Characterization of Transcriptomic and Proteomic Changes in the Skin after Chronic Fluocinolone Acetonide Treatment.

While topical corticosteroid (TCS) treatment is widely used for many skin diseases, it can trigger adverse side effects, and some of such effects can last for a long time after stopping the treatment. However, molecular changes induced by TCS treatment remain largely unexplored, although transient changes in histology and some major ECM components have been documented. Here, we investigated transcriptomic and proteomic changes induced by fluocinolone acetonide (FA) treatment in the mouse skin by conducting RNA-Seq and quantitative proteomics. Chronic FA treatment affected the expression of 4229 genes, where downregulated genes were involved in cell-cycle progression and ECM organization, and upregulated genes were involved in lipid metabolism. The effects of FA on transcriptome and histology of the skin largely returned to normal by two weeks after the treatment. Only a fraction of transcriptomic changes were reflected by proteomic changes, and the expression of 46 proteins was affected one day after chronic FA treatment. A comparable number of proteins were differentially expressed between control and FA-treated skin samples even at 15 and 30 days after stopping chronic FA treatment. Interestingly, proteins affected during and after chronic FA treatment were largely different. Our results provide fundamental information of molecular changes induced by FA treatment in the skin.

Quantum dot-integrated GaN light-emitting diodes with resolution beyond the retinal limit.

Near-eye display technology is a rapidly growing field owing to the recent emergence of augmented and mixed reality. Ultrafast response time, high resolution, high luminance, and a dynamic range for outdoor use are all important for non-pixelated, pupil-forming optics. The current mainstream technologies using liquid crystals and organic materials cannot satisfy all these conditions. Thus, finely patterned light-emissive solid-state devices with integrated circuits are often proposed to meet these requirements. In this study, we integrated several advanced technologies to design a prototype microscale light-emitting diode (LED) arrays using quantum dot (QD)-based color conversion. Wafer-scale epilayer transfer and the bond-before-pattern technique were used to directly integrate 5-µm-scale GaN LED arrays on a foreign silicon substrate. Notably, the lithography-level alignment with the bottom wafer opens up the possibility for ultrafast operation with circuit integration. Spectrally pure color conversion and solvent-free QD patterning were also achieved using an elastomeric topographical mask. Self-assembled monolayers were applied to selectively alter the surface wettability for a completely dry process. The final emissive-type LED array integrating QD, GaN, and silicon technology resulted in a 1270 PPI resolution that is far beyond the retinal limit.

Contact Engineering of Vertically Grown ReS2 with Schottky Barrier Modulation.

Forming metal contact with low contact resistance is essential for the development of electronics based on layered van der Waals materials. ReS2 is a semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) with an MX2 structure similar to that of MoS2. While most TMDs grow parallel to the substrate when synthesized using chemical vapor deposition (CVD), ReS2 tends to orient itself vertically during growth. Such a feature drastically increases the surface area and exposes chemically active edges, making ReS2 an attractive layered material for energy and sensor applications. However, the contact resistances of vertically grown materials are known to be relatively high, compared to those of common 2H-phase TMDs, such as MoS2. Most reported methods for lowering the contact resistance have been focused on exfoliated 2H-phase materials with only a few devices tested, and few works on distorted T-phase materials exist. Moreover, nearly all reported studies have been conducted on only a few devices with mechanically exfoliated fl Most reported methods for lowering the contact resistance have been 2 contacts was modulated by conformally coating a thin tunneling interlayer between the metal and the dendritic ReS2 film. Over a hundred devices were tested, and contact resistances were extracted for large-scale statistical analysis. Importantly, we compared various known materials and techniques for lowering contact resistance and found an optimized method. Finally, the reductions in barrier height were directly correlated with exponential reductions in contact resistance and increases in drive-current by almost 2 orders of magnitude.

A new species of Galleria Fabricius (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) from Korea based on molecular and morphological characters.

The greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella Linnaeus, is well known as a pest of honey bees and for the biodegradation of wax and polyethylene by their larvae. The genus Galleria has long been considered monotypic and found worldwide. A taxonomic study of the genus Galleria is presented based on morphological and molecular characters (COI, CAD, wg). A new species (Galleria similis Roh & Song, sp. nov.) is recognized on the Korean peninsula. The new species is superficially similar to G. mellonella but they can be separated by the structures of hindwing venation and male genitalia. Habitus photographs and illustrations of diagnostic characters are provided.

Pilot-scale investigation of sludge reduction in aerobic digestion system with endospore-forming bacteria.

A pilot-scale investigation of membrane-based aerobic digestion system dominated by endospore-forming bacteria was evaluated as one of the potential sludge treatment processes (STP). Most of the organic matter in the sludge was removed (90.1%) by the particular bacteria in the STP, which consisted of mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) contact reactor (MCR), MLSS oxidation reactor (MOR), and membrane bioreactor (MBR). The sludge was accumulated in the MBR without wasting, and then the effluent in STP was fed into the first step in water resource recovery facility (WRRF). According to the analysis of microbial communities in all reactors, various Bacillus species were present in the STP, mainly due to their intrinsic resistance to the extreme conditions. As the surviving Bacillus species might consume degraded microorganisms for their growth, these endospore-forming bacteria-based STP could be suitable for the sludge reduction when they operated for a long time.

Recanalization of completely thrombosed non-giant saccular aneurysm mimicking as de novo aneurysm.

Partial thrombosis of giant aneurysms is not uncommon however, complete angiographic occlusion occurs less frequently. In the case of non-giant aneurysms, complete thrombosis and recanalization has been rarely reported. A 31-year-old man presented to the emergency department with sudden bursting headache. Brain computed tomography (CT) revealed diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage on the left side. Both CT angiography (CTA) and digital subtraction angiography showed suspicion of small left anterior choroidal artery aneurysm. We performed surgical exploration. In the operation field, anterior choroidal artery aneurysm of 2 × 2 mm with broad neck and friable appearance was observed. Because we could not clip without sacrificing the anterior choroidal artery, we performed wrapping only. Follow up CTA after 7 months demonstrated 4 mm right internal carotid artery bifurcation aneurysm. The patient underwent aneurismal neck clipping. During the operation, 9 × 13 mm sized thrombosed aneurysm was detected and completely clipped. We initially thought this aneurysm to be a de novo aneurysm however, it was an aneurysm that had recanalized from a completely thrombosed aneurysm. This case report provides an insight into the potential for complete thrombosis and recanalization of non-giant aneurysms.