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Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is a promising reaction able to convert greenhouse gases (CO 2 and CH 4 ) into syngas: an important chemical feedstock. Several difficulties limit the applicability of DRM in conventional thermal catalytic reactions; it is an endothermic reaction that requires high temperatures, resulting in high carbon deposition and a low H 2 /CO ratio. Catalysis with the application of an electric field (EF) at low temperatures can resolve these difficulties. Synergistic effects with alloys have also been reported for reactions promoted by the application of EF. Therefore, the synergistic effects of low-temperature DRM and Ni-Fe bimetallic catalysts were investigated using various methods and several characterisations (XRD, XPS, FE-STEM, etc. ), which revealed that Ni-Fe binary catalysts show high performance in low-temperature DRM. In particular, the Ni 0.8 Fe 0.2 catalyst supported on CeO 2 was found to carry out DRM in EF effectively and selectively by virtue of its bimetallic characteristics., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

With increasing expectations for carbon neutrality, dry reforming is anticipated for direct conversion of methane and carbon dioxide: the main components of biogas. We have found that dry reforming of methane in an electric field using a Pt/CeO 2 catalyst proceeds with sufficient rapidity even at a low temperature of about 473 K. The effect of the electric field (EF) on dry reforming was investigated using kinetic analysis, in situ DRIFTs, XPS, and DFT calculation. In situ DRIFTs and XPS measurements indicated that the amount of carbonate, which is an adsorbed species of CO 2 , increased with the application of EF. XPS measurements also confirmed the reduction of CeO 2 by the reaction of surface oxygen and CH 4 . The reaction between CH 4 molecules and surface oxygen was promoted at the interface between Pt and CeO 2 ., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Objectives: This study investigated retrospectively the effect of early rehabilitation in the intensive care unit (ICU) by a dedicated therapist using a rehabilitation protocol., Methods: The subjects comprised patients admitted to our emergency ICU. A dedicated therapist and a rehabilitation protocol were instigated in April 2018. We enrolled 330 patients in phase I (April 2016-March 2018) and 383 patients in phase II (April 2018-March 2020). Patients in the ICU for only one night and pediatric patients were excluded. The following data were accessed from medical records: sex, height, age, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, rehabilitation intervention, ventilation at admission, duration of mechanical ventilation, extubation, reintubation, tracheotomy, length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay, and outcome. The effectiveness of rehabilitation was assessed using the time from ICU admission to the first rehabilitation session, first sitting exercise, and first standing exercise. Clinical outcomes were analyzed separately for subjects discharged to home or transferred to another hospital., Results: The percentage of subjects undergoing rehabilitation intervention increased significantly from 23.4% to 56.7% (P<0.001) in phase II. Moreover, reintubation (P=0.045); the length of ICU stay (P=0.022); and the time from ICU admission to the first rehabilitation session (P<0.001), the first sitting exercise (P=0.001), and the first standing exercise (P=0.047) significantly decreased in phase II. Furthermore, the duration of mechanical ventilation (P=0.007) and the length of ICU stay (P=0.036) were significantly reduced in the transfer group., Conclusions: Although the effectiveness of early intervention was suggested, prospective multicenter studies are required to confirm this finding., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to disclose., (©2021 The Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine.)

Background: A multicenter investigation of neonate exposure to potentially harmful excipients (PHEs) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Japan has not been conducted., Methods: A multicenter nationwide observational study was conducted. Neonate patient demographic data and information on all medicines prescribed and administered during hospitalization on 1 day between November 2019 and March 2021 were extracted from the medical records. Nine PHEs, paraben, polysorbate 80, propylene glycol, benzoates, saccharin sodium, sorbitol, ethanol, benzalkonium chloride, and aspartame, were selected. PHEs were identified from the package insert and the Interview Form. The quantitative daily exposure was calculated if quantitative data were available for each product containing the PHE., Results: Prescription data was collected from 22 NICUs in Japan. In total, 343 neonates received 2360 prescriptions for 426 products containing 228 active pharmaceutical ingredients. PHEs were found in 52 (12.2%) products in 646 (27.4%) prescriptions for 282 (82.2%) neonates. Benzyl alcohol, sodium benzoates, and parabens were the most common PHEs in parenteral, enteral, and topical formulations, respectively. Quantitative analysis showed that 10 (10%), 38 (42.2%), 37 (94.9%), and 9 (39.1%) neonates received doses exceeding the acceptable daily intake of benzyl alcohol, polysorbate 80, propylene glycol, and sorbitol, respectively. However, due to the lack of quantitative information for all enteral and topical products, accurate daily PHE exposure could not be quantified., Conclusions: Neonates admitted to NICUs in Japan were exposed to PHEs, and several of the most commonly prescribed medicines in daily clinical practice in NICUs contained PHEs. Neonate PHE exposure could be reduced by replacing these medicines with available PHE-free alternatives.

Low temperature (<500 K) methane steam reforming in an electric field was investigated over various catalysts. To elucidate the factors governing catalytic activity, activity tests and various characterization methods were conducted over various oxides including CeO 2 , Nb 2 O 5 , and Ta 2 O 5 as supports. Activities of Pd catalysts loaded on these oxides showed the order of CeO 2 > Nb 2 O 5 > Ta 2 O 5. Surface proton conductivity has a key role for the activation of methane in an electric field. Proton hopping ability on the oxide surface was estimated using electrochemical impedance measurements. Proton transport ability on the oxide surface at 473 K was in the order of CeO 2 > Nb 2 O 5 > Ta 2 O 5. The OH group amounts on the oxide surface were evaluated by measuring pyridine adsorption with and without H 2 O pretreatment. Results indicate that the surface OH group concentrations on the oxide surface were in the order of CeO 2 > Nb 2 O 5 > Ta 2 O 5. These results demonstrate that the surface concentrations of OH groups are related to the proton hopping ability on the oxide surface. The concentrations reflect the catalytic activity of low-temperature methane steam reforming in the electric field., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Catalytic methane steam reforming was conducted at low temperature using a Pd catalyst supported on Ce 1- x M x O 2 ( x = 0 or 0.1, M = Ca, Ba, La, Y or Al) oxides with or without an electric field (EF). The effects of the catalyst support on catalytic activity and surface proton hopping were investigated. Results show that Pd/Al-CeO 2 (Pd/Ce 0.9 Al 0.1 O 2 ) showed higher activity than Pd/CeO 2 with EF, although their activity was identical without EF. Thermogravimetry revealed a larger amount of H 2 O adsorbed onto Pd/Al-CeO 2 than onto Pd/CeO 2 , so Al doping to CeO 2 contributes to greater H 2 O adsorption. Furthermore, electrochemical conduction measurements of Pd/Al-CeO 2 revealed a larger contribution of surface proton hopping than that for Pd/CeO 2 . This promotes the surface proton conductivity and catalytic activity during EF application., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Methane activation on diluted metal ensembles is a challenging task in the field of alloy chemistry. This report describes that synergy between an electric field and Pd-Zn alloy allows improved catalytic activities in the steam reforming of methane. Because of surface protonics, Pd-Pd ensembles are no longer needed. Ligand effects facilitate methane conversion.

The present study was aimed at kinetically characterizing the carrier-mediated transport systems for D-glucose and taurocholate in the rat colon, compared with their respective counterparts in the small intestine. The transport of these compounds was evaluated by measuring the initial uptake into everted intestinal tissue sacs. The uptake of both D-glucose and taurocholate was highly saturable, conforming to Michaelis-Menten kinetics without an appreciable nonsaturable transport component. The Michaelis constant (K(m)) was 0.43 and 0.021 mM, respectively, for D-glucose and taurocholate and the maximum transport rate (J(max)) was 0.82 and 0.056 nmol/min/100 mg wet tissue weight (wtw), respectively. For both compounds, these values of K(m) and J(max) in the colon were one to three orders of magnitude smaller than those in the small intestine, suggesting that the transport systems in the colon have by far a higher affinity and a lower transport capacity than their counterparts in the small intestine. However, it is now evident from kinetic studies that carrier-mediated transport systems for D-glucose and taurocholate are also present in the colon. It will be interesting to explore the possibility that they could be used for oral drug delivery via the colon. Their physiological roles would also be of interest.

Several nutrients and drugs, which are known to be absorbed by specific carrier-mediated transport systems in the small intestine, had their transport investigated in the rat colon, by measuring uptake into everted sacs, to find if carrier-mediated transport systems may also be present in the colon. Among those transported by Na+-dependent carriers in the small intestine, D-glucose and taurocholate were found to be transported in an Na+-dependent manner in the colon, while 5-fluorouracil and ascorbate were not. It was also found that the colonic transports of D-glucose and taurocholate were saturable. These results suggest the presence in the colon of Na+-dependent carrier-mediated transport systems for D-glucose and taurocholate, but not for 5-fluorouracil and ascorbate. For nicotinate and methotrexate, which are transported by H+-dependent carriers in the small intestine, their transport was elevated at a lower pH (5.0) than the pH 7.4 in the colon, but not saturable. Therefore, the elevated transport of these acidic compounds may be explained by an increase in passive flux due to an increase in the fraction of the unionized and/or neutral forms, without postulating the presence of H+-dependent carrier-mediated transport systems in the colon. The transport activity of the suggested colonic transport systems for D-glucose and taurocholate was much lower than those of their respective counterparts in the small intestine. However, it may be possible to use them for oral drug delivery via the colon. Their physiological roles would also be of interest.