First report of walnut anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum orientalis in South Korea.

Walnut (Juglans regia L.) is known as "hodu" in South Korea. It is cultivated as a cash crop and an ornamental plant across South Korea. Walnut anthracnose is one of the main limiting factors for walnut production. In June 2022, severe anthracnose was observed in several walnut fields in Gimcheon, South Korea. The disease incidence was ~35% and symptoms on affected fruits consist of necrotic and circular lesions with or without conidial mass. Six pure isolates with similar morphological characteristics were obtained from the tissue of six affected fruits. Diseased tissues were cut into 3-to-4 mm2 pieces, surface sterilized by 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) for 2 minutes, and washed three times in sterile distilled water, then dried by blotting. Four pieces/plates were placed onto potato dextrose agar (PDA; Difco Becton Dickinson) and incubated at 25°C in the dark for 2-3 days. To obtain pure isolates, hyphal tips were transferred onto fresh PDA. The colonies of all isolates on the PDA were light gray to pinkish on the upper side and pink to vinaceous on the reverse after 7 days of incubation at 25°C in the dark. The conidia were hyaline, fusiform, aseptate, and 11.3 to 20.1 µm × 3.6 to 6.9 µm (n =100). Appressoria were single, cylendrical, smooth-walled, dark brown, and 8.1 to 14.3 × 5.4 to 10.5 µm (n =30). The morphological characteristics of the isolates were comparable with those of Colletotrichum orientalis (Chen et al. 2022). Three isolates (WN23, WN28 and WN30P) were selected based on morphological characteristics for molecular identification. The beta-tubulin (TUB2), actin (ACT), chitin synthase 1 (CHS-1), and histone 3 (HIS3) genes of selected isolates were amplified and sequenced using the primers Bt2a/Bt2b, ACT512F/ACT783R, CHS-79F/CHS-345R and CYLH3F + CYLH3R, respectively (Damm et al. 2012). The resulting consensus sequences of each gene were deposited in GenBank with the accession numbers (TUB2: LC742910 to LC742912; CHS-1: LC742916 to LC742918; ACT: LC742919 to LC742921, HIS3: LC742922 to LC742924). The constructed maximum likelihood tree based on TUB2, ACT, CHS-1, and HIS3 sequence data revealed that the three isolates formed a clade with C. orientalis reference strain CBS 128532 (ex-type). The pathogenicity of two representative isolates (WN28 and WN30P) was confirmed on healthy, surface-sterilized, and detached walnut fruits. Both wounded and nonwounded fruits (10/isolate) were inoculated with the conidial suspension (106 spores/ml). The wounded and unwounded control fruits were inoculated with sterile distilled water. All the fruits (inoculated and control) were incubated in containers at 25°C with a 12-h/12-h light/dark cycle. This experiment was repeated twice. Necrotic lesions were observed in all inoculated wounded fruits, while unwounded and control fruits remained asymptomatic. The pathogen was re-isolated from inoculated fruits and identified as C. orientalis by morphological characteristics and ITS and TUB2 sequences. Damm et al. (2012) has identified C. fioriniae as species belongs to two well separated clades. However, Chen et al. (2022) split the C. fioriniae species into two species, with the new species called C. orientalis, as a causal agent of apple bitter rot. In previous studies, C. fioriniae has been reported as a causal of walnut anthracnose (Luongo et al. 2021; Zhu et al. 2015; Varjas et al. 2019). To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. orientalis as the causal agent of walnut anthracnose in South Korea. Since this disease reduces the commercial value and quality of walnut fruits, effective management practices should be developed to deal with C. orientalis.

Effect Sizes of Cognitive and Locomotive Behavior Tests in the 5XFAD-J Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid ß (Aß) plaques in the brain, leading to cognitive impairment and other clinical symptoms. The 5XFAD mouse model is commonly used in AD research because it expresses five human transgenes that result in the accumulation of Aß plaques and cognitive decline at a relatively early age. Behavioral experiments are frequently conducted using this model; however, the effect size has not yet been reported. In this study, we examined basic cognition and locomotion in 5XFAD mice with a C57BL6/J background (5XFAD-J) at 6 months of age, a period in which impairments of cognitive function and locomotion are commonly observed. We analyzed the effect sizes of cognitive and locomotive experiments in the 5XFAD mice compared with those in the wild-type mice. Our results suggest that for long-term memory analysis, the novel object recognition test (p = 0.013, effect size 1.24) required a sample size of at least 12 to obtain meaningful results. Moreover, analysis of general locomotion over total distance with the Laboratory Animal Behavior Observation, Registration and Analysis System (LABORAS) test during the dark phase (p = 0.007, effect size -1.37) needed a sample size of 10 for a statistical power (1-ß) of 0.8. In conclusion, we can conduct more ethical and scientifically rigorous animal experiments using 5XFAD mice based on the effect and sample sizes suggested in this study.

Effects of anodal stimulation and motor practice on limb-kinetic apraxia in Parkinson's disease.

Limb-kinetic apraxia, the loss of the ability to make precise, independent but coordinated finger and hand movements affects quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease. We aimed to examine the effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of the left posterior parietal cortex and upper extremity motor practice on limb-kinetic apraxia in Parkinson's disease. This study was conducted in a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled fashion. Patients confirmed to have Parkinson's disease were recruited. Twenty-eight participants completed the study and were randomized to two groups: anodal or sham stimulation. For participants assigned to active stimulation, anodal stimulation of the left posterior parietal cortex was performed using 2 mA current for 20 min. Patients received anodal or sham stimulation, followed by motor practice in both groups. The primary outcome measure was time-performing sequential buttoning and unbuttoning, and several secondary outcome measures were obtained. A statistically significant interaction between stimulation type and timepoint on time taken to perform buttoning and unbuttoning was found. Patients who received anodal stimulation were found to have a significant decrease in sequential buttoning and unbuttoning time immediately following stimulation and at 24 h in the medication-ON state, compared to the medication-OFF state (31% and 29% decrease, respectively). Anodal stimulation of the left posterior parietal cortex prior to motor practice appears to be effective for limb-kinetic apraxia in Parkinson's disease. Future long-term, multi-session studies looking at the long-term effects of anodal stimulation and motor practice on limb-kinetic apraxia in Parkinson's disease may be worthwhile.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Nonfoamy Rather Than Foamy Plaque Macrophages Are Proinflammatory in Atherosclerotic Murine Models.

RATIONALE: Monocyte infiltration into the subintimal space and its intracellular lipid accumulation are the most prominent features of atherosclerosis. To understand the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic disease, we need to understand the characteristics of lipid-laden foamy macrophages in the subintimal space during atherosclerosis. OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine the transcriptomic profiles of foamy and nonfoamy macrophages isolated from atherosclerotic intima. METHODS AND RESULTS: Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of CD45+ leukocytes from murine atherosclerotic aorta revealed that there are macrophage subpopulations with distinct differentially expressed genes involved in various functional pathways. To specifically characterize the intimal foamy macrophages of plaque, we developed a lipid staining-based flow cytometric method for analyzing the lipid-laden foam cells of atherosclerotic aortas. We used the fluorescent lipid probe BODIPY493/503 and assessed side-scattered light as an indication of cellular granularity. BODIPYhiSSChi foamy macrophages were found residing in intima and expressing CD11c. Foamy macrophage accumulation determined by flow cytometry was positively correlated with the severity of atherosclerosis. Bulk RNA sequencing analysis showed that compared with nonfoamy macrophages, foamy macrophages expressed few inflammatory genes but many lipid-processing genes. Intimal nonfoamy macrophages formed the major population expressing IL (interleukin)-1ß and many other inflammatory transcripts in atherosclerotic aorta. CONCLUSIONS: RNA sequencing analysis of intimal macrophages from atherosclerotic aorta revealed that lipid-loaded plaque macrophages are not likely the plaque macrophages that drive lesional inflammation.

Spotting malignancies from gastric endoscopic images using deep learning.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is a common kind of malignancies, with yearly occurrences exceeding one million worldwide in 2017. Typically, ulcerous and cancerous tissues develop abnormal morphologies through courses of progression. Endoscopy is a routinely adopted means for examination of gastrointestinal tract for malignancy. Early and timely detection of malignancy closely correlate with good prognosis. Repeated presentation of similar frames from gastrointestinal tract endoscopy often weakens attention for practitioners to result in true patients missed out to incur higher medical cost and unnecessary morbidity. Highly needed is an automatic means for spotting visual abnormality and prompts for attention for medical staff for more thorough examination. METHODS: We conduct classification of benign ulcer and cancer for gastrointestinal endoscopic color images using deep neural network and transfer-learning approach. Using clinical data gathered from Gil Hospital, we built a dataset comprised of 200 normal, 367 cancer, and 220 ulcer cases, and applied the inception, ResNet, and VGGNet models pretrained on ImageNet. Three classes were defined-normal, benign ulcer, and cancer, and three separate binary classifiers were built-those for normal vs cancer, normal vs ulcer, and cancer vs ulcer for the corresponding classification tasks. For each task, considering inherent randomness entailed in the deep learning process, we performed data partitioning and model building experiments 100 times and averaged the performance values. RESULTS: Areas under curves of respective receiver operating characteristics were 0.95, 0.97, and 0.85 for the three classifiers. The ResNet showed the highest level of performance. The cases involving normal, i.e., normal vs ulcer and normal vs cancer resulted in accuracies above 90%. The case of ulcer vs cancer classification resulted in a lower accuracy of 77.1%, possibly due to smaller difference in appearance than those cases involving normal. CONCLUSIONS: The overall level of performance of the proposed method was very promising to encourage applications in clinical environments. Automatic classification using deep learning technique as proposed can be used to complement manual inspection efforts for practitioners to minimize dangers of missed out positives resulting from repetitive sequence of endoscopic frames and weakening attentions.

Self-Assembly of Silver Nanowire Ring Structures Driven by the Compressive Force of a Liquid Droplet.

In a nanowire dispersed in liquid droplets, the interplay between the surface tension of the liquid and the elasticity of the nanowire determines the final morphology of the bent or buckled nanowire. Here, we investigate the fabrication of a silver nanowire ring generated as the nanowire encapsulated inside of fine droplets. We used a hybrid aerodynamic and electrostatic atomization method to ensure the generation of droplets with scalable size in the necessary regime for ring formation. We analytically calculate the compressive force of the droplet driven by surface tension as the key mechanism for the self-assembly of ring structures. Thus, for potential large-scale manufacturing, the droplet size provides a convenient parameter to control the realization of ring structures from nanowires.

Distance between intramuscular nerve and artery in the extraocular muscles: a preliminary immunohistochemical study using elderly human cadavers.

PURPOSE: Extraocular muscles are quite different from skeletal muscles in muscle fiber type and nerve supply; the small motor unit may be the most well known. As the first step to understanding the nerve-artery relationship, in this study we measured the distance from the arteriole (25-50 µm in thickness) to the nerve terminal twigs in extraocular muscles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: With the aid of immunohistochemistry for nerves and arteries, we examined the arteriole-nerve distance at 10-15 sites in each of 68 extraocular muscles obtained from ten elderly cadavers. The oblique sections were nearly tangential to the muscle plate and included both global and orbital aspects of the muscle. RESULTS: In all muscles, the nerve twigs usually took a course parallel to muscle fibers, in contrast to most arterioles that crossed muscles. Possibly due to polyinnervation, an intramuscular nerve plexus was evident in four rectus and two oblique muscles. The arteriole-nerve distance usually ranged from 300 to 400 µm. However, individual differences were more than two times greater in each of seven muscles. Moreover, in each muscle the difference between sites sometimes reached 1 mm or more. The distance was generally shorter in the rectus and oblique muscles than in the levator palpebrae muscle, which reached statistical significance (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The differences in arteriole-nerve distances between sites within each muscle, between muscles, and between individuals might lead to an individual biological rhythm of fatigue in oculomotor performance.

The Filum Terminale Revisited: A Histological Study in Human Fetuses.

Previous studies have suggested that secondary neurulation provides no functional neurons but only the filum terminale. However, no studies have confirmed that the coccygeal and lower sacral nerves do not originate from the secondary neural tube but only from the primary tube. To obtain a better understanding of these relationships, we examined sagittal or frontal sections from 20 embryonic and fetal specimens ranging from 6 to 14 weeks of gestation. During the growth of the vertebral column as well as the subsequent upward migration of the caudal end of the dural sac, the secondary neural tube was stretched to maintain the original attachment to the coccyx or the lower sacral vertebra. The filum-like structure showed much individual variability but in all cases appeared to be derived from the stretched neural tube. Intermediate age morphology revealed that the secondary neural tube itself provided an initial filum terminale before the ascent of the dural sac. Given that the coccygeal and lower sacral nerves are likely to originate from the secondary neural tube, these parts of the tube persisted and differentiated into spinal neurons to form the anococcygeal nerves. Likewise, the filum terminale was also most likely to contain some neurons that persisted postnatally. Depending on the timing and site of degeneration of the secondary neural tube, individual variations could occur in proportion to the amount of sensory and motor elements in the anococcygeal nerve supply.

Anterior Corticospinal Tract Revisited: A Study Using Human Fetuses.

In the human corticospinal tract (CST), the anterior CST is known to be much thinner than the lateral CST, but fetal development of the CST remains obscure. In this study, we examined horizontal histological sections of the cervical spinal cord from 50 midterm fetuses (crown-rump length, CRL, 70-150 mm; 12-18 weeks) as well as 15 late-stage fetuses (CRL 230-250 mm; 28-30 weeks). While the lateral CST appeared at 14-15 weeks in the cervical cord of the midterm fetuses, we found the anterior CST in only 3 fetuses: CRL 117 mm (15 weeks), and CRL 144 and 150 mm (18 weeks). However, in the late-stage fetuses, the anterior CST exhibited a spectrum of variations, including bilaterally thick tracts (3 fetuses), a unilaterally thick tract (5 fetuses) and a thin or absent tract (7 fetuses). In the group with the thickest anterior CST, the cross-sectional area reached 40% of that of the lateral CST. In contrast to the stable morphology of the lateral CST, the shape of the anterior tract varied slightly between the cervical segments. Immunohistochemical observations demonstrated no difference between the lateral and anterior CSTs: (1) in macrophage infiltration, which suggests apoptosis, and (2) in the arrangement of radial glial fibers. Our findings indicate that the development of the anterior CST starts later than that of the lateral tract, with significant individual variations. The functional relevance of the anterior CST, if present, might not be found in an independent cortical input to motor neurons but in a remodeling of the ascending tracts.

Topographical relationships of intramuscular nerves and vessels of the motor endplates in the thigh and gluteal regions of human fetuses: an immunohistochemical study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe topography of vessels and nerves in striated muscles to understand individual muscle function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemistry for nerve and artery was used to examine the thigh and gluteal muscles of six human midterm fetuses. RESULTS: The supplying nerves often accompanied arteries along epimysium bundling muscle fibers as well as in the covering fascia surrounding the entire muscle mass. However, courses of nerve twigs were usually independent of those of vessels in muscle bundles. Notably, irrespective of whether or not the vascular bundle accompanied the nerves at the muscle surface or hilus, most of the motor endplate bands did not accompany the vessels. CONCLUSION: Since the motor endplates were low vascularised, a chemical induction of vessels for nerve terminal development (or the reversed induction) seemed unlikely in striated muscles. In contrast to proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, manual stimulation of the endplate bands may stimulate muscle activity without sympathetic reflexes through vessel-accompanying nerves.

Covalent Self-Assembly and One-Step Photocrosslinking of Tyrosine-Rich Oligopeptides to Form Diverse Nanostructures.

We present covalently self-assembled peptide hollow nanocapsule and peptide lamella. These biomimetic dityrosine peptide nanostructures are synthesized by one-step photopolymerization of a tyrosine-rich short peptide without the aid of a template. This simple approach offers direct synthesis of fluorescent peptide nanocages and free-standing thin films. The simple crosslinked peptide lamella films provide robust mechanical properties with an elastic modulus of approximately 30 GPa and a hardness of 740 MPa. These nanostructures also allow for the design of peptidosomes. The approach taken here represents a rare example of covalent self-assembly of short peptides into nano-objects, which may be useful as microcompartments and separation membranes.

Selective distributions of functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes in a polymeric reverse hexagonal phase.

We have investigated the distributions of individually isolated and hydrophilically functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (p-SWNTs) in the Pluronic L121-water system at the reverse hexagonal phase using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and contrast-matched small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements. As the p-SWNT-L121-water system is transitioned from the lamellar phase to the reverse hexagonal phase with temperature, p-SWNTs which were selectively distributed in the polar layers of the lamellar structure become selectively distributed in the cylindrical polar cores of the reverse hexagonal structure, forming a hexagonal array of p-SWNTs. This was clearly confirmed by the contrast-matched SANS measurements. The selective distribution of p-SWNTs in the reverse hexagonal phase is driven by the selective affinity of p-SWNTs to the polar domains of the block copolymer system. The method demonstrated in this study provides a new route for fabricating ordered SWNT superstructures and may be applicable for inorganic 1D nanoparticles such as semiconducting, metallic and magnetic nanorods which are of great interest.

Development of a dual-protective live attenuated vaccine against H5N1 and H9N2 avian influenza viruses by modifying the NS1 gene.

An increasing number of outbreaks of avian influenza H5N1 and H9N2 viruses in poultry have caused serious economic losses and raised concerns for human health due to the risk of zoonotic transmission. However, licensed H5N1 and H9N2 vaccines for animals and humans have not been developed. Thus, to develop a dual H5N1 and H9N2 live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), the HA and NA genes from a virulent mouse-adapted avian H5N2 (A/WB/Korea/ma81/06) virus and a recently isolated chicken H9N2 (A/CK/Korea/116/06) virus, respectively, were introduced into the A/Puerto Rico/8/34 backbone expressing truncated NS1 proteins (NS1-73, NS1-86, NS1-101, NS1-122) but still possessing a full-length NS gene. Two H5N2/NS1-LAIV viruses (H5N2/NS1-86 and H5N2/NS1-101) were highly attenuated compared with the full-length and remaining H5N2/NS-LAIV viruses in a mouse model. Furthermore, viruses containing NS1 modifications were found to induce more IFN-ß activation than viruses with full-length NS1 proteins and were correspondingly attenuated in mice. Intranasal vaccination with a single dose (10(4.0) PFU/ml) of these viruses completely protected mice from a lethal challenge with the homologous A/WB/Korea/ma81/06 (H5N2), heterologous highly pathogenic A/EM/Korea/W149/06 (H5N1), and heterosubtypic highly virulent mouse-adapted H9N2 viruses. This study clearly demonstrates that the modified H5N2/NS1-LAIV viruses attenuated through the introduction of mutations in the NS1 coding region display characteristics that are desirable for live attenuated vaccines and hold potential as vaccine candidates for mammalian hosts.

The Protective Effect of INH2BP, a Novel PARP Inhibitor 5-Iodo-6-Amino-1,2-Benzopyrone, Against Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Apoptosis Through ERK and p38 MAPK in H9c2 Cells.

INH2BP (5-iodo-6-amino-1,2-benzopyrone), a poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitor, has been shown to possess anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-inflammation properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of INH2BP against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells. While the treatment of H9c2 cardiomyoblasts cells with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) caused a loss of cell viability and an increase in the number of apoptotic cells, INH2BP significantly protected the cells against H2O2-induced cell death without any cytotoxicity. Our data also shows that INH2BP significantly scavenged intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and markedly enhanced the expression of antioxidant enzymes such as Mn-SOD (superoxide) and Cu/Zn-SOD, and heme oxygenase-1, which was accompanied by the concomitant activation of extracellular regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation in H9c2 cells. The effects of INH2BP on ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK phosphorylation were abrogated by PD98059, an ERK1/2 inhibitor, and SB203580, a p38 inhibitor. In addition, inhibition of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK by these inhibitors significantly attenuated INH2BP-mediated H9c2 viability as well as cleaved caspases-3, Bax, and Bcl-2 activation. Taken together, these results demonstrate that INH2BP prevents H2O2-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cells by reducing the production of intracellular ROS, regulating apoptotic-related proteins, and the activation of the ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK.

Sensory pathways in the human embryonic spinal accessory nerve with special reference to the associated lower cranial nerve ganglia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Muscles supplied by the spinal accessory nerve are particularly prone to the development of trigger points characteristic of myofascial pain. This study aimed to confirm sensory pathways in the spinal accessory nerve and to describe sensory ganglion cell distributions along the lower cranial nerve roots. METHODS: Using sagittal sections of ten human embryos at 6-7 weeks and horizontal sections of three 15- to 16-week-old embryos, we analyzed ganglion cell distributions along the lower cranial nerve roots, including the spinal accessory (XI) nerve. RESULTS: In all ten 6- to 7-week-old embryos, the XI nerve root contained abundant ganglion cells, which were evenly distributed along the XI nerve root at levels between the jugular foramen and the dorsal root of the second cervical nerve. However, the hypoglossal (XII) nerve roots did not contain ganglion cells and did not communicate with nearby roots in the dural space. Thus, the so-called Froriep's occipital ganglion is unlikely to be associated with the XII nerve but rather with the XI nerve roots. According to observations of three larger fetuses (15-16 weeks), most of Froriep's ganglion cells seemed to have degenerated during early fetal life. CONCLUSION: Nociceptive sensory pathways in the adult human XI nerve may be much more limited in number than would be expected based on previous animal studies. However, it is possible that sensory ganglion cells in the embryonic XI nerve root send axons toward the developing spinal accessory nerve fibers outside of the jugular foramen.

Clinical outcomes of rotator cuff repair with arthroscopic capsular release and manipulation for rotator cuff tear with stiffness: a matched-pair comparative study between patients with and without stiffness.

PURPOSE: To compare clinical outcomes after surgical treatment between rotator cuff tears with and without shoulder stiffness and evaluate the serial changes in pain intensity, functional scores, and range of motion (ROM). METHODS: The study comprised 26 patients with preoperative stiffness (stiff group) and 26 patients without stiffness (non-stiff group). The stiff group underwent arthroscopic or mini-open rotator cuff repair with arthroscopic capsular release and manipulation. The non-stiff group with rotator cuff repair only was matched for age and sex with the stiff group. The visual analog scale (VAS) pain score; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) score; American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score; and ROM were evaluated preoperatively; 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery; and at final follow-up. RESULTS: Both groups had significant improvements in the VAS pain score, UCLA score, ASES score, and ROM at final follow-up. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups regarding VAS pain score, UCLA score, and ASES score at any period after surgery. In the stiff group, mean forward flexion was significantly lower than that in the non-stiff group at 3 months after surgery (143.1° v 154.2°, P = .003). Mean external rotation and internal rotation were significantly lower than those in the non-stiff group at 3 months after surgery (37.9° v 44.2°, P = .043, and 15.8 v 13.9, P < .001, respectively) and 6 months after surgery (49.1° v 57.3°, P = .002, and 13.2 v 12.0, P = .033, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Overall satisfactory clinical outcomes could be achieved in both the stiff and non-stiff groups, although the stiff group had slower postoperative recovery of ROM until 6 months after surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective comparative study, prognosis study.

Evaluation of road traffic noise abatement by vegetation treatment in a 1:10 urban scale model.

A 1:10 scale of a street canyon and courtyard was constructed to evaluate sound propagation when various vegetation treatments including trees, shrubs, vegetated facades, and green roofs were installed in the urban environment. Noise reductions in the street canyon and courtyard were measured for both single and combined vegetation treatments. Vegetated facades mitigated the overall noise level up to 1.6 dBA in the street canyon, and greening facades were effective to reduce low frequency noise levels below 1 kHz. Trees increased the noise level at high frequency bands to some extent in the street canyon, while the noise level over 1 kHz decreased in the courtyard after installing the street trees. This is because tree crowns diffused and reflected high frequency sounds into the street canyon. Green roofs offered significant noise abatement over 1 kHz in the courtyard, while the vegetated facade was effective to reduce noise levels at low frequencies. In terms of the integrated effects of vegetation treatments, a combined vegetation treatment was less effective than the sum of single treatments in the street canyon. The maximum noise reduction observed for all combinations of vegetation treatments provided 3.4 dBA of insertion loss in the courtyard.

Speech privacy and annoyance considerations in the acoustic environment of passenger cars of high-speed trains.

It is necessary to consider not only annoyance of interior noises but also speech privacy to achieve acoustic comfort in a passenger car of a high-speed train because speech from other passengers can be annoying. This study aimed to explore an optimal acoustic environment to satisfy speech privacy and reduce annoyance in a passenger car. Two experiments were conducted using speech sources and compartment noise of a high speed train with varying speech-to-noise ratios (SNRA) and background noise levels (BNL). Speech intelligibility was tested in experiment I, and in experiment II, perceived speech privacy, annoyance, and acoustic comfort of combined sounds with speech and background noise were assessed. The results show that speech privacy and annoyance were significantly influenced by the SNRA. In particular, the acoustic comfort was evaluated as acceptable when the SNRA was less than -6 dB for both speech privacy and noise annoyance. In addition, annoyance increased significantly as the BNL exceeded 63 dBA, whereas the effect of the background-noise level on the speech privacy was not significant. These findings suggest that an optimal level of interior noise in a passenger car might exist between 59 and 63 dBA, taking normal speech levels into account.

Influence of wall scattering on the early fine structures of measured room impulse responses.

The effects of wall diffusing elements on sound-field diffuseness were investigated in a tenth-scale model hall and in a real recital hall. Acoustical measurements were carried out in both halls to measure the surface diffusivity of the lateral walls. In the scale model, the surfaces of the lateral walls and the soffits were covered with diffusers; in the recital hall, the front halves of both lateral walls were treated using reflective panels and absorptive materials. Objective characteristics were investigated using conventional room acoustic parameters and the number of peaks (Np) computed for the measured impulse responses, which were recorded under diffusive, reflective, and absorptive conditions. In addition, as a measure of the diffuse sound fields, the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the acoustical parameters were investigated. The diffusive surfaces caused a decrease in the standard deviation of the early decay time and an increase in the Np at higher frequency bands. Auditory experiments using a paired comparison method revealed that the perception of subjective diffuseness could be quantified by using Np. In addition, one listener group's preference was correlated with Np and varied depending on different wall surface treatments.

Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles and molecular typing of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolates from ducks in South Korea.

Campylobacter is a food-borne zoonotic pathogen that causes human gastroenteritis worldwide. Campylobacter bacteria are commensal in the intestines of many food production animals, including ducks and chickens. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter species in domestic ducks, and the agar dilution method was used to determine resistance of the isolates to eight antibiotics. In addition, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed to determine the sequence types (STs) of selected Campylobacter isolates. Between May and September 2012, 58 duck farms were analyzed, and 56 (96.6%) were positive for Campylobacter. Among the isolates, 82.1% were Campylobacter jejuni, 16.1% were C. coli, and one was unidentified by PCR. Of the 46 C. jejuni isolates, 87.0%, 10.9%, and 21.7% were resistant to ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, and azithromycin, respectively. Among the C. coli isolates, all 9 strains were resistant to ampicillin, and 77.8% and 33.3% were resistant to ciprofloxacin and azithromycin, respectively. The majority of the Campylobacter isolates were classified as multidrug resistant. Twenty-eight STs were identified, including 20 STs for C. jejuni and 8 STs for C. coli. The most common clonal complexes in C. jejuni were the ST-21 complex and the ST-45 complex, while the ST-828 complex predominated in C. coli. The majority of isolates were of STs noted in ducks and humans from earlier studies, along with seven STs previously associated only with human disease. These STs overlapped between duck and human isolates, indicating that Campylobacter isolates from ducks should be considered potential sources of human infection.