Membrane Assemblies with Soft Protective Layers: Dense and Gel-Type Polybenzimidazole Membranes and Their Use in Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries.

Polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes show excellent chemical stability and low vanadium crossover in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs), but their high resistance is challenging. This work introduces a concept, membrane assemblies of a highly selective 2 µm thin PBI membrane between two 60 µm thick highly conductive PBI gel membranes, which act as soft protective layers against external mechanical forces and astray carbon fibers from the electrode. The soft layers are produced by casting phosphoric acid solutions of commercial PBI powder into membranes and exchanging the absorbed acid into sulfuric acid.

Homozygous Null Knockout Mouse Embryos Are Lethally Stopped in Their Early Development.

Although the conditional gene knockout (KO) is a better choice for observing its phenotype in a specific cell, tissue, and/or organ, the simple null gene KO could nevertheless be attempted initially to scan its overall phenotypes at the level of the whole-body system, especially for a new gene such as . Therefore, with a hope to glean phenotypic clues for at the whole-body system, we attempted to generate its null KO mice. Contrary to our original desire, homozygous null KO mice were not born.

A novel sPEEK nanocomposite membrane with well-controlled sPOSS aggregation in tunable nanochannels for fast proton conduction.

To greatly increase the proton conductivity of a sPEEK nanocomposite membrane without water swelling problems, sulfonated PEEK (sPEEK) nanocomposite membranes were prepared by regulating the nanocomposite concentration of sulfonated POSS (sPOSS). Incorporation of sPOSS into sPEEK afforded a 39% increase in proton conductivity at 80 °C/100% RH and a 70% increase in cell performance at 1.5 wt% sPOSS concentration.

Charged Amino Acid-rich Leucine Zipper-1 (Crlz-1) as a Target of Wnt Signaling Pathway Controls Pre-B Cell Proliferation by Affecting Runx/CBFβ-targeted VpreB and λ5 Genes.

The proliferation of pre-B cells is known to further increase the clonal diversity of B cells at the stage of pre-B cells by allowing the same rearranged heavy chains to combine with differently rearranged light chains in a subsequent developmental stage. Crlz-1 (charged amino acid-rich leucine zipper-1) was found to control this proliferation of pre-B cells by working as a Wnt (wingless-related mouse mammary tumor virus integration site) target gene in these cells. Mechanistically, Crlz-1 protein functioned by mobilizing cytoplasmic CBFβ (core binding factor β) into the nucleus to allow Runx (runt-related transcription factor)/CBFβ heterodimerization.

Relief of Chronic Posterior Neck Pain Depending on the Type of Forest Therapy: Comparison of the Therapeutic Effect of Forest Bathing Alone Versus Forest Bathing With Exercise.

Objective: To compare the pain-reducing effect of forest bathing alone versus forest bathing in combination with stretching and strengthening exercises in patients with chronic posterior neck pain.

Methods: Sixty-four subjects with posterior neck pain that had lasted more than 3 months were enrolled. They were randomly divided into a forest bathing alone (FBA) group and a forest bathing with exercise (FBE) group; each group included 32 subjects.

Slip-Related Changes in Plantar Pressure Distribution, and Parameters for Early Detection of Slip Events.

Objective: To investigate differences in plantar pressure distribution between a normal gait and unpredictable slip events to predict the initiation of the slipping process.

Methods: Eleven male participants were enrolled. Subjects walked onto a wooden tile, and two layers of oily vinyl sheet were placed on the expected spot of the 4th step to induce a slip.

Change in Musculoskeletal Pain in Patients With Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorder After Tailored Rehabilitation Education: A One-Year Follow-Up Survey.

Objective: To apply tailored rehabilitation education to video display terminal (VDT) workers with musculoskeletal pain and to assess changes in musculoskeletal pain after rehabilitation education.

Methods: A total of 8,828 VDT workers were screened for musculoskeletal disorders using a self-report questionnaire. Six hundred twenty-six VDT workers selected based on their questionnaires were enrolled in musculoskeletal rehabilitation education, which consisted of education on VDT syndrome and confirmed diseases, exercise therapy including self-stretching and strengthening, and posture correction.

Quantitative measurement of serum allergen-specific IgE on protein chip.

Type I allergy is an immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated hypersensitivity disease inflicting more than quarter of the world population. In order to identify allergen sources, skin provocation test and IgE serology was performed using allergen extracts. Such process identifies allergen-containing sources but cannot identify the disease-eliciting allergenic molecules.