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Described is the synthesis of metal (Ni, Cr, and Mn) doped macro/mesoporous carbon monoliths by co-polymerization of transition metal complexes with resorcinol/formaldehyde and subsequent pyrolysis. Two salen ligands were synthesized via reaction of ethylene diamine (EDA) and 1,6-diaminohexane (DAH) with 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde to give 4,4′-((1 E,1′ E)-(ethane-1,2-diylbis(azanylylidene))bis(methanylylidene))bis(benzene-1,3-diol) (=E-salen) and 4,4′-((1 E,1′ E)-(hexane-1,6-diylbis(azanylylidene))bis(methanylylidene))bis(benzene-1,3-diol) (=D-salen). Their metal salen complexes were prepared. All the samples pyrolyzed at 500 °C had macro and mesopores with a specific surface area ranging from 250-500 m/g. However, the surface area and porosity of the samples decreased dramatically for the metal containing samples pyrolyzed at 800 °C. This is suggested to result from incomplete co-polymerization of the metal salen complexes. The extent of graphitization determined from Raman increased with the pyrolysis temperature. The electrical conductivity was found to increase with the pyrolysis temperature, and followed the trend Ni > Mn > Cr. The M-E-salen containing samples had significantly lower conductivity than their D-salen counterparts. Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of finding static-arbitrage bounds on basket option prices has received a growing attention in the literature. In this paper, we focus on the lower bound case and propose a novel efficient solution procedure that is based on the separation problem. The computational burden of the proposed method is polynomial in the input data size. We also discuss the case of possibly negative weight vectors which can be applied to spread options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses cause economic losses in the poultry industry and pose a severe threat to human health. Rapid and accurate diagnostic methods are important because they can help prevent further spread of the virus and reduce the time required for eradication of the virus. We developed a low-density microarray for the rapid detection and identification of avian influenza virus subtypes H5, H7, and H9 and their pathotypes in a previous study. In the present study, we report the development of updated probe sets and evaluation of the diagnostic microarray using H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4 HPAI viruses including clinical samples, without the need for egg propagation. Cy3-labeled DNA targets were obtained by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction using Cy3-labeled universal primers, and labeled amplicons were hybridized to the microarray. All positive samples from RT-PCR showed H5-specific and highly pathogenic pattern in the microarray, without purification of PCR products. Furthermore, it allowed for specific detection of the subtype and pathotype from low DNA concentration samples that did not allow direct sequence analysis. Therefore, this diagnostic microarray has enormous potential for the rapid subtyping and pathotyping from clinical samples without the need for culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Korea, eels are one of the most commercially valuable species and are prepared as a variety of dishes. Korean A. japonica is especially preferred by most consumers. However, the farming technology for this particular eel species has not been established yet, and the natural supply is insufficient because of environmental problems. As a result, the price of Korean A. japonica is expensive compared to other eel species because of the superior freshness and safety of the domestic product. Consequently, some importers and restaurant owners have profited significantly from selling imported eels to consumers as Korean A. japonica products. Hence, simpler, rapid and accurate techniques for eel species differentiation are needed. In this study, origin and species specific probes were designed by mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene analysis and DNA microarray was developed for identifying different origins and species of eels. Using this technique, a total of 8 different eels were rapidly identified successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large yellow croaker ( Larimichthys crocea) and redlip yellow croaker ( L. polyactis) are commonly consumed species in fisheries markets in East Asian countries. They have wide differences of price due to consumer preferences for L. polyactis. However, it is difficult to identify the species based on the appearance of both species from the general public. In this study, a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kit was designed to distinguish these two species. Speciescommon primer pairs were designed, and two speciesspecific probes were designed with sequences that were 2 bp different. The L. crocea target probe was modified using HEX dye, whereas the L. polyactis was modified using FAM dye. These primer pairs and probes worked in a single reaction. Based on the confirmation of a simple peak image, both species were sufficiently distinguished. The PCR kit developed in our study can be suggested as a good tool to distinguish both fish species for consumer as well as producer. In addition, the species-specific probes can be used as the biomarker, which applies to the lab-on-a-chip technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An epidemic of human H7N9 influenza virus infection has recently emerged in China, caused by the novel reassortant avian-origin influenza A virus subtype H7N9. The ability to readily identify novel strains will allow a more rapid response, in order to reduce the spread of the disease and minimize the chance of a worldwide flu pandemic. We developed a low-density microarray for the rapid detection and identification of avian influenza virus subtypes H5, H7, and H9 in a previous study. In the present study, we evaluated this diagnostic microarray using an artificially synthesized novel H7N9 virus hemagglutinin gene and Korean H7 viruses isolated from wild bird habitats. Cy3-labeled DNA targets were generated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction using Cy3-labeled universal primers, and labeled amplicons hybridized to the microarray. All subtypes were correctly determined and identical to nucleotide sequencing results. This diagnostic microarray has enormous potential for the rapid detection of H7N9 viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, microarray experiments have become popular with a common method of high-throughput omics technologies for understanding of gene expression patterns at the genome level. The objective of microarray experiments is to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) or similarly patterned genes groups from microarray experiments. For these reasons, several preprocessing methods for correction of experimental or systemic bias of microarray experiments have been proposed, and a number of statistical algorithms for selection of specially expressed genes within all genes on a microarray have been developed in order to support more reliable and significant results. With the results produced by these useful tools, researchers have examined common biological features, such as functional interactions in shared biological processes, direct-indirect regulation at the molecular level, or disease relation in a biological pathway or network. Of these biological identification analyses, pathway analysis has been mainly used for functional detection of biological features between these co-expressed genes. An advantage of pathway analysis is a visualization that has an important role in understanding of the intricate phenomena of pathways containing biochemical reactions or functional relations among a gene’s products, enzymes, substrates, activators, inhibitors, or other biological molecular elements. For these reasons, several bioinformatics tools for pathway analysis based on external pathway data sources, such as KEGG or BIOCARTA, have been developed. These tools have offered user-friendly and powerful interfaces, visual and graphical functions of pathway diagrams, and biological annotations. However, the problems encountered by users remain unresolved in certain respects that are a complicated input file format derived from gene expression profiles, a time-consuming work for collection of information on pathways that contain several genes identified as interesting genes, or a restriction in picturing a pathway image map that included more than two interesting genes. In an attempt to overcome these problems, we have developed Array2KEGG as a web-based tool for finding pathway diagrams from the KEGG PATHWAY database. Array2KEGG has focused on simplicity in user interface, integration in heterogeneous biological databases, and visualization in depiction of a pathway diagram that includes more than two interesting genes. Array2KEGG is freely available for use at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presently, it is important to address the harmful effects of environmental chemicals on living organisms. The toxic effects of bisphenol A (BPA), one of the endocrine disruption chemicals (EDCs), have been documented in many studies since the 1930s. However, BPA has continued to be used to make polycarbonate plastic, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct toxicogenomic studies to assess the harmful effects of BPA. In this study, microarray technology was used to study the harmful effects format the genomic level. We used two types of microarray chips to study of the relationship between gene and miRNA expression profiles, the Agilent mouse genome 4×44 K array for gene expression profiling and the Agilent mouse miRNA v13 for miRNA expression profiling. As a result, we identified 37 miRNAs that were 2-fold up-or down-regulated within 24 hrs than 3 hrs of BPA treat times. The gene expression patterns related to miRNAs were classified into a total of 4 groups. The first and third groups and the second and fourth groups had similar functions to each other as determined by related gene expression. In the first and third groups included overexpressed genes that were related to metabolism. The second and fourth groups included overexpressed genes that were related to reproduction. miRNA expression levels were exchanged for BPA degradation. So, genes of related metabolism were overexpressed. This result was occurred the side effect that was down-expression of reproduction. Thus, miRNAs were regulated by BPA, and gene expression was subsequently regulated by miRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]