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The purpose of this study was to identify the prognostic impact of intravesical recurrence (IVR) on oncologic outcomes and the clinicopathologic factors that predict IVR in patients who undergo radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma.Between January 2000 and December 2015, 760 patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma underwent RNU at 5 institutions in Korea, and patient data were retrospectively collected. Clinicopathologic factors were analyzed for intravesical recurrence-free survival, cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS). Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to test the clinicopathologic factors on IVR.Of the 760 patients, 231 (30.3%) patients experienced IVR within 10 months of the median interval between RNU and the first IVR. The overall estimated probabilities of 5-year CSS, intravesical recurrence-free survival, and OS were 84.2%, 63.8%, and 79.2%, respectively. No difference was noted in terms of CSS and OS between the patients who did or did not experience IVR. The multivariate Cox analysis showed an association between IVR and positive hydronephrosis, tumor size, positive preoperative urinary cytology, and ureterorenoscopy before RNU (all P .05). However, a significantly decreased risk of IVR was associated with female gender, laparoscopic RNU, and receipt of adjuvant systemic chemotherapy (all P .05).The occurrence of IVR following RNU did not affect CSS and OS. Patients with larger tumor size, preoperative hydronephrosis, positive preoperative urinary cytology, and ureterorenoscopy before RNU had a higher risk of IVR following RNU.

In this work, we demonstrate the lateral metal–oxidesemiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) with β-Ga2O3 film (thickness = 150 nm) grown on a c-plane sapphire substrate by a hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) method using a CF4-based plasma treatment. By incorporating fluorine (F) the electrical characteristics of the surface and bulk regions of the resistive β-Ga2O3 film could be significantly improved. The analyses by secondary ion mass spectrometry and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy confirmed the formation of the substitutional fluorine, FO, with its peak concentration of 2.3 × 1018 cm−3 at 5 ~ 10 nm deep from the surface and about 1015 ~ 1016 cm−3 in the bulk region. While the argon-plasma treatment was insufficient for making a Ti/Au/Ti metal contact ohmic, the same contact formed on the CF4-treated surface showed an ohmic behavior with specific resistivity of 2.0 × 10−3 Ω·cm2 and contact resistance of 0.8 Ω·m without any post thermal annealing. With the improvement of the electrical properties in both the surface and bulk regions, the HVEP-grown hetero-epitaxial β-Ga2O3 MOSFET exhibited the field-effect mobility of up to 5.3 cm2/V⋅s and on/off ratio of 106.

A thermal-runaway model of lithium-ion battery is developed by devising a resistive heating that includes short circuit current and integrating it with existing electrochemical and exothermic reaction model of lithium-ion battery. With the developed model, a guideline for designing lithium-ion battery is suggested to delay onset of thermal-runaway. First and foremost, the simulation result obtained from developed mathematical model confirms that thermal-runaway is retarded when the area of heat transfer is augmented in the cells of same volume and capacity. Next, it is also demonstrated that, under the simulation condition in which the loading level of active materials is set as a design variable, if short circuit resistance is same, thermal-runaway occurs in a lithium-ion battery with high loading level whereas thermal-runaway do not occur when the loading level is low. Assuming the same area of electrical short, thermal-runaway occurs when cathode active material of 619 [J/g] is used, but thermal-runaway does not occur with the cathode active material of 429 [J/g]. If short circuit resistance is same, a cell of which the internal resistance equals 0.025 [Ω] drives itself into thermal-runaway, while cells with higher internal resistance, i.e. 0.03 [Ω], do not.

The immunomodulatory effects of Korean mistletoe lectin (KML), one of the major active components in Viscum album L. var. coloratum, were investigated in vitro in immune cell proliferation and natural killer (NK) cell- and macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity, and in vivo in the forced swim test and cold stress. In mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation of murine splenocytes, concanavalin A and lipopolysaccharide significantly increased the proliferation of T cell and B cell lymphocytes, respectively. KML exposure increased lymphocyte proliferation in response to mitogen. KML also increased the splenic NK cell and macrophage activities in vitro. Exposure to KML increased production of cytokines such as interleukin-1 and interleukin-6 by macrophages. Two-week treatment with KML (30, 100, 300 and 600 microg/kg) increased the recruitment of lymphocytes, monocytes and macrophages. In the forced swim test, the immobility time was significantly attenuated by treatment with KML (300 and 600 microg/kg). In a cold stress experiment, spleen and thymus weight increased in KML-treated mice, while the weight of adrenal gland was lower than that in vehicle-treated mice. The levels of serum aminotransferases, lactate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase were decreased by KML treatment. KML treatment also induced increases in the percentages of CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells in thymus. Our results suggest that KML enhances the immune system through modulation of lymphocytes, NK cells, and macrophages.

Sepsis is an acute life-threatening clinical condition and remains the major cause of death in intensive care units. The primary pathophysiologic event central to the septic response is an overwhelming activation of the inflammatory system and countervailing response from the anti-inflammatory system. However, the cause of this perturbation has yet to be elucidated. In this study, we report that Aloe vera therapeutically reverses the lethality induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), a clinically relevant model of sepsis. The administration of Aloe vera ameliorated the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, as evidenced by the serum levels of biochemical parameters and histological changes. In order to investigate the pharmacological mechanism of Aloe vera , the levels of the cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 were determined by ELISA at various time points. The increases in the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were attenuated by Aloe vera. In vivo administration of Aloe vera also markedly enhanced bacterial clearance. Our findings suggest that Aloe vera could be a potential therapeutic agent for the clinical treatment of sepsis.

The non-uniform reaction blocks were manufactured by the impregnation of metal salts into the expanded graphite to improve the heat and mass transfer ability for the chemical heat pump. In contrast with the ordinary reaction blocks of the uniform properties such as the apparent density and ratio of the expanded graphite, the non-uniform reaction blocks were prepared to increase the apparent density with radius direction: 165, 222, 279, 337, 394 kg / m 3 gradually. The experimental results show that the non-uniform reaction block can improve the heat transfer properties and additionally overcome the mass transfer limitation due to high apparent density of the block which diminishes the permeability of ammonia gas.

The influence of antimicrobial packaging on the microbial growth in pasteurized milk and orange juice was examined. The liquid foods were located in contact with paperboard coated with nisin and/or chitosan in a binder of vinyl acetate ethylene copolymer at 3, 10 and 20 °C, and were measured for counts of aerobic bacteria and yeasts in the milk and orange juice, respectively. Paperboard coated only with plain binder was used as a control. The effect of antimicrobial packaging on the microbial growth was analysed by using Baranyi's growth model. The paperboard coated with nisin and/or chitosan significantly improved the microbial stability of milk and orange juice at 3 and 10 °C, but not so noticeably at 20 °C. Of those tested, paperboards that included a combination of nisin and chitosan in the coating gave the highest microbial inhibition, and this was most apparent at 10 °C. The effectiveness of antimicrobial paperboard in suppressing the microbial growth was indicated by low maximum temperatures, extended lag time and reduced specific growth rates. Analysis by Ratkowsky equations showed that foods in contact with antimicrobial paperboards showed higher minimum growth temperatures and greater temperature dependence than did foods in contact with plain paper.

A 3-mm thick nisin and/or α-tocopherol coating at a concentration of 3% was applied on a paper using a binder medium of vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer to confer an antimicrobial and antioxidative property for use in the food packaging industry. The migration of nisin and α-tocopherol from the coating to a model emulsion composed of 66% water and 32% paraffin oil with 2% emulsifier was measured, and this was linked to the suppression of microbial growth and oxidative deterioration in the emulsion and in milk cream at 10 °C. The nisin migrated more slowly than α-tocopherol, and reached 9.3% of the total concentration incorporated in the coating, with α-tocopherol reaching an equilibrium level of 5.7%. The migration of each of the additives was not affected by the presence of the other. Incorporation of nisin in the coating was effective in inhibiting Micrococcus flavus, and α-tocopherol incorporation retarded lipid oxidation in the model emulsion and in the milk cream. Thus, the combination of nisin and α-tocopherol in the coating conferred both antimicrobial and antioxidative properties. However, it did not provide any further synergistic antimicrobial and antioxidative effect when compared to a single additive alone.

An absorber is a major component in the absorption refrigeration systems, and its performance greatly affects the overall system performance. In this study, both the numerical and experimental analyses in the absorption process of a bubble mode absorber were performed. Gas was injected into the bottom of the absorber at a constant solution flow rate. The region of gas absorption was estimated by both numerical and experimental analyses. A higher gas flow rate increases the region of gas absorption. As the temperature and concentration of the input solution decrease, the region of gas absorption decreases. In addition, the absorption performance of the countercurrent flow was superior to that of cocurrent. Mathematical modeling equations were derived from the material balance for the gas and liquid phases based on neglecting the heat and mass transfer of water from liquid to gas phase. A comparison of the model simulation and experimental results shows similar values. This means that this numerical model can be applied for design of a bubble mode absorber.

The threshold voltage fluctuation caused by random distribution of discrete oxide charges is studied using three-dimensional (3D) simulations. It is found that the effect of discrete oxide charges on the terminal current variation depends on their lateral positions in the channel and, for the same number fluctuations of discrete charges, a large threshold voltage fluctuation is introduced in a device with deeper source/drain junction depth ( X j ). The effect of 3D current flow is found to give negligible effect on the threshold voltage fluctuation. Finally, the effects of oxide charges and dopants on the threshold voltage fluctuation are compared.

Monitoring manufacturing execution systems is complex and varies in nature. It is not realistic to imagine that a single solution or software package will address all the requirements of all manufacturing floors. Building generic software object class frameworks, customizable through subclassing, provides a good alternative to the current approach to the development of the software. In this paper, we present a methodology to implement the object oriented simulator practice and propose a framework of an object-oriented simulator in which tests CIM system software.

The planning and control concepts of production systems involve organizing and managing the process of converting raw materials into a predesigned finished product. In this paper, we present an object class extraction methodology of production planning and control system as a part of enterprise resource planning (ERP) environment. For extracting process, we (1) define the object classes within the system, (2) establish the relationships among classes, (3) establish hierarchical structure of classes, (4) establish the event trace diagram, (5) define the detail attributes and operations about object classes. Depending on the characteristics of the function, we divide the system into object class group associated with production plan function, object class group associated with production plan information, and object class group associated with user interface on a large scale.

Objectives To evaluate the efficacy of DA-8031 against premature ejaculation, we performed in vitro and in vivo pharmacologic studies. Methods We used a monoamine transporter binding affinity assay, receptor binding affinity assay, monoamine reuptake inhibition assay, and serotonin uptake inhibition assay in platelets and chemically induced ejaculation models in rats. Results The present study reports on the pharmacologic profile of the putative antipremature ejaculation drug, DA-8031. DA-8031 exhibits high affinity and selectivity to the serotonin transporter (Ki value 1.94 nM for 5-hydroxytryptamine transporter, 22 020 nM for norepinephrine transporter, and 77 679 nM for dopamine transporter) and potency to inhibit serotonin reuptake into the rat brain synaptosome in vitro (half maximal inhibitory concentration 6.52 nM for 5-hydroxytryptamine, 30.2 μM for norepinephrine, and 136.9 μM for dopamine). In the platelet serotonin uptake study, DA-8031 exhibited significant inhibition at oral doses of 10 and 30 mg/kg in a dose-dependent manner. In the sexual response studies, after oral and intravenous administration of DA-8031, ejaculation was significantly inhibited in both para-chloroamphetamine- and meta-chlorophenylpiperazine-mediated ejaculation models in rats. Conclusions The pharmacologic profiles observed in the present study suggest the potential for DA-8031 as a therapeutic agent useful in the treatment of premature ejaculation.