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Thermoelectric devices are environmentally friendly renewable energy sources that use waste heat to generate electricity. So far, p-type Bi–Sb–Te-based alloys with high thermoelectric properties were fabricated using low-dimensional and single growth methods as small-scale, laboratory-grown samples. However, large-scale fabrication processes are required for commercial applications of thermoelectric devices. In this work, large amounts (2–3 kg) of p-type 20%Bi2Te3–80%Sb2Te3 alloy powders were fabricated using the gas atomization (GA) process under an inert gas atmosphere. Subsequently, a large-scale sample, 64 mm thick and 25 mm in diameter, was consolidated from the as-fabricated GA powders using spark plasma sintering at 673 K. The homogeneity of the microstructure, density, thermoelectric properties, and mechanical properties of the high-thickness sintered bulk were systematically investigated at various positions. The EBSD texture analysis revealed that an almost similar microstructure existed in all positions of the bulk sample, which was comprised of a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains randomly distributed throughout the matrix. The peak electrical conductivity of 1100 Ω−1 cm−1 was obtained from the top position of the thick sample, which had a relatively higher carrier mobility. The maximum power factor of 3.96 mW/mK2 was achieved by the top part of the specimen, because of its higher electrical conductivity. The lowest thermal conductivity of 0.964 W/mK at 350 K was obtained from the bottom part of the specimen. As a result, the maximum figure of merit, ZT of 1.25 was achieved in the bottom position of the high-thickness sample. Homogeneous (within 5% of variation) thermoelectric transport properties were observed throughout the fabricated high-thickness sintered sample, regardless of position.

Caudal epidural injection (CEI) is commonly used to manage patients with low back or leg pain, but cauda equine syndrome (CES) rarely results from epidural and/or subdural hematoma occurred after the procedure. A 71-year-old man presented at our outpatient department with voiding difficulty and radiating pain in both legs 8 days ago after CEI. The patient also complained pain and numbness of saddle area, CES. He had taken clopidogrel for 8 years after cardiac stent insertion. Lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed subdural hematoma at the L5-S1-S2 level. The patient underwent urgent surgical treatment for hematoma evacuation. We finally recognized that subdural hematoma in lumbar MRI was found to subdural-extra arachnoid hematoma as considering intraoperative findings. To the best of our knowledge, few cases of this complication have been reported after CEI. Subdural hematoma often is concomitant with subarachnoid hematoma. Subdural and subarachnoid hematoma is associated with poor clinical outcomes due to severe edema of nerve rootlets. However, no evidence of edema and swelling of nerve rootlets was observed during surgery in our case. As a result, the patient achieved full recovery more than we expected unlike the case of subdural and subarachnoid hematoma.

Stress is an emerging and inevitable entity. Stress causes anxiety, depression, imbalance of homeostasis, hormone imbalance, and sleep disturbances that are closely related to the onset of metabolic syndrome. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of Ocimum sanctum extract (TZ-OSE) on anti-anxiety, anti-stress, and control of physiological changes due to sleep disturbance in a rat model with restraint stress and sleep disorder induced. After inducing the rat model with restraint stress, three behavioral tests were performed and blood cortisol concentration was determined. In Elevated plus maze test, the test substance TZ-OSE at dose of 200 mg/kg showed the best effect in increasing time that stayed on the open arms. In tail suspension test (TST) and forced swimming test (FST), TZ-OSE significantly reduced immobility duration time (IMT). TZ-OSE also decreased plasma cortisol concentration. In the model after inducing sleep disturbance, ELISA, Western blotting, and Immuno-histochemistry (IHC) were conducted. TZ-OSE treatment decreased plasma cortisol, norepinephrine, glucose, and acylated ghrelin concentrations in the rat model with sleep disorders induced. Decreases of melatonin and leptin levels in the plasma of the rat model with sleep disorders induced were increased by TZ-OSE treatment. Finally, TZ-OSE treatment decreased metabolism-related markers (p-AMPK, Glut-4, p-ACC) in stomach and muscle tissues and decreased the expression of cortisol in adrenal gland tissues. Taken together, these results suggest that TZ-OSE can decrease anxiety, depression, and stress in vivo, regulate sleep-related factors, and control energy metabolism index factors.

A straightforward and greener PEG-assisted protocol has been disclosed for the cascade synthesis of [1,3]Oxazino quinoline, and chromeno[1,3]oxazin derivatives via three component reaction of multifarious aromatic amines with formaldehyde and 4-hydroxyquinoline-2(1H)-one or 4-methylumbelliferone by using very convenient reaction conditions. This methodology represents a sustainable approach for rapid access to a library of diversity oriented highly pure [1,3]oxazino scaffolds with broad substrate scope.

In recent times, several indoor positioning systems have been actively studied for environments where satellite signals are typically degraded and disrupted. Among them, visible light positioning (VLP) has attracted wide interest owing to its advantages of high energy efficiency, broad bandwidth availability, and electromagnetic interference rejection. The performance of a VLP system highly depends on its ability to distinguish between individual signals for each channel. In this paper, we propose a new optical signal modulation technique suitable for intensity-modulation/direct-detection (IM/DD)-based VLP systems. Furthermore, we present major considerations and some constraints for evaluating the modulation technique, and show the superiority of the proposed method through comparison with various conventional schemes. The comparion simulations reported that the proposed scheme improves signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by more than 4.6 dB, reduces channel error by 3.5 times or more, and reduces peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) by more than 6 dB excluding time division multiple access (TDMA). The performance was also verified by the positioning experiment using an field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and simple transmission/reception hardware in a 2.0 m $\times0.8$ m $\times1.6$ m region.

Primary spinal ligament-derived cells (SLDCs) from cervical herniated nucleus pulposus tissue (control, Ctrl) and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) tissue of surgical patients were analyzed for pathogenesis elucidation. Here, we found that decreased levels of ferritin and increased levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), a bone formation marker, provoked osteogenesis in SLDCs in OPLL. SLDCs from the Ctrl and OPLL groups satisfied the definition of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells. RNA sequencing revealed that oxidative phosphorylation and the citric acid cycle pathway were upregulated in the OPLL group. SLDCs in the OPLL group showed increased mitochondrial mass, increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, decreased levels of ROS scavengers including ferritin. ROS and ferritin levels were upregulated and downregulated in a time-dependent manner, and both types of molecules repressed ALP. Osteogenesis was mitigated by apoferritin addition. We propose that enhancing ferritin levels might alleviate osteogenesis in OPLL.

Objective: To evaluate which radiologic parameters affect clinical outcomes in patients underwent posterior C1–2 fusion for atlantoaxial dislocation.Methods: From January 2014 to December 2017, among 98 patients underwent C1–2 posterior fusion, patients with previous cervical surgery or extending to subaxial spine or basilar invagination were excluded. Finally, 38 patients were included. O–C2, C1–2, C1–C7, C2–C7 cobb angle (CA), T1 slope, C1–7, C2–7 sagittal vertical axis (SVA), and posterior atlantodental interval (PADI) were measured at preoperative and postoperative 1 year. The difference between postoperative and preoperative values for each parameter was designated as Δvalue. Postoperative subaxial kyphosis (PSK) was defined to decrease ≥ 10° at subaxial spine. Visual analogue scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, Neck Disability Index (NDI) were used to evaluate clinical outcomes.Results: Mean age was 54.4 ± 15.9. Male to female was 14 to 24. Of radiologic parameters, C1–7 SVA and PADI were significantly changed from 26.4 ± 12.9 mm, 17.1 ± 3.3 mm to 22.6 ± 13.0 mm, 21.6 ± 3.4 mm. ΔC1–2 CA was correlated with ΔC1–7 CA and ΔC2–7 SVA. ΔPADI correlates with ΔO–C2 CA. VAS correlates with ΔC1–7 CA (p = 0.03). JOA score also correlates with ΔC2–7 SVA (p = 0.02). NDI was associated with ΔPADI (p < 0.01). The incidence of PSK was 23.7%, and not significant with clinical outcomes.Conclusion: ΔC1–2 CA was correlated with ΔC1C7 CA, ΔC2–7 SVA. ΔC1–7 CA, ΔC2–7 SVA, and ΔPADI were the key radiologic parameters to influence clinical outcomes. Postoperative C1–2 angle should be carefully determined as a factor affecting clinical outcomes and cervical sagittal alignment.

Barley sprouts are known to have several effective physiological activities. In this study, the anti-obesity effect of a barley sprout hot water extract (BSE) was confirmed. Saponarin was quantitatively analyzed in BSE using HPLC, and the inhibitory effect on 3T3-L1 pre-adipocyte differentiation into adipocytes was confirmed by Oil Red O staining, TG assay, and Western blotting. In addition, the inhibitory effect of BSE on adipocyte growth was confirmed through glucose uptake and lipolysis of adipocytes. C57/BL/6N mice were induced to obesity with a high-fat diet, and BSE was administered to confirm the effect on an animal model. Weight gain, morphological changes in adipose tissue, changes in the food efficiency ratio, and blood biochemical changes were observed, and an improvement effect on fatty liver was confirmed. As a result, the anti-obesity effect of BSE was confirmed in vitro, and it was confirmed that this effect was also effective in vivo and that it could be helpful in the treatment of obesity-related diseases.

Here, two important isoflavones present in Trifolium pratense, formononetin and biochanin A, were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with UV (HPLC–UV). These isoflavones are marker compounds with anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-oxidant properties, and are also potent phytoestrogens that can be used in hormonal therapies. Till date, no study regarding rapid identification and quantification of T. pratense extract has been conducted. This study developed and validated an optimized method for quantifying formononetin and biochanin A using HPLC–UV. The results showed excellent linearity of the calibration curve (r2 ≥ 0.999), and good resolutions of chromatographic peaks were obtained. Other validation parameters such as specificity, accuracy, and precision demonstrated that our method had good reliability and sensitivity. Furthermore, our method for quantifying formononetin and biochanin A in T. pratense extract is convenient.

G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) is known to play an important role in hormone-associated cancers. G-1, a novel synthetic GPER agonist, has been reported to exhibit anti-carcinogenic properties. However, the chemotherapeutic mechanism of GPER is yet unclear. Here, we evaluated GPER expression in human gastric cancer tissues and cells. We found that G-1 treatment attenuates GPER expression in gastric cancer. GPER expression increased G-1-induced antitumor effects in mouse xenograft model. We analyzed the effects of knockdown/overexpression of GPER on G-1-induced cell death in cancer cells. Increased GPER expression in human gastric cancer cells increased G-1-induced cell death via increased levels of cleaved caspase-3, -9, and cleaved poly ADP-ribose polymerase. Interestingly, during G-1-induced cell death, GPER mRNA and protein expression was attenuated and associated with ER stress-induced expression of PERK, ATF-4, GRP-78, and CHOP. Furthermore, PERK-dependent induction of ER stress activation increased G-1-induced cell death, whereas PERK silencing decreased cell death and increased drug sensitivity. Taken together, the data suggest that the induction of ER stress via GPER expression may increase G-1-induced cell death in gastric cancer cells. These results may contribute to a new paradigm shift in gastric cancer therapy. [BMB Reports 2019; 52(11): 647-652].

DNA replication and sister chromatid cohesion 1 (DSCC1) combines with chromosome transmission-fidelity protein 18 (CTF18) to form a CTF18-DSCC1-CTF8 (CTF18-1-8) module, which in combination with CTF18-replication factor C (RFC) acts as a proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) loader during DNA replication-associated processes. It was found that DSCC1 was overexpressed in tumor tissues from patients with colon cancer and that the survival probability of patients with colon cancer was lower when the expression of cytosolic DSCC1 was higher in tumor regions (P=0.047). By using DSCC1- or CTF18-knockdown cell lines (HCT116-shDSCC1 or HCT116-shCTF18, respectively), it was confirmed that DSCC1-knockdown inhibits cell proliferation and invasion, but that CTF18-knockdown does not. Tumors in mice xenografted with shDSCC1 cells were significantly smaller compared with those in mice in the mock group or those xenografted with shCTF18 cells. The shDSCC1 cells were highly sensitive to γ-irradiation and other DNA replication inhibitory treatments, resulting in low cell viability. The present results suggested that DSCC1 is the most important component in the CTF18-1-8 module for CTF18-RFC and is highly relevant to the growth and metastasis of colon cancer cells, and, therefore, it may be a potential therapeutic target for colon cancer treatment.

Periodic noise in active sensors is not random and cannot easily be eliminated by successive integration of signal samples. These noise components, often, tend to severely degrade the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensor signals, thereby resulting in detection failures. To facilitate effective reduction of non-random noises, the proposed study presents a digital front-end procedure based on modified independent component analysis (ICA). In comparison with conventional demodulation-based techniques, the proposed method can suppress periodic noise whilst enabling fine detection of the signal phase and magnitude through use of only a few samples. A new cost-effective two-channel ICA-based technique and its initialization method were devised for individual sensor devices. The proposed preprocessing method employing partial in-phase and quadrature demodulation strengthens system immunity against Gaussian random noises, which inevitably exist in most sensing circuits. This paper also discusses results obtained via implementation of a customized logic design for the full scenario of the proposed denoising technique. With regard to the capacitive and visible light sensors, experimental results demonstrate that errors caused by noise components that occur close to the stimulating frequency are suppressed at rates 3.2-5.3 times higher compared to existing processing techniques.

Weissella (W.) cibaria strain Chonnam Medical University (CMU) has shown oral colonizing ability and inhibitory effects on the formation of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) in vitro studies. The present study was conducted to analyze the effects of the W. cibaria CMU on canine oral health. Halitosis, calculus, plaque, gingivitis, and intraoral microbiota were assessed in 3 groups: control (maltodextrin), W. cibaria CMU low concentration (CMU-L, 2 × 107 colony forming unit [CFU]), and high-concentration (CMU-H, 2 × 109 CFU). Halitosis was analyzed using both organoleptic evaluation and measurement of VSCs. Intraoral microbiota were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. From week 4, the total VSC level in the CMU-H group (4.0 ± 1.30 ng/10 mL) was significantly lower than in the control group (6.3 ± 2.28 ng/10 mL). Significant reduction in methyl mercaptan in the CMU-treated groups was also observed. In addition, the plaque index in the CMU-treated groups was significantly decreased. The CMU-treated groups showed significant decreases in Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, and Tannerella forsythia and demonstrated the colonizing ability of W. cibaria CMU in the oral cavity. We demonstrated that W. cibaria CMU suppresses halitosis, colonizes the oral cavity, and inhibits the proliferation of malodor-causing oral bacteria in beagles. According to these results, we expect that W. cibaria CMU could be a new oral hygiene solution by reducing VSC production and inhibiting the growth of oral harmful bacteria in companion animals.

In recent years, several indoor positioning systems have been extensively studied for environments where a satellite signal is typically degraded and interrupted. Among them, visible light positioning (VLP), which has several advantages such as the absence of electromagnetic interference, energy efficiency, and high bandwidth availability, has received considerable attention. However, most VLP systems are established based on two-dimensional (2D) positioning methods in which the height of the receiver is fixed or restricted and the tilt of the receiver is not considered. To solve these problems, we propose a new positioning method that can be applied to three-dimensional (3D) space. We first formulate a new mathematical model for a 3D VLC positioning system and derive the channel gain as a function of source and receiver location in Cartesian coordinates. By employing the cost function developed using the induced channel gain, we demonstrate that the proposed 3D method is more accurate compared to the 2D method in experiments. The quantitative results show an average error of 7.95 cm, in a 2.5 m × 2.5 m × 3 m region.

This study aimed to determine that amla (Phyllanthus emblica L.) extract prevents and alleviates hair loss. We measured cell proliferative activity, 5alpha- reductase inhibitory, TGF-beta1 and DKK-1, IGF-1 and VEGF effect on human dermal papilla cells to investigate therapeutic effect of the amla extract. The cell proliferative activity in human dermal papilla cells was observed to be most prominent in the range of 50 μg/ml. Also, amla extract decreased the expression of 5alpha-reductase in a dose dependent manner in human dermal papilla cells. And IGF-1 and VEGF which were known to accelerate the differentiation and growth of human dermal papilla cells was increased by amla extract in a dose dependent manner. Taken together, these results suggest that amla extract has hair growth promoting effect and it may be a potent candidate for the prevention of hair loss.

Research on the methodology for predicting and analyzing the performance of a thermoelectric device (TED) can offer various possibilities for enhancing its energy conversion characteristics. In this work, the methodology to determine the electrical contact resistance and the interfacial thermal resistance of a TED was studied. Based on one-dimensional heat transfer equations of power generation mode that includes electrical contact resistance and interfacial thermal resistance, we derived explicit expressions for the open circuit voltage and the short circuit current as the limiting cases of the external electrical load. The measurements of the open circuit voltage and the short-circuit current of TED were carried out for various thermal interface materials (TIMs) between the TED and heat reservoirs under varying compressive forces. The electrical contact resistance and the interfacial thermal resistance of a TED were determined by matching the measured values of the open circuit voltage and the short circuit current of a TED to the results of the analytic model. The electrical contact resistivity of the TED tested was approximately 3 × 10−9 Ωm2, irrespective of the compressive force, the hot-side temperature, and the TIMs. The interfacial thermal resistance varied sensitively with the TIMs and decreased with the compressive forces.

Radiation therapy is an effective treatment against various types of cancer, but some radiation-resistant cancer cells remain a major therapeutic obstacle; thus, understanding radiation resistance mechanisms is essential for cancer treatment. In this study, we established radiation-resistant colon cancer cell lines and examined the radiation-induced genetic changes associated with radiation resistance. Using RNA-sequencing analysis, collapsin response mediator protein 4 (CRMP4) was identified as the candidate gene associated with radiation sensitivity. When cells were exposed to radiation, intracellular Ca2+ influx, collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, and cytochrome c release into the cytosol were increased, followed by apoptosis induction. Radiation treatment- or Ca2+ ionophore A23187-induced apoptosis was significantly inhibited in CRMP4-deficient cells, including radiation-resistant or CRMP4-shRNA cell lines. Furthermore, treatment of CRMP4-deficient cells with low levels (10 µM) resulted in higher cell death in the CRMP4-depleted cells compared to CRMP4-expressing control cells. Our results suggest that CRMP4 plays an important role in Ca2+-mediated cell death pathways under radiation exposure and that CRMP4 may be a therapeutical target for colon cancer treatment.

For the successful commercialization of Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric generator (TEG) devices, not only highly efficient TE materials, but also reliable bonding materials with high thermal stability are essential. In this study, we investigated the application of Cu nanoparticle paste (CNP) bonding for increasing the operating temperature of Bi2Te3-based TEG devices. Six-chip TEG devices were fabricated by joining surface-metalized Bi2Te3-based TE chips and Cu electrodes by CNP bonding. The optimal bonding was achieved when spark plasma sintering was carried out at 310–320 °C and 15 MPa. The 6-chip Bi2Te3-based TEG devices showed a maximum output power of 50–60 mW at the hot-side temperature of 400 °C ( ∆ T = 380 °C) and maintained almost the same output power after five thermal cycles. The scanning electron microscopy images of the thermally cycled electrodes further confirmed the robustness of the Cu nanoparticle joints. This work provides an effective method for joining TE chips and Cu electrodes for high-temperature TEG devices.

Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are extensively used in electronic devices as efficient heat transfer materials. We fabricated all-carbon TIMs by hybridizing single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with graphite and demonstrated their performance by applying them to a thermoelectric generator (TEG) device. The hybrid carbon TIM exhibited maximum thermal conductivity when the SWCNT content was near 10 wt%. The TIM thermal contact resistance measured by a home-made calorimeter setup was 2.19 × 10−4 m2K/W, which did not vary with temperature but decreased with applied pressure. Post-treatment of the TIM with a silane coupling agent further reduced the TIM thermal contact resistance by 30%. When the TIM was placed between a TEG device and a copper heat reservoir, the TEG output power increased with the temperature difference across the TEG and applied pressure. Moreover, the post-treatment of the TIM enhanced the output power of the TEG device by up to 18.5%. This work provides a simple and effective pathway towards a carbon-based TIM that can be applied to a high temperature TEG.

Background: Radiation therapy, an effective treatment modality against various types of cancer including colorectal cancer, reduces local recurrence rate despite damaging both normal and cancer cells. However, the presence of cancer cells resistant to radiation therapy remains a major therapeutic obstacle; thus, understanding the mechanisms underlying radiation resistance is an important step toward achieving successful outcomes in cancer treatment. Hence, in the present study, radioresistant cell lines were established and the radiation-induced genetic changes associated with radiation resistance were examined.Methods: We generated radioresistant colorectal cancer cell lines and subjected them to RNA sequencing. To know the relationship between CRMP4 downregulation and radiation resistance, western blotting and flow cytometry were used.Results: CRMP4 was identified as the candidate gene associated with radiation sensitivity. The intracellular Ca2+ concentrations increased when cells were exposed to radiation, which in turn, initiated apoptosis. Decreased CRMP4 expression enhanced resistance to radiation and Ca2+ ionophore A23187. Conversely, Ca2+ deficiency by BAPTA-AM caused higher cell death in CRMP4-depleted cells than in CRMP4-expressing cells.Conclusion: Our results indicated that CRMP4 influences Ca2+ signaling pathways involved in apoptosis, and that CRMP4 is critical for radiation sensitivity in colorectal cancer as it can sensitize cancer cells to radiation therapy.

A polycrystalline WSe2 nanocompound was produced via a brief thermal reaction between the atomic elements. It should grow along the in-plane direction with covalent bonds rather than along the through-plane direction with van der Waals forces, leading to both crystallographic and morphological anisotropies. Not only the anisotropies should structurally induce strong phonon scattering but they alleviate possible electron scattering at the van der Waals forces; thus, we greatly reduced thermal conductivity while minimizing electrical conductivity loss. The decoupled conductivities resulted in enhancement in figure of merit, by approximately 70% at 350 °C, thus affording a promising material for mid-temperature thermoelectric operations.

Rho GTPases control a wide range of cellular processes, and their deregulation is associated with promotion of an aggressive and metastatic tumor phenotype in human cancers. Rho guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor 1 (RhoGDI1) plays a key role in regulating the activity of Rho GTPases. However, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, we show that protein phosphatase 1B (PPM1B) interacts with RhoGDI1 and functions as its phosphatase. Ectopic expression of PPM1B results in dephosphorylation of RhoGDI1 and, thereby, abates the activation of RhoA, Rac1 and CDC42 by epidermal growth factor (EGF). PPM1B overexpression in Hs578T and SKBR3 human breast cancer cells decreases their motility and invasiveness in vitro and cancer metastasis in vivo. In contrast, knockdown of PPM1B in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer cells that express endogenous PPM1B enhances EGF-induced RhoGDI1 phosphorylation, activation of Rho GTPases, and cancer cell migration and invasion. Knockdown of RhoA or Rac1 by siRNA reverses the enhanced cell migration seen after PP1MB depletion. Collectively, these results indicate that PPM1B negatively regulates cancer cell motility and invasiveness through dephosphorylating RhoGDI1.

Objective: To investigate the effects of a herb complex extract (HCE) prepared from Cornus officinalis Sieb. Et Zucc., Eriobotrya japonica Lindley, and olive leaves on immune response of mouse spleen NK cells in vitro and in vivo analysis. Methods: The activity of natural killer (NK) cells was measured in splenocytes and YAC-1 cells. Mice were immunosuppressed using cyclophosphamide (5 mg/kg body weight). Three different doses of HCE (200, 400, and 800 mg/kg body weight) and red ginseng extract (800 mg/kg body weight) which was used as standard immunomodulatory herb were administered orally for 4 weeks. The body weight, dietary, water intake, organs (liver, thymus, and spleen) weight, completed blood count, and cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interferon gamma, and interleukin-2) production was measured. Results: At the maximum concentration of HCE, the activity of NK cells was increased by 48.5%. HCE increased liver, spleen, and thymus weights without altering numbers of white blood cells, lymphocytes, and neutrophils in a cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression rat model. However, HCE recovered the inhibited cytokine expression; HCE (800 mg/kg) increased cytokines levels. The results indicate the immune enhancement potential of this HCE. Conclusion: The HCE enhances immunity by increasing NK cell activity, regulating cytokine levels, and maintaining spleen weight. Therefore, it may be used as a potential immunity enhancer.

A sensing signal for an active sensor generally embeds a modulating product to ensure various noise immunity. The signal acquisition and the capacity of sensor arrays can be further improved through multiplexing techniques using orthogonal sequences. However, multi-channel and multi-user interferences degrade the performance by introducing a variety of channel delays. In this paper, we construct delay-tolerant and perfectly orthogonal codes and their decoding methods using multi-level Hadamard matrices. The stimulating codes for multi-channel sensors are re-constructed using groups of the circulant Hadamard matrix. To decode an individual channel signal, a pivot code is chosen from the group of codes. The structure of the pivot and its group code offers a pre-defined delay tolerance for the decoded channel signal at the multiplexing stage. We conducted numerical simulations where channel models are refined by the practical measurement. The results show that the proposed code and its decoding method perform better signal acquisition in the presence of channel delays and noises compared with results from existing multiplexing sequences. In both optical and capacitive channels, more than 98% of the sensing signal distortions induced from the delay variation could be removed with the designated delay tolerance.

Objective Massive intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and major infarction (MI) are devastating cerebral vascular diseases. Decompression craniectomy (DC) is a common treatment approach for these diseases and acceptable clinical results have been reported. Author experienced the postoperative intracranaial pressure (ICP) trend is somewhat different between the ICH and MI patients. In this study, we compare the ICP trend following DC and evaluate the clinical significance. Methods One hundred forty-three patients who underwent DC following massive ICH (81 cases) or MI (62 cases) were analyzed retrospectively. The mean age was 56.3±14.3 (median=57, male : female=89 : 54). DC was applied using consistent criteria in both diseases patients; Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score less than 8 and a midline shift more than 6 mm on brain computed tomography. In all patients, ventricular puncture was done before the DC and ICP trends were monitored during and after the surgery. Outcome comparisons included the ictus to operation time (OP-time), postoperative ICP trend, favorable outcomes and mortality. Results Initial GCS (p=0.364) and initial ventricular ICP (p=0.783) were similar among the ICH and MI patients. The postoperative ICP of ICH patients were drop rapidly and maintained within physiological range if greater than 80% of the hematoma was removed. While in MI patients, the postoperative ICP were not drop rapidly and maintained above the physiologic range (MI=18.8 vs. ICH=13.6 mmHg, p=0.000). The OP-times were faster in ICH patients (ICH=7.3 vs. MI=40.9 hours, p=0.000) and the mortality rate was higher in MI patients (MI=37.1% vs. ICH=17.3%, p=0.007). Conclusion The results of this study suggest that if greater than 80% of the hematoma was removed in ICH patients, the postoperative ICP rarely over the physiologic range. But in MI patients, the postoperative ICP was above the physiologic range for several days after the DC. Authors propose that DC is no need for the massive ICH patient if a significant portion of their hematoma is removed. But DC might be essential to improve the MI patients' outcome and timely treatment decision.