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The hippocampus and parahippocampal region are essential for representing episodic memories involving various spatial locations and objects, and for using those memories for future adaptive behavior. The “dual‐stream model” was initially formulated based on anatomical characteristics of the medial temporal lobe, dividing the parahippocampal region into two streams that separately process and relay spatial and nonspatial information to the hippocampus. Despite its significance, the dual‐stream model in its original form cannot explain recent experimental results, and many researchers have recognized the need for a modification of the model. Here, we argue that dividing the parahippocampal region into spatial and nonspatial streams a priori may be too simplistic, particularly in light of ambiguous situations in which a sensory cue alone (e.g., visual scene) may not allow such a definitive categorization. Upon reviewing evidence, including our own, that reveals the importance of goal‐directed behavioral responses in determining the relative involvement of the parahippocampal processing streams, we propose the Goal‐directed Interaction of Stimulus and Task‐demand (GIST) model. In the GIST model, input stimuli such as visual scenes and objects are first processed by both the postrhinal and perirhinal cortices—the postrhinal cortex more heavily involved with visual scenes and perirhinal cortex with objects—with relatively little dependence on behavioral task demand. However, once perceptual ambiguities are resolved and the scenes and objects are identified and recognized, the information is then processed through the medial or lateral entorhinal cortex, depending on whether it is used to fulfill navigational or non‐navigational goals, respectively. As complex sensory stimuli are utilized for both navigational and non‐navigational purposes in an intermixed fashion in naturalistic settings, the hippocampus may be required to then put together these experiences into a coherent map to allow flexible cognitive operations for adaptive behavior to occur.

Theoretical models and experimental evidence have suggested that connections from the dentate gyrus (DG) to CA3 play important roles in representing orthogonal information (i.e., pattern separation) in the hippocampus. However, the effects of eliminating the DG on neural firing patterns in the CA3 have rarely been tested in a goal-directed memory task that requires both the DG and CA3. In this study, selective lesions in the DG were made using colchicine in male Long–Evans rats, and single units from the CA3 were recorded as the rats performed visual scene memory tasks. The original scenes used in training were altered during testing by blurring to varying degrees or by using visual masks, resulting in maximal recruitment of the DG–CA3 circuits. Compared with controls, the performance of rats with DG lesions was particularly impaired when blurred scenes were used in the task. In addition, the firing rate modulation associated with visual scenes in these rats was significantly reduced in the single units recorded from the CA3 when ambiguous scenes were presented, largely because DG-deprived CA3 cells did not show stepwise, categorical rate changes across varying degrees of scene ambiguity compared with controls. These findings suggest that the DG plays key roles not only during the acquisition of scene memories but also during retrieval when modified visual scenes are processed in conjunction with the CA3 by making the CA3 network respond orthogonally to ambiguous scenes.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTDespite the behavioral evidence supporting the role of the dentate gyrus in pattern separation in the hippocampus, the underlying neural mechanisms are largely unknown. By recording single units from the CA3 in DG-lesioned rats performing a visual scene memory task, we report that the scene-related modulation of neural firing was significantly reduced in the DG-lesion rats compared with controls, especially when the original scene stimuli were ambiguously altered. Our findings suggest that the dentate gyrus plays an essential role during memory retrieval and performs a critical computation to make categorical rate modulation occur in the CA3 between different scenes, especially when ambiguity is present in the environment.

Although pain-related excessive fear is known to be a key factor in chronic pain disability, which involves the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), little is known about the downstream circuits of the ACC for fear avoidance in pain processing. Using behavioral experiments and functional magnetic resonance imaging with optogenetics at 15.2 T, we demonstrate that the ACC is a part of the abnormal circuit changes in chronic pain and its downstream circuits are closely related to modulating sensorimotor integration and generating active movement rather than carrying sensory information. The projection from the ACC to the dorsolateral and lateral parts of the periaqueductal gray (dl/lPAG) especially enhances both reflexive and active avoidance behavior toward pain. Collectively, our results indicate that increased signals from the ACC to the dl/lPAG might be critical for excessive fear avoidance in chronic pain disability.

AlGaN channel transistors are promising candidates for high power RF transistors due to their superior material properties. The larger breakdown field and similar saturation velocity compared to GaN make AlGaN channel transistors potentially capable of delivering higher power density at high frequencies. So far the highest reported $\mathrm{f}_{\mathrm{T}}$ is 28 GHz on Al 0.85 Ga 0.15 N/Al 0.70 Ga 0.30 N transistors with RF power density of 0.3 W/mm at 3 GHz [1]. The major obstacle to achieve high RF performance is the challenge to form good ohmic contacts to Al-rich AlGaN. Here, we show significantly better small and large signal RF performance than what have been reported on high Al-composition AlGaN transistors with regrown side contacts.

A cyclocopter is a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that has cycloidal blade systems that consist of several blades rotating about a horizontal axis. The cycloidal blade system allows changes in direction and magnitude of the generated thrust. This paper describes the design and experimental studies of a 110 kg cyclocopter having two cycloidal blade system rotors and one tail propeller rotor powered by a 300-cm3-class rotary engine. The tail rotor generates pitching motion and compensates for the torque generated by the front two rotors. The upward thrust direction of the tail rotor provides 10% of the lifting force. The design thrust of the cycloidal blade system rotor is estimated in analytical and numerical analyses. An accurate analytical aerodynamic model is developed. The analytically estimated results have a trend similar to that of computational fluid dynamics analysis. Both analysis results match well with the results of a ground test. The onboard flight control computer system has two embed...

Few methods are available to regenerate articular cartilage defects in patients with osteoarthritis. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of articular cartilage regeneration by a novel medicinal product composed of allogeneic human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs). Patients with Kellgren-Lawrence grade 3 osteoarthritis and International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grade 4 cartilage defects were enrolled in this clinical trial. The stem cell-based medicinal product (a composite of culture-expanded allogeneic hUCB-MSCs and hyaluronic acid hydrogel [Cartistem]) was applied to the lesion site. Safety was assessed by the World Health Organization common toxicity criteria. The primary efficacy outcome was ICRS cartilage repair assessed by arthroscopy at 12 weeks. The secondary efficacy outcome was visual analog scale (VAS) score for pain on walking. During a 7-year extended follow-up, we evaluated safety, VAS score, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, and histological evaluations. Seven participants were enrolled. Maturing repair tissue was observed at the 12-week arthroscopic evaluation. The VAS and IKDC scores were improved at 24 weeks. The improved clinical outcomes were stable over 7 years of follow-up. The histological findings at 1 year showed hyaline-like cartilage. MRI at 3 years showed persistence of the regenerated cartilage. Only five mild to moderate treatment-emergent adverse events were observed. There were no cases of osteogenesis or tumorigenesis over 7 years. The application of this novel stem cell-based medicinal product appears to be safe and effective for the regeneration of durable articular cartilage in osteoarthritic knees.

The pie-crusting method is popular in releasing lateral tightness during primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) but is not well described for medial release. We established a selective medial release technique using the pie-crusting technique and investigated the effectiveness and safety of the technique during primary TKA.We retrospectively reviewed 729 primary TKAs with varus deformity between October 2009 and June 2012. Medial tightness in flexion was released by traditional subperiosteal stripping for the anterior portion of the medial collateral ligament (aMCL). Medial tightness in extension was released by the pie crusting for the tight fibers in the posterior portion of the MCL and/or posteromedial corner structures (pMCL/PMCS). Clinical outcomes were evaluated by Knee Society (KS) scores and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. Any complications, including late medial instability that may be related to our surgical technique, were carefully inspected.Among the 729 knees, 170 (23.3%) required subperiosteal stripping for balancing in flexion only, 186 (25.5%) required the pie-crusting for balancing in extension only and 142 (19.5%) required subperiosteal stripping and the pie-crusting for balancing in flexion and extension. The KS knee score was improved from 52.5 to 83.4, KS function score from 58.2 to 91.9, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index from 42.7 to 21.8 (P.001, all). No specific complications related to our technique were identified.The selective medial release technique appears to be an effective and safe method to obtain a balanced mediolateral gap in primary TKA.

The hippocampus plays critical roles in both object‐based event memory and spatial navigation, but it is largely unknown whether the left and right hippocampi play functionally equivalent roles in these cognitive domains. To examine the hemispheric symmetry of human hippocampal functions, we used an fMRI scanner to measure BOLD activity while subjects performed tasks requiring both object‐based event memory and spatial navigation in a virtual environment. Specifically, the subjects were required to form object‐place paired associate memory after visiting four buildings containing discrete objects in a virtual plus maze. The four buildings were visually identical, and the subjects used distal visual cues (i.e., scenes) to differentiate the buildings. During testing, the subjects were required to identify one of the buildings when cued with a previously associated object, and when shifted to a random place, the subject was expected to navigate to the previously chosen building. We observed that the BOLD activity foci changed from the left hippocampus to the right hippocampus as task demand changed from identifying a previously seen object (object‐cueing period) to searching for its paired‐associate place (object‐cued place recognition period). Furthermore, the efficient retrieval of object‐place paired associate memory (object‐cued place recognition period) was correlated with the BOLD response of the left hippocampus, whereas the efficient retrieval of relatively pure spatial memory (spatial memory period) was correlated with the right hippocampal BOLD response. These findings suggest that the left and right hippocampi in humans might process qualitatively different information for remembering episodic events in space. © 2016 The Authors Hippocampus Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In this paper, we verified accuracy of the satellite based augmentation system (SBAS) tropospheric delay correction model for the Korean region. We employed the precise data of the tropospheric zenith path delay (ZPD) which is provided by the international GNSS service (IGS). In addition, we compared the verification results with that of the Saastamoinen model and the Hopfield model. Consequently, the bias residual error of the SBAS tropospheric delay correction model is about 50 mm, whereas the Saastamoinen model and the Hopfield model are more accurate. This residual error by the tropospheric delay model can affect the SBAS user position accuracy, but there is no problem in SBAS accuracy requirement. If we modified the meteorological parameters for SBAS tropospheric model to appropriate in Korean weather environment, we can provide better SBAS service to the Korean user.

Recent interest in the heterogeneous integration of two-dimensional (2D) materials with three-dimensional (3D) semiconductors has resulted in the implementation of direct heteroepitaxial growth via various epitaxy techniques. In this study, we demonstrated the synthesis of wafer-scale direct growth of GaN on MoS2 using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Systematic studies were employed to understand the growth diagram of GaN on large area multi-layer MoS2, and various growth parameters such as substrate temperature and Ga to N flux ratio were investigated to study the degradation mechanism of the underlying MoS2 layer. The growth diagram of GaN on MoS2 was proposed based on the studies. The microstructure of GaN (i.e., N-rich and 550 °C) was evaluated by scanning transmission electron microscopy. Phase segregation was found in the N-rich GaN layer. A two-step growth process involving N-rich condition at a lower temperature and Ga-rich condition at a higher growth temperature was attempted to obtain the smooth and high crystalline quality of GaN. While the two-step growth method led to substantial improvement in the film quality, the removal of MoS2 was observed and the degradation of MoS2 substrate was attributed to Ga diffusion through dislocation lines based on energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy mapping. This work helps illuminate critical issues in the epitaxial growth of conventional semiconductors on 2D crystals for various device applications.

A handover (HO) is an important procedure used to maintain connectivity in mobile networks. Nevertheless, it is not sufficient when a user equipment associates with a certain base station for a very short period. In this letter, we propose an estimated time-of-stay-based cell selection (ETCS) scheme to minimize the number of unnecessary HOs that adversely affect the performance of heterogeneous mobile networks. We analyzed the performance of the proposed ETCS scheme and compared it with that of the conventional cell selection scheme. The results show that the ETCS scheme significantly reduces the number of unnecessary HOs. Therefore, we can expect reduced network overhead for system information acquisitions, HO preparations, and mobility managements using the proposed scheme.

This study was carried out to assess the feasibility of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) in articular cartilage repair and to further determine a suitable delivering hydrogel in a rat model. Critical sized full thickness cartilage defects were created. The hUCB-MSCs and three different hydrogel composites (hydrogel A; 4% hyaluronic acid/30% pluronic (1:1, v/v), hydrogel B; 4% hyaluronic acid, and hydrogel C; 4% hyaluronic acid/30% pluronic/chitosan (1:1:2, v/v)) were implanted into the experimental knee (right knee) and hydrogels without hUCB-MSCs were implanted into the control knee (left knee). Defects were evaluated after 8 weeks. The hUCB-MSCs with hydrogels composites resulted in a better repair as seen by gross and histological evaluation compared with hydrogels without hUCB-MSCs. Among the three different hydrogels, the 4% hyaluronic acid hydrogel composite (hydrogel B) showed the best result in cartilage repair as seen by the histological evaluation compared with the other hydrogel composites (hydrogel A and C). The results of this study suggest that hUCB-MSCs may be a promising cell source in combination with 4% hyaluronic acid hydrogels in the in vivo repair of cartilage defects.

Monolayer van der Waals (vdW) magnets provide an exciting opportunity for exploring two-dimensional (2D) magnetism for scientific and technological advances, but the intrinsic ferromagnetism has only been observed at low temperatures. Here, we report the observation of room temperature ferromagnetism in manganese selenide (MnSe$_x$) films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Magnetic and structural characterization provides strong evidence that in the monolayer limit, the ferromagnetism originates from a vdW manganese diselenide (MnSe$_2$) monolayer, while for thicker films it could originate from a combination of vdW MnSe$_2$ and/or interfacial magnetism of $\alpha$-MnSe(111). Magnetization measurements of monolayer MnSe$_x$ films on GaSe and SnSe$_2$ epilayers show ferromagnetic ordering with large saturation magnetization of ~ 4 Bohr magnetons per Mn, which is consistent with density functional theory calculations predicting ferromagnetism in monolayer 1T-MnSe$_2$. Growing MnSe$_x$ films on GaSe up to high thickness (~ 40 nm) produces $\alpha$-MnSe(111), and an enhanced magnetic moment (~ 2x) compared to the monolayer MnSe$_x$ samples. Detailed structural characterization by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) reveal an abrupt and clean interface between GaSe(0001) and $\alpha$-MnSe(111). In particular, the structure measured by STEM is consistent with the presence of a MnSe$_2$ monolayer at the interface. These results hold promise for potential applications in energy efficient information storage and processing.

In this Letter, we demonstrate a Pt/BaTiO3/Al0.58Ga0.42N lateral heterojunction diode with enhanced breakdown characteristics. By using BaTiO3, a high-k material, as a dielectric material between the anode and semiconductor, the peak electric field at the anode edge near the cathode was significantly reduced and an average breakdown field exceeding 8 MV/cm was achieved for devices with an anode to cathode spacing of

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of soy sauce on volatile compounds and lipid oxidation of cooked irradiated beef patties. Sulfur-containing volatile components, which are produced by irradiation, were not found in all treatments. Volatile components derived from soy sauce, such as 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, acetic acid, 3-methyl-1-butanol and 2-methyl-1-butanol, were detected in beef patties containing soy sauce regardless of irradiation and packaging method. Volatile aldehydes, including hexanal, significantly decreased the irradiated beef patty prepared with soy sauce compared to those of irradiated beef patty made with NaCl at 1 day and 5 days after irradiation. In addition, combined use of vacuum packaging and soy sauce treatments could inhibit the formation of volatile compounds and 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances during chilled storage. Therefore, the use of soy sauce in cooked and irradiated beef could reduce the production of volatile components associated with the irradiation-induced off-flavor and lipid oxidation.

The application of ganghwa mugwort (GM), ascorbic acid (AC), and their combinations for reduction of residual nitrite contents was analyzed in pork sausages during storage of 28 d. Six treatments of pork sausages contained the following: Control (no antioxidant added), AC (0.05% AC), GM 0.1 (0.1% GM), GM 0.2 (0.2% GM), AC+GM 0.1 (0.05% AC + 0.1% GM) and AC+GM 0.2 (0.05% AC + 0.2% GM). Results showed that the mixture of 0.05% AC and 0.2% GM was most effective for reducing thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and residual nitrite contents than the control and GM added sausages alone (p0.05). Our results showed possible applications of antioxidant combination, for preventing the lipid oxidation and decreasing the residual nitrite levels of meat products.

An Al0.75Ga0.25N/Al0.6Ga0.4N heterostructure field effect transistor with graded MBE-regrown contacts is designed, grown, and fabricated on AlN/sapphire substrate. Maximum drain current density (ID,max) of 460 mA mm−1 was obtained on transistors with gate length of 130 nm. The small signal measurement shows current/power gain cutoff frequency (fT/fmax) of 40 GHz/58 GHz, respectively. Parasitic resistance is found to be a significant factor limiting the frequency performance of the devices. The high frequency performance of devices with high Al concentration AlGaN channel demonstrate potential for high power and high frequency applications.

Background We were not aware of a well-validated patellofemoral joint-specific scoring system. We performed this study to develop and validate a scoring system (Samsung Medical Center [SMC] patellofemoral scoring system) suitable for the evaluation of patellofemoral joint status. Methods We recruited 179 individuals consisting of a study group of 123 patients with anterior knee pain but without pain in another part of the knee, twenty-eight patients with knee pain other than anterior knee pain (group A), and twenty-eight healthy volunteers without knee pain (group B). Items in the development of the scoring system that showed a significant difference between the study group and group A and between the study group and the group B were selected. Test-retest reliability was measured by intraclass correlation coefficient, internal consistency was measured by the Cronbach alpha, content validity was assessed by ceiling and floor effects, and construct validity was determined by the association of the Feller scores and the SMC patellofemoral scores. Results After the item verification process, seventeen items (eight items for patellofemoral pain and nine items for patellofemoral function) were selected. Test-retest reliability for overall SMC patellofemoral scores showed excellent reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.85), and internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach alpha, 0.97). Floor and ceiling effects were acceptable (l30%) for all the items of the SMC patellofemoral scoring system, except one: sitting down on a chair, in the patellofemoral function score. The SMC patellofemoral scores showed moderate correlation with the Feller scores (ρ = -0.45). Conclusions and clinical relevance The SMC patellofemoral score is a novel scoring system that distinguishes patients with anterior knee pain or patellofemoral dysfunction from patients with knee pain or dysfunction arising from other knee problems, and from those without knee pain. The reliability and validity of the SMC patellofemoral scoring system were verified in the present study.

With the rapid improvement of digital technology, the current copyright regime becomes one of the major hurdles to the innovation of an open knowledge society. This article shows an expansion of consumers' willingness- to-pay (WTP) for global collective licenses (GCLs) over the existing total expense for digital content by conducting the contingent valuation of GCLs. However, to maintain producers' profitability under an agreeable social contract, a proper mechanism to allocate required costs must be supplemented by the concentrated WTP distribution. This suggests that the real value in the free usage of global digital content lies in its potential to become a publicly managed common utility.

Heterogeneous Network and CSG cell are hot issues in the 3GPP LTE/LTE-Advanced system. In this paper, we analyze the system information measurement methods which are essential for handover to CSG cell. Since there have been no sufficient discussion about this problem, we present and analyze five possible solutions. Moreover, we propose a novel solution to reduce system information measurement delay. In the proposed Autonomous Measurement with Parallel Small Gap(AMPSG) method, the UE measures system information of neighbor cells in a parallel manner. As a result, the proposed method shows better delay performance. Therefore, the proposed AMPSG method can reduce handover delay since the UE have to measure the system information of neighbor cells before CSG handover decision.

The organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1 encoded by SLC22A6) plays a critical role in renal elimination of various endogenous anions and clinically important anionic drugs in humans. In the present study, we developed a rapid genotyping method for use in the evaluation of the clinical significance and ethnic distribution of three functional OAT1 variants [R50H (149G>A; rs11568626), R293W (877C>T; rs45607933), R454Q (1361G>A; rs11568634)] and of a high-frequency OAT1 SNP, 505C>T (rs10897312). In a validation experiment using 50 Korean subjects, genotype results obtained using our duplex pyrosequencing method yielded 100% concordance with those obtained using direct sequencing. When our assay was used to compared OAT1 genotypes among five ethnic groups: Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Caucasian (100 subjects each) and African-American (83 subjects), the observed frequencies of the 505C>T SNP in the Korean (27%), Chinese (24%), Caucasian (10%), and African-American (35.5%) populations were similar to those reported in the HapMap database. Additionally, the allele frequencies of R50H SNP were 1%, 2%, and 6% in Chinese, Caucasian, and African-American, respectively. The R293W and R454Q variants were not detected in any of the study populations because of the low frequencies of these SNPs. These results demonstrate the utility of our duplex pyrosequencing assay for rapid, accurate, and cost-effective genotyping of the R50H, R293W, R454Q, and 505C>T variants of OAT1.

A functional total knee replacement has to be well aligned, which implies that it should lie along the mechanical axis and in the correct axial and rotational planes. Incorrect alignment will lead to abnormal wear, early mechanical loosening, and patellofemoral problems. There has been increased interest of late in total knee arthroplasty with robotic assistance. This study was conducted to determine whether robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty is superior to the conventional surgical method with regard to the precision of implant positioning.Twenty knee replacements, comprising ten robot-assisted procedures and ten conventional operations, were performed on ten cadavers. Two experienced surgeons performed the surgeries. Both procedures on each cadaver were performed by the same surgeon. The choice of which procedure was to be performed first was randomized. Following implantation of the prosthesis, the mechanical axis deviation, femoral coronal angle, tibial coronal angle, femoral sagittal angle, tibial sagittal angle, and femoral rotational alignment were measured via 3D CT scanning. These variables were then compared with the preoperatively planned values.In the knees that underwent robot-assisted surgery, the mechanical axis deviation ranged from -1.94° to 2.13° (mean: -0.21°), the femoral coronal angle from 88.08° to 90.99° (mean: 89.81°), the tibial coronal angle from 89.01° to 92.36° (mean: 90.42°), the tibial sagittal angle from 81.72° to 86.24° (mean: 83.20°), and the femoral rotational alignment from 0.02° to 1.15° (mean: 0.52°) in relation to the transepicondylar axis. In the knees that underwent conventional surgery, the mechanical axis deviation ranged from -3.19° to 3.84° (mean: -0.48°), the femoral coronal angle from 88.36° to 92.29° (mean: 90.50°), the tibial coronal angle from 88.15° to 91.51° (mean: 89.83°), the tibial sagittal angle from 80.06° to 87.34° (mean: 84.50°), and the femoral rotational alignment from 0.32° to 4.13° (mean: 2.76°) in relation to the transepicondylar axis. In the conventional knee replacement group, there were two instances of outliers outside the range of 3° varus/valgus for the mechanical axis deviation. The robot-assisted knee replacements showed significantly superior femoral rotational alignment results compared with conventional surgery (p = 0.006). There was no statistically significant difference between robot-assisted and conventional total knee arthroplasty with regard to the other variables. All the measurements showed high intra-observer and inter-observer reliability.Robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty showed excellent precision in the sagittal and coronal planes of the 3D CT scan. In particular, the robot-assisted technique showed better accuracy in femoral rotational alignment compared to the conventional surgery, despite the fact that the surgeons who performed the operations were more experienced and familiar with the conventional method than with robot-assisted surgery. It can thus be concluded that robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty is superior to conventional total knee arthroplasty.

Various scoring systems document improvement after TKA, but most are associated with a ceiling effect that may fail to distinguish between patients having different levels of knee function after TKA. We therefore developed a new scoring system for patients with higher levels of flexion to eliminate ceiling effects observed with current systems.The purposes of this study were (1) to determine whether the high-flexion knee score eliminates the ceiling effect, (2) to assess the validity and responsiveness of the high-flexion knee score, and (3) to determine whether the high-flexion knee score can aid in differentiation of the knee status of patients at the ceiling level.We prospectively studied 165 patients with 201 well-functioning knees who had undergone primary TKA. We obtained Knee Society scores, WOMAC scores, Feller scores, SF-36 scores, and high-flexion knee scores for all patients. The high-flexion knee score includes items that reflect knee function in the high functional range, such as sitting on or rising from the floor, squatting, or kneeling. We determined the ceiling effects and score distributions of various scoring systems. We performed a convergent validity test of the high-flexion knee score by correlation analysis with these various scoring systems. Responsiveness of the high-flexion knee score was assessed by correlation analysis of changes in various scoring systems. To determine whether the high-flexion knee score can aid in differentiation of knee status of patients at the ceiling level, relative responsiveness of the various scores in the ceiling versus below the ceiling range was determined.The high-flexion knee score showed no ceiling effect, whereas the other systems did. Addition of the high-flexion knee score to the other scoring systems eliminated these ceiling effects and resulted in more normalized score distributions. The high-flexion knee score correlated (r = -0.77) with WOMAC in postoperative scores, and it also correlated with the changes in WOMAC (r = -0.69) and SF-36 physical functioning (r = 0.62). The correlation of WOMAC score with SF-36 physical function score was lower in patients at the ceiling level of the Knee Society knee score and Knee Society function score, compared with the correlation at below-ceiling range, whereas the high-flexion knee score maintained a correlation with the SF-36 physical function score, even at the ceiling level of the Knee Society knee score and Knee Society function score.Compared with other systems, the high-function knee score appears valid for evaluating the knee status in the high-flexion range. Our data suggest the high-flexion knee score differentiates among the knee status in the high-function range. Furthermore, the high-function knee score eliminates the ceiling effect of the currently used scoring tools, and thus may be useful when combined with other scoring systems.Level III, diagnostic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

With 4 figures and 2 tables Summary In the present study, we investigated age-related changes in pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) immunoreactivity and its protein levels in the gerbil hippocampus at various ages using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. In the post-natal month 1 (PM 1) group, PACAP-immunoreactive cells were found in all hippocampal subregions. The number of PACAP-immunoreactive cells was decreased in the PM 3 group and was still more decreased in the PM 6 and 12 groups. Thereafter, in the PM 18 and 24 groups, PACAP-immunoreactive cells were significantly increased again. However, in the mossy fibre zone, PACAP immunostaining was very strong in the adult group, especially in the PM 6 group. In addition, PACAP protein level was highest at PM 6, showing a slight decrease at PM 24. These results indicate that PACAP-immunoreactive cells are lowest in the adult stage and highest in the aged stage. However, PACAP immunoreactivity in the mossy fibre zone and PACAP protein level in the hippocampus are highest in the adult stage.

The thermal radiation which generated from the patterned Ta/Pt/Ta thin heater achieved a high temperature up to 1010 °C under applied current of 2.4 A. In order to reduce an electromigration at high current of 2 A, a Ta capping layer was placed on the Pt layer instead of conventional capping layer, such as SiNx and CoWP. Under the thermal radiation at the applied current of 2 A in the Ta/Pt/Ta thin heater, the Ta capping layer enhanced the lifetime of the Pt thin heater up to 5 h. A stamping process for the crystallization of a-Si was performed for 40 samples using the Ta/Pt/Ta thin heater. For all samples, a-Si has been selectively crystallized and Raman peaks were located near 519 cm − 1 . These results indicated that the thermal radiation of the Ta/Pt/Ta thin heater was maintained constantly due to the Ta capping.