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Leveraging weather radar technology for environmental monitoring, particularly the detection of biometeors like birds, bats, and insects, presents a significant challenge due to the dynamic nature of their behavior. Unlike hydrometeor targets, biometeor targets exhibit arbitrary changes in direction and position, which significantly alter radar wave polarization upon scattering. This study addresses this challenge by introducing a novel methodology utilizing Rwanda’s C-Band Polarization Radar. Our approach exploits the capabilities of dual-polarization radar by analyzing parameters such as differential reflectivity (ZDR) and correlation coefficient (RHOHV) to derive the Depolarization Ratio (DR). While existing radar metrics offer valuable insights, they have limitations in fully capturing depolarization effects. To address this, we propose an advanced fuzzy logic algorithm (FL_DR) integrating the DR parameter. The FL_DR’s performance was rigorously evaluated against a standard FL algorithm. Leveraging a substantial dataset comprising nocturnal clear air radar echoes collected during a Fall Armyworm (FAW) outbreak in maize fields from September 2020 to January 2021, the FL_DR demonstrated a notable improvement in accuracy compared to the existing FL algorithm. This improvement is evident in the Fraction of Echoes Correctly Identified (FEI), which increased from 98.42% to 98.93% for biological radar echoes and from 87.02% to 95.81% for meteorological radar echoes. This enhanced detection capability positions FL_DR as a valuable system for monitoring, identification, and warning of environmental phenomena in regions similar to tropical areas facing FAW outbreaks. Additionally, it could be tested and further refined for other migrating biological targets such as birds, insects, or bats.

Early detection of plant diseases is crucial for safeguarding crop yield, especially in regions vulnerable to food insecurity, such as Sub-Saharan Africa. One of the significant contributors to maize crop yield loss is the Northern Leaf Blight (NLB), which traditionally takes 14–21 days to visually manifest on maize. This study introduces a novel approach for detecting NLB as early as 4–5 days using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, which can identify the disease before any visual symptoms appear. Utilizing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) models, nonvisual measurements of Total Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and ultrasound emissions from maize plants were captured and analyzed. A controlled experiment was conducted on four maize varieties, and the data obtained were used to develop and validate a hybrid CNN-LSTM model for VOC classification and an LSTM model for ultrasound anomaly detection. The hybrid CNN-LSTM model, enhanced with wavelet data preprocessing, achieved an F1 score of 0.96 and an Area under the ROC Curve (AUC) of 1.00. In contrast, the LSTM model exhibited an impressive 99.98% accuracy in identifying anomalies in ultrasound emissions. Our findings underscore the potential of IoT sensors in early disease detection, paving the way for innovative disease prevention strategies in agriculture. Future work will focus on optimizing the models for IoT device deployment, incorporating chatbot technology, and more sensor data will be incorporated for improved accuracy and evaluation of the models in a field environment.

Abstract In this study, we have demonstrated the application of sodium manganese oxide for the chemisorption of toxic acidic gases at room temperature. The fabricated alkali ceramic has Na0.4MnO2, Na2Mn3O7, and NaxMnO2 phases with a surface area of 2.6 m2 g–1. Na-Mn oxide was studied for oxidation of H2S, SO2, and NO2 gases in the concentration range of 100–500 ppm. The material exhibited a high uptake capacity of 7.13, 0.75, and 0.53 mmol g–1 for H2S, SO2, and NO2 in wet conditions, respectively. The material was reusable when regenerated simply by soaking the spent oxide in a NaOH-H2O2 solution. While the H2S chemisorption process was accompanied by sulfide, sulfur, and sulfate formation, the SO2 chemisorption process yielded only sulfate ions. The NO2 chemisorption process was accomplished by its conversion to nitrite and nitrate ions. Thus, the present work is one of the first reports on alkali ceramic utilization for room-temperature mineralization of acidic gases.

The effects of low net-doped region on the electrical performance of tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs) are investigated using a TCAD simulation. Compared with previous studies, it is observed that the low net-doped region between the source and pocket can enhance TFET electrical characteristics such as the on-current ( $I_{\mathrm {on}}$ ) and subthreshold swing (SS) with fine on-off current ratio ( $I_{\mathrm {on}}/I_{\mathrm {off}})$ . By optimizing the length of the low net-doped region, $I_{\mathrm {on}}$ increased 14.6 times and SS is reduced by 34.6 % compared with the TFET where the low net-doped region was not considered. Furthermore, guidelines for designing counter-doped pocket are proposed considering the low net-doped region. The local minimum in the conduction band can be used to further improve the on-current and SS performance by adjusting the pocket width and doping concentration. To avoid pocket-induced SS degradation, the pocket doping concentration must also considered when determining the optimal value of the pocket width and vice versa.

Abstract A ternary Mn–Zn–Fe oxide nanocomposite was fabricated by a one-step coprecipitation method for the remotion of H2S and SO2 gases at room temperature. The nanocomposite has ZnO, MnO2, and ferrites with a surface area of 21.03 m2 g−1. The adsorbent was effective in mineralizing acidic sulfurous gases better in wet conditions. The material exhibited a maximum H2S and SO2 removal capacity of 1.31 and 0.49 mmol g−1, respectively, in the optimized experimental conditions. The spectroscopic analyses confirmed the formation of sulfide, sulfur, and sulfite as the mineralized products of H2S. Additionally, the nanocomposite could convert SO2 to sulfate as the sole oxidation by-product. The oxidation of these toxic gases was driven by the dissolution and dissociation of gas molecules in surface adsorbed water, followed by the redox behaviour of transition metal ions in the presence of molecular oxygen and water. Thus, the study presented a potential nanocomposite adsorbent for deep desulfurization applications.

Abstract A bivalent Cu(I,II) metal–organic framework (MOF) based on the 4,4′,4″-s-Triazine-2,4,6-triyl-tribenzoate linker was synthesized via a solvothermal method. The MOF possessed 43.8% of the Cu sites as Cu+ with a surface area of 1257 m2 g−1. The detailed spectroscopic analysis confirmed dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent as the reductant responsible for Cu+ sites in the synthesized MOF. The Cu+ sites were easily accessible and prone to oxidation in hot water or acidic gas environment. The MOF showed water-induced structural change, which could be partially recovered after soaking in DMF solvent. The synthesized MOF showed a high hydrogen sulfide (H2S) uptake capacity of 4.3 mmol g–1 at 298 K and an extremely low H2S pressure of 0.0005 bar. The adsorption capacity was the highest among Cu-based MOFs with PCN-6-M being regenerable, which made it useful for deep desulfurization applications. The adsorbed H2S was mineralized to sulfide, sulfur, and sulfates, mediated by the Cu+/Cu2+ redox cycle in the presence of adsorbed water and molecular oxygen. Thus, the study confirmed that DMF as a reductant is responsible for the origin of bivalency in PCN-6-M and possibly in other Cu-based MOFs reported in the literature. Also, the developed MOF could be a potential candidate for flue gas desulfurization and gas purification applications.

Peroxiredoxin 5 (Prdx5) is involved in pathophysiological regulation via the stress-induced cellular response. However, its function in the bone remains largely unknown. Here, we show that Prdx5 is involved in osteoclast and osteoblast differentiation, resulting in osteoporotic phenotypes in Prdx5 knockout (Prdx5Ko) male mice. To investigate the function of Prdx5 in the bone, osteoblasts were analyzed through immunoprecipitation (IP) and liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) methods, while osteoclasts were analyzed through RNA-sequencing. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNPK) was identified as a potential binding partner of Prdx5 during osteoblast differentiation in vitro. Prdx5 acts as a negative regulator of hnRNPK-mediated osteocalcin (Bglap) expression. In addition, transcriptomic analysis revealed that in vitro differentiated osteoclasts from the bone marrow-derived macrophages of Prdx5Ko mice showed enhanced expression of several osteoclast-related genes. These findings indicate that Prdx5 might contribute to the maintenance of bone homeostasis by regulating osteoblast differentiation. This study proposes a new function of Prdx5 in bone remodeling that may be used in developing therapeutic strategies for bone diseases.

Objectives Recently, energy-related research has shifted from developing alternative energy to the efficient management technology of the produced energy. As an alternative, research on phase change materials (PCMs) capable of absorbing and releasing heat as an energy medium has been conducted. This study developed a more efficient heat storage medium using activated carbon as a medium for the phase change material. At the same time, we developed a method for efficiently impregnating the phase change material into the activated carbon pores. Methods The activated carbon used in this experiment was charcoal powder activated carbon (250-350 mesh) and granular activated carbon. The inorganic phase change materials used in the experiment was manganese nitrate hexahydrate. The method for impregnating the phase change material was pressurization method and dilution method. The heat absorption / emission capacity of the developed material was examined within the range of 10℃ to 50℃. Results and Discussion The Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM-EDX) analysis showed that the phase change material was filled in the pore of activated carbon. When the phase change material is filled by the pressurized method, the material properties of manganese nitrate hexahydrate are reflected, resulting in absorption and release of heat at each phase change temperature. As a result of experiments for the selection of the optimum solvent in the phase change material filling study using the dilution method, when ethanol was used as the solvent, the heat absorption was clearly observed even after the phase change material was loaded. As a result of selecting the optimal dilution ratio, the ratio of ethanol was determined to be 1:1 as the dilution ratio with the lowest amount of floating activated carbon. The optimal solvent removal method experimental results show that the heat absorption/release section occurred when the ethanol was removed by evaporation at 85℃ temperature. Conclusions 1) Both the pressurization method and the dilution method are filling methods in which inorganic phase change materials can be immobilized inside activated carbon, and heat absorption and release characteristics are maintained even after loading. 2) The heat absorption release was maintained for ethanol and the optimal dilution ratio was 1:1. 3) In case of the dilute solvent removal method, the heat absorption/release capacity was maintained when the solvent was removed using only the vaporization method.

Abstract Novel NaCoxOy adsorbents were fabricated by air calcination of (Na,Co)-organic frameworks at 700 °C. The NaCoxOy crystallized as hexagonal microsheets of 100–200 nm thickness with the presence of some polyhedral nanocrystals. The surface area was in the range of 1.15–1.90 m2 g−1. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed Co2+ and Co3+ sites in MOFs, which were preserved in NaCoxOy. The synthesized adsorbents were studied for room-temperature H2S removal in both dry and moist conditions. NaCoxOy adsorbents were found ~ 80 times better than the MOF precursors. The maximum adsorption capacity of 168.2 mg g−1 was recorded for a 500 ppm H2S concentration flowing at a rate of 0.1 L min−1. The adsorption capacity decreased in the moist condition due to the competitive nature of water molecules for the H2S-binding sites. The PXRD analysis predicted Co3S4, CoSO4, Co3O4, and Co(OH)2 in the H2S-exposed sample. The XPS analysis confirmed the formation of sulfide, sulfur, and sulfate as the products of H2S oxidation at room temperature. The work reported here is the first study on the use of NaCoxOy type materials for H2S remediation.

Generators are a key technological element of wind power generation systems. The use of synchronous generators that employ heavy rare-earth permanent magnets is increasing owing to the demand for higher efficiencies. However, these magnets are expensive and undergo an unbalanced supply and demand. Therefore, spoke-type structures have been developed and used in various fields to compensate for the deficient performance when using a ferrite magnet, which is inexpensive and provides a stable supply and demand. However, permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs) with adopted spoke-type structures and an output power of 1 kW or higher have not been studied and practically applied sufficiently. Additionally, new designs must consider differences between the target specifications of a generator and wind turbine. In this study, we designed and analyzed the characteristics of an alternative bridge spoke-type PMSG modeling a generator for a 3-kW class wind turbine. We analyzed the performance of the existing spoke-type generator and proposed an alternative bridge spoke shape with an improved performance by removing the leakage flux of the bridge. The performance of the existing spoke model was compared using the finite element method (FEM), and the performance of the proposed model was verified more accurately by performing a three-dimensional (3D) analysis considering the 3D effect. Additionally, we analyzed the voltage fluctuation rate according to the number of stator slots and overhang structure and designed a final model. Considering the characteristics of the ferrite magnet used in the spoke-type design, the irreversible demagnetization characteristics of the conventional and final models were compared using simulations, followed by a comparison between the stiffness characteristics of the two models. Finally, a prototype was manufactured, and the feasibility of the final design was verified using the performance tests.

This paper presents a multi-physics analysis coupling the electrical and thermal properties of a power module. As power modules have multi-physical behaviors, it is important to simulate their multi-physical characteristics. Simulations of these characteristics have been separately conducted using specific software; however, as these characteristics are often coupled, it is difficult to fully understand the multi-physical nature of power modules. This paper proposes a method to analyze the coupled characteristics of a power module in an iterative manner. The analyzed module is designed for an automotive electric power steering (EPS) system. We fabricated the EPS module and measured its electrical and thermal characteristics, which were used for reference. For the coupled simulation, we employed ANSYS Icepak and Q3D Extractor for thermal and electrical simulations, respectively, linked them to the ANSYS workbench environment, and conducted an iterative feedback simulation until the simulated results converged. The coupled simulation demonstrated that the parasitic resistance and volume loss density of the power module are increased by ~50% compared to the those obtained from a separately conducted electrical simulation due to the impact of the linked thermal simulation. As a result, the simulated thermal resistance increased to 0.26 K/W, which is almost identical to the measured value of ~0.27 K/W. Therefore, our iterative electrical–thermal coupled simulation exhibits more accurate results than the conventional separate simulations.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of pan-cancer panel analysis for locally advanced prostate cancer in the Korean population. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 20 patients with locally advanced prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy. A pan-cancer panel (1.9 Mbp) developed by Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH), composed of 183 target genes, 23 fusion genes, and 45 drug target regions was used for this analysis. We compared the SNUH pan-cancer panel results with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to search for different mutations in the Korean population. Clinical data were analyzed with univariate and multivariate analysis, and p-values

Wind loads on a semi-submersible rig were investigated using computational fluid dynamics. A maritime atmospheric boundary layer model for wind profile was implemented such that the wind profile shapes were retained throughout the computational domain. Wind loads on the semi-submersible rig were calculated under the maritime atmospheric boundary layer and matched well with the results from wind tunnel within a ±20% error. Among the topside structures, five structures including deckbox were selected and analyzed on the contribution to the wind load, particularly overturning moments by decomposing the moments into drag and lift components. Overall, moments ignoring lift components tended to overestimate overturning moments by approximately 20% at maximum. The majority of the lift components originated from the deckbox, which served as a lifting body owing to the accelerated streamlines between the waterline and the bottom of the deckbox.

We propose an approach to develop a solar radiation model with spatial portability based on deep neural networks (DNNs). Weather station networks in South Korea between 33.5–37.9° N latitude were used to collect data for development and internal testing of the DNNs, respectively. Multiple sets of weather station data were selected for cross-validation of the DNNs by standard distance deviation (SDD) among training sites. The DNNs tended to have greater spatial portability when a threshold of spatial dispersion among training sites, e.g. 190 km of SDD, was met. The final formulation of the deep solar radiation (DSR) model was obtained from training sites associated with the threshold of SDD. The DSR model had RMSE values

A series of novel MnxFey@SiO2 (x,y = 1–20%) nanocomposites were synthesized for the first time via the sol-gel/combustion method with different content of precursors (Mn and Fe acetate salts). The effect of precursor content and ratio on physicochemical properties were observed by various characterization methods. Moreover, Rhodamine B (RhB) was chosen as the target pollutant to test the performance of these nanocomposites under a photocatalytic Fenton-like reaction. The results showed that the nanocomposite morphology improved by increasing Fe and Mn content. In this study, interesting behavior was observed in BET results which were different from the fact that increasing metal content can decrease the surface area. This study revealed that one metal could be more critical in controlling the properties than another. Moreover, the precursor ratio appears to have a more tangible effect on the surface area than the effect of precursor content. Among all synthesized nanocomposites, Mn1Fe5@SiO2 showed the highest surface area of 654.95 m2/g. At optimum batch conditions (temp = 25 °C, catalyst dosage = 1 g L−1, H2O2 = 75 mmolL−1, and initial RhB concentration = 50 mg L−1), complete removal (simultaneous adsorption/degradation) occurred using Mn1Fe5@SiO2 at neutral pH. This study showed that the designed nanomaterial could be used as a dual functional adsorbent/photocatalyst in different environmental applications.

In the last decades, the removal of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) has been considered a major environmental crisis. In this study, two novel nanocomposite materials (Fe2O3/SiO2 and Fe2O3-Mn2O3/SiO2) that have regeneration ability by UV irradiation have been fabricated to remove BTEX at ambient temperature. This research revealed that both nanocomposites could remove more than 85% of the BTEX in the first cycle. The adsorption capacities followed the order of ethylbenzene > m-xylene > toluene > benzene as in the molecular weight order. The reusability test using UV irradiation showed that the performance of Fe2O3/SiO2 decreased drastically after the fifth cycle for benzene. On the other hand, when Mn is located in the nanocomposite structure, Fe2O3-Mn2O3/SiO2 could maintain its adsorption performance with more than 80% removal efficiency for all the BTEX for ten consecutive cycles. The difference in the reusability of the two nanocomposites is that the electron energy (from the valence band to the conduction band) for BTEX decomposition is changed due to the presence of manganese. This study provides a promising approach for designing an economical reusable nanomaterial, which can be used for VOC-contaminated indoor air.

The effects of iron on vacuole-resident Salmonella in macrophages are unclear. Here the authors show that the bacteria are not subject to nutritional inhibition by iron deprivation, but that iron depletion in the vacuole, via the hepcidin-ferroportin axis, inhibits the bactericidal effect of oxidative burst.

Background: Knowledge on microclimate conditions under artificial shades in a ginseng field would facilitate climate-aware management of ginseng production. Methods: Weather data were measured under the shade and outside the shade at two fields located in Gochang-gun and Jeongeup-si, Korea, in 2011 and 2012 seasons to assess temperature and humidity conditions under the shade. An empirical approach was developed and validated for the estimation of leaf wetness duration (LWD) using weather measurements outside the shade as inputs to the model. Results: Air temperature and relative humidity were similar between under the shade and outside the shade. For example, temperature conditions favorable for ginseng growth, e.g., between 8°C and 27°C, occurred slightly less frequently in hours during night times under the shade (91%) than outside (92%). Humidity conditions favorable for development of a foliar disease, e.g., relative humidity > 70%, occurred slightly more frequently under the shade (84%) than outside (82%). Effectiveness of correction schemes to an empirical LWD model differed by rainfall conditions for the estimation of LWD under the shade using weather measurements outside the shade as inputs to the model. During dew eligible days, a correction scheme to an empirical LWD model was slightly effective (10%) in reducing estimation errors under the shade. However, another correction approach during rainfall eligible days reduced errors of LWD estimation by 17%. Conclusion: Weather measurements outside the shade and LWD estimates derived from these measurements would be useful as inputs for decision support systems to predict ginseng growth and disease development.

The influence of the electrospinning parameters on the diameter of the polyethersulfone (PES) nanofibers was demonstrated using response surface methodology. The electrospinning parameters studied were lithium chloride (LiCl) concentration, PES concentration, feed rate, and tip-to-collector distance. The average fiber diameter was correlated to these factors by using a second-order polynomial function at a 95% confidence level. The statistical analysis indicated that LiCl concentration, PES concentration, and feed rate had the significant connection with the fiber diameter, and LiCl concentration was the most important factor in determining the fiber diameter. When LiCl concentration increased, the fiber diameter decreased, because with more LiCl that is added, more applied voltage is needed to overcome the electrostatic attractions. The interactive effect between PES concentration and feed rate, the interactive effect between PES concentration and tip-to-collector distance, and the quadratic coefficients of LiCl concentration were also found to be significant. The adjusted determination coefficient (Radj2) of the model was calculated to be 0.9106. The water flux measurements showed that the decrease in the fiber diameter of the membrane caused the decrease in the initial pure water flux. The retention tests with 0.6 μm polystyrene (PS) suspension indicated that as the fiber diameter decreased, the pore sizes decreased and the particle removal efficiency increased.

The industrial livestock environment can cause stress and weakened immunity in cattle, leading to microbial infections which reduce productivity. As such, there is a need for an effective therapeutic agent that can alleviate uncontrolled destructive respiratory inflammation. We found that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a potent endogenous stress-induced inflammatory agent, causes respiratory tissue damage and triggers inflammation in bovine bronchial cells. LPA also inflames pulmonary bovine blood vessel cells to produce inflammatory cytokines. These findings strongly suggest that LPA is a highly important endogenous material exacerbating bovine respiratory diseases. We further identified a novel LPA-signaling antagonist, KA-1002, and showed that it alleviated LPA-mediated bovine tracheal cell disruption and inflammation. Therefore, KA-1002 could potentially serve as a novel therapeutic agent to maintain physiologically healthy and balanced conditions in bovine respiratory tracts.

Abstract Objective: Gender is an important determinant for risk factors and outcomes of ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to compare risk factors, and clinical outcomes after ischemic stroke between male and female patients. Methods: The hospital records of patients with ischemic stroke were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic data, stroke risk factors, clinical severities and outcomes after stroke were collected and compared between male and female patients. Stroke severity and clinical disability after ischemic stroke were evaluated by means of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) respectively. Results: Among 447 patients with ischemic stroke, 195 (43.6%) patients were women. The mean age at ischemic stroke was higher in women than in men (p

Iron was incorporated into an LTA type zeolite using the sol-gel hydrothermal method to form Iron-zeolite-A (Iron-Z-A), and its phosphate adsorption-desorption efficiency were analyzed. Samples were characterized by EDS, SEM, XRD, EPR, FT-IR XPS, and Raman to ensure the apt synthesis of Iron-Z-A and to interpret the mechanism of adsorption-desorption of PO43− in an aqueous solution. EPR and XPS analysis confirmed that the iron was doped as Fe3+ in the LTA structure. The XPS peak shift (Fe-2p), FT-IR band shift, and intensity change (−OH) confirmed the existence of the ligand exchange mechanism. In the adsorption phase at pH 5, the derivative of phosphate (H2PO4−) acts as a ligand and interacts with OH of Fe on the zeolite surface to form “Iron-zeolite (oxy) hydroxide bound phosphate”. In the desorption phase at pH 10, phosphate ligand is detached and get mixed in the aqueous phase as HPO42−. The EDS data, Si−O−Al band shift and intensity change in FT-IR and XPS peak intensity change proved the contribution of Al in the process of adsorption. The data of adsorption fitted well with the Langmuir’s isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The amount of PO43− adsorbed was a function of adsorbent’s surface area regardless of concentration. The amount of PO43− being adsorbed by the metal ions was found to be 382.296 mg PO43−/g Fe and 56.296 mg PO43−/g Al.

As climate change is ongoing, many studies have recently focused on adaptation to climate change from a spatial perspective. However little is known about how changing the spatial composition of landuse could improve climate change resilience. Consideration of climate change impacts when spatially allocating landuse could be a useful and fundamental long term adaptation strategy, particularly for regional planning. Here, we identify climate adaptation scenarios based on existing extents of three landuse classes using multi-objective genetic algorithms for a 9982 km ^2 region with 3.5 million inhabitants in South Korea. We selected five objectives for adaptation based on predicted climate change impacts and regional economic conditions: minimization of disaster damage and existing landuse conversion, maximization of rice yield, protection of high species richness areas, and economic value. We generated 17 Pareto landuse scenarios by six weighted combinations of the adaptation objectives. Most scenarios, although varying in magnitude, showed better performance than the current spatial landuse composition for all adaptation objectives, suggesting that some alteration of current landuse patterns could increase overall climate resilience. Given the flexible structure of the optimization model, we expect that regional stakeholders could efficiently generate other scenarios by adjusting model parameters (weighting combinations) or replacing input data (impact maps), and selecting a scenario depending on preference or a number of problem-related factors.

Background: This study aims to report the expansion of a choroidal rupture site caused by blunt ocular trauma using scanning laser ophthalmoscope-optical coherence tomography. Case Report: The clinical course of a 15-year-old girl with a traumatic ocular injury after being hit in the eye by an elbow was evaluated. Upon the first examination, the best-corrected visual acuity was 16/20. The findings were subretinal pigment epithelial hemorrhage and vertical choroidal rupture. Three weeks after the trauma, the patient's visual acuity was reduced to counting fingers at 30 cm. On fundus examination and fluorescein angiography subretinal pigment epithelial hemorrhage decreased, while the choroidal rupture expanded; on optical coherence tomography outer retinal changes in the adjacent area were detected. Discussion: This study reveals that the delayed expansion of a choroidal rupture site and the delayed change of the adjacent outer retina improved.

In this work, the efficacy of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene, for the removal of indoor air in a heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalytic semi pilot reactor was investigated at room temperature. Fe-zeolite socony mobil (ZSM)-5 was used as the adsorptive catalytic material, which was coated on the polyethylene tubes as a solid support. The response of Fe-ZSM-5 to UV dry irradiation was investigated in terms of VOC degradation from the indoor air. Different coating materials were tested in order to achieve better binding and less pore blockage. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs of the Fe-ZSM-5 coated tubes were used for the morphological analysis of the tubes. A complete modular semi pilot reactor (12.51 L) was designed to accommodate the Fe-ZSM-5 coated tubes and UV lamps for UV irradiation, in order to achieve the degradation for VOC and the regeneration of the catalytic material. After completion of the setup, the plant design parameters, such as the linear velocity, surface volume loading rate (SVL), and space retention time (SRT), were calculated.

Precision de la estimacion en sitio especi- media diaria en aproximadamente 1.8°C y la tem- accuperatura minima en aproximadamente 4.4°C, prin- cipalmente por una subestimacion entre la media- noche y las 6:00 h. La duracion de perfodos de HR>90% foe subestimada en 6 h/dfa en promedio, y el error foe mayor en la noche 0 en dfas con llu- midvia. El CSI para la exactitud en la identificacion de cohoras con HR>90% foe de 0.40,10 cual excedio CSI observado en el medio oeste de los Estados Unidos (0.27). SkyBit sobrestimola duracion de humedadfoliaren 1.9 h/dia, mientrasquelasubes- timo en 1.4 h/dia en el medio oeste de los Estados Unidos. La proporcion de horas clasificadas co- rrectamente como htimedas 0 secas, 70.9%, foe ca- dusi identica a la observada en los Estados Unidos (70.1), pero el CSI para los datos de Costa Rica foe 2 veces mayor (0.56 vs. 0.27). En Costa Rica, los errores de estimacion de humedad fueron mayores durante dias con lluvia, y ocurrieron con mas fre- cuencia en el dia que durante la noche. La mayor cantidad de identificaciones incorrectas de horas secas 0 humedas se dieron entre las 8:00 y las 10:00 y entre las 15:00 y las 21:00 h. Estos resultados aportan informacion de base a partir de la cual se puede refinar la estirnacion de parametros meteorologicos en sitios especificos, para su aplicacion en la agricultura de Costa Rica. de novia, temperatura del aire, humedad hurelativa y periodo de humedad en el Pacifico Norte de Costa Rica. Se evalu61a exactitud de las meaestimaciones de variables meteorol6gicas horarias sitios especificos, calculadas por el sistema computarizado SkyBit Inc. La evaluaci6n se hizo mediante la comparaci6n con datos reales obteni- sobre el terreno en 5 sitios ubicados en la re- prigi6n del Pacifico Norte de Costa Rica, de abril a ocseptiembre de 1999. Las variables estimadas fue- lluvia, temperatura del aire, humedad relativa HR) y duraci6n del periodo de humedad. El siste- SkyBit identific6 incorrectamente la presencia ausencia de lluvia en un 29% de los dias conside- rados, principalmente por la identificaci6n de llu- en dlas en que no rue registrada. El indice criti- de exito (CSI, por sus siglas en ingles) indic6 la exactitud de la predicci6n de lluvia fue ma- (0.68) que en el caso de un conjunto de datos comparable obtenido en la regi6n del medio oeste los Estados Unidos (0.56). Los errores medios SkyBit, al estimar la duraci6n y cantidad de la duralluvia diaria, fueron relativamente bajos, pero se in- underescrementaron con la cantidad de lluvia medida por El sistema SkyBit subestim6 la temperatura

A 15-year-old boy with Sturge-Weber syndrome underwent strabismus surgery (oculus sinister [OS]) for the treatment of exotropia. The patient′s visual acuity (OS) decreased to hand motion 10 days after the surgery. One month after the surgery, the patient′s visual acuity decreased to light perception, and a fundus examination showed total exudative retinal detachment (OS).

A simple approach was developed to predict corn yields using the MoDerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data product from two geographically separate major corn crop production regions: Illinois, USA and Heilongjiang, China. The MOD09A1 data, which are eight-day interval surface reflectance data, were obtained from day of the year (DOY) 89 to 337 to calculate the leaf area index (LAI). The sum of the LAI from early in the season to a given date in the season (end of DOY (EOD)) was well fitted to a logistic function and represented seasonal changes in leaf area duration (LAD). A simple phenology model was derived to estimate the dates of emergence and maturity using the LAD-logistic function parameters b1 and b2, which represented the rate of increase in LAI and the date of maximum LAI, respectively. The phenology model predicted emergence and maturity dates fairly well, with root mean square error (RMSE) values of 6.3 and 4.9 days for the validation dataset, respectively. Two simple linear regression models (YP and YF) were established using LAD as the variable to predict corn yield. The yield model YP used LAD from predicted emergence to maturity, and the yield model YF used LAD for a predetermined period from DOY 89 to a particular EOD. When state/province corn yields for the validation dataset were predicted at DOY 321, near completion of the corn harvest, the YP model, including the predicted phenology, performed much better than the YF model, with RMSE values of 0.68 t/ha and 0.66 t/ha for Illinois and Heilongjiang, respectively. The YP model showed similar or better performance, even for the much earlier pre-harvest yield prediction at DOY 257. In addition, the model performance showed no difference between the two study regions with very different climates and cultivation methods, including cultivar and irrigation management. These results suggested that the approach described in this paper has potential for application to relatively wide agroclimatic regions with different cultivation methods and for extension to the other crops. However, it needs to be examined further in tropical and sub-tropical regions, which are very different from the two study regions with respect to agroclimatic constraints and agrotechnologies.