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This study was conducted to determine suppression of the anthracnose fungus (Colletotrichum coccodes), causing disease in persimmon trees (Diospyros kaki Thunb), by (1) extracts from various parts of 45 plant species from 27 families obtained using different extraction methods, and (2) selected plant extracts and emulsifiers. Fermentation extracts of Torilis japonica roots and Portulaca oleracea, all above ground parts, as well as ethanol extracts of Rheum palmatum roots and Cinnamomum cassia barks were found to effectively suppress anthracnose, leading to 83%, or more, suppression by 10% plant extracts in laboratory tests. Additionally, anthracnose was suppressed by 100% by 3% brown rice vinegar, 3% powder soap, 5% loess sulphur, and by 5% natural emulsifier-B in a laboratory test. In the field trial with organically grown persimmon trees, treatments with plant extracts used on their own, resulted a reduction of anthracnose by 63% and 51% by 5% fermentation extract of T. japonica and 5% ethanol extract of R. palmatum, respectively, compared with a control. However, in treatments with combinations of plant extracts and emulsifiers, anthracnose was reduced by 79%, 67%, 63% and 56% when treated with 5% fermentation extract of T. japonica + natural emulsifier-B (1%), 5% fermentation extract of T. japonica + loess sulphur (1%), 5% ethanol extract of R. palmatum + natural emulsifier-B (1%), and 5% ethanol extract of R. palmatum + loess sulphur (1%), respectively, compared with the control. Thus, mixtures of plant extracts and emulsifiers may be used to control anthracnose in organic production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature programmed reduction (TPR) method was introduced to analyze the structural change and thermal stability of LixCoO2 (LCO) cathode material. The reduction peaks of delithiated LCO clearly represented the different phases of LCO. The reduction peak at a temperature below 250 °C can be attributed to the transformation of CoO2-like to Co3O4-like phase which is similar reduction patterns of CoO2 phase resulting from delithiation of LCO structure. The 2nd reduction peak at 300~375 °C corresponds to the reduction of Co3O4-like phase to CoO-like phase. TPR results indicate the thermal instability of delithiated LCO driven by CoO2-like phase on the surface of the delithiated LCO. In the TPR kinetics, the activation energies (Ea) obtained for as-synthesized LCO were 105.6 and 82.7 kJ mol-1 for Tm-H1 and Tm-H2, respectively, whereas Ea for the delithiated LCO were 93.2, 124.1 and 216.3 kJ mol-1 for Tm-L1, Tm-L2 and Tm-L3, respectively. As a result, the TPR method enables to identify the structural changes and thermal stability of each phase and effectively characterize the distinctive thermal behavior between assynthesized and delithiated LCO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The choice of a production philosophy by a manufacturing company is important. Costs for holding inventory and costs for missing due-dates on customer orders are key components of overall profitability. In this paper, an optimization model of a new, yet simple, kind of horizontally integrated push/pull hybrid production system (HIHPS) is formulated that resolves the tradeoff between these two important cost components. At optimum, it will suggest either an allpush, all-pull, or a mixed operation configuration. A mixed system would be comprised of push stations followed by a cache of semi-finished product (SFP), followed by pull stations. An exact analytical solution of HIHPS is derived for the automated (low variability) case. A modification of the simulated annealing algorithm is presented to conduct the optimization search. Results of a case study are used to demonstrate the methodology and validate the model's predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, deadlock issue has received considerable attention in the real-time control realm of automated manufacturing system (AMS). In this paper, we propose a simple and easily adaptable deadlock avoidance algorithm using a graph theoretic approach. Unlike Petri-net based methods which are complex and static from the viewpoint that once they are constructed and implemented, it is not easy to modify them as the system configuration is changed, and operate them coupled with other shop-floor control modules such as a dispatching controller, our algorithm can be used cooperatively with a dispatching controller and expanded with little modification. The core of the algorithm consists of two modules: resource allocation policy and a cycle detection method. In particular, the resource allocation policy is of importance in our algorithm because even though the cycle detection method is employed, deadlock may occur under wrong resource allocation policies. Throughout this paper, we propose a quasi two-step resource allocation policy with which our deadlock avoidance algorithm can detect and avoid deadlock just one step before deadlock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the nonlinear simulations of the two-dimensional forced-damped Hasegawa-Mima equation, we show that a Reynolds number-like parameter, Rew, can represent a power law exponent of the energy spectrum in Hasegawa-Mima turbulence. Rew is defined as the ratio of nonlinear convection to dissipation. For a same value of Rew, the power law exponent in the inertial range is shown to be uniquely determined regardless of the forcing and dissipation conditions. At high Rew, the power law exponent asymptotically converges to -7.2, consistent with a recent theoretical prediction based on the shell model [Gürcan et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 52, 045002 (2010)]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the independent impact of prepregnancy obesity on preterm delivery among women without chronic diseases by gestational age, preterm category and parity.Design: A retrospective cohort study.Setting: Data from the Consortium on Safe Labor (CSL) in the USA (2002-08).Population: Singleton deliveries at ≥23 weeks of gestation in the CSL (43 200 nulliparas and 63 129 multiparas) with a prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) ≥18.5 kg/m2 and without chronic diseases.Methods: Association of prepregnancy BMI and the risk of preterm delivery was examined using Poisson regression with normal weight as reference.Main Outcome Measures: Preterm deliveries were categorised by gestational age (extremely, very, moderate to late) and category (spontaneous, indicated, no recorded indication).Results: Relative risk of spontaneous preterm delivery was increased for extremely preterm among obese nulliparas (1.26, 95% CI: 0.94-1.70 for overweight; 1.88, 95% CI: 1.30-2.71 for obese class I; 1.99, 95% CI: 1.32-3.01 for obese class II/III) and decreased for moderate to late preterm delivery among overweight and obese multiparas (0.90, 95% CI: 0.83-0.97 for overweight; 0.87, 95% CI: 0.78-0.97 for obese class I; 0.79, 95% CI: 0.69-0.90 for obese class II/III). Indicated preterm delivery risk was increased with prepregnancy BMI in a dose-response manner for extremely preterm and moderate to late preterm among nulliparas, as it was for moderate to late preterm delivery among multiparas.Conclusions: Prepregnancy BMI was associated with increased risk of preterm delivery even in the absence of chronic diseases, but the association was heterogeneous by preterm categories, gestational age and parity.Tweetable Abstract: Obese nulliparas without chronic disease had higher risk for spontaneous delivery <28 weeks of gestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the enhancement of ferroelectric properties in vanadium-doped Bi[sub 4]Ti[sub 3]O[sub 12] (BIT) thin films deposited by a sol-gel method. Compared to the undoped BIT, V-doped BIT (BTV) showed higher polarizations and a better fatigue resistance as reported in ceramic systems recently [Noguchi et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 78, 1903 (2001)]. BTV showed a remanent polarization (2P[sub r]) of 15.9 µC/cm², higher than the value for BIT, 12.5 µC/cm². The polarization of the BTV thin film capacitor decreased by 19%, while that of the BIT decreased by 23% after the fatigue test with 4 × 10[sup 10] switching cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the effect of a frequency selective surface (FSS) composed of a regular array of square loop elements on the absorption properties of grounded ferrite composites. Polymer matrix composites of CoZnW hexaferrite powders having small magnetic loss were used as the substrate material. Computational tools were used to model the interaction between electromagnetic waves and materials and determine the reflection coefficient. Reflection loss and bandwidth were greatly improved by attaching an FSS with controlled electrical resistance (R) onto the grounded ferrite composites. For the FSS with R = 800 Ω, the minimum reflection loss decreased to -25 dB at 10 GHz and the bandwidth was broadened to 7.5-12.5 GHz with respect to -10 dB reflection loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, electroless Ni-P plating was applied to Bi-Te-based thermoelectric materials as a barrier layer and the effect of the Ni-P plating on the bonding strength of the thermoelectric module was investigated. The bonding strength of the n- and p-type modules increased after being subjected to the electroless Ni-P plating treatment. In the case of the thermoelectric module that was not subjected to electroless Ni-P plating, Sn and Te were interdiffused and formed a brittle Sn-Te-based metallic compound. The shearing mostly occurred on the bonding interface where such an intermetallic compound was formed. On the other hands, it was found from the FE-EPMA analysis of the bonding interface of thermoelectric module subjected to electroless Ni-P plating that the electroless Ni-P plating acted as an anti-diffusion layer, preventing the interdiffusion of Sn and Te. Therefore, by forming such an anti-diffusion layer on the surface of the Bi-Te based thermoelectric element, the bonding strength of the thermoelectric module could be increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To evaluate the neurosensory outcome of management of damaged inferior alveolar nerves caused by endodontic overfilling and to assess the efficacy of delayed surgical intervention. Methodology Nine patients who underwent surgical removal of extruded endodontic material were included. All patients were evaluated for neurosensory function using a set of standardized tests. The outcome of surgical intervention was evaluated through patient interview and quantitative statistical analysis. Results Surgical procedures included foreign body removal, microsurgical external/internal decompression, excision of neuroma followed by nerve repair, and excision of damaged nerve segment with interpositional nerve graft. Seven of the nine patients had significant improvement according to the follow-up neurosensory assessment. Four patients reported significant improvement, three patients reported mild improvement and two patients reported no appreciable improvement in the Visual Analog Scale ( VAS). Two patients who reported no appreciable improvement in VAS also did not achieve FSR. In these patients, calcium hydroxide was spread widely along the IAN and a surgical approach was obtained via sagittal spit osteotomy. The mean time to reach FSR was 222.7 (±41.8) days with a range of 106-397 days. In the early repair group who received surgery within 60 days, three out of five patients achieved FSR in a mean time of 198.0 (±76.2) days. The mean time to FSR in all four subjects who received surgical attention over 60 days after injury was 241.3 (±139.8) days with a range of 106-397 days. As all four cases in the late repair group with limited amount of nerve injury achieved FSR, only 3 of 5 early repair cases with wide-spread injury achieved a similar outcome. Conclusion The results of this case series confirmed the notion that surgical management of the inferior alveolar nerve is effective in the treatment of nerve injuries caused by endodontic extrusion of calcium hydroxide paste. Delayed surgical repair of the inferior alveolar nerve can be indicated and helpful for the neurosensory recovery of damaged IAN, however, the surgical management was less effective in case of widespread nerve injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichomonas vaginalis (Tv) has been found in patient tissue of benign prostatic hyperplasia ( BPH), and suggested to cause chronic prostatitis. IL-6 is known as one of the important factors of chronic inflammation in prostate cancer. Patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome ( CP/ CPPS) had higher levels of IL-6 in seminal plasma. Furthermore, inflammatory conditions induced by pathogen infections have been shown to promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition ( EMT). Here, we investigated the signals involved in IL-6 production by human prostate epithelial cells ( PECs) stimulated with Tv and examined whether Tv induces EMT in PECs. We found that PECs stimulated with Tv increased the production of IL-6, as well as the expression of TLR2, TLR4, MAPKs (p38, JNK, ERK), NF-κB and JAK2/ STAT3, and levels of ROS. Inhibition of TLR2 or TLR4 reduced IL-6 production as well as expression of these other factors, and agents inhibiting ROS, MAPKs, NF-κB and JAK reduced IL-6 production. However, when PECs were stimulated with Tv, transcripts of mesenchymal cell markers increased, and epithelial cell markers decreased. In addition, the induction of EMT was suppressed by inhibitors of JAK or NF-κB. These findings are the first evidence that Tv infection of prostate epithelial cells may induce EMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on a study which observed the precipitation of metal silicides in Czochralski silicon crystals contaminated with 3d transition metals. Background on 3d transition-metal silicides; Preparation of the crystals; Description of the crystal's growth.