Hierarchically structured polymer blends based on silsesquioxane hybrid nanocomposites with quaternary ammonium units for antimicrobial coatings

The paper reports the first study on hierarchical assemblies (nanofibrillar micelles confined within semi-cylindrical shells) with silsesquioxane and quaternary ammonium units obtained through polymer blending intended for antimicrobial/antifungal stone coatings. The formation of hierarchical structures on solid surfaces is due to the multiple intermolecular ionic interactions, intermolecular Van der Waals and hydrophobic interactions acting among the component molecules. Their antimicrobial/antifungal properties toward the Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli, Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans fungus were determined in aqueous solution and were found to be strongly dependent of the topographical features of the coating.     

A Review of Microfluidic Experimental Designs for Nanoparticle Synthesis

Microfluidics is defined as emerging science and technology based on precisely manipulating fluids through miniaturized devices with micro-scale channels and chambers. Such microfluidic systems can be used for numerous applications, including reactions, separations, or detection of various compounds. Therefore, due to their potential as microreactors, a particular research focus was noted in exploring various microchannel configurations for on-chip chemical syntheses of materials with tailored properties. Given the significant number of studies in the field, this paper aims to review the recently developed microfluidic devices based on their geometry particularities, starting from a brief presentation of nanoparticle synthesis and mixing within microchannels, further moving to a more detailed discussion of different chip configurations with potential use in nanomaterial fabrication.     

Halochromic Behavior and Anticancer Effect of New Synthetic Anthocyanidins Complexed with β-Cyclodextrin Derivatives

Anthocyanidins, the aglycons of anthocyanins, are known, beyond their function in plants, also as compounds with a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities, including cytostatic effect against various cancer cells. The nature and position of the substituents in the flavylium cation is essential for such biological properties, as well as the equilibrium between the multistate of the different chemical species that are generated by the flavylium cation, including quinoidal base, hemiketal, and cis- and trans-chalcones. In this work, eight new flavylium derivatives were synthesized, characterized for confirmation of the structure by FT-IR and 2D-NMR, and investigated in vitro as possible cytostatic compounds against HCT116 and HepG2 cancer cells. The most active two compounds were explored for their halochromic properties that can influence the biological activity and subjected to molecular encapsulation in β-cyclodextrin derivatives in order to increase their solubility in water and bioavailability. The anticancer effect was influenced by the position (6-, 7-, or 8-) of the methoxy group in the β-ring of the methoxy-4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyflavylium cation, while the study of the halochromic properties revealed the important role played by the chalcone species of the pH-dependent multistate in both the uncomplexed and inclusion complex forms of these anthocyanidins.     

Novel Tumor-Targeting Nanoparticles for Cancer Treatment—A Review

Being one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, cancer represents an ongoing interdisciplinary challenge for the scientific community. As currently used treatments may face limitations in terms of both efficiency and adverse effects, continuous research has been directed towards overcoming existing challenges and finding safer specific alternatives. In particular, increasing interest has been gathered around integrating nanotechnology in cancer management and subsequentially developing various tumor-targeting nanoparticles for cancer applications. In this respect, the present paper briefly describes the most used cancer treatments in clinical practice to set a reference framework for recent research findings, further focusing on the novel developments in the field. More specifically, this review elaborates on the top recent studies concerning various nanomaterials (i.e., carbon-based, metal-based, liposomes, cubosomes, lipid-based, polymer-based, micelles, virus-based, exosomes, and cell membrane-coated nanomaterials) that show promising potential in different cancer applications.     

Testing degenerate polynomials

Two methods to test whether a given polynomial has two distinct roots whose quotient is a root of unity are discussed.     

Fatty Acids,CD36, Thrombospondin-1, and CD47 in Glioblastoma: Together and/or Separately?

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most aggressive tumors of the central nervous system, characterized by a wide range of inter- and intratumor heterogeneity. Accumulation of fatty acids (FA) metabolites was associated with a low survival rate in high-grade glioma patients. The diversity of brain lipids, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), is greater than in all other organs and several classes of proteins, such as FA transport proteins (FATPs), and FA translocases are considered principal candidates for PUFAs transport through BBB and delivery of PUFAs to brain cells. Among these, the CD36 FA translocase promotes long-chain FA uptake as well as oxidated lipoproteins. Moreover, CD36 binds and recognizes thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), an extracellular matrix protein that was shown to play a multifaceted role in cancer as part of the tumor microenvironment. Effects on tumor cells are mediated by TSP-1 through the interaction with CD36 as well as CD47, a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily. TSP-1/CD47 interactions have an important role in the modulation of glioma cell invasion and angiogenesis in GBM. Separately, FA, the two membrane receptors CD36, CD47, and their joint ligand TSP-1 all play a part in GBM pathogenesis. The last research has put in light their interconnection/interrelationship in order to exert a cumulative effect in the modulation of the GBM molecular network.     

Influence of the Carbo-Chromization Process on the Microstructural,Hardness, and Corrosion Properties of 316L Sintered Stainless Steel

We report on the changes on the microstructural, hardness, and corrosion properties induced by carbo-chromization of 316L stainless steel prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering technique. The thermo-chemical treatments have been performed using pack cementation. The carburizing and chromization were carried out between 1153 K (880 °C)/4 h to 1253 K (980 °C)/12 h and 1223 K (950 °C)/6 h to 1273 K (1000 °C)/12 h in a solid powder mixture of charcoal/BaCO₃ and ferrochromium/alumina/NH₄Cl, respectively. The obtained layers were investigated using X-ray and electron diffraction, optical and scanning electron microscopies, Vickers micro-hardness, and potentiodynamic measurements. The thickness of the carbo-chromized layer ranges between 300 and 500 μm. Besides the host γ-phase, the layers are mainly constituted of carbides (Fe₇C₃, Cr₂₃C₆, Cr₇C₃, and Fe₃C) and traces of α′-martensite. The average hardness values decrease smoothly from 650 HV at the sample surface down to 200 HV at the center of the sample. The potentiodynamic tests revealed that the carbo-chromized samples have smaller corrosion resistance with respect to the untreated material. For strong chromization regimes, the corrosion rate is increased by a factor of four with respect to that of the untreated material, while the micro-hardness of the layer is three times larger. Such materials are suited to be used in environments where good corrosion resistance and wear properties are required.     

Processing–formulation–performance relationships of polypropylene/short flax fiber composites

This work is a comprehensive study of the effect of extrusion process parameters and formulation on the properties of polypropylene (PP)/short flax fiber composites. The parameters that were varied during the twin‐screw extrusion process were screw configuration, revolutions per minute (rpm), extrusion temperature, and flow rate. The effect of the feeding zone location of cellulosic fiber was also considered. This study investigates the effect of the formulation, cellulosic fiber content, the presence of a coupling agent, and of a reactive additive on composite performance. The composites were characterized in terms of morphology and microstructure, fiber length, rheological, thermal, and mechanical properties. Sensibility to humidity and recyclability were also considered. When compared with as‐received PP, the tensile strength of injection‐molded parts increased with cellulosic content by up to 40 vol %, and the tensile modulus increased 3.5 times when a combination of coupling and reactive agents was used. Exposed to controlled humidity of 50% during 1 year, these composites exhibited a very low level of humidity uptake around 0.85 wt %. The processability of these materials using a cast film line and the mechanical properties of extruded sheets are also presented. Furthermore, these materials demonstrate a good recyclability using injection molding by keeping the integrality of their mechanical properties after five reprocessing cycles. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41528.     

Compressive properties of pristine and SiC-Te-added MgB2 powders,green compacts and spark-plasma-sintered bulks

Pristine and (SiC+Te)-added MgB₂ powders, green and spark plasma sintered (SPS) compacts were investigated from the viewpoint of quasi-static and dynamic (Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar, SHPB) compressive mechanical properties The amount of the additive (SiC+Te) was selected to be the optimum one for maximization of the superconducting functional parameters. Pristine and added MgB₂ show very similar compressive parameters (tan δ, fracture strength, Vickers hardness, others) and fragment size in the SHPB test. However, for the bulk SPSed samples the ratio of intergranular to transgranular fracturing changes, the first one being stronger in the added sample. This is reflected in the quasi-static K_IC that is higher for the added sample. Despite this result, sintered samples are brittle and have roughly similar fragmentation behavior as for brittle engineering ceramics. In the fragmentation process, the composite nature of our samples should be considered with a special focus on MgB₂ blocks (colonies) that show the major contribution to fracturing. The Glenn-Chudnovsky model of fracturing under dynamic load provides the closest values to our experimental fragment size data.     

A Spectral-SAR Model for the Anionic-Cationic Interaction in Ionic Liquids: Application to Vibrio fischeri Ecotoxicity

Within the recently launched the spectral-structure activity relationship (S-SAR) analysis, the vectorial anionic-cationic model of a generic ionic liquid is proposed, along with the associated algebraic correlation factor in terms of the measured and predicted activity norms. The reliability of the present scheme is tested by assessing the Hansch factors, i.e. lipophylicity, polarizability and total energy, to predict the ecotoxicity endpoints of wide types of ionic liquids with ammonium, pyridinium, phosphonium, choline and imidazolium cations on the aquatic bacteria Vibrio fischeri. The results, while confirming the cationic dominant influence when only lipophylicity is considered, demonstrate that the anionic effect dominates all other more specific interactions. It was also proved that the S-SAR vectorial model predicts considerably higher activity for the ionic liquids than for its anionic and cationic subsystems separately, in all considered cases. Moreover, through applying the least norm-correlation path principle, the complete toxicological hierarchies are presented, unfolding the ecological rules of combined cationic and anionic influences in ionic liquid toxicity.