrate our predictions in one- and two-dimensions., 7 pages, 3 figures

Plastic bottle recycling has a crucial role in environmental degradation and protection. Position and background should be the same to classify plastic bottles on a conveyor belt. The manual detection of plastic bottles is time consuming and leads to human error. Hence, the automatic classification of plastic bottles using deep learning techniques can assist with the more accurate results and reduce cost. To achieve a considerably good result using the DL model, we need a large volume of data to train. We propose a GAN-based model to generate synthetic images similar to the original. To improve the image synthesis quality with less training time and decrease the chances of mode collapse, we propose a modified lightweight-GAN model, which consists of a generator and a discriminator with an auto-encoding feature to capture essential parts of the input image and to encourage the generator to produce a wide range of real data. Then a newly designed weighted average ensemble model based on two pre-trained models, inceptionV3 and xception, to classify transparent plastic bottles obtains an improved classification accuracy of 99.06%.

We study the condensations of dumbbell-like counterions onto an oppositely charged cylinder at weak and strong electrostatic coupling strengths. Performing extensive Monte Carlo simulations, we show that the condensation characteristics of the dumbbell ions can be understood by viewing dumbbell ions of length d as point ions with an effective valency depending on the radial distance r from the cylinder’s axis. In terms of the condensation behavior, dumbbell ions behave as two independent point ions if r ≪ d, but act as a single point ion with twofold valency when r ≫ d. Such a distance-dependent effective valency as a characteristic of ions of extended structures explains a unique feature in the condensed counterion fraction and heat capacity at both weak and strong coupling strengths.

Nowadays user devices such as phones, tablets etc. allows processing the images with help of high-end applications and softwares developed. Most of the times, the images are downscaled to make them compatible with these end devices. This leads to the loss of image quality. This loss of information on downscaling an image results in distortion of edges and while zoomed in results into a blurred image. As the edge detection is a basic step for many image processing applications such as object detection, object segmentation, object recognition, etc. It is necessary to know the impact of edge detection on downscaled image. In this paper, we are using Canny Edge detection method to detect the edges. The original images are downscaled using different interpolation methods. Canny Edge detection is applied on original images and downscaled images to compare the distortion in the edges. We used Structural Similarity Index Method for comparison. We are also comparing execution time taken by Canny Edge Detection on different interpolation methods to check for optimal interpolation method. We observed that the distortion in edges and time efficiency differ for different interpolation methods which are detailed below in the result section. As blurring is also a disadvantage of downscaling, we are applying Gaussian Blur on the images to compare the blurring due to Gaussian blur technique and blurring due to downscaling.

Objective: To examine if peroxiredoxin 2 (Prx2) deficiency aggravates high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance. Material and methods: Insulin sensitivity was measured in Prx2 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) littermates using the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Results: Whole body glucose turnover, glucose uptake, and levels of glucose transporter 4 (Glut4) protein in the skeletal muscle were found to be lower. This was followed by increased expression of oxidative stress markers in Prx2 KO mice than that in WT mice in the control diet group. Although, a 12-week high-fat diet induced insulin resistance and enhanced oxidative stress in both genotypes, there was no difference between WT and Prx2 KO mice with respect to insulin sensitivity and the level of oxidative stress markers. Accordingly, the levels of phosphorylated Akt and Glut4 were similar between the two genotypes. Conclusion: These results suggest that Prx2 does not affect high-fat diet-induced oxidative stress and insulin resistance in mice.

The research question for this study was to explore why the residents’ participation in resolving various problems and addressing crisis situations in local community has been limited, despite their critical roles. Focusing on regional public corporations which take a key role in community development and welfare, we analyze the impact of various influential factors on the degree of citizen participation and then suggest policy solutions to enhance citizen participation in the corporations. The survey data from local residents were analyzed by multiple regression analyses. The results of our analysis suggest that the level of citizen participation increases when regional public corporations make efforts to build intensive cooperative partnership with residents by providing them with a checking and monitoring role and motivating the public and citizen participation system.

Caloric restriction is a popular approach to treat obesity and its associated chronic illnesses but is difficult to maintain for a long time. Intermittent fasting is an alternative and easily applicable dietary intervention for caloric restriction. Moreover, intermittent fasting has beneficial effects equivalent to those of caloric restriction in terms of body weight control, improvements in glucose homeostasis and lipid profiles, and anti-inflammatory effects. In this review, the beneficial effects of intermittent fasting are discussed.

Selenoprotein W (SelW) is a selenium-containing protein with a redox motif found abundantly in the skeletal muscle of rodents. Previous in vitro studies suggest that SelW plays an antioxidant role; however, relatively few in vivo studies have addressed the antioxidant role of SelW. Since oxidative stress is a causative factor for the development of insulin resistance in obese subjects, we hypothesized that if SelW plays a role as an antioxidant, SelW deficiency could aggravate the oxidative stress and insulin resistance caused by a high-fat diet. SelW deficiency did not affect insulin sensitivity and H2O2 levels in the skeletal muscle of control diet-fed mice. SelW levels in the skeletal muscle were decreased by high-fat diet feeding for 12 wk. High-fat diet induced obesity and insulin resistance and increased the levels of H2O2 and oxidative stress makers, which were not affected by SelW deficiency. High-fat diet feeding increased the expression of antioxidant enzymes; however, SelW deficiency did not affect the expression levels of antioxidants. These results suggest that SelW does not play a protective role against oxidative stress and insulin resistance in the skeletal muscle of high-fat diet-fed obese mice.

본 연구는 지방공기업 경영평가지표 지속에 따른 효과성 문제와 관련되는 성과패러독스 현상에 대한 이론적 논의를 기반으로, 우리 지방공기업의 성과 측정 및 관리 차원에서 오랜 기간 적용되어온 지방공기업 경영평가지표가 본연의 효과성을 유지하고 있는지를 경험적으로 분석하였다. 구체적으로 2001년 이전에 설립되어 지속적으로 경영평가를 받아온 시설관리공단들을 대상으로, 경영평가지표의 존속기간이 전체 지방공기업 경영평가 점수의 전반적인 상승과 지방공기업간의 경영평가 점수 편차의 전반적인 감소에 미치는 영향을 검증하고자 하였다. 분석결과 지방공기업 경영평가지표의 존속기간이 길어질수록 평가 점수는 전반적으로 상승하고 기관간 격차는 전반적으로 하락하는 현상이 존재하는 것으로 분석되었다. 즉 오랜 시간의 경과에 따라 해당 지표들의 변별력 및 민감도가 하락해 경영평가가 시설관리공단 간의 실질적 성과 차이를 보여주지 못하고 전반적으로 높은 평점이 부여되는 상황인 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 분석결과를 바탕으로, 향후 주기적인 경영평가지표의 효과성 확인 및 보완 노력이 필요하다는 점을 주요 시사점으로 제시하였다.

Either side of organic photovoltaics incorporates a transparent conducting electrode for light entry, which becomes particularly crucial under indoor light conditions with low light intensity. However, since electrical resistivity and optical transparency with respect to film thickness are mutually contradictory, sufficiently thick (>150 nm) electrodes are inevitably required to ensure the appropriate electrical conductivity, at the sacrifice of transmittance. This paper introduces an electric field induced filament doping method to realize ultra-thin indium tin oxide with high conductivity. The proposed method allows for injecting metal dopants (i.e., Ni) into ultra-thin indium tin oxide under an electric field, enabling substantial resistance reduction while retaining high transmittance and low surface roughness. Optimum light absorption and effective carrier transport via filament doping provides improved performance for indoor organic photovoltaics. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, we fabricate poly(3-hexylthiophene):indene-C60 bisadduct based inverted organic photovoltaics with 10 nm Ni-doped indium tin oxide as a transparent cathode, leading to a power conversion efficiency of 14.6 ± 1.8% under the 1000-lux light-emitting diode. This efficiency is 40% higher than that achieved from the device using commercially available 150 nm indium tin oxide.

Background We evaluated whether distal pancreatectomy (DP) with adjacent organ resection (AOR) affected perioperative outcomes and survival in patients with left-sided pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods Retrospective cohort study was conducted at single large volume academic medical center from January 2000 to December 2016. Results Five hundred and twenty-three patients had undergone standard DP (without additional vessel/organ resection) and 40 had undergone DP with AOR due to adjacent organ infiltration. There were no differences of postoperative morbidity and hospital stay between the two groups. In the patients with AJCC 8th stage I and II PDAC, there were significant differences of median disease-specific and progression-free survivals between the standard and AOR groups (37.9 vs. 20.2 months; P = 0.05, 20 vs. 10 months; P = 0.028, respectively). DP with AOR was identified as independent prognostic factor of stage I and II PDAC by multivariate Cox regression analysis. Conclusions Distal pancreatectomy with AOR could be an acceptable surgical treatment for left-sided PDAC. However, AOR group shows poor prognosis than that of the standard group in patients with AJCC 8th stage I and II PDAC. AOR should be considered indicative of a more aggressive tumor in AJCC 8th stage I and II PDAC.