Showing papers by "Forest Research Institute published in 2012"

All-Solid-State Flexible Supercapacitors Fabricated with Bacterial Nanocellulose Papers, Carbon Nanotubes, and Triblock-Copolymer Ion Gels

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.

Eco-friendly cellulose nanofiber paper-derived separator membranes featuring tunable nanoporous network channels for lithium-ion batteries

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.

Tropical soil bacterial communities in Malaysia: pH dominates in the Equatorial Tropics too

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.

Immune functions of serum amyloid A.

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.

Efficacy and safety of twice-daily aclidinium bromide in COPD patients: The ATTAIN study

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.

Insecticidal and acetylcholine esterase inhibition activity of Apiaceae plant essential oils and their constituents against adults of German cockroach (Blattella germanica).

Abstract: We evaluated the insecticidal and acetylcholine esterase (AChE) inhibition activity of 11 Apiaceae plant essential oils and their constituents in adult male and female Blattella germanica. Of the 11 Apiaceae plant essential oils tested, dill (Anethum graveolens), carvi (Carum carvi), and cumin (Cuminum cyminum) demonstrated >90% fumigant toxicity against adult male German cockroaches at a concentration of 5 mg/filter paper. In a contact toxicity test, dill (Anethum graveolens), carvi (Carum carvi), cumin (Cuminum cyminum), and ajowan (Trachyspermum ammi) produced strong insecticidal activity against adult male and female German cockroaches. Among the test compounds, (S)-(+)-carvone, 1,8-cineole, trans-dihydrocarvone, cuminaldehyde, trans-anethole, p-cymene, and γ-terpinene demonstrated strong fumigant toxicity against adult male and female B. germanica. In a contact toxicity test, carveol, cuminaldehyde, (S)-(+)-carvone, trans-anethole, thymol, and p-cymene showed strong contact toxicity against adult mal...

Distinctive Phyllosphere Bacterial Communities in Tropical Trees

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.

How does silviculture affect storm damage in forests of south-western Germany? Results from empirical modeling based on long-term observations

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.

Efficacy and Safety of a 12-week Treatment with Twice-daily Aclidinium Bromide in COPD Patients (ACCORD COPD I)

Abstract: Background: This Phase III study evaluated the efficacy and safety of twice-daily aclidinium 200 μg and 400 μg versus placebo in the treatment of moderate-to-severe COPD. Methods: In this 12-week, ...

Structural changes in lignin during organosolv pretreatment of Liriodendron tulipifera and the effect on enzymatic hydrolysis

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.

Climate oscillation during the Quaternary associated with landscape heterogeneity promoted allopatric lineage divergence of a temperate tree Kalopanax septemlobus (Araliaceae) in East Asia.

Abstract: We investigated the biogeographic history of Kalopanax septemlobus, one of the most widespread temperate tree species in East Asia, using a combined phylogeographic and palaeodistribution modelling approach. Range-wide genetic differentiation at nuclear microsatellites (G'(ST) = 0.709; 2205 samples genotyped at five loci) and chloroplast DNA (G(ST) = 0.697; 576 samples sequenced for 2055 bp at three fragments) was high. A major phylogeographic break in Central China corresponded with those of other temperate species and the spatial delineation of the two temperate forest subkingdoms of East Asia, consistent with the forests having been isolated within both East and West China for multiple glacial-interglacial cycles. Evidence for multiple glacial refugia was found in most of its current range in China, South Japan and the southernmost part of the Korean Peninsula. In contrast, lineage admixture and absence of private alleles and haplotypes in Hokkaido and the northern Korean Peninsula support a postglacial origin of northernmost populations. Although palaeodistribution modelling predicted suitable climate across a land-bridge extending from South Japan to East China during the Last Glacial Maximum, the genetic differentiation of regional populations indicated a limited role of the exposed sea floor as a dispersal corridor at that time. Overall, this study provides evidence that differential impacts of Quaternary climate oscillation associated with landscape heterogeneity have shaped the genetic structure of a wide-ranging temperate tree in East Asia.

Selection of reliable reference genes for gene expression studies using real-time PCR in tung tree during seed development.

Abstract: Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) has become an accurate and widely used technique to analyze expression levels of selected genes. It is very necessary to select appropriate reference genes for gene expression normalization. In the present study, we assessed the expression stability of 11 reference genes including eight traditional housekeeping genes and three novel genes in different tissues/organs and developing seeds from four cultivars of tung tree. All 11 reference genes showed a wide range of Ct values in all samples, indicating that they differently expressed. Three softwares – geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper – were used to determine the stability of these references except for ALB (2S albumin), which presented a little divergence. The results from the three softwares showed that ACT7 (Actin7a), UBQ (Ubiquitin), GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) and EF1α (elongation factor 1-α) were the most stable reference genes across all of the tested tung samples and tung developing seeds, while ALB (2S albumin) was unsuitable as internal controls. ACT7, EF1β (elongation factor1-beta), GAPDH and TEF1 (transcription elongation factor 1) were the top four choices for different tissues/organs whereas LCR69 did not favor normalization of RT-qPCR in these tissues/organs. Meanwhile, the expression profiles of FAD2 and FADX were realized using stable reference genes. The relative quantification of the FAD2 and FADX genes varied according to the internal controls and the number of internal controls. The results further proved the importance of the choice of reference genes in the tung tree. These stable reference genes will be employed in normalization and quantification of transcript levels in future expression studies of tung genes.

Urgent need for a common metric to make precipitation manipulation experiments comparable.

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

Variability in solar radiation and temperature explains observed patterns and trends in tree growth rates across four tropical forests

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.

Wood density explains architectural differentiation across 145 co-occurring tropical tree species

Abstract: 1. Because of its mechanical properties, wood density may affect the way that trees expand their stem and crown to exploit favourable light conditions in a mechanically stable way. From engineering theory and wood density properties, it is predicted that in terms of biomass investment, low-density wood is more efficient for vertical stem expansion, while high-density wood is more efficient for horizontal branch expansion. So far, these predictions have rarely been tested by empirical studies. 2. We tested these predictions for 145 co-occurring tree species in a Malaysian tropical rainforest. For each species, we selected trees across a broad size range and measured architectural dimensions (stem diameter, height of the lowest foliage and crown width). We used a hierarchical Bayesian model to estimate species-specific allometric relationships between architectural dimensions including estimated stem biomass. Then, we examined correlations between species wood density and estimated architectural variables at standardized heights. 3. When species were compared at standardized tree heights, wood density correlated negatively with stem diameter and positively with stem biomass at most reference heights. This indicates that species with low wood density produce thicker stems but at lower biomass costs. Wood density correlated positively with crown width and negatively with height of the lowest foliage, which indicates that high wood density species have wider and deeper crowns than low wood density species. These relationships were maintained at most reference heights. However, the relationship with crown width was nonsignificant above 18 m height. This may reflect large plastic response of lateral crown expansion to a local condition. 4. Wood density explains the trade-off between effective vertical stem expansion and horizontal crown expansion across co-occurring tropical tree species. Such mechanical constraints characterize the difference in tree architecture between low wood density species that show an efficient height expansion to attain better light conditions in the exposed canopy and high wood density species that show an efficient horizontal crown expansion to enhance current light interception and persistence in the shaded forest understorey. Our study thus suggests that the mechanical constraints set by wood density contribute to the co-existence of species differing in architecture and light capture strategy.

Bucking the trend in wolf-dog hybridization: first evidence from europe of hybridization between female dogs and male wolves.

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.

Occurrence of Emerald Ash Borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) and Biotic Factors Affecting Its Immature Stages in the Russian Far East

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...

A novel ion-conductive protection skin based on polyimide gel polymer electrolyte: application to nanoscale coating layer of high voltage LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

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.