Spectrophotometric study of bismuth with N-(2-acetamido)iminodiacetic acid (ADA): Determination of bismuth in pharmaceutical formulations

A new method for the Spectrophotometric determination of bismuth using N-(2-acetamido)iminodiacetic acid as complexometric agent is proposed. The complex is formed in a wide pH range, 5.5–7.5, and has a maximum absorption at 265 nm. Beer's law is obeyed in the interval 3.8–17.9 μg of bismuth(III)/ml, with a minimum photometric error of 2.3. The molar absorptivity is 9.1 × 10³ liters/cm mol. The stoichiometry of the reaction takes place in the metal-to-ligand ratio 1:2. The interferences produced by the more common ions are studied. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of bismuth in pharmaceutical formulations.     

Anthocyanins as Key Phytochemicals Acting for the Prevention of Metabolic Diseases: An Overview

Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments present in fruits and vegetables, which render them an extensive range of colors. They have a wide distribution in the human diet, are innocuous, and, based on numerous studies, have supposed preventive and therapeutical benefits against chronic affections such as inflammatory, neurological, cardiovascular, digestive disorders, diabetes, and cancer, mostly due to their antioxidant action. Despite their great potential as pharmaceutical applications, they have a rather limited use because of their rather low stability to environmental variations. Their absorption was noticed to occur best in the stomach and small intestine, but the pH fluctuation of the digestive system impacts their rapid degradation. Urine excretion and tissue distribution also occur at low rates. The aim of this review is to highlight the chemical characteristics of anthocyanins and emphasize their weaknesses regarding bioavailability. It also targets to deliver an update on the recent advances in the involvement of anthocyanins in different pathologies with a focus on in vivo, in vitro, animal, and human clinical trials.     

Ultrastructural Damages to H1N1 Influenza Virus Caused by Vapor Essential Oils

Influenza viruses are transmitted from human to human via airborne droplets and can be transferred through contaminated environmental surfaces. Some works have demonstrated the efficacy of essential oils (EOs) as antimicrobial and antiviral agents, but most of them examined the liquid phases, which are generally toxic for oral applications. In our study, we describe the antiviral activity of Citrus bergamia, Melaleuca alternifolia, Illicium verum and Eucalyptus globulus vapor EOs against influenza virus type A. In the vapor phase, C. bergamia and M. alternifolia strongly reduced viral cytopathic effect without exerting any cytotoxicity. The E. globulus vapor EO reduced viral infection by 78% with no cytotoxicity, while I. verum was not effective. Furthermore, we characterized the EOs and their vapor phase by the head-space gas chromatography–mass spectrometry technique, observing that the major component found in each liquid EO is the same one of the corresponding vapor phases, with the exception of M. alternifolia. To deepen the mechanism of action, the morphological integrity of virus particles was checked by negative staining transmission electron microscopy, showing that they interfere with the lipid bilayer of the viral envelope, leading to the decomposition of membranes. We speculated that the most abundant components of the vapor EOs might directly interfere with influenza virus envelope structures or mask viral structures important for early steps of viral infection.     

The Effects of Different Superplasticizers and Water-to-Cement Ratios on the Hydration of Gray Cement Using T2-NMR

In the present work, we compare the influence introduced by the variation of water-to-cement ratio and the presence of different superplasticizers on the hydration process of gray cement using the low-field nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry. The stages of hydration are identified and a relationship between the ettringite formation during hydration process and the transverse relaxation time is established. It is also demonstrated that the addition of small amounts of superplasticizer in the cement paste significantly expands the dormant period while the hardening period is reduced. On the other side, the increase in the water-to-cement ratio has little influence on the dormant period but can instead increase the porosity of the sample and consequently reduce its strength.     

Discrimination of Excited States of Acetylacetone through Theoretical Molecular-Frame Photoelectron Angular Distributions

Photoelectron angular distribution (PAD) in the laboratory frame for randomly oriented molecules is typically described by a single anisotropy parameter, the so-called asymmetry parameter. However, especially from a theoretical perspective, it is more natural to consider molecular photoionization by using a molecular frame. The molecular frame PADs (MFPADs) may be used to extract information about the electronic structure of the system studied. In the last decade, significant experimental efforts have been directed to MFPAD measurements. MFPADs are highly characterizing signatures of the final ionic states. In particular, they are very sensitive to the nature of the final state, which is embodied in the corresponding Dyson orbital. In our previous work on acetylacetone, a prototype system for studying intra-molecular hydrogen bond interactions, we followed the dynamics of the excited states involved in the photoexcitation–deexcitation process of this molecule. It remains to be explored the possibility of discriminating between different excited states through the MFPAD profiles. The calculation of MFPADs to differentiate excited states can pave the way to the possibility of a clear discrimination for all the cases where the recognition of excited states is otherwise intricate.     

Negative differential conductance and hot phonons in suspended nanotube molecular wires

Freely suspended metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) exhibit reduced current carrying ability compared to those lying on substrates, and striking negative differential conductance at low electric fields. Theoretical analysis reveals significant self-heating effects including electron scattering by hot nonequilibrium optical phonons. Electron transport characteristics under strong self-heating are exploited for the first time to probe the thermal conductivity of individual SWNTs (approximately 3600 W m-1 K-1 at T=300 K) up to approximately 700 K, and reveal a 1/T dependence expected for umklapp phonon scattering at high temperatures.     

Turbulent combined forced and natural convection of nanofluid in a 3D rectangular channel using two-phase model approach

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The nanofluid is a mixture of base fluid and solid nanoparticles in nanosize. The heat transfer generated by the nanofluid is more than the base fluid...     

Natural Convection in a Square Inclined Cavity Filled with a Porous Medium with Sinusoidal Temperature Distribution on Both Side Walls

Transport in Porous Media - The article “Quantitative In-situ Analysis of Water Transport in Concrete Completed Using X-ray Computed Tomography”, written by “Tyler Oesch, Frank...