Polarization-dependent plasmonic heating in epitaxially grown multilayered metal-organic framework thin films embedded with Ag nanoparticles.

The development of metal-organic framework (MOF) thin films with various functionalities has paved the way for research into a wide variety of applications. MOF-oriented thin films can exhibit anisotropic functionality in the not only out-of-plane but also in-plane directions, making it possible to utilize MOF thin films for more sophisticated applications. However, the functionality of oriented MOF thin films has not been fully exploited, and finding novel anisotropic functionality in oriented MOF thin films should be cultivated.

Improving carotenoid production in recombinant yeast, , using ultrasound-irradiated two-phase extractive fermentation.

Carotenoids are hydrophobic compounds that exhibit excellent bioactivity and can be produced by recombinant . Irradiating microorganisms with ultrasonic waves increase the productivity of various useful chemicals. Ultrasonic waves are also used to extract useful chemicals that accumulate in microbial cells.

Infrared crystallography for framework and linker orientation in metal-organic framework films.

Pore alignment and linker orientation influence diffusion and guest molecule interactions in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and play a pivotal role for successful utilization of MOFs. The crystallographic orientation and the degree of orientation of MOF films are generally determined using X-ray diffraction. However, diffraction methods reach their limit when it comes to very thin films, identification of chemical connectivity or the orientation of organic functional groups in MOFs.

Controlling the alignment of 1D nanochannel arrays in oriented metal-organic framework films for host-guest materials design.

Controlling the direction of molecular-scale pores enables the accommodation of guest molecular-scale species with alignment in the desired direction, allowing for the development of high-performance mechanical, thermal, electronic, photonic and biomedical organic devices (host-guest approach). Regularly ordered 1D nanochannels of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been demonstrated as superior hosts for aligning functional molecules and polymers. However, controlling the orientation of MOF films with 1D nanochannels at commercially relevant scales remains a significant challenge.

Wireless and Flexible Skin Moisture and Temperature Sensor Sheets toward the Study of Thermoregulator Center.

A disorder in the thermoregulator center in a human body leads to some potential diseases such as fever and hyperthyroidism. To predict these diseases early, monitoring the health condition of the human body due to the influence of thermoregulation disorders is important. Although extensive works are performed on sweat-rate detection by constructing microfluidic channels, skin-moisture evaporation before sweating remains unknown.

A high maternal genome excess causes severe seed abortion leading to ovary abscission in interploidy-interspecific crosses.

Unlabelled: Seed abortion and ovary abscission, two types of postzygotic reproductive barriers, are often observed in interspecific and/or interploidy crosses in plants. However, the mechanisms underlying these reproductive barriers remain unclear. Here, we show that the distinct types of seed developmental abnormalities (type I and type II seed abortion) occur in a phased manner as maternal to paternal genome dosage increases and that type II seed abortion is followed by ovary abscission.

Thermo-responsive wettability surface roughness change on polymer-coated titanate nanorod brushes toward fast and multi-directional droplet transport.

A novel approach for thermo-responsive wettability has been accomplished by surface roughness change induced by thermal expansion of paraffin coated on titanate nanostructures. The surface exhibits thermo-responsive and reversible wettability change in a hydrophobic regime; the surface shows superhydrophobicity with contact angles of ∼157° below 50 °C and ∼118° above 50 °C due to a decrease of surface roughness caused by thermally-expanded paraffin at higher temperatures. Reversible wettability change of ∼40° of a contact angle allows for fast and multi-directional droplet transport.

Hydroxyl carlactone derivatives are predominant strigolactones in .

Strigolactones (SLs) regulate important aspects of plant growth and stress responses. Many diverse types of SL occur in plants, but a complete picture of biosynthesis remains unclear. In , we have demonstrated that MAX1, a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, converts carlactone (CL) into carlactonoic acid (CLA) and that LBO, a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase, can convert methyl carlactonoate (MeCLA) into a metabolite called [MeCLA + 16 Da].

Wrist flexible heart pulse sensor integrated with a soft pump and a pneumatic balloon membrane.

To monitor health and diagnose disease in the early stage, future healthcare standards will likely include the continuous monitoring of various vital data. One approach to collect such information is a wearable and flexible device, which detects information from the skin surface. An important dataset is heart pulse information.

Manipulation of the tumor microenvironment by cytokine gene transfection enhances dendritic cell-based immunotherapy.

The tumor microenvironment strongly influences clinical outcomes of immunotherapy. By transfecting genes of relevant cytokines into tumor cells, we sought to manipulate the microenvironment so as to elicit activation of T helper type 1 (Th1) responses and the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs). Using a synthetic vehicle, the efficiency of in vivo transfection of GFP-cDNA into tumor cells was about 7.

Copper chloride as a conversion-type positive electrode for rechargeable aluminum batteries.

Copper chloride (CuCl) was investigated for the first time as conversion-type positive electrode material in a rechargeable Al battery. The electrode was reversibly charged and discharged in an electrolyte solution of AlCl, dipropylsulfone, and toluene (1 : 10 : 5 molar ratio). The initial discharge capacity was about 370 mA h (g-CuCl) at 0.

Toward Flexible Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Sensors for Point-of-Care Diagnostics.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy provides a noninvasive and highly sensitive route for fingerprint and label-free detection of a wide range of molecules. Recently, flexible SERS has attracted increasingly tremendous research interest due to its unique advantages compared to rigid substrate-based SERS. Here, the latest advances in flexible substrate-based SERS diagnostic devices are investigated in-depth.

5-Hydroxy-7-methoxyflavone derivatives from induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

Skeletal muscle plays a critical role in locomotion and energy metabolism. Maintenance or enhancement of skeletal muscle mass contributes to the improvement of mobility and prevents the development of metabolic diseases. The extracts from rhizomes contain at least ten methoxyflavone derivatives that exhibit enhancing effects on ATP production and glucose uptake in skeletal muscle cells.

High rate capability by sulfur-doping into LiFePO matrix.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of LiFePO for Li-ion batteries has been anticipated by anion doping at the O-site rather than cation doping at the Fe-site. We report on the electrochemical performance of S-doped LiFePO nanoparticles synthesized by a solvothermal method using thioacetamide as a sulfur source. S-doping into the LiFePO matrix expands the lattice due to the larger ionic radius of S than that of O.

New reporter gene assays for detecting natural and synthetic molting hormone agonists using yeasts expressing ecdysone receptors of various insects.

Synthetic nonsteroidal ecdysone agonists, a class of insect growth regulators (IGRs), target the ecdysone receptor (EcR), which forms a heterodimer with ultraspiracle (USP) to transactivate ecdysone response genes. These compounds have high binding affinities to the EcR-USP complexes of certain insects and their toxicity is selective for certain taxonomic orders. In the present study, we developed reporter gene assay (RGA) systems to detect molting hormone (ecdysone) activity by introducing EcR-USP cDNA and a bacterial reporter gene into yeast.

Circadian Oscillation of the Lettuce Transcriptome under Constant Light and Light-Dark Conditions.

Although, the circadian clock is a universal biological system in plants and it orchestrates important role of plant production such as photosynthesis, floral induction and growth, there are few such studies on cultivated species. Lettuce is one major cultivated species for both open culture and plant factories and there is little information concerning its circadian clock system. In addition, most of the relevant genes have not been identified.

Detection of Diurnal Variation of Tomato Transcriptome through the Molecular Timetable Method in a Sunlight-Type Plant Factory.

The timing of measurement during plant growth is important because many genes are expressed periodically and orchestrate physiological events. Their periodicity is generated by environmental fluctuations as external factors and the circadian clock as the internal factor. The circadian clock orchestrates physiological events such as photosynthesis or flowering and it enables enhanced growth and herbivory resistance.

An ab initio and DFT study of the autoxidation of THF and THP.

Tetrahydropyran (THP) is known to undergo autoxidation much more slowly than tetrahydrofuran (THF). To investigate the difference in reactivity in the autoxidation of these two ethers, ab initio and DFT calculations were carried out. At the BHandHLYP/aug-cc-pVDZ//BHandHLYP/cc-pVDZ level of theory, the energy barrier for hydrogen abstraction from THP is predicted to be 104.

Serial order learning of subliminal visual stimuli: evidence of multistage learning.

It is widely known that statistical learning of visual symbol sequences occurs implicitly (Kim et al., 2009). In this study, we examined whether people can learn the serial order of visual symbols when they cannot detect them.

Analysis of apical hook formation in Alaska pea with a 3-D clinostat and agravitropic mutant ageotropum.

The formation of the apical hook in dicotyledonous seedlings is believed to be effected by gravity in the dark. However, this notion is mostly based on experiments with the hook formed on the hypocotyl, and no detailed studies are available with the developmental manners of the hook, particularly of the epicotyl hook. The present study aims at clarifying the dynamics of hook formation including the possible involvement of gravity.

Induction of one-handed helical oligo(p-benzamide)s by domino effect based on planar-axial-helical chirality relay.

One-handed helical oligo(p-benzamide)s were induced via the domino effect based on the planar-axial-helical chirality relay triggered by a planar chiral transition-metal complex at the terminal position as the single chiral source.

T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, and macrophages in the ovaries and oviducts of laying hens experimentally infected with Salmonella enteritidis.

Subsets of T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, and macrophages in the ovaries and oviducts of laying hens were enumerated by immunohistochemistry after intravenous inoculation with Salmonella enteritidis. Almost all T cell subsets in the ovaries and different regions of the oviduct increased in number at 7 days post-inoculation and reached a peak by day 10. This T cell surge was followed by a peak in B cell numbers at day 14.