A Synthetic Approach to Oligomeric Phenylethynylsilylenes

Oligomers consisting of alternating phenylethynyl and monosilyl or disilanyl moieties were synthesized in 15–64% precipitated yields by the reactions of dilithiated ethynylbenzene with dichlorodimethylsilane, dichlorodiphenylsilane, and 1,2-dichloro-1,1,2,2-tetramethyldisilane. Degrees of polymerization were fairly low due to chain termination reactions involving the deprotonation of ethynyl groups by aryllithium species. The presence of butyl chain ends was confirmed by ¹H and ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopy. ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopy was utilized to illustrate the random pattern of connectivity along the oligomer backbones. The oligomers exhibit fluorescent behavior in solution.     

Soft nanocomposites: nanoparticles to tune gel properties

The demand for new, soft materials with bespoke physical and biological characteristics and functionality has fuelled the research into nanocomposite hydrogels. ‘Soft’ nanocomposites – nanoparticles within a hydrated, polymeric gel matrix – offer a simple, yet versatile, platform for the design of materials with specific – and tunable – properties. Indeed, the ‘soft’ properties of the matrix can be combined with the inherent functionality of the nanoparticles (drug loading, antimicrobial, light refraction etc.) or give rise to altogether new characteristics (toughness, optical properties, self‐healing etc.) evolved from the synergistic interaction of the polymer chains with the particles. In this review, we report the evolution and achievements of nanocomposite gels, with a focus on mechanisms and structure. The review is therefore structured around the properties resulting from the gel/nanoparticle association, rather than a classification based on applications or specific types of polymer or nanoparticles. How can nanoparticles tune mechanical, optical, biological properties or impart stimuli‐responsiveness to a polymer gel matrix ? and how is this behaviour linked to the underlying structure? © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

Calcium dosing for the simultaneous control of biomass retention and the enhancement of fermentative biohydrogen production in an innovative fixed-film bioreactor

Biohydrogen (bioH₂) production via dark fermentation is an attractive approach to overcome the drawbacks of conventional hydrogen production methods and represents a preliminary alternative for the management of organic wastes. Fundamental studies are still required to enhance the performance of bioH₂ production systems, with emphasis on the development of novel reactor configurations. The anaerobic structured-bed reactor (ASTBR) is a recently developed configuration with great potential for bioH₂ production, although operating strategies are still required to minimize biomass washout in such systems. In this context, calcium dosing has been investigated as a strategy to enhance both biomass retention and bioH₂ production rates in the ASTBR. The present study employed varying COD/calcium ratios (4423, 2079, 1357, 1012, 884, and 632) in continuous experiments under mesophilic conditions (25 °C). Calcium dosing effectively enhanced biomass retention within the ASTBR, directly increasing the availability of metabolic energy for different metabolic pathways rather than cell synthesis. An optimal COD/calcium ratio of 1360 was mathematically estimated for bioH₂ production, which is consistent with the results obtained experimentally. The specific organic loading rate (SOLR) was better controlled at this ratio, indicating the establishment of balanced conditions in terms of substrate availability and biomass concentration. Conversely, bioH₂ production was severely impaired at COD/calcium values below and above the optimal range, most likely due to enhancement of the homoacetogenic pathway as a result of unbalanced conditions in the SOLR. Furthermore, biomass accumulation did not strongly affect the mean residence time of the ASTBR, facilitating its robust and enhanced solid retention.     

Adaptive Boolean Logic Using Ferroelectrics Capacitors as Basic Units of Artificial Neurons and Its Implementation in FPGA

In this work we propose the implementation of boolean logic through artificial neurons with Ferroelectric Capacitor (FeCapacitor) as its basic unit on a reconfigurable hardware platform. Two neurons were implemented: the Perceptron and the Spiking Neuron model. Both neurons use the phenomenon of the hysteresis loop as an activation function and were embedded on a Field Gate Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) hardware platform. The implementations were carried out by Simulink models and hardware synthesizable blocks from DSP Builder software and the results are shown in the form of the models and the boolean functions implemented by them.     

FAME Production and Fatty Acid Profiles from Moist Chlorella sp. and Nannochloropsis oculata Biomass

In the present study, we investigated the production of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) from moist Chlorella sp. and Nannochloropsis oculata biomass using a hydrolysis–esterification process. Additionally, we evaluated for the first time the fatty acid profile before and after this process. Hydrolysis of the lipid fraction was performed on a moist biomass in the presence of differing amounts of an acid catalyst in both 50 and 100 % w/w water relative to the biomass. The esterification of the crude extracts of the free fatty acids (FFA) was then investigated. The experiments show that in the presence of 50 % w/w water relative to the biomass, the hydrolysis–esterification process results in higher FFA and FAME yields. The analysis of the fatty ester profiles did not reveal any degradation of the FFA from the microalgae biomass under the hydrolysis–esterification conditions. The results were compared with both extraction–transesterification and direct transesterification processes using dry biomass. The extraction–transesterification and hydrolysis–esterification processes resulted in similar FAME yields and similar profiles of the fatty esters from dry and moist biomass materials, respectively.     

Changes in Coupled Vibration Frequencies and Modes of Wall-Cavity Systems Induced by Stiffness Variation in the Structure

Problems of fluid structure interactions are governed by a set of fundamental parameters. This work aims at showing through simple examples the changes in natural vibration frequencies and mode shapes for wall-cavity systems when the structural rigidity is modified. Numerical results are constructed using ANSYS software with triangular finite elements for both the fluid （2D acoustic elements） and the solid （plane stress） domains. These former results are compared to proposed analytical expressions, showing an alternative benchmark tool for the analyst. Very rigid wall structures imply in frequencies and mode shapes almost identical to those achieved for an acoustic cavity with Neumann boundary condition at the interface. In this case, the wall behaves as rigid and fluid-structure system mode shapes are similar to those achieved for the uncoupled reservoir case.     

On education

The following observations are intended only to outline some concerns about, and to offer observations on, the teaching of design disciplines in the University of Buenos Aires and to rehearse the current educational challenges relating to achieving the standards expected of a professional graduate competent to improve our environmental demands.     

Reduced Levels of ABCA1 Transporter Are Responsible for the Cholesterol Efflux Impairment in β-Amyloid-Induced Reactive Astrocytes: Potential Rescue from Biomimetic HDLs

The cerebral synthesis of cholesterol is mainly handled by astrocytes, which are also responsible for apoproteins’ synthesis and lipoproteins’ assembly required for the cholesterol transport in the brain parenchyma. In Alzheimer disease (AD), these processes are impaired, likely because of the astrogliosis, a process characterized by morphological and functional changes in astrocytes. Several ATP-binding cassette transporters expressed by brain cells are involved in the formation of nascent discoidal lipoproteins, but the effect of beta-amyloid (Aβ) assemblies on this process is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated how of Aβ_1-42-induced astrogliosis affects the metabolism of cholesterol in vitro. We detected an impairment in the cholesterol efflux of reactive astrocytes attributable to reduced levels of ABCA1 transporters that could explain the decreased lipoproteins’ levels detected in AD patients. To approach this issue, we designed biomimetic HDLs and evaluated their performance as cholesterol acceptors. The results demonstrated the ability of apoA-I nanodiscs to cross the blood–brain barrier in vitro and to promote the cholesterol efflux from astrocytes, making them suitable as a potential supportive treatment for AD to compensate the depletion of cerebral HDLs.     

Strain-specific polyketide synthase genes of Aspergillus niger

In silico comparison of 34 putative pks genes in Aspergillus niger strain CBS 513.88 versus A. niger strain ATCC 1015 genome revealed significant nucleotide identity (>95% covering a minimum of 99% of the gene sequence) for 31 of these genes (approximately 91%). A. niger CBS 513.88 harbors three putative pks genes (An01g01130, An11g05940, and An15g07920), for which nucleotide identity was not found in A. niger ATCC 1015. To compare the results of the in silico analysis with the in vivo situation, experimental data were obtained for a large number of A. niger strains obtained from different substrates and geographical regions. Three putative pks genes that were found to be variable between the two A. niger strains using bioinformatics tools were in fact strain-specific genes based on experimental data. The PCR amplification signals for the An01g01130, An11g05940, and An15g07920 pks genes were detected in only 97%, 71%, and 26% of the strains, respectively. Southern blot analyses confirmed the PCR data. Because one of the strain-specific pks genes (An15g07920) is located in a putative ochratoxin cluster, we focused our investigation on that region. We assessed the ochratoxin production capability of the 119 A. niger strains and found a positive association between the presence of this pks gene and the capability of the respective strain to produce ochratoxin.     

Anti-inflammatory effect of aqueous extracts of roasted and green Coffea arabica L.

Green coffee contains a large quantity and variety of polyphenols and flavonoids. The roasting affects the composition of the polyphenols in coffee, due to the formation of compounds generated by Maillard reaction, which can have anti-inflammatory or antioxidant potential. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of aqueous extracts of green (AGCa) and roasted (ARCa) coffee beans were investigated in animal models and using a DPPH radical scavenging test. In the formalin test the extracts reduced licking activity only in the late phase. The inhibitory values of oedema at 3 h post-carrageenan were 53% and 74% for 100 and 300 mg/kg of the AGCa extract and 36% for ARCa (300 mg/kg). Leukocyte recruitment into the peritoneal cavity was inhibited by the extracts. The antioxidant activities of the extracts were higher than the reference antioxidants, ascorbic acid and butylated hydroxytoluene. These results indicate that coffee extracts exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.