Thermocatalytic epoxidation by cobalt sulfide inspired by the material's electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction.

New discoveries in catalysis by earth-abundant materials can be guided by leveraging knowledge across two sub-disciplines of heterogeneous catalysis: electrocatalysis and thermocatalysis. Cobalt sulfide has been reported to be a highly active electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Under these oxidative conditions, cobalt sulfide forms oxidized surfaces that outperform directly prepared cobalt oxide in OER catalysis.

Socio-behavioural factors influencing meat intake and meat reduction intention in Vietnam and Switzerland.

Meat consumption is declining in developed countries but increasing in emerging countries. This study, for the first time, compares the socio-behavioural factors influencing individuals' meat consumption level and meat reduction intention between Vietnam, an emerging economy and Switzerland, a developed country. Online consumer surveys were conducted in late 2022, yielding 552 usable replies from Switzerland and 592 from Vietnam for this study.

Interfacial Chemistry and Catalysis of Inorganic Materials.

Heterogeneous catalysis is essential to most industrial chemical processes. To achieve a better sustainability of these processes we need highly efficient and highly selective catalysts that are based on earth-abundant materials rather than the more conventional noble metals. Here, we discuss the potential of inorganic materials as catalysts for chemical transformations focusing in particular on the promising transition metal phosphides and sulfides.

Controlled Surface Modification of Cobalt Phosphide with Sulfur Tunes Hydrogenation Catalysis.

Transition metal phosphides have shown promise as catalysts for water splitting and hydrotreating, especially when a small amount of sulfur is incorporated into the phosphides. However, the effect of sulfur on catalysis is not well understood. In part, this is because conventional preparation methods of sulfur-doped transition metal phosphides lead to sulfur both inside and at the surface of the material.

Interfacial Acid-Base Equilibria and Electric Fields Concurrently Probed by Surface-Enhanced Infrared Spectroscopy.

Understanding how applied potentials and electrolyte solution conditions affect interfacial proton (charge) transfers at electrode surfaces is critical for electrochemical technologies. Herein, we examine mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) and 4-mercaptobenzonitrile (4-MBN) on gold using surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS). Measurements as a function of the applied potential, the electrolyte pD, and the electrolyte concentration determined both the relative surface populations of acidic and basic forms of 4-MBA, as well as the local electric fields at the SAM-solution interface by following the Stark shifts of 4-MBN.

Two-Electron-Two-Proton Transfer from Colloidal ZnO and TiO Nanoparticles to Molecular Substrates.

Transfers of multiple electrons and protons are challenging yet central to many energy-conversion processes and other chemical and biochemical reactions. Semiconducting oxides can hold multiple redox equivalents. This study describes the 2e/2H transfer reactivity of photoreduced ZnO and TiO nanoparticle (NP) colloids with molecular 2e/2H acceptors, to form new O-H, N-H, and C-H bonds.

Linking Human Milk Oligosaccharides, Infant Fecal Community Types, and Later Risk To Require Antibiotics.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) may provide health benefits to infants partly by shaping the development of the early-life intestinal microbiota. In a randomized double-blinded controlled multicentric clinical trial, healthy term infants received either infant formula (control) or the same formula with two HMOs (2'-fucosyllactose and lacto-N-tetraose; test) from enrollment (0 to 14 days) to 6 months. Then, all infants received the same follow-up formula without HMOs until 12 months of age.

A segmentation of Swiss fluid milk consumers and suggestions for target product concepts.

The objective of this study was to understand the priorities and motives of Swiss consumers when choosing and buying fluid milk and to provide evidence-based recommendations for the development of target product concepts and category adaptations. Data were collected through a postal survey sent to a randomly selected sample of German-speaking Swiss residents, yielding a final sample size of n = 712 (39% response rate). Hierarchical cluster analysis disclosed the presence of 3 distinct consumer segments: the uncompromising consumers (24%), who have high and numerous expectations; the locavores (56%), who ensure that they consume primarily milk of local origin; and the indifferent consumers (20%), who have modest expectations, especially in taste, origin, and production conditions.

Hydrogen on Cobalt Phosphide.

Cobalt phosphide (CoP) is one of the most promising earth-abundant replacements for noble metal catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Critical to HER is the binding of H atoms. While theoretical studies have computed preferred sites and energetics of hydrogen bound to transition metal phosphide surfaces, direct experimental studies are scarce.

Breakfast eating patterns and drivers of a healthy breakfast composition.

Breakfast has long been described as the most important meal of the day. While breakfast habits and their consequences on children's health and performance are well documented, studies on the adult population are lacking. The present study will fill this gap, providing a comprehensive picture of the Swiss breakfast habits and insights into the determinants of a healthy breakfast composition.

Bulk-to-Surface Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Reactivity of the Metal-Organic Framework MIL-125.

Stoichiometric proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions of the metal-organic framework (MOF) MIL-125, TiO(OH)(bdc) (bdc = terephthalate), are described. In the presence of UV light and 2-propanol, MIL-125 was photoreduced to a maximum of 2( e/H) per Ti node. This stoichiometry was shown by subsequent titration of the photoreduced material with the 2,4,6-tri- tert-butylphenoxyl radical.

Cation Effects on the Reduction of Colloidal ZnO Nanocrystals.

The effects of a variety of monatomic cations (H, Li, Na, K, Mg, and Ca) and larger cations (decamethylcobaltocenium and tetrabutylammonium) on the reduction of colloidal ZnO nanocrystals (NCs) are described. Suspensions of "TOPO"-capped ZnO NCs in toluene/THF were treated with controlled amounts of one-electron reductants (CoCp* or sodium benzophenone anion radical) and cations. Equilibria were quickly established and the extent of NC reduction was quantified via observation of the characteristic near-IR absorbance of conduction band electrons.

A Commensal Bifidobacterium longum Strain Prevents Gluten-Related Immunopathology in Mice through Expression of a Serine Protease Inhibitor.

Microbiota-modulating strategies, including probiotic administration, have been tested for the treatment of chronic gastrointestinal diseases despite limited information regarding their mechanisms of action. We previously demonstrated that patients with active celiac disease have decreased duodenal expression of elafin, a human serine protease inhibitor, and supplementation of elafin by a recombinant strain prevents gliadin-induced immunopathology in the NOD/DQ8 mouse model of gluten sensitivity. The commensal probiotic strain NCC2705 produces a serine protease inhibitor (Srp) that exhibits immune-modulating properties.

Bridging the Gap between Industrial and Well-Defined Supported Catalysts.

Many industrial catalysts contain isolated metal sites on the surface of oxide supports. Although such catalysts have been used in a broad range of processes for more than 40 years, there is often a very limited understanding about the structure of the catalytically active sites. This Review discusses how surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC) engineers surface sites with well-defined structures and provides insight into the nature of the active sites of industrial catalysts; the Review focuses in particular on olefin production and conversion processes.

Local Structures and Heterogeneity of Silica-Supported M(III) Sites Evidenced by EPR, IR, NMR, and Luminescence Spectroscopies.

Grafting molecular precursors on partially dehydroxylated silica followed by a thermal treatment yields silica-supported M(III) sites for a broad range of metals. They display unique properties such as high activity in olefin polymerization and alkane dehydrogenation (M = Cr) or efficient luminescence properties (M = Yb and Eu) essential for bioimaging. Here, we interrogate the local structure of the M(III) surface sites obtained from two molecular precursors, amides M(N(SiMe)) vs siloxides (M(OSi(OBu))·L with L = (THF) or HOSi(OBu) for M = Cr, Yb, Eu, and Y, by a combination of advanced spectroscopic techniques (EPR, IR, XAS, UV-vis, NMR, luminescence spectroscopies).

Microbiota in Breast Milk of Chinese Lactating Mothers.

The microbiota of breast milk from Chinese lactating mothers at different stages of lactation was examined in the framework of a Maternal Infant Nutrition Growth (MING) study investigating the dietary habits and breast milk composition in Chinese urban mothers. We used microbiota profiling based on the sequencing of fragments of 16S rRNA gene and specific qPCR for bifidobacteria, lactobacilli and total bacteria to study microbiota of the entire breast milk collected using standard protocol without aseptic cleansing (n = 60), and the microbiota of the milk collected aseptically (n = 30). We have also investigated the impact of the delivery mode and the stage of lactation on the microbiota composition.

Oral Phage Therapy of Acute Bacterial Diarrhea With Two Coliphage Preparations: A Randomized Trial in Children From Bangladesh.

Background: Antibiotic resistance is rising in important bacterial pathogens. Phage therapy (PT), the use of bacterial viruses infecting the pathogen in a species-specific way, is a potential alternative.

Method: T4-like coliphages or a commercial Russian coliphage product or placebo was orally given over 4 days to Bangladeshi children hospitalized with acute bacterial diarrhea.

A Molecular Approach to Well-defined Metal Sites Supported on Oxides with Oxidation State and Nuclearity Control.

A molecular understanding of the catalytically active site is essential to rationally develop metal-containing heterogeneous catalysts. The controlled grafting of molecular precursors on pre-treated supports, often referred to as surface organometallic chemistry, is an approach to prepare well-defined heterogeneous catalysts with complex organic functionalities. However, many heterogeneous catalysts do not contain organic ligands coordinated to their active sites.

A single mutation in the gene responsible for the mucoid phenotype of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis confers surface and functional characteristics.

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) are extracellular carbohydrate polymers synthesized by a large variety of bacteria. Their physiological functions have been extensively studied, but many of their roles have not yet been elucidated. We have sequenced the genomes of two isogenic strains of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp.

In vitro activity of commercial probiotic Lactobacillus strains against uropathogenic Escherichia coli.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most prevalent infections in humans. In ≥80% of cases, the etiologic agents are strains of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), which commonly reside in the gastrointestinal tract. Lactobacilli have been shown to prevent UTI reoccurrence by restoring the urogenital microbiota when administered vaginally or orally.

Heterolytic Activation of C-H Bonds on Cr(III)-O Surface Sites Is a Key Step in Catalytic Polymerization of Ethylene and Dehydrogenation of Propane.

We describe the reactivity of well-defined chromium silicates toward ethylene and propane. The initial motivation for this study was to obtain a molecular understanding of the Phillips polymerization catalyst. The Phillips catalyst contains reduced chromium sites on silica and catalyzes the polymerization of ethylene without activators or a preformed Cr-C bond.

Proton transfers are key elementary steps in ethylene polymerization on isolated chromium(III) silicates.

Mononuclear Cr(III) surface sites were synthesized from grafting [Cr(OSi(O(t)Bu)3)3(tetrahydrofurano)2] on silica partially dehydroxylated at 700 °C, followed by a thermal treatment under vacuum, and characterized by infrared, ultraviolet-visible, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). These sites are highly active in ethylene polymerization to yield polyethylene with a broad molecular weight distribution, similar to that typically obtained from the Phillips catalyst. CO binding, EPR spectroscopy, and poisoning studies indicate that two different types of Cr(III) sites are present on the surface, one of which is active in polymerization.