Cladonia peziziformis (Lichenized Ascomycota, Cladoniaceae) New to Korea.

Cladonia peziziformis (With.) J.R.

Plasma-sprayed CaTiSiO5 ceramic coating on Ti-6Al-4V with excellent bonding strength, stability and cellular bioactivity.

Novel Ca-Si-Ti-based sphene (CaTiSiO5) ceramics possess excellent chemical stability and cytocompatibility. The aim of this study was to prepare sphene coating on titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) for orthopaedic applications using the plasma spray method. The phase composition, surface and interface microstructure, coating thickness, surface roughness and bonding strength of the plasma-sprayed sphene coating were analysed using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and the standard mechanical testing of the American Society for Testing and Materials, respectively.

Docosahexaenoic acid alters the size and distribution of cell surface microdomains.

We recently generated nutritional data suggesting that chemoprotective dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) are capable of displacing acylated proteins from lipid raft microdomains in vivo [D.W. Ma, J.

The use of orchids in Chinese medicine.

In this article, the therapeutic uses of five Chinese medicines that contain orchids are discussed, together with a brief report of some of the animal experimentation undertaken. The impression that these preparations have no therapeutic use may be incorrect. However, herbal preparations have not usually been subject to the rigorous characterization and standardization necessary for clinical study, and persuading practitioners that substances in use for many centuries still need to be tested in randomized controlled clinical trials is proving a significant challenge.

Strain-dependent twist-stretch elasticity in chiral filaments.

Coupling between axial and torsional degrees of freedom often modifies the conformation and expression of natural and synthetic filamentous aggregates. Recent studies on chiral single-walled carbon nanotubes and B-DNA reveal a reversal in the sign of the twist-stretch coupling at large strains. The similarity in the response in these two distinct supramolecular assemblies and at high strains suggests a fundamental, chirality-dependent nonlinear elastic behaviour.

Determining the absolute efficiency of a delay line microchannel-plate detector using molecular dissociation.

We present a method to measure the absolute detection efficiency of a delay-line microchannel-plate detector using the breakup of diatomic molecular ions. This method provides the absolute total detection efficiency, as well as the individual efficiency for each signal of the detector. The method is based on the fact that molecular breakup always yields two hits on the detector, but due to finite detection efficiency some of these events are recorded as single particles while others are detected in pairs.

Mass sport policy development in the Olympic City: the case of Qingdao--host to the 2008 sailing regatta.

The Olympic Games have emerged as a significant catalyst of urban change and leave numerous legacies to the cities and countries that host them. This article will address the impacts of the preparations for the 2008 Olympic sailing regatta on mass sport development in the host municipal city of Qingdao, China, and examine the government's mass sport policy and development interventions that are linked to the 2008 Olympic Bid and subsequent preparations. The research draws on policy-making theory to unravel the nature of change and development of mass sport in Qingdao, especially how national and local governments create new policies to promote mass sport development in Qingdao and persuade people to take regular physical activity and practise sports to improve health.

A novel optical coherence tomography-based micro-indentation technique for mechanical characterization of hydrogels.

Depth-sensing micro-indentation has been well recognized as a powerful tool for characterizing mechanical properties of solid materials due to its non-destructive approach. Based on the depth-sensing principle, we have developed a new indentation method combined with a high-resolution imaging technique, optical coherence tomography, which can accurately measure the deformation of hydrogels under a spherical indenter at constant force. The Hertz contact theory has been applied for quantitatively correlating the indentation force and the deformation with the mechanical properties of the materials.

Above threshold Coulomb explosion of molecules in intense laser pulses.

We have measured and explained a new mechanism of molecular ionization near the appearance intensity that produces a sequence of peaks in the nuclear kinetic energy spectrum separated by the photon energy. Our interpretation is based on an internally consistent model for the nuclear motion during an intense laser pulse. Within this model, the same concepts and language can be used for both dissociation and ionization, leading to a more unified understanding of the dynamics.

Stride lengths, speed and energy costs in walking of Australopithecus afarensis: using evolutionary robotics to predict locomotion of early human ancestors.

This paper uses techniques from evolutionary robotics to predict the most energy-efficient upright walking gait for the early human relative Australopithecus afarensis, based on the proportions of the 3.2 million year old AL 288-1 'Lucy' skeleton, and matches predictions against the nearly contemporaneous (3.5-3.

Examining the architecture of cellular computing through a comparative study with a computer.

The computer and the cell both use information embedded in simple coding, the binary software code and the quadruple genomic code, respectively, to support system operations. A comparative examination of their system architecture as well as their information storage and utilization schemes is performed. On top of the code, both systems display a modular, multi-layered architecture, which, in the case of a computer, arises from human engineering efforts through a combination of hardware implementation and software abstraction.

Parametric study of the effect of phase anisotropy on the micromechanical behaviour of dentin-adhesive interfaces.

A finite element (FE) model has been developed based upon the recently measured micro-scale morphological, chemical and mechanical properties of dentin-adhesive (d-a) interfaces using confocal Raman microspectroscopy and scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM). The results computed from this FE model indicated that the stress distributions and concentrations are affected by the micro-scale elastic properties of various phases composing the d-a interface. However, these computations were performed assuming isotropic material properties for the d-a interface.

In vitro and in vivo biological responses to a novel radiopacifying agent for bone cement.

Iodixanol (IDX) and iohexol (IHX) have been investigated as possible radiopacification agents for polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement, to replace the currently used barium sulphate and zirconia. IDX and IHX are both water-soluble iodine-based contrast media and for the last 20 years have been used extensively in clinical diagnostic procedures such as contrast media enhanced computed tomography, angiography and urography. One of the major reasons to remove the current radiopacifying agents is their well-documented cytotoxicity and their potential to increase bone resorption.

O2 microsensors for minimally invasive tissue monitoring.

Tissue oxygenation is a key factor ensuring normal tissue functions and viability. Continuous real-time monitoring of the partial pressure of oxygen, pO(2), in tissues gives insight into the dynamic fluctuations of O(2) supplies to tissues by blood circulation. Small oxygen sensors enable investigations of the spatial variation of pO(2) in tissues at different locations in relation to local microvessels.

Immersed finite element method and its applications to biological systems.

This paper summarizes the newly developed immersed finite element method (IFEM) and its applications to the modeling of biological systems. This work was inspired by the pioneering work of Professor T.J.

Disentangling the volume effect through intensity-difference spectra: application to laser-induced dissociation of H2+.

An intensity-difference spectrum method is developed to disentangle the intensity volume effect inherent in focused laser beam interaction with gas-phase matter. This method is applicable to a Gaussian beam of constant axial intensity, which keeps the exact contribution from a predetermined intensity range and eliminates the contributions from lower intensities. We apply this method to the angularly resolved kinetic energy release spectrum of laser-induced dissociation of H2+.

Identification of a novel alternative splicing form of human netrin-4 and analyzing the expression patterns in adult rat brain.

Netrins are a family of secreted proteins that function as tropic cues directing axon growth and cell migration during neural development. Beta-netrin or netrin-4 (NTN4), the fourth member of this family, was previously reported by Koch (M. Koch, J.

Modification of the Wiener Index. 2.

A novel topological index based on the Wiener Index is proposed as W = 1/2, summation(n/ij)=S*(ij) the element S*(ij) of the distance matrix is defined either as S*(ij)= square root (E(i)E(j)/R(ij) (atoms i and j are adjacent) or as S*(ij)=(j-i+1)square root (E(i)...

Modification of Wiener Index and its application.

A novel topological index based on the Wiener Index is proposed as W* = 1/2 sigma (n)(i,j=1) S(*)(ij), the element S(*)(ij) of the distance matrix is defined either as S(*)(ij) = alpha x square root of I(i)I(j)/R(ij) (atoms i and j are adjacent) or as S(*)(ij) = = alpha x (j-i+1)square root of I(i) x x x x x I(j)/R(ij) (atoms i and j are not adjacent), where I(i) and I(j) represent the electronegativity of vertices i or j, respectively, R(ij)() is the sum of the bond length between the vertices i and j in a molecular graph, and alpha = (Z(i)/Z(j))(0.5), where Z(i) and Z(j) are the atomic numbers of the positive valence atom i and the negative valence atom j, respectively. The properties and the interaction of the vertices in a molecule are taken into account in this definition.

Artificial neural networks: a potential role in osteoporosis.

Artificial neural networks are computer software systems that recognize patterns in complex data sets. A recent development in neural computing, multiversion systems (MVS), has led to enhanced analytical power, and this was harnessed to demonstrate the value of risk factors in predicting the result of osteoporosis investigations by quantitative ultrasound. 274 women were screened in an open-access osteoporosis service.

The cytoplasmic domain of the Drosophila cell adhesion molecule neuroglian is not essential for its homophilic adhesive properties in S2 cells.

Drosophila neuroglian is a transmembrane glycoprotein that has strong structural and sequence homology to the vertebrate L1 gene family of cell adhesion molecules (Bieber, A.J., Snow, P.

Induced abortion in Taiwan.

Induced abortion is widely practised in Taiwan; however, it had been illegal until 1985. It was of interest to investigate induced abortion practices in Taiwan after its legalization in 1985 in order to calculate the prevalence rate and ratio of induced abortion to live births and to pregnancies in Taiwan. A study using questionnaires through personal interviews was conducted on more than seventeen thousand women who attended a family planning service in Taipei metropolitan areas between 1991 and 1992.

Irreversible inhibition of sodium current and batrachotoxin binding by a photoaffinity-derivatized local anesthetic.

We have synthesized a model local anesthetic (LA), N-(2-di-N-butyl-aminoethyl)-4-azidobenzamide (DNB-AB), containing the photoactivatable aryl azido moiety, which is known to form a covalent bond to adjacent molecules when exposed to UV light (Fleet, G.W., J.

Resolution of end-to-end distance distributions of flexible molecules using quenching-induced variations of the Forster distance for fluorescence energy transfer.

We describe a new method to recover the distribution of donor-to-acceptor (D-A) distances in flexible molecules using steady-state measurements of the efficiency of fluorescence energy transfer. The method depends upon changes in the Forster distance (Ro) induced by collisional quenching of the donor emission. The Ro-dependent transfer efficiencies are analyzed using nonlinear least squares to recover the mean D-A distance and the width of the distribution.