Analysis of the bioactive surface of Ti-35Nb-7Zr alloy after alkaline treatment and solution body fluid

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the Ti-35Nb-7Zr experimental alloy after surface treatment and soaking in solution body fluid (SBF) to form bonelike apatite. The Ti-35Nb-7Zr alloy was produced from commercially pure materials (Ti, Nb and Zr) by an arc melting furnace. All ingots were submitted to sequences of heat treatment (1100 °C/2 h and water quenching), cold working by swaging procedures and heat treatment (1100 °C/2 h and water quenching). Discs with 13 mm diameter and 3 mm in thickness were cut. The samples were immersed in NaOH aqueous solution with 5 M at 60 °C for 72 h, washed with distilled water and dried at 40 °C for 24 h. After the alkaline treatment, samples were heat treated in both conditions: at 450 and 600 °C for 1 h in an electrical furnace in air. Then, they were soaking in SBF for 24 h to form an apatite layer on the surface. The surfaces were investigated by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and contact angle measurements. The results indicate that calcium phosphate could form on surface of Ti-35Nb-7Zr experimental alloy. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.

Thermal behavior of some antihistamines

Thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized light thermal microscopy (PLTM), as well as X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to study the thermal behavior and the chemical structure of cimetidine, famotidine, ranitidine-HCl, and nizatidine. The TG-DSC curves show that the famotidine and ranitidine-HCl suffer decomposition during melting and they are thermally less stable in comparison with cimetidine and nizatidine, the latter being the most stable of all the drugs studied in this study. The DSC curves of famotidine and ranitidine-HCl show exothermic peaks immediately after the melting, confirming the occurrence of thermal decomposition. The DSC curves also show that the cimetidine and nizatidine have some thermal stability after melting. The thermal events shown in the PLTM images are consistent with the results shown in the TG-DSC and DSC curves. The XRD patterns show that the cimetidine and famotidine are less crystalline compared with ranitidine-HCl and nizatidine. The theoretical FTIR bands are in agreement with those obtained experimentally, and in some cases, no difference is observed between the theoretical and experimental values, even being identical in one of the cases. © 2012 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.

Thermal, rheological, and structural behaviors of natural and modified cassava starch granules, with sodium hypochlorite solutions

The use of chemically modified starches is widely accepted in various industries, with several applications. In this research, natural cassava starch granules were treated with standard sodium hypochlorite solution at 0.8, 2.0, and 5.0 g Cl/100 g starch. The native and modified starch samples were investigated by means of the following techniques: simultaneous thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis, which allowed us to verify the thermal decomposition associated with endothermic or exothermic phenomena; and differential scanning calorimetry that was used to determine gelatinization enthalpy as well as the rapid viscoamylographic analysis that provided the pasting temperature and viscosity. By means of non-contact-atomic force microscopy method and X-ray powder patterns diffractometry, it was possible to observe the surface morphology, topography of starch granules, and alterations in the granules' crystallinity. © 2012 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.

Thermal denaturation and aggregation of hemoglobin of Glossoscolex paulistus in acid and neutral media

The thermal denaturation and aggregation of the HbGp, in the oxy- and cyanomet-forms, was investigated by DSC, AUC, DLS, optical absorption and CD, in the pH range from 5.0 to 7.0. Oxy-HbGp has a denaturation process partially reversible and dependent on the temperature. DSC melting curve is characterized by a single peak with Tc value of 333.4±0.2K for oxy-HbGp, while two peaks with Tc values of 332.2±0.1 and 338.4±0.2K are observed for cyanomet-HbGp, at pH 7.0. In acidic pH oxy- and cyanomet-HbGp are more stable showing higher Tc values and aggregation. AUC data show that, HbGp, at pH 7.0, upon denaturation, remains undissociated at 323K, presenting oligomeric dissociation at 333 (12±3% of tetramer and 88±5% of whole HbGp) and 343K (70±5% of monomer and 30±2% of trimer). DLS data show that the lag period before aggregation is dependent on the temperature and HbGp concentration. Optical absorption and CD results show that the increase of temperature leads to the oxy-HbGp oxidation and aggregation, above 331K, in acidic pH. CD data, for HbGp, present a greater thermal stability in acid medium than at neutral pH, with similar Tc values for both oxidation forms. Our data are consistent with previous studies and represents an advance in understanding the thermal stability of oligomeric HbGp structure. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Effect of ball milling on structural and physicochemical characteristics of cassava and Peruvian carrot starches

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Characterization of high density polyethylene (HDPE) reinforced with banana peel fibers

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Avaliação in vitro de diferentes métodos de análises de fungitoxicidade de óleos essenciais

Environmental problems caused by synthetic fungicides have increased the search for alternative methods of control of plant diseases. The objective was to evaluate the effect of essential oil of citronella grass, on the fungus Rhizoctonia solani, in different methods of in vitro fungitoxicity. We used a randomized design in a factorial design with four replications, where the factors were composed of four methods for assessing the in vitro fungitoxicity of the essential oil of citronella grass (essential oil diluted in Tween 80 (0.5%) and embedded in the culture medium PDA (potato dextrose agar) still melting, essential oil diluted in Tween 80 (0.5%) and distributed on the surface of the PDA; oil essential diluted in Tween 80 (0.5%) and distributed on filter paper attached to the inner surface of the lid of the Petri dish, pure essential oil and distributed on the surface of the culture medium, and control) and five evaluation periods (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days of incubation). Was used 0.25μL mL-1 of citronella oil in all treatments. Of the treatments evaluated the use of pure oil distributed on the surface of the culture medium was more effective in reducing the mycelial diameter in all evaluations. In this method the rate of mycelial growth was 9,02 mm day-1, reaching in last evaluation 79,77 mm.