Electrosprayable Levan-Coated Nanoclusters and Ultrasound-Responsive Drug Delivery for Cancer Therapy.

In this study, we synthesized levan shell hydrophobic silica nanoclusters encapsulating doxorubicin (L-HSi-Dox) and evaluated their potential as ultrasound-responsive drug delivery systems for cancer treatment. L-HSi-Dox nanoclusters were successfully fabricated by integrating a hydrophobic silica nanoparticle-doxorubicin complex as the core and an amphiphilic levan carbohydrate polymer as the shell by using an electrospray technique. Characterization analyses confirmed the stability, size, and composition of the nanoclusters.

Development of global monthly dataset of CMIP6 climate variables for estimating evapotranspiration.

Reliable projection of evapotranspiration (ET) is important for planning sustainable water management for the agriculture field in the context of climate change. A global dataset of monthly climate variables was generated to estimate potential ET (PET) using 14 General Circulation Models (GCMs) for four main shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). The generated dataset has a spatial resolution of 0.

Asymmetric Influence of Dual-Task Interference on Anticipatory Postural Adjustments in One-Leg Stance.

This study investigated the differences of anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) in a one-leg stance (OLS) that appear according to lower-extremity dominance and dual-task interference. Thirteen young, healthy, male volunteers performed the OLS task under the following six conditions: (1) dominant leg (DL), single-task; (2) DL, dual-task, with a low level of cognitive load (DT1/2); (3) DL, dual-task, with a high level of cognitive load (DT + 1); (4) non-dominant leg (NDL), single-task; (5) NDL, DT1/2; and (6) NDL, DT + 1. In order to measure the subjects' APA, we used the medial-lateral displacement of their centers of pressure and gravity from the force plate and the time-series data of joint angular motions, recorded using a 3D motion analysis system.

Differences in extremes and uncertainties in future runoff simulations using SWAT and LSTM for SSP scenarios.

This study compared the performance of Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTM) and Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in simulating observed runoff and projecting future runoff using 11 CMIP6 GCMs. The projected runoff was estimated for two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), 2-4.5 and 5-8.

A novel energy efficient path for nitrogen fixation using a non-thermal arc.

Plasma-assisted nitrogen fixation is a promising sustainable and clean alternative to the classical Haber-Bosch process. However, the high energy consumption and low production rate of plasma-assisted nitrogen fixation limit its application. This study shows that the non-thermal (non-equilibrium) enhancement of the arc plasma significantly reduces the energy consumption of nitrogen fixation.

Uncertainties in evapotranspiration projections associated with estimation methods and CMIP6 GCMs for South Korea.

This study compared the performance capabilities of three potential evapotranspiration (PET) methods, Thornthwaite (TW), Hargreaves and Samani (HS), and Penman-Monteith (PM), to simulate historical and future daily PET levels in South Korea using climate variables from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6) Global Climate Models (GCMs). Five evaluation metrics were used to quantify the reproducibility of the climate variables and PETs at ten stations in South Korea for the historical period used here (1985-2014). The changes and uncertainty associated with the changes in PET in the near (2031-2060) and far (2071-2100) futures were calculated for two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) of 2-4.

Plasma jet assisted carbonization and activation of coffee ground waste.

Activated carbon has been extensively utilized to adsorb pollutants generated by industrial activities. There have been many attempts to efficiently produce activated carbon from spent coffee grounds in the field of environmental technology. In this study, the feasibility of the novel production of activated carbon from coffee ground waste using a plasma jet was evaluated.

Electrohydrodynamic Sprayable Amphiphilic Polysaccharide-Clasped Nanoscale Self-Assembly for Imaging.

The work presented in this report demonstrates that amphiphilic polysaccharide-clasped self-assembly (Amp-SA) with nanometer size, encapsulating hydrophobic nanoparticles (NPs) can be generated via electrohydrodynamic spraying. It is observed that the formation of hydrophobic NP-encapsulated Amp-SA is dependent on the surface chemistry of NPs. The citrate-coated magnetic NPs (MNPs-Cit) were also prepared and compared.

Interactive Improvements of Visual and Auditory Function for Enhancing Performance in Youth Soccer Players.

We analyzed the effects of a regular training program on the health- and skill-related physical fitness (PF) of talented soccer players aged < 12 years; visual reaction time (VRT) and auditory reaction time (ART) were also assessed. In this single-group interventional study, 78 talented male youth soccer players (mean age, 9.54 years) were critically selected by the Korean Educational Development Institute and underwent a 22-week training program consisting of 16 weeks of PF and basic skill training (90 min/week) and 6 weeks of intensive training (3, 150-min sessions/week).

Efficient methane-to-acetylene conversion using low-current arcs.

The proliferation of natural gas production had led to increased utilization of methane as a raw material for chemicals. The most significant bottleneck in this process is the high activation energy of methane. This paper reports the direct conversion of methane to acetylene in a novel rotating arc driven by AC electrical power.

Development of a Solar Cell Back Sheet with Excellent UV Durability and Thermal Conductivity.

The back sheet is one of the most important materials in photovoltaic (PV) modules. It plays an important role in protecting the solar cell from the environment by preventing moisture penetration. In the back sheet, the outermost layer is composed of a polyester (PET) film to protect the PV module from moisture, and the opposite layer is composed of a TiO2 + PE material.

Recombinant mussel proximal thread matrix protein promotes osteoblast cell adhesion and proliferation.

Background: von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a key load bearing domain for mamalian cell adhesion by binding various macromolecular ligands in extracellular matrix such as, collagens, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans. Interestingly, vWF like domains are also commonly found in load bearing systems of marine organisms such as in underwater adhesive of mussel and sea star, and nacre of marine abalone, and play a critical load bearing function. Recently, Proximal Thread Matrix Protein1 (PTMP1) in mussel composed of two vWF type A like domains has characterized and it is known to bind both mussel collagens and mammalian collagens.

Low temperature activation of CO removal by O3-assisted catalysis.

Catalytic CO oxidation was activated at low temperature by injecting O3 as an additive. It was empirically confirmed that CO removal rate was dramatically enhanced by supplying a small amount of O3, and the reaction temperature was almost half that required for CO oxidation when using a catalyst only. By optimizing the concentration of O3, catalytic CO oxidation could be achieved within 1 min at low operational temperature.

Plasma-assisted combustion technology for NOx reduction in industrial burners.

Stronger regulations on nitrogen oxide (NOx) production have recently promoted the creation of a diverse array of technologies for NOx reduction, particularly within the combustion process, where reduction is least expensive. In this paper, we discuss a new combustion technology that can reduce NOx emissions within industrial burners to single-digit parts per million levels without employing exhaust gas recirculation or other NOx reduction mechanisms. This new technology uses a simple modification of commercial burners, such that they are able to perform plasma-assisted staged combustion without altering the outer configuration of the commercial reference burner.

Combination of plasma with a honeycomb-structured catalyst for automobile exhaust treatment.

To activate a catalyst efficiently at low temperature by plasma for environmental control, we developed a hybrid reactor that combines plasma with a honeycomb-structured catalyst in a practical manner. The reactor developed generated stable cold plasma at atmospheric pressure because of the dielectric and conductive nature of the honeycomb catalyst by consuming low amounts of power. In this reactor, the applied voltage and temperature determined the balance between the oxidation and adsorption by the plasma and catalyst.

Ursolic acid from Oldenlandia diffusa induces apoptosis via activation of caspases and phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta in SK-OV-3 ovarian cancer cells.

Although ursolic acid isolated from Oldenlandia diffusa (Rubiaceae) was known to have anticancer activities in prostate, breast and liver cancers, the underlying mechanism of ursolic acid in ovarian cancer cells was not investigated so far. In the present study, the apoptotic mechanism of ursolic acid was elucidated in SK-OV-3 ovarian cancer cells by 2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulphophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) assay, cell cycle analysis and Western blotting. Ursolic acid exerted cytotoxicity against SK-OV-3 and A2780 ovarian cancer cells with IC₅₀ of ca.

Predicting factors associated with clinical deterioration of sepsis patients with intermediate levels of serum lactate.

Clinical deterioration among hemodynamically stable sepsis patients occurs frequently, and patients with intermediate lactate levels (between 2.0 and 4.0 mmol/L) are particularly at risk for mortality.

Alcohol-fermented soybean increases the expression of receptor-interacting protein 2 and IκB kinase β in mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Soybean is a useful component of traditional Korean medicine with well-documented health-promoting effects. We investigated the effects of alcohol-fermented soybean (AFS) on immune function. When AFS treatment was used in combination with recombinant interferon-γ (rIFN-γ), there was a marked cooperative induction of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production in mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Emodin inhibits proinflammatory responses and inactivates histone deacetylase 1 in hypoxic rheumatoid synoviocytes.

Chronic inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is promoted by proinflammatory cytokines and closely linked to angiogenesis. In the present study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of emodin (1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methyl-anthraquinone) isolated from the root of Rheum palmatum L. in interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RA synoviocytes under hypoxia.

Cell behavior on extracellular matrix mimic materials based on mussel adhesive protein fused with functional peptides.

Adhesion of cells to surfaces is a basic and important requirement in cell culture and tissue engineering. Here, we designed artificial extracellular matrix (ECM) mimics for efficient cellular attachment, based on mussel adhesive protein (MAP) fusion with biofunctional peptides originating from ECM materials, including fibronectin, laminin, and collagen. Cellular behaviors, including attachment, proliferation, spreading, viability, and differentiation, were investigated with the artificial ECM material-coated surfaces, using three mammalian cell lines (pre-osteoblast, chondrocyte, and pre-adipocyte).

Mussel adhesive protein fused with cell adhesion recognition motif triggers integrin-mediated adhesion and signaling for enhanced cell spreading, proliferation, and survival.

Adhesion of cells to a surface is a basic and important requirement in the fields of cell culture and tissue engineering. Previously, we constructed the cell adhesive, fp-151-RGD, by fusion of the hybrid mussel adhesive protein, fp-151, and GRGDSP peptide, one of the major cell adhesion recognition motifs; fp-151-RGD efficiently immobilized cells on coated culture surfaces with no protein and surface modifications, and apparently enhanced cell adhesion, proliferation, and spreading abilities. In the present study, we investigated the potential use of fp-151-RGD as a biomimetic extracellular matrix material at the molecular level by elucidating its substantial effects on integrin-mediated adhesion and signaling.

The adhesive properties of coacervated recombinant hybrid mussel adhesive proteins.

Marine mussels attach to substrates using adhesive proteins. It has been suggested that complex coacervation (liquid-liquid phase separation via concentration) might be involved in the highly condensed and non-water dispersed adhesion process of mussel adhesive proteins (MAPs). However, as purified natural MAPs are difficult to obtain, it has not been possible to experimentally validate the coacervation model.

Production of fusion mussel adhesive fp-353 in Escherichia coli.

Mussel adhesive proteins (MAPs) have a potential as environmentally friendly adhesives for use under aqueous conditions. MAPs maybe of particular value in medical applications. We previously reported the functional expression of recombinant foot protein type 5 (fp-5) and foot protein type 3A (fp-3A), both of which have significant adhesion abilities, in Escherichia coli.