No abstract

We report that Fe3O4 nanoparticles are able to catalyse lipid peroxidation in liposomes at acidic but not neutral pH. The oxidation is dependent on either pre-existing lipid peroxides or hydrogen peroxide as a substrate. This is the first evidence for metal oxide nanoparticles as peroxidase mimetics oxidising biomolecules in a relevant environment.

a b s t r a c tWe introduce a new manifold-based construction for fitting a smooth surface to a triangle mesh of arbitrary topology. Our construction combines in novel ways most of the best features of previous constructions and, thus, it fills the gap left by them. We also introduce a theoretical framework that provides a sound justification for the correctness of our construction. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our manifold-based construction with a few concrete examples.

This study aimed to determine whether dietary protein content influences pig health as indicated by ileal microbiota structure and coefficients of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of nutrients. Seventy-two gilts, with an initial body weight of 29.9 ± 1.5 kg, were used in this 42-day feeding study. Pigs were randomly allotted to one of three dietary treatments of corn-soybean meal contained 14, 16 or 18% crude protein (CP). As dietary CP content decreased, the CTTAD of most essential amino acids (AAs), except for arginine and histidine, increased linearly, while those of most nonessential AAs decreased linearly. The concentration of total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) was higher in pigs fed the diet with 14% CP content than others. Ileal microbiota structure was changed by dietary treatments. In particular, at the phylum level, the relative abundance of Tenericutes in ileal digesta decreased as the dietary protein content reduced, while that of cyanobacteria increased. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Weeksella, Phaseolus acutifolius, Slackia, Sulfurimonas and Aerococcus showed significant differences among the three dietary treatments. In conclusion, ileal microbiota structure was changed by dietary protein content. Moderate reduction of protein intake can benefit gut health by enhancing the gut microbial fermentation and SCFA formation.