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Context. HD 49330 is an early Be star that underwent an outburst during its five-month observation with the CoRoT satellite. An analysis of its light curve revealed several independent p and g pulsation modes, in addition to showing that the amplitude of the modes is directly correlated with the outburst. Aims. We modelled the results obtained with CoRoT to understand the link between pulsational parameters and the outburst of this Be star. Methods. We modelled the flattening of the structure of the star due to rapid rotation in two ways: Chandrasekhar-Milne's expansion and 2D structure computed with ROTORC. We then modelled κ-driven pulsations. We also adapted the formalism of the excitation and amplitude of stochastically excited gravito-inertial modes to rapidly rotating stars, and we modelled those pulsations as well. Results. We find that while pulsation p modes are indeed excited by the κ mechanism, the observed g modes are, rather, a result of stochastic excitation. In contrast, g and r waves are stochastically excited in the convective core and transport angular momentum to the surface, increasing its rotation rate. This destabilises the external layers of the star, which then emits transient stochastically excited g waves. These transient waves produce most of the low-frequency signal detected in the CoRoT data and ignite the outburst. During this unstable phase, p modes disappear at the surface because their cavity is broken. Following the outburst and ejection of the surface layer, relaxation occurs, making the transient g waves disappear and p modes reappear. Conclusions. This work includes the first coherent model of stochastically excited gravito-inertial pulsation modes in a rapidly rotating Be star. It provides an explanation for the correlation between the variation in the amplitude of frequencies detected in the CoRoT data and the occurrence of an outburst. This scenario could apply to other pulsating Be stars, providing an explanation to the long-standing questions surrounding Be outbursts and disks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate age-related changes of orbital rim in Koreans and construct a reference data set for the aging phenomenon in Asians. Methods: Data were collected from computed tomography (CT) scans of orbits and facial bones obtained from 107 Korean (55 males and 52 females) at intervals of 0.60 mm. Subjects was categorized according to sex and age as follows: young group (20–35 years) and old group (60 years and above). CT scans were reconstructed via three-dimensional (3D) modeling programs. The most lateral, medial, superior and inferior points of orbital rim were used as reference points. The orbital aperture area in each 3D model was measured using an analytical software program such as 3-Matic. Results: The orbital aperture height showed no overall statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) with age in either sex. Changes were irregular with a combination of decrease and increased components. The mean change did not exceed about 0.1 mm. The orbital aperture area showed no significant change with increasing age in either male or female study populations. Conclusions: In this study, there was no significant enlargement of the orbital rim with increasing age in Koreans. The measurement data in the present study differ from previous studies involving White subjects, which revealed a significant increase in orbital aperture area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which reported the use of alloy cladding layers to determine the energy-level engineering of self-assembled quantum dots. Experimental method; Results; Discussion.

The theoretical extent of framework flexibility of Zeolite A (LTA) in response to the steric and geometric effects of different Si/Al compositions and extra-framework cation content has been explored using GASP software. Flexibility windows and compression mechanisms for siliceous LTA and aluminosilicate Na-LTA, Ca-LTA and K-LTA have been modelled. As expected, relatively small cations in the zeolite pores have little effect on the range of flexibility observed. Aluminosilicate LTA, Na-LTA and Ca-LTA frameworks exhibit identical flexibility windows and these frameworks also follow the same compression mechanisms. The introduction of larger K+ ions, however, results in greater steric hindrance. This restricts the flexibility of the framework and alters the compression mechanism to accommodate these larger cations. It is shown that the limits of the flexibility window of Zeolite A are dependent on framework aluminium content and extra-framework cation size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Porous nickel phosphates, denoted as VSB-1 (Versailles-Santa Barbara-1) and VSB-5 (Versailles-Santa Barbara-5), are crystalline metal phosphate microporous molecular sieves with zeolitic properties. These nickel phosphates could be used as functional catalysts and adsorbents due to interesting properties to readily accommodate many transition metal elements in their frameworks besides zeolitic properties as well as the presence of framework nickel (II) ions. In this account, we provide an overview of selected results regarding their catalytic and sorption applications which have been published in the literature. VSB-1 and VSB-5 are similar to zeolites in many aspects and may be suitable for use as adsorbents for the separation of molecular species and as catalysts or catalyst supports. Particularly, these materials possess unique catalytic properties suitable for several reactions that do not require strong acidity. Isomorphous substitution of Ni2+ with divalent or trivalent transition metals in a nickel phosphate structure can generate new redox centers and Brønsted-Lewis acid centers, providing interesting catalytic properties. Based on an understanding of the formation mechanism of nickel phosphate, VSB-5 was used in electrochemical applications and showed unusual surface chemistry of coordinatively unsaturated Ni2+ sites accessible in its pores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An in situ detection method for beta-ray distribution was developed. The method uses the gamma-ray sensitivity difference between two scintillators: a cadmium–tungstate (CdWO4) scintillator and a plastic scintillator. The gamma-ray sensitivity ratios for several gamma-ray sources such as 137Cs, 60Co, 22Na, and 54Mn were experimentally characterized. The sensitivity ratio for 137Cs between the CdWO4 and plastic scintillators was 8 ± 0.32, while the sensitivity ratio for beta rays from 90Sr was 1.03 ± 0.006. The beta-ray contributions to the total counts can be evaluated using this characteristic. A combined beta-ray and gamma-ray source was prepared, and its beta-ray distribution was successfully obtained using the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body mass (BM) estimation could facilitate the interpretation of skeletal materials in terms of the individual's body size and physique in forensic anthropology. However, few metric studies have tried to estimate BM by focusing on prominent biomechanical properties of the calcaneus. The purpose of this study was to prepare best-fit models for estimating BM from the 3D human calcaneus by two major linear regression analysis (the heuristic statistical and all-possible-regressions techniques) and validate the models through predicted residual sum of squares (PRESS) statistics. A metric analysis was conducted based on 70 human calcaneus samples (29 males and 41 females) taken from 3D models in the Digital Korean Database and 10 variables were measured for each sample. Three best-fit models were postulated by F-statistics, Mallows' Cp, and Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Bayes information criterion (BIC) for each available candidate models. Finally, the most accurate regression model yields lowest %SEE and 0.843 of R(2). Through the application of leave-one-out cross validation, the predictive power was indicated a high level of validation accuracy. This study also confirms that the equations for estimating BM using 3D models of human calcaneus will be helpful to establish identification in forensic cases with consistent reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate sex estimation is crucial for comprehensive analysis of the biological profiles of unidentified human skeletal remains. However, there is a notable lack of research specifically addressing the morphometrics of the hard palate. Therefore, this study aimed to derive discriminant equations using the hard palate and assess their applicability for sexing partial skeletal remains in a contemporary Korean population. Statistical analyses were performed for 24 measurements derived from three-dimensional models of the hard palate, generated using computed tomography scans of 301 individuals (156 males, 145 females). Descriptive statistics revealed significant sexual dimorphism in the mean comparison of hard palate sizes between Korean males and females, with males exhibiting larger palates across all measurements (p < 0.05). Discriminant function score equations were generated to aid in sex determination. Univariate analysis yielded an accuracy range of 57.8–75.1%, whereas the stepwise method achieved an accuracy of 80.7% with five selected variables: IF-PNS, GFL-GFR, IF-GFR, Pr-EcL, and Pr-EnR. The results of this metric analysis demonstrate the usefulness of the hard palate for sex estimation in the contemporary Korean population. These findings have potential implications for forensic investigations, archeological studies, and population-specific anatomical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiographs and computed tomography (CT) images have been increasingly applied and accepted in forensic sciences. Along with radiographs and CT images, the frontal sinus is often used for the individual identification because of its unique and unchangeable characteristics. The purpose of this study is to define the usefulness of three-dimensional (3-D) images of the frontal sinus for identification. CT images from 119 Korean cadavers were built up for 3-D reconstruction and surveyed with 15 measurements. The total volume of the sinus, some nonmetric characteristics, and the bilateral asymmetry index in men differed significantly from those in women ( p < 0.05). The digit codes, six sections and 10-digit number, were almost able to accurately identify individuals (98%). This study showed a statistical difference between the sexes and classified the fused and prominent middle sinuses for the first time. This proposed method for identification is more accurate than those used in other studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a spectral element model for the axially loaded axial-bending-shear coupled vibrations of composite laminated beams, which are represented by the Timoshenko beam models based on the first-order shear deformation theory. The variation approach is used to formulate the frequency-dependent spectral element matrix (often called exact dynamic stiffness matrix) for the present spectral element model. As the spectral element matrix is formulated from exact wave solutions satisfying the frequency domain governing equations of motion transformed by the use of discrete Fourier transform theory, the present spectral element model cannot only provide extremely accurate solutions with using only a minimum number of degrees of freedom but also contribute to improving the computation efficiency. The high accuracy of the present spectral element model is numerically verified by comparing its solutions with exact analytical solutions available from references as well as with the solutions obtained by conventional finite element method. The effects of the axial loading and damping are also numerically investigated. For the numerical verification, the finite element model is also provided for the axially loaded axial-bending-shear coupled composite laminated Timoshenko beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pharmacokinetics of ϵ-acetamidocaproic acid (AACA) were evaluated after the intravenous and oral administration of an antiulcer agent, zinc acexamate (ZAC) at a dose of 20 mg kg−1 (ion pairing between zinc and AACA) in rats with indomethacin-induced acute gastric ulcer (IAGU) or indomethacin-induced small bowel inflammation (ISBI). In IAGU rats, the area under the curves (AUCs) of AACA were significantly smaller after both the intravenous (551 versus 1270 μg min ml−1) and oral (397 versus 562 μg min ml−1) administration of ZAC than controls, possible due to the significantly faster CLR of AACA. In ISBI rats, however, the AUCs of AACA were comparable with controls after both the intravenous and oral administration of ZAC. In IAGU rats, the significantly smaller AUCs of AACA were due to the significantly faster CLR (due to the decreased urinary pH by indomethacin treatment) than controls. AACA has a basic secondary amine group. On the other hand, the comparable AUCs of AACA in ISBI rats were due to the comparable CLRs between ISBI and control rats. AACA was excreted in the urine via active renal tubular secretion in all rats studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to investigate the sex discriminating potential of the talus in Koreans and compare this with other analyses in different populations. Statistical analyses were performed using data from nine measurements acquired from 140 tali (70 men, 70 women). The talus of Koreans is dimorphic between sexes in all measurements ( p < 0.01). Discriminant function equations were generated by univariate, multivariate, and stepwise methods with a range of accuracy from 67.1 to 87.1%. Stepwise equations of other populations did not discriminate the sex of the Korean sample as accurately as each equation's own accuracies. The variables with high accuracy in this study are useful for sex determination of Koreans on the basis of confirmation of population specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After both the intravenous and oral administration of zinc acexamate [ZAC; ion-pairing between zinc and ϵ-acetamidocaproic acid (AACA)] and cimetidine together, the areas under the curve (AUCs) of AACA were significantly greater [by 28.2 and 98.9% after the intravenous and oral administration, respectively, for control rats and 13.5 and 16.9% for indomethacin-induced acute gastric ulcer (IAGU) rats, respectively] than those of ZAC alone due to the significantly slower renal clearance (CLR). The significantly greater AUCs of AACA after both the intravenous and oral administration of ZAC and cimetidine together in control and IAGU rats could have been due to the inhibition of active renal tubular secretion of AACA by cimetidine. After the intravenous and oral administration of both drugs together, the AUCs of cimetidine in control and IAGU rats were not different compared with those with cimetidine alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Polymer solar cells (PSCs) are often fabricated using a well-known 4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene and 4,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-based polymer as a low-bandgap polymer. Further, PSCs are also fabricated by mixing methanofullerene [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) with the polymer. We prepared poly[4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-4,7-bis(2-thienyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-5′,5′′-diyl] after anchoring the penta-1,4-diene in the side chain of the cyclopentadithiophene and investigated the long-term performance stability of a photocrosslinked bulk heterojunction (BHJ) photovoltaic (PV) cell based on the polymer. The photocrosslinking reaction was monitored via infrared spectroscopy without the use of a photoinitiator, by carrying out a spontaneous radical coupling reaction. The polymer film has a broad absorption band extending from 300 to 850nm with an optical bandgap as low as 1.52eV. The polymer was employed to fabricate a PSC with PC61BM. The resultant PSC device, which was treated by UV irradiation (λ =254nm, I =40mW/cm2, 5min), had good preliminary results with an open-circuit voltage of 0.62V, a short-circuit current density of −5.37mA/cm2, a fill factor of 0.41, and an overall power conversion efficiency of 1.37%. All parameters of the UV-cured PSC device were more stable over the course of 300h than those of P3HT-PC61BM devices, indicating the long-term stability of the polymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Loss of consciousness is an essential feature of general anesthesia. Although alterations of neural networks during anesthesia have been identified in the spatial domain, there has been relatively little study of temporal organization.Methods: Ten healthy male volunteers were anesthetized with an induction dose of propofol on two separate occasions. The duration of network connections in the brain was analyzed by multichannel electroencephalography and the minimum spanning tree method. Entropy of the connections was calculated based on Shannon entropy. The global temporal configuration of networks was investigated by constructing the cumulative distribution function of connection times in different frequency bands and different states of consciousness.Results: General anesthesia was associated with a significant reduction in the number of network connections, as well as significant alterations of their duration. These changes were most prominent in the δ bandwidth and were also associated with a significant reduction in entropy of the connection matrix. Despite these and other changes, a global "scale-free" organization was consistently preserved across multiple subjects, anesthetic exposures, states of consciousness, and electroencephalogram frequencies.Conclusions: Our data suggest a fundamental principle of temporal organization of network connectivity that is maintained during consciousness and anesthesia, despite local changes. These findings are consistent with a process of adaptive reconfiguration during general anesthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Fungal infection is prevalent in patients with diabetes mellitus. Thus, we investigated whether a pharmacokinetic interaction occurs between the anti-fungal agent itraconazole and the anti-glycaemic drug metformin, as both drugs are commonly administered together to diabetic patients and are metabolized via hepatic CYP3A subfamily in rats.Experimental Approach: Itraconazole (20 mg·kg(-1)) and metformin (100 mg·kg(-1)) were simultaneously administered i.v. and p.o. to rats. Concentrations (I) of each drug in the liver and intestine, maximum velocity (V(max)), Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)) and intrinsic clearance (CL(int) ) for the disappearance of each drug, apparent inhibition constant (K(i) ) and [I]/K(i) ratios of each drug in the liver and intestine were determined. Also the metabolism of each drug in rat and human CYPs was measured in vitro.Key Results: After simultaneous administration of both drugs, either i.v. or p.o., the total area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity (AUC)s of itraconazole and metformin were significantly greater than that of either drug administered alone. The metabolism of itraconazole and metformin was significantly inhibited by each other via CYP3A1 and 3A2 in rat and 3A4 in human microsomes.Conclusions and Implications: The significantly greater AUCs of itraconazole and metformin after i.v. administration of both drugs are probably due to competitive inhibition of the metabolism of each drug by each other via hepatic CYP3A1/2. Whereas after oral administration of both drugs, the significantly greater AUCs of each drug administered together than that of either drug alone is mainly due to competitive inhibition of intestinal metabolism of each drug by each other via intestinal CYP3A1/2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc acexamate (ZAC) is ionized to zinc and e-acetamidocaproic acid (AACA). Thus, the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of zinc and AACA after intravenous (50 mg kg-1) and oral (100 mg kg-1) administration of ZAC were evaluated in rats. Also the pharmacokinetics of AACA after intravenous (10, 20, 30, and 50 mg kg-1) and oral (20, 50, and 100 mg kg-1) administration of ZAC and the first-pass extractions of AACA at a ZAC dose of 20 mg kg-1 were evaluated in rats. 2. After oral administration of ZAC (20 mg kg-1), approximately 0.408% of the oral dose was not absorbed, the F value was approximately 47.1%, and the hepatic and gastrointestinal (GI) first-pass extractions of AACA were approximately 8.50% and 46.4% of the oral dose, respectively. The incomplete F value of AACA was mainly due to the considerable GI first-pass extraction in rats. 3. Affinity of rat tissues to zinc and AACA was low-the tissue-to-plasma (T/P) ratios were less than unity. The equilibrium plasma-to-blood cells partition ratios of AACA were independent of initial blood ZAC concentrations of 1, 5, and 10 μg ml-1-the mean values were 0.481, 0.490, and 0.499, respectively. The bound fractions of zinc and AACA to rat plasma were 96.6% and 39.0%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mobile application named HLTapper was designed for Android mobile phones to collect and assess real‐time alternating finger tapping movement data such as mean tapping speeds, temporal variations of tapping intervals, horizontal tapping variances, and vertical tapping variances, from built‐in sensors while a subject performs the finger tapping movement task according to directions given through the application interface. The results of a controlled experiment (40 subjects including nine subjects with Parkinson disease, 11 healthy age‐matched subjects, and 20 healthy young subjects) and a discriminant analysis revealed sensitivity of 85.71% and specificity of 91.42%, on an average, which suggests that HLTapper would be useful for early diagnosis and personalised treatment plan adjustments of patients with Parkinson disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, we synthesized gold–titania nanocomposite thin films by using mesoporous titania thin films formed on indium tin oxide substrates as templates. The pore structure of our mesoporous titania thin films can be described as a periodic 3D pore network by interconnecting 7 nm sized cages. Electrochemical deposition of gold into the pores led to gold–titania nanocomposite films. Both gold and titania form continuous 3D network structures with internal periodicity. Because of the low conductivity of indium tin oxide substrate, the deposited gold formed isotropic islands. The absorption spectrum of the resultant gold–titania nanocomposite thin films showed two peaks, one at 640 nm and the other over a broad range of wavelengths longer than 1500 nm. These peaks grow with the increase of the deposition time but do not change the positions. The optical properties were explained in terms of the unique nanostructure of our gold–titania nanocomposite film. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Synchronous or metachronous occurrences of both prostate cancer and male breast cancer are rarely reported, but provide insight into their hormonal and genetic biology. We sought to determine the incidence of prostate cancer in male breast cancer patients at our institution, and to examine estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and HER-2/neu receptor (HR) status in these patients. A retrospective review was conducted of male breast cancer patients from 1990 to 2006. Histopathologic characteristics and hormone receptor expression was obtained. In 69 patients with male breast cancer, 12 (17%) also had a diagnosis of prostate cancer. Nine had ER-positive status and three were unreported. PR status was positive in 5, whereas 3 had PR-negative status. HR status was positive in 1, whereas 5 had HR-negative status. Male breast cancer patients in this cohort have an incidence of prostate cancer higher than would be predicted in the general population; this risk factor has implications for careful prostate cancer screening.Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (2009) 12, 52–56; doi:10.1038/pcan.2008.26; published online 27 May 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty-three linear measurements and two ratios were derived from 102 12th thoracic vertebrae of the Digital Korean database at the Catholic Institute for Applied Anatomy. Of 35 linear traits, 23 were sexually dimorphic. We created 23 discriminant function equations that predicted sex with 62.7–85.3% accuracy. The analysis using combinations of two factors gave higher accuracies: most equations with accuracies over 80% included at least one measurement involving the coronal diameter of the vertebral endplate. Using stepwise method of discriminant function analysis, three variables predicted sex with 90.0% accuracy: the coronal diameter of the superior endplate of the vertebral body, the ratio of anterior to middle height of the body, and the length of the left mammillary process and pedicle. Coronal dimensions of the vertebral body represented the major sex difference. These equations will help forensic discrimination of the sex of this vertebra among Koreans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of unknown remains is very important. When unknown remains are found, anthropologists first determine their sex and age. The sex of most skeletons is determined by their shape. In the hyoid bone, the shape is sex related, so it can be used forensically to determine the sex. This study focused on sex-based morphometry of the hyoid bone in Koreans using digital photographs. Hyoid bones from 52 males and 33 females were examined. For each subject, we took 34 measurements from photographs using a computer program, and the data were analyzed statistically using SPSS 11.0. Twenty-one of 34 measurements had significant sex differences ( p<0.05). The discriminant functions based on three measurements (X1 - X3) were as follows: D = 0.238 × X1 + 0.571 × X2 + 0.191 × X3 - 10.734 The accuracy of discriminant functions is 88.2% in both groups, so these can be used to distinguish males from females in a statistically significant manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An array of cobalt nanorods of 10 nm in diameter and 14 nm of rod-to-rod distance was fabricated by electrochemical deposition technique into the pores of a mesoporous silica thin film formed on a Pt-coated Si wafer substrate. The cobalt nanorods are highly crystalline with the fcc structure. The magnetic hysterisis data at 300 K show that Co@silica nanocomposite film has strong magnetization anisotropy. Atomic and magnetic force microscopic data on this film revealed the possibility that each cobalt nanorod in the array can be individually magnetized. The number density of the cobalt nanorods is very high with 6 × 1012 per in2, high enough to develop into a terabit magnetic memory device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infraorbital nerve blocking through the infraorbital foramen and infraorbital canal is used to anesthetize the lower eyelid, upper lip, lateral nose, upper teeth and related gingivae. For this, it is important to know the position of the infraorbital foramen, structures around the foramen, and the direction of the injecting needle related to the angle of the infraorbital canal. Many reports have described the anatomical location of the infraorbital foramen; however, not many have described the angle of the infraorbital canal and those structures around the infraorbital foramen that help the physician visualize the correct direction of the needle. Dried skulls of 42 Korean subjects (27 male and 15 female) were studied to analyze structures around the infraorbital foramen. The morphology of the infraorbital canal was also investigated using three-dimensional models. Structures around the infraorbital foramen were classified into four types according to the existence of a distinct tuberosity above the infraorbital foramen, and the degree of prominence of the canine fossa. Types I and II have a tuberosity above the infraorbital foramen, whereas types III and IV have no distinct tuberosity. Types I and III have a prominent canine fossa, whereas this is less prominent in types II and IV. We analyzed the skulls based on the angle of the infraorbital canal to the median plane. We compared the left and right sides and analyzed differences between the sexes, the three canal shapes, and the four structure types around the infraorbital foramen. Type IV was the most common in this series (38%). The infraorbital canal could be classified into three morphologies: ‘tube-like’ (69%), ‘funnel’ (25%) and ‘pinched’ (6%). The mean angle of the infraorbital canal relative to the median plane was 12°, and the angle relative to the Frankfurt plane was 44°. The mean angle between the infraorbital canal and the Frankfurt plane was 4° larger in males than in females in this series of Korean subjects. The operator of the infraorbital nerve block should pay attention towards directing the needle upward at an angle of about 44° for avoiding nerve damage and consider the different angles of the canal according to the individual’s sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, a spectral element model is developed for the uniform straight pipelines conveying internal unsteady fluid. Four coupled pipe-dynamics equations are derived first by using the Hamilton''s principle and the principles of fluid mechanics. The transverse displacement, the axial displacement, the fluid pressure and the fluid velocity are all considered as the dependent variables. The coupled pipe-dynamics equations are then linearized about the steady-state values of the fluid pressure and velocity. As the final step, the spectral element model represented by the exact dynamic stiffness matrix, which is often called spectral element matrix, is formulated by using the frequency-domain solutions of the linearized pipe-dynamics equations. The fast Fourier transform (FFT)-based spectral dynamic analyses are conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the present spectral element model and also to investigate the structural dynamic characteristics and the internal fluid transients of an example pipeline system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: By using the nanoparticle route, we have synthesized mesoporous titania thin films with interconnected pores in 3D. The pore size is approximately 3nm and the pores form a pseudo-cubic structure derived from the structure. By systematically studying the influence of the synthesis parameters such as the humidity during the spin-coating and aging steps, composition, aging temperature, and aging time, we have established optimal conditions for reproducible synthesis of pseudo-cubic structured mesoporous titania thin films. In addition to the conventional transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, the films were studied by atomic force microscopy, which revealed that the pore ordering of the films was highly regular without any defect in the scale of several hundred nanometers and the film surface was very flat and smooth with roughness less than 0.3nm. Electrochemical analyses of several analyte molecules of different sizes on Pt electrodes with and without the mesoporous titania film coating clearly show that the mesoporous titania thin films have size exclusion properties in the nanometer scale. Using these titania thin films as a template, we have synthesized an array of nanoparticles of Ag that are interconnected to form a 3D network within the pores by electrochemical deposition in aqueous solutions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The discharge capacity of LiCoPO4, prepared using carbon-containing precursors, heated under different oxygen partial pressures (high-purity argon, air, pure oxygen) was investigated. LiCoPO4 heat-treated under high-purity argon showed a higher discharge capacity over the entire cycle life compared to under air or pure oxygen. No difference in the discharge capacity of LiCoPO4 heat-treated under air or pure oxygen was exhibited. The enhanced discharge capacity of LiCoPO4 heat-treated under argon compared to air/oxygen was a result of its higher electrical conductivity and smaller particle size. The higher electrical conductivity and smaller particle of LiCoPO4 heat-treated under argon is likely do the presence of cobalt phosphides and increased carbon content. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Discusses the characteristics and transmission performance of a semiconductor optical amplifier incorporated optical single-sideband system. Improvement of analog optical transmission performance using an optical single-sideband system incorporating a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA); Recovered to the signal by detuning the RF phase of a modulator; Increase of distortion with the increase of the SOA current and input power in the unsaturated gain region; Detuning quantity of the RF phase to restore the distorted signal to the SSB signal; Distortion quantity; Chromatic dispersion effects.

Liver surgeons favor using the entity called the ‘dorsal liver’ (i.e. the caudate lobe and other paracavally located liver parenchyme of segments 7 and 8). According to minute dissection of 48 livers, we describe the territories of the left/right portal veins, hepatic ducts and hepatic arteries in the dorsal liver. In the caudate lobe, the right hepatic artery, rather than the left hepatic artery (23/48 vs 19/48 for right vs left, respectively), tended to supply the ‘left’ portal vein territory. Similarly, paradoxical drainage patterns, such as the right hepatic duct draining the left portal vein territory, were found in seven of 48 livers. In the territory of the hilar bifurcation, right hepatic artery dominance was also evident and various bile drainage patterns were found. These included double drainage by the bilateral hepatic ducts (3/48) and drainage into the confluence of bilateral ducts (6/48). In contrast, the arterial supply and biliary drainage of the paracavally located parenchyme of segments 7 and 8 usually depended on the proper segmental arteries and ducts and their variations were within the range of those found in other parts of the right lobe. Therefore, the dorsal liver concept may not be anatomical but, rather, simply aimed at usefulness in surgery. Nevertheless, clear subdivision of the caudate lobe according to biliary drainage and/or arterial supply seemed difficult because of the paradoxical relatioships among the portal vein, hepatic artery and bile duct. Consequently, the present results support extended surgery based on the dorsal liver concept for carcinomas involving the caudate lobe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was undertaken to investigate the influence of Nb and V alloying elements and manufacturing conditions on the microstructural behaviour and mechanical characteristics of HSS (high speed steel) roll manufactured by a VCC (vertical centrifugal casting) process. In the Fe - 2C - 6Cr-1.5W - 3Mo - 4V alloy, the amount of MC carbide was increased and the the amount of M[sub 7]C[sub 3] carbide decreased with an increase in V and Nb content. In steel containing 3%Nb, primary NbC carbide was formed within the cell in the matrix. The hardness of steel containing 6.5%V but no Nb was increased a little but when 9%V was added, the hardness decreased in the specimen owing to the soft ferritic matrix. The hardness of the matrix in steel containing 1.5%Nb increased, but decreased for 3%Nb addition. In wear tests, wear loss decreased with increasing rotational wear speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a frequency-domain method of structural damage identification. It is formulated in a general form from the dynamic stiffness equation of motion for a structure and then applied to a beam structure. Only the dynamic stiffness matrix for the intact state appears in the final form of the damage identification algorithm as the structure model. The appealing features of the present damage identification method are: (1) it requires only the frequency response functions experimentally measured from the damaged structure as the input data, and (2) it can locate and quantify many local damages at the same time. The feasibility of the present damage identification method is tested through some numerically simulated damage identification analyses and then experimental verification is conducted for a cantilevered beam with damage caused by introducing three slots. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary Previously, we prepared two different monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against human 4-1BB (CD137): an agonistic mAb BBK-1 and an antagonistic mAb BBK-2. In this paper, we describe the molecular cloning of these two mAbs and present comparisons of their amino acid sequences. cDNAs encoding the heavy (H) and light (L) chains of the two mAbs were cloned by screening of cDNA libraries constructed from hybridomas secreting these mAbs. Comparisons of amino acid sequences of the two mAbs showed that, while the constant regions of the H and L chains were identical between the two mAbs, the variable region showed 45% identity in H chains and 48% identity in L chains. This suggests that these two mAbs recognize different epitopes of 4-1BB and may have different effects on the activity of 4-1BB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which developed a fracture mechanics-based continuum damage theory for initially anisotropic solids. Continuum modeling of local damage; Identification of local damage.

A frequency domain spectral element model is developed for a bearing supported rotor system, which consists of two spinning shafts and an interim disc. For the proposed spectral element model, the spinning shafts are represented by Timoshenko shaft models. The interim disc is represented by a uniform thick rigid disc with an unbalance mass, and it is considered to be wobbling about its geometric centre to which the spinning shafts are connected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have fabricated solidified electrolytes by using an ionic liquid (BMI TFST) and TiO2; the electrolyte materials exhibit a high conductivity of 10-2 S cm-1 at intermediate temperatures due to self-assembled ionic transport channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have fabricated solidified electrolytes by using an ionic liquid (BMI TFST) and TiO2; the electrolyte materials exhibit a high conductivity of 10−2S cm−1at intermediate temperatures due to self-assembled ionic transport channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A neuronal signal mapping method between the brain of a rat and a computer has been developed and applied to implement a 2D encoding-based real-time brain–computer interface system. The system transformed real-time neuronal activities from a prefrontal cortex, a non-motor area of a rat into control commands, which were used to drive a water disc in 2D space. The system was successfully implemented for a real-time operation based on the subject's motor intentions derived from a non-motor area, which showed a possibility of universal access to computers by removing withdraw restrictions on the motor-related region of the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to quantify life-cycle fossil energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) derived renewable diesel (RD) taking into consideration different feedstock classifications that are applicable to PFAD (residue, byproduct, or coproduct), and incorporating updated data for key processes. Under the three classifications, the PFAD to RD pathway was modeled using the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET®) model. PFAD-derived RD could reduce fossil energy consumption by 77%–88%, relative to petroleum diesel. GHG emissions are very sensitive to PFAD classification and coproduct handling methods. Considering the production of palm oil and PFAD and economic value, we maintain that PFAD should be treated as a byproduct in palm oil refineries. With this treatment, PFAD-derived RD could achieve 84% GHG emissions reductions, compared to the emissions of petroleum diesel. We also employed a substitution method to address the substitution of PFAD by other materials in the marketplace. Compared to coproduct allocation results, we found substituting PFAD by tallow, soy oil, barley, and canola oil results in lower GHG emissions. Due to high induced land-use change emissions associated with palm farming, if PFAD is treated as a coproduct with refined palm oil, PFAD-derived RD may not deliver GHG reductions. A sensitivity analysis identified key parameters such as palm fruit yield, oil extraction efficiency in oil mills, and energy use intensity for RD production affects LCA results significantly; future efforts to improve these parameters could result in further GHG reductions. • Reviewed feedstock classification for palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD). • PFAD to renewable diesel (RD) may reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 67–85%. • PFAD RD could reduce fossil energy use by 77–88% relative to petroleum diesel. • Including induced land use change, PFAD RD as co-product may not reduce GHG emissions. • Reducing RD refining energy use by 25% may lower GHG emissions by 14.2%–22.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Developing regression equations for predicting external nasal shape. • Using three-dimensional craniofacial models acquired from CT images. • Introducing sex and age as important factors for predicting nose. The nose is a valuable facial feature for facial recognition and approximation. We propose the use of regression functions to predict nasal profiles comprising the structures around the piriform aperture using CT-based 3D models. We examined craniofacial reconstruction models acquired from computed tomographic images of Korean adults (188 males and 201 females). Eighteen measurements using 16 craniometric landmarks were measured on 3D craniofacial models. We conducted a descriptive analysis with comparisons according to sex, and simple linear regression analyses to obtain regression functions. Using multiple regression analyses with sex and age as independent variables, multiple regression equations were developed with coefficient of determination R2 ranging from 0.314 to 0.724, meaning that the equations for known sex and age were better for the prediction of nasal profiles than equations that assumed only known sex. These equations are useful and practical for reconstructing nasal profiles in forensic analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intracranial brain–computer interface (BCI) system using the neuronal activity of a non-motor brain area to fulfil a series of motor functions has been developed. The presented BCI system encodes a series of motor functions into a small number of neuronal units of the primary somatosensory cortex of a rat and generates real-time command signals to control a machine according to the animal's motor intentions. The results of this study demonstrate the practical usability of the BCI system using a non-motor brain area in the field of rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies visible photoluminescence (PL) from self-assembled InAs quantum dots embedded in AlAs cladding layers. Transmission electron microscope pictures; Pl efficiency; Activation-energy differences between dots of difference sizes.

Purposes: The nasolacrimal recanalization, consisting of retrograde removal of obstructing tissues using electrocauterization, is an evolutionally developed surgical procedure to treat the nasolacrimal duct (NLD) obstruction. To perform the nasolacrimal recanalization requires an understanding of three‐dimensional (3D) structure of the NLD, but very few data are available about its stereotactic shape. This study aims at investigating the anatomy of the NLD through 3D visualization and metric assessment of 3D models obtained from the cranial CT‐scans. Methods: This study included 20 males and 20 females (range: 18–68 years), who underwent autopsy at the National Forensic Service Seoul Institute, Seoul, Korea. Post‐mortem cranial CT‐scans were achieved in helical mode with slice thickness of 0.75 mm and 120 kV. 3D models of the NLD were reconstructed from serial CT slices after performing semi‐automated segmentation by tracing and filling the outline of the nasolacrimal duct by Mimics software (version 20.0, Materialise, Leuven, Belgium). Results: Overall length of NLD, anteroposterior and transverse entrance diameters of bony NLD (BNLD), and lacrimal sac‐BNLD angle was significantly higher in males than females. Compared with right and left, most variables showed no significant differences in statistics, except for lacrimal sac‐BNLD angle. BNLD orientation type in coronal plane showed outward type than inward by over 80%. Collectively, the whole appearance of the NLD was shaped like a bowleg in which the distal part is relatively turned inward. Conclusion: These results suggest that 3D models of the NLD were crucial for understanding structural recognition, mainly related to model‐based image analysis, and useful to aid in the surgical procedure and treatment of the nasolacrimal duct obstruction. The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support of the Catholic Medical Center Research Foundation made in the program year of 2019 (No. 552019B000100003). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the possibility of isolating cellulose nanofibers from pulps of tall goldenrod plant, which are invasive plants in Korea, by a convenient method, without strong acids or high-pressure homogenization, using electron beam irradiation (EBI). The obtained cellulose nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and in terms of their mechanical properties. SEM showed that the initially isolated 10-μm-diameter cellulose fibers became more finely separated with increasing EBI dose, and that cellulose fibers treated with 300 kGy of EBI were separated into long cellulose nanofibers of around 160 nm in diameter. In addition, the paper samples prepared from more finely separated fibers generated by using higher doses of EBI had enhanced UV–vis transmittance. Via the XRD analysis, we observed that cellulose I in the EBI-treated cellulose fibers were gradually converted into a different type of cellulose similar to cellulose type II, as the EBI dose increased. Meanwhile, the TGA demonstrated that the finely separated cellulose fibers observed after administering the high EBI dose had lowered thermal stability due to the reduction of cellulose I but higher char yield. In addition, tensile strengths of paper samples increased with decreasing the diameters of their constituent fibers that result from the different EBI doses used in the preparation of the paper pulp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roles of organic additives in the assembly and crystallisation of zeolites are still not fully understood. This is important when attempting to prepare novel frameworks to produce new zeolites. We consider 18-crown-6 ether (18C6) as an additive, which has previously been shown to differentiate between the zeolite EMC-2 (EMT) and faujasite (FAU) frameworks. However, it is unclear whether this distinction is dictated by influences on the metastable free-energy landscape or geometric templating. Using high-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction, we have observed that the presence of 18C6 does not impact the EMT framework flexibility—agreeing with our previous geometric simulations and suggesting that 18C6 does not behave as a geometric template. This was further studied by computational modelling using solid-state density-functional theory and lattice dynamics calculations. It is shown that the lattice energy of FAU is lower than EMT, but is strongly impacted by the presence of solvent/guest molecules in the framework. Furthermore, the EMT topology possesses a greater vibrational entropy and is stabilised by free energy at a finite temperature. Overall, these findings demonstrate that the role of the 18C6 additive is to influence the free energy of crystallisation to assemble the EMT framework as opposed to FAU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mobile application named HLTapper was designed for Android mobile phones to collect and assess real-time alternating finger tapping movement data such as mean tapping speeds, temporal variations of tapping intervals, horizontal tapping variances, and vertical tapping variances, from built-in sensors while a subject performs the finger tapping movement task according to directions given through the application interface. The results of a controlled experiment (40 subjects including nine subjects with Parkinson disease, 11 healthy age-matched subjects, and 20 healthy young subjects) and a discriminant analysis revealed sensitivity of 85.71% and specificity of 91.42%, on an average, which suggests that HLTapper would be useful for early diagnosis and personalised treatment plan adjustments of patients with Parkinson disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anatomical landmarks are considered the most objective indicators for use in forensic facial comparisons. Therefore, accurately identifying and locating these landmarks is the beginning of reliable facial comparison. This study evaluated the accuracy with which facial landmarks are located and examined their reliability according to type of landmark, head posture, and image quality. Nine operators located a series of landmarks on prepared facial images used to produce comparison images. Then, the average distances between the reciprocal landmarks (ADRL) on the reference and the comparison images were measured as indicators of landmark reliability. We found that a set of landmarks had higher or lower reliability as a function of the head angle and image quality. More reliable landmarks were associated with certain head postures and degrees of image quality. These should be used for facial comparison analysis depending on various head and image conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water adsorption‐driven heat transfer (AHT) technology has emerged as a promising solution to address crisis of the global energy consumption and environmental pollution of current heating and cooling processes. Hydrophilicity of water adsorbents plays a decisive role in these applications. This work reports an easy, green, and inexpensive approach to tuning the hydrophilicity of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) by incorporating mixed linkers, isophthalic acid (IPA), and 3,5‐pyridinedicarboxylic acid (PYDC), with various ratios in a series of Al−xIPA‐(100−x)PYDC (x: feeding ratio of IPA) MOFs. The designed mixed‐linkers MOFs show a variation of hydrophilicity along the fraction of the linkers. Representative compounds with a proportional mixed linker ratio denoted as KMF‐2, exhibit an S‐shaped isotherm, an excellent coefficient of performance of 0.75 (cooling) and 1.66 (heating) achieved with low driving temperature below 70 °C which offers capability to employ solar or industrial waste heat, remarkable volumetric specific energy capacity (235 kWh m−3) and heat‐storage capacity (330 kWh m−3). The superiority of KMF‐2 to IPA or PYDC‐containing single‐linker MOFs (CAU‐10‐H and CAU‐10pydc, respectively) and most of benchmark adsorbents illustrate the effectiveness of the mixed‐linker strategy to design AHT adsorbents with promising performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have shown that a number of stars pulsating in p modes lie between the β Cep and δ Sct instability strips in the Hertzsprung–Russell (HR) Diagram. At present, there is no certain understanding of how p modes can be excited in this T eff range. The goal of this work is to disprove the conjecture that all stars pulsating in p modes and lying in this T eff range are the result of incorrect measurements of T eff, contamination, or the presence of unseen cooler companions lying in the δ Sct instability strip (given the high binary fraction of stars in this region of the HR Diagram). Using TESS data, we show that the A0Vnne star HD 42477 has a single p mode coupled to several r modes and/or g modes. We rule out a contaminating background star with a pixel-by-pixel examination, and we essentially rule out the possibility of a companion δ Sct star in a binary. We model the pulsations in HD 42477, and suggest that the g modes are excited by overstable convective core modes. We also conjecture that the single p mode is driven by coupling with the g modes, or that the oblateness of this rapidly-rotating star permits driving by He  ii ionization in the equatorial region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]