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The human facial skeleton consists of multiple segments and causes difficulty during analytic processes. We developed image analysis software to quantify the amount of injury and validate the smooth curvature of the surface after facial bone reduction surgery. Three-dimensional computed tomography images of facial bone were obtained from 40 patients who had undergone open reduction surgery to treat unilateral zygomaticomaxillary fractures. Analytic software was developed based on the discrete curvature of a triangular mesh model. The discrete curvature values were compared before and after surgery using two regions of interest. For the inferior orbital rim, the weighted average of curvature changed from 0.543 ± 0.034 to 0.458 ± 0.042. For the anterior maxilla, the weighted average of curvature changed from 0.596 ± 0.02 to 0.481 ± 0.031, showing a significant decrement (P P

Polyurethane (PU), currently replacing existing synthetic materials worldwide, is a synthetic polymer derived from polyols, isocyanates, and a chain extender added by condensation reactions. PU wastes which are difficult to recycle, are commonly discarded in landfills and flow into ecosystems, thereby causing serious environmental problems. In recent years, insect-associated microbes have become a promising, eco-friendly strategy as an alternative to plastic recycling. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of Serratia sp. HY-72 strain isolated from the intestine of the Asian mantis (Hierodula patellifera) for PU degradation. The 65 kDa family I.3 lipase which degrades PU was identified and characterized, with a specific activity of 2,883 U mg−1. The bacterial filtrates and the recombinant lipase degraded Impranil (a colloidal polyester-PU dispersion, 100 g l−1) by 85.24 and 78.35% after 72 h incubation, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed changes in Impranil functional groups, with decreased C=O functional group and aliphatic chain signals, and increased N-H bending with C-N stretching and C-O stretching. The current study also revealed that the HY-72 strain biodegraded the commercial PU foams (polyester- and polyether- PU) with 23.95 and 10.95% weight loss after 2 weeks, respectively with changes in surface morphology and structure such as cracks, roughness, and surface roughening. Altogether, this is one of the few studies reporting biodegradation of PU by the insect-associated microbe. These findings suggest that the insect-associated microbe could be a promising resource for biodegradation and recycling of plastic waste.

Polyurethane (PU), currently replacing existing synthetic materials worldwide, is a synthetic polymer derived from polyols, isocyanates, and a chain extender added by condensation reactions. PU wastes which are difficult to recycle, are commonly discarded in landfills and flow into ecosystems, thereby causing serious environmental problems. In recent years, insect-associated microbes have become a promising, eco-friendly strategy as an alternative to plastic recycling. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of

The human facial skeleton consists of multiple segments, and causes difficulty during analytic processes. We developed image analysis software to quantify the amount of injury and validate the smooth curvature of the surface after facial bone reduction surgery. Three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) images of facial bone were obtained from 40 patients who had undergone open reduction surgery to treat unilateral zygomaticomaxillary fractures. Analytic software was developed based on the discrete curvature of a triangular mesh model. The discrete curvature values were compared before and after surgery using two landmarks. For the inferior orbital rim, the weighted average of curvature changed from 0.543±0.034 to 0.458±0.042. For the anterior maxilla, the weighted average of curvature changed from 0.596±0.02 to 0.481±0.031, showing a significant decrement (PP

최근 새로운 커뮤니케이션 채널로 챗봇(Chatbot) 기술이 주목받고 있다. 특히 기존 전문가 시스템(Expert System)과 비교하였을때 질문-응답을 이용하여 스스로 데이터를 수집하고 기계학습(Machine learning)을 할 수 있다는 점에서, 챗봇 기술은 전문 지식을 요구하는 의학, 법학 온라인 상담에도 효과적으로 응용될 수 있다. 본 논문에서는, IBM 왓슨이 제공하는 Watson Conversation 서비스를 활용한 노동법 상담 시스템을 제안하였다. 본 시스템 개발을 위해 고용 노동법 자료를 수집한 후 챗봇이 학습할 수 있는 형태로 데이터를 분류 및 처리하였다. 이를 바탕으로 사용자의 입력을 Intents(의도), Entities(개체), Dialog(대화)로 세분화하여 자연어처리를 진행하였다. 또한, AWS(Amazon Web Service)를 기반으로 구현한 서버 애플리케이션과 카카오톡 플러스 친구 기능을 이용하여 서비스 접근을 용이하게 하였다. 본 논문의 연구 결과는 챗봇을 활용한 다양한 분야의 상담 시스템에 적용될 수 있다.

On May 25, 2019, the World Health Assembly approved the eleventh revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), containing a chapter on traditional medicine. This means that the traditional East Asian medicine (TEAM) is now officially recognized as a part of mainstream medical practice. However, the patterns presented in the ICD-11 traditional medicine chapter are only the tip of the iceberg of TEAM clinical practice, and it will be necessary to supplement and upgrade the contents. In order to implement this, objectification and standardization of TEAM must be premised, and grafting with proper modern science and technology is imperative. Pattern Identification and Prescription Expert-11 (PIPE-11), which is a TEAM clinical decision support system, adopts vastly from clinical literature on pattern identification and the prescription. By adopting the rule-based reasoning method, the way of diagnosis and prescription by a TEAM practitioner in actual clinical practice is implemented as it is. PIPE-11 could support to improve both the accuracy of medical diagnosis and the reliability of the medical treatment of TEAM in clinical practices. In the field of research, it might facilitate the usage for reliable reference for symptoms and signs retrieval and patient simulation. In the field of education, it can provide a high level of training for learning pattern identification and prescription, and further be used to reinforce skills of diagnosis and prescription by providing self-simulation methods. Therefore, PIPE-11 as a digital application is expected to support the traditional medicine chapter of ICD-11 to successfully contribute to the improvement of human health.

본 연구는 사회복지 종사자의 폭력피해경험을 분석하고, 직무스트레스를 매개로 한 폭력피해경험이 소진에 미치는 영향을 분석하고자 한다. 이를 위하여 본 연구는 2017년 7월~8월까지 인천광역시 소재 사회복지시설 73개소의 종사자 587명을 대상으로 실시한 설문조사를 분석하였으며, AMOS 18.0을 활용하여 연구모형을 검증하였다. 사회복지 종사자의 폭력피해경험은 약 41%이며, 응답자의 약 60%가 폭력에 대한 대응책이 없다고 대답함에 따라 현장에서 폭력에 대한 대비책이 부족하다는 것을 알 수 있다. 폭력을 언어폭력과 신체폭력으로 구분한 후 직무스트레스를 매개로 한 폭력피해경험이 소진에 미치는 영향을 분석하면, 언어폭력은 소진에 직접적으로 영향을 주지는 않았지만, 간접적으로 유의미한 영향을 주는 변수였다. 이에 따라, 언어폭력 피해경험이 사회복지 종사자들의 소진상태를 직접적으로 초래하는 것은 아니지만, 언어폭력 피해경험이 많을수록 직무스트레스가 높아져 결국 소진상태가 된다고 할 수 있다. 반면에, 신체폭력은 직무스트레스와 소진에 직 · 간접적으로 유의미한 영향을 주지는 않는다.

Electrolyte solvents play an important role in lithium-ion batteries. Hence, investigation of the solvent is key to improving battery functionality. We performed benchmark calculations to suggest the best conditions for rapid screening of electrolyte candidates using semi-empirical (SEM) calculations and density functional theory (DFT). A wide selection of Hamiltonians, DFT levels, and basis sets were used for this benchmarking with typical electrolyte solvents. The most efficient condition for reducing computational costs and time is VWN/DNP+ for DFT levels and PM3 for SEM Hamiltonians.

Amine-based postcombustion CO2 capture technology has a great potential to control CO2 emissions but is expensive because a huge amount of thermal energy is required for solvent regeneration due to...

The conductive pastes containing Ag particles are used for patterning the electrodes of electronic devices such as solar cells and touch screen panels. Although Cu@Ag type metal particles have been tried as a substitute instead of Ag for cost reduction, the dewetting of Ag from Cu core during the processes has limited the use of Cu as a core metal. In this work, to investigate the Cu-Ni alloys as the core metal, we analyze the surface structures of Cu-Ni alloys and measure the compatibility between Ag and Cu-Ni alloys as wells as Cu and Ni by calculating the contact angles of Ag droplet on the metal surfaces using molecular dynamics simulations. As the Ni content of Cu-Ni alloys increases, the contact angle decreases: the contact angles for Cu, Cu 3 Ni, CuNi, CuNi 3 , and Ni are 69.6, 52.6, 50.5, 45.1, and 8.9°, respectively. Therefore, the wettability of Ag on the Cu-Ni alloys is improved with the Ni content in the Cu-Ni alloys. This result indicates that the Cu-Ni alloys could be good candidates as the core metal to be used in the metal particles for the conductive pastes.

Obesity is the state of excessive body fat accumulation and is mainly caused by consuming more calories than are burned through physical activity. Herbal acupuncture (HA), also known as pharmacopuncture, has been increasingly used in clinics of Korean medical to alleviate obesity. This review analyzed four clinical studies and 16 animal studies on the effectiveness of HA as a treatment for obesity. Clinical evidence suggests that various kinds of HA might be beneficial for treating obesity; however, further investigations with well-designed, evidence-based, randomized clinical trials are needed. Animal studies support the idea that HA might be beneficial for the treatment of obesity and provide possible mechanisms, such as anti-inflammation, antioxidation, modulating lipid metabolism and so on, to explain the effect of HA on obesity. This review, based on the evidence collected, suggests that HA could have a beneficial effect for alleviating obesity by modulating inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, leptin, and the insulin signal.

The A-SMGCS is a modular system defined in the ICAO manual on advanced surface movement guidance and control systems. Such systems aim to maintain the declared surface movement rate under all weather conditions while maintaining the required level of safety. In this paper, we find out the details and 14 modules'specific features that developing Level IV A-SMGCS in Korea. Also we figure out relation domestic regulations as SMGCS manual & visual aids manual in Korea and research foreign cases such as defined ICAO 9830 manual, EUROCONTROL's project 'EMMA2' document, and FAA advisory circular-150 manual. It will be used as analysis data that can be applied to the undefined A-SMGCS in Korea technical regulation.

The objective of this study was to obtain single oral dose toxicity information for concentrated and lyophilized powder of blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea L., Caprifoliaceae; BHcL) in female and male ICR mice to aid in the process of developing natural origin medicinal ingredients or foods following proximate analysis and phytochemical profile measurement. The proximate analysis revealed that BHcL had an energy value of 3.80 kcal/g and contained 0.93 g/g of carbohydrate, 0.41 g/g of sugar, 0.02 g/g of protein, and 0.20 mg/g of sodium. BHcL did not contain lipids, including saturated lipids, trans fats, or cholesterols. Further, BHcL contained 4.54% of betaine, 210.63 mg/g of total phenols, 159.30 mg/g of total flavonoids, and 133.57 mg/g of total anthocyanins. Following administration of a single oral BHcL treatment, there were no treatment-related mortalities, changes in body weight (bw) or organ weight, clinical signs, necropsy or histopathological findings up to 2,000 mg/kg bw, the limited dosage for rodents of both sexes. We concluded that BHcL is a practically non-toxic material in toxicity potency.

Background The prevalence of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has increased by 15–39% worldwide, but no pharmaceutical therapeutics exists. Hypothesis/Purpose This study investigated anti-hepatosteatotic effect of CGplus (a standardized herbal composition of Artemisia iwayomogi, Amomum xanthioides, and Salvia miltiorrhiza) and its underlying mechanisms in a tunicamycin-induced NASH model. Methods C57/BL6J male mice were orally administrated CGplus (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg), dimethyl dimethoxy biphenyl dicarboxylate (DDB, 50 mg/kg) or distilled water daily for 5 days. 18 h after a single injection of tunicamycin (ip, 2 mg/kg), the parameters for hepatic steatosis and inflammation were measured. Results Pretreatment with CGplus significantly attenuated the accumulation of triglycerides and total cholesterol as well as lipid peroxidation, evidenced by quantitative and histopathological analyses in liver tissues. The elevations of serum aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and lactate dehydrogenase were significantly ameliorated by CGplus. Also, it normalized the altered activities of pro- (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6), anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines and lipid metabolism-related molecules in protein and gene expression analyses. Conclusion Our data present experimental evidence for the potential of CGplus as an herbal therapeutic against NAFLD and NASH. Its underlying mechanisms may involve the modulations of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, but further study is required especially for the actions of CGplus on lipid metabolisms.

The combination ofArtemisia iwayomogiandCurcuma longaradix is frequently prescribed for liver diseases in TKM. However, the synergic effects of the two herbs on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) have not yet been studied. Therefore, we investigated the anti-NASH effects of the water extract ofA. iwayomogi(AI),C. longaradix (CL), and combination of the two herbs (ACE). Hepatic steatosis and NASH were induced in HepG2 cells by treatment with palmitic acid (PA, for 6 h) with/without pretreatment of ACE (25 or 50 μg/mL), AI (50 or 100 μg/mL), CL (50 or 100 μg/mL), curcumin (5 μg/mL), or scopoletin (5 μg/mL). The PA treatment (200 μM) drastically altered intracellular triglyceride levels, total cholesterol, and expression levels of genes related to lipid metabolism (CD36, SREBP1c, PPAR-γ, and PPAR-α), whereas pretreatment with ACE significantly attenuated these alterations. ACE also protected HepG2 cells from PA- (300 μM-) induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis and attenuated the related key molecules including GRP78, eIF2, and CHOP, respectively. In conclusion, we found synergic effects ofA. iwayomogiandC. longaon NASH, supporting the clinical potential for fatty liver disorders. In addition, modulation of ER stress-relative molecules would be involved in its underlying mechanism.

Background and Purpose Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is a crucial step in the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) is an attractive target in liver fibrosis because it plays a key role in gene expression and cell differentiation. We have developed a HDAC inhibitor, N-hydroxy-7-(2-naphthylthio)heptanomide (HNHA), and investigated the anti-fibrotic activity of HNHA in vitro and in vivo. Experimental Approach We investigated the anti-fibrotic effect of HNHA on mouse and human HSC activation in vitro and in the liver of bile duct-ligated (BDL) rats in vivo using cell proliferation assays, cell cycle analysis, biochemical assay, immunohistochemistry and Western blots. Liver pathology was assessed with histochemical techniques. Key Results HNHA inhibited proliferation and arrested the cell cycle via p21 induction in HSCs. In addition, HNHA induced apoptosis of HSCs, which was correlated with reduced COX-2 expression, NF-κB activation and cell death signals. HNHA restored liver function and decreased the accumulation of extracellular matrix in the liver via suppression of HSC activation in BDL rats in vivo. HNHA administration also increased survival in BDL rats. Conclusions and Implications HNHA improved liver function, suppressed liver fibrosis and increased survival of BDL rats, accompanied by reduction of cell growth, activation and survival of HSCs. These findings show that HNHA may be a potent anti-fibrosis agent against hepatic fibrosis because of its multi-targeted inhibition of HSC activity in vivo and in vitro.

This paper discusses the properties of chloride ion diffusion of saturated concrete subjected to salt attack under high temperature conditions. Immersion tests were conducted for various concrete specimens of plain and fly-ash concrete with three values of waterbinder ratio (W/B=40, 50, 60%) in 3.5% NaCl solution, which were controlled at four levels of temperature, i.e. 20, 40, 65, and 90°C. The depth of chloride ion penetration and the chloride profiles of concrete were investigated by using the potentiometric titration method (AgNO3), and the apparent diffusion coefficient was predicted from the measured chloride profiles. The influence of temperature on the diffusion coefficient of chloride ion was discussed, by using the Arrhenius equation. Test results indicated that the apparent diffusion coefficient of chloride ion of concrete increases remarkably along with temperature rise, and there was a linear relation between the natural logarithm values of the diffusion coefficients and the reciprocal of the temperature from the Arrhenius plots. Concrete with lower water-binder ratio has a tendency towards having higher temperature dependency, and the activation energy of fly-ash concrete was higher than that of plain concrete under a temperature of up to 90°C.

In this paper, we states the verification and validation methodology for the modular system of A-SMGCS which defined in the ICAO Manual on Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control Systems. Such systems aim to maintain the declared surface movement rate under all weather conditions while maintaining the required level of safety. With the complete concept of an A-SMGCS, air traffic controllers, vehicle drivers, flight crews, and are assisted with surface operations in terms of surveillance, control, routing/planning and guidance tasks. A-SMGCS verification and validation for the development of Real Time Simulation, shadow mode trials, operational trials are conducted through three methods. In this study, the characteristics and the need for such a verification method was examined.

The thermal expansion behavior of faujasite zeolites, dealuminated Y (DAY), NaX, and NaY, has been studied by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In this work, harmonic potential paramete...

The fruit of hassaku (Citrus hassaku Hort. ex Tanaka) is locally known as phalsak in Korea. Recently, the fruit extract has been known to exhibit in vivo preventive effects against UVB-induced pigmentation, antiallergic activity, and enhancement of blood fluidity. However, the exact mechanisms of how supercritical extracts of phalsak peel (SEPS) inhibits tumor metastasis and invasion are still not fully understood. We found that SEPS could downregulate the constitutive expression of both CXCR4 and HER2 in human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells as compared with other cells. SEPS also suppressed matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression and its enzymatic activity under non-cytotoxic concentrations. Neither proteasome inhibition nor lysosomal stabilization had any effect on the SEPS-induced decrease in CXCR4 expression. A detailed study of the underlying molecular mechanisms revealed that the regulation of the downregulation of CXCR4 was at the transcriptional level, as indicated by downregulation of mRNA expression, suppression of NF-kappa B activity, and inhibition of chromatin immunoprecipitation activity. Suppression of CXCR4 expression by SEPS correlated with the inhibition of CXCL12-stimulated invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells. Overall, our results indicate, for the first time, that SEPS can suppress CXCR4 and MMP-9 expressions through blockade of NF-kappa B activation and thus has the potential to suppress metastasis of breast cancer. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The long term integrity of concrete cask is very important for spent nuclear fuel dry storage system. However, there are serious concerns about early deterioration of concrete cask from creaking and corrosion of reinforcing steel by chloride ion because the cask is usually located in seaside, expecially by combined deterioration such as chloride ion and heat, carbonation. This study is to investigate the relation between temperature and chloride ion diffusion of concrete. Immersion tests using 3.5% NaCl solution that were controlled in four level of temperature, i.e. 20, 40, 65, and 90℃, were conducted for four months. The chloride ion diffusion coefficient of concrete was predicted based on the results of profiles of Cl- ion concentration with the depth direction of concrete specimens using the method of potentiometric titration by AgNO3. Test results indicate that the diffusion coefficient of chloride ion increases remarkably with increasing temperature, and there was a linear relation between the natural logarithm values of the diffusion coefficients and the reciprocal of the temperature from the Arrhenius plots. Activation energy of concrete in this study was about 46.6 (W/C = 40%), 41.7 (W/C = 50%), 30.7 (W/C = 60%) kJ/mol under a temperature of up to 90℃, and concrete with lower water-cement ratio has a tendency towards having higher temperature dependency.

Field effect transistors (FETs), incorporating metal-oxide nanofibers as the active conductive channel, have the potential for driving the widespread application of nanowire or nanofiber FETs-based electronics. Here we report on low voltage FETs with integrated electrospun In2O3-ZnO-ZnGa2O4 composite fiber channel layers and high-K dielectric (MgO)0.3-(Bi1.5Zn1.0Nb1.5O7)0.7 gate insulator and compare their performance against FETs utilizing conductive single phase, polycrystalline ZnO or In2O3 channel layers. The polycrystalline In2O3-ZnO-ZnGa2O4 composite fibers provide superior performance with high field effect mobility (∼7.04 cm2 V(-1) s(-1)), low subthreshold swing (390 mV/dec), and low threshold voltage (1.0 V) combined with excellent saturation, likely resulting from the effective blocking of high current-flow through the In2O3 and ZnO nanocrystallites by the insulating spinel ZnGa2O4 phase. The microstructural evolution of the individual In2O3, ZnO, and ZnGa2O4 phases in composite fibers is clearly observed by high resolution TEM. A systematic examination of channel area coverage, ranging from single fiber to over 90% coverage, demonstrates that low coverage results in relatively low current outputs and reduced reproducibility which we attribute to the difficulty in positioning fibers and fiber length control. On the other hand, those with ∼80% coverage exhibited high field effect mobility, high on/off current ratios (10(5)), and negligible hysteresis following 15 sweep voltage cycles. A special feature of this work is the application of the FETs to modulate the properties of complex polycrystalline nanocomposite channels.

The inclusion of heptagonal, octagonal, or larger rings in an sp2-bonded carbon network introduces negative Gaussian curvature that can lead to a high network porosity. Here we investigated a particular negatively curved nonplanar sp2-carbon structure namely 688P schwarzite, with a view toward the possible use of negatively curved carbons as lithium ion battery anodes. Our first principles calculations show that the presence of pores in schwarzites can lead to three-dimensional Li ion diffusion paths with relatively small energy barriers. We calculated the binding energy of Li (which donates 1 electron to the schwarzite) in different positions in the schwarzite structure, and the open-circuit voltage (OCV) with respect to Li metal and found that this schwarzite has a positive OCV for a Li concentration as high as LiC4. The advantages of the particular schwarzite studied here for use as an anode are expected to be present in other sp2-bonded carbon networks that feature large polygonal rings.

This study discussed the influence of mixtures and curing conditions on the development of strength and microstructure of RPC using ternary pozzolanic materials. Through pilot experiment, various RPC was manufactured by adding single or mixed ternary pozzolanic materials such as silica fume, blast furnace slag and fly ash by mass of cement, up to 0~65%, and cured by using 4 types of method which are water and air-dried curing at , steam and hot-water curing at . The results show that the use of ternary pozzolanic materials and a suitable curing method are an effective method for improving development of strength and microstructure of RPC. The unit volume of cement was greatly reduced in RPC with ternary pozzolanic materials and unlike hydration reaction in cement, the pozzolanic reaction noticeably contributes to a reduction in hydration heat and dry shrinkage. A considerable improvement was found in the flexural strength of RPC using ternary pozzolanic materials, and then the utilization of a structural member subjected to bending was expected. The X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis and Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM) revealed that the microstructure of RPC was denser by using the ternary pozzolanic materials than the original RPC containing silica fume only.

Methylation-specific (MS) multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) at two differentially methylated regions (DMRs) at chromosome 11p15, H19-DMR and LIT1-DMR, and microsatellite analysis for uniparental disomy (UPD) at chromosome 7 or 11, have been recommended for the genetic diagnosis of the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) and the Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS). In this study, the efficacy of the MS pyrosequencing method at H19-DMR and LIT1-DMR at 11p15 and SGCE-DMR at 7q21 was evaluated for the genetic diagnosis of BWS (n=18) and SRS (n=20) patients. Epigenetic alterations or UPD were detected in 83% of BWS and 50% of SRS individuals by MS-MLPA, but the detection rate increased to 95% of BWS and 70% of SRS by MS pyrosequencing. Thirteen BWS patients (72%) harbored loss-of-methylation (LOM) at LIT1-DMR and two patients (11%) harbored gain-of-methylation (GOM) at H19-DMR, whereas two patients (11%) had both LOM at LIT1-DMR and GOM at H19-DMR, reflecting paternal UPD 11. Thirteen SRS patients (65%) harbored LOM at H19-DMR, whereas one patient (5%) had GOM at SGCE-DMR, reflecting maternal UPD 7. Birth anthropometric profiles were significantly correlated to methylation scores at either H19-DMR or LIT1-DMR. In conclusion, MS pyrosequencing enhanced the detection rate of molecular defects in BWS and SRS. Moreover, it indicates that methylation status at 11p15.5 might have an important role in fetal growth.

In this study, we studied the properties of ZnO(Al) and ZnO(AlGa) thin film according to film thickness deposited on SLG by In-line magnetron sputtering system. XRD, FESEM, 4-point probe, Hall measurement system and UV/Vis-NIR spectrophotometer were employed to analyze the properties of ZnO(Al) and ZnO(AlGa) thin film. The all films exhibited (002) preferential orientation with clear peak shape and high intensity. The carrier concentration and Hall mobility of ZnO(Al) and ZnO(AlGa) thin film were improved with increasing thickness. The resistivity of both films decreased when the film thickness was raised from 500 nm to 1,450 nm. And then relatively the resistivity of ZnO(AlGa) film was lower than that of ZnO(Al) film. The transmittance of the films decreased with increasing film thickness but all films exhibited optical transmittances of over 83.3% in the visible region.

The oncogenic PI3K/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling axis and its downstream effector, the ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) play a key role in mediating cell survival in various tumor cells. Here, we investigated the effects of brassinin (BSN), a phytoalexin first identified as a constituent of cabbage, on the PI3K/Akt/mTOR/S6K1 activation, cellular proliferation, and apoptosis in PC-3 human prostate cancer. BSN exerted a significant dose-dependent cytotoxicity and reduced constitutive phosphorylation of Akt against androgen-independent PC-3 cells as compared to androgen-dependent LNCaP cells. Moreover, knockdown of androgen receptor (AR) by small interfering RNA enhanced the potential effect of BSN on induction of apoptosis in LNCaP cells. BSN clearly suppressed the constitutive activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR/S6K1 signaling cascade, which correlated with the induction of apoptosis as characterized by accumulation of cells in subG1 phase, positive Annexin V binding, TUNEL staining, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, down-regulation of antiapoptotic and proliferative proteins, activation of caspase-3, and cleavage of PARP. Additionally, BSN could block broad-spectrum inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR/S6K1 axes, and aberrant Akt activation by pcDNA3-myr-HA-Akt1 plasmid could not prevent the observed suppressive effect of BSN on constitutive mTOR activation. Finally, overexpression of Bcl-2 also attenuated BSN-mediated apoptosis in PC-3 cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that BSN can interfere with multiple signaling cascades involved in tumorigenesis and might be provided as a potential therapeutic candidate for both the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer.

A wet phase inversion process of polyamic acid (PAA) allowed fabrication of a porous membrane of polyimide (PI) with the combination of a low dielectric constant (1.7) and reasonable mechanical properties (Tensile strain: 8.04%, toughness: 3.4 MJ/m(3), tensile stress: 39.17 MPa, and young modulus: 1.13 GPa), with further thermal imidization process of PAA. PAA was simply synthesized from purified pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 4,4-oxydianiline (ODA) in two different reaction solvents such as gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), which produce M-w/PDI of 630,000/1.45 and 280,000/2.0, respectively. The porous PAA membrane was fabricated by the wet phase inversion process based on a solvent/non-solvent system via tailored composition between GBL and NMP. The porosity of PI, indicative of a low electric constant, decreased with increasing concentration of GBL, which was caused by sponge-like formation. However, due to interplay between the low electric constant (structural formation) and the mechanical properties, GBL was employed for further exploration, using toluene and acetone vs. DI-water as a coagulation media. Non-solvents influenced determination of the PAA membrane size and porosity. With this approach, insight into the interplay between dielectric properties and mechanical properties will inform a wide range of potential low-k material applications.