The morphological types of 5836 galaxies were classified by a visual inspection of color images using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7 (DR7) to produce a morphology catalog of a representative sample of local galaxies with z < 0.01. The sample galaxies are almost complete for galaxies brighter than r pet = 17.77. Our classification system is basically the same as that of the Third Reference Catalog of Bright Galaxies with some simplifications for giant galaxies. On the other hand, we distinguish the fine features of dwarf elliptical (dE)-like galaxies to classify five subtypes: dE, blue-cored dwarf ellipticals, dwarf spheroidals (dSph), blue dwarf ellipticals (dE blue ), and dwarf lenticulars (dS0). In addition, we denote the presence of nucleation in dE, dSph, and dS0.Elliptical galaxies and lenticular galaxies contribute only ∼ 1.5% and ∼ 4.9% of the local galaxies, respectively, whereas spirals and irregulars contribute ∼ 32.1% and ∼ 42.8%, respectively. The dE blue galaxies, which are a recently discovered population of galaxies, contribute a significant fraction of the dwarf galaxies.There seem to be structural differences between dSph and dE galaxies. The dSph galaxies are fainter and bluer with a shallower surface brightness gradient than dE galaxies. They also have a lower fraction of galaxies with small axis ratios (b/a 0.4) than dE galaxies. The mean projected distance to the nearest neighbor galaxy is ∼ 260kpc. About 1% of local galaxies have no neighbors with comparable luminosity within a projected distance of 2Mpc.

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Cement kiln dust (CKD) is a major by-product of cement manufacturing and has the potential to be recycled as a raw material if the high concentrations of chlorine and potassium are removed. This study tested four leaching solutions (distilled water and three organic acids) and determined the optimum reaction conditions. At a liquid/solid (L/S ratio) of 10, the removal efficiency of formic, citric, and oxalic acid was higher than that of distilled water, but at L/S 20, distilled water also achieved a high removal efficiency of Cl (≥90%) and K (≥70%). In addition, to minimize the discharge of wastewater after leaching, the efficiency of ion-exchange resins for the recovery of leaching solution was tested. When the cation-and anion-exchange resins were arranged together, more than 95% of both Cl and K contained in the leaching solution could be removed. Leaching solution without Cl and K was found to have a high leaching efficiency even after being recycled three times, resulting in a significant reduction in wastewater emissions.

Passive keyless entry and start system has been widely used in modern cars. Car owners can open the door or start the engine merely by having the key in their pocket. PKES was originally designed to establish a communication channel between the car and its key within approximately one meter. However, the channel is vulnerable to relay attacks by which attackers unlock the door even if the key is out of range. Even though relay attacks have been recognized as a potential threat for over ten years, such attacks were thought to be impractical due to highly expensive equipment; however, the required cost is gradually practical. Recently, a relay attack has been demonstrated with equipment being sold only under $100. In this paper, we propose a sound-based proximity-detection method to prevent relay attacks on PKES systems. The sound is eligible to be applied to PKES because audio systems are commonly available in cars. We evaluate our method, considering environments where cars are commonly parked, and present the recording time satisfying both usability and security. In addition, we newly define an advanced attack, called the record-and-playback attack, for sound-based proximity detection, demonstrating that our method is robust to such an attack.

BackgroundAlthough Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) can provide beneficial therapeutic effects for patients with brain metastases, lesions involving the eloquent areas carry a higher risk of neurologic deterioration after treatment, compared to those located in the non-eloquent areas. We aimed to investigate neurological change of the patients with brain metastases involving the motor cortex (MC) and the relevant factors related to neurological deterioration after GKRS.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed clinical, radiological and dosimetry data of 51 patients who underwent GKRS for 60 brain metastases involving the MC. Prior to GKRS, motor deficits existed in 26 patients (50.9%). The mean target volume was 3.2 cc (range 0.001–14.1) at the time of GKRS, and the mean prescription dose was 18.6 Gy (range 12–24 Gy).ResultsThe actuarial median survival time from GKRS was 19.2±5.0 months. The calculated local tumor control rates at 6 and 12 months after GKRS were 89.7% and 77.4%, respectively. During the median clinical follow-up duration of 12.3±2.6 months (range 1–54 months), 18 patients (35.3%) experienced new or worsened neurologic deficits with a median onset time of 2.5±0.5 months (range 0.3–9.7 months) after GKRS. Among various factors, prescription dose (>20 Gy) was a significant factor for the new or worsened neurologic deficits in univariate (p=0.027) and multivariate (p=0.034) analysis. The managements of 18 patients were steroid medication (n=10), boost radiation therapy (n=5), and surgery (n=3), and neurological improvement was achieved in 9 (50.0%).ConclusionIn our series, prescription dose (>20 Gy) was significantly related to neurological deterioration after GKRS for brain metastases involving the MC. Therefore, we suggest that careful dose adjustment would be required for lesions involving the MC to avoid neurological deterioration requiring additional treatment in the patients with limited life expectancy.

Methanol fuel cells having advantages of relatively favorable reaction kinetics and higher energy density have attracted increasing interests as best alternative to hydrogen fuel cell because of H2 production, storage and distribution issues. While there have been extensive research works on developing key components such as electrocatalysts as well as their physicochemical properties in practical formic acid fuel cells, there have also been urgent requests for investigating which fuel sources will be more suitable for direct liquid fuel cells in future. In this mini-review, we highlight the overall interest and outlook of formic acid fuel cells in terms of electrocatalysts, fuel supply and crossover, water management, fuel cell efficiency and system integration in comparison with methanol fuel cells.

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