Fine characterization of the ethylene and ethane sorption in poly(amide 12-block-tetramethylenoxide) copolymer/AgBF4 membranes

Ethylene/ethane sorption characteristics were determined for dry Pebax™ (poly(amide 12-block-tetramethylenoxide) copolymer)/AgBF₄ membranes by using an electronic microbalance. The membranes containing 0.7 and 22 wt.% AgBF₄ showed a dual-mode sorption isotherm. The ethane isotherms for all the membranes were of the Henry-type, which is the normal sorption for gases in rubbery polymers. The abnormal presence of Langmuir sorption sites only for ethylene in the rubbery copolymer, never reported sofar, is attributed to the silver-based specific complexation sites. The silver salt which dissolved in limited amounts in the rubbery copolymer had a much smaller Langmuir sorption capacity than the salt that crystallized in the copolymer. The sorption kinetics indicate that the crystallized salt did adsorb slowly ethylene according to a zeroth-order kinetics, but not ethane. The gas uptake kinetics resulting from a step of the pressure surrounding the copolymer exhibited one stage for ethane but two stages for ethylene. For the latter, there was first a fast Fickian sorption stage, then a drift of the zeroth-order sorption of ethylene on salt crystals, which contributes for a large part to the total uptake. The zeroth-order sorption suggests that the sorbed ethylene amount in the second-stage is independent of the crystal-surface coverage. The value of the Fickian diffusion coefficient calculated by fitting the kinetics with a solution of the second Fick’s law was 5 × 10⁻¹² m²/s for both ethylene (the first stage) and ethane, and is typical for small organic compounds in a rubbery material.     

The structure of a self-assembled calixarene aqua-channel system

The crystal structure of the complex 12.calix-[4]-arene dihydroxyphosphonic acid, 12.propane diammonium, 12.ethanol and 40.water molecules is based on dimeric units of the calix, assembled via trigonal units into a hexameric tube of 15 A radius and 16 A depth, further assemby via spanning propane diammonium cations and ethanol molecules forms a channel (40 A), selectively containing all the water molecules.     

Polymorphism in PbBiOXO4 compounds (X=V, P, As): Part II—PbBiOPO4 and PbBiOAsO4 structures and characterization of related solid solutions

Reinvestigation of PbBiOXO₄ (X=V, P, As) thermal behaviour revealed a phase transition for V- and P-compounds, but no transition for the As-compound. As shown by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and high-resolution neutron powder diffraction, α-PbBiOVO₄ transforms to β-PbBiOVO₄ at 550 °C. The two PbBiOPO₄ varieties are isomorph to the vanadate forms, while PbBiOAsO₄ adopts the β-type structure whatever the temperature. PbBiP_1−xOAs_xO₄ and PbBiV_1−xOM_xO₄ (M=As, P, Cr, Mn) solid solutions display both triclinic and monoclinic domains, and the α→β transition temperature is a function of the substitution rate. The ionic conductivity of these compounds was investigated by impedance spectroscopy. The analysis of free space in the β-PbBiOVO₄ structure allows to propose a one-dimensional oxygen diffusion pathway along [010] when the temperature increases.     

Some remarks on quasilinear parabolic problems with singular potential and a reaction term

In this paper we deal with the following quasilinear parabolic problem $$\left\{\begin{array}{l@{\quad}l} (u^\theta)_t - \Delta_p {u} = \lambda \frac{u^{p - 1}}{|x|^{p}} + u^q + f,\,\, u \geq 0 \quad {\rm in} \;\;\Omega \times (0, T),\\ u(x, t) = 0 \quad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad {\rm on}\; \partial \Omega \times(0, T),\\ u(x, 0) = u_0(x), \,\,\, \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad x \in\; \Omega,\end{array}\right.$$ where θ is either 1 or (p ? 1), \({N \geq 3, \,\Omega \subset \mathcal{IR}^N}\) is either a bounded regular domain containing the origin or \({\Omega \equiv \mathcal{IR}^N}\) , 1 < p < N, q > 0 and u ₀ ≥  0, f ≥  0 with suitable hypotheses. The aim of this work is to get natural conditions to show the existence or the nonexistence of nonnegative solutions. In the case of nonexistence result, we analyze blow-up phenomena for approximated problems in connection with the classical Harnack inequality, in the Moser sense, more precisely in connection with a strong maximum principle. We also study when finite time extinction (1 < p < 2) and finite speed propagation (p > 2) occur related to the reaction power.     

Antibacterial, Anti-Chlamydial, and Cytotoxic Activities of a Marine Snail (Hexaplex trunculus) Phospholipase A2: an In Vitro Study

In order to report pharmacological characterization of marine snail (Hexaplex trunculus) hepatopancreatic phospholipase A₂ (mSDPLA₂), we have talked for the first time the antimicrobial activity against different pathogenic bacterial strains, anti-chlamydial activity as well as its cytotoxic activity against McCoy cell lines. mSDPLA₂, showed a high level of activity towards Gram-positive bacteria as Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Whereas Gram-negative bacteria, unfortunately, exhibited a higher resistance, mSDPLA₂ was also found to have a strong cytotoxic activity, causing significant morphological alterations of the McCoy cell lines surfaces and to be a hinder to the proliferation. Moreover, mSDPLA₂ proved to have a very potent anti-chlamydial activity. Over 95?% inhibition of chlamydial inclusions were obtained at a concentration of 10???g/ml of mSDPLA₂ after 24?h postinfection. Interestingly, at a concentration of 10???g/ml of mSDPLA₂, the proliferation of McCoy cells was not affected. Approximately 50?% inhibition of cell growth was obtained with a concentration of 37???g/mL of mSDPLA₂. mSDPLA₂ could be considered as an excellent candidate for the development of a new anti-infective agent. This enzyme showed significant antimicrobial activities.     

Performance of hydrodynamic journal bearing under the combined influence of textured surface and journal misalignment: A numerical survey

A wisely chosen geometry of micro textures with the favorable relative motion of lubricated surfaces in contacts can enhance tribological characteristics. In this paper, a computational investigation related to the combined influence of bearing surface texturing and journal misalignment on the performances of hydrodynamic journal bearings is reported. To this end, a numerical analysis is performed to test three texture shapes: square “SQ”, cylindrical “CY”, and triangular “TR”, and shaft misalignment variation in angle and degree. The Reynolds equation of a thin viscous film is solved using a finite differences scheme and a mass conservation algorithm (JFO boundary conditions), taking into account the presence of textures on both full film and cavitation regions. Preliminary results are compared with benchmark data and are consistent with a positive enhancement in misaligned bearing performances (load carrying capacity and friction). The results suggest that the micro-step bearing mechanism is a key parameter, where the micro-pressure recovery action present in dimples located at the second angular part of the bearing (from 180° to 360°) can compensate for the loss on performances caused by shaft misalignment, while the micro-pressure drop effect at the full film region causes poor performances. Considering the right arrangement of textures on the contact surface, their contours geometries can have a significant impact on the performance of misaligned journal bearings, particularly at high eccentricity ratios, high misalignment degrees and when the misalignment angle α approaches to $0\mathrm{°}$ or $180\mathrm{°}$.