Direct ink writing of macroporous lead-free piezoelectric Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3

Direct ink writing (DIW) has become a widespread additive manufacturing technique for material engineering, but its application in lead-free Ba_0.85Ca_0.15Zr_0.1Ti_0.9O₃ piezoelectric ceramics from aqueous systems has not been reported so far to our knowledge. The main obstacle is the high extent of hydrolysis reactions undergone by the starting powders when dispersed in water, hindering the attainment of stable water-based colloidal suspensions. This paper reports on the preparation of stable aqueous inks from a deagglomerated and surface-treated powder synthesized by solid-state reaction and on DIW of macroporous lead-free piezoelectrics. Based on zeta potential and rheological measurements, the optimal amounts of processing additives (dispersant, binder, and coagulating agent) were selected to transform the initial fluid suspension to a viscoelastic paste with sufficient stiffness and stability for the printing process. Dielectric and piezoelectric properties of samples sintered under different temperatures were also investigated.     

Sinanodonta woodiana (mollusca: bivalvia: unionidae): isolation and characterization of the first microsatellite markers

Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) is a large Unionid species with a real invasion success. It colonized Europe, Central America, the Indonesian Islands and recently North America. The species life cycle involves a larval parasitic stage on freshwater fish species which contributes to the spread of the mussel. In this paper we describe, for the first time, eight polymorphic microsatellite loci for the species Sinanodonta woodiana. The genetic screening of individuals confirmed that all loci were highly polymorphic. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 7 to 14 and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.650 to 0.950. These loci should prove useful to study the species population genetics which could help to infer important aspects of the invasion process.     

Processing cherries (Prunus avium) using supercritical fluid technology. Part 2. Evaluation of SCF extracts as promising natural chemotherapeutical agents

In the last years, there has been a growing interest in the recovery of bioactive compounds from natural sources for the development of novel functional foods.In this study, natural extracts, previously obtained by fractioned high pressure extraction from “Saco” cherry culls, were characterized in terms of anticancer activity. The product derived from CO₂:EtOH (90:10, v/v) extraction after a pre-treatment of raw material with supercritical CO₂ during 1 h, exhibited the highest antiproliferative activity in human HT29 colon cancer cells. In addition, when compared with doxorubicin, cherry extracts induced cell cycle arrest in a different cell cycle checkpoint.In order to obtain extracts with enhanced antiproliferative activity, the extraction process was further explored. Using highly pure CO₂ and EtOH 96% the inhibition of cancer cell growth was significantly enhanced by 16-fold. In addition, the incorporation of a conventional extraction step with MetOH or EtOH:H₂O (50:50, v/v) prior to fractioned process allowed to obtain cherry extracts more concentrated in antiproliferative compounds. Perillyl alcohol present in cherry extracts was pointed to be one of the major responsible for anticancer properties of cherry extracts.     

Nanoliposomes for encapsulation and delivery of the potential antitumoral methyl 6-methoxy-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-indole-2-carboxylate

A potential antitumoral fluorescent indole derivative, methyl 6-methoxy-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-indole-2-carboxylate, was evaluated for the in vitro cell growth inhibition on three human tumor cell lines, MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), A375-C5 (melanoma), and NCI-H460 (non-small cell lung cancer), after a continuous exposure of 48 h, exhibiting very low GI50 values for all the cell lines tested (0.25 to 0.33 μM). This compound was encapsulated in different nanosized liposome formulations, containing egg lecithin (Egg-PC), dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC), dipalmitoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DPPG), DSPC, cholesterol, dihexadecyl phosphate, and DSPE-PEG. Dynamic light scattering measurements showed that nanoliposomes with the encapsulated compound are generally monodisperse and with hydrodynamic diameters lower than 120 nm, good stability and zeta potential values lower than -18 mV. Dialysis experiments allowed to monitor compound diffusion through the lipid membrane, from DPPC/DPPG donor liposomes to NBD-labelled lipid/DPPC/DPPG acceptor liposomes.     

Nitrogen-use efficiency and economic efficiency of slow-release N fertilisers applied to irrigated turfs in a Mediterranean environment

The effect of three fertilisers that delay the bioavailability of nitrogen (N) in the soil was compared with ammonium nitrate and a zero N control in two irrigated turfs in NE Portugal. The fertilisers used were: Floranid permanent 16-7-15 (slow-release, IBDU/Isodur fertiliser); Basacote plus 9M 16-8-12 (controlled-release fertiliser, copolymer ethylene acrylic); Nitroteck 20-8-10 (stabilized fertiliser, dicyandiamide as nitrification inhibitor + coating with polyterpene) and Nitrolusal (ammonium nitrate, 20.5% N), applied all at a rate of 120 kg N ha⁻¹. Nitrolusal was split into two fractions of 60 kg N ha⁻¹. Phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) rates were balanced among treatments by using superphosphate (18% P₂O₅) and potassium chloride (60% K₂O). The turf dry matter (DM) yield and N concentration in dry material were determined from several cuts of biomass throughout the growing season. Based on DM yield, N concentration in dry material and fertilisation costs, indices of N use efficiency and economic efficiency were estimated. Soil nitrate levels were monitored by using anion exchange membranes inserted directly into the soil. Basacote gave significantly lower DM yields than the other fertilised treatments. The apparent N recovery of Basacote was also the lowest. The results showed that Basacote released less N than that required for an adequate plant growth in the beginning of the growing season, hampered the flush of spring growth. Furthermore, the release period of this Basacote formulation, in the environmental conditions of these experiments, seemed to be longer than the length of the growing season. Nitroteck and Floranid yielded similar or even higher DM and apparent N recovery values than did Nitrolusal. The indices of economic efficiency ordered the fertilisers as Nitroteck > Nitrolusal > Floranid > Basacote or Nitrolusal > Nitroteck > Floranid > Basacote, if the costs of P and K fertilisers used to balance the P and K rates in the experimental design were, respectively, taken or not taken into account.     

Stereology‐based quantitative characterization of dispersion from TEM micrographs of polymer–clay nanocomposites

Quantitative characterization of the state of dispersion and extent of exfoliation is critical in developing processing structure–property relationships in polymer–clay nanocomposites. Quantification of dispersion, exfoliation, and nanostructure in polymer–clay nanocomposites by 3D stereological parameters using image analysis of 2D transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs were recently proposed. The 3D dispersion quantifying parameters are designed such that they are free of the bias associated with not sampling the true particle diameter in a 2D TEM section. In this article, the ability of the proposed 3D dispersion quantifying parameters to describe the dispersion over the entire possible range of exfoliation, and to capture independent aspects of dispersion are demonstrated by quantifying several sets of samples that were designed using a polypropylene (PP)/maleated PP/clay system. The details of the image analysis procedure, the underlying challenges, and errors involved in the segmentation process are also discussed. The 3D dispersion quantifying parameters, exfoliation number and inter‐particle distance, were critically compared against the standard 2D dispersion quantifying parameters, such as mean length, thickness, and aspect ratio. In all cases examined in this study, the sensitivity and resolution of the 3D parameters in terms of quantifying the dispersion of the nanostructure appeared comparable if not better than the standard 2D parameters. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

High resolution NMR study of tropical fruit seed starches

The nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) studies of starches obtained by fruit seeds such as melon and watermelon were carried out as an analytical methodology to understand the molecular dynamic behavior. This study was also accompanied by the conventional X‐ray diffraction and thermal analysis. The NMR results give us a complete behavior of the samples at the molecular level. Thus, the information obtained from NMR will complement the data obtained from X‐ray and thermal analysis allowing us having responses on samples structure and dynamical behavior. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Characterization of Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Southern Brazil

Six olive oils extracted from the cultivars Arbequina, Arbosana, Coratina, Frantoio, Koroneiki, and Picual from 2017 and 2018 harvests, cultivated in Pinheiro Machado, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, are evaluated for standard oil composition parameters and bioactive constituents (pigments, tocopherols, and phenolic compounds). Multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) and univariate ANOVA and Fisher's LSD test are used to verify the effect of cultivar and harvest year on oil composition. Olive oil composition met extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) standard parameters and is influenced by both cultivar and harvest year. EVOO produced in 2018 has greater chlorophyll, caffeic acid, ligstroside aglycone, hydroxyoleuropein aglycone, syringic acid, and hydroxytyrosol acetate contents than the EVOOs from 2017. Linoleic acid, ferulic acid, ligstroside aglycone, and hydroxytyrosol acetate are the variables whose contents most contributed to the differentiation of oils by cultivar in both harvest years. Chemical characterization analyses allow for the differentiation of oil composition based on harvest year and cultivar. Metabolic quality data obtained here support the establishment of a local EVOO profile and the compounds that most contributed to treatment differentiation may serve as markers that can be utilized in determining origin, cultivar, and harvest year. Practical Applications: Olive production in Brazil is recent and is based on European cultivars which have not been bred for the local environmental conditions. Therefore, the measurement of olive oil metabolic quality will determine cultivar adaptability to local edaphoclimatic conditions as well as assist in the establishment of a standard of identity for the product and promote the development of its market. Olive oil produced in Southern Brazil shows high quality, and is especially rich in phenolic compounds. Although harvest year influences oil composition, oil from both harvests meet EVOO standards and cultivar specific metabolic markers are observed. This study provides the foundation for olive producers in Southern Brazil to seek authentication of the geographical origin of olive oil.     

Novel Heterobimetallic Radiotheranostic: Preparation,Activity, and Biodistribution

A novel Ru^II(arene) theranostic complex is presented. It is based on a 1,4,7,10‐tetraazacyclododecane‐1,4,7,10‐tetraacetic acid macrocycle bearing a triarylphosphine and can be tracked in vivo by using the γ emission of ¹⁵³Sm atoms. Notably, the heteroditopic ligand can be selectively metalated with ruthenium at the phosphorus atom despite the presence of other functionalities that are prone to metal coordination. Subsequent labeling with radionuclides such as ¹⁵³Sm can then be performed easily. The resulting heterobimetallic complex exhibits favorable solubility and stability properties in biologically relevant media. It also shows in vitro cytotoxicity in line with that expected for this type of metallodrug, and is nontoxic to the organism as a whole. As a proof of concept, initial studies in healthy mice were performed to obtain information about the uptake, biodistribution, and excretion of the radiolabeled complex.