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The overall safety and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy for anterior cerebral artery strokes remain unclear.Our aim was to summarize procedural and clinical outcomes in patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy for treatment of anterior cerebral artery ischemic stroke.A systematic literature review was performed using PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and the Web of Science from inception until March 4, 2022.We identified 9 studies with a total of 168 patients with mechanical thrombectomy-treated anterior cerebral artery occlusions.Recanalization, procedural data, and clinical outcome at last follow-up were collected and summarized. Categoric variables were reported as proportions. The χFor mechanical thrombectomy-treated anterior cerebral artery occlusions, recanalization modified TICI 2b/3 was achieved in 80%, postprocedural complications occurred in 17% of patients, and the 90-day mortality rate was 19%. The rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage varied depending on the anterior cerebral artery embolus type (χThis analysis did not consider factors such as small-study effects that affect reliability and limit interpretation.Mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of anterior cerebral artery occlusions is safe and efficacious, offering a favorable rate of recanalization and procedural complications. Mechanical thrombectomy-treated anterior cerebral artery occlusions appear to have lower rates of short-term good functional outcomes and an increased risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage compared with mechanical thrombectomy-treated MCA/ICA occlusions. Single and multicenter studies are needed to further examine the safety and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy-treated anterior cerebral artery occlusions.

Background and Purpose: The spectrum of brain infarction in patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) has not been well characterized. Our objective was to define the frequency and pattern of brain infarcts detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) among patients with recent ESUS participating in a clinical trial. Methods: In the NAVIGATE ESUS trial (New Approach Rivaroxaban Inhibition of Factor Xa in a Global Trial Versus ASA to Prevent Embolism in Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source), an MRI substudy was carried out at 87 sites in 15 countries. Participants underwent an MRI using a specified protocol near randomization. Images were interpreted centrally by those unaware of clinical characteristics. Results: Among the 918 substudy cohort participants, the mean age was 67 years and 60% were men with a median (interquartile range) of 64 (26–115) days between the qualifying ischemic stroke and MRI. On MRI, 855 (93%) had recent or chronic brain infarcts that were multiple in 646 (70%) and involved multiple arterial territories in 62% (401/646). Multiple brain infarcts were present in 68% (510/755) of those without a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack before the qualifying ESUS. Prior stroke/transient ischemic attack ( P 0 ( P P =0.01) were associated with multiple infarcts. Topographically, large and/or cortical infarcts were present in 89% (757/855) of patients with infarcts, while in 11% (98/855) infarcts were exclusively small and subcortical. Among those with multiple large and/or cortical infarcts, 57% (251/437) had one or more involving a different vascular territory from the qualifying ESUS. Conclusions: Most patients with ESUS, including those without prior clinical stroke or transient ischemic attack, had multiple large and/or cortical brain infarcts detected by MRI, reflecting a substantial burden of clinical stroke and covert brain infarction. Infarcts most frequently involved multiple vascular territories. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02313909.

This work develops an artificially intelligent (AI) tokamak operation design algorithm that provides an adequate operation trajectory to control multiple plasma parameters simultaneously into different targets. An AI is trained with the reinforcement learning technique in the data-driven tokamak simulator, searching for the best action policy to get a higher reward. By setting the reward function to increase as the achieved β p, q 95, and l i are close to the given target values, the AI tries to properly determine the plasma current and boundary shape to reach the given targets. After training the AI with various targets and conditions in the simulation environment, we demonstrated that we could successfully achieve the target plasma states with the AI-designed operation trajectory in a real KSTAR experiment. The developed algorithm would replace the human task of searching for an operation setting for given objectives, provide clues for developing advanced operation scenarios, and serve as a basis for the autonomous operation of a fusion reactor.

Background In this study, we evaluated the association between genetic polymorphisms of 23 genes associated with gemcitabine metabolism and the clinical efficacy of gemcitabine in breast cancer patients. Patients and methods This prospective, pharmacogenetic study was conducted in cooperation with a phase II clinical trial. A total of 103 genetic polymorphisms of the 23 genes involved in gemcitabine transport and metabolism were selected for genotyping. The associations of genetic polymorphisms with overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS), and 6-month PFS were analyzed. Results A total of 91 breast cancer patients were enrolled in this study. In terms of 6-month PFS, rs1044457 in CMPK1 was the most significant genetic polymorphism [55.9% for CT and TT and 78.9% for CC, P < 0.001, hazard ratio (HR): 4.444, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.905-10.363]. For the rs693955 in SLC29A1, the median duration of PFS was 5.4 months for AA and 10.5 months for CA and CC (P = 0.002, HR: 3.704, 95% CI: 1.615-8.497). For the rs2807312 in TLE4, the median duration of PFS was 5.7 months for TT and 10.4 months for CT and CC (P = 0.005, HR: 4.948, 95% CI: 1.612-15.190). In survival analysis with a multi-gene model, the TT genotype of rs2807312 had the worst PFS regardless of other genetic polymorphisms, whereas the CA genotype of rs693955 or the CT genotype of rs2807312 without the AA genotype of rs693955 had the best PFS compared with those of other genetic groups (P < 0.001). Conclusions Genetic polymorphisms of rs1044457 in CMPK1, rs693955 in SLC29A1, and rs2807312 in TLE4 were significantly associated with the 6-month PFS rate and/or the duration of PFS. Further studies with a larger sample size and expression study would be helpful to validate the association of genetic polymorphisms and clinical efficacy of gemcitabine., Highlights • This is the largest pharmacogenetic study of gemcitabine-based breast cancer treatment in a prospective clinical trial. • Several genetic polymorphisms in CMPK1, SLC29A1, and TLE4 were associated with 6-month PFS rate and the duration of PFS. • The result of this study may contribute to the personalized treatment of breast cancer.

In our study, the microstructure and reliability of micro-solder bumps of through-silicon-via (TSV) packages were assessed in high temperature storage (HTS) condition with several bump structures. The packages were assembled by molded underfill (MUF) processes, and to test the different resin environments, the MUF conditions were modified. Because HTS requires a long period of time in the formal reliability conditions, the estimation of acceleration factors (AF) is critical for the practical evaluation purpose. Elevated temperature (180oC) was used as an acceleration condition against the normal condition (150oC). AF was estimated by measuring the intermetallic (IMC) thickness during HTS. Two main mechanisms for IMC growth were considered in the process of obtaining AF: one is the volume shrinkage during IMC formation and the other is the solder diffusion along the lateral side of under-bump metallurgy (UBM). Based on these, the AF of 180 oC HTS referenced on 150oC was estimated to be in the range of 5-7. To verify the accuracy of AF, two AF values from the actual failure time and IMC growth were compared (between 180oC and 200oC), and there was a good consistency. Assuming the same failure mechanism during HTS for the entire temperature region in this study (125-200oC), we concluded that AF between 150oC and 180oC is also valid. That is, the condition at 180oC for 145hr can replace the condition at 150oC for 1008 hr. Neither showed an actual failure, meaning the conditions are safe.

We report the status of hybrid scenario experiments in Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR). The hybrid scenario is defined as stationary discharges with B N >= 2.4 and H_89 >= 2.0 at q_95 < 6.5 without or with very mild sawtooth activities in KSTAR. It is being developed towards reactor-relevant conditions. High performance of B N

Transient Liquid Phase Bonding (TLPB) makes use of the isothermal solidification of a liquid interlayer through the formation of intermetallic compounds (IMC). This work investigates the Ag3Sn IMC formation in a thin, electroplated Ag–Sn interlayer system appropriate for TLPB – while covering as-coated conditions, growth initiation up to a few minutes of holding time – with experimental and numerical methods. Both solid-state and solid–liquid reactions at 200, 250 and 300 °C, respectively, were covered under identical and near-isothermal conditions with a novel experimental setup. Morphological aspects like the lateral IMC grain size or the scallop roughness were proven to strongly depend on temperature. Growth kinetics were captured by power laws, growth exponents n were determined as 0.24, 0.36 and 0.29, parabolic growth constants k as 1.32 ⋅ 10−11, 4.04 ⋅ 10−10 and 7.24 ⋅ 10−10 cm2/s at 200, 250 and 300 °C, respectively, and the activation energy Q as 30.6 kJ/mol. Predominant diffusion mechanisms, i.e. volume or GB diffusion, as well as coarsening effects were identified as temperature and time dependent at early stages. A mathematical model was developed based on the Arrhenius relationship including a growth correction function zIMC,corr to calculate and predict IMC growth as a function of temperature and time. The study was completed by multiphase-field simulations which targeted to mimic kinetic and morphological features of Ag3Sn IMC under various conditions. Good agreement between experiments and simulations was found for a limited set of parameters which allowed drawing conclusions about the dominant transport mechanisms for the reacting elements.

This work addresses the microstructure evolution during transient liquid phase bonding (TLP) of high-density (small volume) interconnects, which are relevant for 3D packaging in the microelectronics industry. Specifically, the intermetallic compound (IMC) growth in the Cu/Sn/Cu sandwiched soldering joint configuration is characterized through predicted processing maps. These maps are derived from phase-field modeling simulations that incrementally vary geometrical and thermal conditions (i.e., initial solder thicknesses ranging from 4 μm to 28 μm and system temperatures ranging from T = 240 °C to 310 °C). The calculations consider the concurrent evolution of the Cu3Sn and Cu6Sn5 IMC layers at the expense of the liquid solder (i.e., Sn) and the substrates (i.e., α -Cu) given their respective chemical potentials and associated driving forces for diffusion and phase transformation. Additionally, materials properties (e.g., diffusivity, interfacial energy, and mobility) are adjusted in order to account for varying processing temperatures that are relevant to the transient liquid phase (TLP) joining process. Through this study, it is shown how temperature, initial liquid solder thickness, and hold time influence (1) how the IMC phases evolve, (2) whether or not IMC phases are eliminated, and (3) how IMC grains coarsen. These results make it possible to develop practical strategies for the use of TLP joining process in high-density interconnects.

In this work, we present a preliminary model based on the multiphase-field formalism that is used to investigate the evolution of intermetallic compound (IMC) layers in the Cu/Sn solder system under electromigration conditions. The simulation considers the concurrent evolution of the Cu3Sn and Cu6Sn5 IMC layers under electrochemical driving forces. We use CALPHAD descriptions for the thermodynamics of the bulk phases (Cu, Sn and both IMCs) and incorporate electrochemical contributions to the total free energy of the microstructure in order to simulate the evolution of the interfacial microstructure due to mass–current couplings. The simulation considers grain-boundary diffusion as the dominant mechanism for chemical-potential-driven mass flux. The simulation considers the effect of current density and polarity on the growth of IMCs. The simulations are in turn compared to experimental measurements of growth rates, morphology of IMC grains and evolution of interface roughness. The analysis of experiments and simulations suggest that back-stress resulting from the non-equilibrium vacancy generation due to diffusive flux imbalance among the individual diffusants (Cu and Sn) plays a fundamental role in the evolution of the IMC layers. Overall, the simulations and experiments show good qualitative agreement.

In this work, the impact of microvoids on the microstructural evolution of η-Cu6Sn5 and ɛ-Cu3Sn in the Cu-Sn system is evaluated numerically. Through the use of the multiphase-field method, the systems of interest are allowed to evolve using a solid-state aging temperature of 453 K in conjunction with material parameters and reaction conditions adopted from previous research. The simulation results are then analyzed and compared with previous experiments in terms of the morphological evolution of the intermetallic compounds (IMCs), the IMC layer thicknesses, and the corresponding interfacial roughness. It is shown that the presence of microvoids at the ɛ/Cu interface interferes with the flow of mass throughout the phases, impeding phase transformations and grain coarsening. This ultimately affects the IMC coarsening rate and overall IMC layer thicknesses. Additionally, it was observed that the presence of microvoids at the ɛ/Cu interface affects the formation of both IMC layers and their corresponding interfaces, and the changes in roughness for the interfaces are quantitatively provided. Overall, the simulations are found to be within the range of accepted experimental values for the morphology of the IMC grains, the evolution of IMC layer thicknesses, and the evolution of interface roughness.

This paper presents experimental research evaluation of the vibration exposure for the health risk prediction during vehicle operation. The vibration measurements were carried out on a recreational vehicle and two types of agricultural tractors. The vibration levels were measured for different surfaces and vehicle speed conditions. Based on the analysis of the results in the small agricultural tractor operated in the workplace (frameworks), Sed exceeded 0.80 MPa by ISO2631-5:2004, and Av exceeded 0.89 m/s(2) by ISO2631-1:1997. That means that operators driving small agricultural tractors more than 8 h a day have a high probability of adverse health effects. However, the exposure value for the recreational vehicle had Sed < 0.5 MPa by ISO2631-5:2004 and Av < 0.5 m/s(2) by ISO2631-1:1997 on highways and local roads. That means Recreational Vehicle operators driving more than 8 h a day, have a low probability of adverse health effects. Also, for the recreational vehicle, vibration was taken at different speeds (40-60 km/h, 80 km/h, 100-120 km/h). However, the speed change did not appear to affect the vibration dose variation while driving a vehicle on the highway and road. Finally, the health effect index of ISO2631-5:2004 are almost the same as assessment of health effect by ISO2631-1:1997.

The microstructural evolution of η(Cu6Sn5) and e(Cu3Sn) in a Cu/Sn/Cu structure under transient liquid phase bonding conditions is numerically investigated through the use of the multiphase-field method. The material parameters and reaction conditions were adopted from relevant experimental research. Simulation results were then analyzed and compared with the experiments in terms of morphology of intermetallic compound (IMC) grains, growth ratio of the η layer with respect to the e layer, evolution of each layer and roughness of each interface. Additionally, it is shown through the use of simulation data that, while liquid Sn is present, the growth of the η IMC layers is dominant and that, upon the exhaustion of liquid Sn, the η grains of the upper and lower layers impinge on one another, at which time the larger grains continue to coarsen at the expense of the smaller grains. Concurrently, the growth of the e layers becomes significant and continues to increase until the η layer is fully consumed or the reaction is thermally arrested. Overall, the simulations were found to be in good qualitative agreement with experiments for morphology of the IMC grains, while showing good quantitative agreement, in spatial extent and elapsed time frames, for the evolution of each of the IMC layers and the derived growth ratio of the η layer with respect to the e layer. Furthermore, it is shown that the results corresponding to different thickness values for the initial Sn layer suggest that the IMC evolution can be reasonably predicted in advance of experimental studies.

Cu/Sn soldering alloys have emerged as a viable alternative to Pb-based solders, and thus have been extensively explored in the past decade, although the fine-scale behavior of the resulting intermetallic compounds (IMCs), particularly during the early stages of interface formation, is still a source of debate. In this work, the microstructural evolution of Cu6Sn5, in a Cu/Sn soldering reaction at 523 K, was experimentally investigated by dipping a single Cu sample into molten Sn at a near-constant speed, yielding a continuous set of time evolution samples. The thickness, coarsening and morphology evolution of the Cu6Sn5 layer is investigated through the use of scanning electron microscopy. The experimental results are also compared to phase-field simulations of the microstructural evolution of the Cu6Sn5 layer. The influence of model parameters on the kinetics and morphological evolution of the IMC layer was examined. In general, good qualitative agreement is found between experiments and simulations and for a limited parameter set there appears to be good quantitative agreement between the growth kinetics of the Cu6Sn5 layer, the grain boundary (GB) effect on grain coarsening, and the substrate/IMC interface roughness evolution. Furthermore, the parametric investigations of the model suggests that good agreement between experiments and simulations is achieved when the dominant transport mechanism for the reacting elements (Cu and Sn) is GB diffusion.

This study investigates the concurrent nucleation, formation and growth of two intermetallic compounds (IMCs), Cu 6 Sn 5 ( η ) and Cu 3 Sn ( e ), during the early stages of soldering in the Cu–Sn system. The nucleation, formation and growth of the IMC layers is simulated through a multiphase-field model [1,2] in which the concurrent nucleation of both IMC phases is considered to be a stochastic Poisson process with nucleation rates calculated from classical nucleation theory [3] . CALPHAD thermodynamic models are used to calculate the local contributions to the free energy of the system and the driving forces for precipitation of the IMC phases. The nucleation parameters of the η phase are estimated from experimental results [4] and those of the e phase are assumed to be similar. A parametric investigation of the effects of model parameters (e.g. grain boundary (GB) diffusion rates, interfacial and GB energies) on morphological evolution and IMC layer growth rate is presented and compared with previous works in which nucleation was ignored [5] . In addition, the resulting growth rates are compared with the available literature and it is found that, for a certain range in the model parameters, the agreement is quite satisfactory. This work provides valuable insight into the dominant mechanisms for mass transport as well as morphological evolution and growth of IMC layers during early stages of Pb-free soldering.

Computational investigations of the morphological evolution and growth kinetics for intermetallic compounds (IMCs, Cu 6 Sn 5 and Cu 3 Sn) formed during reaction and aging between Sn-based solder and a copper substrate are presented. Cu-substrate, Cu 3 Sn ( ɛ phase) and Cu 6 Sn 5 ( η phase) layers (or grains), as well as the Sn-liquid phase (or Sn-solid phase) are considered during the soldering (solid-state aging) process. In the simulation, interface regions are defined by the coexistence of two or more phases (at triple points) at a computational grid point. The simulation is performed through the multiphase-field approach. In the phase-field simulation, the grain boundary (GB) diffusion of the η phase as well as the interfacial energy between this phase and the solder alloy are treated as model parameters. Variation of these parameters allows the investigation of the effects of short-circuit diffusion paths and GB wetting on the morphological evolution of the IMC layers. The simulations addresses the growth kinetics of the two IMC layers (Cu 6 Sn 5 and Cu 3 Sn) during the two processes up to 14 h, illustrating the variation of η and ɛ IMC thickness and the number of η and ɛ grains as the microstructure coarsens.

In this work, the early stages of the formation and growth of the intermetallic compound Cu6Sn5 during soldering reactions between a Cu substrate and liquid Sn are examined through phase-field simulations. The liquid Sn-based solder (L phase) and the copper substrate (α phase) are considered to be under metastable equilibrium conditions that eventually lead to nucleation of the Cu6Sn5 intermetallic compound (IMC) (η phase) at the solid/liquid interface. Nucleation is incorporated into the model through a classical treatment considering that individual nucleation events follow a Poisson distribution function. The driving forces for the nucleation and phase transformations are obtained by coupling the phase-field simulations to CALPHAD models. In the phase-field simulations, physical properties such as liquid surface as well as IMC interfacial energies are treated parametrically to probe the behavior of the system under various growth conditions. The simulations are compared with previous works and are shown to have good (qualitative) agreement with recent detailed studies on the early stages of the interaction between Cu and liquid Sn.

We investigate the early stages of the morphological evolution of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) during lead-free soldering involving liquid Sn-based solder and Cu substrate considering the heterogeneous nucleation of the IMCs. The simulation is performed through the multi-phase-field approach [20,25]. Initially, the liquid Sn-based solder and the Cu substrate are considered to be at metastable local equilibrium. Nucleation at the solder/substrate interface is modeled by considering it to be a Poisson process. The phase-field simulation accounts for variations in grain boundary diffusion in the g phase and interface energies between the g phase and liquid solder, and uses these variations to investigate the multiplicity of soldering reactions, and make comparisons with previous work [23]. The simulations address the kinetics of the IMC growth during lead-free soldering under the effect of nucleation at an early stage, illustrating the variation in Cu substrate thickness, IMC thickness and number of grains that nucleate or disappear due to grain growth-induced coalescence.

A multiphase field simulation of the morphological evolution of the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formed during the reaction between liquid Sn-based solder and a copper substrate is presented. The Cu-substrate, Cu3Sn (e phase), and Cu6Sn5 (η phase) layers (or grains), as well as the Sn-liquid phase are considered. Interfaces are defined by the presence of more than one phase at a given point of the computational domain. The interface structure is determined by assuming that all components of coexisting phases within the interfacial region have equal chemical potentials, which are in turn calculated from CALPHAD thermodynamic databases. Fast grain boundary (GB) diffusion in the η IMC layer, η grain coarsening and growth with growth/shrinkage of e grains, and dissolution of Cu from the substrate will be discussed and compared with previous works. The simulation will address the kinetics of the IMC growth during soldering and the influence of fast GB diffusion on the concurrent coarsening of Cu3Sn and Cu6Sn5 grains. The kinetic behavior of the substrate/IMC/solder system as a function of model parameters will also be presented.

The dynamics of two horizontal inviscid liquid layers induced by a vertical wavemaker is studied analytically, followed by a numerical analysis. The focus is put on the time dependent motion of the two interfaces, formed between the two liquid layers and between the upper layer and the air above. The singularities that would appear in the two contact lines (the three-phase lines formed by the wavemaker, the liquids, and the air) in most variable-separating techniques are suppressed by a Fourier-integral method, which generates uniformly valid solutions; the surface elevations at the contact lines remain finite for all time. Various wavemaker velocities are considered for realistic applications of the results. The study is initially prompted by the oil-skimming problem, one of the main issues of which is to determine the optimum speed of the oil skirt, without leaving the spilt oil behind. By obtaining the locations of the two interfaces though this study, the motion of the oil layer (upper liquid) can be determined precisely, based on conservation laws.

The dynamics of a vapor bubble between its liquid phase and a heated plate is studied in relation to the breakdown and recovery of the film boiling. By examining the expansion and the contraction of the vapor bubble the film boiling and transition boiling states are predicted. Conservation laws in the vapor, solid, and liquid phases are invoked along with fully nonlinear, coupled, free boundary conditions. These coupled system of equations are reduced to a single evolution equation for the local thickness of the vapor bubble by using a long-wave asymptotics, which is then solved numerically to yield the transient motion of the vapor bubble. Of the numerous parameters involved in this complex phenomenon we focus on the effects of the degree of superheat from the solid plate, that of the supercooling through the liquid, and the wetting/dewetting characteristics of the liquid on the solid plate. A material property of the substrate thus is incorporated into the criteria for the film boiling based on hydrodynamic models.

To confirm the modulation role of GABA(B) on ethanol' effects, we studied the effects of ethanol on the neuronal intracellular signals, protein kinase A (PKA) and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), by using a system where GABA(B1) receptors were specifically knocked down in the in vitro cultivated cortical neurons. The results showed that the PKA alpha subunit was increased with ethanol treatment, and could be further increased by administering baclofen and phaclofen. By contrast, baclofen and/or phaclofen could decrease ethanol's up-regulation effects on PKA alpha subunit expression in primary cultured cortical neurons in which the GABA(B1) receptor was specifically knocked down using GABA(B1) receptor RNA interference. Furthermore, these effects could lead to changes of phospho (p)-CREB expression, which showed the same expression pattern as PKA. Finally, we observed changes of GABA(B1), PKA, and p-CREB distribution within the same neuronal cells. These results showed that the GABA(B) receptors are critical to ethanol's cellular effects, which occur via modulating the PKA and CREB transcription pathway, and may be an underlying cause of ethanol's effects.

Prenatal ethanol exposure has various deleterious effects on neuronal development. As GABA B receptor is known to play an important role during the development of the CNS, we now focused on its mRNA expression pattern in the rat brain during the late gestational days (GD) from 15.5 to GD 21.5. Ethanol’s effect was also observed from GD 11.5 to GD 21.5. GABA B1 receptor mRNA showed a high expression level in GD 15.5 and 19.5, while GABA B2 receptor mRNA did in GD 15.5 and 21.5. The mRNAs levels depended on age and area during development. Ethanol exposure decreased GABA B1 receptor from GD 11.5 to GD 19.5 with slight increases in GD 21.5. The decreasing effects were area dependent, with the highest effects in the forebrain including cortex, whereas slight effects were observed in the midbrain and hindbrain. The present results suggest an important role of GABA B receptor in the effects of ethanol on prenatal brain developmental processes.

The characteristics of lithium/manganese-dioxide cells using Li powder or Li foil as the negative electrode (anode) are compared at high-rate discharge. Lithium powders with a mean diameter of 20 μm are produced by forming a dispersion of molten Li metal in inorganic carrier fluids. Cells using Li powder anodes show larger capacity and lower internal resistance than cells using Li foil anodes. Based on BET (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller) measurements, a reduction of effective current density due to the large surface area of the Li powder is considered to be responsible for the superior higher-rate discharge characteristics.

Heated (121 °C) garlic extract in which alliinase was inactivated before crushing exhibited complete bacteriostatic activity at 15% against Staphylococcus aureas. Garlic heated for 45 min showed the highest antibacterial activity and the relative peak areas of 4-heptenal, methyl allyl disulfide, dialiyl disulfide, 2-vinyl-4H-1,3-dithiin, and diallyl trisulfide (DATS) were highest at 45 min of heating. Other than 4-heptenal, all these compounds are known to possess different degrees of antibacterial activity. DATS was thought to be the primary antibacterial compound in heated garlic extract. It was tentatively concluded that antibacterial compounds were formed from alliin unreacted by alliinase by marked heating. Diallyl compounds with more than three sulfur atoms and the oxidized form of allicin were not detected. L'allicine, genere par l'alliin lyase a partir de l'alliine, est le principal compose antimicrobien de l'ail. Cette etude examine la generation de composes antibacteriens dans de l'ail blanchi. Ces objectifs sont de montrer la presence d'activite antibacterienne dans un extrait d'ail dans lequel l'alliin lyase est inactive et d'identifier les composes inhibiteurs presents dans l'ail ayant subi un traitement thermique.

Investigates an equivalence circuit model for characterizing a person's electrical properties. It is not straightforward to compare skin-impedance data of various research groups because the impedance depends very sensitively on measurement conditions such as the shape, size, material, and contact pressure of the electrodes, the skin humidity due to sweat, the applied current, the shape of the wave, and even the psychological condition of the subject. With these subtleties in mind, we show the impedance data taken by various groups and our data (shown with curves). Data of other groups are scattered around our curve.

We have newly designed, fabricated, and installed a decoupler and a 3 dB hybrid coupler for load-resilient operation of the KSTAR ICRF. The new ICRF TL system for load resilient operation has been successfully performed in 2012 plasma experiments. In L-mode plasmas, the ratio between two powers measured at the isolated port of the hybrid coupler and reflected from two resonant loops becomes approximately 1. Furthermore, a load resilient transmission line (TL) system results in stable ICRF transmitter operation and power transmission in ELMy discharges. The maximum ICRF transmitted power is approximately 500 kW and pulse length is 3 s. With power transmission at higher than 500 kW, breakdowns frequently occurred in the vacuum feedthrough. After the campaign, we discovered that surfaces of alumina, coaxial inner and outer conductor of the vacuum feedthrough were severely damaged by the arcs. We removed the silver coat from 8 feedthroughs and repaired the damaged surfaces. In order to study a higher standoff...

Endurable water-repellent coated layers have been formed on safety glasses for automobiles via a sol-gel based spray coating process. Coated films are composed of a silica underlayer (∼800 A) and a fluorocarbon layer in which the formed silica shows a definite surface roughness and acts as the enhancement factor for chemical and mechanical durability. Durability is a function of the degree of surface roughness, structural fineness and homogeneity. Dual stage aging in silica sol controls a wide range of surface roughness. Water-repellency is degraded gradually by a combination of sunlight (ultraviolet), water, and abrasion. Spray coating on large size and curved safety glasses was successfully carried out.

Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquas) has been used as a folk remedy for several illnesses including gastrointestinal disorders. We recently reported the potent anti-inflammatory effect of chaga extract in experimental colitis. However, its effects on colorectal cancer (CRC) have not been clearly elucidated. We investigated the effects of an aqueous extract of Inonotus obliquus (IOAE) in vitro in HCT116 and DLD1 cell lines and in vivo for adenoma in APC Min/+ mice and colitis-associated colon cancer in AOM/DSS-treated mice. Results show that IOAE suppressed the proliferation of both cell lines, and inhibited the growth of intestinal polyps in APC Min/+ and colon tumors in AOM/DSS-treated mice. IOAE induced mitochondrial intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, autophagy, and S phase cell cycle arrest. IOAE suppressed the expression levels of iNOS and Cox-2 and mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-a and IFN-γ) in the intestine of mice models. IOAE suppressed the nuclear levels of β-catenin and inhibited its downstream targets (cyclin D1 and c-Myc) along with CRC oncogene CDK8. IOAE inhibited the expression of NF-κB at cytoplasmic and nuclear levels. Our results demonstrate that IOAE possess potent anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties through downregulation of Wnt/β-catenin and NF-κB pathways. Considering recent anticancer approaches involving natural products with minimal side effects, we advocate that Inonotus obliquus could be a beneficial supplement in prevention of colorectal cancer.

Background The learning curve of robotic gastrectomy has not yet been evaluated in comparison with the laparoscopic approach. We compared the learning curves of robotic gastrectomy and laparoscopic gastrectomy based on operation time and surgical success. Methods We analyzed 172 robotic and 481 laparoscopic distal gastrectomies performed by single surgeon from May 2003 to April 2009. The operation time was analyzed using a moving average and non-linear regression analysis. Surgical success was evaluated by a cumulative sum plot with a target failure rate of 10%. Surgical failure was defined as laparoscopic or open conversion, insufficient lymph node harvest for staging, resection margin involvement, postoperative morbidity, and mortality. Results Moving average and non-linear regression analyses indicated stable state for operation time at 95 and 121 cases in robotic gastrectomy, and 270 and 262 cases in laparoscopic gastrectomy, respectively. The cumulative sum plot identified no cut-off point for surgical success in robotic gastrectomy and 80 cases in laparoscopic gastrectomy. Excluding the initial 148 laparoscopic gastrectomies that were performed before the first robotic gastrectomy, the two groups showed similar number of cases to reach steady state in operation time, and showed no cut-off point in analysis of surgical success. Conclusions The experience of laparoscopic surgery could affect the learning process of robotic gastrectomy. An experienced laparoscopic surgeon requires fewer cases of robotic gastrectomy to reach steady state. Moreover, the surgical outcomes of robotic gastrectomy were satisfactory.

The coupled heat and mass transfer between a falling triethylene glycol (TEG) desiccant film and air in crossflow have previously been presented and solved numerically for the cases of regeneration and dehumidification. Here, correlations for the effects of independent variables on the rate of regeneration in the regenerator and on the rate of dehumidification and sensible cooling in the absorber are developed by statistical analysis of the numerical results. The functional correlations developed should be useful in the design of regenerators and absorbers having falling liquid desiccant films and air in crossflow.

A search for charm hadron decays into two muons plus one or more hadrons has been carried out using a hybrid emulsion spectrometer. This technique is sensitive to modes with missing neutrals, e.g. π0μ+μ− and ϱ±μ+μ−, as well as to constrained modes having visible invariant masses equal to those of charm states. No evidence for any such decays has been found, which allows upper limits at the 90% confidence level as low as 1.8 × 10−4 to be placed on the branching fractions for charm-changing neutral-current and lepton-number violating decay modes.

Several efficient programs written in C that handle large scaled matrices, which are usually stored out of the core memory, are provided. A compacted sky-line matrix storage scheme is used for the symmetric coefficient matrices and Crout elimination is used for the solution of linear systems without core blocks. Scalar machine matrix multiplication, canonical multiplication and solutions of non-symmetric augmented linear system routines are provided, which are easily modified to the vectorized machines. Numerical tests are done by personal computers and engineering workstations. Efficiency of storage and time is considered good, compared to the full in-core routines.

Thrombocytopenia (platelet60,000/mm(3)) and uncontrolled massive ascites (ascitic fluid1000 mL/d over 10 days) after liver transplantation (OLT), although uncommon, usually represent serious complications. Splenectomy is a useful treatment despite its many side effects. Recently, partial splenic artery embolization (PSAE) is considered to be a nonsurgical, less invasive treatment. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the results of PSAE after OLT. Between October 2008 and February 2010, 11 patients underwent PSAE after OLT due to thrombocytopenia (n = 6) or refractory ascites (RA; n = 5). Six patients (54.5%) were males and 3 (27.3%) were children. The primary liver disease was virus-related liver cirrhosis (n = 6), biliary atresia (n = 3), fulminant hepatitis (n = 1), or alcoholic liver cirrhosis (n = 1). Seven grafts were from living and four from deceased donors. The major axial size of spleen was 12.1 to 23.4 cm and its average embolized volume, 76.4% (range = 70%-80%). As the result, the platelet count significantly increased after PSAE in all patients maintaining values greater than 100,000/mm(3) in four thrombocytopenic patients (66.7%). Cases of RA showed marked decreases after PSAE (100%). The follow-up was 6 to 28 months. After PSAE, patients experienced abdominal pain (n = 9, 81.8%), fever (n = 2, 18.2%), and abdominal distension (n = 2, 18.2%). However, there was no serious complication after PSAE such as splenic abscess, rupture, pancreatic infarction, sepsis, or death. In conclusion, PSAE was effective and safe and can be the choice for thrombocytopenia or RA related to hypersplenism after OLT.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Carotid IPH can be detected with MR imaging. The aim of this study was to determine the safety of CAS using an emboli protection device in patients with severe carotid artery stenosis and MR imaging–depicted carotid IPH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a prospective data base that included 91 consecutive patients with severe carotid stenosis and high-risk features who were treated with CAS by using an emboli protection device. Seventy-eight of the included patients underwent prestenting 3D TOF MRA. IPH was defined as the presence of high signal intensity within the carotid plaque, greater than 150% of the signal intensity of the adjacent neck muscle on TOF source images. The primary outcome measure was the combined incidence of stroke, MI, and death within 30 days of CAS. Associations between IPH and the primary outcome were investigated. RESULTS: IPH was detected on TOF MRA in 30 patients. Symptomatic patients were more common in the IPH group than in the non-IPH group (66.7% vs 41.7%; P = .032). Overall, 30-day stroke, MI, or death rates were 6.6%. There was no significant difference in the primary outcome between the IPH and non-IPH groups (10% and 6.25%, respectively; hazard ratio for IPH, 1.151; 95% CI, 0.035 to 37.500; P = .937). A logistic regression showed there was no independent variable associated with the primary outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that protected CAS seems to be safe in patients with severe carotid stenosis and IPH.

The relative branching fraction RK = Γ(D0 → K−μ+v)/Γ(D0 → μ−X) has been measured by Fermilab experiment E653, using D0 mesons produced by 600 GeV π−. The semimuonic decay sample of 232 events was identified by the decay chain D ∗+ → D 0 π + , D 0 → μ + h − X , where h is a hadron. The Kμv component was extracted from the joint distribution of these events in the D0 decay variables Mmin and pTh. We find RK = 0.472 ± 0.051 (stat) ± 0.040 (sys), and use a world average of the D0 → Klv branching fraction to obtain the D0 inclusive semimuonic branching fraction B(D0 → μ+X) = (7.67 ± 1.13)%.

A new method, called graphic scanning, was developed by the Nagoya University Group for emulsion analysis in a hybrid experiment. This method enhances both speed and reliability of emulsion analysis. Details of the application of this technique to the analysis of Fermilab experiment E653 are described.

Heat and mass transfer with a uniformly distributed falling liquid desiccant film in a cross-flow parallel plate gas-liquid heat exchanger is predicted, and the results compared with experiment. The process air is in cross-flow over the desiccant film. Refrigerant flows through the heat exchanger tubes and removes the heat of absorption for dehumidification and supplies the heat for regeneration. The governing equations, boundary conditions, and interfacial equilibrium conditions for the concentration, temperature and pressure are presented. The problem is more complex than for cocurrent or countercurrent flow, as it is fully three-dimensional.

A new general optical receiver design method based on the synthesis of optimum noise-matching networks is presented. It is based on the noise figure concept in conjunction with broadband matching theory. The design is accurate because it directly utilizes the active device noise parameters, such as minimum noise figure, noise resistance, and optimum source impedance, which are readily available at microwave frequencies. The analysis has established the general noise-matching requirements of the tuning network that result in the minimum obtainable equivalent input noise current and the fundamental noise limit in tuned receivers. Synthesis procedures are described that can closely satisfy the general noise-matching requirements, which has led to a new low pass filter-type matching network with ultra-broadband characteristics that also approach the fundamental noise limit. The design principles are verified, with an experimental 10 Gb/s PIN-HEMT optical receiver that demonstrates a bandwidth of 6.3 GHz with a gain flatness of /spl plusmn/0.8 dB over the entire frequency range and a measured average noise current of 5 pA//spl radic/(Hz). >

We report the first observation of the Cabibo disfavored semileptonic decay mode D+ → ρ(770)0 μ+v and measure its decay rate relative to the Cabibbo favored mode D + → K ∗ (892) 0 μ + v to be Λ(D + → ρ(770) 0 μ + v Λ(D + → K ∗ (892) 0 μ + v) = 0.044 0.031 −0.025 ( stat. ) ± 0.014 ( syst. ) . The results are compared to theoretical predictions and to previous experimental upper limits.

A search for charm production in the coherent diffractive dissociation reaction pSi→XSi was carried out for the modes D0→K−π+, D0→K−π+π+π−, and D+→K−π+π+. No charm signals were observed, and the 90% confidence level upper limit for coherent charm pair production was determined to be 26 μb per silicon nucleus. The results are interpreted as an upper limit of 0.2% on the amount of intrinsic charm in the proton.