• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2022

Squid is a sustainable source of long-chain omega 3 fatty acids. This study aims to assess the safety and triglyceride-lowering efficacy of refined oil derived from the squid(Todarodes pacificus) viscera. Male and female participants with elevated fasting serum lipids (i.e., total cholesterol of ≥5.2 mmol/L or fasting serum triglyceride of ≥1.65 mmol/L) were randomly allocated to the control (n = 52) or squid oil group (n = 52), and participants in the latter group were instructed to consume 3 g of squid oil daily for 60 days. None of the subjects reported adverse events associated with the consumption of squid oil. Baseline clinical chemistry and hematological parameter values and those toward the end of the treatment period were similar, and all values were within the normal range. Fasting cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the control and squid oil groups were similar; however, toward the end of the 60 day study period, these levels significantly reduced in the squid oil group relative to those in the control group (P< 0.01). However, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol remained unchanged in both groups. Thus, it can be inferred that squid oil is a safe source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and has beneficial effects on the blood lipid levels. This is the first clinical study on squid oil usage, and suggests that it could be a sustainable source of omega 3 fatty acids.

• Journal of Information Processing Systems
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.575-586
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• 2022

Uneven light in real-world causes visual degradation for underexposed regions. For these regions, insufficient consideration during enhancement procedure will result in over-/under-exposure, loss of details and color distortion. Confronting such challenges, an unsupervised low-light image enhancement network is proposed in this paper based on the guidance of the unpaired low-/normal-light images. The key components in our network include super-resolution module (SRM), a GAN-based low-light image enhancement network (LLIEN), and denoising-scaling module (DSM). The SRM improves the resolution of the low-light input images before illumination enhancement. Such design philosophy improves the effectiveness of texture details preservation by operating in high-resolution space. Subsequently, local lightness attention module in LLIEN effectively distinguishes unevenly illuminated areas and puts emphasis on low-light areas, ensuring the spatial consistency of illumination for locally underexposed images. Then, multiple discriminators, i.e., global discriminator, local region discriminator, and color discriminator performs assessment from different perspectives to avoid over-/under-exposure and color distortion, which guides the network to generate images that in line with human aesthetic perception. Finally, the DSM performs noise removal and obtains high-quality enhanced images. Both qualitative and quantitative experiments demonstrate that our approach achieves favorable results, which indicates its superior capacity on illumination and texture details restoration.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.1447-1453
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• 2022

Prohibitin 1 (Phb1) is a pleiotropic protein, located mainly in the mitochondrial inner membrane and involved in the regulation of cell proliferation and the stabilization of mitochondrial protein. Acetaminophen (APAP) is one of the most commonly used over-the-counter analgesics worldwide. However, at high dose, the accumulation of N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI) can lead to APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. In this study, we sought to understand the regulation of mRNA expression in relation to APAP and GSH metabolism by Phb1 in normal mouse AML12 hepatocytes. We used two different Phb1 silencing levels: high-efficiency (HE, >90%) and low-efficiency (LE, 50-60%). In addition, the siRNA-transfected cells were further pretreated with 0.5 mM of Sadenosylmethionine (SAMe) for 24 h before treatment with APAP at different doses (1-2 mM) for 24 h. The expression of APAP metabolism-related and antioxidant genes such as Cyp2e1 and Ugt1a1 were increased during SAMe pretreatment. Moreover, SAMe increased intracellular GSH concentration and it was maintained after APAP treatment. To sum up, Phb1 silencing and APAP treatment impaired the metabolism of APAP in hepatocytes, and SAMe exerted a protective effect against hepatotoxicity by upregulating antioxidant genes.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.200-209
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• 2023

Background As the coronavirus disease 2019 virus made its way throughout the world, there was a complete overhaul of our day-to-day personal and professional lives. All aspects of health care were affected including academics. During the pandemic, teaching opportunities for resident training were drastically reduced. Consequently, medical universities in many parts across the globe implemented online learning, in which students are taught remotely and via digital platforms. Given these developments, evaluating the existing mode of teaching via digital platforms as well as incorporation of new models is critical to improve and implement. Methods We reviewed different online learning platforms used to continue regular academic teaching of the plastic surgery residency curriculum. This study compares the four popular Web conferencing platforms used for online learning and evaluated their suitability for providing plastic surgery education. Results In this study with a response rate of 59.9%, we found a 64% agreement rate to online classes being more convenient than normal classroom teaching. Conclusion Zoom was the most user-friendly, with a simple and intuitive interface that was ideal for online instruction. With a better understanding of factors related to online teaching and learning, we will be able to deliver quality education in residency programs in the future.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2977-2983
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• 2023

During normal operation, some parts of the fission product in the defective fuel rods can release into the primary loops in PWR and the escape rate coefficients are widely used to assess quantitatively the release behaviors of fission products in the industry. The escape rate coefficients have been standardized and have been validated by some drilling experiments before the 1970s. In the paper, the model to determine the escape rate coefficients of fission products has been established and the typical escape rate coefficients of noble gas and iodine have been deduced based on the measured radiochemical data in one operating PWR. The result shows that the apparent escape rate coefficients vary with the release-to-birth and decay constants for different fission products of the same element. In addition, it is found that the escape rate coefficients from the defective rod with large defects are much higher than the standard escape rate coefficients, i.e., averagely 4.4 times and 1.8 times for noble gas and iodine respectively. The enhanced release of fission products from the severe secondary hydriding of several defective fuel rods in one cycle may lead to the potential risk of the temporary shutdown of the operating reactors.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.17.1-17.8
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• 2023

The present report describes the endodontic treatment of an Oehlers type II dens invaginatus in a maxillary lateral incisor with 5 root canals, an extremely rare condition. Apical periodontitis and related symptoms were noted. Cone-beam computed tomography was used to aid the diagnosis, reveal tooth morphology, and assist in canal location. The pulp chamber was carefully accessed, and the root canals were explored under magnification. All root canals were prepared with an R25 Reciproc Blue system and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) irrigation. After initial preparation, a self-adjusting file (SAF) with NaOCl and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid was used to complement the disinfection. Additionally, calcium hydroxide medication was applied. Vertical compaction was used to fill the canals with a calcium silicate-based endodontic sealer and gutta-percha. After 12 months, the patient exhibited healing of the periapical region, absence of symptoms, and normal dental function. In conclusion, this nonsurgical treatment protocol was successful in promoting the cure of apical periodontitis. Both complementary disinfection with an SAF and use of calcium hydroxide medication should be considered when choosing the best treatment approach for dens invaginatus with very complex anatomy.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.1-20
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• 2023

Purpose - Using trade data from 2008 to 2019, this study analyzes the impact of trade facilitation on China's agricultural exports under the RCEP framework using a gravity model based on the level of trade facilitation in 13 RCEP countries. Design/methodology - This study constructs a complete set of trade facilitation index systems, comprehensively measures the trade facilitation level of RCEP member countries, and uses a gravity model to verify the critical role of trade facilitation level in enhancing the trade volumes of RCEP member countries. Findings - We found that trade facilitation has a significant impact on China's agricultural exports as a whole. The effect of each primary indicator varies in magnitude, with finance and e-commerce (F) having the most significant impact, followed by customs efficiency (C) and infrastructure development (1); the institutional environment has no significant effect. Originality/value - This study analyzes the impact of trade facilitation on China's agricultural exports from the perspective of exports, and uses the latest data to study the degree of the impact of trade facilitation in importing countries. Measures to jointly enhance trade facilitation among member countries under the RCEP framework are proposed.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.288-293
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• 2023

A 11-year-old neutered male Maltese dog was vaccinated with a rabies vaccine (Rabisin^®, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Germany) subcutaneously at a local animal hospital. One hour after vaccination, purpura with edema was observed at the injection site and severe thrombocytopenia (0 K/μL) was noted on a complete blood count (CBC). No specific findings were found in serum chemistry, electrolyte, blood gas analysis, and coagulation tests. The patient was hospitalized and administered antihemorrhagic agents (vitamin K, desmopressin), antihistamines (chlorpheniramine) and corticosteroids (methylprednisolone sodium succinate). On a repeat CBC, mild anemia had developed, thrombocytopenia was still noted, and autoagglutination was observed on a saline agglutination test (SAT). A polymerase chain reaction panel for infectious agents (e.g., Babesia spp.) was negative. The diagnosis was secondary immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (IMT) with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) associated with vaccination. Therefore, the immunosuppressants (prednisolone, and mycophenolate mofetil) were administered. Six days after drug administration, new lesion was not observed, and the previous lesions were significantly improved. It gradually improved and 4 weeks after hematocrit and platelet recovered to normal levels. It was maintained for 6 months without recurrence of related symptoms. Based on patient's history and test results, the patient was diagnosed with Evans' syndrome associated with rabies vaccine.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.87 no.6
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• pp.517-527
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• 2023

The severe deterioration of structures has led to extensive research on the development of structural repair techniques using composite materials. Consequently, previous researchers have devised various analytical methods to predict the interface performance of bonded repairs. However, these analytical solutions are highly complex mathematically and necessitate numerous calculations with a large number of iterations to obtain the output parameters. In this paper, an artificial neural network prediction models is used to calculate the interfacial stress distribution in RC beams strengthened with FRP sheet. The R2value for the training data is evaluated as 0.99, and for the testing data, it is 0.92. Closed-form solutions are derived for RC beams strengthened with composite sheets simply supported at both ends and verified through direct comparisons with existing results. A comparative study of peak interfacial shear and normal stresses with the literature gives the usefulness and effectiveness of ANN proposed. A parametrical study is carried out to show the effects of some design variables, e.g., thickness of adhesive layer and FRP sheet.