Plasma-mediated grafting of poly(ethylene glycol) on polyamide and polyester surfaces and evaluation of antifouling ability of modified substrates

A simple cold plasma technique was developed to functionalize the surfaces of polyamide (PA) and polyester (PET) for the grafting of polyethylene glycol (PEG) with the aim of reducing biofilm formation. The surfaces of PA and PET were treated with silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) plasma, and PEG was grafted onto plasma-functionalized substrates (PA-PEG, PET-PEG). Different molecular weights of PEG and grafting times were tested to obtain optimal surface coverage by PEG as monitored by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). The presence of a predominant C-O peak on the PEG-modified substrates indicated that the grafting was successful. Data from hydroxyl group derivatization and water contact angle measurement also indicated the presence of PEG after grafting. The PEG-grafted PA and PET under optimal conditions had similar chemical composition and hydrophilicity; however, different morphology changes were observed after grafting. Both PA-PEG and PET-PEG surfaces developed under optimal plasma conditions showed about 96% reduction in biofilm formation by Listeria monocytogenes compared with that of the corresponding unmodified substrates. This plasma functionalization method provided an efficient way to graft PEG onto PA and PET surfaces. Because of the high reactivity of Si-Cl species, this method could potentially be applied to other polymeric materials.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of amino-functionalized polysaccharides

A variety of carbohydrates, in particular polysaccharides can be subjected to chemical modification to obtain derivatives with amphiphilic properties, which enable biochemical or biological reactions at the polymer surface. In the present work, a polydisperse maltodextrin mixture of average molecular weight 3000 was coupled with 1,6-hexamethylenediamine (HMD) via reductive amination reaction. Resulting products were characterized by thermal analysis and positive nanoelectrospray quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Both thermal analysis and MS screening confirmed the formation of the HMD-polysaccharide coupling products. Moreover, HMD-linked polysaccharide chains containing 2 to 26 glucose building blocks were identified by nanoESI Q-TOF MS. MS/MS fragmentation using collision-induced dissociation (CID) at low ion acceleration energies provided strong evidence for HMD-maltodextrin linkage formation and the set of sequence ions diagnostic for the composition and structure of a HMD-linked chain containing 18 glucose residues.      

Blood oxygenation monitoring using hyperspectral imaging after flap surgery

In this paper, we present a new method for the assessment of skin flap perfusion based on the non-invasive monitoring of skin blood oxygenation using hyperspectral imaging. This method consists of generation of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin maps in skin flap from hyperspectral image using an analytic model based on Beer–Lambert law. The results obtained on a fasciocutaneous sural flap have revealed that the oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin maps facilitate the visualization of some differences between different areas of the flap, an aspect that clinical examination fails to do. In conclusion, the proposed method could provide a new option for a more accurate assessment of flap survival.     

Explicit Semi-invariants and Integrals of the Full Symmetric {\mathfrak{sl}_n} Toda Lattice

We show how to construct semi-invariants and integrals of the full symmetric \({\mathfrak{sl}_n}\) Toda lattice for all n. Using the Toda equations for the Lax eigenvector matrix we prove the existence of semi-invariants which are homogeneous coordinates in the corresponding projective spaces. Then we use these semi-invariants to construct the integrals. The existence of additional integrals which constitute a full set of independent non-involutive integrals was known but the chopping and Kostant procedures have crucial computational complexities already for low-rank Lax matrices and are practically not applicable for higher ranks. Our new approach solves this problem and results in simple explicit formulae for the full set of independent semi-invariants and integrals expressed in terms of the Lax matrix and its eigenvectors, and of eigenvalue matrices for the full symmetric \({\mathfrak{sl}_n}\) Toda lattice.     

M2 Proton Channel Structural Validation from Full-Length Protein Samples in Synthetic Bilayers and E. coli Membranes

Validation: Membrane protein structures are sensitive to the environment used for structural characterization. NMR spectra of the full-length M2 proton channel from influenza?A were measured directly in E.?coli membranes and compared to spectra of the protein in synthetic lipid bilayers. The results demonstrate that these bilayers provide a native-like membrane environment.     

Physical mechanism of the (tri)critical point generation

We discuss some ideas resulting from a phenomenological relation recently declared between the tension of string connecting the static quark-antiquark pair and surface tension of corresponding cylindrical bag. This relation analysis leads to the temperature of vanishing surface tension coefficient of the QGP bags at zero baryonic charge density as T _?? = 152.9 ± 4.5 MeV. We develop the view point that this temperature value is not a fortuitous coincidence with the temperature of (partial) chiral symmetry restoration as seen in the lattice QCD simulations. Besides, we argue that T _?? defines the QCD (tri)critical endpoint temperature and claim that a negative value of surface tension coefficient recently discovered is not a sole result but is quite familiar for ordinary liquids at the supercritical temperatures.     

Signature of a type-a glass transition and intrinsic confinement effects in a binary glass-forming system

We study dynamically highly asymmetric binary mixtures comprised of small methyl tetrahydrofuran (MTHF) molecules and polystyrene. Combined use of dielectric spectroscopy, ^{2}H nuclear magnetic resonance, incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering, and depolarized dynamic light scattering allows us to selectively probe the dynamics of the components in a broad dynamic range. It turns out that the mixtures exhibit two glass transitions in a wide concentration range although being fully miscible on a macroscopic scale. In between both glass transition temperatures, the dynamics of the small molecules show strong confinement effects, e.g., a crossover from Vogel-Fulcher to Arrhenius behavior of the time constants. Moreover, the dynamical behavior of small molecules close to the slow matrix is consistent with mode coupling theory predictions for a type-A glass transition, which was expected from recent theoretical and simulation studies in comparable systems.     

Stereoselective functionalization of pyrrolidinone moiety towards the synthesis of salinosporamide A

An important feature of the synthesis of salinosporamide A, a potent proteasome inhibitor, is the establishment of the quaternary stereocenter at C3. A new route has been developed based on the methylation of a functionalized pyrrolidinone. Direct methylation reaction led to the unwanted diastereomer; however, by means of a Corey–Chaykovsky reaction followed by LiAlH₄ epoxide opening, the desired alcohol was obtained. The pyrrolidinone was elaborated through a key allylation reaction between a tertiary allyltitanium reagent and an aldehyde bearing a spiroketal moiety in α-position.     

The Effect of UV-Irradiation on Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composites with Bacterial Cellulose

The development of biodegradable packaging materials, especially from renewable resources is a constant preoccupation of nowadays, because of the environmental problems caused by synthetic polymers. The combination of cellulose with other polymeric materials could be an ecologic alternative and a way to use renewable resources for food packaging. Bacterial cellulose which is produced by microbial fermentation is also a promising material which can be used not only in biomedical application, but also as food packaging material. In this research different composite films between poly(vinyl alcohol)-bacterial cellulose (PVA-BC) were obtained by casting method. The obtained films were UV irradiated for different periods of times from 1 to 10 hours, using a mercury lamp, Philips TUV-30, emitting light mainly at 254 nm. Changes in FT-IR spectra before and after UV irradiation and the modification of transparency and of the swelling characteristics of the films were observed. As it was expected the composites materials are sensitive at UV exposure.