Preparation of flexible and transparent polylactic acids films by crystallization manipulation

Highly flexible and transparent polylactic acids (PLAs) films were successfully prepared by manipulating their crystallization. The semicrystalline poly(L ‐lactic acid) (L) was blended with a noncrystalline poly(DL ‐lactic acid) (DL) together with diglycerol tetraacetate (DGTA). Optimal DGTA content to plasticize PLAs was about 17%. Addition of DL hindered the crystallization of the films. Tensile strengths of the films having DL content more than 5% were about 10 MPa while the elongations at break were boosted as DL content increased. Films having L/DL ratio of 50/50 showed elongations at break of 270%. Stretch ability and clarity of films containing 15–50% DL were fair although they were subjected to annealing at 60 °C for 1 h. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6489–6495, 2008     

Structures of two new phenolic glycosides, kaempferiaosides A and B, and hepatoprotective constituents from the rhizomes of Kaempferia parviflora

Two new phenolic glycosides, kaempferiaosides A and B were isolated from the rhizomes of Kaempferia parviflora (Zingiberaceae) together with 24 known compounds. Their structures including absolute stereochemistry were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence. Among the isolates, 5,3'-dihydroxy-3,7,4'-trimethoxyflavone showed higher activity than silybin, a commercial hepatoprotective agent.     

Investigation on thermoresponsive behavior of biodegradable poly(γ‐glutamic acid)‐graft‐L‐phenylalanine ethyl ester

The thermosensitivity of biodegradable and non‐toxic amphiphilic polymer derived from a naturally occurring polypeptide and a derivative of amino acid was first reported. The amphiphilic polymer consisted of poly(γ‐glutamic acid) (γ‐PGA) as a hydrophilic backbone, and L ‐phenylalanine ethyl ester (L ‐PAE) as a hydrophobic branch. Poly(γ‐glutamic acid)‐graft‐L ‐phenylalanine (γ‐PGA‐graft‐L ‐PAE) with grafting degrees of 7–49% were prepared by varying the content of a water‐soluble carbodiimide (WSC). γ‐PGA‐graft‐L ‐PAE with a grafting degree of 49% exhibited thermoresponsive phase transition behavior in an aqueous solution at around 80°C. The copolymers with grafting degrees in the range of 30–49% showed thermoresponsive properties in NaCl solution. A clouding temperature (T_cloud) could be adjusted by changing the polymer concentration and/or NaCl concentration. The thermoresponsive behavior was reversible. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Detection of Al(III) and Ga(III) complexes with morin by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

The Al(III) and Ga(III) complexes formed by morin (M) in aqueous solution were investigated by means of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). In the full scan mass spectra, Al:M showed 1:2 and 2:3 stoichiometric ratios. When (S)-N-acetylserine methyl ester (Ser), as a partial mimic of the serine residue in silk, was added to Al:M and Ga:M complexes in aqueous solution, the mass spectra of Ser:Al:M showed 1:1:1 and 1:1:2 stoichiometric ratios. The patterns of the mass spectra of Ga:M and Ser:Ga:M complexes were similar to those for the corresponding Al(III) complexes. Calculated heats of formation of potential structures of the complexes, with and without bound water, were obtained using semiempirical PM3 calculations.     

Stereoselective synthesis and moulting activity of integristerone A and analogues

Integristerone A, a rare ecdysteroid of plant origin, has been synthesized from 20-hydroxyecdysone with 2-deoxy-1,2-didehydro-20-hydroxyecdysone as the key intermediate, followed by stereoselective asymmetric dihydroxylation. The analogues 1,2-di-epi-integristerone A and 1,2-di-epi-5α-integristerone A have also been synthesized. Integristerone A exhibited approximately 9-fold lower moulting activity than the parent 20-hydroxyecdysone in the Musca domestica bioassay, indicating that the presence of a 1β-hydroxyl group resulted in a decrease in activity. As expected, the 1,2-di-epi-5α-analogue was inactive in this assay.     

Fuzzy BCC Model for Data Envelopment Analysis

Fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis (FDEA) is a tool for comparing the performance of a set of activities or organizations under uncertainty environment. Imprecise data in FDEA models is represented by fuzzy sets and FDEA models take the form of fuzzy linear programming models. Previous research focused on solving the FDEA model of the CCR (named after Charnes, Cooper, and Rhodes) type (FCCR). In this paper, the FDEA model of the BCC (named after Banker, Charnes, and Cooper) type (FBCC) is studied. Possibility and Credibility approaches are provided and compared with an -level based approach for solving the FDEA models. Using the possibility approach, the relationship between the primal and dual models of FBCC models is revealed and fuzzy efficiency can be constructed. Using the credibility approach, an efficiency value for each DMU (Decision Making Unit) is obtained as a representative of its possible range. A numerical example is given to illustrate the proposed approaches and results are compared with those obtained with the -level based approach.