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Reconstruction of skin equivalents with physiologically relevant cellular and matrix architecture is indispensable for basic research and industrial applications. As skin-nerve crosstalk is increasingly recognized as a major element of skin physiological pathology, the development of reliable in vitro models to evaluate the selective communication between epidermal keratinocytes and sensory neurons is being demanded. In this study, we present a three-dimensional innervated epidermal keratinocyte layer as a sensory neuron-epidermal keratinocyte co-culture model on a microfluidic chip using the slope-based air-liquid interfacing culture and spatial compartmentalization. Our co-culture model recapitulates a more organized basal-suprabasal stratification, enhanced barrier function, and physiologically relevant anatomical innervation and demonstrated the feasibility of in situ imaging and functional analysis in a cell-type-specific manner, thereby improving the structural and functional limitations of previous coculture models. This system has the potential as an improved surrogate model and platform for biomedical and pharmaceutical research.

Lung carcinoma is the main reason for cancer-associated deaths in the world. In a previous study, FCH domain only 1 (FCHo1) which is managed by protein kinase B (AKT), was shown to be activated in lung cancer. FCHo1 knockdown has previously been shown to cause cell death in lung cancer. However, the specific roles of FCHo1 in lung carcinoma remain elusive. Herein, we propose that FCHo1’s intracellular mechanism targets the G1 to S phase transition, following the M phase. We demonstrated that F-BAR and mu homology domains exist separately in human lung tissues and that one truncated form is not detected in patients with lung cancer. Furthermore, quantitative global proteome analysis of FCHo1 indicated that the inhibition of G1/S phase transition and FCHo1 RNAi led to the death of cells in the G1/S phase. Noninvasive viral aerosol-mediated delivery of FCHo1 shRNA suppressed cancer progression in mice with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), suggesting that the delivery of FCHo1 shRNA could be a meaningful therapeutic strategy in lung cancer. Additional studies are needed to make clear the detailed mechanism of action of FCHo1.

Diagnosing osteosarcoma (OS) is very challenging and OS is often misdiagnosed as osteomyelitis (OM) due to the nonspecificity of its symptoms upon initial presentation. This study investigated the possibility of detecting OS-induced trabecular bone changes on panoramic radiographs and differentiating OS from OM by analyzing fractal dimensions (FDs) and degrees of anisotropy (DAs). Panoramic radiographs of patients with histopathologically proven OS and OM of the jaw were obtained. A total of 23 patients with OS and 40 patients with OM were enrolled. To investigate whether there was a microarchitectural difference between OS lesions and normal trabecular areas in each patient, two regions of interest (ROIs) were located on the CT images. Three microarchitectural parameters (box-counting FD, fast Fourier transform-based FD, and DA) were calculated. For both OS and OM, significant differences were found for all three microarchitectural parameters. Compared to normal trabecular bone, trabecular bone affected by OS and OM became isotropic and more complex. When comparing OS and OM, a statistically significant difference was found only in DA. Trabecular bones affected by OS became more isotropic than those affected by OM. Microarchitectural analysis, especially DA, could be useful for detecting OS-induced trabecular alterations and differentiating OS from OM.

In this research, a novel LaCdSe-GO-TiO2 (LCS-G-T) has been synthesized by utilizing a high powersonic method under controlled condition. From the structural morphology, it is apparent that the composite is a good example of size control and low-cost synthesis with an ultrasound and scavenger effect. The synthesized LaCdSe-GO-TiO2 (LCS-G-T) composite has given a good efficiency for photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen evolution. The implementation of high ultrasonic power has increased, the surface area decreased the particle size, due to the collapse by micro-bubbles occurred and formation of crystal enhancement. Different characterizations have been carried out for “as-prepared” composites, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) for checking the crystallinity, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for structural morphology, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and a standard three-electrode system has been used in a cyclic voltammetry test. The LaCdSe-GO-TiO2 has exposed a good photocatalytic activity in the presence and absence of several scavengers. Moreover, the applied high powersonic for hydrogen production can significantly influence the photocatalytic activity of LaCdSe-G-T. The implemented high powersonic produces electric field bridge and helps the conversion of electron from photon.

It is profoundly appealing to build a common enzyme-free sensor for detection of glucose. We effectively synthesized a uniform and mesoporous BiZnSbV-G-SiO2 (BZSVGS) quaternary nanocomposite by electrodeposition on a Ni foam substrate. This BiZnSbV-G-SiO2@NF composite terminal has been used as an electrocatalyst for coordinated oxidation of glucose, in this manner acting as a high-performance non-enzymatic glucose sensor. Coordinated electrochemical estimation with the as-arranged anodes in PBS and urea showed that the BiZnSbV-G-SiO2 nanocomposite has a great electrocatalytic movement toward glucose oxidation in a neutral medium and a wide straight reaction from 0.06 to 0.1 μmol/L, a low detection constraint of 0.06 μmol/L (S/N = 3) at a low connected potential of + 0.20 V vs Ag/AgCl. This ponder moreover highlights the effect of diminishing anion electronegativity on upgrading the electrocatalytic proficiency by bringing down the potential required for glucose oxidation and long-term steadiness together with a brief reaction time of roughly 4 s highlights the promising execution of the BiZnSbV-G-SiO2@NF anode for non-enzymatic glucose detection with high accuracy and unwavering quality. Besides, it can be used for glucose location in human blood serum, promising its application toward assurance of glucose in genuine tests.

Objective Electrocardiogram (ECG) patterns can change, especially in patients with central nervous system disorders such as spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage. However, the association between the prognosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ECG findings is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to compare and to analyze ECG findings to predict early mortality in patients with TBI. Methods This retrospective observational study included patients with severe trauma and TBI who were admitted to the emergency department (ED) between January 2018 and December 2020. TBI was defined as an abbreviated injury scale score of the head of ≥3. We examined ECG findings, including PR prolongation (≥ 200 ms), QRS complex widening (≥ 120 ms), corrected QT interval prolongation (QTP, ≥ 480 ms), ST-segment elevation, and ST-segment depression (STD) at ED arrival. The primary outcome was 48-h mortality. Results Of the total patients with TBI, 1024 patients were included in this study and 48-h mortality occurred in 89 patients (8.7%). In multivariate analysis, QTP (odds ratio [OR], 2.017; confidence interval [CI], 1.203–3.382) and STD (OR, 8.428; 95% CI, 5.019–14.152) were independently associated with 48-h mortality in patients with TBI. The areas under the curve (AUCs) of the revised trauma score (RTS), injury severity score (ISS), QTP, STD, and the combination of QTP and STD were 0.790 (95% CI, 0.764–0.815), 0.632 (95% CI, 0.602–0.662), 0.605 (95% CI, 0.574–0.635), 0.723 (95% CI, 0.695–0.750), and 0.786 (95% CI, 0.759–0.811), respectively. The AUC of the combination of QTP and STD significantly differed from that of ISS, QTP, and STD, but not RTS. Conclusion Based on the ECG findings, QTP and STD were associated with 48-h mortality in patients with TBI.

Efficient conversion of light from short wavelengths to longer wavelengths using color conversion layers (CCLs) underpins the successful operation of numerous contemporary display and lighting technologies. Inorganic quantum dots, based on CdSe or InP, for example, have received much attention in this context, however, suffer from instability and toxic cadmium or phosphine chemistry. Organic nanoparticles (NPs), though less often studied, are capable of very competitive performance, including outstanding stability and water-processability. Surfactants, which are critical in stabilizing many types of nano-structures, have not yet been used extensively in organic NPs. Here we show the utility of surfactants in the synthesis and processing of organic NPs by thoroughly characterizing the effect of ionic and non-ionic surfactants on the properties of fluorescent organic NPs. Using this information, we identify surfactant processing conditions that result in nearly 100 % conversion of organic fluorophores into sub-micrometer particles, or nano-dots, with outstanding performance as CCLs. Such water dispersions are environmentally benign and efficiently convert light. They can be used for a range of fluorophores covering a full spectral gamut, with excellent color purity, including full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) values as low as 21 nm. Compared to inorganic (InP) reference CCLs, the organic nano-dot based CCLs show superior color conversion efficiency and substantially improved long-term stability.

For the efficient evolution of hydrogen, we designed a 3D quaternary BaCuZnS-graphene-TiO2 (BCZS-G-T) composite by an ultrasonic method. Herein, we prepared a quaternary material to minimize the bandgap energy and size. We characterized the “as-prepared” composites by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The high hydrogen evolution was attributed to the 3D quaternary BCZS-G-T composite with small bandgap energy because of its high photoelectron recombination properties. In addition, we demonstrated the combination effects with photocatalytic and sonocatalytic treatments with a scavenger. This work highlights the potential application of quaternary graphene-based composites in the field of energy conversion.

Pralidoxime potentiated the pressor effect of adrenaline and facilitated restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after prolonged cardiac arrest. In this study, we hypothesised that pralidoxime would hasten ROSC in a model with a short duration of untreated ventricular fibrillation (VF). We also hypothesised that potentiation of the pressor effect of adrenaline by pralidoxime would not be accompanied by worsening of the adverse effects of adrenaline. After 5 min of VF, 20 pigs randomly received either pralidoxime (40 mg/kg) or saline, in combination with adrenaline, during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) during CPR, and ease of resuscitation were compared between the groups. Additionally, haemodynamic data, severity of ventricular arrhythmias, and cerebral microcirculation were measured during the 1-h post-resuscitation period. Cerebral microcirculatory blood flow and brain tissue oxygen tension (PbtO2) were measured on parietal cortices exposed through burr holes. All animals achieved ROSC. The pralidoxime group had higher CPP during CPR (P = 0.014) and required a shorter duration of CPR (P = 0.024) and smaller number of adrenaline doses (P = 0.024). During the post-resuscitation period, heart rate increased over time in the control group, and decreased steadily in the pralidoxime group. No inter-group differences were observed in the incidences of ventricular arrhythmias, cerebral microcirculatory blood flow, and PbtO2. Pralidoxime improved CPP and hastened ROSC in a model with a short duration of untreated VF. The potentiation of the pressor effect of adrenaline was not accompanied by the worsening of the adverse effects of adrenaline.

We successfully prepared multiple gas sensing devices comprising of a thin-film sensor made with mesoporous silica combined In2O3-graphene semiconductor nanocomposite for sensing CO2, O2, and NH3. We demonstrated that our sensor had high selectivity for CO2 by recognizing O2 and NH3 in the vapor stage with accurate transformation into electrical signals in devices. The mesoporous semiconducting In2O3–GO–SiO2-10% (IGS10) sensor showed quick response/recovery times for detecting gases, including CO2, O2, and NH3. Compared to In2O3, In2O3–GO (IG), and In2O3–GO–SiO2-20% (IGS20), the mesoporous IGS10 showed superior gas sensing ability due to the implied optimum ratio of the synthesized sample. Finally, we proved a facile, low-cost route to attain the multiple gas sensing devices with the potential for vast application.

The mutant allele of rice calmodulin-binding transcription activator OsCBT, oscbt-1, exhibits broad-spectrum resistance against rice pathogens. Previously, we reported that the strong resistance of the oscbt-1 mutant to pathogens was conferred by a constitutive upregulation of defense-related genes even under pathogen-free conditions. We also found strong induction of the hypersensitive response as a reaction to pathogen invasion. The results suggest that OsCBT acts as a negative regulator of basal resistance to pathogen attack. To identify the transcriptional network regulated by OsCBT, we compared global gene expression profiles between wild-type (WT) and oscbt-1 rice plants grown under pathogen-free conditions. The results of a 3′ tiling microarray revealed that in oscbt-1 plants, 81 genes are upregulated and 200 genes are downregulated when compared with the WT. A gene ontology analysis showed that differentially regulated genes in oscbt-1 were very closely associated with “death” GO term in a biological process category, and “catalytic activity” and “binding” GO terms in a molecular function category. A MapMan analysis indicated that the functions of these genes were associated with plant responses to biotic stress. Moreover, the results from quantitative real-time PCR in the oscbt-1 mutant showed a significant effect on the gene expression patterns of the fungal pathogen response. Our results suggested that the OsCBT regulates a rice defense response by modulating the expressions of various defense-related genes.

Background Rubus occidentalis, also known as black raspberry, contains several bioactive components that vary depending on the maturity of the fruit. The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of immature Rubus occidentalis extract(iROE) on acid-induced hyperalgesia, investigate the mechanism involved, and compare the antihyperalgesic effect of immature and mature ROEs. Methods In adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, chronic muscle pain was induced via two injections of acidic saline into one gastrocnemius muscle. To evaluate the dose response, the rats were injected intraperitoneally with 0.9% saline or iROE (10, 30, 100, or 300 mg/kg) following hyperalgesia development. To evaluate the mechanism underlying iROE-induced analgesia, the rats were injected intraperitoneally with saline, yohimbine 2 mg/kg, dexmedetomidine 50 μg/kg, prazosin 1 mg/kg, atropine 5 mg/kg, mecamylamine 1 mg/kg, or naloxone 5 mg/kg 24 h after hyperalgesia development, followed by iROE 300 mg/kg administration. To compare immature versus mature ROE, the rats were injected with mature ROE 300 mg/kg and immature ROE 300 mg/kg after hyperalgesia development. For all experiments, the mechanical withdrawal threshold(MWT) was evaluated using von Frey filaments before the first acidic saline injection, 24 h after the second injection, and at various time points after drug administration. Data were analysed using multivariate analysis of variance(MANOVA) and the linear mixed-effects model(LMEM). We compared the MWT at each time point using analysis of variance with the Bonferroni correction. Results The iROE 300 mg/kg injection resulted in a significant increase in MWT compared with the control, iROE 30 mg/kg, and iROE 100 mg/kg injections at ipsilateral and contralateral sites. The iROE injection together with yohimbine, mecamylamine, or naloxone significantly decreased the MWT compared with iROE alone, whereas ROE together with dexmedetomidine significantly increased the MWT. According to MANOVA, the effects of immature and mature ROEs were not significantly different; however, the LMEM presented a significant difference between the two groups. Conclusions Immature R. occidentalis showed antihyperalgesic activity against acid-induced chronic muscle pain, which may be mediated by the α2-adrenergic, nicotinic cholinergic, and opioid receptors. The iROE displayed superior tendency regarding analgesic effect compared to mature ROE.

Currently, the development of sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with high power conversion efficiency and low cost is a major challenge in the academic and industrial fields. In order to enhance the current efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), a perovskite graphene-La2CuNiO6-ZnSe (G-LCN-ZS) as a counter electrode (CE) was introduced in this study via a conventional microwave treatment. A DSSC with 15% G-LCN-ZS CE achieved a high-power conversion efficiency up to 11.05% under AM 1.5G solar simulation, which is one of the highest reported efficiencies for ternary oxide-based graphene DSSCs. The G-LCN-ZS CE nanocomposites exhibit excellent catalytic activity towards the I3−/I− redox couple due to the positive synergistic effect between LCN-ZS nanoparticles and graphene sheets. Moreover, the graphene-based materials can provide a fast diffusion pathway for the electrolyte. In this paper, we have shown that alternative materials with high energy conversion efficiency can be used in future applications.

The classical finite difference methods for solving initial value problems are based on the polynomial interpolation of the unknown solution. The expected order of convergence of every classical method is fixed regardless of the smoothness of the unknown solution. However, if the local derivatives of the solution are known or can be estimated to a certain order, such information could be used to improve the order of convergence of the local truncation error and further the order of accuracy of the global error. The aim of this paper is to utilize the radial basis function (RBF) interpolation to modify several finite difference methods and thus enhance the performance in terms of local convergence. In this work, we choose multiquadric RBFs as the interpolation basis and find the conditions of the shape parameter that could enhance accuracy. The rate of convergence of each modified method is at least the same as the original one and can be further improved by making the local truncation error vanish. In that sense, the proposed adaptive method is optimal. Compared to the linear multistep methods, the proposed adaptive RBF multistep methods exhibit higher order convergence. We provide the analysis of consistency and stability with numerical results that support our claims.

Each of the three new hydrazobenzenes consisting of a hydrazobenzene conjugated with a 5-membered heterocyclic ring (furan or thiophene) at its two para positions, prepared from corresponding azo precursors, was used in the acid-catalyzed benzidine rearrangements. Both rearrangement and disproportionation occurred and product structures were characterized by spectroscopic data such as NMR, MS, and with CHN analysis. We confirm the largest [9, 9]-sigmatropic benzidine-type rearrangement in each case as a prominent pathway accompanied by disproportionation.

Clinical studies support the efficacy of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) targeted therapy in a subset of patients with metastatic gastric cancer (mGC). With the goal of identifying determinants of response, we performed molecular characterization of tissues and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from 61 patients with mGC who were treated with pembrolizumab as salvage treatment in a prospective phase 2 clinical trial. In patients with microsatellite instability-high and Epstein–Barr virus-positive tumors, which are mutually exclusive, dramatic responses to pembrolizumab were observed (overall response rate (ORR) 85.7% in microsatellite instability-high mGC and ORR 100% in Epstein–Barr virus-positive mGC). For the 55 patients for whom programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) combined positive score positivity was available (combined positive score cut-off value ≥1%), ORR was significantly higher in PD-L1(+) gastric cancer when compared to PD-L1(−) tumors (50.0% versus 0.0%, P value

PD-L1 expression has been evaluated as a predictive biomarker for immunotherapy in numerous tumor types. However, very limited data are available in pediatric brain tumors. The aim of this study was to characterize PD-1 and PD-L1 expressions of four pediatric malignant brain tumors and gene expression profile. This study included 89 pediatric patients receiving standard treatment at Seoul National University Children’s Hospital and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between 1990 and 2014: atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) 20; ependymoma (EPN) 20; high grade glioma (HGG) 21; and medulloblastoma (MBL) 28. We performed immunohistochemistry assays for PD-1 and PD-L1. To characterize the gene expression, a custom immune-response focused gene panel was used. PD-1 expression was positive in 7 (35%) AT/RT, 7 (35%) EPN, 4 (19%) HGG, and 3 (11%) MBL patients. PD-L1 expression was positive in 8 (40%) AT/RT, 4 (20%) EPN, and 4 (19%) HGG; negative in all MBL patients. There was no statistically significant difference in the overall survival of PD-L1 positive patients. The gene expression analysis demonstrated differences in two clustering functional categories: cell–cell signaling and antigen presentation pathway. AT/RT, EPN, and HGG showed a relatively higher expression rate of PD-L1 (19–40%). This suggests these tumor types might be good candidates for PD-1 checkpoint blockade. We determined that gene expression may potentially serve as a molecular tool in predicting which patients will respond to immunotherapy. Further investigation is required to better understand the predictive and prognostic role of PD-L1 in pediatric brain tumors.

In several applications, data are collected in the frequency (Fourier) domain non-uniformly, either by design or as a consequence of inexact measurements. The two major bottlenecks for image reconstruction from non-uniform Fourier data are (i) there is no obvious way to perform the numerical approximation, as the non-uniform Fourier data is not amenable to fast transform techniques and resampling the data first to uniform spacing is often neither accurate or robust; and (ii) the Gibbs phenomenon is apparent when the underlying function (image) is piecewise smooth, an occurrence in nearly every application. Recent investigations suggest that it may be useful to view the non-uniform Fourier samples as Fourier frame coefficients when designing reconstruction algorithms that attempt to mitigate either of these fundamental problems. The inverse polynomial reconstruction method (IPRM) was developed to resolve the Gibbs phenomenon in the reconstruction of piecewise analytic functions from spectral data, notably Fourier data. This paper demonstrates that the IPRM is also suitable for approximating the finite inverse Fourier frame operator as a projection onto the weighted $$L_2$$ space of orthogonal polynomials. Moreover, the IPRM can also be used to remove the Gibbs phenomenon from the Fourier frame approximation when the underlying function is piecewise smooth. The one-dimensional numerical results presented here demonstrate that using the IPRM in this way yields a robust, stable, and accurate approximation from non-uniform Fourier data.

We propose a new prediction scheme for robust teleoperation in a non-visible environment. The positioning error caused by the time delay in a non-visible environment was compensated for by the Smith predictor, and the sensory data was estimated by the grey model. The Smith predictor was effective in compensating for the positioning error caused by the time delay with a precise system model. Therefore, a dynamic model of a mobile robot was derived in this research. To minimize the unstable and erroneous states caused by the time delay, the estimated sensor data were sent to the operator. Through simulations, the possibility of compensating the errors caused by the time delay was verified using the Smith predictor. In addition, the estimation reliability of the measurement data has been demonstrated. Robust teleoperations in a non-visible environment have been performed with a mobile robot to avoid obstacles and move to the target position by the proposed prediction scheme, which combines the Smith predictor with the grey model. Although a human operator is involved in the teleoperation loop, the compensation effects have been demonstrated.

For confirming the role of five membered ring of imidazolidinone moiety of N-arylsulfonylimidazolidinones (7) previously reported with highly potent anticancer agent, a series of N-arylsulfonylpyrimidones (10a–g) and N-arylsulfonyltetrahydropyrimidones (11a–e) were prepared and their anti-proliferating activity was measured against human cancer cell lines (renal ACHN, colon HCT-15, breast MDA-MB-231, lung NCI-H23, stomach NUGC-3, and prostate PC-3) using XTT assay. Among them, 1-(1-acetylindolin-5-ylsulfonyl)-4-phenyltetrahydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one (11d, mean GI50 = 3.50 µM) and ethyl 5-(2-oxo-4-phenyltetrahydropyrimidin-1(2H)-ylsulfonyl)-indoline-1-carboxylate (11e, mean GI50 = 0.26 µM) showed best growth inhibitory activity against human cancer cell lines. Considering the activity results, N-arylsulfonyltetrahydropyrimidones (11) exhibited more potent activity compared to N-arylsulfonylpyrimidones (10) and comparable activity to N-arylsulfonylimidazolidinones (7). Especially, tetrahydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one analogs containing acylindolin-5-ylsulfonyl moiety at position 1 demonstrated their strong growth inhibitory activity against human cancer cell lines.

In some physical applications, the decaying rate of asymptotically decaying solution is more important than the solution magnitude itself in understanding the physical system such as the late-time behavior of decaying fields in black hole space-time. In Khanna (J Sci Comput 56(2):366–380, 2013), it was emphasized that high-precision arithmetic and high-order methods are required to capture numerically the correct decaying rate of the late-time radiative tails of black-hole system in order to prevent roundoff errors from inducing a wrong power-law decay rate in the numerical approximation. In this paper, we explain how roundoff errors induce a wrong decay mode in the numerical approximation using simple linear differential equations. Then we describe the orthogonal decomposition method as a possible technique to remove wrong decaying modes induced by roundoff errors in the numerical approximation.

This paper presents a combination strategy to determine the optimal location of PV distributed generation units (PV-DGs) in terms of maximizing the power system voltage stability level. The voltage collapse power indices (VCPIs) is chosen to access the voltage stability level of a system. To eliminate the need of iterations, a new line power flow calculation method based on the line sensitivity factors (LSFs) is developed. It could precisely compute out VCPI without executing AC power flow program. Combined with the economic optimization software HOMER to determine the sizes and quantities of PV-DGs, the optimal buses to connect PV-DGs are selected by minimizing the sum of VCPIs. The proposed location strategy is validated by multiple IEEE test systems. The numerical simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method is accurate on VCPI calculations and has the decreased computation time compared with the Newton-Raphson power flow method. Through the continuous power flow results, it is verified that the optimal DG configuration selected by the proposed strategy could maximize the overall voltage stability margin of the system.

$$L_1$$ regularization is widely used in various applications for sparsifying transform. In Wasserman et al. (J Sci Comput 65(2):533–552, 2015) the reconstruction of Fourier data with $$L_1$$ minimization using sparsity of edges was proposed—the sparse PA method. With the sparse PA method, the given Fourier data are reconstructed on a uniform grid through the convex optimization based on the $$L_1$$ regularization of the jump function. In this paper, based on the method proposed by Wasserman et al. (J Sci Comput 65(2):533–552, 2015) we propose to use the domain decomposition method to further enhance the quality of the sparse PA method. The main motivation of this paper is to minimize the global effect of strong edges in $$L_1$$ regularization that the reconstructed function near weak edges does not benefit from the sparse PA method. For this, we split the given domain into several subdomains and apply $$L_1$$ regularization in each subdomain separately. The split function is not necessarily periodic, so we adopt the Fourier continuation method in each subdomain to find the Fourier coefficients defined in the subdomain that are consistent to the given global Fourier data. The numerical results show that the proposed domain decomposition method yields sharp reconstructions near both strong and weak edges. The proposed method is suitable when the reconstruction is required only locally.

Systemic lidocaine has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this prospective, randomized, double-blind study was to evaluate the effects of intravenous lidocaine on pain following thyroidectomy. Fifty-eight adult patients scheduled for total thyroidectomy were randomly allocated to receive a 1.5 mg/kg lidocaine bolus followed by a 2 mg/kg/h infusion during surgery, or the same volume of normal saline (control). After thyroidectomy, we evaluated postoperative pain, nausea, fentanyl consumption, frequency of pushing the button (FPB) for patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in serum, and patient satisfaction scores regarding the recovery process. Postoperative pain and nausea scores were significantly lower in the lidocaine group for the first 4 h following thyroidectomy, compared to the control group. Fentanyl consumption and FPB for the PCA were also significantly reduced in the lidocaine group for 4 h following thyroidectomy, and hs-CRP was significantly less in the lidocaine group at postoperative days 1 and 3. Furthermore, satisfaction scores were significantly higher in the lidocaine group compared to the control group. Intravenous lidocaine effectively reduced postoperative pain and nausea following thyroidectomy as well as improved the quality of recovery. Trial registration number: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01608360.

In recent years, concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) has become a standard treatment modality for patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. On the other hand, there is no international consensus regarding an accurate definition of the clinical target volume (CTV). This study evaluated the clinical outcomes in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer treated definitively with either (ENI) elective nodal irradiation or (IFI) involved-field irradiation. Retrospective analysis of the treatment results for patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer between 2001.5 and 2013.5 was carried out. The eligible patients had T2-4N0-2M0 biopsy-proven squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the esophagus and were treated with a curative aim. Patients treated with surgery or radiotherapy alone were excluded. The gross tumor volume (GTV) was delineated based on the FDG-PET CT scans. Patients treated with ENI received radiotherapy on the supraclavicular or celiac area as the clinical target volume (CTV). For IFI planning, CTV is defined as a 3-cm superoinferior margin and a 1-cm lateral margin from the GTV. The 3-year progression-free survival, overall survival and patterns of the failures were analyzed. A total of 99 patients who completed CCRT were eligible for the analysis. Of the patients, 50 patients had ENI and 49 patients had IFI. The age, gender and staging were similar in both groups. The median follow-up was 21 months. Both groups showed a similar overall survival (p = 0.293). On the other hand, although not statistically significant, the IFI group showed a tendency for lower 3-year progression-free survival rates, particularly the non-surgery group (25 vs. 46 %, p = 0.075). The cumulative failure rates were significantly lower in the ENI group than in the IFI group. (35 vs. 56 %, p = 0.04). Definitive CCRT with ENI did not improve the survival and disease control for patients with esophageal SCC. The omission of ENI was associated with a higher failure rate, but it did not affect the survival time. PET-CT-guided involved-field irradiation is a reasonable option for most locally advanced thoracic esophageal cancer but needs caution for patients who will not undergo surgery.

Silica nanoparticles synthesized by using TEOS/CTABr/NH4OH/H2O were modified with a grafting method using organic amino functional groups. The physical properties of the surface-modified nanoparticles and their sorption behavior with regard to radioactive cobalt and the effect of the surfactant on the sorption were evaluated. The surface-modified nanoparticles had a non-hexagonal structure owing to the partial collapse of the mesopore wall on the surface of the silica nanoparticle. The cobalt sorption capacity increased with the number of amine groups within the organic functional group. An evaluation of the effect of surfactant on cobalt sorption found that the sorption performance was reduced by 0.1 mg/g.

The effects of lactic acid and lemongrass oil treatments on microbial growth in Tatsoi baby leaves were investigated to ensure microbial safety. To determine the optimal concentrations of lactic acid and lemongrass oil as a sanitizer, the effects of several concentrations of lactic acid (0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 %) and lemongrass oil (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 %) on aerobic mesophilic bacteria, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes in Tatsoi baby leaves were evaluated. The results showed that the 1 % lactic acid and 1 % lemongrass oil treatment reduced the populations of the microorganisms to the greatest extent. In particular, after the combined treatment with 1 % lactic acid and 1 % lemongrass oil, the count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria was reduced from 7.63 to 2.45 log colony forming unit (CFU) · g−1, and L. monocytogenes was reduced from 6.71 to 1.96 log CFU · g . In addition, S. Typhimurium was not detected in the Tatsoi baby leaves during 7 days of storage. These results suggest that a combined treatment using 1 % lactic acid and l % lemongrass oil could be an effective method for the inactivation of bacteria on the surfaces of Tatsoi baby leaves.

To understand the pathophysiology of dry eye disease (DED), it is necessary to characterize proteins in the ocular surface fluids, including tear fluid (TF) and lacrimal fluid (LF). There have been several reports of TF proteomes, but few proteomic studies have examined LF secreted from the lacrimal gland (LG). Therefore, we characterized the proteins constituting TF and LF by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. TF and LF were collected from patients with non-Sjögren syndrome DED and from healthy subjects. Through protein profiling and label-free quantification, 1165 proteins from TF and 1448 from LF were identified. In total, 849 proteins were present in both TF and LF. Next, candidate biomarkers were verified using the multiple reaction monitoring assay in both TF and LF of 17 DED patients and 17 healthy controls. As a result, 16 marker proteins were identified (fold-change > 1.5, p-value

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in raw meat and fish samples in Korea was investigated. A total of 209 samples was analyzed. Antimicrobial disk susceptibility testing with oxacillin (OX) was used to detect MRSA in 74 S. aureus isolates (35.4%), 7 of which showed resistance towards OX. The mecA gene was identified in the 7 isolates with OX resistance and was expressed in all 7 isolates. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to analyze genetic homologies among the 7 MRSA isolates. No genetic correlations were detected among the isolates.

Radiotherapy for advanced rectal cancer is an important treatment to reduce local recurrence.The purpose of this study was to identify the late structural changes of pelvis and adverse effects after radiotherapy for rectal cancer.Between January 2000 and December 2009, we performed a single-center case-control study with 687 patients who underwent curative treatments for rectal cancer. A radiotherapy group (RTX) and a non-radiotherapy group (NRTX) were compared. Of the 687 patients, 207 cases in the RTX group were identified, and 207 controls for the NRTX group were selected for analysis. Each case had one control matched for age (±5 y), sex, tumor location, and operation type. All instances of radiotherapy were performed as long-course treatment methods (45.0-50.4 Gy) with concurrent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy. Late complications were usually assessed as structural changes of the pelvic organ based on physical examination or radiologic or endoscopic findings 6 months after the rectal resection or pelvic radiation.In terms of overall complications, the RTX group (N = 45, 21.7 %) experienced more frequent complications than the NRTX group (N = 25, 12.1 %, p = 0.009). In particular, anastomosis-related complications were more common in the RTX group (9.2 %) than in the NRTX group (2.4 %, p = 0.003). Successful treatment after late complications in the RTX group (33.3 %) was less likely than in the NRTX group (70.0 %, p = 0.010). Late complications in the RTX group gradually increased with time (11.6 % at 2 y, 17.9 % at 3 y, 19.8 % at 4 y) at a higher rate than in the NRTX group (6.8 % at 2 y, 10.6 % at 3 y, 10.6 % at 4 y, p = 0.009).Radiotherapy for rectal cancer patients may induce late pelvic complications as time progresses, and irreversible tissue changes due to radiation could disrupt the successful treatment of radiation-related complications.

The properties of various numerical methods for the study of the perturbed sine-Gordon (sG) equation with impulsive forcing are investigated. In particular, finite difference and pseudo-spectral methods for discretizing the equation are considered. Different methods of discretizing the Dirac delta are discussed. Various combinations of these methods are then used to model the soliton–defect interaction. A comprehensive study of convergence of all these combinations is presented. Detailed explanations are provided of various numerical issues that should be carefully considered when the sG equation with impulsive forcing is solved numerically. The properties of each method depend heavily on the specific representation chosen for the Dirac delta—and vice versa. Useful comparisons are provided that can be used for the design of the numerical scheme to study the singularly perturbed sG equation. Some interesting results are found. For example, the Gaussian approximation yields the worst results, while the domain decomposition method yields the best results, for both finite difference and spectral methods. These findings are corroborated by extensive numerical simulations.

Iron-chelating peptide was purified from spirulina protein hydrolysates. Spirulina protein was hydrolyzed using Alcalase and Flavourzyme, and the degree of hydrolysis was determined using a trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid assay and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The spirulina protein hydrolysates were ultra-filtered to isolate the components below 3 kDa, which were then fractionated by Q-Sepharose fast flow and Sephadex G-15 columns. The iron-chelating activity of each fraction was determined, and the peptide with the highest activity was isolated and identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight/time of flight mass spectrometry. Amino acid sequence of the iron-chelating peptide was identified to be Thr-Asp-Pro-Ile(Leu)-Ala-Ala-Cys-Ile(Leu), which has a molecular weight of 802 Da. Moreover, due to its ability to chelate iron, the isolated peptide could be used as an iron supplement.

The author would like to include conflict of interest statement of the online published article. The correct conflict of interest statement should read as: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Providing an adequate environment for horses is important to minimize the level of stress for domesticated horses. The objectives of this study were 1) to evaluate the effect of living conditions on stress level of horses, 2) to observe the effect of one month confinement on self-maintenance behavior and stereotypic behavior of horses. The experiment was conducted at National Institute of Animal Science, Equine Field Station (Seonghwan-eup, Korea). Horses were staying in the paddock prior to the experiment. On day 1, five horses were randomly selected and housed in metal fence panels stall. Six horses remained in the same paddock. The ratio of neutrophil to lymphocyte (on day 15) and cortisol (on day 1 and 29) from stalled horses were significantly higher than horses in the paddock. Duration or frequency of self-maintenance behaviors such as feeding, drinking, resting, walking was not significantly different between day 1 and day 29. However, the frequency of urination significantly decreased (p

Naturally fractured reservoirs generally show high production in early stage, however, the oil might decrease suddenly within a few months. Because the connectivity of fracture network directly affects the oil production, the characterization of its network is extremely important, especially in fracture basement reservoirs. In order to characterize the fracture network, we have developed integrated system of fracture generation and discrete fracture network flow model coupling with simulated annealing inversion method. With the utilization of the model, parameters (fracture density, Fisher’s constant) of fracture network were analyzed. As a result, even though the same values of parameters were applied, different network systems were observed. Therefore, further study is essential to obtain unique fracture network system.

The objective of this study was to develop a rice porridge containing perilla oil rich in α-linolenic acid which demonstrated anti-atherogenic effect in the previous study. Lipid lowering effect of emulsified perilla oil (EPO) was examined in apo E KO mice (n=18) and that for rice porridge containing EPO (RPEPO) was investigated in the pilot scale human study (n=20). Inhibitory effects of EPO on the plasma lipid levels and fatty streak lesion size in apo E KO mice were similar to those observed in mice fed perilla oil (PO), suggesting that EPO is applicable form of PO in manufacturing rice porridge product with PO’s health benefit properties. In human study with young adults aged between 20–35 years old, changes in plasma triglyceride concentration of subjects consumed RPEPO for 30 days as a breakfast was significantly lowered than those for subjects consumed rice porridge (p

From February to October 2011, 209 samples of retail raw meat and fishery products were randomly obtained from 41 grocery stores in Korea and cultured for the presence of Enterococcus spp. Ninety-six enterococcal isolates were recovered from 76 samples, with contamination rates ranging from 18.5% in fishery product samples to 43.9% in chicken samples. Antimicrobial disk susceptibility testing was conducted according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute protocol. The antibiotic resistance rates of the 96 enterococci isolates were as follows: tetracycline (TE) 77.1%; erythromycin (E) 50%; rifampin (RD) 44.8%; and vancomycin (VAN) 9.4%. Disk diffusion showed that 9 isolates were resistant to vancomycin. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was ≥32 μg/mL for all 9 isolates, and all were resistant to vancomycin. Among the 9 vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) identified, the vanA gene was carried by 1 Enterococcus durans strain and the vanB gene was carried by 2 Enterococcus faecium, and 1 Enterococcus hirae strains. Further genotyping of the VRE isolates using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed extensive heterogeneity. The VRE were recovered from various animal sources with a particularly high prevalence of E. faecium found in fishery products and chicken.

Background The PD-1/PD-L1 axis plays a paramount role in the immune escape of tumor cells by negative regulation of T-cell functions. The aim of the present study was to characterize the PD-L1 expression pattern and its clinical implication in soft-tissue sarcomas (STS). Methods We analyzed PD-L1 expression in 82 STS patients with 5 subtypes: rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, epithelioid sarcoma, and mesenchymal chondrosarcoma. Results The median age at diagnosis was 26 (range: 1–78) and the male to female ratio was 1.6. The majority (80 %) of patients showed locoregional disease rather than metastatic disease at diagnosis. Thirty-five cases (43 %) showed PD-L1 expression and the proportion of PD-L1 expression was significantly different according to histologic subtypes (P = 0.004); highest in epithelioid sarcoma (100 %, 7/7), followed by synovial sarcoma (53 %, 10/19), rhabdomyosarcoma (38 %, 12/32), and Ewing sarcoma (33 %, 6/18), while it was not expressed in mesenchymal chondrosarcoma (0 %, 0/6). STS patients with PD-L1 expression had worse overall survival compared with those without PD-L1 expression (5-year survival rate: 48 % vs. 68 %, P = 0.015). The Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for histologic subtype, initial metastasis, and PD-L1 expression showed that PD-L1 expression was significantly associated with shorter overall survival (P = 0.037, HR 2.57, 95 % CI 1.060–6.231). Conclusion We have confirmed PD-L1 expression in various STS of young population and demonstrated its independent negative prognostic role, thereby suggesting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of young STS patients. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-016-2451-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

P34 has long been known as one of major allergenic proteins in soybean. Recently, two low-P34 soybean accessions, PI603570A and PI567476, were identified. In order to understand the molecular mechanism of a significant reduction of P34 protein level in PI567476, we performed comparative analysis of the P34 cDNAs and genomic sequences from low-P34 and normal soybean accessions. While no sequence variation was detected in P34 coding regions of the soybean accessions tested, the P34 gene from PI567476 contains ‘ATGT’ 4-bp insertion in front of the start codon. We also found the length polymorphism of ‘TA’ repeats in the P34 promoter regions among accessions. Northern and western blot analysis revealed that, even though mRNA levels of P34 are similar in low-P34 and normal soybean accessions, lower accumulation of P34 protein is only detected in the low-P34 accession, suggesting that the genetic polymorphisms in P34 promoters have a more significant effect on translation efficiency than transcription of the P34 gene. Transient expression analysis showed that the P34 promoter of PI567476 has significantly reduced activity compared to that of normal accession, cv. Clark. In addition, the chimeric promoter generated by introducing the 4-bp insertion in front of the start codon of the P34 gene from normal Clark accession showed markedly reduced activity. The results suggest that lower accumulation of P34 protein in low-P34 accession is largely due to the reduced translation efficiency caused by the 4-bp insertion in the P34 promoter, thus providing direct evidence for the molecular mechanism to explain the regulation of P34 gene expression in various soybean accessions.

In this study, the distribution of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter jejuni, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus in raw meat products in Korea were investigated. A total of 155 meat products consisting of 52 beef, 62 pork, and 41 chicken were purchased randomly from 41 stores located in 5 different Korean provinces. E. coli and S. aureus were detected in 37.4 and 33.5% of the samples. Salmonella spp., C. jejuni, and V. parahaemolyticus were not detected. More than 30% of S. aureus were found to be enterotoxin producers and these organisms primarily possessed type A toxin genes. Conversely, verocytotoxin producing E. coli were not detected. Taken together, these results indicate that consumption of raw meat products may pose a risk of foodborne disease and that good hygienic practices should be required to ensure public health.

This study was conducted to understand the factors that affect the acceptance of various perilla porridges and compare the sensory characteristics that drive consumer acceptance of perilla porridges across Korean and Chinese cultures. A descriptive analysis was performed on 8 samples, which were made with 2 types of perilla oils, 3 types of perilla powders, 1 type of roasted perilla seeds, and 2 types of ground perilla porridges, by 10 Korean and 9 Chinese panelists. The Korean panelists generated more descriptors than the Chinese panel, and the Korean panelists used descriptors that were related to their individual experiences or cultural backgrounds. According to the results of consumer test, attributes such as glossy surface, salty flavor, and savory flavor determined positive preferences in the Korean panel, and attributes such as glossy surface, sesame oil odor, sesame oil flavor, porridge with milk, whiteness, light flavor, salty odor, and mouthfeel of porridge determined preference in the Chinese panel.