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Prominent theories of visual working memory postulate that the capacity to maintain a particular visual feature is fixed. In contrast to these theories, recent studies have demonstrated that meaningful objects are better remembered than simple, nonmeaningful stimuli. Here, we tested whether this is solely because meaningful stimuli can recruit additional features—and thus more storage capacity—or whether simple visual features that are not themselves meaningful can also benefit from being part of a meaningful object. Across five experiments (30 young adults each), we demonstrated that visual working memory capacity for color is greater when colors are part of recognizable real-world objects compared with unrecognizable objects. Our results indicate that meaningful stimuli provide a potent scaffold to help maintain simple visual feature information, possibly because they effectively increase the objects' distinctiveness from each other and reduce interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While most visual working memory studies use static stimuli with unchanging features, objects in the real world are often dynamic, introducing significant differences in the surface feature information hitting the retina from the same object over time (e.g., changes in orientation, lighting, shadows). Previous research on dynamic stimuli has shown that change detection is improved if objects obey rules of physical motion, but it is unclear how memory for visual features interacts with object motion. In the current study, we investigated whether object motion facilitates greater temporal integration of continuously changing surface feature information. In a series of experiments, participants were asked to report the final color of continuously changing colored dots that were either moving or stationary on the screen. We found that the reported colors "lagged behind" the physical states of the dots when they were in motion. We also observed that the precision of memory responses was significantly higher for stimuli in the moving condition compared to the stationary condition. Together, these findings suggest that memory representation is improved – but lagged – for moving objects, consistent with the idea that object motion may facilitate integration of object information over longer intervals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human gastrointestinal tract is inhabited by trillions of symbiotic bacteria that form a complex ecological community and influence human physiology. Symbiotic nutrient sharing and nutrient competition are the most studied relationships in gut commensals, whereas the interactions underlying homeostasis and community maintenance are not fully understood. Here, we provide insights into a new symbiotic relationship wherein the sharing of secreted cytoplasmic proteins, called “moonlighting proteins,” between two heterologous bacterial strains (Bifidobacterium longum and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron) was observed to affect the adhesion of bacteria to mucins. B. longum and B. thetaiotaomicron were cocultured using a membrane-filter system, and in this system the cocultured B. thetaiotaomicron cells showed greater adhesion to mucins compared to that shown by monoculture cells. Proteomic analysis showed the presence of 13 B. longum-derived cytoplasmic proteins on the surface of B. thetaiotaomicron. Moreover, incubation of B. thetaiotaomicron with the recombinant proteins GroEL and elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu)—two well-known mucin-adhesive moonlighting proteins of B. longum—led to an increase in the adhesion of B. thetaiotaomicron to mucins, a result attributed to the localization of these proteins on the B. thetaiotaomicron cell surface. Furthermore, the recombinant EF-Tu and GroEL proteins were observed to bind to the cell surface of several other bacterial species; however, the binding was species dependent. The present findings indicate a symbiotic relationship mediated by the sharing of moonlighting proteins among specific strains of B. longum and B. thetaiotaomicron. IMPORTANCE The adhesion of intestinal bacteria to the mucus layer is an important colonization strategy in the gut environment. Generally, the bacterial adhesion process is a characteristic feature of the individual cell surface-associated adhesion factors secreted by a particular bacterium. In this study, coculture experiments between Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides show that the secreted moonlighting proteins adhere to the cell surface of coexisting bacteria and alter the adhesiveness of the bacteria to mucins. This finding indicates that the moonlighting proteins act as adhesion factors for not only homologous strains but also for coexisting heterologous strains. The presence of a coexisting bacterium in the environment can significantly alter the mucin-adhesive properties of another bacterium. The findings from this study contribute to a better understanding of the colonization properties of gut bacteria through the discovery of a new symbiotic relationship between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Animal welfare considerations with the 3R principles, Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement (3Rs), have become more important in regulatory toxicity testing. Modifying OECD inhalation toxicity test guidelines 412 and 413 aim to minimize animal use and maximize the number of endpoints that are measured for bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung burden measurement in toxicokinetics studies. The OECD test guidelines for animal experiments play an important role in evaluating the chemical hazards. Animal tests performed using OECD guidelines, especially when the good laboratory practice (GLP) principle is applied, reduce the duplication of toxicity testing and ensure the best mutual acceptance of data by the OECD's Mutual Acceptance of Data (MAD). The OECD inhalation toxicity test guidelines 412 (28 days) and 413 (90 days) have been revised. These OECD guidelines now reflect the inclusion of nanomaterials and recent scientific and technological developments. In particular, these test guidelines aim to evaluate the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in the lungs for objective toxicity evaluation, along with the existing subjective histopathological evaluation. For solid particles, the lung burden measurement of particles is required for toxicokinetic studies and, in order to properly perform a toxicokinetic study, two post-exposure observations are recommended. In light of the revised OECD guidelines, we propose a method to reduce the number of animals when testing is conducted for nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucagon hypersecretion from pancreatic islet α-cells exacerbates hyperglycemia in type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes. Still, the underlying mechanistic pathways that regulate glucagon secretion remain controversial. Among the three complementary main mechanisms (intrinsic, paracrine, and juxtacrine) proposed to regulate glucagon release from α-cells, juxtacrine interactions are the least studied. It is known that tonic stimulation of α-cell EphA receptors by ephrin-A ligands (EphA forward signaling) inhibits glucagon secretion in mouse and human islets and restores glucose inhibition of glucagon secretion in sorted mouse α-cells, and these effects correlate with increased F-actin density. Here, we elucidate the downstream target of EphA signaling in α-cells. We demonstrate that RhoA, a Rho family GTPase, plays a key role in this pathway. Pharmacological inhibition of RhoA disrupts glucose inhibition of glucagon secretion in islets and decreases cortical F-actin density in dispersed α-cells and α-cells in intact islets. Quantitative FRET biosensor imaging shows that increased RhoA activity follows directly from EphA stimulation. We show that in addition to modulating F-actin density, EphA forward signaling and RhoA activity affect α-cell Ca2+ activity in a novel mechanistic pathway. Finally, we show that stimulating EphA forward signaling restores glucose inhibition of glucagon secretion from human T1D donor islets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: It is important to fully automate the evaluation of gadoxetate disodium–enhanced arterial phase images because the efficient quantification of transient severe motion artifacts can be used in a variety of applications. Our study proposes a fully automatic evaluation method of motion artifacts during the arterial phase of gadoxetate disodium–enhanced MR imaging. Methods: The proposed method was based on the construction of quality‐aware features to represent the motion artifact using MR image statistics and multidirectional filtered coefficients. Using the quality‐aware features, the method calculated quantitative quality scores of gadoxetate disodium–enhanced images fully automatically. The performance of our proposed method, as well as two other methods, was acquired by correlating scores against subjective scores from radiologists based on the 5‐point scale and binary evaluation. The subjective scores evaluated by two radiologists were severity scores of motion artifacts in the evaluation set on a scale of 1 (no motion artifacts) to 5 (severe motion artifacts). Results: Pearson's linear correlation coefficient (PLCC) and Spearman's rank–ordered correlation coefficient (SROCC) values of our proposed method against the subjective scores were 0.9036 and 0.9057, respectively, whereas the PLCC values of two other methods were 0.6525 and 0.8243, and the SROCC values were 0.6070 and 0.8348. Also, in terms of binary quantification of transient severe respiratory motion, the proposed method achieved 0.9310 sensitivity, 0.9048 specificity, and 0.9200 accuracy, whereas the other two methods achieved 0.7586, 0.8996 sensitivities, 0.8098, 0.8905 specificities, and 0.9200, 0.9048 accuracies Conclusions: This study demonstrated the high performance of the proposed automatic quantification method in evaluating transient severe motion artifacts in arterial phase images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) was grafted onto polyurethane (PU), and Epichlorohydrin and Bisphenol A were attached to the free ends of PDMS groups and used to link the grafted PDMS to thereby introduce flexible crosslinks between the PU chains. The flexible crosslinks enhanced the crosslink density and solution viscosity of PU but did not change the melting and crystallization behaviors of the soft segments of PU. In particular, the flexible PDMS crosslinks increased the maximum tensile stress by up to 300% and the maximum tensile strain up to 180%. The shape recovery capability at 10°C and the shape retention capability at −25°C were maintained above 90% with the flexible crosslinking. Grafted PDMS moderately improved the low-temperature flexibility of PU due to its flexibility at low temperature. The flexible crosslinks of grafted PDMS successfully improved the tensile strength, shape recovery, and low-temperature flexibility of the PU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent rapid changes in climate due to global warming have increased the frequency of severe natural disasters. Such disasters easily damage the fruits with large weight and volume, inflicting a great loss on the farms. Although the central and regional governments have persuaded farm owners to obtain the Crop Yield and Revenue Insurance, the lack of objective criteria of damage analysis have often prevented an actual compensation. It has also been difficult to attain an accurate statistics of the national fruit production in South Korea, as the data collection through interviews and sample analyses was based on the manpower at the city and county agricultural technology centers. This study developed a deep learning model of citrus fruit detection to be used in the yield estimation and damage analysis for the Crop Yield and Revenue Insurance. The model was based on the YOLOv5 algorithm, which allows the fruit number to be estimated using images. The model showed an outstanding detection performance at AP50 0.817. This image-based deep learning model can also be widely applied in breeding. Notably, in breeding programs focused on increasing the production, the image-based high-throughput phenotyping could readily determine the fruit production per line. In the future, models for the detection of other fruit crops, including apples, and a smartphone application for the Crop Yield and Revenue Insurance and fruit production estimation will be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remarkable decrease in creep strain rate (86% decrease) was observed for Zr-1.1Nb alloy cladding coated with a thin Cr layer (16.8μm) compared to uncoated cladding in the present experiment at 380°C. The structural analysis with the in-house code and FEM analysis showed good agreement with the experimental results, demonstrating that the creep strain rate reduction was primarily occurred by mechanical cause. Cr coating layer induces extra compressive stress on the underlying cladding due to the strain compatibility, reducing the tensile stress level on the underlying cladding and thereby resulting in a decreased creep strain rate. This suggests the coating layer has non-negligible impact on the overall mechanical behavior of the underlying cladding despite of its significantly thin thickness. In addition, the XRD analysis found that the Cr coating layer has high compressive residual stress that also impedes the creep deformation of the underlying cladding. However, if the residual stress within the coating layer is limited or absent, the creep deformation will not be dramatically reduced. Inclusion of appreciable creep or plastic deformation of Cr coating led to the use of unrealistically high elastic modulus to match the experimental results. This result implies that creep or plastic deformation in the Cr coating layer is likely to be absent or negligible in the tested conditions. The magnitude of irradiation creep is markedly greater than that of thermal creep, and is less sensitive to the changes in stress which is induced by coating. Therefore, the extent of changes in creep strain rate in the reactor environment is anticipated to be less than that of an out-of-pile thermal creep experiments. It can be estimated that the creep strain rate will be decreased by 10–20% with Cr-coated cladding (Cr-thickness of 10μm - 20μm) at BOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we assessed whether hepatobiliary phase (HBP) signal intensity (SI) can be used to differentiate HCC and non-HCC malignancies within LR-M observations. 106 LR-M patients based on LI-RADS v2018 who underwent gadoxetate-disodium magnetic resonance imaging and surgery from January 2009 to December 2018 were included. SI of LR-M observation on HBP was analyzed by two radiologists and categorized into dark, low and iso-to-high groups. Tumor was classified as dark when more than 50% of tumor showed hypointensity compared to spleen, as low when more than 50% of tumor showed hyperintensity compared to spleen but hypointensity compared to liver parenchyma, and as iso-to-high if there was even a focal iso-intensity or hyperintensity compared to liver parenchyma. Analysis of clinicopathological factors and association between imaging and histology was performed. Out of 106 LR-M, 42 (40%) were showed dark, 61 (58%) showed low, and 3 (3%) showed iso-to-high SI in HBP. Three iso-to-high SI LR-M were HCCs (P = 0.060) and their major histologic differentiation was Edmondson grade 1 (P = 0.001). 43 out of 61 (71%) low SI LR-M were iCCA or cHCC-CCA (P = 0.002). Inter-reader agreement of HBP SI classification was excellent, with a kappa coefficient of 0.872. LR-M with iso-to-high SI in HBP is prone to being HCC while LR-M with low SI in HBP is prone to being tumor with fibrous stroma such as iCCA and cHCC-CCA. Classification of LR-M based on HBP SI may be a helpful method of differentiating HCC from non-HCC malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wooden Cultural Heritage (WCH) represents a significant portion of the world's historical and artistic heritage, consisting of immovable and movable artefacts. Despite the expertise developed since ancient times to enhance its durability, wooden artefacts are inevitably prone to degradation. Fungi play a pivotal role in the deterioration of WCH in terrestrial ecosystems, accelerating its decay and leading to alterations in color and strength. Reviewing the literature of the last 25 years, we aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of fungal diversity affecting WCH, the biochemical processes involved in wood decay, and the diagnostic tools available for fungal identification and damage evaluation. Climatic conditions influence the occurrence of fungal species in threatened WCH, characterized by a prevalence of wood-rot fungi (e.g., Serpula lacrymans, Coniophora puteana) in architectural heritage in temperate and continental climates and Ascomycota in indoor and harsh environments. More efforts are needed to address the knowledge fragmentation concerning biodiversity, the biology of the fungi involved, and succession in the degradative process, which is frequently centered solely on the main actors. Multidisciplinary collaboration among engineers, restorers, and life sciences scientists is vital for tackling the challenges posed by climate change with increased awareness. Traditional microbiology and culture collections are fundamental in laying solid foundations for a more comprehensive interpretation of big data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apples are produced using a high-density plantation system using M.9 rootstock in Korea. However, the virus infection rate of apples tends to be high because the rootstocks produced from virus-infected mother stocks were widely used and vegetative propagation based on the grafting is common with scion cultivars. The most effective way to control plant virus and viroid depends on conducting a massively rapid and precise diagnostic inspection. Therefore, this study aims to develop a real-time PCR assay that can be precisely and inexpensively tested for ACLSV and ASSVd. To expand the detection range, we developed a singleplex real-time PCR method targeting the conserved region of ACLSV and ASSVd, respectively. The detection methods using two kinds of fluorescent chemical dye, SYBR Green I and TaqMan probe, have been developed in this study. Comparing these methods developed with two dyes, the assay using SYBR Green I was efficient for detection as much as the method using TaqMan probe and faster. The field test demonstrated real-time detecting methods developed using SYBR Green I dye were applicable to reliable diagnosis and quantification for virus and viroid in quarantine fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antifungal agent carbendazim and the water-compatible functional group 2,4,6-tris(dimethylaminomethyl)phenol (TDMP) were jointly grafted to polyurethane (PU) to develop a water-compatible antifungal PU. The water compatibility of the PU surface improved strikingly after the protonation of TDMP, as confirmed by water contact angle tests. The combined grafting of carbendazim and TDMP affected the melting and glass transition of soft segments and sharply increased the tensile stress and shape recovery capability. Carbendazim was selected as a grafted antifungal functional group due to its wide effective range of antifungal activity and its large production volume. PUs with grafted carbendazim and TDMP completely suppressed the growth of a mixture of fungi, unlike ordinary PU. Therefore, the joint grafting of both carbendazim and TDMP led to improved water compatibility, breaking tensile stress, shape recovery capability, and antifungal activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have found that real-world objects’ identities are better remembered than simple features like colored circles, and this effect is particularly pronounced when these stimuli are encoded one by one in a serial, item-based way. Recent work has also demonstrated that memory for simple features like color is improved if these colors are part of real-world objects, suggesting that meaningful objects can serve as a robust memory scaffold for their associated low-level features. However, it is unclear whether the improved color memory that arises from the colors appearing on real-world objects is affected by encoding format, in particular whether items are encoded sequentially or simultaneously. We test this using randomly colored silhouettes of recognizable versus unrecognizable scrambled objects that offer a uniquely controlled set of stimuli to test color working memory of meaningful versus non-meaningful objects. Participants were presented with four stimuli (silhouettes of objects or scrambled shapes) simultaneously or sequentially. After a short delay, they reported either which colors or which shapes they saw in a two-alternative forced-choice task. We replicated previous findings that meaningful stimuli boost working memory performance for colors (Exp. 1). We found that when participants remembered the colors (Exp. 2) there was no difference in performance across the two encoding formats. However, when participants remembered the shapes and thus identity of the objects (Exp. 3), sequential presentation resulted in better performance than simultaneous presentation. Overall, these results show that different encoding formats can flexibly impact visual working memory depending on what the memory-relevant feature is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to enhanced biocompatibility and osseointegration, hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings are often applied to biomedical devices that are implanted directly on the bone. Although various HAp coating techniques have been developed, they are restricted due to the time‐consuming HAp synthesis and additional coating processes. Herein, the development of a rapid single‐step method for simultaneous synthesis and coating of HAp via nanosecond laser surface treatment is described. In the conventional HAp‐coating method, the resulting interface between the HAp layer and the base material is clearly distinguished. However, in this method, HAp synthesis and coating occur simultaneously via the melting of the base material (i.e., titanium, polyetheretherketone, and polycaprolactone) to form a gradient HAp‐base material composite coating layer. The resultant coating layer on a titanium surface exhibits a binding force of 31.7–47.2 N, which is sufficient for medical implant applications. Changing the laser irradiation conditions provides quantitative adjustment of the HAp formation process and coating layer thickness. Furthermore, the resulting HAp coating layer better facilitates the attachment of bone cells. These results offer a breakthrough in the surface treatment of bone‐bonding sites of metal and polymer biomedical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) is widely adopted for the noninvasive diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Herein, possible strategies to improve the diagnostic performance of LR-5 without reducing specificity for HCC were investigated. This retrospective study included 792 patients who underwent gadoxetate disodium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Hepatic observations were categorized according to LI-RADS v2018 and categories were readjusted by upgrading LR4 to LR5 using ancillary features, arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE) interpreted with subtraction images, indication of no washout when APHE was absent, extension of washout to the transitional phase, and subthreshold growth as a major feature. Based on LI-RADS v2018, LR-5 showed a sensitivity of 71.9% and a specificity of 97.9% for the diagnosis of HCC. Category-readjusted LR-5 after upgrading LR-4 to LR-5 using ancillary features favoring HCC in particular, subthreshold growth as a major feature, extending washout to transitional phase and APHE interpreted using subtraction images showed significantly increased sensitivity (P<0.001) without decreased specificity (Ps>0.05). The sensitivity of LR-5 can be improved without loss of specificity via category readjustment using AFs favoring HCC in particular, subthreshold growth as a major feature, extending washout to transitional phase and APHE interpreted with subtraction images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy is the most common inherited cerebral microangiopathy. Its clinical features include recurrent central nervous system symptoms—including lacunar stroke, migraine, psychiatric disturbance, acute reversible encephalopathy, and cognitive impairment. We report a case of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy in a patient presenting with severe low back pain and a herniated nucleus pulposus. A 45-year-old female patient with a prior history of right-sided sciatic pain, hypoesthesia, and paresthesia in the right S1 sensory dermatome was referred after back surgery because of persistent low back pain and a spastic gait abnormality. Imaging revealed a right protruding disc herniation of L5/S1 with right S1 nerve root compression and right posterior disc bulging at L4/5 with foraminal stenosis and disc degeneration, for which she underwent surgery. After surgery, she experienced mild sciatica, an antalgic limping gait with foot-dragging, and progressive motor weakness. Her family history was significant for a parent and sibling affected by stroke. The diagnosis of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy was established by polymerase chain reaction sequencing, which showed a mutated exon 11 of NOTCH3 on chromosome 19. Clinicians should assess patients with non-specific extra-central nervous system symptoms or atypical courses for potential underlying diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graft polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (PEGA) onto polyurethane (PU) was conducted to improve its water compatibility, tensile mechanical strength, shape memory, and low-temperature flexibility properties, as well as to control its water vapor permeability (WVP). Control PUs containing free poly(PEGA) were also prepared to compare with the poly(PEGA)-grafted PUs. The water compatibility of PU notably improved due to the grafting of poly(PEGA) based on water contact angle results. The soft segment melting temperature and glass transition temperature were not changed with the increase in the PEGA content. The tensile strength of PU sharply increased due to the grafting of poly(PEGA), whereas the free poly(PEGA) in the control PUs did not cause a similar increase. The maximum strain of PU was not affected by the grafting of poly(PEGA). The shape recovery at 0°C significantly increased compared with the unmodified PU. The low-temperature flexibility of PU improved, and the WVP through the PU membrane was reduced by the grafting of poly(PEGA) onto PU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has shown some potential as an adjunctive intervention for ameliorating negative symptoms of schizophrenia, but its efficacy requires optimization. Recently, 'functional targeting' of stimulation holds promise for advancing tDCS efficacy by coupling tDCS with a cognitive task where the target brain regions are activated by that task and further specifically polarized by tDCS. The study used 48-channel functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS) aiming to determine a cognitive task that can effectively induce a cortical activation of the left DLPFC in schizophrenia patients with predominant negative symptoms before running a tDCS trial. Sixty schizophrenia patients with predominant negative symptoms completed measures of clinical and psychosocial functioning characteristics and assessments across cognitive domains. Hemodynamic changes during n-back working memory tasks with different cognitive loads (1-back and 2-back) and verbal fluency test (VFT) were measured using fNIRS. For n-back tasks, greater signal changes were found when the task required elevated cognitive load. One sample t-test revealed that only 2-back task elicited significant activation in left DLPFC (t = 4.23, FDR-corrected p = 0.0007). During VFT, patients failed to show significant task-related activity in left DLPFC (one sample t-test, t = −0.25, FDR-corrected p > 0.05). Our study implies that 2-back task can effectively activate left DLPFC in schizophrenia patients with predominant negative symptoms. This neurophysiologically-validated task is considered highly potential to be executed in conjunction with high-definition tDCS for "functional targeting" of the left DLPFC to treat negative symptoms in a double-blind randomized sham-control trial, registered on ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (ID: NCT05582980). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface of polyurethane (PU) was modified by the graft polymerization of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DAMA) and acrylic acid (AA) to enhance its water compatibility. Portions of poly(DAMA) and poly(AA) could be ionized by mutual acid–base neutralization and could notably improve the surface hydrophilicity of PU. The water contact angle, water absorption, and water vapor permeation test results jointly demonstrate the increase in water compatibility resulting from the inclusion of poly(DAMA) and poly(AA) in PU. The melting and glass transition temperatures of PU were not significantly influenced by the grafting of poly(DAMA) and poly(AA) onto PU. Small portions of the grafted poly(DAMA) and poly(AA) were involved in the cross-linking of PU, which sharply increased the shape recovery and the breaking tensile stress while maintaining high shape retention and breaking tensile strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the dynamics of smooth interval maps with non-flat critical points. For every such a map that is topologically exact, we establish the full (level-2) Large Deviation Principle for empirical means. In particular, the Large Deviation Principle holds for every non-renormalizable quadratic map. This includes the maps without physical measure found by Hofbauer and Keller, and challenges the widely-shared view of the Large Deviation Principle as a refinement of laws of large numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical contaminants can occur at trace levels in foods or food ingredients either as intrinsic toxins produced in plant/animal metabolism or by external contamination due to fungal growth, agricultural practice, environment or food manufacturing processes. Monitoring and managing such unavoidable chemical contaminants in raw materials of foods is important for ensuring safe food for the consumer. The aim of this study was to adapt an existing tool for ranking the chemical contaminants of raw materials used to produce food for infants and young children based on their likelihood to cause harm for the consumer. This tool was built on a risk-assessment based approach. The level of risk was defined according to a decision tree where the overall exposure, the main contributor and the distribution of the occurrence levels are key criteria. For developing this approach, a conservative global food intake scenario for infants and young children was established using several local data publicly available. Two case studies on cadmium and deoxynivalenol are described and showed consistent results with the findings of local total diet studies. In addition, this tool is flexible to adapt to global and specific local populations in adjusting the food intake scenario. It supports risk management in the identification and prioritisation of chemical contaminants. • Tool for prioritisation of chemical contaminants in raw materials for baby food. • Global food intake estimate for infants and young children. • Consistency of results from our global model with those of local total diet studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal implants not only deteriorate image quality, but also increase radiation exposure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of metal hip prosthesis on absorbed radiation dose and assess the efficacy of organ dose modulation (ODM) and metal artifact reduction (MAR) protocols on dose reduction. An anthropomorphic phantom was scanned with and without bilateral metal hip prostheses, and surface and deep level radiation doses were measured at the abdomen and pelvis. Finally, the absorbed radiation doses at pelvic and abdominal cavities in the reference, ODM, and two MAR scans (Gemstone spectral imaging, GE) were compared. The Mann Whitney-U test and Kruskal-Wallis test were performed to compare the volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) and mean absorbed radiation doses. Unilateral and bilateral metal hip prostheses increased CTDIVOL by 14.4% and 30.5%, respectively. MAR protocols decreased absorbed radiation doses in the pelvis. MAR showed the most significant dose reduction in the deep pelvic cavity followed by ODM. However, MAR protocols increased absorbed radiation doses in the upper abdomen. ODM significantly reduced absorbed radiation in the pelvis and abdomen. In conclusion, metal hip implants increased radiation doses in abdominopelvic CT scans. MAR and ODM techniques reduced absorbed radiation dose in abdominopelvic CT scans with metal hip prostheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interface and surface structure of transition metal (TM) (Fe, Co, and Ni) thin film deposited on Al(001) substrate at atomic level were investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. In spite of the low adatom incident energy of 0.1 eV, TM-Al intermixing occurred actively at the surface of Al(001) at room temperature. At the interface region of TM/Al(001), an intermetallic compound was formed and found to be of B2 structure. The Co/Al system showed different layer coverage and pair correlation function characteristics, in comparison with Fe/Al and Ni/Al systems. The different structural and intermixing characteristics at the interface were successfully explained in terms of lattice matching, cohesive energy, and local acceleration effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energetics and the electronic structure of the Si/Mo(110) surface were investigated using the density functional theory calculations in an attempt to clarify the initial stage of silicide layer formation. The energy barriers for the migration of Si adatom to an adjacent hollow site passing the bridge site were calculated to be 0.64 eV [Mo (110)] and 0.74 eV [Si-substituted Mo (110)]. In order to analyze the bonding nature between Si adatom and Mo (110) surface, layer density of states and total valence electron density were obtained. It can be reasonably inferred that Mo 4d states mainly contributed to the bonding between Mo and Si and, consequently, four Mo–Si covalent bonds were formed around the Si atom at the hollow site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This meta-analysis aims to investigate the possibility of bone mineral loss and fracture in sarcoidosis. Materials and methods: A comprehensive search of the MEDLINE and Embase databases was performed from inception through August 2017. The inclusion criterion was observational studies evaluating the association between sarcoidosis and bone mineral density (BMD) orfracture. The pooled odds ratio (OR) of fracture, standardized mean difference (SMD) of volumetric BMD and areal BMD, and their 95% confidence interval (Cl) were calculated using a random-effects meta-analysis to compare risk between sarcoidosis and controls. The between-study heterogeneity of effect-size was quantified using the Q statistic and IT. Results: Data were extracted from 10 studies involving a total of 6,448 sarcoidosis patients and 77,857 controls. The pooled result demonstrated no significant increased risk of fracture in sarcoidosis patients compared with controls (OR=1.68; 95% Cl: 0.85-3.31, p value=0.14, l2=72%). There were no differences between the patients and controls in areal BMD (SMD= 0.21 g/cm2; 95% Cl: -0.12-0.54, p value= 0.22, l2=0%) or volumetric BMD (SMD= 0.04 mg/cm3; 95% Cl: -0.51-0.58, p value=0.89, l2=83%). Conclusion: Our study has not shown an increased risk of fracture or bone mineral loss in sarcoidosis. However, based on the currently available studies with heterogeneity in between, the conclusion for the osteoporosis screening and fracture risk assessment of patients with sarcoidosis cannot be drawn until more studies are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phthalic acid (PA) was grafted onto polyurethane (PU) in the PA series due to its rigid aromatic structure and carboxyl groups, but PA was simply blended with PU in the control CPA series. The cross-link density and solution viscosity of the PA series notably increased with increasing PA content, and the same parameters of the CPA series did not increase. The maximum tensile stress of the PA series sharply increased due to the chemical cross-linking of the grafted PA, and the tensile strain at break slowly decreased with increasing PA content. The shape recovery of the PA series at 10 °C rapidly increased upon the grafting of PA; however, that of the CPA series decreased with increasing PA content. The hydrophilicity of PU was enhanced by the grafting of PA based on the water contact angle and water vapor permeation results. The low temperature flexibility of the PA series improved more than that of the CPA series under freezing conditions with increasing PA content due to the chemical cross-linking and steric and electrostatic repulsion between PU moieties. Overall, the grafted PA definitely increased the maximum tensile stress, shape recovery, and low temperature flexibility of PU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grafting of niclosamide or salicylanilide onto polyurethane (PU) was executed to develop antifungal effectiveness and barnacle repelling capability in seawater compared with underivatized PU. The PU surface was simultaneously modified to improve the surface hydrophilicity by inserting dimethylolpropionic acid into PU frame or by grafting recycled polyols onto PU. Surface modifications of PU significantly affected its properties, such as cross-link density, tensile and shape memory properties, and flexibility under freezing conditions relative to the unmodified PU. The modification of PU surface also notably influenced the glass transition and the melting and crystallization related to soft segments. The breaking tensile stress and the shape recovery were enhanced significantly after the grafting of polyol due to chemical cross-linking, whereas the breaking tensile strain was not reduced. Some PU samples demonstrated complete antifungal effectiveness against a mixture of fungi, and barnacle growth on PU films was limited in the specifically modified PUs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noticeable enhancements in the (a) breaking tensile stress and (b) shape recovery rate after the grafting of polystyrene onto PU in PS series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the impact of mesorectal fat area (MFA) on oncologic outcomes in patients with mid-to-lower rectal cancer who received curative-intent surgery.Methods: Patients with mid-to-lower rectal cancer who underwent preoperative abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) and curative-intent surgery in 2011 were divided into two groups by tumour recurrence (group A) or no recurrence (group B) during a 5-year follow-up. Visceral fat area (VFA) and MFA were measured on preoperative CT and cutoff values were calculated using the Youden index. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses including BMI, VFA, and MFA were performed to investigate meaningful prognostic biomarkers. The Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank testing was used to validate prognostic biomarkers.Results: Group A contained 42 patients and group B had 155 patients. Cutoff values were 25 kg/m2 for BMI, 130 cm2 for VFA, and 10 cm2 for MFA using the Youden index. On multivariate Cox regression analysis, MFA (odds ratio [OR] = 0.426, p = 0.010), TNM stage (p = 0.027), and perioperative complication grade (p = 0.028) were significantly different between groups. BMI and VFA did not show significant differences. By the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank testing, disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly longer in patients with MFA ≥10 cm2 compared to patients with MFA <10 cm2 (p = 0.021), with no significant difference in overall survival (OS).Conclusions: MFA was an independent biomarker for predicting DFS in patients who underwent curative-intent surgery for mid-to-lower rectal cancer.Key Points: • Mesorectal fat area is associated with the prognosis of rectal cancer patients. • Mesorectal fat area can be calculated easily in pre-operative CT scan. • Predicting prognosis of the cancer patient before operation is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The arms-down position increases computed tomography (CT) radiation dose. Iterative reconstruction (IR) could enhance image quality without increasing radiation dose in patients with arms-down position. Aim: To investigate the feasibility of reduced-dose CT with IR for patients with inappropriate arm positioning Methods: Twenty patients who underwent two-phase abdominopelvic CT including standard-dose and reduced-dose CT (performed with 80% of the radiation dose of the standard protocol) with their arms positioned in the abdominal area were included in this study. Reduced-dose CT images were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP), hybrid IR, and iterative model reconstruction (IMR). These images were compared with standard-dose CT images reconstructed with FBP. Objective image noise in the liver and subcutaneous fat was measured by standard deviation for the quantitative analysis. Then, two radiologists qualitatively assessed beam hardening artifacts, artificial texture, noise, sharpness, and overall image quality in consensus. Results: Reduced-dose CT with all IR levels had lower objective image noise compared to standard-dose CT with FBP reconstruction (P < 0.05). Quantitatively measured beam hardening artifacts were similar in reduced-dose CT with iDose levels 5–6 and fewer with IMR compared to standard-dose CT. In the qualitative analysis, beam hardening artifacts and noise decreased as the IR levels increased. However, artificial texture was significantly aggravated with iDose 5–6 and IMR, and overall image quality significantly worsened with IMR. Conclusions: IR algorithms can reduce beam hardening artifacts in a reduced-dose CT setting in patients with arms-down position, and an intermediate level of hybrid IR allows radiologists to obtain the best image quality. Because the retrospective and single-center nature of our study limited the number of patients, multicenter prospective clinical studies are required to validate our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzimidazole as an antifungal agent and poly(acrylic acid) as a hydrophilic group were grafted together onto polyurethane (PU) to synthesis the antifungal PU. Benzimidazole was chosen as a key antifungal agent because of its proven fungal growth control against a wide spectrum of fungi. The hydrophilicity of antifungal PU was notably escalated after the grafting of poly(acrylic acid) based on the water contact angle results, but the melting and glass transition of soft segment in PU did not notably change by the grafting of benzimidazole and poly(acrylic acid). The synthesized antifungal PUs exhibited a sharp increase in the breaking tensile stress and shape recovery due to the slight chemical cross‐linking between PUs. The benzimidazole‐grafted PUs containing the poly(acrylic acid) demonstrated a clear suppression in the growth of a group of fungi. Therefore, the antifungal PUs with enhanced tensile strength and shape recovery capability were successfully synthesized using the combined grafting of benzimidazole and poly(acrylic acid) onto PU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHETPA) was grafted onto polyurethane (PU) to investigate the effects of BHETPA, which contains a rigid aromatic group and flexible hydroxyethyl groups, on the physical properties of PU. The cross-link density, viscosity, tensile strength, and shape recovery notably increased with an increase of BHETPA due to chemical cross-linking by BHETPA. A PU sample demonstrated excellent low-temperature flexibility compared with plain PU, showing complete recovery at approximately 0°C. Therefore, grafting BHETPA onto PU modified the thermal behavior and greatly improved the tensile stress, shape recovery, and low-temperature flexibility of PU compared to plain PU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic mechanism of the initial reaction of lithium oxides formation on buckled graphitic carbon nitrides (g-C 3 N 4 ) as a catalyst for non-aqueous Li–O 2 batteries was investigated using density function theory. The overpotential of heptazine were superior to triazine and precious metal. It was revealed that the difference in overpotential between heptazine and triazine was mainly a result of the gap of charge voltages. Using potential-dependent surface phase diagram, it was confirmed that the charge voltage was determined by the LiO 2 formation. The hybridization of Li and bound N in the cavity revealed a clear distinction between substrates. Through the charge analysis, these results stemmed from the electron difference of bound N that was caused by the cavity structural property depending on the substrates. These findings may provide insight for designing of N-doped carbon materials as catalysts for Li–O 2 batteries, which possess overpotential that are lower than existing catalyst materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study that used an equation developed by Le Claire to obtain a grain-boundary diffusion product from the measured solute concentration gradients produced under conditions of constant surface concentration in grain-boundary diffusion experiments. Whipple's solution for the solute distribution in a grain-boundary diffusion experiment; Analysis of the gradients produced by out-diffusion.

Objectives: To assess whether gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI could be used as a prognostic factor for intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinomas (IMCCs).Methods: Forty-one patients with pathologically proven IMCCs who underwent preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI were included. The signal intensity of the IMCCs on hepatobiliary phase (HBP) MRI was qualitatively analyzed by two radiologists, and categorized into intermediate or hypointense groups. Analysis of clinicopathological prognostic factors and correlations of imaging and histology were also performed. Survival time and time to recurrence (TTR) were analyzed.Results: Of the 41 IMCCs, 23 were in the intermediate group and 18 were in the hypointense group on HBP MRI. IMCCs in the intermediate group were associated with shorter survival time (P = 0.048) and TTR (P = 0.002) than the IMCCs of the hypointense group. Only the intermediate group on HBP MRI had a significantly shorter TTR on multivariate analysis (P = 0.012). The IMCCs of the intermediate group showed a tendency for more abundant tumour fibrous stroma than those of the hypointense group (P = 0.027).Conclusions: The enhancement of IMCCs on HBP gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI appears to correlate with tumour aggressiveness and outcomes due to the tumour fibrous stromal component. Thus, HBP images could be a useful prognostic factor for IMCCs after surgery.Key Points: • The enhancement of IMCCs on HBP correlates with the tumour fibrous stroma. • The enhancement of IMCCs on HBP MRI appears to correlate with prognosis. • Gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI is helpful for predicting prognosis of IMCCs after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using molecular dynamics simulation, the effect of Pb surfactant for the thin film growth of Co atoms on Cu(111) substrate was investigated. Specifically, the behavior of Co atoms being deposited on Cu(111) substrate with predeposited Pb layer was extensively investigated and compared with the case of without Pb layer to explain the effect of Pb surfactant. It was observed that Pb layer was floating during the Co deposition. It was, quantitatively, found that Pb surfactant played an important role in suppression of active diffusion of Co atoms, which was accomplished by the increase in the surface diffusion barrier energy. The energy change in the deposited Co adatom on the Cu(111) substrate with predeposited Pb layer showed that the approaching Co adatom penetrated into the Pb layer; then, the Co adatom settled down on the Cu(111) substrate. Consequently, Pb atoms around Co adatom suppressed the further diffusion of Co adatom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the density functional theory calculations, the surface diffusion and incorporation processes for Fe–Cu multilayer system were investigated. The minimum energy path calculations revealed that the hollow site of Cu(001) and Fe(001) surfaces was the most stable adsorption site, and the energy barriers for the surface diffusion were 1.04 eV for Fe/Cu(001) and 0.50 eV for Cu/Fe(001) systems. During the process, small fluctuation of magnetic moment, as amount of 0.11μB for Fe adatom and 0.02μB for Cu adatom, was observed. The energy barrier for the incorporation of the Fe adatom into the surface layer of Cu substrate was 0.75 eV, and the energy gain of the system was 0.92 eV. At the substitutional site, the magnetic moment for Fe adatom was decreased by 2.64μB. The Cu adatom required a relatively small energy barrier, 0.50 eV, for incorporation into the Fe substrate; however, it was found that, after the process, the total energy was rather increased by 0.37 eV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare the ability of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) parameters acquired from three different models for the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis (HF).Methods: Ninety-five patients underwent DWI using nine b values at 3 T magnetic resonance. The hepatic apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) from a mono-exponential model, the true diffusion coefficient (D t ), pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D p ) and perfusion fraction (f) from a biexponential model, and the distributed diffusion coefficient (DDC) and intravoxel heterogeneity index (α) from a stretched exponential model were compared with the pathological HF stage. For the stretched exponential model, parameters were also obtained using a dataset of six b values (DDC#, α#). The diagnostic performances of the parameters for HF staging were evaluated with Obuchowski measures and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. The measurement variability of DWI parameters was evaluated using the coefficient of variation (CoV).Results: Diagnostic accuracy for HF staging was highest for DDC# (Obuchowski measures, 0.770 ± 0.03), and it was significantly higher than that of ADC (0.597 ± 0.05, p < 0.001), D t (0.575 ± 0.05, p < 0.001) and f (0.669 ± 0.04, p = 0.035). The parameters from stretched exponential DWI and D p showed higher areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) for determining significant fibrosis (≥F2) and cirrhosis (F = 4) than other parameters. However, D p showed significantly higher measurement variability (CoV, 74.6%) than DDC# (16.1%, p < 0.001) and α# (15.1%, p < 0.001).Conclusions: Stretched exponential DWI is a promising method for HF staging with good diagnostic performance and fewer b-value acquisitions, allowing shorter acquisition time.Key Points: • Stretched exponential DWI provides a precise and accurate model for HF staging. • Stretched exponential DWI parameters are more reliable than D p from bi-exponential DWI model • Acquisition of six b values is sufficient to obtain accurate DDC and α. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Polycaprolactam or polycaprolactone was graft‐polymerized onto polyurethane (PU) to control the water vapor permeation and improve the tensile strength of PU. The tensile strength of the PU sharply increased with the grafting of polycaprolactam or polycaprolactone, without a decrease in the tensile strain. The soft segment melting properties did not significantly change with the increase in the lactam or lactone content. The shape recovery and shape retention of the PU series remained high after the grafting. The water vapor permeability (WVP) was reduced by the grafting of the polycaprolactam, whereas the WVP was increased by the grafting of polycaprolactone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graft polymerization of norbornene monomers onto polyurethane (PU) was tested to reduce the intermolecular attractions between PUs using the rigid bicyclic ring structure of norbornene, to control the soft segment thermal properties, and to enhance the tensile, shape memory, and low-temperature flexibility properties compared with those of unmodified PU. The soft segment crystallization temperature (Tc) sharply decreased with the increase in norbornene, whereas the soft segment melting temperature (Tm) was not significantly changed by the norbornene content. However, the glass transition temperature (Tg) increased with the incorporation of norbornene. The tensile strength sharply increased with the increase in norbornene due to the chemical cross-linking between the grafted poly(norbornene), whereas a significant decrease in the maximum strain was not observed. The shape recovery at 10 °C sharply increased from 47% to approximately 90% after the graft polymerization of norbornene, and the shape retention at −25 °C decreased with the increase in norbornene. Finally, the graft polymerization of norbornene onto PU demonstrated enhanced low-temperature flexibility due to the reduced restrictions of rotational and translational mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the influence of the non-uniform surface of F- and O-functionalized Ti 2 C on the anchoring behavior of lithium polysulfide (LiPS) is investigated using density functional theory. In order to consider the non-uniform surface, the substitutional, vacancy, and S-trapped sites of F- and O-functionalized Ti 2 C are designed. The anchoring behavior is investigated considering the adsorption energy of LiPS, reactivity between Li atoms and the substrate, and the reduction state of the S atoms. On the F-substitutional site of the O-functionalized surface, it is confirmed that the suppressing mechanism changes from the neutralization of S atoms to the anchoring of LiPS. However, too strong of an interaction between Ti atoms exposed at the vacancy site and S atoms induces trapping of the S atom at the vacancies of both F- and O-functionalized surfaces. As a result of the trapping of the S atom, the use of active material decreases. In addition, the S-trapped site originated from the vacancy site does not affect the suppressing mechanism. In conclusion, to optimize the Ti 2 C-based MXene as an anchoring material for Li-S batteries, the preparation process should be focused on eliminating the vacancy of functional groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Epichlorohydrin (ECH) was used as a cross‐linking agent for a series of polyurethanes (PU series). The spectroscopic, thermal, tensile, shape memory, low‐temperature flexibility, and water vapor permeability properties of these PUs were compared with those of a control polyurethane series (CPU series) without ECH cross‐linking. In the thermal test, the soft segment crystallization of the PU series disappeared as the ECH cross‐linking increased. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the PU and CPU series slightly increased with the increase in ECH content. The tensile strength of the PU series sharply increased at a critical ECH content, whereas that of the CPU series did not. The breaking strain of the PU and CPU series remained the same with the increase in ECH content. The shape recovery of the PU series remained above 90% at 45°C but increased moderately with the increase in ECH content at 0°C. Finally, the PU series with ECH cross‐linking demonstrated better low‐temperature flexibility and lower water vapor permeability than the unmodified PU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the optimal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocol in pregnant women suspected of having acute appendicitis.Materials and Methods: One hundred and forty-six pregnant women with suspected appendicitis were included. MR images were reviewed by two radiologists in three separate sessions. In session 1, only axial single-shot turbo spin echo (SSH-TSE) T2-weighted images (WI) were included with other routine sequences. In sessions 2 and 3, coronal and sagittal T2WI were sequentially added. The visibility of the appendix and diagnostic confidence of appendicitis were evaluated in each session using a 5-point grading scale. If diseases other than appendicitis were suspected, specific diagnosis with a 5-point confidence scale was recorded. Diagnostic performance for appendicitis and other diseases were evaluated.Results: Twenty-five patients (17.1%) were diagnosed with appendicitis. Among the patients with normal appendix, 28 were diagnosed with other disease. Diagnostic performance including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the curve values for diagnosing appendicitis and other diseases showed no significant difference among sets for both reviewers (p>0.05).Conclusion: Diagnostic performance of MR in pregnant patients with suspected appendicitis can be preserved with omission of sagittal or both coronal and sagittal SSH-T2WI.Key Points: • Diagnostic performance of appendicitis is preserved with omission of sagittal/coronal T2WIs. • Diagnosis of other disease may be sufficient with axial T2WIs only. • Careful serial omission of sagittal and coronal T2WIs can be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid polyurethane-silica composites were prepared using a sol-gel reaction between tetraethyl orthosilicate and triethoxysilyl groups grafted onto polyurethane. The TS series contained the same polyurethane composition but the tetraethyl orthosilicate content varied. Soft segment Tm and Tg values were not affected by the tetraethyl orthosilicate content, while AH for soft segment melting and crystallization increased with the tetraethyl orthosilicate content. The tensile strength sharply increased from the cross-linking of the grafted silica at low tetraethyl orthosilicate concentrations but decreased with the increase of tetraethyl orthosilicate content because excess silica inhibited cross-linking. The shape recovery of the TS series improved during cyclic tests, and shape retention slightly decreased as the test cycles repeated. Low temperature flexibility moderately improved with the formation of grafted silica. Therefore, the grafted sol-gel silica formation demonstrated a tensile strength improvement and reproducible shape recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have high efficiency, a low operating temperature, and nearly zero environmental emissions. The bipolar plate is one of the main components of the PEMFC because it accounts for a large part of the weight, volume, and cost. Recently, carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite bipolar plates for PEMFCs have attracted interest owing to their simple fabrication method, high flexibility, excellent corrosion resistance, and damage resistance. The efficiency of PEMFCs depends primarily on the performance of the bipolar plates; however, composite bipolar plates have a high surface electrical contact resistance because of their resin-rich area. In this study, carbon felt was used to fabricate bipolar plates for PEMFCs. In addition, a solution impregnation method and the double percolation effect on the electrical conduction were introduced to improve the impregnation state of the thermoplastic polymer and the electrical conductivity of the composite plates simultaneously. The area specific resistance, double percolation morphology, and impregnation state of the composite plates were analyzed using the four-point probe method, transmission electron microscopy analysis, and scanning electron microscopy analysis, respectively. The results of the experiments were compared with the United States Department of Energy’s technical targets for bipolar plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The graft polymerization of tert-butyl acrylate ( TBA) onto polyurethane ( PU) was conducted to prepare a series of samples that was compared to a control series comprising a physical mixture of poly( TBA) and PU. Maximum tensile stress sharply increased because of chemical cross-linking via poly( TBA), whereas tensile breaking strain slightly diminished by the grafted poly( TBA). Percent shape recovery at 10°C rapidly increased by the additional grafting of poly( TBA), whereas control series decreased with increases in TBA monomer content. Chemical cross-linking from the grafted poly( TBA) was responsible for the enhancement of shape recovery. Low-temperature flexibility tests from −35°C demonstrated that a proper composition of grafted poly( TBA) could enhance the flexibility of PU below 0°C. Overall, the grafted poly( TBA) greatly stepped up the maximum tensile stress, recovery capability to original form, and flexibility of PU at very low temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-throughput plant phenotyping has revealed its importance by illuminating complex questions about plant growth, development, and response to the environment. Recently emerging technologies including un-maned vehicle as an image acquiring technology and machine learning as image analyzing technology have enabled the use of high-throughput phenotyping of plants for basic and applied sciences. Digital image analysis is one of methods for high throughput phenotyping. However, those techniques are not accessible because of high costs in general and the lack of man power to efficiently operate them. Here, we propose an easily accessible high-throughput phenotyping tool for biomass for many researchers. Four sorghum cultivars were evaluated for their height, a variable well documented for its high correlation with biomass, with both hand-collection and image taking in order to determine if image analysis for biomass in sorghum could replace hand data collection of plant height. Vertical plant images were obtained using a digital camera at one-week interval for 5 weeks. Plant height and node height were hand-collected at the same time. Images were analyzed using a tool, called Canopeo ( http://www.canopeoapp.com ). Biomass was measured indirectly as percentage units by counting the green pixels in each image. Strong and significant correlations between the percentage of green color and plant height and between the percentage of green color and node height were found for each cultivar and measurement. The results of this proof-of-concept study strongly indicate that digital image analysis could replace the intense labor needed to collect data related to biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two series of polyurethane (PU) containing 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propanoic acid (DMPA) and the grafted benzimidazole (BI) were prepared to compare their antifungal activities. The DMPA carboxyl group of BN series was completely ionized using a strong base (NaOH) and the DMPA carboxyl group of BT series was partly ionized by a weak base (trimethylamine). The BN series exhibited a faster decrease in maximum tensile strength and strain at break compared to the BT series. The fully ionized DMPA carboxyl group of BN series severely affected the thermal and mechanical properties. Finally, the BN series demonstrated a complete suppression of fungal growth ( Chaetomium globosum) whereas unmodified PU and the BT series could not fully suppress the growth of fungi at the same BI content. Therefore, the complete ionization of DMPA carboxyl group played an important role in the antifungal activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]