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Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are crucial components of the plant microbiota and can form symbioses with 72% of land plants. Researchers have long known that AM symbioses have dramatic effects on plant performance and also provide multiple ecological services in terrestrial environments. The successful establishment of AM symbioses relies on the host plant recognition of the diffusible mycorrhizal (Myc) factors, lipo-chitooligosaccharides (LCOs) and chitooligosaccharides (COs). Among them, the short-chain COs such as CO4/5 secreted by AM fungi are the major Myc factors in COs. In this review, we summarize current advances, develop the concept of mycorrhizal biceptor complex (double receptor complexes for Myc-LCOs and CO4/5 in the same plant), and provide a perspective on the future development of mycorrhizal receptors. First, we focus on the distinct perception of two Myc factors by different host plant species, highlighting the essential role of Lys in- M otif (LysM)-type mycorrhizal receptors in perceiving them. Second, we propose the underlying molecular mechanisms by which LysM-type mycorrhizal receptors in various plants recognize both the Myc-LCOs and -COs. Finally, we explore future prospects for studies on the biceptor complex (Myc-LCO and -CO receptors) in dicots to facilitate the utilization of them in cereal crops (particularly in modern cultivated rice). In conclusion, our understanding of the precise perception processes during host plant interacting with AM fungi, where LysM-type mycorrhizal receptors act as recruiters, provides the tools to design biotechnological applications addressing agricultural challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilized a hydrothermal method to synthesize various metal‐modified rod‐like ceria catalysts (Fe, Co, Cu, Ni, La), achieving efficient COS removal at low temperatures. The research identified surface oxygen vacancies and basic sites as critical factors that influence the catalytic performance of COS hydrolysis. The addition of different metals to pristine ceria rods increased the specific surface area, oxygen vacancy content (Ov), and basicity, which enhanced the catalysts′ sulfur resistance and stability. Among all the catalysts tested, 10La‐CeO2 demonstrated the highest COS removal rate. This is because La doping significantly augmented Ov, providing more H2O adsorption and activation sites. Furthermore, 10La‐CeO2 showed enhanced Lewis basicity, making it easier for COS to adsorb and promote hydrolysis. The in situ DRIFTS results confirmed that appropriate oxygen vacancies and basic sites favored the formation of intermediates such as HCO3− and HSCO2−, promoting the decomposition of COS into H2S and CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are crucial components of the plant microbiota and can form symbioses with 72% of land plants. Researchers have long known that AM symbioses have dramatic effects on plant performance and also provide multiple ecological services in terrestrial environments. The successful establishment of AM symbioses relies on the host plant recognition of the diffusible mycorrhizal (Myc) factors, lipo-chitooligosaccharides (LCOs) and chitooligosaccharides (COs). Among them, the short-chain COs such as CO4/5 secreted by AM fungi are the major Myc factors in COs. In this review, we summarize current advances, develop the concept of mycorrhizal biceptor complex (double receptor complexes for Myc-LCOs and CO4/5 in the same plant), and provide a perspective on the future development of mycorrhizal receptors. First, we focus on the distinct perception of two Myc factors by different host plant species, highlighting the essential role of Lysin-Motif (LysM)- type mycorrhizal receptors in perceiving them. Second, we propose the underlying molecular mechanisms by which LysM-type mycorrhizal receptors in various plants recognize both the Myc-LCOs and -COs. Finally, we explore future prospects for studies on the biceptor complex (Myc-LCO and -CO receptors) in dicots to facilitate the utilization of them in cereal crops (particularly in modern cultivated rice). In conclusion, our understanding of the precise perception processes during host plant interacting with AM fungi, where LysM-type mycorrhizal receptors act as recruiters, provides the tools to design biotechnological applications addressing agricultural challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymeric donors of gasotransmitters, gaseous signaling molecules such as hydrogen sulfide, nitric oxide, and carbon monoxide, hold potential for localized and extended delivery of these reactive gases. Examples of gasotransmitter donors based on polysaccharides are limited despite the availability and generally low toxicity of this broad class of polymers. In this work, we sought to create a polysaccharide H2S donor by covalently attaching N‐thiocarboxyanhydrides (NTAs) to amylopectin, the major component of starch. To accomplish this, we added an allyl group to an NTA, which can spontaneously hydrolyze to release carbonyl sulfide and ultimately H2S via the ubiquitous enzyme carbonic anhydrase, and then coupled it to thiol‐functionalized amylopectin of three different molecular weights (MWs) through thiol‐ene "click" photochemistry. We also varied the degree of substitution (DS) of the NTA along the amylopectin backbone. H2S release studies on the six samples, termed amyl‐NTAs, with variable MWs (three) and DS values (two), revealed that lower MW and higher DS led to faster release. Finally, dynamic light scattering experiments suggested that aggregation increased with MW, which may also have affected H2S release rates. Collectively, these studies present a new synthetic method to produce polysaccharide H2S donors for applications in the biomedical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Interaction of the interface-heterostructures is crucial to rapid ionic conductivity and highly energy density of electrode materials toward supercapacitors. Herein, a novel anode heterostructure is synthesized using cobalt sulfide (CoS) nanoflowers as a substrate for composite nitrogen doped vanadium pentoxide (denoted as N-V 2 O 5 @CoS) by combination of hydrothermal and calcination method. As expected, the N-V 2 O 5 @CoS electrode possesses superhigh specific surface area that significantly enhances the specific capacitance, and its unique porous interconnected structure not only reduces the volume effect during the cycles, but also greatly enhances the conductivity of electron transfer. The as-prepared N-V 2 O 5 @CoS electrode has a specific capacitance of up to 2413.6F/g at a current density of 1 A/g, and can still maintain 87.51 % of the initial capacitance after 5,000 cycles at a high current density of 10 A/g. More importantly, the partial density of states (PDOS) ares obtained through theoretical calculations reveal that the interaction of heterogeneous interfaces is contributed by the p-orbitals of C, O and S and d-orbitals of V and Co. In addition, asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) with N-V 2 O 5 @CoS as the positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) as the negative electrode has a high voltage of 1.7 V, which achieves an outstanding energy density of 71.6 W h kg−1 at a power density of 849.8 W kg−1, showing excellent cycle stability (retain 90.6 % of the initial capacitance after 10,000 charge/discharge cycles). This paper offers novel paradigm for the doping of metal oxides and the development of heterostructures, which provides support for their use as advanced energy storage materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study undertook a thorough examination of three different morphologies (rod-shaped, cubic, and spherical) of CeO2 and La-doped catalysts on CeO2. The focus was on understanding the impact of alkaline site quantity and intensity on catalytic activity. Additionally, it explored how introducing oxygen vacancies affects H2O activation and dissociation, which leads to the formation of hydroxyl groups, ultimately boosting COS hydrolysis activity. The deactivation mechanism of the catalyst was also discussed. Initially, the rod-shaped morphology (CeO2−R) displayed more oxygen vacancies on the (110) crystal plane. This unique characteristic contributed to enhanced catalytic efficiency in COS hydrolysis. When 10% La was doped onto CeO2−R, it resulted in the formation of a solid solution. This synergistic effect of La with CeO2 led to the creation of more asymmetric oxygen vacancies on the catalyst surface, which further stimulated H2O activation and dissociation, thereby advancing COS hydrolysis activity. Several techniques, such as CO2−TPD and EPR, were employed to investigate the influence of alkaline sites and oxygen vacancies on COS removal. The results suggested that alkaline sites were advantageous for low-temperature COS hydrolysis, whereas oxygen vacancies served as surface defects, promoting the formation of —OH functional groups. The combined effect of oxygen vacancies and alkaline sites facilitated COS and water adsorption, thereby enhancing the catalytic hydrolysis efficiency. Further characterization using XPS revealed variations in the Ce3+ species content on the catalyst surface during the catalytic reaction, which are closely linked to the generation and consumption of oxygen vacancies. Simultaneously, the O 1s spectra suggested that oxygen vacancies on the catalyst surface played a pivotal role during the reaction. In addition, XPS and S 2p spectra analyses revealed the generation of sulfate salts during the reaction, likely arising from by-products of COS hydrolysis. This development led to pore blockage and active center coverage, resulting in sulfur poisoning of the catalyst. This was identified as a major cause of catalyst deactivation. The study also underscored the importance of an appropriate oxygen content in enhancing the removal efficiency of the catalyst. Excessive oxygen content could lead to catalyst deactivation, highlighting the need for balance. Further investigations through in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (in situ DRIFTS) experiments provided insights into the surface functional group changes and gas products during the heterogeneous hydrolysis reaction on the 10La–CeO2 catalyst. The experimental results indicated that HSCO2 was the main intermediate product, with surface —OH groups and oxygen vacancies actively participating in the hydrolysis reaction. In summary, this study systematically elucidated the performance and mechanisms of CeO2 catalysts in different morphologies and doping conditions for COS removal. These findings provide valuable information for catalyst design and optimization for low-temperature catalytic COS hydrolysis.

The composites of Mg20Pr1Sm3Y1Ni10 as-quenched alloy and 3 wt.% M (M = CoS, CoS2, MoS2) catalyst were prepared by high-speed vibration ball mill. The effects of metal sulfides on the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation dynamics of alloys were compared. The results show that the as-milled composites contain a large number of amorphous embedded by a small amount of nanocrystals, and there are many point defects. After ball milling, the crystal grain size in the composites containing CoS is relatively larger, followed by CoS2 and MoS2 again. After hydrogenation, the amorphous phase is crystallized to form Mg2NiH4, YH3, Pr8H18.96, Sm3H7, Mg, Co or Mo phases, however, Mg2Ni, YH2, PrH2 and Ni3Y phases appeared after dehydrogenation. The maximum hydrogenation capacity of the composites containing CoS, CoS2 and MoS2 are 3.939, 4.265 and 4.507 wt.%, respectively. The hydrogenation saturation ratio of composite containing MoS2 is higher than that of the composites containing CoS and CoS2. The dehydrogenation activation energy of the composites containing CoS, CoS2 and MoS2 is 107.76, 68.43 and 63.28 kJ.mol−1.H2. On the improvement of hydrogen storage performance of Mg20Pr1Sm3Y1Ni10 alloy, the catalytic effect of MoS2 sulfide is better than that of CoS2 sulfide, and which is better than CoS sulfide.

The composites of Mg 20 Pr 1 Sm 3 Y 1 Ni 10 as-quenched alloy and 3 wt.% M (M = CoS, CoS 2 , MoS 2) catalyst were prepared by high-speed vibration ball mill. The effects of metal sulfides on the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation dynamics of alloys were compared. The results show that the as-milled composites contain a large number of amorphous embedded by a small amount of nanocrystals, and there are many point defects. After ball milling, the crystal grain size in the composites containing CoS is relatively larger, followed by CoS 2 and MoS 2 again. After hydrogenation, the amorphous phase is crystallized to form Mg 2 NiH 4 , YH 3 , Pr 8 H 18.96 , Sm 3 H 7 , Mg, Co or Mo phases, however, Mg 2 Ni, YH 2 , PrH 2 and Ni 3 Y phases appeared after dehydrogenation. The maximum hydrogenation capacity of the composites containing CoS, CoS 2 and MoS 2 are 3.939, 4.265 and 4.507 wt.%, respectively. The hydrogenation saturation ratio of composite containing MoS 2 is higher than that of the composites containing CoS and CoS 2. The dehydrogenation activation energy of the composites containing CoS, CoS 2 and MoS 2 is 107.76, 68.43 and 63.28 kJ.mol−1.H 2. On the improvement of hydrogen storage performance of Mg 20 Pr 1 Sm 3 Y 1 Ni 10 alloy, the catalytic effect of MoS 2 sulfide is better than that of CoS 2 sulfide, and which is better than CoS sulfide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supported by a large body of work demonstrating the impact of infant attachment representations on subsequent development, numerous therapeutic programs have been developed to promote secure attachment, with increasing focus on parental mentalizing. Nonetheless, empirical evidence supporting their effectiveness has yet to be fully established. The current pilot study (N = 24) was designed to evaluate whether and to what extent parents' shifts in parental mentalizing following a brief attachment‐based group intervention, namely circle of security parenting (COSP; Cooper, Hoffman & Powell, 2009) can be captured using the parental embodied mentalizing instrument (PEM; Shai & Belsky, 2017). Compared to a waiting list–control group, this small‐scale study examined whether community‐based low‐risk mothers of infants aged 5–48 months show an increase in their observed PEM capacities following the intervention. Secondary self‐reported outcome variables parental stress, feeling of competence, and self‐compassion. Findings show that PEM ratings improved significantly over time in the COSP group, but not in the control group. Intervention group mother–infant dyads also presented significantly longer embodied interactions communication post intervention compared to the control group. No effects of the COSP on parental stress, competence, or self‐compassion were found. Despite the small sample size, these results tentatively suggest that COSP can improve embodied mentalizing abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the valuation of variable annuities with a guaranteed minimum maturity benefit under a regime-switching Lévy model. The model allows policyholders to surrender their annuities and receive a surrender benefit at predetermined tenor times before maturity. Additionally, we consider a state-dependent periodic fee structure where fees are deducted from the policyholder's account if it exceeds a certain level at discrete time points. Incorporating this fee structure, the Fourier cosine series expansion method based on characteristic functions is employed to determine the values and optimal surrender strategies for variable annuity contracts. Finally, we provide a comprehensive set of numerical examples to demonstrate and assess the effectiveness of our approach thoroughly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTOxidative stress (OS) has been considered as the main mediator of male infertility by causing abnormal sperm production and function, and, therefore, exploration of natural antioxidant has attracted a great deal of attention in human reproduction. Chitosan and its derivatives exhibit great antioxidant potential in various diseases, whereas the protective functions are not defined in spermatogenesis. Here, we show that chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), a degradation product of chitosan with a degree of polymerization of less than 10, is a strong antioxidant in spermatogonia cells. COS treatment reduces t-BHP-induced reactive oxygen species overproduction and programmed necrosis in GC-1 spg cells, and improves mitochondrial functions and cell viability by inhibiting excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress. Our findings provide novel insight into the protective role of COS in germ cell damage.

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Electrochemical activation tactics have been adopted to enhance the electrochemical performance of electrodes. To reveal the charge/discharge activation mechanism of sulfides/hydroxides composites, herein, self-supporting NF/CoS/NiMn-hydroxides (NF/CoS/NiMn- OH) composite is prepared with NiMn- OH nanosheets wrapped rod-like CoS. The activation mechanism is revealed in 1 M KOH electrolyte, as well as the relationship between the charge/discharge cycles, microstructure/composition transition and electrochemical performance. During a charging process, the S2− anions are replaced by OH－ to generate active Co-hydroxides, accompanied by the dissolution of rod-like CoS. When activated for 10 cycles, the capacitance reaches the maximum value of 2980 F g−1 (8.046 F cm−2) at 1 A g−1, much higher than the initial capacitance of 2160 F g−1. The resulting product is verified as highly active CoNiMn–OH. A possible activation mechanism of CoS/NiMn–OH is proposed as the anion exchange reaction of S2−, followed by the generation and reconstruction of CoNiMn–OH nanosheets. Compared with initial composite, the inner CoS is converted into Co-hydroxide. Meanwhile, newly generated tri-metallic CoNiMn-hydroxide contributes to much more pseudocapacitance by playing a synergistic effect. When acting as a positive electrode, the asymmetric supercapacitor with activated carbon negative electrode presents a capacitance of 63.6 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, with a high capacitance retention of 90.6% over 6000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) and renal interstitial fibrosis are global clinical syndromes associated with high morbidity and mortality. Renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, which commonly occurs during surgery, is one of the major causes of AKI. Nevertheless, an efficient therapeutic approach for AKI and the development of renal interstitial fibrosis is still lacking due to its elusive pathogenetic mechanism. Here, we showed that chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), a natural oligomer polysaccharide degraded from chitosan, significantly attenuates I/R-induced AKI and maintains glomerular filtration function by inhibiting oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, and excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, long-term administration of COS can also attenuate the proliferation of myofibroblasts, mitigate extra cellular matrix deposition, and thus inhibit the transition of AKI to chronic kidney disease through participating in metabolic and redox biological processes. Our findings provide novel insights into the protective role of COS against acute kidney injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of a Half Bridge (HB) Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) for D-STATCOM application is studied in this article. For the control of MMC switches, the Carrier-Based (CB) Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) scheme has been selected as the appropriate method. There are two types of CB PWM schemes such as phase shift and level shift. Phase Disposition (PD), Phase Opposition Disposition (POD), and Alternate Phase Opposite Disposition (APOD) are the three different types of PWM that are used in level shifts. The PD CB PWM is projected in this work due to its simplicity and accuracy. The conventional PI Controller (PIC) has its disadvantages, including that it is time-consuming and comes with complexity in the estimation of gain values. Hence, the Cuttlefish Optimization Scheme (COS) is proposed for the online tuning of the PI gain values. The verification of performance parameters, including active power, reactive power, DC voltage balance, and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), is effectively conducted using the COS method and subsequently compared with the conventional PIC. The suggested research is executed using the Matlab/Simulink software package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractAcute kidney injury (AKI) and renal interstitial fibrosis are global clinical syndromes associated with high morbidity and mortality. Renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, which commonly occurs during surgery, is one of the major causes of AKI. Nevertheless, an efficient therapeutic approach for AKI and the development of renal interstitial fibrosis is still lacking due to its elusive pathogenetic mechanism. Here, we showed that chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), a natural oligomer polysaccharide degraded from chitosan, significantly attenuates I/R-induced AKI and maintains glomerular filtration function by inhibiting oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, and excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, long-term administration of COS can also attenuate the proliferation of myofibroblasts, mitigate extra cellular matrix deposition, and thus inhibit the transition of AKI to chronic kidney disease through participating in metabolic and redox biological processes. Our findings provide novel insights into the protective role of COS against acute kidney injury.

For the realization of small-scale biomass-to-liquid (BTL) processes, low-cost syngas cleaning remains a major obstacle, and for this reason a simplified gas ultracleaning process is being developed. In this study, a low- to medium-temperature final gas cleaning process based on adsorption and organic solvent-free scrubbing methods was coupled to a pilot-scale staged fixed-bed gasification facility including hot filtration and catalytic reforming steps for extended duration gas cleaning tests for the generation of ultraclean syngas. The final gas cleaning process purified syngas from woody and agricultural biomass origin to a degree suitable for catalytic synthesis. The gas contained up to 3000 ppm of ammonia, 1300 ppm of benzene, 200 ppm of hydrogen sulfide, 10 ppm of carbonyl sulfide, and 5 ppm of hydrogen cyanide. Post-run characterization displayed that the accumulation of impurities on the Cu-based deoxygenation catalyst (TOS 105 h) did not occur, demonstrating that effective main impurity removal was achieved in the first two steps: acidic water scrubbing (AWC) and adsorption by activated carbons (AR). In the final test campaign, a comprehensive multipoint gas analysis confirmed that ammonia was fully removed by the scrubbing step, and benzene and H2S were fully removed by the subsequent activated carbon beds. The activated carbons achieved > 90% removal of up to 100 ppm of COS and 5 ppm of HCN in the syngas. These results provide insights into the adsorption affinity of activated carbons in a complex impurity matrix, which would be arduous to replicate in laboratory conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignocellulosic biomass (LB) is a promising source that has the potential to revolutionize the world of bioenergy, bioproducts, and nondigestible dietary components. As a substrate, LB has proven to be particularly attractive for the production of high-value cello-oligosaccharides (COS) and xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), which offer diverse applications in the food, biopharmaceutical, and other industries, as well as potential health benefits, including prebiotic and antidiabetic effects. However, despite these promising developments, the manufacturing of these oligosaccharides remains a challenge due to slow reactions and low yields. Therefore, this review presents various pretreatment techniques to improve enzymatic hydrolysis, as well as the possibilities of employing a multi-step process and utilizing thermostable enzymes to enhance the production of COS and XOS from LB. Additionally, this review addressed the potential for by-product recovery during the XOS and COS production and the separation of β-glucosidase enzymes using the "separation–adsorption" method in high-temperature and continuous systems for COS production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to extensive studies on affecting parameters in sulfur removal with ZnO adsorbents from coal gasification syngas, similar studies conducted for biomass gasification syngas (BGS) are quite rare. Thus, considering the BGSs with high water content, this study was performed to investigate the effect of H2O presence in syngas on sulfur removal capacity (SRC) of ZnO adsorbents. Initially, the effect of gas composition and temperature on SRC in binary gas mixture was investigated. While H2O decreased the SRC, as expected, the highest reduction in the capacity occurred in the CO–H2S gas mixture due to observed COS formation. Second, the SRCs and resulting COS formation were compared for synthetic syngas mixtures having different water contents and for different amounts of adsorbents. Finally, the separate and combined effects of temperature and H2O on SRC and COS formation in synthetic syngas were investigated by comparing SRCs of typical syngas under wet and dry conditions. The results showed that increasing the amount of adsorbent and temperature results in higher SRC due to a reduction in COS formation through the reactions of COS with H2 and H2O. This indicates that it is critical to control the residence time of syngas and temperature to reduce COS formation during ZnO adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–sulfur batteries (Li–S) are potentially applicable in electrification and the replacement of fossil fuels due to the high energy density and the economy of sulfur. However, effectively an insulator, sulfur is known to suffer from inert electrochemical and poor conductivity. By synthetically incorporating conductive, low‐dimensional carbonaceous composites acting as both containment hosts and catalysts to active materials, this work entails an effective and straightforward materials engineering approach in fundamentally remodeling active materials utilization and activation. This synthetic‐based approach highlights direct processing capabilities than traditional thermal infusion processes without compromising performance and addresses the low activation, poor conductivity as well as alleviating side reactions due to polysulfide species. Motivated by recent efforts in excellent catalytic properties of cobalt sulfide (CoS)‐based materials, in this work, high‐performance CoS‐based carbonaceous composites are designed and employed, alleviating side reactions. These sulfide‐based catalysts are further elucidated in their role in facilitating charge/discharge of active materials, and assessed on practical polysulfide and side reaction alleviation with respect to various discharge/charge states. Proof‐of‐concept devices demonstrate the following performance highlights: 1) high‐performance stability, 2) strong polysulfide adsorption capability and kinetic characteristics, 3) large and workable areal capacity, and active materials loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clostridioides difficile infection is expected to become the most common healthcare-associated infection worldwide. C. difficile-induced pathogenicity is significantly attributed to its enterotoxin, TcdA, which primarily targets Rho-GTPases involved in regulating cytoskeletal and tight junction (TJ) dynamics, thus leading to cytoskeleton breakdown and ultimately increased intestinal permeability. This study investigated whether two non-digestible oligosaccharides (NDOs), alginate (AOS) and chitosan (COS) oligosaccharides, possess antipathogenic and barrier-protective properties against C. difficile bacteria and TcdA toxin, respectively. Both NDOs significantly reduced C. difficile growth, while cell cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that neither COS nor AOS significantly attenuated the TcdA-induced cell death 24 h post-exposure. The challenge of Caco-2 monolayers with increasing TcdA concentrations increased paracellular permeability, as measured by TEER and LY flux assays. In this experimental setup, COS completely abolished, and AOS mitigated, the deleterious effects of TcdA on the monolayer's integrity. These events were not accompanied by alterations in ZO-1 and occludin protein levels; however, immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that both AOS and COS prevented the TcdA-induced occludin mislocalization. Finally, both NDOs accelerated TJ reassembly upon a calcium-switch assay. Overall, this study established the antipathogenic and barrier-protective capacity of AOS and COS against C. difficile and its toxin, TcdA, while revealing their ability to promote TJ reassembly in Caco-2 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While research on parenting programs typically focuses on program-specific evaluations, this article considers therapeutic competence as a transversal feature across different programs. It draws empirically on focus group interviews with practitioners of two separate parenting programs in Sweden: Circle of Security (COS-P) and Communication Method (COMET). The qualitative data analysis shows how the practitioners of both programs used their therapeutic competence to tailor the program manuals for each parent group; they combined the techniques of positive reinforcement and intentional self-disclosure with an attuned flexibility that was enabled by mentalization. The article concludes that therapeutic competence is a crucial aspect of parenting programs that needs further attention from scholars and practitioners alike. Highlights: Draws on qualitative data from focus group interviews with parenting program practitioners in Sweden. Focuses on the therapeutic competence of the practitioner as a transversal feature across two different parenting programs (COS-P and COMET). Shows how a combination of positive reinforcement, intentional self-disclosure, and mentalization, was used by the practitioners for enhanced program adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosans (CS) have been of great interest due to their properties and numerous applications. However, CS have poor solubility in neutral and basic media, which limits their use in these conditions. In contrast, chitooligosaccharides (COS) have better solubility in water and lower viscosity in aqueous solutions whilst maintaining interesting biological properties. CS and COS, unlike other sugars, are not single polymers with a defined structure but are groups of molecules with modifiable structural parameters, allowing the adaptation and optimization of their properties. The great versatility of CS and COS makes these molecules very attractive for different applications, such as cryopreservation. Here, we investigated the effect of the degree of polymerization (DP), degree of N-acetylation (DA) and concentration of a series of synthesized CS and COS, water-soluble at physiological pH, on their cytotoxicity in an L929 fibroblast cell culture. Our results demonstrated that CS and COS showed no sign of toxicity regarding cell viability at low concentrations (≤10 mg/mL), independently of their DP and DA, whereas a compromising effect on cell viability was observed at a high concentration (100 mg/mL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]