An Ultralong Lifespan and Low‐Temperature Workable Sodium‐Ion Full Battery for Stationary Energy Storage

Presently, commercialization of sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) is still hindered by the relatively poor energy‐storage performance. In addition, low‐temperature (low‐T) Na storage is another principal concern for the wide application of SIBs. Unfortunately, the Na‐transfer kinetics is extremely sluggish at low‐T, as a result, there are few reports on low‐T SIBs. Here, an advanced low‐T sodium‐ion full battery (SIFB) assembled by an anode of 3D Se/graphene composite and a high‐voltage cathode (Na₃V₂(PO₄)₂O₂F) is developed, exhibiting ultralong lifespan (over even 15 000 cycles, the capacity retention is still up to 86.3% at 1 A g^?1), outstanding low‐T energy storage performance (e.g., all values of capacity retention are >75% after 1000 cycles at temperatures from 25 to ?25 °C at 0.4 A g^?1), and high‐energy/power properties. Such ultralong lifespan signifies that the developed sodium‐ion full battery can be used for longer than 60 years, if batteries charge/discharge once a day and 80% capacity retention is the standard of battery life. As a result, the present study not only promotes the practicability and commercialization of SIBs but also points out the new developing directions of next‐generation energy storage for wider range applications.     

Lack of association between AQP4 polymorphisms and risk of inflammatory demyelinating disease in a Korean population

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) are demyelinating autoimmune inflammatory diseases that affect the central nervous system (CNS). Previous genome-wide or candidate gene studies have suggested that genetic variants might be associated with the risk of MS or NMO. Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) is a commonly distributed water channel in astrocytes of the CNS, and its expression is decreased in NMO lesions due to astrocyte cytotoxicity. Previous studies have suggested the associations of AQP4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with MS and/or NMO. However, there have been few replication studies in various ethnic populations. This study, as the first of its kind performed in an Asian population, investigated associations of AQP4 SNPs with the risk of inflammatory demyelinating disease (IDD), including MS and NMO, in a Korean population. A total of seven common AQP4 SNPs were selected based on status of linkage disequilibrium (LD), and then genotyped in 178 IDD cases (79 MS and 99 NMO patients) and 237 normal controls. Statistical analyses showed no significant associations between AQP4 SNPs/haplotypes and development of IDD, including MS and NMO (P > 0.05). Further replications in larger cohorts and other ethnic groups are needed.     

Complete Genome Sequence of the Bacteriophage YMC01/01/P52 PAE BP,Which Causes Lysis of Verona Integron-Encoded Metallo-β-Lactamase-Producing,Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa commonly causes serious nosocomial infections. In this study, a novel lytic bacteriophage belonging to a member of the family Podoviridae, YMC01/01/P52 PAE BP, which infects carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, was isolated and characterized. YMC01/01/P52 PAE BP genome was analyzed by whole-genome sequencing and putative function identification. The bacteriophage genome consists of a double-stranded linear DNA genome of 49,381 bp with a GC content of 62.16%.     

An efficient algorithm for DNA fragment assembly in MapReduce

Fragment assembly is one of the most important problems of sequence assembly. Algorithms for DNA fragment assembly using de Bruijn graph have been widely used. These algorithms require a large amount of memory and running time to build the de Bruijn graph. Another drawback of the conventional de Bruijn approach is the loss of information. To overcome these shortcomings, this paper proposes a parallel strategy to construct de Bruijin graph. Its main characteristic is to avoid the division of de Bruijin graph. A novel fragment assembly algorithm based on our parallel strategy is implemented in the MapReduce framework. The experimental results show that the parallel strategy can effectively improve the computational efficiency and remove the memory limitations of the assembly algorithm based on Euler superpath. This paper provides a useful attempt to the assembly of large-scale genome sequence using Cloud Computing.     

Implication of Progranulin and C1q/TNF-Related Protein-3 (CTRP3) on Inflammation and Atherosclerosis in Subjects with or without Metabolic Syndrome

Objective

Progranulin and C1q/TNF-related protein-3 (CTRP3) were recently discovered as novel adipokines which may link obesity with altered regulation of glucose metabolism, chronic inflammation and insulin resistance.

Research Design and Methods

We examined circulating progranulin and CTRP3 concentrations in 127 subjects with (n = 44) or without metabolic syndrome (n = 83). Furthermore, we evaluated the relationship of progranulin and CTRP3 levels with inflammatory markers and cardiometabolic risk factors, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and adiponectin serum concentrations, as well as carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT).

Results

Circulating progranulin levels are significantly related with inflammatory markers, hsCRP (r = 0.30, P = 0.001) and IL-6 (r = 0.30, P = 0.001), whereas CTRP3 concentrations exhibit a significant association with cardiometabolic risk factors, including waist circumference (r = −0.21), diastolic blood pressure (r = −0.21), fasting glucose (r = −0.20), triglyceride (r = −0.34), total cholesterol (r = −0.25), eGFR (r = 0.39) and adiponectin (r = 0.26) levels. Serum progranulin concentrations were higher in patients with metabolic syndrome than those of the control group (199.55 [179.33, 215.53] vs. 185.10 [160.30, 204.90], P = 0.051) and the number of metabolic syndrome components had a significant positive correlation with progranulin levels (r = 0.227, P = 0.010). In multiple regression analysis, IL-6 and triglyceride levels were significant predictors of serum progranulin levels (R ² = 0.251). Furthermore, serum progranulin level was an independent predictor for increased CIMT in subjects without metabolic syndrome after adjusting for other cardiovascular risk factors (R ² = 0.365).

Conclusions

Serum progranulin levels are significantly associated with systemic inflammatory markers and were an independent predictor for atherosclerosis in subjects without metabolic syndrome.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT01668888","term_id":"NCT01668888"}}NCT01668888     

Diatrack particle tracking software: Review of applications and performance evaluation

Object tracking is an instrumental tool supporting studies of cellular trafficking. There are three challenges in object tracking: the identification of targets; the precise determination of their position and boundaries; and the assembly of correct trajectories. This last challenge is particularly relevant when dealing with densely populated images with low signal‐to‐noise ratios—conditions that are often encountered in applications such as organelle tracking, virus particle tracking or single‐molecule imaging. We have developed a set of methods that can handle a wide variety of signal complexities. They are compiled into a free software package called Diatrack. Here we review its main features and utility in a range of applications, providing a survey of the dynamic imaging field together with recommendations for effective use. The performance of our framework is shown to compare favorably to a wide selection of custom‐developed algorithms, whether in terms of localization precision, processing speed or correctness of tracks.