Durable Hydrate-phobic Coating with In Situ Self-Replenishing Hydrocarbon Barrier Films for Low Clathrate Hydrate Adhesion.

Clathrate hydrate growth, deposition, and plug formation during oil and gas transportation causes blockage of pipelines. An effective strategy to solve this problem is to mitigate the hydrate formation and reduce its adhesion on pipe walls through a coating process. However, durability failure, corrosion, inability to self-heal, high cost, and strong hydrate adhesion remain unsolved issues.

Spatial variability of water quality and sedimentary organic matter during winter season in coastal aquaculture zone of Korea.

We investigated the composition, source, and reactivity of sedimentary organic matter (OM) present in aquaculture systems along the Korean coast. A multi-isotopic approach was applied to 216 surface sediments from five sections: western (W)-1, W-2, southern (S)-1, S-2, and eastern (E)-1 sections. The N-enriched total nitrogen signatures in the surface sediments of the W-1 section may indicate that a substantial fraction of sedimentary OM has anthropogenic origins exported through the Han River.

Changes in regional knowledge bases and its effect on local labour markets in the midst of transition: Evidence from France over 1985-2015.

In the 2000s, the European labour market experienced a number of significant changes including the transition to a more knowledge-intensive economy as well as the introduction of various economic policies (e.g. Eurozone, subsidized jobs, and social tax cuts).

Anthropogenic impacts on phytosociological features and soil microbial health of Colchicum luteum L. an endangered medicinal plant of North Western Himalaya.

Colchicum luteum is currently a rare and threatened medicinal plant species in the Kashmir Himalaya. Due to the subsequent increase in anthropogenic pressure on medicinal plant species, it is imperative to understand the phytosociological and conservational status of the plant in its natural habitat. The objectives of this study were analysed in year 2018-2019 on the phytosociological data, viz.

Source tracking of dissolved organic nitrogen at the molecular level during storm events in an agricultural watershed.

Accelerated export of nitrogen-containing dissolved organic matter (DOM) or dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) to streams and rivers from agricultural watersheds has been reported worldwide. However, few studies have examined the dynamics of DOM molecular composition with the attention paid to the relative contributions of DON from various sources altered with flow conditions. In this study, end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) was conducted with the optical properties of DOM to quantify the relative contributions of several major organic matter sources (litter, reed, field soil, and manure) in two rivers of a small agricultural watershed.

Apoptotic Cells Trigger Calcium Entry in Phagocytes by Inducing the Orai1-STIM1 Association.

Swift and continuous phagocytosis of apoptotic cells can be achieved by modulation of calcium flux in phagocytes. However, the molecular mechanism by which apoptotic cells modulate calcium flux in phagocytes is incompletely understood. Here, using biophysical, biochemical, pharmaceutical, and genetic approaches, we show that apoptotic cells induced the Orai1-STIM1 interaction, leading to store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) in phagocytes through the Mertk-phospholipase C (PLC) γ1-inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor (IPR) axis.

Ni-Co-B nanoparticle decorated carbon felt by electroless plating as a bi-functional catalyst for urea electrolysis.

A free-standing catalyst electrode for urea electrolysis was synthesized by electroless plating of NiCoB alloy onto a flexible carbon felt. The synthesized NiCoB@C catalyst exhibited porous and partially amorphous metallic structure depending on its composition, as analysed by XRD, XPS, and TEM; thus, NiCoB@C catalyst showed a high catalytic activity for urea oxidation reaction as well as hydrogen evolution reaction. The required cell voltage in the electrolysis cell with NiCoB@C as anode and cathode was as low as 1.

EphA2 Interacts with Tim-4 through Association between Its FN3 Domain and the IgV Domain of Tim-4.

Tim-4 promotes the engulfment of apoptotic cells or exogenous particles by securing them on phagocytes. It is unable to transduce signals by itself but helps other engulfment receptors sense and internalize them. However, the identity of the engulfment receptors collaborating with Tim-4 is still incompletely understood.

Epigenetic Targeting of Histone Deacetylases in Diagnostics and Treatment of Depression.

Depression is a highly prevalent, disabling, and often chronic illness that places substantial burdens on patients, families, healthcare systems, and the economy. A substantial minority of patients are unresponsive to current therapies, so there is an urgent need to develop more broadly effective, accessible, and tolerable therapies. Pharmacological regulation of histone acetylation level has been investigated as one potential clinical strategy.

Does the rise of robotic technology make people healthier?

Technological advancements bring changes to our life, altering our behaviors as well as our role in the economy. In this paper, we examine the potential effect of the rise of robotic technology on health. Using the variation in the initial distribution of industrial employment in US cities and the difference in robot adoption across industries over time to predict robot exposure at the local labor market, we find evidence that higher penetration of industrial robots in the local economy is positively related to the health of the low-skilled population.

Integrated approach for quantitative estimation of particulate organic carbon sources in a complex river system.

Despite receiving a considerable amount of attention in the past, quantitative and systematic estimation of the source contributions for different organic carbons (OCs) in complex river systems is still challenging. In this study, we tested an integrated framework using field data of bulk elements and lipid biomarkers and hydrological modeling (hydrological simulation program FORTRAN, HSPF) for the quantitative estimation of OC loads along different land-use types of a watershed (Geumho River watershed in South Korea). Based on the specific source assignments identified from the lipid biomarker patterns in particulate organic carbon (POC) such as short/long chains of alkanes, fatty acids and alcohols, and coprostanol/cholesterol, spatial variations of the diagnostic lipids could be used as an indicator to discriminate between the contributions of natural (algae, bacteria, and terrestrial plants) and anthropogenic sources (fecal).

The Spt7 subunit of the SAGA complex is required for the regulation of lifespan in both dividing and nondividing yeast cells.

Spt7 belongs to the suppressor of Ty (SPT) module of the Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex and is known as the yeast ortholog of human STAF65γ. Spt7 lacks intrinsic enzymatic activity but is responsible for the integrity and proper assembly of the SAGA complex. Here, we determined the role of the SAGA Spt7 subunit in cellular aging.

Subsea permafrost as a potential major source of dissolved organic matter to the East Siberian Arctic Shelf.

Arctic subsea permafrost contains more organic carbon than the terrestrial counterpart (~1400 Pg C vs. ~1000 Pg C) and is undergoing fast degradation (at rates of ~10 to 30 cm yr over the past 3 decades) in response to climate warming. Yet the flux of organic carbon sequestered in the sediments of subsea permafrost to overlying water column, which can trigger enormous positive carbon-climate feedbacks, remain unclear.

Connected vehicle-based road safety information system (CROSS): Framework and evaluation.

Valuable high-resolution data representing the maneuvering of both individual subject vehicles and adjacent vehicles are available in the era of the connected vehicle systems, which is also referred to as cooperative intelligent transportation systems (C-ITS). C-ITS can share useful traffic information between connected vehicles (CV) and between vehicles and infrastructure in support of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) wireless communications. An excellent feature of a C-ITS pre-deployment project in Korean freeways that CVs are equipped with an in-vehicle forward collision warning system.

Deep-Learning-Based Prediction of High-Risk Taxi Drivers Using Wellness Data.

Background: Factors related to the wellness of taxi drivers are important for identifying high-risk drivers based on human factors. The purpose of this study is to predict high-risk taxi drivers based on a deep learning method by identifying the wellness of a driver, which reflects the personal characteristics of the driver.

Methods: In-depth interviews with taxi drivers are conducted to collect wellness data.

A Composite Anion Conducting Membrane Based on Quaternized Cellulose and Poly(Phenylene Oxide) for Alkaline Fuel Cell Applications.

In this study, composite anion exchange membranes (AEMs) were synthesized by cross-linking poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) with cellulose functionalized by 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]-octane (DABCO) or di-guanidine (DG).

The matricellular protein CCN5 prevents adverse atrial structural and electrical remodelling.

Atrial structural remodelling including atrial hypertrophy and fibrosis is a key mediator of atrial fibrillation (AF). We previously demonstrated that the matricellular protein CCN5 elicits anti-fibrotic and anti-hypertrophic effects in left ventricles under pressure overload. We here determined the utility of CCN5 in ameliorating adverse atrial remodelling and arrhythmias in a murine model of angiotensin II (AngII) infusion.

How Z-DNA/RNA binding proteins shape homeostasis, inflammation, and immunity.

The right-handed double-helical structure of DNA (B-DNA), which follows the Watson-Crick model, is the canonical form of DNA existing in normal physiological settings. Even though an alternative left-handed structure of DNA (Z-DNA) was discovered in the late 1970s, Z-form nucleic acid has not received much attention from biologists, because it is extremely unstable under physiological conditions, has an ill-defined mechanism of its formation, and has obscure biological functions. The debate about the physiological relevance of Z-DNA was settled only after a class of proteins was found to potentially recognize the Z-form architecture of DNA.

Identification of safety benefits by inter-vehicle crash risk analysis using connected vehicle systems data on Korean freeways.

Worldwide efforts have been made to deploy connected vehicle (CV) technologies in practice. The Korean government has also conducted various projects to fully exploit the benefits of CVs. This study attempted to estimate the safety benefits achievable of CVs based on crash risk analyses, which is a part of a pre-deployment project for CVs on freeways.

sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from marine sediment of the Canadian Beaufort Sea.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, yellow-pigmented, flexirubin-negative, rod-shaped and non-motile bacterial strain, PAMC 28998, was isolated from a surface sediment sample collected from the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Strain PAMC 28998 grew at 4-37 °C (optimum, 25 °C), at pH 7.0-9.

Rapid development of dual porous poly(lactic acid) foam using fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing for medical scaffold application.

The poor melt property and brittleness of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) cause difficulties in extrusion foaming and decrease product performance in industrial and research fields. In this paper, the rheological properties of PLA resin were improved using an epoxy chain extension reaction, which led to the improvement of pore properties such as morphology and foamability. Reinforced PLA was extruded in a porous filament, and a scaffold was fabricated with design freedom, one-step processing, and dual porosity by extrusion foaming and 3D printing.

Discriminative biogeochemical signatures of methanotrophs in different chemosynthetic habitats at an active mud volcano in the Canadian Beaufort Sea.

Several mud volcanoes are active in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. In this study, we investigated vertical variations in methanotrophic communities in sediments of the mud volcano MV420 (420 m water depth) by analyzing geochemical properties, microbial lipids, and nucleic acid signatures. Three push cores were collected with a remotely operated vehicle from visually discriminative habitats that were devoid of megafauna and/microbial mats (DM) to the naked eye, covered with bacterial mats (BM), or colonized by siboglinid tubeworms (ST).

Basal-type lumenogenesis in extraembryonic endoderm stem cells models the early visceral endoderm.

Cultured rat primitive extraembryonic endoderm (pXEN) cells easily form free-floating multicellular vesicles , exemplifying a poorly studied type of morphogenesis. Here, we reveal the underlying mechanism and the identity of the vesicles. We resolve the morphogenesis into vacuolization, vesiculation and maturation, and define the molecular characteristics and requirements of each step.

A vehicle speed harmonization strategy for minimizing inter-vehicle crash risks.

Recent technological advancements have facilitated the implementation of speed harmonization based on connected and automated vehicles (CAV) to prevent crashes on the road. In addition, trajectory-level vehicle controls are receiving substantial attention as sensors, wireless communications, and control systems are rapidly advancing. This study proposes a novel vehicle speed control strategy to minimize inter-vehicle crash risks in automated driving environments.