Fabrication and surface plasmon coupling studies on the dielectric/Ag structure for transparent conducting electrode applications

The dielectric/Ag structures were fabricated on glass substrates using various metal oxides as dielectrics and their optical properties were studied through transmittance and ellipsometry measurements. The structures with 10 nm Ag film deposited on various metal oxides (Al2O3, ZrO2, SrTiO3, TiO2, CaCu3Ti4O12, WO3 and HfO2) of 30 nm showed enhancement in transmittance compared to bare Ag film in the visible region. This enhancement in transmittance was explained through suppression of surface plasmon coupling at the dielectric/Ag interface. The surface plasmon wave-vector (k(SP)) was calculated using the measured dielectric constants for the dielectric and Ag through ellipsometry and employed to analyze the transmittance data. The k(SP)/k(0) and delta(SP) values were estimated and used to interpret the enhanced visible transmittance for different dielectric/Ag structures. (C) 2014 Optical Society of Americ

Physical properties and biological effects of mineral trioxide aggregate mixed with methylcellulose and calcium chloride

Objectives: Methylcellulose (MC) is a chemical compound derived from cellulose. MTA mixed with MC reduces setting time and increases plasticity. This study assessed the influence of MC as an anti-washout ingredient and CaCl2 as a setting time accelerator on the physical and biological properties of MTA. Material and Methods: Test materials were divided into 3 groups; Group 1(control): distilled water; Group 2: 1% MC/CaCl2; Group 3: 2% MC/CaCl2. Compressive strength, pH, flowability and cell viability were tested. The gene expression of bone sialoprotein (BSP) was detected by RT-PCR and real­ time PCR. The expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and mineralization behavior were evaluated using an ALP staining and an alizarin red staining. Results: Compressive strength, pH, and cell viability of MTA mixed with MC/CaCl2 were not significantly different compared to the control group. The flowability of MTA with MC/CaCI2 has decreased significantly when compared to the control (

Functional Characterization of Siberian Wild Rye Grass \u3cem\u3eEsHSP 16.9\u3c/em\u3e Gene Conferring Diverse Stress Tolerance in Prokaryotic Cells

Siberian wild rye (Elymus sibiricus L.) is a perennial, caespitose, and self-pollinating grass indigenous to Northern Asia and also is widely distributed from Northern Europe to Japan. The plant shows strong environmental adaptability with tolerance to drought and cold; thus, it is often used as forage resources (Yan et al., 2007). Environmental stresses caused by global warming are acknowledged to be as a serious issue in agriculture due to reductions of crop productivity (Ahuja et al., 2010). Genetic natural breeding of Siberian wild rye would potentially increase the productivity of forage crops; however, genetic studies on this grass have yet to be conducted. Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are the well characterized stress inducible proteins playing as molecular chaperones in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. We have also identified two differently localized small Hsps: rice chloroplastic and alfalfa mitochondrial Hsps confer tolerance to oxidative and heat stresses in tall fescue and to salinity and arsenic stresses in E. coli, tobacco, and tall fescue, respectively (Lee et al., 2012a; Lee et al., 2012b). Here, we cloned the small Hsp16.9 gene from various heat stress-induced fragments in Siberian wild rye using differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis. We examined the mRNA expression of EsHsp16.9, in vitro molecular chaperone activity and in vivo stress tolerance by using a prokaryotic system against diverse environmental stresse

Current advances in combining stem cell and gene therapy for neurodegenerative diseases

Neuronal death is the common final pathologic pathway of various neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). Although central nervous system has little regenerative potential, it is expected that damaged neural tissue can be recovered by exogenous supplementation of stem cells; however, stem cell therapy cannot modulate specific causes of NDs, such as accumulation of extracellular amyloid peptides in Alzheimer’s disease. In contrast, gene therapy can deliver therapeutic genes to specific ND targets. Therefore, combining stem cell and gene therapy would have dual treatment mechanisms (regenerating damaged neural tissue and modifying specific causes of NDs) and lead to better clinical outcomes. In this review, we discuss various therapeutic genes that can be used to develop stem cell gene therapy for various NDs and the techniques for how therapeutic genes can be integrated into stem cells

Stabilization of Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) in Contaminated Rice Paddy Soil Using Starfish: A Preliminary Study

Lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) contaminated rice paddy soil was stabilized using natural (NSF) and calcined starfish (CSF). Contaminated soil was treated with NSF in the range of 0-10 wt.% and CSF in the range of 0-5 wt.% and cured for 28 days. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) test was used to evaluate effectiveness of starfish treatment. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) analyses were conducted to investigate the mechanism responsible for effective immobilization of Pb and Zn. Experimental results suggest that NSF and CSF treatments effectively immobilize Pb and Zn in treated rice paddy soil. TCLP levels for Pb and Zn were reduced with increasing NSF and CSF dosage. Comparison of the two treatment methods reveals that CSF treatment is more effective than NSF treatment. Leachability of the two metals is reduced approximately 58% for Pb and 51% for Zn, upon 10 wt.% NSF treatment. More pronounced leachability reductions, 93% for Pb and 76% for Zn, are achieved upon treatment with 5 wt.% CSF. Sequential extraction results reveal that NSF and CSF treatments of contaminated soil generated decrease in exchangeable/weak acid Pb and Zn soluble fractions, and increase of residual Pb and Zn fractions. Results for the SEM-EDX sample treated with 5 wt.% CSF indicate that effective Pb and Zn immobilization is most probably associated with calcium silicate hydrates (CSHs) and calcium aluminum hydrates (CAHs)

Quality Improvement of Acidic Soils by Biochar Derived from Renewable Materials

Biochar derived from waste plant materials and agricultural residues was used to improve the quality of an acidic soil. The acidic soil was treated for 1 month with both soy bean stover-derived biochar and oak-derived biochar in the range of 1 to 5 wt% for pH improvement and exchangeable cation enhancement. Following 1 month of treatment, the soil pH was monitored and exchangeable cations were measured. Moreover, a maize growth experiment was performed for 14 days with selected treated soil samples to confirm the effectiveness of the treatment. The results showed that the pH of the treated acidic soil increased by more than 2 units, and the exchangeable cation values were greatly enhanced upon treatment with 5 wt% of both biochars, after 1 month of curing. Maize growth was superior in the 3 wt% biochar-treated samples compared to the control sample. The presented results demonstrate the effective use of biochar derived from renewable materials such as waste plant materials and agricultural residues for quality improvement of acidic soils

Post-operative rehabilitation using a digital healthcare system in patients who had undergone rotator cuff repair: protocol for a single-center randomized controlled trial

Background : Operative repair of a rotator cuff tear requires up to 12 weeks of post-operative (post-op) home-based rehabilitation. Maintaining patients’ compliance in the post-op rehabilitation program is a pivotal component for generating successful outcomes. By developing a post-op rehabilitation-oriented digital healthcare system and applying it in patients who had undergone rotator cuff repair, we aim to increase the efficacy of the rehabilitation program and raise patients’ compliance levels. Here, we present a protocol developed for comparing the efficacy of rehabilitation using a newly developed augmented reality (AR)-based digital healthcare system with that of conventional rehabilitation for post-op rehabilitation of rotator cuff repair. Methods : This study will recruit a total of 115 patients who had undergone rotator cuff repair within 3 days after surgery. Patients will be randomly allocated to rehabilitation using an AR-based digital healthcare system (digital group) or conventional rehabilitation (conventional group). Patients in both groups will perform brochure-based exercises from the immediate post-op period to post-op 6 weeks. From post-op 6 weeks to 12 weeks, patients in the digital group will use the AR-based system for post-op exercises, whereas patients in the conventional group will continue brochure-based rehabilitation exercises. The primary outcome will be scores on the Simple Shoulder Test at post-op 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes include numeric rating scale scores for pain, measures of range of motion and muscle strength of the affected shoulder, grip strength of the affected arm, scores on the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand test, the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, and the EuroQoL-5D-5L quality-of-life measure. Analyses will be conducted using an intention-to-treat approach. Discussion : This study will examine the effectiveness of an AR-based digital healthcare system for post-op rehabilitation in the patients after rotator cuff repair. The study will add evidence for the application of digital healthcare systems in post-op rehabilitation. Trial registration : ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04511377. Registered on 10 August 2020.This research is supported by a grant of the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant number : HI19C0781). The funding source has no role in the design of this study and its execution, analyses, interpretation of the data, or decision to submit results