Structure–activity relationships of acetylated flavone glycosides from Galeopsis ladanum L. (Lamiaceae)

Antioxidant activity, neuroprotective effect and acetylcholinesterase inhibitor activity were studied in acetylated flavones from Galeopsis ladanum L. (Lamiaceae), previously isolated and identified by UV-spectra, UPLC–MS/MS and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. Structure–activity relationships of flavonoids have been determined in many antioxidant assays, generally focused on hydroxyl groups. In this study we have detected new interesting structure–activity relationships for the isolated flavonoids due to the acetylation of sugar moiety of these flavonoids. Methylation at 4′-OH and monoacetylation is beneficial to inhibiting AChE and shows a neouroprotective effect.     

Mesostructured Thin Films as Responsive Optical Coatings of Photonic Crystals

A synthetic route is presented to attain high‐optical‐quality multilayered structures that result from coupling ordered mesoporous titanium oxide thin films to the surface of a dense one‐dimensional photonic crystal. Such architectures present spectrally well‐defined photon resonant modes localized in the outer coating that finely respond to physicochemically induced modifications of its pore volume. The potential of these porous coatings in detection of environmental changes through variations of the photonic response of the ensemble is demonstrated by performing isothermal optical reflectance measurements under controlled vapor‐pressure conditions.     

Analysing utility tunnels and highway networks coordination dilemma

Utilities are an integral component of the total transportation network comprising highways, railways, airways, and waterways, as well as pipelines, wires, and cables that transport people, goods, and public services. The perennial dilemma of mutual interference between utility lines and transportation networks could be minimised making use of utility tunnel systems. Utilidors most striking feature is that they house several types of power, water, sewage, communications, gas and other statutory services in an easily accessible space. Placing utilities in tunnels under public rights-of-way reduces the continual cutting of pavements resulting from utility burial practices and facilitates the installation, inspection, replacement, and maintenance operations. Utility tunnels and transportation networks may not be compatible at transmission levels. Highway systems are generally planned to avoid high-density areas insofar as is possible. However, where the location of utility networks coincides sufficiently with the highway routes, the situation becomes more favourable to the utility tunnel concept. This paper discusses how compatibility of utility system networks with highway system networks could be greatly improved by appropriate attention to utilidor systems in urban planning. A sustainable approach to the dilemma of where to locate utilities in urban streets and highways has become urgent as the need for services expands in our modern cities. Interference between the safety and flow of highway traffic and utility tunnel operation could be a problem unless adequate measures are undertaken.     

Effect of ionic strength on the behavior of amperometric enzyme electrodes mediated by redox hydrogels

The electron-transfer behavior of electroactive hydrogels formed by cross-linking ferrocene poly(allylamine) (Fc-PAA) and glucose oxidase is investigated as a function of electrolyte ionic strength using several techniques. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy show that the quantity cD(e)(1/2) increases with electrolyte concentration. Enhancement of enzyme catalysis for the oxidation of glucose mediated by Fc-PAA is also apparent at higher KNO(3) concentration. The electroactive redox center concentration, c, and the diffusion coefficient due to electron hopping in the gel, D(e), are independently measured by chronoamperometry at ultramicroelectrodes. Larger electrolyte ionic strength induces an increase in electroactive redox center concentration while D(e) slightly decreases. These results are rationalized in terms of the electrostatic interactions within the redox gel backbone due to water and ion exchange with the external electrolyte, producing swelling and shrinking of the hydrogel.     

Chronic alcoholization in rats by free-choice ingestion of a hydroalcoholic solution

The present work addresses a schedule designed to render rats alcoholic by offering them free access to a 20% (v/v) ethanol solution over 6 weeks. A solid diet and water (for controls) were fully available ad lib. in the animals' cages. The treatment was observed to achieve some effects suitable for the chronic alcoholization of rats: (1) Ethanol furnished the 36% of the calories of the diet of ethanol-treated rats; (2) The daily ethanol intake achieved was 12.05 +/- 1.18 g ethanol/kg weight; (3) The morning blood ethanol level was 0.45 g/litre; (4) Ethanol-treated rats deprived of ethanol showed several withdrawal symptoms. These results agree with those obtained by standard liquid diets, suggesting that the current protocol can be used to achieve a status of chronic alcoholization in rats.     

Mathematical models for motile bacterial transport in cylindrical tubes

Mathematical models considering motile bacterial transport within a geometrically restrictive cylindrical tube were developed. Two macroscopic transport parameters, the random motility coefficient as a self-diffusion coefficient of the cell population and the chemotactic velocity as a chemical-induced velocity, were derived. The three-dimensional cell balance equation was reduced to forms similar to Segel's one-dimensional phenomenological cell balance equations with additional modifications for bacteria-wall interactions. Two conceptually different approaches accounting for such interactions were presented. The first approach parallels treatments in the gas kinetic theory by viewing bacterial interactions with walls as collisions and subsequent diffusive/specular reflections, which led to the Bosanquet formula for the bacterial diffusion coefficient. Based on the experimental observation that bacterial swimming motion is guided by a straight tube, the second approach considered modifications in the bacterial swimming orientation as a consequence of various long-range interactions with the tube surface. A phenomenological turning model capable of aligning bacterial motion along a tube axis was proposed. The model predicts that under the geometrical restriction of a small cylindrical tube, the macroscopic bacterial transport resulting from the proposed turning model can exhibit behavior that ranges from dimensionally reduced diffusion to pure wave propagation, depending on the influence of the tube diameter on the reversal probability in the bacterial swimming motion. Our theoretical model provides explicit equations that explain how such a transition can occur. The predicted results were then qualitatively compared with experimental data from the literature. As a preliminary comparison, we concluded that bacterial transport in cylindrical tubes of diameter 10 micrometers remains in the mode of a dimensionally reduced diffusion, and shifts to a wave motion when the tube diameter decreases to 6 micrometers.