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A comparison of the deoxidation capability of solid solution and intermetallic titanium alloy powders deoxidized by calcium vapor was investigated. The oxygen concentration of Ti–6Al–4V, Ti–27Nb, Ti–42Nb, Ti–35V–15Cr, Ti–25Fe–5Al, and Ti65Fe35 alloy powders before deoxidation were 2,610 ppm, 3,300 ppm, 3,780 ppm, 5,880 ppm, 1,725 ppm, and 4,635 ppm, respectively. After deoxidation, the oxygen concentration of the Ti–6Al–4V, Ti–27Nb, Ti–42Nb, and Ti–35V–15Cr solid-solution alloy powders were 355 ppm, 210 ppm, 330 ppm, 95 ppm, respectively, while the Ti–25Fe–5Al and Ti65Fe35 intermetallic alloy powders were 385 ppm and 1250 ppm, respectively. Compared with the oxygen concentration before deoxidation, the solid-solution Ti alloy powders showed a high oxygen reduction rate of approximately 80% or more, while the intermetallic Ti alloy powders showed a lower oxygen reduction rate of approximately 70%. Based on the theoretical deoxidation limit of pure Ti and the actual deoxidation result of pure Ti powder, solid-solution Ti alloy powders have reduced oxygen solubility due to the addition of alloying elements, resulting in reduced oxygen concentration after deoxidation. However, the intermetallic Ti alloy powders showed a difference in oxygen concentration among them due to the effect of TiFe intermetallic phase with high equilibrium oxygen concentration in the deoxidation reaction.

J.A.Z. and J.M. contributed equally to this work. This work was supported by the Research Center Program of IBS (Institute for Basic Science) in Korea (IBS-R009-D1). STEM measurement was supported by the National Center for Inter-University Research Facilities (NCIRF) at Seoul National University in Korea. J.A.Z., B.W., and L.-Q.C. acknowledge the support by the Computational Materials Sciences Program funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, under Award Number DE-SC0020145 (J.A.Z. and L.-Q.C.) and by the US National Science Foundation under Award Number NSF-MRSEC DMR-1420620 (B.W.) and a fellowship from 3M Incorporated. Computations for this research were performed on the Pennsylvania State University’s Institute for CyberScience Advanced CyberInfrastructure, and the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) through NSF DMR170006. C.J.R. and J.S.L. acknowledge the support from Science Research Center and the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (2018R1A2B2005331). The authors from IMRE acknowledge the supports by National Research Foundation Competitive Research Programme of Singapore, NRF-CRP15-2015-04, (IMRE/16-9P1122). M.S., C.W.A., and T.H.K. acknowledge the support from the Priority Research Centers Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (Grant No. NRF-2019R1A6A1A11053838). The authors acknowledge invaluable suggestions and support from S. M. Yang, Z.-G. Ye, S. H. Chang, and J. H. Ko.

We report the observation of ferromagnetism in thin films of paramagnetic metal ${\mathrm{LaNiO}}_{3}$ grown on nonmagnetic insulating substrate ${\mathrm{LaAlO}}_{3}$(111) substrates. The films exhibit a large hysteresis loop on magnetoresistance and anomalous Hall effect as well as sixfold anisotropic magnetoresistance. Together with the ferroelectricity and inversion symmetry breaking reported in the same system, these results suggest that, by the geometric constraints by the substrate, paramagnetic metals can turn into ferromagnetic semiconductors. The ferromagnetic ground state is consistent with the predicted spin-split Fermi surfaces of spin-orbit-coupled correlated metals. Moreover, our results reveal a positive linear magnetoresistance and a sign reversal of hysteresis loop, which is consistent with the existence of a massive Dirac point as predicted by theories.

Atomic layer controlled growth of epitaxial thin films of unconventional superconductors opens the opportunity to discover novel high temperature superconductors. For instance, the interfacial atomic configurations may play an important role in superconducting behavior of monolayer FeSe on SrTiO

Tropomyosin receptor kinase A (trkA), a high affinity receptor for nerve growth factor (NGF), has been implicated in neuronal survival, neurite outgrowth and inflammatory pain. So far, the characterization of the primary sensory neurons that express trkA, and are thus potentially affected by NGF, has remained incomplete. The goal of this study was to investigate the trkA-expressing neurons and fibers in the rat trigeminal ganglion and its sensory root using light- and electron-microscopic immunohistochemistry and quantitative analysis. TrkA-immunopositive (+) trigeminal neurons varied from small to large. Double immunofluorescent staining showed that about 28%, 33% and 3% of the trkA(+) neurons coexpressed SP, CGRP and IB4, respectively. About 11% of the trkA(+) neurons also coexpressed parvalbumin. Electron microscopy revealed that trkA was expressed in all types of fibers: While the large majority of the trkA(+) fibers were unmyelinated (35.3%) and small myelinated ( These findings indicate that all types of trigeminal neurons (ones with unmyelinated, small myelinated or large myelinated fibers) may be regulated by NGF/trkA signaling.

Bakanae or foot rot disease is a prominent disease of rice caused by Gibberella fujikuroi. This disease may infect rice plants from the pre-emergence stage to the mature stage. In recent years, raising rice seedlings in seed boxes for mechanical transplanting has increased the incidence of many seedling diseases; only a few rice varieties have been reported to exhibit resistance to bakanae disease. In this study, we attempted to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) conferring bakanae disease resistance from the highly resistant japonica variety Wonseadaesoo. A primary QTL study using the genotypes/phenotypes of the recombinant inbred lines (RILs) indicated that the locus qBK1 WD conferring resistance to bakanae disease from Wonseadaesoo was located in a 1.59 Mb interval delimited on the physical map between chr01_13542347 (13.54 Mb) and chr01_15132528 (15.13 Mb). The log of odds (LOD) score of qBK1 WD was 8.29, accounting for 20.2% of the total phenotypic variation. We further identified a gene pyramiding effect of two QTLs, qBK WD and previously developed qBK1. The mean proportion of healthy plant for 31 F4 RILs that had no resistance genes was 35.3%, which was similar to that of the susceptible check variety Ilpum. The proportion of healthy plants for the lines with only qBK WD or qBK1 was 66.1% and 55.5%, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of the lines without resistance genes and that of Ilpum. The mean proportion of the healthy plant for 15 F4 RILs harboring both qBK WD and qBK1 was 80.2%, which was significantly higher than that of the lines with only qBK WD or qBK1. Introducing qBK WD or pyramiding the QTLs qBK WD and qBK1 could provide effective tools for breeding rice with bakanae disease resistance. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a gene pyramiding effect that provides higher resistance against bakanae disease.

Despite high cure rates with radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer, approximately 30% of men experience a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, a condition known as biochemical recurrence (BCR) [1–3]. Elevations in PSA may indicate local or distant recurrence. Thus, once BCR occurs the patient is presumed to have recurrent prostate cancer. Among patients who develop BCR, approximately one-third will develop clinical recurrence within 8 years from BCR [4]. Depending on the type of initial local therapy, reasonable options for BCR patients include observation with close surveillance, salvage radical prostatectomy, salvage radiation therapy, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), and enrollment in investigational clinical trials. Of these options, ADT has long been accepted and widely used as an effective treatment for patients with advanced, recurrent, and disseminated prostate cancer, but it is associated with disadvantages including side effects as well as substantial cost. Not all patients with recurrent prostate cancer have the same prognosis, and understanding clinical factors that affect developing metastatic disease is crucial. Clinicians must balance a patient’s competing benefit of survival gain and potential risk of an increased morbidity and impair quality of life. The trade-off between the relative benefits and harms of ADT in patients with recurrent prostate cancer is essential for consideration regarding in whom, how, and when it should be used. One of the most prominent questions in the treatment of patient with recurrent prostate cancer is that whether to initiate ADT immediately upon an increasing PSA level or to delay its use until the development of symptomatic or radiographic progression occurs. Despite the proven efficacy of ADT in recurrent prostate cancer, consensus as to the optimal time to initiate ADT remains in debate because results from clinical trials are mixed.

InDel markers used for the fine mapping of qBK WD . Table S2. Tetra markers used for the fine mapping of qBK WD (DOC 36 kb)

To evaluate persistence and compliance for patients receiving antimuscarinics for overactive bladder (OAB), and to assess patient-reported outcomes (PROs) according to persistence and compliance. This was a 24-week, multicenter, prospective, observational study that included 952 OAB patients who had newly started antimuscarinics. Patients aged ≥18 years with a total OAB Symptom Score (OABSS) ≥3 and an urgency score of OABSS ≥2 were eligible for the study. Drug persistence and compliance were evaluated at 4, 12, and 24 weeks. Changes in scores on PROs were compared between groups (persistence vs. non-persistence and compliance vs. non-compliance) after 24 weeks. Factors contributing to persistence were examined using multivariate logistic regression. After 24 weeks, 56.8 % of patients remained on treatment. The persistence rates were 85.6 and 71.4 % after 4 and 12 weeks, respectively. The compliance rates were 75.6, 53.8, and 34.3 % after 4, 12, and 24 weeks, respectively. Patients who were persistent in taking antimuscarinics resulted in significant improvements in OABSS and OAB questionnaire short form score compared with those who were non-persistent (all p

It is not possible to provide resonable evidence for embankment (or dam) overtopping in geotechnical engineering, and conventional analysis by hydrologic design has not provided the evidence for the overflow. However, hydrologic design analysis using Copula function demonstrates the possibility that dam overflow occurs when estimating rainfall probability with rainfall data for 40 years based on fluctuating water level of a dam. Hydrologic dam risk analysis depends on complex hydrologic analyses in that probabilistic relationship needs to be established to quantify various uncertainties associated with modeling process and inputs. The systematic approaches to uncertainty analysis for hydrologic risk analysis have not been addressed yet. In this paper, the initial level of a dam for stability of a dam is generally determined by normal pool level or limiting the level of the flood, but overflow of probability and instability of a dam depend on the sensitivity analysis of the initial level of a dam. In order to estimate the initial level, Copula function and HEC-5 rainfall-runoff model are used to estimate posterior distributions of the model parameters. For geotechnical engineering, slope stability analysis was performed to investigate the difference between rapid drawdown and overtopping of a dam. As a result, the slope instability in overtopping of a dam was more dangerous than that of rapid drawdown condition.

Fibulin-5 is an extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein which has a role in the organisation and stabilisation of ECM structures and regulating cell proliferation and tumourigenesis. Here, the expression of fibulin-5 and its functional effects on the migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells were assessed.Expression of fibulin-5 was detected in 44 ovarian tumour tissues by qRT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. We performed cell migration and invasion assays, and cell cycle analysis in fibulin-5 transfected SKOV3 (SKOV3-FBLN5) cells and the parental SKOV3 cells. We further examined the expression of three tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) and seven matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) by RT-PCR.mRNA and protein expression of fibulin-5 were down-regulated (0.05-fold and 0.1-fold) in ovarian carcinomas compared with control tissues (p0.01 and p=0.022). In wound-healing and invasion assays, significantly fewer SKOV3-FBLN5 cells than SKOV3 control cells migrated and invaded (39.1%, p=0.046 and 70%, p=0.03, respectively), which was reversed by siRNA-treatment. Overexpression of fibulin-5 induced G2/M arrest and increased cyclin B1, CDC2 and CDC25C. Expression of TIMP-2 (0.56-fold), MMP-3 (0.43-fold) and MMP-13 (0.18-fold) was lower and MMP-9 expression (2.20-fold) was higher in SKOV3-FBLN5 cells than in control cells.Fibulin-5 is significantly down-regulated in ovarian carcinoma and acts as a tumour suppressor by inhibiting the migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells.

Notch signaling plays an important role in ovarian cancer chemoresistance, which is responsible for recurrence. Gamma-secretase inhibitor (GSI) is a broad-spectrum Notch inhibitor, but it has serious side effects. The efficacy of Notch3-specific inhibition in paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancers was assessed in this study, which has not yet been evaluated relative to GSI. To analyze the effect of Notch3-specific inhibition on paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancers, we compared cell viability, apoptosis, cell migration, angiogenesis, cell cycle, and spheroid formation after treatment with either Notch3 siRNA or GSI in paclitaxel-resistant SKpac cells and parental SKOV3 cells. Expression levels of survival, cell cycle, and apoptosis-related proteins were measured and compared between groups. Notch3 was significantly overexpressed in chemoresistant cancer tissues and cell lines relative to chemosensitive group. In paclitaxel-resistant cancer cells, Notch inhibition significantly reduced viability, migration, and angiogenesis and increased apoptosis, thereby boosting sensitivity to paclitaxel. Spheroid formation was also significantly reduced. Both Notch3 siRNA-treated cells and GSI-treated cells arrested in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Proteins of cell survival, cyclin D1 and cyclin D3 were reduced, whereas p21 and p27 were elevated. Both GSI and Notch3 siRNA treatment reduced expression of anti-apoptotic proteins (BCL-W, BCL2, and BCL-XL) and increased expression of pro-apoptotic proteins (Bad, Bak, Bim, Bid, and Bax). These results indicate that Notch3-specific inhibition sensitizes paclitaxel-resistant cancer cells to paclitaxel treatment, with an efficacy comparable to that of GSI. This approach would be likely to avoid the side effects of broad-spectrum GSI treatment. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Although there is no consensus on the management of persistent or recurrent stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after placement of a midurethral synthetic sling (MUS), a repeat MUS procedure is commonly performed with favorable results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a repeat MUS procedure compared to the primary procedure in women with SUI, and to investigate factors associated with the failure of the repeat procedure. We retrospectively analyzed data from 53 women who underwent a repeat MUS procedure and 102 women who underwent a primary MUS procedure at a single center. Success was defined as no urine leakage during physical activity based on the Sandvik questionnaire. Outcomes were assessed using the Sandvik Severity Index and Incontinence-Quality of Life (I-QOL) questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors predicting failure of the repeat procedure. The success rate was 76.5 % for the primary MUS procedure (78/102 patients) and 69.8 % for the repeat MUS procedure (37/53 patients; p = 0.369). The mean follow-up duration was significantly longer for the primary procedure (83.8 months vs. 54.6 months, p

Objective To investigate the effect of detrusor overactivity (DO) on functional outcomes after holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP). Materials and Methods One hundred ten men with benign prostatic obstruction were evaluated retrospectively. International Prostate Symptom Score, International Continence Society male questionnaire short form, 3-day voiding diary, and uroflowmetry with postvoid residual were evaluated preoperatively and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. The patients underwent urodynamic study preoperatively and were divided into the DO group (58 of 110, 52.7%) and the non-DO group (52 of 100, 47.3%). Results Patients in the DO group were older than those in the non-DO group (71.4 vs 66.4 years), although prostate volume and degree of obstruction were not significantly different between the 2 groups. All International Prostate Symptom Score and uroflowmetry parameters improved significantly at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Storage symptoms in both groups were comparable preoperatively (9.7 vs 8.6); these improved similarly in both groups during follow-up (5.0 vs 4.0, 6-month follow-up). The number of patients taking anticholinergics increased significantly after HoLEP, from a baseline of 17 patients to 49 patients at the 3-month follow-up and 39 at the 6-month follow-up. More patients in the DO group were taking anticholinergics at the end of the follow-up period (48.3% vs 21.2%). Conclusion Although the storage symptoms improved significantly in both groups, a significant number of patients with DO group took anticholinergics after HoLEP. We recommend that surgeons should counsel the possibility of taking anticholinergics in the early postoperative period to the patients with DO at baseline.

Ovarian carcinoma is a highly lethal malignancy due to frequent relapse and drug resistance. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are thought to contribute significantly to disease relapse and drug resistance. In this study, a subpopulation of CSCs of ovarian carcinoma was isolated and the genes differentially expressed in these cells were identified to characterize CSCs and to find candidate biomarkers. Ovarian carcinoma cells from patients were primarily cultured, and spheroid-forming cells (SFCs) were isolated. The characteristic genes of SFCs were identified through cDNA microarray and validation by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, and the association of their expression with clinicopathologic parameters was analyzed. GSC (4.26-fold), VAV3 (7.05-fold), FOXA2 (12.06-fold), LEF1 (17.26-fold), COMP (21.33-fold), GRIN2A (9.36-fold), CD86 (23.14-fold), PYY (4.18-fold), NKX3-2 (10.35-fold), and PDK4 (74.26-fold) were significantly upregulated in SFCs compared with parental cancer cells. With validation for human ovarian carcinomas, LEF1, PYY, NKX3-2, and WNT3A were significantly upregulated in chemoresistant cancers compared with chemosensitive cancers. Overexpression of LEF1, VAV3, and NKX3-2 was significantly associated with distant metastasis by immunohistochemistry. VAV3 overexpression was an independent poor survival indicator (hazard ratio=15.27, P

Purpose: To examine the impact of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Korean men aged ≥ 40 years. Methods: A population-based, cross-sectional door-to-door survey was conducted among men aged ≥ 40 years. Individuals with LUTS were defined as men reporting at least one LUTS using 2002 International Continence Society definitions. Struc tured questionnaires were used to assess several dimensions of HRQoL, including generic health status (EuroQoL-five-dimen sions questionnaire), work productivity (work productivity and activity impairment questionnaire), depressive symptoms (center for epidemiologic studies depression scale), and sexual health (sexual satisfaction and erectile dysfunction). The im pact of LUTS was assessed by comparing several dimensions of HRQoL among men with and without LUTS. Results: Of the 1,842 participants, 1,536 (83.4%) reported having at least one LUTS. The prevalence of LUTS increased with age (78.3% among those aged 40–49 years to 89.6% among those aged 60 years or older). Those with LUTS reported a signifi cantly lower level of generic health status and worse work productivity compared with those without LUTS. Significantly more individuals with LUTS reported having a higher level of major depressive symptoms compared with those without LUTS. Those with LUTS reported worse sexual activity and enjoyment, and were significantly more likely to have erectile dysfunc tion than those without LUTS. Conclusions: LUTS seem to have a substantial impact on several dimensions of HRQoL in Korean men aged ≥ 40 years.

Recently, buildings tend to be large size, complex shape and functional. As the size of buildings is becoming massive, the need for structural health monitoring (SHM) technique is increasing. Various SHM techniques have been studied for buildings which have different dynamic characteristics and influenced by various external loads. "Abnormal behavior point" is a moment when the structure starts vibrating abnormally and this can be detected by comparing between before and after abnormal behavior point. In other words, anomalous behavior is a sign of damage on structures and estimating the abnormal behavior point can be directly related to the safety of structure. Abnormal behavior causes damage on structures and this leads to enormous economic damage as well as damage for humans. This study proposes an estimating technique to find abnormal behavior point using Hilber-Huang Transform which is a time-frequency signal analysis technique and the proposed algorithm has been examined through laboratory tests with a bridge model using a shaking table.

Objectives To evaluate anatomical and functional outcomes of the Prolift Transvaginal Mesh for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) with regard to safety and satisfaction. Methods We reviewed the medical records of 163 patients who underwent POP repair with Prolift Transvaginal Mesh between December 2005 and March 2012. An “optimal” anatomic outcome was defined as Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification System (POP-Q) stage 0, and a “satisfactory” anatomic outcome was defined as POP-Q stage 1. Resuts A total of 163 patients were included in this study, with a mean age (range) of 61.6 (35–83) years. An anterior mesh was used in 110 patients, and combined anterior and posterior mesh was used in 53 patients. The mean follow-up period after POP repair was 40.4 (12–63) months. Optimal anatomic outcomes for anterior, apical, and posterior prolapse were achieved in 55.9, 69.2, and 65.8% of cases, respectively. Optimal or satisfactory anatomic outcomes for anterior, apical, and posterior prolapse occurred in 76.7, 85.0, and 82.5% of cases, respectively. Mean values for points in the POP-Q, urinary distress inventory (UDI), and pelvic organ prolapsed distress inventory (POPDI) in the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI) were all significantly improved after the operation. The overall satisfaction rate for the operation was 84.7%. Five patients (3.1%) were diagnosed with vaginal erosion and treated with partial excision of the mesh without evidence of infection. Conclusions Pelvic organ prolapse repair using Prolift Transvaginal Mesh is an effective and safe procedure without significant complications.

Exploiting multiferroic BiFeO3 thin films in spintronic devices requires deterministic and robust control of both internal magnetoelectric coupling in BiFeO3, as well as exchange coupling of its antiferromagnetic order to a ferromagnetic overlayer. Previous reports utilized approaches based on multi-step ferroelectric switching with multiple ferroelectric domains. Because domain walls can be responsible for fatigue, contain localized charges intrinsically or via defects, and present problems for device reproducibility and scaling, an alternative approach using a monodomain magnetoelectric state with single-step switching is desirable. Here we demonstrate room temperature, deterministic and robust, exchange coupling between monodomain BiFeO3 films and Co overlayer that is intrinsic (i.e., not dependent on domain walls). Direct coupling between BiFeO3 antiferromagnetic order and Co magnetization is observed, with ~ 90° in-plane Co moment rotation upon single-step switching that is reproducible for hundreds of cycles. This has important consequences for practical, low power non-volatile magnetoelectric devices utilizing BiFeO3.

PURPOSE We compared oncologic outcomes of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) who underwent open nephroureterectomy (ONU) or laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (LNU). Materials and Methods Consecutive cases of ONU and LNU between 2000 and 2012 at five participating institutions were included in this retrospective analysis. Clinical characteristics and pathologic outcomes were compared between the two surgical approaches. The influence of the type of surgical approach on intravesical recurrence-free survival (IVRFS), progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and differences were assessed with the log-rank test. Predictors of IVRFS, PFS, CSS, and OS were also analyzed with a multivariable Cox regression model. RESULTS A total of 1,521 patients with UTUC were eligible for the present study (ONU, 906; LNU, 615). The estimated 5-year IVRFS (57.8 vs. 51.0%, p=0.010), CSS (80.4 vs. 76.4%, p=0.032), and OS (75.8 vs. 71.4%, p=0.026) rates were significantly different between the two groups in favor of LNU. Moreover, in patients with locally advanced disease (pT3/pT4), the LNU group showed better 5-year IVRFS (62.9 vs. 54.1%, p=0.038), CSS (64.3 vs. 56.9%, p=0.022), and OS (60.4 vs. 53.1%, p=0.018) rates than the ONU group. Multivariable Cox regression analyses showed that type of surgical approach was independently associated with IVRFS, but was not related to PFS, CSS, and OS. CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that LNU provided better oncologic control of IVRFS, CSS, and OS compared with ONU for the management of patients with UTUC.

Background Bakanae or foot rot disease is a prominent disease of rice caused by Gibberella fujikuroi. This disease may infect rice plants from the pre-emergence stage to the mature stage. In recent years, raising rice seedlings in seed boxes for mechanical transplanting has increased the incidence of many seedling diseases; only a few rice varieties have been reported to exhibit resistance to bakanae disease. In this study, we attempted to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) conferring bakanae disease resistance from the highly resistant japonica variety Wonseadaesoo. Results A primary QTL study using the genotypes/phenotypes of the recombinant inbred lines (RILs) indicated that the locus qBK1WD conferring resistance to bakanae disease from Wonseadaesoo was located in a 1.59 Mb interval delimited on the physical map between chr01_13542347 (13.54 Mb) and chr01_15132528 (15.13 Mb). The log of odds (LOD) score of qBK1WD was 8.29, accounting for 20.2% of the total phenotypic variation. We further identified a gene pyramiding effect of two QTLs, qBKWD and previously developed qBK1. The mean proportion of healthy plant for 31 F4 RILs that had no resistance genes was 35.3%, which was similar to that of the susceptible check variety Ilpum. The proportion of healthy plants for the lines with only qBKWD or qBK1 was 66.1% and 55.5%, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of the lines without resistance genes and that of Ilpum. The mean proportion of the healthy plant for 15 F4 RILs harboring both qBKWD and qBK1 was 80.2%, which was significantly higher than that of the lines with only qBKWD or qBK1. Conclusion Introducing qBKWD or pyramiding the QTLs qBKWD and qBK1 could provide effective tools for breeding rice with bakanae disease resistance. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a gene pyramiding effect that provides higher resistance against bakanae disease. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12284-017-0197-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective To investigate the rates and predictive factors associated with the development of de novo overactive bladder (OAB) and to assess the effects of de novo OAB on surgical outcomes after an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS). Materials and Methods We performed a retrospective review of 132 patients with postprostatectomy incontinence who underwent AUS surgery. Urodynamic studies were performed during preoperative visits in all patients, and patients with OAB or neurogenic bladder were excluded. We assessed the development of de novo OAB based on patient symptoms. Treatment success was defined as no need for pads, and social continence was defined as the need for ≤1pad per day at the end of the follow-up. A multivariate analysis was performed using a logistic regression model to assess predictors of de novo OAB. Results The rate of development of de novo OAB after surgery was 37.5%. The treatment success rate was significantly higher in the no-OAB group (72.4%) than in the de novo OAB group (55.4%) ( P = .038). A low preoperative cystometric capacity of less than 300 mL (odds ratio 5.27, confidence interval 1.02-27.28; P = .048) and pelvic irradiation (odds ratio 3.18, confidence interval 1.01-10.03; P = .049) were predictive factors of de novo OAB after AUS surgery. Conclusion De novo OAB occurs commonly after AUS surgery, and the presence of de novo OAB adversely impacts treatment success. Low preoperative cystometric capacity of less than 300 mL and pelvic irradiation predict the occurrence of de novo OAB after AUS implantation.

Recent frequent occurrence of urban sinkhole serves as a momentum of the periodic inspection of sewer pipelines. Sewer inspection using a CCTV device needs a lot of time and efforts. Many of previous studies which reduce the laborious tasks are mainly interested in the developments of image processing S/W and exploring H/W. And there has been no attempt to find meaningful information from the existing CCTV images stored by the sewer maintenance manager. This study adopts a cross-correlation based image processing method and extracts sewer inspection device’s location data from CCTV images. As a result of the analysis of location-time relation, it show strong correlation between device stand time and the sewer damages. In case of using this method to investigate sewer inspection CCTV images, it will save the investigator’s efforts and improve sewer maintenance efficiency and reliability.

This research introduces unfamiliarity index (UFI) that calculated from the FFT results of the short term timeline acceleration responses. If this algorithm, which can detect an abnormal behavior from the maximum constant signal, is used to the terminal sensors of a structure, more accurate safety control criteria will be prepared efficiently.

The aim of this study was to develop a nomogram to predict the probability of insignificant prostate cancer.A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients who underwent radical prostatectomy at a Korean hospital between January 2005 and December 2014. Patients with pathologically insignificant prostate cancer were defined as having organ-confined disease with tumor volume less than 0.5 cm³ without Gleason scores of 4 or 5. Multivariable logistic regression analysis with a stepwise selection was used to model the relationship between preoperative characteristics and insignificant prostate cancer, and a nomogram to predict the probability of insignificant prostate cancer was created. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the predictive value of the model.The final study population consisted of 1343 patients. Among these patients, insignificant prostate cancer was confirmed in 188 men (14.0%) at the time of prostatectomy. Six independent predictors of insignificant prostate cancer were identified: number of positive cores (p 0.001), maximal single core tumor involvement (p 0.001), biopsy Gleason score (p 0.001), prostate volume (p = 0.024), patient age (p 0.001) and prostate-specific antigen density (p 0.001) in the multivariable model. A nomogram to predict insignificant prostate cancer was developed using these six preoperative characteristics. The area under the ROC curve for nomogram predictions was 0.87.The nomogram developed in this paper identifies the probability of insignificant prostate cancer and gives providers more information to guide their clinical decisions.

Objectives: This study was intended to review the research trends of treating neuropsychiatric diseases and symptoms with Traditional Chinese Medicine containing Haematitum. Methods: Articles were obtained through the CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) by searching with `Haematitum` as the main key word, and supportive words related with neuropsychiatric diseases and symptoms were selected. There were 61 articles related to clinical fields, which were then classified according to study design. Results: The 61 articles were categorized into the following types of study design: 3 randomized controlled trials, 1 quasi-randomized trial, 3 simple-designed clinical trials, and 54 case studies. Decoctions containing Haematitum were used to treat diseases and symptoms such as vertigo, headache, stroke, epilepsy, neurosis, globus hystericus, fishbilepoisoning, insomnia, mania, post-traumatic brain syndrome, and kinesia. All articles reported a good rate of effectiveness. There was no poor responsiveness regarding the effects of Haematitum in 9 studies, but it was not mentioned in the other 52 studies. Decoctions self-prepared by the authors were used in 28 studies. Modified Seonbokdeja-tang, modified Banhabeakchulcheonma-tang, modified Ondam-tang were used in that order of frequency. The daily dosage of Haematitum provided was 0.2~6 g in powder, and 9~60 g in decoction. Conclusions: Decoctions containing Haematitum are used restrictively in the neuropsychiatric clinical scene. While there were no reports of poor responsiveness of the effects of Haematitum, more research is needed to confirm its clinical stability.

Cable-stayed bridge, which is one of the representative long-spanned bridge, needs prompt maintenances when a stay cable is damaged because it may cause structural failure of the entire bridge. Many researches are being conducted to develop abnormal behavior detection algorithms for the purpose of shortening the reaction time after the occurrence of structural damage. To improve the accuracy of the damage detection algorithm, ample observation data from various kinds of damage responses is needed. However, it is difficult to measure an abnormal response by damaging an existing bridge, numerical simulation can be an effective alternative. In most previous studies, which simulate the damage responses of a cable-stayed bridge, the damages has been considered as a load variation without regard to its stiffness variation. The analyses of using these simplification could not calculate exact responses of damaged structure, though it may reserve a sufficient accuracy for the purpose of bridge design. This study suggests Gradual Bilinear Method (GBM) which simulate the damage responses of cable-stayed bridge considering the stiffness and mass variation, and develops an analysis program. The developed program is verified from the responses of a simple model. The responses of a existing cable-stayed bridge model are analyzed with respect to the fracture delay time and damage ratio. The results of this study can be used to develop and verify the highly accurate abnormal behavior detection algorithm for safety management of architecture/large structures.

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among Korean men aged ≥40 years. Methods We performed a population-based, cross-sectional door-to-door survey on a geographically stratified random sample of men aged ≥40 years. All respondents were asked about the presence of individual LUTS using a questionnaire based on 2002 International Continence Society definitions. For comparison, we also defined nocturia as two or more nocturnal micturitions per night. The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire was used to assess LUTS severity. Results Responses from 1,842 subjects were analyzed. The overall prevalence of LUTS was 83.4%. Storage LUTS (70.1%) were more prevalent than voiding (60.4%) or postmicturition LUTS (38.3%). When nocturia was defined as two or more nocturnal micturitions per night, voiding symptoms became most prevalent (storage, 39.7%; voiding, 60.4%; and postmicturition, 38.3%). More than 90% of our population described the severity of their urinary symptoms as moderate (8-19) or severe (20-35). The prevalence and severity of LUTS increased with age. Conclusions LUTS are highly prevalent among Korean men, and its prevalence increases with age. Increased public awareness and a larger number of treatment options are needed to appropriately manage symptoms and their consequences.

This study examined the relationship between the current chewing difficulty and the dental prosthesis needs of the elderly Koreans to improve their oral health status. A total of 1,177 subjects over 65 years who participated in the the Five Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were examined. An oral examination was conducted to determine the number of missing teeth and dental prosthesis required. A questionnaire was given to measure the sociodemographic characteristics, concerns about oral health, chewing ability and pronunciation ability. Statistical analysis was done using the SPSS 19.0 program. The percentage of the current chewing difficulty in Korean elderly was 42.9%. After adjusting for confounder variables, the odds ratio of the fixed prosthodontics needs were 1.22 (95% CI; 0.74 to 2.02), the odds ratio of partial denture needs were 2.47 (95% CI; 1.71 to 3.56) and the odds ratio of the full denture needs were 2.06 (95% CI; 0.73 to 5.81). The dental prosthesis needs were associated with the current chewing difficulty. Therefore, dental prosthesis support policy and public oral health promotion for the elderly is necessary.

Rice flour is used in many food products. However, dough made from rice lacks extensibility and elasticity, making it less suitable than wheat for many food products such as bread and noodles. The high-molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) of wheat play a crucial role in determining the processing properties of the wheat grain. This paper describes the development of marker-free transgenic rice plants expressing a wheat Glu-Dy10 gene encoding the HMG-GS from the Korean wheat cultivar ‘Jokyeong’ using Agrobacterium-mediated co-transformation. Two expression cassettes, consisting of separate DNA fragments containing Glu-1Dy10 and hygromycin phosphotransferase II (HPTII) resistance genes, were introduced separately into Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHA105 for co-infection. Each EHA105 strain harboring Glu-1Dy10 or HPTII was infected into rice calli at a 3: 1 ratio of Glu-1Bx7 and HPTII. Among 290 hygromycin-resistant T0 plants, we obtained 29 transgenic lines with both the Glu-1Dy10 and HPTII genes inserted into the rice genome. We reconfirmed the integration of the Glu-1Dy10 gene into the rice genome by Southern blot analysis. Transcripts and proteins of the Glu-1Dy10 in transgenic rice seeds were examined by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. The marker-free plants containing only the Glu-1Dy10 gene were successfully screened in the T1 generation.

Bakanae disease is an important fungal disease in the world. No rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties have been found to be completely resistant to this disease. To facilitate accurate, uniform and simultaneous screening of many rice accessions, we developed an inoculation method for microconidia of Fusarium fujikuroi using a tissue embedding cassette and seedling tray. Standards for evaluating the inoculated rice seedlings as healthy or unhealthy were also established. The method was fast and reproducible for accurately evaluating resistance to bakanae disease in rice.

CaTiO 3 is a well-known incipient ferroelectric material that does not undergo a ferroelectric phase transition in spite of the intriguing dielectric constant behavior. Especially, unlike a prototypical incipient ferroelectric SrTiO 3 , the paraelectric state of CaTiO 3 cannot be easily destroyed by small perturbations, including cation doping and epitaxial strain. We present that a nearly strain-free epitaxial CaTiO 3 film grown at a low oxygen partial pressure exhibits polarization–voltage hysteresis loops and the distinct difference of piezoresponse force microscopy phase signals, implying that a ferroelectric phase is induced. Such results are shown even at room temperature. We suggest that the observed ferroelectric behavior in CaTiO 3 film comes from the defect dipoles composed of vacancies inside the film. Using electron-probe microanalysis and optical absorption spectra measurements, we found that CaTiO 3 film has considerable Ca and O vacancies, forming the localized defect state in electronic structure. This work highlights the importance of vacancies and their clusters, such as defect dipoles, in understanding the electronic properties of perovskite oxide thin films, including ferroelectricity.

This report details a method using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) that allows one to determine the concentration of an atypical anticancer drug, enzalutamide, in rat plasma. Specifically, this method involves the addition of an acetonitrile and bicalutamide (internal standard) solution to plasma samples. Following centrifugation of this mixture, an aliquot of the supernatant was directly injected into the LC-MS/MS system. Separation was achieved using a column packed with octadecylsilica (5 µm, 2.1 × 50 mm) with 10 mM ammonium acetate in acetonitrile as the mobile phase; detection was accomplished using MS/MS by multiple-reaction monitoring via an electrospray ionization source. This method demonstrated a linear standard curve (r = 0.997) over a concentration range of 0.001-1 µg/mL, as well as an intra- and inter-assay precision of 2.7 and 5.1%, respectively, and an accuracy range from 100.8 to 105.6%. The lower limit of quantification was 1.0 ng/mL in 50 μL of rat plasma sample. We also demonstrated that this analytical method could be successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of enzalutamide in rats.

Objectives To investigate the ability of six contemporary active surveillance protocols to appropriately select active surveillance candidates among Korean men who underwent radical prostatectomy. Methods Between January 2001 and December 2011, 1968 patients underwent radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer at Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Patients met the criteria for active surveillance according to six currently used criteria, including those from the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the University of Toronto, the University of California at San Francisco, the Prospective Prostate Cancer Research International Active Surveillance, the University of Miami and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The rates of Gleason score upgrading, upstaging and misclassification at final pathology were assessed. Results Among 1006 assessable patients, the percentage of men eligible for active surveillance varied from 13.5% to 38.5%, depending on the criteria used. The rates of upgrading ranged from 41.6% to 50.6%. Extracapsular extension was reported in 4.1% to 8.5% of patients, whereas seminal vesicle invasion was reported in 0.5% to 1.6% of patients. The upstaging rates according to the six active surveillance criteria varied from 4.5% to 9.3%, and the rates of misclassification varied from 44.5% to 54.8%. Conclusions Currently available active surveillance criteria might not be suitable in Korean patients with prostate cancer, as they have a high likelihood of underestimating cancer.

To investigate the effect of extracorporeal magnetic stimulation (EMS) on symptoms of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) in men who did not respond to pharmacotherapy.Patients with chronic pelvic pain and/or voiding symptoms in the absence of urinary tract infection for at least 3 months in spite of medication were included in this study. All patients underwent EMS for 6 weeks for a total of 12 sessions. The primary endpoint was the changes in total and pain scores of the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) at 24 weeks after treatment. Patients were also evaluated by International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), voiding diary, Benefit Satisfaction and Willingness (BSW) questionnaire, and patient perception of symptom improvement (PPSI).A total of 46 men were included, and data from 37 patients who completed this study were analyzed. The baseline vs 24 weeks mean NIH-CPSI score was total score 25.0 ± 6.9 vs 15.6 ± 7.7, pain score 11.8 ± 3.7 vs 6.9 ± 4.7 (all P .05). Total and subdomain sums of IPSS improved significantly after treatment, and the improvements were maintained until 24 weeks. Patient voiding diaries demonstrated a tendency toward a decrease in all subdomains after treatment. In BSW,70% of patients reported positive answers to each domain at 24 weeks after treatment. PPSI measured by the visual analog scale was maintained from immediately after treatment until 24 weeks.EMS offers a new treatment option for patients with CP/CPPS who do not respond to pharmacotherapy.

This study suggests 12 products regarding the pending question of tourism package price mechanism which is linked directly and indirectly to Jeju Tourism, and shows the following conclusions through inspection in mental accounting principles and framing effect based on prospect theory. First, when presenting the price list of the tourism package, it is needed to present in price bundling. Second, it is proven that it is desirable that information about discount prices open the individual discount information of the basic package and option package to public. Third, it is discovered that experienced tourists in purchasing tourism products are more sensitive to price information (price discount) than inexperienced tourists, so that framing effect conform to Knowledge-assembly theory. The current questions of this study are that `no discount` information should be presented in bundling, that the method of framing is important in presenting discount product information. It is required not only to grasp the viewpoint of modern people in purchasing tourism products, but also to present ready-to-serve products which can save time, effort, cost to give stability in mental accounting principles.

Purpose: ALDH1 is a putative cancer stem cell marker, while the Notch signaling pathway is involved in regulation of cancer stem cell (CSC)s. This study aims to determine the expression of Notch signaling genes in ovarian CSCs, and to assess the clinical impact of expression of ALDH1 and Notch signaling genes in ovarian cancers. Methods: We examined expression of Notch signaling genes in FACS-sorted ALDH1(+) putative ovarian CSCs and expression of ALDH1 and Notch signaling genes in 86 ovarian epithelial tumors and various ovarian cancer cell lines by real-time RT-PCR, including Notch receptors (Notch1-4), Notch ligands (Jagged1 and Jagged2), and the downstream molecule, Hes1. Furthermore, we correlated their expression with clinicopathological parameters and patient's survival in ovarian serous carcinoma (OSC)s, the most prevalent type of ovarian cancer. Results: The higher expression levels of ALDH1 and Notch related genes, especially Notch3 were associated with CSCs and with chemoresistant OSCs and paclitaxel-resistant SKpac ovarian cancer cells. Among the Notch signaling genes, high Notch3 expression was significantly associated with all the parameters of poor prognosis, i.e., advanced stage, lymph node and distant metastases, and chemoresistance, whereas other genes were less correlated with these parameters. A combined upregulation of ALDH1 and Notch3 was an independent poor prognostic factor in OSCs. Conclusions: ALDH1 correlates with Notch3 expression in ovarian carcinomas. ALDH1 and Notch3 overexpression is an independent poor prognostic indicator for worse patient's survival in this subset of OSCs.

To investigate the efficacy of Holmium laser transurethral incision of the prostate (Ho-TUIP) with preoperative characteristics based on urodynamic parameters.The medical records of 40 consecutive cases of Ho-TUIP in patients unresponsive to medical treatment were retrospectively reviewed. The efficacy of Ho-TUIP was analyzed according to preoperative factors, including urodynamic parameters. Treatment success was confirmed if overall efficacy demonstrated an improvement that was "good or greater" according to the criteria developed by Homma et al. Predictive factors of treatment success were analyzed using logistic regression analysis with demographics, symptom questionnaires, prostate size, and urodynamic parameters. Postoperative complications and Global Response Assessment (GRA) were investigated.Mean age was 60.9 years (range 37-84), mean follow-up period was 36.6 months (range 6.3-114.8), and mean prostate size was 23.5 mL (range 12.7-39.5). All patients underwent medical treatment before Ho-TUIP, and mean medication duration was 50.5 months (range 3.4-140.0). The treatment success rate was 60.0%. Treatment success rates were higher in the bladder outlet obstruction index (BOOI) ≥20 group (n = 26) than in the BOOI20 group (n = 14) (p = 0.003). In logistic regression analysis, BOOI ≥20 was a predictor of treatment success (OR 7.60, 95% CI 1.60-35.90, P = 0.010). Among patients who maintained an active sex life, 77.8% (14/18) reported retrograde ejaculation. In terms of GRA, 81.5% (31/38, two patients expired) of patients improved at the final follow-up.Ho-TUIP is an effective procedure with tolerable complications for the treatment of symptomatic mild-to-moderate BPE in patients with BOOI ≥20 that are unresponsive to medical treatment.

As metal nanostructures demonstrated extraordinary plasmon resonance, their optical characteristics have widely been investigated in photo-electronic applications. However, there has been no clear demonstration on the location effect of plasmonic metal layer within the photoanode on both optical characteristics and photovoltaic performances. In this research, the gold (Au) nano-islands (NIs) film was embedded at different positions within the TiO2 nanoparticulate photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) to check the effect of plasmon resonance location on the device performance; at the top, in the middle, at the bottom of the TiO2 photoanode, and also at all the three positions. The Au NIs were fabricated by annealing a Au thin film at 550 °C. The DSSC having the Au NIs-embedded TiO2 photoanode exhibited an increase in short circuit currents (Jsc) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) owing to the plasmon resonance absorption. Thus, the PCE was increased from 5.92% (reference: only TiO2 photoanode) to 6.52% when the Au NIs film was solely positioned at the bottom, in the middle or at the top of TiO2 film. When the Au NIs films were placed at all the three positions, the Jsc was increased by 16% compared to the reference cell, and consequently the PCE was further increased to 7.01%.

Aims To evaluate long-term outcomes of primary implantation and revisions of artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) in men with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Methods The medical records of 155 consecutive patients who underwent AMS 800™ implantation from 2003 to 2015 were reviewed. Treatment success (TS) was defined as no need for pads, and social continence (SC) was defined as a need for pad ≤1/day at last follow-up. The efficacy, complication rates, and associated risk factors with reoperation and durability of primary AUS implantation, as well as treatment outcomes following AUS revision were evaluated. Results The median age was 69.0 years (range 27-85), and median follow-up was 45.1 months (range 9-126). The rates of TS and SC were 63.2% and 84.5%, respectively. The reoperation rate of AUS was 26.4%. Non-mechanical failure (70.7%) was a dominant etiology of reoperation. The 5-year device survival rate without reoperation was 67.0%. The immediate TS rates of primary AUS without reoperation (pAUS) and AUS revision without secondary reoperation (rAUS) groups were 88.6% and 79.2% (P = 0.352), respectively. At last follow-up, the SC rate was higher in patients with pAUS (92.1%) than with rAUS (62.5%) (P = 0.001). Conclusions Although there are appreciable rates of reoperation, the AMS 800™ offers high rates of continence in men with SUI. The immediate TS rate was comparable in patients with pAUS and rAUS. At the final follow-up, however, the SC rate was significantly higher in patients with pAUS than with rAUS.

Aim The current standard diagnostic test to evaluate bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) is pressure-flow study (PFS). The penile cuff test (PCT) was introduced as a non-invasive alternative to PFS to determine the isovolumetric bladder pressure and also flow rate. The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and acceptability of the PCT, compared to those of PFS, in the assessment of BOO in men. Methods A total of 146 consecutive men with an International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) >12 and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) for >6 months were included in this single-institution, prospective, diagnostic study. The primary outcome was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of PCT. Secondary outcomes included pain severity measured on a visual analog scale (VAS), procedure time, and adverse events. In addition, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were estimated. Results Based on the PFS results, the sensitivity of PCT was 89.7%, the PPV 54.2%, the specificity 71.8%, and the NPV 94.9%. The mean pain VAS for the PFS and PCT were 5.04 ± 2.17 and 1.83 ± 1.98, respectively (P

Drought is an important limiting factor for rice production, but the genetic mechanisms of drought tolerance is poorly understood. Here, we screened 218 rice varieties to identify 32 drought-tolerant varieties. The variety Samgang exhibited strong drought tolerance and stable yield in rain-fed conditions and was selected for further study. To identify QTLs for drought tolerance, we examined visual drought tolerance (VDT) and relative water content (RWC) phenotypes in a doubled haploid (DH) population of 101 individuals derived from a cross between Samgang and Nagdong (a drought-sensitive variety). Three QTLs from Samgang were identified for VDT and explained 41.8% of the phenotypic variance. In particular, qVDT11 contributed 20.3% of the phenotypic variance for RWC. To determine QTL effects on drought tolerance in rain-fed paddy conditions, seven DH lines were selected according to the number of QTLs they contained. Of the drought-tolerance-associated QTLs, qVDT2 and qVDT6 did not affect tiller formation, but qVDT11 increased tiller number. Tiller formation was most stable when qVDT2 and qVDT11 were combined. DH lines with both of these drought-tolerance-associated QTLs exhibited the most stable tiller formation. Together, these results suggest that qVDT11 is important for drought tolerance and stable tiller formation in rain-fed paddy fields.

Damage to infrastructure is a real concern at present, caused primarily by worldwide climate anomalies, global warming, and natural disasters. Korea has begun research to develop a high precision patch/implant system using new IT techniques since 2011 and technologies which must be developed for this research are those which measure and evaluate the soundness and safety of structures based on the measurements of an attached sensor. During the research period since 2011, optical fiber sensor patches and wireless sensor capsule implants along with various sensor technologies, stress sensing and structural condition evaluation algorithm have been developed effectively for network hardware technologies as prototype version. Similarly high precision image processing for automatic crack extraction have been developed along with radiation sensor application technologies, combined management/control technologies for developed systems, and practical technologies for building and large scale structure. Through the results, it is expected that we acquire higher sensor system performance with a measurement scope (for precision, etc.) goal at least 200% better than conventional sensor systems.

In the field of civil engineering, analyzing dynamic response was main concern for a long time. These analysis methods can be divided into moving load analysis method and moving mass analysis method, and formulating each an equation of motion has recently been studied after dividing vehicles and bridges. In this study, the numerical method is presented, which can consider the various train types and can solve the equations of motion for a vehicle-bridge interaction analysis by non-iteration procedure through formulating the coupled equations for motion. Also, 3 dimensional accurate numerical models was developed by KTX-vehicle in order to analyze dynamic response characteristics. The equations of motion for the conventional trains are derived, and the numerical models of the conventional trains are idealized by a set of linear springs and dashpots with 18 degrees of freedom. The bridge models are simplified by the 3 dimensional space frame element which is based on the Euler-Bernoulli theory. The rail irregularities of vertical and lateral directions are generated by PSD functions of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

The recent constructed structures are featured by the combination of their functions and shapes as well as by their enlarged dimensions, which increase the demand for Structural Health Monitoring technology. Since every structure bears unique dynamic characteristics and is exposed to diverse external forces, various methods are studied to monitor the health of the structure. This study applies the Hilbert-Huang transform, the variance analysis and the edge detection method on the acceleration response of the structure to identify the initiation time of the abnormal behavior in which the structure experiences abnormal vibration. A scaled cable-supported bridge model is fabricated and subjected to cable failure test from which data before and after the occurrence of the abnormal behavior are acquired and compared to validate the proposed anomaly-extraction technique.