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BackgroundThe prevalence of depression is relatively high in the Korean military. Social support is a protective factor against depression and is classified into four categories: emotional support—having the sense of feeling loved; instrumental support—receiving material assistance; informational support—receiving advice; appraisal support—feeling valued and respected for one's abilities.ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of support from one’s superior on depression among Republic of Korea (ROK) military officers.Methods2047 participants from the 2015 Military Health Survey were included in the study. The Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory was used to measure depression, and a self-reported questionnaire was used to assess support from one’s superior. A chi-squared test and multiple logistic regression were used to analyse the data.ResultsOf the 2047 participants, 177 (8.6%) had depression. Military officers who did not receive support from their superior were more likely to have depression than than those who did receive support (OR=2.09, 95% CI 1.30 to 3.36). Additionally, military personnel who did not receive emotional or appraisal support were more likely to have depression (emotional support: OR=2.37, 95% CI 1.31 to 4.29; appraisal support: OR=1.56, 95% CI 1.48 to 2.75).ConclusionsOur study found that depression in military officers was associated with lack of support from superiors. In particular, emotional support and appraisal support had a statistically significant effect. Therefore, we suggest that the ROK armed forces consider early intervention and management for high-risk groups. A social support programme and organisational atmosphere are also needed to improve supportive ability and skills of superiors.

We describe our experience with the ‘four-in-one’ procedure for habitual dislocation of the patella in five children (six knees). All the patients presented with severe generalised ligamentous laxity and aplasia of the trochlear groove. All had a lateral release, proximal ‘tube’ realignment of the patella, semitendinosus tenodesis and transfer of the patellar tendon. The mean age at the time of the operation was 6.1 years (4.9 to 6.9), and the patients were followed up for a mean of 54.5 months (31 to 66). The clinical results were evaluated using the Kujala score.There has been no recurrence of dislocation. All the patients have returned to full activities and the parents and children were satisfied with the clinical results. The mean Kujala score was 95.3 (88 to 98). Two patients had marginal skin necrosis which healed after debridement and secondary closure. These early results in this small group have shown that the ‘four-in-one’ procedure is effective in the treatment of obligatory dislocation of the patella in children with severe ligamentous laxity and trochlear aplasia.

For the methylsilsesquioxane film whose optical birefringence is almost zero, it was recently reported that its vertical thermal expansion coefficient (CTE) was approximately one order of magnitude larger than the lateral CTE. Though the birefringence is not an absolute predictor of anisotropic behavior, the discrepancy in both the CTEs was so remarkable that it was essential to investigate whether the anisotropy was intrinsic property or not. If the effect of Poisson's ratio is considered in the calculation of the vertical CTE and when elastic modulus measured by surface acoustic wave spectroscopy is used in the assessment of the lateral CTE, both the CTEs are coincident with each other. Therefore, it can be concluded that the discrepancy in the CTEs can be attributed to a higher in‐plane polymer chain orientation but it can also arise from the misleadingly assumed modulus and Poisson's ratio. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3109–3120, 2006

An integrated scheme has been studied to reduce gaseous (volatile organic compounds [VOCs]), liquid (scrubber water), and solid (paint sludge) emissions from automotive painting operations by converting an existing spray-booth scrubber system to a bioreactor to capture and degrade VOCs and pyrolyzing paint sludge to produce an adsorbent. This paper describes the experimental results of 1) a pilot-scale study conducted at an assembly plant to evaluate the biological VOC removal using activated-sludge bioreactors and 2) a bench-scale study on VOC adsorption on paint-sludge adsorbents. The results indicate that the biological VOC removal is technically feasible (comparable VOC removal and less energy usage as compared to the widely used, vapor phase-activated carbon adsorption/thermal oxidation process) and economically feasible (one order of magnitude cheaper) and that paint-sludge adsorbents exhibited appreciable adsorption capacity. Implementation of the scheme requires more than technical and economical feasibility. The issues to be overcome include the inertia of past practices, overall systemic thinking, and moving targets (processes and regulations).

In order to study the immunological status of rats transplanted with H-1-compatible kidney allografts, LEW rats were grafted with F and (Fischer x Lewis)F1(FLEWF1) kidneys. Most of the F kidneys were rejected within 55 days, only 4 of 24 surviving for more than 4 months. However, two-thirds of the FLEWF1recipients survived for more than 4 months, the others having died within 64 days.

Characteristic features of the scattering of light pseudoscalar and scalar particles are pointed out. We discuss how a light pseudoscalar particle might experimentally be distinguished from a light scalar particle. Further we give a method for determining the mass of the light pseudoscalar particle.

One of the most common diseases in high-performance German Holstein dairy cows is left-sided displacement of the abomasum (LDA). Hypomotility of the abomasum is detrimental during the pathogenesis of LDA. Also, it is known that the improper interactions between the gut microbiota and the enteric nervous system contribute to dysfunctions of gastrointestinal motility. Therefore, we hypothesized that the gut microbial composition will be different between German Holstein dairy cows with and without LDA. We compared the fecal microbiota between cows with and without LDA using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene analysis. A total of 20 German Holstein dairy cows at one dairy farm in South Korea, including eight cows without LDA (control group) and 12 cows with LDA (LDA Group), were enrolled in this study. All cows were housed under the same conditions and were fed the same feed without any antibiotics or supplementary additives. Right after LDA was diagnosed, fecal samples were collected immediately from the rectum. Total DNA representing the fecal microbial communities was extracted from individual fecal samples using the stool DNA extraction kit, and the 16S universal primers 27F (5′ GAGTTTGATCMTGGCTCAG 3′) and 800R (5′ TACCAGGGTATCTAATCC 3′) were used to amplify 16S rRNA genes (V1-V4 hyper variable regions). The composition and relative abundance of each member of the microbiota in feces from the control group were different from the LDA group. The proportion of Spirochaetes was significantly different between groups at the phylum level (P< 0.001). An average of 1.5% of the microbiota was members of Spirochaetes in the feces of the control group. On the other hand, there were no Spirochaetes detected in the feces of the LDA group. At the genus level, relative abundance of five genera was significantly different between groups. The proportion of the genus Enterohabdus(a member of Actinobacteria), the proportions of members of Firmicutes including Cellulosilyticum, Streptococcus, and Turicibacter, and the proportion of Treponema(a member of Spirochaetes) were all significantly higher in the control group than in the LDA group. However, further studies will be needed to elucidate the roles of these genera in the pathogenesis of LDA. Overall, results from this study show that the fecal microbial compositions of German Holstein dairy cows with LDA shifted and were less diverse than those in normal cows.

Emulsifiers are substances that stabilize mixtures and prevent oil and water from separating, which is good for the digestion of lipids. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary emulsifier (lysophospholipids, LPL) supplementation with different energy diets in lactating sows. A total of 32 multiparous sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) were used in a 21-d experiment. On d 110 of gestation, sows were weighed and moved into the farrowing facility, randomly assigned in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with two levels of Lipidol (0 and 0.1%; Lipidol contains 3% LPL) and two level of metabolizable energy (3265 and 3165 kcal/kg) according to their BW. Individual sows were weighed and scanned for backfat thickness to determine weight and backfat loss. Chromium oxide (0.2%) was added to the diet as an indigestible marker to determine ATTD of DM, N, and GE. Milk crude fat (Method 960.39; AOAC, 2007) was measured according to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Lactose was assayed using an enzymatic method. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement using the GLM Procedure of SAS (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC). A probability level of P< 0.05 was considered to be significant. Body weight loss (18.6 vs. 15.1 kg) and backfat thickness loss (2.4 vs. 1.9 mm) were decreased (P< 0.05) by LPL supplementation. Backfat thickness (17.0 vs. 14.5 mm) at weaning was higher (P< 0.05) in sows fed LPL supplementation diets. The ATTD of DM (84.4 vs. 83.2%), N (83.6 vs. 82.5%), GE (82.9 vs. 82.1%), and crude fat (80.1 vs. 79.2%) in sows fed LPL diets was increased (P< 0.05) compared with those fed non-LPL diets. Sows fed the high energy diets had higher (P< 0.05) milk fat (11.3 vs. 10.0%) on d 10 and milk lactose (4.6 vs. 3.9%) on d 20 than those fed the low energy diets. Milk fat (11.3 vs. 9.9%) and lactose concentrations (4.6 vs. 4.0%) in LPL supplementation treatments were increased (P< 0.05) compared with non-LPL treatments on d 10 and d 20, respectively. Interactive effects (P< 0.05) between energy and LPL were observed on milk fat concentration on d 10. In conclusion, LPL addition decreased body weight loss and backfat thickness loss and improved nutrient digestibility and milk fat as well as milk lactose concentrations. Additionally, LPL and energy can interactively increase milk fat concentration in lactating sows.

A new breakdown model for gate oxides under constant current stresses is proposed, which directly relates the oxide lifetime to the stress current density and includes the statistical nature of oxide breakdown using the effective oxide thickness. It is shown that this model can reliably predict the TDDB of oxides for any current stress levels and oxide areas.