Application of Optical Interferometry for Characterization of Thin-Film Adhesion

In this chapter, application of optical interferometry for the characterization of thin-film adhesion to the substrate is discussed. The thin-film system is configured as one of the end mirrors of a Michelson interferometer and oscillated with an acoustic transducer from the substrate side. The oscillation causes sinusoidal displacement of the film surface around the initial (neutral) position, and the interferometer detects its amplitude as the relative phase difference behind the beam splitter. When the driving frequency of this oscillation is tuned to a range where the film-substrate interface is dominantly oscillated, the elasticity of the interface can be analyzed from the oscillation amplitude. The principle of this method is straightforward but in reality, fluctuation of the initial phase (the relative phase corresponding to the initial film position) compromises the signal. A technique known as the carrier fringe method along with spatial frequency domain analysis is employed to reduce the noise associated with the initial phase fluctuation. The possibility of the present method to analyze the so-called blister effect on thin-film adhesion is discussed

Dispersion of Vascular Plant in An-do, Korea

AbstractThe vascular plants observed in the area were composed of a total of 342 taxa; 104 families, 239 genus, 309 species, 30 varieties, 2 forms and 1 sub-species. The endangered species found in the area were Glehnia littoralis Fr. Schm. and Milletia japonica (Siebold & Zucc.) A.Gray. The five endemic plants were found growing in the area like Carpinus coreana Nakai., Celtis choseniana Nakai, Clematis trichotoma, Spiraea prunifolia for. simpliciflora and Weigela subsessilis L.H.Bailey. Specialized plants of Geumodo were a total of 45 species; 34 taxa in Grade I, 10 taxa in Grade III, and 1 taxon in Grade V. Glehnia littoralis Fr. Schm. and Milletia japonica (Siebold & Zucc.) A.Gray confirmed in this study formed a colony alongside the coast and mountain paths. Currently, the construction to build water supply and sewer systems destroyed part of the colony. Therefore, in the long-term perspective, the conservation plan such as comprehensive research and monitoring on the ecosystem shall be established to protect indeciduous plants in the warm temperate zone

Novel Redundant Sensor Fault Detection and Accommodation Algorithm for an Air-breathing Combustion System and its Real-time Implementation

Failure of sensors used to provide a feedback signal in control system can cause serious deterioration in performance of system, and even instability may be observed. Based on knowledge of aircraft engine systems, the main cause of fault in such air-breathing combustion systems (ACS) with no rotating parts is due to the pressure sensors. Fast online detection of faults before the error grows very large and accommodation is critical to the success of the mission. However, at the same time, it is necessary to avoid false alarms. Hence, early detection of small magnitude faults with acceptable reliability is very challenging, especially in the presence of sensor noise, unknown engine-to-engine variation and deterioration and modeling uncertainty. This paper discusses the novel fault detection and accommodation (FDA) algorithm based on analytical redundancy based technique for ACS.Defence Science Journal, 2010, 60(1), pp.61-75, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.60.10

Cordycepin promotes apoptosis by modulating the ERK-JNK signaling pathway via DUSP5 in renal cancer cells

Constitutive activation of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK)-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling commonly occurs in tumors. The activation of ERK promotes cell proliferation, whereas that of JNK induces cell apoptosis. However, the apoptotic mechanism of ERK-JNK signaling in cancer is not well understood. Recently, we identified that apoptosis and activation of the JNK signaling pathway were induced after cordycepin treatment in human renal cancer, suggesting that JNK signaling might contribute to TK-10 cell apoptosis. We investigated the apoptotic effects of cordycepin by evaluating the activation of the ERK-JNK signaling pathway in renal cancer TK-10 cells. We found that cordycepin downregulated ERK and DUSP5, upregulated phosphorylated-JNK (p-JNK), and induced apoptosis. Moreover, we showed that siRNA-mediated inhibition of ERK downregulated DUSP5, whereas ERK overexpression upregulated DUSP5, and that DUSP5 knockdown by siRNA upregulated p-JNK. The JNK-specific inhibitor SP600125 upregulated nuclear translocation of β-catenin, and downregulated Dickkopf-1 (Dkk1), which has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of Wnt signaling. Dkk1 knockdown by siRNA upregulated nuclear β-catenin, suggesting the involvement of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. DUSP5 overexpression in TK-10 cells decreased p-JNK and increased nuclear β-catenin. The decreased Bax activation markedly protected against cordycepin-induced apoptosis. Bax subfamily proteins induced apoptosis through caspase-3. Taken together, we show that JNK signaling activation by cordycepin mediated ERK inhibition, which might have induced Bax translocation and caspase-3 activation via regulation of DUSP5 in TK-10 cells, thereby promoting the apoptosis of TK-10 cells. Targeting ERK-JNK signaling via the apoptotic effects of cordycepin could be a potential therapeutic strategy to treat renal cancer

Cordycepin induces apoptosis by caveolin-1-mediated JNK regulation of Foxo3a in human lung adenocarcinoma

Forkhead transcription factor (Foxo3a) is a downstream effector of JNK-induced tumor suppression. However, it is not clear whether the caveolin-1 (CAV1)-mediated JNK/Foxo3a pathway is involved in cancer cell apoptosis. We found that cordycepin upregulates CAV1 expression, which was accompanied by JNK phosphorylation (p-JNK) and subsequent Foxo3a translocation into the nucleus, resulting in the upregulation of Bax protein expression. Furthermore, we found that CAV1 overexpression upregulated p-JNK, whereas CAV1 siRNA downregulated p-JNK. Additionally, SP600125, a specific JNK inhibitor, significantly increased Foxo3a phosphorylation, which downregulated Foxo3a translocation into the nucleus, indicating that CAV1 mediates JNK regulation of Foxo3a. Foxo3a siRNA downregulated Bax protein and attenuated A549 apoptosis, indicating that the CAV1-mediated JNK/Foxo3a pathway induces the apoptosis of A549 lung cancer cells. Cordycepin significantly decreased tumor volume in nude mice. Taken together, these results indicate that cordycepin promotes CAV1 upregulation to enhance JNK/Foxo3a signaling pathway activation, inducing apoptosis in lung cancer cells, and support its potential as a therapeutic agent for lung cancer

Are Portable Imaging Intraoperative Radiographs Helpful for Assessing Adequate Acetabular Cup Positioning in Total Hip Arthroplasty?

Despite advances in surgical techniques and instrumentation, current intra-operative estimations of acetabular version in total hip arthroplasty are of limited accuracy. In the present study, two experienced orthopedic surgeons compared intra-operatively measured (using portable imaging) anteversions and vertical inclinations of acetabular components with those measured using standardized radiographs post-operatively in 40 patients. Of the all vertical inclinations measured from intra-operative radiographs, 72.5% (n=29) were within ±2°, and 97.5% (n=39) were within ±5° of those determined using post-operative radiographs, and for anteversion, 52.5% (n=21) were within ±2°, and 97.5% (n=39) were within ±5°. Post-operative radiographs demonstrated that 90.0% (n=36) of vertical inclinations and anteversions were within the adequate zone. Obviously, our method has its limitations, but the authors conclude that the method described in this article better allows surgeons to verify acetabular version intra-operatively. In particular, the described method is suitable in cases with a deformed acetabular anatomy and difficult revision surgery

Risk factors and outcomes of internet gaming disorder identified in Korean prospective adolescent cohort study

Background and aims: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is known to cause various psychological and physical complications. Through data collected from an adolescent prospective longitudinal cohort, we examined how IGD is related to lifestyle and physical symptoms, as well as the temporal relationship between them. Methods: This study was conducted as part of iCURE (Internet user Cohort for Unbiased Recognition of gaming disorder in Early Adolescence) in Korea between 2015 and 2019. Sleep and physical activity time, dry eye symptoms, musculoskeletal pain, and near-miss accidents were measured at baseline and followed-up after one year. IGD risk was evaluated using the Internet Game Use – Elicited Symptom Screen (IGUESS). The association between IGD risk and measured variables was analyzed, both at baseline and at follow-up after one year. Results: At baseline, the IGD risk group had significantly less physical activity time and sleep time and had more dry eye symptoms, musculoskeletal pain, and near-miss accidents than the IGD non-risk group. Additionally, in the IGD risk group at baseline, dry eye symptoms, musculoskeletal pain, and near-miss accidents occurred significantly more after one year of follow-up. Discussion and conclusion: The results of this study show that IGD is a significant risk factor that increases the probability of physical disease and trauma in adolescents. Therefore, interventions aimed at reducing IGD risk and protecting the physical and mental health of adolescents are imperative