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AMoRE is an international project to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of $^{100}$Mo using a detection technology consisting of magnetic microcalorimeters (MMCs) and molybdenum-based scintillating crystals. Data collection has begun for the current AMORE-I phase of the project, an upgrade from the previous pilot phase. AMoRE-I employs thirteen $^\mathrm{48depl.}$Ca$^{100}$MoO$_4$ crystals and five Li$_2$$^{100}$MoO$_4$ crystals for a total crystal mass of 6.2 kg. Each detector module contains a scintillating crystal with two MMC channels for heat and light detection. We report the present status of the experiment and the performance of the detector modules., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, published in Journal of Low Temperature Physics (2022)

Nociceptive signals interact with various regions of the brain, including those involved in physical sensation, reward, cognition, and emotion. Emerging evidence points to a role of nociception in the modulation of the mesolimbic reward system. The mechanism by which nociception affects dopamine (DA) signaling and reward is unclear. The lateral hypothalamus (LH) and the lateral habenula (LHb) receive somatosensory inputs and are structurally connected with the mesolimbic DA system. Here we show that the LH-LHb pathway is necessary for nociceptive modulation of this system. Our extracellular single-unit recordings and head-mounted microendoscopic calcium imaging revealed that nociceptive stimulation by tail-pinch excited LHb and LH neurons, which was inhibited by chemical lesion of the LH. Tail-pinch decreased extracellular DA release in the nucleus accumbens ventrolateral shell, which was blocked by disruption of the LH. Furthermore, tail-pinch attenuated cocaine-induced locomotor activity, 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations and reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior, which was inhibited by chemogenetic silencing of the LH-LHb pathway. Our findings suggest that nociceptive stimulation recruits the LH-LHb pathway to inhibit mesolimbic DA system and drug reinstatement.

We report velocity-delay maps for prominent broad emission lines, Ly_alpha, CIV, HeII and H_beta, in the spectrum of NGC5548. The emission-line responses inhabit the interior of a virial envelope. The velocity-delay maps reveal stratified ionization structure. The HeII response inside 5-10 light-days has a broad single-peaked velocity profile. The Ly_alpha, CIV, and H_beta responses peak inside 10 light-days, extend outside 20 light-days, and exhibit a velocity profile with two peaks separated by 5000 km/s in the 10 to 20 light-day delay range. The velocity-delay maps show that the M-shaped lag vs velocity structure found in previous cross-correlation analysis is the signature of a Keplerian disk with a well-defined outer edge at R=20 light-days. The outer wings of the M arise from the virial envelope, and the U-shaped interior of the M is the lower half of an ellipse in the velocity-delay plane. The far-side response is weaker than that from the near side, so that we see clearly the lower half, but only faintly the upper half, of the velocity--delay ellipse. The delay tau=(R/c)(1-sin(i))=5 light-days at line center is from the near edge of the inclined ring, giving the inclination i=45 deg. A black hole mass of M=7x10^7 Msun is consistent with the velocity-delay structure. A barber-pole pattern with stripes moving from red to blue across the CIV and possibly Ly_alpha line profiles suggests the presence of azimuthal structure rotating around the far side of the broad-line region and may be the signature of precession or orbital motion of structures in the inner disk. Further HST observations of NGC 5548 over a multi-year timespan but with a cadence of perhaps 10 days rather than 1 day could help to clarify the nature of this new AGN phenomenon., 19 pages, 9 figures, ApJ in press

We present geometric and dynamical modeling of the broad line region for the multi-wavelength reverberation mapping campaign focused on NGC 5548 in 2014. The dataset includes photometric and spectroscopic monitoring in the optical and ultraviolet, covering the H$\beta$, C IV, and Ly$\alpha$ broad emission lines. We find an extended disk-like H$\beta$ BLR with a mixture of near-circular and outflowing gas trajectories, while the C IV and Ly$\alpha$ BLRs are much less extended and resemble shell-like structures. There is clear radial structure in the BLR, with C IV and Ly$\alpha$ emission arising at smaller radii than the H$\beta$ emission. Using the three lines, we make three independent black hole mass measurements, all of which are consistent. Combining these results gives a joint inference of $\log_{10}(M_{\rm BH}/M_\odot) = 7.64^{+0.21}_{-0.18}$. We examine the effect of using the $V$ band instead of the UV continuum light curve on the results and find a size difference that is consistent with the measured UV-optical time lag, but the other structural and kinematic parameters remain unchanged, suggesting that the $V$ band is a suitable proxy for the ionizing continuum when exploring the BLR structure and kinematics. Finally, we compare the H$\beta$ results to similar models of data obtained in 2008 when the AGN was at a lower luminosity state. We find that the size of the emitting region increased during this time period, but the geometry and black hole mass remain unchanged, which confirms that the BLR kinematics suitably gauge the gravitational field of the central black hole., Comment: 26 pages, 19 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ

Objective To compare the efficacy of two types of progestogen therapy for preventing preterm birth (PTB) and to review the relevant literature. Design A multicentre, randomised, open-label, equivalence trial and a meta-analysis. Setting Tertiary referral hospitals in South Korea. Population Pregnant women with a history of spontaneous PTB or short cervical length ( Methods Eligible women were screened and randomised at 16-22 weeks of gestation to receive either 200 mg of vaginal micronised progesterone daily (vaginal group) or an intramuscular injection of 250 mg 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate weekly (IM group). Stratified randomisation was carried out according to participating centres and indications for progestogen therapy. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02304237). Main outcome measure Preterm birth (PTB) before 37 weeks of gestation. Results A total of 266 women were randomly assigned and a total of 247 women (119 and 128 women in the vaginal and IM groups, respectively) were available for the intention-to-treat analysis. Risks of PTB before 37 weeks of gestation did not significantly differ between the two groups (22.7 versus 25.8%, P = 0.571). The difference in PTB risk between the two groups was 3.1% (95% CI -7.6 to 13.8%), which was within the equivalence margin of 15%. The meta-analysis results showed no significant differences in the risk of PTB between the vaginal and IM progestogen treatments. Conclusion Compared with vaginal progesterone, treatment with intramuscular progestin might increase the risk of PTB before 37 weeks of gestation by as much as 13.8%, or reduce the risk by as much as 7.6%, in women with a history of spontaneous PTB or with short cervical length. Tweetable abstract Vaginal and intramuscular progestogen showed equivalent efficacy for preventing preterm birth before 37 weeks of gestation.

The 9vHPV vaccine was efficacious, immunogenic, and well-tolerated in Asian participants from 2 international, randomized clinical trials. Data support 9vHPV vaccination programs in Asia., Background A 9-valent human papillomavirus-6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58 (9vHPV) vaccine extends coverage to 5 next most common oncogenic types (31/33/45/52/58) in cervical cancer versus quadrivalent HPV (qHPV) vaccine. We describe efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety in Asian participants (India, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand) from 2 international studies: a randomized, double-blinded, qHPV vaccine-controlled efficacy study (young women aged 16–26 years; NCT00543543; Study 001); and an immunogenicity study (girls and boys aged 9–15 years; NCT00943722; Study 002). Methods Participants (N = 2519) were vaccinated at day 1 and months 2 and 6. Gynecological samples (Study 001 only) and serum were collected for HPV DNA and antibody assessments, respectively. Injection-site and systemic adverse events (AEs) were monitored. Data were analyzed by country and vaccination group. Results 9vHPV vaccine prevented HPV-31/33/45/52/58–related persistent infection with 90.4%–100% efficacy across included countries. At month 7, ≥97.9% of participants seroconverted for each HPV type. Injection-site AEs occurred in 77.7%–83.1% and 81.9%–87.5% of qHPV and 9vHPV vaccine recipients in Study 001, respectively, and 62.4%–85.7% of girls/boys in Study 002; most were mild to moderate. Conclusions The 9vHPV vaccine is efficacious, immunogenic, and well tolerated in Asian participants. Data support 9vHPV vaccination programs in Asia. Clinical Trials Registration NCT00543543; NCT00943722.

Poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) has been extensively used as a controlled release carrier for drug delivery due to its good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical strength. In this study, porous PLGA microspheres were fabricated by an emulsion-solvent evaporation technique using poly ethylene glycol (PEG) as an extractable porogen and loaded with protein (lysozyme) by suspending them in protein solution. For controlled release of protein, porous microspheres containing lysozyme were treated with water-miscible solvents in aqueous phase for production of pore-closed microspheres. The surface morphology of microspheres were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for confirmation of its porous microstructure structure. Protein property after release was observed by enzymatic activity assay. The pore-closing process resulted in nonporous microspheres which exhibited sustained release patterns over an extended period.

In the case of a poor peripheral venous status the use of conventional approaches is associated with several failed attempts, delay of treatment, increased pain and escalation to more invasive techniques. Ultrasound-guided venous access has become increasingly popular for difficult venous access; however, in German-speaking countries it has not yet become as popular as in English-speaking countries. First attempt success rates are high, but the factors contributing to the time needed for ultrasound-guided venous access are not well investigated. It is hypothesized that body mass index (BMI), vein diameter and depth contribute to the time needed for successfully establishing a peripheral vein access in patients with a difficult venous status.This study included 68 patients with a poor venous status. After written consent was obtained patient characteristics were documented and upper extremity veins eligible for access were scanned with ultrasound with the aim of performing an ultrasound-guided venous access. The following time periods were documented: 1) first skin contact with the ultrasound probe, 2) time to identify an accessible vein, 3) time for venous access.Of the patients 67 were successfully punctured by ultrasound-guided venous access, 65 at the first attempt and 2 at the second attempt. In one patient conventional venous access was obtained at the same time. A higher BMI was associated with a significantly shorter total puncture time (+1 BMI point ≙ -2.25 s) and a shorter vein identification time (+1 BMI point ≙ -1.82 s). A greater vein diameter correlated with a shorter total time (-14.23 s/mm) and a greater depth correlated with an increased total time (+1.65 s/mm).A greater vein diameter and a higher BMI contribute to a shorter time period for ultrasound-guided venous access. Obese patients with difficult venous access may benefit from ultrasound-guided venous access, which could be explained by the imaging contrast with a higher proportion of subcutaneous fatty tissue.

We sought to determine on-scene factors that predict severe injury to the occupants of passenger cars involved in frontal crashes. From January 2011 to December 2014, we collected data from patients who were taken to two emergency centres following a frontal motor vehicle crash. Binomial logistic regression was used to model the effects of occupant characteristics (sex, age, body mass index), vehicle damage (according to the collision deformation classification code), and safety devices on severe injuries (injury severity score >15). Of 344 subjects, 75 (21.8 %) had severe injuries. Sex, seat belt status, extent of vertical crash, intrusion, and deformation extent (DE) were significantly different between severe and non-severe injuries. After adjusting for confounders, non-use of seat belt tripled the odds of severe injury [odds ratio (OR) 2.7, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.461–5.105]. DE ≥4 and intrusion increased the risk of severe injury (OR 2.4, 95 % CI 1.120–5.204 and OR 5.2, 95 % CI 2.525–10.780, respectively). A combination model to predict severe injury using intrusion, seat belt use, and DE ≥4 demonstrated 56.0 % sensitivity, 88.9 % specificity, and 58.4 % positive predictive value (AUC = 0.781, 95 % CI 0.734–0.824). For passenger cars involved in a frontal crash, intrusion, unbelted status, and DE ≥4 are good predictors of severe injury. Sequential criteria using vehicle DE, seat belt use, and intrusion can be used by first responders to triage patients involved in a frontal collision.

Purpose Cardiomyocytes progenitor cells (CMPCs) are a candidate cell source for cardiac regenerative therapy. To assess their full potential for cardiac regeneration, it is essential to know if and how CMPCs sense and respond to the three-dimensional (3D) environment and the mechanical stimuli provided by the beating heart. Therefore, we study the response to cyclic strain of undifferentiated and predifferentiated human CMPCs in a 2D environment, as well as CMPC responses to unidirectionally constrained versus stress-free (unconstrained) 3D environments. The latter responses were studied using a hydrogel system that allows for interaction of the cells with a simulated ‘host’ tissue. Methods To test mechanosensitivity of CMPCs in 2D and 3D environments, the response of L9TB CMPCs to uniaxial (cyclic) strain (10% with 0.5 Hz) was investigated. To represent the 3D environment, CMPCs were cultured in unidirectionally constrained and stress-free collagen/Matrigel hydrogels, where the constrainment provides a static strain to the cells. The cellular mechanoresponse to the applied (cyclic) strain was quantified by cellular re-orientation away from the strain direction (strain avoidance). Next to cellular re-orientation, the effect of strain on cell differentiation was analyzed. Results Our results indicate that while undifferentiated cells maintain their original orientation, upon early cardiomyogenic differentiation (predifferentiated) CMPCs exhibit a distinct strain avoidance response during 48hrs of cyclic straining in a 2D environment. In 3D unidirectionally constrained hydrogels, undifferentiated CMPCs retain their cardiomyogenic profile. CMPCs cultured in 3D collagen/Matrigel hydrogels respond to static mechanical strains as expected by cell alignment. Conclusions Our results suggest that CMPCs respond to the presence of mechanical stimuli, in this research mimicked by the application of uniaxial (cyclic) strain in 2D and 3D environments, suggesting that CMPCs are indeed mechanosensitive. Although in 2D environments, mechanosensitivity of the CMPCs is dependent on their differentiation status. Our findings provide the first understanding of the ability of human CMPCs to sense mechanical stimuli, which is the first initial step in mechanotransduction. Mechanotransduction is essential for optimal recruitment, migration, and mechanical integration of progenitor cells into the injured myocardium. Therefore, the presented results can contribute to enhance efficacy of current treatments of cardiac disease, as well as to develop novel endogenous regeneration strategies.

Falls and fall-related injuries are a significant problem in the elderly population. A number of different approaches for detecting falls and activities of daily living (ADLs) have been conducted in recent years. However, distinguishing between real falls and certain fall-like ADL is often difficult. The aim of this study is to discriminate falls from fall-like ADLs such as jogging, jumping, and jumping down. The distance between two tri-axial accelerometers attached to the abdomen and the sternum was increased from 10 to 30 cm in 10-cm intervals. Experiments for falls and ADLs were performed to investigate the feasibility of the detection system for falls developed in this study. When the distances between the two tri-axial electrometers were 20 and 30 cm, fall-like ADLs were effectively distinguished from falls. The thresholds for three parameters — SVM, Diff Z, and Sum_diff_Z — were set; falls could be distinguished from ADL action sequences when the SVM value was larger than 4 g (TH1), the Diff_Z parameter was larger than 1.25 g (TH2), and the Sum_diff_Z parameter was larger than 15 m/s (TH3). In particular, when the SVM, Diff_Z, and Sum_diff_Z parameter were sequentially applied to thresholds (TH1, TH2, and TH3), fall-like ADL action sequences were accurately discriminated from falls.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the steady airflow field of a rear spoiler on the coefficients of drag (CD) and downforce (CDF). The type of spoiler is suggested as a two-jointed arm model that mimics the flapping flight mechanism of the Canada goose. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique was used for the steady airflow analysis of a vehicle implemented with various spoiler topologies. We evaluated CD and CDF due to the three types of airfoils and the five phases of each airfoil. We obtained the following conclusions from the results: (1) We found that the best cases for CD and CDF were the case of Phase 5 and symmetry airfoil, and the case of Phase 1 and reverse airfoil, respectively. (2) It is clear that CD becomes the largest at Phase 1 of the reverse airfoil, since the eddy magnitude at the rear of the vehicle is the largest, and CDF also becomes the largest during that phase, since the pressure distribution on the upper surface of the spoiler is very large. (3) As Phase 1 moves to Phase 5 in the same type of airfoil, it is advantageous for CD and disadvantageous for CDF, respectively.

This paper proposes a compact high-voltage pulse electron gun power supply (EGPS) consisted of interleaved capacitor-charging power supply (CCPS) with a series-resonant converter (SRC) to drive the electron tube. Requirement specifications are −40 kV, −7 A (280 kW), and continuous output lower than ±1% ripple stability lasted few seconds with

Die Ultraschall-gesteuerte Anlage eines Zentralvenosen Katheters (ZVK) uber die Vena jugularis interna dextra mit einem Linearschallkopf ist ein etabliertes Verfahren. Bislang sind fur die ZVK-Lagekontrolle Methoden wie intrakardiales EKG oder Rontgenthoraxaufnahme bekannt. Wir konnten mit einem Mikrokonvexschallkopf die Fossa supraclavicularis dextra als Schallfenster fur die Darstellung der Vena cava superior (VCS) fur die ultraschall-gesteuerte ZVK-Lagekontrolle etablieren. Limitierend ist jedoch die geringe Verbreitung des Mikrokonvexschallkopfs. Daher haben wir in der vorliegenden Probandenstudie systematisch die Darstellbarkeit der intrathorakalen Gefase uber das rechte supraklavikulare Fenster mit einem Linearschallkopf und einem Mikrokonvexschallkopf verglichen. Wir evaluierten bei 30 Probanden die Darstellbarkeit der VCS, der Venae brachiocephalicae, des Zusammenflusses der Venae brachiocephalicae (Confl.), der rechten Pulmonalarterie, der Aorta ascendens und der Vena jugularis interna mit dem Mikrokonvex- und Linearschallkopf in der Anlotung uber die Fossa supraclavicularis dextra. Die VCS wurde auch mittels Doppler verifiziert. Mit dem Mikrokonvexschallkopf lies sich bei allen Probanden die VCS darstellen, mit dem Linearschallkopf hingegen nur bei 53 %. Die kombinierte Sichtbarkeit von VCS und Arteria pulmonalis dextra war mit dem Mikrokonvexschallkopf in allen Fallen gegeben, mit dem Linearschallkopf nur in 38 %. Confl. beziehungsweise Aorta war bei 57 %/87 % mit dem Mikrokonvexschallkopf sichtbar, in 35 %/30 % mit dem Linearschallkopf. Die Vena jugularis interna war bei allen Probanden mit beiden Sonden sichtbar. Der Mikrokonvexschallkopf ist fur die Darstellbarkeit der VCS dem Linearschallkopf klar uberlegen. Wahrscheinliche Grunde hierfur liegen in der kleineren Auflageflache, der groseren Angulationsfreiheit und der hoheren Eindringtiefe der Mikrokonvexsonde.

A total of 120 weanling pigs ((Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc), 21 days of age with an average ini - tial body weight (BW) of 6.52 ± 0.22 (SE) kg were selected to investigate the effects of extruded rice product as a replacement for dried whey on growth performance, coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CATTD), blood profiles, faecal shedding of and Escherichia coli (the microbial counts of digesta were expressed as log 10 colony forming units per gram), and faecal scores of weanling pigs. Pigs were randomly allocated to one of four dietary treatments, with six replicates per treatment and five pigs per pen. Pigs in the control group were fed a diet based on corn, soybean, and 20% dried whey. Experimental groups received the same diet as the control group, but dried whey was replaced by 3%, 6%, and 9% extruded rice. Throughout the experimental period (six weeks), no differences were observed in the average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and gain/feed ratio. Pigs fed 6% and 9% extruded rice had a lower ( P < 0.05) CATTD than pigs fed the control diet on Day 14. The blood creatinine concentration of pigs fed 9% extruded rice was higher ( P < 0.05) than that of pigs in the control group on Day 14. Pigs fed the diets containing 6% and 9% extruded rice had decreased ( P < 0.05) faecal E. coli counts on Day 14 compared with pigs fed the control diet. The current results indicate that feeding extruded rice can decrease faecal E. coli counts without negative effects on growth performance in weanling pigs.

Background:Janus kinases (JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, and TYK2) play critical roles in mediating various cytokine signaling, and has been developed as a target for autoimmune diseases such as RA. Tofacitinib, oral Pan-JAK inhibitor, demonstrated efficacy in RA patients, but its widespread use is limited by safety issues. Baricitinib, JAK1/2 inhibitor, is also known to interfere with the hematopoiesis system, such as anemia and thrombocytopenia associated with suppression of JAK2 signals. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new potent compound that selectively inhibits JAK1 over JAK2, 3Objectives:To identify the pharmacological characteristic based on efficacy of CJ-15314 as potent and selective JAK1 inhibitor for treatment of autoimmune disease.Methods:In vitro, cell-based, kinase panel, Kd value and human whole blood assay were performed to determine the inhibition potency and selectivity for JAK subfamily kinases. In vivo therapeutic potential was evaluated by RA model including rat Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis (AIA) and collagen-induced arthritic (CIA). To confirm the possibility of further expansion into the autoimmune disease, BioMAP® Diversity PLUS® Panel was performed by discoverX.Results:In vitro assay, CJ-15314 inhibited JAK kinase family in a concentration-dependent manner with IC50 values of 3.8 nM against JAK1, Selectivity for JAK1 over JAK2, 3 was approximately 18, 83 fold greater for CJ-15314. In 1mM ATP condition, CJ-15314 has been confirmed to have the highest JAK1 selectivity over competing drugs, under 1 mM ATP condition that reflects the physiological environment in the body. Similarly, Kd values has also confirmed the selectivity of JAK1, which is 10 fold higher than JAK2, 3. Accordingly, in human whole blood assays, CJ-15314 is 11 fold more potent against IL-6 induced pSTAT1 inhibition through JAK1 (IC50 value: 70 nM) than GM-CSF-induced pSTAT5 inhibition (JAK2) whereas baricitinib and filgotinib exhibited only 2 fold and 7 fold respectively.In vivo efficacy model, CJ-15314 inhibited disease severity scores in a dose dependent manner. In the rat AIA model, CJ-15314 at 30 mg/kg dose showed 95.3% decrease in arthritis activity score, 51.2% in figotinib at 30 mg/kg, 97.7% showed baricitinib at 10 mg/kg. CJ-15314 showed superior anti-arthritic efficacy than filgotinib. CJ-15314 also minimally affected anemia-related parameters but not bricitinib end of the 2-week treatment. In the rat CIA model, like 10 mg/kg of bricitinib, 30 mg/kg of CJ-15314 also has a similar effect, with a significant reduction in histopathological scores.In biomap diversity panel, CJ-15314 inhibited the expression of genes such as MCP-1, VCAM-1, IP-10, IL-8, IL-1, sTNF-α and HLA-DR confirming the possibility of expansion into other diseases beyond arthritis.Conclusion:CJ-15314 is a highly selective JAK1 inhibitor, demonstrates robust efficacy in RA animal model and is good candidate for further development for inflammatory diseases.* CJ-15314 is currently conducting a phase I trial in south Korea.References:[1]Clark JD et al. Discovery and development of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors for inflammatory diseases. J Med Chem. 2014; 57(12):5023-38.[2]Burmester GR et al. Emerging cell and cytokine targets in rheumatoid arthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2014; 10(2):77-88[3]Jean-Baptiste Telliez et al. Discovery of a JAK3-selective inhibitor: functional differentiation of JAK3-selective inhibition over pan-JAK or JAK1-selective inhibition. ACS Chem. Biol., 2016; 11 (12):3442-3451Disclosure of Interests:so young Ki Employee of: CJ healthcare, hyunwoo shin Employee of: CJ healthcare, yelim lee Employee of: CJ healthcare, Hyoung rok Bak Employee of: CJ healthcare, hana yu Employee of: CJ healthcare, Seung Chan Kim Employee of: CJ healthcare, juhyun lee Employee of: CJ healthcare, donghyun kim Employee of: CJ healthcare, Dong-hyun Ko Employee of: CJ Healthcare, dongkyu kim Employee of: CJ healthcare

OBJECTIVEAn arachnoid web of the spine (AWS) is a rare and oftentimes challenging lesion to diagnose, given its subtle radiographic findings. However, when left untreated, this lesion can have devastating effects on a patient’s neurological function. To date, only limited case reports and series have been published on this topic. In this study, the authors sought to better describe this lesion, performing a systematic literature review and including 2 cases from their institution’s experience.METHODSA systematic literature search was performed in September 2018 that queried Ovid MEDLINE (1946–2018), PubMed (1946–2018), Wiley Cochrane Library: Central Register of Controlled Trials (1898–2018), and Thompson Reuters Web of Science: Citation Index (1900–2018), per PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria specified all studies and case reports of patients with an AWS in which any relevant surgery types were considered and applied. Studies on arachnoid cysts and nonhuman populations, and those that did not report patient treatments or outcomes were excluded from the focus review.RESULTSA total of 19 records and 2 patients treated by the senior authors were included in the systematic review, providing a total of 43 patients with AWS. The mean age was 52 years (range 28–77 years), and the majority of patients were male (72%, 31/43). A syrinx was present in 67% (29/43) of the cases. All AWSs were located in the thoracic spine, and all but 2 (95%) were located dorsally (1 ventrally and 1 circumferentially). Weakness was the most frequently reported symptom (67%, 29/43), followed by numbness and/or sensory loss (65%, 28/43). Symptoms predominated in the lower extremities (81%, 35/43). It was found that nearly half (47%, 20/43) of patients had been experiencing symptoms for 1 year or longer before surgical intervention was performed, and 35% (15/43) of reports stated that symptoms were progressive in nature. The most commonly used surgical technique was a laminectomy with intradural excision of the arachnoid web (86%, 36/42). Following surgery, 91% (39/43) of patients had reported improvement in their neurological symptoms. The mean follow-up was 9.2 months (range 0–51 months).CONCLUSIONSAWS of the spine can be a debilitating disease of the spine with no more than an indentation of the spinal cord found on advanced imaging studies. The authors found this lesion to be reported in twice as many males than females, to be associated with a syrinx more than two-thirds of the time, and to only have been reported in the thoracic spine; over 90% of patients experienced improvement in their neurological function following surgery.

In this study, Multi-Array Electrodes (MAE) and Programmable Multi-channel Electrical Stimulator(PMES) were implemented for firing Trigger Points (TPs) of the patient with Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS). MAEhas 25 Ag/AgCl electrodes arranged in the form of array (5×5) fabricated with flexible pad, which are applicable tobe easy-attached to curved specific region of the human body. PMES consisted of 25 channels. Each channel wasto generate various electric stimulus patterns (ESPs) by changing the mono-phasic or bi-phasic of ESP, On/Off dura-tion of ESP, the interval between ESP, and amplitude of ESP. PMES hardware was composed of Host PC, StimulationPattern Editing Program (SPEP), and Multi-channel Electrical Stimulator (MES). Experiments were performed usingMAE and PMES as the following. First experiment was performed to evaluate the function for each channel of Sub-Micro Controller Unit (SMCU) in MES. Second experiment was conducted on whether ESP applied from each chan-nel of SMCU in PMES was focused to the electrode set to the ground, after applying ESP being output from eachchannel of SMCU in PMES to MAE.Key words: programmable, stimulator, trigger point, multi-array, multi-channel

HST is step-less speed changer that exploits fluids, the neutral valve controlling the pressure in the circuit of the HST is installed inside the transmission to supply or to cut-off power to the vehicle. A ‘jerk’ occurred in tractors, this was possibly triggered by the neutral valve reacting sensitively to external loads or disturbansces attributable to the working environment. To examine the cause, type, pressure, and range of frequency the ‘jerk’ experiments were carried out under various conditions. To suppress the ‘jerk’ caused by the sensitivity of the neutral valve, commercial software ‘SimulationX’ was employed to develop an analytic model so a neutral valve that could suppress the ‘jerk’ caused by the sensiticity of the neutral valve that could suppress the ‘jerk’ in the range of frequency that preciously triggered the ‘jerk’ could be developed. Based on results obtained from the analyses, the neutral valve was tuned and it was experimentally that the ‘jerk’ had disappeared.

A hybrid power system was developed for agricultural machines with a 20kW output capacity, and it was attached to a multi-purpose cultivator to improve the performance of the cultivator. The hybrid system combined heterogeneous sources: an internal-combustion engine and an electric power motor. In addition, a power splitter was developed to simplify the power transmission structure. The cultivator using a hybrid system was designed to have increased fuel efficiency and output power and reduced exhaust gas emissions, while maintaining the functions of existing cultivators. The fuel consumption for driving the cultivator in the hybrid engine vehicle (HEV) mode was 341g/kWh, which was 36% less than the consumption in the engine (ENG) mode for the same load. The maximum power take off output of the hybrid power system was 12.7kW, which was 38% more than the output of the internal-combustion engine. In the HEV mode, harmful exhaust gas emissions were reduced; i.e., CO emissions were reduced by 36~41% and NOx emissions were reduced by 27~51% compared to the corresponding emissions in the ENG mode. The hybrid power system improved the fuel efficiency and reduced exhaust gas emissions in agricultural machinery. The hybrid system’s lower exhaust gas emissions have considerable advantages in closed work environments such as crop production facilities. Therefore, agricultural machinery with less exhaust gas emissions should be commercialized.

MnOx nanoparticles were synthesized by spray pyrolysis, with and without citric acid assistance. The prepared MnOx particles were calcined between 600 and 1000°C and characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and temperature-programmed reduction. The use of citric acid made it possible to reduce the particle size and increase the surface area of the MnOx particles. The highest surface area and reduction activity were achieved with citric acid. As a result, the MnOx nanoparticles prepared with citric acid and calcined at 600°C showed the highest catalytic activity for the oxidation of benzene using ozone.

Exosomes are enclosed compartments that are released from cells and that can transport biological contents for the purpose of intercellular communications. Research into exosomes is hindered by their rarity. In this article, we introduce a device that uses centrifugal force and a filter with micro-sized pores to generate a large quantity of cell-derived nanovesicles. The device has a simple polycarbonate structure to hold the filter, and operates in a common centrifuge. Nanovesicles are similar in size and membrane structure to exosomes. Nanovesicles contain intracellular RNAs ranging from microRNA to mRNA, intracellular proteins, and plasma membrane proteins. The quantity of nanovesicles produced using the device is 250 times the quantity of naturally secreted exosomes. Also, the quantity of intracellular contents in nanovesicles is twice that in exosomes. Nanovesicles generated from murine embryonic stem cells can transfer RNAs to target cells. Therefore, this novel device and the nanovesicles that it generates are expected to be used in exosome-related research, and can be applied in various applications such as drug delivery and cell-based therapy.

The in-wheel motor used in electric vehicles was designed and constructed for an electric direct-drive traction system. It is difficult to connect cooling water piping to the in-wheel motor because the in-wheel motor is located within the wheel structure. In the air cooling structure for the in-wheel motor, an outer surface on the housing is provided with cooling grooves to increase the heat transfer area. In this study, we carried out the analysis on the fluid flow and thermal characteristics of the in-wheel motor for various motor speeds and heat generations. In order to resolve heat release, the analysis has been performed using conjugate heat transfer (conduction and convection). As a result, flow fields and temperature distribution inside the in-wheel motor were obtained for base speed condition (1250 rpm) and maximum speed condition (5000 rpm). The thermo-flow analysis of the in-wheel motor for vehicles was performed in consideration of ram air effect. Also, in order to improve cooling effect of the motor, we variously changed geometries of housing. Therefore, we confirmed the feasibility of the air cooling for the motors of 25 kW capacity with housing geometry having cooling grooves and investigated the cooling performance enhancement. We found that the cooling effect was most excellent, in case that cooling groove direction was same with air flow direction and arranged densely.

A scintillating crystal that contains a candidate isotope for DBD provides a promising technique for the high detection-efficiency and good energy resolution. The AMoRE (Advanced Molybdenum based Rare process Experiment) collaboration is studying the potential of CaMoO4 scintillation crystals for searches for looMo 0v DBD.