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In this study, a drying process with ethanol pretreatment was developed for effective removal of residual moisture from the plant cell Taxus chinensis. Drying efficiency was improved remarkably by a simple rotary evaporation with ethanol pretreatment. At the optimal amount of ethanol for pretreatment (biomass/ethanol = 3:1, w/v), the drying time was shortened by 1.9 times (40°C), 1.5 times (50°C), and 1.3 times (60°C), respectively, compared to drying without ethanol pretreatment. The experimental data was applied to the representative kinetic drying models, and the modified Page model was shown to be the most suitable. Thermodynamic parameters represented the spontaneous and endothermic characteristics of the drying process by the ethanol pretreatment, and randomness during the drying process was also increased. The highest effective diffusion coefficient (6.216 × 10−14–7.940 × 10−14 m2/s at 40–60°C), Biot number (4.40 × 10−2–6.60 × 10−2 at 40–60°C), and mass transfer coefficient (64.34 × 10−12–123.39 × 10−12 m/s at 40–60°C) were observed when the biomass was pre-treated with an optimal amount of ethanol. In addition, as the drying temperature was increased with the same ethanol amount, these values were also increased.

This study presents a technique for adsorption of paclitaxel on Sylopute using ultrasonic cavitation bubbles and gas bubbles. Compared with the conventional adsorption (control), the adsorbed amount and adsorption rate constant increased, respectively, by 1.27–1.44 times and 7.44–9.71 times in ultrasonic adsorption (with mixing at 80–250 W), 1.14–1.27 times and 4.63–9.31 times in ultrasonic adsorption (without mixing at 80–250 W), and 1.06–1.19 times and 1.18–1.34 times in gas bubble-adsorption (without mixing at 1.15–9.41 L/min). As a result of investigating the adsorption mechanism in which cavitation bubbles were introduced, it was shown that microjets and shock waves produced by bubble collapse, rather than the bubble itself, drastically improve mass transport in the pores of the adsorbent, thereby completely eliminating intraparticle diffusion resistance. In the case of gas bubbles, although the intraparticle diffusion coefficient increased by 1.34–1.75 times compared with the control, there was a limitation in promoting intraparticle diffusion.

In this study, the purification efficiency of paclitaxel was remarkably improved through ultrasonic acetone-pentane fractional precipitation. The time taken for precipitation was also shortened by a maximum of 192-fold (at 5°C, 180-250 W) with ultrasound as compared to that of the conventional method. The precipitation was completed within 30 min regardless of temperature (5-25°C), thereby improving the operating conditions (precipitation time and temperature) as compared to the conventional method. In addition, the rate constant in the fractional precipitation with ultrasound (80-250 W) was also increased by 8-to 13-fold (at 5°C) as compared to the conventional method. The standard enthalpy change and standard entropy change were negative, while the standard Gibbs free energy change was positive. These results indicate that the precipitation process was exothermic, irreversible, and non-spontaneous.

Global climate change has increased drought frequency and caused significant damage to agricultural industries worldwide; for example, soybean yield has decreased by 30% on small-scale farms. Therefore, the development of subsurface irrigation methods, which conserve both water and labor, is urgently needed for open-field cropping systems. Although water and nutrient supply through subsurface irrigation shows clear advantages, the specific design of these irrigation systems relies on empirical data rather than systematic research and practical optimization. Because of irregularities and uncertainties in field soil conditions, the theoretical approach for water diffusion in soil frequently could give a wrong range of data to an irrigation system. In this study, the water diffusion by means of a commercial subsurface irrigation system has been experimentally tested in several soil types to get practical application and understand the water diffusion performance. In the present study, to better understand the shape of the subsurface diffusion plume in an open-field soybean crop during irrigation, we supplied 4 L of water through 3 mm vertical tubes using three types of dripper, at transfer rates of 2, 4, and 8 L/h. A map of the wetted soil near the dripper showed that the optimal water supply depends on the growth stage of the soybeans. Subsurface irrigation testing was conducted on well-graded sand containing clay (SWC: sand well + sand clay) and poorly graded sand (SP: sand plastic). As both SWC and SP showed that the wetted area rises well upward to the ground surface from the dripping point with 2 L/h supply, it is considered that 2 L/h case is effective for water absorption by the roots of the crops. Besides, the size of the grown root of 30 days showed 450 mm of width and 300 mm of depth, so it was estimated that 150 mm wide and 100 mm deep after 10 days, and 300 mm wide and 200 mm deep after 20 days. Judging from the results of the root growth and water diffusion rate, it is desirable that over 8 L and 5–6 L supply after 10 days and 20 days of the bean sowing, respectively. Also, since the roots after 30 days grow 300 mm deep and reach to water supply drip line, it is appropriate to supply about 4 L. We obtained empirical vertical and horizontal diffusion data to characterize soil water transport during subsurface irrigation. In summary, in terms of water supply rate, 2 L/h was the most effective for subsurface irrigation. Additionally, depending on the growth stages of the soybeans, early, 20 days, and 30 days, 8 L, 5–6 L, and 4 L are recommended for the supplied water amount, respectively.

The purification efficiency of (+)-dihydromyricetin, a bioactive plant flavonoid, was remarkably improved through ultrasound-based fractional precipitation. The precipitation time (up to 30 min) taken to obtain (+)-dihydromyricetin with high purity (87.01–91.66%) and yield (90.63–92.00%) through the ultrasonic fractional precipitation (ultrasonic power: 80–250 W) was shortened by 40-fold as compared to the conventional method (up to 1200 min). In addition, the precipitation rate constant was increased by 12- to 18-fold, but the activation energy was decreased to between −5,787 J/mol and −6,526 J/mol, and thereby the precipitation rate was improved. Furthermore, the size of the precipitate was reduced by 5.1- to 5.5-fold, while the diffusion coefficient was increased by 6.4- to 6.9-fold.

Spectrum conversion film (SCF) is a covering material that modifies incident solar spectrum to more-active wavelengths in photosynthesis. Due to its fluorescence property, the performance of SCF cannot be accurately evaluated in a conventional way for agricultural films. We proposed quantitative methods to evaluate the conversion performance of SCF and tested the plant responses. The performance of GR films [green light (500–600 nm) to red light (600–700 nm)] containing different concentrations of dye (40–3000 ppm) was tested in comparison to a transparent film (control). A method for estimating light emission was developed using a series of equations and values measured under artificial lighting. The spectral properties and photosynthetic rates of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) leaves covered with the GR film were measured using a solar simulator. The emission of GR film was detected using a spectroradiometer connected to an integrating sphere instead of using a spectrophotometer used in the conventional method. The transmittance of GR film and its change rate of transmitted photon flux densities at emission wavelength differed depending on the light source. The change rate calculated through the equations was constant within the target spectrum and could be used as a basis for conversion performance. The solar spectrum modified by the GR film caused to increase the red light reaching the leaves by 10.47% and thereby increased the photosynthetic rates by 15.41% compared to the control. The photosynthetic efficiency based on incident and absorbed photons under the GR film increased by 22.14% and 21.87%, respectively. These methods were proposed for quantifying spectral properties of SCF under the solar spectrum, confirming the application of solar simulator for photosynthetic evaluation. When used as a standard light source for SCF, a solar simulator provides indoor test conditions with a spectrum similar to solar radiation without long-term cultivation or a large-scale film test.

In this study, a drying method using ethanol pretreatment was developed that can effectively remove residual solvent from crystalline vancomycin. Microwave-assisted drying with ethanol pretreatment was sufficient to remove residual acetone and ethanol concentrations below the ICH limits (5,000 ppm for acetone and 5,000 ppm for ethanol). At all the microwave power (100, 200, 300 W), a large amount of the residual acetone was initially removed during the drying, and the drying efficiency increased when increasing the microwave power. In addition, the drying kinetics and thermodynamics were examined. The experimental data were fitted to the Newton, Page, Modified Page, Henderson and Pabis, and Geometric models. Comparison of results revealed that the Page model was the most appropriate. The activation energy of microwave-assisted drying was found to be 10.8792 kJ/mol. The Standard Gibbs free energy change was determined to be negative, while the standard enthalpy change and entropy change were positive. These results revealed the endothermic, irreversible and spontaneous nature of drying.

To investigate the difference in the rate of myopia progression between the dominant and non-dominant eye in patients with intermittent exotropia (IXT). We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 33 patients who underwent surgery and later reoperation for IXT. We included only patients whose spherical equivalent refractive errors (SER) were ≤ − 0.50 diopter (D) in at least one eye at the time of reoperation. The main outcome measurement was the rate of myopia progression, which was defined as the mean annual change in SER between the first and second surgery. We classified patients into two groups: group A, which comprised 25 patients whose non-dominant eyes showed a faster myopia progression than their dominant eyes, and group B, which comprised the remaining 8 patients showing the opposite. Mean age of the patients at the time of the initial surgery was 5.64 years. Mean interval between the initial and second surgery was 4.45 years. Mean rate of myopia progression over the interval was − 0.37 D/year in the dominant eyes and − 0.50 D/year in the non-dominant eyes (P

In this study, a drying method was developed for effective removal of residual solvents from toluene- or methyl tertiary butyl ether-induced amorphous paclitaxel. By simple rotary evaporation with alcohol pretreatment, there was sufficient removal of the residual toluene, methyl tertiary butyl ether, methanol, and ethanol concentrations of paclitaxel to bring them below the ICH-specified values (890, 5000, 3,000, and 5,000 ppm). In addition, SEM analysis and ultrasonic treatment revealed that residual solvent removal was associated with the formation of pores on the surface of the sample because of the high vapor pressure of the toluene-alcohol mixture or the methyl tertiary butyl ether-alcohol mixture and hydrogen bonding between the solvent and the alcohol.

A drying method that can effectively remove residual solvents from chloroform-induced amorphous paclitaxel was developed. Simple rotary evaporation with alcohol (methanol or ethanol) pretreatment was sufficient to remove residual chloroform and alcohol concentrations below the ICH limits (60 ppm for chloroform, 3,000 ppm for methanol, and 5,000 ppm for ethanol). In addition, SEM analysis and ultrasonic treatment showed that residual solvent removal is related to the porous structure of the sample due to the high vapor pressure of the chloroform-alcohol mixture and the hydrogen bonding between chloroform and alcohol.

Plant height is an important component of plant architecture and significantly affects crop breeding practices and yield. We obtained a few segregated dwarf soybeans in the populations derived from the crossing of Glycine max var. Peking and Glycine soja var. IT182936 in an F5 RIL population. These dwarf soybeans may be useful genetic resources for plant breeders, geneticists and biologists. We attempted to find differentially expressed genes to classify and understand the regulation of genes related to plant growth in mutant dwarf soybeans, which appeared in the F5 generation. Using the Illumina high-throughput platform, transcriptomes were generated and compared among normal and dwarf soybeans in triplicate. We found complex relationship of the expressed genes to plant growth. There are highly significantly up-/downregulated genes according to the comparison of gene expression in normal and dwarf soybeans. The genes related to disease and stress responses were found to be upregulated in dwarf soybeans. Such over-expression of disease resistance and other immune response genes was targeted to understand how the immune genes regulate the response of plant growth. In addition, photosynthesis-related genes showed very low expression in dwarf lines. The transcriptome expression and genes classified as related to plant growth may be useful resources to researchers studying plant growth.

We investigated the characteristics and mechanism of microwave-assisted drying of amorphous paclitaxel for the removal of residual solvent, acetonitrile. The removal efficiency of residual acetonitrile increased with increasing drying temperature from 35 to 55°C. When the experimental data were applied to typical kinetic models, the Page model was determined to be the most suitable. Thermodynamic parameters revealed the spontaneous and endothermic nature of microwave-assisted drying. The effective diffusion coefficient of acetonitrile (0.865 × 10−8∼ 1.553 × 10−8 m2/s) and the convective mass transfer coefficient (2.138 × 10−7∼7.656 × 10−7 m/s) increased with increasing drying temperature. The small Biot number (0.001975∼ 0.003939) indicated that the process of mass transfer was externally controlled.

The adsorption characteristics of paclitaxel from extracts of Taxus chinensis cell cultures by the commercial adsorbent Sylopute were investigated using different parameters such as initial paclitaxel concentration, adsorption temperature, and contact time. The equilibrium adsorption data were best represented with the highest accuracy (r2 > 0.984, RMSD

Meningitis is an inflammatory process involving meninges. It is difficult to diagnose because of the absence of a diagnostic biomarker. We first report here the possibility of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) as a new biomarker for the diagnosis of meningitis. This prospective study enrolled a total of 102 subjects (58 patients with non-neurologic disease, 17 patients with meningitis, and 27 patients with other neurologic diseases) from 2017 to 2018. CSF and blood samples were collected in pairs. Total 25(OH)D in CSF and serum and VDBP levels in serum were measured. GC genotyping was also performed to determine polymorphisms of rs4588 and rs7041. CSF total 25(OH)D and VDBP levels were compared with serum total 25(OH)D and VDBP levels according to disease (meningitis vs. non-meningitis). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for the diagnosis of meningitis using CSF VDBP level was performed. Mean CSF VDBP and serum VDBP levels of all patients were 1.48 ± 1.32 and 181.28 ± 56.90 μg/mL, respectively. CSF VDBP level in the meningitis disease group (3.20 ± 1.49 μg/mL) was significantly (P

The adsorption of the major tar compound, 2,5-xylenol, derived from the plant cell cultures of Taxus chinensis, onto activated carbon was examined at different initial 2,5-xylenol concentrations, durations, and temperatures. From the analysis of adsorption isotherms, the Langmuir isotherm model showed good fit to the equilibrium adsorption data. It was found that adsorption capacity decreased with increasing temperature, and the adsorption of 2,5-xylenol onto activated carbon was favorable. The obtained kinetic data for 2,5-xylenol adsorption with activated carbon agreed well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. By using intraparticle diffusion model, intraparticle diffusion and boundary layer diffusion did not play a dominant role in 2,5-xylenol adsorption. Thermodynamic parameters were calculated, which indicated that the adsorption was non-spontaneous, irreversible and exothermic nature. The isosteric heat of adsorption decreased with increase in surface loading, indicating a heterogeneous surface.

Batch experimental studies were carried out for the ultrasound-assisted extraction of paclitaxel from Taxus chinensis while varying parameters such as ultrasound power, extraction temperature and contact time. The extraction of the majority of the paclitaxel (~99%) was achieved from the biomass by a single extraction at 380W of ultrasound power for a period of 10 min. The kinetics data obtained for the paclitaxel extractions, and the dominant role played by intraparticle diffusion, were found to be in concordance with the pseudo-second-order model, and the intraparticle diffusion model respectively. The effective diffusion coefficient of paclitaxel (4.1882 × 10-13 ~ 5.7093 × 10-13 m2/s) and the mass transfer coefficient (4.705 × 10-8 ~ 14.1160 × 10-8 m/s) increased when the extraction temperature and ultrasound power were raised.

Although large research efforts have been devoted to photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting in the past several decades, the lack of efficient, stable and Earth-abundant photoelectrodes remains a bottleneck for practical application. Here, we report a photocathode with a coaxial nanowire structure implementing a Cu2O/Ga2O3-buried p–n junction that achieves efficient light harvesting across the whole visible region to over 600 nm, reaching an external quantum yield for hydrogen generation close to 80%. With a photocurrent onset over +1 V against the reversible hydrogen electrode and a photocurrent density of ~10 mA cm−2 at 0 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode, our electrode constitutes the best oxide photocathode for catalytic generation of hydrogen from sunlight known today. Conformal coating via atomic-layer deposition of a TiO2 protection layer enables stable operation exceeding 100 h. Using NiMo as the hydrogen evolution catalyst, an all Earth-abundant Cu2O photocathode was achieved with stable operation in a weak alkaline electrolyte. To show the practical impact of this photocathode, we constructed an all-oxide unassisted solar water splitting tandem device using state-of-the-art BiVO4 as the photoanode, achieving ~3% solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency. The generation of hydrogen fuel from water and visible light requires photoelectrodes that are inexpensive, stable and highly active. Now, Luo, Gratzel and co-workers report Cu2O photocathodes that reach these goals. Incorporation into an unassisted solar water splitting device gives ~3% solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency.

We investigated the effect of solvents on the formation of amorphous paclitaxel and proposed an efficient strategy for the removal of residual solvents from solvent-induced amorphous paclitaxel. Amorphous paclitaxel was produced by solvent-induced method using non-polar solvents (methylene chloride, toluene, pentane, methyl t-butyl ether, chloroform, and acetonitrile/hexane (1 : 2, v/v)). The residual pentane and hexane levels easily met the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH)-specified values (5,000 and 290 ppm) by simple rotary evaporation. When the vacuum-dried sample was subjected to microwave-assisted drying, the ICH requirements for methylene chloride (600 ppm) and acetonitrile (410 ppm) were met by drying for 23 hr at 200 W and 3 hr at 200 W, respectively. However, residual toluene, methyl t-butyl ether, and chloroform concentrations did not meet the ICH-specified values (890, 5,000, and 60 ppm). The shape and size of amorphous paclitaxel particles were examined by SEM and XRD.

The adsorption of 10-deacetylpaclitaxel onto Sylopute was investigated at different initial 10-DAP concentrations, adsorption temperatures, and durations. The Freundlich isotherm model showed good fit to the equilibrium adsorption data. It was found that adsorption capacity increases with increasing temperature and that the adsorption of 10-DAP onto Sylopute is favorable and physical in nature. The obtained kinetic data agree well with the pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption reaches equilibrium very quickly within 1 min. Thermodynamic parameters revealed the endothermic, irreversible and nonspontaneous nature of adsorption. The isosteric heat of adsorption changes very little as the adsorption capacity increases.

We investigated the effect of the major process parameters (crystallization temperature and time) on the efficiency of the vancomycin crystallization process and conducted a kinetic and thermodynamic analysis. The most clear and uniform vancomycin crystals with the highest yield (~98%) were obtained at the optimum crystallization temperature (283 K) and time (1,440 min). The electron microscope, SEM, and XRD analyses showed that intact crystalline vancomycin was obtained when using a crystallization temperature of 283, 288, and 293 K. The kinetic analysis results revealed that the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov (JMAK) model was suitable with a high value for r2 (>0.9561) and low value for RMSD (

This study investigated the efficiency of acetone/water fractional precipitation for the purification of paclitaxel from plant cell cultures. Adding distilled water at room temperature into an acetone solution of dissolved crude extract until the acetone/water ratio became 40:60, 30:70, 20:80, and 10:90 (v/v) and stirring the mixture for 10 min at room temperature resulted in paclitaxel yields of 54.3, 89.1, 95.5, and 97.6%, respectively. With an acetone/water ratio of 40:60, v/v, a high yield of paclitaxel (84.8 ~ 86.0%) was produced by an additional 2 h storage at a low temperature (4oC) without additional mixing, or at room temperature with additional mixing. In contrast, preparing the 40:60 (v/v) acetone/water mixture at a low temperature (4oC) and mixing for 10 min at a low temperature, a similar high yield (~ 87.9%) of paclitaxel was obtained immediately. Thus, increasing the proportion of distilled water, or decreasing the temperature of the added water were confirmed as important for obtaining high yields of paclitaxel by acetone/water fractional precipitation.

We investigated the effect of temperature on the efficiency of paclitaxel extraction from biomass. In addition, kinetic and thermodynamic studies of this extraction process were performed. The concentration of extracted paclitaxel increased with increasing extraction temperature and extraction time. When the experimental data were applied to various kinetic models, the hyperbolic model (second-order model) was the most appropriate. The predictive model was developed to predict the concentration of extracted paclitaxel at different temperatures at a given time. The Gibbs free energy change was determined to be negative, while enthalpy change and entropy change were positive. These results indicate that this extraction process is spontaneous, endothermic, and irreversible.

Chalcones, one class of polyphenolic compounds synthesized as secondary metabolites during flavonoid biosynthesis in plants, have anti-inflammatory and antitumorigenic effects. In this study, we investigated the roles of a novel chalcone derivative, (E)-3-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-(1-hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (DK-59), on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) fibroblast-like synoviocyte MH7A cells. DK-59 treatment reduced cell viability and induced caspase-mediated apoptosis in MH7A cells; activation of caspase-7 and caspase-3, as well as fragmentation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP-1), occurred in a time-dependent manner, and treatment with a pan-caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD, significantly reduced DK-59-mediated PARP-1 cleavage. DK-59-mediated apoptosis was caused by the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS); DK-59 treatment induced ROS production in a time-dependent manner, and treatment with the antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine significantly inhibited DK-59-mediated fragmentation of PARP-1 and recovered cell viability. Many genes that function in the unfolded protein response (UPR), including inositol-requiring protein 1, X-box binding protein 1, and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), were upregulated by DK-59 treatment. CHOP knockdown by lentivirus infection reduced DK-59-mediated PARP-1 cleavage, suggesting that CHOP plays a proapoptotic role in DK-59-mediated apoptosis in MH7A cells. Taken together, the results suggest that DK-59-mediated induction of ROS and activation of the UPR can be used as a target for the therapeutic treatment of RA.

We have developed a simultaneous microwave-assisted extraction and adsorbent treatment process under acidic conditions to increase the recovery and separation efficiency of the anticancer agent paclitaxel from plant cell culture. The simultaneous process under the conditions of extracting solution (90% aqueous methanol), pH 2.2, extraction time, 6min, ratio of extracting solution to biomass, 1: 1 (v/w), extraction temperature, 40 °C, adsorbent type, sylopute, and ratio of adsorbent to biomass, 0.08: 1 (w/w), facilitated 1.97-fold higher recovery of paclitaxel in a shorter extraction time than the conventional solvent extraction process. In addition, biomass-derived tar compounds were successfully removed by the simultaneous process alone (average removal >97%). Using the simultaneous process, the paclitaxel extraction efficiency was improved, biomass-derived tar compounds were removed, and the purification process was simplified at the same time.

We first developed a vancomycin crystallization process using an ionic liquid (IL) and improved the crystallization efficiency by optimization of crystallization conditions (pH, conductivity, solution of distilled water and IL/acetone ratio, crystallization temperature, IL concentration). We also investigated the effect of major process parameters on crystallization, using an electron microscope, and identified morphology by XRD analysis. Using ILs (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIm][BF4]), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIm] [PF6])), vancomycin crystals were successfully formed under the optimal crystallization conditions: pH 4.5; conductivity, 10 mS/cm; solution of distilled water and IL/acetone ratio, 1: 3.5 (v/v); crystallization temperature, 10 °C; IL concentration, 20% (v/v). When using an IL ([BMIm][BF4]), the time required for crystallization in the existing crystallization methods (˜24 hr) was dramatically decreased (˜9 hr) and high-quality vancomycin crystals were successfully formed.

N-Acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) is a major quorum-sensing signaling molecule in many bacterial species. Quorum-quenching (QQ) enzymes, which degrade such signaling molecules, have attracted much attention as an approach to controlling and preventing bacterial virulence and pathogenesis. However, naturally occurring QQ enzymes show a broad substrate spectrum, raising the concern of unintentionally attenuating beneficial effects by symbiotic bacteria. Here we report the rational design of acyl homoserine lactonase with high substrate specificity. Through docking analysis, we identified three key residues which play a key role in the substrate preference of the enzyme. The key residues were changed in a way that increases hydrophobic contact with a substrate having a short acyl chain (C4-AHL) while generating steric clashes with that containing a long acyl chain (C12-AHL). The resulting mutants exhibited a significantly shifted preference toward a substrate with a short acyl chain. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested that the mutations affect the behavior of a flexible loop, allowing tighter binding of a substrate with a short acyl chain.

We investigated the cause of a difference in the crystallization aspect depending on a surface area-increasing material (ion exchange resin) in the vancomycin crystallization process with increased surface area per volume of reaction solution (S/V). The result in terms of whether or not crystallization occurred was reversed when the ionic form of the ion exchange resin was altered. In addition, it was shown that the pH range of a solution for vancomycin crystallization was 4–7. Eventually, it was confirmed that vancomycin crystallization was affected by a change in pH of a crystallization solution depending on the ionic form of the ion exchange resin. Furthermore, in the absence of ion exchange resin, the time required for crystallization increased as the pH rose from 4–7. In addition, the size of the vancomycin crystal increased as the pH decreased.

To raise traditional medicine to a higher level of scientific research, a mathematical model has been proposed using symbolic notations and operators to describe several disease symptoms generally recognized in traditional medicine. Even though this model to a certain degree offers a mathematical approach to identify the relationships between yin-yang and the five viscera, it is not an efficient means of explaining the pathology in traditional medicine due to its use of superfluous notations and definitions. In this paper, we introduce two concise operators, a self-development operator and an action operator: the former describes the effect of a viscus in the unbalanced state on other viscera: the latter explains the engendering and restraining relationships between the two viscera. These tools are useful to elucidate the interactions among the states of the five viscera based on yin-yang and the five elements theory. Our mathematical model with these two operators facilitates description for the scheme of deficiency-excess of yin-yang in the five viscera. Accordingly, we have mathematically refined the existing results and shown clinical applications as well.

We systematically examined the effect of the solvent system (methanol/water or acetone/pentane) on precipitation characteristics and mechanisms in the increased surface area precipitation (ISAP) with different ion exchange resins for the purification of paclitaxel. When Amberlite IRA 400Cl was added to increase the surface area, the acetone/ pentane system was found to be more effective than the methanol/water system in terms of paclitaxel purity. The addition of surface area-increasing materials increased the yield in the methanol/water system, whereas it decreased the yield in the acetone/pentane system. Precipitates in the methanol/water system were needle-shaped or star-shaped, spreading from the central nucleus along the growing branches, while precipitates in the acetone/pentane system were disk shaped, branching out from around the nucleus. When Amberlite IRA 400Cl was added, it was possible to obtain smaller paclitaxel precipitates in the acetone/pentane system than in the methanol/water system.

Two main embedded software components, application software and platform software, i.e., the real-time operating system (RTOS), interact with each other in order to achieve the functionality of the system. However, they are so different in behaviors that one behavior modeling language is not sufficient to model both styles of behaviors and to reason about the characteristics of their individual behaviors as well as their parallel behavior and interaction properties. In this paper, we present a formal approach to the synthesis of the application software and the RTOS behavior models. In this approach, each of them is modeled with its adequate modeling language and then is composed into a system model for analysis. Moreover, this paper also presents a consistent way of analyzing the application software with respect to both functional requirements and timing requirements. To show the effectiveness of the approach, a case study is conducted, where ARINC 653 and its application are modeled and verified against timing requirements. Using our approach, application software can be constructed as a behavioral model independently from a specific platform and can be verified against various platforms and timing constraints in a formal way.

Metal oxide semiconductors are promising photoelectrode materials for solar water splitting due to their robustness in aqueous solutions and low cost. Yet, their solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiencies are still not high enough for practical applications. Here we present a strategy to enhance the efficiency of metal oxides, hetero-type dual photoelectrodes, in which two photoanodes of different bandgaps are connected in parallel for extended light harvesting. Thus, a photoelectrochemical device made of modified BiVO4 and α-Fe2O3 as dual photoanodes utilizes visible light up to 610 nm for water splitting, and shows stable photocurrents of 7.0±0.2 mA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE under 1 sun irradiation. A tandem cell composed with the dual photoanodes–silicon solar cell demonstrates unbiased water splitting efficiency of 7.7%. These results and concept represent a significant step forward en route to the goal of >10% efficiency required for practical solar hydrogen production., Metal oxide semiconductors are promising photoelectrode materials for solar water splitting but their efficiency needs to be improved. Here, the authors report a hetero-type dual photoelectrode strategy in which two photoanodes of different band gaps are connected in parallel for extended light harvesting.

Background Rice is one of the most important food crops for humans. To improve the agronomical traits of rice, the functions of more than 1,000 rice genes have been recently characterized and summarized. The completed, map-based sequence of the rice genome has significantly accelerated the functional characterization of rice genes, but progress remains limited in assigning functions to all predicted non-transposable element (non-TE) genes, estimated to number 37,000–41,000. Results The International Rice Functional Genomics Consortium (IRFGC) has generated a huge number of gene-indexed mutants by using mutagens such as T-DNA, Tos17 and Ds/dSpm. These mutants have been identified by 246,566 flanking sequence tags (FSTs) and cover 65 % (25,275 of 38,869) of the non-TE genes in rice, while the mutation ratio of TE genes is 25.7 %. In addition, almost 80 % of highly expressed non-TE genes have insertion mutations, indicating that highly expressed genes in rice chromosomes are more likely to have mutations by mutagens such as T-DNA, Ds, dSpm and Tos17. The functions of around 2.5 % of rice genes have been characterized, and studies have mainly focused on transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. Slow progress in characterizing the function of rice genes is mainly due to a lack of clues to guide functional studies or functional redundancy. These limitations can be partially solved by a well-categorized functional classification of FST genes. To create this classification, we used the diverse overviews installed in the MapMan toolkit. Gene Ontology (GO) assignment to FST genes supplemented the limitation of MapMan overviews. Conclusion The functions of 863 of 1,022 known genes can be evaluated by current FST lines, indicating that FST genes are useful resources for functional genomic studies. We assigned 16,169 out of 29,624 FST genes to 34 MapMan classes, including major three categories such as DNA, RNA and protein. To demonstrate the MapMan application on FST genes, transcriptome analysis was done from a rice mutant of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR) gene with FST. Mapping of 756 down-regulated genes in dxr mutants and their annotation in terms of various MapMan overviews revealed candidate genes downstream of DXR-mediating light signaling pathway in diverse functional classes such as the methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphatepathway (MEP) pathway overview, photosynthesis, secondary metabolism and regulatory overview. This report provides a useful guide for systematic phenomics and further applications to enhance the key agronomic traits of rice. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12284-016-0089-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In this study, we evaluated a high surface area fractional precipitation process to achieve the effective purification of paclitaxel, an anticancer agent, from plant cell cultures. Fractional precipitation experiments were performed by increasing the surface area per working volume (S/V) to 0.428/mm using a variety of ion exchange resins. When the cation exchange resin Amberlite IR 120 H was used, the highest purity (>85%) and yield (>80%) of paclitaxel could be obtained in the shortest fractional precipitation time (within 6 h). Use of an ion exchange resin resulted in the production of smaller paclitaxel precipitates since it inhibited the growth of particles. When Amberlite IR 120 H in particular was used, paclitaxel particles were 2 ∼ 3 times smaller (less than 30 μm radius) than those obtained in the absence of ion exchange resin. Paclitaxel particle size was inversely correlated with the zeta potential of the fractional precipitation solution after the addition of ion exchange resin.

We investigated the effects of ion exchange resins on the efficiency of crystallization with an increased surface area for the purification of vancomycin. As surface area-increasing materials, diverse types of ion exchange resin were used to increase the surface area per working volume (S/V). When the S/V was increased, in cation exchange resin Amberlite 200, Amberlite IR 120 (Na), and Amberlite IRC 50 and in anion exchange resin Amberlite IRA 400 (Cl) and Amberlite IRA 910 (Cl), vancomycin crystals were successfully generated. The yield of vancomycin increased (>97%), and the time necessary for crystallization was reduced dramatically (reduced from 24 hr to 12 hr). On the other hand, the purity of the vancomycin was approximately 95% and was not affected by increasing S/V. Use of an ion exchange resin also resulted in the production of smaller vancomycin crystals than in the absence of ion exchange resin.

Precipitation is a simple, efficient method for separating and recovering lactic acid in the form of calcium lactate from fermentation broth by adding sulfuric acid. Major operating parameters of the recovery step as well as the temperature of concentration of the recovered lactic acid solution and the type and amount of adsorbent used for pigment (color) removal were optimized. When the molar ratio of calcium lactate to sulfuric acid was 1: 1 and the pH was increased to a value greater than the pKa (3.86), calcium sulfate was precipitated and could be removed more effectively, allowing for more efficient separation and recovery of supernatant lactic acid. Precipitation could be facilitated by adding calcium lactate solution with mixing (up to 220 rpm) and was completed in over 18 h. The optimal temperature for the concentration of lactic acid recovered from the supernatant after removing the precipitated calcium sulfate was found to be 90 °C in terms of the time required for concentration and the stability of the product. Activated carbon (SX-PLUS, 9 g/L) was most effective as an adsorbent for color removal from the recovered lactic acid. Under the optimized precipitation conditions, an overall yield of 92% of lactic acid from fermentation broth could be achieved.

This study intended to establish a solvent map for formation of crystalline and amorphous paclitaxel by a solvent evaporation process. Crystalline paclitaxel was produced by evaporation with polar solvents (acetone, acetonitrile, ethanol, isobutyl alcohol, methanol, methyl ethyl ketone, and n-butyl alcohol) having a polarity index above 4.00. On the other hand, amorphous paclitaxel was produced by evaporation with non-polar solvents (methylene chloride, n-butyl chloride, and toluene) having a polarity index of about 4.00 or lower. The formation of paclitaxel was very closely associated with the polarity index of the organic solvent used in the solvent evaporation process. In the case of crystalline paclitaxel, the higher the polarity index and the lower the viscosity of the organic solvent (n-butyl alcohol, methyl ethyl ketone, and acetonitrile), the higher the degree of crystallinity. In the case of amorphous paclitaxel, the shape and size of particles varied according to the solvent (methylene chloride, n-butyl chloride, and toluene) used in the solvent evaporation process.

Pt-(CdS/TiO2) film-typed photocatalysts are prepared with a doctor-blade method followed by a chemical bath deposition (CBD) process, and the films are characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The film-typed structure is composed of photocatalysts and Pt metal part on a FTO substrate without additional electric device, so it is relatively simpler than the conventional photoelectrochemical cell. CdS quantum dots are introduced as a sensitizer for visible light response. Amounts of CdS quantum dots on TiO2 surface are increased with increasing CBD cycles, but they start to aggregate after certain CdS concentration due to oversaturation phenomenon. This high CdS content induces high electron losses, and therefore it reduces amounts of hydrogen production. As a result, there is a saturation point of CdS content at Cd/Ti ratio of 0.197, and the amounts of evolved hydrogen are 5.407 μmol/cm2·h at this photocatalyst formulation.

A microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method was used to recover the anticancer agent paclitaxel from plant cell cultures, and the extraction efficiency of the paclitaxel was determined using various organic solvents (acetone, chloroform, ethanol, methanol, and methylene chloride) and solvent concentrations. Methanol provided the highest recovery of paclitaxel (∼93%) and resulted in the most severe rupturing of the biomass surface during MAE. Most of the paclitaxel (>99%) was recovered using a methanol concentration of 90% (water content: 10%), suggesting that the addition of a small amount of water improves the efficiency of MAE. Furthermore, analysis of the surface of the biomass using an electron microscope revealed that the higher the recovery of paclitaxel, the more severe the damage to the biomass surface. A comparison of the extraction efficiency between MAE and conventional solvent extraction (CSE) showed that with CSE, only up to 54% of the paclitaxel could be recovered in one extraction whereas with MAE, most of the paclitaxel (>99%) in the biomass could be recovered in one extraction.