Bottom-up realization of a porous metal-organic nanotubular assembly

Nanotubes are generally prepared from their constituent elements at high temperatures, and thus it is difficult to control their size, shape and electronic states. One useful approach for synthesizing well-defined nanostructures involves the use of building blocks such as metal ions and organic molecules. Here, we show the successful creation of an assembly of infinite square prism-shaped metal-organic nanotubes obtained from the simple polymerization of a square-shaped metal-organic frame. The constituent nanotube has a one-dimensional (1D) channel with a window size of 5.9×5.9 ?(2), and can adsorb water (H(2)O) and alcohol vapours, whereas N(2) and CO(2) do not adhere. It consists of four 1D covalent chains that constitute a unique electronic structure of 'charge-density wave (CDW) quartets' on crystallization. Moreover, exchanging structural components and guest molecules enables us to control its semiconductive bandgap. These findings demonstrate the possibility of bottom-up construction of new porous nanotubes, where their degrees of freedom in both pore space and framework can be used.     

Low substrate temperature synthesis of carbon nanowalls by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

In this paper, we report the synthesis of two-dimensional wall like carbon nanostructures (i.e. carbon nanowalls) by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis of ethanol and fullerene mixture. At higher temperature carbon nanofibers were formed on the substrate placed at the center of the reactor tube, whereas carbon nanowalls were observed on the substrate placed downstream of the tube below 100 °C. Spaces between the nanowalls changed with distance of the substrates from the furnace. Qualitative analysis of materials was performed using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.     

Effect of radon measurement methods on dose estimation

Different radon measurement methods were applied in the old and new buildings of the Turkish bath of Eger, Hungary, in order to elaborate a radon measurement protocol. Besides, measurements were also made concerning the radon and thoron short-lived decay products, gamma dose from external sources and water radon. The most accurate results for dose estimation were provided by the application of personal radon meters. Estimated annual effective doses from radon and its short-lived decay products in the old and new buildings, using 0.2 and 0.1 measured equilibrium factors, were 0.83 and 0.17 mSv, respectively. The effective dose from thoron short-lived decay products was only 5 % of these values. The respective external gamma radiation effective doses were 0.19 and 0.12 mSv y(-1). Effective dose from the consumption of tap water containing radon was 0.05 mSv y(-1), while in the case of spring water, it was 0.14 mSv y(-1).     

XPS and NEXAFS studies of VUV/O₃-treated aromatic polyurea and its application to microchip electrophoresis

In this study, the authors performed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) studies of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV)/O?-treated aromatic polyurea films to investigate their treatment effects. XPS and NEXAFS spectra indicate that the benzene ring was cleaved after treatment and that carboxyl, hydroxyl, ketone and aldehyde groups were formed at the cleaved sites. The VUV/O?-treated polyurea film was applied to a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) microchip for microchip electrophoresis (MCE) of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Fast electro-osmotic mobility of 4.6×10(-4)?cm2/V/s as well as reduction of the BSA adhesion was achieved. This functional surface is useful for high-speed MCE analysis.     

A preliminary study on potential for very large-scale photovoltaic power generation (VLS-PV) system in the Gobi desert from economic and environmental viewpoints

A 100 MW very large-scale photovoltaic power generation (VLS-PV) system is designed assuming that it will be installed in the Gobi desert, which is one of the major deserts in the world. Array arrangement, array support, foundation, wiring, and so on are designed in detail. Then energy payback time (EPT), life-cycle CO₂ emission rate and generation cost of the system are estimated based on the methodology of life-cycle analysis. As a result of the estimation, 1.7 year of EPT and 12 g C/kWh of CO₂ emission rate are obtained. These show that VLS-PV in the Gobi desert would be very promising for the global energy and environmental issues. The generation cost is calculated at 8.6 cent/kWh assuming that PV module price is one US $/W and system lifetime is 30 years.     

Cytotoxicity evaluation of reactive metabolites using rat liver homogenate microsome-encapsulated alginate gel microbeads

We present an improved cytotoxicity test for reactive metabolites, in which the S9 microsomal fraction of rat liver homogenate is encapsulated in alginate gel microbeads to avoid cytotoxic effects of S9-self-generated toxicants, microsomal lipid peroxides. The S9-encapsulated gel microbeads were prepared by a coaxial two-fluid nozzle and surfaces of the microbeads were coated with poly-L-lysine (PLL). Although the initial metabolic rate of the S9-encapsulated gel microbeads was about 20% slower than that of bare S9, the microbeads prevented the leakage of microsomal lipid peroxides thanks to the dense alginate and PLL polymer networks. In fact, the half maximal effective concentration of the indirect mutagen cyclophosphamide on NIH3T3 cells in the presence of the S9-encapsulated gel microbeads was about 5 times higher than that in the presence of bare S9. Use of the S9-encapsulated gel microbeads enabled the more accurate evaluation of the cytotoxicity of the reactive metabolites without the S9-based cytotoxicity.     

A missense mutation of the Dhh gene is associated with male pseudohermaphroditic rats showing impaired Leydig cell development

Development of the male gonads is a complex process with interaction of various cells in the gonads including germ, Sertoli, Leydig, and myoid cells. TF is a mutant rat strain showing male pseudohermaphroditism, with agenesis of Leydig cells and androgen deficiency controlled by an autosomal single recessive gene (mp). The mp locus was mapped on the distal region of rat chromosome 7 by linkage analysis, but the gene responsible for the mp mutation has not been identified. In this study, we performed fine linkage mapping and sequence analysis to determine the causative gene of the mp mutation, and performed an immunohistochemical study using a Leydig cell-specific marker to investigate detailed phenotypes of the mutant rats during the testicular development. As a result, we found a missense mutation of the gene encoding Desert hedgehog (Dhh) in the mutant rat, which could result in loss of function of the DHH signaling pathway. Histochemical examination revealed remarkably reduced number of fetal Leydig cells and lack of typical spindle-shaped adult Leydig cell in the mp/mp rats. These phenotypes resembled those of the Dhh-null mice. Additionally, testosterone levels were significantly lower in the mp/mp fetus, indicating androgen deficiency during embryonic development. These results indicate that the mutation of the Dhh gene may be responsible for the pseudohermaphrodite phenotypes of the mutant rat, and that the Dhh gene is probably essential for the development of Leydig cells.     

α-Anomer-selective glucosylation of (+)-catechin by the crude enzyme, showing glucosyl transfer activity, of Xanthomonas campestris WU-9701

α-Anomer-selective glucosylation of (+)-catechin was carried out using the crude enzyme, showing α-glucose transferring activity, of Xanthomonas campestris WU-9701 with maltose as a glucosyl donor. When 60 mg of (+)-catechin and 50 mg of the enzyme (5.25 units as maltose hydrolysing activity) were incubated in 10 ml of 10 mM citrate-Na₂HPO₄ buffer (pH 6.5) containing 1.2 M maltose at 45°C, only one (+)-catechin glucoside was selectively obtained as a product. The (+)-catechin glucoside was identified as (+)-catechin 3′-O-α- -glucopyranoside (α-C-G) by ¹³C-NMR, ¹H-NMR and two-dimensional HMBC analysis. The reaction at 45°C for 36 h under the optimum conditions gave 12 mM α-C-G, 5.4 mg/ml in the reaction mixture, and the maximum molar conversion yield based on the amount of (+)-catechin supplied reached 57.1%. At 20°C, the solubility in pure water of α-C-G, of 450 mg/ml, was approximately 100 fold higher than that of (+)-catechin, of 4.6 mg/ml. Since α-C-G has no bitter taste and a slight sweet taste compared with (+)-catechin which has a very bitter taste, α-C-G may be a desirable additive for foods, particularly sweet foods.     

Ipragliflozin Ameliorates Diabetic Nephropathy Associated with Perirenal Adipose Expansion in Mice

Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors inhibit the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). We determined whether changes in perirenal fat (PRAT) by a SGLT2 inhibitor ipragliflozin (Ipra) contribute to the suppression of DN development. High-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice were used as a DN model and were treated with or without Ipra for 6 weeks. Ipra treatment reduced urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and glomerular hypertrophy in HFD-fed mice. In the PRAT of Ipra-treated mice, adipocyte size was increased, and inflammation, fibrosis, and adipocyte death were suppressed. In conditioned medium made from PRAT (PRAT-CM) of Ipra-treated mice, the concentration of leptin was significantly lower than PRAT-CM of mice without Ipra treatment. Serum leptin concentration in renal vein positively correlated with UAE. PRAT-CM from HFD-fed mice showed greater cell proliferation signaling in mouse glomerular endothelial cells (GECs) than PRAT-CM from standard diet-fed mice via p38MAPK and leptin-dependent pathways, whose effects were significantly attenuated in PRAT-CM from Ipra-treated mice. These findings suggest that Ipra-induced PRAT expansion may play an important role in the improvement of DN in HFD-fed mice. In vitro experiments suggest that reduced PRAT-derived leptin by Ipra could inhibit GECs proliferation, possibly contributing to the suppression of DN development.