Highly Stretchable Separator Membrane for Deformable Energy‐Storage Devices

With the emergence of stretchable electronic devices, there is growing interest in the development of deformable power accessories that can power them. To date, various approaches have been reported for replacing rigid components of typical batteries with elastic materials. Little attention, however, has been paid to stretchable separator membranes that can not only prevent internal short circuit but also provide an ionic conducting pathway between electrodes under extreme physical deformation. Herein, a poly(styrene‐b‐butadiene‐b‐styrene) (SBS) block copolymer–based stretchable separator membrane is fabricated by the nonsolvent‐induced phase separation (NIPS). The diversity of mechanical properties and porous structures can be obtained by using different polymer concentrations and tuning the affinity among major components of NIPS. The stretchable separator membrane exhibits a high stretchability of around 270% strain and porous structure having porosity of 61%. Thus, its potential application as a stretchable separator membrane for deformable energy devices is demonstrated by applying to organic/aqueous electrolyte–based rechargeable lithium‐ion batteries. As a result, these batteries manifest good cycle life and stable capacity retention even under a stretching condition of 100%, without compromising the battery's performance.     

Serum Metabolome and Lipidome Changes in Adult Patients with Primary Dengue Infection

Background

Dengue virus (DENV) is the most widespread arbovirus with an estimated 100 million infections occurring every year. Endemic in the tropical and subtropical areas of the world, dengue fever/dengue hemorrhagic fever (DF/DHF) is emerging as a major public health concern. The complex array of concurrent host physiologic changes has hampered a complete understanding of underlying molecular mechanisms of dengue pathogenesis.

Methodology/Principle Findings

Systems level characterization of serum metabolome and lipidome of adult DF patients at early febrile, defervescence, and convalescent stages of DENV infection was performed using liquid chromatography- and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The tractability of following metabolite and lipid changes in a relatively large sample size (n = 44) across three prominent infection stages allowed the identification of critical physiologic changes that coincided with the different stages. Sixty differential metabolites were identified in our metabolomics analysis and the main metabolite classes were free fatty acids, acylcarnitines, phospholipids, and amino acids. Major perturbed metabolic pathways included fatty acid biosynthesis and β-oxidation, phospholipid catabolism, steroid hormone pathway, etc., suggesting the multifactorial nature of human host responses. Analysis of phospholipids and sphingolipids verified the temporal trends and revealed association with lymphocytes and platelets numbers. These metabolites were significantly perturbed during the early stages, and normalized to control levels at convalescent stage, suggesting their potential utility as prognostic markers.

Conclusions/Significance

DENV infection causes temporally distinct serum metabolome and lipidome changes, and many of the differential metabolites are involved in acute inflammatory responses. Our global analyses revealed early anti-inflammatory responses working in concert to modulate early pro-inflammatory processes, thus preventing the host from development of pathologies by excessive or prolonged inflammation. This study is the first example of how an omic- approach can divulge the extensive, concurrent, and dynamic host responses elicited by DENV and offers plausible physiological insights to why DF is self limiting.     

Proteome analysis of hairy root from Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer using peptide fingerprinting, internal sequencing and expressed sequence tag data

As an initial step to the comprehensive proteomic analysis of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, protein mixtures extracted from the cultured hairy root of Panax ginseng were separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE). The protein spots were analyzed and identified by peptide finger printing and internal amino acid sequencing by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and electrospray ionization quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (ESI Q-TOF MS), respectively. More than 300 protein spots were detected on silver stained two-dimensional (2-D) gels using pH 3-10, 4-7, and 4.5-5.5 gradients. Major protein spots (159) were analyzed by peptide fingerprinting or de novo sequencing and the functions of 91 of these proteins were identified. Protein identification was achieved using the expressed sequence tag (EST) database from Panax ginseng and the protein database of plants like Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa. However, peptide mass fingerprinting by MALDI-TOF MS alone was insufficient for protein identification because of the lack of a genome database for Panax ginseng. Only 17 of the 159 protein spots were verified by peptide mass fingerprinting using MALDI-TOF MS whereas 87 out of 102 protein spots, which included 13 of the 17 proteins identified by MALDI-TOF MS, were identified by internal amino acid sequencing using tandem mass spectrometry analysis by ESI Q-TOF MS. When the internal amino acid sequences were used as identification markers, the identification rate exceeded 85.3%, suggesting that a combination of internal sequencing and EST data analysis was an efficient identification method for proteome analysis of plants having incomplete genome data like ginseng. The 2-D patterns of the main root and leaves of Panax ginseng differed from that of the cultured hairy root, suggesting that some proteins are exclusively expressed by different tissues for specific cellular functions. Proteome analysis will undoubtedly be helpful for understanding the physiology of Panax ginseng.     

Isolation of a thermophilic bacterium capable of low-molecular-weight polyethylene degradation

A thermophilic bacterium capable of low-molecular-weight polyethylene (LMWPE) degradation was isolated from a compost sample, and was identified as Chelatococcus sp. E1, through sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. LMWPE was prepared by thermal degradation of commercial PE in a strict nitrogen atmosphere. LMWPE with a weight-average-molecular-weight (Mw) in the range of 1,700–23,700 was noticeably mineralized into CO₂ by the bacterium. The biodegradability of LMWPE decreased as the Mw increased. The low molecular weight fraction of LMWPE decreased significantly as a result of the degradation process, and thereby both the number-average-molecular-weight and Mw increased after biodegradation. The polydispersity of LMWPE was either narrowed or widened, depending on the initial Mw of LMWPE, due to the preferential elimination of the low molecular weight fraction, in comparison to the high molecular weight portion. LMWPE free from an extremely low molecular weight fraction was also mineralized by the strain at a remarkable rate, and FTIR peaks assignable to C–O stretching appeared as a result of microbial action. The FTIR peaks corresponding to alkenes also became more intense, indicating that dehydrogenations occurred concomitantly with microbial induced oxidation.     

Evaluation of a malaria antibody enzyme immunoassay for use in blood screening

Transfusion-transmitted malaria is rare, but it may produce severe problem in the safety of blood transfusion due to the lack of reliable procedure to evaluate donors potentially exposed to malaria. Here, we evaluated a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay malaria antibody test (ELISA malaria antibody test, DiaMed, Switzerland) to detect antibodies to Plasmodium vivax (the indigenous malaria) in the blood samples in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Blood samples of four groups were obtained and analyzed; 100 samples from P.vivax infected patients, 35 from recovery patients, 366 from normal healthy individuals, and 325 from domestic travelers of non-endemic areas residents to risky areas of ROK. P.vivax antibody levels by ELISA were then compared to the results from microscopic examination and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. As a result, the ELISA malaria antibody test had a clinical sensitivity of 53.0% and a clinical specificity of 94.0% for P.vivax. Twenty out of 325 domestic travelers (6.2%) were reactive and 28 cases (8.6%) were doubtful. Of the reactive and doubtful cases, only two were confirmed as acute malaria by both microscopy and PCR test. Thus we found that the ELISA malaria antibody test was insufficiently sensitive for blood screening of P.vivax in ROK.     

Removal characteristics of high load ammonia gas by a biofilter seeded with a marine bacterium, Vibrio alginolyticus

When the cells of the newly isolated marine bacterium, Vibrio alginolyticus, were inoculated on to an inorganic packing material in biofilter, and a load of ammonia of 2.4–22.5 g-N kg^–1dry packing material was introduced continuously under non-sterile conditions, the average amount of NH₃removed exceeded 85% over 61-d operation. The maximum removal capacity and the complete removal capacity were 22.8 g-N kg^–1dry packing material dand 18.6 g-N kg^–1dry packing material d, respectively, which were about four times larger than those obtained in autotrophic nitrifying sludge inoculated on the same packing material.     

Double mutations in eIF4E and eIFiso4E confer recessive resistance to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chilli veinal mottle virus</Emphasis> in pepper

To evaluate the involvement of translation initiation factors eIF4E and eIFiso4E in Chilli veinai mottle virus (ChiVMV) infection in pepper, we conducted a genetic analysis using a segregating population derived from a cross between Capsicum annuum ‘Dempsey’ containing an eIF4E mutation (pvr1 ² ) and C. annuum ‘Perennial’ containing an eIFiso4E mutation (pvr6). C. annuum ‘Dempsey’ was susceptible and C. annuum ‘Perennial’ was resistant to ChiVMV. All F₁ plants showed resistance, and F₂ individuals segregated in a resistant-susceptible ratio of 166:21, indicating that many resistance loci were involved. Seventy-five F₂ and 329 F₃ plants of 17 families were genotyped with pvr1 ² and pvr6 allele-specific markers, and the genotype data were compared with observed resistance to viral infection. All plants containing homozygous genotypes of both pvr1 ² and pvr6 were resistant to ChiVMV, demonstrating that simultaneous mutations in eIF4E and eIFiso4E confer resistance to ChiVMV in pepper. Genotype analysis of F2 plants revealed that all plants containing homozygous genotypes of both pvr1 ² and pvr6 showed resistance to ChiVMV. In protein-protein interaction experiments, ChiVMV viral genome-linked protein (VPg) interacted with both eIF4E and eIFiso4E. Silencing of eIF4E and eIFiso4E in the VIGS experiment showed reduction in ChiVMV accumulation. These results demonstrated that ChiVMV can use both eIF4E and eIFiso4E for replication, making simultaneous mutations in eIF4E and eIFiso4E necessary to prevent ChiVMV infection in pepper. These authors contributed equally to this work.     

Neurite Outgrowth Effect of 4-O-methylhonokiol by Induction of Neurotrophic Factors Through ERK Activation

Compounds isolated from Magnolia officinalis such as magnolol, honokiol and obovatol exhibit several pharmacological effects on CNS including depressant, anxiolytic and anticonvulsant effects, as well as neuroprotective effects against chemical and heat damages. Recently, honokiol was found to have a neurotrophic effect in fetal rat cortical neurons. In the present study, we show that 4-O-methylhonokiol, a novel compound from Magnolia officinalis, promotes neurite outgrowth in a concentration-dependent manner in rat embryonic neuronal cells. In parallel with the neurite outgrowth activity, the expression of neurite outgrowth marker proteins is also increased by treatment with 4-O-methylhonokiol. We also found that 4-O-methylhonokiol promotes the release of NGF and BDNF into cell culture medium. In addition, lower concentration of 4-O-methylhonokiol (1 and 2 μM) further enhanced neurite outgrowth and expression of neurite outgrowth marker proteins in the presence of NGF (50 ng/ml) or BDNF (10 ng/ml). Subsequently, we found that 4-O-methylhonokiol activates ERK in a concentration-dependent manner. However, the neurite outgrowth activity and the NGF and BDNF release induced by 4-O-methylhonokiol are suppressed by an ERK-specific inhibitor. These results suggest that 4-O-methylhonokiol has the ability to induce neurite outgrowth via the increase of neurotrophic factor levels through ERK activation.     

Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis and Metabolic Syndrome

Deficiency of minerals causes functional abnormality of enzymes, frequently resulting in metabolic disturbance. We investigated possible relationship between minerals and metabolic syndrome by analysis of hair tissue minerals. We selected 848 subjects older than 20 years of age at Ajou University Hospital from May 2004 to February 2007. We excluded the subjects who had cancers, steroid and thyroid medication, and incomplete record from the study. Finally, 343 subjects were eligible. We performed cross-sectional analysis for the relationship between minerals and metabolic syndrome. The contents of calcium, magnesium, and copper in the metabolic syndrome group were significantly lower than those of the normal group, whereas the amounts of sodium, potassium, and mercury in the metabolic syndrome group were significantly higher than those of the normal group. By dividing the subjects into quartile with the level of calcium, magnesium, and mercury concentrations, we carried out logistic regression analysis to study the subjects and found that the subjects in the third quartile of calcium and magnesium concentrations had significantly lower odds ratio (OR) of the metabolic syndrome compared with that of the lowest quartile group [OR = 0.30, confidence interval (CI) = 0.10–0.89; OR = 0.189, CI = 0.063–0.566] and that the subjects in the highest mercury quartile had significantly higher OR of the metabolic syndrome compared with that of the lowest mercury quartile group (OR = 7.35, CI = 1.73–31.1). As part of the metabolic syndrome, the optimal calcium and magnesium concentrations in hair tissue may reflect decreased risk of metabolic syndrome, whereas high mercury concentration in hair tissue may indicate increased risk of metabolic syndrome.     

Highly Loaded Behavior of Kinesins Increases the Robustness of Transport Under High Resisting Loads

Kinesins are nano-sized biological motors which walk by repeating a mechanochemical cycle. A single kinesin molecule is able to transport its cargo about 1 μm in the absence of external loads. However, kinesins perform much longer range transport in cells by working collectively. This long range of transport by a team of kinesins is surprising because the motion of the cargo in cells can be hindered by other particles. To reveal how the kinesins are able to accomplish their tasks of transport in harsh intracellular circumstances, stochastic studies on the kinesin motion are performed by considering the binding and unbinding of kinesins to microtubules and their dependence on the force acting on kinesin molecules. The unbinding probabilities corresponding to each mechanochemical state of kinesin are modeled. The statistical characterization of the instants and locations of binding are captured by computing the probability of unbound kinesin being at given locations. It is predicted that a group of kinesins has a more efficient transport than a single kinesin from the perspective of velocity and run length. Particularly, when large loads are applied, the leading kinesin remains bound to the microtubule for long time which increases the chances of the other kinesins to bind to the microtubule. To predict effects of this behavior of the leading kinesin under large loads on the collective transport, the motion of the cargo is studied when the cargo confronts obstacles. The result suggests that the behavior of kinesins under large loads prevents the early termination of the transport which can be caused by the interference with the static or moving obstacles.