Showing papers by "Kwangwoon University published in 2018"

Wireless bioresorbable electronic system enables sustained nonpharmacological neuroregenerative therapy

Abstract: Peripheral nerve injuries represent a significant problem in public health, constituting 2-5% of all trauma cases1. For severe nerve injuries, even advanced forms of clinical intervention often lead to incomplete and unsatisfactory motor and/or sensory function2. Numerous studies report the potential of pharmacological approaches (for example, growth factors, immunosuppressants) to accelerate and enhance nerve regeneration in rodent models3-10. Unfortunately, few have had a positive impact in clinical practice. Direct intraoperative electrical stimulation of injured nerve tissue proximal to the site of repair has been demonstrated to enhance and accelerate functional recovery11,12, suggesting a novel nonpharmacological, bioelectric form of therapy that could complement existing surgical approaches. A significant limitation of this technique is that existing protocols are constrained to intraoperative use and limited therapeutic benefits13. Herein we introduce (i) a platform for wireless, programmable electrical peripheral nerve stimulation, built with a collection of circuit elements and substrates that are entirely bioresorbable and biocompatible, and (ii) the first reported demonstration of enhanced neuroregeneration and functional recovery in rodent models as a result of multiple episodes of electrical stimulation of injured nervous tissue.

Battery-free, wireless sensors for full-body pressure and temperature mapping

Abstract: Thin, soft, skin-like sensors capable of precise, continuous measurements of physiological health have broad potential relevance to clinical health care. Use of sensors distributed over a wide area for full-body, spatiotemporal mapping of physiological processes would be a considerable advance for this field. We introduce materials, device designs, wireless power delivery and communication strategies, and overall system architectures for skin-like, battery-free sensors of temperature and pressure that can be used across the entire body. Combined experimental and theoretical investigations of the sensor operation and the modes for wireless addressing define the key features of these systems. Studies with human subjects in clinical sleep laboratories and in adjustable hospital beds demonstrate functionality of the sensors, with potential implications for monitoring of circadian cycles and mitigating risks for pressure-induced skin ulcers.

Depth-Based 3D Hand Pose Estimation: From Current Achievements to Future Goals

Abstract: In this paper, we strive to answer two questions: What is the current state of 3D hand pose estimation from depth images? And, what are the next challenges that need to be tackled? Following the successful Hands In the Million Challenge (HIM2017), we investigate the top 10 state-of-the-art methods on three tasks: single frame 3D pose estimation, 3D hand tracking, and hand pose estimation during object interaction. We analyze the performance of different CNN structures with regard to hand shape, joint visibility, view point and articulation distributions. Our findings include: (1) isolated 3D hand pose estimation achieves low mean errors (10 mm) in the view point range of [70, 120] degrees, but it is far from being solved for extreme view points; (2) 3D volumetric representations outperform 2D CNNs, better capturing the spatial structure of the depth data; (3) Discriminative methods still generalize poorly to unseen hand shapes; (4) While joint occlusions pose a challenge for most methods, explicit modeling of structure constraints can significantly narrow the gap between errors on visible and occluded joints.

Biological and medical applications of plasma-activated media, water and solutions

Abstract: Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma has been proposed as a new tool for various biological and medical applications. Plasma in close proximity to cell culture media or water creates reactive oxygen and nitrogen species containing solutions known as plasma-activated media (PAM) or plasma-activated water (PAW) – the latter even displays acidification. These plasma-treated solutions remain stable for several days with respect to the storage temperature. Recently, PAM and PAW have been widely studied for many biomedical applications. Here, we reviewed promising reports demonstrating plasma-liquid interaction chemistry and the application of PAM or PAW as an anti-cancer, anti-metastatic, antimicrobial, regenerative medicine for blood coagulation and even as a dental treatment agent. We also discuss the role of PAM on cancer initiation cells (spheroids or cancer stem cells), on the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), and when used for metastasis inhibition considering its anticancer effects. The roles of PAW in controlling plant disease, seed decontamination, seed germination and plant growth are also considered in this review. Finally, we emphasize the future prospects of PAM, PAW or plasma-activated solutions in biomedical applications with a discussion of the mechanisms and the stability and safety issues in relation to humans.

Recent progress on surface chemistry of plasmonic metal nanoparticles for colorimetric assay of drugs in pharmaceutical and biological samples

Abstract: Plasmonic metal nanoparticles have been explored as a new class of chemical read-outs for assaying of a variety of chemical and biological species because of their unique physico-chemical and size dependent properties. Metal nanoparticles-based optical technologies are based on either new class of organic molecular assembly or with aggregation-induced optical changes features, which can also improve the sensitivity of drug assays in pharmaceutical analysis. This review describes the advantages of surface chemistry of plasmonic metal nanoparticles (e.g., silver, copper, gold, and platinum) for tuning of their colorimetric sensing applications in various drugs assays in pharmaceutical and biological samples. It provides insights of various plasmonic metal nanoparticles-based sensing strategies for the selective, sensitive and simultaneous colorimetric assay of drugs in pharmaceutical samples. Finally, we listed some research challenges to accelerate the development of plasmonic metal nanoparticles-based colorimetric sensors that are directly applicable for assaying drugs in pharmaceutical samples.

A miniaturized and flexible cadmium and lead ion detection sensor based on micro-patterned reduced graphene oxide/carbon nanotube/bismuth composite electrodes

Abstract: We proposed and fabricated a miniaturized, flexible, and fully integrated electrochemical sensor incorporated with micro-patterned reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and a carbon nanotube (CNT) composite working electrode on a flexible gold substrate. By in situ plating bismuth film, the fabricated sensor exhibited well-defined and separate stripping peaks for cadmium (Cd) and iron (Pb) ions, respectively. The CNT was mixed with the rGO in order to improve the performance of the sensor by increasing the electrode surface area. Several experimental parameters, including an electrolyte environment and electrodeposition conditions, were also carefully optimized to achieve the best stripping performance. Under optimal conditions, high sensitivities of 262 nA/ppbcm2 (Cd) and 926 nA/ppbcm2 (Pb) along with favorable detection limits of 0.6 ppb (Cd) and 0.2 ppb (Pb) were obtained. The sensor exhibited good linear responses to both ion types in the concentration range of 20 ppb to 200 ppb. Due to the enlargement of the electrode surface area, the determination efficiency toward target ions was significantly enhanced by the developed Au/rGOCNT/Bi modified electrode. The developed sensor shows high sensitivity, stability, and reliability for the detection of the target heavy metal ions. Finally, the fabricated sensor was successfully demonstrated to detect the target metal ions in drinking water samples with satisfactory results.

Super-Absorbent Polymer Valves and Colorimetric Chemistries for Time-Sequenced Discrete Sampling and Chloride Analysis of Sweat via Skin-Mounted Soft Microfluidics

Abstract: This paper introduces super absorbent polymer valves and colorimetric sensing reagents as enabling components of soft, skin-mounted microfluidic devices designed to capture, store, and chemically analyze sweat released from eccrine glands. The valving technology enables robust means for guiding the flow of sweat from an inlet location into a collection of isolated reservoirs, in a well-defined sequence. Analysis in these reservoirs involves a color responsive indicator of chloride concentration with a formulation tailored to offer stable operation with sensitivity optimized for the relevant physiological range. Evaluations on human subjects with comparisons against ex situ analysis illustrate the practical utility of these advances.

Highly Adaptable and Biocompatible Octopus-Like Adhesive Patches with Meniscus-Controlled Unfoldable 3D Microtips for Underwater Surface and Hairy Skin

Abstract: Adhesion capabilities of various skin architectures found in nature can generate remarkable physical interactions with their engaged surfaces. Among them, octopus suckers have unique hierarchical structures for reversible adhesion in dry and wet conditions. Here, highly adaptable, biocompatible, and repeatable adhesive patches with unfoldable, 3D microtips in micropillars inspired by the rim and infundibulum of octopus suction cup are presented. The bioinspired synthetic adhesives are fabricated by controlling the meniscus of a liquid precursor in a simple molding process without any hierarchical assemblies or additional surface treatments. Experimental and theoretical studies are investigated upon to increase the effective contact area between unfoldable microtips of devices, and enhance adhesion performances and adaptability on a Si wafer in both dry and underwater conditions (max. 11 N cm-2 in pull-off strength) as well as on a moist pigskin (max. 14.6 mJ peeling energy). Moreover, the geometry-controlled microsuckers exhibit high-repeatability (over 100 cycles) in a pull-off direction. The adhesive demonstrates stable attachments on a moist, hairy, and rough skin, without any observable chemical residues.

Temporary Frequency Support of a DFIG for High Wind Power Penetration

Abstract: This paper proposes a temporary frequency-support scheme of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) that can improve the frequency nadir while ensuring rapid frequency stabilization, particularly for high wind power penetration levels (WPPLs). Upon detecting a disturbance, the power reference is increased by the incremental power and maintained for a preset period. The proposed incremental power varies with the rotor speed and WPPL. Then, to force the rotor speed to converge to a stable operating range, the reference decreases with the rotor speed. During the deceleration period, the proposed scheme releases less kinetic energy, which helps in the rapid recovery of the rotor speed. During the acceleration period, to accelerate the rotor speed recovery, the reference smoothly decreases with time and rotor speed until it reaches the maximum power point tracking curve. The test results, which are based on the IEEE 14-bus system, demonstrate that even though less kinetic energy is released, the proposed scheme can improve the frequency nadir while rapidly recovering the rotor speed under various wind conditions and penetration levels, but it is particularly effective for higher penetration levels. The scheme helps providing a promising solution to the ancillary services of a DFIG in a power system with high WPPLs.

Smartphone-Based VOC Sensor Using Colorimetric Polydiacetylenes.

Abstract: Owing to a unique colorimetric (typically blue-to-red) feature upon environmental stimulation, polydiacetylenes (PDAs) have been actively employed in chemosensor systems. We developed a highly accurate and simple volatile organic compound (VOC) sensor system that can be operated using a conventional smartphone. The procedure begins with forming an array of four different PDAs on conventional paper using inkjet printing of four corresponding diacetylenes followed by photopolymerization. A database of color changes (i.e., red and hue values) is then constructed on the basis of different solvatochromic responses of the 4 PDAs to 11 organic solvents. Exposure of the PDA array to an unknown solvent promotes color changes, which are imaged using a smartphone camera and analyzed using the app. A comparison of the color changes to the database promoted by the 11 solvents enables the smartphone app to identify the unknown solvent with 100% accuracy. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the PDA array sensor was s...

Bacterial inactivation by plasma treated water enhanced by reactive nitrogen species.

Abstract: There is a growing body of literature that recognizes the importance of plasma treated water (PTW) for inactivation of microorganism. However, very little attention has been paid to the role of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in deactivation of bacteria. The aim of this study is to explore the role of RNS in bacterial killing, and to develop a plasma system with increased sterilization efficiency. To increase the concentration of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in solution, we have used vapor systems (DI water/HNO3 at different wt%) combined with plasma using N2 as working gas. The results show that the addition of the vapor system yields higher RONS contents. Furthermore, PTW produced by N2 + 0.5 wt% HNO3 vapor comprises a large amount of both RNS and ROS, while PTW created by N2 + H2O vapor consists of a large amount of ROS, but much less RNS. Interestingly, we observed more deactivation of E. Coli with PTW created by N2 + 0.5 wt% HNO3 vapor plasma as compared to PTW generated by the other plasma systems. This work provides new insight into the role of RNS along with ROS for deactivation of bacteria.

Soft, Skin-Interfaced Microfluidic Systems with Wireless, Battery-Free Electronics for Digital, Real-Time Tracking of Sweat Loss and Electrolyte Composition.

Abstract: Sweat excretion is a dynamic physiological process that varies with body position, activity level, environmental factors, and health status. Conventional means for measuring the properties of sweat yield accurate results but their requirements for sampling and analytics do not allow for use in the field. Emerging wearable devices offer significant advantages over existing approaches, but each has significant drawbacks associated with bulk and weight, inability to quantify volumetric sweat rate and loss, robustness, and/or inadequate accuracy in biochemical analysis. This paper presents a thin, miniaturized, skin-interfaced microfluidic technology that includes a reusable, battery-free electronics module for measuring sweat conductivity and rate in real-time using wireless power from and data communication to electronic devices with capabilities in near field communications (NFC), including most smartphones. The platform exploits ultrathin electrodes integrated within a collection of microchannels as interfaces to circuits that leverage NFC protocols. The resulting capabilities are complementary to those of previously reported colorimetric strategies. Systematic studies of these combined microfluidic/electronic systems, accurate correlations of measurements performed with them to those of laboratory standard instrumentation, and field tests on human subjects exercising and at rest establish the key operational features and their utility in sweat analytics.

Wireless, battery-free, flexible, miniaturized dosimeters monitor exposure to solar radiation and to light for phototherapy

Abstract: Exposure to electromagnetic radiation can have a profound impact on human health. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun causes skin cancer. Blue light affects the body’s circadian melatonin rhythm. At the same time, electromagnetic radiation in controlled quantities has beneficial use. UV light treats various inflammatory skin conditions, and blue light phototherapy is the standard of care for neonatal jaundice. Although quantitative measurements of exposure in these contexts are important, current systems have limited applicability outside of laboratories because of an unfavorable set of factors in bulk, weight, cost, and accuracy. We present optical metrology approaches, optoelectronic designs, and wireless modes of operation that serve as the basis for miniature, low-cost, and battery-free devices for precise dosimetry at multiple wavelengths. These platforms use a system on a chip with near-field communication functionality, a radio frequency antenna, photodiodes, supercapacitors, and a transistor to exploit a continuous accumulation mechanism for measurement. Experimental and computational studies of the individual components, the collective systems, and the performance parameters highlight the operating principles and design considerations. Evaluations on human participants monitored solar UV exposure during outdoor activities, captured instantaneous and cumulative exposure during blue light phototherapy in neonatal intensive care units, and tracked light illumination for seasonal affective disorder phototherapy. Versatile applications of this dosimetry platform provide means for consumers and medical providers to modulate light exposure across the electromagnetic spectrum in a way that can both reduce risks in the context of excessive exposure and optimize benefits in the context of phototherapy.

Deep ECGNet: An Optimal Deep Learning Framework for Monitoring Mental Stress Using Ultra Short-Term ECG Signals.

Abstract: Background: Stress recognition using electrocardiogram (ECG) signals requires the intractable long-term heart rate variability (HRV) parameter extraction process. This study proposes a nov...

A Comparative Study of Suicide Rates among 10-19-Year-Olds in 29 OECD Countries.

Abstract: Objective This study had two main objectives: to compare current suicide rates in OECD countries among 10–19-year-olds and to identify patterns of suicide rates based on age, gender and time. Furthermore we investigated the main dimensions that contributed to the variation in child and adolescent suicide rates across countries.

Social implications of children’s smartphone addiction: The role of support networks and social engagement

Abstract: Background and aimsMost studies have regarded smartphone addiction as a condition stemming from individuals’ psychological issues, so research has rarely examined it in relation to a lack of social...