Phlogopite-Reinforced Natural Rubber (NR)/Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Monomer Rubber (EPDM) Composites with Aminosilane Compatibilizer.

Rubber compounding with two or more components has been extensively employed to improve various properties. In particular, natural rubber (NR)/ethylene-propylene-diene monomer rubber (EPDM) blends have found use in tire and automotive parts. Diverse fillers have been applied to NR/EPDM blends to enhance their mechanical properties. In this study, a new class of mineral filler, phlogopite, was incorporated into an NR/EPDM blend to examine the mechanical, curing, elastic, and morphological properties of the resulting material. The combination of aminoethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane (AEAPS) and stearic acid (SA) compatibilized the NR/EPDM/phlogopite composite, further improving various properties. The enhanced properties were compared with those of NR/EPDM/fillers composed of silica or carbon black (CB). Compared with the NR/EPDM/silica composite, the incompatibilized NR/EPDM/phlogopite composite without AEAPS exhibited poorer properties, but NR/EPDM/phlogopite compatibilized by AEAPS and SA showed improved properties. Most properties of the compatibilized NR/EPDM/phlogopite composite were similar to those of the NR/EPDM/CB composite, except for the lower abrasion resistance. The NR/EPDM/phlogopite/AEAPS rubber composite may potentially be used in various applications by replacing expensive fillers, such as CB.

Antiplatelet and Antithrombotic Effects of the Extract of Lindera obtusiloba Leaves.

Lindera obtusiloba has been used in traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of blood stasis and inflammation. The leaves of Lindera obtusiloba have been reported to exhibit various physiological activities. However, there is little information available on their antiplatelet and antithrombotic activities. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of Lindera obtusiloba leaf extract (LLE) on platelet activities, coagulation and thromboembolism. In a platelet aggregation study, LLE significantly inhibited various agonist-induced platelet aggregations in vitro and ex vivo. Furthermore, LLE significantly inhibited collagen-induced thromboxane A2 (TXA2) production in rat platelets. In addition, oral administration of LLE was protective in a mouse model of pulmonary thromboembolism induced by intravenous injection of a mixture of collagen and epinephrine. Interestingly, LLE did not significantly alter prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). This study indicates that the antithrombotic effects of LLE might be due to its antiplatelet activities rather than anticoagulation. Taken together, these results suggest that LLE may be a candidate preventive and therapeutic agent in cardiovascular diseases associated with platelet hyperactivity.

Production rate estimation of mycosporine-like amino acids in two Arctic melt ponds by stable isotope probing with NAH(13) CO3.

The net carbon uptake rate and net production rate of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) were measured in phytoplankton from 2 different melt ponds (MPs; closed and open type pond) in the western Arctic Ocean using a (13) C stable isotope tracer technique. The Research Vessel Araon visited ice-covered western-central basins situated at 82°N and 173°E in the summer of 2012, when Arctic sea ice declined to a record minimum. The average net carbon uptake rate of the phytoplankton in polycarbonate (PC) bottles in the closed MP was 3.24 mg C · m(-3) · h(-1) (SD = ±1.12 mg C · m(-3) · h(-1) ), while that in the open MP was 1.3 mg C · m(-3) · h(-1) (SD = ±0.05 mg C · m(-3) · h(-1) ). The net production rate of total MAAs in incubated PC bottles was highest (1.44 (SD = ±0.24) ng C · L(-1) · h(-1) ) in the open MP and lowest (0.05 (SD = ±0.003) ng C · L(-1) · h(-1) ) in the closed MP. The net production rate of shinorine and palythine in incubated PC bottles at the open MP presented significantly high values 0.76 (SD = ±0.12) ng C · L(-1) · h(-1) and 0.53 (SD = ±0.06) ng C · L(-1) · h(-1) . Our results showed that high net production rate of MAAs in the open MP was enhanced by a combination of osmotic and UVR stress and that in situ net production rates of individual MAA can be determined using (13) C tracer in MPs in Arctic sea ice.

Lacinutrix algicola sp. nov. and Lacinutrix mariniflava sp. nov., two novel marine alga-associated bacteria and emended description of the genus Lacinutrix.

Two heterotrophic, aerobic, yellow-pigmented, Gram-negative, non-gliding bacteria, designated AKS293(T) and AKS432(T), isolated from a red alga, were analysed using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the novel strains were affiliated to the genus Lacinutrix, a member of the family Flavobacteriaceae, showing sequence similarities of 96.1-96.4 % with respect to the type strain of Lacinutrix copepodicola. The two novel isolates shared 99.5 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity and 55.0 % DNA-DNA relatedness. They grew optimally at 17.5 degrees C and pH 6.5. The main cellular fatty acids of strain AKS293(T) were iso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(15 : 0) 3-OH and iso-C(16 : 0) 3-OH, while those of strain AKS432(T) were anteiso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(15 : 1) and iso-C(15 : 0) 3-OH. In both cases, the major isoprenoid quinone was MK-6. The DNA G+C contents were 34.7 and 37.0 mol% for strains AKS293(T) and AKS432(T), respectively. The phylogenetic evidence, phenotypic data and DNA-DNA hybridization results support the differentiation of strains AKS293(T) and AKS432(T) from each other and from their closest relative, L. copepodicola DJ3(T). Therefore, strains AKS293(T) and AKS432(T) represent two novel species, for which the names Lacinutrix algicola sp. nov. and Lacinutrix mariniflava sp. nov. are proposed, respectively. The type strain of L. algicola sp. nov. is AKS293(T) (=KCCM 42313(T)=JCM 13825(T)) and the type strain of L. mariniflava sp. nov. is AKS432(T) (=KCCM 42306(T)=JCM 13824(T)). An emended description of the genus Lacinutrix is also proposed.

Cadmium bioaccumulation and detoxification in the gill and digestive gland of the Antarctic bivalve Laternula elliptica.

Exposure to a sublethal concentration of cadmium (Cd; 50 microg L(-1)) resulted in significantly increased Cd concentrations in the gill and digestive gland of the Antarctic bivalve Laternula elliptica. Continuous accumulation of Cd in the two organs during the 14-day exposure period was associated with sequestration of Cd to both the soluble cytosolic and insoluble particulate cell fractions. However, the contribution of each cell fraction to Cd sequestration differed between the two organs; in the gill, a larger portion of Cd was associated with the insoluble fraction, while in the digestive gland, both the soluble and insoluble fractions sequestered similar amounts of Cd. Metal-binding components in the insoluble cell fraction were not identified in this study. On the other hand, a metallothionein-like protein (MTLP) was the major Cd-detoxifying component in the soluble cell fraction of the gill and digestive gland. The amount of MTLP increased linearly with exposure time and the amount of Cd accumulated in the tissue, which suggests a potential utility of MTLP as a biomarker for exposure to Cd and possibly other metals.