Planetary boundary layer (PBL) flow over complex terrain during a cold surge event was investigated using 3-hourly radiosonde measurements in upwind, near ridge, and downwind locations of mountains ...in the northeastern part of Republic of Korea and using a high-resolution (333-m) numerical simulation. A cold surge occurred on 23 January 2018 and lasted for 4 days. We analyzed onset day of the cold surge when air temperature dropped rapidly. Analysis of the radiosonde data shows that the PBL was characterized by an adiabatic layer with strong capping inversion in early morning and evening as well as during daytime in the upwind and near-ridge sites. The PBL flow at the near-ridge site was strongest among three sites except at 0600 local standard time (LST) when the PBL flow in the lee was strongest. We performed high-resolution (333-m) numerical simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The adiabatic PBL in the upwind site at 0600 LST was simulated, although its depth was underestimated. The model reproduced the strong low-level wind at 0600 LST and large wind shear during the daytime in the lee, but it did not capture the exact timing of the large wind shear. The model showed overall good performance in simulating the vertical profile of the virtual potential temperature and wind below 2 km above ground level at the three sites, with a high index of agreement (IOA) except for the wind at 1200 and 1500 LST in the lee. To examine the cause for the different behavior of PBL flow in the lee of mountains between 0600 LST and the daytime, we calculated the Froude number for PBL flow using radiosonde measurements based on reduced gravity shallow water (RGSW) theory. At 0600 LST, the upwind Froude number F0 was close to 1, while during the daytime, it was much lower than 1. The observed lee flow behavior was consistent with the flow regime change of a single layer over an obstacle with changing F0; the flow with a propagating lee jump changes into that with a stationary lee jump with decreasing F0. Numerical simulation shows that the steepening of streamlines of lee-wave field leads to a jump-like structure in the lee of mountains during the daytime.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide and ranks first in terms of both prevalence and cancer-related mortality in women. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the anticancer ...effect of mebendazole (MBZ) and radiotherapy (RT) concomitant use in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells and elucidate the underlying mechanisms of action. Breast cancer mouse models and several types of breast cancer cells, including TNBC-derived RT-resistant (RT-R) MDA-MB-231 cells, were treated with MBZ and/or RT. In mice, changes in body weight, renal and liver toxicity, tumor volume, and number of lung metastases were determined. In cells, cell viability, colony formation, scratch wound healing, Matrigel invasion, and protein expression using western blotting were determined. Our findings showed that MBZ and RT combined treatment increased the anticancer effect of RT without additional toxicity. In addition, we noted that cyclin B1, PH2AX, and natural killer (NK) cell-mediated cytotoxicity increased following MBZ + RT treatment compared to unaided RT. Our results suggest that MBZ + RT have an enhanced anticancer effect in TNBC which acquires radiation resistance through blocking cell cycle progression, initiating DNA double-strand breaks, and promoting NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity.
Sugammadex is known to reverse neuromuscular blockade induced by non-depolarizing agents. In children, the recommended dose for reversal of moderate neuromuscular blockade is 2 mg/kg. We investigated ...the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of sugammadex in Korean children.
Children (2-17 years of age) undergoing brain or spine surgery were enrolled and randomly assigned to control (neostigmine) and 2, 4, or 8 mg/kg sugammadex groups. Following induction of anesthesia and monitoring of the response to train-of-four stimulation, 1 mg/kg rocuronium was intravenously administered. Upon reappearance of the second twitch to train-of-four stimulation, the study drug was administered according to group allocation. The plasma concentrations of rocuronium and sugammadex were serially measured at nine predefined time points following study drug administration. To determine efficacy, we measured the time elapsed from drug administration to recovery of T
/T
≥ 0.9. For pharmacokinetics, non-compartmental analysis was performed and we monitored adverse event occurrence from the time of study drug administration until 24 h post-surgery.
Among the 29 enrolled participants, the sugammadex (2 mg/kg) and control groups showed recovery times median (interquartile range) of 1.3 (1.0-1.9) and 7.7 (5.3-21.0) min, respectively (
= 0.002). There were no significant differences in recovery time among the participants in sugammadex groups. The pharmacokinetics of sugammadex were comparable to those of literature findings. Although two hypotensive events related to sugammadex were observed, no intervention was necessary.
The findings of this pharmacokinetic analysis and efficacy study of sugammadex in Korean children indicated that sugammadex (2 mg/kg) may be safely administered for reversing moderate neuromuscular blockade. Some differences in pharmacokinetics of sugammadex were observed according to age.
http://clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04347486).
Crude polysaccharides, extracted from two seaweed species (
and
) and
(abalone) viscera, were evaluated for their inhibitory effect against SARS-CoV-2 propagation. Plaque titration revealed that ...these crude polysaccharides efficiently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 propagation with IC
values ranging from 0.35 to 4.37 μg/mL. The crude polysaccharide of
showed the strongest antiviral effect, with IC
of 0.35 μg/mL, followed by
and abalone viscera with IC
of 0.56 and 4.37 μg/mL, respectively. In addition, immunofluorescence assay, western blot, and quantitative RT-PCR analysis verified that these polysaccharides could inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication. In Vero E6 cells, treatment with these crude polysaccharides before or after viral infection strongly inhibited the expression level of SARS-CoV-2 spikes, nucleocapsid proteins, and RNA copies of RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase and nucleocapsid. These results show that these crude marine polysaccharides effectively inhibit SARS-CoV-2 propagation by interference with viral entry.
A wavelength-selective tunable plasmonic absorber is required for various applications, such as thermal imaging sensors, active biosensors, and switching devices in integrated optics. Using Ge 2 Sb 2 ...Te 5 (GST), which is a representative phase change material showing a large change in optical characteristics, we propose a tunable plasmonic absorber that consists of a metal nanoslit array patterned on a GST-inserted dielectric layer. Based on systematic optimization, the proposed structure achieved a nearly zero reflectance for both states of the inserted GST film with a very large resonance shift after the phase transition. Moreover, the resonance wavelength of the proposed absorber could be flexibly tuned within a broad near-infrared range by tuning the geometric conditions of the nanoslit array and the thicknesses of the dielectric-GST-dielectric multilayer.
Dexmedetomidine (Dex) has analgesic and sedative properties and anti-inflammatory functions. Although the effects of Dex on arthritis have been revealed, the physiological mechanism underlying the ...interaction between Dex and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-mediated inflammatory cytokines has not been fully studied. Inflamed and migrated fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) are involved in RA severity. Thus, we aimed to determine the effects of Dex on RA-FLSs treated with inflammatory cytokines and a growth factor as multiple stimulating inputs. TNF-α, IL-6, and EGF as multiple stimulating inputs increased the cAMP concentration of RA-FLSs, while Dex treatment reduced cAMP concentration. Dex reduced electroneutral sodium-bicarbonate cotransporter 1 (NBCn1) expression, NBC activity, and subsequent RA-FLS migration. The mRNA expression levels of RA-related factors, such as inflammatory cytokines and osteoclastogenesis factors, were enhanced by multiple-input treatment. Notably, Dex effectively reduced these expression levels in RA-FLSs. These results indicate that multiple inflammatory or stimulating inputs enhance RA-FLS migration, and treatment with Dex relieves activated RA-FLSs, suggesting that Dex is a potential therapeutic drug for RA.
To design an easily manufactured, large energy density, highly reversible, and fast rate-capable Li-ion battery (LIB) anode, Co–Sn intermetallics (CoSn2, CoSn, and Co3Sn2) were synthesized, and their ...potential as anode materials for LIBs was investigated. Based on their electrochemical performances, CoSn2 was selected, and its C-modified nanocomposite (CoSn2/C) as well as Ti- and C-modified nanocomposite (CoSn2/a-TiC/C) was straightforwardly prepared. Interestingly, the CoSn2, CoSn2/C, and CoSn2/a-TiC/C showed conversion/nonrecombination, conversion/partial recombination, and conversion/full recombination during Li insertion/extraction, respectively, which were thoroughly investigated using ex situ X-ray diffraction and extended X-ray absorption fine structure analyses. As a result of the interesting conversion/full recombination mechanism, the easily manufactured CoSn2/a-TiC/C nanocomposite for the Sn-based Li-ion battery anode showed large energy density (first reversible capacity of 1399 mAh cm–3), high reversibility (first Coulombic efficiency of 83.2%), long cycling behavior (100% capacity retention after 180 cycles), and fast rate capability (appoximately 1110 mAh cm–3 at 3C rate). In addition, degradation/enhancement mechanisms for high-capacity and high-performance Li-alloy-based anode materials for next-generation LIBs were also suggested.
An unprecedented active and dynamic sensing platform based on a LSPR configuration that is modulated by using an external magnetic field is reported. Electrochemically synthesized Au/Fe/Au nanorods ...exhibited plasmonically active behavior through plasmonic coupling, and the middle ferromagnetic Fe block responded to a magnetic impetus, allowing the nanorods to be modulated. The shear force variation induced by the specific binding events between antigens and antibodies on the nanorod surface is used to enhance the sensitivity of detection of antigens in the plasmonics‐based sensor application. As a proof‐of‐concept, influenza A virus (HA1) was used as a target protein. The limit of detection was enhanced by two orders of magnitude compared to that of traditional LSPR sensing.
FTSPR: Simple LSPR‐based biosensing combined with magnetic rotation by introducing a ferromagnetic Fe segment into plasmonic Au blocks by an electrochemical method is demonstrated. By introducing specific binding events, a dynamically perturbed system was realized, resulting in the frequency lag of nanorods above a critical driving frequency that was analyzed by Fourier transformation.
Hypertension and diabetes are risk factors for severe cardiovascular disease and are prevalent comorbidities. No studies have examined the associations of various risk factors related to ...anthropometry, bone mineral density and body composition of specific body regions with hypertension and diabetes comorbidity (HDC). This study explored the association between HDC and various risk factors related to specific body regions.
A total of 7,978 subjects (3,451 men and 4,527 women) aged ≥ 50 years were included in the analysis. A binary logistic regression analysis based on complex sample data analysis was conducted to examine associations between the normal and diabetes groups, between the normal and hypertension groups, and between the normal and HDC groups.
Among Korean adults aged ≥ 50 years, 11.27% of men and 10.05% of women had both diabetes and hypertension. The HDC prevalence was higher in men than in women. In men, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR, adjusted OR = 1.63 1.22-2.18, adjusted p<0.001) exhibited a more significant association with HDC than other indices, left leg fat mass (adjusted OR = 0.61 0.45-0.81, adjusted p = 0.0009) and right leg fat mass (adjusted OR = 0.60 0.45-0.81, adjusted p = 0.0007) displayed strong negative associations with diabetes, and left leg lean mass (adjusted OR = 0.77 0.67-0.89, adjusted p = 0.0002) and trunk fat mass (adjusted OR = 1.28 1.07-1.52, adjusted p = 0.0062) were significantly associated with hypertension. In women, left leg fat mass (adjusted OR = 0.29 0.22-0.39, adjusted p<0.0001) and right leg fat mass (adjusted OR = 0.32 0.23-0.45, adjusted p<0.0001) exhibited strong negative associations with HDC, waist circumference (WC) (adjusted OR = 2.15 1.40-3.30, adjusted p = 0.0005) showed a stronger association with diabetes than did other indices, and WC (adjusted OR = 1.39 1.11-1.74, adjusted p = 0.0040) and WHtR (adjusted OR = 1.39 1.09-1.76, adjusted p = 0.0075) were significantly associated with hypertension.
HDC was more strongly associated with fat and lean mass than diabetes and hypertension. The association between HDC and body fat variables was more robust in women than in men.
Ultraviolet light (UV) acts as a powerful disinfectant and can prevent contamination of personal hygiene from various contaminated environments. The 222-nm wavelength of UV-C has a highly effective ...sterilization activity and is safer than 275-nm UV-C. We investigated the irradiation efficacy of 222-nm UV-C against contaminating bacteria and viruses in liquid and fabric environments. We conducted colony-forming unit assays to determine the number of viable cells and a 50% tissue culture infectious dose assay to evaluate the virus titration. A minimum dose of 27 mJ/cm.sup.2 of 222-nm UV-C was required for >95% germicidal activity for gram-negative and -positive bacteria. A 25.1 mJ/cm.sup.2 dose could ensure >95% virucidal activity against low-pathogenic avian influenza virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). In addition, this energy dose of 222-nm UV-C effectively inactivated SARS-CoV-2 variants, Delta and Omicron. These results provide valuable information on the disinfection efficiency of 222-nm UV-C in bacterial and virus-contaminated environments and can also develop into a powerful tool for individual hygiene.
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