Determination of the pore size distribution of mesoporous silicas by means of quasi-equilibrated thermodesorption of n-nonane

Temperature programmed desorption profiles of n-nonane were measured for MCM-41, SBA-15 and HMS mesoporous silicas under quasi-equilibrium conditions using standard TPD setup with a chromatographic detector, utilizing He + 0.4% n-C₉H₂₀ mixture as a carrier gas. A method for determination of the pore size distributions according to a modified BJH scheme, based on the Kelvin equation for the fluid core radius and the BET-type function for the adsorbed film thickness, was proposed. The resulting pore size distributions are in good agreement with those obtained by standard BJH analysis of the N₂ desorption isotherms.     

Fluorine‐Free Mould Powders for Slab Casting: Crystallization Control in the CaO–SiO2–TiO2–Na2O–Al2O3 System

The main problem related to the development of fluorine‐free mould powders for slab casting is effectively controlling the heat transfer between the steel shell and mould. In commercial mould powders crystallization of cuspidine (Ca₄Si₂O₇F₂) from mould slag has a great effect on heat‐transfer control. In industrial process the crystallization rate for a fluorine‐free mould slag should be similar to the crystallization rate of cuspidine. To evaluate the crystallization rate for slags time‐temperature‐transformation (TTT) diagrams can be constructed using the Single Hot Thermocouple Technique by in situ observation. In the present work, fundamental information related to crystallization control in the CaO–SiO₂–TiO₂–Na₂O–Al₂O₃ system was obtained. It was observed that the addition of Na₂O in CaO–SiO₂–TiO₂ slags dramatically shortens the crystals' incubation times in TTT diagrams to the range of seconds. It is possible to control the crystallization kinetics in CaO–SiO₂–TiO₂ slags by changing the Na₂O content. Some observations for the crystals' morphology are reported.     

Implementation of a Non-Thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma for Eradication of Plant Pathogens from a Surface of Economically Important Seeds

Plant pathogenic bacteria cause significant economic losses in the global food production sector. To secure an adequate amount of high-quality nutrition for the growing human population, novel approaches need to be undertaken to combat plant disease-causing agents. As the currently available methods to eliminate bacterial phytopathogens are scarce, we evaluated the effectiveness and mechanism of action of a non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma (NTAPP). It was ignited from a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) operation in a plasma pencil, and applied for the first time for eradication of Dickeya and Pectobacterium spp., inoculated either on glass spheres or mung bean seeds. Furthermore, the impact of the DBD exposure on mung bean seeds germination and seedlings growth was estimated. The observed bacterial inactivation rates exceeded 3.07 logs. The two-minute DBD exposure stimulated by 3–4% the germination rate of mung bean seeds and by 13.4% subsequent early growth of the seedlings. On the contrary, a detrimental action of the four-minute DBD subjection on seed germination and early growth of the sprouts was noted shortly after the treatment. However, this effect was no longer observed or reduced to 9.7% after the 96 h incubation period. Due to the application of optical emission spectrometry (OES), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), we found that the generated reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), i.e., N₂, N₂⁺, NO, OH, NH, and O, probably led to the denaturation and aggregation of DNA, proteins, and ribosomes. Furthermore, the cellular membrane disrupted, leading to an outflow of the cytoplasm from the DBD-exposed cells. This study suggests the potential applicability of NTAPPs as eco-friendly and innovative plant protection methods.     

Optical vortices generation using the Wollaston prism

A new setup of interferometers is proposed in which the set of specific optical markers--optical vortices--could be generated. The classical Mach-Zender two-beam interferometer has been modernized using the Wollaston prism. In this setup, the optical vortices could be obtained for a wide range of both beam parameters. The numerical analysis and experiments confirm our theoretical predictions.     

Dynamics of epileptic phenomena determined from statistics of ictal transitions

In this paper, we investigate the dynamical scenarios of transitions between normal and paroxysmal state in epilepsy. We assume that some epileptic neural network are bistable i.e., they feature two operational states, ictal and interictal that co-exist. The transitions between these two states may occur according to a Poisson process, a random walk process or as a result of deterministic time-dependent mechanisms. We analyze data from animal models of absence epilepsy, human epilepsies and in vitro models. The distributions of durations of ictal and interictal epochs are fitted with a gamma distribution. On the basis of qualitative features of the fits, we identify the dynamical processes that may have generated the underlying data. The analysis showed that the following hold. 1) The dynamics of ictal epochs differ from those of interictal states. 2) Seizure initiation can be accounted for by a random walk process while seizure termination is often mediated by deterministic mechanisms. 3) In certain cases, the transitions between ictal and interictal states can be modeled by a Poisson process operating in a bistable network. These results imply that exact prediction of seizure occurrence is not possible but termination of an ictal state by appropriate counter stimulation might be feasible.     

Coated wire potentiometric detection for capillary electrophoresis studied using organic amines, drugs, and biogenic amines

Capillary electrophoresis was coupled successfully and reliably to potentiometric sensors, which are based on an ionically conductive rubber phase coating, applied on a 250 microm diameter metal substrate. The membrane components included potassium tetrakis(p-chlorophenyl)borate (TCPB), bis(2-ethylhexyl)sebacate (DOS), and high molecular mass poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Potentiometry reveals a very sensitive CE detection mode, with sub-micromolar detection limits for amines and the randomly chosen drugs quinine, clozapine, cocaine, heroine, noscapine, papaverine, and ritodrine. The lowest detection limit, 1 x 10(-8) M injected concentration, was obtained for the quaternary ammonium compound tetrahexylammonium chloride. The more polar lower aliphatic amines and the biogenic amines dopamine, adrenaline, and cadaverine have much higher detection limits. The detection limits are log P dependent. Addition of a commercially available calixarene molecule or a synthetic macrocyclic amphiphilic receptor molecule to the electrode coatings enhanced the sensitivity respectively for the lower aliphatic amines and for the biogenic amines. A transpose of the Nikolskii-Eisenman-type function was suggested and used to convert the signal of the detector to a concentration-dependent signal.     

Detection of B<Subscript>6</Subscript> Vitamers in Grain Products: Experimental and Computational Studies

A reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography method (HPLC) with coulometric electrochemical detection has been applied and validated for the simultaneous analysis of pyridoxamine (PM), pyridoxal (PL), and pyridoxine (PN) in cereal products. Isocratic separation was achieved using a C₁₈ column with a mobile phase consisting of methanol-phosphate buffer (10:90) and 0.018 M trimethylamine adjusted to pH 3.55 with 85% orthophosphoric acid. The limits of detection for PM, PL, and PN were 0.28, 0.36, and 0.43 ng mL^?1, respectively, with vitamins recoveries ranging from 90.4 to 98.1%. The applied method for the analysis of B₆ vitamins naturally present in grain products, offers a simple and fast sample preparation without derivatization. To understand vitamer separation further, methods of computational chemistry were employed. Specifically, density functional theory (DFT) was used to determine electrostatic potentials, as well as the charges of each vitamer. A number of correlations were established between these properties and elution order.     

Planar and three-dimensional thick-film thermoelectric microgenerators

This paper describes manufacturing process as well as thermoelectric properties and long-term stability of planar and three-dimensional (3-D) thermoelectric structures made in thick-film/LTCC technology. Screen-printed thick-film thermocouples based on PdAg, Ag and Ni inks were manufactured and investigated. Seebeck coefficient and electrical output power were measured with the help of custom built automatic measuring system. Achieved results were compared with literature data and earlier authors’ results. Seebeck coefficient greater than 20 μV/K and about 5–8 μW/junction output power were measured for temperature difference of about 100 K for Ag–Ni thick-film planar thermocouple made on both used substrates. This combination of materials was chosen to create three-dimensional thick-film thermocouples (reported in the literature for the first time). We received for them Seebeck coefficient greater than 15 μV/K and the output power on level of 1 μW/junction for temperature gradient of about 60 K.     

At the Edges of Photosynthetic Metabolic Plasticity—On the Rapidity and Extent of Changes Accompanying Salinity Stress-Induced CAM Photosynthesis Withdrawal

The common ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) is a facultative crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plant, and its ability to recover from stress-induced CAM has been confirmed. We analysed the photosynthetic metabolism of this plant during the 72-h response period following salinity stress removal from three perspectives. In plants under salinity stress (CAM) we found a decline of the quantum efficiencies of PSII (Y(II)) and PSI (Y(I)) by 17% and 15%, respectively, and an increase in nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) by almost 25% in comparison to untreated control. However, 48 h after salinity stress removal, the PSII and PSI efficiencies, specifically Y(II) and Y(I), elevated nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) and donor side limitation of PSI (Y_ND), were restored to the level observed in control (C₃ plants). Swelling of the thylakoid membranes, as well as changes in starch grain quantity and size, have been found to be components of the salinity stress response in CAM plants. Salinity stress induced an over 3-fold increase in average starch area and over 50% decline of average seed number in comparison to untreated control. However, in plants withdrawn from salinity stress, during the first 24 h of recovery, we observed chloroplast ultrastructures closely resembling those found in intact (control) ice plants. Rapid changes in photosystem functionality and chloroplast ultrastructure were accompanied by the induction of the expression (within 24 h) of structural genes related to the PSI and PSII reaction centres, including PSAA, PSAB, PSBA (D₁), PSBD (D₂) and cp43. Our findings describe one of the most flexible photosynthetic metabolic pathways among facultative CAM plants and reveal the extent of the plasticity of the photosynthetic metabolism and related structures in the common ice plant.