Beneficial influence of nanocarbon on the aryliminopyridylnickel chloride catalyzed ethylene polymerization

A series of 1-aryliminoethylpyridine ligands (L1―L3) was synthesized by condensation of 2-acetylpyridine with 1-aminonaphthalene, 2-aminoanthracene or 1-aminopyrene, respectively. Reaction with nickel dichloride afforded the corresponding nickel (II) chloride complexes (Ni1–Ni3). All compounds were fully characterized and the molecular structures of Ni1 and Ni3 are reported. Upon activation with methylaluminoxane (MAO), all nickel complexes exhibit high activities for ethylene polymerization, producing waxes of low molecular weight and narrow polydispersity. The presence of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) or few layer graphene (FLG) in the catalytic medium can lead to an increase of productivity associated to a modification of the polymer structure

Synthesis and characterization of 2-(2-benzhydrylnaphthyliminomethyl)pyridylnickel halides: formation of branched polyethylene

A series of 2-(2-benzhydrylnaphthyliminomethyl)pyridine derivatives (L1–L3) was prepared and used to synthesize the corresponding bis-ligated nickel(II) halide complexes (Ni1–Ni6) in good yield. The molecular structures of representative complexes, namely the bromide Ni3 and the chloride complex Ni6, were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction, and revealed a distorted octahedral geometry at nickel. Upon activation with either methylaluminoxane (MAO) or modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO), all nickel complex pre-catalysts exhibited high activities (up to 2.02 × 10⁷ g(PE) mol⁻¹(Ni) h⁻¹) towards ethylene polymerization, producing branched polyethylene of low molecular weight and narrow polydispersity. The influence of the reaction parameters and the nature of the ligands on the catalytic behavior of the title nickel complexes were investigated

Bipolar plasma vaporization using plasma-cutting and plasma-loop electrodes versus cold-knife transurethral incision for the treatment of posterior urethral stricture: a prospective, randomized study

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the efficiency and safety of bipolar plasma vaporization using plasma-cutting and plasma-loop electrodes for the treatment of posterior urethral stricture. Compare the outcomes following bipolar plasma vaporization with conventional cold-knife urethrotomy. METHODS: A randomized trial was performed to compare patient outcomes from the bipolar and cold-knife groups. All patients were assessed at 6 and 12 months postoperatively via urethrography and uroflowmetry. At the end of the first postoperative year, ureteroscopy was performed to evaluate the efficacy of the procedure. The mean follow-up time was 13.9 months (range: 12 to 21 months). If re-stenosis was not identified by both urethrography and ureteroscopy, the procedure was considered “successful”. RESULTS: Fifty-three male patients with posterior urethral strictures were selected and randomly divided into two groups: bipolar group (n=27) or cold-knife group (n=26). Patients in the bipolar group experienced a shorter operative time compared to the cold-knife group (23.45±7.64 hours vs 33.45±5.45 hours, respectively). The 12-month postoperative Qmax was faster in the bipolar group than in the cold-knife group (15.54±2.78 ml/sec vs 18.25±2.12 ml/sec, respectively). In the bipolar group, the recurrence-free rate was 81.5% at a mean follow-up time of 13.9 months. In the cold-knife group, the recurrence-free rate was 53.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The application of bipolar plasma-cutting and plasma-loop electrodes for the management of urethral stricture disease is a safe and reliable method that minimizes the morbidity of urethral stricture resection. The advantages include a lower recurrence rate and shorter operative time compared to the cold-knife technique

Statistical inference of body representation in the macaque brain

The sense of one’s own body is a pillar of self-consciousness and could be investigated by inducing human illusions of artificial objects as part of the self. Here, we present a nonhuman primate version of a rubber-hand illusion that allowed us to determine its computational and neuronal mechanisms. We implemented a video-based system in a reaching task in monkeys and combined a casual inference model to establish an objective and quantitative signature for the monkey’s body representation. Similar to humans, monkeys were more likely to perceive an external object as part of the self when the dynamics (spatial disparity) and the features (shape and structure) of visual (V) input was closer to proprioceptive (P) signals. Neural signals in the monkey’s premotor cortex reflected the strength of illusion and the likelihood of misattributing the illusory hand to oneself, thus, revealing a cortical representation of body ownership.Fil: Fang, Wen. Chinese Academy of Sciences; República de ChinaFil: Li, Junru. Chinese Academy of Sciences; República de ChinaFil: Qi, Guangyao. Chinese Academy of Sciences; República de ChinaFil: Li, Shenghao. Chinese Academy of Sciences; República de ChinaFil: Sigman, Mariano. Universidad Torcuato Di Tella; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Wang, Liping. Chinese Academy of Sciences; República de China. Shanghai Research Center For Brain Science And Brain-inspired Intelligence; Chin

Attenuation of Pain Perception Induced by the Rubber Hand Illusion

Adaptive behavior usually requires accurate representations of body positions and ownership, which rely on integration of multiple sources of sensory information. The rubber hand illusion (RHI) presents a compelling example demonstrating that the combination of visual and tactile signals strongly influences the subjective experience of body ownership. However, it still remains unclear how the perception of body ownership in turn alters other aspects of sensory processing, such as pain perception. In the present study, we examined whether the RHI could modulate the subjective experience of pain. We set three conditions corresponding to different levels of ownership of the rubber hand: the synchronous condition in which the rubber and the real hand were simultaneously stroked; the asynchronous condition in which the two hands were asynchronously stroked; the own-hand-only condition in which only the real hand was stroked. Results from the screening experiment indicated that subjects experienced the stronger RHI in the synchronous condition, compared with the strength of RHI in the other two conditions. In the main experiment, subjects were requested to report the intensity and unpleasantness of pain evoked by laser stimuli under the three stroking conditions. Results showed that pain ratings were significantly lower under the synchronous condition than those under the other two conditions, suggesting the RHI could induce a significant analgesic effect. Furthermore, the correlation analysis showed that the degree of the analgesic effect was positively correlated with the RHI strength across individuals. Taken together, these results suggest an analgesic effect of the RHI and support the potential usage of visual illusions in future translational research on pain

2-(1-(2-Benzhydrylnaphthylimino)ethyl)pyridylnickel halides: Synthesis, characterization, and ethylene polymerization behavior

A series of 2-(1-(2-benzhydrylnaphthylimino)ethyl)pyridine derivatives (L1–L3) was synthesized and fully characterized. The organic compounds acted as bi-dentate ligands on reacting with nickel halides to afford two kinds of nickel complexes, either mononuclear bis-ligated L₂NiBr₂ (Ni1–Ni3) or chloro-bridged dinuclear L₂Ni₂Cl₄ (Ni4–Ni6) complexes. The nickel complexes were fully characterized, and the single crystal X-ray diffraction revealed for Ni2, a distorted square pyramidal geometry at nickel comprising four nitrogens of two ligands and one bromide; whereas for Ni4, a centrosymmetric dimer possessing a distorted octahedral geometry at nickel was formed by two nitrogens of one ligand, two bridging chlorides and one terminal chloride along with oxygen from methanol (solvent). When activated with diethylaluminium chloride (Et₂AlCl), all nickel complexes performed with high activities (up to 1.22 × 10⁷ g (PE) mol⁻¹(Ni) h⁻¹) towards ethylene polymerization; the obtained polyethylene possessed high branching, low molecular weight and narrow polydispersity, suggestive of a single-site active species. The effect of the polymerization parameters, including the nature of the ligands/halides on the catalytic performance is discussed

Neuropeptide Deficient Mice Have Attenuated Nociceptive, Vascular, and Inflammatory Changes in a Tibia Fracture Model of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

BACKGROUND: Distal limb fracture in man can induce a complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) with pain, warmth, edema, and cutaneous inflammation. In the present study substance P (SP, Tac1(−/−)) and CGRP receptor (RAMP1(−/−)) deficient mice were used to investigate the contribution of neuropeptide signaling to CRPS-like changes in a tibia fracture mouse model. Wildtype, Tac1(−/−), and RAMP1(−/−) mice underwent tibia fracture and casting for 3 weeks, then the cast was removed and hindpaw mechanical allodynia, unweighting, warmth, and edema were tested over time. Hindpaw skin was collected at 3 weeks post-fracture for immunoassay and femurs were collected for micro-CT analysis. RESULTS: Wildtype mice developed hindpaw allodynia, unweighting, warmth, and edema at 3 weeks post-fracture, but in the Tac1(−/−) fracture mice allodynia and unweighting were attenuated and there was no warmth and edema. RAMP1(−/−) fracture mice had a similar presentation, except there was no reduction in hindpaw edema. Hindpaw skin TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6 and NGF levels were up-regulated in wildtype fracture mice at 3 weeks post-fracture, but in the Tac1(−/−) and RAMP1(−/−) fracture mice only IL-6 was increased. The epidermal keratinocytes were the cellular source for these inflammatory mediators. An IL-6 receptor antagonist partially reversed post-fracture pain behaviors in wildtype mice. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, both SP and CGRP are critical neuropeptide mediators for the pain behaviors, vascular abnormalities, and up-regulated innate immune responses observed in the fracture hindlimb. We postulate that the residual pain behaviors observed in the Tac1(−/−) and RAMP1(−/−) fracture mice are attributable to the increased IL-6 levels observed in the hindpaw skin after fracture