Nanogoldpharmaceutics (i) The use of colloidal gold to treat experimentally-induced arthritis in rat models; (ii) Characterization of the gold in Swarna bhasma, a microparticulate used in traditional Indian medicine

Nanosized gold particles (27 +/− 3 nm) have been proven to be effective in ameliorating the symptoms of mycobacterial-, collagen- and pristane-induced arthritis in rat models. This contrasts with the drug sodium aurothiomalate that was only effective against mycobacterial-induced arthritis but not to the same extent as Au⁰. Gold in the traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine,Swarna bhasma (gold ash), has been characterized as globular particles of gold with an average size of 56–57 nm.     

Adhesion Mechanisms of Polyurethanes to Glass Surfaces I. Structure-Property Relationships in Polyurethanes and Their Effects on Adhesion to Glass

Polyurethanes were prepared from toluene diisocyanate (TDI), 1-4-butane diol (BDO) and polycaprolactone-based triols with varying molecular weights. Among each molecular weight triol-based urethane, hard segment content was varied from 20% to 70%. Differential scanning calorimetry, tensile testing, and Iosipescu shear testing were done on all the various urethanes prepared. Thermal characterization data revealed the dependence of phase separation on hard segment content as well as on the triol molecular weight. Tensile data and Iosipescu shear data further confirmed the observations made from the DSC data. The data further indicated that phase separation can greatly improve the modulus of cross-linked segmented urethanes. Adhesion of these urethanes to glass surface was evaluated using soda-lime float glass plate. Urethane samples were cast on the air side of the glass plates and adhesion was measured in shear mode. Adhesion data indicated that in addition to hard segment content, modulus, cross-link density, and molecular weight of the triols, phase separation seems to be a major factor in controlling adhesion. Surfaces of the failed adhesion samples were also analyzed and the failure mode was found to be cohesive, in varying degree, with the different urethane systems.     

Separation of kinetics and mass-transfer in a batch alkoxylation reaction

The quantitative aspects of the role of interfacial mass-transfer and reaction kinetics in ethoxylation of lauryl alcohol were examined in a batch recirculation reactor. The liquid droplets falling through a gas column were obtained by utilizing a recirculation loop and a set of spray nozzles. The CO₂/NaOH reaction was employed to characterize the interfacial area. The alkoxylation reaction was studied at temperatures between 124°C and 171°C, at catalyst levels between 0.09 and 0.50 weight percent and at ethylene oxide partial pressures between 68 kPa and 204 kPa. A model was developed which permits the prediction of reactor performance at various operating conditions. The mass-transfer during free fall dominates the interfacial mass-transfer and the contributions during the drop formation and coalescence stages are small. The rate of ethylene oxide (EO) addition to lauryl alcohol was constant during the batch run, indicating similar activity for the unreacted lauryl alcohol and the lauryl alcohol ethoxylated to varying extents. The rate of ethoxylation is first-order in both catalyst and ethylene oxide concentrations. The liquid-phase reaction kinetics and interfacial mass-transfer occur in series, with kinetics dominating the overall ethoxylation rate. As expected, an increasing role of mass transfer is observed at higher temperatures, and/or higher catalyst concentrations where the kinetic rate becomes significantly high. The intrinsic activation energy for the ethoxylation of lauryl alcohol is 55.2 kJ/mole.     

Improvement of Crystallinity of KZr2P3O12 by Sol-Gel Synthesis

The X-ray diffraction pattern for potassium-zirconium phosphate is significantly improved when the material is prepared by the sol-gel route rather than the powder method. Peaks at high, low, and intermediate angles are presented and compared for the two methods. It is assumed that the more nearly homogeneous mixing of the elements in the sol-gel process is responsible for the significant improvement in crystallinity.     

The inhibition of corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement of AISI 410 stainless steel

A study was carried out on the inhibition of corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement of AISI 410 stainless steel by two organic inhibitors, namely benzotriazole and benzonitrile. Tensile testing, scanning electron microscopy, weight loss measurements and potentiodynamic polarization were the techniques used for this study. Tensile tests showed that 410 steel is highly susceptible to hydrogen stress cracking. Scanning electron microscopic observations of fracture surfaces showed a brittle quasi-cleavage type of failure when the steel was hydrogen charged from 0.5m H₂SO₄. Both inhibitors reduced hydrogen induced ductility loss though the fracture mode was unaltered. They showed increasing inhibition efficiencies for corrosion as well as cathodic hydrogen evolution as their concentration in H₂SO₄ increased from 3.9×10^–5 m to 8.4×10^–3 m. Benzonitrile was found to be a more efficient inhibitor than benzotriazole for AISI 410 stainless steel exposed to 0.5m H₂SO₄.     

Kinetics of esterification of cycloaliphatic epoxies with methacrylic acid

The esterification of cycloaliphatic epoxy resins CER I and CER II containing glycidyl and cyclohexane epoxy groups, respectively, as their reactive units was carried out using a 1 : 0.9 stoichiometric ratio of resin and methacrylic acid in the presence of triphenylphosphine. The reaction was performed at 80, 85, 90, 95, and 100°C and it followed second‐order kinetics. The specific rate constants, calculated by regression analysis, were found to obey an Arrhenius expression. Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters, activation energy, frequency factor, entropy, enthalpy, and free energy of the reaction, revealed that the reaction was spontaneous and irreversible and produced a highly ordered activated complex. The reactivity of CER II was found to be higher than that of CER I. The difference in the reactivity of the cycloaliphatic epoxies was explained by proposing a reaction mechanism. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 3197–3204, 2002     

A role for isothiocyanates in plant resistance against the specialist herbivore Pieris rapae

We experimentally reanalyzed the classic interaction between Pieris rapae, a specialist lepidopteran herbivore, and isothiocyanates (mustard oils) that are characteristic phytochemicals of the Brassicaceae. Previous investigations have suggested that P. rapae is unaffected by isothiocyanates. Using whole plants, root extracts, and a microencapsulated formulation of allyl isothiocyanate, we now show that isothiocyanates reduce herbivore survival and growth, and increase development time, each in a dose-dependent manner. Neither the substrate allyl glucosinolate, nor myrosinase, the enzyme that results in the breakdown of glucosinolates, negatively affected P. rapae. Thus, we present strong evidence for a role for isothiocyanates in plant resistance against the specialist herbivore P. rapae.     

Multi-objective Optimization Based Recursive Feature Elimination for Process Monitoring

Neural Processing Letters - Process monitoring helps to estimate the quality of the end products, equipment health parameters, and operational reliability of chemical processes. This is an area in...     

Automated bank cheque verification using image processing and deep learning methods

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Automated bank cheque verification using image processing is an attempt to complement the present cheque truncation system, as well as to provide an alternate...     

Mechanical characterization and modeling stress relaxation behavior of acrylic–polyurethane-based graft-interpenetrating polymer networks

The stress relaxation behavior of acrylic–polyurethane (PU)-based graft-interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) was characterized via dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and modeled using finite element method (FEM) analysis. Stress relaxation of glassy IPN specimens was experimentally studied under flexural testing, while rubbery IPN specimens were tested in tension. The effects of varying the styrene content in the acrylic copolymer phase, compatibility of the two phases in IPNs, and changing the concentration of acrylic copolymer and PU were studied. A higher percentage of styrene content resulted in higher homogeneity of IPN specimens, and decrease in initial modulus for acrylic copolymer specimens. Additionally, glassy IPN specimens with 90% styrene shows resistance to relaxation as high as acrylic copolymer samples. Experimental results were used to develop a numerical model to study stress relaxation response of specimens. While polymer systems have been studied computationally, numerical modeling of IPN systems is still in its infancy. A three-dimensional FEM model was developed using the Generalized Maxwell model and four-term Prony series constants, which were extracted from the stress relaxation experiments. With four terms in the Prony series, a good match was observed between experimental observations and results from the FEM model.