This study was to determine the effects of high pressure processing (HPP; 200–600 MPa for 3 min) on the microbial, chemical, and organoleptic properties and the bacterial flora of freshwater clam ...(Corbicula fluminea) during cold storage. The results indicated that with an increase in pressure, the expanding rate, moisture content, shucking ratio, pH, lightness (L*), and whiteness (W) increased, whereas redness (a*), yellowness (b*), aerobic plate count (APC), psychrotrophic bacteria count (PBC), coliform, and Salmonella spp. decreased. In addition, HPP treatment of >300 MPa on samples significantly retarded the increases in APC, PBC, coliform, Salmonella spp., and total volatile basic nitrogen and a drop in pH during cold storage. Results of organoleptic analysis showed that HPP at 300 and 500 MPa prolonged the shelf life from 6 days (control group) to 9 days and 12 days, respectively. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) revealed that HPP considerably changed the spoilage microflora in samples after 15 days storage and delayed the spoilage process. These results demonstrate that pressurisation at least 300 MPa for 3 min on clam samples were able to reach 100% shucking, inactivate microbial growth, and retard quality loss, while they effectively extended shelf life of freshwater clam during cold storage.
•HPP on clam was effective to shuck and increase the expanding rate, moisture and pH.•With increasing pressure, clam meat showed a brighter and translucent appearance.•HPP> 300 MPa delayed the growth of microbial loads, and drop of pH during 4 °C storage.•Self life of samples by 300 and 500 MPa extended from 6 to 9–12 days in cold storage.•HTS showed that HPP changed the microbiota of clam and delayed the spoilage process.
Cardiomegaly is an asymptomatic disease. Symptoms, such as palpitations, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, may be the early indications of cardiac hypertrophy, which can be divided into ...cardiac hypertrophy and ventricular enlargement. Their causes and treatment strategies are different. The early detection of cardiomegaly can help to make decisions for administering drugs and surgical treatments. In addition, with regard to problems in manual inspection, such as time consuming and the need for human interpretations and experiences, an assistive tool is required to automatically develop and identify normal heart or enlarged hearts. Therefore, this study proposes the combination of 2D (two dimensional) and 1D (one dimensional) convolutional neural network based classifier for rapid cardiomegaly screening in clinical applications based on chest X-ray (CXR) examinations in frontal posteroanterior view. The 2D and 1D convolutional processes and multilayer connected classification network are used to enhance the original CXR image and to remove unwanted noises to increase accuracy in feature extraction and pattern recognition tasks. The training dataset and testing dataset are collected from the National Institutes of Health CXR image database, which is used to train the classifier and validate the performance of the classifier in a K-fold cross-validation manner. Experimental results indicate the potential performance for rapid cardiomegaly screening with regard to recall (%), precision (%), accuracy (%), and F1 score.
Cannabidiol (CBD), one of the cannabinoids from the cannabis plant, can relieve the myotonia resulting from sodium channelopathy, which manifests as repetitive discharges of muscle membrane. We ...investigated the binding kinetics of CBD to Nav1.4 channels on the muscle membrane. The binding affinity of CBD to the channel was evaluated using whole-cell recording. The CDOCKER program was employed to model CBD docking onto the Nav1.4 channel to determine its binding sites. Our results revealed no differential inhibition of sodium current by CBD when the channels were in activation or fast inactivation status. However, differential inhibition was observed with a dose-dependent manner after a prolonged period of depolarization, leaving the channel in a slow-inactivated state. Moreover, CBD binds selectively to the slow-inactivated state with a significantly faster binding kinetics (>64,000 M−1 s−1) and a higher affinity (Kd of fast inactivation vs. slow-inactivation: >117.42 μM vs. 51.48 μM), compared to the fast inactivation state. Five proposed CBD binding sites in a bundle crossing region of the Nav1.4 channels pore was identified as Val793, Leu794, Phe797, and Cys759 in domain I/S6, and Ile1279 in domain II/S6. Our findings imply that CBD favorably binds to the Nav1.4 channel in its slow-inactivated state.
Mixed corticomedullary tumor is an adrenal tumor intermixed with cortical and medullary cells. It is extremely rare with unclear tumorigenesis. We reported a 32-year-old female, manifested with ...typical Cushing’s syndrome and hypertension, to be diagnosed with right huge adrenal mixed corticomedullary tumor (8.8 cm). Right adrenalectomy was done to document the tumor intimately admixed with adrenal cortical adenoma and pheochromocytoma by biochemistry and immunohistochemistry. A case-control study was designed to explore the tumorigenesis of mixed corticomedullary tumor by whole exome sequencing. Expression of the stemness markers was controlled by a tissue array of 80 adrenal tumors. Overall, 1559 identical variants coexisted in parts of adrenal cortical adenoma and pheochromocytoma, which mainly (85.8%) originated from germline mutations. These enriched mutations were engaged in stemness control, coherent with substantial expression of the stemness markers (SOX2, CD44 and OCT4) in both parts. The differential stemness expressions were demonstrated in other adrenal tumors as well. The germline mutations were also enriched in signaling involving cancer proliferation, hypoxia inducible factor-1, focal adhesion and extracellular matrix receptor interaction. Somatic mutations affecting mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, glycolysis and the citrate cycle were found in some tumor elements. This is the first study to verify the rare mixed corticomedullary tumor by molecular and genetic evidence to link with its phenotype. Germline mutations involving the stemness regulation and cancer proliferative signaling may drive intermixed tumor formation. Somatic mutations related to glycolysis and the citrate cycle may contribute to greater tumor outgrowth.
Chest X-ray images are usually used to identify the causes of patients symptoms, including the classes of lung or heart disorders. In visualization examination, CXR imaging in anterior posterior ...views is a preliminary screening method used by clinicians or radiologists to diagnose possible lung abnormalities. However, the identification of the causes of multiple abnormalities associated with coexisting conditions presents a challenge. In ruling out a suspected lung disease, the signs and symptoms of physical conditions need to be identified to arrive at a definitive diagnosis. Hence, this study aims to propose an iterated function system (IFS) and a multilayer fractional-order machine learning classifier to rapidly screen the possible classes of lung diseases within regions of interest on CXR images and to improve screening accuracy. For digital image processes, a two-dimensional (2D) fractional-order convolution is used to enhance symptomatic features. The IFS with nonlinear interpolation functions is then used to reconstruct the 2D feature patterns. These reconstructed patterns are self-affine in the same class and thus help distinguish normal subjects from those with lung diseases. The accuracy rate is thus improved. The proposed classifier is evaluated in terms of recall (99.6%), precision (87.78%), accuracy (88.88%), and F1 score (0.9334).
Human speech signals may contain specific information regarding a speaker's characteristics, and these signals can be very useful in applications involving interactive voice response (IVR) and ...automatic speech recognition (ASR). For IVR and ASR applications, speaker classification into different ages and gender groups can be applied in human–machine interaction or computer‐based interaction systems for customised advertisement, translation (text generation), machine dialog systems, or self‐service applications. Hence, an IVR‐based system dictates that ASR should function through users' voices (specific voice‐frequency bands) to identify customers' age and gender and interact with a host system. In the present study, we intended to combine a pitch detection (PD)‐based extractor and a voice classifier for gender identification. The Yet Another Algorithm for Pitch Tracking (YAAPT)‐based PD method was designed to extract the voice fundamental frequency (F0) from non‐stationary speaker's voice signals, allowing us to achieve gender identification, by distinguishing differences in F0 between adult females and males, and classify voices into adult and children groups. Then, in vowel voice signal classification, a one‐dimensional (1D) convolutional neural network (CNN), consisted of a multi‐round 1D kernel convolutional layer, a 1D pooling process, and a vowel classifier that could preliminary divide feature patterns into three level ranges of F0, including adult and children groups. Consequently, a classifier was used in the classification layer to identify the speakers' gender. The proposed PD‐based extractor and voice classifier could reduce complexity and improve classification efficiency. Acoustic datasets were selected from the Hillenbrand database for experimental tests on 12 vowels classifications, and K‐fold cross‐validations were performed. The experimental results demonstrated that our approach is a very promising method to quantify the proposed classifier's performance in terms of recall (%), precision (%), accuracy (%), and F1 score.
The YAAPT‐based pitch detection algorithm is used to design an extractor to extract the spectral peak (F0) patterns, and 1D CNN‐based classifier is employed to use the feature pattern to identify females or males in adult or children groups.
A wrist‐based photoplethysmography (PPG) tool offers a simple and non‐invasive approach for applications in vital sign monitoring and healthcare. However, in a telecare network, these physiological ...signals ensure the authorisation demands for the domain of medical applications. Hence, this study proposes an intelligent method for PPG signal encryption and decryption. This method combines chaotic map and radial basis function network (RBFN) into symmetric cryptography with an adaptive scheme. The sine‐power chaotic map is used as a key generator of 256 non‐ordered numbers (key space) to set the private cipher codes. Two RBFNs are used to train an encryptor and a decryptor with the authorised cipher codes. Its substitution‐based infosecurity scheme can change the numerical values of PPG raw data for each encrypted communication, and the decrypted PPG data are further applied for time‐ and frequency‐domain analyses in clinical applications, such as heart and respiration rate analysis and arterial stiffness and upper extremity vascular disease evaluations. Through experimental results, the security levels are validated using the number of pixel change rate (NPCR), unified averaged changed intensity (UACI), and correlation analysis. The average NPCR, UACI, and correlation coefficient (CC) are 96.57%, 35.43%, and 0.005, respectively, between the plain PPG and the encrypted PPG data against hacker attacks. The larger‐the‐better of NPCR and UACI indexes and the smaller‐the‐better of CC index are obtained to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed cryptography method. The encrypted PPG also guarantees physiological signals of good quality in clinical applications. In addition, the performance of RBFN‐based method is superior in adaptive learning capability than that of the traditional learning method in real‐time applications.
The cover image is based on the Original Research Paper Intelligent physiological signal infosecurity: Case study in photoplethysmography (PPG) signal by Chia Hung‐Lin et al., https://doi.org/10.1049/sil2.12089.
We assessed the microbial and chemical qualities and microbiomes of 14 mustard pickle products coded sequentially from A to N and sold in traditional Taiwanese markets. The results showed that the ...aerobic plate count and lactic acid bacteria count of commercially available mustard pickle products were 2.18-4.01 and <1.0-3.77 log CFU/g, respectively. Moreover, no coliform bacteria,
,
,
spp., or
were detected in any of the samples. Analysis of the chemical quality showed that the sulfite content of all samples exceeded 30 ppm, which is the food additive limit in Taiwan. Furthermore, the mean contents of eight biogenic amines in the mustard pickle product samples were below 48.0 mg/kg. The results of high-throughput sequencing showed that the dominant bacterial genera in sample A were
spp. (25%),
(25%), and
(10%), in sample C they were
(62%) and
(15%), in sample E it was
(97%), and in sample J it was
(57%). Mustard pickle product samples from different sources contained different microbiomes. The dominant bacterial family was
in all samples except for sample A. In contrast, the microbiome of sample A mainly consisted of
and
, which may have resulted from environmental contamination during storage and sales. The result of this work suggests it may be necessary to monitor sulfite levels and potential sources of bacterial contamination in mustard pickle products, and to take appropriate measures to rule out any public health risks.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the rates of pathological complete response (ypT0N0/X) and pathological response (ypT1N0/X or less) in patients with upper tract urothelial cancer who were ...treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and to examine their impact on oncological outcomes.
This study is a multi-institutional retrospective analysis of patients with high-risk upper tract urothelial cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical nephroureterectomy between 2002 and 2021. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate all clinical parameters for response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Cox proportional hazard models were performed to assess the effect of the response on the oncological outcomes.
A total of 84 patients with UTUC who received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy were identified. Among them, 44 (52.4%) patients received cisplatin-based chemotherapy, and 22 (26.2%) patients had a carboplatin-based regimen. The pathological complete response rate was 11.6% (n = 10), and the pathological response rate was 42.9% (n = 36). Multifocal tumors or tumors larger than 3 cm significantly reduced the odds of pathological response. In the multivariable Cox proportional hazard model, pathological response was independently associated with better overall survival (HR 0.38, p = 0.024), cancer-specific survival (HR 0.24, p = 0.033), and recurrence-free survival (HR 0.17, p = 0.001), but it was not associated with bladder recurrence-free survival (HR 0.84, p = 0.69).
Pathological response after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and radical nephroureterectomy is strongly associated with patient survival and recurrence, and it might be a good surrogate for evaluating the efficacy of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in the future.
The construction industry, as a major consumer of resources and energy, accounts for about 40% of global carbon emissions. The concept of a circular economy (CE) is one effective means to address ...this issue. The entire lifecycle of a building includes: material production, construction, operation, and demolition. The production of building materials emits the largest proportion of carbon dioxide, followed by the operational phase, while construction (including demolition) has the smallest proportion. However, it is crucial to note the waste phase after demolition, where building materials are typically disposed of through incineration or landfill, leading to significant carbon emissions and environmental degradation. Therefore, carbon emissions generated during both the production and waste phases of the construction industry cannot be overlooked. This article employs a combined approach of practice and research, using the Circular Pavilion as a case study. From the design stage, reducing resource usage and carbon emissions are considered crucial factors. Reversible design, modularity, and the use of recycled materials are employed to reduce the emissions of “embodied carbon” and enhance material reuse. To validate the effectiveness of recycled materials in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, this study calculates the material usage and carbon emissions during the production, transportation, and waste phases of the Circular Pavilion, Concrete Pavilion, and Steel Pavilion. The Circular Pavilion accounts for 34% and 3.5% of the total carbon emissions of the Concrete Pavilion and Steel Pavilion, respectively. In conclusion, the practical implementation of reversible design and recycled materials based on the concept of a circular economy is key to transitioning the construction industry from environmentally harmful impacts to eco-friendly practices. This establishes an effective method for resource reuse and carbon dioxide reduction in the construction sector, allowing waste resources to re-enter production and manufacturing processes, thereby reducing natural extraction, waste disposal, and energy consumption. Future applications of this method in the construction field involve establishing multidimensional composite design models and conducting feasibility assessments with upstream and downstream supply chains to support the realization of circular cities.
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