New Type of Extraction Solvent for Algal Oils: Fatty Acid Methyl Esters

We propose a new process of biodiesel production that utilizes biodiesel as an extractant for lipid extraction from fresh microalgae. Biodiesel-based extractant showed high lipid extraction efficiency from dried Chlorella. The efficiency obtained from the biodiesel-based extractant was comparable to the chloroform/methanol method, while the required amount of solvents was smaller than the chloroform/methanol method. Furthermore, fatty acid methyl esters displayed successful penetration through the cell membrane of wet algae in an aqueous environment, and this result suggests that the biodiesel-based extractant has potential for wet extraction

Distributions of 200 MeV (left) and 250 MeV (right) protons for various distances between entry and exit detectors.

These graphs depict the beam distributions corresponding to various distances between the detectors for 200 MeV and 250 MeV protons. The distance between the detectors was varied from 10 mm to 200 mm in the GEANT4 simulation.</p

Detailed schematic of tracker geometry.

Each single strip in the SSDs has a width of 0.94 mm and a height of 100 mm. The pitch between strips is 1 mm.</p

Hole sizes and materials of phantom.

Hole sizes and materials of phantom.</p

HER2/neu Antibody Conjugated Poly(amino acid)-Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Breast Cancer MR Imaging

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles are widely used as nanoprobes for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Water-soluble iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by coating iron oxide nanoparticles with a hydrophilic, biocompatible, biodegradable poly(amino acid) derivative, poly(2-hydroxyethyl aspartamide) graft copolymer for negative contrast enhancement on T2 weighted MRI. HER2/neu antibodies were conjugated on the surface of poly(amino acid) coated iron oxide nanoparticles for the detection of breast cancer. The antibody-grafted iron oxide nanoparticles (PAION-Ab) were about 31.1 nm in diameter. The T2 relaxivity of PAION-Ab was 246 L·mmol−1·sec−1 greater than that of the commercial product such as Feridex. PAION-Ab showed low cytotoxicity even at relatively high concentrations. Furthermore, Prussian blue staining and in vitro MRI study with SKBR-3, breast cancer cells overexpressing HER2/neu receptors indicated that PAION-Ab exhibited excellent cancer cell detection ability and enhanced signal intensities in the T2-weighted image

Number of protons incident on 50^th detector.

<p>Number of protons incident on 50^th detector.</p

View of phantom.

<p>The phantom is composed of bone, adipose, and an air region in a cylinder filled with water.</p

Reconstructed images and profiles obtained using 200 MeV proton beam.

<p>These images were reconstructed by three different techniques. The RSP profiles were obtained using <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0156226#pone.0156226.e003" target="_blank">Eq 3</a> to compare with the ideal RSP profile for 200 MeV protons.</p

Schematic of pCT configuration.

This figure shows the pCT system, which consists of four SSDs and a calorimeter.</p

Reconstructed images and profiles obtained using 250 MeV proton beam.

<p>These images were reconstructed by three different techniques. The RSP profiles were obtained using <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0156226#pone.0156226.e003" target="_blank">Eq 3</a> to compare with the ideal RSP profile for 250 MeV protons.</p