Forced convex mean curvature flow in Euclidean spaces

We show the mean curvature flow of convex hypersurfaces in Euclidean spaces with a general forcing term may shrink to a point in finite time if the forcing term is small, or exist for all times and expand to infinity if the forcing term is large enough. The flow can converge to a round sphere in special cases. Long time existence and convergence of the normalization of the flow are studied.     

In Vitro Proof of Concept of a First-Generation Growth-Accommodating Heart Valved Conduit for Pediatric Use

Currently available heart valve prostheses have no growth potential, requiring children with heart valve diseases to endure multiple valve replacement surgeries with compounding risks. This study demonstrates the in vitro proof of concept of a biostable polymeric trileaflet valved conduit designed for surgical implantation and subsequent expansion via transcatheter balloon dilation to accommodate the growth of pediatric patients and delay or avoid repeated open-heart surgeries. The valved conduit is formed via dip molding using a polydimethylsiloxane-based polyurethane, a biocompatible material shown here to be capable of permanent stretching under mechanical loading. The valve leaflets are designed with an increased coaptation area to preserve valve competence at expanded diameters. Four 22 mm diameter valved conduits are tested in vitro for hydrodynamics, balloon dilated to new permanent diameters of 23.26 ± 0.38 mm, and then tested again. Upon further dilation, two valved conduits sustain leaflet tears, while the two surviving devices reach final diameters of 24.38 ± 0.19 mm. After each successful dilation, the valved conduits show increased effective orifice areas and decreased transvalvular pressure differentials while maintaining low regurgitation. These results demonstrate concept feasibility and motivate further development of a polymeric balloon-expandable device to replace valves in children and avoid reoperations.     

Dissolvable Carboxymethylcellulose Microneedles for Noninvasive and Rapid Administration of Diclofenac Sodium

The aim of this study is to prepare dissolvable biopolymeric microneedle (MN) patches composed solely of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), a water-soluble cellulose derivative with good film-forming ability, by micromolding technology for the transdermal delivery of diclofenac sodium salt (DCF). The MNs with ≈456 µm in height displayed adequate morphology, thermal stability up to 200 °C, and the required mechanical strength for skin insertion (>0.15 N needle⁻¹). Experiments in ex vivo abdominal human skin demonstrate the insertion capability of the CMC_DCF MNs up to 401 µm in depth. The dissolution of the patches in saline buffer results in a maximum cumulative release of 98% of diclofenac after 40 min, and insertion in a skin simulant reveals that all MNs completely dissolve within 10 min. Moreover, the MN patches are noncytotoxic toward human keratinocytes. These results suggest that the MN patches produced with CMC are promising biopolymeric systems for the rapid administration of DCF in a minimally invasive manner.     

Interaction of human plasma fibrinogen with commercially pure titanium as studied with atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The surface of a biomaterial interacts with the body fluid upon implantation in the human body. The biocompatibility of a material is strongly influenced by the adsorption of proteins onto the surface. Titanium is frequently used as a biomaterial for implants in orthopedics and cardiovascular devices. Understanding the biocompatibility is very important to improve implants. The surface chemistry of an implant material and its influence on the interaction with body fluid is crucial in that perspective. The main goal of this study was to investigate the conformation of human plasma fibrinogen (HPF) adsorbed on commercially pure titanium (CP Ti) on a molecular level by means of ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). With X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy combined with argon ion beam depth profiling, it was shown that the oxide layer present at the surface was mainly composed of TiO2, with a small percentage of Ti2O3. Ex situ AFM imaging showed the conformation of HPF on CP Ti. Single molecules and aggregates of fibrinogen were observed. The trinodular structure of single HPF molecules (two spherical D domains at the distal ends of the extended molecule and the central spherical E domain) adsorbed onto CP Ti was visualized. Aggregate formation through the connection of the D domains of the HPF molecules was observed on CP Ti. The alphaC domains of HPF were not visible on CP Ti. The ex situ AFM images indicated conformational changes of HPF upon adsorption onto CP Ti. The conformation of the adsorbed HPF molecules was different on mica and titanium. The difference in wettability between both substrates caused a larger spread of the protein on the CP Ti surface and thus resulted in a larger perturbation to the native structure of HPF as compared to mica.     

Sol–gel synthesis and structure of silica hybrid materials

In this work the research results on the sol–gel synthesis and structure of silica nanocomposites, containing carrageenan and their application as carriers for cell immobilization were described. The samples were prepared at room temperature by replacing different quantity of the inorganic precursor with κ-carrageenan. For studying the structure of the synthesized hybrids the following methods were used: FT-IR, XRD, BET-Analysis, SEM, AFM and Roughness Analysis. The influence of the type of silicon precursors, nature and quantity of organic component on the structure, surface area, design and size of nanostructures was established. The possibility of application of the synthesized biocatalysts in an enzyme degradation process of the toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic substances benzonitrile, fumaronitrile, o-, m-, and p-tolunitriles was investigated at batch experiments. A two-step biodegradation process in a column bioreactor of fumaronitrile was followed. After operation of the system for 8 h at a flow rate 45 mL h^?1 and at 60 °C, the overall conversion was 89%, showing a good stability of the developed process.     

Hydroalumination of selenoacetylenes: a versatile generation and reactions of α-aluminate vinyl selenide intermediates in the highly regio and stereoselective synthesis of telluro(seleno)ketene acetals

The hydroalumination of butylseleno acetylenes with DIBAL-H followed by addition of n-butyllithium generated in situ the (Z)-butylseleno vinyl alanates intermediates which were captured with C₄H₉TeBr furnishing the (E)-telluro(seleno)ketene acetals exclusively. The isomers with opposite stereochemistry (Z)-telluro(seleno)ketene acetals were obtained by the reduction of phenylseleno acetylenes with lithium di-(isobutyl)-n-butyl aluminate hydride (Zweifel’s reagent) followed by reaction of (E)-phenylseleno vinyl alanates intermediates with C₄H₉TeBr.     

Desulfuration and Cyclization of (Z)‐2‐[Amino(pyridine‐2‐yl)methylene]‐ hydrazonecarbothioamide in the Presence of Manganese(II)

The reaction of (Z)‐2‐[amino(pyridine‐2‐yl)methylene]hydrazonecarbothioamide (HAm4DH) with Mn(ClO₄)₂·6H₂O afforded different mononuclear or polynuclear manganese(II) complexes, the nature of which apparently depended on the solvent used. For example, in ethanol a compound of formula [Mn(HAm4DH)₂](ClO₄)₂ ( 1 ) was obtained, where HAm4DH coordinates as a common tridentate NNS donor, but the [Mn(bpy)₂(NCS)₂] complex ( 2 ) (bpy = 2,2'‐bipyridine) has also been obtained – probably due to C–N bond cleavage of the thiosemicarbazone. Nevertheless, in a basic aqueous medium [Mn(bpy)₃](ClO₄)₂·0.5bpy ( 3 ) is formed and there is structural evidence for chemical transformations of the thiosemicarbazone promoted by Mn^II. Thus, the sulfate in {[Mn(py)₄Mn(py)₂(H₂O)₂(μ‐SO₄)₂]·4H₂O}_n ( 4 ) or sulfate and cyclooctasulfur in [Mn(pta)₂(pdo)]₄(SO₄)₂·4H₂O·S₈] ( 5 ), where pta is 3‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐1,2,4‐triazol‐5‐amine and pdo is (2R,4R/2S,4S)‐pentane‐2,4‐diolato, arise from the desulfuration and oxidation of the thiosemicarbazone ligand. The structures of complexes 2 to 5 were established by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The formation of pta is the result of the oxidative cyclization of HAm4DH. In the polynuclear complex 4 , the sulfate acts as an (O,O') bridge between alternating Mn(py)₂(H₂O)₂ and Mn(py)₄ centers. In the tetranuclear complex 5 , pta acts as a bischelating ligand through the N‐pyridine and N‐triazole, and pdo act as a bridge between two manganese atoms. It is also noteworthy that in complexes 4 and 5 hydrogen bonds give rise to different self‐assembly behaviour that leads to complicated supramolecular structures.     

Transient dimer formation in supercritical carbon dioxide as seen from Raman scattering

The polarized and depolarized Raman profiles of supercritical CO(2) have been measured in the region of the nu(2) bending mode (forbidden transition at about 668 cm(-1)) and for the Fermi dyad (1285 and 1388 cm(-1)) along the isotherms 307, 309, 313, and 323 K in a reduced density domain 0.04相似文献   

Synthesis and biological evaluation of guanidine-type iminosugars

The preparation of carbohydrate mimics in which the endocyclic oxygen has been replaced by a guanidine-type nitrogen atom is reported. The synthetic strategy involves the furanose --> piperidine rearrangement of 5-deoxy-5-guanidino-L-idose precursors. The reaction proceeds through elimination of water to give 3-oxopiperidines, which were isolated as the corresponding hydrates. Biological evaluation of the new glycomimetics evidenced a strong influence of the nature of the substituents at the nitrogen atoms on the glycosidase inhibitory properties.