Background: This study attempted a comparative analysis of three splint fabrication methods currently used in clinical fields. Traditional Orthotic Fabrication Method Utilizing Thermoplastic Resin, the Methodology for creating assistive devices using 3D scanner, commercial CAD software, and 3D printing technology, and the Fabrication Method of Arm Splint Based on XR (eXtended Reality) Algorithm. Objectives: The study recruited 12 undergraduate students majoring in physical therapy and occupational therapy who had sufficient knowledge of splints, with an equal gender distribution. The study randomized the participants and conducted the experiment and overall process using a stratified approach. Design: Clinical applied technology experiment Methods: The study used QUEST 2.0 (Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology ver. 2.0) to survey standardization, weight, ease of use, safety, durability, usability, effectiveness, and patient satisfaction, and statistically analyzed all results as quantitative indicators. Results: The score of QUEST 2.0 showed different aspects in some items, and it is difficult to say that certain technologies are superior overall. Conclusion: The study attempted an intuitive interpretation of the results. Overall, it was concluded that the XR method, which allows for easy and fast fabrication, is likely to be more readily accepted in future clinical practice.

The feasibility of infrared assisted freeze drying (IRAFD) was evaluated for shelf stable sea cucumber to improve the traditional drying methods such as freeze drying (FD), vacuum drying (VD) and hot air drying (AD, 60, 80, 100oC). Infrared (IR) radiant energy was provided to accelerate the drying rate of freeze drying (FD). IRAFD had the most rapid drying rate among IRAFD, FD and VD. IRAFD showed drying time of 13.7 h followed by VD (18.7 h) and FD (24.3 h). In the final moisture content of sea cucumber, it decreased down to 3.25% at IRAFD. However, FD and VD could not reduce down the moisture content of sea cucumber below 7%. Quality attributes of AD sea cucumber were not acceptable with very low restoration rate and excessive hardness. For example, AD 100 had very low weight restoration rate of 23% and hardness of 22 N. IRAFD showed quite high restoration rates (weight: 50%, width: 82%, length: 91%) and acceptable hardness of 3.1 N. IRAFD consumed the minimal electrical energy of 120 kJ as compared to 209 kJ of FD. This study showed the potential application of IRAFD to produce the shelf stable dried sea cucumber with microbial safety.

The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, is a freeze-susceptible species and overwinters without diapause in temperate zone. Depression of supercooling point (SCP) and rapid cold hardiness (RCH) allow S. exigua to survive at low temperatures. This study reports a polyol which is responsible for the cold hardiness of S. exigua. Pre-exposure of S. exigua larvae to 4°C for 6 h significantly enhanced survival under a freezing temperature (-10°C). This pre-exposure treatment also significantly depressed larval SCPs. Analysis of polyols indicated that glycerol titers significantly increase with increase of pre-exposure time. Glycerol kinase (GK) and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) are involved in glycolysis pathway of insect. The S. exigua GK (SeGK1) and G3PDH (SeG3PDH1) genes were predicted from 454 pyrosequencing transcripts from fifth instar larvae of the beet armyworm, S. exigua. The SeGK1 and SeG3PDH1 genes both were expressed in all larval stage by RT-PCR analysis. Expression of SeGK1 and SeG3PDH1 genes were suppressed by its specific dsRNASeGK1 or dsRNASeG3PDH1 injection into hemocoel of 5th instar larva. Each 200 ng of dsRNASeGK1 or dsRNASeG3PDH1 injection also significantly decreased glycerol amount in hemolymph. Larval treated by either dsRNASeGK1 or dsRNASeG3PDH1 significantly lost the RCH under -10°C exposure. These results indicate that glycerol is a crucial RCH agent and its synthesis is regulated by SeGK1 and SeG3PDH1 genes in S. exigua.

In this study, “Recycling of ladle furnace slag (LFS) in the electric furnace process to produce ultra rapid harding cement” is the target technology. Environmental and economic efficiencies of target technology are analyzed and ecoefficiency is assessed based on these results. The methodologies to analyze environmental and economic efficiencies are LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and market price which is calculated based on LCC (Life Cycle Costing), respectively. Global warming potential (GWP) and abiotic resource depletion (ARD) are selected as indicator of environmental analysis. The reference flow of this study is considered 1kg of ultra rapid harding cement which made from the LFS. As a result of that, target process has environmental efficiency of 13.1 for global warming and 5.93 for abiotic resource depletion and has economic efficiency of 4.86. Eco-efficiencies are derived from this study can be applied to slag recycling policy formulation and effect analysis in the future. This can be also applied to improve process’s environmental and economic performances.