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Background To investigate outcomes of salvage whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) for recurrent brain metastases (BM) from breast cancer (BC), to identify prognostic factors of overall survival (OS), and to propose a novel prognostic classification for OS in these patients. Materials and methods We identified 54 patients who had received salvage WBRT as the second brain-focused treatment for recurrent BM from BC (2000–2014). The median follow-up duration was 4.9 months. A recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) was conducted to develop a model to predict OS at the time of salvage WBRT. Results The median OS was 6.8 months. OS according to BC-specific graded prognostic assessment (breast-GPA), modified breast-GPA, and updated breast-GPA did not represent our cohort. In the multivariate analysis, a long time before salvage WBRT (≥16 months), control of primary BC or extracranial metastases, systemic treatment after salvage WBRT, and administration of a biologically effective dose for an α/β of 10 Gy (BED10) of salvage WBRT >37.5 Gy showed superior OS. We proposed three RPA classes based on the control of both primary BC and extracranial metastasis and BED10 of salvage WBRT: class I, class II, and class III. In this model, patients with class I experienced the best OS (34.6 months; class II, 5.0 months; class III, 2.4 months; P, Highlights • Multicenter retrospective study of salvage WBRT for recurrent brain metastasis. • Subsequent use of systemic treatment after salvage WBRT showing better OS. • Limitations of previous graded prognostic assessments for recurrent brain metastasis. • Novel RPA classification consisting of four simple clinical factors predicts OS.

A unique three-dimensional hybrid NiCo(CO3)(OH)2 nanowire/NiMn(CO3)(OH)2 nanosheet composite was fabricated using a facile hydrothermal method as a binder-free electrode directly grown on Ni foam for supercapacitors. We examined the synergistic effect by fabricating Ni-Co-Mn ternary electrodes that used Ni-Co with a large specific surface area and Mn with a very high theoretical capacity. The new hybrid electrode had good electrochemical characteristics, exhibiting remarkably high specific capacitances of 1673.3 and 453.0 F g−1 at 3 and 15 A g−1, respectively. Compared with other samples, the capacitance showed less reduction as the current density increased. This result indicates stable electrode properties with increasing voltage. The cycling stability of the hybrid NiCo(CO3)(OH)2/NiMn(CO3)(OH)2 composite was measured as 82.1% after 5000 cycles. Additionally, we fabricated an asymmetric supercapacitor employing the NiCo(CO3)(OH)2/NiMn(CO3)(OH)2 composite as the positive electrode and graphene as the negative electrode, which exhibited a high energy density of 27.2 W h kg−1 at a power density of 702.7 W kg−1 and a remarkable cycling stability, with 89.4% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles. Thus, for the first time, we investigated the dual nano-type structure of an NiCo(CO3)(OH)2 nanowire/NiMn(CO3)(OH)2 nanosheet electrode for supercapacitors and obtained satisfactory results.

In this paper, we address the sparse multiple measurement vector (MMV) problem where the objective is to recover a set of sparse nonzero row vectors or indices of a signal matrix from incomplete measurements. Ideally, regardless of the number of columns in the signal matrix, the sparsity (k) plus one measurements is sufficient for the uniform recovery of signal vectors for almost all signals, i.e., excluding a set of Lebesgue measure zero. To approach the "k+1" lower bound with computational efficiency even when the rank of signal matrix is smaller than k, we propose a greedy algorithm called Two-stage orthogonal Subspace Matching Pursuit (TSMP) whose theoretical results approach the lower bound with less restriction than the Orthogonal Subspace Matching Pursuit (OSMP) and Subspace-Augmented MUltiple SIgnal Classification (SA-MUSIC) algorithms. We provide non-asymptotical performance guarantees of OSMP and TSMP by covering both noiseless and noisy cases. Variants of restricted isometry property and mutual coherence are used to improve the performance guarantees. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed scheme has low complexity and outperforms most existing greedy methods. This shows that the minimum number of measurements for the success of TSMP converges more rapidly to the lower bound than the existing methods as the number of columns of the signal matrix increases., 55 pages, 8 figures, to be submitted to IEEE Transactions on Information theory, a shorter version was submitted to Proc. IEEE ISIT 2016

Purpose Investigation for whether serum levels of kallistatin, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and E-selectin are associated with outcomes in patients with septic shock Material and methods Biomarker levels were measured using blood samples from patients with septic shock at admission, 24 h, and 72 h and from healthy volunteers. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Results Fifty-eight survivors, fourteen non-survivors, and six healthy volunteers were enrolled. Serum kallistatin level was lower and serum VCAM-1 and E-selectin levels were higher in patients at admission compared with healthy volunteers. Serum kallistatin levels were higher in survivors compared with non-survivors at all time points (4.4 μg/mL [2.9–6.1] vs. 2.5 μg/mL [2.1–5.0], P = 0.019 at admission; 4.3 μg/mL [3.3–5.2] vs. 3.2 μg/mL [2.2–3.8], P = 0.004 at 24 h; 3.1 μg/mL [2.5–4.2] vs. 2.3 μg/mL [1.7–3.1], P = 0.012 at 72 h), while VCAM-1 and E-selectin levels showed no difference. In the multivariable analysis, serum kallistatin level at 24 h was independently associated with 28-day mortality (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.08–0.69, P = 0.024). Conclusions Lower serum kallistatin level at 24 h was independently associated with 28-day mortality in patients with septic shock

Background Our aim was to compare the efficacy of the end-tidal CO2-guided automated robot CPR (robot CPR) system with manual CPR and mechanical device CPR. Methods We developed the algorithm of the robot CPR system which automatically finds the optimal compression position under the guidance of end-tidal CO2 feedback in swine models of cardiac arrest. Then, 18 pigs after 11 min of cardiac arrest were randomly assigned to one of three groups, robot CPR, LUCAS CPR, and manual CPR groups (n = 6 each group). Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and Neurological Deficit Score 48 h after ROSC were compared. Results A ROSC was achieved in 5 pigs, 4 pigs, and 3 pigs in the robot CPR, LUCAS CPR, and manual CPR groups, respectively (p = 0.47). Robot CPR showed a significant difference in Neurological Deficit Score 48 h after ROSC compared to manual CPR, whereas LUCAS CPR showed no significant difference over manual CPR. (p = 0.01; Robot versus Manual adjusted p = 0.04, Robot versus LUCAS adjusted p = 0.07, Manual versus LUCAS adjusted p = 1.00). Conclusions The end-tidal CO2-guided automated robot CPR system did not significantly improve ROSC rate in a swine model of cardiac arrest. However, robot CPR showed significant improvement of Neurological Deficit Score 48 h after ROSC compared to Manual CPR while LUCAS CPR showed no significant improvement compared to Manual CPR.

We have developed an “atmospheric steam reforming treatment” technique to obtain high-performance flexible amorphous In–Ga–Zn–O (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) for applications in wearable/imperceptible electronics. The oxide TFTs, using as-grown a-IGZO with low-temperature sputtering and atomic layer deposition of Al2O3, showed unstable electrical behavior and poor transfer characteristics, which originated from a highly defective channel, gate insulator, and channel/gate insulator interface. Surprisingly, stable a-IGZO TFTs were obtained by atmospheric steam reforming treatment at an extremely low temperature (∼90 °C), and they exhibited good TFT performance with high field-effect mobility (13.3 cm2/V·s), high on/off ratio (4.5 × 108), and small SS value (0.23 V/dec). Despite the extremely low thermal budget, this steam treatment has a positive effect on the TFT characteristics because of an effective oxygen diffusion source, thereby resulting in successful healing of oxygen-related defects in the bulk oxide channel, channel/gate insulator interface, and gate insulator. Finally, by carrying out the atmospheric steam treatment at an extremely low temperature, we successfully fabricated ultrathin flexible a-IGZO TFTs with good electrical performance from a vacuum deposition system at the maximum process temperatures of 100–150 °C.

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychological scales reflecting lethality and intent as predictors of suicide attempter's hospitalization. Methods Data of suicide attempters aged over 15 years, who visited the ED from January 2013 to June 2016, were retrospectively collected and they were divided into the hospitalization and discharge groups. We evaluated the Risk-Rescue Rating Scale (RRRS) and Self-Inflicted Injury Severity Form (SIISF) for lethality and Suicide Intent Scale (SIS) for intent, respectively. The predictive abilities of these scales for hospitalization were compared in terms of performance (AUCs) and goodness-of-fit (the Bayesian information criterion [BIC]). Results A total of 382 suicide attempters were enrolled, of which 233 (61%) were hospitalized. The scores of all psychological scales were significantly higher in the hospitalization group and all scales were identified as independent predictors of hospitalization. The AUC of the RRRS tended to be higher than those of the SIS and SIISF; similarly, the RRRS demonstrated the best overall fit (the lowest BIC). The AUC of combined the RRRS and SIS was superior to that of any of the individual scales alone. While the AUC of combined the SIISF and SIS was superior to that of either individual scale, it was comparable to that of the RRRS. Conclusions The psychological scales can be helpful for predicting suicide attempter's hospitalization in emergency settings. Especially, the RRRS seemed to have a superior predictive ability. Moreover, combining the scales had significantly better predictive performance than use of the individual scale alone did.

We suggest a design for the channel stacking sequence in hybrid phototransistors consisting of an oxide layers and two-dimensional (2D) chalcogenide nano-crystals to develop good electrical performance and a good photoresponse. The hybrid channels of the phototransistors were composed of a photo-insensitive oxide [amorphous InGaZnO ( a -InGaZnO)] for effective charge transport and a visible photosensitive chalcogenide (CdS) nano-crystal. Interestingly, the electrical performance, photosensitivity, and recovery properties of the hybrid phototransistor depended strongly on the order of the channel stacking sequence. When the CdS nano-crystal layers were located close to the gate interface in the hybrid channel, significant degradation of the field-effect mobility and recovery behavior was observed, which was due to the increase in gate-interface trap density caused by many surfaces of nano-crystals. In contrast to the negative V th shift for the a -InGaZnO/2D CdS nano-crystal stacking sequence, the phototransistor using an embedded-absorber channel structure ( a -InGaZnO/2D CdS nano-crystals/ a -InGaZnO) exhibited a considerably higher off-current under green irradiation, which is attributed to simultaneous realization of effective generation of photocarriers from the CdS nano-crystals and charge transport via the high-mobility upper a -InGaZnO layer. In particular, this hybrid phototransistor exhibited a wide operation voltage window as well as high photosensitivity and photoresponsivity, without any degradation of the oxide thin film transistor's performance.

Background The aim of this study was to investigate whether the 1-year survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients with malignancy was different from that of those without malignancy. Methods All adult OHCA patients were retrospectively analyzed in a single institution for 6years. The primary outcome was 1-year survival, and secondary outcomes were sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), survival to hospital admission, survival to discharge and discharge with a good neurological outcome (CPC 1 or 2). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were performed to test the effect of malignancy. Results Among 341 OHCA patients, 59 patients had malignancy (17.3%). Sustained ROSC, survival to admission, survival to discharge and discharge with a good CPC were not different between the two groups. The 1-year survival rate was lower in patients with malignancy (1.7% vs 11.4%; P =0.026). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with malignancy had a significantly lower 1-year survival rate when including all patients (n=341; P =0.028), patients with survival to admission (n=172, P =0.002), patients with discharge CPC 1 or 2 (n=18, P =0.010) and patients with discharge CPC 3 or 4 (n=57, P =0.008). Malignancy was an independent risk factor for 1-year mortality in the Cox proportional hazard regression analysis performed in patients with survival to admission and survival to discharge. Conclusions Although survival to admission, survival to discharge and discharge with a good CPC rate were not different, the 1-year survival rate was significantly lower in OHCA patients with malignancy than in those without malignancy.

The electrical and chemical stability of solution-processed indium zinc oxide (IZO) channel thin-film transistors (TFTs) were engineered via a synergistic approach of annealing duration and self-combustion process. In particular, the amorphous IZO TFTs that were thermally treated at 400 °C for 3 h using the specific precursor combination to generate internal self-combustion energy showed the best electrical performance [high saturation mobility ( μ SAT )=2.7 cm 2 /V s] and stability [low threshold voltage shift (Δ V TH ) under positive bias stress of 10.5 V] owing to the formation of oxide films with excellent metal–oxide–metal (M–O–M) bonds, fewer impurities, and an amorphous phase compared to IZO TFTs using other precursor formulas and annealing times. Longer annealing times led to a saturated M–O bond ratio and crystallization via extreme thermal annealing, which induced electrical degradation (low μ SAT and high Δ V TH ) of IZO TFTs. In the wet chemical patterning of electrodes, conventional acidic and basic wet etchants cause severe damage to the surfaces of the IZO channels; thus, insufficiently annealed IZO TFTs exhibited considerable degradation in terms of their on-current level and mobility. Alternatively, the TFTs subjected to an excessively long-term thermal annealing showed only a moderate decrease in mobility with the formation of small nanocrystals.

Hybrids of π-conjugated polymers and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are an intriguing class of materials owing to their interesting electric and optoelectronic properties. Herein, we synthesized three types of 1,1′-binaphthyl-incorporated conjugated polymers with thiophene bridges. It was found that the molecular structure of the π-conjugated polymers affected the selective dispersion of individual SWNT species: the hexyl-substituted PBHT preferred (8,7) SWNT while polymers with no alkyl groups on the thiophenes (PBT and PB2T) preferred (8,6) species. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations also revealed that the polymers were able to wrap around SWNTs and showed selective interactions with the SWNT species.

Introduction We developed a new neuroprognostication method for cardiac arrest (CA) using the relative volume of the most dominant cluster of low apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) voxels and tested its performance in a multicenter setting. Methods Adult (>15 years) out-of-hospital CA patients from three different facilities who underwent an MRI 12h after resuscitation were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with unknown long-term prognosis or poor baseline neurologic function were excluded. Average ADCs (mean and median), LADCV (relative volume of low-ADC voxels) and DC-LADCV (relative volume of most dominant cluster of low-ADC voxels) were extracted using different thresholds between 400 and 800×10 −6 mm 2 s −1 at 10×10 −6 mm 2 s −1 intervals. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and sensitivity for poor outcome (6-month cerebral performance category score >2) while maintaining 100% specificity were measured. Results 110 patients were analyzed. Average ADCs showed fair performance with an AUROC of 0.822 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.744–0.900) for the mean and 0.799 (95% CI, 0.716–0.882) for the median. LADCV showed better performance with a higher AUROC (maximum, 0.925) in an ADC threshold range of 400 to 690×10 −6 mm 2 s −1 . DC-LADCV showed the best performance with a higher AUROC (maximum, 0.955) compared with LADCV in an ADC threshold range of 600 to 680×10 −6 mm 2 s −1 . DC-LADCV had a high sensitivity for poor outcomes (>80%) in a wide threshold range from 400 to 580×10 −6 mm 2 s −1 with a maximum of 89.2%. Conclusions Quantitative analysis using DC-LADCV showed impressive performance in determining the prognosis of out-of-hospital CA patients in a multicenter setting.

We consider the classical sparse estimation problem of recovering a synthetic sparse signal x 0 given measurement vector y = Φ x 0 + w . We propose a tree search algorithm, TSN, driven by a deep neural network for sparse estimation. TSN improves the signal reconstruction performance of the deep neural network designed for sparse estimation by performing a tree search with pruning. In both noiseless and noisy cases, the proposed TSN recovers all synthetic signals at lower complexity than conventional tree search and outperforms existing algorithms by a large margin regarding several variations of sensing matrix Φ, which is widely used in sparse estimation. We also demonstrate the superiority of TSN for two typical applications of sparse estimation.

In this study, self-assembled Ru-containing polymer-MWNTs hybrid thin films were synthesized using metal-ligand (terpyridine, (tpy)) interactions. The subsequent deposition of tpy and Ru-functionalized polymer (tpy-PVA-Ru) with metal ions such as Zn(II) or Cu(II) and tpy-functionalized MWNT resulted in photoactive polymer-MWNTs hybrid thin films. The photoinduced electron transfer from Ru complexes in the polymer films to the indium tin oxide electrode was observed. Although Cu(II)-tpy linkages produced thicker hybrid films owing to the stronger binding energy than those of the Zn(II)-tpy linkages, the photocurrents of the hybrid films with Cu(II) were much smaller than those with Zn(II), probably attributed to the slower electron hopping rates inside the films. However, the anodic photocurrents increased with the inclusion of the MWNTs layer; the polymer-MWNTs hybrid films fabricated by Cu(II) and Zn(II) show 2.2- and 1.4 folds enhanced photocurrent when compared to the thin films without MWNTs. Potential-step chronoamperometry showed that the electron hopping rate constants significantly improved with the inclusion of MWNTs, which may have provided an efficient electron transfer pathway.

Marine structures on offshore fields are continuously subjected to wide band random loadings due to the combinations of wind-sea and swell, wind-sea and hull girder vibration, and wind-sea and drift/restoring. Those kinds of loadings are translated into wide band spectra with multiple peaks in frequency domain which violate a primary assumption of narrow band Gaussian process. It is known that it follows no more Rayleigh distribution and spectral fatigue procedure based on Rayleigh distribution therefore becomes inaccurate and conservative. This paper proposes a new probability density function (PDF) instead of Rayleigh PDF in order to improve fatigue prediction under wide band Gaussian process and explain a detailed development procedure. The validity of the new fatigue prediction model is first verified by comparing rainflow stress range distribution with two different PDFs: Dirlik and new ones. Then accuracy of the new model is second verified by comparing fatigue damages from various fatigue models with rainflow fatigue damages which is obtained from bimodal stress spectra.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether glutamine (GLN) enhances heat shock protein-25 (Hsp-25) and heat shock protein-72 (Hsp-72) expressions and attenuates cerebral ischaemic injury in rat cardiac arrest model.Rats survived from cardiac arrest model were randomly assigned to CPR+GLN group (0.75 g/kg of alanyl-glutamine, n=6) or CPR group (same volume of 0.9% saline, n=6). Additional 6 rats were used for SHAM group. For the outcome measures, neurologic deficit score (NDS, 0-80) was checked at 24h and 72 h after cardiac arrest. At 72 h after cardiac arrest, rats were euthanised and the brain was harvested. Then, right hemisphere was used for cresyl-violet and TUNEL staining. Left hemisphere was used for Western blot analysis of phosphorylated heat shock factor-1 (p-HSF-1), Hsp-25, Hsp-72, and cleaved caspase-3. Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U post hoc test with Bonferroni correction were used for the analysis.Resuscitation variables were not different between CPR and CPR+GLN. NDS in CPR+GLN was higher than that in CPR (p0.017) and lower than that in SHAM (p0.017) at both 24h and 72 h. p-HSF-1, Hsp-25 and Hsp-72 expressions in CPR+GLN were significantly enhanced (p0.017) than those in other groups. Cleaved caspase-3 expression in CPR was significantly higher (p0.017) than in SHAM and CPR+GLN. Ischaemic and TUNEL-positive neurons were more frequently observed in CPR than in CPR+GLN.Glutamine attenuates cerebral ischaemic injury in cardiac arrest model of rats and this is associated with the enhancement of Hsp-25 and Hsp-72 expressions.

Numerous efforts have been made to resolve the organic fouling issue in seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plants. However, SWRO membranes still suffer fouling in practice. This study proposed a fundamental approach to gain insight into the actual fouling phenomenon. First, humic substances were isolated from seawater (SeaHSs) and characterized by FTIR, 1H-NMR, and MS-IT-TOF. SeaHSs demonstrated some distinctions in average molecular weight, proton distribution, and functional groups compared to humic substances originating from river water and soil which have been popularly utilized to study organic fouling. SeaHSs were then used to study, for the first time, the organic fouling behaviors of SWRO membranes in comparison with Aldrich humic acid (AHA) and Suwannee River natural organic matter (SuNOM). AHA induced the most severe fouling while SeaHSs caused the lowest level of fouling, consistent with the postulation from structural differences. In addition, to further demonstrate the fouling mechanism at a molecular level, unused membranes, fouled membranes, and cleaned membranes (after being fouled) were analyzed exclusively using contact angles and FTIR. The analysis helped to rationalize the variations in fouling behaviors and the distinctions of different types of organic foulants on those variations. The results provide valuable information for all researchers involved in the field in order that they become more cautious in selecting model organic foulants for studying organic fouling in SWRO desalination plants.

Background Glucose control is important in the management of critically ill patients. However, strict glucose control requires a large amount of nursing resources, especially in overcrowded emergency departments (EDs). Objectives A continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) may be beneficial for glucose control in the ED. The objective of this study was to determine the test characteristics of CGMS in critically ill ED patients. Methods A prospective observational study of critically ill ED patients was conducted. During a patient's visit to the ED, a CGMS sensor measured their interstitial fluid glucose levels continuously. Capillary glucose was measured every hour and used for glucose control and as a reference value. CGMS values were recorded in real time and compared with capillary glucose values. Results A total of 122 pairs of capillary and CGMS glucose values in 12 patients were analyzed. The correlation coefficient was 0.87, and Bland-Altman analysis showed that 117 pairs (95.9%) were within a 95% confidence interval. A Clarke Error Grid Analysis indicated an overall accuracy of 96.8% (Zones A and B). However, the mean absolute relative difference (MARD) was significantly higher in the hypoglycemic range than in a normo- or hyperglycemic range ( p = 0.001). The sensitivity and positive predictive value of CGMS for detecting hypoglycemia were 33.3% and 16.7%, respectively. The CGMS specificity and negative predictive value were 95.8% and 98.3%, respectively. There was no linear correlation between MARD and body mass index, axillary temperature, inotrope score, and base deficit (all p -value >0.05). Conclusion CGMS demonstrated good clinical accuracy by Clarke Error Grid Analysis. There also was high agreement between CGMS and capillary glucose levels. However, CGMS demonstrated only limited real-time hypoglycemia detection ability in critically ill ED patients.

A new frequency response identification method is presented to estimate frequency responses of discrete-time processes. It provides exact frequency response data sets for any desired frequency. This method incorporates various process signal types such as both initial and final steady state, initial steady state and final cyclic steady state and both initial and final cyclic steady state. Also, the proposed algorithm completely removes the effect of static disturbances and it shows acceptable robustness to measurement noises.

Everyday, we encounter high-quality multimedia contents from HDTV broadcasting, DVD, and high-speed Internet services. These contents are, unhappily, processed and distributed without protection. This paper proposes a practical video watermarking technique on the compressed domain that is real-time and robust against video processing attacks. In particular, we focus on video processing that is commonly used in practice such as downscaling resolution, framerate changing, and transcoding. Most previous watermarking algorithms are unable to survive when these processings are strong or composite. We extract low frequency coefficients of frames in fast by partly decoding videos and apply a quantization index modulation scheme to embed and detect the watermark. On an Intel architecture computer, we implement a prototype system and measure performance against video processing attacks frequently occur in the real world. Simulation results show that our video watermarking system satisfies real-time requirements and is robust to protect the copyright of HD video contents.

Objectives Diltiazem is one of the most commonly used medications to control the rapid ventricular response in atrial fibrillation (AF). The recommended starting dose is an intravenous bolus of 0.25 mg/kg over 2 minutes. To avoid hypotension, we have empirically used a lower dose of diltiazem. We compared the efficacy and safety of different doses of diltiazem in rapid AF. Methods A retrospective chart review was undertaken in patients who presented to the emergency department with rapid AF. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to diltiazem dosage: low dose (≤0.2 mg/kg), standard dose (>0.2 and ≤0.3 mg/kg), and high dose (>0.3 mg/kg). We compared the rates of therapeutic response (adequate rate control) and complications (such as hypotension). Multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the effect of diltiazem dose on the occurrence of complications. Results A total of 180 patients were included in the analysis. There were no significant differences in the rates of therapeutic response for the low-, standard-, and high-dose groups (70.5%, 77.1%, and 77.8%; P = .605). The rates of hypotension in the low-, standard-, and high-dose groups were 18%, 34.9%, and 41.7%, respectively. After adjusting confounding variables, the rate of hypotension was significantly lower in the low-dose group in comparison with the standard-dose group (adjusted odds ratio, 0.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.16-0.94). Conclusions Low-dose diltiazem might be as effective as the standard dose in controlling rapid AF and reduce the risk of hypotension.

This paper presents a region-based tampering detection and restoring scheme that exploits both lossless (reversible) data hiding and image homogeneity analysis for image authentication and integrity verification. The proposed scheme enables the detection of a tampered region and then recovers it by using the embedded information selected as the recovery feature. Moreover, since reversibility helps in taking the correct decision during image analysis, it is highly desired in quality-sensitive imaging such as medical imaging and satellite imaging, where even minimal distortion introduced by embedding data is unacceptable. To extract the recovery feature, we analyze the image homogeneity using quad-tree decomposition, which adaptively divides a square image into several variable-sized blocks, and choose the average value of each block as the feature. This makes the length of the feature more efficient while ensuring that the visual quality of the restored image is better than that in the case of the conventional fixed-size block-based approach. Through experiments on 8-bit, 12-bit, and 16-bit images, we demonstrate the effectiveness of tampering localization of the proposed method and show that restoration is achieved with high visual quality.

This paper first reviews the physical meanings and the expressions of two representative strain rate models: CSM (Cowper–Symonds model) and JCM (Johnson–Cook model). Since it is known that the CSM and JCM are suitable for low-intermediate and intermediate-high rate ranges, many studies regarding marine accidents such as ship-to-ship collisions, ship-to-rock groundings, and explosions in FPSO have employed the former in particular. A formula to predict the material constant of the CSM is introduced from a literature survey. The validity of the formula is proved by comparing with strain rate test results of high strength marine structural steels of DH-36. Numerical simulations with two different material constitutive equations, the classical metal plasticity model based on the von Mises yield function and the micromechanical porous plasticity model based on the Gurson yield function, have been carried out for stiffened plates under impact loading. It is concluded that the porous plasticity model with the porosity fracture criterion can quantitatively predict plastic deformation process and final fracture under impact loading if the material constants are properly chosen.

This paper is concerned with the evaluation of cyclic hardening models within the stress–strain behavior of aluminum alloy AC4C-T6 that can be used to LNG cargo pump operating in cryogenic temperature. To insure the strength assessment of LNG cargo pump, material model of cyclic hardening and plasticity for aluminum alloy AC4C-T6 is investigated through FEA (Finite Element Analysis) with various hardening options including linear and non-linear hardening, isotropic and kinematic hardening, and combined hardening model. Monotonic tensile and cyclic tensile experiments for AC4C-T6 alloy were performed at room temperature and temperature of −165 °C. Parameters of each hardening model are obtained from the experimental data; thus five hardening models are numerically simulated thereafter. Appropriate hardening models which describe the cyclic stress–strain relationship are investigated through the simulations of cyclic hardening behavior by FEA. In order to verify the predicted behavior of cyclic hardening obtained by FEA, the results of FEA and those measured by experiments are compared.

Background: Severe hemorrhagic shock often results in cardiac arrest due to vital organ hypoperfusion, especially of the heart. Although fluid resuscitation is the mainstay of management in hemorrhagic shock, treatment of cardiac arrest in association with severe hemorrhagic shock is unclear. Objective: This study was designed to determine the effect of early infusion of norepinephrine on hemodynamics and survival in hemorrhagic shock. Methods: Twelve Sprague-Dawley rats were bled to about 35% of estimated blood volume for 30 min and randomized to one of two groups: the study group received norepinephrine (10 μg/kg/min) in 5% dextrose solution (n = 6); the control group received the same volume of 5% dextrose (n = 6) concurrently with Lactated Ringer's solution. After 30 min of resuscitation, half of the shed blood was transfused in both groups. Time to cardiac arrest and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were compared between the two groups. Results: MAP during the resuscitation period was higher in the norepinephrine group than in the control group. Five of 6 rats in the norepinephrine group but none of the control group survived until the transfusion period (83.3% vs. 0.0%, respectively; p = 0.003). Median time to cardiac arrest was significantly longer in the norepinephrine group (67.0 min, interquartile range [IQR] 60.0–77.0) than in controls (41.0 min, IQR 40.0–47.0; p = 0.002). Conclusions: Early use of norepinephrine in a rat model of hemorrhagic shock increased mean arterial pressure during the resuscitation period and delayed the onset of cardiac arrest.

Reversible data hiding enables host media to be restored from marked media without any loss of host information. Since this reversibility helps to make right decision during image analysis, it is highly desired in quality-sensitive imagery where even the minimal distortion introduced by embedding data is unacceptable. In this paper, we propose a reversible data hiding method that modifies the difference histogram between sub-sampled images. It exploits the high spatial correlation inherent in neighboring pixels to achieve high capacity and imperceptible embedding. On various test images including 16-bit images, we demonstrate the validity of our proposed method by comparing to other existing reversible data hiding algorithms. Experimental results support that our method provides high embedding capacity while keeping the distortions at a low level.

A free vibration study of antisymmetric angle-ply composite plates including shear deformation and rotatory inertia using the point collocation method and applying spline function approximations is presented. The equations of motion for the plate are derived using the theory of Yang, Norris and Stavsky. The solution is assumed in a separable form to obtain a system of coupled differential equations in displacement and rotational functions and these functions were approximated by Bickley-type splines of order three. A generalized eigenvalue problem is obtained and solved numerically for an eigenfrequency parameter and an associated eigenvector of spline coefficients. The vibrations of two- and four-layered plates, made up of several types of layer materials and subjected to two types of boundary conditions are considered. Parametric studies were made of the variation of frequency parameters with respect to the aspect ratio, side-to-thickness ratio and ply angle. The numerical results are presented through diagrams and, in some cases, are compared with results obtained by FEM.

This paper proposes an advanced optimal unfolding algorithm of curved shell plates with unstructured meshes. An unfolding algorithm was developed in authors’ previous study. The unfolding process is formulated into a constrained nonlinear programming problem on a basis of nonlinear deformation theory of plates and shells and finite element. In order to make progresses on this unfolding and to fully automate it, unstructured meshing is combined. By applying the unstructured meshing to curved shell plates, their local curvature property can be taken into account. It takes advantages in implementing computational codes for unfolding curved shell plates defined by multiple and trimmed geometrical surfaces. Consequently, such considerations enable the unfolding results to be closer to what are expected mechanically and geometrically. And finally there are samples and discussions of this advanced unfolding algorithm.

15-lipoxygenase-1 (15-LO-1) is involved in the differentiation of human tracheobronchial epithelial cells. Here, we investigated the relation between 15-LO-1 expression and the differentiation of human nasal epithelium. In retinoic acid (RA)-sufficient culture media, 15-LO-1 expression in normal human nasal epithelial cell time-dependently increased, but its expression was undetectable in RA-deficient culture media. Moreover, in RA-deficient culture media, IL-4 at 1 ng/ml concentration time-dependently induced 15-LO-1 expression. In addition, MUC8 gene expression, a marker of mucociliary differentiation, was up-regulated by 15-LO-1, which was itself induced by IL-4. In murine nasal mucosa, the expression of leukocyte type-12-LO, a functional equivalent of 15-LO-1, reduced after postnatal day 7. Our findings suggest that 15-LO-1 is related to the differentiation of human nasal epithelium, and that it may mediate the mucociliary differentiation of human nasal epithelium.

We have investigated whether Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) induces apoptosis of oral cavity cancer cells and attempted to characterize the apoptotic pathway activated by EGb 761. The inhibition of SCC 1483 oral cavity cancer cells proliferation was noted from 250 micro/ml of EGb 761. Apoptosis was observed after 24 h of incubation with 250 microg/ml EGb 761 and occurred in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Apoptosis was confirmed by DNA fragmentation and PARP cleavage. Co-treatment with the caspase inhibitor (z-VAD-fmk) inhibited apoptosis and PARP cleavage induced by EGb 761. Caspase-3 activity was upregulated by EGb 761 but reduced to the control level by co-treating with z-VAD-fmk. In summary, EGb 761 induces apoptosis of oral cavity cancer cells and caspase-3 is activated in this apoptosis. Therefore, EGb 761 may be considered as a possible chemopreventive agent against oral cavity cancer.

The localization of 15-lipoxygenase-1 (15-LO-1) in human colorectal carcinoma and normal adjacent tissue was examined using immunohistochemistry. In normal tissues, 15-LO-1 was strongly localized in the mucosal epithelium. Conversely, in tumor tissues, staining for 15-LO-1 was dispersed throughout the tissue, weak in neoplastic epithelium, and strong in stromal inflammatory cells. The addition of 50 microM 13(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HODE), resulted in decreased cell proliferation after 72 h, but lower concentrations (5 or 10 microM) had no effect compared to vehicle treated Caco-2 cells. In addition, 13(S)-HODE had no effect on apoptosis or differentiation of the Caco-2 cells. Microarray analyses of RNA from Caco-2 cells treated with 5 microM 13(S)-HODE revealed changes in 17 genes. HCT-116 colorectal cells were stably transfected with 15-LO-1. In athymic nude mice, transplantable tumors derived from 15-LO-1 HCT-116 cells were smaller than tumors derived from vector HCT-116 cells. These data demonstrate that 13(S)-HODE induces changes in gene expression and has anti-tumorigenic effects.

Background & Aims: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) induce NSAID-activated gene 1 (NAG-1), which has proapoptotic and antitumorigenic activities. However, NAG-1 expression and its relationship with apoptosis in human and mouse intestinal tract have not been determined. Methods: NAG-1 expression in human and mouse tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry, and apoptosis was estimated by in situ apoptosis detection. Apoptosis in NAG-1 overexpressing HCT-116 cells was examined with flow cytometry after cell sorting by green fluorescence protein. NAG-1 regulation in mouse cells was examined by Northern blot analysis, comparing sulindac-treated and nontreated mice. Results: Apoptosis was higher in NAG-1 overexpressing cells compared with controls. Human NAG-1 protein was localized to the colonic surface epithelium where cells undergo apoptosis, and higher expression was observed in the normal surface epithelium than in most of the tumors. This localization and lower expression in tumors was similar to that in the Min mouse, in which NSAIDs were also shown to regulate the expression of NAG-1 in mouse cells. Sulindac treatment of mice increased the NAG-1 expression in the colon and liver. Conclusions: Based on these results, we propose that NAG-1 acts as a mediator of apoptosis in intestinal cells and may contribute to cancer chemoprevention by NSAIDs.GASTROENTEROLOGY 2002;122:1388-1398