Gauge Field Localization on Deformed Branes

In this paper, we utilise the Chumbes-Holf da Silva-Hott (CHH) mechanism to investigate the issue of gauge field localization on a deformed brane constructed with one scalar field, which can be coupled to gravity minimally or non-minimally. The study of deformed defects is important because they contain internal structures which may have implications in braneworld models. With the CHH mechanism, we find that the massless zero mode of gauge field, in the case of minimal or non-minimal coupling is localized on the brane. Moreover, in the case of non-minimal coupling, it is shown that, when the non-minimal coupling constant is larger than its critical value, then the zero mode is localized on each sub brane.     

Evaluation of chemical constitute,fatty acids and antioxidant activity of the fruit and seed of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) grown wild in Iran

In this investigation, the chemical compositions of berries from sea buckthorn were studied. The amount of ascorbic acid and β-carotene determined by HPLC was 170 mg/100 g FW and 0.20 mg/g FW, respectively. Total phenols, anthocyanins, acidity and total soluble solids (TSS) contents were 247 mg GAE/100 g FW, 3 mg/L (cyanidin-3-glucoside), 5.32% and 13.8%, respectively. Fruit antioxidant activity determined by the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) method was 24.85 mM Fe/100 g FW. Results confirmed the presence of six dominant fatty acids (determined by GC) in fruit including linoleic (34.2%), palmitoleic (21.37%), palmitic (17.2%), oleic (12.8%), linolenic (5.37%) and stearic acid (1.67%). Five dominant fatty acids of the seeds were linoleic (42.36%), linolenic (21.27%), oleic (21.34%), palmitic (6.54%) and stearic acid (2.54%). The nitrogen content was 3.96%. The P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Cd and Cl contents of fruit were 491, 1674, 1290, 990, 291, 29.77, 108.37, 17.87, 0.021 and 2.18 mg/kg DW, respectively.     

An electrochemical sensor based on octahedral composite modified glassy carbon electrode for voltammetric detection of cocaine

The current work aimed to fabricate a new cocaine sensor of octahedral palladium-doped cobaltite composite (Oh-Pd²⁺ : Co₃O₄-C) using a simple hydrothermal protocol. As-fabricated cocaine sensing approach was validated by various methods. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were recruited to characterize our charged modified composite. The electrode could sensitively detect cocaine, with a lengthy linear range (0.01 μM–900.0 μM) and a limit of detection (1.3 nM). The quantitative cocaine determination was achieved in the biological specimens using our modified electrode, the results of which displayed admirable outcomes.     

Effect of exposure parameters on cavitation induced by low-level dual-frequency ultrasound

In order to quantify the effects of exposure parameters under therapeutic conditions such as sonodynamic therapy, it is necessary initially to evaluate the inertial cavitation activity in vitro. In this study, the dependence of cavitation activity induced by the low-level dual-frequency ultrasound irradiation on exposure parameters has been studied. Experiments were performed in the near 150 kHz and 1 MHz fields in the progressive wave mode. It has been shown that at constant ultrasound energy the fluorescence intensity for continuous sonication is higher than for pulsed mode. With increasing the duty cycle of pulsed field, the inertial cavitation activity is increased. The activity of cavitation produced by simultaneous combined sonication by two ultrasound fields is remarkably higher than the algebraic sum of effects produced by fields separately (p-value < 0.05). This study shows that simultaneous combined dual-frequency ultrasound sonication in continuous mode is more effective in producing inertial cavitation activity at low-level intensity. Therefore, it is concluded that investigations in this combined ultrasound sonication can be useful in sonodynamic therapy for superficial tumors.     

Use of ionic liquid and microwave irradiation as a convenient, rapid and eco-friendly method for synthesis of novel optically active and thermally stable aromatic polyamides containing N-phthaloyl-l-alanine pendent group

An efficient, fast and easy method for synthesis of new optically active and thermally stable aromatic polyamides (PAs) containing pendent phthalimide group and l-alanine flexible side spacer using room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) by microwave irradiation has been investigated. The results found that RTIL efficiently absorb microwave energy, thus leading to a very high heating rate. All the PAs showed excellent solubility and readily dissolved in various organic solvents. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) exhibited that polymers were stable, with 10% weight loss recorded above 373 and 418 °C in the nitrogen atmosphere. In order to see the efficiency of microwave irradiation, this method was compared with polycondensation of the same monomers in RTILs using conventional heating.     

Electrolyte effect on mixed micelle and interfacial properties of binary mixtures of cationic and nonionic surfactants

In the present work, the adsorption behavior at the liquid-air interface and micellization characteristics of mixtures of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and p-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl) polyoxyethylene (TritonX-100) in aqueous media containing different concentrations of NaBr were investigated by surface tension and potentiometry measurements. From plots of surface tension (gamma) as a function of solution composition and total surfactant concentration, we determined the critical micelle concentration (CMC), minimum surface tension at the CMC (gamma(CMC)), surface excess (Gamma(max)), and mean molecular surface area (A(min)). On the basis of regular solution theory, the compositions of the adsorbed film (Z) and micelles (X(M)) were estimated, and then the interaction parameters in the micelles (beta(M)) and in the adsorbed film phase (beta(sigma)) were calculated. For all mole fraction ratios, the results showed synergistically enhanced ability to form mixed micelles as well as surface tension reduction. Furthermore beta was calculated by considering nonrandom mixing and head group size effects. It was observed that, for both the planar air/aqueous interface and micellar systems, the nonideality decreased as the amount of electrolyte in the aqueous medium was increased. This was attributed to a decrease of the surface charge density caused by increasing the concentration of bromide ions.     

Synthesis and characterization of N‐substituted polyaniline with mesogen molecules

The N‐substituted polyaniline (PANi) was synthesized by incorporation of bromine‐terminated mesogens onto the emeraldine form of polyaniline. Firsty three liquid crystalline molecules containing biphenyl units were synthesized. These mesogenic molecules are named as: 6‐bromo‐ (4‐hexyloxy‐biphenyl‐4′‐oxy) hexane (C₆? C₆Br), 5‐bromo‐(4‐hexyloxy‐biphenyl‐4′‐oxy) pentane (C₆? C₅Br), 6‐bromo‐(4‐octyloxy‐biphenyl‐4′‐oxy) hexane (C₈? C₆Br). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in combination with polarizing optical microscopy (POM) were used to investigate the thermal properties of them. Optical microscopy showed focal conic texture characteristic of the Smectic A phase for (C₆? C₅Br) and (C₈? C₆Br). For (C₆? C₆? Br) smectic phase was determined. DSC experiments were also found in accord with mesophase formation. For the synthesis of N‐substituted polyaniline with these mesogen molecules, the emeraldine base polyaniline was reacted with BuLi to produce the N‐anionic polyaniline and then deprotonated polyaniline was reacted with bromine‐end mesogen to prepare mesogen‐substituted polyaniline through N‐substitution reaction. The degree of N‐substitution can be controlled by adjusting the molar feed ratio of mesogen to the number of repeat units of PANi. The microstructure and compositions of obtained polymers were characterized by FT‐IR, elemental analysis, DSC, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The cyclicvoltammetry show that the electroactivity of N‐substituted polyaniline is strongly dependent on the degree of N‐grafting. The solubility of mesogen‐substituted polyaniline in common organic solvents such as THF and chloroform was improved by increasing the degree of N‐substitution and also the samples are partially soluble in xylene. Liquid crystalline behavior of mesogen‐substituted polyanilines was investigated via POM, but no mesophase was observed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Furanose dynamics in the HhaI methyltransferase target DNA studied by solution and solid-state NMR relaxation

Both solid-state and solution NMR relaxation measurements are routinely used to quantify the internal dynamics of biomolecules, but in very few cases have these two techniques been applied to the same system, and even fewer attempts have been made so far to describe the results obtained through these two methods through a common theoretical framework. We have previously collected both solution 13C and solid-state 2H relaxation measurements for multiple nuclei within the furanose rings of several nucleotides of the DNA sequence recognized by HhaI methyltransferase. The data demonstrated that the furanose rings within the GCGC recognition sequence are very flexible, with the furanose rings of the cytidine, which is the methylation target, experiencing the most extensive motions. To interpret these experimental results quantitatively, we have developed a dynamic model of furanose rings based on the analysis of solid-state 2H line shapes. The motions are modeled by treating bond reorientations as Brownian excursions within a restoring potential. By applying this model, we are able to reproduce the rates of 2H spin-lattice relaxation in the solid and 13C spin-lattice relaxation in solution using comparable restoring force constants and internal diffusion coefficients. As expected, the 13C relaxation rates in solution are less sensitive to motions that are slower than overall molecular tumbling than to the details of global molecular reorientation, but are somewhat more sensitive to motions in the immediate region of the Larmor frequency. Thus, we conclude that the local internal motions of this DNA oligomer in solution and in the hydrated solid state are virtually the same, and we validate an approach to the conjoint analysis of solution and solid-state NMR relaxation and line shapes data, with wide applicability to many biophysical problems.     

Applications of Non-precious Transition Metal Oxide Nanoparticles in Electrochemistry

Non-precious transition metal oxide nanomaterials offer numerous opportunities for various cost-effective electrochemical applications. This review article features the design and advancement of such nanomaterials with unique features applied for the fabrication of electrochemical devices. Also, it discusses various new syntheses of transition metal oxide nanoparticles (TMO NPs) via multiple chemicophysical and biological procedures. Further, the novel appliances of the TMO NPs with varying sizes and morphologies are appraised. The advantages and challenges of a number of investigations on the TMO NPs towards electrochemical applications are addressed with their standpoint of cost-effectiveness, applicability, and the efficiency of the introduced nanostructures for the industrial applications.     

Quasi-classical trajectory and direct-dynamics CVT study on the initiation steps of methanol combustion

Direct-dynamics canonical variational transition-state theory (CVT) and quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) calculations have been performed to study the dynamics of the initiation steps in the methanol combustion at high oxygen concentration. The initiation steps in combustion of methanol is hydrogen abstraction from carbon or oxygen in methanol to produce hydroxymethyl radical (CH₂OH) or methoxy radical (CH₃O), respectively, and hydroperoxyl radical (HO₂). A new analytical potential energy function driven from our DFT calculations is constructed to study the dynamics of the title reactions. Reactive cross sections and reaction probabilities at various relative translational energies and initial vibrational and rotational reactant excitation were obtained to calculate the rate constants. The calculated rate constants from CVT and QCT calculations are compared.