Direct growth of flower like-structured CuFe oxide on graphene supported nickel foam as an effective sensor for glucose determination.

In this report, a novel flower like-structured CuFe oxides was directly grown on graphene nanosheets supported nickel foam substrates (CuFe-O/GR/NF) via a hydrothermal method followed by an additionally pyrolysis process. The different morphologies consistent with varied synthesis conditions, along with their catalytic activity were discussed. The CuFe-O/GR/NF material was successfully applied as an electrocatalyst for sensing glucose with a wide linear concentration range of 0.0079 µM-21.504 µM, sensitivity of 0.368 mA µM-1 cm-2, and limit of detection of 0.0079 µM. Impressively, the CuFe-O/GR/NF showed much higher electrocatalytic activity, lower overpotential and greater stability as compared to that of mono Cu-O/GR/NF or Fe-O/GR/NF synthesized by the same method. The higher electrocatalytic activity was due to the high electron conductivity, large surface area of CuFe-O/GR/NF and the fast ion/electron transport in the electrode and at the electrolyte-electrode interface. This is important for further development of high performance electrocatalysts for sensor application.

Correlation between Drop Impact Energy and Residual Compressive Strength According to the Lamination of CFRP with EVA Sheets.

Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic is an important building material; however, its application is limited because of its brittleness, leading to vulnerability under shock. Thus, the strength performance of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics needs to be improved. Here, the drop impact test was conducted to analyze the impact energy and fracture characteristics of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics and ethylene vinyl acetate sheets. The compression after impact test was performed to assess the residual compressive strength. The thermal energy generated was measured as change in temperature at the time of fracture to investigate the relationship between thermal and mechanical properties. The impact absorption efficiency of 100% was achieved when the carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics specimen was laminated with four or more sheets of ethylene vinyl acetate. The thermal energy generated during impact, the impact load, and the compression after impact test strength was reduced with the increasing number of laminated ethylene vinyl acetate layers. Our results showed that, by carefully selecting the optimal conditions of fabricating the carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic/ethylene vinyl acetate composites, carbon composite materials can be used for impact mitigation.

Effects of Size and Degree of Abdomen Inflation of the Mother Fish on Ovulation Induction of Red Spotted Grouper, Epinephelus akaara.

We determined the morphologic characteristics (body weight and degree of abdomen inflation) of the red spotted grouper, Epinephelus akaara, mother fish producing healthy eggs. Experimental fish were chosen from fish reared in a sea cage. The fish were divided into four size groups by body weight: 400~600, 600~800, 800~1,000, and 1,000~1,200 g and four stages (Ⅰ~Ⅳ) of the degree of abdomen inflation. After hormone treatment, we observed the amount of ovulation-induced eggs, and rates of buoyancy, fertilization, embryonic survival, and hatching. As a result, mother fish with a body weight of 600 g or more spawned, and the fertilization rate, embryonic survival rate, and hatching rate were high in the 800~1,000 g range, thus showing effective ovulation induction. As a result of dividing the degree of abdomen inflation based on the anal fin of the mother fish into I-IV stages and determining hormone treatment time, the GSI was 0.9 ± 0.2% at stage I, 2.3 ± 0.2% at stage II, 5.6 ± 0.2% at stage III, and 7.9 ± 0.9% at stage IV. The flotation rate and hatching rate were highest at stage III, and the fertilization rate and embryonic survival rate were highest at stage IV. Therefore, in terms of egg quality, the amount of eggs collected per mother fish, maturation, and histology were different depending on the degree of abdomen inflation. At stage III, where the abdomen inflation degree of the mother fish was based on the basal part of the dorsal fin relative to the height of the anal fin was 1, the egg quality was highest.

Gonadal Development, Spawning and Plasma Sex Steroid Levels of the Indoor Cultured Grunt, Hapalogenys nitens.

The gonadosomatic index (GSI), gonadal development and changes in hormones in plasma level of the indoor cultured grunt (Hapalogenys nitens) were investigated by histological study from August 2011 to October 2012. The GSI showed similar trends with gonad developmental stages during the culture periods. Changes in plasma level of estradiol-17ß of female H. nitens reached the highest value before the spawning period, and seasonal changes in plasma level of estradiol-17ß were similar in trends of oocyte developments and GSI changes. Testosterone levels of male H. nitens reached the highest value before and after the spent stage. Ovarian developmental stages of H. nitens could be classified into early growing stage, late growing stage, mature stage, ripe and spawning stage, recovery and resting stage. The testicular developmental stages could be divided into growing stage, mature stage, ripe and spent stage, and recovery and resting stage.

The effect of cognitive training in patients with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's disease: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to determine the benefits of cognitive training in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and those with early Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Eleven patients with aMCI and nine with early AD (stage 4 on the Global Deterioration Scale) participated in this study. Six participants with aMCI and six with AD were allocated to the cognitive training group, while five participants with aMCI and three with AD were allocated to a wait-list control group. Multicomponent cognitive training was administered in 18 weekly, individual sessions. Outcome measures were undertaken at baseline, and at 2 weeks and 3 months of follow-up. RESULTS: In the trained MCI group, there were significant improvements in the delayed-recall scores on the Seoul Verbal Learning Test at both the 2-week and 3-month follow-ups compared with baseline (baseline, 1.6±1.5; 2 weeks, 4.4±1.5, p=0.04; 3 months, 4.6±2.3, p=0.04). The phonemic fluency scores (1.0±0.8 vs. 5.0±1.8, p=0.07) and Korean Mini-Mental State Examination scores (18.8±0.5 vs. 23.8±2.2, p=0.07) also showed a tendency toward improvement at the 2-week follow-up compared to baseline in the trained AD group. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of the effectiveness of cognitive training in aMCI and early AD. The efficacy of cognitive training programs remains to be verified in studies with larger samples and a randomized design.

Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion associated with pramipexole in a patient with Parkinson's disease.

The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) can be caused by a variety of drugs. Dopaminergic drugs might enhance the secretion of the antidiuretic hormone arginine vasopressin by reducing γ-amino butyric acid release through the dopaminergic receptor in supraoptic nucleus. A 75-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease developed asthenia, delirium, aggravated parkinsonian symptoms, and hypotonic hyponatremia along with the diagnostic criteria for SIADH during dose escalation of pramipexole. After pramipexole withdrawal, these symptoms disappeared, and sodium levels returned to normal values. The serum sodium levels of patients receiving pramipexole should be monitored, especially during dose escalation.

Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion associated with pramipexole in a patient with Parkinson's disease.

The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) can be caused by a variety of drugs. Dopaminergic drugs might enhance the secretion of the antidiuretic hormone arginine vasopressin by reducing γ-amino butyric acid release through the dopaminergic receptor in supraoptic nucleus. A 75-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease developed asthenia, delirium, aggravated parkinsonian symptoms, and hypotonic hyponatremia along with the diagnostic criteria for SIADH during dose escalation of pramipexole. After pramipexole withdrawal, these symptoms disappeared, and sodium levels returned to normal values. The serum sodium levels of patients receiving pramipexole should be monitored, especially during dose escalation.