Gelatin-Acacia Complex Coacervation as a Method for Ketoprofen Microencapsulation

Ketoprofen microcapsules were prepared by complex coacervation between gelatin and acacia, and dried with different methods: isopropanol addition, spray-drying, and freeze-drying, Successively, microparticles were analyzed by infrared thembalance, ultraviolet spectroscopy, optical and scanning electron microscopy, and sieves; and subjected to dissolution studies in order to examine parameters such as yield, moisture content, encapsulation percentage, morphology of solid particles, particle size, and dissolution behavior. Provided that encapsulation and drying methods did not affect ketoprofen dissolution profiles, the most appropriate drying method for industrial purposes was spray-drying.     

Does bottle color protect red wine from photo‐oxidation?

Even if bottled red wines have an extended shelf life, they undergo several chemical changes, and producers are well aware of the importance of the packaging. However, there is a lack of research into the effect of light on their composition. Therefore, the storage conditions of a Sangiovese wines with respect to artificial light exposure (present/absent) and bottle color (transparent, brown, and green) were investigated. Thirty‐five chemical characteristics (physicochemical, UV‐VIS indexes, and volatile compounds) were recorded after 6 months of storage. Light exposure caused significant differences in total SO₂ and a shift from red to yellow/orange color. For wines kept in transparent bottles, total red pigments, total phenol index, monomeric anthocyanins, copigmentation, chemical age, and some volatile compounds showed significant differences, depending on whether it was exposed to light or not. On the contrary, light exposure was found not significant for the wine stored in green and brown bottles, Finally, an overall increase in variability was found for light‐exposed wine in transparent bottles which could be considered, in itself, a measure of lack of quality.     

Effect of temperature‐pressure cycles on structural properties of epoxy‐based composites for printed circuit boards applications

During multilayer printed circuit board production, cyclic pressure–temperature (P–T) treatments can give rise to mechanical and thermal stresses with subsequent inner delamination phenomena. These are mainly related to the thermomechanical properties of epoxy resins used in the manufacturing process. In this study, the physical and chemical changes of commercial epoxy‐based prepregs were investigated as a function of P–T treatments by means of thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimeter, and Fourier transform infrared‐photoacoustic spectroscopy. It was verified that the thermal properties start to decrease after the first P–T treatment. In connection, absorbance spectra indicated that the peaks at 2273 cm^?1 and 2235 cm^?1 (cyanate group) disappeared after this treatment. Heat transfer as a function of laminate thickness (consequently, as a function of P–T treatment) is one variable that probably contributes to the findings in the work. The results of this study indicated that the analytical methods were satisfactory to determine the beginning of the deterioration of the printed circuit as a function of the P–T treatments. They can be used as a reference for quality controls and to prevent mechanical problems such as interlaminar fractures in the relevant printed circuits. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Hybrid liquid-crystalline block copolymers based on polystyrene and polyester blocks

Summary The synthesis and some thermal and dynamic-mechanical properties of a novel class of hybrid block copolymers comprised of polystyrene and liquid-crystalline polyester blocks are reported. The two blocks appear to be incompatible in the solid and melt phases and undergo distinct thermal transitions. The mesophase transition temperatures of the block copolymers are constant within all the composition range. The mesophase transition enthalpies are directly proportional to the weight fraction of the liquid-crystalline polyester block.     

Study on Planar Whispering Gallery Dielectric Resonators. II. A Multiple-Band Device

The basic theory underlying the realization of simple multiple-band non-homogeneous dielectric resonators, whose spectral response is the overlap of single-resonator frequency bands, is developed exploiting a general approach discussed in the previous companion paper. The limit frequencies of the proposed devices, given only by the dielectric properties of the involved materials, can differ in principle by several decades. Experimental confirmations have been obtained on a composite structure built up with teflon and polyethylene; as predicted by the theory, the overall band includes frequencies which range about from 20 GHz to more than 400 GHz, when high frequency resonances are selectively excited. The localization of the higher frequency radiation between the positive steps of the dielectric constant, which is the basic properties of these non-homogeneous resonators, has been experimentally verified by mapping the electromagnetic field intensity. Possible applications of multiple-band Whispering Gallery dielectric resonators are finally outlined.     

Expansion Properties of Sour Cassava Starch (Polvilho Azedo): Variables Related to its Practical Application in Bakery

Sour cassava starch (polvilho azedo) is a chemically and enzymatically modified starch with the specific property of expansion in bakery products without the use of any chemical or biological leavening agents. In this work, the cumulative knowledge about sour cassava starch is presented in relation to its physicochemical characteristics, with the purpose of establishing a relation between the application properties and some structural and chemical characteristics in order to design a model of the modified structure of starch and the most important technical variables. Such approach will help to provide some quality standards for future adequate valorization of sour cassava starch, especially with respect to potential use in gluten‐free products. This work showed that a good sour cassava starch is significantly different from low expansion cassava starches with respect to pH, acid factor, swelling power, specific volume, and polymerization degree (intrinsic viscosity). These variables could be related to the maximization of sour cassava starch expansion for a future predictive decision analysis about a high quality sour cassava starch to the baking use.     

A new,very sensitive method of assessment of ptaquiloside,the major bracken carcinogen in the milk of farm animals

We describe a new method to detect trace levels of ptaquiloside (Pta), a major carcinogen of bracken fern in biological samples such as milk from farm animals. The method involves the absorption of analyte on carbograph followed by elution with solvents mixtures. The unstable analyte is then converted into Br-Pt (II), which is specific for Pta, as it is not a natural decay product of the glycoside in aqueous media. An internal standard, the Br-pterosine-d₂, prepared in our laboratories has been used. Detection and quantification are possible with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in single ion monitoring mode (SIM). The detectable amount is in the range of ppb. The method allowed us to detect Pta not only in the milk from bracken fern-poisoned cattle but also, for the first time, in the milk from healthy farm animals such as sheep, goat, horse, and donkey mares.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of the flow in rotating diverging channels

This paper reports on an experimental and numerical study at low Reynolds number in order to evaluate the influence of the Coriolis forces on the flow in radial rotating channels.Operating conditions correspond to the flow in radial impellers for micro gasturbine applications.A comparison of detailed flow measurements with CFD results indicates that Navier Stokes solvers with standard k-ω and SST turbulence models predict the flow surprisingly well and that no extra corrections for Coriolis forces are required at these operating conditions     

S100B Protein as a Therapeutic Target in Multiple Sclerosis: The S100B Inhibitor Arundic Acid Protects from Chronic Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

S100B is an astrocytic protein behaving at high concentration as a damage-associated molecular pattern molecule. A direct correlation between the increased amount of S100B and inflammatory processes has been demonstrated, and in particular, the inhibitor of S100B activity pentamidine has been shown to ameliorate clinical scores and neuropathologic-biomolecular parameters in the relapsing-remitting experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mouse model of multiple sclerosis. This study investigates the effect of arundic acid (AA), a known inhibitor of astrocytic S100B synthesis, in the chronic experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which is another mouse model of multiple sclerosis usually studied. By the daily evaluation of clinical scores and neuropathologic-molecular analysis performed in the spinal cord, we observed that the AA-treated group showed lower severity compared to the vehicle-treated mice, particularly in the early phase of disease onset. We also observed a significant reduction of astrocytosis, demyelination, immune infiltrates, proinflammatory cytokines expression and enzymatic oxidative reactivity in the AA-treated group. Overall, our results reinforce the involvement of S100B in the development of animal models of multiple sclerosis and propose AA targeting the S100B protein as a focused potential drug to be considered for multiple sclerosis treatment.