DFT Study on Electronic Interactions of Pt, Pd and Au Atoms with γ-Al2O3

The metal-support electronic interaction of dispersed Pt, Pd and Au layers on γ-Al2O3 is studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results indicate that electrons transfer significantly between the contacting layers of Au, Pt or Pd and the γ-Al2O3. Fukui function calculation results exhibit the electrophilicity of Al and O atoms on the Pt-supported surface is the greatest, while their nucleophilicity is the weakest. DOS calculation results demonstrate that the metal d orbital and O 2p orbital participate in the interactions, and the interaction between Pt 5d orbital and O 2p orbital is the strongest.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.24.3.17855</span

High intensity interval training vs. moderate intensity continuous training on aerobic capacity and functional capacity in patients with heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundExercise training is commonly employed as a efficacious supplementary treatment for individuals suffering from heart failure, but the optimal exercise regimen is still controversial. The objective of the review was to compare the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on the exercise capacity, cardiac function, quality of life (QoL) and heart rate among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.MethodsA systematic search was performed using the following eight databases from their inception to July 5, 2023: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, Clinical Trials, China Knowledge Network, Wan fang Data, and the China Biology Medicine databases. The meta-analysis results were presented as mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used for the included studies. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluations was used to assess the certainty of evidence.ResultsThirteen randomized controlled trials were included in the study. The results showed that HIIT had a significant positive effect on peak oxygen uptake (MD = 1.78, 95% CI for 0.80–2.76), left ventricular ejection fraction (MD = 3.13, 95% CI for 1.25–5.02), six-minute walk test (MD = 28.13, 95% CI for 14.56–41.70), and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MD = −4.45, 95% CI for −6.25 to −2.64) compared to MICT. However, there were no statistically significant differences observed in resting heart rate and peak heart rate.ConclusionsHIIT significantly improves peak oxygen uptake, left ventricular ejection fraction, six-minute walk test, and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Additionally, HIIT exhibits greater effectiveness in improving peak oxygen uptake among patients with lower body mass index.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.doi.org/10.37766/inplasy2023.7.0100, identifier (INPLASY2023.7.0100)

A Questionnaire Survey on Awareness of Reproductive Protection and Autologous Sperm Preservation among Patients with Malignant Tumor

Objective The aim of this study was to assess the awareness of fertility protection among male patients and their healthcare providers in the treatment process of cancer. Methods In a cross-sectional study, we applied a questionnaire survey among patients and healthcare providers who were selected randomly: the physician group consisted of oncologists and hematologists, and the patient group included participants with cancer from 15 to 45 years old, who were recruited from hos-pitals in Qingdao. Meanwhile, data from male cancer patients, who received sperm cryopreservation in our hospital, were also analyzed. Results Data collected from healthcare provider group showed that more than 80% of clinicians warned patients of the fertility impairment along with chemotherapy or other treatments, whereas a few clinicians recommended specific methods for reproductive protection to patients with special attention be paid to the follow-up fertility result. In patient group, more than 50% indicated they would accept the loss of fertility caused by cancer therapies. The rate of awareness of sperm cryopreservation, as an effective way of reproductive protection, was low among both physician and patient groups. In the past 3 years, only 63 samples of semen from 54 cancer patients were cryopreserved in our hospital

Design and Regulation of Novel MnFe₂O₄@C Nanowires as High Performance Electrode for Supercapacitor

Bimetallic oxides have been considered as potential candidates for supercapacitors due to their relatively high electric conductivity, abundant redox reactions and cheapness. However, nanoparticle aggregation and huge volume variation during charging-discharging procedures make it hard for them to be applied widely. In this work, one-dimensional (1D) MnFe2O4@C nanowires were in-situ synthesized via a simply modified micro-emulsion technique, followed by thermal treatment. The novel 1D and core-shell architecture, and in-situ carbon coating promote its electric conductivity and porous feature. Due to these advantages, the MnFe2O4@C electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 824 F&#183;g&#8722;1 at 0.1 A&#183;g&#8722;1 and remains 476 F&#183;g&#8722;1 at 5 A&#183;g&#8722;1. After 10,000 cycles, the capacitance retention of the MnFe2O4@C electrode is up to 93.9%, suggesting its excellent long-term cycling stability. After assembling with activated carbon (AC) to form a MnFe2O4@C//AC device, the energy density of this MnFe2O4@C//AC device is 27 W&#183;h&#183;kg&#8722;1 at a power density of 290 W&#183;kg&#8722;1, and remains at a 10 W&#183;h&#183;kg&#8722;1 energy density at a high power density of 9300 W&#183;kg&#8722;1

Mutations that bypass tRNA binding activate the intrinsically defective kinase domain in GCN2

The protein kinase GCN2 is activated in amino acid-starved cells on binding of uncharged tRNA to a histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HisRS)-related domain. We isolated two point mutations in the protein kinase (PK) domain, R794G and F842L, that permit strong kinase activity in the absence of tRNA binding. These mutations also bypass the requirement for ribosome binding, dimerization, and association with the GCN1/GCN20 regulatory complex, suggesting that all of these functions facilitate tRNA binding to wild-type GCN2. While the isolated wild-type PK domain was completely inert, the mutant PK was highly active in vivo and in vitro. These results identify an inhibitory structure intrinsic to the PK domain that must be overcome on tRNA binding by interactions with a regulatory region, most likely the N terminus of the HisRS segment. As Arg 794 and Phe 842 are predicted to lie close to one another and to the active site, they may participate directly in misaligning active site residues. Autophosphorylation of the activation loop was stimulated by R794G and F842L, and the autophosphorylation sites remained critical for GCN2 function in the presence of these mutations. Our results imply a two-step activation mechanism involving distinct conformational changes in the PK domain

Chemotaxonomic Study of Citrus, Poncirus and Fortunella Genotypes Based on Peel Oil Volatile Compounds - Deciphering the Genetic Origin of Mangshanyegan (Citrus nobilis Lauriro)

Volatile profiles yielded from gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis provide abundant information not only for metabolism-related research, but also for chemotaxonomy. To study the chemotaxonomy of Mangshanyegan, its volatile profiles of fruit and leaf and those of 29 other genotypes of Citrus, Poncirus, and Fortunella were subjected to phylogenetic analyses. Results showed that 145 identified (including 64 tentatively identified) and 15 unidentified volatile compounds were detected from their peel oils. The phylogenetic analysis of peel oils based on hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) demonstrated a good agreement with the Swingle taxonomy system, in which the three genera of Citrus, Poncirus, and Fortunella were almost completely separated. As to Citrus, HCA indicated that Citrophorum, Cephalocitrus, and Sinocitrus fell into three subgroups, respectively. Also, it revealed that Mangshanyegan contain volatile compounds similar to those from pummelo, though it is genetically believed to be a mandarin. These results were further supported by the principal component analysis of the peel oils and the HCA results of volatile profiles of leaves in the study

Preparation of Cellulose Nanocrystals by Synergistic Action of Ionic Liquid and Recyclable Solid Acid under Mild Conditions

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are nanoscale particles made from cellulose. They have many unique properties such as being lightweight, stiff, and renewable, making them promising for a variety of applications in a wide range of industries, including materials science, energy storage, and biomedicine. In this paper, a two-stage (swelling-SA-catalyzed) method including IL pretreatment and solid acid hydrolysis process was developed to extract CNCs with high purity and good thermal stability from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). In the first stage, the swelling of MCC in ionic liquid was studied with the assistance of ultrasonication, and it was found that the amorphous regions became more disordered while the crystalline areas were selectively retained under the conditions of 30 min of reaction time, 45 °C of temperature, 2% of ionic liquid water content and 1:4 mass ratio of cellulose to ionic liquid. CNCs were extracted using solid acid hydrolysis, with a 45 wt% solid acid to cellulose ratio and a 5.0 h hydrolysis process at 45 °C. The morphology, crystallinity, surface characteristics and thermo stability of the sample were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. Results demonstrated the highly thermostable CNCs were successful extracted with rodlike shape of 300 ± 100 nm in length and 20 ± 10 nm in width. Solid acid recovery and reuse were also studied, revealing a promising candidate that can reduce the environmental impact associated with chemical products

Characterization of the whole chloroplast genome of Chikusichloa mutica and its comparison with other rice tribe (Oryzeae) species

Chloroplast genomes are a significant genomic resource in plant species and have been used in many research areas. The complete genomic information from wild crop species could supply a valuable genetic reservoir for breeding. Chikusichloa mutica is one of the most important wild distant relatives of cultivated rice. In this study, we sequenced and characterized its complete chloroplast (cp) genome and compared it with other species in the same tribe. The whole cp genome sequence is 136,603 bp in size and exhibits a typical quadripartite structure with large and small single-copy regions (LSC, 82,327 bp; SSC, 12,598 bp) separated by a pair of 20,839-bp inverted repeats (IRA, B). A total of 110 unique genes are annotated, including 76 protein-coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNA genes and 30 tRNA genes. The genome structure, gene order, GC content, and other features are similar to those of other angiosperm cp genomes. When comparing the cp genomes between Oryzinae and Zizaniinae subtribes, the main differences were found between the junction regions and distribution of simple sequence repeats (SSRs). In comparing the two Chikusichloa species, the genomes were only 40 bp different in length and 108 polymorphic sites, including 83 single nucleotide substitutions (SNPs) and 25 insertion-deletions (Indels), were found between the whole cp genomes. The complete cp genome of C. mutica will be an important genetic tool for future breeding programs and understanding the evolution of wild rice relatives

The tRNA-binding moiety in GCN2 contains a dimerization domain that interacts with the kinase domain and is required for tRNA binding and kinase activation

GCN2 stimulates translation of GCN4 mRNA in amino acid-starved cells by phosphorylating translation initiation factor 2. GCN2 is activated by binding of uncharged tRNA to a domain related to histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HisRS). The HisRS-like region contains two dimerization domains (HisRS-N and HisRS-C) required for GCN2 function in vivo but dispensable for dimerization by full-length GCN2. Residues corresponding to amino acids at the dimer interface of Escherichia coli HisRS were required for dimerization of recombinant HisRS-N and for tRNA binding by full-length GCN2, suggesting that HisRS-N dimerization promotes tRNA binding and kinase activation. HisRS-N also interacted with the protein kinase (PK) domain, and a deletion impairing this interaction destroyed GCN2 function without reducing tRNA binding; thus, HisRS-N–PK interaction appears to stimulate PK function. The C-terminal domain of GCN2 (C-term) interacted with the PK domain in a manner disrupted by an activating PK mutation (E803V). These results suggest that the C-term is an autoinhibitory domain, counteracted by tRNA binding. We conclude that multiple domain interactions, positive and negative, mediate the activation of GCN2 by uncharged tRNA

Yeast Cap Binding Complex Impedes Recruitment of Cleavage Factor IA to Weak Termination Sites▿

Nuclear cap binding complex (CBC) is recruited cotranscriptionally and stimulates spliceosome assembly on nascent mRNAs; however, its possible functions in regulating transcription elongation or termination were not well understood. We show that, while CBC appears to be dispensable for normal rates and processivity of elongation by RNA polymerase II (Pol II), it plays a direct role in preventing polyadenylation at weak termination sites. Similarly to Npl3p, with which it interacts, CBC suppresses the weak terminator of the gal10-Δ56 mutant allele by impeding recruitment of termination factors Pcf11p and Rna15p (subunits of cleavage factor IA [CF IA]) and does so without influencing Npl3p occupancy at the termination site. Importantly, deletion of CBC subunits or NPL3 also increases termination at a naturally occurring weak poly(A) site in the RNA14 coding sequences. We also show that CBC is most likely recruited directly to the cap of nascent transcripts rather than interacting first with transcriptional activators or the phosphorylated C-terminal domain of Pol II. Thus, our findings illuminate the mechanism of CBC recruitment and extend its function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae beyond mRNA splicing and degradation of aberrant nuclear mRNAs to include regulation of CF IA recruitment at poly(A) selection sites