Search

Vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a tubular pheromone sensing organ in which the lumen is covered with sensory and non-sensory epithelia. This study used immunohistochemistry and lectin histochemistry techniques to evaluate developmental changes, specifically of the glycoconjugate profile, in the horse VNO epithelium. Immunostaining analysis revealed PGP9.5 expression in some vomeronasal non-sensory epithelium (VNSE) cells and in the vomeronasal receptor cells of the vomeronasal sensory epithelium (VSE) in fetuses, young foals, and adult horses. OMP expression was exclusively localized in receptor cells of the VSE in fetuses, young foals, and adult horses and absent in VNSE. To identify the glycoconjugate type, lectin histochemistry was performed using 21 lectins. Semi-quantitative analysis revealed that the intensities of glycoconjugates labeled with WGA, DSL, LEL, and RCA120 were significantly higher in adult horse VSE than those in foal VSE, whereas the intensities of glycoconjugates labeled with LCA and PSA were significantly lower in adult horse VSE. The intensities of glycoconjugates labeled with s-WGA, WGA, BSL-II, DSL, LEL, STL, ConA, LCA, PSA, DBA, SBA, SJA, RCA120, jacalin, and ECL were significantly higher in adult horse VNSE than those in foal VNSE, whereas the intensity of glycoconjugates labeled with UEA-I was lower in adult horse VNSE. Histochemical analysis of each lectin revealed that various glycoconjugates in the VSE were present in the receptor, supporting, and basal cells of foal and adult horses. A similar pattern of lectin histochemistry was also observed in the VNSE of foal and adult horses. In conclusion, these results suggest that there are increase in the level of N-acetylglucosamine (labeled by WGA, DSL, LEL) and galactose (labeled by RCA120) in horse VSE during postnatal development, implying that they may influence the function of VNO in adult horses.

The importance of water purification has increased due to the availability of several pollutants, such as chemicals, toxic metals, gases, and biological contaminants in the water. Commercial wastewater and domestic wastewater have commonly been treated using biological approaches. However, these approaches have limitations, such as high energy costs, low efficiency, requirement of trained staff, expensive chemicals, and multistep processing. Therefore, to overcome these challenges, the development of advanced technologies is increasingly in demand. Micro- and nanobubbles with advantages such as small size, large specific surface area, long residence time in the water, high mass transfer power, high zeta interface potential, and the capacity to produce hydroxyl radicals are considerably significant. In this study, we discuss the current applications of micro- and nanobubbles using traditional and advanced techniques, such as flotation, aeration, and ozonation, which are capable of eliminating contaminants and color, water disinfection, and the oxidation of organic pollutants. Bubble technology has emerged as a potential platform for the successful extraction of harmful contaminants from water using these techniques.

A photovoltaic inverter achieves maximum power tracking control considering the voltage and current of each string to produce maximum power. However, if the voltage and current characteristics of individual strings, including degraded modules, deteriorate, the total power production during maximum power point tracking(MPPT) control will reduce significantly. Therefore, we want to use the Internet of things(IoT) -based sensors to produce a string containing aging modules and insert a device that compensates for power (IoT-type power compensator with aging PV strings) so that the overall power production can be maximized at all times when controlling MPPT.

Endoscopic resection of over 3/4 of the lumen of the antrum or pylorus is a known risk factor for post-endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) stenosis. Local or systemic steroids may reduce the risk of stenosis, but their overall role in stenosis prevention remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of prophylactic gastric open peroral endoscopic myotomy (GO-POEM) in preventing post-ESD stenosis.Ten patients who underwent GO-POEM during or immediately after ESD in the Presbyterian Medical Center between June 2017 and November 2020 were included. All patients underwent excision of over 3/4 of the lumen of the antrum or pylorus. GO-POEM was performed without submucosal tunneling.Well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma, tubulovillous adenoma with high-grade dysplasia, and tubular adenoma with low-grade dysplasia were diagnosed in three, one, and six patients, respectively. GO-POEM was performed successfully in all the 10 patients. Stenosis could not be evaluated in one patient, whereas one of the remaining nine patients developed post-ESD stenosis. GO-POEM decreased the risk of post-ESD stenosis in the other eight patients. Two patients presented with intraprocedural bleeding, both of whom were managed endoscopically successfully.Prophylactic GO-POEM may be a novel, effective and safe treatment modality for preventing post-ESD stenosis in the stomach. Well-designed, multicenter studies with large sample sizes are needed to confirm our results.

Background/Aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an effective method for resecting gastric adenomas and adenocarcinomas. A significant discrepancy was observed between endoscopic and pathological sizes in samples obtained from patients undergoing ESD. This study elucidates the factors affecting size discrepancy after formalin fixation.Methods: The records of 64 patients with 69 lesions were analyzed, including 50 adenomas and 19 adenocarcinomas. Data on location, gross shape, histology, and size after fixation in formalin were collected.Results: The mean size of the resected specimen appeared to decrease after formalin fixation (37.5 mm prefixation vs. 35.8 mm postfixation, p

In this study, thermotropic liquid crystal polymer (LCP)-based hybrid materials with various carbon fiber (CF) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) contents were developed to replace the heavy metal brackets used for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in thin, light mobile devices. To determine the physical properties of the composite, several characterization methods, including mechanical, thermal, and morphological tests, were used. As the CF content increases, the tensile and flexural moduli also increase because of the high modulus values of CF. However, some strength-related properties, such as the tensile, flexural, and impact strength, decrease because of the lack of interfacial compatibility between the CF and matrix polymers. Additionally, as the thickness of the LCP-based hybrid material decreases, the flexural strength and flexural modulus increase because of the highly oriented characteristics of LCPs at the surface. To improve the interfacial strength between the CF and LCP, epoxy is a good compatibilizer. In addition, PPS can be used to reduce the weld line formation of LCP and improve the processability of LCP-based hybrid materials with high CF contents.

Bougie or balloon dilation is a good short-term treatment for caustic esophageal strictures, although recurrence after dilation occurs in approximately 30% of these cases. Therefore, long-term treatment options are required in some cases, and endoscopic incisional therapy has been used for patients with an anastomotic stricture in the gastrointestinal tract. A 58-year-old woman presented with severe swallowing difficulty because of a caustic esophageal stricture, which was caused by accidental exposure to anhydrous acetic acid at infancy. She had undergone several previous bougie and balloon dilations but the stricture did not improve. We performed sequential treatment comprising incision with an insulated-tip knife, balloon dilation, and an oral steroid, which resulted in the patient's symptoms markedly improving. Thus, we report this case of an intractable caustic esophageal stricture, which was successfully treated using combined endoscopic sequential treatment.

A Research on the Development and Validation of Korean Focusing Manner Scale-Revised (KFMS-R) Version The Korean Focusing Manner Scale (KFMS) has shown to have difficulties when applying to certain segments of the population, especially the elderly and youth groups. To develop the KFMS-R, a survey were undertaken targeting 474 male and female highschool students in the Seoul area, using stress response measures and self-control measures. The KFMS-R is comprised of 5 factors: 1) Aware, 2) reflect, 3) express, 4) accept, 5) keep one's composure. The KFMS-R’s factor composition was checked using correlation analysis between the stress response measures and self-control measures, and showed satisfactory internal trustworthiness. Thus, it is expected that the KFMS-R can be implemented easily and practically for clinical on-site session for youth and elderly groups. In addition, by enabling findings of flows between the sub-factors in implementing Focusing experiential psychological counseling, a more expeditious and effective treatment can be possible. (Korean J Str Res 2016;24:23∼33)

Epigenetic alterations in gene expression are influenced by experiences and environment, resulting in significant variation of epigenetic markers from individual to individual. Therefore, it is imperative to measure various epigenetic markers simultaneously from samples of individual subjects to accurately analyze the epigenetic markers in biological samples. Moreover, the individualized genome-wide analysis has become a critical technology for recent trends in clinical applications such as early diagnosis and personalized medicine screening of numerous diseases. The array-based detection of modified histones, conventionally used for multiplexed analysis of epigenetic changes, requires pooling of samples from many subjects to analyze population-wise differences in the expression of histone markers and does not permit individualized analysis. Here, we report multiplexed detection of genome-wide changes in various histone modifications at a single-residue resolution using quantum dot (QD)-encoded polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel microparticles. To demonstrate the potential of our methodology, we present the simultaneous detection of (1) acetylation of lysine 9 of histone 3 (Ac-H3K9), (2) dimethylation of H3K9 (2Me-H3K9), and (3) trimethylation of H3K9 (3Me-H3K9) from three distinct regions in the brain [nucleus accumbens (NAc), dorsal striatum (DSt), and cerebellum (Cbl)] of cocaine-exposed mice. Our hydrogel-based epigenetic assay enabled relative quantification of the three histone variants from only 10 μL of each brain lysate (protein content = ∼ 1 μg/μL) per mouse. We verified that the exposure to cocaine induced a significant increase of acetylation while a notable decrease in methylation in NAc.

Small-scaled wind turbine is converted to mechanical power of windmill to electric power by generator. However almost all studies seems to have overlooked converting relation of mechanical & electric power. It the reason for was very difficult establishing wind turbine system. In this paper, it is define equation of converting relation of mechanical & electric power. And it is verified by experimental methods. Defined equation will be used in developing electric devices such as inverter and controller in wind turbines. In addition this method can be used in the fields that utilize the rotational power into electrical power through generator.

Current additive manufacturing methods present the potential to construct net-shape structures with complicated architectures, thus eliminating the need for multi-step processing and fasteners/joints. Combined with these features is the ability to ascribe material properties at the sub-millimeter scale, inspiring multi-material, functionally graded designs. These features make additive manufacturing an attractive option for composite materials development. In an effort to extend this family of technologies beyond nano- and micro-composites, we explore the additive manufacture of multi-directional composite preforms. This exercise has served to highlight the aspects of additive manufacturing critical to composite and general materials processing, as well as to demonstrate the high fidelity between modeled and additively manufactured structures. Within the scope of composites development, we review the state-of-the-art and discuss challenges facing the broad adoption of additive manufacturing for directionally reinforced composites processing.

Background Maackia amurensis leukoagglutinin (MAL) is a glycoprotein and sialic acid-binding lectin that is used widely in the detection and characterization of sialoglycoconjugates and human cancer cells. However, its N-linked glycan structure and role have yet to be determined. Methods The N-linked glycans were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and the secondary structure was investigated using circular dichroism analysis. A hemagglutination assay was performed. Furthermore, surface plasmon resonance analysis, and fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis were conducted to assess the sialoglycoprotein-binding ability and its usefulness in the detection of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells, respectively. Results Analysis of the N-linked glycan structure of MAL confirmed the presence of eight glycans, comprising two α1,3-fucosylated paucimannosidic-type and six high-mannose-type glycans. Glycan analysis of MAL that had been treated with peptide N-glycosidase F (de-M-MAL) revealed that while the two α1,3-fucosylated paucimannosidic glycans remained attached following the treatment, the six high-mannose-type glycans had been completely cleaved from the original MAL. There were almost no secondary structural changes between MAL and de-M-MAL; however, the lectin activities exhibited by MAL, such as hemagglutination and binding to a sialoglycoprotein, were completely absent in de-M-MAL, and the ability to detect human breast cancer MCF-7 cells was 77% lower in de-M-MAL than in MAL. Conclusion The high-mannose-type glycans in intact MAL are closely associated with its lectin activities. General significance This is the first report of the N-linked glycan structure of MAL and the effect of high-mannose-type glycans on lectin activities.

The stitching process has been widely utilized for the improvement of through-thickness property of the conventional laminated composites. This paper reports the effects of stitching on the flexural and interlaminar shear properties of multi-axial warp knitted (MWK) composites in order to identify the mechanical property improvements. In order to minimize the geometric uncertainties associated with the stacking pattern of fabrics, the regular lay-up was considered in the examination of the stitching effect. The key parameters are as follows: the stitch spacings, the stitching types, the stitching location, and the location of compression fixture nose. These parameters have little effect on the flexural and interlaminar shear properties, except for the case of stitching location. However, the geometry variations caused by the stitching resulted in minor changes to the mechanical properties consistently. Stitching on the fibers showed the lowest flexural strength and modulus (12% reduction for both properties). The stitch spacing of 5 mm resulted in 8% reduction for the case of interlaminar strength compared with that of 10 mm spacing.

Attempting to improve reinforcement effect on basalt fiber/polylactic acid composites, this study evaluates the effects of silane treatment, atmospheric glow discharge plasma polymerization, desizing, and addition of maleic anhydride coupling agent. The treated fibers were characterized, in terms of surface morphology and existing molecular bonds, and the mechanical properties of the composites were tested (i.e. strength, stiffness, and elongation at yield). Among the fiber surface treatments and the addition of coupling agent, improved mechanical properties were only shown by the silane treated and the atmospheric plasma polymerized composites by having 26 and 22% higher strength, respectively, as compared with the untreated one.

Uniform carbon nano-fiber (CNF) films have been deposited onto carbon fabrics by sonication-assisted Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD). To examine the effect of sonication, the distributions of voltage and pH values in the deposition bath were measured during EPD process. The degree of uniformity of CNF deposition was analyzed from the morphology of the deposited CNFs by scanning electron microscopy. The neutralization of negative charged CNFs by hydrogen ions, which were generated by electrolysis of water at the anode (carbon fabric), is essential for the adsorption of CNFs onto carbon fabrics. In addition, sonication increases the movement of ions in the suspension and accelerates the neutralization of CNFs at the anode. Moreover, sonication overcomes the aggregation and settlement of CNFs at the bottom of the deposition bath caused by gravity. The bubbles, which were generated by electrolysis of water, in the vicinity of the carbon fabrics were removed by sonication, resulting in the improvement of CNFs deposition. Based upon the results of voltage and pH values distributions during the EPD and analysis of morphologies of CNF films, a mechanism of sonication-assisted EPD has been proposed.

Utilizing waste materials in making useful products is a globally increasing trend. This can reduce the cost and environmental issues. In this study, oyster shell powder (OSP) is reinforced as a filler in polypropylene (PP) matrix to make a new composite. The purpose is to improve fire retardant properties of PP as a result of OSP reinforcement. Mechanical, fire retardant and water absorption properties of the new composite have been studied in this research. Concentration of OSP reinforcement in PP has been varied by wt% and its effect on the above mentioned properties has been observed. SEM (scanning electron microscopy) images of tensile and bending fractured surfaces have been taken to observe the failure mechanism during mechanical tests. An increase in the fire retardancy has been observed as a result of the OSP reinforcement while tensile strength decreased. Stiffness also increased with the addition of OSP in PP.

The effects of inner microstructures, including crystallite size, orientation and defects on the stiffening phenomena of PAN-based T300 carbon fibers under tension were explored. Single-fiber tensile test was conducted on three types of fiber: as received, 1400 and 1600 °C heat treated. The distribution of crystallite orientation in a fiber from core to skin was obtained by using transmission electron microscopy. The observations indicate the load-transfer between crystallites depends on the crystallite entanglement. The slide-lock of the entangled junctions among the loosely compacted crystallites is responsible for the increasing elastic modulus during tension. The sharp drop of tensile strength (−36%) of the fiber after heat treated at 1600 °C was attributed to the increasing of crystallite size, nano-pore defects and a higher misalignment of crystallites in the core region.

To improve the adhesion and wetting between the abaca fibers and matrix, the surface of abaca fabric was modified using plasma polymerization. Different plasma exposure times were conducted to determine the effect of plasma treatment on the properties of the composites. A combination of plasma and other surface modification processes was also investigated to determine whether double treatments could further enhance the properties of these composites. Combined treatments involve plasma polymerization of the fabric after pretreatment with one of the following surface-modification reagents: a) γmethacrylopropyltrimethylsilane, b) triethoxyvinylsilane, and c) 2%w/w NaOH (aq).The abaca fabric/unsaturated polyester composites were fabricated using the vacuumassisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) technique.SEM results showed that 10 to 20 seconds plasma treatment gave the right amount of surface roughness for maximum fiber and matrix adhesion leading to improved mechanical properties of the composites. Longer plasma treatment time and double treatment however resulted in composites with lower mechanical properties. Although the composite with alkali and plasma-treated fabric showed the lowest mechanical properties it exhibited the lowest water uptake in both distilled water and brine solution.

Aluminium trihydrate (ATH) is being extensively added to polypropylene (PP) to make a fire retardant composite. Blends of PP/ATH composite are more fire resistant as compared to pure PP. Percentage proportion of both the constituents in the final composite depends upon the application. Improvement in the fire retardant properties of such composites have been studied and published in literature but effects on mechanical strength have not been addressed. The effect of concentration of ATH on the strength of PP/ATH composite was presented. The tensile, flexural and fracture properties were studied and discussed. Experimental tests, ASTM analytical formulae and finite element approach were used. It has been found that increase in ATH has an inverse effect on the mechanical strength.