Electrochemical modification of Bi2S3 coatings in a nickel plating electrolyte

The electrochemical behavior of Bi₂S₃ coatings in Watts nickel plating electrolyte was investigated using the cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance, X-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis methods. During the bismuth sulfide coating reduction in Watts background electrolyte in the potential region from −0.4 to −0.6 V, the Bi₂S₃ and Bi(III) oxygen compounds are reduced to metallic Bi, and the decrease in coating mass is related to the transfer of S²⁻ ions from the electrode surface. When the bismuth sulfide coating is reduced in Watts nickel plating electrolyte, the observed increase in coating mass in the potential region −0.1 to −0.4 V is conditioned by Ni²⁺ ions reduction before the bulk deposition of Ni, initiated by Bi₂S₃. In this potential region, the reduction of Bi(III) oxygen compounds can occur. After the treatment of as-deposited bismuth sulfide coating in nickel plating electrolyte at E = −0.3 V, the sheet resistance of the layer decreases from 10¹³ to 500–700 Ω cm. A metal-rich mixed sulfide Ni₃Bi₂S₂–parkerite is obtained when as-deposited bismuth sulfide coating is treated in Watts nickel plating electrolyte at a potential close to the equilibrium potential of the Ni/Ni²⁺ system and then annealed at temperatures higher than 120 °C.     

Spontaneous Bi-modification of polycrystalline Pt electrode: fabrication, characterization, and performance in formic acid electrooxidation

Spontaneous modification of polycrystalline Pt by irreversibly adsorbed bismuth was performed in BiCl₃ solution in concentrated hydrochloric acid under open-circuit conditions. After spontaneous modification, followed by extensive rinsing with water and drying, the surface was characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemistry. Bi-oxy(chloride), oxide species, and metallic Bi were found at a submonolayer coverage on the Pt surface after spontaneous modification. The electrochemical response of Bi-modified polycrystalline Pt electrode in sulfuric acid solution exhibits a complex multi-peak feature, which is resulting in about constant redox charge (Bi species coverage) in the potential region from 0 to 0.9 V (vs. a standard hydrogen electrode). The spontaneously Bi-modified Pt catalyst in model studies exhibits a superior activity towards formic acid oxidation at fuel cell anode relevant potentials. The catalytic effect of bismuth oxy-species is explained in terms of both inhibition of CO_ad formation and oxidation of CO_ad in reaction with Bi-oxy-species.     

Wada index based on the weighted and truncated Shannon entropy

Nonlinear Dynamics - The Wada index based on the weighted and truncated Shannon entropy is presented in this paper. The proposed Wada index can detect if a given basin boundary is a Wada boundary....     

Platinum–tin complexes as catalysts for the anodic oxidation of borohydride

Platinum–tin complexes were prepared by the reduction of Pt(IV) with Sn(II) in HCl media and studied by light absorption spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electron microscopy. The formation of three complexes, H₃[Pt(SnCl₃)₅], H₂[Pt(SnCl₃)₂Cl₂], and H₂[Pt₃(SnCl₃)₈], depending on HCl and SnCl₂ concentrations, has been shown. The glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified in the complexes solutions was found to be an electrocatalyst for borohydride oxidation in a 1.0-M NaOH solution. Comparison of BH₄ ⁻ electrooxidation on Pt and on GC modified with platinum–tin complexes has shown that catalytic hydrolysis of BH₄ ⁻ did not proceed in the latter case in contrast to its oxidation on the Pt electrode, and only direct BH₄ ⁻ oxidation has been observed in the positive potentials scan. The activity of Pt–Sn complexes for BH₄ ⁻ oxidation changes with time and eventually decreases due to Sn(II), bound in the complex with Pt(II), oxidation by atmospheric oxygen. The complexes may be renewed by addition of missing amounts of SnCl₂ and HCl.     

Connected generalised Sierpiński carpets

Generalised Sierpiński carpets are planar sets that generalise the well-known Sierpiński carpet and are defined by means of sequences of patterns. We present necessary and sufficient conditions, under which generalised Sierpiński carpets are connected, with respect to Euclidean topology.     

Protective Effects of PollenAid Plus Soft Gel Capsules’ Hydroalcoholic Extract in Isolated Prostates and Ovaries Exposed to Lipopolysaccharide

Pollen extract represents an innovative approach for the management of the clinical symptoms related to prostatitis and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). In this context, the aims of the present work were to analyze the phenolic composition of a hydroalcoholic extract of PollenAid Plus soft gel capsules, and to evaluate the extract’s cytotoxic effects, in human prostate cancer PC3 cells and human ovary cancer OVCAR-3 cells. Additionally, protective effects were investigated in isolated prostate and ovary specimens exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The phytochemical investigation identified catechin, chlorogenic acid, gentisic acid, and 3-hydroxytyrosol as the prominent phenolics. The extract did not exert a relevant cytotoxic effect on PC3 and OVCAR-3 cells. However, the extract showed a dose-dependent inhibition of pro-inflammatory IL-6 and TNF-α gene expression in prostate and ovary specimens, and the extract was effective in preventing the LPS-induced upregulation of CAT and SOD gene expression, which are deeply involved in tissue antioxidant defense systems. Finally, a docking approach suggested the capability of catechin and chlorogenic acid to interact with the TRPV1 receptor, playing a master role in prostate inflammation. Overall, the present findings demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of this formulation; thus, suggesting its capability in the management of the clinical symptoms related to prostatitis and PID.     

New Biological and Chemical Evidences of Two Lamiaceae Species (Thymbra capitata and Thymus sipyleus subsp. rosulans): In Vitro,In Silico and Ex Vivo Approaches

In this study, the methanolic and infusion extracts of two species, Thymbra capitata and Thymus sipyleus subsp. rosulans, were tested for their chemical composition and biological abilities (antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory and anti-inflammatory effects). The extracts yielded total phenolic and flavonoid contents in the range of 83.43–127.52 mg GAE/g and 9.41–46.34 mg RE/g, respectively. HPLC analysis revealed rosmarinic acid to be a major component of the studied extracts (15.85–26.43%). The best ABTS radical scavenging ability was observed in the methanol extract of T. capitata with 379.11 mg TE/g, followed by in the methanol extract of T. sipylus (360.93 mg TE/g). In the CUPRAC assay, the highest reducing ability was also found in the methanol extract of T. capitata with 802.22 mg TE/g. The phosphomolybdenum ability ranged from 2.39 to 3.61 mmol TE/g. In terms of tyrosinase inhibitory effects, the tested methanol extracts (83.18–89.66 mg KAE/g) were higher than the tested water extracts (18.74–19.11 mg KAE/g). Regarding the BChE inhibitory effects, the methanol extracts were active on the enzyme while the water extracts showed no inhibitory effect on it. Overall, the methanolic extracts showed better enzyme inhibition compared to the infusion extracts. Molecular docking also showed the selected exhibited potential binding affinities with all enzymes, with a preference for cholinesterases. Additionally, the extracts were effective in attenuating the LPS-induced increase in COX-2 and IL-6 gene expression in isolated colon, thus indicating promising anti-inflammatory effects. The preliminary results of this study suggest that these species are good natural sources of antioxidants and also provide some scope as enzyme inhibitors, most likely due to their bioactive contents such as phenolic acids, and thus can be exploited for different applications related to health promotion and disease prevention.     

Chemometric analysis of volatiles of propolis from different regions using static headspace GC-MS

Six samples of propolis were analyzed in the paper: a sample from Brazil, Estonia, China and three samples from different locations of Uruguay. Static headspace technique coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis has been applied for the determination of the characteristic volatile profile with the aim to differentiate the propolis from different regions. Monoterpenes (α- and β-pinenes) were predominant in all samples, except the sample from China. This sample separated itself by the alcohols 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol and 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol, (40.33% and 11.57%, respectively) and ester 4-penten-1-yl acetate (9.04%). α-Pinene and β-pinene composed 64.59–77.56% of volatiles in Brazilian and Uruguayan propolis, and 29.43% in Estonian propolis. Brazilian propolis was distinguished by a high amount of β-methyl crotonaldehyde (10.11%), one of Uruguayan samples 3- by limonene (15.58%), and the Estonian sample — by eucalyptol (25.95%). Statistical investigation of the samples was made applying principal component, hierarchical cluster and K-Means cluster analyses. Various data pre-processing techniques were proposed and used to study and obtain the important volatile compounds contributed to the differentiation of the propolis samples from different regions to separate clusters.      

Interpretation of fringes produced by time average reflection moiré on a circular disk

Inverse problem of reconstruction of dynamic displacements from the fringe pattern generated by time average reflection moiré is investigated in this paper. A technique for numerical simulation of time average smoothed reflection moiré fringes is proposed. The smoothing procedure is incorporated into the finite element formulation of the problem. Reconstruction of the field of deflections is illustrated for a centrally clamped disk. Such techniques can be effectively exploited in hybrid numerical–experimental procedures for different objects and grating geometries.