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Bone mineral density (BMD) is significantly decreased after gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer. Calcium malabsorption, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and dominant bone resorption appear to contribute to bone loss in these patients. Patients should undergo early surveillance and nutritional or pharmacologic intensive interventions for bone health. Survivorship care, including bone health, has become an important issue in gastric cancer. We performed a meta-analysis of the available observational studies to determine whether and how osteoporosis risk is increased after gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer. A total of 1204 patients (802 men) from 19 cohort studies were included. We evaluated the prevalence of osteoporosis in postgastrectomy patients, comparing the incidence according to the type of gastrectomy and sex. Additionally, we evaluated changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism-related markers pre- to postoperatively and between patients who underwent gastrectomy and matched controls. Proportion meta-analysis was performed and pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated. The pooled incidence estimate was 36% [95% confidence interval (CI), 32–40]. The incidence of osteoporosis was significantly higher in women than in men (OR = 1.90, p < 0.001) but was similar between partial and total gastrectomy groups (OR = 0.983, p = 0.939). BMD was significantly decreased, and calcium, phosphorous, and parathyroid hormone levels were significantly increased in patients after gastrectomy compared to those before gastrectomy. BMD and calcium and 25OH-vitamin D levels were significantly decreased, and parathyroid hormone and 1,25OH-vitamin D levels were significantly increased in the gastrectomy group compared to that in the control group. We found that BMD is significantly decreased after gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer. Vitamin D deficiency and secondary hyperparathyroidism are suggested to be common mechanism underlying BMD impairment. After resection, patients should undergo long-term nutritional and bone health surveillance, in addition to their oncological follow-up.

Background and aims Early diagnosis of arteriosclerosis is fundamental for the prevention of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The current study was performed to identify major predictors of arteriosclerosis and to assess the association between arterial stiffness as measured by cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and muscle mass deficit (MMD) estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in middle-aged men. Methods and results Data were gathered from 3356 middle-aged men who visited a health promotion center. CAVI was measured as an index of arterial stiffness. Body composition analysis was performed using BIA. MMD was positively associated with CAVI in the regression model. The odds ratios for high-CAVI (≥9.0) rose with MMD grade in a dose-dependent manner after adjusting for age, lifestyle factors and current medication use. The estimated mean CAVI rose as MMD grade increased (P for trend >0.001). Conclusions MMD estimated from BIA was positively associated with arterial stiffness in middle-aged men. These findings show a close interaction between low muscle mass and cardiovascular risk.

Supplemental material, DS_10.1177_0022034519885610 for Public Sense of Water Fluoridation as Reflected on Twitter 2009–2017 by H.J. Oh, C.H. Kim and J.G. Jeon in Journal of Dental Research

Background Liver transplantation (LT) is the treatment of choice for hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). Recently, acute kidney injury (AKI) due to acute hepatitis A (HA) is increasing, but the outcome of LT is not well established. We investigated the outcomes of LT in patients with AKI due to acute HA compared with those of patients with HRS due to other causes. Methods We investigated the outcomes of LT in 20 patients with AKI associated with acute HA (HAV group) compared with 76 patients with hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) due to other causes (HRS group) at 3 Korea centers. Results Preoperative mean prothrombin time and serum creatinine level were higher in the HAV group than in the HRS group. But mean total bilirubin level was lower in the HAV group. There was no difference in Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores. Post-transplantation patient and graft survival rates were similar between the 2 groups. More patients in the HAV group needed post-transplantation hemodialysis than in the HRS group (65.0% vs 38.2%; P = .043). However, post-transplantation estimated glomerular filtration rate was significantly higher in the HAV group after post-transplantation month 2 ( P Conclusions Peri-transplantation kidney function of the HAV group was poorer than that of HRS group. However, post-transplantation long-term renal outcome could be better in the HAV group.

Experiment 1 was a feeding trial in which 75 (Landrace ⅹ Yorkshire) ⅹ Duroc pigs with average initial bodyweight (BW) of 26 ± 1 kg were used. It was assigned to three pigs/pen and five pens/treatment. Experiment 2 was a metabolic trial in which 25 (LandraceⅹYorkshire)ⅹDuroc pigs with average initial bodyweight (BW) of 36 ± 1 kg were used. The basal diet consisted of maize (57.71 %), soybean meal (32.45 %), and wheat bran (5 %). Treatments consisted of i) CON (control diet); ii) OE (organic acid + essential oils) (Aviplus-S ® ), that is, CON + 0.05 % OE; iii) OC (organic charcoal) (Olga Black ® ), that is, CON + 0.1 % OC; iv) AE (anise extracts) (RESQ ® ), that is, CON + 0.015 % AE; and v) PB (probiotics) (Bonvital ® ), that is, CON + 0.1 % PB. Average daily gain (ADG) and gain/feed ratio (G : F) were significantly higher in the OE and AE groups than in the others. Average daily feed intake (ADFI) for OE, OC, and AE treatments was significantly higher than that for CON and PB treatments. Dry matter (DM) digestibility was significantly higher in AE than CON. Crude protein (CP) was significantly higher in OE, AE, and PB than CON. CON and other treatments did not cause significant differences in blood l-density lipoprotein (LDL), and glucose. NH 3 emissions were significantly lower in all treated groups than in CON. Among the treatments, NH 3 emissions were lowest in OE and AE. H 2 S emissions were significantly lower in OE, AE, and PB than in CON. Among the treatments, OE and AE were most effective at reducing H 2 S emissions. The emissions of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) showed no significant difference between treatments and CON. In conclusion, this experiment was shown to be more effective on growth performance, malodour emission, blood profiles, and nutrient digestibility in OE and AE than other additives. Keywords: Digestibility, feed, influence, odour, supplementation, swine

Membrane filtration is one of the promising technologies to reclaim water, but fouling is a barrier to overcome to be operated economically. Irreversible fouling makes membrane life time short than reversible fouling, because pollutants inside of pores are difficult to remove by physical cleaning and can be eliminated using chemical such as acids and bases. Ceramic membranes have strong heat resistant, so it is possible to treat thermal wastewater. High water temperature can make the viscosity of water down and thus increase permeability. There are controversies between theoretical and real viscosities. The results showed that high water temperature caused initial flux rise the flux became similar to that of low temperature water after 2 h of operation. It also led R irr ratios bigger than R rev. High temperature of water can increase irreversible fouling of ceramic membrane probably caused by inorganic scale formation in the membrane pores.

Research has importance in proposing the design of a tunnel with a vertical vent to secure passengers in a comfortable environment and safe against pressure. Using several analysis methods, the magnitude of the pressure induced by the vertical vent in the tunnel can be analyzed. In addition to the 3-dimensional method, the 2-dimensional method and the 2-dimensional axis-symmetric method are also used to analyze the strong and weak points of each so that the optimum analysis method can be obtained. As a result, it appears that the 2-dimensional axis-symmetric method is the most suitable in analyzing tunnel pressure consider to accuracy and time effective aspect. Also, the 3-dimensional method is disadvantageous in that it takes longer in calculating results, but is more effective in predicting phenomena around the vertical vent in the tunnel.

Waternode station is a floating composite water quality monitoring device. The waternode station houses the multiple water quality measurement devices, control panel for wireless communication and solar cells for applying electric power. The floating devices are classified into general model with vertical dropping system and river model without vertical dropping system. The water quality measurement device measures pH, water temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and nitrate. And it measures all parameters simultaneously. The control panel is used for IP-USN system. USN (Ubiquitous Sensor Network) is a network system by water quality measurement devices. IP-USN is a USN system that identifies particular sensor connected to the internet. The data information is transferred by wireless modem based on TFB (Triple Frequency Band). Field application results showed that the waternode station is a reliable and cost-effective water quality monitoring solutions.

The water quality measurement device that we developed measures pH, water temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and nitrate. And it measures all parameters simultaneously. The water resistant and screw packing technology also applied for improved mechanical reliability during water quality monitoring. A comparison between the performances of major company products (YSI, Hydrolab etc.) and this device don't provide a stark contrast. This device was verified through the KOREA’s Environmental Examination Methods. This device is offered reliable and cost-effective water quality monitoring solutions. Upgrades will be available and will include the technologies that are self-cleaning optical sensors with integrated wipers remove biofouling and maintain high data accuracy and optimal power management and built-in battery compartment extends in situ monitoring periods.

The TiO 2 sol was prepared hydrothermally in an autoclave from aqueous TiOCl 2 solutions using as a starting precursor. Titanate nanotubes were obtained when the sol–gel-derived TiO 2 sol was treated chemically with a 10 M NaOH solution and subsequently heated in the autoclave at 150 °C for 48 h. The samples were characterized using XRD, TEM, SEM, EDX, FT-IR, and BET surface area analyzer. The experimental results revealed that the phase, shape and morphology, surface property and the photocatalytic activity were greatly affected by the calcination temperatures and amount of sodium present in the different samples. On the basis of different experimental evidences, formula Na 2 Ti 3 O 7 · n H 2 O, Na 2− x H x Ti 3 O 7 · n H 2 O and H 2 Ti 3 O 7 · n H 2 O has been proposed for the nanotubes depending on the extent of exchange reaction of sodium with proton. A systematic study, dealing with the photocatalytic activity of the titanate nanotubes, was also carried out as a function of sodium contents and calcination temperatures. The photocatalytic activity of samples, obtained before and after calcination containing different amounts of sodium, was evaluated using the photooxidation of a dye, amaranth, as probe reaction. The as-prepared nanotubes, with or without sodium contents, showed no photocatalytic activities but when the samples containing partial or without sodium ions were heated at different temperatures, photocatalytic activity was drastically increased following the change in phase.

The anodic titanium dioxide (TiO2) films for photocatalyst were prepared by anodization in acid solution. The characteristics of surface layer and the photocatalytic efficiency of the anodic film have been investigated. The chemical states of anodic film were analyzed using XPS, and the photocatalytic efficiency was evaluated by the degradation rate of aniline blue. From XPS results the component elements of the electrolyte, P and S, were observed in the anodic film, which were incorporated from the electrolyte into the oxide layer during anodization. The porous TiO2 film exhibited high photocatalytic efficiency for degradation of aniline blue.

This study placed a focus on fabrication factors and surface morphology characteristics to obtain anodic alumina layers with ordered nanopore arrays using two-step anodization process. The regularity of nanopore arrangement in anodic alumina was prepared in oxalic acid at 40 V. The regular array was shown to be more strongly dependent on the time of first anodization than that of second anodization. The widening process of oxide surface in H3PO4 solution clearly exhibits that the nanopore diameter of the alumina layer subjected to widening time increased linearly at a rate of 0.6 nm/min at 30°C, and 0.8 nm/min at 40°C. The pore arrays in anodic alumina were analyzed by SEM.

The increase of capacitance on dielectric layer is associated with enlargement of etched surface area of electrodes for aluminum electrolytic capacitors. Etched tunnels extending along [100] directions are formed by crystallographic dissolution of aluminum in a chloride solution. This study has been focused primarily on the effects of addition of inhibitors to hydrochloric acid solution on the increase of the surface area by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). The addition of 3 % ethylene glycol was more effective for the enlargement of the surface area comparing with those of 1M sulfuric acid and no additive. And it was observed by TEM that the tunnels were grown straight and parallel to [100] directions.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the catalytic role of granular activated carbon (GAC), and metal (Mn or Fe) doped-GAC, on the transformation of ozone into more reactive secondary radicals, such as hydroxyl radicals (.OH), for the treatment of wastewater. The GAC doped with Mn showed the highest catalytic performance in terms of ozone decomposition into OH radicals. Likewise, activated carbon alone accelerated the ozone decomposition, resulting in the formation of .OH radicals. In the presence of promoters, the ozone depletion rate was enhanced further by the Mn-GAC catalyst system, even under aqueous acidic pH conditions.

Epidural administration of dexamethasone might reduce postoperative pain in adults. We evaluated whether a caudal block of 0.1 mg kg(-1) dexamethasone combined with ropivacaine improves analgesic efficacy in children undergoing day-case orchiopexy.This randomized, double-blind study included 80 children aged 6 months to 5 yr who underwent day-case, unilateral orchiopexy. Patients received either 1.5 ml kg(-1) of 0.15% ropivacaine (Group C) or 1.5 ml kg(-1) of 0.15% ropivacaine in which dexamethasone of 0.1 mg kg(-1) was mixed (Group D) for caudal analgesia. Postoperative pain scores, rescue analgesic consumption, and side-effects were evaluated 48 h after operation.Postoperative pain scores at 6 and 24 h post-surgery were significantly lower in Group D than in Group C. Furthermore, the number of subjects who remained pain free up to 48 h after operation was significantly greater in Group D [19 of 38 (50%)] than in Group C [four of 37 (10.8%); P0.001]. The number of subjects who received oral analgesic was significantly lower in Group D [11 of 38 (28.9%)] than in Group C [20 of 37 (54.1%); P=0.027]. Time to first oral analgesic administration after surgery was also significantly longer in Group D than in Group C (P=0.014). Adverse events after surgery including vomiting, fever, wound infection, and wound dehiscence were comparable between the two groups.The addition of dexamethasone 0.1 mg kg(-1) to ropivacaine for caudal block can significantly improve analgesic efficacy in children undergoing orchiopexy. Clinical trial registration NCT01604915.

Optimal methods for designing multiplierless finite-impulse response (FIR) and infinite-impulse response (IIR) filters with cascaded prefilter-equalizer structures are proposed. Assuming that an FIR filter consists of a cyclotomic polynomial (CP) prefilter and an interpolated second order polynomial (ISOP) equalizer, in the proposed method, the prefilter and equalizer are simultaneously designed using mixed integer linear programming (MILP). The resulting filter is a cascaded filter with minimal complexity. For IIR filters, all-pole IIR equalizers consisting of inverse of interpolated first order polynomials (IIFOP's) are introduced, and a CP-prefilter cascaded with this type of equalizer is designed. Design examples demonstrate that the proposed methods produce a more efficient cascaded prefilter-equalizer than existing methods.

Interpolated second-order polynomials (ISOPs) are proposed to design efficient cascaded integrator-comb (CIC)-based decimation filters for a programmable downconverter. It is shown that some simple ISOPs can effectively reduce the passband droop caused by CIC filtering with little degradation in aliasing attenuation. In addition, ISOPs are shown to be useful for simplifying halfband filters that usually follow CIC filtering. As a result, a modified halfband filter (MHBF) is introduced which is simpler than conventional halfband filters. The proposed decimation filter for programmable downconverter is a cascade of a CIC filter, an ISOP, MHBFs, and a programmable finite impulse response filter. A procedure for designing the decimation filter is developed. In particular, an optimization technique that simultaneously designs the ISOP and programmable FIR filters is presented. Design examples demonstrate that the proposed method leads to more efficient programmable downconverters than existing ones.

Using infrared spectroscopy optical properties of CeNi 1 - x Co x Ge 2 ( 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1 ) have been studied. Tuning the Co-doping concentration reveals clear demarcation in the optical properties due to the collapse of heavy electron Fermi surface at the quantum critical point x = 0.3 .

Objective: To determine the immediate and long-term therapeutic efficacies of Gufoni and head-shaking maneuvers in apogeotropic type of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo involving the horizontal semicircular canal (HC-BPPV), a randomized, prospective, sham-controlled study was conducted. Methods: In 10 nationwide dizziness clinics in Korea, 157 consecutive patients (95 women, age range: 18–89 years, mean age ± SD = 59.9 ± 13.6) with apogeotropic HC-BPPV were randomized to Gufoni (n = 52), head-shaking (n = 54), or sham maneuver (n = 51). For Gufoni maneuver, patients underwent ipsilesional side-lying and upward head-turn for migration of the debris toward the vestibule. Immediate responses were determined within 1 hour after a maximum of 2 trials of each maneuver and in the following day. The patients also had weekly follow-ups for 1 month after the initial maneuver. Results: After a maximum of 2 maneuvers on the initial visit day, Gufoni (38/52, 73.1%) and head-shaking (33/53, 62.3%) maneuvers showed better responses than the sham maneuver (17/49, 34.7%). The cumulative therapeutic effects were also better with Gufoni ( p p = 0.026) maneuvers compared with the sham maneuver. However, therapeutic efficacies did not differ between the Gufoni and head-shaking groups in terms of both immediate ( p = 0.129) and long-term ( p = 0.239) outcomes. Conclusion: Using a prospective randomized trial, we demonstrated that the Gufoni and head-shaking maneuvers are effective in treating apogeotropic HC-BPPV. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class II evidence that Gufoni and head-shaking maneuvers are effective in treating apogeotropic horizontal BPPV up to 1 month after initial treatment. Clinical trial registration: NCT00810641.

The technology innovation for extending the RCAT structure to the sub-70nm DRAM is presented. The new technology overcomes the problems induced by shrinkage of the RCAT structure and meets the requirements for the next generation DRAMs, such as high speed and low power performance. The technology roadmap down to the 50nm DRAM feature size of the RCAT development is presented.

Fully reliable lean-free stacked capacitor, with the meshes of the supporter made of Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/, has been successfully developed on 80nm COB DRAM application. This novel process terminates persistent problems caused by mechanical instability of storage node with high aspect ratio. With Mechanically Enhanced Storage node for virtually unlimited Height (MESH), the cell capacitance over 30fF/cell has been obtained by using conventional MIS dielectric with an equivalent 2.3nm oxide thickness. This inherently lean-free capacitor makes it possible extending the existing MIS dielectric technology to sub-70nm OCS (one cylindrical storage node) DRAMs.

For the first time, novel robust capacitor (Leaning exterminated Ring type Insulator - LERI) and new storage node (SN) contact process (Top Spacer Contact - TSC) are successfully developed with 82nm feature size. These novel processes drastically improved electrical characteristics such as cell capacitance, parasitic bit line capacitance and cell contact resistance, compared to a conventional process. The most pronounced effect using the LERI in COB structure is to greatly improve cell capacitance without twin bit failure. In addition, the TSC technology has an ability to remove a critical ArF lithography. By using the LERI and TSC processes in 82nm 512M DDR DRAM, the cell capacitance of 32fF/cell is achieved with Toxeq of 2.3nm and the parasitic bit line capacitance is reduced by 20%, resulted in great improvement of tRCD (1.5ns).

Wide stripe selective area growth was proposed as a tool for getting information on surface kinetics in the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). GaAs and InP were grown over patterned substrates using SiO/sub 2/ mask. The characterized growth-rate enhancement profiles were successfully fitted with 2-dimensional simulation taking only gas phase diffusion into account except for the profiles in the vicinity of mask edge, which seemed to reflect surface diffusion. Considering that gas phase diffusion coefficient can be estimated by observing a reactor-scale growth-rate profile, the only parameter determining growth-rate enhancement profile was sticking probability of a film precursor on the surface of GaAs. The estimated sticking probability was 0.05 - 0.4 for GaAs and 0.26 - 0.5 for InP. The information on the surface reaction was gathered in various conditions, such as temperature, group V partial pressure. The study on polycrystalline growth over mask was also carried out using the information of SAG analysis. It is shown that polycrystals was generated when the concentration of a film precursor just above the mask exceeded a critical value. This information is important not only for the design of selective area growth process but also for constructing more realistic reaction model of MOCVD.

Spinning solutions were prepared by dissolving polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and sulfonated polyaniline (SPAN) in methyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution. Polyacrylonitrile-sulfonated polyaniline fibers were fabricated by wet spinning method. The fibers were elongated more than 5 times during the spinning process. All of the fibers are conductive without additional acid doping process. The characterization of fibers has been studied by XRD, electrical conductivity, and tensile properties.

Ionizing radiation and restriction endonucleases are very efficient in inducing chromosomal aberrations (CAs). These aberrations are mainly consequences of misrepair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The fast repairing component of DSBs induced by ionizing radiation seems to be responsible for exchange aberration. Use of premature chromosome condensation technique in combination with DNA repair inhibitors such as ara A has given valuable information on the assessment of the frequencies of initial chromosome breaks and the kinetics of their repair following low LET radiation. The recently developed 'chromosome painting' technique using chromosome-specific libraries has also increased considerably the resolution of identifying and scoring of CAs. After low LET radiation, stable chromosome exchanges (translocations) are induced more frequently than unstable chromosome exchanges (dicentrics). Fluorescence in situ hybridization employing telomeric probe has made it possible to score efficiently exchange aberrations involving the acrocentric chromosomes of mouse. Chinese hamster cells have several intercalary telomeric sequences present in most of the chromosomes. These telomeric blocks have been found to be associated with chromosomal aberrations induced by restriction endonucleases and short wave UV and evidence has been obtained for apparent amplification of telomeric sequences at the break points.

Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using non-radioactive probes has become an important tool in cytogenetics. With this technique, using chromosome specific DNA libraries, one can paint whole chromosomes, or using specific probes it is possible to hybridize with specific regions of the chromosome, such as telomeres, centromeres etc. This technique has been used extensively in our laboratory to study several cytogenetical end points in genetic toxicology.

In the bitch, oocytes are ovulated at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage and mature in the isthmus of the oviduct around 3 days after ovulation, it is not known what elements trigger the release of this meiotic arrest. Canine IVM has shown limited success with maturation rates, usually around 20% (MII) (Farstad W, 2000 Anim. Reprod. Sci. 60–61, 375–387). Estrogen and progesterone are suggested to play a significant role in causing oocyte resumption of meiosis and progression to MII stage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of estradiol-17β (E2) and progesterone (P4) during in vitro maturation of canine oocytes in serum-free tissue culture medium (TCM)-199. Canine oocytes collected from bitches were categorized into three groups based on estrous stages, follicular, luteal, or anestrus, at routine ovariohystrectomy. Oocytes were cultured in vitro in TCM-199 supplemented with E2, P4 or E2+P4 according to experimental design at 39°C in 5% CO2 and O2. After 72h of maturation culture, oocytes were denuded, fixed in a 3.7% paraformaldehyde solution for 10min, stained with Hoechst 33342 in glycerol, and observed under the UV light. Three groups of oocytes were cultured in TCM-199 supplemented with different concentrations (0, 0.1, 1.0 or 2.0μgmL−1) of E2 (Experiment 1, n=898, replications: 5) or P4 (0, 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0μgmL−1, Experiment 2, n=734, replications: 5). Multiple comparisons were implemented using Generalized Linear Models in the SAS 8.12 program. The rates of oocyte maturation to MII stage were higher (P

To investigate effects of heat treatments including grain size control in substrate aluminum on nanopore arrays in anodic alumina template, aluminum was heat treated at for 1h. The heat treated aluminum was anodized by two successive anodization processes in oxalic solution and the nanopore arrays in anodic alumina layer were studied using TEM and FE-SEM. The highly ordered porous alumina templates with 110 nm interpore distance and 40 nm pore diameter have been observed and the pore array of the anodic alumina has a uniform and closely-packed honeycomb structure. In the case of alumina template obtained from heat treated aluminum substrate, the well- ordered nanopore region in anodic alumina increased and became more homogeneous compared with that from non-heattreated one.

Porous anodic aluminum oxide layer for nano templates was prepared in acidic solutions. In order to investigate effects of 2nd anodization on ordered formation behaviors of the porous oxide layers, electrochemical and microstructural studies were performed, primarily using TEM, FE- SEM, AFM, and Ultramicrotomy. The pore diameter of the anodic oxide layer increased approximately linearly with increasing voltages, and to the contrary, the pore density decreased. It was shown that 2nd anodizing on the cell base after dissolving 1st anodic oxide layer was remarkably effective for forming ordered array of the pores, comparing with the case for 1st anodization only. And for controlling the diameter of pores, widening method by chemical dissolution seemed more practical than by electrochemical methods.