Mesoporous materials with zeolite framework: remarkable effect of the hierarchical structure for retardation of catalyst deactivation

Hierarchical MFI zeolite was synthesized following a synthesis route using organic-inorganic hybrid surfactants; the resultant zeolite with mesoporous/microporous hierarchical structure exhibited remarkably high resistance to deactivation in catalytic activity of various reactions such as isomerization of 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, cumene cracking, and esterification of benzyl alcohol with hexanoic acid, as compared with conventional MFI and mesoporous aluminosilicate MCM-41.     

Organosilane surfactant-directed synthesis of mesoporous aluminophosphates constructed with crystalline microporous frameworks

A direct hydrothermal assembly process was developed to synthesize mesoporous aluminophosphates that are constructed with crystalline microporous frameworks, by the addition of organosilane surfactants into the conventional synthesis composition for crystalline microporous aluminophosphates.     

Electrolyzed-reduced water protects against oxidative damage to DNA, RNA, and protein

The generation of reactive oxygen species is thought to cause extensive oxidative damage to various biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and protein. In this study, the preventive, suppressive, and protective effects of in vitro supplementation with electrolyzed-reduced water on H₂O₂-induced DNA damage in human lymphocytes were examined using a comet assay. Pretreatment, cotreatment, and posttreatment with electrolyzed-reduced water enhanced human lymphocyte resistance to the DNA strand breaks induced by H₂O₂ in vitro. Moreover, electrolyzed-reduced water was much more effective than diethylpyrocarbonate-treated water in preventing total RNA degradation at 4 and 25°C. In addition, electrolyzed-reduced water completely prevented the oxidative cleavage of horseradish peroxidase, as determined using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Enhancement of the antioxidant activity of ascorbic acid dissolved in electrolyzed-reduced water was about threefold that of ascorbic acid dissolved in nonelectrolyzed deionized water, as measured by a xanthine-xanthine oxidase superoxide scavenging assay system, suggesting an inhibitory effect of electrolyzed-reduced water on the oxidation of ascorbic acid.     

2-IPMA Ameliorates PM2.5-Induced Inflammation by Promoting Primary Ciliogenesis in RPE Cells

Primary cilia mediate the interactions between cells and external stresses. Thus, dysregulation of primary cilia is implicated in various ciliopathies, e.g., degeneration of the retina caused by dysregulation of the photoreceptor primary cilium. Particulate matter (PM) can cause epithelium injury and endothelial dysfunction by increasing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Previously, we showed that PM disrupts the formation of primary cilia in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. In the present study, we identified 2-isopropylmalic acid (2-IPMA) as a novel inducer of primary ciliogenesis from a metabolite library screening. Both ciliated cells and primary cilium length were increased in 2-IPMA-treated RPE cells. Notably, 2-IPMA strongly promoted primary ciliogenesis and restored PM2.5-induced dysgenesis of primary cilia in RPE cells. Both excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and activation of a stress kinase, JNK, by PM2.5 were reduced by 2-IPMA. Moreover, 2-IPMA inhibited proinflammatory cytokine production, i.e., IL-6 and TNF-α, induced by PM2.5 in RPE cells. Taken together, our data suggest that 2-IPMA ameliorates PM2.5-induced inflammation by promoting primary ciliogenesis in RPE cells.     

Robust Metaheuristic Algorithm for Redundancy Optimization in Large-Scale Complex Systems

Based upon the general tabu search methodology, this paper develops a robust metaheuristic algorithm for the redundancy optimization in large-scale complex system reliability that performs a rigorous search of the “attractive” feasible space and is capable of escaping from a local solution. An illustrative example is provided and extensive computational results are reported on two test problems from the literature (Aggarwal, 1976; Shi, 1987) and also on randomly generated large-scale instances of complex systems with up to 200 components. The computational results indicate that the proposed metaheuristic algorithm possesses a superior robustness and efficiency for solving the class of hard optimization problems studied in this paper.     

Radical cyclization of sugar-derived beta-(alkynyloxy)acrylates: synthesis of novel fused ethers

[formula: see text] Tributyltin radical mediated cyclization of carbohydrate-derived beta-(alkynyloxy)acrylates leading to highly functionalized cis- and trans-fused bicyclic ethers of various ring sizes is described. The efficacy of the radical cyclization is nicely illustrated in the iterative construction of a trans-fused tricyclic tetrahydropyran.     

The dynamics of Br(2Pj) formation in the photodissociation of vinyl and perfluorovinyl bromides

The photodissociation dynamics of vinyl bromide and perfluorovinyl bromide have been investigated at 234 nm using a photofragment ion imaging technique coupled with a state-selective [2+1] resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization scheme. The nascent Br atoms stem from the primary C-Br bond dissociation leading to the formation of C2H3(X) and Br(2Pj;j=1/2,3/2). The obtained translational energy distributions have been well fitted by a single Boltzmann and three Gaussian functions. Boltzmann component has not been observed in the perfluorovinyl bromide. The repulsive 3A'(n,sigma *) state has been considered as the origin of the highest Gaussian components. Middle translational energy components with Gaussian shapes are produced from the 1A"(pi,sigma*) and/or 3A"(pi,sigma*) which are very close in energy. Low-energy Gaussian components are produced via predissociation from the 3A'(pi,pi*) state. The assignments have also been supported by the recoil anisotropy corresponding to the individual components. It is suggested that intersystem crossing from the triplet states to the ground state has been attributed to the Boltzmann component and the fluorination reduces the probability of this electronic relaxation process.