Oil. Changing Geopolitics of Oil in Asia & the USA

One of the most important responsibilities the United States assumed following World War II was ensuring the stable flow of relatively inexpensive oil to the industrialized and industrializing countries of the world. A glance at a list of the top petroleum exporting countries shows that most of them are poor, have despotic governments, and experience frequent bouts of political instability and ideological extremism

Antiobesity Effects of the Combined Plant Extracts Varying the Combination Ratio of Phyllostachys pubescens

The antiobesity effects of several different combinations of extracts (BS) prepared from two plants, Phyllostachys pubescens leaf (bamboo leaf: BL) and Scutellaria baicalensis root (SB), were investigated using a high fat diet (HFD) induced obese mouse model. In order to find the most effective mixture among the mixtures of the two plant extracts, experimental preparations were made by combining BL and SB by different proportions of 3 : 1 (BS31), 2 : 1 (BS21), 1 : 1 (BS11), 1 : 2 (BS12), and 1 : 3 (BS13). Body weight, weight of adipose tissues, size of adipocytes, levels of glucose, leptin and adiponectin, and lipid profile in serum, and fat accumulation in liver were investigated. We have found that BS21 is the most effective in antiobesity among the five mixtures investigated, indicated by reduction in body weight gain, total mass of adipose tissue, and the size of adipocyte. In addition, BS21 has shown to be beneficial in serum lipid profile, levels of glucose, leptin, and adiponectin in serum, and fat accumulation in liver. By chromatographic separation of BS21, the two maker compounds, isoorientin and baicalin, were identified and quantified for the standardization of BS21

Economic Routing of Electric Vehicles using Dynamic Pricing in Consideration of System Voltage

There is a growing market for electric vehicles (EVs) in recent years. Due to this, many studies on electric vehicles are in progress and research on charging operations for EVs are especially active. Recent research trends on electric vehicle routes rely on the stochastic modelling of various factors such as convenience of a user&rsquo s point of view, charging station (CS), location, destination, and so on. In this paper, a charging control scheme for electric vehicles is proposed from the point of view of the system operators rather than the user. From a user&rsquo s point of view, the EV route can be set up directly, but it is difficult for the system operator to directly participate in the route of the EV. In this paper, a method is proposed to indirectly change the route of the EV by changing the charging cost through real-time dynamic pricing, in order to prevent risks in the system operation due to voltage fluctuations in the system. With dynamic pricing, the voltage of the system is kept within a stable range, and the EV user sets the route with an economic benefit. The proposed scheme is verified through Dijkstra&rsquo s algorithm and a control strategy via a simulation model using MATLAB. Document type: Articl

Cell density-dependent differential proliferation of neural stem cells on omnidirectional nanopore-arrayed surface

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Safe and cost-effective method for application of liquid ethyl formate (FumateTM) as a methyl bromide alternative for perishable commodities: Poster

The cylinderized liquid ethyl formate (EF) formulated with CO2 is one of the great potential fumigants to replace methyl bromide (MeBr) for fresh fruit. However, it is too expensive to adapt commercial practices, and also involves work place safety issue including handling of heavy cylinders as well as restrict emission of CO2, particularly for use in large scale commercial fumigationw. Therefore, it is urgently needed to develop environmental friendly, safe for workers and cost-effective alternative method for application of liquid ethyl formate as a MeBr alternative for perishable commodities. Recently, the environmentally friendly, cost-effective and practically safe use of liquid EF (FumateTM, registered name) with nitrogen gas has been developed and commercialized in Republic of Korea and Australia. The new technology for application of liquid EF is 100 times safer than MeBr in terms of threshold values (EF, TLV = 100 ppm). Ethyl formate is known as food additive and naturally occurred substances as well as a non-ozone depletion chemical. In this report, we demonstrate the liquid EF application technology that offers a clean environment (no ozone depletions and CO2 emissions), safe to fumigators and related workers and practically cost-effective technology to fumigation industry.The cylinderized liquid ethyl formate (EF) formulated with CO2 is one of the great potential fumigants to replace methyl bromide (MeBr) for fresh fruit. However, it is too expensive to adapt commercial practices, and also involves work place safety issue including handling of heavy cylinders as well as restrict emission of CO2, particularly for use in large scale commercial fumigationw. Therefore, it is urgently needed to develop environmental friendly, safe for workers and cost-effective alternative method for application of liquid ethyl formate as a MeBr alternative for perishable commodities. Recently, the environmentally friendly, cost-effective and practically safe use of liquid EF (FumateTM, registered name) with nitrogen gas has been developed and commercialized in Republic of Korea and Australia. The new technology for application of liquid EF is 100 times safer than MeBr in terms of threshold values (EF, TLV = 100 ppm). Ethyl formate is known as food additive and naturally occurred substances as well as a non-ozone depletion chemical. In this report, we demonstrate the liquid EF application technology that offers a clean environment (no ozone depletions and CO2 emissions), safe to fumigators and related workers and practically cost-effective technology to fumigation industry

The heme oxygenase-1 genotype is a risk factor to renal impairment of IgA nephropathy at diagnosis, which is a strong predictor of mortality

The induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) ameliorates oxidative stress and inflammatory process, which play important roles in IgA nephropathy. We hypothesized length polymorphism in the promoter region of the HO-1 gene, which is related to the level of gene transcription, is associated with disease severity of IgA nephropathy. The subjects comprised 916 patients with IgA nephropathy and gene data. Renal impairment was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) at diagnosis. The short (S: 28) (GT) repeats in the HO-1 gene was determined. The frequencies of S/S, S/M, M/M, S/L, L/M, and L/L genotypes were 7.2%, 6.9%, 3.1%, 30.8%, 22.7%, and 29.4%, respectively. The baseline characteristics were not different. In the S/S genotypic group, the renal impairment rate was 18.2%, which was lower than 32.2% in the group with M/M, L/M, or L/L genotype. The odds ratio of renal impairment in S/S genotype, compared to that in M/M, L/M, or L/L genotype, was 0.216 (95% confidence interval, 0.060-0.774, p=0.019). The HO-1 gene promoter length polymorphism was related to the renal impairment of IgA nephropathy at diagnosis, which is an important risk factor for mortality in IgA nephropathy patients

Increased Expression of Herpes Virus-Encoded hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H9-5p in Cancer-Containing Prostate Tissue Compared to That in Benign Prostate Hyperplasia Tissue

Purpose: Previously, we reported the presence of virus-encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) in the urine of prostate cancer (CaP) patients. In this study, we investigated the expression of two herpes virus-encoded miRNAs in prostate tissue. Methods: A total of 175 tissue samples from noncancerous benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 248 tissue samples from patients with CaP and BPH, and 50 samples from noncancerous surrounding tissues from these same patients were analyzed for the expression of two herpes virus-encoded miRNAs by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunocytochemistry using nanoparticles as molecular beacons. Results: Real-time reverse transcription-PCR results revealed significantly higher expression of hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miRH9- 5p in surrounding noncancerous and CaP tissues than that in BPH tissue (each comparison, P<0.001). Of note, these miRNA were expressed equivalently in the CaP tissues and surrounding noncancerous tissues. Moreover, immunocytochemistry clearly demonstrated a significant enrichment of both hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H9 beacon-labeled cells in CaP and surrounding noncancerous tissue compared to that in BPH tissue (each comparison, P<0.05 for hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2- miR-H9). Conclusions: These results suggest that increased expression of hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H95p might be associated with tumorigenesis in the prostate. Further studies will be required to elucidate the role of these miRNAs with respect to CaP and herpes viral infections

Systematic functional analysis of kinases in the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

Cryptococcus neoformans is the leading cause of death by fungal meningoencephalitis; however, treatment options remain limited. Here we report the construction of 264 signature-tagged gene-deletion strains for 129 putative kinases, and examine their phenotypic traits under 30 distinct in vitro growth conditions and in two different hosts (insect larvae and mice). Clustering analysis of in vitro phenotypic traits indicates that several of these kinases have roles in known signalling pathways, and identifies hitherto uncharacterized signalling cascades. Virulence assays in the insect and mouse models provide evidence of pathogenicity-related roles for 63 kinases involved in the following biological categories: growth and cell cycle, nutrient metabolism, stress response and adaptation, cell signalling, cell polarity and morphology, vacuole trafficking, transfer RNA (tRNA) modification and other functions. Our study provides insights into the pathobiological signalling circuitry of C. neoformans and identifies potential anticryptococcal or antifungal drug targets.OAIID:RECH_ACHV_DSTSH_NO:T201615370RECH_ACHV_FG:RR00200001ADJUST_YN:EMP_ID:A003535CITE_RATE:11.329FILENAME:4. ncomms12766.pdfDEPT_NM:농생명공학부EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:YFILEURL:https://srnd.snu.ac.kr/eXrepEIR/fws/file/fce63c4a-7de7-4741-996f-d8d24af38905/linkCONFIRM:

Truly form-factor–free industrially scalable system integration for electronic textile architectures with multifunctional fiber devices

Funding Information: This work was supported by the European Commission (H2020, 1D-NEON, grant agreement ID: 685758). J.M.K. and L.G.O. acknowledge the support from the U.K. Research and Innovation (EPSRC, EP/P027628/1). We thank Y. Bernstein and J. Faulkner for helping with grammar check. Funding Information: Acknowledgments Funding:ThisworkwassupportedbytheEuropeanCommission(H2020,1D-NEON,grant agreementID:685758).J.M.K.andL.G.O.acknowledgethesupportfromtheU.K.Researchand Innovation(EPSRC,EP/P027628/1).W ethankY .BernsteinandJ.Faulknerforhelpingwith grammarcheck.Authorcontributions:S.L.andJ.M.K.conceivedtheproject.S.L.,L.G.O.,P .B., R.Martins,andJ.M.K.supervisedtheproject.S.L.andH.L.developedF-PD.S.L.,Y .-W .L., G.-H.A., D.-W .S., J.I.S.,andS.C.developedF-SC.C.L.F ., A.S.,R.I.,P .B., andR.Martinsdevelopedfiber transistor.S.L.,H.L.,andS.C.developedF-LED.ThefiberdeviceswereevaluatedbyS.L.,H.W .C., D.-W .S., H.L.,S.J.,S.D.H.,S.Y .B., S.Z.,W .H.-C., Y .-H.S., X.-B.F ., T .H.L., J.-W .J., andY .K. The developmentofweavingprocesswasconductedbyS.L.,H.W .C., F .M.M., P .J., andV .G.C. Thelaser interconnectionwasdevelopedbyS.L.,H.W .C., K.U.,M.E.,andM.S.Thetextiledemonstrations werecharacterizedbyS.L.,H.W .C., D.-W .S., J.Y ., S.S.,U.E.,S.N.,A.C.,A.M.,R.Momentè,J.G.,N.D., S.M.,C.-H.K.,M.L.,A.N.,D.J.,M.C.,andY .C. ThismanuscriptwaswrittenbyS.L.andJ.M.K.and reviewed by H.W .C., D.-W .S., M.C.,L.G.O., P .B., E.F ., and G.A.J.A. All authors discussed the results andcommentedonthemanuscript.Competinginterests:Theauthorsdeclarethattheyhave nocompetinginterests.Dataandmaterialsavailability:Alldataneededtoevaluatethe conclusionsinthepaperarepresentinthepaperand/ortheSupplementaryMaterials. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2023 The Authors, some rights reserved.An integrated textile electronic system is reported here, enabling a truly free form factor system via textile manufacturing integration of fiber-based electronic components. Intelligent and smart systems require freedom of form factor, unrestricted design, and unlimited scale. Initial attempts to develop conductive fibers and textile electronics failed to achieve reliable integration and performance required for industrial-scale manufacturing of technical textiles by standard weaving technologies. Here, we present a textile electronic system with functional one-dimensional devices, including fiber photodetectors (as an input device), fiber supercapacitors (as an energy storage device), fiber field-effect transistors (as an electronic driving device), and fiber quantum dot light-emitting diodes (as an output device). As a proof of concept applicable to smart homes, a textile electronic system composed of multiple functional fiber components is demonstrated, enabling luminance modulation and letter indication depending on sunlight intensity.publishersversionpublishe

Long-term efficacy, safety and immunogenicity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis continuing on an etanercept biosimilar (LBEC0101) or switching from reference etanercept to LBEC0101: an open-label extension of a phase III multicentre, randomised, double-blind, parallel-group study

Background To evaluate the long-term efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of continuing LBEC0101; the etanercept (ETN) biosimilar; or switching from the ETN reference product (RP) to LBEC0101 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods This multicentre, single-arm, open-label extension study enrolled patients who had completed a 52-week randomised, double-blind, parallel phase III trial of LBEC0101 vs ETN-RP. Patients treated with ETN-RP during the randomised controlled trial switched to LBEC0101; those treated with LBEC0101 continued to receive LBEC0101 in this study. LBEC0101 (50 mg) was administered subcutaneously once per week for 48 weeks with a stable dose of methotrexate. Efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of LBEC0101 were assessed up to week 100. Results A total of 148 patients entered this extension study (70 in the maintenance group and 78 in the switch group). The 28-joint disease activity scores (DAS28)-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were maintained in both groups from week 52 to week 100 (from 3.068 to 3.103 in the maintenance group vs. from 3.161 to 3.079 in the switch group). ACR response rates at week 100 for the maintenance vs. switch groups were 79.7% vs. 83.3% for ACR20, 65.2% vs. 66.7% for ACR50 and 44.9% vs. 42.3% for ACR70. The incidence of adverse events and the proportion of patients with newly developed antidrug antibodies were similar in the maintenance and switch groups (70.0% and 70.5%, 1.4% and 1.3%, respectively). Conclusions Administration of LBEC0101 showed sustained efficacy and acceptable safety in patients with RA after continued therapy or after switching from ETN-RP to LBEC0101. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02715908. Registered 22 March 2016.This extension study was funded by LG Chem, Ltd. (formerly, LG Life Sciences, Ltd), Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Korea Health Industry Development Institute