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Accurate estimation of groundwater recharge in Jeju Island, which relies on groundwater for most of its water use, is very important for water resource management and planning. However, Jeju watershed is a volcanic island with high permeability, ephemeral streams and mountain areas, so it is difficult to estimate the hydrological components using existing hydrological models. To overcome these limitations, SWAT-K (Soil and Water Assessment Tool-Korea), which can simulate ephemeral stream and threshold runoff, was used to estimate hydrological components (such as precipitation, evapotranspiration, runoff, and groundwater recharge) of Jeju watershed (~1,828 km2). The overall procedure of SWAT-K modeling (model setup, calibration and validation) was performed from 1991 to 2020. The simulated and observed daily streamflows were compared and showed a good agreement. In particular, a reasonable estimation of groundwater recharge was confirmed through the comparison of simulated groundwater recharge and the observed groundwater level. Finally, the spatio-temporal groudwater recharge characteristics were analyzed using the SWAT-K results.Acknowledgement : Research for this paper was carried out under the KICT Research Program (project no.20220275-001, Development of coastal groundwater management solution) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Patents provide inventors exclusive rights to their inventions by protecting their intellectual property rights. However, analyzing patent documents generally requires knowledge of various fields, considerable human labor, and expertise. Recent studies to alleviate this problem on patent analysis deal only with the analysis of claims and abstract parts, neglecting the descriptions that contain essential technical cores. Moreover, few studies use a deep learning approach to handle the entire patent analysis process, including preprocessing, summarization, and key-phrase generation. Therefore, we propose a novel multi-stage framework that can aid in analyzing patent documents by using the description part of the patent rather than abstracts or claims with deep learning. The framework comprises two stages: key-sentence extraction and key-phrase generation tasks. These stages are based on the T5 model structure, transformer-based architecture that uses a text-to-text approach. To further improve the framework's performance, we employed two key factors: i) post-training the model with a patent-related raw corpus for encouraging the model's comprehension of the patent domain, and ii) utilizing a text rank algorithm for efficient training based on the priority score of each sentence. We verified that our key-phrase generation method of the framework shows higher performance in both superficial and semantic evaluation than other extraction methods. In addition, we provided the validity and effectiveness of our methods through quantitative and qualitative analysis, demonstrating the practical functionality of our methods. We also provided a practical contribution to the patent analysis by releasing the framework as a demo system.

In this paper, a 24–40 GHz broadband millimeter-wave (mmWave) down-conversion double-balanced mixer with a dual-band local oscillator (LO) buffer employing RF and IF coupled resonators is presented for 5G new radio (NR) frequency range 2 (FR2) cellular applications. The proposed mixer comprises a transformer-coupled $g_{m}$ -boosted common-gate (CG) $G_{m}$ -stage, a single-to-differential current-to-current RF capacitor-tuned coupled resonator, active switching stages with dual-band three-stage LO buffers, a current-to-voltage IF coupled resonator with gain equalization, and a wideband IF buffer with a transformer-based balun. The transformer-coupled $g_{m}$ -boosted CG $G_{m}$ -stage improves the NF and provides broadband input power matching. RF and IF coupled resonators enable an RF operating frequency range of 24–40 GHz and IF 1 dB bandwidth of more than 0.8 GHz, respectively. The implemented mixer was fabricated using a 40 nm CMOS process and characterized primarily in the 5G NR FR2 bands. The active die area was 0.654 mm2, and the mixer drew a bias current of 16 mA from a nominal supply voltage of 1.1 V. The mixer exhibited an RF operating frequency range of 24–40 GHz, noise figure of 12.4 dB, conversion gain of 1.2 dB, IF 1 dB bandwidth of 1.1 GHz, and output-referred third-order intercept point of 6.8 dBm.

BACKGROUND Intercostal arterial bleeding is unusual complication of percutaneous chest procedures. However, intercostal arterial bleeding is likely to result in critical complications such as abnormalities in vital signs, hypovolemic shock, and death due to massive bleeding. Therefore, it is very important to establish the diagnosis of intercostal arterial bleeding and to initiate treatment. CASE SUMMARY We report a case in which a 59-year-old woman who was hospitalized at intensive care unit with multiple trauma had a massive hemothorax after the removal of a percutaneous catheter. She sustained a refractory right pleural effusion due to biloma caused by a traumatic injury to the liver, despite persistent intraperitoneal drainage. As a result, atelectasis persisted in the dependent portion of the right lung. Therefore, we performed right percutaneous catheter drainage (8.5-F pigtail catheter) for pleural effusion drainage at the 7th intercostal space. After percutaneous catheter removal, portable chest radiography and vital signs of the patient assisted in establishing a diagnosis of intercostal arterial bleeding. Intercostal arterial bleeding was also confirmed using transarterial angiography; and embolization was performed. The patient’s condition progressively improved, and no further intervention was required. CONCLUSION Massive hemothorax is a rare complication of percutaneous catheter removal. Clinicians should carefully examine and diagnose patients to improve prognosis. And interventional selective angiography may be a feasible and minimally invasive treatment for intercostal arterial bleeding control.

Background Midazolam is frequently used for sedation during spinal anesthesia. However, external environmental factors, such as bright surgical lights, may hamper patient relaxation, which may lead to an increase in the dose of midazolam required and the likelihood of adverse drug effects. We investigated whether using an eye mask to block the external environment could reduce midazolam requirements during spinal anesthesia. Methods Participants aged 18–‒80 years, scheduled for elective surgery under spinal anesthesia, were randomly divided into a masked group (wearing eye masks during surgery, n = 20) and a control group (no mask, n = 18). The sedation level was assessed using a modified Observer Assessment of Alertness and Sedation (MOAA/S) scale. Midazolam (1 mg) was incrementally administered every 5 min until moderate sedation (MOAA/S score of 3) was achieved. The bispectral index (BIS) was monitored, and the onset and maintenance times of a BIS Results The two groups had similar demographic characteristics. The midazolam requirements were significantly lower in the masked group than in the control group (2.8 mg vs. 3.7 mg, P = 0.024). However, the onset and maintenance times for a BIS Conclusions Blocking the external environment with an eye mask during spinal anesthesia can reduce the requirement for sedatives, such as midazolam. Trial registration The trial was retrospectively registered with the Clinical Research Information Service (No. KCT0005528, 15/10/2020) entitled “Can we reduce an amount of sleeping pills just by blocking light?”.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has been attracting interest as a new radiation modality for cancer therapy because it can selectively destroy cancer cells while maintaining the healthy state of surrounding normal cells. Many experimental trials have demonstrated significant BNCT treatment efficacy using neutron beams from research reactors. However, nuclear reactor technology cannot be scaled to sites in hospitals delivering patient treatment. Therefore, compact accelerator-based neutron sources that could be installed in many hospitals are under development or have even been commissioned at many facilities around the world. In Korea, a radio-frequency (RF) linac-based BNCT (A-BNCT) facility is under development by DawonMedax (DM). It provides the highly efficient production of an epithermal neutron beam with an optimized neutron energy spectrum range of 0.1~10 keV. With a 2-mA 10-MeV proton beam from the accelerator, the irradiation port epithermal neutron flux is higher than 1 × 109 n/cm2⋅s. Comprehensive verification and validation of the system have been conducted with the measurement of both proton and neutron beam characteristics. Significant therapeutic effects from BNCT have been confirmed by DM in both in vitro and in vivo non-clinical trials. Further, during exposure to epithermal neutrons, all other unintended radiation is controlled to levels meeting International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommendations. Recently, the Korean FDA has accepted an investigational new drug (IND) and the first-in-human clinical trial of BNCT is now being prepared. This paper introduces the principles of BNCT and accelerator-based neutron sources for BNCT and reports the recent advances of DM A-BNCT facility which is the main part of this paper.

The solar active region NOAA 12887 produced a strong X1.0 flare on 2021 October 28, which exhibits X-shaped flare ribbons and a circle-shaped erupting filament. To understand the eruption process with these characteristics, we conducted a data-constrained magnetohydrodynamics simulation using a nonlinear force-free field of the active region about an hour before the flare as the initial condition. Our simulation reproduces the filament eruption observed in the Ha images of GONG and the 304 angstrom images of SDO/AIA and suggests that two mechanisms can possibly contribute to the magnetic eruption. One is the torus instability of the pre-existing magnetic flux rope (MFR), and the other is upward pushing by magnetic loops newly formed below the MFR via continuous magnetic reconnection between two sheared magnetic arcades. The presence of this reconnection is evidenced by the SDO/AIA observations of the 1600 angstrom brightening in the footpoints of the sheared arcades at the flare onset. To clarify which process is more essential for the eruption, we performed an experimental simulation in which the reconnection between the sheared field lines is suppressed. In this case too, the MFR could erupt, but at a much reduced rising speed. We interpret this result as indicating that the eruption is not only driven by the torus instability, but additionally accelerated by newly formed and rising magnetic loops under continuous reconnection., 14 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for the Astrophysical Journal

Solar flares are the best examples of astrophysical magnetic reconnection in which the reconnection structure can be studied in detail. The structure is manifested through flare ribbons, intense optical and EUV emissions in footpoints of field lines attached to the coronal reconnection region. In the most common type of solar flares, two parallel ribbons appear and move away from each other, which could be related to the reconnection electric field under the theory of two-dimensional (2D) X-point reconnection, opening up a wide field of solar research. Another breakthrough came upon the discovery of circular ribbons, which implies a dome-shaped spine-fan structure capable of truly three dimensional (3D) null point reconnection. The variability of circular ribbons could also shed light on the reconnection electric field in the corona, but was relatively less attended. In this paper, we review selective topics in both types of flares with emphasis on the dimensionality of magnetic reconnection. Three types of reconnection: 2D X-point, 3D torsional, and 3D spine-fan reconnection are studied and associated with translational, rotational, and vibrational degrees of freedom. It is demonstrated that the dimensionality-based analysis of the observed dynamics of circular and parallel ribbons can facilitate a better understanding of the nature of solar magnetic reconnection.

A sand dam is an old technology used to trap sand materials and store water in dry riverbeds. Besides the volume of sand stored, the water storage and supply capacity of the sand dam depends principally on material properties including hydraulic conductivity (K) and the specific yield (Sy). In this study, the water supply capacity of a sand dam, applied in South Korea with a modified scheme, was analyzed. Imported sand materials were placed in three layers, and perforated drain pipes were installed to abstract the water to a collection tank. Using a Modular Finite-Difference Groundwater Flow (MODFLOW) model, the drain pipe discharge related to aquifer properties and supply capacity of a sand dam was evaluated. Using the model, the productivity of the sand storage with several cases of inflow conditions was assessed. For the period from 9 March 2020 to 16 May 2022, the results of calculation of water supply for the installation and operation of new sand dam are as follows. Regarding the actual inflow condition, compared to the average water supply of the existing water intake source, the sand dam installation increased water supply by 61.6%, and the sand dam installation showed an effect of improving the water supply by 36.0% for the minimum water supply. The calculated water supply for the condition where the inflow was reduced by 50% showed an effect of improving water supply by over 70% on average due to the installation of the sand dam. The findings would be a benchmark for future expansions of the scheme in related places, and management and maintenance of the system.

BACKGROUND: Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) and renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade are reported to affect the clinical course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: As of May 2020, analysis was conducted on all subjects who could confirm their history of claims related to COVID-19 in the National Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) database in Korea. Using this dataset, we compared the short-term prognosis of COVID-19 infection according to the use of DPP-4i and RAS blockade. Additionally, we validated the results using the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) of Korea dataset. RESULTS: Totally, data of 67,850 subjects were accessible in the HIRA dataset. Of these, 5,080 were confirmed COVID-19. Among these, 832 subjects with DM were selected for analysis in this study. Among the subjects, 263 (31.6%) and 327 (39.3%) were DPP4i and RAS blockade users, respectively. Thirty-four subjects (4.09%) received intensive care or died. The adjusted odds ratio for severe treatment among DPP-4i users was 0.362 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.135 to 0.971), and that for RAS blockade users was 0.599 (95% CI, 0.251 to 1.431). These findings were consistent with the analysis based on the NHIS data using 704 final subjects. The adjusted odds ratio for severe treatment among DPP-4i users was 0.303 (95% CI, 0.135 to 0.682), and that for RAS blockade users was 0.811 (95% CI, 0.391 to 1.682). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that DPP-4i is significantly associated with a better clinical outcome of patients with COVID-19.

Hydrogen energy has received much attention in recent years due to its reliability and non-carbon products. However, it has been found that the backfire phenomenon plays a major part in limiting power and torque in the hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2ICE). Much research in recent years has considered turbocharger as a useful method to improve the power of H2ICE. Although the result of boosting a system with turbocharger became enhanced when compared to the natural aspiration system. Unfortunately, there were unsolved problems in exhaust backpressure and pumping losses that hindering the practical utilisation of H2ICE. This paper investigated the experiment of 2.4 L supercharged port fuel injection engine at 2000 rpm. Air excess ratio (lambda) was varied from stoichiometric to 2.8 by adjusting the boosting amount in supercharger, and throttling of the air. The hydrogen injection amount were maintained the same with turbocharger condition; spark advance timing was set at maximum brake torque. It was observed that by boosting engine with supercharger, the lower pumping loss and higher indicated mean pressure had been obtained when compared to turbocharger boosted engine under low-load condition. However, some additional power required for supercharging that lowers output of the engine.

The Z-scheme BiVO4/α-Fe2O3 photocatalyst was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The photocatalyst is composed of α-Fe2O3 nanocubes with a regular cubic structure and the BiVO4 particles distributed on the surface of the α-Fe2O3 nanocubes. The photocatalytic performance of Z-scheme BiVO4/α-Fe2O3 photocatalyst was investigated in terms of its capacity for photodegradation of tetracycline hydrochloride. Improved photocatalytic activity was observed for Z-scheme BiVO4/α-Fe2O3 photocatalyst compared with pure BiVO4 and α-Fe2O3 nanocubes under visible light irradiation. Studies of its morphology, physicochemical properties and photoelectrochemical behaviors demonstrated that BiVO4 loading on the surface of α-Fe2O3 nanocubes forms a Z-scheme heterojunction, which increases the specific surface area and significantly promotes the separation of photoinduced carriers. The main active species were determined to be OH and h+ by ESR technique and trapping experiments. We propose a possible photocatalytic mechanism of Z-scheme BiVO4/α-Fe2O3 photocatalyst system. This study may also provide a novel and eco-friendly demonstration of a useful strategy for the design and preparation of special structure photocatalytic materials.

Microwave maps may provide critical information on the flux rope interaction and the breakout eruption if their polarization is measured with high precision. We demonstrate this diagnostic capability using the 17 GHz maps from the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH) of a circular ribbon flare SOL2014-12-17T04:51. The EUV images from SDO/AIA and the coronal magnetic field extrapolated from the HMI magnetogram are also used to support the interpretation of the microwave data. The most obvious evidence for the breakout eruption comes from the sign change of the microwave polarization over the AR at heliographic coordinates S20E09, indicating change of the overlying fields from a closed fan structure to a spine-like structure. Another important piece of evidence comes from the spatial and temporal variations of quasi-periodic pulsations (QPP) detected at the 17 GHz. The QPP was more obvious in one loop leg before the eruption and later moved to the spine field region on and after the flare. This indicates that the oscillatory power is transferred from an interacting flux rope to the outer spine, along which the reconnection launches torsional Alfvén waves, in good agreement with MHD model predictions for breakout eruption. In the practical viewpoint, these two diagnostics work because microwave observations are free of saturation even in strong flaring regions.

We recently reported a lack of interference between inactivated rotavirus vaccine (IRV) and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and their potential dose sparing when the two vaccines were administered intramuscularly either in combination or standalone in rats and guinea pigs. In the present study, we optimized the formulations of both vaccines and investigated the feasibility of manufacturing a combined IRV-IPV dissolving microneedle patch (dMNP), assessing its compatibility and immunogenicity in rats. Our results showed that IRV delivered by dMNP alone or in combination with IPV induced similar levels of RV-specific IgG and neutralizing antibody. Likewise, IPV delivered by dMNP alone or in combination with IRV induced comparable levels of neutralizing antibody of poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3. We further demonstrated high stability of IRV-dMNP at 5, 25, and 40 °C and IPV-dMNP at 5 and 25 °C, and found that three doses of IRV or IPV when co-administered at a quarter dose was as potent as a full target dose in inducing neutralizing antibodies against corresponding rotavirus or poliovirus. We conclude that IRV-IPV dMNP did not interfere with each other in triggering an immunologic response and were highly immunogenic in rats. Our findings support the further development of this innovative approach to deliver a novel combination vaccine against rotavirus and poliovirus in children throughout the world.

This work presents a 7–9[Formula: see text]GHz in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) direct up-conversion mixer employing a linear voltage-to-current converting baseband input stage for 5G new radio frequency range 2 cellular applications. The proposed baseband stage improves both the large-signal handling capability and small-signal linearity at the input stage of the mixer. The designed double-balanced I/Q up-conversion mixer, which is based on Gilbert-cell mixer, consists of a voltage-to-current converting input stage, switching stages, and an RLC tank. Simulated in a 40-nm CMOS process, the up-conversion mixer achieves a conversion gain of 5[Formula: see text]dB, input-referred third-order intercept point of 9.6[Formula: see text]dBm, and input 1-dB gain compression point of –0.8[Formula: see text]dBm. It draws a DC bias current of 15.8[Formula: see text]mA from a nominal supply voltage of 1.1[Formula: see text]V, and the active area is 0.129[Formula: see text]mm2.

Flood data on a high temporal scale are required for the design of hydraulic structures, flood risk assessment, flood protection, and reservoir operations. Such flood data are typically generated using rainfall-runoff models through an accurate calibration process. The data also can be estimated using a simple relationship between the daily and the sub-daily flow records as an alternative to rainfall&ndash, runoff modelling. In this study, we propose an approach combining an artificial neural network (ANN) model for peak flow estimation and the steepness index unit volume flood hydrograph (SIUVFH) method for sub-daily flow disaggregation to generate hydrographs on an hourly time scale. The SIUVFH method is based on the strong relationship between the flood peak and the steepness index, which is defined as the difference between the daily flood peak and daily flow several days before the peak, it is also used for selecting a reference unit volume flood hydrograph to be scaled to obtain the sub-daily flood hydrograph. In this study, to improve the applicability of the SIUVFH method for locations with a weak relationship between the flood peak and steepness index, the ANN-based flood peak estimation was used as an additional indicator to determine a reference unit volume flood hydrograph. To apply the proposed method, ANN models for estimating the peak flows from the mean daily flows during peak and adjacent days were constructed for the studied dam sites. The optimal ANN structures were determined through Monte Carlo cross-validation. The results showed a good performance with statistical measurements of relative root mean square errors of 0.155&ndash, 0.224, 0.208&ndash, 0.301, and 0.244&ndash, 0.382 for the training, validation, and testing datasets, respectively. An application of the combined use of the ANN-based peak estimation and the SIUVFH-based flow disaggregation revealed that the disaggregated hourly flows satisfactorily matched the observed flood hydrograph.

Groundwater is a strategic resource in all climatic regions of Ethiopia, contributing about 80% of the domestic supply of urban and rural populations. However, little research has been available compared with extensive geographical coverage and increasing population growth rates. Hence, the present study aimed to review published groundwater research of Ethiopian aquifers to realize potential research challenges and suggest future research directions. We focused on groundwater potential, recharge process, and qualities. The total potential groundwater of the country ranges from 2.5 to 47 billion cubic meters. The study depicted that the mean annual recharge estimate varies from 24.9 mm to 457 mm at catchments scales. However, the overall country was about 39.1 mm. The study found a need for a detailed investigation of different factors susceptible to groundwater pollution, as some of the evaluations indicated exceeding acceptable standards. This study observed that the main challenge was the lack of data and convergence research trends. Henceforth, future research in different climate regions should focus on multifaceted technical and stakeholder settings. This study gives the insight to integrate palatable research findings with the national policy and decision-making process to enhance the sustainability of groundwater resources significantly.

Background Hemodynamic instability is a frequent adverse effect following administration of dexmedetomidine (DMED). In this study, we evaluated the incidence of DMED-induced hemodynamic instability and its predictive factors in clinical regional anesthesia practice. Methods One hundred sixteen patients who underwent orthopedic upper limb surgery under brachial plexus block with intravenous DMED administration were retrospectively identified. The primary outcome was the incidence of DMED-induced hemodynamic instability. The participants were allocated to a stable or unstable group by their hemodynamic instability status. Patients’ characteristics were compared between the groups. The relationship between the potential risk factors and development of DMED-induced hemodynamic instability was analyzed with a logistic regression model. Results DMED-induced hemodynamic instability was observed in 14.7% of patients (17/116). The unstable group had more women than the stable group (76.5% vs. 39.4%, P = 0.010). When patients were classified into four subgroup according to body mass index (underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity), there was significant difference in the composition of the subgroups in the two groups (P = 0.008). In univariate analysis, female sex, obesity, and pre-existing hypertension were significant predictors of DMED-induced hemodynamic instability. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that female sex (adjusted OR 3.86, CI 1.09; 13.59, P = 0.036) and obesity (adjusted OR 6.41, CI 1.22; 33.57, P = 0.028) were independent predictors of DMED-induced hemodynamic instability. Conclusions Female and obese patients are more likely to have hemodynamic instability following intravenous DMED administration in clinical regional anesthesia practice. This study suggests that DMED dose may be diminished to prevent hypotensive risk in these populations. Trial registration This article was retrospectively registered at WHO clinical trial registry platform (Trial number: KCT0005977).

In this research, it was investigated the energy fraction and emission characteristics of natural gas/diesel dual-fuel combustion in terms of the combustion index such as combustion duration and mass fraction burned 50% (MFB50) of a 6-L heavy-duty compression ignition (CI) engine. The reactivity gradient was varied by changing the diesel injection timing and natural gas energy fraction from 60 to 90%. Engine speed was fixed at 1,200 rpm, and the total input energy from the two fuels was maintained at 11,880 J/cycle for all six cylinders. Diesel injection timing was varied from top dead center (TDC) to 40° before TDC (BTDC) (at intervals of 10°). First, the combustion parameters were analyzed in terms of differences in reactivity gradients. The main combustion parameters considered included ignition delay, combustion duration, and MFB 50. For all cases, the indicated thermal efficiency (ITE) was analyzed with respect to the energy fractions of combustion loss, heat transfer loss, and exhaust loss, to determine the main influences on combustion duration and the MFB 50. Engine-out emission was introduced as an operating parameter associated with ITE and the various losses. These values were compared to those of neat diesel combustion conditions.

This paper presents a novel design and control method of an active suspension system using a linear pump control–based hydraulic system for a cost-effective application. Various active suspension systems have been proposed and applied to vehicles due to its ability to improve ride comfort and handling performance even though these active suspension systems are not popular because of their complexity, high cost, heavyweight, and low power efficiency. A new type of active suspension actuator system was designed and validated herein based on the methods of actuator sizing and modified control scheme to address the aforementioned issues. System power capability has been analyzed under various dynamics and road conditions. Active suspension actuator components have been designed based on the results. The electro-hydraulic system is powered by a battery to reduce the energy consumption of the system; hence, it is operated by torque on demand. A double-acting linear hydraulic motor pump with a dual rack and pinion has been proposed for hydraulic force control with a simple on/off switch operation. The actuator force has been controlled by continuous linear motor pump displacement control via torque control using a three-phase synchronous brushless alternative current motor. Dynamic performance evaluation of the actuator system has been conducted using AMESIM and actual rig test. Active height and roll control algorithms for the enhancement of vehicle dynamics considering actuator dynamics have also been developed and validated through the rig and real vehicle tests. The evaluation results showed that the linear motor pump–based active suspension system performs as well as the previous complicated hydraulic active suspension system. The new active system proposed in this study was able to improve the vehicle dynamics using cost-effective actuation system significantly.

A stretchable pressure sensitive piezoresistive film was fabricated through the polymerization of a mixture containing an ionic liquid (IL, 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate) and a commercially available 3D printable photopolymer. This piezoresistive layer was placed between two carbon-nanotube (CNT)-based stretchable electrodes and was encapsulated with stretchable top and bottom insulating layers to form a multilayer piezoresistive pressure sensor. The intersecting electrodes create a sensing unit, referred to as a taxel. The sensor was connected to a Wheatstone half-bridge circuit, and a normal force was applied on the taxel to evaluate the sensor in terms of change in electrical resistance as the sensor underwent deformation. Sensor performance was investigated for various concentrations of IL and the thicknesses of the intermediate piezoresistive layer. The experimental results showed that the IL concentration and the thickness of the intermediate layer affect the sensitivity of the sensor. Next, various forces were applied to a sensor that was fabricated using reasonable values for IL concentration and layer thickness to determine the reliability and responsiveness. The proposed IL-based sensor displayed superior performance with high sensitivity and reliability. While the sensors for these experiments were manufactured using screen printing and molding processes, the materials used for sensor fabrication are 3D printable, as 3D printing is the target manufacturing technique for stretchable pressure sensors in the future.

In conducting a literature review, this article explores changes to Adult Learning and Education (ALE) policies and related processes as well as the context within which those changes have taken pl...

This comparative study examines patterns of inequality in participation in two different types of adult learning and education (ALE) – job-related formal ALE (JFALE) and job-related non-formal ALE ...

Background Retropharyngeal hematoma following cervical spine trauma may lead to life-threatening upper airway obstruction and difficult airway management. This retrospective study was performed to investigate whether the extension of retropharyngeal space (RPS) was associated with difficult intubation by direct laryngoscopy in traumatic cervical spine injury. Patients and methods Sixty-two patients who had undergone direct endotracheal intubation under general anesthesia for cervical spine surgery were retrospectively identified. Laryngoscopic grade by Cormack-Lehane (C-L) classification was collected; grade 1 or 2 was categorized as easy laryngoscopy, whereas grade 3 or 4 was categorized as difficult laryngoscopy. In these patients, RPS thickness and the proportions of RPS to the vertebral bodies were measured at the 2nd, 5th and 7th cervical spine levels using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cervical spine. Measures of RPS were compared between easy and difficult laryngoscopy. Relationships between measures of RPS and difficult laryngoscopy were analyzed with logistic regression analysis. Results RPS thickness at C2 was significantly greater in difficult laryngoscopy (median 14.29 mm, IQR: 9.75-18.04) than easy laryngoscopy (median 5.10, IQR: 4.33-5.94, p

Operative hysteroscopy intravascular absorption syndrome (OHIAS) results from systemic absorption of hypotonic solution during hysteroscopy, which may induce severe hyponatremia within hours. Depending on the serum sodium (Na+) level, this can be life-threatening and requires prompt and careful remedial treatment.A 53-year-old woman underwent hysteroscopic myomectomy for submucosal leiomyoma. Approximately 3 hours postoperatively, the serum Na+ level decreased to 82 mM/L, accompanied by pulmonary edema and lactic acidosis. The patient was strongly suspicious of OHIAS.A rapid correction was made using 3% NaCl to prevent brain edema as an initial response. After the serum Na+ level reached 120 mM/L, gradual correction was performed considering osmotic demyelination syndrome, and desmopressin was administered to prevent overcorrection caused by excessive water diuresis. Serum Na+ level normalized in 4 days and the patient recovered without any specific sequelae.The detection of OHIAS may be delayed under general anesthesia, and prior vigilance is important if the operation time is prolonged. In severe hyponatremia with an apparently rapid onset, such as OHIAS, a two-step correction process may be safe and useful: rapid correction followed by more gradual correction.