Electrochemical Determination of Tyrosine in the Presence of Dopamine and Uric Acid at the Surface of Gold Nanoparticles Modified Carbon Paste Electrode

A gold nanoparticles modified carbon paste electrode (GN‐CPE) was used as a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for determination of tyrosine (Tyr), dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) in phosphate buffer solution (PBS). The study and measurements were carried out by using cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and chronoamperometry methods. In DPV, the GN‐CPE could separate the oxidation peak potentials of DA and UA present in the same solution, though at the unmodified CPE the peak potentials were indistinguishable. The prepared electrode showed voltammetric responses with high sensitivity and selectivity for Tyr, DA and UA in optimal conditions, which makes it very suitable for simultaneous determination of these compounds. The calibration curves for Try, DA and UA were linear for the concentrations of each species. The proposed voltammetric approach was also applied to the determination of Tyr concentration in human serum as a real sample.     

A Study on Transreactions of PET/PEN Reactive Blending in a Twin‐Screw Extruder Using an Axial Dispersion Model

Transreactions of PET and PEN melt‐mixed in a twin‐screw extruder are investigated. The extruder is modeled and characterized in the frame of a tubular system of closed type. The kinetic modeling is based on a modified second‐order reversible reaction equation, which allows the dispersion equation to be solved analytically. The analysis shows a good agreement between the model and experiment. The axial dispersion model is employed to predict the extent of transesterification reactions (X) and degree of randomness (RD). ¹H NMR measurements are performed to estimate X and RD. Theoretical and experimental data are in good agreement. The model can thus be exploited to describe the effects of processing parameters, mixing time, mixing temperature, and blend composition on X and RD.

     

1H NMR Metabolomics of Chinese Human Milk at Different Stages of Lactation among Secretors and Non-Secretors

Human milk is an intricate, bioactive food promoting infant health. We studied the composition of human milk samples collected over an 8-month lactation using ¹H NMR metabolomics. A total of 72 human breast milk samples were collected from ten Chinese mothers at eight different time points. The concentrations of ten human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), fucose and lactose were quantified. Six of the mothers were classified as Lewis-positive secretors (Se⁺Le⁺) and four as Lewis-positive non-secretors (Se⁻Le⁺) based on the levels of 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL), lacto-N-fucopentaose (LNFP) II, lactodifucotetraose (LDFT) and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT). Acetate, citrate, short/medium-chain fatty acids, glutamine and urea showed a time-dependent trend in relation to the stage of lactation. The concentrations of 2′-FL, 3-FL (3-fucosyllactose), 3′-SL (3′-sialyllactose), LDFT, LNFP I, LNFP II, LNFP III, LNnT, LNT (lacto-N-tetraose), and fucose were statistically different between secretors and non-secretors. A temporal difference of approximately 1–2 months between the development of non-secretor and secretor HMO profiles was shown. The results highlighted the importance of long-term breastfeeding, especially among non-secretors.     

Thermal Degradation Kinetics and Modeling Study of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWP)/Graphene Nanocomposite

The incorporation of nanofillers such as graphene into polymers has shown significant improvements in mechanical characteristics, thermal stability, and conductivity of resulting polymeric nanocomposites. To this aim, the influence of incorporation of graphene nanosheets into ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) on the thermal behavior and degradation kinetics of UHMWPE/graphene nanocomposites was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that graphene nanosheets were uniformly spread throughout the UHMWPE’s molecular chains. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) data posited that the morphology of dispersed graphene sheets in UHMWPE was exfoliated. Non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies identified a more pronounced increase in melting temperatures and latent heat of fusions in nanocomposites compared to UHMWPE at lower concentrations of graphene. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) revealed that UHMWPE’s thermal stability has been improved via incorporating graphene nanosheets. Further, degradation kinetics of neat polymer and nanocomposites have been modeled using equations such as Friedman, Ozawa–Flynn–Wall (OFW), Kissinger, and Augis and Bennett’s. The "Model-Fitting Method” showed that the auto-catalytic nth-order mechanism provided a highly consistent and appropriate fit to describe the degradation mechanism of UHMWPE and its graphene nanocomposites. In addition, the calculated activation energy (E_a) of thermal degradation was enhanced by an increase in graphene concentration up to 2.1 wt.%, followed by a decrease in higher graphene content.     

A novel method for predicting decomposition onset temperature of high-energy metal–organic frameworks

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The decomposition onset temperature, Tdecom, is an important parameter for investigating the thermal stability of chemicals. A novel method is...     

Investigation of double-diffusive mixed convection effect on the particles dissolution in the shear flow using coupled SPM–LBM

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In the present study, double-diffusive mixed convection related to the heat and mass transfer of the solid particles dissolution in a shear flow was...     

The experimental investigation concerning the heat transfer enhancement via a four-point star swirl generator in the presence of water–ethylene glycol mixtures

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In the present study, a new swirling flow generator is studied which aims to enhance the convective heat transfer rate in a heat exchanger tube. This...     

Energetic,exergetic, environmental and economic assessment of a novel control system for indirect heaters in natural gas city gate stations

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions in natural gas city gate stations are important issues in the natural gas industry. In order to...     

Improving the Corrosion Resistance of Carbon Steel by Ni–P Nano-Structured Coating

Russian Journal of Electrochemistry - Corrosion resistance is one of the essential factors in metal selection and can be enhanced greatly by coatings. The corrosion resistance of the electroless...