Mean distance of closest approach of ions: Lithium salts in aqueous solutions

Numerical values for the mean distance of closest approach of ions, “a”, for lithium salts in aqueous solutions are presented and discussed. These values were obtained from both experimental activity and diffusion coefficients, and estimated by using different theoretical approaches.     

Effects of therapeutic pulsed ultrasound and dimethylsulfoxide phonophoresis on oxidative stress parameters after injury induced by eccentric exercise

Introduction

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of TPU together with DMSO on oxidative stress parameters after eccentric exercise.

Methods

Thirty and six animals were divided in control; eccentric exercise (EE); EE + saline gel 0.9%; EE + TPU 0.8 W/cm²; EE + DMSO gel; EE + TPU + DMSO gel and submitted to one 90-min downhill run (1.0 km h⁻¹). TPU was used 2, 12, 24, 46 h after exercise session and 48 h after the animals were killed and the gastrocnemius muscles were surgically removed. Production of superoxide anion, creatine kinase (CK) levels, lipoperoxidation, carbonylation, and antioxidants enzymes were analyzed.

Results

Showed that TPU and gel-DMSO improved muscle healing. Moreover, superoxide anion production, TBARS level and protein carbonyls levels, superoxide dismutase and catalase activity were all decreased in the group TPU plus gel-DMSO.

Discussion

Our results show that DMSO is effective in the reduction of the muscular lesion and in the oxidative stress after eccentric exercise only when used with TPU.     

Phenoxy-benzothiadiazole dyes: Synthesis,photophysical properties and preliminary application in OLEDs

The synthesis of a phenoxy-benzothiadiazole (BTD) derivative is reported for the first time. This derivative was employed as an intermediate in the obtention of two novel highly fluorescent aryl-phenoxy-BTD dyes. Their photophysical properties were evaluated in solution and the results indicate a strong intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) character in the excited state. The luminophore 3a, possessing a donor-BTD-phenoxide architecture, exhibits superior fluorescence quantum yield (0.67) than the designed acceptor-BTD-phenoxide dye (0.06). After electrochemical and photoluminescence characterization of thin films of 3a, an OLED with the configuration ITO/PEDOT:PSS/3a/TPBi/LiF/Al was constructed. This device displayed a green emission centered at 547?nm, with CIE coordinates of (0.40, 0.55). For comparison, an OLED using a previously reported luminescent BTD-pyridyl derivative was also constructed. The OLED made with the phenoxy-BTD derivative operated using less current density and led to higher irradiance and electrical stability, indicating the high potential of ArO-BTD dyes for future application in electroluminescent devices.     

Isoprene–Styrene Chain Shuttling Copolymerization Mediated by a Lanthanide Half‐Sandwich Complex and a Lanthanidocene: Straightforward Access to a New Type of Thermoplastic Elastomers

A lanthanide half‐sandwich complex and a ansa lanthanidocene have been assessed for isoprene–styrene chain shuttling copolymerization with n‐butylethylmagnesium (BEM). In the presence of 1 equiv BEM, a fully amorphous multiblock microstructure of soft and hard segments is achieved. The microstructure consists of poly(isoprene‐co‐styrene) blocks, with hard blocks rich in styrene and soft blocks rich in isoprene. The composition of the blocks and the resulting glass transition temperatures (T_g) can be easily modified by changing the feed and/or the relative amount of the catalysts, highlighting a new class of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) with tunable transition temperatures. The materials self‐organize into nanostructures in the solid state.     

Radio-tracer methods for studying speciation in natural waters

Radio-tracer experiments have shown that antimony, mercury and zinc interact to form complexes with humic and/or fulvic acids, whose molar masses can be estimated by gel chromatography. Sb(III) and (V) humates are stable in the pH range 7–11, but are largely dissociated below pH 4; humic acid does not reduce Sb(V) to Sb(III) in solution. Mercury forms a strong complex with humic+fulvic acids. Zinc forms complexes with both humic acids and glycine, and the humic acid complex has similar elution behaviour on dextran gel to a fraction from river water equilibrated with⁶⁵Zn. At least one other form of zinc, in addition to Zn²⁺, occurs in this river.     

Critical behavior near the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition temperature in La0.7Pb0.05Na0.25MnO3

Critical behavior in La_0.7Pb_0.05Na_0.25MnO₃ has been investigated by dc magnetization measurements. Magnetic data indicate that the compound exhibits a continuous (second-order) paramagnetic (PM) to ferromagnetic (FM) phase transition. Estimates of critical exponents yield δ=4.80±0.01, γ=1.296±0.002 and β=0.344±0.007 (consistent with both the predictions for the three-dimensional-Heisenberg model and with those reported for materials when the FM transition is ascribed to the double exchange (DE) mechanism as a major origin) with T_C=334.54±0.08. The critical exponent γ is slightly inferior than predicted from the 3D Heisenberg model. Such a difference may be due, within the context of the quenched disorder, to the presence of some alterations of short-range magnetic order of FM clusters in the PM phase. The temperature variation in the effective exponent (γ_eff) is similar to those for disordered ferromagnets.