Synthesis and characterization of two new bulky tris(mercaptoimidazolyl)borate ligands and their zinc and cadmium complexes

The sodium salts of the tris(2-mercapto-1-benzylimidazolyl)borate [Tm^Bz]⁻ and tris(2-mercapto-1-p-tolylimidazolyl)borate [Tm^p-Tol]⁻ anions have been readily prepared in very good yield from NaBH₄ and 2-mercapto-1-benzylimidazole or 2-mercapto-1-p-tolylimidazole, respectively. These new monoanionic tripodal sulfur-donor ligands have been used to prepare the Group 12 derivatives (Tm^R)MBr (M=Zn, Cd; R=Bz, p-Tol), all of which have been characterized by a combination of analytical and spectroscopic techniques, including electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI MS) and, in the case of both benzyl-substituted derivatives, single-crystal X-ray diffraction.     

Pulsed Electrical Discharges in Water: Can Non-volatile Compounds Diffuse into the Plasma Channel?

The objective of this research effort is to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how molecules get degraded in plasma during an electrical discharge in water. The study correlates the intensity of hydroxyl (OH) radicals in the plasma and physicochemical properties of aqueous solutions of methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, acetone, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dimethyl formamide (DMF), phenol, hydroquinone, caffeine, and bisphenol A (BPA). To determine the tendency of the used compounds to penetrate the plasma, their vapor pressures, Henry’s constants, aqueous solubilities, reaction rate constants with OH radicals, and octanol–water partition coefficients are compared and correlated with plasma spectroscopic and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) measurements. OH radicals are precursors to the formation of hydrogen peroxide and any compound that diffuses into the plasma will react with and lower the intensity of OH radicals and therefore the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the bulk liquid. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) reveals that all the used compounds diffuse inside the plasma channel regardless of their vapor pressure where they get oxidized (primarily by OH radicals) and thermally degraded. Results also indicate that hydrophobicity (i.e., octanol–water partition coefficient) is the most important property that determines a compound’s tendency to diffuse inside the plasma channel; hydrophobic compounds readily penetrate the plasma whereas hydrophilic compounds tend to stay in the bulk liquid. The rate of formation of hydrogen peroxide is independent of the type of the compound present in the bulk liquid which confirms that this molecule is formed at the plasma interface.     

Purification and Characterization of Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) from Swiss Black,Holstein, and Montofon Bovines

Paraoxonase 1 (PON1: EC 3.1.8.1) is a calcium-dependent enzyme associated with high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) and has a protective effect against oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) in mammals. PON1 is the best-studied member of a family of enzymes called serum paraoxonases, or PONs, identified in mammals and other vertebrates as well as in invertebrates. PONs exhibit a range of important activities, including drug metabolism and detoxification of organophosphates such as nerve agents. This study reports, for the first time, purification and biochemical characterization of serum PON1 from different bovine breeds namely Swiss Black, Holstein, and Montofon. Bovine serum PON1s were purified using ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by Sepharose-4B-l-tyrosine-1-naphthylamine hydrophobic interaction chromatography. SDS–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzymes indicates a single band with an apparent MW of 43 kDa. The purified enzymes had a specific activity of 10.78, 27.00, and 22.38 U/mg for Swiss Black, Holstein, and Montofon bovines, respectively. The overall purification rates of our method were 262.47-, 2,476.90-, and 538.06-fold for Swiss Black, Holstein, and Montofon bovines, respectively. Furthermore, using phenyl acetate as a substrate, we determined the K _M and V _max values of the purified enzymes, as 0.80 mM, 1428.5 U/ml for Swiss Black; 0.40 mM, 714.3 U/ml for Holstein; and 0.50 mM, 1,111.1 U/ml for Montofon bovine. The present study has revealed that there is no substantial difference in PON1 activities among the studied bovine breeds.     

Lipase Production in Solid-State Fermentation Monitoring Biomass Growth of Aspergillus niger Using Digital Image Processing

The aim of this study was to monitor the biomass growth of Aspergillus niger in solid-state fermentation (SSF) for lipase production using digital image processing technique. The strain A. niger 11T53A14 was cultivated in SSF using wheat bran as support, which was enriched with 0.91% (m/v) of ammonium sulfate. The addition of several vegetable oils (castor, soybean, olive, corn, and palm oils) was investigated to enhance lipase production. The maximum lipase activity was obtained using 2% (m/m) castor oil. In these conditions, the growth was evaluated each 24 h for 5 days by the glycosamine content analysis and digital image processing. Lipase activity was also determined. The results indicated that the digital image process technique can be used to monitor biomass growth in a SSF process and to correlate biomass growth and enzyme activity. In addition, the immobilized esterification lipase activity was determined for the butyl oleate synthesis, with and without 50% v/v hexane, resulting in 650 and 120 U/g, respectively. The enzyme was also used for transesterification of soybean oil and ethanol with maximum yield of 2.4%, after 30 min of reaction.     

Analysis of underivatized cellodextrin oligosaccharides by capillary electrophoresis with direct photochemically induced UV‐detection

This work focuses on the development of a CE method allowing, for the first time, the simultaneous separation of the underivatized first seven cellodextrin oligomers (glucose, cellobiose, cellotriose, cellotetraose, cellopentaose, cellohexaose, and celloheptaose), with a view to analyze the hydrolysates obtained after partial acid depolymerization of nitrocellulose, and eight carbohydrates (ribose, xylose, fructose, mannose, galactose, maltose, lactose, and sucrose), which might be potential interfering compounds in explosives samples. Separation was achieved with a highly alkaline BGE containing sodium chloride and direct mid‐UV‐absorbance detection was performed after photo‐oxidation in the detection window. EOF was reversed to speed up the analysis using a dynamic capillary coating by hexadimethrine bromide. A central composite design was carried out to determine the effects of BGE conductivity and sodium hydroxide concentration on resolutions between neighboring peaks, and analysis time. A desirability analysis on modeled responses was applied to maximize resolutions and to minimize analysis time. The simultaneous analysis in 20 min total runtime of the 15 carbohydrates plus internal reference (naphthalene sulfonate) was carried out at 25°C with a BGE composed of 77.4 mM NaOH and 183 mM NaCl to adjust the conductivity at the optimum value. Finally, the resolution robustness was checked. This new method should also be of interest to monitor food and nonfood crop products.     

On asymptotically equivalent difference sequences with respect to a modulus function

This paper presents new definitions which are a natural combination of the definition for asymptotically equivalence and Δ ^m -lacunary strongly summable with respect to a modulus f. Using this definitions we have proved the (f, Δ ^m )-asymptotically equivalence and Δ ^m -lacunary statistical asymptotically equivalence analogues of theorems of Tripathy and Et (Stud Univ Babe?-Bolyai Math (1):119–130, 2005) and Çolak’s theorems (Filomat 17:9–14, 2003).     

The prime dicompletion of a di-uniformity on a plain texture

Working within a plain texture (S,S), the authors construct a completion of a dicovering uniformity υ on (S,S) in terms of prime S-filters. In case υ is separated, a separated completion is then obtained using the T₀-quotient, and it is shown that this construction produces a reflector. For a totally bounded di-uniformity it is verified that these constructions lead to dicompactifications of the uniform ditopology. A condition is given under which complementation is preserved on passing to these completions, and an example on the real texture (R,R,ρ) is presented.     

Analysis and Review of Chemical Reactions and Transport Processes in Pulsed Electrical Discharge Plasma Formed Directly in Liquid Water

Electrical discharges formed directly in liquid water include three general cases where (a) streamer-like plasma channels form in, but do not span, the electrode gap, (b) spark discharges produce transient plasma channels that span the electrode gap, and (c) arc discharges form plasma channels with relatively longer life times. Other factors including the input energy (from <1?J/pulse to >1?kJ/pulse) as well as solution properties and the rates of energy delivery affect the nature of the discharge channels. An understanding of the formation of chemical species, including the highly reactive hydroxyl radical and more stable molecular species such as hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide, in such plasma requires determination of temporal and spatial variations of temperature, pressure, plasma volume, and electrical characteristics including current, voltage (electric field), and plasma conductivity. In spark and arc discharges analysis of the physical processes has focused on hydrodynamic and thermal characterization, while only a limited amount of work has connected these physical processes to chemical reactions. On the other hand, the most successful model of the chemical reactions in streamer-like discharges relies on simple assumptions concerning the temperature and pressure in the plasma channels, while analysis of the physical processes is more limited. This paper reviews the literature on the mathematical modeling of electrical discharges in liquid water spanning the range from streamer-like to spark and arc discharges, and compares the properties and processes in these electrical discharges to those in electron beam radiolysis and ultrasound.     

Structural characteristics of the tendinous cord–papillary muscle junction in healthy and hypertensive rats

Although the myotendinous junction (MTJ) of skeletal striated muscle is well known, more detailed studies regarding the structure of the cardiac MTJ are scarce. The objective of the present study was to investigate the morphological characteristics of the MTJ in hearts of healthy and hypertensive (SHR) female rats using histological, ultrastructural and three-dimensional (SEM) methods, as well as to evaluate the expression of vinculin by immunofluorescence. In the two groups, light microscopy showed branching tendinous cords and collagen bundles penetrating the apex of the finger-like projections of the papillary muscle. SEM analysis revealed an enlarged apex of the papillary muscle in SHR which was not observed in healthy animals. The loss of force transmission appears to be compensated by the amplified connection between the papillary muscle and valvular collagen. A large number of intercalated disks close to the fiber apex, small amounts of an amorphous intercellular substance and numerous vesicles were observed in SHR. In these animals, the expression of vinculin was more marked showing a regular distribution and a pattern of transverse striations along the sarcolemma. The presence of this protein in transverse bands suggests that vinculin surrounds myofibrils in the region of the Z band. Vinculin staining was also more marked in the region of the tendinous cord–papillary muscle junctions of SHR compared to control animals. Vinculin was quantified by electrophoresis and higher amounts of this protein were observed in SHR compared to control animals.     

Macroscopic and microscopic aspects of the temporomandibular joint related to its clinical implication

In order to obtain a precise diagnosis and treatment for temporomandibular dysfunctions, it is necessary to have morphological and functional knowledge of the temporomandibular joint. Anatomic components are important to the understanding of the complexity of temporomandibular joint. Nonetheless, just as important are the anatomic relationships that this joint has with the neighboring structures. Thus, the aim of this study was to present the anatomic relationships of the temporomandibular joint in its various surfaces: external or lateral, anterior, posterior, medial, superior, and posterosuperior, considering the morphological and histological aspects. Nine human heads, fixed in formalin (10%) underwent sagittal medial section and were subsequently dissected, evidencing the anatomic components of all surfaces to be analyzed. Components of the external surface were: skin, subcutaneous tissue, lymphatic ganglia, parotid gland, superficial temporal artery, transverse facial artery, zygomatic-orbital artery, superficial temporal vein, facial and auriculotemporal nerves, masseter muscle, and pre-auricular lymphonodus. The anterior surface comprised the masseter and lateral pterygoid muscles (upper and inferior heads), pterygoid venous plexus, mandibular notch, posterior deep temporal artery, masseteric nerve, and deep posterior temporal branches. Medial surface components were: internal maxillary artery, of which middle meningeal artery was one of the closest branches to the TMJ, anterior tympanic artery, inferior alveolar, lingual, auriculotemporal, and chorda tympani nerves, which belonged to the surface posterior to the anterior wall of the auditory duct; auricolotemporal nerve, parotid gland; and petrotympanic fissure. The cerebral fossa (meninges and encephalon) belonged to the superior surface and the ear belonged to the posterosuperior surface. Histologically, the temporomandibular joint is composed by different tissues that compound the mandibular head, mandibular fossa, and articular eminence of the temporomandibular joint. It was concluded that the temporomandibular joint is a complex structure and the clinician must have the ability to formulate the diagnosis based on the understanding of morphological aspects of the structures that compose the stomatognatic system.