Speciation of Np(V) uptake by Opalinus Clay using synchrotron microbeam techniques

Synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy has been used to determine the chemical speciation of Np sorbed on Opalinus Clay (OPA, Mont Terri, Switzerland), a natural argillaceous rock revealing a micro-scale heterogeneity. Different sorption and diffusion samples with Np(V) were prepared for spatially resolved molecular-level investigations. Thin sections of OPA contacted with Np(V) solution under aerobic and anaerobic conditions as well as a diffusion sample were analysed spatially resolved. Micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) mapping has been used to determine the elemental distributions of Np, Fe and Ca. Regions of high Np concentration were subsequently investigated by micro-X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy to determine the oxidation state of Np. Further, micro-X-ray diffraction (μ-XRD) was employed to gain knowledge about reactive crystalline mineral phases in the vicinity of Np enrichments. One thin section was also analysed by electron microprobe to determine the elemental distributions of the lighter elements (especially Si and Al), which represent the main elements of OPA. The results show that in most samples, Np spots with considerable amounts of Np(IV) could be found even when the experiments were carried out in air. In some cases, almost pure Np(IV) L(III)-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectra were recorded. In the case of the anaerobic sample, the μ-XRF mapping showed a clear correlation between Np and Fe, indicating that the reduction of Np(V) is caused by an iron(II)-containing mineral which could be identified by μ-XRD as pyrite. These spatially resolved investigations were complemented by extended X-ray absorption fine structure measurements of powder samples from batch experiments under aerobic and anaerobic conditions to determine the structural parameters of the near-neighbour environment of sorbed Np.     

A numerical study of variable depth KdV equations and generalizations of Camassa–Holm-like equations

In this paper we numerically study the KdV-top equation and compare it with the Boussinesq equations over uneven bottoms. We use here a finite-difference scheme that conserves a discrete energy for the fully discrete scheme. We also compare this approach with the discontinuous Galerkin method. For the equations obtained in the case of stronger nonlinearities and related to the Camassa–Holm equation, we find several finite difference schemes that conserve a discrete energy for the fully discrete scheme. Because of its accuracy for the conservation of energy, our numerical scheme is also of interest even in the simple case of flat bottoms. We compare this approach with the discontinuous Galerkin method.     

Numerical simulation of hydrogen–air reacting flows in rectangular channels with catalytic surface reactions

In this work a prediction was numerically modeled for a catalytically stabilized thermal combustion of a lean homogeneous mixture of air and hydrogen. The mixture flows in a narrow rectangular channel lined with a thin coating of platinum catalyst. The solution using an in-house code is based on the steady state partial differential continuity, momentum and energy conservation equations for the mixture and species involved in the reactions. A marching technique is used along the streamwise direction to solve the 2-D plane-symmetric laminar flow of the gas. Two chemical kinetic reaction mechanisms were included; one for the gas phase reactions consisting of 17 elementary reactions; of which 7 are forward–backward reactions while the other mechanism is for the surface reactions—which are the prime mover of the combustion under a lean mixture condition—consisting of 16 elementary reactions. The results were compared with a former congruent experimental work where temperature was measured using thermocouples, while using PLIF laser for measuring water and hydrogen mole fractions. The comparison showed good agreement. More results for the velocities, mole fractions of other species were carried out across the transverse and along the streamwise directions providing a complete picture of overall mechanism—gas and surface—and on the production, consumptions and travel of the different species. The variations of the average OH mole fraction with the streamwise direction showed a sudden increase in the region where the ignition occurred. Also the rate of reactions of the entire surface species were calculated along the streamwise direction and a surface water production flux equation was derived by calculating the law of mass action’s constants from the concentrations of hydrogen, oxygen and the rate of formation of water near the surface.     

Natural Compounds Isolated from Stachybotrys chartarum Are Potent Inhibitors of Human Protein Kinase CK2

A large number of secondary metabolites have been isolated from the filamentous fungus Stachybotrys chartarum and have been described before. Fourteen of these natural compounds were evaluated in vitro in the present study for their inhibitory activity towards the cancer target CK2. Among these compounds, stachybotrychromene C, stachybotrydial acetate and acetoxystachybotrydial acetate turned out to be potent inhibitors with IC₅₀ values of 0.32 µM, 0.69 µM and 1.86 µM, respectively. The effects of these three compounds on cell proliferation, growth and viability of MCF7 cells, representing human breast adenocarcinoma as well as A427 (human lung carcinoma) and A431 (human epidermoid carcinoma) cells, were tested using EdU assay, IncuCyte^® live-cell imaging and MTT assay. The most active compound in inhibiting MCF7 cell proliferation was acetoxystachybotrydial acetate with an EC₅₀ value of 0.39 µM. In addition, acetoxystachybotrydial acetate turned out to inhibit the growth of all three cell lines completely at a concentration of 1 µM. In contrast, cell viability was impaired only moderately, to 37%, 14% and 23% in MCF7, A427 and A431 cells, respectively.     

Experimental observation of direct particle acceleration by stimulated emission of radiation

We report the first experimental evidence for direct particle acceleration by stimulated emission of radiation. In the framework of this proof-of-principle experiment, a 45 MeV electron macrobunch was modulated by a high-power CO2 laser and then injected into an excited CO2 gas mixture. The emerging microbunches experienced a 0.15% relative change in the kinetic energy, in a less than 40 cm long interaction region. According to our experimental results, a fraction of these electrons have gained more than 200 keV each, implying that such an electron has undergone an order of magnitude of 2 x 10(6) collisions of the second kind.     

Effect of surface modification on the properties of plasma-polymerized hexamethyldisiloxane thin films

Plasma-polymerized hexamethyldisiloxane (pp-HMDSO) thin films have been deposited in a radiofrequency (RF) remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system, on different types of substrates: silicon wafers, glass, quartz crystals, and chemiresistor structure. The as-grown thin films have been post treated in two types of reactive plasmas produced in SF₆ and O₂ gases. The effect of this surface modification on different properties of the as-grown pp-HMDSO thin film (chemical structure, elemental composition, surface morphology, film density and thickness, optical bandgap, and electrical resistivity) has been investigated. It is found that SF₆ plasma and O₂ plasma surface modifications of the as-grown pp-HMDSO thin film induce property changes different from each other. SF₆ plasma converted the as-grown pp-HMDSO film to a more porous material and caused a narrowing of its optical band gap of about 33%, while O₂ plasma induced a lowering of film electrical resistivity of about two orders of magnitude.     

Construction of a TiO2–Fe3O4‐decorated molecularly imprinted polymer nanocomposite for tartrazine degradation: Response surface methodology modeling and optimization

We synthesized a novel recoverable and reusable photocatalyst system for tartrazine degradation by one‐step incorporation of Fe₃O₄ and TiO₂ nanoparticles into a molecularly imprinted polymer through a facile precipitation polymerization method. The as‐prepared samples were systematically characterized using X‐ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. Benefiting from the positive synergistic effect, tartrazine was almost completely degraded under UV‐C within 180 min by the multicomponent photocatalyst (Fe₃O₄ + TiO₂ + MIP) in comparison with far fewer activities by the corresponding NIP system and the nonmagnetic and bare structures. On the other hand, the central composite design in response surface methodology was applied to optimize the tartrazine photocatalytic degradation process. Twenty experiments were conducted by adjusting three parameters (nanocomposite dosage, initial pH of the reaction solution, and initial dye concentration) in the multiple variable analysis method. A satisfactory correlation between the experimental and predicted values was obtained (R² = 0.956). Additionally, ANOVA analysis with a p value of 1.15 × 10^–5 indicated that the model terms are highly significant. Under the determined optimum conditions, a verification experiment was conducted and shown the adequately approximate value between the predicted (99%) and the experimental (97%) results, which confirmed the validity of the model.     

Mesoporous γ‐Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Magnetically Triggered Release of Doxorubicin and Hyperthermia Treatment

Mesoporous iron‐oxide nanoparticles (mNPs) were prepared by using a modified nanocasting approach with mesoporous carbon as a hard template. mNPs were first loaded with doxorubicin (Dox), an anticancer drug, and then coated with the thermosensitive polymer Pluronic F108 to prevent the leakage of Dox molecules from the pores that would otherwise occur under physiological conditions. The Dox‐loaded, Pluronic F108‐coated system (Dox@F108‐mNPs) was stable at room temperature and physiological pH and released its Dox cargo slowly under acidic conditions or in a sudden burst with magnetic heating. No significant toxicity was observed in vitro when Dox@F108‐mNPs were incubated with noncancerous cells, a result consistent with the minimal internalization of the particles that occurs with normal cells. On the other hand, the drug‐loaded particles significantly reduced the viability of cervical cancer cells (HeLa, IC₅₀=0.70 μm ), wild‐type ovarian cancer cells (A2780, IC₅₀=0.50 μm ) and Dox‐resistant ovarian cancer cells (A2780/AD, IC₅₀=0.53 μm ). In addition, the treatment of HeLa cells with both Dox@F108‐mNPs and subsequent alternating magnetic‐field‐induced hyperthermia was significantly more effective at reducing cell viability than either Dox or Dox@F108‐mNP treatment alone. Thus, Dox@F108‐mNPs constitute a novel soft/hard hybrid nanocarrier system that is highly stable under physiological conditions, temperature‐responsive, and has chemo‐ and thermotherapeutic modes of action.     

Supported Organometallic Complexes. XXXVI [1] Diaminediphosphineruthenium(II) Interphase Catalysts for the Hydrogenation of α, β‐Unsaturated Ketones

The T—silyl functionalized diamine‐bis(ether‐phosphine)ruthenium(II) complexes 1a(T ° ) — 1g(T ° ) (Scheme 1) were sol‐gel processed in the presence of different amounts of the co‐condensation agents CH₃Si(OMe)₃ (Me—T ° ) and (MeO)₂SiMe—(CH₂)₆—MeSi(OMe)₂ (D ° —C₆—D ° ) to produce a library of the interphase catalysts X1a — X1c , X2a — X2g , and X3a — X3g . Due to the remarkable electronic and steric effects of the co‐ligands on the catalytic activity of such complexes, a series of aliphatic and aromatic diamines was selected. The new polymers were investigated by multinuclear CP/MAS solid‐state NMR spectroscopy as well as by EXAFS, EDX, SEM, and BET methods. Selected interphase catalysts show high activities and selectivities in the hydrogenation of trans‐4‐phenyl‐3‐butene‐2‐one.