Background and PurposeDifferences in hippocampal volume (HV) were compared between chronic primary insomniacs (PIs) and good sleepers (GSs), and the relationship between HV and memory function in PIs was investigated to clarify the effect of chronic sleep deprivation on brain structure and cognition.MethodsTwenty PIs (mean age, 50 years; 18 females) and 20 age-, gender-, and education-matched GSs were enrolled. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on a 1.5-T MRI scanner. Left and right HV and intracranial volume (ICV) were measured manually. Nighttime polysomnography and neuropsychological testing were also applied to all subjects. Group differences in HV were analyzed and the relationships between HV and sleep questionnaire data, nighttime polysomnography, and neuropsychological findings were evaluated.ResultsCompared to GSs, PIs exhibited significantly increased sleep latency and arousal index and a decreased percentage of REM sleep in nighttime polysomnography, as well as impaired verbal and visual memory, and frontal lobe function. Absolute HV and ICV did not differ significantly between PIs and GSs. In the PIs, right and left HVs were negatively correlated with the duration of insomnia and the arousal index, and positively correlated with the recognition of visual memory. In addition, free recall in verbal memory was positively correlated with left HV in PIs.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that chronic sleep deprivation impairs memory and frontal lobe function, and that a long duration of insomnia and poor sleep quality contribute to a bilateral reduction in HV.

This study evaluated the polymerization shrinkage, flexural and compressive properties of low-shrinkage resin composites. For the study, four methacrylate-based and one silorane-based resin composites were light cured using three different light-curing units (LCUs) and their polymerization shrinkage, flexural (strength (FS) and modulus (FM)) and compressive (strength (CS) and modulus (CM)) properties were evaluated. Data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and a post-hoc Tukey test. The polymerization shrinkage ranged approximately 7.6-14.2 μm for 2-mm thick specimens depending on the resin product and LCU. Filtek LS showed the least shrinkage while the rest shrank approximately 13.2-14.2 μm. However, Filtek LS showed the greatest shrinkage difference for the used LCUs. FS and CS of the tested specimens ranged 96.2-152.1 MPa and 239.2-288.4 MPa, respectively, depending on the resin product and LCU. The highest and lowest FS and FM were recorded for the methacrylate-based resin composites. Among the specimens, Filtek LS showed the lowest CS and CM.

In the past few decades, NAND flash memory has been one of the most successful nonvolatile storage technologies, and it is commonly used in electronic devices because of its high scalability and reliable switching properties. To overcome the scaling limit of planar NAND flash arrays, various three-dimensional (3D) architectures of NAND flash memory and their process integration methods have been investigated in both industry and academia and adopted in commercial mass production. In this paper, 3D NAND flash technologies are reviewed in terms of their architecture and fabrication methods, and the advantages and disadvantages of the architectures are compared.

ObjectiveTo clarify the relationship of skin temperature changes to clinical, radiologic, and electrophysiological findings in unilateral lumbosacral radiculopathy and to delineate the possible temperature-change mechanisms involved.MethodsOne hundred and one patients who had clinical symptoms and for whom there were physical findings suggestive or indicative of unilateral lumbosacral radiculopathy, along with 27 normal controls, were selected for the study, and the thermal-pattern results of digital infrared thermographic imaging (DITI) performed on the back and lower extremities were analyzed. Local temperatures were assessed by comparing the mean temperature differences (ΔT) in 30 regions of interest (ROIs), and abnormal thermal patterns were divided into seven regions. To aid the diagnosis of radiculopathy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electrophysiological tests were also carried out.ResultsThe incidence of disc herniation on MRI was 86%; 43% of patients showed electrophysiological abnormalities. On DITI, 97% of the patients showed abnormal ΔT in at least one of the 30 ROIs, and 79% showed hypothermia on the involved side. Seventy-eight percent of the patients also showed abnormal thermal patterns in at least one of the seven regions. Patients who had motor weakness or lateral-type disc herniation showed some correlations with abnormal DITI findings. However, neither pain severity nor other physical or electrophysiological findings were related to the DITI findings.ConclusionSkin temperature change following lumbosacral radiculopathy was related to some clinical and MRI findings, suggesting muscle atrophy. DITI, despite its limitations, might be useful as a complementary tool in the diagnosis of unilateral lumbosacral radiculopathy.

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