Simultaneous measurement of liquid level and R.I. sensor using POF based on twisted structure.

In this paper, a dual-parameter liquid level and refractive index (R.I.) sensor is fabricated using three pieces of bare polymer optical fibers (POFs), which can independently and simultaneously sense the liquid level and R.

The Integrated Transcriptome Bioinformatics Analysis of Energy Metabolism-Related Profiles for Dorsal Root Ganglion of Neuropathic Pain.

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a debilitating disease and is associated with energy metabolism alterations. This study aimed to identify energy metabolism-related differentially expressed genes (EMRDEGs) in NP, construct a diagnostic model, and analyze immune cell infiltration and single-cell gene expression characteristics of NP. GSE89224, GSE123919, and GSE134003 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus.

Fatigue and damage evolution in wood T-shaped mortise and tenon joints.

Mortise and tenon joint is a key connecting component in timber-framed architecture. Accurately assessing the damage to joints is crucial for the structural design of wooden buildings. This study conducted fatigue tests at three stress levels (70%, 100%, and 130%) based on the maximum stress from static bending tests to analyze the impact of different stress levels on the fatigue performance of mortise and tenon joints.

Challenges in illumination analysis and design for Martian surface-level habitation.

It is needless to say that travel to and settlement on Mars are associated with extreme levels of scientific and engineering issues. This will only be amplified with the long-term duration of the mission, not only due to scarcity of resources, but also as the psychological aspects of the dynamics among the crew increase drastically. It should be emphasized that this is a scientific crew, who have undergone high levels of confinement during space travel to Mars, O (10 Earth days), are living in semi-solitude and partial confinement conditions for durations of O (10 Earth days), and even at the nominal termination of the mission, foresee a high-risk and arduous travel time of O (10 Earth days) back to the Earth.

A longitudinal study on the impact of the TyG Index and TG/HDL-C ratio on the risk of type 2 diabetes in Chinese patients with prediabetes.

Objective: To elucidate the impact and predictive value of the Triglyceride Glucose Index (TyG) and the ratio of Triglycerides to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) in identifying the risk of diabetes progression in Chinese individuals with prediabetes.

Methods: This longitudinal study enrolled 15,012 prediabetic adults from the Rich Healthcare Group between 2010 and 2016. Diabetes was defined as self-reported diabetes or a fasting glucose level ≥ 7.

Development of a structured interview for the modified version of the Beth Israel Hospital psychosomatic questionnaire for alexithymia.

Background: An observer-rated questionnaire for alexithymia based on the original 17-item Beth Israel Hospital Psychosomatic Questionnaire for Alexithymia (BIQ) was developed by Sifneos in 1973 and modified into a 12-item version of BIQ by Taylor et al. in 1997. However, it has rarely been used in a clinical or research context and studies have not given satisfactory inter-rater reliability for the 12-item version.

High pressure sensor based on intensity-variation using polymer optical fiber.

Silica fiber under high pressure increases the risk of fiber breakage or permanent deformation, which may cause sensor failure due to mechanical strength limitations. High pressure can also induce birefringence in optical fiber. In this study, we present a simple design and low-cost high pressure sensor using polymer optical fiber (POF) based on the intensity-variation technique.

Prevalence and associated factors of myopia among adolescents aged 12-15 in Shandong Province, China: a cross-sectional study.

Myopia is a growing concern worldwide, especially among adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of myopia in adolescents aged 12-15 in Shandong Province, China. This cross-sectional study adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines and involved stratified random cluster sampling of 128,678 students from 186 middle schools across 17 cities in Shandong Province.

Recovery and Renewal of Co-Design Approaches in Health: Protocol for a Realist Synthesis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly transformed the landscape of work and collaboration, impacting design research methodologies and techniques. Co-design approaches have been both negatively and positively affected by the pandemic, prompting a need to investigate and understand the extent of these impacts, changes, and adaptations, specifically in the health sector. Despite the challenges that the pandemic imposed on conducting co-design and related projects, it also encouraged a re-evaluation of co-design practices, leading to innovative solutions and techniques.

Association of atherogenic index of plasma with cardiovascular disease mortality and all-cause mortality in the general US adult population: results from NHANES 2005-2018.

Background: The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is a critical metric for predicting cardiovascular outcomes. However, its associations with cardiovascular disease mortality (CVM) and all-cause mortality (ACM) remain unclear. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between baseline AIP levels and CVM and ACM among a broad cohort of US adults.

Effect of artificial gravity on neurocognitive performance during head-down tilt bedrest.

This study evaluated the acute and chronic effects of intermittent and continuous Artificial Gravity (AG) on cognitive performance during 60 days of Head-down tilt bedrest (HDTBR), a well-established ground-based spaceflight analogue method. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: intermittent AG, continuous AG, and HDTBR control group without AG exposure. Task performance and electrophysiological measures of attention and working memory were investigated during Simple and Complex tasks in the Visual and the Auditory modality.

Development of a dual point humidity sensor using POF based on twisted fiber structure.

The humidity has often been measured through a single point sensor. Where, the humidity could be varied at different locations as well as depending on environmental conditions. The present paper developed the dual point humidity measuring sensor by using a polymer optical fiber (POF) based on a single illuminating fiber.

Numerical simulation and study on heat and mass transfer in a hybrid ultrasound/convective dryer.

Susceptibility of airborne ultrasonic power to augment heat and mass transfer during hot air dehydration of peppermint leaves was investigated in the present study. To predict the moisture removal curves, a unique non-equilibrium mathematical model was developed. For the samples dried at temperatures of 40‒70 °C and the power intensities of 0‒104 kW m, the diffusion of moisture inside the leaves and coefficients for of mass and heat transfer varied from 0.

[Construction and characterization of an infectious clone for human bocaparvovirus HBoV1].

Human bocaparvovirus 1 (HBoV1) is one of the two parvoviruses that infect humans and cause diseases. Infection with HBoV1 in infants and young children aged 2-5 years can lead to mild or severe acute respiratory diseases, with the most severe cases posing a life-threatening risk. Similar to other parvoviruses, the HBoV1 DNA genome consists of two terminal reverse repeats (ITRs) at its ends, which are necessary for viral genome replication.

Valorization of Textile Sludge and Cattle Manure Wastes into Fuel Pellets and the Assessment of Their Combustion Characteristics.

The textile wastewater sludge (TWS) treatment and disposal are environmentally challenging due to toxic organics and metals. At the same time, cattle manure (CM), with better combustion performance, i.e.

Method of Multiaxis Three-Dimensional Printing with Intralayer Height Variation for Stairstep Effect Compensation.

The recent developments in multiaxis three-dimensional (3D) printing have got a large potential for expanding the capability of material extrusion based methods. Especially curved and nonplanar methods can improve buildability, surface quality, and mechanical performance. However, the challenges that arise from using them complicate their deployment.

Predicting instabilities: an embodied perspective on unstable experiences with art and design.

Predictive Processing (PP) provides a theoretical framework that describes perception as a process attempting to increase the predictability of stimulations by updating predictions or exploring new sensations. Moreover, perception and action are assumed to be closely linked within this process. While organisms seem to strive for predictability, we sometimes expose ourselves to objects and situations that challenge sense-making-such conditions often break perceptual habits or offer multiple possible meanings.

Co-design of a digital app "WhatMatters" to support person-centred care: A critical reflection.

Background: People with dementia often do not receive optimal person-centred care (PCC) in care settings. Family members can play a vital role as care partners to support the person with dementia with their psychosocial needs. Participatory research that includes the perspectives of those with lived experience is essential for developing high-quality dementia care and practices.

Dynamic Causal Modeling and Online Collaborative Forecasting of Air Quality in Hong Kong and Macao.

The Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, situated within China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, significantly influence and are impacted by their air quality conditions. Rapid urbanization, high population density, and air pollution from diverse factors present challenges, making the health of the atmospheric environment in these regions a research focal point. This study offers three key contributions: (1) It applied an interpretable dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) to construct a dynamic causal model of air quality in Hong Kong and Macao, amidst complex, unstable, multi-dimensional, and uncertain factors over time.

Space-technological and architectural methodology and process towards design of long-term habitats for scientific human missions on mars.

Centered on the core idea of long duration habitat design for research crew on Mars, the Martian Habitat Units (MHUs) are designed as a cluster of 10 units each with the maximum capacity of 9 crew members to live and carry on with the local challenges of scientific and exploratory life, while enjoying their lives as intellectual, social individuals in the harsh environment of Mars for durations in the order of magnitude of several years. This approach to the concept of a living environment in sharp contradiction to that of a shelter with the minimal capabilities to meet the requirements of terrestrial life to the point of survival, has led the outcoming design to be a fulfilling environment for the inhabitants of the units to evolve and thrive culturally, while being on a years-long mission. This manuscript provides detailed insight on the of the aforementioned comprehensive design attempt with, but not limited to, the following core concerns: •The initial stand-point of such a design procedure relies on an ever increasing and comprehensive list of concerns, be it classically discussed in the literature and predictable, or unforeseen on the face of it, but to be prevented anyhow.

Do pathogens always evolve to be less virulent? The virulence-transmission trade-off in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The direction the evolution of virulence takes in connection with any pathogen is a long-standing question. Formerly, it was theorized that pathogens should always evolve to be less virulent. As observations were not in line with this theoretical outcome, new theories emerged, chief among them the transmission-virulence trade-off hypotheses, which predicts an intermediate level of virulence as the endpoint of evolution.

A model of integrating convolution and BiGRU dual-channel mechanism for Chinese medical text classifications.

Recently, a lot of Chinese patients consult treatment plans through social networking platforms, but the Chinese medical text contains rich information, including a large number of medical nomenclatures and symptom descriptions. How to build an intelligence model to automatically classify the text information consulted by patients and recommend the correct department for patients is very important. In order to address the problem of insufficient feature extraction from Chinese medical text and low accuracy, this paper proposes a dual channel Chinese medical text classification model.