Flexural Properties of Periodic Lattice Structured Lightweight Cantilever Beams Fabricated Using Additive Manufacturing: Experimental and Finite Element Methods.

Lattice structures are a type of lightweight structure that is more commonly being applied to engineering systems as a way to reduce mass and enhance mechanical properties. The cantilever beam case is one of the primary modes of loading in many engineering applications, where light-weighting is also crucial. However, lightweight lattice structured cantilever beams have not been investigated considerably due to design and manufacturing limitations.

Classifying Alzheimer's disease and normal subjects using machine learning techniques and genetic-environmental features.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is complicated by multiple environmental and polygenetic factors. The accuracy of artificial neural networks (ANNs) incorporating the common factors for identifying AD has not been evaluated.

Methods: A total of 184 probable AD patients and 3773 healthy individuals aged 65 and over were enrolled.

Home-Based Intelligent Exercise System for Seniors' Healthcare: The Example of Golf Croquet.

In 2020, the world experienced the threat of the COVID-19 epidemic, and seniors and chronic disease patients generally reduced their exercise and social activities to avoid increasing the risk of infection, which could lead to increased loneliness and even many diseases. Combining golf croquet games with a mobile application (App) and AIoT companion robots, this research constructs a home-based intelligent exercise system, uses the technology acceptance model (TAM), deduces users' intention to use this system based on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, and adds the needs of love and belonging, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, and self-actualization in Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory (HNT) to conduct an analysis of system needs. This study collected empirical data, totaling 320 participants including seniors and their caregivers, from elderly care centers in northern Taiwan using a cross-sectional survey and purposive sampling.

End-to-End Autonomous Navigation Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning with a Survival Penalty Function.

An end-to-end approach to autonomous navigation that is based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) with a survival penalty function is proposed in this paper. Two actor-critic (AC) frameworks, namely, deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) and twin-delayed DDPG (TD3), are employed to enable a nonholonomic wheeled mobile robot (WMR) to perform navigation in dynamic environments containing obstacles and for which no maps are available. A comprehensive reward based on the survival penalty function is introduced; this approach effectively solves the sparse reward problem and enables the WMR to move toward its target.

The Slight Adjustment in the Weight of Sulfur Sheets to Synthesize β-NiS Nanobelts for Maintaining Detection of Lower Concentrations of Glucose through a Long-Term Storage Test.

The β-nickel sulfide (β-NiS) nanobelts were fabricated by electrodepositing a nickel nanosheet film on Indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrates and sulfuring the nickel film on ITO-coated glass substrates. The sulfurization method can be used to form nanobelts without a template. A small glass tube was used to anneal the sulfur sheet with a nickel nanosheet film.

Photoconduction Properties in Tungsten Disulfide Nanostructures.

We reported the photoconduction properties of tungsten disulfide (WS) nanoflakes obtained by the mechanical exfoliation method. The photocurrent measurements were carried out using a 532 nm laser source with different illumination powers. The results reveal a linear dependence of photocurrent on the excitation power, and the photoresponsivity shows an independent behavior at higher light intensities (400-4000 Wm).

User QoS-Based Optimized Handover Algorithm for Wireless Networks.

Due to the development of wireless network technology, various applications relying on good network quality are widely used on mobile devices. Taking the commonly used video streaming service as an example, a network with high throughput and low packet loss rate can meet the service requirements. When the moving distance of the mobile device is greater than the signal coverage of the AP, it will trigger the handover process to connect to another AP, and cause the network to disconnect and reconnect instantaneously.

The hemostatic effect and wound healing of novel collagen-containing polyester dressing.

Collagen plays an important role in hemostasis and tissue repair processes. Traditional passive wound dressings like gauze, bandage, and cotton wool could hardly fit the open wounds and exerted no active effect on wound healing. Even worse, they would adhere to the skin tissue, causing dehydration and second injury upon replacement.

Utility of modified Glasgow prognostic score for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Whether the modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) is useful for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains controversial. An electronic database search on EMBASE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library from inception to 30 June 2022 was performed for study selection and data extraction. The associations between the mGPS and survival outcomes were evaluated using a random-effects meta-analysis and expressed as pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs.

Sputtered anti-reflection layer on transparent polyimide - substrate improves adhesion strength to - copper layer: effects of layer thickness and sputtering power.

In order to shield the electronic circuits on a transparent polyimide (PI) substrate, an anti-reflection (AR) layer was deposited on a PI film DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The effects of sputtering power and thickness of AR layer on the optical property and adhesion strength of the PI were investigated. The composition of the AR layer influences the bonding between layers.

Do walking and social support always relate to autonomic nervous system function in later life? Reexamining an age-based moderating model.

Although walking and social support relate to healthy function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in later life, it is unclear whether age groups moderate the relationships of walking frequency and social support with ANS function. To address this area of limited research, we conducted a cross-sectional study with 300 older adults to examine these moderating relationships. Results of multiple regression analysis indicated that walking frequency and social support correlated positively with ANS function.

Methylammonium halide salt interfacial modification of perovskite quantum dots/triple-cation perovskites enable efficient solar cells.

Perovskite solar cells (PeSCs) have been introduced as a new photovoltaic device due to their excellent power conversion efficiency (PCE) and low cost. However, due to the limitations of the perovskite film itself, the existence of defects was inevitable, which seriously affects the number and mobility of carriers in perovskite solar cells, thus restricting PeSCs improved efficiency and stability. Interface passivation to improve the stability of perovskite solar cells is an important and effective strategy.

Anti-reflection Layer-Sputtered Transparent Polyimide Substrate with Reliable Adhesion Strength to the Copper Layer.

Parameters of DC-reactive magnetron sputtering are optimized to deposit anti-reflection (AR) layers on transparent polyimide (PI) substrates, followed by the deposition of the conductive copper layer, to fabricate practically reliable composite films as advanced flexible circuits. When the deposition thickness is controlled and the gas composition during sputtering is adjusted, the resultant AR layer-coated PI film exhibits low reflectance and reveals improved adhesion strength to the copper layer. The adhesion reliability tests confirm that the peel strength between the PI film and the deposited layers could be further improved after thermal processing due to the formation of a worm-like morphology for better mechanical interlocking with layers.

Utility of High-Sensitivity Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score in Cancer Prognosis: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The suitability of the high-sensitivity modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (HS-mGPS) in cancer patients remains unknown. We performed a systematic database search from 1 January 2010 to 30 September 2022, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Selected studies reported the HS-mGPS and survival outcomes in cancer patients.

Mechanical Performance of Lightweight-Designed Honeycomb Structures Fabricated Using Multijet Fusion Additive Manufacturing Technology.

Cellular structures including three-dimensional lattices and two-dimensional honeycombs have significant benefits in achieving optimal mechanical performance with light weighting. Recently developed design techniques integrated with additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have enhanced the possibility of fabricating intricate geometries such as honeycomb structures. Generally, failure initiates from the sharp edges in honeycomb structures, which leads to a reduction in stiffness and energy absorption performance.

The Bacterial Compositions of Nasal Septal Abscess in Patients with or without Diabetes.

The nasal septal abscess (NSA) is a rare but potentially fatal disease causing intracranial infection. Treatments for NSA include antibiotics, surgical incision and drainage. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for NSA.

CoMAC: A cooperation-based multiparty audio conferencing system for mobile users.

The existing architectures used in the multiparty audio conferencing systems are typically categorized as either centralized or decentralized. These architectures expose a trade-off between processing latency and system capacity, namely the number of participants. This paper proposes a multiparty audio conferencing system for mobile users to improve the processing latency and system capacity.

Two-Dimensional (PEA)PbBr Perovskites Sensors for Highly Sensitive Ethanol Vapor Detection.

Two-dimensional (2D) perovskite have been widely researched for solar cells, light-emitting diodes, photodetectors because of their excellent environmental stability and optoelectronic properties in comparison to three-dimensional (3D) perovskite. In this study, we demonstrate the high response of 2D-(PEA)PbBr perovskite of the horizontal vapor sensor was outstandingly more superior than 3D-MAPbBr perovskite. 2D transverse perovskite layer have the large surface-to-volume ratio and reactive surface, with the charge transfer mechanism, which was suitable for vapor sensing and trapping.

Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells via Phenethylamine Iodide Cation-Modified Hole Transport Layer/Perovskite Interface.

Perovskite solar cells (PeSCs) were fabricated by using Cs FA PbI Cl as the photoactive layer, and the effects of different proportions of cesium chloride (CsCl)/formamidinium iodide on perovskites were investigated. Cesium (Cs) can stabilize the α phase of the perovskite, while chlorine (Cl) can increase the size and crystallinity of perovskite crystals and reduce non-radiative cladding, thereby improving the performance of the overall device. The maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) measured for CsFAPbICl-based PeSCs was 18.

Wound-Dressing-Based Antenna Inkjet-Printed Using Nanosilver Ink for Wireless Medical Monitoring.

In this paper, we present a wound-dressing-based antenna fabricated via screen-printed and inkjet-printed technologies. To inkjet print a conductive film on wound dressing, it must be screen-printed, UV-curable-pasted, and hard-baked to provide appropriate surface wettability. Two passes were UV-curable-pasted and hard-baked at 100 °C for 2 h on the wound dressing to obtain 65° WCA for silver printing.

Functional association of NR4A3 downregulation with impaired differentiation in myeloid leukemogenesis.

The coincident downregulation of NR4A1 and NR4A3 has been implicated in myeloid leukemogenesis, but it remains unknown how these two genes function in myeloid cells and how their combined downregulation promotes myeloid leukemogenesis. Since NR4A1 abrogation is thought to confer a survival and proliferation advantage to myeloid cells, we hypothesized that downregulation of NR4A3 may have a complementary effect on myeloid cell differentiation. First, we tested the association between differentiation status of leukemic cells and NR4A3 expression using two large clinical datasets from patients with different acute myeloid leukemia (AML) subtypes.

Wide-Angle Mini-Light-Emitting Diodes without Optical Lens for an Ultrathin Flexible Light Source.

This report outlines a proposed method of packaging wide-angle (WA) mini-light-emitting diode (mini-LED) devices without optical lenses to create a highly efficient, ultrathin, flexible planar backlight for portable quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) displays. Since the luminous intensity curve for mini-LEDs generally recommends a beam angle of 120°, numerous LEDs are necessary to achieve a uniform surface light source for a QLED backlight. The light-guide layer and diffusion layer were packaged together on a chip surface to create WA mini-LEDs with a viewing angle of 180°.