Corrosion behavior of dissimilar copper/brass joints welded by friction stir lap welding in alkaline solution

This study was done to evaluate the nugget zone(NZ)corrosion behavior of dissimilar copper/brass joints welded by friction stir lap welding(FSLW)in a solution of 0.015 mol/L borax(pH 9.3).To this end,dissimilar copper/brass plates were welded with two dissimilar heat inputs(low and high)during the welding procedure.The high and low heat inputs were conducted with 710 r/min,16 mm/min and 450 r/min,25 mm/min,respectively.Using open circuit potential(OCP)measurements,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)and Tafel polarization tests,the electrochemical behavior of the specimens in borate buffer solution was assessed.With the help of scanning electron microscope(SEM),the morphology of welded specimen surfaces was examined after immersion in the test solution.According to the results,the NZ grain size and resistance improvement reduced due to the nugget zone corrosion with a decreased heat input.The results obtained from Tafel polarization and EIS indicated the improved corrosion behavior of the welded specimen NZ with a decrease in the heat input during the welding process unlike the copper and brass metals.Furthermore,an increased heat input during the welding process shows a reduction in the conditions for forming the passive films with higher protection behavior.

Characterization and Antitumor Activity of Chitosan/Poly （Vinyl Alcohol） Blend Doped with Gold and Silver Nanoparticles in Treatment of Prostatic Cancer Model

The application of nanotechnology in various fields of science has earned a great concern over the past decades. The natural products and surface-modified polymers and metallic nanoparticles （NPs） have evolved as promising nanomaterials for targeted prostate cancer treatment. In the present study, Chitosan/poly （vinyl alcohol） （Cs/PVA） blend was synthesized by gamma radiation which could behave a nanoreactor for silver （Ag） and gold （Au） nanoparticle with promising anticancer applications. （Cs/PVA/Ag） and （Cs/PVA/Au） nanocomposites were confirmed by SEM （scanning electron microscope） and TEM （transmission electron microscope） analysis. The swelling properties have been investigated as a function of time and pH. The anti-cancer activity of the prepared nanocomposites was demonstrated in prostatic cancer cell line. It has a significant effect against prostatic cancer. However, metal nanoparticles have shown a good experimental success in the field of nanomedicine especially in cancer treatment, which has always been an area of high concern. The collaboration of biomedical research in the identification and characterization of biomedical strategies using the interesting metal nanocomposite will impact the future nanomedicine greatly.

Facile synthesis of UCNPs/Zn_xCd_(1-x)S nanocomposites excited by near-infrared light for photochemical reduction and removal of Cr(Ⅵ)

Photocatalysis driven by near-infrared（NIR）light is of scientific and technological interest for ex-ploiting solar energy.In this study,we demonstrate a facile hydrothermal process to synthesize core-shell nanoparticles combining upconversion nanoparticles（UCNPs）and alloyed ZnxCwhich can be excited using NIR or visible light.Morphologies,phase,and chemical composition have been investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron mi-croscopy,X-ray diffraction analysis,and atomic absorption spectroscopy.Moreover,we found that amorphous TiO2 layers existing in the final samples play an important role in formation ofyolk-shell nanoparticles,which bind the as-prepared ZnxCnanoparticlescan be tuna-ble by adjusting the amount of the Cd and Zn source compounds.The photochemical reduction of Cr（Ⅵ）in water has been performed to study the photocatalytic performance under irradiation by NIR light or a simulated solar light,showing efficient photoreduction and Cr（Ⅵ）removal over the/TiO2 yolk-shell nanoparticles.The as-prepared UCNPs@ZnxC/TiO2 nanoparticles show excellent production of hydroxyl radicals,which are responsible for the photochemical reduction of Cr（Ⅵ）to Cr（Ⅲ）.This study will provide an alternative strategy for en-vironmental wastewater treatment,making full use of solar energy.

Antimicrobial Activity of Ulva reticulata and Its Endophytes

Seaweeds are known to exhibit various antimicrobial properties, since it harbours an enormous range of indigenous bioactive compounds. The emergence of drug resistant strains has directed to the identification of prospective metabolites from seaweed and its endophytes, thereby exploiting the properties in resisting bacterial diseases. The current study was aimed to assess the antimicrobial activity of extracts obtained from Ulva reticulate, for which metabolites of Ulva reticulata and its endophytes were extracted and assessed against human pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, and Bacillus subtilis. It was observed that the hexane extract of isolate VITDSJ2 was effective against all the tested pathogens but a significant inhibition was observed for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Further, Gas chromatography coupled with Mass spectroscopy （GC-MS） revealed the existence of phenol, 3, 5-bis （1, 1-dimethylethyl） in the crude hexane extract which is well-known to possess antibacterial activity. The effective isolate VITDSJ2 was identified to be the closest neighbour of Pseudomonas smtzeri by phenotypic and genotypic methods. The crude extracts of the seaweed Ulva reticulata was also screened for antibacterial activity and the hexane extract was effective in showing inhibition against all the tested pathogens. The compound in the crude extract of Ulva reticulata was identified as hentriacontane using GC-MS. The extracts obtained from dichloromethane did not show significant activity in comparison with the hexane extracts. Hence the metabolites of Ulva reticulata and the bacterial secondary metabolites of the endophytes could be used in the treatment of bacterial infections.

Transformation of iron in pure culture process of extremely acidophilic microorganisms

Jarosite and extracellular polymer substance generated during pure culture and bioleaching process have been widely accepted the main transformation of decreasing iron in the medium.In the present work,acidophilus bioleaching organisms Ferroplasma thermophilum,Leptospirillum ferriphilum and Acidithioobacillus ferrooxidans were cultured.It was found that they can live in low pH environment,and more than10particles in each cell intracellular nano-particles are synthesized in the cells.By analyzing the morphology and chemical composition of nano-particles,they were found to contain iron,and the three microorganisms belonged to high-yielding strains.The results show that the transformation of the decreasing iron ions is not only generating jarosite,but also taken into cells and synthesizing ferruginous nano-particles.

Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Juglone Derivatives

Nitro and halogen substituted derivatives of the juglone naphthoquinone were synthesized and assayed for their antibacterial activity. 8-Nitrojuglone was obtained as the exclusive product from the direct nitration of juglone with nickel （Ⅱ） nitrate and p-toluenesulphonic acid. In addition, a series of five 8-halojuglone derivatives were synthesized via a solvent-free Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction. One of the acylation reactions afforded an anthraquinone-type derivative as the minor product. The 8-nitrojuglone derivative displayed the most notable activity against S. aureus. However, all of the 8-halojuglone derivatives were found to be less active than juglone against the bacteria assayed.

Prime-Composition Approach to Ramanujan-Fourier Transform Computation

Ramanujan sums （RS） and their Fourier transforms have attracted more and more attention in signal processing in recent years. Due to their non-periodic and non-uniform spectrum, RS are widely used in low-frequency noise processing, Doppler spectrum estimation and time-frequency analysis. However, the traditional method for calculating RS values is rather complex since it requires two numbers＇ factorization in two arithmetic functions. For a length-n vector, its Ramanujan-Fourier transform usually involves a series of RS values which will occupy O（n2） memory units. Thus, in this paper an approach based on prime-composition is proposed to reduce the complexity of RS calculation to O（n）. Meanwhile, the complexity of Ramanujan-Fourier transform can be further reduced from O（n2） to O（n In（In（n））） .

In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity Study of Some New Arginine-based Biodegradable Poly （Ester Urethane）s and Poly （Ester Urea）s

Bactericidal activity of some arginine based biodegradable polymers-PEURs （poly （ester urethane）s） and PEUs （poly （ester urea）s） with low cytotoxicity was studied in in vitro experiments. Various bacterial strains both Gram-positive and Gram-negative were used to explore the bactericidal activity of the cationic polymers. As the test objects, the following microorganisms were used： Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium album, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Escherichia coli, Actinomyces griseus and Aspergillus niger. The obtained results showed that the new cationic polymers suppressed the growth of the studied microorganisms and the bactericidal activity of the tested cationic polymers strongly depending on their chemical structure.

Use of Cladophora glomerata Extract against Multidrug Resistant Bacterial Pathogens

The antibacterial effect of the crude methanol extracts and purified fractions of Ctadophora glomerata （Linnaeus） Kutzing （Cladophoraceae） against multidrug resistant human pathogen were investigated. The test bacterial strains were Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli and S. typhimurium. Ethanol extract （0.5 mg/mL） of Cladophora glomerata inhibited growth of all the test organisms. Primary detection of active compounds showed that maeroalgae （Cladophora glomerata） containing flavonoids, alkaloids, phenols and tannins. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry was used to know the compounds which responsible of antibacterial activity and they were g-Pentadecanone that was found to be a major compound （42.67%） followed by 8-Octadecanone （22.43%） and Salicylic acid （20.04%） in addition to 10-hexadecaden （8.01%）. These findings suggest the possibility of using the Cladophora glomerata as a novel source of natural antimicrobial agents in pharmaceutical industries.

Effects of four metal Ions on phenylalanine ammoni-alyase activities and flavonoids content of ginkgo biloba leaves

The enzyme activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase from six years old Ginkgo biloba leaves in the potted orchard were induced by four groups of metal ions respectively. The PAL activities and flavonoids content were measured by the UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Changes of the whole year were also studied. The results showed that four groups of metal ion treatments had significant effects on the PAL activities and flavonoids contents in Ginkgo leaves. The treatments with 0.1% and 0.3% FeSO4, 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3% ZnSO4, 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.5% MnSO4, 0.1% and 0.4% CuSO4 not only enhanced flavonoids contents, but also extended the optimum harvest dates of ginkgo leaves. The optimum combination was 0.1% FeSO4, 0.2% ZnSO4, 0.3% MnSO4, and 0.4% CuSO4. It could improve flavonoids content up to 1.619 4%.

Facile Synthesis of Micro/Nano Binary Dendritic Gold Structures for SERS and Superhydrophobic Applications

Via a galvanic displacement reaction, well-defined micro/nano binary dendritic gold structures were prepared on silicon wafers in fluoride acid solution containing HAuCI4 at 50 ℃. The gold deposits were characterized with scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy-dispersive X-ray （EDX） spectrum and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The investigation of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering （SERS） reveals that the film of gold dendrites was an excellent substrate with significant enhancement effect. Also, the gold dendritic structured surface exhibited a remarkable superhydrophobic property with a contact angle of approximately 165° and low contact angle hysteresis after further simple surface modification with n-dodecanethiol.

The in Vitro Effect of a Symbiotic Combination Between Cellobiose and Two Probiotic Strains Toward Two Pathogenic Bacteria

Intestinal microflora possesses both beneficial and pathogenic properties with respect to host health and well being. Three procedures are usually proposed for its modulation： probiotic, prebiotic and their combination on symbiotic. In this in vitro study the authors assess the effect of a symbiotic combination between cellobiose and two probiotic strains （L. rhamnosus, S. thermophilus） toward two pathogenic bacteria （S. aureus and E. colO. In addition, we evaluate the influence of this fiber either on the localization of the lactic inhibiting substances and their extracelluler polymer substances （EPS） production. The results showed that the prebiotic candidate noticeably elongated the adaptation phase of the target pathogens to up than 12 hours, while stimulate the probiotic growth till 2 Log CFU/mL in favor of L. rhamnosus and to approximately 3 Log CFU/mL for S. thermophilus compared with control substrate （glucose）. The inhibiting effect was more important toward S. aureus （2.54 and 1.09 Log CFU/mL against 4.99 and 7.75 in co-culture with L. rhamnosus and S. thermophilus respectively at the 4th hour of incubation） and lesser for E. coli compared with the control substrate. And the results suggested that S thermophilus inhibited both target strains mainly by bacteriocins, whilst L. rharnnosus rather inhibited S. aureus growth by bacteriocins and E. coli ones by acids production. We also observed a significant stimulation of the exopolysaccahrids production by this fiber, which may allow a better adhesion of the probiotic candidates in the intestinal tract.

A Comparative Study of Process Parameter Optimization and Process of Flavonoid in Planted Trollius Chinensis through Backflow Method, Ultrasonic Wave Method and MicrowaveMethod

It takes flavonoid extraction rate as indicator and adopts the method of orthogonal experiment to study process of total flavonoid in Trollius chinensis through ultrasonic wave assisted extraction, microwave assisted extraction and backflow extraction, as well as optimization of process parameter. The result indicates that in terms of extraction efficiency, microwave extraction method is better than ultrasonic radiation extraction method, which is better than backflow extraction method. Optimal process parameter through backflow extraction is： backflow temperature 60℃, fluid material ratio 1：20, ethanol density 65%, backflow time 60min; optimal process parameter through ultrasonic wave assisted extraction is： ultrasonic radiation temperature 70℃, fluid material ratio 1：20, ethanol density 65%, ultrasonic wave radiation time 45rain; optimal process parameter of microwave assisted extraction is： microwave radiation temperature 60℃, fluid material ratio 1：20, ethanol density 75%, microwave radiation time 45min.

Synthesis, properties and applications of one- and two- dimensional gold nanostructures

The controlled synthesis of gold nanocrystals has been the subject of intensive studies for decades because the properties and functions of gold nanomaterials are highly dependent on their particle size, shape, and dimensionality. Especially, anisotropic gold nanocrystals, such as nanowires, nanobelts, nanoplates and nanosheets, have attracted much attention due to their striking properties and promising applications in electronics, catalysis, photonics, sensing and biomedicine. In this review, we will summarize the recent developments of one- dimensional （1D） and two-dimensional （2D） gold nanostructures. Various kinds of synthetic methods for preparation of these 1D and 2D gold nanocrystals will be described. Moreover, we will also briefly introduce the properties and potential applications of these 1D and 2D gold nanocrystals.

Novel benzimidazole derived naphthalimide triazoles: synthesis, antimicrobial activity and interactions with calf thymus DNA

A novel series of benzimidazole derived naphthalimide triazoles and some corresponding triazoliums have been successfully synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR, 13 C NMR, 1H-1H COSY, IR and HRMS spectra. All the new compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activities in vitro by two-fold serial dilution. 2-Chlorobenzyl triazolium 8g and compound 9b with octyl group exhibited the best antibacterial activities among all the tested compounds, especially against S. aureus with inhibitory concentration of 2 μg/mL which was equipotent potency to Norfloxacin(MIC=2 μg/mL) and more active than Chloromycin(MIC=7 μg/mL). Triazoliums 8g and 8f bearing 3-fluorobenzyl moiety displayed the best antifungal activities(MIC=2-19 μg/mL) against all the tested fungal strains without being toxic to PC12 cell line within concentration of 128 μg/m L. Further investigations by fluorescence and UV-Vis spectroscopic methods revealed that the compound 8g could effectively intercalate into calf thymus DNA to form the 8g-DNA complex which could block DNA replication, exerting powerful antimicrobial activities.

Gold nanorods core/AgPt alloy nanodots shell： A novel potent antibacterial nanostructure

In the light of the current problems of silver nanoparticles （Ag NPs） in terms of antibacterial performance, we have designed a novel trimetallic corelshell nanostructure with AgPt alloy nanodots epitaxially grown on gold nanorods （Au@PtAg NRs） as a potential antibacterial agent. Both Escherichia coli （E. coli） and Staphylococcus aureus （S. aureus） were studied. The antibacterial activity exhibits an obvious composition-dependence. On increasing the Ag fraction in the alloy shell up to 80%, the antibacterial activity gradually increases, demonstrating a flexible way to tune this activity. At 80% Ag, tile antibacterial activity is better than that of a pure Ag shell. The improved antibacterial ability mainly results from the high exposure of silver on the shell surface due to the dot morphology. We thus demonstrate that forming alloys is an effective way to improve antibacterial activity while retaining high chemical stability for Ag-based nanomaterials. Furthermore, due to the tunable localized surface plasmonic response in the near-infrared （NIR） spectral region, additional control over antibacterial activity using light--such as photothermal killing and photo- triggered silver ion release--is expected. As a demonstration, highly enhanced antibacterial activity is shown by utilizing the NIR photothermal effect of the nanostructures. Our results indicate that such tailored nanostructures will find a role in the future fight against bacteria, including the challenge of the increasing severity of multidrug resistance.

Biodegradable cationic e-poly-L-lysine-conjugated polymeric nanoparticles as a new effective antibacterial agent

Biocompatible and biodegradable ε-poly-L- lysine （EPL）/poly （ε-caprolactone） （PCL） copolymer was designed and synthesized. The amphiphilic EPL-PCL copolymer could easily self-assembled into monodispersed nanoparticles （NPs）, which showed a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. Interestingly, the antibacterial efficacy of the novel NPs is more potent than the cationic peptide EPL. To explore the underlying mechanism of the biodegradable cationic NPs, various possible antibacterial pathways have been validated. The NPs have been found that they can disrupt bacterial walls/ membranes and induce the increasing in reactive oxygen species and alkaline phosphatase levels. More importantly, the self-assembled NPs induced the changes in bacterial osmotic pressure, resulting in cell invagination to form holes and cause the leakage of cytoplasm. Taken together, our results suggest that the EPL-PCL NPs can be further developed to be a promising antimicrobial agent to treat infectious diseases as surfactants and emulsifiers to enhance drug encapsulation efficiency and antimicrobial activity.