Numerous studies have previously evaluated the marginal and internal fit of fixed prostheses; however, few reports have performed an objective comparison of the various methods used for their assessment. The purpose of this study was to compare five marginal and internal fit assessment methods for fixed prostheses. A specially designed sample was used to measure the marginal and internal fit of the prosthesis according to the cross-sectional method (CSM), silicone replica technique (SRT), triple scan method (TSM), micro-computed tomography (MCT), and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The five methods showed significant differences in the four regions that were assessed (p < 0.001). The marginal, axial, angle, and occlusal regions showed low mean values: CSM (23.2 µm), TSM (56.3 µm), MCT (84.3 µm), and MCT (102.6 µm), respectively. The marginal fit for each method was in the range of 23.2–83.4 µm and internal fit (axial, angle, and occlusal) ranged from 44.8–95.9 µm, 84.3–128.6 µm, and 102.6–140.5 µm, respectively. The marginal and internal fit showed significant differences depending on the method. Even if the assessment values of the marginal and internal fit are found to be in the allowable clinical range, the differences in the values according to the method should be considered.

Electrocardiogram signal analysis is based on detecting a fiducial point consisting of the onset, offset, and peak of each waveform. The accurate diagnosis of arrhythmias depends on the accuracy of fiducial point detection. Detecting the onset and offset fiducial points is ambiguous because the feature values are similar to those of the surrounding sample. To improve the accuracy of this paper’s fiducial point detection, the signal is represented by a small number of vertices through a curvature-based vertex selection technique using polygonal approximation. The proposed method minimizes the number of candidate samples for fiducial point detection and emphasizes these sample’s feature values to enable reliable detection. It is also sensitive to the morphological changes of various QRS complexes by generating an accumulated signal of the amplitude change rate between vertices as an auxiliary signal. To verify the superiority of the proposed algorithm, error distribution is measured through comparison with the QT-DB annotation provided by Physionet. The mean and standard deviation of the onset and the offset were stable as $-4.02\pm 7.99$ ms and $-5.45\pm 8.04$ ms, respectively. The results show that proposed method using small number of vertices is acceptable in practical applications. We also confirmed that the proposed method is effective through the clustering of the QRS complex. Experiments on the arrhythmia data of MIT-BIH ADB confirmed reliable fiducial point detection results for various types of QRS complexes.

In this study, we have proposed an algorithm that solves the problems which occur during the recognition of a vehicle license plate through closed-circuit television (CCTV) by using a deep learning model trained with a general database. The deep learning model which is commonly used suffers with a disadvantage of low recognition rate in the tilted and low-resolution images, as it is trained with images acquired from the front of the license plate. Furthermore, the vehicle images acquired by using CCTV have issues such as limitation of resolution and perspective distortion. Such factors make it difficult to apply the commonly used deep learning model. To improve the recognition rate, an algorithm which is a combination of the super-resolution generative adversarial network (SRGAN) model, and the perspective distortion correction algorithm is proposed in this paper. The accuracy of the proposed algorithm was verified with a character recognition algorithm YOLO v2, and the recognition rate of the vehicle license plate image was improved 8.8% from the original images.

A novel analytical solution for the designing of the birdcage RF coil has been demonstrated in this paper. A new concept of dominant resonance path has been introduced in this paper which is used to identify the specific closed current loop in the birdcage RF coil which is responsible for the dominant resonance frequency mode. This concept is used to determine the precise numerical values of the lumped capacitance deployed in the legs and/or end-rings of the birdcage RF coil for its proper operation at the desired resonance frequency. The analytical solution presented in this paper has been established by performing the two-port network based equivalent circuit modeling of the birdcage RF coil. The proposed analytical solution uses T-matrix theory and develops a relationship between the input impedance of the birdcage coil and the impedances of its leg and end-ring segments. The proposed analytical solution provides the information about the resonance frequency spectrum of the birdcage RF coil and solves the issue of its interfacing with external circuits without affecting its resonance characteristics. Based upon the proposed analysis and designing strategy presented in this paper, the low pass, high pass and band pass configurations of the birdcage RF coil were successfully implemented with FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit board) technique for small volume NMR imaging applications at 1.5 T and 3.0 T MRI system. The results obtained for the implemented birdcage coils using the proposed analysis and designing technique are in closed agreement with already established methods.

Rice tillers are one of the most important traits for the yield and development of rice, although little is known about its mode of inheritance. Tiller numbers were recorded every 7 days a total of nine times, starting 30 days after transplantation. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) based analysis on a set of double haploid population derivatives of a cross between the Cheongcheong and Nagdong varieties identified a major effect of locus RM18130–RM3381 on chromosome 5, which was expressed in eight different growth stages. Within the target region RM18130–RM3381 (physical distance: 2.08 Mb), 61 candidate genes were screened by annotation. Among the candidate genes, Os05g0230700 (named OsIAA17q5), which belongs to the family of auxin-responsive genes, was selected as a target. Auxin promotes cell division and meristem maintenance and is an effective plant regulator which influences plant growth and development by altering the expression of various genes. OsIAA17q5 is expected to control the number of tillers. The present study provides further understanding of the basic genetic mechanisms that selectively express the control of tiller numbers in different growth stages, as well as provides valuable information for future research aimed at cloning the target gene. These results may contribute to developing a comprehensive understanding of the basic genetic processes regulating the developmental behavior of tiller numbers in rice.

Brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens Stal.) is the most damaging rice pest affecting stable rice yields worldwide. Currently, methods for controlling BPH include breeding a BPH-resistant cultivar and using synthetic pesticides. Nevertheless, the continuous cultivation of resistant cultivars allows for the emergence of various resistant races, and the use of synthetic pesticides can induce environmental pollution as well as the emergence of unpredictable new pest species. As plants cannot migrate to other locations on their own to combat various stresses, the production of secondary metabolites allows plants to protect themselves from stress and tolerate their reproduction. Pesticides using natural products are currently being developed to prevent environmental pollution and ecosystem disturbance caused by synthetic pesticides. In this study, after BPH infection in rice, chrysoeriol7 (C7), a secondary metabolite that induces resistance against BPH, was assessed. After C7 treatment and BPH infection, relative expression levels of the flavonoid-related genes were elevated, suggesting that in plants subjected to BPH, compounds related to flavonoids, among the secondary metabolites, play an important role in inducing resistance. The plant-derived natural compound chrysoeriol7 can potentially thus be used to develop environmentally friendly pesticides. The suggested control of BPH can be effectively used to alleviate concerns regarding environmental pollution and to construct a relatively safe rice breeding environment.