Efficacy and Safety of WCFA19 (Weissella confusa WIKIM51) in Reducing Body Fat in Overweight and Obese Adults.

Background: WCFA19 (Weissella confusa WIKIM51), found during the fermentation of kimchi, is known for its inhibitory effects on body weight and body fat. This study looked at the impact of WCFA19 isolated from dandelion kimchi on weight loss in overweight and obese adults that are otherwise healthy. Methods: This study was conducted as a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study with 104 overweight and obese subjects. Subjects were randomized evenly into the test group (WCFA19, 500 mg, n = 40) or control group (n = 34) for 12 weeks from 14 June 2021 to 24 December 2021. Effects were based on DEXA to measure changes in body fat mass and percentage. Results: Among the 74 subjects analyzed, WCFA19 oral supplementation for 12 weeks resulted in a significant decrease in body fat mass of 633.38 ± 1396.17 g (p = 0.0066) in overweight and obese individuals in the experimental group. The control group showed an increase of 59.10 ± 1120.57 g (p = 0.7604), indicating a statistically significant difference between the two groups. There was also a statistically significant difference (p = 0.0448) in the change in body fat percentage, with a decrease of 0.41 ± 1.22% (p = 0.0424) in the experimental group and an increase of 0.17 ± 1.21% (p = 0.4078) in the control group. No significant adverse events were reported. Conclusions: Oral supplementation of 500 mg of WCFA19 for 12 weeks is associated with a decrease in body weight, particularly in body fat mass and percentage.

Performance evaluation of Barozen Lipid Plus for point-of-care testing of lipid profiles: a method comparison study.

BACKGROUND: The quick and easy nature of point-of-care (POC) testing devices allows regular monitoring of serum lipid levels to increase efficiency. The purpose of this study was to assess a POC lipid analyzer, Barozen Lipid Plus (MICO Biomed Co., Ltd.), which uses capillary blood to measure total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). METHODS: Capillary and venous blood samples were collected from 110 participants at a single center in Korea between June 10 and June 26, 2021. TC, TG, and HDL-C measurements using Barozen Lipid Plus were compared with measurements using our reference device, the Roche-Hitachi Cobas 8000 c702 (Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation). This study followed the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments. We surveyed participants regarding the convenience of the POC device using a questionnaire following the completion of blood collection. RESULTS: When compared to the reference equipment, the measurements obtained using Barozen Lipid Plus were more than 95% satisfactory within TC±10%, TG±25%, and HDL-C±30%. The coefficient of variation in the repeatability testing was within 5% for TC, 5% for TGs, and 7% for HDL-C. The survey results indicated high levels of satisfaction. No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that Barozen Lipid Plus is reliable for measuring lipid profiles and can therefore be used to monitor lipid levels at the time and place of patient care.

Effects of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Rapid Annealing and Back-Channel Passivation on Solution-Processed In-Ga-Zn-O Thin Film Transistors Array.

We report on the effects of the intense pulsed light (IPL) rapid annealing process and back-channel passivation on the solution-processed In-Ga-Zn-O (IGZO) thin film transistors (TFTs) array. To improve the electrical properties, stability and uniformity of IGZO TFTs, the oxide channel layers were treated by IPL at atmospheric ambient and passivated by photo-sensitive polyimide (PSPI). When we treated the IGZO channel layer by the IPL rapid annealing process, saturation field effect mobility and subthreshold swing (S.S.) were improved. And, to protect the back-channel of oxide channel layers from oxygen and water molecules, we passivated TFT devices with photo-sensitive polyimide. The IGZO TFTs on glass substrate treated by IPL rapid annealing without PSPI passivation showed the field effect mobility (µFE) of 1.54 cm2/Vs and subthreshold swing (S.S.) of 0.708 V/decade. The PSPI-passivated IGZO TFTs showed higher µFE of 2.17 cm2/Vs than that of device without passivation process and improved S.S. of 0.225 V/decade. By using a simple and fast intense pulsed light treatment with an appropriate back-channel passivation layer, we could improve the electrical characteristics and hysteresis of IGZO-TFTs. We also showed the improved uniformity of electrical characteristics for IGZO TFT devices in the area of 10 × 40 mm2. Since this IPL rapid annealing process could be performed at a low temperature, it can be applied to flexible electronics on plastic substrates in the near future.

The level of vitamin D using the LC-MS/MS method and related factors in healthy Korean postmenopausal women.

AIM: The main purposes of the study were (i) to evaluate serum vitamin D concentration in the forms of 25(OH)D2 , 25(OH)D3 and total 25(OH)D in Korean postmenopausal women using the LC-MS/MS method, which offers increased sensitivity and selectivity; (ii) to determine the relationship between the bone turnover marker, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and 25(OH)D3 , total 25(OH)D separately; and (iii) to determine the factors that may be associated with vitamin D deficiency using body composition analysis and laboratory blood tests. METHOD: A total of 200 postmenopausal women were recruited from November 2012 to March 2014. To control for seasonal ultraviolet exposure time differences in serum 25(OH)D, laboratory tests were performed only from November to March when vitamin D is not synthesized. Independent relationships between 25(OH)D3 , total 25(OH)D and other variables were assessed by multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean serum 25(OH)D2 , 25(OH)D3 and total 25(OH)D levels were 0.51 (±0.44) ng/mL, 14.23 (±7.05) ng/mL and 14.69 (±7.13) ng/mL, respectively. Both 25(OH)D3 and total 25(OH)D were positively correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Apo A-I and C-terminal cross-linked telopeptides of type I collagen in Korean postmenopausal women. Both serum 25(OH)D3 and total 25(OH)D were negatively correlated with alkaline phosphatase , PTH and percent body fat. However, osteocalcin showed a negative correlation (r = -0.451; P = 0.041) with only 25(OH)D3 and not with total 25(OH)D (r = -0.417; P = 0.064). CONCLUSION: Both 25(OH)D3 and total 25(OH)D were negatively correlated with PTH, a bone formation marker (alkaline phosphatase) and percent body fat. Both 25(OH)D3 and total 25(OH)D were positively correlated with a bone resorption marker (C-terminal cross-linked telopeptides of type I collagen), ESR and Apo A-I after multiple regression analysis.

Tunable Dielectric Properties of Poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) Films with Embedded Fluorinated Barium Strontium Titanate Nanoparticles.

Fluoropolymer nanocomposites of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP) were prepared using fluorinated barium strontium titanate (Ba1-xSrxTiO3, BSTO) nanoparticles (NPs) by low-temperature synthesis using a modified liquid-solid solution process. The exact stoichiometry of as-synthesized BSTO NPs was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis along with lattice parameter calculations. The synthesized BSTO NPs were fluorinated using 2,2,2-trifluoroacetic acid as a fluorous ligand. The BSTO NPs showed high solubility in the fluorous system (polymer and solvent) on account of their modified surface. The root-mean-square roughness of the fluorinated BSTO/PVdF-HFP nanocomposite was 76 times lower than that of the nonfluorinated BSTO/PVdF-HFP nanocomposite. The dielectric constant of the fluorinated BSTO/PVdF-HFP nanocomposite exhibited Curie temperature behavior. The dielectric constant of the nanocomposite predicted using the modified Kerner model at room temperature agreed well with the experimental values.

Fabric Active Transducer Stimulated by Water Motion for Self-Powered Wearable Device.

The recent trend of energy-harvesting devices is an adoption of fabric materials with flexible and stretchable according to the increase of wearable electronics. But it is a difficult process to form a core structure of dielectric layer or electrode on fabric materials. In particular, a fabric-based energy-harvesting device in contact with water has not been studied, though there are many challenging issues including insulation and water absorption in a harsh environment. So we propose an effective method to obtain an electrical energy from the water contact using our new fabric energy harvesting device. Our water motion active transducer (WMAT) is designed to obtain electrical energy from the variable capacitance through the movement and contact of water droplet. In this paper, we succeeded in generating an electrical energy with peak to peak power of 280 µW using a 30 µL of water droplet with the fabric WMAT device of 70 mm × 50 mm dimension. Furthermore, we specially carried out spray-coating and transfer processes instead of the conventional spin-coating process on fabric materials to overcome the limitation of its uneven morphology and porous and deformable assembly.

Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction and Associated Risk Factors in Middle-Aged and Elderly Korean Men in Primary Care.

Although several studies have individually investigated the risk factors for erectile dysfunction (ED), premature ejaculation (PE), and late-onset hypogonadism (LOH), few studies have considered ED, PE, and LOH as categories of sexual dysfunction (SD) within the same population. We therefore aimed to investigate the prevalence of SD and its associated risk factors among men in primary care. Study participants were enrolled by 18 family physicians from 15 hospital-based family practices in Korea between August 2010 and May 2011. Participants answered a questionnaire regarding their demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors as well as the Korean versions of the Androgen Deficiency in the Aging Male, the International Index of Erectile Function, and the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool questionnaires. SD prevalence was 64.9% among study participants who were ≥ 40 years of age. ED prevalence was 43.7%, PE prevalence was 38.6%, and LOH prevalence was 16.8%. SD prevalence was significantly associated with increased age, overweight, hypertension, diabetes, and depression. These findings highlight the importance of screening questions for SD in primary care, especially among older male patients with the identified risk factors.

The Relationship between a Spouse's Alcohol Use Disorder and Family Communication.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects not only an individual's health but also their family. This study was conducted to examine effects of a spouse's AUD on family functioning and family communication. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from 890 participants (445 couples) in a Korean family cohort in primary care. Participants with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test in Korea scores of 8 or greater were classified into an AUD group. Family functioning was classified into three groups (balanced, midrange, and extreme) using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES)-III questionnaire, and then reclassified into two groups (appropriate and extreme groups) for binominal analyses. Family communication was classified into three groups (high, moderate, and low) using the Family Communication Scale, FACES-IV, and also reclassified into two groups (good and poor). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in adaptability and cohesion between both male and female participants with a spouse with AUD and participants with a spouse without AUD. Using multivariate logistic regression to adjust for potential confounders, there was no significant difference in family type and communication between the two groups in males. However, there was a significant decrease in family communication (odds ratio, 2.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.29 to 3.58) in females with a spouse with AUD compared to females with a spouse without AUD, even after adjusting for the participant's own AUD. CONCLUSION: In females, family communication is significantly worse when spouses have AUD. This suggests that a husband's alcohol consumption has negative effects on his wife's family communication.

Optically transparent thin-film transistors based on 2D multilayer MoS2 and indium zinc oxide electrodes.

We report on optically transparent thin film transistors (TFTs) fabricated using multilayered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as the active channel, indium tin oxide (ITO) for the back-gated electrode and indium zinc oxide (IZO) for the source/drain electrodes, respectively, which showed more than 81% transmittance in the visible wavelength. In spite of a relatively large Schottky barrier between MoS2 and IZO, the n-type behavior with a field-effect mobility (µ(eff)) of 1.4 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) was observed in as-fabricated transparent MoS2 TFT. In order to enhance the performances of transparent MoS2 TFTs, a picosecond pulsed laser was selectively irradiated onto the contact region of the IZO electrodes. Following laser annealing, µ(eff) increased to 4.5 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), and the on-off current ratio (I(on)/I(off)) increased to 10(4), which were attributed to the reduction of the contact resistance between MoS2 and IZO.

A 32 × 32 optical phased array using polysilicon sub-wavelength high-contrast-grating mirrors.

We report on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-actuated 32 × 32 optical phased arrays (OPAs) with high fill-factors and microsecond response time. To reduce the mirror weight and temperature-dependent curvature, we use high-contrast-grating (HCG) mirrors comprising a single layer of sub-wavelength polysilicon gratings with 400 nm thickness, 1250 nm pitch, and 570 nm grating bar width. The mirror has a broad reflection band and a peak reflectivity of 99.9% at 1550 nm wavelength. With 20 × 20 µm2 pixels and 2 µm, the OPA has a total aperture of 702 × 702 µm2 and a fill factor of 85%. The OPA is electrostatically controlled by voltage and has a total field of view of ± 2°, an instantaneous field of view (beam width) of 0.14°, and a response time of 3.8 µs. The latter agrees well with the mechanical resonance frequency of the HCG mirror (0.42 MHz).

High speed optical phased array using high contrast grating all-pass filters.

We report a high speed 8x8 optical phased array using tunable 1550 nm all-pass filters with ultrathin high contrast gratings (HCGs) as the microelectromechanical-actuated top reflectors. The all-pass filter design enables a highly efficient phase tuning (1.7 π) with a small actuation voltage (10 V) and actuation displacement of the HCG (50 nm). The microelectromechanical HCG structure facilitates a high phase tuning speed >0.5 MHz. Beam steering is experimentally demonstrated with the optical phased array.

Effect of grain boundary on the field-effect mobility of microrod single crystal organic transistors.

High-performance microrod single crystal organic transistors based on a p-type 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) semiconductor are fabricated and the effects of grain boundaries on the carrier transport have been investigated. The spin-coating of C8-BTBT and subsequent solvent vapor annealing process enabled the formation of organic single crystals with high aspect ratio in the range of 10 - 20. It was found that the organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) based on these single crystals yield a field-effect mobility and an on/off current ratio of 8.04 cm2/Vs and > 10(5), respectively. However, single crystal OFETs with a kink, in which two single crystals are fused together, exhibited a noticeable drop of field-effect mobility, and we claim that this phenomenon results from the carrier scattering at the grain boundary.

Reliable and uniform thin-film transistor arrays based on inkjet-printed polymer semiconductors for full color reflective displays.

Stable uniform performance inkjet-printed polymer transistor arrays, which allow demonstration of flexible full-color displays, were achieved by new ambient processable conjugated copolymer semiconductor, and OTFT devices incorporating this material showed high mobility values>1.0 cm2 V(-1) s(-1). Bias-stress stability of the devices was improved with a channel-passivation layer, which suppresses the density of trap states at the channel interface.

Optical phased array using high contrast gratings for two dimensional beamforming and beamsteering.

We have developed a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) optical phased array incorporating a high-index-contrast subwavelength grating (HCG) for beamforming and beamsteering in a range of ± 1.26° × 1.26°. Our approach needs only a thin single-layer HCG made of silicon, considerably improving its speed thanks to the low mass, and is suitable for high optical power applications. The measured resonant frequency of HCG is 0.32 MHz.

Optical beamsteering using an 8 × 8 MEMS phased array with closed-loop interferometric phase control.

We present a high-speed optical beamsteering system based on an 8x8 MEMS phased array. The system incorporates an in situ interferometer that provides a real-time, dynamic measure of the phase of each mirror in the array during beamsteering. A closed-loop phase-control algorithm results in <π/100 mirror phase accuracy and far field beam steering is shown. Stroboscopic measurement capabilities are demonstrated which allow us to show feedforward control to eliminate micromirror ringing.

A wafer-level vacuum package using glass-reflowed silicon through-wafer interconnection for nano/micro devices.

We propose a vacuum wafer-level packaging (WLP) process using glass-reflowed silicon via for nano/micro devices (NMDs). A through-wafer interconnection (TWIn) substrate with silicon vias and reflowed glass is introduced to accomplish a vertical feed-through of device. NMDs are fabricated in the single crystal silicon (SCS) layer which is formed on the TWIn substrate by Au eutectic bonding including Cr adhesion layer. The WLPof the devices is achieved with the capping glass wafer anodically bonded to the SCS layer. In order to demonstrate the successful hermetic packaging, we fabricated the micro-Pirani gauge in the SCS layer, and packaged it in the wafer-level. The vacuum level inside the packaging was measured to be 3.1 Torr with +/- 0.12 Torr uncertainty, and the packaging leakage was not detected during 24 hour after the packaging.

Controlled deposition of a high-performance small-molecule organic single-crystal transistor array by direct ink-jet printing.

Ink-jet printed small-molecule organic single-crystal transistors are realized by using selective surface energy modification, precise control of volume density of ink droplets on spatially patterned areas, and a co-solvent system to control solvent evaporation properties. The single-crystal formation in bottom-contact-structured transistors via direct printing is expected to permit high-density array fabrication in large-area electronics.

Automated maskless photolithography system for peptide microarray synthesis on a chip.

Maskless photolithographic peptide synthesis was performed on a glass chip using an automated peptide array synthesizer system. The peptide array synthesizer was built in a closed box, which contained optical and fluidic systems. The conditions for peptide synthesis were fully controlled by a computer program. For the peptide synthesis on a glass chip, 20 NVOC-protected amino acids were synthesized. The coupling efficiencies of two model peptide sequences were examined on ACA/APTS and PEG/CHI/GPTS chips. PEG/CHI/GPTS chip gave higher average stepwise yields of GIYWHHY (94%) and YIYGSFK (98%) than those of ACA/APTS chip. To quantify peptide-protein binding affinity, HPQ- or HPM-containing pentapeptides were synthesized on a PEG/CHI/GPTS chip and the binding event of Cy3 labeled-streptavidin was quantified. The peptide sequence of IQHPQ showed highest binding affinity with Cy3 labeled-streptavidin. The results demonstrated that the photolithographic peptide array synthesis method efficiently quantified the binding activities of protein-peptide interactions and it can be used for additional biological assay applications.

MEMS micromirror characterization in space environments.

This paper describes MEMS micromirror characterization in space environments associated with our space applications in earth observation from the International Space Station and earth's orbit satellite. The performance of the micromirror was tested for shock and vibration, stiction, outgassing from depressurization and heating, and electrostatic charging effects. We demonstrated that there is no degradation of the micromirror performance after the space environment tests. A test bed instrument equipped with the micromirrors was delivered and tested in the ISS. The results demonstrate that the proposed micromirrors are suitable for optical space systems.

Light-directed synthesis of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) chips.

We report herein the light-directed synthesis of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) microarray using PNA monomers protected by photolabile protecting groups and a maskless technique that uses a digital micromirror array system to form virtual masks. An ultraviolet image from the virtual mask was cast onto the active surface of a glass substrate, which was mounted in a flow cell reaction chamber connected to a peptide synthesizer. Light exposure was followed by automatic chemical coupling cycles and these steps were repeated with different virtual masks to grow the desired PNA probes in a selected pattern. In a preliminary experiment, an array of PNA probes with dimensions of 4.11 mm x 4.11 mm was generated on each slide. Each synthesis region in the final array measured 210 microm x 210 microm for a total of 256 sites. The center-to-center space was 260 microm. It was observed from the hybridization pattern of the fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide targets that the fluorescence intensities of the matched, and mismatched sequences showed substantial difference, demonstrating specificity in the identification of complementary sequences. This opens the way to exploit processes from the microelectronics industry for the fabrication of PNA microarrays with high densities.