Investigation the correlation between chemical structure and swelling,thermal and flocculation properties of carboxymethylcellulose hydrogels

Hydrophilic polymer networks (hydrogels) based on sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) and polycarboxylic acids (oxalic, succinic, citric and adipic) as cross-linking agents are synthesized by esterification reaction; one series of NaCMC hydrogels cross-linked with citric acid is prepared with acrylamide and acrylic acid (Aam/Aac) copolymers using the design of semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPN), in order to increase their potential application for flocculation purposes. The Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of hydrogels confirms the esterification reaction between NaCMC and cross-linking agents. Results of swelling measurements show that citric acid in the amount of 15 wt% gives the hydrogels with the best absorption capacity. The results of Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) show no significant difference in thermal properties of neat and semi-interpenetrating NaCMC hydrogels. The amorphous nature of hydrogels is confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The results of flocculation study show that combination of NaCMC network and Aam/Aac copolymer with initial mass ratio of 10/90 creates a theoretical platform for the production of flocculant which could show high efficacy in purifying of water dominated by positively charged particles.     

Building up PtII−Thiosemicarbazone−Lysine−sC18 Conjugates

Three chiral tridentate N^N^S coordinating pyridine-carbaldehyde (S)-N4-(α-methylbenzyl)thiosemicarbazones (HTSCmB) were synthesised along with lysine-modified derivatives. One of them was selected and covalently conjugated to the cell-penetrating peptide sC18 by solid-phase peptide synthesis. The HTSCmB model ligands, the HTSCLp derivatives and the peptide conjugate rapidly and quantitatively form very stable Pt^II chlorido complexes [Pt(TSC)Cl] when treated with K₂PtCl₄ in solution. The Pt(CN) derivatives were obtained from one TSCmB model complex and the peptide conjugate complex through Cl⁻→CN⁻ exchange. Ligands and complexes were characterised by NMR, IR spectroscopy, HR-ESI-MS and single-crystal XRD. Intriguingly, no decrease in cell viability was observed when testing the biological activity of the lysine-tagged HdpyTSCLp, its sC18 conjugate HdpyTSCL-sC18 or the PtCl and Pt(CN) conjugate complexes in three different cell lines. Thus, given the facile and effective preparation of such Pt-TSC-peptide conjugates, these systems might pave the way for future use in late-stage labelling with Pt radionuclides and application in nuclear medicine.     

Foam-based cleaning of surfaces contaminated with mixtures of oil and soot

Liquid foams of intermediate stability have been shown to be very efficient in the cleaning of sensitive surfaces because of the synergy between imbibition and foam decay. While we quantified these mechanisms for contaminations with liquid oils in our previous work, we show here their extension to oils containing soot particles in an effort to simulate increasingly realistic contaminations. Using foams with a wide range of liquid fractions and with different stabilities, we show that the main cleaning mechanisms remain very similar, with the oil entraining the soot particles. However, we find much less efficient soot removal when the liquid channels of the foams are small enough to hinder efficient transport of the soot particles.     

Reference databases,primer choice,and assay sensitivity for environmental metabarcoding: Lessons learnt from a re‐evaluation of an eDNA fish assessment in the Volga headwaters

Biodiversity monitoring via environmental DNA, particularly metabarcoding, is evolving into a powerful assessment tool for riverine systems. However, for metabarcoding to be fully integrated into standardized monitoring programmes, some current challenges concerning sampling design, laboratory workflow, and data analysis need to be overcome. Here, we review some of these major challenges and potential solutions. We further illustrate three potential pitfalls, namely the choice of suitable metabarcoding primers, the necessity of complete reference databases, and varying assay sensitivities, by a reappraisal of our‐own recently carried out metabarcoding study in the Volga headwaters. TaqMan qPCRs had detected catfish (Silurus glanis) and European eel (Anguilla anguilla), whereas metabarcoding had not, in the same samples. Furthermore, after extending the genetic reference database by 12 additional species and re‐analysing the metabarcoding data, we additionally detected the Siberian spiny loach (Cobitis sibirica) and Ukrainian brook lamprey (Eudontomyzon mariae) and reassigned the operational taxonomic units previously assigned to Misgurnus fossilis to Cobitis sibirica. In silico analysis of metabarcoding primer efficiencies revealed considerable variability among primer pairs and among target species, which could lead to strong primer bias and potential false‐negatives in metabarcoding studies if not properly compensated for. These results highlight some of the pitfalls of eDNA‐metabarcoding as a means of monitoring fish biodiversity in large rivers, which need to be considered in order to fully unleash the full potential of these approaches for freshwater biodiversity monitoring.     

Synthesis and Properties of Fumaric Copolymers as Potential Bitumen Modifiers

New copolymers of dioctyl fumarate (DOF) and styrene (S) were synthetized by radical polymerization and used to modify bitumen. The poly(dioctyl fumarate-co-styrene) copolymers, PFS, were characterized by ¹H-NMR and FTIR spectroscopies and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) in order to determine their monomer composition and weight average molecular weights, respectively. The polymer-bitumen blending conditions were optimized and the samples analyzed by different methodologies. Fluorescence microscopy, rotational viscosity and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to study the morphological changes of blends during their manufacturing and the rheological and thermal behavior, respectively. All modified bitumen (MB) exhibited higher viscosity than the based bitumen (BB) under studied conditions and this effect was more evident for the MB containing the higher molecular weight polymer. The addition of polymers to BB enhances the bitumen viscosity and thus increased the energy required for the flowing (activation energy calculated by Arrhenius equation). Thermal and morphological analysis showed that all MB exhibited good polymer- bitumen compatibility, which could be consider as a good starting point for a potential applications of this new material in road engineering.     

Ocupado: Visualizing Location-Based Counts Over Time Across Buildings

Understanding how spaces in buildings are being used is vital for optimizing space utilization, for improving resource allocation, and for the design of new facilities. We present a multi-year design study that resulted in Ocupado, a set of visual decision-support tools centered around occupancy data for stakeholders in facilities management and planning. Ocupado uses WiFi devices as a proxy for human presence, capturing location-based counts that preserve privacy without trajectories. We contribute data and task abstractions for studying space utilization for combinations of data granularities in both space and time. In addition, we contribute generalizable design choices for visualizing location-based counts relating to indoor environments. We provide evidence of Ocupado's utility through multiple analysis scenarios with real-world data refined through extensive stakeholder feedback, and discussion of its take-up by our industry partner.     

Dendritic Nanotheranostic for the Delivery of Infliximab: A Potential Carrier in Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy

Antibodies are macromolecules that specifically recognize their target, making them good candidates to be employed in various therapies. The possibility of attaching a drug to an immunoglobulin makes it possible to release it specifically into the affected tissue as long as it overexpresses the target. However, chemical coupling could affect the functionality (specificity and affinity) of the antibody. It has been observed that the use of intermediaries, such as dendrimers, could resolve this issue. Because carbosilane dendrimers have aroused great interest in the field of biomedicine, this report describes the synthesis of an anionic carbosilane dendrimer with a fluorochrome on its surface that then forms a conjugate with an antibody. It has been used as immunoglobulin and infliximab, whose target is TNF-α, which is a cytokine that is overexpressed in the inflamed area or even in the blood of patients with autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, the integrity and functionality of the antibody has been studied to see if they have been affected after the chemical coupling process.