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For a case study of Typhoon Ewiniar performed with a mesoscale model, we compare stratospheric gravity wave (GW) momentum flux determined from temperature variances by applying GW polarization relations and by assuming upward propagating waves with GW momentum flux calculated from model winds, which is considered as a reference. The temperature-based momentum-flux profile exhibits positive biases which fluctuate with altitude and have peak values of 17–39% at 20–40 km. We found that this deviation stems from the interference between upward and downward propagating waves. The downward propagating GWs are due mainly to partial reflections of upward propagating waves at altitudes where the background wind and stability change with height. When the upward and downward propagating waves are decomposed and their momentum fluxes are calculated separately from temperature perturbations, the fraction of the momentum flux arising from the downward propagating waves is about 4.5–8.2%. The net momentum flux of upward and downward propagating GWs agrees well with the reference from the model wind perturbations. Global distributions of GW momentum flux can be deduced from satellite measurements of temperatures also employing GW polarization relations but using different analysis methods. The implications of this study for the GW momentum-flux observations from satellites are discussed.

Setting A recent study in Japan found that mycobacterial genotyping was associated with disease progression and susceptibility to certain drugs in Mycobacterium avium lung disease. However, it is not known whether this association is true in other populations. Objective To investigate the association between mycobacterial genotype, clinical characteristics and the progression of M. avium lung disease in Korean patients. Design A total of 102 M. avium clinical isolates were genotyped using M. avium tandem repeats-variable number of tandem repeats (MATR-VNTR). Results MATR-VNTR typing demonstrated a high discriminatory power and genetic diversity for molecular epidemiological studies of M. avium. In the phylogenetic tree, the M. avium clinical isolates were divided into three major clusters: A, B and C. Cluster A was observed most frequently (64/102, 63%), whereas cluster C was found in a minor proportion of the isolates (8/102, 8%). However, there was no association between the clinical characteristics, disease progression and drug susceptibility and the phylogenetic tree based on VNTR genotyping. Conclusions MATR-VNTR genotyping may be useful for epidemiological studies of M. avium lung disease; however, no association was found between the specific VNTR genotypes of M. avium and the clinical characteristics of Korean patients.

The identification of patients who are at high risk for irinotecan-related severe diarrhea and neutropenia is clinically important. We conducted the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) to search for novel susceptibility genes for irinotecan-related severe toxicities, such as diarrhea and neutropenia, in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with irinotecan chemotherapy. The GWAS putatively identified 49 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with grade 3 diarrhea (G3D) and 32 SNPs associated with grade 4 neutropenia (G4N). In the replication series, the SNPs rs1517114 (C8orf34), rs1661167 (FLJ41856) and rs2745761 (PLCB1) were confirmed as being associated with G3D, whereas rs11128347 (PDZRN3) and rs11979430 and rs7779029 (SEMAC3) were confirmed as being associated with G4N. The final imputation analysis of our GWAS and replication study showed significant overlaps of association signals within these novel variants. This GWAS screen, along with subsequent validation and imputation analysis, identified novel SNPs associated with irinotecan-related severe toxicities.

SUMMARYHypermucoviscous (HV) isolates ofKlebsiella pneumoniaehave been linked to virulence potential in experimental infections. We examined 33 isolates ofK. pneumoniaefrom patients with bacteraemia for the HV phenotype on agar culture, and determined their virulence potential by screening for capsular (K) serotype by polymerase chain reaction and the presence of seven virulence factor genes. Fourteen (42·4%) isolates expressed the HV phenotype and 11 of these were serotype K1 or K2; these serotypes were not identified in HV-negative isolates. The genesrmpA,rmpA2,aerobactin,wabGandallSwere significantly more frequent in HV than non-HV isolates. Multilocus sequence typing identified 21 sequence types (ST), eight of which were found in HV-positive isolates and the clonal relatedness of isolates of the most frequent types (ST23 and ST11) from different hospitals was confirmed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The HV phenotype was more associated with community-acquired infection with a lower frequency of fatal underlying illness, but with significantly more focal infections, notably liver abscesses. Clinicians should be aware of such clinical impacts of the HV phenotype.

BACKGROUND: Pyrazinamide (PZA), one of the most effective anti-tuberculosis drugs, becomes toxic to Mycobacterium tuberculosis when converted to pyrazinoic acid by pyrazinamidase (PZase). PZA resistance is caused mainly by the loss of enzyme activity by mutation. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the patterns of pncA mutations in PZA-resistant mycobacteria isolated from South Korean patients. METHODS: Mycobacterial isolates with clinically proven drug resistance were cultured to determine susceptibility to anti-tuberculosis agents. pncA mutations were recognised by sequencing and compared with the relevant wild-type DNA sequence. RESULTS: Among 108 isolates, 102 were successfully cultured and underwent drug susceptibility testing; all were multidrug-resistant (MDR). pncA mutations were found in 86 cultured isolates (85.1%): 55 (84.6%) in MDR and 31 (86.1%) in extensively drug-resistant isolates. Substitution of a single nucleotide was most common. The most frequent mutations were a deletion that caused a frameshift at nucleotide (nt) 71, a substitution at nt 403 and a substitution at nt 11. Combined, these accounted for ≈ 40% of all mutations. However, 15 samples (14.9%) with defective PZase activity showed no mutation. CONCLUSION: pncA mutation in M. tuberculosis is a major mechanism of PZA resistance in MDR isolates from patients in South Korea. The patterns of mutation might be more scattered and diverse. DNA-based diagnosis of PZA resistance has potential for the rapid detection of drug resistance.

FLICE-like inhibitory protein (FLIP) is a critical regulator of death receptor-mediated apoptosis. Here, we found ubiquitin-specific peptidase 8 (USP8) to be a novel deubiquitylase of the long isoform of FLIP (FLIP

Ectopic pregnancy occurring in the same region is a comparatively rare disease, but sometimes it is very serious to patients if it is delayed. The authors present a case of spontaneous ectopic pregnancy occurring in the ipsilateral salpingectomy stump of a previous adnexectomy that was successfully removed via laparoscopic surgery without complication. This case may support the idea of intrauterine transmigration of a fertilized egg as an etiology of spontaneous ectopic pregnancy. Thus, the potential for ectopic pregnancy in the tubal remnant in cases of previous salpingectomy or adnexectomy needs to be carefully considered.

We report the performance of 745-nm laser diodes (LDs) utilizing InP/InGaP quantum structures (quantum dots + quantum dashes) grown by using migration-enhanced epitaxy method. The photoluminescence of the LD structures before the fabrication of the LDs shows two peaks, around 800 nm and 750 nm, attributed to quantum dots and dashes, respectively. The lasing wavelength is thought to the result from quantum dashes instead of ground states of QDs. The pulse optical power of the LD is above 600 mW at room temperature.

Bearing strength and fatigue life of pin-loaded glass fibre-reinforced plastics (GFRP) with various interference-fit ( I) percentages are experimentally investigated. Stainless steel pins with interference-fits ranging from 0 per cent to 2 per cent are inserted into vacuum infusion-processed GFRP. After pin installation, damage in the composite hole is observed. The quasi-static and fatigue properties of the pin-loaded composites with interference-fits ( I = 0.6 per cent, 1 per cent, and 2 per cent) are then compared to samples with transition-fit ( I = 0 per cent). The experimental results showed that interference-fit of 0.6 per cent and 1 per cent improved bearing strength slightly and fatigue life significantly when compared with transition-fit of 0 per cent. Bearing strength was decreased with 2 per cent interference-fit due to GFRP damage induced during pin installation. The sample with I = 0.6 per cent attains the longest fatigue life and provides the most reliable results, with the least amount of scatter.

Kim SY, Seong MW, Jeon BS, Kim SY, Ko HS, Kim JY, Park SS. Phase analysis identifies compound heterozygous deletions of the PARK2 gene in patients with early-onset Parkinson disease. Exon rearrangements and point mutations are common in PARK2, the most important causative gene of autosomal recessive early-onset Parkinson disease (EOPD). However, gene dosage analysis alone cannot conclusively determine the phase of exon rearrangements and the incidence of molecularly confirmed parkin-type EOPD may be underestimated. To fully characterize the mutation spectrum, we performed sequencing and gene dosage analyses of SNCA, PARK2, PINK1, and PARK7 in 114 unrelated EOPD patients with onset age ≤40 years. Mutational phase of exon rearrangements was determined by reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and sequence analysis using a patient's own RNA. Fourteen different PARK2 mutations (3 point mutations plus 11 exon rearrangements) were identified in 18 patients, comprising 1 homozygote (0.9%), 13 compound heterozygotes (11.4%), 3 single heterozygotes (2.6%), and 1 with unknown phase (0.9%). By phase determination, more than 80% (5 of 6) of patients with apparently contiguous multi-exon deletions and 30% (5 of 18) of all PARK2 mutation carriers were additionally diagnosed as compound heterozygotes, respectively. This study shows that compound heterozygous mutations constituted a significant portion of patients with apparently contiguous multi-exon deletions. Phase determination is a prerequisite to molecular diagnosis for autosomal recessive EOPD, especially in subjects with PARK2 exon rearrangements.

Please cite this paper as: Kim S-Y, Park H-J, Lee H, Lee H. Acupuncture for premenstrual syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BJOG 2011;118:899–915. Background Although acupuncture is widely applied in obstetrics and gynaecology, evidence for its efficacy in treating premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is equivocal. Objective To summarise and evaluate the current evidence for acupuncture as a treatment for PMS. Search strategy Ten databases were searched electronically, and relevant reviews were searched by hand through June 2009. Selection criteria Our review included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of women with PMS; these RCTs compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture, medication, or no treatment. Data collection and analysis Study outcomes were presented as mean differences (for continuous data) or risk ratios (RRs) (for dichotomous data) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). The risk of bias was assessed using the assessment tool from the Cochrane Handbook. Main results Ten RCTs were included in our review. The pooled results demonstrated that acupuncture is superior to all controls (eight trials, pooled RR 1.55, 95% CI 1.33–1.80, P

In this paper, screen-printing laser grooved buried contact (LGBC) method was applied, which is compatible with the existing screen-printed solar cell equipment and facilities. Experiments were performed in order to optimize short circuit current (I(sc)), open circuit voltage (V(oc)) and fill factor of high efficiency solar cells. To enhance I(sc), V(oc) and efficiency, heavy doping was performed at low sheet resistance in the laser grooved region of the cell. In contrast, light doping was carried out at a high sheet resistance in the non-laser grooved region. To increase fill factor, porous silicon found on the wafer after dipping in an HF solution to remove SiN(x), was cleared. The fabricated screen-printing LGBC solar cell using a 125 mm x 125 mm single crystalline silicon wafer exhibited an efficiency of 17.2%. The results show that screen-printing LGBC method can be applied for high efficiency solar cells.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), xenobiotics that accumulate in fat tissue, may impair bone metabolism. We studied (1) the association of bone mineral density (BMD) with POPs and (2) whether associations of fat mass (FM) or lean mass (LM), two components of body composition, with BMD differed depending on levels of POPs. Participants aged ≥ 20 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004 were included (n=2769). Eight POPs with detection rate ≥ 80% and three skeletal subregions (left arm, pelvis, and right leg) were selected. All analyses were stratified by gender and age (cutpoint 50 years or more). POPs at background concentrations were mostly unassociated with BMD. However, the associations of FM and LM with BMD depended on POPs concentrations, in particular with BMD of the left arm (usually not weight-bearing) in postmenopausal women. When POPs concentrations were low, FM showed inverse associations with BMD while LM showed positive associations. However, when POPs levels were high, FM showed positive associations with BMD while the positive associations between LM and BMD weakened. POPs may biologically modify the associations of FM and LM with BMD, especially among postmenopausal women, possibly explaining inconsistent associations between FM and BMD in previous epidemiological studies.

The overall driving environment consists of the Traffic environment, vehicle and driver states (TVD). advanced driver assistance Systems (ADAS) must consider not only information on each of the TVD states but also their context. Recent research has focused on making more efficient and effective assistance systems by fusing all the information from the TVD states. Based on this research trend, this paper focuses on decision-level fusion to estimate the level of danger of a warning by using visual information of the traffic environment and the driver state. The driver state consists of the gazing region and the facial feature points that are obtained using the active appearance model (AAM). The traffic environment state consists of time to collision (TTC), time to lane Crossing (TLC), and lane color information, which are obtained from the environment in front of the vehicle, i.e., position of lanes and other vehicles. Warnings against lane-off, collision, and driver inattention are generated by fusing this vision-based information from inside and outside the vehicle. The experimental results prove that our vision-based interactive driver assistance system reduces most useless warnings.

In 0.5 Al 0.5 As 버퍼층(buffer layer)의 성장온도 변화에 따른 In 0.5 Ga 0.5 As/In 0.5 Al 0.5 As 다중양자우물(multiple quantum wells: MQWs)의 광학적 특성을 photoluminescence (PL)와 time-resolved PL (TRPL) 측정을 이용하여 분석하였다. In 0.5 Al 0.5 As 버퍼층은 320℃에서 580℃까지 다양한 온도조건에서 1 ㎛ 성장하였으며, 그 위에 6 ㎚, 4 ㎚, 그리고 2.5 ㎚ 두께의 In 0.5 Ga 0.5 As 양자우물(quantum well)과 10 ㎚ 두께의 In 0.5 Al 0.5 As 장벽(barrier)의 MQWs을 성장하였다. 낮은 온도(320-480℃)에서 성장한 InAlAs 버퍼층의 MQWs는 4 ㎚ QW과 6 ㎚ QW로부터 모두 PL 피크가 측정되었으나, 높은 온도(320-580℃)의 버퍼층 위에 성장한 MQWs는 6 ㎚ QW에서의 PL 피크만 관찰되었다. 일정한 온도 480℃에서 성장한 버퍼층의 MQWs의 PL 세기가 가장 강하게 측정되었으며, 가장 높은 온도에서(530-580℃)에서 성장한 버퍼층의 MQWs의 PL 세기가 가장 약하게 나타났다. 이러한 PL 결과로부터 In 0.5 Al 0.5 As 버퍼층의 최적의 성장조건은 일정한 온도 480℃임을 확인하였다. 방출파장에 따른 PL 소멸시간(decay time)과 PL 스펙트럼으로부터 4 ㎚ QW과 6 ㎚ QW에서의 운반자 수명시간을 얻었다.

Three dimensional flow and structural analyses were carried out for film insert injection molding in order to evaluate the warpage and long term viscoelastic deformation of the film insert molded (FIM) tensile specimen. The predicted warpage after ejection and annealing was utilized as the input to the orthogonal array in order to obtain priority of significant factors and optimum molding conditions. Various injection molding factors influenced the degree of shrinkage of the injected substrate, i.e., packing pressure and mold wall temperature difference determined warpage of the FIM part after ejection. Warpage of the annealed FIM part was affected mainly by heat treatment conditions of the inserted film and annealing time of the part because annealing conditions had larger effects than the other processing factors. Optimum processing conditions and the relative significance of processing factors were obtained for warpage of FIM parts by using the Taguchi's method.

The purpose of this work was to evaluate hydrocephalic ventricular changes using three quantitative analysis methods. The height, area and volume of the ventricles and brain were measured in 20 Yorkshire terriers (10 normal and 10 hydrocephalic dogs) using low-field MR imaging (at 0.2 Tesla). All measurements were averaged and the relative ventricle size was defined as a percentage (percent size of the ventricle/size of the brain). The dif - ference between normal and hydrocephalic dogs was statistically significant for the average of each ventricle as well as for the percentage value. Five hydrocephalic symptoms were identified: circling, head tilting, seizures, ataxia, and strabismus. With respect to height, area and volume of the brain/ventricle, the difference between normal and hydrocephalic dogs was not significant. The ventricle/brain with height (1D) was related to the area (2D) and volume (3D). The correlations with area and volume were as good as the ventricle/brain height ratio in the case of hydrocephalic dogs. Therefore, one-, two- and three-dimensional quantitative methods may be complementary. We expect that the stage of hydrocephalic symptoms can be classified if statistical significance for ventricular size among symptoms is determined with the analysis of a large number of hydrocephalic cases.

Summary Introduction. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a well-known tumorigenic virus and is associated with lymphoproliferative disorders. Quantitations of EBV viral loads in plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells have been reported to be useful biomarkers for monitoring Hodgkin’s lymphoma and EBV-associated non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Methods. In the present study, whole blood specimens were used to determine quantitatively EBV viral loads, which were then compared with clinical data. Using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR), EBV-DNA was monitored in whole blood samples from patients with NHL (n = 61) at the time of diagnosis, relapse, and follow-up. Results. A statistically significant correlation was observed between positive EBV viral load and extranodal involvement in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma at the time of diagnosis or relapse (n = 29, P = 0.009). In patients who were serially checked for EBV-DNA levels (n = 16), viral load was found to fall to undetectable levels during complete remission. On the contrary, progressive disease and relapse were found to be associated with sustained or elevated EBV-DNA levels. Conclusion. These results suggest that whole blood EBV-DNA quantitation might be of value as a convenient biomarker for therapeutic responsiveness of NHL.

Background and purpose: Intrahospital delay is the most serious obstacle in thrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS). We implemented the pre-hospital notification system from the emergency medical information system in our metropolitan area to reduce intrahospital delay. Methods: From October 2007, we implemented a 24-h hotline system between our stroke center and the Korean Emergency Medical Information System in Busan. We compared processing times and clinical outcomes amongst patients after using intravenous tissue type plasminogen activator (iv t-PA) with and without the hotline system. Results: After the pre-hospital notification system was implemented, the rate of iv t-PA use increased from 6.5% to 14.3%. Time of onset in patients with pre-hospital notification was much longer than in patients without (121.5 ± 34.8 min vs. 74.7 ± 38.5 min, P

In order to evaluate effects of γ-rays on adventitious root formation and ginsenoside production, embryogenic calli induced from cotyledon explants of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer were treated with γ-rays of 0, 10, 30, 50, 70, and 100 Gy. The highest frequency of adventitious root formation of 75 % occurred at γ-irradiation of 30 Gy, which is considered adequate dosage for selecting mutant cell lines. Five mutated adventitious roots (MAR)3-lines out of the propagation of 142 adventitious root lines treated with 30 Gy were selected based a 100-fold increase in proliferation rate compared to control adventitious roots (CAR) and content of the seven major ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, and Rg1) was determined. In the CAR and four of the MAR3-lines (except for MAR3-109), the Rb/Rg ratio was greater than 1.0, thereby indicating altered ginsenoside composition in these root lines. The HPLC analysis of the MAR3-13 and MAR3-26 lines confirmed different ginsenoside profiles, including the three unidentified ginsenoside candidates, Gm1, Gm2, and Gm3. The ginsenosides of the MAR3-13 and MAR3-26 lines showed high hydroxyl and superoxide radical scavenging activities.

Action-derived molecular dynamics (ADMD) is a numerical method to search for minimum-energy dynamic pathways on the potential-energy surface of an atomic system. The method is based on Hamilton's least-action principle and has been developed for problems of activated processes, rare events, and long-time simulations. In this paper, ADMD is further extended to incorporate ab initio total-energy calculations, which enables the detailed electronic analysis of transition states as well as the exploration of energy landscapes. Three numerical examples are solved to demonstrate the capability of this action-derived ab initio molecular dynamics (MD). The proposed approach is expected to circumvent the severe time-scale limitation of conventional ab intio MD simulations.

A prediction model of spatial plasma was constructed by combining a radial basis function network and genetic algorithm. Multiparameterised widths were adopted and their effects on the model prediction were optimised by genetic algorithm. Spatial plasma data were collected by using a Langmuir probe in a Cl2 inductively coupled plasma. For systematic modelling, plasma discharge process was characterised by a face centred Box Wilson experiment. Compared with statistical regression models, optimised radial basis function network model yielded an improved prediction of more than 45% for electron temperature. Electron density model revealed a noticeable increase in plasma density with increasing Cl2 flow rate only at higher source powers or lower pressures as well as with decreasing the pressure only at higher Cl2 flow rate. Also, electron temperature model showed a strong dependence on Cl2 flow rate. Maintaining a higher Cl2 flow rate was needed to make pressure (or source power) effect on plasma dens...

The pathophysiology of human chronic pancreatitis is not well understood and difficult to follow on a molecular basis. Therefore, we used a rat model [Wistar-Bonn/Kobori (WBN/Kob)] that exhibits spontaneous chronic inflammation and fibrosis in the pancreas. Using microarrays we compared gene expression patterns in the pancreas during development of inflammation and fibrosis of WBN/Kob rats with age-matched healthy Wistar rats. The extracellular matrix protein SPARC (secreted protein, acidic, and rich in cysteines) and other transcripts of inflammatory genes were quantified by real-time PCR, and some were localized by immunohistochemistry. When pancreatic inflammation becomes obvious at the age of 16 wk, several hundred genes are increased between 3- and 50-fold in WBN/Kob rats compared with healthy Wistar rats. Proteins produced by acinar cells and characteristic for inflammation, e.g., pancreatitis-associated protein, are highly upregulated. Other proteins, derived from infiltrating inflammatory cells and from activated stellate cells (fibrosis) such as collagens and fibronectins are also significantly upregulated. SPARC was localized to acinar cells where it increased in the vicinity of inflammatory foci. However, acinar expression of SPARC was lost during destruction of acinar cells. In human pancreatic specimens with chronic pancreatitis, SPARC exhibited a similar expression profile. During chronic inflammation and fibrosis in the WBN/Kob rat, inflammatory genes, growth factors, and structural genes exhibit a high increase of expression. A temporal profile including pre- and postinflammatory phases indicates a concurrent activation of inflammatory and fibrotic changes. Inflammation dependent expression of SPARC appears to be lost during acinar-to-duct metaplasia both in rat and human pancreas.

Estimation of the undrained shear strength su of clays using piezocone penetration test (CPTu) results has been based mainly on the cone factor Nk. In this study a new CPTu-based method for estimating su is proposed and evaluated. It is aimed at reducing uncertainties in the estimation of su and enhancing the application of CPTu results. To develop the method, a selected site on a marine clay deposit was subjected to an extensive experimental testing programme. The proposed method defines a direct correlation between su and the cone resistance qt, involving the initial in situ pore pressure but excluding the need for overburden pressure calculation and therefore the need for undisturbed soil sampling. To verify the proposed method, additional test sites and example sites from the literature that encompass a variety of soil conditions are selected and examined. Values of su obtained from the proposed method are in good agreement with measured values of su for all the selected verification cases.

EphA3 is a component of the Eph/ephrin tyrosine kinase system, which participates in vasculature development. This receptor/ligand system is associated with various signaling pathways related to cell growth and viability, cytoskeletal organization, cell migration, and anti-apoptosis. Accumulated evidence suggests that aberrant regulation of EphA3 and its genetic alterations are implicated in the development and progression of various cancers. However, despite a high incidence of EphA3 over-expression, no such investigation has been performed in hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, we investigated genetic alterations of the EphA3 gene in 73 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma by single-strand conformational polymorphism and sequencing. One novel D219V missense mutation was found in the extracellular domain of EphA3, and two genetic alterations in the intracellular sterile-alpha-motif (SAM) domain of EphA3 appeared to be polymorphisms. Although the functional assessments of this mutant are incomplete, it is believed that this novel EphA3 mutation may contribute to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

A SnO2–mesoporous organo-silica nanoarray (MOSN) composite was prepared by surfactant mediated synthesis combined with a sol–gel vacuum suction method in which SnO2 has been successfully incorporated inside the periodic nanoholes in the MOSN or coated on its surface. The MOSN with a high aspect ratio of length to width could not only maintain its structure but also effectively accommodate the volume expansion of the SnO2 during electrochemical reactions with Li+. The SnO2–MOSN composite showed a higher reversible capacity of 420 mA h g−1 with greatly improved capacity retention and lower initial irreversible capacity compared to SnO2 powder. This interesting anodic performance of SnO2–MOSN composite supports the potential use of MOSN for lithium ion batteries. Keywords: Anode, Composite, Lithium ion battery, Mesoporous organo silica, Tin oxide

Carrier density of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN and Al0.3Ga0.7N/AlN/GaN heterostructures was investigated by performing Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) measurements. The angular-dependent SdH measurements and the fast Fourier transformation results for the SdH data indicated 2DEG occupation of one subband in the triangular potential wells. The carrier densities of the 2DEGs in the Al0.3Ga0.7N/AlN/GaN and the Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN heterostructures at 1.5 K, determined from the SdH data, were 1.28 × 1013 and 1.12 × 1013 cm-2, respectively. The electron carrier density of the 2DEG in the Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN heterostructure with an AlN embedded potential barrier layer was larger than that in the Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN heterostructure. The electronic subband energies, the wave functions, and the Fermi energies in the Al0.3Ga0.7N/AlN/GaN and Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN heterostructures were calculated by using a self-consistent method taking into account spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations.

Early detection of synchronous esophageal squamous cell neoplasm (ESCN) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients can significantly affect their prognosis. We investigated the prevalence of synchronous ESCN and the risk factors for developing ESCN in patients with HNSCC, and evaluated the effect of routine endoscopic screening in these patients. Subjects who were diagnosed as HNSCC from May 2010 to January 2014 were eligible. All patients underwent conventional white light endoscopic examinations with narrow band imaging and Lugol chromoendoscopy. Among 458 subjects screened, 28 synchronous ESCN were detected in 24 patients (5.2%). The prevalence of ESCN was greatest in patients with hypopharyngeal cancer (20.9%). In multivariate analysis, pyriform sinus involvement was independent risk factor for developing synchronous ESCN (odds ratio 171.2, P0.001). During the follow-up period (median, 24 months), the 3-year overall survival rates was significantly lower in patients with ESCN than in patients without ESCN (54.2% vs. 78.3%, P = 0.0013). Routine endoscopic screening for detecting synchronous ESCN should be recommended for patients with HNSCC, especially those with pyriform sinus involvement.

We investigated the local electronic structure and magnetic properties of the cobaltite double perovskites La2CoIrO6 and La2CoPtO6 using Co L2,3-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Despite similarity in the local electronic structure (Co(2+) high-spin states) as well as in the crystal structure (P2(1)/n), only La2CoIrO6 exhibits substantial orbital and spin magnetic moments of Co(2+), whereas they are much weaker in the case of La2CoPtO6. This composition dependence is consistent with the results of magnetization measurements. The details of the mechanism of ferromagnetic ordering in the Co(2+) sublattice in La2CoIrO6 and the lack thereof in La2CoPtO6 are explained in terms of the orbital hybridization of the Co minority-spin t(2g) state and the Ir/Pt j(eff) = 1/2 state.

In0.Al0.4As/Al0.4Ga0.6As quantum dots (QDs) were grown on GaAs (001) substrates by using molecular beam epitaxy utilizing a modified Stranski-Krastanow method. Atomic force microscopy images showed that the size of the In0.6Al0.4As QDs increased with increasing growth temperature. Photoluminescence spectra at 300 K showed that the exciton peaks corresponding to the interband transitions from the ground electronic subband to the ground heavy-hole subband (E1-HH1) of the In0.6Al0.4As/Al0.4Ga0.6As QDs shifted to large energy side with increasing growth temperature resulting from an increase in the height of the In0.6Al0.4As QDs. While the (E1-HH1) peak position of the PL spectra shifted toward larger energy side with increasing up to an annealing temperature of 700 °C, it shifted toward lower energy above 700 °C. The structural and the optical properties of In0.6Al0.4As/Al0.4Ga0.6As QDs were affected by the growth and annealing temperatures.

Lumbar spine trabecular bone score (TBS) was significantly decreased in active acromegaly patients. TBS may be useful to assess the skeletal fragility in acromegaly in which bone mineral density (BMD) is not sufficient to represent bone strength and explain the high incidence of fragility fractures in acromegaly patients. Although the data on BMD are controversial, patients with acromegaly have an increased risk of fragility fracture. We examined the lumbar spine TBS to explain the skeletal deterioration in acromegaly patients. We included 14 men and 19 women acromegaly patients who underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the time of diagnosis from 2000 to 2014 at Seoul National University Hospital. Ninety-nine age-, sex- and body mass index-matched controls were recruited. Biochemical parameters, lumbar spine TBS, and BMD at all sites were measured. Gonadal status was evaluated at diagnosis. Lumbar spine TBS was lower in acromegaly patients than in controls in both genders (1.345 ± 0.121 vs. 1.427 ± 0.087, P = 0.005 in men; 1.356 ± 0.082 vs. 1.431 ± 0.071, P = 0.001 in women). In contrast, BMD at all sites did not differ between the two groups. Hypogonadal acromegaly patients (men, n = 9; women, n = 12) had lower TBS values compared with controls both in men and women (all P

This paper presents the result of a study carried out to identify vehicle queue effects of driveway geometry based on statistical analysis of field survey data. The study is necessary to help transportation engineers apply highway access control more efficiently to achieve its full benefits such as diminished queue lengths in main roads as well as in driveways. The authors applied the multiple regression analysis to establish evidence based on vehicle queues and driveway geometric features. The authors research showed that vehicle queues actually vary closely with driveway geometric conditions and that the presence of the speed bump and the crosswalk are the most important factors for increasing vehicle queue lengths. The research findings will contribute to the authors increased understanding of proper driveway designs when highway access control is the main research interest.

Background This study aimed to investigate whether radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an alternative to surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the context of current guidelines. Methods This retrospective study included patients with normal portal pressure and serum bilirubin level who initially underwent liver resection or RFA for a single HCC of maximum size 3 cm. Between-group differences in cumulative rates of survival and recurrence specific for HCC were analysed in the entire cohort and in a propensity score-matched cohort. Results A total of 604 patients were enrolled, 273 in the liver resection group and 331 in the RFA group. The 5- and 10-year HCC-specific survival rates for the resection and RFA groups were 87·6 versus 82·1 per cent and 59·0 versus 61·2 per cent respectively (P = 0·214), whereas overall 5- and 10-year recurrence-free survival rates for the corresponding groups were 60·6 versus 39·4 per cent and 37·5 versus 25·1 per cent respectively (P < 0·001). In the propensity score-matched cohort (152 pairs), there were no differences in HCC-specific survival (hazard ratio (HR) 1·03 for RFAversus resection; P = 0·899), whereas recurrence-free survival again differed between the treatment groups (HR 1·75; P < 0·001). RFA was independently associated with poorer outcomes in terms of treatment-site recurrence-free survival (adjusted HR 1·66; P = 0·026), but not non-treatment-site recurrence-free survival (adjusted HR 1·15; P = 0·354). Conclusion Although RFA carries a higher risk of treatment-site recurrence than hepatic resection, it provides comparable overall survival in patients with a single small HCC without portal hypertension or a raised bilirubin level.

Data mining is the work to extract information from existing data file. So, the one of best important thing in data mining process is the quality of data to be used. In this thesis, we propose the data fusion technique using decision rule for data enrichment that one phase to improve data quality in KDD process. Simulations were performed to compare the proposed data fusion technique with the existing techniques. As a result, our data fusion technique using decision rule is characterized with low MSE or misclassification rate in fusion variables.

There is evidence for an association between polymorphisms of serotonin- and dopamine-related genes and temperamental personality traits. Recent findings have shown that interactions between allelic variants of the different genes may contribute to personality traits. We examined the effects of serotonin transporter-linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) and dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene polymorphisms for associations with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) temperament subscales in 209 Koreans. We found that the variants of 5-HTTLPR interacted with the DAT1 gene polymorphism to influence the HA and RD temperament subscales of TCI. Neither of these two genes affected any subscales of TCI alone.Controlling for the effects of gender and age, we found significant interactions between 5-HTTLPR and DAT1 genes on Harm Avoidance (HA) and Reward Dependence (RD) as measured by the TCI (Hotelling's Trace = 3.0, P = 0.02). In the presence of the DAT1 10/10 genotype, subjects of group L of 5-HTTLPR had a significantly higher HA score and significantly lower RD score than those of group S (F = 5.04, df = 1, p = 0.03 and F = 8.35, df = 1, p = 0.004, respectively). These findings suggest that the variants of 5-HTTLPR interacted with the DAT1 gene polymorphism to influence the HA and RD temperament subscales of TCI.