Surface offsetting using distance volumes

Proposed in this paper is a new approach for offset surface construction using three- dimensional (3D) distance volumes. After converting an original compound surface into a triangular mesh, the approach creates a distance volume of the triangular mesh. With this distance volume and a given offset value, it extracts the offset points in each slice to create a sequence of two dimensional (2D) cross-sections. The approach then performs offset surface construction using the serial cross-sections. For more accurate and efficient computation of the distance volume, the concept of space division is combined with the concept one of distance propagation to the whole space of interest. The resulting offset surface is a G¹ composite surface consisting of three kinds of surfaces: skinned, capped, andor branched surfaces. The proposed approach provides offset surfaces that are accurate and free of degeneracy. Some experimental results demonstrate its usefulness and quality.     

Effectiveness of CFRP rudder aspect ratio for scale model catamaran racing yacht test

This paper studied experimental and numerical analyses and design of CFRP rudder with different aspect ratios for 33 feet catamaran racing yacht. To design the effective aspect ratio of rudder, hydrodynamic forces were measured with driving model ships in water channel. Hydrodynamic forces were calculated by the prediction method suggested in International Towing Tank Conference 1978. Finite element method was also applied to examine the structural strength of rudder. Finally, the proper aspect ratio of CFRP rudder was verified through experiments and simulations to satisfy the performance required in racing yacht.     

Correlation of particle impact conditions with bonding,nanocrystal formation and mechanical properties in kinetic sprayed nickel

Owing to the specific high-strain-rate thermomechanical characteristics of Ni particle impact in kinetic spraying, the rebound phenomenon of the impacting particles hinders the formation of the first layer and impedes successful build-up of the coating. Even at higher impact velocities, the deposition efficiency of the coating is quite low because of excessive kinetic energy, which induces the rebound and/or erosion of the highly flattened particles. This paper reports noticeably improved bonding and deposition characteristics of Ni particles resulting from suppressed equivalent (von Mises) flow stress and enhanced interface heat-up as a result of powder preheating. Experimental observations coupled with finite-element modeling (FEM) corroborate the fact that the thermally softened Ni particle is very effective for enhanced adhesive and cohesive bonding. Based on the FEM results, the thermal boost-up zone, increased by thermally accelerated adiabatic shear instability, is proposed as a crucial factor for enhancing bonding between the particles, which is essential in producing better coating properties. Moreover, nanocrystal formation (<100 nm) in the coating was more pronounced than cases previously reported in the literature, mainly because of the enhanced thermal activation and straining of the severely deformed particles, which was verified by transmission electron microscopy investigations and nanoindentation tests.     

Citric based sol-gel synthesis and luminescence characteristics of CaLa2ZnO5:Euphosphors for blue LED excited white LEDs

A novel class of orange-red phosphors namely CaLa₂ZnO₅ (CLZ) doped with Eu³⁺ ions were prepared by adopting citrate based sol-gel method. Those were thoroughly characterized by means of XRD, SEM, Tg-DTA, photoluminescent (PL) spectral profiles. PL studies reveal that its emission intensity strongly depends on sintering temperature as well as the dopant ion (Eu³⁺) concentration. Eu³⁺ ion doped CaLa₂ZnO₅ phosphor has a strong excitation at 468 nm, which correspond to the popular emission line from a GaN based blue light-emitting diode (LED) chip. The influence of the preparation method on the luminescence property was studied by comparing the emission performance of phosphors prepared by sol-gel and solid-state reaction methods along with a commercial red phosphor Y₂O₂S:Eu³⁺. Thus, the intense red emission (⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂) of the Eu³⁺ doped CLZ phosphors under blue excitation suggests them to be a potential candidate for the production of white light by blue LEDs.     

A study on the control characteristics of ER valve-FHA system and durability test

In this paper, making the best use of the features of the electro-rheological (ER) valve, a two-port pressure control valve using ER fluids is proposed and manufactured. The ER-Valve characteristics are evaluated by changing the intensity of the electric field and the number of electrode. As only with electrical signal change to the ER-Valve in which ER fluid flowing, ER fluid flow is controlled, so development of simple ER-Valves have been tried. The ER-Valves and pressure drop check method are considered to be applied to the fluid power industry. Using the manufactured pressure control valve, a one-link manipulator with FHA (Flexible Hydraulic Actuator) is driven. As a result, it is experimentally confirmed that the pressure control valve using ER fluids is applicable to use in driving actuator. If it applies characteristics of the ER fluids, it will be able to apply in the control system for the ER Valve which occurs from industrial controller. After having durability test, shear stress increased regularly because of starch particles crushed by pump and particle size that was almost the same. Moreover, Ra of copper electrode increased about 1.56 times rather than before those of performing durability test, and Rz increased about 2.2 times.     

Targeting Lactate Dehydrogenase A with Catechin Resensitizes SNU620/5FU Gastric Cancer Cells to 5-Fluorouracil

Resistance to anticancer therapeutics occurs in virtually every type of cancer and becomes a major difficulty in cancer treatment. Although 5-fluorouracil (5FU) is the first-line choice of anticancer therapy for gastric cancer, its effectiveness is limited owing to drug resistance. Recently, altered cancer metabolism, including the Warburg effect, a preference for glycolysis rather than oxidative phosphorylation for energy production, has been accepted as a pivotal mechanism regulating resistance to chemotherapy. Thus, we investigated the detailed mechanism and possible usefulness of antiglycolytic agents in ameliorating 5FU resistance using established gastric cancer cell lines, SNU620 and SNU620/5FU. SNU620/5FU, a gastric cancer cell harboring resistance to 5FU, showed much higher lactate production and expression of glycolysis-related enzymes, such as lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), than those of the parent SNU620 cells. To limit glycolysis, we examined catechin and its derivatives, which are known anti-inflammatory and anticancer natural products because epigallocatechin gallate has been previously reported as a suppressor of LDHA expression. Catechin, the simplest compound among them, had the highest inhibitory effect on lactate production and LDHA activity. In addition, the combination of 5FU and catechin showed additional cytotoxicity and induced reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated apoptosis in SNU620/5FU cells. Thus, based on these results, we suggest catechin as a candidate for the development of a novel adjuvant drug that reduces chemoresistance to 5FU by restricting LDHA.     

Ex Vivo Live Full-Thickness Porcine Skin Model as a Versatile In Vitro Testing Method for Skin Barrier Research

Since the European Union (EU) announced their animal testing ban in 2013, all animal experiments related to cosmetics have been prohibited, creating a demand for alternatives to animal experiments for skin studies. Here, we investigated whether an ex vivo live porcine skin model can be employed to study the safety and skin barrier-improving effects of hydroxyacids widely used in cosmetics for keratolytic peels. Glycolic acid (1–10%), salicylic acid (0.2–2%), and lactobionic acid (1.2–12%) were used as representative substances for α-hydroxyacid (AHA), β-hydroxyacid (BHA), and polyhydroxyacid (PHA), respectively. When hydroxyacids were applied at high concentrations on the porcine skin every other day for 6 days, tissue viability was reduced to 50–80%, suggesting that the toxicity of cosmetic ingredients can be evaluated with this model. Based on tissue viability, the treatment scheme was changed to a single exposure for 20 min. The protective effects of a single exposure of hydroxyacids on skin barrier function were evaluated by examining rhodamine permeability and epidermal structural components of barrier function using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) staining. Lactobionic acid (PHAs) improved skin barrier function most compared to other AHAs and BHAs. Most importantly, trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), an important functional marker of skin barrier function, could be measured with this model, which confirmed the significant skin barrier-protective effects of PHAs. Collectively, we demonstrated that the ex vivo live full-thickness porcine skin model can be an excellent alternative to animal experiments for skin studies on the safety and efficacy of cosmetic ingredients.     

miR-373-3p Regulates Invasion and Migration Abilities of Trophoblast Cells via Targeted CD44 and Radixin

Preterm labor (PTL) is one of the obstetric complications, and is known to be associated with abnormal maternal inflammatory response and intrauterine inflammation and/or infection. However, the expression of specific miRNAs associated with PTL is not clear. In this study, we performed combination analysis of miRNA array and gene array, and then selected one miRNA (miR-373-3p) and its putative target genes (CD44 and RDX) that exhibited large expression differences in term and PTL placentas with or without inflammation. Using qRT-PCR and luciferase assays, we confirmed that miR-373-3p directly targeted CD44 and RDX. Overexpression of miR-373-3p reduced the migration and invasion of trophoblast cells, while inhibition of miR-373-3p restored the migration and invasion abilities of trophoblast cells. Finally, we validated the expression of miR-373-3p and its target genes in clinical patients’ blood. miR-373-3p was increased in PTL patients’ blood, and was the most expressed in PTL patients’ blood with inflammation. In addition, by targeting the miR-373-3p, CD44 and RDX was decreased in PTL patients’ blood, and their expression were the lowest in PTL patients’ blood with inflammation. Taken together, these findings suggest that miR-373-3p and its target genes can be potential biomarkers for diagnosis of PTL.     

Analysis of the small punch creep test results according to the normalized lifetime fraction

The small punch creep test method was developed to complement the demerits of the existing uniaxial creep test method. A 10×10×0.5mm thin-plate specimen was used in the test, which could help save specimens and testing time. However, theories on the mechanism and significance of the small punch creep test have not been established clearly yet, and further research should be conducted. In this study, to analyze the behaviors of the small punch creep test, experiments were conducted using the interrupted small punch creep test method for five different lifetime fractions under the designed load and temperature using the Ni-base alloy, which is one of the very attractive candidate materials for the future advanced fossil power plant. The stress concentration part of the specimen, which is critical in analyzing the failure characteristics, was determined via FEM, and its effect on the failure mechanism was also studied through a microstructural analysis.