Induced Chiral Chromonics Confined in Micrometric Droplets

Chirality emergence in biological systems is common but the chiral expression from the molecular to macroscopic level in water-based systems is poorly understood. Among water-based systems, chromonic liquid crystals have recently received a lot of attention due to the spontaneous chirality they show when confined in curved geometries. Confinement of chiral-induced chromonics is not trivial since they are three component systems whose time stability is a delicate thermodynamic balance. In this work, a well-defined periodic Frank–Pryce texture, typical of chiral thermotropic liquid crystals, is observed in microspheres of a chiral induced chromonic embedded in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) matrix. This texture slowly degrades in time and a possible mechanism behind the degradation process is suggested via X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy measurements on thin chromonic films. To stabilize this texture and to control the structure periodicity, cations are added to the three components system in an attempt to tune the non-covalent interactions between molecules and supramolecular stacks. The study of the effects of this addition allows for better insight into the molecular interactions that occur in the chiral induced mesophase. This is a crucial point in view of possible biocompatible technological applications.     

High performance of low cost soft magnetic materials

The consistent interest in supporting research and development of magnetic materials during the last century is revealed in their steadily increasing market. In this work, the soft magnetic nanocrystalline FINEMET alloy was prepared with commercial purity raw materials and compared for the first time with the generally studied high purity one. The exhaustive characterization covers several diverse techniques: X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, differential thermal analysis and magnetic properties. In addition, a brief economic analysis is presented. For the alloys annealed at 813 K, the value of the grain size was 16 nm with 19·5% of Si, the coercivity was 0·30 A m^?1 while the saturation was 1·2 T. These results prove that structural, magnetic and thermal properties of this material are very close to the expensive high purity FINEMET alloy, while a cost reduction of almost 98% seems highly attractive for laboratories and industry. The analysis should be useful not only for the production of FINEMETs, but for other type of systems with similar constitutive elements as well, including soft and hard magnetic materials.     

Nonaqueous Sol–Gel Synthesis of Magnetic Iron Oxides Nanocrystals

Benzyl alcohol route, starting form Fe(III) acetylacetonate, was applied to obtain crystalline magnetite nanoparticles. In particular, the effect of synthesis parameters (time and temperature) and use of SOCl₂ on the physical and magnetic properties of the so‐obtained powders were evaluated. By means of this approach, monocrystalline magnetite particles with size ranging from 5 to 15 nm were obtained.     

Relation between Pro-inflammatory Cytokines and Acetylcholine Levels in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory, demyelinating and neurodegenerative disorder. Since acetylcholine (ACh) is known to participate in the inflammatory response, we investigated the possible relationship between pro-inflammatory cytokines and acetylcholine levels in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) patients. Levels of ACh and pro-inflammatory cytokines IL1-β and IL-17 were measured both in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and sera of 22 RR-MS patients in the relapsing phase and in 17 control subjects affected by other non-neurological diseases (OND). We observed higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and IL-17 in both CSF and serum of RR-MS patients compared to control subjects. Moreover, ACh levels were lower in CSF and serum of RR-MS patients compared to levels of control subjects. Although the relationship between high inflammatory cytokine levels and low ACh levels need to be further investigated in the future, our data suggest that IL-1β, and cytokines induced by it, such as IL-17 and ACh, may be involved in the pathogenesis of MS.     

Controlled synthesis of carbon nanostructures using aligned ZnO nanorods as templates

By combining in situ X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, ex situ high resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, we show that chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on vertically aligned ZnO nanorods can synthesize different carbon nanostructures (CNs), whose morphology is driven by the ZnO nanorods and whose dimensions and structures change as a function of the process temperature. The CNs range from amorphous carbon cups, completely covering the nanorods, to high density one-dimensional carbon nano-dendrites (CNDs), which start to appear like short hairs on the ZnO nanorods. The nanorods are partially etched when the process is done at 630–800 °C, while they are completely etched at temperatures higher than 800 °C. In the latter case, CNDs emerge from a porous carbon sponge formed at the substrate interface but they are preferentially aligned along the location of the pristine ZnO nanorods. When used as a chemiresisitor the CND–ZnO structures have a higher sensitivity to ammonia compared to chemiresistors made by bare ZnO nanorods, to other one-dimensional CNs, like carbon nanotubes or other metal/metal-oxides hybrid CNs.     

Development of antibacterial silver treatments on HDPE nets for agriculture

The defense mechanism of crops associated with the use of polymeric nets and fabrics is only physical and, hence, ineffective against the bacterial contaminations. The presence of an antibacterial agent associated with the use of conventional agro‐textiles can represent a great advantage in the prevention of plant diseases and for food safety. The aim of this work was the development of antibacterial silver‐coated HDPE nets for an innovative application such as agriculture. Antibacterial coatings on high‐density polyethylene nets were obtained by a patented nanosilver deposition technique based on the in situ photo‐reduction of a silver solution. The concentration of silver deposited was defined by testing different silver solutions from a biological point of view. Moreover, in order to improve the adhesion of the silver coating to the substrate, the nets underwent low‐pressure plasma treatment before the silver deposition. The materials were characterized in terms of quality of the coating through scanning electron microscopy, and in terms of antibacterial capability on Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria through qualitative and quantitative microbiological tests. The most effective process parameters were defined and the importance of performing plasma pretreatment on this specific substrate was assessed. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41623.     

Fatty Acid Composition of Freshwater Wild Fish in Subalpine Lakes: A Comparative Study

In this study, the proximate and fatty acid compositions of the muscle tissue of 186 samples of fish belonging to fifteen species of freshwater fish harvested in subalpine lakes (bleak, shad, crucian carp, whitefish, common carp, pike, black bullhead, burbot, perch, Italian roach, roach, rudd, wels catfish, chub and tench) were investigated. Most of the fish demonstrated a lipid content in the fillet lower than 2.0 g 100 g^?1 wet weight (range 0.6–9.7). A strong relationship between feeding behavior and fatty acid composition of the muscle lipids was observed. Planktivorous fish showed the lowest amounts of n‐3 fatty acids (p < 0.05), but the highest monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) contents, in particular 18:1n‐9. Conversely, carnivorous fish showed the highest amounts of saturated fatty acids and n‐3 fatty acids (p < 0.05), but the lowest MUFA contents. Omnivorous fish showed substantial proportions of n‐3 fatty acids and the highest contents of n‐6 fatty acids. Principal component analysis showed a distinct separation between fish species according to their feeding habits and demonstrated that the most contributing trophic markers were 18:1n‐9, 18:3n‐3, 22:6n‐3 and 20:4n‐6. The quantitative amounts n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid in muscle tissues varied depending on the fish species, the lipid content and the feeding habits. Some species were very lean, and therefore would be poor choices for human consumption to meet dietary n‐3 fatty acid requirements. Nevertheless, the more frequently consumed and appreciated fish, shad and whitefish, had EPA and DHA contents in the range 900–1,000 mg 100 g^?1 fresh fillet.     

Recycling of Screen Glass Into New Traditional Ceramic Materials

The cleaned cathode ray tube (CRT) glass comes from the dismantling plant of TV and PC color kinescopes and has been used to completely replace both feldspathic and inert components of a traditional ceramic body. Panel glass has been added (up to 20 wt%) to a mixture of two commercial ball clays in order to obtain laboratory tiles sintered at 1210°C. Densification has been studied according to ISO rules, while sinterability has been estimated by optical dilatometry. The samples obtained showed main properties similar to commercial ceramic floor and/or wall tiles.