In the present study, a novel reverse electrodialysis (RED) stack with ultrathin lab-made pore-filling membranes and a high-open-area spacer was proposed to enhance the gross power density.

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Abstract. Gastrodia elata Blume (GEB) is a traditional herbal plant that has been used in Asian countries for centuries as an anticonvulsant, analgesic, and also as a sedative for treating general paralysis, epilepsy, vertigo, and tetanus. Although numerous reports have addressed the effects of GEB against degenerative diseases, no previous study has examined the possible gastroprotective effects of GEB. Here, we examined the effects of pretreatment with GEB (0.02 ml/g, p.o.) in a mouse water immersion restraint (WIR) stressinduced gastric lesion model. Our results revealed that mice pretreated with GEB had significantly fewer gastric lesions than their respective controls. Moreover, GEB-treated mice showed significant decreases in serum and gastric nitric oxide (NO) levels to 50 and 28%, respectively. To examine one possible mechanism underlying this effect, we used reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to examine NOS mRNA expression in gastric lesion tissues. Our results revealed that the mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was reduced by ~50% in GEB-pretreated mice versus the controls, whereas the mRNA expression levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) remained unchanged. These findings collectively suggest that GEB significantly protects the gastric mucosa against WIR-induced gastric damage, at least in part by decreasing NO levels via suppression of iNOS mRNA expression.

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A porous substrate with a microscopic network structure was used to prepare anion and cation exchange membranes. These membrane pairs had a low Ohmic resistance, and their performance in a reverse electrodialysis stack was >1.3 times higher than some commercially available membrane pairs. The low membrane resistance resulted from the membrane's thinness, swelling properties, and locally focused ion conducting phase. The swelling ratio of the prepared membranes was determined by the dimensional changes in the X−Y and X−Y‐Z directions before and after swelling. High‐angle annular dark‐field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF‐STEM) analysis was used to confirm the localization of the conducting components. These results were also compared with commercially available membranes.