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This paper reports on an experimental study on human-machine interface in LED manufacturing systems to measure the influence of information overload on user experience. The results are based on cognitive ergonomics. The experiment used eye-tracking methods and a questionnaire to gather data. The independent variables were interface complexity and user background. Interface complexity had three levels: high interface complexity, moderate interface complexity and low interface complexity. User background had two levels: the novice group and the expert group. The dependent variables included time to first fixation, fixations before and subjective feelings. A total of 38 operators participated in the experiment, and the results showed that (1) interface complexity caused a significant difference in time to first fixation (P \ 0.05) and fixations before (P \ 0.05). Furthermore, the results revealed significant differences between high complexity interfaces compared to low complexity interfaces (P \ 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed between moderate and low complexity interfaces or between moderate and high complexity interfaces (P [ 0.05); (2) user background significantly affected the user experience; (3) within the same complexity level, expert operators' cognitive workload was significantly lower than that of novice operators; and (4) there was no significant relationship between the interface complexity and the user's background. The study concludes that because interface complexity has a significant effect on the time taken to locate the target button on the screen, interface design should be as simple as possible, while still providing the necessary level of functionality.

Dispersions of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-butyl methacrylate) (PNB) nanogels are known to exhibit reversible thermosensitive sol-gel phase behavior and can consequently be used in a wide range of biomedical applications. However, some dissatisfactory mechanical properties of PNB nanogels can limit their applications. In this paper, bacterial cellulose (BC) whiskers were first prepared by sulfuric acid hydrolysis and then nanosized by high-pressure homogenization for subsequent use in the preparation of BC whisker/PNB nanogel complexes (designated as BC/PNB). The mechanical properties of PNB was successfully enhanced, resulting in good biosafety. The BC/PNB nanogel dispersions exhibited phase transitions from swollen gel to shrunken gel with increasing temperature. In addition, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data showed that the thermosensitivity of PNB nanogels was retained. Rheological tests also indicated that BC/PNB nanogel complexes had stronger gel strengths when compared with PNB nanogels. The concentrated dispersions showed shear thinning behavior and improved toughness, both of which can play a key role in the medical applications of nanogel complexes. Furthermore, the BC/PNB nanogel complexes were noncytotoxic according to cytotoxicity and hemolysis tests. Concentrated BC/PNB nanogel dispersion displayed gel a forming capacity in situ by catheter injection, which indicates potential for a wide range of medical applications.

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Abstract:The purpose of this study is to provide an IDEF method-based integrated framework for a business process simulation model to reduce the model development time by increasing the communication and knowledge reusability during a simulation project. In this framework, simulation requirements are collected by a function modeling method (IDEF0) and a process modeling method (IDEF3). Based on these requirements, a common data model is constructed using the IDEF1X method. From this reusable data model, multiple simulation models are automatically generated using a database-driven simulation model development approach. The framework is claimed to help both requirement collection and experimentation phases during a simulation project by improving system knowledge, model reusability, and maintainability through the systematic use of three descriptive IDEF methods and the features of the relational database technologies. A complex semiconductor fabrication case study was used as a testbed to evaluate and illustrate the concepts and the framework. Two different simulation software products were used to develop and control the semiconductor model from the same knowledge base. The case study empirically showed that this framework could help improve the simulation project processes by using IDEF-based descriptive models and the relational database technology. Authors also concluded that this framework could be easily applied to other analytical model generation by separating the logic from the data

DNA replication is a process fundamental in all living organisms in which deregulation, known as replication stress, often leads to genomic instability, a hallmark of cancer. Most malignant tumors sustain persistent proliferation and tolerate replication stress via increasing reliance to the replication stress response. So whilst replication stress induces genomic instability and tumorigenesis, the replication stress response exhibits a unique cancer-specific vulnerability that can be targeted to induce catastrophic cell proliferation. Radiation therapy, most used in cancer treatment, induces a plethora of DNA lesions that affect DNA integrity and, in-turn, DNA replication. Owing to radiation dose limitations for specific organs and tumor tissue resistance, the therapeutic window is narrow. Thus, a means to eliminate or reduce tumor radioresistance is urgently needed. Current research trends have highlighted the potential of combining replication stress regulators with radiation therapy to capitalize on the high replication stress of tumors. Here, we review the current body of evidence regarding the role of replication stress in tumor progression and discuss potential means of enhancing tumor radiosensitivity by targeting the replication stress response. We offer new insights into the possibility of combining radiation therapy with replication stress drugs for clinical use.

β‐Adrenergic receptor (β‐AR) agonists are the most common clinical bronchodilators for asthma. Obesity influences asthma severity and may impair response to β‐AR agonists. Previous studies show that in obese mice, hyperinsulinemia plays a crucial role in β‐AR desensitization in the heart. We therefore investigated whether insulin promotes β‐AR desensitization in airway smooth muscle (ASM) and compromises airway relaxation responsiveness to β‐AR agonists. We found that human ASM cells and mouse airway tissues exposed to insulin exhibit impaired β2AR‐induced cAMP accumulation and airway relaxation. This impaired relaxation is associated with insulin‐induced phosphorylation and expression of phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) through transactivation of a G protein‐coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2)‐dependent β2AR‐Gi‐ERK1/2 cascade. Both acute and chronic pharmacological inhibition of PDE4 effectively reversed impaired β2AR‐mediated ASM relaxation in an obesity mouse model induced by a high fat diet. Collectively, these findings reveal that cross talk between insulin and β2AR signaling promotes ASM β2AR desensitization in obesity through upregulation of PDE4D phosphorylation and expression. Our results identify a novel pathway of asthma pathogenesis in patients with obesity/metabolic syndrome, in which the GRK2‐mediated signaling can be a potential therapeutic modality to prevent or treat β2AR desensitization in ASM. Moreover, PDE4 inhibitors may be used as efficacious therapeutic agents for asthma in obese and diabetic subjects.

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