Simultaneous determination of catechins, rutin, and gallic acid in Cistus species extracts by HPLC with diode array detection

A simple high-performance liquid chromatography method using a diode array detector (DAD) is developed for the simultaneous analysis of five major catechins: (+)-catechin (C), (-)-epicatechin (EC), (-)-gallocatechin (GCT), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and the phenolic plant metabolites gallic acid (GA) and rutin (RT) in lyophilized extracts of Cistus species. The optimal analytical conditions are investigated to obtain the best resolution and the highest UV sensitivity for the quantitative detection of catechins. The optimized conditions (acetonitrile-phosphate buffer 50mM, pH 2.5, gradient elution system on a C(18) reversed-phase column with a flow rate of 1 mL/min and UV absorbance at 210 nm) allowed a specific and repeatable separation of the studied analytes to be achieved. All compounds are successfully separated within 32 min. Calibration curves are linear in the 2-50 microg/mL range for GCT, C, and EGCG and in the 5-50 microg/mL range for GA, EGC, EC, and RT. The limit of detection values ranged from 0.24 to 0.74 microg/mL. The limit of quantitation limit values ranged from 0.77 to 1.94 microg/mL. The validated method is applied to the determination of the specific phytochemical markers GA, GCT, C, and RT in Cistus incanus and Cistus monspeliensis lyophilised extracts. The recovery values ranged between 78.7% and 98.2%. The described HPLC method appears suitable for the differentiation and determination of the most common catechins together with the glycoside rutin and the phenolic compound gallic acid and can be considered an effective and alternative procedure for the analyses of this important class of natural compounds.     

H2 storage in isostructural UiO-67 and UiO-66 MOFs

The recently discovered UiO-66/67/68 class of isostructural metallorganic frameworks (MOFs) [J. H. Cavka et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2008, 130, 13850] has attracted great interest because of its remarkable stability at high temperatures, high pressures and in the presence of different solvents, acids and bases [L. Valenzano et al. Chem. Mater., 2011, 23, 1700]. UiO-66 is obtained by connecting Zr(6)O(4)(OH)(4) inorganic cornerstones with 1,4-benzene-dicarboxylate (BDC) as linker resulting in a cubic MOF, which has already been successfully reproduced in several laboratories. Here we report the first complete structural, vibrational and electronic characterization of the isostructural UiO-67 material, obtained using the longer 4,4'-biphenyl-dicarboxylate (BPDC) linker, by combining laboratory XRPD, Zr K-edge EXAFS, TGA, FTIR, and UV-Vis studies. Comparison between experimental and periodic calculations performed at the B3LYP level of theory allows a full understanding of the structural, vibrational and electronic properties of the material. Both materials have been tested for molecular hydrogen storage at high pressures and at liquid nitrogen temperature. In this regard, the use of a longer ligand has a double benefit: (i) it reduces the density of the material and (ii) it increases the Langmuir surface area from 1281 to 2483 m(2) g(-1) and the micropore volume from 0.43 to 0.85 cm(3) g(-1). As a consequence, the H(2) uptake at 38 bar and 77 K increases from 2.4 mass% for UiO-66 up to 4.6 mass% for the new UiO-67 material. This value is among the highest values reported so far but is lower than those reported for MIL-101, IRMOF-20 and MOF-177 under similar pressure and temperature conditions (6.1, 6.2 and 7.0 mass%, respectively) [A. G. Wong-Foy et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 3494; M. Dinca and J. R. Long. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 2008, 47, 6766]. Nevertheless the remarkable chemical and thermal stability of UiO-67 and the absence of Cr in its structure would make this material competitive.     

A Fast and Efficient Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Tocopherols in Cow Milk Followed by HPLC Determination

A fast HPLC method with fluorescence detector (FD) was developed for the determination of three tocopherols (TOCs) in milk samples from Modicana cattle breed. The ultrasound-assisted procedure was optimized for the extraction of TOCs prior to HPLC/FD analysis, reducing sample preparation time and allowing a fast quantification of α-tocopherol, δ-tocopherol and γ tocopherol. The optimized ultrasonic extraction combines an efficient and simple saponification at room temperature and a rapid HPLC quantification of TOCs in milk. The precision of the full analytical procedure was satisfactory and the recoveries at three spiked levels were between 95.3% and 87.8%. The linear correlations were evaluated (R² > 0.99) and the relative standard deviation (RSD) values for intra-day and inter-day tests at three spiked levels were below 1% for the retention time and below 5.20% for the area at low level spiking. The proposed procedure, reducing the experimental complexity, allowed accurate extraction and detection of three TOCs in milk samples from Modicana cattle breed.     

Synthesis of nanocrystalline nickel ferrite by thermal decomposition of organic precursors

Nickel ferrite powders were synthesized by thermal decomposition of the precursors obtained in the redox reaction between the mixture of Ni(NO₃)₂·6H₂O and Fe(NO₃)₃·9H₂O with polyalcohol: 1,4-butanediol, polyvinyl alcohol and also with their mixture. During this reaction the primary C?COH groups were oxidized at ?CCOOH, while secondary C?COH groups at C=O groups. The carboxylic groups formed coordinate to the present Ni(II) and Fe(III) cations leading to carboxylate type compounds, further used as precursors for NiFe₂O₄. These precursors were characterized by thermal analysis and FT-IR spectrometry. All precursors thermally decomposed up to 350?°C leading to nickel ferrite weakly crystallized. By annealing at higher temperatures, nanocrystalline nickel ferrite powders were obtained, as resulted from XRD. SEM images have evidenced the formation of nanoparticulate powders; these powders present magnetic properties characteristic to the oxidic system formed by magnetic nanoparticles.     

Ternary codes from the strongly regular (45, 12, 3, 3) graphs and orbit matrices of 2-(45, 12, 3) designs

The enumeration of strongly regular graphs with parameters (45, 12, 3, 3) has been completed, and it is known that there are 78 non-isomorphic strongly regular (45, 12, 3, 3) graphs. A strongly regular graph with these parameters is a symmetric (45, 12, 3) design having a polarity with no absolute points. In this paper we examine the ternary codes obtained from the adjacency (resp. incidence) matrices of these graphs (resp. designs), and those of their corresponding derived and residual designs. Further, we give a generalization of a result of Harada and Tonchev on the construction of non-binary self-orthogonal codes from orbit matrices of block designs under an action of a fixed-point-free automorphism of prime order. Using the generalized result we present a complete classification of self-orthogonal ternary codes of lengths 12, 13, 14, and 15, obtained from non-fixed parts of orbit matrices of symmetric (45, 12, 3) designs admitting an automorphism of order 3. Several of the codes obtained are optimal or near optimal for the given length and dimension. We show in addition that the dual codes of the strongly regular (45, 12, 3, 3) graphs admit majority logic decoding.     

Optimal Control Approach to Nonlinear Diffusion Equations Driven by Wiener Noise

The stochastic nonlinear infinite-dimensional equations of gradient type and with additive Wiener noise can be reduced to an optimal convex control problem via Brezis–Ekeland duality device. This approach is illustrated here on a few classes of nonlinear stochastic parabolic equations which are relevant as diffusion models under stochastic Gaussian perturbations, and image restoring technique.     

Stochastic Porous Media Equations and Self-Organized Criticality: Convergence to the Critical State in all Dimensions

If X = X(t, ξ) is the solution to the stochastic porous media equation in O ì R^d, 1 ￡ d ￡ 3,{\mathcal{O}\subset \mathbf{R}^d, 1\le d\le 3,} modelling the self-organized criticality (Barbu et al. in Commun Math Phys 285:901–923, 2009) and X _c is the critical state, then it is proved that ò^￥₀m(O\O^t₀)dt < ￥,\mathbbP-a.s.{\int^{\infty}_0m(\mathcal{O}{\setminus}\mathcal{O}^t_0)dt<{\infty},\mathbb{P}\hbox{-a.s.}} and lim_t?￥ ò_O|X(t)-X_c|dx = l < ￥, \mathbbP-a.s.{\lim_{t\to{\infty}} \int_\mathcal{O}|X(t)-X_c|d\xi=\ell<{\infty},\ \mathbb{P}\hbox{-a.s.}} Here, m is the Lebesgue measure and O^t_c{\mathcal{O}^t_c} is the critical region {x ? O; X(t,x)=X_c(x)}{\{\xi\in\mathcal{O}; X(t,\xi)=X_c(\xi)\}} and X _c (ξ) ≤ X(0, ξ) a.e. x ? O{\xi\in\mathcal{O}}. If the stochastic Gaussian perturbation has only finitely many modes (but is still function-valued), lim_{t ? ￥} ò_K|X(t)-X_c|dx = 0{\lim_{t \to {\infty}} \int_K|X(t)-X_c|d\xi=0} exponentially fast for all compact K ì O{K\subset\mathcal{O}} with probability one, if the noise is sufficiently strong. We also recover that in the deterministic case ℓ = 0.     

Ultrasound influence upon calcium carbonate precipitation on bacterial cellulose membranes

The effect of ultrasonic irradiation (40 kHz) on the calcium carbonate deposition on bacterial cellulose membranes was investigated using calcium chloride (CaCl₂) and sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) as starting reactants. The composite materials containing bacterial cellulose-calcium carbonate were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and color measurements. The polymorphs of calcium carbonate that were deposited on bacterial cellulose membranes in the presence or in the absence of ultrasonic irradiation were calcite and vaterite. The morphology of the obtained crystals was influenced by the concentration of starting solutions and by the presence of ultrasonic irradiation. In the presence of ultrasonic irradiation the obtained crystals were bigger and in a larger variety of shapes than in the absence of ultrasounds: from cubes of calcite to spherical and flower-like vaterite particles. Bacterial cellulose could be a good matrix for obtaining different types of calcium carbonate crystals.     

New Hydrogels Based on Agarose/Phytagel and Peptides

Short aromatic peptide derivatives, i.e., peptides or amino acids modified with aromatic groups, such as 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc), can self-assemble into extracellular matrix-like hydrogels due to their nanofibrillar architecture. Among different types of amino acids, lysine (Lys) and glycine (Gly) are involved in multiple physiological processes, being key factors in the proper growth of cells, carnitine production, and collagen formation. The authors have previously successfully presented the possibility of obtaining supramolecular gels based on Fmoc-Lys-Fmoc and short peptides such as Fmoc-Gly-Gly-Gly in order to use them as a substrate for cell cultures. This paper investigates how the introduction of a gelling polymer can influence the properties of the network as well as the compatibility of the resulting materials with different cell types. A series of hydrogel compositions consisting of combinations of Fmoc-Lys-Fmoc and Fmoc-Gly-Gly-Gly with Agarose and Phytagel are thus obtained. All compositions form structured gels as shown by rheological studies and scanning electron microscopy. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis evidences the formation of H-bonds between the polysaccharides and amino acids or short peptides. Moreover, all gels exhibit good cell viability on fibroblasts as demonstrated by a live-dead staining test and good in vivo biocompatibility, which highlights the great potential of these biomaterials for biomedical applications.