Formation and characterization of polyglutamate core-shell microspheres

The need for organ-targeted delivery of drugs and imaging agents creates an interest in biocompatible, biodegradable vesicles. We make protein microspheres using high-intensity ultrasound; these microspheres have a protein shell and a hydrophobic interior, making them ideal for delivering hydrophobic materials. We have previously shown that various proteins, e.g., bovine serum albumin (BSA), form a microsphere shell stabilized by interprotein cross-linking of cysteine residues. In this study, polyglutamate was used to form core-shell microspheres at slightly basic pH using sonication. These particles are smaller than our previous protein microspheres and are stable under conditions encountered in vivo. The stability of polyglutamate microspheres appears to be due to hydrogen bonding networks and not covalent cross-linking.     

Investigation on non-optically bleachable components of ESR aluminium signal in quartz

Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) can be used as a method to estimate the age of sediment deposition using the paramagnetic centre related to aluminium impurities in quartz. This so-called Al-centre can be partially optically bleached and its signal intensity decreases in relation to time exposure to solar light, until it reaches a plateau value corresponding to a residual signal. This signal can be attributed to “Deep Aluminium Traps” (DAT) which cannot be reset by an exposure to sunlight. In this study, we have investigated the behaviour of the DAT signal in samples from different origins and ages. The intensity of the DAT signal has been isolated from the total aluminium signal by the exposure of different quartz samples to simulated solar light. We observed that the DAT intensities were sample dependant and therefore it should be determined for each sample. Moreover, DAT intensities of Pleistocene volcanic quartz increase with gamma laboratory irradiation, whereas DAT intensities of sedimentary quartz do not vary with added artificial doses. This suggests that DAT in quartz extracted from sediments must be inherited from the primary source of the quartz, and were saturated at the time of sedimentation. We thereby validate the ESR dating of quartz sediment protocol used so far.     

Synthesis and evaluation of triazole-linked poly(ε-caprolactone)-graft-poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) copolymers as potential drug carriers

Well-defined graft copolymers were obtained using a copper-catalysed azide-alkyne Huisgen's cycloaddition click reaction from both biocompatible and non-toxic poly(ε-caprolactone) and poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) homopolymers. Resulting amphiphilic copolymers proved to form micelles that could be used as potential drug carriers.     

Micellar-enhanced photochemically induced fluorescence detection of chlorophenoxyacid herbicides. Flow injection analysis of mecoprop and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

In this paper, a combination of a flow injection analysis (FIA) system with micellar-enhanced photochemically induced fluorescence (MEPIF) detection is presented as a powerful alternative for the rapid and sensitive analysis of chlorophenoxyacid herbicides. These compounds do not show native fluorescence but they can be photolysed into strongly fluorescence photoproducts after direct irradiation with ultraviolet light. The use of a cationic surfactant such as cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) provides a considerable enhancement of photochemically induced fluorescence intensity and the nature of the technique allows a possible and easy adaptation to a FIA system. In this sense, parameters related to the nature of the analytical signal (pH, irradiation times, surfactant concentration) and to the FIA manifold (injection volume, flow rate and reactor length) have been optimised. Linear calibration graphs, with three replicates for each concentration value were established in the range of 0.2-5.0 mug ml(-1) for 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 0.1-5.0 mug ml(-1) for Mecoprop (MCPP). The IUPAC detection limits were 73.2 and 33.5 ng ml(-1) for 2,4-D and MCPP, respectively. Satisfactory recoveries were obtained in the analysis of these herbicides in spiked waters.     

Band Gaps in Metamaterial Plates: Asymptotic Homogenization and Bloch-Floquet Approaches

Journal of Elasticity - In this work, we study the transversal vibration of thin periodic elastic plates through asymptotic homogenization. In particular, we consider soft inclusions and rigid...     

Three-stage melting of an annelide-type copper complex. A new type of organized phase: Tegma crystals

The solid—solid phase transition of an annlide type copper complex are described. As the temperature is raised, three different constituents of the complex successively melt. In the temperature range 77–95°C, the polyethylene oxide chains and the paraffinic tail are both in a very mobile state while the copper complex sub-units still form a two-dimensional crystalline array.     

Density functional calculations for predicting structures and vibrational frequencies of aluminum chloride-fluoride complexes

Quantum chemical calculations are used to study AlCl_y−xF_x^3−y (y = 5 or 6, x = 0,…,y) species that can occur in aluminum electrorefining melts. These theoretical studies are included in a wider research program concerning the chemical instabilities in the bulk of molten salts during the refinement process. Stabilization energies, equilibrium geometries and vibrational frequencies of the complexes are calculated using the Delley functional methodology described in Ref. [1] (B. Delley, J. Chem. Phys., 92 (1990) 508). These computational simulations, discussed and compared with the experimental results demonstrate that density functional calculations can be reliably used in the study of complexes existing in molten salts. Quantum chemical calculations are accurate tools for theoretically predicting structures, physical and chemical properties and vibrational frequencies of known entities as well as unknown compounds.     

Single-column ion chromatography of passive monitors for atmospheric pollution

Nitrite, nitrate and sulfate anions deposited on passive monitors were determined by using single-column ion chromatography. These monitors were exposed outdoors for various periods of time in an atmosphere with a very low degree of pollution, and they were used to evaluate the rate of deposition of some corrosive species on metallic materials. Two types of passive monitors were studied, namely sulfation and nitration plates. Comparison of the results obtained by using the classical turbidimetric method and single-column ion chromatography shows that turbidimetry is inappropriate for low sulfate concentrations (<2.5 mg/plate) deposited on sulfation plates. Thus, ion chromatography should be used to obtain a representative value of sulfate deposition because it allows the determination of sulfate in amounts as low as 200 μg/plate without further preconcentration. For nitration plates, ion chromatography permits simultaneous determination of nitrite, nitrate and sulfate from the same plate, whereas only nitrite can be determined by the classical colorimetric method. Both gluconate/borate and phthalate eluents were investigated and the results show that phthalate eluent is more appropriate for these plates. It was found that the pH of the sample has an important effect on the area of the sulfate peak. For both eluents, the area increases when the sample pH is lower than 6. This demonstrates the importance of an adequate sample treatment before injection in order to obtain reproducible and accurate values.     

High-resolution correlation OTDR for distributed fiber-optic sensors and mobile cabling

Distributed fiber-optic sensing systems require a spatial resolution of less than 1 meter, which cannot easily be reached by conventional optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) because of present electronics response times limited to about 10 ns corresponding to a few meter resolution. Correlation optical time domain reflectometry (COTDR) is a powerful technique for high-resolution test of distributed single-mode fiber sensors in the long wavelength range 1.3-1.6 μm.

This article describes the realization of a 1.3-μm COTDR using a 200-Mb/s pseudorandom sequence that allows a spatial resolution of 50 cm and gives results obtained on a short single-mode fiber length with localized defects simulating a distributed line of sensors.     

The relative orientation of the lipid and carbohydrate moieties of lipochitooligosaccharides related to nodulation factors depends on lipid chain saturation

Lipochitooligosaccharides (LCOs) signal the symbiosis of rhizobia with legumes and the formation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules. LCOs 1 and 2 share identical tetrasaccharide scaffolds but different lipid moieties (1, LCO-IV(C16:1[9Z], SNa) and , LCO-IV(C16:2[2E,9Z], SNa)). The conformational behaviors of both LCOs were studied by molecular modeling and NMR. Modeling predicts that a small lipid modification would result in a different relative orientation of the lipid and tetrasaccharide moieties. Diffusion ordered spectroscopy reports that both LCOs form small aggregates above 1 mM. Nuclear Overhauser spectroscopy (NOESY) data, collected under monomeric conditions, reveals lipid-carbohydrate contacts only for 1, in agreement with the modeling data. The distinct molecular structures of 1 and 2 have the potential to contribute to their selective binding by legume proteins.