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We present a straightforward and robust method for the synthesis of Janus colloid surfactants with distinct amphiphilicity and magnetic responsiveness. To this end, hydroxyl-functionalized amphiphilic Janus microparticles (JMPs) are synthesized by seeded monomer swelling and subsequent photopolymerization. By incorporating controlled amounts of hydroxyl groups on poly(styrene-co-vinyl alcohol) seed particles, we adjust the interfacial tension between the seed polymer and the poly(tetradecyl acrylate) secondary polymer (γ13). From theoretical and experimental observations, we verify that when γ13 is tuned to ∼8.5 mN/m in a medium with controlled solvency, which corresponds to a 0.6 volume fraction of ethanol in water, the particles bicompartmentalize to form oval or ellipsoidal JMPs with controllable bulb dimensions. We also show that bulb site-specific patching of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) can be achieved using the electrostatic interaction between the polyethylenimine-coated bulb surface and the polyv...

Olive flounder bone gelatin (OBG) was used for a film base material in this study. In addition, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO) were incorporated into the OBG film to prepare a nanocomposite film and to impart antimicrobial activity to it. The tensile strength of the OBG film increased by 6.62 MPa, and water vapor permeability and water solubility decreased by 0.93 × 10As a base material of edible films, gelatin was extracted from olive flounder bone, which is fish processing by-product. Olive flounder bone gelatin (OBG) nanocomposite films were prepared with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO). For an application to antimicrobial packaging, spinach was wrapped with the OBG-ZnO nanocomposite film.

This study examines Korean speakers’ practice of initiating repair on the recipient’s talk with and without a subject or object particle and shows that the addition (or deletion) of the particle plays an important role in implementing the action of repair initiation. Initiating repair with a particle ordinarily serves as a harbinger of disagreement, surprise, or disbelief, while initiating repair without a particle functions as an understanding check. The study further suggests possible explanations for how and why the addition of the particle achieves the interactional work of performing a negatively valenced action in Korean. Data are in Korean with English translation.

Highlights: • Ti doped ZnO films were prepared on Corning XG glass substrate by ALD. • The electrical properties and optical properties were systematically investigated. • An optimized Ti doped ZnO films had low resistivity and excellent optical transmittance. - Abstract: Titanium doped zinc oxide (Ti doped ZnO) films were prepared by atomic layer deposition methods at a deposition temperature of 200 °C. The Ti content in Ti doped ZnO films was varied from 5.08 at.% to 15.02 at.%. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the crystallinity of the Ti doped ZnO films had degraded with increasing Ti content. Transmission electron microscopy was used to investigate the microstructural evolution of the Ti doped ZnO films, showing that both the grain size and crystallinity reduced with increasing Ti content. The electrical resistivity of the Ti doped ZnO films showed a minimum value of 1.6 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm with the Ti content of 6.20 at.%. Furthermore, the Ti doped ZnO films exhibited excellent transmittance.

Control of a two-dimensional (2D) structure of assembled graphene oxide (GO) sheets is highly desirable for fundamental research and potential applications of graphene devices. We show that an alkylamine surfactant, i.e., octadecylamine (ODA), Langmuir monolayer can be utilized as a template for adsorbing highly hydrophilic GO sheets in an aqueous subphase at the liquid-gas interface. The densely packed 2-D monolayer of such complex films was obtained on arbitrary substrates by applying Langmuir-Schaefer or Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Morphology control of GO sheets was also achieved upon compression by tuning the amount of spread ODA molecules. We found that ODA surfactant monolayers prevent GO sheets from sliding, resulting in formation of wrinkling rather than overlapping at the liquid-gas interface during the compression. The morphology structures did not change after a graphitization procedure of chemical hydrazine reduction and thermal annealing treatments. Since morphologies of graphene films are closely correlated to the performance of graphene-based materials, the technique employed in this study can provide a route for applications requiring wrinkled graphenes, ranging from nanoelectronic devices to energy storage materials, such as supercapacitors and fuel cell electrodes.

Background Recent genome-wide association studies have identified over 40 candidate genes contributing to ulcerative colitis susceptibility. The goal of this study was to test the reported ulcerative colitis susceptibility genes including FCGR2A , SLC26A3, JAK2 and HNF4A in Korean patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Methods Five single nucleotide polymorphisms from 4 loci including FCGR2A, SLC26A3, JAK2 and HNF4A were genotyped in 661patients with ulcerative colitis, 642 patients with Crohn's disease and 601 healthy controls. Results Statistically significant associations with ulcerative colitis were found at FCGR2A (rs1801274, p = 2.3 × 10 −4 , OR = 0.70 (95% CI = 0.57–0.84) under the allelic model), the JAK2 locus (rs10975003, p = 6.7 × 10 −4 , OR = 1.43 (95% CI = 1.16–1.77) under the allelic model) and HNF4A (rs6017342, p = 0.002, OR = 0.66 (95% CI = 0.51–0.85) under the allelic model). The association of FCGR2A was much stronger in female patients with ulcerative colitis ( p = 5.7 × 10 −6 ) than in males ( p = 0.50). Except rs10975003 from the JAK2 locus, none showed positive association with Crohn's disease. Conclusions Our data suggest that FCGR2A , JAK2 or HNF4A variants play a role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis in Koreans.

Recent genome-wide association studies have shown that some Crohn's disease (CD)-associated loci also contribute to ulcerative colitis (UC) susceptibility. To understand the genetic relationship between the two forms of inflammatory bowel disease, we investigated the well-established CD-susceptibility genes TNFSF15 (tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily, member 15) and IL23R in Korean patients with UC. Eight TNFSF15 and five IL23R single-nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped in 654 patients with UC and in 601 healthy controls. There was no association between TNFSF15 or IL23R variants and UC in Korean individuals, in contrast to previous reports of a shared association of the IL23R gene with both CD and UC in Caucasian individuals. Our data suggest that neither TNFSF15 nor IL23R variants contribute to UC susceptibility in Koreans.

Hydroxycinnamic acid amides of serotonin (HCAAS) [caffeoylserotonin (compound 1), p-coumaroylserotonin (compound 2), and feruloylserotonin (compound 3)] are secondary metabolites produced in plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the cytoprotective effects of HCAAS based on intracellular reactive oxygen radical (ROS) generation, lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, and phosphorylation of histone H2AX in H(2)O(2) treated-HepG2 and HaCaT cells. We have shown that HCAAS showed various strong antioxidant activities in hydrogen peroxide treated both cell lines, suggesting that these compounds may play as chemotherapeutic agents for preventing or reducing the oxidative stress-induced diseases.

Wnt signaling has been implicated in certain inflammatory diseases. However, the biological role in the inflammatory regulation remains to be characterized. We investigated the regulation by Wnt signaling in endothelial cells, which are active participants and regulators of inflammation. Wnt5a induces cyclooxygenase-2 expression and enhances inflammatory cytokines rapidly, whereas Wnt3a shows limited effects, suggesting a role for β-catenin–independent Wnt signaling in the inflammatory endothelial activation. Pulse-like treatment of Wnt5a induces cyclooxygenase-2 more efficiently than continuous treatment. Wnt5a and TNF-α regulate subsets of cytokines overlapping, only partially, with each other. Calcium ionophore enhances endothelial inflammation similarly, whereas calcium chelators and protein kinase C inhibitor block Wnt5a-induced activation, suggesting a role for the Wnt/Ca2+/protein kinase C pathway in endothelial inflammatory regulation. Wnt5a activates RelA nuclear translocation and DNA binding. Activated blood vessels, histiocytes, and synoviocytes express Wnt5a in atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis but not in normal tissue, supporting the role of Wnt5a as an inflammatory mediator in vivo. Our data suggest that endothelial inflammation is regulated by a dual system consisting of β-catenin–independent Wnt signaling and TNF-α–mediated signaling.

From graphene oxide wrapped iron oxide particles with etching/reduction process, high-performance anode and cathode materials of lithium-ion hybrid supercapacitors are obtained in the same process with different etching conditions, which consist of partially etched crumpled graphene (CG) wrapped spiky iron oxide particles (CG@SF) for a battery-type anode, and fully etched CG for a capacitive-type cathode. The CG is formed along the shape of spikily etched particles, resulting in high specific surface area and electrical conductivity, thus the CG-based cathode exhibits remarkable capacitive performance of 210 F g-1 and excellent rate capabilities. The CG@SF can also be ideal anode materials owing to spiky and porous morphology of the particles and tightly attached crumpled graphene onto the spiky particles, which provides structural stability and low contact resistance during repetitive lithiation/delithiation processes. The CG@SF anode shows a particularly high capacitive performance of 1420 mAh g-1 after 270 cycles, continuously increases capacity beyond the 270th cycle, and also maintains a high capacity of 170 mAh g-1 at extremely high speeds of 100 C. The full-cell exhibits a higher energy density up to 121 Wh kg-1 and maintains high energy density of 60.1 Wh kg-1 at 18.0 kW kg-1 . This system could thus be a practical energy storage system to fill the gap between batteries and supercapacitors.

Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma is a recently recognised soft tissue neoplasm. It is rare and has a tendency to arise from deep soft tissue of the lower extremities. An origin from the colon has not been reported in the medical literature. We report the low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma originating from the colon in a 43-year-old male patient, treated by right hemicolectomy and nephrectomy.

Amyloid-beta (Aβ) protein, the main constituent of senile plaques, is believed to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is closely associated with inflammatory reactions which are considered to be responses to Aβ deposition. The present study investigated the effect of loganin on Aβ25–35-induced inflammatory damage and the underlying molecular mechanism of its neuroprotective action. Loganin predominantly prevented Aβ25–35-stimulated cell death through suppressing ROS generation, and attenuating apoptosis by inhibiting caspase-3 activity and regulating cell cycle. Furthermore, loganin suppressed the level of TNF-α and protein expression of iNOS and COX-2 in Aβ25–35-injured PC12 cells. These inhibitions appeared to correlate with the suppression of NF-κB activation by loganin, as pre-treating cells with loganin blocked the translocation of NF-κB into the nuclear compartment and degradation of the inhibitory subunit IκB. Loganin substantially inhibited phosphorylation of MAPKs including ERK1/2, p38 and JNK, which are closely related to regulation of NF-κB activation. Taken together, the results implied that loganin attenuated neuroinflammatory responses through the inactivation of NF-κB by NF-κB dependent inflammatory pathways and phosphorylation of MAPK in Aβ25–35-induced PC12 cells.

This paper is a conversation-analytic examination of video-recorded interactions between questioners and test takers during an English oral proficiency exam for international teaching assistants (ITAs). We focus on the test takers’ repair strategies identified in our data, and describe how distinct repair strategies influence the repair solution in the next turn. The test takers’ open-class repair initiator (e.g., “sorry?”) is likely to be treated as a hearing problem, and thus is responded to with the questioners’ repetition of the question. In contrast, the test takers’ targeted repair initiator (e.g., “what do you mean by x?”) is likely to be treated as an understanding problem, and thus is responded to with the questioners’ reformulation of the question. This reformulation generally helps the test takers successfully respond to the question despite the initial understanding problem. The findings have implications for teaching oral communication skills to ITAs, repair strategies in particular. They also contribute to improving performance-based oral proficiency exam by introducing different sequential trajectories that emerge from problems in hearing or understanding.

Clove leaf oil was incorporated into foxtail millet starch (FMS) for developing an active packaging material with antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The FMS films that contained clove leaf oil exhibited changes in tensile strength (6.78–4.00 MPa) and elongation at break (66.26–99.48%) with the addition of increasing concentrations of the essential oil, and possessed ultraviolet-light barrier properties. Moreover, the FMS films that contained clove leaf oil inhibited the growth of Listeria monocytogenes. The addition of clove leaf oil resulted in excellent ABTS and DPPH radical-scavenging activity of the films. The FMS film packaging that contained 1% clove leaf oil led to a decrease in the population of Listeria monocytogenes in queso blanco cheese by 1.19 log CFU g−1 after storage for 24 days, compared with that in the control samples. In addition, the concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances decreased by 54%. Thus, these results suggest that the FMS films that contain clove leaf oil can be used as a new packaging material for enhancing the shelf life of queso blanco cheese.

This chapter investigates the relationship between the discourse pragmatic functions of periphery elements and prosodic features by analyzing the intonation patterns of kuntey at LP and RP in Korean conversation. It raises the following research questions: 1. Are there any differences in the intonation patterns of kuntey at LP and RP? 2. How is the difference, if any, relevant to the grammatical and/or communicative functions of kuntey at LP and RP? The prosodic integration of kuntey at RP indicates an ongoing grammaticalization into a final particle. Having originated from the sequence of the deictic predicate kule- 'that is so' and the connective nuntey 'but; however', kuntey loses its erstwhile meaning and is further developing into an utterance-final particle. Given that Korean has an agglutinative morphology, the grammaticalization process of kuntey has some implications on other expressions at LP and RP. Keywords: grammaticalization; intonation patterns; Korean conversation; kuntey ; periphery elements; pragmatic functions

A brachial artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare but serious condition that can be limb threatening. A number of reports have found that it may be the result of damage to the blood vessels around the brachial artery, either directly or indirectly, due to trauma or systemic diseases. We present our experience of delayed pseudoaneurysm rupture of the brachial artery in a rehabilitation patient with burns of the upper extremity who underwent fasciotomy and musculocutaneous flap coverage. We also provide a review of the brachial artery pseudoaneurysm.

In general, organic electrochromic materials have shown a poor long-term stability during the electrochemical reactions, which is mainly due to the weak mechanical properties of the mateials in orgnanic electrolytes. There have been several approaches to enhance the stability of electrochromic polymers. As one of the effective methods, incorporation of graphene oxide (GO) into the polymers has been introduced to solve the stability issue because GO has known to significantly improve the physical properties of polymers having a good compatibility with them. A poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) is one of the important electrochromic polymers showing color changes between red and pale blue during electrochemical reactions. However, a poor life time of P3HT is deemed a main obstacle to utilize it as an aictive layer in commercial applications such as displays or smart windows. In this study, we prepare the electrochromic P3HT layer modified with GO and discuss the electrochromic properties of the composites. In order to construct the composites, the GO protective layer which has been modified by octadecylamine (ODA) is transferred on spin-coated P3HT layer by using Langmuir-Schaefer technique. The GO-ODA protective layer shows a high coverage with closed packed molecules and a good compatibility with P3HT layer. Furthermore, it is observed that the P3HT modified by GO-ODA protective layer shows a superior long-term stability compared to pristine P3HT layer during electrochromic reactions.

STAT3 was recently reported to suppress tumor invasion in Apc(min)(/+) mice. We investigated the mechanisms by which STAT3 inhibits intestinal epithelial tumors using Apc(min)(/+)/Stat3(IEC-KO) mice (intestinal epithelial cell (IEC)-specific deletion of STAT3 in the Apc(min)(/+) background) to determine the role of STAT3 in carcinogenesis in vivo as well as colorectal cancer cell lines in vitro. To inhibit invasion of IEC tumors, STAT3 functions as a molecular adaptor rather than a transcription factor. Accordingly, the tumors in Apc(min)(/+)/Stat3(IEC-KO) mice undergo adenoma-to-carcinoma transition and acquire an invasive phenotype. Similarly, STAT3 knockdown in a colorectal cell line enhances IEC invasion. We demonstrate that STAT3 down-regulates SNAI (Snail-1) expression levels and hence suppresses epithelial-mesenchymal transition of colorectal cancer cells. Mechanistically, STAT3 facilitates glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) 3β-mediated degradation of SNAI by regulating phosphorylation of GSK3β. Our data identified a new role for STAT3 in the adenoma-to-carcinoma sequence of intestinal tumors.

Caspase recruitment domain (CARD)-containing protein 8 (CARD8) is a potential candidate risk gene for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) because of its role as a component of the NALP3 inflammasome and as an inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappa B. Previous studies examining the association of a CARD8 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs2043211, p.Cys10X) with IBD yielded mixed results in Caucasians that may result from interaction with NALP3 or NOD2 (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2) variants. To understand the genetic association between CARD8/NALP3 and IBD in Koreans, we investigated seven CARD8, four NALP3 and four NOD2 SNPs in 650 Crohn's disease (CD), 660 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and 688 controls from the Korean population. rs2043211 of CARD8 showed significant association with UC (P = 0.011; odds ratio = 1.50, 95% confidence intervals = 1.12-2.00, P = 0.006 under recessive model). In contrast, an SNP in intron 1, rs1972619, was associated with CD only (P = 0.033). None of the NALP3 or NOD2 SNPs was significantly associated with CD or UC in the Korean populations. The stop allele of rs2043211 was associated with higher serum interleukin-1β levels only in female patients with UC (P = 0.027). Our data suggest that CARD8 variants might have roles in the pathogenesis of CD and UC in Koreans.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Acorus calamus L., sweet flag, is a well-known medicinal plant that grows worldwide wildly along swamps, rivers, and lakes. Aim of the study The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of Acorus calamus leaf (ACL) extract and to explore its mechanism of action on human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. Materials and methods HaCaT cells treated with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (polyI:C) and peptidoglycan (PGN) induced the inflammatory reactions. The anti-inflammatory activities of ACL were investigated using RT-PCR, ELISA assay, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence staining. Results HaCaT cells induced the pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-8 (IL-8) and/or interleukin-6 (IL-6) expressions after treatment with polyI:C or PGN. ACL inhibited the expression of IL-8 and IL-6 RNA and protein levels, and attenuated the activation of NF-κB and IRF3 after polyI:C treatment. ACL also inhibited expression of IL-8 and activation of NF-κB following PGN induction. Conclusions These results suggest that ACL inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines through multiple mechanisms and may be a novel and effective anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of skin diseases.

The mechanical circulatory support system using moving-actuator mechanisms were developed by Seoul National University and Korea University. AnyHeart is a fully implanted pulsatile bi-ventricular assist device, and T-PLS is a pulsatile flow versatile extracorporeal life support system. Through lots of in-vitro and in-vivo experiments, the developed mechanical systems are faced to produce on commercial scale. This paper describes the recent progress of two mechanical circulatory support systems, AnyHeart and T-PLS.

As the number of automobiles is increasing, a automobile is a general means of transportation. Therefore the driving ability became an important part in normal life. But accidents or diseases cause a reduction of some people's driving ability. When they try to acquire a driver's licence, "on-road test" may be very dangerous and difficult. So therapists have tried to assess and enhance handicapped peoples driving ability in the virtual environment safely. The goal of this study is to make a virtual reality driving simulator in order to check and enhance the subjects' driving ability. The driving simulator includes a real car that we remodelled for handicapped and connecter with a personal computer (PC) for more immersion. Also it includes a module to analyze the subject's driving ability variable.

The rapid advancement in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology has allowed extensive genetic profiling and analysis of tumor tissues. While accurate tumor characterization is crucial for cancer therapy, current sequencing methods are unable to resolve the genetic differences between the heterogeneous cell populations within tumor. By profiling specific subpopulations of cells from a larger heterogeneous population, single cell sequencing can improve the efficiency of cancer treatments through early detection of rare tumor cells, monitoring of circulating tumor cells, and accurate profiling of intra-tumor heterogeneity. In this study, we compared commercially available single cell amplification methods and sequencing platforms for whole genome and whole transcriptome sequencing. We isolated single cells from a human breast cancer cell line, MCF7, and human embryonic kidney cell line, HEK293, by micromanipulation, and their whole genome and transcriptome were sequenced. For whole genome sequencing, the performance of Repli-g (Qiagen), Ampli1 (Slicon Biosystems) and WGA4 (Sigma) were assessed for whole genome amplification. Next, we used TruSeq DNA Library Kit and Ion Plus Fragment Library Kit for library preparation, and whole genome sequencing was performed on HiSeq2000 and Proton. The sequencing data were analyzed by SAMtools/GATK and tmap-f3. For whole transcriptome sequencing, cDNA was synthesized from single cells using SMARTer ultra low input RNA kit (Clontech), and the cDNA library was prepared with Nextera XT library prep kit (Illumina) and Ion Total RNA-Seq Kit v2 (Life Technologies). Sequencing was performed on HiSeq2000 and Proton, and analyzed with Tophat and Cufflink. We show that the percentage of mappable reads and regions with more than 1X coverage in whole genome sequencing were similar to that of the genomic DNA data, but the coverage rate of regions with more than 10X was lower in single cell data on both NGS platforms. In the RNA-Seq, the gene detection rate in single cell and more than 100 cells were about 65% and 85% compare to total RNA, respectively. Citation Format: Nak-Jung Kwon, Woo Chung Lee, Jiwoong Kim, Hyeri Kim, Ahreum Seong, Bong Cho Kim, Doo Hyun Park, Kap-Seok Yang. Analysis of whole genome and transcriptome sequencing in single cell. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3574. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3574

Because p53 has a critical role in regulation of cell cycle and apoptosis in mammals, mutations of p53 often cause various cancers in mammals. Murine models have contributed to our understanding in cancer related to p53 mutations. Mice, however, have different characteristics from humans in many ways. For instance, the short lifespan of the mouse gives rise to limitations in clinical application of the data obtained from this species. Hence, it would be beneficial to establish a more suitable model in species other than the mouse. The porcine model could be an appropriate alternative because pigs share many anatomical and physiological similarities with humans. However, the production of pigs with homozygous knockout (KO) requires years of breeding heterozygous KO animals. Here, we completely reduced the expression level of p53 mRNA and protein in miniature pig fetal fibroblasts using a combination of gene targeting and RNA interference technique. These cells may be used for nuclear transfer to directly produce pigs without expression of the gene of interest. First, we disrupted the exon 2 region of p53 gene to produce p53 heterozygous KO cells. Miniature pig fetal fibroblasts were transfected with the p53 gene targeting vector. After Geneticin treatment for 2 weeks, a total of 48 surviving colonies were screened by PCR, and one was identified as a homologous recombinant (1/48, 2.08%). Second, the p53 shRNA expression vector was introduced into fibroblasts to isolate p53 knockdown (KD) cells. Transfected fibroblasts were treated with Zeocin for 3 weeks, and the shRNA integrations were confirmed by PCR. We obtained p53 KO, KD, and KOKD fibroblasts which involve p53 KO and KD either separately or simultaneously. In mRNA expression based on RT-PCR, p53 KO fibroblasts showed no difference with wild-type control (91.8 v. 100%). However, the expression levels of KD and KOKD cells significantly decreased (35.5 and 34.7%) compared with the control. In p53 protein levels analysed by Western blot, reduction of the protein was observed in p53 KD, whereas no reduction in p53 KO that might be due to heterozygous mutation. Interestingly, no p53 protein was detected in KOKD, suggesting complete reduction of the protein by synergistic effect of KO and KD. In this study, we demonstrated that various expression levels of p53 in porcine fibroblasts could be achieved by gene targeting and RNA interference technique. Moreover, complete abolishment of protein expression is feasible using combination of the 2 techniques. In further research, cloned miniature pigs with various levels of p53 expression or even lacking p53 expression may be produced using the fibroblasts isolated in the present study as nuclear donors. These pigs may provide new animal models and insights in cancer with respect to the effect of p53.