Preparation of AlN Films and nc-AlN/a-SiNx Nanocomposite Films by Medium Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

Ming Kai Li,Xiang Jun Fan,Cheng Bin Li,Chuan Sheng Liu 한국물리학회 2005 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.46 No.1

AlN ¯lms and nc-AlN/a-SiNx nanocomposite ¯lms are deposited on (111) silicon and glass sub-strates by using medium-frequency reactive magnetron sputtering under N2/Ar atmosphere, and then the ¯lms are analyzed in detail by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diraction (XRD). Hardness of the nc-AlN/a-SiNx ¯lms is measured. The microstructures of AlN ¯lms under dierent nitrogen concentrations are compared. The XRD patterns indicate that the ¯lm shows (002) orientation, strongly independent of N2 partial °ow rate. The TEM images show that the uniform AlN crystal, the clear polycrystalline diraction circles and the dierence of the grain size under dierent conditions are signi¯cant. Columnar grains of AlN ¯lm on (111) silicon substrate under 70 % N2 partial °ow rate are observed. The results indicate that the preferred orientation of AlN ¯lm is aected by N2 partial °ow rate. The hardness of nc-AlN/a-SiNx ¯lms increases with increasing a-SiNx content and the hardness decreases when a-SiNx is excessive. The maximal hardness of nc-AlN/a-SiNx nanocomposite ¯lms can reach 30 GPa by adjusting a-SiNx content. The transmission of the nanocomposite ¯lms is over 85 %. The results suggest that it has potential application for optical protective coatings.

Fibulin2: a negative regulator of BMSC osteogenic differentiation in infected bone fracture healing

Li Shi-Dan,Xing Wei,Wang Shao-Chuan,Li You-Bin,Jiang Hao,Zheng Han-Xuan,Li Xiao-Ming,Yang Jing,Guo De-Bin,Xie Xiao-Yu,Jiang Ren-Qing,Fan Chao,Li Lei,Xu Xiang,Fei Jun 생화학분자생물학회 2023 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.55 No.-

Bone fracture remains a common occurrence, with a population-weighted incidence of approximately 3.21 per 1000. In addition, approximately 2% to 50% of patients with skeletal fractures will develop an infection, one of the causes of disordered bone healing. Dysfunction of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) plays a key role in disordered bone repair. However, the specific mechanisms underlying BMSC dysfunction caused by bone infection are largely unknown. In this study, we discovered that Fibulin2 expression was upregulated in infected bone tissues and that BMSCs were the source of infection-induced Fibulin2. Importantly, Fibulin2 knockout accelerated mineralized bone formation during skeletal development and inhibited inflammatory bone resorption. We demonstrated that Fibulin2 suppressed BMSC osteogenic differentiation by binding to Notch2 and inactivating the Notch2 signaling pathway. Moreover, Fibulin2 knockdown restored Notch2 pathway activation and promoted BMSC osteogenesis; these outcomes were abolished by DAPT, a Notch inhibitor. Furthermore, transplanted Fibulin2 knockdown BMSCs displayed better bone repair potential in vivo. Altogether, Fibulin2 is a negative regulator of BMSC osteogenic differentiation that inhibits osteogenesis by inactivating the Notch2 signaling pathway in infected bone.

Differential Protein Expression Profile Between CD20 Positive and Negative Cells of the NCI-H929 Cell Line

Geng, Chuan-Ying,Liu, Nian,Yang, Guang-Zhong,Liu, Ai-Jun,Leng, Yun,Wang, Hui-Juan,Li, Li-Hong,Wu, Yin,Li, Yan-Chen,Chen, Wen-Ming Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.11

At present, multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable disease and cologenic cells may be responsible for disease relapse. It has been proposed that CD20+/CD138- NCI-H929 cells could be hallmarks of MM clonogenic cells. Here, the immunology phenotype of NCI-H929 cells is described. Only a small population of CD20+/CD138- cells (<1%) was found in the NCI-H929 cell line, but CD20+/CD138- cells were not detected. We found that CD20+/CD138+ cells were able to exhibit cologenic capacity by colony formation assay and continuous passage culture. Proteins were analyzed by 1D-SDS-PAGE and TMT based quantitative differential liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). 1,082 non-redundant proteins were identified, 658 of which were differentially expressed with at least a 1.5-fold difference. 205 proteins in CD20+ cells were expressed at higher levels and 453 proteins were at lower levels compared with CD20- cells. Most proteins had catalytic and binding activity and mainly participated in metabolic processes, cell communication and molecular transport. These results proved that there are different biological features and protein expression profile between CD20+ and CD20- cells in the NCI-H929 cell line.

Combined Assessment of Serum Alpha-Synuclein and Rab35 is a Better Biomarker for Parkinson’s Disease

Hung-Li Wang,Chin-Song Lu,Tu-Hsueh Yeh,Yu-Ming Shen,Yi-Hsin Weng,Ying-Zu Huang,Rou-Shayn Chen,Yu-Chuan Liu,Yi-Chuan Cheng,Hsiu-Chen Chang,Ying-Ling Chen,Yu-Jie Chen,Yan-Wei Lin,Chia Chen Hsu,Huang-Li 대한신경과학회 2019 Journal of Clinical Neurology Vol.15 No.4

Background and Purpose It is essential to develop a reliable predictive serum biomarker for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Te accumulation of alpha-synuclein (αSyn) and up-regulated expression of Rab35 participate in the etiology of PD. Te purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the combined assessment of serum αSyn and Rab35 is a useful predictive biomarker for PD. Methods Serum levels of αSyn or Rab35 were determined in serum samples from 59 sporadic PD patients, 19 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patients, 20 multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients, and 60 normal controls (NC). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were calculated to determine the diagnostic accuracy of αSyn or/and Rab35 in discriminating PD patients from NC or atypical parkinsonian patients. Results The levels of αSyn and Rab35 were increased in PD patients. The serum level of Rab35 was positively correlated with that of αSyn in PD patients. Compared to analyzing αSyn or Rab35 alone, the combined analysis of αSyn and Rab35 produced a larger area under the ROC curve and performed better in discriminating PD patients from NC, MSA patients, or PSP patients. When age was dichotomized at 55, 60, 65, or 70 years, the combined assessment of αSyn and Rab35 for classifying PD was better in the group below the cutof age than in the group above the cutof age. Conclusions Combined assessment of serum αSyn and Rab35 is a better biomarker for discriminating PD patients from NC or atypical parkinsonian patients, and is a useful predictive biomarker for younger sporadic PD patients.

Elevated expression of WSB2 degrades p53 and activates the IGFBP3-AKT-mTOR-dependent pathway to drive hepatocellular carcinoma

Li Xun,Zhang Cheng-Cheng,Lin Xiao-Tong,Zhang Jie,Zhang Yu-Jun,Yu Hong-Qiang,Liu Ze-Yu,Gong Yi,Zhang Lei-Da,Xie Chuan-Ming 생화학분자생물학회 2024 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.56 No.-

Dysregulation of wild-type p53 turnover is a key cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet its mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we report that WD repeat and SOCS box containing protein 2 (WSB2), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is an independent adverse prognostic factor in HCC patients. WSB2 drives HCC tumorigenesis and lung metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, WSB2 is a new p53 destabilizer that promotes K48-linked p53 polyubiquitination at the Lys291 and Lys292 sites in HCC cells, leading to p53 proteasomal degradation. Degradation of p53 causes IGFBP3-dependent AKT/mTOR signaling activation. Furthermore, WSB2 was found to bind to the p53 tetramerization domain via its SOCS box domain. Targeting mTOR with everolimus, an oral drug, significantly blocked WSB2-triggered HCC tumorigenesis and metastasis in vivo. In clinical samples, high expression of WSB2 was associated with low wild-type p53 expression and high p-mTOR expression. These findings demonstrate that WSB2 is overexpressed and degrades wild-type p53 and then activates the IGFBP3-AKT/mTOR axis, leading to HCC tumorigenesis and lung metastasis, which indicates that targeting mTOR could be a new therapeutic strategy for HCC patients with high WSB2 expression and wild-type p53.

Sustainable Product and Supply Chain Design Decisions under Uncertainties

Ming-Chuan Chiu,Li-Wei Teng 한국정밀공학회 2013 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol. No.

Nowadays enterprises are forced to consider broader aspects while designing and manufacturing products. The scarcity of natural resources as well as stern environmental regulations have obliged enterprises to develop new products that can satisfy profit, people,and planet during its life cycle. In the last decade, many research efforts have incorporated supply chain and sustainability into product design. However, most of the studies provided deterministic based methodologies. Enterprises who intend to improve sustainability under various uncertainties couldn’t find an appropriate method. The method based on fuzzy set theory is proposed in this study to tackle the uncertainty of supply chain and highlight the sustainable design concepts considering product disassemblability, closed loop supply chain performance, and carbon footprint. A scooter company case study is presented to demonstrate the advantage of this methodology. Because the risk of impreciseness of data could be reduced, decision-makers only have to provide suitable regions to express the costs and lead-time instead of exact numbers. This method can support decision-makers to make the most sustainable decisions which contain both product and the closed loop supply chain design based on the concern of lead-time, cost, and carbon footprint. As a result, sustainable product and supply chain design under uncertainties can be addressed at the product design stage.

Scrotal Sparganosis Mimicking Scrotal Teratoma in an Infant

Yi-Ming Zhao,Hao-Chuan Zhang,Zhong-Rong Li,Hai-Yan Zhang 대한기생충학열대의학회 2014 The Korean Journal of Parasitology Vol.52 No.5

Parameter Optimization of Micromilling Brass Mold Inserts for Microchannels with Taguchi Method

Pin-Chuan Chen,Yu-Chieh Chen,Chang-Wei Pan,Kuan-Ming Li 한국정밀공학회 2015 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol. No.

Achieving excellent quality of micromilled surfaces usually requires additional efforts and cost, and Taguchi methodology is anefficient tool in the parameter optimization process. The aim of this study is to explore the optimal cutting parameters for minimalsurface roughness of a micromilled brass mold inset, and the controlling parameters included coolant, spindle speed, feed rate, depthof cut, and the stepover. An orthogonal array and factor analysis were carried out to identify the optimal cutting combination, andthis combination included air coolant, spindle speed of 45,000 rpm, feed rate of 100 mm/min, stepover of 10% of milling bit diameter,and the depth of cut of 5 μm. To further confirm the analysis, multiple confirmation runs were realized and the averagely measuredsurface roughness was 0.03 μm with a stand deviation of 0.004 μm.

Optimization of Micromilling Microchannels on a Polycarbonate Substrate

Pin-Chuan Chen,Chang-Wei Pan,Wei-Chen Lee,Kuan-Ming Li 한국정밀공학회 2014 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol. No.

Rapidly prototyping a polymer microfluidic device is a growing interest for various applications and micromilling is one of the common approaches to manufacture polymer microfluidic devices. The advantages of using micromilling for polymer microfluidic devices include shorter fabrication process, lower cost, easier user interface, and being capable of fabricating complicated structures, which make micromilling a perfect tool in research idea testing and validation. The aim of this study is to understand the impact of each micromilling parameter to the surface roughness on a polycarbonate substrate, followed by the factor analysis to determine the optimal cutting conditions. The parameters included spindle speed, feed rate, and the depth of cut, and the roughness was measured by a stylus profilemeter. The smallest roughness achieved was 0.127 µm with the spindle speed of 20,000 rpm, feed rate of 300 mm/min, and the depth of cut of 10 µm. Factor analysis was used to determine that the spindle speed has the largest impact while the depth of cut has the minimized impact to the surface quality. To further confirm the optimal cutting conditions, twelve reservoirs were micromilled with the optimal cutting conditions and the average roughness is 0.14 µm with a stand deviation of 0.08 µm.

Acupuncture for ventilator-dependent patients at a hospital-based respiratory care center: A randomized controlled trial

Jia-Ming Chen,Wan-Li Chiang,Bin-Chuan Ji,Ruei-Jhe Jhang,Pei-Hsin Chen,Ya-Lun Li,Che-Ju Chang,Sung-Yen Huang,Tsung-Chieh Lee,Chia-Yun Chen,Ching-Hsiung Lin,Sheng-Hao Lin 한국한의학연구원 2023 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.12 No.4

Background: In intensive care units, mechanical ventilation is an important therapy to help patients with dysp- nea. However, long-term ventilator dependence would consume huge medical resources and increase the risk of morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to examine the efficacy of the acupuncture combined with western medical care on ventilator parameters in ventilator-dependent patients. Methods: In this clinical trial, 80 ventilator-dependent patients aged 20 to 80 years old were randomly assigned to acupuncture group and control group in the respiratory care center (RCC) of Changhua Christian Hospital. Besides regular medical care and therapy, participants in the acupuncture group received acupuncture therapy at the same 17 acu-points for 20 minutes once a day, a total of 12 sessions. The ventilator parameters were recorded to evaluate the respiratory efficiency for all participants. The primary outcome was rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI), and secondary outcomes were respiratory rate (RR), tidal volume (TV) and ventilation per minute (MV). Results: Though there was no significant difference in the parameter between the acupuncture group and the control group, we found the trend of decreasing RSBI in the acupuncture group. In subgroup analyses, the mean of RSBI significantly decreased 16.02 (with the SD in 60.84) in acupuncture group, while it increased 17.84 (with the SD in 39.38) in control group (p = 0.036) after 12 sessions. Conclusion: Acupuncture treatment can improve breathing ability of patients with respirator dependence in respiratory care center.