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We report on the fabrication of TiO2 nanosphere (NS) monolayer arrays for the enhancement of light extraction quantum efficiency of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The fabricated TiO2 NSs monolayer arrays were composed of different phases of anatase (An-) and amorphous (Am-) TiO2. The arrays were transferred onto the topmost layer of LED chips via the facile icing transfer method. The LED chips covered with Am-TiO2 NS monolayer arrays showed 3.0- times enhanced light output power intensity compared with reference LED chips at a fixed injection current of 100 mA. The enhanced light extraction of LED chips by an Am-TiO2 NS monolayer can be attributed to a high transmittance (91.1%) in visible and increased light extraction probability of photons generated in LEDs, resulting from the enhanced light coupling efficiency by reduced total internal reflection (TIR). Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation results also agreed well with the experimentally observed results. Based on the experimental and theoretical results, our suggested Am- and An-TiO2 NS arrays can be considered a very facile and effective method to improve the device performance of various visible LED chips.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious vesicular disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals and often causes enormous economic loss in the livestock industry. The capsid of FMD virus (FMDV) consists of four structural proteins. Initially, one copy each of the proteins VP0, VP3, and VP1 are folded together into a protomer, and five copies of the protomer compose a pentamer. Finally, 12 pentamers are assembled into an icosahedral capsid. At the maturation stage during RNA encapsidation, VP0 is cleaved into VP4 and VP2. The mechanism underlying VP0 maturation remains unclear. While monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against VP2 have been developed in previous studies, a mAb specific to VP0 has not yet been reported. In this study, we generated VP0-specific mAbs by immunizing mice with peptides spanning the C-terminal amino acids of VP4 and N-terminal amino acids of VP2. We verified that these mAbs displayed specificity to VP0 with no reactivity to VP4 or VP2. Therefore, these mAbs could prove useful in identifying the role of VP0 in FMDV replication and elucidating the mechanism underlying VP0 cleavage into VP4 and VP2.

Abstract We evaluated the efficacy of light-curable fluoride varnish (LCFV) that contains 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) in terms of anti-biofouling properties and prevention of tooth enamel demineralization. MPC was mixed with and incorporated into LCFV at 0 (control), 1.5, 3.0, 5.0, 10.0, 20.0, and 40.0 weight percentage (wt%). Addition of high wt% of MPC resulted in increased film thickness and decreased the degree of conversion, indicating loss of the advantageous properties of LCFV. Addition of 1.5, 3, or 5 wt% MPC significantly reduced the amount of bovine serum albumin adsorbed from a solution and proteins adsorbed from brain heart infusion medium compared to the control (P

In this paper, we have demonstrated a robust in-cabin monitoring system (IMS) for safety, security, surveillance, and monitoring, including privacy concerns for personal and shared autonomous vehicles (AVs). It consists of a set of monitoring cameras and an onboard device (OBD) equipped with artificial intelligence (AI). Hereafter, this combination of a camera and an OBD is referred to as the AI camera. We have investigated the issues for mobility services in higher levels of autonomous driving, what needs to be monitored, how to monitor, etc. Our proposed IMS is an on-device AI system that indigenously has improved the privacy of the users. Furthermore, we have enlisted the essential actions to be considered in an IMS and developed an appropriate database (DB). Our DB consists of multifaced scenarios important for monitoring the in-cabin of the higher-level AVs. Moreover, we have compared popular AI models applied for object and occupant recognition. In addition, our DB is available on request to support the research on the development of seamless monitoring of the in-cabin higher levels of autonomous driving for the assurance of safety and security.

Research papers are a repository of information on the various elements that make up science and technology R&D activities. Generating knowledge maps based on research papers enables identification of specific areas of scientific and technical research as well as understanding of the flow of knowledge between those areas. Recently, as the number of electronic publishing and informatics archives along with the amount of accumulated knowledge related to science and technology has proliferated, the need to utilize the meta-knowledge obtainable from research papers has increased. Therefore, this study devised a model based on meta-knowledge (i.e., text information including citations, abstracts, area codes) for prediction of future growth potential using deep learning algorithms and investigated the applicability of the various forms of meta-knowledge to the prediction of future growth potential. It also proposes how to select the promising technology clusters based on the proposed model.

Panax ginseng has been used as an herbal medicine for thousands of years. Most of its pharmacological effects are attributed to its constituent ginsenosides, including 20(S)-25-methoxyl-dammarane-3β, 12β, 20-triol (20(S)-25-OCH3-PPD), which is one of the protopanaxadiol type ginsenosides. It has been found to exhibit anticancer effects by interacting with multiple pharmacological pathways, such as the Wnt/β-catenin, MDM2, ERK/MAPK, and STAT3 signaling pathways. However, its therapeutic potential could be limited by its low bioavailability mainly due to its low aqueous solubility. Thus, several studies have been conducted on its pharmacokinetics and its delivery systems, so as to increase its oral bioavailability. In this review, comprehensive information on its varying pharmacological pathways in cancer, as well as its pharmacokinetic behavior and pharmaceutical strategies, is provided. This information would be useful in the understanding of its diverse mechanisms and pharmacokinetics as an anticancer drug, leading to the design of superior 20(S)-25-OCH3-PPD-containing formulations that maximize its therapeutic potential.

ABSTRACT: Background: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is commonly comorbid with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although the addiction is more severe when comorbid with ADHD, little is known about the neural correlates of the association. This study aimed to identify whether an ADHD-related structural brain network exists in IGD patients with comorbid ADHD (IGDADHD+) by comparing them with those without comorbid ADHD (IGDADHD-) and elucidating how the sub-network is associated with addiction severity. Methods: Brain structural networks were constructed based on streamline tractography with diffusion tensor imaging in a cohort of 46 male IGDADHD+ patients, 48 male IGDADHD− patients, and 34 healthy controls (HC). We used network-based statistics (NBS) to identify the sub-network differences between the two IGD groups. Furthermore, the edges in the sub-network that significantly contributed to explaining the Young Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS) score were delineated using partial least square (PLS) regression analyses in IGD patients. Results: The YIAS score was higher in the IGDADHD+ group than in the IGDADHD- group and was correlated with the Korean Dupaul's ADHD scale score (r = 0.42, p

An authorized traffic controller (ATC) has the highest priority for direct road traffic. In some irregular situations, the ATC supersedes other traffic control. Human drivers indigenously understand such situations and tend to follow the ATC; however, an autonomous vehicle (AV) can become confused in such circumstances. Therefore, autonomous driving (AD) crucially requires a human-level understanding of situation-aware traffic gesture recognition. In AVs, vision-based recognition is particularly desirable because of its suitability; however, such recognition systems have various bottlenecks, such as failing to recognize other humans on the road, identifying a variety of ATCs, and gloves in the hands of ATCs. We propose a situation-aware traffic control hand-gesture recognition system, which includes ATC detection and gesture recognition. Three-dimensional (3D) hand model-based gesture recognition is used to mitigate the problem associated with gloves. Our database contains separate training and test videos of approximately 60 min length, captured at a frame rate of 24 frames per second. It has 35,291 different frames that belong to traffic control hand gestures. Our approach correctly recognized traffic control hand gestures; therefore, the proposed system can be considered as an extension of the operational domain of the AV.

We demonstrated the relationships between elemental carbon (EC) and EC fractions during evolved gas analysis (EGA) for PM2.5 sampled at KOREATECH from 29 March 2018 to 12 May 2018. The EC concentrations were compared to the concentrations of equivalent black carbon to confirm that the level of EC concentrations analyzed in this study was valid. Among various EC fractions and their combination, EC1+EC3 fractions were best correlated with the EC concentrations. Especially, dominant EC fraction was related with the dependence of carbon oxidation quantity on the oxidation temperature. We also examined the relationships between pyrolytic carbon (PyC) and EC concentration with respect to the split time. PyC was correlated with the split time in the phase of oxygen-helium mixture. PyC was close to zero for the split time in the helium phase. It is novel, as far as the authors know, that the correlation between PyC and the split time under NIOSH 5040 protocol was reported with regard to EGA. We believe that our study helps to identify what causes uncertainty in the quantification of PyC.

Amorphization technology has been the subject of continuous attention in the pharmaceutical industry, as a means to enhance the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs. Being in a high energy state, amorphous formulations generally display significantly increased apparent solubility as compared to their crystalline counterparts, which may allow them to generate a supersaturated state in the gastrointestinal tract and in turn, improve the bioavailability. Conventionally, hydrophilic polymers have been used as carriers, in which the amorphous drugs were dispersed and stabilized to form polymeric amorphous solid dispersions. However, the technique had its limitations, some of which include the need for a large number of carriers, the tendency to recrystallize during storage, and the possibility of thermal decomposition of the drug during preparation. Therefore, emerging amorphization technologies have focused on the investigation of novel amorphous-stabilizing carriers and preparation methods that can improve the drug loading and the degree of amorphization. This review highlights the recent pharmaceutical approaches utilizing drug amorphization, such as co-amorphous systems, mesoporous particle-based techniques, and in situ amorphization. Recent updates on these technologies in the last five years are discussed with a focus on their characteristics and commercial potential.

Chondrocyte hypertrophy is one of the key indicators in the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). However, compared with other OA indications, such as cartilage collapse, sclerosis, inflammation, and protease activation, the mechanisms by which chondrocyte hypertrophy contributes to OA remain elusive. As the pathological processes in the OA cartilage microenvironment, such as the alterations in the extracellular matrix, are initiated and dictated by the physiological state of the chondrocytes, in-depth knowledge of chondrocyte hypertrophy is necessary to enhance our understanding of the disease pathology and develop therapeutic agents. Chondrocyte hypertrophy is a factor that induces OA progression; it is also a crucial factor in the endochondral ossification. This review elaborates on this dual functionality of chondrocyte hypertrophy in OA progression and endochondral ossification through a description of the characteristics of various genes and signaling, their mechanism, and their distinguishable physiological effects. Chondrocyte hypertrophy in OA progression leads to a decrease in chondrogenic genes and destruction of cartilage tissue. However, in endochondral ossification, it represents an intermediate stage at the process of differentiation of chondrocytes into osteogenic cells. In addition, this review describes the current therapeutic strategies and their mechanisms, involving genes, proteins, cytokines, small molecules, three-dimensional environments, or exosomes, against the OA induced by chondrocyte hypertrophy. Finally, this review proposes that the contrasting roles of chondrocyte hypertrophy are essential for both OA progression and endochondral ossification, and that this cellular process may be targeted to develop OA therapeutics.

Growing evidence has demonstrated that biomimetic nanovesicles produced from specific cells show bioactive properties such as anti-tumor or anti-inflammatory activities. However, the properties of these nanovesicles are very diverse, depending on their cell sources. In this study, human tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cells (TMSCs) were used in the production of functional biomimetic nanovesicles with anti-senescence. TMSCs were isolated from human tonsil tissue obtained by tonsillectomy. TMSC-derived nanovesicles (TMSC-NVs) were produced by serial extrusion using a mini-extruder. Western blotting and particle analysis were performed for characterization of TMSC-NVs. They were applied to both replicative and ultraviolet B-induced senescent human dermal fibroblasts in vitro. Following six days of treatment, analysis of the proliferation and senescence level of fibroblasts was performed using cell counting and senescence-associated β-galactosidase assay, respectively. Treatment with TMSC-NVs enhanced the cell proliferation and reduced the activity of senescence-associated β-galactosidase in both replicative and ultraviolet B-induced senescent cells. Treatment with TMSC-NVs resulted in increased expression of extracellular matrix and anti-oxidant genes. Treatment with TMSC-NVs resulted in reduced expression of vinculin in focal adhesion. These results show that TMSC-NVs have an effect on recovering from cellular senescence by oxidative stress and can be applied as useful materials for the development of skin rejuvenation.

Stem cells can differentiate into various body tissues and organs and thus are considered as promising tools for cell therapy and tissue engineering. Early passage stem cells have high differentiation ability compared to late passage stem cells. Thus, it is important to use early passage stem cells in cell therapy. Here, we investigated whether cell migration could be used to compare young and senescent cells. We used ‘electrotaxis’ where cells under electric treatment move towards the anode or cathode. Without an electric stimulus, stem cells moved randomly. However, under a direct electric current, the cells moved with directionality. Under stimulation with a direct electric current, early passage stem cells moved towards the anode; when the cells became senescent with increasing passages, the percentage of cells migrating to the anode decreased. These results suggest that the behavior of stem cells under the influence of a direct electric current is also related to their passage number. Therefore, electrotaxis migration analysis can be used to distinguish between young cell and senescent cells. Keywords: Stem cell, Directional migration, Electrotaxis, Senescence

Calcium silicate-based cements (CSCs) are commonly used for endodontic procedures; however, their antibacterial effects are limited. The objective of this study was to develop a 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC)-incorporated CSC with improved antibacterial properties, while maintaining the original advantageous features of CSC. MPC was incorporated into a commercial CSC (Endocem MTA) at 0 wt% (control), 1.5%, 3.0 wt%, 5.0 wt%, 7.5 wt%, and 10 wt%. The setting time, compressive strength, water sorption, and glycerol contact angle were measured. Protein absorption was measured and bacterial adhesion on the surface was evaluated using Enterococcus faecalis. The bactericidal effect was examined by the disc diffusion test. Mineralization ability was assessed based on calcium ion deposition, as assessed by alizarin red staining, after immersion into Hank's balanced salt solution for 7 days. High concentrations of MPC in CSC (7.5 wt% and 10 wt%) increased the setting time, reduced compressive strength, and reduced wettability. MPC (3 wt%) had greater protein repellent and anti-biofouling effects than those of control and test materials (P < 0.001). However, no bactericidal effect was observed for any control or test materials. There was greater calcium ion deposition on the surface of MPC-supplemented CSC than on the control (P < 0.001). The addition of 3 wt% MPC polymer to CSC confers protein-repellent properties and reduced bacterial attachment, with the potential for improved mineralization.

Despite the critical impact of parental dialog on children who remain physically and psychologically dependent, most studies have focused on brain alterations in people exposed to moderate-to-high levels of emotional maltreatment with/without psychopathology. We measured metabolites in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC) acquired with single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and anatomical connectivity assessed with probabilistic tractography in 46 healthy young adults who experienced no-to-low level parental verbal abuse (paVA) during their childhood and adolescence. The partial least square regression (PLSR) model showed that individual variance of perceived paVA was associated with chemical properties and structural connectivity of pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC; prediction R2 = 0.23). The jackknife test was used to identify features that significantly contributed to the partial least square regression (PLSR) model; a negative association of paVA was found with myo-inositol concentration, anatomical connectivities with the right caudate and with the right transverse temporal gyrus. Of note, positive associations were also found with the left pars triangularis, left cuneus, right inferior temporal cortex, right entorhinal cortex and right amygdala. Our results showing both a negative association of frontal glial function and positive associations of anatomical connectivities in several networks associated with threat detection or visual information processing suggest both anatomical and neurochemical adaptive changes in medial frontolimbic networks to low-level paVA experiences.

Fast and accurate interrogation of complex samples containing diseased cells or pathogens is important to make informed decisions on clinical and public health issues. Inertial microfluidics has been increasingly employed for such investigations to isolate target bioparticles from liquid samples with size and/or deformability-based manipulation. This phenomenon is especially useful for the clinic, owing to its rapid, label-free nature of target enrichment that enables further downstream assays. Inertial microfluidics leverages the principle of inertial focusing, which relies on the balance of inertial and viscous forces on particles to align them into size-dependent laminar streamlines. Several distinct microfluidic channel geometries (e.g., straight, curved, spiral, contraction-expansion array) have been optimized to achieve inertial focusing for a variety of purposes, including particle purification and enrichment, solution exchange, and particle alignment for on-chip assays. In this review, we will discuss how inertial microfluidics technology has contributed to improving accuracy of various assays to provide clinically relevant information. This comprehensive review expands upon studies examining both endogenous and exogenous targets from real-world samples, highlights notable hybrid devices with dual functions, and comments on the evolving outlook of the field.

Adenosine (AD), which is used for treating wrinkles, exhibits poor skin permeation. The aim of the present study was to develop a cross-linked silicone-based cellulose elastomer as an elastic artificial skin for the treatment of skin wrinkles, a biocompatible lipid-based nano-carrier for enhancing the skin permeation of AD, and a formulation consisting of the lipid-based carrier incorporated in the elastic artificial skin. AD-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were prepared using a double-emulsion method. Particle characteristics and mechanical properties of SLNs and elastic artificial skin, respectively, were assessed. Skin permeation was evaluated using SkinEthic RHE tissue, a reconstructed human epidermis model. The mean particle size and zeta potential for SLNs ranged from 123.57 to 248.90 nm and −13.23 to −41.23 mV, respectively. The components of neither SLNs nor the elastic artificial skin were cytotoxic, according to cell- and tissue-viability assays and EU classification. SLNs and the elastic artificial skin exhibited sustained drug release for 48 h. The amount of AD released from SLNs and elastic artificial skin was approximately 10 times and 5 times higher, respectively, than that from AD solution. Therefore, elastic artificial skin incorporated with AD-loaded SLNs may serve as a promising topical delivery system for cosmeceutical treatment of skin wrinkles.

The armed forces of major nations have utilized modeling and simulation technologies to develop weapon systems corresponding to changing modern battlefields and reducing the development cycle. However, model design is complex owing to the characteristics of current weapons, which require multiple functions. Therefore, this study proposes a method to support the automated design of weapon system models for simulation. We apply module-based modeling and an intelligent modeling process to our devised method. The former formalizes constituents and constraints regarding an element combination to design the required model, while the latter applies case-based reasoning (CBR) to intelligentize the modeling process based on the results of the former. Using a case study, our proposed method demonstrates that models that respond to operational circumstances can be designed based on simulation results. Consequently, when weapon systems can be represented in formalized structures and constituents, the weapon models can be reusable based on the addition, modification, and replacement of modules in the common structure. The CBR process can provide the models that satisfy the requirements by retrieving similar models and modifying the models. The proposed method is applicable to the process of weapon system design or improvement for changing battlefields.

This study aimed to improve the solubility and dissolution of aprepitant, a drug with poor aqueous solubility, using a phosphatidylcholine (PC)-based solid dispersion system. When fabricating the PC-based solid dispersion, we employed mesoporous microparticles, as an adsorbent, and disintegrants to improve the sticky nature of PC and dissolution of aprepitant, respectively. The solid dispersions were prepared by a solvent evaporation technique and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray powder diffraction. The FTIR results showed that aprepitant interacted with the PC carrier by both hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces that can also be observed in the interaction between aprepitant and polymer carriers. The solid dispersions fabricated with only PC were not sufficient to convert the crystallinity of aprepitant to an amorphous state, whereas the formulations that included adsorbent and disintegrant successfully changed that of aprepitant to an amorphous state. Both the solubility and dissolution of aprepitant were considerably enhanced in the PC-based solid dispersions containing adsorbent and disintegrant compared with those of pure aprepitant and polymer-based solid dispersions. Therefore, these results suggest that our PC-based solid dispersion system is a promising alternative to conventional formulations for poorly water-soluble drugs, such as aprepitant.

As the main symptom of Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia is memory loss, patient compliance for donepezil hydrochloride (donepezil), administered as once-daily oral formulations, is poor. Thus, we aimed to design poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres (MS) with alginate-coated large pores as an injectable depot of donepezil exhibiting sustained release over 2–3 weeks. The PLGA MS with large pores could provide large space for loading drugs with high loading capacity, and thereby sufficient amounts of drugs were considered to be delivered with minimal use of PLGA MS being injected. However, initial burst release of donepezil from the porous PLGA MS was observed. To reduce this initial burst release, the surface pores were closed with calcium alginate coating using a spray-ionotropic gelation method. The final pore-closed PLGA MS showed in vitro sustained release for approximately 3 weeks, and the initial burst release was remarkably decreased by the calcium alginate coating. In the prediction of plasma drug concentration profiles using convolution method, the mean residence time of the pore-closed PLGA MS was 2.7-fold longer than that of the porous PLGA MS. Therefore, our results reveal that our pore-closed PLGA MS formulation is a promising candidate for the treatment of dementia with high patient compliance.

In this study, we investigated the effects of InGaN/GaN-based interlayer (IL) and electron emitting layer (EEL) consisting of a GaN barrier layer grown with different metal-organic (MO) precursors of gallium (Ga), which were grown underneath the active layer. The growth behavior of GaN with triethyl Ga (TEGa) showed an increasing growth time due to a lower growth rate compared with GaN grown with trimethyl Ga (TMGa), resulting in the formation of columnar domains and grain boundary with reduced defect. UV-A light emitting diode (LED) chips with three types of ILs and EELs, grown with different MO sources, were fabricated and evaluated by light output power (LOP) measurements. The LOP intensity of UVLED-III with the GaN barrier layer-based IL and EEL grown by TEGa was enhanced by 1.5 times compared to that of the IL and EEL grown with TMGa at 300 mA current injection. Use of the GaN barrier layer in ILs and EELs grown by TEGa improved the crystal quality of the post grown InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well, which reduces leakage current. Therefore, for the UV-A LED with ILs and EELs grown with TEGa MO precursors, electrical and optical properties were improved significantly.

In a mass casualty incident, the factors that determine the survival rate of injured patients are diverse, but one of the key factors is the time for triage. Additionally, the main factor that determines the time of triage is the number of medical personnel. However, when relying on a small number of medical personnel, the ability to increase survivability is limited. Therefore, developing a classification model for survival prediction that can quickly and precisely triage via wearable devices without medical personnel is important. In this study, we designed a consciousness index to substitute the factor by manpower and improved the classification accuracy by applying a machine learning algorithm. First, logistic regression analysis using vital signs and a consciousness index capable of remote monitoring through wearable devices confirmed the high efficiency of the consciousness index. We then developed a classification model with high accuracy which corresponds to existing injury severity scoring systems through the machine learning algorithms. We extracted 460,865 cases which met our criteria for developing the survival prediction from the national sample project in the national trauma databank which contains 408,316 cases of blunt injury and 52,549 cases of penetrating injury. Among the dataset, 17,918 (3.9%) cases died while the other survived. The AUCs with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the different models with the proposed simplified consciousness score as follows: RTS (as baseline), 0.78 (95% CI = 0.775 to 0.785); logistic regression, 0.87 (95% CI = 0.862 to 0.870); random forest, 0.87 (95% CI = 0.862 to 0.872); deep neural network, 0.89 (95% CI = 0.882 to 0.890). As a result, we confirmed the possibility of remote triage using a wearable device. It is expected that the time required for triage can be effectively reduced by using the developed classification model of survival prediction.

The first part of this study reviewed the characteristics of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and summarized the results of in vitro studies related to its antimicrobial effects. The second part of this review covers in vivo studies including human clinical studies and animal studies. The use of Ca(OH)2 as an intracanal medicament represented better histological results in animal studies. However, human clinical studies showed limited antimicrobial effects that microorganisms were reduced but not eliminated through the treatment, and that some species had resistance to Ca(OH)2. Most of clinical outcome studies supported that there is no improvement in healing of periapical lesions when Ca(OH)2 was applied between appointments. Further studies are required for the antimicrobial effects of Ca(OH)2, and search for the ideal material and technique to completely clean infected root canals should be continued.

The goal of endodontic treatment is the prevention and control of pulpal and periradicular infections. Calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) has been widely used in endodontics as an intracanal medicament to eliminate the remaining microorganisms after chemomechanical preparation. The purpose of this article is to review the antimicrobial properties of Ca(OH)2 as an intracanal medicament in root canal treatment. The first part of this review details the characteristics of Ca(OH)2 and summarizes the results of in vitro studies related to its antimicrobial effect. The antimicrobial effect of Ca(OH)2 results from the release of hydroxyl ions when it comes into contact with aqueous fluids. Ca(OH)2 has a wide range of antimicrobial effects against common endodontic pathogens, but is less effective against Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans. The addition of vehicles or other agents might contribute to the antimicrobial effect of Ca(OH)2.

In this study, we aimed to design a highly swellable and mechanically robust matrix tablet (SMT) as a gastroretentive drug-delivery system (GRDDS) capable of improving the dissolution behavior of β-lapachone with low aqueous solubility. For the preparation of SMTs, the cogrinding technique and freeze−thaw method were used to disperse β-lapachone in SMTs in an amorphous state and to enhance the swelling and mechanical properties of SMTs, respectively. As a result, the crystallinity of coground β-lapachone incorporated in the SMTs was found to be considerably decreased; thereby, the dissolution rates of the drug in a simulated gastric fluid could be substantially increased. The SMTs of β-lapachone also demonstrated significantly enhanced swelling and mechanical properties compared to those of a marketed product. The reason for this might be because the physically crosslinked polymeric networks with a porous structure that were formed in SMTs through the freeze−thaw method. In addition, β-lapachone was gradually released from the SMTs in 6 h. Therefore, SMTs of β-lapachone developed in this study could be used as GRDDS with appropriate swelling and mechanical properties for improving the dissolution behavior of hydrophobic drugs such as β-lapachone.

Itraconazole (ITZ) is an anti-fungal agent generally used to treat cutaneous mycoses. For efficient delivery of ITZ to the skin tissues, an oil-in-water (O/W) cream formulation was developed. The O/W cream base was designed based on the solubility measurement of ITZ in various excipients. A physical mixture of the O/W cream base and ITZ was also prepared as a control formulation to evaluate the effects of the solubilized state of ITZ in cream base on the in vitro skin deposition behavior of ITZ. Polarized light microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry demonstrated that ITZ was fully solubilized in the O/W cream formulation. The O/W cream formulation exhibited considerably enhanced deposition of ITZ in the stratum corneum, epidermis, and dermis compared with that of the physical mixture, largely owing to its high solubilization capacity for ITZ. Therefore, the O/W cream formulation of ITZ developed in this study is promising for the treatment of cutaneous mycoses caused by fungi such as dermatophytes and yeasts.

Capillary condensation is the first-order vapor-to-liquid phase transition taking place in confined geometries. Such heterogeneous nucleation has been well described by thermodynamic laws such as the Kelvin equation, but the equation’s applicability at the nanoscale is still unresolved. Here, we show that the Kelvin equation is valid down to approximately 0.5 nm radius of curvature when the curvature dependence of surface tension is taken into account. By the shear-mode atomic force microscopy, we have measured directly and accurately the critical tip-surface distance (d_{c}) at which the water meniscus is capillary condensed in ambient condition; e.g., d_{c}≈1.2 nm at 10% relative humidity. In particular, we can determine the Tolman length, the unique characteristic of the curvature-dependent surface tension, as the single fitting parameter (δ=0.21±0.05 nm). Our results that unify the validity of the Kelvin equation at molecular scale and the characterization of the curvature effect of surface tension may provide a better understanding of general nucleation phenomena in nature, including the role of nanometric aerosols in cloud formation.

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We propose a new mathematical framework for estimating pulse arrival time (PAT). Existing methods of estimating PAT rely on local characteristic points or global parametric models: local characteristic point methods detect points such as foot points, max points, or max slope points, while global parametric methods fit a parametric form to the anacrotic phase of pulse signals. Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses; we take advantage of the favorable properties of both approaches in our method. To be more precise, we transform continuous pulse signals into scalar timing codes through three consecutive transformations, the last of which is a linear transformation. By training the linear transformation method on a subset of data, the proposed method yields results that are robust to noise. We apply this method to real photoplethysmography (PPG) signals and analyze the agreement between our results and those obtained using a conventional approach.

Background: Previous studies assessing surgical fixation of osteoporotic proximal humeral fractures have primarily focused on medial calcar support. In this study, we utilized a specific model for 2-part surgical neck fracture of the osteoporotic proximal humerus to investigate how severe comminution of the greater tuberosity (GT) lateral wall affects biomechanical stability after fixation with a plate. Methods: Ten matched pairs of cadaveric humeri (right and left) were assigned to either a surgical neck fracture alone (the SN group) or a surgical neck fracture with GT lateral wall comminution (the LW group) with use of block randomization. We removed 5 mm of the lateral wall of the GT to simulate severe comminution of the lateral wall. Axial compression stiffness, torsional stiffness, varus bending stiffness, and the single load to failure in varus bending were measured for all plate-bone constructs. Results: Compared with the SN group, the LW group showed a significant decrease in all measures, including torsional stiffness (internal, p = 0.007; external, p = 0.007), axial compression stiffness (p = 0.002), and varus bending stiffness (p = 0.007). In addition, the mean single load to failure in varus bending for the LW group was 62% lower than that for the SN group (p = 0.005). Conclusions: Severe comminution of the GT lateral wall significantly compromised the biomechanical stability of osteoporotic, comminuted humeral surgical neck fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]