Viral Mimetic Bacterial Outer Membrane Vesicles for Targeting Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2.

Purpose: Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) derived from Gram-negative bacteria naturally serve as a heterologous nano-engineering platform, functioning as effective multi-use nanovesicles for diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments against pathogens. To apply refined OMVs for human theranostic applications, we developed naturally exposed receptor-binding domain (RBD) OMVs grafted with antigen 43 as a minimal modular system targeting angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

Methods: We constructed -derived OMVs using the antigen 43 autotransporter system to display RBD referred to as viral mimetic Ag43β700_RBD OMVs.

Neuromuscular Strategies in Dominant and Non-Dominant Legs in Dancers During Dynamic Balance Tasks.

Ballet-based dance training emphasizes the equal development of both legs. However, dancers often perceive differences between their legs during balance or landing. There still needs to be more consensus on the functional difference between dominant (D) and non-dominant legs (ND).

Microbiome-Mucosal Immunity Nexus: Driving Forces in Respiratory Disease Progression.

The importance of the complex interplay between the microbiome and mucosal immunity, particularly within the respiratory tract, has gained significant attention due to its potential implications for the severity and progression of lung diseases. Therefore, this review summarizes the specific interactions through which the respiratory tract-specific microbiome influences mucosal immunity and ultimately impacts respiratory health. Furthermore, we discuss how the microbiome affects mucosal immunity, considering tissue-specific variations, and its capacity in respiratory diseases containing asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer.

Association of nurse-mother partnerships with parenting stress and family resilience among South Korean mothers of children with congenital heart disease.

Purpose: Advances in the management of congenital heart disease (CHD) have significantly decreased mortality rates, indicating a need for continuous care as a chronic condition throughout the child's lifespan. This study examined the association of nurse-mother partnerships with parenting stress and family resilience among South Korean mothers of children with CHD.

Design And Methods: This descriptive study involved 93 mothers of children aged six years or younger with CHD admitted to a hospital.

Implementing microfluidic flow device model in utilizing dural substitutes as pulp capping materials for vital pulp therapy.

Vital pulp therapy (VPT) has gained prominence with the increasing trends towards conservative dental treatment with specific indications for preserving tooth vitality by selectively removing the inflamed tissue instead of the entire dental pulp. Although VPT has shown high success rates in long-term follow-up, adverse effects have been reported due to the calcification of tooth canals by mineral trioxide aggregates (MTAs), which are commonly used in VPT. Canal calcification poses challenges for accessing instruments during retreatment procedures.

Antibacterial efficacy and osteogenic potential of mineral trioxide aggregate-based retrograde filling material incorporated with silver nanoparticle and calcium fluoride.

Background/purpose: The retrograde filling material, particularly mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) employed in apicoectomy, should possess high antibacterial efficacy and osteogenic potential. We evaluated the antibacterial efficacy, biocompatibility, and osteogenic potential following the addition of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and calcium fluoride (CaF) in retrograde filling material of MTA.

Materials And Methods: MTA was mixed with four different solvents.

Factors Affecting Life-Sustaining Treatment Decisions and Changes in Clinical Practice after Enforcement of the Life-Sustaining Treatment (LST) Decision Act: A Tertiary Hospital Experience in Korea.

Purpose: In Korea, the Act on Hospice and Palliative Care and Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment (LST) was implemented on February 4, 2018. We aimed to investigate relevant factors and clinical changes associated with LST decisions after law enforcement.

Materials And Methods: This single-center retrospective study included patients who completed LST documents using legal forms at Asan Medical Center from February 5, 2018, to June 30, 2020.

Thermophysical properties and bonding with composite resin of premixed mineral trioxide aggregate for use as base material.

Dental bases require low thermal conductivity and good mechanical properties, such as bonding with composite resins. This study aims to elucidate the physicochemical properties of premixed mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) for its suitability as a dental base and to explore the optimal adhesive strategy with composite resin. The thermal conductivity and compressive strength of this premixed MTA are 0.

Bovine Colostrum Exosomes Are a Promising Natural Bacteriostatic Agent against .

Bioactive molecules and immune factors in the bovine colostrum (BC) are important elements of passive immunity that prevent bacterial infection. However, the mechanisms underlying the antimicrobial activity of BC are not fully understood. We assessed the antibacterial properties of BC-derived exosomes (BC-Exo) and found that they had bacteriostatic, anti-hemolytic, and biofilm-eradication effects on .

Genotypic investigation of a rotavirus cluster at a quaternary-care pediatric hospital.

Rotavirus (RV) was a common healthcare-associated infection prior to the introduction of the RV vaccine. Following widespread RV vaccination, healthcare-associated rotavirus cases are rare. We describe an investigation of a cluster of rotavirus infections in a pediatric hospital in which an uncommon genotype not typically circulating in the United States was detected.

Linearity Characterization and Uncertainty Quantification of Spectroradiometers via Maximum Likelihood and the Non-parametric Bootstrap.

A technique for characterizing and correcting the linearity of radiometric instruments is known by the names the "flux-addition method" and the "combinatorial technique". In this paper, we develop a rigorous uncertainty quantification method for use with this technique and illustrate its use with both synthetic data and experimental data from a "beam conjoiner" instrument. We present a probabilistic model that relates the instrument readout to a set of unknown fluxes via a set of polynomial coefficients.

Achievement of 0.005 % combined transfer uncertainties in the NIST detector calibration facility.

Improvements in a lamp-monochromator-based facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Visible near-infrared Spectral Comparator Facility (VisSCF) which is used to calibrate optical detectors for spectral radiant power responsivity from 300 nm to 1100 nm, are described. These changes include extending the VisSCF operational range down to 300 nm from 350 nm, thereby fully covering the ultraviolet-A (UVA) spectral region and partially covering the UVB range. These improvements have lowered the magnitudes of most of the components in the uncertainty budget and have led to combined 0.

Impact of UV-C Irradiation on Bacterial Disinfection in a Drinking Water Purification System.

The supply of microbiological risk-free water is essential to keep food safety and public hygiene. And removal, inactivation, and destruction of microorganisms in drinking water are key for ensuring safety in the food industry. Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation is an attractive method for efficient disinfection of water without generating toxicity and adversely affecting human health.

Incandescent lamp-based facility for measuring the long-term radiometric stability of spectrographs.

The long-term temporal stability of a spectrograph is one of the most important characteristics affecting the spectrograph's radiometric performance. For many applications, from monitoring ocean color and lunar irradiance to laboratory irradiance measurement standards, the stability of a spectrograph is a primary factor in the overall measurement uncertainty and therefore is the major criterion for the suitability of the spectrograph as an optical-scale transfer standard. Here we report a facility built for testing the long-term radiometric stability of commercial, fiber-coupled spectrographs.

Characterization and absolute calibration of an AERONET-OC radiometer.

The Ocean Color component of the global Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET-OC) utilizes CE-318 sun photometers modified for above-water radiometry from fixed structures such as oil rigs, lighthouses, and service platforms. Primarily, AERONET-OC measurements allow determination of the water-leaving radiance required for the validation of ocean color satellite data products. One instrument from the AERONET-OC network, identified as AERONET #080, was studied in this work.

One-Step Etching Characteristics of ITO/Ag/ITO Multilayered Electrode in High-Density and High-Electron-Temperature Plasma.

This paper presents the dry etching characteristics of indium tin oxide (ITO)/Ag/ITO multilayered thin film, used as a pixel electrode in a high-resolution active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) device. Dry etching was performed using a combination of H and HCl gases in a reactive ion etching system with a remote electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source, in order to achieve high electron temperature. The effect of the gas ratio (H/HCl) was closely observed, in order to achieve an optimal etch profile and an effective etch process, while other parameters-such as the radio frequency (RF) power, ECR power, chamber pressure, and temperature-were fixed.

Defect Engineering in Metal-Organic Frameworks Towards Advanced Mixed Matrix Membranes for Efficient Propylene/Propane Separation.

Highly permselective and durable membrane materials have been sought for energy-efficient C H /C H separation. Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) comprising a polymer matrix and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising candidates for this application; however, rational matching of filler-matrix is challenging and their separation performances need to be further improved. Here, we propose a novel strategy of "defect engineering" in MOFs as an additional degree of freedom to design advanced MMMs.

Unprecedentedly Low CO Transport through Vertically Aligned, Conical Silicon Nanotube Membranes.

Nanotube membranes could show significantly enhanced permeance and selectivity for gas separations. Up until now, studies have primarily focused on applying carbon nanotubes to membranes to achieve ultrafast mass transport. Here, we report the first preparation of silicon nanotube (SiNT) membranes via a template-assisted method and investigate the gas transport behavior through these SiNT membranes using single- and mixed-gas permeation experiments.

Origin of CO-philic Sorption by Graphene Oxide Layered Nanosheets and Their Derivatives.

Graphene oxide (GO) is a promising 2D material for adsorbents and membranes, in particular, for the CO separation process. However, CO diffusion and sorption in GO and its layered structures are still not well understood because of its heterogeneous structure. Here we report CO sorption in GO and its derivatives (e.

Understanding Gas Transport Behavior through Few-Layer Graphene Oxide Membranes Controlled by Tortuosity and Interlayer Spacing.

Here, we elucidate the gas transport behavior through few-layer graphene oxide membranes (FGOMs) that have a systematically controlled diffusion pathway, including tortuosity and channel width. The obtained unusual gas permeation order (especially, CH > O > N) of the FGOM provides strong evidence that gas molecules can indeed penetrate through the empty voids created by horizontally assembled GO, which allows selective gas transport features. These unique transport features of the FGOM originate from its continuously connected channel structure, which is an analogue of an ultrapermeable glassy polymer with extremely large free volumes in dense films.

Isoforms of RNF128 Regulate the Stability of Mutant P53 in Barrett's Esophageal Cells.

Background & Aims: Barrett's esophagus (BE) can progress to dysplasia and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), accompanied by mutations in TP53 that increase the stability of its product, p53. We analyzed BE tissues for messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that associate with BE progression and identified one that affects the stabilization of p53.

Methods: We obtained 54 BE samples collected from patients with high-grade dysplasia (HGD) or esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), from 1992 through 2015, and performed RNA sequence analyses, including isoform-specific analyses.