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LoRa-based IoT systems are increasingly used in smart farming, greenhouse monitoring, and large-scale agricultural sensing, where long-range, energy-efficient communication is essential. However, estimating link quality metrics such as PRR, RSSI, and SNR typically requires continuous packet transmission and sequence logging, an impractical approach for power-constrained field nodes. This study proposes a deep learning-driven framework for real-time prediction of link- and network-level performance in multihop LoRa networks, targeting the LoRaDisC protocol commonly deployed in agricultural environments. By integrating Bayesian surrogate modeling with Random Forest-guided hyperparameter optimization, the system accurately predicts PRR, RSSI, and SNR using multivariate time series features. Experiments on a large-scale outdoor LoRa testbed (ChirpBox) show that aggregated link layer metrics strongly correlate with PRR, with performance influenced by environmental variables such as humidity, temperature, and field topology. The optimized model achieves a mean absolute error (MAE) of 8.83 and adapts effectively to dynamic environmental conditions. This work enables energy-efficient, autonomous communication in agricultural IoT deployments, supporting reliable field sensing, crop monitoring, livestock tracking, and other smart farming applications that depend on resilient low-power wireless connectivity.

We demonstrate the feasibility of a wearable, augmented reality–based nystagmus examination system, showing its preliminary diagnostic agreement with conventional video-oculography and its potential for portable vestibular assessment in patients with vertigo.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is the gold standard treatment for treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, patient adherence to CPAP therapy remains a critical challenge, with many individuals finding it difficult to maintain consistent use due to discomfort, lack of understanding, or perceived inconvenience. Augmented reality (AR) offers a novel approach to overcoming these barriers by providing interactive real-time guidance to users, potentially enhancing adherence rates. This clinical trial aims to examine the feasibility of AR implementation and the effect of AR on improving CPAP adherence in patients with OSA. A randomized controlled trial with a parallel assignment will be conducted. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving AR-guided CPAP therapy or a control group receiving standard care. The study will span 6 months, with assessments at baseline (T0), and with follow-ups at 1 month (T1), 3 months (T2), and 6 months (T3) post intervention. The primary outcome measure is CPAP adherence, defined as using the CPAP device for more than 70% of sleep time, with a minimum of 4 hours per night. Secondary outcomes will evaluate the common adverse effects associated with CPAP therapy, device usability, and time required for CPAP machine use education. This study is funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (August 2023 to July 2026) and was registered in August 2024 (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06520592). Participant recruitment is scheduled to begin in April 2025, and by September 2025, we expect to have enrolled 40 participants (50% of the target sample of 80). Preliminary analyses of CPAP adherence at 1 month and usability data are currently underway. Final data collection is anticipated to be completed by December 2025, with results expected to be published by Fall 2026. Anticipated findings suggest that AR-guided CPAP therapy may significantly enhance patient adherence by improving mask fitting and providing effective, interactive education. If validated, this innovative approach could pave the way for more personalized technology-driven interventions in OSA management and other chronic conditions requiring long-term therapy adherence. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06520592; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06520592. PRR1-10.2196/69757.

In this study, the Accumulative Roll Bonding (ARB) process was used with a snap-stack procedure to reduplicate an Al (1100)/Mg (AZ31) alloy. Samples underwent four rolling and stacking cycles four times, which produced a 24-layer structure. The ARB process creates a multilayer compound between Al/Mg layers with excellent bonding characteristics. The excellent bonding characteristics were due to atomic diffusion. Diffusion couples between Al and Mg were investigated to study the composition of the formation in the Al-Mg system. Layers of intermetallic compound (IMC) Al^sub 3^Mg^sub 2^ and Al^sub 12^Mg^sub 17^ were observed. The composition-depth curves of the diffusion zone were determined by electron microprobe analyses of the IMCs.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

The study addresses Performance Control Matrix (PCM) to determine service quality items of priority for improvement. Most businesses focus on customer satisfaction when undertaking surveys of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, while generally neglecting employee satisfaction. Therefore, this study develops an integrated model to improve service quality in Taiwanese finance industry employees. A questionnaire is designed to determine the priority of improvement objectives derived from certain questionnaire items that fall into the improvement zone of the PCM. Ten items are found to fall into the improvement zone of the PCM. The present results show that the finance industry employees surveyed in Taiwan were dissatisfied with their job security, salaries, annual bonus, and fair distribution of operational profits. The ten improvement items mostly belong to two dimensions - 'Pay and Benefits' and 'Motivation'. The managers of the financial institutions should seek to improve these quality attributes by devoting more resources to these items, thus promoting employee satisfaction.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the precipitation characteristics of sigma phase in the fusion zone of stainless steel welds at various welding passes during a tungsten are welding (GTAW) process. The morphology, quantity, and chemical composition of the delta -ferrite and sigma phase were analyzed using optical microscopy (OM), a ferritscope (FS), a X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), an electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA), and a wavelength dispersive spectrometer (WDS), respectively. Massive delta -ferrite was observed in the fusion zone of the first pass welds during welding of dissimilar stainless steels. The sigma phase precipitated at the inner delta -ferrite particles and decreased delta -ferrite content during the third pass welding. The sigma and delta phases can be stabilized by Si element, which promoted the phase transformation of sigma arrow right + lambda sub(2) in the fusion zone of the third pass welds. It was found that the sigma phase was a Fe-Cr-Si intermetallic compound found in the fusion zone of the third pass welds during multi-pass welding.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the precipitation characteristics of σ phase in the fusion zone of stainless steel welds at various welding passes during a tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. The morphology, quantity, and chemical composition of the δ-ferrite and σ phase were analyzed using optical microscopy (OM), a ferritscope (FS), a X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), an electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA), and a wavelength dispersive spectrometer (WDS), respectively. Massive δ-ferrite was observed in the fusion zone of the first pass welds during welding of dissimilar stainless steels. The σ phase precipitated at the inner δ-ferrite particles and decreased δ-ferrite content during the third pass welding. The σ and δ phases can be stabilized by Si element, which promoted the phase transformation of δ→σ + γ2 in the fusion zone of the third pass welds. It was found that the σ phase was a Fe-Cr-Si intermetallic compound found in the fusion zone of the third pass welds during multi-pass welding.

The study addresses Performance Control Matrix (PCM) to determine service quality items of priority for improvement. Most businesses focus on customer satisfaction when undertaking surveys of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, while generally neglecting employee satisfaction. Therefore, this study develops an integrated model to improve service quality in Taiwanese finance industry employees. A questionnaire is designed to determine the priority of improvement objectives derived from certain questionnaire items that fall into the improvement zone of the PCM. Ten items are found to fall into the improvement zone of the PCM. The present results show that the finance industry employees surveyed in Taiwan were dissatisfied with their job security, salaries, annual bonus, and fair distribution of operational profits. The ten improvement items mostly belong to two dimensions - ‘Pay and Benefits’ and ‘Motivation’. The managers of the financial institutions should seek to improve these quality attributes by devoting more resources to these items, thus promoting employee satisfaction.

In this study, the Accumulative Roll Bonding (ARB) process was used with a snap-stack procedure to reduplicate an Al (1100)/Mg (AZ31) alloy. Samples underwent four rolling and stacking cycles four times, which produced a 24-layer structure. The ARB process creates a multilayer compound between Al/Mg layers with excellent bonding characteristics. The excellent bonding characteristics were due to atomic diffusion. Diffusion couples between Al and Mg were investigated to study the composition of the formation in the Al-Mg system. Layers of intermetallic compound (IMC) Al3Mg2 and Al12Mg17 were observed. The composition-depth curves of the diffusion zone were determined by electron microprobe analyses of the IMCs.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the precipitation characteristics of σ phase in the fusion zone of stainless steel welds at various welding passes during a tungsten are welding (GTAW) process. The morphology, quantity, and chemical composition of the δ-ferrite and σ phase were analyzed using optical microscopy (OM), a ferritscope (FS), a X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), an electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA), and a wavelength dispersive spectrometer (WDS), respectively. Massive δ-ferrite was observed in the fusion zone of the first pass welds during welding of dissimilar stainless steels. The σ phase precipitated at the inner δ-ferrite particles and decreased δ-ferrite content during the third pass welding. The σ and δ phases can be stabilized by Si element, which promoted the phase transformation of σ[arrow right]+λ^sub 2^ in the fusion zone of the third pass welds. It was found that the σ phase was a Fe-Cr-Si intermetallic compound found in the fusion zone of the third pass welds during multi-pass welding.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]