Ultralight,Soft Polymer Sponges by Self‐Assembly of Short Electrospun Fibers in Colloidal Dispersions

Ultralight polymer sponges are prepared by freeze‐drying of dispersions of short electrospun fibers. In contrast to many other highly porous materials, these sponges show extremely low densities (<3 mg cm^?3) in combination with low specific surface areas. The resulting hierarchical pore structure of the sponges gives basis for soft and reversibly compressible materials and to hydrophobic behavior in combination with excellent uptake for hydrophobic liquids. Owing to their large porosity, cell culturing is successful after hydrophilic modification of the sponges.     

Metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions with supported nanoparticles: Recent developments and future directions

The metal-catalyzed processes are ubiquitous in the modern organic synthesis toolbox. However, a continuous challenge has been related to the design of reactions from a sustainable viewpoint (e.g., easy recovery of the catalyst, ability to perform sequential steps in high yields, avoidance of high amounts of organic solvents). Supported nanocatalysts have prompted special interest because of the synergy involving eletronic and surface effects which can play key roles towards more sustainable processes. In this article, we comprehensively summarize the latest progress in cross-coupling reactions involving supported metal nanoparticles. A background to mechanisms and industrial application will also be presented.     

Optimization of green extraction of high-value components from Eugenia uniflora leaves: Thermal stability and in-vitro biological activity

Deep eutectic solvents (DES) were evaluated as a sustainable route to obtain bioactive compounds from Eugenia uniflora L. leaves (EUL). Completely randomized experimental designs determined the process conditions. The DES composed of cholinium chloride as hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) and lactic acid, glycerol, or 1,2-propanediol as hydrogen bond donor (HBD) showed the best extraction capacity. The better conditions were 150 min, 65°C, and a solid:liquid ratio of 1:30. The major constituents of the extracts, quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), were naringin and caffeic acid. Moreover, the DES promoted a preservative effect on the EUL extracts against thermal treatments. All extracts exhibited high antioxidant and antiglycation activities and iron-chelating potential. Moreover, when lactic acid was the HBD, the extracts showed considerable antibacterial activity. Therefore, it was effectively proposed as an effective and green route to obtain extracts with potential applications in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.     

Fluid absorption study in ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) sterilized and unsterilized acetabular cups

The weight gain due to fluid absorption was measured in gamma-sterilized, ethylene oxide (ETO) gas-sterilized, and unsterilized ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene acetabular cups. After about 2 months the total average fluid absorption gain of the polyethylene cups was: 1.76 +/- 0.45 mg (average +/- standard deviation) for the unsterilized polyethylene cups, 2.81 +/- 0.95 mg for the gamma-sterilized polyethylene cups and 1.51 +/- 0.34 for the ETO gas-sterilized polyethylene cups. There was little difference in fluid absorption between the sterilized and unsterilized specimens. In particular, the gamma-sterilized acetabular cups absorbed more than the ETO gas-sterilized and the unsterilized cups. However, the weight gain was higher in serum compared with that in water.     

Proving BDI Properties of Agent-Oriented Programming Languages: The asymmetry thesis principles in AgentSpeak(L)

In this paper, we consider each of the nine BDI principles defined by Rao and Georgeff based on Bratman's asymmetry thesis, and we verify which ones are satisfied by Rao's AgentSpeak(L), a logic programming language inspired by the BDI architecture for cognitive agents. In order to set the grounds for the proofs, we first introduce a rigorous way in which to define the informational, motivational, and deliberative modalities of BDI logics for AgentSpeak(L) agents, according to its structural operational semantics that we introduced in a recent paper. This computationally grounded semantics for the BDI modalities forms the basis of a framework that can be used to further investigate BDI properties of AgentSpeak(L) agents, and contributes towards establishing firm theoretical grounds for a BDI approach to agent-oriented programming.     

Ni-Re intermetallic oxygen getters

Two binary intermetallic compounds PrNi₅ and Nd₂Ni₁₇ have been tested as getters for reducing the oxygen content in a stream of pure argon. Both the intermetallics used are the Ni richest phase in the respective rare-earth (RE)-Ni phase diagrams. The gettering efficiency has been evaluated through the quantities MTGA and OPP_g. The former is the minimum temperature of the getter activity, i.e., the temperature at which the gettering action becomes detectable, and OPP_g is the oxygen partial pressure in the gas stream after reaction. The best MTGA values found are 242 and 287 °C for PrNi₅ and Nd₂Ni₁₇, respectively, with OPP_g minimum values equal to 1×10⁻¹⁶ and 1×10⁻¹⁵ Pa. Though these values are produced for a relatively short time, the average OPP_g values are satisfactory for practical purposes. It has been shown that the oxidation produces the rare-earth oxide (RE₂O₃) and Ni. The rate-determining step has been found to be the transport of oxygen in the gas phase and its transport constant has been also calculated.     

The GPI-anchored Gas and Crh families are fungal antigens

The cell wall is the first interface between a fungus and its extracellular environment. Glycosyltransferases involved in the formation and dynamic remodelling of the polysaccharide network of the cell wall have recently been identified. The best characterized ones belong to the Gas family, which elongates beta(1,3)-glucans, and to the Crh family, which are involved in the cross-linking of chitin to beta(1,6)-glucan. All these proteins carry a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. In this work, we show that recombinant soluble forms of Gas1-5 and Crh1p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and their orthologous proteins Gel1-Gel2 and Crf1 from Aspergillus fumigatus are specifically recognized by antibodies present in the sera of patients with Aspergillus or Candida infections. Quantification of the antibody titres against recombinant Gas/Gel and Crh/Crf proteins separated aspergilloma and candidiasis patients from non-infected individuals. Cross-reactivity was seen between the antibody response of patients with aspergillosis and candidiasis towards the Gas/Gel and Crh/Crf proteins. These results suggest that GPI-anchored cross-linking enzymes are relevant immunologically reactive constituents of the cell wall that may play a role during human fungal infections.