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Morin, a plant-derived flavonol, is known to be an effective inhibitor of Gram-positive bacteria. In this study, we explored the combined effect of morin with β-lactam antibiotics against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a multidrug-resistant pathogen. The anti-MRSA activity of morin was investigated by the broth microdilution method, checkerboard dilution test, and time-kill curve assay. The expression of the resistant protein, penicillin-binding protein (PBP2a) encoded by mecA, was analyzed by the Western blotting method in the presence of morin and oxacillin. An increased susceptibility of MRSA toward oxacillin was observed in the presence of morin. The protein level of PBP2a was reduced when MRSA (ATCC 33591) was treated with the combination of morin and oxacillin, indicating that the combination of morin and oxacillin potentiates the killing effect against MRSA. The present study indicates that the killing effect by the combinative treatment of morin and β-lactam antibiotic is dependent on the PBP2a-mediated resistance mechanism.

The regulation of water content in polymeric membranes is important in a number of applications, such as reverse electrodialysis and proton-exchange fuel-cell membranes. External thermal and water management systems add both mass and size to systems, and so intrinsic mechanisms of retaining water and maintaining ionic transport in such membranes are particularly important for applications where small system size is important. For example, in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, where water retention in the membrane is crucial for efficient transport of hydrated ions, by operating the cells at higher temperatures without external humidification, the membrane is self-humidified with water generated by electrochemical reactions. Here we report an alternative solution that does not rely on external regulation of water supply or high temperatures. Water content in hydrocarbon polymer membranes is regulated through nanometre-scale cracks ('nanocracks') in a hydrophobic surface coating. These cracks work as nanoscale valves to retard water desorption and to maintain ion conductivity in the membrane on dehumidification. Hydrocarbon fuel-cell membranes with surface nanocrack coatings operated at intermediate temperatures show improved electrochemical performance, and coated reverse-electrodialysis membranes show enhanced ionic selectivity with low bulk resistance.

Methyl-5-(dimethylamino)-2-methyl-5-oxopentanoate (Rhodiasolv Ⓡ PolarClean) as a water-soluble green solvent was used for the first time to prepare poly(vinylidine fluoride) (PVDF) hollow fiber membranes. Due to the solubility of PolarClean in water, a combination of thermally induced phase separation and non-solvent induced phase separation was observed during the membrane formation. The effects of additives such as poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) with different molecular weights (10k, 55k, 360k and 1300k) and glycerol (5 wt% and 15 wt%) were studied at different quenching bath temperatures (5, 15 and 25 °C). The properties of the hollow fiber membranes, such as their morphology, roughness, mechanical properties, overall porosity, water permeability, polymorphism in the skin layer and polymorphism in the bulk of the membrane structure were investigated as well. A phase diagram for the PVDF/PolarClean system showed the PVDF crystallization temperature around 53 °C. PolarClean along with additives induces porous structure and the formation of β-polymorphs in the membranes, resulting in high water permeability.

Camera calibration is a process to find camera parameters. Camera parameter consists of intrinsic and extrinsic configuration and it is important to deal with the three-dimensional 3-D geometry of the cameras and 3-D scene. However, camera calibration is quite annoying process when the number of cameras and images increase because it is operated by hand to indicate exact points. In order to eliminate the inconvenience of a manual manipulation, we propose a new pattern feature detection algorithm. The proposed method employs the Harris corner detector to find the candidate for the pattern feature points in images. Among them, we extract valid pattern feature points by using a circular sample. Test results show that this algorithm can provide reasonable camera parameters compared to camera parameters using the Matlab calibration toolbox by hand but eliminated a burden of manual operation.

Photonic patterns were fabricated in fused silica, BK7, and Ge -doped borophosphosilica glass ( Ge -BPSG) using a focused femtosecond (fs)-laser beam. By focusing tens to hundreds of μJ fs-laser beam with a 10x microscope objective, we inscribed the semi-circular cavity patterns on the fused silica and the BK7. The inscribed hole diameters are 28 μm (fused silica) and 11 μm (BK7) at an input fluence of 71 J/cm2. This circular-cavity patterning is ascribed to the ablation via the multi-photon absorption process. For the application to functional devices, the surface relief gratings (SRGs) were made in fused silica and BK7 by focusing the fs-laser beam on the glass surface with a cylindrical lens and by translating the sample in the direction perpendicular to the focus line. The first-order diffraction efficiencies of the prepared SRGs are 34% (fused silica) and 14% (BK7). A refractive-index grating was also fabricated in the Ge -BPSG by using the two-beam interference method. The maximum index modulation of 2.5 × 10-3was obtained for 20,000 laser shots of 73 mJ/cm2per pulse. It is thought that the index modification occurs through the defect formation by the fs-laser irradiation.

Acute subdural hematoma is usually a neurological emergency that requires hematoma evacuation or close observation. However, spontaneous resolutions of an acute subdural hematoma without surgical interventions have been reported rarely. We report on a case who showed rapid resolution of an acute subdural hematoma with neurological improvement and review the relevant literatures.

While the fluorine included in mold flux is an additive widely applied to reduce viscosity and solidification temperature, it causes the corrosion of casting machine and the environmental pollution. In order to resolve these problems, F-free mold flux was examined in the glass system of CaO–SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 –Na 2 O–B 2 O 3 , and their properties such as viscosity, thermal conductivity and crystallization behavior were observed and compared with commercial mold flux used in high speed process of the continuous casting of steel. As a result, it was confirmed that S4 (CaO/SiO 2 = 1.7) was the optimum composition which had similar physical properties and crystallization behavior to the commercial mold fluxes.

We investigate the pressure and thermal annealing effects on BaFe2-x Co x As2 (Co-Ba122) single crystals with x = 0.1 and 0.17 via electrical transport measurements. The thermal annealing treatment not only enhances the superconducting transition temperature (T c) from 9.6 to 12.7 K for x = 0.1 and from 18.1 to 21.0 K for x = 0.17, but also increases the antiferromagnetic transition temperature (T N). Simultaneous enhancement of T c and T N by the thermal annealing treatment indicates that thermal annealing could substantially improve the quality of the Co-doped Ba122 samples. Interestingly, T c of the Co-Ba122 compounds shows a scaling behavior with a linear dependence on the resistivity value at 290 K, irrespective of tuning parameters such as chemical doping, pressure, and thermal annealing. These results not only provide an effective way to access the intrinsic properties of the BaFe2As2 system, but may also shed a light on designing new materials with higher superconducting transition temperature.

In this paper, we propose a process of 3D object reconstruction using a pair of Kinect cameras. After we refine raw depth images from two Kinect cameras using a joint bilateral filter, we find intrinsic and extrinsic parameters by camera calibration. Then, we apply 3D warping to obtain a point cloud model in the 3D space and acquire a smooth surface model of the 3D object. In order to accelerate a processing speed, we employ a CUDA framework for GPU parallel processing. We reconstruct depth data in the integrated 3D space and obtain a 3D object model at 5 fps.

Highly sulfonated poly(ether sulfone)s with densely populated flexible acid side chains were prepared for fuel cell applications by polycondensation of 3,3'-dihydroxybenzidine with bis(4-fluorophenyl)sulfone and 4,4′-biphenol, followed by postsulfonation using 1,4-butanesultone at room temperature. The sulfonated polymers gave tough, flexible, and transparent membranes by solvent casting. The membranes had high ion exchange capacity (IEC) values (2.47–2.95 mequiv/g) and displayed good proton conductivities in the range of 13.90–20.90×10 −2 and 1.08–2.21×10 −2 S/cm at 95% and 35% relative humidity (RH) (80 °C), respectively. In particular, the S-PES-55 membrane with the highest IEC value showed higher or comparable proton conductivity than that of Nafion 212 in the range of 35–95% RH. The morphologies of these membranes were investigated by TEM analysis, which exhibited well-connected hydrophilic channels due to their high IEC values and densely populated flexible acid side chains. In contrast with many reported highly sulfonated polymers, the membranes showed good dimensional stability regardless of their high IEC values.

Curcumin, a natural polyphenolic flavonoid extracted from the rhizome of Curcuma longa L., was shown to possess superior potency to resensitize methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to antibiotics. Previous studies have shown the synergistic activity of curcumin with β-lactam and quinolone antibiotics. Further, to understand the anti-MRSA mechanism of curcumin, we investigated the potentiated effect of curcumin by its interaction in diverse conditions. The mechanism of anti-MRSA action of curcumin was analyzed by the viability assay in the presence of detergents, ATPase inhibitors and peptidoglycan (PGN) from S. aureus, and the PBP2a protein level was analyzed by western blotting. The morphological changes in the curcumin-treated MRSA strains were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We analyzed increased susceptibility to MRSA isolates in the presence of curcumin. The optical densities at 600 nm (OD600) of the suspensions treated with the combinations of curcumin with triton X-100 and Tris were reduced to 63% and 59%, respectively, compared to curcumin without treatment. N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) and sodium azide (NaN3) were reduced to 94% and 55%, respectively. When peptidoglycan (PGN) from S. aureus was combined with curcumin, PGN (0–125 μg/mL) gradually blocked the antibacterial activity of curcumin (125 μg/mL), however, at a concentration of 125 µg/mL PGN, it did not completely block curcumin. Curcumin has a significant effect on the protein level of PBP2a. The TEM images of MRSA showed damage of the cell wall, disruption of the cytoplasmic contents, broken cell membrane and cell lysis after the treatment of curcumin. These data indicate a remarkable antibacterial effect of curcumin, with membrane permeability enhancers and ATPase inhibitors, and curcumin did not directly bind to PGN on the cell wall. Further, the antimicrobial action of curcumin involved in the PBP2a-mediated resistance mechanism was investigated.

This article aims to assess the efficacy and safety of atomoxetine in Korean adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).This post hoc double-blind, placebo-controlled study of atomoxetine (40-120 mg/day) over 10 weeks in adults with ADHD at 45 Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese study sites focused on patient data from Korea (atomoxetine, n = 37; placebo, n = 37). Primary efficacy outcome was change in baseline-to-endpoint Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale-Investigator-rated: Screening Version (CAARS-Inv:SV) Total ADHD Symptoms score. Secondary efficacy outcomes included changes in Adult ADHD Quality of Life (AAQoL) total, Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version Self-Report (BRIEF-A:Self-Report), and Clinical Global Impression-ADHD-Severity (CGI-ADHD-S) scale scores.Atomoxetine-treated patients demonstrated a mean 18.9-point reduction in CAARS-Inv:SV total ADHD Symptoms score, compared with the 7.45-point reduction in placebo-treated patients (P ≤ 0.01). Significantly greater improvement was found for atomoxetine versus placebo in CGI-ADHD-S (P ≤ 0.01), BRIEF-A:Self-Report global executive composite (P ≤ 0.05), and metacognition index (P ≤ 0.01) executive function scores. Nausea, decreased appetite, and dry mouth were reported with significantly greater frequency by atomoxetine-treated patients, and only one placebo-treated patient discontinued because of adverse event. A 2.1-kg reduction in weight and a 7.5-beat/minute increase in pulse rate were observed in atomoxetine-treated patients.These data support a significant benefit of 80- to 120-mg once daily atomoxetine versus placebo for treatment of ADHD in adult Korean patients. A high placebo response rate was observed in this adult Korean sample; a higher discontinuation rate was also observed in atomoxetine-treated patients. These observations warrant further investigation.

New monomers containing two or four pendent methoxyphenyl groups were synthesized by bromination of bis(4-fluorophenyl)sulfone, followed by Suzuki coupling with 4-methoxybenzeneboronic acid. Copoly(arylene ether sulfone)s containing methoxyphenyl groups (2-MPAES- xx and 4-MPAES- xx ) based on the corresponding monomers were prepared by aromatic nucleophilic substitution (SNAr) polycondensation. After demethylation of the methoxy group to the reactive hydroxyl group, the respective side chain-type sulfonated copolymers (2-SPAES- xx and 4-SPAES- xx ) were obtained by sulfobutylation. Flexible and tough membranes having good mechanical strength were obtained by solution casting of all copolymers. The sulfonated copolymers with two or four pendent sulfobutoxyphenyl groups had high proton conductivities in the range of 0.108–0.258 S/cm for 2-SPAES- xx and 0.135–0.194 S/cm for 4-SPAES- xx at 80 °C, respectively. The methanol permeabilities of these membranes were in the range of 1.59 × 10 −7 –4.69 × 10 −7 cm 2 /s, which is much lower than Nafion ® (15.5 × 10 −7 cm 2 /s). 2-SPAES- xx and 4-SPAES- xx display comparatively better balance between proton conductivity and water swelling than the analogous poly(arylene ether sulfone)s containing pendent sulfophenyl groups. A combination of high proton conductivities, low water uptake, and low methanol permeabilities for some of the obtained copolymers indicated that they have some of the requisite properties for proton exchange membranes in fuel cell applications.

Galla rhois is a commonly used traditional medicine for the treatment of pathogenic bacteria in Korea as well as in other parts of Asia. Methyl gallate (MG), a major component of Galla Rhois, exhibits strong antibacterial activity, but its mechanism of action against Salmonella spp. is unclear. In the present study, we investigated the antibacterial actions of MG against Salmonella. The antibacterial activity determined by broth dilution method indicated that the antibacterial activity of MG against Salmonella strains ranged from 3.9 to 125 mu g/ml. In vitro bacterial viability test indicated that MG significantly decreased the viability of Salmonella over 40% when combined with ATPase inhibitors. The time-kill curves showed that a combined MG and ATPase inhibitors (DCCD and NaN3) treatment reduced the bacterial counts dramatically after 24 h. Oral administration of MG showed a strong anti-bacterial activity against WS-5 infected BALB/c mice. In contrast to the untreated Salmonella infected control animals, MG treated groups showed no clinical symptoms of the disease, such as lethargy and liver damage. It was observed that MG treatment significantly increased the survival of animals from Salmonella infection, while in untreated groups all animal succumbed to disease by the sixth day post infection. Thus, the present study demonstrates the therapeutic ability of MG against Salmonella infections.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) specimens of different molecular weights, along with tributyl O-acetyl citrate (ATBC) as green diluent, were used to prepare hollow fiber membranes by thermally induced phase separation (TIPS). By increasing the quenching bath temperature, the overall porosity increased and the tensile strength of the hollow fiber membranes decreased, whereas the washing temperature did not affect these properties. High molecular weight PVDF enhanced the mechanical properties and reduced porosity of the resulting hollow fiber membranes. Hollow fiber membranes were prepared with a very sharp pore size distribution and used for direct contact membrane distillation to demonstrate one of the potential applications of this membrane. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

In this paper, a 0.15 /spl mu/m embedded DRAM technology is described which provides a cost-effective means of delivering high bandwidth, low power consumption, noise immunity, and a small foot print chip. The key technologies for high performance transistors are dual thickness gate oxide, dual work-function gate with Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ capped Ti polycide, and selective Co silicidation of source/drain diffusion by Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ liner. In order to increase the memory cell efficiency, all memory cell contacts in DRAM arrays are formed by self-aligned contact (SAC) etching. Low temperature Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ stacked cell capacitor with hemispherical grain (HSG) makes it possible to realize the sufficient storage capacitance in DRAM arrays and the high performance transistor. The CMP planarization of interlayer dielectric enlarges the depth of focus for lithography and enables the multilevel metallization. These integration technologies can be fairly extendible to the future embedded DRAM in 0.13 /spl mu/m technology node and beyond.

As the density of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) increases up to giga-bit regime, one of the important problems is the control of the process-induced defects and damage. Although the shallow trench isolation (STI) is widely used for deep submicron devices, it has a great possibility of generating STI dislocations due to its inherently large mechanical stress and damage. When STI dislocations are located within the depletion region of pn junction, anomalous junction leakage current could flow. This junction leakage current degrades the memory cell data retention time and the standby current of DRAM. We resolved the problems from STI dislocations as follows; the crystal defects and the mechanical stress were reduced by optimizing the implantation condition and the densification temperature of trench filled high-density plasma (HDP) oxide, respectively. In addition, the residual mechanical stress before source/drain implantation was relieved through rapid thermal nitridation (RTN). By using these methods, STI dislocations were successfully clamped outside the depletion region of pn junction.

We present a new approach of morphological transformation for effective proton transport within ionomers, even at partially hydrated states. Highly sulfonated poly(phenylene sulfide nitrile) (XESPSN) random network copolymers were synthesized as alternatives to state-of-the-art perfluorinated polymers such as Nafion®. A combination of thermal annealing and cross-linking, which was conducted at 250 °C by simple trimerisation of ethynyl groups at the chain termini, results in a morphological transformation. The resulting nanophase separation between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains forms well-connected hydrophilic nanochannels for dramatically enhanced proton conduction, even at partially hydrated conditions. For instance, the proton conductivity of XESPSN60 was 160% higher than that of Nafion® 212 at 80 °C and 50% relative humidity. The water uptake and dimensional swelling were also reduced and mechanical properties and oxidative stability were improved after three-dimensional network formation. The fuel cell performance of XESPSN membranes exhibited a significantly higher maximum power density than that of Nafion® 212 under partially hydrated environments.

The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of methylphenidate-osmotic release oral delivery system (MPH-OROS) treatment on parenting stress in parents of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Four hundred and ninety-five children and adolescents (391 boys and 104 girls), aged 7 to 18 years who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition criteria for ADHD, were recruited at 48 psychiatric outpatient clinics across South Korea. Children's symptoms, parenting stress, and parental depression were assessed at baseline, week 4, and week 8 of MPH-OROS treatment using the Korean version of the DuPaul's ADHD Rating Scale (ARS), the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Parenting Stress Index, Short Form (PSI-SF).We found significantly decreased scores of ARS, parental BDI, and PSI-SF from baseline to week 4 and from week 4 to week 8. Also, there were positive correlations among baseline PSI-SF, ARS, and BDI scores. The changes in BDI and ARS scores were significantly associated with the PSI score changes, accounting for 20.1% and 10.0%, respectively.We suggest that the increased parenting stress and depression in parents of children and adolescents with ADHD can be improved following the treatment with MPH-OROS.

Staphylococcus aureus produces a number of virulence factors. The major virulence factors exhibited by S aureus include various antigens, enzymes, cytotoxins and exotoxins (e.g. hemolysins, enterotoxins and toxic shock syndrome toxin). In this report, we show the influence of punicalagin on the secretion of exoprotein from S aureus by western blotting, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) release assay and quantitative RT-PCR. When added to S aureus cultures at an OD600 of 0.9, graded subinhibitory concentrations of punicalagin reduced the production of α-toxin, SEA and SEB in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a dose-dependent manner. Consistently, punicalagin reduced TNF-inducing activity by S aureus culture supernatants. Here, the transcriptional level of agr (accessory gene regulator) in S aureus was inhibited by punicalagin, suggesting that the reduced transcription may affect the secretion of exotoxins. These findings suggest that the expression of α-toxin and enterotoxins in S aureus is sensitive to the action of punicalagin, which may be an advantageous candidate in the treatment of toxigenic staphylococcal disease.

Due to the rapidly increasing global demands for alternative energy sources, thermoelectric materials are receiving great attention compare to other renewable energy sources due to the exhibiting excellent characteristic features such as no moving parts, silent, reliable, environment freely and minimum maintenance. TE devices are the semiconductor systems that can either directly convert thermal energy into electricity for power generation, or perform cooling or heating with electric power. So far, single (unidirectional) crystal growth techniques such as zone melting and czochralski were used to produce TE material in which the maximum ZT of TE materials almost unity ( ZT= 1) was obtained. However, these crystals having cleavages along the basal plane and got easily fractured. Nevertheless, improving mechanical properties was elusive so far due to exhibiting coarse grain size and gets easily fractured during the manufacturing. Recent studied showed that the powder metallurgy methods (PM) have been attaining best TE properties as well as mechanical properties. TE alloys by gas atomization is one of the well adopted processes, can easily make powders in large scale. In this research, we have fabricated thermoelectric alloys by gas atomization then subsequently consolidated by SPS. The phase analysis, and microstructure of powders and bulks were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy respectively. The temperature dependence of electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient were systematically investigated from room temperature to 500 K. The figure of merit, ZT is calculated from the measured Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity values.

Objective To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of Danggui Liuhuang Decoction (当归六黄汤) or Dangkwiyughwang-tang (DGLHT) water extract.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is recognized as a serious clinical problem worldwide. Consequently, a recent investigation was conducted on the antibacterial activity and aerial part of Kalimeris yomena Kitamura. The antibacterial activities of ethanol (EtOH) extract of K. yomena and its n-hexane, EtOAc, n-BuOH and H2O fractions were evaluated against 15 strains of MRSA and 1 standard methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) strain. The n-hexane fraction showed a positive antibacterial activity against all the tested strains. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of nhexane fraction were in the range of 31.3 to 250 μg/ml. The disc diffusion test diameter of the inhibition zone was in the range of 12 to 17 mm. Thereafter, the combination of n-hexane fraction of K. yomena (HFK) + ampicillin (AM) or oxacillin (OX), fractional inhibitory concentrations index (FICI) values for HFK + AM ranged between 0.25 and 0.5, and HFK + Ox ranged between 0.5 and 0.56, which show increased synergistic effects. Determining time-kill curves also confirmed the improved synergism of HFK and AM combination against 4, 8, 12 and 24 h cultured MRSA. This result encouraged us to think that n-hexane fraction of aerial part of K. yomena can be used as a natural antibacterial agent.

Heo Yongsuk (1897-1975) was the second female medical doctor to study Western medicine in a foreign country, the second female journalist, and the one of the representative 'new modern woman' in Korea. She is unfamiliar, however, to Korean people. Few historians of medicine and few researchers of the history of literature recall her for her own achievements, instead remembering her as a wife who saved her husband, Yi Gwangsu (1892~1950), the great novelist, from his dreadful tuberculosis. Removing her from the shadow of Yi Gwangsu, this paper tries to uncover her life and her contribution to Korean society during the Japanese colonial period. As a pioneer, she went to Japan to study medicine in 1914 for the purpose of breaking down the long-established custom of female patients, who abhorred showing their bodies to male doctors. After acquiring her license, she opened in Korea for women and children, though this clinic had a brief span of only two years owing to her devotion to caring for her husband as his disease worsened. She became a reporter in place of her husband for about two years. However, with her efforts, she gave women a considerable amount of useful medical information. She wrote many enlightening articles to awaken Korean women's 'nationalistic spirit' against Japanese colonial oppression. She is worthy of a favorable evaluation as the second female reporter and the first who specialized in medicine in the history of newspapers in Korea. As a 'new modern woman,' she presented her own thinking about the best role model for married females, by saying, "Be good mother and good wife in the family household, it is the best way to strengthen Korean race." When she became pregnant, she resigned her job as a reporter. She exerted herself by bringing up her children and nursing her sick husband, gaining fame as the representative of the conservative women's movement. Medical knowledge was always behind her various activities. She can be evaluated successfully as a medical doctor; after studying newly developed medical theory and skills for about two years in Japan, she established first the specialized hospital for delivery in 1937 and had great success. As a successful female doctor, she projected a positive image of a new modern woman who was loyal to her family household, unlike many famous modern females who pursued women's liberation during the Japanese colonial period.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical differences between early- and late-onset social anxiety disorder (SAD) in the Korean population.Three hundred and eighty-seven outpatients diagnosed with SAD participated in this study. Confirmation of SAD diagnosis was based on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. All subjects completed the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and anxiety-trait-related scales such as the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Retrospective Self-Report of Inhibition, Trait Form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory.The early-onset group (n = 209) consisted of subjects aged up to 18 years at the time of onset, whereas the late-onset group (n = 178) consisted of subjects older than 18 years at the time of onset. Early-onset SAD patients were more likely to have the generalized subtype and to visit clinics with chief complaints other than social anxiety symptoms. They exhibited more severe symptoms and higher behavioural inhibitions. After adjusting for age and symptom severity, behavioural inhibition was the only significant difference between the two groups. The degree of behavioural inhibitions was associated with earlier onset age.Symptom severity and behavioural inhibitions, especially in social/school situations, were clinical characteristics that differentiated between early- and late-onset SAD.

The thermal property of insulation material is essential in developing a high temperature superconductor (HTS) power cable operating at around liquid nitrogen temperature. The accurate estimate of the heat flux is difficult in the nonmetallic materials because nonmetallic materials have a high thermal resistance and low temperature gradient along the specimen. The objective of the present work is to develop a precise instrument for measuring the thermal conductivity of insulating materials over a temperature range of 30 K to approximately the room temperature by using a cryocooler. The thermal conductivity of Teflon is measured and the accuracy confirmation is carried out by comparing published data. In addition, the experimental results of apparent thermal conductivity of polypropylene laminated paper (PPLP) are presented and the temperature dependency is also discussed

This article has been removed: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy).This article has been removed at the request of the Executive Publisher.This article has been removed because it was published without the permission of the author(s).

The Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) has initiated the development of a 5 T high temperature superconductor (HTS) insert magnet system. The objective of the program is the design and fabrication of HTS insert magnet system for high field magnet applications. The primary requirement for the cryostat of the HTS insert magnet is to use the existing background magnet. The HTS magnet system therefore should be inserted into the conduction-cooled 15 T background magnet with 102 mm room-temperature bore. Consequently, several ancillary requirements such as space restriction and cryostat structure need technical attention. In this paper, the design of liquid helium cryostat for a 5 T HTS insert magnet is presented, taking into account cryogenic loads and inventory of cryogenic liquid. In addition, the structure of cryostat, minimizing unwanted heat flow from room-temperature to cryogenic-temperature, is described in detail. Based upon this design, the cryostat is fabricated and the performance of cryostat is discussed using the preliminary results of a cooling test.

Antimony-doped tin oxide films were prepared on Corning glass substrate by chemical vapor deposition from a gas mixture of SnCl4–SbCl5–H2O. The electrical conductivity and optical transmission of tin oxide films were studied with antimony doping. The film conductivity increased largely without losing optical transparency with a small addition of antimony. The increase of the conductivity was attributed mainly to more electrons donated by pentavalent Sb ions in the SnO2 lattice. Large additions of antimony, however, diminished the conductivity, optical transparency, and crystallinity of the film. The diminution was found to be caused by fine Sb2O5 phases codeposited with SnO2.

Objective This study was aimed to determine effectiveness and tolerability of Osmotic-controlled Release Oral delivery (OROS) methylphenidate (MPH) and its optimal dose administered openly over a period of up to 12 weeks in drug naïve Korean children with ADHD. Methods Subjects (n=143), ages 6 to 18-years, with a clinical diagnosis of any subtype of ADHD were recruited from 7 medical centers in Korea. An individualized dose of OROS-MPH was determined for each subject depending on the response criteria. The subjects were assessed with several symptom rating scales in week 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12. Results 77 of 116 subjects (66.4%) achieved the criteria for response and the average of optimal daily dose for response was to 30.05±12.52 mg per day (0.90±0.31 mg/kg/d) at the end of the study. Optimal dose was not significantly different between ADHD subtypes, whereas, significant higher dose was needed in older aged groups than younger groups. The average of optimal daily dose for response for the subjects aged above 12 years old was 46.38±15.52 per day (0.81±0.28 mg/kg/d) compared to younger groups (p

New monomers containing two or four pendent phenyl groups were synthesized by bromination of bis(4-fluorophenyl) sulfone, followed by Suzuki coupling with benzeneboronic acid. The resulting monomers were converted to the corresponding sulfonated monomers having two or four pendent sulfonic acid groups, predominately at the p-phenyl position. Aromatic nucleophilic substitution (SNAr) polycondensation using the di- and tetrasulfonated monomers provided sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymers S2-PAES-xx and S4-PAES-xx, respectively, where xx refers to the molar ratio of the sulfonated to non-sulfonated pendent phenyl monomer. Copoly(arylene ether sulfone)s based on the corresponding nonsulfonated monomers were also synthesized for a parallel study on postpolymerization sulfonation of these copolymers. Postsulfonation occurred predominately at the para-pendent phenyl site, and the reactions were complete within a short time (about 30 min), without evidence of chain degradation. Flexible and tough membranes having high mechanical strength were obtained by solution casting of all four series of copolymers. The copolymers with two or four pendent sulfonic acid groups had high proton conductivities in the range of 44-142 mS/cm for S2-PAES-xx and 51-158 mS/cm for S4-PAES-xx at room temperature, respectively. The methanol permeabilities of these copolymers were in the range of 0.8 x 10-8-15.0 x 10-7 cm2/s, which is lower than Nafion (16.7 x 10-7 cm2/s). The S4-PAES-xx membranes displayed better properties (lower water uptake and higher proton conductivities) than the S2-PAES-xx membranes, which can be attributed to the more blocky architecture of the sulfonic acid groups in the S4 membranes. A combination of high proton conductivities, low water uptake, and low methanol permeabilities for some of the obtained copolymers indicated that they are good candidate materials for proton exchange membrane in fuel cell applications.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a serious clinical urgent problem worldwide. Few new drugs are available against methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), because MRSA has the ability to acquire resistance to most antibiotics, which consequently increases the cost of medication. In the present study, the antibacterial activity of Euphorbia supina has been investigated. The antibacterial activities of EtOH extract of E. supina and its n-hexane, EtOAc, n-butanol and water fractions were evaluated against 6 strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus and 1 standard methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) strain by using the disc diffusion method, minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and colorimetric assay using 3- 4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test under dark and light intensity from 2,000 to 18,000 lux. Under dark, the n-hexane fraction of E. supina had a MIC of 31.25 μg/ml. Antimicrobial activity of all the fractions was remarkable especially under illumination from 14,000 to 16,000 lux. E. supine can be considered an alternative MRSA treatment. Key words: Euphorbia supina, milk purslane, antibacterial, methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA), light intensity.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) along with other resistant bacteria have become a significant social and clinical problem. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop bioactive compounds from natural products as alternatives to the very few antibiotics that remain effective. Recently, the efflux mechanism has been identified as the main contributor to antibiotic resistance in bacteria. This study therefore aimed to evaluate tetrandrine (TET), an efflux pump inhibitor (EPI), as a potential antibiotic against MRSA. We investigated the antimicrobial activity of TET against 17 MRSA strains, of which 3 selected strains were studied in further detail using a time-kill assay. When these bacterial strains (1 × 10(6) colony-forming units (cfu)/ml) were incubated with TET in a time-kill assay, log-scale bactericidal activity was observed, which lasted for 24 hr. In addition, TET exhibits a synergistic effect when combined with the multi-drug resistance (MDR)-efflux pump substrate ethidium bromide (EtBr). Structure-function studies of the antibiotic activity of TET in combination with EtBr may lead to the discovery of more effective efflux pump inhibitors.

A new bisphenol monomer, 9,9-bis(3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl) fluorene, was synthesized and polymerized to form fluorene-based poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymers containing tetra-methoxy groups (MPAES). After converting the methoxy group to the reactive hydroxyl group, the respective side-chain type sulfonated copolymers (SPAES) were obtained by sulfobutylation. The polymers were characterized by 1H NMR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), water uptake, and proton and methanol transport for fuel cell applications. These SPAES copolymers had good overall properties as polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) materials, having high proton conductivity in the range of 0.061-0.209 and 0.146- 0.365 S/cm at 30 and 80C (under hydrated conditions), respectively. SPAES-39 (IEC = 1.93 mequiv/g) showed higher or comparable proton conductivity than that of Nafion 117 at 50-95% RH (relative humidity). The methanol permeabilities of these membranes were in the range of 3.22 to 13.1 x 10-7 cm2/s, which is lower than Nafion (15.5 x 10-7 cm2/s). In comparison with some reported sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone)s containing pendent sulfophenyl groups, the present fluorene-based SPAES containing clustered flexible pendent aliphatic sulfonic acid groups displayed better properties, such as lower water uptake and higher proton conductivities. A combination of high proton conductivities, low water uptake, and low methanol permeabilities for selected SPAES indicates that they are good candidate proton exchange membrane materials for evaluation in fuel cell applications.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of Danggui Liuhuang Decoction () or Dangkwiyughwang-tang (DGLHT) water extract. METHODS: Effect of DGLHT on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of several pro-inflammatory mediators, including nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were examined by using enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. To determine the underlying mechanism of the inhibitory effects of DGLHT, the expression levels of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein, as well as iNOS, COX-2, and IL-6 mRNA levels were examined by Western blot and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells were also examined by Western blot. RESULTS: DGLHT inhibited LPS-induced production of NO, PGE(2), and IL-6 productions and the expressions of iNOS and COX-2. Furthermore, DGLHT suppressed LPS-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). CONCLUSIONS: DGLHT has inhibitory effects on the LPSinduced production of PGE(2), NO, and IL-6 and on the expressions of iNOS and COX-2 in murine macrophages. These anti-inflammatory effects occur through inhibition of MAPK phosphorylation.

Sanguinarine is a benzophenanthridine alkaloid derived from the root of Sanguinaria canadensis. It is known to perform a wide spectrum of biological activities. The aim of this study is to examine the antimicrobial actions of sanguinarine against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Sanguinarine antimicrobial activity was assessed by broth dilution method; its mechanism of action was investigated by bacteriolysis, detergent or ATPase inhibitors and transmission electron microscopy were used to monitor the survival characteristics and the changes in bacteria morphology. The activity of sanguinarine against MRSA strains ranged from 3.12 to 6.25 µg/ml, while the minimum inhibitory concentrations of the two reference strains are 3.12 µg/ml and 1.56 µg/ml. The treatment of the cells with sanguinarine induced the release of membrane-bound cell wall autolytic enzymes, which eventually resulted in lysis of the cell. The OD(600s) of the suspensions treated with the combination of Tris-(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane and Triton X-100 with sanguinarine were reduced to 40% and 8%, respectively. Transmission electron microsco-py of MRSA treated with sanguinarine showed alterations in septa formation. The predisposition of lysis and the altered morphology seen by transmission electron microscopy suggest that sanguinarine compromises the cytoplasmic membrane.

Sinomenine is an alkaloid compound and a prominent anti-allergic agent found in the root of the climbing plant Sinomenium acutum. However, its effects on the bone marrow-derived mast cell (BMMC) mediated allergy and inflammation mechanism remain unknown. In this study, the biological effects of sinomenine were evaluated while focusing on its effects on the allergic mediator in PMA plus A23187-stimulated BMMCs. An investigation was also conducted to determine its effects on the production of several allergic mediators including interleukin-6 (IL-6), prostaglandin D(2) (PGD(2)), leukotriene C(4) (LTC(4)), β-Hexosaminidase (β-Hex), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein. The results revealed that sinomenine inhibited the PMA plus A23187-induced production of IL-6, PGD(2), LTC(4), β-Hex, and COX-2 protein. Taken together, these findings indicate that sinomenine has the potential for use in the treatment of allergy.

To determine the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of methyl gallate (MG) isolated from Galla Rhois, MG was studied in vivo for its analgesic activities using the writhing response in mice. Anti-inflammatory activity of MG was evaluated for NO and IL-6 production in RAW 264.7 cells. MG inhibited LPS-induced NO and IL-6 production. Consistent with these observations, the protein and mRNA expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were inhibited by MG. Moreover, MG suppressed the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, the results of this study indicate that MG has anti-inflammatory effects.

Antimony-doped tin oxide films were prepared on Corning glass substrate by chemical vapor deposition from a gas mixture of SnCl4–SbCl5–H2O. The electrical conductivity and optical transmission of tin oxide films were studied with antimony doping. The film conductivity increased largely without losing optical transparency with a small addition of antimony. The increase of the conductivity was attributed mainly to more electrons donated by pentavalent Sb ions in the SnO2 lattice. Large additions of antimony, however, diminished the conductivity, optical transparency, and crystallinity of the film. The diminution was found to be caused by fine Sb2O5 phases codeposited with SnO2.

Platycodon grandiflorum (Campanulaceae) is used as traditional medicine in Asian countries. In Korean traditional medicine, Platycodon root has been widely used since ancient times as a traditional drug to treat cold, cough and asthma. However, its effects on bone marrow-derived mast cell (BMMC)-mediated allergy and inflammation mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, the biological effect of Platycodon root ethanol extract (PE) was evaluated in BMMC after induction of allergic mediators by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) plus calcium ionophore A23187 (A23187) stimulation. The effect of PE on the production of several allergic mediators, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), prostaglandin D(2) (PGD(2)), leukotriene C(4) (LTC(4)), beta-Hexosaminidase (beta-Hex) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein, was investigated. The results demonstrate that PE inhibits PMA + A23187 induced production of IL-6, PGD(2), LTC(4), beta-Hexosaminidase and COX-2 protein. Taken together, these results indicate that PE has the potential for use in the treatment of allergy.

Ecklonia cava is a brown alga (Laminariales, Phaeophyta) growing on the subtidal rocky shores of Korea. It has antioxidant, antidiarrhea, and anticoagulant effects. In this study, the antimicrobial activity of E. cava EtOH extract and its fractions (n-hexane, CH2Cl2, EtOAc, n-BuOH, and H2O) were investigated against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. The E. cava EtOAc fraction showed good antibacterial activity against all bacteria. Eckol isolated from E. cava EtOAc fraction showed antimicrobial activity against all the tested strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration of eckol against S. aureus strains ranged from 125 to 250 microg/mL and 125 to 250 microg/mL for Salmonella strains. The fraction inhibitory concentration index of eckol in combination with ampicillin ranged from 0.31 to 0.5, indicating remarkable synergism against S. aureus. However, against Salmonella gallinarum ATCC 9184 and Salmonella typhimurium, it ranges from 0.75 to 1.0. The combinations of eckol + ampicillin exhibited improved inhibition of S. aureus and Salmonella with synergy or additive effect. We suggest that eckol ingredients of the E. cava against S. aureus and Salmonella have antibacterial activity.

Smallanthus sonchifolius (yacon) is a perennial plant mostly cultivated in South America, primarily for use of the tubers as a food crop and the leaves as fodder for livestock. The antibacterial activities of the methanol extract of yacon leaves (S. sonchifolius) and its n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water fractions were evaluated against 6 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 1 standard methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) strain by using the disc diffusion method and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) assay in the presence and absence of light. No activity was detected when the two methods were performed without light; however, under illumination at 4000 lux, the n-hexane fraction of yacon (HFY) had a MIC of 15.6 microg/ml. HFYL, prepared by exposure of HFY to 4000 lux for 18 h, was more effective than HFY in terms of antimicrobial activity against the 6 MRSA strains and 1 standard MSSA strain. HFYL mixed with ampicillin or oxacillin showed a synergistic effect with all fractional inhibitory concentrations values being below 0.5. The present study demonstrates the enhancement and antimicrobial activity of yacon leaves against MRSA in the presence of light.

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether attention deficits contribute to dysfunctional facial emotion recognition in boys with ADHD. The first hypothesis was that ADHD patients would commit more errors in facial emotion recognition than the control group. The second hypothesis was that attention deficits, which were measured by a computerized continuous performance test (CPT), would be responsible for the errors in facial emotion recognition in boys with ADHD. A revised emotional recognition test (ERT) was used to assess the subjects' ability to recognize emotions. The ADHD diagnostic system (ADS), a computerized continuous performance test (CPT), was used to evaluate attention performance. Subjects with ADHD showed significantly lower scores of contextual understanding than the controls (t=-2.569, df=67, P=0.012). Among age, IQ, and ADS scores, only the score of omission errors on the ADS accounted significantly for the score of contextual understanding in ADHD (effect size 3.4%, P

Salmonella remains a primary cause of food poisoning worldwide, and massive outbreaks have been witnessed in recent years. Therefore, this study investigated the antimicrobial activity of methyl gallate (MG), which exhibited good antibacterial activity (MIC=3.9-125 mg/ml) against all the bacterial strains tested. In a checkerboard dilution test, MG markedly lowered the MICs of ciprofloxacin (CPFX) against Salmonella. The combined activity of CPFX and MG against Salmonella resulted in fractional inhibitory concentrations (FICs) ranging from 0.0037 to 0.015 and from 0.24 to 7.8 mg/ml, respectively. Meanwhile, the FIC index ranged from 0.31-0.37, indicating a marked synergistic relationship between CPFX and MG against Salmonella. Time-kill assays also showed a decrease in the CFU/ml between the combination and the more active compound. Therefore, this study demonstrated that MG and CPFX can act synergistically in inhibiting Salmonella in vitro.