Development of Biocompatible Quantum Dots using Zwitterionic Copolymer for Biological Application

Department of ChemistryIn recent years, zwitterionic polymers has been extensively studied because of their unique water-stability and highly efficient non-biofouling property. This work describes a new class of polymeric ligands for quantum Dot (QD), QDs coated short-chain zwitterionic ligand were stabilized against aggregation from proteins. The zwitterionic polymers are synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer-mediated polymerization to control the uniform molecular weight of random copolymer with histidine group for binding QD surface, and (3-(methacryloylamino)propyl)-dimethyl(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide (MPDSAH) group for water solubilization, and primary amine group as binding site for derivatization. Then by carefully handling primary amine of surface, folate-conjugated QDs (QD-FAs) with high photostability are prepared. We demonstrate receptor-mediated conjugation of folic acid functionalized QDs on live cell lines such as Hela cells.ope

Processing and characterization of plasticized PLA/PHB blends for biodegradable multiphase systems

Blends of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) plasticized with a lactic acid oligomer (OLA) added at three different concentrations (15, 20 and 30 wt% by weight), were prepared by an optimized extrusion process to improve the processability and mechanical properties of these biopolymers for flexible film manufacturing. Morphological, chemical, thermal, mechanical, barrier and migration properties were investigated and formulations with desired performance in eco-friendly films were selected. The efficiency of OLA as plasticizer for PLA_PHB blends was demonstrated by the significant decrease of their glass transition temperatures and a considerable improvement of their ductile properties. The measured improvements in the barrier properties are related to the higher crystallinity of the plasticized PLA_PHB blends, while the overall migration test underlined that all the proposed formulations maintained migration levels below admitted levels. The PLA_PHB blend with 30 wt% OLA was selected as the optimum formulation for food packaging, since it offered the best compromise between ductility and oxygen and water vapor barrier properties with practically no migration.This research was financed by the SAMSUNG GRO PROGRAMME 2012

Removal of Specular Reflection Using Angle Adjustment of Linear Polarized Filter in Medical Imaging Diagnosis

The biggest problem in imaging medicine is the occurrence of light reflection in the imaging process for lesion diagnosis. The formation of light reflection obscures the diagnostic field of the lesion and interferes with the correct diagnosis of the observer. The existing method has the inconvenience of performing a diagnosis in a state in which light reflection is suppressed by adjusting the direction angle of the camera. This paper proposes a method for rotating a linear polarization filter to remove light reflection in a diagnostic imaging camera. Vertical polarization and horizontal polarization are controlled through the rotation of the filter, and the polarization is adjusted to horizontal polarization. The rotation angle of the filter for horizontal polarization control will be 90°, and the vertical and horizontal polarization waves induce a 90° difference from each other. In this study, light reflection can be effectively removed during the imaging process, and light reflection removal can secure the field of view of the lesion. The removal of light reflection can help the observer’s accurate diagnosis, and these results are expected to be highly reliable and commercialized for direct application in the field of diagnostic medicine

Design of Dual Ultra–Wideband Band–Pass Filter Using Stepped Impedance Resonator λg/4 Short Stubs and T–Shaped Band-Stop Filter

Portable wireless communication systems are increasingly in demand in small sizes for human convenience. In wireless communication systems, the performance, size, and unit cost are very important. A band−pass filter is important to sharp cut–off frequency characteristics, size, and frequency selectivity in wireless communication systems. The band−pass filter has three types of techniques in the transmission−zero method, stub−loaded resonator, and stepped impedance resonator for the sharp cut−off frequency characteristic, adjustable bandwidth, and excellent frequency response characteristics. To obtain these characteristics, the impedance ratio and length of a stub are mainly adjusted. It also utilizes a multi–mode technique to increase bandwidth. However, it is analyzed that the problem of reducing the size of the device still remains. To solve these problems, the paper is applied to a stub−loaded resonator and a stepped impedance resonator to control the impedance ratio and the length of the stub to obtain the results of the transmission−zero method, bandwidth control, and size reduction through the folded structure. Dual−band bandwidth was secured by integrating a T−shaped band−stop filter. The designed band–pass filter has center frequencies of 243 GHz and 7.49 GHz, and the insertion loss of a proposed band−pass filter is 0.102 dB and 0.103 dB. Additionally, the return loss of a proposed band−pass filter is 19.13 dB and 19.96 dB, respectively. The bandwidth of a filter is 120% and 105%, respectively. The size of the filter is 0.0708 λg × 0.0533 λg. The designed filter has a good skirt phenomenon, small size, low insertion loss, and dual−band characteristics

A Surgical Pen-Type Probe Design for Real-Time Optical Diagnosis of Tumor Status Using 5-Aminolevulinic Acid

A surgical microscope is large in size, which makes it impossible to be portable. The distance between the surgical microscope and the observation tissue is 15–30 cm, and the adjustment range of the right and left of the camera is a maximum of 30°. Therefore, the surgical microscope generates an attenuation (above 58%) of irradiation of the optical source owing to the long working distance (WD). Moreover, the observation of tissue is affected because of dazzling by ambient light as the optical source power is strong (55 to 160 mW/cm2). Further, observation blind spot phenomena will occur due to the limitations in adjusting the right and left of the camera. Therefore, it is difficult to clearly observe the tumor. To overcome these problems, several studies on the handheld surgical microscope have been reported. In this study, a compact pen-type probe with a portable surgical microscope is presented. The proposed surgical microscope comprises a small and portable pen-type probe that can adjust the WD between the probe and the observed tissue. In addition, it allows the adjustment of the viewing angle and fluorescence brightness. The proposed probe has no blind spots or optical density loss

ASYMMETRIC ELECTRON DISTRIBUTIONS IN THE SOLAR WIND

A plausible mechanism responsible for producing asymmetric electron velocity distribution functions in the solar wind is investigated by means of one-dimensional electrostatic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. A recent paper suggests that the variation in the ion-to-electron temperature ratio influences the nonlinear wave-particle dynamics such that it results in the formation of asymmetric distributions. The present PIC code simulation largely confirms this finding, but quantitative differences between the weak turbulence formalism and the present PIC simulation are also found, suggesting the limitation of the analytical method. The inter-relationship between the asymmetric electron distribution and the ion-to-electron temperature ratio may be a new useful concept for the observation.open1122sciescopu

Design of the Floating Hologram Method with a Reverse Pyramid Type for CT and MR Diagnosis in Clinical Room

In the field of medical diagnosis, big data and three-dimensional (3D) imaging diagnosis technology are being applied due to the development of these technologies. Using radiology diagnosis methods, medical staff are increasing their understanding and ability to explain symptoms to patients, but they are experiencing difficulties due to communication problems. Therefore, if the medical staff shows the lesion by providing the patient with a 3D image, the understanding of the patient can be increased. This paper proposes the design of a system to produce an inverted pyramid-shaped floating holographic image to increase the patient’s understanding. The hologram system consists of an optical source generator and a beam mirror and utilizes a technology to plot an image using a 45° refraction angle of the beam of the optical source. Selected objects for observation were liver, colon, and lung, and to observe these tissues, a Computed Tomography (CT) image was input to the hologram system through the picture archiving and communication system (PACS), and the image was displayed. Tissues observed through the mirror can be observed from the left, right, front, and back with a 360° anterior view. Therefore, it is possible to observe at the desired position by the medical staff and the patient in the treatment room, and the image is large and clear, so it is very satisfying to observe. As a holographic imaging diagnostic system, it is expected that this study can be used in clinics, medical education rooms, and operating rooms in the future

Mathematical Analysis and Motion Capture System Utilization Method for Standardization Evaluation of Tracking Objectivity of 6-DOF Arm Structure for Rehabilitation Training Exercise Therapy Robot

A treatment method for suppressing shoulder pain by reducing the secretion of neurotransmitters in the brain is being studied in compliance with domestic and international standards. A robot is being developed to assist physical therapists in shoulder rehabilitation exercise treatment. The robot used for rehabilitation therapy enables the training of patients to perform rehabilitation exercises repeatedly. However, the biomechanical movement (or motion) of the shoulder joint should be accurately designed to enhance efficiency using a shoulder rehabilitation robot. Furthermore, safely treating patients by accurately evaluating biomechanical movements in compliance with domestic and international standards is a major task. Therefore, an in-depth analysis of shoulder movement is essential for understanding the mechanism of shoulder rehabilitation using robots. This paper proposes a method for analyzing shoulder movements. The rotation angle and range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder joint are measured by attaching a marker to the body and analyzing the inverse kinematics. The first motion is abduction and adduction, and the second is external and internal rotation. The location information of the marker is transmitted to an application software through an infrared camera. For the analysis using an inverse kinematics solution, five males and five females participated in the motion capture experiment. The subjects did not have any disability, and abduction and adduction were repeated 10 times. As a result, ROM of the abduction and adduction were 148° with males and 138.7° in females. Moreover, ROM of the external and internal rotation were 111.2° with males and 106° in females. Because this study enables tracking of the center coordinates of the joint suitably through a motion capture system, inverse kinematics can be accurately calculated. Additionally, a mathematical inverse kinematics equation will utilize follow-up study for designing an upper rehabilitations robot. The proposed method is assessed to be able to contribute to the definition of domestic and international standardization of rehabilitation robots and motion capture for objective evaluation

Coupling Effect Suppressed Compact Surgical Robot with 7-Axis Multi-Joint Using Wire-Driven Method

Currently, the most prevalent surgical treatment method is laparoscopic surgery. Robotic surgery has many advantages over laparoscopic surgery. Therefore, robotic surgery technology is currently constantly evolving. The advantages of robotic surgery are that it can minimize incision, bleeding, and sequelae. Other advantages of robotic surgery are that it can reduce hospitalization, recovery period, and side effects. The appeal of robotic surgery is that it requires fewer surgical personnel compared to laparoscopic surgery. This paper proposes an ultra-compact 7-axis vertical multi-joint robot that employs the wire-driven method for minimally invasive surgery. The proposed robot analyzes the degree of freedom and motion coupling for control. The robot joint is composed of a total of seven joints, and among them, the 7-axis joint operates the forceps. At this time, the forceps joint (#7 axis) can only operate open and close functions, while the link is bent and rotatable, regardless of position change. This phenomenon can be analyzed by Forward Kinematics. Also, when the DOF rotates, the passing wires become twisted, and the wire is generated through length change and coupling phenomenon. The maximum rotation angle of DOF is 90° and the rotating passing wire is wound by the rotation of the wire pulley. If the DOF is rotated to the full range of 120°, the second DOF will be rotated to 90°, and at this time, the coupling phenomenon caused by the first DOF rotation can be eliminated. The length change and the robot joint angle change related to the motor drive, based on the surgical robot control using the wire-driven method, are correlated, and the values for the position and direction of the end effector of the robot can be obtained through a forward kinematic analysis. The coupling problem occurring in the wire connecting the robot driving part can be solved through a kinematic analysis. Therefore, it was possible to test the position of the slave robot and the performance of the surgical forceps movement using the master system

Miniaturized Bandpass Filter Using a Combination of T–Shaped Folded SIR Short Loaded Stubs

The consumption of multimedia content is ubiquitous in modern society. This is made possible by wireless local area networks (W–LAN) or wire service systems. Bandpass filters (BPF) have become very popular as they solve certain data transmission limitations allowing users to obtain reliable access to their multimedia content. The BPFs with quarter–wavelength short stubs can achieve performance; however, these BPFs are bulky. In this article, we propose a compact BPF with a T–shaped stepped impedance resonator (SIR) transmission line and a folded SIR structure. The proposed BPF uses a T–shaped SIR connected to a J–inverter structure (transmission line); this T–shaped SIR structure is used to replace the λg/4 transmission line seen in conventional stub BPFs. In addition, a folded SIR is added to the short stubs seen in conventional stub BPFs. This approach allows us to significantly reduce the size of the BPF. The advantage of a BPF is its very small size, low insertion loss, and wide bandwidth. The overall size of the new BPF is 2.44 mm × 1.49 mm (0.068λg × 0.059λg). The proposed BPF can be mass produced using semiconductors due to its planar structure. This design has the potential to be widely used in various areas including military, medical, and industrial systems