Anti-melanogenesis and skin anti-wrinkle effects of methanol (ME) and hot water (HE) extracts from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma applanatum were investigated in this study. The total phenolic contents of the ME and HE of the mushroom were 11.68 and 3.15 μg GAEs/mg, respectively, whereas the total flavonoid contents of the ME and HE were 21.82 and 2.69 μg QEs/mg, respectively. The survival rate of B16-F10 murine melanoma cells treated with 750 μg ME and HE were 83.46% and 85.54%, respectively, thereby suggesting that mushroom extracts were slightly cytotoxic at the tested concentration. The in vitro tyrosinase inhibition by ME (83.15%) and HE (83.44%) was significantly lower than that of kojic acid (99.61%), the positive control, at 2.0 mg/mL. Although the inhibition of cellular melanin synthesis in B16-F10 melanoma cells by 2.0 mg/mL of ME (50.24%) and HE (51.24%) was lower than that of arbutin (64.84%), the inhibition by both ME and HE was higher than 50%. Collagenase inhibition by HE was comparable to 2.0 mg/mL epigallocatechin (EGCG), the positive control; however, elastase inhibition by ME and HE was lower than that of EGCG at the concentration tested. The results showed that the fruiting bodies of G. applanatum had good anti-tyrosinase, good anti-collagenase, and moderate anti-elastase activities, which might be useful for developing novel skin-whitening and anti-wrinkle agents.

Non-verbal communication is important in human interaction. It provides a layer of information that complements the message being transmitted. This type of information is not limited to human speakers. In human– robot communication, increasing the animacy of the robotic agent—by using non-verbal cues—can aid the expression of abstract concepts such as emotions. Considering the physical limitations of artificial agents, robots can use light and movement to express equivalent emotional feedback. This study analyzes the effects of LED and motion animation of a spherical robot on the emotion being expressed by the robot. A within-subjects experiment was conducted at the University of Tsukuba where participants were asked to rate 28 video samples of a robot interacting with a person. The robot displayed different motions with and without light animations. The results indicated that adding LED animations changes the emotional impression of the robot for valence, arousal, and dominance dimensions. Furthermore, people associated various situations according to the robot’s behavior. These stimuli can be used to modulate the intensity of the emotion being expressed and enhance the interaction experience. This paper facilitates the possibility of designing more affective robots in the future, using simple feedback.

Several studies investigating the behavior and environmental distribution of rare earth elements (REEs) have been reviewed to determine the geochemical processes that may affect their concentrations and fractionation patterns in groundwater and whether these elements can be used as tracers for groundwater-rock interactions and groundwater flow paths in small catchments. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), equipped with an ultrasonic nebulizer and active-film multiplier detector, is routinely used as an analytical technique to measure REEs in groundwater, facilitating the analysis of dissolved REE geochemistry. This review focuses on the distribution of REEs in groundwater and their application as tracers for groundwater geochemistry. Our review of existing literature suggests that REEs in ice cores can be used as effective tracers for atmospheric particles, aiding the identification of source regions.

The purpose of this study is to develop up-cycling fashion design methods centered on discarded denim material for the study of original up-cycling design methods. Up-cycling fashion design work was developed using digital clothing technology. This is a recent hot topic among sustainable fashion design methods. Up-cycling fashion design expression methods (categorized as dismantlement, collages, dépaysement, grafting, weaving, and tearing) were centered on design methods. These methods create various three-dimensional modeling effects in planar forms, whereby five pieces can be applied to the fabric and digitally produced. The results are as follows: First, the use of discarded denim fabric for the development of up-cycling fashion design pieces enabled the recycling of existing resources, provided solutions to environmental pollution problems, and provided expansion opportunities for design processes for sustainable fashion products that expand the design value of denim products and their utility. Second, new eco-friendly fashion designs that attempt to achieve diversity in modern fashion trends could be presented through formative contemporary fashion produced by up-cycling work products. Third, up-cycling fashion design work is expected to provide opportunities for eco-friendly fashion design methods. This will expand the value of sustainable fashion design by recycling simple waste materials through the use of three-dimensional digital clothing technology and further through the presentation of expanded life cycles that extend product planning, production, and life cycles.

Effects of growth variables and post-growth annealing on the optical, structural and electrical properties of magnetron-sputtered Ga0.04Mg0.10Zn0.86O films are characterized in detail. It is observed that films grown from pure oxygen plasma showed high resistivity, ~102 Ω·cm, whereas films grown in Ar plasma showed much lower resistivity, 2.0 × 10− 2 ~ 1.0 × 10−1 Ω·cm. Post-growth annealing significantly improved the electrical resistivity, to 4.3 ~ 9.0 × 10−3 Ω·cm for the vacuum annealed samples and to 1.3 ~ 3.0 × 10−3 Ω·cm for the films annealed in Zn vapor. It is proposed that these phenomena may be attributed to the improved crystalline quality and to changes in the defect chemistry. It is suggested that growth within oxygen environments leads to suppression of oxygen vacancy (Vo) donors and formation of Zn vacancy (VZn) acceptors, resulting in highly resistive films. After annealing treatment, the activation of Ga donors is enhanced, Vo donors are annihilated, and crystalline quality is improved, increasing the electron mobility and the concentration. After annealing in Zn vapor, Zn interstitial donors are introduced, further increasing the electron concentration.

1. 본 연구는 유기질 비료 사용의 효과와 쌀 생산에 유기질 비료 채택에 영향을 미치는 요인을 평가하였다. 2. 2014년 베트남 가계생활수준조사 결과를 활용하여 분석한 결과 무기질 비료만을 사용하는 농민의 쌀 생산량, 수익 및 비용이 유기질 비료를 사용하는 농민의 경우보다 더 크다는 것이 발견되었다. 3. 반면 쌀 생산에 있어 재정적 효율성은 유기질 비료를 사용한 농민이 더 높은 것으로 나타났으며, 융자가 있거나 넓은 토지를 가진 농민들은 유기 비료를 덜 사용하는 경향이 있음이 분석되었다. 4. 한편, 높은 교육 수준의 농민이나 조합에 가입한 농민의 경우 유기질 비료를 사용할 가능성이 더 높은 것으로 분석되었다. 5. 본 연구는 베트남 농민들이 쌀 생산의 재정적 효율성과 지속 가능성을 높이기 위해 유기질 비료를 적용해야 함을 시 사하며, 이에 베트남 정부는 유기질 비료의 생산과 활용에 동기를 부여하는 정책을 도입할 필요가 있다.

Meta-heuristic algorithms have been developed to efficiently solve difficult problems and obtain a global optimal solution. A common feature mimics phenomenon occurring in nature and reliably improves the solution through repetition. And at the same time, the probability is used to deviate from the regional optimal solution and approach the global optimal solution. This study compares the algorithm created based on the above common points with existed SA and HS to show advantages in time and accuracy of results. Existing algorithms have problems of low accuracy, high memory, long runtime, and ignorance. In a two-variable polynomial, the existing algorithms show that the memory increases and the accuracy decrease. In order to improve the accuracy, the new algorithm increases the number of initial inputs and increases the efficiency of the search by introducing a direction using vectors. And, in order to solve the optimization problem, the results of the last experiment were learned to show the learning effect in the next experiment. The new algorithm found a solution in a short time under the experimental conditions of long iteration counts using a two-variable polynomial and showed high accuracy. And, it shows that the learning effect is effective in repeated experiments.

Strontium lanthanum vanadate La1-xSrxVO3 (LSVO) is a promising anode material for electrochemical devices, especially for solid oxide fuel cells, thanks to its irregular electrical conductivity. However, the known synthesis methods are incapable of producing well-dispersed LSVO nanoparticles (NPs) with homogeneous size distribution, which partly impedes the applicability of the material. Thus, a new approach to synthesize LSVO NPs with such characteristics is of paramount importance. In the present work, we successfully prepare LSVO NPs with a high dispersion degree and homogeneous size distribution via a modified co-precipitation pathway, followed by hydrogen reduction at a temperature as low as 700 oC. The prepared LSVO NPs display uniform sizes in the range of 50 ~ 100 nm and do not contain any secondary phases, according to XRD analysis. The chemical mechanism of reactions that occur to form the LSVO is thoroughly highlighted. The work functions of NPs measured by the UPS analysis are in the 2.13 ~ 3.62 eV range, making the LSVO powders promising for use in thermionic devices. An explanation of the role of Sr substitution in work function values of LSVO is also proposed.