Carbon-supported growth of cross-linked platinum nanowires by surfactant templating and their elecrochemical characterization

Platinum/carbon (Pt/C) composite materials were prepared by the hydrazine reduction of H2PtCl6 confined to a mixed surfactant lytropic liquid crystal (LC)/C mixture with varying amounts of water. The reaction at relatively low water contents successfully yielded cross-linked Pt nanowires with wire-widths of 2-5 nm. The novel Pt nanostructure is believed to be from poorly hydrated hexagonal domains formed together with layered domains by the phase separation of the precursory LC mixture in the presence of carbon. Electrochemical measurements using cyclic volutammetry and membrane electrode assemblies revealed that the cross-linked nanowired Pt/C composite exhibits fairly high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction, as well as a high performance as the cathode material for polymer electrolyte fuel cells.     

Development of revolving drop surface tensiometer

A revolving drop surface tensiometer, which measures the surface tension of a small amount of liquid, is proposed. A remarkable feature of this device is that while using the pendant drop method, it employs a centrifugal force to deform the liquid droplet. The centrifugal force induces a large distortion of the droplet, which enables an accurate measurement of the surface tension to be made. In our experimental setup, the centrifugal force can be increased so that the apparent acceleration becomes up to 100 times larger than that due to gravity, and the capability of this method to measure surface tensions was demonstrated with ethylene glycol.     

Morphological evolution and mechanical property enhancement of natural rubber/polypropylene blend through compatibilization by nanoclay

Nanocomposites of natural rubber (NR)/polypropylene (PP) (80/20 wt %) blends filled with 5 phr pristine clay were prepared by melt‐mixing process. Effects of clay incorporation technique via conventional melt‐mixing (CV) and masterbatch mixing (MB) methods on nanostructure and properties of the blend nanocomposites were investigated. The XRD, SAXS, WAXD, and TEM results showed that the clays in the NR/PP blend nanocomposites were presented in different states of dispersion and were locally existed at the interface between NR and PP as well as dispersed in the NR matrix. The presence of clay caused unique morphological evolution such as fine fibrillar PP domains. The tensile strength was improved over the unfilled NR/PP blends by 53% and 224%, and the storage modulus at 25 °C was increased by 78% and 120% for the NR/PP/clay nanocomposites prepared by CV and MB methods, respectively. Significant improvement in both properties was particularly obtained from the MB method due to finer dispersion fibrillar PP phase in the NR matrix and stronger interfacial adhesion between NR and PP fibers, as suggested from DMA. The oil resistance of blend nanocomposites was also improved over that of the unfilled NR/PP blend, and this property was further progressed by the masterbatch mixing method. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44574.     

Salt appetite is enhanced by one prior episode of sodium depletion in the rat.

A single sodium depletion enhances the salt appetite that is expressed after a second and subsequent sodium depletions. The enhanced salt intake, as measured by a decrease in latency to drink and an increase in volume of 3% NaCl ingested, is not accounted for by an increased sodium loss. The enhanced salt intake occurs even when the interval between first and second depletion is as long as 4 months. The enhanced salt appetite does not depend on the drinking of salt after the animal's first sodium depletion and is specific for strong 0.52 M NaCl but not for 0.52 M KCl. Moreover, it can be produced without sodium depletion by the actions of the hormones aldosterone and angiotensin on the brain. These results suggest that angiotensin and aldosterone, which are released in response to sodium depletion, (a) increase renal sodium conservation, (b) evoke a salt appetite to restore the lost sodium, and (c) produce enduring changes in the brain that prepare it for more rapid and more vigorous expression of salt appetite in response to future sodium depletions. Thus the neural mechanisms that govern salt appetite are not only activated by the hormones of sodium conservation but appear also to be organized by them for a lifelong increase in avidity for salty substances. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Power and temperature distribution during microwave thawing, simulated by using Maxwell's equations and Lambert's law

The microwave thawing of frozen food was simulated by using an equation to describe heat conduction. This was based on the fact that the thermal and dielectric properties of food vary with temperature. The microwave power absorbed was modelled by using Maxwell's equations and Lambert's law. The power and temperature distributions calculated using both models were compared. Although Lambert's law is theoretically less applicable for simulating the transmitted microwave power, it provided an effective numerical approach for calculating temperature distribution during microwave thawing, which proved compatible with experimental results.     

Expression of endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase in human glomerulonephritis

The presence of nitric oxide (NO) in the kidney has been implicated in the pathogenesis of human glomerulonephritis. However, the exact type of glomerular cells that express NO synthase (NOS) and the NOS isoform involved in the local production of NO has not been identified in the human diseased kidney. We examined the expression of three isoforms of NOS, inducible NOS (iNOS), endothelial NOS (eNOS) and brain NOS (bNOS) in the renal tissue of patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN, N = 10), lupus nephritis (LN, N = 5), membranous nephropathy (MN, N = 5) and minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS, N = 5). Sections were immunostained and the correlation between the expression of each NOS and the degree of glomerular injury in that section was also examined. Normal portions of surgically resected kidneys served as controls. eNOS was present in glomerular endothelial cells and endothelium of cortical vessels in the control and diseased kidneys. iNOS was localized in mesangial cells, glomerular epithelial cells and infiltrating cells in the diseased glomeruli, whereas immunostaining for iNOS was hardly detected in control kidneys. In addition, the expression pattern of eNOS in each glomerulus was the reverse of that of iNOS. In IgAN and LN, the extent of staining for eNOS correlated negatively with the degree of glomerular injury, while the extent of staining for iNOS correlated positively with the degree of glomerular injury in the same tissues. bNOS was not detected in normal or nephritic glomeruli. Our results indicate the presence of a NO pathway in human diseased kidney, and suggest that NO derived from eNOS and iNOS may be involved in the progression of renal diseases and that NO derived from each NOS may play an important role in different way in human inflamed glomeruli.     

Relationships between 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in refrigerated and frozen pork

The relationships between 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 PUFAs) were investigated for pork stored at 0, -20 and -80 degrees C. A significant linear correlation was apparent between HNE and TBARS for the pork stored at each temperature. However, the n-6 PUFA content remained unchanged during storage.     

The role of vitamin E in T-cell differentiation and the decrease of cellular immunity with aging

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) as a model for aging were used in this experiment and fed a regular (50 IU/Kg diet) or high vitamin E (500 IU/Kg diet) diet for 6 weeks. At 12 weeks old, they were killed and assayed. Although proliferation of thymic lymphocytes was significantly decreased in SHR fed the regular diet compared to Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) fed the same diet, high vitamin E diet enhanced proliferation of thymic lymphocytes in SHR to almost the levels in WKY fed the regular diet. In addition, the expressions of both CD4 and CD8 antigens on CD+CD8+ T cells, immature T cells existing in thymic cortex, were also decreased in SHR, and significantly improved by high vitamin E diet. These results suggest that high vitamin E diet enhances thymic lymphocyte proliferation through increased T-cell differentiation in thymus. Then, the effect of vitamin E on T-cell differentiation in thymus was investigated by using male Fisher rats. Rats were divided into three groups; vitamin E-free, regular and high vitamin E groups and fed a diet containing various levels of vitamin E (0, 50 and 500 IU/Kg diet) for 7 weeks. Although the percentages of CD4+CD8- and CD4-CD8+ T cells in thymocytes were significantly greater in the high vitamin E group, the percentage of CD4+CD8- T cells inversely decreased in the vitamin E-free group compared to the regular group. We have tried to investigate the mechanism of the increased T-cell differentiation in thymus of rats fed the high vitamin E diet through cytokine production, and thymic epithelial cell (TEC) and macrophage functions. We have found that vitamin E enhances T-cell differentiation through the increase of not macrophage but TEC function in thymus, which is associated with the increased binding capacity of TEC to immature T cells via increased expression of adhesion molecule, ICAM-1. These results suggest that vitamin E is a potent nutrient for promoting health in the aged via the improvement of cellular immunity decreased with aging.