Maghemite/poly(<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">d,l</Emphasis>-lactide-<Emphasis Type="Italic">co</Emphasis>-glycolyde) composite nanoplatform for therapeutic applications

A reproducible methodology is described for the synthesis, by following the double emulsion/solvent evaporation technique, of magnetic nanocomposites (average diameter ≈ 135 nm) consisting of maghemite nuclei and a biodegradable poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) matrix. The heterogeneous structure of the nanoparticles can confer them the responsiveness to magnetic gradients, giving both the possibility of their use as a drug delivery system and adequate heating characteristics for a hyperthermia effect. The physical chemistry of the nanocomposites was extensively characterized, this establishing that their surface properties were similar to that of pure poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide). From an electrokinetic point of view, zeta potential determinations (as a function of the ionic strength, and pH) pointed out that the nanocomposites were almost indistinguishable from the copolymer. The surface thermodynamic analysis agreed with the electrophoretic one in suggesting that the coverage of the magnetic nuclei was complete, since the hydrophilic nature of maghemite was modified and the nanoparticles turned into hydrophobic, just like the copolymer, when they were embedded into poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide). The magnetic behaviours of the composite nanoparticles were also checked. Their heating properties were studied in vitro in a high-frequency alternating gradient of magnetic field: a stable maximum temperature of 47 °C was satisfactorily achieved within 45 min. Blood compatibility of the nanocomposites was also defined in vitro. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such kind of magnetic-sensitive nanoformulation with very promising characteristics (e.g. blood compatibility, magnetic drug targeting capabilities, and hyperthermia) has been developed for therapeutic purposes.     

Different reactivity of hydroxylamine with carbamoyl azides and carbamoyl cyanides: synthesis of hydroxyureas and carbamoyl amidoximes

The carbamoylating agents carbamoyl azides and carbamoyl cyanides (aka cyanoformamides) react with hydroxylamine in different ways, leading in the first case to N-hydroxyureas and, in the case of carbamoyl cyanides, to carbamoyl amidoxime derivatives. The synthetic procedure developed for the latter type of compound, which represents an interesting precursor for heterocyclic structures, allowed the highly efficient preparation of a wide selection of examples. The Z configuration of the double bond in the amidoxime moiety was proposed on the basis of comparison between experimental and calculated (13)C and (15)N NMR chemical shift values for the isopropyl and benzyl derivatives.     

Quantum simulation of the Klein paradox with trapped ions

We report on quantum simulations of relativistic scattering dynamics using trapped ions. The simulated state of a scattering particle is encoded in both the electronic and vibrational state of an ion, representing the discrete and continuous components of relativistic wave functions. Multiple laser fields and an auxiliary ion simulate the dynamics generated by the Dirac equation in the presence of a scattering potential. Measurement and reconstruction of the particle wave packet enables a frame-by-frame visualization of the scattering processes. By precisely engineering a range of external potentials we are able to simulate text book relativistic scattering experiments and study Klein tunneling in an analogue quantum simulator. We describe extensions to solve problems that are beyond current classical computing capabilities.     

Aero-thermal investigation of a multi-splitter axial turbine

This paper reports the external convective heat transfer in an innovative low-pressure vane, designed with a multi-splitter configuration. Three aerodynamic airfoils are positioned in between larger structural vanes, replacing struts presently used in current aero-engines, which results in superior aerodynamic performance. Static pressure and heat flux measurements were carried out in the large compression tube facility of the von Karman Institute, using pneumatic taps and single-layered thin film gauges respectively. The steady and unsteady heat transfer distributions were obtained at representative conditions of modern aero-engines, with M_2,is close to unity and a Reynolds number of approximately 10⁶. This facility is specially suited to control the gas-to-wall temperature ratio that drives transition mechanisms. The heat transfer across the multi-splittered passages is confronted with correlations on ducts to further characterize the boundary layer status. The data will be used to guide code developers by verifying their boundary layer transition models, and designers by showing the areas of the vane where heat transfer is most sensitive to the off-design conditions.     

A Look at BMOϕ(ω) through Carleson Measures

As Fefferman and Stein showed, there is a tight connection between Carleson measures and BMO functions. In this work we extend this type of results to the more general scope of the BMO_ϕ(ω) spaces. As a byproduct a weighted version of the Triebel-Lizorkin space is introduced, which turns out to be isomorphic to BMO(ω) as in the unweighted case.     

Compact,convex sets in R n and a new banach lattice. II.- Application: An approximation problem.

We develop a calculus structure in the Banach lattice introduced in a preceding paper, having in mind an approximation problem appearing in non-smooth optimization. We show that the essential results depend as much on the order structure as on the analytical one.