Search

To evaluate the radiological features of isolated posterior inferior cerebellar artery dissection (PICAD) and the feasibility of using high-resolution vessel-wall imaging (HR-VWI) for diagnosing PICAD.Three hundred and nine patients with arterial dissection involving the posterior cerebral circulation, who underwent HR-VWI between March 2012 and July 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. Among them, 44 patients (14.2%) were diagnosed with isolated PICAD in consensus among a neuroradiologist, a neurointerventionist, and a neurologist. Two neuroradiologists reviewed the vessel wall images independently for evidence of dissection (dissection flap, outer diameter enlargement on T2-weighted imaging [WI], mural haematoma). Diagnostic confidence was also scored on a five-point scale. Intra- and interobserver agreement for diagnosing PICAD and detecting evidence of dissection were evaluated.Dissection flaps were seen on T2WI in all cases (100%) and on contrast-enhanced T1WI in 34 patients (79.1%). Outer diameter enlargement of the steno-occlusive lesions on angiography was detected in most cases (97.7%). A mural haematoma was detected on three-dimensional (3D) contrast-enhanced motion-sensitised driven-equilibrium T1WI in 97.1% of the cases. The mean diagnostic confidence score derived by two neuroradiologists was 4.72. The two reviewers showed substantial to almost perfect agreement (weighted kappa coefficient: 0.62-0.97).Use of HR-VWI as a diagnostic tool for PICAD is feasible, and a dissection flap with outer wall enlargement on HR-T2WI allows confident dissection diagnosis. The present data suggest that PICAD might be considered as a stroke aetiology in patients with unexplained ischaemic stroke in the PICA territory, and that PICA evaluation with HR-VWI is both necessary and feasible.

Searching for the ground state of a given system is one of the most fundamental and classical questions in scientific research fields. However, when the system is complex and large, it often becomes an intractable problem; there is essentially no possibility of finding a global energy minimum state with reasonable computational resources. Recently, a novel method based on deep learning techniques was devised as an innovative optimization method to estimate the ground state. We apply this method to one of the most complicated spin-ice systems, aperiodic Penrose P3 patterns. From the results, we discover new configurations of topologically induced emergent frustrated spins, different from those previously known. Additionally, a candidate of the ground state for a still unexplored type of Penrose P3 spin-ice system is first proposed through this study. We anticipate that the capabilities of the deep learning techniques will not only improve our understanding on the physical properties of artificial spin-ice systems, but also bring about significant advances in a wide range of scientific research fields requiring computational approaches for optimization.

We propose a strategy for optimizing physical quantities based on exploring in the latent space of a variational autoencoder (VAE). We train a VAE model using various spin configurations formed on a two-dimensional chiral magnetic system. Three optimization algorithms are used to explore the latent space of the trained VAE. The first algorithm, the single-code modification algorithm, is designed for improving the local energetic stability of spin configurations to generate physically plausible spin states. The other two algorithms, the genetic algorithm and the stochastic algorithm, aim to optimize the global physical quantities, such as topological index, magnetization, energy, and directional correlation. The advantage of our method is that various optimization algorithms can be applied in the latent space containing the abstracted representation constructed by the trained VAE model. Our method based on latent space exploration is utilized for efficient physical quantity optimization.

The JSNS^2 (J-PARC Sterile Neutrino Search at J-PARC Spallation Neutron Source) experiment aims to search for oscillations involving a sterile neutrino in the eV^2 mass-splitting range. The experiment will search for the appearance of electron antineutrinos oscillated from muon antineutrinos. The electron antineutrinos are detected via the inverse beta decay process using a liquid scintillator detector. A 1MW beam of 3 GeV protons incident on a spallation neutron target produces an intense and pulsed neutrino source from pion, muon, and kaon decay at rest. The JSNS^2 detector is located 24 m away from the neutrino source and began operation from June 2020. The detector contains 17 tonnes of gadolinium (Gd) loaded liquid scintillator (LS) in an acrylic vessel, as a neutrino target. It is surrounded by 31 tonnes of unloaded LS in a stainless steel tank. Optical photons produced in LS are viewed by 120 R7081 Hamamatsu 10-inch Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs). In this paper, we describe the JSNS^2 detector design, construction, and operation., 41 pages, 29 figures

Bragg solitons are solitary waves which form as a result of the nonlinearity in the medium and the dispersion induced by a Bragg grating. We present recent results covering the dynamics of Bragg solitons. Temporal compression, fission and enhanced, coherent supercontinuum generation and tunable spectral broadening are experimentally demonstrated.

The JSNS$^2$ experiment is aimed to search for sterile neutrino oscillations using a neutrino beam from muon decays at rest. The JSNS$^2$ detector contains 17 tons of 0.1\% gadolinium (Gd) loaded liquid scintillator (LS) as a neutrino target. Detector construction was completed in the spring of 2020. A slow control and monitoring system (SCMS) was implemented for reliable control and quick monitoring of the detector operational status and environmental conditions. It issues an alarm if any of the monitored parameters exceed a preset acceptable range. The SCMS monitors the high voltage (HV) of the photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), the LS level in the detector, possible LS overflow and leakage, the temperature and air pressure in the detector, the humidity of the experimental hall, and the LS flow rate during filling and extraction. An initial 10 days of data-taking with a neutrino beam was done following a successful commissioning of the detector and SCMS in June 2020. In this paper, we present a description of the assembly and installation of the SCMS and its performance., 12 pages, 11 figures

Liquid scintillator (LS) dissolves a scintillating fluor in an organic base solvent to emit light. LS emits light when it receives energy from external sources. In this study, we developed a water-based liquid scintillator (WbLS), where a surfactant was used to mix water and oil. There are various surfactants in the market, hence, finding a suitable surfactant plays an important role in synthesizing liquid scintillators using water. We performed a feasibility study on synthesizing WbLS based on the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) index. As far as we are concerned, no literature report on the investigation of WbLS using HLB index has been found. Long-term stability is very important for the WbLS, and it needs to be observed for at least a year for any changes. Meanwhile, as an application of WbLS, sinogram analysis was performed with Radon transformation. It was possible to reconstruct transverse images with longitudinal photo images of the WbLS sample. Optical tomography was done by combining WbLS and digital camera.

1. The aim of this trial was to determine the optimal supplementation level of a xylanase enzyme from

ispartof: WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH vol:55 issue:8 pages:6968-6985 status: published

Nonlinear photonics devices are designed and fabricated on bandgap engineered ultra-silicon-rich nitride (USRN). The USRN films are compositionally engineered to possess a bandgap of 2.1 eV to eliminate two-photon absorption at $1.55 \mu{\mathrm{m}}$ while maintaining a large linear and nonlinear refractive index of 3.1 and 2.8 × 10−13 cm2/ W respectively. We present nanopho-tonic devices periodic in one and two dimensions that introduce an engineered group index profile. The devices are designed to possess a specific dispersion profile that enables slow-light behavior and augmented waveguide nonlinear parameters to be observed. Photonic crystal waveguides with flat band region engineered at the $1.55 \mu{\mathrm{m}}$ region show a ×40 enhancement increase in the nonlinear parameter, providing an effective nonlinear parameter of 1.97 × 104 W−l/m. One-dimensional photonic crystals are designed with effective index modulation effected in the device cladding, and demonstrated to exhibit augmented anomalous dispersion on the band edge while maintaining high transmission. Consequently, the reduced dispersive length combined with the large intrinsic nonlinearity in the material enables time and spectrally resolved characterizations of soliton formation, temporal compression and soliton fission to be experimentally observed. This represents one of the first observations of Bragg solitons on a chip, with the largest soliton-effect pulse compression to date with a compression factor of × 4.

Microparameter calibration for matching macroscopic responses of particle flow code 3D (PFC3D) models is generally conducted through trial-and-error which is inefficient and time-consuming. Several automatic calibration methods have been proposed but they are still limitations in the number of calibratable microparameters, range of macroscopic responses and degree of freedom in user-defined constraints. To overcome such limitations, a novel calibration method is proposed utilizing the constrained optimization of an artificial neural network (ANN). The ANN is trained with 600 PFC3D simulations to predict the unconfined compressive strength (UCS), Young’s modulus (E) and Poisson’s ratio (v) of a PFC3D model for a given set of 15 microparameter values. Unlike other ANN-based DEM calibration methods, the proposed method calibrates microparameters by optimizing the ANN inputs rather than obtaining the calibrated values as the ANN outputs. The integration of a PFC3D-mimicking ANN with constrained optimization enables microparameter calibration for a wider range of microparameters, macroscopic responses and a higher degree of freedom in user-defined constraints.

In the Francis turbine, there are gaps between the runner and the stator structure as the labyrinth seals. The flows inside gaps have the complicated flow phenomena; these complicated flows can affect the hydraulic performance and the downstream of the Francis turbine as the leakage flow. Therefore, it is important to investigate the flow characteristics induced by the runner gaps. However, normally the runner gap that has very complicated flow structure is often disregarded by considering the time and cost of the numerical analysis. But, it is necessary to apply all flow structures correctly to confirm the more accurate and reliable flow phenomena. In this study, the flow characteristics of gaps at the hub and shroud of the Francis turbine model runner were investigated with adding the leakage flow in the runner cone. In addition, the internal flow characteristics were compared by considering with and without the runner gaps application. For observing the influence of the leakage flow on the hydraulic performance and flow characteristics, the three-dimensional steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes analyses were performed using the shear stress transport turbulence model. The efficiency was decreased by applying the runner gaps; and the complicated flow phenomena were captured in the runner gaps.

This study is focused on the use of ultrasound to disrupt Microcystis aeruginosa growth, with consideration for the gap between laboratory-scale experiment and field application. Laboratory-scale sonication systems with different frequencies (i.e., 20, 584, 869, and 1137 kHz) for 30 min at 10-min intervals were conducted to investigate their effectiveness at disrupting M. aeruginosa growth. The toxicological effect of sonicated M. aeruginosa including microcystin-LR was also evaluated using a Daphnia magna acute toxicity test. High frequencies, 869 and 1137 kHz, resulted in more than a 60% reduction of cells after 30 min of sonication. Low to middle frequencies, 20 and 584 kHz, only showed a 30% reduction of cells after 30 min of sonication. High frequencies also led to the inactivation of cell proliferation during M. aeruginosa regrowth, due to cellular destruction and finally cell death. However, the concentration of microcystin-LR and the potential adverse effects of M. aeruginosa on D. magna could not be controlled using ultrasonic frequencies. Therefore, our results suggest that ultrasonic frequencies between 869 and 1137 kHz are effective at controlling bloom formation in M. aeruginosa and the regrowth of M. aeruginosa after sonication, but not at controlling microcystin-LR concentrations and its adverse effects on D. magna. Consequently, a combined purification technology to reduce the cyanotoxins such as microcystin-LR, rather than ultrasonic frequency alone, will be needed to control M. aeruginosa growth and its toxicity levels in the aquatic environment.

cd. autorów: L. Cao48,‡, G. Caria145,‡, G. Casarosa57,‡, C. Cecchi56,‡,D. Cˇ ervenkov10,‡,M.-C. Chang22,‡, P. Chang92,‡, R. Cheaib146,‡, V. Chekelian83,‡, Y. Chen154,‡, B. G. Cheon28,‡, K. Chilikin77,‡, K. Cho70,‡, J. Choi14,‡, S.-K. Choi27,‡, S. Choudhury35,‡, D. Cinabro170,‡, L. M. Cremaldi146,‡, D. Cuesta47,‡, S. Cunliffe16,‡, N. Dash33,‡, E. de la Cruz Burelo9,‡, E. de Lucia52,‡, G. De Nardo54,‡, †Editor. ‡Belle II Collaborator. §Theory or external contributing author. M. De Nuccio16,‡, G. De Pietro59,‡, A. De Yta Hernandez9,‡, B. Deschamps129,‡, M. Destefanis60,‡, S. Dey116,‡, F.Di Capua54,‡, S.Di Carlo75,‡, J. Dingfelder129,‡, Z. Doležal10,‡, I. Domínguez Jiménez125,‡, T.V. Dong30,26,‡, D. Dossett145,‡, S. Duell129,‡, S. Eidelman6,96,77,‡, D. Epifanov6,96,‡, J. E. Fast100,‡, T. Ferber16,‡, S. Fiore18,‡, A. Fodor85,‡, F. Forti57,‡, A. Frey24,‡, O. Frost16,‡, B. G. Fulsom100,‡, M. Gabriel83,‡, N. Gabyshev6,96,‡, E. Ganiev61,‡, X. Gao3,‡, B. Gao23,‡, R. Garg101,‡, A. Garmash6,96,‡, V. Gaur169,‡, A. Gaz90,‡, T. Geßler65,‡, U. Gebauer24,‡, M. Gelb48,‡, A. Gellrich16,‡, D. Getzkow65,‡, R. Giordano54,‡, A. Giri35,‡, A. Glazov16,‡, B. Gobbo61,‡, R. Godang157,‡, O. Gogota110,‡, P. Goldenzweig48,‡, B. Golob141,109,‡,W. Gradl63,‡, E. Graziani59,‡, M. Greco60,‡, D. Greenwald114,‡, S. Gribanov6,96,‡, Y. Guan17,‡, E. Guido60,‡, A. Guo41,‡, S. Halder111,‡, K. Hara30,26,‡, O. Hartbrich138,‡, T. Hauth48,‡, K. Hayasaka94,‡, H. Hayashii91,‡, C. Hearty130,‡, I. Heredia De La Cruz9,‡, M. Hernandez Villanueva9,‡, A. Hershenhorn130,‡, T. Higuchi66,‡,M. Hoek63,‡, S. Hollitt124,‡, N. T. HongVan44,‡, C.-L. Hsu160,‡, Y. Hu41,‡, K. Huang92,‡, T. Iijima89,90,‡, K. Inami90,‡, G. Inguglia40,‡,A. Ishikawa119,‡, R. Itoh30,26,‡, Y. Iwasaki30,‡, M. Iwasaki97,‡, P. Jackson124,‡, W. W. Jacobs37,‡, I. Jaegle137,‡, H. B. Jeon73,‡, X. Ji41,‡, S. Jia3,‡,Y. Jin162,‡, C. Joo66,‡,M. Künzel16,‡, I. Kadenko110,‡, J. Kahn78,‡, H. Kakuno121,‡, A. B. Kaliyar36,‡, J. Kandra10,‡, K. H. Kang73,‡, Y. Kato90,‡, T. Kawasaki68,‡, C. Ketter138,‡, M. Khasmidatul143,‡, H. Kichimi30,‡, J. B. Kim71,‡, K. T. Kim71,‡, H. J. Kim73,‡, D.Y. Kim108,‡, K. Kim172,‡, Y. Kim172,‡, T. D. Kimmel169,‡, H. Kindo30,26,‡, K. Kinoshita135,‡, T. Konno68,‡, A. Korobov6,96,‡, S. Korpar144,109,‡, D. Kotchetkov138,‡, R. Kowalewski165,‡, P. Križan141,109,‡, R. Kroeger146,‡, J.-F. Krohn145,‡, P. Krokovny6,96,‡, W. Kuehn65,‡, T. Kuhr78,‡, R. Kulasiri67,‡, M. Kumar81,‡, R. Kumar101,‡, T. Kumita121,‡, A. Kuzmin6,96,‡, Y.-J. Kwon172,‡, S. Lacaprara55,‡, Y.-T. Lai30,‡, K. Lalwani81,‡, J. S. Lange65,‡, S. C. Lee73,‡, J.Y. Lee106,‡, P. Leitl83,‡, D. Levit114,‡, S. Levonian16,‡, S. Li3,‡, L. K. Li41,‡, Y. Li41,‡,Y. B. Li103,‡, Q. Li103,‡, L. Li Gioi83,‡, J. Libby36,‡, Z. Liptak138,‡, D. Liventsev169,‡, S. Longo165,‡, A. Loos158,‡, G. Lopez Castro9,‡, M. Lubej109,‡, T. Lueck57,‡, F. Luetticke129,‡, T. Luo23,‡, F. Müller16,‡, Th. Müller48,‡, C. MacQueen145,‡, Y. Maeda90,‡, M. Maggiora60,‡, S. Maity33,‡, E. Manoni56,‡, S. Marcello60,‡, C. Marinas129,‡, M. Martinez Hernandez4,‡, A. Martini59,‡, D. Matvienko6,96,77,‡, J. A. McKenna130,‡, F. Meier160,‡, M. Merola54,‡, F. Metzner48,‡, C. Miller165,‡, K. Miyabayashi91,‡, H. Miyake30,26,‡, H. Miyata94,‡, R. Mizuk77,88,87,‡, G. B. Mohanty111,163,‡, H. K. Moon71,‡, T. Moon106,‡,A. Morda55,‡, T. Morii66,‡, M. Mrvar109,‡, G. Muroyama90,‡, R. Mussa60,‡, I. Nakamura30,26,‡, T. Nakano99,‡, M. Nakao30,26,‡, H. Nakayama30,26,‡, H. Nakazawa92,‡, T. Nanut109,‡, M. Naruki72,‡, K. J. Nath34,‡, M. Nayak116,‡, N. Nellikunnummel151,‡, D. Neverov90,‡, C. Niebuhr16,‡, J. Ninkovic84,‡, S. Nishida30,26,‡, K. Nishimura138,‡, M. Nouxman143,‡, G. Nowak93,‡, K. Ogawa94,‡, Y. Onishchuk110,‡, H. Ono94,‡, Y. Onuki162,‡, P. Pakhlov77,88,‡, G. Pakhlova87,‡, B. Pal5,‡, E. Paoloni57,‡, H. Park73,‡, C.-S. Park172,‡, B. Paschen129,‡, A. Passeri59,‡, S. Paul114,‡, T. K. Pedlar80,‡, M. Perelló46,‡, I. M. Peruzzi52,‡, R. Pestotnik109,‡, L. E. Piilonen169,‡, L. Podesta Lerma125,‡, V. Popov87,‡, K. Prasanth111,‡, E. Prencipe21,‡, M. Prim48,‡, M. V. Purohit158,‡, A. Rabusov114,‡, R. Rasheed47,‡, S. Reiter65,‡, M. Remnev6,96,‡, P. K. Resmi36,‡, I. Ripp-Baudot47,‡, M. Ritter78,‡, M. Ritzert139,‡, G. Rizzo57,‡, L. Rizzuto141,109,‡, S. H. Robertson85,‡, D. Rodriguez Perez125,‡, J. M. Roney165,‡, C. Rosenfeld158,‡, A. Rostomyan16,‡, N. Rout36,‡, S. Rummel78,‡, G. Russo54,‡, D. Sahoo111,‡, Y. Sakai30,26,‡, M. Salehi143,78,‡, D. A. Sanders146,‡, S. Sandilya135,‡, A. Sangal135,‡, L. Santelj47,‡, J. Sasaki162,‡, Y. Sato30,‡, V. Savinov151,‡, B. Scavino63,‡, M. Schram100,‡, H. Schreeck24,‡, J. Schueler138,‡,C. Schwanda40,‡,A. J. Schwartz135,‡,R.M. Seddon85,‡,Y. Seino94,‡, K. Senyo171,‡, O. Seon90,‡, I. S. Seong138,‡, M. E. Sevior145,‡, C. Sfienti63,‡, M. Shapkin38,‡, C. P. Shen3,‡,M. Shimomura91,‡, J.-G. Shiu92,‡, B. Shwartz6,96,‡,A. Sibidanov165,‡, F. Simon83,113,‡, J. B. Singh101,‡, R. Sinha42,‡, S. Skambraks83,‡, K. Smith145,‡, R. J. Sobie165,‡, A. Soffer116,‡, A. Sokolov38,‡, E. Solovieva77,87,‡, B. Spruck63,‡, S. Staniˇc149,‡, M. Stariˇc109,‡, N. Starinsky147,‡, U. Stolzenberg24,‡, Z. Stottler169,‡, R. Stroili55,‡, J. F. Strube100,‡, J. Stypula93,‡, M. Sumihama25,‡, K. Sumisawa30,26,‡, T. Sumiyoshi121,‡, D. Summers146,‡, W. Sutcliffe48,‡, S. Y. Suzuki30,26,‡, M. Tabata13,‡, M. Takahashi16,‡, M. Takizawa107,‡, U. Tamponi60,‡, J. Tan145,‡, S. Tanaka30,26,‡, K. Tanida2,‡, N. Taniguchi30,‡, Y. Tao137,‡, P. Taras147,‡, G. Tejeda Munoz4,‡, F. Tenchini16,‡, U. Tippawan12,‡, E. Torassa55,‡, K. Trabelsi30,26,‡, T. Tsuboyama30,26,‡, M. Uchida120,‡, S. Uehara30,26,‡, T. Uglov77,87,‡, Y. Unno28,‡, S. Uno30,26,‡, Y. Ushiroda30,26,162,‡, Y. Usov6,96,‡, S. E. Vahsen138,‡, R. van Tonder48,‡, G. Varner138,‡, K. E. Varvell160,‡, A. Vinokurova6,96,‡, L.Vitale61,‡,M.Vos46,‡,A.Vossen17,‡,E.Waheed145,‡,H.Wakeling85,‡,K.Wan162,‡, M.-Z.Wang92,‡, X. L. Wang23,‡, B. Wang135,‡, A. Warburton85,‡, J. Webb145,‡, S. Wehle16,‡, C. Wessel129,‡, J. Wiechczynski93,‡, P. Wieduwilt24,‡, E. Won71,‡, Q. Xu41,‡, X. Xu41,‡, B. D. Yabsley160,‡, S. Yamada30,‡, H. Yamamoto119,‡, W. Yan3,‡, W. Yan154,‡, S. B. Yang71,‡, H. Ye16,‡, I. Yeo70,‡, J. H. Yin41,‡, M. Yonenaga121,‡, T. Yoshinobu94,‡, W. Yuan55,‡, C. Z. Yuan41,‡, Y. Yusa94,‡, S. Zakharov77,87,‡, L. Zani57,‡, M. Zeyrek86,‡, J. Zhang41,‡,Y. Zhang23,‡,Y. Zhang154,‡, X. Zhou3,‡, V. Zhukova77,‡, V. Zhulanov6,96,‡, and A. Zupanc141,109,‡ †Editor. ‡Belle II Collaborator. §Theory or external contributing author., "The Belle II Theory Interface Platform (B2TiP) was created as a physics prospects working group of the Belle II collaboration in June 2014. It offered a platform where theorists and experimentalists could work together to elucidate the potential impacts of the Belle II program, which includes a wide scope of physics topics: B physics, charm, τ , quarkonium physics, electroweak precision measurements, and dark sector searches. It is composed of nine working groups (WGs), which 6/654 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ptep/article-abstract/2019/12/123C01/5685006 by Uniwersytet Slaski Biblioteka Glowna user on 20 February 2020 PTEP 2019, 123C01 E. Kou et al. are coordinated by teams of theory and experiment conveners: WG1, Semileptonic and leptonic B Decays; WG2, Radiative and Electroweak Penguins; WG3, φ1 and φ2 (Time-Dependent CP Violation) Measurements; WG4, φ3 Measurement; WG5, Charmless Hadronic B Decay; WG6, Charm; WG7, Quarkonium(-like); WG8, τ and Low-Multiplicity Processes; WG9, New Physics. We organized workshops twice a year from 2014 until 2016, which moved from KEK in Japan to Europe and the Americas, gathering experts in the respective fields for discussions with Belle II members. One of the goals for B2TiP was to propose so-called “golden and silver channels”: we asked each working group to choose, among numerous possible measurements, those that would have the highest potential impact and to focus on them for the writeup. Theorists scrutinized the role of those measurements in terms of understanding the theory behind them, and estimated the theoretical uncertainties now achievable as well as prospects for the future. For flavor physics, having tight control of hadronic uncertainties is one of the most crucial aspects in the field, and this is considered an important criterion in determining the golden or silver channels. Experimentalists, on the other hand, investigated the expected improvements with data from Belle II. For the channels where the errors are dominated by statistical uncertainties, or where systematic errors are reducible, the errors can decrease rapidly as more data becomes available. The impact of the upgraded performance from Belle II is a crucial element in reducing the uncertainties: we therefore include the latest available studies of the detector efficiency using Monte Carlo simulated events.We list the golden and silver channel table in the introductory chapter, as a guide for the chapters that follow. This book is not a collection of reports based on talks given at the workshops. The working group conveners endeavored to construct a coherent document that can be used by Belle II collaborators, and others in the field of flavor physics, as a reference. Two books of a similar type have been produced in the past: The BaBar Book [1] and The Physics of the B Factories [2]. In order to avoid too much repetition with respect to those references, we refer to them wherever possible for introductory material. We would like to thank the section editors and contributing authors for the many stimulating discussions and their tremendous efforts in bringing the book together." (Preface)

Vibration characteristics of the rotating machinery has been usually managed to facilitate the deterioration of the equipment and to prevent accident in advance. In a hydropower turbine, pressure pulsation characteristics to induce vibration is investigated during the model testing with a small scale model turbine for various operating conditions, and a prototype turbine is constructed to operate stably on the site. However, the model test has limitation that can’t be considered together with the vibration characteristics of a generator itself and of civil engineering structures for the building that support a turbine and a generator. Therefore, field tests of vibration for a hydroelectric power plant are carried out periodically, thereby maintaining reliability for safe operation of power generation facilities. In the study, the vibration of a Francis type hydroelectric power plant operated over 30 years and overhauled a year and a half ago was measured and its characteristics has been investigated. Displacement and velocity sensors were installed at appropriate positions to measure the vibration of the rotating shaft and bearing support of a turbine and a generator, and the vibration characteristics of a typical hydroelectric power plant have confirmed by analyzing the measurement results. The vibration characteristics of rotating shaft and non-rotating parts of the hydroelectric turbine have been analyzed to confirm the degree of aging of the plant. Vibration in the power plant building depending on the operating conditions was also measured to be large enough to sense, and its frequency characteristics were analyzed.

The heavy ion accelerator that will be built in Daejeon utilizes four types of superconducting cavities. Cryomodules holding the superconducting cavities in them supply thermal insulation for cavities operating in 4.3 K or 2.1 K. A Prototype of cryomodule which holds two HWR (Half Wave Resonator) cavities was fabricated and tested. Since the operating temperature of the HWR is 2.1 K, the superfluid helium was generated with warm vacuum pumping system. The cyromodule was successfully cooled down below lambda point temperature of helium and any detectable leak was not observed during the test. The static thermal load at 4.2 K was measured. The result and the experience for the cool-down below lambda point of helium are reported in this paper.

A feeding antenna that uses a rectangular waveguide with a patch on it to equalise the principle planes is proposed. The patch is printed on a substrate grounded with shorting pins. Typically, corrugated horn antennas are used for feeding antennas, but they are expensive because of the complex fabrication process. In comparison, the proposed antenna is inexpensive because it uses a rectangular waveguide and a dielectric substrate. The simulation and experimental results gave similar 10 dB beamwidths, while the beamwidth of the conventional waveguide was markedly different. The proposed antenna could be used as a feeding antenna for reflectors at low cost.

CMOS nonlinear platforms are desirable for their ease of integration with CMOS electronics and large-scale manufacturability. A continuum of CMOS materials spanning from silicon dioxide to amorphous silicon exist. We have developed ultra-silicon-rich nitride possesses a large linear and nonlinear refractive index while still maintaining a sufficiently large bandgap to preclude two photon absorption at the telecommunications wavelength. We discuss recent developments of nonlinear optical signal processing leveraging the ultra-silicon-rich nitride platform. Optical parametric gain of up to 42.5dB is demonstrated, as well as supercontinuum generation. Enhanced optical nonlinearity using photonic crystal waveguides is also demonstrated, with the slow light effect enabling a nonlinear parameter of 1.97 × 104 (Wm)−1.

Summary Background Facial psoriasis gives rise to considerable concern because of associated cosmetic problems and psychosocial distress. It requires a treatment approach other than topical corticosteroids, which bear a risk of cutaneous adverse reactions. Recently, topical tacalcitol has been shown to be effective in psoriasis. Objectives The aim of this open-label single-centre study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of high-concentration (20 μg g−1) tacalcitol ointment (Bonalfa-high®, Teijin Pharma, Tokyo, Japan) in patients with facial psoriasis and to evaluate clinical response according to the distribution of facial psoriatic lesions. Patients and methods Thirty-seven patients were enrolled to this clinical trial. Tacalcitol 20 μg g−1 ointment was applied once daily to psoriatic lesions of the face over an 8-week period. Patients were also categorized into three subtypes according to facial lesion distribution. Efficacy was evaluated by the facial Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (facial PASI) and the Physician’s Global Assessment (PGA) score at weeks 2, 4 and 8. The Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) was also determined at the end of the study. Results Thirty-three patients completed the clinical trial. Mean facial PASI of 33 patients at baseline was 9·58 and after 8 weeks of treatment the mean facial PASI decreased significantly to 3·88. By using PGA, patients showed the following responses to treatment: clearance (n = 1); excellent (6); good (16); fair (4); slight (5); no change (1). The response rate among the three facial psoriasis types showed no difference. Using the SGA, 27 (82%) of the patients presented excellent (15%) or good (67%) effect with tacalcitol 20 μg g−1 ointment. No serious adverse reactions were observed. Conclusions This is the first clinical study reporting a relevant therapeutic effect and favourable safety profile of tacalcitol 20 μg g−1 ointment in facial psoriasis. These results suggest that tacalcitol 20 μg g−1 ointment can be used as the first-line treatment in patients with facial psoriasis.

The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of maxillary repositioning using the recently introduced computerized virtual model surgery (VMS) with conventional articulator model surgery (AMS). Forty-two patients who had undergone bimaxillary surgery were investigated retrospectively in this study. The patients were divided into two groups: conventional AMS (n = 23) and VMS (n = 19) for intermediate splint fabrication in maxillary positioning. Planned surgical movements and actual postsurgical changes of the lateral and frontal cephalometric measurements were compared. Although variations from the planned surgical movements were relatively small, both methods had statistically significant errors in some of the linear measurements. Both groups had a similar range of errors. The overall absolute mean discrepancy between the planned and actual surgical movements for the linear measurements was 1.17 mm (0-3.6 mm) in AMS and 0.95 mm (0-3.2 mm) in VMS. Of the total measurements, measurements reflecting a surgical discrepancy of more than 2 mm or 2° comprised 12.0% of the cases in AMS and 7.9% in VMS. The surgical accuracy of maxillary positioning with VMS was comparable to conventional AMS. Because VMS has the definitive advantage of eliminating the complex laboratory step and shortening the laboratory time, this can be accepted as an alternative to AMS.

This study presents a polyacrylamide gel as a phantom material for needle insertion studies specifically developed for self-actuating needles to enhance the precise placement of needles in prostate. Bending of these self-actuating needles within tissue is achieved by Nitinol actuators attached to the needle body; however these actuators usually involve heating that can thermally damage the tissue surrounding the needles. Therefore, to develop and access feasibility of these needles, a polyacrylamide gel has been developed that mimics the thermal damage and mechanical properties of prostate tissue. Mechanical properties of the polyacrylamide gel was controlled by varying the concentrations of acrylamide monomer and N , N -methylene-bisacrylamide (BIS) cross-linker, and thermal sensitivity was achieved by adding bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein. Two polyacrylamide gels with different concentrations were developed to mimic the elastic modulus of the tissue. The two phantoms showed different rupture toughness and different deflection of bevel-tip needle. To study the thermal damage, a Nitinol wire was embedded in the phantom and resistively heated. The measured opaque zone (0.40mm) formed around the wire was close to the estimated damage zone (0.43mm) determined using the cumulative equivalent minutes at 43°C.

Lignin is the second most abundant biopolymer and a major potential source for the production of phenolic based materials and aromatic chemicals. Pyrolysis chemistry and the degradation mechanism of lignin are considerably different from those of cellulose or whole biomass due to its structural characteristics. Details about thermal degradation behavior and pyrolysis chemistry of lignin will be presented followed by discussions of continuous pyrolysis of lignin and catalytic pyrolysis.

Adenoviruses (Ad) have been investigated for their efficacy in reducing primary tumors after local intratumoral administration. Despite high Ad concentrations and repetitive administration, the therapeutic efficacy of Ad has been limited because of rapid dissemination of the Ad into the surrounding normal tissues and short maintenance of Ad biological activity in vivo. To maximize the therapeutic potential of Ad-mediated gene therapeutics, we investigated the efficacy of local, sustained Ad delivery, using an injectable alginate gel matrix system. The biological activity of Ad loaded in alginate gel was prolonged compared with naked Ad, as evidenced by the high green fluorescent protein gene transduction efficiency over an extended time period. Moreover, oncolytic Ad encapsulated in alginate gel elicited 1.9- to 2.4-fold greater antitumor activity than naked Ad in both C33A and U343 human tumor xenograft models. Histological and quantitative PCR analysis confirmed that the oncolytic Ad/alginate gel matrix system significantly increased preferential replication and dissemination of oncolytic Ad in a larger area of tumor tissue in vivo. Taken together, these results show that local sustained delivery of oncolytic Ad in alginate gel augments therapeutic effect through selective infection of tumor cells, sustained release and prolonged maintenance of Ad activity.

In this paper, a thrust allocation algorithm is proposed to minimize the fuel consumption and the gas emission of the offshore platform dynamic positioning system. The thrust allocation algorithm generates thruster commands that keep the position of offshore platform while physical limitation. Generally, the offshore platform control system is an over-actuated system. Thus, a thrust allocation problem of the offshore platform can be determined as an optimization problem. In this research, a thrust allocation problem is designed to minimize the fuel-consumption and the gas emission. Fuel-optimal thrust allocation was newly formulated and solved based on penalty-method based optimization. Developed thrust allocation method was evaluated by comparing to conventional pseudo-inverse based thrust allocation. The proposed thrust allocation method was validated with comparison with an offshore support vessel static allocation cases. A fully coupled dynamics of hull, mooring, riser, and dynamic positioning system were simulated in time domain. The proposed thrust allocation method that uses penalty-method achieved a 3% accumulated fuel consumption reduction compared to the conventional pseudo-inverse method based thrust allocation algorithm in GOM 1-yr storm condition.

The aim of this study is to measure the dose area product (DAP) in digital radiography by using a DAP meter to determine the X-ray exposure. Pediatric X-ray examinations can be obtained for any radiographic examinations using the selected radiographic examination parameters (kVp and mAs), the DAP information recorded. The best peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) at a fixed tube voltage of 70 kVp was obtained at tube currents of 20 and 32 mA, whereas the best PSNR at a fixed tube current of 25 mA was obtained at a tube voltage of 73 kVp. The fixed tube voltage of 70 kVp and the fixed tube current of 25 mA could help to obtain the best image quality and depict the spatial resolution of an anthropomorphic torso phantom radiographic examination. The normalized data over the DAP were provided to determine the patient dose from radiography.

We synthesize nano-sized Na(Co1−xNix)2O4 (0 ≦ x ≦ 0.12) powders by the solution combustion method using aspartic acid as combustion fuel. The influence of Ni2+ on the thermoelectric properties for the Na(Co1−xNix)2O4 is investigated. When the Ni2+ content is increased, the electrical conductivity (σ) is lowered mainly because of an increase in the porosity. In addition, the Ni2+ substitution leads to a significant increase in the Seebeck coefficient (α) up to x=0.06, and then a decrease with further increasing its content. The power factor (σα2) is thus improved by the Ni2+ substitution. We obtain the highest power factor (5.55×10−4 Wm−1K−2 at 800 °C) for Na(Co0.94Ni0.06)2O4. This value is over five times higher than that of NaCo2O4 (1.08×10−4 Wm−1K−2) at 800 °C.

A 12-wk experiment was conducted to examine the hematological changes, survival, and respiratory exchange in the olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, during starvation. The growth, survival and respiratory exchange rates of the starved group were lower than those of the fed group during the experiment. Blood analysis, including hematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cells, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and mean corpuscular volume, did not differ significantly (p>0.05) between the fed and starved groups at the end of the experiment. There were no significant differences in plasma cortisol, glucose, Na+, Cl−, K+, or aspartate aminotransferase between the fed and starved groups (p>0.05). Alanine aminotransferase levels were higher in the starved group than in the fed group, whereas plasma osmolality was lower in the starved group than in the fed group. It was shown that starved fish had various problems after four weeks, which did not occur in the fed group. Long-term starvation is infrequent in aquaculture farms. However, starvation studies of this kind are very useful for a basic understanding of how physiological changes affect fish health, life expectancy, and growth.

A 12-wk experiment was conducted to examine the hematological changes, survival, and respiratory exchange in the olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, during starvation. The growth, survival and respiratory exchange rates of the starved group were lower than those of the fed group during the experiment. Blood analysis, including hematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cells, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and mean corpuscular volume, did not differ significantly (p>0.05) between the fed and starved groups at the end of the experiment. There were no significant differences in plasma cortisol, glucose, Na + , Cl - , K + , or aspartate aminotransferase between the fed and starved groups (p>0.05). Alanine aminotransferase levels were higher in the starved group than in the fed group, whereas plasma osmolality was lower in the starved group than in the fed group. It was shown that starved fish had various problems after four weeks, which did not occur in the fed group. Long-term starvation is infrequent in aquaculture farms. However, starvation studies of this kind are very useful for a basic understanding of how physiological changes affect fish health, life expectancy, and growth. (Key Words: Hematological Responses, Olive Flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, Oxygen Consumption Rate, Respiration Frequency, Starvation, Stress)

High-quality nano-sized Na(Co0.91Ni0.09)2O4 powders, i.e., 27 nm in average size, were synthesized by the solution combustion route. The magnitude of the electrical conductivity, the Seebeck coefficient, and the power factor for Na(Co0.91Ni0.09)2O4 depended strongly on the fuel used and followed the order of aspartic acid > glutamic acid > alanine > glycine. The order of the thermoelectric characteristics was consistent with that of the density of Na(Co0.91Ni0.09)2O4. The maximal power factor (1.06 x 10(-3) Wm(-1) K(-2)) was achieved for aspartic acid-processed Na(Co0.91 Ni0.09)2O4 twice-sintered at 800 degrees C. We believe that the solution combustion route was highly effective for fabricating high-efficiency thermoelectric materials.

This report shows that silica sulfate is removing phosphate from wastewater very efficiently. Phosphorus removal and recovery from wastewater is a worldwide issue due to pollution of natural waters by phosphate and depletion of phosphate ores. Adsorption is a process that can remove phosphate at low concentrations. Adsorption also allows the recovery of phosphate for possible re-use. Here, we studied the adsorption of phosphate from wastewater using commercial Zr ferrite, Zr-MCM 41 and silica sulfate. We calculated equilibrium isotherms, kinetic models and thermodynamic effects under conditions similar to real wastewaters. We found that the equilibrium data for the adsorption of phosphate were best fitted to the Freundlich model. The results show that the maximum uptake of phosphate was 3.36 mg g−1 for Zr-MCM, 27.73 mg g−1 for Zr ferrite and 46.32 mg g−1 for silica sulfate. The kinetic results of the three adsorbents were satisfactorily predicted using a pseudo-second-order model. We found that silica sulfate provided excellent characteristics in terms of the maximum adsorption and rate constant for the adsorption of phosphate. The thermodynamic data showed that increasing the temperature enhanced the adsorption of phosphate onto silica sulfate. Our findings will help to define efficient methods to remove phosphate from wastewater.

No studies have reported the long-term effects of entecavir switching in patients with multidrug resistance who developed resistance after lamivudine/adefovir sequential therapy. We evaluated the efficacy of 96 weeks of entecavir therapy in patients with resistance to lamivudine/adefovir sequential therapy. In total, 33 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with evidence of active viral replication (HBV DNA levels ≥ 10(5) copies/mL) or a history of treatment failure to lamivudine/adefovir sequential therapy between April 2007 and July 2009 were treated with entecavir (1.0 mg daily) for at least 48 weeks. The rates of alanine transaminase (ALT) normalization and HBV DNA negativity were 66.7% (14/21) and 24.2% (8/33) at 48 weeks, respectively. The initial HBV DNA level was the only factor that was inversely associated with serum HBV DNA negativity after 48 weeks of entecavir therapy (P < 0.023). At 96 weeks, the rates of ALT normalization and HBV DNA negativity were 77.8% (7/9) and 16.7% (3/18), respectively. Viral breakthrough occurred in 21.2% (7/33) and 78.9% (15/19) of patients at 48 and 96 weeks, respectively. Patients who achieved a HBV DNA level of

Fluidized bed type heat exchangers are known to increase the heat transfer and prevent the fouling. For proper design of circulating fluidized bed heat exchanger it is important to know the effect of design and operating parameters on the bed to the wall heat transfer coefficient. The numerical analysis by using CFX 11.0 commercial code was done for proper design of the heat exchanger. The present experimental studies were also conducted to investigate the effects of circulating solid particles on the characteristics of fluid flow, heat transfer, and cleaning effect in the fluidized bed vertical shell and tube type heat exchanger with counterflow, at which a variety of solid particles such as glass (3 mm0), aluminum (2-3 mm0), steel (2-2.5 mmO), copper (2.5 mm0), and sand (2-4 mmO) were used in the fluidized bed with a smooth tube. Seven different solid particles have the same volume, and the effects of various parameters such as water flow rates, particle diameter, materials, and geometry were investigated. The present experimental and numerical results showed that the flow velocity range for collision of particles to the tube wall was higher with heavier density solid particles, and the increase in heat transfer was in the order of sand, copper, steel, aluminum, and glass. This behaviour might be attributed to the parameters such as surface roughness or particle heat capacity. Fouling examination using 25,500 ppm of ferric oxide (Fe 2 O 3 ) revealed that the tube inside wall is cleaned by a mild and continuous scouring action of fluidized solid particles. The fluidized solid particles not only keep the surface clean, but they also breakup the boundary layer improving the heat transfer coefficient even at low-fluid velocities.

We successfully synthesized nano-sized Ce(0.8)Gd(0.2)O(2-delta) powders by combustion method, using gelatin as fuel. The calcined powders showed high-quality characteristics, i.e., nano-scale size (14-35 nm) and narrow size distribution. The structural, morphological, and electrical characteristics of the sintered Ce(0.8)Gd(0.2)O(2-delta) were studied systematically, depending on sintering temperature. The crystal structure of the Ce(0.8)Gd(0.2)O(2-delta) belonged to the cubic fluorite structure. The gelatin-assisted combustion synthesized Ce(0.8)Gd(0.2)O(2-delta) powders allowed to sinter well at low temperature for dense and ultra-fine Ce(0.8)Gd(0.2)O(2-delta) electrolyte with good electrical conductivity. The sintering temperature of the Ce(0.8)Gd(0.2)O2 powder was approximately 300 degrees C lower than that of conventional solid-state synthesized powder. The nanopowder produced was sintered into pellets with relative densities over 99.1% of the theoretical value even at 1400 degrees C. The Ce(0.8)Gd(0.2)O(2-delta) sintered at 1400 degrees C exhibited a conductivity of 0.101 S/cm at 800 degrees C in air.

J.-H. Lee, N.-W. Lee, S.-W. Hong, Y.-S. Nam, J.-W. Choi and Y.-S. Kim Establishment of an efficient multiplex real-time PCR assay for human papillomavirus genotyping in cervical cytology specimens: comparison with hybrid capture II Objective: To establish an efficient multiplex real-time PCR assay for 15 human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes, we designed multiplexing parameters and compared our PCR system with the hybrid capture (HC) II test using cervical cytology samples. Methods: For preventing cross-reactive amplifications, variable HPV genes (E1, E2, E6, E7 and L1) were targeted. The melting temperatures of all primers and probes, and the size of the PCR product were optimized for the multiplex PCR. Our PCR system was compared with the HC II assays in the detection and genotyping of HPV infection using 173 cytology smears. Discordant cases between the two assays were verified by direct HPV DNA sequencing. Results: Of 173 women, 93 (53.8%) were HPV-positive by the HC II assay and/or the multiplex real-time PCR assay. The HPV genotypes were determined in 92 (98.9%) of 93 cases by the multiplex real-time PCR and/or DNA sequencing. The agreement rate between multiplex PCR and HC II methods was 91.9% (kappa = 0.84). Although the sample size of this study needs to be increased to have epidemiological significance, multiple infections and HPV 16 were the predominant type. HPV 58, 52 and 18 accounted for 25% of HPV infections. HPV 52, 58 and 31 constituted 30% of CIN 2/3. Conclusion: The multiplex real-time PCR system shows a good and reliable clinical performance. This in house PCR assay is fast and cost-effective for HPV genotyping and the detection of HPV co-infection in the post-HPV vaccination era.

ThO2(cr) was dissolved in the solutions containing various carbonate ion concentrations, and the results were compared with thorium solubility in a domestic granitic groundwater having very low ionic strength. The soluble thorium concentration excluding colloids after phase separation increased with increasing carbonate concentration. However, the thorium concentration in the real groundwater was remarkably greater than that in the carbonate-containing solutions with a similar concentration of carbonate and pH condition. This might be attributable to other species as well as Th(OH)4(aq) and Th(OH)3(CO3)−. These species form colloids or precipitates, and their concentration can be reduced in the ultra-filtered solution by an aging effect.

Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements revealed a ferromagnetic phase transition taking place near room temperature in quasi-two-dimensional dodecylamine-intercalated vanadium pentoxide with a mixed structure of coexisting lamellar and rectangular phases. It is shown that the ferromagnetism can be ascribed to the rectangular phase, whereas the paramagnetic lamellar phase undergoes no magnetic transition.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the bioavailability of two pharmaceutical products of ubidecarenone (coenzyme Q 10 , CoQ 10 ). Materials: Two brands (brand A and brand B) of commercial CoQ 10 hard capsules. Methods: Two brands of CoQ 10 capsules were administered at 100 mg dose to two groups of healthy volunteers, respectively, and blood samples were withdrawn at predetermined time intervals and assayed by a validated HPLC method with an electrochemical detector. Results and conclusions: Intra- and inter-day precision and inter-day accuracy were acceptable for all quality control samples including the lower limit of quantitation of 50 ng/ml. Recovery of CoQ 10 from human plasma was greater than 98.2%. CoQ 10 was stable in human plasma under various storage conditions. This method was applied to a pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of CoQ 10 hard capsules to healthy volunteers. The intrinsic CoQ 10 concentrations were measured for three consecutive days before drug administration, which were ranged between 0.68 and 0.79 μg/ml, and there was no statistically significant difference between groups. In brand A, the plasma concentration after administration of CoQ 10 was not higher than the intrinsic level, indicating that no significant drug absorption occurred, whereas considerably higher concentrations were obtained with brand B. The dissolution rates of brand A and B after 3 h were 0.35 ± 0.09 and 1.27 ± 0.16%, respectively. From the adjusted concentration-time curve, the AUC and t 1/2 of brand B were calculated to be 11.51 ± 5.76 μg · h/ml and 21.7 h, respectively. A mean C max of 0.32 ± 0.1 μg/ml was obtained at 7.9 h. In conclusion, it was found that bioavailability of CoQ 10 was significantly different depending on the formulations, and dissolution could be one of the important factors affecting CoQ 10 absorption.

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) has been used and studied as a catalyst material for the direct partial oxidation of methane into methanol using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). The methanol synthesis process occurred at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. It showed that YSZ has an activity to increase the production of methanol. It was twice as high in methanol selectivity than non-catalytic plasma process. The YSZ catalyst also showed better performance compared to other common catalyst supports, e.g., carbon, Al2O3, TiO2, and SiO2. Instead of methanol, the reaction products of plasma reactions were dominated by H2, CO, CO2, C2, and water. The optimum methanol selectivity reached 23% when Ni metal was doped over YSZ.

We present a study of how residual hydration in fresh rat tissue samples can vastly alter their extracted terahertz (THz) optical properties and influence their health assessment. Fresh (as opposed to preserved) tissue most closely mimics in vivo conditions, but high water content creates many challenges for tissue handling and THz measurement. Our THz measurements of fresh tissue over time highlight the effect of tissue hydration on tissue texture and dimension, the latter directly influencing the accuracy of calculated optical properties. We then introduce lyophilization (freeze drying) as a viable solution for overcoming hydration and freshness problems. Lyophilization removes large amounts of water while retaining sample freshness. In addition, lyophilized tissue samples are easy to handle and their textures and dimensions do not vary over time, allowing for consistent and stable THz measurements. A comparison of lyophilized and fresh tissue shows for the first time that freeze drying may be one way of overcoming tissue hydration issues while preserving tissue cellular structure. Finally, we compare THz measurements from fresh tissue against necrotic tissue to verify freshness over time. Indeed, THz measurements from fresh and necrotic tissues show marked differences.

Summary Background Disease extent or affected area is probably the most easily and most frequently measured index of patient disability in dermatological disorders such as psoriasis. However, no standard method is available for assessing involved facial areas. Objectives To devise a method for assessing involved facial areas and to examine its validity and reliability. Methods In study 1, the facial areas of 26 healthy adults were analysed and a new method for assessing facial areas was devised. In study 2, the validity and reliability of the devised method were investigated by 10 dermatologists using 30 photographs of patients with facial psoriasis. Results In study 1, facial regions were defined to have percentage areas that were multiples of 4% of the total facial area (which we refer to as the rule of fours), i.e. forehead 24%, one cheek 20%, perioral area 8%, one aspect of an ear 4%, one periorbital area 4%, and nose 4%. In study 2, a comparison of values obtained using the rule of fours with those obtained using an image analysis system showed excellent intrarater and inter-rater reliability when using the rule of fours. Conclusions The rule of fours is useful for assessing involved facial areas. The application of this rule was found to provide an accurate and reliable method as compared with image analysis.