In the course of searching for anti-neuroinflammatory metabolites from marine fungi, citreohybridonol was isolated from marine-derived fungal strain Toxicocladosporium sp. SF-5699. Citreohybridonol ...inhibited production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in BV2 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Citreohybridonol also suppressed the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and other pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the LPS-stimulated cells. In the further study, citreohybridonol disturbed nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells by inhibiting the phosphorylation of the inhibitor kappa B-α (IκB-α). Citreohybridonol also had inhibitory effect on the LPS-stimulated phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Finally, citreohybridonol suppressed the protein expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) in LPS-induced BV2 cells. These results suggest that citreohybridonol has anti-neuroinflammatory effect in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells by modulating TLR4-mediated several inflammatory pathways such as NF-κB and p38 MAPK pathways.
•Citreohybridonol was isolated from the marine-derived fungal strain Toxicocladosporium sp. SF-5699.•Citreohybridonol suppressed NF-кB and MAPK-related neuroinflammatory enzymes and cytokines in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells.•Citreohybridonol inhibited several TLR4-mediated inflammatory pathways.
This study aimed to estimate the seedling performance of cylindrical paper pot (CPP) seedlings and to determine the optimal transplanting age of CPP seedlings based on seedling vigor. The studied ...vegetables were cucumber, tomato, paprika, and two varieties of cabbage, and the younger seedlings were obtained by shortening their raising period by 10 and 20 days with CPP. At the same transplanting age, the size of CPP seedlings was smaller pre-transplant but increased to a similar level to the plug seedlings soon after transplanting. The growth curves of leaf area and dry weight of younger CPP seedlings exhibited a steeper rise trend. The seedling vigor indicators, relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), were significantly increased in younger CPP seedlings of all vegetables, which were 10 or 20 days younger than plug seedlings. The compactness (CP) and seedling health index (SHI) of cucumber, and the leaf area ratio (LAR) and specific leaf area (SLA) of cabbage were significantly increased when shortened by 10 and 20 days, while the CP and SHI of paprika were significantly decreased when shortened by 20 days. Our results suggest that CPP may prevent the seedlings from overstretching and can provide a wild range of transplanting age choices to produce vigorous seedlings. Further, the seedling vigor indicators were successfully used to determine the transplanting age of CPP seedlings. The optimal transplanting age of CPP seedlings of tomato, paprika, and cabbage was 10 days younger than plug seedlings, whereas cucumber transplanting age could be decreased by either 10 or 20 days.
In this paper we demonstrate an efficient inverted polymer bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells using solution processed interfacial layer by mixing zinc oxide (ZnO) with cesium carbonate (Cs2CO3) ...for ideal electron extraction and transport. The optimized inverted BHJ solar cell with n-type mixed (ZnO:Cs2CO3) electron transport layer and blend of poly (3-hexylthiophene):Indene-C60 bisadduct as a photoactive layer shows a power conversion efficiency as high as 5.29%. This performance enhancement is attributed to improved interfacial contact between photoactive layer and electron extraction layer, low leakage current, and a suitable surface morphology for electron extraction and transport.
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•A solution-processed n-type mixed metal oxide layer of ZnO:Cs2CO3 for inverted polymer solar cells.•The optimized polymer solar cell shows power conversion efficiency as high as 5.29%.•XPS and AFM confirm the composition and surface morphology of n-type mixed electron extraction layer.
The objective of this study was to examine responses of vegetable seedlings grown on plug seedlingsystem (Plug) or cylindrical paper pot (CPP) system to water stress. Cucumber ‘Jo-eun’ was ...graftedonto stock ‘Huckjong’. Watermelon ‘Jo-eunggul’ was grafted onto stock ‘Bulojangsaeng’. Growthfactors of seedlings were investigated. Top-to-root ratio (TRR), compactness (CP), and DicksonQuality Index (DQI) as indicators of seedling quality were calculated based on time periods. Resultsrevealed that the overall shoot of cucumber and watermelon grown in the CPP system was higherthan the shoot grown in the Plug system. In both CPP and Plug systems, the total growth decreasedas the irrigation water volume increased, while the seedling stem was thick and hard. The higher theirrigation water level, the greater was the inhibition of root zone development. When the degree ofgrowth reduction was comparing between the two systems, the growth rate of cucumber was lowerin the CPP system than that in the Plug system, whereas the growth rate of watermelon was decreaseddue to increased irrigation water content only in the Plug system. The degree of growth tended todecrease with increasing volume of irrigation water in both CPP and Plug systems. The degree ofdecreased growth was greater in the Plug system than in the CPP system. The decrease started tooccur in the mid-growth phase. It intensified with further growth. In conclusion, extensive irrigationduring early stages of growth can enhance the growth of seedlings in both CPP and plug systems.
However, growth was suppressed after reaching a certain level. This effect was relatively lower inthe CPP system than in the Plug system. KCI Citation Count: 0
The hard X-ray free-electron laser at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL-XFEL) in the Republic of Korea achieved saturation of a 0.144 nm free-electron laser beam on 27 November 2016, making it ...the third hard X-ray free-electron laser in the world, following the demonstrations of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) and the SPring-8 Angstrom Compact Free Electron Laser (SACLA). The use of electron-beam-based alignment incorporating undulator radiation spectrum analysis has allowed reliable operation of PAL-XFEL with unprecedented temporal stability and dispersion-free orbits. In particular, a timing jitter of just 20 fs for the free-electron laser photon beam is consistently achieved due to the use of a state-of-the-art design of the electron linear accelerator and electron-beam-based alignment. The low timing jitter of the electron beam makes it possible to observe Bi(111) phonon dynamics without the need for timing-jitter correction, indicating that PAL-XFEL will be an extremely useful tool for hard X-ray time-resolved experiments. The Pohang Accelerator Laboratory X-ray Free Electron Laser (PAL-XFEL) in South Korea has now entered operation with a timing jitter of just 20 fs.
Two forms of plasticity, synaptic and intrinsic, are neural substrates for learning and memory. Abnormalities in homeostatic plasticity cause severe neuropsychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia ...and autism. This suggests that the balance between synaptic transmission and intrinsic excitability is important for physiological function in the brain. Despite the established role of synaptic plasticity between parallel fiber (PF) and Purkinje cell (PC) in fear memory, its relationship with intrinsic plasticity is not well understood. Here, patch clamp recording revealed depression of intrinsic excitability in PC following auditory fear conditioning (AFC). Depressed excitability balanced long-term potentiation of PF-PC synapse to serve homeostatic regulation of PF-evoked PC firing. We then optogenetically manipulated PC excitability during the early consolidation period resulting in bidirectional regulation of fear memory. Fear conditioning-induced synaptic plasticity was also regulated following optogenetic manipulation. These results propose intrinsic plasticity in PC as a novel mechanism of fear memory and elucidate that decreased intrinsic excitability in PC counterbalances PF-PC synaptic potentiation to maintain fear memory in a normal range.
