The effect of europium oxide impurity on the optical and physical properties of lithium potassium borate glass

The most hosts that is utilized in scientific application is borate glass. By using melt-quenching technique, five samples of lithium potassium borate (LKB) doped with different concentration of europium oxide (Eu₂O₃) were prepared. To investigate the influence of dopant on the optical and physical characteristics of the proposed glass, two methods have been applied (XRD, PL). The amorphous nature was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The physical parameters of the glass matrix doped by different oxidation state have been analyzed, these parameters are density, molar volume, ion concentration, inter-nuclear distance, and polaron radius. The exchange in the concentration of Eu³⁺ indicated the influence of Eu as a dopant on the photoluminescence (PL) emission of LKB glasses. The emission spectrum of LKB:Eu³⁺ show a chain of emission bands, which are attributed to ⁵ D ₀-⁷ F _r (r = 1–4) transition of Eu³⁺. The luminescence studies showed four peaks 590 (yellow), 613 (orange), 650 (red), and 698 nm (red) for all samples except sample 0, the high luminescence efficiency is in emitting orange light at 613 nm.     

Dual-mode registration of dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound combining tissue and contrast sequences

This study proposes a new method for automatic, iterative image registration in the context of dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) imaging. By constructing a cost function of image registration using a combination of the tissue and contrast-microbubble responses, this new method, referred to as dual-mode registration, performs alignment based on both tissue and vascular structures. Data from five focal liver lesions (FLLs) were used for the evaluation. Automatic registration based on the dual-mode registration technique and tissue-mode registration obtained using the linear response image sequence alone were compared to manual alignment of the sequence by an expert. Comparison of the maximum distance between the transformations applied by the automatic registration techniques and those from expert manual registration reference showed that the dual-mode registration provided better precision than the tissue-mode registration for all cases. The reduction of maximum distance ranged from 0.25 to 9.3 mm. Dual-mode registration is also significantly better than tissue-mode registration for the five sequences with p  -values lower than 0.03$0.03$. The improved sequence alignment is also demonstrated visually by comparison of images from the sequences and the video playbacks of the motion-corrected sequences. This new registration technique better maintains a selected region of interest (ROI) within a fixed position of the image plane throughout the DCE-US sequence. This should reduce motion-related variability of the echo-power estimations and, thus, contribute to more robust perfusion quantification with DCE-US.     

Phytochemical analysis, cytotoxic activity and constituents-activity relationships of the leaves of Cinnamomum iners (Reinw. ex Blume-Lauraceae)

The leaves of Cinnamomum iners (Reinw. ex Blume-Lauraceae) have been refluxed successively with chloroform and alcohol to get chloroform extract and alcoholic extract. Both the extracts have been assayed for cytotoxicity against human colorectal tumour cells. The chloroform extract exhibited significant cytotoxicity with IC(50) 31?μg mL(-1) (p??200?μg mL(-1). The chloroform extract has been further proceeded for chemical analysis by GC-TOFMS and 178 components were identified including acids, amines, amides, aldehydes, alcohols, esters, benzene derivatives, bicyclic compounds, terpenes, hydrocarbons, naphthalene derivatives, furan derivatives, azulenes, etc. Nine components representing 51.73% of the total chloroform extract were detected as major components. Caryophyllene (14.41%) and Eicosanoic acid ethyl ester (12.17%) are the most prominent components of the chloroform extract. β-Caryophyllene (14.41%) as most abundant compound supports potent cytotoxicity as shown by chloroform extract.     

Fluorescence probing of the temperature-induced phase transition in a glycolipid self-assembly: hexagonal ↔ micellar and cubic ↔ lamellar

Water-driven self-assembly of lipids displays a variety of liquid crystalline phases that are crucial for membrane functions. Herein, we characterize the temperature-induced phase transitions in two compositions of an aqueous self-assembly system of the octyl β-D-glucoside (βGlcOC(8)) system, using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. The phase transitions hexagonal ? micellar and cubic ? lamellar were investigated using tryptophan (Trp) and two of its ester derivatives (Trp-C(4) and Trp-C(8)) to probe the polar headgroup region and pyrene to probe the hydrophobic tail region. The polarity of the headgroup region was estimated to be close to that of simple alcohols (methanol and ethanol) for all phases. The pyrene fluorescence indicates that the pyrene molecules are dispersed among the tails of the hydrophobic region, yet remain in close proximity to the polar head groups. Comparing the present results with our previously reported one for βMaltoOC(12), increasing the tail length of the hexagonal phase from C(8) to C(12) leads to less interaction with pyrene, which is attributed to the more random and wobbling motion of the longer alkyl tail. We measured a reduction (more hydrophobic) in the ratio of the vibronic peak intensities of pyrene (I(1)/I(3)) for the lamellar phase compared to that of the cubic phase. The higher polarity in the cubic phase can be correlated to the nature of its interface, which curves toward the bulk water. This geometry also explains the slight reduction in polarity of the headgroup region compared to the other phases. Upon the addition of Trp-C(8), the fluorescence lifetime of pyrene is reduced by 28% in the lamellar and cubic phases, whereas the I(1)/I(3) value is only slightly reduced. The results reflect the dominant role of dynamic interaction mechanism between the C(8) chain of Trp-C(8) and pyrene. This mechanism may be important for these two phases since they participate in the process of membrane fusion. Both lipid compositions show completely reversible temperature-induced phase transitions, reflecting the thermodynamic equilibrium structures of their mesophases. Probing both regions of the different lipid phases reveals a large degree of heterogeneity and flexibility of the lipid self-assembly. These properties are crucial for carrying out different biological functions such as the ability to accommodate various molecular sizes.     

Antioxidant, antimicrobial and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of xanthones isolated from Artocarpus obtusus F.M. Jarrett

One of the most promising plants in biological screening test results of thirteen Artocarpus species was Artocarpus obtusus FM Jarrett and detailed phytochemical investigation of powdered dried bark of the plant has led to the isolation and identification of three xanthones; pyranocycloartobiloxanthone A (1), dihydroartoindonesianin C (2) and pyranocycloartobiloxanthone B (3). These compounds were screened for antioxidant, antimicrobial and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Pyranocycloartobiloxanthone A (1) exhibited a strong free radical scavenger towards DPPH free radicals with IC50 value of 2 μg/mL with prominent discoloration observed in comparison with standard ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol and quercetin, The compound also exhibited antibacterial activity against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC3359) and Bacillus subtilis (clinically isolated) with inhibition zone of 20 and 12 mm, respectively. However the other two xanthones were found to be inactive. For the tyrosinase inhibitory activity, again compound (1) displayed strong activity comparable with the standard kojic acid.     

A comparative study of POSS as synergists with zinc phosphinates for PET fire retardancy

This paper deals with the fire behaviour of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) filled with Exolit OP950, a zinc phosphinate fire retardant, and three polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) having different chemical structures. Regardless of the POSS type, intumescence occurs during combustion, but the insulation properties of the chars produced are different. Best reductions on total heat evolved (THE) and on cumulative CO₂ with no increase in CO emissions are observed when dodecaphenyl POSS is used. This may be related to its thermal degradation pathway, releasing via this process volatile organic species contributing on intumescence and producing an effective protective layer having a foliated structure.     

Identification and Separation of Lead (II), Nickel (II), and Cobalt (II) on Silica Gel 60 F254 High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic Plates with Mixed Aqueous Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate—Oxalic Acid Solvent System

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - The chromatographic separation of three metal cations was performed on high-performance thin-layer plates (silica gel 60F254) with...     

Solving the generalized Burgers–Huxley equation using the Adomian decomposition method

In this paper, a convergence proof of the Adomian decomposition method (ADM) applied to the generalized nonlinear Burgers–Huxley equation is presented. The decomposition scheme obtained from the ADM yields an analytical solution in the form of a rapidly convergent series. The direct symbolic–numeric scheme is shown to be efficient and accurate.     

Computer simulation studies of anisotropic systems XIV. Binary mixtures of liquid crystals

We have simulated the behaviour of a model, binary mixture of nematogens composed of cylindrically symmetric particles using the Monte Carlo technique. The characteristics of the model mixture were chosen to be in accord with most of the assumptions made in the Humphries-James-Luckhurst theory of liquid crystalline mixtures. The results of the simulation experiments allow us to test, for the first time, the validity of the molecular field approximation in this theory. In addition to the second rank long range orientational order parameters for both components of the mixture we have also determined certain orientational pair correlation functions. These enable us to investigate the ability of one component to enhance the order of the other component or the same component in its vicinity.