The Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility Compatibility and Authenticity on Brand Trust and Corporate Sustainability Management: For Korean Cosmetics Companies.

The purpose of this study is to examine whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities perceived by consumers affect brand trust and corporate sustainability management (CSM). In other words, this study tried to examine whether the compatibility and authenticity of CSR influences brand trust, thereby affecting CSM including economic viability, environmental soundness, and social responsibility. To measure this, an empirical analysis was conducted on 479 consumers who had experience purchasing products from cosmetic companies that are carrying out CSR. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the compatibility and authenticity of CSR have a positive effect on brand trust. Also, it was found that brand trust had a positive effect on social responsibility among the sub-concepts of CSM, but did not affect economic viability and environmental soundness. The results of this study are expected to provide strategic implications for social responsibility performance and brand trust building necessary for cosmetics companies to grow continuously.

The Braking-Pressure and Driving-Direction Determination System (BDDS) Using Road Roughness and Passenger Conditions of Surrounding Vehicles.

A fully autonomous vehicle must ensure not only fully autonomous driving but also the safety and comfort of its passengers. However, the self-driving technology that is currently completed focuses only on perfect driving and does not guarantee the safety and comfort of passengers. This paper proposes a braking-pressure and driving-direction determination system (BDDS), which computes the brake pressure and steering angle optimized for passenger safety by utilizing more diverse information than existing autonomous vehicles. The BDDS proposed in this paper consists of two modules. The road roughness classification module (RRCM) classifies the roughness of the road by using the pressure data applied to the suspension and the K-NN algorithm and computes the optimal brake pressure. The passenger recognition and sharing module (PRSM) identifies the current occupant status of the vehicle by using a body pressure sensor and CNN, shares the information with surrounding vehicles, and computes the optimal steering angle using passenger information and road information. As a result of the simulations described in this paper, the parameters of AI models were optimized. In addition, the RRCS was about 7% more accurate than the K-means clustering algorithm, and PRS was about 9% more accurate than the existing seat recognition system.

Deacetylation of CHK2 by SIRT1 protects cells from oxidative stress-dependent DNA damage response.

Growing evidence indicates that metabolic signaling pathways are interconnected to DNA damage response (DDR). However, factors that link metabolism to DDR remain incompletely understood. SIRT1, an NAD+-dependent deacetylase that regulates metabolism and aging, has been shown to protect cells from DDR. Here, we demonstrate that SIRT1 protects cells from oxidative stress-dependent DDR by binding and deacetylating checkpoint kinase 2 (CHK2). We first showed that essential proteins in DDR were hyperacetylated in Sirt1-deficient cells and that among them, the level of acetylated CHK2 was highly increased. We found that Sirt1 formed molecular complexes with CHK2, BRCA1/BRCA2-associated helicase 1 (BACH1), tumor suppressor p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1), and H2AX, all of which are key factors in response to DNA damage. We then demonstrated that CHK2 was normally inhibited by SIRT1 via deacetylation but dissociated with SIRT1 under oxidative stress conditions. This led to acetylation and activation of CHK2, which increased cell death under oxidative stress conditions. Our data also indicated that SIRT1 deacetylated the K235 and K249 residues of CHK2, whose acetylation increased cell death in response to oxidative stress. Thus, SIRT1, a metabolic sensor, protects cells from oxidative stress-dependent DDR by the deacetylation of CHK2. Our findings suggest a crucial function of SIRT1 in inhibiting CHK2 as a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

Dual oxidase 2 in lung epithelia is essential for hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury in mice.

AIMS: Acute lung injury (ALI) induced by excessive hyperoxia has been employed as a model of oxidative stress imitating acute respiratory distress syndrome. Under hyperoxic conditions, overloading quantities of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated in both lung epithelial and endothelial cells, leading to ALI. Some NADPH oxidase (NOX) family enzymes are responsible for hyperoxia-induced ROS generation in lung epithelial and endothelial cells. However, the molecular mechanisms of ROS production in type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) and ALI induced by hyperoxia are poorly understood. RESULTS: In this study, we show that dual oxidase 2 (DUOX2) is a key NOX enzyme that affects hyperoxia-induced ROS production, particularly in type II AECs, leading to lung injury. In DUOX2 mutant mice (DUOX2(thyd/thyd)) or mice in which DUOX2 expression is knocked down in the lungs, hyperoxia-induced ALI was significantly lower than in wild-type (WT) mice. DUOX2 was mainly expressed in type II AECs, but not endothelial cells, and hyperoxia-induced ROS production was markedly reduced in primary type II AECs isolated from DUOX2(thyd/thyd) mice. Furthermore, DUOX2-generated ROS are responsible for caspase-mediated cell death, inducing ERK and JNK phophorylation in type II AECs. INNOVATION: To date, no role for DUOX2 has been defined in hyperoxia-mediated ALI despite it being a NOX homologue and major ROS source in lung epithelium. CONCLUSION: Here, we present the novel finding that DUOX2-generated ROS induce AEC death, leading to hyperoxia-induced lung injury.

Discovery of cyclicsulfonamide derivatives as 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 inhibitors.

A new series of cyclic sulfonamide derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for their ability to inhibit 11beta-HSD1. Cyclic sulfonamides with phenylacetyl substituents at the 2-position showed nanomolar inhibitory activities. Among them, compound 4e exhibited a good in vitro inhibitory activity and selectivity toward human 11beta-HSD2.

Designed three-dimensional collagen scaffolds for skin tissue regeneration.

One of the challenges in tissue engineering is the development of a reproducible three-dimensional (3D) scaffold to support cell migration and infiltration. As a dermal substitute, 3D collagen scaffolds with precisely controlled pore structures were fabricated using an innovative cryogenic dispenser system. The scaffolds were composed of perpendicular, highly porous collagen strands in successive layers. The fabricated scaffolds were evaluated in an in vitro keratinocyte/fibroblast coculture test. Fibroblasts were well dispersed within the scaffold, and keratinocytes had completely migrated through the well-designed pore structure and differentiated on top of the scaffold surface. The differentiated keratinocytes generated a stratum corneum in the 3D dispensed scaffolds, similar to that in normal skin tissue.

Evaluation of the completeness of the nursing process for patients having gastrectomy using electronic nursing records.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate recording completeness of the nursing process. We compared nursing statements documented at the time when the Electronic Nursing Record (ENR) system, based on the ICNP, was implemented in 2004 with those documented in 2007. The ENRs for 35 gastrectomy patients in each year were selected for evaluation. The selected data were 11,822 nursing statements in 2004 and 27,870 in 2007. The results indicated a significant increase in the completeness of the nursing process in 2007. In addition, the number of nursing diagnosis increased by 5.1 times. The most contributing factor for this increase is assumed to be nurse education.

Improvement in crystallinity of apatite coating on titanium with the insertion of CaF2 buffer layer.

In the apatite coatings on Ti the heat treatment process is necessary to crystallize the apatite structure for improved chemical stability and biological properties. However, the heat treatment normally degrades the mechanical strength of the coating layer associated with thermally induced stress. In this study, we aimed to improve the crystallization of apatite coating by using calcium fluoride (CaF2) as a buffer layer. The insertion of a thin layer of CaF2 (0.2-1 microm) between apatite and Ti significantly improved the crystallization behavior of apatite. Moreover, this crystallization was more enhanced as the thickness of CaF2 was increased. When a 1 microm-thick CaF2 was inserted, the crystallization of apatite initiated at a temperature as low as 320 degrees C, being a dramatic improvement in the crystallization when considering the crystallization initiation temperature of a bare apatite coating on Ti was approximately 450 degrees C. As a result of this crystallization enhancement, the dissolution behavior of CaF2-inserted apatite coatings was more stable than that of the bare apatite coating, showing much reduced initial-burst effect. Preliminary cellular assay showed the CaF2-inserted apatite coating provided a substrate for cells to spread and grow favorably, as being similar to the bare apatite coating. This novel way of apatite coating on Ti using CaF2 buffer layer may be useful in the coating systems particularly requiring low temperature processing and increased crystallinity with high chemical stability.

Novel fabrication of a polymer scaffold with a dense bioactive ceramic coating layer.

A novel method of coating a polymeric scaffold with a dense ceramic layer was developed. This method exploits the fact that only one of the two interlaced 3-D channels formed in a ceramic dual-scaffold can be infiltrated with a polymer. Firstly, a 3-D graphite network prepared by the rapid prototyping (RP) method was dip-coated with hydroxyapatite (HA) slurry, followed by heat-treatment at 1250 degrees C for 3 h in air. This created an additional 3-D channel through the removal of the graphite network, while preserving the pre-existing 3-D channel. Thereafter, only one channel was infiltrated with a molten poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) polymer at 140 degrees C for 12 h, producing a PCL scaffold with a dense, uniform HA coating layer. The sample showed high compressive strength with ductile behavior, due to the nature of the PCL polymer, and an excellent cellular response afforded by the bioactive HA coating layer. The results indicate that this novel technique provides a highly versatile method of coating various polymeric scaffolds with bioactive layers in order to endow them with advanced functionalities.

Novel hydroxyapatite (HA) dual-scaffold with ultra-high porosity, high surface area, and compressive strength.

A novel scaffold designed for tissue engineering applications, which we refer to as a "dual-scaffold" because its structure consists of two interlaced three-dimensional (3-D) hydroxyapatite (HA) networks, was fabricated using a combination of the rapid prototyping (RP) method and dip-coating process. To accomplish this, a graphite network acting as a template was prepared using the RP method and then uniformly dip-coated with HA slurry. The resultant sample was then heat-treated at 1250 degrees C for 3 h in air to remove the graphite network and consolidate the HA networks. An additional 3-D channel was formed by removing the graphite network, while preserving the pre-existing channel. The unique structure of the dual-scaffold endows it with unprecedented features, such as ultra-high porosity (>85%), a high surface area and high compressive strength, as well as a tightly controlled pore structure. In addition, an excellent cellular response was observed to the fabricated HA dual-scaffold.

Hydroxyapatite-TiO2 hybrid coating on Ti implants.

A hydroxyapatite (HA)-titania (TiO(2)) hybrid coating is developed to improve the biocompatibility of titanium (Ti) implants. The HA predeposited layer on Ti via electron beam (e-beam) evaporation is subsequently treated by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) to produce an HA-TiO(2) hybrid layer on Ti. The e-beam-deposited HA layer has a thickness of approximately 1 microm and was highly dense prior to MAO. By means of MAO treatment, a rough and porous TiO(2) layer is formed beneath the HA layer with a simultaneous local dissolution of the HA layer. Due to the HA precoating, high concentrations of Ca and P are preserved on the coating surface. The osteoblast-like cells on the hybrid coating layer grow and spread favorably. The cell proliferation rate on the hybrid coatings is not much different from that on pure Ti or simple MAO-treated Ti. However, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of the cells is significantly higher (p < 0.05) on the HA-TiO(2) hybrid coatings than on either the pure Ti or the simple MAO-treated specimen, suggesting that the cellular activity on the hybrid coatings is improved.

Fibrillar assembly and stability of collagen coating on titanium for improved osteoblast responses.

Collagen, as a major constituent of human connective tissues, has been regarded as one of the most important biomaterials. As a coating moiety on Ti hard-tissue implants, the collagen has recently attracted a great deal of attention. This article reports the effects of fibrillar assembly and crosslinking of collagen on its chemical stability and the subsequent osteoblastic responses. The fibrillar self-assembly of collagen was carried out by incubating acid-dissolved collagen in an ionic-buffered medium at 37 degrees C. The degree of assembly was varied with the incubation time and monitored by the turbidity change. The differently assembled collagen was coated on the Ti and crosslinked with a carbodiimide derivative. The partially assembled collagen contained fibrils with varying diameters as well as nonfibrillar aggregates. On the other hand, the fully assembled collagen showed the complete formation of fibrils with uniform diameters of approximately 100-200 nm with periodic stain patterns within the fibrils, which are typical of native collagen fibers. Through this fibrillar assembly, the collagen coating had significantly improved chemical stability in both the saline and collagenase media. The subsequent crosslinking step also improved the stability of the collagen coating, particularly in the unassembled collagen. The fibrillar assembly and the crosslinking of collagen significantly influenced the osteoblastic cell responses. Without the assembly, the collagen layer on Ti adversely affected the cell attachment and proliferation. However, those cellular responses were improved significantly when the collagen was assembled to fibrils and the assembly degree was increased. After crosslinking the collagen coating, these cellular responses were significantly enhanced in the case of the unassembled collagen but were not altered much in the assembled collagen. Based on these observations, it is suggested that the fibrillar assembly and the crosslinking of collagen require careful considerations in the collagen administration as a coating moiety.

Fluoride coatings on orthodontic wire for controlled release of fluorine ion.

The purpose of this study was to develop a new method of releasing fluorine in a controlled manner for applications in the field of orthodontic Ti-based wire, namely the coating of fluorides on Ti. Thin films of two fluoride compounds, CaF(2) and MgF(2), were coated on Ti via the electron-beam evaporation method. The fluorine was released rapidly from the as-deposited MgF(2) coating within a short period(,) and then the release rate slowed down. When the MgF(2) coating was heat treated, this initial burst effect was decreased, but a significant amount of cracks were generated. On the other hand, in the case of the as-deposited CaF(2) coating, fluorine was released linearly for the entire period, without an initial burst. In the heat-treated CaF(2) coatings the trend was similarly observed. The linear fluorine release from the CaF(2) coatings, even in the as-deposited state, was attributed to the high degree of crystallinity of the coatings. A preliminary cell test showed favorable cell viability on both the fluoride coatings. Given their sustained and controlled fluorine release, these fluoride coatings, particularly CaF(2), are suggested to be potentially useful in the field of orthodontic Ti-based wire.

Biocompatibility of titanium implants modified by microarc oxidation and hydroxyapatite coating.

A thin hydroxyapatite (HA) layer was coated on a microarc oxidized titanium (MAO-Ti) substrate by means of the sol-gel method. The microarc oxidation (anodizing) enhanced the biocompatibility of the Ti, and the bioactivity was improved further by the sol-gel HA coating on the anodized Ti. The HA sol was aged fully to obtain a stable and phase-pure HA, and the sol concentration was varied to alter the coating thickness. Through the sol-gel HA coating, the Ca and P concentrations in the coating layer increased significantly. However, the porous morphology and roughness of the MAO-Ti was altered very little by the sol-gel treatment. The proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of the osteoblast-like cells on the MAO/HA sol-gel-treated Ti were significantly higher than those on the MAO-Ti without the HA sol-gel treatment.

Fluoridated apatite coatings on titanium obtained by electron-beam deposition.

In this report, a series of fluoridated apatite coatings were obtained by the electron-beam deposition method. The fluoridation of the apatite was aimed to improve the stability of the coating and elicit the fluorine effect, which is useful in the dental restoration area. Apatites fluoridated at different levels were used as initial evaporants for the coatings. The as-deposited coatings were amorphous, but after heat treatment at 500 degrees C for 1 h, the coatings crystallized well to an apatite phase without forming any cracks. The adhesion strengths of the as-deposited coatings were about 40 MPa. After heat treatment at 500 degrees C, the strengths of the pure HA and FA coatings decreased to about 20 MPa, however, the partially fluoridated coatings maintained their initial strength. The dissolution rate of the fluoridated coatings was lower than that of the pure HA coating, and the rate was the lowest in the coatings with 25% and 50% fluorine substitutions. The osteoblast-like cells responded to the coatings in a similar manner to the dissolution behavior. The cells on the fluoridated coatings showed a lower (p < 0.05) proliferation level compared to those on the pure HA coating. The alkaline phosphatase activity of the cells was slightly lower than that on the pure HA coating, but this difference was not statistically significant.

Improvement in biocompatibility of ZrO2-Al2O3 nano-composite by addition of HA.

The biocompatibility of zirconia-alumina (ZA) nano-composites in load-bearing applications such as dental/orthopedic implants was significantly enhanced by the addition of bioactive HA. The ZA matrix was composed of nano-composite powder obtained from the Pechini process and had higher flexural strength than conventionally mixed zirconia-alumina composite. Because the ZA nano-composite powder effectively decreased the contact area between HA and zirconia for their reaction during the sintering process, the HA-added ZA nano-composites contained biphasic calcium phosphates (BCP) of HA/TCP and had higher flexural strength than conventionally mixed ZA-HA composite. From the in vitro test with osteoblastic cell-lines, the proliferation and the differentiation (as expressed by the alkaline phosphatase activity) of the cellular response on the HA-added ZA nano-composites gradually increased as the amount of HA added increased. From the mechanical and biological evaluations of the HA-added ZA nano-composites, 30HA (30 vol% HA + 70 vol% ZA) was found to be the optimal composition for load-bearing biological applications.

Stability and cellular responses to fluorapatite-collagen composites.

Fluorapatite (FA)-collagen composites were synthesized via a biomimetic coprecipitation method in order to improve the structural stability and cellular responses. Different amounts of ammonium fluoride (NH4F), acting as a fluorine source for FA, were added to the precipitation of the composites. The precipitated composites were freeze-dried and isostatically pressed in a dense body. The added fluorine was incorporated nearly fully into the apatite structure (fluoridation), and a near stoichiometric FA-collagen composite was obtained with complete fluoridation. The freeze-dried composites had a typical biomimetic network, consisting of collagen fibers and precipitates of nano-sized apatite crystals. The human osteoblast-like cells on the FA-collagen composites exhibited significantly higher proliferation and differentiation (according to alkaline phosphatase activity) than those on the hydroxyapatite-collagen composite. These enhanced osteoblastic cell responses were attributed to the fluorine release and the reduced dissolution rate.