Antimicrobial properties and thermal stability of polycarbonate modified with 1‐alkyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquids

Four water immiscible ionic liquids (ILs): 1‐hexyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, 1‐heptyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, 1‐octyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate and 1‐dodecyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate have been synthesized. Polycarbonate (PC) films containing ILs were prepared by solvent casting from methylene chloride solutions. Scanning electron microscopy measurements showed the high homogeneity of PC/IL films with the IL content up to 4 wt %. The tendency to IL aggregation was observed for polymeric films with higher IL content (5%). PC/IL composites were found to have the reduced thermal decomposition temperature under both an air and a nitrogen atmosphere in comparison with the neat PC. The effect of IL content on the antimicrobial activity of PC films against Escherichia coli bacteria was studied. Pronounced antimicrobial efficacy was revealed for PC/IL films for all studied ILs starting from 3 wt % of IL. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40050.     

Coumarin-Tagged Dinuclear Trithiolato-Bridged Ruthenium(II)⋅Arene Complexes: Photophysical Properties and Antiparasitic Activity

The synthesis, characterization, photophysical and biological properties of 13 new conjugate coumarin-diruthenium(II)⋅arene complexes against Toxoplasma gondii are presented. For all conjugate organometallic unit/coumarins, an almost complete loss of fluorescence efficacy was observed. However, the nature of the fluorophore, the type of bonding, the presence and length of a linker between the coumarin dye and the ruthenium(II) moiety, and the number of dye units influenced their biological properties. The in vitro activity against a transgenic T. gondii strain grown in human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) leads to IC₅₀ values for T. gondii β-gal from 105 to 735 nM. Of note is that nine compounds displayed lower IC₅₀ than the standard drug pyrimethamine. One compound applied at its IC₅₀ did not affect B-cell proliferation but had an impact on T-cell proliferation in murine splenocyte cultures. Transmission electron microscopy of T. gondii β-gal-infected HFF showed that treatment predominantly affected the parasites’ mitochondrion.     

Syngas and hydrogen production from biogas in volumetric (3D) matrix reformers

This paper describes a new type of syngas and hydrogen generator that requires no catalyst but is able to convert low-quality biogas with a CO₂ content of up to 60%. The generator is based on the recently developed volumetric permeable matrix reformers with effective heat recovery. This generator is a compact and stably operated device that introduces an effective and relatively simple method of syngas and hydrogen production from various renewable sources for various applications, including feeding fuel cells and enhancing the performance characteristics of power engines.     

Designing a performance measurement system to support materials management in engineer-to-order:a case study

There are many different production situations that can be employed to meet demand.In the engineer-toorder(ETO)production situation,products are manufactured to meet specific customer needs by unique engineering or significant customization.In such an environment,failing to supply the required materials in the right quantities and at the right time increases the risk of breaching due date agreements and thereby losing customer satisfaction.As such,materials management is one of the most important and critical processes within production planning and control in ETO.To bring attention and improvement to this area,ETO companies may benefit from a performance measurement system(PMS)that systematically monitors how well materials management is carded out.The design of a company's PMS varies with its production situation.Within the large body of literature on performance management and measurement,limited literature specifically addressing performance measurement in ETO has been identified.After being approached by a Norwegian ETO company requesting a PMS for materials management,the authors therefore set out to design the PMS from scratch,using literature on ETO,materials management and performance management and measurement as a starting point.The paper presents the proposed PMS.It provides a basis for further studies on the topic,and could be used by managers in ETO companies to assess and improve their materials management practice.     

Unique direct synthesis of cyanide-bridged Fe2Cu2 molecular squares by destruction of sodium nitroprusside

The one-pot reaction of copper powder, sodium nitroprusside, ammonium thiocyanate and 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) in acetonitrile solution at ambient conditions of air and water yields the novel heterometallic [Fe₂Cu₂(bpy)₆(μ-CN)₄(NCS)₂]₂[Fe(CN)₅(NO)](NCS)₂·5H₂O complex 1, which has been structurally and magnetically characterized. The most prominent feature of this complex is the unique tetranuclear squares comprised [Cu(bpy)NCS]⁺ and [Fe(bpy)₂]²⁺ corners with CN edges. The CuCu and FeFe separations are 6.72 and 7.73 Å, respectively. The variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility study revealed that a very weak antiferromagnetic coupling is active between Cu(II) centers (J_CuCu = −0.37 cm⁻¹).     

Coated wire potentiometric detection for capillary electrophoresis studied using organic amines, drugs, and biogenic amines

Capillary electrophoresis was coupled successfully and reliably to potentiometric sensors, which are based on an ionically conductive rubber phase coating, applied on a 250 microm diameter metal substrate. The membrane components included potassium tetrakis(p-chlorophenyl)borate (TCPB), bis(2-ethylhexyl)sebacate (DOS), and high molecular mass poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Potentiometry reveals a very sensitive CE detection mode, with sub-micromolar detection limits for amines and the randomly chosen drugs quinine, clozapine, cocaine, heroine, noscapine, papaverine, and ritodrine. The lowest detection limit, 1 x 10(-8) M injected concentration, was obtained for the quaternary ammonium compound tetrahexylammonium chloride. The more polar lower aliphatic amines and the biogenic amines dopamine, adrenaline, and cadaverine have much higher detection limits. The detection limits are log P dependent. Addition of a commercially available calixarene molecule or a synthetic macrocyclic amphiphilic receptor molecule to the electrode coatings enhanced the sensitivity respectively for the lower aliphatic amines and for the biogenic amines. A transpose of the Nikolskii-Eisenman-type function was suggested and used to convert the signal of the detector to a concentration-dependent signal.     

Resolution in optically addressed spatial light modulators based on dye-doped liquid crystals

Dye-doped nematic liquid crystals (LCs) are studied as materials for single-layer optically addressed spatial light modulators. The dopant is 2,5-azo-substituted anthraquinone (ASAQ) dye. The resolution in the ASAQ-doped LC systems does not depend on the device thickness (in the 5-125 microm range). The efficiency increases with the increase of the thickness and begins to saturate in devices thicker than 40 microm. The limiting resolution in the thick devices is 400 line pairs per millimeter. The limitations of performance (efficiency and resolution) in the studied systems are discussed.     

The Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy: Development, validation, and reliability.

The authors present 3 studies on the initial validity and reliability of the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (SEE), a self-report instrument that measures empathy toward people of racial and ethnic backgrounds different from one's own. Specifically, the exploratory factor analysis yielded 4 factors: Empathic Feeling and Expression, Empathic Perspective Taking, Acceptance of Cultural Differences, and Empathic Awareness. A confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence for the stability and generalizability of this 4-factor solution. The SEE was correlated in the predicted directions with general empathy and attitudes toward people's similarities and differences. High internal consistency and test-retest reliability estimates were also found across the three studies. A discussion of how this scale can add to the research and practice regarding empathy and multicultural issues is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment of copper-nickel industry impact on a subarctic lake ecosystem

The Kuetsj?rvi lake ecosystem has been subject to intensive pollution generated by the Pechenganickel Company activities for more than 50 years. This article considers the effects of emissions from the copper-nickel smelter, that uses out-of-date technology, on a subarctic lake ecosystem. Six years of investigations revealed changes occurring at all ecosystem levels. It was found that the content of heavy metals (Cu, Ni, etc.) in lake sediments was dozens of times higher than the background values. Phyto- and zooplankton communities were in an unstable condition, while fish had pathologies of functionally important organs (gill, liver and kidney). The concentration of nickel in zoobenthos and fish was correlated its accumulation in sediments.