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A new imaging techniques, named Decoration Microscopy (DecoM) and Deco-Expansion Microscopy (Deco-ExM), facilitate molecular bioimaging through SEM and BF.

Background Bentonite, a montmorillonite clay, has been used as a classical remedy strategy for a long time. Recently, bentonite has been used as a raw material in cosmetic products because of its antibacterial and antioxidant properties. However, the therapeutic effect of bentonite on burn injuries has not yet been identified. Here, we explored the therapeutic effect of a novel bentonite complex, which was developed for medical use, on burn wounds and the anti-inflammatory function of bentonite clay in the complex in vitro. Methods A novel bentonite complex and bentonite clay were provided by C&L Biotech Co., Ltd. (Seoul, Korea). The elements of bentonite clay were analysed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Burn wounds were induced on the dorsal skin of two Yucatan minipigs, and tissue regeneration was determined by cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and collagen deposition using immunohistochemistry and Masson’s trichrome staining. Anti-inflammatory function was determined using quantitative real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results We found that by inducing collagen synthesis, cell proliferation, and angiogenesis, the bentonite complex improved skin regeneration in burn wounds. It was also identified that the expression of inflammatory cytokines associated with cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) signalling was significantly inhibited by treatment of the burn wounds with the bentonite complex. An in vitro study to identify the anti-inflammatory effect of bentonite clay, a major component of the bentonite complex, showed that COX-2 signalling was significantly regulated in both HacaT keratinocytes and 3D4/2 macrophage cell lines in vitro. Conclusions This study identified the therapeutic effect of a novel bentonite complex in burn wounds by inducing skin regeneration and bentonite-mediated anti-inflammatory responses with bentonite complex treatment.

Biological systems consist of hierarchical protein structures, each of which has unique 3D geometries optimized for specific functions. In the past decades, the growth of inorganic materials on specific proteins has attracted considerable attention. However, the use of specific proteins as templates has only been demonstrated in relatively simple organisms, such as viruses, limiting the range of structures that can be used as scaffolds. This study proposes a method for synthesizing metallic structures that resemble the 3D assemblies of specific proteins in mammalian cells and animal tissues. Using 1.4 nm nanogold-conjugated antibodies, specific proteins within cells and ex vivo tissues are labeled, and then the nanogold acts as nucleation sites for growth of metal particles. As proof of concept, various metal particles are grown using microtubules in cells as templates. The metal-containing cells are applied as catalysts and show catalytic stability in liquid-phase reactions due to the rigid support provided by the microtubules. Finally, this method is used to produce metal structures that replicate the specific protein assemblies of neurons in the mouse brain or the extracellular matrices in the mouse kidney and heart. This new biotemplating approach can facilitate the conversion of specific protein structures into metallic forms in ex vivo multicellular organisms.

One of the critical bottlenecks in many energy-conversion devices associated with the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is to find adequate catalysts that both show high activity and endure extreme pH conditions of an electrolyte under anodic potentials. As Ir-based compositions are regarded to show better resistance to acidic environments than any other transition metals, a surge of research on many complex iridates recently has been carried out. However, the intrinsic structure–property relationship in iridates remains elusive, although several examples showing exceptional OER activity were reported. Here we discover that eleven different AxIryOz-type oxides (A = Ca, Sr, Ba, Y, Pr, Nd) with high OER activity can be categorized into three distinct groups in terms of the [IrO6] connection geometry. Furthermore, a notable common correlation among the crystal structure, activity variation, and stability during the OER is identified in each of the groups. If the iridates consist of a strong edge- or face-sharing [IrO6] configuration, their stability and activity are preserved during a remarkably large number of anodic cycles. In addition to comparing the OER performance between many high-activity iridates, our findings emphasize that the [IrO6] connectivity is a crucial structural factor governing the overall longevity of Ir-based catalysts.

In this paper, we analyze particle translocation through micropores with low aspect ratios. Micropores with diameters of 11.6 μ m and various lengths (1000 n m , 500 n m , 100 n m , and 50 n m ) are fabricated on a silicon nitride membrane via laser machining at a low aspect ratio. After measuring the translocation signals of a 5.4- μ m particle, we find that the effects of the access region become more significant than those of the pore region for detecting signals at low aspect ratios. To clarify this mechanism, finite element method simulation and mathematical analysis are performed and we describe the relationship between an inhomogeneous electric field and the critical role of the access region. Additionally, we detect the translocation signal of a double particle. As a result, we achieve a decrease in translocation speed and improve signal detection at an ultralow aspect ratio, demonstrating the potential to detect the shapes of small particles directly.

During liver development, nonpolarized hepatic progenitor cells differentiate into mature hepatocytes with distinct polarity. This polarity is essential for maintaining the intrinsic properties of hepatocytes. The balance between the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) plays a decisive role in differentiation of polarized hepatocytes. In this study, we found that phthalazinone pyrazole (PP), a selective inhibitor of Aurora-A kinase (Aurora-A), suppressed the EMT during the differentiation of hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) from human embryonic stem cells. The differentiated HLCs treated with PP at the hepatoblast stage showed enhanced hepatic morphology and functions, particularly with regard to the expression of drug metabolizing enzymes. Moreover, we found that these effects were mediated though suppression of the AKT pathway, which is involved in induction of the EMT, and upregulation of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α expression rather than Aurora-A inhibition. In conclusion, these findings provided insights into the regulatory role of the EMT on in vitro hepatic maturation, suggesting that inhibition of the EMT may drive transformation of hepatoblast cells into mature and polarized HLCs.

Graphene, a single atomic layer of sp2-hybridized carbon, has immense potential as a transparent conducting material in electronic applications owing to its superior properties, including optical transparency and high conductivity. Particularly, the tunable work function of graphene enables the integration of graphene electrodes with various electronic devices. To achieve high performance in graphene-based devices, effective charge transport between the graphene electrode and the semiconducting material needs to be optimized; this is closely related to the modulation of the Schottky barrier (SB). In this study, we investigate the tunable charge transport properties as a function of graphene doping in n-channel thin-film transistors (TFTs) in terms of the electrical characteristics and low-frequency noise (LFN) behaviors. Alkali metal carbonates tuned the work function of graphene, resulting in a dramatic decrease in the SB and an improvement of the carrier injection in n-channel TFTs. The electrical performance of the TFTs was evaluated by extraction of the field-effect mobilities and ratio of contact resistance to total resistance. Furthermore, the level of contact noise created by the barrier height fluctuation and relative contribution of channel noise and contact noise in the TFTs was investigated by LFN measurements to demonstrate the tunable charge transport. Our findings therefore provide new insights into the tunable charge transport mechanism in graphene-based devices and reveal the immense potential of graphene as electrodes in high performance flexible and transparent displays.

With the development of convergence information technology, all of the spaces and objects of human living have become digitized. In the health- and medical-service areas, IT supports Internet of things (IoT)-based medical services and health-care systems for patients. Medical facilities have been advanced on the basis of such IoT devices, and the digitized information on human behaviors and health makes the delivery of efficient and convenient health care possible. Under the given circumstances, health and medical care have been researched. For some of this research, the patient-health data were collected using IoT-based medical devices, and they served as a tool for medical diagnosis and treatment. This study proposes the development of a medical big-data mining process for which topic modeling is employed. The proposed method uses the big data that are offered by the open system of the health- and medical-services big data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, and their application follows the guidelines of the knowledge discovery in big-data process for data mining and topic modeling. For the medical data regarding the topic modeling, the public structured health- and medical-services big data, Open API, and patient datasets were used. For the document classification in the semantic situation of a topic, the Bag of Words technique and the latent Dirichlet allocation method were applied to find the document association for the development of the medical big-data mining process. In addition, this study conducted a performance evaluation of the topic-modeling accuracy based on the medical big-data mining process and the topic-modeling efficiency, and the effectiveness of the proposed method was examined.

In this paper, a miniaturized segment robot using solenoids is developed to mimic the plane locomotion of earthworms. The bioinspired robot is composed of five segmented bodies, and one segment has two solenoid actuators. This robot can move linearly and it can also turn due to the pair of solenoid actuators that facilitate the earthworm-like peristaltic locomotion. We have designed a miniaturized solenoid with a permanent magnet plunger in order to increase the total electromagnetic force. A theoretical analysis is performed to predict the linear and turning motions of each segment, and the optimal profiles of input signals are obtained for fast locomotion. Experiments are then conducted to determine the linear and turning motions of the segment robot. It takes about 0.5 s for the five segments to complete one cycle of the peristaltic locomotion. In experiments, the segment robot is shown to have the linear and angular velocities of 27.2 mm·s−1 (0.13 body-length per second) and 2 degrees per second, respectively.

Induction heating is the process in which an electrically conducting object (usually a metal) is heated by electromagnetic induction through heat generated in the object by eddy currents. The main advantage of an induction heating device is the generation of the heat inside the target object itself. Hence, non-contact and safe heating devices are widely used in many industrial and medical fields. Recently, a new dental implant system was developed using a shape-memory alloy, wherein an artificial tooth could be easily removed from the dental implant by heating. This paper discusses the development of an induction-heating device to remove the dental crown in the new implant system. First, the finite element simulation of electromagnetic and thermal coupling analysis was implemented to obtain the temperature distributions of the target object for various frequencies, input currents, and coil shapes. Based on the simulation results, experiments were conducted by using prototypes, and an induction heating device was developed to remove the dental crown from the implant.

Given the rapid growth of engineered and customer products made of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), understanding their biological and toxicological effects on humans is critically important. The molecular developmental neurotoxic effects associated with exposure to Ag NPs were analyzed at the physiological and molecular levels, using an alternative cell model: human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived neural stem/progenitor cells (NPCs). In this study, the cytotoxic effects of Ag NPs (10-200μg/ml) were examined in these hESC-derived NPCs, which have a capacity for neurogenesis in vitro, at 6 and 24h. The results showed that Ag NPs evoked significant toxicity in hESC-derived NPCs at 24h in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, Ag NPs induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis following a significant increase in oxidative stress in these cells. To further clarify the molecular mechanisms of the toxicological effects of Ag NPs at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, the global expression profiles of genes and miRNAs were analyzed in hESC-derived NPCs after Ag NP exposure. The results showed that Ag NPs induced oxidative stress and dysfunctional neurogenesis at the molecular level in hESC-derived NPCs. Based on this hESC-derived neural cell model, these findings have increased our understanding of the molecular events underlying developmental neurotoxicity induced by Ag NPs in humans.

We investigate the effects of magnesium (Mg) suppressor layer on the electrical performances and stabilities of amorphous indium-zinc-tin-oxide (a- ITZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs). Compared to the ITZO TFT without a Mg suppressor layer, the ITZO:Mg TFT exhibits slightly smaller field-effect mobility and much reduced subthreshold slope. The ITZO:Mg TFT shows improved electrical stabilities compared to the ITZO TFT under both positive-bias and negative-bias-illumination stresses. From the Xray photoelectron spectroscopy O1s spectra with fitted curves for ITZO and ITZO:Mg films, we observe that Mg doping contributes to an enhancement of the oxygen bond without oxygen vacancy and a reduction of the oxygen bonds with oxygen vacancies. This result shows that the Mg can be an effective suppressor in a-ITZO TFTs.

To clarify the health risks related to the use of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles, acute dermal toxicity, dermal irritation and corrosion, and skin sensitization were evaluated according to the guideline for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP). In acute dermal toxicity test using rats, there were no treatment-related mortality, clinical signs of toxicity, body weight changes, and gross findings at a dose level of 2000 mg/kg. Similarly, dermal irritation and corrosion tests using rabbits revealed no mortality, clinical signs of toxicity, and acute irritation or corrosion reaction on the skin. In a skin sensitization test using guinea pigs, there were no significant mortality, clinical signs of toxicity, body weight changes, and skin reactions 24 and 48 h after the removal of challenge patch, which was scored “0” based on the Magnusson and Kligman grading scale. Our findings suggest that the nano-sized ZnO used in this study is relatively safe since it did not induce acute dermal toxicity, dermal irritation and corrosion, and skin sensitization.

We report the precise decoding of a shape-modulated hydrogel barcode particle using a micropore fluidic device. Using an electrical simulation, we deduced the optimal pore geometry that yields the maximal sensing signal. We fabricated hydrogel particles with different dimensions and prepared the micropore device along with a fluidic cell and a patch clamp. Accordingly, we experimentally determined the most appropriate shape of the hydrogel barcode particle that allows efficient differentiation between a 0 code and a 1 code. Thus, we successfully decoded 4-bit hydrogel barcode particles with high speed and high accuracy.

Summary Alkaline and alkaline-earth iridates have garnered much attention, as they can outperform traditional IrO2 for oxygen evolution electrocatalysis under acidic conditions. Despite the advantages of their catalytic properties and significant reduction of Ir utilization, dissolution of alkaline and alkaline-earth elements into acid media can be a serious drawback that may confine long-term applications. By using atomic-column-resolved scanning transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrate the surface variations of three alkaline-earth iridates, AIrO3 (A = Sr or Ba). Directly identifying the structural transformation into metastable nanocrystallites or an amorphous state, we elucidate that substantial surface roughening can be induced by alkaline-earth elemental leaching. In particular, ∼20-fold increases in the active surface area in pseudocubic SrIrO3 and monoclinic BaIrO3 are notable structural features. Our findings emphasize both the impact of surface structure on the overall catalytic activity and consequently the important control of chemical leaching to attain a high surface area in iridate-based catalysts.

In this study, we investigated Ti-doped ITO films formed through ionized physical vapor deposition (IPVD) using inductively coupled plasma (ICP). Ti-doped ITO thin films showed an enhanced mobility with ICP power; owing to the improved crystallinity, and the sheet resistance of the Ti-doped ITO (30 nm) largely decreased from 295.1 to 134.5 ohm/sq, even during at room temperature. Therefore, IPVD technology offers a useful tool for transparent electrodes with a large area window-unified touch-screen panel.

An increasing number of recent studies have focused on the impact of particulate matter on human health. As a model for atmospheric particulate inhalation, we investigated the effects of inhaled carbon black nanoparticles (CBNP) on mice with bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. The CNBPs were generated by a novel aerosolization process, and the mice were exposed to the aerosol for 4 hours. We found that CBNP inhalation exacerbated lung inflammation, as evidenced by histopathology analysis and by the expression levels of interleukin-6 protein, fibronectin, and interferon-γ mRNAs in lung tissues. Notably, fibronectin mRNA expression showed a statistically significant increase in expression after CBNP exposure. These data suggest that the concentration of CBNPs delivered (calculated to be 12.5 μg/m(3)) can aggravate lung inflammation in mice. Our results also suggest that the inhalation of ultrafine particles like PM 2.5 is an impactful environmental risk factor for humans, particularly in susceptible populations with predisposing lung conditions.

The aim of this study was to verify subchronic inhalation toxicity of methylcyclopentane (CAS No. 96-37-7) in Sprague-Dawley rats. Four groups of 10 rats of each gender were exposed to methylcyclopentane vapor by whole-body inhalation at concentrations of 0, 290, 1300, or 5870 ppm for 6 h per day, 5 days/week over a 13-week period. During the study period, clinical signs, mortality, body weight, food consumption, ophthalmoscopy, urinalysis, hematology, serum biochemistry, gross pathology, organ weights, and histopathology were examined. Exposure-related clinical signs (salivation and rubbing) were observed in both genders of the 5870 ppm group. There was an increase in liver weight for both genders but the kidney weight was only higher in females than controls. However, no toxicologically significant changes were observed in body weight, food consumption, ophthalmoscopy, urinalysis, hematology, serum biochemistry, necropsy findings, or histopathology in any of the treatment groups. Under the present experimental conditions, the target organs were determined to be kidney and liver in rats. The no-observed-adverse-effect concentration was considered to be 1300 ppm/6 h/day in rats.

Mass storage media are becoming increasingly common due to the spread of smartphones to which new technologies are applied. Correspondingly, the amount of data collected from digital crime has considerably increased. Previously, if an investigator did not properly conduct the initial response, valuable evidence would be lost. Thus, collection of digital evidence within a short time frame is required. Further, in searches using data from the smartphones to gather evidence, evidence must be collected and analyzed quickly. Therefore, in this paper, a method is proposed for rapidly collecting data at a crime scene based on the type of criminal charge. Once implemented, our method can collect data by accounting for each feature of the software, providing rapid results through a pattern search. There is also a range of options available with parallel routines. Single or multiple options can be utilized depending on the investigator's requirements.

The molecular inflammation hypothesis of aging proposes that redox dysregulation causes an age-related activation of NF-κB and its signaling to upregulate various proinflammatory genes. In the present study, we focused on the inactive form of the protein phosphastase 2A (PP2A). More specifically, we aimed to define the correlation between PP2A inactivation and NF-κB activation by age-related oxidative stress. Experimentations were designed to determine the effect of oxidative stress-induced PP2A inactivation on NF-κB activity, utilizing prooxidants t-BHP and AAPH, the PTP inhibitor Na3VO4, and the PP2A inhibitor Calyculin A and PP2A siRNA, in HEK293T cells. We also assessed the phosphorylation of PP2A catalytic subunit (PP2Ac) and the activities of PP2A and NF-κB in aged rat kidney, utilizing aging-retarding 40% calorie restriction (CR) -60% of food intake and inflammation-triggering LPS paradigms. Results revealed that an oxidative stress-induced PTK/PTP imbalance led to phosphorylation of PP2Ac, following exposures to t-BHP, AAPH, and Na3VO4 in HEK293T cells. Subsequently, we found that Calyculin A and PP2A siRNA activates NIK/IKK and MAPKs, leading to upregulation of NF-κB and its dependent oxidative stress. Also, the contrasting relation between PP2A inactivation and NF-κB activation was confirmed by AAPH-induced oxidative status in mice, and non-induced normal status or LPS-induced inflammatory status in aged rats while the antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging effects of CR significantly blunted these actions. Thus, we present evidence that PP2A inactivation via PTK/PTP imbalance provoked by oxidative stress causes NF-κB activation, which contributes to the accumulation of oxidative stress in aged rat kidney.

Global warming and climate change have influence on abnormal weather pattern and the rainstorm has a localized and intensive tendency in Korea. IPCC(2007) also reported the rainstorm and typhoon will be more and more stronger due to temperature increase during the 21st century. Flood Estimation Handbook(Institute of Hydrology, 1999) published in United Kingdom, in the case that the data period is shorter than return period, recommends the regional frequency analysis rather than point frequency analysis. This study uses Regional Climate Model(RCM) of Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA) for obtaining the rainfall and for performing the regional frequency analysis. We used the rainfall data from 58 stations managed by KMA and used L-moment algorithm suggested by Hosking and wallis(1993) for the regional frequency analysis considering the climate change. As the results, in most stations, the rainfall amounts in frequencies have an increasing tendency except for some stations. According to the A1B scenario, design rainfall is increased by 7~10% compared with the reference period(1970-2010).

Due to the development of IT convergence, a wide variety of information is being produced and distributed rapidly in digital form. Lifelog based context awareness is a technology that provides a service automatically based on perceived situational information in ubiquitous environments. To offer customized services to users, the technology of acquiring lifelog based context information in real time is the most important consideration. We propose the interactive middleware architecture for lifelog based context awareness in distributed and ubiquitous environments. Conventional middleware to support ubiquitous environments stores and manages the situational information and service content acquired by centralized storage or a DBMS. Centralized situational information and service content management may impede the autonomy of mobile nodes and the interoperation between different middle software. The proposed method designs a system that can distribute and manage situational information in mobile nodes using mobile devices in distributed and ubiquitous environments and share the service content between interactive middleware through publication. The application system designed in this study was used in a scenario providing situational perception based mobile service and proved to be useful.

Although hepatocyte-like cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC-HLCs) are considered a promising model for predicting hepatotoxicity, their application has been restricted because of the low activity of drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs). Here we found that the low expression of xenobiotic receptors (constitutive androstane receptor, CAR; and pregnane X receptor, PXR) contributes to the low activity of DMEs in hPSC-HLCs. Most CAR- and PXR-regulated DMEs and transporters were transcriptionally down-regulated in hPSC-HLC. Transcriptional expression of CAR and PXR was highly repressed in hPSC-HLCs, whereas mRNA levels of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) were comparable to those of adult liver. Furthermore, ligand-induced transcriptional activation was observed only at AHR in hPSC-HLCs. Bisulfite sequencing analysis demonstrated that promoter hypermethylation of CAR and PXR was associated with diminished transcriptional activity in hPSC-HLCs. Treatment with AHR-selective ligands increased the transcription of AHR-dependent target genes by direct AHR-DNA binding at the xenobiotic response element. In addition, an antagonist of AHR significantly inhibited AHR-dependent target gene expression. Thus, AHR may function intrinsically as a xenosensor as well as a ligand-dependent transcription factor in hPSC-HLCs. Our results indicate that hPSC-HLCs can be used to screen toxic substances related to AHR signaling and to identify potential AHR-targeted therapeutics.

Ginger has long been used worldwide as a spice, seasoning, and wine and is also used as a traditional medicine. There have been no previous studies of the potential beneficial effects of the ginger constituent 12-dehydrogingerdione (12-DHGD). We investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of 12-DHGD on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells. The cytotoxicity of 12-DHGD was measured using the MTT assay, and production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and the inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α was measured by ELISA. Production of nitric oxide (NO) was measured using Griess reagent and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible NO (iNOS) enzymes was assessed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Treatment of Raw 264.7 cells with 12-DHGD significantly inhibited LPS-stimulated production of NO (at 12-DHGD concentrations of 150 and 200 ng/ml), IL-6 (at 50, 100, 150, and 200 ng/ml), and PGE2 (at 200 ng/ml). Consistent with the effects on NO and PGE2 production, 12-DHGD treatment also inhibited the LPS-stimulated increase in iNOS and COX-2 mRNA levels. However, 12-DHGD did not affect production of IL-1β or TNF-α in response to LPS. 12-DHGD, a constituent of ginger, is a potent inhibitor of proinflammatory mediator production in Raw 264.7 macrophage cells. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In recent decades, titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles have been used in various applications, including paints, coatings, and food. However, data are lacking on the toxicological aspects associated with their use. The aim of this study was to assess the inhalation toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles in rats by using inhalation exposure. Male Wistar rats were exposed to TiO2 nanoparticles for 2 weeks (6 hr/day, 5 days/week) at a mean mass concentration of 11.39 ± 0.31 mg/m(3). We performed time-course necropsies at 1, 7, and 15 days after exposure. Lung inflammation and injury were assessed on the basis of the total and individual cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and by biochemical assays, including an assay for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Furthermore, histopathological examination was performed to investigate the lungs and nasal cavity of rats. There were no statistically significant changes in the number of BALF cells, results of biochemical assays of BALF and serum, and results of cytokine analysis. However, we did observe histopathological changes in the nasal cavity tissue. Lesions were observed at post-exposure days 1 and 7, which resolved at post-exposure day 15. We also calculated the actual amounts of TiO2 nanoparticles inhaled by the rats. The results showed that the degree of toxicity induced by TiO2 nanoparticles correlated with the delivered quantities. In particular, exposure to small particles with a size of approximately 20 nm resulted in toxicity, even if the total particle number was relatively low.

As chronic exposure to welding fumes causes pulmonary diseases, such as pneumoconiosis, public concern has increased regarding continued exposure to these hazardous gases in the workplace. In a previous study, the inflammatory response to welding fume exposure was analysed in rat lungs in the case of recurrent exposure and recovery periods. Thus using lung samples, well-annotated by histological observation and biochemical analysis, this study examines the gene expression profiles to identify phenotype-anchored genes corresponding to lung inflammation and the repair phenomenon after recurrent welding fume exposure. Seven genes ( Mmp12, Cd5l, LOC50101, LOC69183, Spp1, and Slc26a4) were found to be significantly up-regulated according to the severity of the lung injury. In addition, the transcription and translation of Trem2, which was up-regulated in response to the repair process, were validated using a real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. The differentially expressed genes in the exposure and recovery groups were also classified using k-means and hierarchical clustering, plus their toxicological function and canonical pathways were further analysed using Ingenuity Pathways Analysis Software. As a result, this comprehensive and integrative analysis of the transcriptional changes that occur during repeated exposure provides important information on the inflammation and repair processes after welding-fume-induced lung injury.

Simultaneous programming and emission driving using external compensation method for 3D active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) displays is proposed. The emission current uniformity is improved by compensating threshold voltage and mobility variations of driving TFTs. Simulation results show that the maximum emission current error range of the proposed method is from −1.6% to 0.6% in 40-inch full HDTV condition when the threshold voltage of driving TFT variation is form −1 V to 1 V and mobility variation of driving TFT is from −10% to 10%. The emission and programming time of 3D AMOLED display is also increased by simultaneous driving method.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a common consequence of many lung diseases and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The molecular mechanisms underlying the development of pulmonary fibrosis remain poorly understood. One model used successfully to study pulmonary fibrosis over the past few decades is the bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis model. We aimed to identify the genes associated with fibrogenesis using an Affymetrix GeneChip system in a bleomycin-induced rat model for pulmonary fibrosis. To confirm fibrosis development, several analyses were performed, including cellular evaluations using bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, measurement of lactate dehydrogenase activity, and histopathological examinations. Common aspects of pulmonary fibrosis such as prolonged inflammation, immune cell infiltration, emergence of fibroblasts, and deposition of extracellular matrix and connective tissue elements were observed. Global gene expression analysis revealed significantly altered expression of genes (≥ 1.5-fold, p < 0.05.) in a time-dependent manner during the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Our results are consistent with previous results of well-documented gene expression. Interestingly, the expression of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (Trem2) , secreted phosphoprotein 1 (Spp1) , and several proteases such as Tpsab1, Mcpt1, and Cma1 was considerably induced in the lung after bleomycin treatment, despite little evidence that they are involved in pulmonary fibrogenesis. These data will aid in our understanding of fibrogenic mechanisms and contribute to the identification of candidate biomarkers of fibrotic disease development.

Most of intelligent services provided today work based on the users` location. Numerous devices for indoor localization services have their own characteristic functions and operating systems, we need the interoperability and diversity of middleware to connect and control these devices. The indoor localization method using existing inertial sensors are relatively less efficient because of additional cost according to the size of space. Accordingly, the indoor user localization method proposed in this study supports integrated services using OSGi framework, an open source project, and solves problems in inertial sensor based on accurate distance to a specific object measured using ultrasonic sensor. Furthermore, it reduces errors resulting from difference in response rate by adding the reliability item.