QSAR modelling and structural aspects concerning synthetic heterocycles with larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti

Structural Chemistry - In this paper, we present a quantitative structure–activity relationships modelling for two series of heterocyclic synthetic compounds with larvicidal activity against...     

Fe2+-Mg order–disorder study in orthopyroxenes from São João Nepomuceno (IVA) iron meteorite

São João Nepomuceno (SJN) is an iron meteorite belonging to IVA chemical group. It consists of Fe-Ni metal matrix and silicate inclusions made of a coarse-grained mixture of tridymite, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene. In spite of the extensive work performed on the IVA group there is still no consensus about their origin and its thermal history is subject of ongoing debates. In this work, we report preliminary results on Fe^2?+? distribution in the non-equivalent octahedral sites in orthopyroxene crystals extracted from São João Nepomuceno in order to infer on the thermal history of this meteorite and therefore acquire more information related to the origin of the IVA iron meteorite group.     

Highly corrosion resistant siloxane-polymethyl methacrylate hybrid coatings

Siloxane-polymethyl methacrylate hybrid films were deposited on carbon steel substrates by dip-coating from a sol prepared by acid-catalyzed hydrolytic co-polycondensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and 3-methacryloxy propyl-trimethoxysilane (MPTS), followed by radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA). Structural properties of the hybrids were studied using ²⁹Si and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), as a function of the MMA/MPTS ratio, which ranged between 2 and 10. The efficiency of corrosion protection of hybrid-coated carbon steel was investigated by XPS, potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy after immersion of the material in acidic and neutral saline aqueous solution. The NMR and TGA results indicate a high degree of polycondensation (84%) and elevated thermal stability of 410?°C for the hybrid film with a MMA/MPTS ratio of 8, exhibiting also and excellent adhesion to the substrate. The XPS analysis confirmed the variation of the MMA phase in the hybrid, and showed that no corrosion-induced changes had occurred after 18?days immersion of the coated steel in 3.5% NaCl solution. Potentiodynamic polarization curves have shown that the hybrid coating prepared using a TEOS/MPTS ratio of 8 yielded the best anti-corrosion performance. It acts as a very efficient corrosion barrier, increasing the total impedance by almost 6 orders of magnitude and reducing the current densities by 4 orders of magnitude, compared to the bare electrode. The obtained results are discussed based on the correlation of structural information with impedance data presented for both electrolytes in the form of electrical equivalent circuits.     

Motion planning and actuator specialization in the control of active-flexible link robots

Trajectory planning is a well-known open-loop control strategy to minimize residual vibrations in point-to-point tasks of systems featuring mechanical flexibility. However, the major drawback of open-loop control is its limitation in coping with modeling uncertainty. In this paper a novel approach to trajectory planning based on LQR theory is proposed and applied to a single flexible link robot. To improve performance under parameter uncertainty the strategy is combined with collocated vibration control through piezoelectric actuation of the link. This combination raises the issue of the roles and the contribution of each actuator type to the overall performance of the maneuver. An actuator specialization is proposed where the joint controller is responsible for the gross vibrationless motion of the link, while the link actuators are expected to deal only with residual vibrations that may arise from modeling errors. Simulation and experimental results validate the trajectory planning methodology and the combination of the open-loop strategy with collocated vibration control.     

Determination of elements in kidney,serum and urine of Wistar rats with Acute Renal Insufficiency using NAA

In this investigation ions in serum, urine and kidney of Wistar rats (control group) and Wistar with Acute Renal Insufficiency (ARI) were quantified using instrumental neutron activation analysis. The measurements in serum and urine were performed before, during and after ischemia-induced ARI. The measurements in kidney were performed for the control and ARI groups. Also, a comparative analysis between the concentration ratios before, during and after ARI was performed in urine and serum samples for both groups. The variations results for Cu in serum and I in urine, before and after ischemia-induced ARI, suggest that these elements must be also investigated in renal dysfunction.