Isolation and characterization of cellulose nanofibers from banana peels

Cellulose nanofibers were isolated from banana peel using a combination of chemical treatments, such as alkaline treatment, bleaching, and acid hydrolysis. The suspensions of chemically treated fibers were then passed through a high-pressure homogenizer 3, 5, and 7 times, to investigate the effect of the number of passages on the properties of the resulting cellulose nanofibers. The cellulose nanofibers isolated in this study had a dry basis yield of 5.1 %. Transmission electron microscopy showed that all treatments effectively isolated banana fibers in the nanometer scale. The micrographs of the process steps used to isolate the nanofibers revealed gradual removal of amorphous components. Increasing number of passages in the homogenizer shortened the cellulose nanofibers while furnishing more stable aqueous suspensions with zeta potential values ranging from ?16.1 to ?44.1 mV. All the samples presented aspect ratio in the range of long nanofibers, hence being potentially applicable as reinforcing agents in composites. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that homogenized nanofiber suspensions were more crystalline than non-homogenized suspensions. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed that alkaline treatment and bleaching removed most of the hemicellulose and lignin components present in the banana fibers. Thermal analyses revealed that the developed nanofibers exhibit enhanced thermal properties. In general, the nanoparticles isolated from the banana peel have potential application as reinforcing elements in a variety of polymer composite systems.     

Vinyl acetate formation by the reaction of ethylene with acetate species on oxygen-covered Pd(111)

The reaction pathway of vinyl acetate synthesis is scrutinized by reacting gas-phase ethylene (at an effective pressure of 1 x 10-4 Torr) with eta2-acetate species (with a coverage of 0.31 +/- 0.02 monolayer) on a Pd(111)-O(2x2) model catalyst surface in ultrahigh vacuum. It is found that the 1414 cm-1 infrared feature due to the symmetric OCO stretching mode of the acetate species decreases in intensity due to reaction with gas-phase ethylene, while temperature-programmed desorption experiments demonstrate that vinyl acetate is formed. The formation of ethylidyne species is detected when almost all of the acetate species have been removed. The experimental removal kinetics are reproduced by a model in which adsorbed acetates react with an ethylene-derived (possibly ethylene or vinyl) species, where ethylene adsorption is blocked by the acetate present on the surface.     

An approximate waves-bordering algorithm for adaptive finite elements analysis

In this paper an Approximate Waves-Bordering algorithm (AWB) is presented. It computes the finite elements linear system solution-update after a refinement/unrefinement step. This is done taking into consideration only the equations that correspond to the nodes whose solution is modified above a certain tolerance and it appears to be very efficient. The algorithm considers an increasing set of equations that updates recursively and stops when the norm of the residual has gone under a user-defined threshold. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Aggregation behavior of Brij-35/perfluorononanoic acid mixtures

The mixed system of a nonionic hydrocarbon surfactant, polyoxyethylene (23) lauryl ether (Brij-35), and a perfluorinated surfactant, perfluorononanoic acid, was investigated by a combination of methods. The critical micelle concentrations (cmc's) have been determined over a wide range of sample compositions by fluorescence and UV-visible spectrophotometry using pyrene and N-(4-nitrophenyl) perfluorononanamide, respectively, as molecular probes. The values of the cmc's obtained were considerably different with the two techniques employed. Measurements of the (19)F nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shift of the same mixtures showed two breaks in the plots of Δδ(f) versus molar fraction of the perfluorinated surfactant. Conductivity and surface tension measurements also showed two breaks. The behavior is attributed to the formation of mixed micelles that change their composition when the fraction of the fluorinated compound increases and some segregation of the fluorinated compound takes place at a high total surfactant concentration.     

Dual‐Modal Magnetic Resonance/Fluorescent Zinc Probes for Pancreatic β‐Cell Mass Imaging

Despite the contribution of changes in pancreatic β‐cell mass to the development of all forms of diabetes mellitus, few robust approaches currently exist to monitor these changes prospectively in vivo. Although magnetic‐resonance imaging (MRI) provides a potentially useful technique, targeting MRI‐active probes to the β cell has proved challenging. Zinc ions are highly concentrated in the secretory granule, but they are relatively less abundant in the exocrine pancreas and in other tissues. We have therefore developed functional dual‐modal probes based on transition‐metal chelates capable of binding zinc. The first of these, Gd ?1 , binds Zn^II directly by means of an amidoquinoline moiety (AQA), thus causing a large ratiometric Stokes shift in the fluorescence from λ_em=410 to 500 nm with an increase in relaxivity from r₁=4.2 up to 4.9 mM ^?1 s^?1. The probe is efficiently accumulated into secretory granules in β‐cell‐derived lines and isolated islets, but more poorly by non‐endocrine cells, and leads to a reduction in T₁ in human islets. In vivo murine studies of Gd ?1 have shown accumulation of the probe in the pancreas with increased signal intensity over 140 minutes.     

Tetrachlorocarbonyliridates: water-soluble carbon monoxide releasing molecules rate-modulated by the sixth ligand

A new family of compounds is presented as potential carbon monoxide releasing molecules (CORMs). These compounds, based on tetrachlorocarbonyliridate(III) derivatives, were synthesized and fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, electrospray mass spectrometry, IR, NMR, and density functional theory calculations. The rate of CO release was studied via the myoglobin assay. The results showed that the rate depends on the nature of the sixth ligand, trans to CO, and that a significant modulation on the release rate can be produced by changing the ligand. The reported compounds are soluble in aqueous media, and the rates of CO release are comparable with those for known CORMs, releasing CO at a rate of 0.03-0.58 μM min(-1) in a 10 μM solution of myoglobin and 10 μM of the complexes.     

Search of single long-period oscillations in the daily temperatures

Summary Long-period oscillations have been searched in the time series of the daily minimum, mean and maximum temperatures measured in Modena, Italy, during the years 1869–1976. By assuming only one oscillation present, the amplitude and its statistical uncertainty have been estimated by means of a fitting procedure which takes into account the stochastic variability of the daily temperatures. The period of the long-term oscillations has been chosen to be an integer number of years (from 2 up to 36). This choice and the fit performed over a suitable number of years (the maximum possible multiple of the period) ensure a numerical stable solution and a negligible correlation between the long-period oscillation and the annual and seasonal oscillations present in the time series. The instrumental uncertainty of the long-period amplitude has been also evaluated. Within the overall uncertainty, no reliable evidence exists on single long-period oscillations.

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Riassunto Sono state cercate oscillazioni singole a lungo periodo nella serie temporale formata dalle temperature minime, medie e massime, misurate giornalmente a Modena durante gli anni 1869–1976. Nell'ipotesi di un'unica oscillazione sono state stimate l'ampiezza dell'oscillazione e la sua incertezza statistica mediante un procedimento di approssimazione che teneva conto della variazione stocastica delle temperature giornaliere. Come periodo delle oscillazioni a lungo termine si è scelto un numero intero di anni compreso fra 2 e 36. L'approssimazione è stata effettuata su un numero di anni che era il massimo multiplo del periodo compatibile con i dati disponibili. Con tali scelte le soluzioni risultano numericamente molto stabili. Inoltre le correlazioni fra i diversi parametri stimati in ciascuna approssimazione risultano trascurabili. è stato anche valutato l'effetto dell'errore sistematico di misure sull'ampiezza dell'oscillazione a lungo periodo. Dai risultati non emergono prove affidabili sull'esistenza di oscillazioni singole a lungo termine entro la risoluzione statistica e sistematica del presente studio.

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Резюме Проводится поиск осцилляций с большим периодом во временной последователвности суточных минимальных, средних и максимальных температур, измеренных в Модене, Италии, в течение 1869–1976 г. г. Предполагал, что существует только одна осцилляция, оценивается амплитуда и статистическая неопределенность, оспользуя процедуру подгонки, которая учитывает стохастическое изменение суточных температур. Период продолжителяной осцилляции выбирается равным целому числу лет (от 2 до 36). Этот выбор и проведенная подгонка соответствующего числя лет (максимально возможное кратное периоду) обеспечивают численное устойчивое решение и позволяйт пренебречь корреляцией между осцилляцией с большим периодом и ежегодными и сезонными осцилляциями, присутствующми во временной последовательности. Оценивается инструментальная неопределенность амплитуды осцилляции с большим периодом. С учетом полной неопределенности не обнаружено нодежного подтверждения отдельных осцилляциь с большим периодом.

     

Tracer element injection into PDX tokamak for spectral line identification and localized doppler temperature measurement

Magnetic dipole lines in ScXIII-XVII and resonance lines of ScXVIII-XIX were observed and identified. Advantages of ion thermometry by means of tracer element injection are described.     

Influence of skin optical losses on configurational photoisomerization of bilirubin during phototherapy

Summary Kubelka-Munk theory of radiation transfer in turbid media is applied to determine the influence of skin optical losses on the efficiency of phototherapy of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. By using a multilayer model of the skin and a rate equation analysis of bilirubin photo-isomerization, the photon absorption rates of birilubin and of its configurational photoisomers and, in turn, the photoequilibrium concentrations and rise time are calculated for spectrally Gaussian light sources and fluorescent lamps used in phototherapy. It turns out that light absorption and scattering processes in the skin layers produce a 30 nm red-shift of the optimum value of the peak excitation wave-length of bilirubin absorption and photoequilibrium rise time. The comparative data on the phototherapeutical efficiency of different spectral regionsin vivo (Gunn rats and humans) are discussed.

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Riassunto L'influenza delle perdite ottiche cutanee sul rendimento della fototerapia dell'iperblirubinemia neonatale è investigata mediante l'impiego della teoria di Kubelka-Munk sulla propagazione della luce in mezzi torbidi. L'evoluzione temporale delle concentrazioni di bilirubina e dei suoi fotoisomeri configurazionali è studiata per mezzo delle equazioni di bilancio nel caso del modello a multistrati della cute, assumendo una sorgente con distribuzione spettrale gaussiana e i profili spettrali delle principali lampade fluorescenti usate clinicamente. I risultati indicano che l'assorbimento e la diffusione della luce negli strati cutanei sposta di circa 30 nm verso lunghezze d'onda maggiori il valore ottimale della lunghezza d'onda d'assorbimento della bilirubina e del tempo di fotoequilibrio. Si discutono comparativamente i dati sul rendimento foroterapeutico di diverse regioni spettraliin vivo (su ratti Gunn e uomo).

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Резюме Теория Кубелки-Мунка рационального переноса в мутной среде применяется для определения влияния оптических потерь в поверхностном слое на эффективность фототерапии. Используя многослойную модель кожи и анализ фотоизомеризации билирубина, вычисляются интенсивности поглощения фототонов билирубином и его конфигурационным фотоизомерами и, в свою очередь, фоторавновесные концентрации и времена возникновения для источников света с гауссовым спектром и для флуоресцентных ламп, используемых в фототерапии. Оказывается, что процессы поглощения и рассеяния света в поверхностных слоях кожи приводят к красному смещению 30 нм оптимальной величины длины волны для поглощения билирубином. Обсуждаются сравнительные данные об эффективности фототерапии в различных спектральных областях ?в естественных условиях?.