A Fuzzy-Based Multimedia Content Retrieval Method Using Mood Tags and Their Synonyms in Social Networks

The preferences of Web information purchasers are rapidly evolving. Cost-effectiveness is now becoming less regarded than cost-satisfaction, which emphasizes the purchaser’s psychological satisfaction. One method to improve a user’s cost-satisfaction in multimedia content retrieval is to utilize the mood inherent in multimedia items. An example of applications using this method is SNS (Social Network Services), which is based on folksonomy, but its applications encounter problems due to synonyms. In order to solve the problem of synonyms in our previous study, the mood of multimedia content is represented with arousal and valence (AV) in Thayer’s two-dimensional model as its internal tag. Although some problems of synonyms could now be solved, the retrieval performance of the previous study was less than that of a keyword-based method. In this paper, a new method that can solve the synonym problem is proposed, while simultaneously maintaining the same performance as the keyword-based approach. In the proposed method, a mood of multimedia content is represented with a fuzzy set of 12 moods of the Thayer model. For the analysis, the proposed method is compared with two methods, one based on AV value and the other based on keyword. The analysis results demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to the two methods

Temperature-dependent evolutions of excitonic superfluid plasma frequency in a srong excitonic insulator candidate, Ta2_2NiSe5_5

We investigate an interesting anisotropic van der Waals material, Ta$_{2}$NiSe$_{5}$, using optical spectroscopy. Ta$_{2}$NiSe$_{5}$ has been known as one of the few excitonic insulators proposed over 50 years ago. Ta$_{2}$NiSe$_{5}$ has quasi-one dimensional chains along the $a$-axis. We have obtained anisotropic optical properties of a single crystal Ta$_{2}$NiSe$_{5}$ along the $a$- and $c$-axes. The measured $a$- and $c$-axis optical conductivities exhibit large anisotropic electronic and phononic properties. With regard to the $a$-axis optical conductivity, a sharp peak near 3050 cm$^{-1}$ at 9 K, with a well-defined optical gap ($\Delta^{EI} \simeq$ 1800 cm$^{-1}$) and a strong temperature-dependence, is observed. With an increase in temperature, this peak broadens and the optical energy gap closes around $\sim$325 K($T_c^{EI}$). The spectral weight redistribution with respect to the frequency and temperature indicates that the normalized optical energy gap ($\Delta^{EI}(T)/\Delta^{EI}(0)$) is $1-(T/T_c^{EI})^2$. The temperature-dependent superfluid plasma frequency of the excitonic condensation in Ta$_{2}$NiSe$_{5}$ has been determined from measured optical data. Our findings may be useful for future research on excitonic insulators.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure

Prevalence and Management of Diabetes in Korean Adults: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 1998–2005

OBJECTIVE: This research investigated recent changes in the prevalence and management status of diabetes among Korean adults. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), a nationwide survey examining the general health and nutrition status of the Korean people, was conducted in 1998, 2001, and 2005. Using the first (1998; n = 5,645), second (2001; n = 4,154), and third (2005; n = 4,628) KNHANES datasets, in the present study, we estimated the prevalence of diabetes among Korean adults (aged >or=30 years), the proportions of known cases of diabetes, and the proportions of well-controlled cases of diabetes, as defined by either the American Diabetes Association (A1C <7%) or the International Diabetes Federation guidelines (A1C <6.5%). RESULTS: In 2005, the prevalence of diabetes was estimated to be 9.1% (approximately 2.58 million people: 10.2% of men and 7.9% of women), including 6.2% with known diabetes and 2.9% with newly diagnosed diabetes. The prevalence of impaired fasting glucose was 17.4% (approximately 4.94 million people). The proportion of known cases of diabetes drastically increased from 23.2% in 1998 to 41.2% in 2001 and 68.0% in 2005 (P < 0.0001). Among known diabetic patients in 2005, 43.5 and 22.9% had A1C levels <7.0 and <6.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of diabetes in Korea has not changed significantly between 1998 and 2005. Physician diagnosis and treatment rates of diabetes have significantly improved during this period, but glycemic control was still poorer than that in other developed countriesope

LASIK Interface-Captured Foreign Bodies after Mild Traumatic Corneal Scratch without Flap Displacement

A 38-year-old woman developed diffusely distributed opacities with crystalline materials in the laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) interface of her eye after she was scratched by a sprig during mountain climbing. No sign of flap displacement was noted. Despite two days of topical and systemic antibiotics therapy, the corneal infiltration with interface opacities persisted. The following day, the distribution of the crystalline materials had rotated in a counterclockwise direction. Flap lifting and foreign body removal using sufficient irrigation were performed. One month after surgery, the patient's postoperative uncorrected visual acuity was 0.8 with cleared interface. No signs of epithelial ingrowth or flap striae were noted. Mild traumatic corneal scratching without flap displacement may threaten the integrity of the LASIK interface. If foreign bodies are suspected to be the cause of inflammation, early flap lifting with irrigation is imperative for successful treatment

Effects of Substrate to Inoculum Ratio on the Biochemical Methane Potential of Piggery Slaughterhouse Wastes

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of substrate to inoculum ratio (S/I ratio) on the biochemical methane potential (BMP) and anaerobic biodegradability (Ddeg) of different piggery slaughterhouse wastes, such as piggery blood, intestine residue, and digestive tract content. These wastes were sampled from a piggery slaughterhouse located in Kimje, South Korea. Cumulative methane production curves for the wastes were obtained from the anaerobic batch fermentation having different S/I ratios of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5. BMP and anaerobic biodegradabilities (Ddeg) of the wastes were calculated from cumulative methane production data for the tested conditions. At the lowest S/I ration of 0.1, BMPs of piggery blood, intestine residue, and digestive tract content were determined to be 0.799, 0.848, and 1.076 Nm3 kg−1-VSadded, respectively, which were above the theoretical methane potentials of 0.539, 0.644, and 0.517 Nm3 kg−1-VSadded for blood, intestine residue, and digestive tract content, respectively. However, BMPs obtained from the higher S/I ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 were within the theoretical range for all three types of waste and were not significantly different for the different S/I ratios tested. Anaerobic biodegradabilities calculated from BMP data showed a similar tendency. These results imply that, for BMP assay in an anaerobic reactor, the S/I ratio of anaerobic reactor should be above 0.1 and the inoculum should be sufficiently stabilized to avoid further degradation during the assay

Chemical composition and anti-inflammatory effects of essential oil from Hallabong flower

A number of essential oils derived from plants are claimed to have several medicinal functions, including anti-cancer and anti-inflammation effects. However, the chemical composition and biological activities of flower-derived components have not been sufficiently characterized. Therefore, we investigated the composition of essential oils from Hallabong flower [(Citrus unshiu Marcov × Citrus sinensis Osbeck) × Citrus reticulata Blanco] and their anti-inflammatory effects. Hydro-dist illed essential oils (HEOs) were analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). In total, 21 components were identified, representing more than 98 % of the oils, with sabinene (34.75 %), linalool (14.77 %), β-ocimene (11.07 %), 4-terpineol (9.63 %), L-limonene (5.88 %), and γ-terpinene (4.67 %) as the main components. In the present study, we also investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of HEOs on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 26 4.7 macrophage cells. HEOs were found to inhibit nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production and to suppress the LPS- induced expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein. In addition, HEOs downregulated the production of the inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1 β(IC50 values are 0.05 %, 0.02 %, and 0.01 %, respectively). On the basis of these results, we suggest that HEOs can be consid ered potential anti-inflammatory candidates for therapeutic use in humans

QTL mapping and improvement of pre-harvest sprouting resistance using japonica weedy rice

The stability of cultivation and production in terms of crop yield has been threatened by climate change due to global warming. Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) is a threat to crops, especially staple foods, including rice, because of reductions in yield and quality. To address the problem of precocious germination before harvest, we performed quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis for PHS using F8 RILs populations derived from japonica weedy rice in Korea. QTL analysis revealed that two stable QTLs, qPH7 and qPH2, associated with PHS resistance were identified on chromosomes 7 and 2, respectively, explaining approximately 38% of the phenotypic variation. The QTL effect in the tested lines significantly decreased the degree of PHS, based on the number of QTLs included. Through fine mapping for main QTL qPH7, the region for the PHS was found to be anchored within 23.575–23.785 Mbp on chromosome 7 using 13 cleaved amplified sequence (CAPS) markers. Among 15 open reading frames (ORFs) within the detected region, one ORF, Os07g0584366, exhibited upregulated expression in the resistant donor, which was approximately nine times higher than that of susceptible japonica cultivars under PHS-inducing conditions. Japonica lines with QTLs related to PHS resistance were developed to improve the characteristics of PHS and design practical PCR-based DNA markers for marker-assisted backcrosses of many other PHS-susceptible japonica cultivars