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In the existing AC power systems, the load current becomes zero by itself every half cycle, so the breaking arc generated when the switch is cut off or the plug is disengaged from the socket outlet is just a short-time sparking of less than 1/4 cycle on average. However, since the load current flows continuously in a DC power system, the breaking arc generated when the facility is shut off is continuously maintained and can be generated into plasma, so the risk of an arc accident is very high. In order to cope with problems caused by arcs, protection regulations must be established to ensure safety against breaking arcs. For this, the physical properties of arc generation and extinguishing must be studied. This paper explores the experimental characteristics of the breaking arc discharge phenomenon that occurs in the normal brass electrode, which is the main component of the residential contact type wall mount switch and socket-outlet & plug. This paper analyzes the characteristics of the breaking arc according to the supply voltage and the size of the load power, and presents arc safe operation area defined by the supply voltage and the load power levels in which non-expert users can safely use the wall-mount switches and socket-outlet & plug facilities made of conventional brass electrodes.

Translation is a costly, but inevitable, cell maintenance process. To reduce unnecessary ATP consumption in cells, a fine-tuning mechanism is needed for both ribosome biogenesis and translation. Previous studies have suggested that the ribosome functions as a hub for many cellular signals such as ribotoxic stress response, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) signaling. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between ribosomes and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation under ribotoxic stress conditions and found that the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) was suppressed by ribosomal protein knockdown but that of p38 was not. In addition, we found that JNK activation is driven by the association of inactive JNK in the 80S monosomes rather than the polysomes. Overall, these data suggest that the activation of JNKs by ribotoxic stress is attributable to 80S monosomes. These 80S monosomes are active ribosomes that are ready to initiate protein translation, rather than polysomes that are already acting ribosomes involved in translation elongation. [BMB Reports 2019; 52(8): 502-507]

Owing to a lack of construct reliability and validity of environmental management measurements, advancements in understanding hotels’ environmental management practices have been somewhat limited. The goal of this paper is to propose a uniform and parsimonious scale that captures Hotels’ Environmental Management Initiative (HEMI) with the most common three dimensions in the hotel industry: environmental resource conservation efforts, environmental policy and training, and environmental public relation efforts. After the refinement of the initial items, the scale was confirmed with cross-cultural data obtained from full-time hotel employees in two Asian countries. The twenty-one item HEMI scale demonstrated a satisfactory level of content, convergent, discriminant, cross, and criterion-related validity. The proposed HEMI scale will serve as a useful tool for future hospitality scholars who would like to further explore the impact of hotels’ environmental management initiatives on employees’ attitudes and behaviors toward the environment and their environmental performance.

The subject of human resource management in hotels’ environmentally friendly management remains relatively underexplored. This study examines how to improve employees’ eco-friendly behavior and hotels’ environmental performance through green human resource management. The findings show that green human resource management enhances employees’ organizational commitment, their eco-friendly behavior, and hotels’ environmental performance. This study suggests that hotel top management and HR managers should establish green human resource management policies.

PURPOSE We performed a meta-analysis on the therapeutic effects of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-617 labeled with lutetium-177 (Lu-PSMA-617) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS The primary outcome was the therapeutic responses after the first cycle of Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy. The parameters studied were the pooled proportions of any prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decline and a greater than 50% PSA decline. The secondary outcome was the survival effects after Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy. Studied parameters were pooled hazard ratios of the overall survival according to any PSA decline and a greater than 50% PSA decline after the first cycle of Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy. RESULTS In total, 10 eligible studies with 455 patients were finally included in this meta-analysis. The pooled proportions of any PSA decline was 68.00% (95% confidence interval [CI], 63.55%-72.22%], and those with a greater than 50% PSA decline was 34.45% (95% CI, 30.14%-38.97%). The pooled hazard ratios for the overall survival of any PSA decline was 0.29 (95% CI, 0.21-0.40) with significance (P < 0.00001); however, a greater than 50% PSA decline was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.54-1.25) with no significance (P = 0.39). CONCLUSIONS We suggest that approximately two-thirds of any PSA decline and one-third of a greater than 50% PSA decline can be expected after the first cycle of Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy in patients with mCRPC. Moreover, any PSA decline showed survival prolongation after the first cycle of the Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy.

Recent progress in amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) has enabled the targeted imaging of cardiac amyloidosis with accuracy. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on the diagnostic performance of cardiac amyloidosis using amyloid PET. A systematic search was performed using key words: cardiac amyloidosis, amyloid, and PET. We estimated the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio (LR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). Furthermore, the semiquantitative parameters of PET were evaluated to diagnose cardiac amyloidosis and discern its type [systemic light chain amyloidosis (AL) vs transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR)] using the pooled standardized mean difference (SMD). In total, six eligible studies with a total of 98 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity was 0.95, the specificity was 0.98, positive LR was 10.130, negative LR was 0.1, and DOR was 148.83. The semiquantitative parameters of amyloid PET showed significantly higher values for cardiac amyloidosis patients than those for controls (pooled SMD = 1.42; P

18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) has been investigated as a method to predict pancreatic cancer recurrence after pancreatic surgery. We evaluated the recently introduced heterogeneity indices of 18F-FDG PET/CT used for predicting pancreatic cancer recurrence after surgery and compared them with current clinicopathologic and 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters. A total of 93 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients (M:F = 60:33, mean age = 64.2 ± 9.1 years) who underwent preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT following pancreatic surgery were retrospectively enrolled. The standardized uptake values (SUVs) and tumor-to-background ratios (TBR) were measured on each 18F-FDG PET/CT, as metabolic parameters. Metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were examined as volumetric parameters. The coefficient of variance (heterogeneity index-1; SUVmean divided by the standard deviation) and linear regression slopes (heterogeneity index-2) of the MTV, according to SUV thresholds of 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0, were evaluated as heterogeneity indices. Predictive values of clinicopathologic and 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters and heterogeneity indices were compared in terms of pancreatic cancer recurrence. Seventy patients (75.3%) showed recurrence after pancreatic cancer surgery (mean recurrence = 9.4 ± 8.4 months). Comparing the recurrence and no recurrence patients, all of the 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters and heterogeneity indices demonstrated significant differences. In univariate Cox-regression analyses, MTV (P = 0.013), TLG (P = 0.007), and heterogeneity index-2 (P = 0.027) were significant. Among the clinicopathologic parameters, CA19–9 (P = 0.025) and venous invasion (P = 0.002) were selected as significant parameters. In multivariate Cox-regression analyses, MTV (P = 0.005), TLG (P = 0.004), and heterogeneity index-2 (P = 0.016) with venous invasion (P

Triple-negative breast cancer has a poor prognosis. We evaluated several metabolic and volumetric parameters from preoperative 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in the prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer and compared them with current clinicopathologic parameters. A total of 228 patients with triple-negative breast cancer (mean age 47.0 ± 10.8 years, all women) who had undergone preoperative PET/CT were included. The PET/CT metabolic parameters evaluated included maximum, peak, and mean standardized uptake values (SUVmax, SUVpeak, and SUVmean, respectively). The volumetric parameters evaluated included metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). Metabolic and volumetric parameters were evaluated separately for tumor (T) and lymph nodes (N). The prognostic value of these parameters was compared with that of clinicopathologic parameters. All lymph node metabolic and volumetric parameters showed significant differences between patients with and without recurrence. However, tumor metabolic and volumetric parameters showed no significant differences. In a univariate survival analysis, all lymph node metabolic and volumetric parameters (SUVmax-N, SUVpeak-N, SUVmean-N, MTV-N, and TLG-N; all P

Purpose Advances in experimental devices have led to substantial achievements in electrophysiological studies in the last few decades. However, conventional systems tend to hinder freely moving behavioral tests, because of the use of tethering cables connecting subjects to devices. To tackle this limitation, we developed a wireless neural interface system (WNIS) that is capable of multi-channel recording and stimulation with a wireless charging battery.

Recent advances in neural engineering and neuroscience have enabled practical brain computer interfaces (BCIs). This paper reviews the BCI technology narrowed in the methods for controlling animals’ behaviors using invasive neural interface methods. Currently, using stimulation on various brain regions, it has been shown that animal behaviors can be precisely controlled in accordance with the experimenter’s commands. To date, two distinct strategies have been proposed and shown effective. One is to control animal behaviors with reward- or punishment-related neuromodulations based on operant conditioning. The other is to force the actual movement by stimulating motor-related brain region. Mesolimbic pathway, amygdala and somatosensory cortex are a set of target regions for the former approach, while nigrostriatal pathway is the typical target area for the latter one. This review describes the underlying principles of those neuromodulations depending on the different target regions. In addition, electrical and optogenetic modulation methods are also reviewed as valid neuromodulation strategies to manage the animal behaviors.

Ribosomal protein S3 (rpS3) is a 243 amino acid component of the 40S ribosomal small subunit. It has multiple roles in translation and extra-ribosomal functions like apoptosis and DNA repair. RpS3 is secreted only in cancer cell lines. Presently, mass spectrometry analysis revealed rpS3 to be glycosylated at the Asn165 residue. A point mutation at this residue decreased secretion of rpS3 in cancer cell lines. Secretion was also inhibited by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi transport inhibitor Brefeldin A and by Tunicamycin, an inhibitor of N-linked glycosylation. N-linked glycosylation of rpS3 was confirmed as necessary for rpS3 secretion into culture media via the ER-Golgi dependent pathway. RpS3 bound to Concanavalin A, a carbohydrate binding lectin protein, while treatment with peptide-N-glycosidase F shifted the secreted rpS3 to a lower molecular weight band. In addition, the N165G mutant of rpS3 displayed reduced secretion compared to the wild-type. An in vitro binding assay detected rpS3 homodimer formation via the N-terminal region (rpS3:1–85) and a middle region (rpS3:95–158). The results indicate that the Asn 165 residue of rpS3 is a critical site for N-linked glycosylation and passage through the ER-Golgi secretion pathway.

Computer-aided data validation enhanced by centralized monitoring algorithms is a more powerful tool for data cleaning compared to manual source document verification (SDV). This fact led to the growing popularity of risk-based monitoring (RBM) coupled with reduced SDV and centralized statistical surveillance. Since RBM models are new and immature, there is a lack of consensus on practical implementation. Existing RBM models' weaknesses include (1) mixing data monitoring and site process monitoring (ie, micro vs macro level), making it more complex, obscure, and less practical; and (2) artificial separation of RBM from data cleaning leading to resource overutilization. The authors view SDV as an essential part (and extension) of the data-validation process.This report offers an efficient and scientifically grounded model for SDV. The innovative component of this model is in making SDV ultimately a part of the query management process. Cost savings from reduced SDV are estimated using a proprietary budget simulation tool with percent cost reductions presented for four study sizes in four therapeutic areas.It has been shown that an "on-demand" (query-driven) SDV model implemented in clinical trial monitoring could result in cost savings from 3% to 14% for smaller studies to 25% to 35% or more for large studies.(1) High-risk sites (identified via analytics) do not necessarily require a higher percent SDV. While high-risk sites require additional resources to assess and mitigate risks, in many cases these resources are likely to be allocated to non-SDV activities such as GCP, training, etc. (2) It is not necessary to combine SDV with the GCP compliance monitoring. Data validation and query management must be at the heart of SDV as it makes the RBM system more effective and efficient. Thus, focusing SDV effort on queries is a promising strategy. (3) Study size effect must be considered in designing the monitoring plan since the law of diminishing returns dictates focusing SDV on "high-value" data points. Relatively lower impact of individual errors on the study results leads to realization that larger studies require less data cleaning, and most data (including most critical data points) do not require SDV. Subsequently, the most significant economy is expected in larger studies.

Data quality within the clinical research enterprise can be defined as the absence of errors that matter and whether the data are fit for purpose. This concept, proposed by the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative, resulted from a culmination of collaboration with industry, academia, patient advocates, and regulators, and it emphasizes the presence of a hierarchy of error types, resulting in a more efficient and modern data-cleaning paradigm. While source document verification (SDV) is commonly used as a quality control method in clinical research, it is disproportionately expensive and often leads to questionable benefits. Although the current literature suggests that there is a need to reduce the burden of SDV, there is no consensus on how to replace this "tried and true" practice.This article proposes a practical risk-based monitoring approach based on published statistical evidence addressing the impact of database changes subsequent to SDV.The analysis clearly demonstrates minimal effects of errors and error corrections on study results and study conclusions, with diminishing effect as the study size increases, and it suggests that, on average,8% SDV is adequate to ensure data quality, with perhaps higher SDV rates for smaller studies and virtually 0% SDV for large studies.It is recommended that SDV, rather than just focusing on key primary efficacy and safety outcomes, focus on data clarification queries as highly discrepant (and the riskiest) data.

This paper presents the simple solution for controlling and monitoring household appliances using Bluetooth low energy (BLE) Smart Plug and an application implemented on Android OS. The BLE smart plug integrates an AC power socket, a relay to switch the socket ON/OFF, a Hall Effect sensor to sense current of load appliance and a wireless communication module based on BLE. The Android application stores the received data across the open cloud via the Internet. We evaluated BLE smart plug in a laboratory, analyzed and presented energy consumption data.

Triple-negative breast cancer has a poor prognosis. We evaluated several metabolic and volumetric parameters from preoperativeA total of 228 patients with triple-negative breast cancer (mean age 47.0 ± 10.8 years, all women) who had undergone preoperative PET/CT were included. The PET/CT metabolic parameters evaluated included maximum, peak, and mean standardized uptake values (SUVmax, SUVpeak, and SUVmean, respectively). The volumetric parameters evaluated included metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). Metabolic and volumetric parameters were evaluated separately for tumor (T) and lymph nodes (N). The prognostic value of these parameters was compared with that of clinicopathologic parameters.All lymph node metabolic and volumetric parameters showed significant differences between patients with and without recurrence. However, tumor metabolic and volumetric parameters showed no significant differences. In a univariate survival analysis, all lymph node metabolic and volumetric parameters (SUVmax-N, SUVpeak-N, SUVmean-N, MTV-N, and TLG-N; all P 0.001), T stage (P = 0.010), N stage (P 0.001), and TNM stage (P 0.001) were significant parameters. In a multivariate survival analysis, SUVmax-N (P = 0.005), MTV (P = 0.008), and TLG (P = 0.006) with TNM stage (all P 0.001) were significant parameters.Lymph node metabolic and volumetric parameters were significant predictors of recurrence in patients with triple-negative breast cancer after surgery. Lymph node metabolic and volumetric parameters were useful parameters for evaluating prognosis in patients with triple-negative breast cancer by

Protein secretion is a general phenomenon by which cells communicate with the extracellular environment. Secretory proteins, including hormones, enzymes, toxins, and antimicrobial peptides have various functions in extracellular environments. Here, we determined that ribosomal protein S3 (rpS3) is homodimerized and secreted in several cancer cell lines such as HT1080 (human fibrosarcoma) and MPC11 (mouse plasmacytoma). Moreover, we found that the secreted rpS3 protein increased in doxorubicin-resistant MPC11 cells compared to that in MPC11 cells. In addition, we also detected that the level of secreted rpS3 increased in more malignant cells, which were established with continuous exposure of cigarette smoke condensate. These findings suggest that the secreted rpS3 protein is an indicator of malignant tumors.

This study proposes and explores an emotion-related theoretical framework based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model to examine the relationship between the variables and explain consumers’ acceptance of and engagement in ecological behavior. This study augments the TPB with the construct anticipated regret and examines TPB's predictive power of consumer intentions to select eco-friendly restaurants. The results suggest that decision-making models such as the TPB incorporate anticipated emotion. The findings provide further insight into the consumers’ decision-making processes which is essential for the development of green marketing strategies in the restaurant context.

This study surveyed customer perceptions about the environmentally friendly programs (i.e., green programs) in hotels and analyzed the degree to which such programs influenced customers' hotel selection. Data were collected from online travel communities by conducting Web-based online surveys. A total of members from 63 travel-related online communities participated in the survey. Multiple regression analysis results showed that the significant factors that affected client hotel selection were: Solid waste and water programs in guestrooms, energy programs, solid waste and water programs in housekeeping, and biodiversity programs. However, water program by customers' option did not influence customer decisions to stay at environmentally friendly hotels. Results also showed differences in customer awareness and demand for environmentally friendly hotels based on gender, income, and age.

In order to assess the impact of direct data entry (DDE) on the clinical trial process, a single-site, phase 2 clinical trial, under a US investigational new drug application (IND), was performed where the clinical site entered each subject’s data into an electronic data capture (EDC) system at the time of the office visit and the clinical research team implemented a risk-based monitoring (RBM) plan. For DDE, the trial used EDC for data collection and the electronic clinical trial record (eCTR) as the subject’s electronic source (eSource) record. A clinical data monitoring plan (CDMoP) defined the scope of source document verification, the frequency and scope of online data review, and the criteria for when to perform onsite monitoring. As a result of this novel approach to clinical research operations, (1) there were no protocol violations as screening errors were picked up prior to treatment; (2) because there were minimal transcription errors from paper source records to the EDC system, there was a major reduction in onsite monitoring compared to comparable studies that use paper source records; (3) EDC edit checks were able to be modified early in the course of the clinical trial; (4) compliance issues were identified in real time and corrected; (5) there was rapid transparency and detection of safety issues; and (6) the clinical site indicated that there were major cost savings overall and estimated that just in terms of data entry, it was able to save 70 hours of labor by not using paper as the original source records. It is postulated that once the pharmaceutical industry adopts DDE and RBM, there will be major increases in productivity for sponsors, clinical sites, and CROs, as well as reduced time to database lock and the statistical analyses. In addition to the productivity increases, these processes and tools will improve data integrity and quality and potentially reduce overall monitoring resources and efforts by an estimated 50% to 60%.

Monitoring of clinical trials includes several disciplines, stakeholders, and skill sets. The aim of the present study was to identify database changes and data entry errors to an electronic data capture (EDC) clinical trial database, and to access the impact of the changes. To accomblish the aim, Target e*CRF was used as the EDC tool for a multinational, dose-finding, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled trial to investigate efficacy and safety of a new treatment in men with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia. The main errors observed were simple transcription errors from the paper source documents to the EDC database. This observation was to be expected, since every transaction has an inherant error rate. What and how to monitor must be assessed within the risk-based monitoring section of the comprehensive data monitoring plan. With the advent of direct data entry, and the elimination of the requirement to transcribe from a paper source record to an EDC system, error rates should go down dramatically. In addition, protocol violations and data outside the normal range can be identified at the time of data entry and not days, weeks, and months after the fact.

PURPOSE To evaluate the impact of nocturia on health-related quality of life and sleep in men. METHODS From January 2008 to December 2008, 284 patients with lower urinary tract symptoms were selected for this study. The participants completed a series of questionnaires on health-related quality of life (the overactive bladder questionnaire, or OAB-q), the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) sleep scale, and the frequency volume chart. RESULTS The patient population had a mean age of 60.0±13.4 years (range, 40 to 79 years). The mean duration of symptoms was 28.8±34.6 months. The mean number of voiding episodes per night was measured as follows: 88 patients (31.0%) reported no nocturia, 60 patients (21.1%) reported 2>voids/night ≥1, 56 patients (19.7%) reported 3>voids/night ≥2, and 80 patients (28.2%) reported ≥3 voids/night. The mean number of nocturia episodes increased with age (P=0.001), and the number of nocturia episodes was significantly associated with the OAB-q symptom score (P=0.001) and symptom bother (P=0.001). Among the categories of the MOS sleep scale, sleep index I (P=0.020), sleep disturbance (P=0.010), adequacy of sleep (P=0.005), and somnolence (P=0.041) were significantly associated with an increased number of nocturia episodes. CONCLUSIONS The number of nocturia episodes increased with age in men. Nocturia appeared to be associated with further negative effects on sleep quality, health-related quality of life, and symptom bother.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine knowledge management resource inputs that affect organizational effectiveness in the restaurant industry.Design/methodology/approachThe target population of this paper was restaurant employees. Data were collected using online surveys. Data analysis for this paper included frequency table, t‐test, one‐way ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis.FindingsThe paper finds knowledge management resource inputs influence organizational effectiveness in a restaurant. The results reveal that the significant knowledge management resource inputs that affected organizational effectiveness were information technology, incentive, and a knowledge sharing culture. Information technology turns out to be the most important input followed by incentive and a knowledge sharing culture to improve organizational effectiveness.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, data collection from self‐repot surveys can threaten the validity of the paper. Second, this paper did not take into account the role of all possible resource factors relevant for organizational effectiveness. Future research should examine how other factors, such as leadership, influence organizational effectiveness.Practical implicationsThe overall practical implication of the findings is that to achieve high‐organizational effectiveness, restaurant operators first need to establish distinctive strategies in how they use knowledge management resource inputs.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the theoretical development of knowledge management by examining how inputs from knowledge management resources are being put to use in the restaurant industry.

Internet-based clinical trials (IBCTs) are rapidly changing the current paradigms of clinical research, data management, statistical analyses, medical writing, and even regulatory submissions and reviews. Competitive forces are driving the implementation of IBCTs in that they provide cost-effective solutions for streamlining areas such as patient enrollment, data entry, query management, communications, regulatory review, and project management. By reducing data entry errors through the use of online edit and logic checks, there is improved data quality as well as a reduction in the time to database lock.

RACK1, which was first demonstrated as a substrate of PKCβ II, functions as a scaffold protein and associates with the 40S small ribosomal subunit. According to previous reports, ribosomal RACK1 was also suggested to control translation depending on the status in translating ribosome. We here show that RACK1 knockdown induces autophagy independent of upstream canonical factors such as Beclin1, Atg7 and Atg5/12 conjugates. We further report that RACK1 knockdown induces the association of mRNAs of LC3 and Bcl-xL with polysomes, indicating increased translation of these proteins. Therefore, we propose that the RACK1 depletion-induced autophagy is distinct from canonical autophagy. Finally, we confirm that cells expressing mutant RACK1 (RACK1R36D/K38E) defective in ribosome binding showed the same result as RACK1-knockdown cells. Altogether, our data clearly show that the depletion of ribosomal RACK1 alters the capacity of the ribosome to translate specific mRNAs, resulting in selective translation of mRNAs of genes for non-canonical autophagy induction.

Pitch precursors were synthesized from coal tar(CT) and pyrolysis fuel oil(PFO, petroleum residue oil) at relatively low temperature of 250°C, in the presence of borontrifluoride/diethyletherate complex(BFDE) as a catalyst and nitrobenzene(NB) as a co-catalyst. The softening point, nitrogen content and carbon yield increased with an increase of concentration of NB. The pitch precursors with good spinnability were prepared by removing the volatile components through N2 blowing. The precursor pitches were spun through a circular nozzle, stabilized at 310°C and finally carbonized at 1000°C. The optically anisotropic structure formed at the absence of NB was changed into isotropic structure, showing a decrease in size of the flow domain. The hollow carbon fiber could be prepared in the process of stabilization. The results proposed that the morphology of carbon materials could be controlled by changing the concentration of catalyst and/or co-catalyst and/or stabilization condition that affect on the mobility of molecules during carbonization.

A precursor for a general purpose carbon fiber was prepared from coal tar pitch (CP) modified with 10 % p-benzoquinone (BQ) at 380 ‡C for 3 hours. Such a modification raised the softening of the pitch from 85 ‡C to 271 ‡C at a yield of 43 %. The modified pitch was spun smoothly at a rate of 480 m/min into a fiber of 20 Μm diameter. The fiber was stepwise stabilized at 236 ‡C (5 ‡C/min) and 312 ‡C (1 ‡C/min) for 3 hours at each temperature. Successively,carbonization and graphitization were performed at 1,000 ‡C and 2,400 ‡C, respectively, for one hour. Both the carbonized and graphitized fibers exhibited tensile strength of 570 MPa. The structural parameters of carbon and graphite fibers were their orientation values of 56.2 and 58.1 %, relatively low Lc(002) of 11.24 and 25 a, and large interlayer spacing (d002) of 3.86 and 3.49 a, respectively.

This paper describes a remote monitoring system under developing to assess the health status and/or daily activities of elders who live alone. The developed system is composed of an in-house sensing system and a server system. The in-house sensing system uses a PC and a set of wireless sensor nodes based on the Tiny OS. By using a pyroelectric infrared sensor, the node detects a motion of elder and sends it to a database. The server system has a database server and a Web server, which provides useful information to caregivers for more cost effective intelligent care service. We have evaluated the monitoring system through 3 months continuous operation with installation of 9 elders' house. The experimental results show the promising possibilities to estimate the behavioral patterns and the current status of elder even though the simplicity of sensing capability.