Phase organization of solvent-crystallized syndiotactic polystyrene films

Sorption and diffusion of dichloromethane vapor in the helical forms—that is, δ and γ—of syndiotactic polystyrene were investigated. The thermal transition from the δ to the γ form occurs through an intermediate mesomorphic form, also characterized by chains in helical conformation but lacking true crystalline order. The mesomorphic phase was found impermeable to the vapor at low activity, becoming permeable at higher activities. The presence of a mesomorphic phase, along with the crystalline and the amorphous forms, was suggested in the crystallized samples, too, and its fraction increases greatly going from the δ to the γ form.     

Genotoxic potential of TiO2 on bottlenose dolphin leukocytes

Titanium dioxide is extensively used in a variety of products, including industrial materials and cosmetics. Studies mainly performed on human cell lines and in vivo exposure on experimental animals have raised concern about the toxic effects of ultrafine titanium dioxide; however, scarce information is available about its impact on aquatic life. The aim of this article was to assess the genotoxic potential of TiO₂ (anatase and rutile) on bottlenose dolphin leukocytes. Blood samples were obtained from four male and one female specimens reared at the Adriatic SeaWorld “Oltremare” (Riccione, Italy). Leukocytes were isolated by the lyses procedure and in vitro exposed to TiO₂ in RPMI. Experimental solutions were sonicated immediately before dosing the cells. Three exposure times (4, 24 and 48 h) and three doses (20, 50 and 100 μg/ml) were tested. Genotoxicity was detected by the single-cell gel electrophoresis (or comet assay) at pH ≥ 13, assessing single/double-strand breaks and alkali-labile sites. Cytotoxicity was also detected by the Trypan blue exclusion method. Results showed that both the crystalline forms of TiO₂ were genotoxic for bottlenose dolphin leukocytes, with a statistically significant increase of DNA fragmentation after exposure to 50 and 100 μg/ml for 24 and 48 h. Although preliminary, these are the first data regarding the genetic susceptibility of toothed cetaceans toward an “emerging” pollutant, such as TiO₂ particles.     

Yield,Characterization, and Possible Exploitation of Cannabis Sativa L. Roots Grown under Aeroponics Cultivation

Cannabis sativa L. has been used for a long time to obtain food, fiber, and as a medicinal and psychoactive plant. Today, the nutraceutical potential of C. sativa is being increasingly reappraised; however, C. sativa roots remain poorly studied, despite citations in the scientific literature. In this direction, we identified and quantified the presence of valuable bioactives (namely, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, friedelin, and epi-friedelanol) in the root extracts of C. sativa, a finding which might pave the way to the exploitation of the therapeutic potential of all parts of the C. sativa plant. To facilitate root harvesting and processing, aeroponic (AP) and aeroponic-elicited cultures (AEP) were established and compared to soil-cultivated plants (SP). Interestingly, considerably increased plant growth—particularly of the roots—and a significant increase (up to 20-fold in the case of β-sitosterol) in the total content of the aforementioned roots’ bioactive molecules were observed in AP and AEP. In conclusion, aeroponics, an easy, standardized, contaminant-free cultivation technique, facilitates the harvesting/processing of roots along with a greater production of their secondary bioactive metabolites, which could be utilized in the formulation of health-promoting and health-care products.     

A two immiscible liquids penetration model for surface-driven capillary flows

This is a mathematical and numerical study of liquid dynamics in a horizontal capillary. We present a two-liquids model which takes into account the effects of real phenomena like the outside flow dynamics. Moreover, we report on results obtained by an adaptive numerical method. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Analysis of cyclic queueing networks with parallelism and vacation

The aim of this paper is to improve the machine interference model with vacation to deal with more recent problems of the communication area. To this scope the model is extended to include parallelism in the vacation station. The underlying Markov process is analyzed and a state arrangement is found that yields an efficient matrix-analytic technique that substantially lowers down the time- and space-complexity of standard methods. A numerical example of the method effectiveness is presented, and an example of resource allocation is introduced that finds applications in the QoS management of wireless networks. The author is thankful to the anonymous referees for the improvements their comments have earned to the quality of the presentation and to the completeness of the paper. The author is thankful to Giuseppe Iazeolla, whose careful reading of the original draft of this paper led to significant improvements in its overall quality. This work was partially supported by funds from the FIRB project “Performance Evaluation of Complex Systems: Techniques Methodologies and Tools” and by the University of Roma TorVergata project on High Performance ICT Platforms.     

Phytochemical Characterization of Olea europaea L. Cultivars of Cilento National Park (South Italy) through NMR-Based Metabolomics

Olea europaea germplasm is constituted by a huge number of cultivars, each one characterized by specific features. In this context, endemic cultivars evolved for a very long period in a precise local area, developing very specific traits. These characteristics include the production and accumulation of phytochemicals, many of which are also responsible for the nutraceutical value of the drupes and of the oils therefrom. With the aim of obtaining information on the phytochemical profile of drupes of autochthonous cultivars of Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, a metabolomics-based study was carried out on 19 selected cultivars. Multivariate data analysis of ¹H-NMR data and 2D NMR analyses allowed the rapid identification of metabolites that were qualitatively and/or quantitatively varying among the cultivars. This study allowed to identify the cultivars Racioppella, Guglia, Pizzulella, Oliva amara, and Racioppa as the richest in health-promoting phenolic compounds. Furthermore, it showed a significant variability among the different cultivars, suggesting the possibility of using metabolic fingerprinting approaches for cultivar differentiation, once that further studies aimed at assessing the influence of growing conditions and environmental factors on the chemical profiles of single cultivars are carried out.     

Mechanical and transport properties of highly drawn isotactic polypropylene

Quenched films of isotactic polypropylene were drawn at 110°C up to draw ratio λ = 18. The axial elastic modulus was measured as function of λ up to the highest achieved λ. The sorption and diffusion of CH₂Cl₂ at 25°C in the undrawn and drawn samples were studied. Exclusively transparent samples were used for the measurement of the density and transport properties. This reduces the maximum usable draw ratio to 15. The drawing process is inhomogeneous with neck propagation. In the neck the draw ratio increases by about 6. As a consequence of the increasing fraction of taut tie molecules the axial elastic modulus increases faster than the draw ratio. The transport parameters D, S, and λ indicate that the original lamellar morphology is completely transformed into the microfibrillar structure.     

Regioselective reductive demethoxylation of 3,4,5-trimethoxystilbenes

Selective removal of the 4-methoxy group of 3,4,5-trimethoxystilbenes was performed under electron transfer conditions from Na metal in THF. Careful control of reaction conditions and quenching procedure allowed the synthesis of either (E)-3,5-dimethoxystilbenes or 3,5-dimethoxybibenzyls.