Advances in Soft Materials for Sustainable Electronics

In the current shift from conventional fossil-fuel-based materials to renewable energy,ecofriendly mate-rials have attracted extensive research interest due to ...     

Selective Coloration of Melanin Nanospheres through Resonant Mie Scattering

Black melanin inks are prepared to selectively exhibit colors under strong light, inspired by human hair. High absorbance of melanin suppresses multiple scattering, causing resonant Mie scattering predominant. Various colors can be developed as the resonant wavelength dictated by nanosphere diameter. Therefore, the melanin inks can be used to encrypt and selectively disclose multicolor patterns for anticounterfeiting applications.     

Effect of surface structure on biomechanical properties and osseointegration

The purpose of this study is to improve the bone-bonding ability between titanium implants and living bone through the control of geometric design and chemical compositions of an implant surface. We compared the tissue healing response and resulting implant stability for three surface designs by characterizing the histological and mechanical properties of the healing tissue around smooth-surfaced Ti–6Al–4V (SS), CP-Ti plasma-spray-coated (PSC), alkali- and heat-treated (AHT) implants. The implants were transversely inserted into a dog thighbone and evaluated at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Histological examination indicated that initial matrix mineralization leading to osseointegration occurred more rapidly with the AHT implant. During the 4, 8, and 12 week healing periods, new bone on the surface of AHT implant showed denser growth than that on the SS and PSC implants. The more extensive tissue integration and more rapid matrix mineralization with the AHT implant were reflected in the mechanical test data, which demonstrated superior attachment strength and interfacial stiffness for the AHT implant after healing for 4, 8 and 12 weeks of healing because of the mechanical interlocking in the micrometer sized rough surface and the large bonding area between bone and implant caused by the nanosized porous surface structure. Histological and mechanical data demonstrate that with the appropriate surface design selection, bone bone-bonding ability can be improved and can induce acceleration of the healing response, thereby improving the potential for implant osseointegration.     

A Fully-Human Antibody Specifically Targeting a Membrane-Bound Fragment of CADM1 Potentiates the T Cell-Mediated Death of Human Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive form of lung cancer and the leading cause of global cancer-related mortality. Despite the earlier identification of membrane-proximal cleavage of cell adhesion molecule 1 (CADM1) in cancers, the role of the membrane-bound fragment of CAMD1 (MF-CADM1) is yet to be clearly identified. In this study, we first isolated MF-CADM1-specific fully human single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) from the human synthetic scFv antibody library using the phage display technology. Following the selected scFv conversion to human immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) scFv-Fc antibodies (K103.1–4), multiple characterization studies, including antibody cross-species reactivity, purity, production yield, and binding affinity, were verified. Finally, via intensive in vitro efficacy and toxicity evaluation studies, we identified K103.3 as a lead antibody that potently promotes the death of human SCLC cell lines, including NCI-H69, NCI-H146, and NCI-H187, by activated Jurkat T cells without severe endothelial toxicity. Taken together, these findings suggest that antibody-based targeting of MF-CADM1 may be an effective strategy to potentiate T cell-mediated SCLC death, and MF-CADM1 may be a novel potential therapeutic target in SCLC for antibody therapy.     

HDAC8-Selective Inhibition by PCI-34051 Enhances the Anticancer Effects of ACY-241 in Ovarian Cancer Cells

HDAC6 is overexpressed in ovarian cancer and is known to be correlated with tumorigenesis. Accordingly, ACY-241, a selective HDAC6 inhibitor, is currently under clinical trial and has been tested in combination with various drugs. HDAC8, another member of the HDAC family, has recently gained attention as a novel target for cancer therapy. Here, we evaluated the synergistic anticancer effects of PCI-34051 and ACY-241 in ovarian cancer. Among various ovarian cancer cells, PCI-34051 effectively suppresses cell proliferation in wild-type p53 ovarian cancer cells compared with mutant p53 ovarian cancer cells. In ovarian cancer cells harboring wild-type p53, PCI-34051 in combination with ACY-241 synergistically represses cell proliferation, enhances apoptosis, and suppresses cell migration. The expression of pro-apoptotic proteins is synergistically upregulated, whereas the expressions of anti-apoptotic proteins and metastasis-associated proteins are significantly downregulated in combination treatment. Furthermore, the level of acetyl-p53 at K381 is synergistically upregulated upon combination treatment. Overall, co-inhibition of HDAC6 and HDAC8 through selective inhibitors synergistically suppresses cancer cell proliferation and metastasis in p53 wild-type ovarian cancer cells. These results suggest a novel approach to treating ovarian cancer patients and the therapeutic potential in developing HDAC6/8 dual inhibitors.     

Dual-wavelength cascaded Raman fibre laser

Dual-wavelength lasing at 1480 and 1500 nm has been demonstrated from a cascaded Raman fibre laser with a WDM coupler and two pairs of Bragg gratings. Intensity-adjustable, wavelength-tunable laser operation was achieved by tensile stress wavelength tuning of the gratings     

Intratracheal Transplantation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Attenuates Hyperoxia-Induced Microbial Dysbiosis in the Lungs,Brain, and Gut in Newborn Rats

We attempted to determine whether intratracheal (IT) transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could simultaneously attenuate hyperoxia-induced lung injuries and microbial dysbiosis of the lungs, brain, and gut in newborn rats. Newborn rats were exposed to hyperoxia (90% oxygen) for 14 days. Human umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (5 × 10⁵) were transplanted via the IT route on postnatal day (P) five. At P14, the lungs were harvested for histological, biochemical, and microbiome analyses. Bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA genes from the lungs, brain, and large intestine were amplified, pyrosequenced, and analyzed. IT transplantation of MSCs simultaneously attenuated hyperoxia-induced lung inflammation and the ensuing injuries, as well as the dysbiosis of the lungs, brain, and gut. In correlation analyses, lung interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were significantly positively correlated with the abundance of Proteobacteria in the lungs, brain, and gut, and it was significantly inversely correlated with the abundance of Firmicutes in the gut and lungs and that of Bacteroidetes in the lungs. In conclusion, microbial dysbiosis in the lungs, brain, and gut does not cause but is caused by hyperoxic lung inflammation and ensuing injuries, and IT transplantation of MSCs attenuates dysbiosis in the lungs, brain, and gut, primarily by their anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects.     

Supersonic Nozzle Flow Simulations for Particle Coating Applications: Effects of Shockwaves,Nozzle Geometry,Ambient Pressure,and Substrate Location upon Flow Characteristics

Characteristics of supersonic flow are examined with specific regard to nano-particle thin-film coating. Effects of shockwaves, nozzle geometry, chamber pressure, and substrate location were studied computationally. Shockwaves are minimized to reduce fluctuations in flow properties at the discontinuities across diamond shock structures. Nozzle geometry was adjusted to ensure optimal expansion (i.e., P _exit = P _ambient), where shock formation was significantly reduced and flow kinetic energy maximized. When the ambient pressure was reduced from 1 to 0.01316 bar, the nozzle’s diverging angle must be increased to yield the optimum condition of minimized adversed effects. Beyond some critical distance, substrate location did not seem to be a sensitive parameter on flow characteristics when P _amb = 0.01316 bar; however, overly close proximity to the nozzle exit caused flow disturbances inside the nozzle, thereby adversely affecting coating gas flow.     

Application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for detecting leakage of boric acid

Recently, many studies have been conducted on developing on-line leak detection techniques in the reactor vessel head of nuclear power plants. One of them, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), an effective technique of leak detection, which is a kind of atomic emission spectroscopy that uses a highly energetic laser pulse as the excitation source, has been of interest due to the fast and reliable identification of chemical elements for the precipitates formed by the leakage of cooling water containing boric acid. Experimental setup and tests were performed for the boric acid precipitates formed on the steel for various conditions with a Q-switched 532 nm Nd:YAG laser, optical lenses, an Echelle spectrograph and an intensified charge-coupled device detector. The LIBS system could be applied to obtain a spectral line (～249. 2 nm) corresponding to the atomic boron emission line for the precipitates of boric acid formed on low alloy steels, SA508 and SA533, as a substrate. The LIBS technique based on characterizing boric acid deposits might be used for detecting the leakage of cooling water in reactor vessel head of nuclear power plants.