A lower bound estimate of the critical load for compressible elastic solids

We determine lower bound estimates for the critical load for hyperelastic solids under monotonic dead load processes. By considering the Hadamard criterion of infinitesimal stability, we first determine a lower bound for the Hadamard stability functional; then, we develop a procedure for optimal lower bound estimates for the critical load. As examples, we apply our procedure to generalized Blatz-Ko solids under simple extension, simple compression and rectilinear shear, and compare our results with other proposals contained in the literature.     

Photodynamic Activity on Biofilm in Endotracheal Tubes of Patients Admitted to an Intensive Care Unit

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is an infection that arises after endotracheal intubation affecting patients under intensive care. The presence of the endotracheal tube (ETT) is a risk factor since it is colonized by multispecies biofilm. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) could be a strategy to decontaminate ETTs. We verify if methylene blue (MB) associated with external illumination of the ETT could be an alternative to destroy biofilm. We performed an in vitro and ex vivo study. In vitro study was performed with P. aeruginosa biofilm grew over ETT for 7 days. After treatment, the surviving cells were cultured for 3 days and the biofilm was analyzed by crystal violet absorbance. Ex vivo study employed ETT obtained from extubated patients. aPDT was performed with MB (100 µm ) and red LED (λ = 640±20 nm). We quantified the biofilm thickness and used scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence technique to verify morphological and functional changes after aPDT. Our results showed that bacteria remain susceptible to aPDT after sequential treatments. We also attested that aPDT can reduce biofilm thickness, disrupt biofilm attachment from ETT surface and kill microbial cells. These data suggest that aPDT should be investigated to decrease VAP incidence via ETT decontamination.     

Effects of Photobiomodulation on Root Resorption Induced by Orthodontic Tooth Movement and RANKL/OPG Expression in Rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of photobiomodulation on the repair of induced root resorption (RR) after orthodontic tooth movement. Twenty male rats were used in this study. Forty right and left upper first molars were evaluated and divided into four groups (n = 10): negative control group (NC), no tooth movement or irradiation; positive control group (PC), induced tooth movement and root resorption; conventional treatment group (CT), force was removed after 7 days; and photobiomodulation group (PBM) after force removal molars were irradiated every 48 h for 7 days using GaAlAs diode laser (810 nm). Energy per point was 1.5 J (100 mW, 15 s, 75 J cm^?2). NC and PC were euthanized on day 7; CT and PBM on day 14. Histomorphometric and immunohistochemsitry analyses showed increase in area of root resorption in all groups (P < 0.05) compared to NC. RR lacunae were larger in CT compared to PC and PBM at the compression side of the distal root. OPG was higher in PBM group (P < 0.05). PBM group showed low expression of RANKL compared to PC and CT on the tension side. PBM can potentially affect RR progression by increasing OPG expression in the compression area and decreasing number of clastic cells in the root surface.     

Thermal studies,degradation kinetic,equilibrium solubility,DFT, MIR,and XRPD analyses of a new cocrystal of gemfibrozil and isonicotinamide

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - A synthesis of a novel pharmaceutical cocrystal of the gemfibrozil (GEM) with the isonicotinamide (INCT) as coformer was carried out using the...     

Optimization and validation of a minicolumn method for determining aflatoxins in copra meal.

A minicolumn (MC) method for determining aflatoxins in copra meal was optimized and validated. The method uses methanol-4% KCl solution as extractant and CuSO4 solution as clarifying agent. The chloroform extract is applied to an MC that incorporates "lahar," an indigenous material, as substitute for silica gel. The "lahar"-containing MC produces a more distinct and intense blue fluoresence on the Florisil layer than an earlier MC. The method has a detection limit of 15 micrograms total aflatoxins/kg sample. Confirmatory tests using 50% H2SO4 and trifluoroacetic acid in benzene with 25% HNO3 showed that copra meal samples contained aflatoxins and no interfering agents. The MC responses of the copra meal samples were in good agreement with their behavior in thin-layer chromatography. This modified MC method is accurate, giving linearity-valid results; rapid, being done in 15 min; economical, using low-volume reagents; relatively safe, having low-exposure risk of analysts to chemicals; and simple, making its field application feasible.     

The development and use of food reference materials at the Philippine Food and Nutrition Research Institute

Summary As the Philippine government's main investigator and compiler of local food composition data, the FNRI has been conducting activities on food reference materials since 1987, in accordance with guidelines of the 1983 UNUINFOODS and 1986 ASEANFOODS initiatives. Results of these activities as well as problems encountered therein are summarized. Similar activities of the Asia-Pacific Food Analysis Network (APFAN) are also reported. These activities demonstrate the attempts to harmonize analytical methods in laboratories of the Asia-Pacific region.     

Olefin cross-metathesis reactions at room temperature using the nonionic amphiphile "PTS": just add water

The first examples of unsymmetrical olefin cross-metathesis reactions in water, involving water-insoluble substrates, at room temperature and using commercially available catalysts are reported. The key to success is to include small percentages of the nonionic, vitamin E-based amphiphile "PTS". The nanometer micelles formed accommodate water-insoluble substrates, along with a readily available Ru-based metathesis catalyst. Reactions proceed at ambient temperatures with high efficiency and very high E-selectivity, and products are easily isolated.     

Fluorous modification of 2,2′-bipyridine

A series of 2,2′-bipyridines featuring fluorinated alkyl groups [(CH₂)₃(CF₂)_xCF₃: x = 0, (1); 5, (2); 7, (3); 9 (4)] appended in the 4 and 4′ positions have been prepared. 1-4 were characterized by spectroscopy and physical methods including partition coefficient (biphase: perfluoromethylcyclohexane/toluene) and cyclic voltammetry (THF). Ab-initio calculations of vertical ionization potentials (VIPs) for 1-4 confirm the insulating role of the methylene spacers as the electrochemical reduction potentials of 1-4 are almost identical to that of 2,2′-bipyridine. Calculations for (CH₂)_nCF₃ derivatives (n = 0-10) describe a limit for impact of the CF₃ group through 9-10 methylenes. From both physical and theoretical data fluorinated alkyl groups of the formula (CH₂)₃(CF₂)_xCF₃ [x = 0-9] are inductively equivalent to a hydrogen substituent when appended to the bipyridine moiety.     

Shear driven planar Couette and Taylor-like instabilities for a class of compressible isotropic elastic solids

We study the possibility for an isotropic elastic body to support forms of instability induced by shear stress states which are reminiscent of the planar Couette and the Taylor–Couette patterns observed in the flow of viscous fluids. Here, we investigate the emergence of bifurcating periodic deformations for an infinitely long compressible elastic block confined between and attached to parallel plates which are subject to a relative shear displacement. We specialize our analysis by considering a generalized form of the Blatz–Ko strain energy function and show through numerical representative examples that planar Couette modes are always preferred with respect to the twisting Taylor–Couette modes. Finally, we introduce a suitably restricted form of the strong ellipticity condition for the incremental elasticity tensor and discuss its significance in this bifurcation problem.     

Discussion on the limit cycles of the Lev Ginzburg equation by M. Bellamy and R.E. Mickens,Journal of Sound and Vibration 308 (2007) 337–342

The authors M. Bellamy and R.E. Mickens in the article “Hopf bifurcation analysis of the Lev Ginzburg equation” published in Journal of Sound and Vibration 308 (2007) 337–342, claimed that this differential equation in the plane can exhibit a limit cycle. Here we prove that the Lev Ginzburg differential equation has no limit cycles.