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Chemical investigation of the ethyl acetate extract of the Antarctic bacteria, Pseudorhodobacter psychrotolerans sp. nov. led to the isolation of five diketopiperazines (1–5), an alloxazine (6), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (7), and 2-methylbutanedioic acid (8). The structures of these compounds were confirmed by 1D and 2D-NMR and MS experiments, as well as by comparison with published values. This is the first phytochemical study of Pseudorhodobacter psychrotolerans sp. nov. Furthermore, all the compounds have been isolated for the first time from the genus Pseudorhodobacter and the family Rhodobacteraceae. The chemotaxonomic significance of the isolated compounds is discussed.

Recent studies have investigated the relationship between sarcopenia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), however, there is no unified definition of sarcopenia. Thus, we aimed to investigate the differences among three skeletal muscle mass indices (SMI) in predicting NAFLD. This study included 8133 adults from the 2008–2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey. SMI was calculated as appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by height-square (hSMI), weight (wSMI), or body mass index (bSMI). The presence of NAFLD was defined by using the NAFLD-liver fat score. On the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the predictive power of wSMI for NAFLD was significantly higher than those of hSMI and bSMI in men (wSMI vs. hSMI, p = 0.003, wSMI vs. bSMI, p &lt, 0.001). In women, the predictive power of hSMI was only significantly higher than that of bSMI (p = 0.023), and other predictive powers were not significantly different. In addition, hSMI was correlated with insulin resistance and NAFLD-liver fat score in the opposite direction to wSMI and bSMI in both men and women. Among the three definitions of SMI, wSMI showed the highest diagnostic performance for predicting NAFLD in men, suggesting the importance of defining sarcopenia for its association with specific diseases.

Purpose To study the efficacy of deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) to differentiate pachychoroid from nonpachychoroid on en face optical coherence tomography (OCT) images at the large choroidal vessel. Methods En face OCT images were collected from eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, and central serous chorioretinopathy. All images were prelabeled pachychoroid or nonpachychoroid based on quantitative and qualitative criteria for choroidal morphology on multimodal imaging by two retina specialists. In total, 1188 nonpachychoroid and 884 pachychoroid images were used for training (80%) and validation (20%). Accuracy for identification of pachychoroid by DCNN models was analyzed. Trained models were tested on a test set containing 79 nonpachychoroid and 93 pachychoroid images. Results The accuracy on the validation set was 94.1%, 93.2%, 94.7%, and 94.4% in DenseNet, GoogLeNet, ResNet50, and Inception-v3, respectively. On a test set, each model demonstrated accuracy of 80.2%, 83.1%, 89.5%, and 90.1% and an F1 score of 0.782, 0.824, 0.904, and 0.901, respectively. Conclusions DCNN models could classify pachychoroid and nonpachychoroid with good performance on OCT en face images. Automated classification of pachychoroid will be useful for tailored treatment of individual patients with exudative maculopathy. Translational Relevance En face OCT images can be used by DCNN for classification of pachychoroid.

In this paper, we present a novel framework for quadrupedal stair climbing, which considers force interaction with stairs. For stable and robust climbing, a key issue is to avoid falling down on the stairs. From this point of view, control to minimize rate of change of angular momentum about Center of Mass (CoM) which is produced by ground reaction force (GRF) at contact of robot‘s foot is necessary. Using this approach, direct force-based Zero Moment Point (ZMP) for motion planning of the CoM and landing force control are implemented. The direct force-based ZMP method allows the robot to lift its foot with reduced possibility of tilting on the stairs, and the landing force control prevents instant increase of the moment by impact of the GRFs. In addition, terrain recognition to estimate parameters of the stairs and find proper footholds by vision system mounted on the robot is presented. Proposed framework is implemented to quadruped robot, AiDIN-VI, that has torque sensor at each joint, through experiments, capability of ascending several stairs including 3step stairs which have 21cm height (31% of its maximum leg length) and 26.5° inclination is validated.

This paper proposes the new switching control method for the synchronous rectifier (SR) of phase-shifted full-bridge (PSFB) converter in light-load conditions, where it usually operates in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) to reduce the effective duty ratio and core loss caused by reverse current. However, it has the problem that the current flows through the body diode instead of the channel of SR. This causes undesirable conduction loss. The proposed switching control method of SR reduces the conduction loss by optimizing its turn-on time to minimize the conduction ranges of body diode without an auxiliary circuit. In particular, its boundary condition and loss calculation is mathematically analyzed. Then, its practical effectiveness is verified by experimental tests based on hardware implementation for the PSFB converter of 400 W.

Aim Reduced lung function is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but there are limited data in East Asian populations on the relationship between them. For this reason, this study investigated the longitudinal relationship of lung function with incident T2D in Korean adults. Methods The study included 7583 non-diabetic adults aged 40–69 years from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. Participants were divided into four groups according to gender-specific quartiles (Q1–Q4) of %PFVC and %PFEV1. Also, HRs with 95% CIs for incident T2D were prospectively analyzed as per American Diabetes Association criteria using multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression models. Results During a 12-year follow-up, 1403 (18.5%) participants presented with newly developed T2D. HRs (95% CIs) of incident T2D in Q1 vs. Q4 (reference) of %PFVC were 1.67 (1.35–2.07) for men and 1.77 (1.39–2.24) for women and, of %PFEV1, 1.58 (1.28–1.95) for men and 1.61 (1.27–2.03) for women, after adjusting for age, waist circumference, smoking status, alcohol intake, regular exercise, education levels, monthly household income, family history of diabetes, HOMA-IR, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels. Conclusion Reduced lung function precedes and significantly predicts the future development of T2D independently of obesity, smoking and inflammation in community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly people.

Transition metal oxide (TMO)-based anode materials for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) have generally suffered from limitations of intrinsically severe pulverization upon lithiation and reduced electrical conductivity. To address these issues, an approach of generating hollow nanostructures of TMOs complexed with highly conductive species has been attempted. As a novel means to implement highly electrochemically active TMO-based hollow nanostructures, a pre-synthesized template of a metal organic framework, zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8), was sequentially treated with partial carbonization and oxidation processes, whereby a hollow, nanocage-like structure of ZnO was obtained while preserving the carbonaceous frame as the electroconductive matrix. Furthermore, through additional incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), hollow nanocages of ZnO/N-doped carbon were successfully interwoven to form a well-complexed three-dimensional network, imparting enhanced electrical conductivity and mechanical stability to the complexes. When the synthesized ternary nanocomposites of ZnO/N-doped carbon/CNTs were used as anodes of LIBs, enhanced electrochemical performance was achieved, with high specific capacity, excellent rate capability, and greatly extended cycling stability, which could be attributed to the facilitated Li-ion diffusivity and improved electrical conductivity. Therefore, it is highly expected that the proposed strategy could be extended as a general platform for realizing uniquely structured TMO-based electrode materials for high-performance energy storage systems.

Sensors collect data in many ways and provide various services based on that data. Sensors can be distributed or placed anywhere unreachable from human beings. In wireless sensor network environment, it is hard to replace sensor nodes when they fail to operate. In an anchor-based group relay MAC(AGR-MAC), an anchor node can be isolated when any other anchor nodes do not exist in the communication range. And data collected into isolated sensor nodes could be discarded. In order for solving this kind of node isolation phenomenon, we have proposed isolation detection and recovery method for AGR-MAC and prevented the nodes from unwantedly discarding the data.

Although sarcopenia is known to be a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), whether NAFLD is a risk factor for the development of sarcopenia is not clear. We investigated relationships between NAFLD and low skeletal muscle mass index (LSMI) using three different datasets. Participants were classified into LSMI and normal groups. LSMI was defined as a body mass index (BMI)-adjusted appendicular skeletal muscle mass &lt, 0.789 in men and &lt, 0.512 in women or as the sex-specific lowest quintile of BMI-adjusted total skeletal muscle mass. NAFLD was determined according to NAFLD liver fat score or abdominal ultrasonography. The NAFLD groups showed a higher hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for LSMI than the normal groups (HRs = 1.21, 95% CIs = 1.05–1.40). The LSMI groups also showed a higher HRs with 95% CIs for NAFLD than normal groups (HRs = 1.56, 95% CIs = 1.38–1.78). Participants with NAFLD had consistently less skeletal muscle mass over 12 years of follow-up. In conclusion, LSMI and NAFLD showed a relationship. Maintaining muscle mass should be emphasized in the management of NAFLD.

Purpose We sought to assess the relationship between retinal nonperfusion area (NPA) on ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography (UWFA) and renal function in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and nephropathy. Methods UWFA was performed in 248 eyes (124 patients) with DR, comprising 94 eyes from patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) caused by diabetes and 154 eyes without CKD (non-CKD). Serum creatinine level (Cr), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), urine albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR), and urine protein/creatinine ratio (UPCR) were collected. On UWFA, retinal NPA was measured in an automated manner. The correlation between NPA and renal function was analyzed. Results The mean NPA value of the total eye was 33.11 ± 45.77-disc diameter (DA) in non-CKD and 100.57 ± 69.52 in CKD (P < 0.001). NPA of posterior pole was 1.21 ± 3.28 DA in non-CKD and 7.99 ± 6.75 in CKD group (P < 0.001). The NPA values of both the total eye and posterior pole were significantly correlated with Cr (r = 0.585 and 0.483), eGFR (r = −0.572 and −0.524), UACR (r = 0.541 and 0.482), and UPCR (r = 0.509 and 0.529, respectively) (all P ≤ 0.001). Linear modeling encompassing all clinical factors and relative clinical factors suggested eGFR as the most important predictor for NPAs of the total eye and posterior pole. Conclusions Larger retinal NPA on UWFA is associated with worse renal function in DM patients. Renal function can be used to predict retinal NPA in type 2 DM patients with nephropathy and DR.

WBAN은 인체 내부 및 외부에 부착한 디바이스를 무선으로 연결하여 통신하는 근거리 무선통신 기술로 IEEE 802.15.6 TG BAN을 중심으로 물리, 데이터 링크, 네트워크, 응용계층에서 표준화가 진행되고 있다. WBAN 기술은 전력제한 및 생체특성을 반영하여 센서와 지그비 디바이스를 사용하여 에너지 효율적으로 구성한다. 무선 센서 네트워크는 다수의 센서노드와 센서노드가 전송하는 센싱 데이터를 수집하는 싱크노드로 구성된다. 센서노드는 넓은 지역에 정해진 형태없이 배치되어 프로토콜에 의해 자가구성 능력을 가진다. 본 논문에서는 WBAN 환경에서 적용되고 있는 ZigBee 무선 통신 환경의 주소 지정방식과 라우팅 알고리즘의 성능을 향상시키기 위한 새로운 좌표 값 알고리즘을 제안하였다. 기존 Cskip 알고리즘을 이용한 분산 주소 할당 기법의 낭비되는 주소공간의 문제를 해결하기 위해 (x,y,z) 3개의 좌표 축을 제안하여 16bit 주소공간을 분할하여 사용한다. 각 노드에서 라우팅 시 좌표 값을 이용하여 적은 비트별 연산이 수행되며 멀티 홉을 감소시킬 수 있다. 이에 대한 성능 분석으로 제안한 알고리즘은 수학적 분석 모델을 사용하였고 ZigBee 무선 통신 환경의 계층적 라우팅에서 사용하는 경로 벡터를 사용하여 센서 노드의 멀티 홉 카운트 결과를 도출하였다. 수학적 분석 결과 ZigBee 분산 주소 할당 기법과 기존 알고리즘에 비해 평균 멀티 홉의 수가 감소함으로써 에너지 효율이 향상됨을 입증하였다.

This paper evaluated the possibility for 1/5,000 digital topographic mapping by using PLEIADES images of 0.5m GSD(Ground Sampling Distance) resolution that has recently launched. Those results of check points by applying the initial RPC(Rational Polynomial Coefficient) of PLEIADES images came out as; RMSE of those were X=±1.806m, Y=±2.132m, Z=±1.973m. Also, if we corrected geometric correction using 16 GCP(Ground Control Point)s, the results of RMSE became X=±0.104m, Y=±0.171m, Z=±0.036m, and the RMSE of check points were X=±0.357m, Y=±0.239m, Z=±0.188m; which of those results indicated the accuracy of standard adjustment complied in error tolerances of the 1/5,000 scale. Additionally, we converted coordinates of points, obtained by TerraSAR. for comparing with measurements from GPS(Global Positioning System) surveying. The RMSE of comparing converted and GPS points were X=±0.818m, Y=±0.200m, Z=±0.265m, which confirmed the possibility for 1/5,000 digital topographic mapping with PLEIADES images and GCPs. As method of obtaining GCPs in unaccessible area, however, the outcome evaluation of GCPs extracted from TerraSAR images was not acceptable for 1/5,000 digital topographic mapping. Therefore, we considered that further researches are needed on applicability of GCPs extracted from TerraSAR images for future alternative method. Keywords : PLEIADES Image, Unaccessible Area, Digital Topographic Map, TerraSAR, Control Point초 록본 연구에서는 최근 서비스화 된 PLEIADES의 GSD 0.5m 영상을 이용하여 1/5,000 수치지형도 제작의 가능성을 평가하였다. PLEIADES 영상의 초기 RPC 계수를 적용한 결과, 검사점에 대한 RMSE가 X=±1.806m, Y=±2.132m, Z=±1.973m이며, 초기 RPC 계수와 지상기준점 16점으로 기하보정한 결과, RMSE가 X=±0.104m, Y=±0.171m, Z=±0.036m이며, 검사점에 대한 RMSE는 X=±0.357m, Y=±0.239m, Z=±0.188m로 1/5,000 수치지형도 제작에 대한 허용오차의 기준에 부합하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 또한, TerraSAR 기준점을 평가하여 활용 가능성 여부를 확인하기 위해 좌표 변환하여 GPS 측량성과와 비교한 결과, RMSE가 X=±0.818m, Y=±0.200m, Z=±0.265m의 결과를 도출하였다. 본 연구 결과로 PLEIADES 영상과 정확한 지상기준점을 이용하면 1/5,000 수치지형도 제작이 가능하다는 것을 확인하였으며, 비접근 지역의 수치지형도 제작을 위한 기준점 확보 방안으로 TerraSAR 기준점을 평가한 결과, 1/5,000 수치지형도를 제작하기 위한 기준점에는 부합하지는 않았지만, 향후 대안으로써 TerraSAR 기준점을 활용하는 방안에 대하여 추가 연구가 필요하다고 사료된다.핵심어 : PLEIADES 영상, 비접근 지역, 수치지형도, TerraSAR, 기준점

School of Mechanical Engineering, ERI, Gyeongsang National University(Received May 10, 2014 ; Revised June 24, 2014 ; Accepted June 25, 2014)Abstract − Various heat-treated and surface coating methods are used to mitigate abrasion in sliding machineparts. The most cost effective of these methods involves hard coatings such as diamond-like carbon (DLC). DLChas various advantages, including a high level of hardness, low coefficient of friction, and low wear rate. In prac-tice, a supporting layer is generally inserted between the DLC layer and the steel substrate to improve the loadcarrying capacity. In this study, an indentation and sliding contact problem involving a small, hard, spherical par-ticle and a DLC-coated steel surface is modeled and analyzed using a nonlinear finite element code, MARC, toinvestigate the influence of the supporting layer thickness on the coating characteristics and the related coatingfailure mechanisms. The results show that the amount of plastic deformation and the maximum principal stressdecrease with an increase in the supporting layer thickness. However, the probability of the high tensile stresswithin the coating layer causing a crack is greatly increased. Therefore, in the case of DLC coating with a sup-porting layer, fatigue wear can be another important cause of coating layer failure, together with the generallywell-known abrasive wear.Keywords − coating (코팅), DLC (Diamond-like carbon), supporting layer (지지층), sliding contact analysis (미끄럼접촉해석), abrasive wear (연삭 마멸), fatigue wear (피로 마멸)

A simple reconfigurable antenna for mobile device applications is proposed in this letter. The proposed structure uses a conventional planar inverted-F antenna as its basic geometry and a single PIN diode embedded in the middle of the shorting line. The proposed antenna has two resonances (f1 and f2). These resonances are easily controlled by electrically controlling the on/off state of the PIN diode. The measured results show that the basic resonance f1 covers the GSM850 (824–894 MHz) and GSM900 (880–960 MHz) bands in the lower band, and the harmonic resonance f2 includes digital communication system (1710–1880 MHz), personal communication system (1850–1990 MHz), and universal mobile telecommunications system (1920–2710 MHz) bands in the higher band. Therefore, the proposed antenna achieves penta-band wireless wide area network operation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:769–774, 2014

IntroductionMechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) devices are widely used to rescue patients from cardiac arrest. This study aimed to compare hemodynamic effects and resuscitation outcomes between a motor-driven, automatic simultaneous sterno-thoracic cardiopulmonary resuscitation device and the Lund University cardiac arrest system (LUCAS).Material and methodsAfter 2 minutes of electrically induced ventricular fibrillation (VF), Yorkshire pigs (weight 35-60 kg) received CPR with an automatic simultaneous sterno-thoracic CPR device (X-CPR group, n = 13) or the Lund University cardiac arrest system (LUCAS group, n = 12). Basic life support for 6 minutes and advanced cardiovascular life support for 12 minutes, including defibrillation and epinephrine administration, were provided. Hemodynamic parameters and resuscitation outcomes, including return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), 24-hour survival, and cerebral performance category (CPC) at 24 hours, were evaluated.ResultsHemodynamic parameters, including aortic pressures, coronary perfusion pressure, carotid blood flow, and end-tidal carbon dioxide pressure were not significantly different between the two groups. Resuscitation outcomes were also not significantly different between the groups (X-CPR vs. LUCAS; rate of ROSC: 31% vs 25%, p = 1.000; 24-hour survival rate: 31% vs 17%, p = 0.645; neurological outcome with CPC ≤2: 31% vs 17%, p = 0.645). Also no significant difference in incidence complications associated with resuscitation was found between the groups.ConclusionsCPR with a motor-driven X-CPR and CPR with the LUCAS produced similar hemodynamic effects and resuscitation outcomes in a swine model of cardiac arrest.

Various heat treatment and surface coating methods have been applied to machine parts. Nowadays, diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings are widely used because of their excellent tribological characteristics. Despite the numerous studies on DLC-coated engineering surfaces, the exact wear mechanisms related to the coating thickness and elastic modulus have not been fully examined. In this study, a sliding contact problem between a small spherical hard particle and a DLC-coated steel surface is analyzed using a nonlinear finite element code, MARC. The maximum principal stress distributions and deformed surfaces are compared for different coating thicknesses and Young’s modulus values. Plastically deformed surface shapes such as a groove and torus indicate that the most dominant wear mechanism for a DLC-coated surface is abrasive wear. Fatigue wear can also play a role in a case where the coating thickness is relatively large and the elastic modulus is high.

Chronic microglial activation endangers neuronal survival through the release of various toxic pro-inflammatory molecules; thus, negative regulators of microglial activation have been identified as potential therapeutic candidates for several neurological diseases. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of an ethanol extract of Cnidium officinale rhizomes (EECO), which has been used as a herbal drug in Oriental medicine, on the production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pro-inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), as well as that of pro-inflammatory cytokines in BV2 microglia cells. EECO significantly inhibited the excess production of NO and PGE₂ in LPS-stimulated BV2 microglia cells. It also attenuated the expression of inducible NO synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, as well as that of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α. Moreover, EECO exhibited anti-inflammatory properties by suppressing nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) translocation and the activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells. These results indicate that EECO exerts anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-stimulated BV2 microglial cells by inhibiting pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokine production by blocking the NF-κB pathway. These findings suggest that EECO has substantial therapeutic potential for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases accompanied by microglial activation.

In this paper, a coupled-fed monopole antenna for LTE/WWAN mobile handset applications is presented. The antenna consists of a monopole, a coupling strip, a feeding pad, a stub, and a shorting strip. The basic resonance of the monopole combines with the resonance formed by the coupling that occurs between the coupling strip and the feeding pad to include LTE700(698~787 MHz), GSM850(824~894 MHz), and GSM900(890~960 MHz) bands. The resonance of the stub combines with the harmonics of the monopole to include GSM1800(1,710~1,880 MHz), GSM1900(1,850~1,990 MHz), and UMTS(1,920~2,170 MHz) bands. Therefore, the proposed antenna is suitable as antenna for hexa-band mobile handset applications, covering LTE700, GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, and UMTS bands. A stable and omni-directional radiation pattern with reasonable gains is observed within the operating bandwidth.

This paper presents a novel ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna that rejects narrow and broad bands and is suitable for wireless communications. The base of the proposed antenna has a circular patch that can cover the UWB frequency range (3.1～10.6 GHz). The interference issues caused by co-existence within the UWB operation frequency are overcome by a design that uses a parallel-coupled asymmetric dual-line with a circular monopole antenna. The proposed antenna showed a stable radiation pattern, realized gain and reflection coefficient lower than —10 dB across the UWB operation bandwidth except for 5.15～5.85 GHz and 7.25～8.4 GHz. The fabrication, simulation, and measurement results obtained for the proposed antenna were in good agreement with the expected values.

The WBAN technology means a short distance wireless network which provides each device interactive communication by connecting devices inside and outside of body. Standardization on the physical layer, data link layer, network layer and application layer is in progress by IEEE 802.15.6 TG BAN. Wireless body area network is usually configured in energy efficient using sensor and zigbee device due to the power limitation and the characteristics of human body. Wireless sensor network consist of sensor field and sink node. Sensor field are composed a lot of sensor node and sink node collect sensing data. Wireless sensor network has capacity of the self constitution by protocol where placed in large area without fixed position. Mobile sink node distribute energy consumption therefore network life time was increased than fixed sink node. The energy efficient is important matter in wireless body area network because energy resource was limited on sensor node. In this paper we proposed cluster topology algorithm for efficient data transmission in wireless body area network based mobile sink. The proposed algorithm show good performance under the advantage of grid routing protocol and TDMA scheduling that minimized overlap area on cluster and reduced amount of data on cluster header in error prone wireless sensor network based on mobile sink.

Although the Gillies (temporal) approach to reduction malarplasty helps preserve supportive soft tissue and avoid facial scars, the osteotomy site is difficult to gauge when using this blind technique. Our experience with external radiopaque marking of the zygomatic arch to guide this process is presented herein. This retrospective review included all patients who underwent reduction malarplasty (as above) at our clinic between August 2013 and September 2015. Procedures entailed L-shaped osteotomy only (no segmental excision) of the zygomatic body by the intraoral route, and posterior zygomatic arch osteotomy by the Gillies approach, guided by external radiopaque markings. Patient characteristics, surgical outcomes, and complications were analyzed to assess the merits of this strategy. Postoperative results were evaluated by both the patients and the surgeon. Most patients expressed satisfaction during the follow-up period (range, 3-27 months). Posterior osteotomies were properly performed as planned, with no major complications (i.e., malunion or nonunion, cheek drooping, or facial nerve injury), although minor complications were recorded in three instances. Use of external radiopaque markings provides guidance during malarplasty by the Gillies approach and may help avoid procedural complications.

The purpose of this study is to provide basic data reflecting body characteristics for production of briefs by classifying lower body types of women in their 40s, 50s and 60s. The results are as follows: First, measurements for height-related items decreased while the measurements for width and depth items increased with age. However, `hip width` and `hip depth` items showed no significant differences among the age groups. In addition, no visible differences appeared in the length items among the age groups but `waist to hip` and `outside leg` lengths showed decreasing values according to age. Second, four factors were established from the factor analysis: `obesity level around waist and abdomen`, `vertical length of the lower body`, `thickness and obesity level of lower limbs`, and, `size and shape of buttocks`. Lastly, cluster analysis resulted in the classification of the four factors mentioned above. Type 2 appeared the most, representing women in their 40s~60s. Type 1(n

Recently, the flash memory consistently increases the storage capacity while the price of the memory is being cheap. This makes the mass storage SSD(Solid State Drive) popular. The flash memory, however, has a lot of defects. In order that these defects should be complimented, it is needed to use the FTL(Flash Translation Layer) as a special layer. To operate restrictions of the hardware efficiently, the FTL that is essential to work plays a role of transferring from the logical sector number of file systems to the physical sector number of the flash memory. Especially, the poor performance is attributed to Erase-Before-Write among the flash memory`s restrictions, and even if there are lots of studies based on the log block, a few problems still exists in order for the mass storage flash memory to be operated. If the FAST based on Log Block-Based Flash often is generated in the wide locality causing the random writing, the merge operation will be occur as the sectors is not used in the data block. In other words, the block thrashing which is not effective occurs and then, the flash memory`s performance get worse. If the log-block makes the overwriting caused, the log-block is executed like a cache and this technique contributes to developing the flash memory performance improvement. This study for the improvement of the random writing demonstrates that the log block is operated like not only the cache but also the entire flash memory so that the merge operation and the erase operation are diminished as there are a distinct mapping table called as the offset mapping table for the operation. The new FTL is to be defined as the XAST(extensively-Associative Sector Translation). The XAST manages the offset mapping table with efficiency based on the spatial locality and temporal locality.

This study establishes the initial data to develop a well-fitted underwear pattern by categorizing and analyzing torso types based on body measurements of women in their 50s and 60s. The results are as follows: First, the statistical assessment on the body measurements showed meaningful differences among age groups in twenty seven items (except for bust breadth, hip width armscye depth, hip depth, neck base circumference, armscye circumference, chest circumference, hip circumference, bishoulder length, shoulder length, front interscye, back interscye, weight and inclined angle of left shoulder). Women in their early 50s and late 60s (respectively) showed the highest values in height and depth. Second, there are five body factors according to the results of the factor analysis: Factor 1 (circumference, width, and depth of upper body measurements) - the degree of body depth and obesity, Factor 2 (height and vertical length) - The vertical torso length, Factor 3 - the size of shoulder, Factor 4 - the vertical upper body length, and Factor 5 - the size of shoulder angle. Third, the results of the cluster analysis showed that there are four distinctive body types. The largest number of the study subjects was related to Type 3 (30.69%), followed by Type 2 (26.78%), Type 1 (25.84%), and Type 4 (16.69%), respectively. For distribution of age groups by body type, Type 3 was the most common among the 60s group while Type 2 appeared most frequently among the 50s.

In this paper, a three elastic body sliding contact problem is modeled to investigate more precise wear mechanisms related with the sealing surface. A 3-D finite element contact model, a small spherical elastic particle, PTFE seal and steel surface, is solved using a nonlinear finite element code MARC. The deformed seal and steel surface shapes, von-Mises and principal stress distributions are obtained for different seal sliding distances. The entrapped small particle within PTFE seal results in very high stresses on the steel surface which exceeded its yield strength and produce plastic deformation such as groove and torus. The sealing surface could also be worn down by sub-surface fatigue due to intervening small particles together with the well-known abrasive wear. Therefore the proposed contact model adopted in this paper can be applied in design of various sealing systems, and further studies are required.

This study examined the role of the intracellular calcium chelator, bis-(2-aminophenoxy)-ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA), in modulating the phosphorylation of the spinal N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) NR1 and NR2B subunits after 2Hz electroacupuncture (EA) in rats. The level of EA analgesia was reduced by an intraperitoneal injection of BAPTA at a higher dose after terminating EA stimulation. At 60min after the EA treatment, the total number of c-fos-immunolabeled neurons in each region of the dorsal horn in lumbar segments (L4-5) was decreased by the BAPTA injection, particularly in the Nucleus proprius. The BAPTA injection decreased significantly the mean integrated optical density of phosphorylated NR1 subunit in the superficial laminae and neck region, and the phosphorylated NR2B subunit in the superficial laminae. Western blot analyses confirmed decreased levels of both phosphorylated subunits. In conclusion, intracellular calcium may play an important role in low-frequency EA analgesia by modulating the phosphorylation state of the spinal NMDAR subunits.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of Curcuma longa by solvent partitioning and purification with octadecylsilane open column chromatography yielded a partial purification. The active 80% methanol chromatographic fraction from the ethyl acetate layer [partial purification from C. longa (PPC)] was used to investigate the alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH)-stimulated melanogenesis signal pathway in B16F10 cells. In cells stimulated alpha-MSH, PPC inhibited cellular melanin contents, tyrosinase activity and expression of melanogenesis-related proteins including microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related proteins (TRP). Melanogenesis-regulating signalling such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt was activated by PPC in alpha-MSH-stimulated B16F10 cells. The suppressive activity of PPC on alpha-MSH-induced melanogenesis was abrogated by selective inhibition of MEK/ERK (PD98059) and PI3K (LY294002). MEK/ERK or Akt activation by PPC may contribute to reduced melanin synthesis via MITF and its downstream signal pathway including tyrosinase and TRPs in alpha-MSH-induced melanogenesis.

D-Ala2-Leu5-enkephalin (DADLE), a hibernation inducer, can induce hibernation-like state in vivo and in vitro. We treated U937 human leukemia cancer cells with DADLE and investigated its possible effect on transcription and proliferation. Treatment of U937 cells with DADLE resulted in growth inhibition and induction of apoptotic cell death on high-dose as measured by MTT assay and DNA flow cytometer analysis. Bcl-XL, c-IAP-2 and survivin genes especially showed decreases in mRNA levels. DADLE treatment also inhibited the levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 mRNA without alteration of COX-1 expression. DNA flow cytometer analysis revealed that DADLE caused arrest of the cell cycle on low-dose, which was associated with a down-regulation of cyclin E at the transcriptional level. DADLE treatment induced a marked down-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk)-2, -4 and -6. In addition, treatment with DADLE decreased telomere associated genes such as, c-myc and TERT, and increased TEP-1 in U937 cells. These results suggest that DADLE can be an inhibition agent in the cell cycle of the human leukemia cancer U937 cell.

Naringenin, a naturally occurring citrus flavonone, has shown cytotoxicity in various human cancer cell lines as well as inhibitory effects on tumor growth and there is increasing interest in its therapeutic applications. In this study, the effect of ectopic Bcl-2 expression on naringenin-induced apoptosis was investigated. We found that Bcl-2 overexpression markedly protected human leukemia U937 cells from time- and dose-dependent induction of apoptosis by naringenin, as did caspase-3 and caspase-9 inhibitors. Additionally, Bcl-2 overexpression attenuated naringenin-induced Bax translocation and cytosolic release of cytochrome c. Our results also indicated that co-administration of HA14-1 and naringenin increased apoptosis in Bcl-2 overexpressing U937 cells by restoring mitochondrial dysfunction and activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, as well as by cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Taken together, these observations indicate that Bcl-2 confers apoptosis resistance to naringenin by inhibiting a mitochondrial amplification step in U937 cells.

Cimicifuga rhizoma has long been used in traditional Korean medicine. In particular, a Cimicifuga heracleifolia extract (CHE) was reported to inhibit the formation of glutamate and the glutamate dehydrogenase activity in cultured rat islet. Glutamate activates melanogenesis by activating tyrosinase. Accordingly, it was hypothesized that a CHE might inhibit the melanogenesis-related signal pathways including the inhibition of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF)-tyrosinase signaling and/or the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-Akt signaling. The results showed that CHE inhibits the cellular melanin contents, tyrosinase activity and expression of melanogenesis-related proteins including MITF, tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein (TRP)s in alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-stimulated B16 cells. Moreover, CHE phosphorylates MEK, ERK1/2 and Akt, which are melanogenesis inhibitory proteins. The data suggest that CHE inhibits melanogenesis signaling by both inhibiting the tyrosinase directly and activating the MEK-ERK or Akt signal pathways-mediated suppression of MITF and its downstream signal pathway, including tyrosinase and TRPs. Therefore, C. heracleifolia would be a useful therapeutic agent for treating hyperpigmentation and an effective component in whitening and/or lightening cosmetics.

The present study investigated the role of inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A on the modulation of the phosphorylation of the spinal N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor (NMDAR) NR1 and NR2B subunits following electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation in rats. Bilateral 2 Hz EA stimulations with 1.0 mA were delivered at those acupoints corresponding to Zusanli and Sanyinjiao to men via needles for 30 min. EA analgesia was slightly reduced by the intrathecal injection of calyculin A during EA stimulation. At 60 min after the termination of EA stimulation, the levels of c-fos, serine phosphorylation of NR1 and NR2B by Western analysis had increased in the L 4–5 segments of the spinal cord after EA treatment. These expressions were enhanced by the intrathecal injection of calyculin A and immunohistochemical analyses confirmed the significant increase of these proteins. As for the regional reaction of NMDAR subunits, a mean integrated optical density of phosphorylated NR1 and NR2B subunits was potentiated by calyculin A injections in the superficial laminae and neck region and superficial laminae and nucleus proprius, respectively. It can be concluded that protein phosphatase may play an important role in EA analgesia by modulating the phosphorylation state of spinal NMDAR subunits.

본 연구는 변혁적 리더십의 구성요소들이 호텔 종사원의 직무만족과 조직동일시에 미치는 영향력을 분석하고 또한 인구통계학적 특성과 호텔이 카지고 있는 특징이 조절변수로서 변학적 리더십에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지를 파악하여 우리나라 호텔산업의 경영자 및 호텔 종사원들에게 조금이나마 도움이 되 고자하였다 본 연구의 주요 분석 결과로는 첫째, 변혁적 리더십부문과 호텔 종사원의 직무만족부문 요인분석결과 변혁적 리더십부문에서는 총 18개의 변수들이 ‘배려형 리더십 요인’과 ‘비전형 리더십 요인’의 2개의 요인 으로 추출되었으며, 호텔 종사원의 직무Eμ족부문에서는 총 31 개의 변수들이 ‘후생복지정책과 근무환경 요인’, ‘능력의 발휘와 직무안정성 요인’, ‘동료관계와 직무수행 요인’, ‘회사정책적 요인’ 등의 4개 요인으 로 추출되었다. 둘째, 호텔기업에서 상사의 번혁적 리더십유형은 종사원의 직무만족과 조직동일시에 유 의적인 영호k을 미치는가에 대하여 단계별 회귀분석을 실시한 결과 변혁적 리더십유형 중 호텔 종사원의 직무만족에 유의한 영향올 미치는 것으로 나타난 것은 ‘비전형 리더십’요인미었고, 조직동일시에 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타난 것은 ‘비전형 리더십’요인과 ‘배려형 리더십’요인 모두인 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 변혁적 리더십유형과 인구통계학적 특성 및 일반적인 특성간 유의적인 차이률 알아보기 위하여 일 원분산분석과 t-검증을 실시한 결과 소득수준과 현 직급, 근무년수, 호텔경영형태? 이직경험에서 통계적 으로 유의적인 차이가 있는 것으로 나타났다

The present study was conducted to determine whether blockage of both N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-proprionic acid/kainate (AMPA/KA) receptors influences the induction of low frequency electroacupuncture (EA) analgesia. Although neither intrathecal injection of NMDA antagonist D-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (D-AP-5) or AMPA/KA antagonist 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-nitro-2,3-dioxo-benzo[f]quinoxaline-7-sulfonami-de (NBQX) disodium alone had an effect on analgesia, spinal application of D-AP-5 and NBQX disodium significantly prevented analgesia induced by 2 Hz EA. The intrathecal injection of the excitatory amino acid NMDA produced analgesia for several minutes after intrathecal injection, as did EA stimulation. These results suggest that ionotropic glutamate receptors may be involved in the induction of 2 Hz EA analgesia.

A compact, reconfigurable planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) for mobile phone applications is presented. Based on recent smart-phone geometries, a PIN diode on an antenna radiator is used for frequency-reconfigurable operation with a PIFA structure. The proposed novel hexa-band built-in mobile antenna, which is designed to cover LTE, GSM850, GSM900, DCS, PCS, and UMTS bands, is satisfactory in terms of its reflection coefficient, radiation patterns, and average gain (efficiency). A prototype is investigated, and good agreement between simulations and measurements is shown. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:1926–1928, 2013

Acid phosphatase (AP) in the egg of the lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, was purified and characterized. Ammonium sulfate precipitation, CM column and isoelectrofocusing (IEF) were applied to purify an estimated molecular weight of 66 kDa AP. The purity was checked by SDS PAGE, native PAGE and Western blot. AP was detected in the hemolymph of the female and the egg, but not in the male on the blotting. Km of AP for a substrate, p-nitrophenyl phosphate (p-NPP), was 1.64 x 10-4 M. AP had the optimum enzymatic activity at pH 3.5. In inhibition tests performed with various chemicals, ammonium molybdate suppressed 99% of the enzyme activity of AP even at the concentration of 5 x 10-4 mM. AP was stable up to 50°C.

To understand the adaptational strategy of Korean chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus) to cold temperature, blood and serum properties, and thyroid gland activity of cold‐exposed chipmunks were examined. The number of erythrocytes and hemoglobin concentration increased, but platelets decreased in cold‐exposed chipmunks compared with warm chipmunks. Serum total protein levels increased at early phase of cold‐exposure, and decreased thereafter. Plasma glucose levels showed a transitory increase in cold temperature. Although there was significant decrease in serum total thyroxine level in cold‐exposed chipmunks, serum total triiodothyronine level changed little. Histological analysis of thyroid glands demonstrated decreased thyroid activity, suggesting that differences in the blood and serum properties between the warm and cold‐exposed chipmunks may be due to the different metabolic strategy associated with cold temperature.

Optimum reaction conditions are examined for the asymmetric addition of allyl iodide (III) to hydrazones which are prepared in situ from (I) and aldehydes (II).

A peroxidase‐antiperoxidase method was used to detect the cells showing immunoreactivities to six hormone antibodies in the alimentary tracts of six frog species, Rana nigromaculata, R. rugosa, R. amurensis coreana, R. catesbeiana, Bombina orientalis, and Hyla arborea japonica, inhabiting Korea. The cells immunoreactive to gastrin and cholecystokinin‐8 were observed in the pylorus of the stomachs and in the small intestines of all frog species examined. In contrast, these somatostatin‐immunoreactive cells were identified in the esophagus and the whole gastrointestinal tracts, but were absent from the large intestines in R. rugosa, R. catesbeiana, B. orientalis, and H. arborea japonica. The pancreatic polypeptide (PP)‐immunoreactive cells represented their distribution limited to the small intestines of R. amurensis coreana and H. arborea japonica, and they were additionally identified in the pylorus of the stomachs in the other four species. Serotonin‐ and glucagon‐ immunoreactive cells revealed different...