Combination of Statistical Similarity Measure and Derivative Morphological Profile Approach for Oil Slick Detection in SAR Images

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is widely used to detect and monitor oil pollution on the sea surface. As it is sensitive to surface roughness, the presence of oil film on the sea surface decreases the backscattering of this target type resulting in a dark feature patches in SAR images. In this paper, a new approach for oil slicks detection is presented. It is mainly based on SAR image texture analysis using the combination of a statistical similarity measure and a derivative morphological profile. Oil slicks signature is extracted trough two steps procedure. First, SAR image inspection is performed in order to highlight the dark spots suspected to be oil slicks. The inspection is achieved through a similarity measure between a local probability density function (lpdf) of clean water and the lpdf of the area to be inspected. The local distribution is estimated in the neighbourhood of each pixel and compared to a reference one using the Kullback-Leibler KL distance between distributions. Second, and once spots highlighted, texture features extraction using the Derivative Morphological Profile is porformed in order to improve the detection results. algorithm has been applied to Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) and European Remote Sensing (ERS) images and it yields an accurate segmentation results. Indeed, the features extraction improves the detection slicks probability Pd of ASAR, respectively ERS, images from 93.08 %to 97.37 %and from 96.32 to 99.57 % on one hand, and reduces the false alarms probability respectively from 6.92 to 2.63 %and from 3.68 to 0.59 % on the other hand.     

Medium Initial pH and Carbon Source Stimulate Differential Alkaline Cellulase Time Course Production in Stachybotrys microspora

The production profile of cellulases of the mutant strain A19 from the filamentous fungus Stachybotrys microspora was studied in the presence of various carbon sources (glucose, lactose, cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and wheat bran) and a range of medium initial pH (5, 7, and 8). Two extracellular cellulases from the Stachybotrys strain (endoglucanases and β-glucosidases) were monitored by enzymatic assay, sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and zymogram analysis. Glucose and lactose repressed CMCase time course production while they permitted a strong β-glucosidase one. On Avicel cellulose, CMC, and wheat bran, both activities were highly produced. Wheat bran (WB) is the best carbon source with an optimum of production at days 5 and 6. The production kinetics of both activities were shown to depend on the medium initial pH, with a preference for neutral or alkaline pH in the majority of conditions. The exception concerned the β-glucosidase which was much more produced at acidic pH, on glucose and cellulose. Most interestingly, a constitutive and conditional expression of an alkaline endoglucanase was revealed on the glucose-based medium at an initial pH of 8 units. The zymogram analysis confirmed such conclusions and highlighted that carbon sources and the pH of the culture medium directed a differential induction of various endoglucanases and β-glucosidases.     

Study on the Influence of Waves on Coastal Diffusion Using Image Analysis

A series of novel image analysis techniques have been used to study surf-zone hydrodynamics taking advantage of recent advances in digital processing of images taken from video recordings of the sea surface near the coast. The use of image analysis allows the estimation of both spatial and temporal characteristics of wave fields, surface circulation and mixing in the surf zone. The dispersion of blobs of dye released at different distances from the coastline under very different sea conditions is used to measure surface eddy diffusivities. A preliminary set of field measurements were done in the Ebro Delta where the methodology was tested. Further experiments have been performed at Vilanova, Spain and Recife, Brazil.There is an increase of diffusivity with wave height but only if the wave Reynolds number, Rw, is greater than 10³. No such trend is observed for Rw greater than 10⁶. The other important factors are wind speed and tidal and longshore currents.     

Carvedilol: decomposition kinetics and compatibility with pharmaceutical excipients

Carvedilol (CARVE) is an important cardiovascular drug with limited bioavailability. To improve its therapeutic performance, the investigation of new dosage forms is of great interest due its relevance in clinical applications. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the stability of CARVE and its drug–excipient compatibility to support its pharmaceutical development. Kinetic analysis under isothermal conditions using thermogravimetry was performed to determine the activation energy of CARVE through an Arrhenius plot. Differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and optical microscopy were used to test binary mixtures of CARVE and selected excipients. The activation energy of CARVE was 81.2 kJ mol^?1, and from the compatibility studies, all the excipients showed strong thermal interactions, presenting changes in the melting profile of the drug. In addition, analytical assays revealed no physical or chemical changes; because of this, all eight excipients studied are considered compatible and are recommended in formulations containing CARVE. All the evidence together attests to the low chemical reactivity of CARVE and provides useful information for the development of new pharmaceutical formulations containing CARVE.     

Turbidimetric determination of sulphate in plant digests and natural waters by flow injection analysis with alternating streams

An improved flow injection system with alternating streams of reagents is described for the turbidimetric determination of sulphate. Samples are injected into an inert carrier stream which is mixed with barium chloride to form a barium sulphate suspension. The range of the method can be extended to low concentrations by continuously adding sulphate to the sample carrier stream. System performance is improved by automatic alternate pumping of the reagent stream and an alkaline EDTA solution at high flow rate. All operations are controlled by an electronically-operated proportional injector-commutator. Even after routine analysis of 3000 samples of natural waters and plant digests, baseline drift was not observed. The proposed method is suitable for 120 samples per hour with a relative standard deviation less than 1% for sulphate concentrations in the range 1–30 ppm (waters) or 5–200 ppm (plant digests). The results compare well with those obtained by standard manual procedures.     

Protective effect of Castanea sativa and Quercus robur leaf extracts against oxygen and nitrogen reactive species

Topical natural antioxidants are a useful strategy for the prevention of photoaging and oxidative stress mediated skin diseases. In view of this underlying principle, the screening of natural plant extracts with scavenging activity for pro-oxidant reactive species is a primary requirement for the development of new topical antioxidant formulations. In the present study, an ethanol:water (7:3) extract from Castanea sativa leaves and a ethanol:water (2:3) extract from Quercus robur leaves were evaluated for their putative in vitro scavenging effects on reactive oxygen species (ROS) namely superoxide radical (O(2)(-)), hydroxyl radical (HO()), peroxyl radical (ROO()), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) as well as on reactive nitrogen species (RNS) namely nitric oxide (()NO) and peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)). The extracts presented a high potency to scavenge the tested reactive species, all the IC(50)s being found at the microg/mL level. IC(50)s (mean+/-SE) for the ROS O(2)(-),HO(),H(2)O(2) and (1)O(2) were 13.6+/-1.8; 216+/-4; 410+/-8; 12.3+/-0.7 microug/mL, respectively, for C. sativa, and 11.0+/-0.5; 285+/-22; 251+/-32; 7.90+/-0.56 microg/mL, respectively, for Q. robur. The ORAC values obtained for ROO() were 1.24+/-0.13 for C. sativa and 1.09+/-0.06 for Q. robur. The IC(50)s (mean+/-SE) for ()NO and ONOO(-) were 3.10+/-0.14 and 1.49+/-0.10 microg/mL, respectively, for C. sativa and 3.13+/-0.11 and 0.95+/-0.02 microg/mL, respectively, for Q. robur. The content of total phenolics for C. sativa and Q. robur were 284+/-9 and 346+/-4 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g of lyophilized extract respectively. The observed effects might be of relevance considering the putative interest of these extracts as topical antioxidants.     

4‐Acetonyl­idene‐1‐ethyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetra­hydro‐1H‐1,5‐benzodiazepin‐2‐one

The title compound, C₁₄H₁₆N₂O₂, contains a diazepine ring, which appears in a boat conformation. An intramolecular hydrogen bond is formed between the NH group of the diazepine ring and a carbonyl O atom of one of the side chains.     

Recording the real sample distribution and concentration/time functions in flow injection analysis

A flow-injection system with zone sampling is proposed which enables images representing the real sample distribution at any time after injection to be obtained, and the concentration/time function to be monitored at any point of the analytical path. These images provide information on the mixing conditions of the system and the interaction between the injected sample and the carrier stream in real situations. It is intended to complement theoretical studies of dispersion in flow injection analysis.     

Fluorescence-Labeled Pyrenesulfonamide Response for Characterizing Polymeric Interfaces in Composite Materials

E-glass fibers were silanized using a 1% (v/v) aqueous solution of -aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APES). Pyrene—sulfonamide conjugates were formed by reaction of 1-pyrenesulfonyl chloride (PSC) in acetonitrile (AcN), with the amine groups immobilized on the glass fiber surface. These pyrene—sulfonamide conjugates were used as fluorescence probes, being a relatively simple analytical method to study the coating microstructure of polyorganosiloxane layer on glass fibers. The first aim of this work was to estimate possible interactions of the polyaminosiloxane coating with surrounding molecules of different solvents (solvent accessibility to the chromophore). For this study, the fluorescence response of pyrene—sulfonamide dye (PSA) was correlated with solvent polarity parameters. It was concluded that all the studied solvents were accessible to the chromophore, and they can gather in two groups, depending on their ability to swell the poliorganosiloxane layer. The second objective was to estimate the rigidity of the coating polymer from the temperature dependence of PSA emission. At about 180 K, a sudden change in the behavior of different photophysical parameters of PSA were observed. This phenomenon was interpreted as a density change in the polyaminosiloxane attached to the glass fibers.     

Polymorphic screen and drug–excipient compatibility studies of the antichagasic benznidazole

The purpose of this study was to investigate the polymorphism and compatibility of benznidazole (BNZ), a drug used in the treatment of Chagas disease. This drug was subjected to a polymorphic screen using a number of solvents and precipitation procedures to explore the possible existence of different crystal structures of BNZ. The compatibility of BNZ with selected pharmaceutical excipients was evaluated in binary mixtures, in a ratio of 1:1 (w/w). These results were then analyzed with a variety of techniques, including differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray powder diffractometry. No polymorphic forms of BNZ were detected despite some observed changes in the DSC profile. The thermal data indicate interaction of the drug with excipients hydroxyethylcellulose, polyethylene glycol, and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin. Additional studies using infrared spectroscopy confirm the incompatibility of BNZ with only the polyethylene glycol. This excipient should not be used in the development of solid dosage forms containing BNZ.