On the Effects of UV Radiation on the Release Ability of Glucose Embedded in Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Films

New drug delivery systems based on hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and different percents of glucose were prepared and characterized to check their suitability as UV resistant patches. The spectral absorption properties of the HPC and HPC-glucose blends before and after UV irradiation were analyzed. The surface polarity and hydrophilicity were correlated with the morphology of the films and analyzed with respect to the UV exposure time and the embedded amount of glucose. The effects of UV radiation on in vitro evaluation of glucose release from the HPC films are reported. The mechanism involved in the drug release process, evaluated using the Korsmeyer-Peppas equation, was dependent on the introduced amount of glucose and less on the UV exposure time. A more polar, smoother, and less dense surface releases the glucose over larger periods of time, making the system with lower percents of glucose more adequate for the pursued purpose.     

Shedding light on the structure of a photoinduced transient excimer by time-resolved diffraction

Time-resolved single-crystal diffraction performed with synchrotron radiation shows that the 53(1) micros phosphorescent state, generated in the crystalline phase of trimeric {[3,5-(CF3)(2)Pyrazolate]Cu}(3) molecules by exposure to 355 nm of light at 17 K, is due to the formation of an excimer rather than the shortening of the intramolecular Cu...Cu distances within the trimeric units, or the formation of a continuous chain of interacting molecules. One of the intermolecular Cu...Cu distances contracts by 0.56 Angstroms from 4.018(1) to 3.46(1) Angstroms;, whereas the interplanar spacing of the trimers is reduced by 0.65 Angstroms; from 3.952(1) to 3.33(1) Angstroms. Density-functional theory calculations support the formation of a Cu...Cu bond through the intermetallic transfer of a Cu 3d electron to a molecular orbital with a large 4p contribution on the reacting Cu atoms.     

Two-phase channel structures based on alpha-cyclodextrin-polyethylene glycol inclusion complexes

Wide-angle X-ray scattering observations of alpha-cyclodextrin (CD)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) inclusion complexes (ICs) have shown for the first time that two crystalline columnar modifications (forms I and II) are produced in the process of their formation. This was made possible by precise azimuthal X-ray diffraction scanning of oriented IC samples. Form I is characterized by CDs threaded onto PEG chains and arranged along channels in the order head-to-head/tail-to-tail, while form II is formed by unbound CDs also arranged into columns in a head-to-tail and also possibly a head-to-head/tail-to-tail manner, probably as a result of template crystallization on the form I IC crystals. It was shown that similar structural peculiarities are inherent for channel structures based on ICs obtained with PEG with a wide range of molecular weights (MWs). The characteristic feature of ICs based on PEG, especially with MW > 8000, is the presence of unbound polymer in the composition of the complex. The amount of unbound PEG was shown to rise with increasing MW of PEG, resulting in greater imperfections in the IC crystalline structure. The polyblock structure of ICs based on alpha-CD and PEG was therefore proposed.     

Selected isotope ratio measurements of light metallic elements (Li, Mg, Ca, and Cu) by multiple collector ICP-MS

The unique capabilities of multiple collector inductively coupled mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) for high precision isotope ratio measurements in light elements as Li, Mg, Ca, and Cu are reviewed in this paper. These elements have been intensively studied at the Geological Survey of Israel (GSI) and other laboratories over the past few years, and the methods used to obtain high precision isotope analyses are discussed in detail. The scientific study of isotopic fractionation of these elements is significant for achieving a better understanding of geochemical and biochemical processes in nature and the environment.     

Local Energy Statistics in Spin Glasses

Recently, Bauke and Mertens conjectured that the local statistics of energies in random spin systems with discrete spin space should in most circumstances be the same as in the random energy model. We review some rigorous results confirming the validity of this conjecture. In the context of the SK models, we analyse the limits of the validity of the conjecture for energy levels growing with the volume of the system. In the case of the Generalised Random energy model, we give a complete analysis for the behaviour of the local energy statistics at all energy scales. In particular, we show that, in this case, the REM conjecture holds exactly up to energies E _N < β _c N, where β _c is the critical temperature. We also explain the more complex behaviour that sets in at higher energies. Research supported in part by the DFG in the Dutch-German Bilateral Research Group “Mathematics of Random Spatial Models from Physics and Biology” and by the European Science Foundation in the Programme RDSES.     

Synthesis and structures of silicon-, germanium- and tin-containing tungsten imido alkyl complexes (ArN)2W(CH2EMe3)2 (E = Si, Ge, Sn)

The novel silicon-, germanium- and tin-containing imido alkyl complexes of tungsten of the type (ArN)₂W(CH₂EMe₃)₂ (; E = Si (1), Ge (2), Sn (3)) have been prepared by the reactions of (ArN)₂WCl₂(dme) (dme = 1,2-dimethoxyethane) with heteroelement-containing alkyllithium or Grignard reagents Me₃ECH₂Li (E = Si, Ge), Me₃ECH₂MgCl (E = Ge, Sn). The title compounds were isolated in high yields as crystalline solids and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H, ¹³C, ²⁹Si and ¹¹⁹Sn NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction studies. The geometry of the W atoms in the compounds can be described as a distorted tetrahedron.     

Large‐acceptance diamond planar refractive lenses manufactured by laser cutting

For the first time, single‐crystal diamond planar refractive lenses have been fabricated by laser micromachining in 300 µm‐thick diamond plates which were grown by chemical vapour deposition. Linear lenses with apertures up to 1 mm and parabola apex radii up to 500 µm were manufactured and tested at the ESRF ID06 beamline. The large acceptance of these lenses allows them to be used as beam‐conditioning elements. Owing to the unsurpassed thermal properties of single‐crystal diamond, these lenses should be suitable to withstand the extreme flux densities expected at the planned fourth‐generation X‐ray sources.