Comparison of yield and metabolites according to the types of hilling materials utilized during Glehnia littoralis sprout vegetable cultivation

Food Science and Biotechnology - Various hilling materials (rice hulls, pine sawdust, and perlite) were compared to produce sprout vegetables using beach silvertop (Glehnia littoralis Fr. Schm. ex...     

AQP3 Increases Intercellular Cohesion in NSCLC A549 Cell Spheroids through Exploratory Cell Protrusions

Tumor cell aggregation is critical for cell survival following the loss of extracellular matrix attachment and dissemination. However, the underlying mechanotransduction of clustering solitary tumor cells is poorly understood, especially in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Here, we examined whether cell surface protrusions played an important role in facilitating the physical contact between floating cells detached from a substrate. We employed poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-based 3D culture methods to mimic in vivo tumor cell cluster formation. The suprastructural analysis of human NSCLC A549 cell spheroids showed that finger-like protrusions clung together via the actin cytoskeleton. Time-lapse holotomography demonstrated that the finger-like protrusions of free-floating cells in 3D culture displayed exploratory coalescence. Global gene expression analysis demonstrated that the genes in the organic hydroxyl transport were particularly enriched in the A549 cell spheroids. Particularly, the knockdown of the water channel aquaporin 3 gene (AQP3) impaired multicellular aggregate formation in 3D culture through the rearrangement of the actomyosin cytoskeleton. Moreover, the cells with reduced levels of AQP3 decreased their transmigration. Overall, these data indicate that cell detachment-upregulated AQP3 contributes to cell surface protrusions through actomyosin cytoskeleton remodeling, causing the aggressive aggregation of free-floating cells dependent on the property of the substratum and collective metastasis.     

Magnetically Guidable Proteinaceous Adhesive Microbots for Targeted Locoregional Therapeutics Delivery in the Highly Dynamic Environment of the Esophagus

The esophagus is a tubular-shaped muscular organ where swallowed fluids and muscular contractions constitute a highly dynamic environment. The turbulent, coordinated processes that occur through the oropharyngeal conduit can often compromise targeted administration of therapeutic drugs to a lesion, significantly reducing therapeutic efficacy. Here, magnetically guidable drug vehicles capable of strongly adhering to target sites using a bioengineered mussel adhesive protein (MAP) to achieve localized delivery of therapeutic drugs against the hydrodynamic physiological conditions are proposed. A suite of highly uniform microparticles embedded with iron oxide (IO) nanoparticles (MAP@IO MPs) is microfluidically fabricated using the genipin-mediated covalent cross-linking of bioengineered MAP. The MAP@IO MPs are successfully targeted to a specific region and prolongedly retained in the tubular-structured passageway. In particular, orally administered MAP@IO MPs are effectively captured in the esophagus in vivo in a magnetically guidable manner. Moreover, doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded MAP@IO MPs exhibit a sustainable DOX release profile, effective anticancer therapeutic activity, and excellent biocompatibility. Thus, the magnetically guidable locomotion and robust underwater adhesive properties of the proteinaceous soft microbots can provide an intelligent modular approach for targeted locoregional therapeutics delivery to a specific lesion site in dynamic fluid-associated tubular organs such as the esophagus.     

An Analysis of Citation Counts of ETRI‐Invented US Patents

From its foundation until 2004, ETRI has registered over 1,000 US patents. This letter analyzes the characteristics of these patents and addresses the explanatory factors affecting their citation counts. For explanatory variables, research team related variables, invention specific variables, and geographical domain related variables are suggested. Zero‐altered count data models are used to test the impact of independent variables. A key finding is that technological cumulativeness, the scale of invention, outputs in the electronic field, and the degree of dependence on the US technology domain positively affect the citation counts of ETRI‐invented US patents. The magnitude of international presence appears to negatively affect the citation counts of ETRI‐invented US patents.     

Photosensitivity of surface barrier structures based on Cu(In,Ga)Se<Subscript>2</Subscript> films grown by codeposition in vacuum

Polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) films with various ratios of Cu, In, and Ga were grown by codeposition of all elements in vacuum. The X-ray diffraction study showed that the films are single-phase and possess a chalcopyrite structure with predominant [112] orientation. The films exhibited a mirror smooth surface and had a close-packed structure composed of crystallites with clear faceting and a transverse size of 0.1–0.3 μm. Related surface barrier structures of the (In,Ag)/Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ type were obtained and their spectra of the quantum efficiency of photoconversion were studied. The obtained structures can be used for optimization of the CIGS film technology.     

Estimation of the Longitudinal Dispersion Coefficient Using the Velocity Profile in Natural Streams

In this study, a theoretical method for predicting the longitudinal dispersion coefficient is developed based on the transverse velocity distribution in natural streams. Equations of the transverse velocity profile for irregular cross sections of the natural streams are analyzed. Among the velocity profile equations tested in this study, the beta distribution equation, which is a probability density function, is considered to be the most appropriate model for explaining the complex behavior of the transverse velocity structure of irregular natural streams. The new equation for the longitudinal dispersion coefficient that is based on the beta function for the transverse velocity profile is developed. A comparison of the proposed equation with existing equations and the observed longitudinal dispersion coefficient reveals that the proposed equation shows better agreement with the observed data compared to other existing equations.     

Development of geometrically exact new shell elements based on general curvilinear co‐ordinates

In the present study first‐order shear deformable shell finite elements based on general curvilinear co‐ordinates are proposed. For the development of the present shell elements, a partial mixed variational functional with independently assumed strains is provided in order to avoid the severe locking troubles known as transverse shear and membrane lockings. Bubble functions are included in the shape function of displacement to improve the performance of the developed element. The proposed assumed strain four‐ and nine‐node elements based on the general tensor shell theory provide an efficient linkage framework for shell surface modelling and finite element analysis. In the several benchmark problems, the present shell elements with exact geometric representations demonstrate their performance compared to previously reported results. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enhanced thermal stability of a sputtered titanium-nitride film as a diffusion barrier for capacitor-bottom electrodes

The effect of a thin RuO_x layer formed on the Ru/TiN/doped poly-Si/Si stack structure was compared with that on the RuO_x/TiN/doped poly-Si/Si stack structure over the post-deposition annealing temperature ranges of 450–600°C. The Ru/TiN/poly-Si/Si contact system exhibited linear behavior at forward bias with a small increase in the total resistance up to 600°C. The RuO_x/TiN/poly-Si/Si contact system exhibited nonlinear characteristics under forward bias at 450°C, which is attributed to no formation of a thin RuO_x layer at the RuO_x surface and porous-amorphous microstructure. In the former case, the addition of oxygen at the surface layer of the Ru film by pre-annealing leads to the formation of a thin RuO_x layer and chemically strong Ru-O bonds. This results from the retardation of oxygen diffusion caused by the discontinuity of diffusion paths. In particular, the RuO_x layer in a nonstoichiometric state is changed to the RuO₂-crystalline phase in a stoichiometric state after post-deposition annealing; this phase can act as an oxygen-capture layer. Therefore, it appears that the electrical properties of the Ru/TiN/poly-Si/Si contact system are better than those of the RuO_x/TiN/poly-Si/Si contact system.