FTIR Thermal Analysis on Anilinepropylsilica Xerogel

FTIR thermal analysis was used for a hybrid xerogel, anilinepropylsilica, obtained from three different organic precursor amounts, using HF and NaF as catalysts in the sol–gelprocess. The aniline ring vibrational mode at 1500 cm⁻¹ of attached aniline groups was used to obtain the relative aniline content in the xerogel materials after being submitted to thermal treatment in the temperature range from 100 to 400°C. This technique allowed to evaluate the thermal stability of organic phase. The organic coverage on the surface and the fraction of trapped organic groups in closed pores can also be evaluated. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Doping of a dielectric layer as a new alternative for increasing sensitivity of the contactless conductivity detection in microchips

This communication describes a new procedure to increase the sensitivity of C(4)D in PDMS/glass microchips. The method consists in doping the insulating layer (PDMS) over the electrodes with nanoparticles of TiO(2), increasing thus its dielectric constant. The experimental protocol is simple, inexpensive, and fast.     

Big data analytics: an aid to detection of non-technical losses in power utilities

Computational Management Science - The great amount of data collected by the Advanced Metering Infrastructure can help electric utilities to detect energy theft, a phenomenon that globally costs...     

Synthesis of carbon nanotubes directly over TEM grids aiming the study of nucleation and growth mechanisms

A novel approach to produce electron-transparent multi-layer membranes over TEM grids for transmission electron microscopy analysis is presented. The membranes have been used to grow and analyze carbon nanostructured materials in a thermal-chemical vapor deposition process using Ni and Cu as catalysts and silicon oxide thin films as support layers, at temperatures as high as 900 °C. It is important that conditions of the synthesis using the electron-transparent multi-layer membrane system are similar to those for a conventional chemical vapor deposition process, where oxidized silicon wafers are employed. In particular, the thickness of the silicon oxide and the catalyst layers are the same, and similar carbon tubular structures were grown using both substrates. The use of membranes was crucial especially for the study of the nucleation mechanism for carbon nanotubes. These electron-transparent multi-layer membranes are relatively easy to obtain and they can be used for transmission electron microscopy studies of high-temperature synthesis of different nanostructured materials.     

Efficient intra-cavity second harmonic generation by a diode-pumped actively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser

A compact and efficient intra-cavity doubled, actively Q-switched diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser has been developed. It generates as much as 1.55 W at 532 nm, with pulses of 400 ns at a repetition rate of 15 kHz, with an overall optical-to-optical efficiency of 15.5%. A beam quality factor M² ≈ 2.35 has been measured at this power level.     

Reactions between 12C and heavy target nuclei at 84 MeV/u

Using an experimental setup which allows the coincident investigation of the various projectile and target fragments the reactions between 84 MeV/u ¹²C projectiles and different targets were studied. Impact parameters have been deduced from the size and multiplicity of projectile fragments. Using a “minimum bias” triqqer relative cross sections have been determined for the different reaction channels. New results on the production of medium-heavy fragments are presented.     

Energetics of midvelocity emissions in peripheral heavy ion collisions at Fermi energies

Peripheral and semiperipheral collisions have been studied in the system 93Nb+93Nb at 38A MeV. The evaporative and midvelocity components of the light charged particle and intermediate mass fragment emissions have been carefully disentangled. In this way it was possible to obtain the average amount not only of charge and mass, but also of energy, pertaining to the midvelocity emission, as a function of an impact parameter estimator. This emission has a very important role in the overall balance of the reaction, as it accounts for a large fraction of the emitted mass and for more than half of the dissipated energy. As such, it may give precious clues on the microscopic mechanism of energy transport from the interaction zone toward the target and projectile remnants.     

Isospin tracing: A probe of nonequilibrium in central heavy-Ion collisions

Four different combinations of 9644Ru and 9640Zr nuclei, both as projectile and target, were investigated at the same bombarding energy of 400A MeV using a 4pi detector. The degree of isospin mixing between projectile and target nucleons is mapped across a large portion of the phase space using two different isospin-tracer observables, the number of measured protons and the tritium to 3He yield ratio. The experimental results show that the global equilibrium is not reached even in the most central collisions. Quantitative measures of stopping and mixing are extracted from the data. They are found to exhibit a quite strong sensitivity to the in-medium ( n,n) cross section used in microscopic transport calculations.     

New Coumarin Derivatives as Cholinergic and Cannabinoid System Modulators

In the last years, the connection between the endocannabinoid system (eCS) and neuroprotection has been discovered, and evidence indicates that eCS signaling is involved in the regulation of cognitive processes and in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Accordingly, pharmacotherapy targeting eCS could represent a valuable contribution in fighting a multifaceted disease such as AD, opening a new perspective for the development of active agents with multitarget potential. In this paper, a series of coumarin-based carbamic and amide derivatives were designed and synthesized as multipotent compounds acting on cholinergic system and eCS-related targets. Indeed, they were tested with appropriate enzymatic assays on acetyl and butyryl-cholinesterases and on fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), and also evaluated as cannabinoid receptor (CB1 and CB2) ligands. Moreover, their ability to reduce the self-aggregation of beta amyloid protein (Aβ₄₂) was assessed. Compounds 2 and 3, bearing a carbamate function, emerged as promising inhibitors of hAChE, hBuChE, FAAH and Aβ₄₂ self-aggregation, albeit with moderate potencies, while the amide 6 also appears a promising CB1/CB2 receptors ligand. These data prove for the new compounds an encouraging multitarget profile, deserving further evaluation.     

A Simple Strategy for Easily Assembling 3D Printed Miniaturized Cells Suitable for Simultaneous Electrochemical and Spectrophotometric Analyses

A rapid and user‐friendly approach is here presented for assembling smart and versatile platforms for simultaneous electrochemical and spectrophotometric measurements. They consist of an optically transparent pencil‐drawn electrochemical cell, including reference, counter and working carbon electrodes, assembled on flexible PVC supports, exploiting a commercial desktop digitally controlled plotter/cutter. This cell is installed on a U shaped 3D printed polylactic frame where a second transparent window consisting of an unmodified PVC layer was also applied. After optimization of the fabrication procedure, the electrochemical and optical characterization of the assembled miniaturized platforms was performed by using aqueous electrolytes and potassium hexacyanoferrate(II) as redox probe. These devices were then tested by a proof‐of‐concept direct and simultaneous electrochemical and spectrophotometric quantification of a commonly used food dye (Brilliant Blue, E‐133) in soft‐drinks and candies. Spectrophotometric and electrochemical determinations can be performed at the same time, providing simultaneous information and enabling a concomitant comparison and validation of the results obtained.