Decompositions of some weaker forms of continuity

The aim of this paper is to give decompositions of some weaker forms of continuity using the concepts of classes B ₁, B ₂, B ₃, αA and αC introduced by ourselves.     

Peripherally tetra-palladated phthalocyanines

Phthalocyanines (M = Co, Zn or 2H) with four ({4-[(Z or E)-phenylazo]-1-naphthyl}oxy) substituents on the periphery have been synthesized to enlarge the absorbing range of the dyestuffs. Cyclopalladation of the azobenzene groups lead to network-type oligomeric products by formation of binuclear palladium (II) complexes and they have been further converted into monomeric species by treatment with acetylacetonate. The electronic spectra clearly indicate the absorptions resulting from phenylazo and naphthyl groups along with the Q and B bands of the phthalocyanines. The consequence of the palladation is a relatively intense broad absorption due to LMCT with maxima around 520 nm.     

Fractionation and Bioaccessibility of Manganese,Copper, Zinc,Cadmium, and Lead in Commercial Vegetable and Rice Baby Foods Using Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) with Central Composite Design (CCD)

Abstract

Herein the bioaccessibility of Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb, selected from essential and toxic elements, was determined in commercially sold vegetable purees intended for infant and toddler consumption. Chemical fractionation studies using water, acetone, diethyl ether, chloroform:methanol, and n-hexane were employed to predict the importance of the protein and lipid parts of a matrix to assess the bioaccessibility data. In addition, in-vitro gastrointestinal digestion was performed to determine the bioaccessibility of the elements using a five level, three factor central composite design (CCD) to maximize the elemental solubility. The total elemental concentrations in all of the fractions were determined by inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Based on the consumption of one jar of vegetable/rice-based baby food, Zn was 1.3% of the recommended dietary allowance and Mn was 4.2% of the adequate intake level, while Cu was almost 100% of the adequate intake level. Additionally, Pb was always below the detection limit and Cd was sometimes under the detection limit for the percent bioaccessibility. However, in some samples, Cd was as high as 80% of the tolerable weekly intake level depending on the body weight.     

Thermosensitive mucoadhesive gel formulation loaded with 5-Fu: cyclodextrin complex for HPV-induced cervical cancer

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infections are the major cause of cervical cancers. To achieve a better therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance in the treatment for HPV-induced cervical cancers, anticancer agent 5-fluorouracil has been formulated in a vaginal gel using the thermosensitive polymer Pluronic^® F127 together with alternative mucoadhesive polymers e.g., hyaluronic acid, Carbopol 934 and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose. To increase its aqueous solubility and to achieve the complete release of 5-FU from the gel, the drug was incorporated as its inclusion complex with 1:1 molar ratio with either β-cyclodextrin or hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin. Following the characterization of drug:CD complexes, thermosensitive gel formulations containing different mucoadhesive polymers and the drug in free or complexed form were characterized in vitro by determining the gelation temperature and the rheological behavior of different formulations along with the in vitro release profiles of these formulations in pH 5.5 citrate buffer. It was observed that complexation with cyclodextrin accelerated the release of 5-FU with the exception of formulation containing Carbopol 934 as mucoadhesive polymer. As far as rheological properties are concerned, favorable thermosensitive in situ gelling properties were obtained with formulations containing HPMC as mucoadhesive polymer. Complete release of 5-FU from gels were obtained with both complexes of β-CD and HP-β-CD and cytotoxicity studies against HeLa human cervical carcinoma cells demonstrated that 1% 5-FU:CD complexes were equally effective as 1% free 5-FU indicating better therapeutic efficacy with lower dose.     

The effects of polyelectrolytes on the inhibition and aggregation of calcium oxalate crystallization

The influence of polyelectrolytes with different architecture on spontaneous batch crystallization of calcium oxalate was investigated. A series of acidic acrylate block copolymers were been made, by radical polymerization, with defined molecular weight and structure. Radical polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) was carried out in the presence of α‐thiopolyethylene glycol monomethylether as a chain transfer agent to produce poly(ethylene glycolblockacrylic acid) copolymers. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block length in the copolymers was controlled by using three different molecular weight chain transfer agents (M_n = 350, 750 and 2000 g/mol). The presence of copolymers inhibited the crystal growth of calcium oxalate possibly through adsorption onto the active growth sites for crystal growth due to the charge and hydrophilic effects. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of proton conductivity of anhydrous proton exchange membranes prepared via grafting vinyltriazole onto alkaline‐treated PVDF

This work uses a simple “grafting through” approach in the preparation of anhydrous poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)‐g‐PVTri polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs). Alkaline‐treated PVDF was used as a macromolecule in conjunction with vinyltriazole in the graft copolymerization. The obtained polymer was subsequently doped with triflic acid (TA) at different stoichiometric ratios with respect to triazole units and the anhydrous PEMs (PVDF‐g‐PVTri‐(TA)_x) were prepared. All samples were characterized by FTIR and ¹H NMR. The composition of PVDF‐g‐PVTri was determined by energy dispersive spectroscopy. Thermal properties of the membranes were examined by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The surface roughness and morphology of the membranes were studied using atomic force microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. PVDF‐g‐PVTri‐(TA)₃ (C3‐TA₃) with a degree of grafting of 47.22% showed a maximum proton conductivity of 0.09 S cm^?1 at 150 °C and anhydrous conditions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1885–1897     

Anthracene Substituted Co (II) and Cu (II) phthalocyanines; Preparations,Investigation of Catalytical and Electrochemical Behaviors

An approach to investigation of catalytical behaviors of Co (II) and Cu (II) phthalocyanines is reported that is based on changing any parameter to effect these behaviors. Towards this end, new anthracene substituted Co (II) and Cu (II) phthalocyanines were prepared and characterized spectroscopic methods. New cobalt (II) and copper (II) phthalocyanines were used as catalyst for oxidation of different phenolic compounds (such as 2,3‐dichlorophenol, 4‐methoxyphenol, 4‐nitrophenol, 2,3,6‐trimethylphenol) with different oxidants. Then, electrochemical characterization of cobalt (II) and copper (II) phthallocyanines were determined by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) techniques. Although copper (II) phthalocyanine showed similar Pc based electron transfer processes, cobalt (II) phthalocyanine showed metal and ligand based reduction reactions as expected.     

Papain Loaded Poly(ε-Caprolactone) Nanoparticles<Emphasis Type="Italic">: In-silico and</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">In-Vitro</Emphasis> Studies

Papain is a protease enzyme with therapeutic properties that are very valuable for medical applications. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is an ideal polymeric carrier for controlled drug delivery systems due to its low biodegradability and its high biocompatibility. In this study, the three-dimensional structure and action mechanism of papain were investigated by in vitro and in silico experiments using molecular dynamics (MD) and molecular docking methods to elucidate biological functions. The results showed that the size of papain-loaded PCL nanoparticles (NPs) and the polydispersity index (PDI) of the NPs were 242.9 nm and 0.074, respectively. The encapsulation efficiency and loading efficiency were 80.4 and 27.2%, respectively. Human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293) were used for determining the cytotoxicity of papain-loaded PCL and PCL nanoparticles. The in vitro cell culture showed that nanoparticles are not toxic at low concentrations, while toxicity slightly increases at high concentrations. In silico studies, which were carried out with MD simulations and ADME analysis showed that the strong hydrogen bonds between the ligand and the papain provide stability and indicate the regions in which the interactions occur.     

Pentagon Identities Arising in Supersymmetric Gauge Theory Computations

Theoretical and Mathematical Physics - The partition functions of three-dimensional N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories on different manifolds can be expressed as q-hypergeometric integrals....