Average Frequency Research Articles

Retinal vascular dynamics: A window for observing an irregular heartbeat. A case report.

We aimed to characterize several aspects of retinal vascular dynamics in a patient with arrythmia in order to elicit additional diagnostic information on microvascular dysfunction. A 68-year-old male patient with arrythmia and an age- and gender-matched control subject underwent ocular examination including dynamic retinal vessel assessment with flicker light provocation. Retinal vessel diameters were measured continuously following a standard protocol (IMEDOS Systems, Jena, Germany). The data were evaluated using methods of signal analysis. Retinal vessel response following flicker provocation as well as local structural and functional behavior of retinal vessels were comparable between both individuals. The arrhythmia case demonstrated irregular arterial and venous heart rate (HR) pulsation with an average frequency of 1Hz. Moreover, the case showed a higher magnitude and larger periods of low-frequency retinal vessel oscillations as well as lower periodicity of both HR pulsations and low-frequency vasomotions. Besides numerical examination of irregular HR pulsations in case of arrhythmia, from the direct noninvasive assessment of retinal vessel dynamics one can derive more detailed information on microvascular function including the whole spectrum of retinal arterial and venous pulsations and vasomotions. This may have implications for health screening not limited to atrial fibrillation.

Genome-wide mining of diversity and evolutionary signatures revealed selective hotspots in Indian Sahiwal cattle

The Sahiwal cattle breed is the best indigenous dairy cattle breed, and it plays a pivotal role in the Indian dairy industry. This is due to its exceptional milk-producing potential, adaptability to local tropical conditions, and its resilience to ticks and diseases. The study aimed to identify selective sweeps and estimate intrapopulation genetic diversity parameters in Sahiwal cattle using ddRAD sequencing-based genotyping data from 82 individuals. After applying filtering criteria, 78,193 high-quality SNPs remained for further analysis. The population exhibited an average minor allele frequency of 0.221 ± 0.119. Genetic diversity metrics, including observed (0.597 ± 0.196) and expected heterozygosity (0.433 ± 0.096), nucleotide diversity (0.327 ± 0.114), the proportion of polymorphic SNPs (0.726), and allelic richness (1.323 ± 0.134), indicated ample genomic diversity within the breed. Furthermore, an effective population size of 74 was observed in the most recent generation. The overall mean linkage disequilibrium (r2) for pairwise SNPs was 0.269 ± 0.057. Moreover, a greater proportion of short Runs of Homozygosity (ROH) segments were observed suggesting that there may be low levels of recent inbreeding in this population. The genomic inbreeding coefficients, computed using different inbreeding estimates (FHOM, FUNI, FROH, and FGROM), ranged from −0.0289 to 0.0725. Subsequently, we found 146 regions undergoing selective sweeps using five distinct statistical tests: Tajima's D, CLR, |iHS|, |iHH12|, and ROH. These regions, located in non-overlapping 500 kb windows, were mapped and revealed various protein-coding genes associated with enhanced immune systems and disease resistance (IFNL3, IRF8, BLK), as well as production traits (NRXN1, PLCE1, GHR). Notably, we identified interleukin 2 (IL2) on Chr17: 35217075–35223276 as a gene linked to tick resistance and uncovered a cluster of genes (HSPA8, UBASH3B, ADAMTS18, CRTAM) associated with heat stress. These findings indicate the evolutionary impact of natural and artificial selection on the environmental adaptation of the Sahiwal cattle population.

Brain abscess – A rare confounding factor for diagnosis of post-traumatic epilepsy after lateral fluid-percussion injury

ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of brain abscesses as a confounding factor for the diagnosis of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) in a rat model of lateral fluid-percussion-induced (FPI) traumatic brain injury (TBI). MethodsThis retrospective study included 583 rats from 3 study cohorts collected over 2009–2022 in a single laboratory. The rats had undergone sham-operation or TBI using lateral FPI. Rats were implanted with epidural and/or intracerebral electrodes for electroencephalogram recordings. Brains were processed for histology to screen for abscess(es). In abscess cases, (a) unfolded cortical maps were constructed to assess the cortical location and area of the abscess, (b) the abscess tissue was Gram stained to determine the presence of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and (c) immunostaining was performed to detect infiltrating neutrophils, T-lymphocytes, and glial cells as tissue biomarkers of inflammation. In vivo and/or ex vivo magnetic resonance images available from a subcohort of animals were reviewed to evaluate the presence of abscesses. Plasma samples available from a subcohort of rats were used for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to determine the levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a circulating biomarker for gram-negative bacteria. ResultsBrain abscesses were detected in 2.6% (15/583) of the rats (6 sham, 9 TBI). In histology, brain abscesses were characterized as vascularized encapsulated lesions filled with neutrophils and surrounded by microglia/macrophages and astrocytes. The abscesses were mainly located under the screw electrodes, support screws, or craniectomy. Epilepsy was diagnosed in 60% (9/15) of rats with an abscess (4 sham, 5 TBI). Of these, 67% (6/9) had seizure clusters. The average seizure frequency in abscess cases was 0.436 ± 0.281 seizures/d. Plasma LPS levels were comparable between rats with and without abscesses (p > 0.05). SignificanceAlthough rare, a brain abscess is a potential confounding factor for epilepsy diagnosis in animal models of structural epilepsies following brain surgery and electrode implantation, particularly if seizures occur in sham-operated experimental controls and/or in clusters.

Exploring the presence of oral bacteria in non-oral sites of patients with cardiovascular diseases using whole metagenomic data

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) encompass various conditions affecting the heart and its blood vessels and are often linked with oral microbes. Our data analysis aimed to identify oral bacteria from other non-oral sites (i.e., gut, arterial plaque and cultured blood) that could be linked with CVDs. Taxonomic profiling identified bacteria to the species level and compared with the Human Oral Microbiome Database (HOMD). The oral bacteria in the gut, cultured blood and arterial plaque samples were catalogued, with their average frequency calculated for each sample. Additionally, data were filtered by comparison with the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) database. We identified 17,243 microbial species, of which 410 were present in the HOMD database and further denominated as “oral”, and were found in at least one gut sample, but only 221 and 169 species were identified in the cultured blood and plaque samples, respectively. Of the 410 species, 153 were present solely in oral-associated environments after comparison with the HMP database, irrespective of their presence in other body sites. Our results suggest a potential connection between the presence of specific species of oral bacterial and occurrence of CVDs. Detecting these oral bacterial species in non-oral sites of patients with CVDs could help uncover the link between oral health and general health, including cardiovascular conditions via bacterial translocation.

Revealing the failure mechanism of high strength seawater coral aggregate reinforced concrete slabs based on acoustic emission technology: Parameter analysis and DBN-BPNN classification

In this study, high strength seawater coral aggregate concrete (SCAC) with a compressive strength of 80 MPa was prepared, and seawater coral aggregate reinforced concrete slab (SCARCS) was designed with epoxy-coated steel bars. Combining with the AE technology, monotonic flexural static tests were conducted on SCARCS specimens with three varying reinforcement ratios (i.e., 0.85%, 1.13%, and 1.41%). Results showed that the increasing the reinforcement ratio led to an increase in peak bearing capacity and a decrease in center deflections at the peak. The loading process can be divided into four stages based on the varying magnitudes of the b-value and Ib-value. The primary mode of failure was tensile microcracks at various stages, and the ratio of shear microcracks reached its maximum value in the final stage of loading. Besides, based on the signal intensity analysis, it can be observed that the scale and complexity of cracks propagation inside the SCARCS specimen increased as the reinforcement ratio rose. In addition, back propagation neural network (BPNN) classification model optimized by deep belief network (DBN) algorithm was proposed to predict the damage degree of SCARCS during loading, and the average prediction accuracy of the proposed model was shown to be over 89%. The classification outcomes demonstrated that with an increase in the reinforcement ratio of SCARCS, the proportion of AE signals in Cluster 3 increased, while the proportion of AE signals in Cluster 2 dropped. Notably, both the average frequency and energy presented an ascending trend. The findings of this study provided valuable insights for designing and assessing the safety of SCAC structures for essential island and reef engineering infrastructure.

Association of sun-seeking behaviors with indoor tanning behavior in US white females during high school/college in Nurses’ Health Study II

BackgroundFrequent exposure to ultraviolet light has more detrimental and longer-term effects on the skin in early life than in adulthood. Teenagers with strong sun-seeking behaviors may be more likely to use an indoor tanning bed than those who seek less sun. We aimed to examine associations between sun-seeking behaviors and indoor tanning behavior during high school/college in US females.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, we used data from The Nurses’ Health Study II, a large prospective cohort of US female nurses. We included a total of 81,746 white females who provided responses on the average annual frequency of indoor tanning during high school/college. Our study exposures were number of times/week spent outdoors in a swimsuit and percentage of time wearing sunscreen at the pool/beach as a teenager, weekly hours spent outdoors in direct sunlight during the daytime during high school/college, and number of severe sunburns that blistered between ages 15–20 years. The main outcome was annual frequency of indoor tanning bed usage during high school/college.ResultsIn multivariable-adjusted logistic regression, we demonstrated positive associations between sun-seeking behaviors and indoor tanning use. Specifically, teenagers who spent 7 times/week outdoors in a swimsuit (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 95% confidence interval [CI] for daily vs. <1/week: 2.68, 1.76–4.09) were more likely to use indoor tanning beds ≥ 12 times/year. Teenagers with ≥ 10 sunburns (aOR, 95% CI for ≥ 10 vs. never: 2.18, 1.53–3.10) were more likely to use indoor tanning beds ≥ 12 times/year. Also, teenagers/undergraduates who spent ≥ 5 h/week outdoors in direct sunlight (aOR, 95% CI for ≥ 5 h/week vs. <1 h/week: 2.18, 1.39–3.44) were more likely to use indoor tanning ≥ 12 times/year. However, there was not a significant association between average usage of sunscreen at the pool/beach and average usage of indoor tanning beds. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression models also showed similar results.ConclusionsTeenagers who spent more time outdoors in a swimsuit/direct sunlight or got more sunburns tended to use indoor tanning more frequently. These findings provide evidence that teenagers with stronger sun-seeking behaviors may have more exposure to artificial ultraviolet radiation as well.

Characterization of Klebsiella pneumoniae carrying the blaNDM-1 gene in IncX3 plasmids and the rare In1765 in an IncFIB-IncHI1B plasmid.

Today, the blaNDM gene is widely distributed on several plasmids from a variety of Gram-negative bacteria, primarily in transposons and gene cassettes within their multidrug-resistant (MDR) regions. This has led to the global dissemination of the blaNDM gene. The determination of class A beta-lactamase, class B and D carbapenemases was performed according to the recommendations of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using both the BioMerieux VITEK2 system and antibiotic paper diffusion methods. Plasmid transfer was then evaluated by conjugation experiments and plasmid electroporation assays. To comprehensively analyze the complete genome of K. pneumoniae strain F11 and to investigate the presence of mobile genetic elements associated with antibiotic resistance and virulence genes, Nanopore and Illumina sequencing platforms were used, and bioinformatics methods were applied to analyze the obtained data. Our findings revealed that K. pneumoniae strain F11 carried class A beta-lactamase and classes B+D carbapenemases, and exhibited resistance to commonly used antibiotics, particularly tigecycline and ceftazidime/avibactam, due to the presence of relevant resistance genes. Plasmid transfer assays demonstrated successful recovery of plasmids pA_F11 and pB_F11, with average conjugation frequencies of 2.91×10-4 and 1.56×10-4, respectively. However, plasmids pC_F11 and pD_F11 failed in both conjugation and electroporation experiments. The MDR region of plasmid pA_F11 contained rare In1765, TnAs2, and TnAs3 elements. The MDR2 region of plasmid pB_F11 functioned as a mobile genetic "island" and lacked the blaNDM-1 gene, serving as a "bridge" connecting the early composite structure of bleMBL and blaNDM-1 to the recent composite structure. Additionally, the MDR1 region of plasmid pB_F11 comprised In27, TnAs1, TnAs3, and Tn2; and plasmid pC_F11 harbored the recent composite structure of bleMBL and blaNDM-1 within Tn3000 which partially contained partial Tn125. This study demonstrated that complex combinations of transposons and integron overlaps, along with the synergistic effects of different drug resistance and virulence genes, led to a lack of effective therapeutic agents for strain F11, therefore its dissemination and prevalence should be strictly controlled.

Experimental investigation on acoustic emission precursor of rockburst based on unsupervised machine learning method

The key to achieving rockburst warning lies in the understanding of rockburst precursors. Considering the correlation characteristics of rockburst acoustic emission (AE) parameters, a self-organizing map neural network (SOMNN) based method for rockburst precursor inversion was proposed. The feature of this method lies in a cyclic data segmentation iteration process based on the thinking of “interference signal screening”, “key signal extraction”, and “precursor signal inversion”. The rationality of this method has been verified in three groups of rockburst experiments. The results revealed that rockburst AE precursor signals consist of a series of signals characterized by long duration, high energy, low average frequency, high energy amplitude, and low peak frequency. Subsequently, potential value in long term rockburst warning of the precursor obtained in this study was shown via the comparison of conventional precursors. Finally, a preliminary interpretation for rockburst precursor was proposed under the framework of AE parameters physical significance, and it is revealed that AE precursor signals are likely linked to the creation of large-scale tensile cracks before rockburst.

Epidemiological characteristics of preserved vegetable intake in adults in 10 areas of China

Objective: To describe the epidemiological characteristics of intakes of different types of preserved vegetables in participants from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB). Methods: The CKB project conducted baseline survey, the first resurvey, and the second resurvey during 2004-2008, 2008, and 2013-2014, respectively. According to the average intake levels of salted and sour pickled vegetables in the second resurvey, the 10 survey areas were classified as the area where people mainly consumed salted vegetables, the area where people mainly consumed sour pickled vegetables, and the area where people rarely consumed preserved vegetables. For the first two areas, logistic regression model was used to describe the temporal trends and population distribution of preserved vegetable intake and analyze the distribution of other dietary factors. Results: The area where people mainly consumed salted vegetables included Qingdao, Harbin, Suzhou, and Zhejiang (baseline participant number: 204 036), while the area where people mainly consumed sour pickled vegetables included Gansu and Sichuan (baseline participant number: 105 573). In the area where people mainly consumed salted vegetables, the average intake frequencies of preserved vegetables was 3.1, 3.3, and 1.8 days/week in the baseline survey, the first resurvey, and the second resurvey, respectively, showing a declining trend (P<0.001). Similarly, the average intake frequencies of preserved vegetables were 2.8, 2.7, and 1.6 days/week in the baseline survey, the first resurvey and the second resurvey in the area where people mainly consumed sour pickled vegetables (P<0.001). At baseline survey, the married and those had lower education level tended to have more preserved vegetable intakes in both areas (P<0.001). In the area where people mainly consumed salted vegetables, the elderly had higher frequency of preserved vegetable intake (P<0.001), which was converse in the area where people mainly consumed sour pickled vegetables. In the participants with higher frequency of preserved vegetable intake, more people consumed spicy food daily and preferred salty food (P<0.05). Conclusions: The area and population specific differences in the type and frequency of preserved vegetable intake were observed in adults in the CKB project in China. Besides, the average level of preserved vegetable intake showed a declining trend. Preserved vegetable intake might be associated with other dietary habits.

Remote detection of Artemia slicks using multisatellite observations: spectral, spatial and temporal considerations

ABSTRACT Artemia has high commercial and ecological value, but few studies have considered the spectral, spatial and temporal requirements of Artemia multisatellite observations. Adopting Landsat-8 OLI and Sentinel-2 MSI as examples, we mainly analyzed and compared their Artemia slick detection performance considering spectral sensitivity, spatial resolution and revisit cycle. First, the NIR bands of both sensors were most sensitive in Artemia slick detection. Second, compared to that of 2 m GF-6 PMS fusion images, the spatial uncertainty of MSI images was approximately ±16% using the brine shrimp index (BSI) to extract Artemia slicks, better than that of OLI images. The OLI and MSI detection limits under ideal conditions were 0.77% and 1.69%, corresponding to the smallest detectable Artemia slick sizes of approximately 6.93 and 1.69 m2. Third, multisatellite observations could improve dynamic Artemia slick monitoring ability. The OLI and MSI combination could enhance the monthly average observation frequency to 6.58 times. Finally, we examined the influences of the selected near-infrared (or red-edge) bands and Artemia slick width on the extraction results and analyzed detection limit changes and sensor consistency through practical considerations. Overall, these findings could provide support for remote Artemia observation, aiding in fishery management, global mapping and biomass estimation.

M-FISH evaluation of chromosome aberrations to examine for historical exposure to ionising radiation due to participation at British nuclear test sites

Veterans of the British nuclear testing programme represent a population of ex-military personnel who had the potential to be exposed to ionising radiation through their participation at nuclear testing sites in the 1950s and 1960s. In the intervening years, members of this population have raised concerns about the status of their health and that of their descendants, as a consequence. Radiation dose estimates based on film badge measurements of external dose recorded at the time of the tests suggest any exposure to be limited for the majority of personnel, however, only ∼20% of personnel were monitored and no measurement for internalised exposure are on record. Here, to in-part address families concerns, we assay for chromosomal evidence of historical radiation exposure in a group of aged nuclear test (NT) veterans, using multiplex in situ hybridisation (M-FISH), for comparison with a matched group of veterans who were not present at NT sites. In total, we analysed 9379 and 7698 metaphase cells using M-FISH (24-colour karyotyping) from 48 NT and 38 control veteran samples, representing veteran servicemen from the army, Royal Airforce and Royal Navy. We observed stable and unstable simple- and complex-type chromosome aberrations in both NT and control veterans’ samples, however find no significant difference in yield of any chromosome aberration type between the two cohorts. We do observe higher average frequencies of complex chromosome aberrations in a very small subset of veterans previously identified as having a higher potential for radiation exposure, which may be indicative of internalised contamination to long-lived radionuclides from radiation fallout. By utilising recently published whole genome sequence analysis data of a sub-set of the same family groups, we examined for but found no relationship between paternal chromosome aberration burden, germline mutation frequency and self-reported concerns of adverse health in family members, suggesting that the previously reported health issues by participants in this study are unlikely to be associated with historical radiation exposure. We did observe a small number of families, representing both control and NT cohorts, showing a relationship between paternal chromosome aberrations and germline mutation sub-types which should be explored in future studies. In conclusion, we find no cytogenetic evidence of historical radiation exposure in the cohort of nuclear veterans sampled here, offering reassurance that attendance at NTs sites by the veterans sampled here, was not associated with significant levels of exposure to radiation.

Response characteristics of acoustic emission signal and judgment criteria for different fracture modes

Coal mining is going deeper into the ground, resulting in more intense and frequent mine dynamic disasters. To ensure the early warning of dynamic disasters, it is significant to accurately reveal the differences of acoustic emission (AE) signals generated by rock fractures. This paper focuses on studying how AEs average frequency (AF) and rise angle (RA) change in sandstone during loading, and examines the characteristics of waveform amplitude, energy, and frequency distribution of AE signals from different types of fractures. The findings reveal that the percentage of shear fracture gradually increases with increasing load, and the energy activity of the AE signal is significantly enhanced in the high stress stage. The occurrence of the main fracture was preceded by a large number of low-frequency tensile fracture AE signals, accompanied by a small decrease in RA and a small increase in AF. The spectra of different fracture signals were characterized as “low anomalous F” for shear fractures, “vertical F” for low-frequency tensile fractures, and “high anomalous F” for high-frequency tensile fractures. Their energy distribution in the frequency domain was respectively described as “peak-centered distribution”, “pillar-shaped distribution” and “peak-skewed distribution”. The outcomes of the decomposition and reconstruction from the P- and S-waves reveal that the P wave energy (Ep) dominates in the high-frequency tensile fracture AE signal, while the S wave energy (Es) is greater in the low-frequency tensile fracture and the shear fracture AE signals. The ES/EP threshold value for laboratory discrimination of tensile and shear fracture is 3, as the fracture extends and penetrates, the ES/EP value rises rapidly at the appearance of macroscopic fracture. The findings offer theoretical guidance for monitoring and early warning of coal and rock dynamic hazards as well as revealing the morphology of fracture source.

Analysis of Speech Prosody Characteristics of Teachers

During the teaching process, the prosodic features of a teachers speech can influence students auditory perception of the teachers speech and, subsequently, affect students enthusiasm, concentration, and comprehension of the lesson content. This study aims to analyze the differences in prosodic features, including pitch, intensity, pauses, and speech rate, among speech samples from different categories of teacher instructional videos. The research algorithm is implemented in Python to calculate prosodic feature values for speech segments. Comparative data analysis revealed that, in comparison to negative teacher instructional video speech samples, positive teacher instructional video speech samples exhibit significantly higher average fundamental frequencies (pitch) and more noticeable variations in speech rate rhythm.

Identification of crash-prone segment on Cipularang toll road

Traffic safety is an important issue in the field of transportation. Toll roads are one of the infrastructures that are prone to crashes, because on toll roads drivers can drive their vehicles at high speeds so there is a high risk of having an crash, as happens every year on Cipularang Toll Road. This research will determine the crash-prone segments on Cipularang Toll Road section using the network screening method. Crash and traffic data for the last five years (2018-2022) were obtained from PT Jasa Marga Purbaleunyi. Identification of crash-prone segments carried out using ten performance indicators contained in HSM (2010), namely average crash frequency, crash rate, critical rate, Equivalent Property Damage Only average crash frequency, relative severity index, excess predicted average crash frequency using method of moment, Level of Service of Safety, excess predicted average crash frequency using SPF, probability of specific crash type exceeding threshold proportion, and expected average crash frequency with Empirical Bayes adjustment. The analysis results show that the five segments with the highest priority for treatment are KM 91-92, KM 92-93, and KM 86-87 (Jakarta-bound direction), KM 120-121 and KM 101-102 (Bandung-bound direction).

Relationship Between the Frequency and Duration of Physical Therapy and Hospitalization-associated Disability Among Geriatric Patients with Heart Failure.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the frequency and duration of physical therapy (PT) and the development of hospitalization-associated disability (HAD) in hospitalized geriatric patients with heart failure (HF). This single-center, retrospective, observational study included hospitalized patients with HF aged 65 years or older who had received PT. Data regarding demographics, comorbidities, laboratory findings, medications, rehabilitation, and activities of daily living (ADLs) status were collected from electronic medical records. Based on the average frequency and duration of PT, patients were divided into three groups: Group 1, ≥3 days/week and ≥120 minutes/week; Group 2, ≥3 days/week and <120 minutes/week; and Group 3, <3 days/week and <120 minutes/week. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the association between the average frequency and duration of weekly PT and the incidence of HAD. In all, 105 patients (mean age, 84.8 years; proportion of women, 59%) were enrolled in the study, and 43 (41.0%) patients exhibited HAD at discharge. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, Group 2 (odds ratio [OR], 3.66) and Group 3 (OR, 6.71) had a significantly elevated risk of developing HAD using Group 1 as the reference, even after adjusting for age, ADLs before admission, cognitive function, and severity of HF. This study showed that a lower frequency and shorter duration of PT are associated with developing HAD in hospitalized geriatric patients with HF. However, further prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.

Improving the reliability of power distribution substations equipment for life extension by considering Condition Based Maintenance

Maintenance of aged power equipment is a proven technique for establishing systems reliability and longevity. It is extensively relevant when combined with Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) approaches for predicting power system infrastructure life, especially with imminent obsolescence. The research focuses on distribution companies with mixed aged power infrastructure, which continuously degradate. A significant setback in older systems is the scarcity of replacement parts leading to unplanned investment in substantial infrastructure due to unexpected failed components that are no longer in production. To guarantee excellent infrastructure health in older equipment, utility companies should consider applying Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to stabilize older equipment and restore malfunctioning assets. Studies have shown that the life span of older equipment can be extended when adequate maintenance strategies are put in place through the prediction of possible failures using equipment inspections and risk matrix. CBM's strategy improved the Key Performance Indicator (KPIs) System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) has improved by lowering the average monthly customers power interruptions by 19,15 % lesser time spent without electricity. The System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) was improved by lowering the average monthly power interruptions frequency by 20,63% lesser outage frequency. The Distribution Supply Loss Index (DSLI) was improved by dropping the average monthly power losses by 7,5% power losses saved. The Customers Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) was improved by lowering the average customer interruption by 36.1% improvement from the average period before the CBM optimization. The Average System Availability Index (ASAI) was improved by shortening the average annual interruption durations by 1,36%. The ASUI was improved by increasing the average duration of electrical power availability by 1.28%. The optimization of CBM was measured over 24 moths period.

Silk-derived sericin/fibroin mixture drink fermented with plant-derived Lactococcus lactis BM32-1 improves constipation and related microbiota: a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled clinical trial.

We previously showed through clinical trials that one plant-derived lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can improve constipation. We preliminarily found that the plant-derived LAB Lactococcus lactis BM32-1 can grow in a mixture of sericin and fibroin, which are extracted from silk and have been reported to help promote health. Thus, in the present study, we evaluated the favorable effect of a sericin/fibroin mixture (S/F-M), which was extracted from silk prepared from cocoons reared in an aseptic rearing system using an artificial diet, fermented with the BM32-1 strain through a clinical trial. The trial was conducted at Hiroshima University from June to October 2022 as a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized parallel-group comparative study with 50 eligible subjects (aged 23-71) who had an average defecation frequency of less than 5 times per week. The subjects were instructed to drink 100 mL of fermented S/F-M or placebo every day. After the 12 weeks of the clinical trial period, the average defecation frequency increased significantly-1.4 times higher than that at baseline in the test group-as compared with the placebo group. Furthermore, the fecal microbiota was also compared before and after treatment, revealing that intake of the fermented S/F-M significantly multiplied the relative abundance of the genera Enterococcus and Clostridium, which have been reported to contribute to the amelioration of constipation by improving the gut microbiota and producing butyric acid, respectively. In conclusion, the S/F-M fermented using the BM32-1 strain improves defecation frequency through alteration of the gut microbiota.

Microfluidic device for the high-throughput and selective encapsulation of single target cells.

Droplet-based microfluidic technologies for encapsulating single cells have rapidly evolved into powerful tools for single-cell analysis. In conventional passive single-cell encapsulation techniques, because cells arrive randomly at the droplet generation section, to encapsulate only a single cell with high precision, the average number of cells per droplet has to be decreased by reducing the average frequency at which cells arrive relative to the droplet generation rate. Therefore, the encapsulation efficiency for a given droplet generation rate is very low. Additionally, cell sorting operations are required prior to the encapsulation of target cells for specific cell type analysis. To address these challenges, we developed a cell encapsulation technology with a cell sorting function using a microfluidic chip. The microfluidic chip is equipped with an optical detection section to detect the optical information of cells and a sorting section to encapsulate cells into droplets by controlling a piezo element, enabling active encapsulation of only the single target cells. For a particle population including both targeted and non-targeted particles arriving at an average frequency of up to 6000 particles per s, with an average number of particles per droplet of 0.45, our device maintained a high purity above 97.9% for the single-target-particle droplets and achieved an outstanding throughput, encapsulating up to 2900 single target particles per s. The proposed encapsulation technology surpasses the encapsulation efficiency of conventional techniques, provides high efficiency and flexibility for single-cell research, and shows excellent potential for various applications in single-cell analysis.

A new computational methodology for the characterization of complex molecular environments using IR spectroscopy: bridging the gap between experiments and computations.

The molecular interactions and dynamics of complex liquid solutions are now routinely measured using IR and 2DIR spectroscopy. In particular, the use of the latter allows the determination of the frequency fluctuation correlation function (FFCF), while the former provides us with the average frequency. In turn, the FFCF can be used to quantify the vibrational dynamics of a molecule in a solution, and the center frequency provides details about the chemical environment, solvatochromism, of the vibrational mode. In simple solutions, the IR methodology can be used to unambiguously assign the interactions and dynamics observed by a molecule in solution. However, in complex environments with molecular heterogeneities, this assignment is not simple. Therefore, a method that allows for such an assignment is essential. Here, a parametrization free method, called Instantaneous Frequencies of Molecules or IFM, is presented. The IFM method, when coupled to classical molecular simulations, can predict the FFCF of a molecule in solutions. Here, N-methylacetamide (NMA) in seven different chemical environments, both simple and complex, is used to test this new method. The results show good agreement with experiments for the NMA solvatochromism and FFCF dynamics, including characteristic times and amplitudes of fluctuations. In addition, the new method shows equivalent or improved results when compared to conventional frequency maps. Overall, the use of the new method in conjunction with molecular dynamics simulations allows unlocking the full potential of IR spectroscopy to generate molecular maps from vibrational observables, capable of describing the interaction landscape of complex molecular systems.

Characteristic stress variation and microcrack evolution of granite subjected to uniaxial compression using acoustic emission methods

The size of mineral grain has a significant impact on the initiation and propagation of microcracks within rocks. In this study, fine-, medium-, and coarse-grained granites were used to investigate microcrack evolution and characteristic stress under uniaxial compression using the acoustic emission (AE), digital image correlation (DIC), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. The experimental results show that the characteristic stress of each granite decreased considerably with increasing grain sizes. The inflection points of the b-value occurred earlier with an increase in grain sizes, indicating that the larger grains promote the generation and propagation of microcracks. The distribution characteristics of the average frequency (AF) and the ratio of rise time to amplitude (RA) indicate that the proportion of shear microcracks increases with increasing grain size. The NMR results indicate that the porosity and the proportion of large pores increased with increasing grain size, which may intensify the microcrack evolution. Moreover, analysis of the DIC and AE event rates suggests that the high-displacement regions could serve as a criterion for the degree of microcrack propagation. The study found that granites with larger grains had a higher proportion of high-displacement regions, which can lead to larger-scale cracking or even spalling. These findings are not only beneficial to understand the pattern of microcrack evolution with different grain sizes, but also provide guidance for rock monitoring and instability assessment.