The Transport Properties of the Cell Membrane Ion Channels in Electric Fields: Bethe Lattice Treatment

The interactive two-state model of cell membrane ion channels in an electric field is formulated on the Bethe lattice by means of the exact recursion relations. The probability of channel opening or maximum fractions of open potassium and sodium channels are obtained by solving a non-linear algebraic equation. Using known parameters for the conventional mean-field theory the model gives a good agreement with the experiment both at low and high trans-membrane potential values. For intermediate voltages, the numerical results imply that collective effects are introduced by trans-membrane voltage.     

Synthesis and determination of pKa values of some new 3,4-disubstituted-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-one derivatives in non-aqueous solvents

3-Alkyl(Aryl)-4-amino-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (2) reacted with 2-furoyl chloride and thiophene-2-carbonyl chloride to afford the corresponding 3- alkyl(aryl)-4-(2-furoylamino)-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (3) and 3-alkyl(aryl)- 4-(2-thienylcarbonylamino)-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (4), respectively. The new compounds synthesized were characterized by using IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and UV spectral data together with elemental analysis. In addition, to investigate the effects of solvents and molecular structure upon acidity, compounds 3 and 4 were titrated potentiometrically with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide in four non-aqueous solvents (isopropyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol, N,N-dimethylformamide and acetonitrile). The half-neutralization potential values and the corresponding pKa values were determined for all cases.     

Selective solid-phase extraction of Cu(II) using freshly precipitated lead diethyldithiocarbamate and its spectrophotometric determination

A new solid-phase extraction method has been developed for the selective extraction of Cu(II) in an aqueous system using freshly precipitated lead diethyldithiocarbamate (Pb(DDTC)₂) as a reagent. The method is based on the quantitative replacement of Pb(II) ions in the solid Pb(DDTC)₂ phase by Cu(II) ions present in aqueous phase. The obtained solid Cu(DDTC)₂ phase was dissolved in chloroform and determined spectrophotometrically at 435 nm. Beer’s law was obeyed over the concentration range of 0.2–5 mg dm⁻³. The molar absorptivity and the Sandell’s sensitivity coefficients of the solutions were 1.0689 × 10⁴ dm³ mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹ and 0.0060 μg cm⁻², respectively. The optimum conditions for each parameter were experimentally determined and possible interferences of various salts were also studied. The method has been validated and applied to determine Cu(II) in various alloys and water samples.     

The first bis(orotato–N,O) complex: Synthesis,crystal structure,spectroscopic and thermal characterization of (chaH)2[Cu(HOr–N,O)2(cha)] · 2H2O (cha = cyclohexylamine and HOr = orotate(2−))

The novel bis(cyclohexylaminium) cyclohexylaminebis(orotate–N,O)cuprate(II) dihydrate, (C₆H₁₅N)₂[Cu(C₅H₂N₂O₄)₂(C₆H₁₄N)] · 2H₂O, has been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, magnetic measurements, FT-IR and UV–Vis spectroscopy, thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction. The Cu(II) complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c. The copper atom in the five-coordinated (chaH)₂[Cu(HOr–N,O)₂(cha)] · 2H₂O is chelated by a deprotonated pyrimidine nitrogen atom and carboxylate oxygen atom as a bis(bidentate) ligand and the cyclohexylamine ligand completes the square-pyramidal coordination. The thermal decomposition of the complex has been predicted by the help of thermal analysis (TG, DTG and DTA).     

Determination of in vitro antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of propofol

Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) is a hypnotic intravenous agent with in vivo antioxidant properties. This study was undertaken to examine the in vitro antioxidant activity of propofol using different antioxidant tests including by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH.) radical scavenging, metal chelating, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, reducing power and total antioxidant activities. At the concentrations of 25, 50, and 75 microg/ml, propofol exhibited 97.7, 98.6 and 100% inhibition on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively. On the other hand, at the 75 microg/ml concentration of standard antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and alpha-tocopherol exhibited 88.7, 94.5, and 70.4% inhibition on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively. In addition, at same concentrations, propofol was shown that it had effective reducing power, DPPH. free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging and metal chelating activities. These various antioxidant activities were compared to standard antioxidants such as BHA, BHT and alpha-tocopherol. These results indicate that propofol prevents lipid peroxidation and radicalic chain reactions. At the same time, propofol revealed more effective antioxidant capacity than BHA, BHT and alpha-tocopherol.     

NONLINEAR DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF A LAMINATED HYBRID COMPOSITE PLATE SUBJECTED TO TIME-DEPENDENT EXTERNAL PULSES

Nonlinear dynamic responses of a laminated hybrid composite plate subjected to time-dependent pulses are investigated. Dynamic equations of the plate are derived by the use of the virtual work principle. The geometric nonlinearity effects are taken into account with the von Kármán large deflection theory of thin plates. Approximate solutions for a clamped plate are assumed for the space domain. The single term approximation functions are selected by considering the nonlinear static deformation of plate obtained using the finite element method. The Galerkin Method is used to obtain the nonlinear differential equations in the time domain and a MATLAB software code is written to solve nonlinear coupled equations by using the Newmark Method. The results of approximate-numerical analysis are obtained and compared with the finite element results. Transient loading conditions considered include blast, sine, rectangular, and triangular pulses. A parametric study is conducted considering the effects of peak pressure, aspect ratio, fiber orientation and thicknesses.     

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activities of Some 1-[(N,N-Disubstitutedthiocarbamoylthio)acetyl]-3,5-diaryl-2-pyrazolines

The increasing clinical importance of drug-resistant fungal and bacterial pathogens has lent additional urgency to microbiological research and new antimicrobial compound development. For this purpose, new pyrazoline derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for antimicrobial activity.

Some 1-[(N, N-disubstitutedthiocarbamoylthio)acetyl]-3,5-diaryl-2-pyrazolines derivatives were synthesized by reacting 1-(chloroacetyl)-3,5-diaryl-2-pyrazolines with appropriate potassium salts of secondary amine dithiocarbamic acids. The chemical structures of the compounds were elucidated by IR, ¹ H-NMR, and FAB⁺-MS spectral data. Their antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus (B-767), Escherichia coli (B-3704), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Proteus vulgaris (NRLL B-123), and Candida albicans (NRRL-27077) were investigated. The results showed that some of the compounds have notable activity against S. aureus and C. albicans.     

Characterization and in vitro release kinetics of chitosan based biocomposites from Scotch Bonnets

The main aim of this study is to formulate the combination of the bioactive composite containing chitosan/β -tricalcium phosphate (CH/β-TCP) as potential drug delivery platforms for the sustained release of antibiotics. Herein the mode of amoxicillin (AMX) maintained in the β-TCP/chitosan composite was characterized using XRD, FT-IR to confirm the phase purity and functional groups. SEM was used to examine the size and shape of particles. The SEM images of the biocomposites after drug release confirmed that they are biodegradable. In vitro drug release experiments in PBS (pH 7.4) revealed a sustained release profile in a neutral medium. Drug release profiles were evaluated according to five different kinetic models including Zero Order, First Order, Higuchi, Hixon Crowel, and Korsmeyer-Peppas. The release profile was best expressed by the Korsmeyer Peppas model because the results showed high linearity. Overall, the positive effect of chitosan coating on the drug elution profile of β-TCP as carriers for the controlled delivery of antibiotics was regarded as biocompatible for the controlled drug delivery system.     

Enhanced ethanol sensing properties of WO3 modified TiO2 nanorods

Pristine and WO₃ decorated TiO₂ nanorods (NRs) were synthesised to investigate n-n-type heterojunction gas sensing properties. TiO₂ NRs were fabricated via hydrothermal method on fluorine-doped tin oxide coated glass (FTO) substrates. Then, tungsten was sputtered on the TiO₂ NRs and thermally oxidised to obtain WO₃ nanoparticles. The heterostructure was characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Fabricated sensor devices were exposed to VOCs such as toluene, xylene, acetone and ethanol, and humidity at different operation temperatures. Experimental results demonstrated that the heterostructure has better sensor response toward ethanol at 200 °C. Enhanced sensing properties are attributed to the heterojunction formation by decorating TiO₂ NRs with WO₃.