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Background There is insufficient study evaluating how the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes varies across the full range of LVEF in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A more comprehensive evaluation could provide further understanding of prognosis and support the management of these patients. Purpose The present study aimed to assess the association between left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with coronary artery diseases undergoing PCI. Methods A consecutive series of 9475 patients without acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing PCI were enrolled into the study and followed up for a median 2.4 years. Patients were stratified into 8 groups by 5% intervals: under 40%, 40–45%, 45–50%, 50–55%, 55–60%, 60–65%, 65–70%, and over 70%. MACE, consisting of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, and revascularization, was evaluated as the outcome. Results MACE occurred in 594 (6.3%) patients. The MACE rates decreased before LVEF under 65% while increased after LVEF over 70%, showing a U-shaped pattern. The 65–70% group showed the lowest rate of MACE (4.5%). Consistently, in the Cox regression, the association between LVEF and MACE presented as a U-shaped pattern regardless of different age and sex groups, and after adjusted for clinical and procedural covariables. The LVEF categories lower than 65% or higher than 70% were independent predictors of MACE, compared with 65–70% group (Hazard ratios 1.311 to 2.657, all P value >0.05). Similar trend was also observed in restricted mean survival time analysis. Conclusions LVEF and MACE displayed a U-shaped association and patients with LVEF of 65–70% showed the lowest risk of MACE. The present study provided an insight into how the MACE risk changed in a wide spectrum of LVEF in patients without AMI undergoing PCI, which might improve preprocedural evaluation. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

BackgroundThe increased prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in women has led to studies exploring how female reproductive factors affect disease outcomes in women RA. While a few studies have investigated how early menopause (EM) affects RA outcomes, they had relatively small sample size and have shown inconsistent results [1, 2]. Moreover, none has evaluated the association between age at menopause and longitudinal changes in validated disease activity indices or patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of RA.ObjectivesWe aimed to assess the differences in clinical outcomes between RA patients with EM (age at menopause MethodsA total of 2,878 postmenopausal women with RA were included from the Korean Observational Study Network for Arthritis, a nationwide prospective RA cohort of Korea. Each patient was examined at baseline and for 5 consecutive years using the simplified disease activity index (SDAI), health assessment questionnaire-disability index (HAQ-DI), and other PROs. Among patients with a baseline SDAI >11, generalized estimating equation (GEE) analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of EM on longitudinal changes in RA activity and PROs during follow-up.ResultsThe EM group (N=437) was younger than the UM group (N=2,441) [58.0±9.5 vs. 60.8±8.0 years, pConclusionRA patients with EM demonstrate higher disease activity and poorer health-related quality of life. EM significantly affects longitudinal changes in disease activity and PROs in RA.References[1]Pikwer M, Nilsson JA, Bergstrom U, et al. Early menopause and severity of rheumatoid arthritis in women older than 45 years. Arthritis Res Ther. 2012 Aug; 14(4):R190.[2]Wong LE, Huang WT, Pope JE, et al. Effect of age at menopause on disease presentation in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2015 May; 67(5):616-623.Table 1.Longitudinal analysis of predictors of the SDAI, HAQ-DI, and EQ-5D utility value over time using a GEE model among patients with a baseline SDAI >11OutcomeIndependent variablesRegression coefficient (β) (95% CI)PSDAIAge0.013 (-0.024-0.049)0.503RA duration0.084 (0.046-0.122)Baseline SDAI0.580 (0.531-0.630)Biologic use0.196 (-0.924-1.315)0.732Early menopause1.265 (0.412-2.117)0.004Follow-up time-1.806 (-1.964--1.647)HAQ-DIAge0.007 (0.004-0.009)RA duration0.011 (0.009-0.014)Baseline HAQ-DI0.674 (0.638-0.711)Biologic use0.044 (-0.033-0.122)0.264Early menopause0.092 (0.030-0.154)0.003Follow-up time-0.004 (-0.016-0.007)0.457EQ-5DAge-0.002 (-0.003--0.000)0.007RA duration-0.003 (-0.004--0.002)Baseline EQ-5D utility value0.532 (0.492-0.572)Biologic use-0.012 (-0.045-0.021)0.489Early menopause-0.033 (-0.059--0.006)0.016Follow-up time0.010 (0.005-0.015)Disclosure of InterestsNone declared

A psychological behaviour management programme with information and communications technology was developed that includes symbolic modelling, tell-show-do, positive reinforcement and distraction, and provides real-time treatment information. We hypothesised that the programme would help patients feel less stressed and show less uncooperative behaviours and subjective pain.Forty-eight paediatric patients were recruited from May 2016 to January 2017, and randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group. In the control, patients watched cartoon animations during the first and second treatments. The experimental group watched cartoon animations during the first treatment, and they used the programme during the second treatment. To measure stress, uncooperative behaviour and subjective pain, we recorded the heart rate, Procedure Behaviour Checklist (PBCL) and Wong and Baker's Faces Pain Rating Scale (FPRS).The experimental group resulted in a significantly lower mean heart rate, uncooperative behaviour and subjective pain in the second treatment than did the control group (p0.001). The differences in heart rate and uncooperative behaviour between the treatments were also significantly greater in the experimental group than in the control group (p0.001).The programme was effective in relieving fear and anxiety as well as learning cooperative behaviour.

Objective The purpose of this study was to identify whether determinants of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in middle-aged female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) differed according to the presence or absence of fibromyalgia. Methods One hundred and fifty-two patients with SLE and 139 healthy controls (HCs) completed the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) and EuroQol EQ-5D questionnaires about HRQoL. Disease activity and cumulative disease damage were assessed with standard indices. Sleep quality was assessed using the Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (K-PSQI). Result The mean EQ-5D and physical and mental components of SF-36 were lower in SLE patients with fibromyalgia (n = 41) than in those without fibromyalgia (n = 111) and HCs. The scores in all eight domains of the SF-36 were lower in SLE patients with fibromyalgia than in patients without fibromyalgia and HCs. Poor sleep (defined as a K-PSQI > 5) was reported by 85% of SLE patients with fibromyalgia, by 51% of patients without fibromyalgia, and by 33% of HCs. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that lower educational level, cumulative organ damage severity and poor sleep quality were independent determinants of HRQoL in SLE patients with fibromyalgia, whereas disease activity, sleep quality and depressive mood were independent determinants of HRQoL in those without fibromyalgia. Conclusion Poor sleep quality is the common independent risk factor for poor HRQoL in both middle-aged SLE patients with fibromyalgia and without fibromyalgia. Sleep quality improvement may improve HRQoL in female SLE patients, even in those without fibromyalgia.

Background:Gout shows a seasonal variation that widely differs among geographic areas, and we previously reported a seasonal effect on gout in Korea. However, we had no information regarding changes in diet and had only limited laboratory data because this was a retrospective study in patients receiving a urate-lowering therapy. Therefore, we designed this prospective study to elucidate the seasonality and associated factors of gout attacks in Korea.Objectives:To evaluate the seasonality and associated factors of the incidence of gout attacks in Korea.Methods:We prospectively enrolled patients with gout attacks who were treated at nine rheumatology clinics between January 2015 and July 2018 and followed them for 1-year. Demographic data, clinical and laboratory features, and meteorological data including seasonality were collected.Results:Two hundred-five patients (males, 94.1%) were enrolled. The proportion of patients with initial gout attacks was 46.8% (n = 96). The mean age, body mass index, attack duration, and serum uric acid level at enrollment were 50.5 years, 26.1, 10.2 days, and 7.3 mg/dL, respectively. Gout attacks were most common during spring (43.4%,P< 0.001) and in March (23.4 %,P< 0.001). A similar pattern of seasonality was observed in the group with initial gout attacks. Alcohol was the most common provoking factor (39.0%), particularly during summer (50.0%). The mean diurnal temperature change on the day of the attack was highest in the spring (10.3°C), followed by winter (9.1°C), summer (8.1°C), and fall (8.0°C) (P= 0.027). The mean change in humidity between the 2 consecutive days (the day before and the day of the attack) was significantly different among the seasons (3.4%, spring; 0.2%, summer; 0.4%, fall; -3.9%, winter;P= 0.015). One hundred twenty-five (61%) patients completed 1-year follow-up (51% in the initial attack group). During the follow-up period, 51 gout flares developed (18 in the initial attack group). No significant seasonal variation in the follow-up flares was found.Conclusion:In this prospective study, the most common season and month of gout attacks in Korea were spring and March, respectively. Alcohol was the most common provoking factor, particularly during summer. Diurnal temperature changes on the day of the attack and humidity changes from the day before the attack to the day of the attack were associated with gout attack in our cohort.References:[1]Choi HJ, Lee CH, Lee JH et al. Seasonality of gout in Korea: a multicenter study. J Korean Med Sci 2015;30:240-4.Disclosure of Interests: :None declared

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth common malignancies worldwide and the leading cause of death in Asian and African countries. Aberrant accumulation of lncRNAs is one of major causes of tumorigenesis in HCC. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) is identified as an oncogene in multiple types of tumor. However, the role of SNHG16 in HCC is poor understood. Here, we showed that SNG16 was up-regulated and associated with poor prognosis in HCC. Then, we demonstrated that SNHG16 interacted with miR-302a-3p and depressed its expression. Moreover, our result indicated that SNHG16/miR-302a-3p axis regulated the expression of FGF19 in liver cancer cells. Finally, we investigated the biological function of SNHG16 in HCC and showed that SNHG16 promoted liver cancer cells proliferation via the SNHG16/miR-302a-3p/FGF19 axis. Collectively, these data suggest that SNHG16 might be a predictive biomarker and a potential therapeutic target of liver cancer.

Background Both hyperuricemia and hyperhomocysteinemia are known to be associated with the deterioration of vascular endothelial function and are regarded as important risk factors for atherosclerotic vascular diseases. However, there has been no report about the relationship between homocysteine (Hcy) and atherosclerosis in patients with hyperuricemia. Objectives In this study, we evaluated the relationship between the carotid IMT and various clinical parameters including renal function and serum Hcy level in patients with hyperuricemia, and investigated the possible mechanism of how hyperuricemia is related with the increase of carotid IMT. Methods A total of 1228 subjects who visited the health promotion centre of hospital were enrolled in this study. All subjects completed both carotid ultrasonography and laboratory measurement, including serum Hcy levels and renal function. Serum Hcy levels were measured by a competitive immunoassay using direct chemiluminescent. Carotid IMT was evaluated by B-mode carotid ultrasonography. Results Hyperuricemic patients showed higher carotid IMT values compared with normouricemic patients (1.12±0.64 mm vs. 1.02±0.50 mm, p=0.043). The serum Hcy levels were significantly higher in the hyperuricemic group than in the normouricemic group (13.39±4.42 μmol/L vs. 11.69±3.65 μmol/L, p Conclusions Carotid IMT was higher in patients with hyperuricemia than in normouricemic individuals. This study suggests that impairment of the renal function in patients with hyperuricemia may induce the increase in carotid IMT via increased serum Hcy levels. Disclosure of Interest None declared

To investigate whether serum leucine-rich α2-glycoprotein (LRG) levels are elevated in patients with adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) and determine their correlation with disease activity parameters.We enrolled 39 patients with AOSD, 47 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 39 controls. Forty-five serum samples from the patients with AOSD were assayed for LRG using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Comprehensive AOSD activity was determined by a modified Pouchot score.Serum LRG levels were significantly elevated in patients with AOSD (128.8±40.8 ng/mL) compared to those in patients with RA and in controls (33.9±15.2 ng/mL, p0.001 and 22.4±6.1 ng/mL, p0.001, respectively). Patients with active AOSD had significantly higher LRG levels than those with inactive disease (141.4±31.3 ng/mL vs. 79.8±37.1 ng/mL, p=0.002). Serum LRG levels were positively correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP; γ=0.387, p=0.015), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH; γ=0.370, p=0.026), ferritin (γ=0.687, p0.001) levels, and the modified Pouchot score (γ=0.756, p0.001). Serum LRG levels decreased significantly after treatment in all six patients with active AOSD who had follow-up evaluations (p=0.007). The best cut-off value for LRG to distinguish AOSD from RA was 67.9 ng/mL, with a sensitivity of 92.3% and a specificity of 97.9%.Serum LRG levels were increased in patients with AOSD and correlated well with disease activity measures. LRG may be a useful biomarker for distinguishing AOSD from RA and for monitoring the disease activity of AOSD.

Auditory steady-state evoked response(ASSR) is an objective method to evaluate hearing threshold. Recently, it was reported that CE-Chirp ASSR is more reliable than the conventional ASSR in predicting the behavioral hearing threshold. Many reseaches were conducted to improve the reliability of ASSR threshold and behavioral threshold. This paper reviewed the development, principle, clinical application status, and progress of ASSR.

Background Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, often accompanied by fatigue, cognitive disturbance, psychiatric symptoms, and multiple somatic symptoms. Various pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies have been tried in the management of fibromyalgia. However, unfortunately, management remains a challenge. Objectives Taping therapy has been shown to be effective for pain relief in various musculoskeletal diseases. However, there was no trial for the patients with fibromyalgia. In this study, we evaluated the effects of taping therapy in patients with fibromyalgia. Methods This study is a randomized controlled trial with 60 fibromyalgia patients. All patients were satisfied with the 2010 American College of Rheumatology diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia. Participants were randomized to the Kinesio taping group (n=30) and to the non-elastic paper taping group (n=30) for the control. Taping experiment was performed for three weeks (twice a week) through the one-to-one meeting. Pain, symptom severity, dysfunctions in daily life, depression, and quality of life (QoL) were assessed with the widespread pain index (WPI), severity score (SS), fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ), Beck depression inventory (BDI), and the EQ-5D INDEX and EQ-5D VAS, respectively. Results The mean ages of taping group and the control group were 54.3±12.0 years and 53.2±12.7 years, respectively, and female patients were 25/30 (83.3%) and 27/30 (90.0%) in both groups, respectively, and there were no differences between two groups in the medication use such as anti-depressants and muscle relaxants. Patients showed significant improvements after Kinesio taping therapy in pain (10.50±3.98 vs. 5.70±2.73, p p p p p p p =0.012). The changes before and after treatment in the Kinesio taping group revealed significant differences from those in the control group: pain ( p p p p =0.001) and QoL ( p p Conclusions This study shows that Kinesio taping therapy has effects on pain, symptom severity, dysfunctions in daily life, depression, and quality of life in the patient with fibromyalgia. Taping therapy could be a useful non-pharmacological management modality for the fibromyalgia patient. Disclosure of Interest None declared

Background Precise evaluation of synovial inflammation and bony deformity is very important for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). One of the most popular used methods to detect synovial inflammation and bony erosion is ultrasonography. Previous literatures revealed that US using power Doppler imaging (PDI) could detect more sensitive synovial inflammation than conventional radiography. However, there are still some limitations in ultrasonography. The superb microvascular imaging (SMI) is a new software technology introduced by Toshiba, which can detect a vascularity more sensitively without artifacts. Objectives In this prospective study, we evaluated the clinical usefulness of the SMI compared to PDI for the detection of active synovitis in patients with RA. Methods This prospective observational study includes 56 patients with RA (42 females; mean age,), from June 2015 to October 2016. The mean age of RA patients was 53.2±17.6 years, and 42 patients were female (75.0%). All the included patients underwent ultrasound about both wrists and hands (total 22 joints; wrist joints, metacarpophalangeal joints, and proximal interphalangeal joints). All the ultrasound examinations were performed at the volar side of the wrists and hands using both conventional PDI and SMI which use Aplio TM 500 Ultrasound (Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation). Their results were scored for each joint from grade 0 to grade 3 according to the vascularity (grade 0, no vascularity; grade 1, single vessel; grade 2, vascular flow less than 50% in field of view; grade 3, equal to 50% or more). The sum of grades for 22 joints was compared between PDI (PDI-sum) and SMI (SMI-sum). The correlation between the sum of grades values and inflammatory laboratory parameters including the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and disease activity score 28 (DAS28) were also evaluated. Results The mean values of ESR, CRP and DAS28 were 27.13±18.06 mm/hr, 6.78±9.14 mg/L, and 2.71±1.11 respectively. The positive rates of rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated antibody were 73.2% and 75.0%, respectively. The sum of grades for 22 joints was significantly higher in SMI-sum compared to PDI-sum (10.27±6.20 vs. 5.80±3.79, p p p p =0.003; γ=0.467, p p p =0.008, respectively). The number of clinical remission (DAS28 score below 2.6) was 28 (50.0%). The SMI-sum was significantly higher than PDI-sum in patients with clinical remission (7.96±5.39 vs. 4.64±3.03, p Conclusions SMI showed a more sensitive vascularity in RA patients than PDI. We could detect active synovitis through SMI in the RA patients with clinical remission. SMI could be a useful technology for the evaluation of synovitis in RA patients, especially for the detection of clinically subtle, but active synovitis in RA patients with remission. Disclosure of Interest None declared

The RAON is the name of the heavy ion accelerator facility under construction in Korea that includes the In-flight Fragment (IF) and Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) facilities to support cutting-edge research in various science fields. The superconducting linac is the driver for the IF facility that can accelerate beams from proton to uranium with 200 MeV/u, 400 kW (for uranium beam). A 70-MeV, 1-mA H− cyclotron is the driver for the ISOL facility and is followed by a post-accelerator consisting of s superconducting linac that can accelerate rare-isotope (RI) beams and deliver them to experimental halls. These facilities provide high-intensity stable ion and rare isotope (RI) beams for domestic and international users. In this paper, design and prototyping efforts for the RAON accelerator systems are presented.

BaTiO3 nanopowder was synthesized at low temperature by using an alkoxide-hydroxide sol-gel method and were sintered by microwave processing. Microwave sintering of BaTiO3 was carried out at different temperatures for 20 min to get dense ceramics. The phases, morphologies, crystal structures and weight losses of the synthesized and sintered materials were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Raman spectroscopy and Thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA). The materials could only be sintered densely at lower temperatures (1050–1150 °C). Enhancements of the dielectric constant (ɛ r ∼ 3500 at 100 kHz) and the remnant polarization (P r ∼ 6.90 μc/cm2) were found for BaTiO3 microwave-sintered at 1150 °C, which values were higher than those obtained by the conventional sintering. P-E loops confirmed the better ferroelectric nature of the microwave-sintered BaTiO3.

International audience; Production of neutron-rich nuclei around N = 126 by multinucleon transfer reactions has recently gained a renewal of interest both theoretically and experimentally. We are now advancing the KISS project at RIKEN to produce those nuclei by multinucleon transfer reactions and measure their lifetimes to investigate the astrophysical environments of the r-process. To investigate the relevance of the production mechanism, we performed measurements for the reaction system 136Xe + 198Pt, using the spectrometer VAMOS++ and the gamma-ray array EXOGAM at GANIL. Cross sections deduced from the measurements for neutron-rich nuclei around N = 126 show a modest enhancement when compared with the GRAZING calculations, indicating the advantage of the multinucleon transfer reactions as compared with fragmentation for production of N = 126 neutron-rich isotones. The possibility for production of neutron-rich nuclei around uranium beyond N = 126 by multinucleon transfer reactions is also discussed.

Summary. Background: In spite of the growing popularity of herbal medicines and natural food supplements, their effects on cardiovascular homeostasis remain largely unknown, especially regarding pro-thrombotic risks. Objective: In the present study, 21 herbal tea extracts were screened for the procoagulant activities on platelets, an important promoter of thrombosis to examine if herbal medicines or natural products may have prothrombotic risks. We discovered that Dipsacus asper (DA), known to have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, potently induced procoagulant activities in platelets. We tried to identify the active ingredient and elucidate the underlying mechanism. Results: Among 10 major ingredients of DA, dipsacus saponin C (DSC) was identified as a key active ingredient in DA-induced procoagulant activities. DSC-induced procoagulant activities were achieved by the exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) and PS-bearing microparticle generation that were caused by the alteration in the activities of phospholipid translocases: scramblase and flippase. These events were initiated by increased intracellular calcium and ATP depletion. Notably, DSC induced a series of apoptotic events including the disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, translocation of Bax and Bak, cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation. The key roles of apoptotic pathway and caspase activation were demonstrated by the reversal of DSC-induced PS exposure and procoagulant activities with the pretreatment of caspase inhibitors. Interestingly, EGTA reversed DSC-induced procoagulant activities and apoptotic events suggesting that an intracellular calcium increase may play a central role. These results were also confirmed in vivo where platelets of the rats exposed to DSC or DA exhibited PS exposure. Most importantly, DSC or DA administration led to increased thrombus formation. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that herbal medicines or natural products such as DA or DSC might have prothrombotic risks through procoagulant activation of platelets.

Tantalum-substituted Bi4Ti3O12 (Bi4Ti3-x/5Tax/5O12, BTTO) thin films were fabricated on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrates by sol–gel technology. The effects of various processing parameters, including Ta content (x=0∼0.08) and annealing temperature (500∼800 °C), on the growth and properties of thin films were investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the BTTO thin films have a bismuth-layered perovskite structure with preferred (117) orientation. With the increase of Ta content, the grain size of film decreased slightly, and highly (117)-oriented BTTO films were obtained in the composition of x=0.06. Ta doping on the B-site of Bi4Ti3O12 could induce the distortion of oxygen octahedral and decrease the oxygen vacancy concentration by a compensating effect. The highly (117)-oriented BTTO thin films with x=0.06 exhibits the maximum remanent polarization (2Pr) of 50 μC/cm2 and a low coercive field (2Ec) of 104 kV/cm, fatigue free characteristics up to ≧ 108 switching cycles.

The Bi0.85 Eu0.15 FeO3 /Bi3.2 Y0.8 Ti3 O12 bilayer thin films were prepared on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO 2/Si(100) substrates using the sol-gel process and annealed by rapid thermal annealing in various annealing environments (ambient atmosphere and oxygen). The multiferroic/ferroelectric bilayer thin films were composed of 0.8-μ m thickness Bi0.85 Eu0.15 FeO3 and 0.2-μ m thickness of Bi3.2 Y0.8 Ti3 O12 thin film. The effects of annealing atmospheres (ambient atmosphere and oxygen) on the growth and properties of thin films were investigated. The results show that the intensities of the (117) diffraction peak of Bi3.2Y0.8Ti3O 12 film and (110) diffraction peak of Bi0.85Eu0.15FeO3 annealed in oxygen is stronger than those annealed in an ambient atmosphere. The Bi0.85Eu0.15FeO3/Bi3.2Y0.8Ti3O12 bilayer thin films annealed in the oxygen atmosphere exhibit the maximum remanent polarization (2\mbi Pr) and remnant magnetization (2Mr) of 26 μ C/cm2 and 3.44 emu/g, respectively. The improved magnetic and ferroelectric properties can be attributed to the elimination of defects, such as oxygen vacancy and vacancy complexes.

We determined scattering length and effective range of ¥E¥E scattering for the ¥E¥E relative energy (M¥E¥E-2M¥E) from ¥E¥E threshold to 30 MeV/c2. Phase shift of the ¥E¥E wave function which described by scattering length and effective range was determined by fitting the ¥E¥E mass spectrum. The obtained scattering length -0.10+0.37-1.56 i¾ 0.04, and effective range 13.90 +14.35-9.13 i¾ 10.53 fm is the most consistent with the values predicted by using a series of the Nijmegen soft core models NSC97's. However the predicted values by using the Nijmegen hard core model ND (G-matrix), the extended soft core model ESC00, and the Kyoto-Niigata FSS are out of three standard deviations from the determined scattering parameters. Further, we determine ¥E¥E potential by fitting the ¥E¥E invariant mass spectrum using numerically solved ¥E¥E wave function with two-Gaussian shaped potential well. The ¥E¥E scattering parameters derived from the wave function are found to be scattering length -0.09, and effective range 29.34 fm with a maximum phase shift of 2.4 deg.

We determine ΛΛ scattering parameters from a ΛΛ invariant mass spectrum that was obtained by 12 C (K-, K+ΛΛ) reaction at the KEK Proton Synchrotron. In the framework of Watson's procedure, the obtained scattering length [Formula: see text] and effective range [Formula: see text] are most consistent with the values predicted by using the Nijmegen soft core models (NSC97's). However, the predicted values by using the Nijmegen hard-core ND ( G -matrix) and the extended soft-core (ESC00) models are out of two standard deviations from the determined scattering parameters.

The bla(CMY-10) gene responsible for β-lactam resistance was located on a new complex class 1 integron within a conjugative plasmid. The sul1-type class 1 integron, containing an aadA2a gene cassette, was identified upstream of bla(CMY-10). A unique gene array (yqgF-yqgE-gshB-orf97--orf105) was identified downstream of bla(CMY-10.).

An emulsion-counter hybrid experiment (KEK E176) was carried out to search for double strangeness systems such as double- Λ hypernuclei and H -dibaryons. More than 10% of Ξ − hyperons produced in the (K − , K + ) reaction were brought to rest in the nuclear emulsion. We have obtained 98 candidate events of nuclear capture at rest of Ξ − hyperons which are described in this report. Among those, four events were identified as sequential weak decay of double- Λ hypernuclei. The binding energies of Ξ − -( 12 C, 14 N and 16 O) states have been estimated for two events which emit twin single- Λ hypernuclei back to back from the capture point. The Σ − p decay vertex of an H -dibaryon was searched for near the capture point and no evidence was observed. Upper limits for the branching ratio of H emission are 5–10% for a lifetime less than 0.1 ns at the 90% confidence level. The trapping probabilities of single and double strangeness to a nuclear fragment following Ξ − capture at rest have been studied.

The final oscillation analysis of the complete set of data collected by CHORUS in the years 1994-1997 is presented. Reconstruction algorithms of data extracted by electronic detectors were improved and the data recorded in the emulsion target were analysed by new automated scanning systems, allowing the use of a new method for event reconstruction in emulsion. CHORUS has applied these new techniques to the sample of 1996-1997 events for which no muons were observed in the electronic detectors. Combining the new sample with the data analysed in previous papers, the overall sensitivity of the experiment to the ?? appearance is thus improved. In a two-neutrino mixing scheme, a 90% C.L. upper limit of sin2 2 ?µ ? < 4.4 × 10-4 is set for large ? m2, improving by a factor 1.5 the previously published CHORUS result. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung: 05 7MS12P, 05 6BU11P Grant Foundation: KRF-2003-005-C00014 Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan CERN Israel Science Foundation: 328/94 Brussels Instituut voor Milieubeheer Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter Korean Foundation for Cancer Research Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics We gratefully acknowledge the help and support of the neutrino beam staff and of the numerous technical collaborators who contributed to the detector construction, operation, emulsion pouring, development, and scanning. The experiment has been made possible by grants from the Institut Interuniversitaire des Sciences Nucléaires and the Interuniversitair Instituut voor Kernwetenschappen (Belgium), the Israel Science Foundation (grant 328/94) and the Technion Vice President Fund for the Promotion of Research (Israel), CERN (Geneva, Switzerland), the German Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (contract numbers 05 6BU11P and 05 7MS12P) (Germany), the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (Moscow, Russia), the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (Italy), the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Japan), the Korea Research Foundation Grant (KRF-2003-005-C00014) (Republic of Korea), the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter FOM and the National Scientific Research Organization NWO (The Netherlands), and the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (Turkey). We gratefully acknowledge their support.

We have investigated optical properties and electrical properties of electrically degraded ZnSe layers by heavy Al doping, where their electron concentrations lie in the range of 7×1017–6×1018cm−3. Low-temperature photoluminescence exhibits two dominant radiative trap centers of 1.97eV (RD1) and 2.25eV (RD2), which are ascribed to VZn-related complex defects. Deep-level-transient spectroscopy shows two electron-trap centers at 0.16eV (ND1) and 0.80eV (ND2) below the conduction-band minimum. On the other hand, it is found that RD2 is dominant in relatively lightly doped ZnSe:Al layers below 7×1018cm−3 and RD1 is dominant in more heavily doped layers near 1×1019cm−3, while ND1 and ND2 are independent of Al doping concentration and their trap densities are estimated be below 3×1016cm−3. This indicates that RD1 and RD2 cause the carrier compensation in heavily doped ZnSe:Al layers. Their electron transport mechanism can be explained by ionized-impurity scattering mechanism.

An event emitting a Σ- -hyperon from a Ξ- -hyperon nuclear capture at rest has been observed in a hybrid-emulsion experiment. The event has been analyzed as the first observation of the weak decay of the S = - 2 system.

Plasma sprayed coatings have been widely applied in modifying surface properties of metal components. It is also useful to prevent various types of wear, corrosion, erosion and thermal. But the residual stress is still an important problem which can effect the properties of sprayed coating. So it’s necessary to find out the reason of residual stress and the relationship between plasma sprayed condition and residual stress. Plasma spray coating layers with conventional ZrO2 powder was examined to calculate residual stress by X-ray diffraction method with various coating thickness.

The new allele, HLA-C*03:280 differs from C*03:04:01 by one nucleotide substitution at codon 35 (CGG→CAG).

Whether indoor painting aggravates preexisting allergic diseases remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the impact of new classroom painting on aggravation of asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), and atopic dermatitis (AD) in children. Studied school was previously painted with conventional water-based paint 20 years ago and had natural ventilation system. We identified a total of 172 children aged 10-12 years with allergic diseases in 17 classrooms, which were allocated to newly painted rooms with low-volatile organic compounds (VOC), water-based paint, or existing rooms. After painting, there was no intervention or internal airflow to influence indoor air environment in both classrooms. We prospectively assessed the symptom severity and serious events of allergic diseases between both classrooms at baseline and after one and eight weeks after painting. At one and eight weeks, there were no significant changes in the Childhood Asthma Control Test scores, the fractional nitric oxide levels, lung function in asthmatic children in either classroom. There were also no significant changes in the severity score of AR or AD, or serious events in all allergic diseases. These findings suggest classroom painting with this new paint at the levels encountered in this study might not be a major aggravating factor for school-aged children with allergic diseases.

Expérience GANIL/VAMOS/EXOGAM; International audience; Absolute cross sections for isotopically identified products formed in multinucleon transfer in the136Xe + 198Pt system at ∼ 8 MeV=nucleon are reported. The isotopic distributions obtained using a largeacceptance spectrometer demonstrated the production of the “hard-to-reach” neutron-rich isotopes forZ < 78 around the N = 126 shell closure far from stability. The main contribution to the formation of theseexotic nuclei is shown to arise in collisions with a small kinetic energy dissipation. The presentexperimental finding corroborates for the first time recent predictions that multinucleon transfer reactionswould be the optimum method to populate and characterize neutron-rich isotopes around N = 126 whichare crucial for understanding both astrophysically relevant processes and the evolution of “magic” numbersfar from stability.

Background Periostin is a matricellular protein, and its synthesis in airway epithelial cells and lung fibroblasts is induced by interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13. The significance of periostin as a biomarker of TH2-induced airway inflammation, and (importantly) as a measure of the response to TH2-targeted therapy, has recently been emphasized. We explored the relationship between periostin and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in asthmatic children. Methods The study included 83 children aged 6–15 years in an asthmatic group (n = 54) and healthy controls (n = 29). We measured the periostin levels in serum and performed methacholine and mannitol provocation challenges. The responses to mannitol were expressed as the provocative dose causing a 15% fall in the FEV1 (the PD15 dose). Results Of the 54 subjects with asthma, all had positive methacholine bronchial provocation test (BPT) results and 38 had positive mannitol BPT results. Children with asthma had significantly higher periostin levels than controls [76.0 (65.0–91.8) vs 71.0 (57.5–80.0) ng/mL; P = 0.017]. Periostin levels were significantly correlated with both the methacholine PC20 and mannitol PD15 values. Conclusion Serum levels of periostin, a new biomarker induced by IL-13, were higher in asthmatic children, and were associated with AHR to methacholine and mannitol.

Dielectric and piezoelectric properties of grain oriented (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-BaTiO3 ceramics were investigated in a process that the templated grain growth and hot pressing methods were employed. A ceramic composition in Bi-based perovskite structure family, (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-BaTiO3, was chosen as a matrix material and plate shaped SrTiO3 as a template. To examine the combined process effect on piezoelectric properties, three processes, conventional solid reaction, templated grain growth and the combine treatment of templated grain growth and hot-pressing, were compared. Specimen processed by templated grain growth and hot pressing methods exhibited better piezoelectric coefficient, d 31 (−79.6 pC/N) and electromechanical coefficient, k 33 (0.35) than those of the other specimens, fabricated by solid reaction and templated grain growth, respectively. The improved properties were attributed to reduction of pore existing in matrix, which is related to abnormal grain growth from SrTiO3 template and its resultant heterogeneous shrinkage.

The objective of this study is to investigate sintering behavior of silver/palladium electrode powders with TiO 2 nano-particle addition and their matching characteristics to a piezoelectric ceramics, Pb(Zr, Ti)O 3 . The electro-mechanical properties of the piezoelectric multilayer devices with the silver-TiO 2 particle electrode was studied. The densification of the electrodes was investigated as a function of sintering temperature and the reaction between the ceramic matrix and electrodes was studied by employing mechanical bonding test and scanning electron microscopy. The densification of the nanoparticle TiO 2 -added electrode paste followed the TiO 2 solid state diffusion-controlled mechanism upon sintering process. Reaction between ceramic and electrode layers with the TiO 2 nano-particle powder allows internal stress to be reduced and mechanical bonding strength to be increased. High adhesive strength and good electrical conductivity of more than 10 4 /Ω cm could be obtained in the multilayer ferr...

Ferroelectric Ba 0.7 Sr 0.3 TiO 3 (BST) thin films with/without Cr-dopant have been fabricated on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO 2 /Si(100) substrates using wet chemical deposition. From atomic force microscope analysis, it has been found that the average grain sizes of the films increase from 10.7 to 29.2 nm with increasing Cr content from 0 to 5 mol%. Dielectric constant tunability of the 5 mol% Cr-doped BST thin film has been measured to be 56.1% with a dc bias field of 267 kV/cm, which is larger than 26.3% for the undoped BST thin film. Furthermore, the 5 mol% Cr-doped BST film exhibits hysteresis characteristics with the remanent polarization (2 P r ) of 6 μC/cm 2 and the coercive field (2 E c ) of 40 kV/cm with a dc bias field of 230 kV/cm. The leakage current densities of the Cr-doped BST thin films are approximately 1 order of magnitude lower than that of the undoped BST thin film. The improved ferroelectric properties were attributed to the increased grain size and defect dipoles in the BST film by means of acceptor (Cr) doping.

The WA95/CHORUS experiment at CERN is a dedicated nu(mu)-nu(tau) oscillation search experiment. Using the wide band neutrino beam of the CERN-SPS accelerator, with an exposure of 2.4 X 10(19) protons on the target, this experiment will explore the domain of small mixing angles down to sin(2) 2 theta(mu tau) approximate to 3 X 10(-4) for mass differences Delta m(2) > 1 eV(2), more than one order of magnitude better than the current limits. The conceptual design of the CHORUS experiment and data on the detector performances are reported.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an enzyme that degrades heme into biliverdin, free iron, and carbon monoxide (CO). This enzyme is known to have cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated whether roflumilast, a newly developed specific phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor, mediates some of its anti-inflammatory effects by blocking nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) via the induction of HO-1 expression in macrophages.The expression of iNOS and HO-1 was analyzed by western blot analysis. The production of NO and TNF-alpha was assayed by Greiss and ELISA, respectively.Roflumilast markedly suppressed LPS-induced NO and TNF-alpha production and these phenomena were correlated with the induction of HO-1 protein levels. Moreover, the inhibitory effects of roflumilast on NO production were abrogated by a HO-1 inhibitor and a CO scavenger. Tricarbonyldichlrororuthenium(II) dimer, a CO releasing molecule significantly suppressed NO production.These results suggested that roflumilast exerts its anti-inflammatory effects in macrophages through a novel mechanism that involves the action of HO-1 and its product, CO.