Manipulation of heat current by the interface between graphene and white graphene

We investigate the heat current flowing across the interface between graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (so-called white graphene) using both molecular dynamics simulation and nonequilibrium Green's function approaches. These two distinct methods discover the same phenomena that the heat current is reduced linearly with increasing interface length, and the zigzag interface causes stronger reduction of heat current than the armchair interface. These phenomena are interpreted by both the lattice dynamics analysis and the transmission function explanation, which both reveal that the localized phonon modes at interfaces are responsible for the heat management. The room temperature interface thermal resistance is about $7\times10^{-10}$m$^{2}$K/W in zigzag interface and $3.5\times10^{-10}$m$^{2}$K/W in armchair interface, which directly results in stronger heat reduction in zigzag interface. Our theoretical results provide a specific route for experimentalists to control the heat transport in the graphene and hexagonal boron nitride compound through shaping the interface between these two materials.Comment: accepted by EP

Assessment of Changes in Knowledge and Stigmatization Following Tuberculosis Training Workshops in Taiwan

Background/PurposeThere is little understanding of the depth of knowledge of health workers involved in tuberculosis (TB) control programs, and even less is known about health workers attaching stigma to TB patients. This study surveyed health workers enrolled in TB training workshops prior to the execution of the directly observed treatment, short course (DOTS) program.MethodsAll participants attended the training course and completed structured questionnaires before (pre-test) and after training (post-test). The questionnaires were collected immediately following completion and the scores were analyzed.ResultsPair comparison of knowledge scores revealed that all participants made statistically significant improvements in level of TB knowledge, except those who had a history of TB (p = 0.331). Pair comparison of stigmatization scores revealed a reduction in stigmatization, with the DOTS workers attaching less stigma to TB patients. After training, caregivers, including women (p = 0.012), public health workers (p = 0.028), 40–49-year-old subjects (p = 0.035), those with an education of < 12 years (p = 0.024), those who had been a volunteer (p = 0.018), and those who had a history of TB and those who did not (p = 0.034, p = 0.036), were significantly less likely to stigmatize patients. TB knowledge was not found to be significantly correlated with stigmatization (pre-test, p = 0.298; post-test, p = 0.821).ConclusionTraining workshops in TB control were effective for promotion of knowledge and elimination of stigmatization in first-line caregivers. DOTS workers attached less stigma to TB patients than public health workers, and older workers who had been volunteers attached the least stigma

Clinical significance of erythromycin-resistant Campylobacter jejuni in children

Campylobacter has been recognized as the common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in many countries. Increasing erythromycin resistance in Campylobacter jejuni infection is noted recently, but severe case was rarely reported. In this study, we aimed to clarify the clinical significance of the resistant strain of C jejuni in children. We reviewed the charts of children who were diagnosed with C jejuni enteritis in our hospital from January 2000 to December 2005, including 326 patients (117 males and 209 females). All the cases had positive stool culture. We divided them into two groups, the sensitive group (a total of 306 cases) and resistant group (a total of 20 cases), according to the drug sensitivity. We analyzed the clinical manifestations and laboratory data between the two groups. The mean age was 3.79±3.24 years in the sensitive group and 3.03±2.84 years in the resistant group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in clinical presentations and laboratory examinations. No mortality was found, and one case was initially presented with colonic perforation. This report demonstrates that infection by erythromycin-resistant strains of C jejuni has no clinical significance in children, despite the probably increased emergence of erythromycin resistance

Modulating Microglia/Macrophage Activation by CDNF Promotes Transplantation of Fetal Ventral Mesencephalic Graft Survival and Function in a Hemiparkinsonian Rat Model

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta, which leads to the motor control deficits. Recently, cell transplantation is a cutting-edge technique for the therapy of PD. Nevertheless, one key bottleneck to realizing such potential is allogenic immune reaction of tissue grafts by recipients. Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) was shown to possess immune-modulatory properties that benefit neurodegenerative diseases. We hypothesized that co-administration of CDNF with fetal ventral mesencephalic (VM) tissue can improve the success of VM replacement therapies by attenuating immune responses. Hemiparkinsonian rats were generated by injecting 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the right medial forebrain bundle of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The rats were then intrastriatally transplanted with VM tissue from rats, with/without CDNF administration. Recovery of dopaminergic function and survival of the grafts were evaluated using the apomorphine-induced rotation test and smallanimal positron emission tomography (PET) coupled with [F-18] DOPA or [F-18] FE-PE2I, respectively. In addition, transplantation-related inflammatory response was determined by uptake of [F-18] FEPPA in the grafted side of striatum. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) examination was used to determine the survival of the grated dopaminergic neurons in the striatum and to investigate immune-modulatory effects of CDNF. The modulation of inflammatory responses caused by CDNF might involve enhancing M2 subset polarization and increasing fractal dimensions of 6-OHDA-treated BV2 microglial cell line. Analysis of CDNF-induced changes to gene expressions of 6-OHDA-stimulated BV2 cells implies that these alternations of the biomarkers and microglial morphology are implicated in the upregulation of protein kinase B signaling as well as regulation of catalytic, transferase, and protein serine/threonine kinase activity. The effects of CDNF on 6-OHDA-induced alternation of the canonical pathway in BV2 microglial cells is highly associated with PI3K-mediated phagosome formation. Our results are the first to show that CDNF administration enhances the survival of the grafted dopaminergic neurons and improves functional recovery in PD animal model. Modulation of the polarization, morphological characteristics, and transcriptional profiles of 6-OHDA-stimualted microglia by CDNF may possess these properties in transplantation-based regenerative therapies.Peer reviewe

Invited; Developing low-temperature defect passivation technology with supercritical fluid technology

Current technology nodes in the process of semiconductor manufacturing have faced many bottlenecks. Therefore, a disruptive-innovative semiconductor processing technology is crucially needed to make a significant breakthrough. Our research team has developed a low temperature (RT~250°C), defect passivation technology based on the supercritical fluid (SCF) technology applied in the nano-scale device processing to overcome the key issues. The SCF technology was originally applied in the field of the extraction and the cleaning of biotechnologies. However, our research team firstly applies this technology in the optoelectronic device. Compared to current high pressure annealing (HPA) and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) methods, the SCF-based defect passivation technology features low temperature, and can be applied for various materials and devices including photoelectric device, advanced nano-device, memory device, and wide bandgap device. Currently, the prototype of the 12” supercritical fluid processing equipment has already been built, and related recipes including nitridation, oxidation, hydrogenation, and sulfurization are also implemented for various devices and applications. In this talk, we will introduce related SCF defect passivation technology and future developments for the SCF applications

Modulating Microglia/Macrophage Activation by CDNF Promotes Transplantation of Fetal Ventral Mesencephalic Graft Survival and Function in a Hemiparkinsonian Rat Model

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta, which leads to the motor control deficits. Recently, cell transplantation is a cutting-edge technique for the therapy of PD. Nevertheless, one key bottleneck to realizing such potential is allogenic immune reaction of tissue grafts by recipients. Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) was shown to possess immune-modulatory properties that benefit neurodegenerative diseases. We hypothesized that co-administration of CDNF with fetal ventral mesencephalic (VM) tissue can improve the success of VM replacement therapies by attenuating immune responses. Hemiparkinsonian rats were generated by injecting 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the right medial forebrain bundle of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The rats were then intrastriatally transplanted with VM tissue from rats, with/without CDNF administration. Recovery of dopaminergic function and survival of the grafts were evaluated using the apomorphine-induced rotation test and small-animal positron emission tomography (PET) coupled with [18F] DOPA or [18F] FE-PE2I, respectively. In addition, transplantation-related inflammatory response was determined by uptake of [18F] FEPPA in the grafted side of striatum. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) examination was used to determine the survival of the grated dopaminergic neurons in the striatum and to investigate immune-modulatory effects of CDNF. The modulation of inflammatory responses caused by CDNF might involve enhancing M2 subset polarization and increasing fractal dimensions of 6-OHDA-treated BV2 microglial cell line. Analysis of CDNF-induced changes to gene expressions of 6-OHDA-stimulated BV2 cells implies that these alternations of the biomarkers and microglial morphology are implicated in the upregulation of protein kinase B signaling as well as regulation of catalytic, transferase, and protein serine/threonine kinase activity. The effects of CDNF on 6-OHDA-induced alternation of the canonical pathway in BV2 microglial cells is highly associated with PI3K-mediated phagosome formation. Our results are the first to show that CDNF administration enhances the survival of the grafted dopaminergic neurons and improves functional recovery in PD animal model. Modulation of the polarization, morphological characteristics, and transcriptional profiles of 6-OHDA-stimualted microglia by CDNF may possess these properties in transplantation-based regenerative therapies

Exploring the heterogeneity of effects of corticosteroids on acute respiratory distress syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: The effectiveness of corticosteroid therapy on the mortality of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains under debate. We aimed to explore the grounds for the inconsistent results in previous studies and update the evidence. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science up to December 2013. Eligible studies included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and cohort studies that reported mortality and that had corticosteroid nonusers for comparison. The effect of corticosteroids on ARDS mortality was assessed by relative risk (RR) and risk difference (RD) for ICU, hospital, and 60-day mortality using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Eight RCTs and 10 cohort studies were included for analysis. In RCTs, corticosteroids had a possible but statistically insignificant effect on ICU mortality (RD, −0.28; 95% confidence interval (CI), −0.53 to −0.03 and RR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.24 to 1.25) but no effect on 60-day mortality (RD, −0.01; 95% CI, −0.12 to 0.10 and RR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.75 to 1.26). In cohort studies, corticosteroids had no effect on ICU mortality (RR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.49) but non-significantly increased 60-day mortality (RR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.78). In the subgroup analysis by ARDS etiology, corticosteroids significantly increased mortality in influenza-related ARDS (three cohort studies, RR, 2.45, 95% CI, 1.40 to 4.27). CONCLUSIONS: The effects of corticosteroids on the mortality of ARDS differed by duration of outcome measures and etiologies. Corticosteroids did not improve longer-term outcomes and may cause harm in certain subgroups. Current data do not support routine use of corticosteroids in ARDS. More clinical trials are needed to specify the favorable and unfavorable subgroups for corticosteroid therapy