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Soil surface CO2 flux (FCO2) fluctuates complicatedly in time and space according to hydro-meteorological and atmospheric conditions as well as physicochemical and biological conditions of soil. In this study, we developed a novel approach to identify and quantitatively evaluate the driving forces (DFs) that control FCO2 fluctuations in the near-surface environment with the combined use of dynamic factor analysis (DFA) and wavelet-based multiresolution analysis (WMRA). We focused on short-term (

There is a lack of understanding on relationship between the femoral geometry and outcomes of total hip arthroplasty (THA). We investigated clinical and radiographic outcomes of THA using a cementless tapered wedge stem in patients with Dorr type A proximal femoral morphology and compared with those of type B femurs at a minimum follow-up of 5 years.We analyzed 1089 hips (876 patients) that underwent THA using an identical cementless tapered wedge stem. We divided all femurs into 3 types (Dorr type A, B, and C). Type A and B femurs were statistically matched with age, gender, body mass index, and diagnosis by using propensity score matching. Clinical, radiographic results, and stem survivorship were compared between the matched 2 groups.A total of 611 femurs (56%) were classified as type A, 427 (39%) as type B, and 51 (5%) as type C. More radiolucent lines around femoral stems were found in type A femurs (7.8%) than in type B femurs (2.5%) (P.001). Patients with radiolucency showed worse Harris Hip Score (86.2 points) compared with those without radiolucency (93.0 points) (P.001). The stem survivorship of type A femur (97.8%) was lower than that of type B femur (99.5%) (P = .041). The reasons for femoral revision in type A femurs were periprosthetic fracture (67%), aseptic loosening (22%), and deep infection (11%).This study showed a higher rate of complications after THAs using a cementless tapered wedge stem in Dorr type A femurs than those performed in type B femurs.

This study was conducted to establish reasonable forest management plan by developing site index curves about Pinus densiflora stands that is major species growing in Jeolla-do in Republic of Korea. A total of 613 Pinus densiflora plots and 20m × 20m sampling plot was installed for each stand. The altitude height, slope, orientation bearing, soil type, the height and diameter at breast height (1.2 m from the ground) of a dominant tree, and the age of trees were measured. After developing site index curves using Chapman-Richards, Schumacher and Gompertz models, top three geographical factors were added to asymptote and shape parameters. In results, Gompertz model for Pinus densiflora stands was chosen for best model of height and site index model. Also, soil type, parent rock and topography were added into Gompertz model for Pinus densiflora stand as the independent variables, using the random forest analysis method. As result of adding geographical factors to asymptote and shape of Gompertz model for Pinus densiflora stand, the precision of the model has increased with decreasing MSE. As hybrid site index model including geographical factors indicated influence growth of Pinus densiflora, reasonable forest management plan is determined.

Multivariate environmental time series including soil surface CO2 flux (FCO2) have non-stationarity and mutual interdependence, and thus the i.i.d assumption-based conventional regression techniques inevitably lead to spurious regression or lose the dynamic characteristics in the process of variable transformation. In this paper, we adopted a wavelet threshold technique for our newly developed wavelet-based multiresolution state-space model (MRSSM) to overcome such limitations and to quantitatively evaluate the environmental drivers (EDs) controlling the baseline of FCO2. First, the structural characteristics and the potential EDs (PEDs) of FCO2 were explored by wavelet denoised (threshold) SSM for complex environmental observation data. Then, the major EDs (MEDs) were identified using the scale localized correlation and the wavelet coherence analysis between PEDs and observation data. Next, the contribution of MEDs to FCO2 was quantitatively evaluated by calculating the effective dynamic efficiency using the wavelet energy ratio of the maximum-correlation time-frequency bands. Finally, the effectiveness of the wavelet threshold method for MRSSM was discussed. The proposed wavelet denoising method is expected to improve the performance of MRSSM which is effective to identify, evaluate and predict the main environmental factors inherent in the observation data from complex environmental systems where physicochemical and biological processes of various spatio-temporal scales occur simultaneously.

Purpose T' trunk, along with hemi-hypertrophy of the left side of the face and left upper limb, presented for evaluation of an intraocular mass of the left eye (OS). Anterior examination OS showed diffuse episcleral and iris melanocytosis. Fundus examination OS showed diffuse choroidal melanocytosis as well as an elevated choroidal lesion. B-scan ultrasonography demonstrated a hollow lesion, and the patient was diagnosed with choroidal melanoma OS in the setting of phakomatosis pigmentovascularis with overlap of SWS and KTS. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy confirmed the diagnosis, and Iodine-125 plaque radiotherapy was performed. Conclusion Individuals with clinical features suggestive of phakomatosis pigmentovascularis, SWS or KTS should undergo a complete ophthalmological evaluation for the presence of ocular melanocytosis and uveal melanoma.

The charge excitation and decay pathways of two-dimensional heteroatomic quantum dots (QDs) are affected by the quantum confinement effect, bandgap structure and strong exciton binding energy. Recently, semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been intensively studied; however, the charge dynamics of metallic phase QDs (mQDs) of TMDs remain relatively unknown. Herein, we investigate the photophysical properties of TMD-mQDs of two sizes, where the TMD-mQDs show different charge excitation and decay pathways that are mainly ascribed to the defect states and valence band splitting, resulting in a large Stokes shift and two excitation bands for maximum photoluminescence (PL). Interestingly, the dominant excitation band redshifts as the size increases, and the time-resolved PL peak redshifts at an excitation wavelength of 266 nm in the smaller QDs. Additionally, the lifetime is shortened in the larger QDs. From the structural and theoretical analysis, we discuss that the charge decay pathway in the smaller QDs is predominantly affected by edge oxidation, whereas the vacancies play an important role in the larger QDs. Metallic phase transition metal dichalcogenides quantum dots show different pathways of optical charge excitation and decay according to the size and sort of defects, resulting into the large Stoke shift, two bands for charge excitation, and TRPL peak shift. This result is mainly ascribed to the valance band splitting and the emerging defect states originated from atomic vacancy of basal plane and edge oxidation.

In this paper, we propose the first ARIA block cipher on both MSP430 and Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) microcontrollers. To achieve the optimized ARIA implementation on target embedded processors, core operations of ARIA, such as substitute and diffusion layers, are carefully re-designed for both MSP430 (Texas Instruments, Dallas, TX, USA) and ARM Cortex-M3 microcontrollers (STMicroelectronics, Geneva, Switzerland). In particular, two bytes of input data in ARIA block cipher are concatenated to re-construct the 16-bit wise word. The 16-bit word-wise operation is executed at once with the 16-bit instruction to improve the performance for the 16-bit MSP430 microcontroller. This approach also optimizes the number of required registers, memory accesses, and operations to half numbers rather than 8-bit word wise implementations. For the ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller, the 8×32 look-up table based ARIA block cipher implementation is further optimized with the novel memory access. The memory access is finely scheduled to fully utilize the 3-stage pipeline architecture of ARM Cortex-M3 microcontrollers. Furthermore, the counter (CTR) mode of operation is more optimized through pre-computation techniques than the electronic code book (ECB) mode of operation. Finally, proposed ARIA implementations on both low-end target microcontrollers (MSP430 and ARM Cortex-M3) achieved (209 and 96 for 128-bit security level, respectively), (241 and 111 for 192-bit security level, respectively), and (274 and 126 for 256-bit security level, respectively). Compared with previous works, the running timing on low-end target microcontrollers (MSP430 and ARM Cortex-M3) is improved by (92.20% and 10.09% for 128-bit security level, respectively), (92.26% and 10.87% for 192-bit security level, respectively), and (92.28% and 10.62% for 256-bit security level, respectively). The proposed ARIA–CTR implementation improved the performance by 6.6% and 4.0% compared to the proposed ARIA–ECB implementations for MSP430 and ARM Cortex-M3 microcontrollers, respectively.

This study aimed to compare the cognitive performance and event-related potential (ERP) patterns between females who have given birth (parous) and those who have not (nulliparous). A total of 50 female participants, including 27 who were parous (33.2 ± 3.2 years) and 23 who were nulliparous (30.8 ± 2.3 years), were recruited. Only parous females who were ≤36 months postpartum (17.7 ± 8.1 months) were included. To compare the cognitive performance between the two groups, we presented the 3-back task (a working memory task) and compared the accuracy rate (%) and reaction time (ms) between the groups. Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals were simultaneously recorded and the ERP patterns at Fz, Cz, and Pz, which are highly associated with the 3-back task, were analyzed. From the ERP patterns, we extracted N100, P300, P600, P300 peak-to-peak (P300p_p), and P600 peak-to-peak (P600p_p). There were no significant between-group differences in terms of accuracy rate, reaction time, or ERP components (N100, P300, P600, P300p_p, or P600p_p) at the three sites (Fz, Cz, and Pz). Since this study, using meaningful objective data, did not show that parity was significantly correlated with cognitive performance ability and ERP patterns, childbirth does not appear to influence cognitive decline.

Inflammation-mediated skeletal muscle wasting occurs in patients with sepsis and cancer cachexia. Both conditions severely affect patient morbidity and mortality. Lithium chloride has previously been shown to enhance myogenesis and prevent certain forms of muscular dystrophy. However, to our knowledge, the effect of lithium chloride treatment on sepsis-induced muscle atrophy and cancer cachexia has not yet been investigated. In this study, we aimed to examine the effects of lithium chloride using in vitro and in vivo models of cancer cachexia and sepsis. Lithium chloride prevented wasting in myotubes cultured with cancer cell-conditioned media, maintained the expression of the muscle fiber contractile protein, myosin heavy chain 2, and inhibited the upregulation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase, Atrogin-1. In addition, it inhibited the upregulation of inflammation-associated cytokines in macrophages treated with lipopolysaccharide. In the animal model of sepsis, lithium chloride treatment improved body weight, increased muscle mass, preserved the survival of larger fibers, and decreased the expression of muscle-wasting effector genes. In a model of cancer cachexia, lithium chloride increased muscle mass, enhanced muscle strength, and increased fiber cross-sectional area, with no significant effect on tumor mass. These results indicate that lithium chloride exerts therapeutic effects on inflammation-mediated skeletal muscle wasting, such as sepsis-induced muscle atrophy and cancer cachexia.

During a survey of diseased plants on Wando Island, Korea from May to June 2020, a severe leaf spot disease was observed in the upper leaves of Japanese bay tree (Machilus thunbergii). Early symptoms were light blackish spots on the leaf surface and enlargement of older spots. Dry leaf spots surrounded with deep black margins were common throughout the plants. Symptomatic leaf samples were collected, and the causal pathogen was isolated on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Three fungal isolates (CMML20-1, CMML20-3, and CMML20-4) were cultured on PDA for morphological characterization at 25 °C in the darkness. Fungal colonies were circular, fast-growing, olivaceous to dark grey, and with abundant aerial mycelium. Sporulation was induced in 14 h-10 h light-dark conditions, and the conidia were single-celled, thin-walled with a smooth surface, ellipsoid with round apices, and measuring 17.5–20.5 (avg. 17.5) μm × 7.5–10.0 (7.9) μm. The morphological characteristics resembled those typical for Neofusicoccum parvum. Molecular identification was confirmed by partially sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the translation elongation factor 1-α (EF1-α) genes. Pathogenicity tests were conducted on detached leaves and whole plants of M. thunbergii. High disease prevalence was observed, and Koch postulates were fulfilled. This is the first worldwide report of N. parvum causing leaf spots on Machilus thunbergii.

In this study, plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) on Ti

The present study examined the relationships between housing environments and health and well-being among older adults with physical disabilities in South Korea. Data are from the 2014 National Survey on Persons with Disabilities. We modelled four health and well-being outcomes - perceived stress, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and life satisfaction - by various housing environments among 2,077 older adults with physical disabilities. The results illustrate that home ownership and perceived house accessibility are associated with health and well-being. Findings indicate that efforts to promote the health of older adults with physical disabilities need to be accompanied by improvements in their housing environment.

Skeletal muscle atrophy is a feature of aging (termed sarcopenia) and various diseases, such as cancer and kidney failure. Effective drug treatment options for muscle atrophy are lacking. The tapeworm medication, niclosamide is being assessed for repurposing to treat numerous diseases, including end-stage cancer metastasis and hepatic steatosis. In this study, we investigated the potential of niclosamide as a repurposing drug for muscle atrophy. In a myotube atrophy model using the glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, niclosamide did not prevent the reduction in myotube diameter or the decreased expression of phosphorylated FOXO3a, which upregulates the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway of muscle catabolism. Treatment of normal myotubes with niclosamide did not activate mTOR, a major regulator of muscle protein synthesis, and increased the expression of atrogin-1, which is induced in catabolic states. Niclosamide treatment also inhibited myogenesis in muscle precursor cells, enhanced the expression of myoblast markers Pax7 and Myf5, and downregulated the expression of differentiation markers MyoD, MyoG and Myh2. In an animal model of muscle atrophy, niclosamide did not improve muscle mass, grip strength or muscle fiber cross-sectional area. Muscle atrophy is also feature of cancer cachexia. IC50 analyses indicated that niclosamide was more cytotoxic for myoblasts than cancer cells. In addition, niclosamide did not suppress the induction of iNOS, a key mediator of atrophy, in an in vitro model of cancer cachexia and did not rescue myotube diameter. Overall, these results suggest that niclosamide may not be a suitable repurposing drug for glucocorticoid-induced skeletal muscle atrophy or cancer cachexia. Nevertheless, niclosamide may be employed as a compound to study mechanisms regulating myogenesis and catabolic pathways in skeletal muscle.

Digital contact tracing is an essential countermeasure for an epidemic as a society, and balancing the surveillance resolution and user privacy for contact tracing remains an open challenge. Existing contact tracing schemes are primarily based on proximity tracing, which uses Bluetooth to detect coexistence. Proximity tracing has a strong advantage in anonymizing the users, but shows low epidemiological resolution and lacks the flexibility to be integrated with other data sources. To address this problem, we propose an alternative scheme we phrase as context tracing. Our scheme achieves strong performance in both surveillance resolution and user privacy protection by integrating multi-modal sensor fusion and homomorphic encryption. While this advantage comes at the cost of high computational overhead, we discuss possible optimization strategies for reducing energy consumption on mobile devices.

Positive airway pressure (PAP) devices have been widely used as the first line of treatment in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Most advanced PAP devices support the estimation of respiratory index (RI) using the patient’s mask airflow. In addition to the compliance factor for PAP device use, which is important for monitoring patient sleep health, RI is also becoming important for monitoring. However, there are few reports that validate RI of a PAP device with polysomnography. Between January 2015 and December 2017, 50 participants were enrolled who were diagnosed with OSA and prescribed auto-titration PAP (APAP) devices. The RIs of participants were measured at night using APAP devices, concurrently with electroencephalography, respiratory inductance plethysmography sensors, and other polysomnographic sensors in a sleep laboratory. The respiratory-related data of APAP were prospectively analyzed with the manually scored polysomnographic data. The apnea-hypopnea index and apnea index showed a statistically close relationship between the auto-scored respiratory data from the APAP device and the manually scored respiratory data from polysomnographic sensors. Obstructive apnea and central apnea indices showed relatively low correlations. The differences between the auto-scored RI and manually scored RI were influenced by BMI, waist circumference, weight, oxygen saturation, and respiratory distress indices of diagnostic polysomnographic factors. The RIs of APAP devices have a tendency to be underestimated or mismatched when compared with polysomnography. Sleep specialists are advised to consider additional anthropometric and diagnostic factors to account for these differences during PAP treatment.

Stem cell transplantation has emerged as a promising strategy in regenerative medicine. However, the poor survival and persistence of the transplanted cells, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), in the hostile ischemic microenvironments represents a major therapeutic barrier. Here we report that plasminogen (Plg) stimulated MSC functions and promoted MSC survival during tissue repair after ischemia. Genetic Plg ablation abolished MSC survival, migration, and proliferation in mouse ischemic limbs, and abrogated MSC-mediated blood reperfusion, neovascularization, and tissue repair after ischemia, suggesting a critical role for Plg in MSC-mediated tissue repair. Furthermore, multiplex cytokine array analysis identified that Plg cleaved and activated cysteine-rich protein 61 (Cyr61), an ECM-associated growth factor, to stimulate MSC survival and migration. Overexpression with truncated Cyr61 in MSCs rescued blood reperfusion after hind limb ischemia in Plg-deficient mice. Finally, Plg-mediated Cyr61 cleavage promoted endothelial cell migration and neovascularization in vitro and in vivo. Our study reveals that Plg promotes MSC survival, persistence, and paracrine effects and improves postischemic neovascularization and tissue repair through Cyr61 cleavage and activation. Thus, targeting Plg/Cyr61 may offer exciting therapeutic opportunities for strengthening MSC therapy in ischemic diseases., Plasminogen promotes mesenchymal stem cell function and improves post-ischemic neovascularization and tissue repair through cysteine-rich protein 61 activation.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a highly prevalent cyclic repetitive hypoxia-normoxia respiratory sleep disorder characterized by intermittent upper-airway collapse. It is mainly diagnosed using in-laboratory polysomnography. However, the time-spatial constraints of this procedure limit its application. To overcome these limitations, there have been studies aiming to develop clinical prediction formulas for screening of obstructive sleep apnea using the risk factors for this disorder. However, the applicability of the formula is restricted by the group specific factors included in it. Therefore, we aimed to assess the risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea and develop clinical prediction formulas, which can be used in different situations, for screening and assessing this disorder. We enrolled 3,432 Asian adult participants with suspected obstructive sleep apnea who had successfully undergone in-laboratory polysomnography. All parameters were evaluated using correlation analysis and logistic regression. Among them, age, sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, anthropometric factors, Berlin questionnaire and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores, and anatomical tonsil and tongue position were significantly associated with obstructive sleep apnea. To develop the clinical formulas for obstructive sleep apnea, the participants were divided into the development (n = 2,516) and validation cohorts (n = 916) based on the sleep laboratory visiting date. We developed and selected 13 formulas and divided them into those with and without physical examination based on the ease of application; subsequently, we selected suitable formulas based on the statistical analysis and clinical applicability (formula including physical exam: sensitivity, 0.776; specificity, 0.757; and AUC, 0.835; formula without physical exam: sensitivity, 0.749; specificity, 0.770; and AUC, 0.839). Analysis of the validation cohort with developed formulas showed that these models and formula had sufficient performance and goodness of fit of model. These tools can effectively utilize medical resources for obstructive sleep apnea screening in various situations.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) is a very well-known traditional herbal medicine that has long been used to enhance the body's immunity. Because it is a type of ginseng, it is believed that wild simulated ginseng (WSG) also has immune-enhancing activity. However, study on the immune-enhancing activity of WSG is quite insufficient compared to ginseng. Aim of the study In this study, we evaluated immune-enhancing activity of WSG through macrophage activation to provide a scientific basis for the immune enhancing activity of WSG. Materials and methods The effect of WSG on viability of RAW264.7 cells was evaluated by MTT assay. The NO level was measured by Griess reagent. The expression levels of mRNA or protein in WSG-treated RAW264.7 cells were analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Results WSG increased the production of immunomodulators such as NO, iNOS, COX-2, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α and activated phagocytosis in mouse macrophages RAW264.7 cells. Inhibition of TLR2 and TLR4 reduced the production of immunomodulators induced by WSG. WSG activated MAPK, NF-κB and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways, and inhibition of such signaling activation blocked WSG-mediated production of immunomodulators. In addition, activation of MAPK, NF-κB and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways by WSG was reversed by TLR2 or TLR4 inhibition. Conclusion Based on the results of this study, WSG is thought to activate macrophages through the production of immunomodulators and phagocytosis activation through TLR2/4-dependent MAPK, NF-κB and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. Therefore, it is thought that WSG have the potential to be used as an agent for enhancing immunity.

An optimized AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) implementation of Galois Counter Mode of operation (GCM) on low-end microcontrollers is presented in this paper. Two optimization methods are applied to proposed implementations. First, the AES counter (CTR) mode of operation is speed-optimized and ensures constant timing. The main idea is replacing expensive AES operations, including AddRound Key, SubBytes, ShiftRows, and MixColumns, into simple look-up table access. Unlike previous works, the look-up table does not require look-up table updates during the entire encryption life-cycle. Second, the core operation of Galois Counter Mode (GCM) is optimized further by using Karatsuba algorithm, compact register utilization, and pre-computed operands. With above optimization techniques, proposed AES-GCM on 8-bit AVR (Alf and Vegard&rsquo, s RISC processor) architecture from short-term, middle-term to long-term security levels achieved 415, 466, and 477 clock cycles per byte, respectively.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nanotube morphology changes of Ti

This study was conducted to examine predictive factors of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in gynecologic cancer survivors with lower extremity edema (LEE). In the current single-center, retrospective study, there was a total of 315 eligible patients, including 80 patients with DVT and 235 without DVT. They were therefore divided into two groups: the DVT group (n = 80) and the non-DVT group (n = 235). Then, baseline and clinical characteristics of the patients were compared between the two groups. In our study, distant organ metastasis, advanced stage, lymphadectomy, and amount of intraoperative blood loss had a positive predictive value for the occurrence of DVT in gynecologic cancer survivors presenting LEE. In conclusion, our results indicate that it is necessary to consider the possibility of LEE arising from DVT in gynecologic cancer survivors with advanced-stage cancer, distant organ metastasis, lymphadectomy, and intraoperative blood loss over 1500 mL.

This study was conducted to analyze CO2 migration from a shallow CO2 release experiment using a continuous soil CO2 flux measurement system. Approximately 1.8 t CO2 was injected from 1 to 30 June 2016 through the point sources with perforated release wells laid at 2.5‐m soil depth. Using LI‐8100A instruments, CO2 concentration, CO2 flux, soil temperature, soil moisture, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure were continuously measured every 30 min at 0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0 m from the well from 29 May to 4 August 2016. Typically sensors for soil temperature and moisture were installed at 5‐cm depth, and CO2 concentration, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure were measured at the chambers. The CO2 flux was not maximum directly above the release well. Carbon dioxide flux at 6.0 m from the well was similar to the background level. The relationship between CO2 flux and environmental factors, described using a temporal correlation analysis, indicated that CO2 flux was primarily driven by soil temperature and had the inverse correlation with relative humidity and atmospheric pressure. Heavy rainfall inhibited in‐soil CO2 migration by filling the soil pore with water. The anomalously high CO2 flux detected at 1.5 m from the well may have been caused by the associated permeability structure, in which a permeability discrepancy leads to the vertical or horizontal flow of in‐soil CO2. These findings from this shallow CO2 release experiment should be considered as basic information to characterize and model the in‐soil CO2 transport related to CO2 leakage.

This study investigated the effects of a 12-week diet versus diet plus aerobic and resistance exercise programme on acylated ghrelin (AG), desacylated ghrelin (DAG), and ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) concentrations in girls with obesity. We randomised 30 adolescents with obesity to a 12-week aerobic and resistance exercise group (EG) or a control group (CG). At baseline and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks, we measured their body composition, lipid profile, glucose, AG, DAG, and GOAT concentrations. In the EG, the body fat percentage decreased by 2.37% and was significantly lower than that in the CG. The DAG concentrations significantly increased by 48.3% and 27.4% in the EG and CG, respectively. At 4, 8, and 12 weeks, DAG concentrations were significantly higher in the EG than in the CG. AG concentrations were higher at week 12 than at baseline in both groups. In both groups, the GOAT concentrations increased at weeks 8 and 12; however, no between-group differences were observed in the changes in GOAT concentrations. This study showed increased DAG concentrations and non-significant changes in AG and GOAT concentrations after a 12-week aerobic and resistance exercise programme in girls with obesity. These findings suggest that an aerobic and resistance exercise programme influences appetite-regulating hormones, mainly through changes in DAG concentrations.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the Watch-PAT 200 (WP200) for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adolescents compared with polysomnography (PSG) according to the respiratory rules for children (RRC) and adults (RRA). METHODS: A total of 38 adolescents (mean age 15.1 ± 1.4 years; male 28 [73.7%]; body mass index [BMI] 23.1 ± 5.5 kg/m(2)) with suspected OSA were assessed with the WP200 and standard PSG simultaneously between July 2014 and September 2015 at a tertiary university hospital. All WP200 data were assessed according to the automatic algorithm, and PSG data were scored according to the RRC and RRA. We examined the correlation, agreement, and concordance in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and minimum arterial oxygen saturation (mSaO(2)) between the WP200 and PSG-RRC or PSG-RRA. RESULTS: There were high correlations (r = .945, P < .001 [AHI-WP200 versus AHI-PSG-RRC]; r = .945, P < .001 [AHI-WP200 versus AHI-PSG-RRA]; r = .921, P < .001 [mSaO(2)-WP versus mSaO(2)-PSG]) and good agreements in AHI and mSaO(2) between the WP200 and PSG. In addition, there were high concordances in AHI severity (Kendall tau-b = .848, P < .001 [AHI-WP200 versus AHI-PSG-RRC]; Kendall tau-b = .944, P < .001 [AHI-WP200 versus AHI-PSG-RRA]) between the WP200 and PSG. CONCLUSIONS: The WP200 may be a clinically reliable tool for diagnosing OSA in adolescents. CITATION: Choi JH, Lee B, Lee JY, Kim HJ. Validating the Watch-PAT for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea in adolescents. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018;14(10):1741–1747.

In anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, there is concern regarding the potential risk of femoral tunnel widening in the anteromedial portal (AMP) technique due to the acute graft-bending angle at the aperture and the more elliptical aperture shape of the femoral tunnel compared to the transtibial (TT) techniques. Therefore, the aim of the current systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the femoral tunnel widening between the AMP and TT techniques in patients who underwent ACL reconstruction. It should be included the studies that reported on femoral tunnel widening in patients who underwent single-bundle ACL reconstruction, using soft-tissue tendon graft, with AMP and/or TT techniques. Two reviewers independently recorded data from each study, including the sample size and magnitude of tunnel widening after ACL reconstruction. Twenty-one studies were finally included in this meta-analysis. The pooled changes of absolute millimeters of tunnel widening from the immediate postoperative status to the last follow-up did not differ significantly between the AMP and TT techniques at both the aperture [3.31 mm, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7–5.0. mm versus 2.9 mm, 95% CI 2.4–3.4 mm, P = n.s.] and the midportion (3.5 mm, 95% CI 0.8–6.3 mm versus 3.0 mm, 95% CI 2.2–3.9 mm, P = n.s.) of the femoral tunnel. No significant difference was observed between the two techniques in the relative percentage of femoral tunnel widening (AMP; 28.8%, 95% CI 14.8–42.9% vs. TT; 29.7%, 95% CI 15.6–43.7%, P = n.s.). No significant difference in femoral tunnel widening was observed between the AMP and TT techniques, both in absolute millimeter and relative percentage, in patients who underwent single-bundle ACL reconstruction. This finding could alleviate the potential concerns associated with femoral tunnels being wider for the AMP than for the TT technique. III.

One of the implicit assumptions in survey research is lower response rates by sexual minorities than non-minorities. With rapidly changing public attitudes towards same-sex marriage, we reconsider this assumption. We used data from the 2013 and 2014 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) that include contact history data for all sample families (n=117,589) as well as sexual orientation information about adults sampled from responding families (n=71,110). We created proxy nonresponse indicators based on contact efforts and reluctance from contact history data and linked them to sexual orientation of the sample adult and simulated nonresponse. The data did not support the assumption: straight adults were more difficult to get cooperation from than non-straights. With female sexual minorities showing higher nonresponse than the male counterpart, special considerations are required. Replication analyses may provide insights into what factors influence study participation decisions, which will inform how nonresponse may impact the accuracy of research findings.

In this study, we aimed to develop site index curves and a height growth model using forest data with the measured height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and age targeting a Larix kaempferi stand located on Mt. Deogyu in Muju, Jeollabuk-do. The site index estimation was calculated using Chapman-Richards equation. The coefficients were found to be α = 20.7837, β = 0.0566, γ = 1.6607, and MSE = 1.2034. The height growth model of the dominant trees depending on the DBH was determined to be α = 0.4872, β = 0.3687, and MSE = 1.8212 using the Petterson growth model. The Mean residual values for above two models were analyzed as 0.00004 and −0.00007, respectively. When comparing the skewness and kurtosis of the residual, the skewness values were 0.1659 and −0.1272, and the kurtosis values were −0.2310 and −0.5543. Therefore, the fitness was considered to be good because they were close to the normal distribution. The results of Shapiro-Wilk test showed P-values (0.77 for the height growth model and 0.62 for the height-DBH model) significantly higher than the alpha level of 0.05, and the residual form of the estimated values for the measured values showed uniform distribution indicating that the fitness of the two models was excellent.

This study was conducted to detect and characterize potential CO2 leakage from the K-COSEM shallow CO2 release experiment. The study site was established in Eumseong, South Korea, and consisted of five zones divided into two lines (east and west). Approximately 1.8 t CO2 was injected from the perforated release well at Zones 1–4 from June 1–30, 2016. CO2 fluxes varied due to the uneven permeability of soil, and CO2 leakage at the surface was detected within small area (

Few studies have been undertaken to develop cognitive functional improvement-focused exercise programs and determine their effect. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of a cognitive enhancement fitness program (CEFP) on short-term memory and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels according to the cognitive state in middle-aged women. A total of 30 healthy volunteers aged 40–59 years were divided into two groups, that is, a mild cognitive impairment (MCI) group and a non-MCI group based on results from the Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire. A single-session CEFP was conducted over 50 min and consisted of four parts: warm-up, low intensity interval circulation dance exercises, moderate intensity resistance exercises using elastic bands, and cool-down. Serum BDNF levels were measured by ELISA and short-term memory determined by forward digit/word span test was assessed before and after CEFP. After CEFP, forward digit/word span test scores and BDNF levels increased to median 119.2%/115.1% and 118.7%, respectively. After CEFP, the MCI and non-MCI groups produced higher forward digit span test scores (from 6.7 ± 1.5 to 7.5 ± 1.4 points, p = 0.023 and from 6.2 ± 2.0 to 7.0 ± 2.1 points, P=0.011, respectively). After CEFP, forward word span scores and BDNF levels increased (from 3.5 ± 1.7 to 4.6 ± 1.8 points, p = 0.029 and from 610.8 ± 221.1 to 757.9 ± 267.9 pg/ml, p = 0.017, respectively) in non-MCI group only. No group differences were observed between change in short-term memory and change in BDNF. Short-term memory and BDNF levels after CEFP were found to be negatively correlated with age, but pre- to post-intervention changes in short-term memory and BDNF were not. The present study shows that a single, 50-minute CEFP improved short-term memory and increased serum BDNF levels in healthy middle-aged women, especially those without MCI.

This study examined the effects of atmospheric-pressure cold plasma (ACP) on the structure and functional properties of egg white protein (EWP). Egg white solution was treated with ACP for 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 min. The structural unfolding of EWP was confirmed as the exposed free SH group content and surface hydrophobicity increased during the 30 min treatment; however, 40 min of ACP treatment showed the opposite tendency, suggesting the formation of protein aggregates. The emulsion stability of egg white emulsions was the highest at 30 min but decreased again at 40 min. In addition, the proportion of large droplets decreased as the treatment time increased up to 30 min. As a result, moderate oxidation was induced during 30 min of ACP treatment, which could contribute to the enhancement of functional properties of EWP. However, excessive oxidation caused by further ACP treatment negatively affected the enhanced functional properties. Industrial relevance Egg whites are used as functional ingredients for a variety of food products, so the quality and functionality of egg whites can directly affect the productivity of the final products. The present study suggests the moderate oxidation of egg white protein induced by atmospheric-pressure cold plasma, which could contribute to the enhancement of functional properties. These applied studies can serve as a cornerstone for the establishment of advanced oxidation techniques that can enhance the functionality of egg whites without chemical additives, and consequently contribute to the improvement of food quality and productivity.

Cognitive impairment can lead to significant decline in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in later life especially among those who are socially marginalized. While Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) older adults are documented to be at heightened risks of cognitive impairment, they may face unique challenges due to discrimination, social isolation, and other LGBTQ-related risks. This study examined factors associated with psychological and physical HRQOL among LGBTQ adults aged 50 and older analyzing a sub-set of longitudinal data (N = 646) from National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study: Aging with Pride. Lifetime LGBTQ discrimination and victimization and insufficient food intake were negatively, and physical and leisure activities were positively associated with both HRQOL dimensions. Community engagement, social support, and social activities were positively associated with psychological HRQOL. Culturally responsive interventions addressing these modifiable factors are needed to improve HRQOL of this socially marginalized but resilient population.

LGBTQ+ older adults face significant health disparities with higher rates of cognitive impairment and social isolation. Yet, the cognitive health needs of LGBTQ+ adults and caregivers have not been adequately addressed in clinical trials and services. In this presentation, we will share findings from Aging with Pride: IDEA (Innovations in Dementia Empowerment and Action), the first randomly controlled trial (RCT) intervention study designed to improve quality of life of LGBTQ+ adults living with dementia and caregivers, and to reduce institutionalization. In this presentation, we will share preliminary efficacy findings, the effectiveness of culturally responsive approaches, and Covid-19 adaptations, including delivery by virtual chat rather than in-home, technology training, ensuring safety of virtual intervention components, and providing on-going technology support. Preliminary findings suggest a higher intervention retention rate in the virtual delivery as compared to in-home. This study illustrates innovative ways to serve disadvantaged communities in dementia care and aging services.

Several studies indicate the mitochondrial Aldehyde Dehydrogenase‐2 (ALDH2) gene G487A polymorphism may be correlated with coronary artery disease (CAD) susceptibility, but a clear consensus has yet to be reached. To elucidate the relationship between the ALDH2 gene G487A polymorphism and CAD within the Chinese population, a meta‐analysis of 5644 subjects from nine individual studies was performed. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals were assessed using random or fixed‐effect models depending the heterogeneity existence or not. Our meta‐analysis found a significant association between ALDH2 gene G487A polymorphism and CAD in the Chinese population under allele (OR: 1.830, 95% CI: 1.560–2.140, P = 1.36 × 10−13), recessive (OR: 1.920, 95% CI: 1.530–2.390, P = 1.20 × 10−8), dominant (OR: 1.593, 95% CI: 1.336–1.900, P = 2.22 × 10−7), homozygous (OR: 2.280, 95% CI: 1.810–2.870, P = 3.17 × 10−12) and heterozygous genetic models (OR: 3.330, 95% CI: 2.070–5.370, P = 7.81 × 10−7). The positive correlation between the ALDH2 gene G487A polymorphism and CAD makes the mutation a strong candidate as a genetic risk marker for CAD. Through further analysis, we also found that A allele carriers of ALDH2 gene G487A polymorphism may be particularly susceptible to CAD.