Detecting the Intention of Sit-to-Stand by Analyzing Reaction Forces on the Foot with Pareto Optimum.

This study introduces a novel method for detecting a user's sit-to-stand (STS) intention, focusing on minimizing sensor usage for ease of application in everyday settings. Our approach involves applying an external stimulus to the user's toes when they are likely to stand and analyzing the resulting reaction forces on the foot. In the subject experiments, we optimized thresholds using the Pareto optimum to differentiate STS motions from other similar movements, targeting both correct detection and an earlier detection timing before the user's buttocks leave the seat.

MaKAN-Mixer: Channel Interaction-Based Mamba Method for rPPG Extraction.

Remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) achieves non-contact heart rate monitoring by detecting subtle skin color variations in facial videos, offering significant potential in healthcare, fitness, and security applications.However, accurately extracting rPPG signals in complex environments-especially under variable lighting and motion artifacts-remains challenging. The main difficulties are capturing spatio-temporal dynamics and modeling long-term dependencies across channels.

Ultrasound Attenuation, Liver Texture Index, and HepatoRenal Index: Assessing Reproducibility and Inter-operator Consistency in Clinical Practice.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the reproducibility of Ultrasound Attenuation (USAT), the Liver Texture Index (LTI) and the HepatoRenal Index (HRI).

Material And Methods: Between May 2023 to December 2023, 279 patients who underwent USAT, LTI and HRI tests at the Ultrasound Department of The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen were included. All patients were examined by a physician with over 4 years of ultrasound experience.

Exploiting Anti-site Defects in FeWN2 Nanosheets for Enol Electrooxidation Coupled with H2 Evolution at a Large Current Density.

Hydrogen production from biomass electrooxidation offers a promising alternative to water electrolysis by lowering the anodic oxidation barrier and producing valuable chemicals. However, current biomass electrooxidation systems have difficulties in achieving an industrial-scale current density due to the difficulty in cleaving high-energy C-H and O-H bonds. Here, we report a ternary layer nitride FeWN2 electrocatalyst with abundant anti-site defects (ASDs), which significantly improves its electrocatalytic performance for ascorbic acid (AA) oxidation.

Cross-Attention Adaptive Feature Pyramid Network with Uncertainty Boundary Modeling for Mass Detection in Digital Breast Tomosynthesis.

Computer-aided detection (CADe) of masses in digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is crucial for early breast cancer diagnosis. However, the variability in the size and morphology of breast masses and their resemblance to surrounding tissues present significant challenges. Current CNN-based CADe methods, particularly those that use Feature Pyramid Networks (FPN), often fail to integrate multi-scale information effectively and struggle to handle dense glandular tissue with high-density or iso-density mass lesions due to the unidirectional integration and progressive attenuation of features, leading to high false positive rates.

Determination of Pu isotopes in urine samples by a pseudo-isotope dilution method using non-isotopic tracer Np.

Plutonium (Pu) isotopes are extremely hazardous radioactive materials. Rapid analysis of Pu in urine from contaminated persons is important for radiobiological verification and exposure dose assessment. Since Pu is classified as a nuclear fuel nuclide, the use of Pu tracer for isotope dilution (ID) quantification is commonly controlled and regulated, which can affect timely exposure dose assessment.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection unevenly impacts metabolism in the coronal periphery of the lungs.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is a highly contagious virus that can lead to hospitalization and death. COVID-19 is characterized by its involvement in the lungs, particularly the lower lobes. To improve patient outcomes and treatment options, a better understanding of how SARS-CoV-2 impacts the body, particularly the lower respiratory system, is required.

Esophageal submucosal gland duct adenoma: a case report and literature review.

Introduction: Esophageal submucosal gland duct adenoma (ESGDA) is a rare, benign tumor with non-specific clinical features and imaging findings, often leading to misdiagnosis.

Case Report: In this report we describe the clinicopathological features of a new-onset case of ESGDA and review 19 previously-reported ESGDA cases in the literature.

Results: The median age of the 20 patients was 70 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 5:2.

CSTF2-impeded innate αβ T cell infiltration and activation exacerbate immune evasion of pancreatic cancer.

Alternative cleavage and polyadenylation (APA) have gained increasing attention in cancer biology, yet its role in modulating anti-tumor immune response remains largely unexplored. Here, we identify the cleavage stimulation factor 2 (CSTF2), an APA-related gene, as a pivotal suppressor of anti-tumor immunity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). CSTF2 promotes tumor development by inhibiting the infiltration and cytotoxic immune cell recruitment function of TCRαβCD4CD8NK1.

Perforated colon cancer complicated by necrotizing soft tissue infection: A case report and literature review.

Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) are rare but life-threatening complications of colorectal cancer, often overlooked during patient diagnosis and treatment. NSTIs progress rapidly, leading to significant tissue damage and elevated mortality rates. This report presents the case of a 71-year-old male who presented with abdominal pain and distention, later diagnosed with perforated colon cancer and NSTI of the left abdominal wall.

Clinical outcomes of unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy (UBE) compared with conventional open lumbar discectomy with 3D microscope (OLDM) assisted.

The open lumbar discectomy with 3D microscope (OLDM) is considered the most common surgical procedure for herniated or ruptured discs of the lumbar spine, while unilateral biportal endoscopic (UBE) technique is a rapidly growing surgical treatment for spinal surgery. UBE as a new endoscopic technique has been applied to conventional arthroscopic systems for treating the spinal disease. In this research, we aimed to evaluate and compare the perioperative parameters and clinical outcomes, including operative time, intraoperative, blood loss, pain and modification, hospital stay, patient's satisfaction, and complications, between OLDM and UBE for lumbar disc herniation.

Effects of exogenous spraying of melatonin on the growth of under drought stress.

is a rare and endangered deciduous shrub originating from the Tertiary Period. Understanding its drought tolerance is crucial for conservation efforts and enhancing its resilience to environmental stress. This study aimed to assess the effects of varying levels of drought stress on the phenotype and physiological-biochemical characteristics of .

Two-dimensional BiTeX crystals with persistent luminescence induced by photochemical reactions.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials are highly valued for their unique properties and potential applications, as they can display exotic behaviors differing from those of their bulk forms. Research on elementary and binary solids has been making great progress recently, while synthesizing multi-component 2D materials experimentally remains a challenge, despite the possibility of greatly extending the number of members of the 2D realm. In this study, we synthesized ternary BiTeX (X = Cl, Br, I) nanosheets with high crystallinity through an electrochemical exfoliation method.

Ionic Mechanisms Involved in β3-Adrenoceptor-Mediated Augmentation of GABAergic Transmission Onto Pyramidal Neurons in Prefrontal Cortex.

Activation of the brain-penetrant beta3-adrenergic receptor (Adrb3) is implicated in the treatment of depressive disorders. Enhancing GABAergic inputs from interneurons onto pyramidal cells of prefrontal cortex (PFC) represents a strategy for antidepressant therapies. Here, we probed the effects of the activation of Adrb3 on GABAergic transmission onto pyramidal neurons in the PFC using in vitro electrophysiology.

Deep learning-aided diagnosis of acute abdominal aortic dissection by ultrasound images.

Purpose: Acute abdominal aortic dissection (AD) is a serious disease. Early detection based on ultrasound (US) can improve the prognosis of AD, especially in emergency settings. We explored the ability of deep learning (DL) to diagnose abdominal AD in US images, which may help the diagnosis of AD by novice radiologists or non-professionals.

Targeting MXD1 sensitises pancreatic cancer to trametinib.

Background: The resistance of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) to trametinib therapy limits its clinical use. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying trametinib resistance in PDAC remain unclear.

Objective: We aimed to illustrate the mechanisms of resistance to trametinib in PDAC and identify trametinib resistance-associated druggable targets, thus improving the treatment efficacy of trametinib-resistant PDAC.

Additive Manufacturing and Functionalization of Hollow Polypropylene Sorbents for Water Remediation.

As the demand for clean water intensifies, developing effective methods for removing pollutants from contaminated sources becomes increasingly crucial. This work establishes a method for additive manufacturing of functional polymer sorbents with hollow porous features, designed to enhance interactions with organic micropollutants. Specifically, core-shell filaments are used as the starting materials, which contain polypropylene (PP) as the shell and poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene-co-styrene) as the core, to fabricate 3-dimensional (3D) structures on-demand via material extrusion.

Inactivation of TACC2 epigenetically represses CDKN1A and confers sensitivity to CDK inhibitors.

Background: The genomic landscape of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has been characterized extensively, but there remains a significant need for actionable targets and effective therapies.

Methods: Here, we perform integrative analysis of genome-wide loss of heterozygosity and expression to identify potential tumor suppressor genes. The functions and mechanisms of one of the candidates, TACC2, are then explored both in vitro and in vivo, leading to the proposal of a therapeutic strategy based on the concept of synthetic lethality.

Pacific Proving Grounds-Derived U and U: Potential Tracers for Western North Pacific Ocean Dynamics.

U and U are proven to be useful tracers to investigate upper-ocean hydrodynamics due to their source-specific isotopic ratios and conservative behaviors in the open ocean. However, their application in the Pacific Ocean has been limited by scarce observations and unclear source-term information. Here, we present our observations of U and U in the western North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPStG), showing the presence of a source of anthropogenic U featured by a low U/U ratio (∼1 × 10), which is an order of magnitude lower than the global fallout signature (∼2 × 10).

Clinicopathological Characteristics and Long-Term Outcomes of Cystic vs. Solid Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Multi-Institutional Experience with 1727 Patients.

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features and long-term outcomes of cystic and solid pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs).

Summary Background Data: PanNETs uncommonly present as cystic lesions. Whether cystic PanNETs represent a distinct clinical entity compared to solid PanNETs is controversial.

CXCL12 ameliorates neutrophilia and disease severity in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Neutrophils, particularly low-density neutrophils (LDNs), are believed to contribute to acute COVID-19 severity. Here, we showed that neutrophilia can be detected acutely and even months after SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients and mice, while neutrophil depletion reduced disease severity in mice. A key factor in neutrophilia and severe disease in infected mice was traced to the chemokine CXCL12 secreted by bone marrow cells and unexpectedly, endothelial cells.

Impact of chronic ethanol consumption and SARS-COV-2 on the liver and intestine: A pilot dose-response study in mice.

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there was a marked increase in alcohol consumption. COVID-19 superimposed on underlying liver disease notably worsens the outcome of many forms of liver injury. The goal of a current pilot study was to test the dual exposure of alcohol and COVID-19 infection in an experimental animal model of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD).

Research on the influence of loading rate on the dynamic initiation fracture toughness of CMDB propellant.

In the field of gun launched missile extended range rocket, the propellant grain in the rocket needs to withstand significant launch loads during their firing phase, and also bear the high pressure caused by ignition, and the impact of launch overloads and ignition shocks on the structural integrity of propellants becomes very important. So this work investigated the dynamic initiation fracture toughness of the composite modified double-base (CMDB) propellant by both experiments and numerical simulations. The dynamic mechanical properties test of the cracked straight through flattened Brazilian disc (CSTFBD) specimens were conducted using a modified Split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB).