Effect of mullite additions on the fracture mode of alumina

This work analyses the effect of mullite additions on the fracture mode of alumina. Mullite is proposed as an alternative to SiC for the second phase particles because the thermal expansion mismatch between alumina and mullite is of the same sign and order as that between alumina and SiC. Three alumina–5 vol.% mullite composites formed by alumina matrices with similar average grain sizes in the micrometric range (≈1 μm) and second phase sub-micrometric (50–350 nm) and nanometric mullite (<50 nm) particles located at grain boundaries and triple points were prepared. The fracture mode of the alumina matrix changed from predominantly intergranular to predominantly transgranular. This change became more significant as the size of the sub-micrometric fraction of mullite particles decreased.     

Tape casting of strontium and cobalt doped lanthanum chromite suspensions

Lanthanum chromite (LaCrO₃) is currently the most widely studied material as interconnector layers for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). The complexity of microstructures and geometries of SOFC devices, which are usually built-up by lamination of the different constitutive layers, make it necessary a precise control of processing parameters to achieve the desired combination of properties. Much effort has been devoted to the processing of electrodes and electrolytes but the other layers, such as that of interconnecting material, have received scarce attention. This work deals with the preparation and optimisation of the rheological behaviour of concentrated suspensions of Sr- and Co-doped LaCrO₃ and the subsequent tape casting to produce homogeneous thin sheets to be used in the SOFC stack.The starting powder was produced by combustion synthesis from the corresponding nitrates and urea as a fuel, and had a final composition of La_0.80Sr_0.20Cr_0.92Co_0.08O₃. These powders were dispersed in ethanol with commercial copolymers (Hypermer, KD6) to solids loading of up to 58 wt%. The binding system (BS) consisted of a mixture of a binder, polyvinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl acetate (PVA-PVAc), and two plasticizers, polyethyleneglycol (PEG400) and benzylbutylphthalate (BBP). The effect of the binding system content and the binder-to-plasticizer ratio on the tape casting performance and the characteristics of the green and the sintered tapes, were studied, as well as the influence of the casting parameters (casting speed and blades height).     

Easy mass spectrometry for metabolomics and quality control of vegetable and animal fats

Easy ambient sonic spray ionization (EASI), a novel desorption/ionization technique for ambient mass spectrometry analysis, is shown to permit the characterization of different types of vegetable and animal fats. The taxonomic markers of the oils, mainly fatty acids and phenols, are extracted with methanol/water (1:1) solution and made alkaline with NH₄OH, then placed and dried on the surface of a glass tip and directly analyzed by EASI‐MS in the negative‐ion mode. EASI provides a supersonic cloud of charged droplets that causes efficient desorption and ionization of the oil markers directly from the surface of the glass tip. As proof‐of‐principle cases, EASI(?)‐MS was applied to genuine samples of olive oil, hazelnut oil, soybean oil, grape seed oil, canola oil, butter, and lard. Characteristic metabolomics EASI(?)‐MS profiles of fatty acids and eventually phenols were obtained.     

Asymmetric bihomologous crosslinkers for bicomponent gels—The way to strongly increased elastic moduli

2‐Hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) and acrylamide (AA) have been copolymerized via free radical mechanism, in the presence of 5 mol % of four different crosslinker systems, the symmetric ethylenglycoldimethacrylate (EGDMA), bisacrylamide (BIS), a mixture of EGDMA and BIS, and the asymmetric acrylamideethylenmethacrylate (METAA). The polymerizations have been monitored with a rheometer, exhibiting the gel obtained with the asymmetric METAA, an elastic modulus that is dramatically increased compared with those of the gels prepared with the other three crosslinker systems. A kinetic analysis using the terminal model has been used to build probabilistic surfaces that give information about how the crosslinker is incorporated into the network. This analysis shows a high dissimilarity between the reactions using the asymmetric and the mixture of symmetric crosslinkers, what has been correlated to the difference in modulus. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Characterization of Apo-Form Selective Inhibition of Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase**

Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is a heme-containing enzyme that catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan (TRP) metabolism. As it is an inflammation-induced immunoregulatory enzyme, pharmacological inhibition of IDO1 activity is currently being pursued as a potential therapeutic tool for the treatment of cancer and other disease states. As such, a detailed understanding of the mechanism of action of IDO1 inhibitors with various mechanisms of inhibition is of great interest. Comparison of an apo-form-binding IDO1 inhibitor (GSK5628) to the heme-coordinating compound, epacadostat (Incyte), allows us to explore the details of the apo-binding inhibition of IDO1. Herein, we demonstrate that GSK5628 inhibits IDO1 by competing with heme for binding to a heme-free conformation of the enzyme (apo-IDO1), whereas epacadostat coordinates its binding with the iron atom of the IDO1 heme cofactor. Comparison of these two compounds in cellular systems reveals a long-lasting inhibitory effect of GSK5628, previously undescribed for other known IDO1 inhibitors. Detailed characterization of this apo-binding mechanism for IDO1 inhibition might help design superior inhibitors or could confer a unique competitive advantage over other IDO1 inhibitors vis-à-vis specificity and pharmacokinetic parameters.     

Bi-layer gelatin active films with “Pitanga” leaf hydroethanolic extract and/or natamycin in the second layer

Research on biopolymers-based active films produced with natural antioxidants and/or antimicrobials has gained attention over the last few years; however, anti-mold activity has been less studied than those of anti-bacteria. The aim of this work was the development and characterization of bi-layer films based on gelatin with natamycin and/or “Pitanga” leaf hydroethanolic extract in the second thin layer in order to determine the effects of these bioactive compounds on bi-layered film properties. The films were characterized regarding their moisture content and solubility in water, optical properties, microstructure, mechanical and thermal properties, water contact angle, water vapor permeability, UV/visible light transmission, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and antioxidant and anti-mold activities. Active films presented activity against Penicillium spp and Aspergillus niger and demonstrated antioxidant activity, as measured by ABTS ^•+ and DPPH ^• methods. Neither additive used in the films' second layer significantly affected the films' moisture content, thermal properties or the molecular interactions of the polymer matrix, assessed by FTIR, although some mechanical properties were affected, and the water contact angle. In conclusion, bi-layer films have reduced the quantity of additives required to maintain the antioxidant and anti-mold activities, as compared to similar monolayer films of the same thickness.     

Excited States of Bromopyrimidines Probed by VUV Photoabsorption Spectroscopy and Theoretical Calculations

We report absolute photoabsorption cross sections for gas-phase 2- and 5-bromopyrimidine in the 3.7–10.8 eV energy range, in a joint theoretical and experimental study. The measurements were carried out using high-resolution vacuum ultraviolet synchrotron radiation, with quantum chemical calculations performed through the nuclear ensemble approach in combination with time-dependent density functional theory, along with additional Franck–Condon Herzberg–Teller calculations for the first absorption band (3.7–4.6 eV). The cross sections of both bromopyrimidines are very similar below 7.3 eV, deviating more substantially from each other at higher energies. In the 7.3–9.0 eV range where the maximum cross-section is found, a single and broad band is observed for 5-bromopyrimidine, while more discernible features appear in the case of 2-bromopyrimidine. Several π* ← π transitions account for the most intense bands, while weaker ones are assigned to transitions involving the nitrogen and bromine lone pairs, the antibonding σ*_Br orbital, and the lower-lying Rydberg states. A detailed comparison with the available photo-absorption data of bromobenzene is also reported. We have found significant differences regarding the main absorption band, which is more peaked in bromobenzene, becoming broader and shifting to higher energies in both bromopyrimidines. In addition, there is a significant suppression of vibrational structures and of Rydberg states in the pair of isomers, most noticeably for 2-bromopyrimidine.     

A multidimensional segmentation evaluation for medical image data

Evaluation of segmentation methods is a crucial aspect in image processing, especially in the medical imaging field, where small differences between segmented regions in the anatomy can be of paramount importance. Usually, segmentation evaluation is based on a measure that depends on the number of segmented voxels inside and outside of some reference regions that are called gold standards. Although some other measures have been also used, in this work we propose a set of new similarity measures, based on different features, such as the location and intensity values of the misclassified voxels, and the connectivity and the boundaries of the segmented data. Using the multidimensional information provided by these measures, we propose a new evaluation method whose results are visualized applying a Principal Component Analysis of the data, obtaining a simplified graphical method to compare different segmentation results. We have carried out an intensive study using several classic segmentation methods applied to a set of MRI simulated data of the brain with several noise and RF inhomogeneity levels, and also to real data, showing that the new measures proposed here and the results that we have obtained from the multidimensional evaluation, improve the robustness of the evaluation and provides better understanding about the difference between segmentation methods.     

Electrochemical regeneration of partially ethoxylated polyethylenimine used in the polymer-supported ultrafiltration of copper

This work is focussed on the application of an electrochemical technology to regenerate the bonding agent of a polymer-supported ultrafiltration process, technique commonly used to remove metal ions from wastewaters. To do this, a batch rotating-electrode electrochemical cell has been set up to recover the copper bind to partially ethoxylated polyethyleneimine by electrodeposition. The influence of the main parameters (current efficiency, stirring rate, pH, electrode material and nature of the counterion) on the performance of the process has been studied. Current efficiency is clearly enhanced with the stirring rate, reaching values as high as 0.93 for the optimum working conditions. Regarding pH, this variable has been observed to play an important role in process efficiency. Thus, it has been found that the reactor can operate at pH 4 without affecting process performance. This is a clear advantage with respect to other regeneration techniques and also to previous works of electrochemical regeneration. The electrode material seems to have a clear influence on process behaviour and especially on the appearance of a first transitory stage with lower current efficiency. Finally, the electrolyte salt also influences significantly on the results and the presence of sulphate as counterion leads to the best system performance.