PURPOSE. The purpose of this study was to investigate survival rates of the implants used in implant assisted removable partial dentures (IARPDs). MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study was conducted on 21 patients who were treated with IARPDs. The mean follow-up period for IARPD patients ranged from 12 to 185 months (mean 47.9 months). A total of 58 implants were used for IARPDs in two different modalities: 41 for surveyed crowns and 17 for overdentures. The survival of implants was determined by clinical and radiographic evaluations considering relevant factors: location, RPD classification, opposing dentition, splinting, and implant diameter. RESULTS. The survival rate of total 58 implants was 93.1%: 95.1% for implants supporting surveyed crowns and 88.2% for implants used in overdentures. Considering only the implants supporting surveyed crown, regular diameter implants showed a higher survival rate than narrow or wide diameter implants. CONCLUSION. The survival rate of the implants used in IARPDs was 93.1% (surveyed crown: 95.1%, overdenture: 88.2%). [ J Adv

Ultraviolet-A (UV-A) is the main component of UV radiation in nature. However, its role on plant growth, to a large extent, remains unknown. In this study, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'Beijing Cherry Tomato') seedlings were cultivated in an controlled environment in which UV-A radiation was provided by UV-A fluorescent lamps (l max = 369 nm) with a fluence rate of 2.28 W · m L2 . The photoperiod of UV-A radiation was 0, 4, 8, and 16 hours, which corresponds to control, UV-A4, UV-A8, and UV-A16 treatments, respectively. The photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was 220 mmol · m L2 · s L1 , which was provided by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with a blue/red light ratio of 1:9, the photoperiod of PPFD was 16 hours. We showed that supplementing 8 and 16 hours of UV-A to visible radiation (400-700 nm) stimulated plant biomass production by 29% and 33%, respectively, compared with that of control. This resulted mainly from larger leaves (i.e., 22% and 31% in 8 and 16 hours UV-A, respectively), which facilitated light capture. Supplemental UV-A also enhanced photosynthetic capacity, as indicated by greater net photosynthesis rates in response to CO 2 under saturating PPFD. Furthermore, the greatest stomatal conductance (g S ) value was observed in UV-A16, followed by UV-A8, which correlated with the greater stomatal density in the corresponding treatments. Moreover, supplemental UV-A did not induce any stress, as the maximum quantum efficiency of photosynthetic system II (PSII) (F v /F m ) remained ' '0.82 in all treatments. Similarly, chlorophyll content and leaf mass area (LMA) were also unaffected by UV-A radiation. Taken together, we conclude that supplementing reasonable levels of UV-A to visible radiation stimulates growth of indoor cultivated tomato seedlings.

Rhizomes of Kaempferia parviflora (Zingiberaceae) have been used in traditional Thai medicine for health promotion. In this study, the antibacterial activity of ethanol extract of K. parviflora against Cronobacter spp. and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) was investigated using paper disc dilution method. The results revealed that the ethanol extract exhibited antibacterial activity against Cronobacter spp. and EHEC. With an increasing concentration of K. parviflora ethanol extract, larger zones of inhibition of Cronobacter spp. and EHEC strains tested were observed. Therefore, its antibacterial activity suggested that K. parviflora could be used as a natural additive to ascertain food safety of various dairy products.

The authors investigated the current-voltage characteristics of a 100nm AlGaAs∕InGaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor as a function of temperature. The drain current in the linear region showed a dramatic increase when the temperature was lowered below a critical value (TB) and the drain voltage is increased. A quantitative analysis based on self-consistent Schrödinger-Poisson and simple electrostatic band potential profile calculations was performed to model the transmission coefficient. The modeled results are consistent with the measured data, confirming that the main transport mechanism switches from a classical drift-diffusion transport into a quasiballistic transport when decreasing temperature below TB and increasing drain voltage.

Background: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the relational need scale. Based on previous studies, we presumed that relational need is comprised of the two independent concepts of approch and avoidance. Methods: The preliminary items were selected through a series of processes and they were analyzed in terms of item content, response distribution and correlations with other measures. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed that approach and avoidance concepts were independent from each other. Results: As a result, the relational need scale was developed, consisting of 6 approach-type items for the relational need subscale and 11 items for the avoidance-type subscale. The two subscales are each subsumed by a one-factor model and a three-factor model, respectively. Specifically, the approachtype subscale has subfactors of 'Intimate relationship tendency,' whereas the avoidance-type subscale has the subfactors of 'sensitivity to others evaluations,' 'sensitive to negative evaluations,' and 'awareness for others.' Conclusions: The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion-related validity of the scales were found to be adequate. This study revealed that the Korean version of relational need scale is reliable and valid. Finally, implications and limitations of this study and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

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This study was to prepare the pear-dried fruit for revitalizing the pear fruit industry, measuring the fruit quality characteristics and antioxidant activity according to different drying methods for both normal and physiological disorder fruit. The moisture content was significantly decreased with the lower in drying temperature. The L* value of freeze-drying, while a* and b* value were hot-air and vacuum drying were the greatest, leading to slight browning with yellow color. The soluble sugar content had the highest sucrose content in hot-air and freeze-drying, and fructose was found highest in vacuum drying. The total polyphenol content was found to decrease with increasing drying temperature, but the total flavonoid content did not differ according to the drying method. Four phenolic compounds were detected, namely, arbutin, catechin, chlorogenic acid, and gallic acid; fruits dried using hot-air drying had greater contents of these compounds than fruit treated with the other drying methods. Although there was no difference in the quality of dried fruit production using physiological disorder fruit, it would have to be used as a component of processed food as the area of disorder part was clearly brown. Also, because the effects on colors, ingredients, and texture vary depending on the drying method, which can be used to produce dried fruits that can be stored for a long period of time.