Viscosity, pH, and moisture effect in the porosity of poly(furfuryl alcohol)

The poly(furfuryl alcohol) is highly indicated to obtain advanced carbonaceous materials due mainly to its good carbon yield (around 50%) and a controllable cure reaction. In the processing of some carbonaceous materials, such as monolithic vitreous carbon, it is necessary to make sure that the material has the smallest porosity to be used in nobler applications such as heart valves and aerospace integrated systems. In this manuscript, a design of experiments was used to study the influence of viscosity, pH, and moisture in the porosity of the cured material. This study shows that the moisture exerts a significant influence on the porosity and the trend of the results lead to conclude that lower viscosity and moisture, and the use of non-neutralized poly(furfuryl alcohol) resins lead to obtain materials with better quality. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Electrochemical studies based on local interfacial ph changes of gold nanoparticles immobilized on polystyrene brushes

The electrochemical behavior of polystyrene modified with gold nanoparticle (Au NPs) was investigated in terms of pH-responsive polymer brush. A pH-responsive of modified polymer brush from tethered polystyrene was prepared and used for selective gating transport of anions andcations across the thin-film. An ITO-coated glass electrode was used as substrate and applied to study the switchable permeability of the polymer brush triggered by changes in pH of the aqueous environment. The pH-sensitive behavior of the polymer brush interface has been demonstrated by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR). CV experiments showed at ph values of 4 and 8 induces swelling and shrinking of the grafted polymer brushes, respectively, and this behavior is fast and reversible. LSPR measurements showed a blue shift of 33 nm in the surface resonance band changes by local pH. The paper brings an easy methodology to fabrication a variety of nanosensors based on the polymer brushes-nanoparticle assemblies. © 2013 by ESG.

Toward pH-controllable bioelectrocatalysis for hydrogen peroxide based on polymer brushes

In the present work, a biosensor was built with smart material based on polymer brushes. The biosensor demonstrated a pH-sensitive on-off property, and it was further used to control or modulate the electrochemical responses of the biosensor. This property could be used to realize pH-controlled electrochemical reaction of hydrogen peroxide and HRP immobilized on polymer brushes. The composite film also showed excellent amperometric i-t response toward hydrogen peroxide in the concentration range of 0-13 μM. In future, this platform might be used for self-regulating targeted diagnostic, drug delivery and biofuel cell based on controllable bioelectrocatalysis. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Photo-Fenton degradation kinetics of low ciprofloxacin concentration using different iron sources and pH

The aim of the present study was to compare the degradation kinetics of low (1 mg L-1) and high (25 mg L-1) concentrations of ciprofloxacin (CIP) aiming to decrease the concentration of additives and evaluate the pH limitation by the use of low iron concentrations and organic ligands. A parameterized kinetic model was satisfactorily fitted to the experimental data in order to study the performance of photo-Fenton process with specific iron sources (iron citrate, iron oxalate, iron nitrate) under different pH medium (2.5, 4.5, 6.5). The process modeling allowed selecting those process conditions (iron source, additives concentrations and pH medium) which maximize the two performance parameters related to the global equilibrium conversion and kinetic rate of the process. For the high CIP concentration, degradation was very influenced by the iron source, resulting in much lower efficiency with iron nitrate. At pH 4.5, highest TOC removal (0.87) was achieved in the presence of iron citrate, while similar CIP conversions were obtained with oxalate and citrate (0.98 after 10 min). For the low CIP concentration, much higher conversion was observed in the presence of citrate or oxalate in relation to iron nitrate up to pH 4.5. This behavior denotes the importance of complexation also at low dosages. Appropriate additives load (320 μM H 2O2; 6 μM Fe) resulted in a CIP conversion of 0.96 after10 min reaction with citrate up to pH 4.5. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Predictive formulas for food base excess and urine pH estimations of cats

Food base excess (BE, mEq/kg) can be calculated from the diet macroelements, together with either the sulfur amino acids methionine and cysteine (BEaa) or total sulfur (BEs) concentrations. The present study compared the use of sulfur or methionine and cysteine for calculating the food BE (experiment 1) and investigated the influence of food BE on blood gas analysis and the urine pH of cats, and proposes a prediction equation to estimate the urine pH of cats fed kibble diets based on the calculated food BE (experiments 2 and 3). In experiment 1, nine healthy, adult cats were used in a change-over design and fed with nine commercial dry cat foods. The cats were housed in metabolism cages over seven days for adaptation and three days for total urine collection. All of the urine produced over 24h was pooled by cat and diet. The cats' acid-base status was assessed through blood gas analysis after 10 days of diet consumption. A mean difference of -115mEq/kg between BEs and BEaa was observed, which could be explained by a greater concentration of sulfur in the whole diet than in methionine and cysteine. Urine pH presented a stronger correlation with food BEs (R2=0.95; P<0.001) than with food BEaa (R2=0.86; P<0.001). Experiment 2 included 30 kibble diets, and each diet was tested in six cats. The food BEs varied between -180 and +307mEq/kg, and the urine pH of the cats varied between 5.60 and 7.74. A significant correlation was found between the measured urine pH and the food BEs (urinary pH=6.269+[0.0036×BEs]+[0.000003×BEs2]; R2=0.91; P<0.001). In experiment 3, eight kibble diets were tested (food BEs between -187mEq/kg and +381mEq/kg) to validate the equation proposed in experiment 2 and to compare the obtained results with previously published formulae. The results of the proposed formula presented a high concordance correlation coefficient (0.942) and high accuracy (0.979) with the measured values, and the estimates of urine pH did not differ from the values obtained in cats (P>0.05). The cats' venous blood pH, bicarbonate, and blood BE were correlated with food BEs (P<0.001); the consumption of diets with low food BEs induced a reduction in these parameters. In conclusion, food macroelement composition has a strong influence on cats' acid-base equilibrium and food BEs calculation is a useful tool to formulate and balance kibble diets for felines. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Antibiofilm activity, pH and solubility of endodontic sealers

Aim: To evaluate antibiofilm activity against Enterococcus faecalis, pH and solubility of AH Plus, Sealer 26, Epiphany SE, Sealapex, Activ GP, MTA Fillapex (MTA-F) and an experimental MTA-based Sealer (MTA-S). Methodology: Sealer samples were manipulated and stored for 2 or 7 days. Prepared sealers were evaluated by a modified direct contact test (DCT) for 5 h, 10 h or 15 h with biofilm previously induced on bovine dentine for 14 days. In the control group, the biofilm was not exposed to the sealers. The number of colony-forming units (CFU mL-1) in the remaining biofilm was determined. Sealer solubility was assessed by the percentage of mass loss after 15 h of immersion in distilled water. Sealer pH was measured at 5 h, 10 h and 15 h. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn or anova and Tamhane's T2 tests, at 5% significance. Results: At 2 days post-manipulation, the DCT showed that Sealapex and MTA-F were associated with a reduction in the number of bacteria in all 3 contact periods evaluated, compared with the control group (P < 0.05). At 7 days, Sealapex had the greatest antibiofilm action at 10 h and 15 h. Sealapex had the highest pH values 2 and 7 days post-manipulation. Regarding the solubility, at 2 days the highest values were observed for MTA-F, MTA-S, Sealapex and Activ GP (P < 0.05). At 7 days, MTA-S and MTA-F had greater solubility than the other materials (P < 0.05). AH Plus had the lowest solubility for both post-manipulation periods (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Sealapex and MTA-F were associated with a reduction in the number of bacteria in biofilms and had greater solubility. The high solubility and pH may be related to the antibacterial activity of these materials. © 2012 International Endodontic Journal.

Nanoparticle characterization of Er-doped SnO2 pellets obtained with different pH of colloidal suspension

SnO2:2 at. %Er xerogel samples were obtained by sol-gel technique from colloidal suspensions with distinct pHs. The evaluation of critical regions inside the nanocrystallite is fundamental for the interpretation of the influence of pH on the emission data. In this way, the nanocrystal depletion layer thickness was obtained with the help of photoluminescence, Raman, X-ray diffraction, and field-emission gun scanning electron microscopy measurements. It was observed that acid suspensions (pH < 7) lead to high surface disorder in which a larger number of cross-linked bonds Sn-O-Sn among nanoparticles are present. For these samples, the nanoparticle depletion layer is larger as compared to samples obtained from other pH. Photoluminescence measurement in the near infrared region indicates that the emission intensity of the transition 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 is also influenced by the pH of the starting colloidal suspension, generating peaks more or less broadened, depending on location of Er3+ ions in the SnO2 lattice (high or low symmetry sites). © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Decreasing pH of mammary gland secretions is associated with parturition and is correlated with electrolyte concentrations in prefoaling mares

The objectives of this study were to determine pH of the mammary gland secretions and the corresponding electrolyte concentrations in prefoaling mares. Pregnant mares (seven primiparous and seven multiparous) were monitored daily from 310.320 days of gestation until parturition. Prefoaling mammary gland secretions were collected, and pH was immediately determined with a pH meter and pH strip test. An aliquot of prefoaling mammary secretions was frozen and stored until further analyses. After parturition, samples from day .4 to 0 (day of foaling) were thawed and electrolyte concentrations (ie, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+ and Cl-) were determined with an automated analyser. Data were analysed via a mixed model with the mare as a random effect. Correlations were determined between pH and electrolyte concentrations by the Pearson product-moment for each pair. There was significant reduction in pH of mammary secretions on the day of foaling (P<0.0001), and most mares (11/14) with a pH .7 foaled within 24 hours. There was high correlation between the two pH methods (r=0.93). Additionally, there were significant (P<0.05) increases in Ca2+ and K+ concentrations, and significant decreases in Na+ and Cl- concentrations from one day before to the day of foaling. The pH of mammary secretions was highly and significantly (P<0.001) correlated with Na + (r=0.87), Cl- (r=0.85), Ca2+ (r=-0.88); and K+(r=.0.80) concentrations, and moderately correlated with Mg 2+ (r=-0.58). Daily evening pH measure of the mammary gland secretions can predict foaling in most mares.

Fast assembly of non-thiolated DNA on gold surface at lower pH

In a typical protocol for attaching DNA to a gold electrode, thiolated DNA is incubated with the electrode at neutral pH overnight. Here we report fast adsorption of non-thiolated DNA oligomers on gold electrodes at acidic pH (i.e., pH ~3.0). The peak-to-peak potential difference and the redox peak currents in typical cyclic voltammetry of [Fe(CN)6]3- are investigated to monitor the attachment. Compared with incubation at neutral pH, the lower pH can significantly promote the adsorption processes, enabling efficient adsorption even in 30min. The adsorption rate is DNA concentration-dependent, while the ionic strength shows no influence. Moreover, the adsorption is base-discriminative, with a preferred order of A>C≫G, T, which is attributed to the protonation of A and C at low pH and their higher binding affinity to gold surface. The immobilized DNA is functional and can hybridize with its complementary DNA but not a random DNA. This work is promising to provide a useful time-saving strategy for DNA assembly on gold electrodes, allowing fast fabrication of DNA-based biosensors and devices. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Mineralização do soro ácido de leite em função do pH do solo

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

Influência do pH da suspensão coloidal nas propriedades de filmes finos de Sn'O IND. 2'

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

Relação entre o excesso de bases da dieta, sua manipulação mediante adição de cátions e anions e o pH urinário e equilíbrio ácido-básico de cães

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Relação entre o excesso de bases do alimento e o PH urinário de gatos

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

Valores sanguíneos de pH, pCO2, pO2, e HCO3 e proteinograma sérico de cabritos de raça Saanem do nascimento aos quatro meses de idade

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

Análise do pH, da liberação de íons cálcio e da capacidade seladora de cimentos contendo hidróxido de cálcio e MTA utilizados em obturação retrógrada

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)