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Determining the geographical origin of kimchi holds significance because of the considerable variation in quality and price among kimchi products from different regions. This study explored the feasibility of employing Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy in conjunction with supervised chemometric techniques to differentiate domestic and imported kimchi products. A total of 30 domestic and 30 imported kimchi products were used to build datasets. Three categories of preprocessing methods such as scattering correction (multiplicative signal correction and standard normal variate), spectral derivatives (the first derivative and the second derivative), and data smoothing (Savitzky–Golay filtering and Norris derivative filtering) were used. K-nearest neighbors, support vector machine, random forest, and partial least squares-discriminant analysis were employed. By appropriately preprocessing spectral data, these four methods successfully distinguished between the two sample groups based on their origin. Notably, the k-nearest neighbors method exhibited exceptional performance, accurately classifying the sample groups irrespective of the preprocessing method employed and swiftly achieving this classification. In comparison, classification and regression tree as well as naïve Bayes methods were outperformed by the aforementioned four classification techniques. Particularly, the efficiency and accuracy of the k-nearest neighbors method make it the most recommended chemometric tool for determining the geographical origins of kimchi.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are increased in tumor patients. Studies have shown generation of MDSCs from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by various cytokine combinations. However, large scale expansion of human MDSCs has not been demonstrated or applied in clinic settings. We investigated which cytokine combinations among GM-CSF/SCF, G-CSF/SCF, or M-CSF/SCF efficiently expand and differentiate human MDSCs following culture CD34 cells of umbilical cord blood (CB). GM-CSF/SCF showed the greatest expansion of MDSCs. Up to 10 MDSCs (HLA-DR CD11b CD33 ) could be produced from 1 unit of CB following 6 weeks of continuous culture. MDSCs produced from culture of CD34 cells with GM-CSF/SCF for 6 weeks had the greatest suppressive function of T cell proliferation and had the highest expression of immunosuppressive molecules including iNOS, arginase 1 and IDO compared to those differentiated with G-CSF/SCF or M-CSF/SCF. MDSCs secreted IL-10, TGB-β, and VEGF. The infusion of expanded MDSCs significantly prolonged the survival and decreased the GVHD score in a NSG xenogeneic model of GVHD. Injected MDSCs increased IL-10 and TGF-β but decreased the level of TNF-α and IL-6 in the serum of treated mice. Notably, FoxP3 expressing regulatory T (Treg) cells were increased while IFN-γ (Th1) and IL-17 (Th17) producing T cells were decreased in the spleen of MDSC treated mice compared to untreated GVHD mice. Our results demonstrate that human MDSCs are generated from CB CD34 cells using GM-CSF/SCF. These MDSCs exhibited potent immunosuppressive function, suggesting that they are useable as a treatment for inflammatory diseases such as GVHD.

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) may have applications in treating various types of malignant tumors. This study assessed the anticancer effects of CAP using melanoma and colon cancer cell lines. CAP treatment significantly reduced the in vitro viability of melanoma and colon cancer cell lines and had a negligible effect on the viability of normal human melanocytes. Additionally, CAP and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor had an additive anticancer effect in a CAP-resistant melanoma cell line. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species known to be generated by CAP enhanced the anticancer effects of CAP and EGFR inhibitors. The in vivo anticancer activities of CAP were evaluated by testing its effects against syngeneic tumors induced in mice by melanoma and colon cancer cells. CAP treatment reduced tumor volume and weight in both cancer models, with the extent of tumor reduction dependent on the duration and number of CAP treatments. Histologic examination also revealed the tumoricidal effects of CAP in both tumor models. In conclusion, CAP inhibits the growth of mouse melanoma and colon cancer cell lines in vitro and shows tumoricidal effects against mouse models of melanoma and colon cancer in vivo.

Intraoperative electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns associated with postoperative delirium (POD) development have been studied, but the differences in EEG recordings between sevoflurane- and desflurane-induced anesthesia have not been clarified. We aimed to distinguish the EEG characteristics of sevoflurane and desflurane in relation to POD development. We collected frontal four-channel EEG data during the maintenance of anesthesia from 148 elderly patients who received sevoflurane (n = 77) or desflurane (n = 71); 30 patients were diagnosed with delirium postoperatively. The patients were divided into four subgroups based on anesthetics and delirium status: sevoflurane delirium (n = 17), sevoflurane non-delirium (n = 60), desflurane delirium (n = 13), and desflurane non-delirium (n = 58). We compared spectral power, coherence, and pairwise phase consistency (PPC) between sevoflurane and desflurane, and between non-delirium and delirium groups for each anesthetic. In patients without POD, the sevoflurane non-delirium group exhibited higher EEG spectral power across 8.5–35 Hz (99.5% CI bootstrap analysis) and higher PPC from alpha to gamma bands (p < 0.005) compared to the desflurane non-delirium group. Conversely, in patients with POD, no significant EEG differences were observed between the sevoflurane and desflurane delirium groups. For the sevoflurane-induced patients, the sevoflurane delirium group had significantly lower power within 7.5–31.5 Hz (99.5% CI bootstrap analysis), reduced coherence over 8.9–23.8 Hz (99.5% CI bootstrap analysis), and lower PPC values in the alpha band (p < 0.005) compared with the sevoflurane non-delirium group. For the desflurane-induced patients, there were no significant differences in the EEG patterns between delirium and non-delirium groups. In normal patients without POD, sevoflurane demonstrates a higher power spectrum and prefrontal connectivity than desflurane. Furthermore, reduced frontal alpha power, coherence, and connectivity of intraoperative EEG could be associated with an increased risk of POD. These intraoperative EEG characteristics associated with POD are more noticeable in sevoflurane-induced anesthesia than in desflurane-induced anesthesia. •Sevoflurane induced higher power across alpha-to-beta bands compared with desflurane during anesthesia. // Sevoflurane increased frontal connectivity from the alpha-to-gamma bands compared with desflurane during anesthesia.•In sevoflurane-induced anesthesia, patients with POD have reduced power across 7.5–31.5 Hz than non-delirium patients. // Sevoflurane-induced patients with POD have decreased coherence and weaker alpha connectivity than non-delirium patients.•Intraoperative EEG markers associated with POD are more noticeable in sevoflurane anesthesia than in desflurane anesthesia.

This study investigates the electromagnetic and NVH characteristics of an outer-rotor surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous generator (SPMSG) for wave energy applications, focusing on the effect of rotor eccentricity. To reflect potential fault due to manufacturing or assembly defects, a 0.5 mm rotor eccentricity was introduced in finite element method (FEM) simulations. The torque ripple waveform was analyzed using fast Fourier transform (FFT) to identify dominant harmonic components that generate unbalanced electromagnetic forces and induce structural vibration. These harmonic components were further examined under variable marine operating conditions to evaluate their impact on acoustic radiation and vibration responses. Based on the simulation and analysis results, a design-stage methodology is proposed for predicting vibration and noise by targeting critical harmonic excitations, providing practical insights for marine generator design and improving long-term operational reliability in wave energy systems.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) sequencing has demonstrated great potential for early cancer detection. However, most large-scale studies have focused only on either targeted methylation sites or whole-genome sequencing, limiting comprehensive analysis that integrates both epigenetic and genetic signatures. In this study, we present a platform that enables simultaneous analysis of whole-genome methylation, copy number, and fragmentomic patterns of cfDNA in a single assay. Using a total of 950 plasma (361 healthy and 589 cancer) and 240 tissue samples, we demonstrate that a multifeature cancer signature ensemble (CSE) classifier integrating all features outperforms single-feature classifiers. At 95.2% specificity, the cancer detection sensitivity with methylation, copy number, and fragmentomic models was 77.2%, 61.4%, and 60.5%, respectively, but sensitivity was significantly increased to 88.9% with the CSE classifier ( p value < 0.0001). For tissue of origin, the CSE classifier enhanced the accuracy beyond the methylation classifier, from 74.3% to 76.4%. Overall, this work proves the utility of a signature ensemble integrating epigenetic and genetic information for accurate cancer detection. Revolutionizing Cancer Research A new platform, AlphaLiquid® Screening, offers simultaneous analysis of whole-genome methylation, copy number, and fragmentomic patterns in a single assay for early cancer detection. The platform utilizes a multi-feature cancer signature ensemble classifier (CSE) that outperforms single-feature classifiers. At 95.2% specificity, the CSE achieved 88.9% sensitivity for cancer detection, a significant improvement over individual classifiers. The CSE model also demonstrated improved accuracy in predicting the tissue of origin for detected cancers. This study highlights the potential of integrating epigenetic and genetic information to enhance the accuracy of cancer detection using cell-free DNA sequencing data. This summary was initially drafted using artificial intelligence, then revised and fact-checked by the author.

Consumption of wild plants is a common practice globally; however, not all plants are safe for human consumption, as some are toxic. Toxic plants often resemble edible species, which makes their identification difficult, particularly for non-experts. Convallaria majalis , a poisonous plant containing cardiac glycosides, poses a significant danger if mistakenly ingested. Allium microdictyon is a popular edible wild vegetable in East Asia. Owing to their similar appearance, accidental mixing can occur during harvesting or processing . In this study, specific primer pairs were designed to target chloroplast genes to distinguish the edible plant Allium microdictyon from the toxic plant Convallaria majalis , and their practicality was tested. The specificity, sensitivity, and applicability of the quantitative real-time PCR assay were evaluated using all primer pairs. Six primer sets (three for A. microdictyon and three for C. majalis ) exhibited strong linearity, with correlation coefficients exceeding 0.98 and slopes ranging from − 3.22 to − 3.56. PCR efficiencies ranged from 90.80% to 97.85%. Cycle threshold (Ct) values corresponding to 0.1% of the binary mixture were used as the cut-off values. Additionally, the specificity of the primer pairs was validated by analyzing 13 non-target plant species and assessed for practicality using 15 commercial samples. The developed primer pairs will aid in preventing the misidentification of toxic wild plants and serve to guide the identification of toxic species, thereby contributing to public health and safety.

TMS-HDMF-5z is a hybrid of the natural products mosloflavone and resveratrol. It was discovered to show potent inhibitory effects against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of inflammatory mediators in RAW 264.7 macrophages. However, its mechanism of action is unknown. Hence this study aimed to demonstrate and explore in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of TMS-HDMF-5z and its mechanism of action employing RAW 264.7 macrophages and carrageenan-induced hind paw edema. This work revealed that TMS-HDMF-5z suppressed the LPS-induced inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) at the protein, mRNA, and promoter binding levels and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, and interferon-β (IFN-β) at the mRNA expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The results showed that TMS-HDMF-5z reduced the transcription and DNA binding activities of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) through inhibiting nuclear translocation of p65 and phosphorylation of κB inhibitor α (IκBα), IκB kinase (IKK), and TGF-β activated kinase 1 (TAK1). Additionally, TMS-HDMF-5z attenuated the LPS-induced transcriptional and DNA binding activities of activator protein-1 (AP-1) by suppressing nuclear translocation of phosphorylated c-Fos, c-Jun, and activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2). TMS-HDMF-5z also reduced the LPS-induced phosphorylation of Janus kinase 1/2 (JAK1/2), signal transducers and activators of transcription 1/3 (STAT1/3), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2). In rats, TMS-HDMF-5z alleviated carrageenan-induced hind paw edema through the suppressing iNOS and COX-2 via NF-κB, AP-1, and STAT1/3 inactivation. Collectively, the TMS-HDMF-5z-mediated inhibition of NF-κB, AP-1, and STAT1/3 offer an opportunity for the development of a potential treatment for inflammatory diseases.

Climate change affects all ecosystems but despite increasing recognition for the needs to integrate Indigenous knowledge with modern climate science, the epistemological differences between the two make it challenging. In this study, we present how Indigenous belief and knowledge system can frame the application of a modeling tool (Climate-Forest Vegetation Simulator). We focus on managing forest ecosystem services of the Diné (Navajo) Nation as a case study. Most Diné tribal members depend directly on the land for their livelihoods and cultural traditions. The forest plays a vital role in Diné livelihoods through social, cultural, spiritual, subsistence, and economic factors. We simulated forest dynamics over time under alternative climate change scenarios and management strategies to identify forest management strategies that will maintain future ecosystem services. We initialized the Climate-Forest Vegetation Simulator model with data from permanent plots and site-specific growth models under multiple management systems (no-management, thinning, burning, and assisted migration planting) and different climate scenarios (no-climate-change, RCP 4.5, RCP 6.0). Projections of climate change show average losses of basal area by over 65% by 2105, a shift in tree species composition to drier-adapted species, and a decrease in species diversity. While substantial forest loss was inevitable under the warming climate scenarios, the modeling framework allowed us to evaluate the management treatments, including planting, for conserving multiple tree species in mixed conifer forests, thus providing an anchor for biodiversity. We presented the modeling results and management implications and discuss how they can complement Diné kinship concepts. Our approach is a useful step for framing modern science with Indigenous Knowledge and for developing improved strategies to sustain natural resources and livelihoods.

In this study, we developed a rapid three-dimensional (3D) time-of-flight imaging tool for inspection of packaged semiconductor chips, using terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy techniques. A high-speed THz system based on the optical sampling by cavity tuning technique is incorporated with a 2-axis galvano scanner to deliver a scanning speed of more than 100 Hz/pixel with a signal-to-noise ratio larger than 20 dB. Through the use of the Hilbert transformation, we reconstruct the 3D structure of the packaged chip in a nondestructive manner. Additionally, the use of frequency-selective imaging allows us to manipulate image resolution; the higher resolution was obtained when monitored using the higher frequency component. Further, using phase information, we were able to detect and identify defects in the packaged chip, such as the delamination area and epoxy-rich regions.