New ceramic-carbon composites for electrodes for electrochemical capacitors

A new class of composite materials is introduced. Fine powders of silica, titania, Y-modified zirconia, and three types of alumina were pressed and sintered to form porous monoliths with relatively uniform pore structure. Carbon was then deposited in the pores of such monoliths by thermal decomposition of dichloromethane, cyclohexene, and glucose. The structure of the carbon deposit was studied by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption and by thermal analysis. The composite materials were used as electrodes in electrochemical capacitors with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethylsulfonate (a low-temperature ionic liquid) as the electrolyte. High capacitances were observed for glucose-derived materials, which had high specific surface areas.     

Surface activity of commercial food grade modified starches

An attempt to quantitative evaluation of the functionality of food grade chemically modified starches in the emulsion systems by estimation of their surface activity as well as the capability of thickening food products was the main purpose of this present work. It was stated that chemically modified starches reveal higher surface activity at air/water and toluene/water interfaces in comparison to the native starch. The increase of the degree of substitution of polar carboxyl groups as well as rather non-polar acetyl ones results in an enhance of surface activity. Starch sodium octenylsuccinate stands out from other investigated starches, in its excellent capability of lowering surface and interfacial tension. Cross-linked starches reveal excellent stabilisation activity at a pH range of 5.5–7.0 but their surface activity is lower than those of other modified starches. Acetylated starch as well as starch sodium octenylsuccinate reveal satisfactory thickening capability up to pH 4.5 and moreover their surface activity (especially of E 1450) allows us to recommend them as functional constituents of food emulsions. Low thickening capability of oxidised starches rather excluded these derivatives from the group of potential functional additives for food emulsions.     

Calculation and analysis of low frequency normal modes for DNA

Normal mode calculations for two alternating sequence dodecamers in A, B, and Z conformations have been performed in dihedral angle space extended to endocyclic valence angles to account for sugar ring flexibility. Normal modes are analyzed in terms of helicoidal and backbone parameter variations with special attention being paid to global deformations of the double helix such as bending, twisting, or stretching. Results show that the allomorphic form of DNA has the largest influence on the flexibility of the sugar-phosphate backbone. Amplitudes of these vibrations follow the order: B > Z > A. In contrast, the amplitudes of helicoidal parameter variations are much more dependent on the base sequence. Global deformations of the double helix occur with characteristic times in the range of 1 to 10 ps and can be of mixed character, the strongest bending mode being at the same the time strongest stretching mode. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 18: 796–811, 1997     

Composition,Anti-MRSA Activity and Toxicity of Essential Oils from Cymbopogon Species

Many of the essential oils obtained from medicinal plants possess proven antimicrobial activity and are suitable for medicinal purposes and applications in the food industry. The aim of the present work was the chemical analysis of 19 essential oils (EOs) from seven different Cymbopogon species (C. nardus, C. citratus, C winterianus, C. flexuosus, C. schoenanthus, C. martinii, C. giganteus). Five different chemotypes were established by GC/MS and TLC assay. The EOs, as well as some reference compounds, i.e., citronellol, geraniol and citral (neral + geranial), were also tested for their antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by the microdilution method and direct bioautography. The toxicity of EOs was evaluated by Danio rerio ‘Zebrafish’ model assay. All examined EOs showed moderate to high activity against MRSA, with the highest activity noted for C. flexuosus—lemongrass essential oil, both in microdilution and direct autobiography method. Significant difference in the toxicity of the examined EOs was also detected.     

Peptide Charge Derivatization as a Tool for Early Detection of Preeclampsia by Mass Spectrometry—A Comparison with the ELISA Test

Early detection of any preeclampsia biomarkers may lower the risk of mortality, both for a mother and a child. Our study focuses on techniques for preeclampsia biomarker identification by comparing the results of a method using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode (LC-MS/MS) with those by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, as well as by comparing the obtained results with clinical data. In the proposed LC-MS/MS method a tryptic digest peptide charge derivatization strategy was used as a tool for sensitive detection of podocin, i.e., a previously discovered preeclampsia biomarker present in urine samples from pregnant women. Urine samples from pregnant women with diagnosed preeclampsia were collected at different stages of pregnancy and from healthy subjects, and then were analyzed by ELISA test and the proposed method with LC-MS/MS. Charge derivatization of the ε amino group of C-terminal lysine residues in tryptic digests by 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium salt was performed to increase the ionization efficiency in the LC-MS/MS mode. Podocin was identified at the early stage of pregnancy, while its detection using an ELISA test was not possible. The protocol for urine sample preparation was optimized. Our results show that the proposed method by LC-MS/MS in combination with peptide charge derivatization, provides an ultrasensitive tool for diagnosis of preeclampsia, and provides earlier detection than a clinical diagnosis or ELISA test. The proposed solution may revolutionize medical diagnostics.     

Optical characterization of eu-doped and undoped gd(2)o(3) nanoparticles synthesized by the hydrogen flame pyrolysis method

Rare-earth-doped nanoparticles are promising materials for fluorescent labeling, as they are characterized by a high Stokes shift, narrow emission spectra, long lifetimes, minimized photobleaching, and low toxicity. We examined the structural and optical properties of europium-doped gadolinium oxide nanoparticles synthesized by the flame pyrolysis method, with specific emphasis on full spectral characterization and fluorescence kinetics. The emission-excitation characterization revealed the presence of predominantly monoclinic but also highly luminescent cubic phases with a prominent oxygen-to-europium charge-transfer band in the 230-260 nm range. A broad emission band in the visible region, corresponding to a similar band in undoped Gd(2)O(3), related to the matrix surface defects, was observed in time-gated spectroscopy of doped nanopowders. All of the examined nanopowders showed very short decay components, on the order of 2 ns, and much longer millisecond decay times characteristic of lanthanide ions. At intermediate times, on the order of 20-100 ns, a complex behavior of the decay was observed, indicative of progressive energy transfer to the lanthanide ion, which varied with different intrashell transitions. Structural characterization data by means of XRD measurements allowed for unambiguous determination of the Eu:Gd(2)O(3) crystallographic structure and cell dimensions to be consistent with a predominantly monoclinic phase.     

Search of structure and ligands exchange for palladium(II) complexes with N-allylimidazole; X-ray and solid-state/solution NMR studies

Two coordination compounds of palladium(II) with N-allylimidazole (l) of the general formula [PdL₄]Cl₂ · 3H₂O (1) and trans-[PdL₂Cl₂] (2) have been synthesized. The crystal and molecular structure of complexes 1 and 2 was established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The X-ray structural data were supplemented by solid-state ¹³C NMR measurements (CP MAS and PASS 2D). The 1D and 2D NMR studies in solution reveal that complex 1 is unstable at room temperature and undergoes reversible decomposition to 2. The method for how to preserve a complex with four allyl-imidazole ligands in solution is shown.     

Silicone‐urethane membranes for lithium batteries. Part 1. Moisture‐cured poly(siloxane‐urethane‐urea) elastomers containing polyethylene oxide (PEO) segments – synthesis and characterization as potential membrane materials

Poly(siloxane‐urethane‐urea) elastomers containing both polysiloxane and polyethylene oxide (PEO) segments in the polymer chain were obtained by moisture‐curing of NCO‐terminated poly(siloxane‐urethane) prepolymers synthesized from isophorone diisocyanate and mixtures of polyoxyethylene diols and polysiloxane diols with various molecular weights. Mechanical properties of the moisture‐cured films and their swelling ability in solvent mixtures commonly used in lithium batteries were investigated, and it was found that they were greatly influenced by PEO content in the polymer. PEO content in the polymer was also found to affect very much the electric conductivity of the films after immersion in lithium salt solution in ethylene carbonate–dimethyl carbonate solvent mixture. At high contents of PEO in the polymer chain specific conductivities of the films in a range of 10^?3, Scm^?1 could be achieved at room temperature. Based on the results of Scanning Electron Microscopy with X‐ray Analysis (SEM/EDS) investigations and wide‐angle X‐ray scattering and small‐angle X‐ray scattering studies, it could be anticipated that the reason for good conductivity of the films might be their specific supramolecular structure that potentially facilitated lithium ion mobility. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

From Single Molecule to Crystal: Mapping Out the Conformations of Tartaric Acids and Their Derivatives

Stereoisomers of one of the most important organic compounds, tartaric acid, optically active and meso as well as the ester or amide derivatives, can show diverse structures related to the rotation around the three carbon–carbon bonds. This study determines the controlling factors for conformational changes of these molecules in vacuo, in solution, and in the crystalline state using DFT calculations, spectroscopic measurements, and X‐ray diffraction. All structural variations can be logically accounted for by the possibility of formation and breaking of hydrogen bonds between the hydroxy or amide donors and oxygen acceptors, among these the hydrogen bonds that close five‐membered rings being the most stable. These findings are useful in designing molecular and crystal structures of highly polar, polyfunctional, chiral compounds.     

Detection and quantitation of a pheomelanin component in melanin pigments using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry system with multiple reaction monitoring mode

Here, we describe the reliable method for the detection and quantitation of a pheomelanin component in melanin pigments. Synthetic melanins with various contents of pheomelanin-type structural units were thermally degraded, and the multiple reaction monitoring mode was applied to detect the pheomelanin markers in the pyrolysates by GC/MS/MS. The method allowed the specific detection and quantitation of a pheomelanin component in melanin with the incorporation of pheomelanin-type units as low as 0.05%. Considering highly universal character of the pheomelanin markers, the method could be applied for structural studies of natural melanin pigments being mixtures of eumelanin and pheomelanin.