Lesions of tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves are detrimental to the growth of tea crops. Their adverse effects include further disease of tea leaves and a direct reduction in yield and profit. ...Therefore, early detection and on‐site monitoring of tea leaf lesions are necessary for effective management to control infections and prevent further yield loss. In this study, 1,822 images of tea leaves with lesions caused by three diseases (brown blight, Colletotrichum camelliae; blister blight, Exobasidium vexans; and algal leaf spot, Cephaleuros virescens) and four pests (leaf miner, Tropicomyia theae; tea thrip, Scirtothrips dorsalis; tea leaf roller, Homona magnanima; and tea mosquito bug, Helopeltis fasciaticollis) were collected from northern and central Taiwan. A faster region‐based convolutional neural network (Faster R‐CNN) was then trained to detect the locations of the lesions on the leaves and to identify the causes of the lesions. The trained Faster R‐CNN detector achieved a precision of 77.5%, recall of 70.6%, an F1 score of 73.91%, and a mean average precision of 66.02%. An overall accuracy of 89.4% was obtained for identification of the seven classes of tea diseases and pests. The developed detector could assist tea farmers in identifying the causes of lesions in real time.
A faster region‐based convolutional neural network (Faster R‐CNN) was used to develop an identification model for three foliar diseases and four pest damages on tea leaf images; performance was precision 77.5%, recall 70.6%, accuracy 89.4%.
Dyskalemias are common electrolyte disorders associated with high cardiovascular risk. Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted electrocardiography (ECG) has been evaluated as an early-detection ...approach for dyskalemia. The aims of this study were to determine the clinical accuracy of AI-assisted ECG for dyskalemia and prognostic ability on clinical outcomes such as all-cause mortality, hospitalizations, and ED revisits. This retrospective cohort study was done at two hospitals within a health system from May 2019 to December 2020. In total, 26,499 patients with 34,803 emergency department (ED) visits to an academic medical center and 6492 ED visits from 4747 patients to a community hospital who had a 12-lead ECG to estimate ECG-K
and serum laboratory potassium measurement (Lab-K
) within 1 h were included. ECG-K
had mean absolute errors (MAEs) of ≤0.365 mmol/L. Area under receiver operating characteristic curves for ECG-K
to predict moderate-to-severe hypokalemia (Lab-K
≤3 mmol/L) and moderate-to-severe hyperkalemia (Lab-K
≥ 6 mmol/L) were >0.85 and >0.95, respectively. The U-shaped relationships between K
concentration and adverse outcomes were more prominent for ECG-K
than for Lab-K
. ECG-K
and Lab-K
hyperkalemia were associated with high HRs for 30-day all-cause mortality. Compared to hypokalemic Lab-K
, patients with hypokalemic ECG-K
had significantly higher risk for adverse outcomes after full confounder adjustment. In addition, patients with normal Lab-K
but dyskalemic ECG-K
(pseudo-positive) also exhibited more co-morbidities and had worse outcomes. Point-of-care bloodless AI ECG-K
not only rapidly identified potentially severe hypo- and hyperkalemia, but also may serve as a biomarker for medical complexity and an independent predictor for adverse outcomes.
We examined fatigue-crack-growth behaviors of CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloys (HEAs) under as-fatigued and tensile-overloaded conditions using neutron-diffraction measurements coupled with diffraction ...peak-profile analyses. We applied both high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and neutron-diffraction strain mapping for the complementary microstructure examinations. Immediately after a single tensile overload, the crack-growth-retardation period was obtained by enhancing the fatigue resistance, as compared to the as-fatigued condition. The combined mechanisms of the overload-induced larger plastic deformation, the enlarged compressive residual stresses and plastic-zone size, the crack-tip blunting ahead of the crack tip, and deformation twinning governed the pronounced macroscopic crack-growth-retardation behavior following the tensile overload. A remarkable fracture surface of highly-periodic serrated features along the crack-propagation direction was found in the crack-growth region immediately after the tensile overload. Moreover, a transition of plastic deformation from planar dislocation slip-dominated to twinning-dominated microstructures in the extended plastic zone was clearly observed at room temperature in the overloaded condition, in accordance with the simulated results by a finite element method (FEM). The above tensile overload-induced simultaneously combined effects in the coarse-grained CoCrFeMnNi shed light on the improvement of fatigue resistance for HEAs applications.
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Quercetin is one of the natural components from natural plant and it induces cell apoptosis in many human cancer cell lines. However, no available reports show that quercetin induces apoptosis and ...altered associated gene expressions in human gastric cancer cells, thus, we investigated the effect of quercetin on the apoptotic cell death and associated gene expression in human gastric cancer AGS cells. Results indicated that quercetin induced cell morphological changes and reduced total viability via apoptotic cell death in AGS cells. Furthermore, results from flow cytometric assay indicated that quercetin increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, decreased the levels of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), and increased the apoptotic cell number in AGS cells. Results from western blotting showed that quercetin decreased anti‐apoptotic protein of Mcl‐1, Bcl‐2, and Bcl‐x but increased pro‐apoptotic protein of Bad, Bax, and Bid. Furthermore, quercetin increased the gene expressions of TNFRSF10D (Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 10d, decoy with truncated death domain), TP53INP1 (tumor protein p53 inducible nuclear protein 1), and JUNB (jun B proto‐oncogene) but decreased the gene expression of VEGFB (vascular endothelial growth factor B), CDK10 (cyclin‐dependent kinase 10), and KDELC2 (KDEL Lys‐Asp‐Glu‐Leu containing 2) that are associated with apoptosis pathways. Thus, those findings may offer more information regarding the molecular, gene expression, and signaling pathway for quercetin induced apoptotic cell death in human gastric cancer cells.
The use of in silico strategies to develop the structural basis for a rational optimization of glycan-protein interactions remains a great challenge. This problem derives, in part, from the lack of ...technologies to quantitatively and qualitatively assess the complex assembling between a glycan and the targeted protein molecule. Since there is an unmet need for developing new sugar-targeted therapeutics, many investigators are searching for technology platforms to elucidate various types of molecular interactions within glycan-protein complexes and aid in the development of glycan-targeted therapies. Here we discuss three important technology platforms commonly used in the assessment of the complex assembly of glycosylated biomolecules, such as glycoproteins or glycosphingolipids: Biacore analysis, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations. We will also discuss the structural investigation of glycosylated biomolecules, including conformational changes of glycans and their impact on molecular interactions within the glycan-protein complex. For glycoproteins, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), which is associated with various lung disorders, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer, will be taken as an example showing that the core fucosylation of N-glycan in SPARC regulates protein-binding affinity with extracellular matrix collagen. For glycosphingolipids (GSLs), Globo H ceramide, an important tumor-associated GSL which is being actively investigated as a target for new cancer immunotherapies, will be used to demonstrate how glycan structure plays a significant role in enhancing angiogenesis in tumor microenvironments.
Objective
To investigate whether interhemispheric functional connectivity (FC) recovers in the first year after total callosotomy.
Methods
Eight epilepsy patients undergoing total callosotomy were ...recruited. Resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging was acquired before and after surgery. The precallosotomy and postcallosotomy interhemispheric and intrahemispheric FC was analyzed by using graph theory and voxel‐mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC). The seizure outcome was scored using the Engel surgical outcome scale.
Results
After callosotomy (mean postoperative interval = 4 months), the network density, average node degree, characteristic path length, and global efficiency of the whole interhemispheric networks were significantly decreased, compared to those in the precallosotomy networks. However, postcallosotomy interhemispheric FC and homotopic VMHC were not significantly reduced in bilateral frontal and temporal lobes. The network density and average node degree of the intrahemispheric networks were significantly increased. The characteristic path length and global efficiency of intrahemispheric networks were unchanged.
Significance
The interhemispheric FC may be preserved or recover early within the first postoperative year after total callosotomy, particularly in the frontal and anterior temporal lobes.
Transformation by Human‐Centered System Design Lee, Sheng‐Hung
Design Management Review,
March 2024, 2024-03-00, 20240301, Letnik:
35, Številka:
1
Journal Article, Trade Publication Article
Recenzirano
Centering humans within larger systems to design services, products, and experiences can help designers create solutions with a “human temperature,” business value, and social impact.
Change is all ...around us and often impacts our lives in disruptive ways. What if designers, in addition to using human‐centered design, took a multidisciplinary approach to create systemic solutions to help solve the complex problems we face?
Reduction of histone deacetylase (HDAC) 2 expression and activity may contribute to amplified inflammation in patients with severe asthma. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a key mediator of ...airway fibrosis in severe asthma. However, the role of the HDAC2/Sin3A/methyl-CpG-binding protein (MeCP) 2 corepressor complex in the regulation of CTGF expression in lung fibroblasts remains unclear.
The role of the HDAC2/Sin3A/MeCP2 corepressor complex in endothelin (ET)-1-stimulated CTGF production in human lung fibroblasts (WI-38) was investigated. We also evaluated the expression of HDAC2, Sin3A and MeCP2 in the lung of ovalbumin-induced airway fibrosis model.
HDAC2 suppressed ET-1-induced CTGF expression in WI-38 cells. ET-1 treatment reduced HDAC2 activity and increased H3 acetylation in a time-dependent manner. Furthermore, overexpression of HDAC2 inhibited ET-1-induced H3 acetylation. Inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, or p38 attenuated ET-1-induced H3 acetylation by suppressing HDAC2 phosphorylation and reducing HDAC2 activity. Overexpression of both Sin3A and MeCP2 attenuated ET-1-induced CTGF expression and H3 acetylation. ET-1 induced the disruption of the HDAC2/Sin3A/MeCP2 corepressor complex and then prompted the dissociation of HDAC2, Sin3A, and MeCP2 from the CTGF promoter region. Overexpression of HDAC2, Sin3A, or MeCP2 attenuated ET-1-stimulated AP-1-luciferase activity. Moreover, Sin3A- or MeCP2-suppressed ET-1-induced H3 acetylation and AP-1-luciferase activity were reversed by transfection of HDAC2 siRNA. In an ovalbumin-induced airway fibrosis model, the protein levels of HDAC2 and Sin3A were lower than in the control group; however, no significant difference in MeCP2 expression was observed. The ratio of phospho-HDAC2/HDAC2 and H3 acetylation in the lung tissue were higher in this model than in the control group. Overall, without stimulation, the HDAC2/Sin3A/MeCP2 corepressor complex inhibits CTGF expression by regulating H3 deacetylation in the CTGF promoter region in human lung fibroblasts. With ET-1 stimulation, the HDAC2/Sin3A/MeCP2 corepressor complex is disrupted and dissociated from the CTGF promoter region; this is followed by AP-1 activation and the eventual initiation of CTGF production.
The HDAC2/Sin3A/MeCP2 corepressor complex is an endogenous inhibitor of CTGF in lung fibroblasts. Additionally, HDAC2 and Sin3A may be of greater importance than MeCP2 in the pathogenesis of airway fibrosis.
Human glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the common cancer death in adults worldwide, and its metastasis will lead to difficult treatment. Finding compounds for future to develop treatment is urgent. ...Bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC), a natural product, was isolated from the rhizome of turmeric (Curcuma longa), which has been shown to against many human cancer cells. In the present study, we evaluated the antimetastasis activity of BDMC in human GBM cells. Cell proliferation, cell viability, cellular uptake, wound healing, migration and invasion, and western blotting were analyzed. Results indicated that BDMC at 1.5–3 μM significantly decreased the cell proliferation by MTT assay. BDMC showed the highest uptake by cells at 3 h. After treatment of BDMC at 12–48 h significantly inhibited cell motility in GBM 8401 cells by wound healing assay. BDMC suppressed cell migration and invasion at 24 and 48 h treatment by transwell chamber assay. BDMC significantly decreased the levels of proteins associated with PI3K/Akt, Ras/MEK/ERK pathways and resulted in the decrease in the expressions of NF‐κB, MMP‐2, MMP‐9, and N‐cadherin, leading to the inhibition of cell migration and invasion. These findings suggest that BDMC may be a potential candidate for the antimetastasis of human GBM cells in the future.
Whether retroperitoneal fat should be included in the measurement of visceral fat remains controversial. We compared the relationships of fat areas in peritoneal, retroperitoneal, and subcutaneous ...compartments to metabolic syndrome, adipokines, and incident hypertension and diabetes.
We enrolled 432 adult participants (153 men and 279 women) in a community-based cohort study. Computed tomography at the umbilicus level was used to measure the fat areas.
Retroperitoneal fat correlated significantly with metabolic syndrome (adjusted odds ratio (OR), 5.651, p<0.05) and the number of metabolic abnormalities (p<0.05). Retroperitoneal fat area was significantly associated with blood pressure, plasma glycemic indices, lipid profile, C-reactive protein, adiponectin (r = -0.244, P<0.05), and leptin (r = 0.323, p<0.05), but not plasma renin or aldosterone concentrations. During the 2.94 ± 0.84 years of follow-up, 32 participants developed incident hypertension. Retroperitoneal fat area (hazard ration (HR) 1.62, p = 0.003) and peritoneal fat area (HR 1.62, p = 0.009), but not subcutaneous fat area (p = 0.14) were associated with incident hypertension. Neither retroperitoneal fat area, peritoneal fat area, nor subcutaneous fat areas was associated with incident diabetes after adjustment.
Retroperitoneal fat is similar to peritoneal fat, but differs from subcutaneous fat, in terms of its relationship with metabolic syndrome and incident hypertension. Retroperitoneal fat area should be included in the measurement of visceral fat for cardio-metabolic studies in human.
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