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The number of domestic art museums and museums that have introduced it to take advantage of the good points of an open storage type exhibition is increasing. Therefore, there is a concern that the collection will be damaged by visitors and the open storage environment. The work “Flowers of tomorrow” by Choi Jeonghwa which is on display in the open storage of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, was physically damaged due to the storage environment, contact with visitors, and structural instability. This study attempted to develop and produce supports that can minimize damage in an open storage environment and do not heterogeneous during viewing when the work is displayed again after the conservation treatment is completed. The support was made in a shape suitable for vulnerable parts using 3D scanner and 3D printer. The load bearing capacity according to the length and thickness of the support was measured, and conditions suitable for the wind strength flowing inside the open storage were selected. Based on the results of the experiment, the support was produced, and the color was matched so that there was no heterogeneity from the color of the work in the applied parts, and it was currently being displayed in open storage while being attached to the work.

Printing woodblocks with inscription of “Hunmongjahoe”, in the collection of the Pusan National University Museum, is engraved the “Hunmongjahoe” written by Se-jin Choi who is a translator at the reign of King Joongjong of the Joseon Dynasty on the woodblocks, and it is consists of totally 52 pieces of ‘In’, ‘Sang’, ‘Jung’ and ‘Ha’. A conservation treatment was performed because a number of damage to the woody part due to insect damage was confirmed on above woodblocks. A number of traces presumed as the insect holes generated by harmful insects were observed on the surface and inside of the woodblocks as a result of X-ray inspection to determine the approximate size of damage by insects prior to the conservation treatment. In addition, all 52 pieces were identified as Acer spp. as a result of species identification to confirm the tree species used in the woodblocks production. 3D Scan was conducted for digital recording and precise measurement of Printing woodblocks with inscription of “Hunmongjahoe” after the pre-treatment survey and analysis, and it was possible to produce various size-specific end pieces as a result of it. The conservation treatment of woodblocks were performed in the order of cleaning, consolidation treatment, edge of a woodblocks manufacturing and assembly, and it was possible to stably preserve and treat woody part which were degraded and peeled off due to the insects as a result of applying above conservation treatment method.

Various materials, depending on the personality of the artist, are required for contemporary art. Thus, it is necessary to decipher the expressive intentions of the artist and characteristics of the materials required for the conservation of such art. The purpose of this study is to analyze the causes underlying the deterioration of sculptures made from soap and to determine the ideal hygrothermal environment required to stably exhibit and store these artworks. Furthermore, we aim to maintain the long-term structures of the artworks in accordance with the changing expressions and intentions of the artist. Our analysis confirmed that the extracts of the soap sculptures were composed of glycerin and that the sculptures were sensitive to humidity. Moreover, we determined that a relative humidity (RH.) of approximately 60~65% made for an appropriate hygrothermal environment required to preserve the sculptures. We also preserved each work in various ways by applying appropriate preservation treatment, and found that the optimum preservation environment for soap sculptures was a temperature of 20±2°C and a RH. of 60±5%.

The ‘artist’s intention’ plays an important role in the conservation process of contemporary art. Accordingly, the information on artworks owned by the artist, their bereaved family members, and foundations that have decision-making power is important. The artist’s interview is the kind of data that can clear ‘artist’s intentions’ to ensure reliable conservation treatment can be carried out even after the artist’s death. Therefore, this study attempted to use information from the artist’s interview on the type of wood in the manufacture of the filler required for lifted and separated bark conditions in the conservation process of wooden artwork in the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. While the conservation treatment resulted in the stable preservation of the bark of artwork, an analysis of the wood confirmed that the information in the artist’s interview was not true. Consequently, we suggest that attention must be paid toward the information provided by artist, their bereaved families, etc. Based on the result of this study, this is also expected to help preserve upcoming artworks with similar bark conditions.

Potholes, a kind of road defect, can damage vehicles and negatively affect drivers’ safe driving, and in severe cases can lead to traffic accidents. Efficient and preventive management of potholes in a complex road environment plays an important role in securing driver safety. It is also expected to contribute to the prevention of traffic accidents and the smooth flow of traffic. In the past, pothole detection was mainly performed via visual inspection by human experts. Recently, automated pothole-detection methods apply various technologies that converge basic technologies such as sensors and signal processing. The automated pothole-detection methods can be classified into three types according to the technology used in the pothole-recognition process: a vision-based method, a vibration-based method, and a 3D reconstruction-based method. In this paper, three methods are compared, and the strengths and weaknesses of each method are summarized. The detection process and technology proposed in the latest research related to automated pothole detection are described for each method. The development plans of future technology that is connected with those studies are also presented in this paper.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) using nanoparticles have gained significant attention for its therapeutic effect for cancer treatment. In the present study, we fabricated polypyrrole nanoparticles by employing bovine serum albumin-phycocyanin complex and the formulated particles were stable in various physiological solutions like water, phosphate buffered saline and culture media. The formulated nanoparticles did not cause any noticeable toxicity to MDA-MB-231 and HEK-293 cells. The obtained nanoparticles effectively killed MDA-MB-231 cells in a dual way upon laser illumination, one is through phycocyanin propagated reactive oxygen species (PDT) upon laser illumination and in another way it eradicated the treated cells by converting optical energy into heat energy (PTT). Additionally, the nanoparticles generated good amplitude of ultrasound signals under photoacoustic imaging (PAT) system that facilitates imaging of treated cells. In conclusion, the fabricated particles could be used as a multimodal therapeutic agent for treatment of cancer in the biomedical field.

Calcium and integrin binding protein 1 (CIB1) is a calcium-binding protein that was initially identified as a binding partner of platelet integrin αIIb. Although CIB1 has been shown to interact with multiple proteins, its biological function in the brain remains unclear. Here, we show that CIB1 negatively regulates degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease using 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Genetic deficiency of the CIB1 gene enhances MPTP-induced neurotoxicity in dopaminergic neurons in CIB1−/− mice. Furthermore, RNAi-mediated depletion of CIB1 in primary dopaminergic neurons potentiated 1-methyl-4-phenyl pyrinidium (MPP+)-induced neuronal death. CIB1 physically associated with apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) and thereby inhibited the MPP+-induced stimulation of the ASK1-mediated signaling cascade. These findings suggest that CIB1 plays a protective role in MPTP/MPP+-induced neurotoxicity by blocking ASK1-mediated signaling.

Concurrent administration of herbal drugs that modulate drug transporter activities can cause herb–drug interactions in the process of the absorption, distribution, and elimination of drugs and thereby, modulate drug efficacy and toxicity. For this reason, regulatory agencies have instituted guidelines for the investigation of potential herb–drug interactions during the drug development process. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the herb–drug interaction potential of HS-23, an extract of the dried flower buds of Lonicera japonica, which is being evaluated for use in the treatment of sepsis in a phase II clinical study. The inhibitory effects of HS-23 on the transport functions of organic cation transporter (OCT)1, OCT2, organic anion transporter (OAT)1, OAT3, organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP)1B1, OATP1B3, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) were investigated in HEK293 and LLC-PK1 cells. The effects of HS-23 on the pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone and levofloxacin, common combination drugs for sepsis treatment were also examined in rats. HS-23 (up to 100 μg/mL) did not inhibit the in vitro transport activities of OCT1/2, OAT1/3, OATP1B1/1B3, P-gp, and BCRP or the pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone and levofloxacin in vivo after a single intravenous dose of 40 mg/kg. In conclusion, HS-23 may not have significant herb–drug interactions with the prevalently used ceftriaxone and levofloxacin, in rats even at its effective dose.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Lonicera japonica Thunberg, a widely used traditional Chinese medicine, possesses antibacterial, antiviral, and antiendotoxin activities. This study investigated the molecular mechanisms of HS-23, the ethanol extract of the dried flower buds of L. japonica, on sepsis-induced immunosuppression. Materials and methods Male ICR mice were intravenously administered HS-23 (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg) immediately (0 h) and 22 h after cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). The spleen was isolated for biochemical assays 24 h after CLP. Results HS-23 improved sepsis-induced mortality. CLP induced a marked decrease in the number of splenocytes, B cells, and natural killer cells, which was attenuated by HS-23. HS-23 also attenuated CLP-induced apoptosis in CD4 + and CD8 + T cells and inhibited both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathway in the spleen. HS-23 attenuated the CLP-induced decrease in interleukin (IL)-17 production. CLP significantly decreased splenic production of tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-2, and these effects were attenuated by HS-23. Conclusion Our findings suggest that HS-23 reverses immunosuppression during the late phase of sepsis by inhibiting lymphocyte apoptosis and enhancing Th1 cytokine production. HS-23 warrants further evaluation as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of sepsis.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Lonicera japonica Thunberg is a traditional herbal medicine widely used in East Asia as an anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral agent. This study was designed to investigate the effects of HS-23, ethanol extract of the dried flower buds of Lonicera japonica, in experimental models of sepsis and elucidate the mechanisms of action of HS-23. Materials and methods Male ICR mice were intravenously administered HS-23 (20 and 40 mg/kg) for 0 (immediately) and 24 h after cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) for survival tests, and HS-23 (40 mg/kg) immediately after CLP for biochemical assays. Results HS-23 improved sepsis-induced mortality, enhanced bacterial clearance, and attenuated multiple organ failure. The mechanisms of action of HS-23 included attenuation of increased toll-like receptor (TLR)4 protein and mRNA expression. HS-23 suppressed sepsis-induced increases in protein expression of myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88, p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase in both liver and lung, as well as TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β and interferon regulatory transcription factor 3 protein expression in liver. Conclusion The results of this study revealed that HS-23 attenuated sepsis through suppression of TLR signaling pathways. Therefore, our findings suggest that HS-23 might be useful as a potential therapeutic agent for treatment of sepsis.

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Intercom System(ICS) of Korean Utility Helicopter(KUH) is an essential equipment for pilot to perform flight mission and it consists of communication system of KUH with VHF-FM radio set and U/VHF-AM radio set. It provides pilots and crews with internal communication, external communication and audible alarm. It has function of controlling volume and selecting two communication modes, normal mode and backup mode. This paper summarizes pilot comments in flight test which are classified by cause of occurrence and the troubleshooting process about each comment. It also describes design improvements which was derived from troubleshooting and suggests verification results of flight test.

A thermo stable xylanase was purified from Streptomyces thermocyaneoviolaceus M049 for the production of xylooligosaccharides from xylan. The enzyme showed thermostability by maintaining 65% of remaining enzyme activity after 1 h heat treatment at 70°C. The molecular weight of the purified protein was 35 kDa in SDS-PAGE, and the optimal pH and temperature for the enzymatic activity were pH 5.0 and 60°C, respectively. N-terminal amino acid sequences of the purified xylanase, DTITSNQTGTHNGYF, were similar to StxII from S. Thermoviolaceus and XlnB from S. lividans. Using those two genes, stxll and xlnB as probe DNA, a gene encoding xylanase, xynB, was cloned from genomic library of S. thermocyaneoviolaceus M049. The open reading frame of the xynB was composed of 1008 nucleotide sequences. Compared to N-terminal sequences from purified enzyme, it was proposed that the XynB contained a 40 amino acid long signal peptide to the N-terminus. For easy production and purification, a XynB overproduction strain was constructed using pET21a(+) and strain E. coli BLR(DE3). Consequently, the recombinant enzyme was tested for the production of xylooligosaccharides through TLC and HPLC analyses.

Human interferon alpha-1 (hIFNA1) is one of several interferon alpha subtypes that have been studied and commercialized to treat various viral diseases including hepatitis B and C as well as malignant melanoma. Protein aggregation has been problematic for every step in commercial production, from purification to the packaging and delivery of pharmaceutical proteins. In a previous study, we demonstrated that a stabilizing peptide from the C-terminal acidic tail of alpha-synuclein (ATS) could be used as an effective fusion tag to increase the stability of target proteins such as human growth hormone (hGH) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). In this study, we applied this ATS fusion system to hIFNA1 in order to protect against the aggregation of hIFNA1 by environmental stresses, since hIFNA1 aggregates elicit an undesirable immune response in humans. As expected, ATS-fused hIFNA1 (hIFNA1-ATS) protein showed enhanced stability against thermal stress, agitation stress, and repetitive freeze/thawing stress in comparison with native hIFNA1. More importantly, hIFNA1-ATS fusion protein appeared to be 1.6 times more active than hIFNA1 in a cell anti-proliferation assay. Furthermore, the solubility of hIFNA1-ATS appeared to be 1.7 times higher than that of native protein. Our results suggest that the ATS-tag system could be a useful means for protecting hIFNA1 protein from aggregation by various external stresses and could be used to increase the solubility of protein.

Purpose: IRF-5 is a direct transducer of virus-mediated and TLR-mediated signaling pathways for the expression of cytokines and chemokines which form homodimers or heterodimers with IRF-7. However, direct IRF-5-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are not available at present. These could be used to further evaluate the functions of IRF-5. In this study, we produced and characterized three mouse mAbs to human IRF-5. The binding of IRF-5 to nuclear import proteins was first identified using a mAb. Materials and Methods: Histagged human IRF-5 protein spanning amino acid residues 193257 was used as an antigen and three mAbs were produced. The mAbs were tested with ELISA, Western blot analysis (WB), immunofluorescent staining (IF), and immunoprecipitation (IP). In addition, the nuclear import protein which carried phosphorylated IRF-5 was identified using one of these mAbs. Results: MAbs 5IRF8, 5IRF10 and 5IRF24 which reacted with the recombinant His-IRF-5 193-257 protein were produced. All mAbs bound to human IRF-5, but not to IRF-3 or IRF-7. They could be used for WB, IF, and IP studies. The binding of phosphorylated IRF-5 to karyopherin- 1 and - 1 α β was also identified. Conclusion: Human IRF-5-specific mAbs are produced for studying the immunologic roles related to IRF-5. Phosphorylated IRF-5 is transported to the nucleus by binding to nuclear import proteins karyopherin- 1 and - 1. α β

Characteristic properties of backlight arraying electrodeless fluorescent lamps assembled with capacitive coupled electrode connector have been investigated in various frequencies with a switching inverter. In the backlight of a 17-in diagonal with 12 lamps driven by square pulses, the efficiency of 65/spl sim/70 lm/W and the luminance of 5000/spl sim/10 000 cd/m/sup 2/ have been achieved in the frequency range of 40/spl sim/80 kHz where the higher frequency provides the lower operating voltage in the range of 1.0/spl sim/2.0 kV.

HS-23, an extract of the dried flower buds of Lonicera japonica, is a new botanical drug currently being evaluated in a phase I clinical study in Korea for the treatment of sepsis. The in vitro induction and inhibition potentials of HS-23 on the drug-metabolizing enzymes using human hepatocytes and liver microsomes were assessed to evaluate herb–drug interaction according to botanical drug guideline and drug interaction guidance of FDA. HS-23 slightly inhibited CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4 enzyme activities in human liver microsomes with IC50 values of 80.6, 160.7, 169.5, 85.4, and 76.6 μg/mL, respectively. HS-23 showed negligible inhibition of CYP1A2, CYP2C8, CYP2D6, UGT1A1, UGT1A4, UGT1A9, and UGT2B7 activities in human liver microsomes. Based on these results, HS-23 may not inhibit the metabolism of CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4-catalyzed drugs in humans. HS-23 did not affect the mRNA expression of CYP1A2, CYP2B6, and CYP3A4 after 48 h treatment at three concentrations (0.5, 5, and 50 μg/mL) in three independent human hepatocytes, indicating that HS-23 has no effect on herb–drug interactions that up- or down-regulate CYP1A2, CYP2B6, and CYP3A4. These results indicate that the administration of HS-23 in human may not cause clinically relevant inhibition and induction of these cytochrome P450 (CYP) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes and HS-23 may be promising therapeutic agent for treatment of sepsis.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Magnolia officinalis (MO) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been used in clinical practice to treat liver disease. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of MO on the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver in hepatocytes. Materials and methods Human hepatoma-derived HepG2 cells and mouse normal FL83B hepatocytes were exposed to 0.5 mM free fatty acids (FFAs; oleate:palmitate, 2:1) for 24 h to simulate conditions of nonalcoholic fatty liver in vitro . The cells were treated with a standardized MO extract 1 h prior to FFA exposure. Results MO pretreatment attenuated the increases in intracellular lipid accumulation and triglyceride content in FFA-exposed hepatocytes in a dose-dependent manner. MO pretreatment significantly inhibited both sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1c activation and increases in fatty acid translocase, fatty acid synthase, and stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 protein expression in FFA-exposed hepatocytes in a dose-dependent manner. MO pretreatment markedly induced adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation in hepatocytes. Compound C, an AMPK inhibitor, blocked the inhibitory effect of MO on the increases in intracellular lipid accumulation and triglyceride content induced by FFAs. In hepatocytes pretreated with compound C, MO failed to inhibit SREBP-1c activation and the increases in fatty acid translocase, fatty acid synthase, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 protein expression induced by FFAs. Conclusions Our results indicate that MO attenuates triglyceride biosynthesis and accumulation induced by FFAs in hepatocytes, suggesting its pharmacological potential for the prevention of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. These effects may be mediated by the inhibition of SREBP-1c via AMPK phosphorylation.

The mutual exclusion (MX) paradigm can be used as a building block in many practical problems such as mobile internet game, war simulation game and mud games where the mutual exclusion use of an object might be useful. The problem has been widely studied in the research community since one reason for this wide interest is that hat many computer-based multi-user games need a mutual exclusion protocol. However, despite its usefulness, to our knowledge there is no work that has been devoted to this problem in a mobile game computing environment. In this paper, we describe a solution to the mutual exclusion problem from mobile computing systems. This solution is based on the token-based mutual exclusion algorithm

In distributed systems, a group of computer should continue to do cooperation in order to finish some jobs. In such a system, an election protocol is especially practical and important elements to provide processes in a group with a consistent common knowledge about the membership of the group. Whenever a membership change occurs, processes should agree on which of them should do to accomplish an unfinished job or begins a new job. The problem of electing a leader is very same with the agreeing common predicate in a distributed system such as the consensus problem. Based on the termination detection protocol that is traditional one in asynchronous distributed systems, we present the new election protocol in distributed systems that are based on MANET, i.e. mobile ad hoc network.

Intermolecular and intramolecular energy flow and subsequent bond dissociation in collinear collisions I–C≡C–H+Ar and I–C≡C–C≡C–H+Ar have been studied by classical trajectory techniques over the collision energy range of 0 to 10 eV. When the molecule is initially in the ground state, the overall energy transfer in I–C≡C–H+Ar is very small, but in I–C≡C–C≡C–H+Ar it is large. The collisionally perturbed C–H bond stores a large amount of energy from translation for a brief period during the early stage of collision and transfers most of it to the inner region of the molecule, specifically to the low frequency C–I vibration. Thus the high‐frequency vibration of the perturbed C–H bond during the collision plays a crucial role in determining the extent of intramolecular energy transfer and, in turn, C–I dissociation. But in nondissociative collisions, there is another series of the C–H vibration at the latter stage of collision, transferring energy back to translation. This study also considers collision‐induced intramolecular energy flow in the molecule with an initially excited C–H bond. The relaxation of the low‐lying C–H excitation is very slow on a nanosecond time scale. However, when the excitation is high, the vibrational frequency of the C–H bond is significantly weakened, thus becoming comparable to that of the triple bond, in which case the isolating effect of the adjacent C≡C bond is no longer important and intramolecular energy flow becomes efficient.

Chiral phosphinoimidazolidine 3 was used as an excellent ligand in Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of racemic 1,3-diphenyl-2-propenyl acetate 5 with dimethyl malonate. Outstanding enantioselectivity of up to 99% and remarkable catalytic activity were observed. The ligand was also found to be effective in the asymmetric allylic amination of 5 with benzylamine.

The properties of capacitively coupled external electrode fluorescent lamps with the small outer diameter of 2.6 mm, driven by square pulses from a switching inverter, have been investigated for the electrode lengths of 1–5 cm. The brightness is saturated at an electrode length of over 3 cm, which is analyzed by charge-voltage Lissajous figures.

Intermolecular and intramolecular energy flow and subsequent bond dissociation in collinear collisions I–C≡C–H+Ar and I–C≡C–C≡C–H+Ar have been studied by classical trajectory techniques over the collision energy range of 0 to 10 eV. When the molecule is initially in the ground state, the overall energy transfer in I–C≡C–H+Ar is very small, but in I–C≡C–C≡C–H+Ar it is large. The collisionally perturbed C–H bond stores a large amount of energy from translation for a brief period during the early stage of collision and transfers most of it to the inner region of the molecule, specifically to the low frequency C–I vibration. Thus the high‐frequency vibration of the perturbed C–H bond during the collision plays a crucial role in determining the extent of intramolecular energy transfer and, in turn, C–I dissociation. But in nondissociative collisions, there is another series of the C–H vibration at the latter stage of collision, transferring energy back to translation. This study also considers collision‐induced intramolecular energy flow in the molecule with an initially excited C–H bond. The relaxation of the low‐lying C–H excitation is very slow on a nanosecond time scale. However, when the excitation is high, the vibrational frequency of the C–H bond is significantly weakened, thus becoming comparable to that of the triple bond, in which case the isolating effect of the adjacent C≡C bond is no longer important and intramolecular energy flow becomes efficient.

Chiral phosphinoimidazolidine 3 was used as an excellent ligand in Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of racemic 1,3-diphenyl-2-propenyl acetate 5 with dimethyl malonate. Outstanding enantioselectivity of up to 99% and remarkable catalytic activity were observed. The ligand was also found to be effective in the asymmetric allylic amination of 5 with benzylamine.

Calcium and integrin binding protein 1 (CIB1) is a Ca 2+ -binding protein of 22 kDa that was initially identified as a protein that interacts with integrin α IIb . Although it interacts with various proteins and has been implicated in diverse cellular functions, the molecular mechanism by which CIB1 regulates intracellular signaling networks has remained unclear. We now show that, by targeting apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1), CIB1 negatively regulates stress-activated MAPK signaling pathways. CIB1 was thus shown to bind to ASK1, to interfere with the recruitment of TRAF2 to ASK1, and to inhibit the autophosphorylation of ASK1 on threonine-838, thereby blocking ASK1 activation. Furthermore, CIB1 mitigated apoptotic cell death initiated either by TNF-α in breast cancer MCF7 cells or by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in dopaminergic cells. Ca 2+ influx induced by membrane depolarization reversed the inhibitory effect of CIB1 on 6-OHDA-induced ASK1 activation and cell death in dopaminergic neurons. These observations thus suggest that CIB1 functions as a Ca 2+ -sensitive negative regulator of ASK1-mediated signaling events.

A planar edge termination technique of trenched field limiting ring is investigated by using 2-dimensional numerical analysis and simulation. The better voltage blocking capability and reliability can be obtained by trenching the field-limiting ring site which would be implanted. The trench etch step makes the junction depth deeper so that junction curvature effect and surface breakdown are less happened. The numerical analyses reveal two facts that the trenched field limiting ring has smaller maximum electric field and the electric field peak is deeper from the substrate surface, hence silicon dioxide layer can be protected. Therefore the voltage blocking capability and reliability of the new structure can be improved. The simulated results for 1700 V power devices by using TMA MEDICI show that the trenched field limiting ring can have smaller critical electric field and accomplish near 30% increase of breakdown voltage in comparison with the conventional structure. The proposed structure is more efficient to support voltage and more easy to gain the optimized design. Moreover, the fabrication of trenched field-limiting ring is relatively simple because the trench etch step uses the same mask of p+ field-ring implantation step. Extensive device simulations as well as qualitative analyses confirm these conclusions.

New ferrocenylphosphinoimidazolidines containing central chirality and planar chirality were found to act as highly effective chiral ligands in Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of 1,3-diphenyl-2-propenyl acetate with dimethyl malonate.

Optically active amino thiocyanate derivatives of (−)-norephedrine were found to act as effective aprotic ligands for enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes. This reaction provided optically active secondary alcohols with ee up to 96%.

Protein aggregation is a major stability problem of therapeutic proteins. We investigated whether a novel stabilizing peptide [acidic tail of synuclein (ATS) peptide] could be generally used to make a more stable and soluble form of therapeutic proteins, particularly those having solubility or aggregation problems. We produced ATS fusion proteins by fusing the stabilizing peptide to three representative therapeutic proteins, and then compared the stress-induced aggregation profiles, thermostability, and solubility of them. We also compared the in vivo stability of these ATS fusion proteins by studying their pharmacokinetics in rats. The human growth hormone–ATS (hGH–ATS) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor–ATS (G-CSF–ATS) fusion proteins were fully functional as determined by cell proliferation assay, and the ATS fusion proteins seemed to be very resistant to agitation, freeze/thaw, and heat stresses. The introduction of the ATS peptide significantly increased the storage and thermal stabilities of hGH and G-CSF. The human leptin–ATS fusion protein also seemed to be very resistant to aggregation induced by agitation, freeze/thaw, and heat stresses. Furthermore, the ATS peptide greatly increased the solubility of the fusion proteins. Finally, pharmacokinetic studies in rats revealed that the ATS fusion proteins are also more stable in vivo. Our data demonstrate that a more stable and soluble form of therapeutic proteins can be produced by fusing the ATS peptide.