• Animal cells and systems
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.81-84
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• 2002

SINE-R retroposons have been derived from human endogenous retrovirus HERV-K family and found to be hominoid specific. Both SINE-R retroposons and HERV_K family are potentially capable of affecting the expression of closely located genes. Using the genomic DNA from patients with schizophrenia, we identified 26 SINE-R retroposons and analyzed them with the sequences derived from the hominoid primates. The SINE-R retroposons from schizophrenia showed 89.7-96.6％ sequence similarities with the sequence of the schizo-cDNA clone that derived from postmortem tissue from the frontal cortex of an individual suffering from schizophrenial. Phylogenetic analysis using the neighbor-joining method revealed that the new SINE-R retroposons in schizophrenia have proliferated independently during hominid evolution. Such retroposons have great relevance to genomic change connected to human diseases. The data suggest that new SINE-R retroposons identified in schizophrenia deserve further investigation as potential leads on the understanding of neuropsychiatric diseases.

• International Journal of Reliability and Applications
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.61-80
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• 2002

Tree-harvesting worker data of 508 separate worker accidents are analyzed and an exploratory approach taken. The worker accident data cover a sample of five years. The scope of the study was the southeastern United States of America. As might be hypothesized, the chainsaw was the most hazardous type of tree-harvesting equipment. It accounted for 55％ of the tree-harvesting accidents. Most chainsaw accidents resulted in injuries to the lower extremities and were more frequent among younger employees. The probability of one or more chainsaw accidents occurring in any 30-day period was approximately 0.856. Chainsaw accidents were more likely to occur in late morning and early afternoon. We used statistical tools such as Pareto charts, c-charts and Ishikawa diagrams. Such tools are useful in diagnosing the root-cause of tree-harvesting worker accidents and help in developing preventive safety programs. Recommendations to help improve the quality of information of accident data collected by insurance companies and others are briefly given. The strategy and culture of continuous process improvements are stressed.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Pathology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.5-9
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• 2003

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a systemic disease of ruminants caused by a gamma herpesvirus, ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2). Four 1-year old goats (Capra hircus), which were infected with MCF virus, OvHV-2, by being housed together with MCF virus-infected seep, were referred with a I-month history of chronic dermatitis. On the other hand, MCF virus-negative goats, which were isolated for negative control, had not those kinds of skin problems. Examination of the affected goats revealed generalized alopecia, patchy erythema, and superficial erosions with histologic evidence of mural folliculitis. Fungal culture tests and external parasite tests with the scraping skin samples were negative. However, polymerase chain reaction revealed the existence of MCF virus DNAs in the lesion. These results suggested that MCF virus may induce mural folliculitis and alopecia in goat.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.67-80
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• 2017

Cholesterol is a vital component of the human body. It stabilizes cell membranes and is the precursor of bile acids, vitamin D and steroid hormones. However, cholesterol accumulation in the bloodstream (hypercholesterolemia) can cause atherosclerotic plaques within artery walls, leading to heart attacks and strokes. The efficiency of cholesterol absorption in the small intestine is of great interest because human and animal studies have linked cholesterol absorption with plasma concentration of total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Cholesterol absorption is highly regulated and influenced by particular compounds in the food supply. Therefore, it is desirable to learn more about natural food components that inhibit cholesterol absorption so that food ingredients and dietary supplements can be developed for consumers who wish to manage their plasma cholesterol levels by non-pharmacological means. Food components thus far identified as inhibitors of cholesterol absorption include phytosterols, soluble fibers, phospholipids, and stearic acid.

• Journal of Multimedia Information System
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2016

In this paper, we propose a method to automatically diagnose various diseases. The input data consists of electrocardiograph (ECG) recordings. We extract R-to-R interval (RRI) signals from ECG recordings, which are preprocessed to remove trends and ectopic beats, and to keep the signal stationary. After that, we perform some prospective analysis to extract time-domain parameters, frequency-domain parameters, and nonlinear parameters of the signal. Those parameters are unique for each disease and can be used as the statistical symptoms for each disease. Then, we perform feature selection to improve the performance of the diagnosis classifier. We utilize the selected features to diagnose various diseases using machine learning. We subsequently measure the performance of the machine learning classifier to make sure that it will not misdiagnose the diseases. The first two steps, which are R-to-R extraction and preprocessing, have been successfully implemented with satisfactory results.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.584-591
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• 2013

In this paper, a hybrid booster power module with Si IGBT and Silicon Carbide (SiC) Schottky Barrier Diode (SBDs) is presented. The switching characteristics of the hybrid booster module are compared with commercial Silicon IGBT/Si PIN diode based modules. We applied the booster power module into a non-isolated on board vehicle charger with a simple buck-booster topology. The performances of the on-vehicle charger are analyzed and measured with different power modules. The test data is measured in the same system, at the same points of operation, using the conventional Si and hybrid Si/SiC power modules. The measured power conversion efficiency of the proposed on-vehicle charger is 96.4 % with the SiC SBD based hybrid booster module. The conversion efficiency gain of 1.4 % is realizable by replacing the Si-based booster module with the Si IGBT/SiC SBD hybrid boost module in the 6.6 kW on-vehicle chargers.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.167-172
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• 2016

We used the 4 m Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) at Lowell observatory in 2014 to observe the Guitar Nebula, an Hα bow-shock nebula around the high-velocity radio pulsar B2224+65. Since the nebula's discovery in 1992, the structure of the bow-shock has undergone significant dynamical changes. We have observed the limb structure, targeting the "body" and "neck" of the guitar. Comparing the DCT observations to 1995 observations with the Palomar 200-inch Hale telescope, we found changes in both spatial structure and surface brightness in the tip, head, and body of the nebula.

• Proceedings of the KSPS conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.31-36
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• 2006

Research in the Center for Pediatric Auditory and Speech Sciences (CPASS) is attempting to characterize or phenotype children with speech delays based on acoustic-phonetic evidence and relate those phenotypes to chromosome loci believed to be related to language and speech. To achieve this goal we have adopted a highly interdisciplinary approach that merges fields as diverse as automatic speech recognition, human genetics, neuroscience, epidemiology, and speech-language pathology. In this presentation I will trace the background of this project, and the rationale for our approach. Analyses based on a large amount of speech recorded from 18 children with speech delays will be presented to illustrate the approach we will be taking to characterize the acoustic phonetic properties of disordered speech in young children. The ultimate goal of our work is to develop non-invasive and objective measures of speech development that can be used to better identify which children with apparent speech delays are most in need of, or would receive the most benefit from the delivery of therapeutic services.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.8 no.2 s.28
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• pp.49-54
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of expansion joint spacing (slab size) on the life cycle costs of owning Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) airfield pavements. Previous research has shown that slab size has a statistically significant impact on pavement performance. A probabilistic life cycle cost analysis was performed to determine if the effect of slab size on pavement performance would affect the total cost of ownership of PCC pavements. Data from 48 Pavement Condition Index (PCI) inspections of military and civilian airfields were used to develop probability-of-distress-by-condition curves, which were then used to develop probabilistic cost-of-repair-by-condition curves. A present worth life cycle cost analysis was then performed for various slab sizes, using construction costs, rehabilitation costs, and maintenance costs. Maintenance costs were determined by assuming a condition deterioration rate appropriate for each slab size and applying the cost-by-condition curves. The probabilistic cost-of-repair-by-condition curves indicated that smaller slabs are more expensive to repair on a unit cost basis. Life cycle cost analysis showed that larger slabs have a higher total cost of ownership than smaller slabs due to a faster rate of deterioration.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.492-495
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• 2013

Glomus tumours are vascular hamartomas that are commonly found in the hand, particularly the subungual region. They appear as solitary or multiple tumours, and often present as a bluish discoloration of the nail plate. Different diagnostic tests are outlined, as well as imaging studies such as magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound. Misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis of these tumours are common, while a familial tendency is a potential risk factor but not yet proven. Complete surgical excision often results in complete symptomatic relief, while recurrences are largely due to incomplete excision or the growth of a new glomus tumour. This article aims to review the key aspects of glomus tumours and provide a diagnostic algorithm so that the lesion can be recognized and treated earlier.