Interactions between heavy metals and photosynthetic materials studied by optical techniques

In this work studies on rapid inhibitory interactions between heavy metals and photosynthetic materials at different organization levels were carried out by optical assay techniques, investigating the possibility of applications in the heavy metal detection field. Spinach chloroplasts, thylakoids and Photosystem II proteins were employed as biotools in combination with colorimetric assays based on dichlorophenol indophenole (DCIP) photoreduction and on fluorescence emission techniques. It was found that copper and mercury demonstrated a strong and rapid photosynthetic activity inhibition, that varied from proteins to membranes, while other metals like nickel, cobalt and manganese produced only slight inhibition effects on all tested photosynthetic materials. By emission measurements, only copper was found to rapidly influence the photosynthetic material signals. These findings give interesting information about the rapid effects of heavy metals on isolated photosynthetic samples, and are in addition to the literature data concerning the effects of growth in heavy metal enriched media.     

Nanostructured Macromolecular Metal Containing Materials in Catalysis

Summary: Nanostructured regular materials based on cross-linked polypropylene imine (PPI) dendrimers and silica-gel polyamine composites were used as a support for the synthesis of Pd nanoparticles. The materials were tested as catalysts and displayed a high activity and selectivity for the hydrogenation of conjugated double bonds.     

Finite-dimensional attractors for the quasi-linear strongly-damped wave equation

We present a new method of investigating the so-called quasi-linear strongly-damped wave equations

     

Lagrangian approach to the study of level sets II: A quasilinear equation in climatology

We study the dynamics and regularity of the level sets in solutions of the semilinear parabolic equation

     

Crystal packing in the structures of diethanolamine derivatives

Four distinct hydrogen‐bonding topologies were observed in the structures of six diethanolamine ligands. These compounds are (1R*,2R*)‐2‐[(2‐hydroxyethyl)(methyl)amino]‐1,2‐diphenylethanol, C₁₇H₂₁NO₂, (I), 1‐[(2S)‐2‐(hydroxydiphenylmethyl)pyrrolidin‐1‐yl]‐2‐methylpropan‐2‐ol, C₂₁H₂₇NO₂, (II), 2‐[(2‐hydroxyethyl)(methyl)amino]‐1,1‐diphenylethanol, C₁₇H₂₁NO₂, (III), 1‐{(2‐hydroxy‐2‐methylpropyl)[(1S)‐1‐phenylethyl]amino}‐2‐methylpropan‐2‐ol, C₁₆H₂₇NO₂, (IV), 1‐{[(2R)‐2‐hydroxy‐2‐phenylethyl][(1S)‐1‐phenylethyl]amino}‐2‐methylpropan‐2‐ol, C₂₀H₂₇NO₂, (V), and (1R*,2S*)‐2‐[(2‐hydroxyethyl)(methyl)amino]‐1,2‐diphenylethanol, C₁₇H₂₁NO₂, (VI). In each compound, all `active' hydroxy H atoms are engaged in hydrogen bonding, but the N atoms are not involved in intermolecular hydrogen bonding. In the structures of (I), (II) and (IV)–(VI), molecules are linked into chains by intermolecular O—H...O interactions. These chains are organized in such a way as to hide the hydrophilic groups inside, and so the outer surfaces of the chains are hydrophobic. The structure of (VI) contains two distinct non‐equivalent systems of intermolecular O—H...O hydrogen bonds formed by disordered hydroxy H atoms.     

Preserving Z-sets by Dranishnikov's resolution

We prove that Dranishnikov's k-dimensional resolution is a UV^n − 1-divider of Chigogidze's k-dimensional resolution ck. This fact implies that preserves Z-sets. A further development of the concept of UV^n − 1-dividers permits us to find sufficient conditions for to be homeomorphic to the Nöbeling space νk or the universal pseudoboundary σk. We also obtain some other applications.     

On the 3D Cahn–Hilliard equation with inertial term

We study the modified Cahn–Hilliard equation proposed by Galenko et al. in order to account for rapid spinodal decomposition in certain glasses. This equation contains, as additional term, the second-order time derivative of the (relative) concentration multiplied by a (small) positive coefficient . Thus, in absence of viscosity effects, we are in presence of a Petrovsky type equation and the solutions do not regularize in finite time. Many results are known in one spatial dimension. However, even in two spatial dimensions, the problem of finding a unique solution satisfying given initial and boundary conditions is far from being trivial. A fairly complete analysis of the 2D case has been recently carried out by Grasselli, Schimperna and Zelik. The 3D case is still rather poorly understood but for the existence of energy bounded solutions. Taking advantage of this fact, Segatti has investigated the asymptotic behavior of a generalized dynamical system which can be associated with the equation. Here we take a step further by establishing the existence and uniqueness of a global weak solution, provided that is small enough. More precisely, we show that there exists such that well-posedness holds if (suitable) norms of the initial data are bounded by a positive function of which goes to + ∞ as tends to 0. This result allows us to construct a semigroup on an appropriate (bounded) phase space and, besides, to prove the existence of a global attractor. Finally, we show a regularity result for the attractor by using a decomposition method and we discuss the existence of an exponential attractor.      

Consistent approach to adsorption thermodynamics on heterogeneous surfaces using different empirical energy distribution models

Adsorption on heterogeneous surfaces with three basic energy distribution models (uniform model, exponential model, and normal-like model) is studied. Exact analytical solutions of the adsorption isotherms and the heats of adsorption are derived for the uniform and exponential models, and, with these solutions including a numerical solution for the normal-like model, the behavior of the differential heat of adsorption and the "apparent" standard adsorption entropy concerning the overall surface is described as a function of coverage and temperature. The approximations underlying the isotherms and heats of adsorption in the Temkin, Freundlich, and Langmuir-Freundlich types of adsorption are rationalized. By comparing these empirical formulas to the exact solutions, the level of these approximations is found to be identical, which is similar to the "condensation approximation". Their preconditions are that either the temperature is low enough, or the surface is strongly heterogeneous. Generally, they are suitable for the middle coverage range. The exact solutions provide a method to obtain more information on the heats, entropy, and heterogeneity of the catalyst surface from the calorimetric measurement of the heat of adsorption.     

Attachment of motile bacterial cells to prealigned holed microarrays

Construction of biomotors is an exciting area of scientific research that holds great promise for the development of new technologies with broad potential applications in areas such as the energy industry and medicine. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of prealigned microarrays of motile Escherichia coli bacterial cells on SiOx substrates. To prepare these arrays, holed surfaces with a gold layer on the bottom of the holes were utilized. The attachment of bacteria to the holes was achieved via nonspecific interactions using poly-l-lysine hydrobromide (PLL). Our data suggest that a single motile bacterial cell can be selectively attached to an individual hole on a surface and bacterial cell binding can be controlled by altering the pH, with the greatest occupancy occurring at pH 7.8. Cells attached to hole arrays remained motile for at least 4 h. These data indicate that holed surface structures provide a promising footprint for the attachment of motile bacterial cells to form high-density site-specific functional bacterial microarrays.     

Synthesis and photophysical properties of annulated dinuclear and trinuclear phthalocyanines

Metal-free mononuclear, dinuclear and trinuclear phthalocyanines were prepared by a mixed cyclotetramerisation of a 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene derivative and 4,5-bis(2,6-dimethylphenoxy)phthalonitrile. For the first time, a pi-electron-conjugated trinuclear phthalocyanine was synthesised with phthalocyanine units connected by common annulated benzene rings. The Q band of the trinuclear compound in solution occurs at lambda = 944 nm whereas those of the dinuclear and mononuclear compounds are at lambda = 853/830 and 701/664 nm, respectively. Fluorescence quantum yields, fluorescence lifetimes and singlet-oxygen quantum yields of the compounds were determined.