Comparison of Mg–Al layered double hydroxides intercalated with OH− and CO32− for the removal of HCl,SO2, and NO2

Journal of Porous Materials - Two different Mg–Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs), OH?Mg–Al LDH and CO3?Mg–Al LDH, are prepared and utilized for the efficient removal...     

1,8-Cineole Ameliorates Steatosis of Pten Liver Specific KO Mice via Akt Inactivation

Hepatocyte-specific Phosphatase and tensin homolog (Pten)-knockout (KO) mice exhibit hepatic lesions analogous to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). 1,8-cineole is a monoterpene oxide and it has several biological effects including hepatoprotective effects. In this study we revealed that 1,8-cineole ameliorates NASH of Pten KO mice. Pten KO mice were assigned to a control group without any medication or to a 1,8-cineole group injected with 50 mg/kg i.p. twice per week for eight weeks. At eight weeks, livers from each group were processed to measure triglyceride (TG) content, gene expression analysis, western blot analysis, and histological examination including Oil red O staining. 1,8-cineole ameliorated hepatic steatosis in Pten KO mice, revealed by TG content and Oil red O staining. Moreover, 1,8-cineole downregulated collagen 1a1 expression and improved liver fibrosis. Thus, 1,8-cineole has potential as a candidate to treat NASH by inactivating the Akt/PI3-kinase pathway.     

Chemical modification and dechlorination of polyvinyl chloride by substitution with thiocyanate as a nucleophile

This study examined the chemical modification of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by substitution with SCN (thiocyanate) as a nucleophile. The effects of temperature, molar SCN/Cl ratio, and solvent on the substitution by SCN and the elimination of HCl were investigated. In SCN/EG (ethylene glycol) solution, the substitution/dechlorination ratio increased with decreasing temperature. The dechlorination yield increased with an increasing molar SCN/Cl ratio, favoring the substitution over the elimination. When N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solutions were used as solvents, DMF favored the substitution, whereas DMSO favored the elimination. In the SCN/DMF solution, the substitution yield and the substitution/dechlorination ratio increased with increasing temperature. Higher temperatures favored the substitution over the elimination in SCN/DMF. Furthermore, the reaction of PVC in SCN/tetrahydrofuran (THF)‐DMSO (1:2) proceeded at room temperature, favoring the substitution over elimination. The isomerization of SCN was observed, resulting only in ? N?C?S (isothiocyanate) at room temperature and ? S? C?N (thiocyanate) at 190°C. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

A Combination of Pre- and Post-Exposure Ascorbic Acid Rescues Mice from Radiation-Induced Lethal Gastrointestinal Damage

The development of an effective therapy for radiation-induced gastrointestinal damage is important, because it is currently a major complication of treatment and there are few effective therapies available. Although we have recently demonstrated that pretreatment with ascorbic acid attenuates lethal gastrointestinal damage in irradiated mice, more than half of mice eventually died, thus indicating that better approach was needed. We then investigated a more effective therapy for radiation-induced gastrointestinal damage. Mice receiving abdominal radiation at 13 Gy were orally administered ascorbic acid (250 mg/kg/day) for three days before radiation (pretreatment), one shot of engulfment (250 mg/kg) at 8 h before radiation, or were administered the agent for seven days after radiation (post-treatment). None of the control mice survived the abdominal radiation at 13 Gy due to severe gastrointestinal damage (without bone marrow damage). Neither pretreatment with ascorbic acid (20% survival), engulfment (20%), nor post-treatment (0%) was effective in irradiated mice. However, combination therapy using ascorbic acid, including pretreatment, engulfment and post-treatment, rescued all of the mice from lethal abdominal radiation, and was accompanied by remarkable improvements in the gastrointestinal damage (100% survival). Omitting post-treatment from the combination therapy with ascorbic acid markedly reduced the mouse survival (20% survival), suggesting the importance of post-treatment with ascorbic acid. Combination therapy with ascorbic acid may be a potent therapeutic tool for radiation-induced gastrointestinal damage.     

Transport Properties of a Single Crystal of Pressure-Induced Superconductor CePtSi2

We synthesized single crystals of pressure-induced superconductor CePtSi₂ by an In-flux method, and measured its electrical resistivity ρ under hydrostatic pressure. At ambient pressure, ρ shows two maxima at T ₁=3.7 K and T ₂=33 K, and a downward bend at the Néel temperature T _N. With increasing pressure T _N decreases and disappears above 1.11 GPa, as reported in a polycrystalline sample. On the other hand, the maximum at T ₁ becomes a shoulder above P _v=1.21 GPa, and begins to increase with increasing pressure, indicating the beginning of a valence crossover.     

Permeability of oxygen and nitrogen gases in ethyl cellulose solid films retaining cholesteric liquid crystalline order

Ethyl cellulose (EC) films that retain lyotropic and thermotropic cholesteric liquid crystalline order, and an amorphous EC film were prepared. The liquid crystalline order was identified by optical measurements. The comparative permeability of oxygen and nitrogen gases for three kinds of EC film was determined, and the applicability of the EC films that retained cholesteric liquid crystalline order to oxygen enrichment are discussed. The permeability of oxygen or nitrogen gas for the liquid crystalline films was lower than that for the amorphous ones. The activation energy for the permeability coefficient of oxygen gas was ca. 3.5 kcal/mol. The ratio of permeability coefficient for oxygen gas to that for nitrogen gas was less than 4. Interestingly, the permselectivity of oxygen and nitrogen gases for the liquid crystalline films was greater than that for the amorphous ones. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Shape difference visualization for ancient bronze mirrors through 3D range images

Japanese archaeologists have paid special attention to ancient Chinese bronze mirrors because the mirrors may provide a key for the exact location of Yamatai State, which is one of the major archaeological controversies. Currently, archaeologists visually analyse ancient Chinese bronze mirrors for their shape difference. The practice requires a huge amount of time and effort. In this paper, we propose an automatic method for detecting the shape difference between a pair of ancient mirrors. The 3D data of the mirrors are obtained using a laser range scanner. Our algorithm then aligns them into the same coordinate and visualizes their shape differences. Our proposed algorithm provides fast and non‐damaging analysis for shape difference. Further analysis can be evaluated on our data instead of the actual mirror, so it can be performed by more than one group of archaeologists. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Platelet and aorta arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acid levels andin vitro eicosanoid production in rats fed high-fat diets

There is a significant interest in the interrelationship between long-chain n-3, and n-6 fatty acids due to their ability to modulate eicosanoid production. In general, the intake of arachidonic acid (AA) results in enhanced eicosanoid production, whereas n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) decrease the production of eicosanoids from AA. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the effects of dietary AA on eicosanoid production in the rat were correlated with the AA and EPA levels in platelets and aorta (eicosanoid-producing tissues). Four groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a highfat diet enriched with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (approximately 100 mg/day of EPA+DHA) for 24 d. During the last 10 d, the four groups were orally supplemented with 0,30,60, and 90 mg/day of ethyl arachidonate. A further group of rats was fed a control diet (without longchain n-3 PUFA) for 24 d.In vitro aorta prostacyclin (PGI₂) production, serum thromboxane A₂ (TxA₂) production and plasma, and platelet and aorta phospholipid (PL) fatty acids were measured. Enriching the diet with n-3 PUFA resulted in significant reductions in tissue AA levels and an increase in the n-3 PUFA, particularly EPA. On this diet, the AA to EPA ratio was 1:1 in platelet PL, and it was 2:1 in the aorta PL. There were significant decreases in thein vitro PGI₂ and TxA₂ production compared with the control animals. The inclusion of AA in the diet resulted in marked increases in AA levels in the platelet and aorta PL with corresponding decreases in EPA. The lowest dose of AA (30 mg/rat) reversed the effects of 100 mg/day of n-3 PUFA on AA levels in platelet and aortic PL and onin vitro aorta PGI₂ and serum TxA₂ production. The dietary AA caused a differential (twofold) increase in TxA₂ relative to PGI₂ for all three levels of AA supplementation. There were greater changes in the levels of AA and/or EPA in platelet PL compared with the aorta PL, which might have accounted for the differential effects of these PUFA on thromboxane production compared with PGI₂ production in this study.