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INTRODUCTION: The symptoms of Ischiogluteal Bursitis (IGB) are often nonspecific and atypical, and its diagnosis is more challenging. Moreover, it is difficult to predict cases of chronic progression or poor treatment response. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the clinical course of IGB patients and identify factors that are predictive of failure of conservative treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study consisted of IGB patients diagnosed between 2010 March and 2016 December who had been followed-up for at least one year. Structured questionnaires and medical records were reviewed to analyse demographic characteristics, lifestyle patterns, blood tests, and imaging studies. We categorized the cases into two groups based on the response to conservative treatment and the need for surgical intervention. RESULTS: The most common initial chief symptoms were buttock pains in 24 patients (37.5%). Physical examinations showed the tenderness of ischial tuberosity area in 59 (92.2%) patients, but no specific findings were confirmed in 5 patients (7.8%). 51 patients (79.7%) responded well to the conservative management, 11 patients (17.2%) needed injection, and 2 patients (3.1%) had surgical treatment performed due to continuous recurrence. There was no difference in demographic and blood lab data between the two groups. However, the incidence of inflammatory diseases (response group: 10.3% vs non-response group: 66.7%, p=0.004) was significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of IGB can be missed due to variations in clinical symptoms, and cautions should be exercised in patients with inflammatory diseases as conservative treatment is less effective in them, leading to chronic progression of IGB.

When using a sparse array, locating the target signal of a high-frequency component is difficult. Although forecasting the direction in a sparse situation is challenging, the frequency–wavenumber (f–k) spectrum can simultaneously determine the direction and frequency of the analyzed signal. The striation of the f–k spectrum shifts along the wavenumber axis in a sparse situation, which reduces the spatial resolution required to determine the target's direction using the f–k spectrum. In this study, f–k spectra of a high-frequency signal were used for near-field source localization. Snapping shrimp sounds (5–24 kHz) from SAVEX15 (a shallow-water acoustic variability experiment conducted in May 2015) were used as the data source, and a simulation was used to evaluate the proposed method. Beam steering was performed before creating the f–k spectrum to improve spatial resolution. We found that the spatial resolution was improved, and the location of the sound source could be determined when a signal with beam steering was utilized. The shrimp sound from SAVEX15, a near-field broadband signal, was used to determine the shrimp's location (range, 38 m; depth, 100 m) and the tilt of the vertical line array. These results suggest that the proposed analysis helps to accurately estimate the location of sound source.

This study was conducted to investigate the integration of biological and psychological factors that occurred in horticultural therapy for cancer patients. Through this study, we can infer how the process of internalization generates the psychological outcome in horticultural therapy programs for cancer patients. In the process of making and raising grass dolls some patients noted that “when the grass doll had no grass at all, all my hair had fallen out, but while the grass was sprouting, my hair began to regrow”. Similarly, they stated that “I had mixed emotions when I looked at the hair of the grass doll, because chemotherapy for cancer was over now, and my hair was growing”. They recognized that their grass doll resembled their own selves and their experience of hair loss and hair regrowth in the process of chemotherapy. We can infer from this that cancer patients identify with hair growth and hope, such as growth, development, and recovery. In the program, cancer patients also trimmed the roots of herbal plants such as lavender and rosemary during transplanting. Horticultural therapists explained that trimming unnecessary roots helped the growth of stems, leaves, and new roots. The therapists then gave clients the opportunity to consider negative thoughts or feelings which needed to be trimmed within themselves. Transplanted herbal plants were managed and nurtured by the clients, and their harvested and dried leaves were used to make herbal tea. In the process of those activities some patients found a lot of benefit: “I felt purification of body and mind, and elimination of miscellaneous thoughts while making herb tea. Even a small plant smells nice. I should be a person who has a good and beautiful fragrance.” The results suggest that cancer patients recognized the disease experience as personal growth. Horticultural therapists can use these findings as a basic reference to guide and support their clients in their programs.

(E)-3,4-Dihydroxybenzylideneacetone (compound 1) inhibited receptor activator of NF-κB ligand-induced osteoclastogenesis of C57BL/6 bone marrow monocyte/macrophages with IC50 of 7.8 μM (IC50 of alendronate, 3.7 μM) while stimulating the differentiation of MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells, accompanied by the induction of Runt-related transcription factor 2, alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin. (E)-4-(3-Hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-3-buten-2-one (compound 2c) showed a dramatically increased osteoclast-inhibitory potency with IC50 of 0.11 μM while sustaining osteoblast-stimulatory activity. (E)-4-(4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-buten-2-one (compound 2g) stimulated alkaline phosphatase production 2-fold at 50 μM without changing osteoclast-inhibitory activity, compared with compound 1. Oral administration of compounds 1, 2c, and 2g prevented ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in ddY mice to a degree proportional to their osteoclastogenesis-inhibitory potencies. The administration of 1 (mg/kg)/d compound 2c ameliorated histomorphometry of osteoporotic bone to a degree comparable with 10 (mg/kg)/d alendronate. Conclusively, the in vitro capacity of a few benzylideneacetone derivatives to inhibit osteoclastogenesis supported by independent osteoblastogenesis activation was convincingly reflected in in vivo management of osteoporosis, suggesting a potential novel therapeutics for osteopenic diseases.

The ethanolic extract obtained from the stems of Glycosmis pentaphylla was found to suppress antigen-mediated degranulation of rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. Four new geranylated 2-quinolone alkaloids, named glycopentanolones A–D (1–4), and 12 known metabolites (5–16) were isolated from the ethanolic extract from the stems of G. pentaphylla using bioassay-guided fractionation. Their structures were elucidated by a combination of 1D and 2D NMR, and HRESI-MS. The inhibitory effects of the isolated constituents on β-hexosaminidase release from RBL-2H3 cells were examined, and compounds 1, 5, 8 and 11 exhibited potent inhibitory activity with IC50 values between 0.05 and 4.28 μM.

This study investigates the thermal and electrical stabilities of superconducting coils encapsulated with an epoxy/acid-treated carbon nanotube (CNT) composite through cool-down, over-current, and repetitive-cooling tests. Carboxylic acid groups were successfully attached to CNT surfaces by acid treatment, which facilitated uniform CNT dispersion within the epoxy resin, forming preferential paths for heat conduction. The coil encapsulated with the epoxy/acid-treated CNT composite showed a fast cooling rate in a bath of liquid nitrogen (LN2) and high endurance under over-current conditions. This contrasts with its counterpart encapsulated with untreated CNTs, because heat was easily dissipated in the epoxy/acid-treated CNT composite owing to its higher thermal conductivity. Moreover, the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients of the epoxy and the superconducting tape decreased. Therefore, using an epoxy composite containing acid-treated CNTs is recommended for developing a mechanically dense superconducting coil with enhanced thermal and electrical stabilities.

There are two 200 m long floating piers for berthing car ferries at Incheon harbor, South Korea. Each floating pier has almost same dimensions but these piers are made of steel and concrete, respectively. This paper focus on the design and construction of a concrete floating pier. In the design, it was proposed as an alternative instead of a steel floating pier having two inner moorings and separated three parts (L: 66 m × 3 ea). So it was composed of only one structure (L: 200 m) without inner mooring dolphins, not only to maximize the use of top-side space but also to minimize the number of mooring dolphins. In the construction, the modular construction method fabricating concrete segments on land and assembling them as modules on the seawater was applied instead of the conventional method using a big floating dock not only to increase the construction efficiency but also to enhance the concrete quality of modules.

We extracted 15 pterosin derivatives from Pteridium aquilinum that inhibited β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) and cholinesterases involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). (2R)-Pterosin B inhibited BACE1, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) with an IC50 of 29.6, 16.2 and 48.1 µM, respectively. The Ki values and binding energies (kcal/mol) between pterosins and BACE1, AChE, and BChE corresponded to the respective IC50 values. (2R)-Pterosin B was a noncompetitive inhibitor against human BACE1 and BChE as well as a mixed-type inhibitor against AChE, binding to the active sites of the corresponding enzymes. Molecular docking simulation of mixed-type and noncompetitive inhibitors for BACE1, AChE, and BChE indicated novel binding site-directed inhibition of the enzymes by pterosins and the structure−activity relationship. (2R)-Pterosin B exhibited a strong BBB permeability with an effective permeability (Pe) of 60.3×10−6 cm/s on PAMPA-BBB. (2R)-Pterosin B and (2R,3 R)-pteroside C significantly decreased the secretion of Aβ peptides from neuroblastoma cells that overexpressed human β-amyloid precursor protein at 500 μM. Conclusively, our study suggested that several pterosins are potential scaffolds for multitarget-directed ligands (MTDLs) for AD therapeutics., Alzheimer’s disease: Promising therapeutic compounds found in plants Compounds extracted from bracken fern block the activity of three enzymes associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Because AD is a complex and multifactorial disease, a multitarget-directed approach is an attractive strategy for the development of disease-modifying therapeutics. A study led by Gil Hong Park, Korea University, Seoul, and Nam Sook Kang, Chungnam National University, Daejon, revealed that pterosin derivatives could reduce the activity of β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1, acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, the fern-extracted compounds did not cause cellular toxicity and were able to cross the blood–brain barrier, which is impermeable to most drugs, to reach the brain. Future studies will determine whether they can be developed into drugs to simultaneously engage various AD targets in animal models of the disease.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethanolic extract from the whole plants of Pteridium aquilinum has resulted in the isolation of a new pterosin glycoside, (‒)-pteroside N (1), and a new seco-illudoid sesquiterpene, pterosinone (2). Their structures were identified by analysis of the spectroscopic data including extensive 2D NMR. All of the isolates were evaluated for the anti-Alzheimer disease (anti-AD) activity through enzyme inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and β-site amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1). (‒)-Pteroside N (1) showed moderate BACE1 inhibitory activity (IC50 value: 30.6 μM), but exhibited potent inhibitory activity against AChE and BChE (IC50 values: 4.47 and 7.39 μM, respectively). On the other hand, pterosinone (2) showed mild AChE and BChE inhibitory activity (IC50 value: 87.7 and 72.9 μM), but exhibited potent inhibitory activity against BACE1 (IC50 value: 19.4 μM). The results of the present study demonstrate that sesquiterpenoids from P. aquilinum might be beneficial in the treatment of AD.

Background Administrative processing by the police may affect the process involved in organ donation in the event of an accidental brain injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of police toward brain-dead donors and organ donation. Methods This was a descriptive research study using a 41-item questionnaire. As of July 19, 2017, 11 police stations in Seoul had collected questionnaires completed by 115 police officers. Data were analyzed using SAS (version 9.4) software. Results There were statistically significant differences in the scores on knowledge about brain death/donation according to religion (P = .022). Attitude was significantly positively correlated with the knowledge about brain-death organ donation (P = .029). Conclusion It is necessary to understand and cooperate with the police when processing brain death organs from accidents. Education about organ donation can enhance the information and knowledge of the police and can also help to establish a positive attitude about organ donation.

Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was employed to study the effect of the additive oxygen gas on the microstructure of boron nitride (BN) films especially focusing on the intervening turbostratic BN (tBN) layer's behavior. Films in this study were deposited on diamond coated Si substrates, which were biased with negative voltages, using an unbalanced magnetron sputtering method with a boron carbide target. Various amounts of oxygen were added into argon‑nitrogen mixed sputtering gas. TEM showed that the tBN intervening layer was also observed to form prior to cubic BN (cBN) layer formation for all films, irrespective of oxygen addition. The tBN layer thickness increased with increasing oxygen content. This thickness increase implied that the addition of oxygen delayed cBN phase nucleation. On the other hand, the alignment of the hexagonal BN planes in the tBN layer, estimated from FTIR spectra, was observed to be enhanced with increasing oxygen content. Such alignment enhancement is considered as a result of oxygen adsorption on the tBN layer surface, which suppresses breaking sp2 bonds caused by Ar ion bombardments. The suppression of the sp2 bond breakage, consequently, causes the difficulty of forming sp3 bonds and delays the cBN phase nucleation.

Microalgae have gained considerable attention due to their high-value biomolecules and potential applications in the pharmaceutical, food, medical and cosmeceutical field. However, the conventional biorefinery process of microalgae are costly, energy-intensive, and time-consuming. Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) has emerged as a potential technique for the separation and fractionation of biomolecules in the biorefinery field. This study proposed the application of ionic liquid (IL) based ATPS for the fractionation of high-value phycocyanin and carbohydrates from a crude extract of Spirulina platensis.The biomass was first lysed by a high-speed homogenization with a solid to liquid ratio (S/L) of 1:10 and an operation time of 5 min to achieve optimum yields of multiple products. Next, the feasibility of several IL-based ATPS with phosphate/citrate buffer was evaluated by investigating the effects of cation, anion, and alkyl chain’s length of ILs. Among the IL-based ATPS, the system comprising of 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium dicyanamide and citrate buffer demonstrated the optimum phycocyanin extraction efficiency of 83.26 ± 0.05% at the top phase and a concurrent recovery of 73.89±0.06% carbohydrate at the bottom phase. In this work, the IL-based ATPS performed better than conventional polymer-based ATPS. This work suggests that IL-based ATPS allows efficient fractionation of phycocyanin and carbohydrates.

Members of the Iridoviridae family have been considered as aetiological agents of iridovirus diseases, causing fish mortalities and economic losses all over the world. Virus identification based on candidate gene sequencing is faster, more accurate and more reliable than other traditional phenotype methodologies. Iridoviridae viruses are covered by a protein shell (capsid) encoded by the important candidate gene, major capsid protein (MCP). In this study, we investigated the potential of the MCP gene for use in the diagnosis and identification of infections caused Megalocytivirus of the Iridoviridae family. We selected data of 66 Iridoviridae family isolates (53 strains of Megalocytivirus, eight strains of iridoviruses and five strains of Ranavirus) infecting various species of fish distributed all over the world. A total of 53 strains of Megalocytivirus were used for designing the complete primer sets for identifying the most hypervariable region of the MCP gene. Further, our in silico analysis of 102 sequences of related and unrelated viruses reconfirms that primer sets could identify strains more specifically and offers a useful and fast alternative for routine clinical laboratory testing. Our findings suggest that phenotype observation along with diagnosis using universal primer sets can help detect infection or carriers at an early stage.

Background and purpose The occult changes in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) were investigated and compared amongst patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls (HCs) by applying tract-based spatial statistics to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data. Methods Diffusion tensor imaging was performed with a 3-T scanner in 93 patients with NMOSD, 53 patients with MS and 43 HCs. Voxel-wise statistical analyses of the DTI data were performed using tract-based spatial statistics. Results Compared to HCs, patients with NMOSD had significantly lower mean global fractional anisotropy, higher mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity, and no significant differences in axial diffusivity in their NAWM. Patients with MS demonstrated significantly lower mean global fractional anisotropy and higher mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity in the NAWM than did patients with NMOSD and HCs. Compared to patients with NMOSD, patients with MS had NAWM damage that was more extensive, particularly in the inferior cerebellar peduncle, external capsule, cingulum, superior fronto-occipital fasciculus and uncinate fasciculus. Conclusions Using DTI, widespread occult damage was demonstrated in the NAWM of patients with NMOSD. However, the NAWM was less affected in patients with NMOSD than it was in patients with MS; specifically, the axonal injuries and diffusion abnormalities in the association fibers were more severe in patients with MS than they were in patients with NMOSD.

In this paper, we briefly review our recent progress on development of core technologies for 2G HTS NMR/MRI magnets at Korea University. To outperform the current state-of-art NMR/MRI magnet systems, we have developed the following technologies: 1) a REBCO-REBCO superconducting joint for operation of persistent current mode; 2) partial and grease-insulation winding techniques for self-protection of the HTS magnets; 3) pre-shimming to reduce the screening-current-induced-field; and 4) optimization of multi-width winding to minimize conductor consumption and volume of the HTS magnets. The test results demonstrated the feasibility of employing the developed techniques to achieve ultra-high-field and LHe-free 2G NMR/MRI magnets possessing self-protecting feature.

Oxygen partial pressure at the boundary between external oxidation layer and steel matrix was determined by characterisation of internal oxidation in Si-containing low-carbon steels oxidised under atmospheric condition. The oxygen partial pressure calculated from the rate equation of the internal oxidation matches with the equilibrium value between Fe and FeO. From the oxygen partial pressure between external oxidation layer and steel matrix, the evolution of internal oxidation zone and the diffusion profile of solute Si were numerically simulated. The calculated depth of internal oxidation and solute Si profile accords to the measured ones from the EPMA, which implies that the numerical simulation captures reasonably the evolution of the internal oxidation in the Si-containing steels.

Background Abnormal deposition of melanin may cause an aesthetic skin problem; therefore, the control of unwanted excessive melanin synthesis is the major goal of cosmetic research. Objectives To identify novel tyrosinase (TYR) inhibitors from marine plants and examine their cellular antimelanogenic effects. Methods The extracts of 50 marine plants endemic to Korea were screened against human TYR. Active constituents were then isolated from the selected plant extracts that showed potential and their chemical structures elucidated. Furthermore, their antimelanogenic effects were examined using murine melanoma B16/F10 cells and human epidermal melanocytes (HEM). Results Among the tested extracts, that of Phyllospadix iwatensis Makino exhibited the strongest human TYR inhibitory activity. The active constituents were purified from the butanol fraction of the P. iwatensis extract and identified as hispidulin 7-sulfate and luteolin 7-sulfate. Luteolin 7-sulfate inhibited human TYR more strongly than hispidulin 7-sulfate, luteolin, hispidulin and arbutin. Furthermore, luteolin 7-sulfate showed lower cytotoxicity than luteolin in both B16/F10 cells and HEM. Luteolin 7-sulfate attenuated cellular melanin synthesis more effectively in B16/F10 cells and HEM stimulated by α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and l-tyrosine than arbutin. Conclusions This study demonstrates that luteolin 7-sulfate isolated from P. iwatensis is a human TYR inhibitor with advantageous antimelanogenic properties, and would be useful for development as a therapeutic agent for the control of unwanted skin pigmentation.

Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen has been a source of food and traditional folk medicine in some parts of Asia for thousands of years; however, the roots of this plant have not been phytochemically investigated. Herein, we report the isolation of a new benzoxazinoid glycoside, coixlachryside B (1), along with ten known compounds (2–11), from the roots of C. lachryma-jobi var. ma-yuen using a variety of chromatographic methods. Among the known compounds, the absolute configuration of compound 4 was determined. The structures of all compounds were elucidated by interpreting NMR spectroscopic data, and experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra.

Methyl jasmonate is an important signaling molecule involved in plant defense as well as in the regulation of plant growth and development. Despite its various functions in plants, its effects on animal cells have not been widely studied and no report has been issued on the molecular aspects of its anti-inflammatory effect. In the present study, we investigated the in vitro anti-inflammatory properties of methyl jasmonate in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Methyl jasmonate treatment effectively inhibited LPS-induced production of pro-inflammatory mediators (nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2) and cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6) in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, it attenuated the LPS-induced activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) by suppressing the degradation of the inhibitor of κB-α (IκB-α). Additionally, methyl jasmonate dose-dependently blocked the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), i.e., p38 kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), in these cells. These results suggest that methyl jasmonate attenuated the LPS-induced release of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines by suppressing the activation of MAPK (JNK, ERK and p38) and NF-κB signaling. This study not only demonstrated that methyl jasmonate exerts anti-inflammatory activities in macrophages but also revealed its potential as a candidate for the treatment of various inflammation-associated diseases.

In this study, sudden discharge tests were performed on partially-insulated (PI) GdBCO coated conductor single-pancake coils to investigate the effects of a PI winding scheme on the discharge characteristics. Three sets of PI coils were constructed with insulation at 3 different intervals: every 2nd, 4th, and 8th turn. Each set included coils with 4 different insulation-angles: 90°, 180°, 270°, and 360°. Discharge delay of the PI coils was alleviated by increasing the insulation-interval or insulation-angle due to increased insulated area, which partially hinders radial current flow. The results of the sudden discharge test were in fairly good agreement with simulations of the PI coils using an equivalent circuit model consisting of a single RL circuit in parallel. The characteristic resistance of the PI coils was reasonably estimated through the numerical approach with contact surface resistance and compensation for the current-bottleneck effect, which enables the PI coils to be utilized in practical superconducting magnet applications.

Surgical aortic valve replacement still represents the gold standard in patients with severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis. In addition to conventional aortic valve replacement by mechanical or biological prostheses via a median sternotomy, novel approaches including minimally invasive strategies and new devices, such as so-called rapid deployment prostheses, are becoming increasingly more established. Autologous replacement strategies including the Ross and the Ozaki procedures have evolved into reliable options at selected centers of excellence. These novel treatment approaches in aortic valve surgery result in excellent short and long-term outcomes with a reduction of procedure-related complications. Taken together, these modern surgical replacement strategies enable a personalized surgical treatment in patients with aortic valve stenosis, which are tailored to the individual patient.

BACKGROUND In South Korea, a high-income country with an intermediate tuberculosis (TB) burden and low human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence, studies on incidence and risk factors of TB in HIV-infected persons have rarely been reported. OBJECTIVE To investigate the incidence of and risk factors for active TB in HIV-infected persons in South Korea. METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted of 1265 HIV-1 infected patients who visited four hospitals in South Korea between 1985 and 2012. We analysed the incidence of TB during the follow-up period. To investigate risk factors associated with active TB, we conducted a 1:2 matched case-control study of HIV-infected patients with newly active TB and controls without active TB who had similar CD4(+) T-cell counts and dates of first visit. RESULTS Over a total of 4457 person-years (py), 185 (14.6%) subjects were diagnosed with active TB; the incidence was 4.2 cases/100 py. In multivariate analysis, low body mass index (P = 0.033) and current smoking (P = 0.003) were independent risk factors for TB in HIV-infected patients. CONCLUSION Further strategies on prevention and treatment of active TB among HIV-infected patients should be implemented in South Korea. Encouraging smoking cessation and supporting good nutrition may be ways to reduce the incidence of active TB in HIV-infected patients.

In order to prevent unwanted excited vibrations and to secure better machining precision in large size heavy duty machine tools dynamic stiffness is one of the most desirable and critical properties. In the past decades, many researches on machine tool stiffness test and evaluation methodology have been made. However any methodology for a Pin Turning Device (PTD), which is a special kind of turning lathe for machining big size crankshaft pins, is rarely found among them. This study proposes a test and evaluation process of stiffness of a PTD by measuring frequency response function at the tool center point (TCP). For conformance proving for the proposed methodology, stiffness of a PTD obtained by the proposed method with impact hammer test (IHT) has been compared with that determined by FEM.

This paper presents our recent progress on core technology development for a megawatt-class superconducting wind turbine generator supported by the international collaborative RD program of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning. To outperform the current high-temperature-superconducting (HTS) magnet technology in the wind turbine industry, a novel no-insulation winding technique was first proposed to develop the second-generation HTS racetrack coil for rotating applications. Here, we briefly report our recent studies on no-insulation (NI) winding technique for GdBCO coated conductor racetrack coils in the following areas: (1) Charging-discharging characteristics of no-insulation GdBCO racetrack coils with respect to external pressures applied to straight sections; (2) thermal and electrical stabilities of no-insulation GdBCO racetrack coils encapsulated with various impregnating materials; (3) quench behaviors of no-insulation racetrack coils wound with GdBCO conductor possessing various lamination layers; (4) electromagnetic characteristics of no-insulation GdBCO racetrack coils under time-varying field conditions. Test results confirmed that this novel NI winding technique was highly promising. It could provide development of a compact, mechanically dense, and self-protecting GdBCO magnet for use in real-world superconducting wind turbine generators.

This paper presents results, experimental and analytical, of the electrical characteristics of GdBCO single-pancake coils co-wound with a brass tape as metallic insulation (MI coil). The GdBCO pancakes were subjected to sudden discharge, charge-discharge, and over-current tests. The sudden discharge and charge-discharge test results of the MI coil demonstrated that MI coils can be charged and discharged significantly faster than non-insulated coils that are wound only with GdBCO tape. In over-current tests at 150 A (1.25I(c)), the MI coil exhibited better electrical behavior, i.e., self-protecting features, than its counterpart co-wound with Kapton tape, an insulator. Moreover, the experimental and analytical results are in agreement, validating the use of a concise equivalent parallel-RL circuit model for the MI coil to characterize its electrical behavior. Overall, the MI winding technique is highly promising to help build compact, mechanically robust, and self-protecting magnets composed of REBCO pancake coils. With no organic material in the winding, MI REBCO pancakes will be immune to neutron radiation damage, making the MI winding technique a viable option for fusion reactors, such as for toroidal field, poroidal field magnets, and central solenoid.

An HTS racetrack-type coil without turn-to-turn insulation was characterized by critical current, sudden discharge, and over-current tests with respect to external pressures applied to the straight sections of the coil. The thermal stability of the non-insulated HTS racetrack-type coil was remarkably enhanced with increasing external pressure applied to the straight sections of racetrack-type coil. Furthermore, over-current test results confirmed that the non-insulated HTS racetrack-type coil with increased turn-to-turn thermal contact has the potential to be manufactured into field coils of HTS wind turbine generators with highly enhanced thermal and electrical stabilities.

Objective Organophosphate poisoning is a serious clinical entity and of considerable morbidity and mortality. Several factors have been identified to predict outcomes of organophosphate poisoning. This investigation aims to identify the relationship between the dynamics of serum cholinesterase (SChE) activity and mortality. Methods In this retrospective study, medical records of all patients with acute organophosphate poisoning were reviewed from January 2001 to December 2009. Clinical features, SChE activity, Glasgow Coma Scale, laboratory findings, electrocardiogram finding, management and their outcomes were examined. Results A total of 169 patients were included in this study. A total of 55 patients were enrolled. Deceased patients were 8 in number. Absence of an increase in SChE activity was related with mortality in organophosphate poisoned patients (p value=0.036; odds ratio, 5.445; 95% confidence interval, 1.121-26.551). Conclusions The absence of an increase in SChE activity is associated with higher mortality in organophosphate poisoning. The SChE dynamic activity can provide a guide to physicians in the evaluation and management of organophosphate poisoned patients.

We report for the first time the direct conversion of raw grape berry biomass to hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) using ionic liquid solvents with metal chloride catalysts. Exploiting raw plant biomass as a biorefinery feedstock is innovative for sustainable chemical industry. The use of the raw biomass to synthesize compounds can indeed lead to less energy consumption and less CO2 emissions. Using raw plant biomass skips pretreatment steps that are required to produce biomaterials such as carbohydrates or cellulosic biomass. Here, grape berry biomass was used as a raw chemical feedstock for the production of hydroxymethylfurfural, a key platform intermediate for syntheses of future renewable biofuels. We examined 3 ionic liquid solvents, 3 reaction temperatures, 5 chloride catalysts, and 5 concentrations of HCl. We found an increasing HMF yields depending on reaction conditions. 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride was most effective for HMF synthesis. Addition of HCl or metal chlorides alone showed little improvement. The highest HMF yield of about 100 mg HMF per mL of grape biomass extract was obtained using 0.3 M HCl, [OMIM]Cl, and CrCl2 at 100°C for 3 h. Our study provides a model system of sustainable production of valuable compounds from raw plant biomass.

The whole body concentration ratio (CR) of 137 Cs, 85 Sr and 65 Zn for Chinese minnow (P. oxycephalus ) and earthworm (E. andrei ) were experimentally measured in a laboratory. The mean CR (Bq/kg fresh per Bq/l) of Chinese minnow was 3.5 for 137 Cs, 11.0 for 85 Sr, and 9.8 for 65 Zn, respectively. The mean CR (Bq/kg fresh per Bq/kg) of earthworm was 4.4 × 10−4 for 137 Cs, 1.7 × 10−3 for 85 Sr, and 1.4 × 10−3 for 65 Zn, respectively.

This experiment evaluated the effects of dietary lysine restriction and energy density on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and meat quality of finishing pigs. A 2x2 factorial arrangement of treatments was utilized in a randomized complete block (RCB) design, and factor 1 was lysine restriction and factor 2 was energy density. The control diet was formulated to contain 3.265 Mcal of ME/kg, 0.75% lysine in the early-finishing phase and 3.265 Mcal of ME/kg, 0.60% lysine in the late-finishing phase and other nutrients met or exceeded NRC (1998) standards. Compared to the control diet (CON), lysine levels of experimental diets were restricted to 15% (treatment EL, EEL) or 30% (treatment ELL, EELL), whereas energy level of experimental diets was increased by 0.100 or 0.200 Mcal of ME/kg. A total of 100 crossbred pigs ([YorkshirexLandrace]×Duroc), with average initial body weight of 58.47±1.42 kg, were allotted to 5 dietary treatments based on sex and body weight. Each treatment had 5 replicates with 4 pigs (two barrows and two gilts) per pen. ADG, ADFI and feed efficiency were calculated in an 8-week growth trial. In the late finishing period (5-8 weeks), pigs fed ELL or EELL diets had decreased ADG and feed efficiency (p 0.05). In a metabolic trial, 15 pigs were used to evaluate the effect of dietary lysine restriction and energy density on nutrient digestibility. The digestibility of dry matter, crude fat and crude ash was not improved by restricting dietary lysine or energy density. However, crude protein digestibility was decreased (p

Oltipraz is a potential candidate drug for the treatment of liver fibrosis (LF) and liver cirrhosis (LC). The pharmacokinetics of oltipraz and its major rearranged metabolite (7-methyl-6,8-bis(methylthio)H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine (RM)) were evaluated after single-dose (30-90 mg) and multiple-dose (60 mg b.i.d. or 90 mg q.d. for 24 weeks) oral administration of oltipraz to patients with LF or LC. Oltipraz was safe and well tolerated in both studies. In the single-dose study, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC), peak plasma concentration (C(max)), and terminal half-life (t(1/2)) of oltipraz as well as the AUC of its RM were dose dependent. Oltipraz was rapidly absorbed; the time to reach C(max) (T(max)) was 2-4 h. The conversion of oltipraz to RM was also rapid and substantial (AUC of RM from time 0 to the last measured concentration (AUC(last, RM))/AUC(last, oltipraz), 42-61%). In the multiple-dose study, the level of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) (a blood fibrosis marker) was suppressed at steady-state plasma concentrations of approximately 20-60 ng/ml of oltipraz or of approximately 60-140 ng/ml of oltipraz plus RM. Overall, the pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of oltipraz suggest that it may be helpful in the treatment of patients with LF or LC, at an optimal dosing regimen.

Low temperature or cold stress is one of the major constraints of rice production and productivity in temperate rice-growing countries and high-altitude areas in the tropics. Even though low temperature affects the rice plant in all stages of growth, the percent seed set is damaged severely by cold and this reduces the yield potential of cultivars significantly. In this study, a new source of cold-tolerant line, IR66160-121-4-4-2, was used as a donor parent with a cold-sensitive cultivar, Geumobyeo, to produce 153 F(8) recombinant inbred lines (RILs) for quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis. QTL analysis with 175 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and composite interval mapping identified three main-effect QTLs (qPSST-3, qPSST-7, and qPSST-9) on chromosomes 3, 7, and 9. The SSR markers RM569, RM1377, and RM24545 were linked to the identified QTLs for cold tolerance with respect to percent seed set using cold-water (18-19 degrees C) irrigation in the field and controlled air temperature (17 degrees C) in the greenhouse. The total phenotypic variation for cold tolerance contributed by the three QTLs was 27.4%. RILs with high percent seed set under cold stress were validated with linked DNA markers and by haplotype analysis that revealed the contribution of progenitor genomes from the tropical japonica cultivar Jimbrug (Javanica) and temperate japonica cultivar Shen-Nung89-366. Three QTLs contributed by the cold-tolerant parent were identified which showed additive effect on percent seed set under cold treatment. This study demonstrated the utility of a new phenotyping method as well as the identification of SSR markers associated with QTLs for selection of cold-tolerant genotypes to improve temperate rice production.

Wrap-up vegetables make an important contribution to the Korean dietary life as mineral and fiber sources. The pesticide-free produces have become popular in Korea. Physical control methods in plant protection have been thought as a substitute for synthetic insecticides in pest management. Nineteen wrap-up vegetables (8 Brassicaceae, 9 Compositae and 2 Chenopodiaceae) were planted on small DFT hydroponic units under glasshouse conditions during the summer season. Four treatments: 1) sidewall screen, 2) sidewall + bench screen, 3) bench screen and 4) no screen (control) were established. Bench screen means that an insect screen (weaving type, with a holes' size of 1,440 μm × 690 μm) was set around the hydroponic bench to protect the plant against the insects. GI-pipe bench (7.5 × 1.2 × 0.75 m) with 20 L of capacity was set to stand the small hydroponic units. Photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) was reduced by 18±10.6% by the insect screen. Air temperature inside the screen in the treatment of sidewall + bench screen was higher by 0.53±0.53°C and relative humidity was lower by 0.78±0.44% than sidewall screen only. There is no significance in % of insect occurrence rate with the sidewall insect screen but significant with bench screen. The % of insect occurrence rate calculated as % of the number of plant injured by any insect divided by 4 plants was decreased by 66.7-100% in bench screen treatment. As the results, the mean accumulated yield of 19 wrap-up vegetables was increased by 13% with the treatment of bench screen by alleviating the insect damage. These results suggest that insect screen equipped around the hydroponic bench is able to be practically used in hydroponic field producing pesticide-free wrap-up vegetables.

In this study, 2 myofibrillar protein extraction methods were compared for the preparation of chicken surimi using spent hen breast muscle. One method involved 1 washing with 0.1, 0.5, or 1% sodium chloride solution followed by 2 washings with distilled water, with homogenization and centrifugation of the breast muscle after each washing (new method; NM). The other method used only distilled water for the extraction, and washing was repeated 3 times followed by homogenization and centrifugation of the breast muscle after each washing (conventional method; CM). The redness values of the batter as well as the cooked gel were significantly lower (P ≤ 0.05) by NM as compared with CM. In addition, the SDS-PAGE of NM sarcoplasmic protein fractions showed phosphorylase bands with increased staining intensity as compared with CM, indicating that brightness was related to the sarcoplasmic protein fractions. Overall, the data implied that sodium chloride solution was more appropriate for the myofibrillar protein extraction of spent hen breast muscle than the commonly used distilled water method.

L ab o rtyfA n im l Nu ,G d eS ch B g sU vABSTRACT This work was conducted to evaluate the effects of induced-molting methods on visceral organs and blood stress indicators in laying hens. One hundred fifty of 63-wk-old White Leghorn hens, with over 85% of egg production and 1.7±0.4 kg of average weight, were used in this study. Treatments were control (non-molt treatment), feeding molt treatment (FM), and starving molt treatment (SM). There were 5 replicates of 10 hens for each treatment. All treatment groups were fed basal diet (15% CP and 2,700 kal/kg of ME) for two weeks as adaptation period. Heart weights were 8.2, 7.9 and 7.5 g in control, FM and SM, respectively. Liver and oviduct weights were decreased in both molting treatments compared with control (P

The objective of the present study was to compare of the effects of four molting methods on performance of laying hens. In total, 120 White Leghorn layers (62 weeks of age) were used. The four molting methods consisted of 10 days of feeding and the first 3 days of water withdrawal (FW1, 2) followed by ad libitum access to a layer diet 1 and 2 from day 11; 28 days of restricted feeding (NFW1); 28 days without withdrawing their feed (NFW2). Egg production of postmolt decreased until 3~4 days at FW1 and FW2 treatments and until 16~18 days at NFW1 and NFW2. 50% recovery of egg production were 7, 6, 7 and 5 week at FW1, FW2, NFW1, and NFW2 treatments, respectively. At day 14 of postmolt, the weight of livers, hearts, and oviducts decreased at molting treatments (P

The effect of phytohormones on the breaking of dormancy of axillary buds in Salix pseudolasiogyne and their subsequent proliferation from nodal explants were examined. Nodal explants obtained from a 20–year-old S. pseudolasiogyne tree were cultured either on woody plant basal medium (WPM) or WPM supplemented with benzyladenine (BA, 2.2/4.4 μM), zeatin (1.1/2.2 μM), gibberillic acid (GA3, 2.9 and 14.5 μM), and GA3 + BA (2.9 + 4.4 μM). Although axillary shoots developed in all the media, a higher percentage bud break occurred on BA supplemented media. To corroborate the results, endogenous levels of cytokinins [Cks, N 6-isopentenyladenine (iP), zeatin riboside (t-ZR), dihydrozeatinriboside (DHZR)] and abscisic acid (ABA) were determined. On BA supplemented media, the levels of zeatin type (Z-type) of Cks were higher than those of isopentenyladenine type of Ck in the explants, while the ABA level was low. Axillary shoots did not grow well and became necrotic upon subculture to fresh basal WPM. In order to improve shoot growth, they were subcultured twice at a 4-week interval on to WPM supplemented with BA (2.2/4.4 μM), GA3 (1.4 μM), or GA3 + BA (1.4 + 4.4/2.9 + 4.4 μM). Maximal shoot growth (93%) was achieved on WPM supplemented with 2.2 μM BA. Comparative analyses of endogenous Cks revealed that higher Cks (Z-type Cks) were present in actively growing shoots. Rooting was readily achieved when the shoots were subcultured to WPM without phytohormones. The rooted plants were acclimatized well upon transplantation.

Summary Objectives The high incidence of invasive liver abscess caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae in Taiwan, contrasted with the rareness of this disease in Western countries, has aroused special interest. There have been few detailed reports from other Asian countries. To investigate a current epidemiology of K. pneumoniae liver abscess in Korea and to determine K serotype distribution in K. pneumoniae strains causing liver abscess, we performed a nationwide prospective study. Methods Community-acquired, culture-proven liver abscess cases were enrolled between 2004 and 2005. Etiologies and clinical features were analyzed. K. pneumoniae isolates were serotyped according to K antigen. Meta-analysis was done to determine the time trend of the etiologies of liver abscess in Korea. Results Out of 371 cases collected prospectively, 290 (78.2%) were caused by K. pneumoniae . Most K. pneumoniae liver abscesses were monomicrobial. Diabetes mellitus was the most common underlying disease (39.9%). Distant metastatic infections were frequently observed (8.7%). magA PCR revealed that 95 (59.4%) out of 160 K. pneumoniae isolates belonged to the K1 serotype. Conclusions Our study indicates that K. pneumoniae has emerged as a major etiologic agent of liver abscess in Korea, and these emerging infections seem to be attributable to invasive K. pneumoniae strains with capsular K1 serotype.