Green synthesis of palladium nanoparticles using broth of Cinnamomum camphora leaf

The development of dependable, environmentally benign processes for the synthesis of nanoscale materials is an important aspect of nanotechnology. In the present study, we report one-pot biogenic fabrication of palladium nanoparticles by a simple procedure using broth of Cinnamomum camphora leaf without extra surfactant, capping agent, and/or template. The mean size of palladium nanoparticles, ranging from 3.2 to 6.0 nm, could be facilely controlled by merely varying the initial concentration of the palladium ions. The polyols components and the heterocyclic components were believed to be responsible for the reduction of palladium ions and the stabilization of palladium nanoparticles, respectively.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of micrometer sized HgMoO4 flowers formed by nanorods

Micrometer sized HgMoO₄ flowers formed by nanorods were prepared by a selected hydrothermal method using a mixture of ethanol and water as a reaction medium, which were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), FT-IR spectrometry, photoluminescence spectrometry, and UV–visible spectrometry. Results indicated that the micrometer sized flowers consisted of mercury molybdate nanorods, and the monoclinic wolframite-type structure of the flowers was confirmed by both XRD and FT-IR spectrometry. A blue shift of the photoluminescence peaks and a broadening of XRD peaks were observed, which increased with ethanol fraction in the reaction medium.     

Pricing Derivatives under a Markov Skeleton Process

In this paper, it is assumed that the underlying is a Markov skeleton process (abbreviated MSP): this process can be better reflecting the instability of the financial market. Using the properties of Markov skeleton process, the characteristic function of the price process is given, combined with fast Fourier transform (FFT) method, the pricing formula of derivatives under the Markov skeleton process is given. The results of this paper can be applied to price other financial derivatives, and it enriching the pricing theory of financial derivatives.     

Thermal Properties of Copoly(L‐lactic acid/glycolic acid) by Direct Melt Polycondensation

Poly(L‐lactic acid‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) was prepared from hydroxy‐acids with melt polymerization. In this way, the copoly(L‐LA/GA) (PLGA) was synthesized directly using a binary catalyst (tin chloride dihydrate/p‐toluenesulfonic acid). The thermal properties of PLGA were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The results show that the melting point of PLGA decreases with increasing mole fraction of GA units in the copolymer. In addition, the melting point of polymer also decreases with increasing degree of racemization of the polymer.     

UFLC–MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of six lignans of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. in normal and insomniac rats brain microdialysates and homogenate samples: towards an in‐depth study for its sedative‐hypnotic activity

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill., a traditional Chinese medicine, has been clinically used for the treatment of insomnia for centuries. The insomnia mechanism and the possible active ingredients of S. chinensis remain largely unknown. The objective of this study was to develop a method to detect its components which could pass through the blood brain barrier (BBB) by determining the brain microdialysate and brain tissue homogenate samples and then obtain the pharmacokinetic profile in brain for comprehensive understanding of its hypnotic clinical efficacy. Therefore, an efficient, sensitive and selective ultra fast liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of six sedative and hypnotic lignans (schisandrin, schisandrol B, schisantherin A, deoxyshisandrin, γ‐schisandrin and gomisin N) of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. in rat brain tissue homogenate and brain microdialysates has been developed and validated. The analysis was performed on a Shim‐pack XR‐ODS column (75 mm × 3.0 mm, 2.2 µm) using gradient elution with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid water. The method was validated in brain homogenate and microdialysate samples, which all showed good linearity over a wide concentration range (r² > 0.99), and the obtained lower limit of quantification was 0.1 ng · ml^?1 for the analytes in brain microdialysate samples. The intra‐ and inter‐day assay variability was less than 15% for all analytes. The study proved the six lignans, as sedative and hypnotic ingredients, could pass through the BBB with brain targeting, distributed mainly in the hypothalamus and possessed complete pharmacokinetics process in brain. The results also indicated that significant difference in pharmacokinetic parameters of the analytes was observed between two groups, while absorptions of these analytes in insomniac group were significantly better than those in normal group. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermogravimetry study of the pyrolytic characteristics and kinetics of macro-algae Macrocystis pyrifera residue

Macrocystis pyrifera is one important marine macro-algae, while its residues produced by industrial alginate extraction is a hot potato. To figure out whether its residue is suitable for pyrolysis for biofuel, the pyrolytic characteristics and kinetics of macro-algae M. pyrifera residue was investigated using thermogravimetric method from 50 to 800 °C in an inert argon atmosphere at different heating rates of 5, 10, 20, and 30 °C min^?1. The activation energy and pre-exponential factor was calculated by Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose, and Popescu methods, and the kinetic mechanism was deduced by Popescu method. The results showed that the primary devolatilization stage of M. pyrifera residue can be described by Jander function $ \left(\left[ {1 - \left( {1 - \alpha } \right)^{1/3} } \right]^{2}\right) $ . The average activation energy of M. pyrifera residue was 222.4 kJ mol^?1. The results suggested that the experimental results and kinetic parameters provided useful information for the design of pyrolytic processing system using M. pyrifera residue as feedstock.     

An efficient electrochemical disinfection of E. coli and S. aureus in drinking water using ferrocene–PAMAM–multiwalled carbon nanotubes–chitosan nanocomposite modified pyrolytic graphite electrode

This work reported an efficient electrochemical treatment for drinking water disinfection using a pyrolytic graphite electrode modified with ferrocenyl tethered poly(amidoamine) dendrimers–multiwalled carbon nanotubes–chitosan nanocomposite. The influence parameters of electrochemical disinfection of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, such as applied potential and sterilization time, were investigated. Further investigation indicated that almost all (99.99 %) of the initial bacteria were killed after applying a low potential of 0.4 V for 10 min. During the electrochemical disinfection process, the oxidized form of ferrocene was formed on electrode, which played a key role in the disinfection towards E. coli and S. aureus. Hence, the proposed method may provide potential application for the disinfection of drinking water.