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In this study, an ANN (artificial neural network) based real-time optimized control algorithm for a chilled water cooling system was developed and applied in an actual building to analyze its cooling energy saving effects through in-situ application and actual measurements. For this purpose, the cooling tower’s CndWT (condenser water temperature) and the chiller’s ChWT (chilled water temperature) were set as system control variables. To evaluate algorithm performance, the electric consumption and the COP (coefficient of performance) were compared and analyzed when ChWT and CndWTs were controlled conventionally and controlled based on the ANN. During the analysis, unexpected abnormal data was observed due to insufficient training data and limited consideration of OWBT (outdoor air wet-bulb temperature) when determining the CndWT set-point. Therefore, it is necessary to further build training data from a wider range of conditions and to set the lower limit of CndWT set-point to at least +3.6 °C above OWBT when the OWBT is higher than 23 °C, so that further energy savings can be achieved.

AbstractAutophagy serves as a survival mechanism and plays important role in nutrient recycling under conditions of starvation, nutrient storage, ad differentiation of plant pathogenic fungi. However, autophagy-related genes have not been investigated in Colletotrichum scovillei, a causal agent of pepper fruit anthracnose disease. ATG8is involved in autophagosome formation and is considered a marker of autophagy. Therefore, we generated an ATG8deletion mutant, ΔCsatg8, via homologous recombination to determine the functional roles of CsATG8in the development and virulence of C. scovillei. Compared with the wild-type, the deletion mutant ΔCsatg8exhibited a severe reduction in conidiation. Conidia produced by ΔCsatg8were defective in survival, conidial germination, and appressorium formation. Moreover, conidia of ΔCsatg8showed reduced lipid amount and PTS1 selectivity. A virulence assay showed that anthracnose development on pepper fruits was reduced in ΔCsatg8. Taken together, our results suggest that CsATG8plays various roles in conidium production and associated development, and virulence in C. scovillei.

Because of depletion of fossil fuel from the earth curst and increase of environmental concerns, in search of an efficient alternative to the traditional carbon black (CB), a biochar known as rice husk carbon (RHC) has been examined here as a filler material to develop the EPDM composite. In this regard, the ball milled RHC was further treated with ultrasonic wave and used with or without its surface treatment by the silane coupling agent [i.e., 3-mercaptopropyl triethoxysilane (3-MPTMS)]. Among the RHC, ultrasonic treated RHC (UHC) and silane treated UHC (USHC), the EPDM composite of USHC showed nearly similar tensile strength to that of the CB (e.g., CB: 33.88 kgf/cm2, USHC: 31.38 kgf/cm2at 20 wt% filler loading) with an enhanced elongation at break (e.g., CB: 206%, USHC: 342% at 20 wt% filler loading) and surprisingly much less compression set value (CB: 40.87%, USHC: 18.95% even after 40 wt% of filler loading). Compared to RHC, the UHC also showed its better performance next to the USHC. In addition to presence of both the carbon and silica in RHC and additional silica within the flexible aliphatic chain in USHC, the disintegration of RHC by ultrasonic treatment towards its narrow particle distribution, smaller particle size, and increased surface area is considered very much effective to develop the corresponding high performance EPDM composites. Thus, the use of waste material, i.e., rice husk through the ultrasonication of RHC followed by its surface treatment can be used as a potential filler material to prepare the environment friendly and cost effective high performing composites to be used in different efficient end products, and motivated further for industrial upscaling.

Understanding the nature of destination images has considerable importance in the tourism industry, which is highly image-driven. This study aims to measure the image attributes of destinations using data for both explicit cognitions (based on self-report surveys) and implicit cognitions (based on reaction times) based on theory drawn from tourism psychology. A series of experimental studies was carried out using the Single-Target Implicit Association Test (ST-IAT) to measure individuals’ explicit and implicit cognitions of image attributes in the context of three destination countries: China, England and France. The findings imply that knowing the weight values between explicit image measures and the ST-IAT is imperative in predicting behavioral intentions in tourism.

Biological species collections are critical for natural product drug discovery programs. However, prioritization of target species in massive collections remains difficult. Here, we introduce an untargeted metabolomics-based prioritization workflow that uses MS/MS molecular networking to estimate scaffold-level distribution. As a demonstration, we applied the workflow to 40 polyporoid fungal species. Nine species were prioritized as candidates based on the chemical structural and compositional similarity (CSCS) metric. Most of the selected species showed relatively higher richness and uniqueness of metabolites than those of the others. Cryptoporus volvatus, one of the prioritized species, was investigated further. The chemical profiles of the extracts of C. volvatusculture and fruiting bodies were compared, and it was shown that derivative-level diversity was higher in the fruiting bodies; meanwhile, scaffold-level diversity was similar. This showed that the compounds found from a cultured fungus can also be isolated in wild mushrooms. Targeted isolation of the fruiting body extract yielded three unknown (1–3) and six known (4–9) cryptoporic acid derivatives, which are drimane-type sesquiterpenes with isocitric acid moieties that have been reported in this species. Cryptoporic acid T (1) is a trimeric cryptoporic acid reported for the first time. Compounds 2and 5exhibited cytotoxicity against HCT-116 cell lines with IC50values of 4.3 and 3.6 μM, respectively.

Objective: We assessed the andropause (=male climacteric syndrome)-relief effects of the sea cucumber (Stichopus japonicus) samples in an in vivoanimal model using aged male SD rats (24 weeks old). Methods: During the experimental period, G1 (control group) received saline, and G2, G3, and G4 were administered 250 mg/kg of sea cucumber hot water extract, sea cucumber fermented by Cordycepe mili-taris, and hydrolysate of sea cucumber, daily by oral gavage, respectively. After 4 weeks, the effects of male menopause and aging on vascular health were assessed by measuring the total cholesterol (TC), tri-glyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein-c (HDL-c), and low density lipoprotein-c (LDL-c) in the serum. Testosterone levels, the most important indicator in male menopause, were measured in the blood. Aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels were also measured in order to evaluate liver toxicity.

Background: In the last few decades, cancer immunotherapy has been extensively researched, and novel checkpoint signaling mechanisms involving Programmed Death (PD)-1 and PDLigand 1 (PD-L1) receptors have been targeted. The PD-1/PD-L1 binding and interaction play a critical role in the development of malignancies. Objective: The present review focuses on recent patents on the pharmacological and biological cancerregulating properties of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors involved in immunotherapeutic cancer drug development. Methods: Thorough patent literature search published during the last seven years, including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO®), United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO®), Espacenet®, and Google Patents, to identify PD-1/PD-L1-targeting small molecule immunomodulators. Results: Several small molecule PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors were patented for regulation of tumor progression by academic and industry-associated investigators. Most of the claimed patents have been validated and confined to in vitro and in vivo mouse models limiting their entry into clinical settings. Majority of the patents are claimed by the researchers at Aurigene Ltd. (India) on novel peptidomimetic compounds. It is worth to be noted that macrocyclic compounds such as the peptides QP20, HD20, WQ20, SQ20, and CQ-22 from Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) Company, biaryl, and heterocyclic derivatives including 1,3-dihydroxy-phenyl compounds were efficient in regulating the PD-1/PD-L1 protein-protein binding and interaction compared to those of the approved monoclonal antibodies. Conclusion: PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors show significant anti-cancer responses as stand-alone agents and in combination with other cancer therapies. More efficient experimental studies and clinical trials are necessary to evaluate the host-tumor cells’ interactions. Understanding the cancer microenvironment, and identifying specific biomarkers and X-ray crystalline structures of PD-1/PD-L1 complexes, including molecular and genomic signature studies are essential to determine the feasibility of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors for development into drug-like cancer immunotherapeutics.

Background and purpose The status of collateral vessels has important clinical implications in acute ischemic stroke. To evaluate which components of ischemic symptoms were predictive of pretreatment collateral status, we tested the hypothesis that sub-item scores from the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) are associated with leptomeningeal collateral status in acute ischemic stroke with middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion.Methods This study included consecutive patients with acute M1 occlusion who underwent revascularization treatment for acute MCA infarction. We evaluated clinical factors and the NIHSS score according to the collateral status assessed by multiphase perfusion computed tomography.Results Eighty-six patients were included (48 good collateral status, 38 poor collateral status). The patients with poor collateral status were more likely to have a higher total NIHSS score (18 versus 11, p< 0.001) and atrial fibrillation (65.8% versus 41.7%, p= 0.026) than patients with good collateral flow. In a multiple logistic regression, the NIHSS sub-items such as profound “facial palsy” (score 2 versus 0–1) and “visual field defect” (score 2 versus 0–1) were independently associated with poor collateral status.Conclusion Among the NIHSS sub-items, severe facial palsy and visual field defect were associated with poor collateral status in acute MCA stroke with M1 occlusion. Decision on whether to treat these patients endovascularly should be made more cautiously due to the possibility of a poor outcome.

Background: Inflammasomes are recognized as key regulators in innate immunity from the pathogenic to endogenous danger signals. Although controlled activation of inflammasome is highly beneficial, dysregulation of inflammasome activation plays central role in various autoimmune, inflammatory disorders and aid in promoting various forms of cancers in humans such as breast cancer, fibrosarcoma, gastric carcinoma, and lung metastasis. NLRP3 inflammasome activation has been emerged as a topic of interest and is under profound investigation for its involvement in multiple forms of cancers. Objective: This review emphasizes an overview of the recent patents on NLRP3 inflammasome activation inhibitors with their relevant biological/pharmacological properties for the prevention and treatment of inflammation-associated cancer disorders. Methods: Data were obtained from online patent searchers such as World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO®), Free Patent Online (FPO), Espacenet® and Google Patents. Results: Several NLRP3 inflammasome activation inhibitors were recently patented from naturally derived and synthetic agents mainly by academic researchers. Most of the claimed patents have been validated and confined to cell lines and animal models limiting their entry into clinical settings. Conclusion: The vigorous effort to discover and develop agents to specifically inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation, may pave the way to therapeutic intervention targeting inflammasome-regulated pathways that are involved in the pathogenesis of various forms of cancer.

Both Panax ginsengMeyer and Panax quinquefoliusare obligate shade-loving plants whose natural habitats are broadleaved forests of Eastern Asia and North America. Panaxspecies are easily damaged by photoinhibition when they are exposed to high temperatures or insufficient shade. In this study, a cytohistological study of the leaf structures of two of the most well-known Panaxspecies was performed to better understand the physiological processes that limit photosynthesis.

Pterocarpus indicusWilld has been widely used as a traditional medicine to treat edema, cancer, and hyperlipidemia, but its antiallergic properties and underlying mechanisms have not yet been studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antiallergic activity of Pterocarpus indicusWilld water extract (PIW) using activated mast cells and an atopic dermatitis (AD)-like mouse model. PIW decreased IgE/Ag-induced mast cell degranulation and the phosphorylation of Syk and downstream signaling molecules such as PLC-γ, Akt, Erk 1/2, JNK compared to stimulated mast cells. In DNCB-induced AD-like mice, PIW reduced IgE level in serum, as well as AD-associated scratching behavior and skin severity score. These results indicate that PIW inhibits the allergic response by reducing mast cell activation and may have clinical potential as an antiallergic agent for disorders such as AD.

T-cell-mediated immune responses play an important role in body protection. However, aberrantly activated immune responses are responsible for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The regulation of pathologic immune responses may be a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of these diseases. Despite that multiple pharmacologic properties of benzoxathiole derivatives have been defined, the molecular mechanisms underlying these properties remain to be clarified. Here, we demonstrated the benzoxathiole derivative 2-cyclohexylimino-6-methyl-6,7-dihydro-5H-benzo[1,3]oxathiol-4-one (BOT-4-one) regulated immune responses and ameliorated experimentally induced inflammatory skin diseases both in vitro and in vivo. BOT-4-one inhibited the differentiation of CD4+T-cell subsets by regulating the expression and production of T-cell lineage-specific master transcription factors and cytokines and activating the signal transducer and activator of transcription proteins. In addition, BOT-4-one inhibited TCR-mediated Akt and NF-κB signaling. Topical application of BOT-4-one ameliorated experimentally induced inflammatory skin diseases in mice models such as 2,4,6-trinitrochlorobenzene-induced contact and atopic dermatitis and IL-23-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation. Our study demonstrated that BOT-4-one ameliorates inflammatory skin diseases by suppressing the pathogenic CD4+T cell differentiation and overall immune responses.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Highly transparent phototransistors that can detect visible light have been fabricated by combining indium–gallium–zinc oxide (IGZO) and quantum dots (QDs). A wide-band-gap IGZO film was used as a transparent semiconducting channel, while small-band-gap QDs were adopted to absorb and convert visible light to an electrical signal. Typical IGZO thin-film transistors (TFTs) did not show a photocurrent with illumination of visible light. However, IGZO TFTs decorated with QDs showed enhanced photocurrent upon exposure to visible light. The device showed a responsivity of 1.35 × 104A/W and an external quantum efficiency of 2.59 × 104under illumination by a 635 nm laser. The origin of the increased photocurrent in the visible light was the small band gap of the QDs combined with the transparent IGZO films. Therefore, transparent phototransistors based on IGZO and QDs were fabricated and characterized in detail. The result is relevant for the development of highly transparent photodetectors that can detect visible light.

Seismic provisions have utilized design eccentricities to reduce planar irregularities in lateral stiffness of buildings. In calculating a design eccentricity, the dynamic amplification factor may be applied either to accidental eccentricity or to both inherent and accidental eccentricities according to design codes. In this paper, different code provisions and their impact on torsional responses of buildings are investigated using example buildings with various aspect ratios and eccentricities. It was found that dynamic amplification is underestimated if the inherent eccentricity is small, when buildings are designed by seismic provisions using dynamic amplification factors for both to inherent and accidental eccentricities. On the other hand, the design eccentricity determined by applying the dynamic amplification factor only to accidental eccentricity reflects torsional amplification accurately.

The use of steel-concrete composite members has been significantly increased as they have the advantages of the reduction of cross sectional areas, excellent ductility against earthquake loadings and a longer life span than typical steel frame members. In this paper, push-out tests were performed on six specimens to investigate the structural behavior and shear strength of perfobond connection of a steel-concrete composite slim floor system. An equation to theoretically estimate the shear strength of the perfobond connection is proposed, and its accuracy is examined by comparing its predictions with the test results. A finite element analysis model is also developed and used to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed strength equation.

Recent randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have evaluated the benefit of new oral anticoagulants in reducing the risk of vascular events and bleeding complications in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, abundant and strict enrollment criteria may limit the validity and applicability of results of RCTs to clinical practice. We estimated the eligibility for participation in RCTs of an unselected group of patients with AF. In addition, we compared features favoring new oral anticoagulant use between patients with versus without stroke. Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulation Therapy

Nodakenin, derived from the roots of Angelica gigas Nakai, is an important natural resource and medicinal material with anti-allergic and anti- inflammatory activities. We have previously shown that nodakenin inhibits IgE/Ag-induced degranulation in mast cells. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of nodakenin on 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced atopic dermatitis (AD)- like skin lesions in ICR mice. Scratching behavior, skin severity score, blood IgE level, and skin thickness were improved in DNCB-induced AD-like ICR mice. Our results showed that nodakenin suppressed the increase of AD-like skin lesions in ICR mice. These results suggest that nodakenin may be a potential therapeutic resource for AD as well as an adjunctive agent to control itching associated with AD.

The present study aims to investigate the importance of informational elements used in course management systems (CMS) and to identify tailored applications of CMS in hospitality education programs. As a type of CMS, Blackboard was selected for this study because of its popularity in the United States. In addition, importance-performance analysis was used to identify respondents’ perceptual mapping in terms of informational elements in CMS. The findings show significant gaps between importance and performance measures for the informational elements of CMS. With regard to the importance-performance analysis, the primary results reveal that respondents perceived test-related elements (e.g., assignment scores, exam/test scores, quiz scores, extra points) as high in performance and importance. This study helps hospitality educators better understand students’ perceptions of the system’s functionality so that they can provide more tailored e-class content for the efficiency of the system.

Beta-glucans (-glucans), naturally occurring polysaccharides, are present as constituents of the cell wall of cereal grains, mushrooms, algae, or microbes including bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Since Pillemer et al. first prepared and investigated zymosan in the 1940s and others followed with the investigation of -glucans in the 1960s and 1970s, researchers have well established the significant role of -glucans on the immune system relative to cancer treatment, infection immunity, and restoration of damaged bone marrow. However, information on their biological role in anti-metastatic activity remains limited. As an immunomodulating agent, -glucan acts through the activation of innate immune cells such as macrophages, dendritic cells, granulocytes, and natural killer cells. This activation triggers the responses of adaptive immune cells such as CD4 or CD8 T cells and B cells, resulting in the inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis. Reports have shown that -glucans exert multiple effects on cancer cells and cancer prevention. However the mechanisms of their actions appear complex due to differences in source, chemical structure, insufficiently defined preparation, and molecular weight, hence the inconsistent and often contradictory results obtained. This review is focused on the potential of -glucans as anti-metastatic agents and the known mechanisms underlying their biological effects.

AbstractThe primary purposes of this study are to identify individual’s attitudes toward the two Asian foods (Chinese food and Japanese food) applying both general explicit and implicit measures and to suggest further theoretical and managerial implications for the measurement of hospitality research. As an experimental study, the Implicit Association Test (IAT) is primarily employed to identify the research objectives in a psychological approach. In total, 39 American (all Caucasian) college students are recruited to complete a self-reported survey and implicit association test (IAT) simultaneously in the U.S. The finding indicates that there are significant mean differences of PFAs between two Asian foods (Chinese food and Japanese food), and that significant mean differences are found in implicit attitudes, but not in explicit attitudes. Furthermore, the study results reveal that PFAs are positively and significantly correlated with GEA, but not with IA (i.e., reaction time). Specific implications and limitations are discussed.

Inflammation is a system used by a host to defend against the presence of bacteria, viruses, or yeasts. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the plasma membranes of macrophages are activated when they recognize the molecular structure of a virus or bacterium. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an outer cell-wall component of Gram-negative bacteria, initiates an inflammatory process viaTLR4. We investigated the effect of the extract of Anethum graveloensflowers (AGFs) on LPS-mediated inflammation in RAW 264.7 cells. The extract markedly suppressed nitric oxide generation in a concentration-dependent manner in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. It inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and the mRNA expression of cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta and interleukin-6 in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. It also inhibited iNOS protein levels in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, AGF decreased the LPS-induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. AGF inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt, an upstream molecule of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway, and thus inhibited NF-κB activity in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. These results suggest that AGF exerts an anti-inflammatory effect in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells by inhibiting iNOS expression and blocking the NF-κB pathway.

While the ability to develop nanomaterials and incorporate them into products is advancing rapidly worldwide, understanding of the potential health safety effects of nanomaterials has proceeded at a much slower pace. Since 2008, Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) started an investigation to prepare “Strategic Action Plan” to evaluate safety and nano risk management associated with foods, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics using nano-scale materials. Although there are some studies related to potential risk of nanomaterials, physical-chemical characterization of nanomaterials is not clear yet and these do not offer enough information due to their limitations. Their uncertainties make it impossible to determine whether nanomaterials are actually hazardous to human. According to the above mention, we have some problems to conduct the human exposure risk assessment currently. On the other hand, uncertainty about safety may lead to polarized public debate and to businesses unwillingness for further nanotechnology investigation. Therefore, the criteria and methods to assess possible adverse effects of nanomaterials have been vigorously taken into consideration by many international organizations: the World Health Organization, the Organization for Economic and Commercial Development and the European Commission. The object of this study was to develop risk assessment principles for safety management of future nanoproducts and also to identify areas of research to strengthen risk assessment for nanomaterials. The research roadmaps which were proposed in this study will be helpful to fill up the current gaps in knowledge relevant nano risk assessment.

The clinical significance of microembolic signals (MES) in the posterior circulation remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the sources and consequences of MES in acute posterior circulation cerebral ischemia.

Motor weakness progression is relatively common in acute pontine infarction and frequently associated with increased functional disability. We designed this study to identify the predictors of progression of motor weakness in patients with pontine infarction during the acute phase.

The clinical significance of sulcal effacement has been widely investigated in CT studies, but the results are controversial. In this study, we evaluated the presence of perisylvian sulcal effacement (PSE) on fluid attenuation inversion recovery MRI and hypothesized that PSE may be related to collateral flow status together with hyperintense vessels on fluid attenuation inversion recovery in hyperacute stroke. In addition, we investigated whether an association between PSE and clinical outcome could be found in these patients.

Variable Air Volume (VAV) unit system is one of the commonly used forced-air heating and cooling systems in office buildings. It controls the airflow with the discharge air temperature fixed for cooling, while the discharge air temperature is adjusted with the airflow fixed at the minimum for heating. This study presents the simulation of conventional VAV unit system performance applied in the typical office building prototype. Each VAV unit has the minimum airflow setting for the ventilation purpose and its impact on the energy consumption is significant. The aim of this study is to evaluate the energy impact of the minimum airflow setting of VAV box using EnergyPlus ver. 6.0 software platform. The energy result breakdown of three model cases is discussed: minimum airflow fraction setting of 10%, 20% and 30%. As a result, the minimum airflow setting has significant impact on the reheat energy and thus the annual boiler gas consumption shows significant difference among each simulation case. Monthly heating energy profile is also discussed for the better understanding of the impact of different minimum fractions on the heating energy.

Collaterals sustain the ischemic penumbra to limit growth of the infarct core before revascularization, yet the impact of baseline collateral flow on hemorrhagic transformation (HT) after endovascular therapy remains unknown.

Carotid artery stenosis is an important etiologic factor of stroke related to coronary artery bypass surgery. We evaluated clinical and laboratory factors to identify biomarkers for pre-existing carotid artery stenosis in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.

Collaterals sustain the penumbra before recanalization and offset infarct growth, yet the influence of baseline collateral flow on recanalization after endovascular therapy remains relatively unexplored.

Recently, reproductive and neurobehavioral effects of bisphenol A (BPA) have been documented, and thus a review was requested for BPA management direction by the government. Therefore, this study was performed to establish a Korean tolerable daily intake (TDI) for BPA. An expert committee, consisting of specialists in fields such as toxicology, medicine, pharmacology, and statistics, was asked to evaluate BPA health based guidance values (HbGVs). Although many toxicological studies were reviewed to select a point of departure (POD) for TDI, rat and mouse reproductive studies by Tyl et al.(2002, 2006), which were performed according to GLP standards and OECD guidelines, were selected. This POD was the lowest value determined from the most sensitive toxicological test. The POD, a NOAEL of 5 mg/kg bw/day, was selected based on its systemic toxicity as critical effects. An uncertainty factor of 100 including interspecies and intraspecies differences was applied to calculate the TDI. According to the evaluation results, a TDI of BPA for Korean was suggested at 0.05 mg/kg bw/day. In addition, the BPA exposure level based on food consumption by the Korean population was estimated as 1.509 μg/kg bw/day, and the HI was evaluated at 0.03 when the TDI of 0.05 mg/kg bw/day was applied. This HI value of 0.03 indicated that hazardous effects would not be expected from BPA oral exposures. Although highly uncertain, further studies on low dose neurobehavioral effects of BPA should be performed. In addition, it is recommended that the ’as low as reasonably achievable’ (ALARA) principle be applied for BPA exposure from food packaging materials in newborn infants and children.

An effective stroke code system that can expedite rapid thrombolytic treatment requires effective notification/communication and an organized team approach. We developed a stroke code program based on the computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system and investigated whether implementation of this CPOE-based program is useful for reducing the time from arrival at emergency departments (ED) to evaluation steps and the initiation of thrombolytic treatment in various hospital settings.

To assess the precise mechanisms of stroke in cancer patients, we analyzed the data for cancer patients with acute ischemic stroke registered from 6 centers in South Korea. Clinical features, risk factors, diffusion-weighted imaging lesion patterns, and laboratory findings including d-dimer levels were compared between patients with conventional stroke mechanisms (CSMs) and cryptogenic group.

The frequency of hemorrhagic transformation (HT) on gradient echo imaging and its impact on stroke outcomes continues to be debated. We investigated the factors associated with HTs and the influence of the HTs observed on gradient echo imaging on the early course after a stroke.

To investigate the association between thyroid autoantibodies and moyamoya disease (MMD) in patients with an apparent euthyroid state.

Abstract: Crack tip stress and displacement fields for a transiently propagating crack along gradient in functionally graded materials (FGMs) with a linear variation of shear modulus are developed. The higher order terms of the transient stress and displacement fields at crack tip were obtained by transforming the general partial differential equations of the dynamic equilibrium into Laplace’s equations whose solutions have harmonic functions. Thus, the fields can be expressed very simply. Using these stress components, isochromatics and the first invariant at crack tip are generated. The results show that the isochromatics (constant maximum shear stress) for mode I crack tilt backward around the crack tip with an increase of crack tip acceleration , and tilt forward around the crack tip with an increase of rate of change of dynamic mode I stress intensity factor . The isochromatics for mixed mode crack move to upper direction with an increases of and , and lower direction with an increase of . Contours of the first stress invariant for mode I crack enlarge around the crack tip with an increase of , and decrease around the crack tip with an increase of . As decreases at crack initiation, the predicted kinking angles increase. As increases, the predicted kinking angles also increase. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present a microlens array characterized by the electroclinic effect of chiral smectic A (SmA^*) liquid crystals, which show the very fast dynamic switching characteristics required in high-speed optical devices. In order to easily control the intensity at the focal length of the proposed dynamic microlens structure, we adopt a solid-type liquid crystal polymer with optical anisotropy, which can split the beam intensity into two directions, depending on the vectorial portion of the polarization state of the light. The proposed microlens shows a focal intensity tunable by controlling the polarization of light at the SmA^* liquid crystal. The lens has a very fast switching time of about 24 μs, which is several times faster than conventional microlens arrays with surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystals.

In this paper, we propose a new numerical wave tank model capable of handling interface problems with complex geometry on a standard regular Cartesian grid, using direct-forcing immersed boundary method. Additional force terms are incorporated in the momentum equations to represent the interface on a fixed Cartesian grid and they are calculated on a finite number of Lagrangian points distributed over the structure-fluid interface. The wave field around a horizontal circular cylinder has been chosen in order to validate the applicability of the proposed numerical wave tank model. The calculated wave forces acting on the cylinder are compared with previous experimental and numerical results. The results obtained using the proposed model are in good agreement with experimental results.

Though the use of PCR-generated DNA (i.e., linear template) as template DNA is desirable because of its simple preparation, the linear template has not been routinely used in a conventional continuous-exchange cell-free (CECF) protein synthesis system due to the instability of the linear template and/or its transcript in the relatively long operation period. To overcome this problem and enhance soluble protein yield, an RNase E-deficient and molecular chaperone-enriched extract was used: (i) for compensating for the decrease in messenger RNA (mRNA) levels transcribed from the unstable linear template with improvement of mRNA stability by depletion of RNase E activity; and (ii) for enhancement of the soluble protein portion by assisting of the molecular chaperones. As a result, soluble erythropoietin production from a linear template was significantly enhanced in this modified CECF system using the RNase E-deficient and molecular chaperone-enriched extract, and the amount of soluble erythropoietin was estimated to be roughly 70% of that from a circular plasmid. We can conclude that the use of RNase E-deficient and molecular chaperone-enriched S30 extract mixture is effective in the enhancement of soluble protein expression from a linear template in the CECF system.

AS a part of our ongoing search for a safe and efficient anti-tumor vaccine, we attempted to determine whether the molecular nature of certain tumor antigens would influence immune responses against tumor cells. As compared with freeze-thawed or formaldehyde-fixed tumor antigens, heat-denatured tumor antigens elicited profound anti-tumor immune responses and greatly inhibited the growth of live tumor cells. The heat-denatured tumor antigens induced a substantial increase in the anti-tumor CTL response in the absence of any adjuvant material. This response appears to be initiated by strong activation of the antigen-presenting cells, which may recognize heat-denatured protein antigens. Upon recognition of the heat-denatured tumor antigens, macrophages and dendritic cells were found to acutely upregulate the expression of co-stimulatory molecules such as B7.2, as well as the secretion of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-12 and TNF-a. The results of this study indicate that heat-denatured tumor extracts might elicit protective anti-tumor adaptive immune responses and also raise the possibility that a safe and efficient adjuvant-free tumor vaccine might be developed in conjunction with a dendritic cell-based tumor vaccine.

AbstractA travel card, a card type payment method used for limited travel purposes, has been introduced to many tourism destinations in order to improve tourists’ convenience. This study tries to expand our understanding of travel card functions and to identify factors that influence individuals’ preference of travel card payment type. In order to achieve study goals, 60 travel cards being used worldwide have been reviewed, and a survey of Korean and Japanese travelers to Busan was conducted (n=408). Study results indicate that the function of a travel card encompasses discount function, convenience function, and gift/souvenir function. Both Korean and Japanese tourists are more in favor of a pre-paid travel card. The preference of payment type varies significantly by some individual, trip characteristics, and nationality of respondents. Study results imply that an explicit consideration of functions to provide and characteristics of target market, in addition to available resources needs to be taken when a DMO tries to introduce a new travel card to the region.

Stress and displacement fields for a transient crack tip propagating along gradient in functionally graded materials (FGMs) with an exponential variation of shear modulus and density under a constant Poisson's ratio are developed. The equations of transient motion in nonhomogeneous materials are developed using displacement potentials and the solution to the displacement fields and the stress fields for a transient crack propagating at nonuniform speed though an asymptotic analysis.

Hyperproliferation of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) is a hallmark of atherosclerosis and related vascular disorders. In the previous study, we reported that KTJ740 [2-chloro-3-(4-(ethylcarboxy)-phenyl)-amino-1,4-naphthoquinone], a newly synthesized vitamin K derivative, has potent antithrombotic effects in mice and antiplatelet activity in vitro and ex vivo. In the present study, we have tested that KTJ740 could inhibit PDGF-BB-stimulated VSMC proliferation. We have examined the potential inhibitory effect of this compound on rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs). Our results show that this compound significantly inhibits PDGF-BB-stimulated RASMC number and DNA synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, we have examined its effect on cell cycle progression by flow cytometry. KTJ740 treatment resulted in a significant arrest in cell cycle progression of RASMCs induced by PDGF-BB, and this effect was achieved by suppressing activation of PDGF-β receptor (PDGF-Rβ) tyrosine kinase pathway. These results suggest that a possibility of KTJ740 can be a potential agent to control vascular disorders and its antiproliferative mechanism may be mediated through PDGF-Rβ tyrosine kinase-dependent signaling pathway.

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This study evaluated the histology results of surgically created bone cavities in the calvaria of rabbits that were subsequently filled with a HA/ß-TCP composite powder developed in Korea (Dentium, Korea). Ten young adult rabbits were used. Four defects were surgically produced in the calvaria of each rabbit. These defects were classified into 4 groups: the control group, no graft materials; experimental group I, normal saline + graft materials; experimental group II, venous blood + graft materials; and experimental group III, graft materials only. The defects were randomly filled with the graft materials. The rabbits were sacrificed with at 1-, 2-, 4-, 6- and 8- weeks after surgery. The histology specimens were prepared using the general method with H & E staining at a 6 ㎛ thickness. Histologically, the degree of new bone formation was similar in all experimental groups. However, for experimental group II, many cells had gathered around the graft materials 1-week after surgery, and new bone formed slightly faster and than in the other groups. No bone formation was observed in the control group. Based on histology findings, the new HA/ß- TCP composite powders appeared to act as a scaffolding material for the regeneration of osseous defects.

To elucidate the roles of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (oh8dG), the nucleoside of 8-hydroxyguanine (oh8Gua), we examined the effects of oh8dG upon LPS-induced intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression and the underlying mechanisms in brain microglial cells. We found that oh8dG reduces LPS-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, STAT3 activation, and ICAM-1 expression. oh8dG also suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-a, IL-6 and IFN-?. Overexpression of dominant negative STAT3 completely diminshed STAT3-mediated ICAM-1 transcriptional activity. Chromatin immunoprecipitation studies revealed that oh8dG inhibited recruitment of STAT3 to the ICAM-1 promoter, followed by a decrease in ICAM-1 expression. Using mice lacking a functional Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), we demonstrated that, while TLR4+/+ microglia were activated by LPS, TLR4-/-microglia exhibited inactivated STAT3 in response to LPS. Evidently, LPS modulates STAT3-dependent ICAM-1 induction through TLR4-mdiated cellular responses. Oh8dG apparently plays a role in anti-inflammatory actions via suppression of ICAM-1 gene expression by blockade of the TLR4-STAT3 signal cascade in inflammation-enhanced brain microglia. Therefore, oh8dG in the cytosol probably functions as an anti-inflammatory molecule and should be considered as a candidate for development of anti-inflammatory agents.