Putin and Trilateral Economic Cooperation between Moscow, Seoul, and Pyongyang: Motivation, Feasibility, and Korean Peace Process

Since 2000, President Vladimir Putin of Russia has persistently pushed for trilateral economic projects involving Moscow, Seoul, and Pyongyang, especially in the fields of energy (oil, gas, and electricity) and transportation (railroad). The Kremlin has long maintained that its proposed trilateral projects would not only be economically beneficial to all but also pave the road to inter-Korean reconciliation and peaceful unification. This article addresses three questions regarding Putin’s trilateral economic projects. What motivates Russia to push for the projects? Would they bring benefits to the three countries? Would they facilitate Korean peace process? The authors argue that Putin’s trilateral economic projects are part of Russia’s quest for power and search for a multipolar world order and should be understood from the theoretical framework of Bstructural realism.^ The research finds that the projects are not feasible due to North Korea’s nuclear crisis and economic uncertainties and may be implemented after the current North Korea’s nuclear crisis is resolved diplomatically, if North Korea’s leadership changes or if inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation is achieved by the progressive government of Moon Jae-In

Sonography of Affected and Unaffected Shoulders in Hemiplegic Patients: Analysis of the Relationship Between Sonographic Imaging Data and Clinical Variables

Objective To explore the relationship between a number of clinically relevant variables and sonographic imaging data in respect to the level of impairment experienced in the affected and unaffected shoulders of hemiplegic stroke patients. Method Fifty-one hemiplegic stroke patients (32 males, 19 females; 29 right-sided hemiplegics, 22 left-sided hemiplegics) participated in this study. A musculoskeletal radiologist conducted a sonographic exam on both the affected and unaffected shoulders of all patients and two physicians classified the severity of the injury on a six-point rating scale. Clinical variables including age, sex, duration of injury, spasticity and muscle power of the hemiplegic side, and level of functional activity of the shoulder were assessed. Results The sonographic rating scores of hemiplegic shoulders were positively correlated with age (p<0.01) and negatively correlated with level of muscle spasticity (p<0.05). The sonographic rating scores of unaffected shoulders were positively correlated with duration of injury (p<0.01). Affected shoulders received sonographic rating scores that reflected significantly more impairment than those of unaffected shoulders (p<0.001), and premorbid handedness did not affect the relationship between impairment rating and shoulder injury status. Conclusion Hemiplegic stroke influences not only affected shoulders, but also unaffected sides. Proper management of spasticity, enhancement of motor recovery, and avoidance of unaffected shoulder overuse should be considered to prevent shoulder problems following strokes which result in hemiplegia

The Nerve/Tunnel Index: A New Diagnostic Standard for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Using Sonography

Objectives—To define the relationship between body indices of healthy adults and cross-sectional areas of the carpal tunnel and median nerve and to obtain the nerve/tunnel index, which represents a new standard for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome using sonography. Methods—Body indices (height, weight, and body mass index) were analyzed in 60 healthy adults, and electromyography and sonography were also performed. The crosssectional areas of the proximal and distal median nerve and carpal tunnel were obtained by sonography. The proximal and distal nerve/tunnel indices were obtained by calculating the ratio between the proximal and distal cross-sectional areas of the median nerve to those of the carpal tunnel and multiplying the value by 100. Results—Although the proximal cross-sectional areas of the median nerve and body indices showed statistically significant relationships with weak positive correlations, the proximal and distal areas of the carpal tunnel showed relatively stronger correlations with body indices. Between sexes, there were significant differences in the proximal median nerve cross-sectional area (mean ± SD: male, 10.48 ± 3.21 mm2; female, 8.81 ± 3.21 mm2; P < .05) and proximal carpal tunnel area (male, 182.50 ± 21.15 mm2; female, 151.23 ± 21.14 mm2; P < .05). There was no difference in the proximal nerve/tunnel index (male, 5.80% ± 1.72%; female, 5.91% ± 1.63%). There was a statistically significant difference in the distal carpal tunnel cross-sectional area (male, 138.90 ± 20.95 mm2; female, 121.50 ± 18.99 mm2; P < .05) between sexes, but the distal median area (male, 9.99 ± 3.42 mm2; female, 8.46 ± 1.84 mm2) and distal nerve/tunnel index (male, 7.15% ± 2.00%; female, 7.01% ± 1.38%) showed no significant differences. The proximal index was significantly higher than the distal index (proximal, 5.85% ± 1.66%; distal, 7.08% ± 1.71%). Conclusions—The nerve/tunnel index is unaffected by body indices or sex and thus may be a useful and objective standard for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome

Echo Path Transfer Function Estimation for Spectral Subtraction-based Acoustic Echo Suppression

In this study, we propose a novel technique for spectral subtraction (SS)-based acoustic echo suppression (AES). Conventional AES methods based on SS apply fixed weights to the estimated echo path transfer function (EPTF) at the current signal segment and to the EPTF estimated until the previous time interval. We propose a new EPTF estimation approach that adaptively updates the weight parameters in response to abrupt changes in the acoustic environment. From the experiments, we conclude that the developed techniques can be successfully used for the SS-based AES systems

A Simple and Facile Glucose Biosensor Based on Prussian Blue Modified Graphite String

This work describes the string sensor for the simple and sensitive detection of glucose which is based on Prussian blue (PB) modified graphite utilizing dipping. First, PB modified graphite (PB-G) strings are characterized by physical and electrochemical techniques to optimize the PB-G layer thickness. Then, glucose oxidase (GOx) is immobilized on PB-G string electrode with biocompatible chitosan overlayer (Chi/GOx/PB-G). The Chi/GOx/PB-G string electrode exhibits a sensitivity of 641.3 μA·mM−1·cm−2 to glucose with a linear range of 0.03 to 1.0 mM (R2=0.9957) and a rapid response time (<3 s). Moreover, the Chi/GOx/PB-G string electrodes are less sensitive to common interference materials such as ascorbic acid, uric acid, galactose, and acetaminophen than to glucose. The Chi/GOx/PB-G string electrodes also show excellent reproducibility (<5% RSD). Therefore, our Chi/GOx/PB-G string electrodes can be simple, robust, and reliable tools for glucose sensing which can avoid complicated and difficult multistep fabrication processes. In addition, we expect that they have many potential applications in fields ranging from health care to food analysis, in particular where single use is favorable

Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma-conditioned root dentin promotes attraction and attachment of primary human dental pulp stem cells in real-time Ex Vivo

This study investigated if non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma (NTAPP) treatment of root dentin surfaces promotes human dental pulp stem cell (hDPSCs) adhesion. Freshly extracted human single-rooted teeth (n = 36) were decoronated and cut (first vertically, then horizontally) into root dentin slices (3 mm thick). Primary hDPSCs cultures were seeded onto slices randomly assigned to pretreatment groups (n = 9/group): NaOCl (1.5%), EDTA (17%) then NTAPP (Group I); NaOCl then NTAPP (Group II); NaOCl then EDTA (Group III); and NaOCl alone (Group IV). Cell viability and proliferation were measured using MTT assay with log-linear statistical analysis. Cell attachment and spreading morphologies on dentin slices (n = 3/group) were examined through scanning electron microscopy. Early cell adhesion events and subcellular activities were observed in real time by live-cell imaging through holotomographic microscopy. Cell viability and proliferation were significantly higher on NTAPP-treated dentin (p \u3c 0.05), without interactions with EDTA (p \u3e 0.05). The attachment, spreading, extensions and multiple layers of hDPSCs were heightened on NTAPP-treated dentin. Cell adhesion, spreading, and dentinal tubule penetration were hastened on NTAPP-treated dentin surfaces in real-time, with elevated subcellular activities and intracellular lipid droplet formation. NTAPP-treated root dentin surfaces support enhanced cellular responses, potentially promoting pulp-dentin regeneration

Synergistic effect of Indium and Gallium co-doping on growth behavior and physical properties of hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods

We synthesized ZnO nanorods (NRs) using simple hydrothermal method, with the simultaneous incorporation of gallium (Ga) and indium (In), in addition, investigated the co-doping effect on the morphology, microstructure, electronic structure, and electrical/optical properties. The growth behavior of the doped NRs was affected by the nuclei density and polarity of the (001) plane. The c-axis parameter of the co-doped NRs was similar to that of undoped NRs due to the compensated lattice distortion caused by the presence of dopants that are both larger (In3+) and smaller (Ga3+) than the host Zn2+ cations. Red shifts in the ultraviolet emission peaks were observed in all doped NRs, owing to the combined effects of NR size, band gap renormalization, and the presence of stacking faults created by the dopant-induced lattice distortions. In addition, the NR/p-GaN diodes using co-doped NRs exhibited superior electrical conductivity compared to the other specimens due to the increase in the charge carrier density of NRs and the relatively large effective contact area of (001) planes. The simultaneous doping of In and Ga is therefore anticipated to provide a broader range of optical, physical, and electrical properties of ZnO NRs for a variety of opto-electronic applications

Evaluation of the Clinical and Radiographic Effectiveness of Treating Peri-Implant Bone Defects With a New Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Bone Graft: A Prospective, Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

PURPOSE: Biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP), a widely used biomaterial for bone regeneration, contains synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), the ratio of which can be adjusted to modulate the rate of degradation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic benefits of reconstructing peri-implant bone defects with a newly developed BCP consisting of 40% β-TCP and 60% HA compared to demineralized bovine bone mineral (DBBM). METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, parallel, single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted at the periodontology departments of 3 different dental hospitals. Changes in clinical (defect width and height) and radiographic (augmented horizontal bone thickness) parameters were measured between implant surgery with guided bone regeneration (GBR) and re-entry surgery. Postoperative discomfort (severity and duration of pain and swelling) and early soft-tissue wound healing (dehiscence and inflammation) were also assessed. Data were compared between the BCP (test) and DBBM (control) groups using the independent RESULTS: Of the 53 cases included, 27 were in the test group and 26 were in the control group. After a healing period of 18 weeks, the full and mean resolution of buccal dehiscence defects were 59.3% (n=16) and 71.3% in the test group and 42.3% (n=11) and 57.9% in the control group, respectively. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of the change in mean horizontal bone augmentation (test group: -0.50±0.66 mm vs. control groups: -0.66±0.83 mm, CONCLUSION: The GBR procedure with the newly developed BCP showed favorable clinical, radiographic, postoperative discomfort-related, and early wound healing outcomes for peri-implant dehiscence defects that were similar to those for DBBM