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Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene-sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is a commonly used material for the hole injection layer (HIL) in quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). In this work, we improved the performance of the QLED by using an organic–inorganic hybrid HIL. The hybrid HIL was prepared by mixing PEDOT:PSS with vanadium oxide (V2O5), which is a transition-metal oxide (TMO). The hole injection properties of PEDOT:PSS were improved according to the amount of V2O5 mixed into the PEDOT:PSS. The maximum luminance and current efficiency were 36 198 cd m−2 and 13.9 cd A−1, respectively, when the ratio of PEDOT:PSS and V2O5 was 10 : 1. Moreover, the operating lifetime exceeded 300 h, which is 10 times longer than the lifetime of the device with only PEDOT:PSS HIL. The improvement was analyzed using ultraviolet and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We found that the density of state (DOS) of PEDOT:PSS near the Fermi energy level was increased by mixing V2O5. Therefore, the increase of DOS improved the hole injection and the performance of QLEDs. The result shows that the hybrid HIL can improve the performance and the stability of QLEDs.

We have developed a visible-light phototransistor with excellent photodetection characteristics and stability via atomic layer deposition (ALD) to add a thin layer of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) to quantum dot (QD)/zinc oxide (ZnO) films. Al2O3 was used to passivate the surface of the QDs and fill the interspace of the QDs. This led to a reduction in the number of QD surface traps and prevented damage due to the migration of aggressive metal atoms during electrode deposition. Additionally, some parts of Al2O3 deposited on the surface of ZnO triggered a doping effect by interacting with ZnO. This enhanced the electrical properties of ZnO TFTs by providing an extra electron and allowed the efficient transfer of photoelectrons from the QDs to ZnO by reducing the conduction band minimum of ZnO. Therefore, upon 520 nm laser irradiation Al2O3/QD/ZnO TFTs exhibited excellent photodetection characteristics (e.g., photosensitivity: 3.8 × 107, photoresponsivity: 46.8 A W−1, and photodetectivity: 4.5 × 1014 Jones) at a gate voltage of −5 V. Excellent electrical properties, such as saturation mobility of 1.72 cm V−1 s−1 and on/off current ratio of 1.8 × 106, were also realized. Furthermore, the photo-excited charge transfer mechanism was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and time-resolved photoluminescence. Our experimental results suggest a method for realizing enhanced optoelectronic characteristics and stability of QD/ZnO TFTs via ALD-Al2O3 deposition, which is useful for developing high-performance visible phototransistors.

Background Reconstruction after removal of a malignant tumor in the head and neck region is crucial for restoring tissue integrity, function, and aesthetics. We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent intraoral reconstruction surgery using radial forearm free flaps (RFFF) and anterolateral thigh free flaps (ALT) at a single institution to provide more information supporting the choice of a reconstruction method after removal of head and neck cancer. Methods The charts of 708 patients who underwent head and neck reconstruction between 1998 and 2018 at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Patients’ age, sex, and history of radiation therapy, diabetes mellitus, and smoking were retrieved. The primary cancer site, types of defects, and complications were investigated. Results Overall, 473 and 95 patients underwent reconstruction surgery with RFFF and ALT, respectively. RFFF was more often used in patients with cancers of the pharynx, larynx, esophagus, or tonsil, while ALT was more frequently used in patients with cancers of the mouth floor with tonsil or tongue involvement. The proportion of patients undergoing ALT increased gradually. Flap failure and donor site morbidities did not show significant differences between the two groups. Conclusions RFFF and ALT flaps resulted in similar outcomes in terms of flap survival and donor site morbidity. ALT can be an option for head and neck reconstruction surgery in patients with large and complex defects or for young patients who want to hide their donor site scars.

Twisted small organic molecules (SOMs) enhance the thermoelectric performance of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)/SOM hybrid films by dramatically increasing the Seebeck coefficient and minimising the inevitable reduction in electrical conductivity. This is due to the mild charge transfer interactions between the SWCNTs and SOMs, which facilitate charge carrier transport between them.

A pyrenyl–phenanthroimidazole conjugate exhibited strong blue electrochemiluminescence via the reductive–oxidation co-reactant pathway.

In this study, total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), various trace elements, and microbial communities were measured in surface sediments of the East Siberian Sea (ESS). The results showed that the average values of THg and MeHg were 58.8 ± 15.21 μg/kg and 0.50 ± 0.22 μg/kg, respectively. The notable levels of trace elements present in both surface sediment and porewater were Al, Fe, and Mn. The enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index analyses found that both natural phenomena and anthropogenic activities contributed to elevated concentrations of metals in the ESS. The redox proxy metals, pH, and SO

While recent progress in holographic displays has shown that they are capable of displaying photorealistic 3D holograms in real time, the acquisition of high-quality real-world holograms has remained a missing piece regarding the realization of holographic streaming systems. Incoherent holographic cameras, which record holograms under daylight conditions, are suitable candidates for real-world acquisition, as they avoid the safety issue involved in the use of laser lights; however, they are hindered by severe noise due to the optical imperfections of such systems. In this work, we develop a deep learning-based incoherent holographic camera system that can deliver visually enhanced holograms in real time. A neural network filters the noise in the captured holograms, maintaining a complex-valued hologram format throughout the whole process. Enabled by the computational efficiency of the proposed filtering strategy, we demonstrate the first holographic streaming system integrating a holographic camera and a holographic display, with the aim of developing the ultimate holographic ecosystem of the future.

Holography is one of the most prominent approaches to realize true-to-life reconstructions of objects. However, owing to the limited resolution of spatial light modulators compared to static holograms, reconstructed objects exhibit various coherent properties, such as content-dependent defocus blur and interference-induced noise. The coherent properties severely distort depth perception, the core of holographic displays to realize 3D scenes beyond 2D displays. Here, we propose a hologram that imitates defocus blur of incoherent light by engineering diffracted pattern of coherent light with adopting multi-plane holography, thereby offering real world-like defocus blur and photorealistic reconstruction. The proposed hologram is synthesized by optimizing a wave field to reconstruct numerous varifocal images after propagating the corresponding focal distances where the varifocal images are rendered using a physically-based renderer. Moreover, to reduce the computational costs associated with rendering and optimizing, we also demonstrate a network-based synthetic method that requires only an RGB-D image.

The combined use of oral isotretinoin with energy-based interventions including fractional microneedle radiofrequency, pulsed dye laser, and ablative fractional laser is an effective way to treat moderate-to-severe inflammatory acne lesions. However, studies regarding its efficacy and safety are limited.This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of a treatment using low-dose isotretinoin with energy-based interventions for inflammatory acne.This retrospective cohort study included 126 patients who were diagnosed with inflammatory acne and were treated with systemic isotretinoin for at least 3 months. Patients were divided into EBD (energy-based intervention) (n = 82) and non-EBD groups (n = 44). Clinical outcomes of both groups were assessed using medical records and digital photographs.After treatment, the modified Global Acne Grading Score of the EBD and non-EBD groups decreased by 35.1 ± 17.2 and 25.6 ± 10.1, respectively. The improvement in acne severity was significantly greater in the EBD group than in the non-EBD group. Cumulated isotretinoin dose and frequency of drug-related side effects were significantly higher in the non-EBD group than in the EBD group.Combined treatment with low-dose isotretinoin and energy-based intervention is well tolerated and associated with positive responses in patients with inflammatory acne.

In this study we surveyed 431 adults in Korea to investigate the current awareness and preference of floral decorations in pop-up style weddings. The majority of survey respondents (74%) considered the pop-up style wedding positively, along with expressing the importance and need for floral decorations at the wedding. Respondents reported a number of advantages of the pop-up style wedding, including the possibility of open communication with guests, customized wedding planning depending on the space and number of guests, and the ability to individualize the wedding and make it unique. However, the respondents also recognized some disadvantages to this style of wedding, and the possibility of unexpected poor weather conditions (humidity, heat, wind, etc.) was considered the major disadvantage. Respondents preferred outdoor space more than indoor space for the pop-up style wedding space, and modern-style buildings were seen as the most favorable structure both for indoor and outdoor events. According to the survey, respondents preferred the floral decorations of pop-up style weddings because they felt they can emphasize the spatial characteristics and provide personal options for a preferred floral decoration and various objects. Respondents considered all floral design components as important except for wedding car design. In particular, wedding aisles, the bridal bouquet, and wedding aisles entrance decorations were seen as the most important parts for the floral decorations in pop-up style weddings, and the female group considered floral decoration more important than did the male group. These initial results point to the need to collect more information on floral decorations for pop-up style weddings targeting consumers with personal wedding preferences, and that customized floral decorations for pop-up style weddings would enhance the consumers’ satisfaction.

Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNTs-P)-small organic molecule hybrid materials are promising candidates for achieving high thermoelectric (TE) performance. In this study, we synthesized rod-coil amphiphilic molecules, that is, tri(ethylene oxide) chain-attached bis(bithiophenyl)-terphenyl derivatives (1 and 2). Supramolecular functionalization of SWCNTs-P with 1 or 2 induced charge-transfer interactions between them. Improved TE properties of the supramolecular hybrids (SWCNTs-1 and SWCNTs-2) are attributed to increased charge-carrier concentration (electrical conductivity), interfacial phonon scattering (thermal conductivity), and energy difference between the transport and Fermi levels (ETr - EF; Seebeck coefficient). SWCNTs-2 exhibited a ZT of 0.42 × 10-2 at 300 K, which is 350% larger than that of SWCNTs-P. Furthermore, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ)-doped SWCNTs-2 showed the highest ZT value of 1.96 × 10-2 at 300 K among SWCNTs-P/small organic molecule hybrids known until now. These results demonstrated that the supramolecular functionalization of SWCNTs-P with small organic molecules could be useful for enhancement of TE performance and applications in wearable/flexible thermoelectrics.

Since its discovery almost 70 years ago, the hologram has been considered to reproduce the most realistic three dimensional images without visual side effects. Holographic video has been extensively researched for commercialization, since Benton et al. at MIT Media Lab developed the first holographic video systems in 1990. However, commercially available holographic video displays have not been introduced yet for several reasons: narrow viewing angle, bulky optics and heavy computing power. Here we present an interactive slim-panel holographic video display using a steering-backlight unit and a holographic video processor to solve the above issues. The steering-backlight unit enables to expand the viewing angle by 30 times and its diffractive waveguide architecture makes a slim display form-factor. The holographic video processor computes high quality holograms in real-time on a single-chip. We suggest that the slim-panel holographic display can provide realistic three-dimensional video in office and household environments., Holographic displays that are both compact and produce realistic holograms without eyestrain are still difficult to realize. Here the authors implement a steering-backlight unit and a holographic video processor to produce a realistic holographic display in a slim panel.

Background: The kinds and identification rates of major bacteria causing bacterial skin infections have changed steadily over time. Although studies of the causative pathogen changes over time have been reported worldwide, no follow-up studies of bacterial skin infections have been conducted in Korea since 2009. Objective: To investigate the changes in the identification rate and antibiotic susceptibility of causative pathogens of bacterial skin infections, especially S. aureus, over time in Korea. Methods: This study was conducted in outpatient clinics in 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018, in which the data on age, sex, identification of bacteria, and susceptibility to antibiotics were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Of the 350 cases, except for suspected normal flora, 213 (60.9%) were positive for S. aureus, accounting for the highest percentage, followed by 22 (6.3%) for P. aeruginosa, 7 (2%) for Serratia marcescens, and 6 (1.7%) for Bacillus species, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus lugdunensis. The identification rate of methicillinresistant S. aureus (MRSA) increased from 2009 to 2015 and then decreased in 2018. Conclusion: The proportion of MRSA gradually increased from 2006 to 2015 but suddenly reversed in 2018, possibly due to improved education for infection prevention or changes in the virulence of the circulating strains of MRSA. Also, based on our findings, MRSA is currently susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and vancomycin.

Phytocystatins (PhyCYSs) are plant-specific proteinaceous inhibitors of cysteine proteases (CPs) that regulate protein turnover and defense responses. Here, we characterized a member of the PhyCYS gene family in Arabidopsis thaliana, AtCYS1, during seed germination. AtCYS1 transcript level and AtCYS1 promoter-driven β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity gradually increased during germination, as measured by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and GUS staining assays, respectively. The level and activity of the AtCYS1 protein were up-regulated during germination, as shown by western blot and CP inhibitory activity analyses, respectively. In addition, a canonical dehydration-responsive element (DRE) was identified in the AtCYS1 promoter. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) revealed that the DRE-binding factor 2C (DREB2C) binds directly to the AtCYS1 promoter. Transient transactivation assays using Arabidopsis leaf protoplasts showed that DREB2A and DREB2C act as transcriptional activators of AtCYS1. In DREB2C overexpression lines, AtCYS1 protein levels were elevated, while the endogenous CP activity was reduced. However, AtCYS1 overexpression lines (35S:AtCYS1) and the cys1-1 null mutant, characterized by a quantitative imbalance in the AtCYS1 protein level, showed delayed germination under normal growth conditions. These results suggest that DREB2 proteins act as transcriptional activators of the AtCYS1 gene, and an imbalance in the level of AtCYS1 inhibits seed germination.

Recently, the production of exopolysaccharide from Pseudozyma sp. SY16, which is mannosylerythritol lipid-producing yeast, has been occasionally observed during industrial fermentations. Moreover, exopolysaccharides derived from microbes are in high demand for the production of biopolymers. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the production and characteristics of the exopolysaccharide produced by this strain. In batch fermentations with this strain, the maximum production yield of exopolysaccharide (5.8 g/L) was obtained under olive oil supplementation as a carbon source with culture conditions of 30°C, pH 8.0, and 600 rpm. Through a series of liquid chromatography steps, the exopolysaccharide was successfully purified, and its emulsifying activity was demonstrated. In addition, two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance analysis revealed that the exopolysaccharide is a galactoglucomannan with a novel and unique structure, consisting of galactose, glucose, and mannose in the ratio of 1:5:3.

Objective A primary degenerative sagittal imbalance has been considered because of unique lifestyles such as the prolonged crouched posture during agricultural work and performing activities of daily living on the floor. Previous papers have reported that sagittal imbalance disease is often seen distinctly in the farming districts of "oriental" countries such as Korea and Japan. However, this finding was only evaluated with the use of X-ray, and other factors such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), muscle volume, compression fracture, and laboratory results were not considered. Thus, using these, we evaluate the agricultural work-associated factors for Korean elderly spinal sagittal imbalance. Methods We recruited 103 Korean participants who had a sagittal vertical axis (SVA) of >5 cm in this Korean Elderly Sagittal Imbalance Cohort Study. The following were evaluated : radiological parameters, MRI, compression fracture, vitamin D, parathyroid hormone, C-terminal telopeptide, osteocalcin, bone mineral density and muscle fatty change, muscle volume, and health-related quality of life from patients' survey. Moreover, in this survey, the farmers' annual working hours were investigated. Subsequently, we analyzed the associated factors for spinal sagittal imbalance depending on occupation. Results A total of 46 participants were farmers, and the others were housewives, sellers, and office workers. The farmer group had more SVA (141 vs. 99 mm, p=0.001) and pelvic tilt (31° vs. 24°, p=0.004) and lesser lumbar lordosis (20° vs. 30°, p=0.009) and thoracic kyphosis (24° vs. 33°, p=0.03) than non-farmer group. A significantly positive correlation was noted between the working hour and SVA in the farmer group (p=0.014). The visual analogue scale score for back pain (8.26 vs. 6.96, p=0.008) and Oswestry Disability Index (23.5 vs. 19.1, p=0.003) in the farmer group were higher than that in the non-farmer group, but the Short Form-36 score was not significantly different between the two groups. The Mini-Mental State Exam score was significantly lower in the farmer group than in the non-farmer group (24.85 vs. 26.98, p=0.002). Conclusion The farmer group had more sagittal imbalance and back pain in proportion to the working hours even though the muscle and bone factors and general laboratory condition were not significantly different between the two groups. These results supported that the long hours spent in the crouched posture while performing agricultural work were a risk factor for severe sagittal imbalance.

Taylor-Couette flow, multiple vortex rings, is developed by rotating a co-axial rod in a cylindrical reactor. It is helpful in applying stable shear forces to suspended particles in the fluid domain. Recently, by using the Taylor-Couette flow, various experiments were performed to prepare micro-size particles at the laboratory level. However, unlike the simple concept of particle preparation by the Taylor-Couette flow, it is challenging to predict particle size distributions in the fluid domain, especially in the scale-up issue of a Taylor-Couette reactor. In this reason, computational methods are required to calculate particle growth in fluid flow. In this paper, ammonium perchlorate particles in the Taylor-Couette flow are simulated by using a population balance equation model, connected to a module of computational fluid dynamics. First of all, physical and empirical parameters for the population balance equation are determined by using experimental data in a Taylor-Couette flow reactor. Secondly, particle size distributions in a scale-up reactor are predicted by using the proposed method. Finally, validity and applicability of the suggested method are fully discussed on the basis of simulation results. As a major result, the simulation model for ammonium perchlorate particles was reliable in predicting their sizes along time. In addition, without changing the model parameters, the simulation results matched well with the experiments in the scale-up reactor. Based on the simulation results, it is expected that the suggested method can be utilized to estimate particle size distributions in various boundary and operating conditions.

This study introduces high-temperature antioxidative carbon nanotubes (CNTs) derived from carbon dioxide (CO2). The individual CNT is coated by an amorphous boron layer that acts as a protection la...

The high temperature requirement A (HTRA) family of serine proteases mediates protein quality control. These proteins process misfolded proteins in several diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). While their structures and activation mechanisms have been studied, the precise details of the regulation of their activity under physiological conditions have not been completely elucidated, partly due to the lack of suitable chemical probes. In the present study, we developed novel activity-based probes (ABPs) targeting the HTRAs and demonstrated their utility in the monitoring and quantification of changes in enzyme activity in live cells. Using our probes, we found the activity of HTRA1 to be highly elevated in an AD-like cell-based model. We also observed the active HTRA2 in live cells by using a mitochondrion-targeted probe. We believe that our probes can serve as a useful tool to study the role of human HTRAs in neurodegenerative diseases.

This article presents a high fundamental frequency subterahertz (sub-THz) CMOS oscillator with a single core. The proposed structure with a capacitive load reduction circuit increases the fundamental oscillation frequency by decreasing the parasitic capacitances of the buffer transistor and inductor and minimizing the loss caused by the gate resistance of the buffer stage. To achieve high output power, the proposed oscillator combines the differential output signals through a differential-to-single (DTS) transformer. A push–push oscillator based on the high fundamental frequency oscillator is also introduced to increase the operating frequency further. The proposed oscillators are implemented in a 65-nm CMOS process. Measurements of the fundamental oscillator reveal an output power of 0.285 mW at 251 GHz, while consuming 21 mA from a 1.3-V supply voltage. The measured operating frequency of the push–push oscillator is 432 GHz.

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are most prevalently used for producing recombinant therapeutics in biomanufacturing. Recently, more rational and systems approaches have been increasingly exploited to identify key metabolic bottlenecks and engineering targets for cell line engineering and process development based on the CHO genome-scale metabolic model which mechanistically characterizes cell culture behaviours. However, it is still challenging to quantify plausible intracellular fluxes and discern metabolic pathway usages considering various clonal traits and bioprocessing conditions. Thus, we newly incorporated enzyme kinetic information into the updated CHO genome-scale model (iCHO2291) and added enzyme capacity constraints within the flux balance analysis framework (ecFBA) to significantly reduce the flux variability in biologically meaningful manner, as such improving the accuracy of intracellular flux prediction. Interestingly, ecFBA could capture the overflow metabolism under the glucose excess condition where the usage of oxidative phosphorylation is limited by the enzyme capacity. In addition, its applicability was successfully demonstrated via a case study where the clone- and media-specific lactate metabolism was deciphered, suggesting that the lactate-pyruvate cycling could be beneficial for CHO cells to efficiently utilize the mitochondrial redox capacity. In summary, iCHO2296 with ecFBA can be used to confidently elucidate cell cultures and effectively identify key engineering targets, thus guiding bioprocess optimization and cell engineering efforts as a part of digital twin model for advanced biomanufacturing in future.

The present study surveyed 242 Korean consumers to identify the characteristics of consumer awareness and purchasing habits of floral bouquet products during graduation and entrance ceremonies. According to the results of the survey, consumers purchased floral bouquets during the graduation and entrance ceremony season mainly in order to celebrate a special day with family and friends as the guiding active reason. Consumers possessed more experience with purchasing floral bouquets for the graduation and entrance ceremonies for elementary, middle, and high school, than for kindergarten or university. Consumers purchased the floral bouquets typically one to two hours preceding the event, at the street vendor. Consumers preferred floral bouquets with the prices between 10,000 and 50,000 KRW, and a medium (21 - 50 cm in diameter) size of floral bouquets. The most important price decision factor for floral bouquets for consumers was the quality of the floral bouquet product, and furthermore, the overall bouquet design was the most important characteristic in terms of product selection. According to the age groups, teenagers preferred vivid and colorful cut flower at higher levels that the age category of 30s and older, while the age group of 30s preferred a larger cut flower than the 20s age category. The reasons why the consumers did not purchase floral bouquets were mainly untrustworthy price and short vase life of the products, thus fostering dissatisfaction in consumers. Consumers seldom purchased the replacement floral products including preserved flowers, dried flowers, and plastic flowers as a substitute for floral bouquets during the graduation and entrance ceremonies, but they tended to purchase the replacement floral products due to their longer lifespan and easier maintenance levels. From the results gathered, a proper public education and promotion on the product price and postharvest of cut flowers would be necessary to enhance the consumers’ recognition enhancement of floral products.

Separation of particles is essential to ensure the reliability and reproducibility of experiments for nanometer-scale materials. There are several methods, such as ultracentrifugation, precipitation, filtration, etc., for separation. However, the separation of nanoparticles in a continuous operation has not been examined widely. Here, we report the separation of nanometer-scale particles on a microfluidic system and related separation phenomena of nanoparticles from microparticles. We also describe not-yet-confirmed reversed behaviors of nanoparticle separation in the process of continuous operation. The present system along with elucidated operational conditions could be applied to treat relatively large quantities of nanometer-scale particles.

The emerging field of regenerative medicine has revealed that the exosome contributes to many aspects of development and disease through intercellular communication between donor and recipient cells. However, the biological functions of exosomes secreted from cells have remained largely unexplored. Here, we report that the human hepatic progenitor cells (CdHs)‐derived exosome (EXOhCdHs) plays a crucial role in maintaining cell viability. The inhibition of exosome secretion treatment with GW4869 results in the acceleration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, thereby causing a decrease of cell viability. This event provokes inhibition of caspase dependent cell death signaling, leading to a ROS‐dependent cell damage response and thus induces promotion of antioxidant gene expression or repair of cell death of hypoxia‐exposed cells. Together, these findings show the effect of exosomes in regeneration of liver cells, and offer valuable new insights into liver regeneration., Protective effect of hCdHs‐derived exosome against oxidative stress in hepatocyte. Exosomes were isolated from chemically induced human hepatic progenitors (hCdHs) by using ‘H’ method. hCdHs‐derived exosome (EXOhCdHs) has a beneficial effect on antioxidant activity of damaged hepatocytes.

Bimetallic Pt-based catalysts have been extensively investigated to enhance the performance of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) because CO, a by-product, reduces the activity of the pure Pt catalysts. Herein, we synthesized Pt-Pb hexagonal nanoplates as a model catalyst for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and further controlled the Pt and Pb distributions on the surface of the nanoplates through acetic acid (HAc) treatment. As a result, we obtained Pt-Pb nanoplates and HAc-treated Pt-Pb nanoplates with homogeneous and heterogeneous distributions of the Pt-Pb alloy surfaces, respectively. We showed that the MOR activity and stability of the Pt-Pb nanoplates improved compared to those of the HAc-treated Pt-Pb nanoplates, mainly due to the enhanced CO tolerance and the modified electronic structure of Pt under the influence of the oxophilic Pb.

Persistent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) endovascular infections represent a significant clinical-therapeutic challenge. Of particular concern is antibiotic treatment failure in infections caused by MRSA that are “susceptible” to antibiotic in vitro. In the current study, we investigate specific purine biosynthetic pathways and stringent response mechanism(s) related to this life-threatening syndrome using genetic matched persistent and resolving MRSA clinical bacteremia isolates (PB and RB, respectively), and isogenic MRSA strain sets. We demonstrate that PB isolates (vs RB isolates) have significantly higher (p)ppGpp production, phenol-soluble-modulin expression, polymorphonuclear leukocyte lysis and survival, fibronectin/endothelial cell (EC) adherence, and EC damage. Importantly, an isogenic strain set, including JE2 parental, relP-mutant and relP-complemented strains, translated the above findings into significant outcome differences in an experimental endocarditis model. These observations indicate a significant regulation of purine biosynthesis on stringent response, and suggest the existence of a previously unknown adaptive genetic mechanism in persistent MRSA infection.

Although tremendous efforts have been devoted to providing specificity for molecular sensors, most of the methods focus on the structural variation of the binding or reaction site to improve selectivity. Herein, we report a new approach in which a chemical probe, possessing a mediocre recognition site, can successfully discriminate a target among various interferences only with electrochemical manipulation. The synthetic probe (

The effects of applied current density on the long-term performance degradation behavior of anode-supported flat-tubular type solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are studied. Durability tests on the anode-supported SOFCs are conducted galvanostatically at 800 °C as a function of applied current density (200, 450, 700 and 1000 mAcm-2) for the duration of 1000 h. The performance degradation during the long-term test assessed by a voltage loss over time greatly increases with higher applied current density. The combined impedance spectroscopy and post-test characterization results show that the accelerated degradation at high current density is due to enhanced Ni particles coarsening in the anode, the formation of insulating phase between cathode and electrolyte, and evolution of fine particles in the cathode. Systematic degradation analysis conducted in the present study provides profound insight into the electrochemical performance decay of the anode-supported flat-tubular SOFCs.

This article describes the synthesis of nanoporous silver submicrocubes (Np-Ag) capped with poly(allylamine hydrochloride) PAH/poly(styrenesulfonate) PSS bilayers (Np-Ag(PAH/PSS)n, 1 ≤ n ≤ 4) via layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly for the electrochemical glucose sensing. The consecutive LBL encapsulation of Np-Ag (average size ≈530 nm) with positively charged PAH and negatively charged PSS layers was monitored by using ζ-potential analyses, which showed that the sign of the ζ-potential became positive (+10 mV) or negative (-22 mV) depending on the charge of the encapsulating species. The thickness of two PAH/PSS bilayers on the Np-Ag was estimated to be ∼4 nm (consistent with a literature value of ∼1 nm per PAH or PSS layer) on the basis of a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image of the Np-Ag(PAH/PSS)2. Moreover, the high quality of the polyelectrolyte capping on Np-Ag was evidenced by the elemental mapping analysis of particles (obtained by using high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy), which showed a uniform spatial distribution of C, N, and S (derived from PAH and PSS layers). Among the four different Np-Ag(PAH/PSS)n (1 ≤ n ≤ 4) electrodes, Np-Ag(PAH/PSS)2 exhibited the highest electrocatalytic activity toward glucose because of the optimal thickness and density of its polyelectrolyte films (fabricated onto Np-Ag). The (Np-Ag(PAH/PSS)2 electrode demonstrated a detection limit of 20 μM, a sensitivity limit of 472.15 μA mM-1 cm-2, and a wide range of detection for glucose at concentrations as high as 23.3 mM along with good selectivity toward glucose. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to improvements in the fabrication and stability of various particle-type catalysts on an electrode surface and to efforts to optimize the device performance using the LBL encapsulation technique.

In a previous study, delayed hydride cracking (DHC) assessment of pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel during dry storage using the threshold stress intensity factor (KIH) was performed. However, there were a few limitations in the analysis of the cladding properties, such as oxide thickness and mechanical properties. In this study, those models were modified to include test data for irradiated materials, and the cladding creep model was introduced to improve the reliability of the DHC assessment. In this study, DHC susceptibility of PWR spent fuel during dry storage depending on the axial elevation was evaluated with the improved assessment methodology. In addition, the sensitivity of affecting parameters such as fuel burnup, hydride thickness, and crack aspect ratio are presented. Keywords: DHC, PWR spent fuel, dry storage, Sensitivity

The direct utilisation of primary fuels such as natural gas, green methane or ethanol represents a transition step towards a cleaner energy-based society. This work shows the influence of a nickel-free intermediate anode layer, and a ceria-based functional anode composite, on solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) performance when directly utilising dry methane without fuel pre-reforming. A CeO2–Co3O4–CuO electrocatalyst was investigated by X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence to confirm the presence of CeO2, Co3O4, and CuO phases. To avoid thermal mismatches between the anode/electrolyte, an anode intermediate layer was developed and tested, with the aim of enhancing the thermal and chemical compatibility of components and oxygen ion transfer within the anode. The electrochemical properties of the assembled cells were evaluated by measuring i-V plots and electrochemical impedance spectra. The addition of the intermediate layer substantially decreased the polarisation resistance of the cell and increased the electrochemical performance of the cell 2.5- to 5.5-fold depending on which fuel was being utilised. Scanning electron microscopy was performed to observe the integrity of the microstructure morphology of both anode assemblies. The utilisation of dry methane was shown to be viable for operation from 750 to 850 °C within the developed cells. Furthermore, Raman spectroscopy and temperature-programmed oxidation tests confirmed that carbon deposition over the anode surface was negligible within the proposed configuration and materials design. Accordingly, this study reveals that the addition of the intermediate layer is promising for improving SOFC performance and mitigating carbon coking under direct methane-fueled operation.