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Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma (HCCC) is a rare, low-grade malignant tumor of the salivary gland. It usually originates from the minor salivary gland, with the most common site being the palate, followed by the lips and the buccal mucosa. The occurrence of HCCC at the base of the tongue (BOT) is extremely uncommon, thus it must be differentiated from other malignant clear cell tumors. Immunohistochemistry is a useful tool to make an appropriate diagnosis. To obtain the best prognosis for HCCC, complete surgical resection is necessary. Here we report a case of a 47-year-old male with a benign-looking neoplasm in the right BOT, presenting with throat discomfort. A simple excisional biopsy revealed proliferative nests of clear cells within a hyalinized fibrous connective tissue. The final diagnosis by immunohistochemistry was HCCC with a positive resection margin. Re-operation secured a safety margin, and the lesion was completely resected.

The interaction between Ir and La via O atoms as a bridge in a-IrOx/LaCO3OH boosts the acidic OER activity of a-IrOx.

In this paper, we propose a trajectory tracking controller with experimental verification for torpedo-like autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with underactuation characteristics. The proposed controller overcomes the underactuation problem by designing the desired error dynamics in a coupled form using state variables in body-fixed and world coordinates. Unlike the back-stepping control requiring high-order derivatives of state variables, the proposed controller only requires the first derivatives of the states, which can alleviate noise magnification issues due to differentiation. We adopt time delay estimation to estimate the dynamics indirectly using control inputs and vehicle outputs, making the proposed controller relatively easy to apply without requiring the all of the vehicle dynamics. We also address some practical issues that commonly arise in experimental environments: handling measurement noises and actuation limits. To mitigate the effects of noise on the controller, a filtering technique using a moving window average is employed. Additionally, to account for the actuation limits, we design an anti-windup structure that takes into consideration the nonlinearity between the thrusting force and rotating speed of the thruster. We verify the tracking performance of the proposed controller through experimentation using an AUV. The experimental results show that the 3D motion control of the proposed controller exhibits an RMS error of 0.3216 m and demonstrate that the proposed controller achieves accurate tracking performance, making it suitable for survey missions that require tracking errors of less than one meter.

For high-efficiency NH3 synthesis via ambient-condition electrohydrogenation of inert N2, it is pivotal to ingeniously design an active electrocatalyst with multiple features of abundant surfacial deficiency, good conductivity and large surface area. Here, oxygen-deficient SnO2 nanoparticles encapsulated by ultrathin carbon layer (d-SnO2@C) are developed by hydrothermal deposition coupled with annealing process, as promising catalysts for ambient electrocatalytic N2 reduction. d-SnO2@C exhibits high activity and excellent selectivity for electrocatalytic conversion of N2 to NH3 in acidic electrolytes, with Faradic efficiency as high as 12.7% at −0.15 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and large NH3 yield rate of 16.68 μg h−1 mgcat−1 at −0.25 V vs. RHE in 0.1 M HCl. Benefiting from the structural superiority of enhanced charge transfer efficiency and optimized surface states, d-SnO2@C also achieves excellent long-term stability.

This study presents a mission management technique that is a key component of underwater docking system used to expand the operating range of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). We analyzed the docking scenario and AUV operating environment, defining the feasible initial area (FIA) level, event level, and global path (GP) command to improve the rate of docking success and AUV safety. Non-holonomic constraints, mounted sensor characteristic, AUV and mission state, and AUV behavior were considered. Using AUV and docking station, we conducted experiments on land and at sea. The first test was conducted on land to prevent loss and damage of the AUV and verify stability and interconnection with other algorithms; it performed well in normal and abnormal situations. Subsequently, we attempted to dock under the sea and verified its performance; it also worked well in a sea environment. In this study, we presented the mission management technique and showed its performance. We demonstrated AUV docking with this algorithm and verified that the rate of docking success was higher compared to those obtained in other studies.

PDF file - 1223K, S1 Aberrant regulation of HDAC2 in human gastric cancer S2 Effect of HDAC2 knockdown on cell cycle distribution in MKN-1 cells S3 Western blot analysis of cell cycle regulatory proteins in MKN-1. S4 HDAC2 knockdown induces apoptosis and autophagic cell death in human gastric cancer cell line

Aberrant regulation of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) was reported for gastric cancers. However, responsive cancer genes in disease onset and progression are less understood. HDAC2 expression was studied by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting. The functional consequences of HDAC2 knockdown on cell-cycle regulation, programmed cell death, and gene target identification was investigated by flow cytometry, Western blotting, electron microscopy, anchorage-independent colony formation, and cell migration assay and by whole-genome microarray. Therapeutic efficacy of HDAC2 knockdown was determined in nude mice with small hairpin expressing human gastric cancer cells. Epigenetic regulation of p16INK4a was studied by methylation-specific PCR and chromatin-IP to evidence HDAC2 or acetylated-histone-H4 binding at gene specific promoter sequences. HDAC2 gene and protein expression was significantly upregulated in different histopathologic grades of human gastric cancers and cancer cell lines. HDAC2 inactivation significantly reduced cell motility, cell invasion, clonal expansion, and tumor growth. HDAC2 knockdown-induced G1–S cell cycle arrest and restored activity of p16INK4a and the proapoptotic factors. This treatment caused PARP cleavage and hypophosphorylation of the Rb-protein, repressed cyclinD1, CDK4, and Bcl-2 expression and induced autophagic phenotype, that is, LC3B-II conversion. Some gastric tumors and cancer cells displayed p16INK4a promoter hypermethylation but treatment with 5-aza-deoxycitidine restored activity. With others the methylation status was unchanged. Here, chromatin-IP evidenced HDAC2 binding. Nonetheless, expression of p16INK4a was restored by HDAC2 knockdown with notable histone-H4-acetylation, as determined by chromatin-IP. Thus, p16INK4a is regulated by HDAC2. HDAC2 is a bona fide target for novel molecular therapies in gastric cancers. Mol Cancer Res; 11(1); 62–73. ©2012 AACR.

Background and Objectives A recent study revealed that calcitonin gene-related protein (CGRP) plays an important role in inflammatory airway diseases. However, the influence of CGRP on chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has not been studied. This study investigated the expression, activity, and potential pathogenic role of CGRP in patients with CRS with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP).Subjects and Method Patients with CRSwNP and control subjects were enrolled. The CRSwNP group was divided according to the presence of eosinophilic polyps and non-eosinophilic polyps. Nasal polyps (NPs) and uncinate tissues (UTs) from patients with CRSwNP and UTs from control subjects were obtained to investigate the expression of α-/β-CGRP and chromogranin A. In addition, the expression patterns of cytokines following exposure to exogenous CGRP were analyzed in dispersed nasal polyp cells (DNPCs) from patients with eosinophilic or non-eosinophilic CRSwNP. The effects of CGRP on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nuclear factor-kappa light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling change were evaluated in THP-1 cells.Results The expression of α-/β-CGRP and number of CGRP-producing cells were significantly higher in NPs from patients with CRSwNP than in UTs from controls. Exogenous CGRP decreased the expression of inflammatory cytokines and increased that of the anti-inflammatory cytokines in DNPCs from patients with eosinophilic nasal polyps (EPs) and also increased the expression of tissue remodeling-related and anti-inflammatory cytokines in DNPCs from patients with non-eosinophilic nasal polyps (N-EPs). CGRP inhibited the nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor (IκB) phosphorylation and NF-κB translocation in LPS-stimulated M1 macrophages.Conclusion CGRP expression in NPs may play a significant role in nasal polypogenesis through inflammatory modulation, and it could be a future target to modulate certain aspects of CRSwNP.

BackgroundAbatacept (Aba) is a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 and fragment crystallizable fusion protein. Aba blocks B7/Cluster of differentiation 28 - cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 costimulatory pathway, inhibits cluster of differentiation 4+T-cell activation, and is used as an anti-inflammatory drug.ObjectivesWe conducted this study to assess the effectiveness of Aba in the treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) in a mouse model.MethodsWe divided 40 four-week-old BALB/c mice into four groups: control group ( n = 10), positive control group (AR, n = 10), Aba group (AR + Aba, n = 10), and dexamethasone group (AR + Dex, n = 10). Mice in each group were challenged intranasally with daily ovalbumin (OVA) administration. Episodes of sneezing and nose rubbing were counted. Mice were sacrificed on day 42 and cytokines were measured in nasal lavage fluid. Nasal mucosae of five mice from each group were used for reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and western blot assay. Samples were collected from five mice from each group for histological analysis.ResultsSymptoms of AR significantly improved in the AR + Aba and AR + Dex groups compared with the AR group. Fewer eosinophils and goblet cells were seen in the AR + Aba and AR + Dex groups compared with the AR group. Both the AR + Aba and AR + Dex groups showed a significant decrease in nasal T helper 2 cytokine levels, including interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-13 and T cell activation related IL-17A, and interferon gamma (IFN- γ). Total immunoglobulin (Ig) E and OVA-specific IgG1 levels were also significantly lower in the AR + Aba and AR + Dex groups. OVA-specific IgE level was also significantly lower in the AR + Aba than AR group.ConclusionsAba suppresses allergic inflammation and appears to be a good treatment for AR.

Ten times heavy silver loading into a 3D scaffold via a strong Ag+–pN interaction between silver cations and argentophilic pyridinic nitrogen of melamine provides a strong lithiophilicity, largely improving lithium plating/stripping reversibility.

The IrO2/LiLa2IrO6 electrocatalyst achieves a win–win situation for both activity and stability towards the OER in acidic media, attributed to the in situ formed IrOx and strong interaction between IrOx and bulk LiLa2IrO6.

The discovery presented here revealed that oxidative potentials could facilitate redox reactions and/or oxygen evolution depending on the catalytic activity at the bismuth and ruthenium sites of Bi2Ru2O7 during electrocatalysis.

Very strong catalyst–support interaction was realized by supporting FePc with Ti3C2, encouraging biased electron transfer to Fe. 4e ORR activity was improved to suppress peroxide production and therefore to have ORR durability guaranteed.

The development of anode materials with high-rate capability is critical to high-power lithium batteries. T-Nb2O5 has been widely reported to exhibit pseudocapacitive behavior and fast lithium storage capability. However, the other polymorphs of Nb2O5 prepared at higher temperatures have the potential to achieve even higher specific capacity and tap density than T-Nb2O5, offering higher volumetric power and energy density. Here, micrometer-sized H-Nb2O5 with rich Wadsley planar defects (denoted as d-H-Nb2O5) is designed for fast lithium storage. The performance of H-Nb2O5 with local rearrangements of [NbO6] octahedra blocks surpasses that of T-Nb2O5 in terms of specific capacity, rate capability, and stability. A wide range variation in valence of niobium ions upon lithiation was observed for defective H-Nb2O5 via operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Operando extended X-ray absorption fine structure and ex-situ Raman spectroscopy reveals a large and reversible distortion of the structure in the two-phase region. Computation and ex-situ X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the shear structure expands along major lithium diffusion pathways and contracts in the direction perpendicular to the shear plane. Planar defects relieve strain through perpendicular arrangements of blocks, minimizing volume change and enhancing structural stability. In addition, strong Li adsorption on planar defects enlarges intercalation capacity. Different from nanostructure engineering, our strategy to modify the planar defects in the bulk phase can effectively improve the intrinsic property. The findings in this work offer new insights into designing fast Li-ion storage materials in micrometer sizes through defect engineering, and the strategy is applicable to the material discovery for other energy-related applications.

The chemical industry releases various types of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere, and the concentration of VOCs emitted from chimneys is regulated worldwide. However, some VOCs such as benzene are highly carcinogenic, while others such as ethylene and propylene may cause secondary air pollution, owing to their high ozone-generating ability. Accordingly, the US EPA(United State, Environment Protect Agency) introduced a fenceline monitoring system that regulates the concentration of VOCs at the boundary of a facility, away from the chimney source. This system was first introduced in the petroleum refining industry, which simultaneously emits benzene, affecting the local community because of its high carcinogenicity, and ethylene, propylene, xylene, and toluene, which have a high photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP). These emissions contribute to air pollution. In Korea, the concentration at the chimney is regulated; however, the concentration at the plant boundary is not considered. In accordance with the EPA regulations, Korea’s petroleum refining industries were identified and the limitations of the Clean Air Conservation Act were studied. The average concentration of benzene at the research facility examined in this study was 8.53 µg/m3, which complied with the benzene action level of 9 µg/m3. However, this value was exceeded at some points along the fenceline, in proximity to the benzene-toluene-xylene (BTX) manufacturing process. The composition ratios of toluene and xylene were 27% and 16%, respectively, which were higher than those of ethylene or propylene. These results suggest that reduction measures in the BTX manufacturing process are necessary. This study shows that legal regulations should enforce reduction measures through continuous monitoring at the fenceline of petroleum refineries in Korea. Implications: Although volatile organic compounds(VOCs) are essential in various industrial sites, they adversely affect the health of people in the near community. Benzene is highly carcinogenic, so it is dangerous if exposed continuously. In addition, there are various types of VOCs, which combine with atmospheric ozone to generate smog. Globally, VOCs are managed as Total VOCs. However, through this study, VOCs have priority, and in the case of the petroleum refining industry, it is suggested that VOCs should be preemptively measured and analyzed to be regulated. In addition, it is necessary to minimize the impact on the local community by regulating the concentration at the fenceline beyond the chimney measurement.