The Plant Organelles Database 2 (PODB2): An Updated Resource Containing Movie Data of Plant Organelle Dynamics

The Plant Organelles Database (PODB) was launched in 2006 and provides imaging data of plant organelles, protocols for plant organelle research and external links to relevant websites. To provide comprehensive information on plant organelle dynamics and accommodate movie files that contain time-lapse images and 3D structure rotations, PODB was updated to the next version, PODB2 (http://podb.nibb.ac.jp/Organellome). PODB2 contains movie data submitted directly by plant researchers and can be freely downloaded. Through this organelle movie database, users can examine the dynamics of organelles of interest, including their movement, division, subcellular positioning and behavior, in response to external stimuli. In addition, the user interface for access and submission has been enhanced. PODB2 contains all of the information included in PODB, and the volume of data and protocols deposited in the PODB2 continues to grow steadily. Moreover, a new website, Plant Organelles World (http://podb.nibb.ac.jp/Organellome/PODBworld/en/index.html), which is based on PODB2, was recently launched as an educational tool to engage members of the non-scientific community such as students and school teachers. Plant Organelles World is written in layman's terms, and technical terms were avoided where possible. We would appreciate contributions of data from all plant researchers to enhance the usefulness of PODB2 and Plant Organelles World

3D-Ensembles of gold nanowires: preparation, characterization and electroanalytical prospects

Nanoelectrode ensembles (NEEs) of gold nanodisks, prepared by electroless template deposition of gold within the pores of track-etched polycarbonate membranes, are treated with oxygen plasma or with solvent mixtures in order to achieve controlled etching of part of the polycarbonate of the template. This causes the structure of the final ensemble to change from a 2-D flat structure into a 3-D one. The cyclic voltammetric (CV) behavior of redox probes at the 3DNEEs is examined and compared with the behavior observed at 2D-NEEs. Finally, 3D-NEEs are examined in order to test possible applications for the development of mediated sensors

The plant organelles database (PODB): a collection of visualized plant organelles and protocols for plant organelle research

The plant organelles database (PODB; http://podb.nibb.ac.jp/Organellome) was built to promote a comprehensive understanding of organelle dynamics, including organelle function, biogenesis, differentiation, movement and interactions with other organelles. This database consists of three individual parts, the organellome database, the functional analysis database and external links to other databases and homepages. The organellome database provides images of various plant organelles that were visualized with fluorescent and nonfluorescent probes in various tissues of several plant species at different developmental stages. The functional analysis database is a collection of protocols for plant organelle research. External links give access primarily to other databases and Web pages with information on transcriptomes and proteomes. All the data and protocols in the organellome database and the functional analysis database are populated by direct submission of experimentally determined data from plant researchers and can be freely downloaded. Our database promotes the exchange of information between plant organelle researchers for the comprehensive study of the organelle dynamics that support integrated functions in higher plants. We would also appreciate contributions of data and protocols from all plant researchers to maximize the usefulness of the database

Emotions in business-to-business service relationships

Emotion in business-to-business service relationships regarding cargo services is explored. The service relationship is characterised by mutual trust and cooperation. Contact is mainly via telephone or e-mail with some face-to-face interactions and participants providing a complex, multi-skilled seamless service. Experience rather than training plays a vital role with long-term service relationships built up and maintained. Emotional sensitivity is acquired partly by experience and a repeat customer base but mainly through a genuine desire to help and get to know others. In contrast to the view of emotional labour bringing managerial control or adverse affects to service staff, the emotion engendered by this work is authentic expression bringing personal satisfaction

Stimuli-responsive chitosan-starch injectable hydrogels combined with encapsulated adipose-derived stromal cells for articular cartilage regeneration

Tissue engineering strategies have been showing promising early results in articular cartilage lesions repair. Hydrogels based on natural origin polymers as chitosan glycerol-phosphate (CGP) thermosensitive formulation that can be implanted in a minimal invasive manner, represent a great promise as injectable scaffold choice for cartilage tissue engineering, but it lacks in mechanical properties. A different formulation, from which a firm texture gels results is, therefore, desirable. In this work we first aim to investigate the suitability of CGP to produce an injectable thermosensitive, pH-dependent solution, when combined with increasing concentrations of starch: 0.5% (I), 1% (II), and 1.5% (III). The data collected from the rheological measurements showed that the addition of starch to the CGP did not alter the transition temperature and confirmed the heating inducing gelation of all solutions, supporting the ability of these novel formulations to be applied as minimal invasive systems. The evaluation of the dynamic mechanical analysis of the hydrogels showed an increase in the storage modulus within increasing starch concentration, clearly demonstrating that best viscoelastic properties were obtained with the novel chitosan-starch based solution. The incorporation of starch also improved the degradation profile. All materials showed to be biocompatible through the cytotoxicity screening in vitro. These data suggested the potential of novel thermo-responsive chitosan-starch hydrogels to be used as injectable vehicles for cell delivery in cartilage tissue engineering applications. In a second phase, the potential of chitosan-b-glycerophosphate (CGP) and chitosan-bglycerophosphate- 1% starch (CST) hydrogels to induce chondrocytic differentiation and cartilage matrix accumulation were evaluated, as well as the influence of starch in the chondrogenesis of encapsulated adipose derived stromal (ADSC) cells. The ADSC were homogeneously encapsulated, remained viable, proliferated, and maintained the expression of typical chondrogenic markers genes, and deposited cartilage ECM molecules. Improved results were obtained within the novel CST constructs. The overall data suggest that chitosan-b-glycerophosphate-starch hydrogels could be considered for chondrogenic differentiation of adipose derived stromal cells for cartilage-engineered regeneration using minimal invasive techniques.The authors acknowledge the financial support to the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the PhD fellowship to H. Sa-Lima (SFRH/BD/21779/2005) and for the Project PTDC/QUI/68804/2006; the European Union funded STREP Project HIPPOCRATES (NM3-CT-2003-505758); and the European NoE EXPERTISSUES (NMP3-CT-2004-500283)

Cork–polymer biocomposites: mechanical, structural and thermal properties

This work addresses to the preparation of biocomposites resulting from the combination of different biodegradable aliphatic polyesters with cork (30 wt.%). The lignocellulosic biomass with closed cellular structure was compounded with poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV), poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) and starch-poly-ε-caprolactone (SPCL) blend using a twin-screw extruder prior to injection moulding into tensile samples. The physico-mechanical and thermal properties of the matrices and the bio-based cork composites were investigated. This study shows that the addition of cork contributes to produce lightweight materials using PLLA and PHBV matrices and promotes an increase on the stiffness of PCL. The fracture morphology observations showed good physical corkâ matrix bonding with absence of voids or cavities between cork and the bio-based polyesters. Cork increases the crystallinity degree of the biocomposites. These findings suggest that the corkâ polymer biocomposites are a viable alternative to develop more sustainable composite materials, such as automotive interior parts and bio-based caps for wine bottles as it has been shown as proof-of-concept.The work was performed within the project of Corticeira Amorim S.G.P.S. on the development of new products based in/with cork. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support, through the COMPETE/QREN/EU funding program in the project with acronym NovelComp (QREN FCOMP-01-0202-FEDER-003107). The author E.M.F. acknowledges the financial support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and POPH/FSE for the post-doctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/96197/2013)

Current trends in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics.

Pharmacokinetics (PK) is the study of the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) processes of a drug. Understanding PK properties is essential for drug development and precision medication. In this review we provided an overview of recent research on PK with focus on the following aspects: (1) an update on drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters in the determination of PK, as well as advances in xenobiotic receptors and noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in the modulation of PK, providing new understanding of the transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms that result in inter-individual variations in pharmacotherapy; (2) current status and trends in assessing drug-drug interactions, especially interactions between drugs and herbs, between drugs and therapeutic biologics, and microbiota-mediated interactions; (3) advances in understanding the effects of diseases on PK, particularly changes in metabolizing enzymes and transporters with disease progression; (4) trends in mathematical modeling including physiologically-based PK modeling and novel animal models such as CRISPR/Cas9-based animal models for DMPK studies; (5) emerging non-classical xenobiotic metabolic pathways and the involvement of novel metabolic enzymes, especially non-P450s. Existing challenges and perspectives on future directions are discussed, and may stimulate the development of new research models, technologies, and strategies towards the development of better drugs and improved clinical practice

The Investigation of Intermediate Stage of Template Etching with Metal Droplets by Wetting Angle Analysis on (001) GaAs Surface

In this work, we study metal droplets on a semiconductor surface that are the initial stage for both droplet epitaxy and local droplet etching. The distributions of droplet geometrical parameters such as height, radius and volume help to understand the droplet formation that strongly influences subsequent nanohole etching. To investigate the etching and intermixing processes, we offer a new method of wetting angle analysis. The aspect ratio that is defined as the ratio of the height to radius was used as an estimation of wetting angle which depends on the droplet material. The investigation of the wetting angle and the estimation of indium content revealed significant materials intermixing during the deposition time. AFM measurements reveal the presence of two droplet groups that is in agreement with nanohole investigations. To explain this observation, we consider arsenic evaporation and consequent change in the initial substrate. On the basis of our analysis, we suggest the model of droplet evolution and the formation of two droplet groups