Organofluorine Hydrazone Derivatives as Multifunctional Anti-Alzheimer's Agents with CK2 Inhibitory and Antioxidant Features

A set of novel hydrazone derivatives were synthesized and analyzed for their biological activities. The compounds were tested for their inhibitory effect on the phosphorylating activity of the protein kinase CK2, and their antioxidant activity was also determined in three commonly used assays. The hydrazones were evaluated for their radical scavenging against the DPPH, ABTS and peroxyl radicals. Several compounds have been identified as good antioxidants as well as potent protein kinase CK2 inhibitors. Most hydrazones containing a 4-N(CH₃)₂ residue or perfluorinated phenyl rings showed high activity in the radical-scavenging assays and possess nanomolar IC₅₀ values in the kinase assays.     

Bacterial spores in spices and dried herbs: The risks for processed food

Production and world consumption of spices are constantly increasing. Although the antimicrobial properties of some spices are well documented, their use in the agri-food industry is also responsible for microbial contamination and spoilage. Bacterial spores introduced by spices can withstand different preparation processes, particularly thermal treatments, leading to food alterations during storage. This review brings together data from the literature about the prevalence and concentrations of spore-forming bacteria in all commercially available spices. The sporeformers found in spices belong mainly to the genera Bacillus and Clostridium. Such contaminations are very common and sometimes reach high levels, as in pepper and turmeric. Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus cereus are the most frequently detected species. Studying the harvesting, processing, and storage procedures for spices provides elements to explain why high prevalence and concentrations are observed. Spices are mostly produced in developing countries on small farms using traditional production methods. Spices become contaminated by bacterial spores in two main ways: by contact with soil during harvesting or drying, as for pepper, or by cross-contamination during the water-cooking step, as for turmeric. From these observations, we propose some recommendations. Different methods that can be used to eliminate bacterial spores from spices are presented indicating their efficiency and the limitations of their use.     

Newly Isolated Animal Pathogen Corynebacterium silvaticum Is Cytotoxic to Human Epithelial Cells

Corynebacterium silvaticum is a newly identified animal pathogen of forest animals such as roe deer and wild boars. The species is closely related to the emerging human pathogen Corynebacterium ulcerans and the widely distributed animal pathogen Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. In this study, Corynebacterium silvaticum strain W25 was characterized with respect to its interaction with human cell lines. Microscopy, measurement of transepithelial electric resistance and cytotoxicity assays revealed detrimental effects of C. silvaticum to different human epithelial cell lines and to an invertebrate animal model, Galleria mellonella larvae, comparable to diphtheria toxin-secreting C. ulcerans. Furthermore, the results obtained may indicate a considerable zoonotic potential of this newly identified species.     

Fire safe,sustainable loose furnishing

The aim of this exploratory study has been to investigate the fire properties and environmental aspects of different upholstery material combinations, mainly for domestic applications. An analysis of the sustainability and circularity of selected textiles, along with lifecycle assessment, is used to qualitatively evaluate materials from an environmental perspective. The cone calorimeter was the primary tool used to screen 20 different material combinations from a fire performance perspective. It was found that textile covers of conventional fibres such as wool, cotton and polyester, can be improved by blending them with fire resistant speciality fibres. A new three‐dimensional web structure has been examined as an alternative padding material, showing preliminary promising fire properties with regard to ignition time, heat release rates and smoke production.     

Ionic liquid-based deep eutectic solvents as novel solvent-cum-catalyst media for thermal dehydrogenation of chemical hydrides

The current work explores the usage of novel synthesized Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) as a catalyst cum solvent media for the thermal dehydrogenation of chemical hydrides, namely Ammonia Borane (AB) and Ethylene diamine bisborane (EDAB). In the first instance, the quantum chemistry based COSMO-SAC (COnductor like Screening MOdel Segment Activity Coefficient) model was used for the selection of the pertinent solvent. 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate: Imidazole ([BMIM][MeSO₃]:[Im]) turned out to be an ideal eutectic mixture with the highest predicted solubility with amine boranes. The DES was synthesized by combining the Hydrogen Bond Acceptor (HBA), namely 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate and Imidazole as Hydrogen Bond Donor (HBD) at a molar ratio of 1:2 and T = 70 °C. The formation of DES was confirmed by recording the NMR spectra. Further, the thermal dehydrogenation study was performed at a vacuum of 4 × 10^?2 mbar (gauge pressure) of AB/DES and EDAB/DES systems at 105 °C, where a hydrogen equivalent of 1.40 and 2.55 was produced, respectively. The residual samples were further analyzed through ¹H NMR analysis for the reaction mechanism and to confirm the role of Ionic Liquid-based DES as catalyst cum solvent media.     

A simulation study of reduction kinetics for sponge iron production in a rotary hearth furnace

ABSTRACT

A mathematical model has been developed by coupling genetic algorithm (GA) with heat and material balance equations to estimate rate parameters and solid-phase evolution related to the reduction of iron ore-coal composite pellets in a multi-layer bed Rotary hearth Furnace (RHF). The present process involves treating iron ore-coal composite pellets in a crucible over the hearth in RHF. The various solid phases evolved at the end of the process are estimated experimentally, and are used in conjunction with the model to estimate rate parameters. The predicted apparent activation energy for the wustite reduction step is found to be lower than those of the reduction of higher oxides. The thermal efficiency is found to decrease significantly with an increase in the carbon content of the pellet. Thermal efficiency was also found to increase mildly up to three layers. Multilayer bed remains as a potential design parameter to increase thermal efficiency.     

Spray dryer processed graphene oxide/reduced graphene oxide for high-performance supercapacitor

This study deals with the utility of mini spray dryer process to improve the dispersibility, of graphene oxide(GO) and its application for high-performance supercapacitor. Initially, the neutral solution of GO was obtained using the modified Hummer's method. After this, the prepared GO solution was processed by mini spray dryer to obtain a more purified, lighter, and dispersed form of GO which is named as spray dryer processed GO (SPGO). The SPGO thus obtained showed excellent dispersibility behavior with various solvents, which is not found in case of conventional oven drying. Furthermore, utility of SPGO and its reduced form (r-SPGO) for supercapacitor applications have been investigated. Results obtained from the cyclic voltammetry(CV) analysis, impedance, and charge-discharge behavior of supercapacitor fabricated using r-SPGO shows enhanced features. Therefore, the simple spray dried GO and its reduced form, that is, r-SPGO can be utilized as a potential candidate for the supercapacitor application. Herein, as synthesized SPGO exhibited the specific capacitance of 12.07 and 37.6 F/g with PVA-H₃PO₄ and 1 mol/L H₃PO₄, respectively, at a scan rate of 5 mV/s. On the other hand, reduced form of SPGO, that is, r-SPGO showed the specific capacitance of 27.16 and 230 F/g with PVA-H₃PO₄ and 1 mol/L H₃PO₄, respectively.