White Tea Intake Abrogates Markers of Streptozotocin-Induced Prediabetes Oxidative Stress in Rat Lungs’

Prediabetes (PrDM) is a prodromal stage of diabetes mellitus (DM) with an increasing prevalence worldwide. During DM progression, individuals gradually develop complications in various organs. However, lungs are suggested to be affected later than other organs, such as the eyes, heart or brain. In this work, we studied the effects of PrDM on male Wistar rats’ lungs and whether the regular consumption of white tea (WTEA) for 2 months contributes to the improvement of the antioxidant profile of this tissue, namely through improved activity of the first line defense antioxidant enzymes, the total antioxidant capacity and the damages caused in proteins, lipids and histone H2A. Our data shows that PrDM induced a decrease in lung superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities and histone H2A levels and an increase in protein nitration and lipid peroxidation. Remarkably, the regular WTEA intake improved lung antioxidant enzymes activity and total antioxidant capacity and re-established the values of protein nitration, lipid peroxidation and histone H2A. Overall, this is the first time that lung is reported as a major target for PrDM. Moreover, it is also the first report showing that WTEA possesses relevant chemical properties against PrDM-induced lung dysfunction.     

All-electron segmented contraction basis sets of triple zeta valence quality for the fifth-row elements

All-electron contracted Gaussian basis set of triple zeta valence quality plus polarisation functions (TZP) for the elements Cs, Ba, La, and from Hf to Rn is presented. Douglas–Kroll–Hess (DKH) basis set for fifth-row elements is also reported. We have recontracted the original TZP basis set, i.e., the values of the contraction coefficients are re-optimised using the second-order DKH Hamiltonian. By addition of diffuse functions (s, p, d, f, and g symmetries), which are optimised for the anion ground states, an augmented TZP basis set is constructed. Using the B3LYP hybrid functional, the performance of the TZP–DKH basis set is assessed for predicting atomic ionisation energy as well as spectroscopy constants of some compounds. Despite its compact size, this set demonstrates consistent, efficient, and reliable performance and will be especially useful in calculations of molecular properties that require explicit treatment of the core electrons.     

Influence of laser repetition rate on ferroelectric properties of pulsed laser deposited BaTiO3 films on platinized silicon substrate

BaTiO₃ thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition on Pt–Si at different laser pulse repetition frequencies. X-ray diffraction spectra show that preferred oriented films can be grown by adjusting the pulse repetition frequency. Enhanced dielectric and ferroelectric properties obtained in films deposited at 1 Hz is attributed to preferred orientation, low strain and homogeneous grain distribution. The films deposited at 1 Hz show an impressive remanent polarization of 21.4 μC/cm² with a coercive field of 70.0 kV/cm. The shift in Curie temperature, which stems from changing the laser pulse repetition frequency, is associated with the strain state in the film.     

Magnetic properties of Zr(FeAl)2 pseudobinaries: A CPA study

An extension of the usual tight binding CPA to include local d-p hybridization induced by sp impurities (Al or Si) is proposed. Coupled self-consistency equations for the d and p effective medium self-energies are established. An application to Zr(Fe_1−xAl_x)₂ pseudobinary is presented.     

Pion mass dependence of the nucleon mass in the chiral quark soliton model

The dependence of the nucleon mass on the mass of the pion is studied in the framework of the chiral quark-soliton model. A remarkable agreement is observed with lattice data from recent full dynamical simulations. The possibility and limitations to use the results from the chiral quark soliton model as a guideline for the chiral extrapolation of lattice data are discussed.     

Sequential Injection Lab‐on‐Valve Procedure for the Determination of Amantadine Using Potentiometric Methods

Amantadine potentiometric detectors were developed, evaluated and incorporated in a SIA‐LOV manifold in order to accomplish the control of pharmaceutical formulations and urine. The electrodes incorporate α‐cyclodextrin as ionophore, dibutyl phthalate or 2‐fluorophenyl 2‐nitrophenyl ether as plasticizers and potassium tetrakis[3,5‐bis‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate (KTFPB) as cationic additive. The slope increased from 61.2 to 63.8 mV decade^?1 and the practical limit of detection from 2.6×10^?6 mol L^?1 to 2.5×10^?5 mol L^?1 when the plasticizer was changed from 2‐fluorophenyl 2‐nitrophenyl ether to dibutyl phthalate. When incorporated in the flow‐manifold the membranes composed by dibutyl phthalate or with 2‐fluorophenyl 2‐nitrophenyl ether presented slopes and a practical limit of detection of 69.8 mV decade^?1 and 1.5×10^?4 mol L^?1 or 73.7 mV decade^?1 and 5.4×10^?5 mol L^?1, respectively. The electrode presented stable responses for over a year, and were highly selective concerning the representative species of the two sample matrices assayed as interferents. Comparison of obtained results with those provided by reference methods and recovery assays, revealed adequate accuracy for control assays.     

Angular correlation measurements in (Ag,In)/CdCr2Se4

We report time differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) measurements above and below the Curie temperature of the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ag, In)/CdCr₂Se₄. The TDPAC spectra for the Ag and In dopants have profound differences which we attribute to distinct site occupations of these impurities in the spinel structure.     

Study of ionizing radiation on the properties of polyamide 6 with fiberglass reinforcement

The use of polymers reinforced with fiberglass is becoming more and more common in the switches for household industries. These compounds perform a good tension resistance to the impact and the humidity absorption being used at the present time and also are in the automobile industry in parts underneath the hood, especially in the radiator frames. The aim of this work is to study the effect of ionizing radiation on the properties of polyamide 6 with fiberglass reinforcement and undergone to different irradiation doses. Samples were prepared and irradiated on JOB 188 accelerator with an electron beam energy of 1.5 MeV in air with different doses and a dose rate of 27.99 kGy/h. Afterward, the properties of the non-irradiated and irradiated polyamide 6 with fiberglass reinforcement were evaluated.     

Tunneling rate for superparamagnetic particles by the instanton method

We derive the tunneling rate for paramagnetic molecules in the context of a collective spin model. By means of path integral methods, an analytical expression is derived. Given the very large spins in question (s3000), the observation of magnetization changes due to pure unitary tunnel effects is unlikely.