Thermal characteristics of gelatin extracted from shaari fish skin

Gelatin extraction yield increased with the increase of acetic acid concentration and temperature. Gelatin extracted from shaari skin using 0.1 N acid solutions and temperatures of 323 and 353 K gave highest protein content comparable to that of commercial bovine and porcine gelatins. In general, gelatin extracted from shaari gelatin showed lower onset of glass transition temperature than mammalian gelatins. For shaari skin gelatin, the onset of glass transition temperature decreased with the increase of extraction temperature up to 323 K and then remained nearly constant. The decrease in glass transition was more pronounced for gelatin extracted at 0.01 N compared to the 0.1 and 1.0 N samples. Unfolding temperature decreased exponentially with the increase of extraction temperature. The unfolding temperature shifted to lower temperature, and the decrease was more pronounced in the case of higher (1.0 N) concentrated samples. The extraction concentration and temperature did not show significant effect on the onset solids-melting temperature.     

The Effect of Ring Size on the Optical Behavior of Novel Photochromic Push-Pull Dyes

The photophysical behaviors of newly synthesized photochromic dyes have been investigated in different solvents of various polarities using steady-state absorption and emission techniques. It was found that, the absorption and emission spectra of these dyes depend on the ring size and the solvent polarity. The higher values of the dipole moments of the investigated dyes in the excited state than those in the ground state suggest that these dyes can serve as good candidate components of nonlinear optical materials. Additionally, the photoisomerization parameters (percentage of composition of cis isomers and quantum yields of photoisomerization) depend on the polarity and the viscosity of the used solvents as well as the ring size. The molecular motion that occurs in the isomerization process has facilitated the development of molecular devices. Finally, the halochromic behaviors of the investigated dyes promise them to act as acid–base indicators.     

Preparation and characterization of polyaniline films in the presence of N-phenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine

The chemical oxidation of aniline to form polyaniline (PANI) films was made in the presence of N-phenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine (PPDA) in aqueous hydrochloric acid medium. The PANI films were monitored by using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique. The effect of PPDA and its concentration on the film formation was investigated. It was found that PPDA decreases the yield of the PANI film, the induction period and the depletion time of the polymerization. However, the growth rate of the film formation was found to increase by increasing PPDA concentration. These results were justified by measuring the UV-VIS absorption spectra for the in situ PANI films and the in situ UV-VIS absorption spectra for the polymer in the bulk during the polymerization. The conductivity for the PANI films at different concentrations of PPDA was measured. Also, the IR spectra, X-ray and the thermal gravimetric analysis for the PANI powder formed in the bulk in the presence of PPDA were measured and discussed.     

Catalytic effect of supported metal ion complexes on the induced oxidative degradation of pyrocatechol violet by hydrogen peroxide

Kinetics of the oxidative degradation of pyrocatechol violet dye (PCV) [2-[(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)(3-hydroxy-4-oxocyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene) methyl]-benzenesulfonic acid] by H(2)O(2) catalyzed by supported transition metal complexes have been studied. The reaction was followed by conventional UV-vis spectrophotometer at lambda(max)=440 nm in a buffer solution at pH 5.1. The supports used were silica gel and cation exchange resins (Dowex-50W, 2 and 8% DVB), while the complexes were [Cu(amm)(4)](2+), [Cu(en)(2)](2+), [Cu(ma)(4)](2+), [Co(amm)(6)](2+), and [Ni(amm)(6)](2+) (amm=ammonia, en=ethylenediamine, and ma=methylamine). The reaction exhibited first-order kinetics with respect to [PCV] and [H(2)O(2)]. The reactivity of the catalysts is correlated with the redox potential of the metal ions, the type of support, and the amount of supported complexes. The rate of the reaction increases with increasing pH and the addition of NaCl. Addition of SDS and CTAB showed inhibiting effects. The reaction is enthalpy-controlled as confirmed from the isokinetic relationship. A reaction mechanism involved the generation of free radicals as an oxidant has been proposed.     

Chemical Constitution and Antimicrobial Activity of Kefir Fermented Beverage

Kefir beverage (KB) is a fermented milk initiated by kefir grains rich with starter probiotics. The KB produced in this study seemed to contain many chemical compounds elucidated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and IR spectra. These compounds could be classified into different chemical groups such as alcohols, phenols, esters, fatty esters, unsaturated fatty esters, steroids, polyalkenes, heterocyclic compounds and aromatic aldehydes. Both KB and neutralized kefir beverage (NKB) inhibited some pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli ATCC11229 (E. coli), Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 4957 (L. monocytogenes), Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 (B. cereus), Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028 (Sal. typhimurium) as well as some tested fungal strains such as Aspergillus flavus ATCC 16872 (A. flavus) and Aspergillus niger ATCC 20611 (A. niger), but the inhibitory activity of KB was more powerful than that obtained by NKB. It also appeared to contain four lactic acid bacteria species, one acetic acid bacterium and two yeast species. Finally, the KB inhibited distinctively both S. aureus and Sal. typhimurium bacteria in a brain heart infusion broth and in some Egyptian fruit juices, including those made with apples, guava, strawberries and tomatoes.     

Novel Indole-Pyrazine Alkaloid: Synthesis,Characterization, and Crystal Structure

Crystallography Reports - A heterocyclic molecule of a novel class with a multiple ring system has been synthesized using a new and simple strategy and acetic acid as catalyst. The structure of the...     

Fluorescence decay of singlet excited-state of safranine T and its interaction with ground-state of pyridinthiones in micelles and homogeneous media

The fluorescence decays of safranine T were studied in different homogeneous solvents and heterogeneous micellar solutions. It has been found that micellization leads to an increase in the lifetime. The lifetime distributions were studied in micelles and homogeneous media. It was found that the different half-width distributions of the dye in different micelles are related to the different orientation of the dye in different micelles. Also, the fluorescence quenching of safranine T by 4,6-disubstituted-3-cyanopyridin-2(1H)-thiones was studied in chloroform, methanol and acetonitrile as well as in different micelles. In heterogeneous media the kq values for quenching of safranine T by thiones in various micelles increase on the following order: kq(CTAB) < kq(TX-100) < kq(SDS). This is due to the electrostatic interactions between the anionic SDS and the cationic moiety of safranine T and therefore the quenching process will be less significant.     

In Vivo Investigation of the Ameliorating Effect of Tempol against MIA-Induced Knee Osteoarthritis in Rats: Involvement of TGF-β1/SMAD3/NOX4 Cue

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex disease characterized by structural, functional, and metabolic deteriorations of the whole joint and periarticular tissues. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the possible effects of tempol on knee OA induced by the chemical chondrotoxic monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) which closely mimics both the pain and structural changes associated with human OA. Rats were administrated oral tempol (100 mg/kg) one week post-MIA injection (3 mg/50 μL saline) at the right knee joints for 21 consecutive days. Tempol improved motor performance and debilitated the MIA-related radiological and histological alterations. Moreover, it subsided the knee joint swelling. Tempol decreased the cartilage degradation-related biomarkers as matrix metalloproteinase-13, bone alkaline phosphatase (bone ALP), and fibulin-3. The superoxide dismutase mimetic effect of tempol was accompanied by decreased NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), inflammatory mediators, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), over-released transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Tempol decreased the expression of chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2). On the molecular level, tempol reduced the phosphorylated protein levels of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and small mother against decapentaplegic 3 homologs (SMAD3). These findings suggest the promising role of tempol in ameliorating MIA-induced knee OA in rats via collateral suppression of the catabolic signaling cascades including TGF-β1/SMAD3/NOX4, and NOX4/p38MAPK/NF-κB and therefore modulation of oxidative stress, catabolic inflammatory cascades, chondrocyte metabolic homeostasis.