Influence of carbon nanotubes structure on the mechanical behavior of cement composites

Cement matrix composites have been prepared by adding 0.5% in weight of multi wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to plain cement paste. In order to study how the chemical–physical properties of the nanotubes can affect the mechanical behavior of the composite, we compared the specimen obtained by mixing the same cement paste with three different kinds of MWCNTs. In particular, as-grown, annealed and carboxyl functionalized MWCNTs have been used. In fact, while high temperature annealing treatments remove lattice defects from the walls of CNTs, hence improving their mechanical strength, acid oxidative treatments increase chemical reactivity of pristine material, consequently chemical bonds between the reinforcement and the cement matrix are supposed to enhance the mechanical strength.Flexural and compressive tests showed a worsening in mechanical properties with functionalized MWCNTs, while a significant improvement is obtained with both as-grown and annealed MWCNTs.The phase composition of the composites was characterized by means of thermo gravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectroscopy, while the mineralogy and microstructure were analyzed by means of an X-ray diffractometer and scanning electron microscope. The results are interpreted and discussed taking into account the chemical and physical properties of the MWCNTs by means of EDX, TGA, SEM and Raman analysis.     

Organic metal-complexes. XXI. Synthesis and structure of 3,5,15,17-tetraoxo-1,7,10,13,19,22-hexaoxa-cyclotetracosane and 2,12,14,24-tetraoxo-4,7,10,16,19,22-hexaoxa-25-mercurato-bicyclo[11.11.1]pentacosane

A new synthesis of the title crown via isoxazolo crown ether 7 and macrocyclic bis-β-eneaminoketone 10 is described. 7 can be synthesized in 14% yield by a non-template double-[3+2] cycloaddition of dinitrileoxide 5 prepared in situ from dinitropolyether 19 by dehydration with Ph–NCO and alkyne 6 . The compounds 16, 17 and 18 are synthesized by the same synthetic strategy. Comparable IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopic data of macrocyclic and non-cyclic compounds show, that macrocyclic conformation stabilizing effects can be ruled out. The structures of the macrocycles 1, 7, 10 and that of the Hg(II)-complex 25 , synthesized by reaction of 1 with Hg(OAc)₂ were established by single-crystal X-ray structure analyses. Both inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonds are observed for the macrocyclic bis-β-eneaminoketone 10 , whereas only intramolecular hydrogen bonds are formed by 1 . In the Hg(II)-complex of 1 the mercury is bonded to two methylene groups. C Hg C is almost linear [177(1)°], the mean Hg C distance amounts to 215(1) pm. In addition to the Hg C bonds, each Hg makes a short contact to a carbonyl oxygen in a neighbouring molecule in the plane perpendicular to the C Hg C axis [Hg(1) O(1) = 279(1) pm, Hg(2) O(5) = 284(1) pm].     

Low temperature electron spin resonance investigation of ultrananocrystalline diamond films as a function of nitrogen content

We have investigated the room and low temperature ESR signals in a series of ultrananocrystalline diamond films grown with different N₂ enrichments in the gas phase. We have found that exchange interaction is playing the major role in spin–spin interaction and determines the linewidths. The relatively high values of spin–lattice relaxation and other features of the ESR signals show that the ESR active centers are sitting in the grain boundaries' regions.     

Differential expression and origin of membrane-type 1 and 2 matrix metalloproteinases (MT-MMPs) in association with MMP2 activation in injured human livers

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) activation is associated with basement membrane remodeling that occurs in injured tissues and during tumor invasion. The newly described membrane-type MMPs (MT-MMPs) form a family of potential MMP2 activators. We investigated the localization and steady-state levels of MT1-MMP and MT2-MMP mRNA, compared with those of MMP2 and tissue inhibitor of MMP-2 in 22 hepatocellular carcinomas, 12 liver metastases from colonic adenocarcinomas, 13 nontumoral samples from livers with metastases, 10 benign tumors, and 6 normal livers. MMP2 activation was analyzed by zymography in the same series. The expression of MT1-MMP mRNA and the activation of MMP-2 were increased in hepatocellular carcinomas, metastases, and cholestatic nontumoral samples. MT2-MMP mRNA was rather stable in the different groups. MT1-MMP mRNA levels, but not MT2-MMP mRNA, correlated with MMP-2 and tissue inhibitor of MMP-2 mRNA levels and with MMP2 activation. In situ hybridization showed that MT1-MMP mRNA was expressed in stromal cells, and MT2-MMP mRNA was principally located in both hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells. Consistently, freshly isolated hepatocytes expressed only MT2-MMP mRNA, and culture-activated hepatic stellate cells showed high levels of MT1-MMP mRNA. These results indicate that in injured livers, MMP2 activation is related to a coordinated high expression of MMP2, tissue inhibitor of MMP-2, and MT1-MMP. Furthermore, the finding of a preferential expression of MT2-MMP in hepatocytes, together with our previous demonstration that the activation of stellate cell-derived MMP2 in co-culture requires interactions with hepatocytes (Am J Pathol 1997, 150:51-58), suggests that parenchymal cells might play a pivotal role in the MMP2 activation process.     

Effect of Male House Mouse Pheromone Components on Behavioral Responses of Mice in Laboratory and Field Experiments

Urine of male house mice, Mus musculus, is known to have primer pheromone effects on the reproductive physiology of female mice. Urine-mediated releaser pheromone effects that trigger certain behavioral responses are much less understood, and no field studies have investigated whether urine deposits by male or female mice, or synthetic mouse pheromone, increase trap captures of mice. In field experiments, we baited traps with bedding soiled with urine and feces of caged female or male mice, and recorded captures of mice in these and in control traps containing clean bedding. Traps baited with female bedding preferentially captured adult males, whereas traps baited with male bedding preferentially captured juvenile and adult females, indicating the presence of male- and female-specific sex pheromones in soiled bedding. Analyses of headspace volatiles emanating from soiled bedding by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry revealed that 3,4-dehydro-exo-brevicomin (DEB) was seven times more prevalent in male bedding and that 2-sec-butyl-4,5-dihydrothiazole (DHT) was male-specific. In a follow-up field experiment, traps baited with DEB and DHT captured 4 times more female mice than corresponding control traps, thus indicating that DEB and DHT are sex attractant pheromone components of house mouse males. Our study provides impetus to identify the sex attractant pheromone of female mice, and to develop synthetic mouse pheromone as a lure to enhance the efficacy of trapping programs for mouse control.     

Contact angle measurements to determine the rate of surface oxidation of artists’ alkyd paints during accelerated photo-ageing

The rate of surface photo-oxidation and changes in polarity of the surfaces of artists’ alkyd paint films were studied by a rapid and novel approach using sessile drop contact angle measurements. The contact angles of distilled water and diiodomethane drops on the film surfaces were measured over a period of 25–2000 h of artificial ageing at 40 °C under an indoor light filtered Xenon light source. Chemical changes on the surfaces of the films were also followed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR). Titanium white artists’ paint samples from three different manufacturers were investigated: Winsor & Newton, Ferrario and Da Vinci Paint Co. As the films aged, there was a decrease in the contact angle and an increase in the polar component of the free surface energy of the paint film surfaces indicating the formation of photo-oxidation products. Such changes correspond well to the chemistry of oil paints, and suggested chemistry of long-alkyd paints, because of their relatively high weight percent of fatty acids.     

Human immunodeficiency virus infection as risk factor for mother-to-child hepatitis C virus transmission; persistence of anti-hepatitis C virus in children is associated with the mother''s anti-hepatitis C virus immunoblotting pattern

Furosine, formed by hydrolysis of 1-deoxy-fructosyl-lysine (fructose-lysine), is a product of the Amadori rearrangement of glucose and epsilon-NH2-lysine. Fructose-lysine can react further with tissue and circulating proteins to produce advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Peritoneal dialysate used in the treatment of patients with end-stage renal failure contains high concentrations of glucose which may lead to intraperitoneal formation of AGEs. To quantitate the kinetics of formation and peritoneal clearance of glycated peritoneal dialysate proteins, we developed an effective approach to the measurement of furosine in clinical samples of serum and peritoneal dialysate.     

Behavioral and electrocardiographic responses to social stress in male rats

Telemetry ECGs were recorded from Wistar male rats during social stress induced by exposure to aggressive lactating female rats. Behavioral response to maternal attack was evaluated in terms of relative duration of passive submissive (p/s) and active/nonsubmissive (a/ns) patterns. A decrease of R-R interval (R-R) compared to baseline conditions was found, significantly more pronounced than that observed in control animals exposed just to novel environment. R-R variability during social stress was positively correlated with the amount of p/s behavior. R-R fluctuations, episodes of II degree A-V block, and ventricular arrhythmias were also observed. Most R-R fluctuations and II degree A-V blocks were temporally associated with phases of p/s behavior and periods of high R-R variability. Ventricular arrhythmias generally appeared during a/ns behavior and were temporally linked with periods of low R-R variability. Ventricular arrhythmias, low R-R variability, and concomitant a/ns behavior might be related to an increased sympathetic activity. R-R fluctuations and II degree A-V blocks, associated with high R-R variability and p/s behavior, might be related to a predominant inhibitory effect of vagal activation (accentuated antagonism).     

Virtual reality representation of Martian soil for space exploration

Space exploration is a very challenging task for various reasons, such as hostile environments, different gravity laws, either unknown or unpredictable phenomena which need ad hoc technological solutions to be devised first and then put in practice. In this context, virtual reality techniques can help the aerospace industry to improve the planning phase of each mission; its main advantages are to allow realistic digital mock-ups representation, to enable collaborative multidisciplinary engineering tasks, simulation of critical ground and flight operations, real-time interactivity, costs reduction and time sparing. Since a deep knowledge of the working environment can surely be considered a crucial factor in designing space exploration missions, such as in the case of scientific exploration of solar planets, virtual reality representation is a fundamental method in order to recreate and exploit useful information about the terrains where robots, machinery and astronauts have to work onto. Therefore, in this paper we will describe how the Martian surface is represented and visualized for practical, virtual reality applications, developed at COSE Center in Thales Alenia Space—Italy. In particular, our interest is focused on passing from highly defined digital elevation maps to suitable 3D models. Examples of such reconstructions will be given as well as some concrete scenarios brought up for detailed discussions.