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The electronic and optical characteristics of molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) film significantly vary with its thickness, and thus a rapid and accurate estimation of the number of MoS2 layers is critical in practical applications as well as in basic researches. Various existing methods are currently available for the thickness measurement, but each has drawbacks. Transmission electron microscopy allows actual counting of the MoS2 layers, but is very complicated and requires destructive processing of the sample to the point where it will no longer be useable after characterization. Atomic force microscopy, particularly when operated in the tapping mode, is likewise time-consuming and suffers from certain anomalies caused by an improperly chosen set point, that is, free amplitude in air for the cantilever. Raman spectroscopy is a quick characterization method for identifying one to a few layers, but the laser irradiation causes structural degradation of the MoS2. Optical microscopy works only when MoS2 is on a silicon substrate covered with SiO2 of 100~300 nm thickness. The last two optical methods are commonly limited in resolution to the micrometer range due to the diffraction limits of light. We report here a method of measuring the distribution of the number of MoS2 layers using a low voltage field emission electron microscope with acceleration voltages no greater than 1 kV. We found a linear relationship between the FESEM contrast and the number of MoS2 layers. This method can be used to characterize MoS2 samples at nanometer-level spatial resolution, which is below the limits of other methods.

Biomolecular phase separation denotes the demixing of a specific set of intracellular components without membrane encapsulation. Recent studies have found that biomolecular phase separation is involved in a wide range of cellular processes. In particular, phase separation is involved in the formation and regulation of chromosome structures at various levels. Here, we review the current understanding of biomolecular phase separation related to chromosomes. First, we discuss the fundamental principles of phase separation and introduce several examples of nuclear/chromosomal biomolecular assemblies formed by phase separation. We also briefly explain the experimental and computational methods used to study phase separation in chromosomes. Finally, we discuss a recent phase separation model, termed bridging-induced phase separation (BIPS), which can explain the formation of local chromosome structures.

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of carbonated water on etched or sealed enamel according to the carbonation level and the presence of calcium ions. Methods Carbonated water with different carbonation levels was manufactured by a soda carbonator. Seventy-five premolar teeth were randomly divided into a control group and 4 experimental groups in accordance with the carbonation level and the presence of calcium ions in the test solutions. After specimen preparation of the Unexposed, Etched, and Sealed enamel subgroups, all the specimens were submerged in each test solution for 15 minutes three times a day during 7 days. Microhardness tests on the Unexposed and Etched enamel subgroups were performed with 10 specimens from each group. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tests on the Unexposed, Etched, and Sealed enamel subgroups were performed with 5 specimens from each group. Microhardness changes in different groups were statistically compared using paired t-tests, the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results The microhardness changes were significantly different between the groups (p = 0.000). The microhardness changes in all experimental groups except Group 3 (low-level carbonated water with calcium ions) were significantly greater than those in the Control group. SEM showed that etched areas of the specimen were affected by carbonated water and the magnitude of destruction varied between groups. Adhesive material was partially removed in groups exposed to carbonated water. Conclusions Carbonated water has negative effects on etched or sealed enamel, resulting in decreased microhardness and removal of the adhesive material.

Background Placenta percreta is the most severe form of abnormal placental attachment. Spontaneous uterine rupture due to placenta percreta is extremely rare and difficult to diagnose in the first trimester. Most prior cases were associated with some risk factor for placenta percreta. We report a case of placenta percreta–induced spontaneous uterine rupture at the 7th week of pregnancy after in vitro fertilization in a primigravida woman who was not otherwise at risk of placenta percreta. Case Report A 34-year-old, primigravida woman at the 7th week of pregnancy presented with sudden severe abdominal pain. The patient was impregnated by frozen embryo transfer. The patient's antenatal course was unremarkable and she had no risk factor for placenta percreta. An emergency laparotomy was performed to diagnose the cause of hemoperitoneum and the operative findings included a hemoperitoneum of 2000 mL and a fundal uterine defect of 3 × 2 cm with placental tissue penetrating through the uterine serosa. Histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of placenta percreta. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Placenta percreta is associated with serious morbidity and mortality during pregnancy, but it is quite rare and difficult to diagnosis in the first trimester. Emergency physicians should suspect uterine rupture due to placenta percreta in pregnant women with abdominal pain even in their first trimester of pregnancy and without risk factors of placenta percreta, especially in in vitro fertilization pregnancies.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the major component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, binds Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-MD2 complex and activates innate immune responses. LPS transfer to TLR4-MD2 is catalyzed by both LPS binding protein (LBP) and CD14. To define the sequential molecular interactions underlying this transfer, we reconstituted in vitro the entire LPS transfer process from LPS micelles to TLR4-MD2. Using electron microscopy and single-molecule approaches, we characterized the dynamic intermediate complexes for LPS transfer: LBP-LPS micelles, CD14-LBP-LPS micelle, and CD14-LPS-TLR4-MD2 complex. A single LBP molecule bound longitudinally to LPS micelles catalyzed multi-rounds of LPS transfer to CD14s that rapidly dissociated from LPB-LPS complex upon LPS transfer via electrostatic interactions. Subsequently, the single LPS molecule bound to CD14 was transferred to TLR4-MD2 in a TLR4-dependent manner. The definition of the structural determinants of the LPS transfer cascade to TLR4 may enable the development of targeted therapeutics for intervention in LPS-induced sepsis.

In organic photovoltaics (OPVs), determining the energy-level alignment of a donor and an acceptor is particularly important since the interfacial energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level of a donor and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level of an acceptor (E-E) gives the theoretical maximum value of the open-circuit voltage (VOC). To increase the E-E, non-fullerene acceptors, which have a lower electron affinity (EA) than C60, are receiving increasing attention. In this study, we investigated the energy-level alignment at the interface of a boron chloride subphthalocyanine (SubPc) donor and a halogenated SubPc (Cl6SubPc) acceptor using soft X-ray spectroscopy techniques. The estimated E-E of Cl6SubPc/SubPc was 1.95 eV, which was significantly higher than that of 1.51 eV found at the interface of C60/SubPc. This increased E-E was the origin of the enhanced VOC in OPVs. Additionally, we studied the molecular orientation of Cl6SubPc using angle-dependent X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The highly disordered Cl6SubPc molecules result in low carrier mobility, which contributes to the lower short-circuit current density of the Cl6SubPc acceptor OPVs than the C60 acceptor OPVs.

This paper is about the fault diagnosis of ESS(Energy Storage Systems. It can prevent "heat explosion" and "insulation distance problem caused by heat" which are the causes of fire of ESS for the safe and efficient operation of ESS. In this paper, the ESS is selectively charged through a PCS(Power Conversion System) according to the algorithm and SOC(State Of Charge) through the CCM(Coulomb Counting Method) for predicting the accurate SOC. Also, the battery of ESS can be managed reliably by fault diagnosis through the charge time using PCS and by predicting the SOH(State Of Health). In this paper, the proposed algorithm is 3 [kW] PCS and its validity is verified through experiments.

Existing rapid chargers use a two-stage module (AC/DC and DC/DC converter) to increase capacity and facilitate fault diagnosis. The number of modules in a modular charger is determined by the capacity. This modular method can improve the paid efficiency. However, if the same module operates continuously, the replacement cycle of the modules can be shortened due to differences in the life spans of modules. Furthermore, modular chargers require high power density. Due to their limited size, all the modules must be changed if the capacity is exceeded. Hence, they must be designed with a high power density. Therefore, this study proposes a rapid charger using a three-level DC/DC converter that constantly operates every module with high efficiency and power density, which can increase capacity using transformers connected in series and parallel.

In this paper, Multi-parallel operation control method of four Power Conversion System (PCS) modules is proposed to increase overall Energy Storage System (ESS) Each module with 25kW should be controlled to share the same power, and if the output voltage and output current of each module are different, control is performed to compensate for the same value. In the proposed control scheme, the power sharing between PCSs for each module is made equal to minimize the circulating current. In addition, Silicon Carbide (SiC) Semiconductor with more advantages than Silicon (Si) semiconductor were used. The analysis of the proposed method and design procedure are explained for four PCS connected in parallel. The effectiveness of proposed method is verified by simulation and experiment.

Background and Purpose- Acceleration of longitudinal relaxation under hyperoxic challenge (ie, hyperoxia-induced ΔR

Polyaniline-grafted nanodiamond (PAN-ND) nanoparticles were fabricated by polymerizing aniline at the surface of amine-modified NDs for efficient photothermal therapy (PTT). A series of PAN from different aniline concentrations were also prepared to compare the properties and the efficiency of PTT. The polymerization rate of aniline was faster in the presence of NDs than that of aniline alone. Compared to PAN nanoparticles, PAN-ND has a spherical shape, smaller size, and ultimately higher cellular uptake efficiency. The temperature of aqueous PAN-ND dispersion increased to 44.4 °C after laser irradiation for 5 min. In addition, the UV absorbance intensity of PAN-ND increased at the lower pH at the near infrared (NIR) region, resulting in an enhanced photothermal effect at a tumor site. Notably, the viability of HeLa cells treated with PAN-ND decreased by less than 20%, suggesting the high efficiency of PTT. The PAN-ND can be a potential candidate for efficient photothermal tumor therapy.

Objective To evaluate the usefulness of maternal serum c-reactive protein (CRP), lipid peroxide, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), to predict the interval between membrane rupture and delivery in patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM). Methods The present prospective study included patients with singleton pregnancies experiencing PPROM at earlier than 34 weeks of pregnancy who underwent spontaneous vaginal delivery between August 1, 2010 and July 31, 2013 at Chonnam National University Hospital, Republic of Korea. Patients were categorized based on whether delivery occurred within 3 days of PPROM or after. CRP levels, lipid peroxide (using malondialdehyde levels), ORAC, protein carbonyl, and other potential risk factors were compared between the groups. Results There were 72 patients included. Maternal serum CRP levels, malondialdehyde levels, and Bishop Score were higher in patients who underwent delivery within 3 days (all P

In this paper, a residual differential pulse code modulation (RDPCM) coding technique using a weighted linear combination of neighboring residual samples is proposed to provide coding efficiency in the screen content video coding. The RDPCM performs the sample-based prediction of residue to reduce spatial redundancies. The proposed method uses the $l_1$ optimization in the weight derivation by considering the statistical characteristics of graphical components in videos in an intracoding. Specifically we use the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator to derive the weights because the solution is accurate in high variance residue. Furthermore, we enhance parallelism in a line processing by restricting the support to the row-wise prediction to above samples or the column-wise prediction to the left samples. The proposed method uses an explicit RDPCM scheme, so a coding mode determined by rate-distortion optimization is transmitted to a decoder. For coding the overhead, we develop a context design in CABAC based on correlation between an intraprediction direction and an RDPCM prediction mode. It is demonstrated with the experimental results that the proposed method provides a significant coding gain over the state-of-the-art reference codec for screen content video coding.

The air-interlacing nozzle has a yarn channel, an air inlet and a yarn-loading slit. The previously investigated optimum air-interlacing nozzle was analyzed to improve the airflow loss through the slit by reducing the width of the slit and by applying TRIZ tool. TRIZ, the theory of inventive problem solving, was applied to find a solution for the airflow loss through the yarn-loading slit. The airflow inside the air-interlacing nozzle was computed using ANSYS CFX software. The computational results of the air-interlacing nozzle were evaluated by the vorticity, velocity and the airflow loss. The vorticity was increased and the airflow loss was improved slightly when the width of the slit was reduced. The yarn-loading slit is for the yarn loading into the yarn channel before the air-interlacing process. The technical contradiction of the air-interlacing nozzle was that reducing the width of the yarn-loading slit makes it difficult to load the yarn into the yarn channel. Principles 10 and 31 of TRIZ were obtained through the contradiction matrix and were applied to the nozzle. The computational results showed that the vorticity and velocity were increased and the airflow loss through the slit was improved. The air-interlacing nozzle after applying principles of TRIZ showed better results when compared numerically and experimentally with other existing nozzles.

This paper describes the fabrication and evaluation of folic acid (FA)-conjugated nanodiamond (ND) nanoclusters for selective photothermal tumor therapy. ND nanoclusters with surface carboxyl groups are aminated using ethylenediamine and conjugated with FA via carbodiimide chemistry. The temperature of an aqueous ND dispersion (10 μg mL−1) is increased to 54 °C upon laser exposure for 5 min. FA-ND nanoclusters are preferentially taken up by KB cells (folate receptor positive) compared to WI-38 (folate receptor negative) cells, suggesting specificity for tumor cells that overexpress folate receptors. Cell viability tests reveal that FA-ND nanoclusters effectively and selectively ablate KB cells upon near-infrared (NIR) laser exposure. In addition, fluorescence microscopy images confirm that only KB cells treated with FA-ND nanoclusters are ablated in a spot (200 μm in diameter) by NIR laser exposure. In an animal model, a large amount of FA-ND nanoclusters is accumulated into tumor tissue, resulting in dramatically reduced tumor volume post-NIR laser exposure as compared to ND nanoclusters.

Alendronate (Alen)-modified hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles with multilayers of poly(allylamine) (PAA) and alginate (ALG) were fabricated for bone-specific dual delivery of drug and mineral. Negatively charged HAp nanoparticles were coated with three layers of PAA and ALG using a layer-by-layer (LbL) method and then conjugated with Alen at the outmost layer of the LbL-coated HAp nanoparticles via carbodiimide chemistry. Alen-modified HAp nanoparticles had a spherical morphology and an average size of 61.5 nm. The superior adsorption property of the Alen-modified HAp nanoparticles was quantitatively confirmed using tricalcium phosphate disks as a bone model, compared to HAp nanoparticles. Cell culture assays revealed a higher proliferation rate and alkaline phosphatase activity of osteoblasts treated with the Alen-modified HAp nanoparticles.

Welcome to this special issue of Wireless Personal Communications. This issue contains a collection of the best papers out of various authors who have been submitted to this issue. The main goal for this issue is to be a timely vehicle for publishing selected research papers from practitioners and academia in convergence industries on this emerging topic. This issue covers some of the hottest topics in Convergence Interaction for Communication, including: convergence; interactive applications; cloud service; P2P architectures and wireless protocols; data and index structures; motion recognition; future communication system; hybrid networking system; spectrum resource allocation; personal networking and architectures; multiple access techniques; multicasting and computer communications. The paper by Mun et al. [1] proposes the injecting of a subject policy into access control to strengthen the protection of personal information. This study provides two confidential access control models that apply individually established policies to the role-based access control model (RBAC) and the mandatory access control model (MAC) technologies. In the SpRBAC model, a user’s right to access would follow organizational policy, and accessing personal information would be restricted by the subject policy. In the SpMAC model, users would have to satisfy the subject policy established by the provider of the information, in addition to the requirements of the normal MAC policy. The paper by Lee et al. [2] presents variability change management using orthogonal variability model-based traceability. The proposed method is an approach to tracing variability based on explicit

Recently, there has been particular interest in asymmetrickey based untraceable authentication solutions for RFID tags, since they are able to solve the inherent problems, scalability and non-repudiation in symmetric-key based ones. However, most existing schemes suffer from lack of security or inefficiency that limits the use of schemes. In this paper, we construct a new scheme for asymmetric-key based untraceable RFID tag authentication. The proposed scheme satisfies the requirements of both security and privacy for RFID tags, including impersonation resistance and untraceability. It requires only one point scalar multiplications and two hash operations with two messages exchanges. Compared to previous works, it achieves much better security and efficiency.

Subways are used widely for public transportation in major cities and require efficient ventilation systems to maintain indoor air quality in the subway tunnel. A subway tunnel was investigated numerically and experimentally to reduce the particle concentration in subway tunnels. The subway tunnel is 54-m long, 1.65-m high, and 2.5-m wide. The subway tunnel is one-quarter scale of a real subway tunnel. The tunnel has two U-type mechanical ventilation shafts. The steady three-dimensional airflow in the tunnel was analyzed using ANSYS CFX software to solve the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations. The airflow in the tunnel and shafts was observed numerically using the train-wind and air-curtain. The effects of the train-wind, air-curtain, and electric precipitator were examined experimentally. The ventilation performance in the subway tunnel was observed with respect to the particle concentration in the tunnel. The numerical results suggest proper operating conditions for experimental analysis of the particle concentration. The average velocity of the airflow increases in the shaft when the velocity of the air-curtain increases. The particle concentration at the dust monitoring device after ventilation shaft 1 was reduced significantly in the tunnel when the air-curtain and train-wind were operated.

In this paper, we propose a generation of 2D elemental images for 3D objects using Kinect in 3D depth-priority integral imaging (DPII) display. First, we analyze a principle to pickup elemental images based on ray optics. Based on our analysis, elemental images are generated with both RGB image and depth image recorded from Kinect. We reconstruct 3D images from the elemental images with the computational integral imaging reconstruction technique and then compare various perspective images. To show the usefulness of the proposed method, we carried out the preliminary experiments. The experimental results reveal that our method can provide correct 3D images with full parallax.

Background/Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the moderating effects of the growth mindset on the mediating effects of entrepreneurial intention between the entrepreneurship and the expected outcomes of startup.Methods/Statistical analysis: A survey was conducted on 280 employees from H and D cities in Korea. Frequency analysis and correlation analysis were performed for this study. Finally, regression analysis was conducted to analyze the moderated mediation effects.Findings: The main findings were as follows. As a result of correlation analysis, a positive correlation was observed between all the major variables. The growth mindset had a moderating effect on the mediating effect of the entrepreneurial intention between the entrepreneurship and the expected outcomes of startup.Improvements/Applications: Based on the results of this study, we discussed ways to improve the outcome of start-up using entrepreneurship and growth mindset.

In this paper, a switching method is proposed for power device temperature-balancing in a phase-shift full-bridge (PSFB) converter. PSFB is commonly used for applications that require high efficiency, because a zero-voltage switching (ZVS) operation is possible on the primary-side. In PSFB, the circulation current complicates ZVS under a light-load condition, which generates heat. Meanwhile, the heat generated in PSFB creates a temperature deviation between the lagging leg and the leading leg, which shortens the lifetime of the power device, thereby reducing system reliability and efficiency. To solve this problem, previous studies applied a pulse-width modulation (PWM) switching method for light and medium loads, and a phase-shift switching method for the region where ZVS is possible. Although this method has the advantage of easy control, the maximum temperature of the legs of the PSFB increases with medium loads. In this paper, a temperature-balancing algorithm&mdash, a temperature-balance control&mdash, is proposed to decrease the leg temperature using switching based on position exchanges of the leading leg and lagging leg along with PWM switching. Temperature-balance control minimizes leg temperature deviation under light load conditions. The proposed control method provides a minimum temperature difference between the two legs and high efficiency.

In this paper we propose a machine learning-based fast intra-prediction mode decision algorithm, using random forest that is an ensemble model of randomized decision trees. The random forest is used to estimate an intra-prediction mode from a prediction unit and to reduce encoding time significantly by avoiding the intensive Rate-Distortion optimization of a number of intra-prediction modes. To this aim, we develop a randomized tree model including parameterized split functions at nodes to learn directional block-based features. The feature uses only four pixels reflecting a directional property of a block, and, thus the evaluation is fast and efficient. To integrate the proposed technique into the conventional video coding standard frameworks, the intra-prediction mode derived from the proposed technique, called an inferred mode (IM), is used to shrink the pool of the candidate modes before carrying out the Rate-Distortion (R-D) optimization. The proposed technique is implemented into the High Efficiency Video Coding Test Model (HM) reference software of the state-of-the-art video coding standard and Joint Exploration Model (JEM) reference software, by integrating the random forest trained off-line into the codecs. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed technique achieves significant encoding time reduction with only slight coding loss as compared the reference software models.

Background Electrospun fibrous matrices are of great importance for tissue engineering and drug delivery device. However, relatively low mechanical strength of the fibrous matrix is one of the major disadvantages. NDs with a positive charge were selected to enhance the mechanical property of a composited fibrous matrix by inducing the intermolecular interaction between NDs and polymer chain. We prepared ND-composited poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibrous matrices by electrospinning and evaluated their performance in terms of mechanical strength and cell behaviors. Methods A predetermined amounts of NDs (0.5, 1, 2 and 3 wt%) were added into PCL solution in a mixture of chloroform and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (8:2). ND-composited PCL (ND/PCL) fibrous matrices were prepared by electrospinning method. The tensile properties of the ND/PCL fibrous matrices were analyzed by using a universal testing machine. Mouse calvaria-derived preosteoblast (MC3T3-E1) was used for cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay, and Alizarin Red S staining. Results The diameters of the fibrous matrices were adjusted to approximately 1.8 μm by changing process variables. The intermolecular interaction between NDs and PCL polymers resulted in the increased tensile strength and the favorable interfacial adhesion in the ND/PCL fibrous matrices. The ND/PCL fibrous matrix with 1 wt% of ND had the highest tensile strength among the samples and also improved proliferation and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells. Conclusions Compared to the other samples, the ND/PCL fibrous matrix with 1 wt% of ND concentration exhibited superior performances for MC3T3 cells. The ND/PCL fibrous matrix can be potentially used for bone and dental tissue engineering.

This study was performed to investigate the efficacy of chemical sanitizers (viz., chlorine, chlorine dioxide, alcohol, and quaternary ammonium compound) against Bacillus cereus on five food contact materials under different conditions (smooth vs. scratched and with vs. without biofilms). After incubating materials in B. cereus suspension, cell adhesion on a smooth surface (10 cm(2)) was in the following ascending order: stainless steel (7.36 ± 0.08 log CFU), glass (7.51 ± 0.26 log CFU), polyethylene (7.66 ± 0.30 log CFU), polypropylene (7.76 ± 0.30 log CFU), and wood (8.02 ± 0.33 log CFU). The efficacy of sanitizers was dramatically reduced in the presence of a biofilm on all materials. Among four different chemical sanitizers, chlorine showed the best bactericidal activity against B. cereus on the surface with scratch and biofilm. Selection of adequate materials, maintenance of a smooth surface, and inhibition of biofilm formation are good practices for food safety.

This paper describes the fabrication of water-dispersible nanodiamond (ND) clusters with blue fluorescence for cellular bioimaging. Poly(ethylene glycol) carboxyl methyl acid (mPEG-COOH) and alkyl isocyanates with different chain lengths were conjugated onto the surface of the ND clusters for water dispersibility and fluorescence via carbodiimide chemistry. The relative fluorescence intensity was increased with the increases in the chain length of alkyl isocyanate and also their conjugated concentration. The ND clusters (average size of 37.6 nm and zeta potential of 26.6 mV) with mPEG-COOH and octadecyl isocyanate (ODI) emitted relatively higher blue fluorescence intensity under excitation at 350 nm as well as favorable water dispersibility. After cellular uptake of the ND clusters, blue fluorescence inside the cells was confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The ND clusters conjugated with mPEG-COOH and ODI can potentially be used for cellular bioimaging.

To address the ever increasing demand for wireless bandwidth, cognitive radio networks (CRNs) have been proposed to improve the efficiency of channel utilization. CRN permits unlicensed users to utilize the idle spectrum as long as it does not introduce interference to the primary users due to the Federal Communications Commission’s recent regulatory policies. In this paper, we first identify some required distinctive security and privacy features for CRNs focused on ECMA-392, which is the first industrial standard for personal or portable devices in the television white spaces. After that, we propose a delegation based user authentication framework as a basic security and privacy module with full consideration of the required features over CRNs. The proposed framework provides privacy preserving yet accountable security within the CRN entities. Security and privacy analyses show that the proposed framework supports unlinkability, context privacy, anonymity, no registration and conditional traceability, which are the required security and privacy aspects in CRNs.

Amal Kumar Ghimeray,1 Un Sun Jung,1,2 Ha Youn Lee,1 Young Hoon Kim,1 Eun Kyung Ryu,1 Moon Sik Chang11R&D Center, Natural Solution Co., Ltd, Gojan-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Horticultural Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Republic of KoreaBackground: In phytotherapy, the therapeutic potential is based on the combined action of different herbal drugs. Our objective was to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-collagenase (in vitro), and anti-wrinkle (in vivo) effect of combined formulation containing Ginkgo biloba, Punica granatum, Ficus carica, and Morus alba fruits extract.Methods: Antioxidant evaluation was based on the scavenging activity of free radicals (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, H2O2, and O2-) and the anti-collagenase activity was based on the reduction of collagenase enzyme in vitro. In an in vivo study, 21 female subjects were examined in a placebo-controlled trail. Facial wrinkle, especially the crow's feet region of eyes, was treated with topical formulated 2% cream for 56 days and compared with the placebo.Results: In the in vitro study, the combination of fruits extract showed a higher antioxidant activity which was comparable with the positive standard (ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxyanisole, and Trolox). The data also showed a dose-dependent inhibition of collagenase. In the in vivo study, treatment with 2% formulated cream for 56 days significantly reduced the percentage of wrinkle depth, length, and area with 11.5, 10.07, and 29.55, respectively.Conclusion: The combined formulation of fruit extracts showed excellent antioxidative and anti-collagenase activity as well as a significant effect on anti-wrinkle activity on human skin.Keywords: antioxidant, anti-collagenase, anti-wrinkle, fruits, topical formulation

This paper describes the design and fabrication of doxorubicin (Dox)-conjugated nanodiamond (ND) clusters with controlled sizes and cellular uptake behaviors of free Dox and Dox-conjugated ND clusters. The ND clusters with an average size of 45.84 nm exhibited a higher amount of cellular uptake as compared to the ND clusters with larger sizes. The amount of Dox taken up as free Dox increased initially and then decreased over time. In contrast, the amount of Dox taken up as Dox-ND clusters continuously increased and reached a plateau, resulting in high ablation efficiency. At the same Dox concentration, the cell viabilities after treatment with free Dox and Dox-ND clusters were 26.38 and 5.31%, respectively. The Dox-ND clusters potentially could be employed as efficient drug carriers for efficient cancer therapy.

An air-twist nozzle has an air inlet and yarn channel with a yarn-loading slit. The nozzle was investigated by changing the width and length of the air inlet and by modifying the yarn-loading slit using computational fluid dynamics. The airflow vorticity, mass flow rate, and velocities of the air-twist nozzle were evaluated to analyze the influences of the air inlet and yarn-loading slit. The velocity and vorticity were high when the width and length of the air inlet were 0.2 and 0.1 mm, while the diameter and length of the yarn channel were fixed at 1 and 3.5 mm, respectively. The air inlet was divided into two and three small rectangular air inlet holes to increase the velocity and vorticity. The velocity and vorticity were high but not uniform at the yarn channel. Dividing the air inlet increased the velocity but disturbed the air-twisting process; therefore, the air inlet without dividing was selected for further computations. The influence of the yarn-loading slit on the air-twist nozzle flowfield was observed to improve the performance of the nozzle by changing and removing the slit. The velocity, vorticity, and mass flow rate were improved significantly when the yarn-loading slit was removed. The air-twist nozzle with the removed yarn-loading slit was fabricated as a prototype for testing. The air-twist nozzle was compared with the existing air-twist nozzles under identical conditions. The test results showed that the developed air-twist nozzle with removed yarn-loading slit had better performance than the existing nozzles.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of visual information on nursing management to elderly total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients. Methods: A quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used in this study. Participants of this study were 60 elderly patients with TKA admitted to one hospital: the control group (30) between July and September, 2013, and the experimental group (30) between April and July, 2013. Anxiety and uncertainty were determined at baseline and at 3 days after TKA in both groups. Results: Two days after the visual information, the experimental group showed a significant decrease in anxiety and uncertainty compared with the control group. Conclusion: The results of this study show that providing visual information was effective in decreasing postoperative patient anxiety and uncertainty in elderly TKA patients. Therefore, when an elderly patient is hospitalized for TKA, positive and systematic provision of visual information may provide a positive effect by reducing postoperative patient anxiety and

Convergence and advanced technologies spring forth as a result of lateral entry by firms in different markets, and today, there is a synergistic combination of traditional industries and state-of-the-art technologies, such as information technology. The main goal of this issue is to bring researchers from academia together with professionals from different industries to share algorithms, solutions, and architectures as well as their experiences. We expect this special issue to be viewed as a continuum of products and as the lateral entry of research from different technological perspectives on digital management. The effort diffuses technological competencies and values within existing technologies’ base information systems. The convergence process blurs traditional technological and sectorial boundaries and thus opens new avenues of technological innovation in ubiquitous technologies [1, 4, 6, 10, 15]. This issue challenges processing overhead in convergence and advanced technologies. The paper by Kim et al. [5] introduces an efficient mobility management scheme for convergence of mobile media multicast services in next-generation networks. The proposed scheme applies a method to quickly rejoin a relevant multicast stream by enabling the AIMSMM system to collect multicast group information through a multicast group information handler located in the multicast router. The paper by Oh et al. [2] presents the development of a one-source multi-use cross-platform based on zero coding. This method is to research and develop a native application–based development tool that can perfectly satisfy both onesource–multi-use and cross-platform, and secure stable hardware control and execution speed. The paper by Je-Ho Park [19] presents low-cost image indexing for a massive database. The proposed method is an identifier generation for indexing that is efficient and effective from the perspective of cost and indexing performance, in order to compose identifiers with high cardinality. The paper by Jo et al. [9] presents an access control system for secure extensible markup language (XML) telemedicine documents. This Multimed Tools Appl (2015) 74:2195–2200 DOI 10.1007/s11042-015-2517-5

This study compares salt-related dietary patterns according to sodium intake. A survey was conducted with 257 college students(130 male and 127 female students) in the Busan area. Dish Frequency Questionnaire 70(DFQ 70) was used to quantitatively estimate sodium intake. A short dish frequency questionnaire(DFQ 15) was used to screen subjects with high or low- salt intake. The sodium intake of male students based on DFQ 70 was significantly higher than that of female students(p

In this study, we aimed to observe the cytotoxicity, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of Rhododendron brachycarpum extract (RbE) in RAW 264.7 macrophage cell in vitro and the anti-inflammatory or soothing effect of RbE formulated cream (Multicalm-RHTM) on experimentally induced acute irritated skin in healthy subjects in vivo. In vitro study revealed that RbE significantly inhibited NO and ROS generation in a dose dependent manner without cytotoxicity. In clinical test, Multicalm-RHTM cream siginificantly reduced the SLS-enduced erythema after D5 compared to that of placebo. Overall, it can be concluded that the RbE is a non-cytotoxic, antioxidant and anti-irritant agent which can be used as a potent functional ingredient in cosmetics. Likewise, the in vivo clinical study shows that Multicalm-RHTM cream which contains 3% RbE can be used as an effective skin soothing agent.