Printed 5-V organic operational amplifiers for various signal processing

The important concept of printable functional materials is about to cause a paradigm shift that we will be able to fabricate electronic devices by printing methods in air at room temperature. One of the promising applications of the printed electronics is a disposable electronic patch sensing system which can monitor the health conditions without any restraint. Operational amplifiers (OPAs) are an essential component for such sensing system, since an OPA enables a wide variety of signal processing. Here we demonstrate printed OPAs based on complementary organic semiconductor technology. They can be operated with a standard safe power source of 5 V with a minimal power consumption of 150 nW, and used as amplifiers, a variety of mathematical operators, signal converters, and oscillators. The printed micropower organic OPAs with the low voltage operation and the high versatility will open up the disposable electronic patch sensing system in near future

Thermal Stability of a Fully Printed Ultra-Thin Organic Pre-Amplifier Circuit Meant for on-Skin applications

acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Natural capitals for nature’s contributions to people: the case of Japan

Recently, natural capital has gained the attention of researchers and policymakers to promote sustainability. Previous studies have investigated the value of ecosystem services with respect to specific areas or species. Other studies have investigated the value of various types of ecosystem services and natural capital by integrating a number of findings using meta-analyses at the global level. Although these studies have provided information on either the global value of natural capital or the local value of specific subjects, there is little evidence on the country-specific values of natural capital in Japan, which will provide useful information for national environmental policies. We investigated the perceived values of terrestrial and marine natural capital in Japan using internet surveys and payment card methods. Data on various natural forms of capital were collected in a unified format and comparable manner. We found that some explanatory variables, such as perceived importance and visit frequency, as well as sociodemographic characteristics, are significant drivers of the willingness to pay (WTP), which maintains each aspect of natural capital. In addition, we conducted future predictions of terrestrial and marine natural capital using a scenario developed in a previous study. Our results indicate that Japan should follow a population dispersed scenario for the sustainable management of natural capital up to 2050

Improvement in Double Staining With Fluoro-Jade C and Fluorescent Immunostaining: FJC Staining Is Not Specific to Degenerating Mature Neurons

Fluoro-Jade C (FJC) staining has been used to detect degenerating neurons in tissue sections. It is a simple and easy staining procedure and does not depend on the manner of cell death. In some experiments, double staining with FJC and fluorescent immunostaining (FI) is required to identify cell types. However, pretreatment for FJC staining contains some processes that are harsh to fluorophores, and the FI signal is greatly reduced. To overcome this issue, we improved the double staining protocol to acquire clear double-stained images by introducing the labeled streptavidin–biotin system. In addition, several studies indicate that FJC can label non-degenerating glial cells, including resting/reactive astrocytes and activated microglia. Moreover, our previous study indicated that degenerating mesenchymal cells were also labeled by FJC, but it is still unclear whether FJC can label degenerating glial cells. Acute encephalopathy model mice contained damaged astrocytes with clasmatodendrosis, and 6-aminonicotinamide-injected mice contained necrotic astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Using our improved double staining protocol with FJC and FI, we detected FJC-labeled degenerating astrocytes and oligodendrocytes with pyknotic nuclei. These results indicate that FJC is not specific to degenerating neurons in some experimental conditions

Extrapleural pneumonectomy of recurrent thymoma with pleural dissemination

Complete surgical resection has been considered the only curable treatment for thymoma. The efficacy of extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) for stage IV thymomas remains controversial. In this case report, we utilize EPP for recurrent thymoma with pleural dissemination and describe the resulting outcome. A 39-year-old female with a history of thoracoscopic thymectomy for type B2 thymoma was referred to our hospital for a recurrence of thymoma with pleural dissemination. She underwent EPP as a radical surgery. Histopathological investigation revealed complete resection. The postoperative course was uneventful. She returned to her full-time job and showed no sign of recurrence at 31 months after surgery. EPP for recurrent thymoma with pleural dissemination may be considered to achieve macroscopically complete resection when the patient is young and has a sufficient pulmonary function reservoir without preoperative complications

Metabolic Mechanism of Mannan in a Ruminal Bacterium, Ruminococcus albus, Involving Two Mannoside Phosphorylases and Cellobiose 2-Epimerase : Discovery of a New Carbohydrate Phosphorylase, β-1,4-Mannooligosaccharide Phosphorylase

Ruminococcus albus is a typical ruminal bacterium digesting cellulose and hemicellulose. Cellobiose 2-epimerase (EC 5.1.3.11, CE), which converts cellobiose to 4-O-β-D-glucosyl-D-mannose, is a particularly unique enzyme in R. albus, but its physiological function is unclear. Recently, a new metabolic pathway of mannan involving CE was postulated for another CE producing bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis. In this pathway, β-1,4-mannobiose is epimerized to 4-O-β-D-mannosyl-D-glucose (Man-Glc) by CE, and Man-Glc is phosphorolyzed to α-D-mannosyl 1-phosphate (Man1P) and D-glucose by Man-Glc phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.281, MP). Ruminococcus albus NE1 showed intracellular MP activity, and two MP isozymes, RaMP1 and RaMP2, were obtained from the cell-free extract. These enzymes were highly specific for the mannosyl residue at the non-reducing end of the substrate and catalyzed the phosphorolysis and synthesis of Man-Glc through a sequential bi bi mechanism. In a synthetic reaction, RaMP1 showed high activity only towards D-glucose and 6-deoxy-D-glucose in the presence of Man1P, while RaMP2 showed acceptor specificity significantly different from RaMP1. RaMP2 acted on D-glucose derivatives at the C2- and C3-positions including deoxy- and deoxyfluoro-analogues and epimers, but not on those substituted at the C6-position. Furthermore, RaMP2 had high synthetic activity toward the following oligosaccharides: β-linked glucobioses, maltose, N, N'-diacetylchitobiose, and β-1,4-mannooligosaccharides. Particularly, β-1,4-mannooligosaccharides served as significantly better acceptor substrates for RaMP2 than D-glucose. In the phosphorolytic reactions, RaMP2 had weak activity towards β-1,4-mannobiose but efficiently degraded β-1,4-mannooligosaccharides longer than β-1,4-mannobiose. Consequently, RaMP2 is thought to catalyze the phosphorolysis of β-1,4-mannooligosaccharides longer than β-1,4-mannobiose to produce Man1P and β-1,4-mannobiose

Temperature Correction of Printed Na+, K+, and pH Sensors with PEDOT:PSS‐Based Thermistors toward Wearable Sweat Sensing

Abstract Temperature correction for sensors is a critical aspect of ensuring accurate measurements in wearable devices, because skin and sweat temperatures vary between 20 and 40 °C depending on individual and time. Here, this study reports on the temperature dependence and correction techniques of printed Na+, K+, and pH sensors toward wearable applications. The ion sensor array is fabricated using a cost‐effective printing method. To enable temperature correction, a printed thermistor of crosslinked poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is monolithically integrated with the ion sensor array on a flexible plastic substrate. Temperature dependence of the potential response of the printed ion sensors exhibits a linear behavior with a slope of 1–2 mV °C−1 in the physiological skin temperature range of 20–40 °C. Applying temperature correction to the ion sensors, the maximum relative errors are reduced from 60% to 7.8% for the Na+ sensors and from 76% to 14.6% for the K+ sensors, while the maximum absolute error is reduced from 0.88 to 0.19 for the pH sensors, indicating the critical importance of temperature correction as a technology for wearable printed ion sensors

Characterization of a thermophilic 4-O-β-d-mannosyl-d-glucose phosphorylase fromRhodothermus marinus

4-O-β-d-Mannosyl-d-glucose phosphorylase (MGP), found in anaerobes, converts 4-O-β-d-mannosyl-d-glucose (Man-Glc) to α-d-mannosyl phosphate and d-glucose. It participates in mannan metabolism with cellobiose 2-epimerase (CE), which converts β-1,4-mannobiose to Man-Glc. A putative MGP gene is present in the genome of the thermophilic aerobe Rhodothermus marinus (Rm) upstream of the gene encoding CE. Konjac glucomannan enhanced production by R. marinus of MGP, CE, and extracellular mannan endo-1,4-β-mannosidase. Recombinant RmMGP catalyzed the phosphorolysis of Man-Glc through a sequential bi–bi mechanism involving ternary complex formation. Its molecular masses were 45 and 222 kDa under denaturing and nondenaturing conditions, respectively. Its pH and temperature optima were 6.5 and 75 °C, and it was stable between pH 5.5–8.3 and below 80 °C. In the reverse reaction, RmMGP had higher acceptor preferences for 6-deoxy-d-glucose and d-xylose than R. albus NE1 MGP. In contrast to R. albus NE1 MGP, RmMGP utilized methyl β-d-glucoside and 1,5-anhydro-d-glucitol as acceptor substrates