Antagonistic and antioxidant effect of probiotic Weissella cibaria JW15

Food Science and Biotechnology - The objective of this study was to evaluate the functional properties of Weissella cibaria JW15 (JW15) by investigating its antagonistic and antioxidant activities....     

Direct evidence for the formation of ordered carbides in a ferrite-based low-density Fe–Mn–Al–C alloy studied by transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography

We study the structure and chemical composition of the κ-carbide formed as a result of isothermal transformation in an Fe–3.0Mn–5.5Al–0.3C alloy using transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography. Both methods reveal the evolution of κ-particle morphology as well as the partitioning of solutes. We propose that the κ-phase is formed by a eutectoid reaction associated with nucleation growth. The nucleation of κ-carbide is controlled by both the ordering of Al partitioned to austenite and the carbon diffusion at elevated temperatures.     

Effect of Phellinus linteus extract supplementation on cortisol and related cytokines in young male adults

This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of Pellinus linteus (PL) extract supplementation in healthy young men. The subjects were 18 healthy young males 20 years of age that were given 1.5 L of 0.12% PL extract orally (n=8) or a placebo (control group, n=10) daily for 4 weeks. The body composition, the white blood cell (WBC) count and differential as well as the serum cortisol, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 concentrations were measured before and after the supplementation. Serum concentrations of cortisol and IL-1β at rest after oral supplementation were significantly decreased compared to before treatment (p<0.01, p<0.05, respectively). However, there was no change in the IL-6. And also, these factors in PL extract supplement group were significantly reduced after performing the exercise compared to control group. These results suggest that oral PL extract supplements for 4 weeks had a significant effect on inhibition of inflammatory markers in healthy young men.     

Effects of Fluorinated Diluents in Localized High-Concentration Electrolytes for Lithium–Oxygen Batteries

A stable electrolyte is critical for practical application of lithium–oxygen batteries (LOBs). Although the ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability of the electrolytes have been extensively investigated before, their oxygen solubility, viscosity, volatility, and the stability against singlet oxygen (¹O₂) still need to be comprehensively investigated to provide a full picture of the electrolytes, especially for an open system such as LOBs. Herein, a systematic investigation is reported on the localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs) using different fluorinated diluents in comparison with those of conventional electrolytes. The physical properties and activation energies for reactions with singlet oxygen (¹O₂) of these electrolytes are calculated by density functional theory. The electrochemical performances of LOBs using these electrolytes are compared. This study reveals that the correlation between the stability of the electrolytes and their physical and electrochemical properties depends strongly on the diluents in LHCEs. Therefore, it shines light on the rational design of new electrolytes for LOBs.     

Investigation of PRDM10 and PRDM13 Expression in Developing Mouse Embryos by an Optimized PACT-Based Embryo Clearing Method

Recent developments in tissue clearing methods have significantly advanced the three-dimensional analysis of biological structures in whole, intact tissue, providing a greater understanding of spatial relationships and biological circuits. Nonetheless, studies have reported issues with maintaining structural integrity and preventing tissue disintegration, limiting the wide application of these techniques to fragile tissues such as developing embryos. Here, we present an optimized passive tissue clearing technique (PACT)-based embryo clearing method, initial embedding PACT (IMPACT)-Basic, that improves tissue rigidity without compromising optical transparency. We also present IMPACT-Advance, which is specifically optimized for thin slices of mouse embryos past E13.5. We demonstrate proof-of-concept by investigating the expression of two relatively understudied PR domain (PRDM) proteins, PRDM10 and PRDM13, in intact cleared mouse embryos at various stages of development. We observed strong PRDM10 and PRDM13 expression in the developing nervous system and skeletal cartilage, suggesting a functional role for these proteins in these tissues throughout embryogenesis.     

Inula britannica fermented with probiotic Weissella cibaria D30 exhibited anti-inflammatory effect and increased viability in RAW 264.7 cells

Food Science and Biotechnology - The objective of this study was to increase the bioavailability of Inula britannica (IB) through fermentation with probiotic Weissella cibaria D30, and to evaluate...     

Electrochemical performance of Mn3O4 nanorods by N-doped reduced graphene oxide using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis for lithium storage

The crumpled N-doped reduced graphene oxide wrapped Mn₃O₄ nanorods (Mn-NrGO) composite are synthesized via a combination of spray pyrolysis and a hydrothermal process for lithium ion batteries. The Mn₃O₄ nanorods are uniformly dispersed in the conductive matrix of crumpled N-doped reduced graphene oxide, forming a uniform wrapped composite and stopping them from restacking, which synergistically enhanced the Li⁺ ion conductivity. The well-defined Mn₃O₄ nanorods, strong interaction between Mn₃O₄ and NrGO, and highly graphitic properties of Mn-NrGO result in superior reversible capacity, long cycle life, and superior rate performance of approximately 1500 mAh/g at 0.1 C after 100 cycles and >660S mAh/g at 1.0 C after 500 cycles.     

Injectable Conductive Hydrogels with Tunable Degradability as Novel Implantable Bioelectrodes

Bioelectrodes have been developed to efficiently mediate electrical signals of biological systems as stimulators and recording devices. Recently, conductive hydrogels have garnered great attention as emerging materials for bioelectrode applications because they can permit intimate/conformal contact with living tissues and tissue-like softness. However, administration and control over the in vivo lifetime of bioelectrodes remain challenges. Here, injectable conductive hydrogels (ICHs) with tunable degradability as implantable bioelectrodes are developed. ICHs were constructed via thiol-ene reactions using poly(ethylene glycol)-tetrathiol and thiol-functionalized reduced graphene oxide with either hydrolyzable poly(ethylene glycol)-diacrylate or stable poly(ethylene glycol)-dimaleimide, the resultant hydrogels of which are degradable and nondegradable, respectively. The ICH electrodes had conductivities of 21–22 mS cm⁻¹ and Young's moduli of 15–17 kPa, and showed excellent cell and tissue compatibility. The hydrolyzable conductive hydrogels disappeared 3 days after in vivo administration, while the stable conductive hydrogels maintained their shapes for up to 7 days. Our proof-of-concept studies reveal that electromyography signals with significantly improved sensitivity from rats could be obtained from the injected ICH electrodes compared to skin electrodes and injected nonconductive hydrogel electrodes. The ICHs, offering convenience in use, controllable degradation and excellent signal transmission, will have great potential to develop various bioelectronics devices.     

LOCA analysis for Korean helium cooled solid breeder TBM

One of the major ITER goals is test blanket module (TBM) program which is for the demonstration of the breeding capability that would lead to tritium self-sufficiency in a reactor and the extraction of high-grade heat suitable for electricity generation under the ITER fusion environment. While the engineering design of Korean helium cooled solid breeder (HCSB) TBM and its ancillary systems has been performed, a safety assessment on different possible accident scenarios should be carried out for the purpose of licensing. In this paper, accident analyses for several loss of coolant accident (LOCA) cases were performed in order to assess safety aspects of the TBM design using RELAP5/MOD3.2. Since the TBM forms a loop with helium cooling system (HCS) which is one of ancillary systems required for removing heat deposited in the TBM by neutron wall loading and surface heat flux from plasma, it is necessary to model the complete loop for accident analysis. In this study, the helium passage including the TBM and HCS was nodalized for each accident scenario. The TBM and HCS components were modeled as the associated heat structures provided by RELAP5 to include heat transfer across solid boundaries. Based on computational results it was found that current design of the TBM is robust from the safety point of view.