Effects of Planting Density on Visually Graded Lumber and Mechanical Properties of Taiwania

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of planting density on the quality of visually graded lumber, and the strength properties of 35-year-old Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides Hay). The results are summarized as follows.(1) Lumber obtained from the site with type S planting density (6940 trees/ha) were mostly of better grade (84.6% including first and second grades), followed by type Q (2500 trees/ha) (69.1%), type R (3300 trees/ha) (62.5%), whereas poorer lumber was found mostly from trees with type P planting density (1000 trees/ha) (41.6%).(2) Specimens cut from trees of type S planting density site had the largest average values of ultrasonic velocity (Vu), dynamic modulus of elasticity obtained from transversal vibration (Edt), dynamic modulus of elasticity obtained from ultrasonic velocity (Edu), modulus of elasticity at bending (MOE), and modulus of rupture at bending (MOR), followed in decreasing order by those of type P, type R, and type Q sites.(3) Interrelations between Vu, Edu, Edt, MOE, and MOR can be represented by positive linear regression formulas. The differences were highly significant

Ring Characteristics and Compressive Strength of Japanese Cedar Trees Grown Under Different Silvicultural Treatments

The effects of different plantation spacings and thinning treatments on the ring characteristics, compressive strength, and dynamic modulus of elasticity (DMOE) of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) trees were investigated. The results revealed that young trees of more-closely spaced plantations (3000 trees/ha) had higher wood density and compressive strength than those of more-widely spaced plantations (2200 trees/ha). Different (first and second) thinning treatments of the 2 initial spacings had little effect on ring characteristics or compressive strength. Overall, the average ring characteristics, compressive strength, and DMOE of 35-yr-old Japanese cedar at different plantation spacings and thinning treatments showed no statistically significant differences. The results suggest that using these silvicultural treatments with a longer rotation age will have no detrimental effects on the wood density, compressive strength, or DMOE

The susceptibility of single nucleotide polymorphisms located within co-stimulatory pathways to systemic lupus erythematosus

IntroductionAutoimmune diseases result from the loss of immune tolerance, and they exhibit complex pathogenic mechanisms that remain challenging to effectively treat. It has been reported that the altered expression levels of co-stimulatory/inhibitory molecules will affect the level of T/B cell activation and lead to the loss of immune tolerance.MethodsIn this study, we evaluated the gene polymorphisms of the ligand genes corresponding co-stimulatory system that were expressed on antigen-presenting cells (CD80, CD86, ICOSLG, and PDL1) from 60 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and 60 healthy controls.ResultsThe results showed that rs16829984 and rs57271503 of the CD80 gene and rs4143815 of the PDL1 gene were associated with SLE, in which the G-allele of rs16829984 (p=0.022), the A-allele of rs57271503 (p=0.029), and the GG and GC genotype of rs4143815 (p=0.039) may be risk polymorphisms for SLE.DiscussionThese SNPs are in the promoter and 3’UTR of the genes, so they may affect the transcription and translation activity of the genes, thereby regulating immune function and contributing to the development of SLE

Energy-effective Predictive Temperature Control for Soy Mash Fermentation Based on Compartmental Pharmacokinetic Modelling

Compartment modelling has been successfully used in pharmacokinetics to describe the kinetics of drug distribution in body tissues. In this study, the technique is adopted to describe the dynamics of temperature response and energy exchange in a soy mash fermentation system. The objective is to provide a precise temperature-controlled atmosphere for effective fermentation with the premise of energy saving. In analogy to pharmacokinetics, water and mash tanks are treated as compartments, energy flow as drug delivery, and the temperature as the drug concentration in a specific compartment. The model allows us to estimate the time of injecting a certain amount of energy to a specific tank (compartment) in a cost-effective way. Thus, model-based temperature control and energy management can be possible

A model of unified quantum chromodynamics and Yang-Mills gravity

Based on a generalized Yang-Mills framework, gravitational and strong interactions can be unified in analogy with the unification in the electroweak theory. By gauging $T(4) \times [SU(3)]_{color}$ in flat space-time, we have a unified model of chromo-gravity with a new tensor gauge field, which couples universally to all gluons, quarks and anti-quarks. The space-time translational gauge symmetry assures that all wave equations of quarks and gluons reduce to a Hamilton-Jacobi equation with the same `effective Riemann metric tensors' in the geometric-optics (or classical) limit. The emergence of effective metric tensors in the classical limit is essential for the unified model to agree with experiments. The unified model suggests that all gravitational, strong and electroweak interactions appear to be dictated by gauge symmetries in the generalized Yang-Mills framework.Comment: 12 pages. To be published in Chinese Physics

A Controlled Fermentation Environment for Producing Quality Soya Sauce

Soy sauce fermentation under controlled temperature is a way to shorten the fermentation time. An energy-saving fermentation system was developed to power a heat pump for maintaining the temperature of sauce moromi at 37±1°C during fermentation. The chemical properties of the sauce moromi and the sensory properties of the soy sauce produced using the controlled fermentation system were evaluated and compared to those of the sauce moromi fermented outdoors without temperature control. The sauce moromi processed using the controlled fermentation system had significantly higher total nitrogen, formal nitrogen, amino nitrogen, reducing sugar and organic acid contents than the moromi fermented outdoor. However, no significant difference was found in overall liking score between two soy sauces. The soy sauce fermented under the control temperature showed higher Brix and salt concentration, but lower pH value than the sauce fermented outdoor. It was possible that the beneficial effects of reducing sugar and organic acid contents were rebuffed by the disadvantage of salt concentration. It was concluded that a controlled fermentation environment deserves the potential to produce a high quality soy sauce

A Controlled Fermentation Environment for Producing Quality Soya Sauce

Soy sauce fermentation under controlled temperature is a way to shorten the fermentation time. An energy-saving fermentation system was developed to power a heat pump for maintaining the temperature of sauce moromi at 37±1°C during fermentation. The chemical properties of the sauce moromi and the sensory properties of the soy sauce produced using the controlled fermentation system were evaluated and compared to those of the sauce moromi fermented outdoors without temperature control. The sauce moromi processed using the controlled fermentation system had significantly higher total nitrogen, formal nitrogen, amino nitrogen, reducing sugar and organic acid contents than the moromi fermented outdoor. However, no significant difference was found in overall liking score between two soy sauces. The soy sauce fermented under the control temperature showed higher Brix and salt concentration, but lower pH value than the sauce fermented outdoor. It was possible that the beneficial effects of reducing sugar and organic acid contents were rebuffed by the disadvantage of salt concentration. It was concluded that a controlled fermentation environment deserves the potential to produce a high quality soy sauce

Variability and efficacy in treatment effects on manic symptoms with lithium, anticonvulsants, and antipsychotics in acute bipolar mania: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Acute mania is a psychiatric emergency requiring rapid management. However, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have shown considerable individual differences in treatment effects on manic symptoms with antimanic drugs. Methods: We searched the MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify RCTs without language restrictions from inception to April 19, 2022. We included double-blind RCTs of oral antimanic monotherapy versus placebo in adult patients. The primary outcome was variability in improvement of manic symptoms (assessed using the coefficient of variation ratio [CVR]). The secondary outcomes were overall improvement of manic symptoms and acceptability (i.e., discontinuation for any reason). The pooled effects of outcomes were calculated by random-effects meta-analyses using restricted maximum likelihood methods. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias (ROB) Assessment Tool. This study was registered with OSF (DOI:10.17605/OSF.IO/G4JNY). Findings: We included 39 RCTs (N=12150; mean age=39·9 years, interquartile range [IQR]=38·7-41·1; mean proportion of female=48·6%, IQR=42·3%-52·3%) and investigated 14 antimanic drugs. We found that eight antimanic drugs compared to placebo were associated with lower CVRs (95% confidence interval [CI]; I2), including risperidone (0·51; 0·37-0·70; 0%), haloperidol (0·54; 0·44-0·67; 4%), olanzapine (0·59; 0·44-0·79; 47%), ziprasidone (0·61; 0·53-0·71; 0%), lithium (0·63; 0·52-0·76; 0%), quetiapine (0·65; 0·48-0·87; 2%), aripiprazole (0·68; 0·56-0·84; 25%), and cariprazine (0·70; 0·49-0·99; 28%). There were nine antimanic drugs associated with greater efficacy than placebo, including risperidone (reported as standardised mean difference; 95% CI; I2: 0·64; 0·31-0·97; 15%), haloperidol (0·57; 0·29-0·85; 64%), cariprazine (0·51; 0·24-0·78; 0%), olanzapine (0·44; 0·30-0·58; 0%), lithium (0·42; 0·29-0·55; 0%), ziprasidone (0·42; 0·26-0·58; 0%), quetiapine (0·40; 0·13-0·67; 0%), asenapine (0·40; 0·13-0·67; 0%), and aripiprazole (0·32; 0·14-0·49; 53%). Ziprasidone (reported as risk ratio; 95% CI; I2: 0·83; 0·79-0·89; 0%) and olanzapine (0·63; 0·49-0·80; 35%) were associated with better acceptability relative to placebo. Among the 39 RCTs, none had a high ROB. Interpretation: We demonstrated that eight antimanic drugs were associated with lower variability and better efficacy than placebo, suggesting that these antimanic drugs were associated with more homogenous and predictable improvements of manic symptoms in patients with acute mania