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Background: Early detection of high risk for Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and early diagnosis of T2DM are fundamental for the prevention of diabetes and associated complications. Aim: To identify the major predictors of high glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels in people with normal fasting glucose levels. Subjects and methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 8035 adults aged ≥20 yr. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the odds ratios (OR) of clinical risk factors for high HbA1C(≥5.7%) in the subjects with normal fasting glucose levels (<100 mg/dl). Results: Except for fasting glucose levels, age, and total cholesterol levels were significantly associated with HbA1Clevels. After adjustment for gender, fasting glucose, and behavioral factors, OR for high HbA1Clevels for age (≥40 yr old) and high total cholesterol levels (≥200 mg/dl) were 2.27 (95% CI: 2.01–2.56) and 1.76 (95% CI: 1.56–1.97), respectively. Each OR was higher than that of metabolic syndrome (MS) (OR=1.59, 95% CI: 1.34–1.87). Coexistence of both factors had a higher OR (OR=2.40, 95% CI: 2.11–2.72) for high HbA1Clevels when compared to each factor alone. Conclusions: HbA1Cwas significantly associated with fasting glucose, age, and total cholesterol levels. In subjects with normal fasting glucose levels, age of over 40 yr or high total cholesterol levels (≥200 mg/dl) is more predictive of high HbA1Clevels than MS. These findings suggest that both factors might be better predictors than MS for the screening of pre-diabetes or diabetes in clinical practice.

Bicrystals of Nb-doped SrTiO3, having tilt angles of 4o~18 o with respect to [001], were prepared by joining two single crystals at 1873 K and then investigated to identify the effect of tilt angle on the grain boundary structure. The boundaries consisted of a regular array of dislocations but the positioning of cores along the boundary was found to be changed from a line to a zigzag as a tilt angle was increased up to 10o. The 14° - tilted boundary exhibited two kinds of boundary region exist at the same grain boundary; (1) the discrete cores region as observed in 4° ~ 10° - tilted boundaries and (2) the randomly oriented region as found in the 18° boundary. Thus it was observed that the structure of low-angle tilt boundary changed from the discrete dislocation structure to the randomly oriented structure as a tilt angle increases. These structural changes at the grain boundaries are considered to be related to a minimization of strain due to the high density of dislocations.

SrTiO3 bicrystals with various types of grain boundaries were prepared by joining two single crystals at high temperature. By using the bicrystals, we examined their current-voltage characteristics across single grain boundaries from a viewpoint of point defect segregation in the vicinity of the grain boundaries. Current-voltage property in SrTiO3 bicrystals was confirmed to show a cooling rate dependency from annealing temperature, indicating that cation vacancies accumulate due to grain boundary oxidation. The theoretical results obtained by ab-initio calculation clearly showed that the formation energy of Sr vacancies is the lowest comparing with Ti and O vacancies in oxidized atomosphere. The formation of a double Schottky barrier (DSB) in n-type SrTiO3 is considered to be closely related to the accumulation of the charged Sr vacancies. Meanwhile, by using three types of low angle boundaries, the excess charges related to one grain boundary dislocation par unit length was estimated. In this study, we summarized our results obtained in our group.

Background: Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) has a unique feature of angle independence and, thus, may provide a powerful means of assessing left ventricular (LV) torsion (LVtor). The aims of this study were to assess: (1) the feasibility of 2-dimensional STE in the measurement of LVtor; and (2) the relationship of LVtor with age and conventional echocardiographic parameters. Methods: We consecutively recruited 160 healthy volunteers. After obtaining conventional echocardiographic parameters, apical and basal short-axis rotations were assessed with STE. LVtor was defined as the net difference between rotation angles in the two short-axis planes normalized for LV longitudinal length. Results: Reliable LVtor measurement was possible only in 56 volunteers (35%). This low feasibility was largely a result of the failure to obtain reliable basal rotation values. In 56 volunteers who were finally enrolled in this study, a significant correlation was found between LV ejection fraction and LVtor (r = 0.56, P < .001) and this correlation was attributed to apical (r = 0.47, P < .001) but not basal (P = .14) rotation. There was no significant change in LVtor with aging. However, initial counterclockwise motion (r = -0.51, P = .001) and its interval (r = -0.44, P = .001) in the basal rotation gradually decreased with aging, and correlated with early transmitral inflow velocity (r = 0.44 and 0.49, respectively) and its deceleration time (r = -0.43 and -0.48, respectively) (all P < .001). In contrast, such correlations were not found for initial clockwise motion and its interval in the apical rotation. Conclusions: Currently, STE has limited feasibility in the measurement of LVtor. There was no significant age-related change in LVtor. In LV rotations, basal rotation was affected by the age-related changes in the LV early diastolic filling, whereas apical rotation was mainly related to LV systolic performance.

Abstract.: Decays into neutralinos and charginos are among the most accessible supersymmetric decay modes of Higgs particles in most supersymmetric extensions of the standard model. In the presence of explicitly CP violating phases in the soft breaking sector of the theory, the couplings of Higgs bosons to charginos and neutralinos are in general complex. Based on a specific benchmark scenario of CP violation, we analyze the phenomenological impact of explicit CP violation in the minimal supersymmetric standard model on these Higgs boson decays. The presence of CP violating phases could be confirmed either directly through the measurement of a CP odd polarization asymmetry of the produced charginos and neutralinos, or through the dependence of CP even quantities (branching ratios and masses) on these phases.

It is known that the intake of aluminum-containing antacids is related to increases in serum concentration and the urinary output of aluminum, and that silicon intake as orthosilicic acid may facilitate renal excretion of aluminum. However, how either the amount of antacid ingested or the therapy period affects these and the subsequent interrelationship of aluminum and silicon has not been fully investigated. In addition, factors that affect the solubility of aluminum hydroxide need further clarification. A study of 122 patients with dyspepsia who were receiving aluminum hydroxide therapy and 144 healthy controls confirmed that, in the patients, serum and urine aluminum (0.39 ± 0.21 and 2.02 ± 2.0 μmol/L, mean ± 1 SD, respectively) were slightly but significantly increased (P &lt; 0.05) compared with the controls (0.21 ± 0.13 and 1.55 ± 0.89). However, there was no evidence of any association between these changes and the amount ingested or the therapy period. Urine silicon although increased in the patients (716 ± 488 μmol/L) compared with the controls (472 ± 333 μmol/L) was not affected by the amount or time of therapy but was just significantly correlated with the urine (r = +0.19, P = 0.03) and serum aluminum (r = +0.13, P = 0.05) in the combined groups. Thus, the renal excretion of silicon and aluminum may in some part be interdependent. Studies into factors that affect the solubility of aluminum from aluminum hydroxide indicated that at a pH > 3.5 the solubility of aluminum reduced significantly. However, addition of 5 or 20 mmol/L phosphate had no significant effect. With a synthetic food, solubility of aluminum was markedly increased even at the elevated pH 5.5. Thus, the pH, as well as the chemical complexity of the mixture, is an important factor in affecting solubilization of aluminum. The potential of increased exposure to aluminum could be dependent on co-ingestion with food components and may explain the increased risk to renal failure patients on aluminum-containing phosphate binders. J. Trace Elem. Exp. Med. 15:9–19, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Charginos $\tilde{\chi}^\pm$and neutralinos $\tilde{\chi}^0$in supersymmetric theories can be produced copiously at $e^+e^-$colliders and their properties can be measured with high accuracy. Consecutively to the chargino system, in which the SU(2) gaugino parameter $M_2$, the higgsino mass parameter $\mu$and $\tan\beta$can be determined, the remaining fundamental supersymmetry parameter in the gaugino/higgsino sector of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model, the U(1) gaugino mass $M_1$, can be analyzed in the neutralino system, including its modulus and its phase in CP–noninvariant theories. The CP properties of the neutralino system are characterized by unitarity quadrangles. Analytical solutions for the neutralino mass eigenvalues and the mixing matrix are presented for CP–noninvariant theories in general. They can be written in compact form for large supersymmetric mass parameters. The closure of the neutralino and chargino systems can be studied by exploiting sum rules for the pair-production processes in $e^+e^-$collisions. Thus the picture of the non–colored gaugino and higgsino complex in supersymmetric theories can comprehensively be reconstructed in these experiments.

Abstract.: In most supersymmetric theories charginos, , belong to the class of the lightest supersymmetric particles. The chargino system can be reconstructed completely in collider experiments: . By measuring the total cross sections and the asymmetries with polarized beams, the chargino masses and the gaugino–higgsino mixing angles of these states can be determined accurately. If only the lightest charginos are kinematically accessible in a first phase of the machine, transverse beam polarization or the measurement of chargino polarization in the final state is needed to determine the mixing angles. From these observables the fundamental SUSY parameters can be derived: the SU(2) gaugino mass , the modulus and the cosine of the CP–violating phase of the higgsino mass parameter , and , the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the two neutral Higgs doublet fields. The remaining two–fold ambiguity of the phase can be resolved by measuring the normal polarization of the charginos. Sum rules of the cross sections can be exploited to investigate the closure of the two–chargino system.

Charginos $\chi_1^\pm$ are expected to be the lightest observable supersymmetric particles in many supersymmetric models. We present a procedure which will allow to determine the chargino mixing angles and, subsequently, the fundamental SUSY parameters $M_2, \mu$ and $\tan \beta$ by measurements of the total cross section and the spin correlations in $e^+e^-$ annihilation to $\chi_1^+ \chi_1^-$ chargino pairs.

Abstract.: In most supersymmetric theories, charginos , mixtures of charged color-neutral gauginos and higgsinos, belong to the class of the lightest supersymmetric particles. They are easy to observe at colliders. By measuring the total cross sections and the left–right asymmetries with polarized electron beams in , the chargino masses and the gaugino–higgsino mixing angles can be determined. From these observables the fundamental SUSY parameters can be derived: the SU(2) gaugino mass , the modulus and of the higgsino mass parameter, and , the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the two neutral Higgs doublet fields. The solutions are unique; the CP-violating phase can be determined uniquely by analyzing effects due to the normal polarization of the charginos.

Background: Hop Japanese (Hop J) pollens are abundant in the air of Korea during the autumn season. Their significance as a source of allergic sensitization is still unclear. Objectives: We sought to detect the sensitization rate to Hop J pollen as an inhalant allergen and to identify its allergenic components. Method: We carried out skin prick tests with Hop J pollen extract in 1287 patients with respiratory allergy who visited our hospital over the course of 1 year. The serum-specific IgE antibody to Hop J pollen antigen was detected by ELISA, and its binding specificity was confirmed by the ELISA inhibition test. To confirm the respiratory sensitization, bronchoprovocation tests were performed in 16 asthmatic patients sensitive to this pollen. To characterize allergenic components, Hop J pollen extract was analyzed by means of sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by IgE immunoblotting. Results: A positive result on the skin prick test (G2+ of the antigen to histamine ratio) was noted in 79 (6.1%) patients. The serum-specific IgE antibody was detected in 18 (41.9%) patients among 43 positive reactors tested. The ELISA inhibition test with the addition of Hop J pollen extract showed a dose-dependent response. Minimal inhibitions were noted with addition of ragweed and mugwort pollen extracts. Nine asthmatic patients showed significant bronchoconstriction after inhalation of the Hop J pollen extract (five early and four dual asthmatic responders), and all of them had high specific IgE binding. Immunoblot analysis revealed 12 IgE-binding components ranging from 13 to 89 kd. Three bands (13 kd, 74 kd, and 80 kd) were bound to the IgE among the sera tested from more than 50% of the patients. Conclusion: We believe that the Hop J pollen should be considered as a relevant allergen during the autumn season and thus included in skin test batteries in Korea. Some patients diagnosed as having ''intrinsic'' asthma or rhinitis might be sensitized to this pollen and other previously unknown allergens. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 1997;100:475-9.)

Absorption of the short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), acetate, propionate and butyrate, was studied in vivo by measuring their disappearance from the washed cecum of anesthetized rats. The SCFA seemed to be absorbed predominantly by simple passive diffusion, because there was linear absorption over a wide concentration range, and no evidence of competition or enhancement of absorption when more than one SCFA was present in the lumen. Absorption of these three SCFA was independent of chain length. Their absorption was clearly limited by the lipid membrane, because permeability through the unstirred water layers was much greater than through the lipid membrane. Absorption was unaffected by altering the pH of the luminal infusate between 5.4 and 7.4. Based on our observation that, during absorption, there were increases in pH, total CO2and HCO-3but no change in pCO2, we suggest that SCFA are absorbed primarily via diffusion involving anionic exchange with HCO-3.

Data are presented on the externally received personal dose equivalent for radiation workers who used the Korea Radioisotope Associations personal monitoring and dose record keeping service since 1984, and provide initial statistics on Korean workers who have been exposed to ionising radiation in different occupations. The total number of workers registered during the period of 1984 to 1999 was 64,518. The number increased steadily and the accumulated dose also increased. The proportion of radiation workers by occupation was 38.4% for nuclear power plants, 20.3% for industrial organisations and 12.4% for non-destructive industries. The annual collective dose of radiation workers was 31.72 man.Sv in 1999. The mean annual dose by sex was 1.49 mSv for males and 0.56 mSv for females and the mean annual dose for a worker was 1.41 mSv with the highest mean dose being received by non-destructive industry (3.53 mSv). Very few workers (0.8%) received more than 20 mSv (2 rem) and only one more than 50 mSv, the legal limit for an annual dose increase. There has been a steady decline in the mean dose since 1984, showing a significant decrease in dose with time (p<0.001). The data showed that radiation protection in Korea was improving, though annual doses were still higher than other countries.

We summarize methods and expected accuracies in determining the basic low-energy SUSY parameters from experiments at prospective e+e− linear colliders in the TeV energy range, combined with LHC results. In a second step we demonstrate how the fundamental supersymmetric theory can be reconstructed at high scales near the grand unification of Planck scale. These analyses have been carried out for minimal supergravity and a string effective theory. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We provide a detailed description of the Fortran code CPsuperH, a newly-developed computational package that calculates the mass spectrum and decay widths of the neutral and charged Higgs bosons in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with explicit CP violation. The program is based on recent renormalization-group-improved diagrammatic calculations that include dominant higher-order logarithmic and threshold corrections, b-quark Yukawa-coupling resummation effects and Higgs-boson pole-mass shifts. The code CPsuperH is self-contained (with all subroutines included), is easy and fast to run, and is organized to allow further theoretical developments to be easily implemented.11The program may be obtained from http://theory.ph.man.ac.uk/~jslee/CPsuperH.html. The fact that the masses and couplings of the charged and neutral Higgs bosons are computed at a similar high-precision level makes it an attractive tool for Tevatron, LHC and LC studies, also in the CP-conserving case.: Program summaryTitle of program: CPsuperHCatalogue number: ADSRProgram summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADSRProgram obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen''s University of Belfast, N. IrelandComputer for which the program is designed and others on which it is operable: PC running under Linux and computers in Unix environmentProgramming Language used: Fortran77High-speed storage required: NoNo. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 49 729Distribution format: tar gzip fileNo. of lines in combined program and test case: 7417Separate documentation available: The program and the paper may be obtainable from http://theory.ph.man.ac.uk/~jslee/CPsuperH.htmlKeywords: Higgs bosons, supersymmetry, CPNature of physical problem: The mass spectrum, decay widths and branching ratios of the neutral and charged Higgs bosons in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with explicit CP violation are calculated. The program is based on recent renormalization-group-improved diagrammatic calculations that include dominant higher-order logarithmic and threshold corrections, b-quark Yukawa-coupling resummation effects and Higgs-boson pole-mass shifts. The couplings of the Higgs bosons to the Standard Model gauge bosons and fermions, to their supersymmetric partners and all the trilinear and quartic Higgs-boson self-couplings are also calculated.Method of solution: One-dimensional numerical integration for the Higgs-decay modes involving more than one massive gauge boson, iterative treatment of the threshold corrections, and the numerical diagonalization of the neutralino mass matrix.Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: Only the dominant leading-order QCD corrections which remain unaffected by CP violation have been included in this version.Typical running time: Less than 0.1 sUnusual features of the program: NoReferences: No [Copyright &y& Elsevier]