Electronic structures of lanthanum, samarium, and gadolinium sulfides

In this study, we report our efforts to elucidate the electronic structures of two lattice structures of lanthanide sulfides (LnS and Ln3S4) and for three lanthanides (Ln = La, Sm and Gd) using density functional theory calculations performed with the CASTEP code. A DFT+U method was used for the corrections of on-site Coulomb interactions with U = 6 eV. The calculated electronic structures show that both lanthanum and gadolinium sulfides have metallic properties, consistent with the available experimental results. However, the calculated electronic structure of Sm3S4 is considerably different from those of the La3S4 and Gd3S4 and is predicted to have semiconducting properties

A New Pixels Flipping Method for Huge Watermarking Capacity of the Invoice Font Image

Invoice printing just has two-color printing, so invoice font image can be seen as binary image. To embed watermarks into invoice image, the pixels need to be flipped. The more huge the watermark is, the more the pixels need to be flipped. We proposed a new pixels flipping method in invoice image for huge watermarking capacity. The pixels flipping method includes one novel interpolation method for binary image, one flippable pixels evaluation mechanism, and one denoising method based on gravity center and chaos degree. The proposed interpolation method ensures that the invoice image keeps features well after scaling. The flippable pixels evaluation mechanism ensures that the pixels keep better connectivity and smoothness and the pattern has highest structural similarity after flipping. The proposed denoising method makes invoice font image smoother and fiter for human vision. Experiments show that the proposed flipping method not only keeps the invoice font structure well but also improves watermarking capacity

Role of myosin light chain kinase in intestinal epithelial barrier defects in a rat model of bowel obstruction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bowel obstruction is a common cause of abdominal emergency, since the patients are at increased risk of septicemia resulting in high mortality rate. While the compartmentalized changes in enteric microfloral population and augmentation of bacterial translocation (BT) have already been reported using experimental obstruction models, alterations in epithelial permeability of the obstructed guts has not been studied in detail. Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) is actively involved in the contraction of epithelial perijunctional actinomyosin ring and thereby increases paracellular permeability. In the current study we attempt to investigate the role of MLCK in epithelial barrier defects using a rat model of simple mechanical obstruction.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Wistar rats received intraperitoneal injection of ML-7 (a MLCK inhibitor) or vehicle at 24, 12 and 1 hrs before and 12 hrs after intestinal obstruction (IO). The distal small intestine was obstructed with a single ligature placed 10 cm proximal to the ileocecal junction in IO rats for 24 hrs. Sham-operated rats served as controls.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mucosal injury, such as villous blunting and increased crypt/villus ratio, was observed in the distal small intestine of IO rats. Despite massive enterocyte shedding, intestinal villi were covered with a contiguous epithelial layer without cell apoptosis. Increased transmural macromolecular flux was noticed in the distal small intestine and the proximal colon after IO. The bacterial colony forming units in the spleen and liver of IO rats were significantly higher than those of sham controls. Addition of ML-7 ameliorated the IO-triggered epithelial MLC phosphorylation, mucosal injury and macromolecular flux, but not the level of BT.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results suggest that IO-induced premature enterocytic sloughing and enhanced paracellular antigenic flux were mediated by epithelial MLCK activation. In addition, enteric bacteria may undergo transcytotic routes other than paracellular paths to cross the epithelium.</p

Human performance analysis of processes for retrieving Beidou satellite navigation system during breakdown

Satellite navigation systems provide continuous, timely, and accurate signals of location, speed, and time to users all over the world. Although the running of these systems has become highly automated, the human operator is still vital for its continued operation, especially when certain equipment failures occur. In this paper, we examined 180 incidents of one particular type of equipment failure and the whole recovery process as recorded in the log files from a ground control center of the Beidou satellite navigation system. We extracted the information, including the technical description of the failure, the time when the fault occurred, the full recovery time, and the demographic information of the team members on the shift responsible for responding to the failure. We then transformed these information into the cognitive complexity of the task, time of day, shift handover period, and team skill composition. Multiple regression analysis showed that task complexity and shift handover were key predictors of recovery time. Time of day also influenced the recovery time, during midnight to 4 a.m., operators made longer responses. We also found that the fault handling processes could be improved if the team’s most adept member is more skillful at that role than in other teams. We discussed the theoretical and practical implication of this study

Changes in Outcome and Complication Rates of Very-low-birth-weight Infants in One Tertiary Center in Southern Taiwan Between 2003 and 2010

BackgroundNeonatal intensive care has changed dramatically over the past few decades and the survival of infants has generally improved in many countries. The purpose of this study was to explore the recent evolution of mortality and morbidities among very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants in southern Taiwan.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of VLBW (birth weight <1500 g) infants who were admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit at a tertiary medical center in southern Taiwan from 2003 to 2010. The study period was divided into two cohorts: the first cohort of 2003–2006 and the second cohort of 2007–2010. Demographic profiles and complications were recorded, including the following information: sex, birth body weight (BBW), gestational age (GA), Apgar score, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), necrotizing enterocolitis, retinopathy, chronic lung disease (CLD), inguinal hernia, and sepsis. The length of stay (LOS) in hospital was compared between the two cohorts.ResultsA total of 420 (212 male) VLBW infants were enrolled with 52 (12.4%) deaths. Compared to surviving infants, deceased infants had significantly lower GA, Apgar scores, and BBW. The mortality of VLBW infants remained static between the two birth cohorts, but the incidence of major morbidities generally decreased. The LOS for overall surviving infants and the proportion of LOS > 60 days were both reduced in the period of 2007–2010. With further stratification by BBW, the major reduction of long LOS was only found in the group of BBW ≥ 1000 g. The multivariate logistic regression model found PDA, CLD, and BBW < 1000 g were major complications to be associated with long LOS among surviving infants.ConclusionPeriodic evaluation of the mortality and morbidity of preterm infants can help to understand the changes and trends of our neonatal care. Further study using the national dataset to provide more representative information is warranted

p97/VCP promotes degradation of CRBN substrate glutamine synthetase and neosubstrates

Glutamine synthetase (GS) plays an essential role in metabolism by catalyzing the synthesis of glutamine from glutamate and ammonia. Our recent study showed that CRBN, a direct protein target for the teratogenic and antitumor activities of immunomodulatory drugs such as thalidomide, lenalidomide, and pomalidomide, recognizes an acetyl degron of GS, resulting in ubiquitylation and degradation of GS in response to glutamine. Here, we report that valosin-containing protein (VCP)/p97 promotes the degradation of ubiquitylated GS, resulting in its accumulation in cells with compromised p97 function. Notably, p97 is also required for the degradation of all four known CRBN neo-substrates [Ikaros family zinc finger proteins 1 (IKZF1) and 3 (IKZF3), casein kinase 1α (CK1α), and the translation termination factor GSPT1] whose ubiquitylation is induced by immunomodulatory drugs. Together, these data point to an unexpectedly intimate relationship between the E3 ubiquitin ligase CRL4^(CRBN) and p97 pathways

Performance evaluation on the implementation of Pre-established Medical Processes for nurse practitioners in the hospitals

In 2015, Taiwan announced the establishment of “Pre-established Medical Processes” and related regulations to assist nurse practitioners in the clinical tasks, maintain medical quality and patient safety, and provide protection in clinical practice. However, the effectiveness of implementation still needs to be improved and strengthened. This study adopts the TAM and the TTF as the research framework, and a cross-sectional design. The questionnaires are administered to the professional nurse practitioners in the hospitals of central Taiwan. A total of 300 questionnaires were distributed, and Smart PLS 3.0 and SPSS 24.0 were both applied to verify interpretability. The questionnaire recovery rate was 88.3%, and the overall predictive power was 65.2%. Technological characteristics and TTF had a significant impact on perceived usefulness