Five New Cycloartane‐Type Triterpenoid Saponins from Nervilia fordii

Five new cycloartane glycosides, nervisides D–H ( 1 – 5 ), were isolated from the AcOEt‐ and H₂O‐soluble portions of the 90% EtOH extract of the aerial part of the plant Nervilia fordii. The structures of the isolated glycosides were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis including HR‐ESI‐MS and NMR data. The isolated nervisides D–H were evaluated for the cytotoxic activity in vitro against human‐tumor cell lines (CNE, Hep‐2 and HepG2) with the MTT method.     

Radical Addition Reactions of α-Substituted β,β-Difluorovinyl Sulfones

The radical addition reactions of α-substituted β,β-difluorovinyl sulfones 1 with α-oxy and acyl radical species, such as 1,3-dioxolane, tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, butanal and hexanal, afforded radical addition products 2--16 in good yields.     

Synthesis and properties of near IR induced self-healable polyurethane/graphene nanocomposites

A series of self-healable polyurethane (SHPU)/modified graphene (MG) nanocomposites were synthesized from poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG) and 4,4′-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) with minute amounts (0–1 wt%) of MG which was chemically modified graphene oxide (GO) with phenyl isocyanate and reduced in the presence of phenylhydrazine.     

Intensification of Cross-Cannizzaro Reaction in Two-Phase System: m-Phenoxybenzaldehyde and m-Bromobenzaldehyde with Formaldehyde

The cross-Cannizzaro reaction of m-phenoxybenzaldehyde and m-bromobenzaldehyde with aqueous formaldehyde in a two-phase system can be intensified and made more selective by using hydrotropes; cationic surfactants do not improve selectivity.     

Synthesis of gemini surfactants with twelve symmetric fluorine atoms and one singlet F MR signal as novel F MRI agents

A family of fluorinated gemini surfactants derived from perfluoropinacol has been synthesized as novel ¹⁹F magnetic resonance imaging (¹⁹F MRI) agents. These fluorinated surfactants with 12 symmetric fluorine atoms and one singlet ¹⁹F MR peak can be conveniently prepared from perfluoropinacol and oligo(ethylene glycols) on multi-gram scales. Solubility, hydrophilicity (log P), and critical micelle concentration (CMC) measurements of these fluorinated surfactants indicated that high aqueous solubility can be achieved by introducing oligo(ethylene glycols) with appropriate length into perfluoropinacol, i.e., manipulating the fluorine content (F%). One of these fluorinated surfactants with high aqueous solubility and excellent ¹⁹F MR properties has been identified by ¹⁹F MRI phantom experiments as a promising ¹⁹F MRI agent.     

After‐Rinsing Hair Growth Promotions of Hinokitiol‐Containing Vesicles and Emulsions

Two kinds of topical dosage forms of hinokitiol (HKL), namely vesicles and oil‐in‐water (O/W) emulsions, were prepared. Behenyl trimethylammonium chloride (BTMAC) and fatty acids were used as bilayer‐forming materials of the vesicles, and oils were employed as oil phases of the emulsions. The substantivity of HKL in the preparations was evaluated in vitro using hairless mouse skins. After applying the preparations onto the skin and rinsing it, the amount of HKL left on the skin was determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). It was higher when HKL was encapsulated in cationic vesicles rather than in nonionic vehicles, emulsions. An ionic interaction between the cationic vehicle and negatively charged skin is likely to account for the high substantivity. Among the emulsion preparations, an emulsion having octyl salicylate as oil phase exhibited the highest substantivity of HKL. This is probably because that the oil is a good solvent for HKL and it is skin‐retentive. In vivo hair growth‐promotion effect of each dosage form was investigated, where the sample application onto the clipped backs of female mice (C57BL6) and the subsequent rinsing of the backs were done once a day for 30 days. Only HKL in the cationic vesicles had hair growth promotion effect, possibly due to the significant substantivity.     

Friccohenics of Continuum and Non‐Continuum Models for Liquid Flow Applied for Heteromolecular Interaction of DNA Bases and Sugars Estimated with Mansingh Equation

Newtonian and non‐Newtonian liquids widely characterize continuum and non‐continuum models for flows, thus, viscous (continuum) and drop wise (non‐continuum) flows of water and aqueous nucleotides (2‐deoxy adenosine‐DOA, thymidine‐TMD) and nucleosides (guanosine monophosphate‐GMP, adenosine triphosphate‐ATP) with integral unites‐2‐deoxy ribose‐DOR (referred as DNA bases and sugars) have been studied with Survismeter. Time data for viscous (t and drop wise (dt) flows along with drop counts (n) for aqueous solutions of 0.4–1.4 millimol (mm) DNA base and sugars with survismetere at 288.15, 293.15, and 298.15 K are measured for viscosities and surface tension, respectively. The t and n are fitted in Mansingh equation for Friccohesity (σ) calculation that determines dipole moment (µ). The t, dt, and n data are measured for water from 15 to 70°C at an interval of 5°C for standard equation for dipole moment calculation. The t, dt and n values decrease with temperature where the σ is directly proportional to μ values with slight increase with compositions and decreases with temperatures. A continuous decrease in μ values with compositions is noted with slightly higher decrease at 288.15 with both millimol and temperature. The higher decrease with temperatures weakens Coulombic forces ((q₁ · q₂)/r², with charges q₁ and q₂, and radii r)) where σ increase.     

Instrumental neutron activation analysis of coal and its combustion residues from a power plant

A growing demand of electrical energy derived from coal combustion led to a significant increase of coal ash as residues. Approximately 70 % of the fly ashes are recycled, while most of the bottom ashes have been land-filled in the ash pond in Korea. In this work, to evaluate the potential impacts of the residues from a coal power plant on the environment, its inorganic elemental components were determined by INAA and PGAA. Coal ash samples were collected from the biggest power plant complex in Korea. These samples were analyzed by using the NAA facilities in the HANARO research reactor of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. A total of 31 elements were analyzed in the samples, and certified reference materials were used for the analytical quality control. The enrichment status of a given metal in fuel coal and ashes was investigated by its concentration ratio. In order to assess the impact of the coal combustion residues on ecosystem, their concentrations determined for each respective type of the samples were compared to both reference data and nearby beach sand samples.     

胜利褐煤Ca~(2+)负载量对其平衡复吸水含量的影响

以胜利褐煤为研究对象,利用XRF、FT-IR等手段,采用灰分、pH值、不同相对蒸气压下的复吸水含量等参数,研究了Ca2+的离子效应对褐煤在不同相对蒸气压下复吸水含量的影响。研究结果表明,煤中Ca2+的负载量随用于交换的钙离子溶液浓度的增大而增加。煤中Ca2+的负载量对煤样的平衡复吸水含量影响较大,Ca2+负载量越大,煤样的平衡复吸水含量越大。相对蒸气压高于92%平衡复吸水含量的主要控制因素为游离水分子与游离水分子之间的相互作用力。相对蒸气压在11%~92%平衡复吸水含量的主要控制因素为金属水簇Ca+(H2O)n与毛细管之间的毛细管作用力。     

Biological Removal of Phosphate at Low Concentrations Using Recombinant Escherichia coli Expressing Phosphate-Binding Protein in Periplasmic Space

During wastewater treatment, phosphate removal is an important and challenging process; thus, diverse technologies, including those derived from biological means, have been devised for efficient phosphate removal. Although conventional biological methods are effective in decreasing wastewater phosphate levels to ~1 mg/L, long periods of microbial adaptation are required for effective phosphate removal, and the removal efficiency of these methods is relatively poor at lower phosphate concentrations. In the present work, we constructed a recombinant Escherichia coli with periplasmic-expressed phosphate-binding protein (PBP) and investigated its biological removal ability for low phosphate levels. We found that the PBP-expressing recombinant E. coli cells showed efficient (> 94 %) removal of phosphate at low concentrations (0.2–1.0 mg/L) in a treated cell mass-dependent manner. Collectively, we propose that our PBP-expressing recombinant whole-cell system could be successfully used during wastewater treatment for the biological removal of low concentrations of phosphate.