Wet and Dry Forms of Bacterial Cellulose Synthetized by Different Strains of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gluconacetobacter xylinus</Emphasis> as Carriers for Yeast Immobilization

The present study aimed to explore and describe the properties of bacterial cellulose (BC) membranes obtained from three different strains of Gluconacetobacter xylinus for 72, 120, and 168 h, used as a carrier support for the immobilization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The experiments also included the analysis of glucose consumption and alcohol production during the fermentation process displayed by yeasts immobilized on the BC surface. The results of the present study demonstrate that the number of immobilized yeast cells is dependent on the type of cellulose-synthesizing strain, cellulose form, and duration of its synthesis. The BC in the form of wet membranes obtained after 3 days of synthesis displayed the most favorable properties as a carrier for yeast immobilization. The immobilization of yeast cells on BC, regardless of its form, increased the amount of the produced alcohol as compared to free cells. The yeast cells immobilized in BC were able to multiply on its surface during the fermentation process.     

Investigation studies involving sound absorbing parameters of roadside screen panels subjected to aging in simulated conditions

The paper presents the results of investigation studies involving the impact of atmospheric factors on sound-absorbing parameters of roadside acoustic screen panels. The research studies comprised the aging test consisting of 1000 cycles in simulated conditions, sound absorption measurements and surface morphology tests, using the SEM scanning method. The simulation of aging consisted of 100 or 150 cycles at a time. Then, the panels were investigated in the reverberation chamber to define their sound-absorbing properties. The process was repeated until 1000 cycles were completed. Basing on the carried out tests, a statistical linear model was worked out which was used to estimate the value of a single number sound absorption coefficient after successive aging cycles. The optimality of the model was demonstrated by means of a statistical test confirming normal distribution of random residuals. For the research studies, we employed an innovative structural design of panels for which aging characteristics were obtained. Basing on the obtained results and on the statistical analysis, the prospects to maintain acoustic properties of the panels during their service life was estimated.     

The aza-Pudovik reaction accelerated in external constant magnetic field

The aza-Pudovik reaction of N-benzyl aromatic and aliphatic aldimines with dimethyl H-phosphonate was found to be accelerated significantly when carried out in an external magnetic field. Its conversion rates were analyzed and compared with those obtained during the aza-Pudovik reaction carried out under standard conditions. Magnetic acceleration was found to have a similar degree as in that observed in the Kabachnik–Fields reaction. However, the formation of the starting imines was found not to be susceptible to constant magnetic field–no acceleration was observed.     

Naringenin Schiff base: antioxidant activity,acid–base profile,and interactions with DNA

A Schiff base derived from naringenin (NTSC) and its complex with Cu(II) ([Cu(H₃L)(OAc)]·H₂O, Cu(II)–NTSC) have been synthesized and characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. EPR studies confirmed that nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur are the donor atoms bound to Cu(II) in the complex. The geometry of the complex has been modelled using DFT methods. Furthermore, naringenin and NTSC were used for the formation of Cu(II) complexes in solution, for comparison of biological activities. Antioxidant studies confirmed better radical scavenging activity of both NTSC and its Cu(II) complex compared to naringenin. The interaction of these compounds with calf thymus DNA was monitored by UV–Vis spectroscopy.     

Semialgebraic sets and the Łojasiewicz-Siciak condition

The paper contains a full geometric characterization of compact semialgebraic sets in C satisfying the ?ojasiewicz-Siciak condition. The ?ojasiewicz-Siciak condition is a certain estimate for the Siciak extremal function. In a previous paper, we gave a sufficient criterion for a compact, connected, and semialgebraic set in C to satisfy this condition. In the present paper, we remove completely the connectedness assumption and prove that the aforementioned sufficient condition is also necessary. Moreover, we obtain some new results concerning the ?ojasiewicz-Siciak condition in C^N. For example, we prove that if K₁,...,K_p are compact, nonpluripolar, and pairwise disjoint subsets of C^N, each satisfying the ?ojasiewicz-Siciak condition, and K:= K₁?· · ·?K_p is polynomially convex, then K satisfies this condition as well.     

The Melin calculus for general homogeneous groups

The purpose of this note is to give an extension of the symbolic calculus of Melin for convolution operators on nilpotent Lie groups with dilations. Whereas the calculus of Melin is restricted to stratified nilpotent groups, the extension offered here is valid for general homogeneous groups. Another improvement concerns the L ²-boundedness theorem, where our assumptions on the symbol are relaxed. The zero-class conditions that we require are of the type

Simultaneous separation of 14 antiarrhythmic drugs and determination of mexiletine and flecainide by capillary zone electrophoresis

A method using capillary zone electrophoresis was developed for the simultaneous separation of 14 antiarrhythmic drugs belonging to various classes. The drugs are separated on a fused-silica capillary, 90 cm x 75 microm (72 cm effective length), with phosphate and acetate buffers as background electrolytes and UV detection at 217 nm. The effects of buffer pH, temperature, and applied voltage on the migration of the drugs were studied. The pH was found to be the most significant factor determining effective separation. The antiarrhythmic compounds are completely separated within a relatively short time (< 7 min) by using 70 mM phosphate buffer at pH 7.91, an applied voltage of 28 kV, and a temperature of 32 degrees C. Mexiletine (MEX) and flecainide (FLE) were quantified under conditions of the optimum separation. The calibration graphs were constructed over the concentration range of 4.0-14.0 microg/mL for both drugs with good correlation (r > or = 0.9999). Detection and quantitation limits were found to be 0.5 and 1.5 microg/mL for FLE and 0.7 and 2.1 microg/mL for MEX, respectively. The proposed method was used for the determination of both drugs in their commercial forms with satisfactory precision (relative standard deviations of 0.36-1.21% for FLE and 0.78-1.66% for MEX) and accuracy (relative standard errors of 0.13-1.17% for FLE and 0.35-1.18% for MEX).     

Luminescent chemical waves in the Cu(II)-catalyzed oscillatory oxidation of SCN- ions with hydrogen peroxide

The oscillatory oxidation of thiocyanate ions with hydrogen peroxide, catalyzed by Cu2+ ions in alkaline media, was so far observed as occurring simultaneously in the entire space of the batch or flow reactor. We performed this reaction for the first time in the thin-layer reactor and observed the spatiotemporal course of the above process, in the presence of luminol as the chemiluminescent indicator. A series of luminescent patterns periodically starting from the random reaction center and spreading throughout the entire solution layer was reported. For a batch-stirred system, the bursts of luminescence were found to correlate with the steep decreases of the oscillating Pt electrode potential. These novel results open possibilities for further experimental and theoretical investigations of those spatiotemporal patterns, including studies of the mechanism of this chemically complex process.     

A method for indefinite integration of oscillatory and singular functions

We propose a general method for computing indefinite integrals of the form