Information sources cited and relayed in political conversations on Twitter

Using the Twitter data collected prior to the Presidential Election in Korea in 2012, we ask questions regarding influential sources of information in public political discourse. The frequently cited sources, being included as URLs in political tweet messages, are identified and categorized. The result shows that people rely on various sources of information beyond the traditional news media, but the pattern of sharing differ by sources

Clinical characteristics and treatment modalities of vulvovaginal atrophy in genitourinary syndrome of menopause

Background: Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) causes symptoms such as vaginal dryness, dysuria, repetitive urinary tract infection and urinary urgency may affect daily activities, sexual relationships, and overall quality of life. The aim of the study was to provide the clinical characteristics of VVA patients in South Korea and the effectiveness as well as complications of the currently used low dose estrogen vaginal suppository.Methods: 52 women who has visited the outpatient gynecology clinic of the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were recruited as study subjects. For the analysis of the clinical characteristics, subjective symptoms described by the patient’s own words such as vaginal dryness, pain, dysuria, dyspareunia, or no symptoms at all were included. Objective signs such as thinning of vaginal rugae, mucosal dryness, and mucosal fragility and the presence of petechiae were recorded.Results: Vaginal dryness was the most common complaint (92.3%). Thinning of the vaginal rugae was the most commonly noted objective sign (73.1%). Of the 52 subjects, 31 (59.6%) refrained from using the low dose estrogen vaginal suppository. The most common reason for not being able to use the suppository was the inability to insert the suppository (32.3%).Conclusions: Although patient-reported symptoms and clinical objectivity through physical examination are two components in diagnosing VVA, further study is warranted for a more objective and discriminatory diagnosis criteria for VVA. As the only available treatment modality was low dose vaginal estrogen suppository, comparison with other treatment modalities were not available

A new strategy for integrating abundant oxygen functional groups into carbon felt electrode for vanadium redox flow batteries

The effects of surface treatment combining corona discharge and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the electrochemical performance of carbon felt electrodes for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) have been thoroughly investigated. Ahigh concentration of oxygen functional groups has been successfully introduced onto the surface of the carbon felt electrodes by a specially designed surface treatment, which is mainly responsible for improving the energy efficiency of VRFBs. In addition, the wettability of the carbon felt electrodes also can be significantly improved. The energy efficiency of the VRFB cell employing the surface modified carbon felt electrodes is improved by 7% at high current density (148 mA cm(-2)). Such improvement is attributed to the faster charge transfer and better wettability allowed by surface-active oxygen functional groups. Moreover, this method is much more competitive than other surface treatments in terms of processing time, production costs, and electrochemical performance.

A new strategy for integrating abundant oxygen functional groups into carbon felt electrode for vanadium redox flow batteries

The effects of surface treatment combining corona discharge and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the electrochemical performance of carbon felt electrodes for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) have been thoroughly investigated. A high concentration of oxygen functional groups has been successfully introduced onto the surface of the carbon felt electrodes by a specially designed surface treatment, which is mainly responsible for improving the energy efficiency of VRFBs. In addition, the wettability of the carbon felt electrodes also can be significantly improved. The energy efficiency of the VRFB cell employing the surface modified carbon felt electrodes is improved by 7% at high current density (148 mA cm−2). Such improvement is attributed to the faster charge transfer and better wettability allowed by surface-active oxygen functional groups. Moreover, this method is much more competitive than other surface treatments in terms of processing time, production costs, and electrochemical performance

Eastern Staining: A Simple Recombinant Protein Detection Technology Using a Small Peptide Tag and Its Counter Partner Which is a Fluorescent Compound

Small peptide tags such as c-myc, HA, or FLAG tag have facilitated efficient Westernblotting of proteins of interest especially when specific antibodies for the proteins are not available. However, the conventional Western-blotting requires the multi-steps process taking at least several hours up to two days. With examples of various applications, here we show a convenient and time-saving method for protein detection which employs a fluorescent chemical BDED and its binding peptide RC-tag. And we propose “Estern staining”, as a standard term for protein detection method using fluorescent chemicals and their binding small peptide tags. Eastern staining may substitutes for the time-consuming “immuno-staining” in many versatile applications.22Yothe

Theory of magnetic field-induced metaelectric critical end point in BiMn2_2O5_5

A recent experiment on the multiferroic BiMn$_2$O$_5$ compound under a strong applied magnetic field revealed a rich phase diagram driven by the coupling of magnetic and charge (dipolar) degrees of freedom. Based on the exchange-striction mechanism, we propose here a theoretical model with the intent to capture the interplay of the spin and dipolar moments in the presence of a magnetic field in BiMn$_2$O$_5$. Experimentally observed behavior of the dielectric constants, magnetic susceptibility, and the polarization is, for the most part, reproduced by our model. The critical behavior observed near the polarization reversal $(P=0)$ point in the phase diagram is interpreted as arising from the proximity to the critical end point.Comment: Theory; relevant experiment uploaded as arXiv:0810.190