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Hamal EK, Alfassi G, Antonenko M, Rein DM, Cohen Y. Cellulose-coated emulsion micro-particles self-assemble with yeasts for cellulose bio-conversion. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5499. [PMID: 38448579 PMCID: PMC10918086 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56204-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
In the quest for alternative renewable energy sources, a new self-assembled hybrid configuration of cellulose-coated oil-in-water emulsion particles with yeast was formed. In this research, the addition of yeasts (S. cerevisiae) to the micro-particle emulsion revealed a novel self-assembly configuration in which the yeast cell is connected to surrounding cellulose-coated micro-particles. This hybrid configuration may enhance the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process by substrate channeling. Glucose produced by hydrolysis of the cellulose shells coating the micro-particles, catalyzed by cellulytic enzymes attached to their coating, is directly fermented to ethanol by the yeasts to which the particles are connected. The results indicate ethanol yield of 62%, based on the cellulose content of the emulsion, achieved by the yeast/micro-particle hybrids. The functionality of this hybrid configuration is expected to serve as a micro-reactor for a cascade of biochemical reactions in a "one-pot" consolidated process transforming cellulose to valuable chemicals, such as biodiesel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Korkus Hamal
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Gilad Alfassi
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Braude College of Engineering, Karmiel, Israel
| | - Margarita Antonenko
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel
| | - Dmitry M Rein
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yachin Cohen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel
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2
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Peng C, Zhu X, Zhang J, Zhao W, Jia J, Wu Z, Yu Z, Dong Z. Antisolvent fabrication of monodisperse liposomes using novel ultrasonic microreactors: Process optimization, performance comparison and intensification effect. ULTRASONICS SONOCHEMISTRY 2024; 103:106769. [PMID: 38266590 PMCID: PMC10818068 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2024.106769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Liposomes as drug carriers for the delivery of therapeutic agents have triggered extensive research but it remains a grand challenge to develop a novel technology for enabling rapid and mass fabrication of monodisperse liposomes. In this work, we constructed a novel ultrasonic microfluidic technology, namely ultrasonic microreactor (USMR) with two different conjunction structure (co-flow and impinge flow, corresponding to USMR-CF and USMR-IF, respectively), to prepare uniform liposomes by antisolvent precipitation method. In this process, the monodisperse liposomes with tunable droplet sizes (DS) in 60-100 nm and a polydispersity index (PDI) less than 0.1 can easily be achieved by tuning the total flow rate, flow rate ratio, ultrasonic power, and lipid concentration within the two USMRs. Impressively, the USMR-IF is superior for reducing the PDI and tuning DS of the liposomes over the USMR-CF. More importantly, the ultrasonic can effectively reduce DS and PDI at the low TFR and support the IF-micromixer in reducing the PDI even at a high TFR. These remarkable performances are mainly due to the rapid active mixing, fouling-free property and high operation stability for USMR-IF. In addition, diverse lipid formulations can also be uniformly assembled into small liposomes with narrow distribution, such as the prepared HSPC-based liposome with DS of 59.6 nm and PDI of 0.08. The liposomes show a high stability and the yield can reach a high throughput with 108 g/h by using the USMR-IF at an initial lipid concentration of 60 mM. The results in the present work highlight a novel ultrasonic microfluidic technology in the preparation of liposomes and may pave an avenue for the rapid, fouling-free, and high throughput fabrication of different and monodisperse nanomedicines with controllable sizes and narrow distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caihe Peng
- School of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, 130117 Changchun, China
| | - Xiaojing Zhu
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, 515031 Shantou, China.
| | - Jie Zhang
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, 515031 Shantou, China
| | | | - Jingfu Jia
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, 515031 Shantou, China
| | - Zhilin Wu
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, 515031 Shantou, China; College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University, 515063 Shantou, China
| | - Zhixin Yu
- School of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, 130117 Changchun, China.
| | - Zhengya Dong
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, 515031 Shantou, China; College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University, 515063 Shantou, China; MoGe um-Flow Technology Co., Ltd., 515031 Shantou, China.
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Faber T, McConville JT, Lamprecht A. Focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy provides novel insights of drug delivery phenomena. J Control Release 2024; 366:312-327. [PMID: 38161031 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.12.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has long been a standard tool for morphological analyses, providing sub micrometer resolution of pharmaceutical formulations. However, analysis of internal morphologies of such formulations can often be biased due to the introduction of artifacts that originate from sample preparation. A recent advancement in SEM, is the focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). This technique uses a focused ion beam (FIB) to remove material with nanometer precision, to provide virtually sample-independent access to sub-surface structures. The FIB can be combined with SEM imaging capabilities within the same instrumentation. As a powerful analytical tool, electron microscopy and FIB-milling are performed sequentially to produce high-resolution 3D models of structural peculiarities of diverse drug delivery systems or their behavior in a biological environment, i.e. intracellular or -tissue distribution. This review paper briefly describes the technical background of the method, outlines a wide array of potential uses within the drug delivery field, and focuses on intracellular transport where high-resolution images are an essential tool for mechanistical insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thilo Faber
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jason T McConville
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Alf Lamprecht
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Université de Franche-Comté, INSERM UMR1098 Right, Besançon, France.
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Chountoulesi M, Pippa N, Forys A, Trzebicka B, Pispas S. Structure-Based Evaluation of Hybrid Lipid-Polymer Nanoparticles: The Role of the Polymeric Guest. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:290. [PMID: 38276698 PMCID: PMC10818590 DOI: 10.3390/polym16020290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The combination of phospholipids and block-copolymers yields advanced hybrid nanoparticles through the self-assembly process in an aqueous environment. The physicochemical features of the lipid/polymer components, like the lipid-polymer molar ratio, the macromolecular architecture of the block copolymer, the main transition temperature of the phospholipid, as well as the formulation and preparation protocol parameters, are some of the most crucial parameters for the formation of hybrid lipid/polymer vesicles and for the differentiation of their morphology. The morphology, along with other physicochemical nanoparticle characteristics are strictly correlated with the nanoparticle's later biological behavior after being administered, affecting interactions with cells, biodistribution, uptake, toxicity, drug release, etc. In the present study, a structural evaluation of hybrid lipid-polymer nanoparticles based on cryo-TEM studies was undertaken. Different kinds of hybrid lipid-polymer nanoparticles were designed and developed using phospholipids and block copolymers with different preparation protocols. The structures obtained ranged from spherical vesicles to rod-shaped structures, worm-like micelles, and irregular morphologies. The obtained morphologies were correlated with the formulation and preparation parameters and especially the type of lipid, the polymeric guest, and their ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Chountoulesi
- Section of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece;
| | - Natassa Pippa
- Section of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece;
| | - Aleksander Forys
- Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 34, 41-819 Zabrze, Poland; (A.F.); (B.T.)
| | - Barbara Trzebicka
- Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 34, 41-819 Zabrze, Poland; (A.F.); (B.T.)
| | - Stergios Pispas
- Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece
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Kuperkar K, Atanase LI, Bahadur A, Crivei IC, Bahadur P. Degradable Polymeric Bio(nano)materials and Their Biomedical Applications: A Comprehensive Overview and Recent Updates. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:206. [PMID: 38257005 PMCID: PMC10818796 DOI: 10.3390/polym16020206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Degradable polymers (both biomacromolecules and several synthetic polymers) for biomedical applications have been promising very much in the recent past due to their low cost, biocompatibility, flexibility, and minimal side effects. Here, we present an overview with updated information on natural and synthetic degradable polymers where a brief account on different polysaccharides, proteins, and synthetic polymers viz. polyesters/polyamino acids/polyanhydrides/polyphosphazenes/polyurethanes relevant to biomedical applications has been provided. The various approaches for the transformation of these polymers by physical/chemical means viz. cross-linking, as polyblends, nanocomposites/hybrid composites, interpenetrating complexes, interpolymer/polyion complexes, functionalization, polymer conjugates, and block and graft copolymers, are described. The degradation mechanism, drug loading profiles, and toxicological aspects of polymeric nanoparticles formed are also defined. Biomedical applications of these degradable polymer-based biomaterials in and as wound dressing/healing, biosensors, drug delivery systems, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine, etc., are highlighted. In addition, the use of such nano systems to solve current drug delivery problems is briefly reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ketan Kuperkar
- Department of Chemistry, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT), Ichchhanath, Piplod, Surat 395007, Gujarat, India;
| | - Leonard Ionut Atanase
- Faculty of Medical Dentistry, “Apollonia” University of Iasi, 700511 Iasi, Romania
- Academy of Romanian Scientists, 050045 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Anita Bahadur
- Department of Zoology, Sir PT Sarvajanik College of Science, Surat 395001, Gujarat, India;
| | - Ioana Cristina Crivei
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” University of Life Sciences, 700449 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Pratap Bahadur
- Department of Chemistry, Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU), Udhana-Magdalla Road, Surat 395007, Gujarat, India;
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6
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Hoeppener S. Characterization of Drug Delivery Systems by Transmission Electron Microscopy. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2024; 284:191-209. [PMID: 37973626 DOI: 10.1007/164_2023_699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
The contribution of electron microscopy, and here, in particular transmission electron microscopy (TEM), to the formulation and understanding of the biological action of drug delivery systems has led to a better insight into the design principles of drug delivery systems. TEM can be applied for particle characterization, for the visualization of the uptake and intracellular pathways of drug vehicles in cells and tissues and more recently can be also applied for the high-resolution investigation of drug-receptor interactions with near-atomic resolution. This chapter introduces basic techniques to optimize imaging quality of soft matter samples, highlights possibilities to study certain aspects of drug delivery applications, and finally provides a short introduction to high-resolution characterization possibilities which recently emerged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Hoeppener
- Jena Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
- Laboratory of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
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Filippov SK, Khusnutdinov R, Murmiliuk A, Inam W, Zakharova LY, Zhang H, Khutoryanskiy VV. Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy in drug delivery: a roadmap for correct characterization of nanoparticles and interpretation of results. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2023; 10:5354-5370. [PMID: 37814922 DOI: 10.1039/d3mh00717k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
In this focus article, we provide a scrutinizing analysis of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) as the two common methods to study the sizes of nanoparticles with focus on the application in pharmaceutics and drug delivery. Control over the size and shape of nanoparticles is one of the key factors for many biomedical systems. Particle size will substantially affect their permeation through biological membranes. For example, an enhanced permeation and retention effect requires a very narrow range of sizes of nanoparticles (50-200 nm) and even a minor deviation from these values will substantially affect the delivery of drug nanocarriers to the tumour. However, amazingly a great number of research papers in pharmaceutics and drug delivery report a striking difference in nanoparticle size measured by the two most popular experimental techniques (TEM and DLS). In some cases, this difference was reported to be 200-300%, raising the question of which size measurement result is more trustworthy. In this focus article, we primarily focus on the physical aspects that are responsible for the routinely observed mismatch between TEM and DLS results. Some of these factors such as concentration and angle dependencies are commonly underestimated and misinterpreted. We convincingly show that correctly used experimental procedures and a thorough analysis of results generated using both methods can eliminate the DLS and TEM data mismatch completely or will make the results much closer to each other. Also, we provide a clear roadmap for drug delivery and pharmaceutical researchers to conduct reliable DLS measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey K Filippov
- School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Whiteknights, RG6 6DX Reading, UK.
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Ramil Khusnutdinov
- Institute of Pharmacy, Kazan State Medical University, 16 Fatykh Amirkhan, 420126 Kazan, Russian Federation
| | - Anastasiia Murmiliuk
- Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Hlavova 8, 128 00 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Wali Inam
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Lucia Ya Zakharova
- Arbuzov Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry, FRC Kazan Scientific Center of RAS, 8 Arbuzov Str., 420088 Kazan, Russian Federation
| | - Hongbo Zhang
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland
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Clemente I, D’Aria F, Giancola C, Bonechi C, Slouf M, Pavlova E, Rossi C, Ristori S. Structuring and de-structuring of nanovectors from algal lipids. Part 1: physico-chemical characterization. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2022; 220:112939. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2022.112939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Hamal EK, Alfassi G, Khalfin R, Rein DM, Cohen Y. Structural Insights into Cellulose-Coated Oil in Water Emulsions. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:11171-11179. [PMID: 36069748 PMCID: PMC9494939 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Cellulose is a renewable biopolymer, abundant on Earth, with a multi-level supramolecular structure. There has been significant interest and advancement in utilizing natural cellulose to stabilize emulsions. In our research, we develop and examine oil in water emulsions surrounded by unmodified cellulose as microreactors for the process of transformation of cellulose into valuable chemicals such as biodiesel. This study presents morphological characterization of cellulose-coated emulsions that can be used for such purposes. Cryogenic-scanning electron microscopy imaging along with light microscopy and light scattering reveals a multi-layer inner structure: an oil core surrounded by a porous cellulose hydrogel shell, coated by an outer shell of regenerated cellulose. Measurements of small-angle X-ray scattering provide quantification of the nano-scale structure within the porous cellulose hydrogel inner shell of the emulsion particle. These characteristics are relevant to utilization of cellulose-coated emulsions in various applications such as controlled release and as hosts for enzymatic biotechnological reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Korkus Hamal
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
- Email
address:
| | - Gilad Alfassi
- Department
of Biotechnology Engineering, ORT Braude
College, Karmiel 2161002, Israel
| | - Rafail Khalfin
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Dmitry M. Rein
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Yachin Cohen
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
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Okada S, Chen C. A Novel Cryogenic Adhesive Retaining Fluidity at Dry-Ice Temperature for Low-Temperature Scanning Electron Microscopy. MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA, MICROBEAM ANALYSIS SOCIETY, MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2022; 28:1-11. [PMID: 36062382 DOI: 10.1017/s1431927622012296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Scanning electron microscopy operated at cryogenic temperature (cryo-SEM) is a powerful tool for investigating surface and cross-sectional nanostructures of water-containing samples. Typically, cryo-SEM samples are frozen just before observation in specific metal carriers. However, pre-frozen samples are also of interest, such as frozen food and freeze-stored animal samples. In such cases, sample mounting with a defined orientation is required, but there has been a lack of ideal conductive adhesives that can be used without increasing the sample temperature. Here, we developed a mixture of graphite oxide and 1,3-butanediol as an adhesive, capable of gluing samples at dry-ice temperature and is frozen below that temperature. Dispersion of graphite oxide increased the conductivity and reduced the charge-up contrast. Acquisition of energy-dispersive X-ray spectrum, cross-sectional ion milling, and high-resolution imaging were successfully achieved using the adhesive. We tested and confirmed the usefulness of this new adhesive by applying it to cryo-SEM surface imaging of diatomite, freeze-fractured cross-sectional imaging of chicken liver, and ion milling cross-sectional imaging of a deep-sea snail. The new adhesive is not only useful for food science and field-preserved biological samples but also potentially applicable to wider fields such as archaeological and biological samples preserved under permafrost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Okada
- Super-cutting-edge Grand and Advanced Research (SUGAR) Program, Institute for Extra-Cutting-Edge Science and Technology Avant-Garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
| | - Chong Chen
- Super-cutting-edge Grand and Advanced Research (SUGAR) Program, Institute for Extra-Cutting-Edge Science and Technology Avant-Garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
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