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Aims.The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of either hearing, vision or dual sensory impairment on depressive symptoms and to identify subgroups that are vulnerable and significantly affected.Methods.Data from the 2006–2014 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) were used and a total of 5832 individuals were included in this study. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D10) scale. Sensory impairment was assessed according to the levels of self-reported hearing or vision, which were categorised as either good (excellent, very good or good) or poor (fair or poor). The changes in hearing or vision from records of previous survey were investigated. Changes from good to poor, which indicates new onset, were defined as hearing impairment or vision impairment. Interactions of changes in hearing and vision were considered in the analysis. Dual sensory impairment was indicated when hearing impairment and vision impairment both developed at the same time. Demographic, socioeconomic and health-related factors were considered as potential confounders and were adjusted for in the generalised estimating equation model.Results.Individuals with hearing impairment demonstrated significantly more severe depressive symptoms [β= 0.434, standard errors (s.e.)= 0.097, p< 0.001] than those who had good hearing. Those with vision impairment also showed significantly elevated depressive symptoms (β= 0.253, s.e.= 0.058, p< 0.001) than those with good vision. When the interactions between hearing and vision were considered, participants with dual sensory impairment showed significantly more severe depressive symptoms (β= 0.768, s.e.= 0.197, p< 0.001) than those with good hearing and vision. The effect of a single and dual sensory impairment on depressive symptoms was significant in both sexes and across age groups, except for vision impairment in male participants.Conclusions.Hearing, vision and dual sensory impairment are significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Our results suggest that treatment or rehabilitation of either hearing or vision impairment would help prevent depression.

This work is related to a SMA coil spring which shows perfect recovery and greater recovery force. When tension spring of common metals is fabricated, `initial tension' can be provided by minus pitch winding. The initial tension is the force for tension springs to contract further in closed state. If a SMA spring has the initial tension, perfect recovery is expected with a greater recovery force. However, the initial tension cannot be given to SMA coils in the conventional way, since heat treatment for shape setting eliminates the tension generated by the minus pitch winding. We have developed a new method of supplying the initial tension to SMA springs by changing coil orientation after the shape setting treatment. In this paper, some examples are introduced that a perfect recovery with a greater force, though permanent deformation is involved in the deformation, can be attained by the initial tension.

The objectives were to compare the effect of exogenous fibrolytic enzyme (Biocellulase A20) or anhydrous ammonia (4% DM) treatment on the nutritive value, voluntary intake, and digestion kinetics of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon cultivar Coastal) hay harvested after 2 maturities (5- and 13-wk regrowths). Six individually housed, ruminally cannulated Brangus steers (BW 325 ± 10 kg) were used in an experiment with a 6 × 6 Latin square design with a 3 (additives) × 2 (maturities) factorial arrangement of treatments. Each period consisted of 14 d of adaptation and 7, 4, 1, 1, and 4 d for measuring in vivo digestibility, in situ degradability, no measurements, rumen liquid fermentation and passage indices, and rate of solid passage, respectively. Steers were fed hay for ad libitum intake and supplemented with sugarcane molasses and distillers grain (supplement total of 2.88 kg DM/d). Enzyme did not affect the nutritional composition of hay but ammonia treatment decreased hay NDF, hemicellulose, and ADL concentrations and increased the CP concentration particularly for the mature lignified 13-wk hay. The enzyme increased NDF and hemicellulose digestibility of the 5-wk hay but decreased those of the 13-wk hay. Ammoniation decreased intake of hay but increased digestibility of DM, OM, NDF, hemicellulose, ADF, and cellulose and increased the ruminal in situ soluble and potentially digestible fractions and the rate of DM degradation of the 13-wk hay. Also, ammoniation increased the concentrations of ruminal NH3, total VFA, acetate, and butyrate but enzyme treatment did not. Neither enzyme addition nor ammoniation affected rate of liquid and solid passage. In conclusion, ammoniation decreased the concentration of most fiber fractions, decreased the intake of hays, and increased their CP concentration, in vivo digestibility, and in situ degradability at both maturities whereas enzyme application increased fiber digestibility of the 5-wk hay but decreased it in the case of the 13-wk hay.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the fatigue strength of butt-welded joints with special attention paid to employing different kinds of backing plates. The effect of the under-matched weld was also considered. Four different cases of backing scenarios for butt-welded specimens such as steel backing, ceramic backing, CMT (no backing by cold metal transfer) and UM (under-matched welded specimen) were investigated. A series of fatigue tests was performed to compare the fatigue strength of butt-welded joints with respect to different backing scenarios. Effective notch stress was used for the interpretation of fatigue strength of butt-welded specimens with backing plates based on finite element analyses for calculating fatigue notch factors. When results were presented from the effective notch stress, all backing scenarios considered in this study exhibited the fatigue strengths corresponding to the FAT 225 curve. From the experimental results of this study, it was determined that the fatigue strengths of butt-welded joints were found to be in the order of CMT, ceramic backing, UM, and steel backing. No significant decrease in fatigue strength, however, was observed when backing plates were steel backing and ceramic backing types.

Acute renal failure (ARF) in the horse is most commonly due to decreased renal perfusion or a nephrotoxic insult. Conventional therapy includes the administration of i.v. fluids, frusemide, mannitol and/or dopamine, as well as general supportive care. However, not all horses with ARF will respond to these treatments. In these cases, peritoneal dialysis is a viable therapeutic option.

In-situ attenuated total internal reflection infrared spectroscopy has been used to examine initial adsorption and reaction steps in atomic layer deposition of HfO2 from tetrakis(diethylamino) hafnium (TDEAHf) on SiO2 and hydrogen-terminated Si(100) surfaces. At low deposition temperatures (25−250 °C), TDEAHf directly reacts with the Si−H surface, resulting in partial removal of Si−H bonds and formation of a four-membered Si−O−Hf−Si bonding structure that can rapidly oxidize. The hydrogen removal process is observed to continue through many cycles of TDEAHf/H2O exposure, signifying continued reactivity of the Hf precursor with the silicon surface. Density functional theory calculations have been performed for various reactions between tetrakis(dimethylamino) hafnium and Si−H surfaces, and several possible reaction pathways for hydrogen removal have been identified and analyzed. The calculations suggest that hydrogen removal proceeds by H abstraction by an amine ligand of the Hf precursor and that the abstraction reaction is made more facile by the presence of OH on the otherwise H-terminated Si surface.

Abstract This paper presents a method to analyze the free vibration of a rotating disk–spindle system in a HDD with hydrodynamic bearings (HDBs) considering the flexibility of a complicated base structure by using finite element method. Finite element equations of each component of a HDD spindle system from the spinning flexible disk to the flexible base plate are consistently derived by satisfying the geometric compatibility in the internal boundary between each component. The rigid link constraints are also imposed at the interface area between the sleeve and hydrodynamic bearings to describe the physical motion at this interface. A global matrix equation obtained by assembling the finite element equations of each substructure is transformed to a state-space matrix-vector equation, and both damped natural frequencies and modal damping ratios are calculated by solving the associated eigenvalue problem by using the restarted Arnoldi iteration method. The validity of the proposed method is verified by comparing the calculated damped natural frequencies and modes with the experimental results. This research also shows that the supporting structure which includes the stator, housing and base plate plays an important role in determining the natural frequencies and mode shapes of a HDD spindle system

Weanling pigs tend to avoid wind, and suckling piglets are thought to be more sensitive to wind than weanlings, owing to their thinner s.c. fat layer. We developed a crush-reducing device based on the anticipated behavior of suckling piglets toward wind and evaluated the performance of the device through field testing. The crush-reducing device consisted of six photo sensors, a controller, six solenoid valves, and an air compressor. In this study, 206 sows and their suckling piglets (Landrace ×Yorkshire) were investigated to ascertain the individual effects of several factors. Some of the newborn piglets were cross-fostered before the crush-reducing device was implemented. Litter weights were measured on d 0 and 4 to determine the influence of the crush-reducing device on the weights of suckling piglets. The crushing of suckling piglets by sows was affected by season (P< 0.01) and litter size (P< 0.05), but not by the parity of the sows; however, the number of crushed piglets per litter was less (P< 0.01) in the crush-reducing device group (0.05 ± 0.02 crushed piglets/litter) than in the control group (0.23 ± 0.04 crushed piglets/litter), regardless of litter size or season. The BW gain of suckling piglets did not differ between the control and the crush-reducing device groups. Based on these results, the crush-reducing device is expected to decrease the number of crushed piglets per litter without influencing the BW gain of suckling piglets, thereby greatly contributing to the productivity of pig breeders.

Bi1–x–yTixSiyOz(BTSO) thin films were grown on eight inch diameter Ru/SiO2/Si or bare Si wafers by atomic layer deposition (ALD) method using Bi(mmp)3, Ti(mmp)4, and Si(OEt)4[mmp = 1‐methoxy‐2‐methyl‐2‐propoxide (OCMe2CH2OMe, Me = methyl); Et = ethyl] as metal alkoxide precursors and ozone (O3) as the oxidant gas. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) analysis showed that the as‐deposited films are amorphous and the cation compositional ratio of Bi:Ti:Si is 0.38:0.37:0.25 of films deposited at 325 °C on Ru/SiO2/Si Ru substrates. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that the BTSO films are homogeneously dispersed without any phase‐separation of the components. The BTSO films show excellent step coverage on a high aspect ratio (4) contact hole structure with a diameter of 300 nm. The leakage current density of BTSO films is on the order of 10–8A cm–2at 1 V, meeting present dielectric requirements for a dynamic random access memory storage capacitor with an equivalent oxide thickness of 2.1 nm. From the capacitance–voltage characteristics at 10 kHz of the Pt/BTSO/Ru capacitor, the estimated dielectric constant of amorphous BTSO films is ∼ 24.

Abstract:  This paper presents a method to investigate the characteristics of a ball bearing and the dynamics of a HDD spindle system due to temperature variation. Finite element model is developed for the rotating and stationary parts of a HDD spindle system separately to determine their thermal deformations by using ANSYS, a finite element program. Then, the relative position of the rotating part with respect to the stationary part is determined by solving the equilibrium equation of the contact force between upper and lower ball bearings. The validity of the proposed method is verified by comparing the theoretical natural frequencies of a HDD spindle system with the experimental ones before and after temperature variation. The proposed method makes it possible to predict the characteristics of a ball bearing and the dynamics of a HDD spindle system due to temperature variation. It shows that the elevated temperature results in the increase of contact angle and the decrease of bearing deformation, contact force and bearing stiffness, which result in the decrease of the natural frequencies of a HDD spindle system.

In the marine mollusk Aplysia, the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein, ApC/EBP, serves as an immediate early gene in the consolidation of long-term facilitation in the synaptic connection between the sensory and motor neurons of the gill-withdrawal reflex. To further examine the role of ApC/EBP as a molecular switch of a stable form of long-term memory, we cloned the full-length coding regions of two alternatively spliced forms, the short and long form of ApC/EBP. Overexpression of each isoform by DNA microinjection resulted in a l6-fold increase in the expression of the coinjected luciferase reporter gene driven by an ERE promoter. In addition, when we overexpressed ApC/EBP in Aplysia sensory neurons, we found that the application of a single pulse of 5-HT that normally induced only short-term facilitation now induced long-term facilitation. Conversely, when we attempted to block the synthesis of native ApC/EBP by microinjecting double-strand RNA or antisense RNA, we blocked long-term facilitation in a sequence-specific manner. These data support the idea that ApC/EBP is both necessary and sufficient to consolidate short-term memory into long-term memory. Furthermore, our results suggest that this double-strand RNA interference provides a powerful tool in the study of the genes functioning in learning and memory in Aplysia by specifically inhibiting both the constitutive and induced expression of the genes.

Experimental studies on the adaptive vibration control of composite beams with a piezoelectric actuator have been performed using a neural network controller. We experimentally investigated the variations in natural frequencies and actuation characteristics of the composite specimens according to delaminations in the bonding layer. Numerical simulation has been performed for adaptive vibration controls of the composite specimens with delaminated piezoelectric actuator using the neuro-controller. A digital signal processor (DSP)-based hardware for the real-time adaptive vibration control experiment was prepared. Using the neuro-controller, the adaptive vibration control experiment has been performed. The vibration control results show that the present neuro-controller has good performance and robustness with respect to the system parameter variations.

Transformation of the graphite−MnCl2 complex/ammonia system was investigated in a thermochemical reactor through numerical simulation. Thermophysical properties such as effective thermal conductivity and gas permeability were measured for the reactive medium with a bulk density of 100−250 kg m^-3, and the values obtained were in the range of 14.0−25.6 W m^-1 K^-1 and (8.0 × 10^-15)−10^-12 m², respectively. A model for the thermochemical reactor was developed on a macroscopic scale, and then the measured thermophysical properties were used in the model equations. The results of the simulation showed that, when the operating pressure was &lt;1.0 bar and the bulk density of the reactive media was >200 kg m^-3, the rate of global conversion was significantly impeded by the mass-transfer limitation. The absence of a distinctive heat front in the reactor shows that heat transfer is not a limiting factor with the graphite−MnCl2 complex.

Postbuckling and vibration analyses considering large thermopiezoelastic deflections are performed for fully symmetric and partially eccentric piezolaminated composite plates. Non-linear finite element equations based on the layerwise displacement theory are formulated for piezolaminated plates subject to thermal piezoelectric loads. The results demonstrate a methodology for raising the thermal buckling temperature and decreasing the thermal postbuckled deflection. Vibration characteristics under complex thermopiezoelectric loads are investigated in the prebuckling and postbuckling regions. For fully distributed piezolaminates, this study shows that excessive bending moments for the suppression of thermally buckled deflection may cause another type of structural instability. In addition, the effective placement of piezoceramic patches is studied to improve suppression of thermally buckled deflection for the partially segmented piezolaminates.

Heparin cofactor II (HCII) inhibits thrombin by forming a stable 1:1 complex. Heparin and dermatan sulfate increase the rate of complex formation >/=1000-fold. Mutation of leucine 444 to arginine at the P1 position of recombinant HCII (rHCII) increases the rate of inhibition of thrombin approximately 100-fold in the absence of a glycosaminoglycan (Derechin, V. M., Blinder, M. A., and Tollefsen, D. M. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 5623-5628). We now report that heparin facilitates dissociation of the thrombin-rHCII(L444R) complex. In the presence of heparin, thrombin is inhibited rapidly and completely by a 35-fold molar excess of rHCII(L444R), but subsequently approximately 50% of the thrombin activity reappears with a t1/2 of approximately 20 min. At higher ratios of rHCII(L444R) to thrombin, the reappearance of thrombin activity is delayed and the final plateau of activity is decreased. Electrophoretic analysis indicates that proteolysis of excess rHCII(L444R) precedes the reappearance of thrombin activity. Addition of heparin at longer intervals after formation of the thrombin-rHCII(L444R) complex causes a progressive decrease in the thrombin plateau, suggesting that in the absence of heparin the complex is slowly converted to a non-dissociable form. By contrast to heparin, dermatan sulfate does not facilitate dissociation of the thrombin-rHCII(L444R) complex. Our findings indicate that the P1 residue of HCII affects not only the rate of inhibition of thrombin but also the stability of the resulting complex.

The carboxyl-terminal three-fourths of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protein has been shown to possess an RNA helicase activity, typical of members of the DEAD box family of RNA helicases. In addition, the NS3 protein contains four amino acid motifs conserved in DEAD box proteins. In order to inspect the roles of individual amino acid residues in the four conserved motifs (AXXXXGKS, DECH, TAT, and QRRGRTGR) of the NS3 protein, mutational analysis was used in this study. Thirteen mutant proteins were constructed, and their biochemical activities were examined. Lys1235 in the AXXXXGKS motif was important for basal nucleoside triphosphatase (NTPase) activity in the absence of polynucleotide cofactor. A serine in the X position of the DEXH motif disrupted the NTPase and RNA helicase activities. Alanine substitution at His1318 of the DEXH motif made the protein possess high NTPase activity. In addition, we now report inhibition of NTPase activity of NS3 by polynucleotide cofactor. Gln1486 was indispensable for the enzyme activity, and this residue represents a distinguishing feature between DEAD box and DEXH proteins. There are four Arg residues in the QRRGRTGR motif of the HCV NS3 protein, and the second, Arg1488, was important for RNA binding and enzyme activity, even though it is less well conserved than other Arg residues. Arg1490 and Arg1493 were essential for the enzymatic activity. As the various enzymatic activities were altered by mutation, the enzyme characteristics were also changed.