Formation and characterization of nanoporous structures on surface of LPD-derived GeO2 ceramic film

This work represents an idea of forming nanoporous structures on surface of a LPD (liquid phase deposition)-derived GeO₂ ceramic film by thermal reduction of GeO₂ under hydrogen atmosphere. SEM, XRD and Raman analyses show that well-defined nanopores with size in range of 10–100 nm have been formed on surface of GeO₂ film by annealing at 600 °C for 5–10 min. The pore formation process is furthered by structural defects which serve as active sites for the thermal reduction reaction. Fast phase transformation from hexagonal GeO₂ to tetragonal GeO₂ has occurred within the first 5 min of annealing. Green-yellow (2.32 eV) and violet (2.9 eV) photoluminescences originating from $ {\text{O}} {-} \mathop {\text{Ge}}\limits^{ \bullet \bullet } {-} {\text{O}} $ and ≡Ge–Ge≡ defects are observed in the film samples. The photoluminescence peak intensity decreases with increase of annealing time due to diminution of O/Ge ratio. The film annealed for 5 min exhibits a maximum green-yellow to violet PL peak ratio, which is related to generation of some new $ {\text{O}} {-} \mathop {\text{Ge}}\limits^{ \bullet \bullet } {-} {\text{O}} $ defects at the phase interface.     

Gas Chromatographic Separation and Identification of Jacaric and Punicic 2-Ethyl-1-Hexyl Esters

The present study demonstrates the separation of a critical pair of conjugated linolenic acid (CLN) isomers—jacaric acid (JA; c8, t10, c12-18:3) and punicic acid (PA; c9, t11, c13-18:3)—on a 60-m conventional Supelcowax 10 column. The alkyl esters of different alcohols (C₁–C₈) of JA and PA were prepared and analyzed isothermally at 220, 230 and 240 °C. The adequacy of their separation was determined from the separation factors (α) and peak resolutions (R _s). Acceptable resolution (R _s = 1.01) of JA and PA was obtained with their 2-ethyl-1-hexyl ester derivatives at a column temperature of 230 °C. In addition, the Gibbs energy of transfer from solution to gas of the three double bonds \((\Delta_{\text{sln}}^{\text{g}} G_{\text{u}}\)) could be used to describe the interactions of the double bond with the stationary phase. Characterization of 2-ethyl-1-hexyl esters of Jacaranda mimosifolia seed oil at 230 °C demonstrates that the oil contains JA and α- and β-calendic acid as a CLN without the presence of PA. The results suggested that JA could be resolved from PA on a 60-m Supelcowax 10 column as the ethyl hexyl ester.     

Surface characterization of cellulose acetate propionate by inverse gas chromatography

The purpose of this paper is to study the surface energetics of the polymer excipient cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) in the solid form. The net retention volumes, V _N, for n-alkanes and polar solutes have been measured in the temperature range 353.15–403.15 K by inverse gas chromatography. The dispersive surface free energy, $ \gamma_{\text{S}}^{\text{d}} $ , and Lewis acid–base parameters $ K_{\text{a}} $ and $ K_{\text{b}} $ , have been determined using V _N values. The $ \gamma_{\text{S}}^{\text{d}} $ values are decreased linearly with increase of temperature. The $ \gamma_{\text{S}}^{\text{d}} $ value at 353.15 K is 24.50 ± 1.54 mJ/m², and the temperature gradient was found to be ?0.287 mJ/m²/K¹. The $ K_{\text{a}} $ and $ K_{\text{b}} $ values are 0.410 ± 0.021 and 1.708 ± 0.388, respectively, which suggest that the CAP solid surface contain relatively more basic sites. The K _a and K _b values of CAP are compared with the similar values obtained on the cellulose acetate butyrate solid surface.     

Micellization of Some Bile Salts in Binary Aqueous Solvent Mixtures

The micellization behavior of bile salts—sodium cholate and sodium deoxycholate was studied in aqueous methanol, ethanol and ethylene glycol mixtures (10–20 % v/v) over a temperature range (300–320 K) by surface tension and conductivity methods. Critical micelle concentration, extent of counter ion binding (α), interfacial property (A _min, ζ_max, π-CMC, $ \Updelta G_{\text{ad}}^{ \circ } $ ) and thermodynamic parameters ( $ \Updelta G_{\text{m}}^{ \circ } $ , $ \Updelta H_{\text{m}}^{ \circ } $ , $ \Updelta S_{\text{m}}^{ \circ } $ ) for the micellization process are reported and discussed.     

Thermodynamic Properties of Sulfobetaine-Type Surfactants

Sulfobetaine-type surfactants containing a hydroxy group were synthesized by the reaction of long chain monoalkyl dimethyl tertiary amine with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropanesulfonic acid sodium salt. The structures were characterized by ¹H NMR and ESI-MS. Their critical micelle concentrations (CMC) in aqueous solution were determined by the plate method in the temperature rang from 298.15 to 328.15 K. The thermodynamic parameters of micellization ( $\Delta G_{\text{mic}}^{\theta}$ , $\Delta H_{\text{mic}}^{\theta}$ and $\Delta S_{\text{mic}}^{\theta}$ ) and surface adsorption ( $\Delta G_{\text{ad}}^{\theta}$ , $\Delta H_{\text{ad}}^{\theta}$ and $\Delta S_{\text{ad}}^{\theta}$ ) were calculated from CMC data. The results showed that the micellization and surface adsorption of these surfactants in aqueous solution was a spontaneous and entropy-driven process. The micellization and surface adsorption became easier when the alkyl chain length increased from 12 carbon atoms to 14. The enthalpy–entropy compensation of micellization and adsorption was investigated. The compensation temperature were found to be (311 ± 2) K for both micellization and adsorption. The $\Delta H_{\text{mic}}^{*}$ and $\Delta H_{\text{ad}}^{*}$ decreased, but the $\Delta S_{\text{mic}}^{*}$ and $\Delta S_{\text{ad}}^{*}$ increased with increasing the hydrophobic chain length from 12 to 14.     

Optimization of the Solvent-Free Lipase-Catalyzed Synthesis of Fructose-Oleic Acid Ester Through Programming of Water Removal

Fructose oleate, an environmentally-friendly biobased surfactant, was prepared using solvent-free suspensions of saccharide in a mixture of acyl donor and monoester (the latter present at ≥5 wt% initially) continuously recirculated through a closed-loop packed bed bioreactor (PBBR)-based system at 53 °C, with the PBBR containing immobilized Rhizomucor miehei lipase (Lipozyme^®IM, Novozymes, Franklinton, NC, USA). To replenish the acyl acceptor consumed during the time course of reaction, the medium was isolated, fructose added, and a suspension formed by rigorous stirring at 80 °C for 6 h followed by centrifugation to remove larger particles, with the placement of the acyl acceptor replenishment treatments during the time course of reaction were optimized. Water removal via free evaporation was augmented during the latter portion of the time course (using a molecular sieve packed column, N₂ bubbling, vacuum pressure, or a combination of the latter two), with an optimal performance achieved when initiating N₂ + vacuum (\( 2. 1 6\,{\text{mg}}_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}} \,{\text{h}}^{{^{ - 1} }} \) removal rate) upon reaching 60% ester, to maintain the liquid-phase water content near 0.40 wt%. When employing the above-mentioned conditions, 92.6 wt% fructose oleate was produced within 132 h, yielding a productivity of \( 0. 2 9 7\,{\text{mmol}}_{\text{Ester}} \,{\text{h}}^{ - 1} \, {\text{g}}_{\text{lipase}}^{ - 1} \).     

Facile Electrospinning Preparation and Up-Conversion Luminescence Performance of Y3Al5O12:Er3+, Yb3+ Nanobelts

Electrospinning technique was used to prepare $ {\text{PVP}}/\left[ {{\text{Y}}\left( {{\text{NO}}_{ 3} } \right)_{ 3} + {\text{Yb}}\left( {{\text{NO}}_{ 3} } \right)_{ 3} + {\text{Er}}\left( {{\text{NO}}_{ 3} } \right)_{ 3} + {\text{Al}}\left( {{\text{NO}}_{ 3} } \right)_{ 3} } \right] $ composite nanobelts and novel structures of Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ (denoted as YAG:Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ for short) nanobelts have been successfully fabricated after calcination of the relevant composite nanobelts at 900 °C for 8 h. YAG:Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ nanobelts were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fluorescence spectroscopy. XRD analysis indicated that YAG:Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ nanobelts were cubic in structure with space group I_a3d. SEM analysis and histograms revealed that the width of YAG:Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ nanobelts was ca. 1.8 ± 0.37 μm under the 95 % confidence level, and the thickness was ca. 81.8 nm. Up-conversion emission spectra analysis manifested that YAG:Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ nanobelts respectively emitted strong green and red emissions centering at 522, 554 and 648 nm under the excitation of a 980-nm diode laser. The green emissions were assigned to the energy levels transitions of $ ^{ 2} {\text{H}}_{ 1 1/ 2} ,^{ 4} {\text{S}}_{ 3/ 2} \to^{ 4} {\text{I}}_{ 1 5/ 2} $ of Er³⁺ ions, and the red emission originated from the energy levels transition of $ ^{ 4} {\text{F}}_{ 9/ 2} \to ^{ 4} {\text{I}}_{{{\text{l5}}/ 2}} $ of Er³⁺ ions. The up-conversion luminescence of YAG:Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ nanobelts doped with various concentrations of Yb³⁺ and Er³⁺ was studied and the optimum molar ratio of Yb³⁺ to Er³⁺ was found to be 15:1. CIE analysis demonstrated that color-tuned luminescence can be obtained by adjusting doping concentrations of Yb³⁺ and Er³⁺ ions, which could be applied in the fields of optical telecommunication and optoelectronic devices. The up-conversion luminescent mechanism and the formation mechanism of YAG:Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ nanobelts were also proposed.     

Studies concerning charged nickel hydroxide electrodes. VII. Influence of alkali concentration on anodic peak positions

After repetitive potential cycling employing a high positive potential limit (>700 mV wrt Hg/HgO/ KOH) three anodic and one cathodic peak can be observed using aβ-Ni(OH)₂ starting material. Anodic peaks found at 425, 470 and 555 mV in 5 mol dm^?3 KOH shift to less positive potentials as the alkali concentration is increased appearing at 365, 410 and 455 mV respectively in 12.5 mol dm^?3 KOH. Four anodic processes involving various pairs of coexisting phases within both theβ andα-/γ-phase system can be identified as summarized below in order of increasing positive potential: Peak A $$\begin{gathered} Peak A{\text{ }}U_\alpha ^A \to {\text{ }}V_\gamma ^A \hfill \\ Peak B{\text{ }}U_\beta ^B \to {\text{ }}V_\beta ^B \hfill \\ {\text{ }}\mathop C\limits^ + {\text{ }}U_\alpha ^C \to {\text{ }}V_\gamma ^C \hfill \\ Peak E{\text{ }}V_\beta ^B \to {\text{ }}V_\gamma ^E \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ Observed shifts in anodic and cathodic peak potentials are consistent with the known influence of alkali and water activity on the reversible potentials for the above processes.     

Competitive Binding of Off-Flavor Compounds with Soy Protein and β-Cyclodextrin in a Ternary System: A Model Study

Removal of soy protein (SP)-bound 2-nonanone by β-cyclodextrin (βCD) was studied using an equilibrium dialysis technique. It was observed that in the presence of βCD, a significant (p < 0.05) amount of SP-bound 2-nonanone could be removed in a concentration-dependent manner. Up to 94% of SP-bound 2-nonanone was stripped from SP when 6 mM βCD was present in the system. However, in thermodynamic terms, the net standard free energy change for transfer of 2-nonanone from SP to βCD, i.e., \( \Updelta \Updelta G^\circ_{{{\text{SP}} \to \beta {\text{CD}}}} \), was essentially zero, implying that the apparent equilibrium binding constant for the formation of βCD–2-nonanone complex was essentially same as that for the SP–2-nonanone complex formation in the ternary system. This indicated that stripping-off of 2-nonanone from SP by βCD was driven by the mass action ratio. Based on these results, it is shown that βCD can be used effectively for removing SP-bound off-flavor carbonyl compounds.     

Acrylic superabsorbents: a meticulous investigation on copolymer composition and modification

In this paper, a six-factor and five-level orthogonal test was designed to investigate the influence factors on the solution absorbency of poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) super absorbent resin (PAA/AM SAR). The results showed that the mass ratio of AA to AM played a predominant role in the synthesis of high-performance SAR. The copolymer composition $\overline{{F_{1} }}$ was 0.625 for the optimal absorbency copolymer. To control the copolymer composition, the reactivity ratios of AA and AM, which were 0.365 and 0.753, respectively, were determined at 60 °C using the integral method. The concentration of residual monomers was measured by ultraviolet spectrophotometry (UV) and gas chromatography (GC) methods. The copolymer composition was controlled by molar fraction of monomer AA $\mathop f\nolimits_{1}^{0}$  = 0.64, monomer conversion at 80–90 % and copolymerization at 60 °C. To improve the solution absorbency and water retention, PAA/AM SAR was modified by polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), cellulose and kaolin clay (KC). It is worth noting that the sample modified by the feed AA and AM PVA significantly increased the deionized water absorbency to 1,617 g/g and KC enhanced the 0.9 wt% NaCl absorbency to 189 g/g, which were higher than those of the commercial products. The chemical structure of copolymers was characterized by carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹³C NMR) and fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR) and their pore morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM).     

Experimental and theoretical investigation of micellization behavior of sodium dodecyl sulfate with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide in aqueous/urea solution at various temperatures

Mixed micelle formation behavior of cationic surfactant-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in aqueous as well as in urea medium from 303.15 K to 323.15 K at 5 K interval was carried out by conductometric method. The differences between the experimental values of critical micelle concentrations (cmc) and ideal critical micelle concentrations (cmc^id) illustrate the interaction between the amphiphiles studied. The values of micellar mole fraction (\(\text{X}_1^{Rub}\) (Rubingh), \(\text{X}_1^{M}\) (Motomura), \(\text{X}_1^{Rod}\)(Rodenas) and \(\text{X}_1^{id}\)(ideal) of surfactant CTAB determined by different proposed models and outcome indicate high involvement of CTAB in SDS-CTAB mixed micellization, which enhance by means of the augment of mole fraction of CTAB. The negative value of interaction parameter (β) showed an attractive interaction involving CTAB and SDS. Activity coefficients were less than unity in all case, which also reveals the presence of interaction between CTAB & SDS. The negative \(\Delta{\text{G}}_m^0\)values imply the spontaneous mixed micellization phenomenon. The attained values of \(\Delta{\text{H}}_m^0\)were positive at inferior temperature, while negative at superior temperature. The negative \(\Delta{\text{H}}_m^0\)values in urea (NH₂CONH₂) medium illustrate exothermic micellization process. The magnitudes of \(\Delta{\text{S}}_m^0\)were positive in almost all cases. The excess free energy of mixed micelle formation (ΔG_ex) was found to be negative, which indicates the stability of mixed micelle as compared to the individual’s components micelles.     

Synthesis,Surface Property and Antimicrobial Activity of Cationic Gemini Surfactants Containing Adamantane and Amide Groups

A series of novel cationic gemini surfactants, namely 1,3-adamantanedicarboxylic acid bis(alkyldimethyl-3-ammoniopropyl amide) dibromide designated as [Ad-2(amC _n )] (n = 12, 14, 16), containing adamantane, two amide groups, and two hydrocarbon chains, were synthesized from 1,3-adamantanedicarboxylic acid. The surface-active properties of the surfactants were investigated through surface tension and electrical conductivity measurement. A series of thermodynamic parameters such as standard free energy \(\left( {\Delta G^\circ_{\text{m}} } \right)\) , enthalpy \(\left( {\Delta H^\circ_{\text{m}} } \right)\) , and entropy \(\left( {\Delta S^\circ_{\text{m}} } \right)\) of micellization were evaluated from electrical conductivity measurements in the temperature range from 288 to 308 K. The micellization for [Ad-2(amC _n )] is entropy-driven at low temperature and enthalpy-driven at high temperature. Further, the antimicrobial activity of the synthesized gemini surfactants against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was also investigated, and this study showed that the compound [Ad-2(amC₁₂)] has excellent antibacterial activity against all studied bacteria.     

Positive polyacetylene electrodes in aqueous electrolytes

Polyacetylene films, contacted with platinum mesh, have been polarized anodically in aqueous H₂SO₄, HClO₄, HBF₄ and H₂F₂ of medium concentrations (30–70 wt%). Two oxidation peaks are observed, the equivalents of which are 1 $${\text{(1) 0}}{\text{.045 F mol}}^{ - {\text{1}}} {\text{ CH (2) 0}}{\text{.23 F mol}}^{ - {\text{1}}} {\text{ CH}}$$ The potential of the Process 1 decreases linearly with increasing acid concentration by 20–40 mV mol^?1 dm^?3, while the potential of Peak 2 exhibits normal Nernst behaviour (about + 60 mV decade^?1. Process 1 is partially reversible, while Process 2 is totally irreversible. From these findings for Process 1 we conclude the reversible insertion of anions into the polyacetylene host lattice, which is primarily oxidized to the polyradical cation, with the co-insertion of acid molecules HA to yield the insertion compound [(CH)⁺·yA^?·vyHA] _x y?4.5% andv=1.5 for H₂SO₄ and HClO₄. In the course of Process 2, the polymer is irreversibly oxidized according to $$( - ^ \cdot {\text{CH}} \cdot \cdot \cdot \cdot \cdot \cdot \cdot \cdot ^ \oplus {\text{ CH}} - )_{x/2} + 2{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}} \to ( - \mathop {\text{C}}\limits_{\mathop \parallel \limits_{\text{O}} } \cdot \cdot \cdot \cdot \cdot \cdot \cdot \cdot \mathop {\text{C}}\limits_{\mathop \parallel \limits_{\text{O}} } - )_{x/2} + 6{\text{H}}^{\text{ + }} + 5e^ - $$ As this process occurs to some extent even in the potential region of Process 1, a continuous degradation of the host lattice occurs upon cycling.     

Reaction in the silver zinc cell

An adiabatic calorimeter was used to measure the thermodynamics of the silver zinc cell. The charge and discharge reactions were shown to take place in two stages involving the production of argentous oxide and argentic oxide respectively. No thermal evidence was found to suggest the existence of a higher oxide of silver. The cell reactions were (1) $$2{\text{Ag + ZnO}} \leftrightharpoons {\text{Ag}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O + Zn, }}\Delta {\text{H = 158}} \cdot {\text{7 kJF}}^{ - {\text{1}}}$$ (2) $${\text{Ag}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O + ZnO}} \leftrightharpoons {\text{Ag}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}_{\text{2}} {\text{ + Zn, }}\Delta {\text{H = 176}} \cdot 1{\text{ kJF}}^{ - {\text{1}}}$$ If the cell was left on open circuit for a long period, or the positive electrodes heated, reaction (2) was suppressed and the discharge took place via reaction (1), without any reduction in capacity.     

Synthesis and swelling behavior of metal-chelating superabsorbent hydrogels based on sodium alginate-<Emphasis Type="Italic">g</Emphasis>-poly(AMPS-<Emphasis Type="Italic">co</Emphasis>-AA-<Emphasis Type="Italic">co</Emphasis>-AM) obtained under microwave irradiation

A metal-chelating superabsorbent hydrogel based on poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid-co-acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) grafted onto sodium alginate backbone, NaAlg-g-poly(AMPS-co-AA-co-AM) is prepared under microwave irradiation. The Taguchi method is used for the optimization of synthetic parameters of the hydrogel based on water absorbency. The Taguchi L₉ (3⁴) orthogonal array is chosen for experimental design. Mass concentrations of crosslinker MBA \(C_{\text{MBA}}\) initiator KPS \(C_{\text{KPS}}\), sodium alginate \(C_{\text{NaAlg}}\) and mass ratio of monomers \(C_{\text{AM/AA/AMPS}}\) are chosen as four factors. The analysis of variance of the test results indicates the following optimal conditions: 0.8 g L^?1 of MBA, 0.9 g L^?1 of KPS, 8 g L^?1 of NaAlg and \(R_{\text{AM/AA/AMPS}}\) equals to 1:1.1:1.1. The maximum water absorbency of the optimized final hydrogel is found to be 822 g g^?1. The relative thermal stability of the optimized hydrogel in comparison with sodium alginate is demonstrated via thermogravimetric analysis. The prepared hydrogel is characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The influence of the environmental parameters on water absorbency such as the pH and the ionic force is also investigated. The optimized hydrogel is used as adsorbent for hazardous heavy metal ions Pb(II), Cd(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) and their competitive adsorption is also discussed. Isotherm of adsorption and effect of pH, adsorption dosage and recyclability are investigated. The results show that the maximum adsorption capacities of lead and cadmium ions on the hydrogel are 628.93 and 456.62 mg g^?1, respectively. The adsorption is well described by Langmuir isotherm model. The hydrogel is also utilized for the loading of potassium nitrate as an active agrochemical agent and the release of this active agent has also been investigated.     

Hansen solubility parameters of cellulose acetate butyrate–poly(caprolactone) diol blend by inverse gas chromatography

The specific retention volumes, $ V_{\text{g}}^{0} $ , for adsorption of 21 solute probes on the solid surface of cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB)–poly(caprolactone) diol (PCLD) blend determined in the temperature range by inverse gas chromatography were used to evaluate Hansen solubility parameters (HSP). The effect of plasticizer, PCLD, on the HSP of CAB was investigated. The three components of HSP namely dispersive $ \delta_{2}^{\text{d}} $ , polar $ \delta_{2}^{\text{p}} $ , and hydrogen bonding $ \delta_{2}^{\text{h}} $ of the blend surface were compared with the CAB surface. The $ \delta_{2}^{\text{h}} $ of CAB was increased due to the addition of PCLD, while the change in the dispersive and polar components was found to be insignificant. The three HSP were decreasing linearly with increase of temperature for the blend as well as for pure CAB. The variation of HSP with weight fraction of CAB shown that the $ \delta_{2}^{\text{p}} $ was positively deviating from linearity whereas $ \delta_{2}^{\text{d}} $ and $ \delta_{2}^{\text{h}} $ were negatively deviating from linearity.     

Conduction in Bi2O3-based oxide ion conductor under low oxygen pressure. II. Determination of the partial electronic conductivity

In order to investigate the partial electronic conduction in the high oxide ion conductor of the system Bi₂O₃-Y₂O₃ under low oxygen pressure, e.m.f. and polarization methods were employed. Although the electrolyte was decomposed when the \(P_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }\) was lower than the equilibrium \(P_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }\) of Bi, Bi₂O₃ mixture at each temperature, the ionic transport number was found to be close to unity above that \(P_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }\) . The hole conductivity (σ _p) and the electron conductivity (σ _p) could be expressed as follows, $$\begin{gathered} \sigma _p \Omega cm = 5 \cdot 0 \times 10^2 \left( {P_{O_2 } atm^{ - 1} } \right)^{{1 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {1 4}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} 4}} \exp \left[ { - 106 kJ\left( {RT mol} \right)^{ - 1} } \right] \hfill \\ \sigma _p \Omega cm = 3 \cdot 4 \times 10^5 \left( {P_{O_2 } atm^{ - 1} } \right)^{ - {1 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {1 4}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} 4}} \exp \left[ { - 213 kJ\left( {RT mol} \right)^{ - 1} } \right] \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ These values were much lower than the oxide ion conductivity under ordinary oxygen pressure.     

Phospholipidomic Analysis Reveals Changes in Sphingomyelin and Lysophosphatidylcholine Profiles in Plasma from Patients with Neuroborreliosis

In recent years, the number of patients suffering from Lyme Disease (LD) has significantly increased. The most dangerous manifestation of LD is neuroborreliosis associated with invasion of the central nervous system by Borrelia burgdorferi. Phospholipids (PL) and their metabolites are involved in inflammation, which plays a dominant, but still unclear, role in the pathogenesis of neuroborreliosis. We analyzed the plasma PL profiles of neuroborreliosis patients (n = 8) and healthy volunteers (n = 8) using a lipidomic approach. Significant increases in the lysophosphatidylcholines LysoPtdCho 16:0 and LysoPtdCho 18:2 were observed. The plasma of neuroborreliosis patients appeared to have an increased relative abundance of sphingomyelin CerPCho d18:1/24:1 and a decrease in CerPCho d18:0/18:0. Principal components analysis of the relative abundances of all PL class species distinguished between neuroborreliosis patients and healthy subjects. This is the first report comparing PL classes and their molecular species in neuroborreliosis patients and healthy subjects.     

Intake of up to 3 Eggs/Day Increases HDL Cholesterol and Plasma Choline While Plasma Trimethylamine-<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-oxide is Unchanged in a Healthy Population

Eggs are a source of cholesterol and choline and may impact plasma lipids and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) concentrations, which are biomarkers for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Therefore, the effects of increasing egg intake (0, 1, 2, and 3 eggs/day) on these and other CVD risk biomarkers were evaluated in a young, healthy population. Thirty-eight subjects [19 men/19 women, 24.1 ± 2.2 years, body mass index (BMI) 24.3 ± 2.5 kg/m²] participated in this 14-week crossover intervention. Participants underwent a 2-week washout with no egg consumption, followed by intake of 1, 2, and 3 eggs/day for 4 weeks each. Anthropometric data, blood pressure (BP), dietary records, and plasma biomarkers (lipids, glucose, choline, and TMAO) were measured during each intervention phase. BMI, waist circumference, systolic BP, plasma glucose, and plasma triacylglycerol did not change throughout the intervention. Diastolic BP decreased with egg intake (P < 0.05). Compared to 0 eggs/day, intake of 1 egg/day increased HDL cholesterol (HDL-c) (P < 0.05), and decreased LDL cholesterol (LDL-c) (P < 0.05) and the LDL-c/HDL-c ratio (P < 0.01). With intake of 2–3 eggs/day, these changes were maintained. Plasma choline increased dose-dependently with egg intake (P < 0.0001) while fasting plasma TMAO was unchanged. These results indicate that in a healthy population, consuming up to 3 eggs/day results in an overall beneficial effect on biomarkers associated with CVD risk, as documented by increased HDL-c, a reduced LDL-c/HDL-c ratio, and increased plasma choline in combination with no change in plasma LDL-c or TMAO concentrations.     

Activity and selectivity of a {\text{Pd/}}\gamma {\text{ - Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}_{\text{3}} catalytic membrane in the partial hydrogenation reactions of acetylene and 1,3-butadiene

A ${\text{Pd/}}\gamma {\text{ - Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}_{\text{3}}$ membrane supported on a macroporous $\alpha {\text{ - Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}_{\text{3}}$ tube was prepared by sol–gel processing and used in the partial hydrogenation of acetylene and 1,3-butadiene. The average pore diameter of the ${\text{Pd/}}\gamma {\text{ - Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}_{\text{3}}$ membrane was 3.6 nm. The gases were separated by Knudsen diffusion. The activity and selectivity of the ${\text{Pd/}}\gamma {\text{ - Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}_{\text{3}}$ membrane was compared to that of ${\text{Pd/}}\gamma {\text{ - Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}_{\text{3}}$ catalysts used in a conventional packed bed reactor. The highest selectivity to the partially hydrogenated products occurred when the reactant was premixed with H₂ and was passed through the membrane wall.