Nonlinear oscillations of a sessile drop on a hydrophobic surface induced by ac electrowetting

We examine the nature of ac electrowetting (EW)-driven axisymmetric oscillations of a sessile water drop on a dielectric substrate. In ac EW, small-amplitude oscillations of a drop differ from the Rayleigh linear modes of freely oscillating drops. In this paper, we demonstrate that changes in the time-averaged contact angle of the sessile drop attributed to the presence of an electric field and a solid substrate mainly caused this discrepancy. We combine the domain perturbation method with the Lindsted-Poincare method to derive an asymptotic formula for resonant frequency. Theoretical analysis shows that the resonant frequency is a function of the time-averaged contact angle. Each mode of the resonance frequency is a linear function of epsilon(1), which is the magnitude of the cosine of the time-averaged contact angle. The most dominant mode in this study, that is, the fundamental mode n = 2, decreases linearly with epsilon(1). The results of the theoretical model are compared with those of both the experiments and numerical simulations. The average resonant frequency deviation between the perturbation solutions and numerical simulations is 4.3%, whereas that between the perturbation solutions and the experiments is 1.8%.X1121sciescopu

Incipient piezoelectrics and electrostriction behavior in Sn-doped Bi-1/2( Na0.82K0.18)(1/2) TiO3 lead-free ceramics

Dielectric, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and strain properties of lead-free Sn-doped Bi-1/2(Na0.82K0.18)(1/2)TiO3 (BNKT) were investigated. A crossover from a nonergodic relaxor to an ergodic relaxor state at room temperature, accompanied by a giant electric-field-induced strain, was observed at 5 at. % Sn doping. Switching dynamics monitored during a bipolar poling cycle manifested that the observed giant strain originates from incipient piezoelectricity. When Sn doping level reached 8 at. %, BNKT exhibited an electrostrictive behavior with a highly temperature-insensitive electrostrictive coefficient of Q(11) = 0.023 m(4)open3

Reliability and Validity of the Severe Impairment Battery (SIB) in Korean Dementia Patients

This study was conducted to examine the reliability, validity and clinical utility of the Severe Impairment Battery (SIB) for a Korean population. 69 dementia patients with Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) stages 2 or 3 were participated in this study. The SIB, Korean version-Mini Mental State Examination (K-MMSE), CDR, and Seoul-Activities of Daily Living (S-ADL) were administered. The validity of the SIB was confirmed by evaluating the correlation coefficients between the SIB and K-MMSE, CDR, S-ADL, which were found to be significant. Cronbach's alpha for the total SIB score and each subscale score showed high significance, and the item-total correlation for each subscale was also acceptable. The test-retest correlation for the total SIB score and subscale scores were significant, except for the praxis and orienting to name. The total SIB score and subscale scores were examined according to CDR. The results suggest that the SIB can differentiate the poor performances of severely impaired dementia patients. On the basis of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC), it can be concluded that the SIB is able to accurately discriminate between CDR 2 and 3 patients. The results of this study suggest that the SIB is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating severe dementia patients in Korean population

Efficacy and Safety of Sipjeondaebo-Tang for Anorexia in Patients with Cancer: A Pilot, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Background. Anorexia occurs in about half of cancer patients and is associated with high mortality rate. However, safe and long-term use of anorexia treatment is still an unmet need. Objective. The purpose of the present study was to examine the feasibility of Sipjeondaebo-tang (Juzen-taiho-to, Shi-Quan-Da-Bu-Tang) for cancer-related anorexia. Methods. A total of 32 participants with cancer anorexia were randomized to either Sipjeondaebo-tang group or placebo group. Participants were given 3 g of Sipjeondaebo-tang or placebo 3 times a day for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was a change in the Anorexia/Cachexia Subscale of Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy (FAACT). The secondary outcomes included Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of anorexia, FAACT scale, and laboratory tests. Results. Anorexia and quality of life measured by FAACT and VAS were improved after 4 weeks of Sipjeondaebo-tang treatment. However, there was no significant difference between changes of Sipjeondaebo-tang group and placebo group. Conclusions. Sipjeondaebo-tang appears to have potential benefit for anorexia management in patients with cancer. Further large-scale studies are needed to ensure the efficacy. Trial Registration. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02468141

Atrasentan and renal events in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (SONAR): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Short-term treatment for people with type 2 diabetes using a low dose of the selective endothelin A receptor antagonist atrasentan reduces albuminuria without causing significant sodium retention. We report the long-term effects of treatment with atrasentan on major renal outcomes. Methods: We did this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial at 689 sites in 41 countries. We enrolled adults aged 18–85 years with type 2 diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)25–75 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 of body surface area, and a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR)of 300–5000 mg/g who had received maximum labelled or tolerated renin–angiotensin system inhibition for at least 4 weeks. Participants were given atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily during an enrichment period before random group assignment. Those with a UACR decrease of at least 30% with no substantial fluid retention during the enrichment period (responders)were included in the double-blind treatment period. Responders were randomly assigned to receive either atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily or placebo. All patients and investigators were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was a composite of doubling of serum creatinine (sustained for ≥30 days)or end-stage kidney disease (eGFR <15 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 sustained for ≥90 days, chronic dialysis for ≥90 days, kidney transplantation, or death from kidney failure)in the intention-to-treat population of all responders. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of their assigned study treatment. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01858532. Findings: Between May 17, 2013, and July 13, 2017, 11 087 patients were screened; 5117 entered the enrichment period, and 4711 completed the enrichment period. Of these, 2648 patients were responders and were randomly assigned to the atrasentan group (n=1325)or placebo group (n=1323). Median follow-up was 2·2 years (IQR 1·4–2·9). 79 (6·0%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 105 (7·9%)of 1323 in the placebo group had a primary composite renal endpoint event (hazard ratio [HR]0·65 [95% CI 0·49–0·88]; p=0·0047). Fluid retention and anaemia adverse events, which have been previously attributed to endothelin receptor antagonists, were more frequent in the atrasentan group than in the placebo group. Hospital admission for heart failure occurred in 47 (3·5%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 34 (2·6%)of 1323 patients in the placebo group (HR 1·33 [95% CI 0·85–2·07]; p=0·208). 58 (4·4%)patients in the atrasentan group and 52 (3·9%)in the placebo group died (HR 1·09 [95% CI 0·75–1·59]; p=0·65). Interpretation: Atrasentan reduced the risk of renal events in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease who were selected to optimise efficacy and safety. These data support a potential role for selective endothelin receptor antagonists in protecting renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of developing end-stage kidney disease. Funding: AbbVie

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Validity of the Derjaguin approximation on electrostatic effect in the Frumkin-Derjaguin approach

The Frumkin-Derjaguin theory relates the macroscopic contact angle of a droplet with the disjoining pressure of the thin film in equilibrium with the droplet. To obtain the analytic expressions of the disjoining pressure, the Derjaguin approximation has been used, combined with the Debye-Huckel theory on the electrical double layer. As a result, the disjoining pressure can be determined without consideration of the overall geometry of the liquid surface. The validity of the Derjaguin approximation has been regarded to be limited to small contact angles, and its validity for large contact angles has rarely been assessed analytically. In this paper, the electrostatic force acting on the meniscus of a droplet (which enforces the droplet to spread) is obtained by integrating the Maxwell stress and the osmotic pressure acting on the liquid surface. The Debye-Huckel theory is employed for direct comparison with the results of the Derjaguin approximation in the two cases of the constant surface potential and the constant surface charge boundary conditions. The present electromechanical approach provides an exact result for the electrostatic contribution to the contact angle for a given model of the electrical double layer. It is shown (for the constant potential case) that if the modification of the interfacial energy at the liquid-surrounding fluid interface by the electrocapillary effect is separately considered, the Derjaguin approximation gives an exact interaction free energy, regardless of the magnitude of the contact angle. For the constant charge case, on the contrary, the interaction free energy derived based on the Derjaguin approximation for prediction of the contact angle is shown to have evident deficiency except for the case of vanishing surface charge density at the liquid surface. Such deficiency originates from the neglect of the contribution of the tangential-stress component.116sciescopu