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Exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) and urban particles (UPs) increases the incidence of degenerative brain diseases as well as respiratory diseases. However, there is limited evidence on the mechanism of neurotoxicity on exposure to these particles. In the present study, the damage to blood–brain barrier (BBB) function by DEP or UP exposure was evaluated in bEnd.3 cells, which are derived from the brain tissue of Balb/c mice. It was demonstrated that DEP and UP exposure may induce oxidative stress via increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreasing total antioxidant capacity (TAC) level in bEnd.3 cells. In addition, cells exposed to DEP and UP demonstrated a resistance value of about 50% each compared to the value noted prior to exposure; additionally, Claudin-5 and ZO-1 expression levels were significantly decreased compared to the corresponding levels in the control. It was inferred that DEP or UP exposure diminishes the expression of tight junction proteins in endothelial cells through ROS generation, thereby enhancing endothelial membrane permeability. This study showed that DEPs or UPs induced cell permeability and oxidative stress by increasing ROS generation in bEnd.3 cells. This suggests the possibility that exposure to DEPs or UPs may compromise the integrity of the BBB and induce adverse effects in the CNS.

Although solvent governed stability, selection and optical behavior of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) brought about by using specialized surfactants have importance in relation to various optoelectronic and biological applications, their origins and solvatochromism have not been thoroughly explored owing to the lack of ideal surfactant dispersing SWNTs. We show that solvent driven SWNT selection and solvatochromism occurs in SWNTs wrapped by two flavin derivatives in solvents with dielectric constants (e) ranging from 2.3 to 80.4. Flavin-SWNT nanocomposite dispersions exhibit near-armchair and chirality-specific enrichment in lower e aromatic solvents, and those with broader chirality selectivity are formed in higher e solvents. Those trends are also observed by controlling flavin concentration. Consideration of optical spectra provides relative quantum yields of flavin-SWNT in each solvent, showing toluene and p-xylene dispersions as best owing to highly individualized SWNT. The selectivities and relative stabilities of the flavin-SWNT nanoconjugates are associated with the solubility parameter (δ), which controls the respective morphology of the side chains and the relative Gibbs energies of the nanoconjugates relative to those of the free flavin and SWNTs. Differences between δ of side chains vs. the media results in extended and collapsed side chain conformations in respective lower and higher e solvents, leading to diameters (dt) selection of SWNT owing to diameter modulation of the isoalloxazine assembly. In addition, with increasing e optical transitions of flavin/SWNT exhibit lower bathochromic shifts owing to a passivating role played by the isoalloxazine that does not take place with other surfactants. The results suggest new guidelines for the design of good SWNT dispersions that take into consideration self-association of the surfactant, conformations of side chains and the nature of the solvent.

We isolated S-formylglutathione hydrolase (scSFH) from Sphingobium chungbukense strain KCTC2955 and expressed it in Escherichia coli. The extracted scSFH showed activity toward p-nitrophenyl butyrate (p-NB), and a protein–substrate interaction was confirmed through 3D molecular docking simulation. The DNA sequence of the cloned scSFH gene (900 bp) has an open reading frame encoding 300 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 32.82 kDa; the sequence contains Ser-His-Asp conserved in the active site and a GHSMGG motif. The cloned scSFH gene successfully overproduced scSFH protein under the T7 promoter of the expression vectors pET21a and pGEX4T-1 in E. coli BL21(DE3). We analyzed E. coli-expressed scSFH protein for esterase activity using p-NB as a substrate. Furthermore, we confirmed the interaction between the scSFH protein and p-NB substrate. The scSFH protein of the SFH family was overexpressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) and purified using affinity Ni–NTA agarose resin. The activity of purified scSFH against p-NB was 6.87 mg L−1 for Km and 131.16 mg L−1 protein min−1 for Vmax. Additionally, we confirmed that the serine residue of the GHSMGG motif in the obtained protein interacts with p-NB through molecular docking prediction by the molecular operating environment. We identified a novel scSFH gene from S. chungbukense and overexpressed it in E. coli. The recombined scSFH protein showed activity toward p-NB, and the interaction was confirmed through 3D molecular docking prediction. This research could be applied to identify new genes and confirm their functions.

In this study, free-standing PIL/IL composite membranes of 1-bromohexyl-1 methylpiperidinium bromide (Br-6-MPRD) grafted poly(2,6 dimethyl 1,4 phenylene oxide) (ILPPO) incorporated with different amounts of free Br-6-MPRD (0, 2, 5 and 10 wt%) were prepared and the effect of free ionic liquid on CO2, N2 and O2 transport properties were reported. The structure of piperidinium based polyionic liquid (PIL) synthesised was confirmed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral techniques. Gas permeation results at 1 bar pressure and 25 °C revealed the best CO2 permeability and CO2/N2 as well as CO2/O2 permselectivities of the membrane stretch to 907.20 Barrer (higher than Pebax® 1657), 12.94 and 14.90 respectively for ILPPO/Br-6-MPRD-2 which come within reach of the 2008 Robeson limit. Apart from most of the published works, ILPPO/Br-6-MPRD-2 membrane revealed an anti-trade-off permeability-selectivity performances which is most required and a great challenge for CO2 separation and capture applications.

In this study, the medium requirements to increase the production of xylitol by using Candida tropicalis (CT) have been investigated. The technique of single addition or omission of medium components was applied to determine the nutritional requirements. The addition of amino acids such as Asp, Glu, Gln, Asn, Thr, and Gly had no significant effect on CT growth. However, in the absence of other metal ions, there was a higher concentration of cell growth and xylitol production when only Zn(2+) was present in the medium. The analysis of various vitamins unveiled that biotin and thiamine were the only vitamins required for the growth of CT. Surprisingly, when only biotin was present in the medium as a vitamin, there was less growth of CT than when the medium was complete, but the amount of xylitol released was significantly higher. Overall, this study will increase the xylitol production using the single omission or addtion technique.

Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with good alkaline stability and ion conductivity are fabricated by incorporating quaternary ammonium-modified silica into quaternary ammonium-functionalized poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (QPPO). Quaternary ammonium with a long alkyl chain is chemically grafted to the silica in situ during synthesis. Glycidyltrimethylammoniumchloride functionalization on silica (QSiO2) is characterized by Fourier transform infrared and transmission electron microscopic techniques. The QPPO/QSiO2 membrane having an ion exchange capacity of 3.21 meq·g–1 exhibits the maximum hydration number (λ = 11.15) and highest hydroxide ion conductivity of 45.08 × 10–2 S cm–1 at 80 °C. In addition to the high ion conductivity, AEMs also exhibit good alkaline stability, and the conductivity retention of the QPPO/QSiO2-3 membrane after 1200 h of exposure in 1 M potassium hydroxide at room temperature is about 91% ascribed to the steric hindrance offered by the grafted long glycidyl trimethylammonium chain in QSiO2. The application of the QPPO/QSiO2-3 membrane to an alkaline fuel cell can yield a peak power density of 142 mW cm–2 at a current density of 323 mA cm–2 and 0.44 V, which is higher than those of commercially available FAA-3-50 Fumatech AEM (OCV: 0.91 V; maximum power density: 114 mW cm–2 at current density: 266 mA cm–2 and 0.43 V). These membranes provide valuable insights on future directions for advanced AEM development for fuel cells.

1-Nitropyrene (1-NP) is a major nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (nitro-PAH), and a common constituent in diesel exhaust particles (DEPs). Absorbed 1-nitropyrene is partly metabolized to 1-aminopyrene and excreted in urine. Recently, the number of diesel cars has been increasing, which could be a major cause of air pollution, resulting elevated levels of traffic-related DEPs around cities. The aim of this study was to investigate the usability of 1-aminopyrene (1-AP) as a biomarker for DEP exposure by examining the association between urinary 1-AP concentration and the amount of exposure to atmospheric 1-NP. The study subjects included 65 individuals who work on vehicular roads or bus terminals. Their 24 h urine samples were collected, and atmospheric air was sampled using a personal air sampler for 24 h. Urinary 1-AP and atmospheric nitro-PAH levels were measured using a high-pressure liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector (HPLC-FD). The average urine 1-AP concentration was 0.334 pg/g creatinine. Urinary 1-AP levels were significantly correlated with 1-NP level exposure (r = 0.385, p = 0.002) but not with the other nitro-PAHs. When the subjects were classified into high-and low-exposure groups, a significant association was only found in the high exposure group (r = 0.357, p = 0.045). In conclusion, there was a significant correlation between 1-NP exposure and urinary 1-AP concentration; therefore, urinary 1-AP level could be used as an exposure biomarker for DEP. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43188-021-00096-z.

In fuel cell and electrolysis systems, hydrogen crossover is a phenomenon where hydrogen molecules (H2) permeate through a membrane, lowering the overall process efficiency and generating a potential safety risk. Many works have been reported to mitigate this undesired phenomenon, but it is yet difficult to accurately measure the rate of hydrogen crossover, particularly when the membrane is fully wetted in water. In this work, we investigated the pressure decay method as a simple, convenient, and low-cost method to characterize hydrogen crossover through wetted membranes for water electrolysis systems. Three different ion exchange membranes were analyzed: Nafion 212, Nafion 115, and in-house sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone). We rigorously confirmed our method and data by comparing it to the ANSI dataset with the current state-of-the-art equations of state (EOS) to account for the nonideality of high pressure hydrogen systems. The error from the gas non-ideality was less than 0.03%. As expected, the rate of hydrogen crossover showed high dependency on the temperature; more importantly, hydrogen crossover increased significantly when the membrane was fully soaked in water. For dry membranes, the proposed pressure decay method corroborated well with the literature data measured using other known methods. Moreover, for wetted membranes, the obtained data showed high similarity compared to the GC method which is currently the most reliable method in the literature. We attempted to predict the hydrogen permeability of wetted membranes using the solution diffusion model. The model based on the given thermodynamic parameters overestimated the hydrogen permeability, which can be used to estimate the ion channel tortuosity.

Among the various cathode materials used in LIBs (Lithium ion batteries), nickel rich cathode materials have attracted an increasing amount of interest due to their high capacity, relatively low cost, and low toxicity when compared to LiCoO2. However, these materials always contain a large amount of residual lithium compounds such as LiOH and Li2CO3. The presence of lithium residues is undesirable because the oxidation of these compounds results in the formation of Li2O and CO2 gas at higher voltages, which lowers the coulombic efficiency between the charge and discharge capacities during cycling. In this study, using LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 as a starting material, a surface-modified cathode material was obtained by using reducing agent. The reducing agent not only plays the role of reducing the oxide conversion energy but also suppresses the side reaction with the electrolyte due to the surface modification. Residual lithium present on the cathode material surface was reduced from 11,702 ppm to 8,658 ppm, resulting in improved high temperature cycle performance and impedance characteristics.

People living near abandoned mines are at increased risk of exposure to toxic metals. We surveyed 4500 inhabitants with the mean age of 68.5 years old (male: 1768, female: 2732) living near 104 abandoned metal mines from 2013 to 2017 (the 2nd phase health survey in Korea). We conducted personal interviews, blood and urine sampling, and analyzed the concentrations of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in whole blood and Cd in urine using a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer. The geometric means of blood Pb, blood Cd, and urine Cd were 2.27 μg/dL, 1.42 μg/L, and 1.66 μg/g creatinine, respectively. The level of metal exposure was lower than that reported from the first phase health survey in Korea (2008‒2011) but was higher than in the general population of Korea. Blood Pb was higher in males while blood Cd and urine Cd were significantly higher in females. Blood Pb was highest in the 40‒59 age group, while blood and urine Cd levels continuously increased until age 80 or older. The Cd levels in blood and urine were affected by consumption of locally produced rice and duration of residence near abandoned mines. Furthermore, negative correlations were observed between blood Pb and blood and urine Cd levels. Additionally, 252 of the 4500 subjects exceeded the thresholds of blood Cd or urine Cd levels. Together, these findings suggest that Cd has more sustainable and adverse health effects on the abandoned mine inhabitants, who are mostly aged. Therefore, continuous biomonitoring and risk assessment to environmental health risks are necessary for environmental pollution control and health promotion.

The present study focused on the estimation of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and the effects of nutrient fluxes due to the SGD process. The parameters of SGD such as magnitude, character, and nutrient flux in Punnakayal region of South East coast of India were evaluated using multiple tracers of groundwater inputs in 2019. It was found that the elevated values for the tracers in the study area, displayed a gradational change in the values as move from estuarine part to the offshore. Simultaneous occurrence of fresh and saline SGD is observed on the study sites. Also, indicated that the SGD fluxes ranged from 0.04 to 0.12 ​m3 ​m−2 ​d−1 ​at the estuary and 0.03–0.15 ​m3 ​m−2 ​d−1 ​at the groundwater site. A substantially increased value for 222Rn activities is distinguished in the estuary to values over 312 dpm L−1. Nutrient embellishments were generally greatest at locations with substantial meteoric elements in groundwater; however, the recirculation of saltwater through the geological formation could provide a way of transferring terrestrially-derived nutrients to the coastal zone at many places.

The process of crosslinking is widely employed to increase the physicochemical stability of anion exchange membranes and, in some cases, improve ion conductivity. For a general case in which a polymer is crosslinked by a crosslinking agent, the physicochemical properties of the polymer can be greatly altered, depending on the type of crosslinking agent. In this study, we induced crosslinking without a crosslinking agent to intentionally maximise various physical properties (i.e., mechanical properties, swelling ratios, and so forth) of two commercially-available polymers. A triazole was incorporated into the conducting group to maximise the ion conductivity, especially under room humidity (RH) conditions. The crosslinked PPO-SEBS membranes prepared through this approach were not only capable of forming very thin membranes (10 μm thickness) with excellent physical properties (34.3 MPa of tensile strength and 91.6% of elongation at break) but also exhibited high hydroxide ion conductivity under 95% RH, and conductivity plays an important role in achieving good fuel cell performance. When the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), as fabricated utilising a crosslinked PPO-SEBS membrane and a platinum on carbon (Pt/C) catalyst on each electrode, was operated in conditions with a H2/O2 gas flow and a 60 °C temperature, a stable fuel cell performance was obtained for a long period of time (300 hours) at a maximum power density of 405 mW cm−2. This result surpasses the performance of commercialized AEMs and is comparable with the performance levels of cutting-edge AEMs when operated under similar conditions.

In the present study, Rhus vernicifera laccase (RvLac) was immobilized through covalent methods on the magnetic nanoparticles. Fe(2)O(3) and Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles activated by 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane followed with glutaraldehyde showed maximum immobilization yields and relative activity up to 81.4 and 84.3% at optimum incubation and pH of 18 h and 5.8, respectively. The maximum RvLac loading of 156 mg/g of support was recorded on Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles. A higher optimum pH and temperature of 4.0 and 45 °C were noted for immobilized enzyme compared to values of 3.5 and 40 °C for free form, respectively. Immobilized RvLac exhibited better relative activity profiles at various pH and temperature ranges. The immobilized enzyme showed up to 16-fold improvement in the thermal stability, when incubated at 60 °C, and retained up to 82.9% of residual activity after ten cycles of reuses. Immobilized RvLac exhibited up to 1.9-fold higher bisphenol A degradation efficiency potential over free enzyme. Previous reports have demonstrated the immobilization of RvLac on non-magnetic supports. This study has demonstrated that immobilization of RvLac on magnetic nanoparticles is very efficient especially for achieving high loading, better pH and temperature profiles, and thermal- and solvents-stability, high reusability, and higher degradation of bisphenol A.

This study investigated the optimum temperature and holding solutions for the storage of cut flowers of Arenaria juncea M. Bieb. to facilitate their introduction as a new ornamental plant. We examined the effects of different holding solutions on the water uptake, vase life, and fresh weight of five branches of A. juncea. After harvest, cut branches were stored at 4, 15, 20, and 25°C. To study the effect of the holding solutions, the cut branches were treated with a combination of sucrose (1% and 3%), 8-hydroxyqunoline sulfate (8-HQS: 10, 50, and 100 mg·L-1), and commercial preservative solutions Chrysal and Floralife. At a storage temperature of 4°C, the vase life was 29 days, which was significantly longer compared to room temperature, where the vase life was 7.8 days. Thus, a lower temperature was more effective at extending the vase life. A combination of 1% sucrose and 100 mg·L-1 8-HQS prolonged the vase life by approximately two weeks compared to the control. The effect of both Chrysal and Floralife was similar to the effect of the holding solutions composed of sucrose and 8-HQS. Moreover, rapid reduction of water uptake and fresh weight resulted in a shorter vase life.

In this study, PEEKs with different contents of imidazolium group (DI-PEEK) were synthesized by facile condensation polymerization using bisphenol A, 2,2′-di(2-ethyl-methylimidazole-methylene)-4,4′-dihydroxydiphenylether and difluorobenzophenone. Highly flexible and transparent DI-PEEK membranes showing anion exchange behavior could be prepared by the DI-PEEK solution using DMAc as a solvent. The DI-PEEK membrane with optimized content of imidazolium group (30 mol%) showed the highest ion conductivity (78 mS/cm at 80 ℃) without deterioration of thermal and mechanical stability among the samples. A membrane electrode assembly using the DI-PEEK membrane with optimized content of imidazolium group revealed comparable cell performance (98 mW/cm2 at 0.43 V) to that using a commercialized anion exchane membrane (114 mW/cm2 at 0.43 V) under operating conditions of 60 ℃ and 100% RH.

The prickly pear cactus (Opuntia), native to Mexico, has grown in popularity and is locally grown and adapted on Jeju Island. The fruits of this cactus species are in particular widely employed as raw materials, which are then processed into various food and medicinal items, including chocolates and vitamins, for purposes of human consumption. Because this crop has been dubbed one of Jeju’s iconic agricultural crops, research studies elucidating the prickly pear cactus’ medicinal properties, including antioxidant activity, of this particular plant and related cultivated species have demonstrated high value to the scientific community. Currently, consumers do not purchase products f or c onsumption a lone, but in a ddition f or t heir added health benef its. The present study in particular honed in on two species of prickly pear cactus that are cultivated on Jeju Island which include: ‘Baeknyeoncho’ (Opuntia ficus-indica) and ‘Cheonnyeoncho’ (Opuntia humifusa). From these species, s pecif ci p lant p arts i ncluding t he f lower, mature and y oung stems, roots, a nd f ruit w ere subjected to further antioxidant analysis, which included the determination of polyphenol, flavonoid, DPPH radical, ABTS radical, and anthocyanin levels. These particular antioxidants were determined during two seasons, over the course of the summer and winter. Results revealed that the antioxidant activity for both species was more active during the summer season. Antioxidant levels occurred at the highest rates within t he flowers o f the c actus plants. However, of significant note was that the cactus stem, in both mature and young plants, possessed higher antioxidant activity compared to those of the fruit that is currently employed for commercial purposes.

There is an increasing trend of producing seedlings of Panax ginseng in amended root media in raised beds. Precise control of the fertility of root media is essential for raising healthy seedlings, especially when inert media with a low buffering capacity are used. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of fertility (as measured by EC) of the nutrient solution used for seedling production. One thousand eight hundred seeds were sown for five treatments and a control (300 seeds per treatment, 3 × 3 cm spacing) using root medium [composed of peat moss + perlite (7:3, v/v)] on raised beds with measurements, 120 × 60 × 25 cm (L × W × H) on Mar 9, 2018. Five nutrient solutions with different strengths (0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2 dS m−1 EC) were prepared with ground water (0.25 dS m−1) and a fertilizer stock solution (2 mM NH4+-N, 12 mM NO3−-N, 1 mM H2PO4−, 8 mM K+, 2 mM Ca2+, 1 mM Mg2+, 1 mM SO42−). Fertigation of the beds started on May 21 using each of six nutrient solutions and fertigation frequencies were controlled using an EC5 soil moisture sensor. The stock solutions were automatically supplied for 30 min when the volumetric water content decreased to 36%. Plant growth measurement and soil analyses were carried out twice: first at 144 days and subsequently at 197 days (from the day of seeds sown). For the first growth measurement, elevated EC in the fertilizer solution resulted in enhanced growth, but statistical differences among treatment solutions were not significant except for the case of ground water. In the second measurement, the seedling growth in terms of dry weight of above- and below-ground plant parts increased significantly in plants treated with the 1.0 dS m−1 EC solution and decreased in plants treated with the (1.2 dS m−1 EC) solution. In both the first and second measurements, the ground tissue nutrient content (T-N, P, K and Ca) was significantly different among treatments. The EC of root media in the case of 1.0 dS m−1 treatment, where the seedling growth was the highest among treatments, was 0.54 dS m−1 at the first measurement and 0.82 dS m−1 at the second measurement. In summary, a root medium with a mixture of peat moss + perlite (7:3, v/v), a leaching percentage of 20–30%, and a nutrient solution with a concentration of 1.0 dS m−1 EC is suitable for the healthy growth of ginseng seedlings.

We chemically modify a commercially available elastomeric triblock copolymer, poly(styrene-b-ethylene-co-butylene-b-styrene) SEBS, to produce quaternary ammonium-functionalized hexyl bis(quaternary ammonium)-mediated partially-crosslinked SEBSs with different grafting degree of the conducting head groups as highly conductive and stable anion exchange membranes (AEMs). In an attempt to achieve a high ion exchange capacity and hence conductivity of the corresponding membranes without causing ‘gelation’, which these types of SEBS polymers typically experience, we use a SEBS with a high content (57%) of styrene, and graft the quaternary ammonium (QA) as both a crosslinker and the conducting head group on the side chain of the SEBS. The partial crosslinking approach, in combination with introducing these QA-conducting head groups as the side chain of the SEBS, helps to form larger ion clusters, and also to form a nano-phase morphology with long-range connecting channels. This induced the highest ion conductivity, 174.8 mS cm−1 at 80 °C, reported to date among these types of SEBS series. In addition, we obtain excellent cell performance with a current density of 450 mA cm−2 at 0.6 V and a peak power density of 315 mW cm−2 at 95% RH and 60 °C using the corresponding AEM.

Despite the many advances that have been made in using anionic surfactants to disperse and sort single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) for optoelectronic applications, one-pot methods for deposition of SWNTs in a diameter (dt) and position controlled manner from as-dispersed sample are essential. Here, we designed and prepared flavin-containing self-assembled monolayers (flavin-SAMs) that can be used to assemble dt-selective individualized SWNT networks directly from SWNT dispersions by using the widely-used anionic surfactant. For a given glass substrate, the dimethallylsilane-linked azide, along with surface immobilization was employed to have Click reaction with terminal acetylene tethered to flavin group known to have strong affinity with SWNT. As demonstrated by atomic force microscopy and other methods, along successful assembly of individualized networks, the SWNTs are either fully or partially wrapped in a dt selective manner by isoalloxazine moieties tethered to the surface, displaying Langmuir isotherm adsorption behaviors in a dipping method dependent manner. The assembled SWNT network secures photoluminescence and electrical conductivity albeit its intimacy to underlying substrate and near monolayer coverage of SWNT network, respectively, and, furthermore, preferentially takes place on flavin-SAM over hydrophobic surface.

In this study, effects of carbon and nickel on microstructure and low temperature Charpy impact properties of HSLA (high strength low alloy) steels are investigated. To understand the complex phase transformation behavior of HSLA steels with high strength and toughness before and after welding processes, three kinds of HSLA steels are fabricated by varying the carbon and nickel content. Microstructure analysis, low temperature Charpy impact test, and Vickers hardness test are performed for the base metals and CGHAZ (coarse-grain heat affected zone) specimens. The specimens with the lowest carbon and nickel content have the highest volume fraction of AF, the lowest volume fraction of GB, and the smallest GB packet size. So, the low temperature Charpy absorbed energy of the CGHAZ specimen is the highest. The specimens with increased carbon and nickel content have the lowest volume fraction of AF, the highest volume fraction of GB, and the largest GB packet size. So, the low temperature Charpy absorbed energy of the CGHAZ specimen is the lowest.