The production of a cellular graphene array by scanning probe lithography and its ability to store electrical charge

A graphene cellular array on an insulating SiO₂ layer was fabricated by scanning probe lithography. The graphene layer was oxidized by an electric field which was applied between the cantilever tip and Si substrate without any electrode directly connected to the graphene layer. When the bias voltage was applied on a cell of patterned graphene through the cantilever tip, charge was accumulated on the cell and preserved for a long time without decay. The accumulated charge and the surface potential were measured by an electrostatic force microscope. The charge retention was measured as a function of time, and the decay time constant was estimated to be ～70 min.     

CHIR99021 Augmented the Function of Late Endothelial Progenitor Cells by Preventing Replicative Senescence

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are specialized cells in circulating blood, well known for their ability to form new vascular structures. Aging and various ailments such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease make EPCs vulnerable to decreasing in number, which affects their migration, proliferation and angiogenesis. Myocardial ischemia is also linked to a reduced number of EPCs and their endothelial functional role, which hinders proper blood circulation to the myocardium. The current study shows that an aminopyrimidine derivative compound (CHIR99021) induces the inhibition of GSK-3β in cultured late EPCs. GSK-3β inhibition subsequently inhibits mTOR by blocking the phosphorylation of TSC2 and lysosomal localization of mTOR. Furthermore, suppression of GSK-3β activity considerably increased lysosomal activation and autophagy. The activation of lysosomes and autophagy by GSK-3β inhibition not only prevented replicative senescence of the late EPCs but also directed their migration, proliferation and angiogenesis. To conclude, our results demonstrate that lysosome activation and autophagy play a crucial role in blocking the replicative senescence of EPCs and in increasing their endothelial function. Thus, the findings provide an insight towards the treatment of ischemia-associated cardiovascular diseases based on the role of late EPCs.     

ROS-Mediated Anti-Tumor Effect of Coptidis Rhizoma against Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Hep3B Cells and Xenografts

Coptidis Rhizoma is the dried rhizome from the Coptis chinensis Franch. that has been shown to have a number of beneficial pharmacological properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. However, the anti-cancer effects of Coptidis Rhizoma on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer properties of Coptidis Rhizoma ethanol extract (CR) in HCC Hep3B cells and in a xenograft mouse model. Our results showed that the CR significantly inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in Hep3B cells through increased expression of Bcl-2 associated x-protein (Bax) and cleavage of poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP), reduced expression of Bcl-2, and activated caspases. CR also increased the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), which caused a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP, ΔΨm) and activation of the mitochondria-mediated intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Moreover, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a ROS inhibitor, markedly blocked the effects of CR on apoptotic pathways. CR also induced the expression of light chain 3 (LC3)-I/II, a key autophagy regulator, whereas CR-mediated autophagy was significantly suppressed by NAC. In addition, pre-treatment with NAC perfectly attenuated the inhibition of cell invasion and migration of CR-stimulated Hep3B cells. Furthermore, oral administration of CR suppressed Hep3B tumor growth in xenograft mice without toxicity, alterations to body weight, or changes in hematological and biochemical profiles. Taken together, our findings suggest that CR has anti-tumor effects that result from ROS generation, and may be a potential pharmacological intervention for HCC.     

Identifying the Drought Impact Factors and Developing Drought Scenarios Using the DSD Model

Water Resources Management - Droughts have become increasingly severe and frequent due to climate change. Droughts cause water scarcity and various socio-economic issues. Therefore, it is necessary...     

Isolation of Enterococcus from powdered infant and follow-on formulas, and their antibiotic susceptibilites

Enterococcus spp. from powdered infant formula and follow-on formulas were identified and characterized for antibiotic susceptibility to confirm the enterococcal safety. Seventy-three Enterococcus from 96 powdered infant formulas and 26 strains from 33 follow-on formulas were isolated. More than 90% of Enterococcus in the foods were E. faecium. E. casseliflavus, and E. faecalis were also isolated. All Enterococcus were sensitive to ampicillin, penicillin, tetracycline, and vancomycin. However, 2 E. casseliflavus showed low resistance to vacomycin by minimum inhibitory concentration 4.0 μg/mL. Multiplex PCR indicated no existence of highly hazardous vancomycinresistant vanA and vanB genes. The isolates also showed the broad susceptibilities to erythromycin, ripampin, and streptomycin. Major strains of about 60% were intermediately and highly resistant to erythromycin and streptomycin, respectively. However, Enterococcus resistances to those antibiotics were not high and similar to those of Enterococcus from the other evaluated foods. Therefore, it appeared that powdered infant formula and follow-on formula might be safe to Enterococcus with regard to vancomycin and the antibiotics.     

Chemical Properties and Oxidative Stability of Perilla Oils Obtained From Roasted Perilla Seeds As Affected by Extraction Methods

Abstract: The chemical properties and oxidative stability of perilla oils obtained from roasted perilla seeds as affected by extraction methods (supercritical carbon dioxide [SC‐CO₂], mechanical press, and solvent extraction) were studied. The SC‐CO₂ extraction at 420 bar and 50 °C and hexane extraction showed significantly higher oil yield than mechanical press extraction (P < 0.05). The fatty acid compositions in the oils were virtually identical regardless of the extraction methods. The contents of tocopherol, sterol, policosanol, and phosphorus in the perilla oils greatly varied with the extraction methods. The SC‐CO₂‐extracted perilla oils contained significantly higher contents of tocopherols, sterols, and policosanols than the mechanical press‐extracted and hexane‐extracted oils (P < 0.05). The SC‐CO₂‐extracted oil showed the greatly lower oxidative stability than press‐extracted and hexane‐extracted oils during the storage in the oven under dark at 60 °C. However, the photooxidative stabilities of the oils were not considerably different with extraction methods.     

Parametric effects on embedded delamination buckling in composite structures using the EAS three-dimensional element

This study deals with parametric effects on bucking behaviors of laminated composite structures containing an embedded rectangular delamination using the enhanced assumed strain (EAS) three-dimensional element. The three-dimensional finite element (FE) formulation based on the EAS method for composite structures shows excellence from the standpoints of computational efficiency, especially for distorted element shapes. Using the EAS FE formulation developed for this study, the effects of embedded delamination sizes and ply orientations on the elastic buckling behaviors for various aspect ratios and width-to-thickness ratios are studied. The numerical results obtained are in good agreement with those reported by other investigators. Furthermore, the new results reported in this paper show the progression of local buckling and its influence on global buckling and vice versa. Key observation points are discussed and a brief design guideline is given.     

Quantitative imaging of red blood cell velocity invivo using optical coherence Doppler tomography

We present particle counting ultrahigh-resolution optical Doppler tomography (pc-μODT) that enables accurate imaging of red blood cell velocities (ν(RBC)) of cerebrovascular networks by detecting the Doppler phase transients induced by the passage of a RBC through a capillary. We apply pc-μODT to image the response of capillary ν(RBC) to mild hypercapnia in mouse cortex. The results show that ν(RBC) in normocapnia (ν(N)?=?0.72?±?0.15?mm/s) increased 36.1%?±?5.3% (ν(H)?=?0.98?±?0.29?mm/s) in response to hypercapnia. Due to uncorrected angle effect and low hematocrit (e.g., ～10%), ν(RBC) directly measured by μODT were markedly underestimated (ν(N) ≈ 0.27?±?0.03?mm/s, ν(H) ≈ 0.37±?0.05?mm/s). Nevertheless, the measured ν(RBC) increase (35.3%) matched that (36.1%?±?5.3%) by pc-μODT.     

First-principles study on the thermal expansion of Ni-X binary alloys based on the quasi-harmonic Debye model

In this study, we use the quasi-harmonic Debye model to predict the coefficient of thermal expansion of Ni- X binary alloys. The method bridges between the macroscopic elastic behavior and thermodynamic properties of materials without an expensive calculation of the volume dependence of the phonon density of states. Furthermore, the Grüneisen parameter is derived from the volume dependence of the Debye temperature, which is calculated from the first-principles elastic stiffness constants. The experimental coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of pure nickel is well reproduced, especially in the low temperature region. Among the few alloying elements tested, Al is predicted to slightly decrease the CTE whereas Mo and W are more effective in reducing the CTE. For the cases of Ni-X binary alloy systems, where the variation in the CTE is relatively small, the method used here appears to perform better than certain other formulations that rely entirely on the energy vs. volume relationship.