Microwave Sintering and Optical Properties of Sm3+-Activated KSrPO4 Phosphors

The microwave sintering and photoluminescence properties of KSr_1?x PO₄:xSm³⁺ phosphors have been investigated. KSrPO₄ phosphates activated by various concentrations of Sm³⁺ ions (x = 0.007, 0.009, 0.01, 0.03) were microwave sintered at 1200°C for 3 h under air atmosphere. x-Ray diffraction patterns showed that all phosphor samples exhibited a single phase without any extraneous phases. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the particle size increased with the Sm³⁺ concentration and that the particle morphology was fine and uniform. The photoluminescence results showed that a concentration quenching effect occurred when the concentration of Sm³⁺ ions reached x = 0.01. Decay time measurement results showed that the lifetime decreased gradually from 3.12 ms to 2.34 ms as the Sm³⁺ concentration increased. All the chromaticity (x, y) values of the microwave-sintered KSrPO₄:Sm³⁺ phosphors were located in the red region (0.57, 0.41).     

MaxPHOS Ligand: PH/NH Tautomerism and Rhodium‐ Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenations

MaxPHOS is an active and robust P‐stereogenic ligand for asymmetric catalysis. The presence of an  NH bridge between the two phosphine moieties allows the NH/PH tautomerism to take place. The neutral ligand, in which the NH form predominates, is an air‐sensitive compound. However, protonation of MaxPHOS leads to the stable PH form of the ligand, in which the overall positive charge is distributed on both P centers. This protonation turns the MaxPHOS⋅HBF₄ salt 3 into an air‐stable compound both in the solid state and in solution. The salt 3 is also a convenient precursor for the preparation of rhodium(I) complexes by direct ligand exchange with the complex [Rh(acac)(cod)]. Finally, the corresponding rhodium(I)‐MaxPHOS complex was tested in the asymmetric hydrogenation of a wide range of substrates. The complex proved to be a highly selective and robust system in these reactions.

     

Ciclopirox delivery into the human nail plate using novel lipid diffusion enhancers

Context: Onychomycosis is a common fungal infection of the nail plate and bed that affects up to 14% of the population and can have a substantial impact on the quality of life of those affected.

Objective: This study compared the onychopharmacokinetics, nail absorption, nail distribution, and nail penetration of [¹⁴C]-ciclopirox dissolved in novel lipid diffusion enhancers with that of a commercial ciclopirox nail lacquer using the in vitro finite dose model.

Materials and methods: The penetration rate of ciclopirox was determined by applying doses of topical formulation twice daily to human nail plates for 11?d. Drug absorption was then measured by monitoring its rate of appearance in each nail layer and in the cotton pad/nail supporting bed.

Results: After a multiple day treatment, cumulative concentrations of ciclopirox formulated with lipid enhancers in the deep nail layer and the nail bed were significantly greater than cumulative concentrations of the commercial ciclopirox lacquer (p?Conclusion: When formulated with lipid enhancers, the amount of ciclopirox in the ventral/intermediate layer and supporting bed dramatically exceed the inhibitory concentration of ciclopirox for the most common onychomycosis organisms. These results suggest that topical ciclopirox with lipid enhancers has the potential to be an effective topical treatment for onychomycosis, and the lipidic pathway of the nail can be utilized as a means of effective transungual delivery.     

Tensile basic creep versus compressive basic creep at early ages: comparison between normal strength concrete and a very high strength fibre reinforced concrete

The paper presents experimental results concerning the comparison of tensile and compressive basic creep behaviours at early ages of two different concretes: a normal strength concrete (NSC) and a very high strength fibre reinforced concrete (HPFRC). This research project has been done in the context of a bilateral collaboration between Polytechnique Montreal and IFSTTAR. Observations on the HPFRC showed specific compressive creep similar to the specific tensile creep. Moreover, the specific creep curves obtained under compressive and tensile loading had always positive values, i.e. they were in same direction of the applied load on specimens. Measurements made on the NSC revealed specific compressive creep with positive values (in the loading direction). However, specific tensile creep presented negative values (opposite direction of loading) for a long period. A physical explanation based on the existence of two mechanisms with opposite effect is proposed to describe these basic creep results. The first mechanism is a coupling between the microcracking process and the water transfers that lead to additional self-drying shrinkage; the second mechanism is the self-healing of concrete induced by the microcracking.     

Palladium nanoparticle deposition via precipitation: a new method to functionalize macroporous silicon

We present an original two-step method for the deposition via precipitation of Pd nanoparticles into macroporous silicon. The method consists in immersing a macroporous silicon sample in a PdCl₂/DMSO solution and then in annealing the sample at a high temperature. The impact of composition and concentration of the solution and annealing time on the nanoparticle characteristics is investigated. This method is compared to electroless plating, which is a standard method for the deposition of Pd nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy and computerized image processing are used to evaluate size, shape, surface density and deposition homogeneity of the Pd nanoparticles on the pore walls. Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses are used to evaluate the composition of the deposited nanoparticles. In contrast to electroless plating, the proposed method leads to homogeneously distributed Pd nanoparticles along the macropores depth with a surface density that increases proportionally with the PdCl₂ concentration. Moreover EDX and XPS analysis showed that the nanoparticles are composed of Pd in its metallic state, while nanoparticles deposited by electroless plating are composed of both metallic Pd and PdO_x.