It seems that the aggregation process occurs slower than in other samples. AuNP agglomeration and interaction with medium over time was also confirmed with TEM analysis. Differences in the structure of the PBH capping agents used in this study led to distinct associations between individual AuNPs and their environment. The stability of Au[(Gly-Tyr-TrCys)2B] and Au[(Gly-Tyr-Met)2B] differed in cell culture conditions. This difference could be attributed to the stabilising effect of the TrCys group in comparison with the Met group. TrCys and Met residues

are involved in binding to the gold surface. The higher binding of the PBH (Gly-Tyr-TrCys)2B to the gold in comparison with the PBH (Gly-Tyr-Met)2B is due to the additional aromatic interactions of the TrCys residue. The bulkier group, TrCys, may contribute to protecting individual NPs from GANT61 molecular weight assembling into larger agglomerates, thereby leading to the stability of Au[(Gly-Tyr-TrCys)2B] agglomerates. In addition, as revealed by elemental analysis, Au[(Gly-Tyr-TrCys)2B] was stabilised by 40 PBH units in comparison with 7 PBH units for Au[(Gly-Tyr-Met)2B]. Similar considerations can be made for Au[(TrCys)2B] and Au[(Met)2B]. Au[(TrCys)2B] was stable up to 4 h and formed smaller agglomerates over time compared to Au[(Met)2B]. The stabilisation of Au[(TrCys)2B] was achieved with 97 PBH units

compared to 57 units for Au[(Met)2B]. It appears that the TrCys group also selleck chemical conferred stability upon Au[(TrCys)2B]. Overall, these findings suggest that the TrCys residue and the steric bulk of PBH (Gly-Tyr-TrCys)2B are responsible for the remarkable stability of Au[(Gly-Tyr-TrCys)2B] agglomerates. The observations reported here have a major implication for the use of specific PBH capping agents in nanomaterial science. By applying PBH capping agents with different structures, the physico-chemical properties of AuNPs can be manipulated, thus affording tunability in Casein kinase 1 diverse environments. Interestingly, we observed

that the two PBH-capped AuNPs that showed increased stability, namely Au[(Gly-Tyr-TrCys)2B] and Au[(TrCys)2B], also produced the highest increase in ROS levels. However, significant ROS production was detected only at the two highest doses (50 and 100 μg/ml), thus indicating the feasibility of use at lower concentrations. Oxidative stress induction has been proposed as the principal mechanism of toxicity for many forms of NPs [57–59], including AuNPs [60]. Although the exact biological mechanism behind the action of the AuNPs was not determined in this study, we reveal that they all have the capacity to produce increased levels of ROS. However, the extent of this production differed depending on the PBH structures attached to the AuNP and the medium environment. ROS levels twofold higher than control levels were recorded after exposure to 100 μg/ml Au[(Gly-Tyr-TrCys)2B].

~ 10% reduction at 12.5 nM. Finally, the inhibitory effect and its saturating trend towards higher doses of rapamycin are the same

for all four cancer cell lines, suggesting rapamycin may act on some targets/pathways common in all of them. Figure 1 Rapamycin exerts growth inhibitory Compound C order effects in four lung cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent fashion. Cells were treated with increasing levels of rapamycin for 24 hours before cell viability was examined by MTT assay. Control group received treatment of DMSO solution of the same volume and concentration used to dissolve rapamycin. Growth inhibitory effect of rapamycin with docetaxel on lung cancer cells Next we checked the effect of rapamycin on docetaxel-induced growth inhibition in lung cancer cells. It was found that 20 nM rapamycin can potentiate the growth inhibition activity of docetaxel in all four cancer cell lines (Figure 2). This enhancing effect of rapamycin is especially pronounced at low docetaxel concentration (1 nM), having led to an additional 20 – 40% of reduction in cell growth. Although rapamycin does not change the maximum level of cell selleck chemicals growth inhibition elicited by docetaxel (e.g., at 100 nM), the co-treatment of rapamycin with docetaxel effectively lowered the EC50 (concentration needed to achieve 50% of maximal effect) of the latter. Figure 2 Rapamycin administered at 20 nM was able to potentiate the growth inhibitory effect of docetaxel in four lung cancer

cells. Rapamycin induces apoptosis in synergy with docetaxel To further investigate whether the enhancing effect that rapamycin showed in docetaxel-co-treated cancer cells is

associated with an increased level of apoptosis, we performed flow cytomety analysis using Annexin V/propidium iodide-stained cells. As shown in Figure 3, rapamycin enhances the effects of docetaxel in promoting cancer cell death. Discounting the basal apoptosis level as shown in the control sample, the level of apoptosis in the Rapa+DTX group is close to the sum of those in the two monotreaments using either compound alone. These findings indicate that rapamycin may further enhance the efficacy of docetaxel by inducing a higher degree of apoptosis. Figure 3 Rapamycin enhances the apoptosis effect of docetaxel in lung cancer cells. *P < 0.05, Montelukast Sodium significantly different from untreated control; **P < 0.05, significantly different from either rapamycin or docetaxel monotherapy. Combination treatment of rapamycin with docetaxel decreases the expression of Survivin As we wondered whether the enhancing effect of rapamycin might come from its ability to block cellular pathways that can counteract the cytotoxic activity of docetaxel, the effect of rapamycin on the expression of Survivin was next examined. Treatment of 95D cells with either rapamycin or docetaxel alone resulted in moderate but significant reduction on the level of Survivin expression compared with that of the untreated cells.

Surgery 1995, 117:254–259.CrossRefPubMed NSC23766 ic50 15. Huerta S, Bui T, Porral D, Lush S, Cinat M: Predictors of morbidity and mortality in patients with traumatic duodenal injuries.

Am Surg 2005, 71:763–767.PubMed 16. Velmahos GC, Kamel E, Chan LS, Hanpeter D, Asensio JA, Murray JA, Berne TV, Demetriades D: Complex repair for the management of duodenal injuries. Am Surg 1999, 65:972–975.PubMed 17. Talving P, Nicol AJ, Navsaria PH: Civilian duodenal gunshot wounds: surgical management made simpler. World J Surg 2006, 30:488–494.CrossRefPubMed 18. Ruso L, Taruselli R, Metcalfe M, Maddern G: Resection of the angle of Treitz and distal diverticulization of the duodenum in penetrating abdominal injuries. Dig Surg 2004, 21:177–180.CrossRefPubMed 19. Alessandroni L, Adami EA, Baiano G, Cellitti M, Massi G, Tersigni R: Complex duodenopancreatic injuries. Chir Ital 2001, 53:7–14.PubMed 20. Jurczak F, Kahn X, Letessier E, Plattner V, Heloury Y, Le Neel JC: Severe pancreaticoduodenal trauma: review of a series of 30 patients. Ann Chir 1999, 53:267–272.PubMed 21. Singh G, Lobo DN, Khanna SK: End-to-end anastomosis at the duodenojejunal flexure: is it safe? Aust N Z J Surg 1995, 65:884–886.CrossRefPubMed 22. Kline G,

Lucas CE, Ledgerwood AM, Saxe JM: Duodenal organ injury severity (OIS) Emricasan manufacturer and outcome. Am Surg 1994, 60:500–504.PubMed 23. Cogbill TH, Moore EE, Feliciano DV, Hoyt DB, Jurkovich GJ, Morris JA, Mucha P Jr, Ross SE, Strutt PJ, Moore FA: Conservative

management of duodenal trauma: a multicenter perspective. J Trauma 1990, 30:1469–1475.CrossRefPubMed 24. Martin TD, Feliciano DV, Mattox KL, Jordan GL Jr: Severe duodenal injuries. Treatment with pyloric exclusion and gastrojejunostomy. Arch Surg 1983, 118:631–635.PubMed 25. Seamon MJ, Pieri PG, Fisher CA, Gaughan J, Santora TA, Pathak AS, Bradley KM, Goldberg AJ: A ten-year retrospective review: does pyloric exclusion improve clinical outcome after penetrating duodenal and combined pancreaticoduodenal injuries? J Trauma 2007, 62:829–833.CrossRefPubMed 26. Paluszkiewicz P: Should the tube cholangiostomy be performed as a supplement procedure to duodenostomy for treatment heptaminol or prevention of duodenal fistula? World J Surg 2008, 32:1905.CrossRefPubMed 27. Cesar JM, Petroianu A, Gouvea AP, Alvin DR: Reopening of the gastroduodenal pylorus after its closure in rats. J Surg Res 2008, 144:89–93.PubMed 28. Cook D, Guyatt G, Marshall J, Leasa D, Fuller H, Hall R, Peters S, Rutledge F, Griffith L, McLellan A, Wood G, Kirby A: A comparison of sucralfate and ranitidine for the prevention of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Canadian Critical Care Trials Group. N Engl J Med 1998, 338:791–797.CrossRefPubMed 29. Lee DW, Chan AC, Lam YH, Ng EK, Lau JY, Law BK, Lai CW, Sung JJ, Chung SC: Biliary decompression by nasobiliary catheter or biliary stent in acute suppurative cholangitis: a prospective randomized trial.

Custom-synthesized oligonucleotides for the PCR were purchased from GeneDesign (Osaka, Japan). DNA sequencing and

informatic analysis To sequence the DNA fragments amplified by PCR, the fragments were purified with the PCR Gel Extraction Kit (QIAGEN, Valencia, CA) according to the manufacturer’s protocol. DNA sequencing was performed with the ABI PRISM 3130 (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) and the BigDye v3.1 cycle sequencing kit (Applied Biosystems). The Genetyx sequence analysis program (Software Development, Tokyo, Japan) was used for computer analysis of DNA sequences. Homology searches against deposited sequences were performed with the aid of data from the National Center for Biotechnology Information buy BAY 11-7082 (NCBI) using the BLAST network service http://​www.​ncbi.​nlm.​nih.​gov and the BLAST service at the Genome Information Research Center http://​genome.​naist.​jp/​bacteria/​vpara/​. Sequence information was obtained from the NCBI. The computer program CLUSTAL W was used for the nucleotide sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. Construction of vscN2 deletion GW3965 in vivo mutant strains of V. mimicus A four-primer PCR technique was used to engineer an in-frame deletion mutation as described previously [14]. Briefly, the upstream and downstream sequences of vscN2 of T3SS2α or T3SS2β were amplified using the pairs listed

in Additional file 1. The two fragments, amplified with primers 1 and 3, and 2 and 4, respectively, were used as templates for a second PCR using primers 1 and 4, which generated a PCR product containing the desired deletion. The amplified fragments were then sequenced and subcloned into an R6K-ori suicide vector pYAK1 and transformed into E. N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase coli SM10λpir. Cytotoxicity assays For cytotoxicity assays, eukaryotic cells were seeded at

3 × 104 cells well-1 in 96-well plates and cultured for 48 h to confluency. The cells were co-cultured with PBS-washed bacteria at a multiplicity of infection (moi) of 10 for 2- 6 h. The release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) into the medium was quantified by using a CytoTox96 non-radioactive cytotoxicity kit (Promega) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The LDH release (per cent cytotoxicity) was calculated with the following equation: [optical density at 492 nm (OD492) of experimental release - OD492 of spontaneous release]/(OD492 of maximum release – OD492 of spontaneous release) × 100. Spontaneous release is defined as the amount of LDH released from the cytoplasm of uninfected cells, and maximum release as the total amount of LDH released after the complete lysis of uninfected cells. Statistical analysis Statistical significance was determined with the t test. A P value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

But not all the effects seen in our mutants could be directly ascribed to HPr phosphorylation. In E. faecalis fructose utilization is not under CCR [50, 61], and no cre-site was detected in the fru promoter region of the downregulated fru operon click here (EF0717-19). This is in contrast to L. lactis where fructose utilization is regulated via CCR [62]. The fructose operon in L. lactis is also regulated by FruR and activation

is dependent on fructose-1-phosphate [62]. The fru operon (EF0717-19) has a similar genetic organization in E. faecalis, including a fruR homolog and a putative FruR recognizing promoter which suggests that the fru operon is under repression of FruR in the mutants due to lowered intracellular levels of fructose-1-phosphate. All the genes encoding enzymes leading from glucoses to lactic acid were down-regulated in the mutants. The ldh-1, encoding the major lactate dehydrogenase in E. faecalis [25], appears to be regulated by CCA, like in L. lactis [63]. Genes in the central glycolytic operon (gap-2, pgk, tpiA, eno) showed reduced expression probably as a consequence of low fructose-1,6-bis phosphate (FBP) concentration, and repression mediated

by the central glycolytic gene repressor CggR encoded by the first gene in the operon, EF1965. A putative CggR operator sequence upstream of EF1965 was identified using the GDC-0449 chemical structure criteria of Doan & Aymerich [64]. In B. subtilis, the repressor binds the operator localized upstream of cggR when not bound to FBP [64, 65]. The observed shift in metabolic profile toward more mixed

acid fermentation reflects the transcriptional changes observed, but also the changes in concentration of central metabolic intermediates [66]. The spontaneous mutants MOP1 and MOP2 showed some Mpt activity, as substantiated by intermediate bacteriocin sensitivity. The deletion mutant could not have any Mpt activity and would probably have a lower energy status than the other strains. In agreement with this, we observed quantitative differences in responses Y-27632 2HCl between the spontaneous mutants and the constructed mutant. Generally, all transcriptional effects were stronger in the constructed mutant. In B. subtilis Singh and colleagues [67] reported that the strength of cre-site dependent CCR is dependent only of the HPr-Ser-P levels in the cells, with involvement of different co-repressors as glucose-6-P and FBP [68]. We show that difference in strength of CCR is not only limited to cre-site dependent CCR. Abranches et al [69] studied the transcriptome of an EIIAB mannose-PTS mutant of S. mutans. A much lower number of genes were upregulated in that case, but largely the effects were similar to our results of E. faecalis. Like in the pediocin resistant E. faecalis, a significant number of genes encoding uptake systems and catabolic enzymes were up-regulated, demonstrating its central role in regulation of energy metabolism in these organisms.

J Vac Sci Tehnol B 2000, 18:2242–2254.CrossRef 22. Shen Y, Zhou P, Sun QQ, Wan L, Li J, Chen LY, Zhang DW, Wang XB: Optical investigation of reduced graphene oxide by spectroscopic ellipsometry and the band-gap tuning. Appl Phys Lett 2011, 99:141911.CrossRef 23. Lee JS, Lee YS, Noh TW, Char K, Park J, Oh SJ, Park JH, Eom CB, Takeda T, Kanno R: Optical investigation of the electronic structures of Y Selleck Capmatinib 2 Ru 2 O 7 , CaRuO 3 , SrRuO 3 , and Bi 2 Ru 2 O 7 . Phys Rev B 2001, 64:245107.CrossRef 24. Wang GT, Zhang MP, Yang ZX, Fang Z: Orbital orderings and optical conductivity of SrRuO 3 and CaRuO 3 : first-principles studies. J Phys

Condens Matter 2009, 21:265602.CrossRef 25. Fujiwara H, Koh J, Rovira PI, Collins RW: Assessment of effective-medium theories in the analysis of nucleation and microscopic surface roughness evolution for semiconductor thin films. Phys Rev B 2000, 61:10832–10844.CrossRef 26. Wang H, Zheng Y, Cai MQ, Huang H, Chan HLW: First-principles study on the electronic and optical properties

of BiFeO 3 . Solid State Commun 2009, 149:641–644.CrossRef 27. Fujiwara H: Principles of optics. In Spectroscopic Ellipsometry: Principles and Applications. Chichester: Wiley; 2007:13–48.CrossRef 28. Basu PK: Interband and selleck chemical impurity absorptions. In Theory of Optical Processes in Semiconductors. Edited by: Kamimura H, Nicholas RJ, Williams RH. Oxford: Clarendon; 1997:80–122. 29. Jellison GE, Modine FA: Parameterization of the optical functions of amorphous materials in the interband region. Appl Phys Lett 1996, 69:371–373.CrossRef 30. Chen X, Zhang H, Wang T, Wang F, Shi W: Optical and photoluminescence properties of BiFeO 3 thin films grown on ITO-coated glass substrates by chemical solution deposition. Phys Status Solidi A 2012, 209:1456–1460.CrossRef 31. Yu X, An X: Enhanced magnetic and optical properties of pure and (Mn, Sr) doped BiFeO 3 nanocrystals. Solid State Commun 2009, 149:711–714.CrossRef 32. Palai R, Katiyar RS, Schmid H, Tissot P, Clark SJ, Robertson J, Redfern SAT, Catalan G: Scott

JF: β 4-Aminobutyrate aminotransferase phase and γ-β metal-insulator transition in multiferroic BiFeO 3 . Phys Rev B 2008, 77:014110.CrossRef 33. Moubah R, Schmerber G, Rousseau O, Colson D, Viret M: Photoluminescence investigation of defects and optical band gap in multiferroic BiFeO 3 single crystals. Appl Phys Express 2012, 5:035802.CrossRef Competing interests We declare that we have no competing interests. Authors’ contributions JPX carried out the optical measurements, analyzed the results, and drafted the manuscript. RJZ proposed the initial work, supervised the sample analysis, and revised the manuscript. ZHC grew the sample. ZYW and FZ performed the XRD and AFM measurements. XY helped dealing with the SE experimental data. AQJ helped the sample growth.

One interview was considered invalid, because it was conducted with the victim’s husband. Among the 86 victims who participated in the follow-up study, two had consulted for three different events of violence and three for two events. These five persons were interviewed about the most recent event. Measures The Epacadostat in vivo variables listed below were taken into account and were based on the

information contained in the medical files. Given the small size of the sample, values were grouped in a maximum of 3–4 categories, with the exception of the occupational classification variable. Socio-demographics: age (<35/35–44/45+), gender, nationality (Swiss/non-Swiss); foreigners with a work and residence permit (yes/no); and highest level of education (compulsory or no school/vocational

education and training/high school and beyond). Work situation: type of occupation (14 categories); occupational status (employee/self-employed); and occupational sector (agriculture/industry/services). Medical history: generally in good health (yes/no); and previous experience of violence (yes/no). Characteristics of the violent event: type of workplace violence (internal/external/both internal and external); internal violence perpetrator (subordinate/colleague/superior); and time of the assault (day work: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m./evening Defactinib mouse work 8–10 p.m./night work 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.). A measure to categorize occupations according to the degree of organizational and personal awareness as well as risk of workplace violence (low/moderate/high) was developed in the qualitative section of the study selleckchem as a result of a thematic content analyses of the respondents’ statements (De Puy et al. 2012). These

three degrees of awareness were also characterized by different grades of surprise and shock at being assaulted at work. The “high risk and awareness of violence jobs” category included occupations where the risk of violence was systematically considered as “part of the job” by respondents (police officers, prison guards, private security agents and public transportation ticket controllers). These job holders explained that they were prepared and trained to meet aggressive resistance when controlling, arresting or sanctioning subjects. They mentioned that their organizations had protocols for dealing with such events. In these “high risk and awareness of violence jobs,” assaults were never deemed normal but they were considered by respondents as a frequent and expected occupational risk. The “moderate risk and awareness of violence jobs” category included occupations in contact with the public on a daily basis (taxi drivers, bus drivers, salespersons, post office staff, healthcare staff, social workers, waiters, teachers, janitors and sex workers). Those who held “moderate risk and awareness of violence jobs” provided different types of services to customers, patients, etc.

However, these techniques are still expensive, time consuming, and sophisticated, which block the penetration of commercial market.

In case of transparent glasses, although the importance of AR structures for improvement of optical efficiency, the cost issues have hindered the use of AR structures in applications such as photovoltaics and optoelectronics. In this letter, we present a simple, fast, and cost-effective method for fabricating AR grassy surfaces composed of tapered SWSs on glass substrates. Reactive ion etch (RIE) process of glasses with gas mixture of CF4 and O2 generates nanoclusters that can be used as an etch mask. Control of etch conditions provides optimal AR performance in the visible wavelength ranges. Methods Design and fabrication According to theoretical analysis,

the subwavelength structures www.selleckchem.com/products/ly3039478.html (SWSs) with high aspect ratio (i.e., fine period and tall height) and continuous tapered shape from the air to the substrate show the widest bandwidth and almost omnidirectional AR properties [1]. However, fine tuning of geometry increases process complexity and costs. It is essential to find the optimal geometry based on the theoretical calculation to obtain a reasonable AR performance. Figure  1 shows the color map of reflectance of the SWSs on glass substrates as a function of height Bucladesine ic50 (0 to 400 nm) and wavelength (300 to 800 nm), calculated by a rigorous coupled-wave analysis method [16]. A model was designed in hexagonal lattices of 100 nm, which is small enough to satisfy zeroth order condition (Λ << λ). The dispersion of glass material (BoroFloat 33, Schott, Louisville, KY, USA) was taken into account in this calculation. The apex diameter was set to 50% of the base diameter. Acetophenone The flat surface (height = 0 nm) of glass substrate shows the reflectance of approximately 4% as expected. This reflectance rapidly goes

down to 1% as the height increases from 0 to 150 nm. This is available only when the index difference is not quite big. For semiconductor materials such as silicon and GaAs, the height should be at least >300 nm to have broadband antireflection characteristics. In this study, the SWSs with height of approximately 150 nm were selected as a target value to maintain a low surface reflection. Figure 1 Contour plot of calculated reflectance of tapered SWSs as a function of height and wavelength. Inset indicates a calculated model. Uniform and high-density grassy surfaces were prepared by plasma etching in an RIE system with gas mixture of CF4 (40 sccm) and O2 (10 sccm), as illustrated in Figure  2. First, borosilicate glass substrates (2 × 2 cm2), which is commonly used as an optic component in various fields, were cleaned with acetone, isopropyl alcohol, and deionized (DI) water and loaded into the chamber.

Conversely, six proteins were down-regulated Selleckchem RSL-3 on glucose, of which four were involved in glycolysis. The inosine-5-monophosphate dehydrogenase (GuaB), involved in purine metabolism, and the putative oxidoreductase Lsa0165 were down-regulated, whereas the elongation factor Ts (EF-Ts) was up-regulated on ribose. An overview of the catabolic pathways for glucose (glycolysis) and ribose (phosphoketolase pathway) utilization in L. sakei is shown in Figure 2. Proteins whose expression was modified in cells grown on ribose are shown. Figure 2 Overview

of the metabolic pathways for glucose and ribose fermentation in L. sakei. Enzymes which expression is up- or down-regulated on ribose compared with glucose in the majority of the ten L. sakei strains (see Additional file 1, Table S2) are indicated with upward and downward pointing arrows, respectively. End-products are boxed. PTS, phosphotransferase

system; T, transport protein; P, phosphate; B, bis; Glk, glucokinase; Pgi, phosphoglucoisomerase; Fbp, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase; Pfk, 6-phosphofructokinase; Fba, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase; RbsU, ribose transporter; RbsD, D-ribose pyranase; RbsK, ribokinase; Rpi, ribose-5-phosphate isomerase; Rpe, ribulose-phosphate 3-epimerase; Xpk, xylulose-5-phosphate phosphoketolase; Tpi, triose-phosphate isomerase; GapA, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; Pgk, phosphoglycerate kinase; Gpm3, phosphoglycerate mutase; Eno, enolase; Pyk, pyruvate kinase; LdhL, L-lactate dehydrogenase; PdhBD, pyruvate dehydrogenase complex subunits B and D; mafosfamide Pox1,2, pyruvate oxidase; HDAC inhibitor Ack, acetate kinase; GlpD, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; GlpK,

glycerol kinase; GlpF, glycerol uptake facilitator protein. It is likely that the induction of RbsK and Xpk and hence the phosphoketolase pathway in the cells restricts the flow of carbon down the glycolytic route. In many microorganisms, the glycolytic flux depends on the activity of 6-phosphofructokinase (Pfk) and pyruvate kinase (Pyk) [47, 48]. Similar to several other LAB [48–50] these two enzymes are encoded from a pfk-pyk operon [34], and as reflected at the level of genetic structure, a lower expression of both enzymes was seen on ribose in all strains examined. A lower expression of Pfk was also observed by Stentz et al. [17] during growth on ribose. The glycolytic enzymes fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (Fba) and a phosphoglycerate mutase (Gpm3) showed a lower expression in most of the strains, and interestingly, strains LS 25 and MF1058 showed a lower expression of three more glycolytic enzymes compared to the rest of the strains. It is possible that these strains have a more efficient mechanism of down-regulating the glycolytic pathway. LS 25 is an industrially used starter culture for fermented sausages, while MF1058 is suitable as a protective culture in vacuum packed fresh meat [9, 10].

Methods PSi was formed by electrochemical Captisol mw etching of 10 × 10 cm2 p-type mirror-polished Cz silicon wafers with boron doping level 1019 cm−3, under anodic bias and using an electrolyte of HF/ethanol mixture. A Teflon cell, with a platinum cathode and the silicon substrate as the anode, was used. PSi mono- and double-layer stacks were etched in galvanostatic mode at various current densities, as shown in Table 1. The porosity of the

various layers was determined by the gravimetric method, using a cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) view to determine the layer thickness. Afterward, the samples were annealed in a commercial epitaxial reactor (ASM Epsilon 2000, Conquer Industries, Inc, Union City, CA, USA), a single-wafer atmospheric-pressure chemical vapor deposition system (APCVD), at 1,130°C in 1 atm of H2 ambient for various durations between 1 and 120 min. The reorganization rate of the samples was fully reproducible for the samples in the same batches, i.e., annealed at the same moment of time. However, this reproducibility is affected for samples from different batches,

probably due to the ageing of the epi-reactor. In this article, all samples shown on the same figure were loaded in the same batches, except for one figure that will be specified. A schematic representation of the Nepicastat ic50 temperature profile inside the reactor

is shown in Figure 2, where the solid line shows the typical temperature profile for PSi annealing. The dashed line shows the additional time of epitaxial growth, which was not performed in the present work in order to maximize the XRD signal from the PSi stacks. Lattice strain was estimated by X-ray diffraction through symmetric (004) reciprocal lattice point with high-resolution Omega-2theta scans, which were performed in Bede Metrix-L (Bede Scientific, Durham, England). The source was monochromatic CuKα1 radiation (λ = 1.54056 Å) collimated by a four-reflection Ge monochromator with a beam size of 1 cm. In addition, a Gaussian fitting for the PSi peak was performed to some XRD profiles. The surface roughness of the sintered PSi stacks was investigated by a stylus-based HRP measurement Dimethyl sulfoxide using a HRP-200 (distributed by KLA Tencor, Milpitas, CA, USA), with a resolution of 5 nm. The RMS roughness values given are the average of three measurement points. Two types of scans were used, firstly, over areas of 20 × 20 μm2 with 21 lines spaced of 1 μm and, secondly, an area of 100 × 100 μm2 with the same pitch. The PSi layer’s morphology was examined by SEM to determine the thickness of the PSi layers, to capture the evolution of the pillars in the HPL and to monitor the bigger pores at the top surface of the PSi seed layers.