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A torrefaction treatment process followed by ethanol extraction was applied for extracting antioxidant components from oak wood. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the ethanol extraction conditions of antioxidant compounds from torrefied oak wood (severity factor R o = 4.23). Response values were assessed such as total polyphenol content, total flavonoid content, and DPPH radical scavenging activity. Optimal extraction conditions were found as follows: ethanol concentration 69.15 %, extraction temperature 71.60 °C and processing time 70.15 min for total polyphenol content; ethanol concentration 66.93 %, extraction temperature 69.52 °C and time 66.09 min for total flavonoids content; ethanol concentration 68.18 %, extraction temperature 51.77 °C and time 74.22 min for DPPH radical scavenging activity. The experimental values agreed with those predicted within a 95 % confidence interval indicating the suitability of RSM in optimizing the ethanol extraction of antioxidant compounds from the torrefied oak wood. However, no significant correlation was found between antioxidant activity (DPPH), neither with total polyphenol content nor with total flavonoid content.

To expand the potential of cork composite wood flooring as an interior material, this study investigated the bending performance of sandwich-structured cork composite wood flooring. The cork composite wood flooring was composed of temperate and tropical wood species as face layer and a cork board reinforced with metal, glass fiber, or carbon fiber placed between two cork boards as the core layer. The MOE value of wood flooring with merbau (M) had the highest value (6.71 GPa) and that of larch (La) had the lowest value (5.40 GPa). Overall, the MOE value of wood flooring with tropical wood species had higher value than those with temperate wood species, which had lower densities. According to the core reinforcements, the CM (cork board-metal) type showed a higher MOE value than the CG (cork board-glass fiber) and CC (cork board-carbon fiber) types. However, within the specific MOE, the order was CG > CC > CM. The ratio measured to calculated MOE ranged from 1.0 to 1.1, it showed a similar or slightly higher value than the measured MOE. The MOR of wood flooring had the highest value (51.0 MPa) in that with teak (T) and had the lowest value (34.9 MPa) in that with larch (La). The specific MOR of the wood floorings with cork board reinforced with glass fiber and carbon fiber was 20 to 40% higher than those reinforced with metal. Stable fracture behavior was observed for the cork composite wood flooring reinforced with metal, glass fiber, or carbon fiber.

In a detailed study of the relation between the deflection caused by shear force and the constitution of a laminated material beam, we derived an equation for calculating the shear modulus of a laminated material beam from the shear moduli of individual laminae. The validity of the derived equation was investigated using cross-laminated wood beams made with five species. The calculated shear moduli parallel to the grain of face laminae ranged from 48.3 MPa to 351 MPa, while those perpendicular to the grain of face laminae ranged from 58.0 MPa to 350 MPa. The calculated shear moduli increased markedly with increasing shear modulus in a cross section of perpendicular-direction lamina of a cross-laminated wood beam. The calculated apparent modulus of elasticity (MOE) of cross-laminated wood beams agreed fairly well with the measured apparent MOE values. This fact indicated that the apparent MOE of cross-laminated wood beam was able to be calculated from the true MOE values and shear moduli of individual laminae. The percentage of deflection caused by shear force obtained from the calculated apparent MOE (Ysub(sc)) was close to that obtained from the measured apparent MOE (Ysub(s)) and there was a high correlation between both values. From the above results, it was concluded that the derived equation had high validity in calculation of shear modulus of a cross-laminated wood beam.

To improve the performance of cross-laminated woods, 30 types of three-ply parallel-laminated and cross-laminated woods were prepared from five species with various densities and shear compliances in cross section, and their bending creep performances were investigated on the basis of our previous research in cross-laminated wood made with sugi (Japanese cedar). The creep deformation perpendicular to the grain was decreased by cross laminating. The creep deformation perpendicular to the grain of parallel-laminated woods (P⊥ type), that perpendicular to the grain of face laminae of cross-laminated woods (C⊥ type), and also that parallel to the grain of face laminae of cross-laminated woods (C║ type) tended to decrease with increasing density of species used for perpendicular-direction lamina. It was found that the extent of the decrease was greater in creep deformation than in initial deformation. The degrees of anisotropy for both deformations of laminated wood were markedly decreased by cross laminating. The extent of the decrease was much greater in creep deformation than in initial deformation and considerably smaller in buna with higher density than in sugi with lower density. The measured values of initial deformation and creep deformation of C⊥ type were almost equal to the calculated values obtained from the measured values of parallel-laminated woods, whereas the measured values of both deformations of C║ type were much greater than their calculated values and increased markedly with increasing shear compliance in cross section of perpendicular-direction lamina used for core. The ratios of the average of measured values to the calculated value of C║ type ranged from 1.05 (katsura) to 1.50 (sugi) in initial deformation and from 1.30 (katsura) to 3.69 (sugi) in creep deformation. This result can be explained as the effect of deflection caused by shear force.

This paper deals with flexural vibration techniques as a means of predicting modulus of rupture (MOR) and static modulus of elasticity (MOE) of finger-jointed wood specimens made with Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Carr.) and red pine (Pinus densiflora S. et Z.). Dynamic MOE was calculated from resonance frequencies obtained from forced vibrations induced in the two species of finger-jointed wood specimens by a magnetic driver and a tapping hammer. The dynamic MOE was well correlated to the static bending MOE and its value also showed a reasonable correlation with bending MOR, although the correlation coefficient was lower than that between the dynamic MOE and static bending MOE. It was found that the correlation of the dynamic MOE to MOR was higher in the magnetic driver with both ends free condition than in the tapping hammer condition. For both methods, red pine finger-jointed wood specimens showed higher correlation coefficients to the MOR than Sitka spruce finger-jointed wood specimens. The correlation coefficient values for the magnetic driver and tapping hammer methods were almost equal to or slightly lower than those for static MOE and MOR for red pine and Sitka spruce finger-jointed wood specimens. It can be concluded that the two flexural vibration techniques are useful for predicting the MOR and static MOE of finger-jointed wood specimens.

Thirty types of three-ply parallel- and cross-laminated woods were prepared from five species, and their static bending strength performance were investigated. The modulus of elasticity (MOE), proportional limit stress, and modulus of rupture (MOR) perpendicular to the grain were increased by cross-laminating, and the extent of the increase increased with decreasing density of the species. The measured values of MOE parallel and perpendi-cular to the grain of parallel-laminated woods and perpendicular to the grain of face laminae of cross-laminated woods were approximately equal to those calculated from true MOEs of individual laminae. However, the MOE parallel to the grain of face laminae of cross-laminated woods was much lower than the calculated MOE owing to the effect of the deflection caused by shear force on the MOE. The percentage of deflection caused by shear force versus total deflection (Ys) showed high values, from 16.1% (buna) to 40.5% (sugi), and it decreased linearly with increasing shear modulus in the cross section of the core. In addition, there was an extremely high positive correlation between the MOR and the measured MOE parallel to the grain of face laminae of cross-laminated woods. The MOR was also highly dependent on the shear modulus in cross section of the core.

Chemical therapeutics targeted against H. pylori may lead to host toxicity and pathogen eradication failures. In this study, ethanolic extracts from five Lespedeza sp. plants were shown to inhibit the gastric-pathogen H. pylori and to modulate cytokine production. Disc agar diffusion assays showed that Lespedeza sp. ethanol extracts possess potent anti-H. pylori activity. Among the five plant extracts, the extracts from L. cyrtobotrya demonstrated the highest anti-H. pylori effect. The growth inhibitory effect against H. pylori was initiated after six h of treatment with plant extracts and the effect remained for a continuous period of 48 h. Incubation of the gastric cells infected with H. pylori with 1.25 to 50 mg/mL of Lespedeza sp. plant extracts resulted in a reduction of the production of cytokine IL-8. The plant ethanol extracts generally had little influence on AGS cell viability, indicating their safety for the treatment of bacterial infections. Three active fractions of L. cyrtobotrya also demonstrated similar anti- H. pylori and immuno-modulatory effects. Taken together, these results provide evidence that Lespedeza sp. plant extracts might be potential sources of new host friendly anti-H. pylori agents.

We develop a quantum key distribution （QKD） system with fast active optical path length compensation. A rapid and reliable active optical path length compensation scheme is proposed and applied to a plug-and-play QKD system. The system monitors changes in key rates and controls it is own operation automatically. The system achieves its optimal performance within three seconds of operation, which includes a sifted key rate of 5.5 kbps and a quantum bit error rate of less than 2% after an abrupt temperature variation along the 25 km quantum channel. The system also operates well over a 24 h period while completing more than 60 active optical path length compensations.

To the Editor： A lumbar epidural block is used to treat patients with a herniated intervertebral disc, spinal stenosis, or lumbosacral radiculopathy. This approach reduces radicular pain by decreasing inflammation of nerve roots through epidural corticosteroid injection. Patients with moderate-to-severe spinal stenosis who taking various anticoagulant agents have more risk for epidural hematoma.

We herein investigated the role of the STAT signaling cascade in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and cisplatin ototoxicity. A significant hearing impairment caused by cisplatin injection was observed in Balb/c （wild type, WT） and STAT4-/-, but not in STAT6-/- mice. Moreover, the expression levels of the protein and mRNA of pro- inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-u, IL-Ⅱ, and IL-6, were markedly increased in the serum and cochlea of WT and STAT4-/-, but not STAT6-/- mice. Organotypic culture revealed that the shape of stereocilia bundles and arrays of sensory hair cell layers in the organ of Corti from STAT6-j- mice were intact after treatment with cisplatin, where- as those from WT and STAT4-/- mice were highly distorted and disarrayed after the treatment. Cisplatin induced the phosphorylation of STAT6 in HEI-OC1 auditory ceils, and the knockdown of STAT6 by STAT6-specific siRNA significantly protected HEI-OC1 auditory cells from cisplatin-induced cell death and inhibited pro-inflammatory cytokine production. We further demonstrated that IL-4 and IL-13 induced by cisplatin modulated the phosphoryla- tion of STAT6 by binding with IL-4 receptor alpha and IL-13Rul. These findings suggest that STAT6 signaling plays a pivotal role in cisplatin-mediated pro-inflammatory cytokine production and ototoxicity.