Effects of Aging Methods and Periods on Quality Characteristics of Beef.

The objective of this study was to determine effects of aging methods (wet-aged, dry-aged, and packaged dry-aged) during 60 d on quality traits and microbial characteristics of beef. Wet-aged beef was packed by vacuum packaging and stored in a 4°C refrigerator. Dry-aged beef was used without packaging. Packaged dry-aged beef was packaged in commercial bags. Dry-aged and packaged dry-aged samples were stored in a meat ager at 2°C-4°C with 85%-90% relative humidity. Meat color, crust thickness, aging loss, cooking loss, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), texture profile analysis, Torrymeter, meat pH, water activity, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), thiobarbituric acid reactant substances (TBARS), and microbial analysis were measured or performed every 15 d until 60 d of aging time. Meat color changed significantly with increasing aging time. Differences in meat color among aging methods were observed. Aging losses of dry-aged and packaged dry-aged samples were higher than those of wet-aged samples. Wet-aged beef showed higher cooking loss, but lower WBSF than dry-aged and packaged dry-aged beef. VBN and TBARS showed an increasing tendency with increasing aging time. Differences of VBN and TBARS among aging methods were found. Regarding microbial analysis, counts of yeasts and molds were different among aging methods at the initial aging time. Packaged dry-aged and dry-aged beef showed similar values or tendency. Significant changes occurred during aging in all aging methods. Packaged dry aging and dry aging could result in similar quality traits and microbial characteristics of beef.

Extensive inland thinning and speed-up of Northeast Greenland Ice Stream.

Over the past two decades, ice loss from the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) has increased owing to enhanced surface melting and ice discharge to the ocean1-5. Whether continuing increased ice loss will accelerate further, and by how much, remains contentious6-9. A main contributor to future ice loss is the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS), Greenland's largest basin and a prominent feature of fast-flowing ice that reaches the interior of the GrIS10-12. Owing to its topographic setting, this sector is vulnerable to rapid retreat, leading to unstable conditions similar to those in the marine-based setting of ice streams in Antarctica13-20. Here we show that extensive speed-up and thinning triggered by frontal changes in 2012 have already propagated more than 200 km inland. We use unique global navigation satellite system (GNSS) observations, combined with surface elevation changes and surface speeds obtained from satellite data, to select the correct basal conditions to be used in ice flow numerical models, which we then use for future simulations. Our model results indicate that this marine-based sector alone will contribute 13.5-15.5 mm sea-level rise by 2100 (equivalent to the contribution of the entire ice sheet over the past 50 years) and will cause precipitous changes in the coming century. This study shows that measurements of subtle changes in the ice speed and elevation inland help to constrain numerical models of the future mass balance and higher-end projections show better agreement with observations.

Real-Time Monitoring the Effects of Storage Conditions on Volatile Compounds and Quality Indexes of Halal-Certified Kimchi during Distribution Using Electronic Nose.

The food logistics system is an essential sector for maintaining and monitoring the safety and quality of food products and becoming more crucial, especially during and after the pandemic of COVID-19. Kimchi is a popular traditional fermented food originally from Korea and easily changes because of the storage conditions. This study aims to evaluate the effects and the contributions of temperature to volatile compounds, quality indexes, and the shelf life of Halal-certified Kimchi, and to identify alcohol and find the correlation between the identified variables using an electronic nose and conventional method with the integration of multivariate analysis. Thirty-two volatile compounds (VOCs) were detected and correlated with pH, titratable acidity (TA), and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts during storage time. Ethanol was also found in the ripened Kimchi and possibly became the critical point of halal Kimchi products besides total acidity, pH, and LAB. Furthermore, the correlation between pH and benzaldehyde, titratable acidity and 3-methylbutanoic acid, and among lactic acid bacteria with ethanol, acetic acid, ethyl acetate, and 3-methylbutanoic acid properly can be used as a given set of variables in the prediction of food quality during storage and distribution.

Associations of Apoptotic and Anti-Apoptotic Factors with Beef Quality, Histochemical Characteristics, and Palatability of Hanwoo Longissimus thoracis Muscle.

This study compared the meat quality, histochemical traits, palatability, and expression levels of apoptotic (cytochrome c and caspases) and anti-apoptotic (small heat shock proteins) factors at 45 min and 24 h post-mortem of Hanwoo Longissimus thoracis muscles in groups categorized by Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBS) values to investigate the association between beef tenderness variation and apoptosis-related molecules. There were no differences in marbling scores, meat quality traits, or histochemical characteristics among the WBS groups (p > 0.05) indicating no significant effect on the tenderness variation in the current study. On the other hand, the low group exhibited higher levels of apoptotic and anti-apoptotic factors (except for αß-crystallin) at 45 min post-mortem compared to the high WBS group, resulting in higher scores of tenderness attributes (p < 0.05). However, the level of αß-crystallin at 45 min post-mortem was lower in the low and medium WBS groups compared to the high WBS group (p < 0.0106). At 24 h post-mortem, no significant differences were observed in the expression levels of apoptosis-related factors among the WBS groups (p > 0.05) except for heat shock protein 27 (p < 0.05).

Printable Self-Activated Liquid Metal Stretchable Conductors from Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Functionalized Eutectic Gallium Indium Composites.

Stretchable electronic circuits are critical in a variety of next-generation electronics applications, including soft robots, wearable technologies, and biomedical applications. To date, printable composite conductors comprising various types of conductive fillers have been suggested to achieve high electrical conductance and excellent stretchability. Among them, liquid metal particles have been considered as a viable candidate filler that can meet the necessary prerequisites. However, a mechanical activation process is needed to generate interconnected liquid channels inside elastomeric polymers. In this study, we have developed a chemical strategy of surface-functionalizing liquid metal particles to eliminate the necessity of additional mechanical activation processes. We found that the characteristic conformations of the polyvinylpyrrolidone surrounding eutectic gallium indium particles are highly dependent on the molecular weight of polyvinylpyrrolidone. By virtue of the specific chemical roles of polyvinylpyrrolidone, the as-printed composite layers are highly conductive and stretchable, exhibiting an electrical conductivity approaching 8372 S/cm at 100% strain and an invariant resistance change of 0.92 even at 75% strain after a 60,000 cycle test. The results demonstrate that the self-activated liquid metal-based composite conductors are applicable to traditional stretchable electronics, healable stretchable electronics, and shape-morphable applications.

Optimal Definition of Biochemical Recurrence in Patients Who Receive Salvage Radiotherapy Following Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer.

PURPOSE: This study proposed the optimal definition of biochemical recurrence (BCR) after salvage radiotherapy (SRT) following radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 1,117 patients who had received SRT, data from 205 hormone-naïve patients who experienced post-SRT prostate-specific antigen (PSA) elevation were included in a multi-institutional database. The primary endpoint was to determine the PSA parameters predictive of distant metastasis (DM). Absolute serum PSA levels and the prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSA-DT) were adopted as PSA parameters. RESULTS: When BCR was defined based on serum PSA levels ranging from 0.4 ng/mL to nadir+2.0 ng/mL, the 5-year probability of DM was 27.6%-33.7%. The difference in the 5-year probability of DM became significant when BCR was defined as a serum PSA level of 0.8 ng/ml or higher (1.0-2.0 ng/mL). Application of a serum PSA level of ≥ 0.8 ng/mL yielded a c-index value of 0.589. When BCR was defined based on the PSA-DT, the 5-year probability was 22.7%-39.4%. The difference was significant when BCR was defined as a PSA-DT ≤ 3 months and ≤ 6 months. Application of a PSA-DT ≤ 6 months yielded the highest c-index (0.660). These two parameters complemented each other; for patients meeting both PSA parameters, the probability of DM was 39.5%-44.5%; for those not meeting either parameter, the probability was 0.0%-3.1%. CONCLUSION: A serum PSA level > 0.8 ng/mL was a reasonable threshold for the definition of BCR after SRT. In addition, a PSA-DT ≤ 6 months was significantly predictive of subsequent DM, and combined application of both parameters enhanced predictability.

Effect of Particle Size on the Mechanical Properties of TiO2-Epoxy Nanocomposites.

This study investigated the effects of the packing density and particle size distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles on the mechanical properties of TiO2-epoxy nanocomposites (NCs). The uniform dispersion and good interfacial bonding of TiO2 in the epoxy resin resulted in improved mechanical properties with the addition of nanoparticles. Reinforcement nano-TiO2 particles dispersed in deionized water produced by three different ultrasonic dispersion methods were used; the ultrasonication effects were then compared. The nano-TiO2 suspension was added at 0.5-5.0 wt.%, and the mechanical and thermal properties of TiO2-epoxy NCs were compared using a universal testing machine, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The tensile strength of the NCs was improved by the dispersion strengthening effect of the TiO2 nanoparticles, and focused sonication improved the tensile strength the most when nano-TiO2 suspensions with a particle size of 100 nm or smaller were used. Thus, the reinforcing effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on the epoxy resin was observed, and the nano-TiO2 suspension produced by focused sonication showed a more distinct reinforcing effect.

Optimizing External Beam Radiotherapy as per the Risk Group of Localized Prostate Cancer: A Nationwide Multi-Institutional Study (KROG 18-15).

PURPOSE: This nationwide multi-institutional study analyzed the patterns of care and outcomes of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in localized prostate cancer patients. We compared various risk classification tools and assessed the need for refinements in current radiotherapy (RT) schemes. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We included non-metastatic prostate cancer patients treated with primary EBRT from 2001 to 2015 in this study. Data of 1573 patients from 17 institutions were analyzed and re-grouped using a risk stratification tool with the highest predictive power for biochemical failure-free survival (BCFFS). We evaluated BCFFS, overall survival (OS), and toxicity rates. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 75 months, 5- and 10-year BCFFS rates were 82% and 60%, and 5- and 10-year OS rates were 95% and 83%, respectively. NCCN risk classification revealed the highest predictive power (AUC = 0.556, 95% CI 0.524-0.588; p < 0.001). Gleason score, iPSA < 12 ng/mL, intensity-modulated RT (IMRT), and ≥179 Gy1.5 (EQD2, 77 Gy) were independently significant for BCFFS (all p < 0.05). IMRT and ≥179 Gy1.5 were significant factors in the high-risk group, whereas ≥170 Gy1.5 (EQD2, 72 Gy) was significant in the intermediate-risk group and no significant impact of dose was observed in the low-risk group. Both BCFFS and OS improved significantly when ≥179 Gy1.5 was delivered using IMRT and hypofractionation in the high-risk group without increasing toxicities. CONCLUSIONS: With NCCN risk classification, dose escalation with modern high-precision techniques might increase survivals in the high-risk group, but not in the low-risk group, although mature results of prospective studies are awaited.

Projected land ice contributions to twenty-first-century sea level rise.

The land ice contribution to global mean sea level rise has not yet been predicted1 using ice sheet and glacier models for the latest set of socio-economic scenarios, nor using coordinated exploration of uncertainties arising from the various computer models involved. Two recent international projects generated a large suite of projections using multiple models2-8, but primarily used previous-generation scenarios9 and climate models10, and could not fully explore known uncertainties. Here we estimate probability distributions for these projections under the new scenarios11,12 using statistical emulation of the ice sheet and glacier models. We find that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius would halve the land ice contribution to twenty-first-century sea level rise, relative to current emissions pledges. The median decreases from 25 to 13 centimetres sea level equivalent (SLE) by 2100, with glaciers responsible for half the sea level contribution. The projected Antarctic contribution does not show a clear response to the emissions scenario, owing to uncertainties in the competing processes of increasing ice loss and snowfall accumulation in a warming climate. However, under risk-averse (pessimistic) assumptions, Antarctic ice loss could be five times higher, increasing the median land ice contribution to 42 centimetres SLE under current policies and pledges, with the 95th percentile projection exceeding half a metre even under 1.5 degrees Celsius warming. This would severely limit the possibility of mitigating future coastal flooding. Given this large range (between 13 centimetres SLE using the main projections under 1.5 degrees Celsius warming and 42 centimetres SLE using risk-averse projections under current pledges), adaptation planning for twenty-first-century sea level rise must account for a factor-of-three uncertainty in the land ice contribution until climate policies and the Antarctic response are further constrained.

Stereotactic Cardiac Radiation to Control Ventricular Tachycardia and Fibrillation Storm in a Patient with Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy at Burnout Stage: Case Report.

Stereotactic cardiac radiation for ablation (radioablation) of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia was recently introduced into clinical practice. A 76-year-old male patient with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at burnout stage, who received defibrillator implantation for the secondary prevention of sudden arrhythmic death, was admitted for repeated defibrillator therapy. Radiofrequency catheter ablation was unsuccessful due to the induction of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and hemodynamically unstable sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT). However, intracardiac activation mapping for the induced VT revealed the earliest ventricular activation at the apical aneurysm. Radioablation was performed to control VT and VF storm refractory to antiarrhythmic drug therapy. A total of 24 Gray was radiated, divided into three fractions around the apical aneurysm. The onset of electrical modulation was instantaneous and the antiarrhythmic effect was maintained for at least 6 months without significant radiation toxicities. This case suggests that radioablation may be considered as a rescue therapy for VT and VF storm refractory to other treatment modalities.

Highly Integrated Elastic Island-Structured Printed Circuit Board with Controlled Young's Modulus for Stretchable Electronics.

A stretchable printed circuit board (PCB), which is an essential component of next-generation electronic devices, should be highly stretchable even at high levels of integration, as well as durable under repetitive stretching and patternable. Herein, an island-structured stretchable PCB composed of materials with controlled Young's modulus and viscosity by adding a reinforcing agent or controlling the degree of crosslinking is reported. Each material was fabricated with the most effective structures through a 3D printer. The PCB was able to stretch 71.3% even when highly integrated and was patterned so that various components could be mounted. When fully integrated, the stress applied to the mounted components was reduced by 99.9% even when stretched by over 70%. Consequently, a 4 × 4 array of capacitance sensors in a stretchable keypad demonstration using our PCB was shown to work, even at 50% stretching of the PCB.

Catalytic Decomposition of Energetic Liquid Solution Over Various Types of Hexaaluminate Catalysts.

A hexaaluminate support was prepared by a co-precipitation method, and a metal (Cu, Pt, or Ir) was impregnated on the support to prepare a powdered catalyst. After that, organic and inorganic binders were added to the powdery catalyst and then pellets were formed. The so-formed catalysts were heat-treated at 1200°C, and their physicochemical properties were analyzed by N2-adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorenscence (XRF), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The decomposition activity of the catalysts on an ammonium dinitramide (ADN)-based liquid propellant was evaluated repeatedly, and the effects of catalyst composition and morphology on low temperature decomposition activity and durability were investigated. It was confirmed that the Cu-hexa-pellet, Pt-hexa-pellet, and Ir-hexa-pellet catalysts could be recovered and reused as a catalyst for decomposition of an ADN-based liquid monopropellant. The initial activity and the thermal stability of the Cu-hexa-pellet catalyst for the decomposition of ADN-based liquid monopropellants were better than for the other catalysts. The better activity of the Cu-hexa-pellet catalyst seems to be because the dispersion of the copper was higher than the metal dispersion in the other two catalysts.

Effect of pH Variations on the Yield Stress of Calcium Bentonite Slurry Treated with pH-Responsive Polymer.

The pH-responsive polymers, such as polyacrylamide (PAM), show distinct conformational states according to the pH of their environmental groundwater. Therefore, the interactions between clay-polymer and polymer-water molecules, which determine the yield stress of bentonite-polymer composites, can be affected by the pH of groundwater. This study aims to evaluate the effect of pH variation on the yield stress of calcium bentonite treated with PAM. The yield stresses (τy) of untreated and PAM treated clays were measured with varying volume fractions of solid (VF = 10-23%) and under varying pH conditions (pH = 7.6-9.6). In addition, the zeta potential was measured for both untreated and treated clays to figure out the change in the surface charge of the mineral surface due to PAM treatment. The results of this study demonstrate that τy for treated clay is higher than that for untreated clay at a given VF, because van der Walls attraction dominates electrostatic repulsion in the case of treated clay. Due to the change in conformational states of PAM and the consequent change in surface charge that comes with varying pH, the pH-dependent change in τy of treated clay is significantly different from that of untreated clay.

Three-Dimensional Multistack-Printed, Self-Powered Flexible Pressure Sensor Arrays: Piezoelectric Composites with Chemically Anchored Heterogeneous Interfaces.

Recently, the development of pressure sensor devices composed of mechanically flexible materials has gained a tremendous attention for emerging wearable electronics applications. Compared with various sensing materials, piezoelectric composite materials provide a characteristic advantage of enabling energy unit-free integration of sensor compartments. In this study, we develop a new chemical method of synthesizing highly functioning piezoelectric composite materials with electrostatically reinforced heterogeneous interfaces to improve the voltage output signal in all-printed sensor arrays. The surfaces of piezoelectric oxide nanoparticles are decorated subsequently with a cationic polyelectrolyte, polyethyleneimine, and a tri-block copolymer, styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene grafted with maleic anhydride. To elucidate the factors determining the performance of pressure sensor devices, both the electrical properties and piezoelectric characteristics are investigated comprehensively for various compositional composite materials prepared from chemical and physical rubbers. The resulting device exhibits a sensitivity of 0.28 V·kPa-1 with a linear increment of output voltage in a pressure range up to 30 kPa. It is also demonstrated that the all-printed sensor array is fabricated successfully by a multistack-printing process of conductive, insulating, and piezoelectric composite materials in an additive manufacturing fashion.

Anionic Redox Chemistry as a Clue for Understanding the Structural Behavior in Layered Cathode Materials.

The anionic redox chemistries of layered cathode materials have been in focus recently due to an intriguing phenomenon that cannot be described by the number of electrons of transition metal ions. However, even though several studies have investigated the anionic redox chemistry of layered materials in terms of the charge compensation, the relationship between the origin of the structural behavior and anionic redox chemistry in layered materials remains poorly understood. In addition, a simultaneous redox process of transition metal ions could occur through the d bands interaction. Here, it is demonstrated that the anionic redox chemistry is associated with the anisotropic structural behavior of the layered cathode materials albeit without providing additional capacities exceeding the theoretical values. These findings will provide a foundation of a new chapter in the understanding of the properties of materials.

Clinical Outcomes of Postoperative Radiotherapy Following Radical Prostatectomy in Patients with Localized Prostate Cancer: A Multicenter Retrospective Study (KROG 18-01) of a Korean Population.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Localized prostate cancer patients who received PORT after radical prostatectomy between 2001 and 2012 were identified retrospectively in a multi-institutional database. In total, 1,117 patients in 19 institutions were included. Biochemical failure after PORT was defined as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≥ nadir+2 after PORT or initiation of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for increasing PSA regardless of its value. RESULTS: Ten-year biochemical failure-free survival, clinical failure-free survival, distant metastasisfree survival, overall survival (OS), and cause-specific survival were 60.5%, 76.2%, 84.4%, 91.1%, and 96.6%, respectively, at a median of 84 months after PORT. Pre-PORT PSA ≤ 0.5 ng/ml and Gleason's score ≤ 7 predicted favorable clinical outcomes, with 10-year OS rates of 92.5% and 94.1%, respectively. The 10-year OS rate was 82.7% for patients with a PSA > 1.0 ng/mL and 86.0% for patients with a Gleason score of 8-10. The addition of longterm ADT (≥ 12 months) to PORT improved OS, particularly in those with a Gleason score of 8-10 or ≥ T3b. CONCLUSION: Clinical outcomes of PORT in a Korean prostate cancer population were very similar to those in Western countries. Lower Gleason score and serum PSA level at the time of PORT were significantly associated with favorable outcomes. Addition of long-term ADT (≥ 12 months) to PORT should be considered, particularly in unfavorable risk patients with Gleason scores of 8-10 or ≥ T3b.

Lubricant-Added Conductive Composite for Direct Writing of a Stretchable Electrode.

Stretchable electrodes, which are essential components of next-generation electronic devices, should be highly conductive under multiaxial tensile strain, durable under repetitive stretching, and patternable for integrating stretchable devices. Herein, a lubricant-added stretchable conductive composite of a polydimethylsiloxane-based elastomer containing silver flakes is reported. The added lubricant minimizes changes in conductivity during stretching and maximizes elastic durability by reducing friction. The conductivity varies from 1933.3 S·cm-1 at 0% strain to 307.5 S·cm-1 at 300% uniaxial stretching and 1264.1 S·cm-1 at 50% biaxial stretching. Furthermore, the composite exhibits high durability, even after 1000 cycles of stretching at 200%, and the conductive composite paste can be applied to fine-linewidth direct writing.

Prognostic factors in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with bone metastases.

PURPOSE: To identify the prognostic factors that could influence survival and to compare prognoses of the patients with the number of the risk factors that might assist in the adequate management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with bone metastases that showed a heterogeneous range of survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 41 patients, treated with radiotherapy (RT) for bone metastases from HCC from 2014 to 2017, were enrolled retrospectively. Survival was determined by the Kaplan-Meier method from the start of the RT for metastatic bone lesions. Pre-RT clinical features were evaluated and their influences on survival were analyzed. The significant factors were considered to compare survivals according to the number of prognostic factors. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 6.0 months (range, 0.5 to 47.0 months). The median overall survival was 6.5 months, and the 1-year and 2-year survival rates were 35.5% and 13.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the Child-Pugh class A group, alpha-fetoprotein increased more than 30 ng/mL, and HCC size of more than 5 cm were associated with worse overall survival. The median survivals in HCC with none, 1, 2, and 3 of the aforementioned risk factors were 19.5, 9.0, 2.5, and 1.0 months, respectively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results show that the overall survivals were significantly different according to the number of the risk factors among HCC patients with bone metastases who showed various lengths of survival.

Printable Thick Copper Conductors from Optically Modulated Multidimensional Particle Mixtures.

Printing techniques that enable the formation of arbitrarily designed architectures have been implemented in various research fields owing to their characteristic advantages in processing over other techniques. In particular, low-cost, printable conductors are of paramount importance in the production of highly functioning printed electronics. Among various candidates, copper (Cu) particle-based printable fluid has been regarded as the most promising constituent material in conjunction with the use of the flash-light-sintering (FLS) process in air. In this study, we synthesized surface-oxidation-suppressed Cu nanoparticles, sub-micronparticles, and flakes to regulate the optical absorption characteristics in FLS-processed, Cu-based printed conductors. Our results revealed clearly that the critical issues in FLS-processed conductors, namely, undesirable crack formation and a limitation of thickness, are resolved by adjusting the optical behaviors of particulate layers by variation of the composition of multidimensional mixture particles. It is suggested that crack-free, 13.2 µm thick printed Cu conductors can be generated with a resistivity of 11.4 µΩ cm by printing and FLS processes in air. The proposed alternative approach is demonstrated with electrical circuits comprising electrodes and interconnections.