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Background: Empty nose syndrome (ENS) is characterized by paradoxical nasal obstruction that usually occurs after turbinate surgery. Patients with ENS may also experience significant psychiatric symptoms and sleep dysfunction, which negatively affect the quality of life of affected subjects. This study aimed to evaluate sleep impairment and sleepiness in patients with ENS. Methods: Patients with ENS and control participants were recruited prospectively. The Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-25 (SNOT-25), Empty Nose Syndrome 6-item Questionnaire (ENS6Q), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (EpSS), and modified sleep quality index (MSQI) were used to evaluate the participants before and after nasal surgery. Results: Forty-eight patients with ENS and forty-eight age- and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled. The SNOT-25, ENS6Q, EpSS, and MSQI scores in the ENS group were all significantly higher than those in the control group before and after surgery. After surgery, ENS patients all exhibited significant improvements in SNOT-25, ENS6Q, EpSS, and MSQI scores. Regression analysis revealed that SNOT-25 score was a significant predictor of EpSS and MSQI in preoperative evaluations. ENS patients experiencing daytime sleepiness suffered from significantly more “dryness of nose” and “suffocation” than those not experiencing daytime sleepiness. Conclusions: Patients with ENS experienced significantly impaired sleep quality and sleepiness. Nasal reconstruction surgery improved the sleep quality of ENS patients. The severity of sleep dysfunction is associated with the severity of ENS symptoms. Recognizing individuals with significant sleep impairment and sleepiness and providing appropriate management are critical issues for ENS patients.

Burnishing is a surface treatment process widely used in aerospace, navy and other industries to improve fatigue and corrosion resistance by introducing a compressive residual stress layer. The measurement of residual stress by XRD is expensive, time consuming, and tedious. This work presented a quick method to determine the residual stress by using Almen strips. Inspired by the application of Almen strips in shot peening, deflections of burnished Almen strips under different burnishing conditions were measured. It was found that the deflection of Almen strip reflects the magnitude and penetration depth into subsurface of induced stress. Higher burnishing force, smaller feed, and smaller ball diameter tend to produce more deflection, which indicates more compressive residual stress.

This paper uses the instruments independently developed by Hunan Meteorological Station to carry out automatic observation experiments for cloud amounts and cloud forms in Changsha and Xilinhot. By comparing the manual and automatic observation results at 270 observation times from June to July in 2019, the feasibility of the automatic observation for cloud amounts and cloud forms based on image recognition is discussed. Meanwhile, suggestions and the basis for instrument improvement are provided in this paper. The main conclusions are as follows. During the test, the instrument runs stably; compared with those in manual observations, the consistency rates of the automatic observation results for cloud amounts and cloud forms are 70.8% and 77.1%, respectively; the consistency rates are over 90% when precipitation occurs. Most automatic observation deviations of the cloud form are concentrated in recognizing cloud genera. Being able to provide favorable supports for weather forecasts and services, the automatic observation results are highly applicable. The simple datasource and imbalanced classification of training samples are the main reasons for the low consistency rates of automatic observation results in some cases, and the image distortion of the fish-eye camera also has a great influence on the cloud-amount recognition results. The automatic observation results could be improved by enriching training sample sets, as well as optimizing the image processing and recognition algorithm in the future.

Background Empty nose syndrome (ENS) is a debilitating disorder characterised by paradoxical nasal obstruction after excessive surgical excision of nasal tissues. ENS negatively impacts the quality of life (QOL) and psychological status of patients. This study aimed to determine the associations among disease-specific QOL impairments and the severity of anxiety and depression before and after surgery in ENS patients. Methods A total of 68 ENS patients were prospectively recruited and underwent submucosal Medpor implantation. QOL impairments and the severity of anxiety and depression were evaluated using the Sinonasal Outcome Test-25 (SNOT-25), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) 1 day before and 6 months after surgery. Results The BDI-II and BAI scores were significantly associated with the total score and ear/facial symptoms, psychological dysfunction, sleep dysfunction, and empty nose symptoms domains of the SNOT-25. Surgery improved disease-specific and psychological symptoms. Post-operative changes in the BDI-II score were correlated with changes in the total score and sleep dysfunction and empty nose symptoms domains of the SNOT-25. A SNOT-25 total score of greater than 60, sleep dysfunction domain score of greater than 18, and empty nose symptoms domain score of greater than 14 were good predictors of moderate-to-severe depression. Conclusions ENS symptoms are associated with psychological burden and could be good predictors of moderate-to-severe depression. Targeted symptom improvement could reduce the psychological burden.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether microRNA-204-5p can regulate the inflammatory response of spinal cord injury (SCI) by targeting SOX11.Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of microRNA-204-5p in patients with SCI. The mouse SCI model was established to detect the recovery of the grip strength of the upper and lower limbs. Then, the expression of microRNA-204-5p in these mice with SCI was detected by qRT-PCR, and the levels of the inflammatory factors Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and iNOS were examined by Western blot. Subsequently, microRNA- 204-5p was overexpressed in the mouse SCI model using lentivirus, and the changes in mouse grip strength and the inflammatory factor levels were observed. SOX11 was then searched as the target gene of microRNA-204-5p through bioinformatics analysis, and its expression in patients or mice with SCI was examined using qRT-PCR. SOX11 expression was again detected after the overexpression or knockdown of microRNA-204-5p in cells. The binding of microRNA-204-5p to SOX11 was verified by dual-luciferase reporting assay. After microRNA-204-5p and SOX11 were co-overexpressed in cells, the levels of TLR4 and iNOS were analyzed. Furthermore, the changes in the grip strength were observed in mice with SCI after simultaneous up-regulation of microRNA-204-5p and SOX11.Micro-204-5p level was conspicuously decreased in the population with SCI. And the SCI mouse model showed that the upper and lower limb strength conspicuously decreased and began to recover after 7 days. During the seven days, microRNA-204-5p level in the SCI mice decreased with time, while the levels of the inflammatory cytokines TLR4 and iNOS conspicuously increased. After microRNA-204-5p was overexpressed in SCI mice, their upper and lower limb strength was conspicuously restored, while the levels of TLR4 and iNOS were also remarkably decreased. The bioinformatics analysis revealed that there exist some binding sites between microRNA-204-5p and SOX11, and we found that SOX11 expression was conspicuously enhanced in the plasma of the SCI patients. Meanwhile, the SOX11 level in SCI mice was also conspicuously increased, and it was time-dependent. The expression of SOX11 was decreased after the upregulation of microRNA-204-5p, while the opposite result was observed after the downregulation of microRNA-204-5p. In addition, the result of the dual-luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that microRNA-204-5p could bind to SOX11 in a targeted manner. Meanwhile, the up-regulation of SOX11 was partially relieved by the inhibitory effect of microRNA-204-5p on TLR4 and iNOS. Moreover, the simultaneous overexpression of SOX11 and microRNA-204-5p partially reversed the impact of the up-regulated microRNA-204-5p alone on the recovery of the upper and lower limb strength in SCI mice.The low expression of microRNA-204-5p in patients with SCI can affect the levels of the inflammatory cytokines TLR4 and iNOS and improve SCI by targeting SOX11.

Star-cluster (Pentas lanceolata (Forssk.) Deflers) has recently become popular as a bedding plant in Taiwan. During the summer of 2000, a sudden wilt of 60-day-old plants was observed in a nursery in Tainan City (southern Taiwan). Initial symptoms included stem necrosis at the soil line and yellowing and tan discoloration of leaves. As stem necrosis progressed, infected plants wilted and died. Necrotic tissues were covered with white mycelium that differentiated into reddish brown, spherical (1 to 2 mm in diameter) sclerotia. Sclerotium rolfsii was consistently recovered from the surface of symptomatic stem sections that were disinfected for 1 min in 0.5% NaOCl and plated on potato dextrose agar amended with 100 ppm streptomycin sulfate. Pathogenicity of three isolates of S. rolfsii was confirmed by inoculating 90-day-old plants of P. lanceolata that were grown in pots. Three plants each were inoculated with a 5-mm plug of agar with mycelium or two sclerotia of the pathogen. Inoculum was placed on the soil surface against the stem of each plant. Three noninoculated plants served as controls. All plants were kept in a growth chamber at 20 to 30°C with relative humidity >85%. The pathogenicity test was repeated. Inoculated plants developed symptoms within 7 days, while control plants remained symptomless. Sclerotia developed on infected tissues and S. rolfsii was reisolated from symptomatic tissues. Although this disease has been observed on many species of plants (1), to our knowledge, this is the first report of southern blight of P. lanceolata caused by S. rolfsii in Taiwan. Reference: (1) Tsai, Y. P., ed. List of Plant Diseases in Taiwan. The Plant Protection Society of the Republic of China and The Phytopathological Society of the Republic of China. 1991.

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg) is an important landscape and garden tree in Taiwan. During the spring of 2002, zonate leaf spots of breadfruit were observed at a Taipei nursery in northern Taiwan. Initially, several small, brown, zonate lesions developed on leaves. As lesions enlarged, they coalesced, leading to blighting of leaves and premature defoliation. Sporophores on the host were generally hypophyllous but sometimes amphigenous, solitary, erect, easily detachable, and as much as 850 μm long. The upper portion of the sporophore is considered an individual conidium and consisted of a pyramidal head that was fusiform to ventricose and cristulate, 495 to 534 μm long and 210 to 290 μm wide at the broadest point. Branches within the pyramidal head were short and compact, and dichotomously or trichotomously branched. The conidia were hyaline, broad, septate, tapering toward an acute apex, and sometimes constricted at the basal septum. Conidiophores were 400 to 680 × 20 to 100 μm. The fungus was isolated from infected tissue and maintained on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Sclerotia were produced on PDA after 4 to 5 weeks at 20°C without light, but conidia were not observed in culture. The fungus was identified as Cristulariella moricola (Hino) Redhead based on morphological characteristics (1,2). To complete Koch's postulates, three sporophores from infected leaves or three sclerotia from cultures were placed individually on each of 10 breadfruit leaves. The plants were placed in plastic bags and incubated at 16 to 20°C. Symptoms were observed after 2 to 3 days on 100% of plants inoculated with sporophores and after 6 days on 50% of plants inoculated with sclerotia. The pathogen was reisolated from lesions on plants inoculated with sporophores and sclerotia. No symptoms were observed on the control plants. C. moricola has been known to cause a bull's eye or zonate leaf spot and defoliation on woody and annual plants, including at least 51 host species and 36 families distributed in the central and eastern United States (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of zonate leaf spot and defoliation of breadfruit caused by C. moricola. References: (1) T. T. Chang. Bull. Taiwan For. Res. Inst. New Ser. 10 (2):235, 1995. (2) S. A. Redhead. Can. J. Bot. 53:700, 1975.

Silvery messerschmidia, Messerschmidia argentea (L.) Johnston, of the Boraginaceae, is indigenous to Taiwan and grown as an ornamental, for windbreaks, or as a shade tree. During the summer of 2005, a sudden wilt of 1-year-old plants was observed in a nursery in central Taiwan. Initial symptoms included stem necrosis at the collar, leaf yellowing, and tan discoloration of leaves. As stem necrosis progressed, infected plants wilted, defoliated, and died. Necrotic tissues were covered with whitish mycelium with clamp connections that formed reddish brown spherical (1 to 2.2 mm in diameter) sclerotia. A fungus was consistently recovered from the interface of diseased and healthy stem tissue, disinfested for 1 min in 0.5% NaOCl, and plated on Difco (Sparks, MD) potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with 100 ppm of ampicillin. Pure cultures were prepared by transferring single hyphal tips to PDA, and Sclerotium rolfsii (Sacc.) was identified (1). Pathogenicity of two S. rolfsii isolates was confirmed by inoculating 3-month-old silvery messerschmidia seedlings grown in pots. Inoculum consisted of a single agar disk of a 7-day-old culture used per pot or a single sclerotium produced in 10 days on PDA and added per pot. Both the mycelium on the 0.5-cm-diameter agar plug and the sclerotium touched the base of the plant stem. Four plants were inoculated with mycelia, four with sclerotia, and four were noninoculated controls. All plants were kept in a growth chamber at 25 to 35°C with relative humidity of more than 95%. Initially, the basal stems were covered by whitish mycelia growth with a fanlike pattern from the inoculum, and brown, water-soaked necrotic lesions developed near the soil line. Inoculated plants developed symptoms within 4 days, wilted gradually in 7 days, and all were eventually killed in 11 days. Plants inoculated with sclerotia developed disease at a slower rate and control plants remained symptomless. Sclerotia developed on diseased tissues and S. rolfsii was reisolated. This disease has been observed on many species of plants (2), but to our knowledge, this is the first report of southern blight of silvery messerschmidia seedlings caused by S. rolfsii in Taiwan. References: (1) R. K. Jones and D. M. Benson, eds. Diseases of Woody Ornamentals and Trees in Nurseries. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 2001. (2) Y. P. Tsai, ed. List of Plant Diseases in Taiwan. The Plant Protection Society of the Republic of China and The Phytopathological Society of the Republic of China, 1991.

Selective laser melting (SLM) is a powder bed based additive manufacturing process. It is widely used to make functional parts in a layer upon layer fashion. The severe temperature gradients produce large tensile residual stress which leads to part distortion and negatively affect product performance. Due to the complex coupling multi-scale mechanisms, it is a great challenge to predict part distortion since traditional modeling approaches demand an exceedingly long computational time. This study has developed a practical multi-scale modeling methodology for fast prediction of part distortion by integrating a micro-scale laser scan model, a meso-scale layer hatch model, and a macro-scale part model. A concept of equivalent heat source has been developed for the micro-scale laser scan model. Local residual stress field was predicted in the meso-scale layer hatch model using the equivalent heat source. The residual stress field was then imported to the macro-scale model to predict part distortion and residual stress. The predicted part distortions were validated with the experimental data with four different scanning strategies.

Nitinol shape memory alloys (SMA) are widely used in biomedical and aerospace applications because of its outstanding properties such as superelasticity, shape memory, and biocompatibility. Conventional mechanical cutting of Nitinol is very challenging due to rapid tool wear and large burr formation. Laser cutting and electrical discharge machining (EDM) are often used to manufacture Nitinol SMA parts. However, the intensive heat flux in laser cutting and EDM induces thermal damage such as white layer (recast layer) and heat affected zone (HAZ). White layer is formed due to the rapid re-solidification of the molten material in both laser cutting and EDM. However, the properties of white layer from the two very different processes could be very different. Very little work has been done to differentiate their potential properties. This work provides a comparative study on the properties of white layer generated by laser cutting vs. EDM. Surface topography was analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The grain size and orientation were studied by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Nanoindentation was used to investigate the hardness of the white layer. The elemental contamination was analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). It was found that the nature of the white layer by laser cutting and EDM is significantly different. The white layer from laser cutting is more uniformly distributed on the surface than the EDMed one. Moreover, nanohardness of the white layer in the laser cut samples is lower than the bulk material, while the EDMed white layer has higher hardness than the bulk. This could be attributed to the different quenching rate and alloying hardening in EDM, which is confirmed by the EDS analysis. In laser cutting, no elemental contamination was detected.

Cooling holes are important structures in turbine blades for high-performance aircraft engines. Nickel-based superalloys such as Inconel 718 are widely used in manufacturing turbine blades. However, it is very challenging to manufacture cooling holes in Inconel alloys. Conventional machining process such as electrical discharge machining (EDM) and laser beam machining (LBM) are thermal processes, which lead to recast layer, heat-affected zone, and tensile residual stresses. Electrochemical machining is an alternative to machine cooling holes without thermal damage. This paper focuses on the process capability and effect size of vacuum extraction shaped tube electrolytic drilling (VE-STED) process to manufacture cooling holes of Inconel 718. The effect of key process parameters, i.e., applied voltage, electrolyte concentration, and tool feed rate on process efficiency, form accuracy, and process stability has been investigated. The effect size was determined using ANOVA.

Nitinol alloys have been widely used in manufacturing of vascular stents due to the outstanding properties such as superelasticity, shape memory, and superior biocompatibility. Laser cutting is the dominant process for manufacturing Nitinol stents. Conventional laser cutting usually produces unsatisfactory surface integrity which has a significant detrimental impact on stent performance. Emerging as a competitive process, fiber laser with high beam quality is expected to produce much less thermal damage such as striation, dross, heat affected zone (HAZ), and recast layer. To understand the process capability of fiber laser cutting of Nitinol alloy, a design-of-experiment based laser cutting experiment was performed. The kerf geometry, roughness, topography, microstructure, and hardness were studied to better understand the nature of the HAZ and recast layer in fiber laser cutting. Moreover, effect size analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between surface integrity and process parameters.

Nitinol (NiTi) alloys are widely used in laser cutting of cardiovascular stents due to excellent biomechanical properties. However, laser cutting induces thermal damage, such as heat affected zone (HAZ), micro-cracks, and tensile residual stress, which detrimentally affect product performance. The key process features such as temperature distribution, stress development, and HAZ formation are difficult to measure experimentally due to the highly transient nature. In this study, a design-of-experiment (DOE) based 3-dimensional (3D) finite element simulation was developed to shed light on process mechanisms of laser cutting NiTi. The effects of cutting speed, peak pulse power, and pulse width on kerf width, temperature, stress, and HAZ were investigated. A DFLUX user subroutine was developed to model a moving volumetric (3D) heat flux of a pulsed laser. Also, a material user subroutine was used that incorporated superelasticity and shape memory of NiTi.

Alumina is a common biomaterial used for knee implants due to its excellent biomechanical properties. However, the complex geometry and required surface integrity make precision machining of knee implants very difficult. Machining mechanics and damage mechanism is not well understood. In order to better understand the mechanism of alumina grinding, this work presents a numerical simulation of single point grinding of alumina at a shallow depth-of-cut. A 3D finite element model of single-grit ceramic grinding has been developed using the pressure dependent Johnson–Holmquist constitutive model. Failure strain (FS) was adopted as a user-defined element removal criterion to reveal damage mechanism during the grinding process. The predicted machining groove topography correlated well with the experimental observations. Surface and subsurface microcracks were characterized at different FS. The thrust, frictional, and grinding force histories were also investigated. Furthermore, material behaviors at different locations below the machined groove were analyzed to shed light on subsurface microcrack initiation and propagation.

Selective laser melting (SLM) is a powder bed based additive manufacturing process. It is widely used to make functional parts in a layer upon layer fashion. The high-temperature process will produce large tensile residual stress which leads to part distortion and negatively affect product performance. Due to the complex process mechanism and coupling multiscale phenomena, traditional modeling approaches are not practical to predict part distortion since it demands an exceedingly long computational time. This study has developed a practical multiscale finite element model for fast prediction of distortion of SLMed parts with four laser scanning strategies. The predicted part distortions were validated with experimental data.

Nitinol alloys are widely used in manufacturing of cardiovascular stents due to excellent biomechanical properties. Laser cutting is the predominant process for stent manufacturing. However, laser cutting induces thermal damage such as heat affected zone (HAZ), micro cracks, and tensile residual stress, which detrimentally affect product performance. Laser cutting induced temperature distribution, stress development, and HAZ formation are critical process characteristics. However, they are difficult to measure experimentally due to the highly transient process. To better understand the process mechanics in laser cutting of nitinol, a three-dimensional finite element model of pulsed laser cutting was developed to incorporate a novel moving volumetric pulsed heat flux model with high spatial accuracy. A material subroutine was also incorporated to model superelasticity and shape memory of nitinol. The predicted kerf geometry and dimensions agreed well with the experimental data. Also, the effects of cutting speed, pulse power, and pulse width on kerf profile, temperature, and heat affected zone (HAZ) were investigated.

Nitinol has received considerable attention for biomedical and aerospace applications due to its shape memory and superelastic properties. Shape memory and superelasticity are induced in Nitinol by transforming austenite into martensite. Austenite can transform to martensite by applying stress or heat. One promising method to initiate a stress induced phase transformation is ball burnishing. In this study, phase transformation of Nitinol (Ni50.8Ti49.2) (at.%) by ball burnishing at various forces was investigated. Burnishing tracks were characterized and microstructures in the subsurface were investigated. Also, a corresponding burnishing simulation was performed to gain insight into the phase transformation mechanism of Nitinol by burnishing.

Inconel 718 has wide applications in manufacturing mechanical components such as turbine blades, turbocharger rotors, and nuclear reactors. Since these components are subject to harsh environments such as high temperature, pressure, and corrosion, it is critical to improve the functionality to prevent catastrophic failure due to fatigue or corrosion. Ball burnishing as a low plastic deformation process is a promising technique to enhance surface integrity for increasing component fatigue and corrosion resistance in service. This study focuses on the experimental study on surface integrity of burnished Inconel 718. The effects of burnishing ball size and pressure on surface integrity factors such as surface topography, roughness, and hardness are investigated. The burnished surfaces are smoother than the as-machined ones. Surface hardness after burnishing is higher than the as-machined surfaces, but become stable over a certain burnishing pressure. There exists an optimal process space of ball sized and burnishing pressure for surface finish. In addition, surface hardness after burnishing is higher than the as-machined surfaces, which is confirmed by statistical analysis.

ackground: Empty nose syndrome (ENS) describes symptomatology and radiographic findings after surgeries on turbinates.The treatment of ENS is still debatable. Purpose: To analyse clinical outcomes of submucosal Medpor® implantation for ENS. Methods: A total of 18 patients underwent submucosal Medpor® implantation from 2006 to 2011. We applied SNOT-22 (SinoNasalOutcome Test) for statistical survey of the patients' symptoms before and after surgery. Results: Two patients were lost to follow up after the surgery. Most of the patients developed ENS-related symptoms gradually within 2 years to 16 years after the previous nasal surgery or treatment. The sites of submucosal implantation are mainly septum and nasal floor, unilaterally or bilaterally. There is a significant improvement of SNOT-22 pre-operatively to one year post-operatively. Conclusions: The symptomatolgy remains the most important point when dealing with patients with ENS. Submucosal implantation of Medpor® is a feasible surgical treatment to ENS. A positive cotton test is suggested for the surgical indication and planning.

Nitinol shape memory alloys have wide applications in medical devices and actuators. However, the unique mechanical properties including superelasticity, high ductility, and severe strain-hardening make Nitinol exceedingly difficult to cut. This work determines dynamic mechanical behaviors of Nitinol in cutting. It is found that the very high strength and specific heat are responsible for large flank wear and fast tribo-chemical crater wear, respectively. The austenitic white layer in cutting is caused by deformation, while the twinned martensitic white layer is caused by quenching in EDM. Alloying from tools is negligible in cutting but unavoidable even in finish EDM trim cut.

Nitinol alloys have received considerable attention in biomedical and aerospace applications. Surface integrity of Nitinol devices by various manufacturing processes is crucial for their functionality. Low plasticity burnishing (LPB) is very promising to modify surface integrity due to its unique capability to adjust material properties down to the deep subsurface on the order of a few millimeters. Burnishing mechanics is essential to understand its effect on surface properties. The depth and width of burnished surface materials are characterized. A three-dimensional finite element simulation has been developed to incorporate the superelastic mechanical behavior of Nitinol. The simulation predictions are validated with the experimental results. The contact stresses, residual stresses, and strain profiles are investigated to better understand burnishing mechanics.

Somatic hybrid plants were regenerated via electrofusion between leaf-derived protoplasts of ‘Chicken heart’ sweet wampee (Clausena lansium) and embryogenic protoplasts of ‘Newhall’ navel orange (Citrus sinensis Osbeck). Most of the complete plantlets were formed via mini-grafting. Flow cytometry showed that most of the regenerants were tetraploids as expected, but unexpectedly three plantlets were triploids. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) analysis of seven randomly selected tetraploids and the three triploids showed that they had specific fragments from both fusion parents, thereby confirming their hybridity. Analysis of cytoplasmic genomes using universal primers revealed that their chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) band pattern was identical to the mesophyll parent, while their mitochondrial genomes were of the navel orange type. According to the SSR results, the triploids obtained in this study were most likely due to chromosome elimination of ‘Chicken heart’ sweet wampee prior to plant regeneration.

Selective laser melting (SLM) is widely used in making three-dimensional functional parts layer by layer. Temperature magnitude and history during SLM directly determine the molten pool dimensions and surface integrity. However, due to the transient nature and small size of the molten pool, the temperature gradient and the molten pool size are challenging to measure and control. A three-dimensional finite element (FE) simulation model has been developed to simulate multilayer deposition of Ti-6Al-4 V in SLM. A physics-based layer buildup approach coupled with a surface moving heat flux was incorporated into the modeling process. The melting pool shape and dimensions were predicted and experimentally validated. Temperature gradient and thermal history in the multilayer buildup process was also obtained. Furthermore, the influences of process parameters and materials on the melting process were evaluated.

In this paper, we report on the assembly of a highly ordered three-dimensional porous structure with nanosized crystalline TiO2 particles by a cooperative assembly method in which the fabrication of the template and the infiltration of the voids of the template are carried out at the same time and the related experimental parameters for the assembly, including temperature, humidity, and concentrations and concentration ratio of the colloid mixture. SEM (scanning electron microscope) images and transmission spectra of these samples demonstrate that these films have a highly ordered three-dimensional structure. The Bragg law was used to calculate the diameter of the spheres of air in the porous TiO2 structure. A good agreement between the calculated results for the diameter of the spheres of air and those measured by SEM further confirms the high quality of the films fabricated using this simple method. Additionally, based on these experimental results, a detailed mechanism of the simple method is also disc...

Nitinol alloys have received considerable attentions in biomedical and aerospace applications. They can exhibit both austenite and martensite phases at room temperature. Austenite can transform to martensite by applied stress or temperature. Ball burnishing is a very promising technique to modify surface integrity via plastic deformation on the workpiece surface. Phase transformation of Nitinol by burnishing may occur at certain load, which results in the mechanical property change on the workpiece. A burnishing experiment has been conducted in this research at different burnishing loads. The burnishing tracks are characterized and microstructures in the subsurface are studied. A corresponding simulation is also performed to shed light on phase transformation mechanism of Nitinol in burnishing.Copyright © 2013 by ASME

Based on the electrically controlled birefringence effects of a nematic liquid crystal, a tunable photonic band gap crystal has been fabricated by infiltrating nematic liquid crystal into the voids of synthetic opal composed of silica spheres. A reversible shift of the photonic band gap position and a change of transmittance through the composite opal can be induced by applying an external electric field.

Background: Dysregulation of cysteinyl cathepsins and their inhibitors, cystatins (stefins), were implied in progression of tumorgenesis; nevertheless, their role in sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) is still unrecognized. Methods: The differential expression of cathepsins and stefins in IP and normal tissues were revealed by data of human Affymetrix U133A gene chips, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Results: Among the cathepsins and stefins family, expression of cathepsin S and stefin A were most differentially expressed (down- and up-regulated, respectively) in IP tissue as compared with normal tissues. Their expression levels were validated by real-time PCR, which showed the expression level of cathepsin S was significantly down-regulated, whereas the expression of stefin A was significantly up-regulated in IP tissue compared to normal sinus mucosa. Using immunohistochemistry, expression of cathepsin S was observed in stromal and epithelial area macrophages of normal sinus mucosa, but no obvious expression of cathepsin S was found in IP tissue. In contrast, over-expression of stefin A was present in nearly all layers of the proliferative squamous cells of IP, but expression of stefin A was only detected in a scattered area of normal sinus mucosa. Conclusion: Down-regulation of cathepsin S and up-regulation of its endogenous inhibitor, stefin A, were found in IP tissues as compared with their expression level in normal sinus mucosa tissues. The biological significance of inverse expression of both stefin A and cathepsin S in sinonasal IP need further investigation in the future.

To review a case series of patients treated for intranasal pleomorphic adenoma by endoscopic surgery.From January 1995 to August 2008, nine patients with intranasal pleomorphic adenoma underwent endoscopic endonasal surgery for tumour removal at our tertiary referral center. Eight of the nine patients were available for follow-up and enrolled in the study. We collected histories and physical examination data for all patients. Pre-operative computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in some patients.The post-operative course was smooth in all nine patients. No sign of recurrence was found in the eight patients who received regular follow-up, which averaged 7.01 years (range: 2 to 13 years).With the evolution of endoscopic surgery, even a large posteriorly located lesion can be approached without open surgery. Endoscopic surgery is a reliable choice, even for the treatment of large or multiple lesions.

In this paper, we report the non-dispersive infrared (IR) for detecting the vacuum level inside carbon-nanotube field-emission displays (CNT-FED). Most gas molecules, such as moisture, can be detected by using infrared absorption characteristics. Through the known IR absorption rate of the targeted gas, the pressure of the gas inside the vacuum-sealed FED panels can be calculated by ideal gas law. In our experiment, we could distinguish that there are residual organic gases (hydrogen-carbon related) and no carbon dioxide inside the glass panel at the vacuum level of 10?6 torr.

Intergeneric somatic hybrids combining Goutou sour orange (Citrus aurantium L.) with trifoliate orange Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf] were produced by electrofusion and their genetic inheritance analyzed by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Sixteen mini-calluses were obtained after 20 days of culture; they all developed into embryoids on EME500 medium. Following several subcultures on shoot induction medium for a total culture period of 6 months, shoots regenerated. The plants grew vigorously with a well-developed root system and exhibited the trifoliate leaf character of P. trifoliata. Ploidy analysis verified that all of the regenerates were tetraploids (2 n=4 x=36) as expected. GISH analysis confirmed that 18 chromosomes came from trifoliate orange and the remaining 18 from Goutou sour orange, as with most symmetric somatic hybrid plants; moreover, chromosome translocations were also observed in one plant. AFLP analysis of 16 regenerates and their fusion parents indicated that all of the somatic hybrids except one were genetically uniform. Analysis of the somatic hybrid cytoplasmic genomes with universal primers revealed that their chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) banding patterns were identical to those of the mesophyll parent trifoliate orange, while their mitochondria (mt) genomes were of the callus parent sour orange. The potential of GISH in Citrus somatic hybrid analysis is discussed.

The major limitation of treatment with antimetabolite drugs is that they produce resistant clones both in vitro and in patients who either do not respond to treatment or relapse soon after response has been documented. To better understand the phenomenon of cross-resistance, we developed seven CEM/ara-C-resistant leukemic clones from the CEM/0 (wt) cell line. These clones ranged from 4- to 3.5 x 10(8)-fold more resistant to ara-C than the wt CEM/0 cell line. Using this model, we determined IC50 concentrations to several chemotherapeutic agents and gamma radiation, and we also studied pro- (p53) and anti-apoptotic (bcl-2) proteins, as well as P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance related protein (MRP). The cell viability assays showed that these clones were cross-resistant to 6-thioguanine (6-TG) or 6-mercaptoguanosine (6-TGuo) from 1.1- to 8.8-fold with ara-C; cross-resistance to vincristine (VCR) was from 200- to 1 x 10(4)-fold with ara-C. Taxotere (TXR) showed cross-resistance with ara-C from 1.39- to 3.03 x 10(3)-fold; dexamethasone (DEX) also showed a significant degree of cross-resistance from 27.4- to 3.87 x 10(7)-fold. Gamma radiation treatments from 0.77 Gy to 12.3 Gy showed a radiation dose-dependent cross-resistance with ara-C from 1.43- to 2.93-fold. Idarubicin was collaterally sensitive with ara-C from 4.6- to 1 x 10(9)-fold in these cell lines. The CEM/ara-C/G resistant cell line was 3-fold more sensitive to 6-TG or VCR than CEM/0 (wt), and 5-fold more sensitive to 6-TGuo. This cell clone expressed p53 and did not overexpress bcl-2 protein. All of the cell lines studied, CEM/0 (wt) and the ara-C resistant clones, showed functional p53 protein. The cell treatment with 0.1, 1 and 10 microM ara-C for 48 hours showed increased p53 protein expression in most of these lines. No increase in bcl-2 protein expression was seen in the wt cell line after ara-C treatment for 48 hours. Three cell lines resistant to ara-C (CEM/ara-C/B, CEM/ara-C/D and CEM/ara-C/I) showed an important increased expression of bcl-2 protein after treatment with 1 microM ara-C, but not after 10 microM. This alteration may lead to resistance to apoptosis and enhanced cell survival. The ratio of bcl-2 to p53 was increased significantly in these three clones, thus favoring an anti-apoptotic drive. All of the cell lines examined were negative for MRP expression and only two, CEM/ara-C/B and CEM/ara-C/J, were positive for MRP functional activity. However, three ara-C resistant cell clones, CEM/ara-C/7A, CEM/ara-C/B and CEM/ara-C/G, were positive for P-gp expression and functional activity. It is apparent that selection for ara-C resistance confers cross-resistance to many other classes of drugs and gamma radiation, probably due to bcl-2 protein overexpression or P-gp and MRP expression, as independent mechanisms.

Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana) is an herbaceous flowering perennial with strikingly colored flowers, widely cultivated commercially as a potted plant and a popular garden plant. In July of 2010, root and stem rot that caused death was observed on Mexican petunia at the flower nursery of the Council of Agriculture & Chiayi County in Taiwan. Plants had rotted and girdled stem bases. Necrotic areas were covered with fans of white mycelium as well as abundant spherical sclerotia. A fungus was isolated from infected tissue and sclerotia, and maintained on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates incubated at 25°C without light. Colonies were white, cottony, often forming fans; pure cultures were prepared by transferring hyphal tips to PDA. Sclerotia formed after 10 days, initially white becoming dark brown with age, and 0.5 to 0.6 mm in diameter. To confirm identity of the causal fungus, the complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA region of the causal fungus was amplified using the primers ITS4 and ITS5 (2) and sequenced. The resulting sequence of 687 bp was uploaded in NCBI. The sequence was 98% similar to sequences of Athelia rolfsii (Sclerotium rolfsii) in NCBI (Accession No. JN543691.1). Koch's postulates were performed using two inoculation techniques. The soil near the base of healthy Mexican petunia plants (four plants per pot) were exposed to recently matured sclerotia (10 sclerotia per plant) developed from pure fungal cultures or 10-mm-diameter agar plugs of mycelium (one plug per plant). Noninoculated plants, in a separate pot, were used as a control. All plants were incubated in a growth chamber at 28 to 33°C. Disease symptoms occurred on all inoculated plants by 5 to 7 days and included yellowing of leaves, basal stem rot, and wilt. Ten days after inoculation, inoculated plants were dead whereas control plants remained healthy. The pathogenicity test was repeated twice with similar results and S. rolfsii was reisolated from infected plants in each test. The pathogen has been reported to cause substantial loss of Mexican petunia in Louisiana (1). The disease is becoming more common in Taiwan and could cause losses in Mexican petunia production. To our knowledge, this is the first report of disease on Mexican petunia caused by S. rolfsii in Taiwan. References: (1) G. E. Holcomb. Plant Dis. 88:770, 2004. (2) T. J. White et al. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. M. A. Innis et al., eds. Academic Press, 1990.

Widely cultivated commercially, Iresine herbstii Hook is a potted herbaceous plant popular for its foliage, which varies from a dark red to brownish maroon. In the summer of 2010, a sudden wilt of I. herbstii plants was observed at a recreational farm in Taipei City in northern Taiwan. The initial symptoms were water-soaked lesions that became soft and then rotted. Necrotic areas on the stems were covered with fans of white mycelium as well as abundant spherical, brown sclerotia. A fungus was isolated from both infected tissue and sclerotia and maintained on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates incubated at 25°C without light. Colonies were white and cottony, often forming mycelial fans. Pure cultures were prepared by transferring single hyphal tips to PDA. Sclerotia formed after 7 days. Sclerotia were initially white becoming dark brown with age and were 0.8 to 1 mm in diameter at maturity. These are typical features of Sclerotium rolfsii. Koch's postulates were performed by inoculating five healthy, potted I. herbstii plants with 10 fresh sclerotia placed on the soil surface around the base of each plant. In a second test, five healthy potted plants were inoculated with a single 10-mm-diameter mycelial agar plug placed at the stem base of each plant. Five noninoculated plants served as controls. All plants were incubated in a growth chamber at 25 to 35°C. Basal stem rot and wilt developed within 4 days on plants inoculated with sclerotia or mycelial plugs. All plants were dead by 7 days after inoculation whereas the controls remained healthy. The fungus was reisolated from the symptomatic tissue and produced sclerotia and mycelium consistent with S. rolfsii. To confirm identity of the causal fungus, the complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA region of the causal fungus was amplified using the primers ITS4 and ITS5 (3) and sequenced. The resulting sequence of 687 bp was uploaded in NCBI (Accession No. JN543691.1). The sequence was 98% similar to sequences of Athelia rolfsii (anamoprh S. rolfsii). This disease has been observed on many species of plants (1, 2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of I. herbstii caused by S. rolfsii in Taiwan or any other part of the world. References: (1) T. T. Chang. Bull. Taiwan For. Res. Inst. 9:191, 1994. (2) Y. N. Wang et al. J. Exp. For. Nat. Taiwan Univ. 20:45, 2006. (3) T. J. White et al. PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, San Diego, 1990.

Cinnamomum kanehirae, a native tree of Taiwan, is an important tree that hosts popular medicinal fungi. In the winter of 2011, zonate leaf spots were observed at a nursery garden in Wu-Lai, Taiwan. Initial symptoms included small brown lesions on leaves that became larger leaf spots after expanding or fusing together, causing a leaf blight and eventually defoliation. Sporophores on the host were generally hypophyllous but sometimes amphigenous, solitary, erect, easily detachable. The upper portion of the sporophore was considered an individual conidium and consisted of a pyramidal head that was fusiform to ventricose, 320 to 580 μm long and 100 to 130 μm wide at the broadest point. Branches within the pyramidal head were short and compact, and dichotomously or trichotomously branched. The sporophore initials were hyaline, broad, septate, tapering toward an acute apex, and sometimes constricted at the basal septum. Sclerotia were observed in older lesions, grey or black, spherical, and 1 to 2.5 mm in diameter. The fungus was isolated from infected tissue and sporophores, maintained on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 20°C in darkness. Sclerotia were produced on PDA after 4 to 5 weeks and were irregular or spherical, but sporophores didn't develop on agar medium. The fungus was identified as Hinomyces moricola on the basis of morphological characteristics (1). Koch's postulates were performed by inoculating four 1-year-old, asymptomatic, potted C. kanehirae plants; every plant was inoculated with sporophores from infected leaves on each of five leaves. Four noninoculated plants were kept in separate pots and served as controls. All plants were covered with transparent plastic bags individually and incubated in a growth chamber at 18 to 20°C. Symptoms were observed after 2 to 4 days on every inoculated plant but not on uninoculated plants. The leaf spots were similar to those originally observed. The pathogen was reisolated from spots of inoculated plants. The pathogenicity test was repeated once. H. moricola is known to cause severe defoliation on woody and annual plants, including at least 73 host species and 36 families distributed in the eastern United States and Japan (2). References: (1) N.-S. Tomoko et al. Mycoscience. 47:351, 2006. (2) J. C. Trolinger et al. Plant Dis. Reptr. 62:710, 1978.

Japanese serissa (Serissa japonica (Thunb.) Thunb.) is a very popular ornamental in Taiwan. During the summer of 2005, serissa plants in a central Taiwan nursery had decaying roots, leaf yellowing, and were wilting. Wilted plants had white fan-like mycelium under the bark. The disease caused 70% loss of seedlings at the nursery. Associated synnemata were rigid, erect, dark, setaceous, 0.8 to 2.1 mm long, 90 to 200 μm wide, and tapering to enlarged whitish gray heads composed of geniculate conidiophores and conidia. Conidia were 3.1 to 5.8 × 2.6 to 3.4 μm, unicellular, hyaline, and subglobal with a truncated base. Root rots were washed, disinfested for 1 min in 0.5% NaOCl, cut into 3 mm3 pieces, plated on Merck (Darmstadt, Germany) potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with 100 ppm of ampicillin (Sigma, St. Louis, MO), and incubated at 24°C in the dark until hyphae emerged. Single hyphal tips were transferred to PDA, and two isolates were established as pure cultures. Mycelia were cut, stained with 1% cotton blue in lactophenol, and pear-shaped hyphal swellings adjacent to the septa were observed. According to these hyphal, synnematal, and conidial characteristics, the fungus was identified as Dematophora necatrix Hartig, the anamorph of Rosellinia necatrix Prill. Inoculum for pathogenicity tests were produced on oat-wheat medium composed of 20 ml of oat grain and 20 ml of wheat grain, mixed, and soaked in water for 3 h. The grains were placed in 200-ml flasks, autoclaved at 121°C for 30 min, inoculated with two isolates of D. necatrix separately, and grown for 14 days. Six 3-month-old Japanese serissa seedlings were grown in pots. The grain inoculum was added to unsterilized field soil and the plants were transplanted into this mix. Control plants were transplanted into a similar mix without the inoculum. Two replicates were used for a total of 24 inoculated plants and 24 control plants. All plants were kept in a growth chamber at 25 to 35°C with 20 min of irrigation per day, 12 h of irradiation, and relative humidity at more than 95%. Inoculated plants developed root rots after 1 month, and after 4 months, all plants were dead, while control plants remained healthy. D. necatrix was reisolated, hyphal characteristics confirmed, and synnemata were observed on collars of dead plants. The teleomorph was not formed by our cultures, and the identification of Rosellinia necatrix was confirmed by molecular studies. The nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) amplified with two primers, ITS1 and ITS4, from our representative isolate demonstrated 99.63, 99.81, and 99.27% similarity to two R. necatrix isolates from Japan and one R. necatrix isolate from Italy, respectively. This disease has been reported on many species of plants (1), but to our knowledge, this is the first report of white root rot of Japanese serissa seedlings caused by R. necatrix in Taiwan. Reference: (1) S. T. Su et al. List of Plant Diseases in Taiwan. The Phytopathological Society of the Republic of China, 2002.

Formosan michelia (Michelia compressa (Maxim.) Sargent) is a valuable evergreen tree in Taiwan that is distributed from low to medium (200 to 1,800 m) altitudes. In many nurseries in Taiwan, Formosan michelia seedlings grow poorly or wilt. The etiology of the disease observed in April 2004 in a nursery in Jinshan was investigated. Diseased seedlings with chlorotic leaves and decayed feeder roots lost leaves, died back, and then wilted. The putative pathogen, Pythium splendens Braun, was isolated and identified on a morphological basis (1). P. splendens was isolated from the roots of diseased seedlings on 2% water agar with 100 ppm of ampicillin. Isolates increased daily on potato dextrose agar at 24°C by 27 to 30 mm and on malt extract agar (MEA) by 23 to 25 mm. No zoosporangia and zoospores were produced. The main hyphae were as much as 9 μm wide on MEA. Hyphal swellings were abundant, globose, smooth, terminal, and 33 to 42 μm in diameter, often with dark, densely granulated contents. Attempted matings of four P. splendens isolates in V8 medium failed. To prove pathogenicity, the four isolates were cultured in 300-ml flasks containing 150 ml of 2% malt extract medium at room temperature for 14 days. The mycelia were homogenized in sterile water at 4,500 rpm for 5 min. The suspension was adjusted to 5 × 106 hyphal swellings per ml. Roots of the 2-month-old seedlings were immersed in the suspension for 2 h, whereas the control seedlings were immersed in sterilized water. Five seedlings of each of three replicates were inoculated with one of the four isolates for a total of 60 seedlings. Controls were replicated in the same way. The inoculated plants were transplanted into plastic flowerpots containing sterilized peat and moss and kept in the greenhouse at 20 to 24°C. After 14 days, inoculated seedlings developed symptoms like those of the original plants. The putative pathogen was reisolated from the roots of inoculated plants. Cultures are maintained at the Forest Pathology Lab of the National Taiwan University. To our knowledge, this is the first report of proof of pathogenicity of P. splendens on Formosan michelia seedlings. Reference: (1) A. J. Van der Plaats-Niterink. Stud. Mycol. 21:151, 1981.

Island ash (Fraxinus formosana Hay.) is a large, semideciduous tree in Taiwan. It is used for forestation, a shade tree, and producing wood for furniture. During the summer of 2001, a sudden wilt of 1-year-old plants was observed in a nursery in northern Taiwan. Initial symptoms included stem necrosis at the soil line and yellowing and tan discoloration of the leaves. As stem necrosis progressed, infected plants wilted and died. Necrotic tissues were covered with white mycelium that differentiated into reddish brown, spherical (1 to 2 mm in diameter) sclerotia. Sclerotium rolfsii was consistently recovered from the surface of symptomatic stem sections that were disinfected for 1 min in 0.5% NaOCl and then plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with 100 ppm of ampicillin. Pathogenicity of two S. rolfsii isolates was confirmed on 1-year-old island ash seedlings grown in 12.7 cm- (5-in) plastic pots in a sterilized mixture of peat moss and vermiculite (3:1). Seedlings were inoculated with mycelia and sclerotia of the pathogen grown on PDA. Three plants each were inoculated with four disks (5 mm) of agar with mycelium and three were inoculated with 10 sclerotia that were placed on the soil surface around the base of each plant. Noninoculated plants served as controls. All plants were kept in a growth chamber at 25 to 35°C and >95% relative humidity. The test was repeated once. All inoculated plants developed symptoms within 14 days, while control plants remained symptomless. Sclerotia developed on infected tissues, and S. rolfsii was reisolated from symptomatic tissues. This disease has been observed on many species of plants (1), but to our knowledge, this is the first report of Southern blight of Island ash seedlings caused by S. rolfsii in Taiwan. Reference: (1) Y. P. Tsai ed. List of Plant Diseases in Taiwan. The Plant Protection Society of the Republic of China and The Phytopathological Society of the Republic of China, 1991.

Taxus mairei (Lemee & Levl.) S.Y. Hu ex Liu is a giant evergreen tree native to Taiwan. T. mairei and the Pacific yew, T. brevifolia, produce taxol, a highly effective antitumor drug. Anthracnose was observed on cuttings and seedlings of T. mairei in nurseries and on larger plants grown in plantations in Taiwan. Circular or irregular, brown leaf spots were associated with defoliation. Stems lesions and tip dieback were also observed. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) Sacc. was isolated from diseased tissues, and this fungus grew well on potato dextrose agar and malt extract agar (MEA), with a growth rate of 6.3 mm per day on MEA at 32°C in the dark. Colonies were white to grayish white and became dark gray with age. Acervuli produced on leaves were 115 to 155 μm in diameter, with one or several brown-to-black setae and pale salmon conidial masses. Conidia were guttulate, straight, cylindrical, obtuse at the apex and truncate at the base, and approximately 12 to 17 × 3.5 to 6.0 μm. The disease was reproduced by spraying T. mairei seedlings with a suspension of 104 to 105 conidia per ml, and the control plants were inoculated with distilled water. Inoculated plants were kept in a transparent moist chamber with a constant humidity near 100% (1). Symptoms appeared within 7 days when the temperature was over 32°C. When the temperature was below 24°C, symptoms were delayed. The fungus was reisolated from the inoculated plants, fulfilling Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first record of anthracnose on Taxus mairei (2), and anthracnose appears to be the most important disease on this plant in Taiwan. Voucher specimens have been deposited at the Division of Forest Protection, Taiwan Forest Research Institute as TFRIFCH Herbarium specimen 137. References: (1) W. W. Hsiao et al. Taiwan J. For. Sci.17:119, 2002. (2) Y. P. Tsai, ed. List of plant diseases in Taiwan. The Plant Protection Society of the Republic of China and The Phytopathological Society of the Republic of China, 1991.