A Suspended Nanogap Formed by Field-Induced Atomically Sharp Tips

A sub-nanometer scale suspended gap (nanogap) defined by electric field-induced atomically sharp metallic tips is presented. A strong local electric field (\u3e109 V=m) across micro/nanomachined tips facing each other causes the metal ion migration in the form of dendrite-like growth at the cathode. The nanogap is fully isolated from the substrate eliminating growth mechanisms that involve substrate interactions. The proposed mechanism of ion transportation is verified using real-time imaging of the metal ion transportation using an in situ biasing in transmission electron microscope (TEM). The configuration of the micro/nanomachined suspended tips allows nanostructure growth of a wide variety of materials including metals, metal-oxides, and polymers. VC 2012 American Institute of Physics

Spectral Line Shapes in Plasmas

International audienceFor the first two Spectral Line Shapes in Plasma workshops, participants submitted in total over 1,500 line-shape calculations. The studies collected in this Special Issue explore only a part of this immense work. This book is a reprint of the special issue that appeared in the online open access journal Atoms (ISSN 2218-2004) in 2014 (available at: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/atoms/special_issues/SpectralLineShapes)

Eosinophilic Otitis Media: CT and MRI Findings and Literature Review

Eosinophilic otitis media (EOM) is a relatively rare, intractable, middle ear disease with extremely viscous mucoid effusion containing eosinophils. EOM is associated with adult bronchial asthma and nasal allergies. Conventional treatments for otitis media with effusion (OME) or for chronic otitis media (COM), like tympanoplasty or mastoidectomy, when performed for the treatment of EOM, can induce severe complications such as deafness. Therefore, it should be differentiated from the usual type of OME or COM. To our knowledge, the clinical and imaging findings of EOM of temporal bone are not well-known to radiologists. We report here the CT and MRI findings of two EOM cases and review the clinical and histopathologic findings of this recently described disease entity

FEMALE PEASANTS AND THE ALTERNATIVE AGRI-FOOD MOVEMENT IN SOUTH KOREA: AGROECOLOGY AND THE KOREAN WOMEN PEASANT ASSOCIATION MOVEMENT

This paper examines the current state and socio-ecological implications of the alternative agri-food movement organized by the Korean Women Peasant Association (KWPA) in South Korea. In the process of rapid industrial development, South Korean farm sector has suffered from serious environmental problems, depopulation, and poverty. Food production itself has become mostly industrialized using abundant amount of chemical input. This, along with mass consumption system relying on large supermarkets, has led to an unsustainable food system. In this situation, there has been a rise of alternative agri-food movement by the KWPA. We have focused on the influence of agroecology in the KWPA’s activities, which might bring about a more sustainable food system. Under the dominant paradigm of agro-industrialism, farm production inevitably depends on outside resources. This de-contextualizes and disconnects farming from local ecosystems and social relations. Agroecology has emerged in recent years as an alternative paradigm, which can reconnect farming, nature, and society. We have analyzed the KWPA’s programs, such as the indigenous seed preservation movement (ISPM) and Sisters’ Garden Plot (SGP). We have found that agroecology plays an important role in the KWPA’s programs, which involve sharing indigenous farm knowledge; preserving and finding indigenous seeds; and providing seasonal, local, and organic food to the public. These activities have also led to the empowerment of female peasants. These as a whole could be important social resource for a transition to a more sustainable food system

A Study on the Factors That Influence the Acoustic Performance of a Steel Stud Wall Assembly

With the recent introduction of light gauge steel framing systems in the concrete-dominated Korean construction industry, more buildings are built with drywall that is mainly composed of steel studs and gypsum boards. While load-bearing steel studs are extensively applied in residential construction, nonload-bearing steel studs are applied in various building fields such as commercial, educational, as well as residential. As building projects involving steel stud walls are becoming to increase, higher demands in performance are requested from architects and builders, especially in the field of sound performance. A series of acoustic test were performed in the nationally certified sound-testing laboratory at Korean Institute of Construction Technology (KICT) in order to evaluate and analyze factors that influence acoustic performance of steel stud wall assemblies. Factors affecting the acoustic performance of steel stud walls that are analyzed in this paper include among others, the composition and structure of steel studs, stud spacing, stud thickness, stud size, use of resilient channel, screw spacing, etc. Factors relating to gypsum boards that were tested as part of the evaluation of acoustic performance are not included in this paper. Results of this study, which is co-funded by 3 major gypsum board companies in Korea, are being used to develop stud wall assemblies that meet the required acoustic performance for unit-to-unit separating walls, as well as present architects and builders with a better understanding on the sound behavior of steel stud drywall

Expression of toll-like receptor 2 and 4 is increased in the respiratory epithelial cells of chronic idiopathic interstitial pneumonia patients

SummaryBackgroundIdiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) is characterized by chronic interstitial inflammation and fibrosis. Although mounting evidence has suggested that toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4 are involved in the pathogenesis of non-infectious lung injury in vitro and in mouse models, their roles in human IIP remain unknown.MethodsTo address this issue, we investigated the expression patterns of TLR2 and TLR4 by immunohistochemistry in resected lung tissues from patients with usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) or nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP).ResultsType II pneumocytes, bronchial epithelial cells (BECs), and alveolar macrophages accounted for the majority of TLR2- and TLR4-expressing cells in both UIP and NSIP. The numbers of TLR2 and TLR4-positive respiratory epithelial (RE) cells, including type II pneumocytes and BECs, were significantly greater in UIP and NSIP than in the control. In particular, the numbers of TLR2-positive RE cells were much greater in UIP than in NSIP. The intensities of TLR2 and TLR4 expression in type II pneumocytes were also significantly stronger in UIP and NSIP than in the control. A comparison of the TLR expression patterns between the fibroblastic and fibrotic areas in UIP indicated that the numbers TLR2 and TLR4-positive RE cells were similar in fibroblastic areas, whereas the TLR2-positive RE cells outnumbered the TLR4-positive RE cells in the fibrotic areas.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that RE cells over-express TLR2 and TLR4 in the lungs of IIP patients. These findings suggest that high expression of TLRs may contribute to the pathogenesis of human IIP