Helical poly(3-methyl-4-vinylpyridine)/amino acid complexes: preparation, characterization, and biocompatibility

Helical poly(3-methyl-4-vinylpyridine) (P3M4VP)/amino acid complexes have been prepared via acid-base reaction of the achiral polymer with D and L amino acids: alanine, leucine, valine, serine and phenylalanine. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra of P3M4VP/D- and L-alanine complexes in CH(3)OH/H(2)O show opposing (near mirror image) Cotton effect signals at 278.4, 274.8 and 270.8 nm, indicating the formation of enantiomeric secondary structures. The formation of the enantiomeric structures is supported by observed [alpha](D)(25) values of -3.0 and +3.0 for the P3M4VP/D-alanine and P3M4VP/L-alanine complexes, respectively. The preparation of helical P3M4VP/amino acid complexes has been carried out in CH(3)OH and H(2)O at pH 1.8 and 2.7. The intensities of the Cotton effect signals were good. For example, for the P3M4VP/L-alanine complexes in CH(3)OH/H(2)O and H(2)O (pH 1.8), the second Cotton effect signal around 275-277 nm show [theta;] values of 49 980 and 79 210 deg . cm(2) . dmol(-1), respectively. The formation of the helical secondary structure is rapid. The acid-base reaction between P3M4VP and L-alanine in CH(3)OH/H(2)O, in 10 min, show a CD spectrum with Cotton effect signals at 274 and 272 nm with [theta] values of 27,000 deg . cm(2) . dmol(-1) and -36,000 deg . cm(2) . dmol(-1), respectively. P3M4VP permits ready conformational reorientation on complexation with amino acids, but once the helical P3M4VP/amino acid complexes are formed, it is stable at room temperature. P3M4VP is not compatible with HeLa ovarian cancer cells, but the helical P3M4VP/amino acid complexes are compatible with HeLa cells. The complexes minimally interfere with the adhesion and growth of HeLa cells on complex surfaces. Helical poly(3-methyl-4-vinylpyridine)/D- and L-alanine complexes support the attachment and growth of HeLa cells. The micrographs shows HeLa cells after three days: left panel: on P3M4VP/L-alanine complex; right panel: on P3M4VP/D-alanine complex.     

Designing an all epitaxial 1,550 nm intra-cavity VCSEL using GaInAsN/AlGaInAs in the active region and AlGaAsSb/AlAsSb in top and bottom DBRs

In this paper, a 1,550 nm Intracavity structure vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) has been designed using quaternary compound QW/barrier materials of GaInAsN/AlGaInAs matched with InP substrate. This choice has been made instead of choosing widely used GaInAsP/InP and AlGaInAs/InP to gain some advantages. In addition to the introduction of new combination in the active region, a different compound semiconductor combination AlGaAsSb/AlAsSb has been used as the DBR material for achieving lattice matching and also for achieving higher refractive index contrast. Compared to widely used GaAs/AlGaAs DBR mirror system, which needed wafer fusion with the top and bottom sides of the active region at 1,550 nm, the chosen DBR of this design is advantageous. The active material compositions have been chosen to obtain a peak gain at 1,550 nm and all other compositions have been chosen to obtain close lattice match at the same time to obtain the desired bandgap at the desired layers. The end result of this design is a VCSEL based on InP substrate which is capable of producing 1,550 nm light output and which can be constructed using widely used epitaxial techniques because all of the layers are lattice matched.     

Comparative analysis of refrigerant performance between LPG and R134a under subtropical climate

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In this investigation, a series of experiments were conducted to explore the effects of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) mixture of 60% propane and 40%...     

Assessment of high-resolution methods for numerical simulations of compressible turbulence with shock waves

Flows in which shock waves and turbulence are present and interact dynamically occur in a wide range of applications, including inertial confinement fusion, supernovae explosion, and scramjet propulsion. Accurate simulations of such problems are challenging because of the contradictory requirements of numerical methods used to simulate turbulence, which must minimize any numerical dissipation that would otherwise overwhelm the small scales, and shock-capturing schemes, which introduce numerical dissipation to stabilize the solution. The objective of the present work is to evaluate the performance of several numerical methods capable of simultaneously handling turbulence and shock waves. A comprehensive range of high-resolution methods (WENO, hybrid WENO/central difference, artificial diffusivity, adaptive characteristic-based filter, and shock fitting) and suite of test cases (Taylor–Green vortex, Shu–Osher problem, shock-vorticity/entropy wave interaction, Noh problem, compressible isotropic turbulence) relevant to problems with shocks and turbulence are considered. The results indicate that the WENO methods provide sharp shock profiles, but overwhelm the physical dissipation. The hybrid method is minimally dissipative and leads to sharp shocks and well-resolved broadband turbulence, but relies on an appropriate shock sensor. Artificial diffusivity methods in which the artificial bulk viscosity is based on the magnitude of the strain-rate tensor resolve vortical structures well but damp dilatational modes in compressible turbulence; dilatation-based artificial bulk viscosity methods significantly improve this behavior. For well-defined shocks, the shock fitting approach yields good results.     

Numerical study of bubble rise and interaction in a viscous liquid

In this article, the flow instabilities during the rise of a single bubble in a narrow vertical tube are studied using a transient two-dimensional/axisymmetric model. To predict the shape of the bubble deformation, the Navier-Stokes equations in addition to an advection equation for liquid volume fraction are solved. A modified volume-of-fluid technique based on Youngs' algorithm is used to track the bubble deformation. To validate the model, the results of simulations for terminal rise velocity and bubble shape are compared with those of the experiments. The effect of different parameters such as initial bubble radius, channel height, liquid viscosity and surface tension on the shape and rise velocity of the bubble is investigated.     

Highly selective enrichment of phosphopeptides using poly(dibenzo‐18‐crown‐6) as a solid‐phase extraction material

A poly(dibenzo‐18‐crown‐6) was used as a new solid‐phase extraction material for the selective enrichment of phosphopeptides. Isolation of phosphopeptides was achieved based on specific ionic interactions between poly(dibenzo‐18‐crown‐6) and the phosphate group of phosphopeptides. Thus, a method was developed and optimized, including loading, washing and elution steps, for the selective enrichment of phosphopeptides. To assess this potential, tryptic digest of three proteins (α‐ casein, β‐casein and ovalbumin) was applied on poly(dibenzo‐18‐crown‐6). The nonspecific products were removed by centrifugation and washing. The spectrometric analysis was performed using matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Highly selective enrichment of both mono‐ and multiphosphorylated peptides was achieved using poly(dibenzo‐18‐crown‐6) as solid‐phase extraction material with minimum interference from nonspecific compounds. Furthermore, evaluation of the efficiency of the poly(dibenzo‐18‐crown‐6) was performed by applying the digest of egg white. Finally, quantum mechanical calculations were performed to calculate the binding energies to predict the affinity between poly(dibenzo‐18‐crown‐6) and various ligands. The newly identified solid‐phase extraction material was found to be a highly efficient tool for phosphopeptide recovery from tryptic digest of proteins.     

Risk assessment,development and validation of a GC-ECD-based method for the quantification of cypermethrin from green pea

The present work describes the persistence, dissipation behaviour, half-life, risk assessment and novel gas chromatography method for the residue estimation of cypermethrin in green pea by spraying cypermethrin 10EC at 50 g a.i. ha⁻¹ at fruiting stage followed by another application at a 10 day interval. The sample extraction and cleanup was followed bya modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method, and the residues of cypermethrin were determined using a validated gas chromatography method. The initial deposits were found to be 1.21 mg kg⁻¹ following the application of insecticide at 50 g a.i. ha⁻¹. Cypermethrin residues declined to below the detection limit of 0.05 mg kg⁻¹ after 15 days at the recommended dosage. The half-life of cypermethrin was 2.66 days at 50 g a.i. ha⁻¹. For risk assessment studies, the waiting period of 15 days is recommended as safe for consumption for the insecticide. The GC-ECD method was validated according to the SANTE guidelines by various analytical parameters including linearity, accuracy, detection and quantification limits. The developed method is simple, selective and repeatable, and can be used for the standardization of pesticides on fruits and vegetables.     

Photoinduced addition and addition–elimination reactions of perfluoroalkyl iodides to electron-deficient olefins

Photoinduced radical perfluoroalkylation of various simple electron-deficient olefins was achieved in the presence of an aqueous Na₂S₂O₃ solution. The reactions proceeded smoothly to give addition or addition–elimination products. The ability of the products to be used as radical precursors or Michael acceptors was also demonstrated.