Polypyrrole electropolymerized on aluminum alloy 1100 doped with oxalate and tungstate anions

Polypyrrole films doped with oxalic acid and tungstate were potentiostatically electropolymerized on aluminum alloy 1100. Two statistical factorial designs (fractional and complete) were used to study the influence of the synthesis variables on the film performance against corrosion. Corrosion protection of the polypyrrole films doped with oxalate and tungstate anions (PPy/OXA/W) on the aluminum alloy was evaluated by potentiometric and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements in a 0.05 mol L⁻¹ NaCl solution. The results obtained showed that the best performance against corrosion was detected with the PPy/OXA/W film synthesized at 1.0 V, 1.5 C in 0.2 mol L⁻¹ pyrrole, 0.1 mol L⁻¹ oxalic acid and 0.05 mol L⁻¹ sodium tungstate solutions provide a protective effect against corrosion.     

Effect of carvacrol and thymol on Salmonella spp. biofilms on polypropylene

The present study evaluated the effects of carvacrol and thymol against Salmonella spp. biofilm on polypropylene. The efficacy of the compounds was assessed by quantifying Salmonella spp. cells during and after biofilm formation on polypropylene and performing scanning electron microscopy. During biofilm formation, carvacrol and thymol, at subinhibitory concentrations, reduced bacterial counts about 1–2 log, while established Salmonella spp. biofilms were reduced about 1–5 log by carvacrol and thymol, at MIC or 2× MIC. The greatest reduction in carvacrol‐treated biofilms, about 5 log, was observed with 156 and 312 μg mL^?1 (MIC and 2× MIC) in established Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028 biofilms. Thymol showed the greatest reduction, about 4 log, at 624 μg mL^?1 (2× MIC) against mature Salmonella Enteritidis biofilm. Carvacrol and thymol reduced the number of Salmonella spp. cells on polypropylene, suggesting their potential for the control of Salmonella spp. biofilms.     

Characterization of Pegmatoid from Dimension Stones Tailings for Application as Ceramic Raw Material

Exploitation and processing of pegmatoids at Brazil＇s northeast （Serido region-RN State） aiming further use as dimension stone produces mass losses ranging between 30%-90%. The tailings are predominantly composed by feldspar, quartz, muscovite and other Fe-bearing silicates such as biotite and amphiboles, suitable for ceramic production. The recovery of these elements depends on mica＇s remotion to levels under 2.0%, preferentially by dry methods due the scarce amount of water prevailing at Serido region. This paper presents results from pegmatite tailings characterization from Serido region showing the potentially application as raw material for ceramic production. To do it, a new technological route must be developed to fit it as main component to white ceramic industry, considering the properties required by ceramic industries.     

Using Acid Mine Drainage to Recover a Coagulant from Water Treatment Residuals

We evaluated the recovery of aluminum from water treatment residuals by acidification using acidic coal mine drainage as an extraction solution. The water treatment residuals had Al and total Fe concentrations of 1.2 and 1.3%, respectively, based on mass. The influence of contact time of the mine water with the water treatment residuals and the percent of excess sulfate were assessed. The results showed that 28 min of contact and 100% of excess sulfate allowed recovery of >90% of the Al. Color was reduced from 25.9 to 0.8 total color units (TCU) and turbidity was reduced from 6 to 0 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU). The recovered coagulant performed appropriately in water treatment tests, based on physical–chemical parameters. The only parameter that requires more attention is antimony, which was close to the maximum concentration limits for drinking water.     

ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy for the Assessment of Biochemical Changes in Skin Due to Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Nonmelanoma skin cancers represent 95% of cutaneous neoplasms. Among them, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the more aggressive form and shows a pattern of possible metastatic profile. In this work, we used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy to assess the biochemical changes in normal skin caused by squamous cell carcinoma induced by multi-stage chemical carcinogenesis in mice. Changes in the absorption intensities and shifts were observed in the vibrational modes associated to proteins, indicating changes in secondary conformation in the neoplastic tissue. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to evaluate the potential of the technique to differentiate the spectra of neoplastic and normal skin tissue, so that the accuracy obtained for this classification was 86.4%. In this sense, attenuated total reflection (ATR)-FTIR spectroscopy provides a useful tool to complement histopathological analysis in the clinical routine for the diagnosis of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.     

Tissue integrity,costs and time associated with different agents for histological bone preparation

The selection of an appropriate demineralizing solution in pathology laboratories depends on several factors such as the preservation of cellularity, urgency of diagnostic and financial costs. The aim of this study was to test different decalcification bone procedures in order to establish the best value of these in formalin‐fixed and paraffin‐embedded samples. Femurs were removed from 13 adult male Wistar rats to obtain 130 bone disks randomly divided into five groups that were demineralized in different concentrations of nitric acid (Group I); formic acid (Group II); acetic acid (Group III); EDTA, pH7.4 (Group IV) and Morsés solution (Group V). Serial, 3‐μm‐thick sections were obtained and stained with hematoxylin‐eosin to calculate the percentage of osteocyte‐occupied lacunae. The sections were also stained with Masson's trichrome in conjunction with picrosirius red under polarized light followed by a semi‐quantitative analysis to verify the adjacent muscle‐to‐bone integrity and preservation of collagen fibres. The highest percentage of osteocyte‐occupied lacunae was found with 10% acetic acid solution (95.64 ± 0.95%) and Group I (nitric acid) demanded the shorter time (0.8–5.7days). Of all solutions, 5% nitric acid incurred the lowest cost to achieve complete demineralization compared with other solutions (p < .001). Group IV (EDTA) had the highest integrity of muscle and collagen type I and III (P < 0.01). Demineralization with 10% acetic acid was the most effective at preserving bone tissue, while 5% EDTA was the best at maintaining collagen and adjacent muscle to bone. In conclusion, nitric acid at 5% showed the most efficient result as it balanced both time and cost as a demineralizing solution.     

Tire tread compounds with reduced rolling resistance and improved wet grip

The aim of this work is to investigate the replacement of carbon black by silica‐organosilane coupling agent system and the number of processing steps on the mechanical properties, rolling resistance, and wet grip of truck tire treads. Eight compounds were prepared: two formulations based on carbon black, five formulations with the partial replacement of carbon black by a silica‐organosilane coupling agent system, and one formulation with the total replacement of carbon black with silica. The rolling resistance decreased by 10% and the wet grip increased by 18.5% for the compound with 15 phr of silica, 3 phr of organosilane, and three processing steps compared to the standard compound. The processing steps also promoted an improvement in these properties for the composition with 50 phr of carbon black. The partial use of silica reduced the abrasion loss, thus confirming the durability of the compound. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45334.     

Characterization of an ultraviolet irradiation chamber to monitor molecular photodegradation by Raman spectroscopy

A homemade ultraviolet chamber is reported to induce photochemical changes with characterization by Raman spectroscopy. The equipment has compartments for ultraviolet-A (UV-A) (8 lamps of 8 W) and for UV-A + ultraviolet-B (UV-B) irradiation (4 lamps of 26 W and 1 lamp of 15 W). The irradiance was measured 3, 5, and 10 cm from the light sources. The maximum irradiance was obtained at 3 cm (UV-A: 2.66 mW/cm² and UV-A + UV-B: 4.30 mW/cm²). The chamber internal temperature was stabilized at 30°C after 1 hr of operation with an internal relative humidity of approximately 45%. 10% Collagen was irradiated with UV-A at 2.0 mW/cm² for 3 hr with changes in Raman peaks at 1253, 1271, 1453, and 1660 cm^?1 indicating changes in conformation. 5% Atenolol was irradiated with UV-A + UV-B at 4.30 mW/cm² for 8 hours with changes to Raman peaks at 822, 1186, 1206, 1248, and 1618 cm^?1. A commercial insect repellent was irradiated with UV-A + UV-B at 4.30 mW/cm² for 8 hr and decreases in Raman intensity were observed at 526, 690, 1003, and 1606 cm^?1 due to degradation of N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide. The results demonstrate proper operation of the irradiation chamber with Raman spectroscopic monitoring.     

Effect of Li Promoter on titania-supported Rh catalyst for ethanol formation from CO hydrogenation

The addition of 0.10 wt% Li to Rh/TiO₂ more than doubled the CO conversion for CO hydrogenation while increasing ethanol selectivity. The addition of Li also increases formation of C₂ oxygenates at the expense of C₁ species, methanol and methane. This is attributed to enhanced dispersion of Rh by Li that appears to reduce dissociation of CO, which previous studies have shown requires large ensembles of Rh atoms on the surface. Li promotion appears to increase the associatively adsorbed CO, allowing for increased H₂ chemisorption on the surface compared to the dissociative adsorption of the same number of CO atoms. This increases selectivity to ethanol compared to the unpromoted catalysts. CO-TPD shows more reactive adsorbed CO species on the Li-promoted catalyst. FTIR results suggest that Li promotion alters CO bonding at bridged or interfacial sites and its effect is more structural than electronic.