Crack growth and abrasion resistance of carbon black‐filled purified natural rubber vulcanizates

The influence of parameters contributing to rubber stiffness, including, crosslink density, hardness, and modulus, on the crack growth and abrasion resistance of carbon black‐filled purified natural rubber (PNR) vulcanizates as well as a whole natural rubber (WNR) vulcanizate counterpart or a control were elucidated. In addition, the tensile properties of PNR and WNR were also determined. PNR containing the same curative level as that of the control had lower stiffness and exhibited superior crack growth resistance. The results revealed that the improved crack growth resistance of PNR, compared to the control, was due to its lower crosslink density, hardness, and modulus. In addition, the tensile strength and abrasion resistance of PNR vulcanizates were not as sensitive as the crack growth resistance to the changes of their stiffness. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 1793–1796, 2003     

Crosslinking junctions of vulcanized natural rubber analyzed by solid-state NMR spectroscopy equipped with field-gradient-magic angle spinning probe

Crosslinking junctions of vulcanized natural rubber were analyzed by solid-state NMR spectroscopy equipped with a field-gradient high speed magic angle spinning probe. Resolution of ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra and correlations between ¹H and ¹³C of the vulcanized natural rubber were investigated by one- and two-dimensional measurements, including inverse correlation measurements. The number of substitution of the carbon atom at the crosslinking junctions was determined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy.     

Study of chitosan and its derivatives as preservatives for field natural rubber latex

In this study, the chitosan and its derivatives were tested for their preservative activities for field natural rubber (NR) latex. A series of chitosans with different molecular weights were obtained by nitrous acid depolymerization. The chemically modified chitosans, N‐carboxymethyl chitosan (NCMCh), N‐sulfated chitosan (NSCh), and N‐(2‐hydroxy)propyl‐3‐trimethylammonium chitosan chloride (NHTACh), were prepared from high and low‐molecular weight chitosans. Preservative activities for field NR latex of these chitosans were investigated based on the measurement of volatile fatty acids (VFA) number of the treated latex. The preservative activities of chitosan increased with decreasing molecular weights. The low‐ molecular weight NSCh and NHTACh exhibited good preservative activity for the latex. By the use of low‐molecular weight NHTACh in combination with octylphenol poly (ethyleneglycolether) (Nonidet P40), the latex was successfully preserved for more than 1 month in the low‐ammonia condition. The results showed an attractive feature to develop the preservative system, which was possible to reduce the concentrations of ammonia and carcinogenic nitrosamine in the NR latex. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Creaming of skim natural rubber latex with chitosan derivatives

To recover residual rubber from skim natural rubber (SNR) latex, a novel method was developed on the basis of the use of water‐soluble chitosan derivatives. An anionic chitosan derivative, N,O‐carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCh), and a cationic chitosan derivative, N‐(2‐hydroxy)propyl‐3‐trimethylammonium chitosan chloride (HTACh), were prepared. It was found that the creaming process could be achieved with both chitosan derivatives. By the addition of 7.34–10.3‐g/L CMCh, SNR latex was almost completely creamed, and no coagulation of SNR particles in the cream phase occurred. In the case of HTACh, the creaming process was achieved with a lower concentration (<3.70 g/L) than in the case of CMCh, but the size of SNR particles in the cream phase was larger. Solid‐state ¹³C‐NMR, thermogravimetric analysis, and ζ potential measurement results provided evidence that the creaming of SNR latex with CMCh and HTACh was controlled by the depletion flocculation and adsorption mechanisms, respectively. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Subcellular localization and activity of gambogic acid

The natural product gambogic acid (GA) has shown significant potential as an anticancer agent as it is able to induce apoptosis in multiple tumor cell lines, including multidrug-resistant cell lines, as well as displaying antitumor activity in animal models. Despite the fact that GA has entered phase I clinical trials, the primary cellular target and mode of action of this compound remain unclear, although many proteins have been shown to be affected by it. By thorough analysis of several cellular organelles, at both the morphological and functional levels, we demonstrate that the primary effect of GA is at the mitochondria. We found that GA induces mitochondrial damage within minutes of incubation at low-micromolar concentrations. Moreover, a fluorescent derivative of GA was able to localize specifically to the mitochondria and was displaced from these organelles after competition with unlabeled GA. These findings indicate that GA directly targets the mitochondria to induce the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, and thus represents a new member of the mitocans.     

Environmental stresses and skeletal deformities in fish from the Willamette River, Oregon

The Willamette River, one of 14 American Heritage Rivers, flows through the most densely populated and agriculturally productive region of Oregon. Previous biological monitoring of the Willamette River detected elevated frequencies of skeletal deformities in fish from certain areas of the lower (Newberg pool [NP], rivermile [RM] 26 - 55) and middle (Wheatland Ferry [WF], RM 72 - 74) river, relative to those in the upper river (Corvallis [CV], RM 125-138). The objective of this study was to determine the likely cause of these skeletal deformities. In 2002 and 2003, deformity loads in Willamette River fishes were 2-3 times greater at the NP and WF locations than at the CV location. There were some differences in water quality parameters between the NP and CV sites, but they did not readily explain the difference in deformity loads. Concentrations of bioavailable metals were below detection limits (0.6 - 1 microg/ L). Concentrations of bioavailable polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chlorinated pesticides were generally below 0.25 ng/L. Concentrations of bioavailable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were generally less than 5 ng/L. Concentrations of most persistent organic pollutants were below detection limits in ovary/oocyte tissue samples and sediments, and those that were detected were not significantly different among sites. Bioassay of Willamette River water extracts provided no evidence that unidentified compounds or the complex mixture of compounds present in the extracts could induce skeletal deformities in cyprinid fish. However, metacercariae of a digenean trematode were directly associated with a large percentage of deformities detected in two Willamette River fishes, and similar deformities were reproduced in laboratoryfathead minnows exposed to cercariae extracted from Willamette River snails. Thus, the weight of evidence suggests that parasitic infection, not chemical contaminants, was the primary cause of skeletal deformities observed in Willamette River fish.