Metabolic profile and biological activity of Sideritis brevibracteata P. H. Davis endemic to Turkey

Essential oil and phenolic compositions of Sideritis brevibracteata P.H. Davis, which is an endemic species in Turkey and commonly used as a herbal tea for some diseases, were determined by GC-MS and Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) techniques. While the main components of the essential oil were determined as caryophyllene, germacrene-D, and α-cadinene, the phenolic compounds quercetagetin-3,6-dimethylether and chlorogenic acid were found to be the main compounds in the extracts of the species. The characteristic diterpenoids of Sideritis species such as siderol, linearol, eubotriol, sideridiol, and athonolone were isolated and their structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) techniques. Weak inhibitory activity of species against butyryl-cholinesterase was determined. Antioxidant capacity of the acetone and methanol extracts was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging activity, β-carotene linoleic acid assays, and CUPRAC assays.     

Synthesis of C8‐N‐Arylamine‐Modified 2′‐Deoxyguanosine‐5′‐Triphosphates and Their Effects on Primer Extension by DNA Polymerases

C8‐N‐arylamine adducts of 2′‐deoxyguanosine (2′‐dG) play an important role in the induction of the chemical carcinogenesis caused by aromatic amines. C8‐N‐acetyl‐N‐arylamine dG adducts that differ in their substitution pattern in the aniline moiety were converted by cycloSal technology into the corresponding C8‐N‐acetyl‐N‐arylamine‐2′‐deoxyguanosine‐5′‐triphosphates and C8‐NH‐arylamine‐2′‐deoxyguanosine‐5′‐triphosphates. Their conformation preference has been investigated by NOE spectroscopy and DFT calculations. The substrate properties of the C8‐dG adducts were studied in primer‐extension assays by using Klenow fragment exo^? of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I and human DNA polymerase β. It was shown that the incorporation was independent of the substitution pattern in the aryl moiety and the N‐acetyl group. Although the triphosphates were poor substrates for the human polymerases, they were incorporated twice before the termination of the elongation process occurred; this might demonstrate the importance of C8‐N‐arylamine‐2′‐deoxyguanosine‐5′‐triphosphates in chemical carcinogenesis.     

Semicontinuous emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate: Effect of ethoxylation degree of nonionic emulsifiers

Poly(vinyl acetate) latices were prepared in the presence of an ammonium persulfate initiator, 10–50 mol of an ethoxylated nonylphenol nonionic emulsifier, and a poly(vinyl alcohol) colloid stabilizer by applying semicontinuous emulsion polymerization (delayed monomer and initiator addition process) in a laboratory scale similar to industrial practice. Two approaches were applied: the molar concentration of the nonionic emulsifier was kept constant and the weight ratios in the polymerization recipe varied or the weight ratios were kept constant. The effects of the change in the ethoxylation degree of the emulsifier to the final latex viscosity, average polymer molecular weight, polymer grafting degree, surface tension of the latex, and the surface free energy of the dried films were investigated. It was determined that the resultant latex viscosity decreases and the viscosity‐average polymer molecular weight increases with increase of the nonionic emulsifier ethoxylation degree. The increase of the ethoxylation degree does not seriously affect the surface tension of the resultant latex or the surface free energy of the dried poly(vinyl acetate) films. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 844–851, 2002     

Characterization of pyrolysis products of harbolite and Avgamasya asphaltites: comparison with solvent extracts

The products of pyrolysis at 525 and 840 °C of two asphaltites from South-Eastern Turkey have been analysed and compared with the bitumen obtained by solvent extraction. The yield of oil product is reasonably similar for all three treatments, with gas (hydrogen, ethene, C₁C₄ alkanes and hydrogen sulphide) being liberated during pyrolysis. Greater percentages of alkanes with shorter chain lengths (along with some alkenes), and of pentane-soluble aromatic oils with reduced molecular masses, are generated during pyrolysis, at the expense of asphaltenes. The extra alkanes are generated partly by the cracking of aromatic side-chains and also from kerogen. Pyrolysis reduces the number of sulphur linkages in the oil, but nitrogen- and oxygen-containing structures are liberated from kerogen during heating.     

Conducting polymer coated carbon surfaces and biosensor applications

This review article focuses on several approaches in the characterization and modification of carbon surfaces with electrocoated thin films which has been realized by recent progress in experimental methods. Electropolymerization and electrocopolymerization of π-conjugated polymers (pyrrole, carbazole, N-vinylcarbazole and aniline) onto carbon surfaces are reviewed with 348 references. Particular emphasis is placed on the recent nanoscale surface characterization techniques applied to the resulting electrocoated polymers onto carbon fibers (i.e., scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), focused ion beam-secondary ion mass spectroscopy (FIB-SIMS), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (reflectance-FTIR), and Raman spectroscopic measurements).     

The influence of ventilation variables on the volume rate of airflow delivered to the face of long drivages

Auxiliary ventilation is performed by carrying intake or return air in ducts. The complete elimination of air leakage from or into the ducting system is impossible due to duct quality and numerous joints in ducting system. The auxiliary ventilation systems for long drivages often require the use of multiple fans. Fans are installed in series and separated from each other in fixed or variable lengths. There are many methods proposed for the analysis air flow problems in leaky ducts. Due to the lengthy calculations, computers are often needed to conduct the analyses. In this study, a method known as “series–parallel combination of the duct and leakage path” has been introduced and a computer program has been developed based on this method.In order to design the conditions of an auxiliary ventilated drivage, in situ measurement have been made in Western Lignite Enterprises (GLI) OMERLER underground coal mine (Turkey) and the related data necessary for this study was collected. The presently developed program was tested using these data, and it was found that the measured and calculated values are quite close.The effective operational parameters governing auxiliary ventilation have been investigated and the effects of these variables on the volume rate of air flow reaching long drivage face have been examined by using linear regression analysis. Finally, it was concluded that the increase of duct diameter has prime importance in achieving the adequate air flow to the face and that for the auxiliary fans considered in this study the selection of fan does not greatly affect the volume rate reaching the face in a long duct line.     

Electrochemical impedance study of polyaniline electrocoated porous carbon foam

Electropolymerization of aniline on mesophase pitch based carbon foam has been studied in order to evaluate the influence of conductive polymer coating on the properties of carbon foam. The surface morphology of the coating was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to investigate the electrochemical properties of resulting modified carbon foam samples. Polyaniline (PANI) electrocoated-mesophase pitch based carbon foam showed good capacitor behavior in 0.5 M H₂SO₄. Better capacitive behavior is obtained for 100 and 150 mV/s compared to other scan rates, under these faster scan rates thinner films of PANI coatings were combined with more porous structure of carbon foam. Conductivity of the carbon foam was increased from 9.23 to 13.73 S/cm by electrocoating of PANI.     

Properties of electrodeposited Fe–Cu films grown on ITO coated glass substrates at different electrolyte temperatures

In this study, effect of electrolyte temperature on structural and morphological properties of Fe–Cu films electrodeposited on ITO coated glass substrates has been investigated. Structural analysis carried out by using X-ray diffraction indicated that the films consist of a mixture of face-centered cubic (FCC) Cu and body centered cubic (BCC) α-Fe phases. It was found that the crystalline size of both Fe and Cu increases with increasing electrolyte temperature. Compositional analysis performed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed that the Cu content within the films enhances with increasing electrolyte temperature. The surface morphology of Fe–Cu films was studied using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM results indicated that the surface morphology of Fe–Cu films significantly depends on the electrolyte temperature. The investigation of the residual stress in the films indicated that the residual stress for the FCC Cu is tensile in all films regardless of electrolyte temperature, whereas, for the BCC Fe, it depends on the electrolyte temperature. Correlation between the surface morphology and the residual stress is discussed in terms of the obtained results.     

Extension of the visual search models of inspection

Human performance in a visual search task is generally measured by a cumulative probability distribution of locating a target in a given time period. In this paper, this cumulative probability function has been derived for two systematic search strategies, non-overlapping and overlapping; with both infinitesimal and finite defect length. Moreover, for the infinitesimal defect size case, economic models are derived under the assumption that the number of defects on the search line follows a one-dimensional Spatial Poisson distribution to determine the best inspection stopping time. This research first extends the typical infinitesimal defect size assumption to a finite defect length assumption. Then, it extends the single infinitesimal defect case to the case of random number of infinitesimal defects and develops economic models for two extreme systematic search strategies.     

Electroiniated cationic polymerization in the presence of addition-fragmentation agents

Summary Electrochemical initiation of cationic polymerization of heterocyclic and vinyl monomers such as cyclohexene oxide (CHO) and butyl vinylether (BVE), respectively at low potentials in the presence of allylic salts namely, allyl-thiophenium (AT), allyl-triphenyl phosphonium (APP), allyl-isoquinolinium (AIQ), allyl-pyridinium (AP) and allyl-dimethyl anilinium salts, was investigated. The mechanism of this polymerization was studied using cyclic voltammetry and by electropolymerization experiments performed in undivided and H-type cells. A mechanism involving addition-fragmentation decomposition of allylic salts by free radical species formed by electrolysis of trace amounts of water present in the system is postulated. Received: 6 September 2002/Revised version: 18 November 2002/ Accepted: 18 November 2002 Correspondence to Yusuf Yagci