•The objective is to evaluate the quality of a professional baseball league game schedule.•Data come from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League.•Research methodology is a large scale mixed ...integer model modified from traditional ones and a problem-specific heuristic.•The results from new model and heuristic are compared based on multiple criteria.•New model and heuristic can suggest better schedule to the KBO League.
This study evaluates the quality of the current schedule of a professional baseball league based on the total travel distance of teams, match fairness, and attendance fairness. Alternatives that prioritize the minimization of the total travel distance and satisfy other factors are presented. Moreover, minimization results are compared with the current schedule of the Korea Baseball Organization League, whose requirements differ in certain aspects from those of other baseball leagues and sports. Although numerous studies have examined the sports scheduling problem, this study develops a new integer programming model for baseball leagues, proposes a new problem-specific heuristic, and applies this to the Korea Baseball Organization League, which is the focus of this study. Using quantitative methodologies to analyze the source of match generation and adjustment problems, our research demonstrates that there is ample room for improvement in baseball game scheduling in terms of enhancing the aforementioned factors.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
During the last decade, various functional nanostructured materials with interesting optical, magnetic, mechanical and chemical properties have been extensively applied to biomedical areas including ...imaging, diagnosis and therapy. In therapeutics, most research has focused on the application of nanoparticles as potential delivery vehicles for drugs and genes, because nanoparticles in the size range of 2-100 nm can interact with biological systems at the molecular level, and allow targeted delivery and passage through biological barriers. Recent investigations have even revealed that several kinds of nanomaterials are intrinsically therapeutic. Not only can they passively interact with cells, but they can also actively mediate molecular processes to regulate cell functions. This can be seen in the treatment of cancer via anti-angiogenic mechanisms as well as the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases by effectively controlling oxidative stress. This review will present recent applications of inorganic nanoparticles as therapeutic agents in the treatment of disease.
Ag+ ions are a well-known antibacterial agent, and Ag nanoparticles act as a reservoir of these Ag+ ions for targeted therapy of bacterial infections. However, there are no tools to effectively ...trigger and monitor the release of Ag+ ions from Ag nanoparticles. Photoacoustic (PA) imaging is an emerging noninvasive imaging tool, and gold nanorods (AuNRs) are an excellent contrast agent for PA imaging. In this work, we developed Au/Ag hybrid nanoparticles by coating AuNRs with silver (Ag), which decreased their photoacoustic signal. The as-prepared, Ag-coated Au nanorods (Au/AgNRs) are stable under ambient conditions, but the addition of ferricyanide solution (1 mM) results in oxidative etching of the silver shell. The PA contrast is simultaneously recovered as the silver is released, and this PA signal offers noninvasive monitoring of localized release of Ag+ ions. The released Ag+ ions exhibit a strong bactericidal efficacy similar to equivalent free Ag+ ions (AgNO3), and the nanoparticles killed >99.99% of both (Gram-positive) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, 32 μM Ag+ equivalent) and (Gram-negative) Escherichia coli (8 μM Ag+ equivalent). The theranostic potential of these nanoparticles was demonstrated in a pilot in vivo study. Mice were inoculated with MRSA and Au/AgNRs were subcutaneously implanted followed by silver etching. There was a 730% increase in the PA signal (p < 0.01) pre- and post-etching, and the bacterial counts in infected tissues of the treated group were reduced by 1000-fold (log CFU/g = 4.15 vs 7.75) versus the untreated control; this treatment efficacy was confirmed with histology. We further showed that these hybrid nanoparticles could release Ag+ after stimulation by reactive oxygen species including hydrogen peroxide and peroxynitrite. These hybrid Au/Ag nanoparticles are a useful theranostic agent for the photoacoustic imaging and treatment of bacterial infections.
Full text
Available for:
IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
The Voxel Transformer (VoTr) is a prominent model in the field of 3D object detection, employing a transformer-based architecture to comprehend long-range voxel relationships through self-attention. ...However, despite its expanded receptive field, VoTr’s flexibility is constrained by its predefined receptive field. In this paper, we present a Voxel Transformer with Density-Aware Deformable Attention (VoTr-DADA), a novel approach to 3D object detection. VoTr-DADA leverages density-guided deformable attention for a more adaptable receptive field. It efficiently identifies key areas in the input using density features, combining the strengths of both VoTr and Deformable Attention. We introduce the Density-Aware Deformable Attention (DADA) module, which is specifically designed to focus on these crucial areas while adaptively extracting more informative features. Experimental results on the KITTI dataset and the Waymo Open dataset show that our proposed method outperforms the baseline VoTr model in 3D object detection while maintaining a fast inference speed.
Full text
Available for:
IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The growth of one metal–organic framework (MOF) on another MOF for constructing a heterocompositional hybrid MOF is an interesting research topic because of the curiosity regarding the occurrence of ...this phenomenon and the value of hybrid MOFs as multifunctional materials or routes for fine-tuning MOF properties. In particular, the anisotropic growth of MOF on MOF is fascinating for the development of MOFs possessing atypical shapes and heterostructures or abnormal properties. Herein, we clarify the understanding of growth behavior of a secondary MOF on an initial MOF template, such as isotropic or anisotropic ways associated with their cell parameters. The isotropic growth of MIL-68-Br on the MIL-68 template results in the formation of core–shell-type MIL-68@MIL-68-Br. However, the unique anisotropic growth of a secondary MOF (MOF-NDC) on the MIL-68 template results in semitubular particles, and structural features of this unknown secondary MOF are successfully speculated for the first time on the basis of its unique growth behavior and morphological characteristics. Finally, the validation of this structural speculation is verified by the powder X-ray diffraction and the selected area electron diffraction studies. The results suggests that the growth behavior and morphological features of MOFs should be considered to be important factors for understanding the MOFs’ structures.
Full text
Available for:
IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
We propose a HfZrO x (HZO)-based ferroelectric synapse device with multi-levels states of remnant polarization that is equivalent to multi-levels conductance states. By optimizing the pulse ...condition, we obtained 32 levels of remnant polarization states for both potentiation and depression. Furthermore, a ferroelectric field-effect transistor is simulated using the obtained multiple remnant polarization states. The simulation results show that linear and symmetric conductance states can be obtained by applying optimum potentiation and depression pulse conditions. A neural network was simulated using the proposed devices for pattern recognition. Using synapse parameters of the HZO-based ferroelectric device and a neural network simulator, we have confirmed that the pattern recognition accuracy of the MNIST data set is 84%. It shows that the HZO-based synapse device has potential for future high-density neuromorphic systems.
Action observation training and motor imagery training have independently been studied and considered as an effective training strategy for improving motor skill learning. However, comparative ...studies of the two training strategies are relatively few. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of action observation training and motor imagery training on the development of mental representation structure and golf putting performance as well as the relation between the changes in mental representation structure and skill performance during the early learning stage. Forty novices were randomly assigned to one of four groups: action observation training, motor imagery training, physical practice and no practice. The mental representation structure and putting performance were measured before and after 3 days of training, then after a 2-day retention period. The results showed that mental representation structure and the accuracy of the putting performance were improved over time through the two types of cognitive training (i.e., action observation training and motor imagery training). In addition, we found a significant positive correlation between changes in mental representation structure and skill performance for the action observation training group only. Taken together, these results suggest that both cognitive adaptations and skill improvement occur through the training of the two simulation states of action, and that perceptual-cognitive changes are associated with the change of skill performance for action observation training.
Pork production is hugely impacted by the health and breeding of pigs. Analyzing the eating pattern of pigs helps in optimizing the supply chain management with a healthy breeding environment. ...Monitoring the feed intake of pigs in a barn provides information about their eating habits, behavioral patterns, and surrounding environment, which can be used for further analysis to monitor growth in pigs and eventually contribute to the quality and quantity of meat production. In this paper, we present a novel method to estimate the number of pigs taking in feed by considering the pig's posture. In order to solve problems arising from using the pig's posture, we propose an algorithm to match the pig's head and the corresponding pig's body using the major-and-minor axis of the pig detection box. In our experiment, we present the detection performance of the YOLOv5 model according to the anchor box, and then we demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms previous methods. We therefore measure the number of pigs taking in feed over a period of 24 h and the number of times pigs consume feed in a day over a period of 30 days, and observe the pig's feed intake pattern.
Full text
Available for:
IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The two oxidation states of ceria nanoparticles, Ce3+ and Ce4+, play a pivotal role in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS). In particular, Ce3+ is largely responsible for removing O2− and .OH ...that are associated with inflammatory response and cell death. The synthesis is reported of 2 nm ceria–zirconia nanoparticles (CZ NPs) that possess a higher Ce3+/Ce4+ ratio and faster conversion from Ce4+ to Ce3+ than those exhibited by ceria nanoparticles. The obtained Ce0.7Zr0.3O2 (7CZ) NPs greatly improve ROS scavenging performance, thus regulating inflammatory cells in a very low dose. Moreover, 7CZ NPs are demonstrated to be effective in reducing mortality and systemic inflammation in two representative sepsis models. These findings suggest that 7CZ NPs have the potential as a therapeutic nanomedicine for treating ROS‐related inflammatory diseases.
An optimized ROS scavenging agent: 2 nm‐sized ceria–zirconia nanoparticles (CZ NPs) with increased Ce3+ ratios outperform ceria NPs as scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The composition‐tuned 7CZ (Ce0.7Zr0.3O2) NPs are superior in reducing inflammation in vitro and decrease the mortality in sepsis in vivo.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Here, it is shown that graphene oxide (GO) can be utilized as both a cell‐adhesion substrate and a growth factor protein‐delivery carrier for the chondrogenic differentiation of adult stem cells. ...Conventionally, chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells is achieved by culturing cells in pellets and adding the protein transforming growth factor‐β3 (TGF‐β3), a chondrogenic factor, to the culture medium. However, pellets mainly provide cell‐cell interaction and diffusional limitation of TGF‐β3 may occur inside the pellet both of these factors may limit the chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells. In this study, GO sheets (size = 0.5–1 μm) were utilized to adsorb fibronectin (FN, a cell‐adhesion protein) and TGF‐β3 and were then incorporated in pellets of human adipose‐derived stem cells (hASCs). The hybrid pellets of hASC‐GO enhanced the chondrogenic differentiation of hASCs by adding the cell‐FN interaction and supplying TGF‐β3 effectively. This method may provide a new platform for stem cell culture for regenerative medicine.
Graphene oxide can be used as both a cell‐adhesion substrate and a growth factor delivery carrier for the chondrogenic differentiation of adult stem cells.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
PDF
