Elimination of a common hazardous dye from aqueous solution by a novel alkaline-treated multi-component biosorbent

Research on Chemical Intermediates - A novel alkaline-treated multi-component biosorbent composed of pine, oak, hornbeam and fir sawdust biomasses was evaluated to eliminate a common hazardous dye...     

Isolation,Characterization, and Medicinal Potential of Polysaccharides of Morchella esculenta

Mushroom polysaccharides are active medicinal compounds that possess immune-modulatory and anticancer properties. Currently, the mushroom polysaccharides krestin, lentinan, and polysaccharopeptides are used as anticancer drugs. They are an unexplored source of natural products with huge potential in both the medicinal and nutraceutical industries. The northern parts of Pakistan have a rich biodiversity of mushrooms that grow during different seasons of the year. Here we selected an edible Morchella esculenta (true morels) of the Ascomycota group for polysaccharide isolation and characterization. Polysaccharopeptides and polysaccharides from this mushroom were isolated using the green chemistry, hot water treatment method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the sugar nature and possible beta-glucan type structure of these polysaccharides. Antioxidant assays showed that the deproteinized polysaccharides have moderate free radical scavenging activity. These isolated polysaccharides exhibited good acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyryl cholinesterase (BChE) inhibition activities. Therefore, these polysaccharides may be valuable for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Further bioassays are needed to discover the true potential of M. esculenta polysaccharides for medicinal purposes.     

Novel plastoquinone analogs containing benzocaine and its analogs: structure‐based design,synthesis, and structural characterization

Introducing new biologically active organic molecules or their analogs into the pharmaceutically important molecules significantly enables the discovery and development of the medicines that improve the health of patients. Chemical synthesis has a key role in pharmaceutical research and development, aiming to design and build molecules with the essential biological activity needed in drugs. For that reason, herein, three series of novel PQ analogs (the nonhalogenated (PQ1-6) and the halogenated PQ analogs (BrPQ1-6 and ClPQ1-6)) containing benzocaine and its analogs were designed and synthesized starting from the commercially available dimethylhydroquinone (1) with benzocaine and its analogs. The structures of all synthesized analogs were characterized by using spectroscopic methods. The in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities were evaluated for the PQ analogs.

     

Synthesis and characterization of novel 4-benzyloxyphenyl 4-[4-(n-dodecyloxy)benzoyloxy]benzoate liquid crystal

Liquid crystal (LC) compound 4-Benzyloxyphenyl 4-[4-( n -dodecyloxy)benzoyloxy]benzoate (BDBB) was prepared and characterized. Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) was to be a beneficial analysis method for the research of thermodynamic characteristics of the new LC. Acetate and alcohol isomers were used to examine LC selectivity via the IGC technique at temperatures between 333.2 K and 483.2 K. The retention diagrams of n -heptane, n -octane, n -nonane, n -decane, undecane, dodecane, tridecane, n -butyl acetate, isobutyl acetate, ethyl acetate, n -propylbenzene, isopropylbenzene, ethylbenzene, chlorobenzene, and toluene on BDBB were plotted with temperatures of 483.2–493.2 K. Flory–Huggins interaction parameter and weight fraction activity coefficient at infinite dilution were researched for BDBB.     

Polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate by hydro/solvothermal technique in presence of nanographene: electrical and thermal degradation characterization

Nanocomposites of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) loaded with 1.7 mass%, 6.5 mass% and 9.0 mass% nanographene were prepared by hydro/solvothermal technique. The main peaks of the nanographene and amorphous polymer structure were revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Nanocomposites were characterized by SEM, DSC and TGA techniques. The dielectric constant (ε?), the dielectric loss factor (ε?), the loss tangent (tanδ) and the conductivity (σ_ac) were measured using a dielectric analyzer in a frequency range from 100 Hz to 2 kHz. Also, current (I)–voltage (V) measurements were carried out. It is well known that nanocomposite formation causes an improvement of many properties for a polymer, providing enhanced properties such as conductivity and thermal stability. This investigation was done to understand whether the presence of nanographene causes changes in the degradation pathway of poly(HEMA) prepared by hydro/solvothermal technique. For this aim, pure poly(HEMA) and nanocomposites were heated from room temperature to 500 °C. The characterization of degradation products for the cold ring fractions (CRFs) and trapped at???196 °C (in liquid nitrogen) was investigated by means of FT-IR, ¹H, ¹³C-NMR spectroscopic and GC–MS techniques. The FT-IR, NMR and GC–MS data showed that depolymerization corresponding to monomer (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) was the most important product trapped at CRF and???196 °C in the thermal degradation of nanocomposites. As the nanographene loading increased in composite systems, the rate of depolymerization of poly(HEMA) increased compared to pure poly(HEMA). The nanographene particles in the composite systems acted as a mass barrier that retards the escape of the volatile products

     

Application and Implementation of Incorporating Local Boundary Conditions into Nonlocal Problems

We study nonlocal equations from the area of peridynamics, an instance of nonlocal wave equation, and nonlocal diffusion on bounded domains whose governing equations contain a convolution operator based on integrals. We generalize the notion of convolution to accommodate local boundary conditions. On a bounded domain, the classical operator with local boundary conditions has a purely discrete spectrum, and hence, provides a Hilbert basis. We define an abstract convolution operator using this Hilbert basis, thereby automatically satisfying local boundary conditions. The main goal in this paper is twofold: apply the concept of abstract convolution operator to nonlocal problems and carry out a numerical study of the resulting operators. We study the corresponding initial value problems with prominent boundary conditions such as periodic, antiperiodic, Neumann, and Dirichlet. To connect to the standard convolution, we give an integral representation of the abstract convolution operator. For discretization, we use a weak formulation based on a Galerkin projection and use piecewise polynomials on each element which allows discontinuities of the approximate solution at the element borders. We study convergence order of solutions with respect to polynomial order and observe optimal convergence. We depict the solutions for each boundary condition.     

Effects of different formulation PEDOT:PSS hole transport layers on photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells

In this study, the effects of the various types of PEDOT:PSS with different conductivities on the photovoltaic parameters of organic solar cells were investigated. The performances of five various commercially available PEDOT:PSS with formulations such as FET, PT2, PH1000, PH500 and PH were compared. It was observed that the device employing PH1000 as an interlayer between ITO and the active layer exhibited the highest photovoltaic performance as compared to other devices with FET, PT2, PH500 and PH. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of a Binuclear Mixed‐Ligand (Salicylate and N,N‐diethylnicotinamide) Nickel(II) Complex,Its Magnetic Properties. [Ni2(µ‐Sal)4(Dena)2]H2O

The title complex of [Ni₂(µ‐Sal)₄(Dena)₂]H₂O, [( µ‐tetrakissalicylato‐κ‐O,O)(bis‐N,N‐diethylnicotinamide‐κ‐N)(binickel(II))]hydrate, C₄₈H₅₂Ni₂N₄O₁₆, has been synthesized and explained as structural using some elemental analysis, FT‐IR spectra, UV‐Vis reflectance, magnetic measurements, thermal analysis and x‐ray diffraction methods. The analysis results showed that the unit cell of complex includes two molecules Ni^II cation, four molecules salicylates as bridge and two molecules N,N‐diethylnicotinamide ligands, also there is one molecule hydrated aqua. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with the following unit‐cell parameters: a =13.6776(6) Å, b =10.5238(3) Å, c =21.8165(9), α=90.00°, β=126.546(3)°, γ=90.00º and Z=2. The compound [Ni₂(µ‐Sal)₄(Dena)₂]H₂O is a typical paddle‐wheel complex structure. Two Ni^II ions are bridged by four salicylate ligands (O2, O2ⁱ, O3, O3ⁱ, O5, O5ⁱ, O6 and O6ⁱ) using a µ‐COO^? coordination mode [symmetry code: (i) 1‐x, 1‐y, 1‐z]. Each Ni^II also coordinates to one nitrogen atom (N1 and N1ⁱ) from one N,N‐diethylnicotinamide ligand molecule in the axial position. The complex has strong paramagnetic properties.     

Renal replacement lipomatosis: MR findings in one case

Replacement lipomatosis of the kidney is the result of severe atrophy or destruction of the renal parenchyma, often caused by calculous disease with secondary marked proliferation of renal sinus, renal hilus, and perirenal fatty tissue. Different diagnostic tools have been used to define this entity, with ultrasonography (US), i.v. pyelography (IVP) and computed tomography (CT) used most commonly. We report MR urography and MR appearance of replacement lipomatosis in a 38-year-old man. We think that it combines the advantages of IVP, US and CT.     

Characterisation of ZnO nanorod arrays grown by a low temperature hydrothermal method

In this paper, growth steps of well defined ZnO nanorod arrays deposited on seeded substrates were investigated. To obtain ZnO seed layer on glass substrates, a successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method was used and then ZnO nanorods were grown on seed layer using a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The effects of seed layer and deposition time on morphology, crystallographic structure (e.g. grain size, microstrain and dislocation density) and electrical characteristics of ZnO nanorods were studied. From the SEM micrographs, it could be seen that the ZnO nanorods densely covered the substrate and were nearly perpendicular to the substrate surface. The XRD patterns showed that the ZnO nanorod arrays had a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a preferred orientation along the (002) plane. An increase in deposition time resulted in an increase in the intensity of the preferred orientation and grain size, but a decrease in microstrain and dislocation density. Electrical activation energies of the structures were calculated as 0.15–0.85?eV from current–temperature characteristics. It was concluded that the morphologies of the structures obtained in this study via a simple and fast solution method can provide high surface areas which are important in area-dependent applications, such as solar cells, hydrogen conversion devices, sensors, etc.