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Background/Aims Hyperuricemia plays an essential role in the gout. Despite the clinical significance of hyperuricemia, a direct relationship between oral health and hyperuricemia has not been established. We aim to investigate the association between oral health and hyperuricemia. Methods We selected 17,557 subjects from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database for the years 2016–2019. Oral health-related variables included the number of dental caries, regular tooth brushing, use of secondary oral products, and regular dental examinations. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for hyperuricemia were calculated using a multivariable-adjusted logistic regression model. Results Oral health status with dental caries and oral health behaviors, including tooth brushing, secondary oral products, and regular dental examination, were significantly associated with hyperuricemia in all participants. The adjusted OR and 95% CIs for hyperuricemia comparing more than three dental caries with no dental caries were 1.28 (1.08–1.52). The adjusted OR and 95% CIs for hyperuricemia in regular tooth brushing, use of secondary oral products, and regular dental examination were 0.78 (0.67–0.91), 0.91 (0.83–1.00), and 0.86 (0.78–0.95), respectively. Notably, the association between oral health and hyperuricemia was more prominent in male subjects. In addition, when subjects were grouped by the oral health scoring system, the prevalence of hyperuricemia was lower in groups with better oral health scores. Conclusions We demonstrated that oral health status and behaviors are associated with hyperuricemia, particularly in males. Further studies are necessary to confirm the association between oral health and hyperuricemia.

Abstract Organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) have been extensively studied over the past decades because of their suitability for low‐cost, large‐area, and flexible electronics. However, improvements are needed to satisfy the demands of high‐speed applications. The switching speed of a logic device is affected by the charge‐carrier mobility (µ) and the square of the channel length (L) at a given gate–source bias. Therefore, increasing µ and/or reducing L are crucial for achieving high‐speed OFET‐based digital circuits. In this study, an n‐type OFET is fabricated with increased switching speed via a dual‐role approach involving solution‐grown, highly ordered single‐crystalline N,N'‐dioctyl‐3,4,9,10‐perylenetetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI‐C8) wires, which serve as a mask for short‐channel formation up to the microscale and an active layer with enhanced charge mobility. Additionally, the performance of the n‐type short‐channel OFET and resistive‐load‐type inverters is evaluated. For comparative purposes, long‐channel (50 µm) devices with PTCDI‐C8 wires and short‐channel devices with a PTCDI‐C8 film are fabricated and the device performance is analyzed. The short‐channel device with the PTCDI‐C8 wires exhibits a significantly higher switching speed. Thus, the dual‐role approach is a simple and straightforward method for fabricating short‐channel devices, paving the way for further advancements in OFET technology requiring high switching speeds.

Nafion membranes are actively electrochemical devices such as fuel cells, conventional two compartments electrochemical cells, and photoassisted electrolyzer cells. It provides good selectivity of penetrating ions from one electrode compartment to another and accelerates the separation of the products. Though the conventional Nafion membrane has been widely applied, there are still some crucial challenges, such as the flow of ions transferred by fouling, charge gradient resistance, and mechanical instabilities in long-term applications. In particular, the charge transfer resistance of the membrane is a key characteristic to realize the efficient transfer of charges across the electrodes within the electrolyte. The researchers have tried cost-effective nano/micro-structural engineering strategies to produce high-quality Nafion membranes for improved electrochemical applications. The proper surface patterning and selective functionalization or hybrid formation of Nafion with specialized materials could improve the overall mechanical strength, charge sustaining and flow rate potentials of the parent Nafion. This manuscript provides a brief overview of Nafion based nano and microstructured membrane and their modification strategies for energy conversion devices. Two strategies are shortly overviewed with respective examples: (1) physical modification via nano/micropatterning and (2) nanocomposite formation with selective materials. The modified Nafion membranes by various structural engineering strategies propose new and effective pathways to enhance the performance of energy conversion devices, which are keys for solving current environmental issues.

Flex-on-board (FOB) interconnection plays an important role in display applications. Due to the thinness of the interconnect, the contact resistance of anisotropic conductive film (ACF) joints is very small; however, the transmission property of ACF joints are still unknown. In this study, we designed a novel coplanar waveguide structure to characterize the transmission properties of ACF joints in FOB interconnections. Specifically, we compared the differences between the Au/Ni coated polymer ball joint and low melting point Sn58Bi solder ball joint in terms of their high frequency performance. Both were bonded under the same conditions of 200 °C for 10 s at 2 MPa. A high frequency test was then carried out in the range of 300 MHz to 20 GHz. The results showed that 14 GHz was the resonant frequency of FOB package that contained the Au/Ni coated polymer ball joints, while 1 GHz increased by using Sn58Bi solder joints in FOB package. To our knowledge, there is the first study to determine the high frequency performance of flex-on-board interconnections using ACFs joints and the coplanar waveguide method.

The Behrens–Fisher problem occurs when testing the equality of means of two normal distributions without the assumption that the two variances are equal. This paper presents approaches based on the exact and near-exact distributions for the test statistic of the Behrens–Fisher problem, depending on different combinations of even or odd sample sizes. We present the exact distribution when both sample sizes are odd and the near-exact distribution when one or both sample sizes are even. The near-exact distributions are based on a finite mixture of generalized integer gamma (GIG) distributions, used as an approximation to the exact distribution, which consists of an infinite series. The proposed tests, based on the exact and the near-exact distributions, are compared with Welch’s t-test through Monte Carlo simulations, in particular for small and unbalanced sample sizes. The results show that the proposed approaches are competent solutions to the Behrens–Fisher problem, exhibiting precise sizes and better powers than Welch’s approach for those cases. Numerical studies show that the Welch’s t-test tends to be a bit more conservative than the test statistics based on the exact or near-exact distribution, in particular when sample sizes are small and unbalanced, situations in which the proposed exact or near-exact distributions obtain higher powers than Welch’s t-test.

Abstract The realization of high‐contrast modulation in optically transparent media is of great significance for emerging mechano‐responsive smart windows. However, no study has provided fundamental strategies for maximizing light scattering during mechanical deformations. Here, a new type of 3D nanocomposite film consisting of an ultrathin (≈60 nm) Al2O3 nanoshell inserted between the elastomers in a periodic 3D nanonetwork is proposed. Regardless of the stretching direction, numerous light‐scattering nanogaps (corresponding to the porosity of up to ≈37.4 vol%) form at the interfaces of Al2O3 and the elastomers under stretching. This results in the gradual modulation of transmission from ≈90% to 16% at visible wavelengths and does not degrade with repeated stretching/releasing over more than 10 000 cycles. The underlying physics is precisely predicted by finite element analysis of the unit cells. As a proof of concept, a mobile‐app‐enabled smart window device for Internet of Things applications is realized using the proposed 3D nanocomposite with successful expansion to the 3 × 3 in. scale.

Advances in nanofabrication technology have allowed us to create high-level nanostructured materials that were previously unattainable [...]

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a peptide hormone with tremendous therapeutic potential for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the short half-life of its native form is a significant drawback. We previously prolonged the plasma half-life of GLP-1 via site-specific conjugation of human serum albumin (HSA) at position 16 of recombinant GLP-1 using site-specific incorporation of p-azido-phenylalanine (AzF) and strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC). However, the resulting conjugate GLP1_8G16AzF-HSA showed only moderate in vivo glucose-lowering activity, probably due to perturbed interactions with GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) caused by the albumin-linker. To identify albumin-conjugated GLP-1 variants with enhanced in vivo glucose-lowering activity, we investigated the conjugation of HSA to a C-terminal region of GLP-1 to reduce steric hindrance by the albumin-linker using two different conjugation chemistries. GLP-1 variants GLP1_8G37AzF-HSA and GLP1_8G37C-HSA were prepared using SPAAC and Michael addition, respectively. GLP1_8G37C-HSA exhibited a higher glucose-lowering activity in vivo than GLP1_8G16AzF-HSA, while GLP1_8G37AzF-HSA did not. Another GLP-1 variant, GLP1_8A37C-HSA, had a glycine to alanine mutation at position 8 and albumin at its C-terminus and exhibited in vivo glucose-lowering activity comparable to that of GLP1_8G37C-HSA, despite a moderately shorter plasma half-life. These results showed that site-specific HSA conjugation to the C-terminus of GLP-1 via Michael addition could be used to generate GLP-1 variants with enhanced glucose-lowering activity and prolonged plasma half-life in vivo.

Electroplating has been favored to date as a surface treatment technology in various industries in the development of semiconductors, automobiles, ships, and steel due to its advantages of being a simple, solution-based process, with low cost and high throughput. Recently, classical electroplating has been reborn as an advanced manufacturing process for functional materials by combining it with unconventional optical three-dimensional (3D) nanofabrication techniques capable of generating polymer templates with high-resolution 3D periodic nanostructures. The bottom-up filling behavior of electroplating rising from a seed layer makes it possible to densely fill the nanoporous network of the template with heterogeneous inorganic materials. At this time, understanding and optimizing the process parameters (e.g., additive, current density, type of current waveform, etc.) of electroplating is critical for defect control. In addition, since electroplating is generally performed near room temperature, unlike other thin film deposition techniques, structural damage to the polymer template by heat during electroplating is almost negligible. Based on the excellent compatibility of electroplating and optical 3D nanofabrication, innovative functional materials with 3D periodic nanostructures targeting electrochemical or energy-related applications have been created. In this mini review, a strategy for producing functional materials with 3D periodic nanostructures through a templating process will be covered, and the recent cases of successful applications to electrodes for energy storage devices, electrocatalysts, and thermoelectric materials will be summarized. We will also discuss technical issues that need to be considered in the process to improve the quality of the resulting functional materials with 3D nanoarchitectures.

The number of therapeutic peptides for human treatment is growing rapidly. However, their development faces two major issues: the poor yield of large peptides from conventional solid-phase synthesis, and the intrinsically short serum half-life of peptides. To address these issues, we investigated a platform for the production of a recombinant therapeutic peptide with an extended serum half-life involving the site-specific conjugation of human serum albumin (HSA). HSA has an exceptionally long serum half-life and can be used to extend the serum half-lives of therapeutic proteins and peptides. We used glucagon-like-peptide 1 (GLP-1) as a model peptide in the present study. A “clickable” non-natural amino acid—p-azido-l-phenylalanine (AzF)—was incorporated into three specific sites (V16, Y19, and F28) of a GLP-1 variant, followed by conjugation with HSA through strain-promoted azide–alkyne cycloaddition. All three HSA-conjugated GLP-1 variants (GLP1_16HSA, GLP1_19HSA, and GLP1_28HSA) exhibited comparable serum half-lives in vivo. However, the three GLP1_HSA variants had different in vitro biological activities and in vivo glucose-lowering effects, demonstrating the importance of site-specific HSA conjugation. The platform described herein could be used to develop other therapeutic peptides with extended serum half-lives.

Conjugation of serum albumin or one of its ligands (such as fatty acid) has been an effective strategy to prolong the serum half-lives of drugs via neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn)–mediated recycling of albumin. So far, fatty acid (FA) has been effective in prolonging the serum half-lives for therapeutic peptides and small proteins, but not for large therapeutic proteins. Very recently, it was reported a large protein conjugated to FA competes with the binding of FcRn with serum albumin, leading to limited serum half-life extension, because primary FA binding sites in serum albumin partially overlap with FcRn binding sites. In order to prevent such competition, longer linkers between FA and the large proteins were required. Herein, we hypothesized that small proteins do not cause substantial competition for FcRn binding to albumin, resulting in the extended serum half-life. Using a small protein (28 kDa), we investigated whether the intramolecular distance in FA-protein conjugate affects the FcRn binding with albumin and serum half-life using linkers with varying lengths. Unlike with the FA-conjugated large protein, all FA-conjugated small proteins with different linkers exhibited comparable the FcRn binding to albumin and extended serum half-life.

In late April this year, President Yoon visited the United States as a national guest. He emphasized the ROK-U.S. alliance and mentioned the word "alliance" 28 times during his speech to Congress. He explained how the alliance was formed and how it has developed so far. He also suggested a blueprint for the alliance and showed us a future direction and vision. His speech was touching and heart-fluttering since the alliance made a miracle of freedom and prosperity in South Korea. Nothing in the world, however, is perfect. Everything has its shortcomings and complements. From this perspective, this paper is for diagnosis of the current status of the ROK-U.S. alliance and suggestions for policy direction. Although the appearance of the alliance looks good, there are a couple of problems inside. This paper will examine various issues based on the alliance theories such as the security-autonomy exchange, balancing and bandwagoning theory, and alliance dilemma. The issues will be the transition of wartime operational control, integrated deterrence and Indo-Pacific strategy, and controversy over the effectiveness of extended deterrence. The paper will analyze whether the current government's stance on the issues is helpful for national interests and suggest how we can improve policy directions way ahead. First, efforts for early transfer of wartime operational control are needed. Second, South Korea should expand its role as a global pivotal country since it openly exclaimed that in its Indo-Pacific Strategy of freedom, peace, and prosperity. Last but not least, South Korea should also strengthen its independent deterrence and response capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fight against cancer is hindered by its highly heterogeneous nature. Genome-wide sequencing studies have shown that individual malignancies contain many mutations that range from those commonly found in tumor genomes to rare somatic variants present only in a small fraction of lesions. Such rare somatic variants dominate the landscape of genomic mutations in cancer, yet efforts to correlate somatic mutations found in one or few individuals with functional roles have been largely unsuccessful. Traditional methods for identifying somatic variants that drive cancer are 'gene-centric' in that they consider only somatic variants within a particular gene and make no comparison to other similar genes in the same family that may play a similar role in cancer. In this work, we present oncodomain hotspots, a new 'domain-centric' method for identifying clusters of somatic mutations across entire gene families using protein domain models. Our analysis confirms that our approach creates a framework for leveraging structural and functional information encapsulated by protein domains into the analysis of somatic variants in cancer, enabling the assessment of even rare somatic variants by comparison to similar genes. Our results reveal a vast landscape of somatic variants that act at the level of domain families altering pathways known to be involved with cancer such as protein phosphorylation, signaling, gene regulation, and cell metabolism. Due to oncodomain hotspots' unique ability to assess rare variants, we expect our method to become an important tool for the analysis of sequenced tumor genomes, complementing existing methods.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a unique tool for conformally depositing inorganic thin films with precisely controlled thickness at nanoscale. Recently, ALD has been used in the manufacture of inorganic thin films using a three-dimensional (3D) nanonetwork structure made of polymer as a template, which is pre-formed by advanced 3D nanofabrication techniques such as electrospinning, block-copolymer (BCP) lithography, direct laser writing (DLW), multibeam interference lithography (MBIL), and phase-mask interference lithography (PMIL). The key technical requirement of this polymer template-assisted ALD is to perform the deposition process at a lower temperature, preserving the nanostructure of the polymer template during the deposition process. This review focuses on the successful cases of conformal deposition of inorganic thin films on 3D polymer nanonetworks using thermal ALD or plasma-enhanced ALD at temperatures below 200 °C. Recent applications and prospects of nanostructured polymer–inorganic composites or hollow inorganic materials are also discussed.