Detecting Clinically Relevant Topological Structures in Multiplexed Spatial Proteomics Imaging Using TopKAT.

Novel multiplexed spatial proteomics imaging platforms expose the spatial architecture of cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). The diverse cell population in the TME, including its spatial context, has been shown to have important clinical implications, correlating with disease prognosis and treatment response. The accelerating implementation of spatial proteomic technologies motivates new statistical models to test if cell-level images associate with patient-level endpoints.

Trade-off between processability and device performance in donor-acceptor semiconductors revealed using discrete siloxane side chains.

Donor-acceptor polymeric semiconductors are crucial for state-of-the-art applications, such as electronic skin mimics. The processability, and thus solubility, of these polymers in benign solvents is critical and can be improved through side chain engineering. Nevertheless, the impact of novel side chains on backbone orientation and emerging device properties often remains to be elucidated.

Inverse chirality-induced spin selectivity effect in chiral assemblies of π-conjugated polymers.

Coupling of spin and charge currents to structural chirality in non-magnetic materials, known as chirality-induced spin selectivity, is promising for application in spintronic devices at room temperature. Although the chirality-induced spin selectivity effect has been identified in various chiral materials, its Onsager reciprocal process, the inverse chirality-induced spin selectivity effect, remains unexplored. Here we report the observation of the inverse chirality-induced spin selectivity effect in chiral assemblies of π-conjugated polymers.

Development of a multifunctional bioreactor to evaluate the promotion effects of cyclic stretching and electrical stimulation on muscle differentiation.

A multifunctional bioreactor was fabricated in this study to investigate the facilitation efficiency of electrical and mechanical stimulations on myogenic differentiation. This bioreactor consisted of a highly stretchable conductive membrane prepared by depositing polypyrrole (PPy) on a flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film. The tensile deformation of the PPy/PDMS membrane can be tuned by adjusting the channel depth.

Evaluation of smart long-term care information strategy portfolio decision model: the national healthcare environment in Taiwan.

A globally aging population results in the long-term care of people with chronic illnesses, affecting the living quality of the elderly. Integrating smart technology and long-term care services will enhance and maximize healthcare quality, while planning a smart long-term care information strategy could satisfy the variety of care demands regarding hospitals, home-care institutions, and communities. The evaluation of a smart long-term care information strategy is necessary to develop smart long-term care technology.

Linear convergence of the subspace constrained mean shift algorithm: from Euclidean to directional data.

This paper studies the linear convergence of the subspace constrained mean shift (SCMS) algorithm, a well-known algorithm for identifying a density ridge defined by a kernel density estimator. By arguing that the SCMS algorithm is a special variant of a subspace constrained gradient ascent (SCGA) algorithm with an adaptive step size, we derive the linear convergence of such SCGA algorithm. While the existing research focuses mainly on density ridges in the Euclidean space, we generalize density ridges and the SCMS algorithm to directional data.

Cognitive Aging with Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, or No Impairment: A Comparison of Same- and Mixed-Sex Couples.

Background: Lesbian and gay older adults have health disparities that are risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, yet little is known about the neurocognitive aging of sexual minority groups.

Objective: To explore cross-sectional and longitudinal dementia outcomes for adults in same-sex relationships (SSR) and those in mixed-sex relationships (MSR).

Methods: This prospective observational study utilized data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set (NACC UDS) collected from contributing Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers.

Takotsubo Syndrome Occurring after mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination in a Patient with Graves' Disease.

Cardiovascular events such as myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination are increasing. We present a 67-year-old postmenopausal woman with Takotsubo Syndrome and Graves' disease after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. She developed chest pain and shortness of breath one week after vaccination.

A Wireless Soil pH and Conductance Monitoring Chip Powered by Soil Microbial and Photovoltaic Energy Cells.

This paper presents an energy-autonomous wireless soil pH and electrical conductance measurement IC powered by soil microbial and photovoltaic energy. The chip integrates highly efficient dual-input, dual-output power management units, sensor readout circuits, a wireless receiver, and a transmitter. The design scavenges ambient energy with a maximal power point tracking mechanism while achieving a peak efficiency of 81.

Symptomatic Profile and Cognitive Performance in Autopsy-Confirmed Limbic-Predominant Age-Related TDP-43 Encephalopathy With Comorbid Alzheimer Disease.

Transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) proteinopathy is the hallmark of limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathologic change (LATE-NC). LATE-NC is a common copathology with Alzheimer disease neuropathologic change (ADNC). Data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center were analyzed to compare clinical features and copathologies of autopsy-confirmed ADNC with versus without comorbid LATE-NC.

sconce: a cosmic web finder for spherical and conic geometries.

The latticework structure known as the cosmic web provides a valuable insight into the assembly history of large-scale structures. Despite the variety of methods to identify the cosmic web structures, they mostly rely on the assumption that galaxies are embedded in a Euclidean geometric space. Here, we present a novel cosmic web identifier called sconce (pherical and ic osmic wb finder) that inherently considers the 2D (RA, DEC) spherical or the 3D (RA, DEC, ) conic geometry.

Analysis of electric field efficacy and remediation performance of triclosan contaminated soil by Co-Fe/al oxidation electrodes coupled with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in an ECGO system with diversified electrode configurations.

Triclosan (TCS) is commonly used as a biocide against bacterial and fungal infections. The overuse of TCS has resulted in its abundance in the natural environment. Sulfate radicals have been used for in-situ groundwater remediation because of their superior performance.

Smartphone-based artificial intelligence using a transfer learning algorithm for the detection and diagnosis of middle ear diseases: A retrospective deep learning study.

Background: Middle ear diseases such as otitis media and middle ear effusion, for which diagnoses are often delayed or misdiagnosed, are among the most common issues faced by clinicians providing primary care for children and adolescents. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to assist clinicians in the detection and diagnosis of middle ear diseases through imaging.

Methods: Otoendoscopic images obtained by otolaryngologists from Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan between Jany 1, 2011 to Dec 31, 2019 were collected retrospectively and de-identified.

Differences in Symptomatic Presentation and Cognitive Performance Among Participants With LATE-NC Compared to FTLD-TDP.

Transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) is aberrantly aggregated and phosphorylated in frontotemporal lobar degeneration of the TDP-43 type (FTLD-TDP), and in limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathologic change (LATE-NC). We examined data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center to compare clinical features of autopsy-confirmed LATE-NC and FTLD-TDP. A total of 265 LATE-NC and 92 FTLD-TDP participants were included.

Bio-inspired fractal textile device for rapid sweat collection and monitoring.

In this study, a new design concept in sweat collection was developed to achieve rapid and intact sweat sampling for analytical purposes. Textiles with fast water wicking properties were first selected and laser engraved into tree-like bifurcating channels for sweat collection. The fractal framework of the bifurcating textile channels was theoretically derived to minimize the flow resistance for fast sweat absorption.

Effectiveness of the Nanosilver/TiO-Chitosan Antiviral Filter on the Removal of Viral Aerosols.

The precaution of airborne transmission of viruses, such as influenza, SARS, MERS, and COVID-19, is essential for reducing infection. In this study, we applied a zero-valent nanosilver/titania-chitosan (nano-Ag/TiO-CS) filter bed, whose broad-spectrum antimicrobial efficacy has been proven previously, for the removal of viral aerosols to minimize the risk of airborne transmission. The photochemical deposition method was used to synthesize the nano-Ag/TiO-CS antiviral material.

Effect of selected sampling media, flow rate, and time on the sampling efficiency of a liquid impinger packed with glass beads for the collection of airborne viruses.

The liquid impingers can be used for sampling of viral aerosols, such as COVID-19 virus, influenza, and measles. However, the lowest cutoff diameter of commercially available liquid impingers was about 0.3 μm, and the physical collection efficiency for nano-bioaerosol is only about 10-20%.

Audiological and otologic manifestations of glutaric aciduria type I.

Background: Glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA-1) is a rare disease connected with speech delay and neurological deficits. However, the audiological and otologic profiles of GA-1 have not yet been fully characterized. To our knowledge, this is the largest study of comprehensive audiological and otologic evaluation in patients with GA-1 to date.

Physician decision support system for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients.

Background: Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is an emergency disease, and its pathogenesis is still largely unknown, making it difficult to diagnose and develop a therapeutic strategy. To predict the treatment outcomes and further customize the treatment strategy, we used a physician decision support system that incorporates complex information from electronic health records. We first developed the infrastructure of the physician decision support system, including an integrated data warehouse and an automatic data de-identification workflow.

A Cylindrical Ion Sensor Tip with a Diameter of 1.5 mm for Potentially Invasive Medical Application.

A fine cylindrical chemical sensor tip is developed with optical fiber in the core, surrounded by a transparent cylinder of photopolymer Norland Optical Adhesive 61 (NOA 61), and covered by a polymer hydrogel mixed with sensing molecules. The overall diameter is as small as 1.5 mm.

A Graphite Intercalation Composite as the Anode for the Potassium-Ion Oxygen Battery in a Concentrated Ether-Based Electrolyte.

Nowadays, alkali metal-oxygen batteries such as Li-, Na-, and K-O batteries have been investigated extensively because of their ultrahigh energy density. However, the oxygen crossover of oxygen batteries and the intrinsic drawbacks of the metal anodes (i.e.

Developing a novel meatal areolar tissue autograft for minimally invasive tympanoplasty.

Background: We developed an easy and minimally invasive method of transmeatal tympanoplasty using meatal areolar tissue (MAT) grafts to achieve less postoperative morbidity or surgical scarring. We compared the functional and anatomical results of the developed method with conventional endaural tympanoplasty with a temporalis fascia (TF) graft.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 58 patients (59 ears) with simple chronic otitis media who underwent type I tympanoplasty between January 2016 and August 2018 were included.

Feasibility of using bed filters packed with rice-straw-based activated carbon and selected biomass waste for the control of frying fume exhaust.

Open-air burning of rice straw (RS) on sites after harvesting produces tremendous amounts of air pollutants in Southeast Asia. Additionally, cooking oil smoke (COS) from high-temperature frying is classified as "Probably carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2A) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. To mitigate the air pollution from COS, RS was recycled to prepare activated carbon (AC), which was used as a bed filter (BF) packing material for COS removal, and to our best knowledge, this study is the first one.