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In current NAND flash design, one of the most challenging issues is reducing peak current consumption (peak ICC), as it leads to peak power drop, which can cause malfunctions in NAND flash memory. This paper presents an efficient approach for reducing the peak ICC of the cache program in NAND flash memory -- namely, a program Cache Busy Time (tPCBSY) control method. The proposed tPCBSY control method is based on the interesting observation that the array program current (ICC2) is mainly decided by the bit-line bias condition. In the proposed approach, when peak ICC2 becomes larger than a threshold value, which is determined by a cache loop number, cache data cannot be loaded to the cache buffer (CB). On the other hand, when peak ICC2 is smaller than the threshold level, cache data can be loaded to the CB. As a result, the peak ICC of the cache program is reduced by 32% at the least significant bit page and by 15% at the most significant bit page. In addition, the program throughput reaches 20 MB/s in multiplane cache program operation, without restrictions caused by a drop in peak power due to cache program operations in a solid-state drive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ticks and tick-borne diseases are important in human and livestock health worldwide. In November 2012, ixodid ticks were collected and identified morphologically from cattle and wild animals in the Maswa district and Iringa urban, Tanzania. Amblyomma gemma, A. lepidum, and A. variegatum were identified from Maswa cattle, and A. variegatum was the predominant species. A. marmoreum, Hyalomma impeltatum, and Rhipicephalus pulchellus were identified from Iringa cattle in addition to the above 3 Amblyomma species, and A. gemma was the most abundant species. Total 4 Amblyomma and 6 Rhipicephalus species were identified from wild animals of the 2 areas. A. lepidum was predominant in Maswa buffaloes, whereas A. gemma was predominant in Iringa buffaloes. Overall, A. variegatum in cattle was predominant in the Maswa district and A. gemma was predominant in Iringa, Tanzania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most significant processes in cancer cell and tissue image analysis is the efficient extraction of features for grading purposes. This research applied two types of three-dimensional texture analysis methods to the extraction of feature values from renal cell carcinoma tissue images, and then evaluated the validity of the methods statistically through grade classification. First, we used a confocal laser scanning microscope to obtain image slices of four grades of renal cell carcinoma, which were then reconstructed into 3D volumes. Next, we extracted quantitative values using a 3D gray level cooccurrence matrix (GLCM) and a 3D wavelet based on two types of basis functions. To evaluate their validity, we predefined 6 different statistical classifiers and applied these to the extracted feature sets. In the grade classification results, 3D Haar wavelet texture features combined with principal component analysis showed the best discrimination results. Classification using 3D wavelet texture features was significantly better than 3D GLCM, suggesting that the former has potential for use in a computer-based grading system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: The most common cause of chronic periodontitis is poor oral hygiene. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) enhances the proximal migration of gastric contents and may cause poor oral hygiene. We hypothesized that GERD may increase thse risk of chronic periodontitis and investigated this potential relationship. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in outpatients between January 1, 2010, and April 30, 2012. GERD was defined as being present based on at least two of the following criteria: etiologic agent(s), identifiable signs and symptoms, and consistent anatomic alterations. A total of 280 patients with chronic periodontitis and 280 controls were analyzed. Information regarding patient demographics and other potential confounding factors for chronic periodontitis were collected through individual medical records. Results: GERD was revealed to be independently associated with an increased incidence of chronic periodontitis (odds ratio [OR], 2.883; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.775 to 4.682). The other three variables of dental caries (OR, 1.531; 95% CI, 1.042 to 2.249), tobacco use (OR, 2.335; 95% CI, 1.461 to 3.730), and history of medication (calcium channel blocker, cyclosporine, or phenytoin) (OR, 2.114; 95% CI, 1.160 to 3.854) were also determined to be independent risk factors. Conclusions: The present study supported our hypothesis that GERD can be a risk factor for chronic periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we found that Haplorchis taichui, a heterophyid intestinal fluke, is highly prevalent, with heavy worm loads, among riparian people in Saravane and Champasak province, Lao PDR. Fecal specimens were collected from 1,460 people (717 men and 743 women) in 12 riparian (Mekong river) districts and were examined by the Kato-Katz fecal smear technique. The overall helminth egg positive rate was 78.8% and 66.4% in Saravane and Champasak province, respectively. The positive rate for small trematode eggs (STE), which included H. taichui and other heterophyids, Opisthorchis viverrini, and lecithodendriids, was 69.9% and 46.3% in Saravane and Champasak province, respectively. To obtain adult flukes, 30 STE-positive people were treated with 40 mg/kg praziquantel and then purged. Whole diarrheic stools were collected 4-5 times for each person and searched for fluke specimens using a stereomicroscope. Mixed infections with various species of trematodes (H. taichui, Haplorchis pumilio, O. viverrini, Prosthodendrium molenkampi, Centrocestus formosanus, and Echinochasmus japonicus) and a species of cestode (Taenia saginata) were found. However, the worm load was exceptionally high for H. taichui compared with other trematode species, with an average of 21,565 and 12,079 specimens per infected person in Saravane and Champasak province, respectively, followed by H. pumilio (41.9 and 22.5, respectively) and O. viverrini (9.4 and 1.5, respectively). These results show that diverse species of intestinal and liver flukes are prevalent among riparian people in Saravane and Champasak province, Lao PDR, with H. taichui being the exceptionally dominant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report here a human case probably mixed-infected with Clonorchis sinensis and Fasciola sp. who was diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) scan, serological findings, and/or fecal examination. The patient was a 43-year-old Korean female and was admitted to Kyung Hee University Hospital with the complaints of fever and abdominal pain. On admission, marked eosinophilia was noted in her peripheral blood. CT scan showed specific lesions for clonorchiasis and fascioliasis in the liver, along with lesions suggestive of amebic abscess. Micro-ELISA revealed positive results for the 2 helminthic infections. Eggs of C. sinensis and trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica were observed in the stool. Treatment with praziquantel followed by metronidazole and tinidazole reduced abnormalities in the liver and eosinophilia. This is the first case report of a possible co-infection with 2 kinds of liver flukes in the Republic of Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antigenic properties of cysteine proteinases binding to cystatin were analyzed in Neodiplostomum seoulense, an intestinal trematode that infects humans and rodents in the Republic of Korea. Cystatin was found to effectively capture cysteine proteinases present in the crude extract of N. seoulense. The IgG levels against cystatin-binding cysteine proteinases in sera of mice infected with N. seoulense were higher than those in sera of mice immunized with the crude extract of N. seoulense. The production of IgG antibodies against cystatin-binding cysteine proteinases increased according to the length of infection period. In immunoblots of purified cystatin-binding proteinases, 2 molecules, approximately 50 kDa and 60 kDa, reacted with N. seoulense- infected mouse sera. Of the sera from patients infected with various helminths, those of sparganum-infected patients showed the strongest affinities for cystatin-binding cysteine proteinases of N. seoulense. Cystatin-binding cysteine proteinases of N. seoulense are suggested to be putative antigens for serodiagnosis of human N. seoulense infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternans, a beat-to-beat temporal alternation in the sequence of heartbeats, is a known precursor of the development of cardiac fibrillation, leading to sudden cardiac death. The equally important precursor of cardiac arrhythmias is the rotating spiral wave of electro-mechanical activity, or reentry, on the heart tissue. Here, we show that these two seemingly different phenomena can have a remarkable relationship. In well controlled in vitro tissue cultures, isotropic populations of rat ventricular myocytes sustaining a temporal rhythm of alternans can support period-2 oscillatory reentries and vice versa. These reentries bear ‘line defects’ across which the phase of local excitation slips rather abruptly by 2π, when a full period-2 cycle of alternans completes in 4π. In other words, the cells belonging to the line defects are period-1 oscillatory, whereas all of the others in the bulk medium are period-2 oscillatory. We also find that a slowly rotating line defect results in a quasi-periodic like oscillation in the bulk medium. Some key features of these phenomena can be well reproduced in computer simulations of a nonlinear reaction-diffusion model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatiotemporal wave activities in excitable heart tissues have long been the subject of numerous studies because they underlie different forms of cardiac arrhythmias. In particular, understanding the dynamics and the instabilities of spiral waves have become very important because they can cause reentrant tachycardia and their subsequent transitions to fibrillation. Although many aspects of cardiac spiral waves have been investigated through experiments and model simulations, their complex properties are far from well understood. Here, we show that intriguing complex-periodic (such as period-2, period-3, period-4, or aperiodic) spiral wave states can arise in monolayer tissues of cardiac cell culture in vitro, and demonstrate that these different dynamic states can coexist with abrupt and spontaneous transitions among them without any change in system parameters; in other words, the medium supports multistability. Based on extensive image data analysis, we have confirmed that these spiral waves are driven by their tips tracing complex orbits whose unusual, meandering shapes are formed by delicate interplay between localized conduction blocks and nonlinear properties of the culture medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recombinant protein of Paragonimus westermani yolk ferritin was bacterially produced from a previously cloned complementary DNA and was used as an antigen for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against paragonimiasis- and other helminth-infected sera to evaluate its serodiagnostic potential. The ELISA revealed that paragonimiasis westermani had 88.2% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The positive and negative predictive values of the ELISA were calculated to be 100% and 97.1%, respectively. Sera from cats experimentally infected with P. westermani began to produce immunoglobulin G antibodies against the yolk ferritin at 13 weeks after infection, which suggests that the corresponding antigen was derived from the vitellaria in accordance with maturation of P. westermani. These results indicate that the recombinant P. westermani yolk ferritin is a potent serodiagnostic reagent for paragonimiasis westermani from an early stage of the infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Clonorchis sinensis 26 kDa glutathione S-transferase (CsGST) and its fusion proteins containing 14 and 48 amino-acid peptides at the N-terminus have been crystallized using polyethylene glycol monomethylether 550 as a precipitant. Crystals of the three proteins show very similar crystal properties: they diffract to at least 2.3 Å resolution and belong to the orthorhombic space group P212121. The unit-cell parameters of CsGST crystals were a = 66.64 (1), b = 68.91 (1), c = 123.41 (2) Å, which are very close to those of the crystals of the two fusion proteins. In addition, CsGST fusion proteins containing varying extents of N-terminal-extended peptides are incorporated into a crystal, indicating that the extended peptides have little effect on crystal packing. These results suggest that the crystallization system of CsGST/peptide fusion protein may be generally applicable to obtain crystals of small peptides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical and operating principle of a stress sensor, based on two crossing carbon fibers functionalized with ZnO nanorod-shaped nanostructures, was recently demonstrated. The functionalization process has been here extended to tows made of one thousand fibers, like those commonly used in industrial processing, to prove the idea that the same working principle can be exploited in the creation of smart sensing carbon fiber composites. A stress-sensing device made of two functionalized tows, fixed with epoxy resin and crossing like in a typical carbon fiber texture, was successfully tested. Piezoelectric properties of single nanorods, as well as those of the test device, were measured and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong charge-spin coupling is found in a layered transition-metal trichalcogenide NiPS3, a van der Waals antiferromagnet, from studies of the electronic structure using several experimental and theoretical tools: spectroscopic ellipsometry, x-ray absorption, photoemission spectroscopy, and density functional calculations. NiPS3 displays an anomalous shift in the optical spectral weight at the magnetic ordering temperature, reflecting strong coupling between the electronic and magnetic structures. X-ray absorption, photoemission, and optical spectra support a self-doped ground state in NiPS3. Our work demonstrates that layered transition-metal trichalcogenide magnets are useful candidates for the study of correlated-electron physics in two-dimensional magnetic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progressive tissue remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI) promotes cardiac arrhythmias. This process is well studied in young animals, but little is known about pro-arrhythmic changes in aged animals. Senescent cells accumulate with age and accelerate age-associated diseases. Senescent cells interfere with cardiac function and outcome post-MI with age, but studies have not been performed in larger animals, and the mechanisms are unknown. Specifically, age-associated changes in timecourse of senescence and related changes in inflammation and fibrosis are not well understood. Additionally, the cellular and systemic role of senescence and its inflammatory milieu in influencing arrhythmogenesis with age is not clear, particularly in large animal models with cardiac electrophysiology more similar to humans than previously studied animal models. Here, we investigated the role of senescence in regulating inflammation, fibrosis, and arrhythmogenesis in young and aged infarcted rabbits. Aged rabbits exhibited increased peri-procedural mortality and arrhythmogenic electrophysiological remodeling at the infarct border zone (IBZ) compared to young rabbits. Studies of the aged infarct zone revealed persistent myofibroblast senescence and increased inflammatory signaling over a 12-week timecourse. Senescent IBZ myofibroblasts in aged rabbits appear to be coupled to myocytes, and our computational modeling showed that senescent myofibroblast-cardiomyocyte coupling prolongs action potential duration (APD) and facilitates conduction block permissive of arrhythmias. Aged infarcted human ventricles show levels of senescence consistent with aged rabbits, and senescent myofibroblasts also couple to IBZ myocytes. Our findings suggest that therapeutic interventions targeting senescent cells may mitigate arrhythmias post-MI with age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since most studies for estimating an angle-of-arrival (AOA) based on the antenna array have considered the antenna array with a single configuration, they are not proper to simultaneously estimate AOAs of multiple signals with various frequencies. In this paper, we introduce a cascade AOA estimation technique consisting of CAPON and Beamspace Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC), based on a Combined Array Antenna (CAA) with Uniform Rectangular Frame Array (URFA) and Uniform Circular Array (UCA), for enhancing the above problem. In addition, we provide the computational complexity analysis for showing the low computational complexity of this technique comparing to the conventional technique.

Colored contact lenses have gained popularity in recent years. However, their production process is plagued by low efficiency, which is attributed to the complex nature of the lens color patterns. The manufacturing process involves multiple complex steps that can introduce defects or inconsistencies into the contact lenses. Moreover, manual inspection of a considerable number of contact lenses that are produced inefficiently in terms of consistency and quality by humans is prevalent. Alternatively, automatic optical inspection (AOI) systems have been developed to perform quality-control checks on colored contact lenses. However, their accuracy is limited due to the increasing complexity of the lens color patterns. To address these issues, convolutional neural networks have been used to detect and classify defects in colored contact lenses. This study aims to provide a comprehensive guide for AOI systems using artificial intelligence in the colored contact lens manufacturing process, including the benefits and challenges of using these systems. Further, future research directions to achieve a classification accuracy of >95%, which is the human recognition rate, are explored.

Encephalitozoon intestinalis and Enterocytozoon bieneusi can cause diarrhea in humans, especially severe diarrhea in immunocompromised patients. However, there have been few studies on Enc. intestinalis and Ent. bieneusi in patients with acute diarrhea in the Republic of Korea (ROK). In this study, fecal samples were collected from 1241 patients with acute diarrhea in 2020. Among these, 24 cases of Enc. intestinalis and one case of Ent. bieneusi were detected via PCR amplification of small subunit ribosomal RNA. Genotyping of the internal transcribed spacer region sequence revealed that the detected Ent. bieneusi genotype was in Group 1. This study provides the first evidence that Ent. bieneusi exists in humans in addition to animals in the ROK. To identify the causative agent, continuous monitoring of Enc. intestinalis and Ent. bieneusi is necessary for patients with acute diarrhea in the ROK.

The Angle-of-Arrival (AOA) has a variety of applications in civilian and military wireless communication fields. Due to the rapid development of the location-based service (LBS) industry, the importance of the AOA estimation technique has increased. Although a large antenna array is necessary to estimate accurate AOA information of many signals, the computational complexity of conventional AOA estimation algorithms, such as Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC), is dramatically increased. In this paper, we propose a cascade AOA estimation algorithm employing CAPON and Beamspace MUSIC, based on a flexible (on/off) antenna array. First, this approach roughly finds AOA groups, including several signal AOAs using CAPON, by applying some of the antenna elements. Then, it estimates each signal AOA in the estimated AOA groups using Beamspace MUSIC by applying the full size of the antenna array. In addition to extremely low computational complexity, the proposed algorithm also has similar estimation performance to that of MUSIC. In particular, the proposed cascade AOA estimation algorithm is highly efficient when employing a massive antenna array. Representative computer simulation examples are provided to illustrate the AOA estimation performance of the proposed technique.

Magnetism in two-dimensional materials is not only of fundamental scientific interest but also a promising candidate for numerous applications. However, studies so far, especially the experimental ones, have been mostly limited to the magnetism arising from defects, vacancies, edges, or chemical dopants which are all extrinsic effects. Here, we report on the observation of intrinsic antiferromagnetic ordering in the two-dimensional limit. By monitoring the Raman peaks that arise from zone folding due to antiferromagnetic ordering at the transition temperature, we demonstrate that FePS3 exhibits an Ising-type antiferromagnetic ordering down to the monolayer limit, in good agreement with the Onsager solution for two-dimensional order-disorder transition. The transition temperature remains almost independent of the thickness from bulk to the monolayer limit with TN - 118 K, indicating that the weak interlayer interaction has little effect on the antiferromagnetic ordering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) has become one of the major research subjects in medical imaging and diagnostic radiology. Many different CAD schemes are being developed for use in the detection and/or characterization of various lesions found through various types of medical imaging. These imaging technologies employ conventional projection radiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonography, etc. In order to achieve a high performance level for a computerized diagnosis, it is important to employ effective image analysis techniques in the major steps of a CAD scheme. The main objective of this review is to attempt to introduce the diverse methods used for quantitative image analysis, and to provide a guide for clinicians.

Metal-graphene-metal hybrid structures allow angstrom-scale van der Waals gaps, across which electron tunneling occurs. We squeeze terahertz electromagnetic waves through these λ/10 000 000 gaps, accompanied by giant field enhancements. Unprecedented transmission reduction of 97% is achieved with the transient voltage across the gap saturating at 5 V. Electron tunneling facilitated by the transient electric field strongly modifies the gap index, starting a self-limiting process related to the barrier height. Our work enables greater interplay between classical optics and quantum tunneling, and provides optical indices to the van der Waals gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two recent studies (Newton-Cheh, C. et al. (2009) Common variants at ten loci influence QT interval duration in the QTGEN Study. Nat. Genet. 41, 399-406 and Pfeufer, A. et al. (2009) Common variants at ten loci modulate the QT interval duration in the QTSCD Study. Nat. Genet. 41, 407- 414) identified an association, with genome-wide significance, between a single nucleotide polymorphism within the gene encoding RING finger protein 207 (RNF207) and the QT interval. We sought to determine the role of RNF207 in cardiac electrophysiology. Morpholino knockdown of RNF207 in zebrafish embryos resulted in action potential duration prolongation, occasionally a 2:1 atrioventricular block, and slowing of conduction velocity. Conversely, neonatal rabbit cardiomyocytes infected with RNF207-expressing adenovirus exhibited shortened action potential duration. Using transfections of U-2 OS and HEK293 cells, Western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry data demonstrate that RNF207 and the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG) potassium channel interact and colocalize. Furthermore, RNF207 overexpression significantly elevated total and membrane HERG protein and HERG-encoded current density by ~30 -50%, which was dependent on the intact N-terminal RING domain of RNF207. Finally, coexpression of RNF207 and HSP70 increased HERG expression compared with HSP70 alone. This effect was dependent on the C terminus of RNF207. Taken together, the evidence is strong that RNF207 is an important regulator of action potential duration, likely via effects on HERG trafficking and localization in a heat shock protein-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Early detection and treatment of an oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is critical because of its rapid growth, frequent lymph-node metastasis, and poor prognosis. However, no clinically-valuable methods of early diagnosis exist, and genetic analysis of OSCCs has yielded no biomarkers., Study Design: We investigated the expression of genes associated with inflammation in OSCCs via a quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of microarray data. Tumor and normal tissues from five patients with an OSCC were used for microarray analysis. Differentially-expressed genes, identified using permutation, local pooled error (LPE), t-tests, and significance analysis of microarrays (SAM), were selected as candidate genetic markers., Results: Two groups corresponding to tissue identity were evident, implying that their differentially-expressed genes represented biological differences between tissues. Fifteen genes were identified using the Student's paired t-test (p<0.05) and the SAM, with a false discovery rate of less than 0.02. Based on gene expression, these 15 genes can be used to classify an OSCC. A genetic analysis of functional networks and ontologies, validated by using a qRT-PCR analysis of the tissue samples, identified four genes, ADAM15, CDC7, IL12RB2 and TNFRSF8, that demonstrated excellent concordance with the microarray data., Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that four genes (ADAM15, CDC7, IL12RB2 and TNFRSF8) had potential as novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and the treatment of an OSCC.