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Indium tin oxide (ITO) has extensively used as an electrode in diverse application areas of electrochemistry, displays, photovoltaics, and catalysts. Herein, terpyridine-modified ITO and thioterpyridine-functionalized Au-modified ITO electrodes were prepared and evaluated for electrochemical redox behaviors and conversion rates of Ce(III)/Ce(IV) ions, and recycling recovery rates on the newly developed electrode by cyclic voltammetry and amperometry. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction crystallography, and fluorescence spectroscopy were employed for the physiochemical properties of the demonstrated electrodes before and after electrochemistry. The interfacial energy level was examined by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy for ITO-Au and ITO-Au-STpy. Density functional theory calculations were performed to examine complexation between the functionalized ligand and Ce(III)/Ce(IV) ions by obtaining molecular orbital energy levels and thermodynamics. Thermal CO oxidation catalytic activity was tested for Ce-electrodeposited ITO electrode. In addition, electrochemical CO2 reduction performance was evaluated for Au-modified ITO electrode with and without thioterpyridine-functionalization.

Since June 2020, a new H9N2 virus of the Y280 lineage has been epidemic in Korea. Initially, a Korean commercial vaccine against the Y280 and Y439 lineages of H9N2 was evaluated for use in SPF chickens. A single vaccination did not protect chickens against virus of the Y280 lineage, with no significant reduction in virus shedding and a 37.5% inhibition in virus recovery rate in cecal tonsil. rgHS314 was selected as a vaccine candidate, showing immunogenicity in SPF chickens, and was highly productive in eggs. Moreover, rgHS314 protected with high levels of protective immunity and significantly reduced virus shedding, with 100% and 83.3% inhibition of virus recovery in the cecal tonsil against homologous and heterologous challenge viruses, respectively. Taken together, these data suggest that a single vaccination with this recombinant vaccine candidate could elicit cross-reactive immune responses capable of protecting chickens against H9N2 viruses of the Y439 and Y280 lineages.

Ultraviolet (UV) photodecontamination of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) has been an attractive way for decontamination of target areas unapproachable by a wet chemical method. Herein, decontamination was demonstrated using UV and infrared lamps and a home-built scanning 266-nm pulse laser under air and N2 conditions for the G-series nerve agent simulant model molecules of dimethyl methylphosphonate, dimethyl phosphite, diethyl methylphosphonate, and diethyl phosphite contaminating TiO2/Ti sheets. Volatile secondary photodecomposition products were examined by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, and nonvolatile surface residues by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction crystallography, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The wavelength- and power-dependent mechanisms of the formation of diverse secondary products, the role of active O2−, h+ and •OH species, and the mechanisms of dissociative adsorption and photodecontamination were fully discussed and found valuable for the development of a remote laser photodecontamination method applicable to diverse CWA-contaminated target areas.

High-porosity cordierite ceramics were sintered in two different atmospheres, that is, in air (oxidizing) or in double-enclosed crucibles (mildly reducing). Paste slurries of cordierite compositions mixed with organic binders and pore formers were extruded into honeycomb-type substrates to produce diesel particulate filters (DPFs). The present study was conducted to explore the effects of sintering atmosphere on pore size, crystallization, amorphous phase, and thermal expansion coefficient (CTE) of sintered DPF honeycombs. Crystal phases were quantitatively analyzed using the Rietveld refinement method using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. Amorphous phases were quantified using the Rietveld-internal standard method, and their presence was qualitatively confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analysis. The most notable features observed were a dramatic decrease in the pore-size distribution and an enhanced rate of cordierite/indialite phase crystallization when sintering was performed in a double-enclosed crucible. A relatively high concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) in the double-enclosed crucible reduced the liquid-phase viscosity. This low-viscosity liquid phase spread relatively easily on the surfaces of crystal phases and enhanced the crystallization rate owing to a relatively large liquid–solid contact area in the mildly reducing atmosphere. The higher CTEs of DPFs produced in air compared with those produced in enclosed crucibles are discussed in relation to the amounts of amorphous and crystal impurity phases and crystal texture.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer to cause liver cancer related deaths worldwide. Zinc finger protein 746 (ZNF746), initially identified as a Parkin-interacting substrate (PARIS), acts as a transcriptional repressor of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) in Parkinson's disease. As recent studies reported that PARIS is associated with cancer onset, we investigated whether PARIS is associated with HCC. We found an increase in insoluble parkin and PARIS accumulation in the liver of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-injected mice, leading to the downregulation of PGC-1α and nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1). Interestingly, the occurrence of DEN-induced tumors was significantly alleviated in the livers of DEN-injected PARIS knockout mice compared to DEN-injected wild-type mice, suggesting that PARIS is involved in DEN-induced hepatocellular tumorigenesis. Moreover, H2O2-treated Chang liver cells showed accumulation of PARIS and downregulation of PGC-1α and NRF1. Thus, these results suggest that PARIS upregulation by oncogenic stresses can promote cancer progression by suppressing the transcriptional level of PGC-1α, and the modulation of PARIS can be a promising therapeutic target for HCC.

Electric fields are useful for enhancing stability limits of flames, increasing the overall burning rate and reducing soot emissions. The electric body force has been known as a key element behind the aforementioned augmentation, and recent studies have provided clear picture for the resulted flow modification. In this study, we investigate the effects of pressure on an ionic wind by applying transverse electric fields to methane premixed jet flames in a pressurized chamber up to 2 atm. We investigated the voltage-current response by varying the pressure, the equivalence ratio of the mixture, and the flow rate. We found that the saturated current for lean and stoichiometric mixtures was not affected by the pressure, while the saturated current of rich premixed flames changed significantly. We developed a model to predict the voltage-current behavior and the ion-production rate, which we validated using experimental results. Based on our flow field measurements, we found that elevated pressure conditions enhanced ionic wind-driven mass transport. These results support the use of electric fields in a high-pressure environment.

Cell therapy using genome-engineered stem cells has emerged as a novel strategy for the treatment of kidney diseases. By exploiting genome editing technology, human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) secreting an angiogenic factors or an anti-inflammatory factor were generated for therapeutic application in acute kidney injury. Junction polymerase chain reaction analysis verified zinc finger nucleases-assisted integration of the desired gene into the hUC-MSCs. Flow cytometry and differentiation assays indicated that genome editing did not affect the differentiation potential of these mesenchymal stem cells. Protein measurement in conditioned media with the use of ELISA and immunoblotting revealed the production and secretion of each integrated gene product. For cell therapy in the bilateral ischemia-reperfusion mouse model of acute kidney injury, our innovative scaffold-free cell sheets were established using a non-biodegradable temperature-responsive polymer. One of each type of scaffold-free cell sheets of either the angiogenic factor vascular endothelial grown factor or angiopoietin-1, or the anti-inflammatory factor erythropoietin, or α-melanocyte–stimulating hormone–secreting hUC-MSCs was applied to the decapsulated kidney surface. This resulted in significant amelioration of kidney dysfunction in the mice with acute kidney injury, effects that were superior to intravenous administration of the same genome-engineered hUC-MSCs. Thus, our scaffold-free cell sheets of genome-engineered mesenchymal stem cells provides therapeutic effects by inhibiting acute kidney injury via angiogenesis or anti-inflammation.

This study investigates the characteristics of oscillating lifted flames in laminar coflow-jets experimentally and numerically by varying both fuel density (by varying propane and n-butane mixtures) and coflow density (by diluting air with N2/He mixtures). Two different lifted flame oscillation behaviors are observed depending on these parameters: oscillating tribrachial lifted flame (OTLF) and oscillating mode-change lifted flame (OMLF), where a rapid increase in flame radius is observed. The regimes of the two flames are identified from experiments, which shows that OMLF occurs only when the effect of the negative buoyancy on the flow field by the fuel heavier than air becomes significant at low fuel jet velocity. OMLFs are also identified to distinguish OTLF regime from flame extinction, which implies that an OMLF can be extinguished when the positive buoyancy becomes weak, losing its stabilizing effect, or when the negative buoyancy becomes strong, further enhancing its destabilizing effect. Transient numerical simulations of both OTLF and OMLF reveal that the OMLF occurs by a strong toroidal vortex and a subsequent counterflow-like structure induced by relatively-strong negative buoyancy. Such a drastic flow redirection significantly changes the fuel concentration gradient such that the OMLF changes its mode from a tribrachial flame mode (decreasing edge speed with fuel concentration gradient) to the premixed flame-like transition mode when the fuel concentration gradient becomes very small (increasing edge speed with fuel concentration gradient). Again, a tribrachial flame mode is recovered during a rising period of flame edge and repeats an oscillation cycle.

Stabilization characteristics of laminar lifted jet flames in a coflow were investigated experimentally to elucidate the effect of Schmidt number in methane and ethylene fuels diluted with N2, He, and Ar. A non-monotonic (decreasing and then increasing) liftoff height (HL) behavior with jet velocity (U0) was observed previously for methane fuel diluted with N2. To further elucidate the fuel Schmidt number (ScF) effect in exhibiting such a non-monotonic (U-shaped) behavior, various diluents (N2, He, and Ar) were added to the fuel streams and methane and/or ethylene fuels were used. The result showed three flame types in terms of ScF and fuel density; nozzle-attached flame, stationary lifted flame, and oscillating flame. Among stationary lifted flames, two distinct HL behaviors with U0 were observed; monotonic and non-monotonic HL behaviors. A critical Schmidt number (ScF,cr1) existed over which monotonically increasing behavior was observed. A second critical Schmidt number (ScF,cr2) also existed such that U-shaped behavior was observed for ScF,cr2

The effect of metal core on flame spread behavior over polyethylene (PE)-insulated electrical wire was experimentally investigated by varying applied AC voltage (VAC) and frequency (fAC). The present experimental results with Cu-core were compared with those conducted previously with NiCr-core. Flame spread rate (FSR) with Cu-core for the baseline case with no electric field was larger than that with NiCr-core. Both FSR and flame size were appreciably influenced by applied AC electric fields and behaved differently for Cu- and NiCr-cores. For Cu-core, FSR behavior could be classified into four regimes as fAC increases: increasing FSR (regime I), decreasing FSR (II), and again increasing FSR (III) and decreasing FSR (IV). While for NiCr-core, it has been categorized into two regimes I and II. FSR behavior was qualitatively similar to that of flame width in regimes I, II, and IV. While such a relationship was not satisfied in regime III, which can be attributed to the formation of molten PE film in the burnt wire side as well as the formation of globular molten PE in front of spreading flame edge, emphasizing the important role of complex molten PE behavior. Molten PE dripping was observed for NiCr-core, while for Cu-core, such dripping was not observed. Electrospray and di-electrophoresis phenomena occurred with Cu-core along with a formation of molten PE film on the burnt wire side via continuous di-electrophoresis phenomenon from molten PE droplet. When the frequency was excessive, flame extinction occurred via two routes: appreciable reduction of flame size (both for Cu- and NiCr-cores) and detachment of molten PE (for Cu-core). These extinction frequencies were correlated well with the voltage.

The effects of diluents including CO2, N2, and He on the lifted flame characteristics of laminar coflow propane jets are experimentally investigated by measuring their liftoff heights, HL, and visualizing flow fields with oil mist. For lifted flames at a specified diluent mole fraction, XD, HL increases in the order of He, N2, CO2 when the diluent is added to the coflow stream. However, the order of HL becomes opposite when the diluent is added to the fuel stream. In addition, HL increases with increasing XD for all cases. From the visualization of nonreacting flow fields, it is found that the negative buoyancy represented by the density difference between the fuel jet and the coflow induces a stagnation flow near the fuel nozzle by decelerating the fuel jet. As such, the lifted flame is found to be stabilized further upstream with increasing negative buoyancy. In addition to the buoyancy effect, the effects of diluents on HL via the edge flame speed of the lifted flames, Se, are estimated by evaluating the laminar burning velocity, S L 0 . Among the dilution, thermal, and chemical effects, the dilution effect is found to be dominant in reducing S L 0 for all cases, while the chemical effect is negligible. Finally, a correlation for HL is formulated using the ratios of the positive to negative buoyancy and the fuel jet velocity, U0, to S L 0 , which shows a satisfactory agreement with the experimental data.

We examined the magnetic, structural, and chemical properties of CoFe2O4 films deposited on Al2O3 substrates using RF-magnetron sputtering under Ar and Ar + O2 environments. Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy with large magnetization was observed in the case of the film deposited under the Ar + O2 environment. However, no significant anisotropy appeared in the film deposited under the Ar environment. Interestingly, depth-dependent X-ray photoelectron spectra showed nearly identical stoichiometric ratios of Co/Fe and oxygen vacancies regardless of the deposition environment. Structurally, high-quality crystallinity with in-plane compressive strain, and lower surface and interfacial roughness were induced in the film deposited under the Ar + O2 environment. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and X-ray reflectivity measurements showed that oxygen not only suppressed the deposition rate but also increased the electron density of the film, resulting in better crystallinity. Hence, the presence of oxygen during deposition should be considered as one of the essential parameters for improving the structural and magnetic properties of ferrite films.

With safety concerns about increasing bleeding, off-label underdosing of non-vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants (NOACs) is common in East Asian patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We tried to investigate the pattern of NOAC underdosing and associated clinical outcomes in patients with AF who are indicated for standard dosing. Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, we evaluated 16,568 patients with a new prescription of NOAC who are indicated for standard NOAC dosing and compared 4,536 patients with warfarin with respect to thromboembolic events (ischemic stroke or systemic embolization), all-cause mortality and major bleeding. Of the 16,568 patients indicated for standard NOAC dosing, 8,549 (51.9%) received off-label underdosing (50.6% rivaroxaban, 53.0% apixaban). During a median follow up of 15.0 months, as compared with warfarin, underdosing of rivaroxaban was associated with lower risks of major thromboembolic events (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.41 to 0.69) and all-cause mortality (HR 0.57, 95% CI: 0.41 to 0.82), and a similar risk of major bleeding (HR 1.10, 95% CI: 0.82 to 1.46). However, underdosing of apixaban was associated with similar risks of major thromboembolic events (HR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.70 to 1.16), all-cause mortality (HR 0.94, 95 CI: 0.71 to 1.24) and major bleeding (HR 0.84, 95% CI: 0.61 to 1.17). In conclusion, in this Korean population with AF who are indicated for standard NOAC dosing, off-label underdosing is common and its clinical benefit over warfarin was inconsistent according to types of NOAC. Notably, apixaban underdosing provides no benefit in effectiveness compared with warfarin.

An experimental study on laminar flame speed, Markstein length, and the onset of cellular instability was conducted by varying the equivalence ratio and ethylene/methane mixing ratio in spherically propagating premixed flames at ambient temperature and elevated pressures up to 0.8 MPa. Unstretched laminar burning velocities were first validated for methane − air flames by optimizing the range of the flame radius in testing linear and non-linear extrapolation models, and subsequently comparing the results with those simulated using four kinetic mechanisms. Based on the results, unstretched laminar burning velocities were determined for premixed flames of methane/ethylene mixture fuels. The predictability of theoretical Markstein lengths was appreciated by adopting a composite solution of the heat-release-weighted Lewis number and the temperature-dependent Zel'dovich number. Measured Markstein lengths were compared with those predicted based on a composite model for laminar flame speeds against flame radius. Depending on the fuels (methane or methane/ethylene mixture), pressure, and equivalence ratio, the predictability of the model varied. For methane − air flames, cellular instabilities were not observed within the observation window at pressures up to 0.6 MPa. Cell formation, caused by hydrodynamic instability, was enhanced by an increase in the ethylene ratio and chamber pressure. Theoretical critical flame radii for the onset of cellular instability predicted by the composite model were consistent with the measured ones for both lean and rich mixtures.

We tried to improve the ionic conductivity, lithium-ion diffusion, and cycle capacity of pure β-LiVOPO4 cathode material by Zr doping. Pure and Zr-doped β-LiVOPO4 cathode material was synthesized by a low-temperature sol–gel process. The physiochemical properties of the synthesized materials were analyzed by various characterization techniques. The Zr doping of the β-LiVOPO4 was confirmed by ex situ XANES analysis. The electrochemical behavior of the synthesized material was studied by various electrochemical analyses. The lithium-diffusion coefficient values of pristine and selected Zr-doped β-LiVOPO4 cathode materials were studied and compared using SSCV, EIS, and PITT at different voltages. The calculated values of the diffusion coefficients obtained from CV and EIS are in the range of 10−14–10−13 cm2/s. The PITT measurement gives the values of 10−12–10−11 cm2/s. All techniques indicated that x = 0.03 Zr-doped samples obtained the improved the lithium diffusion coefficient values.

This study investigates experimentally the effects of non-thermal plasma (NTP) induced by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor on the characteristics of swirl-stabilized turbulent lean-premixed methane/air flames in a laboratory scale combustor by systematically varying the applied AC voltage, VAC, and frequency, fAC. Especially, it is elucidated how the NTP influences the lean blowout (LBO) limits and the characteristics of CO/NOx emissions depending on flame configuration. Without applying the NTP as the mixture equivalence ratio, ϕ, decreases from the stoichiometry to an LBO limit, the flame configuration changes from an M-flame (Regime I) to a conical flame (Regime II) and to a columnar flame (Regime III) for the whole range of the mixture nozzle exit velocity, U0, (4–10 m/s). With the NTP, however, it exhibits only Regimes I and II at relatively-low U0 range (4–6 m/s), while all three regimes at relatively-high U0 range (7–10 m/s). For both velocity ranges, the LBO limits are significantly extended by the NTP enhancing the flame stability. Under the relatively-low U0 range, streamers induced by the DBD reactor play a critical role in stabilizing the flames such that the degree of extension of the LBO limit depends linearly on VAC and fAC. Under the relatively-high U0 range, however, ozone generated by the DBD reactor in Regime III is found to be a major reason in extending the LBO limit, which is substantiated by another flame regime diagram with ozone addition only, and hence, the extension of LBO limit minimally depends on fAC. Simultaneously, the NTP considerably reduces CO emission, while slightly increases NOx emission near the LBO limits due to the enhanced combustion by ozone.

The effect of DC electric field on the characteristics of flame spread over polyethylene-insulated twin electrical wires was studied by varying wire gap (S) and voltage (VDC). Under an applied electric field, the flame spread rate (FSR), flame width, leaning direction of the interacting twin flames varied substantially with varying the voltage and wire gap. The flame spread rate was initially larger for the wire with negative voltage (spreading flame with negative charge; SF − ) than the wire with positive voltage (SF + ), but the two eventually became the same in the developed region when a quasi-steady state was reached. The FSR behavior could be classified into two regimes; twin flame spread (regime I) and single flame spread (regime II) after the extinction of SF+. Under regime I, three sub-regimes were identified depending on the wire gap and voltage. For the twin flame spread, the flame spread rate initially decreased with increasing voltage as the flame leaned toward the burnt wire. As the two flames interacted, the flame spread rate increased because of the ionic wind effect, and eventually decreased because of the loss of molten PE mass and the electrospray phenomenon. In regime II after the extinction of SF+, the single flame spread showed a transient behavior since the influences of electric field from burnt and unburned wire sections of SF+ wire varied with flame spread. When the voltage was increased even further, SF– was extinguished by streamer generation and, at excessive voltages, an electrical short occurred. The flame spread rates for twin flame spread were best correlated with the electric field intensity in the form of |VDC|0.91/S0.72.

This study aimed to investigate clinical and coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) characteristics of lesions that progressed to chronic total occlusion (CTO).CTO is one of the most common reasons for referral to coronary artery bypass surgery. Prediction and adequate early management for future CTO lesions may be beneficial.The study evaluated patients with at least 1 vessel with a diameter stenosis of ≥70% on invasive coronary angiography (ICA) who underwent previous coronary CTA12 months before ICA, from 2006 to 2015. The study compared the baseline clinical and coronary CTA characteristics of the patients with future CTO lesions with those of the patients with future non-CTO lesions (patient-level analysis) and compared coronary CTA findings between the future CTO lesion with the most stenotic non-CTO lesion in each CTO patient (lesion-level analysis).Among the 216 patients, 32 (14.8%) had a CTO lesion on ICA. In patient-level analysis, no significant differences in clinical characteristics were found, whereas the coronary CTA culprit lesions of the CTO group had a smaller minimal lumen diameter (MLD) with more adverse plaque characteristics. In lesion-level analysis, future CTO lesions had a smaller MLD, a smaller reference segment diameter (RD), and longer lesion length. These lesions were more likely to be noncalcified plaques with a noneccentric cross-sectional distribution, and had a higher remodeling index, lower mean plaque attenuation (MPA), and more napkin-ring signs. In multivariate analysis and receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, MLD of 2.0 mm, RD of 3.2 mm, and MPA of 50 Hounsfield units were independent predictors of future CTO lesions. The risk of CTO development in lesions with triple risk factors was 14-fold higher than that of the lesions with no risk factors.Lesions that progressed to CTO had more severe baseline coronary CTA features than non-CTO lesions. A small MLD, small RD, and low MPA were independent predictors of progression to CTO.

Recently, muscle has received much attention as an endocrine organ regulating other biological targets, including the pancreas, liver, and adipose tissue. Although there is a possibility that muscle-secreting factors biochemically affect bone metabolism in a paracrine manner, the net effects of myokines on the biology of osteoclasts and osteoblasts, particularly on bone mass in vivo, have not yet been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, we performed in vitro as well as animal experiments using conditioned media (CM) collected from C2C12 myoblast and myotube cultures to better understand the interactions between muscle and bone. Compared with non-CM (i.e., control) and myoblast CM, myotube CM markedly inhibited in vitro bone resorption through the suppression of osteoclast differentiation and resorptive activity of individual osteoclasts. Consistently, the expressions of osteoclast differentiation markers, such as tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (Trap) and calcitonin receptor (Ctr), decreased with myotube CM. Myotube CM significantly stimulated preosteoblast viability and migration and reduced apoptosis, thereby resulting in an increase in calvaria bone formation. Importantly, systemic treatment with myotube CM for 4 weeks increased bone per tissue volume by 30.7% and 19.6% compared with control and myoblast CM, respectively. These results support the hypothesis that muscle plays beneficial roles in bone health via secretion of anabolic factors, in addition to mechanical stimuli, and importantly indicate that muscle-derived factors can be potential therapeutic targets against metabolic bone diseases.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) culture supernatant solutions were dried under sub- and supercritical conditions using the precipitation with compressed antisolvent (PCA) process. Of the supernatant components, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was selected as the target protein. N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) was used as a co-solvent to enhance the miscibility of the supernatant with the antisolvent, CO2. The effects of temperature, pressure, NMP/solution mass fraction, and washing time were observed, and the conditions that allowed more efficient mixing among the solvents yielded the most amount of VEGF with retained activity. The products obtained by the optimum condition in this study were compared to a lyophilized sample. PCA processed samples produced more uniform and less agglomerated particles while exhibiting higher stability when reconstituted in water for 14 days. Although the PCA process was optimized for only VEGF, structures of additional 39 growth factors were also maintained in the dried samples.

Resistive random-access memory (RRAM) with a Ni/SiNx/a-Si/p+-Si structure is presented. In contrast to RRAM devices based on high-k materials, the proposed Si-based device is more attractive and promising because the SiNx and a-Si layers have full compatibility with conventional complementary metal-oxidesemiconductor technology. The proposed device is compared to a control device with a single layer of SiNx. A conduction path containing Si dangling bonds (traps) can be generated in both the SiNx and a-Si layers. The conduction path in each layer can be controlled by the compliance current during the forming process. For high compliance current mode, the double-layer device has a higher ON/OFF ratio (∼104) and lower leakage current (∼10-9 A) than the single-layer device. For low compliance current mode, better non-linearity (∼103) can be obtained when a 1/2 read bias scheme is applied to the cross-point array.

Background Ear and mastoid disease can easily be treated by early detection and appropriate medical care. However, short of specialists and relatively low diagnostic accuracy calls for a new way of diagnostic strategy, in which deep learning may play a significant role. The current study presents a machine learning model to automatically diagnose ear disease using a large database of otoendoscopic images acquired in the clinical environment. Methods Total 10,544 otoendoscopic images were used to train nine public convolution-based deep neural networks to classify eardrum and external auditory canal features into six categories of ear diseases, covering most ear diseases (Normal, Attic retraction, Tympanic perforation, Otitis externa±myringitis, Tumor). After evaluating several optimization schemes, two best-performing models were selected to compose an ensemble classifier, by combining classification scores of each classifier. Findings According to accuracy and training time, transfer learning models based on Inception-V3 and ResNet101 were chosen and the ensemble classifier using the two models yielded a significant improvement over each model, the accuracy of which is in average 93·67% for the 5-folds cross-validation. Considering substantial data-size dependency of classifier performance in the transfer learning, evaluated in this study, the high accuracy in the current model is attributable to the large database. Interpretation The current study is unprecedented in terms of both disease diversity and diagnostic accuracy, which is compatible or even better than an average otolaryngologist. The classifier was trained with data in a various acquisition condition, which is suitable for the practical environment. This study shows the usefulness of utilizing a deep learning model in the early detection and treatment of ear disease in the clinical situation. Fund This research was supported by Brain Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT ( NRF-2017M3C7A1049051 ).

A water cyclone, developed to collect and preserve biological aerosols in a small liquid flow, was interfaced with a total organic carbon analyzer to measure the aerosol organic and inorganic carbon fractions. The total carbon was compared against parallel measurements of elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) using a Sunset Real Time ECOC Analyzer between 12–29 January 2009. A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) like protocol for the measurements included four temperature steps ending at 840 °C for OC under a helium atmosphere followed by two temperature steps ramped to 850 °C for EC in a helium–oxygen atmosphere. Carbon data comparison between the water cyclone-TOC and the TOC measured by the analyzer indicated good agreement (r2 = 0.82, linear regression slope = 0.98, p

Ethnopharmacological relevance Korean red ginseng (KRG) has been traditionally used to treat diabetes. Ginsenosides are considered as the major bioactive components mediating anti-diabetic effects of KRG. However, considering that ginsenosides account for only about 3–4% of ginsengs, other fractions of KRG may also carry potential anti-diabetic effects. There is no study reporting the differentiated effects of ginsenosides (Spn) and non-saponin fractions (NSpn) of KRG on glycemic control. Aim of the study We investigated the effects of KRG, Spn, and NSpn on the indications of glycemic control and sought to elucidate physiological factors contributing their effects. Materials and methods Human T2DM mimicking Nagoya-Shibata-Yasuda (NSY/hos) mice were given KRG, Spn, or NSpn admixed in rodent diet at 200 mg/kg/day for 24 weeks. Glycemic and obesity indications, blood lipid profile, systematic and local oxidative stress markers in metabolically important organs, and systematic inflammatory markers were assessed. Molecular assessments associated with glycemic control in liver and skeletal muscle were further performed. Results KRG attenuated deterioration in glucose homeostasis as evidenced by significantly lower fasting blood glucose from 22nd week and AUC during GTT at the end of the experiment compare to control. Spn enhanced insulin secretion in response to glucose stimulation and reduced protein level of glycogen phosphorylase in liver. On the other hand, NSpn ameliorated oxidative stress and inflammation. Some beneficial effects of Spn and NSpn were reflected in KRG treated mice. KRG also attenuated the accumulation of malondialdehyde in skeletal muscle and, accordingly, enhanced insulin responsiveness compare to control. Conclusion Anti-diabetic properties of KRG are not solely determined by the contents of ginsenosides but the harmonic functions of its different fractions.

Accurate differentiation between pancreatic adenocarcinoma and focal pancreatitis is challenging.To investigate the usefulness of non-contrast MRI by comparing with multidetector row CT (MDCT) and gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI in the discrimination of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and focal pancreatitis (FP).This retrospective study included 187 patients (116 with PDACs and 71 with FP) who underwent gadoxetic acid-MRI and MDCT prior to surgical resection or biopsy. The MRI features of PDAC and FP were compared by two radiologists. Then, two observers independently reviewed the three imaging sets: MDCT, non-contrast MRI (T1-, T2-weighted, and diffusion-weighted images), and MRI with and without gadoxetic acid to determine the diagnostic performances of each imaging modality in the discrimination of PDAC and FP.The significant features on non-contrast MRI for diagnosis of PDAC included peritumoral cyst, pancreatic duct cut-off, clear hypointensity on T1WI, and bile duct dilatation (P 0.05). Presence of peritumoural cyst showed the highest odds ratio for predicting PDAC. Non-contrast MRI was superior to MDCT in differentiating PDAC from FP with regard to accuracy (84.5% vs 95.5% for observer 1; 85.8% vs. 96.0% for observer 2), sensitivity (83.6% vs. 98.3%; 84.5% vs 97.8%), and negative predictive value (76.3% vs. 97.0%; 77.6% vs 96.4%) (P 0.05). We found similar diagnostic values between the non-contrast MRI and MRI with and without contrast (P 0.05) for both observers.Non-contrast MRI is better than MDCT and comparable to MRI with and without gadoxetic acid in differentiating PDAC from FP.