Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Stronger Interactions (stronger + interaction)
Selected AbstractsSpatial variation in mink and muskrat interactions in CanadaOIKOS, Issue 3 2001John Erb We investigated the spatial attributes of mink (Mustela vison) and muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) interactions in Canada using 160 geographically paired historic time series of mink (n=80) and muskrat (n=80) harvest data obtained from Hudson's Bay Co. Archives. All series were 25 years in length (1925,1949) and were distributed primarily throughout five ecozones. We used autoregressive models and cross-correlation analysis to characterize the interactions between mink and muskrat. Model selection results did not differ among ecozones, and indicated that a predator-prey autoregressive model incorporating a delayed density-dependent term best described both the mink and muskrat harvest time series. Subsequent analysis of autoregressive coefficients and estimated lags indicated that mink and muskrat interactions vary throughout Canada. In western Canada, the trophic interactions appear to be strong, and mink population cycles lag behind muskrats 2,3 years. In central Canada, mink harvests lagged behind muskrats 1 year, and mink and muskrat interactions in central Canada, with the exception of the Hudson Plains ecozone, were intermediate. In eastern Canada, the trophic interactions appeared weakest, and there were no distinct time lags between mink and muskrat. Stronger interactions in western Canada may be a result of decreased prey diversity, forcing mink to specialize more on muskrats, whereas comparatively stronger perturbations stemming from other trophic interactions may alter the estimated interaction between mink and muskrat in eastern Canada. [source] Separation of amino alcohols using divalent dipeptides as counter ions in aqueous CEELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 10 2010Jakob Haglöf Abstract Divalent dipeptides have been introduced as counter ions in aqueous CZE. The dipeptides form ion pairs with amino alcohols in the BGE and facilitate the separation of amino alcohols. High concentrations of dipeptide caused reversed effective mobility for the analytes. The net charge of the dipeptide can be controlled using a buffer or a strong base, and regulates the interaction between the dipeptide and the amino alcohol. A stronger interaction and higher selectivity of amino alcohols was observed when the dipeptides were used as divalent counter ions, than in monovalent or uncharged form. Association constants for ion pairs between divalent dipeptides and amino alcohols can be used to enhance selectivity for amino alcohols in CZE. No chiral separation of amino alcohols was observed when using the dipeptides as ion-pairing chiral selectors in aqueous BGE, but addition of methanol to the BGE promoted enantioselectivity. [source] Kinetics of toluene sorption and desorption in Ca- and Cu-montmorillonites investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy under two different levels of humidityENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 9 2004Yang-Hsin Shih Abstract Clays in soils or groundwater aquifer materials play roles in the sorption of organic pollutants. The intrinsic sorption kinetics of toluene in dry and humid clay films was investigated by tracking the change of infrared absorbance. Under the humid condition, similar toluene-sorbed intensities were found in Ca- and Cu-montmorillonites. However, a higher intensity of sorbed toluene was found in the Cu-form than in the Ca-form under the dry condition, which indicates a stronger interaction occurring in dry Cu-montmorillonite. The general time scale of sorption of toluene on clays is around 100 s. In both forms of montmorillonite, some portion of toluene was desorbed at an extremely slow rate under the dry condition. Some newly identified peaks were persistent against desorption from montmorillonites, suggesting the existence of irreversibly sorbed species and the possibility of toluene transformation occurring in clay systems. [source] Impact of aboriginal ethnicity on HCV core-induced IL-10 synthesis: Interaction with IL-10 gene polymorphismsHEPATOLOGY, Issue 3 2007Koko Bate Aborsangaya The host immune response is a critical determinant in viral infection outcome. Epidemiological studies indicate that North American indigenous peoples are more resistant to chronic HCV infection than other populations. Due to the prominence of IL-10 in chronic HCV infection, we investigated the genetic tendency to produce IL-10 in Caucasian (CA) and First Nation (FN) populations. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from CA subjects had a greater tendency to produce IL-10 defined by allelic polymorphisms, as well as genotypes and haplotypes, at the -1082, -819, and -592 positions of the IL-10 promoter. More importantly, we directly evaluated the influence of ethnicity on the ability of HCV core protein to induce IL-10 synthesis and found significantly higher IL-10 production by PBMCs isolated from healthy CA subjects compared with FN subjects. Further examination of the underlying relationship between core-induced IL-10 with the high, intermediate, and low phenotypes at the -1082, -819, and -592 position revealed that spontaneous and core-induced IL-10 synthesis tended to interact negatively with defined polymorphisms. This was particularly evident for the FN cohort, in which the relationship was strengthened by a stronger interaction of core with the low,IL-10,producing phenotypes. As with previous studies, concanavalin A induced IL-10 synthesis from the CA cohort positively associated with defined genetic phenotypes. Conclusion: Cells from FN subjects had a reduced capacity to produce IL-10 in response to HCV core protein, suggesting that reduced susceptibility of FN immunity to virally induced IL-10 synthesis might contribute to epidemiological observations of enhanced HCV clearance. (HEPATOLOGY 2007;45:623,630.) [source] Effect of adsorption characteristics of a modified cellulase on indigo backstainingJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2004Diomi Mamma Abstract The effect of limited proteolysis (digestion) of a commercial cellulase preparation (Ecostone® L350) on backstaining with indigo was investigated. The influence of protease (papain) concentration on limited proteolysis of cellulase preparation was studied, applying different ratios of papain/cellulase (w/w). Changes in adsorption on Avicel cellulose of the non-digested compared with the papain-digested Ecostone® L350 were examined using the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The non-digested Ecostone® L350 exhibited stronger interaction to Avicel cellulose compared with the digested form, while the maximum efficiency of cellulase adsorption to Avicel cellulose decreased after digestion. When papain-digested Ecostone® L350 was applied on cotton fabrics during the dyeing procedure with indigo, a reduction of indigo backstaining was obtained compared with the non-digested Ecostone® L350. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Modeling of Bovine Type-I Collagen Fibrils: Interaction with Pickling and Retanning AgentsMACROMOLECULAR BIOSCIENCE, Issue 2 2007Rosa E. Bulo Abstract Bovine Type I collagen was investigated, building on a large scale computer model of a collagen fibril in water, and focusing on two stages of the leather manufacturing process. The effects of different salts (NaCl, CaCl2, and Na2SO4) on the swelling behavior of collagen at low pH (the pickling process) were studied. The salts suppress the swelling of the fibrils at low pH and we find specific stabilizing influences for CaCl2 and Na2SO4, due to weak Ca2+/Cl, and strong SO/lysine/arginine interactions, respectively. Using state-of-the-art sampling techniques, such as the metadynamics algorithm, to allow an efficient exploration of configuration space, we were able to investigate the effect of polyacrylate and poly(methyl acrylate) , two polymeric retanning agents , on the fibril. Both polymers interact with the ammonium groups on the surface, but polyacrylate shows significantly stronger interactions. We suggest that it is this stronger interaction that contributes to the reduced suitability of PAA as a tanning agent. [source] Effect of maleated polypropylene and impact modifiers on the morphology and mechanical properties of PP/Mica compositesPOLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 6 2006H. Yazdani Composites of polypropylene (PP) with mica powder and impact modifiers were produced by internal mixer. A major drawback in the use of mica-filled PP is its low impact resistance. In the present study, the effect of the maleated PP (MAPP) and impact modifiers was evaluated on the composite properties separately and together. Thus, two different styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene triblock copolymers (SEBS) and one ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) have been used as impact modifiers in the PP-mica composites. Addition of MAPP had a negative effect on the composite notched impact strength and elongation at break but had a positive effect on tensile strength when used together with impact modifiers. All three elastomers increased the impact strength of the PP-mica composites but the addition of maleated SEBS (SEBS-MA) granted the greatest improvement in impact strength. It was inferred from the scanning electron microscopy that SEBS-MA had a stronger interaction with mica surface than the other impact modifiers. POLYM. COMPOS., 27:614,620, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Effect of organic carbon content, clay type, and aging on the oral bioavailability of hexachlorobenzene in rats,ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 11 2007Shakil A. Saghir Abstract Bioavailability of lipophilic chemicals is influenced by the physicochemical properties of soils/sediment such as particle size, pH, clay, and organic carbon content. The present study investigated the effects of sediment composition and aging on the oral bioavailability of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in rats. Formulated sediments were prepared using various ratios of kaolinite and montmorillonite clay, sand, peat moss, and black carbon, spiked with 14C-HCB, and orally administered to rats prior to and after one year of aging in dark at 10°C. In the nonaged sediments there was a 21 to 45% reduction in the oral bioavailability of HCB when compared to the corn oil standard without any clear pattern of the impact of the sediment clay and/or organic carbon content. One year of aging resulted in statistically significant (p = 0.049) reduction in the oral bioavailability of HCB from the sediments compared to the corn oil standard and nonaged sediment indicating stronger interactions between HCB and sediment contents with aging. The mean reduction in oral bioavailability after one year of aging ranged from approximately 5 to 14% greater than that observed for nonaged sediments. The fecal elimination of the HCB-derived radioactivity from the one-year-aged sediments was much higher than the nonaged sediments, consistent with the lower absorption from the gastrointestinal tract due to lower desorption of HCB from the aged sediments. Increase in the fecal elimination and decrease in oral bioavailability of 14C-HCB was related to the increase in clay and black carbon. [source] Density Functional Study of the Complexation Reaction of Sn(CH3)3X (X = F, Cl, Br and I) with Halide AnionsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 20 2003Frank De Proft Abstract The Lewis acid-base reaction between Sn(CH3)3X and Y, (with X, Y = F, Cl, Br and I) has been studied using quantum chemical calculations. Complexation energies were calculated at the Density Functional Theory (DFT) level and rationalized on the basis of a local application of the hard and soft acids and bases principle. It was observed that smaller differences in the local softness of the interacting sites in the Lewis acid and base correspond to stronger interactions. Moreover, the calculated sequences in complexation energies can be reproduced using equations containing chemical concepts introduced within the framework of conceptual density functional theory and rooted in the hard and soft acids and bases principle and referring only to the reactants. A method of treating the electronegativity and softness of the halide anions is presented based on a Taylor expansion of the electronegativity of the neutral halogens and the softness-polarizability proportionality. Experimental evidence for the calculated sequences was gathered from measured 117Sn chemical shifts and 1J (13C- 119/117Sn) coupling constant changes upon complexation. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003) [source] Synthesis, Characterization, and Field-Effect Transistor Performance of Thieno[3,2-b]thieno[2,,3,:4,5]thieno[2,3-d]thiophene DerivativesADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 5 2009Ying Liu Abstract The synthesis, characterization, and field-effect transistor (FET) properties of a new class of thieno[3,2-b]thieno[2,,3,:4,5]thieno[2,3-d]thiophene derivatives are described. The optical spectra of their films show the presence of stronger interactions between molecules in the solid state. Thermal analyses reveal that the three materials are thermally stable and have no phase transitions at low temperature. The crystal structures are determined, and show ,-stacked structures and intermolecular S···S contacts. These organic materials exhibit p-type FET behavior with hole mobilities as high as 0.14,cm2,V,1,s,1 and an on/off current ratio of 106. These results indicate that thieno[3,2-b]thieno [2,,3,:4,5]thieno[2,3-d]thiophene, as a linear ,-conjugated system, is an effective building block for developing high-performance organic semiconductors. [source] Effect of EVA as compatibilizer on the mechanical properties, permeability characteristics, lamellae orientation, and long period of blown films of HDPE/clay nanocompositesJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 6 2010Juliano Marini Abstract Two ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) resins with 19% (EVA19) and 28% (EVA28) of vinyl groups were used as compatibilizers for nanocomposites of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and nanoclays. Two nanoclays were also used, one with a nonpolar surfactant (C15A) and another with a polar surfactant (C30B). The HDPE/EVA19/C15A formed an intercalated structure, while the HDPE/EVA28/C30B had surfactant loss. Blown films of these compositions were produced. A two-phase morphology made of HDPE and EVA/nanoclay particles was observed, which was responsible for the increase in water vapor and oxygen permeability rates of the films. The elastic modulus E along the transverse direction of the films was higher than along the machine direction due to preserved orientation given by the spiral die; the lamellae orientation was measured by small-angle X-rays diffraction. The highest E was observed in the HDPE/EVA19/C15A film due to stronger interactions. The long period of the HDPE lamellas was not affected by the presence of the EVA and nanoclay. A model was proposed to explain the improvement in elastic modulus due to the processing conditions and components' interactions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010 [source] Formulation pH modulates the interaction of insulin with chitosan nanoparticlesJOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 6 2002Zengshuan Ma Abstract Previous studies on chitosan-insulin nanoparticles have reported diverse encapsulation efficiency and insulin release profiles despite similar formulation and preparation procedures. This study examined the efficiency and mechanism of association of insulin with chitosan nanoparticles in the pH range of 2.3 to 6.3. Nanoparticles of 237 to 235 nm were prepared by ionotropic gelation of chitosan with tripolyphosphate counterions. Insulin was quantified by an RP-HPLC method. The insulin association efficiency (AE) spanned a broad range from 2 to 85%, and was highly sensitive to formulation pH. Highest AE was measured at insulin loading concentrations,,,4.28 U/mL and pH 6.1, close to the pI of native insulin and the pKa of chitosan. This association, attributed to physical adsorption of insulin through hydrophobic interactions with chitosan, was labile, and the associated insulin rapidly and completely released by dilution of the nanoparticles in aqueous media of pH 2 to 7.4. AE obtained at pH 5.3 was less than half that measured at pH 6.1 at corresponding insulin concentration, but the association at pH 5.3 appeared to be based on stronger interactions, because the release of insulin was pH-dependent and recovery was less than 25% even upon disintegration of the chitosan matrix. Interaction of insulin with the chitosan nanoparticles rendered the protein more susceptible to acid and enzymatic hydrolyses, the effects being more predominant in nanoparticles prepared at pH 5.3 than at pH 6.1. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmaceutical Association J Pharm Sci 91:1396,1404, 2002 [source] UV resonance Raman spectroscopy probes the localization of tryptophan-containing antimicrobial peptides in lipid vesiclesJOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 3 2009Bryan Quan Abstract In this work we employed UV resonance Raman spectroscopy with 229 nm excitation to study two tryptophan-containing antimicrobial peptides with a broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria: lactoferricin B (LfB, RRWQWRMKKLG) and pEM-2 (KKWRWWLKALAKK). UV resonance Raman spectra of both peptides are dominated by tryptophan bands. Raman spectra of LfB and pEM-2 in D2O and 2,2,2-trifluoro ethanol (TFE) have been measured and used to identify the hydrogen-bond strength marker bands W6 and W17. The tryptophan doublet, W7, at 1340 and 1360 cm,1 was used to detect an increase in the hydrophobicity of Trp environment in TFE. The spectra of LfB in complex with model cell membranes composed of zwitterionic dipalmitoylglycero-phosphocholine (DPPC) or anionic dipalmitoyglycero-phosphoglycerol (DPPG) lipid vesicles revealed a more hydrophobic Trp environment in DPPG, suggesting stronger interactions between the cationic peptide and anionic model cell membrane. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Modeling of Bovine Type-I Collagen Fibrils: Interaction with Pickling and Retanning AgentsMACROMOLECULAR BIOSCIENCE, Issue 2 2007Rosa E. Bulo Abstract Bovine Type I collagen was investigated, building on a large scale computer model of a collagen fibril in water, and focusing on two stages of the leather manufacturing process. The effects of different salts (NaCl, CaCl2, and Na2SO4) on the swelling behavior of collagen at low pH (the pickling process) were studied. The salts suppress the swelling of the fibrils at low pH and we find specific stabilizing influences for CaCl2 and Na2SO4, due to weak Ca2+/Cl, and strong SO/lysine/arginine interactions, respectively. Using state-of-the-art sampling techniques, such as the metadynamics algorithm, to allow an efficient exploration of configuration space, we were able to investigate the effect of polyacrylate and poly(methyl acrylate) , two polymeric retanning agents , on the fibril. Both polymers interact with the ammonium groups on the surface, but polyacrylate shows significantly stronger interactions. We suggest that it is this stronger interaction that contributes to the reduced suitability of PAA as a tanning agent. [source] Role of Star-Like Hydroxylpropyl Lignin in Soy-Protein PlasticsMACROMOLECULAR MATERIALS & ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2006Ming Wei Abstract Summary: Star-like hydroxypropyl lignin (HL) was compounded into soy protein isolated (SPI) to develop a potential biodegradable plastic with better mechanical performance than pure sheet-SPI. The structure and properties of the composite materials were characterized by WAXD, DSC, SEM, TEM and tensile tests. The addition of just 2 wt.-% HL resulted in tensile strength (,b) of 16.8 MPa, 2.3 times that of pure sheet-SPI, with no accompanying decrease in elongation at break as a result of strong interaction and with good miscibility among components. As the HL content increased, the HL molecules could self-aggregate as oblate supramolecular domains, while the stronger interactions between HL and glycerol resulted in the detaching of glycerol from the SPI matrix. It can be concluded that the insertion of HL as single molecules into the SPI matrix would provide materials with optimum mechanical properties. Compared with other lignin/SPI composites, the stretching chains on HL play a key role in the improvement of mechanical properties because of a stronger adhesion of HL onto the SPI matrix as well as the interpenetration of SPI into supramolecular HL domains. Schematic illustration of the supramolecular domain created by the aggregation of hydroxypropyl lignin, which can interpenetrate with soy protein isolate. [source] Poly(methyl methacrylate)/montmorillonite nanocomposites prepared by bulk polymerization and melt compoundingPOLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 11 2009Krajnc, Matja This article focuses on structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of nanocomposites in dependence of preparation method and poly(methyl mathacrylate) (PMMA)/organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) ratio. PMMA/OMMT nanocomposites were prepared by bulk polymerization and by melt compounding. Properties of nanocomposites of the same composition prepared by the two methods were compared. It was observed that nanocomposites prepared via melt compounding at 200°C had a highly oriented structure with lower interlayer spacing values than nanocomposites prepared via bulk polymerization. Two reasons for the observed smaller interlayer spacing obtained by melt compounding were identified. The first is enhanced PMMA penetration and/or formation between layers in the case of bulk polymerization, which was confirmed by determination of stronger interactions between OMMT and PMMA by Soxhlet extraction, infrared spectroscopy, and differential dynamic calorimery. The second reason for smaller interlayer spacing for nanocomposites prepared by melt compounding is organic modifier degradation during melt compounding process, which was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. Both reasons lead to the fracture of melt compounded nanocomposites on the OMMT-polymer interface, which was observed by scanning electron microscopy. For nanocomposites with disoriented structure and larger interlayer spacing prepared via bulk polymerization the fracture occurred in the polymer matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Some important aspects in designing high molecular weight poly(L -lactic acid),clay nanocomposites with desired propertiesPOLYMER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 12 2008Subhendu Ray Chowdhury Abstract BACKGROUND: The main aim of the work reported here was to investigate the effect of clay aspect ratio and functional edge group on the dispersion, degree of order of clays and interfacial strength of high molecular weight poly(L -lactic acid) (PLLA),clay amorphous nanocomposites and consequently their properties. Three kinds of clays (two montmorillonites (SMMTC18 and NMMTC18) and one fluoro-mica (MC18) with the same surfactant) were used to synthesize three amorphous nanocomposites. Thermomechanical properties, permeability, etc., were compared among composites and with pure PLLA. RESULTS: From X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, both MMTs with lower aspect ratio showed better dispersion and greater degree of disorder, which led to stronger interfacial strength and consequently higher storage modulus than MC18-based composites. All composites showed better properties than pure PLLA. The oxygen barrier efficiencies of SMMTC18- and NMMTC18-based composites were higher than that of the MC18-based composites. Due to the highest exposed area and probably stronger interactions, SMMTC18 had the highest nucleating efficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Along with aspect ratio, dispersion and degree of intercalation, the interfacial strength of composites and degree of order of clays are also important issues for property development. Compared to reported results in the literature, our amorphous composites showed less of an improvement of thermomechanical properties as real reinforcement was solely from clays. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] The Influence of Surface Composition of Nanoparticles on their Interactions with Serum AlbuminCHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 14 2010Dr. Lennart Treuel Abstract Interactions between differently functionalised silver and gold nanoparticles (NPs) as well as polystyrene nanoparticles with bovine serum albumin (BSA) are studied using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. It is found that the addition of NPs to the protein solution destroys part of the helical secondary structure of the protein as a result of surface adsorption. From the loss of free protein and hence the extent of their structural change adsorption equilibrium constants are derived. The results reveal that citrate-coated gold and silver NPs exhibit much stronger interactions with BSA than polymeric or polymer-coated metallic NPs. It is therefore concluded that for the particles considered, the influence of surface composition on the interaction behaviour dominates that of the core. [source] | ||||||||||||||||