Fullerene C60 as an inhibitor of high temperature lipid oxidation

Non-isothermal oxidation of a model saturated lipid (stearic acid) in the bulk phase in the presence of fullerene C₆₀ at concentrations of 1–8 mM was monitored by differential scanning calorimetry in order to determine the kinetic parameters that describe the global first order oxidation process. The activation energies, pre-exponential factors, and rate constants calculated by the Ozawa–Flynn–Wall method for the first detectable exothermic effect of oxidation, indicate the antioxidant behavior of C₆₀ over a wide range of temperatures that makes it a non-corrosive agent effectively increasing the oxidative stability of lubricants and biolubricants.     

碳质铜页岩-石英混合物的聚(乙二醇)烷基醚浮选(英文)

研究不同聚(乙二醇)烷基醚(CnH2n+1O(C2H4O)m,CnEm))对碳质铜页岩-石英混合物浮选的影响。研究结果表明:所研究的聚(乙二醇)烷基醚(C4E1,C4E2,C4E3,C2E2,C6E2)都可以作为碳质铜页岩的浮选剂。C4E2和C2E2在碳质铜页岩和石英混合物的分离浮选过程中具有最佳的选出率。研究结果可为工业初选阶段分离碳质铜页岩中的有机碳提供参考。     

omega-Hydrazino linear polyethylenimine: a monoconjugation building block for nucleic acid delivery

Nonviral gene therapy requires efficient vectors that are able to deliver nucleic acids inside the targeted cell nucleus. Developing new tools for the synthesis of supramolecular vectors with improved transfection efficiency and better biodistribution is therefore a crucial issue. Here we describe the synthesis of a 140-mer linear polyethylenimine (L-PEI) terminated at one end by a highly nucleophilic hydrazine residue. This cationic polymer, whose backbone is well known for its remarkable gene-delivery efficiency, constitutes a building block for omega-regioselective conjugation to molecules through the formation of stable linkages such as the hydrazone bonds. To demonstrate the potential of the omega-hydrazino linear polyethylenimine, human serum transferrin, a ligand that is well know to improve gene-delivery systems, was used as a model of sensitive material. The blood protein was oxidized to generate an aldehyde function and was subsequently conjugated to hydrazino PEI. The new polyethylenimine-transferrin (PEI-Tf) vector was purified and was shown to condense plasmid DNA into compact superstructures compatible with cellular uptake. Finally, the cellular-binding and gene-delivery properties of PEI/DNA polyplexes incorporating different quantities of transferrin were evaluated by FACS analysis and luciferase assay.     

Ability for Self-Pelletization of Iron Ores and Magnetite Concentrates

 A procedure for evaluating the susceptibility of raw materials for the process of sintering of iron ore mixes is presented. The procedure relies on the evaluation of the amount and quality of the finest grain fraction. The method is based on determination of particular grain fractions. For the grain less than 015 mm, the determination of the amount is performed using an IPS (Infrared Particles Sizer) grain size analyzer and for the grain larger than 015 mm, the fraction is determined using the (wet and dry) screening methods. This allows for quantity assessment of the quality of material in terms of its susceptibility to self pelletizing by calculating Total Ability for Self Pelletizing (TASP) index fT. The presented method, in combination with the grain size and chemical analyses, can serve for evaluation of suitability of raw material and mixes for the sintering process. Furthermore, the TASP index for 10 types of iron ores and concentrates was determined. The usability of the TASP index was verified by determination of its impact on yield of sintering process both in laboratory and in industry scale.     

Changes in the potential distribution of humid tropical forests on a warmer planet

The future of tropical forests has become one of the iconic issues in climate-change science. A number of studies that have explored this subject have tended to focus on the output from one or a few climate models, which work at low spatial resolution, whereas society and conservation-relevant assessment of potential impacts requires a finer scale. This study focuses on the role of climate on the current and future distribution of humid tropical forests (HTFs). We first characterize their contemporary climatological niche using annual rainfall and maximum climatological water stress, which also adequately describe the current distribution of other biomes within the tropics. As a first-order approximation of the potential extent of HTFs in future climate regimes defined by global warming of 2°C and 4°C, we investigate changes in the niche through a combination of climate-change anomaly patterns and higher resolution (5 km) maps of current climatology. The climate anomalies are derived using data from 17 coupled Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Models (AOGCMs) used in the Fourth Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change. Our results confirm some risk of forest retreat, especially in eastern Amazonia, Central America and parts of Africa, but also indicate a potential for expansion in other regions, for example around the Congo Basin. The finer spatial scale enabled the depiction of potential resilient and vulnerable zones with practically useful detail. We further refine these estimates by considering the impact of new environmental regimes on plant water demand using the UK Met Office land-surface scheme (of the HadCM3 AOGCM). The CO(2)-related reduction in plant water demand lowers the risk of die-back and can lead to possible niche expansion in many regions. The analysis presented here focuses primarily on hydrological determinants of HTF extent. We conclude by discussing the role of other factors, notably the physiological effects of higher temperature.     

Molecular mechanism of photolysis and photooxidation of poly(neopentyl isophthalate)

The mechanism of photodegradation of poly(neopentyl isophthalate), an aromatic polyester as model for industrial polyester coatings, was studied on the molecular level. Changes in the chemical structure of molecules caused by UV irradiation (mercury lamp) were investigated using several analytical techniques. Photodegradation leads both to chain scission and to crosslinking, taking place simultaneously as measured by SEC. Extensive exposure results in appreciable amount of insoluble material (gel). Generation of carbonyl CO and hydroxyl OH/OOH groups in the polymer structure was monitored with ATR-FTIR. MALDI-ToF MS provided detailed structural information on the degradation products of the polyester. In the initial stage of degradation Norrish photocleavage (type I) takes place. Radicals generated in this reaction (photolysis) can directly abstract hydrogen or can react with oxygen creating primarily acid and hydroxyl end groups (photooxidation). Moreover hydrogen abstraction taking place along the polymer backbone followed by oxidation reactions leads to further fragmentation of the polymer chain. The highly informative data provided by MALDI-ToF MS allowed establishing the pathways of photolysis and photooxidation.     

Biobased step-growth polymers in powder coating applications

Co- and terpolyesters based on 1,4:3,6-dianhydro-d-glucitol (isosorbide), 1,4:3,6-dianhydro-l-iditol (isoidide) and succinic acid were evaluated for their applicability in solvent-cast and powder coatings. These biobased polyesters have functionalities and T_g values in the appropriate range for such applications and were cross-linked using conventional curing agents. Introduction of poly-functional monomers such as glycerol and citric acid led to coatings with enhanced performance with respect to mechanical and chemical resistance, compared to formulations based on linear polymers. The curing behavior of these systems was investigated with DSC and rheological experiments. Formulations containing citric acid-modified polyester resins showed rapid curing, probably facilitated by anhydride formation at the chain ends. Hydroxy- as well as carboxylic acid-functional 1,4:3,6-dianhydrohexitol-based polyesters proved to be suitable materials for coating applications with respect to solvent resistance, impact resistance and hardness, with performance comparable to commercially available systems. Accelerated weathering experiments showed that functional groups such as hydroxyl groups, carboxylic acids, anhydrides and peroxides are formed during UV-exposure. The weathered coatings have reduced impact stability. On the other hand, the appearance of the coatings does not change significantly. Isosorbide-based coating systems appear to have similar weathering resistance as conventional terephthalic acid-based poly(ester urethane) coatings.     

Precise capture of colors in cultural heritage digitization

A workflow for the color reproduction of digital still images for the purpose of cultural heritage digitization is presented. An analysis was performed to determine the effect of RAW to TIFF transformation; RGB to CIE L*a*b* transformation; white balancing; use of standard color spaces: sRGB, AdobeRGB (1998), ProPhoto RGB, eciRGBv2; custom DCP, and ICC profiles assigning. For the analysis, Color Checker Classic and Digital Color Checker SG targets were used. The precision of the color reproduction was checked against FADGI and Metamorfoze standards. We demonstrate that to obtain high color fidelity reproduction, white balancing and a custom ICC profile are necessary, while DCP profiling could be omitted. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 42, 333–336, 2017     

The lifetime prediction of a rotary screw compressor of a liquid cooler subjected to high pressure and high frequency loads

The estimation of the lifetime of high pressure and high frequency loaded components by testing is very costly and time-consuming. The simulation of fatigue life is an important design step in the fast moving and competitive automotive industry, where the steady rise of engineering components and the demand for lightweight construction concurred with enhanced reliability require an optimized dimensioning process. The paper presents the chosen problems of 3D numerical strength and fatigue simulation of a rotary screw compressor of a liquid cooler. The presented results of the FEM mechanical calculation based on a real components. The fatigue analysis were executed using the criterion of critical plane. Local multi-axial state of stresses and deformation has been calculated based on Hooke’s law with simultaneous consideration of kinematics hardening rule of material according to Jiang’s model.     

用于电子政府的数字签名-一种长期的安全结构

The framework of digital signature based on qualified certificates and X.509 architecture is known to have many security risks. Moreover, the fraud prevention mechanism is fragile and does not provide strong guarantees that can be necessary for flow of legal documents. Mediated signatures have been proposed as a mechanism to effectively disable signature cards. In this paper we propose further mechanisms that can be applied on top of mediated RSA, compatible with the standard format, but providing security guarantees even in the case when RSA becomes broken or the keys are compromised. The solution is immune tokleptographic attacks as only deterministic algorithms are used on user's side.