Can oral cancer screening reduce late-stage diagnosis, treatment delay and mortality? A population-based study in Taiwan.

Objective: This study evaluates the effectiveness of Taiwan's nationwide oral cancer screening programme in reducing late-stage diagnosis, treatment delays and mortality.

Design: A retrospective cohort study was conducted.

Setting: The study utilized Nationally representative datasets, including the Cancer Registry, Oral Mucosal Screening and National Health Insurance databases in Taiwan.

Preparation and Characterization of Water-borne Polyurethane Based on Benzotriazole as Pendant Group with Different N-Alkylated Chain Extenders and Its Application in Anticorrosion.

A series of novel anti-corrosive coatings were synthesized successfully. Water-borne polyurethane (WPU) was synthesized using polyethylene glycol and modified by grafting benzotriazole (BTA) as a pendant group (WPU-g-BTA) and N-alkylated amines (ethylene diamine (A), diethylene triamine (B), triethylene tetramine (C)) as side-chain extenders. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, and dynamic mechanical analyses were used to characterize the structural and thermomechanical properties of the samples.

Superfast precipitation of energetic electrons in the radiation belts of the Earth.

Energetic electron precipitation from Earth's outer radiation belt heats the upper atmosphere and alters its chemical properties. The precipitating flux intensity, typically modelled using inputs from high-altitude, equatorial spacecraft, dictates the radiation belt's energy contribution to the atmosphere and the strength of space-atmosphere coupling. The classical quasi-linear theory of electron precipitation through moderately fast diffusive interactions with plasma waves predicts that precipitating electron fluxes cannot exceed fluxes of electrons trapped in the radiation belt, setting an apparent upper limit for electron precipitation.

Peptide-Functionalized Hydrogels Modulate Integrin Expression and Stemness in Adult Human Epidermal Keratinocytes.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) controls keratinocyte proliferation, migration, and differentiation through β-integrin signaling. Wound-healing research requires expanding cells in vitro while maintaining replicative capacity; however, early terminal differentiation under traditional culture conditions limits expansion. Here, a design of experiments approach identifies poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogel formulations with mechanical properties (elastic modulus, E = 20.

Effect of Conformational Chirality on Optical Activity Observed in a Smectic of Achiral, Bent-Core Molecules.

Smectics of achiral, tilted bent-core liquid crystal molecules are chiral, but their optical activity is generally small. Here, we study the effect of conformational chirality on optical activity in smectic phases of an achiral, bent-core mesogen, W513. The neat material has a modulated B4 phase, which appears dark under crossed polarizers and shows no observable optical rotation under decrossed polarizers.

Multidimensional Helical Nanostructures in Multiscale Nanochannels.

We have investigated the various morphological changes of helical nanofilament (HNF; B4) phases in multiscale nanochannels made of porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) film. Single or multihelical structures could be manipulated depending on the AAO pore size and the higher-temperature phase of each molecule. Furthermore, the nanostructures of HNFs affected by the chemical affinity between the molecule and surface were drastically controlled in surface-modified nanochannels.

Liquid crystal self-assembly of random-sequence DNA oligomers.

In biological systems and nanoscale assemblies, the self-association of DNA is typically studied and applied in the context of the evolved or directed design of base sequences that give complementary pairing, duplex formation, and specific structural motifs. Here we consider the collective behavior of DNA solutions in the distinctly different regime where DNA base sequences are chosen at random or with varying degrees of randomness. We show that in solutions of completely random sequences, corresponding to a remarkably large number of different molecules, e.