Mapping the spatial distribution of primary and secondary PM in a multi-industrial city by combining monitoring and modeling results.

Industrial cities are strongly influenced by primary emissions of PM from local industries. In addition, gaseous precursors, such as sulfur oxides (SO), nitrogen oxides (NO), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), emitted from industrial sources, undergo conversion into secondary inorganic and organic aerosols (SIAs and SOAs). In this study, the spatial distributions of primary and secondary PM in Ulsan, the largest industrial city in South Korea, were visualized.

Inhibition of ANO1 by - and -Resveratrol and Their Anticancer Activity in Human Prostate Cancer PC-3 Cells.

Anoctamin1 (ANO1), a calcium-activated chloride channel, is involved in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of various cancer cells including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, lung cancer, and prostate cancer. Inhibition of ANO1 activity or downregulation of ANO1 expression in these cancer cells is known to exhibit anticancer effects. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenol abundant in wines, grapes, berries, soybeans, and peanuts, shows a wide variety of biological effects including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer activities.

Link overlap influences opinion dynamics on multiplex networks of Ashkin-Teller spins.

Consider a multiplex network formed by two layers indicating social interactions: the first layer is a friendship network and the second layer is a network of business relations. In this duplex network each pair of individuals can be connected in different ways: they can be connected by a friendship but not connected by a business relation, they can be connected by a business relation without being friends, or they can be simultaneously friends and in a business relation. In the latter case we say that the links in different layers overlap.

Keystroke Dynamics-Based Authentication Using Unique Keypad.

Authentication methods using personal identification number (PIN) and unlock patterns are widely used in smartphone user authentication. However, these authentication methods are vulnerable to shoulder-surfing attacks, and PIN authentication, in particular, is poor in terms of security because PINs are short in length with just four to six digits. A wide range of research is currently underway to examine various biometric authentication methods, for example, using the user's face, fingerprint, or iris information.

Tricritical directed percolation with long-range interaction in one and two dimensions.

Recently, the quantum contact process, in which branching and coagulation processes occur both coherently and incoherently, was theoretically and experimentally investigated in driven open quantum spin systems. In the semiclassical approach, the quantum coherence effect was regarded as a process in which two consecutive atoms are involved in the excitation of a neighboring atom from the inactive (ground) state to the active state (excited s-state). In this case, both second-order and first-order transitions occur.

Nonequilibrium phase transition in an open quantum spin system with long-range interaction.

We investigate a nonequilibrium phase transition in a dissipative and coherent quantum spin system using the quantum Langevin equation and mean-field theory. Recently, the quantum contact process (QCP) was theoretically investigated using the Rydberg antiblockade effect, in particular, when the Rydberg atoms were excited in s states so that their interactions were regarded as being between the nearest neighbors. However, when the atoms are excited to d states, the dipole-dipole interactions become effective, and long-range interactions must be considered.

Correction to: Nanocarrier-Mediated Delivery of CORM-2 Enhances Anti-Allodynic and Anti-Hyperalgesic Effects of CORM-2.

The original version of this article, the name of author was incorrectely presented. That is Kyungjae Won (K. Won) should be presented as Jae Won Kyung (J.

Nanocarrier-mediated Delivery of CORM-2 Enhances Anti-allodynic and Anti-hyperalgesic Effects of CORM-2.

Neuropathic pain is a devastating chronic condition and effective treatments are still lacking. Carbon monoxide-releasing molecule-2 (CORM-2) as a carbon monoxide (CO) carrier, exerts potent anti-neuropathic pain effects; however, its poor water solubility and short half-life hinder its clinical utility. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether CORM-2-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (CORM-2-SLNs) enhance the anti-allodynic and anti-hyperalgesic effects of CORM-2 in a rat chronic constriction injury (CCI) model.

Corrigendum: Oral Administration of α-Asarone Promotes Functional Recovery in Rats With Spinal Cord Injury.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.

Neutrophil elastase inhibition effectively rescued angiopoietin-1 decrease and inhibits glial scar after spinal cord injury.

After spinal cord injury (SCI), neutrophil elastase (NE) released at injury site disrupts vascular endothelium integrity and stabilization. Angiopoietins (ANGPTs) are vascular growth factors that play an important role in vascular stabilization. We hypothesized that neutrophil elastase is one of the key determinants of vascular endothelium disruption/destabilization and affects angiopoietins expression after spinal cord injury.

Therapeutic Efficacy-Potentiated and Diseased Organ-Targeting Nanovesicles Derived from Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Spinal Cord Injury Treatment.

Human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC)-derived exosomes have been spotlighted as a promising therapeutic agent for cell-free regenerative medicine. However, poor organ-targeting ability and insufficient therapeutic efficacy of systemically injected hMSC-exosomes were identified as critical limitations for their further applications. Therefore, in this study we fabricated iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP)-incorporated exosome-mimetic nanovesicles (NV-IONP) from IONP-treated hMSCs and evaluated their therapeutic efficacy in a clinically relevant model for spinal cord injury.

Oral Administration of α-Asarone Promotes Functional Recovery in Rats With Spinal Cord Injury.

α-asarone, a bioactive compound found in Acorus plant species, has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and cognitive-enhancing effects. However, the effects of α-asarone on spinal cord injury (SCI) have not yet been elucidated. The present study investigated the effects of α-asarone on the mRNA of pro-inflammatory cytokines, macrophage polarization toward an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype, and angiogenesis in rats with compressive SCI.

Ursodeoxycholic Acid Inhibits Inflammatory Responses and Promotes Functional Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury in Rats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects by ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in rats with a spinal cord injury (SCI). A moderate mechanical compression injury was imposed on adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The post-injury locomotor functions were assessed using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor scale and the tissue volume of the injured region was analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin staining.

Anti-inflammatory effect of Tauroursodeoxycholic acid in RAW 264.7 macrophages, Bone marrow-derived macrophages, BV2 microglial cells, and spinal cord injury.

This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) after spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats. We induced an inflammatory process in RAW 264.7 macrophages, BV2 microglial cells, and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) using lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Polymorphisms of miR-146a, miR-149, miR-196a2, and miR-499 are associated with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures in Korean postmenopausal women.

Genetic factors have been shown to be a small but significant predictor for osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture risk. We performed a case-control association study to determine the association between miR-146a, miR-149, miR-196a2, and miR-499 polymorphisms and osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) susceptibility. In total, 286 unrelated postmenopausal Korean women (57 with OVCFs, 55 with non-OVCFs, and 174 healthy controls) were recruited.

Anti-inflammatory effects of ursodeoxycholic acid by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated inflammatory responses in RAW 264.7 macrophages.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages.

Methods: We induced an inflammatory process in RAW 264.

Matrix Metalloproteinase-8 Inhibition Prevents Disruption of Blood-Spinal Cord Barrier and Attenuates Inflammation in Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury.

After spinal cord injury (SCI), tight junction (TJ) protein degradation increases permeability and disrupts the blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB). The BSCB is primarily formed of endothelial cell, which forms a specialized tight seal due to the presence of TJs. BSCB disruption after SCI allows neutrophil infiltration.

Critical behavior of k-core percolation: Numerical studies.

k-core percolation has served as a paradigmatic model of discontinuous percolation for a long time. Recently it was revealed that the order parameter of k-core percolation of random networks additionally exhibits critical behavior. Thus k-core percolation exhibits a hybrid phase transition.

Ani9, A Novel Potent Small-Molecule ANO1 Inhibitor with Negligible Effect on ANO2.

Anoctamin1 (ANO1)/transmembrane protein 16A (TMEM16A), a calcium-activated chloride channel (CaCC), is involved in many physiological functions such as fluid secretion, smooth muscle contraction, nociception and cancer progression. To date, only a few ANO1 inhibitors have been described, and these have low potency and selectivity for ANO1. Here, we performed a high-throughput screening to identify highly potent and selective small molecule inhibitors of ANO1.