An exact solution of the higher-order gravity in standard radiation-dominated era

We report that the standard evolution of radiation-dominated era (RDE) universe $a \propto t^{1/2}$ is a sufficient condition for solving a sixth order gravitational field equation derived from the Lagrangian containing $B R^{ab}R_{ab} + C R {R^{;c}}_{c}$ as well as a polynomial $f(R)$ for a spatially flat radiation FLRW universe. By virtue of the similarity between $R^{ab}R_{ab}$ and $R^2$ models up to the background order and of the vanishing property of ${R^{;c}}_{c}$ for $H = 1/(2t)$, the analytical solution can be obtained from a special case to general one. This proves that the standard cosmic evolution is valid even within modified gravitational theory involving higher-order terms. An application of this background solution to the tensor-type perturbation reduces the complicated equation to the standard second order equation of gravitational wave. We discuss the possible ways to discriminate the modified gravity model on the observations such as the gravitational wave from the disturbed universe and primordial abundances

The Effect of Intervention for Improving Colonoscopy Quality Is Associated with the Personality Traits of Endoscopists

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study investigated whether the personality traits of endoscopists are associated with the effect of interventions for the improvement of colonoscopy quality. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, single-blind study was performed with 13 endoscopists in three health screening centers over a 12-month period. Quality indicators (QIs), including adenoma detection rate (ADR), polyp detection rate (PDR), and withdrawal time, were measured every 3 months. Consecutive interventions for the improvement of colonoscopy quality were conducted every 3 months, which included the personal notification of QIs, the in-group notification of QIs, and finally a targeted quality education session. The personality traits of each endoscopist were evaluated for perfectionism, fear of negative evaluation, and cognitive flexibility after the last QI assessment. RESULTS: A total of 4,095 colonoscopies were evaluated to measure the QIs of the individual endoscopists for 12 months. The mean ADR, PDR, and withdrawal time of the 13 endoscopists were 32.3%, 47.7%, and 394 seconds at baseline and increased to 39.0%, 55.1%, and 430 seconds by the end of the study (p=0.003, p=0.006, and p=0.004, respectively). Among the three interventions, only quality education significantly improved QIs: ADR, 36.0% to 39.0% (odds ratio, 1.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.63). The improvement of ADR and PDR by education was significantly associated with perfectionism (r=0.617, p=0.033 and r=0.635, p=0.027, respectively) and fear of negative evaluation (r=0.704, p=0.011 and r=0.761, p=0.004, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Education can improve colonoscopy quality, and its effect size is associated with an endoscopist\u27s personal traits such as perfectionism and fear of negative evaluation (Clinical-Trials.gov Registry NCT03796169)

Suppression of tobacco carcinogen-induced lung tumorigenesis by aerosol-delivered glycerol propoxylate triacrylate-spermine copolymer/short hairpin Rab25 rna complexes in female A/J mice

Background: Rab25, a member of Rab family of small guanosine triphosphatase, is associated with progression of various types of human cancers, including lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-associated deaths around the globe. Methods: In this study, we report the gene therapeutic effect of short hairpin Rab25 RNA (shRab25) on 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)-induced lung tumorigenesis in female A/J mice. Initially, mice (6 weeks old) were injected with single dose of NNK (2mg/0.1mL saline/mouse) by intraperitoneal injection to induce the tumor. Eight weeks later, shRab25 was complexed with glycerol propoxylate triacrylate-spermine (GPT-SPE) copolymer and delivered into tobacco-induced lung cancer models through a nose-only inhalation system twice a week for 2 months. Results: GPT-SPE/shRab25 largely decreased the tobacco-induced tumor numbers and tumor volume in the lungs compared to GPT-SPE- or GPT-SPE/shScr-delivered groups. Remarkably, aerosol-delivered GPT-SPE/shRab25 significantly decreased the expression level of Rab25 and other prominent apoptosis-related proteins in female A/J mice. The apoptosis in these mice was determined by detecting the expression level of Bcl-2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, Bax, and further confirmed by TUNEL assay. Conclusions: Our results strongly confirm the tumorigenic role of Rab25 in tobacco carcinogen-induced lung cancer and hence demonstrate aerosol delivery of shRab25 as a therapeutic target for lung cancer treatment.

Metabolic bulk volume predicts survival in a homogeneous cohort of stage II/III diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients undergoing R-CHOP treatment

PurposeAccurate risk stratification can improve lymphoma management, but current volumetric 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) indicators require time-consuming segmentation of all lesions in the body. Herein, we investigated the prognostic values of readily obtainable metabolic bulk volume (MBV) and bulky lesion glycolysis (BLG) that measure the single largest lesion.MethodsThe study subjects were a homogeneous cohort of 242 newly diagnosed stage II or III diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients who underwent first-line R-CHOP treatment. Baseline PET/CT was retrospectively analyzed for maximum transverse diameter (MTD), total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), MBV, and BLG. Volumes were drawn using 30% SUVmax as threshold. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and the Cox proportional hazards model assessed the ability to predict overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).ResultsDuring a median follow-up period of 5.4 years (maximum of 12.7 years), events occurred in 85 patients, including progression, relapse, and death (65 deaths occurred at a median of 17.6 months). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis identified an optimal TMTV of 112 cm3, MBV of 88 cm3, TLG of 950, and BLG of 750 for discerning events. Patients with high MBV were more likely to have stage III disease; worse ECOG performance; higher IPI risk score; increased LDH; and high SUVmax, MTD, TMTV, TLG, and BLG. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that high TMTV (p = 0.005 and < 0.001), MBV (both p < 0.001), TLG (p < 0.001 and 0.008), and BLG (p = 0.018 and 0.049) were associated with significantly worse OS and PFS. On Cox multivariate analysis, older age (> 60 years; HR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.58–4.75; p < 0.001) and high MBV (HR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.05–6.54; p = 0.023) were independent predictors of worse OS. Older age (hazard ratio [HR], 2.90; 95% CI, 1.74–4.82; p < 0.001) and high MBV (HR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.15-6.54; p = 0.032) were also independent predictors of worse PFS. Furthermore, among subjects ≤60 years, high MBV remained the only significant independent predictor of worse OS (HR, 4.269; 95% CI, 1.03–17.76; p = 0.046) and PFS (HR, 6.047; 95% CI, 1.73–21.11; p = 0.005). Among subjects with stage III disease, only greater age (HR, 2.540; 95% CI, 1.22–5.30; p = 0.013) and high MBV (HR, 6.476; 95% CI, 1.20–31.9; p = 0.030) were significantly associated with worse OS, while greater age was the only independent predictor of worse PFS (HR, 6.145; 95% CI, 1.10–4.17; p = 0.024).ConclusionsMBV easily obtained from the single largest lesion may provide a clinically useful FDG volumetric prognostic indicator in stage II/III DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP

Comparative analysis of de novo genomes reveals dynamic intra-species divergence of NLRs in pepper

Background Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) containing distinct capsaicinoids are the most widely cultivated spices in the world. However, extreme genomic diversity among species represents an obstacle to breeding pepper. Results Here, we report de novo genome assemblies of Capsicum annuum Early Calwonder (non-pungent, ECW) and Small Fruit (pungent, SF) along with their annotations. In total, we assembled 2.9 Gb of ECW and SF genome sequences, representing over 91% of the estimated genome sizes. Structural and functional annotation of the two pepper genomes generated about 35,000 protein-coding genes each, of which 93% were assigned putative functions. Comparison between newly and publicly available pepper gene annotations revealed both shared and specific gene content. In addition, a comprehensive analysis of nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) genes through whole-genome alignment identified five significant regions of NLR copy number variation (CNV). Detailed comparisons of those regions revealed that these CNVs were generated by intra-specific genomic variations that accelerated diversification of NLRs among peppers. Conclusions Our analyses unveil an evolutionary mechanism responsible for generating CNVs of NLRs among pepper accessions, and provide novel genomic resources for functional genomics and molecular breeding of disease resistance in Capsicum species.This study was supported by a grant from the Agricultural Genome Center of the Next Generation BioGreen 21 Program of RDA (Project No. PJ013153) and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (No. 2018R1A5A1023599 [SRC]) to D.C., and by the 2020 Research Fund of the University of Seoul to S.K. Theses funding bodies had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, and preparation of the manuscript

Microwave Inter-Connections and Switching by means of Carbon Nano-tubes

In this work, carbon nanotube (CNT) based interconnections and switches will be reviewed, discussing the possibility to use nanotubes as potential building blocks for signal routing in microwave networks. In particular, theoretical design of coplanar waveguide (CPW), micro‐strip single‐pole‐single‐throw (SPST) and single‐pole‐double‐throw (SPDT) devices has been performed to predict the electrical performances of CNT‐based RF switching configurations. Actually, by using the semiconductor‐conductor transition obtained by properly biasing the CNTs, an isolation better than 30 dB can be obtained between the ON and OFF states of the switch for very wide bandwidth applications. This happens owing to the shape deformation and consequent change in the band‐gap due to the external pressure caused by the electric field. State‐of‐art for other switching techniques based on CNTs and their use for RF nano‐interconnections is also discussed, together with current issues in measurement techniques

Common allergens of atopic dermatitis in dogs: comparative findings based on intradermal tests

Intradermal tests were performed on 58 dogs diagnosed with atopic dermatitis from 2004~2008 at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of Konkuk University, Korea. To compare the allergen distribution observed in the present investigation to the results from other studies conducted in Korea and elsewhere, the allergens were grouped according to their kinds. There was no significant difference in gender distribution among the dogs. The most common breeds among the 58 dogs were Maltese (n = 11) and Shih-tzu (n = 11). The average age was 4.8 years. The most frequently produced a positive reaction on the intradermal tests was mold (67.3%) followed by house dust (54.5%) and house dust mites (49.1%). The present study found a low distribution of dogs allergic to various outdoor allergens compared to studies performed in other countries; this may reflect differences in living conditions for dogs living in Korea

Predictive and protective role of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in acute myocardial infarction

Background: It is unclear whether high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level predicts cardiovascular events and has a protective effect in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergo- ing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and statin treatment. Methods: A total of 15,290 AMI patients receiving statins were selected from the Korean Myocardial Infarction Registry. Baseline HDL-C level was used to identify patients with low (group A), normal (group B), and high (group C) HDL-C levels according to the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Clinical outcomes were compared in propensity-adjusted and matched cohorts. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular death and recurrent myocardial infarction.  Results: At the median follow-up of 11.5 months, the primary endpoint occurred in 2.7% (112/4098), 1.4% (54/3910), and 1.2% (8/661) of patients in groups A, B, and C, respectively. In the propensity- -adjusted cohort, low HDL-C level increased the risk of primary endpoint (hazard ratio [HR] 1.755, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.274–2.417, p = 0.001), whereas high HDL-C level did not reduce this risk (HR 0.562, 95% CI 0.275–1.146, p = 0.113). In the propensity-matched cohort, low HDL-C level increased the risk of primary endpoint (HR 1.716, 95% CI 1.210–2.434, p = 0.002), whereas high HDL-C level reduced this risk (HR 0.449, 95% CI 0.214–0.946, p = 0.035).  Conclusions: In AMI patients treated with PCI and statins, low HDL-C level increases the risk of cardiovascular death and recurrent myocardial infarction, whereas high HDL-C level likely reduces the risk of cardiovascular events, especially for ST-elevation myocardial infarction.