An enhanced degradation of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) using adaptive laboratory methods: A sustainable approach alternates to genetic engineering.

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a biodegradable plastic synthesized by several bacterial species, regarded as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-derived plastics owing to its biodegradability, biocompatibility, and renewable production processes. Although PHB exhibits inherent biodegradability, its natural degradation can be slow and inefficient in real-world conditions. This study employed the Adaptive Laboratory Evolution (ALE) method to enhance the degradation of PHB in natural environments.

Rheological and thermal behaviour of microtubule networks mediated by microtubule associated proteins.

Microtubules are dynamic polymers crucial for cell division, intracellular transport, and motility. The regulation of microtubule dynamics and network formation is mediated by microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). This study systematically investigates the effects of MAP2, MAP4, and tau in microtubule network formation and their rheological behavior.

PitVis-2023 challenge: Workflow recognition in videos of endoscopic pituitary surgery.

The field of computer vision applied to videos of minimally invasive surgery is ever-growing. Workflow recognition pertains to the automated recognition of various aspects of a surgery, including: which surgical steps are performed; and which surgical instruments are used. This information can later be used to assist clinicians when learning the surgery or during live surgery.

Microtubule-associated protein 4 forms aggregates consisting of helical filaments.

We previously reported that microtubule-associated protein (MAP) 4 was detected in the cytoplasm as abnormal "puncta" in post-ischemic mouse cardiomyocytes. MAP4, a member of the MAP superfamily, has a repeat region consisting of multiple microtubule-binding sequences in its microtubule-binding domain (MBD), like tau. The tau forms aggregates composed of amyloid fibrils and grows into neurofibrillary tangles in neurons.

Whole-body immobilization modulates visuotactile interaction.

Peripersonal space (PPS) is the space immediately around each body part. A previous study reported that hand-centered PPS shrank after hand immobilization; however, little is known about what happens in the PPS of other body parts. Here, we investigated the effect of whole-body immobilization on trunk-centered PPS by fixing the whole-body in a large box.

Anti-Amyloid Aggregation Effects of Gobaishi () and Its Active Constituents.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that leads to memory loss and changes in mental and behavioral functions in elderly individuals. A major pathological feature of AD is the aggregation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides, along with oxidative stress, inducing neurocellular apoptosis in the brain. Gobaishi (), a traditional herbal medicine, has gained considerable attention for its constituents and potent therapeutic properties, particularly its strong inhibitory activity against Aβ fibril formation.

2-Azanorbornane-Based Amino Amide Organocatalysts for Asymmetric Michael Addition of β-Keto Esters with Nitroolefins.

Newly designed optically active cage type 2-azanorbornane-based amino amide organocatalysts were developed and employed in the asymmetric Michael addition of β-keto esters with nitroolefins to afford the chiral Michael adducts with good chemical yields (up to 99%) and stereoselectivities (up to diastereomeric ratio (dr) = 97 : 3, up to 96% enantiomeric excess (ee)).

Tropical peatland restoration evaluation using time-series L-band InSAR analysis.

Since 2016, tropical peatland restoration efforts in Kalimantan, Indonesia, have focused on rewetting through canal blocks installation-engineering barriers constructed across drainage canals. This structure is intended to raise the ground water table and re-saturate the peat, thereby reducing its flammability and preventing further degradation. Nonetheless, recurring fires triggered by climatic variability continue to raise a critical question, is canal block effective in controlling tropical peatland degradation? This study evaluates the impact of canal blocks by analyzing peatland displacement.

Efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy for acute and subacute ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The efficacy of stem cell therapy for ischemic stroke in terms of functional outcomes remains unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (PROSPERO: CRD42024503763) to assess the efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy for acute/subacute ischemic stroke, focusing on long-term outcomes. Studies of patients undergoing stem cell transplantation within 1 month of stroke onset were included.

ACOUSLIC-AI challenge report: Fetal abdominal circumference measurement on blind-sweep ultrasound data from low-income countries.

Fetal growth restriction, affecting up to 10% of pregnancies, is a critical factor contributing to perinatal mortality and morbidity. Ultrasound measurements of the fetal abdominal circumference (AC) are a key aspect of monitoring fetal growth. However, the routine practice of biometric obstetric ultrasounds is limited in low-resource settings due to the high cost of sonography equipment and the scarcity of trained sonographers.

Early Detection and Remote Care of Frailty for Older Adults Living in Sparsely Populated Rural Areas in Hokkaido, Japan: A Case Study.

The global increase in the number of older people aged 65 and over is causing concern in healthcare and social systems. The lack of health and welfare services and human resources may delay the assessment of frailty and other geriatric syndromes. However, the participation in community-led frailty check-ups remains low, and there are limitations in providing a preventive home visit approach to all residents.

Gemcitabine-loaded poly (lactide-co-glycolide) - poly (ethylene glycol) gold nanoparticles: Evaluating the effect of fabricating methods on physicochemical characteristics, in vitro drug release and cytotoxicity.

Hybrid gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are defined as a combination of organic and inorganic materials used as nanocarriers in the drug delivery system to enhance the performance of the drugs. Methods to fabricate the hybrid AuNPs such as double emulsion and nanoprecipitation require several steps and are inconsistent in their physicochemical characteristics limiting their application in drug delivery. The electrospray method has become a powerful tool for fabricating nanoparticles due to its simplicity, rapidity and consistency.

Synthesis and Fluorescence Mechanism of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Dots Utilizing Biopolymer and Urea.

Fluorescent carbon dots are nontoxic nanoparticles composed of carbon, exhibiting advantageous properties for applications in bioimaging and functional materials. We present a methodology for synthesizing fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) using starch, a biopolymer, and urea as the sources of nitrogen, via the microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. Furthermore, the dependence of the fluorescence spectra and fluorescence quantum yield of N-CDs on the initial concentration of urea in the reactant solution was examined, thereby providing a comprehensive understanding of the influence of nitrogen doping on the CDs.

Revealing Rotational Characteristics of the Uniflagellate Mutant of through DeepLabCut-Based Autotracking.

Tracking eukaryotic flagella and cilia often requires manual clicking, even in the age of digital imaging. We developed an autotracking method using DeepLabCut, a CNN-based, marker-less tracking tool originally designed for animal behavior. Applying this method, we uncovered rotational characteristics of , a uniflagellate mutant.

Practical, Economical, and Scalable Synthesis of Monoalkyl Oxalates.

The large-scale synthesis of several kinds of monoalyl oxalates, which are half-esters of dialkyl oxalates, under practical and environmentally friendly conditions is described by applying the selective monohydrolysis reaction of symmetric diesters that we reported previously. The most suitable conditions were examined for the kinds of base, equivalent, cosolvent, and reaction time for large-scale production of five kinds of monoalkyl oxalate, monomethyl oxalate, monoethyl oxalate, monopropyl oxalate, monoisopropyl oxalate, and monobutyl oxalate, which are among the most versatile building blocks, but the commercial availabilities are limited. The conditions are mild, simple, and environmentally benign, and the half-esters were produced in high yields, exhibiting high purities in only a few hours without requiring special equipment.

ViE-Take: A Vision-Driven Multi-Modal Dataset for Exploring the Emotional Landscape in Takeover Safety of Autonomous Driving.

Takeover safety draws increasing attention in the intelligent transportation as the new energy vehicles with cutting-edge autopilot capabilities vigorously blossom on the road. Despite recent studies highlighting the importance of drivers' emotions in takeover safety, the lack of emotion-aware takeover datasets hinders further investigation, thereby constraining potential applications in this field. To this end, we introduce ViE-Take, the first Vision-driven (Vision is used since it constitutes the most cost-effective and user-friendly solution for commercial driver monitor systems) dataset for exploring the Emotional landscape in Takeovers of autonomous driving.

Aging does not affect auditory motion discrimination based on interaural level differences.

It is well known that aging affects fundamental perceptual functions. Numerous studies have investigated age-related changes in visual motion perception and demonstrated that aging impairs motion processing. However, limited studies have explored age-related changes in auditory motion perception, and whether aging influences auditory motion perception based on interaural level differences remains unknown.

Revealing the Hidden Natural Ionic Liquids in Spider Glue: Insights from the Adhesion Process.

The adhesive properties of aggregate glue droplets in spider orb webs are conferred by a complex composition of highly glycosylated and phosphorylated proteins, which dissolve in low molecular mass compounds. Although aggregate glue droplets exhibit heterogeneous structural distributions upon attachment to substrates, limited knowledge exists regarding alterations in the distribution of their chemical components before and after attachment. Understanding the spatial distribution of chemical components within these droplets before and after attachment is crucial to unraveling the underlying adhesion mechanisms.

The usefulness of X-ray output management in general radiography systems using exposure index.

Purpose: The periodic quality control of X-ray devices is important for obtaining optical medical images and determining the appropriate X-ray exposure dose. Additionally, the measurement of the X-ray output is constrained by time, technical aspects, and expenses. Therefore, we investigated the usefulness of a simple method for managing X-ray output using an Exposure Index (EI).

Estimating the Amount of Air Inside the Stomach for Detecting Cancers on Gastric Radiographs Using Artificial Intelligence: an Observational, Cross-sectional Study.

Gastric radiography is an important tool for early detection of cancer. During gastric radiography, the stomach is monitored using barium and effervescent granules. However, stomach compression and physiological phenomena during the examination can cause air to escape the stomach.

Complete Assignments of H and C NMR Chemical Shift Changes Observed upon Protection of Hydroxy Group in Borneol and Isoborneol and Their DFT Verification.

Complete assignments of the H and C NMR chemical shifts for the monoterpenes, borneol and isoborneol , as well as their derivatives (- and -), in which the secondary hydroxy group is protected with various protecting groups, have been made in various solvents. Upon protection of the hydroxy groups in and , many protons and carbons within the bicyclic ring exhibited downfield or upfield shifts in their chemical shift values, facilitating the unambiguous assignments of these protons and carbons. These chemical shift values also showed excellent correlations with those obtained from density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Enhanced polyhydroxyalkanoate biosynthesis by Cupriavidus sp. CY-1 utilizing CO under controlled non-explosive conditions.

The production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) using CO through hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria under safe, non-explosive conditions is making impressive strides. The present study aimed to evaluate and demonstrate the growth and productivity of PHA by Cupriavidus sp. CY-1 under different non-explosive conditions, thereby providing critical data for practical applications.

Expansion of perceived passable width in older adults.

Humans can perceive whether an aperture is passable; this ability is known as passable width perception. Previous studies have shown that passable width in older adults is larger when walking and suggested the effect of larger body sway in older adults while walking on passable width expansion. However, no studies have directly investigated this.

A novel floating adsorbent for cesium based on Shirasu balloon modified with magnetite and Prussian blue.

Shirasu balloon (SB) is a hollow glassy sphere produced from volcanic deposits by heating that can float up on water owing to its hollow structure. In this study, a novel adsorbent for the removal of cesium ion in water was developed by the modification of the surface of the SBs with magnetite (Mag) and Prussian blue (PB). The developed adsorbent (PB-Mag-SB) was characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and the magnetism of the adsorbent.

Screening of a Fraction with Higher Amyloid β Aggregation Inhibitory Activity from a Library Containing 210 Mushroom Extracts Using a Microliter-Scale High-Throughput Screening System with Quantum Dot Imaging.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a highly prevalent neurodegenerative disease hallmarked by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Amyloid plaques are formed by the amyloid β (Aβ) aggregation, so substances that inhibit this aggregation are useful for preventing and treating AD. Mushrooms are widely used medicinal fungi with high edible and nutritional value.