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The global mean sea level has been rising with an acceleration since the twentieth century. Sea level rise is not spatially uniform but shows large regional variation. Local sea level can change due to various physical processes like changes in ocean circulation, atmospheric pressure, and mass redistribution. Projections of global sea level changes are available from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) database. However, Global climate models (GCMs) are limited in simulating spatially non-uniform sea level rise in marginal seas due to their coarse resolution and the absence of rivers and tides. High-resolution regional ocean climate models (RCMs) that consider tides and rivers were used to address these limitations in the Northwestern Pacific (NWP) marginal seas through dynamical downscaling. Four GCMs were selected for dynamical downscaling based on a performance evaluation of SST and the SSH along the RCM boundaries. A regional model with high resolution (1/20°) was simulated to project spatially non-uniform changes in the sea level under two CMIP6 scenarios (SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5) from 2015 to 2100. Sea level rise in the NWP marginal seas was ~82 cm under SSP5-8.5 scenario and ~47 cm under SSP1-2.6 scenario, respectively. Under both scenarios, the predicted local sea-level rise was higher in the East/Japan Sea (EJS), where the currents and eddy motions are active, than in the Yellow and East China Seas.

Oxidative stress due to low temperatures during in vitro preservation reduces boar spermatozoa quality. It has been proven that Schisandrin B (Sch-B) can act against oxidative stress in cells. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether the treatment with Sch-B could improve the quality of boar sperm during storage at 17 °C. Semen samples were randomly divided into four groups and added to the Beltsville Thawing Solution containing different concentrations of Sch-B (0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1 mg/L) after collection. Each group was then preserved at 17 °C and the sperm motility, membrane integrity, and acrosome integrity were detected to determine the maximum available concentration of Sch-B for sperm. The optimal concentration was set at 0.1 mg/L and was used in subsequent experiments. Sperms treated with 0 and 0.1 mg/L Sch-B were evaluated for lipid peroxidation (MDA) and fertilization ability through in vitro fertilization. Finally, the quality of blastocysts which were formed by 0 and 0.1 mg/L Sch-B-treated sperm was determined. The results showed that compared with the control, the addition of 0.1 mg/L Sch-B improved boar sperm motility, and the addition of 0.1 and 0.5 mg/L Sch-B improved sperm membrane integrity and acrosome integrity. Treatment with 0.1 mg/L Sch-B reduced the level of MDA and increased the cleavage rate, blastocyst rate, and total cell number of blastocysts compared to the rate and number in the control group. However, no significant difference was observed in the ROS levels of blastocysts between the treatment and the control groups. The expression levels of CAT, SOD2, and Bcl-2 in IVF-blastocysts formed using sperm stored for one day at 17 °C were significantly higher than those in the control blastocysts. On day 4 of storage, CAT and Bcl-2 expression were significantly higher in IVF-blastocysts formed from sperm treated with 0.1 mg/L Sch-B than that in the control blastocysts. The ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 was also significantly higher in IVF-blastocysts formed using Sch-B-treated sperm. Our findings demonstrate that treatment with Sch-B can protect boar sperm from oxidative stress during liquid preservation and can increase the fertilization ability of the sperm.

Particulate matters with different sizes (PM2.5 and PM10) in the air have become a supreme environmental concern to human health globally. Herein, the magnetic-luminescent Cu//Tb dual metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) incorporated side-by-side nanofibrous (SBS-NFs) membrane has been successfully fabricated via the electrospinning technique with the self-designed nozzle for the first time. The fabricated SBS-NFs membrane was composed of Cu-MOF/PAN at one side and Tb-MOF/PAN at another side with their individual characteristics. The Cu-MOF was used to improve the filtration efficiency and reduced the pressure drop by enhancing the electrostatic interaction, whereas, Tb-MOF was incorporated to investigate the PM adsorption process through the changes in luminescence intensity. Compared to polyacrylonitrile nanofibers (PAN NFs), Cu//Tb dual MOFs incorporated SBS-NFs membrane showed an enhanced filtration efficiency (90.2%) and a reduced pressure drop (60.7 Pa) when sodium chloride (NaCl) aerosols with particle size less than 300 nm were used for testing. As a result of the filter test using car exhaust, Cu//Tb SBS-NFs membrane still maintained >91% PM removal efficiency for >30 h. In addition, it was confirmed that the luminescence intensity over the PM adsorption time was linearly weakened. Therefore, Cu//Tb dual MOFs incorporated SBS-NFs membrane can be used for a variety of applications.

Oviduct cells produce a favorable environment for the development of gametes by generating multiple growth factors. Particularly, in canine species, immature oocytes undergo serial maturation processes in the oviduct, while the other mammals already possess matured oocytes in ovulatory follicles. However, little is known about the potential effect exhibited by the components released from canine oviduct cells (OCs) for modulating the biological function of oocytes. Recently, exosomes are regarded as promising extracellular vesicles because they represent considerable data for molecular cargo. Therefore, we first investigated the effect of canine oviductal exosomes (OC-Exo) on oocyte development via EGFR/MAPK pathway. Our results showed that OC-Exo labeled with PHK67 are successfully incorporated with cumulus cells and oocytes during IVM. Also, OC-Exo markedly increased the proportion of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) exhibiting cumulus expansion as well as cumulus cell proliferation and maturation rate of oocytes (P < 0.05). Furthermore, gene expression patterns related with EGFR/MAPK pathway including EGFR, PKA, TACE/ADAM17, MAPK1/3, MAPK14, PTGS2, TNFAIP6, GDF9, and BMP15 were positively modified in COCs cultured with OC-Exo (P < 0.05). In addition, OC-Exo significantly up-regulated the protein expression levels of p-EGFR, p-MAPK1/3, GDF9 and BMP15 in COCs (P < 0.05). Consequently, the current study provides a model for understanding the roles of OC-Exo as bioactive molecules for canine oocyte maturation via EGFR/MAPK pathway, which would open a new avenue for the application of exosomes to improve assisted reproductive technology in mammals, including humans.

The seasonal variation in the zooplankton community and hydrographic conditions were examined in three regions (inner, central, and outer regions) of Gamak Bay, Korea. Zooplankton samples were collected over a period of 12 months from January to December 2006. The hydrographical parameters of temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a concentrations, dissolved oxygen, and chemical oxygen demand were measured. The total zooplankton density varied from 411 to 58,485 ind. m-3, with peaks in early summer. A total of 65 taxa accounted for approximately 86.9% of the annual mean zooplankton density: Noctiluca scintillans (30.9%) Paracalanus parvus s. l. (24.3%), Acartia omorii (11.9 %), Eurytemora pacifica (5.7%), cladocerans (4.1%), cirriped larvae (3.8%), Oithona similis (3.7%), and Pseudevedne tergestina (2.5%). Copepods dominated numerically throughout the year and comprised 54.3% of the total zooplankton. Most of the dominant copepods showed a well-defined seasonal pattern. The density and diversity of zooplankton in Gamak Bay were influenced by the hydrographic environment that was subject to significant spatial and temporal variations. Multivariate statistics showed that seasonal temperature was the most significant predictor of zooplankton taxa, density, and diversity, as well as the density of dominant taxa. Our results suggest that fluctuations in the zooplankton populations, particularly copepods, followed progressive increments in the temperature and COD concentrations.

The production of hexanol from syngas by acetogens has gained attention as a replacement for petroleum-derived hexanol, which is widely used in the chemical synthesis and plastic industries. However, acetogenic bacteria generally produce C2 compounds (e.g., acetate and ethanol) as the main products. In this study, the gas fermentation conditions favorable for hexanol production were investigated at different temperatures (30–37°C) and CO gas contents (30–70%) in batch gas fermentation. Hexanol production increased from 0.02 to 0.09 g/L when the cultivation temperature was lowered from 37 to 30°C. As the CO content increased from 30 to 70%, the CO consumption rate and hexanol production (yield, titer, and ratio of C6 compound to total products) increased with the CO content. When 70% CO gas was repeatedly provided by flushing the headspace of the bottles at 30°C, the total alcohol production increased to 4.32 g/L at the expense of acids. Notably, hexanol production (1.90 g/L) was higher than that of ethanol (1.20 g/L) and butanol (1.20 g/L); this is the highest level of hexanol produced in gas fermentation to date and the first report of hexanol as the main product. Hexanol production was further enhanced to 2.34 g/L when 2 g/L ethanol was supplemented at the beginning of 70% CO gas refeeding fermentation. Particularly, hexanol productivity was significantly enhanced to 0.18 g/L/day while the supplemented ethanol was consumed, indicating that the conversion of ethanol to acetyl-CoA and reducing equivalents positively affected hexanol production. These optimized culture conditions (gas fermentation at 30°C and refeeding with 70% CO gas) and ethanol supplementation provide an effective and sustainable approach for bio-hexanol production.

The production of hexanol from syngas by acetogens has gained attention as a replacement for petroleum-derived hexanol, which is widely used in the chemical synthesis and plastic industries. However, acetogenic bacteria generally produce C2 compounds (e.g., acetate and ethanol) as the main products. In this study, the gas fermentation conditions favorable for hexanol production were investigated at different temperatures (30-37°C) and CO gas contents (30-70%) in batch gas fermentation. Hexanol production increased from 0.02 to 0.09 g/L when the cultivation temperature was lowered from 37 to 30°C. As the CO content increased from 30 to 70%, the CO consumption rate and hexanol production (yield, titer, and ratio of C6 compound to total products) increased with the CO content. When 70% CO gas was repeatedly provided by flushing the headspace of the bottles at 30°C, the total alcohol production increased to 4.32 g/L at the expense of acids. Notably, hexanol production (1.90 g/L) was higher than that of ethanol (1.20 g/L) and butanol (1.20 g/L); this is the highest level of hexanol produced in gas fermentation to date and the first report of hexanol as the main product. Hexanol production was further enhanced to 2.34 g/L when 2 g/L ethanol was supplemented at the beginning of 70% CO gas refeeding fermentation. Particularly, hexanol productivity was significantly enhanced to 0.18 g/L/day while the supplemented ethanol was consumed, indicating that the conversion of ethanol to acetyl-CoA and reducing equivalents positively affected hexanol production. These optimized culture conditions (gas fermentation at 30°C and refeeding with 70% CO gas) and ethanol supplementation provide an effective and sustainable approach for bio-hexanol production.

This study achieved high production of hexanol via gas fermentation using Clostridium carboxidivorans P7 by extracting hexanol from the fermentation broth. The hexanol extraction efficiency and inhibitory effects on C. carboxidivorans P7 of 2-butyl-1-octanol, hexyl hexanoate and oleyl alcohol were examined, and oleyl alcohol was selected as the extraction solvent. Oleyl alcohol was added at the beginning of fermentation and during fermentation or a small volume of oleyl alcohol was repeatedly added during fermentation. The addition of a small volume of oleyl alcohol during fermentation was the most effective for CO consumption and hexanol production (5.06 g/L), yielding the highest known hexanol titer through any type of fermentation including gas fermentation. Hexanol production was further enhanced to 8.45 g/L with the repeated addition of oleyl alcohol and ethanol during gas fermentation. The results of this study will enable sustainable and carbon-neutral hexanol production via gas fermentation.

Current studies indicate that application of oviduct cells (OCs) in in vitro system create microenvironment similar to the in vivo conditions by releasing multiple growth factors which has beneficial effects on the development of cumulus-oocyte complexes and embryos. In particular, recent evidence with a coculture system indicates that there is a reciprocal relationship between canine OCs and cumulus cells and that oviductal secretions can promote changes in cellular protein/gene expression. Despite the fact that OCs respond to cumulus cells, a clear understanding of the mechanism by which the components released from OCs that play a role in modulating the biological function of cumulus cells is still elusive. Therefore, we hypothesized that exosomes derived from OCs (OC-Exo), which efficiently mediate cellular communication by transferring their molecular cargo to recipient cells, could be key modulators of the cross-talk with cumulus cells. We aimed to characterize OC-Exo and decipher their physiological effects on cumulus cells via the epidermal growth factor receptor/mitogen-activated protein kinase (EGFR/MAPK) pathway, which is one of the prerequisite pathways for cell development. Exposure of OC-Exo improved physiological cumulus cell condition including cell concentration, viability, and proliferation rate could reduce the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and the apoptotic rate. Moreover, exosomes could enhance the messenger RNA transcript and protein levels related to EGFR signaling in cumulus cells. The present study provides the first evidence that OC-Exo effectively enhance the physiological condition of cumulus cells exposed to GW4869 or Gefitinib via the EGFR/MAPK signaling pathway and this could be the primary mediators of molecular interactions among cumulus cells and shedding light on the role of exosomes in cumulus cells might permit improvement of oocyte and embryo development in vitro.

Butyric acid-producing strain Clostridium tyrobutyricum ATCC25755 produces acetic acid as a byproduct, which lowers butyric acid yield and selectivity. Supplementing glycerol would be a rational approach to enhance a NADH-requiring metabolite butyric acid selectivity by increasing NADH availability; however, there has been no report butyric acid production using glycerol as either a sole carbon source or a co-substrate with C. tyrobutyricum. In this study, glycerol was supplemented along with sugar to increase NADH availability facilitating the production of butyric acid. C. tyrobutyricum was found to simultaneously consume glucose and glycerol only when acetic acid was present. Notably, acetic acid was not produced but consumed. The amount of glycerol consumption was linearly dependent on the amount of acetic acid consumption. When mixed sugars (glucose 80 g/L and xylose 30 g/L) and crude glycerol were used, not only exogenous acetic acid consumption but also acetic acid reassimilation were clearly observed, resulting in significantly enhanced butyric acid production (54.79 g/L), yield (0.464 g/g), and selectivity (98.3%) compared to sugar-only fermentation (production, 35.42 g/L; yield, 0.339 g/g; selectivity, 69.1%). Therefore, this study would pave the way for selective and cost-effective butyric acid production using sugars and glycerol from biodiesel facility.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been applied for cell therapy because of their roles in angiogenesis and neovascularization in ischemic tissue. However, adverse responses caused by EPC therapy have not been fully investigated. In this study, a human peripheral blood sample was collected from a healthy donor and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were separated using Ficoll-Hypaque. There were four experimental groups: 10 ml saline infusion group (injection rate; 3 ml/min), 10 ml saline bolus group (injection rate; 60 ml/min), 10 ml EPCs infusion group (2 x 105 cells/ml, injection rate; 3 ml/min), 10 ml EPCs bolus group (2 × 105 cells/ml, injection rate; 60 ml/min). Clinical assessment included physical examination and laboratory examination for intravenous human EPC transplantation in dogs. The results revealed no remarkable findings in vital signs among the dogs used. In blood analysis, platelet counts in saline infusion groups were significantly higher than in the EPC groups within normal ranges, and no significant differences were observed except K+, Cl– and blood urea nitrogen/urea. In ELISA assay, no significant difference was observed in serum tumor necrosis factor alpha. The serum concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor was significantly higher in EPC groups than in saline groups, and interleukin 10 was significantly up-regulated in the EPC infusion group compared with other groups. In conclusion, we demonstrated that no clinical abnormalities were detected after intravenous transplantation of human EPCs in dogs. The transplanted xenogenic EPCs might be involved in anti-inflammatory and angiogenic functions in dogs.

Several bioprocessing technologies, such as separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF), simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), and consolidated bioprocessing (CBP), have been highlighted to produce bio-based fuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass. Successful CBP, an efficient and economical lignocellulosic biorefinery process compared with other processes, requires microorganisms with sufficient cellulolytic activity and biofuel/chemical-producing ability. Here, we report the complete genome of Paenibacillus sp. CAA11, a newly isolated promising microbial host for CBP-producing ethanol and organic acids from cellulose. The genome of Paenibacillus sp. CAA11 comprises one 4,888,410 bp chromosome with a G + C content of 48.68% containing 4418 protein-coding genes, 102 tRNA genes, and 39 rRNA genes. The functionally active cellulase, encoded by CAA_GH5 was identified to belong to glycosyl hydrolase family 5 (GH5) and consisted of a catalytic domain and a cellulose-binding domain 3 (CBM3). When cellulolytic activity of CAA_GH5 was assayed through Congo red method by measuring the size of halo zone, the recombinant Bacillus subtilis RIK1285 expressing CAA_GH5 showed a comparable cellulolytic activity to B. subtilis RIK1285 expressing Cel5, a previously verified powerful bacterial cellulase. This study demonstrates the potential of Paenibacillus sp. CAA11 as a CBP-enabling microbe for cost-effective biofuels/chemicals production from lignocellulosic biomass.

The size of phytoplankton (a key primary producer in marine ecosystems) is known to influence the contribution of primary productivity and the upper trophic level of the food web. Therefore, it is essential to identify the dominant sizes of phytoplankton while inferring the responses of marine ecosystems to change in the marine environment. However, there are few studies on the spatio-temporal variations in the dominant sizes of phytoplankton in the littoral sea of Korea. This study utilized a deep learning model as a classification algorithm to identify the dominance of different phytoplankton sizes. To train the deep learning model, we used field measurements of turbidity, water temperature, and phytoplankton size composition (chlorophyll-a) in the littoral sea of Korea, from 2018 to 2020. The new classification algorithm from the deep learning model yielded an accuracy of 70%, indicating an improvement compared with the existing classification algorithms. The developed classification algorithm could be substituted in satellite ocean color data. This enabled us to identify spatio-temporal variation in phytoplankton size composition in the littoral sea of Korea. We consider this to be highly effective as fundamental data for identifying the spatio-temporal variation in marine ecosystems in the littoral sea of Korea.

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Few studies have described the aetiologies of neonatal cholestasis, and the overall neonatal cholestasis-related mortality (NCM) rate is unclear. We investigated the aetiology and outcome of neonatal cholestasis in a tertiary hospital and developed an NCM prediction model for these patients.Patients aged100 days with serum direct bilirubin (DB) levels of1.0 mg/dL were retrospectively screened. Diagnostic and laboratory data during the 8-week follow-up period after enrolment between 2005 and 2020 were extracted digitally, and medical charts were reviewed manually by clinicians. Logistic regression was used to derive a prediction model for the 1-year mortality outcome of neonatal cholestasis, and performance evaluation and external validation were conducted for the NCM prediction model.We enrolled 4028 neonates with DB of1.0 mg/dL at least once. Prematurity and birth injury (35.4%), complex heart anomalies (18.6%), liver diseases (11.4%), and gastrointestinal anomalies (9.2%) were the most common aetiologies; 398 (9.9%) patients died before one year of age. The peak value of DB was positively correlated to the 1-year mortality rate. In the multivariate analysis, simple laboratory indices, including platelet, prothrombin time, aspartate aminotransferase, albumin, direct bilirubin, creatinine, and C-reactive protein, were independent predictors of 1-year mortality outcome of complete-case subjects. Using these laboratory indices, a logistic regression-based NCM prediction model was constructed. It showed acceptable performances on discrimination (area under the curve, 0.916), calibration (slope, 1.04) and Brier scoring (0.072). The external validation of the sample (n = 920) from two other centres also revealed similar performance profiles of the NCM model.Various aetiologies of neonatal cholestasis were identified in a tertiary hospital, resulting in unfavourable outcomes of a large proportion. The NCM prediction model may have the potential to help clinicians to be aware of high-risk neonatal cholestasis.Ministry of HealthWelfare, Republic of Korea.

Bloodstream infection (BSI) is one of the most significantly adverse events that can occur after liver transplantation (LT) in children.To analyze the profile of BSI according to the postoperative periods and assess the risk factors after pediatric LT.Clinical data, collected from medical charts of children (Of the examined patients, 106 (28%) experienced 162 episodes of pathogen-confirmed BSI during the first year after LT. There were 1.53 ± 0.95 episodesBSI was frequently observed in patients after pediatric LT, affecting survival outcomes. The profile of BSI may inform clinical treatment and management in high-risk children after LT.

Supplementary figure 1

Dystrophinopathy is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, which lead to progressive muscle degeneration, necrosis, and finally death. Recently, golden retrievers have been suggested as a useful animal model for studying human dystrophinopathy, but the model has limitations due to difficulty in maintaining the genetic background using conventional breeding. In this study, we successfully generated a dystrophin mutant dog using the CRISPR/Cas9 system and somatic cell nuclear transfer. The dystrophin mutant dog displayed typical phenotypes, such as elevated serum creatine kinase, dystrophin deficiency, skeletal muscle defects, an abnormal ECG, and avoidance of ambulation, all of which are consistent with human dystrophinopathy. These results indicate that dystrophin mutant dogs can be a reliable and effective animal model for preclinical studies into new therapies for human dystrophinopathy.

There are growing attention and interdisciplinary efforts for One Health to attain optimal health and well-being for humans and animals. Exercise has been suggested as a powerful intervention for health care and fitness management in humans; however, few studies have demonstrated the beneficial effect of exercise on dogs. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise training on heart rate (HR), bone mineral density (BMD), muscle volume (MV), and hematological and serum biomarkers in dogs. Six healthy beagles completed the interval treadmill exercise protocol, developed based on the FITT principle, two times a week for 12 weeks. For a physiological parameter evaluation, the mean HR value was analyzed using a Polar H10 system and software program. Quantitative computed tomography was used to determine BMD in the femur and vertebrae and MV in the thigh before and after exercise training. To perform hematological and serum biochemical parameter assessment, blood samples were analyzed at zero and 12 weeks of exercise. We show that interval exercise results in a normal HR response and no adverse behavioral and physiological effects on dogs. Exercise improves BMD in the femur (541.6 ± 16.7 vs. 610.2 ± 27.8 HA, p < 0.01) and increases serum total alkaline phosphatase (TALP; 68.6 ± 9.2 vs. 81.3 ± 17.2, p < 0.01), aspartate aminotransferase (23.5 ± 1.0 vs. 33.5 ± 1.6, p p < 0.01) levels. There is a positive relationship between BMD and TALP (femur: r = 0.760, p = 0.004; vertebrae: r = 0.637; p = 0.025). Our findings suggest that long-term interval exercise training is beneficial to increase BMD in the femur, and an increased TALP level is a concomitant mechanism for enhancing BMD with exercise in dogs.

Background Small animals that show a deficiency in klotho exhibit extremely shortened life span with multiple aging-like phenotypes. However, limited information is available on the function of klotho in large animals such as pigs. Results In an attempt to produce klotho knockout pigs, an sgRNA specific for klotho (targeting exon 3) was designed and Cas9-sgRNA ribonucleoproteins were transfected into porcine fibroblasts. Transfected fibroblasts were cultured for one to 2 days and then directly used for nuclear transfer without selection. The cloned embryos were cultured in vitro for 7 days and analyzed to detect modifications of the klotho gene by both T7E1 and deep sequencing analysis. Modification succeeded in 13 of 20 blastocysts (65%), 8 of which (40.0%) were monoallelic modifications and 5 (25.0%) were biallelic modifications. Based on high mutation rates in blastocysts, we transferred the cloned embryos to 5 recipient pigs; 1 recipient was pregnant and 16 fetuses were recovered at Day 28 post transfer. Of the 16 fetuses, 9 were resorbing and 7 were viable. Four of 9 (44.4%) resorbing fetuses and 3 of the 7 (42.9%) viable fetuses had monoallelic modifications. Thus, 3 klotho monoallelic knockout cell lines were established by primary culture. A total of 2088 cloned embryos reconstructed with 2 frame-shifted cell lines were transferred to 11 synchronized recipients. Of the recipients, 7 of 11 eleven (63.6%) became pregnant. However, none of the pregnancies was maintained to term. To discover why klotho monoallelic knockout fetuses were aborted, expression of aging- and apoptosis-related genes and klotho protein in placentas from klotho monoallelic knockout and wild-type fetuses was investigated. Placentas from klotho monoallelic knockout fetuses showed negatively changed expression of aging- and apoptosis-related genes with lower relative expression of klotho protein. These results indicated that the reason why klotho monoallelic knockout fetuses were not maintained to term was possibly due to decreased klotho expression in placentas, negatively affecting aging- and apoptosis-related genes. Conclusions Klotho monoallelic knockout porcine fetal fibroblasts were successfully established. However, pigs carrying klotho monoallelic knockout fetuses failed to maintain full-term pregnancy and a decrease in klotho expression in placenta likely leads to pregnancy loss.

Although somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is frequently employed to produce cloned animals in laboratories, this technique is expensive and inefficient. Therefore, the handmade cloning (HMC) technique has been suggested to simplify and advance the cloning process, however, HMC wastes many oocytes and leads to mitochondrial heteroplasmy. To solve these problems, we propose a modified handmade cloning (mHMC) technique that uses simple laboratory equipment, i.e., a Pasteur pipette and an alcohol lamp, applying it to porcine embryo cloning. To validate the application of mHMC to pig cloning, embryos produced through SCNT and mHMC are compared using multiple methods, such as enucleation efficiency, oxidative stress, embryo developmental competence, and gene expression. The results show no significant differences between techniques except in the enucleation efficiency. The 8-cell and 16-cell embryo developmental competence and Oct4 expression levels exhibit significant differences. However, the blastocyst rate is not significantly different between mHMC and SCNT. This study verifies that cloned embryos derived from the two techniques exhibit similar generation and developmental competence. Thus, we suggest that mHMC could replace SCNT for simpler and cheaper porcine cloning.

Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) based piezoelectric polymers are gradually becoming the substitute for the conventional piezoelectric ceramic and polymeric materials due to their low cost and biodegradable, non-toxic, piezoelectric and non-pyroelectric nature. To improve the piezoelectric properties of melt-spun poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA)/BaTiO3, we optimized the post-processing conditions to increase the proportion of the β crystalline phase. The α → β phase transition behaviour was determined by two-dimensional wide-angle x-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The piezoelectric properties of PLLA/BaTiO3 fibres were characterised in their yarn and textile form through a tapping method. From these results, we confirmed that the crystalline phase transition of PLLA/BaTiO3 fibres was significantly enhanced under the optimised post-processing conditions at a draw ratio of 3 and temperature of 120 °C during the melt-spinning process. The results indicated that PLLA/BaTiO3 fibres could be a one of the material for organic-based piezoelectric sensors for application in textile-based wearable piezoelectric devices.

For the immediate detection of strong gaseous alkalis and acids, colorimetric textile sensors based on halochromic dyes are highly valuable for monitoring gas leakages. To date, colorimetric textile sensors for dual-gas detection have usually been fabricated by electrospinning methods. Although nanofibrous sensors have excellent pH sensitivity, they are difficult to use commercially because of their low durability, low productivity, and high production costs. In this study, we introduce novel textile sensors with high pH sensitivity and durability via a facile and low-cost screen-printing method. To fabricate these textiles sensors, Dye 3 and RhYK dyes were both incorporated into a polyester fabric. The fabricated sensors exhibited high detection rates (

Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) based piezoelectric polymers are gradually becoming the substitute for the conventional piezoelectric ceramic and polymeric materials due to their low cost and biodegradable, non-toxic, piezoelectric and non-pyroelectric nature. To improve the piezoelectric properties of melt-spun poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)/BaTiO

Dramatic increases in the release of anthropogenic CO2 and global temperatures have resulted in alterations to seawater carbonate chemistry and metabolisms of marine organisms. There has been recent interest in the effects of these stressors on crustose coralline algae (CCA) because photosynthesis and calcification are influenced by all components of carbonate chemistry. To examine this, a mesocosm experiment was conducted to evaluate photosynthesis, calcification and growth in the temperate CCA Chamberlainium sp. under acidification (doubled CO2), warming (+5 °C), and greenhouse (doubled CO2 and +5 °C) conditions compared to present-day conditions. After 47 days of acclimation to these conditions, productivity was lowest under acidification, although photochemical properties were improved, while respiration was highest under warming. Likewise, growth was lowest under acidification, but this negative response was offset by elevated temperature under greenhouse. Together, these results suggest that warming offsets the negative effects of acidification by creating more suitable conditions for photosynthesis and growth.