On the Electrical and Optical Properties of Some Poly(Azomethine Sulfone)s in Thin Films

Poly(azomethine sulfone)s were synthesized by reacting 4,4′-sulfonyl bis(4-chlorophenyl) with 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane and azomethine bisphenol in different molar ratios. Thin films were deposited from solution onto glass substrates. Study of the temperature dependences of the electrical conductivity, σ, and Seebeck coefficient, S, were performed in the temperature range 300 K–500 K. Thermal activation energies of electrical conduction, E_a , calculated from these dependences, ranged between 1.50 eV and 1.85 eV. The values of E_a were smaller for polymers with extended conjugation systems. The possibility to use the polymers in thermistor technology is discussed. The aspect of the temperature dependences of σ and S shows that a model based on the energy band-gap representation can be successfully used for explaining the electronic transport mechanism in the higher temperature range. In the lower temperature range, the mechanism of the electrical conduction is discussed in terms of the Mott variable range hopping conduction. The values of some optical parameters (absorption coefficient, optical band gap, etc.) were determined from transmission spectra.     

Effect of high pressure on cod (Gadus morhua) desalting

The effect of high pressure on salt and water diffusion in the desalting process of cod was studied. Under pressure, up to 300 MPa, the osmotic equilibrium is reached much faster, compared to desalting at atmospheric pressure. Water (D _ew) and salt (D _es) effective diffusion coefficients reached a maximum at 200 MPa, increasing 500- and 160-fold, respectively, compared with desalting at atmospheric pressure. Increasing pressure up to 300 MPa causes a reduction in both effective diffusion coefficients, although they were still about 70-fold higher than at atmospheric pressure. Up to 200 MPa, a linear correlation was found between D _ew and D _es and pressure. However, the total diffused amounts of water and salt, when the osmotic equilibrium was reached, were lower under pressure. At atmospheric pressure cod water content increased 1.65-fold, but under pressure the increment was on average 1.25-fold, while salt content decreased to 0.51-fold the initial value at atmospheric pressure and to around 0.75-fold under pressure.     

Low-intensity red laser on the prevention and treatment of induced-oral mucositis in hamsters

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of laser phototherapy as preventive and therapeutic regime on induced-oral mucositis in hamsters.DesignThe animals were divided into four groups: preventive cryotherapy, preventive laser, therapeutic laser and therapeutic control group. Mucositis was induced in hamsters by intraperitoneal injection of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and superficial scratching. All preventive treatment was performed on the right cheek pouch mucosa. The left pouch mucosa was used for a spontaneous development of mucositis and did not receive any preventive therapy. Laser parameters were: λ = 660 nm, P = 30 mW, D = 1.2 J/cm², Δt = 40 s, spot size 3 mm², I = 1 W/cm². Cryotherapy was done positioning ice packs in the hamster mucosa 5 min before 5-FU infusion and 10 min afterward. To study the healing of mucositis, the left pouch mucosa of each of the hamsters in the TLG received laser irradiation on the injured area. Irradiation parameters were kept the same as abovementioned. The control hamsters in the TCG did not receive any treatment. The mucositis degree and the animal’s body mass were evaluated. An assessment of blood vessels was made based on immunohistochemical staining.ResultsThe CG animals lost 15.16% of theirs initial body mass while the LG animals lost 8.97% during the first 5 days. The laser treated animals had a better clinical outcome with a faster healing, and more granulation tissue. The quantity of blood vessels at both LG and CG were higher than in healthy mucosa. Regarding the therapeutic analysis, the severity of the mucositis in the TLG was always lower than TCG. TLG presented higher organization of the granulation tissue, parallel collagen fibrils, and increased angiogenesis.ConclusionThe results suggest that laser phototherapy had a positive effect in reducing mucositis severity, and a more pronounced effect in treating established mucositis.     

High efficiency liquid chromatography techniques coupled to mass spectrometry for the characterization of mate extracts

There is growing interest related to rapid screening and full characterization of the constituents of plants with medicinal properties; among these, “Mate” or Yerba Maté is a tea-like beverage widely consumed in South America, obtained from the dried leaves of Ilex paraguariensis. The high content in polyphenols accounts for in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity of the extracts obtained from this plant; on the other hand, the high complexity of the samples extracted, depending on the method employed, may preclude complete resolution by conventional HPLC techniques. For this purpose, a comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC × LC) system, comprised of an RP-Amide first dimension and a partially porous octadecylsilica column in the second dimension, has been compared with a one-dimensional system. The latter was operated using a partially porous octadecylsilica column, with diode array (DAD) and electrospray/ion trap-time of flight (ESI/IT-TOF) detection for the most complex extracts. The employment of the hybrid mass spectrometer allowed unequivocal identification of several compounds in the mate extracts. Using LC × LC–MS³, it was possible to discriminate between congeners of chlorogenic acids, along with monoacyl- and diacylchlorogenic acid esters.     

Cu(I)-phosphine complex: An efficient catalyst for synthesis of 3-indole derivatives through one-pot MCR under mild conditions

An efficient copper (I) halotriphenylphosphine catalyzed one-pot multicomponent reaction (MCR) of 3-substituted indole derivatives has been developed using a variety of aldehydes (aromatic, aliphatic, and heteroaromatic), indole, and active methylene substrates such as malononitrile and ethyl 2-cyano acetate. This reaction proceeds smoothly and obtained good to excellent yields (68–93%) using water as green solvent under ambient conditions. The obtained products were confirmed by ¹H, ¹³C NMR, and mass spectroscopy techniques. The one-pot MCR occurs through formation of Knoevenagel adducts then followed by Michael addition of indole.     

Staircase,cyclic and differential voltammetries of the nine-member square scheme at microelectrodes of any geometry with arbitrary chemical stabilization of the three redox states

Simple analytical expressions are deduced for the cyclic (staircase) and differential cyclic (staircase) voltammetric responses of the nine-member square scheme at the most widely used microelectrode geometries: disc, (hemi)spheres, cylinders and bands. The generality of the reaction scheme considered enables us to tackle many different and common electrochemical situations where the oxidized, intermediate and/or reduced species of a two-electron transfer also take part in homogeneous chemical equilibria such as protonations, complexations, or ion pairings. The effect of the coupled chemical processes on the voltammograms is analyzed at electrodes of different size and shape under a variety of conditions depending on which redox state is chemically stabilized most significantly. Also, working curves for the determination of the formal potentials and the chemical equilibrium constants are given for macroelectrodes, microelectrodes and ultramicroelectrodes in cyclic voltammetry and differential cyclic voltammetry.     

Quasioptical Transmission Lines for ECRH at TJ-II Stellarator

Two mirror lines have been used to transmit the microwave power from the powerful microwave generators to the TJ-II plasmas. Both lines have been tested at nominal power level and they are in operation now. This paper deals with the final design of the transmission lines and their testing. Before starting operation at high power level, measurements of the wave beam parameters at low power level were performed. Two horn antennas were designed to simulate the gyrotron output. The results are presented in this paper. A computer code based on Huygens diffraction theory was developed to simulate the propagation of the beam along the mirror lines. A comparison of the theoretical and the experimental results is also shown here.     

Binding studies of tetrathiafulvalene-calix[4]pyrroles with electron-deficient guests

The neutral meso-octamethylporphyrinogen derivative, tetraTTF-calix[4]pyrrole 1 (TTF=tetrathiafulvalene), acts as a multi-faceted receptor in that it interacts with an assortment of different guests in different ways. The conformation of receptor 1 can be reversibly switched between the 1,3-alternate conformation (i.e., 1, Fig. 1) and the cone conformation (i.e., 1·Cl⁻, Fig. 2) by the repetitive addition of chloride and sodium ions. In this paper, the results of detailed and systematic complexation studies involving both 1 and its chloride-bound complex, 1·Cl⁻, with a variety of guests are described. Receptor 1 binds quasi-planar nitroaromatic guests in its 1,3-alternate conformation, while release of these guests takes place upon addition of chloride anions. On the other hand, spherical fullerene guests are strongly bound by 1·Cl⁻. Finally, it was found that a bidentate guest, consisting of a quasi-planar 2,5,7-trinitro-9-dicyanomethylenefluorene moiety tethered to a spherical C₆₀ fullerene, could be recognized by receptor 1 in either its 1,3-alternate or its chloride-bound cone conformation, albeit through very different binding modes.     

Bioactive and Nutritional Potential of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant (MAP) Seasoning Mixtures

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), worldwide appreciated and used as condiments, dyes, and preservatives, possess several biological properties that justify their continuous application in the food industry. In the present study, the nutritional and chemical profiles, as well as the bioactive properties of four combinations of condiments, sold for seasoning poultry, meat, fish, and salads, were evaluated. Twenty-five phenolic compounds (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS) were identified, with apigenin-O-malonyl-pentoside-hexoside as the major compound detected in all extracts. Oxalic and citric acids were identified in all mixtures (UFLC-PDA), as well as all the four tocopherol isoforms (HPLC-fluorescence). Regarding bioactivities, the mixtures for meat and salads (TBARS) and meat and poultry (OxHLIA) stood out for their antioxidant potential, whereas for the anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties, the mixtures revealing the greatest results were those for poultry and salad, respectively. In terms of antimicrobial activity, all the mixtures revealed the capacity to inhibit the growth of some bacterial strains. In brief, condiment mixtures showed to be a good source of bioactive compounds, as they confer health benefits, validating the importance of their inclusion in the human diet as a good dietary practice.