• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2327-2331
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• 2015

Purpose: To determine the accuracy of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) in detecting high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in pre- and post-menopausal women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) and low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) Papanicolaou (Pap) smears. Materials and Methods: Two hundred women (150 pre-menopausal and 50 post-menopausal) with ASC-US and LSIL cytology who attended the colposcopy clinic, Thammasat University Hospital, between March 2013 and August 2014 were included. All women underwent VIA testing and colposcopy by gynecologic oncologists. Diagnostic values of VIA testing including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) for detecting high-grade CIN were determined using the histopathology obtained from colposcopic-directed biopsy as a gold standard. Results: VIA testing was positive in 54/150 (36%) pre-menopausal women and 5/50 (10%) post-menopausal women. Out of 54 pre-menopausal women with positive VIA testing, 15 (27.8%) had high-grade CIN and 39 (72.2%) had either CIN 1 or insignificant pathology. Ten (10.4%), 43 (44.8%) and 43 (44.8%) out of the remaining 96 pre-menopausal women with negative VIA testing had high-grade CIN, CIN 1 and insignificant pathology, respectively. Out of 5 post-menopausal women with positive VIA testing, there were 4 (80%) women with high-grade CIN, and 1 (20%) women with insignificant pathology. Out of 45 VIA-negative post-menopausal women, 42 (93.3%) women had CIN 1 and insignificant pathology, and 3 (6.7%) had high-grade CIN. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of the VIA testing were 59.4%, 76.2%, 32.2% and 90.8%, respectively (60%, 68.8%, 27.8% and 89.6% in pre-menopausal women and 57.1%, 97.7%, 80% and 93.3% in post-menopausal women). Conclusions: VIA testing may be used as a screening tool for detecting high-grade CIN in women with minor cervical cytological abnormalities in a low-resource setting in order to lower the rate of colposcopy referral.

• The Pure and Applied Mathematics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.67-81
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• 2023

The current article manages with new generalization of Post-Widder operators preserving constant function and other test functions in Bohmann-Korovkin sense and studies the approximation properties via different estimation tools like modulus of continuity and approximation in weighted spaces. The viability of the recently modified operators as per classical Post-Widder operators is introduced in specific faculties also. Numerical examples are additionally introduced to verify our theortical results. In second last section we introduce Grüss-Voronovskaya results and in last section, we show the better approximation our new modified operators via graphical exmaples using Mathematica.

• Acta Via Serica
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2020

The paper discusses how the new EU Strategy towards Central Asia issued in May 2019 might be analyzed through the lens of the intensely debated transformations from the liberal to a post-liberal international order. The author claims that the EU's normative power is transforming from the post-Cold War predominantly liberal/ value-based approach, with democracy and human rights at its core, to a set of more technical tools and principles of good governance and effective management of public administration. The paper problematizes a nexus between the dynamics of the EU's nascent post-liberalism and the geopolitical challenges of the EU's growing engagement with illiberal regimes, focuses on direct encounters between the post-liberal EU and the illiberal elites in Central Asia, and seeks to find out the impact of these connections upon the EU's international subjectivity. In this context geopolitical dimensions of EU foreign and security policies, along with the specificity of the EU's geopolitical actorship in Central Asia, are discussed.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2002.07c
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• pp.1972-1975
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• 2002

In this paper, we have proposed low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) based packaging for RF MEMS devices. The packaging structure is designed and evaluated with 3D full field simulation. 50 ${\Omega}$ matched coplanar waveguide(CPW) transmission line is employed as the test vehicle to evaluate the performances of the proposed package structure. The line is encapsulated with the LTCC packaging lid and connected to the via feed line. To reduce the insertion loss due to the packaging lid, the cavity with via post is formed in the packaging lid. The performances of the package structure is simulated with the different cavity depth and via-to-via length. Simulation results show that the proposed package structure has reflection loss better than 20 dB and insertion loss lower than 0.1 dB from DC to 30 GHz with the cavity depth and via-to-via length of 300 ${\mu}m$ and 350 ${\mu}m$, respectively. To realize the designed package structure, the cavity patterning is tested using the sandblast of LTCC.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.29-32
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• 2002

Studies till date suggest the existence of a fetal biological clock in suprachiasmatic nuclei entrained by the circadian signal from mother. Melatonin from maternal pineal gland reaches to the fetus by crossing every biological barrier including placenta, hence fetuses were exposed to similar melatonin variation as their mother. Experimental modulations of maternal pineal gland activity of pregnant females either by exposing the them to different photoperiodic schedules or by exogenous melatonin treatments till the date of parturition, regulated the fetal plasma level of melatonin, thereby the prenatal (fetal) growth and development. This clearly suggests the maternal transport of melatonin to their fetus through placenta since fetal retina-hypothalamic tract was incomplete. An extension of experimental schedules till 60 days of post-partum period regulated the neonatal pineal gland activity and gonadal maturation along with their plasma levels of melatonin and sex steroids suggesting clearly the phenomenon of maternal transfer of melatonin to their young ones during the post-natal period, when the neonates were solely dependent on the mother's milk for their nutrition and energetic demands. On the basis of above observations we may suggest that the maternal pineal gland activity regulate the prenatal development by passing its melatonin to fetus via placenta and post-natal growth and sexual maturation by passing maternal melatonin to neonates via milk. Hence, the photoperiod perceived by mother is translated into the maternal plasma level of melatonin which not only regulates the prenatal but also the post-natal growth and sexual maturation of neonates.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8313-8319
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• 2016

We have recently shown that thymoquinone (TQ) has a potent cytotoxic effect and induces apoptosis via caspase-3 activation with down-regulation of XIAP in mouse neuroblastoma (Neuro-2a) cells. Interestingly, our results showed that TQ was significantly more cytotoxic towards Neuro-2a cells when compared with primary normal neuronal cells. In this study, the effects of TQ on cell-cycle regulation and the mechanisms that contribute to this effect were investigated using Neuro-2a cells. Cell-cycle analysis performed by flow cytometry revealed cell-cycle arrest at G2/M phase and a significant increase in the accumulation of TQ-treated cells at sub-G1 phase, indicating induction of apoptosis by the compound. Moreover, TQ increased the expression of p53, p21 mRNA and protein levels, whereas it decreased the protein expression of PCNA, cyclin B1 and Cdc2 in a dose-dependent manner. Our finding suggests that TQ could suppress cell growth and cell survival via arresting the cell-cycle in the G2/M phase and inducing apoptosis of neuroblastoma cells.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.366-372
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• 2024

In this study, we present a novel approach to improve electrochemical heavy metal ion (HMI) sensing responses via post-synthetic modification of carbon nanotube-based metal-organic framework (MOF) nanocomposites with a Schiff base. UiO66-NH₂ was employed as the MOF and incorporated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) through in-situ growth, enhancing the electrical conductivity of the MWCNT-UiO66-NH₂ composite. Subsequently, the Schiff base, which has been proven to be an excellent ligand for metal ion detection, was functionalized onto MWCNT-UiO66-NH₂ via post-synthetic modification to improve its HMI absorption capacity. To evaluate the effect of the Schiff base on HMI detection capacity, electrochemical sensing of Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Hg²⁺ was performed in an aqueous solution utilizing the MWCNT-UiO66-Schiff modified electrode as well as the bare electrode. Individual differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry results revealed that the modified electrode with MWCNT-UiO66-Schiff exhibited increased HMI sensing properties, especially with 1.82-fold improvement in average oxidation currents toward 10 µM of Cu²⁺ compared to that for a bare glassy carbon electrode. The selective Cu²⁺-sensing properties of MWCNT-UiO66-Schiff were reflected in the highly selective Cu²-binding affinity of the Schiff base-containing model molecules compared to those of Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Pb²⁺. Our work provides a new strategy for improving the sensing properties of electrochemical HMI sensors by the post-synthetic modification of MWCNT-UiO66 with a Schiff base.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.283-291
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• 2020

The present paper researches post-buckling behaviors of geometrically imperfect concrete beam resting on elastic foundation reinforced with graphene oxide powders (GOPs) based on finite element method (FEM). Distribution of GOPs are considered as uniform and linearly graded through the thickness. Geometric imperfection is considered as first buckling mode shape of the beam, the GOP reinforced beam is rested in initial position. The material properties of GOP reinforced composite have been calculated via employment of Halpin-Tsai micromechanical scheme. The provided refined beam element verifies the shear deformation impacts needless of any shear correction coefficient. The post-buckling load-deflections relations have been calculated via solving the governing equations having cubic non-linearity implementing FEM. Obtained findings indicate the importance of GOP distributions, GOP weight fraction, matrix material, geometric imperfection, shear deformation and foundation parameters on nonlinear buckling behavior of GOP reinforced beam.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.32-36
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• 2007

Background and Objective：A post-operative hypertrophic scar of the anterior neck is the leading complaint of the patients who underwent conventional thyroid surgery. In order to minimize the post-operative scar of the anterior neck, we performed thyroidectomy via axillary approach using operating microscope and a specialized retractor to determine technical feasibility. Patients and Methods：From January 2005 to December 2006, we performed thyroidectomy via axillary approach under operating microscope(f=400mm, ${\times}2.5$；OPMI $pico^{(R)}$；Zeiss, Germany) for benign unilateral nodule in 25 cases(all female, average age 34.5yrs). Under general anesthesia less than 7cm of skin incision was made in the axilla of ipsilateral side. A subcutaneous tunnel went over the pectoralis major muscle and the clavicle, and then through the sternocleidomastoid muscle and sternothyroid muscle was excised. The area around the thyroid was sufficiently dissected, and then a retractor designed for exposure via axillary approach was placed within the tunnel and under operating microscope thyroidectomy was performed. Results：There were 17 cases of thyroid nodulectomy and 8 cases of subtotal lobectomy. The mean average operative time was 102.64minutes. Postoperative complications included one case of postoperative bleeding, one case of temporary vocal cord paralysis, two cases of delayed wound healing, two cases of paresthesia of shoulder and arm, and two cases of hypertrophic scar of the axilla. Postoperative histopathology includes 17 cases of adenomatous hyperplasia, six cases of cyst, and two cases of follicular adenoma. For all cases hospitalization period was two days. Conclusion：Thyroidectomy via axillary approach under operating microscope has a good cosmetic advantage without a post-operative scar of the anterior neck. The procedure is simple due to direct vision using operating microscope, easy to identify important structures by magnifying them, and therefore surgical time can be reduced.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.258-263
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• 2004

Ripe fruit of pepper (Capsicum annuum) showed resistance to Colletotrichum gloeoporioides, but unripe fruit was susceptible. We previously isolated the PepTLP gene that induced in both unripe and ripe fruit by fungal infection and wound, and only in ripe fruit by jasmonic acid (JA) treatment. To examine further regulation of PepTLP, the action of specific agonist and antagonists of known signaling effector on the .PepTLP expression by fungal infection, wound, and JA was investigated. A similar dephosphorylation event negatively activated all the PepTLP expression in the ripe fruit by fungal infection, wound, and JA. The induction of PepTLP expression by wound is differentially regulated via phosphorylation and dephosphorylation step during pre- and post-ripening, respectively. In addition, the induction of PepTLP expression in the ripe fruit by wound and JA is differentially regulated via dephosphorylation and phosphorylation step, respectively. Only both wound and JA treatment has synergistic effect on the PepTLP expression in the unripe fruit. Both SA and JA treatments on the unripe fruit, and both wound or JA and SA on the ripe fruit could not do any effect on the expression of PepTLP. These results suggest that the induction of PepTLP expression is differentially regulated via complex regulatory system against fungal infection, wound, and JA treatment during pre- and post-ripening of pepper fruit.