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The hairy root culture of American Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) was studied to investigate the biomass and flavonoids content (baicalin, baicalein and wogonin) in response of various auxin concentrations.The growth rates of the hairy roots varied significantly only at IBA 0.1 mg/L and for all other auxin treatments did not vary significantly. The biomass of hairy roots was 8% higher when treated with IBA 0.1 mg/L and biomass was almost similar and slightly lower levels when treated with various IAA concentration and NAA, respectively. However, the auxins treatments responsed positively to increase flavone production in American Skullcaphairy root culture. The auxin indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) at 1 mg/L performed the best for the accumulation of baicalin and wogonin. The auxin IBA at 1 mg/L accumulated 1.64 and 2.92 times higher baicalin and wogonin, respectively compared to control treatment. Meanwhile, the highest levels of baicalein were observed for hair root cultures in the presence of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at 0.1 mg/L achieving 2.38 times higher than that of accumulated in the control. These findings indicate that hairy root cultures of S. lateriflorausing liquid 1/2MS medium supplemented with auxin could be a valuable alternative approach for flavonoid production.

Although micro-porous membranes made of polyethylene (PE) offer excellent mechanical strength and chemical stability, they exhibit large thermal shrinkage at high temperature, which causes a short circuit between positive and negative electrodes in cases of unusual heat generation. We tried to develop a new technology to reduce the thermal shrinkage of PE separators by introducing γ -Al 2 O 3 particles treated with coupling agent on PE separators. Nanocomposite γ -Al 2 O 3 /PE separators were prepared by the dip coating of polyethylene(PE) separators in γ -Al 2 O 3 /poly(vinylidenefluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP)/crosslinker (1,3,5-trially-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6(1 H,3 H,5 H)-trione (TTT) solution with humidity control followed by electron beam irradiation. γ -Al 2 O 3 /PVDF-HFP/TTT (95/5/2)-coated PE separator showed the highest electrolyte uptake (157%) and ionic conductivity (1.3 mS/cm). On the basis of the thermal shrinkage test, the nanocomposite γ -Al 2 O 3 /PE separators containing TTT irradiated by electron beam exhibited a higher thermal resistance. Moreover, a linear sweep voltammetry test showed that the irradiated nanocomposite γ -Al 2 O 3 /PE separators have electrochemical stabilities of up to 5.0 V. In a battery performance test, the coin cell assembled with γ -Al 2 O 3 /PVDF-HFP/TTT-coated PE separator showed excellent discharge cycle performance.

In this study, we report the microstructure and the high-temperature oxidation behavior of Fe-Ni alloys by spark plasma sintering. Structural characterization is performed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The oxidation behavior of Fe-Ni alloys is studied by means of a high-temp...

A sponge-like Li(4)Ti(5)O(12)/graphene composite was prepared via sequential hydrothermal process and solid-state heat treatment process for the application to high-power lithium ion batteries. The as-prepared electrode showed outstanding Li electroactivities with a rapid and reversible Li insertion/ extraction of up to 10 C-rate (1.75 A/g). It delivered a discharge capacity of 174 mAh/g at 0.5 C, near the theoretical capacity of Li(4)Ti(5)O(12), with good rate capability and cyclic stability. First-principles calculations revealed the intimate interaction of the Li(4)Ti(5)O(12) and graphene, which implies that graphene functions as an ‘electron tunnel.’ Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy also proved that the graphene-hybridization and the unique structure of the Li(4)Ti(5)O(12) material significantly reduce the resistive behavior of electrodes. The 3D structured Li(4)Ti(5)O(12)/graphene hybrid reported herein could be a promising candidate for a safe, low-cost, high-power anode for lithium ion batteries, and our seeding-growth-sintering method for decorating graphene with active material will offer an effective upgrade on highly insulating Li(4)Ti(5)O(12) materials.

Polycaprolactone (PCL) has been considered a useful material for orthopedic devices and osseous implants because of its biocompatibility and bone-forming activity. However, PCL-based scaffolds have hydrophobic surfaces that reduce initial cell viability. In this study, we fabricated surface-modified PCL nanofibers for tissue engineering using radiation technology. We supplemented the hydrophilicity of the PCL nanofibers by introducing 2-aminoethyl methacrylate (AEMA) through gamma-irradiation and subsequently immobilized heparin onto the nanofibers using the EDC/NHS reaction. The SEM images show that there is almost no change in the morphology of nanofibers after radiation grafting of AEMA and heparin-immobilization onto PCL nanofibers. The surface properties of the scaffolds were characterized by ATR-FTIR, XPS, and fluorescamine staining in order to confirm the successful grafting of AEMA onto the PCL nanofibers. Immobilization of heparin was also confirmed by the amide I (1650 cm(-1)) and amide II group (1550 cm(-1)) from ATR-FTIR. The amounts of heparin were drastically increased on the AEMA-PCL nanofibers as revealed by TBO assay. The initial cell viability of hMSCs was significantly increased on the AEMA grafted nanofibers but grew slowly on heparin-immobilized nanofibers. The cumulative release of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) was slow and continuous onto the heparin-immobilized nanofibers (18.13 +/- 3.87 mu g mL(-1)) compared to PCL nanofibers (20.25 +/- 1.45 mu g mL(-1)). Therefore, heparin-immobilized nanofibers may be a good tool for tissue engineering applications using radiation technology.

Current LED-based artificial lights for crop cultivation consist of red and blue lights because these spectra effectively promote leaf photosynthesis. However, the absence of green light could be disadvantageous for crop production, as green light plays an important role in plant development. The objective of this study was to investigate whether adding green light to different proportions of red and blue light would affect the leaf photosynthetic rate, growth, and morphology of lettuce plants. Plants were transplanted and grown hydroponically for 25 days under different combinations of red, blue (0, 10, 20, and 30%), and green (0 and 10%) light at 150 ± 15 μmol•m-2•s-1 of photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). The leaf photosynthetic rate was highest under 80% red and 20% blue light and decreased significantly with the addition of green light and the absence of blue light. As the fraction of blue light increased, leaf size and plant growth decreased significantly. However, while the addition of green light considerably reduced the leaf photosynthetic rate, it did not reduce plant growth. In the absence of blue light, the plants showed symptoms of the shade avoidance response, which possibly enhanced their growth by improving their light interception. Therefore, the addition of 10% (15 μmol•m-2•s-1) green light did not have a positive effect on the growth of lettuce. Further study using higher intensities of green light is required to investigate the effects of green light on plant growth.

This paper presents a 3-D integrated disposable “electronic microplate” (e-microplate) platform that allows the reuse of CMOS biosensor, thereby significantly reducing cost and increasing throughput compared to nondisposable biosensing systems. The e-microplate utilizes mechanically flexible interconnects and through-silicon-vias to electrically connect the cells cultured on the top (sensing electrode side) of the e-microplate to the electrodes on the CMOS biosensor while maintaining a physical separation between the aforementioned substrate tiers. Electrical measurements performed show that the incorporation of the e-microplate does not degrade the sensing amplifier’s gain, 3-dB bandwidth, or the input referred noise; this ensures a high signal-to-noise ratio allowing accurate sensing of weak signals from living cells under test. Cell growth experiments performed show adhesion and growth of mouse embryonic stem cells on the surface of the sensing electrodes of the e-microplate. Impedance mapping for Dulbecco’s phosphate buffered saline solution performed with the e-microplate, for two different e-microplate assemblies, confirms the functional accuracy of the assembled systems.

Salinity stress affects plants by reducing the water potential and causing ion imbalance or disturbances in ion homeostasis and toxicity. Salinity stress frequently causes both osmotic and ionic stress in plants, resulting in the increase or decrease of certain secondary metabolites in plants. In this study, the effect of NaCl treatment on the nutritional quality of tartary buckwheat plants was studied by conducting an HPLC analysis of phenylpropanoid and anthocyanin content. It was observed that there was no significant change of color in tartary buckwheat during salt treatment. The accumulation of most phenylpropanoid compounds increased slightly in response to the NaCl concentration. The total phenylpropanoid content in tartary buckwheat was the highest at 100 mM NaCl treatment. Seven-day-old wheat plantlets treated with 100 mM NaCl for 2, 4, 6, and 8 days showed the highest accumulation of total phenylpropanoids at day 8 after treatment, while the content of most phenylpropanoids was higher than that in the control during this period. Although the development of tartary buckwheat slightly decreased with NaCl treatment and the accumulation of anthocyanin compounds did not change in plants with a diffident NaCl concentration and time treatment, the results suggest that the salinity treatment of tartary buckwheat causes antioxidant activity improvement by inducing an accumulation of flavonoid and phenolic compounds. However, since the anthocyanin content did not increase, the antioxidant effect of the treatment is not expected to be significant.

This paper presents a fully integrated CMOS multi-modal cellular sensor/stimulator array with 21952 multi-modal pixels, 1568 simultaneous parallel readout channels, 16 μm×16 μm pixel pitch for single cell resolution, and 3.6 mm×1.6 mm tissue-level field-of-view (FoV), achieving high-resolution multi-parametric cellular potential/impedance/optical imaging for holistic cellular characterization and cell-based assays. Moreover, the array system reports the first on-chip true 4-point impedance sensing scheme with 16 parallel impedance sensing channels, which enables precise cellular impedance measurements with aggressively scaled electrodes and large electrode-electrolyte interfacial impedance. The chip also supports concurrent 16-channel 5-bit reconfigurable current-mode cell stimulation. The chip is implemented in a 130 nm low-cost standard CMOS process. Extracellular potentials (700 μV-1.5 mV) from on-chip cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) are successfully measured. With on-chip cultured cardiac fibroblasts, full-chip high-resolution optical images and 4-point impedance mapping precisely capture cell distribution, growth, proliferation, and surface adhesion.

Traditionally, Agastache rugosa (Korean mint) has been widely used to treat various infectious diseases. The aims of this study were to: (i) determine the phenylpropanoid content of the plant using high-performance liquid chromatography, (ii) undertake total anthocyanin, flavonoid, and phenolic assays, (iii) and evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the methanol extracts from the stem, leaves, and flowers of Korean mint. The total anthocyanin, flavonoid, and phenolic content assays showed that the flowers had higher phenolic levels than the stem and leaves. The reducing power, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl superoxide radical scavenging abilities, and the hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging activities were also evaluated so that the antioxidant activities of the extracts from the different plant parts could be evaluated. The flower extracts revealed higher antioxidant properties than the other parts. The antibacterial properties of the methanol extracts from A. rugosa were analyzed by the disc diffusion method, and the flower extracts had higher antibacterial activities against the six bacterial strains used in the study than the other parts. This study provides information on the synergistic antioxidant and antibacterial properties of phenolics derived from the different parts of Korean mint.

This study investigated the influence of auxins on the growth of hairy roots and accumulation of anthocyanins, including cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (C3gl) and cyanidin 3-0-rutinoside (C3r), in the hairy root culture of tartary buckwheat cultivar Hokkai TIO. C3gl and C3r contents were evaluated using high- performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC). Four auxins, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), indoleacetic acid (IAA), indolebutyric acid (IBA) and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), were added to the medium of the hairy root cultures at diverse concentrations. IAA, IBA and 2,4-D promoted the growth of hairy roots since the dry weight of the roots was slightly higher than or comparable with that of the control. However, NAA at all concentrations suppressed the growth of hairy roots. Generally, auxin treatments resulted in higher accumulation of C3gl and C3r than that of the control except for 2.85 μM IAA and 2.69 μM NAA. The amount of C3gl and C3r after treatment with 4.92 μM IBA was the highest among all treatments and was 3.24 times more than that of the control. Our results suggested that auxins at appropriate concentrations might facilitate hairy root growth of tartary buckwheat and enhance the production of C3gl and C3r.

The Australian genus Logasa Chandler, 2001 (type species: L. novaeanglia Chandler) is comprised of six species, three of which are described as new: Logasa newtonisp. nov., Logasa thayeraesp. nov., and Logasa comfortisp. nov. Examination of the types of L. tricolor (Oke) and L. ventralis (Oke) revealed that they do not share some of the diagnostic characters used here to characterize the type, and other species of the genus, but they are retained in Logasa until the group is revised. A key to species, illustrations of their habitus, and diagnostic characters are provided.

A fully integrated W-band silicon-germanium (SiGe) transceiver is presented which provides a loop-back built-in self-test (BIST) functionality that allows continuous monitoring of the health of the system while in use. In addition, it facilitates on-die measurement of the transmit and receive channels to aid in characterization of the transceivers inside a large phased array system. Measurement results show a close agreement between the on-die and off-chip characterization results. The transceiver can switch from normal operation mode to BIST mode by applying a control signal. Measurement shows receiver SSB noise figure of 12 dB and P1dB of -8.5 dBm and transmitter output power of +8 dBm. The power consumption of the entire transceiver is 150 mW.

Periprosthetic fractures after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are gradually increasing, reflecting extended lifespan, osteoporosis, and the increasing proportion of the elderly during the past decade. Supracondylar periprosthetic femoral fracture is a potential complication after TKA. Generally, open reduction and internal fixation are the conventional option for periprosthetic fracture after TKA. However, the presence of severe comminution with component loosening can cause failure of internal fixation. Although the current concept for periprosthetic fracture is open reduction and internal fixation, we introduce an unusual case of revision arthroplasty using a MUTARS® prosthesis for a comminuted periprosthetic fracture in the distal femur after TKA, with technical tips.

Arthroplasties of hip and knee are associated with blood loss, which may lead to adverse patient outcome. Performing arthroplasties in Jehovah’s Witness patients who do not accept transfusion has been a matter of concern. We developed a protocol, which avoids transfusion in arthroplasties of Jehovah’s Witness patients, and evaluated the feasibility and safety of the protocol. The target of preoperative hemoglobin was more than 10 g/dL. When preoperative hemoglobin was lower than 10 g/dL, 4000 U erythropoietin (3 times a week) and 100 mg iron supplement (every day) were administered until the hemoglobin reached 10 g/dL. When the preoperative hemoglobin was higher than 10 g/dL, 4000 U erythropoietin and 100 mg iron supplement were administered once, before operation. During the operation, cell saver was used. Postoperatively, erythropoietin and iron supplements were administered until the hemoglobin reached 10 g/dL, similar to the preoperative protocol. We evaluated the feasibility of our protocol, perioperative complications and hematologic changes. From 2002 to 2014, 186 Witness patients visited our department. In 179 patients (96.2 %), 77 total knee arthroplasties, 69 bipolar hemiarthroplasties and 33 total hip arthroplasties were performed. The mean hemoglobin level was 12.3 g/dL preoperatively, 9.4 g/dL on postoperative day 3 and 10.3 g/dL on postoperative day 7. One patient died immediately after the arthroplasty and the remaining 178 patients survived. Total joint arthroplasty could be done without transfusion using this protocol in most of our patients. The rates of infection and mortality were similar with known infection and mortality rates of arthroplasties. In patients who do not want allogeneic transfusions, our protocol is a safe alternative to perform joint arthroplasties.

Dodecatitanate H2Ti12O25 crystal has a condensed layered structure and exhibits noteworthy Li storage performance that makes it an anode material with great potential for use in Li-ion batteries. However, an unknown Li diffusion mechanism and a sluggish level of Li dynamics through elongated diffusion paths inside this crystal has impeded any forward development in resolving its limited rate capability and cyclic stability. In this study, we investigated the Li diffusion dynamics inside the H2Ti12O25 crystal that play an essential role in Li storage performance. A study of density functional theory combined with experimental evaluation confirmed a strong dependence of Li storage performance on its diffusion. In addition, a nanostructured H2Ti12O25 containing a bundle of nanorods is developed via the introduction of a kinetic gap during the structural transformation, which conferred a significantly shortened diffusion time/length for Li in H2Ti12O25. The nanostructured H2Ti12O25 has high specific capacity (∼230 mAh g(-1)) and exhibits enhanced cyclic stability and rate capability compared with conventional bulky H2Ti12O25. The H2Ti12O25 proposed in this study has high potential for use as an anode material with excellent safety and stability.

This study aimed to determine the optimal indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) concentration in a nutrient solution to increase the bioactive compounds while enhancing the plant growth of A. rugosa grown hydroponically. Twenty-eight-day-old plants were transplanted in a plant factory for 32 days. The plants were subjected to various IAA concentrations (10&minus, 11, 10&minus, 9, 10&minus, 7, and 10&minus, 5 M) from 8 days after transplanting, and the control treatment (without IAA). Shoot and root fresh weights were effectively improved under 10&minus, 7 and 10&minus, 9 IAA treatments. Leaf gas exchange parameters were increased under 10&minus, 9 IAA treatments. Four of the IAA treatments, except 10&minus, 11 IAA treatment, significantly increased the rosmarinic acid (RA) concentration, as well as the tilianin concentration was significantly increased at all IAA treatments, compared with that of the control. Especially, the tilianin concentration of the 10&minus, 11 IAA treatment was significantly (1.8 times) higher than that of the control. The IAA treatments at 10&minus, 5 and 10&minus, 7 significantly raised the acacetin concentrations (1.6- and 1.7-times, respectively) compared to those of the control. These results suggested that 10&minus, 7 concentration of IAA in a nutrient solution was effective for enhancing plant growth and increasing bioactive compounds in A. rugosa, which offers an effective strategy for increasing phytochemical production in a plant factory.

Conducting polymer (CP)-based hydrogels exhibit the behaviors of bending or contraction/relaxation due to electrical stimulation. They are similar in some ways to biological organs and have advantages regarding manipulation and miniaturization. Thus, these hydrogels have attracted considerable interest for biomedical applications. In this study, we prepared PPy/PVP hydrogel with different concentrations and content through polymerization and cross-linking induced by gamma-ray irradiation at 25 kGy to optimize the mechanical properties of the resulting PPy/PVP hydrogel. Optimization of the PPy/PVP hydrogel was confirmed by characterization using scanning electron microscopy, gel fraction, swelling ratio, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, we assessed live-cell viability using live/dead assay and CCK-8 assay, and found good cell viability regardless of the concentration and content of Py/pTS. The conductivity of PPy/PVP hydrogel was at least 13 mS/cm. The mechanical properties of PPy/PVP hydrogel are important factors in their application for biomaterials. It was found that 0.15PPy/PVP20 (51.96 &plusmn, 6.12 kPa) exhibited better compressive strength than the other samples for use in CP-based hydrogels. Therefore, it was concluded that gamma rays can be used to optimize PPy/PVP hydrogel and that biomedical applications of CP-based hydrogels will be possible.

Ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia subsp. equisetifolia L.) are ecologically and economically important trees in tropical and subtropical regions of the Indo-Pacific. Ironwood is one of the dominant tree species in Guam, but since 2002, this tree has been declining dramatically. A previous study showed that numerous sick or dead trees were under termite attack. However, the species of termites were not identified. As a first step to investigate causal relationships between termites and ironwood tree death, we assigned termites collected from ironwood trees to species using a combination of morphological characters and DNA barcoding of the 12S, 16S, COI, COII, and ITS2 regions. Based on morphology and comparisons to reference sequences in NCBI GenBank, the most likely species assignments were Nasutitermes takasagoensis (Nawa) (Blattodea: Termitidae) found to infest 45 trees, followed by Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) (2 trees), Microcerotermes crassus Snyder (Blattodea: Termitidae) (2 trees), and an additional unidentified Microcerotermes species (1 tree) with no close sequence match to identified species in NCBI GenBank. However, taxonomic revisions and broader representation of DNA markers of well-curated specimen in public databases are clearly needed, especially for the N. takasagoensis species complex.

A graphene sulfide framework (GSF) is designed and synthesized via a hybridization of graphene and organic compounds for use in electrodes for high-performance Li-ion batteries (LIB). This electrode material is devoid of transition metal and features a layered framework structure that is constructed by the formation of covalent disulfide bonds between organic linker molecules and graphene sheets. This structure capitalizes on the advantageous properties of each of the components in an electrochemical reaction. The structures of GSFs are characterized by Cs-corrected transmission electron microscopy (Cs-TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Depending on current density, the GSF electrodes exhibit two different types of electrochemical behavior during Li incorporation/extraction process, indicating the involvement of multiple Li-incorporation mechanisms. Various types of dithiol organics as linker components are incorporated in the GSF to evaluate the effect of length or structure on the electrochemical properties. The linker-dependent Li storage mechanism is explained based on the results of differential capacity analyses and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The GSF proposed in this study shows promise as an electrode material for a high-performance energy-storage system that is inexpensive and free of transition metals.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010 had unprecedented impact on the Gulf of Mexico. We established the greenhead horse fly (Tabanus nigrovittatus Macquart) as a bioindicator of marsh health. This species is bound to coastal marshes, since its larvae develop as top invertebrate predators in the marsh soil. Immediately after the oil spill (2010–2011), populations of this horse fly declined in oiled areas of Louisiana marshes with significant impacts on genetic structure. In this follow-up study five years after the catastrophic event (2015–2016), we now report signs of recovery of populations in formerly oiled areas. Fly numbers increased compared to previous counts. Previously detected genetic bottlenecks in oiled populations have disappeared. Migration into oiled areas began to replenish formerly depleted horse fly populations in impacted regions with populations from non-oiled areas as an important source of migrants. Parameters of family structure that had been impacted by the oil spill (number of breeding parents, effective population size, number of family clusters) rebounded to levels similar to or exceeding those in non-oiled control areas.

Here, accumulation of glucosinolates and expression of glucosinolates biosynthesis genes in green and red mustard hairy roots were identified and quantified by HPLC and qRT-PCR analyses. The total glucosinolates content of green mustard hairy root (10.09 µg/g dry weight) was 3.88 times higher than that of red mustard hairy root. Indolic glucosinolates (glucobrassicin, 4-methoxyglucobrassicin, and neoglucobrassicin) in green mustard were found at 30.92, 6.95, and 5.29 times higher than in red mustard hairy root, respectively. Conversely, levels of glucotropaeolin (aromatic glucosinolate) was significantly higher in red mustard than in green mustard. Accumulation of glucoraphasatin, an aliphatic glucosinolate, was only observed only in red mustard hairy roots. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression level of genes related to aliphatic and aromatic glucosinolate biosynthesis were higher in red mustard, exception BjCYP83B. The expression of BjCYP79B2, which encodes a key enzyme involved in the indolic glucosinolate biosynthetic pathway, was higher in green mustard than in red mustard. Additionally, to further distinguish between green mustard and red mustard hairy roots, hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and subjected to principal component analysis. The results indicated that core primary metabolites and glucosinolate levels were higher in the hairy roots of green mustard than in those of red mustard.

Phenylpropanoids and flavonoids belong to a large group of secondary metabolites, and are considered to have antioxidant activity, which protects the cells against biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the accumulation of phenylpropanoids and flavonoids in bitter melon has rarely been studied. Here, we identify ten putative phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthetic genes in bitter melon. Most genes were highly expressed in leaves and/or flowers. HPLC analysis showed that rutin and epicatechin were the most abundant compounds in bitter melon. Rutin content was the highest in leaves, whereas epicatechin was highly accumulated in flowers and fruits. The accumulation patterns of trans-cinnamic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, kaempferol, and rutin coincide with the expression patterns of McPAL, McC4H, McCOMT, McFLS, and Mc3GT, respectively, suggesting that these genes play important roles in phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis in bitter melon. In addition, we also investigated the optimum light conditions for enhancing phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis and found that blue light was the most effective wavelength for enhanced accumulation of phenylpropanoids and flavonoids in bitter melon.

Millimeter-wave full-duplex (FD) transceivers (TRXs) have the potential to unlock the full throughput of future 5G links. A major challenge in mm-wave FD TRXs is to suppress the wideband modulated self-interference (SI) of the transmitter (TX) to its own receiver (RX) with ∼100dB cancellation over a large instantaneous bandwidth. This often requires distributed cancellations across the antenna, RF, and digital domains [1].

This paper presents a fully integrated CMOS multimodality joint sensor/stimulator array with 1024 pixels for real-time holistic cellular characterization and drug screening. The proposed system consists of four pixel groups and four parallel signal-conditioning blocks. Every pixel group contains 16 × 16 pixels, and each pixel includes one 28 μm × 28 μm gold-plated electrode, four 12 μm × 12 μm photodiodes, and in-pixel circuits, within a 58 μm × 58 μm pixel footprint. Each pixel supports real-time extracellular potential recording, optical detection, charge-balanced biphasic current stimulation, and cellular impedance measurement for the same cellular sample. The proposed system is fabricated in a standard 130-nm CMOS process. Rat cardiomyocytes are successfully cultured on-chip. Measured high-resolution optical opacity images, extracellular potential recordings, biphasic current stimulations, and cellular impedance images demonstrate the unique advantages of the system for holistic cell characterization and drug screening. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates the use of optical detection on the on-chip cultured cardiomyocytes to real-time track their cyclic beating pattern and beating rate.

Here, accumulation of glucosinolates and expression of glucosinolates biosynthesis genes in green and red mustard hairy roots were identified and quantified by HPLC and qRT-PCR analyses. The total glucosinolates content of green mustard hairy root (10.09 µg/g dry weight) was 3.88 times higher than that of red mustard hairy root. Indolic glucosinolates (glucobrassicin, 4-methoxyglucobrassicin, and neoglucobrassicin) in green mustard were found at 30.92, 6.95, and 5.29 times higher than in red mustard hairy root, respectively. Conversely, levels of glucotropaeolin (aromatic glucosinolate) was significantly higher in red mustard than in green mustard. Accumulation of glucoraphasatin, an aliphatic glucosinolate, was only observed only in red mustard hairy roots. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression level of genes related to aliphatic and aromatic glucosinolate biosynthesis were higher in red mustard, exception BjCYP83B. The expression of BjCYP79B2, which encodes a key enzyme involved in the indolic glucosinolate biosynthetic pathway, was higher in green mustard than in red mustard. Additionally, to further distinguish between green mustard and red mustard hairy roots, hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and subjected to principal component analysis. The results indicated that core primary metabolites and glucosinolate levels were higher in the hairy roots of green mustard than in those of red mustard. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13205-018-1393-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) hydrogels possess good bioadhesive properties and allow enhanced penetration of drugs. In addition, it is possible to localize the absorption site of the drug in the hydrogel and increase the drug residence time. As opposed to other cross-linking processes radiation-induced polymer cross-linking can be easily and rapidly carried out without the use of cross-linking agents and other chemical additives. In this study, we fabricated metronidazole (MD) containing PAAc hydrogel (MD/PAAc) with different MD contents (0.1, 0.25, 0.5 wt%) using varying radiation doses (25, 50, 75 kGy) by gamma-irradiation. The physical and thermal properties were determined by gel content analysis, swelling ratio measurements, compressive strength measurements, differential scanning calorimetery, and thermogravimetric analysis. The properties of the hydrogel degraded due to the crystalline nature of MD. The properties of the hydrogel degraded due to the crystalline nature of MD. Cumulative release observed after 50 min in the case of 0.5MD/PAAc and 0.1MD/PAAc was 50% and 10%, respectively. Our findings suggest that MD/PAAc could be a suitable drug delivery carrier for use with radiation-based techniques.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) has been shown to have a high-burst pressure, high-water contact, and ultrafine highly nanofibrous structure similar with that in a natural extracellular matrix (ECM). In the present study, we developed a BC-based functional scaffold for tissue engineering using radiation technology. BC was generated by Gluconacetobacter hansenii TL-2C. Acrylic acid (AAc) was grafted onto BC surfaces under aqueous conditions using gamma-ray irradiation. The characterization of the scaffold was performed by scanning electron microscopy, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, a toluidine blue O assay, and 2,4,6,-trinitro-benzensulfonic acid assay. AAc was grafted on the BC under gamma-ray irradiation. Gelatin was chemically conjugated on the AAc-BC scaffolds through EDC chemistry. The morphology of the modified BC nanofibers did not change, while representative features of AAc and gelatin were maintained. The adhesion and spreading of human mesenchymal stem cells was improved on the gelatin-AAc-BC nanofibers compared to unmodified BC and AAc-BC nanofibers. Our results suggest that gelatin-immobilized BC nanofiber scaffolds can be a promising way to fabricate three-dimentional, nanofibrous scaffolds that accelerate cell behavior for biomedical applications.

The goal of this study was to develop a novel hydroxyapatite (HA) coated bacterial cellulose (BC) scaffold for bone tissue regeneration. HA-coated BC was prepared by immersing in 30 mL of 5× simulated body fluid at 37°C for 12 h. The resulting HA-coated BC scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATRFTIR) spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). HA spherical globules were newly formed on the surface of the BC, and a fibrous network of BC scaffolds still maintained their dimensions for cell adhesion and proliferation. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy analysis showed bands assigned to specific signals for phosphate and carbonate ions from HA. HA-coated BC scaffolds of thermal gravimetric analysis presented residue of around 25%. The ability for bone regeneration of HA-coated BC scaffolds was evaluated using a rat calvarial defect model for 4 and 8 weeks. After implantation, both BC and HAcoated BC scaffolds showed new bone formation derived from existing bone, and found new bone even inside the scaffold. Furthermore, a new bone area was signigicantly increased in the HA-coated BC scaffolds compared with those from BC scaffolds, and bone-like materials were frequently found in HA-coated BC scaffolds. Therefore, the HA-coated BC scaffolds can be used as an effective tool for bone tissue regeneration.

1Department of Crop Science, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 305-764, South Korea 2 Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh. 3Department of Bio-Environmental Chemistry, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-764, Republic of Korea 3Department of Horticulcure, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 305-764, South Korea.

We investigated the effects of photosynthetic active radiation generated by blue (465 nm peak wavelength) light-emitting diodes (LEDs), red (625 nm peak wavelength) LEDs, or an electroluminescent sheet (EL) (two peak wavelengths: 454 and 565 nm), and dark conditions on the quality preservation of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seedlings during low-light irradiation (LLI) storage. The photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) at the plant canopy level was automatically controlled using a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller to maintain the CO2 exchange rate of the seedlings at zero. Nine seedlings were stored for 21 d in a storage case at 10 ± 0.5°C and at greater than 95% RH. The total dry weight of the tomato seedlings after storage under any LLI was significantly greater compared to that before storage and during dark storage. The PPFD required for maintaining the CO2 exchange rate of the seedlings at zero under all LLI treatments over a 21 d storage period gradually decreased due to the low-light adaptation of the plant. The mean PPFDs to maintain a light compensation point under the blue LED-, red LED-, and EL-LLI for the last week of storage were 5.15, 5.03, and 5.20 µmol·m−2·s−1, respectively. The spectral distribution of the EL light may help preserve seedling quality better than that of the blue or red LED lights and the dark condition, providing a vigorous seedlings with upright morphology and significantly lower specific leaf area (cm2·g−1 DW), which reflects a thick leaf. For green plant storage, an EL or other kind of mixed light is able to control PPFD automatically, which may help maintain seedling quality for more than 3 weeks longer than with blue or red monochromatic light.

This study investigated optimum light conditions for enhancing phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and the distribution of phenylpropanoids in organs of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis). Blue light caused a high accumulation of most phenolic compounds, including p-hydroxybenzoic acid, ferulic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol, at 12 days after irradiation (DAI). This increase was coincident with a noticeable increase in expression levels of BrF3H, BrF3'H, BrFLS, and BrDFR. Red light led to the highest ferulic acid content at 12 DAI and to elevated expression of the corresponding genes during the early stages of irradiation. White light induced the highest accumulation of kaempferol and increased expression of BrPAL and BrDFR at 9 DAI. The phenylpropanoid content analysis in different organs revealed organ-specific accumulation of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol. These results demonstrate that blue light is effective at increasing phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in Chinese cabbage, with leaves and flowers representing the most suitable organs for the production of specific phenylpropanoids.

Two new genera and three new species of New Zealand endemic pselaphine staphylinid beetles belonging to the supertribe Faronitae are described as follows: Chandlerea Park & Carlton, gen. nov., including C. donaldi Park & Carlton, sp. nov.; and Nunnea Park & Carlton, gen. nov., including N. johni Park & Carlton, sp. nov., and N. kuscheli Park & Carlton, sp. nov. A key to species, habitus photographs, line drawings of diagnostic characters and distribution maps for all species are provided.

Although the incidence of sciatic nerve palsy following total hip arthroplasty is low, this complication can cause devastating permanent nerve palsy. The authors experienced a case of sciatic nerve palsy caused by ruptured and contracted external rotator muscles following total hip arthroplasty in a patient suffering from osteonecrosis of the femoral head. We report this unusual case of sciatic nerve palsy with a review of the literature.

(Received: 27 Janurary 2015, Revised: 04 March 2015, Accepted: 04 March 2015)요 약현재 국내 일정규모 이상 댐들에 대해서는 ｢안전점검 및 정밀안전진단 세부지침(댐)｣ 기준에 따라 정밀안전진단을 수행하고 있다. 하지만 여러 평가 기준 중 수문학적 안전성 평가는 가능최대홍수량(Probable Maximum Flood, PMF)에 대한 기존 댐 안전성을 평가하는 것으로 대부분의 농업용저수지에 대해서는 적용성이 많이 떨어진다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 계수화 모델과 AHP 기법을 통해 다각적 위험요인을 고려한 농업용저수지의 수문학적 안전성을 재평가하고자 한다. 이를 위하여 농업용저수지의 다양한 인자를 반영하기 위한 수문학적 안전성 상·하위 평가항목을 선정하여 계수화 모델을 개발하였다. 연구결과 다음과 같은 결론을 얻었다. 농업용저수지의 수문학적 안전성 확보를 위해서는 단기적 방안으로 신속한 개선이 가능한 안전점검 상태평가 등급의 개선이 유용하며, 장기적으로 여수로 방류능력과 제체의 여유고를 확보하는 방안이 필요할 것으로 판단된다.핵심용어: 수문학적 안전성평가, 가능최대홍수량, 농업용저수지, 분석적 계층화 과정AbstractAccording to the「Safety Evaluation Detailed Instructions (Dam) 」, a precise safety inspection is carried out for dams that exceed a certain scale. However, as the Hydrological Safety Evaluation from various evaluation standards is designed to evaluate the safety of existing dams considering PMF(Probable Maximum Flood), the evaluation is much less applicable for most agricultural reservoirs. Therefore, the Hydrological Safety Guidelines for agricultural reservoirs are expected to be re-evaluated considering the diverse risk factors with the coefficient model and AHP(Analytic Hierarchy Process) in this study. The coefficient model has been developed by selecting the hydrological safety superordinate․subordinate evaluation factors to reflect diverse risk factors of agricultural reservoirs. This study indicated that in the short term, improving the safety check condition evaluation grade will be useful to improve the hydrological safety of the agricultural reservoir because it can be performed immediately.Key words:Hydrological Safety Evaluation, Evaluation Items, Evaluation Indicator, Analytic Hierarchy Process

This paper presents a digital polar Doherty power amplifier (PA) fully integrated in a 65 nm bulk CMOS process. It achieves +27.3 dBm peak output power and 32.5% peak PA drain efficiency at 3.82 GHz and 3.60 GHz, respectively. The proposed digital Doherty PA architecture optimizes the cooperation of the main and auxiliary amplifiers and achieves superior back-off efficiency enhancement (a maximum 47.9% improvement versus the corresponding Class-B operation). This digital intensive architecture also allows in-field PA reconfigurability which both provides robust PA operation against antenna mismatches and allows flexible trade-off optimization on PA efficiency and linearity. Transformer-based passives are employed as the Doherty input and output networks. The input 90 $^{\circ}$ signal splitter is realized by a 6-port folded differential transformer structure. The active Doherty load modulation and power combining at the PA output are achieved by two transformers in a parallel configuration. These transformer-based passives ensure an ultra-compact PA design (2.1 mm $^{2}$ ) and broad bandwidth (24.9% for $-$ 1 dB P $_{\rm out}$ bandwidth). Measurement with 1 MSym/s QPSK signal shows 3.5% rms EVM with +23.5 dBm average output power and 26.8% PA drain efficiency. Measurement with 16-QAM signal exhibits the PA's flexibility on optimizing efficiency and linearity.

concentrations with the largest plants being obtained at 200 mg L-1 N treatment in the PM+PL mix and 100 mg L-1 N treatment in the PM+VM mix. The substrate ECs in these two treatments were 0.89 and 1.41 dS m-1 indicating that the desirable range of soluble salts in soil extracts is higher in the PM+VM mix than the PM+PL mix. Results of this study suggest that fertilizer strengths need to be adjusted differently for each root substrate formulation to produce high quality seedling grafts of tomato.

Influence of root substrate formulations, leaching fractions (LF) of fertigation during seedling growth before grafting and fertilizer N concentrations after grafting on growth of tomato grafted seedlings and changes in root substrate chemical properties were investigated. Sphagnum peatmoss + perlite (7:3, v/v, PP) and coir + perlite (7:3, CP) containing pre-plant fertilizers were used as substrates. LF (volume leached/applied) was set as 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 0.9 during seedling cultivation. Seedlings of rootstock (J3B Strong) and scion (Sunmyung) were grown in 50- and 105-cell trays, respectively. Plants were fed with 50, 100, or 200 mg·L−1 N using 14-0-14 and 20-10-20 commercial fertilizers alternatingly for seedling stages 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Grafted tomato seedlings planted in 50-cell trays containing PP or CP were callused and rooted inside a humid greenhouse plastic tunnel for 7 days. When grafted tomato seedlings were rooted after acclimation under lower humidity condition, N fertilizers with 4 different concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200 mg·L−1) were applied. During 31 days of culture, highest fresh weight of rootstocks was obtained with 0.75x LF in CP, while PP showing no influence on seedling growth by LF. Electrical conductance (EC) of CP with 0.75x LF was 2.88 dS·m−1. Growth of scion seedlings was largest with 0.25x LF in PP, and EC of this treatment was 0.855 dS·m−1. For 13 days post-grafting, plant growth was better as LF increased for both substrates. When seedlings were grown with 0.90x LF, EC for PP and CP was 0.833 and 2.923 dS·m−1, respectively. Fresh weight of grafted plants grown for 31 days after grafting was the highest with 50 mg·L−1 N for PP and 0 mg·L−1 N for CP. Substrate EC in these treatments were 0.66 and 1.42 dS·m−1, respectively. This study suggests that LF and fertilizer N concentration must be optimized according to substrate formulations for growing high-quality grafted seedlings.

In this work, we present a biomimetic fibrous scaffold containing two biomolecules. A biocompatible poly(L-lactide-co-e-caprolactone) mesh was fabricated by an electrospinning method, and then acrylic acid was grafted on the mesh to introduce a carboxyl group through γ-ray irradiation. Subsequently, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and gelatin were coupled to the mesh through the EDC reaction. The modified mesh presents a consistent fibre diameter (874.4 ± 178.5 nm), with carboxyl groups (1.3 mM). EGF (171.7 ng mg−1 mesh) and gelatin (67.2 ± 30.5 μg mg−1 mesh) were successfully coupled on the mesh. The coupled EGF and gelatin promoted the cell viability 1.5-times higher than that from a non-modified mesh. In particular, the EGF on the meshes independently allowed hMSC to present a 3-times greater involucrin expression and enabled improved procollagen secretion, implying trans-differentiation of hMSC to keratinocyte-like cells. Therefore, the co-immobilization strategy of biomolecules using radiation technology may be an alternative tool for tissue engineering applications.

A buccal delivery system provides a much milder environment for drug delivery compared to an oral delivery which presents a hostile environment for drugs, especially proteins and polypeptides, owing to acid hydrolysis. Local delivery in an oral cavity has particular applications in the treatment of toothaches, periodontal disease, and bacterial infections. Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-based hydrogels prepared using a chemical initiator have been attempted for a mucoadhesive system owing to their flexibility and excellent bioadhesion. In this experiment, PAA and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were selected to prepare using a radiation process a bioadhesive hydrogel for adhesion to mucosal surfaces. PAA and PEG were dissolved in purified water to prepare a homogeneous PAA/PEG solution, and the solution was then irradiated using an electron beam at dose up to 70 kGy to make the hydrogels. Their physical properties, such as gel percent, swelling percent, and adhesive strength to mucosal surfaces, were investigated. In this experiment, various amounts of PEG were incorporated into the PAA to enhance the mucoadhesive property of the hydrogels. The effect of the molecular weight of PEG on the mucoadhesion was also examined.

This study explored a novel strategy to restore the vocal gap by using cross-linkedβ-glucan hydrogel byγ-irradiation. An aqueous solution of 5 wt%β-glucan was prepared and cross-linked using60Coγirradiation. Ten nude mice were injected with 0.8 mL of irradiatedβ-glucan on the left back and the same volume of nonirradiatedβ-glucan on the right back for comparison. The mice were sacrificed at 1 and 2 weeks after injection and histological evaluations were performed. Irradiatedβ-glucan demonstrated a significantly larger volume than nonirradiatedβ-glucan in the back of nude mice with less inflammatory reaction. After unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve section in New Zealand White rabbits, irradiated and nonirradiatedβ-glucan were injected into paralyzed vocal folds. Irradiatedβ-glucan remained at the paralyzed vocal fold without definite inflammatory signs on endoscopy. High-speed recordings of vocal fold vibration showed decreased vocal gap in irradiated group compared to nonirradiated group. Histologically, the laryngeal epithelium and lamina propria remained intact, without inflammatory cell infiltration. Our newly developed injection material, irradiatedβ-glucan, showed excellent biocompatibility and remained longer than nonirradiatedβ-glucanin vivo, suggesting irradiated hydrogels as a new therapeutic approach that may be useful for the long-term treatment of vocal fold palsy.