Search

Abstract: This study presents a novel methodology for the fabrication of bioadhesives composed of poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) (PHEA), which demonstrate superior mechanical properties. Hydrogels based on PHEA were effectively synthesized through a strategy that obviates the need for crosslinkers, utilizing in situ polymerization of high-concentration 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) monomers under persistent agitation. Optimal operational conditions, such as polymerization duration and HEA monomer concentration, were screened through rheological evaluations. In addition, the introduction of glycerol to the PHEA hydrogels yielded improvements in water-retention capacity, thus resolving limitations frequently observed in conventional aqueous-based hydrogels. Tests assessing adhesive properties indicated that the PHEA hydrogels, synthesized without crosslinkers, exhibited exceptional adhesion capabilities that exceeded those of commercially available tissue sealants. This economically viable and readily scalable fabrication technique provides a compelling pathway for the creation of robust, biocompatible bioadhesives well-suited for biomedical utilization. Graphical abstract:

Thin-film-transistor-liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCDs) still dominate most of the display markets due to a big leap in image quality while keeping low cost and superior reliability, and its evolution is continuing to compete with emerging emissive displays. In this paper, recent progress in liquid crystal technologies mainly focusing on fringe-field switching (FFS) and polymer-stabilized vertical alignment (PS-VA) modes and materials for improving electro-optic performances is reviewed.

Several CC subfamily chemokines have been reported to regulate bone metabolism by affecting osteoblast or osteoclast differentiation. However, the role of monocyte chemotactic protein 3 (MCP-3), a CC chemokine, in bone remodeling is not well understood. Here, we show that MCP-3 regulates bone remodeling by promoting osteoblast differentiation and inhibiting osteoclast differentiation. In a Ccr3-dependent manner, MCP-3 promoted osteoblast differentiation by stimulating p38 phosphorylation and suppressed osteoclast differentiation by upregulating interferon beta. MCP-3 increased bone morphogenetic protein 2-induced ectopic bone formation, and mice with MCP-3-overexpressing osteoblast precursor cells presented increased bone mass. Moreover, MCP-3 exhibited therapeutic effects by abrogating receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand-induced bone loss. Therefore, MCP-3 has therapeutic potential for diseases involving bone loss due to its positive role in osteoblast differentiation and negative role in osteoclast differentiation.

Soil contaminated by potentially toxic elements (PTE) can cause enormous human health and environmental concerns. Hence, it has become a hot topic worldwide, right now. The immobilization of PTE by soil amendments is one of the crucial chemical processes trapping their mobility and bioavailability. In this review, the most used soil amendments for arable soil remediation, such as lime, gypsum, biochar, bone meal, fly ash, and iron (oxyhydr)oxides, are presented along with descriptions in terms of their typical chemical composition, PTE retention mechanisms, interaction with PTE, and ability for improvement of arable soil quality. In addition, the retention mechanisms of PTE such as cationic metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) and anionic metalloids (As) are reviewed. Typical mechanisms of surface adsorption, complexation and precipitation, and electrostatic reactions are responsible for PTE immobilization by soil amendments but vary greatly with metal ion species, mineral composition, and properties of reactive soils. Moreover, since the geochemical behavior of cationic and anionic metals is generally opposite, simultaneous remediation becomes challenging. Considering these points, a blended application of soil amendments could be recommended to achieve better performance and optimum synergistic effects for metal immobilization and soil management. Herein, this review summarizes the combined application of soil amendments with high potential for simultaneously improving soil quality and PTE immobilization based on numerous research findings, which will provide better insights and approaches to remediate PTE-contaminated agricultural soils effectively.

Stretchable sensors based on conductive hydrogels have attracted considerable attention for wearable electronics. However, their practical applications have been limited by the low sensitivity, high hysteresis, and long response times of the hydrogels. In this study, we developed high-performance poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) based hydrogels post-treated with NaCl, which showed excellent mechanical properties, fast electrical response, and ultralow hysteresis properties. The hydrogels also demonstrated excellent self-healing properties with electrical and mechanical properties comparable to those of the original hydrogel and more than 150% elongation at break after the self-healing process. The high performance of the optimized hydrogels was attributed to the enhanced intermolecular forces between the PVA matrix and PEDOT:PSS, the favorable conformational change of the PEDOT chains, and an increase in localized charges in the hydrogel networks. The hydrogel sensors were capable of tracking large human motion and subtle muscle action in real time with high sensitivity, a fast response time (0.88 s), and low power consumption (<180 μW). Moreover, the sensor was able to monitor human respiration due to chemical changes in the hydrogel. These highly robust, stretchable, conductive, and self-healing PVA/PEDOT:PSS hydrogels, therefore, show great application potential as wearable sensors for monitoring human activity.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the world’s most urgent public health problems, and novel antibiotics to kill drug-resistant bacteria are needed. Natural product-derived small molecules have been the major source of new antibiotics. Here we describe a family of antibacterial metabolites isolated from a probiotic bacterium, Bacillus licheniformis. A cross-streaking assay followed by activity-guided isolation yielded a novel antibacterial metabolite, bacillimidazole G, which possesses a rare imidazolium ring in the structure, showing MIC values of 0.7–2.6 μg/mL against human pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) and a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-lacking Acinetobacter baumanniiΔlpxC. Bacillimidazole G also lowered MICs of colistin, a Gram-negative antibiotic, up to 8-fold against wild-type Escherichia coliMG1655 and A. baumannii. We propose a biosynthetic pathway to the characterized metabolites based on precursor-feeding studies, a chemical biological approach, biomimetic total synthesis, and a biosynthetic gene knockout method.

CrkII, a member of the adaptor protein family, is known to participate in bone homeostasis viathe regulation of osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Therefore, silencing CrkIIwould beneficially impact the bone microenvironment. In this study, CrkIIsiRNA encapsulated by a bone-targeting peptide (AspSerSer)6-liposome was evaluated for its therapeutic applications using a receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL)-induced bone loss model. (AspSerSer)6-liposome-siCrkIImaintained its gene-silencing ability in both osteoclasts and osteoblasts in vitroand significantly reduced osteoclast formation while increasing osteoblast differentiation in vitro. Fluorescence image analyses showed that the (AspSerSer)6-liposome-siCrkIIwas present largely in bone, where it remained present for up to 24 hours and was cleared by 48 hours, even when systemically administrated. Importantly, microcomputed-tomography revealed that bone loss induced by RANKL administration was recovered by systemic administration of (AspSerSer)6-liposome-siCrkII. Collectively, the findings of this study suggest that (AspSerSer)6-liposome-siCrkIIis a promising therapeutic strategy for the development of treatments for bone diseases, as it overcomes the adverse effects derived from ubiquitous expression viabone-specific delivery of siRNA.

Onion bulbs are typically stored at lower storage temperature for a long time, permitting their year-round availability in the market. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships among onion bulb quality, targeted major metabolites, and mineral nutrient contents in long-term cold-stored onion bulbs from four major different commercial onion packinghouses. Bulb fresh and dry weight, fructose, glucose, citric acid, total phenolic compounds, and ABTS were highest in Muan, compared with the other packinghouses. The contents of K, Mn, Zn, and Cu, the ratios of K/Mg, K/Ca, and Mn/Ca, and the contents of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, and total anthocyanins were highest in Hamyang, compared with the other packinghouses. The contents of individual free amino acids were most likely highest in Hamyang and Mungyeong packinghouses, compared with the other packinghouses. The overall responses of bulb quality, targeted major metabolites, and mineral nutrients substantially affected the differential expression pattern of principal component analysis among four commercial packinghouses. While fructose was positively correlated with glucose, it was negatively correlated with methionine, leucine, valine, isoleucine, and aspartic acid. Antioxidant activities in terms of ABTS and DPPH were negatively correlated with Mn but positively correlated with bulb dry weight, ho, and lightness. The collective results indicate that onion bulb quality was highly affected by commercial onion packinghouses, thus glucose and fructose were highly associated with amino acids and bulb dry weight with most bulb physiological parameters. Therefore, the commercial storage facility may play a pivotal role in the fluctuation of targeted major metabolites and mineral nutrients after long-term cold storage.

Graphical Abstract:

This paper proposes a method for creating a path for parking autonomous vehicles regardless of the distance and the position of the parking space, using a vehicle with sensor performance superior to existing ultrasonic and camera-based sensors. While conventional methods have a limited parking detectionarea, the proposed method has a greater free parking detection area. In addition, to follow the generated path, a new tracking algorithm was employed tofollow the path. And then, in order to eliminate the ‘Path following error’ caused by the difference between the steering speed and the vehicle speed, it used a new algorithm for the longitudinal controller to perform perfect parking. This paper then experimentally shows to demonstrate a path planning andpath tracking method for the Auto Valet Parking System.

As the research and development of autonomous vehicles has become more active, lane detection technologies for providing road information have become key elements. There are limits to detecting lanes in dynamic driving environments in conventional machine vision research, as the approaches are generally dependent on expert scenarios and fine-tuned heuristics. Deep learning has shown good performance in classifying target information with this distribution of nonlinear data; thus, many studies have actively applied deep learning to lane detection. However, most of these studies have focused on improving the accuracy, rather than on the operating speed. For the work reported herein, a benchmarking deep-learning framework for lane detection was applied with lightened feature extraction modules and decoder modules. These were used to compare performances and to present an indicator for selecting a model for optimizing real-time performance and accuracy. The VGG-16, MobileNet, and ShuffleNet networks were used for the encoder module, whereas frontend dilation and UNet were used for the decoder module. The limitations of the benchmarking framework were analyzed, and perspective loss concepts were applied to the processing of the network using front-view images to ensure improvements in the accuracy and operating speed. All of the candidate networks obtained objective performance indicators based on a large-scale benchmark dataset (TuSimple) and network training with a dataset collected and verified via performance on public roads in Singapore.

MG1113 is a human monoclonal antibody of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) under development for prophylaxis for hemophilia patients with or without inhibitors against factor VIII products, which have been used for the treatment of hemophilia. Because TFPI is a negative regulator in the extrinsic coagulation pathway, neutralization of TFPI function by MG1113 can potentially increase coagulation activity by bypassing the intrinsic coagulation pathway, which factor VIII activates. This study aims to determine the correlation between pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) after administering MG1113 to monkeys and to predict the PK and PD of MG1113 in humans by the Target‐Mediated Drug Disposition (TMDD) model using the results from monkeys. The PK profile of MG1113 and the PD effect on the free TFPI level were evaluated after intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) administrations of MG1113 (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg) to male cynomolgus monkeys. After setting up the PK/PD model on monkeys, PK parameters on humans were calculated using allometric scaling, and then clinically effective doses were predicted applying the TMDD model. MG1113 showed nonlinear PK after both IV and SC administrations at the dosing range from 2.5 to10 mg/kg. The concentrations of MG1113 versus TFPI could be characterized a dose‐response relationship using a TMDD model. The TMDD modeling and simulation built in this study were used to simulate various dosage regimens of MG1113 to apply to the first‐in‐human study design, and moreover expected to be referred to establish the dose for further clinical trials.

MG1113 is a human monoclonal antibody of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) under development for prophylaxis for hemophilia patients with or without inhibitors against factor VIII products, which have been used for the treatment of hemophilia. Because TFPI is a negative regulator in the extrinsic coagulation pathway, neutralization of TFPI function by MG1113 can potentially increase coagulation activity by bypassing the intrinsic coagulation pathway, which factor VIII activates.

Objective: We investigated the efficacy and safety of liraglutide 3 mg daily in combination with diet and exercise 2, 4, and 6 months after initiation in real-world settings in Korea. Methods: People first using liraglutide starting in 2018 were recruited from ten sites in Korea. Body weight and body mass index (BMI) were measured after 2, 4, and 6 months and compared with baseline values. Results: The full cohort comprised 769 participants: 672 in the 2-month group, 427 in the 4-month group, and 219 in the 6-month group. The baseline mean ± standard deviation of BMI and body weight were 32.2 ± 5.1 kg/m2, and 87.5 ± 18.8 kg, respectively. Body weight and BMI decreased after initiation of liraglutide treatment: −2.94 kg and −1.08 kg/m2at 2 months; −4.23 kg and −1.55 kg/m2at 4 months, and −5.14 kg and −1.89 kg/m2at 6 months (all P&lt; 0.001). In the 6-month cohort, 52.5% and 18.3% of subjects lost ≥5% and ≥10% of body weight, respectively. After 6 months, systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly by 3.90 and 1.93 mmHg, respectively. In those with diabetes mellitus, HbA1c and fasting glucose levels decreased significantly by 1.14% and 27.8 mg/dl, respectively. Among all participants, 27.6% experienced adverse effects, including nausea (20.8%), vomiting (5.2%), diarrhoea (2.5%), and skin rash (3.6%). Documented reasons for discontinuation of treatment were lack of effect (4.4%), adverse events (4.3%), and high cost (3.1%). Conclusions: In real-world settings in Korea, daily treatment with liraglutide 3 mg was associated with clinically meaningful weight loss without serious adverse events.

Colistin is an important antibiotic currently used to manage infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens in both humans and livestock animals. A new mobile colistin-resistance (mcr-9) gene was recently discovered; this discovery highlighted the need for rigorous monitoring of bacterial resistance against colistin. Salmonellais one of the major pathogens responsible for foodborne illnesses; however, there is minimal information regarding the presence of mcrgenes in foodborne Salmonellastrains. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of mcrgenes among 178 Salmonellastrains isolated from chicken meat in Korea. Antimicrobial susceptibility was measured using the broth microdilution method. Bioinformatics characterization of colistin-resistant strains and genetic environment of the mcr-9gene were analyzed using next-generation sequencing. Transferability of the mcr-9carrying colistin-resistant Salmonellastrain was tested using broth-mating conjugation. Thirteen of the 178 Salmonellaisolates showed colistin resistance, but only one strain, SalmonellaDessau ST14 (KUFSE-SAL043) from a traditional chicken market in Korea, carried an mcrfamily gene, mcr-9. This strain also carried other acquired antimicrobial resistance genes such as blaTEM-1B, qnrS1, and aac(6′)-Iaa. Only the IncX1 plasmid replicon type was detected in this strain. In the strain KUFSE-SAL043, the mcr-9gene was located between two insertion sequences, IS903Band IS26, followed by the downstream regulatory genes qseB-like and qseC-like, which were located between IS1Rand ΔIS1R. Conjugation tests revealed that the mcr-9gene was successfully transferred to Escherichia coliJ53 at a mean frequency of 2.03 × 10−7. This is the first report of a transferable mcr-9gene in Salmonellaisolated from chicken meat in Korea, highlighting the possibility of transfer of colistin resistance. Therefore, the wide use of colistin should be reconsidered, and a One Health perspective should be adopted to monitor the antimicrobial resistance of Enterobacteriaceaestrains in humans, livestock, and the environment.

ABSTRACTThe purposes of the study were to identify consumers’ characteristics as predictors of purchase intentions (PI) of men’s mass-customized (M-C) apparel and to examine whether the predictors of PI were also predictors of willingness to pay (WTP) a premium for M-C apparel. Nine consumer characteristics were proposed as potential predictors: fashion innovativeness, three types of perceived behavioral control (self-efficacy, time availability, and money availability), two types of experience (experience in apparel mass customization (MC) and experience in a product category), and three demographic variables (age, education, and household income). Seven hypotheses were developed based on theories and relevant research. An online survey was used for the data collection, and 474 male consumers in the United States were recruited for the study. The results, obtained by bootstrapping Structural Equation Modeling, indicated that fashion innovativeness, self-efficacy, time availability, experience in apparel MC, and age were predictors of PI. Time availability and age were predictors of WTP a premium. Young male consumers were more likely to purchase M-C dress shirts and more willing to pay a premium. The applications of the findings were discussed.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), especially MMP-2 and MMP-9, are very important gelatinases that are overexpressed during tumor metastasis. Up to date, several MMP inhibitors have been developed from natural sources as well as organic synthesis. In the present study, the MMP-2 and MMP-9 inhibitory effects of 3,5-dicaffeoyl-epi-quinic acid (DCEQA), a caffeoylquinic acid derivative isolated from Atriplex gmelinii, were investigated in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-treated human HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells. Gelatin zymography and immunoblotting showed that DCEQA significantly inhibited the PMA-induced activation and expression of MMP-9 but was not able to show any effect against MMP-2. DCEQA treatment was also shown to upregulate the protein expression of tissue inhibitor of MMP-1 along with decreased MMP-9 protein levels. Moreover, the effect of DCEQA on phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs), analyzed by immunoblotting, indicated the DCEQA inhibited the MMP-9 by downregulation of MAPK pathway. Collectively, current results suggested that DCEQA is a potent MMP-9 inhibitor and can be utilized as lead compound for treatment of pathological complications involving enhanced MMP activity such as cancer metastasis.

The current goal in functional polymeric material research is the preparation of polymers with high-fidelity nanoscale self-assembled structures and advanced functionality. Thus, recent research efforts have focused on linking chemistry for the development of tailor-made polymers with desired properties. The design of α- or ω-functionalized telechelic polymers with strongly associative interactions is connected to their unique supramolecular self-assembly behavior in homopolymers and blends. In addition, the end-group modification of block copolymers has shown to alter the polymer morphology radically, resulting in unprecedented property changes arising from confinement effects. This is fascinating because the content of terminal moieties is small compared to that of macromolecular polymer backbones. As an emerging theme in polymer designs and end-group chemistry, the controlled synthesis of polymers with complex architectures and functional linkages has been performed extensively in the past few decades. However, the effects of this linkage on the resultant polymer properties remain elusive and thus will be an important research topic in polymer science in the near future.

The association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and bone diseases is acknowledged. However, the mechanistic pathways leading to the alveolar bone (AB) destruction remain unclear. This study aims to elucidate the mechanical forces (MF)‐induced AB destruction in DM and its underlying mechanism. In vivo periodontal tissue responses to MF were evaluated in rats with diabetes. In vitro human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells were either treated with advanced glycation end products (AGEs) alone or with AGEs and MF. In vivo, the transcription of VEGF‐A, colony stimulating factor‐1(CSF‐1), and Agerwas upregulated in diabetes, whereas changes in DDOSTand Glo1mRNAs were negligible. DM induced VEGF‐A protein in the vascular cells of the PDL and subsequent angiogenesis, but DM itself did not induce osteoclastogenesis. MF‐induced AB resorption was augmented in DM, and such augmentation was morphologically substantiated by the occasional undermining resorption as well as the frontal resorption of the AB by osteoclasts. The mRNA levels of CSF‐1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) during MF application were highly elevated in diabetes, compared with those of the normal counterparts. In vitro, AGEs treatment elevated Glut‐1and CSF‐1mRNA levels via the p38 and JNK pathways, whereas OGT and VEGF levels remained unchanged. Compressive MF especially caused upregulation of VEGF, CSF‐1, and Glut‐1 levels, and such upregulation was further enhanced by AGEs treatment. Overloaded MF and AGEs metabolites may synergistically aggravate AB destruction by upregulating CSF‐1 and VEGF. Therefore, regulating the compressive overloading of teeth, as well as the levels of diabetic AGEs, may prove to be an effective therapeutic modality for managing DM‐induced AB destruction.

Despite the widespread use of food waste compost as a soil organic amendment, there is limited information on how it affects the composition of the microbial community as well as its relationship on soil environmental factors. This study investigated the effects of food waste compost on soil microbial-community composition by using FAME analysis. It was established that the application of food waste composts in water saturated paddy and unsaturated upland soils increased pH levels, electrical conductivity (EC) values, total carbon (TC), and ESP contents. It also increased the total phospholipid fatty acid (T-PLFA) and fungi resulting in a significant rise in the fungi to bacterial ratio. Furthermore, microbial community composition shifted depending on the quantity of food waste compost applied after crop harvest in both paddy and upland soils. Also, a positive correlation was found between changes in soil microbial community and changes in TC, EC, and water availability for crop growth. These results suggest that soil fertility and its microbial composition depends on the amount of food waste compost applied in both water saturated the paddy and unsaturated upland soils.

Background:Interest in post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome following COVID-19 infection has been increasing. Maintaining quality of life (QoL) is vital for airline crews because they work in a special environment, where they are responsible for the passengers’ safety. This study aims to closely investigate factors affecting the QoL of airline crews, including post-COVID-19 syndrome. Methods: This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey, comprising 167 crews. Findings: Age-specific significant differences were observed in social, overall, and total QoL scores. The physical domain QoL was significantly higher in the cockpit crews than that in the cabin crews. Significant differences were found in psychological and overall QoL depending on years of continuous service. Social domain and environmental QoL were lower in those who had no symptoms after being diagnosed with COVID-19 than in those who were symptomatic. Among the participants, 4.2% had post-COVID-19 syndrome, indicating significant differences in the physical domain, depending on whether they exhibit post-COVID-19 syndrome. Conclusion: It is urgent to develop measures to increase the QoL of airline crews, investigate post-COVID-19 syndrome before returning to work, and develop strategies to manage it. Application to practice: The QoL among airline crews differed not only by the demographic characteristics of the participants but also by the presence of symptoms during COVID-19 diagnosis and post-COVID-19 syndrome. Higher QoL among airline crews is associated with the safety of both airline crews and passengers. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a systematic management protocol for airline crews returning to work after following COVID-19 infection.

Purpose:To determine whether the rate of tissue temperature rise and decay time can be manipulated by using two different therapeutic ultrasound intensities.Methods:Eighteen healthy participants (age = 25.19 ± 2.6 years, mass = 81.39 ± 19.97 kg, height = 173.36 ± 12.73 cm) had a needle temperature probe placed 1.2 ± 0.18 cm deep into the triceps surae muscle group. On separate visits, two ultrasound treatments (intensities = 1.7 and 1.0 W/cmEighteen healthy participants (age = 25.19 ± 2.6 years, mass = 81.39 ± 19.97 kg, height = 173.36 ± 12.73 cm) had a needle temperature probe placed 1.2 ± 0.18 cm deep into the triceps surae muscle group. On separate visits, two ultrasound treatments (intensities = 1.7 and 1.0 W/cm2) were applied until the tissue temperature increased 5°C. The time it took to cool by 2°C and 3°C and return to baseline values was measured.Results:The high intensity (5.22 ± 3.37 minutes) heated tissues faster than the low intensity (9.66 ± 3.43 minutes) (The high intensity (5.22 ± 3.37 minutes) heated tissues faster than the low intensity (9.66 ± 3.43 minutes) (P= .001), but there was no difference in cooling rates between the ultra-sound intensities to 2°C, 3°C, or baseline values (P= .944).Conclusions:Different therapeutic ultrasound intensities produce different heating rates, but do not alter the length of tissue cooling time.[[Athletic Training & Sports Health Care. 2019;11(6):258–263.]

We examine the phase behavior of a hybrid organic–inorganic diblock copolymer/salt mixtures. The experimental system comprises poly(ethylene oxide)-block-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (PEO–POSS) mixed with a lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl) imide (LiTFSI) salt. Although the diblock copolymers without salt exhibit a classical order-to-disorder transition behavior with increasing temperature, the PEO–POSS/salt mixtures exhibit disorder-to-order transitions with increasing temperature. The analysis of a small-angle X-ray scattering data from the disordered state using Leibler’s random phase approximation enables the determination of an effective Flory–Huggins interaction parameter, χeff, for the electrolytes. Unlike conventional systems, χeffincreases with increasing temperature. A simple expression is proposed to describe the dependence of χeffon temperature and salt concentration. This enables the calculation of the segregation strength, χeffN, for both ordered and disordered electrolytes. The composition of the electrolytes is quantified by fEO/LiTFSI, the volume fraction of the salt-containing poly(ethylene oxide)-rich phase. The morphology of electrolytes is presented on a χeffNversus fEO/LiTFSIphase diagram. Over the values of fEO/LiTFSIstudied (0.61–0.91), only two ordered phases were found: lamellae and co-existing lamellae/hexagonally packed cylinders.

Here, we present a new approach to dual-channel gas sensors on the basis of a role-allocated graphene/ZnO heterostructure, formed by the complementary hybridization of graphene and a ZnO thin film. The method enables cyclic and reproducible gas response as well as high gas response. The role allocation of graphene and ZnO was verified by studying the electrical transport properties of the heterostructure. The results indicated that the ZnO top layer and graphene bottom layer act as a gas adsorption layer and a carrier conducting layer, respectively. The charge interactions of the heterostructures were systematically explored by monitoring changes in transfer characteristics at room temperature and elevated temperature (T= 250 °C) after introducing 20 ppm NO2. These results can be understood in terms of the dual-channel effect of the graphene/ZnO heterostructures. Remarkably, an abrupt and reliable gas response under periodic NO2gas injection was unambiguously achieved by the heterostructure-based gas sensors and as ∼30 times higher than those of a graphene-based gas sensor. These proposed heterostructures represent a fundamental building block of a complementary hybrid gas sensor with highly sensitive and reproducible gas response.

The aim of this study was to examine the oral health-related behaviors in mothers and their children and the prevalence of dental caries in both. A sample of 2536 children and their mothers was selected from the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Variables were analyzed using multiple regression to evaluate the prevalence of dental caries among children and mothers, demographic socioeconomic status, and oral health-related behaviors. The average age of the mothers was 40.28 years and that of the children was 10.88 years. Mean DT scores were 0.67 for mothers and 0.29 for children. Mean DMFT scores were 6.63 for mothers and 1.76 for children. The higher the mother’s number of decayed, missing, or filled permanent teeth (DMFT score, B = 0.076, P< 0.001) and number of decayed teeth (DT score, B = 0.032, P= 0.038) in their permanent dentition, the higher the children’s DMFT score was for their permanent dentition. Children from mothers with low household income levels (B = 0.159, P= 0.043), with dental pain (B = 0.132, P= 0.032), and not using a dental mouth rinse (B = 0.135, P= 0.007) presented with higher DT scores. Children from mothers with low self-perceived oral health status (B = 0.113, P< 0.001), lower usage of dental floss (B = 0.100, P= 0.012), a lower ratio of protein intake to total energy (B = −0.017, P= 0.014), and lower ratio of fat intake (B = −0.009, P= 0.047) showed lower self-perceived oral health status. The better the oral health status of the mother, the better the oral health status of the child was. An effective oral health and education program for mothers should be developed to promote an improved oral health status of their children.

Graphical abstract The composite electrolyte (CE) sheet was prepared by homogenously dispersing nano-grade Al-doped LLZO powder synthesized by employing the Couette–Taylor reactor in a PEO matrix. The all-solid lithium battery (ASLB) using the CE sheet was designed and manufactured with a cathode containing VGCF, which can be used to verify improved ASLB charge–discharge and lifetime characteristics. Highlights • Nanosized cubic phase Al-doped LLZO was formed using a Couette–Taylor reactor. • The Al-LLZO particles were observed as finely dispersed with a size of less than 100 nm in the PEO matrix. • The resistance of the composite electrolyte sheet is almost due to the grain boundary resistance. • The cell was designed to confirmed the contribution to the lifetime and rate characteristics of VGCF on the cathode. Abstract Garnet-related Li 6.25 Al 0.25 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (Al-LLZO) powder was prepared by calcination the precursor synthesized a Couette–Taylor reactor. The powder comprised regular blocks (1–2 μm) and consisted of fine particles (average particle size: D 50 = 600 nm, specific surface area: 2.42 m2 g−1) that adopted a highly crystalline nanoscale cubic structure (lattice parameter: a = 13.07769 Å; crystallite size: 41.4 nm). A composite electrolyte (CE) sheet in which the Al-LLZO nanopowder was finely dispersed was prepared by casting a slurry comprising 70 wt% Al-LLZO, polyethylene oxide (PEO), and lithium salt (LiClO 4). The total ionic conductivity of the CE sheet was 7.59 × 10−6 S cm−1 at 25 °C and 1.93 × 10−3 S cm−1 at 70 °C, compared with 3.03 × 10−4 S cm−1 at 25 °C for the Al-LLZO pellet. Cyclic voltammetry showed that the electrochemical potential of the CE sheet was superior to that of PEO sheet. For application of the CE in all-solid lithium batteries (ASLBs), a composite NCM-based cathode composed of Al-LLZO, PEO, Super-P, and VGCF was also prepared. The discharge capacity of the cell was ∼122 mAh g−1 at 0.1C & 70 °C in voltages of 3.0–4.1 V, and ∼80% of the initial capacity was maintained over 100 cycles with high rate characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The iron(III)–polypyridyl complex and its derivatives showed sufficient oxidizing potential to act as a one-electron oxidant, producing radical cations from olefins and promoting the efficient radical cation [2 + 2] and [2 + 4] cycloaddition reactions. Subsequent chain propagation afforded trisubstituted cyclobutane or cyclohexene derivatives, and this facile route enables the replacement of rare metals with sustainable, green, and inexpensive iron in radical cation cycloadditions.

A Couette–Taylor reactor and a batch reactor were used to synthesize garnet-related LLZO materials (Li 7-3x M x La 3 Zr 2 O 12 , M = Ga, Al) for all-solid batteries, and the properties of the resulting samples were compared. Ga-doped LLZO synthesized with the Couette–Taylor reactor comprised cubic phase primary nanoparticles; the calculated lattice parameter and crystallite size for the Couette–Taylor and batch reactor samples were a = 12.98043 Å and 129.8 nm and a = 12.97568 Å and 394.5 nm, respectively. The parameters for the Al-doped LLZO congener synthesized with the Couette–Taylor reactor were a = 13.10758 Å, c = 12.67279 Å, and 132.5 nm. The cross-section of the Ga-doped LLZO pellet synthesized with the Couette–Taylor reactor showed a denser microstructure than that of the other pellets, with a relative density of 98%. The total ionic conductivity of the Ga-doped LLZO pellets synthesized with the Couette–Taylor reactor was 1.2–1.75 × 10 −3 S/cm at 25 °C. This value contrasts sharply with that of the sample from the batch reactor (3.9 × 10 −4 S/cm). This is may be related to the large size of Ga doped into the LLZO crystallite structure and the primary nanoparticles, which promoted sintering of the pellet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstrctThis study explains the experiment for evaluating the performance of small-sized wind power generators, in which outdoor air that increases with height of high-rise apartment buildings is induced into the exhaust openings of kitchens and bathrooms. This outdoor air generates an ascending air current and a certain amount of electric energy, which are needed for operating buildings. To apply small-sized wind power generators to exhaust openings of kitchens and bathrooms in existing apartment buildings, a constant driving wind velocity of 3 m/s is required. Performance experiments in laboratories and application experiments on building rooftops, in which outdoor air induction modules were applied to existing exhaust openings of kitchens and bathrooms, show that when outdoor air and exhaust wind velocity are lower than 2 m/s, a driving wind velocity of higher than 3 m/s, which is needed to generate wind power, can be obtained. Furthermore, the generated amount increases by 29%.

Calcium-dependent inactivation of high voltage-activated Ca2+channels plays a crucial role in limiting rises in intracellular calcium (Ca2+i). A key mediator of these effects is calmodulin, which has been found to bind the C-terminus of the pore-forming αsubunit. In contrast, little is known about how Ca2+ican regulate low voltage-activated T-type Ca2+channels. Using whole cell patch clamp, we examined the biophysical properties of Ca2+current through the three T-type Ca2+channel isoforms, Cav3.1, Cav3.2, or Cav3.3, comparing internal solutions containing 27 nM and l μM free Ca2+. Both activation and inactivation kinetics of Cav3.3 current in l μM Ca2+isolution were more rapid than those in 27 nM Ca2+isolution. In addition, both activation and steady-state inactivation curves of Cav3.3 were negatively shifted in the higher Ca2+isolution. In contrast, the biophysical properties of Cav3.1 and Cav3.2 isoforms were not significantly different between the two internal solutions. Overexpression of CaM1234(a calmodulin mutant that doesn’t bind Ca2+) occluded the effects of l μM Ca2+ion Cav3.3, implying that CaM is involved in the Ca2+iregulation effects on Cav3.3. Yeast two-hybrid screening and co-immunoprecipitation experiments revealed a direct interaction of CaM with the carboxyl terminus of Cav3.3. Taken together, our results suggest that Cav3.3 T-type channel is potently regulated by Ca2+ivia interaction of Ca2+/CaM with the carboxyl terminus of Cav3.3.

Previously we have proposed a reconstruction algorithm which corrects for known rigid motion in helical CT. This paper describes a method to determine data-insufficiency of helical CT data affected by rigid object motion. We propose a local measure that quantifies the degree to which Tuy's completeness condition is violated in each voxel. This measure identifies regions for which artifact-free reconstruction is not assured. For every voxel, a local data-insufficiency measure is computed. We call the resulting image the Tuy map. Its values range from 0 to 1, where high values indicate data-insufficiency. As shown by classic theory, exact reconstruction is not possible, where the Tuy map contains high values. The predictions based on this Tuy map were verified with simulated helical-CT data, where the object moved during the scan and the motion was correctly taken into account during reconstruction. We also analyzed the reconstruction from an actual motion-corrected CT-scan of a moving phantom. For motion-free helical scans, the Tuy map was close to zero everywhere and the reconstructions were artifact-free. Rigid motion induces an effective source trajectory (with respect to a stationary patient) which, combined with axial or even transaxial truncation, can cause incomplete sampling. In simulations with severe motion or transaxial detector truncation, the Tuy map contained high values and the reconstructions suffered from artifacts. In the phantom scan, the combination of a high pitch and severe motion created artifacts which the Tuy map successfully indicated. In all cases, the Tuy map indicated all regions with incomplete sampling which were prone to reconstruction artifacts. However, we also contrived a special case, where exact reconstruction was not assured although the local Tuy condition was satisfied. The proposed method provides a useful measure of data-incompleteness, which can be used to verify the validity of motion-corrected helical CT scans. The method is general and could also be useful for other tomographic problems for which no exact data sufficiency measures are available.

We report the case of a 12-year-old immunocompromised boy with spondylodiscitis of the thoracolumbar spine caused by Aspergillus terreus. Microbiologic diagnosis was confirmed by inoculation of aspiration fluid into blood culture bottles. Because of noncompliance, the patient was treated with extended voriconazole therapy (23 months) with regular serum drug concentration monitoring and intermittent direct observation therapy in an outpatient clinic. The Aspergillusgenus contains species that are important causes of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised hosts. Although the lung is the main target of invasive Aspergillosis, more severe forms such as Aspergillusosteomyelitis can occur.1A. fumigatusis the most common cause of Aspergillusosteomyelitis, causing 55%–61% of all cases, whereas A. terreuscauses 2.3%–2.8% of cases. The vertebral bodies are the most commonly affected sites, occurring in 46%–49% of cases.2,3Here, we report the case of an immunocompromised 12-year-old boy with thoracolumbar spondylodiscitis caused by A. terreus.