Highly stabilized flexible transparent capacitive photodetector based on silver nanowire/graphene hybrid electrodes.

The need for photodetectors in various fields has gradually emerged, and several studies in this area are therefore being conducted. For photodetectors to be used in various environments, their transparency, flexibility, and durability must be ensured. However, the development of flexible photodetectors based on the current measurement techniques of conventional photodetectors has been difficult owing to the limitations of semiconductor materials. In this study, a new type of flexible and transparent capacitive photodetector was fabricated to address the shortcomings of conventional photodetectors. In addition, by introducing graphene electrodes to a new type of manufactured photodetector, devices with excellent overall chemical, thermal, and mechanical durability have been developed. Compared to photodetectors based on pristine Ag nanowire (AgNW) electrodes, AgNW/graphene hybrid electrode-based photodetectors exhibit a 20% higher photosensitivity. Also, the hybrid AgNW/graphene electrode on the dielectric layer exhibited low sheet resistance (~ 8 Ω/sq) and relatively high transmittance (~ 45%).

Solution process manufacture of a simple, multifunctional flexible sensor based on capacitance measurement.

Conventional sensors are rigid, involve complex processes and structures, and one sensor can detect only one type of stimulus. The manufacturing costs of such devices are high owing to the use of vacuum processes for the formation of thin films and electrodes and the complicated fabrication processes required to construct multiple layers. In addition, the multiple-layer design increases the risk of peeling due to mechanical movement. In this study, to solve the aforementioned problems, a simple two-layer multi-sensor has been fabricated using a non-vacuum solution process. The sensor consists of a light absorption layer comprising polyvinyl butyral and semiconductor particles and a top layer comprising two spiral-shaped Ag nanowire electrodes. The sensor experiences minimal damage by external adhesives and has a light-sensitive optical response at 420 nm and at 1.2 mW cm-2. Herein, the capacitance of the sensor applied to the two-electrode structure was determined, along with the light sensitivity and change in noise with frequency. We believe that the proposed multi-sensor can be applied in a wide range of fields because it can act as a touch sensor and light sensor.

Ag fiber/IZO Composite Electrodes: Improved Chemical and Thermal Stability and Uniform Light Emission in Flexible Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Electrospun metal fiber is a promising flexible transparent electrode owing to its extremely long length and facile fabrication process. However, metal-fiber electrodes have problems with chemical and thermal stability and nonuniform emission in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) at low luminance. In this study, we proposed a Ag fiber/IZO composite electrode with high stability. Ag fiber/IZO composite electrodes exhibited chemical and thermal stability. In addition, it was demonstrated that the OLED with the Ag fiber/IZO composite electrode operated stably, and the uniform emission of the OLED with metal-fiber electrodes improved by using highly conductive IZO film.

Immunization of BALB/c mice with a combination of four recombinant Brucella abortus proteins, AspC, Dps, InpB and Ndk, confers a marked protection against a virulent strain of Brucella abortus.

In this study, we assessed the protective efficacy of single subunit vaccines, encoded by the B. abortus 544 genes aspC, dps, yaeC and inpB, against B. abortus infection in mice. First, immunization with these antigens, with the exception of the YaeC protein, was found to elicit both humoral and cellular immune responses with IgG2a being dominant over IgG1. In addition, a massive production of IFN-γ but lower degree of IL-10 was observed, suggesting that all three antigens were able to induce predominantly cell-mediated immunity in response to B. abortus infection. Further investigation of a combined subunit vaccine (CSV) consisting of purified AspC, Dps, InpB and Ndk proteins showed a superior protective effect in mice against brucellosis. The intraperitoneal injection of this combination was shown to induce a remarkable production of IFN-γ and IL-2, which occurred in conjunction with an increase of blood CD4+ and CD8+ T cell proportions. In addition, the higher titer of IgG2a compared to IgG1 elicited by this CSV was obtained, suggesting that this CSV induced a typical T-helper-1-dominated immune response in vivo. Furthermore, the protection level induced by this combination was significantly higher than that induced by single antigens and was not significantly different compared to a group immunized with a live attenuated vaccine (RB51). Altogether, our findings suggest that the combination of different immunogenic antigens could be a useful approach for the development of a new, effective and safe brucellosis vaccine that can replace current vaccine strains.

The host immune enhancing agent Korean red ginseng oil successfully attenuates Brucella abortus infection in a murine model.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Panax ginseng Meyer (Araliaceae), is one of the most valuable traditional Chinese medicines and is used for the treatment of various human diseases. In this study, we elucidated the protective mechanism of the essential oil from Korean red ginseng (RGO) against Brucella infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effects of RGO on Brucella abortus viability, NO production, uptake and intracellular growth in macrophages were investigated. Mice were intraperitoneally infected with B. abortus and orally treated with RGO for 14 days. The weights and bacterial numbers from each spleen were monitored, and the sera were evaluated for cytokine production. RESULTS: B. abortus viability was not affected, whereas NO production, internalization and intracellular replication were inhibited in RGO-treated macrophages. Bacterial adherence, F-actin polymerization and MAPK signaling protein phosphorylation (ERK1/2, JNK and p38α) were reduced and the co-localization of B. abortus-containing phagosomes with LAMP-1 was augmented in RGO-treated cells compared to untreated cells. RGO displayed protective effects against cell damage by inhibiting nitrite production during B. abortus infection in macrophages. Moreover, the spleen weight and bacterial burden were lower in the RGO-treated group than in the control group. The uninfected RGO-treated mice displayed increased TNF-α and IFN-γ production, whereas the B. abortus-infected RGO-treated mice showed reduced IL-10 production compared to the control. CONCLUSION: RGO exhibits protective effects against B. abortus infection in vitro and in vivo, which emphasize the beneficial effects of RGO in the prevention and treatment of brucellosis.