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Selected AbstractsThe Effect of Surface Area and Crystal Structure on the Catalytic Efficiency of Iron(III) Oxide Nanoparticles in Hydrogen Peroxide DecompositionEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 16 2010Cenek Gregor Abstract Iron(II) oxalate dihydrate has been used as a readily decomposable substance for the controlled synthesis of nanosized iron(III) oxides. The polymorphous composition, particle size and surface area of these iron oxide nanoparticles were controlled by varying the reaction temperature between 185 and 500 °C. As-prepared samples were characterized by XRD, low-temperature and in-field Mössbauer spectroscopy, BET surface area and the TEM technique. They were also tested as heterogeneous catalysts in hydrogen peroxide decomposition. At the selected temperatures, the formed nanomaterials did not contain any traces of amorphous phase, which is known to considerably reduce the catalytic efficiency of iron(III) oxide catalysts. As the thickness of the sample (, 2 mm) was above the critical value, a temporary temperature increase ("exo effect") was observed during all quasi-isothermal decompositions studied, irrespective of the reaction temperature. Increasing the reaction temperature resulted in a shift of the exo effect towards shorter times and an increased content of maghemite phase. The maghemite content decreases above 350 °C as a result of a thermally induced polymorphous transition into hematite. The catalytic data demonstrate that the crystal structure of iron(III) oxide (i.e. the relative contents of maghemite and hematite) does not influence the rate of hydrogen peroxide decomposition. However, the rate constant increases monotonously with increasing sample surface area (and decreasing thermolysis temperature), reaching a maximum of 27,×,10,3 min,1(g/L),1 for the sample with a surface area of 285 m2,g,1. This rate constant is currently the highest reported value of all known iron oxide catalytic systems and is even slightly higher than that observed for the most efficient catalyst reported to date, which has a significantly larger surface area of 337 m2,g,1. This surprisingly high catalytic activity at relatively low surface area can be ascribed to the absence of a amorphous phase in the samples prepared in this study. Taking into account these new findings, the contributions of the key factors highlighted above (surface area, particle size, crystal structure, crystallinity) to the overall activity of iron oxides forhydrogen peroxide decomposition are discussed. [source] Dietary seed oil rich in conjugated linolenic acid from bitter melon inhibits azoxymethane-induced rat colon carcinogenesis through elevation of colonic PPAR, expression and alteration of lipid compositionINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 6 2004Hiroyuki Kohno Abstract Our previous short-term experiment demonstrated that seed oil from bitter melon (Momordica charantia) (BMO), which is rich in cis(c)9, trans(t)11, t13 -conjugated linolenic acid (CLN), inhibited the development of azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF). In our study, the possible inhibitory effect of dietary administration of BMO on the development of colonic neoplasms was investigated using an animal colon carcinogenesis model initiated with a colon carcinogen AOM. Male F344 rats were given subcutaneous injections of AOM (20 mg/kg body weight) once a week for 2 weeks to induce colon neoplasms. They also received diets containing 0.01%, 0.1% or 1% BMO for 32 weeks, starting 1 week before the first dosing of AOM. At the termination of the study (32 weeks), AOM induced 83% incidence (15/18 rats) of colonic adenocarcinoma. Dietary supplementation with 0.01% and 0.1% BMO caused significant reduction in the incidence (47% inhibition by 0.01% BMO, p<0.02; 40% inhibition by 0.1% BMO, p<0.05; and 17% inhibition by 1% BMO) and the multiplicity (64% inhibition by 0.01% BMO, p<0.005; 58% inhibition by 0.1% BMO, p<0.02; and 48% inhibition by 1% BMO, p<0.05) of colonic adenocarcinoma, though a clear dose response was not observed. Such inhibition was associated with the increased content of CLA (c9,t11-18:2) in the lipid composition in colonic mucosa and liver. Also, BMO administration in diet enhanced expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) , protein in the nonlesional colonic mucosa. These findings suggest that BMO rich in CLN can suppress AOM-induced colon carcinogenesis and the inhibition might be caused, in part, by modification of lipid composition in the colon and liver and/or increased expression of PPAR, protein level in the colon mucosa. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Interaction between metabolism of atmospheric H2S in the shoot and sulfate uptake by the roots of curly kale (Brassica oleracea)PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM, Issue 4 2000Sue Westerman Exposure of curly kale (Brassica oleracea L.) to gaseous H2S resulted in a decreased sulfate uptake by the roots. At 0.2 ,l l,1 H2S, a level sufficient to meet the sulfur need of plants for growth, the sulfate uptake was maximally decreased by 50% after 3 or 4 days of exposure. Higher levels up to 0.8 ,l l,1 H2S did not further affect the sulfate uptake. The nitrate uptake was not affected upon exposure to 0.2,0.8 ,l l,1 H2S. H2S exposure did not affect the sulfate content of the plants, but it resulted in an increased content of thiols and cysteine in the shoots, whereas that in the roots was hardly affected. Plants grown under sulfate-deprived conditions had a decreased biomass production, very low content of sulfate and decreased content of thiols in both shoot and roots. Sulfate-deprived plants had a two-fold higher sulfate uptake after transfer to a sulfate-containing solution, while nitrate uptake was decreased by 50%. When sulfate-deprived plants were exposed to 0.25 ,l l,1 H2S, plant biomass production and nitrate uptake were restored but the sulfate uptake after transfer to a sulfate-containing solution remained high. Also here, H2S exposure resulted in an increase in the thiol and cysteine content of both shoot and roots, whereas the content of sulfate remained low. The presented results clearly demonstrate a direct interaction between the regulation of sulfate uptake by the roots and the metabolism of gaseous H2S by the shoot. Curly kale is able to use both sulfate and H2S as a sulfur source for growth, and matching the supply of sulfur in the form of pedospheric or atmospheric sulfur to the sulfur needed for growth appears to be regulated nicely. However, the significance of thiols as signal in the shoot/root coordination of sulfate uptake appears to be limited. From the data it is evident that there is no direct mutual regulation between the uptake of sulfate and nitrate by the roots. [source] Expression and activity of isoenzymes of superoxide dismutase in wheat roots in response to hypoxia and anoxiaPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 2 2000S. Biemelt ABSTRACT We investigated the effects of hypoxia, anoxia and reaeration on enzymatic activity and expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) isoforms in wheat roots (Triticum aestivum L.). Neither hypoxia nor subsequent re-aeration caused significant changes in SOD isoenzyme pattern compared with aerated controls. However, anoxia led to the appearance of additional activity bands of SOD in native gels resulting in an increase in total activity. Additional isoformic bands remained also apparent in the following recovery period. Re-aeration following both hypoxia and anoxia resulted in an increased content of hydrogen peroxide in roots. SOD transcript and protein levels were only slightly altered in response to hypoxia. Although SOD mRNA levels were diminished, protein content of different SOD isoforms increased with duration of anoxia. Incubation of roots with cycloheximide revealed that the additional activity bands and higher SOD protein content under anoxia were not due to de novo synthesis. Crude subcellular fractionation experiments implied that the anoxia-responsive SOD isoforms might be plastid-associated. We suggest that SOD is a very stable enzyme which, under anoxia, accumulates relative to total protein content and remains active even after protein modification under severe environmental stress conditions. [source] |