The effect of carboxylic acids on the oxidation of coated iron oxide nanoparticles

⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, XRD, and TEM were used to investigate the effect of mandelic- and salicylic acid coatings on the iron oxide nanoparticles. These two carboxylic acids have similar molecules size and stoichiometry, but different structure and acidity. Significant differences were observed between the Mössbauer spectra of samples coated with mandelic acid and salicylic acid. These results indicate that the occurrence of iron microenvironments in the mandelic- and salicylic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles is different. The results can be interpreted in terms of the influence of the acidity of carboxylic acids on the formation, core/shell structure, and oxidation of coated iron oxide nanocomposites.     

A Modified Alderman–Grant Coil makes possible an efficient cross-coil probe for high field solid-state NMR of lossy biological samples

The design, construction, and performance of a cross-coil double-resonance probe for solid-state NMR experiments on lossy biological samples at high magnetic fields are described. The outer coil is a Modified Alderman–Grant Coil (MAGC) tuned to the ¹H frequency. The inner coil consists of a multi-turn solenoid coil that produces a B₁ field orthogonal to that of the outer coil. This results in a compact nested cross-coil pair with the inner solenoid coil tuned to the low frequency detection channel. This design has several advantages over multiple-tuned solenoid coil probes, since RF heating from the ¹H channel is substantially reduced, it can be tuned for samples with a wide range of dielectric constants, and the simplified circuit design and high inductance inner coil provides excellent sensitivity. The utility of this probe is demonstrated on two electrically lossy samples of membrane proteins in phospholipid bilayers (bicelles) that are particularly difficult for conventional NMR probes. The 72-residue polypeptide embedding the transmembrane helices 3 and 4 of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) (residues 194–241) requires a high salt concentration in order to be successfully reconstituted in phospholipid bicelles. A second application is to paramagnetic relaxation enhancement applied to the membrane-bound form of Pf1 coat protein in phospholipid bicelles where the resistance to sample heating enables high duty cycle solid-state NMR experiments to be performed.     

The effect of core and lanthanide ion dopants in sodium fluoride-based nanocrystals on phagocytic activity of human blood leukocytes

Sodium fluoride-based β-NaLnF4 nanoparticles (NPs) doped with lanthanide ions are promising materials for application as luminescent markers in bio-imaging. In this work, the effect of NPs doped with yttrium (Y), gadolinium (Gd), europium (Eu), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb) and terbium (Tb) ions on phagocytic activity of monocytes and granulocytes and the respiratory burst was examined. The surface functionalization of <10-nm NPs was performed according to our variation of patent pending ligand exchange method that resulted in meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) molecules on their surface. Y-core-based NCs were doped with Eu ions, which enabled them to be excited with UV light wavelengths. Cultures of human peripheral blood (n = 8) were in vitro treated with five different concentrations of eight NPs for 24 h. In summary, neither type of nanoparticles is found toxic with respect to conducted test; however, some cause toxic effects (they have statistically significant deviations compared to reference) in some selected doses tested. Both core types of NPs (Y-core and Gd-core) impaired the phagocytic activity of monocytes the strongest, having minimal or none whatsoever influence on granulocytes and respiratory burst of phagocytic cells. The lowest toxicity was observed in Gd-core, Yb, Tm dopants and near-infrared nanoparticles. Clear dose-dependent effect of NPs on phagocytic activity of leukocytes and respiratory burst of cells was observed for limited number of samples.     

Metal Complexation Properties of Schiff Bases Containing 1,3,5-Triazine Derived from 2-Hydroxy-1-Naphthaldehyde in Solution. A Simple Spectrofluorimetric Method to Determine Mercury (II)

Four new Schiff base ligands carrying naphthalene groups were prepared from the reaction of 2,4-diamino-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazine and 2,4-diamino-6-undecyl-1,3,5-triazine with 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde. The influence of a series of metal ions including Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, Hg²⁺, Al³⁺, Cr³⁺, Fe³⁺, Pb²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cd²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ag⁺, Ba²⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ on the spectroscopic properties of the ligands was investigated by means of absorption and emission spectrometry. The results of spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric titrations disclosed the complexation stoichiometry and complex stability constant of the ligands with metal ions. A simple spectrofluorimetric method was developed using the Schiff base derived from 2,4-diamino-6-undecyl-1,3,5-triazine to determine Hg²⁺ ion. No cleanup or enrichment of the tap water sample was required. A modified standard addition method was used to eliminate matrix effect. The standard addition graph was linear between 0.2 and 2.6 mg/L in determination of Hg²⁺. Detection and quantification limits were 0.08 and 0.23 mg/L, respectively. The simple and cost-effective method can be applied to water samples.     

Bound for entropy and viscosity ratio of strange quark matter

High energy density (?) and temperature (T) links general relativity and hydrodynamics leading to a lower bound for the ratio of shear viscosity (η) and entropy density (s  ). We get the interesting result that the bound is saturated in the simple model for quark matter that we use for strange stars at the surface for T∼80 MeV$T\sim 80\text{MeV}$. At this T   we have the possibility of cosmic separation of phases. At the surface of the star where the pressure is zero—the density ? has a fixed value for all stars of various masses with correspondingly varying central energy density ?c${\mathrm{?}}_c$. Inside the star where this density is higher, the ratio of η/s$\eta /s$ is larger and are like the known results found for perturbative QCD. This serves as a check of our calculation. The deconfined quarks at the surface of the strange star at T=80 MeV$T=80\text{MeV}$ seem to constitute the most perfect interacting fluid permitted by nature.     

Meson properties from a bag model compared to lattice theory and heavy ion experiments

A bag at temperature (T) with pressureB(T)=B(0)[1?(T/T _c )⁴] is shown to be consistent with recent lattice data on the π and the ρ mesons. The limiting temperature,T _l , of the pion bag from the Bekenstein entropy bound is lower than that of other mesons. This agrees with the thermal distribution of π,K and the ρ in heavy ion collisions, which (unlike proton-nucleus or pp data) show a marked difference inT of pion and other mesons in the mid-rapidity region.     

Mössbauer effect and electron spin resonance study of CdxMg1−xFe2O4 system

This work deals with the application of Mossbauer Effect (ME) in studying the crystal electric field and the cation distribution among tetrahedral (A) and the octahedral (B) sites of the spinal structure in the ferrite system Cd_x Mg_1–x Fe₂O₄ (x=0, 0.2,...1). The electron spin resonance technique (ESR) was also applied for studying this ferrite system. It was possible to characterize the ESR spectra of ferrite through the combination with the ME spectra.The ESR spectra of magnesium ferrite showed two resonance positions of Fe³⁺ ions and indicated that a strong exchange interaction is dominant in the pure Mg-ferrite. For high Cd concentration ferrites only single resonance line was observed. These results could be interpretted on the basis of the ME results where it indicated that Cd²⁺ ions prefer tetrahedral positions, forcing the Fe³⁺ ions from these positions to join those in the octahedral sites. The complete site occupation with different types of cations was successfully achieved from the ME spectra. The values of the quadrupole splitting indicated that for each ferrite in the system there exists an electric field gradient surrounding the Fe³⁺ ions in each of the octahedral and tetrahedral sites. The increase in the Mg-concentration increases the symmetry of the electric field at these sites.     

Advanced mass spectrometric methods applied to the study of fate and removal of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment

This overview is of analytical methodologies based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, applied in environmental monitoring of pharmaceutical residues and their known degradation products. We also consider the ability of time-of-flight (TOF) and quadrupole-TOF instruments to provide sufficiently accurate-mass measurements and full-scan spectra for unequivocal confirmation of target compounds and investigation of their degradation products, which are either known or unknown.

We focus attention on the fate and the behavior of pharmaceutical residues during conventional and advanced wastewater treatments. Wastewater-treatment plants are designed to remove conventional pollutants (e.g., suspended solids and biodegradable organic compounds), but not low concentrations of synthetic pollutants (e.g., pharmaceutically active compounds).

Membrane bioreactor systems represent a new generation of processes that have proved to outperform conventional activated sludge treatment in terms of sludge production and effluent quality. In the past few years, there has been much attention paid to their capability for removing trace organic contaminants from sewage. This review highlights their improved performance in removing pharmaceutical residues from wastewater compared to conventional treatment.