Birds in flight are prone to collide with various transparent or reflective structures. While bird–window collision has been recognised as a critical conservation issue, collision with other transparent structures has been less understood. Noise barriers made of transparent materials are considered critical hazards for birds; however, little is known about the bird mortality they cause. We conducted the first nationwide-scale estimates of bird-collision mortality caused by transparent noise barriers (TNBs) along roads in the Republic of Korea. The total length of existing roadside transparent noise barriers was estimated at 1,416 km nationwide (as of 2018), and it had been increasing exponentially. Based on carcass surveys at 25 sites, daily mortality at the observed barriers was 0.335 ± 1.132 birds/km on average, and no difference in observed mortality was detected between both sides of a single barrier and between road types (i.e. local roads and motorways). Finally, we estimated that approximately 186,000 birds (95% confidence interval: 162,465–204,812 birds) are killed annually by collisions with roadside TNBs. As privately installed barriers were not considered in this study, the actual mortality is likely be higher than our estimates. Thus, collision with TNBs could become an emerging threat to avian conservation, especially in developing and urbanising regions around the world. As such structures are not formally recognised as conservation issues of importance, more systematic surveys aided by citizen science, both for the status of TNBs and bird-collision mortality, are needed in addition to management and mitigation policies.

In this paper, the electrical properties of bottom-gate (BG) polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin-film transistors (TFTs) by NiSi2 seed-induced lateral crystallization (SILC) and its applications are presented. Sequential lateral solidification (SLS), which is one of crystallization methods, is known to have poor electrical properties of TFTs with BG structures due to problems induced by laser. Therefore, the laser method cannot be used to well-developed production line of amorphous-Si (a-Si) TFT, resulting in large initial investment cost to change fabrication procedures. On the other hand, the BG poly-Si TFT by SILC (SILC-BGPS TFT) has basically compatible process flows with that of the a-Si TFT. The SILC-BGPS TFT exhibited threshold voltage of -3.9 V, steep subthreshold slope of 130 mV/dec, a high field-effect mobility of 129 cm2/Vs , and Ion/Ioff ratio of ∼106.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men in the USA. Growing evidence suggests that oxidative stress is involved in the development and progression of prostate cancer. In this study, the association between antioxidants from diet and supplements and biomarkers of oxidative stress in blood (n 278), urine (n 298) and prostate tissue (n 55) were determined among men from the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project. The association between antioxidant intake and oxidative stress biomarkers in blood and urine was determined using linear regression, adjusting for age, race, prostate cancer aggressiveness and smoking status. Greater antioxidant intake was found to be associated with lower urinary 8-isoprostane concentrations, with a 10 % increase in antioxidant intake corresponding to an unadjusted 1·1 % decrease in urinary 8-isoprostane levels (95 % CI −1·7, −0·3 %; P value<0·01) and an adjusted 0·6 % decrease (95 % CI −1·4, 0·2 %; P value=0·16). In benign prostate tissue, thioredoxin 1 was inversely associated with antioxidant intake (P=0·02). No significant associations were found for other blood or urinary biomarkers or for malignant prostate tissue. These results indicate that antioxidant intake may be associated with less oxidative stress among men diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) is reported as the main factor responsible for the beneficial effects of glutamine (GLN) and as a negative regulator of high mobility group box protein-1 (HMGB-1) expression. Our aim was to determine whether GLN attenuates acute lung injury (ALI) by the inhibition of HMGB-1 expression during sepsis. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to caecal ligation and puncture (CLP) to induce sepsis. GLN or saline was administered through tail vein 1 h after CLP. Then, quercetin (Q), an inhibitor of HSP70, was utilised to assess the role of the enhanced HSP70. We observed the survival of the subjects. At 24 h post-CLP, we measured lung HSP70, phosphorylated heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1-p) and HMGB-1 expressions, NF-κB DNA-binding activity and ALI occurrence. We also measured serum HSP70, IL-6 and HMGB-1 concentrations. GLN improved survival during sepsis. In GLN-treated rats, lung HSP70 and HSF-1-p expressions were enhanced, lung HMGB-1 expression and NF-κB DNA-binding activity were suppressed, and ALI was attenuated. Furthermore, in GLN-administered rats, serum HSP70 concentration was higher, and serum IL-6 and HMGB-1 concentrations were lower than those in non-treated rats. Q inhibited the enhancement of HSP70 and HSF-1-p expressions and abrogated the GLN-mediated benefits. In conclusion, GLN attenuated ALI and improved survival by the inhibition of HMGB-1 expression during sepsis in rats. These benefits were associated with the enhancement of HSP70 expression by GLN.

Metal oxide nanoparticles within the protein ferritin can act as an energy storage source in nano-bio batteries containing ferrous ferritin and a reconstituted ferritin cage containing different inorganic elements, such as Co, Mn, Ni, and Pt. These components were introduced as two ferritin half-cells with different redox potentials existing between the ferrous ferritin and the reconstituted ferritin. The reduction of ferritin was analyzed in a solution containing 3-[N-morpholino] propanesulfonic acid buffer and oxidized methyl viologen using cyclic voltammetry. The reduction and oxidation peaks of the methyl viologen occurred at potentials of −300 and −100 mV, respectively, and the reduction and the oxidation peaks of the released Fe occurred at potentials of −300 and −100 mV, respectively. The reduction of ferritin was influenced by the pH of the ferritin solution.

The swelling behavior of chitosan hydrogels in ionic liquid–water binary systems was studied using hydrophilic room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) to elucidate the swelling properties of chitosan hydrogels. It was confirmed that chitosan hydrogels are much stiffer after immersing in a pure RTIL because the water existing inside the chitosan polymer network is extracted into the RTIL. The pH of the binary system changes when the RTIL is in contact with water. The chitosan hydrogels were fully dissociated at a 90% water content in the BMI-BF4-water binary system. The equilibrium binary system content behavior of the chitosan hydrogels depended upon the amount of free water present. The water behavior in a pure RTIL was examined using differential scanning calorimetry.

Composite fibers composed of chitosan and single-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been fabricated using a wet spinning method. The dispersion was improved by the sonic agitation of the CNTs in a chitosan solution followed by centrifugation to remove tube aggregates and any residual catalyst. The mechanical behavior was investigated using a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). The mechanical tests showed a dramatic increase in Young's modulus for the chitosan/CNT composite fibers fabricated using the improved dispersion method. The strain on the microfibers was determined from tensile load measurements during pH switching in acidic or basic electrolyte solutions. The microfibers showed a general actuation behavior of expanding at pH = 2 and contracting at pH = 7 under low tensile loads. However, a reverse of this actuation behavior was exhibited under high tensile loads. This anomalous pH actuation is both new and surprising. It was explained from an analysis of the differences in sample stiffness and Poisson’s ratio under tensile load in electrolyte solutions with different pH values.

Composite nanofibers including ferritin nanoparticles or multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were fabricated to enhance the physical properties of the nanofibers, such as the elastic modulus and electrical conductivity. The ferritin was homogeneously incorporated in the polymeric nanofibers, but excess carbon nanotubes (CNTs) added to the polymer solution resulted in the fabrication of composite nanofibers with rough surfaces. PVA/ferritin/CNT composite nanofibers were fabricated that had smooth surfaces, and had a good dispersion of ferritin and CNTs. These composite nanofibers are applicable to artificial muscles requiring enhanced physical properties.

The SrTa2O6 (STO) thin films were prepared by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) with alternating supply of reactant sources, Sr[Ta(C2H5O)5(C4H10NO)]2 {Strontium bis-[tantalum penta-ethoxide dimethyllaminoethoxide]; Sr(Ta(OEt)5▪dmae)2} and O2plasma. It was observed that the uniform and conformal STO thin films were successfully deposited using PEALD and the film thickness per cycle was saturated at about 0.8 nm at 300°C. Electrical properties of SrTa2O6 (STO) thin films prepared on Pt/SiO2/Si substrates with annealing temperatures have been investigated. While the grain size and dielectric constant of STO films increased with increasing annealing temperature, the leakage current characteristics of STO films slightly deteriorated. The leakage current density of a 40nm-STO film was about 5×10−8A/cm2 at 3V.