GW Calculations on post-transition-metal oxides

In order to establish the reliable GW scheme that can be consistently applied to post-transition-metal oxides (post-TMOs), we carry out comprehensive GW calculations on electronic structures of ZnO, Ga2O3, In2O3, and SnO2, the four representative post-TMOs. Various levels of self-consistency (G0W0, GW0, and QPGW0) and different starting functionals (GGA, GGA + U, and hybrid functional) are tested and their influence on the resulting electronic structure is closely analyzed. It is found that the GW0 scheme with GGA + U as the initial functional turns out to give the best agreement with experiment, implying that describing the position of metal-d level precisely in the ground state plays a critical role for the accurate dielectric property and quasiparticle band gap. Nevertheless, the computation on ZnO still suffers from the shallow Zn-d level and we propose a modified approach (GW0+Ud) that additionally considers an effective Hubbard U term during GW0 iterations and thereby significantly improves the band gap. It is also shown that a GGA + U-based GW0(+Ud) scheme produces an accurate energy gap of crystalline InGaZnO4, implying that this can serve as a standard scheme that can be applied to general structures of post-TMOs. © 2014 American Physical Society.1991sciescopu

THE EFFECTS OF WEARING SPANDEX GARMENT WITH COMPRESSION BAND ON KINEMATIC VARIABLES DURING A GOLF SWING

The purpose of this study was to investigate how spandex garment with compressive band affects kinematic variables during a golf swing. The X-factor and angular velocity of the club in EG were increased during the down swing phase, whereas the significant changes of other kinematic variables were not found in this study. Thus, the effects of wearing spandex garment with compression band cannot be explained as a function of the kinematic variables of interest. It is clear that wearing spandex garment with compressive band may enhance joint stability, which in turn may affect joint kinetics and muscle activation. This has led to suggestions of the need for further kinetic and EMG analyses to evaluate its function

Fabrication of flexible UV nanoimprint mold with fluorinated polymer-coated PET film

UV curing nanoimprint lithography is one of the most promising techniques for the fabrication of micro- to nano-sized patterns on various substrates with high throughput and a low production cost. The UV nanoimprint process requires a transparent template with micro- to nano-sized surface protrusions, having a low surface energy and good flexibility. Therefore, the development of low-cost, transparent, and flexible templates is essential. In this study, a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film coated with a fluorinated polymer material was used as an imprinting mold. Micro- and nano-sized surface protrusion patterns were formed on the fluorinated polymer layer by the hot embossing process from a Si master template. Then, the replicated pattern of the fluorinated polymer, coated on the flexible PET film, was used as a template for the UV nanoimprint process without any anti-stiction coating process. In this way, the micro- to nano-sized patterns of the original master Si template were replicated on various substrates, including a flat Si substrate and curved acryl substrate, with high fidelity using UV nanoimprint lithography

Computer-assisted sacral tumor resection. A case report

Resection of sacral tumors is one of the most difficult operations in orthopaedic oncology because complex imaging modalities is that intraoperative identification can increase the accuracy of surgical resection. We report a case of sacral chondrosarcoma in which computer-assisted surgery provided intraoperative real-time imaging, thereby allowing us to achieve adequate surgical margins while preserving the sacral nerve roots. Additionally, the tumor resection was carried out through a posterior approach only. The patient was informed that data concerning the case would be submitted for publication, and he consented. anatomy and important internal organs in the pelvic area make it difficult to achieve wide surgical margins1. Wide resection of sacral tumors may lead to serious functional impairments due to injury to important internal organs and/or the lumbosacral nerve roots or through the disruption of loadbearing through the sacroiliac joint. Recent advances in diagnostic modalities facilitate better surgical planning and can help in the performance of surgeries as planned. Computer-assisted surgery has been used in orthopaedic operations such as cruciate ligament reconstruction, hip and knee arthroplasty, and pedicle screw placement. The main advantage of computer-assisted navigation over othe

Radiographic comparison between cervical spine lateral and whole-spine lateral standing radiographs

Study Design Retrospective radiologic study. Objective The sagittal alignment of the cervical spine can be evaluated using either a lateral cervical radiograph or a whole-spine lateral view on which the cervical spine is included. To our knowledge, however, no report has compared the two. The purpose of this work is to identify the difference in radiographic parameters between the cervical spine lateral view and the whole-spine lateral view. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 59 adult patients suffering from neck pain with cervical spine lateral radiographs and whole-spine lateral radiographs from November 2007 to December 2011. The radiographs were measured using standard techniques to obtain the following parameters from the two different radiographs: occipital–C2 angle, C2–C7 angle, C7–sternal angle, sternal slope, T1 slope, C2 central offset distance, the distance between C2 and C7 plumb lines, C4 anteroposterior (AP) diameter, the ratio of C2 central off distance to C4 AP diameter, the ratio of plumb lines' distance to C4 AP diameter. Results We found that the occipital–C2 angle, sternal slope, and C4 AP diameter were similar, but the C2–C7 angle, C7–sternal angle, T1 slope, C2 central offset distance, distance between C2 and C7 plumb lines, ratio of C2 central off distance to C4 AP diameter, and ratio of plumb lines' distance to C4 AP diameter were different. However, the error of measurement was greater than the small angular and linear differences between the two views. Conclusions Most numerical values of the measured radiographic parameters appear to be different between the two views. However, the two views are comparable because the numerical differences were smaller than the errors of measurement

Tat peptide-admixed elastic liposomal formulation of hirsutenone for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in NC/Nga mice

Myung Joo Kang1, Jae Yoon Eum1, Mi Sook Jeong2, Sang Han Park1, Ki Young Moon1, Mean Hyung Kang1, Min Soo Kim1, Sun Eun Choi1, Min Won Lee1, Do Ik Lee1, Hyoweon Bang2, Chung Soo Lee2, Seong Soo Joo3, Kapsok Li2, Mi-Kyung Lee2, Seong Jun Seo2, Young Wook Choi11College of Pharmacy, ChungAng University, Heuksuk-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 2College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Heuksukdong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 3Division of Marine Molecular Biotechnology, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung, South KoreaBackground: The aim of the present study was to enhance a topical delivery of hirsutenone (HST), a naturally occuring immunomodulator, employing Tat peptide-admixed elastic liposomes (EL/T).Methods: HST-loaded EL, consisting of phosphatidylcholine and Tween 80 (85:15 w/w%), were prepared using thin film hydration method. By adding Tat peptide to EL (0.16 w/w%), EL/T were formulated. The in vitro skin permeation of HST was examined using a Franz diffusion cell mounted with depilated mouse skin. Lesions for atopic dermatitis (AD) were induced by a topical application of diphenylcyclopropenone to NC/Nga mice. Therapeutic improvements of AD were evaluated by clinical skin severity scores. Immunological analyses on inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 levels in the skin and interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13, immunoglobulin E, and eosinophil levels in the blood were also performed.Results: EL systems were superior to conventional cream, revealing greater flux values in a permeation study. The addition of Tat peptide further increased the skin permeation of HST. In an efficacy study with AD-induced NC/Nga mice, an HST-containing EL/T formulation brought a significant improvement in both skin severity score and immune-related responses for the levels of nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, IL-4, IL-13, immunoglobulin E, and eosinophils.Conclusion: A novel EL/T formulation was successfully developed for topical delivery of HST to treat AD.Keywords: hirsutenone, elastic liposomes, atopic dermatitis, NC/Nga mice, Tat peptid

The Implication of Substance P in the Development of Tendinopathy: A Case Control Study.

It was reported that substance P had beneficial effects in the healing of acute tendon injury. However, the relationship between substance P and degenerative tendinopathy development remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of substance P in the pathogenesis of tendinopathy. Healthy and tendinopathy tendon were harvested from human and tenocytes were cultured individually. The expression levels of genes associated with tendinopathy were compared. Next, substance P was exogenously administered to the healthy tenocyte and the effect was evaluated. The results showed that tendinopathy tenocytes had higher levels of COL3A1, MMP1, COX2, SCX, ACTA2, and substance P gene expression compared to healthy tenocytes. Next, substance P treatment on the healthy tenocyte displayed similar changes to that of the tendinopathy tenocytes. These differences between the two groups were also determined by Western blot. Additionally, cells with substance P had the tendinopathy change morphologically although cellular proliferation was significantly higher compared to that of the control group. In conclusion, substance P enhanced cellular proliferation, but concomitantly increased immature collagen (type 3 collagen). Substance P plays a crucial role in tendinopathy development and could be a future therapeutic target for treatment

Nanopores of carbon nanotubes as practical hydrogen storage media

We report on hydrogen desorption mechanisms in the nanopores of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The as-grown MWCNTs show continuous walls that do not provide sites for hydrogen storage under ambient conditions. However, after treating the nanotubes with oxygen plasma to create nanopores in the MWCNTs, we observed the appearance of a new hydrogen desorption peak in the 300–350 K range. Furthermore, the calculations of density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that this peak could be attributed to the hydrogen that is physically adsorbed inside nanopores whose diameter is approximately 1 nm. Thus, we demonstrated that 1 nm nanopores in MWCNTs offer a promising route to hydrogen storage media for onboard practical applications

Effects of creatine and β-guanidinopropionic acid and alterations in creatine transporter and creatine kinases expression in acute seizure and chronic epilepsy models

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In order to confirm the roles of creatine (Cr) in epilepsy, we investigated the anti-convulsive effects of Cr, creatine transporter (CRT) and creatine kinases (CKs) against chemical-induced acute seizure activity and chronic epileptic seizure activity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two hr after pilocarpine (PILO)-seizure induction, ubiquitous mitochondrial CK (uMtCK) immunoreactivity was unaltered as compared to control level. However, brain-type cytoplasm CK (BCK) immunoreactivity was decreased to 70% of control level. CRT immunoreactivity was decreased to 60% of control level. Following Cr or Tat-CK treatment, uMtCK or CRT immunoreactivity was unaffected, while BCK immunoreactivity in Cr treated group was increased to 3.6-fold of control levels. β-Guanidinopropionic acid (GPA, a competitive CRT inhibitor) reduced BCK and CRT expression. In addition, Cr and tat-BCK treatment delayed the beginning of seizure activity after PILO injection. However, GPA treatment induced spontaneous seizure activity without PILO treatment. In chronic epilepsy rats, both uMtCK and CRT immunoreactivities were reduced in the hippocampus. In contrast, BCK immunoreactivity was similar to that observed in control animals. Cr-, GPA and tat-BCK treatment could not change EEG.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Cr/CK circuit may play an important role in sustaining or exacerbating acute seizure activity, but not chronic epileptic discharge.</p