Solid reactions in Rubidium Carbonate-Vanadium Pentoxide system

The reactions between rubidium carbonate and vanadium pentoxide were performed at different high temperatures. Four reaction products of the compositions: I. Rb₂O · V₂O₅; II. 2 Rb₂O · V₂O₅; III. 3 Rb₂O · V₂O₅; and IV. Rb₂O · 4 V₂O₅ were obtained. According to the determination of Rb and the X-ray powder photographs of the products the existence of rubidium metavanadate (RbVO₃) and rubidium pyrovanadate (Rb₄V₂O₇) was confirmed. On the other hand, the preparation of a pure rubidium orthovanadate (Rb₃VO₄) and rubidium tetravanadate (Rb₂O · 4 V₂O₅) was not successful. The diffraction pattern of Rb₂O · V₂O₅ obeys hexagonal indexing with lattice dimensions a = 7.347 and c = 13.608 Å.     

Screening an In-House Isoquinoline Alkaloids Library for New Blockers of Voltage-Gated Na+ Channels Using Voltage Sensor Fluorescent Probes: Hits and Biases

Voltage-gated Na⁺ (Na_V) channels are significant therapeutic targets for the treatment of cardiac and neurological disorders, thus promoting the search for novel Na_V channel ligands. With the objective of discovering new blockers of Na_V channel ligands, we screened an In-House vegetal alkaloid library using fluorescence cell-based assays. We screened 62 isoquinoline alkaloids (IA) for their ability to decrease the FRET signal of voltage sensor probes (VSP), which were induced by the activation of Na_V channels with batrachotoxin (BTX) in GH3b6 cells. This led to the selection of five IA: liriodenine, oxostephanine, thalmiculine, protopine, and bebeerine, inhibiting the BTX-induced VSP signal with micromolar IC₅₀. These five alkaloids were then assayed using the Na⁺ fluorescent probe ANG-2 and the patch-clamp technique. Only oxostephanine and liriodenine were able to inhibit the BTX-induced ANG-2 signal in HEK293-hNa_V1.3 cells. Indeed, liriodenine and oxostephanine decreased the effects of BTX on Na⁺ currents elicited by the hNa_V1.3 channel, suggesting that conformation change induced by BTX binding could induce a bias in fluorescent assays. However, among the five IA selected in the VSP assay, only bebeerine exhibited strong inhibitory effects against Na⁺ currents elicited by the hNav1.2 and hNav1.6 channels, with IC₅₀ values below 10 µM. So far, bebeerine is the first BBIQ to have been reported to block Na_V channels, with promising therapeutical applications.     

The Pathophysiology of Long COVID throughout the Renin-Angiotensin System

COVID-19 has expanded across the world since its discovery in Wuhan (China) and has had a significant impact on people’s lives and health. Long COVID is a term coined by the World Health Organization (WHO) to describe a variety of persistent symptoms after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Long COVID has been demonstrated to affect various SARS-CoV-2-infected persons, independently of the acute disease severity. The symptoms of long COVID, like acute COVID-19, consist in the set of damage to various organs and systems such as the respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, endocrine, urinary, and immune systems. Fatigue, dyspnea, cardiac abnormalities, cognitive and attention impairments, sleep disturbances, post-traumatic stress disorder, muscle pain, concentration problems, and headache were all reported as symptoms of long COVID. At the molecular level, the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is heavily involved in the pathogenesis of this illness, much as it is in the acute phase of the viral infection. In this review, we summarize the impact of long COVID on several organs and tissues, with a special focus on the significance of the RAS in the disease pathogenesis. Long COVID risk factors and potential therapy approaches are also explored.     

Hydrophobic effect for anionic dye - cationic surfactant interaction in aqueous and mixed solvent

Abstract

The interaction between anionic dyes [Reactive Orange 122 (R.O 122), Reactive Blue 19 (R.B 19), Reactive Violet 5 (R.V 5) and Acid Green 20 (A.G 20)] with cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammoniun bromide (CTAB) has been investigated by spectrophotometry and conductance technique. The used dyes are characterized by tautomeric behavior which affects the mechanism of the interaction. Various parameters such as dye structure, surfactant composition, solvent composition, temperature and pH of the medium were studied. The spectral data were applied for calculating the binding constant between dye and surfactant (K_b), fraction of micellization (?_mic), and standard free energy change of binding (ΔG°_b) in 0,10,20 and 30 v/v % acetonitile (AN). Conductance technique was constructed to estimate the ion pairing constant (K_a) at different temperatures and v/v % AN. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔG°, ΔH° and ΔS°) for ion pair formation were evaluated. The role of hydrophobic and electrostatic effect on dye-surfactant interaction was discussed.     

Multiple-quantum NMR spectra of partially oriented indene: a new approach to estimating order in a nematic phase

Cyclic J cross polarisation (CYCLCROP) is a sensitive method for the noninvasive monitoring of (13)C distributions and fluxes. The PRAWN rotating frame Hartmann-Hahn mixing sequence ameliorates problems associated with sensitivity to Hartmann-Hahn mismatch and reduces RF power deposition. The combination of CYCLCROP with echo planar imaging (EPI) for spatial encoding of the proton detected carbon signal allows efficient use of the available signal to be made, permitting a significant improvement in the temporal resolution of any study. We report here on some initial experiments to demonstrate the feasibility of echo planar proton detected (13)C imaging using CYCLCROP based upon the PRAWN module, including the application of the technique to the measurement of transport and accumulation of (13)C-labelled sucrose in a castor bean seedling. Two methods that can be used to eliminate the effect of the J-splitting in the EP images are presented. In addition, a fast, image-based B(1) field-mapping method which may be used to quantitatively map the low frequency RF field in a dual resonant ((13)C/(1)H) probe is presented. The technique utilises the above described imaging method, permitting fully quantitative, 64x64 axial field maps to be generated in about a minute.     

Magnetic order in palladium-based Heusler alloys part 3: The effects of disorder in Pd2MnIn1−xSn and Pd2MnIn1−ySb

Magnetization, susceptibility, X-ray and neutron diffraction measurements have already been reported in parts 1 and 2 on the two alloy series Pd₂MnIn_1−xSn_x and Pd₂MnIn_1−ySb_y when chemically ordered in the Heusler structure, with the Mn atoms on an fcc sublattice and carrying a moment of about 4.2μ_B ordered antiferromagnetically or ferromagnetically depending upon the conduction electron concentration. Results are presented here of similar measurements on the same samples, but after heat-treatments designed to produce maximum disorder between the Mn and In/Sn or In/Sb sites, respectively, whilst retaining the Pd order. In this disordered, B2, structure the Mn atoms retain the same magnetic moment but now occupy a simple cubic sublattice and form a new antiferromagnetic structure, simple cubic type 1. The results are discussed in terms of current indirect double resonance exchange interactions.     

BiVO4/TiO2 heterojunction with rich oxygen vacancies for enhanced electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction

The large-scale production of ammonia mainly depends on the Haber–Bosch process, which will lead to the problems of high energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission. Electrochemical nitrogen fixation is considered to be an environmental friendly and sustainable process, but its efficiency largely depends on the activity and stability of the catalyst. Therefore, it is imperative to develop highefficient electrocatalysts in the field of nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). In this paper, we developed a BiVO₄/TiO₂ nanotube (BiVO₄/TNT) heterojunction composite with rich oxygen vacancies as an electrocatalytic NRR catalyst. The heterojunction interface and oxygen vacancy of BiVO₄/TNT can be the active site of N₂ dynamic activation and proton transition. The synergistic effect of TiO₂ and BiVO₄ shortens the proton transport path and reduces the over potential of chemical reaction. BiVO₄/TNT has high ammonia yield of 8.54 μg·h⁻¹·cm⁻² and high Faraday efficiency of 7.70% in −0.8 V vs. RHE in 0.1 M Na₂SO₄ solution.     

A Convenient Synthesis and a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Study of a β-D Linked Trisaccharide

The building block derivatives of the monosaccharide, O-(3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-β-D-glucopyranosyl) trichloroacetimidate (1), and the disaccharide α, α-trehalose, 2′,3′6′-tri-O-benzoyl-α-D-glucopyranosyl-2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzoyl-α-D- glucopyranoside (2) were coupled to produce trisaccharide 3. A detailed n.m.r. analysis [ ¹H, ¹³C, ¹³C-¹H correlation, and 2D ¹H-¹H correlation experiment (COSY)] was used for the structural elucidation of the building blocks 1, 2 and the trisaccharide product 3.     

Overview of finite elements simulation of temperature profile to estimate properties of materials 3D-printed by laser powder-bed fusion

Laser powder bed fusion(LPBF),like many other additive manufacturing techniques,offers flexibility in design expected to become a disruption to the manufacturing industry.The current cost of LPBF process does not favor a try-anderror way of research,which makes modelling and simulation a field of superior importance in that area of engineering.In this work,various methods used to overcome challenges in modeling at different levels of approximation of LPBF process are reviewed.Recent efforts made towards a reliable and computationally effective model to simulate LPBF process using finite element(FE)codes are presented.A combination of ray-tracing technique,the solution of the radiation transfer equation and absorption measurements has been used to establish an analytical equation,which gives a more accurate approximation of laser energy deposition in powder-substrate configuration.When this new analytical energy deposition model is used in in FE simulation,with other physics carefully set,it enables us to get reliable cooling curves and melt track morphology that agree well with experimental observations.The use of more computationally effective approximation,without explicit topological changes,allows to simulate wider geometries and longer scanning time leading to many applications in real engineering world.Different applications are herein presented including:prediction of printing quality through the simulated overlapping of consecutive melt tracks,simulation of LPBF of a mixture of materials and estimation of martensite inclusion in printed steel.