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Miscanthus sinensis Andersson is a pioneer plant species that grows naturally at mining sites. Miscanthus sinensis can detoxify aluminium (Al) by producing phytosiderophores, such as chlorogenic acid, citric acid, and malic acid, and localizing Al in cell walls. Root-endophytic Chaetomium cupreum, which produces microbial siderophores, enhances Al tolerance in M. sinensis. However, we could not determine whether the siderophores produced by C. cupreum actually enhance Al tolerance in M. sinensis, because the microbial siderophores have not yet been identified in previous research. The purpose of this study was to clarify how C. cupreum chemically increases Al tolerance in M. sinensis under acidic mining site conditions, especially considering siderophores. Using instrumental analyses, the siderophore produced by C. cupreum was identified as oosporein. Comparison of the stability constant between Al and phytosiderophores and oosporein indicated that oosporein could detoxify Al similarly to chlorogenic acid, which shows higher stability constant than citric acid and malic acid. Inoculation test of C. cupreum onto M. sinensis in acidic mine soil showed that C. cupreum promoted seedling growth, and enhanced Al tolerance via inducing chlorogenic-acid production and producing oosporein. These results suggested that C. cupreum could chemically enhance Al tolerance and might promote growth via reducing excessive Al in cell walls, the main site of Al accumulation. In addition, the chemical enhancement of Al tolerance by C. cupreum might be important for M. sinensis to adapt to acidic mining sites.

A calcium (Ca)-deficient hydroxyapatite was investigated for its potential to remove Sr 2+ from environmentally relevant water. We conducted sorption tests on solutions containing magnesium ion (Mg 2+ ) and calcium ion (Ca 2+ ) as competing cations at a strontium ion (Sr 2+ ) concentration of 0.05 mmol/L. The Ca-deficient hydroxyapatite maintained a high Sr 2+ sorption ratio of above 80% in the presence of Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ at the concentrations between 0.1 and 1.0 mmol/L, whereas the stoichiometric hydroxyapatite showed a lower ratio even in the presence of small amounts of Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ (72% for Mg 2+ and 51% for Ca 2+ at 0.1 mmol/L). For solutions with various Sr 2+ concentrations between 0.01 and 10 mmol/L, Ca-deficient hydroxyapatite exhibited a higher Sr 2+ sorption ratio than stoichiometric hydroxyapatite. The bonding states of Sr 2+ on the Ca-deficient hydroxyapatite were evaluated by extended X-ray absorption fine structure measurements. The results indicated that there are specific sorption sites in Ca-deficient hydroxyapatite where Sr 2+ is stably and preferentially immobilized.

Advanced capabilities in noninvasive, in situ monitoring of parameters related to sweat serve as the basis for obtaining real‐time insights into human physiological state, health, and performance. Although recently reported classes of soft, skin‐interfaced microfluidic systems support powerful functions in this context, most are designed as single‐use disposables. As a result, associated waste streams have the potential to create adverse environmental impacts. Here, we introduce materials and fabrication techniques that bypass these concerns through biodegradable microfluidic systems with a full range of features, including measurement of sweat rate and total loss, and colorimetric analysis of biomarkers. The key components fully degrade through the enzymatic action of microorganisms in natural soil environments, or in industrial compost facilities, to yield end products with beneficial uses as fertilizers and species to improve soil health. Detailed characterization of the constituent materials, the fabrication procedures, the assembly processes, and the completed devices reveal a set of essential performance parameters that are comparable to, or even better than, those of non‐degradable counterparts. Human subject studies illustrate the ability of these devices to acquire accurate measurements of sweat loss, sweat rate, pH, and chloride concentration during physical activities and thermal exposures. Soft, skin‐interfaced microfluidic systems exploit biodegradable thermoplastic copolyester elastomers for the microfluidic layers, cellulose films and pressure sensitive adhesives as sealing layers, and carefully selected chemical reagents as colorimetric assays for monitoring sweat loss, sweat rate, pH, and chloride concentration. The resulting platforms can fully degrade in natural soil or composting facilities to organic compounds that can act as plant nutrients, thereby eliminating environmental stresses from discarded devices.

The viscoelastic behavior of a cholesterol-modified pullulan (CHP) nanogel at various concentrations was measured using passive particle-tracking microrheology. Microrheology measures stress–strain relationships in small volumes of material by monitoring the response of probes embedded in the medium. Although microrheology is a useful way to overcome sample volume limitations, the application of the method to CHP nanogel systems has not been reported. The viscoelastic spectra of the CHP nanogels obtained from the microrheological measurements were in good agreement with the bulk rheological measurements for each sample, demonstrating that microrheological measurement is effective in CHP nanogel systems. The gelation behavior of CHP nanogel dispersions containing pullulans of different molecular weights was also investigated by microrheology. CHP nanogels made from 1.0 or 4.0 × 10 5 molecular weight pullulans formed a macrogel at around 3.0 wt%, whereas the CHP nanogel consisting of 0.55 × 10 5 molecular weight pullulan did not form a macrogel. This suggests that the mechanical properties of the system can be controlled by the molecular weight of the pullulan used. These insights into gelation behavior should be useful in predicting the most favorable conditions for developing novel materials.

Soft microfluidic systems that capture, store, and perform biomarker analysis of microliter volumes of sweat, in situ, as it emerges from the surface of the skin, represent an emerging class of wearable technology with powerful capabilities that complement those of traditional biophysical sensing devices. Recent work establishes applications in the real-time characterization of sweat dynamics and sweat chemistry in the context of sports performance and healthcare diagnostics. This paper presents a collection of advances in biochemical sensors and microfluidic designs that support multimodal operation in the monitoring of physiological signatures directly correlated to physical and mental stresses. These wireless, battery-free, skin-interfaced devices combine lateral flow immunoassays for cortisol, fluorometric assays for glucose and ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and digital tracking of skin galvanic responses. Systematic benchtop evaluations and field studies on human subjects highlight the key features of this platform for the continuous, noninvasive monitoring of biochemical and biophysical correlates of the stress state.

We investigated the iron-based ladder compounds (Ba,Cs)Fe\\(_2\\)Se\\(_3\\). Their parent compounds, BaFe\\(_2\\)Se\\(_3\\) and CsFe\\(_2\\)Se\\(_3\\), have different space groups, formal valences of Fe and magnetic structures. Electrical resistivity, specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, X-ray diffraction and powder neutron diffraction measurements were conducted to obtain temperature and composition phase diagram of this system. Block magnetism observed in BaFe\\(_2\\)Se\\(_3\\) is drastically suppressed with Cs doping. In contrast, stripe magnetism observed in CsFe\\(_2\\)Se\\(_3\\) is not so fragile against Ba doping. New type of magnetic structure appears in intermediate compositions, which is similar to stripe magnetism of CsFe\\(_2\\)Se\\(_3\\), but inter-ladder spin configuration is different. Intermediate compounds show insulating behavior, nevertheless finite \\(T\\)-linear contribution in specific heat was obtained at low temperatures.

Background This cross-sectional study performed to clarify the relationship between periodontal disease and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) by introducing dental examinations into the annual health examinations conducted by Japanese companies, and to highlights the importance of a medical system that connects dental and medical professionals. Methods A total of 1.022 Hitachi Ltd. employees were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. We examined correlations and odds ratios (ORs) between the dental and overall health of employees using stratification and multiple logistic regression analyses based on the periodontal health indicators, general health indicators, and occlusal force. Results The adjusted OR of PPD for obesity (OR, 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09–1.84; p  = 0.009), IGT (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.00–2.20; p  = 0.049), and COPD (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.02–1.88; p  = 0.038) significantly differed. The adjusted OR of body mass index (OR, 1.28; 95% CI 1.15–1.42; p  < 0.001), haemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) (OR, 4.34; 95% CI, 1.89–9.98; p  < 0.001), fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels (OR, 1.08; 95% CI 1.04–1.11; p  < 0.001), postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity ratio (%FEV 1 ) (OR, 0.95; 95% CI 0.91–1.00; p  = 0.031) and smoking (OR, 2.32; 95% CI 1.62–3.33; p  < 0.001) for severe periodontal disease also significantly differed. Occlusal force was significantly reduced in employees aged 50–59 years compared to those aged 40–49 years. Both PPD, HbA1c, FBG levels were significantly associated with occlusal force among employees with moderate/severe periodontitis. PPD was significantly associated with occlusal force among employees with and moderate COPD, and ASCVD. %FEV 1 was significantly associated with occlusal force among employees with IGT. Conclusions This cross-sectional study revealed mutual relationships among periodontal disease, NCDs, and occlusal force on Japanese corporate workers. We demonstrated that a comprehensive, regional healthcare system centred on annual integrated dental and physical health examinations in the workplace will benefit employees and positively impact corporate health insurance.