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An excellent oxide ion conductivity with high oxygen transportation of lanthanum silicate apatite at the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) can be achieved through the solid-state reaction method. The doped La10Si6−x−0.2AlxZn0.2O27−δ (x = 0.2 and 0.4) materials sintered at 1600°C accomplished crystallinity and crystal structure of apatite-type. The structural and electrochemical characterizations of La10Si6−x−0.2AlxZn0.2O27−δ (x = 0.2 and 0.4) were executed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The total oxide ion conductivities of La10Si6−x−0.2AlxZn0.2O27−δ (x = 0.2 and 0.4) were measured from low to intermediate operating temperature range (450 to 800°C) using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Room temperature XRD patterns of La10Si6−x−0.2AlxZn0.2O27−δ (x = 0.2 and 0.4) exhibited La10Si6O27 apatite phase with space group P63/m as the main phase with the minor appearance of La2SiO5 as an impurity phase. The highest total oxide ion conductivity of 3.24 × 10−3 Scm−1 and corresponding activation energy of 0.30 eV at 800°C were obtained for La10Si5.6Al0.2Zn0.2O26.7 which contains a low concentration of Al3+ dopant.

The neocortex, the center for higher brain function, emerged in mammals and expanded in the course of evolution. The expansion of outer radial glia (oRGs) and intermediate progenitor cells (IPCs) plays key roles in the expansion and consequential folding of the neocortex. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of oRG and IPC expansion is important for understanding neocortical development and evolution. By using mice and human cerebral organoids, we previously revealed that hedgehog (HH) signaling expands oRGs and IPCs. Nevertheless, it remained to be determined whether HH signaling expanded oRGs and IPCs in vivo in gyrencephalic species, in which oRGs and IPCs are naturally expanded. Here, we show that HH signaling is necessary and sufficient to expand oRGs and IPCs in ferrets, a gyrencephalic species, through conserved cellular mechanisms. HH signaling increases oRG-producing division modes of ventricular radial glia (vRGs), oRG self-renewal, and IPC proliferation. Notably, HH signaling affects vRG division modes only in an early restricted phase before superficial-layer neuron production peaks. Beyond this restricted phase, HH signaling promotes oRG self-renewal. Thus, HH signaling expands oRGs and IPCs in two distinct but continuous phases during cortical development.

Background. Robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) frequently entails postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) due to the Trendelenburg position and pneumoperitoneum. Diaphragm thickening fraction (TF) as an imaging marker can offer the advantage of predicting respiratory outcomes. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of diaphragm TF on the occurrence of PPCs in RALP. Methods. We measured the preoperative thickness of the diaphragm at peak inspiration ( T pi ) and end expiration ( T ee ) using ultrasonography. Diaphragm TF was calculated as TF = T pi – T ee / T ee . A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of TF was performed. After dividing patients into two groups according to the optimal TF cut-off value, we compared the occurrence of PPCs between the groups. The predictivity of diaphragm TF for the occurrence of PPCs was evaluated. Results. Of 145 patients, 40 patients (27.6%) developed PPCs. Patients with PPCs had a significantly lower TF than those without PPCs ( 0.31 ± 0.09 vs. 0.39 ± 0.11 , P < 0.001 ). In the ROC curve analysis, the optimal TF cut-off value was 0.28. The patients were divided into TF ≥ 0.28 group ( n = 114 ) and TF < 0.28 group ( n = 31 ). The incidence of PPCs was significantly higher in the TF < 0.28 group than in the TF ≥ 0.28 group (51.6% vs. 21.1%, P = 0.001 ). Diaphragm TF < 0.28 was associated with a higher incidence of PPCs than diaphragm TF ≥ 0.28 ( odds ratio = 4.534 , 95% confidence interval [1.763–11.658], P = 0.002 ). Conclusion. Preoperative diaphragm TF < 0.28 was associated with an increased incidence of PPCs, suggesting that diaphragm TF as a prognostic imaging marker provides useful information on PPCs in RALP requiring the Trendelenburg position and pneumoperitoneum. Trial Registry Number. This trial is registered with KCT0005028.

In SmBa1-xCaxCo2O5+d (x = 0.01, 0.03, 0.1, and 0.2, SBCCO) oxide systems calcined at 1100°C for 8 h, the XRD patterns of the SBCCO single phase were maintained in the cases of SmBa0.97Ca0.03Co2O5+d (SBCCO-0.97) and SmBa0.99Ca0.01Co2O5+d (SBCCO-0.99) compositions. In SmBa0.8Ca0.2Co2O5+d (SBCCO-0.8) and SmBa0.9Ca0.1Co2O5+d (SBCCO-0.9), CaCoSmO4 existed with the pattern SBCCO. SBCCO structures were identified as orthorhombic crystal structures because they showed splitting of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks at 23.4°, 47.9°, and 59.1°.Typical metallic conduction behaviors were found in all measured compositions except SBCCO-0.8, which showed a metal-insulator transition (MIT) behavior. Compared to other SmBa1-xCaxCo2O5+d compositions, SBCCO-0.8 showed the highest electrical conductivity of 460 S/cm at 500°C. In particular, SBCCO-0.9 was found to have an excellent ASR characteristic of about 0.077 Ωcm2 at 700°C. The activation energy of SBCCO-0.9 was the lowest among SBCCO oxide systems with a value of 0.77 eV.

In SmBa1-xCaxCo2O5+d (x = 0.01, 0.03, 0.1, and 0.2, SBCCO) oxide systems calcined at 1100°C for 8 h, the XRD patterns of the SBCCO single phase were maintained in the cases of SmBa0.97Ca0.03Co2O5+d (SBCCO-0.97) and SmBa0.99Ca0.01Co2O5+d (SBCCO-0.99) compositions. In SmBa0.8Ca0.2Co2O5+d (SBCCO-0.8) and SmBa0.9Ca0.1Co2O5+d (SBCCO-0.9), CaCoSmO4 existed with the pattern SBCCO. SBCCO structures were identified as orthorhombic crystal structures because they showed splitting of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks at 23.4°, 47.9°, and 59.1°.Typical metallic conduction behaviors were found in all measured compositions except SBCCO-0.8, which showed a metal-insulator transition (MIT) behavior. Compared to other SmBa1-xCaxCo2O5+d compositions, SBCCO-0.8 showed the highest electrical conductivity of 460 S/cm at 500°C. In particular, SBCCO-0.9 was found to have an excellent ASR characteristic of about 0.077 Ωcm2 at 700°C. The activation energy of SBCCO-0.9 was the lowest among SBCCO oxide systems with a value of 0.77 eV.

In this paper, a flip-flop (FF) that minimizes the transition of internal nodes by using a dual change-sensing scheme is discussed. Further, in order to reduce power consumption, a new technique to eliminate short-circuit currents is described. The proposed dual change-sensing FF (DCSFF) composed of 24T (T: number of transistors) has the lowest dynamic power consumption among conventional FFs, independent of the data activity ratio. According to the measured results with a 65 nm CMOS process, the power consumption of DCSFF is reduced by 98% and 32%, when the data activity is close to 0% and 100%, respectively, compared to that of conventional transmission gate FF. Further, compared to that of change-sensing FF, the power consumption of DCSFF is reduced by 26% when the data activity is close to 100%.

Despite the lysosomal "proton sponge hypothesis" being considered to be an additional factor for stimulating the cellular toxicity of nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, a clear relationship between the massive influx of calcium ions and the proton sponge effect, both of which are associated with cancer cell apoptosis, has still not been elucidated. Cetrimonium bromide (CTAB: cationic quaternary amino group based) gold nanorods possessed a more effective electric surface charge for inducing the lysosomal proton sponge effect than anionic gold nanoparticles. In this aspect, identifying released cytoplasmic Cl-, arising from the ruptured lysosomal compartment, in the cytoplasm is critical for supporting the "proton sponge hypothesis". This study clarified that the burst release of Cl-, as a result of lysosomal swelling by CTAB gold nanorods, stimulates the transient receptor potential channels melastatin 2 (TRPM2) channels, and subsequently induces a massive Ca2+ influx, which independently increases apoptosis of cancer cells. Although the previous concept of elevated cancer apoptosis acting through the proton sponge effect is unclear, this study supports the evidence that a massive Ca2+ influx mediated in response to a burst release of Cl- significantly influenced cytotoxicity of cancer cells in tumor tissues.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging zoonotic disease, which causes high fever, thrombocytopenia, and death in humans and animals in East Asian countries. The pathogenicity of SFTS virus (SFTSV) remains unclear. We intraperitoneally infected three groups of mice: wild-type (WT), mice treated with blocking anti-type I interferon (IFN)-α receptor antibody (IFNAR Ab), and IFNAR knockout (IFNAR−/−) mice, with four doses of SFTSV (KH1, 5 × 105 to 5 × 102 FAID50). The WT mice survived all SFTSV infective doses. The IFNAR Ab mice died within 7 days post-infection (dpi) with all doses of SFTSV except that the mice were infected with 5 × 102 FAID50 SFTSV. The IFNAR−/− mice died after infection with all doses of SFTSV within four dpi. No SFTSV infection caused hyperthermia in any mice, whereas all the dead mice showed hypothermia and weight loss. In the WT mice, SFTSV RNA was detected in the eyes, oral swabs, urine, and feces at 5 dpi. Similar patterns were observed in the IFNAR Ab and IFNAR−/− mice after 3 dpi, but not in feces. The IFNAR Ab mice showed viral shedding until 7 dpi. The SFTSV RNA loads were higher in organs of the IFNAR−/− mice compared to the other groups. Histopathologically, coagulation necrosis and mononuclear inflammatory cell infiltration in the liver and white pulp atrophy in the spleen were seen as the main lesions in the IFN signaling lacking mice. Immunohistochemically, SFTSV antigens were mainly detected in the marginal zone of the white pulp of the spleen in all groups of mice, but more viral antigens were observed in the spleen of the IFNAR−/− mice. Collectively, the IFN signaling-deficient mice were highly susceptible to SFTSV and more viral burden could be demonstrated in various excreta and organs of the mice when IFN signaling was inhibited.

In this paper, we propose a novel sequential compression method for the coefficient look-up table (LUT) for compensation of display panel defects. First, the regression LUT coefficient data for defect compensation is rearranged as the display ratio. It is split and compressed into sub-blocks to utilize the correlation of the rearranged data. Then, to further increase the compression ratio, the initially compressed data is compressed again through the differential coding-based compression. In the performance evaluation, the proposed method has the same loss as the existing compression method, while increasing the compression ratio of up to 46.9%.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common malignancy of the liver, which can progress rapidly and has a poor prognosis. Glypican-3 (GPC3) has been proposed to be an important diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC. Aptamers have emerged as promising drug delivery vehicles because of their high binding affinity for target molecules. Herein, we developed G12msi, a gemcitabine-incorporated DNA aptamer, targeting GPC3, and evaluated its binding specificity and anti-tumor efficacy in GPC3-overexpressing HCC cell lines and murine xenograft models. GPC3-targeted aptamers were selected by using the SELEX process and the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine was internally incorporated into the aptamer. To determine the binding affinity and internalization of the G12msi, flow cytometry and confocal microscopy were performed on GPC3-positive HepG2, Hep3B, and Huh7 cells, as well as a GPC3-negative A431 cell. The anti-tumor activities of G12msi were evaluated with in vitro and in vivo models. We found that G12msi binds to GPC3-overexpressing HCC tumor cells with high specificity and is effectively internalized. Moreover, G12msi treatment inhibited the cell proliferation of GPC3-positive HCC cell lines with minimal cytotoxicity in control A431 cells. In vivo systemic administration of G12msi significantly inhibited tumor growth of HCC HepG2 cells in xenograft models without causing toxicity. These results suggest that gemcitabine-incorporated GPC3 aptamer-based drug delivery may be a promising strategy for the treatment of HCC.

Background. The C-reactive protein (CRP)/albumin ratio is a useful index used to represent patient inflammation and nutritional status. Elderly patients are at the highest risk for acute kidney injury (AKI). We clarified the impact of the preoperative CRP/albumin ratio on AKI and evaluated the impact of postoperative AKI on end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among elderly cystectomy patients. Methods. We included elderlypatients≥65 yearsof age who underwent radical cystectomy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were performed to identify risk factors for AKI. Propensity score-matched analysis and conditional logistic regression analysis were performed to elucidate the impact of the CRP/albumin ratio on AKI. The incidence of ESRD was compared between the non-AKI and AKI groups at 12 months after radical cystectomy. Results. AKI occurred in 110 patients (32.2%). The CRP/albumin ratio and 6% hydroxyethyl starch amount were risk factors for postoperative AKI. The optimal cut-off value for the CRP/albumin ratio predicting AKI was 0.1. After propensity score matching, the AKI incidence in the CRP/albuminratio≥0.1group was higher than that in the CRP/albuminratio<0.1group (46.7% vs. 20.6%,P<0.001), and a CRP/albuminratio≥0.1was associated with a higher AKI incidence (odds ratio=4.111,P<0.001). The ESRD incidence was higher in the AKI group than in the non-AKI group (7.3% vs. 1.2%,P=0.017). Conclusion. A CRP/albuminratio≥0.1was associated with an increased incidence of AKI, which was associated with higher ESRD incidence among elderly cystectomy patients.

Understanding the crosstalk between synoviocytes and macrophages is very important for the development of strategies to regulate inflammatory responses in an inflamed synovium. Simultaneous regulation of the pro- and anti-inflammatory responses of synoviocytes and macrophages (repolarization) is critical for the treatment of arthritis. Thus, the immune regulatory functions of an ideal nanodrug should not only decrease the pro-inflammatory response but also effectively increase the anti-inflammatory response. In this study, crosstalk between synoviocytes and macrophages was found to be significantly involved in the activation and deactivation of inflammatory responses in the synovium. Interestingly, a developed triamcinolone-gold nanoparticle (Triam-AuNP) complex both decreased the pro-inflammatory responses and increased the anti-inflammatory responses of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) and macrophages via repolarization of macrophages from the M1 to the M2 phenotype. In contrast, triamcinolone alone only decreased the pro-inflammatory responses of FLSs and macrophages without upregulating their anti-inflammatory responses. In vitro (human), ex vivo (human), and in vivo (mouse) analyses clearly indicated that Triam-AuNPs effectively regulated the expression of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in FLSs and effectively repolarized activity of macrophages in the inflamed synovium. Furthermore, Triam-AuNPs significantly promoted cartilage regeneration, whereas triamcinolone alone did not induce either FLS anti-inflammatory activity or macrophage repolarization.

Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) is a part of the cerebellar neurodegenerative disease group that is diverse in genetics and phenotypes. It usually shows autosomal dominant inheritance. SCAs, always together with the cerebellar degeneration, may exhibit clinical deficits in brainstem or eye, especially retina or optic nerve. Interestingly, autosomal dominant SCAs share a common genetic mechanism; the length of the glutamine chain is abnormally expanded due to the increase in the cytosine–adenine–guanine (CAG) repeats of the disease causing gene. Studies have suggested that the mutant ataxin induces alteration of protein conformation and abnormal aggregation resulting in nuclear inclusions, and causes cellular loss of photoreceptors through a toxic effect. As a result, these pathologic changes induce a downregulation of genes involved in the phototransduction, development, and differentiation of photoreceptors such as CRX, one of the photoreceptor transcription factors. However, the exact mechanism of neuronal degeneration by mutant ataxin restricted to only certain type of neuronal cell including cerebellar Purkinje neurons and photoreceptor is still unclear. The most common SCAs are types 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 17 which contain about 80% of autosomal dominant SCA cases. Various aspects of eye movement abnormalities are evident depending on the degree of cerebellar and brainstem degeneration in SCAs. In addition, certain types of SCAs such as SCA7 are characterized by both cerebellar ataxia and visual loss mainly due to retinal degeneration. The severity of the retinopathy can vary from occult macular photoreceptor disruption to extensive retinal atrophy and is correlated with the number of CAG repeats. The value of using optical coherence tomography in conjunction with electrodiagnostic and genetic testing is emphasized as the combination of these tests can provide critical information regarding the etiology, morphological evaluation, and functional significances. Therefore, ophthalmologists need to recognize and differentiate SCAs in order to properly diagnose and evaluate the disease. In this review, we have described and discussed SCAs showing ophthalmic abnormalities with particular attention to their ophthalmic features, neurodegenerative mechanisms, genetics, and future perspectives.

The effects of convection-oven precooking, frozen storage (&minus, 18 &deg, C/ two months) and four different reheating methods&mdash, namely, boiling, pan-roasting, convection oven and microwave oven on pH, color, texture, antioxidant activity and warmed-over flavor of beef meatballs were investigated. In this study, four kinds of beef meatballs were prepared: with added butylated hydroxyl toluene (0.02% BHT, M1), with nutmeg extract (0.02%, M2), with nutmeg powder (0.02%, M3) and control (no antioxidant). Addition of (0.02%) nutmeg extracts in beef meatballs M2 resulted in a significant (p &lt, 0.05) decrease in lipid and protein oxidation, hardness and gumminess values after convection oven precooking. Again, M2 reheated by microwave oven significantly (p &lt, 0.05) reduced cooking loss, gumminess, springiness, rancid flavor, saltiness and burnt taste and increased oxidative stability, redness and adhesiveness with the chewiness intensity and overall acceptability compared to control, M1 and M3. Conclusively, the addition of nutmeg extracts (0.02%) as a natural plant antioxidant to precooked beef meatballs can result in reduced lipid and protein oxidation levels, stabilized color and texture values and improved overall acceptance after reheated by microwave oven during two months of frozen storage.

Urinary diversion after radical cystectomy is associated with a risk of renal function impairment. A significant decline in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (i.e., a &ge, 30% decline in baseline GFR after 12 months) is associated with long-term renal function impairment. We compared the significant GFR decline between ileal conduit and ileal neobladder urinary diversions 12 months after radical cystectomy. We retrospectively included radical cystectomy patients. Propensity score-matched analysis was performed. The primary outcome was the incidence of a significant GFR decline in ileal conduit urinary diversion (ileal conduit group) and ileal neobladder urinary diversion (ileal neobladder group) 12 months after radical cystectomy. The secondary outcomes were the change of GFR and the incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the two groups. After propensity score matching, the ileal conduit and neobladder groups had 117 patients each. The incidence of a significant GFR decline was not significantly different between ileal conduit and ileal neobladder groups (12.0% vs. 13.7%, p = 0.845). The change of GFR and ESRD incidence were not significantly different between the two groups (&minus, 8.4% vs. &minus, 9.7%, p = 0.480, 4.3% vs. 5.1%, p &gt, 0.999, respectively). These results can provide important information on appropriate selection of the urinary diversion type in radical cystectomy.

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The exhaust monitoring for in-situ quantification of gas pollutants has always been a challenge due to the harsh thermo-chemical environments, for which the solid-electrolyte based gas sensors appear as a realistic solution. In this work, an ultrahigh-sensitive mixed-potential ammonia sensor was developed using a new dual-functional NiWO

Purpose To investigate whether elevated levels of inflammatory/angiogenic and growth mediators in amniotic fluid (AF) and the presence of intra-amniotic infection are associated with the occurrence and progression of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in preterm infants. Methods This retrospective cohort study included 175 premature singleton infants who were born between 23+0 and 32+0 weeks. AF obtained via amniocentesis was cultured, and endoglin, endostatin, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP)-2, IGFBP-3, IGFBP-4, IL-6, IL-8, matrix metalloproteinase-8, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 levels were assayed by ELISA. The primary outcome measures included the occurrence of any stage ROP, severe ROP (stage ≥3), and vision-threatening type 1 ROP requiring treatment. Results Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that there are significant associations between elevated AF endoglin levels and ROP occurrence; between elevated AF endoglin, endostatin, and IGFBP-2 levels and severe ROP; and between high AF endoglin, IL-6, and IL-8 levels and vision-threatening ROP requiring treatment, after adjusting for potential postnatal confounders. Using stepwise regression analyses, antenatal prediction models based on these AF biomarkers and prenatal factors were developed for the ROP outcomes, which had good discriminatory power (area under the curves, 0.731-0.863). However, we found that intra-amniotic infection is not associated with ROP occurrence and progression. Conclusions Elevated levels of inflammatory (IL-6 and IL-8) and angiogenic (endoglin and IGFBP-2) mediators in the AF, but not the presence of intra-amniotic infection, are independently associated with the occurrence and progression of ROP in preterm infants. These findings suggest that the pathophysiologic events that predispose preterm neonates to ROP may begin before delivery.

Upon sensing starvation stress, Caenorhabditis elegans larvae (L2d) elicit two seemingly opposing behaviors to escape from the stressful condition: food-seeking roaming mediated by the opioid peptide NLP-24 and dauer formation mediated by pheromones. Because opioid and pheromone signals both originate in ASI chemosensory neurons, we hypothesized that they might act sequentially or competitively to avoid starvation stress. Our data shows that NPR-17 opioid receptor signaling suppressed pheromone biosynthesis and the overexpression of opioid genes disturbed dauer formation. Likewise, DAF-37 pheromone receptor signaling negatively modulated nlp-24 expression in the ASI neurons. Under short-term starvation (STS, 3 h), both pheromone and opioid signaling were downregulated in gpa-3 mutants. Surprisingly, the gpa-3;nlp-24 double mutants exhibited much higher dauer formation than seen in either of the single mutants. Under long-term starvation (LTS, >24 h), the stress-activated SKN-1a downregulated opioid signaling and then enhanced dauer formation. Both insulin and serotonin stimulated opioid signaling, whereas NHR-69 suppressed opioid signaling. Thus, GPA-3 and SKN-1a are proposed to regulate cross-antagonistic interaction between opioids and pheromones in a cell-specific manner. These regulatory functions are suggested to be exerted via the selective interaction of GPA-3 with NPR-17 and site-specific SKN-1 binding to the promoter of nlp-24 to facilitate stress avoidance.

An ultrahigh capacity supercapacitor is fabricated using a nano-layered MXene as an active electrode material, and Ni-foil is used as a current collector. The high-quality Ti3C2Tx obtained from supernatant during etching and washing processes improves the specific capacitance significantly. As another strategy, the surface of Ni-foil is engineered by coating chemical vapor deposition-grown graphene. The graphene grown directly on the Ni-foil is used as a current collector, forming the electrode structure of Ti3C2Tx/graphene/Ni. The surface passivation of the current collectors has a high impact on charge-transfer, which in turn increases the capacitance of the supercapacitors. It is found that the capacitance of the graphene-based supercapacitors is more than 1.5 times of the capacitance without graphene. A high specific capacitance, ~ 542 F/g, is achieved at 5 mV/s scan rate based on cyclic voltammetry analysis. Also, the graphene-based supercapacitor exhibits a quasi-rectangular form in cyclic voltammetry curves and a symmetric behavior in charge/discharge curves. Furthermore, cyclic stability up to 5000 cycles is confirmed with high capacitance retention at high scan rate 1000 mV/s. A reduced series resistance with a high limit capacitance is revealed by equivalent circuit analysis with the Nyquist plot.

Catheter-related bladder discomfort occurs because of involuntary contractions of the bladder smooth muscle after urinary catheterization. Magnesium is associated with smooth muscle relaxation. This study hypothesized that among patients having transurethral resection of bladder tumor, magnesium will reduce the incidence of postoperative moderate-to-severe catheter-related bladder discomfort.In this double-blind, randomized study, patients were randomly allocated to the magnesium group (n = 60) or the control group (n = 60). In magnesium group, a 50 mg/kg loading dose of intravenous magnesium sulfate was administered for 15 min, followed by an intravenous infusion of 15 mg · kg · h during the intraoperative period. Patients in the control group similarly received normal saline. The primary outcome was the incidence of catheter-related bladder discomfort above a moderate grade at 0 h postoperatively. None, mild, moderate, and severe catheter-related bladder discomfort at 1, 2, and 6 h postoperatively, patient satisfaction, and magnesium-related adverse effects were also assessed.The incidence of catheter-related bladder discomfort above a moderate grade at 0 h postoperatively was significantly lower in the magnesium group than in the control group (13 [22%] vs. 46 [77%]; P0.001; relative risk = 0.283; 95% CI, 0.171 to 0.467; absolute risk reduction = 0.55; number needed to treat = 2); similar results were observed for catheter-related bladder discomfort above a moderate grade at 1 and 2 h postoperatively (5 [8%] vs. 17 [28%]; P = 0.005; relative risk = 0.294; 95% CI, 0.116 to 0.746; and 1 [2%] vs. 14 [23%]; P0.001; relative risk = 0.071; 95% CI, 0.010 to 0.526, respectively). Patient satisfaction on a scale from 1 to 7 was significantly higher in the magnesium group than in the control group (5.1 ± 0.8 vs. 3.5 ± 1.0; P0.001; 95% CI, 1.281 to 1.919). Magnesium-related adverse effects were not significantly different between groups.Magnesium reduced the incidence of catheter-related bladder discomfort above a moderate grade and increased patient satisfaction among patients having transurethral resection of bladder tumor.

Pipecolic acid, a non-proteinogenic amino acid, is a metabolite in lysine metabolism and a key chiral precursor in local anesthesia and macrolide antibiotics. To replace the environmentally unfriendly chemical production or preparation procedure of pipecolic acid, many biological synthetic routes have been studied for a long time. Among them, synthesis by lysine cyclodeaminase (LCD), encoded by pipA, has several advantages, including stability of enzyme activity and NAD+ self-regeneration. Thus, we selected this enzyme for pipecolic acid biosynthesis in a whole-cell bioconversion. To construct a robust pipecolic acid production system, we investigated important conditions including expression vector, strain, culture conditions, and other reaction parameters. The most important factor was the introduction of multiple pipA genes into the whole-cell system. As a result, we produced 724 mM pipecolic acid (72.4 % conversion), and the productivity was 0.78 g/L/h from 1 M l-lysine after 5 days. This is the highest production reported to date.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are distinct from general Staphylococcus strains with respect to the composition of the membrane, ability to form a thicker biofilm, and, importantly, ability to modify the target of antibiotics to evade their activity. The agr gene is an accessory global regulator of gram-positive bacteria that governs virulence or resistant mechanisms and is therefore an important target for the control of resistant strains. However, the mechanism by which agr impacts factors affecting resistance to β-lactam antibiotics remains unclear. In the present study, we found an Δagr mutant strain with higher resistance to high concentrations of b-lactam antibiotics such as oxacillin and ampicillin. To determine the influence of variation in the microenvironment of cells between the parental and mutant strains, fatty acid analysis of the supernatant, total lipids, and phospholipid fatty acids were compared. The Δagr mutant strain tended to produce fewer fatty acids and retained lower amounts of C16, C18 fatty acids in the supernatant. Phospholipid analysis showed a dramatic increase in the hydrophobic longer-chain fatty acids in the membranes. To target these differences in fatty acid distribution and membrane composition, we applied several surfactants and found that sorbitan trioleate (Span85) had a synergistic effect with oxacillin by decreasing biofilm formation and growth. These findings indicate that agr suppression allows for MRSA to antagonize antibiotics via several changes, including constant expression of mecA, fatty acid metabolism and distribution, and biofilm thickening, resulting in a strain with higher resistance to β-lactam antibiotics.

One of the largest uncertainties in projecting future global mean sea level (GSML) rise in response to anthropogenic global warming originates from the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) contribution. Previous studies suggested that a potential AIS collapse due to the Marine Ice Sheet Instability (MISI) and Marine Ice Cliff Instability (MICI) may contribute up to 1m GMSL rise by the year 2100. However, these estimates were based on uncoupled ice sheet models that do not capture interactions between the AIS and the ocean and atmosphere. Here, we explore future GMSL projections using a three-dimensional coupled climate-ice sheet model (LOVECLIP) that simulates ice sheet dynamics in both hemispheres. The model was forced by increasing CO2 concentrations following the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) 1-1.9, 2-4.5 and 5-8.5 scenarios. Over the next 80 years, the corresponding GMSL contribution from AIS amounts to about 2cm, 8cm and 11cm, respectively. Additional sensitivity experiments show that AIS meltwater flux in response to the SSP 5-8.5 CO2 concentrations causes subsurface Southern Ocean warming which leads to an additional 20% AIS melting and a reduction in Southern Hemispheric future warming.

To estimate the 12-year incidence and trends of clinically diagnosed retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in Korea. This is a nationwide population-based retrospective study using the Korean national health claims database from 2002 to 2015. The study consisted of the entire Korean population based on the 2015 Census of Population. We identified patients with incident RVO in 2004–2015. We estimated the crude incidence rates and age- and sex-standardized incidence rates in each 12-year study period. To determine the trend, we also performed joinpoint regression analyses. We identified 240,495 incident RVO cases. The average incidence rate was 48.09 (95% confidence interval [CI], 47.92–48.27). Women showed a 1.24 times higher incidence rate (53.18 [95% CI, 52.92–53.44]) compared with men (42.78 [95% CI, 42.55–43.02]), while, among patients aged less than 50 years and those aged 80 years or over, men showed higher incidence rates than did women. The highest incidence of 193.56 (95% CI, 191.06–196.06) was observed in the age group of 75 to 79 years. The joinpoint analysis showed an increasing trend of RVO incidence among patients at the age of 70 years and older (annual percentage change, 2.1; 95% CI, 0.2–4.0; p

Bacteria from the genus Halomonas hold promise in biotechnology as sources of salt-tolerant enzymes, biosurfactants, biopolymers, osmolytes, and as actors in bioremediation processes. In a previous work, we have identified Halomonas socia strain CKY01 having various hydrolase activities. Here, we aimed to study the survival strategies of marine bacteria. A deep genome sequencing study of H. socia CKY01 has revealed 4627 genes reaching 4,753,299 bp with 64 % of GC content. This strain produced polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) having one gene clusters having phaC and phasin, and it has several genes responsible for the uptake, synthesis, and transport of the osmolytes such as betaine, choline, ectoine, carnitine, and proline in the bacterial genome. The addition of 60 mM glutamate, 60 mM proline and 60 mM ectoine enhanced growth 300.8 %, 294.2 % and 235.0 %, respectively, under 10 % saline conditions. In particular, ectoine and proline increased salt resistance and allowed cells to survive in more than 15 % NaCl. By combining experimental and genome sequencing data, we have investigated the importance of osmolytes on the survival of this Halomonas strain.

MRSA is Methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureusand they are widespread and making trouble in treatment in communities and surgical areas. MRSA have been adapted to antibiotics so that they can block the access of antibiotics physically or chemically deactivate it or modify the precursor of the target. Flavonoids are secondary metabolites which are naturally produced by plant or fungus and they are acting generally as pigment, quorum sensing molecules, antibiotics to other competitive microorganisms. Their natural origins and multiple activities have drawn much attention to be developed as the potential drugs since flavonoids could be a good candidate to overcome antibiotic resistant bacteria. Among various flavonoids, we found out naringenin has antibacterial activity on MRSA and Δagrmutants which are more resistance than MRSA to beta-lactam antibiotics by decreasing biofilm formation dramatically and decreasing the secretion of fatty acid. It also showed high synergetic activity with oxacillin to both antibacterial activity and biofilm inhibition. Considering the number of flavonoids, our experiments expand the possibility of the use of flavonoids to MRSA.

In this study, the chemical states of a powder type and an impregnated type of the La0.4Sr0.6Ti0.8Mn0.2O3±d (LSTM) oxide system were investigated along with its electrical conductivities in order to apply these materials as alternative anode materials for high temperature-operating Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (HT-SOFCs). The Ni/8YSZ samples with LSTM impregnated into the pores created by partially removing nickel, Ni/8YSZ (Ni (R)/8YSZ), showed much higher electrical conductivity values than those of unimpregnated Ni/8YSZ (Ni (E)/8YSZ) samples under dry H2 fuel condition. Reduction of Mn4+ to Mn3+ was observed when LSTM was reduced. Additional reduction properties of Mn2+ from Mn3+ and satellite peaks were found when impregnated LSTM was coated onto a Ni/8YSZ substrate. The reduction of the charge state of Ti contained in LSTM showed the same behavior as the reduction property of Mn. However, a satellite peak identified as metal Ti was only observed when impregnated LSTM was coated on a selectively Ni-removed Ni/8YSZ (Ni (R)/8YSZ) substrate.

A novel lipoxygenase (BLOX) was purified from black soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), and its catalytic properties were characterized. The molecular weight of BLOX was 101 kDa and its unique heterodimeric structure with two different subunits of molecular weight 46 kDa and 55 kDa was elucidated. The optimum pH and temperature of BLOX were pH 9.5 and 40 °C, respectively. BLOX was highly stable at the pH range of 6.0–10.0 and below 40 °C, and was stimulated by adding ferrous ion (Fe2+). In terms of substrate specificity, BLOX showed a substrate preference to linoleic acid that is the main substance to produce hydroperoxides in soybean. When it reacted with linoleic acid, the major product was 13(S)-hydroperoxy-9,11-octadecadienoic acid; therefore, it could be classified into the linoleate 13S-LOX family (EC 1.13.11.12). Finally, the kinetic parameters (Vmax, Km, and kcat) of BLOX were 0.124 mM min−1, 0.636 mM, and 12.28 s−1, respectively, and consequently, the catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) was calculated as 1.93 × 104 M−1·s−1. These catalytic characteristics of BLOX could contribute to understanding the enzymatic rancidification of black soybean, and to further biotechnical approaches to control and mitigate the deterioration.

The nutritional condition of patients is an important prognostic factor in various diseases. Free flap failure is a serious complication in patients undergoing free flap reconstruction, increasing morbidity and hospital costs. We evaluated the predictive factors, including the prognostic nutritional index (PNI), associated with free flap failure in extremity reconstruction. The PNI was calculated as follows: 10 &times, serum albumin (g/dL) + 0.005 &times, total lymphocyte count (per mm3), with a PNI &lt, 40 defined as low. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate factors predictive of free flap failure. Postoperative outcomes, including duration of hospital stay and rate and duration of intensive care unit admission, were also evaluated. Of the 625 patients included, 38 (6.1%) experienced free flap failure. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that predictors of free flap failure were female (odds ratio: 2.094, p = 0.031) and a low PNI (odds ratio: 3.859, p &lt, 0.001). The duration of hospital stay was significantly longer in patients who did than those who did not experience free flap failure (62.1 &plusmn, 55.5 days vs. 28.3 &plusmn, 24.4 days, p &lt, 0.001). A low PNI is associated with free flap failure, leading to prolonged hospital stay. This result suggests that the PNI can be simply and effectively used to predict free flap failure.

The study assessed the stability for fresh beef patties with the inclusion of clove extract (CE) as a natural antioxidant in comparison to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and ascorbic acid (AA) at frozen storage. Four different patties were made dependent on the added antioxidants: control (added no antioxidants), added with 0.02% BHT, 0.05% AA, and 0.1% CE. Inclusion of BHT, AA, and CE resulted in a significant reduction of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and hue angle (h°) value and increase of redness (CIE a*) and chroma (C*) values (p

Background: Catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD) is one of the most common postoperative symptoms. Although sugammadex and glycopyrrolate–neostigmine mixture are both used for the reversal of neuromuscular blockade, their effects on CRBD have not been compared side-to-side. We investigated the effect of the neuromuscular blockade reversal agents on CRBD after urologic surgery. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 136 patients who underwent retrograde intrarenal surgery between July 2018 and January 2019. Patients were divided into the S group (sugammadex; n = 65) and the G group (glycopyrrolate–neostigmine mixture; n = 71). Primary outcome was moderate-to-severe CRBD at 0 h postoperatively. We also evaluated moderate-to-severe CRBD at 1, 2, and 6 h postoperatively, duration of postanesthetic care unit (PACU) stay, postoperative pain, postoperative analgesic requirement, and drug-related side effects. Results: The incidence of moderate-to-severe CRBD at 0 h postoperatively was significantly lower in the G group than in the S group (39.4% vs. 69.2%, p = 0.001). The two groups did not show significant differences in the incidences of moderate-to-severe CRBD at 1, 2, and 6 h postoperatively, postoperative pain, and postoperative analgesic requirement. The duration of PACU stay was significantly shorter in the G group (46.0 min vs. 53.0 min, p = 0.047). Except for dry mouth, drug-related side effects did not show significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion: Compared with sugammadex, glycopyrrolate–neostigmine mixture was associated with a lower incidence of CRBD immediately after urologic surgery and shorter PACU stay.

Microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and host cells, such as plants and animals, have carbohydrate chains and lectins that reciprocally recognize one another. In hosts, the defense system is activated upon non-self-pattern recognition of microbial pathogen-associated molecular patterns. These are present in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. Glycan-based PAMPs are bound to a class of lectins that are widely distributed among eukaryotes. The first step of bacterial infection in humans is the adhesion of the pathogen’s lectin-like proteins to the outer membrane surfaces of host cells, which are composed of glycans. Microbes and hosts binding to each other specifically is of critical importance. The adhesion factors used between pathogens and hosts remain unknown; therefore, research is needed to identify these factors to prevent intestinal infection or treat it in its early stages. This review aims to present a vision for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases by identifying the role of the host glycans in the immune response against pathogenic intestinal bacteria through studies on the lectin-glycan interaction.

We sought to compare the radiographic parameters concerning the sagittal alignment of the standing whole-body skeletons between the knee extension group and control group using the low-dose biplanar X-ray system in a young adult population without knee pain, and to investigate the associated variables for the sagittal knee angle (sagKA) among the radiographic parameters of global sagittal alignment.We reviewed whole-body standing sagittal radiographs of 124 young adults taken from December 2018 to May 2020 in a single institution. We compared the radiographic parameters concerning the lower extremity sagittal alignment and global sagittal alignment between the knee extension group and control group. The factors correlated with sagKA were evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis.The sagittal vertical axis (SVA), the horizontal offset between the gravity line (GL) and the posterior edge of S1 endplate (GL-S), and the horizontal offset between the GL and the hip center (GL-H) were -11.6±21.3 mm, 5.1±23.8 mm, and -25.1±27.1 mm in the knee extension group, respectively, which were significantly smaller than those in the control group. The C7 plumb line (C7PL) and GL were deviated posterior to the sacrum and the hip center in the knee extension group, with the mean sagKA of -5.6° in young adults.The GL-H using GL, not the SVA using C7PL, was a significant radiographic factor associated with the sagKA.

In article number 2004979, Dongwoo Khang, YunJae Jung, and co‐workers investigate the innate and adaptive immune response triggered by protein corona surrounding nanotubes. It was confirmed that conformational changes of protein structures driven by conjugation of nanotubes elicit immune activation of neutrophil and natural killer cells. The elevation of these innate immune cells subsequently induces the activation of T cells. This suggested mechanism can provide a platform technology for activating the innate immune cells that could be readily adapted to immunotherapies in the near future. [Image: see text]

As the researches to utilize nanotechnology in food science are advanced, applications of nanotechnology in various fields of the food industry have increased. Nanotechnology can be applied to the food industry for production, processing, storage, and quality control of foods. Nanomaterials, unlike conventional microscale materials, having novel characteristics can improve sensory quality of foods by imparting novel texture, color, and appearance. Nanotechnology has been used to design nanosensors for detection of harmful components in foods and a smart packaging system enabling to recognize food contamination very rapidly and sensitively. Nanoencapsulation is the most significant technology in food science, especially for bioactive compounds and flavors. Targeted delivery systems designed with nanoencapsulation can enhance bioavailability of bioactive compounds after oral administration. In addition, nanoencapsulation enables to control the release of flavors at the desired time and to protect the degradation of flavors during processing and storage. In this review, current applications of nanotechnology in food science including flavor control, enhancement of bioavailability of bioactive compounds, and detection of deleterious substances in foods are presented. Furthermore, this article overviews classification, preparative methods, and safety issues of nanomaterials for food science. This review will be of help to provide comprehensive information for newcomers utilizing nanotechnology to the food sector.

Microwave-induced thermal curing is demonstrated to improve the reliability and to prolong the lifetime of chips containing nanoscale electron devices. A film containing graphite powder with high microwave absorbing efficiency was fabricated at low cost. The film is flexible, bendable, foldable, and attachable to a chip. A commercial off-the-shelf chip and a representative 3-dimensional (3D) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), known as FinFET, were utilized to verify the curing behaviors of the microwave-induced heat treatment. The heat effectively cured not only total ionizing dose (TID) damage from the external environment, but also internal electrical stress such as hot-carrier injection (HCI), which are representative sources of damages in MOSFET insulators. Then, the characteristics of the pre- and post-curing electron devices are investigated using electrical measurements and numerical simulations.

Irrecoverable data destruction on a mobile device is important to prevent unintentional data disclosure. In this regard, transient electronics, a form of electronics that can be made to disappear or can be destroyed in a controllable manner, has been actively researched. To erase data completely, irreversible reactions such as physical or chemical destruction have been used. However, these techniques either require external voltage or destroy a memory device so that it cannot be reused. Here, we demonstrate a novel self-powered data-erasing method for nanoscale flash memory devices which uses triboelectricity via a kill switch, which consists of a nylon pad connected to a gate electrode of the flash memory. Through a one-time touch of the kill switch by a finger wearing a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) glove, data stored in flash memory is set to the ‘1′ state on the chip scale simultaneously with low-level triboelectricity, allowing the memory to be reused afterward. Moreover, the memory can be permanently destroyed by a single touch of the kill switch with a finger without a glove that generates high-level triboelectricity. These erase methods provide a rapid and convenient means of self-powered irrecoverable data erasing in the era of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Investigation of the microstructural features and mechanical properties of the Al86Cu7Si7 nanostructure-dendrite composite revealed that the high yield strength of 615 MPa and its reasonable plasticity of ~ 20% at room temperature mainly originate from the evolution of dislocations in the micron-scale dendrites together with the cooperative deformation action of shear band and interfacial sliding throughout the whole volume of the material. Especially, shear band-induced rotation of dendrites was found to be an important deformation mechanism. Here, we sequentially elucidate the deformation behavior using atomic force microscopy, nanoindentation, and scanning electron microscopy to determine the surface topography of the deformed alloy.

Background We propose a gene-level association test that accounts for individual relatedness and population structures in pedigree data in the framework of linear mixed models (LMMs). Our method data-adaptively combines the results across a class of score-based tests, only requiring fitting a single null model (under the null hypothesis) for the whole genome, thereby being computationally efficient. Results We applied our approach to test for association with the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio of post- and pretreatments in GAW20 data. Using the LMM similar to that used by Aslibekyan et al. (PLos One, 7:48663, 2012), our method identified 2 nearly significant genes (APOA5 and ZNF259) near rs964184, whereas neither the other gene-level tests nor the standard test on each individual single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detected any significant gene in a genome-wide scan. Conclusions Gene-level association testing can be a complementary approach to the SNP-level association testing and our method is adaptive and efficient compared to several other existing gene-level association tests.

Gemcitabine has been considered a first-line chemotherapy agent for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. However, the initial response rate of gemcitabine is low and chemoresistance occurs frequently. Aptamers can be effectively internalized into cancer cells via binding to target molecules with high affinity and specificity. In the current study, we constructed an aptamer-based gemcitabine delivery system, APTA-12, and assessed its therapeutic effects on pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. APTA-12 was effective in vitro and in vivo in pancreatic cancer cells with high expression of nucleolin. The results of in vitro cytotoxicity assays indicated that APTA-12 inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer cell lines. In vivo evaluation showed that APTA-12 effectively inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer in Capan-1 tumor-bearing mice compared to mice that received gemcitabine alone or vehicle. These results suggest that the gemcitabine-incorporated APTA-12 aptamer may be a promising targeted therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer., Graphical Abstract

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), such as poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), have emerged as potential alternatives to petroleum-based plastics and can be produced through the appropriate selection of marine bacteria that are already adapted to high salt and low temperature conditions without the requirement of antibiotic treatment. The present study, thus, aimed to screen and characterize thirteen PHA-producing microbial strains isolated from the Gwangalli beach in Busan, South Korea. Among them, Halomonas sp. YLGW01 produced the highest amount of PHB (94.6 ± 1.8% (w/w)) using fructose. Interestingly Halomonas sp. YLGW01 showed increase in cell size (8.39 ± 3.63 μm) with fructose as carbon source as compared to glucose (2.34 ± 0.44 μm). Fructose syrup was investigated as carbon source under unsterilized conditions and 95.26 ± 1.78% of PHB was produced. Overall, this strain showed the highest PHB contents in halotolerant bacteria.

In this study, a heterogeneous catalyst prepared by pyrolysis of waste cork (Quercus suber) was used for the transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO). Physicochemical properties of the synthesized biochar catalyst were studied using BET, SEM, FTIR, and XRD. The experiment results demonstrate that heterogeneous catalyst synthesized at 600 °C showed maximum fatty acids methyl esters (FAMEs) conversion (98%) at alcohol:oil (25:1), catalyst loading (1.5% w/v) and temperature 65 °C. Biodiesel produced from WCO (Canola oil) mainly composed of FAMEs in following order C18:1 > C18:2 > C16:0 > C18:0 > C20:0. Properties of produced biodiesel were analysed as cetane number (CN) 50.56, higher heating value (HHV) 39.5, kinematic viscosity (ʋ) 3.9, and density (ρ) 0.87.

In modern society, multitasking is necessary for a worker to accomplish a final goal by their deadline, which could be pursued for either a single goal or multiple goals. Moreover, a worker who has the authority to prioritize their tasks can make plans about the process of behavioral strategies to perform each task by making a to-do list. This strategy is a way of unpacking that which seems to affect the expectancy of goal attainment and heighten the value and importance of the goal. Otherwise, a worker could write a to-do list without specific action plans. These effects of unpacking and packing can be used as management strategies for multitasking engagement and could impact a worker&rsquo, s cognition differently depending on the goal relations, including if there is a single goal or multiple goals. On the one hand, in pursuit of a single goal, unpacking can facilitate a worker&rsquo, s judgment of the importance of the task. On the other hand, in pursuit of multiple goals, a worker&rsquo, s judgment of one task&rsquo, s importance can conflict with another task due to contradictory unpacking guidelines. Additionally, self-regulation as an intrinsic motivation empowers conscious intentions to neglect the cognitive effects of the to-do list. Therefore, those with low self-regulation tend to be encouraged by the effect of unpacking, but those with high self-regulation have the effects of unpacking inhibited. This theoretical model was constructed to identify the cognitive mechanism and the role of self-regulation on boundary conditions in regard to the different effects on unpacking. This study was confirmed via the two-way experiment (single- and multiple-goal x packing and unpacking) to explore the effects of the cognitive mechanism on task importance. The following test was performed via the three-way experiment, using an additional variable, the levels of self-regulation (low self-regulation and high self-regulation), to verify whether they inhibit cognitive effects. This study suggests that the judgment of task importance is different in accordance with goal relations, packing and unpacking, and self-regulations for sustainable management strategies of multitasking.

In this study, the microstructural and electrochemical properties of linear type nanofibers obtained by adding SmBa0.5Sr0.5Co2O5+d (SBSCO) layered perovskite oxide were investigated for use as cathode materials in a low temperature-operating solid oxide fuel cell. Linear type SBSCO fiber and Ce0.9Gd0.1O2−d coated SBSCO-fiber were fabricated using the electrospinning process. It was confirmed that the area specific resistance (0.75 Ω cm2) of the obtained SBSCO-fiber cathode was much lower than that (1.25 Ω cm2) of a powder-type SBSCO cathode at 550 °C. The result shows that the SBSCO fiber cathode exhibits lower polarization resistance in low temperature ranges than the powder SBSCO cathode materials do. A significantly lower activation energy (0.76 eV) was observed in fiber SBSCO cathode than in the nanostructured La0.8Sr0.2Co0.2Fe0.8O3−d ones which were used as control at 1.53 eV.

Bacteria have evolved a defense system to resist external stressors, such as heat, pH, and salt, so as to facilitate survival in changing or harsh environments. However, the specific mechanisms by which bacteria respond to such environmental changes are not completely elucidated. Here, we used halotolerant bacteria as a model to understand the mechanism conferring high tolerance to NaCl. We screened for genes related to halotolerance in Halomonas socia, which can provide guidance for practical application. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis showed that H. socia cultured under high osmotic pressure produced a high portion of cyclopropane fatty acid derivatives, encoded by the cyclopropane-fatty acid-acyl phospholipid synthase gene (cfa). Therefore, H. socia cfa was cloned and introduced into Escherichia coli for expression. The cfa-overexpressing E. coli strain showed better growth, compared with the control strain under normal cultivation condition as well as under osmotic pressure (> 3% salinity). Moreover, the cfa-overexpressing E. coli strain showed 1.58-, 1.78-, 3.3-, and 2.19-fold higher growth than the control strain in the presence of the inhibitors furfural, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillin, and acetate from lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment, respectively. From a practical application perspective, cfa was co-expressed in E. coli with the polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthetic operon of Ralstonia eutropha using synthetic and biosugar media, resulting in a 1.5-fold higher in PHA production than that of the control strain. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of the cfa gene to boost cell growth and production even in heterologous strains under stress conditions.

In host defense, it is crucial to maintain the acidity of the macrophage phagosome for effective bacterial clearance. However, the mechanisms governing phagosomal acidification upon exposure to gram-negative bacteria have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that in macrophages exposed to Escherichia coli, the thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP)-associated inflammasome plays a role in pH modulation through the activated caspase-1-mediated inhibition of NADPH oxidase. While there was no difference in early-phase bacterial engulfment between Txnip knockout (KO) macrophages and wild-type (WT) macrophages, Txnip KO macrophages were less efficient at destroying intracellular bacteria in the late phase, and their phagosomes failed to undergo appropriate acidification. These phenomena were associated with reactive oxygen species production and were reversed by treatment with an NADPH oxidase inhibitor or a caspase inhibitor. In line with these results, Txnip KO mice were more susceptible to both intraperitoneally administered E. coli and sepsis induced by cecum ligation and puncture than WT mice. Taken together, this study suggests that the TXNIP-associated inflammasome-caspase-1 axis regulates NADPH oxidase to modulate the pH of the phagosome, controlling bacterial clearance by macrophages.

A switched-capacitor (SC) DC-DC boost converter suitable for energy harvesting in IoT sensor systems with varying harvesting source and battery voltages is presented in this paper. Unlike the conventional multi-staged SC DC-DC converters, where efficiency is optimized only for a few topology-dependent conversion ratios, soft-charging-based SC conversion is adopted to achieve conversion-ratio-insensitive high efficiency. With soft-charging flying capacitors with small voltage steps, charge redistribution loss is minimized and evenly high conversion efficiency can be achieved for a wide range of input and output voltages. The proposed converter exhibited evenly high efficiency by achieving a peak efficiency of 85.3% and an average efficiency of 83.6% for generating regulated 1.8V output from a wide range of input voltages (0.9-1.8V). It also achieved a peak efficiency of 88.9% and an average efficiency of 87.6% for harvesting energy from a 1.2V source with a wide battery voltage range (3.0-4.2V).