Effects of Electromagnetic Waves with LTE and 5G Bandwidth on the Skin Pigmentation In Vitro

With the rapid growth of wireless communication devices, the influences of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on human health are gathering increasing attention. Since the skin is the largest organ of the body and is located at the outermost layer, it is considered a major target for the health effects of EMF. Skin pigmentation represents one of the most frequent symptoms caused by various non-ionizing radiations, including ultraviolet radiation, blue light, infrared, and extremely low frequency (ELF). Here, we investigated the effects of EMFs with long-term evolution (LTE, 1.762 GHz) and 5G (28 GHz) bandwidth on skin pigmentation in vitro. Murine and Human melanoma cells (B16F10 and MNT-1) were exposed to either LTE or 5G for 4 h per day, which is considered the upper bound of average smartphone use time. It was shown that neither LTE nor 5G exposure induced significant effects on cell viability or pigmentation. The dendrites of MNT-1 were neither lengthened nor regressed after EMF exposure. Skin pigmentation effects of EMFs were further examined in the human keratinocyte cell line (MNT-1-HaCaT) co-culture system, which confirmed the absence of significant hyper-pigmentation effects of LTE and 5G EMFs. Lastly, MelanoDerm™, a 3D pigmented human epidermis model, was irradiated with LTE (1.762 GHz) or 5G (28 GHz), and image analysis and special staining were performed. No changes in the brightness of MelanoDerm™ tissues were observed in LTE- or 5G-exposed tissues, except for only minimal changes in the size of melanocytes. Collectively, these results imply that exposure to LTE and 5G EMFs may not affect melanin synthesis or skin pigmentation under normal smartphone use condition.     

Effect of Initial Grain Size on Friction Stir Weldability for Rolled and Cast CoCrFeMnNi High-Entropy Alloys

Metals and Materials International - This study investigated the influence of the initial grain size on the plastic deformation and tunnel defects that occurred from friction stir welding of...     

A dynamic control technique to enhance the flexibility of software artifact reuse in large-scale repository

The Journal of Supercomputing - Reuse is the activity of developing new software systems using software components (or artifacts) that are already proven and reliable. However, traditional...     

Phenotypic Discovery of SB1501, an Anti-obesity Agent,through Modulating Mitochondrial Activity

Obesity has become a pandemic that threatens the quality of life and discovering novel therapeutic agents that can reverse obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders are necessary. Here, we aimed to identify new anti-obesity agents using a phenotype-based approach. We performed image-based high-content screening with a fluorogenic bioprobe (SF44), which visualizes cellular lipid droplets (LDs), to identify initial hit compounds. A structure-activity relationship study led us to yield a bioactive compound SB1501, which reduces cellular LDs in 3T3-L1 adipocytes without cytotoxicity. SB1501 induced the expression of gene products that regulate mitochondrial biogenesis and fatty acid oxidation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Daily treatment with SB1501 improved the metabolic states of db/db mice by reducing body fat mass, adipose tissue mass, food intake, and increasing glucose tolerance. The anti-obesity effect of SB1501 may result from perturbation of the PGC-1α–UCP1 regulatory axis in inguinal white adipose tissue and brown adipose tissue. These data suggest the therapeutic potential of SB1501 as an anti-obesity agent via modulating mitochondrial activities.     

Fabrication of an electrolyte-supported protonic ceramic fuel cell with nano-sized powders of Ni-composite anode

Composite anodes of nano-sized Ni and Ba(Zr_0.85Y_0.15)O_3-δ (BZY) were fabricated by infiltrating a single precursor solution of BZY and Ni into the BZY scaffold, and decreasing the calcination temperature to 1173 K. This decrease in the fabrication temperature of the Ni-cermet anode prevents the chemical reaction between the electrolyte and nickel, thus preventing a reduction in the conductivity of the electrolyte. By optimizing the amount of Ni in the Ni-cermet and infiltrating additional catalysts such as CeO₂ and Pd, the non-ohmic ASR of the Ni-cermet anode could be optimized. This resulted in a smaller non-ohmic ASR of anode than one that was fabricated by the conventional co-sintering method. Consequently, a high power density of 790 mW/cm² at 973 K can be obtained from electrolyte-supported cells.     

Feasibility study to control fiber distribution for enhancement of composite properties via three-dimensional printing

The distribution of fibers in the composite (which takes into account both their locations and orientations) is one of the important factors that affect the mechanical properties of FRCs. However, this parameter depends on various factors during composite fabrication, and controlling the distribution of fibers in the produced material represents a significant challenge. In this study, the applicability of three-dimensional (3D) printing technique for controlling fiber distributions was evaluated. The fibers fabricated using a 3D printer were placed inside a mold to produce cementitious composites. Three-point bending tests were conducted and the results of the experiment were discussed.     

ALLSTEPS: Curriculum-driven Learning of Stepping Stone Skills

Humans are highly adept at walking in environments with foot placement constraints, including stepping-stone scenarios where footstep locations are fully constrained. Finding good solutions to stepping-stone locomotion is a longstanding and fundamental challenge for animation and robotics. We present fully learned solutions to this difficult problem using reinforcement learning. We demonstrate the importance of a curriculum for efficient learning and evaluate four possible curriculum choices compared to a non-curriculum baseline. Results are presented for a simulated humanoid, a realistic bipedal robot simulation and a monster character, in each case producing robust, plausible motions for challenging stepping stone sequences and terrains.     

Fabrication of oxide pellets containing lumped Gd2O3 using Y2O3‐stabilized ZrO2 for burnable absorber fuel applications

In this paper, the fabrication of novel burnable absorber fuel concepts with oxide pellets, containing either a lumped Gd₂O₃ rod, a mini‐pellet, or a spherical particle in the centerline of the oxide pellet, is investigated to propose the lumped Gd₂O₃ burnable absorber fuel concept to improve nuclear fuel performance with longer fuel cycle lengths and better fuel utilization. The unique characteristic of the lumped Gd₂O₃ burnable absorber fuel is its high spatial self‐shielding factor that reduces its burnout rate and, therefore, improves the reactivity control. Oxide pellets containing lumped Gd₂O₃ were fabricated by using a combination of cold isostatic pressing and microwave sintering at 1500°C to understand the potential technical issues in the fabrication of duplex burnable absorber fuel. The effect of the sintering temperature on the densification and phase transformation of 8 wt.% yttria‐stabilized zirconia, a surrogate for UO₂, was investigated. Spherical Gd₂O₃ particles were fabricated by the drip casting of a Gd₂O₃‐based Na alginate solution. The fabrication of duplex oxide pellets by using presintered Gd₂O₃ mini‐pellets resulted in internal cracks at the interface between the Gd₂O₃ and 8 wt.% yttria‐stabilized zirconia layers because of the mismatch of their densification. However, the formation of interfacial cracks was eliminated by controlling the initial sintered density of the lumped Gd₂O₃.