On the Csorgo-Révész increments of finite dimensional Gaussian random fields

In this paper, we establish some limit theorems on the combined Csorgo-Révész increments with moduli of continuity for finite dimensional Gaussian random fields under mild conditions, via estimating upper bounds of large deviation probabilities on suprema of the finite dimensional Gaussian random fields.Csorgo-Révész increment; Gaussian process; random field; modulus of continuity; quasi-increasing; regularly varying function; large deviation probability.

A New On-The-Move Integer Ambiguity Determination Method for Precise Positioning of Highly Maneuvering Ground Vehicles

In the conventional RTK (Real Time Kinematics), carrier phase measurements should be collected for several minutes in stationary state in order to determine the IA (Integer Ambiguity) in carrier phase to get the precise position. To determine the IA in motion, several OTM-RTK (On-The-Move RTK) methods have been proposed using vehicle dynamics or augmenting additional sensors. This paper presents a new OTM-RTK technique to determine the IA without aids of external sensors for precise positioning of highly maneuvering ground vehicles. In the proposed technique, the initial IA is determined fast by estimating precise position change during epochs using dual frequency carrier phase measurements. Therefore, IA determination of the proposed method is not influence by vehicle dynamics. By field experiment, performance of the proposed technique is analyzed including IA determination time according to vehicle dynamics and the number of visible SV

Revisiting the Seasonal Variations of Sea-Air CO2 Fluxes in the Northern East China Sea

Temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a (Chl-a), nitrate, and sea-air differences of CO2 partial pressure (ΔpCO2) were extensively investigated in the northern East China Sea (ECS) during seven research cruises from 2003 to 2009. The ΔpCO2 showed large intraseasonal variation in the spring and summer. In spring, the areal mean ΔpCO2 in May 2004 was almost half of that in April 2008, probably associated with differences in sea surface temperature (SST). In summer, the areal mean ΔpCO2 in August 2003 was also twice as large as that in July 2006. In addition, ΔpCO2 exhibited large seasonal variation with positive values in autumn and negative values in other seasons. The positive ΔpCO2 in autumn was ascribed to vertical mixing with CO2-enriched subsurface waters and relatively high SST in this season. The annually integrated sea-air CO2 flux in the northern ECS was -2.2 ± 2.1 mol m-2 yr-1, indicating CO2 absorption from atmosphere to the sea, which was more than two times lower than the previous estimate (Shim et al. 2007) reported for the same region. This large difference was presumably responsible for the underestimation of winter CO2 influx by Shim et al. (2007) and the large interannual variation of CO2 flux. The CO2 influx in the ECS was twice that estimated for continental shelves worldwide, suggesting that the ECS acts as a strong sink of atmospheric CO2 compared to other continental shelves

Staphylococcal enterotoxin sensitization in a community-based population : a potential role in adult-onset asthma

Background: Recent studies suggest that Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin sensitization is a risk factor for asthma. However, there is a paucity of epidemiologic evidence on adult-onset asthma in community-based populations. Objective: We sought to evaluate the epidemiology and the clinical significance of staphylococcal enterotoxin sensitization in community-based adult populations. Methods: The present analyses were performed using the baseline data set of Korean adult population surveys, consisting of 1080 adults (mean age=60.2years) recruited from an urban and a rural community. Questionnaires, methacholine challenge tests, and allergen skin tests were performed for defining clinical phenotypes. Sera were analysed for total IgE and enterotoxin-specific IgE using ImmunoCAP. Results: Staphylococcal enterotoxin sensitization (0.35kU/L) had a prevalence of 27.0%. Risk factors were identified as male sex, current smoking, advanced age (61years), and inhalant allergen sensitization. Current asthma was mostly adult onset (18years old) and showed independent associations with high enterotoxin-specific IgE levels in multivariate logistic regression tests. In multivariate linear regressions, staphylococcal enterotoxin-specific IgE level was identified as the major determinant factor for total IgE level. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Staphylococcal enterotoxin sensitization was independently associated with adult-onset asthma in adult community populations. Strong correlations between the enterotoxin-specific IgE and total IgE levels support the clinical significance. The present findings warrant further studies for the precise roles of staphylococcal enterotoxin sensitization in the asthma pathogenesis

The Correlation between Thermal and Noxious Gas Environments, Pig Productivity and Behavioral Responses of Growing Pigs

Correlations between environmental parameters (thermal range and noxious gas levels) and the status (productivity, physiological, and behavioral) of growing pigs were examined for the benefit of pig welfare and precision farming. The livestock experiment was conducted at a Seoul National University station in South Korea. Many variations were applied and the physiological and behavioral responses of the growing pigs were closely observed. Thermal and gas environment parameters were different during the summer and winter seasons, and the environments in the treatments were controlled in different manners. In the end, this study finds that factors such as Average Daily Gain (ADG), Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH), stress, posture, and eating habits were all affected by the controlled environmental parameters and that appropriate control of the foregoing could contribute to the improvement of precision farming and pig welfare

Downregulation of Protein Kinase CK2 Activity Facilitates Tumor Necrosis Factor-α-Mediated Chondrocyte Death through Apoptosis and Autophagy

Despite the numerous studies of protein kinase CK2, little progress has been made in understanding its function in chondrocyte death. Our previous study first demonstrated that CK2 is involved in apoptosis of rat articular chondrocytes. Recent studies have suggested that CK2 downregulation is associated with aging. Thus examining the involvement of CK2 downregulation in chondrocyte death is an urgently required task. We undertook this study to examine whether CK2 downregulation modulates chondrocyte death. We first measured CK2 activity in articular chondrocytes of 6-, 21- and 30-month-old rats. Noticeably, CK2 activity was downregulated in chondrocytes with advancing age. To build an in vitro experimental system for simulating tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced cell death in aged chondrocytes with decreased CK2 activity, chondrocytes were co-treated with CK2 inhibitors and TNF-α. Viability assay demonstrated that CK2 inhibitors facilitated TNF-α-mediated chondrocyte death. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, nuclear staining, flow cytometry, TUNEL staining, confocal microscopy, western blot and transmission electron microscopy were conducted to assess cell death modes. The results of multiple assays showed that this cell death was mediated by apoptosis. Importantly, autophagy was also involved in this process, as supported by the appearance of a punctuate LC3 pattern and autophagic vacuoles. The inhibition of autophagy by silencing of autophage-related genes 5 and 7 as well as by 3-methyladenine treatment protected chondrocytes against cell death and caspase activation, indicating that autophagy led to the induction of apoptosis. Autophagic cells were observed in cartilage obtained from osteoarthritis (OA) model rats and human OA patients. Our findings indicate that CK2 down regulation facilitates TNF-α-mediated chondrocyte death through apoptosis and autophagy. It should be clarified in the future if autophagy observed is a consequence versus a cause of the degeneration in vivo

Analysis of the Relationship between Cerebellar Volume and Psychological Parameters in 20s Male Adults

AbstractThis study measured the cerebellar volume of normal male adults in 20s with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and analysed the relationship between cerebellar volume and various psychological parameters. The cerebellar volume of 58 males (mean age, 24.0-2.8 years) was measured using MRI. The Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) and the Component of Type A Behavior tests were performed. Using linear regression analysis, the relationship between cerebellar volume and psychological parameters was analysed. As phobic anxiety and ambition increased, cerebellar volume of normal male subjects in 20s decreased. This study showed that for even normal male adults, there exists a possible relationship between various psychological parameters and cerebellar volume