Microporous polymers with cascaded cavities for controlled transport of small gas molecules.

In membrane-based separation, molecular size differences relative to membrane pore sizes govern mass flux and separation efficiency. In applications requiring complex molecular differentiation, such as in natural gas processing, cascaded pore size distributions in membranes allow different permeate molecules to be separated without a reduction in throughput. Here, we report the decoration of microporous polymer membrane surfaces with molecular fluorine.

Euryhelmis squamula (Digenea: Heterophyidae) Recovered from Korean Raccoon Dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides koreensis, in Korea.

In this study, we intended to describe an unrecorded species of heterophyid trematode recovered from the small intestine of a Korean raccoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides koreensis, in Korea. A total of 13 small flukes were collected from a deceased Korean raccoon dog which was found in Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Korea in May 2017. The trematode body were covered with many small spines, rectangular, broader than long, 807-1,103 µm long and 1,270-1,550 µm wide.

Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Toxocara apodemi (Nematoda: Ascarididae) from Striped Field Mice, Apodemus agrarius, in Korea.

Adult ascarid worms from the field mice, Apodemus agrarius, were observed with a light and scanning electron microscope, and molecularly analized with 18S rRNA gene. In the scanning electron microscope, 3 prominent labia were present in the anterior end of male and female worms, but the interlabia and gubernaculum were absent. Scanning electron micrographs showed cervical alae as vestigial organs that looked like a slightly uplifted superficial sewing stitch.

Urogonimus turdi (Digenea: Leucochloridiidae) from the White's Thrush, Zoothera aurea, in the Republic of Korea.

Avian trematodes, Urogonimus turdi (Digenea: Leucochloridiidae), were collected from the intestine of wild birds, Zoothera aurea, 2013-2017 in the Daejeon Metropolitan City, Korea. The body was ellipsoidal, attenuated and/or round ends, 1,987-2,120 long and 819-831 µm wide. The oral sucker was subterminal, rounded anteriorly, and 308- 425×351-432 µm in size; the prepharynx and esophagus were almost lacking; pharynx was well-developed, 142- 179×78-170 µm in size; intestine narrow, bifurcating just after pharynx, ascending to the oral sucker before looping posteriorly and terminating near the posterior end; ventral sucker larger, in almost median, 536-673×447-605 µm and approximately 1.

Thermally rearranged (TR) bismaleimide-based network polymers for gas separation membranes.

Highly permeable, thermally rearranged polymer membranes based on bismaleimide derivatives that exhibit excellent CO permeability up to 5440 Barrer with a high BET surface area (1130 m g) are reported for the first time. In addition, the membranes can be easily used to form semi-interpenetrating networks with other polymers endowing them with superior gas transport properties.

Vasculoprotective Effects of 3-Hydroxybenzaldehyde against VSMCs Proliferation and ECs Inflammation.

3-hydroxybenzaldehyde (3-HBA) is a precursor compound for phenolic compounds like Protocatechuic aldehyde (PCA). From recent reports, PCA has shown vasculoprotective potency, but the effects of 3-HBA remain unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the vasculoprotective effects of 3-HBA in endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells and various animal models.

Soluble, microporous, Tröger's Base copolyimides with tunable membrane performance for gas separation.

A facile two-step synthesis beginning with commercial monomers to prepare copolyimides by Tröger's Base (TB) formation provides membranes for the first time with tunable gas transport relative to hydrogen separations, CO2 plasticization resistance, and good mechanical and thermal properties.

Rational molecular design of PEOlated ladder-structured polysilsesquioxane membranes for high performance CO2 removal.

Poly(methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl-co-methacryloxypropyl) silsesquioxane membranes with different copolymer ratios were successfully fabricated via UV-induced crosslinking with mechanical stability. By selectively introducing polyethylene oxide (PEO) groups covalently bound to the ladder-structured polysilsesquioxane, we effectively suppressed the PEO crystallization, allowing for excellent CO2/H2 and CO2/N2 separation under single as well as mixed gas conditions.

Recombinant expression and functional analysis of proteases from Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus anthracis, and Yersinia pestis.

Background: Uncharacterized proteases naturally expressed by bacterial pathogens represents important topic in infectious disease research, because these enzymes may have critical roles in pathogenicity and cell physiology. It has been observed that cloning, expression and purification of proteases often fail due to their catalytic functions which, in turn, cause toxicity in the E. coli heterologous host.

Microbial pathogens in ticks, rodents and a shrew in northern Gyeonggi-do near the DMZ, Korea.

A total of 1,618 ticks [420 individual (adults) and pooled (larvae and nymphs) samples], 369 rodents (Apodemus agrarius, Rattus norvegicus, Tscherskia triton, Mus musculus, and Myodes regulus), and 34 shrews (Crocidura lasiura) that were collected in northern Gyeonggi-do near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of Korea during 2004-2005, were assayed by PCR for selected zoonotic pathogens. From a total of 420 individual and pooled tick DNA samples, Anaplasma (A.) phagocytophilum (16), A.

A correlation analysis of protein characteristics associated with genome-wide high throughput expression and solubility of Streptococcus pneumoniae proteins.

We have developed and evaluated a highly parallel protein expression and purification system using ORFs derived from the pathogenic bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae as a representative test case in conjunction with the Gateway cloning technology. Establishing high throughput protein production capability is essential for genome-wide characterization of protein function. In this study, we focused on protein expression and purification outcomes generated from an expression vector which encodes an NH(2)-terminal hexa-histidine tag and a COOH-terminal S-tag.

Identification of competence pheromone responsive genes in Streptococcus pneumoniae by use of DNA microarrays.

Natural genetic transformation in Streptococcus pneumoniae is controlled in part by a quorum-sensing system mediated by a peptide pheromone called competence-stimulating peptide (CSP), which acts to coordinate transient activation of genes required for competence. To characterize the transcriptional response and regulatory events occurring when cells are exposed to competence pheromone, we constructed DNA microarrays and analysed the temporal expression profiles of 1817 among the 2129 unique predicted open reading frames present in the S. pneumoniae TIGR4 genome (84%).