Thermoanalytical characterization of carbon/carbon hybrid material, Apple Woodceramics

Woodceramics, a carbon/carbon composite of plant-originated carbon reinforced by glassy carbon from phenolic resin, was prepared from apple pomace at carbonizing temperatures of 1073 K (AWC800) and 1473 K (AWC1200), and characterized by thermoanalytical methods and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric (TG) showed complicated overlapping reactions similar to those of coal. The initial temperature of pyrolysis was obtained by fitting logistic functions to observed TG data. The results suggested that AWC1200 contained more volatile matter than AWC800. In an inert atmosphere, complicated devolatilization takes place. In an oxidizing atmosphere, thermal change occurs roughly in four steps: desorption of physically adsorbed matter; pyrolysis into aliphatic and aromatic fragments; ignition; combustion of char. The oxidation resistance of AWC1200 was superior to AWC800.     

Spacer effect of appended moieties for molecular recognition in doubly-sodium anthranilate modified γ-cyclodextrin

-Cyclodextrin with two sodium anthranilate moieties (1) has been prepared as a sensor for detecting organic compounds including terpenoids and steroids. Compound1 shows a pure monomer fluorescence whose intensity is increased or decreased upon addition of the guest species examined. In this system, the sodium anthranilate moieties act either as a spacer, which enables the cyclodextrin to form a 1:1 host-guest complex by narrowing the -cyclodextrin cavity, or as a hydrophobic cap.1 recognizes steroids with much higher sensitivity than terpenoids, in which the appended moieties act as a hydrophobic cap for terpenoids and a spacer for steroids, respectively.     

Dansyl-Modified γ-Cyclodextrin as a fluorescent sensor for molecular recognition

The crystal structure of thiamine iodide sesquihydrate has been determined by X-ray diffraction methods as a host-guest model for coenzyme-substrate interactions. The asymmetric unit contains two chemical units. Both the thiamine molecules A and B, which are crystallographically independent, assume the usualF conformation and have a disordered hydroxyethyl side chain. An iodide anion (or a water molecule) bridges the pyrimidine and thiazolium rings of molecule A (or B) by forming a hydrogen bond with the amino group and an electrostatic contact with the thiazolium ring to stabilize the molecular conformation. In the crystal the thiamine molecules self-associate to form a pipe-like polymeric structure, in which four thiamine hosts surround an iodide guest and hold it through C(2)-H...I hydrogen bonds and thiazolium...I electrostatic interactions. Crystal data: C₁₂H₁₇N₄OS⁺·I^– · 1.5 H₂O, monoclinic,P2₁/c, a=12.585(2), b=25.303(5), c=12.030(2) Å, =115.15(1)°,V=3468(1) ų,Z=8,D _c=1.606 g cm^–3,R=0.045 for 3328 observed reflections. Supplementary Data relating to this article are deposited with the British Library as Supplementary Publication No. SUP. 82156 (13 pages).     

One-way EZ-isomerization of bis(n-butylammonium) (Z,Z)-muconate under photoirradiation in the crystalline state

One-way EZ-isomerization of bis(n-butylammonium) (Z,Z)-muconate [(Z,Z)-hexa-2,4-diene-1,6-dioate] to the corresponding (E,E)-isomer quantitatively proceeded in the crystalline state under photoirradiation with a high-pressure mercury lamp, being a new type of crystal-to-crystal reaction.     

Meeting announcement

Diffusion and solution behavior of methanol vapor in two diblock copolymers, poly(2-vinylpyridine)—block—polyisoprene [P(2VPbI)] and poly(2-vinylpyridine)—block—polystyrene [P(2VPbS)], was studied by the weighing method at 25°C. The domain structure of films of both copolymers showed an alternating lamellar arrangement. Methanol is a good solvent for P2VP, but a nonsolvent for PI and PS. Methanol dissolved exclusively in the P2VP phase of the copolymers. For both copolymer systems, absorption and desorption processes of non-Fickian type were observed as characterized by a thickness anomaly. However, the magnitude of the deviations from purely Fickian behavior was small, and the integral diffusion coefficient, D?, was obtainable with reasonable accuracy. At low and medium concentrations, D? for P(2VPbI) was greater, by about one order of magnitude, than that for P2VP, while D? for P(2VPbS) was lower than that for P2VP. A similar trend was observed in plots of the permeability coefficient against the vapor pressure of methanol. The results indicate that the rubbery PI phase may facilitate the transport of penetrant molecules in the P(2VPbI) film. On the other hand, the glassy PS phase in the P(2VPbS) film merely interferes with the transport of methanol molecules.     

Inhibitory study of two cephalosporins on <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis> by microcalorimetry

The microcalorimetric method has been used to study the effects of cefpiramide and ceftizoxime sodium on the E. coli growth. The results revealed that these two cephalosporins may alter the metabolic way of the E. coli. Moreover, the lethal doses of cefpiramide and ceftizoxime sodium are 2.000 and 0.2000 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. Combining with the relationships between growth rate constant (k), the maximum power output (P _m ), the time corresponding to the maximum power output (t _m ) and cephalosporins concentration (C), one can draw the conclusion that the ceftizoxime sodium has a stronger inhibition effects on the growth of E. coli than that of cefpiramide and they both have the possibility to induce the drug fever.     

Computer-Aided Detection of Quantitative Signatures for Breast Fibroepithelial Tumors Using Label-Free Multi-Photon Imaging

Fibroadenomas (FAs) and phyllodes tumors (PTs) are major benign breast tumors, pathologically classified as fibroepithelial tumors. Although the clinical management of PTs differs from FAs, distinction by core needle biopsy diagnoses is still challenging. Here, a combined technique of label-free imaging with multi-photon microscopy and artificial intelligence was applied to detect quantitative signatures that differentiate fibroepithelial lesions. Multi-photon excited autofluorescence and second harmonic generation (SHG) signals were detected in tissue sections. A pixel-wise semantic segmentation method using a deep learning framework was used to separate epithelial and stromal regions automatically. The epithelial to stromal area ratio and the collagen SHG signal strength were investigated for their ability to distinguish fibroepithelial lesions. An image segmentation analysis with a pixel-wise semantic segmentation framework using a deep convolutional neural network showed the accurate separation of epithelial and stromal regions. A further investigation, to determine if scoring the epithelial to stromal area ratio and the SHG signal strength within the stromal area could be a marker for differentiating fibroepithelial tumors, showed accurate classification. Therefore, molecular and morphological changes, detected through the assistance of computational and label-free multi-photon imaging techniques, enable us to propose quantitative signatures for epithelial and stromal alterations in breast tissues.