Sorption of humic acids by a zeolite-feldspar-bearing tuff in batch and fixed-bed column

The sorption of humic acids (HA) on zeolite-feldspar-bearing Phlegraean Yellow Tuff enriched with calcium ions has been investigated at neutral pH both on fixed-bed columns and in batch. A two-step sorption kinetics and a relatively long time to reach the equilibrium were observed in batch. In line with this behaviour, the breakthrough curves and shipping curves from exhaust columns showed distinctive properties that cannot be easily modelled by the common mass balance equations; noteworthy, the breakthrough curves were dependent on the space velocity also for very slow processes and the bed sorption capacity decreased linearly with the space velocity. Moreover, after an initial high-rate burst, HA desorption from exhausted columns proceeded at a very slow rate, particularly so for columns loaded with higher amounts of HA.     

Anisotropic molecular packing of soluble C60 fullerenes in hexagonal nanocrystals obtained by solvent vapor annealing

We describe the self-assembly of soluble, chemically modified fullerene [6,6]-phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) into a new crystalline phase where the C₆₀ moieties are arranged in parallel layers. Minimum C₆₀ center-to-center distance is 10 Å within the layers, and up to 15 Å perpendicular to the layers. Highly anisotropic, mesoscopic hexagonal crystals of this material, with a lateral size of many microns and a thickness below 1 μm, are obtained from chloroform solution by solvent vapor annealing, and characterized by optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The crystalline structure is deduced combining experimental data with molecular modeling and ab initio calculations. The large difference in C₆₀–C₆₀ spacing indicates a high anisotropy in electrical and charge transport properties of this new phase.     

Confocal ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy: a new technique to explore nanoscale composites

This article is devoted to the exploration of the benefits of a new ultrafast confocal pump-probe technique, able to study the photophysics of different structured materials with nanoscale resolution. This tool offers many advantages over standard stationary microscopy techniques because it directly interrogates excited state dynamics in molecules, providing access to both radiative and non-radiative deactivation processes at a local scale. In this paper we present a few different examples of its application to organic semiconductor systems. The first two are focussed on the study of the photophysics of phase-separated polymer blends: (i) a blue-emitting polyfluorene (PFO) in an inert matrix of PMMA and (ii) an electron donor polythiophene (P3HT) mixed with an electron acceptor fullerene derivative (PCBM). The experimental results on these samples demonstrate the capability of the technique to unveil peculiar interfacial dynamics at the border region between phase-segregated domains, which would be otherwise averaged out using conventional pump-probe spectroscopy. The third example is the study of the photophysics of isolated mesoscopic crystals of the PCBM molecule. Our ultrafast microscope could evidence the presence of two distinctive regions within the crystals. In particular, we could pinpoint for the first time areas within the crystals showing photobleaching/stimulated emission signals from a charge-transfer state.     

Statistical approaches for farm and parasitic risk profiling in geographical veterinary epidemiology

We address the problem of farm and parasitic risk profiling in the context of Veterinary Epidemiology. We take advantage of a cross-sectional study carried out in the Campania Region in order to study the spatial distribution of 16 parasites in 121 ovine farms. We propose a tri-level hierarchical Bayesian model, which account for multivariate spatially structured overdispersion, to obtain estimate of posterior classification probabilities, that is for each parasite and farm the probability to belong to the set of the null hypothesis. We explore four decision rules based on either posterior probabilities or posterior means and compare the results in terms of the number of false discoveries/non-discoveries or the rate of false discovery/non-discovery. Our approach proved useful for parasitological risk profiling and we show that decision rules can be easily handled.     

Phytochemical and Biological Studies of Agave attenuata

The present study was conducted to examine various biological activities of a methanol extract of Agave attenuata leaves. GC-MS analysis of the n-hexane fraction from the extract revealed the presence of 31 compounds, with mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (11.37%), 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid (6.33%), n-docosane (6.30%) and eicosane (6.02%) as the major components. The leaves contained appreciable levels of total phenolic contents (10.541-39.35 GAE, mg/100 g) and total flavonoid contents (43.35-304.8 CE, mg/100 g). The extract and some of its fractions showed moderate antimicrobial effects. Leaves extract and fractions also exhibited a good antioxidant potential when measured by DPPH radical scavenging activity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation assays. The hemolytic effect of the plant was found to be in a range of 1.01%-2.64%. From the present study it is concluded that this plant could be used as a source of natural antioxidants and functional food nutraceutical applications.     

New 14-Membered Cyclopeptide Alkaloids from Zizyphus oxyphylla Edgew

Two new 14-membered cyclopeptide alkaloids, Oxyphylline B (4) and Oxyphylline C (5), along with three known 13-membered cyclopeptide alkaloids, were isolated from stem and roots of Zizyphus oxyphylla Edgew. The compounds were tested for antibacterial activity. Oxyphylline B (4) showed comparatively better antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli (MIC, 5 μg/mL) than other compounds. This compound also exhibited weak antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC, 25 μg/mL), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC, 50 μg/mL) and Salmonella typhi (MIC, 50 μg/mL).     

Vertical sintering to measure the uniaxial viscosity of thin ceramic layers

A novel method is proposed for the determination of the uniaxial viscosity of porous ceramic layers upon sintering. This approach is based on the application of a continuous but very low tensile stress to the densifying powder compact whose deformation is continuously monitored by an optical system. The viscosity of the system can be determined as a function of temperature and density from the sintering rate differences measured between loaded and unloaded samples. The uniaxial viscosity of porous Y₂O₃ doped ZrO₂ (YSZ) and NiO–YSZ composites was measured using the proposed approach. The results were used to predict the curvature evolution of bilayers used in solid oxide fuel cell applications, obtaining a fairly good agreement between the model and the data recorded experimentally.