Lithium ion transport in germanophosphate glasses

Glasses in the system Li₂O–GeO₂–P₂O₅ have been prepared using melt quenching route. Li⁺ ion transport has been investigated in these glasses using both d.c. and a.c. conductivity measurements. Arrhenius plots of d.c. conductivity exhibits two different slopes, which has been discussed in the light of cluster-tissue model. A.c. conductivity data has been fitted to single power law. Dielectric relaxation has been analyzed based on the behaviour of moduli. Good collapse on to master plots is observed for both a.c. conductivity and moduli. The behaviour of E_dc, s and β are found to be consistent when conductivity mechanism is considered as involving NBO–BO switching as the first step, which is followed by Li⁺ ion migration.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of GlpF in a micelle vs in a bilayer: conformational dynamics of a membrane protein as a function of environment

Octyl glucoside (OG) is a detergent widely employed in structural and functional studies of membrane proteins. To better understand the nature of protein-OG interactions, molecular dynamics simulations (duration 10 ns) have been used to explore an alpha-helical membrane protein, GlpF, in OG micelles and in DMPC bilayers. Greater conformational drift of the extramembraneous protein loops, from the initial X-ray structure, is seen for the GlpF-OG simulations than for the GlpF-DMPC simulation. The mobility of the transmembrane alpha-helices is approximately 1.3x higher in the GlpF-OG than the GlpF-DMPC simulations. The detergent is seen to form an irregular torus around the protein. The presence of the protein leads to a small perturbation in the behavior of the alkyl chains in the OG micelle, namely an approximately 15% increase in the trans-gauche(-)-gauche(+) transition time. Aromatic side chains (Trp, Tyr) and basic side chains (Arg, Lys) play an important role in both protein-detergent (OG) and protein-lipid (DMPC) interactions.     

Amorphous Coatings and Surfaces on Structural Materials

Metallic glasses show a unique combination of high strength, excellent corrosion, and wear resistances because of their amorphous structure having a short-range order. In spite of excellent properties, the application of metallic glasses is restricted because of their inherent limitations in the bulk form, including limited tensile ductility. Using metallic glasses as the coatings for structural applications is an attractive way of taking advantage of their superior properties. Additionally, metallic glass-based composites having crystalline phases embedded in a amorphous matrix have also shown improved properties. Thus, metallic glasses can be synthesized as the coatings or subjected to surface modification to provide functionally superior surfaces. This article is a review of metallic glass-based coatings and surface modification of metallic glasses to achieve functionally superior surfaces for structural applications. Essential theoretical concepts were discussed which influence the processing. Common ways of processing along with the influence of various processing parameters were explored. Some non-conventional techniques which emerged as a result of continued efforts were also taken into account. Corrosion and wear properties of these materials along with the underlying mechanisms were discussed in detail. Focus was given to the recent product level applications explored in the open literature. Current challenges in the field were reviewed and guidelines for the future developments were provided.     

Nitrosative adenine deamination: facile pyrimidine ring-opening in the dediazoniation of adeninediazonium ion

[reaction: see text]. Dediazoniation of adeninediazonium ion, 1, forms the heteroaromatic cation, 2. Ab initio studies at the CCSD(fc)/6-31G**//MP2(full)/6-31G** level now reveal that the cyclic cation 2 is kinetically and thermodynamically unstable with respect to the pyrimidine ring-opened cation, 3. The results suggest that 4-cyano-5-isocyano-imidazole, 4, and 4,5-dicyanoimidazole, 5, might be formed to some extent in nitrosative deaminations of adenine.     

5-Cyanoimino-4-oxomethylene-4,5-dihydroimidazole and 5-cyanoamino-4-imidazolecarboxylic acid intermediates in nitrosative guanosine deamination: evidence from 18O-labeling experiments

The nitrosative deaminations (37 degrees C, NaNO2, NaAc buffer, pH 3.7) of guanosine 1r in (18O)water (97.6%) and of [6-18O]-1r in normal water were studied. [6-(18)O]-1r was prepared from 2-amino-6-chloropurine riboside using adenosine deaminase. The reaction products xanthosine 3r and oxanosine 4r were separated by HPLC and characterized by LC/MS analysis and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The 18O-isotopic shifts on the 13C NMR signals were measured and allowed the identification of all isotopomers formed. The results show that oxanosine is formed via 5-cyanoimino-4-oxomethylene-4,5-dihydroimidazole, 5, and its 1,4-addition product 5-cyanoamino-4-imidazolecarboxylic acid, 6. This hydration of 5 to 6 leads to aromatization and greatly dominates over water addition to the cyanoimino group of 5 to form 5-guanidinyliden-4-oxomethylene-4,5-dihydroimidazole, 7. 5-Guanidinyl-4-imidazolecarboxylic acid, 8, the product of water addition to 6, is not involved.     

Osteoporosis detection in postmenopausal women using axial transmission multi-frequency bone ultrasonometer: Clinical findings

The objective of this study was to evaluate if the Bone UltraSonic Scanner (BUSS) can detect osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. BUSS is an axial transmission multi-frequency ultrasonometer for acquisition of wave propagation profiles along the proximal anterior tibia. We derived 10 diagnostically significant BUSS parameters that were then compared with the DXA spine T-score, which was used in this study as the “gold standard” for the assessment of osteoporosis (T-score <−2.5). BUSS wave parameters were studied in 331 postmenopausal women examined by 9 trained operators at 3 clinical sites with use of 3 devices. The efficiency of each BUSS parameter in osteoporosis detection was assessed using a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Area under the curve (AUC) for each of 10 parameters ranged from 58.1% to 70.2%. Using these parameters a linear classifier was derived which provided at its output 83.0% AUC, 87.7% sensitivity and 63.2% specificity to DXA-identified osteoporosis. The results of this study confirm BUSS’s capability to detect osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.     

Synthesis of a novel copolymer using glycogen and poly(lactide) as a carrier of dual drugs—ornidazole and ofloxacin

Biodegradability and biocompatibility are two crucial prerequisites for a promising therapeutic vehicle. Herein, a novel biocompatible copolymer has been synthesized using glycogen and polylactide (PLA). Glycogen, a naturally occurring biopolymer has been functionalized by methacrylation. On the other hand, lactide has been polymerized through ring opening polymerization (ROP), initiated by hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and catalyzed by tin (II) 2‐ethyl hexanoate. Finally, the synthesized two substrates (i.e., glycogen methacrylate and PLA‐HEMA) are covalently connected by free‐radical polymerization, initiated by AIBN. The structure of the developed copolymer has been confirmed using ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectral analyses. The gel characteristics have been evaluated by rheological studies, while the morphological assessment has been investigated by FESEM analysis. In vitro cytocompatibility study reveals that the hydrogel (Gly‐co‐PLA) is biocompatible. The in vitro and in vivo release studies demonstrate the excellent pH‐sensitive control release profile of dual drugs: ornidazole and ofloxacin. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 1697–1703     

Measurement of the steady-state shear characteristics of filamentous suspensions using turbine,vane, and helical impellers

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - The impeller viscometer technique is frequently used to characterize the rheology of filamentous suspensions in order to avoid difficulties encountered with...