Morphology‐Dependent Electrochemical Properties of CuS Hierarchical Superstructures

Hierarchical superstructures formed by self‐assembled nanoparticles exhibit interesting electrochemical properties that can potentially be exploited in Li‐ion batteries (LIBs) as possible electrode materials. In this work, we tested two different morphologies of CuS superstructures for electrodes, namely, tubular dandelion‐like and ball‐like assemblies, both of which are composed of similar small covellite nanoparticles. These two CuS morphologies are characterized by their markedly different electrochemical performances, suggesting that their complex structures/morphologies influence the electrochemical properties. At 1.12 A g^?1, the cells made with CuS tubular structures delivered about 420 mAh g^?1, and at 0.56 A g^?1, the capacity was as high as about 500 mAh g^?1 with good capacity retention. Their ease of preparation and processing, together with good electrochemical performance, make CuS tubular dandelion‐like clusters attractive for developing low‐cost LIBs based on conversion reactions.     

Simultaneous determination of potassium clavulanate and cefixime in synthetic mixtures by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple, precise, and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of potassium clavulanate and cefixime in synthetic mixture form. The analytes were separated on a C18 column by using 0.03 M disodium hydrogen phosphate buffer (pH 6.5)-methanol (84 + 16, v/v) as the mobile phase with detection at 220 nm. The method exhibited high sensitivity and good linearity in the concentration ranges of 12.5-62.5 and 20-100 microg/mL for potassium clavulanate and cefixime, respectively. The total run time for the 2 components was <8 min, and the average recovery was >101.5% with a relative standard deviation of <1.0%. The proposed method was validated according to guidelines of the International Conference on Harmonization by evaluation of linearity, recovery, selectivity, robustness, limits of detection and quantitation, and within- and between-day precision. The results obtained for the synthetic mixture show that the method is highly precise and accurate for the simultaneous determination of potassium clavulanate and cefixime.     

Preparation,optimization and swelling study of carboxymethyl sago starch (CMSS)–acid hydrogel

In this study, sago starch was modified in order to enhance its physicochemical properties. Carboxymethylation was used to introduce a carboxymethyl group into a starch compound. The carboxymethyl sago starch (CMSS) was used to prepare smart hydrogel by adding acetic acid into the CMSS powder as the crosslinking agent. The degree of substitution of the CMSS obtained was 0.6410. The optimization was based on the gel content and degree of swelling of the hydrogel. In this research, four parameters were studied in order to optimize the formation of CMSS–acid hydrogel. The parameters were; CMSS concentration, acetic acid concentration, reaction time and reaction temperature. From the data analyzed, 76.69% of optimum gel content was obtained with 33.77 g/g of degree of swelling. Other than that, the swelling properties of CMSS–acid hydrogel in different media such as salt solution, different pH of phosphate buffer saline solution as well as acidic and alkaline solution were also investigated. The results showed that the CMSS–acid hydrogel swelled in both alkaline and salt solution, while in acidic or low pH solution, it tended to shrink and deswell. The production of the hydrogel as a smart material offers a lot of auspicious benefits in the future especially related to swelling behaviour and properties of the hydrogel in different types of media.     

Parametric study of FENE and FENE-P models in steady and unsteady flow in a circular pipe using CONNFFESSIT approach

The temporal rheological behavior of FENE and FENE-P models is investigated using the flow in a circular, straight tube. The CONNFFESSIT approach is applied to simulate transient Hagen–Poiseuille flow for different pressure drops and model parameters. The material functions for steady and unsteady flow were extracted and compared with the reported values in the literature when it was available. For the case of the FENE model, where there is no analytical solution, the relationship between model parameters and rheological behavior has been discussed and compared with the FENE-P model.     

Determination of mitragynine in plasma with solid-phase extraction and rapid HPLC–UV analysis, and its application to a pharmacokinetic study in rat

A new solid phase extraction method for rapid high performance liquid chromatography–UV determination of mitragynine in plasma has been developed. Optimal separation was achieved with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile–ammonium acetate buffer, 50 mM at pH 5.0 (50:50, v/v). The method had limits of detection and quantification of 0.025 and 0.050 μg/mL, respectively. The method was accurate and precise for the quantitative analysis of mitragynine in human and rat plasma with within-day and between-day accuracies between 84.0 and 109.6%, and their precision values were between 1.7 and 16.8%. Additional advantages over known methods are related to the solid phase extraction technique for sample preparation which yields a clean chromatogram, a short total analysis time, requires a smaller amount of plasma samples and has good assay sensitivity for bioanalytical application. The method was successfully applied in pharmacokinetic and stability studies of mitragynine. In the present study, mitragynine was found to be fairly stable during storage and sample preparation. The present study showed for the first time the detailed pharmacokinetic profiles of mitragynine. Following intravenous administration, mitragynine demonstrated a biphasic elimination from plasma. Oral absorption of the drug was slow, prolonged and was incomplete, with a calculated absolute oral bioavailability value of 3.03%. The variations observed in previous pharmacokinetic studies after oral administration of mitragynine could be attributed to its poor bioavailability rather than to the differences in assay method, metabolic saturation or mitragynine dose.     

Investigating the interactions of the first 17 amino acid residues of Huntingtin with lipid vesicles using mass spectrometry and molecular dynamics

The first 17 amino acid residues of Huntingtin protein (Nt17 of htt) are thought to play an important role in the protein's function; Nt17 is one of two membrane binding domains in htt. In this study the binding ability of Nt17 peptide with vesicles comprised of two subclasses of phospholipids is studied using electrospray ionization ‐ mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Overall, the peptide is shown to have a greater propensity to interact with vesicles of phosphatidylcholine (PC) rather than phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) lipids. Mass spectra show an increase in lipid‐bound peptide adducts where the ordering of the number of such specie is 1,2‐dioleoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine (DOPC) > 1‐palmitoyl‐2‐oleoyl‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine (POPC) > 1‐palmitoyl‐2‐oleoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3 phosphoethanolamine (POPE). MD simulations suggest that the compactness of the bilayer plays a role in governing peptide interactions. The peptide shows greater disruption of the DOPC bilayer order at the surface and interacts with the hydrophobic tails of lipid molecules via hydrophobic residues. Conversely, the POPE vesicle remains ordered and lipids display transient interactions with the peptide through the formation of hydrogen bonds with hydrophilic residues. The POPC system displays intermediate behavior with regard to the degree of peptide‐membrane interaction. Finally, the simulations suggest a helix stabilizing effect resulting from the interactions between hydrophobic residues and the lipid tails of the DOPC bilayer.     

A new signal processing method to observe weak P and O NMR peaks

In NMR spectroscopy, situations may arise where sample concentrations are below the threshold for FT NMR detection, or sample lability constrains allowable acquisition times. In ³¹P NMR, for example, observation of ¹³C satellites may not be practical under given conditions. For ¹⁷O NMR, which is useful to characterize ¹⁷O-labeled phosphate derivatives, similar considerations may apply, and added factors are the cost of isotopically enriched samples and the requirement to obtain spectra at relatively high temperatures if narrow spectral peak line widths are desired. We report here application of a new signal processing method [S.D. Kunikeev, H.S. Taylor, J. Phys. Chem. A 108, 2004 743] to observation of weak ³¹P and ¹⁷O NMR peaks.     

ZnO-nanorods as economical catalyst for synthesis of 4-amino-2-iminodithiole derivatives using tetramethyl thiourea in water

4-amino-2-iminodithiole derivatives were synthesised via multi-component reactions of tetramethyl thiourea, isothiocyanates and alkyl bromides in the presence of ZnO nanorods (ZnO-NR) as the catalyst in water at ambient temperature. These reactions provide low yields without catalysts. The catalyst exhibited significant reusable activity.     

Nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of 2-acetylpyridine 4 N-(2-methylpyridinyl)-, 4 N-(2-ethylpyridinyl)- and 4 N-methyl(2-ethylpyridinyl) thiosemicarbazones

Summary Ni^II and Cu^II complexes of 2-acetylpyridine ⁴ N-(2-methylpyridinyl)-, ⁴ N-(2-ethylpyridinyl)- and ⁴ N-methyl(2-ethylpyridinyl) thiosemicarbazones (HL4pam, HL4pae, and HL4Mpae, respectively) of general formula [M(HL)X₂] have been isolated from boiling EtOH and characterized by physico-chemical and spectroscopic methods. The growth inhibition activities of the thiosemicarbazones and their complexes were measured against Aspergillus nicer and Paecilomyces variotii.