Abstract: We demonstrate all-solid-state flexible supercapacitors with high physical flexibility, desirable electrochemical properties, and excellent mechanical integrity, which were realized by rationally exploiting unique properties of bacterial nanocellulose, carbon nanotubes, and ionic liquid based polymer gel electrolytes. This deliberate choice and design of main components led to excellent supercapacitor performance such as high tolerance against bending cycles and high capacitance retention over charge/discharge cycles. More specifically, the performance of our supercapacitors was highly retained through 200 bending cycles to a radius of 3 mm. In addition, the supercapacitors showed excellent cyclability with Csp (∼20 mF/cm2) reduction of only <0.5% over 5000 charge/discharge cycles at the current density of 10 A/g. Our demonstration could be an important basis for material design and development of flexible supercapacitors.

Abstract: Eco-friendly cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), a core constituent of cellulose, have garnered increasing attention as a promising sustainable building block source for advanced materials in various application fields. In the present study, we successfully fabricate a cellulose nanofiber paper from a CNF suspension and explore its potential application to a separator membrane for lithium-ion batteries. In contrast to macro/microscopic cellulose fibers that have been commonly used for typical papers, the CNFs are characterized by the nanometer-scale diameter/length up to several micrometers and highly crystalline domains, contributing to excellent mechanical/thermal properties and nanoporous structure evolution. A salient feature of the cellulose nanofiber paper-derived separator membrane (referred to as “CNP separator”) is an electrolyte-philic, nanoscale labyrinth structure established between closely piled CNFs. The unusual porous structure is fine-tuned by varying the composition ratio of the solvent mixture (= isopropyl alcohol (IPA)–water) in the CNF suspension, wherein IPA is introduced as a CNF-disassembling agent while water promotes dense packing of CNFs. Based on a solid understanding of separator characteristics, electrochemical performances of cells assembled with the CNP separators are investigated. Notably, the CNP separator manufactured with IPA–water = 95/5 (vol/vol%) exhibits highly interconnected nanoporous network channels and satisfactory mechanical properties, which play a significant role in improving separator properties and cell performance. This study underlines that the porous structure-tuned cellulose nanofiber papers provide a promising new route for the fabrication of advanced separator membranes, which will also serve as a key component to boost the development of next-generation paper batteries.

Abstract: The dominant factors controlling soil bacterial community variation within the tropics are poorly known. We sampled soils across a range of land use types—primary (unlogged) and logged forests and crop and pasture lands in Malaysia. PCR-amplified soil DNA for the bacterial 16S rRNA gene targeting the V1–V3 region was pyrosequenced using the 454 Roche machine. We found that land use in itself has a weak but significant effect on the bacterial community composition. However, bacterial community composition and diversity was strongly correlated with soil properties, especially soil pH, total carbon, and C/N ratio. Soil pH was the best predictor of bacterial community composition and diversity across the various land use types, with the highest diversity close to neutral pH values. In addition, variation in phylogenetic structure of dominant lineages (Alphaproteobacteria, Beta/Gammaproteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria) is also significantly correlated with soil pH. Together, these results confirm the importance of soil pH in structuring soil bacterial communities in Southeast Asia. Our results also suggest that unlike the general diversity pattern found for larger organisms, primary tropical forest is no richer in operational taxonomic units of soil bacteria than logged forest, and agricultural land (crop and pasture) is actually richer than primary forest, partly due to selection of more fertile soils that have higher pH for agriculture and the effects of soil liming raising pH.

Abstract: Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a highly conserved, acute-phase protein synthesized predominantly by the liver. After secretion into the circulation, it associates with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles. During acute inflammation, serum SAA levels may rise up to 1000-fold, and under these conditions, SAA displaces apolipoprotein A-I from HDL, thus becoming the major apolipoprotein of circulating HDL3. SAA exhibits significant immunological activity by, for example, inducing the synthesis of several cytokines and by being chemotactic for neutrophils and mast cells. It exerts many of its immunological activities by binding and activating cell-surface receptors, including Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4, formyl peptide receptor-like 1 (FPRL1), class B scavenger receptor CD36, and the ATP receptor P2X7. SAA also recently has been shown to activate the inflammasome cascade, which has a key role in immune activation, thus further stressing the unique role of SAA in immunomodulation. Traditionally, SAA has been considered to have a key role in the pathogenesis of amyloid A-type amyloidosis, but we now understand that it may also participate in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis. Thus, SAA is one potential target in the treatment of diseases associated with chronic inflammation. The purpose of this review is to shed light on SAA as an immunologically active protein. We also focus on the recent findings implicating SAA in the regulation of the inflammasome cascade.

Abstract: The efficacy and safety of two doses of aclidinium bromide were evaluated in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this 24-week, double-blind trial, patients were randomised to twice-daily aclidinium (200 μg or 400 μg) or placebo. The primary efficacy end-point was change in trough forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) at week 24. Other end-points included peak FEV(1), health status (St George's Respiratory Questionnaire; SGRQ) and dyspnoea (Transitional Dyspnoea Index; TDI). Overall, 828 patients were randomised. At week 24, significant improvements from baseline were observed with aclidinium 200 μg and 400 μg versus placebo for trough FEV(1) (99 and 128 mL; both p<0.0001) and peak FEV(1) (185 and 209 mL; both p<0.0001). Peak FEV(1) improvements on day 1 were comparable with week 24. Aclidinium 200 μg and 400 μg produced significant improvements over placebo in baseline-adjusted mean SGRQ total score (-3.8 and -4.6 units; p<0.001 and p<0.0001) and TDI focal score (0.6 and 1.0 units; p<0.05 and p<0.001) at week 24. With both aclidinium doses, the incidence of anticholinergic adverse events was low, and similar to placebo. Twice-daily aclidinium significantly improved bronchodilation, health status and dyspnoea, and was well tolerated in patients with COPD.

Abstract: Recent work has suggested that in temperate and subtropical trees, leaf surface bacterial communities are distinctive to each individual tree species and dominated by Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria. In order to understand how general this pattern is, we studied the phyllosphere bacterial community on leaves of six species of tropical trees at a rainforest arboretum in Malaysia. This represents the first detailed study of ‘true’ tropical lowland tree phyllosphere communities. Leaf surface DNA was extracted and pyrosequenced targeting the V1–V3 region of 16S rRNA gene. As was previously found in temperate and subtropical trees, each tree species had a distinctive bacterial community on its leaves, clustering separately from other tree species in an ordination analysis. Bacterial communities in the phyllosphere were unique to plant leaves in that very few operational taxonomic units (0.5%) co-occurred in the surrounding soil environment. A novel and distinctive aspect of tropical phyllosphere communities is that Acidobacteria were one of the most abundant phyla across all samples (on average, 17%), a pattern not previously recognized. Sequences belonging to Acidobacteria were classified into subgroups 1–6 among known 24 subdivisions, and subgroup 1 (84%) was the most abundant group, followed by subgroup 3 (15%). The high abundance of Acidobacteria on leaves of tropical trees indicates that there is a strong relationship between host plants and Acidobacteria in tropical rain forest, which needs to be investigated further. The similarity of phyllosphere bacterial communities amongst the tree species sampled shows a significant tendency to follow host plant phylogeny, with more similar communities on more closely related hosts.

Abstract: Storms represent the most important disturbance factor in forests of Central Europe. Using data from long-term growth and yield experiments in Baden-Wuerttemberg (south-western Germany), which permit separation of storm damage from other causes of mortality for individual trees, we investigated the influence of soil, site, forest stand, and tree parameters on storm damage, especially focusing on the influence of silvicultural interventions. For this purpose, a four-step modeling approach was applied in order to extract the main risk factors for (1) the general stand-level occurrence of storm damage, (2) the occurrence of total stand damage, and (3) partial storm damage within stands. The estimated stand-level probability of storm damage obtained in step 3 was then offset in order to describe the damage potential for the individual trees within each partially damaged stand (4). Generalized linear mixed models were applied. Our results indicate that tree species and stand height are the most important storm risk factors, also for characterizing the long-term storm risk. Additionally, data on past timber removals and selective thinnings appear more important for explaining storm damage predisposition than for example stand density, soil and site conditions or topographic variables. When quantified with a weighting method (summarizing the relative weight of single predictors or groups of predictors), removals could explain up to 20% of storm risk. The stepwise modeling approach proved an important methodological feature of the analysis, since it enabled consideration of the large number of observations without damage (“zero inflation”) in a statistically correct way. These results form a reliable basis for quantifying forest management’s direct impact on the risk of storm damage.

Abstract: In recent decades, researchers have increasingly focused attention on how climatic change will affect ecosystem functioning. Much of this research has centred on the effects of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations and increasing temperatures (e.g. Ainsworth & Long, 2005; Wu et al., 2011). The consequences of altered precipitation patterns, by contrast, have received far less attention. The results of precipitation manipulation experiments were only recently synthesized for the first time (Wu et al., 2011), and the conclusions that can be drawn regarding global patterns remain preliminary. In general, reduced water inputs slow ecosystem processes, while increased rainfall enhances plant productivity (Wu et al., 2011), but it remains unclear how this response differs among ecosystems. When synthesizing water manipulation experiments, firm conclusions are not only precluded by the insufficient number of data points (Wu et al., 2011), but also by the difficulty of defining the magnitude of the perturbation experienced by the biota (further coined the ‘actual’ treatment). Unlike in the case of, for example, elevated CO2, the magnitude of the imposed treatment (e.g. )20% precipitation vs +300 ppm CO2) does not clearly indicate the actual treatment. Many factors influence the way an ecosystem experiences a change in rainfall; of greatest importance to the ecosystem is not the amount of incoming precipitation, but rather the amount of water that plants have access to. This ‘plant available water’ strongly depends on factors such as soil texture and rooting depth (Tolk, 2003), and the latter can show substantial seasonal and interannual variation (Knapp et al., 2008) and may differ between treatments. Additionally, runoff water and stem flow can complicate estimations of the magnitude of an imposed manipulation (Cotrufo et al., 2011), and plants that access groundwater supplies can complicate interpretations of treatment effects. If we want to understand why plant responses to altered precipitation differ among ecosystems, comparisons of effects of precipitation manipulations must use a more ecologically meaningful metric to describe the actual treatment than merely the change in precipitation. Without such a relevant ‘common denominator’, observed differences in ecosystem responses to altered precipitation may reflect differences not only in ecosystem properties, but also in the actual treatment. Potential metrics for quantification of the actual treatment

Abstract: Although organosolv pretreatment removed substantial amounts of lignin and xylan, the yield of glucan which is a major sugar source for fermentation to ethanol is more than 90% in most conditions of the organosolv pretreatment. Relative lignin contents of all pretreated biomass were more than 200 g kg−1, however enzymatic conversions were increased dramatically comparing to untreated biomass. Therefore the correlation between lignin and enzymatic hydrolysis could not be explained just by lignin content, and other changes resulting from lignin removal affected enzymatic hydrolysis. Results on enzymatic conversion and sugar recovery suggested that the critical temperature improving enzymatic hydrolysis significantly was between 120 °C and 130 °C. Microscopic analysis using Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) showed that structural lignin changes happened through organosolv pretreatment. Lignins were isolated from lignin carbohydrate complex (LCC) at the initial stage and then migrated to the surface of biomass. The isolated and migrated lignins were finally redistributed onto surface. These structural changes formed droplets on surface and increased pore volume in pretreated biomass. The increase in pore volume also increased available surface area and enzyme adsorption at initial stage, and thus enzymatic conversion increased significantly through organosolv pretreatment. It was verified that the droplets were mainly composed of lignin and the lignin droplets inhibited enzymatic hydrolysis through adsorption with cellulase.

Abstract: The response of tropical forests to global climate variability and change remains poorly understood. Results from long-term studies of permanent forest plots have reported different, and in some cases opposing trends in tropical forest dynamics. In this study, we examined changes in tree growth rates at four long-term permanent tropical forest research plots in relation to variation in solar radiation, temperature and precipitation. Temporal variation in the stand-level growth rates measured at five-year intervals was found to be positively correlated with variation in incoming solar radiation and negatively related to temporal variation in night-time temperatures. Taken alone, neither solar radiation variability nor the effects of night-time temperatures can account for the observed temporal variation in tree growth rates across sites, but when considered together, these two climate variables account for most of the observed temporal variability in tree growth rates. Further analysis indicates that the stand-level response is primarily driven by the responses of smaller-sized trees (less than 20 cm in diameter). The combined temperature and radiation responses identified in this study provide a potential explanation for the conflicting patterns in tree growth rates found in previous studies.

Abstract: Studies on hybridization have proved critical for understanding key evolutionary processes such as speciation and adaptation. However, from the perspective of conservation, hybridization poses a concern, as it can threaten the integrity and fitness of many wild species, including canids. As a result of habitat fragmentation and extensive hunting pressure, gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations have declined dramatically in Europe and elsewhere during recent centuries. Small and fragmented populations have persisted, but often only in the presence of large numbers of dogs, which increase the potential for hybridization and introgression to deleteriously affect wolf populations. Here, we demonstrate hybridization between wolf and dog populations in Estonia and Latvia, and the role of both genders in the hybridization process, using combined analysis of maternal, paternal and biparental genetic markers. Eight animals exhibiting unusual external characteristics for wolves - six from Estonia and two from Latvia - proved to be wolf-dog hybrids. However, one of the hybridization events was extraordinary. Previous field observations and genetic studies have indicated that mating between wolves and dogs is sexually asymmetrical, occurring predominantly between female wolves and male dogs. While this was also the case among the Estonian hybrids, our data revealed the existence of dog mitochondrial genomes in the Latvian hybrids and, together with Y chromosome and autosomal microsatellite data, thus provided the first evidence from Europe of mating between male wolves and female dogs. We discuss patterns of sexual asymmetry in wolf-dog hybridization.

Abstract: A new and facile approach for the surface modification of high-voltage LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode active materials is demonstrated. This strategy is based on polyimide (PI) gel polymer electrolyte (GPE)-directed nanoscale wrapping. The PI coating layer successfully wraps a large area of the LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 surface via thermal imidization of (pyromellitic dianhydride/oxydianiline) polyamic acid. Salient features of the PI wrapping layer are the highly continuous surface coverage with nanometre thickness (∼10 nm) and the facile ion transport through the nanoscale layer. Based on a sound understanding of the nanoarchitectured PI wrapping layer, its influence on the cell performance and thermal stability of high-voltage LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 is investigated as a function of charge cut-off voltage (herein, 4.6 and 4.8 V). The anomalous PI wrapping layer substantially improves the high-voltage cycling performance and alleviates the interfacial exothermic reaction between delithiated LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 and liquid electrolyte. These results demonstrate that the PI wrapping layer effectively prevents the direct exposure of the LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 surface to liquid electrolytes that are highly vulnerable to electrochemical decomposition at high charge voltage conditions, thus behaving as a novel ion-conductive protection skin that mitigates the unwanted interfacial side reactions.

Abstract: Field surveys were conducted from 2008 to 2011 in the Khabarovsk and Vladivostok regions of Russia to investigate the occurrence of emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, and mortality factors affecting its immature stages. We found emerald ash borer infesting both introduced North American green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall) and native oriental ashes (F. mandshurica Rupr. and F. rhynchophylla Hance) in both regions. Emerald ash borer densities (larvae/m2 of phloem area) were markedly higher on green ash (11.3–76.7 in the Khabarovsk area and 77–245 in the Vladivostok area) than on artificially stressed Manchurian ash (2.2) or Oriental ash (10–59). Mortality of emerald ash borer larvae caused by different biotic factors (woodpecker predation, host plant resistance and/or undetermined diseases, and parasitism) varied with date, site, and ash species. In general, predation of emerald ash borer larvae by woodpeckers was low. While low rates (3–27%) of emerald ash borer larval morta...

Abstract: Commercial plant essential oils obtained from 11 Myrtaceae plant species were tested for their fumigant antifungal activity against Aspergillus ochraceus, A. flavus, and A. niger. Essential oils extracted from Leptospermum petersonii at air concentrations of 56 × 10(-3) mg/mL and 28 × 10(-3) mg/mL completely inhibited the growth of the three Aspergillus species. However, at an air concentration of 14 × 10(-3) mg/mL, inhibition rates of L. petersonii essential oils were reduced to 20.2% and 18.8% in the case of A. flavus and A. niger, respectively. The other Myrtaceae essential oils (56 × 10(-3) mg/mL) only weakly inhibited the fungi or had no detectable affect. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis identified 16 compounds in L. petersonii essential oil. The antifungal activity of the identified compounds was tested individually by using standard or synthesized compounds. Of these, neral and geranial inhibited growth by 100%, at an air concentration of 56 × 10(-3) mg/mL, whereas the activity of citronellol was somewhat lover (80%). The other compounds exhibited only moderate or weak antifungal activity. The antifungal activities of blends of constituents identified in L. petersonii oil indicated that neral and geranial were the major contributors to the fumigant and antifungal activities.

Abstract: Obesity and overweight are associated with atherosclerosis, fatty liver, hyperlipemia, diabetes mellitus, and various types of cancer. The global prevalence of overweight and obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Here, we investigated the effect of Tamarindus indica pulp aqueous extract (TIE) in diet-induced obese Sprague–Dawley rats. The animals were divided into five groups and labeled as follows: the normal control (NC) group received normal diet; the positive control (PC) group received high-fat diet; and the TIE 5, 25, and 50 groups, after the induction of obesity via a high-fat diet, received TIE at 5, 25, or 50 mg/kg orally for 10 weeks. It was observed that TIE decreased the levels of plasma total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride, and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL), with the concomitant reduction of body weight. Moreover, TIE decreased plasma leptin and reduced fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity and enhanced the efficiency of the antioxidant defense system. TIE exhibits antiobesity effects, as indicated by a significant reduction in adipose tissue weights, as well as lowering the degree of hepatic steatosis in the obesity-induced rats. The extract possesses hepatoprotective activity, as it reversed the plasma liver enzymes level elevation prior to the high-fat diet. In conclusion, TIE improved obesity-related parameters in blood, liver, and adipose tissue in a rat model and suppressed obesity induced by a high-fat diet, possibly by regulating lipid metabolism and lowering plasma leptin and FAS levels. A dose-dependant effect of TIE is detected, where TIE at 50 mg/kg showed the most prominent effect, followed by TIE at 25 mg/kg and, subsequently, 5 mg/kg.

Abstract: It is known that the microbial community of the rhizosphere is not only influenced by factors such as root exudates, phenology, and nutrient uptake but also by the plant species. However, studies of bacterial communities associated with tropical rainforest tree root surfaces, or rhizoplane, are lacking. Here, we analyzed the bacterial community of root surfaces of four species of native trees, Agathis borneensis, Dipterocarpus kerrii, Dyera costulata, and Gnetum gnemon, and nearby bulk soils, in a rainforest arboretum in Malaysia, using 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The rhizoplane bacterial communities for each of the four tree species sampled clustered separately from one another on an ordination, suggesting that these assemblages are linked to chemical and biological characteristics of the host or possibly to the mycorrhizal fungi present. Bacterial communities of the rhizoplane had various similarities to surrounding bulk soils. Acidobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Betaproteobacteria were dominant in rhizoplane communities and in bulk soils from the same depth (0–10 cm). In contrast, the relative abundance of certain bacterial lineages on the rhizoplane was different from that in bulk soils: Bacteroidetes and Betaproteobacteria, which are known as copiotrophs, were much more abundant in the rhizoplane in comparison to bulk soil. At the genus level, Burkholderia, Acidobacterium, Dyella, and Edaphobacter were more abundant in the rhizoplane. Burkholderia, which are known as both pathogens and mutualists of plants, were especially abundant on the rhizoplane of all tree species sampled. The Burkholderia species present included known mutualists of tropical crops and also known N fixers. The host-specific character of tropical tree rhizoplane bacterial communities may have implications for understanding nutrient cycling, recruitment, and structuring of tree species diversity in tropical forests. Such understanding may prove to be useful in both tropical forestry and conservation.