gen. nov., sp. nov., a mesophilic and halophilic bacterium isolated from tidal flat sediment.

Two novel bacteria, MJ-SS3 and MJ-SS4, were isolated from tidal flat sediment sampled in Gochang, Republic of Korea. The isolates were Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped, yellow-coloured, oxidase-positive, and catalase-positive. Strains MJ-SS3 and MJ-SS4 grew at 20-37 °C (optimum, 30 °C), at pH 6-8 (optimum, pH 7.

Deguelin Restores Paclitaxel Sensitivity in Paclitaxel-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Cells via Inhibition of the EGFR Signaling Pathway.

Background: Ovarian cancer is one of women's malignancies with the highest mortality among gynecological cancers. Paclitaxel is used in first-line ovarian cancer chemotherapy. Research on paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer holds significant clinical importance.

Phloroglucinol Enhances Anagen Signaling and Alleviates HO-Induced Oxidative Stress in Human Dermal Papilla Cells.

Phloroglucinol (PG) is one of the abundant isomeric benzenetriols in brown algae. Due to its polyphenolic structure, PG exhibits various biological activities. However, the impact of PG on anagen signaling and oxidative stress in human dermal papilla cells (HDPCs) is unknown.

Effects of Nonylphenol on the Secretion of Catecholamines and Adrenocortical Hormones from Short-Term Incubated Rat Adrenal Glands.

Previously, we showed that a chronic-low-dose nonylphenol (NP) exposure resulted in histological changes with sexually dimorphic pattern in rat adrenal glands. We hypothesized that such structural changes are closely related to the hormonal secretory patterns. To test this hypothesis, we developed the short-term adrenal incubation method, and measured the levels of catecholamines and cortical steroids using the high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively.

Pan-EGFR Inhibitor Dacomitinib Resensitizes Paclitaxel and Induces Apoptosis via Elevating Intracellular ROS Levels in Ovarian Cancer SKOV3-TR Cells.

Paclitaxel is still used as a standard first-line treatment for ovarian cancer. Although paclitaxel is effective for many types of cancer, the emergence of chemoresistant cells represents a major challenge in chemotherapy. Our study aimed to analyze the cellular mechanism of dacomitinib, a pan-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, which resensitized paclitaxel and induced cell cytotoxicity in paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer SKOV3-TR cells.

Tephrosin Suppresses the Chemoresistance of Paclitaxel-Resistant Ovarian Cancer via Inhibition of FGFR1 Signaling Pathway.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among gynecologic cancers. Paclitaxel is used as a standard first-line therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer. However, chemotherapeutic resistance and high recurrence rates are major obstacles to treating ovarian cancer.

Cultivation of Chlorella sp. HS2 using wastewater from soy sauce factory.

Incorporation of wastewater from industrial sectors into the design of microalgal biorefineries has significant potential for advancing the practical application of this emerging industry. This study tested various food industrial wastewaters to assess their suitability for microalgal cultivation. Among these wastewaters, defective soy sauce (DSS) and soy sauce wastewater (SWW) were chosen but DSS exhibited the highest nutrient content with 13,500 ppm total nitrogen and 3051 ppm total phosphorus.

Gadolinium-Cyclic 1,4,7,10-Tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-Tetraacetic Acid-Click-Sulfonyl Fluoride for Probing Serine Protease Activity in Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Serine protease is linked to a wide range of diseases, prompting the development of robust, selective, and sensitive protease assays and sensing methods. However, the clinical needs for serine protease activity imaging have not yet been met, and the efficient in vivo detection and imaging of serine protease remain challenging. Here, we report the development of the gadolinium-cyclic 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid-click-Sulfonyl Fluoride (Gd-DOTA-click-SF) MRI contrast agent targeting serine protease.

Effect of Nonylphenol on the Structure of Adrenal Cortex in F1 Generation Rats.

Previous studies, including our own, indicate that distinct morphological changes in rodent adrenal cortex could be induced by exposure of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC). In the present study, we conducted histological analyses of adrenocortical substructure using a nonylphenol-treated F1 rat model. The adrenal weight of NP-5000 group was significantly declined in female rats (<0.

Fluorination-Induced Charge Trapping and Operational Instability in Conjugated-Polymer Field-Effect Transistors.

Fluorination of a conjugated polymer backbone is an effective strategy to control the microstructure and electronic structure of a conjugated polymer. Although fluorination has been widely reported to increase charge carrier mobility, its effect on the operational stability of electronic devices has not been extensively investigated. Here, the effect of fluorination of a conjugated polymer backbone on charge trapping and the operational stability of organic field-effect transistors is investigated.

Highly Efficient and Photostable Ternary Organic Solar Cells Enabled by the Combination of Non-Fullerene and Fullerene Acceptors with Thienopyrrolodione-based Polymer Donors.

Two polymer donors, PFBDT-8ttTPD and PClBDT-8ttTPD, consisting of halogenated thiophene-substituted benzo[1,2-:4,5-']dithiophene and alkyl-substituted thieno[3,2-]thiophene linked thieno[3,4-]pyrrole-4,6(5)-dione, were designed and synthesized for the evaluation of photovoltaic performances. The fabricated IT-4F-based organic solar cells (OSCs) exhibited maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) values of 12.81 and 11.

Alkylated Indacenodithiophene-Based Non-fullerene Acceptors with Extended π-Conjugation for High-Performance Large-Area Organic Solar Cells.

In this work, a series of A-D-A'-D-A-type electron acceptors based on alkylated indacenodithiophene (C8IDT), dicyanated thiophene-flanked 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (CNDTBT), and 2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1-inden-1-ylidene)malononitrile (INCN) or 2-(5,6-difluoro-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1-inden-1-ylidene) malononitrile (FINCN) are synthesized in order to investigate the effect of substituents on their photovoltaic properties. The corresponding CNDTBT-C8IDT-INCN and CNDTBT-C8IDT-FINCN acceptors vary in their optical, electrochemical, morphological, and charge transport properties. The fluorinated-INCN-based acceptor (CNDTBT-C8IDT-FINCN) exhibits lower energy levels, improved absorptivity, narrower π-π spacing, and prominent fibrillar structures when it is blended with poly[(2,6-(4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)-benzo[1,2-:4,5-']dithiophene))--5,5-(1',3'-di-2-thienyl-5',7'-bis(2-ethylhexyl)benzo [1',2'-:4',5'-']dithiophene-4,8-dione)] (PBDB-T).

Effect of post-treatment process of microalgal hydrolysate on bioethanol production.

Microalgae accumulate abundant lipids and are a promising source for biodiesel. However, carbohydrates account for 40% of microalgal biomass, an important consideration when using them for the economically feasible production of biodiesel. In this study, different acid hydrolysis and post-treatment processing of Chlorella sp.

Strategic implementation of phosphorus repletion strategy in continuous two-stage cultivation of Chlorella sp. HS2: Evaluation for biofuel applications.

Lipid production in microalgae under nitrogen (N) starved condition can be enhanced by excess phosphorus (P) supply in the second stage of two-stage cultivation strategy. However, implementing two-stage cultivation is difficult in large-scale cultivation system as it requires high energy of transferring large algal biomass from first stage to second stage. To address this problem, we have optimized a continuous two-stage (CTS) cultivation strategy using Chlorella sp.

Deicing Concrete Pavements and Roads with Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) as Heating Elements.

Existing deicing technologies involving chloride and heating wires have limitations such as reduced durability of roads and surrounding structures, and high labor requirements and maintenance costs. Hence, in this study, we performed indoor experiments, numerical analyses, and field tests to examine the efficiency of deicing using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to overcome these limitations. For indoor experiments, a CNT was inserted into the center of a concrete sample and then heated to 60 °C while maintaining the ambient and internal temperatures of the sample at -10 °C using a refrigeration chamber.

Optimization of heterotrophic cultivation of Chlorella sp. HS2 using screening, statistical assessment, and validation.

The heterotrophic cultivation of microalgae has a number of notable advantages, which include allowing high culture density levels as well as enabling the production of biomass in consistent and predictable quantities. In this study, the full potential of Chlorella sp. HS2 is explored through optimization of the parameters for its heterotrophic cultivation.

Synthesis of ITIC Derivatives with Extended π-Conjugation as Non-Fullerene Acceptors for Organic Solar Cells.

The realization of printed organic solar cells (OSCs) as a commercial technology is dependent on the development of high-performance photovoltaic materials suitable for large-scale device manufacture. In this study, the design, synthesis, and characterization of a series of A-D-A'-D-A-type molecular acceptors based on indacenodithienothiophene (IDTT) and thiophene-flanked 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (DTBT) are reported. The synthesized molecular acceptors showed broader absorption ranges and narrower band gap energies than those of well-known 3,9-bis(2-methylene-(3-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-indanone))-5,5,11,11-tetrakis(4-hexylphenyl)-dithieno [2,3-:2',3'-']--indaceno[1,2-:5,6-']dithiophene (ITIC)-based molecular acceptors.

Increased biomass and lipid production of Ettlia sp. YC001 by optimized C and N sources in heterotrophic culture.

The culture conditions and media composition for the heterotrophic culture of an axenic strain of Ettlia sp. YC001 were firstly optimized using the Plackett-Burman design (PBD) and response surface methodology (RSM). The strain successfully showed higher productivity in the basal media without any light illumination at 32.

Synthesis and Characterization of Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based Conjugated Polymers with Bithiophene and Biselenophene for Organic Thin Film Transistors.

In this study, two new thieno[3,2-]thiophene-diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based polymers, poly{2,5-bis(2-dodecylhexadecyl)-3,6-bis(thieno[3,2-]thiophen-2-yl)pyrrolo[3,4-]pyrrole-1,4(2,5)-dione-alt-2, 2'-bithiophene} (PTTDPP-BT) and {2,5-bis(2-dodecylhexadecyl)-3,6-bis(thieno[3,2-]thiophen-2-yl) pyrrolo[3,4-]pyrrole-1,4(2,5)-dione--2,2'-selenophene} (PTTDPP-BSe), which contained bithiophene (BT) and biselenophene (BSe) units, respectively, were designed and synthesized. The introduction of BT and BSe units affected the optical, electrochemical, morphological, and charge transport properties of the polymers. Experimental results revealed that the frontier molecular orbital energy levels of PTTDPP-BT were slightly higher because of the relatively strong electron donating ability of the sulfur atom and the polymer also exhibited good solubility.

Hershberger Assays for Di-2-ethylhexyl Phthalate and Its Substitute Candidates.

In the present study, we employed Hershberger assay to determine possible androgenic or antiandrogenic activities of three di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) substitute candidates. The assay was carried out using immature castrated Sprague-Dawley male rats. After 7 days of the surgery, testosterone propionate (TP, 0.

Hershberger Assays for Bisphenol-A and Its Substitute Candidates.

Bisphenol-A(BPA) is a member of alkylphenol family, and shows adverse effects including reduced fertility, reproductive tract abnormalities, metabolic disorder, cancer induction, neurotoxicity and immunotoxicity. In the present study, we conducted Hershberger assay to evaluate whether the two candidates to replace BPA have androgenic or antiandrogenic activity. The assay was carried out using immature castrated Sprague-Dawley male rats.

Effect of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) Intake on the Female Reproductive Organs and Lipid Accumulation in Adult Rats.

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is widely used as sweetener, and its overconsumption is become a major health problem. In the present study, we used adult female rats and applied a 28 days HFCS feeding model to monitor the estrous cycle and changes in tissue weights and histology. Adult female rats were divided into three groups.

Recombinant Ralstonia eutropha engineered to utilize xylose and its use for the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) from sunflower stalk hydrolysate solution.

Background: Lignocellulosic raw materials have extensively been examined for the production of bio-based fuels, chemicals, and polymers using microbial platforms. Since xylose is one of the major components of the hydrolyzed lignocelluloses, it is being considered a promising substrate in lignocelluloses based fermentation process. Ralstonia eutropha, one of the most powerful and natural producers of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), has extensively been examined for the production of bio-based chemicals, fuels, and polymers.

Donor-Acceptor-Type Semiconducting Polymers Consisting of Benzothiadiazole Derivatives as Electron-Acceptor Units for Organic Photovoltaic Cells.

We synthesized two fused pentacyclic donor-acceptor structures, where the two different outer electron rich thiophene (DTPBT) and electron poor benzene (ICTh) moieties are covalently bonded to the central electron-deficient benzothiadiazole core by two nitrogen bridges. These new electron-acceptor DTPBT and ICTh building blocks were copolymerized with fluorene, as the electron donor group, via Suzuki coupling polymerization, to produce two new alternating copolymers, PFDTPBT and PFICTh, respectively. The average molecular weights of the synthesized polymers were determined by GPC.