Asia Pacific Academy of Science Pte. Ltd.
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Comfort of smartwatch wearing: A comparative study of different hand types
Full text linkThis study aims to explore the relationship between wrist size and the comfort and fit of smartwatch wearability. Measurements of hand dimensions, including wrist width, palm length, finger length, and finger width, were taken from 41 participants. Based on the analysis results, participants were grouped by wrist width, and individuals from different groups were asked to subjectively rate the comfort, strap fit, and ease of operation of the smartwatch. The results revealed that wrist width significantly impacts wearing comfort, while other hand features (such as finger width) play a crucial role in the operational experience. Users with wider wrists rated strap fit and wearing pressure more favorably, whereas those with narrower wrists demonstrated superior touchscreen operation performance. Additionally, the significant effects of design factors such as strap material, dial size, and smartwatch weight on wearing experience were also validated. These findings provide valuable insights for smartwatch design, highlighting the necessity of considering variations in hand dimensions to enhance the overall user experience
Shifting towards renewable energy: A sustainable solution to pollution
Full text linkThe 21st century poses unprecedented challenges in addressing climate change and environmental degradation, largely driven by the reliance on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. These energy sources contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, resulting in detrimental effects on human health and ecosystems. This paper explores the urgent need to transition to renewable energy technologies—including solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass—as a sustainable alternative. It highlights the economic viability of renewable energy, emphasizing job creation, reduced energy costs, and enhanced energy security. Effective policy frameworks are crucial for fostering the adoption of renewables and phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, thereby mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change and promoting public health. Ultimately, the integration of renewable energy into global energy portfolios is essential for achieving sustainable development and a cleaner future
Agricultural extension in Turkey within the framework of central and local governments
Full text linkAgricultural extension and communication is a system that has been subject to very different management by many different institutions in Turkey. In this study, the issue was examined as the period when it was evaluated by local governments with village institutes and the years when it was handled by the central authority. Afterwards, the organizations responsible for agricultural extension today were specified, and their effectiveness was investigated with other studies conducted for the producer. It has been found that the period before 1960, when the desire for enlightenment of the rural area, the belief that one could make a living from agriculture and animal husbandry, and the government policies were based on agriculture, was the brightest period of agricultural extension. It has been determined through secondary data that the effectiveness of the central government’s ministries, cooperatives, producer organizations, and private sector extension system is limited, insufficient to solve problems onsite and on time, or cannot be spread throughout Turkey. The aim of the study is to examine agricultural extension within the framework of rural area policies of governments in Turkey
On “A new three-step fixed point iteration scheme with strong convergence and applications”
Full text linkThis note delves into the convergence analysis of several iterative methods and elucidates their behaviors. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the findings presented in “A new three-step fixed point iteration scheme with strong convergence and applications” are not entirely novel. In particular, some of the results either overlap with or restate previously established methods without introducing significant innovations
Research on the detection and recognition system of target vehicles based on fusion algorithm
Full text linkIn modern society, the monitoring of vehicles is paramount for upholding traffic safety and order. This paper delves into a Graphical User Interface (GUI)-driven system for vehicle target detection and integration. This system seamlessly integrates three pivotal functionalities: vehicle type recognition, license plate recognition, and driver face recognition. It automates the vehicle inspection assessment process through an intuitive user interface. Specifically, for license plate recognition, the system leverages traditional computer vision techniques, including color and grayscale processing, radon transform, morphological operations, edge detection, character segmentation, and character recognition. The driver face recognition module incorporates methods such as image gray scaling, Gaussian filtering for denoising, face detection, and feature extraction. Meanwhile, vehicle type recognition is achieved by extracting Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) features and utilizing a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. Experimental findings highlight the system’s remarkable recognition accuracy, offering a highly efficient and dependable solution for the automated inspections of vehicles
Formulation and convergence analysis of an efficient higher order iterative scheme
Full text linkThis contribution presents a highly efficient three-step iterative scheme. The proposed scheme is different in itself by achieving seventh-order convergence. The scheme is very useful for equations of nonlinear nature having multiple roots. The Taylor series expansion is employed to rigorously analyze the convergence of the presented scheme. That the scheme is effective and robust can be fit through a variety of examples from different fields. Numerical experimentation demonstrates the scheme’s rapid and reliable convergence to the true root and comparing its performance against existing techniques in the literature. Additionally, basins of attraction are visualized to offer a clear, comparative view of how different methods perform with varying initial guesses. The results show that this new scheme consistently compete well over other methods. This makes it a powerful tool for solving complex equations
Renal Outcomes and Associated Contributing Factors in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction—A Retrospective Cohort Study
No full textBackground: Acute kidney injury (AKI) following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a specific type of cardio-renal syndrome (CRS) with a complex pathogenesis that has not been fully understood. This study aimed to explore the possible risk factors, and predict cardiovascular outcomes, AKI, and long-term renal function deterioration after AMI to provide guidance for improving cardiac and renal prognosis in type 1 CRS. Methods: A total of 723 patients who were admitted for AMI were enrolled and were grouped based on in-hospital death, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) within 1 year, AKI, and long-term decline in renal function defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline of at least 25% or development of end-stage renal disease within 1 year of discharge in sequence, respectively. The influence of common cardiovascular risk factors as well as cardiac and renal indicators on these outcomes was investigated. The prediction models of AKI after AMI were established and compared. Results: For patients with AMI, AKI was found to be an independent risk factor for in-hospital death [Odds ratio (OR) = 4.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.745–10.501, p = 0.001], MACEs within 1 year (OR = 2.249, 95% CI: 1.37–3.692, p = 0.001), and long-term renal impairment (OR = 5.292, 95% CI: 2.422–11.567, p < 0.001). Fasting blood glucose (FBG) (OR = 1.146, 95% CI: 1.038–1.264, p = 0.007), cystatin C (OR = 3.900, 95% CI: 1.805–8.430, p = 0.001), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (OR = 0.977, 95% CI: 0.956–0.999, p = 0.041) were identified as independent risk factors for AKI after AMI. A prediction model that combines FBG, LVEF, cystatin C, hypertension, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) [ln(p/1-p) = 0.082 × FBG – 0.026 × LVEF + 0.743 × cystatin C + 0.698 × HBP + 0.001 × NT-proBNP – 2.414, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) = 0.800, 95% CI: 0.754–0.847] was relatively effective in predicting AKI after AMI, with sensitivity and specificity of 0.779 and 0.722, respectively. Conclusions: AKI is an independent risk factor for in-hospital death, major cardiovascular adverse events, and long-term decline in renal function in AMI patients. A prediction model consisting of FBG, LVEF, cystatin C, hypertension, and NT-proBNP could be useful in predicting AKI after AMI
Contemporary Biomarkers in Severe Asthma Management
No full textContemporary asthma management requires a proactive and personalized approach, integrating precise diagnosis with individualized treatment strategies. The incorporation of biological therapies for severe asthma into standard clinical practice underscores the importance of specific patient selection, outcome prediction, and continuous monitoring of these costly and prolonged treatments. Biomarkers, functioning as crucial indicators, have significantly impacted asthma by facilitating disease identification, predicting severity and prognosis, and assessing treatment effectiveness. This comprehensive review aims to thoroughly explore the diverse biomarkers associated with asthma, elucidating their roles in disease identification, severity prediction, and treatment response assessment. By delving into the intricate molecular and genetic aspects of asthma susceptibility, the review seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of the factors that influence the onset and severity of asthma. The review covers a spectrum of molecular factors that influence the susceptibility and severity of asthma. It explores the roles of specific biomarkers such as galectin-3, periostin, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, and eosinophils in airway remodeling and inflammation. Genetic factors like filaggrin mutations and chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1 or YKL-40) variations are also examined. The review delves into proteomics, revealing unique plasma protein signatures linked to severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It thoroughly examines the impact of the microbiome on asthma development, persistence, and severity, considering gut and lung microbial dysbiosis. Additionally, it highlights the potential of probiotics in managing allergic respiratory diseases and investigates the preventative effects of early exposure to pets in childhood. This review is a valuable resource for clinicians, researchers, and healthcare professionals in this field. It highlights the crucial role of biomarkers in asthma and offers a comprehensive understanding of genetics, proteomics, and the microbiome, enriching our comprehension of asthma management and preventive measures
Metformin Protects against Spinal Cord Injury through Inhibiting Neuronal Apoptosis and Enhancing Autophagy Mediated by Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress
No full textBackground: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a spinal nerve dysfunction caused by trauma, resulting in irreversible and destructive spinal cord impairments. The present research was formulated to identify the biological functions of metformin in SCI and to probe into the intrinsic mechanisms. Methods: SCI rat models were established using Allens method and SCI rats were intraperitoneally injected with 20 or 100 mg/kg metformin. Besides, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was induced in PC12 cells by administration of 1 μM thapsigargin. Then, 100 μmol/mL metformin was given to PC12 cells. Afterwards, Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor scoring for detecting hindlimb locomotor function, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining for detecting pathological changes, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay for detecting viability, TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining for detecting apoptosis, immunofluorescence and western blot for detecting autophagy and ER stress response were performed. Results: Results of in vivo experiments revealed that metformin promoted functional recovery, reduced lesion size, attenuated apoptosis in spinal cord tissues, strengthened autophagy and repressed ER stress after SCI. Additionally, in vitro experimental results evidenced that elevation of ER stress partly abolished the suppressing effects of metformin on neuronal apoptosis and reversed the promoting effects of metformin on autophagy. Conclusions: To sum up, metformin can protect against SCI by repressing neuronal apoptosis and enhancing autophagy, depending on inhibition of X-box binding protein 1 (XBP-1)-mediated ER stress
IL-25 Promotes Tumor Progression by Activating the AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Bladder Cancer
No full textBackground: Bladder cancer is a common tumor of the urinary system. Interleukin-25 is highly expressed in a variety of tumors and leads to poor prognosis. However, the expression and biological role of interleukin-25 in bladder cancer remain unclear. Methods: This study analyzed the differential expression of interleukin-25 (IL-25) and its receptor, interleukin-17 receptor B (IL-17RB), in tumor and adjacent tissues from bladder cancer patients by bioinformatics databases and immunohistochemistry. The impact of IL-25 on bladder cancer cell proliferation and migration was assessed in vitro. Moreover, we used wild-type and IL-25 knockout mice implanted with bladder cancer cells to investigate tumor growth in vivo. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was employed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. We further explored the function of interleukin-25 in bladder cancer by cell viability assay and western blot. Angiogenesis was also compared between the wild-type and IL-25 knockout mice. Results: Immunohistochemistry indicated a significantly higher expression of IL-25 in bladder cancer tissues, which correlated with several prognostic markers. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database revealed that IL-17RB was highly expressed in bladder cancer, and may be related to overall survival of patients. In vitro, IL-25 enhanced the proliferation and migration of bladder cancer cells. IL-25 knockout markedly reduced tumor growth in a murine subcutaneous bladder cancer model. Mechanistic investigations revealed that IL-25 enhanced bladder cancer cell proliferation by activating the AKT (protein kinase B), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway (AKT/mTOR signaling pathway). Additionally, angiogenesis was suppressed in IL-25 knockout mice bearing bladder tumors. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that IL-25 promotes bladder cancer cell proliferation by activating the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and IL-25 knockout inhibits angiogenesis in bladder cancer. These findings suggest that IL-25 is a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target in bladder cancer management