Changes in the Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profile of the Slave-Maker Ant Queen, Polyergus breviceps Emery, After Killing a Formica Host Queen (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Queens of the slave-maker ant, Polyergus breviceps, take over nests of their Formica host species by fatally attacking the resident queen. As workers only begin grooming the P. breviceps queen once she has ceased her attack, we investigated whether a change in parasite queen chemistry may account for the change in worker behavior. Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of newly mated P. breviceps queens and of queens of their two Formica host species were found to be species-specific. Profiles of newly mated P. breviceps queens that had attacked a Formica queen, however, were virtually identical to the queen profile of the species killed. Mass spectral analysis revealed that the hydrocarbons on the cuticles of newly mated P. breviceps changed from primarily normal alkanes to methyl and di-methyl branched alkanes after attacks. The results suggest that cuticular compounds from the host queen were transferred to the parasite queen during their aggressive interaction.     

Fabrication of Long Lengths of Epitaxial Buffer Layers on Biaxially Textured Nickel Substrates Using a Continuous Reel-to-Reel Dip-Coating Unit

A low-cost, nonvacuum, solution precursor route has been developed to produce epitaxial oxide buffer layers of Eu₂O₃ or La₂Zr₂O₇ on biaxially textured Ni (100) tapes. A reel-to-reel continuous dip-coating unit consisting of a constant-tension tape transport system attached to a controlled atmosphere furnace was fabricated. Nickel tapes were pulled through a 2-methoxyethanol solution of europium methoxyethoxide/acetate or lanthanum zirconium methoxyethoxide. The double-sided dip-coated tapes were then annealed in a preheated furnace at 1000°–1100°C with a high flow rate of Ar/H₂ (4%) gas. The dip-coated buffers were dense, continuous, crack-free, and epitaxial with a single cube texture. A critical current ( J _c) of >1 MA/cm² at 77 K and self-field was obtained for YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ (YBCO) films with a layer sequence of YBCO ( ex situ BaF₂ process)/CeO₂ (sputtered)/YSZ (sputtered)/Eu₂O₃ (dip-coated)/nickel. We have produced 1–2 m lengths of epitaxial buffer layers on textured nickel substrates using a nonvacuum process for the first time.     

Advanced Alumina Composites Reinforced with Titanium-Based Alloys

New (inter)metallic-ceramic composites for high-temperature structural and functional applications are prepared via high-energy ball milling. During compaction by pressureless sintering, dense Al₂O₃/Ti-based alloy composites are formed that consist of inter-connected networks of the ceramic and the (inter)metallic phases. Ti-Al-V/Al₂O₃ and Ti-Al-Nb/Al₂O₃ composites show enhanced damage tolerance over monolithic Al₂O₃, i.e ., fracture toughnesses up to 5.6 MPa·m^0.5 and bending strengths up to 527 MPa. The resistance against abrasive wear is almost doubled with respect to monolithic Al₂O₃ ceramic. Electrical resistivity scales with the ceramic volume fraction and ranges between 0.3 mΩ·cm and 55.1 mΩ·cm, with only a weak temperature dependence ≤700°C.     

Lipase PS-catalyzed transesterification of citronellyl butyrate and geranyl caproate: Effect of reaction parameters

Pseudomonas sp. lipase PS was immobilized by adsorption and tested for its ability to catalyze the synthesis of citronellyl butyrate and geranyl caproate by transesterification in n-hexane. The reaction parameters investigated were: enzyme load, effect of substrate concentration, added water, temperature, time course, organic solvent, pH memory, and enzyme reuse. Yields as high as 96 and 99% were obtained for citronellyl butyrate and geranyl caproate, respectively, with 300 units (approx. 15% w/w of reactants) of lipase PS. Increasing amounts of terpene alcohol inhibited lipase activity, while excess acyl donor (triacylglycerol) concentration enhanced ester production. Optimal yields were obtained at temperatures from 30–50°C after 24-h incubation time. Yields of 90 and 99% were obtained for citronellyl and geranyl esters, respectively, with 2% added water. Solvents with log P values ≥ 2.5 showed the highest conversion yields. pH 7 and 6–8 seemed to be ideal for citronellyl butyrate and geraniol caproate, respectively. The lipase remained active after reusing 12 times.     

Biodegradation of estolides from monounsaturated fatty acids

Mono- and polyestolides, made from oleic acid, meadowfoam oil fatty acids and erucic acid, were subjected to biodegradation with mixed cultures of Penicillium verucosum, Mucor racemosus, and Enterobacter aerogenes. Fermentations were continued for 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 d. Meadowfoam oil and its fatty acids, oleic acid and soybean oil were also biodegraded under the same conditions. After 10 d, oleic acid and soybean oil were degraded 99.8 and 99.2%, respectively; meadowfoam oil and its fatty acids were degraded 89.0 and 97.7%, respectively. After 30 d, oleic acid-derived poly- and monoestolides were degraded 98.6 and 90.0%, respectively, meadowfoam estolides were degraded 75.7%, and erucic acid estolides were degraded 84.0%.     

Fullerene-based ruthenium catalysts: a novel approach for anchoring metal to carbonaceous supports. I. Structure

The influence of fullerenes and related support materials on the structural and catalytic properties of ruthenium was investigated. Catalysts based on C₆₀, raw fullerene black, extracted fullerene black, cathode deposit and graphite were prepared by an impregnation/activation procedure with Ru₃CO₁₂. The local co-ordination sphere of the resulting highly dispersed X-ray amorphous ruthenium was investigated by means of EXAFS. The dominating role of the presence of non-six-membered carbon rings on the structure and the stability of the Ru particles will be illustrated. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Structure–Activity Relationships of Benzenesulfonamide‐Based Inhibitors towards Carbonic Anhydrase Isoform Specificity

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are implicated in a wide range of diseases, including the upregulation of isoforms CA IX and XII in many aggressive cancers. However, effective inhibition of disease‐implicated CAs should minimally affect the ubiquitously expressed isoforms, including CA I and II, to improve directed distribution of the inhibitors to the cancer‐associated isoforms and reduce side effects. Four benzenesulfonamide‐based inhibitors were synthesized by using the tail approach and displayed nanomolar affinities for several CA isoforms. The crystal structures of the inhibitors bound to a CA IX mimic and CA II are presented. Further in silico modeling was performed with the inhibitors docked into CA I and XII to identify residues that contributed to or hindered their binding interactions. These structural studies demonstrated that active‐site residues lining the hydrophobic pocket, especially positions 92 and 131, dictate the positional binding and affinity of inhibitors, whereas the tail groups modulate CA isoform specificity. Geometry optimizations were performed on each ligand in the crystal structures and showed that the energetic penalties of the inhibitor conformations were negligible compared to the gains from active‐site interactions. These studies further our understanding of obtaining isoform specificity when designing small molecule CA inhibitors.     

Evaluation of fire performance of organic fire retardant free acrylic based coatings applied on various building materials by cone calorimetric method

Fire performance of water‐based plaster systems containing acrylic copolymer binder and non‐flammable mineral and ceramic fillers intended for decorative coating application was determined by cone calorimetric method. The coatings were applied on common building substrate materials used in construction sector, namely, Medium Density Fibre (MDF) boards, Gypsum Boards (GIB) and Stainless Steel (SS), and the different plaster finishes attempted on these substrates were Tierrafino, Suave and Bone China respectively. Group numbers of the different test samples were also evaluated following the Kokkala method. Based on various measurements, especially heat release, smoke evolution, mass loss data and the Group number estimates, it is evident that these organic fire retardant free coatings can offer good fire safety if applied on appropriate substrates like GIB or SS. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental study of the burner for FAA fire test: NexGen burner

The NexGen (Sonic) burner is the new burner developed by the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, to replace old oil burners used for the required fire certification tests on power plant‐related materials, as it provides the capability to control both air and fuel flow rates. During a fire test, the burner is supposed to simulate a certain fire condition, so the flame properties should be robust and repeatable. The NexGen burner can achieve this due to the precise fuel and air controls. However, the current calibration criterion (ISO2685:1998 and AC20‐135) may not be good enough to ensure consistent flame properties. In the presented work, the sensitivity of the burner performance to air and fuel flow rate, as measured by the temperature and heat flux for calibration purposes, was studied. Additionally, the influence of the turbulator and the thermocouple size used for flame calibration was also studied. The impact of varying fuel/air ratio and thermocouple sizes was studied by conducting fire tests on aluminum samples, to show the inadequacies in the current calibration standards.