Influence of Macro-pores on DNAPL Migration in Double-Porosity Soil Using Light Transmission Visualization Method

Double porosity is a substantial microstructure characteristic in a wide range of geomaterials. It is a natural phenomenon that can be found in many types of soil, and it can result from biological, chemical or mechanical damage. In this paper, the influence of macro-pores on dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) migration in double-porosity medium was investigated using light transmission visualization technique. Three experiments were carried out in two-dimensional flow chambers filled with a double-porosity medium composed of a mixture of local sand and sintered kaolin clay spheres arranged in a periodic manner. In each experiment, a different volumetric fraction of macro-pores and micropores was used. Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was used to simulate DNAPL, and it was dyed using Oil-Red-O for better visualization. A predetermined amount of PCE was injected into the flow chambers and this amount was re-calculated using image analysis. A very strong correlation was found between the PCE amount injected and the amount calculated from image analysis in each experiment. The experiment was repeated by filling the flow chamber with silica sand to represent single-porosity medium. The results show that the macro-pores have a considerable effect on the PCE migration in double-porosity soil as the PCE movement was the fastest in the third experiment which contained the largest macro-pores volume. The accuracy of the method was validated using statistical analysis. The results show a slight difference between the means of the three experiments, indicating that the method is viable for monitoring NAPL migration in double-porosity medium under different volumetric fractions of macro-pores and micropores.     

Surface Functionalization of Face Masks with Cold Plasma and Its Effect in Anchoring Polyphenols Extracted from Agri-Food

To improve the capability of non-woven polypropylene-based fabric (NWF-PP) used for face mask production to retain active biomolecules such as polyphenols, the surface functionalization of NWF-PP–directly cut from face masks–was carried out by employing cold plasma with oxygen. The nature/structure of the functional groups, as well as the degree of functionalization, were evaluated by ATR-FTIR and XPS by varying the experimental conditions (generator power, treatment time, and oxygen flow). The effects of plasma activation on mechanical and morphological characteristics were evaluated by stress–strain measurements and SEM analysis. The ability of functionalized NWF-PP to firmly anchor polyphenols extracted from cloves was estimated by ATR-FTIR analysis, IR imaging, extractions in physiological solution, and OIT analysis (before and after extraction), as well as by SEM analysis. All the results obtained converge in showing that, although the plasma treatment causes changes–not only on the surface–with certain detriment to the mechanical performance of the NWF-PP, the incorporated functionalities are able to retain/anchor the active molecules extracted from the cloves, thus stabilizing the treated surfaces against thermo-oxidation even after prolonged extraction.     

Lower bounds for heights in cyclotomic extensions

We show that the height of a nonzero algebraic number α that lies in an abelian extension of the rationals and is not a root of unity must satisfy h(α)>0.155097.     

Common system setup for the entire catalytic cycle of cytochrome P450(cam) in quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical studies

We describe a system setup that is applicable to all species in the catalytic cycle of cytochrome P450(cam). The chosen procedure starts from the X-ray coordinates of the ferrous dioxygen complex and follows a protocol that includes the careful assignment of protonation states, comparison between different conceivable hydration schemes, and system preparation through a series of classical minimizations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The resulting setup was validated by quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) calculations on the resting state, the pentacoordinated ferric and ferrous complexes, Compound I, the transition state and hydroxo intermediate of the C--H hydroxylation reaction, and the product complex. The present QM/MM results are generally consistent with those obtained previously with individual setups. Concerning hydration, we find that saturating the protein interior with water is detrimental and leads to higher structural flexibility and catalytically inefficient active-site geometries. The MD simulations favor a low water density around Asp251 that facilitates side chain rotation of protonated Asp251 during the conversion of Compound 0 to Compound I. The QM/MM results for the two preferred hydration schemes (labeled SE-1 and SE-4) are similar, indicating that slight differences in the solvation close to the active site are not critical as long as camphor and the crystallographic water molecules preserve their positions in the experimental X-ray structures.     

What is the active species of cytochrome P450 during camphor hydroxylation? QM/MM studies of different electronic states of compound I and of reduced and oxidized iron-oxo intermediates

We have investigated C-H hydroxylation of camphor by Compound I (Cpd I) of cytochrome P450cam in different electronic states and by its one-electron reduced and oxidized forms, using QM/MM calculations in the native protein/solvent environment. Cpd I species with five unpaired electrons (pentaradicaloids) are ca. 12 kcal/mol higher in energy than the ground state Cpd I species with three unpaired electrons (triradicaloids). The H-abstraction transition states of pentaradicaloids lie ca. 21 (9) kcal/mol above the triradicaloid (pentaradicaloid) reactants. Hydroxylation via pentaradicaloids is thus facile provided that they can react before relaxing to the ground-state triradicaloids. Excited states of Cpd I with an Fe(V)-oxo moiety lie more than 20 kcal/mol above the triradicaloid ground state in single-point gas-phase calculations, but these electronic configurations are not stable upon including the point-charge protein environment which causes SCF convergence to the triradicaloid ground state. One-electron reduced species (Cpd II) show sluggish reactivity compared with Cpd I in agreement with experimental model studies. One-electron oxidized species are more reactive than Cpd I but seem too high in energy to be accessible. The barriers to hydrogen abstraction for the various forms of Cpd I are generally not affected much by the chosen protonation states of the Asp297 and His355 residues near the propionate side chains of the heme or by the appearance of radical character at Asp297, His355, or the propionates.     

Radiation Effects on the Flow and Heat Transfer over a Moving Plate in a Parallel Stream

Effects of thermal radiation on the steady laminar boundary layer flow over a moving plate in a moving fluid is investigated. Under certain conditions, the present problem reduces to the classical Blasius and Sakiadis problems. It is found that dual solutions exist when the plate and the fluid move in the opposite directions. Moreover, the existence of thermal radiation is to reduce the heat transfer rate at the surface.     

Thieno[2,3‐d]pyrimidines in the Synthesis of New Fused Heterocyclic Compounds of Prospective Antitumor and Antioxidant Agents (Part II)

Diethyl azodicarboxylate and 3,4,5,6‐tetrachloro‐1,2‐benzoquinone react with cyclopentano‐ and cycloheptano‐fused thienopyrimidines to form the oxidative dimer of the starting material via S—S bond formation. Reaction of two equivalents of 2,2′‐(cyclohexa‐2′,5′‐diene‐1,4‐diylidene)dimalononitrile with thienopyrimidines afforded 3‐(4′,4′‐dicyanomethylene‐cycloalka[a]‐2,5‐dienyl)‐4‐oxo‐6,7,8,9‐tetrahydro‐5H‐cyclo‐hepta[4,5]‐[1,3]thiazolo[3,2‐a]‐thieno[2,3‐d]pyrimidin‐2‐ylidene‐2‐dicarbonitriles. The thioenopyrimidines react with 2‐[1,3‐dioxo‐1H‐inden‐2(3H)‐ylidene]malononitrile to produce 1,3,5′‐trioxo‐1,3,3′,5′‐tetrahydrospiro‐(indene‐2,2′‐thiazolo[2,3‐b]‐cycloalkyl[b]‐thieno[2,3‐d]pyrimidine)‐3′‐carbonitriles. However, the reaction of thienopyrimidines with 2,3‐dicyano‐1,4‐naphthoquinone proceeded to afford the fused cycloalkyl‐thieno form of naphtho[1,3]thiazolo[3,2‐a]thieno[2,3‐d]pyrimidine‐6.7,12‐triones. Reaction of 2‐hydrazino‐5,6,7,8‐tetrahydrobenzo[b]thieno[2,3‐d]pyrimidine‐4(1H)‐one with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate and ethyl propiolate, respectively, afforded cyclohexano‐fused (Z)‐dimethyl 2[(E)‐4‐oxo‐3,4‐dihydrothieno[2,3‐d]pyrimidine‐2(1H)‐ylidene)hydrazono]succinate and thieno‐pyrimidinotriazine. Both oxidative dimers of thienopyrimidines showed high inhibition of Hep‐G2 cell growth compared with the growth of untreated control cells. Moreover, the cycloheptano‐fused thiazinothienopyrimidine indicates a promising specific antitumor agent against Hep‐G2 cells because its IC₅₀ is < 20 μM.