Real-Time Temperature Monitoring under Thermal Cycling Loading with Optical Fiber Sensor.

A fiber optic sensing system consisting of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor, optical circulator, optical band pass filter and photodetector is developed to monitor the real-time temperature response of a structure under a dynamic thermal loading. The FBG sensor is surface-bonded on a test specimen and integrated with an optical band pass filter. As a broadband light source transmits into a FBG sensor, a specific wavelength is reflected and transmitted into an optical band pass filter.

Effectiveness of innovative instructional module for professional competence in health literacy in medical students.

Background: Physicians should be equipped with professional competence in health literacy to communicate more effectively with patients with limited health literacy. However, the health literacy curriculum has not yet been refined globally, and is scarce in Taiwan's medical education. We implemented an innovative instructional module to attain professional competence in health literacy among medical students and investigated its effects.

Positive Associations between Adipocyte Fatty Acid-Binding Protein Level and Central Arterial Stiffness in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients.

Background: Adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (A-FABP) plays essential roles in lipolysis, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum A-FABP levels and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.

Methods: This study obtained fasting blood samples from 76 PD patients.

The association between prenatal endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure and altered resting-state brain fMRI in teenagers.

Many studies have reported that prenatal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can cause adverse behavioral effects or cognitive dysfunction in children. This study aimed to investigate a relationship of the concentration of prenatal EDCs and brain function in teenagers. We recruited 59 mother-child pairs during the third trimester of pregnancy, and collected and examined the concentration of EDCs, such as heavy metals, phthalates and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), in maternal urine and serum.

Osteocalcin and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity in patients on peritoneal dialysis.

Objective: Vascular calcification is a cardiovascular risk factor in dialysis patients. Vascular calcification involves a complex process of biomineralization resembling osteogenesis, which leads to arterial stiffness. Osteocalcin is the most abundant noncollagenous protein in the bone matrix.