Human activity recognition (HAR) is a vital component of human–robot collaboration. Recognizing the operational elements involved in an operator’s task is essential for realizing this vision, and HAR plays a key role in achieving this. However, recognizing human activity in an industrial setting differs from recognizing daily living activities. An operator’s activity must be divided into fine elements to ensure efficient task completion. Despite this, there is relatively little related research in the literature. This study aims to develop machine learning models to classify the sequential movement elements of a task. To illustrate this, three logistic operations in an integrated circuit (IC) design house were studied, with participants wearing 13 inertial measurement units manufactured by XSENS to mimic the tasks. The kinematics data were collected to develop the machine learning models. The time series data preprocessing involved applying two normalization methods and three different window lengths. Eleven features were extracted from the processed data to train the classification models. Model validation was carried out using the subject-independent method, with data from three participants excluded from the training dataset. The results indicate that the developed model can efficiently classify operational elements when the operator performs the activity accurately. However, incorrect classifications occurred when the operator missed an operation or awkwardly performed the task. RGB video clips helped identify these misclassifications, which can be used by supervisors for training purposes or by industrial engineers for work improvement.

One of the most common harmful mites in edible fungi is Histiostoma feroniarum Dufour (Acaridida: Histiostomatidae), a fungivorous astigmatid mite that feeds on hyphae and fruiting bodies, thereby transmitting pathogens. This study examined the effects of seven constant temperatures and 10 types of mushrooms on the growth and development of H. feroniarum, as well as its host preference. Developmental time for the total immature stages was significantly affected by the type of mushroom species, ranging from 4.3 ± 0.4 days (reared on Pleurotus eryngii var. tuoliensis Mou at 28°C) to 17.1 ± 2.3 days (reared on Auricularia polytricha Sacc. at 19°C). The temperature was a major factor in the formation of facultative heteromorphic deutonymphs (hypopi). The mite entered the hypopus stage when the temperature dropped to 16°C or rose above 31°C. The growth and development of this mite were significantly influenced by the type of species and variety of mushrooms. Moreover, the fungivorous astigmatid mite preferred to feed on the ‘Wuxiang No. 1’ strain of Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler and the ‘Gaowenxiu’ strain of P. pulmonarius (Fr.) Quél., with a shorter development period compared with that of feeding on other strains. These results therefore quantify the effect of host type and temperature on fungivorous astigmatid mite growth and development rates, and provide a reference for applying mushroom cultivar resistance to biological pest control.

Trypanosoma musculi is a, globally distributed, mouse-specific haemoflagellate, of the family Trypanosomatidae, which shares similar characteristics in morphology with Trypanosoma lewisi. The kinetoplast (mitochondrial) DNA of Trypanosomatidae flagellates is comprised of catenated maxicircles and minicircles. However, genetic information on the T. musculi kinetoplast remains largely unknown. In this study, the T. musculi maxicircle genome was completely assembled, with PacBio and Illumina sequencing, and the size was confirmed at 34 606 bp. It consisted of 2 distinct parts: the coding region and the divergent regions (DRs, DRI and II). In comparison with other trypanosome maxicircles (Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and T. lewisi), the T. musculi maxicircle has a syntenic distribution of genes and shares 73.9, 78.0 and 92.7% sequence identity, respectively, over the whole coding region. Moreover, novel insertions in MURF2 (630 bp) and in ND5 (1278 bp) were found, respectively, which are homologous to minicircles. These findings support an evolutionary scenario similar to the one proposed for insertions in Trypanosoma cruzi, the pathogen of American trypanosomiasis. These novel insertions, together with a deletion (281 bp) in ND4, question the role of Complex I in T. musculi. A detailed analysis of DRII indicated that it contains numerous repeat motifs and palindromes, the latter of which are highly conservative and contain A5C elements. The comprehensively annotated kinetoplast maxicircle of T. musculi reveals a high degree of similarity between this parasite and the maxicircle of T. lewisi and suggests that the DRII could be a valuable marker for distinguishing these evolutionarily related species.

The prediction of prognosis is an important part of management in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related decompensated cirrhosis patients with high long-term mortality. Lactate is a known predictor of outcome in critically ill patients. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of lactate in HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients. We performed a single-centre, observational, retrospective study of 405 HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients. Individuals were evaluated within 24 h after admission and the primary outcome was evaluated at 6-months. Multivariable analyses were used to determine whether lactate was independently associated with the prognosis of HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients. The area under the ROC (AUROC) was calculated to assess the predictive accuracy compared with existing scores. Serum lactate level was significantly higher in non-surviving patients than in surviving patients. Multivariable analyses demonstrated that lactate was an independent risk factor of 6-months mortality (odds ratio: 2.076, P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to evaluate the discriminative ability of lactate for 6-months mortality (AUROC: 0.716, P < 0.001). Based on our patient cohort, the new scores (Model For End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) + lactate score, Child–Pugh + lactate score) had good accuracy for predicting 6-months mortality (AUROC = 0.769, P < 0.001; AUROC = 0.766, P < 0.001). Additionally, the performance of the new scores was superior to those of existing scores (all P < 0.001). Serum lactate at admission may be useful for predicting 6-months mortality in HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients, and the predictive value of the MELD score and Child–Pugh score was improved by adjusting lactate. Serum lactate should be part of the rapid diagnosis and initiation of therapy to improve clinical outcome.

The time to positivity (TTP) of blood cultures has been considered a predictor of clinical outcomes for bacteremia. This retrospective study aimed to determine the clinical value of TTP for the prognostic assessment of patients with Escherichia coli bacteremia. A total of 167 adult patients with E.coli bacteremia identified over a 22-month period in a 3500-bed university teaching hospital in China were studied. The standard cut-off TTP was 11 h in the patient cohort. The septic shock occurred in 27.9% of patients with early TTP (⩽11 h) and in 7.1% of those with a prolonged TTP (>11 h) (P = 0.003). The mortality rate was significantly higher for patients in the early than in the late group (17.7% vs. 4.0%, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that an early TTP (OR 4.50, 95% CI 1.70–11.93), intensive care unit admission (OR 8.39, 95% CI 2.01–35.14) and neutropenia (OR 4.20, 95% CI 1.55–11.40) were independently associated with septic shock. Likewise, the independent risk factors for mortality of patients were an early TTP (OR 3.80, 95% CI 1.04–12.90), intensive care unit admission (OR 6.45; 95% CI 1.14–36.53), a Pittsburgh bacteremia score ⩾2 (OR 4.34, 95% CI 1.22–15.47) and a Charlson Comorbidity Index ⩾3 (OR 11.29, 95% CI 2.81–45.39). Overall, a TTP for blood cultures within 11 h appears to be associated with worse outcomes for patients with E.coli bacteremia.

Barium-rich silicates were recently found in the lower Cambrian black shale sequence of Anhui Province, South China. The Ba silicates can be divided into Ba-poor K-feldspar, Ba-rich K-feldspar and cymrite, on the basis of occurrence and composition. The Ba-poor K-feldspar have low BaO contents (<1.00 wt.%) and occur as sporadic grains in mudstone. In contrast, the Ba-rich K-feldspar have higher BaO contents (1.36–20.51 wt.%) and occur mainly as rims around grains of Ba-poor K-feldspar in mudstone, as void fillings in dolostone, and as grains dispersed in chert. The cymrite is observed only in chert and occurs as dispersed euhedral tabular crystals. Analyses of the Ba-poor K-feldspar and Ba-rich K-feldspar provide compositions that total <100 wt.% and show non-stoichiometry characterized by (Na + K + Ba + Ca)apfu less than 1.00 and (Al + Si)apfu slightly higher than 4.00. Raman and infrared (IR) spectroscopy has revealed the presence of ${\rm NH}_{\rm 4}^{\rm +} $ and H2O in the Ba-rich K-feldspar, which accounts for the unusual composition of these feldspars. We suggest that the formation processes of the Ba-poor K-feldspar, Ba-rich K-feldspar and cymrite were closely associated with multi-stage hydrothermal fluids enriched in Ba and NH4, consistent with an extensional tectonic setting during the early Cambrian. The Ba-poor K-feldspars might have formed through interactions between pre-existing K-feldspars and hydrothermal fluids. The Ba-rich K-feldspars in mudstone and dolostone formed mainly by precipitation from hydrothermal fluids that infiltrated the sediments, and we suggest the Ba-rich K-feldspars and cymrite in the chert are of exhalative hydrothermal origin.

Postnatal rapid growth by excess intake of nutrients has been associated with an increased susceptibility to diseases in neonates with intra-uterine growth restricted (IUGR). The aim of the present study was to determine whether postnatal nutritional restriction could improve intestinal development and immune function of neonates with IUGR using piglets as model. A total of twelve pairs of normal-birth weight (NBW) and IUGR piglets (7 d old) were randomly assigned to receive adequate nutrient intake or restricted nutrient intake (RNI) by artificially liquid feeding for a period of 21 d. Blood samples and intestinal tissues were collected at necropsy and were analysed for morphology, digestive enzyme activities, immune cells and expression of innate immunity-related genes. The results indicated that both IUGR and postnatal nutritional restriction delayed the growth rate during the sucking period. Irrespective of nutrient intake, piglets with IUGR had a significantly lower villous height and crypt depth in the ileum than the NBW piglets. Moreover, IUGR decreased alkaline phosphatase activity while enhanced lactase activity in the jejunum and mRNA expressions of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR-9) and DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) in the ileum of piglets. Irrespective of body weight, RNI significantly decreased the number and/or percentage of peripheral leucocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes of piglets, whereas the percentage of neutrophils and the ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ were increased. Furthermore, RNI markedly enhanced the mRNA expression of TLR-9 and DNMT1, but decreased the expression of NOD2 and TRAF-6 in the ileum of piglets. In summary, postnatal nutritional restriction led to abnormal cellular and innate immune response, as well as delayed the growth and intestinal development of IUGR piglets.

The role of substrate orientation on interface registry and nanocrystal shape has been investigated for epitaxial manganese oxide (Mn3O4) nanocrystals. Mn3O4 (101) nanoplatelets and (112)-orientated nanowires have been successfully deposited on (111) and (110) SrTiO3 (STO) substrates, respectively. Under higher magnifications, the (101) platelets were found to exhibit step-like growth, spiraling outward from a local dislocation site at the Mn3O4–STO interface. Selected area electron diffraction analysis from transmission electron microscope (TEM) was carried out to determine the in-plane edge directionalities of (101) and (112) Mn3O4. We found the (101) Mn3O4 orientation to exhibit a complex in-plane epitaxial relation of $[2\overline {31} ]$Mn3O4//[100]STO and an out-of-plane relation of $[\overline 1 01]$Mn3O4//$[\overline 1 11]$STO. Furthermore, lattice misorientations of 58° in-plane and 35° out-of-plane have been calculated, attributed to the shear caused by the spiral growth. For the (112) Mn3O4 nanowires, the TEM diffraction pattern indicates pyramidal cross-sections based along $[0\overline {11} ]$ STO. Subsequent calculations reveal that the (112) nanowires have their long axis (c-axis) such that [001]Mn3O4//[110]STO. Thus the nanowires grow preferentially along its longest axis giving rise to the observed shape and anisotropic nature.

A cross-linked copolymer was designed and synthesized bythe imidation of poly(oxyethylene)-diamine and 4,4’-oxydiphthalic anhydride, and followed by a late-stage curing to generate the cross-linked gels. The copolymers consisting of crosslinking sites and multiple functionalities such aspoly(oxyethylene)-segments, amido-acids, imides, and amine termini, characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. After the self-curing at 80 °C, the gel-like material enabled to absorb liquid form of electrolytesin the medium of propylene carbonate(PC), dimethylformamide(DMF),and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone(NMP).By using a field emission scanning electronic microscope, we observed a 3D interconnected nanochannel microstructure, within which, the liquid electrolytes were absorbed. When the novel polymer gel electrolyte (PGE) was fabricated into a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), an extremely high photovoltaic performance was demonstrated. The PGE, absorbed 76.7 wt% of the liquid electrolyte (soaking in the PC solution) based on the polymer’s weight gave rise to a power conversion efficiency of 8.31%, superior to that (7.89%) of the DSSC with liquid electrolytes. It was further demonstrated that the cell had a long-term stabilityduring the test of 1000hat-rest at room temperature or only slightly decreasing in efficiency of 5%.This is the first time demonstration for a PGE exhibiting a higher performance than its liquid counterpart cell. The observation is ascribed to the suppression of the back electron transfer through the unique morphology of the polymer microstructures.

We like to report a novel conductive film containing graphene-silver nanohybrids from the process of solution coating and annealing at low-temperature for melting silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into interconnected Ag matrice on surface. The fabrication required the assistance of a home-made polymeric dispersant, poly(oxyethylene)-segmented imide (POE-imide), for homogenize the AgNPs and graphene in hybridized form. The intermediate dispersion of AgNPs at 10–25 nm diameter on the surface of 2D-graphene were characterized and subsequently subjected to solution coating into thin films. Under the annealing temperature as low as 160 °C, the films exhibited a high electric conductivity or low sheet resistance at 2.4×10–1 Ω/sq (equivalent to 7.9×104 S/cm). It is noteworthy that the significant point of low-temperature annealing at 160–170 °C that is attributed to the fast deterioration and degradation of the POE-imide organics kinetically before the AgNP coalescence and melting. Furthermore, the comparisons of using silicate clays and carbon nanotubes in replacing the 2D graphene for hybridizing Ag had revealed the different morphologies in Ag networks. The findings of using the polymeric dispersion for synthesizing nanohybrids may open up a new avenue for making films with integrated properties of flexibility, transparency and high conductivity for a host of electronic applications.

Three types of Ganium Nitride (GaN) transistors were studied in this work. The devices were fabricated and exhibited unique characteristics over on-state current and off-state blocking performances. We also compared the performance differences of devices fabricated by multiepitaxial GaN/AlGaN layers on different substrates (Sapphire and Si) and evaluated the correlations among starting substrate, device variation, and manufacturing uniformity. The first device is a normally-on device with Sapphire substrate which shows good drain saturation current (Idsat) and breakdown characteristics, but the gate leakage current is quite large. The second device is a normally-off GaN transistor named metal-insulate-semiconductor (MIS) heterojunction field-effect transistor (MIS-HFET) which exhibits good performance with threshold voltage (Vth) of 3V and breakdown voltage (Vbd) of over 1800V. However the third device is a normally-off GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor field-elect transistor (MOSFET) structure which is rather difficult to exhibit good blocking characteristic due to inadequate doping process control of the reduce-surface-field (RESURF) region.

A novel polymer dispersant, poly(oxyethylene)-segment imide (POEM) in the structure was incorporated in the nanocrystalline TiO2 film as the electrode. The uses of the dispersants could disperse TiO2 by decreasing the van der waals force among the nanoparticles, observed by TEM. The resultant TiO2/POEM film as the photoanode rendered the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with enhanced performance. By comparing to the traditional photoanode composing of polyethylene glycol (PEG) dispersed TiO2, the POEM dispersed TiO2 provided large surface area and high roughness in the dye adsorbed film. Furthermore, the fabricated TiO2/POEM photoanode has a better light-scattering property which contributes to the improvement for the short-circuit current density (Jsc) and the power-conversion efficiency (_) of the DSSC to be 19.1 mA cm-2 and 8.7%, respectively. The performance is superior to 13.2 mA cm-2 and 7.34% for a DSSC with the photoanode containing TiO2/PEG.

Based on solution casting method, a ceramic [CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO)]-Polymer [P(VDF-TrFE)] composite with flexibility has been synthesized and its dielectric response has been studied. The CCTO ceramic powders were prepared by traditional sintering method and were milled with a relative uniform size. The dielectric properties of these films with micro-size and nano-size CCTO particle, as well as different polymer matrixes were determined. The process was optimized by hot pressing and surface modification to achieve high dielectric constant. A dielectric constant about 175 for one layer composite with high flexibility using silane coupling agent was obtained at 1 kHz at room temperature.

Single-wall and multi-wall carbon nanotube blends (0 to 0.5 vol% ) with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) have been prepared using solution cast method and characterized. By acid treatment, it has been observed that nanotube has been well functionalized and uniformly dispersed into the polymer. X-ray diffraction analysis coupled with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has revealed that carbon nanotube alters the crystallinity of PVDF and thereby enhances the β-phase in PVDF. Experimental results have demonstrated that enhancement of β-phase is a function of carbon nanotube concentration.