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Metavalent bonding is crucial for the determination of phase transition and improvement of device performance in phase-change materials, which are attracting interest for use in memory devices. Although monitoring dielectric and phononic parameters provides a direct measure of the metavalent bonding, the control of phase-change phenomena and metavalent bonding in the dynamical regime has yet to be demonstrated. This study reports the photoenhanced metavalent bonding and resulting hidden metallic crystalline state of Ti-doped Sb

The direct control of topological surface states in topological insulators is an important prerequisite for the application of these materials. Conventional attempts to utilize magnetic doping, mechanical tuning, structural engineering, external bias, and external magnetic fields suffer from a lack of reversible switching and have limited tunability. We demonstrate the direct control of topological phases in a bismuth selenide (Bi2Se3) topological insulator in 3 nm molecular beam epitaxy-grown films through the hybridization of the topological surface states with the hafnium (Hf) d-orbitals in the topmost layer of an underlying oxygen-deficient hafnium oxide (HfO2) substrate. The higher angular momentum of the d-orbitals of Hf is hybridized strongly by topological insulators, thereby enhancing the spin-orbit coupling and perturbing the topological surface states asymmetry in Bi2Se3. As the oxygen defect is cured or generated reversibly by external electric fields, our research facilitates the complete electrical control of the topological phases of topological insulators by controlling the defect density in the adjacent transition metal oxide. In addition, this mechanism can be applied in other related topological materials such as Weyl and Dirac semimetals in future endeavors to facilitate practical applications in unit-element devices for quantum computing and quantum communication.

Although some methods to improve phase-change memory efficiency have been proposed, an effective experimental approach to induce a phase-change like process without external heat energy has not yet been reported. Herein we have shown that GeTe is a prototype phase-change material, which can exhibit a non-thermal phase-change-like process under uniaxial stress. Due to its structural characteristics like directional structural instability and resonance bonding under 1% uniaxial stress, we observed that bond switching in the GeTe film between short and long bonds is possible. Due to this phase change, GeTe displays the same phase-change as crystal layer rotation. Crystal layer rotation has not been observed in the conventional phase change process using intermediate states, but it is related to the structural characteristics required for maintaining local coordination. Moreover, since the resonance bonding characteristics are effectively turned off upon applying uniaxial stress, the high-frequency dielectric constant can be significantly decreased. Our results also show that the most significant process in the non-thermal phase transition of phase-change materials is the modulation of the lattice relaxation process after the initial perturbation, rather than the method inducing the perturbation itself. Finally, these consequences suggest that a new type of phase-change memory is possible through changes in the optical properties under stress.

This study identifies the impact of river sediments on coastal ecosystems in the southwestern coastal region of Korea. Surface sediments were analyzed for their spatial distributions of organic matter, nutrients, and heavy metal concentrations. Furthermore, pollutants were identified according to the pollution load index (PLI) and potential ecological risk index (RI). Concentrations did not show serious pollution levels compared to generalized guidelines; however, some sites exceeded the PLI pollution standard, and were also identified as potential ecological risks. Through cluster analyses the sediment sites were classified into three groups: rivers with relatively high concentrations of organic matter and nutrients, rivers affected largely by artificial heavy metal pollution, and rivers with low levels of pollution by organic matter, nutrients, and heavy metals. It is evident that continuous monitoring and management are required to prevent major pollution from industrial complexes, agriculture, and commercial activities in the regions near these rivers.

Robust massless Dirac states with helical spin textures were realized at the boundaries of topological insulators such as van der Waals (vdW) layered Bi2Se3 family compounds. Topological properties of massless Dirac states can be controlled by varying the film thickness, external stimuli, or environmental factors. Here, we report single-crystal-quality growth of ultrathin Bi2Se3 films on flexible polyimide sheets and manipulation of the Dirac states by varying the vdW gap. X-ray diffraction unambiguously demonstrates that under uniaxial bending stress the vdW gap substantially changes with interatomic-layer distances unaltered. Terahertz and photoelectron spectroscopy indicate tuning of the number of quantum conducting channels and of work function, by the stress, respectively. Surprisingly, under compressive strain, transport measurements reveal dimensional crossover and suppressed weak antilocalization. First-principles calculations support the observation. Our findings suggest that variation of vdW gap...

PURPOSE The effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) treatment on body mass index (BMI) are controversial in girls with central precocious puberty (CPP). We therefore evaluated auxological parameters during GnRHa therapy in patients with CPP, specifically focusing on changes in BMI. METHODS Seventy-seven girls with idiopathic CPP who underwent GnRHa therapy were retrospectively recruited. We investigated BMI changes during the treatment period after stratifying them according to baseline BMI status as follows: normal (BMI percentile of

The direct control of topological surface states in topological insulators is an important prerequisite for the application of these materials. Conventional attempts to utilize magnetic doping, mechanical tuning, structural engineering, external bias, and external magnetic fields suffer from a lack of reversible switching and have limited tunability. We demonstrate the direct control of topological phases in a bismuth selenide (Bi

Ag-Incorporated Ge2Sb2Te5 (AGST) crystallizes faster and at a lower temperature than Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST). Many researchers have reported that these improvements could be attributed to a minute structural change because of the incorporated Ag. In a detailed study, we investigated this small structural change and its relationship with the phase change characteristics. Using various structural measurement methods and chemical bonding measurement tools, we confirmed the fine structural change, electron density distribution, and bond strength in GST thin films incorporated with 0%, 1%, and 10% Ag. From the experimental results, we identified that as the amount of incorporated Ag increases, the Ge–Te short bond length decreases and a homo-polar Ge–Ge bond is induced. When Ag is incorporated into the Ge site, the nearest neighbor bond strength between Ge and Te becomes much weaker. At the atomic level, the incorporated Ag induces one strong bond with the nearest Te, while the other bonds with Te are weakened. Therefore, the change in bond strength modulates the bond length between Ge and Te. Specifically, the Ge–Te short bond becomes shorter, and the long bond becomes relatively longer. This structural change indicates that the AGST has stronger Peierls distortion characteristics than GST. Finally, the modulated Peierls distortion changes the phase transition characteristics, such as the increase in the transition speed and the decrease in the phase change temperature.

The thermal conduction characteristics of GeTe and Ge2Sb2Te5(GST) nanowires were investigated using an optical method to determine the local temperature by Raman spectroscopy. Since the localization of surface charge in a single-crystalline nanostructure can enhance charge-phonon scattering, the thermal conductivity value (κ) of single crystalline GeTe and GST nanowires was decreased significantly to 1.44 Wm(-1) K(-1) for GeTe and 1.13 Wm(-1) K(-1) for GST, compared to reported values for polycrystalline structures. The SET-to-RESET state in single-crystalline GeTe and GST nanowires are characteristic of a memory device. Unlike previous reports using GeTe and GST nanowires, the SET-to-RESET characteristics showed a bipolar switching shape and no unipolar switching. In addition, after multiple cycles of operation, a significant change in morphology and composition was observed without any structural phase transition, indicating that atoms migrate toward the cathode or anode, depending on their electronegativities. This change caused by a field effect indicates that the structural phase transition does not occur in the case of GeTe and GST nanowires with a significantly lowered thermal conductivity and stable crystalline structure. Finally, the formation of voids and hillocks as the result of the electromigration critically degrades device reliability.

Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), the main polyphenolic component of green tea, has a wide range of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fibrotic effects. In this study, EGCG-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) sheets were prepared by electrospinning nanofibers and evaluating their potential as tissue-adhesion barriers. EGCG-loaded PLGA (E-PLGA) fibrous sheets were electrospun from a PLGA solution containing 8% (w/v) EGCG. The average diameter of E-PLGA fibers was 397 ± 159 nm, which was comparable to that of pure PLGA fibers (459 ± 154 nm). EGCG was uniformly dispersed in E-PLGA sheets without direct chemical interactions. E-PLGA fibrous sheets showed sustained release of EGCG by controlled diffusion and PLGA degradation. The attachment and proliferation of L-929 fibroblastic cells were significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed in E-PLGA sheets. Furthermore, E-PLGA fibrous sheets did not induce any inflammatory response to J774A.1 macrophages. The anti-adhesion efficacy of E-PLGA fibrous sheets was evaluated in the intraperitoneal adhesion model in rats. Two weeks after surgical treatment, macroscopic adhesion (extent and severity) scores and histopathological tissue responses of E-PLGA fibrous sheets were significantly lower than those of non-treated controls and pure PLGA sheets. The results suggest that the scores are comparable, and in some cases superior, to those of other commercialized tissue-adhesion barriers. In conclusion, our study findings suggest that E-PLGA fibrous sheets may be exploited as potential tissue-adhesion barriers for the prevention of post-surgical adhesion formation.

The modified amorphous GeTe formed by pulsed laser irradiation in as-grown GeTe has been analyzed in terms of variations of local bonding structure using extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). The modified GeTe film has octahedral-like Ge-Te bonding structure that can be effectively induced by irradiation process. The EXAFS data clearly shows that the irradiation can lead to reduction of the average coordination number. Variations in the transition temperature for the irradiated film during crystallization can be described by the presence of octahedral-like local structure.

Modified amorphous GeTe, formed by the pulsed laser irradiation of as-grown GeTe, was analyzed in terms of variations in the local bonding structure using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray absorption fine structure in tandem with first-principles density functional theory. Amorphized GeTe (acquired from the crystalline phase) was compared with the modified amorphous GeTe to investigate the similarities and discrepancies between these two amorphous phases. Raman spectroscopy showed that these materials have a similar distribution of Ge-centered local structure in both phases, which is mainly composed of an octahedral-like structure. However, extended X-ray absorption fine structure results show the presence of a unique second type of Ge–Te bonding in the amorphized GeTe, which can effectively reduce the energy required for recrystallization. A computational study based on molecular dynamics simulations verified our experimental observations, including the existence of a second type of Ge–Te bonding in the amorphized phase. Moreover we distinguished the structural characteristics underlying the different amorphous phases, such as local atomic configurations and structural symmetries.

This paper presents analysis results for the hybrid power system combining a solid oxide fuel cell and a gas turbine. Two system layouts, with the major difference being the operating pressure of the fuel cell, were considered and their thermodynamic design performances were compared. Critical temperature parameters affecting the design performances of the hybrid systems were considered as constraints for the system design. In addition to energy analysis, exergy analysis has been adopted to examine the performance differences depending on system layouts and design conditions. Under a relaxed temperature constraint on the cell, the ambient pressure system exhibits relatively larger power capacity but requires both higher cell temperature and temperature rise at the cell for a given gas turbine design condition. The pressurized system utilizes the high temperature gas from the fuel cell more effectively than the ambient pressure system, and thus exhibits better efficiency. Under a restricted temperature constraint on the cell, the efficiency advantage of the pressurized system becomes manifested.

Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), the main polyphenolic component of green tea, has a wide range of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fibrotic effects. In this study, EGCG-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) sheets were prepared by electrospinning nanofibers and evaluating their potential as tissue-adhesion barriers. EGCG-loaded PLGA (E-PLGA) fibrous sheets were electrospun from a PLGA solution containing 8% (w/v) EGCG. The average diameter of E-PLGA fibers was 397 ± 159 nm, which was comparable to that of pure PLGA fibers (459 ± 154 nm). EGCG was uniformly dispersed in E-PLGA sheets without direct chemical interactions. E-PLGA fibrous sheets showed sustained release of EGCG by controlled diffusion and PLGA degradation. The attachment and proliferation of L-929 fibroblastic cells were significantly (p0.05) suppressed in E-PLGA sheets. Furthermore, E-PLGA fibrous sheets did not induce any inflammatory response to J774A.1 macrophages. The anti-adhesion efficacy of E-PLGA fibrous sheets was evaluated in the intraperitoneal adhesion model in rats. Two weeks after surgical treatment, macroscopic adhesion (extent and severity) scores and histopathological tissue responses of E-PLGA fibrous sheets were significantly lower than those of non-treated controls and pure PLGA sheets. The results suggest that the scores are comparable, and in some cases superior, to those of other commercialized tissue-adhesion barriers. In conclusion, our study findings suggest that E-PLGA fibrous sheets may be exploited as potential tissue-adhesion barriers for the prevention of post-surgical adhesion formation.

Yong Cheol Shin,1,* Won Jun Yang,1,* Jong Ho Lee,1 Jin-Woo Oh,2 Tai Wan Kim,3 Jong-Chul Park,4 Suong-Hyu Hyon,5 Dong-Wook Han1 1Department of Cogno-Mechatronics Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Nanomaterials Engineering, College of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea; 3Department of Design, College of Arts, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea; 4Department of Medical Engineering, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 5Center for Fiber and Textile Science, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: This study concentrates on the development of biodegradable nanofiber membranes with controlled drug release to ensure reduced tissue adhesion and accelerated healing. Nanofibers of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) loaded with epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), the most bioactive polyphenolic compound in green tea, were electrospun. The physicochemical and biomechanical properties of EGCG-releasing PLGA (E-PLGA) nanofiber membranes were characterized by atomic force microscopy, EGCG release and degradation profiles, and tensile testing. In vitro antioxidant activity and hemocompatibility were evaluated by measuring scavenged reactive oxygen species levels and activated partial thromboplastin time, respectively. In vivo antiadhesion efficacy was examined on the rat peritonea with a surgical incision. The average fiber diameter of E-PLGA membranes was approximately 300–500nm, which was almost similar to that of pure PLGA equivalents. E-PLGA membranes showed sustained EGCG release mediated by controlled diffusion and PLGA degradation over 28days. EGCG did not adversely affect the tensile strength of PLGA membranes, whereas it significantly decreased the elastic modulus and increased the strain at break. E-PLGA membranes were significantly effective in both scavenging reactive oxygen species and extending activated partial thromboplastin time. Macroscopic observation after 1week of surgical treatment revealed that the antiadhesion efficacy of E-PLGA nanofiber membranes was significantly superior to those of untreated controls and pure PLGA equivalents, which was comparable to that of a commercial tissue-adhesion barrier. In conclusion, the E-PLGA hybrid nanofiber can be exploited to craft strategies for the prevention of postsurgical adhesions. Keywords: nanofiber membrane, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, antiadhesion, tissue-adhesion barrierA Letter to the Editor has been received and published for this article.

We developed a process to produce novel interactions between two previously unrelated proteins. This process selects protein scaffolds and designs protein interfaces that bind to a surface patch of interest on a target protein. Scaffolds with shapes complementary to the target surface patch were screened using an exhaustive computational search of the human proteome and optimized by directed evolution using phage display. This method was applied to successfully design scaffolds that bind to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) domain II, the interface of EGFR dimerization, with high reactivity toward the target surface patch of EGFR domain II. One potential application of these tailor-made protein interactions is the development of therapeutic agents against specific protein targets.

Recently, many nanomedical studies have been focused on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) because MNPs possess attractive properties for potential uses in imaging, drug delivery, and theranostics. MNPs must have optimized size as well as functionalized surface for such applications. However, careful cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assessments to ensure the biocompatibility and biosafety of MNPs are essential. In this study, Fe3O4 MNPs of different sizes (approximately 10 and 100–150 nm) were prepared with different functional groups, hydroxyl (–OH) and amine (–NH2) groups, by coating their surfaces with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) or TEOS/APTMS. Differential cellular responses to those surface-functionalized MNPs were investigated in normal fibroblasts vs. fibrosarcoma cells. Following the characterization of MNP properties according to size, surface charge and functional groups, cellular responses to MNPs in normal fibroblasts and fibrosarcoma cells were determined by quantifying metabolic activity, membrane integrity, and DNA stability. While all MNPs induced just about 5% or less cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in fibrosarcoma cells at lower than 500 μg/mL, APTMS-coated MNPs resulted in greater than 10% toxicity against normal cells. Particularly, the genotoxicity of MNPs was dependent on their dose, size and surface charge, showing that positively charged (APTMS- or TEOS/APTMS-coated) MNPs induced appreciable DNA aberrations irrespective of cell type. Resultantly, smaller and positively charged (APTMS-coated) MNPs led to more severe toxicity in normal cells than their cancer counterparts. Although it was difficult to fully differentiate cellular responses to various MNPs between normal fibroblasts and their cancer counterparts, normal cells were shown to be more vulnerable to internalized MNPs than cancer cells. Our results suggest that functional groups and sizes of MNPs are critical determinants of degrees of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, and potential mechanisms of toxicity.

The C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II is an unusual series of repeated residues appended to the C-terminus of the largest subunit and serves as a flexible binding scaffold for numerous nuclear factors. The binding of these factors is determined by the phosphorylation patterns on the repeats in the domain. In this study, we generated a synthetic antibody library by replacing the third heavy chain complementarity-determining region of an anti-HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) antibody (trastuzumab) with artificial sequences of 7–18 amino-acid residues. From this library, antibodies were selected that were specific to serine phosphopeptides that represent typical phosphorylation patterns on the functional unit (YSPTSPS)2 of the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain (CTD). Antibody clones pCTD-1stS2 and pCTD-2ndS2 showed specificity for peptides with phosphoserine at the second residues of the first or second heptamer repeat, respectively. Additional clones specifically reacted to peptides with phosphoserine at the fifth serine of the first repeat (pCTD-1stS5), the seventh residue of the first repeat and fifth residue of the second repeat (pCTD-S7S5) or the seventh residue of either the first or second repeat (pCTD-S7). All of these antibody clones successfully reacted to RNA polymerase II in immunoblot analysis. Interestingly, pCTD-2ndS2 precipitated predominately RNA polymerase II from the exonic regions of genes in genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing analysis, which suggests that the phosphoserine at the second residue of the second repeat of the functional unit (YSPTSPS)2 is a mediator of exon definition. Antibodies that bind to an enzyme that allows genes to make the proteins they encode could prove a valuable research tool. The ‘RNA polymerase II’ enzyme copies a gene into messenger RNAs – molecules that carry genetic information from the cell nucleus to direct protein synthesis out in the cytoplasm. The enzyme has an unusual pattern of amino acids carrying phosphate groups at one end of its protein chain. Hyori Kim at the University of Ulsan in South Korea, with Junho Chung and co-workers at Seoul National University, created a series of antibodies that selectively bind to these ‘phosphorylated’ regions of the enzyme depending on the phosphorylation pattern. The antibodies are being used to explore how different phosphorylation patterns control the binding of this vital enzyme to molecules required for gene activity, and to specific sites on DNA like exon and intron.

In the power market, deregulation lets the position of market participants change. The market is driven by customers, not utilities. Thus utilities need to provide value-added services based on IT(Information Technology) for customers. Many different types of value-added services are already appeared in power markets and some of them has shown positive results. In these services, one of the most important resources is AMR(automatic meter reading) data. It is getting more important in these days, because it contains the usage data for calculating cost and the information to analyze the various events in consumer's site. In domestic case, utilities also should treat the AMR data as a strategic asset of the future market and study how to make the useful value-added services. Especially, developing the service to reduce the bill/cost can bring the positive effect for customers as well as utilities. Customers can reduce the bill through the service and utilities can reduce the cost of generation, transmission, delivery and so on. In this paper, we introduce the process of developing the PCCS (power consumption consulting system) pilot system as the value-added service system to help consumers use the electric power efficiently and practically

This study aims at presenting important aspects in developing the pressurized SOFC/GT hybrid system, such as different types of system configurations, characteristics of matching between SOFC and GT and effects of design constraints. Assorted system configurations, depending on component design technologies, are analyzed and their performances are comparatively evaluated. Various options considered are internal and external reforming processes, reforming steam supply methods and reforming heat sources. Performances are examined in terms of matching of cell temperature and turbine inlet temperature. Performance limitation caused by practical matching of those parameters under additional constraints on the cell stack (temperature difference at the cell) is investigated. Performances of the hybrid systems are also compared with those of the SOFC only systems under identical constraints and the extent of performance enhancement is evaluated. In order for the system to reach a comparable level of efficiency with internal reforming, the system having external reforming requires both high operating temperature of the cell and large temperature difference at the cell. With a practical design constraint, the internally reformed system is more efficient and this superiority becomes increasingly evident as the constraint becomes more severe.Copyright © 2005 by ASME