The Development of Biophotovoltaic Systems for Power Generation and Biological Analysis.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Wey LT
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6899825 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:Biophotovoltaics has emerged as a promising technology for generating renewable energy because it relies on living organisms as inexpensive, self-repairing, and readily available catalysts to produce electricity from an abundant resource: sunlight. The efficiency of biophotovoltaic cells, however, has remained significantly lower than that achievable through synthetic materials. Here, a platform is devised to harness the large power densities afforded by miniaturized geometries. To this effect, a soft-lithography approach is developed for the fabrication of microfluidic biophotovoltaic devices that do not require membranes or mediators. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 cells are injected and allowed to settle on the anode, permitting the physical proximity between cells and electrode required for mediator-free operation. Power densities of above 100 mW m-2 are demonstrated for a chlorophyll concentration of 100 μM under white light, which is a high value for biophotovoltaic devices without extrinsic supply of additional energy.
| S-EPMC4503997 | biostudies-literature
Project description:There has been a rapid growth in using agricultural residues as an energy source to generate electricity in China. Biomass power generation (BPG) systems may vary significantly in technology, scale, and feedstock and consequently in their performances. A comparative evaluation of five typical BPG systems has been conducted in this study through a hybrid life cycle inventory (LCI) approach. Results show that requirements of fossil energy savings, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions, as well as emission reductions of SO2 and NOx, can be best met by the BPG systems. The cofiring systems were found to behave better than the biomass-only fired system and the biomass gasification systems in terms of energy savings and GHG emission reductions. Comparing with results of conventional process-base LCI, an important aspect to note is the significant contribution of infrastructure, equipment, and maintenance of the plant, which require the input of various types of materials, fuels, services, and the consequent GHG emissions. The results demonstrate characteristics and differences of BPG systems and help identify critical opportunities for biomass power development in China.
| S-EPMC4212547 | biostudies-other
Project description:four biological sludge systems Raw sequence reads
| PRJNA532830 | ENA
Project description:Dengue virus (DENV) infects hundreds of millions of people annually, yet there is only a limited knowledge of the host immune response to dengue. Here, we used a systems biological approach to perform a detailed analysis of the innate immune response to DENV infection in the whole blood samples of acutely infected humans in Bangkok, Thailand. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that genes encoding pro-inflammatory mediators and type I IFN related proteins, were associated with high levels of virus during the first few days of infection. Individuals with low or negative viremia at the late stage of fever were enriched with genes associated with pathways involved in cell cycle, proliferation, cell metabolism and translational control. Meta-analysis showed significant enrichment in genes specific for innate cells (monocytes, macrophages and DCs) in the specimens with high VL and enrichment in genes specific for NK cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells as well as B cells in specimens with low VL. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis revealed an expansion in the numbers of CD14+CD16+ monocytes and depletion of CD14dimCD16++ cells and BDCA-1+ myeloid DC in blood. Consistent with this, in a non-human primate model, infection with DENV boosted the numbers of CD14+CD16+ monocytes in the blood and in secondary lymphoid organs. In vitro, freshly isolated blood monocytes infected with DENV up regulated CD16 and mediated robust differentiation of resting B cells to CD27++CD38++ plasmablasts and IgG and IgM secretion. Taken together, these data provide a detailed picture of the innate response to dengue infection in humans, and highlight an unappreciated role for CD14+CD16+ monocytes in promoting the differentiation of plasmablasts and mediating antibody response to DENV.
2014-06-27 | GSE51808 | GEO
Project description:Dengue virus (DENV) infects hundreds of millions of people annually, yet there is only a limited knowledge of the host immune response to dengue. Here, we used a systems biological approach to perform a detailed analysis of the innate immune response to DENV infection in the whole blood samples of acutely infected humans in Bangkok, Thailand. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that genes encoding pro-inflammatory mediators and type I IFN related proteins, were associated with high levels of virus during the first few days of infection. Individuals with low or negative viremia at the late stage of fever were enriched with genes associated with pathways involved in cell cycle, proliferation, cell metabolism and translational control. Meta-analysis showed significant enrichment in genes specific for innate cells (monocytes, macrophages and DCs) in the specimens with high VL and enrichment in genes specific for NK cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells as well as B cells in specimens with low VL. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis revealed an expansion in the numbers of CD14+CD16+ monocytes and depletion of CD14dimCD16++ cells and BDCA-1+ myeloid DC in blood. Consistent with this, in a non-human primate model, infection with DENV boosted the numbers of CD14+CD16+ monocytes in the blood and in secondary lymphoid organs. In vitro, freshly isolated blood monocytes infected with DENV up regulated CD16 and mediated robust differentiation of resting B cells to CD27++CD38++ plasmablasts and IgG and IgM secretion. Taken together, these data provide a detailed picture of the innate response to dengue infection in humans, and highlight an unappreciated role for CD14+CD16+ monocytes in promoting the differentiation of plasmablasts and mediating antibody response to DENV. We analyzed whole blood samples from 28 dengue patients (DF n=18, DHF=10) hospitalized at the Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand during the season of 2009 The specimens were acquired between days 2 and 9 after onset of symptoms (acute illness), and for 19 patients (DF n=13, DHF=6) also at the convalescence at 4 weeks or later after discharge. Additionally, blood was sampled from 9 healthy, non-infected donors to provide controls for transcriptomic and immunological analysis.
2014-06-27 | E-GEOD-51808 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Methanogenesis allows methanogenic archaea (methanogens) to generate cellular energy for their growth while producing methane. Hydrogenotrophic methanogens thrive on carbon dioxide and molecular hydrogen as sole carbon and energy sources. Thermophilic and hydrogenotrophic Methanothermobacter spp. have been recognized as robust biocatalysts for a circular carbon economy and are now applied in power-to-gas technology. Here, we generated the first manually curated genome-scale metabolic reconstruction for three Methanothermobacter spp.. We investigated differences in growth performance and gas consumption/production of three wild-type strains and one genetically engineered strain in two independent quadruplicate chemostat bioreactor experiments: 1) with molecular hydrogen and carbon dioxide; and 2) with sodium formate. In the first experiment, we found the highest methane production rate for Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus ΔH, while Methanothermobacter marburgensis Marburg reached the highest biomass growth rate. We collected statistically reliable transcriptomics and proteomics data sets from these steady-state bioreactors, which we integrated within our genome-scale metabolic models. The implementation of an pan-model that contains combined reactions from all three microbes allowed us to perform an interspecies comparison of the complete omics data set. While the observed differences in the growth behavior cannot be fully explained, the comparison enabled us to identify crucial differences in growth-related pathways, such as formate anabolism. In the second experiment, we found stable growth with a M. thermautotrophicus ΔH plasmid-carrying strain on formate with similar performance parameters compared to wild-type Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus Z-245. The results of the two studies demonstrate the advantages of an integrative approach using fermentation and omics data with genome-scale modeling for the investigation of lesser studied metabolisms, and the biotechnological potential of Methanothermobacter spp. as production platform hosts.
2022-12-31 | GSE218145 | GEO
Project description:Photosynthesis is a process used by algae and plants to convert light energy into chemical energy. Due to their uniquely natural and environmentally friendly nature, photosynthetic proteins have attracted attention for use in a variety of artificial applications. Among the various types, biophotovoltaics based on dye-sensitized solar cells have been demonstrated in many studies. Although most related works have used n-type semiconductors, a p-type semiconductor is also a significant potential component for tandem cells. In this work, we used mesoporous NiO as a p-type semiconductor substrate for Photosystem I (PSI) and demonstrated a p-type PSI-biophotovoltaic and tandem cell based on dye-sensitized solar cells. Under visible light illumination, the PSI-adsorbed NiO electrode generated a cathodic photocurrent. The p-type biophotovoltaic cell using the PSI-adsorbed NiO electrode generated electricity, and the IPCE spectrum was consistent with the absorption spectrum of PSI. These results indicate that the PSI-adsorbed NiO electrode acts as a photocathode. Moreover, a tandem cell consisting of the PSI-NiO photocathode and a PSI-TiO2 photoanode showed a high open-circuit voltage of over 0.7 V under illumination to the TiO2 side. Thus, the tandem strategy can be utilized for biophotovoltaics, and the use of other biomaterials that match the solar spectrum will lead to further progress in photovoltaic performance.
| S-EPMC9052782 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Prediction of human response to chemical exposures is a major challenge in both pharmaceutical and toxicological research. Transcriptomics has been a powerful tool to explore chemical-biological interactions. However, limited throughput, high-costs and complexity of transcriptomic interpretations have yielded numerous studies lacking sufficient experimental context for predictive application. We utilized a novel high-throughput transcriptomics platform to explore a broad range of exposures to 24 reference compounds in both differentiated and undifferentiated human HepaRG cultures. Our goals were to 1) explore transcriptomic characteristics distinguishing liver injury compounds, 2) assess impacts of differentiation state on baseline and compound-induced responses (e.g., metabolically-activated), and 3) identify and resolve reference biological-response pathways and their quantitative translation to human exposures. Study data revealed the predictive utility of transcriptomic concentration-response modeling to quantitatively identify human liver injury compounds by their respective benchmark concentrations (BMCs), and model hepatic responses to classical reference compounds yielding plausibly-relevant estimations of human potency.
2020-03-06 | GSE145994 | GEO
Project description:This paper describes the fabrication of soft, stretchable biophotovoltaic devices that generate photocurrent from photosystem I (PSI) complexes that are self-assembled onto Au electrodes with a preferred orientation. Charge is collected by the direct injection of electrons into the Au electrode and the transport of holes through a redox couple to liquid eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) electrodes that are confined to microfluidic pseudochannels by arrays of posts. The pseudochannels are defined in a single fabrication step that leverages the non-Newtonian rheology of EGaIn. This strategy is extended to the fabrication of reticulated electrodes that are inherently stretchable. A simple shadow evaporation technique is used to increase the surface area of the Au electrodes by a factor of approximately 106 compared to planar electrodes. The power conversion efficiency of the biophotovoltaic devices decreases over time, presumably as the PSI complexes denature and/or detach from the Au electrodes. However, by circulating a solution of active PSI complexes the devices self-regenerate by mass action/self-assembly. These devices leverage simple fabrication techniques to produce complex function and prove that photovoltaic devices comprising PSI can retain the ability to regenerate, one of the most important functions of photosynthetic organisms.
| S-EPMC6328238 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Traditionally engineered genetic circuits have almost exclusively used naturally occurring transcriptional repressors. Recently, non-natural transcription factors (repressors) have been engineered and employed in synthetic biology with great success. However, transcriptional anti-repressors have largely been absent with regard to the regulation of genes in engineered genetic circuits. Here, we present a workflow for engineering systems of non-natural anti-repressors. In this study, we create 41 inducible anti-repressors. This collection of transcription factors respond to two distinct ligands, fructose (anti-FruR) or D-ribose (anti-RbsR); and were complemented by 14 additional engineered anti-repressors that respond to the ligand isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside (anti-LacI). In turn, we use this collection of anti-repressors and complementary genetic architectures to confer logical control over gene expression. Here, we achieved all NOT oriented logical controls (i.e., NOT, NOR, NAND, and XNOR). The engineered transcription factors and corresponding series, parallel, and series-parallel genetic architectures represent a nascent anti-repressor based transcriptional programming structure.
| S-EPMC7477573 | biostudies-literature