Comparison of Thermoelastic Micromechanical Response of Polycrystalline Microstructures using Finite Element Method and Fast Fourier Transform-based Method

Department of Materials Science and EngineeringA comparison of the results from the finite element method (FEM) and fast Fourier transform-based (FFT) method, was carried out in the context of the thermoelasticity. In order to validate and compare each numerical method, the thermoelastic response of heterogeneous materials system, the Eshelby???s inclusion problem was adopted. Both similarity and discrepancy of the thermoelastic responses between two methods were examined. It was found that both methods showed similar trends in predicting average values of mechanical response, however, produced quite a big discrepancy at the particle-matrix boundary regions. This result will raise the question that which method predicts better response of thermoelasticity for a three-dimensional polycrystalline material under thermal loading, where, especially, the extreme values (i.e., hot spots in stress) are preferentially located around the grain boundary regions and eventually cause the failure of rather brittle polycrystalline materials.clos

Aspirin Has Antitumor Effects via Expression of Calpain Gene in Cervical Cancer Cells

Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs show efficacy in the prevention of cancers. It is known that they can inhibit cyclooxygenases, and some studies have shown that they can induce apoptosis. Our objective in this study was to investigate the mechanism by which aspirin exerts its apoptosis effects in human cervical cancer HeLa cells. The effect of aspirin on the gene expression was studied by differential mRNA display RT-PCR. Among the isolated genes, mu-type calpain gene was upregulated by aspirin treatment. To examine whether calpain mediates the antitumor effects, HeLa cells were stably transfected with the mammalian expression vector pCR3.1 containing mu-type calpain cDNA (pCRCAL/HeLa), and tumor formations were measured in nude mice. When tumor burden was measured by day 49, HeLa cells and pCR/HeLa cells (vector control) produced tumors of 2126 mm3 and 1638 mm3, respectively, while pCRCAL/HeLa cells produced markedly smaller tumor of 434 mm3 in volume. The caspase-3 activity was markedly elevated in pCRCAL/HeLa cells. The increased activity levels of caspase-3 in pCRCAL/HeLa cells, in parallel with the decreased tumor formation, suggest a correlation between caspase-3 activity and calpain protein. Therefore, we conclude that aspirin-induced calpain mediates an antitumor effect via caspase-3 in cervical cancer cells

Epidemiological Aspects of Exotic Malaria and Dengue Fever in Travelers in Korea

In order to compare the epidemiological aspects of exotic malaria (EM) and dengue fever (DF) imported by travelers in Korea, we have analyzed the current state both of the disease incidence and related risk factors. A total of 345 cases of EM occurred between 2001 and 2008 in Korea, and the average incidence rate per 100,000 population was 0.091. A total of 252 of DF cases occurred during the same period, and its rate was 0.063. While most of the EM and DF prevalence occurred in summer, prevalence in spring and winter was more prominent for EM (P < 0.05 ~ P < 0.01), while outbreaks in summer were more frequent for DF (P < 0.01). In Korea, more males were infected with EM and DF than females (P < 0.01). The remarkable difference between gender distributions in Korea is believed to reflect cultural differences in terms of work and travel. In both diseases, the manhood age bracket (20 - 39 years old) is possible due to increased oversea activities and travel. Moreover, reported EM cases in several prefectures in the regions of Asia and Africa were widely spread by the appropriate vector of mosquitoes, while the vectors of DF in the region of Asia are limited

Before the Page time: maximum entanglements or the return of the monster?

The entropy of Hawking radiation is approximately equal to the maximum of entanglement entropy if a black hole is in a state before the Page time, i.e., when the entropy of Hawking radiation is smaller than the entropy of the black hole. However, if there exists a process generating smaller entanglements rather than maximal entanglements, the entropy of Hawking radiation will become smaller than the maximum of the entanglement entropy before the Page time. If this process accumulates, even though the probability is small, the emitted radiation can eventually be distinguished from the exactly thermal state. In this paper, we provide several interpretations of this phenomenon: (1) information of the collapsed matter is emitted before the Page time, (2) there exists a firewall or a non-local effect before the Page time, or (3) the statistical entropy is greater than the areal entropy; a monster is formed. Our conclusion will help resolve the information loss paradox by providing groundwork for further research.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure

Korean Studies on Blood Stasis: An Overview

Blood stasis is one of the important pathological concepts in Korean medicine. We analyzed the Korean studies concerning blood stasis. We searched for articles in eight electronic databases from their inception to September, 2014. We included reviews, clinical studies, and preclinical studies that had studied blood stasis and excluded articles in which blood stasis was not mentioned or in which the original authors had not explained blood stasis. Of 211 total included studies, 19 were reviews, 52 were clinical studies, and 140 were preclinical articles. “Stagnant blood within the body” was the most frequently mentioned phrase of the traditional concept of blood stasis. Traumatic injury was the most frequently studied disease/condition in the clinical studies. In the preclinical studies, coagulopathy was studied most frequently, followed by hyperviscosity, hyperlipidemia, inflammation, neoplasm, ischemic brain injury, and atherosclerosis. Hyeolbuchukeo-tang and Angelicae Gigantis Radix were the most frequent formula and single herb, respectively, used in the blood stasis researches. The results showed that blood stasis was mainly recognized as disorder of circulation and many studies showed the effectiveness of activating blood circulating herbs for diseases and pathologies such as traumatic injury or coagulopathy. Further studies are needed in the pathologic mechanisms and various diseases of blood stasis

A hollow sphere secondary structure of LiFePO4 nanoparticles

We report on the evolution of a hollow sphere secondary structure of spherical nanoparticles by a solubilization-reprecipitation mechanism based on the difference of solubility products (K-sp) of two different precipitates. Carbon-coated nanoparticles of olivine structure LiFePO4 served as the primary nano-blocks to build the secondary nano-architecture.close656

Analysis of online parenting community posts on expanded newborn screening for metabolic disorders using topic modeling: a quantitative content analysis

Purpose As more newborns have received expanded newborn screening (NBS) for metabolic disorders, the overall number of false-positive results has increased. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychological impacts experienced by mothers related to the NBS process. Methods An online parenting community in Korea was selected, and questions regarding NBS were collected using web crawling for the period from October 2018 to August 2021. In total, 634 posts were analyzed. The collected unstructured text data were preprocessed, and keyword analysis, topic modeling, and visualization were performed. Results Of 1,057 words extracted from posts, the top keyword based on ‘term frequency-inverse document frequency’ values was “hypothyroidism,” followed by “discharge,” “close examination,” “thyroid-stimulating hormone levels,” and “jaundice.” The top keyword based on the simple frequency of appearance was “XXX hospital,” followed by “close examination,” “discharge,” “breastfeeding,” “hypothyroidism,” and “professor.” As a result of LDA topic modeling, posts related to inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) were classified into four main themes: “confirmatory tests of IEMs,” “mother and newborn with thyroid function problems,” “retests of IEMs,” and “feeding related to IEMs.” Mothers experienced substantial frustration, stress, and anxiety when they received positive NBS results. Conclusion The online parenting community played an important role in acquiring and sharing information, as well as psychological support related to NBS in newborn mothers. Nurses can use this study’s findings to develop timely and evidence-based information for parents whose children receive positive NBS results to reduce the negative psychological impact

Bee venom attenuates neuroinflammatory events and extends survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis models

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease affecting the central nervous system that is either sporadic or familial origin and causing the death of motor neurons. One of the genetic factors contributing to the etiology of ALS is mutant SOD1 (mtSOD1), which induces vulnerability of motor neurons through protein misfolding, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage, cytoskeletal abnormalities, defective axonal transport, glutamate excitotoxicity, inadequate growth factor signaling, and neuroinflammation. Bee venom has been used in the practice of Oriental medicine and evidence from the literature indicates that BV plays an anti-inflammatory or anti-nociceptive role against inflammatory reactions associated with arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether bee venom suppresses motor neuron loss and microglial cell activation in hSOD1^G93Amutant mice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Bee venom (BV) was bilaterally injected (subcutaneously) into a 14-week-old (98 day old) male hSOD1^G93Aanimal model at the Zusanli (ST36) acupoint, which is known to mediate an anti-inflammatory effect. For measurement of motor activity, rotarod test was performed and survival statistics were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curves. The effects of BV treatment on anti-neuroinflammation of hSOD1^G93Amice were assessed via immunoreactions using Iba 1 as a microglia marker and TNF-α antibody. Activation of ERK, Akt, p38 MAP Kinase (MAPK), and caspase 3 proteins was evaluated by western blotting.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>BV-treated mutant hSOD1 transgenic mice showed a decrease in the expression levels of microglia marker and phospho-p38 MAPK in the spinal cord and brainstem. Interestingly, treatment of BV in symptomatic ALS animals improved motor activity and the median survival of the BV-treated group (139 ± 3.5 days) was 18% greater than control group (117 ± 3.1 days). Furthermore, we found that BV suppressed caspase-3 activity and blocked the defects of mitochondrial structure and cristae morphology in the lumbar spinal cord of hSOD1^G93Amice at the symptomatic stage.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>From these findings, our research suggests BV could be a potential therapeutic agent for anti-neuroinflammatory effects in an animal model of ALS.</p

Electroacupuncture Delays Hypertension Development through Enhancing NO/NOS Activity in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Using spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), this study investigated whether electroacupuncture (EA) could reduce early stage hypertension by examining nitric oxide (NO) levels in plasma and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) levels in the mesenteric resistance artery. EA was applied to the acupuncture point Governor Vessel 20 (GV20) or to a non-acupuncture point in the tail twice weekly for 3 weeks under anesthesia. In conscious SHR and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats, blood pressure was determined the day after EA treatment by the tail-cuff method. We measured plasma NO concentration, and evaluated endothelial NO syntheses (eNOS) and neuronal NOS (nNOS) protein expression in the mesenteric artery. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were lower after 3 weeks of GV20 treatment than EA at non-acupuncture point and no treatment control in SHR. nNOS expression by EA was significantly different between both WKY and no treatment SHR control, and EA at GV20 in SHR. eNOS expression was significantly high in EA at GV 20 compared with no treatment control. In conclusion, EA could attenuate the blood pressure elevation of SHR, along with enhancing NO/NOS activity in the mesenteric artery in SHR