We report a strongly amplified photoacoustic (PA) performance of the new functional hybrid material composed of reduced graphene oxide and gold nanorods. Due to the excellent NIR light absorption ...properties of the reduced graphene oxide coated gold nanorods (r-GO-AuNRs) and highly efficient heat transfer process through the reduced graphene oxide layer, r-GO-AuNRs exhibit excellent photothermal stability and significantly higher photoacoustic amplitudes than those of bare-AuNRs, nonreduced graphene oxide coated AuNRs (GO-AuNRs), or silica-coated AuNR, as demonstrated in both in vitro and in vivo systems. The linear response of PA amplitude from reduced state controlled GO on AuNR indicates the critical role of GO for a strong photothermal effect of r-GO-AuNRs. Theoretical studies with finite-element-method lab-based simulation reveal that a 4 times higher magnitude of the enhanced electromagnetic field around r-GO-AuNRs can be generated compared with bare AuNRs or GO-AuNRs. Furthermore, the r-GO-AuNRs are expected to be a promising deep-tissue imaging probe because of extraordinarily high PA amplitudes in the 4–11 MHz operating frequency of an ultrasound transducer. Therefore, the r-GO-AuNRs can be a useful imaging probe for highly sensitive photoacoustic images and NIR sensitive therapeutics based on a strong photothermal effect.
There have been growing trends using deep learning-based approaches for photo retouching which aims to enhance unattractive images and make them visually appealing. However, the existing methods only ...considered the RGB color space, which limited the available color information for editing. To address this issue, we propose a dual-color space network that extracts color representations from multiple color spaces to provide more robust color information. Our approach is based on the observation that converting an image to a different color space generates a new image that can be further processed by a neural network. Hence, we utilize two separate networks: a transitional network and a base network, each operating in a different color space. Specifically, the input RGB image is converted to another color space (e.g., YCbCr) using color space converter (CSC). The resulting image is then passed through the transitional network to extract color representations from the corresponding color space using color prediction module (CPM). The output of the transitional network is converted back to the RGB space and fed into the base network, which operates in RGB space. By utilizing global priors from each representation in different color spaces, we guide the retouching process to produce natural and realistic results. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art methods on the MIT-Adobe FiveK dataset, and an in-depth analysis and ablation study highlight the advantages of our approach.
Schooling rewards people with labor market returns and nonpecuniary benefits in other realms of life. However, there is no experimental evidence showing that education interventions improve ...individual economic rationality. We examine this hypothesis by studying a randomized 1-year financial support program for education in Malawi that reduced absence and dropout rates and increased scores on a qualification exam of female secondary school students. We measure economic rationality 4 years after the intervention by using lab-in-the-field experiments to create scores of consistency with utility maximization that are derived from revealed preference theory. We find that students assigned to the intervention had higher scores of rationality. The results remain robust after controlling for changes in cognitive and noncognitive skills. Our results suggest that education enhances the quality of economic decision-making.
Dense and stiff extracellular matrix (ECM) in heterogeneous tumor tissues can inhibit deep penetration of nanoparticle drug carriers and decreases their therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we suggest the ...ECM remodeling strategy by the pulsed high intensity focused ultrasound (Pulsed-HIFU) technology for enhanced tumor-targeting of nanoparticles. First, we clearly observed that the tumor-targeting efficacy and tissue penetration of intravenously injected Cy5.5-labled glycol chitosan nanoparticles (Cy5.5-CNPs) were greatly inhibited in tumor tissue containing high collagen and hyaluronan contents in ECM-rich A549 tumor-bearing mice, compared to in ECM-less SCC7. When collagenase or hyaluronidase was treated by intra-tumoral injection, the amount of collagen and hyaluronan decreased in ECM-rich A549 tumor tissues and more Cy5.5-CNPs penetrated inside the tumor tissue, confirmed using non-invasive optical imaging. Finally, in order to break down the stiff ECM structure, ECM-rich A549 tumor tissues were treated with the relatively low power of Pulse-HIFU (20W/cm2), wherein acute tissue damage was not observed. As we expected, the A549 tumor tissues showed the remodeling of ECM structure after non-invasive Pulsed-HIFU exposure, which resulted in the increased blood flow, decreased collagen contents, and enhanced penetration of CNPS. Importantly, the tumor targeting efficiency in Pulsed-HIFU-treated A549 tumor tissues was 2.5 times higher than that of untreated tumor tissues. These overall results demonstrate that ECM remodeling and disruption of collagen structure by Pulse-HIFU is promising strategy to enhance the deep penetration and enhanced tumor targeting of nanoparticles in ECM-rich tumor tissues.
Display omitted
Recently, the role of clothing has evolved from merely body protection, maintaining the body temperature, and fashion, to advanced functions such as various types of information delivery, ...communication, and even augmented reality. With a wireless internet connection, the integration of circuits and sensors, and a portable power supply, clothes become a novel electronic device. Currently, the information display is the most intuitive interface using visualized communication methods and the simultaneous concurrent processing of inputs and outputs between a wearer and functional clothes. The important aspect in this case is to maintain the characteristic softness of the fabrics even when electronic devices are added to the flexible clothes. Silicone-based light-emitting diode (LED) jackets, shirts, and stage costumes have started to appear, but the intrinsic stiffness of inorganic semiconductors causes wearers to feel discomfort; thus, it is difficult to use such devices for everyday purposes. To address this problem, a method of fabricating a thin and flexible emitting fabric utilizing organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) was developed in this work. Its flexibility was evaluated, and an analysis of its mechanical bending characteristics and tests of its long-term reliability were carried out.
Multidrug resistance (MDR) is one of the major barriers in chemotherapy. It is often related to the overexpression of efflux receptors such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Overexpressed efflux receptors ...inhibit chemotherapeutic efficacy by pumping out intracellularly delivered anticancer drugs. In P-gp-mediated MDR-related pathways, PI3K/Akt and NF-kB pathways are commonly activated signaling pathways, but these pathways are downregulated by melittin, a main component of bee venom. In this study, a polymersome based on a poly (lactic acid) (PLA)-hyaluronic acid (HA) (20k-10k) di-block copolymer and encapsulating melittin and doxorubicin was developed to overcome anticancer resistance and enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy. Through the simultaneous delivery of doxorubicin and melittin, PI3K/Akt and NF-κB pathways could be effectively inhibited, thereby downregulating P-gp and successfully enhancing chemotherapeutic efficacy. In conclusion, a polymersome carrying an anticancer drug and melittin could overcome MDR by regulating P-gp overexpression pathways.
Passengers escaping from a sinking or inclined ship inevitably choose the transversal, upward, and downward routes and the coupled route where two statuses coexist. A passenger's travel speed varies ...greatly depending on individual characteristics, as well as the environmental factors, such as the inclination of the ship and the route status. In this study, the walking speed reduction coefficient that considers the coupled effect of trim and heel was applied according to the route status for realistic escape simulation. To calculate the walking speed reduction, the coupling coefficient is introduced to assign weighted values to the coupled route where two route statuses exist. To establish the necessity of reflecting upon the passenger's route status in the escape simulation, simulations were performed on tests 6, 10, and 11 of IMO MSC.1/Circ.1533 ANNEX 3. We believe more accurate ship evacuation simulation can be performed considering the coupled effect of trim and heel.
In this study, a structurally and materially designed thin-film encapsulation is proposed to guarantee the reliability of transparent, flexible displays by significantly improving their barrier ...properties, mechanical stability, and environmental reliability, all of which are essential for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) encapsulation. We fabricated a bioinspired, nacre-like ZnO/Al2O3/MgO laminate structure (ZAM) using atomic layer deposition for the microcrack toughening effect. The ZAM film was formed with intentional voids and defects through the formation of a quasi-perfect sublayer, rather than the simple fabrication of nanolaminate structures. The 240 nm thick ZAM-based multibarrier (ZAM-TFE) with a compressively strained organic layer demonstrated an optical transmittance of 91.35% in the visible range, an extremely low water vapor transmission rate of 2.06 × 10–6 g/m2/day, a mechanical stability enduring a strain close to 1%, and a residual stress close to 0, showing significant improvement of key TFE properties in comparison to an Al2O3-based multibarrier. In addition, ZAM-TFE demonstrated superior environmental resistance without degradation of barrier properties in a severe environment of 85 °C and 90% relative humidity (RH). Thus, our structurally and materially designed ZAM film has been well optimized in terms of its applicability as a gas diffusion barrier as well as in terms of its mechanical and environmental reliability. Finally, we confirmed the feasibility of the ZAM-TFE through application in OLEDs. The low-temperature ZAM-TFE technology showed great potential to provide a highly robust and flexible TFE of TFOLEDs.
Chronic kidney disease is now recognized as a major health problem, but current therapies including dialysis and renal replacement have many limitations. Consequently, biodegradable scaffolds to help ...repairing injured tissue are emerging as a promising approach in the field of kidney tissue engineering. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a useful biomedical material, but its insufficient biocompatibility caused a reduction in cell behavior and function. In this work, we developed the kidney-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) incorporated PLGA scaffolds as a cell supporting material for kidney tissue regeneration. Biomimetic PLGA scaffolds (PLGA/ECM) with different ECM concentrations were prepared by an ice particle leaching method, and their physicochemical and mechanical properties were characterized through various analyses. The proliferation of renal cortical epithelial cells on the PLGA/ECM scaffolds increased with an increase in ECM concentrations (0.2, 1, 5, and 10%) in scaffolds. The PLGA scaffold containing 10% of ECM has been shown to be an effective matrix for the repair and reconstitution of glomerulus and blood vessels in partially nephrectomized mice in vivo, compared with only PLGA control. These results suggest that not only can the tissue-engineering techniques be an effective alternative method for treatment of kidney diseases, but also the ECM incorporated PLGA scaffolds could be promising materials for biomedical applications including tissue engineered scaffolds and biodegradable implants.
This paper provides empirical evidence on the short-run impact of government subsidies of long-term care. We apply a regression discontinuity design using administrative data from South Korea to ...estimate the first-year impact of subsidies for formal home and institutional care on informal care use and medical expenditures. These subsidies lead to increases in formal long-term care utilization, even when accounting for crowd out of private spending. Our main finding is that the benefits of subsidized home and facility care are heterogeneous across physical function level, and therefore that setting policy accordingly has the potential to dramatically reduce medical expenses. We also find that formal long-term care is a substitute for informal care at the intensive margin, but do not find such evidence at the extensive margin. The results suggest that publicly financed home care may have limited impact among the more able, but that it may be both more cost-effective and beneficial than institutional care for the least able.
•Evidence on short-run impact of government subsidies of long-term care.•Benefits of subsidized home and facility care vary with physical function.•Home care more cost-effective and beneficial than institutional care for least able.
PDF
