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This study aimed to determine how the muscle mass of the lower leg affects the preservation of the lower extremities in patients with diabetic foot ulcer. This study analyzed patients with diabetic foot ulcer between January 2014 and June 2018 with a follow-up of at least 2 years. Of these 181 patients whose ulcer is located distal to the metatarsophalangeal joint, which was categorized as grade ≤2 by the Wagner classification were classified into 4 grades: grade 0 (treated without amputation), grade 1 (amputation distal to the metatarsophalangeal joint), grade 2 (Ray, transmetatarsal, Lisfranc, and Chopart amputation), and grade 3 (Syme, below-knee, and above-knee amputation) according to the final amputation degree. The muscles of the lower leg were classified into 4 compartments: anterior, lateral, deep posterior, and superficial posterior. The cross-sectional area and attenuation to estimate the muscle volume and density were measured at the axial image of computed tomography (CT) angiography. No significant differences were observed in the sex ratio and mean age among the grades (P =.966 and.962). The cross-sectional area of the anterior, lateral, and posterior compartments demonstrated no significant differences, but that of the superficial posterior compartment exhibited significant differences among the grades (P <.001). Moreover, the attenuation of the anterior, lateral, and deep posterior compartments showed no significant differences, but that of the posterior compartment showed significant differences among the grades (P =.003). The muscle mass of the superficial posterior compartment of the lower leg could be a good indicator of the preservation of the lower extremity in patients with diabetic foot ulcer. Therefore, a strengthening exercise for the triceps surae and plantaris muscles in the early stage could help preserve as much of the lower extremities as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of the study were to formulate stable oil-in-water microemulsion (ME) system of cholecalciferol, a lipophilic and unstable prohormone for bone health, and evaluate its pharmacokinetic profile in beagle dogs. ME system consisting of caprylic/capric triglyceride (Captex 355), propylene glycol esters of fatty acids (Capryol 90), and macrogol 15 hydroxystearate (Solutol HS15) was approximately 100 nm in size with polydispersity index < 0.3 and zeta potential of - 5 mV. Incorporation of the liable compound in the oil droplet markedly impeded its chemical degradation, maintaining drug content over 93% after 2 years storage under ambient condition (25 °C/60% RH). In an absorption study using beagle dogs (n = 6 per group), there were no significant (P > 0.05) differences in pharmacokinetic parameters between novel ME-based drink and conventional tablet dosage form. Therefore, novel ME-based drink could be used as a convenient way to provide cholecalciferol supplementation for patients with dysphagia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Regorafenib demonstrated a clinical benefit for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) in the phase III RESORCE trial. Considering the heterogeneity of uHCC and discrepancies in its characteristics between prospective trials and daily practice, real‐life evidence is necessary. Methods: This multicentre, retrospective analysis was performed by the Korean Cancer Study Group. In total, 440 patients who received regorafenib between January 2017 and November 2019 were identified in nine tertiary referral hospitals in Korea. Results: All patients received prior sorafenib, and the median time‐to‐progression (TTP) on sorafenib was 3.9 months (range, 0.2‐71.6). Regorafenib was used as the second, third and fourth to seventh lines of therapy in 305 (69.3%), 115 (26.1%) and 20 (4.5%) patients respectively. According to the RECIST v1.1, the overall response rate was 7.7% (n = 34), and the median progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 3.2 (95% CI, 2.8‐3.5) and 12.1 (95% CI, 9.7‐14.5) months respectively. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) were given in 115 patients (26.1%) prior to regorafenib. There were no differences in PFS and OS with regorafenib according to the prior use of ICIs (PFS, P =.61; OS, P =.63). The occurrence of hand‐foot skin reaction (HFSR) was associated with a better OS (P <.001). Conclusions: The real‐life clinical outcomes of regorafenib for patients who progressed on prior systemic therapy including ICIs were consistent with the phase III trial results. HFSR was significantly associated with better OS with regorafenib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ga[sub 1-x]Mn[sub x]N epilayers with a well-ordered ferromagnetic structure were grown on sapphire (0001) substrates, using the plasma enhanced molecular-beam epitaxy technique. Ga[sub 1-x]Mn[sub x]N films were found to be homogeneous, and to exhibit n-type conductivity and ferromagnetic ordering with a Curie temperature (T[sub C]) above room temperature. This was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and by magnetometry using a superconducting quantum interference device. The high-temperature (T=300 K) photoluminescence (PL) spectra exhibited Mn-related free-to-acceptor pair transitions for Ga[sub 1-x]Mn[sub x]N layers with x≈0.2% and x≈0.6%. A Mn acceptor level of a Ga[sub 1-x]Mn[sub x]N layer with low Mn content was found to be located around 330 meV above the top of the valence band, suggesting that Mn-bound holes in group-III nitrides exhibit effective-masslike behavior. The excitation and temperature-dependent PL provided convincing evidence of a band-edge exciton to acceptor transition. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopies have been carried out at 6 K on the ∼1540 nm [sup 4]I[sub 13/2]-[sup 4]I[sub 15/2] emissions of Er[sup 3+] in Er-implanted and annealed GaN. These studies revealed the existence of multiple Er[sup 3+] centers and associated PL spectra in Er-implanted GaN films grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, hydride vapor phase epitaxy, and molecular beam epitaxy. The results demonstrate that the multiple Er[sup 3+]PL centers and below-gap defect-related absorption bands by which they are selectively excited are universal features of Er-implanted GaN grown by different techniques. It is suggested that implantation-induced defects common to all the GaN samples are responsible for the Er site distortions that give rise to the distinctive, selectively excited Er[sup 3+]PL spectra. The investigations of selectively excited Er[sup 3+]PL and PLE spectra have also been extended to Er-implanted samples of Mg-doped GaN grown by various techniques. In each of these samples, the so-called violet-pumped Er[sup 3+]PL band and its associated broad violet PLE band are significantly enhanced relative to the PL and PLE of the other selectively excited Er[sup 3+]PL centers. More importantly, the violet-pumped Er[sup 3+]PL spectrum dominates the above-gap excited Er[sup 3+]PL spectrum of Er-implanted Mg-doped GaN, whereas it was unobservable under above-gap excitation in Er-implanted undoped GaN. These results confirm the hypothesis that appropriate codopants can increase the efficiency of trap-mediated above-gap excitation of Er[sup 3+] emission in Er-implanted GaN. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Prenatal diagnostic testing by chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is sometimes recommended for women with twin pregnancies. However, few studies have compared the outcomes between twins with CVS and control twins without intervention. This study aimed to compare the obstetrical outcomes of CVS in twin pregnancies and those in non‐intervention twin pregnancies. Methods: First‐trimester transabdominal CVS was performed on dichorionic‐diamniotic twins (n = 54; Group 1) between December 2006 and January 2017 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at our hospital, and the data were retrospectively analyzed. CVS risks were evaluated by comparing obstetrical outcomes with those of a control population of 155 dichorionic‐diamniotic twins without intervention (Group 2). Results: The difference in the overall fetal loss rate (Group 1, 7.4% vs Group 2, 3.9%; P = 0.287) between the two groups was not statistically significant. The miscarriage rate, defined as delivery at <24 gestational weeks, and early preterm delivery, defined as delivery at <34 gestational weeks, were not significant between the groups (miscarriage: Group 1, 5.6% vs Group 2, 3.2%; P = 0.428; early preterm delivery: Group 1, 11.1% vs Group 2, 9.0%; P = 0.788). The mean gestational age at delivery, birth weights and neonatal intensive care unit admission rate were not statistically significant between the groups. Thus, the overall fetal loss rate and obstetrical outcomes of Group 1 were comparable with those of Group 2. Conclusion: In conclusion, the overall obstetrical outcomes were not significantly different between twins with CVS and control twins with the advantage of enabling early decision‐making about selective feticide in twins with CVS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of limited volume heating system (LVH) is designed for the enhancement of the efficiency of conventional hydrothermal method to obtain additive free long nanowires (NWs). In LVH system, the period of chemical reaction is enhanced due to the supply of fresh chemicals by the convection of precursors between different temperature zones. In this work, the performance of the LVH system is investigated by synthesizing an array of long zinc oxide (ZnO) NWs as a case study. Morphological characterizations revealed the formation of long NWs of different dimension with growth temperatures, precursor concentrations and growth durations. The length of the NWs is greatly influenced by the variation in growth time and temperature, whereas their diameter was controlled by changing precursor concentration. The growth of NWs is along (002) direction as revealed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies. In this technique, the length of the NWs is increased upto five times in comparison to those grown by conventional global heating (CGH) method and thereby proving an enhanced performance of LVH system without any additives. Further, photoresponse behavior of the LVH grown long ZnO NWs is evaluated for ultraviolet detection, where photoresponse of 1.7 s and recovery time of 0.8 s is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid changes in thickness and velocity have been observed at many marine-terminating glaciers in Greenland, impacting the volume of ice they export, or discharge, from the ice sheet. While annual estimates of ice-sheet-wide discharge have been previously derived, higher-resolution records are required to fully constrain the temporal response of these glaciers to various climatic and mechanical drivers that vary in sub-annual scales. Here we sample outlet glaciers wider than 1 km (N=230) to derive the first continuous, ice-sheet-wide record of total ice sheet discharge for the 2000–2016 period, resolving a seasonal variability of 6 %. The amplitude of seasonality varies spatially across the ice sheet from 5 % in the southeastern region to 9 % in the northwest region. We analyze seasonal to annual variability in the discharge time series with respect to both modeled meltwater runoff, obtained from RACMO2.3p2, and glacier front position changes over the same period. We find that year-to-year changes in total ice sheet discharge are related to annual front changes (r2=0.59 , p=10-4) and that the annual magnitude of discharge is closely related to cumulative front position changes (r2=0.79), which show a net retreat of >400 km, or an average retreat of >2 km, at each surveyed glacier. Neither maximum seasonal runoff or annual runoff totals are correlated to annual discharge, which suggests that larger annual quantities of runoff do not relate to increased annual discharge. Discharge and runoff, however, follow similar patterns of seasonal variability with near-coincident periods of acceleration and seasonal maxima. These results suggest that changes in glacier front position drive secular trends in discharge, whereas the impact of runoff is likely limited to the summer months when observed seasonal variations are substantially controlled by the timing of meltwater input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details a study which investigated the properties of gallium nitride films grown by electron cyclotron resonance activated nitrogen. Discussion of gallium nitride film growth; Optical and electrical characteristics of the films; Conclusions.

Chatham Island forget-me-notMyosotidium hortensia(Boraginaceae) is a monotypic genus endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand.Myosotidium hortensiais threatened in its natural environment by introduced grazing animals and weeds. Further to this, the conservation and reintroduction efforts ofM. hortensiaare hindered by their dormant seeds. The dormancy is imposed by the seed coat but the underlying dormancy mechanisms are not well understood. Understanding the dormancy mechanisms in this species will help in revegetation efforts. This work aims to elucidate mechanisms by which the seed coat imposes dormancy inM.hortensiaby determining the germination after manipulation of the seed coat and measuring changes in oxygen uptake in response to this manipulation. The structure of the seed coat was assessed using scanning electron microscopy and the presence or absence of lignin in the seed coat determined. As with other Boraginaceae, the seed coat ofM.hortensiadoes not restrict water penetration into the seed. Oxygen uptake was 4.5 fold higher in decoated than in intact seed. There was no significant increase in oxygen uptake for the seeds when their seed coat had been pierced or pierced and resealed with vaseline. However, the germination rate, as measured by radicle emergence, was faster in these seeds. These findings, in addition to the structural analysis of the seed coat which revealed that the seeds have secondary thickening but no lignin, confirmed that mechanical constraint of embryo growth was preventing germination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the crystal structure of epitaxial (Ga,Mn)N films with Mn50.2% grown by plasma-enhanced molecular beam epitaxy, exhibiting n-type conductivity and room temperature ferromagnetism M[SUBs]0.76 emu/cm[SUP3], (H[SUBc]=90 Oe). The additional diffraction spots are found in the zone axis of B5@11 [1&1bar;00] for the (Ga,Mn)N epilayer due to a single twin orientation in the closed packed hexagonal matrix. High-order Laue zone measurements reveal the expansion of lattice parameter a (3.1851-3.1865 Å) by doping Mn, demonstrating that Mn ions substitute for Ga ions in the (Ga,Mn)N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited using reactive RF magnetron sputtering of a pure metallic zinc target onto n-type silicon substrates in the presence of a mixture of argon and oxygen gas. The evolution of the surface morphology and RMS roughness were studied as a function of working pressure and oxygen gas concentration. X-ray diffraction studies have shown the appearance of highly crystalline c-axis (002)-oriented films for lower sputtering pressure. The formation of characteristic Zn-O bonds was observed at 485 cm-1 in Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra. The film deposited at lower working pressure has uniform and homogeneous morphology. Investigation on the variation of Ar/O-2 flow results in smoother surface at lower argon concentration. The optimized pressure after investigation of various characterizations was found to be 4 x 10-3 mbar. Furthermore, Ar:O2 gas flow ratio of 2:3 has shown highly crystalline c-axis-oriented thin film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited by using RF sputtering technique at 150 W -3 and 4x10 m bar pressure. Post-deposition rapid thermal annealing of ZnO thin films was carried out at 1000 C for 600 s. ZnO nanostructures (nanowires/nanorods) were hydrothermally grown by using equimolar solution of zinc nitrate and hexamethyltetramine. Morphology of ZnO thin films and nanostructures was investigated using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). A comparative study on the sensing behavior of ZnO thin films and nanostructures was carried out by adopting current-voltage measurement technique at room temperature. Annealed film has shown higher sensitivity than as-deposited film. Among nanostructures, nanowires have shown higher sensitivity than nanorods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc oxide thin films were deposited on silicon substrates by reactive RF magnetron sputtering technique. Post-deposition rapid thermal annealing of the sputtered thin films was carried out by varying temperatures, annealing duration and oxygen flow rate. The films, annealed at 1000 °C for 150 s in air ambient, have shown highest degree of crystallinity. The surface of the ZnO films, annealed for longer period, was greatly modulated with the evolution of porous surface. The films annealed in oxygen ambient have shown smoother morphology with the reduction in surface roughness. The characteristic absorption band of Zn-O became prominent due to the increase in Zn-O bond density during rapid thermal annealing process. A significant reduction of the deep level emission in the photoluminescence spectra was observed for annealed samples, whereas the near band edge ultraviolet emission was suppressed for the films annealed in oxygen ambient due to the oxygen adsorption at the film surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, hafnium oxide (HfO) thin films were deposited on p-type silicon substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at various working pressure ranging from 4 × 10 to 1 × 10 mbar and Ar/O flow ratio from 1:4 to 4:1. The morphological and electrical properties of the sputtered films were investigated and a correlation between the surface and electrical properties of the HfO films was established with the variation of sputtering parameters. The evolution of monoclinic structure of the hafnium oxide thin films was observed by XRD studies. The surface of the HfO films became rough with the increase in grain size at the sputter pressure of 8 × 10 mbar and Ar/O gas flow ratio of 1:4. The formation of HfO bond was seen from FTIR spectra. The oxide charge density has a lower value for the sputter pressure of 8 × 10 mbar and Ar/O gas flow ratio of 1:4 due to the evolution of larger grains. The interface charge density was found to be minimum at a sputter pressure of 8 × 10 mbar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

4-1BB (CD137), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF), is primarily expressed on activated T cells and is known to enhance proliferation of T cells, prevent activation-induced cell death, and promote memory formation of CD8+ T cells. In particular, it is well acknowledged that 4-1BB triggering preferentially enhances the expansion of CD8+ T cells rather than CD4+ T cells, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here we found that 4-1BB triggering markedly increased IL-2Rα (CD25) and IL-2 expressions of CD8+ T cells but minimally for CD4+ T cells. Proliferation of CD8+ T cells was moderately enhanced by direct 4-1BB triggering in the absence of signaling through IL-2Rα/IL-2 interactions, but further promoted in the presence of IL-2Rα/IL-2 interactions. Among the TNFRSF members including OX40, GITR, CD30, and CD27, 4-1BB was superior in the ability to induce IL-2Rα expression on CD8+ T cells. When the primary and secondary expansions of CD8+ T cells in vivo were examined by adoptively transferring OVA-specific CD8+ T cells along with the treatment with agonistic anti-4-1BB and/or antagonistic anti-CD25 F(ab’)2 mAb, 4-1BB triggering enhanced both primary and secondary expansion of CD8+ T cells in vivo, and the 4-1BB effects were moderately suppressed in primary expansion while completely abolished in secondary expansion of OVA-specific CD8+ T cells by blocking IL-2Rα. These results suggest that 4-1BB-mediated increases of IL-2Rα and IL-2 prolong the effects of transient TCR- and 4-1BB-mediated signaling in CD8+ T cells, and that 4-1BB triggering preferentially enhances the expansion of CD8+ T cells through the amplification of autocrine IL-2/IL-2R signaling loop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric films, such as aluminium nitride (AlN), are of great interest for the fabrication of thin film bulk/surface acoustic resonators, where the growth parameters and the substrate material influence the morphological properties. Herein, AlN films were deposited using RF reactive sputtering on Si, SiO2, metal (Al, Cu, Cr and Au) coated silicon, GaAs and InP substrates. C-axis (002) oriented AlN films were observed on most of the substrates, where the surface morphologies of the films grown on the 1·5 μm thick SiO2 layer and GaAs substrate were found to be non-uniform. Moreover, AlN films deposited on the Cr electrode exhibit well textured film with fairly uniform grains, while the films deposited on other metal electrodes exhibit a granular type of structure with mixed small and large grains. After optimisation of growth parameters, silicon micromachining was performed by the wet chemical etching method. Suspended Cr–AlN–Cr–SiO2 cantilevers of 20 μm in width were fabricated for futuristic microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnO nanorods (NRs) were hydrothermally synthesized by using equimolar zinc nitrate hydrate (Zn(NO3)2 ⋅ 6H2O) and hexamethylenetetramine (C6H12N4) solutions. The shape of the nanostructures, obtained by aqueous method, was greatly influenced by the growth temperature and the molar concentrations. NRs grown at higher temperature (90°C) have rounded tips, whereas nanostructures of hexagonal flat-end shape were obtained at 75°C. Hardly any nanostructures were observed by further reducing the temperature to 60°C. In addition, solutions with higher molarity favored the appearance of nanoflowers. Scattered ZnO NRs were observed on silicon substrate, whereas aligned ZnO nanowires (NWs) 50-70 nm in diameter were obtained at 75°C by introducing sputtered ZnO film as a seed layer. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) confirmed the growth of ZnO nanowires along [001] direction. A band-edge luminescence along with a broad visible spectrum was observed for the ZnO nanowires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C axis oriented AlN films were deposited on silicon substrate by radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering. Subsequently the films were annealed in a horizontal furnace at temperatures ranging from 400 to 800°C for 30 rain in nitrogen ambient. The change in the morphological properties with annealing temperatures was investigated using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy techniques. Morphological studies revealed that the annealing increased surface roughness and grain size. In addition, Al-N bond density along with the crystallinity of the deposited films was improved with annealing. The electrical properties, namely the insulator charge density (Qin) and the interface electronic state density (Dit), were estimated by the capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. It was found that the Qin increased, but the Dit decreased with annealing temperature. Lower leakage current with improved resistivity and dielectric behaviour was also observed with annealing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have observed the high-temperature (T=300 K) photoluminescence (PL) spectra from free to Mn-related acceptor pair transitions in Ga1-xMnxN layers (where x≈0.2%–0.6%) grown on sapphire (0001) substrates using the plasma-enhanced molecular-beam epitaxy technique. Luminescence from an Mn acceptor level in Ga1-xMnxN layer with a low Mn content was observed at around E=3.08 eV in the PL spectra. When compared to the PL from undoped GaN, the excitation, temperature-dependent PL at E=3.08 eV provides convincing evidence for a neutral Mn acceptor-bound hole character. The binding energy of the Mn acceptor-bound holes of E=330 meV is in good agreement with an ionization energy of E=402 meV obtained using effective mass theory of shallow impurity states for the hydrogen model. In addition, analysis of the PL intensities of an acceptor-bound hole in a Ga1-xMnxN layer with x≈0.6% gave an activation energy of E=310 meV, which indicates that the acceptor-bound hole with a binding energy of E=310 meV was dissociated due to thermal quenching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a molecular beam epitaxy system equipped with an inductively coupled radio frequency nitrogen plasma source, p-type GaN films were grown on sapphire substrates with no postgrowth treatment. Uniformity of the surface morphology and spatial homogeneity of the luminescence of the films were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging, respectively. By examining the dependence of photoluminescence on the excitation laser power density at 6 and 300 K, three different emissions having different origins were identified. A blue emission at ∼3.25 eV is associated with shallow Mg impurities, while two different lower-energy emissions at ∼2.43 and ∼2.87 eV are associated with deep Mg complexes. The spatial distributions of the shallow and deep Mg impurities dominating the optical properties of the p-type GaN films were also examined along the growth direction by low- and room-temperature CL using an electron beam with a range of penetration depths © 1996 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the effect of freshwater supply on the survival and growth of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar. Interest in the production of underlying smolts; Osmo- and ionoregulatory capacity of salmonids; Survival of the salmon.