Body Mass Index and Facial Cues in Sasang Typology for Young and Elderly Persons

Facial characteristics may provide reliable information giving an insight into the inner nature of an individual. This study examines the differences in widely used facial metrics, including cheek-to-jaw width ratio (CJWR), width-to-height ratio (WHR), perimeter-to-area ratio (PAR), and facial masculinity indexes across Sasang constitutional types, to investigate the association between these facial cues and body mass index (BMI) and develop a predictive model for Sasang typing. 2D images of 911 participants were analyzed. The results indicated that TaeEum (TE) type generally has a squarer face, with the male TE type having a squarer and wider face than that of both SoYang (SY) and SoEum (SE) types. Male TE type has longer eyes than that of the SE type, and the lower face of the female TE type is longer than that of the SY type. PAR, WHR, CJWR, and eye size had associations with BMI, and the magnitude of correlation of CJWR in Korean men were twofold higher than that of the Caucasian and African men. BMI and facial metrics including PAR, WHR, CJWR, and eye size were good predictors for TE type, and the most parsimonious model for TE typing included BMI and CJWR with high predictive performances

Functional MR Imaging of Psychogenic Amnesia: A Case Report

We present here a case in which functional MR imaging (fMRI) was done for a patient who developed retrograde psychogenic amnesia for a four year period of her life history after a severe stressful event. We performed the fMRI study for a face recognition task using stimulation with three kinds of face photographs: recognizable familiar faces, unrecognizable friends' faces due to the psychogenic amnesia, and unfamiliar control faces. Different activation patterns between the recognizable faces and unrecognizable faces were found in the limbic area, and especially in the amygdala and hippocampus

Energy-efficient electrochemical ammonia production from dilute nitrate solution

Highly efficient electrochemical nitrate reduction could become a key process for sustainable ammonia production overcoming many limitations of the Haber–Bosch process. Current state-of-the-art electrocatalysts have severe drawbacks regarding yield, selectivity and energy efficiency when dealing with dilute nitrate solutions. Herein, we report a layered double hydroxide (LDH)/Cu foam hybrid electrocatalyst that offers a potential solution to this challenge. The [Ni0.75Fe0.25(OH)2](CO3)0.125 (Ni3Fe–CO3 LDH) exhibits an appropriate kinetic energy barrier for the Volmer step generating hydrogen radicals as well as suppressing H–H bond formation by inhibition of the Heyrovsky step. The electrochemically generated hydrogen radicals transfer to a Cu surface enabling NO3− reduction to NH3. The Ni3Fe–CO3 LDH/Cu foam hybrid electrode exhibits an 8.5-fold higher NH3 yield compared to a pristine Cu surface, while exhibiting an NH3 selectivity of 95.8% at 98.5% NO3− conversion. The best half-cell energy efficiency (36.6%) was recorded while achieving 96.8% faradaic efficiency at −0.2 V in 5 mM NO3−(aq)

Effects of Level of Consciousness on Urodynamic Procedure in Female Cats

Urodynamic evaluation is an invasive and uncomfortable procedure that can cause physical distress and is difficult to perform in uncooperative patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of consciousness on urodynamic evaluation in an animal model. Repeated cystometry, electromyogram, and measurement of serum cortisol concentrations were performed in female cats under conscious (CON), conscious sedation (CS) and deep anesthesia (DA) conditions. Urodynamic evaluation showed that there were no statistical differences in maximum detrusor pressure or bladder capacity observed among the three conditions. Under the DA condition, but not the CON and CS conditions, bladder contraction was accompanied by an un-relaxed anal sphincter. Residue urine volume significantly increased in the DA condition compared to the CON and CS conditions. The levels of serum cortisol significantly increased after performing urodynamic evaluation under the CON condition, whereas these levels were not significantly increased under the CS and DA conditions. This study showed that conscious sedation has no adverse effects on the urodynamic variables, and that it significantly reduces distress in cats undergoing the examination. These results may provide novel insights for performing urodynamic studies in uncooperative patients

Scale-up study for ex-vivo expansion of allogeneic natural killer cells in stirred-tank bioreactor

Natural killer (NK) cells are a type of lymphocyte in the blood that are responsible for innate and adaptive immune response, and they mature in the liver and bone marrow. Being a key role in host defense system with direct and indirect killing of virus-infected cells or cancer cells, NK cell has been considered an attractive candidate for cancer therapy. Peripheral blood shows the low frequency of NK cells, so ex vivo expansion method is important to obtain sufficient NK cells for therapeutic use. Currently, we successfully developed bioreactor process for NK cell expansion on lab-scale. Stirred-tank bioreactor could be considered as optimal alternative system for large-scale NK cell expansion compared with other ones because it is automated, less labor intensive, scalable, well-controlled and cost-effective. In bioreactor process, agitation is one of important parameters for NK cell expansion because it is necessary to provide homogenous culture conditions. So we defined effects of agitation in bioreactor and figured out an optimum condition. After that scale-up studies were carried out with manufacturing-scale bioreactor based on these results. The results in terms of growth rate, viability cytotoxicity and purity, were comparable with lab-scale

What factors of early-stage innovative projects are likely to drive projects’ success? A longitudinal analysis of Korean entrepreneurial firms

Previous studies have identified the factors affecting successful technology commercialization as outcomes of R&D projects. However, most of them have used cross‐sectional data, whereas there is a dearth of literature using longitudinal data analysis. Longitudinal analysis is essential for investigating the characteristics of early‐stage innovative projects due to the inherent time lag between project evaluation and commercialization. Therefore, this study examines the early‐stage project characteristics that can be used as meaningful evaluation criteria for predicting success, particularly in technology commercialization. We collected data on the ex‐ante evaluation results and ex‐post commercialization results of R&D projects pursued by entrepreneurial firms. We then conducted a logistic regression analysis and identified three market‐related factors as significant in driving technology commercialization success in the early stages of technology development: market potential, commercialization plan, and market condition

Root and bone response to the proximity of a mini-implant under orthodontic loading

Objective: To determine the histological reaction of the root and bone as a mini-implant approaches the root. Materials and Methods: Two kinds of mini-implants were inserted into the buccal alveolar bone of 4 beagles (2 males and 2 females). The specimens were classified as the near-root group, the PDL contact group, the root contact group, and the root perforation group. Cementum resorption, dentin resorption, cementum repair, cementum growth, ankylosis, root cracking, and root fracture were assessed as the implant neared the root. Results: The incidence of root resorption increased when the mini-implant was less than 0.6 mm from the root in the near-root group and PDL contact group. Root cracking and root fracture occurred in the root contact group and root perforation group. Bone resorption and ankylosis were observed in some specimens. However, some specimens of the PDL contact group and root contact group had cementum growth or little root resorption despite proximity to the root. In the root perforation group, root resorption and ankylosis occurred on the side opposite the insertion. Conclusions: There is a risk of root contact and severe tissue damage from a thick mini-implant and the drilling procedure, either of which can induce root resorption or ankylosis. Use of smaller mini-implants may reduce root contact and tissue damage. However, the small mini-implant may need enhancement of its stability.This study was supported by grant number 11-2009-013 from the SNUBH Research Fund