Rare earth magnets with excellent magnetic properties are indispensable in the electric device, wind turbine, and e-mobility industries. The demand for the development of eco-friendly recycling techniques has increased to realize sustainable green technology, and the supply of rare earth resources, which are critical for the production of permanent magnets, are limited. Liquid metal extraction (LME), which is a type of pyrometallurgical recycling, is known to selectively extract the metal forms of rare earth elements. Although several studies have been carried out on the formation of intermetallic compounds and oxides, the effect of oxide formation on the extraction efficiency in the LME process remains unknown. In this study, microstructural and phase analyses are conducted to confirm the oxidation behavior of magnets pulverized by a jaw crusher. The LME process is performed with pulverized scrap, and extraction percentages are calculated to confirm the effect of the oxide phases on the extraction of Dy during the reaction. During the LME p rocess, Nd i s completely e xtracted a fter 6 h, w hile D y remains as D y2Fe17 and Dy-oxide. Because the decomposition rate of Dy2Fe17 is faster than the reduction rate of Dy-oxide, the importance of controlling Dy-oxide on Dy extraction is confirmed.

Celecoxib, a cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 selective inhibitor, was approved as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and this therapeutic application has been expanded to several other diseases, including colon cancer. Notably, a treatment strategy combining the use of celecoxib and radiation therapy has been employed for improving the control of local cancers. In this study, we examined the effect of celecoxib on irradiation-induced intestinal damage. The twenty four mice (BALB/c) were divided into four groups; 1) sham-irradiated control group, 2) celecoxib-treated group, 3) irradiated group, and 4) celecoxib-treated irradiation group. Mice were orally administered celecoxib at a dose of 25 mg/kg in a 0.1 mL volume, daily for 4 days after irradiation exposure (10 Gy). Then, histological examinations of the jejunal villous height, crypt survival, and crypt size were performed. The expression of COX-2 after administration of celecoxib in irradiated mice was examined by employing immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and qPCR analysis. The jejunal villi height and the crypt survival were reduced in the irradiation group compared with the sham-irradiated group. Celecoxib treatment in irradiation mice even more decreased those indicators. Crypt size was increased in the radiation group compared to the sham-irradiated control group, whereas the size was decreased in the celecoxibtreated irradiation group compared with the group exposed to the radiation injury. COX-2 expression was detected in the crypt of the small intestine, and COX-2 expression was increased in the crypt lesion following radiation exposure. However, COX-2 expression was reduced in the celecoxib-treated irradiation group. Therefore, in the present study, we confirmed that celecoxib treatment after irradiation aggravated the irradiation-induced intestinal damage. These results suggest that a caution need to be administered when celecoxib treatment is performed in combination with radiation therapy for cancer treatment.

마케팅과 R&D의 상대적 비중으로 측정되는 전략적 강조(strategic emphasis)가 기업 성과에 어떠한 영향을 미치는 지는 주로 미국 상장 기업들의 자료에 의존하여 연구 되어 왔다. 하지만 이 머징마켓의 중요성이 증대되고 국가간 경제의 상호의존성이 높아지고 있음을 고려할 때, 전략적 강 조가 기업 성과에 미치는 영향이 선진국 뿐만 아니라 이머징마켓에서도 나타나는지를 살펴보는 연 구는 중요하다고 할 수 있다. 따라서 본 연구는 중국 시장에 상장된 기업들의 자료를 분석하여 전 략적 강조가 중국 상장 기업들의 성과에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지를 살펴보고 더 나아가 그 영향이 선진국인 미국과 이머징 마켓인 중국에서 어떻게 다른지 비교하고 있다. 또한 상당수의 중국 기업 들이 국영기업들임을 감안할 때, 국영기업에서 전략적 강조의 효과가 감소 또는 증대되는지를 살펴 본다. 중국과 미국 기업들의 자료를 분석한 결과, 중국 시장에서 전략적 강조가 기업 성과에 긍정 적인 영향을 미치며, 그 영향은 미국에서 보다 중국에서 더 크게 나타났다. 또한, 전략적 강조의 기 업 성과에 대한 긍정적인 영향이 중국의 국영기업일수록 줄어드는 것으로 나타났다. 이와 같은 연 구 결과는 기업들이 한정된 자원을 가치 창출 활동과 가치 전유 활동에 어떻게 배분하는지에 따라 기업 성과가 달라지고, 또한 시장 환경에 따라 자원배분 효과가 달라진다는 점을 의미하여 다국적 기업의 글로벌전략 수립에 중요한 시사점들을 제시한다.

A weak or dysfunctional gluteus medius (Gmed) is related to several pathologies, and individuals with hip abductor weakness have Gmed weakness. This study aimed to systematically review the literature associated with the anatomy and function of the Gmed, and the prevalence, pathology, and exercise of Gmed weakness. Papers published between 2010 and 2020 were retrieved from MEDLINE, Google Academic Search, and Research Information Sharing Service. The database search used the following terms: (glut* OR medius OR hip abduct*) AND weak*. The Gmed plays an important role in several functional activities as a primary hip abductor by providing pelvic stabilization and controlling hip adduction and internal rotation. Weakness of the Gmed is associated with many disorders including balance deficit, gait and running disorders, femoroacetabular impingement, snapping hip, gluteal tendinopathy, patellofemoral pain syndrome, osteoarthritis, iliotibial band syndrome, anterior cruciate ligament injury, ankle joint injuries, low back pain, stroke, and nocturia. Overuse of the tensor fasciae latae (TFL) as a hip abductor due to Gmed weakness can also cause several pathologies such as pain in the lower back and hip and degenerative hip joint pathology, which are associated with dominant TFL. Similarly, lateral instability and impaired movements such as lumbar spine lateral flexion or lateral tilt of the pelvis can occur due to compensatory activation of the quadratus lumborum for a weakened Gmed while exercising. Therefore, the related activation of synergistic muscles or compensatory movement should be considered when prescribing Gmed strengthening exercises.

The characteristics and morphology of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) particles produced by carbonation process with various experimental conditions are investigated in this study. The crystal structures of PCC formed by carbonation process are calcite and aragonite. The crystal structure of PCC particles synthesized without adipic acid additive is calcite only, regardless of the reaction temperature. Needle-like shape aragonite phase started to form at reactor temperature of 80°C with the adipic acid additive. Particle size of the single phase calcite PCC synthesized without adipic acid additive is about 1 ~ 3 μm, with homogenous distribution. The aragonite PCC also shows uniform size distribution. The reaction temperature and concentration of adipic acid additive do not show any significant effects on the particle size distribution. Aragonite phase grown to a large aspect ratio of needle-like shape showed relatively improved whiteness. The measured whiteness value of single calcite phase is about 95.95, while that of the mixture of calcite and aragonite is about 99.11.

In this study, soybean oil, which is used in a large variety of processed foods, is used as a carbon source. Soybean oil is successfully coated onto the surface of LiNi1/ 3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 (NCM) by a simple method. The physical and electrochemical properties of NCM/C hybrid materials are determined. As a result, a 5 nm thickness carbon coating layer is formed on the surface of the NCM, resulting in improved capability and cyclic performance in the battery. The NCM/C battery shows an initial discharge capacity of 159 mAh g−1 and 95% capacity retention after 100 cycles (a discharge capacity of 120 mAh g−1 and 94% retention are observed after 100 cycles for the NCM cathode).

Background: Trunk flexor-extensor muscles’ co-activation and upright posture are important for spinal stability. Abdominal bracing and maximal expiration are being used as exercises to excel torso co-contraction. However, no study has on comparison of the effect of this exercise on multifidus in the upright sitting posture. Objectives: This study aims to verify the effectiveness of abdominal bracing and expiration maneuvers in lumbo-pelvic upright sitting. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Eighteen healthy women were recruited for this study. The multifidus muscle thickness of all subjects was measured in three sitting conditions (lumbo-pelvic upright sitting, lumbo-pelvic upright sitting with abdominal bracing, and lumbo-pelvic upright sitting with maximum expiration) using ultrasound. One-way repeated measure analysis of variance was used for the evaluation. Results: Compared to lumbo-pelvic upright sitting, lumbo-pelvic upright sitting with abdominal bracing and lumbo-pelvic upright sitting with maximum expiration were associated with significantly increment of muscle thickness. There was no significant difference in muscle thickness between lumbo-pelvic upright sitting with abdominal bracing and lumbo-pelvic upright sitting with maximum expiration. Conclusion: Abdominal bracing and maximum expiration could be beneficial to increasing lumbar multifidus thickness in lumbo-pelvic upright sitting.

Human and material resource planning is one representative example of Operations Research. Resource planning is important not only in civilian settings but also in military ones. In the Air Force, flight scheduling is one of the primary issues that must be addressed by the personnel who are connected to flight missions. However, although the topic is of great importance, relatively few studies have attempted to resolve the problem on a scientific basis. Each flight squadron has its own scheduling officers who manually draw up the flight schedules each day. While mistakes may not occur while drafting schedules, officers may experience difficulties in systematically adjusting to them. To increase efficiency in this context, this study proposes a mathematical model based on a binary variable. This model automatically drafts flight schedules considering pilot’s mission efficiency. Furthermore, it also recommends that schedules be drawn up monthly and updated weekly, rather than being drafted from scratch each day. This will enable easier control when taking the various relevant factors into account. The model incorporates several parameters, such as matching of the main pilots and co-pilots, turn around time, availability of pilots and aircraft, monthly requirements of each flight mission, and maximum/minimum number of sorties that would be flown per week. The optimal solution to this model demonstrated an average improvement of nearly 47% compared with other feasible solutions.