The Rheology of Stabilised Lanthanum Strontium Cobaltite Ferrite Nanopowders in Organic Medium Applicable as Screen Printed SOFC Cathode Layers

The production and optimisation of screen printing (SP) pastes containing La_0.58Sr_0.42Co_0.21Fe_0.79O_{3 – δ} and La_0.61Sr_0.41Co_0.19Fe_0.79O_{3 – δ} (LSCF) were investigated. The application of these nanopowders is supposed to improve the cathode's microstructure and increase its mechanical strength. Thirty seven pastes containing LSCF were carried out with variation in binders, dispersants and different particle size distribution. The rheological behaviour of these pastes was investigated. It was found that commercially available dispersant Solsperse 3000 resulted in the best suspension stability, achieving almost 55 times lower viscosity value for pastes containing 20 vol.‐%, than pastes without any dispersants. The shear thinning behaviour was found to be favourable for the LSCF cathode deposition. A cathode made from the mixture of nano and submicron powder exhibits a polarisation resistance as low as 0.76 Ω cm² at 592 °C.     

Reduced immunotoxicity and preservation of antibacterial activity in a releasable side-chain carbapenem antibiotic

A carbapenem antibiotic, L-786,392, was designed so that the side chain that provides high-affinity binding to the penicillin-binding proteins responsible for bacterial resistance was also the structural basis for ameliorating immunopathology. Expulsion of the side chain upon opening of the beta-lactam ring retained antibacterial activity while safely expelling the immunodominant epitope. L-786,392 was well tolerated in animal safety studies and had significant in vitro and in vivo activities against methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococci and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci.     

Combining algorithms for automatic detection of optic disc and macula in fundus images

This paper proposes an efficient combination of algorithms for the automated localization of the optic disc and macula in retinal fundus images. There is in fact no reason to assume that a single algorithm would be optimal. An ensemble of algorithms based on different principles can be more accurate than any of its individual members if the individual algorithms are doing better than random guessing. We aim to obtain an improved optic disc and macula detector by combining the prediction of multiple algorithms, benefiting from their strength and compensating their weaknesses. The location with maximum number of detectors’ outputs is formally the hotspot and is used to find the optic disc or macula center. An assessment of the performance of integrated system and detectors working separately is also presented. Our proposed combination of detectors achieved overall highest performance in detecting optic disc and fovea closest to the manually center chosen by the retinal specialist.     

Precious-Metal-Decorated Chromium(IV) Oxide Nanowires as Efficient Catalysts for 2,4-Toluenediamine Synthesis

The catalytic hydrogenation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) to 2,4-toluenediamine (TDA) is a key step in the production of polyurethanes; therefore, the development of efficient hydrogenation catalysts for industrial use is of paramount importance. In the present study, chromium(IV) oxide nanowires were decorated by palladium and platinum nanoparticles in a one-step, simple, and fast preparation method to yield highly efficient hydrogenation catalysts for immediate use. The nanoparticles were deposited onto the surface of CrO₂ nanowires by using ultrasonic cavitation and ethanol as a reduction agent. Beneficially, the catalyst became catalytically active right at the end of the preparation and no further treatment was necessary. The activity of the Pd- and Pt-decorated CrO₂ catalysts were compared in the hydrogenation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT). Both catalysts have shown high activity in the hydrogenation tests. The DNT conversion exceeded 98% in both cases, whereas the 2,4-toluenediamine (TDA) yields were 99.7 n/n% and 98.8 n/n%, with the Pd/CrO₂ and Pt/CrO₂, respectively, at 333 K and 20 bar H₂ pressure. In the case of the Pt/CrO₂ catalyst, 304.08 mol of TDA formed with 1 mol Pt after 1 h hydrogenation. Activation energies were also calculated to be approximately 24 kJ∙mol⁻¹. Besides their immediate applicability, our catalysts were well dispersible in the reaction medium (methanolic solution of DNT). Moreover, because of their magnetic behavior, the catalysts were easy to handle and remove from the reaction media by using a magnetic field.     

Functionality of chitosan-halloysite nanocomposite films for sustained delivery of antibiotics: The effect of chitosan molar mass

This study was designed to investigate functionality of tetracycline-loaded chitosan-halloysite nanocomposite films, with focus on evaluating the influence of chitosan molar mass on films applicability for sustained local antibiotic delivery. The films were prepared by casting and solvent evaporation using low, medium, and high molar mass chitosan. SEM analysis revealed compact, nonporous and rough surface of the nanocomposite films due to the presence of halloysite agglomerates and tetracycline crystals. Increasing chitosan molar mass led to higher values of elongation at break (from 21.65 ± 2.65 to 34.48 ± 2.34%), tensile strength (from 134.8 ± 13.21 to 246.36 ± 14.69 MPa), and elastic modulus (from 633.79 ± 128.37 to 716.55 ± 60.76 MPa) of the nanocomposite films. FT-IR, XRPD, and thermal analyses confirmed molar mass dependent chitosan-halloysite interactions and improved thermal stability of the nanocomposite films in comparison with chitosan films. The nanocomposite films released tetracycline in a sustained manner, with the slowest release achieved from the films consisting of low molar mass chitosan. Chitosan molar mass was confirmed to be a functionality-related characteristic of chitosan-halloysite nanocomposite films as potential sustained-release carriers for topical delivery of antibiotics. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48406.     

Algebraic aspects of emission tomography with absorption

In a previous paper the authors analysed the classical discrete tomography problem to construct a 0–1-matrix with given line sums in some given directions. One of the physical representations is that material at the lattice points corresponding to 1's emit units of radiation and that the radiation is measured along the given lines. In the present paper they extend their approach to the case that the intermediate material is absorbing the radiation. They generalise results obtained by Kuba and Nivat.