Na2.44Mn1.79(SO4)(3): a new member of the alluaudite family of insertion compounds for sodium ion batteries

Sodium-ion batteries have been extensively pursued as economic alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. Investigating the polyanion chemistry, alluaudite structured Na2Fe2II(SO4)(3) has been recently discovered as a 3.8 V positive electrode material (Barpanda et al., Nature Commun., 5: 4358, 2014). Registering the highest ever Fe-III/Fe-II redox potential (vs. Na/Na+) and formidable energy density, it has opened up a new polyanion family for sodium batteries. Exploring the alluaudite family, here we report isotypical Na2+2xMn2-xII(SO4)(3) (x = 0.22) as a novel high-voltage cathode material for the first time. Following low-temperature (ca. 350 degrees C) solid-state synthesis, the structure of this new alluaudite compound has been solved adopting a monoclinic framework (s.g. C2/c) showing antiferromagnetic ordering at 3.4 K. Synergising experimental and ab initio DFT investigation, Na2+2xMn2-xII(SO4)(3) has been found to be a potential high-voltage (ca. 4.4 V) cathode material for sodium batteries.

Robust Glyoxalase activity of Hsp31, a ThiJ/DJ-1/PfpI Family Member Protein, Is Critical for Oxidative Stress Resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Methylglyoxal (MG) is a reactive metabolic intermediate generated during various cellular biochemical reactions, including glycolysis. The accumulation of MG indiscriminately modifies proteins, including important cellular antioxidant machinery, leading to severe oxidative stress, which is implicated in multiple neurodegenerative disorders, aging, and cardiac disorders. Although cells possess efficient glyoxalase systems for detoxification, their functions are largely dependent on the glutathione cofactor, the availability of which is self-limiting under oxidative stress. Thus, higher organisms require alternate modes of reducing the MG-mediated toxicity and maintaining redox balance. In this report, we demonstrate that Hsp31 protein, a member of the ThiJ/DJ-1/PfpI family in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, plays an indispensable role in regulating redox homeostasis. Our results show that Hsp31 possesses robust glutathione-independent methylglyoxalase activity and suppresses MG-mediated toxicity and ROS levels as compared with another paralog, Hsp34. On the other hand, glyoxalase-defective mutants of Hsp31 were found highly compromised in regulating the ROS levels. Additionally, Hsp31 maintains cellular glutathione and NADPH levels, thus conferring protection against oxidative stress, and Hsp31 relocalizes to mitochondria to provide cytoprotection to the organelle under oxidative stress conditions. Importantly, human DJ-1, which is implicated in the familial form of Parkinson disease, complements the function of Hsp31 by suppressing methylglyoxal and oxidative stress, thus signifying the importance of these proteins in the maintenance of ROS homeostasis across phylogeny.

Metadata Federation of PICES Member Countries

(Document pdf contains 193 pages) Executive Summary (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 1. Introduction (pdf, 0.2 Mb) 1.1 Data sharing, international boundaries and large marine ecosystems 2. Objectives (pdf, 0.3 Mb) 3. Background (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 3.1 North Pacific Ecosystem Metadatabase 3.2 First federation effort: NPEM and the Korea Oceanographic Data Center 3.2 Continuing effort: Adding Japan’s Marine Information Research Center 4. Metadata Standards (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 4.1 Directory Interchange Format 4.2 Ecological Metadata Language 4.3 Dublin Core 4.3.1. Elements of DC 4.4 Federal Geographic Data Committee 4.5 The ISO 19115 Metadata Standard 4.6 Metadata stylesheets 4.7 Crosswalks 4.8 Tools for creating metadata 5. Communication Protocols (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 5.1 Z39.50 5.1.1. What does Z39.50 do? 5.1.2. Isite 6. Clearinghouses (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 7. Methodology (pdf, 0.2 Mb) 7.1 FGDC metadata 7.1.1. Main sections 7.1.2. Supporting sections 7.1.3. Metadata validation 7.2 Getting a copy of Isite 7.3 NSDI Clearinghouse 8. Server Configuration and Technical Issues (pdf, 0.4 Mb) 8.1 Hardware recommendations 8.2 Operating system – Red Hat Linux Fedora 8.3 Web services – Apache HTTP Server version 2.2.3 8.4 Create and validate FGDC-compliant Metadata in XML format 8.5 Obtaining, installing and configuring Isite for UNIX/Linux 8.5.1. Download the appropriate Isite software 8.5.2. Untar the file 8.5.3. Name your database 8.5.4. The zserver.ini file 8.5.5. The sapi.ini file 8.5.6. Indexing metadata 8.5.7. Start the Clearinghouse Server process 8.5.8. Testing the zserver installation 8.6 Registering with NSDI Clearinghouse 8.7 Security issues 9. Search Tutorial and Examples (pdf, 1 Mb) 9.1 Legacy NSDI Clearinghouse search interface 9.2 New GeoNetwork search interface 10. Challenges (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 11. Emerging Standards (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 12. Future Activity (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 13. Acknowledgments (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 14. References (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 15. Acronyms (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 16. Appendices 16.1. KODC-NPEM meeting agendas and minutes (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 16.1.1. Seattle meeting agenda, August 22–23, 2005 16.1.2. Seattle meeting minutes, August 22–23, 2005 16.1.3. Busan meeting agenda, October 10–11, 2005 16.1.4. Busan meeting minutes, October 10–11, 2005 16.2. MIRC-NPEM meeting agendas and minutes (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 16.2.1. Seattle Meeting agenda, August 14-15, 2006 16.2.2. Seattle meeting minutes, August 14–15, 2006 16.2.3. Tokyo meeting agenda, October 19–20, 2006 16.2.4. Tokyo, meeting minutes, October 19–20, 2006 16.3. XML stylesheet conversion crosswalks (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 16.3.1. FGDCI to DIF stylesheet converter 16.3.2. DIF to FGDCI stylesheet converter 16.3.3. String-modified stylesheet 16.4. FGDC Metadata Standard (pdf, 0.1 Mb) 16.4.1. Overall structure 16.4.2. Section 1: Identification information 16.4.3. Section 2: Data quality information 16.4.4. Section 3: Spatial data organization information 16.4.5. Section 4: Spatial reference information 16.4.6. Section 5: Entity and attribute information 16.4.7. Section 6: Distribution information 16.4.8. Section 7: Metadata reference information 16.4.9. Sections 8, 9 and 10: Citation information, time period information, and contact information 16.5. Images of the Isite server directory structure and the files contained in each subdirectory after Isite installation (pdf, 0.2 Mb) 16.6 Listing of NPEM’s Isite configuration files (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 16.6.1. zserver.ini 16.6.2. sapi.ini 16.7 Java program to extract records from the NPEM metadatabase and write one XML file for each record (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) 16.8 Java program to execute the metadata extraction program (pdf, < 0.1 Mb) A1 Addendum 1: Instructions for Isite for Windows (pdf, 0.6 Mb) A2 Addendum 2: Instructions for Isite for Windows ADHOST (pdf, 0.3 Mb)

Aquaculture genetics research and issues in INGA member countries/institutions

The information presented here is extracted from the presentations and discussions at the Sixth Steering Committee Meeting of the International Network on Genetics in Aquaculture (INGA) held in Hanoi, Vietnam on 8-10 May 2001. The main topics discussed were: review of genetics research progress and planned activities in member countries and Associate Member institutions; genetics improvement technologies; strategies and action plans for distribution of improved fish breeds to small-scale farmers; ecological risk assessment for genetically improved fish breeds; methods for monitoring the uptake of improved strains and impact assessment; and network activities and collaborations.

Tuberculosis in seals caused by a novel member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex: Mycobacterium pinnipedii sp. nov.

A comparison of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates from seals (pinnipeds) in Australia, Argentina, Uruguay, Great Britain and New Zealand was undertaken to determine their relationships to each other and their taxonomic position within the complex. Isolates from 30 cases of tuberculosis in six species of pinniped and seven related isolates were compared to representative and standard strains of the M. tuberculosis complex. The seal isolates could be distinguished from other members of the M. tuberculosis complex, including the recently defined ‘Mycobacterium canettii’ and ‘Mycobacterium caprae’, on the basis of host preference and phenotypic and genetic tests. Pinnipeds appear to be the natural host for this ‘seal bacillus’, although the organism is also pathogenic in guinea pigs, rabbits, humans, Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris) and, possibly, cattle. Infection caused by the seal bacillus is predominantly associated with granulomatous lesions in the peripheral lymph nodes, lungs, pleura, spleen and peritoneum. Cases of disseminated disease have been found. As with other members of the M. tuberculosis complex, aerosols are the most likely route of transmission. The name Mycobacterium pinnipedii sp. nov. is proposed for this novel member of the M. tuberculosis ...