2D facial landmark localization method for multi-view face synthesis image using a two-pathway generative adversarial network approach.

One of the key challenges in facial recognition is multi-view face synthesis from a single face image. The existing generative adversarial network (GAN) deep learning methods have been proven to be effective in performing facial recognition with a set of pre-processing, post-processing and feature representation techniques to bring a frontal view into the same position in-order to achieve high accuracy face identification. However, these methods still perform relatively weak in generating high quality frontal-face image samples under extreme face pose scenarios.

Interventions to Improve Body Composition, Upper and Lower Extremity Muscle Strength, and Balance Ability of Older Female Adults: An Intervention Study.

The aim of the present study was to understand the effects of a moderate-intensity physical activity program on the changes observed in the body composition, upper and lower extremity muscle strength, as well as balance in elderly female adults in order to evaluate sarcopenia. In this study, 30 healthy elderly females were recruited and were randomly assigned to either the control group or the experimental group. The experimental group engaged in a moderate-intensity physical activity program twice a week for 8 weeks.

Subjective and objective assessments of mental workload for UAV operations.

Background: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have created safety problems for the publics. Assessments of the mental workload for UAV operations are essential to realize the causes of UAV accidents.

Objective: To test the following hypotheses: i.

Development of a Chemical Cocktail That Rescues Mouse Brain Demyelination in a Cuprizone-Induced Model.

Oligodendrocytes are glial cells located in the central nervous system (CNS) that play essential roles in the transmission of nerve signals and in the neuroprotection of myelinated neurons. The dysfunction or loss of oligodendrocytes leads to demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). To treat demyelinating diseases, the development of a therapy that promotes remyelination is required.

Interventions to Improve Physical Capability of Older Adults with Mild Disabilities: A Case Study.

Ageing is related to changes in physical health, including loss of mobility and muscle function. It can lead to impaired physical capability and reduced quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a physical activity rehabilitation program (PARP) could improve range of joint motion (ROM), grip strength, and gait speed of older adults with mild disabilities.

Exploration-Based SLAM (e-SLAM) for the Indoor Mobile Robot Using Lidar.

This paper attempts to uncover one possible method for the IMR (indoor mobile robot) to perform indoor exploration associated with SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) using LiDAR. Specifically, the IMR is required to construct a map when it has landed on an unexplored floor of a building. We had implemented the e-SLAM (exploration-based SLAM) using the coordinate transformation and the navigation prediction techniques to achieve that purpose in the engineering school building which consists of many 100-m labs, corridors, elevator waiting space and the lobby.

Impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction on female sexual function and mental health in patients with breast cancer.

Purpose: There have been few studies using mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) to improve sexual function in Asian women with breast cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of mindfulness intervention on female sexual function, mental health, and quality of life in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: Fifty-one women with breast cancer were allocated into 6-week MBSR (n=26) sessions or usual care (n=25), without differences in group characteristics.

Modeling and Validation of Fatigue and Recovery of Muscles for Manual Demolition Tasks.

Manual demolition tasks are heavy, physically demanding tasks that could cause muscle fatigue accumulation and lead to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Fatigue and recovery models of muscles are essential in understanding the accumulation and the reduction in muscle fatigue for forceful exertion tasks. This study aims to explore the onset of muscle fatigue under different work/rest arrangements during manual demolition tasks and the offset of fatigue over time after the tasks were performed.

A Pilot Study on the Satisfaction of Long-Term Care Services in Taiwan.

For many developed countries and regions, long-term care is becoming an important issue due to demographic changes and an increasing willingness and need of family members to let the elderly be taken care of by non-family members. Thus, effectively managing long-term care needs has become a major societal concern. In this paper, the public attitude towards long-term care and the satisfaction of long-term care services in Taiwan are examined.

Application of augmented reality in museums - Factors influencing the learning motivation and effectiveness.

Technology advancement has led to the successful and broad application of augmented reality approach in museums. Several literature works have supported the influence of augmented reality in education. However, relatively few studies have been carried out on augmented reality in museum and relevant educational influence.

Effects of handle height and load on the endurance time for simulated demolition tasks.

Background: Manual demolition tasks are heavy physical demanding tasks which involve forceful exertion of sustained pushing. They result in muscle fatigue which could lead to musculoskeletal disorders. Assessments of maximum endurance time (MET) are essential in understanding the developing of muscle fatigue for these tasks.

Solidification of chromium-containing sludge with attapulgite combined alkali slag.

To solve the harm caused by hazardous chromium-containing sludge (CCS, chromium-containing sludge) waste to humans and the environment, this study used attapulgite to strengthen alkali slag to prepare cementitious materials to solidify/stabilize CCS. Single-factor and orthogonal experiments were used to optimize the preparation parameters of alkali slag cementitious materials. The compressive strength, heavy metal leaching toxicity, and microscopic characterization of a CCS solidified body were tested to investigate the solidification effect and mechanism of CCS formation.

Preparation of Glass-Ceramics via Cosintering and Solidification of Hazardous Waste Incineration Residue and Chromium-Containing Sludge.

Residues from the incineration of hazardous wastes are classified as hazardous byproducts because they contain heavy metals. Chromium-containing sludge (CCS) is industrial sludge produced during the electroplating process and includes heavy metals, such as Cr, Pb, and Cu. These heavy metals can infiltrate natural ecosystems and cause significant environmental damage.

NIgPred: Class-Specific Antibody Prediction for Linear B-Cell Epitopes Based on Heterogeneous Features and Machine-Learning Approaches.

Upon invasion by foreign pathogens, specific antibodies can identify specific foreign antigens and disable them. As a result of this ability, antibodies can help with vaccine production and food allergen detection in patients. Many studies have focused on predicting linear B-cell epitopes, but only two prediction tools are currently available to predict the sub-type of an epitope.

BICD Cargo Adaptor 1 (BICD1) Downregulation Correlates with a Decreased Level of PD-L1 and Predicts a Favorable Prognosis in Patients with IDH1-Mutant Lower-Grade Gliomas.

Although several biomarkers have been identified to predict the prognosis of lower-grade (Grade II/III) gliomas (LGGs), we still need to identify new markers to facilitate those well-known markers to obtain more accurate prognosis prediction in LGGs. Bioinformatics data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), and the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) datasets were used as the research materials. In total, 34 genes associated with the HIF1A pathway were analyzed using the hierarchical method to search for the most compatible gene.

Risky scenario identification in a risk perception scale for construction workers in Thailand.

Introduction: Construction sites exhibit unique hazardous characteristics. Hence, investigating the causes of fatal and nonfatal accidents is extremely important to promote safety on construction sites. Literature shows a risk perception (RP) scale for construction workers; to expand the existing research, this study aims to identify risky scenarios for assessing the RP of Thai construction workers, with the goal of reducing workplace incidents.

Role ofhydrogen plasma treatment on gate bias stability and performance of a-IGZO thin-film transistors.

This work investigates the effect of anhydrogen plasma treatment on gate bias stability and performance of amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) deposited by using atmospheric-pressure PECVD. The Hplasma-treated-IGZO channel has shown significant improvement in bias stress induced instability with a minuscule threshold voltage shift (Δ) of 0.31 and -0.

In Vivo Time-Lapse Imaging and Analysis of Dendritic Structural Plasticity in Tadpoles.

In vivo time-lapse imaging of complete dendritic arbor structures in tectal neurons of tadpoles has served as a powerful in vivo model to study activity-dependent structural plasticity in the central nervous system during early development. In addition to quantitative analysis of gross arbor structure, dynamic analysis of the four-dimensional data offers particularly valuable insights into the structural changes occurring in subcellular domains over experience/development-driven structural plasticity events. Such analysis allows not only quantifiable characterization of branch additions and retractions with high temporal resolution but also identification of the loci of action.

Effects of Microwave and Furnace Annealing for -Type SnO Thin Film Material in Oxygen Ambient.

Transparent conductive oxide (TCO) semiconductors are attracted considerable attention due to a wide range of applications, such as flat panel display (FPD), touch panels, solar cells, and other optoelectronic devices. Owing to the different carrier conduction paths between -type and -type TCOs, the -type TCO used in TFTs usually have high / current ratio (>10) and high electron mobility (>10 cm²/V·s), -type TCO TFTs are both lower than that of -type one. For complementary circuits design and applications, however, both -type and -type semiconductor materials are equally important.

Efficient electrokinetic remediation of heavy metals from MSWI fly ash using approaching anode integrated with permeable reactive barrier.

During electrokinetic remediation (EKR) of heavy metals (HMs) (Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd) from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash enhanced by a permeable reactive barrier (PRB), the nearer to the anode, the higher the concentration of H ions and the greater the remediation effect. Therefore, a potentially new method of PRB-enhanced EKR using an approaching anode (A-EKR + PRB) was studied to help H ions to quickly migrate to the sample near the cathode. Consequently, the HM leaching and total concentrations were reduced, while an energy reduction of nearly 40% was achieved.

Preliminary study a non-invasion method on early cardiac energy defect based on Hilbert Huang Transform.

Statistics released by the World Health Organization in 2018 show that the total death of people is 56.9 million worldwide in 2016. The first one is cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease and stroke, which accounted for 17.

Host pre-conditioning improves human adipose-derived stem cell transplantation in ageing rats after myocardial infarction: Role of NLRP3 inflammasome.

Functional decline of stem cell transplantation in ageing hosts is well documented. The mechanism for this is poorly understood, although it is known that advancing age does not provide an optimal milieu for exogenous stem cells to survive, engraft and differentiate. We showed that n-butylidenephthalide improved human adipose-derived stem cell (hADSC) engraftment via attenuating the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Assessment of risk of tripping before and after crossing obstacles under dimmed lighting conditions.

Background: Tripping and falling are common at work. Investigating the perceived risk of tripping is important for the safety of workers.

Objective: To test the hypotheses that the perceived risk of tripping is affected by obstacle depth, obstacle height, number of obstacle, and light location under dimmed lighting conditions.