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This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the interrelationships between PM2.5 exposure, heavy metal concentrations, and oxidative stress indicators, while evaluating the impact of antioxidant intake, such as vitamins, on these associations. PM2.5 exposure assessments were conducted using portable sensor-based monitors; biomarker analyses for heavy metals and oxidative stress were performed in 114 non-smoking adults. We observed that personal or ambient PM2.5 exposure levels were not associated with increased levels of heavy metals in blood and urine, nor with oxidative stress levels in urine. However, the concentrations of cadmium and lead in blood, and those of chromium and nickel in urine, were significantly associated with the urinary malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration. Additionally, increases in blood cadmium, urinary chromium, and nickel levels were significantly associated with higher urinary MDA concentrations in the non-vitamin-supplement group, but this trend was not observed in the regular vitamin supplement group. Our findings suggest that a regular intake of vitamin supplements might modulate the relationship between heavy metal exposure and oxidative stress, indicating potential protective effects against oxidative damage induced by PM2.5 and heavy metals. This study highlights the complexity of environmental pollutant exposure and its impact on human health, emphasizing the need for further research to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and explore potential protective strategies.

This study focuses on advancing the field of remote sensing image target detection, addressing challenges such as small target detection, complex background handling, and dense target distribution. We propose solutions based on enhancing the YOLOv7 algorithm. Firstly, we improve the multi-scale feature enhancement (MFE) method of YOLOv7, enhancing its adaptability and precision in detecting small targets and complex backgrounds. Secondly, we design a modified YOLOv7 global information DP-MLP module to effectively capture and integrate global information, thereby improving target detection accuracy and robustness, especially in handling large-scale variations and complex scenes. Lastly, we explore a semi-supervised learning model (SSLM) target detection algorithm incorporating unlabeled data, leveraging information from unlabeled data to enhance the model’s generalization ability and performance. Experimental results demonstrate that despite the outstanding performance of YOLOv7, the mean average precision (MAP) can still be improved by 1.9%. Specifically, under testing on the TGRS-HRRSD-Dataset, the MFE and DP-MLP models achieve MAP values of 93.4% and 93.1%, respectively. Across the NWPU VHR-10 dataset, the three models achieve MAP values of 93.1%, 92.1%, and 92.2%, respectively. Significant improvements are observed across various metrics compared to the original model. This study enhances the adaptability, accuracy, and generalization of remote sensing image object detection.

In dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the counter electrode (CE) plays a crucial role as an electron transfer agent and regenerator of the redox couple. Unlike conventional CEs that are generally made of glass-based substrates (e.g., FTO/glass), polymer substrates appear to be emerging candidates, owing to their intrinsic properties of lightweight, high durability, and low cost. Despite great promise, current manufacturing methods of CEs on polymeric substrates suffer from serious limitations, including low conductivity, scalability, process complexity, and the need for dedicated vacuum equipment. In the present study, we employ and evaluate a fully additive manufacturing route that can enable the fabrication of CEs for DSSCs in a high-throughput and eco-friendly manner with improved performance. The proposed approach sequentially comprises: (1) material extrusion 3-D printing of polymer substrate; (2) conductive surface metallization through cold spray particle deposition; and (3) over-coating of a thin-layer catalyzer with a graphite pencil. The fabricated electrodes are characterized in terms of microstructure, electrical conductivity, and photo-conversion efficiency. Owing to its promising electrical conductivity (8.5 × 104 S·m−1) and micro-rough surface structure (Ra ≈ 6.32 µm), the DSSCs with the additively manufactured CEs led to ≈2.5-times-higher photo-conversion efficiency than that of traditional CEs made of FTO/glass. The results of the study suggest that the proposed additive manufacturing approach can advance the field of DSSCs by addressing the limitations of conventional CE manufacturing platforms.

Humans share a similar body structure, but each individual possesses unique characteristics, which we define as one’s body type. Various classification methods have been devised to understand and assess these body types. Recent research has applied artificial intelligence technology utilizing noninvasive measurement tools, such as 3D body scanner, which minimize physical contact. The purpose of this study was to develop an artificial intelligence somatotype system capable of predicting the three body types proposed by Heath-Carter’s somatotype theory using 3D body images collected using a 3D body scanner. To classify body types, measurements were taken to determine the three somatotype components (endomorphy, mesomorphy, and ectomorphy). MobileNetV2 was utilized as the transfer learning model. The results of this study are as follows: first, the AI somatotype model showed good performance, with a training accuracy around 91% and a validation accuracy around 72%. The respective loss values were 0.26 for the training set and 0.69 for the validation set. Second, validation of the model’s performance using test data resulted in accurate predictions for 18 out of 21 new data points, with prediction errors occurring in three cases, indicating approximately 85% classification accuracy. This study provides foundational data for subsequent research aiming to predict 13 detailed body types across the three body types. Furthermore, it is hoped that the outcomes of this research can be applied in practical settings, enabling anyone with a smartphone camera to identify various body types based on captured images and predict obesity and diseases.

The advancement of smart factories has brought about small quantity batch production. In multi-variety production, both materials and processing methods change constantly, resulting in irregular changes in the progression of tool wear, which is often affected by processing methods. This leads to changes in the timing of tool replacement, and failure to correctly determine this timing may result in substantial damage and financial loss. In this study, we sought to address the issue of incorrect timing for tool replacement by using a Seq2Seq model to predict tool wear. We also trained LSTM and GRU models to compare performance by using R2, mean absolute error (MAE), and mean squared error (MSE). The Seq2Seq model outperformed LSTM and GRU with an R2 of approximately 0.03~0.037 in step drill data, 0.540.57 in top metal data, and 0.16~0.45 in low metal data. Confirming that Seq2Seq exhibited the best performance, we established a real-time monitoring system to verify the prediction results obtained using the Seq2Seq model. It is anticipated that this monitoring system will help prevent accidents in advance.

(1) Background: This study aimed to investigate the effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation pattern kinesio taping on arm swing, balance, and gait parameters among chronic stroke patients. (2) Methods: Twenty-eight participants were randomized into proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation pattern kinesio taping during gait training (n = 14) and gait training (n = 14) groups. The proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation pattern kinesio taping during gait training group employed proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation pattern kinesio taping during 15 min treadmill-based gait training five times a week for four weeks, while the gait training group underwent the same gait training without proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation pattern kinesio taping. Arm swing angle was measured using the Image J program, static balance was assessed with an AMTI force plate, dynamic balance was evaluated through the Timed Up and Go test, and gait parameters were recorded using the GAITRite system and the Dynamic Gait Index. (3) Results: After 4 weeks of training, the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation pattern kinesio taping during gait training group exhibited significant improvements in all variables compared to the baseline (p < 0.05), whereas the gait training group did not show statistically significant differences in any variables (p > 0.05). (4) Conclusions: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation pattern kinesio taping during gait training in enhancing arm swing angle, balance, and gait parameters.

Orostachys spp., considered economically important succulent plants for both the medicinal and ornamental plant industries, are known to exhibit slow growth in their offsets during the long, cold winter months. Due to the slow growth, this study investigated the application of gibberellic acid (GA3) and determined the optimal GA3 concentration (control, 200 mg·L−1, 400 mg·L−1, and 600 mg·L−1) for promoting the propagation of three Orostachys species (i.e., O. fimbriata, O. japonica, and O. minuta), as well as its impact on their growth and development. According to our study findings, O. fimbrata and O. minuta influenced by GA3 exhibited higher survival rates (7–38%) and offset growth rates (3–87%) compared to the control. Similarly, its application resulted in significant shoot and root development, along with increased moisture content for the majority of the species. The results of this research demonstrate the potential and practical applications of using GA3 to increase the propagation and growth of Orostachys spp. during cold conditions for year-round propagation of these succulent plants, which could have ecological and horticultural significance for related species as well as other vegetatively propagated crops.

Highly porous layered double hydroxide (LDH) and its calcined mixed metal oxide (MMO) were obtained by utilizing egg white (EW) as a biogenic porous template. The LDH was prepared through coprecipitation under the existence of a beaten EW meringue, and the corresponding MMO was obtained by calcining LDH at 500 °C. According to X-ray diffraction, the crystal structure of LDH and MMO was well-developed with or without EW. In contrast, the crystallinity analyses and microscopic investigations clearly showed differences in the particle orientation in the presence of EW; the protein arrangement in the EW foam induced the ordered orientation of LDH platelets along proteins, resulting in well-developed inter-particle pores. As a result, the distinctive particle arrangement in EW-templated samples compared with non-templated ones showed dramatically enhanced specific surface area and porosity. The nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherm exhibited that the high specific surface area was attributed to the homogeneous nanopores in EW-templated LDH and MMO, which originated from the sacrificial role of the EW.

The purpose of this study was to confirm the antiproliferative and apoptotic induction potential of a saccharin and caffeine combination in ovarian cancer cells. The cell line used was Ovcar-3, and the cell viability was measured through a WST-8 assay, while a Chou–Talalay assay was used to confirm the synergistic effect of saccharin and caffeine on the ovarian cancer cells. A clonogenic assay, annexin V-FITC/PI-PE double-staining, and RT-PCR were performed to confirm the expression of genes that induce colony formation, cell viability, and apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells treated with the saccharin–caffeine combination. It was demonstrated that both saccharin and caffeine decreased the viability of Ovcar-3 cells, and the cell viability decreased even more significantly when the cells were treated with the combination of saccharin and caffeine. The clonogenic assay results showed that the number of colonies decreased the most when saccharin and caffeine were combined, and the number of colonies also significantly decreased compared to the single-treatment groups. Based on flow cytometry analysis using annexin V-FITC/PI-PE double-staining, it was confirmed that the decrease in cell viability caused by the combination of saccharin and caffeine was correlated with the induction of apoptosis. The results of the RT-PCR confirmed that the combined treatment of saccharin and caffeine promoted cell apoptosis by regulating the expression of apoptosis-inducing genes. These results demonstrate that the combination of saccharin and caffeine more efficiently inhibits the proliferation of Ovcar-3 cells and induces apoptosis in vitro.

Metal oxides (MOs) having Mg and Al with Mg/Al ratios of 1, 2, 3, and 4 were synthesized via calcination of the layered double hydroxides (LDH). The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that all the MO consisted of periclase (MgO) crystallite with comparable crystallinity regardless of the metal ratio. According to the 27Al magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, the phase transformation from LDH to MO upon calcination facilitated the evolution of the Al3+ ions with unsaturated coordination at the surface of MO. The specific surface area values of MOs were not significantly different from each other, ranging between 100 and 200 m2/g, suggesting that the metal ratio did not strongly influence the porous structure of MO. The temperature-dependent desorption of ammonia demonstrated that the Lewis acidity of the Al-rich MOs was the largest with an Mg/Al ratio of 1, attributed to the efficient exposure of the surface-active site Al3+-O2− pairs. The acidity of heterogenous Al-rich MOs significantly increased with the exposed tetrahedral Al site on the surface and dramatically diminished when the molar ratio (Mg/Al) was over two.

Rice accounts for most of the calories consumed by the world’s population. However, the whitebacked planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horvath), is an insect that can cause rice yield loss. WBPH sucks the stems of rice and negatively affects yield and grain quality. Therefore, numerous insecticides have been developed to control WBPH in rice fields. However, chemical pesticides cause serious problems such as environmental pollution and ecosystem disturbance. Here, we research the possibility of using previously reported rice extracts obtained using methanol, Chrysoeriol 7(C7) and Cochlioquinone-9 (cq-9), as potential insect repellents. WBPH was caged with C7 or cq-9 and monitored, and the WBPH behavior was recorded. The number of WBPHs approaching the periphery of the C7 and cq-9 was very low. In cages containing the C7 and cq-9, only 13 and 7 WBPHs out of 100, respectively, walked around the material. In addition, foliar spraying with C7 and cq-9 did not negatively affect the plant height. The expression level of genes related to resistance was maintained at a high level in the resistant lines when treated with WBPHs alone, but was at a similar level to those of the controls when treated with C7 or cq-9. Interfering with WBPH access did not adversely affect the plant phenotype. Recently, people’s interest in the environment has increased, and the use of plant-derived materials is also increasing. There is a new trend towards using plant extracts as an environmentally friendly means of managing resistance to WBPH during the rice cultivation period, while also avoiding environmental pollution.

Taq DNA polymerases have played an important role in molecular biology for several years and are frequently used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR); hence, there is an increasing interest in developing a convenient method for preparing Taq DNA polymerase for routine use in laboratories. We developed a method using Escherichia coli (E. coli) that expresses thermostable Taq DNA polymerase directly in the PCR without purification. The Taq gene was transformed into E. coli and expressed. After overnight incubation and washing, E. coli-expressing Taq DNA polymerase (EcoliTaq) was used as the DNA polymerase without purification. EcoliTaq showed activity comparable to that of commercial DNA polymerase and remained stable for 3 months. With a high-pH buffer containing 2% Tween 20 and 0.4 M trehalose, EcoliTaq facilitated direct PCR amplification from anticoagulated whole blood samples. EcoliTaq exhibited good performance in allele-specific PCR using both purified DNA and whole blood samples. Furthermore, it proved to be useful as a DNA polymerase in hot-start PCR by effectively minimizing non-specific amplification. We developed a simple and cost-effective direct and hot-start PCR method in which EcoliTaq was used directly as a PCR enzyme, thus eliminating the laborious and time-consuming steps of polymerase purification.

This study aimed to develop an English version of a doping drug-recognition system using deep learning-based optical character recognition (OCR) technology. A database of 336 banned substances was built based on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s International Standard Prohibited List and the Korean Pharmaceutical Information Center’s Drug Substance Information. For accuracy and validity analysis, 886 drug substance images, including 152 images of prescriptions and drug substance labels collected using data augmentation, were used. The developed hybrid system, based on the Tesseract OCR model, can be accessed by both a smartphone and website. A total of 5379 words were extracted, and the system showed character recognition errors regarding 91 words, showing high accuracy (98.3%). The system correctly classified all 624 images for acceptable substances, 218 images for banned substances, and incorrectly recognized 44 of the banned substances as acceptable. The validity analysis showed a high level of accuracy (0.95), sensitivity (1.00), and specificity (0.93), suggesting system validity. The system has the potential of allowing athletes who lack knowledge about doping to quickly and accurately check whether they are taking banned substances. It may also serve as an efficient option to support the development of a fair and healthy sports culture.

Groundwater is an important freshwater source that satisfies the needs of a significant portion of the world’s population, industries, and ecosystems [...]

Due to increased environmental pressures, significant research has focused on finding suitable biodegradable plastics to replace ubiquitous petrochemical-derived polymers. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a class of polymers that can be synthesized by microorganisms and are biodegradable, making them suitable candidates. The present study looks at the degradation properties of two PHA polymers: polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-polyhydroxyvalerate (PHBV; 8 wt.% valerate), in two different soil conditions: soil fully saturated with water (100% relative humidity, RH) and soil with 40% RH. The degradation was evaluated by observing the changes in appearance, chemical signatures, mechanical properties, and molecular weight of samples. Both PHB and PHBV were degraded completely after two weeks in 100% RH soil conditions and showed significant reductions in mechanical properties after just three days. The samples in 40% RH soil, however, showed minimal changes in mechanical properties, melting temperatures/crystallinity, and molecular weight over six weeks. By observing the degradation behavior for different soil conditions, these results can pave the way for identifying situations where the current use of plastics can be replaced with biodegradable alternatives.

Groundwater is critical to the socioeconomic development of any region. Infiltration of surface water into the ground is influenced by a variety of factors such as soil pores, folds, fractures, faults, and joints, all of which contribute to groundwater recharge. Groundwater is an important source of freshwater in the drought-prone Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, India. Therefore, the search for groundwater potential zones (GWPZs) is critical. The present study focuses on the investigation of potential groundwater zones using geospatial techniques. Geology, land use and land cover, geomorphology, soil, drainage density, lineament, and groundwater levels were obtained from state and non-state associations. ArcGIS version 10.8 was used to create all thematic layers and classified grids. The intensive use of groundwater in arid and semiarid regions is becoming a problem for the public to meet their freshwater needs. The condition of arid and semi-arid regions due to intensive groundwater extraction has become one of the most important environmental problems for the public. In this study, a powerful groundwater potential mapping technique was developed using integrated remote sensing data from GIS-AHP. Using AHP techniques, thematic layers for geology, geomorphology, and soil followed by drainage, drainage density and lineament, lineament density, slope, water level, and lithological parameters were created, classified, weighted, and integrated into a GIS environment. According to the results of the study, it is estimated that 14% of the groundwater potential in the study area is good, 49% is moderate and 36% is poor. A groundwater level map was used to verify the groundwater potential. In addition, the model was validated with a single-layer sensitivity analysis, which showed that geology was the most influential layer and water level was the least influential thematic layer. The low-potential areas identified on the groundwater potential map can be used for further study to identify ideal locations for artificial recharge. In low potential areas, the groundwater potential map can be used to find ideal locations for artificial recharge. The water table in the area must be raised by artificial recharge structures such as infiltration basins, recharge pits, and agricultural ponds. Artificial recharge structures such as infiltration basins, recharge pits, and agricultural ponds can be used for groundwater development in the low potential zones. The GWPZ map was successfully validated with three proxy data, such as the number of wells, groundwater level, and well density, obtained from well inventory information. The results of this study will improve our understanding of the geographic analysis of groundwater potential and help policy makers in this drought-prone area to create more sustainable water supply systems.

Block copolymers generally have peculiar morphological characteristics, such as strong phase separation. They have been actively applied to polymer electrolyte membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) to obtain well-defined hydrophilic regions and water channels as a proton pathway. Although molecular simulation tools are advantageous to investigate the mechanism of water channel formation based on the chemical structure and property relationships, classical molecular dynamics simulation has limitations regarding the model size and time scale, and these issues need to be addressed. In this study, we investigated the morphology of sulfonated block copolymers synthesized for PEM applications using a mesoscale simulation based on the dynamic mean-field density functional method, widely applied to investigate macroscopic systems such as polymer blends, micelles, and multi-block/grafting copolymers. Despite the similar solubility parameters of the monomers in our block-copolymer models, very different morphologies in our 3D mesoscale models were obtained. The model with sulfonated monomers, in which the number of sulfonic acid groups is twice that of the other model, showed better phase separation and water channel formation, despite the short length of its hydrophilic block. In conclusion, this unexpected behavior indicates that the role of water molecules is important in making PEM mesoscale models well-equilibrated in the mesoscale simulation, which results in the strong phase separation between hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions and the ensuing well-defined water channel. PEM synthesis supports the conclusion that using the sulfonated monomers with a high sulfonation degree (32.5 mS/cm) will be more effective than using the long hydrophilic block with a low sulfonation degree (25.2 mS/cm).

As the utilization of DC systems increases worldwide, the importance of DC cutoff technology is increasing. We proposed a hybrid DC cutoff technology combining an SFCL (superconducting fault-current-limiter) and a mechanical DC circuit breaker. This model can perform a fault-current-limiting operation through the quenching of the SFCL and a breaking operation through an artificial cutoff zero point of a mechanical DC circuit breaker. In particular, the SFCL is responsible for the growth of the initial fault current according to the DC characteristics. As the DC system’s supply and demand increase, the DC system’s capacity also increases. Therefore, the fault-current-limiting capability of the SFCL should be increased according to the increasing DC system breaking capacity. The fault-current-limiting capability can be increased by increasing the superconducting wires used in the SFCL. Current commercially available SFCLs use bifilar-helical-type and bifilar-spiral-type winding methods. These have the disadvantage of increased volume with increased capacity. To compensate for these disadvantages, we proposed a bifilar-meander-type winding method. In this paper, a new bifilar-meander-type winding method was introduced. In addition, the structural and electromagnetic parts of the existing winding method and the bifilar-meander-type winding method were compared and analyzed for differences. The program used for this analysis is the electromagnetic analysis Maxwell program. As a result, it was confirmed that the bifilar-meander-type winding method is superior to the conventional bifilar-helical and bifilar-spiral types.

Large-scale datasets, which have sufficient and identical quantities of data in each class, are the main factor in the success of deep-learning-based classification models for vision tasks. A shortage of sufficient data and interclass imbalanced data distribution, which often arise in the medical domain, cause modern deep neural networks to suffer greatly from imbalanced learning and overfitting. A diagnostic model of diabetic retinopathy (DR) that is trained from such a dataset using supervised learning is severely biased toward the majority class. To enhance the efficiency of imbalanced learning, the proposal of this study is to leverage retinal fundus images without human annotations by self-supervised or semi-supervised learning. The proposed approach to DR detection is to add an auxiliary procedure to the target task that identifies DR using supervised learning. The added process uses unlabeled data to pre-train the model that first learns features from data using self-supervised or semi-supervised learning, and then the pre-trained model is transferred with the learned parameter to the target model. This wrapper algorithm of learning from unlabeled data can help the model gain more information from samples in the minority class, thereby improving imbalanced learning to some extent. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate that the model trained with the proposed method outperformed the one trained with only the supervised learning baseline utilizing the same data, with an accuracy improvement of 4~5%. To further examine the method proposed in this study, a comparison is conducted, and our results show that the proposed method also performs much better than some state-of-the-art methods. In the case of EyePaCS, for example, the proposed method outperforms the customized CNN model by 9%. Through experiments, we further find that the models trained with a smaller but balanced dataset are not worse than those trained with a larger but imbalanced dataset. Therefore, our study reveals that utilizing unlabeled data can avoid the expensive cost of collecting and labeling large-scale medical datasets.

This study illustrated the potential applications of thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) grafted nylon membranes with different grafting yields and grafting architecture. The thermoresponsive gating performance at temperatures below and above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAm (32 °C) were demonstrated. The linear PNIPAm-grafted nylon membrane exhibited a sharp response over the temperature range 20–40 °C. The grafting yield of 25.5% and 21.9%, for linear and crosslinked PNIPAm respectively, exhibited highest thermoresponsive gating function for water flux and had a stable and repeatable “open-closed” switching function over 5 cycle operations. An excellent oil/water separation was obtained at T < 32 °C, at which the hydrophilic behavior was observed. The linear PNIPAm-grafted nylon membrane with 35% grafting yield had the highest separation efficiency of 99.7%, while PNIPAm structures were found to be independent of the separation efficiency. In addition, the membranes with thermoresponsive gas permeability were successfully achieved. The O2 and CO2 transmission rates through the PNIPAm-grafted nylon membranes decreased when the grafting yield increased, showing the better gas barrier property. The permeability ratio of CO2 to O2 transmission rates of both PNIPAm architectures at 25 °C and 35 °C were around 0.85 for low grafting yields, and approximately 1 for high grafting yields. Ultimately, this study demonstrated the possibility of using these thermoresponsive smart membranes in various applications.

Recently, groundwater resources have become the main freshwater supply for human activities worldwide, especially in semi-arid regions, and groundwater pollution from anthropological events is one of the chief environmental problems in built-up and industrial coastal areas. Many researchers around the world have conducted studies to evaluate the impact of groundwater management. For this study, GIS based GOD vulnerability models were used to assess the intrinsic impact and risk of pollution of coastal and irrigated areas in Tiruchendur Taluk, Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu. Here, GOD stands for G—Groundwater hydraulic confinement, O—Overlying aquifer strata, and D—Depth to groundwater. The parameters of G, O, and D show that 70% of the study area consists of an unconfined aquifer whose central part often consists of sandstone and fine to medium clay with sand along the coast that acts as an aquifer. The recorded value was 1–28 mbgl. The map of vulnerability using the GOD method shows that 32% of the medium vulnerabilities are located in the almost northern part of the study area, where the main source of pollution is from agricultural land and anthropological activities. A total of 39 groundwater samples were collected from different types of aquifers and used to validate the pollution map, using the EC concentration (230 to 15,480 µs/cm with an average of 2758 µs/cm) and NO3− concentration (2 to 120 mg/L with an average of 46 mg/L) in groundwater as indicators of pollution. Finally, we measured how the EC and NO3− parameters represent the medium vulnerability zone of the GOD model based on the pattern of their concentrations in groundwater. Therefore, the GIS with GOD model is the best model among these models for predicting groundwater vulnerability in Tiruchendur Taluk.

Advances in cancer screening and early detection, as well as improvements in surgical techniques and therapeutics, have contributed to decreasing gastric cancer mortality. The number of gastric cancer survivors continues to rise; however, long-term follow-up has revealed an increase in the risk of post-gastrectomy symptoms or other health problems, such as extra-gastric secondary primary cancer (SPC), in these survivors. Therefore, evidence-based screening for new primary cancer is needed in these populations; however, the incidence of SPC varies by country or continent and its characteristics have not been clearly reported. The characteristics of SPC are of increasing interest to both treatment providers and gastric cancer survivors; thus, this literature review explores not only the epidemiology and biology of SPC but also clinical and biological factors that influence its prognosis.

Considering the critical energy challenges and the generation of zero-emission anion exchange membrane (AEM) sources, chitosan-based anion exchange membranes have garnered considerable interest in fuel cell applications owing to their various advantages, including their eco-friendly nature, flexibility for structural modification, and improved mechanical, thermal, and chemical stability. The present mini-review highlights the advancements of chitosan-based biodegradable anion exchange membranes for fuel cell applications published between 2015 and 2022. Key points from the rigorous literature evaluation are: grafting with various counterions in addition to crosslinking contributed good conductivity and chemical as well as mechanical stability to the membranes; use of the interpenetrating network as well as layered structures, blending, and modified nanomaterials facilitated a significant reduction in membrane swelling and long-term alkaline stability. The study gives insightful guidance to the industry about replacing Nafion with a low-cost, environmentally friendly membrane source. It is suggested that more attention be given to exploring chitosan-based anion exchange membranes in consideration of effective strategies that focus on durability, as well as optimization of the operational conditions of fuel cells for large-scale applications.

To mitigate the dependence on fossil fuels and the associated global warming issues, numerous studies have focused on the development of eco-friendly energy conversion devices such as polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) that directly convert chemical energy into electrical energy. As one of the key components in PEMFCs, polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) should have high proton conductivity and outstanding physicochemical stability during operation. Although the perfluorinated sulfonic acid (PFSA)-based PEMs and some of the hydrocarbon-based PEMs composed of rationally designed polymer structures are found to meet these criteria, there is an ongoing and pressing need to improve and fine-tune these further, to be useful in practical PEMFC operation. Incorporation of organic/inorganic fillers into the polymer matrix is one of the methods shown to be effective for controlling target PEM properties including thermal stability, mechanical properties, and physical stability, as well as proton conductivity. Functionalization of organic/inorganic fillers is critical to optimize the filler efficiency and dispersion, thus resulting in significant improvements to PEM properties. This review focused on the structural engineering of functionalized carbon and silica-based fillers and comparisons of the resulting PEM properties. Newly constructed composite membranes were compared to composite membrane containing non-functionalized fillers or pure polymer matrix membrane without fillers.

Particulate matter (PM), an extremely serious type of air pollution, leads to numerous human diseases. Mitigating PM in the urban city, where resident density has been increasing, has been a major challenge. The increase in residents leads to increasing traffic, the primary source of PM in urban areas. Plants play an important role in reducing PM and maintaining an ecological balance. For some Asian countries, such as Korea, with differing seasons and environmental conditions, PM accumulation and plant survival are greatly impacted by environmental conditions. In this study, we analyzed the amount of PM accumulation on the leaf surfaces and wax layers of 24 plant species during four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) to determine the PM accumulation in plants under different environmental conditions. The leaf traits of plant chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), total chlorophyll (TChl), relative water content (RWC), leaf extract pH (pH), and leaf specific area (SLA) were analyzed to determine the influence of PM on plants and the relationship between PM and leaf traits. In this study, we found that the amount of PM accumulation differed among plants and seasons. Among the 24 plant species, plants Pinus strobus, P. parviflora, P. densiflora, Euonymus japonicus, and Acer palmatum were most adept at PM accumulation. Leaf structure, environmental conditions, such as PM concentration, and rainfall may be the main factors that impact the ability of plant leaves to accumulate PM. The plant leaf traits differed among the four seasons. PM accumulation on the leaf was negatively correlated with SLA (in all four seasons) and pH (in spring, summer, and autumn). PM was negatively correlated with Chl a, Chl b, and TChl in summer.

While wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a widely grown and enjoyed crop, the diverse and complex global situation and climate are exacerbating the instability of its supply. In particular, pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) is one of the major abiotic stresses that frequently occurs due to irregular climate conditions, causing serious damage to wheat and its quality. In this study, transcriptomic analysis with RNA-seq and proteomic analysis with LC-MS/MS were performed in PHS-treated spikes from two wheat cultivars presenting PHS sensitivity and tolerance, respectively. A total of 13,154 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 706 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in four comparison groups between the susceptible/tolerant cultivars. Gene function and correlation analysis were performed to determine the co-profiled genes and proteins affected by PHS treatment. In the functional annotation of each comparative group, similar functions were confirmed in each cultivar under PHS treatment; however, in Keumgang PHS+7 (K7) vs. Woori PHS+7 (W7), functional annotations presented clear differences in the ”spliceosome” and ”proteasome” pathways. In addition, our results indicate that alternative splicing and ubiquitin–proteasome support the regulation of germination and seed dormancy. This study provides an advanced understanding of the functions involved in transcription and translation related to PHS mechanisms, thus enabling specific proposals for the further analysis of germination and seed dormancy mechanisms and pathways in wheat.

The present study aimed to investigate the antihypercholesterolemic effects of krill oil supplementation in high-cholesterol diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rats, and the mechanisms underlying these effects. Rats were divided into five groups: normal control, control (high-cholesterol diet), krill oil 100 mg/kg b.w. (high-cholesterol diet with Krill oil 100 mg/kg b.w.), and krill oil 200 mg/kg b.w. (high-cholesterol diet with Krill oil 200 mg/kg b.w.). After 12 weeks, the rats were sacrificed to observe the effects of krill oil on cholesterol synthesis and excretion. We found that krill oil supplementation suppressed total triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol levels, as well as HMG-CoA reductase activity. It stimulated AMPK phosphorylation, LDL receptor and ACAT2 expression in the liver, and the fecal output of cholesterol. Furthermore, it decreased the levels of P-selectin, sVCAM-1, and NO, as well as aortic wall thickness, demonstrating its role in the prevention of atherosclerosis. Thus, we suggest that krill oil supplementation can reduce LDL-cholesterol levels in the blood during hypercholesterolemia by stimulating the uptake of LDL-cholesterol into tissue and cholesterol excretion, as well as inhibition of cholesterol synthesis.

Medicinal mushrooms are an important natural resource promoting health benefits. Herein, Phellinus linteus mycelia were prepared under submerged cultivation, the mycelium-containing culture broth was extracted as a whole to obtain the postbiotic materials (PLME), and its effect on the immune system was evaluated in normal C3H/HeN mice. Oral administration of PLME for 4 weeks was well tolerated and safe. In the PLME-administered groups, in addition to the production of immunostimulatory cytokines, such as interferon gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin 6 (IL-6), the mitogenic activity was significantly increased. PLME administration also significantly increased the levels of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA in the small intestinal fluid and Peyer’s patches and enhanced Peyer’s patch-mediated bone marrow cell proliferation activity and cytokine production (IL-2, IL-6, and IFN-γ). Histomorphometric analyses showed an increase in immune cells in the spleen and small intestinal tissues of mice administered PLME, supporting the rationale for its immune system activation. PLME mainly contained neutral sugar (969.1 mg/g), comprising primarily of glucose as a monosaccharide unit. The β-glucan content was 88.5 mg/g. Data suggest that PLME effectively promote immune function by stimulating the systemic immune system through the spleen and intestinal immune tissues. PLME can thus be developed as a functional ingredient to enhance immune functions.

Thyroid carcinoma, a disease in which malignant cells form in the thyroid tissue, is the most common endocrine carcinoma, with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounting for nearly 80% of total thyroid carcinoma cases. However, the management of metastatic or recurrent therapy-refractory PTC is challenging and requires complex carcinoma therapy. In this study, we proposed a new clinical approach for the treatment of therapy-refractory PTC. We identified sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) as an essential factor for the survival of PTC cells refractory to the treatment with paclitaxel or sorafenib. We validated its use as a potential target for developing drugs against resistant PTC, by using patient-derived paclitaxel- or sorafenib-resistant PTC cells. We further discovered novel SERCA inhibitors, candidates 7 and 13, using the evolutionary chemical binding similarity method. These novel SERCA inhibitors determined a substantial reduction of tumors in a patient-derived xenograft tumor model developed using paclitaxel- or sorafenib-resistant PTC cells. These results could provide a basis for clinically meaningful progress in the treatment of refractory PTC by identifying a novel therapeutic strategy: using a combination therapy between sorafenib or paclitaxel and specific SERCA inhibitors for effectively and selectively targeting extremely malignant cells such as antineoplastic-resistant and carcinoma stem-like cells.

Flavin with defined helical self-assembly helps to understand chemical designs for obtaining high-purity semiconducting (s)-single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) in a diameter (dt)-selective manner for high-end applications. In this study, flavins containing 8, 12, 16, and 20 n-alkyl chains were synthesized, and their single/tandem effects on dt-selective s-SWNT dispersibility were investigated at isomolarity. Flavins with n-dodecyl and longer chain lengths (FC12, FC16, and FC20) act as good surfactants for stable SWNT dispersions whereas n-octyl flavin (FC8) exhibits poor dispersibility owing to the lack of SWNT buoyancy. When used with small-dt SWNT, FC8 displays chirality-selective SWNT dispersion. This behavior, along with various flavin helical motifs, prompts the development of criteria for ‘side chain length (lS)’ required for stable and dt-selective SWNT dispersion, which also explains lS-dependent dt-enrichment behavior. Moreover, SWNT dispersions with flavins with dodecyl and longer lS exhibit increased metallic (m)-SWNT, background absorption-contributing carbonaceous impurities (CIs) and preferential selectivity of s-SWNT with slightly larger dt. The increased CIs that affect the SWNT quantum yield were attributed to a solubility parameter. Furthermore, the effects of flavin lS, sonication bath temperature, centrifugal speed, and surfactant concentration on SWNT purity and s-/m-SWNT ratio were investigated. A tandem FC8/FC12 provides fine-tuning of dt-selective SWNT dispersion, wherein the FC8 ratio governs the tendency towards smaller dt. Kinetic and thermodynamic assemblies of tandem flavins result in different sorting behaviors in which wide dt-tunability was demonstrated using kinetic assembly. This study highlights the importance of appropriate side chain length and other extrinsic parameters to obtain dt-selective or high-purity s-SWNT.

Particulate matter (PM) is the most dangerous form of air pollution and is known to cause severe health problems to humans. Plants as biological filters can reduce PM in urban areas by accumulating PM on the surface and epicuticular wax of leaves. The present study determined the amount of PM (large PM (10–100 µm) and coarse PM (2.5–10 µm)) collected on 10 plant species from two sites (urban forest and roadside) of Cheongju City, South Korea. Selected leaf traits (chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), total chlorophyll (TChl), carotenoid, relative leaf water content (RWC), specific leaf area (SLA), and pH of these plant species at the two sites were concurrently determined to find about the correlation between the leaf straits and PM accumulation on leaf. Study results showed that the amount of accumulated large PM (10–100 µm) and coarse PM (2.5–10 µm) were different depending on the plant species and the collection site. Plants from the roadside tended to have higher amounts of PM accumulation as compared to the same plant species from the urban forest. In addition, the amount of PM accumulated on the leaf surface was higher than that of the epicuticular wax. PM accumulation on the leaf surface was positively correlated with the amount of PM accumulated on the epicuticular wax. Among the 10 plant species selected, P. strobus, P. densiflora, M. denudata, and S. vulgaris were the most effective plant for PM accumulation, while M. glyptostroboides was the least effective plant ones. Chl a, Chl b, TChl, and carotenoid contents were higher in plants collected along the roadside than in those collected from the urban forest, whereas RWC was higher in plants from the urban forest. No distinct tendency was noted regarding the pH. Coarse PM (2.5–10 µm) was negatively correlated with leaf traits of plants along the roadside. The tolerance of plants to pollution might be due to an increase in chlorophyll content. Features of the leaf were also essential in increasing PM accumulation on the leaf surface.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a well-known neuroendocrine carcinoma, derived from C cells of the thyroid gland. Additionally, MTC is an uncommon aggressive carcinoma that metastasizes to lymph nodes, bones, lungs and liver. For MTC, the 10-year general survival ratio of patients with localized disease is about 95%, whereas that of patients with local phase disorder is around 75%. Only 20% of patients with distant metastasis to lung at diagnosis survive 10 years, which is notably lower than survival for well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma (WDTC). The management of MTC with distant metastasis to lung could be re-surgery or chemotherapy. In this research, we planned to assess the in vitro and in vivo combinational anticancer effect of a novel combination of low-dose cisplatin and sorafenib in patient-derived MTC. The patient-derived MTC cell lines YUMC-M1, M2, and M3 were isolated and treated with a combination of cisplatin and sorafenib or either agent alone. Cisplatin and sorafenib acted in combination to forward tumor restraint compared with each agent administered alone at a low dose. Therefore, a combination of cisplatin and sorafenib could be a new therapeutic approach for MTC.

Understanding the long-term stability of MoS2 is important for various optoelectronic applications. Herein, we show that the long-term exposure to an oxygen atmosphere for up to a few months results in zigzag (zz)-directional line unzipping of the MoS2 basal plane. In contrast to exposure to dry or humid N2 atmospheres, dry O2 treatment promotes the initial formation of line defects, mainly along the armchair (ac) direction, and humid O2 treatment further promotes ac line unzipping near edges. Further incubation of MoS2 for a few months in an O2 atmosphere results in massive zz-directional line unzipping. The photoluminescence and the strain-doping plot based on two prominent bands in the Raman spectrum show that, in contrast to dry-N2-treated MoS2, the O2-treated MoS2 primarily exhibits hole doping, whereas humid-O2-treated MoS2 mainly exists in a neutral charge state with tension. This study provides a guideline for MoS2 preservation and a further method for generating controlled defects.

Ramanathapuram is a drought-prone southern Indian district that was selected for conducting a hydrogeochemical study. Groundwater samples from 40 locations were collected during January 2020 (pandemic interdiction according to COVID) and January 2021. The hydrogeochemical properties of the groundwater samples were evaluated and compared with drinking water regulations to assess their water quality. The order of cation dominance was as follows: Na+ > Ca2+ > K+ > Mg2+ in January 2020 and Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ in January 2021 with respect to the mean value. The order of anion dominance was as follows: Cl− > HCO3− > SO42− > NO3− > F− in January 2020 and Cl− > SO42− > HCO3− > NO3− > F− in January 2021 with respect to the mean value. In the study area, the southern coastal region was identified as a groundwater-polluted zone through spatial analysis based on all analysis results. The irrigation water quality was analyzed using various calculated indices, such as Na% (percent sodium), SAR (sodium absorption ratio), PI (permeability index), MgC (magnesium risk), RSC (residual sodium concentration), and KI (Kelly ratio), demonstrating the suitability of the groundwater for irrigation in most parts of the study area. This was also confirmed by the Na% vs. EC Plot, USSL, and Doneen’s Plot for PI. In addition, the WQI results for drinking water and irrigation confirmed the suitability of the groundwater in most parts of the study area, except for the coastal regions. The dominant hydrogeologic facies of Na+-Cl−, Ca2+-Mg2+-SO42−, and Ca2+-Mg2+-Cl− types illustrated by the Piper diagram indicate the mixing process of freshwater with saline water in the coastal aquifers. Rock–water interaction and evaporation were the main controllers of groundwater geochemistry in the study area, as determined using the Gibbs plot. Ion exchange, seawater intrusion, weathering of carbonates, and the dissolution of calcium and gypsum minerals from the aquifer were identified as the major geogenic processes controlling groundwater chemistry using the Chadha plot, scatter plot, and Cl−/HCO3− ratio. Further, multivariate statistical approaches also confirmed the strong mutual relationship among the parameters, several factors controlling hydrogeochemistry, and grouping of water samples based on the parameters. Appropriate artificial recharge techniques must be used in the affected regions to stop seawater intrusion and increase freshwater recharge.

The “beauty device” market, which enables simple skincare for those with busy lives, is growing steadily as an increasing number of people are trying to take care of their skin at home to save time and money. As opposed to dermatologists and esthetics centers, which require regular visits, the fact that their skin can be easily managed in leisure hours at home attracts consumers who value convenience. Thus, various beauty-care devices that use light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been launched. However, in the case of skincare devices using LEDs, pressure is expected to be applied to one’s face. Therefore, there is a need to develop a design based on ergonomic measurements that can distribute the pressure evenly on the skin. This study analyzed data to create a design for certain skincare devices that can be worn as glasses, using a three-dimensional human-measurement database of South Korean women between 30 and 49 y, as they are the major consumers of such devices. Additionally, a product design was proposed after a review of preference surveys from consumer focus group interviews and through an analysis of the direction of the light beams from the source using three-dimensional scanning data.

Thyroid cancer (TC) includes tumors of follicular cells; it ranges from well differentiated TC (WDTC) with generally favorable prognosis to clinically aggressive poorly differentiated TC (PDTC) and undifferentiated TC (UTC). Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is a WDTC and the most common type of thyroid cancer that comprises almost 70–80% of all TC. PTC can present as a solid, cystic, or uneven mass that originates from normal thyroid tissue. Prognosis of PTC is excellent, with an overall 10-year survival rate >90%. However, more than 30% of patients with PTC advance to recurrence or metastasis despite anti-cancer therapy; consequently, systemic therapy is limited, which necessitates expansion of improved clinical approaches. We strived to elucidate genetic distinctions due to patient-derived anti-cancer drug-sensitive or -resistant PTC, which can support in progress novel therapies. Patients with histologically proven PTC were evaluated. PTC cells were gained from drug-sensitive and -resistant patients and were compared using mRNA-Seq. We aimed to assess the in vitro and in vivo synergistic anti-cancer effects of a novel combination therapy in patient-derived refractory PTC. This combination therapy acts synergistically to promote tumor suppression compared with either agent alone. Therefore, genetically altered combination therapy might be a novel therapeutic approach for refractory PTC.

High-grade ovarian cancer (HGOC) is the most lethal gynecological cancer, with high metastasis and recurrence. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for its apoptosis resistance, cancer metastasis, and recurrence. Thus, targeting CSCs would be a promising strategy for overcoming chemotherapy resistance and improving patient prognosis in HGOC. Among upregulated oncogenic proteins in HGOC, we found that transcription factor SOX9 showed a strong correlation with stemness-regulating ALDH1A1 and was localized predominantly in the cytoplasm of HGOC with lymph node metastasis. In order to address the role of unusual cytoplasmic SOX9 and to explore its underlying mechanism in HGOC malignancy, a Y2H assay was used to identify a necroptotic cell death-associated cytoplasmic protein, receptor-interacting serine/threonine protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), as a novel SOX9-interacting partner and further mapped their respective interacting domains. The C-terminal region containing the transactivation domain of SOX9 interacted with the death domain of R1PK1. Consistent with its stemness-promoting function, SOX9 knockdown in vitro resulted in changes in cell morphology, cell cycle, stem cell marker expression, cell invasion, and sphere formation. Furthermore, in vivo knockdown completely inhibited tumor growth in mouse xenograft model. We propose that cytoplasmic SOX9-mediated cell death suppression would contribute to cancer stem cell survival in HGOC.

The evolution of the microstructure and texture in body-centered cubic (BCC) niobium (Nb) during conventional rolling and high-ratio differential rolling (HRDSR) at room temperature were compared. More effective grain refinement of the initial microstructure through continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) occurred in the samples processed by HRDSR, but the overall degree of grain refinement was small, despite having undergone severe plastic deformation due to the low rate of CDRX. CDRX more preferentially proceeded on {111} γ-fiber grains than on {001} α-fiber grains. The HRDSR-processed samples exhibited weaker α-fiber and stronger γ-fiber than the conventionally processed samples, which indicates that the high shear deformation induced by HRDSR discourages the development of α-fiber while promoting the development of γ-fiber. The HRDSR processed Nb showed a high tensile strength of 450 MPa, and the major strengthening mechanism for the HRDSR-processed Nb was dislocation-density strengthening at large thickness reductions.

We proposed a superconducting DC circuit breaker that can reliably cut off the fault currents in preparation for the DC system. It consists of a superconducting element and a mechanical DC circuit breaker. The mechanical DC circuit breaker is connected in parallel with a mechanical high-speed switch, an LC divergence oscillation circuit, and a surge arrester. This provides stable cutoff operation due to the fault-current-limiting operation of the superconducting element and the artificial current zero point of the mechanical DC circuit breaker. In this paper, the operating principle of the LC divergence oscillation circuit that creates an artificial current zero point was reviewed based on the theory. We used experimental data to model the time constant of the initial fault current, the arc model generated by the mechanical high-speed switch, and the experimental equipment. As a result, the LC divergence oscillation circuit was confirmed in the simulation, and simulation modeling was reviewed based on the theoretical principle of generation.

Yukmijihwang-tang (YJ) has been used to treat diabetes mellitus, renal disorders, and cognitive impairment in traditional medicine. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-osteoporotic effect of YJ on ovariectomy (OVX)-induced bone loss in a rat and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL)-mediated osteoclast differentiation in bone marrow macrophages (BMMs). YJ reduced the formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive multinucleated cells (MNCs) in an osteoclast/osteoblast co-culture system by regulating the ratio of RANKL/osteoprotegerin (OPG) by osteoblasts. Overall, YJ reduced TRAP-positive cell formation and TRAP activity and F-actin ring formation. Analysis of the underlying mechanisms indicated that YJ inhibited the activation of the nuclear factor of activated T cell cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1) and c-Fos, resulting in the suppression of osteoclast differentiation-related genes such as TRAP, ATPase, H+ transporting, lysosomal 38 kDa, V0 subunit d2, osteoclast-associated receptor, osteoclast-stimulatory transmembrane protein, dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein, matrix metalloproteinase-9, cathepsin K, and calcitonin receptor. YJ also inhibited the nuclear translocation of NFATc1. Additionally, YJ markedly inhibited RANKL-induced phosphorylation of signaling pathways activated in the early stages of osteoclast differentiation including the p38, JNK, ERK, and NF-κB. Consistent with these in vitro results, the YJ-administered group showed considerably attenuated bone loss in the OVX-mediated rat model. These results provide promising evidence for the potential novel therapeutic application of YJ for bone diseases such as osteoporosis.

Here we suggest a simple and novel method for the preparation of a high-performance self-humidifying fuel cell membrane operating at high temperature (>100 °C) and low humidity conditions (2O7 composites, Sn0.9In0.1H0.1P2O7/Sn0.92Sb0.08(OH)0.08P2O7. At the operating temperature of 100 °C, the electrochemical performances of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) with this heterojunction membrane at 3.5% RH were better than or comparable to those of each MEA with only the proton or anion exchange membranes at 50% RH or higher.

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is an eco-friendly energy conversion device that can convert chemical energy into electrical energy without emission of harmful oxidants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and/or sulfur oxides (SOx) during operation. Nafion®, a representative perfluorinated sulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomer-based membrane, is generally incorporated in fuel cell systems as a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM). Since the PFSA ionomers are composed of flexible hydrophobic main backbones and hydrophilic side chains with proton-conducting groups, the resulting membranes are found to have high proton conductivity due to the distinct phase-separated structure between hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. However, PFSA ionomer-based membranes have some drawbacks, including high cost, low glass transition temperatures and emission of environmental pollutants (e.g., HF) during degradation. Hydrocarbon-based PEMs composed of aromatic backbones with proton-conducting hydrophilic groups have been actively studied as substitutes. However, the main problem with the hydrocarbon-based PEMs is the relatively low proton-conducting behavior compared to the PFSA ionomer-based membranes due to the difficulties associated with the formation of well-defined phase-separated structures between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. This study focused on the structural engineering of sulfonated hydrocarbon polymers to develop hydrocarbon-based PEMs that exhibit outstanding proton conductivity for practical fuel cell applications.