Triclosan‐based antibacterial paper reinforced with nano‐montmorillonite: a model nanocomposite for the development of new active packaging

In this study, a suitable method is reported to produce reinforced antibacterial paper packaging using the antimicrobial triclosan (TC) and organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) as “model” compounds. Direct incorporation of TC at a concentration of 1 wt% and OMMT at concentrations of 1, 4, 7, and 10 wt% into papers was performed via coating process, and the resulting materials were characterized by in vitro antimicrobial assays, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, mechanical tests, and water vapor transmission rate determinations. It was demonstrated that the presence of 1% TC in the coated papers exhibited inhibitory effects against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. It was also pointed out that increases of approximately 30% in the tensile strength of commercial paper are obtained by using the OMMT at a concentration of 1 wt%. Water barrier property and thermal stability of paper were also enhanced because of the coating process and the incorporation of OMMT. The results from this study demonstrate that OMMT has a great potential to be incorporated into coating formulations to obtain antibacterial‐coated papers with improved properties for various packaging applications. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relevance of gaseous flows in electrochemically assisted soil thermal remediation

Treatment of polluted soil is one of the priorities in the search of a more sustainable planet. Electrochemically assisted soil remediation has been considered a good option for removing organic contaminants contained in soil, including the removal of volatile organic compounds, associated with gaseous streams produced during the treatment. Also, recently, electrochemical gas treatment technologies have been appointed as promising for the treatment of volatile organic compounds. In this work, we review the current opinion about the most recent studies in both areas. The first section focuses on the production of gaseous compounds during soil remediation by conventional and electrochemical systems. The second section describes the recent progress in the integration of adsorption and absorption with electrochemical processes. Finally, we discuss the holistic application of assisted electrochemical technologies in soil remediation, considering also emerging processes recently published in the literature.     

Production of metakaolin from industrial cellulose waste

Research focused on the transformation and utilization of industrial wastes into products of commercial interest plays an increasingly important role. Residual pulp can become useful in the manufacture of different materials, providing high value to this waste and reducing its environmental impact when disposed of improperly in the environment. The main constituents of this waste are kaolin and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). Starting from kaolin, metakaolin can be produced by calcination of the residue at 630?°C for 2?h in a rotary reactor with air flow, followed by solubilization with hydrochloric acid to remove the CaCO₃. The development of technological alternatives aimed at the reuse of certain wastes can result in applications of real economic interest to the chemical industry and ceramics and glass, which is the case in this study. The raw material and metakaolin obtained were analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis and derivative thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy with promising results. This is because metakaolin was obtained free of contamination by other materials.     

Normal-mode-vortex interactions

Standing surface waves that interact with a confined, vertical, vorticity field with zero net circulation are studied both analytically and experimentally. The surface waves are generated by vertical vibration, and constant vorticity injection is achieved by a rotating disk flush mounted in the cell. Experimental results are indicative of a local wave-vortex interaction (no dislocation), and a simple theoretical model is able to explain them in quantitative detail.     

Localized states in polymeric molecules III The electronic structure of polyacetylene

The Transfer Matrix approach is used to treat the relaxed defect problem in trans-polyacetylene. We use a particular choice of parametrization for the hopping integrals, which is related to the existence of solitons in this material, to discuss its electronic structure. We obtain closed expressions for the density of states and for the wavefunctions associated to the localized state at any site of the chain.     

Preparation and characterization of Co80Nb20-xBx amorphous metallic ribbons

Co₈₀Nb₁₄B₆, Co₈₀Nb₁₂B₈ and Co₈₀Nb₁₀B₁₀ amorphous alloys were obtained through the melt-spinning process. The ribbons structure was investigated by X-ray diffractometry and the crystallization process and the thermal stability were studied by means of differential thermal analysis and thermomechanical technique. It was observed that the crystallization temperature depends on the alloy composition and occurs in a temperature range between 420 and 730°C. The coercive field of all alloys was determined by magnetic susceptibility measurements, the values of which range from 2.78 to 5.95 A m^-1. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Byte structure variable length coding (BS-VLC): a new specific algorithm applied in the compression of trajectories generated by molecular dynamics

Molecular dynamics is a well-known technique very much used in the study of biomolecular systems. The trajectory files produced by molecular dynamics simulations are extensive, and the classical lossless algorithms give poor efficiencies in their compression. In this work, a new specific algorithm, named byte structure variable length coding (BS-VLC), is introduced. Trajectory files, obtained by molecular dynamics applied to trypsin and a trypsin:pancreatic trypsin inhibitor complex, were compressed using four classical lossless algorithms (Huffman, adaptive Huffman, LZW, and LZ77) as well as the BS-VLC algorithm. The results obtained show that BS-VLC nearly triplicates the compression efficiency of the best classical lossless algorithm, preserving a near lossless behavior. Compression efficiencies close to 50% can be obtained with a high degree of precision, and the maximum efficiency possible (75%), within this algorithm, can be performed with good precision.     

Dynamics of Si-H vibrations in an amorphous environment

We present results of the first vibrational photon-echo, transient-grating, and temperature dependent transient-bleaching experiments on a-Si:H. Using these techniques, and the infrared light of a free electron laser, the vibrational population decay and phase relaxation of the Si-H stretching mode were investigated. Careful analysis of the data indicates that the vibrational energy relaxes directly into Si-H bending modes and Si phonons, with a distribution of rates determined by the amorphous host. Conversely, the pure dephasing appears to be single exponential, and can be modeled by dephasing via two-phonon interactions.     

Photooxidation of glycated and non‐glycated phosphatidylethanolamines monitored by mass spectrometry

Phosphatidylethanolamines (PE) are one of the major components of cells membranes, namely in skin and in retina, that are continuously exposed to solar UV radiation being major targets of photooxidation damage. In addition, due to the presence of the free amine group, PE can also undergo glycation, in hyperglycemic conditions which may increase the susceptibility to oxidation. The aim of this study is to develop a model, based on mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, to identify photooxidative degradation of selected PE (POPE: PE 16:0/18:1, PLPE: PE 16:0/18:2, PAPE: PE 16:0/20:4) and glycated PEs due to UV irradiation. Photooxidation products were analysed by electrospray ionization MS (ESI‐MS) and tandem MS (ESI‐MS/MS) in positive and negative mode. Emphasis is placed in the influence of glycation in the generation of distinct photooxidation products. ESI‐MS spectra of PE after UV photo‐irradiation showed mainly hydroperoxy derivatives, due to oxidation of unsaturated fatty acyl chains. Glycated PE gave rise to several new photooxidation products formed due to oxidative cleavages of the glucose moiety, namely between C1 and C2, C2 and C3, and C5 and C6 of this sugar unit. These new products were identified by ESI‐MS/MS in positive mode showing distinct neutral loss depending on the different structure of the polar head group. These new identified advanced glycated photooxidation products may have a deleterious role in the etiology of diabetic retinopathy and in diabetic retinal microvascular complications. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.