Tailoring Chemical Absorption-Precipitation to Lower the Regeneration Energy of a CO2 Capture Solvent.

Solvent-based CO2 capture consumes significant amounts of energy for solvent regeneration. To improve energy efficiency, this study investigates CO2 fixation in a solid form through solvation, followed by ionic self-assembly-aided precipitation. Based on the hypothesis that CO3 2- ions may bind with monovalent metal ions, we introduced Na+ into an aqueous hexane-1,6-diamine solution where CO2 forms carbamate and bicarbonate. Then, Na+ ions in the solvent act as a seed for ionic self-assembly with diamine carbamate to form an intermediate ionic complex. The recurring chemical reactions lead to the formation of an ionic solid from a mixture of organic carbamate/carbonate and inorganic sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3 ), which can be easily removed from the aqueous solvent through sedimentation or centrifugation and heated to release the captured CO2 . Mild-temperature heating of the solids at 80-150 °C causes decomposition of the solid CO2 -diamine-Na molecular aggregates and discharge of CO2 . This sorbent regeneration process requires 6.5-8.6 GJ/t CO2 . It was also found that the organic carbamate/carbonate solid, without NaHCO3 , contains a significant amount of CO2 , up to 6.2 mmol CO2 /g-sorbent, requiring as low as 2.9-5.8 GJ/t CO2 . Molecular dynamic simulations support the hypothesis of using Na+ to form relatively less stable, yet sufficiently solid, complexes for the least energy-intensive recovery of diamine solvents compared to bivalent carbonate-forming ions.

Development and authentication of Panax ginseng cv. Sunhong with high yield and multiple tolerance to heat damage, rusty roots and lodging.

Ginseng (Panax ginseng) has been used as a valuable medicinal plant in Asia, and the demand for ginseng production for health functional food is increasing worldwide after the COVID-19 crisis. Although a number of cultivars have been developed to increase ginseng production, none of them were widely cultivated in Korea because they could not resist various environmental stresses while being grown in one place for at least 4 years. To address this, Sunhong was developed as a ginseng cultivar with high yield and multiple stress tolerance by pure line selection. Sunhong showed high yield and heat tolerance comparable to Yunpoong, a representative high-yielding cultivar, and exhibited 1.4 times lower prevalence of rusty roots than Yunpoong, suggesting that Sunhong can keep its high yield and quality during long-term cultivation. In addition, distinct color and lodging resistance were expected to increase the convenience of cultivation. To supply pure seeds to farmers, we also established a reliable high-throughput authentication system for Sunhong and seven ginseng cultivars through genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) analysis. The GBS approach enabled to identify a sufficient number of informative SNPs in ginseng, a heterozygous and polyploid species. These results contribute to the improvement of yield, quality, and homogeneity, and therefore promote the ginseng industry. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13580-023-00526-x.

Probiotic Characteristics and Safety Assessment of Lacticaseibacillus casei KGC1201 Isolated from Panax ginseng.

Panax ginseng is one of the most important herbal medicinal plants consumed as health functional food and can be fermented to achieve better efficacy. Lacticaseibacillus, one of the representative genera among lactic acid bacteria (LAB), has also been used as a probiotic material for health functional foods due to its beneficial effects on the human body. To achieve a synergistic effect by using these excellent dietary supplement ingredients together, a novel LAB strain was isolated from the root of 6-year-old ginseng. Through similarity analysis of 16S rRNAs and whole-genome sequences, the strain was confirmed as belonging to the genus Lacticaseibacillus and was named L. casei KGC1201. KGC1201 not only met all safety standards as food, but also showed excellent probiotic properties such as acid resistance, bile salt resistance, and intestinal adhesion. In particular, KGC1201 exhibited superior acid resistance through morphological observation identifying that the cell surface damage of KGC1201 was less than that of the L. casei type strain KCTC3109. Gene expression studies were conducted to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of KGC1201's acid resistance, and the expression of the glycosyltransferase gene was found to be significantly elevated under acidic conditions. Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) biosynthesized by glycosyltransferase were also increased in KGC1201 compared to KCTC3109, which may contribute to better protection of KGC1201 cells from strong acidity. Therefore, KGC1201, with its increased acid resistance through molecular mechanisms and excellent probiotic properties, can be used in health functional foods to provide greater benefit to overall human health and well-being.

Growth promotion effect of red ginseng dietary fiber to probiotics and transcriptome analysis of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum.

Background: Red ginseng marc, the residue of red ginseng left after water extraction, is rich in dietary fiber. Dietary fiber derived from fruits or vegetables can promote the proliferation of probiotics, and it is a key technology in the food industry to increase the productivity of probiotics by adding growth-enhancing substances such as dietary fiber. In this study, the effect of red ginseng dietary fiber (RGDF) on the growth of probiotic bacterial strains was investigated at the phenotypic and genetic levels. Methods: We performed transcriptome profiling of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum IDCC3501 in two phases of culture (logarithmic (L)-phase and stationary (S)-phase) in two culture conditions (with or without RGDF) using RNA-seq. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and classified according to Gene Ontology terms. Results: The growth of L.plantarum IDCC3501 was enhanced in medium supplemented with RGDF up to 2%. As a result of DEG analysis, 29 genes were upregulated and 30 were downregulated in the RGDF-treated group in the L-phase. In the S-phase, 57 genes were upregulated and 126 were downregulated in the RGDF-treated group. Among the upregulated genes, 5 were upregulated only in the L-phase, 10 were upregulated only in the S-phase, and 3 were upregulated in both the L- and S-phases. Conclusions: Transcriptome analysis could be a valuable tool for elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which RGDF promotes the proliferation of L.plantarum IDCC3501. This growth-promoting effect of RGDF is important, since RGDF could be used as a prebiotic source without additional chemical or enzymatic processing.

Distributed Two-Dimensional MUSIC for Joint Range and Angle Estimation with Distributed FMCW MIMO Radars.

To estimate range and angle information of multiple targets, FMCW MIMO radars have been exploited with 2D MUSIC algorithms. To improve estimation accuracy, received signals from multiple FMCW MIMO radars are collected at the data fusion center and processed coherently, which increases data communication overhead and implementation complexity. To resolve them, we propose the distributed 2D MUSIC algorithm with coordinate transformation, in which 2D MUSIC algorithm is operated with respect to the reference radar's coordinate at each radar in a distributed way. Rather than forwarding the raw data of received signal to the fusion center, each radar performs 2D MUSIC with its own received signal in the transformed coordinates. Accordingly, the distributed radars do not need to report all their measured signals to the data fusion center, but they forward their local cost function values of 2D MUSIC for the radar image region of interest. The data fusion center can then estimate the range and angle information of targets jointly from the aggregated cost function. By applying the proposed scheme to the experimentally measured data, its performance is verified in the real environment test.

Compressive Sensing-Based Radar Imaging and Subcarrier Allocation for Joint MIMO OFDM Radar and Communication System.

In this paper, a joint multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO OFDM) radar and communication (RadCom) system is proposed, in which orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms carrying data to be transmitted to the information receiver are exploited to get high-resolution radar images at the RadCom platform. Specifically, to get two-dimensional (i.e., range and azimuth angle) radar images with high resolution, a compressive sensing-based imaging algorithm is proposed that is applicable to the signal received through multiple receive antennas. Because both the radar imaging performance (i.e., the mean square error of the radar image) and the communication performance (i.e., the achievable rate) are affected by the subcarrier allocation across multiple transmit antennas, by analyzing both radar imaging and communication performances, we also propose a subcarrier allocation strategy such that a high achievable rate is obtained without sacrificing the radar imaging performance.

Therapeutic effects of non-saponin fraction with rich polysaccharide from Korean red ginseng on aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Biological aging provokes morbidity and several functional declines, causing older adults more susceptible to a variety of diseases than younger adults. In particular, aging is a major risk factor contributing to non-communicable diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an aging-related neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by cognitive deficits and the formation of amyloid plaques formed by the accumulation of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptides. Non-saponin fraction with rich polysaccharide (NFP) from red ginseng, the largest fraction of the components of red ginseng, perform many biological activities. However, it has not been clarified whether the NFP from Korean red ginseng (KRG) has beneficial effects in the aging and AD. First, proteomics analysis was performed in aged brain to identify the effect of NFP on protein changes, and we confirmed that NFP induced changes in proteins related to the neuroprotective- and neurogenic-effects. Next, we investigated (1) the effects of NFP on AD pathologies, such as Aß deposition, neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, mitochondrial dysfunction, and impaired adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN), in 5XFAD transgenic mouse model of AD using immunostaining; (2) the effect of NFP on Aß-mediated mitochondrial respiration deficiency in HT22 mouse hippocampal neuronal cells (HT22) using Seahorse XFp analysis; (3) the effect of NFP on cell proliferation using WST-1 analysis; and (4) the effect of NFP on Aß-induced cognitive dysfunction in 5XFAD mouse model of AD using Y-maze test. Histological analysis indicated that NFP significantly alleviated the accumulation of Aß, neuroinflammation, neuronal loss, and mitochondrial dysfunction in the subiculum of 5XFAD mouse model of AD. In addition, NFP treatment ameliorated mitochondrial deficits in Aß-treated HT22 cells. Moreover, NFP treatment significantly increased the AHN and neuritogenesis of neural stem cells in both healthy and AD brains. Furthermore, NFP significantly increased cell proliferation in the HT22 cells. Finally, NFP administration significantly enhanced and restored the cognitive function of healthy and AD mice, respectively. Taken together, NFP treatment demonstrated changes in proteins involved in central nervous system organization/maintenance in aged brain and ameliorates AD pathology. Collectively, our findings suggest that NFP from KRG could be a potential therapeutic candidate for aging and AD treatments.

Shear-Induced Isotropic-Nematic Transition in Poly(ether ether ketone) Melts.

In a previous work on a poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) melt, above its nominal melting temperature (Tm ≅ 335 °C), a severe Cox-Merz rule failure was observed. The abrupt decrease in the apparent shear viscosity was ascribed to the formation of flow-induced crystallization precursors. Here shear rheology and reflection polariscope experiments are utilized to unravel the structural changes occurring under shear on a similar PEEK melt above Tm. Three regimes of the flow curve were identified from low (0.01 s-1) to high shear rates (1000 s-1): (I) an isotropic structure with weak birefringence due to polymer chain orientation and mild shear thinning for γ̇ < 1 s-1, (II) an isotropic-nematic transition accompanied by strong birefringence, two steady-state viscosities, and large nematic polydomain director fluctuations, and (III) shear-thinning behavior with an η ∼ γ̇-0.5 dependence for γ̇ > 20 s-1, typically found in nematic fluids. The findings reported in this experimental work suggest that the nematic phase may represent the early stage of the formation of shear-induced crystallization precursors.

Lower expression of endogenous intestinal alkaline phosphatase may predict worse prognosis in patients with Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUNDS: Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) plays important role in gut homeostasis. We aimed to evaluate the expression of endogenous IAP and to assess the clinical course according to the expression of endogenous IAP in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS: A total of 32 consecutive patients (14 males) with CD were included in the study. We measured the level of endogenous iAP in inflamed and noninflamed colonic mucosa. To verify the inflammation status, we measured the level of mRNA for IL-6, TNF-α, and TLR-4. We monitored the clinical courses of patients during follow-up after acquisition of biopsy specimens. RESULTS: Median age of patients was 22.5 years (range, 15-49). Median CD activity index (CDAI, range) was 93.7 (22.8~ 154.9). There were colonic involvements in all patients and perianal involvement in 43.8% patients. The mRNA levels of IL-6 (p = 0.005) and TLR-4 (p = 0.013) in inflamed mucosa were significantly higher than those in non-inflamed mucosa. However, there was no difference of expression of TNF-α mRNA (p = 0.345). During a 14-month follow-up (range, 9 months-54 months), there were 19 patients with clinical recurrences. There were 9 patients (9/19, 47.4%) with IAP expression ratio (inflamed to non-inflamed) ≤ 1.0 in patients with clinical recurrence while there was one patient (1/13, 7.7%) with IAP ratio ≤ 1.0 in patients without clinical recurrence (p = 0.024). CONCLUSION: Lower expression of IAP in inflamed mucosa compared to non-inflamed mucosa may be associated with clinical recurrence in patients with CD.

Cytohistological study of the leaf structures of Panax ginseng Meyer and Panax quinquefolius L.

BACKGROUND: Both Panax ginseng Meyer and Panax quinquefolius are obligate shade-loving plants whose natural habitats are broadleaved forests of Eastern Asia and North America. Panax species are easily damaged by photoinhibition when they are exposed to high temperatures or insufficient shade. In this study, a cytohistological study of the leaf structures of two of the most well-known Panax species was performed to better understand the physiological processes that limit photosynthesis. METHODS: Leaves of ginseng plants grown in soil and hydroponic culture were sectioned for analysis. Leaf structures of both Panax species were observed using a light microscope, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: The mesostructure of both P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius frequently had one layer of noncylindrical palisade cells and three or four layers of spongy parenchymal cells. P. quinquefolius contained a similar number of stomata in the abaxial leaf surface but more tightly appressed enlarged grana stacks than P. ginseng contained. The adaxial surface of the epidermis in P. quinquefolius showed cuticle ridges with a pattern similar to that of P. ginseng. CONCLUSION: The anatomical leaf structure of both P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius shows that they are typical shade-loving sciophytes. Slight differences in chloroplast structure suggests that the two different species can be authenticated using transmission electron microscopy images, and light-resistant cultivar breeding can be performed via controlling photosynthesis efficiency.

3D Printing of Micropatterned Anion Exchange Membranes.

Micropatterned anion exchange membranes (AEMs) have been 3D printed via a photoinitiated free radical polymerization and quaternization process. The photocurable formulation, consisting of diurethane dimethacrylate (DUDA), poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA), dipentaerythritol penta-/hexa- acrylate, and 4-vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC), was directly cured into patterned films using a custom 3D photolithographic printing process similar to stereolithography. Measurements of water uptake, permselectivity, and ionic resistance were conducted on the quaternized poly(DUDA-co-PEGDA-co-VBC) sample series to determine their suitability as ion exchange membranes. The water uptake of the polymers increased as the ion exchange capacity (IEC) increased due to greater quaternized VBC content. Samples with IEC values between 0.98 to 1.63 mequiv/g were synthesized by varying the VBC content from 15 to 25 wt %. The water uptake was sensitive to the PEGDA content in the network resulting in water uptake values ranging from 85 to 410 wt % by varying the PEGDA fractions from 0 to 60 wt %. The permselectivity of the AEM samples decreased from 0.91 (168 wt %, 1.63 mequiv/g) to 0.85 (410 wt %, 1.63 mequiv/g) with increasing water uptake and to 0.88 (162 wt %, 0.98 mequiv/g) with decreasing IEC. Permselectivity results were relatively consistent with the general understanding of the correlation between permselectivity, water uptake, and ion content of the membrane. Lastly, it was revealed that the ionic resistance of patterned membranes was lower than that of flat membranes with the same material volume or equivalent thickness. A parallel resistance model was used to explain the influence of patterning on the overall measured ionic resistance. This model may provide a way to maximize ion exchange membrane performance by optimizing surface patterns without chemical modification to the membrane.

Characteristics of Korean ginseng varieties of Gumpoong, Sunun, Sunpoong, Sunone, Cheongsun, and Sunhyang.

BACKGROUND: Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) is an important medicinal herbs in Asia. However, ginseng varieties are less developed. METHOD: To developed ginseng varieties, a pure line selection method was applied in this study. RESULTS: Gumpoong was testing of 4-yr-old specimens in 2002, the proportions of the below-ground roots that were rusty colored for Gumpoong was 1.29 in Daejeon and 1.45 in Eumseong, whereas the proportions for its yellow berry variant were 2.60 and 2.45 in the two regions, respectively. Thus the Gumpoong was resistant to root rust. Sunpoong has a high yielding property. Its average root weight is 70.6 g for 6-yr-old roots. Its yield is 2.9 kg/1.62m(2) and the rate of heaven- and earth-grade product is 20.9%, which is very high compared to 9.4% for Yunpoong. Sunone is resistance to root rot and the survival rate of 4-yr-old roots was 44.4% in 1997, whereas that of the violet-stem variant landrace was 21.7%. Sunhyang has content of arginyl-fructosyl-glucose (AFG), which produces the unique scent of red ginseng, is 95.1 µmol/g and greater than the 30.8 µmol/g of Chunpoong in 6-yr-old plants. Sunun and Cheongsun are being nurtured to protect genetic resources. CONCLUSION: Developed ginsneg varieties will be used as the basis for the protection of genetic resources and breeding.

Differential regulation of human and mouse orphan nuclear receptor small heterodimer partner promoter by sterol regulatory element binding protein-1.

Small heterodimer partner (SHP; NR0B2) is an unusual orphan nuclear receptor that lacks a conventional DNA-binding domain and acts as a modulator of transcriptional activities of a number of nuclear receptors. Herein, we report that the human SHP promoter (hSHP) is activated by sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1), which regulates the expression of various genes involved in cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis. Overexpression of SREBP-1 activated the human but not mouse SHP promoter, although SREBP-2 had little effect on the SHP promoter in CV-1 cells. Serial deletion reporter assays revealed that SREBP-1-responsive region is located within the sequences from -243 to -120 bp in the hSHP promoter. DNase I footprinting, gel shift assays, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that SREBP-1 binds directly to the hSHP promoter. Site-directed mutagenesis made it clear that the hSHP promoter activation by SREBP-1 is mostly mediated by the SRE1 (-186 to -195 bp) in the hSHP promoter, which is not conserved in the mouse SHP promoter. Moreover, adenovirus-mediated overexpression of SREBP-1c/ADD-1 induced SHP mRNA expression and repressed CYP7A1 expression in HepG2 cells. Finally, we found that a four-nucleotide deletion (-195CT-GAdel) in the hSHP promoter, which is reported to be associated with altered body weight and insulin secretion in human, coincides with the SRE1. This mutation strongly decreased both basal and SREBP-1 dependent activities of the hSHP promoter, because of the reduced binding of SREBP-1 to the mutated SRE1. Overall, our results demonstrate a differential regulation of human and mouse SHP promoters by SREBP-1. We propose a possible role of SREBP-1 in the species differential regulation of cholesterol and bile acid homeostasis via a novel mechanism of up-regulation of the hSHP gene expression.