Depressed Neuronal Growth Associated Protein (GAP)-43 Expression in the Small Intestines of Mice Experimentally Infected with Neodiplostomum seoulense

Neodiplostomum seoulense (Digenea: Neodiplostomidae) is an intestinal trematode that can cause severe mucosal pathology in the small intestines of mice and even mortality of the infected mice within 28 days after infection. We observed neuronal growth associated protein-43 (GAP-43) expression in the myenteric plexus of the small intestinal wall of N. seoulense-infected mice until day 35 post-infection (PI). BALB/c mice were infected with 200 or 500 N. seoulense metacercariae isolated from naturally infected snakes and were killed every 7 days for immunohistochemical demonstration of GAP-43 in the small intestines. N. seoulense-infected mice showed remarkable dilatation of intestinal loops compared with control mice through days 7-28 PI. Conversely, GAP-43 expression in the mucosal myenteric plexus was markedly (P<0.05) reduced in the small intestines of N. seoulense-infected mice during days 7-28 PI and was slightly normalized at day 35 PI. From this study, it is evident that neuronal damage occurs in the intestinal mucosa of N. seoulense-infected mice. However, the correlation between intestinal pathology, including the loop dilatation, and depressed GAP-43 expression remains to be elucidated

Gap Analysis Between the Level of Heat Wave Adaptation Policy and Heat Wave Effects in South Korean Municipalities

This study aims to analyze the gap between the level of heat wave adaptation policies and heat wave effects in South Korean municipalities. First, the types of industries in municipalities were classified using factor analysis and cluster analysis. Second, the level of heat wave adaptation policy in the municipalities was assessed using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process analysis. Third, the gap between the level of heat wave adaptation policy and the heat wave effect was analyzed. The results show that the heat wave adaptation policies were established in accordance with the heat wave effects to at least some degree. However, closer to the long-term future (2095), the policies have not sufficiently matched the level of heat wave effects. The proportion of municipalities with insufficient levels of heat wave adaptation policies against the heat wave effects was higher among urban-type municipalities. The analysis results suggest two policy implications. First, the heat wave adaptation policies of municipalities should be established through continuous feedback on the predictions of future heat wave effects. Second, urban-type municipalities should strengthen their planning authority and competence by securing a professional workforce and budgets for the establishment of heat wave adaptation policies

User Recognition Based on Human Body Impulse Response: A Feasibility Study

Human recognition technologies for security systems require high reliability and easy accessibility in the advent of the internet of things (IoT). While several biometric approaches have been studied for user recognition, there are demands for more convenient techniques suitable for the IoT devices. Recently, electrical frequency responses of the human body have been unveiled as one of promising biometric signals, but the pilot studies are inconclusive about the characteristics of human body as a transmission medium for electric signals. This paper provides a multi-domain analysis of human body impulse responses (HBIR) measured at the receiver when customized impulse signals are passed through the human body. We analyzed the impulse responses in the time, frequency, and wavelet domains and extracted representative feature vectors using a proposed accumulated difference metric in each domain. The classification performance was tested using the k-nearest neighbors (KNN) algorithm and the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm on 10-day data acquired from five subjects. The average classification accuracies of the simple classifier KNN for the time, frequency, and wavelet features reached 92.99%, 77.01%, and 94.55%, respectively. In addition, the kernel-based SVM slightly improved the accuracies of three features by 0.58%, 2.34%, and 0.42%, respectively. The result shows potential of the proposed approach for user recognition based on HBIR

In-situ fabrication of cobalt-doped SrFe2As2 thin films by using pulsed laser deposition with excimer laser

The remarkably high superconducting transition temperature and upper critical field of iron(Fe)-based layered superconductors, despite ferromagnetic material base, open the prospect for superconducting electronics. However, success in superconducting electronics has been limited because of difficulties in fabricating high-quality thin films. We report the growth of high-quality c-axis-oriented cobalt(Co)-doped SrFe2As2 thin films with bulk superconductivity by using an in-situ pulsed laser deposition technique with a 248-nm-wavelength KrF excimer laser and an arsenic(As)-rich phase target. The temperature and field dependences of the magnetization showing strong diamagnetism and transport critical current density with superior Jc-H performance are reported. These results provide necessary information for practical applications of Fe-based superconductors.Comment: 8 pages, 3figures. to be published at Appl. Phys. Let

Structural studies on Helicobacter pylori ATP-dependent protease, FtsH

The crystal structures of the Helicobacter pylori FtsH ATPase domain in the nucleotide-free state and complexed with ADP have been determined

Initial serum sodium concentration determines the decrease in sodium level after terlipressin administration in patients with liver cirrhosis

BACKGROUND: Terlipressin, as a prodrug of vasopressin, has agonistic effects on the V1 receptor and partial agonistic effects on renal vasopressin V2 receptors. However, its effects on serum sodium concentration are controversial. METHODS: This study retrospectively investigated 127 patients with liver cirrhosis to examine the incidence and risk factors for the decrease in serum sodium level following terlipressin administration. RESULTS: Terlipressin was prescribed for bleeding control (99) and management of hepatorenal syndrome (28). Serum sodium level decreased from 134.0 ± 6.5 mmol/L to 130.4 ± 6.2 mmol/L during or after terlipressin treatment (P < 0.001) in all patients. In 45 patients (35.4%), the serum sodium concentration decreased by > 5 mmol/L, in 29 patients (22.8%); by 5–10 mmol/L; and in 16 patients (12.6%), by > 10 mmol/L. Five patients in the latter group showed neurological manifestations. In the univariate analysis, several factors including age, purpose of use, serum creatinine, and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score, representing liver function, were significantly associated with the decrease in serum sodium after terlipressin administration. However, a multivariate analysis revealed that only initial sodium level was the most powerful predictor of terlipressin-induced reduction in serum sodium. CONCLUSION: An acute reduction in serum sodium concentration was not uncommon during terlipressin treatment, and the baseline serum sodium level was closely related to the reduction in serum sodium concentration

Lattice-patterned LC-polymer composites containing various nanoparticles as additives

In this study, we show the effect of various nanoparticle additives on phase separation behavior of a lattice-patterned liquid crystal [LC]-polymer composite system and on interfacial properties between the LC and polymer. Lattice-patterned LC-polymer composites were fabricated by exposing to UV light a mixture of a prepolymer, an LC, and SiO2 nanoparticles positioned under a patterned photomask. This resulted in the formation of an LC and prepolymer region through phase separation. We found that the incorporation of SiO2 nanoparticles significantly affected the electro-optical properties of the lattice-patterned LC-polymer composites. This effect is a fundamental characteristic of flexible displays. The electro-optical properties depend on the size and surface functional groups of the SiO2 nanoparticles. Compared with untreated pristine SiO2 nanoparticles, which adversely affect the performance of LC molecules surrounded by polymer walls, SiO2 nanoparticles with surface functional groups were found to improve the electro-optical properties of the lattice-patterned LC-polymer composites by increasing the quantity of SiO2 nanoparticles. The surface functional groups of the SiO2 nanoparticles were closely related to the distribution of SiO2 nanoparticles in the LC-polymer composites, and they influenced the electro-optical properties of the LC molecules. It is clear from our work that the introduction of nanoparticles into a lattice-patterned LC-polymer composite provides a method for controlling and improving the composite's electro-optical properties. This technique can be used to produce flexible substrates for various flexible electronic devices