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The aim of this research was to optimize two multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays that could simultaneously detect six non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) as well as the three virulence genes. We also investigated the potential of combining the FTA™ card-based DNA extraction with the multiplex PCR assays. Two multiplex PCR assays were optimized using six primer pairs for each non-O157 STEC serogroup and three primer pairs for virulence genes respectively. Each STEC strain specific primer pair only amplified 155, 238, 321, 438, 587 and 750 bp product for O26, O45, O103, O111, O121 and O145 respectively. Three virulence genes were successfully multiplexed: 375 bp for eae, 655 bp for stx1 and 477 bp for stx2. When two multiplex PCR assays were validated with ground beef samples, distinctive bands were also successfully produced. Since the two multiplex PCR examined here can be conducted under the same PCR conditions, the six non-O157 STEC and their virulence genes could be concurrently detected with one run on the thermocycler. In addition, all bands clearly appeared to be amplified by FTA card DNA extraction in the multiplex PCR assay from the ground beef sample, suggesting that an FTA card could be a viable sampling approach for rapid and simple DNA extraction to reduce time and labour and therefore may have practical use for the food industry. Significance and Impact of the Study: Two multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were optimized for discrimination of six non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and identification of their major virulence genes within a single reaction, simultaneously. This study also determined the successful ability of the FTA™ card as an alternative to commercial DNA extraction method for conducting multiplex STEC PCR assays. The FTA™ card combined with multiplex PCR holds promise for the food industry by offering a simple and rapid DNA sample method for reducing time, cost and labour for detection of STEC in food and environmental samples.

This multi-center, randomized, phase III study was conducted to demonstrate the non-inferiority of DA-3031 compared with daily filgrastim in patients during the first cycle of chemotherapy for breast cancer in terms of the duration of severe neutropenia (DSN). Seventy-four patients with breast cancer who were receiving combination chemotherapy with docetaxel, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (TAC) were enrolled. All participants were randomized to receive either daily subcutaneous injections of filgrastim 100 μg/m2/day for up to 10 days or a single subcutaneous injection of DA-3031 at fixed doses of 6 mg on day 2 of each chemotherapy cycle. The mean duration of grade 4 (G4) neutropenia in cycle 1 was 2.08 ± 0.85 days for the filgrastim group and 2.28 ± 1.14 days for the DA-3031 group. The difference between groups was 0.2 ± 1.10 days (95 % confidence interval (CI) = −0.26, 0.66), which supported non-inferiority. No statistically significant differences were observed in nadir absolute neutrophil count (ANC) (154.34/mm3 and 161.75/mm3 for the filgrastim and DA-3031 groups, respectively; P = 0.8414) or in time to ANC recovery (10.03 ± 0.75 and 9.83 ± 1.56 days in the filgrastim and DA-3031 groups, respectively; P = 0.0611) during cycle 1. Serious AEs occurred in six (15.8 %) patients receiving filgrastim and in ten (27.8 %) patients receiving DA-3031; however, none was determined to be related to the study drug. DA-3031 and daily filgrastim are similar in regard to DSN and safety in breast cancer patients receiving TAC chemotherapy.

Magnesium(Mg) alloys have been evaluated as replacements for steel or aluminum parts in the automobile industry because of the fuel economy they can provide through reducing weight. The application of Mg alloys has been limited due to its low formability at room temperature, which results from a small number of active slip systems. In the current study, an extruded TAZ711(Mg-7Sn-1Al-1Zn) alloy was warm forged into an automotive control arm to evaluate its formability at various forging temperature. Warm forging was conducted at temperatures of 200, 250, 350 and 450°C. Static strength evaluation was performed on the as-forged specimen at 250°C . The results showed good static strength. Key Words : TAZ711 As-extruded, Warm Forging, Control Arm, Formability Evaluation, Static Strength Evaluation 1. 서 론 최근 자동차 산업의 발달함에 따라 연비 개선 및 환경규제에 대응하기 위하여 경량 마그네슘 합금 적용에 관한 연구가 활발히 이루어지고 있다. 마그네슘 합금은 저밀도, 비강도와 비강성 등의 많은 장점이 있다. 현재 적용되고 있는 철계류 자동차 부품을 알루미늄과 마그네슘 합금으로 대체되는 적용하는 비율이 증대되고 있으며 소재 측면에서 고강도 가공재 개발연구가 이루어지고 있다[1~4]. 하지만 조밀육방구조(HCP)를 갖는 마그네슘 합금은 낮은 성형성과 강한 인장과 압축의 소성 비대칭으로 철계나 알루미늄을 대체 적용하기 어려움이 있다[5~7]. 이러한 마그네슘 합금의 비저면 슬립을 활성화 시키기 위하여 단조 성형 시 온간 및 열간단조로 성형하고 있으며 성형성 향상에 관한 연구가 확발히 이루어지고 있다. Yoon은 마그네슘 합금 AZ80압출재를 적용한 자동차의 조향장치 부품인 컨트롤암, 타이로드 및 변속기 부품인 차동기어 케이스를 성형온도 250~350°C에 대하여 온간단조(warm forging) 적용하여 기계적 특성 분석에 관한 연구가 이루어 졌다[1, 2]. Yoon과 Lee는 AZ80압출재를 적용하여 스크롤 압축기의 핵심 부품인 선회 스크롤을 배압장치를 이용하여 성형온도 350°C에서 온간단조에 관한 연구가 이루어졌다[3, 4]. 그 외 다양한 마그네슘 합금 압출재를 이용하여 성형온도 별 성형성 평가에 연구가 이루어 졌다[8]. Liu은 성형해석 결과를 바탕으로 마그네슘 합금을 적용한 슈퍼 베벨기어 성형에 관한 연구를 수행하였다[9]. Jiang는 오토바이용 실린더 바디를 마그

Our objective of this study was to explore the bacterial microbiome in fresh or fresh-frozen adult Amblyomma maculatum (Gulf Coast ticks) using extracts enriched for microbial DNA. We collected 100 questing adult A. maculatum, surface disinfected them, and extracted DNA from individual ticks collected the same day or after storage at −80 °C. Because only extracts with microbial DNA concentrations above 2 ng/μL were considered suitable for individual analysis, we expected fewer samples to meet these requirements. Of individual ticks extracted, 48 extracts met this minimum concentration. We pooled 20 additional extracts that had lower concentrations to obtain seven additional pools that met the minimum DNA concentration. Libraries created from these 55 samples were sequenced using an Illumina MiSeq platform, and data sets were analyzed using QIIME to identify relative abundance of microorganisms by phylum down to genus levels. Proteobacteria were in greatest abundance, followed by Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes, at levels between 1.9% and 6.4% average relative abundance. Consistent with the Francisella-like endosymbiont known to be present in A. maculatum, the genus Francisella was detected at highest relative abundance (72.9%; SE 0.02%) for all samples. Among the top ten genera identified (relative abundance ≥ 0.5%) were potential extraction kit contaminants, Sphingomonas and Methylobacterium, the soil bacterium Actinomycetospora, and the known A. maculatum-associated genus, Rickettsia. Four samples had Rickettsia at greater than 1% relative abundance, while nine additional samples had Rickettsia at low (0.01–0.04%) relative abundance. In this study, we used the entire microbe-enriched DNA extract for whole ticks for microbiome analysis. A direct comparison of the microbiome in microbe-enriched DNA and total genomic DNA extracts from halves of the same tick would be useful to determine the utility of this extraction method in this system. We anticipate that future tick microbiome studies will be valuable to explore the influence of microbial diversity on pathogen maintenance and transmission, and to evaluate niche-specific microbiomes within individual tick tissues.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of Korean aged garlic extract (AGE) by Leukonostoc citreum SK2556 on growth performance, hematological status, meat quality, cecal microbiota and excreta gas emission in broilers. A total of 765-day old mixed sex ROSS 308 broiler chicks (body weight of 36.65 ± 0.10 g) were randomly allotted to five treatments with nine replications per treatment and 17 chicks per pen. The experiment lasted for 5 weeks and dietary treatments were as follows: (1) NC (negative control, basal diet without antibiotics); (2) PC (positive control, basal diet + 5 ppm enramycin); (3) AGE1 (basal diet + 0.5 g aged garlic extract/kg basal diet); (4) AGE2 (basal diet + 1 g aged garlic extract/kg basal diet); (5) AGE3 (basal diet + 2 g aged garlic extract/kg basal diet). Broilers fed with AGE2 treatment showed higher (linear, P=0.02) body weight gain (BWG) compared with NC treatment (910 vs. 842 g) from day 15 to day 28. During this time, feed conversion ratio (FCR) was higher (linear, P

Effects of rolling and cooling conditions on microstructures and mechanical properties of high-deform- able pipeline steels were investigated in this study. Six kinds of pipeline steels were fabricated by varying rolling and cooling conditions, and their microstructures were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, electron back- scattered diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Tensile and Charpy impact tests were conducted on the steels in order to examine the mechanical properties. The steels rolled in the two-phase region showed bet- ter low-temperature toughness than those in the single-phase region due to the larger amount of ferrites having high-angle boundaries, although they have lower strength and absorbed energy. The steel rolled in single-phase and finish-cooled at higher temperature showed a good combination of high strength and good low-temperature toughness as well as excellent deformability of the lowest yield ratio and the highest uniform elongation because of the presence of fine ferrite and a mixture of various low-temperature transformation phases. (Received August 8, 2014; Revised August 21, 2014; Accepted August 28, 2014)

Half channel angular extrusion(HCAE) is the integration of equal channel angular extrusion(ECAE), which is a wellknown severe plastic deformation(SPD) method, with conventional forward extrusion in order to increase the strain per pass and effectiveness of the grain refinement. In the current study, the effects of processing routes during HCAE(Routes A, B, and C) on the strain distribution of the specimens have been investigated for an AZ61 Mg alloy by using three-dimensional finite element analysis. Comparisons with the results from a multi-pass of ECAE are made.

High-nitrogen Fe-18Mn-18Cr-N austenitic steels with higher yield strength have been recently devel-oped and used for generator retaining rings because they have non-magnetic, high strength, high ductility, andgood corrosion resistance. In the present study, a high-nitrogen Fe-18Mn-18Cr-0.61N austenitic steel was fabri-cated and then tensile and Charpy impact tests were conducted on them in order to investigate the effect of coldworking on the mechanical properties. Although the yield and tensile strengths usually increased with cold work-ing, the ductility and impact toughness significantly decreased after cold working. On the other hand, the high-nitrogen austenitic steel exhibited a ductile-brittle transition due to unusual brittle fracture at low temperaturesdespite having a face-centered cubic structure. The ductile-brittle transition temperature obtained from Charpyimpact tests could be remarkably increased by 60 o C after 20% cold working because of the enhanced cleavage-like brittle fracture. (Received February 27, 2014; Revised March 5, 2014; Accepted March 12, 2014)Keywords : Austenitic steel, High-nitrogen, Strength, Impact toughness, Cold working

Background MRSA is a major economic and health issue internationally and as such is of particular importance in the appropriate management of orthopaedic patients. Bone, joint and implant infection can lead to unfavourable outcomes with a long protracted in hospital stay inevitable. The cost for the patient, the hospital and society are substantial. Materials and methods This study was a review of a prospectively maintained database from our unit over three time points from 2005 to 2007. At each time point a new infection control measure was implemented in an effort to reduce MRSA infections. Total rates of MRSA infection and colonisation in all orthopaedic patients were recorded, before and after separation of trauma and elective services, and after the introduction of a screening pre assessment clinic. Results 12259 orthopaedic patients were reviewed over the three years. The mean age of MRSA infected patients was 71. A higher proportion of female patients were infected than male patients. The mean length of stay for infected patients was 23.4 days. The rate of infection dropped from 0.49% in 2005 to 0.24%in 2007. After the introduction of these measures there was a substantial reduction in organ space and deep tissue infections. Conclusion The separation of emergency and elective orthopaedic services coupled with effective pre-operative screening has resulted in a significant reduction in MRSA infection despite an ever increasing prevalance.

The KSTAR (Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) superconducting magnet system which consists of 16 TF coils and 14 PF coils adopts a superconducting CICC (Cable-In-Conduit Conductor) type conductor. The KSTAR magnet system uses two different types of CICCs-Nb/sub 3/Sn cable with Incoloy 908 conduit and NbTi cable with 316LN stainless-steel conduit. A continuous CICC jacketing system is developed for the KSTAR CICC fabrication and the jacketing system uses the tube-mill process. It consists of forming, welding, sizing and squaring procedures. The welding condition of CICCs and the fabrication process is described. The repair of the CICC is also discussed.

The extensive design effort for KSTAR has been focused on two major aspects of the KSTAR project mission - steady-state-operation capability and advanced tokamak physics. The steady state aspect of the mission is reflected in the choice of superconducting magnets, provision of actively cooled in-vessel components, and long pulse current drive and heating systems. The advanced tokamak aspect of the mission is incorporated in the design features associated with flexible plasma shaping, double null divertor and passive stabilizers, internal control coils and a comprehensive set of diagnostics. Substantial progress in engineering has been made on superconducting magnets, the vacuum vessel, plasma facing components and power supplies. The new KSTAR experimental facility with cryogenic system and deionized water cooling and main power systems has been designed, and the construction work is under way for completion in 2004.

The induced voltage in the Samsung Superconducting Test Facility (SSTF) is analyzed according to the calculation of self-inductance and mutual inductance. The voltage induced by blip and compensating coils in the main coils is about 6.4 V. In order to charge the main coils, the power supply must provide the minimum voltage of 1.1 kV. The compensating coils have an influence on the field distribution. The compensating coils result in the decreasing center field about 2.67%. AC losses that include the coupling, hysteresis and eddy losses are calculated in the main, blip and compensating coils. It leads to the temperature rise of about 8 K in main coils.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a glass micropipette (GMP) as a vessel for vitrification of mouse blastocysts, and to compare the post-thaw survival of these blastocysts with those cooled in open pulled straws (OPS). The GMP vessel permits higher freezing and warming rates than OPS due to the higher heat conductivity of glass and lower mass of the solution containing the embryos. Groups of 6 mouse blastocysts were sequentially placed into 2 vitrification solutions before being loaded into either the OPS or GMP vessels and immersed into LN2 within 20 to 25 sec. Post-thaw blastocysts were serially washed in 0.25 and 0.15 M sucrose in holding medium (HM) and modified human tubal fluid medium (mHTF), each for 5 min, and then cultured in mHTF supplemented with 10% FCS for 24 h. The rate of blastocyst re-expansion did not differ significantly for OPS (93.5%) and GMP (95.0%) methods (P

The Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) project is the major effort of the national fusion programme of the Republic of Korea. Its aim is to develop a steady state capable advanced superconducting tokamak to establish a scientific and technological basis for an attractive fusion reactor. The major parameters of the tokamak are: major radius 1.8 m, minor radius 0.5 m, toroidal field 3.5 T and plasma current 2 MA, with a strongly shaped plasma cross-section and double null divertor. The initial pulse length provided by the poloidal magnet system is 20 s, but the pulse length can be increased to 300 s through non-inductive current drive. The plasma heating and current drive system consists of neutral beams, ion cyclotron waves, lower hybrid waves and electron cyclotron waves for flexible profile control in advanced tokamak operating modes. A comprehensive set of diagnostics is planned for plasma control, performance evaluation and physics understanding. The project has completed its conceptual design and moved to the engineering design and construction phase. The target date for the first plasma is 2002.

Since their discovery, there have been many attempts at modifying MgB 2 superconductors by doping them to improve their pinning properties. Although doping was successful, the superconducting transition temperature decreased. Conversely, Ti doping at Mg sites did not work. Here, we tried to make (Mg,Ti)B 2 using a high-pressure furnace. The transport and low-field magnetization measurements showed that Ti could be doped in a uniform manner using the high-pressure synthesis technique. The superconducting transition temperature of the doped material was lower. Magnetic hysteresis curves showed that vortex pinning decreased markedly, even for Ti doping levels as low as 10%.

A 17-year-old male patient underwent Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for a left parietal arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which presented with hemorrhage. The 15.0 cm3 nidus was covered with the 50% isodose. The maximum dose was 50 Gy and the margin dose was 25 Gy. Eleven months later he developed a right hemiparesis and MRI showed a large cyst. Cerebral angiography showed partial obliteration of the AVM nidus. Stereotactic removal of cyst fluid (about 70 cm3) was performed, and an Ommaya reservoir was inserted. Cyst formation after GKRS for cerebral arteriovenous malformation is a is side effect of radiosurgery about which we need to learn more.

In order to investigate whether the iron acquisition mechanisms of Staphylococcus aureus are induced by iron restriction in vitro, we examined S. aureus ATCC 6538 for production of siderophore and expression of transferrin-binding protein (SA-tbp) in normal or deferrated brain heart infusion broth (BHI). Siderophore production was earlier and greater in the deferrated BHI. The SA-tbp, detected by ligand blot assay, was expressed only in the deferrated BHI. When human transferrin was added to the deferrated BHI, siderophore production was later and lower than when transferrin was not present. In conclusion, both iron acquisition mechanisms of S. aureus were found to be iron-repressible and via both of them, human transferrin-bound iron was utilized for growth under iron-restricted condition.

In this work, a 12-channel 120-Gb/s optical receiver array is realized in a 0.18-mum CMOS process. Optical receiver array consists of transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and limiting amplifier (LA). To enhance the bandwidth without deterioration of the other performance, advanced common-gate input configuration, active feedback technique, and negative impedance compensation are exploited. Post-layout simulations demonstrate that a single channel optical receiver achieves 96-dBOmega transimpedance gain (ZT), 10-Gb/s operations with 7.1- GHz bandwidth for 0.5-pF photodiode capacitance, and -20-dBm optical sensitivity.

Tactile sensation is one of the most important sensory functions along with the auditory sensation for the visually impaired because it replaces the visual sensation of the persons with sight. In this paper, we present a tactile display device as a dynamic Braille display that is the unique tool for exchanging information among them. The proposed tactile cell of the Braille display is based on the dielectric elastomer and it has advantageous features over the existing ones with respect to intrinsic softness, ease of fabrication, cost effectiveness and miniaturization. We introduce a new idea for actuation and describe the actuating mechanism of the Braille pin in details capable of realizing the enhanced spatial density of the tactile cells. Finally, results of psychophysical experiments are given and its effectiveness is confirmed.

In this study, the structural, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of Pb[(Ni/sub 1/3/Nb/sub 2/3/)/sub x/ - (Mn/sub 1/3/Nb/sub 2/3/)/sub 0.09-x/ (Zr/sub 0.505/Ti/sub 0.495/)/sub 0.91/]O/sub 3/ (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05) system ceramics were investigated to develop the composition for piezoelectric transformers. All the specimens were sintered at 1250/spl deg/C and their physical properties were measured, and the results are as follows; With increasing PNN substitution for PMN-PZT system, the dielectric constant was increased and the electro-mechanical coupling factor (kp) was increased to 0.62 at 5 mol% while the mechanical quality factor (Qm) decreased.

High performance 90 nm CMOS transistors have been developed using channel epitaxy, poly Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ gate, elevated source/drain (S/D), and nickel salicide (NiSi) technologies with boron-penetration-free 20 /spl Aring/ gate dielectric. For the first time, these novel technologies are employed all together, and, merits and demerits are characterized in the high performance limit. For NMOS, I/sub dsat/(saturation-current)=890 /spl mu/A//spl mu/m at V/sub dd/=1.5 V, I/sub doff/(off-current)=1 nA//spl mu/m with improved linear and saturation transconductances has been achieved using channel epitaxy. For NMOS, I/sub dsat/=355 /spl mu/A//spl mu/m has been achieved using NiSi with significantly reduced junction leakage and gate R/sub s/. The junction capacitance has been reduced by 40% using elevated S/D, while the level of gate poly depletion has been reduced using poly Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ gate. Especially, a PMOS transistor using all novel technologies has been fabricated with L/sub gate/(gate-length)=145 nm for better manufacturability. This device has exhibited all superior characteristics described above at the same time, as a result, the PMOS gate delay is estimated to be reduced by 21%. It is important to note that this device is apt for the volume production of high-speed logic LSIs.

Silicon-on-Insulator devices having a buried capacitor structure have been proposed by several authors as a 1 giga bit DRAM cell structure. However, several limits such as wafer cost, low throughput, and poor SOI thickness uniformity would prevent the practical application of this technology in spite of its distinct advantages such as shorter process step, easier backend process, and higher packing density. In this paper, we demonstrated the feasibility of a novel pattern transfer method combining the hydrogen implantation and selective polish stop process which can be applied to the fabrication of buried capacitor SOI structure with a low cost and high throughput.

A novel method for low temperature deposition of conformal TiN is reported. ACVD (advanced chemical vapor deposition) is a TiCl/sub 4/-based TiN deposition process which relies on the surface reactions of the adsorbed precursors. With this technique, conformal TiN films with resistivity as low as 130 /spl mu//spl Omega/-cm can be deposited at a deposition temperature of 500/spl deg/C and below. The results from the integration of ACVD-TiN with Si contacts and vias in high density devices indicate that ACVD-TiN is applicable to all levels of multilevel metallization for the next generation of ULSI devices.

The (Sr/sub 1-x/Ca/sub x/)TiO/sub 3/(SCT) thin films are deposited on Pt-coated electrodes (Pt/TiN/SiO/sub 2//Si) using RF magnetron sputtering. The structural and dielectric properties of the SCT thin films were influenced by substitutional contents of Ca. The composition of SCT thin films was close to stoichiometry (1.081/spl sim/1.117 in A/B ratio). The maximum dielectric constant was obtained for a SCT15 thin film. The dielectric constant changes almost linearly in the temperature range -80/spl sim/+90[/spl deg/C]. The temperature properties of the dielectric loss have a stable value. The drastic decrease of dielectric constant and increase of dielectric loss in SCT thin films is observed above 100[kHz].

Sub-100 nm CMOS transistors with ultra-thin gate dielectrics below 2.0 nm were fabricated and characterized. Super-steep retrograde channel profiles using boron (NMOS) or arsenic (PMOS) channel implantation followed by selective epitaxial growth of undoped-Si were found to effectively reduce short-channel effect and improve current drivability even in the sub-100 nm regime. For NMOS, indium implanted devices showed better short-channel immunity, however, no improvement in current drivability was observed. Optimization of the gate oxide thickness versus gate length was investigated in the presence of direct tunneling leakages and for the first time, an experimental guideline of oxide scaling is proposed. For PMOS, to suppress boron penetration, sub-2.0 nm stack gate dielectrics of oxynitride and LPCVD nitride were developed, which showed excellent transistor characteristics.

Publisher Summary Benzene, toluene, and xylenes (BTX) are valuable petrochemical feedstocks that can be produced from less valuable streams or byproducts, such as C 9 + heavy aromatics (HA), in the refinery processes. C 9 + HA can be transalkylated (TA) with toluene, to increase xylene production over zeolite catalysts. Commercially available zeolite catalysts, however, have low activity and tend to deactivate rapidly. The catalysts are also difficult to regenerate. This chapter presents the development of novel noble metal that promoted zeolite catalysts to maximize the conversion of the C 9 + HA and to improve the stability and regenerability of the catalyst. The effort has led to the successful commercialization of a catalyst named as ATA-11. The catalyst is effective in the conversion of C 9 + HA. Xylene yield is high, particularly in the case of toluene and C 9 + HA weight ratio of 30/70. The result is attributed to a complex reaction network. It is proposed that in addition to the transalkylation of toluene and TMB, other reactions such as toluene disproportionation and hydrodealkylation of ethylbenzene (EB), methylethylbenzene (MEB), and propylbenzene (PB) are also important. The catalyst is very stable over more than two years of operation even with H 2 /HC mole ratio as low as 2.8.

Cysts, which are not uncommonly associated with brain tumors, may be responsible for neurological dysfunction. Stereotactic aspiration of such lesions can lead to clinical improvement, but cyst recurrence is common and multiple aspirations may be necessary. Thirteen cases of brain tumors with cystic components were treated by radiosurgery with follow-up of 5-29 months (median 14 months). The tumor diagnoses were three cystic craniopharyngiomas, two brain stem cystic astrocytomas, two cystic cerebellar astrocytomas, one cerebellar hemangioblastoma, one ganglioglioma, one fourth ventricle tumor, one cerebellopontine angle pilocytic astrocytoma, one metastasis from lung cancer and one glioblastoma. The dose at the tumor margin ranged between 10 and 20.5 Gy (mean 15.5 Gy) and the maximum dose ranged between 18 and 45 Gy (mean 32.3 Gy). In 11 of these cases the cystic component recurred in spite of a decrease in the size of the solid tumor component. An Ommaya reservoir was inserted in six cases, stereotactic aspiration was performed in two cases, microsurgery was undertaken in two cases after 2-8 months (mean 4.8 months) and one patient refused further treatment. Multiple aspirations through the Ommaya reservoir were performed in the outpatients on the two patients who required them. It may be appropriate to be cautious in advising radiosurgery for intracranial tumors with a significant cystic component. Microsurgery if possible may be preferable in this situation.

Since the first H-mode discharges in 2010, the duration of the H-mode state has been extended and a significantly wider operational window of plasma parameters has been attained. Using a second neutral beam (NB) source and improved tuning of equilibrium configuration with real-time plasma control, a stored energy of Wtot???450?kJ has been achieved with a corresponding energy confinement time of ?E???163?ms. Recent discharges, produced in the fall of 2012, have reached plasma ?N up to 2.9 and surpassed the n?=?1 ideal no-wall stability limit computed for H-mode pressure profiles, which is one of the key threshold parameters defining advanced tokamak operation. Typical H-mode discharges were operated with a plasma current of 600?kA at a toroidal magnetic field BT?=?2?T. L?H transitions were obtained with 0.8?3.0?MW of NB injection power in both single- and double-null configurations, with H-mode durations up to ?15?s at 600?kA of plasma current. The measured power threshold as a function of line-averaged density showed a roll-over with a minimum value of ?0.8?MW at . Several edge-localized mode (ELM) control techniques during H-mode were examined with successful results including resonant magnetic perturbation, supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI), vertical jogging and electron cyclotron current drive injection into the pedestal region. We observed various ELM responses, i.e. suppression or mitigation, depending on the relative phase of in-vessel control coil currents. In particular, with the 90? phase of the n?=?1 RMP as the most resonant configuration, a complete suppression of type-I ELMs was demonstrated. In addition, fast vertical jogging of the plasma column was also observed to be effective in ELM pace-making. SMBI-mitigated ELMs, a state of mitigated ELMs, were sustained for a few tens of ELM periods. A simple cellular automata (?sand-pile?) model predicted that shallow deposition near the pedestal foot induced small-sized high-frequency ELMs, leading to the mitigation of large ELMs. In addition to the ELM control experiments, various physics topics were explored focusing on ITER-relevant physics issues such as the alteration of toroidal rotation caused by both electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and externally applied 3D fields, and the observed rotation drop by ECRH in NB-heated plasmas was investigated in terms of either a reversal of the turbulence-driven residual stress due to the transition of ion temperature gradient to trapped electron mode turbulence or neoclassical toroidal viscosity (NTV) torque by the internal kink mode. The suppression of runaway electrons using massive gas injection of deuterium showed that runaway electrons were avoided only below 3?T in KSTAR. Operation in 2013 is expected to routinely exceed the n?=?1 ideal MHD no-wall stability boundary in the long-pulse H-mode (?10?s) by applying real-time shaping control, enabling n?=?1 resistive wall mode active control studies. In addition, intensive works for ELM mitigation, ELM dynamics, toroidal rotation changes by both ECRH and NTV variations, have begun in the present campaign, and will be investigated in more detail with profile measurements of different physical quantities by techniques such as electron cyclotron emission imaging, charge exchange spectroscopy, Thomson scattering and beam emission spectroscopy diagnostics.

Since the successful first plasma generation in the middle of 2008, three experimental campaigns were successfully made for the KSTAR device, accompanied with a necessary upgrade in the power supply, heating, wall-conditioning and diagnostic systems. KSTAR was operated with the toroidal magnetic field up to 3.6 T and the circular and shaped plasmas with current up to 700 kA and pulse length of 7 s, have been achieved with limited capacity of PF magnet power supplies. The mission of the KSTAR experimental program is to achieve steady-state operations with high performance plasmas relevant to ITER and future reactors. The first phase (2008–2012) of operation of KSTAR is dedicated to the development of operational capabilities for a super-conducting device with relatively short pulse. Development of start-up scenario for a super-conducting tokamak and the understanding of magnetic field errors on start-up are one of the important issues to be resolved. Some specific operation techniques for a super-conducting device are also developed and tested. The second harmonic pre-ionization with 84 and 110 GHz gyrotrons is an example. Various parameters have been scanned to optimize the pre-ionization. Another example is the ICRF wall conditioning (ICWC), which was routinely applied during the shot to shot interval. The plasma operation window has been extended in terms of plasma beta and stability boundary. The achievement of high confinement mode was made in the last campaign with the first neutral beam injector and good wall conditioning. Plasma control has been applied in shape and position control and now a preliminary kinetic control scheme is being applied including plasma current and density. Advanced control schemes will be developed and tested in future operations including active profiles, heating and current drives and control coil-driven magnetic perturbation.