Publications by authors named "Shiau-Ru Yang"

Neuron as a charged body, it is easily disturbed by the external electromagnetic field, which changes the electrical activities of the neurons. In fact, the interference of external electric or magnetic field is the process of energy injection of neurons, the injection of energy will redistribute the field energy inside the neurons, and the redistribution of energy will change the electrical activities of the neurons. Therefore, we design a neuron model with double memristors to explore the external electromagnetic field on the regulation of neural electrical activity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses the impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs), specifically PCV10 and PCV13, on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) globally, highlighting how these vaccines have reduced the prevalence of disease caused by vaccine-type serotypes after extensive use.
  • It describes the methodology of data collection from various surveillance sites, which aimed to evaluate IPD cases that occurred five years after the vaccines were implemented, focusing on different age groups for analysis.
  • Findings indicate significant differences in serotype distribution between PCV10 and PCV13 sites; notably, certain serotypes, such as 19A and serotype 3, were prevalent in specific age groups, signaling ongoing challenges in controlling
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) that are ten-valent (PCV10) and 13-valent (PCV13) became available in 2010. We evaluated their global impact on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incidence in all ages.

Methods: Serotype-specific IPD cases and population denominators were obtained directly from surveillance sites using PCV10 or PCV13 in their national immunisation programmes and with a primary series uptake of at least 50%.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Approximately 20% of patients with shingles develop postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). We investigated the role of gut microbiota in shingle- and PHN-related pain. Patients with shingles or PHN exhibited significant alterations in their gut microbiota with microbial markers predicting PHN development among patients with shingles.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A critical goal of vision is to detect changes in light intensity, even when these changes are blurred by the spatial resolution of the eye and the motion of the animal. Here, we describe a recurrent neural circuit in Drosophila that compensates for blur and thereby selectively enhances the perceived contrast of moving edges. Using in vivo, two-photon voltage imaging, we measured the temporal response properties of L1 and L2, two cell types that receive direct synaptic input from photoreceptors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Due to the limited self-regeneration capacity of bone, medical interventions is often required for large segmental bone defects. In this study, the application of porous titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) scaffold in bone defect repair was investigated. Owing to its excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility, Ti6Al4V is a preferred choice for orthopedic implants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Muscle fiber is an important factor in beef quality. Here, we compared fast-type longissimus dorsi muscle and slow-type psoas major muscle from cattle using transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic analyses. A total of 1717 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 297 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) and 193 differentially abundant metabolites (DAMs) were identified between LD and PM tissue, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The white neutron source driven by an electron accelerator utilizes a pulsed electron beam to bombard a target, producing neutrons through photoneutron reactions. The white neutron source of photoneutron reaction has advantages such as compact structure, low cost, capability of generating ultra-short pulse, and wide applications in the resonance energy region, effectively complementing reactor neutron sources and spallation neutron sources. The development of high-current, high-power electron accelerator-driven white neutron sources is of significant importance for neutron science research and nuclear technology applications.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ammonia is a promising alternative energy to fossil fuels for reducing CO emissions. Plasma catalysis technology for ammonia production using clean energy is gaining attention. Introducing catalysts to the plasma increases ammonia synthesis rates, but the effect of catalyst particle movement in the plasma region, such as in a fluidized-bed reactor, is less explored.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The pathophysiology of liver diseases is significantly influenced by oxidative stress, making its alleviation a key strategy for treatment. The Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway is the body's most crucial antioxidant defense mechanism. Traditional Chinese medicine, Desmodium heterocarpon (L.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Microalgae are recognized for their potential in the bioremediation of acid mine drainage (AMD), despite the challenges posed by AMD's low pH, high heavy metal content, and oligotrophic conditions. However, the impact of AMD chemoautotrophic microorganisms on microalgal growth and remediation efforts within AMD has been largely overlooked. This study aims to elucidate the effects the chemoautotrophic microorganism, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, on the growth activity and metabolism of acid-tolerant microalgae, and to explore the molecular mechanisms of microalgal response.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pain is a major non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD). The relationship between hyperalgesia and neuropeptides originating from paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rats has already been investigated for oxytocin (OXT), but not yet for arginine vasopressin (AVP) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). The present study aimed to investigate the alterations in these neuropeptides following nociceptive stimulation in PD model rats and to examine the mechanisms of hyperalgesia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Kidney stones are primarily made of calcium oxalate and can cause inflammation and damage in kidney cells, leading to a condition known as CaOx nephrocalcinosis.
  • The study tested a new drug, MDL-800, which acts as an allosteric agonist for Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), showing it can reduce kidney cell damage and inflammation caused by calcium oxalate crystals in both cell cultures and animal models.
  • MDL-800 works by decreasing levels of inflammatory proteins and enhancing SIRT6's function, offering a potential new treatment approach for kidney damage linked to calcium oxalate stones.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Diazepam (DZP) is a muscle-relaxing, anxiety-relieving sedative drug; nonetheless, it is also an addictive drug that may be abused. This work reports on the development of a novel electrochemical nanosensor for diazepam using SiO-encapsulated-3-mercaptopropionic acid-capped AuZnCeSeS quantum dots (QDs) overcoated with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) on screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs). Electrochemical, spectroscopic and electron microscopic characterization of the nanomaterial and modified electrode surface was carried out and is reported herein.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Organic nitrogen is a crucial component of the nitrogen element, and its mineralization by sediment organisms may trigger river eutrophication. Microplastics (MPs), as emerging contaminants, influence nitrogen cycling in sediments. However, the response of organic nitrogen mineralization to sediment organisms (microbes and benthic animals) under MPs pollution remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The rapid sulfhydrylation of chlorothalonil (CHT) in sulfur-rich vegetable matrices was observed in our previous study. However, the formation pathway, residual behavior, and toxicity of sulfhydrylated CHT remain unclear. In this study, we reveal that 4-sulfhydryl chlorothalonil (4-SH-CHT) can be formed by the reaction of CHT with HS species.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Carbon nanotubes-driven persulfates oxidation processes (CNTs/PS) have been extensively studied for environmental remediation. Solution pH is one of the main factors affecting wastewater treatment, but it is often overlooked. Herein, we report the effect laws of pH on the mechanism of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) or peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation by CNTs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Carbon-encapsulated nanoscale zero-valent-iron (C@Fe) derived from plant-based extracts has been the subject of growing interest due to its environmental friendliness. However, the effects of various pyrolysis atmospheres on the structure-function connections of C@Fe are still unclear. In this study, three pyrolytic atmospheres, namely Air, N, and 5% H/Ar were selected to fabricate X-C@Fe (X represented as A, N, H) for removing 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (TCP), and the relationships between their structures and functions were demonstrated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ultrasonic reactors, widely applied in process intensification, face limitations in their industrial application due to a lack of theoretical support for their structural design and optimization, particularly concerning the uniformity of the cavitation zone. Addressing this gap, our study introduces a novel approach to design a multi-frequency octagonal ultrasonic reactor of capacity 9.5 L through numerical simulation and spectrum analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aryl organophosphorus flame retardants (aryl-OPFRs), commonly used product additives with close ties to daily life, have been regrettably characterized by multiple well-defined toxicity risks. Triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) and tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP), two structurally similar aryl-OPFRs, were observed in our previous study to exhibit contrasting immunotoxic effects on THP-1 macrophages, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study sought to address the knowledge gap by integrating transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to elucidate the intricate mechanisms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: An increasing number of animal studies have indicated that exposure to phthalate esters (PAEs) may cause high blood pressure. However, population-based evidence is limited, particularly for pregnant women and young children.

Objective: To examine the correlation between prenatal exposure to phthalate ester metabolites (mPAEs) and blood pressure in preschool children.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Exposure to solid fuels might result in substantial indoor air contamination that can detrimentally affect respiratory wellness. Yet the connection between use of such fuels and the incidence as well as the progression of asthma needs further clarification. This investigation endeavors to conduct an integrative cross-sectional and longitudinal study to examined the link between solid fuel utilization and asthma.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Given the widespread use of play mats and their close contact with children, it is crucial to identify potential chemical hazards associated with these products. In this study, 34 play mats, comprising four materials (3 EPE, 15 XPE, 5 PVC, 11 EVA), were subjected to non-targeted screening based on headspace gas chromatography-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (HS-GC-Orbitrap HRMS), which screened out 71 volatile substances. The 20 significantly different substances were recognized by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), while the characteristic substances in each type of play mat were determined through clustering heat map and Venn diagram.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Intention is an important factor in encouraging patients to receive cardiac rehabilitation. Illness perceptions of patients and individuals around them, such as family caregivers, may influence intention. However, no study has explored how family caregivers' illness perceptions enhance older coronary heart disease (CHD) patients' phase II cardiac rehabilitation intentions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study investigated the presence of 20 organophosphate esters (OPEs) in indoor dust samples collected from the Chinese cities of Lanzhou, Xining, and Lhasa. The results demonstrate the ubiquitous presence of most OPEs in these three cities, with the highest concentrations of ΣOPEs found in Xining. We also summarized the occurrence of OPEs in indoor environments from 38 studies with 1875 samples collected across various regions of mainland China from 2012 to 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF