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Understanding the reaction mechanism and the nature of the reactive species of heterogeneous catalysts under reaction conditions is the first step in the design of more consistent, reliable, and practical catalysts. We used density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study the mechanism of CO oxidation catalyzed by CeO2-supported Au nanoparticles (NPs) under reaction conditions by considering the sequential CO adsorption onto and CO saturation of Au NPs. We found that the Au9 NPs supported by CeO2(100) and CeO2(111) bind as many as eight or four CO molecules, respectively. The last-bound CO molecule opens the fast CO oxidation pathway. The CO oxidation pathways constructed on both systems show that the reaction occurs at the Au–CeO2 interface via the Mars–van Krevelen mechanism. We found that the most important O–C–O-type intermediate was spontaneously formed at the Au–CeO2(100) interface upon the sequential binding of CO molecules onto the Au NPs. The reaction pathway therefore becomes relatively sim...

Pyrimethamine (Pyri) is being used in combination with other medications to treat serious parasitic infections of the body, brain, or eye and to also reduce toxoplasmosis infection in the patients with HIV infection. Additionally, Pyri can display significant anti-cancer potential in different tumor models, but the possible mode of its actions remains unclear. Hence, in this study, the possible anti-tumoral impact of Pyri on human chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was deciphered. Pyri inhibited cell growth in various types of tumor cells and exhibited a marked inhibitory action on CML cells. In addition to apoptosis, Pyri also triggered sustained autophagy. Targeted inhibition of autophagy sensitized the tumor cells to Pyri-induced apoptotic cell death. Moreover, the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) and its downstream target gene Bcl-2 was attenuated by Pyri. Accordingly, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated STAT5 knockdown augmented Pyri-induced autophagy and apoptosis and promoted the suppressive action of Pyri on cell viability. Moreover, ectopic overexpression of Bcl-2 protected the cells from Pyri-mediated autophagy and apoptosis. Overall, the data indicated that the attenuation of STAT5-Bcl-2 cascade by Pyri can regulate its growth inhibitory properties by simultaneously targeting both apoptosis and autophagy cell death mechanism(s).

Ni100−xFex alloy catalysts are prepared as an alternative to Pt-based catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in water electrolysis. For optimum bonding and adhesion stability between a carbon paper (CP) electrode and Ni100−xFex alloy particles, the latter (obtained by varying the Ni/Fe ratio) is directly grown onto the CP electrode hydrothermally. The shape, crystallinity, and electrochemical properties of the alloy particles were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). Raman spectroscopy identifies that very few crystal defects are generated in the Ni100−xFex alloy catalyst during the HER, resulting in a significant improvement in the alloy's electrocatalytic performance. The XPS alloy catalyst profiles before and after the HER reveal water is easily adsorbed on the Fe2+ component, and more H2 is generated on the Ni0 component. The optimum Ni90Fe10/CP catalyst electrode exhibits an overpotential of − 0.244 V (η = 246 mV) and a Tafel slope of 95.4 mV dec−1 at 100 mA cm−2 in a 1.0 M KOH electrolyte. Moreover, the electrode shows a Faradaic efficiency of 97.07% and excellent catalytic activity over 10 days and after 3000 LSV cycles.

TPS12134 Background: Cancer Cachexia (CC) is a multi-factorial process characterized by progressive weight loss, muscle mass and fat tissue wasting, and adversely affecting the quality of life and survival in patients with advanced stage of cancer. CC has a complex and multi-factorial pathophysiology, and there is no established standard treatment. Once it occurs, it is often irreversible and also difficult to suppress the its progression with any single treatment modality. We are conducting an open-label, parallel, randomized phase 2 trial to investigate the effect on preventing or alleviating cancer cachexia and safety of a multi-modal intervention including anti-inflammation, omega-3-fatty acids, nutritional supplement with counselling, physical exercise, psychiatric intervention as well as bojungikki-tang, which mediates immune-modulation and reverse inflammation-related chronic consumptive wasting condition as a complementary and alternative medicine compared to patients receiving best supportive care. Methods: Eligible criteria included patients with recurrent or metastatic gastrointestinal (gastric, colorectal and pancreaticobiliary) as well as lung cancer undergoing active palliative chemotherapy. Patients who have already developed refractory cachexia (ie, low performance status, difficult to take medications orally or visit the hospital to exercise) are excluded. Patients are randomized into experimental arm (Multi-modal intervention care: MIC) versus control arm (Conventional Palliative Care, CPC). MIC are comprised of 1) daily oral medications; ibuprofen 400 mg three times a day, omega-3-fatty acid 1 g twice a day, Bojungikki-tang 3.75g twice a day, oral nutritional supplement (HAMONILAN SOLN) 200 ml twice a day, and 2) clinical interventions; weekly physical exercise (60 minutes per visit), psychiatric assessment on every other week, and nutritional counselling total four times during the study period. CPC included basic nutritional counselling for two times provided by National Health Insurance Service, and megestrol acetate as needed (ie, anorexia ≥ Grade 2). All interventions were provided during 12 weeks per subject. Co-primary outcomes are change of total lean body mass and handgrip strength from the baseline. Secondary outcomes included change of fat mass and total body mass, lean body mass, Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Treatment (FAACT) score, quality of life assessed by EORTC QLQ-C30, Spleen Qi Deficiency questionnaire (SQDQ), and overall survival. Total 112 patients will be assigned in the two arms (56 in each group). We have started the study in October 2020. At the time of submission, 26 patients were enrolled. Planned period of enrollment is 18 months. Clinical trial information: Clinical Research information Service, CRIS (KCT0004967). Clinical trial information: KCT0004967.

This research focuses on the electrochemical properties of the spinel structure, which is a specific structure of Co-Mn bimetal, and the active species therein, rather than the hydrogen evolution (HER) performance of Co-Mn-based bimetal oxides. The catalysts of four types are prepared by following a solvothermal process and coated on a NiOOH/NF support electrode (NNF). Compared to the CoO and Mn2O3 single particle-assembled electrodes, the CoMn2O4/NNF electrode coated with the flower shaped CoMn2O4 bimetallic particle displays the higher stability in HER. The double-layer capacitance of the CoMn2O4/NNF electrode (25.6 mF cm−2) is approximately three or four times higher than those of the CoO/NNF and Mn2O3/NNF electrodes, meaning that the CoMn2O4/NNF electrode has a larger electrochemical active surface area. The CoMn2O4/NNF electrode additionally has a low overpotential (132 mV), implying that it's HER activity is superior to the other electrocatalysts. It is demonstrated that the structural characteristic of CoMn2O4 contributes to the excellent stability in a long-term HER test. The Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the Volmer step is promoted on the (101) crystal plane of CoMn2O4; i.e., the rate of H* formation increases, which causes the HER kinetics to be enhanced. Thus, the experimental and theoretical findings in this study prove the excellent HER performance of CoMn2O4 particles.

Morusin which has been isolated from the root bark of Morus alba L. (Moraceae) has previously demonstrated anticancer activity in various types of cancer cells such as hepatocellular carcinoma, glioma and prostate cancer. However, the effect of morusin on breast cancer cells remains unclear. In the present study, the potential of morusin as an anti-cancer agent in breast cancer was investigated. The results of the present study revealed that the treatment of morusin induced cell death in various human breast cancer cell lines, but exhibited little effect on normal human breast epithelial cells. In Annexin V-propidium iodide double staining assays, morusin significantly increased apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in human breast cancer cells. The apoptosis marker proteins cleaved caspase 3 and 9 were consistently upregulated following treatment of cells with morusin in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, morusin was demonstrated to modulate the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Survivin and pro-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma 2-associated-x protein (Bax) in human breast cancer cells. These results indicate that morusin induces apoptosis by suppressing Survivin and inducing Bax proteins, suggesting that morusin is a potentially effective therapeutic agent for the treatment of patients with breast cancer.

Recently, there has been an increase in the research on flapping wing vehicles which mimic biological motions. One result has been the flapping wing micro-aerial vehicle. In this paper, the design requirements for flapping wing micro-aerial vehicles were established through an analysis with the unsteady blade element theory. Then, based on the flapping wing micro-aerial vehicle design requirements, a flapping wing mechanism using a pair of six-bar linkage was devised. Moreover, several candidates for the present mechanism were analyzed using a flexible multi-body dynamic analysis to ensure the structural appropriateness of the mechanism. By completing such procedures, the performance of the present mechanism could be evaluated. A detailed design was then conducted. The structural analysis of the present mechanism was conducted regarding its flapping operation in a vacuum. The resulting von Mises stresses in the linkage were targeted to be smaller than the yield stresses of the chosen material. Next, additional details of the design and an experiment on the present flapping wing micro-aerial vehicle were conducted to validate its performance.

β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) and polycaprolactone (PCL) composites were manufactured using the lab-made 3D bioprinting system to produce 50TCP50PCL (50% β-TCP with 50% PCL) and 70TCP30PCL (70% β-TCP with 30% PCL) composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. The 70TCP30PCL scaffold containing the highest β-TCP content exhibited rougher morphologies and more porous than the other scaffolds ( i.e. , PCL and 50TCP50PCL). In vitro studies revealed that cell proliferation and alkaline phosphate activity were improved on the β-TCP-based composite scaffolds. Our results suggest that our 3-D printed β-TCP-containing PCL scaffolds would benefit new dental applications or regeneration therapies.

Cell-printing techniques that can construct three-dimensional (3D) structures with biocompatible materials and cells are of great interest for various biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering and drug-screening studies. For successful cell-printing with cells, bioinks are critical for both the processability of printing and the viability of printed cells. However, the influence of composition on 3D bio-printing with cells has not been well explored. In this study, we investigated different compositions of alginate bioinks by varying the concentrations of high molecular weight alginate (High Alg) and low molecular weight alginate (Low Alg). Bioinks of 3wt% alginate containing High Alg alone or a 1:2 (Low Alg:High Alg) composite allowed for the construction of 3D scaffolds with good processability and shapes. Cell-printing with fibroblasts and in vitro culture studies revealed good viability and growth of the printed cells after up to 7days of culture. Bioinks prepared with High and Low Alg at a 2:1 ratio exhibited better cell growth compared with those of other compositions. This study progresses the design and applications of alginate-based bioinks for cell-printing platforms in soft tissue engineering.

Substantial efforts have been made to advance automotive fuel cell technologies with high performance, low cost, and long durability. The dry or low-humidified reactant inlet conditions are typical of automotive fuel cell operations in order to simplify the fuel cell system and reduce parasitic power consumption for external humidification. The low-humidity conditions can cause severe membrane dehydration and thus lead to lower overall cell performance. On the other hand, even under low-humidity operations, oxygen access to the reaction sites can be significantly limited by the liquid film formation in the catalyst layer (CL) due to the hydrophilic nature of electrolyte inside the CL. The purpose of this work is to numerically investigate the characteristics of low-humidity fuel cell operations using a comprehensive two-phase fuel cell model. The main focus is placed on analyzing the water content distribution in the membrane and film formation in the cathode CL under different inlet pressures and operating current densities. The CL is assumed to exhibit cylindrical and spherical pore structures and thus two liquid film growth modes are analyzed and discussed under different pressures and liquid saturation levels. The simulation results clearly elucidate detailed behaviors of membrane dehydration and liquid film formation/growth phenomena and their influences on overall cell performance.

건축물에서 냉방과 난방에 많은 양의 에너지가 소요되고 있다. 건축은 CO2 발생을 줄이고 에너지 소비 저감을 위하여 냉·난방 부하를 최소화할 필요성이 있다. 그리고 최근 주거문화는 친환경적이고 실내 쾌적성을 중시하는 방향으로 변화하면서 단독주택의 수요가 증가하고 있다. 국내 단독주택의 구조는 크게 조적조, 콘크리트조, 목조 주택으로 구분할 수 있다. 따라서 본 논문은 세 가지 구조방식(조적, 콘크리트, 목조)으로 구성된 동일 면적 단독주택의 냉·난방 부하와 에너지 요구량을 분석하였다. 구조방식별 벽체, 지붕, 바닥 레이어를 구성하였고, 각 레이어의 열관류율(U-value)은 목조벽체와 같이 스터드를 고려해주기 위하여 PHPP 계산법을 이용하였다. 또한 스터드 유무에 따른 차이를 비교 분석하기 위하여 목조 벽체에서 스터드를 고려하지 않은 경우(비 스터드)를 분석하였다. 분석은 엑셀을 기반으로 자체 개발한 냉·난방 부하 산출 프로그램(CHLC)과 ECO2를 이용하였다. 냉·난방 부하와 에너지 요구량 결과, 목조 구조가 가장 높은 결과를 보였고 콘크리트 구조는 두 번째로 높은 값을 유지하는 것을 확인하였다. 두 구조방식은 에너지소비 측면에서 불리하다고 판단하였다. 결론적으로, 동일한 조건에서의 조적 구조는 다른 구조방식에 비하여 냉·난방 부하 및 에너지요구량에 있어 유리하며, 목조 구조에서 스터드로 인한 열교를 제외한다면 에너지소비를 줄일 수 있다고 판단되었다.

We present a high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC) system model that accounts for fuel reforming, HT-PEMFC stack, and heat-recovery modules along with heat exchangers and balance of plant (BOP) components. In the model developed for analysis, the reaction kinetics for the fuel reforming processes are considered to accurately capture exhaust gas compositions and reactor temperatures under various operating conditions. The HT-PEMFC stack model is simplified from the three-dimensional HT-PEMFC CFD models developed in our previous studies. In addition, the parasitic power consumption and waste heat release from the various BOP components are calculated based on their heat-capacity curves. An experimental fuel reforming reactor for a 5.0 kWe HT-PEMFC system was tested to experimentally validate the fuel reforming sub model. The model predictions were found to be in good agreement with the experimental data in terms of exhaust gas compositions and bed temperatures. Additionally, the simulation revealed the impacts of the burner air-fuel ratio (AFR) and the steam reforming reactor steam-carbon ratio on the system performance and efficiency. In particular, the combined heat and power efficiency of the system increased up to 78% when the burner AFR was properly adjusted. This study clearly illustrates that an HT-PEMFC system requires a high degree of thermal integration and optimization of the system configuration and operating conditions.

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are potential candidates for portable backup power generation and auxiliary power units owing to their advantageous features, such as ease of fuel storage and delivery. Optimizing each component of a DMFC system is critical to improving the overall system performance and power density. This paper presents an active DMFC system model, in which a one-dimensional DMFC stack model is combined with major system components, including fuel and water tanks, liquid–gas separator, heat exchangers, pumps, and blowers. The model is implemented using a commercial flow-sheet simulator, ASPEN-HYSYS, and then applied to an active DMFC system to analyze the effects of the DMFC operating parameters and heat management. Special emphasis is placed on establishing active control strategies for the DMFC stack temperature, methanol crossover rate, and water recovery by optimizing the system components and operating conditions. Overall, this study helps identify innovative active DMFC system designs and configurations.

Background Since previous studies which presented the direct evidences of neurodevelopmental abnormality in schizophrenia using stem cell techniques, recent studies have demonstrated that induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) derived from patients with schizophrenia resembling their fetal brain tissue indeed shows aberrant migration and maintains the gene signature. However, the origin and nature of these abnormalities remain unresolved and no study examined unaffected individuals (UIs) with multiple relatives with schizophrenia. Methods Three patients diagnosed as schizophrenia (SZs), 3 UIs who has multiple relatives diagnosed as schizophrenia including at least one first-degree relative, and 3 healthy controls (HCs), all males, were recruited from Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH), Korea. iNSCs were generated from human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) using small molecule-based lineage switch technique. The NSC marker expressions in iNSCs were analysed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The migration of iNSCs was analysed by CytoSelect 96-well cell migration assay. Results Demographic characteristics were not significantly different among the groups. Level of functioning was significantly lower in SZs. Either mRNA levels of NSC markers or NCAM protein levels were not significantly different among the groups. Doubling time among the groups were not significantly different. Migration capability of iNSCs from not only SZs, but also UIs were significantly smaller than HCs. Discussion We report a novel finding of defective ability of the iNSCs of UIs to reach the target along with those of SZs which is the first explicit demonstration of the postulation that neurodevelopmental abnormality might be present in UIs, using iNSCs directly derived from living subjects.

Bitmap indexes are commonly used in data warehousing applications such as on-line analytic processing (OLAP). Storing the bitmaps in compressed form has been shown to be effective not only for low cardinality attributes, as conventional wisdom would suggest, but also for high cardinality attributes. Compressed bitmap indexes, such as Byte-aligned Bitmap Compression (BBC), Word-Aligned Hybrid (WAH) and several of their variants have been shown to be efficient in terms of both time and space, compared to traditional database indexes. In this paper, we propose a new technique for compressed bitmap indexing, called Super Byte-aligned Hybrid (SBH) bitmap compression, which improves upon the current state-of-the-art compression schemes. In our empirical evaluation, the query processing time of SBH was about five times faster than that of WAH, while the size of its compressed bitmap indexes was retained nearly close to that of BBC.

Three-Dimensional (3D) printing technologies have been widely used in the medical sector for the production of medical assistance equipment and surgical guides, particularly 3D bio-printing that combines 3D printing technology with biocompatible materials and cells in field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. These additive manufacturing technologies can make patient-made production from medical image data. Thus, the application of 3D bio-printers with biocompatible materials has been increasing. Currently, 3D bio-printing technology is in the early stages of research and development but it has great potential in the fields of tissue and organ regeneration. The present paper discusses the history and types of 3D printers, the classification of 3D bio-printers, and the technology used to manufacture artificial tissues and organs.

Although smart manufacturing (SM) has attracted enormous attention, it is ambiguous how to realize it due to lack of practical evidence and academic knowledge on technological components. Accordingly, it is required to explore knowledge landscape to investigate promising technologies. For this purpose, this study extracts 35 topics discussed in abstracts in previous literatures by employing Latent Dirichlet Allocation. The analysis results unveil big data, product information management, cyber-physical system, cloud manufacturing platform, and industrial Internet of things are identified as promising topics. It is also noteworthy that SM needs a unified vision because topics are diverged rather than converged.

In this paper, we propose two approaches for classifications of foot shape using image processing technologies. The main concern of the proposed method is to classify the foot shapes based on the foot index and the toe length. To this end, the proposed method employs YCbCr color space, contour function, and convex hull algorithm to detect the contour and end points on the foot image and calculates the distance between end points on the contour. We analyze the results of foot classifications to investigate how well the proposed method classifies the foot image. Our numerical results show that the proposed method classifies the foot shape among slender, standard, and broader types by calculating the foot index of the image. In addition, the foot image is classified into Egyptian, Squared, and Greek types by calculating the length of a big toe and the second toe when the proposed method is used. This implies that the proposed method provides useful information for manufacturing shoes suitable for the foot shape of customers.

In this paper, we propose a scheduling algorithm for on-time production in a hybrid flow shop manufacturing process. The main objective of our proposed algorithm is to schedule the operation of machine so as to maximize the number of machines that substitute the operation of failed machines, while satisfying the maximum allowable production time. To this end, the algorithm maximizes time interval between operations at different stages to maximize the number of substitute machines to be allocated in the time interval. Max-min optimization is employed to achieve the objective of the proposed algorithm. We compare the performance of the proposed algorithm with that of the algorithm minimizing the makespan of a schedule. Our numerical results show that the proposed algorithm improves the robustness of a manufacturing process prone to machine failure. The performance of the proposed algorithm is about three times as high as that of the algorithm minimizing the makespan in the manufacturing process, where one hundred of jobs are to be processed.

Various treatment methods for tracheal defects have been attempted, such as artificial implants, allografts, autogenous grafts, and tissue engineering; however, no perfect method has been established. We attempted to create an effective artificial trachea via a tissue engineering method using 3D bio-printing. A multi-layered scaffold was fabricated using a 3D printer. Polycaprolactone (PCL) and hydrogel were used with nasal epithelial and auricular cartilage cells in the printing process. An artificial trachea was transplanted into 15 rabbits and a PCL scaffold without the addition of cells was transplanted into 6 rabbits (controls). All animals were followed up with radiography, CT, and endoscopy at 3, 6, and 12 months. In the control group, 3 out of 6 rabbits died from respiratory symptoms. Surviving rabbits in control group had narrowed tracheas due to the formation of granulation tissue and absence of epithelium regeneration. In the experimental group, 13 of 15 animals survived, and the histologic examination confirmed the regeneration of epithelial cells. Neonatal cartilage was also confirmed at 6 and 12 months. Our artificial trachea was effective in the regeneration of respiratory epithelium, but not in cartilage regeneration. Additional studies are needed to promote cartilage regeneration and improve implant stability.

Objectives: Alterations in thalamocortical anatomical connectivity, specifically the connection between the orbitofrontal cortex and thalamus, have been frequently reported in schizophrenia and are suggested to contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The connectivity of the thalamocortical white matter in unaffected relatives of schizophrenia patients was compared to that of healthy controls. Methods: The unaffected relative group was defined as asymptomatic family members who had at least one first-degree relative with schizophrenia and one or more other affected first- to third-degree relatives. A total of 35 unaffected relatives and 34 healthy controls underwent diffusion-weighted and T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging to examine the white matter connectivity between the thalamus and orbitofrontal cortex using probabilistic tractography. Results: After controlling for age and sex, the unaffected relatives exhibited significantly reduced fractional anisotropy values for the left thalamo-orbitofrontal tract compared to that of healthy controls, F(1, 65) = 6.93, p = 0.011, effect size partial η2 = 0.10. However, there was no association between the Genetic Liability Score and fractional anisotropy in the left thalamo-orbitofrontal tracts. Conclusion: Our findings in the unaffected relatives of schizophrenia patients, which are in line with the alterations reported in schizophrenia, first-episode psychosis and clinical high risk for psychosis, highlight a possible genetic contribution to the proposed biomarker of altered thalamocortical connectivity.

Korean Abstract: 과거에는 우연한 사고를 대비하는 보장기능의 보험 상품들이 대다수였다면 최근에는 재산을 마련하는 저축기능의 상품들도 많이 출시되어 보험 상품의 종류와 수가 많고 다양해 졌다. 보험소비자들은 이런 보험의 기능들을 활용하여 사고에 대한 위험대비 뿐만 아니라 재산 증식 및 더 나아가 재산을 배우자나 자녀 등에게 이전하는 수단으로까지 활용되기도 한다. 이에 과세당국은 이러한 보험계약의 보험차익에 대해서는 소득세, 보험금의 무상이전에 대해서는 증여세 또는 상속세를 부과하려는 것은 당연하다고 볼 수 있다. 그러나 보험 상품 중 즉시연금 보험금에 대한 증여세를 부과하는 과정 속에서 세법에 명시되어 있는 보험금에 대한 증여시기 및 증여재산가액의 산정과 최근 국세청 예규 및 조세심판원, 대법원 판례에 명시되어 있는 보험금의 증여시기 및 증여재산가액의 산정에 다소 차이를 보이고 있어 재산이전을 목적으로 보험을 가입한 보험소비자의 입장에서 볼 때 상당한 혼란을 가져올 수가 있다. 이는 납세자의 세금납부에 대한 법적 안정성과 예측가능성이 저해되어 조세법률주의에 어긋날 수도 있을 뿐만 아니라 보험 상품에 대한 신뢰성을 저하시킬 수 있어 보험소비자들이 보험 상품을 기피하여 보험 산업 발전에 안 좋은 영향을 줄 수 있다. 따라서 조세법률주의에 입각하여 법률에 의한 예규 및 판례가 이루어지거나 사회통념상 또는 형평성에 맞게 법률을 변경할 필요가 있을 경우 그 법률을 변경하여 법률과 예규 및 판례가 일치함으로써 보험소비자의 입장에서는 보험과 관련된 조세를 예측하여 재산 이전 등 합리적인 재무 설계를 함은 물론이고 재무설계사(Financial Planner: FP)의 입장에서는 법률에 근거하여 보험소비자에게 정확한 세금설계를 할 수 있도록 해야 하겠다. 따라서 본 논문에서는 보험 상품 중 즉시연금보험의 보험금 증여를 중심으로 세법과 예규 및 판례에서 나타나고 있는 증여시기 및 증여재산가액 산정에 있어서 그 차이점을 확인해 보고 이러한 차이점이 보험소비자는 물론 재무설계사의 입장에서 바라볼 때 과세납부의 합리적인 추론에 대해 검토해 보고자 한다. English Abstract: In the past, insurance policies that protect against accidents were mostly used, but recently many savings products that provide property insurance have been introduced. This trend has resulted in many different types of insurance products. Insurance is often used not only for the risk of accidents, but also for the growth of assets and for the transfer of assets to spouses and children. In this regard, it is natural the taxation authorities to impose income taxes on the insurance gains of such contracts and on gifts or inheritance taxes on free transfers of insurance money. However, in the process of imposing a gift tax on pension insurance funds, the timing of gift and gift property values for insurance premiums as specified in the tax law and the date of donation of insurance funds and the value of gift assets as specified in the recent NTS rules and Supreme Court rulings are somewhat different. because of that can be quite confusing for the insurance consumers. This would not only undermine the stability and predictability of tax payments, and it would also undermine the credibility of insurance products. This trend could adversely affect the development of the insurance industry as insurance consumers may reject insurance products. Therefore, there should be rules and precedents under the law based on the principle of tax, or change the law if it is necessary to change the law in accordance with social norms or fair. So, laws, rules and precedents should be consistent so that insurance-related taxes can be predicted from an insurance consumer's perspective. And from the perspective of FP(Financial Planners), the correct tax design based on the law should help insurance consumers. This paper examined the differences in the calculation of the timing of the bestowal and the value of the donated properties in the rules and precedents, tax laws, and the rational inference of taxation payments from the perspectives of insurance consumers as well as the FP.

Supplemental material, Supplementary for Disturbed thalamocortical connectivity in unaffected relatives of schizophrenia patients with a high genetic loading by Kang Ik K Cho, Minah Kim, Youngwoo Bryan Yoon, Junhee Lee, Tae Young Lee and Jun Soo Kwon in Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry

This paper is to introduce Korean teenagers’ sentiment analysis through composing the Korean sentiment dictionary for teenagers’ language which is using KoNLPy and an algorithm for text sentiment analysis based on N-Gram concept which is used to calculate sentiment score from sentences. We gathered the text data (sentences) by web crawling several Korean web sites and using the Korean sentiment dictionary and algorithm described above, we conducted an experiment to analyze sentiment of the public.

This paper proposes a GateRL that is an automated circuit design framework of CMOS logic gates based on reinforcement learning. Because there are constraints in the connection of circuit elements, the action masking scheme is employed. It also reduces the size of the action space leading to the improvement on the learning speed. The GateRL consists of an agent for the action and an environment for state, mask, and reward. State and reward are generated from a connection matrix that describes the current circuit configuration, and the mask is obtained from a masking matrix based on constraints and current connection matrix. The action is given rise to by the deep Q-network of 4 fully connected network layers in the agent. In particular, separate replay buffers are devised for success transitions and failure transitions to expedite the training process. The proposed network is trained with 2 inputs, 1 output, 2 NMOS transistors, and 2 PMOS transistors to design all the target logic gates, such as buffer, inverter, AND, OR, NAND, and NOR. Consequently, the GateRL outputs one-transistor buffer, two-transistor inverter, two-transistor AND, two-transistor OR, three-transistor NAND, and three-transistor NOR. The operations of these resultant logics are verified by the SPICE simulation.

The development of high-efficiency electrode for oxygen evolution reactions (OER) in water-electrolysis systems is an important challenge. Four types of spinel-structural materials (Mn3O4, Fe3O4, MnFe2O4, and Mn2FeO4) are prepared as OER electrocatalysts. The spinel MnFe2O4/NF electrode exhibits the best OER activity in a 1.0 M KOH alkaline electrolyte. The required electrode potential to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2 is only 1.54 V (with η = 310 mV), and a low Tafel slope of 65 mV dec−1 is obtained. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of MnFe2O4/NF before and after OER found out that OER activity was promoted due to oxygen vacancies in the spinel lattice, and the high catalytic activity was maintained for a long time by the self-redox property between Mn and Fe ions. Finally, the corrosion resistance, which is directly related to the catalytic activity and stability of MnFe2O4/NF, is demonstrated through a 3000th-repeated OER acceleration stability and 1000 h-durability tests, with a high faradaic efficiency of 95.2%. Eventually, this study presents a new paradigm for energy production that enables the continuous and easy generation of hydrogen and oxygen via water electrolysis using high-performance and inexpensive iron-manganese-based electrocatalysts.

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is a free-form fabrication technique enabling fine feature control for tissue engineering applications. Especially, 3D scaffolds capable of supporting cell attachment, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation are a prerequisite for bone tissue regeneration. Herein, we elaborated this approach to produce a 3D polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold with long-term osteogenic activity. Specifically, we coated polydopamine (PDA) on 3D PCL scaffolds, subsequently deposited hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles via biomimetic mineralization, and finally immobilized bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2). Material properties were characterized and compared with various 3D scaffolds, including PCL, PDA-coated PCL (PCL/PDA), and PDA-coated and HA-deposited PCL (PCL/PDA/HA). In vitro cell culture studies with osteoblasts revealed that the PCL/PDA/HA scaffolds immobilized with BMP-2 showed long-term retention of BMP-2 (for up to 21 days) and significantly increased osteoblast proliferation and osteogenic differentiation, as evidenced by metabolic activity, alkaline phosphatase activity, and calcium deposition. We believe that this multifunctional osteogenic 3D scaffold will be useful for bone tissue engineering applications.

Optical neuromodulation is a versatile neural stimulation technology that enables highly localized excitatory or inhibitory stimulation of neuronal activities. Photothermal neural stimulation using thermoplasmonic metallic nanoparticles for light to heat conversion has been suggested as an optical neural stimulation technology without genetic modification. Optical fibers implementing the thermoplasmonic effect were recently developed for localized neural stimulation, and the successful demonstration of localized neural stimulation in vitro was reported. However, before photothermal neural stimulation is further applied in the brains of live animals and ultimately in human trials, a safety analysis must carefully be performed for the thermal effect of stimulation in vivo. With the complexity of the physical structure and different thermal properties of the brain and surrounding body, the resulting thermal effect could vary despite the same power of light delivered to the optical fiber. In addition, dynamic thermal properties of the brain such as the daily blood perfusion rate change or metabolic heat generation must also be carefully considered for the precise implementation of photothermal neural stimulation. In this work, an in-depth computational analysis was conducted of the photothermal effects using a thermoplasmonic optical fiber for in vivo neural stimulation. The effects of the experimental design and stimulation protocols on the thermal effect in the brain were analyzed. We believe that the results provide a good experimental guideline for safely conducting photothermal neural stimulation using the thermoplasmonic optical fiber technology.

An insect-type flapping wing micro aerial vehicle offers high aerodynamic efficiency and maneuverability in confined spaces. The complicated aerodynamic/structural behavior of flapping wing micro aerial vehicle, however, causes difficulties regarding the dynamic control and parametric design. This paper develops a moderately accurate numerical framework taking into account the passive motion of the main wings. Finite-element-based multibody dynamics and two-dimensional unsteady aerodynamics are combined to simulate the hover of a flapping wing micro aerial vehicle. In addition, flexible and rigid wings are compared through numerical simulation considering the flexibility. In terms of the average thrust, numerical simulation by fluid–structure interaction shows good agreements against the experimental results within 5% discrepancy.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic syndrome that results from target-tissue resistance to insulin. Obesity is the condition of excess body fat accumulation. T2DM and obesity are both associated with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and abdominal obesity. In Korean medicine, Yangkyuksanhwa-tang (YKSHT) has been prescribed for patients with T2DM. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT), multiplex assays and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) assessments were performed to determine the anti-diabetic effects of YKSHT and two major compositions of YKSHT, Lonicera japonica Thunb. (LJT) and Rehmannia glutinosa (RG) on db/db mice, a rodent model for T2DM. To study the anti-obesitic effects of LJT, RG or YKSHT, blood profiling including the triglycerides (TGs) and the total, LDL and HDL cholesterol levels were measured. In addition, body index measures such as the liver, retroperitoneal and epididymal fat tissues were collected and weighed. Mice treated with RG or YKSHT showed reduced blood glucose levels after stimulating the plasma GLP-1 levels. The multiplex assay results support the weight-controlling effects of the LJT, RG and YKSHT treatments, showing reducing levels of ghrelin and the induction of peptide YY (PYY) secretion. The YKSHT treatment reduced plasma TG levels and increased HDL cholesterol levels. The weights of the liver, retroperitoneal and epididymal fat tissues were reduced after the YKSHT treatment. Hence, we suggest that YKSHT can be utilized for the prevention and treatment of T2DM and obesity simultaneously.

This paper presents experimental and computational investigations of synthetic jets with a circular exit for improving flow control performance. First, the flow feature and vortex structure of a multiple serial circular exit were numerically analyzed from the view point of flow control effect under a cross flow condition. In order to improve separation control performance, experimental and numerical studies were conducted according to several key parameters, such as hole diameter, hole gap, the number of hole, jet array, and phase difference. Experiments were carried out in a quiescent condition and a forced separated flow condition using piezoelectrically driven synthetic jets. Jet characteristics were compared by measuring velocity profiles and pressure distributions. The interaction of synthetic jets with a freestream was examined by analyzing vortical structure characteristics. For separation control performance, separated flow over an airfoil at high angles of attack was employed and the flow control performance of the proposed synthetic jet was verified by measuring aerodynamic coefficient. The circular exit with a suitable hole parameter provides stable and persistent jet vortices that do beneficially affect separation control. This demonstrates the flow control performance of circular exit array could be remarkably improved by applying a set of suitable hole parameters.

This paper deals with experimental investigation of active flow control via synthetic jets using an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) planform. Fourteen arrays of synthetic jets, mounted along both leading edges, were fully or partially activated to increase aerodynamic efficiency and reduce pitch-up moment. The measurements were carried out using a six-component external balance, a pressure scanner, and tuft flow visualization. It was observed that aerodynamic efficiency (L/D) and pitching moment were clearly affected by the location of jets. In particular, inboard and outboard actuation could effectively increase L/D. Moreover, inboard actuation showed a reduction in the pitch-up, even more than that generated by the full actuation. These results suggest that inboard actuation not only effectively increases L/D but also reduces the pitch-up using only a few actuators.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical cellular phenomenon regulating tumor metastases. In the present study, we investigated whether ginkgolic acid can affect EMT in lung cancer cells and the related underlying mechanism(s) of its actions. We found that ginkgolic acid C15:1 (GA C15:1) inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, and migration in both A549 and H1299 lung cancer cells. GA C15:1 also suppressed the expression of EMT related genes (Fibronectin, Vimentin, N-cadherin, MMP-9, MMP-2, Twist and Snail) and suppressed TGF-β-induced EMT as assessed by reduced expression of mesenchymal markers (Fibronectin, Vimentin, N-cadherin), MMP-9, MMP-2, Twist and Snail. However, GA C15:1 did not affect the expression of various epithelial marker proteins (Occludin and E-cadherin) in both A549 and H1299 cells. TGF-β-induced morphologic changes from epithelial to mesenchymal cells and induction of invasion and migration were reversed by GA C15:1. Finally, GA C15:1 not only abrogated basal PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling cascade, but also reduced TGF-β-induced phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in lung cancer cells. Overall, these findings suggest that GA C15:1 suppresses lung cancer invasion and migration through the inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and provide a source of potential therapeutic compounds to control the metastatic dissemination of tumor cells. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 346-354, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The wetting characteristics of the diffusion media (DM) of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are studied using a one-dimensional (1-D) DMFC model. The model, which is based on the capillary transport theory for porous media, facilitates investigation of the impact of spatial variation of hydrophobicity in the DM on methanol transport/crossover and the resultant cell performance. The 1-D DMFC simulation results were compared with the empirical data acquired at a methanol feed concentration of 8 M. The theoretical simulations agree well with the experimental data and also indicate that methanol crossover from the anode to the cathode can be decreased by employing an anode DM design in which the hydrophobicity increases toward the anode catalyst layer. Under the anode DM design, a maximum power density of 73.15 mW cm−2 was predicted by the model at a methanol feed concentration of 8 M, i.e. sufficiently close to the experimental measurement (71.17 mW cm−2). Detailed simulation results clearly show that the reduced methanol crossover is mainly derived from liquid transport characteristics; the rate of liquid transport through the DM is reduced as the liquid flows from the relatively hydrophilic region to the relatively hydrophobic one. This numerical study demonstrates that the present DMFC model is a valuable tool for the design and optimization of DM with spatial wettability variation to effectively control the methanol and water transport in DMFCs.

Combined heat and power (CHP) fuel cell systems have been under development for the past several decades to enable distributed power generation. These fuel cell systems consist of several subsystems, such as a fuel cell stack, a fuel processing system, heat exchangers, and a heat recovery system. Optimal integration of these subsystems is critical to develop highly efficient, cost effective fuel cell systems for CHP generation. In this paper, we describe the system modeling of a 20 kW fuel cell system, in which a PEM fuel cell stack is connected with fuel processors, i.e., a steam reformer with water gas shift and preferential oxidation reactors. The model is implemented within a commercial flow-sheet simulator, ASPEN HYSYS. We also analyze the effects of key operating parameters on the electrical and thermal efficiency of the 20 kW power systems. The simulation results indicate that the fuel delivery rate and air-fuel ratio supplied into the burner are major control factors to achieve a net electrical power of 20 kW and an acceptable CO concentration level (

Sang Jin Lee1,2, Ha Hyeon Jo1, Seong Keun Kwon3, Jin Ho Lee4, Wan Doo Kim1, Jun Hee Lee1, Il Keun Kwon*2, and Su A Park,*,1 Department of Nature-Inspired Nanoconvergence Systems, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, 156 Gajeongbuk-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34103, Korea Department of Dental Materials, School of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyunghee-daero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Korea Department of Advanced Materials, Hannam University, 1646 Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34054, Korea

Embelin (EB) is a benzoquinone derivative isolated from Embelia ribes Burm plant. Recent scientific evidence shows that EB induces apoptosis and inhibits migration and invasion in highly metastatic human breast cancer cells. However, the exact mechanisms of EB in tumor metastasis and invasion have not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated the underlying mechanisms of antimetastatic activities of EB in breast cancer cells. The EB downregulated the chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) as well as matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9/2 expression and upregulated the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 expression in MDA-MB-231 cells under noncytotoxic concentrations but not in MCF-7 cells. Additionally, EB inhibited the CXC motif chemokine ligand 12 induced invasion and migration activities of MDA-MB-231 cells. A detailed study of underlying mechanisms revealed that the regulation of the downregulation of CXCR4 was at the transcriptional level, as indicated by the downregulation of mRNA expression and suppression of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation. It further reduced the binding of NF-κB to the CXCR4 promoter. Besides, EB downregulated mesenchymal marker proteins (neural cadherin and vimentin) and concurrently upregulated epithelial markers (epithelial cadherin and occludin). Overall, these findings suggest that EB can abrogate breast cancer cell invasion and metastasis by suppression of CXCR4, MMP-9/2 expressions, and inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and thus may have a great potential to suppress metastasis of breast cancer. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Maekmoondong-tang (MMDT) is a traditional herbal medication widely used to improve cough in Korea, Japan, and China. It is composed of six herbs (Ophiopogonis Tuber, Pinelliae Tuber, Glycyrrhizae Radix, Zizyphi Fructus, Ginseng Radix, and Oryzae Semen). Aim of the study This study is aimed to systematically review the relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to determine the effectiveness and safety of MMDT for cough. Materials and methods Electronic and hand-searching of 7 databases (Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, OASIS, RISS, CNKI and CiNii) was systematically conducted up to February 2015 for RCTs testing MMDT in patients with cough. The primary outcome was cough symptom improvement using cough diary, visual analog scale, or response rate. Risk of bias of the included trials was evaluated with the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. The dichotomous data were pooled to obtain a risk ratio (RR) of cough persisting after treatment, with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Nine RCTs involving 2453 participants were included. The methodological quality was largely poor for a majority of the studies. MMDT reduced the severity of cough by 74% compared with the conventional antitussive medications in various conditions (n=1145; RR of cough persisting after treatment=0.26; 95% CI, 0.19–0.34, I2=0%). The addition of MMDT to conventional medication in patients with postinfectious cough significantly alleviated symptoms up to day 5 but the effect was not maintained one week afterwards. For other diseases/conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer surgery, and asthma, the evidence is inconsistent for MMDT/mMMDT for cough. Adverse events appear to be rare but the reporting was poor. Conclusions The current evidence from our systematic review and meta-analysis on MMDT for cough is inconclusive and we propose that rigorously designed, placebo-controlled trials of MMDT should be conducted to establish its place in management of cough.

Ginkgetin, a biflavone from Ginkgo biloba leaves, is known to exhibit antiinflammatory, antifungal, neuroprotective, and antitumor activities, but its precise mechanism of action has not been fully elucidated. Because the aberrant activation of STAT3 has been linked with regulation of inflammation, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of tumors, we hypothesized that ginkgetin modulates the activation of STAT3 in tumor cells. We found that ginkgetin clearly suppressed constitutive phosphorylation of STAT3 through inhibition of the activation of upstream JAK1 and c-Src kinases and nuclear translocation of STAT3 on both A549 and FaDu cells. Treatment with sodium pervanadate reversed the ginkgetin-induced down-modulation of STAT3, thereby indicating a critical role for a PTP. We also found that ginkgetin strongly induced the expression of the SHP-1 and PTEN proteins and its mRNAs. Further, deletion of SHP-1 and PTEN genes by siRNA suppressed the induction of SHP-1 and PTEN, and reversed the inhibition of STAT3 activation. Ginkgetin induced apoptosis as characterized by an increased accumulation of cells in subG1 phase, positive Annexin V binding, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, down-regulation of STAT3-regulated gene products, and cleavage of PARP. Overall, ginkgetin abrogates STAT3 signaling pathway through induction of SHP-1 and PTEN proteins, thus attenuating STAT3 phosphorylation and tumorigenesis.

Radiation-induced oral mucositis is probably the most common toxicity for head and neck cancer patients. This adverse effect potentially leads to various lesions such as erythema, ulcerations, pain, opportunistic infections, and weight loss. Although there are many experimental studies and clinical trials related to novel therapies for radiation-induced oral mucositis, we here evaluate the protective effect of orally administrated Yeoldahanso-tang (YDHS) on radiation-induced oral mucosal damage in a mouse model. YDHS is a traditional Korean herbal formula, containing 7 herbs: Pueraria thunbergiana Benth., Angelica tenuissima Nakai, Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC., Raphanus sativus var., Angelica dahurica Benth. et Hooker f., Cimicifuga heracleifolia Kom., and Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. Oral mucosal damage was induced by irradiation (17 Gy) throughout the head and neck area in male BALB/c mice. YDHS (400 or 800 mg/kg/day for consecutive 12 days) was administered orally, and the protective effect was determined by histological evaluation of the oral mucosa. We found that irradiation highly increased COX-2 expression in salivary glands and its expression was suppressed by YDHS. Histologically, the irradiated mice exhibited the epithelial thickness from the basement membrane to the stratum granulosum significantly decreased as compared to the vehicle group. YDHS-treated mice showed significantly recovered epithelial cell layer thickness compared to irradiated group. Similarly, YDHS-treated group also showed the expression of Ki-67, cell proliferation maker, in the basal layer compared to the irradiated group in both dorsal and ventral surface. From these results, we suggest that YDHS is a promising candidate for preventing or treating radiation-induced oral mucositis during radiation therapy.

This study investigates the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of the cambered wings of a flapping-wing micro air vehicle (FW-MAV) in hover. A three-dimensional fluid–structure interaction solver is developed for a realistic modeling of large-deforming wing structure and geometry. Cross-validation is conducted against the experimental results obtained also in the present study to establish more accurate analyses of cambered wings. An investigation is carried out on the unsteady vortex structures around the wings caused by the passive twisting motion. A parametric study is then conducted to evaluate the aerodynamic performance with respect to the camber angle at three different flapping frequencies including normal operating conditions. The camber angles producing the largest thrust and highest propulsive efficiency are estimated at each flapping frequency, and their effects on aerodynamic performance are analyzed in terms of the stroke phase. The timing and magnitude of the passive twisting motion, which are dependent on the camber angle at the operating frequency, greatly affects the unsteady vortex structure. Consequently, the camber angle designed at the operating frequency plays a key role in enhancing the aerodynamic performance of FW-MAVs.