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Elastic metamaterials have attracted much attention owing to their capability in controlling elastic vibration propagation. In this work, we numerically study the elastic properties of polymer Nylon-12 based triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS). Two typical lattice structures, Primitive and Schoen’s F-RD surfaces, are discussed with an emphasis on the relationship between their filling fraction and elastic band structures. Our simulation results show that both TPMS structures exhibit bandgaps in the low-frequency range between 1.2 kHz and 1.7 kHz. The bandwidth of the bandgap is monotonically increased with increasing the filling fraction. As compared to a single bandgap in the FRD-TPMS structures, the number of bandgaps for Primitive-TPMS is reduced as the filling fraction is increased from three to one. Our eigenmode study indicates the disappearance of the bandgap results from the shape changed from an open cavity to a structure with an internally closed cavity This study indicates that by tuning the relative density, suitable bandgaps can be designed for acoustic applications in the specific frequency range.

Acoustic metamaterials with unusual properties have attracted much attention owing to their capability in controlling sound propagation. In this work, the acoustic properties of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) material based triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS), including Schoen’s F-RD, Gyroid, and Fischer-Koch S surfaces are numerically studied. The simulation results show that these three different TPMS lattices have multiple bandgaps in the frequency range between 200 and 2000 Hz. In the sub-700 Hz frequency range, they commonly have a bandgap with a central frequency of nearly 500 Hz and a bandwidth of nearly 400 Hz. However, in the higher frequency range between 800 Hz and 2000 Hz, the bandwidths of bandgaps are much different from one structure to the other. For example, the Fischer-Koch S-TPMS lattice shows the widest bandgap with a bandwidth of more than 200-Hz, but the F-RD TPMS lattice shows the narrowest bandgaps with a bandwidth of less than 50-Hz. This study is potentially applicable for low-frequency sound attenuation applications.

Here we report on the preparation of transparent and flexible polymerized graphite oxide, which is composed of carbons with sp3-hybridized orbitals and a non-planar ring structure, and which demonstrates dispersion in its dielectric constant at room temperature. This frequency dependence renders the material suitable for creating miniaturized, flexible, and transparent variable capacitors, allowing for smaller and simpler integrated electronic devices. We discuss this polarizability in terms of space charge effects.

Background No effective treatment exists for anterior resection syndrome (ARS) following sphincter-saving surgery for rectal cancer. This RCT assessed the safety and efficacy of a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, ramosetron, for ARS. Methods A single-centre, randomized, controlled, open-label, parallel group trial was conducted. Male patients with ARS 1 month after rectal cancer surgery or ileostomy reversal were enrolled and randomly assigned (1 : 1) to 5 μg of ramosetron (Irribow®) daily or conservative treatment for 4 weeks. Low ARS (LARS) score was calculated after randomization and 4 weeks after treatment. The study was designed as a superiority test with a primary endpoint of the proportion of patients with major LARS between the groups. Primary outcome analysis was based on the modified intention-to-treat population. Safety was assessed by monitoring adverse events during the study. Results A total of 100 patients were randomized to the ramosetron (49 patients) or conservative treatment group (51 patients). Two patients were excluded, and 48 and 50 patients were analysed in the ramosetron and control groups, respectively. The proportion of major LARS after 4 weeks was 58 per cent (28 of 48 patients) in the ramosetron group versus 82 per cent (41 of 50 patients) in the control group, with a difference of 23.7 per cent (95 per cent c.i. 5.58 to 39.98, P = 0.011). There were minor adverse events in five patients, which were hard stool, frequent stool or anal pain. These were not different between the two groups. There were no serious adverse events. Conclusion Ramosetron could be safe and feasible for male patients with ARS. Trial registration number NCT02869984 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

Three-weekly docetaxel causes a high rate of febrile neutropenia, especially in the Asian population. Two-weekly docetaxel has been shown to reduce rate of febrile neutropenia in castrate-resistant prostate cancer patients. We conducted a preliminary study to investigate the safety of two-weekly docetaxel in advanced breast cancer patients.We recruited 10 patients with advanced breast cancer with ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status score of zero to two, who needed chemotherapy in the first or second-line setting to receive two-weekly docetaxel for 8 cycles. The primary endpoint was safety and secondary endpoints were response rate and progression free survival.The most reported adverse events were haematological (anaemia 100% and neutropenia 90%). The febrile neutropenia rate was 10%. The overall response rate was 20%. The median progression free survival was 5.0 months.Two-weekly docetaxel may be a reasonable alternative treatment regimen for patients with advanced breast cancer in the first or second-line setting. This regimen is yet to be compared with standard 3-weekly schedule in a phase 3 randomised clinical trial.

The use of calcium phosphate bone cement has been described to allow for retention of reduction. Therefore, we evaluated whether augmentation with resorbable calcium phosphate could improve fracture stability in osteoporotic hip fractures. The results showed that augmentation with calcium phosphate cement significantly improved the stability of intertrochanteric fractures. The aim with this study was to measure whether augmentation with resorbable calcium phosphate cement could improve fracture stability in osteoporotic hip fractures. We retrospectively reviewed 82 patients who underwent closed reduction and internal fixation with proximal femoral nail (PFN) for unstable intertrochanteric fractures between 2014 and 2017. In 42 of 82 patients, patients were treated with a PFN alone (group I). These patients were compared with 40 patients for whom the same device combined with calcium phosphate cement for augmentation was used (group II). Questionnaire surveys or telephone interviews were conducted and patients completed a self-report Harris hip score (HHS) and visual analog scale (VAS) scores. Radiographic outcomes including mean sliding distance of screw, femoral shortening, and varus collapse were compared. Postoperative complications were compared. Clinical outcomes at 6 months after surgery were equivalent in both groups. Screw sliding, femoral shortening, and varus collapse were all significantly reduced in the cemented group at the last follow-up (p

Understanding Current ConflictsContemporary conflicts have become more transnational, protracted, irregular, and resistancecentric.1 They can be best described as protracted internal conflicts with multiple state actors and nonstate actors intervening much like the multidimensional hybrid operational environment discussed in Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) 2022.2This article aims to explain how to harness the emerging strategic utility of nonstate actors by utilizing well-established bodies of knowledge on resistance dynamics. This objective is based upon the observation that an increasing number of external state actors overtly or covertly intervene in intrastate conflicts by exploiting the environment's resistance potential in order to increase their respective strategic influence.3 Similarly, both internal and external nonstate actors take advantage of interstate conflicts or political instability stemming from failing states. The current conflicts in Iraq and Syria certainly meet this characterization; as do those in Ukraine, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, Mali, and Libya. More state actors are supporting or sponsoring political movements in intrastate conflict, making the termination of fighting very difficult. For instance, the resilience of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is largely attributed to the protracted Syrian civil war in which regional powers such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey all sponsor local movements. In addition, external nonstate actors such as ISIL, al-Nusrah, and Hezbollah are also deeply involved in the conflict. In other words, these current conflicts represent a sample of a larger shift in warfare. As of this writing, Uppsala University's world conflict data program compiles 40 conflicts in the world for 2014. All but one of them are intrastate conflicts and 13 of them are internationalized.4 In short, state actors are actively leveraging and taking advantage of the resistance potential of groups engaged in civil conflicts.The United States must adapt to this operational environment in order to achieve national policy objectives. Key to this goal is a shared problem identification that will lead to mitigation and reduction of the fog and friction inherent in a hybrid operational environment. Problem identification begins with understanding how external groups are leveraging and harnessing the resistance potential of organic movements toward their respective strategic interests. By understanding how resistance potential is shaped toward strategic objectives, we can also better determine how to replicate the best practices of supporting and sponsoring robust organic movements.In order to fight successfully in this complex hybrid environment, a deep understanding of resistance dynamics is critical. Without understanding resistance dynamics, it becomes next to impossible to identify who is working with adversarial state actors and how their nonstate surrogates gain political support against our own strategic interests. Our recent unsuccessful attempt at building a surrogate force in Syria is a good reminder of why it matters to harness the utility of organic resistance. Instead of building a sustainable movement with an armed wing, we thought a program designed to train and equip a few dozen commandos would suffice.5 This article intends to delineate the strategic dynamics of resistance and discuss the utility of resistance as a strategic tool.I will begin with a discussion of how resistance is conceptualized in doctrinal and academic terms to distill the essential characteristics of the concept. Then I will highlight three aspects of resistance: antecedent conditions, mechanisms, and effects. I will identify what antecedent conditions facilitate resistance, followed by a variety of mechanisms employed by movements to exploit the conditions. The discussion of mechanisms accompanies a description of the effects that can be expected when movements take advantage of these conditions. …

Composite stretchable conducting wires Think how useful a stretchable electronic “skin” could be. For example you could place it over an aircraft fuselage or a body to create a network of sensors, processors, energy stores, or artificial muscles. But it is difficult to make electronic interconnects and strain sensors that can stretch over such surfaces. Liu et al. created superelastic conducting fibers by depositing carbon nanotube sheets onto a prestretched rubber core (see the Perspective by Ghosh). The nanotubes buckled on relaxation of the core, but continued to coat it fully and could stretch enormously, with relatively little change in resistance. Science , this issue p. 400 ; see also p. 382

The oxidation behaviour of Fe–46Ni alloy scrap was studied in 0.2 atm oxygen partial pressure at the temperature range of 400–900°C. The oxidation rate was found to be increased with increasing temperature and followed parabolic rate law linearly proportional to temperature. Microstructure and a cross-sectional area of the oxide layer were examined by scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrometryand X-ray diffraction and it may be predicted that iron ions and electrons migrated outward and oxygen anion diffused inward through a spinel structure, (Ni, Fe)3O4. In the long run, oxide powder less than 10 μm from Fe–46Ni alloy scrap was obtained using ball-milling and sieving processes and recovery ratio approached up to 95% for 15 hours.

There are many options in the treatment of heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer however none of the therapeutic agents have shown promising improvement of survival with good toxicity profile. Eribulin is a novel nontaxane microtubule dynamics inhibitor. Two recent clinical trial showed that Eribulin improves progression-free and overall survival in this subset of patients. We report our experience with using Eribulin in five patients with metastatic breast cancer either in second or third-line setting, in our centre.

This study examines the development of micro in situ sensors and analyzed the through-plane temperature of a fuel cell. Temperature sensing inside a fuel cell is important in fuel cell diagnosis and analysis. Temperature sensors must be adequately small, so that fuel cell performance is maintained and the temperature anywhere inside the cell can be flexibly measured. In this study, a temperature sensor based on a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) is designed and fabricated to achieve these objectives. The micro temperature sensor was installed inside a cell to measure through-plane temperature. The current and voltage of the fuel cell with the micro temperature sensor were measured and compared with those of a fuel cell without the sensor to analyze the effect of the sensor on fuel cell performance. The developed temperature sensor is of resistance temperature detector (RTD) type, with a flexible substrate of polyimide, high sensitivity, and easy installation characteristics. After calibration of the sensors, three sensors were inserted into the cell to measure the through-plane temperature, and the polarization curve of the cell with and without the micro sensor was compared. Finally, a 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a fuel cell was developed and analyzed by comparison of the measured temperature results to determine the accuracy of the model.

Let $$\{ P_n(x) \}_{n=0}^\infty $$ be a monic weak orthogonal polynomial system (weak OPS) of order $$m$$ relative to $$ \sigma $$ . Then we first prove that $$ \sigma $$ satisfies a new moment equation 0.1 $$\begin{aligned} P_{m+1} (x) \sigma =0, \end{aligned}$$ and then we find a general representation of $$\sigma $$ from the moment equation (0.1). Assuming moreover that $$\{ P_n(x) \}_{n=0}^\infty $$ satisfies a second-order differential equation, we find a distributional representation of $$ \sigma $$ for such weak OPSs by the coefficients $$\ell _i$$ ’s and the eigenvalues $$\lambda _k$$ of differential equation. By analyzing those moment equations thoroughly, we finally classify all moment functionals $$ \sigma $$ for the weak OPSs satisfying a second-order differential equation.

Jiro Asian persimmon (Diospyros kaki L. f.) is widely found growing in houses, in gardens, and on roadsides in South Korea. Many factors including fungal diseases such as anthracnose negatively impact the yield and quality of persimmon crops. In July 2018, serious cases of anthracnose disease were observed in gardens in Sanju, South Korea. The disease incidence was >40% (based on five trees observed). Green persimmon fruits were affected by anthracnose the most. Lesions on infected fruits were sunken, brown, and round (∼6.1 mm in diameter). Presumed causative agents were isolated from the lesions of infected fruits. Small pieces of tissue were cut from the lesions with a sterile scalpel, disinfected with 1% sodium hypochlorite solution for 1 min, rinsed twice with sterile distilled water, and dried by blotting. Pieces of the tissue were placed on water agar and incubated at 25°C in the dark. Newly emerging fungal colonies from the tissue samples were transferred onto potato dextrose agar and incubated at 25°C in the dark. Fungal colonies were purified using a single-spore isolation technique (Cai et al. 2009). Two fungal colonies were used for examining morphological characteristics. Seven-day-old colonies were gray on their upper side and creamy white on their bottom side. Conidia hyaline and fusiform with pointed ends, measuring 10.5 to 18.0 × 4.6 to 7.8 (n = 50; mean ± SD = 14.4 ± 1.5 × 6.4 ± 0.6). Conidia were produced across the entire colony. Appressoria oval, cylindrical, lobed, medium brown, seen singly or in chains, measuring 9.0 to 12.9 × 6.0 to 9.0 µm (n = 25; mean ± SD = 10.9 ± 1.5 × 7.2 ± 1.0 µm). The morphological characteristics of the present isolate are consistent with several Colletotrichum species within the Colletotrichum acutatum species complex, including Colletotrichum nymphaeae (Damm et al. 2012). The representative isolate PNKU18D1 was used in molecular and phylogenetic analysis. Five target gene regions including the ITS, TUB2, GAPDH, CHS-1, and ACT regions were amplified from genomic DNA. The primer sets ITS1/ITS4, Bt2a/Bt-2b, GDF/GDR, CHS-79F/CHS-354R, and ACT512F/ACT783R were used to amplify ITS, TUB2, GAPDH, CHS-1, and ACT, respectively (Damm et al. 2012; Weir et al. 2012). Purified polymerase chain reaction products were sequenced by Macrogen (Seoul, Korea) and deposited in GenBank (accession nos. LC428839 to LC428843). Neighbor-joining and maximum likelihood analyses were performed using MEGA6 based on the multilocus alignment (ITS, GAPDH, CHS-1, ACT, and TUB2). Analyses showed that the isolate clustered with the C. nymphaeae strain with high bootstrap support (>98%). The BLAST results using each gene sequence also revealed a 99 to 100% match with respective gene sequences in C. nymphaeae GenBank databases. The virulence of the PNKU18D1 isolate was tested in green persimmon fruit. The surfaces of healthy green fruits were sterilized with 70% ethanol and washed twice with distilled water. Eight fruits were inoculated with 10 µl of conidia suspension (10⁵ conidia/ml) placed on a single point on each fruit. Eight fruits inoculated with distilled water were used as controls. Inoculated fruits were placed in a large plastic box on a sterile plastic saucer and incubated at 25°C in the dark at high humidity for 1 week. The experiments were repeated twice. Typical anthracnose symptoms including necrotic lesions (5.5 ± 0.6 mm in diameter) were observed in 90% of inoculated fruits. Control fruits were asymptomatic. The fungus was then successfully reisolated and identified as C. nymphaeae according to the methods described above, thus satisfying Koch’s postulates. C. gloeosporioides, C. acutatum, C. siamense, and C. horii have been previously reported as the causal agents of persimmon anthracnose in Korea (Hassan et al. 2018; Kwon et al. 2013), and in this study we provide evidence of anthracnose resulting from infection by C. nymphaeae. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of C. nymphaeae causing anthracnose in persimmon in South Korea.

A new process of magnesium thermal reduction was successfully attempted to produce Zr–Ti alloy powder. A gas mixture of ZrCl4+TiCl4 was injected to molten magnesium, and the chloride components were reduced by magnesium, leading to the formation of MgCl2. The Zr and Ti atoms that were not reacted with magnesium were condensed to particle forms inside liquid magnesium and magnesium chloride. In the next stage, the magnesium and its chloride were fully removed by 1–5%HCl solution at room temperature. The target compositions of Zr–Ti alloy powder could be obtained in the ranges of Zr–(0–20 wt-%)Ti by controlling the mole fraction of each ZrCl4 and TiCl4 gas. Its purity was achieved to ∼99·4%, and the average particle size was almost found to be in the level of several micrometres.

The focus in the present work is to study the agro-waste corn husk bio-filler as reinforcement for polypropylene. These materials have been created by extrusion and injection molding. The effect of filler content by 10, 20, 30 and 40 wt. % and mesh sizes of 50~100, 100 and 300 on the mechanical properties was studied. For the un-notched specimens, the results of flexural strength showed a declining trend with increase the filler loading and the results of impact strength showed an increasing trend with increase the mesh size. In contrast, enhanced flexural modulus was observed with increasing filler loading and size.

Summary A 12-week trial with 120 [(Landrace×Yorkshire)×Duroc] pigs (45.65 ± 1.93 kg) was conducted to evaluate the effects of Astragalus membranaceus, Codonopsis pilosula and allicin mixture (HM) supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, faecal microbial shedding, immune response and meat quality in finishing pigs. Pigs were allocated to one of three treatments with 0, 0.025% (HM1) and 0.05% (HM2) HM supplementation in a randomized complete block design according to sex and BW. Each treatment contained 10 replications with four pigs (two barrows and two gilts) per pen. Dietary HM resulted in a higher G:F (p

SUMMARY Laboratory tests to identify the viral genome, the antigen, or specific antibodies are used for a definitive diagnosis of avian metapneumovirus (AMPV) infection. Methods that can be used for antibody determination are the virus neutralization test and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. To monitor the presence of AMPV in Korean chickens, sera were taken from chickens in 20 flocks. Of the 197 serum samples tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, 144 (73.1%) were positive for AMPV. The incidence of AMPV antibodies was higher in broilers (97.3%; 36 of 37 chickens) than in layers (67.5%; 108 of 160 chickens). Age was a factor, with very few positive samples obtained from young birds and the highest positive rates obtained for birds more than 100 d old.

This study describes the effects of diesel–biodiesel–bioethanol blending fuels on the combustion and emission characteristics of a compression ignition engine. The experiments were investigated for various blending ratios and various fuel injection parameters. In this study, biodiesel fuel was blended not only to prevent phase separation between bioethanol and diesel but also to compensate for the low viscosity of bioethanol. The bioethanol blending ratio is restricted up to 30 vol. % to maintain the ignition characteristics. The results showed that the ignition delay was extended and that the fuel consumption and the maximum rate of pressure rise deteriorated with increasing bioethanol blending ratio. In addition, the diesel–biodiesel–bioethanol fuel reduced the indicated specific soot emissions. As the bioethanol blending ratio is increased, the indicated specific carbon monoxide (CO), the indicated specific unburned hydrocarbon, and the indicated specific nitrogen oxide emissions increased slightly.

We investigated the reaction of graphite oxide with water molecule in the air with X-ray diffraction, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction data show that the layer distance of graphite oxide increases when it becomes hydrated in the air. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectra reveal that hydrated graphite oxide in the air has phenol groups on its layer edges. The overall results indicate that graphite oxide reacts with water molecules in the air and phenol groups are formed in graphite oxide.

In this paper, we analyze more carefully the Rodrigues formula of classical multiple orthogonal polynomials of Angelesco system and consider the sequence of them for the diagonal index case, and then find many properties of such a sequence of orthogonal polynomials. More precisely, we consider the diagonal index sequence {P"n","n(x)}"n"="0^~ of classical multiple orthogonal polynomials {P"n"""1","n"""2(x)}"n"""1","n"""2"="0^~ of Angelesco system. For such a sequence we give recurrence relations, differential-difference equations, and then we finally find a third order differential equation having {P"n","n(x)}"n"="0^~ as solutions.

In this paper, we first define the multiple Appell polynomials and find several equivalent conditions for this class of polynomials. Then we give a characterization theorem that if multiple Appell polynomials are also multiple orthogonal, then they are the multiple Hermite polynomials.

p-type conduction in ZnO thin films has been realized by doping with GaN . Undoped and GaN -doped ZnO thin films were prepared by the pulsed laser deposition technique. All the grown films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Hall effect measurements in order to study their structural, morphological and electrical properties, respectively. The presence of dopants in the films has been confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). XRD results reveal that the wurtzite structure deviates for the films with higher concentrations of GaN . Hall measurements show that the 5 and 10 at.% GaN -doped ZnO films have p-type conduction.

SUMMARY In the absence of stabilizers, vaccines administered in water are likely to be inactivated by free chlorine or other metals. Vac-Pac Plus, developed by Animal Science Products Inc. (Nacogdoches, TX), is a powdered stabilizer for vaccines administered via drinking water. The efficacy of this product was demonstrated in this study by its ability to preserve the viability of live infectious bronchitis vaccine reconstituted in water containing free chlorine. Maintenance of viable vaccine during administration is requisite for effective immune stimulation and response after vaccination.

In this study, a parallel flow condenser and laminated evaporator for an automotive air-conditioning system were modified to improve performance. Gas-liquid separation type condensers, in which the condenser and receiver drier are integrated, and one-tank laminated type evaporators were developed, and their performances were investigated experimentally using HFC-134a. Heat transfer characteristics in the condenser are examined by means of air temperature, air velocity entering the condenser and inlet pressure of the refrigerant; heat transfer characteristics in the evaporator are examined by means of air temperature, relative humidity, flow rate of air, outlet pressure of refrigerant and superheat. Pressure drops for both evaporator and condenser are also measured, and correlations for pressure drop are derived for the condenser and evaporator, respectively. Air velocity and mass flow rate of the refrigerant have a significant effect on the overall heat transfer coefficient, and flow pass is not significantly influenced by the cooling capacity of the condenser. The overall heat transfer coefficient of the evaporator increases as air flow rate, air temperature and relative humidity increases.