Birds in flight are prone to collide with various transparent or reflective structures. While bird–window collision has been recognised as a critical conservation issue, collision with other transparent structures has been less understood. Noise barriers made of transparent materials are considered critical hazards for birds; however, little is known about the bird mortality they cause. We conducted the first nationwide-scale estimates of bird-collision mortality caused by transparent noise barriers (TNBs) along roads in the Republic of Korea. The total length of existing roadside transparent noise barriers was estimated at 1,416 km nationwide (as of 2018), and it had been increasing exponentially. Based on carcass surveys at 25 sites, daily mortality at the observed barriers was 0.335 ± 1.132 birds/km on average, and no difference in observed mortality was detected between both sides of a single barrier and between road types (i.e. local roads and motorways). Finally, we estimated that approximately 186,000 birds (95% confidence interval: 162,465–204,812 birds) are killed annually by collisions with roadside TNBs. As privately installed barriers were not considered in this study, the actual mortality is likely be higher than our estimates. Thus, collision with TNBs could become an emerging threat to avian conservation, especially in developing and urbanising regions around the world. As such structures are not formally recognised as conservation issues of importance, more systematic surveys aided by citizen science, both for the status of TNBs and bird-collision mortality, are needed in addition to management and mitigation policies.

Two aphid-transmitted RNA viruses, broad bean wilt virus 2 (BBWV2) and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), are the most prevalent viruses in Korean pepper fields and cause chronic damage in pepper production. In this study, we employed a screening system for pathotype-specific resistance of pepper germplasm to BBWV2 and CMV by utilizing infectious cDNA clones of different pathotypes of the viruses (two BBWV2 strains and three CMV strains). We first examined pathogenic characteristics of the BBWV2 and CMV strains in various plant species and their phylogenetic positions in the virus population structures. We then screened 34 commercial pepper cultivars and seven accessions for resistance. While 21 pepper cultivars were resistant to CMV Fny strain, only two cultivars were resistant to CMV P1 strain. We also found only one cultivar partially resistant to BBWV2 RP1 strain. However, all tested commercial pepper cultivars were susceptible to the resistance-breaking CMV strain GTN (CMV-GTN) and BBWV2 severe strain PAP1 (BBWV2-PAP1), suggesting that breeding new cultivars resistant to these virus strains is necessary. Fortunately, we identified several pepper accessions that were resistant or partially resistant to CMV-GTN and one symptomless accession despite systemic infection with BBWV2-PAP1. These genetic resources will be useful in pepper breeding programs to deploy resistance to BBWV2 and CMV.

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of trade barriers and cultural distance on the domestic market share in the film industry. We analyze panel data with both two-stage least squares and instrumental-variable methods. These methods can separate the effects of time-invariant measures of trade barriers and cultural difference from country-specific effects. This improvement in the estimation method and the use of a more appropriate measure of trade barriers in the film industry enable us to produce empirical results that are consistent with theoretical arguments. Based on the panel data collected from 30 countries for the period 2001–2013, the empirical results herein indicate that the cultural distance, as well as market size, is an important factor for the domestic market share. Trade barriers are also shown to be a significant factor, but the magnitude of their impact on the domestic market share is much smaller than that of the market size.

Residual stress is generally evaluated using indentation by comparing the indentation curves of stressed and stress-free states. Here, we suggest a new method that can evaluate surface residual stress without indentation testing on stress-free specimen using stress-independent indentation parameters and an analysis of indentation contact morphology for the stress-free state. We found that several indentation parameters are independent of the stress by Vickers indentation testing on various stress states. The indentation contact morphology can be represented by indentation parameters including stress-independent ones, and by applying the stress-independent parameters obtained from the stressed state to the indentation contact depth function, we can estimate an indentation curve for stress-free state. The estimated curve matches well with the experimental stress-free indentation curve, and it was also confirmed that the applied stress values evaluated by comparing the estimated curve with the stressed indentation curve agree well with the reference values obtained from strain gauge.

We suggest a new method to evaluate stress directionality, the ratio of principal stresses, using nanoindentation by introducing a modified Berkovich indenter that is extended in one direction from the Berkovich indenter. In a nonequibiaxial stress state, the indentation load-depth curves are shifted differently as the extended axis of the indenter is placed in accordance with each principal direction. The indentation load-difference is proportional to each principal stress and the slopes are defined by the normal and parallel conversion factors whose ratio is constant at 0.58. The suggested method was verified by indentation tests using five nonequibiaxial stressed specimens. The evaluated stress directionality results show agreement with the applied reference values within ±20%. Furthermore, we calculated the conversion factor ratios for other modified Berkovich indenters extended to different degrees through finite element analysis and confirmed that the conversion factor ratio was inversely proportional to the extension of the modified Berkovich indenter.

Objectives: Rotator cuff tear is the leading cause of the decline in quality of life for older adults, but comparative evidence on treatment effectiveness is lacking. This study systematically reviewed the effects of various rotator cuff tear treatments through a Bayesian meta-analysis of the related randomized clinical trials (RCTs).

Methods: We searched nine electronic databases for RCTs evaluating rotator cuff tear treatments from their inception through June 2017. A systematic review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-Decision Support Unit guidelines (Supplementary Table 1). Outcomes included functional improvement, pain one year after surgical treatment, and tendon structural integrity. The Bayesian network meta-analysis was applied for functional improvement and pain, based on an assumption of consistency and similarity. Tendon integrity was reported descriptively.

Results: Fifteen RCTs were selected. Patients undergoing physiotherapy after open surgery showed statistically significant functional improvements compared with those undergoing physiotherapy only (mean differences, 9.1 [credible interval, 0.9–17.4]). Open surgery with physiotherapy was associated with a decrease in pain 1 year after treatment compared with when physiotherapy was combined with arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery, mini open surgery, platelet-rich plasma therapy, or physiotherapy alone (absolute value of mean difference 1.2 to 1.4). The tendon integrity results were inconsistent.

Conclusions: Some surgical treatments were associated with significant improvement in function and pain, but evidence regarding their comparative effectiveness is still lacking. A well-designed RCT discussing functional and structural treatment outcomes is needed in future.

We report a simple and scalable process to synthesize the core–shell nanostructure of MoS2@N-doped carbon nanosheets (MoS2@C), in which polydopamine is coated on the MoS2 surface and then carbonized. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that the as-synthesized MoS2@C possesses a nanoscopic and ultrathin layer of MoS2 sheets with a thin and conformal coating of carbon layers (∼5 nm). The MoS2@C demonstrates a superior electrochemical performance as an anode material for lithium ion batteries compared to exfoliated MoS2 sample. This unique core–shell structure is capable of excellent delivery of Li+ ion in charging–discharging process: a specific capacity as high as 1239 mA h g−1, a high rate of charging-discharging capability even at a high current rate of 10 A g−1 while retaining 597 mA h g−1, and a good cycle stability over 70 cycles at a high current rate of 2 A g−1.

During the past decade, carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) has emerged and spread across the world.1 The major carbapenemase enzymes currently being reported are KPC, NDM-1, VIM, IMP, and OXA.2 Because carbapenemase can be effectively transmitted via mobile genetic elements, and current therapeutic options for CPE infections are extremely limited, CPE may be one of the most serious contemporary threats to public health. However, very little is known about the characteristics of CPE carriage during hospitalization. The aims of this study were to investigate the clearance rate of CPE carriage and determine the number of consecutive negative cultures required to confirm CPE clearance. We also examined CPE transmission among hospitalized patients.

Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;36(11):1361–1362

Liposomal drug delivery products have been already commercialized in tumor therapeutics, which can realize passive tumor targeting via enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect resulting from the leaky tumor vasculature. To control drug release out of the liposomes, thermo-sensitive liposomes (TSLs) have been developed so that an abrupt exposure of highly concentrated drugs to tumor tissues was enabled by locally treated thermal stimuli. As interests upon TSL have increased along with ongoing clinical trials, some types of TSLs with different physical properties in pharmacokinetics and the mechanism of drug release have been formulated. However, there are few protocols established with a desirable heat source to maximize the efficacy of different TSLs as treating tumors. In this study, we examined different protocols for the most effective application of different TSLs to tumor therapy. First, we examined if enhancing the accumulation of TSLs within tumor tissues prior to bursting drugs out of TSLs could lead to increasing anti-tumor efficacy. Second, we compared the efficiency of two different heat sources on the use of TSL, a warm water bath (42°C) and high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). Our study suggests that the specified protocol be setup for TSLs with different physical properties to optimally function in tumor therapies.

The instrumented indentation test is an important alternative in quantifying residual stresses. Various indentation models have been developed to determine residual stresses, but no previous models can be applied to a nonequibiaxial residual stress state. To overcome this limitation, a Knoop indentation technique was developed to use the asymmetric characteristics of the Knoop indenter. With the ratio of conversion factors and equations for the relation between the load differences and the residual stress, a model of Knoop indentation was developed to determine the stress directionality p. This model was verified and compared through experiments on various biaxial tensile stress states. Imperfections in the Knoop tip change the conversion factor ratio. Using finite element simulations, this change in the conversion factor was expressed by a fitting equation.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate fish guild compositions and national river health using a multi-metric model of the Korean index of biological integrity using fishes (K-IBIF) in four major Korean watersheds along with water chemistry and habitat quality. Tolerant and omnivore fish species dominated all the watersheds, and the proportions of tolerance guilds and trophic guilds reflected water chemistry and habitat quality. The number of sensitive species and insectivore species had negative correlations (r < −0.42, P < 0.01) with chemical water quality (biological oxygen demand (BOD)), while tolerant species and omnivore species had positive correlation (r > 0.27, P < 0.05) with BOD values. Physical habit conditions, based on qualitative habitat evaluation index (QHEI) model, indicated a “good” condition (mean = 68.9; range = 45–105) in three watersheds, except for the Yeongsan River watershed. Values of QHEI were significantly correlated (R2 > 0.4, P < 0.01) with nitrogen and phosphorus levels in all watersheds, suggesting that habitat degradation is associated with eutrophication. Model values of K-IBIF in the watersheds averaged 18.2, indicating a “fair” condition, and about 37% of all observations in K-IBIF model values were judged as a “poor” health condition, indicating severe health impairment. Overall, our data suggest that degradation of the river health was due to a combined effect of chemical pollution and physical habitat modifications. This research provides valuable information on Korean river conservation and restoration in the future.

Structural parameters of periphytic ciliate communities on a modified substrate were studied in Korean coastal waters during the period August–November 2007. In order to reduce the strong disturbances from tidal current and circulation in marine ecosystems, a modified slide method, named the polyurethane foam enveloped slide (PFES) system, was used to host ciliate communities. A total of 37 ciliate species, about half of which belong to the orders Hypotrichida and Cyrtophorida, were identified using living observation and silver impregnation method with this system. The sessile ciliates belonged to the orders Peritrichida and Suctorida, while the motile forms were represented primarily by the species of the orders Hypotrichida, Cyrtophorida and Pleurostomatida. The species diversity and evenness were significantly higher in the PFES system than those on the conventional slides (paired t-test: t = 2.384, 2.415; P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that the ciliate communities from both sampling systems had similar species composition, but represented significant differences in species distribution and temporal dynamics mainly due to the most dominant peritrich Zoothaminium duplicatum, which overly colonized the conventional slides. Results suggest that the PFES system is more effective than the conventional slide method for periphytic ciliate colonization with high species diversity, evenness and sensitive temporal dynamics mainly due to the reduction of disturbances from tidal current and circulation in marine ecosystems.

To detect biological events, biosensors require a transducer part where specific biomolecular binding events at a bioreceptor part is converted to measurable quantitative signals. Currently, most of biosensors adopt a fluorescent or radioactive probing technique as a transducer. However, such approaches require expensive and sophisticated analysis procedures with laboratory-based equipment.

In this work, we propose a novel method for optically detecting hybridization results in a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) chip using an anchoring transition of liquid crystal (LC) alignment. To investigate the effects of structural changes of DNA on the LC alignment, we used a functional substrate on which single-stranded oligonucleotide DNA (ssDNA) was selectively immobilized to a Biotin Chip substrate. In our experiment, we used a 19-mer oligoDNA or p53 tumor suppressor as a bioreceptor and its complementary partner oligoDNA as a target material.

Before hybridization, surface nematic LC (NLC) molecules on the immobilized ssDNAs are homeotropically aligned by a steric interaction between the freely penetrated NLC molecules and the ssDNA. After hybridization, the penetration of the NLC molecules is hindered by the double strand DNA (dsDNA) due to their increased packing density. Such an interface condition makes the surface ordering of the NLC molecules very weak, as a result, the NLC in the bulk has a planar inhomogeneous orientation. Although hybridization events of the DNA and the subsequent molecular interaction between the immobilized DNA and the NLC molecules takes place within a layer whose thickness is in the tens of nm, such binding events can be communicated to the NLC bulk beyond a distance of tens of μm though the long-range elastic deformation of the NLC molecules. Thus, the hybridization event is converted to amplified optical signals via birefringent nature of the NLC between crossed polarizers. Our NLC-based DNA chip array showed that the extinction ratio of transmitted light depending on the hybridization results was approximately four, which could be read by the naked eye. Since such anchoring behaviors on the immobilized DNA are very similar to those on the conventional amphiphilic homeotropic surfactant of LCs, it is expected that quantitative analysis of hybridization events can be explored with our simple system.