The infratemporal fossa and pterygopalatine fossa are critical pathways for blood vessels and nerves leading to the orbit, nasal cavity, and oral cavity. Anatomical observation of these areas is challenging for learners due to their complex connections with surrounding structures and their deep location within the body. Since it is not easy to understand this area in three dimensions with only textbook images, there is a need to produce three-dimensional (3D) content.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrban heat island (UHI) and thermal comfort conditions are among the impacts of urbanization, which have been extensively studied in most cities around the world. However, the comprehensive studies in Indonesia in the context of urbanization is still lacking. This study aimed to classify land use and land cover (LULC) and analyse urban growth and its effects on surface urban heat islands (SUHIs) and urban thermal conditions as well as contributing factors to SUHI intensity (SUHII) using remote sensing in the western part of Java Island and three focused urban areas: the Jakarta metropolitan area (JMA), the Bandung and Cimahi Municipalities (BC), and the Sukabumi Municipality (SKB).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe current study focuses on water scarcity, water shortages, and inequal water allocation for downstream water users in the Balkhab River basin (BRB) in northern Afghanistan. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was utilized to determine the hydrological process in the watershed and assess the water resource capacity. The model was calibrated and validated to ensure proper model setup for the entire watershed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn order to analyze the home range of feral cats residing in the surroundings of rural and suburban areas, we collected coordination information data from five feral cats. As a result of such research, 100% MCP was defined as minimum 31,500 and maximum 351,900, and 95% KR was defined as minimum 9,400 and maximum 502,800, 75% KR was defined as minimum 3,600 and maximum 126,900, and 50% MCP was defined as minimum 1,800 and maximum 51,700. The home range of feral cats was also analyzed during daytime and nighttime, and all five individuals showed a wider home range during the nighttime than daytime.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the radioactive waste management, metal chloride wastes from a pyrochemical process is one of problematic wastes not directly applicable to a conventional solidification process. Different from a use of minerals or a specific phosphate glass for immobilizing radioactive waste salts, our research group applied an inorganic composite, SAP (SiO(2)-Al(2)O(3)-P(2)O(5)), to stabilize them by dechlorination. From this method, a unique wasteform composing of phosphate and silicate could be fabricated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA cancer/testis antigen, CAGE, is widely expressed in various cancer tissues and cancer cell lines but not in normal tissues except the testis. In the present study, ectopic expression of CAGE in fibroblast cells resulted in foci formation, suggesting its cell-transforming ability. Using stable HeLa transfectant clones with the tetracycline-inducible CAGE gene, we found that CAGE overexpression stimulated both anchorage-dependent and -independent cell growth in vitro and promoted tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe molten salt waste from the pyroprocess is one of the problematic wastes to directly apply a conventional process such as vitrification or ceramization. This study suggested a novel method using a reactive material for metal chlorides at a molten temperature of salt waste, and then converting them into manageable product at a high temperature. The inorganic composite, SAP (SiO2-Al2O3-P2O5), synthesized by a conventional sol-gel process has three or four distinctive domains that are bonded sequentially, Si-O-Si-O-A-O-P-O-P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated the molecular effect and signal pathway of icariin, a major flavonoid of Epimedium koreanum Nakai, on angiogenesis. Icariin stimulated in vitro endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tubulogenesis, which are typical phenomena of angiogenesis, as well as increased in vivo angiogenesis. Icariin activated the angiogenic signal modulators, ERK, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), Akt, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and increased NO production, without affecting VEGF expression, indicating that icariin may directly stimulate angiogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, a vacuum distillation of a mixture of LiCl-KCl eutectic salt and rare-earth oxidative precipitates was performed to separate a pure LiCl-KCl eutectic salt from the mixture. Also, a dechlorination and oxidation of the rare-earth oxychlorides was carried out to stabilize a final waste form. The mixture was distilled under a range of 710-759.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis paper describes a dynamic compartment model for evaluating the tritium level in agricultural plants after a short-term exposure to HTO vapor and its comparison with experimental results to test the predictive accuracy of the model. The model uses a time-dependent growth equation of a plant so that it can predict the contamination level of tritium depending on the stage of the growth of the plant, which is a major difference from some other compartment models using a constant crop yield. The model is able to calculate the time variable concentrations of the compartments representing the atmosphere, soil, and plants of four categories including leafy vegetables, root vegetables, grains, and tuber plants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring chronic inflammatory response, mono- cytes/macrophages produce 92-kDa matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which may contribute to their extravasation, migration and tissue remodeling. Activation of peroxisome proliferator- activated factor receptor-g (PPAR-g) has been shown to inhibit MMP-9 activity. To evaluate whether ox-LDL, a PPAR-g activator, inhibits PMA-induced MMP-9 expression and activity, and if so, whether CD36 and PPAR-g are involved in this process, we investigated the effect of ox-LDL on MMP-9 expression and activity in PMA-activated human monocytic cell line U937.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA dynamic compartment model has been studied to estimate the transfer of radionuclides deposited onto flooded rice-fields after an accidental release. In the model, a surface water compartment and a direct shoot-base absorption from the surface water to the rice-plant, which are major features discriminating the present model from the existing model, has been introduced to account for the flooded condition of rice-fields. The model has been applied to the deposition experiments of 137Cs on rice-fields that were performed at three different times to simulate the deposition before transplanting (May 2) and during the growth of the rice (June 1 and August 12), respectively.
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