Electromechanical properties of laminated piezoelectric composites

The general expressions for the effective elastic, piezoelectric, and dielectric coefficients of a laminated piezocomposite composed of laminates in parallel connection are shown. By means of the asymptotic averaging method [12] these effective coefficients are calculated. The effective coefficients as well as physical properties such as electromechanical piezoelectric coupling coefficients, acoustic impedance, and wave velocity for a two-phase composite, where one phase is ceramic and the other one is polymer, are analyzed. A comparison with another results is shown.Presented at the Ninth International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials, Riga, October, 1995.Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 410–417, May–June, 1996.     

Quenching of superoxide ions by curcumin. A mechanistic study in acetonitrile

The quenching of superoxide ions, O2.-, by curcumin has been studied by electrogenerating this anion radical from oxygen dissolved in acetonitrile solvent (that is, at best, a mimic of the lipofilic layer of biological membranes), containing known amounts of curcumin. Voltammetric tests, combined with coulometric and spectrophotometric measurements, pointed out that each mol of curcumin is able to react with six mols of such anion radical, through a process initiated by an acid-base step, which provides the perhydroxyl radical, HO2.; that disproportionates rapidly to the anionic form of hydrogen peroxide, HO2-, and oxygen, which is thus partially regenerated. At the same time, curcumin is converted to the corresponding three-charged anion. The strict resemblance existing between the mechanism of the rapid superoxide radical decay caused by curcumin and that involved in the presence of the superoxodismutase enzyme (SOD) is also underlined.     

Oriented attachment and membrane reconstitution of His-tagged cytochrome c oxidase to a gold electrode: in situ monitoring by surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy

A novel concept is introduced for the oriented incorporation of membrane proteins into solid supported lipid bilayers. Recombinant cytochrome c oxidase solubilized in detergent was immobilized on a chemically modified gold surface via the affinity of its histidine-tag to a nickel-chelating nitrilo-triacetic acid (NTA) surface. The oriented protein monolayer was reconstituted into the lipid environment by detergent substitution. The individual steps of the surface modification, including (1) chemical modification of the gold support, (2) adsorption of the protein, and (3) reconstitution of the lipid bilayer, were followed in situ by means of surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS) and accompanied by normal-mode analysis. The high surface sensitivity of SEIRAS allows for the identification of each chemical reaction process within the monolayer at the molecular level. Finally, full functionality of the surface-tethered cytochrome c oxidase was demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry after binding of the natural electron donor cytochrome c.     

Palladium(II) complexes of (t-butyl salicylidene) diphenyl disulfide diamine: synthesis,structure, spectral characterization and catalytic properties

The hexadentate N₂S₂O₂ donor ligand N,N’-bis(3,5-tert-butylsalicylidene) diphenyl disulfide-2,2’-diamine was synthesised by the condensation of 2-aminophenyl disulfide and 3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde and its molecular structure was confirmed by X-ray studies. One of the tert-butyl groups in the Schiff base has rotational disorder around the C–C bond with ratio 0.56:0.44. The palladium complexes were prepared by the direct reaction of PdCl₂(CH₃CN)₂ and Schiff base ligands N,N’-bis (5-tert-butylsalicylidene) diphenyl disulfide-2,2’-diamine and N,N’-bis(3,5-tert-butylsalicylidene) diphenyl disulfide-2,2’-diamine, respectively. The structure of the metal complexes was characterized by physico-chemical and spectroscopic methods. Palladium is in square-planar geometry bonded to imine nitrogen and phenolic O in both the complexes. The catalytic efficiency of the palladium complexes was evaluated in the cross-coupling reactions; Heck-Mizoroki reaction of iodobenzene and methyl acrylate and the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction of phenylboronic acid and iodobenzene, which gave low to moderate yields. Higher conversions were obtained for 2a as catalyst due to the increase in the number of bulky tertiary butyl groups in the structure.

     

Evaluation of Innovative Dried Purée from Jerusalem Artichoke—In Vitro Studies of Its Physicochemical and Health-Promoting Properties

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of Jerusalem artichoke processing methods and drying methods (freeze drying, sublimation drying, vacuum drying) on the basic physicochemical parameters, profiles and contents of sugars and polyphenolic compounds, and health-promoting properties (antioxidant activity, inhibition of the activities of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase) of the produced purée. A total of 25 polyphenolic compounds belonging to hydroxycinnamic phenolic acids (LC-PDA-MS-QTof) were detected in Jerusalem artichoke purée. Their average content in the raw material was at 820 mg/100 g dm (UPLC-PDA-FL) and was 2.7 times higher than in the cooked material. The chemical composition and the health-promoting value of the purées were affected by the drying method, with the most beneficial values of the evaluated parameters obtained upon freeze drying. Vacuum drying could offer an alternative to freeze drying, as both methods ensured relatively comparable values of the assessed parameters.     

Oxidative Stress Is Increased in Combined Oral Contraceptives Users and Is Positively Associated with High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein

Information concerning the mechanisms underlying oxidative stress and low-grade inflammation in young healthy women predisposing eventually to future diseases is scarce. We investigated the relationship of oxidative stress and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in fertile-age women by oral combined contraceptive (OC) use. Caucasian Italian healthy non-obese women (n = 290; 100 OC-users; 190 non-OC-users; mean age 23.2 ± 4.7 years) were analyzed. Blood hydroperoxides, as oxidative stress biomarkers, were assessed by Free Oxygen Radical Test (FORT). Serum hsCRP was determined by an ultra-sensitive method (hsCRP). Markedly elevated oxidative stress (≥400 FORT Units) was found in 77.0% of OC-users and 1.6% of non-OC-users, odds ratio (OR) = 209, 95% CI = 60.9–715.4, p < 0.001. Elevated hsCRP levels ≥ 2.0 mg/L, considered risky for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), were found in 41.0% of OC-users and 9.5% of non-OC-users, OR = 6.6, 95%CI 3.5–12.4, p < 0.001. Hydroperoxides were strongly positively correlated to hsCRP in all women (r_s = 0.622, p < 0.001), in OC-users (r_s = 0.442, p < 0.001), and in non-OC-users (r_s = 0.426, p < 0.001). Women with hydroperoxides ≥ 400 FORT Units were eight times as likely to have hsCRP ≥ 2 mg/L. In non-OC-users only, hydroperoxides values were positively correlated with weight and body mass index, but negatively correlated with red meat, fish and chocolate consumption. Our research is the first finding a strong positive correlation of serum hydroperoxides with hsCRP, a marker of low-grade chronic inflammation, in young healthy women. Further research is needed to elucidate the potential role of these two biomarkers in OC-use associated side-effects, like thromboembolism and other CVDs.     

Synthesis of Fluorescent Naphthoquinolizines via Intramolecular Houben–Hoesch Reaction

The repertoire of synthetic methods leading to aza‐analogues of polycyclic aromatic heterocycles has been enlarged by the discovery of the rearrangement of 10‐substituted benzo[h]quinolines into compounds bearing an azonia‐pyrene moiety. Acid‐mediated intramolecular cyclization of derivatives bearing ‐CH₂CN and ‐CH₂CO₂Et groups led to compounds bearing a 5‐substituted benzo[de]pyrido[3,2,1‐ij]quinolinium core. Advanced photophysical studies including time‐correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and transient absorption spectroscopy of 5‐aminobenzo[de]pyrido[3,2,1‐ij]quinolin‐4‐ium salt and 5H‐benzo[de]pyrido[3,2,1‐ij]quinolin‐5‐one showed their promising optical properties such as high fluorescence quantum yields (37–59 %), which was almost independent of the solvent, and high tenability of the absorption band position upon changing the solvent. The benzo[de]pyrido[3,2,1‐ij]quinolinium salt selectively stains nucleic acids (in the nucleus and mitochondria) in eukaryotic cells.     

Stationary patterns to diffusion problems

In this paper we are giving a complete account, as $\lambda\rightarrow\infty$\nopagenumbers\end , of all possible solutions u to the problem $u_{xx}+\lambda f(u)=0,\;u(0)=u(1)=0$\nopagenumbers\end which satisfy $0\leq u(x)\leq M\;\hbox{in}\; 0 < x<1$\nopagenumbers\end for some fixed $M>0$\nopagenumbers\end . A complete classification of them together with a detailed analysis of their limit profile, including exact location of ‘inner layers’, is given, their stability character is also determined. The analysis is completed by studying the cases where solutions u degenerate at zeros of f and considering also the p‐Laplacian version of the problem where the diffusion term is replaced by the operator $(|u_{x}|^{p‐2}u_x)_x,\;p>1$\nopagenumbers\end . Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Obtaining the steady shear rheological properties and apparent wall slip velocity data of a water-in-oil emulsion from gap-dependent parallel plate viscometry data

A two-stage Tikhonov regularisation procedure has been used to obtain rheological properties for a high internal phase emulsion from gap-dependent steady-state parallel plate shear data. This method is beneficial in that it can convert the steady shear data into rheological property functions. The built-in regularisation parameters of the method are able to keep noise amplification under control. The two-stage method is able to obtain not only the shear stress–shear rate function but also the apparent slip velocity as a function of wall shear stress. The method is such that it obtains the rheological functions over the maximum range of shear rate covered by the data. The results obtained using the new method are compared to those obtained using the vane geometry with good agreement being observed.