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There is an increasing demand in the flexible electronics industry for highly robust flexible/transparent conductors that can withstand high temperatures and corrosive environments. In this work, outstanding thermal and ambient stability is demonstrated for a highly transparent Ag nanowire electrode with a low electrical resistivity, by encapsulating it with an ultra-thin Al2O3 film (around 5.3 nm) via low-temperature (100 °C) atomic layer deposition. The Al2O3-encapsulated Ag nanowire (Al2O3/Ag) electrodes are stable even after annealing at 380 °C for 100 min and maintain their electrical and optical properties. The Al2O3 encapsulation layer also effectively blocks the permeation of H2O molecules and thereby enhances the ambient stability to greater than 1,080 h in an atmosphere with a relative humidity of 85% at 85 °C. Results from the cyclic bending test of up to 500,000 cycles (under an effective strain of 2.5%) confirm that the Al2O3/Ag nanowire electrode has a superior mechanical reliability to that of the conventional indium tin oxide film electrode. Moreover, the Al2O3 encapsulation significantly improves the mechanical durability of the Ag nanowire electrode, as confirmed by performing wiping tests using isopropyl alcohol.

This paper analyzes and compares the pedestrian characteristics of 5 urban communities with 2012 Seoul floating population survey data. First of all, differences in total pedestrian volumes and time distribution of the volumes are compared across the 5 urban communities and the effects of pedestrian road properties are investigated. Then, we conduct a regression analysis to find factors influencing pedestrian volume according to the type of urban community and day of week. As results, the urban community had the greatest volume and the volume increased significantly at lunch time. Center bus lane, bus stop, and crosswalk lead to more trips in the urban community, while opposite patterns occurred in the other communities. Less slopes and commercial region areas caused more trips in all communities. Regression analysis results showed that a variety of variables including demographic indices, land use type and pedestrian road properties differently affect pedestrian volumes in individual urban communities. The research can be used as basic data to establish polices for pedestrian environment improvement.본 연구는 서울시 유동인구조사자료를 토대로 5개 생활권역의 보행특성을 비교․분석하였다. 우선 권역별로 총 보행량, 시간대별 보행량, 조사지점 속성에 따른 보행량의 차이를 분석하고 , 다중선형회귀분석을 통해 평일과 주말 보행량에 영향을 미치는 요인을 규명하였다 . 분석결과, 대부분의 권역에서 중앙선, 버스정류장, 횡단보도가 있는 경우 유동인구가 증가하였으나 , 도심권에서는 반대의 현상이 나타났다 . 모든 권역에서 상업지역은 보행의 유발요인인 반면, 경사로는 보행의 방해요인인 것으로 나타났다 . 회귀분석 결과에 의하면 다양한 통행특성지표 , 토지이용지표, 사회적지표 및 조사지점 속성이 유동인구에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다 . 유동인구와 상관성을 보이는 변수는 권역에 따라 다소 상이하였으며 , 영향을 미치는 정도도 다름을 확인할 수 있었다 . 본 연구는 보행량을 종속변수로 하여 영향요인을 규명한 것으로 향후 보행환경 개선을 위한 정책수립시 기초자료로 활용할 수 있을 것이다 .

Stimulation degree, biomechanical force, and de qi sensation are the three major components of needle manipulation. To date, it has been difficult to measure all three components quantitatively.To (1) measure and compare biomechanical forces of six human acupoints in vivo during haptic manipulation, (2) develop phantom acupoints with biomechanical forces similar to those of human acupoints, and (3) validate the newly developed phantom acupoints based on assessment by doctors of Korean medicine.The biomechanical force and needle grasp sensation (i.e., the practitioner's de qi sensation) of six human acupoints (LI4, LI11, LR3, ST36, ST25, and BL25) were assessed in 16 participants upon stimulation with the twisting manipulation technique. On the basis of biomechanical data from these human acupoints, phantom acupoints that generated similar biomechanical forces were developed by using 1%-7% agarose gel.In humans, the mean torque amplitudes of the six acupoints differed significantly. In the phantom, the biomechanical force was dose-dependently greater in higher-concentration agarose gel phantom acupoints. Biomechanical force and the needle grasp sensation were significantly correlated in both human and phantom acupoints. Importantly, practitioners could not discriminate between human and phantom acupoints, suggesting that the validity and credibility of the phantom acupoints are sufficient for applications in education and research.Application of force-validated phantom acupoints based on human data will be a helpful tool for training and will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of acupuncture manipulation.

Objective Although there is a growing interest in the use of acupuncture during pregnancy, the safety of acupuncture is yet to be rigorously investigated. The objective of this review is to identify adverse events (AEs) associated with acupuncture treatment during pregnancy. Methods We searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED) and five Korean databases up to February 2013. Reference lists of relevant articles were screened for additional reports. Studies were included regardless of their design if they reported original data and involved acupuncture needling and/or moxibustion treatment for any conditions in pregnant women. Studies of acupuncture for delivery, abortion, assisted reproduction or postpartum conditions were excluded. AE data were extracted and assessed in terms of severity and causality, and incidence was determined. Results Of 105 included studies, detailed AEs were reported only in 25 studies represented by 27 articles (25.7%). AEs evaluated as certain, probable or possible in the causality assessment were all mild/moderate in severity, with needling pain being the most frequent. Severe AEs or deaths were few and all considered unlikely to have been caused by acupuncture. Total AE incidence was 1.9%, and the incidence of AEs evaluated as certainly, probably or possibly causally related to acupuncture was 1.3%. Conclusions Acupuncture during pregnancy appears to be associated with few AEs when correctly applied.

This paper presents a multi-level modeling approach which captures the cooperative behavior of carriers in maritime freight transportation networks. Ocean carriers, land carriers and port terminal operators are considered. Port terminal operators are regarded as a special type of carrier for modeling purposes. Ocean carriers are the leaders in a maritime shipping market. Port terminal operators are the followers of ocean carriers as well as the leaders of land carriers. For cooperating ocean and land carriers, compensation principle is used to find the optimal service charge and routing pattern that maximize their total profit, while port terminal operators act competitively. The concept of Stackelberg game is applied to a multi-level game, assuming a single ocean shipping company (leader) through an alliance. Subsequently, the paper considers cooperation between ocean carriers and port terminal operators, while individual carriers within the same group are considered to act competitively. Cooperative games within the same carrier group and between different groups of carriers are examined and compared with competitive games. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the validity of the developed model.

This paper presents a novel multi-level hierarchical approach which models carrier interactions in international maritime freight transportation networks. Ocean carriers, land carriers and port terminal operators are considered. Port terminal operators, providing transportation services within a port complex, are regarded as a special type of the carrier, based on their behavior. The carriers make pricing and routing decisions at different parts of the multimodal network, having hierarchical relationships. Ocean carriers are regarded as the leaders in a maritime shipping market. Port terminal operators are the followers of ocean carriers as well as the leaders of land carriers. The individual carrier problem is formulated at each level using Nash equilibrium to find the optimal service charge and routing pattern for which each carrier obtains the greatest profit. Interactions among different types of carriers are captured in a three-level model. The concept of multi-leader-follower game is applied to a multi-level game. A numerical example is used to demonstrate the validity of the developed three-level model.

The paper presents a multi-level hierarchical approach which models the oligopolistic behavior of carriers in maritime freight transportation networks. With the merger of the carriers' industry and some dominant carriers in today's shipping markets, carrier competition frequently exhibits an oligopolistic nature. This study considers the following three types of carriers; ocean carriers, land carriers, and port terminal operators. The oligopolistic ocean carriers, land carriers, and port terminal operators compete with each other in their pricing and routing decisions. The carriers determine service charges and delivery routes at different parts of the multi-modal freight network, creating hierarchical relationships. When using a game theoretic approach, ocean carriers become the leaders in an oligopoly shipping market. When dealing with individual carrier problems, the Nash equilibrium reveals the optimal decision where each carrier obtains the greatest profit. A three-level model is formulated to capture the interactions among different types of carriers. The validity and capability of the model gets demonstrated through an empirical example.

The paper presents a bi-level modeling approach that captures hierarchical relationships between shippers and carriers in maritime freight transportation networks. Ocean carriers, land carriers and port terminal operators provide transportation services at different parts of the multimodal network. Port terminal operators are regarded as a special type of carrier due to their behavior. The carriers determine service charges and delivery routes (port services) through competition and interactions among themselves. Shippers are users of the transportation services. Shippers choose a sequence of carriers, based on the carriers' pricing and routing decisions. These relationships are captured in a bi-level model where carriers are the leaders and shippers are the followers. The paper focuses on the behavior of shippers having the transportation service information with spatial price equilibrium. A numerical example is used to demonstrate the validity of the developed model.

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture treatment on the inflammatory lesions and body image disturbances in patients with vulgaris acnes. Methods : Fifteen inflammatory acne patients were enrolled and treated with facial acupuncture during 4 treatment sessions. We evaluated the number of papules and nodules using the Korean Acne Grading System (KAGS). We also evaluated patients` general subjective satisfaction and objective changes of inflammatory acnes symptoms using DermaVision-pro. Moreover, we observed the skin quality-of-life scale with skindex-29 and body image disturbance questionnaire (BIDQ) as secondary outcome. Adverse events were recorded as well at every visit. Results : After 4 treatment sessions, there were significant reductions in the number of papules and nodules of the patients. We found that subjective satisfactions of patients were enhanced as well as the objective inflammatory symptoms. We also found significant improvements in the quality of life and BIDQ. No serious treatment-related adverse events were reported. Conclusions : This study demonstrated that standardized facial acupuncture were effective and safe in the treatment of facial inflammatory acnes.

This paper explores air passengers' behavior of airport access mode choice and develops airport access mode choice models for two major domestic airports in Korea, Gimpo Airport and Daegu Airport. First, descriptive analyses are conducted to identify whether the key explanatory variables such as trip purpose, travel time, and travel cost are statistically different among airport access modes. Second, logistic regression models are proposed for three types of airport access mode choices: auto and public transit, auto and bus, and auto and subway. The model results indicate that the choice of airport access mode is significantly affected by travel characteristics and sociodemographic variables. This study also estimates access mode choice models for business and nonbusiness travel, indicating that access mode choice is significantly more affected by demographic characteristics of nonbusiness travel air passengers than those for business travel passengers.

Many companies spend significant amounts of money and time on reverse logistics which mainly deal with transporting and handling returned products. Therefore, efficient management of return products is an urgent and interesting issue facing the companies. This paper presents a facility location problem of the integrated logistics network aiming to improve the efficiency of both forward and reverse logistics. Three types of facilities are identified: Warehouses (forward logistics), collection centers (reverse logistics) and hybrid facilities (both forward and reverse logistics). Instead of the traditional static problem, the paper proposes a nonlinear mixed integer model addressing the dynamic integrated forward and reverse distribution network design problem for 3PLs (Third Party Logistics Providers). A bi-objective model is developed to minimize the total shipping cost and time simultaneously. An example is tested to evaluate the model.

Although acupuncture has been frequently used for acute nonspecific low back pain (LBP), relevant systematic reviews indicate sparse and inconclusive evidence. This systematic review aimed at critically evaluating the evidence for/against acupuncture for acute LBP.We searched Medline, Central, Embase, 2 Chinese databases, relevant journals, and trial registries for the randomized-controlled trials of acupuncture that involved needling for acute/subacute LBP. Risk of bias was assessed using the assessment tool from the Cochrane Back Review Group and the adequacy of acupuncture intervention was evaluated by 2 independent reviewers. The studies according to the control types were combined using a random-effects model.A total of 11 randomized-controlled trials (n=1139) were included. Compared with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acupuncture may more effectively improve symptoms of acute LBP (5 studies; risk ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval: 1.06, 1.16). For pain, there exists inconsistent evidence that acupuncture is more effective than medication. Compared with sham acupuncture, acupuncture may more effectively relieve pain (2 studies; mean difference, -9.38; 95% confidence interval: -17.00, -1.76) but not function/disability. Acupuncture appears to be associated with few side effects but the evidence is limited.The current evidence is encouraging in that acupuncture may be more effective than medication for symptom improvement or relieve pain better than sham acupuncture in acute LBP. The present findings should be confirmed by future studies that overcome the methodological limitations of the studies evaluated in our review.

Longitudinal bone growth is the results of chondrocyte proliferation and hypertrophy and subsequent endochondral ossification in the growth plate. Recently, laser acupuncture (LA), an intervention to stimulate acupoint with low-level laser irradiation, has been suggested as an intervention to improve the longitudinal bone growth. This study investigated the effects of laser acupuncture on growth, particularly longitudinal bone growth in adolescent male rats. Laser acupuncture was performed once every other day for a total of 9 treatments over 18 days to adolescent male rats. Morphometry of the growth plate, longitudinal bone growth rate, and the protein expression of BMP-2 and IGF-1 in growth plate were observed. The bone growth rate and the heights of growth plates were significantly increased by laser acupuncture. BMP-2 but not IGF-1 immunostaining in growth plate was increased as well. In conclusion, LA promotes longitudinal bone growth in adolescent rats, suggesting that laser acupuncture may be a promising intervention for improving the growth potential for children and adolescents.

To synthesize a thermally robust Ni

Comprehension of the medical diagnoses of doctors and treatment of diseases is important to understand the underlying principle in selecting appropriate acupoints. The pattern recognition process that pertains to symptoms and diseases and informs acupuncture treatment in a clinical setting was explored. A total of 232 clinical records were collected using a Charting Language program. The relationship between symptom information and selected acupoints was trained using an artificial neural network (ANN). A total of 11 hidden nodes with the highest average precision score were selected through a tenfold cross-validation. Our ANN model could predict the selected acupoints based on symptom and disease information with an average precision score of 0.865 (precision, 0.911; recall, 0.811). This model is a useful tool for diagnostic classification or pattern recognition and for the prediction and modeling of acupuncture treatment based on clinical data obtained in a real-world setting. The relationship between symptoms and selected acupoints could be systematically characterized through knowledge discovery processes, such as pattern identification.

There is an increasing demand in the flexible electronics industry for highly robust flexible/transparent conductors that can withstand high temperatures and corrosive environments. In this work, outstanding thermal and ambient stability is demonstrated for a highly transparent Ag nanowire electrode with a low electrical resistivity, by encapsulating it with an ultra-thin Al2O3 film (around 5.3 nm) via low-temperature (100 °C) atomic layer deposition. The Al2O3-encapsulated Ag nanowire (Al2O3/Ag) electrodes are stable even after annealing at 380 °C for 100 min and maintain their electrical and optical properties. The Al2O3 encapsulation layer also effectively blocks the permeation of H2O molecules and thereby enhances the ambient stability to greater than 1,080 h in an atmosphere with a relative humidity of 85% at 85 °C. Results from the cyclic bending test of up to 500,000 cycles (under an effective strain of 2.5%) confirm that the Al2O3/Ag nanowire electrode has a superior mechanical reliability to that of the conventional indium tin oxide film electrode. Moreover, the Al2O3 encapsulation significantly improves the mechanical durability of the Ag nanowire electrode, as confirmed by performing wiping tests using isopropyl alcohol.

This study was implemented to evaluate the effect of individualized acupuncture treatment (AT) on functional dyspepsia (FD).A randomized, waitlist-controlled, two-center trial was performed. Seventy-six patients with FD were enrolled in the trial with partially individualized AT in a more realistic clinical setting performed twice a week for 15 minutes a session over 4 weeks. The participants were randomly allocated to a group receiving 8 sessions of AT for 4 weeks or a waitlist control group. After 4 consecutive weeks, the AT group was followed up without AT and the control group received the identical AT. The proportion of responders with adequate symptom relief, Nepean Dyspepsia Index (NDI), FD-related quality of life, Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Acupuncture Belief Scale, and acupuncture credibility test were assessed.After the first 4 weeks, the proportion of responders significantly improved (59% in AT group [n = 37] versus 3% in control group [n = 39]; p 0.001). The difference was no longer significant at 8 weeks, at which point the waitlist control group showed similar improvement after receiving AT (68% in the AT group versus 79% in the control group). Total NDI scores were significantly reduced in the AT group compared with the waitlist group (p = 0.03). Among NDI items, discomfort (p = 0.01), burning (p = 0.02), fullness after eating (p = 0.02), and burping (p = 0.02) were significantly improved in the AT group compared with the control group. No significant differences were observed between groups in other secondary variables.Individualized AT adequately relieves symptoms in patients with FD, and this effect may persist up to 8 weeks.

Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials range from semimetallic graphene to insulating hexagonal boron nitride to semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenides. Recently, metal–insulator–semiconductor field effect transistors built from these 2D elements were studied for flexible and transparent electronics. However, to induce ambipolar characteristics for alternative power-efficient circuitry, ion-gel gating is often employed for high capacitive coupling, limiting stable operation at ambient conditions. Here, we report reconfigurable MoTe2 optoelectronic transistors with all 2D components, where the device can be reconfigured by both drain and gate voltages. Eight different configurations for each fixed voltage are spatially resolved by scanning photocurrent microscopy. In addition, metal–insulator transitions are observed in both electron and hole carriers under 2 V due to strong Coulomb interaction in the system. Furthermore, the vertical tunneling photocurrent through multiple van der Waals l...

Objectives. This systematic review aimed to summarize and evaluate the findings of studies investigating the local microcirculatory effects following acupuncture stimulation.Methods. MEDLINE, EMBASE, OASIS, and Cochrane library were searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published before January 30, 2015. Studies demonstrating any type of microcirculation response to manual acupuncture in healthy subjects and patients were included. The risk of bias and the reliability of the experimental conditions were evaluated to determine quality assessment.Results. Eight RCTs met the inclusion criteria; there was at least one acupuncture-induced change in a microcirculatory parameter. Of the seven studies in healthy subjects, four reported significant increases in blood flow following acupuncture compared with control, whereas one other study observed reductions in microcirculation immediately after acupuncture needling. The studies that assessed patients with either fibromyalgia or trapezius myalgia found significant increases in blood flow in the skin and muscle. Additionally, the degree and duration of increases in microcirculation varied depending on the condition of the subjects and the manipulation technique.Conclusions. The current evidence regarding the local effects of acupuncture in terms of blood flow remains insufficient for reliable conclusions due to few well-designed studies. Additional well-designed studies are needed to clarify these issues.

Although two-dimensional monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides reveal numerous unique features that are inaccessible in bulk materials, their intrinsic properties are often obscured by environmental effects. Among them, work function, which is the energy required to extract an electron from a material to vacuum, is one critical parameter in electronic/optoelectronic devices. Here, we report a large work function modulation in MoS2 via ambient gases. The work function was measured by an in situ Kelvin probe technique and further confirmed by ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. A measured work function of 4.04 eV in vacuum was converted to 4.47 eV with O2 exposure, which is comparable with a large variation in graphene. The homojunction diode by partially passivating a transistor reveals an ideal junction with an ideality factor of almost one and perfect electrical reversibility. The estimated depletion width obtained from photocurrent mapping was ∼200 nm, which is much narrower than bulk semiconductors.

The concomitant use of herbal and conventional drugs accelerates the possibility of clinically significant herb-drug interactions (HDIs). This paper aims to analyze the current status of HDI studies worldwide and to review studies on HDI-induced pharmacodynamic (PD) interactions.HDI studies published from 2000 to 2014 and indexed in PubMed were categorized according to publication year, area/country, study methods and objectives, and disease categories. The reviewed studies focused on HDI-induced PD; each PD interaction with concurrent use of approximately 100 herbal drugs and 70 conventional drugs was summarized. All PD-related articles were categorized according to four characteristics: herbal drugs, conventional drugs, types of PD interaction, and type of study. Among them, 17 well-designed clinical studies were evaluated by using the Jadad Quality Assessment Scale.The number of HDI reports has gradually increased since 2000, with a primary focus on neoplasms and diseases of the circulatory system. Most of these investigated pharmacokinetic reactions, such as cytochrome P450 enzyme metabolism, with fewer reports investigating PD. Most PD interaction studies investigated warfarin, ginkgo leaves, and St. John's wort. An evaluation of 17 studies revealed a generally positive view of PD effects involving synergism or reduced toxicity and a high average quality score (3 points on a 0-5 scale).These results demonstrate that most HDI studies so far have examined PK interactions and have been limited to very few conventional drugs and herbal drugs. This suggests that more studies focusing on PD are necessary to understand interactions between commonly used herbal and conventional drugs.

We demonstrate infrared photodetectors based on graphene-Bi 2 Se 3 heterostructures with high responsivity (≥1.9 A/W) at room temperature. Strong photogating effect across the tunneling barrier and built-in potential enables the internal quantum efficiency larger than 100 %.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text, Acupoint herbal patching (AHP), which involves local point stimulation with a herbal medicine patch, has long been used to treat patients with asthma in East Asian countries. However, its evidence is equivocal. This systematic review aims to summarize and critically evaluate the efficacy and safety of AHP for asthma. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure for studies published on or before April 2014, which were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining AHP therapy by itself or in combination with other treatments in asthma patients. Trials needed to report pulmonary function outcomes to be included in analyses. The risk of bias of included studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. For statistical pooling, risk ratio, mean difference (MD), or standardized MD was calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in a random-effects model. We ultimately included 16 RCTs with 1287 asthmatic patients in analyses. Treatment with AHP improved forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) by 13% (MD = 12.99%, 95% CI 5.17%–20.81%) and asthmatic symptoms by 60% (risk ratio of unchanged or getting worse symptoms with AHP = 0.4, 95% CI 0.27–0.58) over that observed with placebo. However, evidence is limited due to the heterogeneity and paucity of data. When added to conventional therapies, AHP significantly improved the FEV1/forced vital capacity ratio by 11.6% (95% CI 8.49%–14.79%) and reduced the risk of asthmatic symptoms by 69% (95% CI 0.16–0.58). Compared with conventional medication, AHP significantly improved FEV1 (standardized MD = 0.46, 95% CI 0.05–0.87), but a substantial heterogeneity was detected (I2 = 53%). When added to Chinese herbal medicine, there were no additional benefits of AHP on pulmonary function or global symptom improvement. No serious adverse events were associated with AHP. Evidence for AHP efficacy is encouraging, but not conclusive, because of clinical diversity and the high risk of bias in the examined studies. Further clinical and basic research is needed to determine the role of AHP in lung function and symptom improvement in patients with asthma.

Background Bee venom acupuncture (BVA), a novel type of acupuncture therapy in which purified bee venom is injected into the specific acupuncture point on the diseased part of the body, is used primarily for relieving pain and other musculoskeletal symptoms. In the present study, therapeutic potential of BVA to improve atopic dermatitis, a representative allergic dysfunction, was evaluated in the mouse model of trimellitic anhydride (TMA)-induced skin impairment. Methods Mice were treated with 5 % TMA on the dorsal flank for sensitization and subsequently treated with 2 % TMA on the dorsum of both ears for an additional 12 days after a 3-day interval. From the 7th day of 2 % TMA treatment, bilateral subcutaneous injection of BV (BV, 0.3 mg/kg) was performed daily at BL40 acupuncture points (located behind the knee) 1 h before 2 % TMA treatment for 5 days. Results BVA treatment markedly inhibited the expression levels of both T helper cell type 1 (Th1) and Th2 cytokines in ear skin and lymph nodes of TMA-treated mice. Clinical features of AD-like symptoms such as ear skin symptom severity and thickness, inflammation, and lymph node weight were significantly alleviated by BV treatment. BV treatment also inhibited the proliferation and infiltration of T cells, the production of Th1 and Th2 cytokines, and the synthesis of interleukin (IL)-4 and immunoglobulin E (IgE)—typical allergic Th2 responses in blood. The inhibitory effect of BVA was more pronounced at BL40 acupoint than non-acupuncture point located at the base of the tail. Conclusions These results indicate that BV injection at specific acupuncture points effectively alleviates AD-like skin lesions by inhibiting inflammatory and allergic responses in a TMA-induced contact hypersensitivity mouse model. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1019-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Maritime freight shipping has increased significantly and air pollution from international ships has grown accordingly, having serious environmental effects all over the world. This paper analyzes the effects of the emission cost on ocean route choices, focusing on international container ships. First, the paper formulates a freight network model that captures decisions and interactions of ocean carriers and port terminal operators in the maritime freight transport system. Then, the emission cost is calculated based on an activity-based approach as a component of the ocean transportation cost function. A case study is examined to find if the emission cost affects ocean route choices. The results indicate that the optimal ocean route and transportation cost are changed distinctively due to the emission cost. The research discusses how the emission cost plays a role in route changes and why ocean carriers have to consider these costs in their routing decisions.

The paper presents a novel multi-level hierarchical approach which models the oligopolistic and competitive behavior of carriers and their relationships in maritime freight transportation networks. With the merger of the carriers’ industry and some dominant carriers in a shipping market, the carrier competition frequently exhibits an oligopolistic nature. Three types of carriers are considered herein; ocean carriers, land carriers and port terminal operators. The oligopolistic ocean carriers, land carriers and port terminal operators compete with each other in their pricing and routing decisions, respectively. The carriers determine service charges and delivery routes at different parts of the multimodal freight network, having hierarchical interactions. In a game theoretic approach, ocean carriers are regarded as the leaders in an oligopoly shipping market. Port terminal operators are the followers of ocean carriers as well as the leaders of land carriers. For the individual carrier problems, Nash equilibrium is used to find the optimal decisions for which each carrier obtains the greatest profit. A three–level model is formulated to capture the interactions among different types of carriers. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the validity and capability of the model.

The paper discusses hierarchical relationships between shippers and different types of carriers in international maritime freight transportation networks. Ocean carriers, port terminal operators and land carriers provide transportation services at different parts of the multimodal transportation network. The carriers determine service charges and routing patterns through competition and other interactions among them. Shippers deliver their products to customer locations using the transportation services. Shippers choose a sequence of carriers, based on the carrier's pricing and routing decisions. These shipper-carrier relationships are captured in a bi-level modelling approach.

Acacetin (5,7-dihydroxy-4′-methoxyflavone), a constituent of flavone naturally present in plants, has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Neuroinflammation is thought to be one of the major pathological mechanisms responsible for Parkinson’s disease (PD), and has been a primary target in the development of treatment for PD. In the present study, we evaluated the neuroprotective effect of acacetin in PD induced by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine (MPP+)/or 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and examined the related pathways in vitro and in vivo. In primary mesencephalic culture, acacetin protected dopaminergic (DA) cells and inhibited production of inflammatory factors such as nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2, and tumor necrosis factor-α against MPP+-induced toxicity in a dose-dependent manner. Then, we confirmed the effect of acacetin (10 mg/kg/d for 3 d, per os (p.o.)) in a mouse model of PD induced by MPTP (30 mg/kg/d for 5 d, intraperitoneally (i.p.)). In the behavioral test (pole test), the acacetin-treated mice showed decreased time of turning and locomotor activity, which were longer in MPTP-only treated mice. In addition, the acacetin-treated group inhibited degeneration of DA neurons and depletion of dopamine level induced by MPTP toxicity in the substantia nigra and striatum of the brain. Moreover, the acacetin-treated group inhibited microglia activation, accompanied by production of inducible nitric oxide synthases and cyclooxygenase-2. These results suggest that acacetin can protect DA neurons against the neurotoxicity involved in PD via its anti-inflammatory action.

The crucial role of anion vacancies on the phase stability of synthetic metal chalcogenides was elucidated by demonstrating the environment-dependent, reversible phase transition (2H ↔ 1T/1T') of the MoS2 films synthesized by chemical vapor deposition. The origins of the sulfur (S)-vacancy-controlled phase transition of the synthetic MoS2 films were supported by various transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies as well as density functional theory calculations. Under high-vacuum conditions, transition to the metastable 1T/1T' phases was induced by weak electron irradiation during a TEM observation and explained by the detachment of molecules chemisorbed on the S-vacancy sites, and the subsequent electron-delocalization (charge-transfer) process. In addition, a spontaneous backward transition to a 2H phase could be triggered by exposing the sample to air, which induced electron localization by re-adsorption of ambient molecules on the S-vacancy sites.

Please cite this paper as: Cho S-H, Lee H, Ernst E. Acupuncture for pain relief in labour: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BJOG 2010;117:907–920. Background Acupuncture is frequently used for pain relief in labour, but the evidence is not clear. Objectives To critically evaluate the evidence for or against acupuncture for labour pain management. Search strategy Nineteen electronic databases, including English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese databases, were systematically searched. Selection criteria All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving women receiving acupuncture alone, or as an adjunct to conventional analgesia, for pain relief in labour were considered. Data collection and analysis Pain intensity on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS; 0, no pain; 100, worst pain) and use of other analgesic methods were used as primary outcomes, and for statistical pooling. Maternal/fetal outcomes were secondary outcomes, and adverse events were also recorded. Risk of bias was assessed regarding randomisation, allocation concealment, blinding, incomplete outcome data, selective outcome reporting, and other biases. Main results Ten RCTs involving 2038 women were included. VAS for pain intensity data were available in seven studies; the meta-analysis shows that acupuncture was not superior to minimal acupuncture at 1 hour (pooled mean difference −8.02; 95% CI −21.88, 5.84; I2 = 94%) and at 2 hours (−10.15; 95% CI −23.18, 2.87; I2 = 92%). Patients reported significantly reduced pain by 4 and 6% during electroacupuncture (EA) treatment at 15 (−4.09; 95% CI −8.05, −0.12) and 30 minutes (−5.94; 95% CI −9.83, −2.06), compared with placebo EA, but the effect was not maintained afterwards. Compared with no intervention, acupuncture reduced pain by only 11% for the first 30 minutes (−10.56; 95% CI −16.08, −5.03). In trials where acupuncture was compared with conventional analgesia, women receiving acupuncture required less meperidine (pooled risk ratio 0.20; 95% CI 0.12, 0.33) and other analgesic methods (0.75; 95% CI 0.66, 0.85). No acupuncture-related adverse events were reported. Most trials did not blind participants, care providers and/or evaluators. Author’s conclusions The evidence from RCTs does not support the use of acupuncture for controlling labour pain. The primary studies are diverse and often flawed. Further research seems warranted.

Misorientation-angle dependence on layer thickness is an intriguing feature of van der Waals materials, which causes stark optical gain and electrical transport modulation. However, the influence of misorientation angle on phase transformation is not determined yet. Herein, this phenomenon in a MoS2 multilayer via in situ electron-beam irradiation is reported. An AA'-stacked MoS2 bilayer undergoes structural transformation from the 2H semiconducting phase to the 1T' metallic phase, similar to a MoS2 monolayer, which is confirmed via in situ transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, non-AA' stacking, which has no local AA' stacking order in the Moire pattern, does not reveal such a phase transformation. While a collective sliding motion of chalcogen atoms easily occurs during the transformation in AA' stacking, in non-AA' stacking it is suppressed by the weak van der Waals strength and by the chalcogen atoms interlocked at different orientations, which disfavor their kinetics by the increased entropy of mixing.

Vertical integration of 2D layered materials to form van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) offers new functional electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, the mobility in vertical carrier transport in vdWHs of vertical field-effect transistor (VFET) is not yet investigated in spite of the importance of mobility for the successful application of VFETs in integrated circuits. Here, the mobility in VFET of vdWHs under different drain biases, gate biases, and metal work functions is first investigated and engineered. The traps in WSe2 are the main source of scattering, which influences the vertical mobility and three distinct transport mechanisms: Ohmic transport, trap-limited transport, and space-charge-limited transport. The vertical mobility in VFET can be improved by suppressing the trap states by raising the Fermi level of WSe2 . This is achieved by increasing the injected carrier density by applying a high drain voltage, or decreasing the Schottky barrier at the graphene/WSe2 and metal/WSe2 junctions by applying a gate bias and reducing the metal work function, respectively. Consequently, the mobility in Mn vdWH at +50 V gate voltage is about 76 times higher than the initial mobility of Au vdWH. This work enables further improvements in the VFET for successful application in integrated circuits.

A polymer waveguide was fabricated to amplify the evanescent optical field for biosensing. The structure of waveguide was designed to propagate a normal single mode at the input and output regions for low loss beam coupling and propagation. A sensing region was formed in the middle of the waveguide to activate the evanescent mode and to induce high birefringence by depositing a thin dielectric film with a high refractive index on a single mode waveguide. A polymer waveguide with the dimensions of 7 μm-width and 2.5 μm-thickness was fabricated by photolithography and dry-etching. The active region of the TiO 2 thin film was fabricated with the dimensions of 20 mm-length, 20 nm-thickness and 2 mm-tapered tail. A polarimetric interference technique was used to evaluate the evanescent waveguide biosensor, and biomaterial such as glycerol was tested. The sensitivity of the sensor increased with increasing TiO 2 film thickness. For the fabricated waveguide with a 20 nm-thick TiO 2 film, the measured index change to the lead phase variation of 2 π was 1.8 × 10 −4 .

We conducted a systematic review to estimate the effect of acupuncture on blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive patients.Electronic literature searches for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture were performed in six electronic databases to June 2007 without language restrictions.Eleven RCTs testing acupuncture either as an adjunct or an alternative met our inclusion criteria and they showed a wide variety of methodological quality, mainly due to poor reporting. Three sham-controlled trials out of 11 studies were statistically pooled: systolic BP (SBP) change was not statistically significant (mean difference -5 mm Hg, 95% CI (-12, 1), P = 0.12) and acupuncture only marginally reduced diastolic BP (DBP) by 3 mm Hg (95% CI (-6, 0), P = 0.05), but substantial heterogeneity was observed (I(2) = 92% for SBP, I(2) = 79% for DBP). When given with antihypertensive medication, acupuncture significantly reduced SBP (-8 mm Hg, 95% CI (-10, -5), P0.00001) and DBP (-4 mm Hg, 95% CI (-6, -2), P0.0001) and no heterogeneity between studies was detected. Four studies that investigated acupuncture against antihypertensive medication indicated noninferiority of acupuncture in lowering BP, albeit the quality of them was poor, and their sample sizes were not satisfactory as an equivalence study. Other studies comparing acupuncture with various control procedures had inconsistent findings and most of them were of low methodological quality.Considering the limitation of the four positive noninferiority studies and the results of the meta-analysis of the three sham-controlled studies, the notion that acupuncture may lower high BP is inconclusive. More rigorous trials are warranted.

Ridge waveguides were fabricated using an external field, a precision lapping machine and neutron loop discharge (NLD) in magnesium-oxide-doped lithium niobate. The measured quasi-phase-matching (QPM) wavelength of the second-harmonic generation (SHG) in a 30 mm long periodically poled magnesium-doped lithium niobate (PPMgLN) ridge waveguide which has a domain period of 6.8 μm is about 532 nm. A fabricated periodically poled magnesium-doped lithium niobate ridge waveguide was duty cycle of 51.9 ± 2.83% and demonstrated second-harmonic generation. By using this periodically poled magnesium-doped lithium niobate ridge waveguide, highly effective, low-cost optical devices with high power or short wavelength can be achieved.

Backgrounds: Acupuncture has long been a central part of medicine in East Asia. Recently its therapeutic effects are world-widely recognized with scientific bases being established by means of basic research and clinical studies in the biomedical sciences. Even though Korean acupuncture (KA) shares its origins with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it has developed into its own unique system. Methods: We assessed the unique characteristics of KA and discussed the potential contributions of KA to modern medicine. Results: Individualized approach by KA is based on constitutional energy traits which are considered as a main element in Saam, Taegeuk and eight constitution acupunctures. New practical and integrated forms of therapeutic modalities, such as herbal acupuncture or pharmacopuncture, have also been developed by KA. Conclusion: Given its individualized and practical characteristics, KA is expected to make significant contributions to the understanding and the treatment of neurological diso...

Background: Traditional Korean medicine (TKM) therapy of scalp and penetration acupuncture has been used for the treatment of stroke in Korea. This study investigated the efficacy of scalp and penetration acupuncture in combination with TKM medication. Methods: Twenty-four stroke patients were enrolled in the program. Control group (n = 12) received herbal medicines (Baepungtang, Sopungtang or Sosokmyeongtang) and conventional body acupuncture. Treatment group (n = 12) received scalp and penetration acupuncture in addition to herbal medicines and conventional body acupuncture. Improvements in the motor functions were scored by the modified Barthel index (MBI). Results: After 4 weeks of treatment, statistical analysis showed significant improvement in the MBI scores for both groups. Significant difference in the MBI scores between two groups, however, was not observed. Conclusion: The supportive effect of scalp and penetration acupuncture in the treatment of stroke needs further investigation.

Background: Acupuncture has been widely used for a range of neurological disorders. Despite its popularity, the evidence to support the use of acupuncture is contradictory. Methods: This review was designed to summarize and to evaluate the available evidence of acupuncture for neurological disorders. Results: Most of the reviewed studies suffer from lack of methodological rigor. Owing to paucity and poor quality of the primary studies, no firm conclusion could be drawn on the use of acupuncture for epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ataxic disorders, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal cord injury. For stroke rehabilitation, the evidence from recent high-quality trials and previous systematic reviews is not convincing. Conclusion: More rigorous trials are warranted to establish acupuncture's role in neurological disorders.

Background. Pharmacopuncture is a new form of acupuncture combining acupuncture with herbal medicine, and it has been used under various conditions in Korea. The aim of this study is to establish clinical evidence for the safety and efficacy of pharmacopuncture in Korea.Methods. We searched 9 databases and two relevant journals up to December 2014 using keywords, such as pharmacopuncture. All randomized, controlled trials evaluating pharmacopuncture under any conditions in Korea were considered.Results. Twenty-nine studies involving 1,211 participants were included. A meta-analysis of two studies on obesity showed that 5 to 8 weeks of pharmacopuncture reduced weight, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI) more than normal saline injections. In the 5 studies of musculoskeletal conditions, 7 to 30 days of pharmacopuncture had additional effects on the reduction of pain intensity, and this benefit was maintained by limiting analyses to studies with a low risk of bias for randomization and/or allocation concealment.Conclusions. This systematic review suggests the potential of pharmacopuncture for obesity and musculoskeletal diseases. However, it is difficult to recommend pharmacopuncture as an evidence-based treatment because of methodological flaws and small sample sizes of the included studies. Further well-designed trials are needed to draw a definitive conclusion.

The wafer-scale synthesis of two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) films, with high layer-controllability and uniformity, remains a significant challenge in the fields of nano and optoelectronics. Here, we report the highly thickness controllable growth of uniform MoS2 thin films on the wafer-scale via a spin-coating route. Formulation of a dimethylformamide-based MoS2 precursor solution mixed with additional amine- and amino alcohol-based solvents (n-butylamine and 2-aminoethanol) allowed for the formation of a uniform coating of MoS2 thin films over a 2 inch wafer-scale SiO2/Si substrate. In addition, facile control of the average number of stacking layers is demonstrated by simply manipulating the concentration of the precursor solution. Various characterization results reveal that the synthesized MoS2 film has wafer-scale homogeneity with excellent crystalline quality and a stoichiometric chemical composition. To further demonstrate possible device applications, a mostly penta-layered MoS2 thin film was integrated into a top-gated field-effect transistor as the channel layer and we also successfully transferred our films onto transparent/flexible substrates.