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The 3D cell culture paper provided an appropriate environment for the growth of L929 cells. Cytotoxicity of SLS to cells in the paper-based 3D culture system was similar to a commercial 3D cell culture kit, but more sensitive than 2D cell culture.

Graphical abstract, Introduction Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) has been established as a key member of the gasotransmitters family that recently showed a pivotal role in various pathological conditions including cancer. Objectives This study investigated the role of H2S in breast cancer (BC) pathogenesis, on BC immune recognition capacity and the consequence of targeting H2S using non-coding RNAs. Methods Eighty BC patients have been recruited for the study. BC cell lines were cultured and transfected using validated oligonucleotide delivery system. Gene and protein expression analysis was performed using qRT-PCR, western blot and flow-cytometry. In-vitro analysis for BC hallmarks was performed using MTT, BrdU, Modified Boyden chamber, migration and colony forming assays. H2S and nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured spectrophotometrically. Primary natural killer cells (NK cells) and T cell isolation and chimeric antigen receptor transduction (CAR T cells) were performed using appropriate kits. NK and T cells cytotoxicity was measured. Finally, computational target prediction analysis and binding confirmation analyses were performed using different software and dual luciferase assay kit, respectively. Results The H2S synthesizing enzymes, cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE), exhibited elevated levels in the clinical samples that correlated with tumor proliferation index. Knock-down of CBS and CSE in the HER2+ BC and triple negative BC (TNBC) cells resulted in significant attenuation of BC malignancy. In addition to increased susceptibility of HER2+ BC and TNBC to the cytotoxic activity of HER2 targeting CAR T cells and NK cells, respectively. Transcriptomic and phosphoprotein analysis revealed that H2S signaling is mediated through Akt in MCF7, STAT3 in MDA-MB-231 and miR-155/ NOS2/NO signaling in both cell lines. Lastly, miR-4317 was found to function as an upstream regulator of CBS and CSE synergistically abrogates the malignancy of BC cells. Conclusion These findings demonstrate the potential role of H2S signaling in BC pathogenesis and the potential of its targeting for disease mitigation.

This paper suggests policy implications for the mitigation of resident conflict in public rental apartment complexes in South Korea. Employing a nation-wide disaggregate dataset from the 2011 Korea...

In this study, a paper-integrated analytical device that combined a paper-based colorimetric assay with a paper-based cell culture platform was developed for the in situ detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in three-dimensional (3D)-cultured, live prostate cancer cells. Two kinds of paper substrates were fabricated using a simple wax-printing methodology to form the cell culture and detection zones, respectively. LNCaP cells were seeded directly on the paper substrate and grown in the paper-integrated analytical device. The cell viability and H2S production of LNCaP cells were assessed using a simple water-soluble tetrazolium salt colorimetric assay and H2S-sensing paper, respectively. The H2S-sensing paper showed good sensitivity (sensitivity: 6.12 blue channel intensity/μM H2S, R2 = 0.994) and a limit of quantification of 1.08 μM. As a result, we successfully measured changes in endogenous H2S production in 3D-cultured, live LNCaP cells within the paper-integrated analytical device while varying the duration of incubation and substrate concentration (L-cysteine). This paper-integrated analytical device can provide a simple and effective method to investigate H2S signaling pathways and drug screening in a 3D culture model.

Despite numerous studies on computerised simulations for analysing the relationship between the physical characteristics of an urban environment and energy consumption in buildings, the correlation between the actual energy use and physical parameters influencing a building's energy performance has rarely been explored. Previous research has identified several physical characteristics of the urban environment as potential drivers of a building's energy demand. Using the building energy consumption data from the Seattle city government, and geographic information system (GIS) data obtained from the Washington Geospatial Data Archive, this study presents an investigation of the effect of three urban form variables—horizontal compactness, vertical density, and variation of building heights—on the residential energy consumption of multi-family housings in Seattle. The results of the spatial lag models of building energy use and its neighbourhood-level correlates confirm that the building's energy consumption is spatially dependent. In Seattle, the annual energy use of a multi-family building was reduced with an increased horizontal density and smaller variations in building height. An interpretation of the results is presented with respect to the local climate. Further research is required to examine the association between various urban form factors on a building's energy use in regions with different climatic environments.

In this study, we characterized the potential H2S-releasing properties of seven different H2S donors, including sodium sulfide (Na2S), sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), diallyl disulfide (DADS), diallyl trisulfide (DATS), sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3), morpholin-4-ium 4-methoxyphenyl-morpholino-phosphinodithioate (GYY4137), and Lawesson's reagent, in three assay solutions, phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4), 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) buffered saline (HBS, pH 7.6), and cell growth media (GM), utilizing our microplate cover-based colorimetric assay. For quantitative analyses of H2S-releasing characteristics of the various donors, we evaluated four parameters, maximum concentration of H2S at the steady state (Cmax), the time required to reach half of Cmax (t1/2), maximum releasing rate of H2S (Rmax), and time at H2S (tr-max). The results showed that the H2S-releasing kinetics of each H2S donor were dependent on the type of assay solution. In particular, the addition of GSH to DATS in GM released the fastest and highest amounts of H2S among the four H2S donors in the following order: DATS > DADS > Na2S ~ NaHS. The H2S-releasing characteristics of the H2S donors were well-matched with cell viability results of human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. Therefore, the microplate cover-based colorimetric assay will be a useful tool for accurate and efficient measurements of H2S-releasing dynamics.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is normally produced from l-cysteine in mammalian tissues and related to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of H2S donor on atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secretion and define its mechanism using normal and isoproterenol (ISP)-treated rats. Several H2S donors were perfused into isolated beating rat atria, and atrial pressure (AP) and ANP secretion were measured. NaHS augmented high stretch-induced ANP secretion and decreased AP in a dose-dependent manner. The high stretch-induced ANP secretion was stimulated by Na2S but was not changed by GYY4137 and sodium thiosulfate. NaHS and Na2S produced very high amount of H2S rapidly whereas GYY4137 produced very low amount of H2S slowly. NaHS-stimulated ANP secretion was blocked by the pretreatment with inhibitor for KATP channel, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), phosphoinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) or protein kinase B. H2S synthesis enzyme inhibitor (DL-propargylglycine) did not show any significant changes in atrial parameters. However, the response of ANP secretion to NaHS markedly attenuated and DL-propargylglycine suppressed ANP secretion in ISP-treated rat atria. The expression of eNOS protein was decreased but the expression of cardiomyocyte-specific H2S producing enzyme, cystathione γ-lyase, was not changed in ISP-treated rat atria. The attenuation of NaHS-induced ANP secretion in ISP-treated rat atria may be due to the low expression of eNOS protein. These findings clarify that NaHS stimulates ANP secretion via the KATP channel and the PI3K/Akt/NOS/sGC pathway in rat atria.

A fast and sensitive colorimetric paper sensor has been developed using silver nanoprisms (Ag NPRs) with an edge length of ~50 nm for the detection of free H2S gas. We prepared two types of Ag NPRs-coated H2S sensing papers: a multi-zone patterned paper for passive (diffusion mode), and a single-zone patterned paper for pumped mode of H2S gas. The change in color intensity was quantitatively analyzed of Ag NPRs-coated paper after KCl treatment depending on the concentration of H2S gas, from yellow to purplish brown. As a result, Ag NPRs-coated H2S sensing paper showed good sensitivity with a linear range of 1.03 to 32.9 μM H2S, high selectivity, and good reproducibility and stability, together with a fast response time of 1 min. The developed H2S sensing paper was applied to detect the free H2S gas released from three types of garlic including crushed, peeled, and fresh garlic. Therefore, it can be utilized as a simple, fast, and reliable tool for on-site colorimetric detection of free H2S gas for quality control of dietary supplements and exhaled breath analysis. Graphical abstract

It is very difficult to predict some complications after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), despite rapid advances in medical science. Herein, we introduce a label-free cellulose surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) biosensor chip with pH-functionalized, gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-enhanced localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effects for identification of SAH-induced cerebral vasospasm and hydrocephalus caused by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The SERS biosensor chip was implemented by the synthesis reaction of the AuNPs, which were charged positively through pH level adjustment, onto a negatively-charged cellulose substrate with ξ = –30.7 mV. The zeta potential, nanostructural properties, nanocrystallinity, and computational calculation-based electric field distributions of the cellulose-originated AuNPs were optimized to maximize LSPR phenomena and then characterized. Additionally, the performance of the SERS biosensor was compared under two representative excitation laser sources in the visible region (532 nm) and near-infrared region (785 nm). The Raman activities of our SERS biosensor chip were evaluated by trace small molecules (crystal violet, 2 µL), and the biosensor achieved an enhancement factor of 3.29 × 109 for the analytic concept with an excellent reproducibility of 8.5% relative standard deviation and a detection limit of 0.74 pM. Furthermore, the experimental results revealed that the five proposed SERS-based biomarkers could provide important information for identifying and predicting SAH-induced cerebral vasospasm and hydrocephalus complications (91.1% reliability and 19.3% reproducibility). Therefore, this facile and effective principle of our SERS biosensor chip may inspire the basis and strategies for the development of sensing platforms to predict critical complications in various neurosurgical diagnoses.

We report the development of a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy sensor chip by decorating gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on ZnO nanorod (ZnO NR) arrays vertically grown on cellulose paper (C). We show that these chips can enhance the Raman signal by 1.25 × 107 with an excellent reproducibility of 92% clinical sensitivity and specificity. Our technology has the potential to be used for the early detection of prenatal diseases and can be adapted for point-of-care applications.

In this study, we introduce a new paper-based colorimetric assay fabricated with the 96-well microplate format for cell culture for sensing H2S gas in live cancer cells. The H2S sensing zones on the paper were coated with a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) membrane containing silver/Nafion. The principle of colorimetric detection for free H2S gas is reaction of silver in the coating zones with sulfide to form Ag2S, which is brown in color. First, we optimized the composition of the coating membrane on the paper, including the mixing ratio between PVP and Nafion and the AgNO3 concentration. Next, we examined the sensing performance of the paper assay in the form of sensitivity, selectivity reproducibility, and long-term stability using a known concentration of Na2S standard solution in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at room temperature (RT) and in cell culture media at 37 °C in a 5% CO2 incubator. Our paper assay for H2S detection showed good sensitivity (2.51 color intensity/μM Na2S in PBS, R2 = 0.9967 at RT; 1.15 color intensity/μM Na2S in cell culture media, R2 = 0.9933 at 37 °C in incubator), high selectivity, excellent reproducibility (relative standard deviation 2.4%), and high stability over 1 month, as well as a limit of detection of 1.4 μM Na2S in PBS. Finally, we successfully measured the difference in endogenous H2S concentration between live LNCaP and PC-3 cells, which show different expression of H2S producing enzymes, using this paper-based colorimetric assay. The results were concordant with those of conventional methylene blue assay and western blot analysis. In summary, our paper assay using silver/Nafion-containing PVP membranes is a simple, facile, and reliable tool for the detection of H2S without complicated sample processing or labor-intensive bioanalytical methods We expect that this paper assay could be easily applied to study H2S signaling and pathophysiology in cancer biology, as well as cancer diagnosis and therapeutics.

Hydrogen sulfide (H

Pipe and Pressure Vessels that is used in power plant and chemical industry have many Internal Defects that is corrosion caused by the flow of fluid. These Internal Defects that have possibility of explosion are very dangerous because it can not see from the outside. This days many companys using NDT method to find an Internal Defect. Most of the NDT methods have limitations that are constraint of shape and materials. But Sheargoraphy have many advantages compared conventional NDT method. It has very fast measuring speed, non-destructive and non contacting measurement. As well as it hasn't constraint of shape and materials. As a paper on the analysis of measurement of error, the important factors were the Shearing Amount and pressure, and discovered measurement of the Internal Defect of the object by using shearography. The optimal Shearing Amount and pressure was discovered and utilized. Key Words : Shearography(전단간섭계), Pressure vessel(압력용기), Internal defect(내부결함), Shearing amount(전단량)

Pressure vessels in vehicle industries, power plants, and chemical industries are often affected by flaw and defect generated inside the pressure vessels due to production processes or being used. It is very important to detect such internal defects of pressure vessel because they sometimes bring out serious problems. In this paper, an optical defect detection method using digital shearography is used. This method has advantages that the inspection can be performed at a real time measurement and is less sensitive to environmental noise. Shearography is a laser-based technique for full-field, non-contacting measurement of surface deformation (displacement or strain). The ultimate goal of this paper is to detect flaws in pressure vessels and to measure the lengths of the flaws by using unwrapping, phase images which are only obtained by Phase map. Through this method, we could decrease post-processing (next processing). Real length of a pixel can be calculated by comparing minimum and maximum unwrapping images with shearing angle. Through measuring several specimen defects which have different lengths and depths of defect, it can be possible to interpret quantitatively by calculating gray level.

Summary form only given: This paper proposes a fault location algorithm for ultra-high-voltage untransposed parallel transmission lines that uses only the voltages and currents at the local end. The proposed algorithm uses the voltage equation for the faulted phase of the faulted line. The equation contains the fault distance, fault resistance, and fault current. To obtain the fault current, Kirchhoffpsilas voltage law is applied on the loops of three phases consisting of the faulted line and the adjacent parallel line. The fault current can be represented in terms of the fault distance. Inserting the fault current into the voltage equation results in an equation that contains only two parameters, i.e., the fault distance and fault resistance. The fault distance is estimated by solving the equation. Test results indicated that the algorithm accurately estimates the fault distance regardless of the fault resistance and mutual coupling effects.

We prepared poly(vinylidene fluoride)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites using electrospinning process and investigated its effect on the polymorphic behavior and electroactive properties. The remanant polarization and piezoelectric response increased with the the amount of MWCNT and piezoelectric -phase crystal. Interfacial interaction between MWCNT and PVDF caused high degree of -phase derived from external stretching.

This paper describes an accurate fault location algorithm based on sequence current distribution meters for a double-circuit transmission system. The proposed method uses the voltage and current collected at only the local end of a single-circuit. This method is virtually independent of the fault resistance and the mutual coupling effect caused by the zero-sequence current of the adjacent parallel circuit and insensitive to the variation of source impedance. The fault distance is determined by solving the forth-order KVL (Kirchhoff's voltage law) based distance equation. The zero-sequence current of adjacent circuit is estimated by using a zero-sequence current distribution factor and the zero-sequence current of the self-circuit. Thousands of fault simulations by EMTP have proved the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

An accurate digital distance relaying algorithm which is immune to the combined reactance effect of the fault resistance and the load current is proposed. The algorithm can estimate adaptively the impedance to a fault point independent of the fault resistance. To compensate the magnitude and phase of the apparent impedance, this algorithm uses the angle of an impedance deviation vector. The impedance correction algorithm for ground faults uses a current distribution factor to compensate mutual coupling effect instead of using the collected zero-sequence current of the adjacent parallel circuit. A series of tests using EMTP output data in a 154(kV) double-circuit transmission line have proved the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

High density magneto-optical recording was realized with the combination of a compact green laser and a very sensitive NdTbFeCo/TbFeCo MO disk for the wavelength of 532 nm. This media has a high Kerr rotation angle at 532 nm and maintains a stable recording domain. With an objective lens of 0.6 NA, CNR of 48 dB and jitter of 3.0 nsec by mark edge recording was obtained for a mark length of 0.45 micrometers (0.34 micrometers /bit) at a writing power of 4.5 mW.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.