Mercaptoamine-assisted Post-encapsulation of Metal Nanoparticles within Preformed Zeolites and their Analogues for Hydroisomerization and Methane Decomposition.

We report a general synthetic strategy for post-encapsulation of metal nanoparticles within preformed zeolites using post-synthetic modification. Both anionic and cationic precursors to metal nanoparticle are supported on 8- and 10-membered ring zeolites and analogues during wet impregnation using 2-aminoethanethiol (AET) as a bi-grafting agent. Thiol groups are coordinated to metal centers, whereas amine moieties are dynamically attached to micropore walls via acid-base interactions.

First successful synthesis of an Al-rich mesoporous aluminosilicate for fast radioactive strontium capture.

Al-rich zeolites such as NaA (Si/Al = 1.00) have been widely applied to remove radioactive Sr because of their high surface charge density enabling efficient ion-exchange of multivalent cations. However, due to the small micropore diameters of zeolites and large molecular size of strongly hydrated Sr, Sr-exchange with zeolites suffers from very slow kinetics.

Bottom-up synthesis of two-dimensional carbon with vertically aligned ordered micropores for ultrafast nanofiltration.

Two-dimensional (2D) carbon materials perforated with uniform micropores are considered ideal building blocks to fabricate advanced membranes for molecular separation and energy storage devices with high rate capabilities. However, creating high-density uniform micropores in 2D carbon using conventional perforation methods remains a formidable challenge. Here, we report a zeolite-templated bottom-up synthesis of ordered microporous 2D carbon.

Mapping and Local Negative Uptake Behavior of Adsorbates in Individual Pores of Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Herein, we report the adsorbate behavior in individual local pores of MIL-101, which is a metal-organic framework (MOF) with two heterogeneous mesopores and different metal sites, by combining adsorbate isotherms and crystallography profiles. The mapping shows that the substrate-adsorbate interaction affects the initial adsorption and pore condensation steps. The monolayer adsorption gradient changes greatly depending on the framework metal-adsorbate attraction force.

Postsynthetic Modification of Zeolite Internal Surface for Sustainable Capture of Volatile Organic Compounds under Humid Conditions.

Although low-cost, high-surface-area crystalline aluminosilicate zeolites have been recognized as promising adsorbents for the capture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), their hydrophilic nature leads to a significant loss of performance owing to the ubiquitous presence of water vapor in the VOC stream. Herein, the aluminosilicate zeolites (., mordenite and nanocrystalline β) are functionalized a solvothermal post-treatment with methyl iodide as the grafting agent.

Physicochemical Understanding of the Impact of Pore Environment and Species of Adsorbates on Adsorption Behaviour.

For a better design of adsorbents, it is important to know the intermolecular interaction among adsorbates and host material, leading to improved guest selectivity and uptake capacity. In this study, we demonstrate the influence of the interaction among adsorbates and substrate, controlled by the pore environment and species of adsorbates, on the adsorption behaviour. We report the unique CO adsorption behaviour of MOF-205 due to distinct pore geometry.

The Role of Dopamine Receptor D2 in Bridging the Intention-Behavior Gap in Sport Participation.

Previous studies have identified that a behavior can occur through the strongest predictor intention, but there is a gap between intention and behavior. Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) is known to account for a variance in sporting behaviors in human and animal subjects. However, the relationship between DRD2 and sport participation has been poorly studied, and the limited available reports are inconsistent.

Lactate consumption mediates repeated high-intensity interval exercise-enhanced executive function in adult males.

Purpose: Lactate is a principal energy substrate for the brain during exercise. A single bout of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) can increase the blood lactate level, brain lactate uptake, and executive function (EF). However, repeated HIIE can attenuate exercise-induced increases in lactate level and EF.

Relationship between zeolite structure and capture capability for radioactive cesium and strontium.

Zeolites are widely used for capturing radioactive Cs and Sr, but the important structural factors determining their performance have not been clearly understood. To investigate the structure-property relationship, we prepared thirteen zeolites with various structures and Si/Al ratios. Ion-exchange experiments revealed that Cs exhibited an enhanced affinity to zeolites with high Si/Al ratios, which could be explained by the dielectric theory.

Filling metal-organic framework mesopores with TiO for CO photoreduction.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are known for their specific interactions with gas molecules; this, combined with their rich and ordered porosity, makes them promising candidates for the photocatalytic conversion of gas molecules to useful products. However, attempts to use MOFs or MOF-based composites for CO photoreduction usually result in far lower CO conversion efficiency than that obtained from state-of-the-art solid-state or molecular catalysts, even when facilitated by sacrificial reagents. Here we create 'molecular compartments' inside MOF crystals by growing TiO inside different pores of a chromium terephthalate-based MOF (MIL-101) and its derivatives.

Effects of treadmill exercise on the regulation of tight junction proteins in aged mice.

Tight junction protein is representative regulator of gut permeability. Also, it has been noted for controlling inflammatory responses through tight junction. Therefore, in this study, we examined that whether tight junction protein is changed in aged mice, and to further, confirmed the effect of treadmill exercise on the tight junction protein.

Neural maturation enhanced by exercise-induced extracellular derivatives.

Physical activity has profound effects on neuronal progenitor cell growth, differentiation, and integration, but the mechanism for these effects is still ambiguous. Using a mouse model, we investigated the effects of two weeks of treadmill running on the dynamics of the size distribution and miRNA profiles of serum extracellular derivatives (EDs) using particle-sizing analysis and small RNA sequencing. We found that an increased average diameter of EDs in the running group compared with the sedentary group (p < 0.

Exercise-induced changes of gene expression in the cerebellum of aged mice.

Purpose: Exercise has been prescribed to the elderly based on its effect on increasing muscle strength and protein synthesis that prevent sense of balance and/or cognitive functions. However, a few molecular mechanism researches has been conducted on how the vestibular organs, cerebellum, and hippocampus, which are responsible for the deterioration and balance of spatial learning memory due to aging, are affected by exercise.

Methods: The 9-week old and 84-week old C57Bl/6 were assigned randomly to Young-Control (YC), Young-Exercise (YE), Old-Control (OC) and Old-Exercise (OE) groups for 4 -week treadmill running.

Isotherms of individual pores by gas adsorption crystallography.

Accurate measurements and assessments of gas adsorption isotherms are important to characterize porous materials and develop their applications. Although these isotherms provide knowledge of the overall gas uptake within a material, they do not directly give critical information concerning the adsorption behaviour of adsorbates in each individual pore, especially in porous materials in which multiple types of pore are present. Here we show how gas adsorption isotherms can be accurately decomposed into multiple sub-isotherms that correspond to each type of pore within a material.

Extra adsorption and adsorbate superlattice formation in metal-organic frameworks.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have a high internal surface area and widely tunable composition, which make them useful for applications involving adsorption, such as hydrogen, methane or carbon dioxide storage. The selectivity and uptake capacity of the adsorption process are determined by interactions involving the adsorbates and their porous host materials. But, although the interactions of adsorbate molecules with the internal MOF surface and also amongst themselves within individual pores have been extensively studied, adsorbate-adsorbate interactions across pore walls have not been explored.

Aggregation-free gold nanoparticles in ordered mesoporous carbons: toward highly active and stable heterogeneous catalysts.

A coordination-assisted synthetic approach is reported here for the synthesis of highly active and stable gold nanoparticle catalysts in ordered mesoporous carbon materials using triblock copolymer F127 as a structure-directing agent, thiol-containing silane as a coordination agent, HAuCl4 as a gold source, and phenolic resin as a carbon source. Upon carbonization, the gold precursor becomes reduced to form monodispersed Au nanoparticles of ca. 9.

Small heat-shock protein Hsp9 has dual functions in stress adaptation and stress-induced G2-M checkpoint regulation via Cdc25 inactivation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

The small heat-shock protein Hsp9 from Schizosaccharomyces pombe was previously reported to be a homologue of Saccharomyces cerevisiae HSP12. Although Hsp9 is expressed in response to heat shock and nutritional limitation, its function is still not completely understood. Here, we explored the biological function of Hsp9 in S.

Facile synthesis of monodispersed mesoporous silica nanoparticles with ultralarge pores and their application in gene delivery.

Among various nanoparticles, the silica nanoparticle (SiNP) is an attractive candidate as a gene delivery carrier due to advantages such as availability in porous forms for encapsulation of drugs and genes, large surface area to load biomacromolecules, biocompatibility, storage stability, and easy preparation in large quantity with low cost. Here, we report on a facile synthesis of monodispersed mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MMSN) possessing very large pores (>15 nm) and application of the nanoparticles to plasmid DNA delivery to human cells. The aminated MMSN with large pores provided a higher loading capacity for plasmids than those with small pores (∼2 nm), and the complex of MMSN with plasmid DNA readily entered into cells without supplementary polymers such as cationic dendrimers.

Perfluorooctanoic acid alters T lymphocyte phenotypes and cytokine expression in mice.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been used in commercial applications and detected in environmental matrices. This study focuses on whether PFOA affects the function of immune organs (spleen and thymus). Male ICR mice were exposed to 0, 2, 10, 50, and 250 ppm of PFOA in drinking water for 21 days.

The effects of interproximal distance between roots on the existence of interdental papillae according to the distance from the contact point to the alveolar crest.

Background: This study investigated the existence of interdental papillae at certain distances from the contact point to the alveolar crest, depending on the interproximal distance between roots.

Methods: A total of 206 papillae from 80 patients were examined after the inflammation of the papillae had been minimized using non-surgical periodontal therapy. The existence of the interdental papillae was determined using the following categorization: 1) papillae were deemed to be absent if they did not extend all the way up to the contact point between the teeth; and 2) papillae were determined to be present if they filled up to the entire proximal space.

Amphiphilic organosilane-directed synthesis of crystalline zeolite with tunable mesoporosity.

Zeolites are a family of crystalline aluminosilicate materials widely used as shape-selective catalysts, ion exchange materials, and adsorbents for organic compounds. In the present work, zeolites were synthesized by adding a rationally designed amphiphilic organosilane surfactant to conventional alkaline zeolite synthesis mixtures. The zeolite products were characterized by a complementary combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen sorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).