Search

Background The clinical impact of continuing or stopping 5-aminosalicylate (5-ASA) after escalating to treatment with an anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) agent in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is currently unclear. We aimed to compare the outcomes of IBD patients who stopped or continued 5-ASA after starting anti-TNF therapy. Methods We analysed data obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance claims database between 2007 and 2020. Our analysis included IBD patients already on 5-ASA treatment who started anti-TNF treatment. We compared the prognosis of patients who stopped 5-ASA within 90 days of anti-TNF initiation with those who continued 5-ASA. The primary outcome was any adverse clinical event defined as a composite of intestinal surgery, IBD-related hospitalization, or new corticosteroid use. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models at landmark time were used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Among 62,262 patients diagnosed with IBD during the study period, 7,442 patients were included for analysis. A total of 1,037 (13.9%) patients discontinued 5-ASA within 90 days of starting anti-TNF therapy (Figure 1). Among the included patients, 4,479 (60.2%) had Crohn’s disease, while 2,963 (39.8%) had ulcerative colitis (Table 1). Discontinuation of 5-ASA was not associated with an increased risk of any adverse clinical events, as well as its component outcomes of intestinal surgery, IBD-related hospitalization, and corticosteroid use, with aHRs of 1.011 (95% CI, 0.934 to 1.095), 0.954 (95% CI 0.760 to 1.198), 0.995 (95% CI 0.894 to 1.107), and 0.969 (95% CI, 0.890 to 1.056), respectively (Table 2). In addition, the cumulative incidence of each adverse clinical event, as well as the composite outcome, were not significantly different between the two groups (all, p > 0.05) (Figure 2). Subgroup analysis by sex, IBD type, the timeframe of anti-TNF use, pre-anti-TNF 5-ASA use duration, pre-anti-TNF corticosteroid use, pre-anti-TNF hospitalizations, pre-anti-TNF emergency department visits, and anti-TNF agent type also showed no significant difference in the development of adverse clinical events between the two groups. Conclusion In this nationwide population-based study, we observed that discontinuing 5-ASA after starting anti-TNF therapy was not associated with an increased risk of adverse clinical events.

Background Recurrence of pancreatic cancer after primary pancreatectomy occurs in the vast majority of patients. The role of surgical treatment for recurrent pancreatic cancer is not well established. Methods Patients who underwent primary pancreatectomy with curative intent from 2000 to 2014 at a single large-volume centre were evaluated retrospectively. CT or PET was used to select patients with an isolated recurrence. The clinicopathological features and survival outcomes were compared according to treatment modalities. Results Of the 1610 patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent resection, 1346 (83·6 per cent) were diagnosed with recurrent pancreatic cancer. Recurrence was locoregional in 366 patients (27·2 per cent), distant multifocal in 251 (18·6 per cent), distant isolated in 188 (14·0 per cent), locoregional plus distant in 153 (11·4 per cent) and peritoneal seeding in 388 (28·8 per cent). Of the 1346 patients with recurrence, 197 (14·6 per cent) had isolated recurrence; of these, 48 (24·4 per cent of all isolated recurrences; 3·6 per cent of all recurrences) underwent resection. Median survival of the 197 patients after diagnosis of isolated recurrence was 14·7 months; it was longer in patients who underwent surgical resection than among those treated non-surgically (23·5 versus 12·0 months; P = 0·014). Multivariable analysis showed that chemotherapy and resection for recurrence were associated with better prognosis. Median survival after recurrence was longest in the 23 patients with isolated pulmonary recurrence (33·3 months). Survival after recurrence was better in patients who underwent resection of isolated recurrence in the remnant pancreas (median 28·0 versus 12·0 months, P = 0·010) and lung (median 36·5 versus 9·5 months; P = 0·010) than in those who did not undergo resection. Conclusion Surgical resection may be considered an option for treatment of patients with isolated recurrent pancreatic cancer.

Background Personal watercrafts (PWC) account for a disproportionate amount of water based injuries. Current literature suggests those with less PWC experience are more at risk for injury. Previous studies have not specifically evaluated the orthopedic implications of PWC usage or how various mechanisms of injury (MOI) contribute to different injury patterns. Hypothesis PWC injuries will frequently require orthopedic intervention. The presence of an orthopedic injury will result in increased injury severity score (ISS), hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS). Patients visiting our region will have less PWC experience and so are more prone to serious injuries. Materials and methods Retrospective cohort study at a single Level 1 trauma center of admitted patients sustaining PWC injuries from 02/2004–03/2017. The following were studied: demographics, mechanism, season, ISS, hospital and ICU LOS, follow-up, fracture characteristics and management. Results Hundred and twenty-seven patients were admitted due to PWC injury, 66 (52.0%) sustained an orthopedic injury, totaling 103 fractures (48 [46.6%] lower extremity, 26 [25.2%] upper extremity, 14 [13.6%] vertebral, 11 [10.7%] pelvic ring and 4 [3.9%] acetabulum). The mean age of orthopedic patients was 29 years (range 8–62). Handle bar injuries were significantly associated with open fractures, (13 of 25 open fractures, 3 of which became infected). Injuries occurring during the winter were associated with a higher ISS, yet more injuries occurred in the summer. A patient being a “visitor” to the region did not influence ISS. The mean LOS was 12.6 days for orthopedic patients. Eighteen orthopedic patients (27.3%) required ICU admission and 36 (54.5%) patients required orthopedic surgery (mean 2.11 operations). Discussion A majority of PWC injuries resulted in extremity fractures with a moderate percentage requiring orthopedic surgery. Correlations between PWC experience and injury incidence can provide information for increased safety. Level of evidence IV; retrospective.

The Particle Detector (PD) experiment aboard the geostationary satellite GEO-KOMPSAT-2A (GK2A) measures populations of electrons and positive ions in the Earth’s geostationary orbit at a geographic longitude of $128.2^{\circ }\mbox{E}$, inclination of $0^{\circ }$ and a mean orbital radius of 6.6 Earth radii ($R_{E}$). The PD experiment consists of three sensors with different viewing angles relative to the spacecraft. Each sensor consists of two telescopes that are mechanically configured back-to-back with a field-of-view of $20^{\circ }\times 20^{\circ }$ and measures electrons and ions, using silicon detectors equipped with foils and magnets for the separation of ions and electrons. The energy ranges of the sensor for electrons and ions are 100–3800 keV and 148–22500 keV, respectively. A particular emphasis on electron measurement is given by allocating 48 energy bins in the measured energy range, whereas 22 energy bins are allocated for ion measurements. This unprecedented energy resolution of $\Delta E/E$ in the range 5–25% for the electron and ion flux measurements is acquired every three seconds with cyclic polling of each sensor every second to provide an effective temporal resolution of one second. Together with the magnetometer aboard the spacecraft, the PD experiment will provide quantitative observations that will enable improved understanding of the adiabatic and nonadiabatic dynamics of the Earth’s magnetosphere for space weather studies at geostationary orbits from the vantage point of a far-east longitude.

This letter proposes a highly efficient inverting buck-boost converter at light-load for microdisplay applications. The proposed buck-boost converter, which operates in discontinuous conduction mode, achieves high efficiency by modulating the switch width according to the sensed on-duty of the main power switch using the full-digital method. It generates an output voltage of -4 V using an input voltage of 1.8 V for a maximum load current ( I LOAD ) of 20 mA. The proposed converter was fabricated in a 0.18 μm bipolar CMOS DMOS (BCDMOS) process and measured to verify its performance. The measurement results showed that the proposed buck-boost converter achieved a maximum efficiency of 89.3% at I LOAD of 20 mA and a high efficiency of up to 81.9% at light-load, where I LOAD is

This study aimed to analyze the use of the revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) assessed after hypomethylating treatment (HMT) for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) undergoing an allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Among 115 patients who received pre-SCT HMT, comparison analysis of the prognostic values between the IPSS-R at the time of HMT (IPSS-R@HMT) and at the time of SCT after HMT (IPSS-R@SCT) showed a significantly higher predictive power for overall survival (OS) of the latter. Alteration in IPSS-R risk occurred in 60%, while the patients with 'down-staged' IPSS-R@SCT showed better OS compared with those with 'unchanged' or 'up-staged' risk. On multivariate analysis in all 201 patients, IPSS-R@SCT, monosomal karyotype, treatment failure to pre-SCT treatment, and high hematopoietic cell transplantation-comorbidity index were independently associated with OS. Constructed using these factors, the MDS Transplantation Prognostic Scoring System (MTPSS) identified four risk groups with 4-year OS of 76.4% in low, 61.4% in intermediate-1 and 21.9% in intermediate-2 risk groups, whereas all in the high risk group died within 2 years after SCT (P

This paper describes a start-to-end study of the suppression of stored-beam oscillation during top-up injection at the Pohang Light Source (PLS-II) beam line. The fast counterkicker implemented in PLS-II suppresses stored-beam oscillations in the vertical plane. During top-up injection in the magnetic spectroscopy beam line of PLS-II, flux improvement due to the suppression of stored-beam oscillation was clearly observed.

Diabetic erectile dysfunction (ED) has multiple causative factors, such as endothelial and smooth muscle dysfunction and cavernous fibrosis. Wnt signalling is essential for normal embryonic development and for tissue homeostasis in adults. Aberrant activation of Wnt family members has been implicated in tissue fibrosis and in angiogenesis. In this study, we investigated the differential expression of Wnts in the penises of mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetic ED. We also examined the effect of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) on the expression of Wnts in primary cultured fibroblasts isolated from human tunica albuginea. Among the mouse and human Wnts tested, 16 mouse Wnts and 14 human Wnts were detected in the corpus cavernosum tissue of normal mice and in fibroblasts derived from human tunica albuginea respectively. We observed up-regulation of Wnt10b (known to be involved in tissue fibrosis) and down-regulation of Wnt16 (known to be involved in vasculogenesis and hematopoiesis), both in the diabetic condition in vivo and with treatment of fibroblasts with TGF-β1 in vitro. Wnt10b was mainly expressed in fibroblasts and Wnt16 was colocalized with smooth muscle cells in the corpus cavernosum tissue. Cavernous TGF-β1 protein expression and the degree of cavernous fibrosis determined by the ratio of collagen to smooth muscle content were significantly higher in diabetic mice than in controls. Cavernous endothelial content was significantly decreased by the diabetic condition. Overexpression of Wnt16 with plasmid vector accelerated tube formation in primary cultured mouse cavernous endothelial cells. However, down-regulation of Wnt10b with small interfering RNA did not decrease the production of extracellular matrix protein in human fibroblasts. This is the first report demonstrating the differential expression of Wnts in diabetic mouse penis. Aberrant Wnt expression might contribute to the pathogenesis of ED.

LOCO (Linear Optics from Closed Orbit) is a tool to analyze linear beam-optics and search for errors in the quadrupole focusing strength. Analysis with the help of LOCO reveals these errors by fitting the measured orbit-response matrix to the model orbit-response matrix. By readjusting the currents of the quadrupole-magnet power supplies to eliminate the magnet-gradient error, we can bring the machine’s optics parameter close to the design values. In this paper, we use LOCO to show how the design beam optics is restored in the PLS-II storage ring.

Graphene films are one of the most favorable candidates for next generation transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) for electrical devices, because of its unique electronic structure. Furthermore, an optical transparency of graphene films surpasses a transparency of conventional TCE such as indium tin oxide (ITO). However, actual graphene anode for OLEDs and OPVs has several problems owing to its low work function and high sheet resistance. Here, we have demonstrated enhanced performance of OLEDs by using hybrid anodes composed of graphene and conducting polymer (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) with poly(styrenesulfonic) (PEDOT:PSS)), which can overcome low work function and high sheet resistance. PEDOT:PSS plays a role in improving the conductivity and forming a work function stairs for smooth hole injection property. As a result, we achieved enhanced OLED efficiencies using graphene-conducting polymer hybrid anode. These results are superior to that in efficiencies of graphene anode devices. Our experimental results indicate that graphene and conducting polymer would be next generation and alternative TCEs for OLED and OPV.

Experimental, prospective study.Fecal incontinence and constipation affect the quality of life (QOL) of children with spina bifida and their caregivers. We evaluated the clinical efficacy of a stepwise bowel management program on QOL for children with spina bifida and their caregivers.Republic of Korea.Between December 2010 and April 2011, 53 children with constipation, fecal incontinence or both underwent a stepwise bowel management program at our spina bifida clinic. The children and their caregivers were evaluated before and after this program using a self-administered questionnaire.Among the children, 11.3% received only oral laxatives and controlled well, 88.7% received transanal irrigation. After this program, the mean number of episodes of fecal incontinence per week, number of diaper changes and total time for bowel care decreased from 6.9 to 0.5 (P=0.004), from 1.6 to 0.2 (P=0.001) and from 27 to 15.9 min (P=0.003), respectively. Caregivers and children were able to leave their houses more often (P=0.006), and caregivers' bothersomeness, anxiety and depression due to bowel care decreased (P0.001). Factors related to family relationships (P=0.265) and financial impact (P=0.071) improved, but not significantly.We observed significant improvement in defecation symptoms and QOL scores of spina bifida patients who underwent this program. We recommend that this simple therapeutic method be considered as a safe and valid choice for the treatment of chronic constipation and fecal incontinence.

In the chemical–mechanical polishing (CMP) of semiconductor structures, such defects as micro- and nano-scale scratches are frequently produced on the surfaces being polished. Recent research shows that not only agglomerated abrasives but the softer pad asperities in frictional contact also scratch the relatively hard surfaces. Accordingly, pad scratching is modeled based on the topography and mechanical properties of pad asperities. Asperity radius, Ra, and the standard deviation of asperity heights, σz, are identified as the key topographical parameters. The theoretical models and experimental results show that pad scratching in CMP can be mitigated by increasing Ra/σz.

Single-center retrospective study. To evaluate the monitoring rate, sensitivity and specificity of intraoperative monitoring (IOM) during removal of intradural extramedullary (IDEM) or epidural metastatic spinal tumors. Also, to assess the efficacy of monitoring somatosensory-evoked potentials (SSEP) when motor-evoked potentials (MEP) are not measurable. The Neuro-Oncology Clinic, National Cancer Center, Korea. Patients (n=101) with IDEM or epidural metastatic spinal tumors at the cord level underwent surgeries monitored with SSEP and/or MEP. The monitoring rate was defined as negative when MEP or SSEP could not be measured after reversal of the neuromuscular block under general anesthesia. Positive IOM changes included more than a 50% change in the MEP or SSEP amplitude and more than a 10% delay in SSEP latency. MEP was measurable in 73% of patients. The MEP monitoring rate in patients with motor power grades of 3 or less was 39%, which was lower than that of SSEP (83%). The sensitivity, specificity and predictability of MEP for motor changes were 93, 90 and 91%, respectively. Conversely, the sensitivity, specificity and predictability of SSEP were 62, 97 and 89%, respectively. In patients in whom MEP was not measurable (n=24), SSEP was monitored with a predictability of 83%. In cases of extramedullary spinal tumors, MEP shows a higher sensitivity than SSEP does. However, the monitoring rate of MEP in non-ambulatory patients was lower than that of SSEP. In those cases, SSEP can be useful to monitor for postoperative neurological deficits.

This article presents a practical method of conducting integrated analysis for reservoir characterization whereby the well log and core data can be extrapolated away from the existing wells guided by seismic measurements. The lateral information of property variation is included in data integration by acoustic impedance inversion of 2D seismic survey. We were able to overcome the conventional limitations of the trace-based inversion by employing pseudo well logs to extract wavelet sources for each seismic line and by setting limited inversion area. Through the correlation analysis between different scales and types of data including seismic attribute (e.g., acoustic impedance), well log (e.g., sonic log) and core analysis data (e.g., porosity and permeability), we could generate porosity and permeability maps on the field of interest. The proposed methodology has been successfully applied to the initial development stage of an oil field in Australia.

We investigated the thickness-dependent characteristics of THz waves from InAs epilayers whose thickness ranges from 0.01 to 1.74 μm. The amplitude showed monotonic increments up to 0.9 μm, followed by a saturation at 1.74 μm. Interestingly, the phase of THz waves was reversed around absorption depth and used to identify the transient dipole direction based on simulated band diagram. We could further distinguish dominant THz wave generation mechanisms, associated with the phase information.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend oral or intravenous doxycycline plus a third-generation cephalosporin or fluoroquinolone alone for the treatment of Vibrio vulnificus infections. Until now, no study has compared oral with parenteral administered doxycycline with respect to their in vivo efficacy. In the present work, ICR mice infected with a high dose of V. vulnificus were administered ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, and doxycycline. The bacterial DNA copy number in surviving and non-surviving mice was determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). In this setting, ciprofloxacin was the most effective monotherapeutic drug, but a higher survival rate (50%) was achieved using the combination therapy of intraperitoneal doxycycline plus ceftriaxone. The blood of non-surviving mice at 12 h post-infection contained at least 10(4) DNA copies/μL, in contrast to 10(2) to 10(3) DNA copies/μL in surviving mice. Thus, in the treatment of V. vulnificus infections in humans, when the intravenous form of doxycycline is unavailable, ciprofloxacin might be a better option than oral doxycycline to lower mortality. In addition, our results demonstrate that qPCR can be a useful tool for identifying the V. vulnificus load in infected patients, with the DNA copy number providing a marker of either disease severity or mortality.

In this paper, a method to establish a decision criterion to evaluate the quality of small window motors using sound quality (SQ) metrics is suggested. Although the sound level radiated from the motor is relatively small compared to other sounds in a car, the sound from an abnormal motor gives an uncomfortable feeling and the impression of abnormal operation, which can lead to customer complaints. To construct an objective decision criterion, the correlation between the SQ metrics and the subjective decision on the passing or failure of the motor were investigated. Four representative SQ metrics, viz., loudness, sharpness, roughness, and fluctuation strength, were calculated for the collected samples. It was observed that the loudness and roughness of the motor sample group classified as abnormal was higher than those of the normal motors. For a single figure rating for motor quality, an evaluation index for the motor sound was generated by combining the correlated SQ metrics with proper weightings. Evaluation results on the specimens that were not employed in generating the quality evaluation index showed a reasonable agreement with the subjective test at 73%. The suggested quality check method can replace the current subjective decision procedure to identify the faulty motors.

Highly selective and low damage etching of the GaAs cap layer on AlGaAs is essential in fabricating GaAs/AlGaAs high electron mobility transistors. The GaAs on AlGaAs was etched using a low energy Cl2/O2 neutral beam and the Schottky device characteristics fabricated on the exposed AlGaAs were compared with those fabricated after the etching using wet etching and a Cl2/O2 ion beam. Using a low energy Cl2/O2 ion beam or a Cl2/O2 neutral beam, highly selective etching of the GaAs cap layer to AlGaAs similar to wet etching could be achieved through the formation of Al2O3 on the exposed AlGaAs during the etching. When the electrical characteristics of the Schottky devices were compared, the devices fabricated after the etching using the neutral beam showed the best electrical characteristics such as electrical stability, low leakage current, higher barrier height, etc. by showing low damage to the exposed AlGaAs surface.

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.

Background Personal watercrafts (PWC) account for a disproportionate amount of water based injuries. Current literature suggests those with less PWC experience are more at risk for injury. Previous studies have not specifically evaluated the orthopedic implications of PWC usage or how various mechanisms of injury (MOI) contribute to different injury patterns. Hypothesis PWC injuries will frequently require orthopedic intervention. The presence of an orthopedic injury will result in increased injury severity score (ISS), hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length-of-stay (LOS). Patients visiting our region will have less PWC experience and so are more prone to serious injuries. Materials and methods Retrospective cohort study at a single level 1 trauma center of admitted patients sustaining PWC injuries from 02/2004–03/2017. The following were studied: demographics, mechanism, season, ISS, hospital and ICU LOS, follow-up, fracture characteristics and management. Results Overall, 127 patients were admitted due to PWC injury, 66 (52.0%) sustained an orthopedic injury, totaling 103 fractures [48 (46.6%) lower extremity, 26 (25.2%) upper extremity, 14 (13.6%) vertebral, 11 (10.7%) pelvic ring and 4 (3.9%) acetabulum]. The mean age of orthopedic patients was 29 years (range: 8–62). Handle bar injuries were significantly associated with open fractures, (13 of 25 open fractures, 3 of which became infected). Injuries occurring during the winter were associated with a higher ISS, yet more injuries occurred in the summer. A patient being a “visitor” to the region did not influence ISS. The mean LOS was 12.6 days for orthopedic patients. Eighteen orthopedic patients (27.3%) required ICU admission, and 36 (54.5%) patients required orthopedic surgery (mean: 2.11 operations). Discussion A majority of PWC injuries resulted in extremity fractures with a moderate percentage requiring orthopedic surgery. Correlations between PWC experience and injury incidence can provide information for increased safety. Level of evidence IV; retrospective.

An electrophoretic display using Ti0 2 particles is the most promising candidate because it offers various advantages such as ink-on-paper appearance, good contrast ratio, wide viewing angle, image stability in the off-state and extremely low power consumption. The core technology of electrophoretic display is dispersion controlling of TiO 2 nano particles in nonaqueous solution. To prepare an ink for electronic paper using TiO 2 nano particles, cyclohexane with low dielectric constant and transparency, polyethylene for producing polymer coating layer which reduces apparent density of Ti0 2 , and TiO 2 nano powders were intermixed using planetary-mill. The zeta-potential value of Ti0 2 particles in cyclohexane was measured about -40 mV, but was measured over -110 mV by dispersant attached to polyethylene-coated TiO 2 surface. Prepared electronic ink was filled in cross patterned micro-wall with 200 μm in width and 40 μm in height on ITO glass designed by photolithography. The response time of electronic paper evaluated by mobility of TiO 2 particle between micro-walls was measured 0.067sec, but the drift velocity from reflectance wave form during reverse turn of electronic ink was measured 0.07cm/sec.

In this study, we fabricated the ultra-thin fiber-optic dosimeter (UTFOD) for high energy photon beam therapy dosimetry. The UTFOD has high spatial resolution due to the relatively small volume compared to conventional dosimeters therefore the UTFOD can measure depth doses precisely in build-up regions of therapeutic radiation beams. For 10 MV photon beams, we measured the scintillation signal generated from the UTFOD according to monitor units (MUs) and dose rates of the clinical linear accelerator (CLINAC). Also, we measured percentage depth doses (PDDs) at different depths of solid water phantoms using the UTFOD and the GAFCHROMIC ® EBT films, and the results were compared with those using the Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended (MCNPX) code.

In this paper, we report novel (TE-free) FRAM capacitors using reliable PZT CMP process in order to improve ferroelectric properties and enhance mass productivity by simplifying integration of processes. FRAM capacitors were prepared using a PZT film for a stopping layer in ILD CMP using a high selective slurry having a very low PZT removal rate relative to oxide removal rate. Noble metal electrode (TE) and contact (TEC) of conventional (TE/FE/BE) capacitors are not desirable for integration of high-density FRAM device and mass production due to contact etch damage and poor etch and deposition properties of Ir. We investigated the structural and electrical characteristics of MOCVD PZT films grown on Ir bottom electrode before and after PZT CMP process. Even though some degradation in polarization hysteresis of polished PZT capacitors was observed compared to as-deposited capacitors due to interface effect between PZT film and top electrode, electrical properties such as leakage current and fatigu...

Femto-second radiation pulses are becoming an important tool for studying the dynamics of materials at an atomic level. Various methods of generating femto-second electron pulses have been developed, including a thermionic rf gun combined with an alpha magnet. In this paper, we focus on the utilization of a photo-cathode rf gun and an rf linear accelerator to generate far-infrared (FIR) radiation. We demonstrate that with a magnetic chicane the electron beam pulse can be compressed to less than rms 20 fs at an energy between 30 and 50 MeV. Geometrical wake fields due to the rf linear accelerator and the coherent synchrotron radiation effects in the magnetic chicane are included in the study. We suggest a possible improvement of the existing 80 MeV rf linear accelerator at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory to employ it as a coherent FIR radiation source. We focus on extending the radiation wave number to greater than 1500 cm−1 with a micro-pulse energy of more than 100 µJ, which are the conditions required for femto-dynamics studies.

In an attempt to develop an artificial diet for growing olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), weight gain, feed utilization and nutrient retention were investigated in fish fed moist (MP), semi-moist (SMP) and extruded pellets (EP). Excretion of nitrogen and phosphorus was also estimated based on their whole body gain and intake. EP and MP composed of raw fish and SMP made of formulated powder feed with water were prepared to have the same energy contents on a dry matter basis. A total of 240 fish with an average initial weight of 120 g were randomly distributed to each (20 fish/tank) of 12 circular plastic tanks (4 tanks/treatment) and fed experimental diets for 8 weeks. Fish groups fed EP (209 g) or SMP (209 g) recorded higher final weight than those fed MP (176 g), while dry feed consumption was highest in SMP groups (106 g), followed by MP (71 g) and EP groups (62 g). As a consequence, fish groups fed EP showed much lower feed conversion ratio than the other two groups. Protein efficiency ratio was also significantly higher in fish groups fed EP (2.55) than in those fed MP (1.44) and SMP (1.31). Fish groups fed EP, which showed the highest nitrogen retention of 43.9%, resulted in the lowest excretion of nitrogen of 35.5 g per kg gain. Also, the lowest phosphorus excretion of 6.0 g per kg gain was found in the EP groups with the highest P retention (37.0%) among treatments. Although the EP groups had the lowest dietary energy intake, they retained the highest energy in the whole body among treatments. The present results showed that EP could be more advantageous than MP or SMP in terms of growth, feed utilization and excretion of nitrogen and phosphorus for olive flounder.

While designing a ship's structure, the material cost of hull's weight and the overall cost of construction processes should be minimized considering safety and reliability. In the past, the minimum weight design has focused mainly on reducing material cost and increasing dead weight, which reflects the interests of a ship's owner. But, in the past experience, the minimum weight design has inevitably led to increasing the construction cost, making it necessary for ships' structural designers to consider both structural weight and construction cost. From this point of view, this study proposes a multi-objective optimization technique for designing ships' structures. According to the proposed algorithm, the results of optimization were compared to the structural design of an existing very large crude oil carrier. Objective functions were weight cost and construction cost of the very large crude oil carrier, and evolution strategies, one of the stochastic search methods, was used as an optimization ...

Formation behavior and photo-oxidation abilities of nanostructured TiO2 powders were investigated through a direct crystallization from aqueous TiOCl2 solutions containing various metal chlorides at 100??C. The obtained TiO2 powders without any additives and those with Ni2+, Fe3+ and Nb5+ ions added, which have a similar positive ionic radius to Ti4+, were mainly crystallized with rutile phase, whereas those with Al3+ and Zr4+ ions added, which have a quite different positive ionic radius, were mainly crystallized with anatase phase. On the other hand, the secondary particles in the TiO2 powder consisted of acicular and spherical primary particles, corresponding to rutile and anatase phases, respectively. From these results, it seems that the positive ionic radius of the additives would affect phase formation as well as morphology of TiO2 precipitates. Among the TiO2 powders prepared, Ni-added powder, which consisted mainly of rutile phase with a small amount of anatase phase, showed excellent photocatalytic ability in decomposition of 4-chlorophenol.

Two to three weeks old 3 male indigenous Korean calves weighing 35-40 kg were referred to the Animal Medical Centre, Chonbuk National University with signs of urine scalding on the ventral perineum. Physical examination in all 3 cases revealed aplasia of the penis along with an undescended testis, bifid scrotum and ventrally incomplete sheath. In case 1, the urethra opened cranially to the bifid scrotum, whereas in case 2 and 3, the urethra opened at the ventral perineum. The diagnosis was made as hypospadias, along with penile aplasia and unilateral cryp- torchidism. With an exploratory laparotomy, the abdominal testis was removed. The scrotal testis was also castrated and scrotal ablation was performed. In case 1, prescrotal urethrostomy and in case 2 and 3, perineal urethrostomy was performed. Two weeks after surgical correction, the caves appeared to be urinating normally.

Pb0.65Ba0.35ZrO3 (PBZ) thin films have been grown on MgO (001) substrates by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD). We have compared the structural and dielectric properties of PBZ films grown at various temperatures. A highly c-axis oriented PBZ film has been grown on a MgO (001) substrate at the deposition temperature of 550°C and has also shown the largest tunability among all the PBZ films in capacitance-voltage measurements. The tunability and dielectric loss of the PBZ film was 20% and 0.00959, respectively. In addition, we have compared the temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) of a PBZ film with that of a Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 (BST) film which is a well-known material applicable to tunable microwave devices. We have confirmed that TCC value of a PBZ thin film was three-times smaller than that of a BST thin film.

Research concern about neutron radiography has been increasing in Korea since 2001. Neutron radiography can help for the weakness of X-ray image. Neutron radiography can be used in not only non-destructive inspection but also basic science research. For those reasons more compact mono-energetic neutron source is needed. The 4 MeV deuteron cyclotron can be a candidate for the production of mono-energetic neutrons. In this paper optimal 4 MeV deuteron cyclotron magnet design is shown for neutron generation by d(d, n)He reaction. All field simulations have been performed using POSSION and OPERA-3D (TOSCA) for magnet system design. The required beam current is 1 mA, 4 MeV. The first purpose of this cyclotron is to generate fast neutrons with deuterium gas target. The second purpose of this cyclotron is material science and nuclear technology research in biology, physics and chemistry. Also it will be used in industries including neutron radiography.

In this work, we use the electrical method to coat graphene oxide (GO) on ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) glass. The coated GO was characterized by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The coated surface was monitored by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). Based on this coating method, we can control the thickness of GO film by changing the applied voltage. Result of thickness control was analyzed by AFM and transmittance measurement. Also this method can selectively deposition of GO film is possible on patterned ITO. This result was confirmed by Raman spectroscopic mapping.

Prolactin secretion from the anterior pituitary gland is regulated by multiple factors including prolactin-release inhibiting factors (PIFs) and prolactin releasing factors. PIFs, however, usually dominate to exert a tonic inhibition in the biological system, and the physiological PIF is believed to be dopamine. However, there is accumulating evidence that dopamine can not only inhibit but also stimulate prolactin release. Many investigators believe that this is achieved by activating inhibitory and stimulatory subtypes of dopamine receptors. We tried to demonstrate that one subtype of dopamine receptors is capable of both inhibiting or stimulating prolactin release using GH(4)ZR(7) cells. GH(4)ZR(7) cells express only a short form of dopamine D(2) receptors (D(2s)). Low concentrations of three well-established D(2) receptor agonists (dopamine, apomorphine and bromocriptine) stimulated prolactin release from GH(4)ZR(7) cells while high concentrations inhibited the release. Haloperidol, a D(2) receptor antagonist, blocked the inhibitory action, but was unable to block the dopamine-induced stimulatory action. Pretreatment of cells with phenoxybenzamine, a receptor alkylating agent, abolished both the dopamine-induced stimulatory and inhibitory actions. Our results support the thesis that the stimulation of prolactin release induced by dopamine is mediated through dopamine D(2s) receptors since the GH(4)ZR(7) cells have only D(2s) receptors among dopamine receptors. We have concluded that the D(2s) receptor is capable of both stimulating and inhibiting prolactin release, probably via the activation of a G(s) protein by low concentrations and a G(i) protein by high concentrations of dopaminergic agents.

The glycolysis of rigid polyurethane foam from refrigerators was undertaken by using various glycols. Different kinds of polyols were produced by glycolysis using various levels of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, and the properties (hydroxyl values, amine values, viscosities etc.) of the polyols were analyzed. The physical properties of foams, which were prepared by blending up to 30 wt.% of recovered polyol with virgin polyols, showed excellent insulation properties compared to the original virgin system. Foam cells showed finer cell structure compared to the virgin foam structure, and the thermal conductivity of foam was reduced dramatically from 0.0163 Kcal/m.h.°C to 0.0149 kcal/m.h.°C. Dimensional stability at low temp.(-20°C for 24hrs) also was improved.

This study was undertaken to examine ultrastructural changes induced by dopamine in fish prolactin cells. Tilapia adenohypophyses were incubated with dopamine and evaluated by electron microscopy. The quantities of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) in prolactin cells increased and the number of secretory granules were decreased by dopamine (10(-6) mol/l) treatment. Another set of adenohypophysial tissues was placed back into control medium for 10 min following a 3 h incubation period with dopamine (10(-6) mol/l) (RE10 min group). This group had significantly less RER than the 3 h dopamine-treated tissue, and the shape of many granules in the RE10 min group changed from spherical to rod-like. In addition, some of the granule content appeared to diffuse out of granules since some were not fully surrounded by membrane. It was therefore hypothesized that the rod-shaped granules might be the result of prolactin secretion by diffusion.

This paper reports tri-gate sub-100 nm In0.53Ga0.47As QW MOSFETs with electrostatic immunity of S = 77 mV/dec., DIBL = 10 mV/V, together with excellent carrier transport of gm, max > 1.5 mS/μm, at VDS = 0.5 V. This result is the best balance of gm, max and S in any reported III-V MOSFETs. In addition, extracted compact model parameter including (μ0 = 760 cm2/V-s and peak vx0 = 1.6×107 cm/s) indicate that InGaAs Tri-Gate MOSFETs would be a viable pathway to sub-10nm technology node.

Measurements of 77K RoA and 300K reverse bias dynamic impedance (RdA) products at one volt reverse bias has been carried out to assess the degree of correlation of this figure of merit. Planar P-on-n heterostructures were grown on near lattice-matched CdZnTe substrates with Hg1-xCdxTe (0.20< x