Reactivity of C–C Scission on Ni-Based Core/Shell Bimetallic Surfaces Investigated with Quantum-Chemical Calculations

With quantum-chemical calculations, we investigated the cleavage of the C–C bond in molecules of type R–G, with R = CH3 and G = CO, CN, on the (111) surface of pure Ni and core/shell Cu/Ni and Pt/Ni surfaces. We chose here the three most typical and commonly encountered functional groups to investigate the scission of the catalytic C–C bond on these surfaces. To molecules of two kinds, CH3CO and CH3CN, we added CH3CH2 as a reference similar to an alkane itself, to perform the scission of the C–C bond on the specified metal surfaces. All three molecules exhibit the greatest adsorption energies on the core/shell Pt/Ni surface, according to the order Pt/Ni > Cu/Ni > Ni. The order of adsorption energy is generally CH3CO > CH3CH2 > CH3CN on all surfaces, but CH3CN adsorbed more strongly than CH3CH2 on the Pt/Ni surface. CH3CO has the least barrier on all surfaces; the order of its activation energy is Pt/Ni > Ni > Cu/Ni, whereas the order of activation energy for the other two molecules is Ni > Cu/Ni > Pt/Ni, with CH3CN smaller than CH3CH2. The barriers for cleavage of the C–C bond of CH3CO, CH3CN, and CH3CH2 on the (most active) core/shell Pt/Ni surface are 1.30, 1.47, and 1.84 eV, respectively. The local density of states (LDOS) is projected on the top layer of the pure metal Ni, Cu, and Pt, and the core/shell Cu/Ni and Pt/Ni to rationalize the calculated outcomes

Effects of prolonged paradoxical sleep deprivation with or without acute cold stress on hemodynamic perturbations in rats

<p>Prolonged paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) and cold stress (CS) are known to cause sympathoexcitation and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The present study examined the effect of PSD with CS on hemodynamic perturbations by investigating blood pressure and heart rate variability (BPV and HRV) in conscious rats. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups (<i>n</i> = 10, each): normal sleep (NS), PSD of 72 h, and recovery sleep of 7 days after PSD. When compared with NS, PSD increased systolic blood pressure in all three conditions: before CS (PreCS), CS, and after CS (PostCS). The PSD also increased heart rate in both PreCS and PostCS. Furthermore, spectral power changes were observed throughout the experiment. The PSD increased very-low-frequency BPV in PreCS, decreased very-low-frequency HRV in CS, and increased low-frequency BPV in all three conditions. The PSD increased low-frequency HRV in PreCS, increased high-frequency BPV in both CS and PostCS, and also increased high-frequency HRV in both PreCS and CS but decreased that in PostCS. On the other hand, when compared with PSD, recovery sleep has reversed most cardiovascular changes in PSD toward the NS level. However, when compared with NS, spectral powers of very-low-frequency BPV in the recovery phase showed a lower level. These results showed that in the resting condition, PSD might evoke sympathoexcitation with a tendency to increase both very-low-frequency BPV and very-low-frequency HRV, as the intensified myogenic oscillations. However, in the CS condition, PSD evoked the sympathoexcitation yet might attenuate such myogenic oscillations.</p

Experimental design and time course of the study.

<p>Experimental design and time course of the study.</p

sj-pdf-1-jhc-10.1369_00221554221116936 – Supplemental material for Rapid Histological Assessment of Prostate Specimens in the Three-dimensional Space by Hydrophilic Tissue Clearing and Confocal Microscopy

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-jhc-10.1369_00221554221116936 for Rapid Histological Assessment of Prostate Specimens in the Three-dimensional Space by Hydrophilic Tissue Clearing and Confocal Microscopy by Yu-Ching Peng, Yu-Chieh Lin, Yu-Ling Hung, Chien-Chung Fu, Margaret Dah-Tsyr Chang, Yen-Yin Lin and Teh-Ying Chou in Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry</p

Effect of SheaFlex75 treatment on the weight-bearing distribution of the hind limbs in rats that underwent ACLT plus MMx.

<p> An incapacitance test was used to measure the weight bearing of the hind limb before and every 2 weeks after surgery for 12 weeks. The data are the difference between the weights applied to the contralateral and ipsilateral limbs, expressed as the mean ± S.E.M. Two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s multiple comparisons test were used to analyze the data. *<i>p</i><0.05, **<i>p</i><0.01, ***<i>p</i><0.001, when compared to the OA group.</p

Effect of SheaFlex75 treatment on the knee joint width in rats that underwent ACLT plus MMx.

<p> The widths of the bilateral joints were measured before and weekly after surgery. The data are the difference between the widths of the contralateral and ipsilateral knees, expressed as the mean ± S.E.M. Two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s multiple comparisons test were used to analyze the data. *<i>p</i><0.05, **<i>p</i><0.01, ***<i>p</i><0.001, when compared to the OA group.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Bacillus subtilis natto Derivatives Inhibit Enterococcal Biofilm Formation via Restructuring of the Cell Envelope.PDF

Enterococcus faecalis is considered a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. Treatment of these infections has become a major challenge for clinicians because some E. faecalis strains are resistant to multiple clinically used antibiotics. Moreover, the presence of E. faecalis biofilms can make infections with E. faecalis more difficult to eradicate with current antibiotic therapies. Thus, our aim in this study was to investigate the effects of probiotic derivatives against E. faecalis biofilm formation. Bacillus subtilis natto is a probiotic strain isolated from Japanese fermented soybean foods, and its culture fluid potently inhibited adherence to Caco-2 cell monolayers, aggregation, and biofilm production without inhibiting the growth of E. faecalis. An apparent decrease in the thickness of E. faecalis biofilms was observed through confocal laser scanning microscopy. In addition, exopolysaccharide synthesis in E. faecalis biofilms was reduced by B. subtilis natto culture fluid treatment. Carbohydrate composition analysis also showed that carbohydrates in the E. faecalis cell envelope were restructured. Furthermore, transcriptome sequencing revealed that the culture fluid of B. subtilis natto downregulated the transcription of genes involved in the WalK/WalR two-component system, peptidoglycan biosynthesis and membrane glycolipid biosynthesis, which are all crucial for E. faecalis cell envelope synthesis and biofilm formation. Collectively, our work shows that some derivatives present in the culture fluid of B. subtilis natto may be useful for controlling E. faecalis biofilms.</p

Representative histological sections from the weight-bearing part of the medial tibial plateau from the sham (A), OA (B), OA + 0.5X SheaFlex75 (C), OA + 1X SheaFlex75 (D), and OA + 2X SheaFlex75 (E) groups.

<p> The knee joint samples were collected 12 weeks after sham or ACLT plus MMx surgery. The sections were H&E stained.</p

Effect of SheaFlex75 treatment on the body weight of rats that underwent ACLT plus MMx surgery.

<p>The data are expressed as the mean ± S.E.M., and two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s multiple comparisons test were used to analyze the data.</p

Histopathological changes in the knees of the five studied groups.

<p>Histopathological changes in the knees of the five studied groups.</p