scholarly journals Development of Materials for Naval, Fluvial and Military Applications

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Fabio A. Suarez- Bustamante ◽  
Orlando D. Barrios-Revollo ◽  
Anderson Valencia ◽  
Juan P. Hernandez-Ortiz

A platform to design composite materials of a polymeric matrix, that are specifically for military applications on fluvial and naval navigation, has been developed using energy dissipation and storage mechanisms. Our composites are designed to generate synergy between the dissipation capacities of ceramics and high-performance fibers, which are used as the reinforced material in the lightweight laminates. The composite design is combined with processing tools and advanced characterization techniques that result in laminates with reliability, traceability and quality. The platform begins with the identification of energy dissipation mechanisms and the detailed characterization of the polymeric resin. It includes the Time – Temperature – Transformation Diagram (TTT- Diagram) that supplies the optimal processing conditions. Our designs open new paths for military applications including a wide spectrum of protective systems together with geometric versatility, high mechanical resistance and reliability

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. Csonka ◽  
Kenneth J. Waldron

Many high performance actuators have been developed in recent years. However, these actuators are generally designed for precise, relatively slow movements, or imprecise dynamic motion, but incapable of generating quasistatic trajectories. This dichotomy arises in part due to thrusting actuation technology that often trades off impulse for precision. A characterization of a bidirectional hybrid actuator developed for use in legged robots is described here. This actuator is capable of precise noncompliant positioning, and storage and rapid release of energy, which makes it equally suitable for static and dynamic positioning applications. Characterizations shown here allow tuning the actuator in future versions to reduce losses and increase efficiency.


Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Chen ◽  
Weipeng Guo ◽  
Yuqing Zheng ◽  
Jinzhen Zhou ◽  
Tingting Liu ◽  
...  

Traditional medicinal herbs are widely used and may be contaminated with mycotoxigenic fungi during cultivation, harvesting, and storage, causing spoilage and mycotoxin production. We evaluated the predominant mycoflora and extent of mycotoxin contaminations in 48 contaminated samples of 13 different medicinal herbs. In total, 70.8% of herbs were slightly contaminated with aflatoxins (<5 μg kg−1). Codonopsis radix samples contained ochratoxin A (OTA) (360–515 μg kg−1), and Scutellariae radix samples contained OTA (49–231 μg kg−1) and citrinin (15–53 μg kg−1). Forty samples (83.3%) contained fungal contamination. Sixty-nine strains were characterized via morphological and molecular identification. The predominant mycoflora comprised four genera, Aspergillus spp. (26.1%), Penicillium spp. (24.6%), Rhizopus spp. (14.5%), and Trichoderma spp. (11.6%). Aflatoxins, OTA, and citrinin were detected in 37 cultures by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Approximately 21.6% of Aspergillus and Penicillium isolates produced mycotoxins. One Penicillium polonicum strain isolated from Scutellariae radix synthesized citrinin. Multiplex PCR analysis showed that three Aspergillus flavus strains harbored aflatoxin biosynthesis genes. One Aspergillus flavus strain isolated from Amomi fructus produced AFB1 and AFB2. To the best of our knowledge, the citrinin production by Aspergillus chevalieri and Penicillium sacculum was first reported in this study, which poses a potential risk of mycotoxin contamination in medicinal herbs.


1984 ◽  
Vol 51 (01) ◽  
pp. 016-021 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Birken ◽  
G Agosto ◽  
B Lahiri ◽  
R Canfield

SummaryIn order to investigate the early release of NH2-terminal plasmic fragments from the Bβ chain of fibrinogen, substantial quantities of Bβ 1-42 and Bβ 1-21 are required as immunogens, as radioimmunoassay standards and for infusion into human volunteers to determine the half-lives of these peptides. Towards this end methods that employ selective proteolytic cleavage of these fragments from fibrinogen have been developed. Both the N-DSK fragment, produced by CNBr cleavage of fibrinogen, and Bβ 1-118 were employed as substrates for plasmin with the finding of higher yields from N-DSK. Bβ 1-42 and Bβ 1-21 were purified by gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography on SP-Sephadex using volatile buffers. When the purified preparation of Bβ 1-42 was chromatographed on reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography, two peaks of identical amino acid composition were separated, presumably due either to pyroglutamate or to amide differences.


Author(s):  
Pia Dally ◽  
Noella Lemaitre ◽  
Stéphanie Pouget ◽  
Stéphane Cros ◽  
Serge Gambarelli ◽  
...  

2001 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-349
Author(s):  
Lucian Eva ◽  
Letitia Doina Duceac ◽  
Liviu Stafie ◽  
Constantin Marcu ◽  
Geta Mitrea ◽  
...  

The fourth generation cephalosporin antibacterial agent, cefepime, was loaded into layered double hydroxides for enhancing antibiotic efficiency, reducing side effects, as well as achieving the sustained release property. The intercalation of antibiotic into the inter-gallery of ZnAl-layered double hydroxide (LDH) was carried out using ion exchange method, by this constituting a nano-sized organic-inorganic hybrid material for a controlled release novel formulation. Although cefepime is a broad spectrum antibiotic, it has various adverse effects and a significant degradation rate. Thus, the preparation and physico-chemical characterization of nanomaterials able to intercalate this drug is an important study for medical and pharmaceutical field. The antibiotic inclusion into LDHs nanostructure was confirmed by advanced characterization techniques and the release profile of cefepime was analysed with the respect to pH of the simulated media.


1992 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 2151-2156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Chabreček ◽  
Ladislav Šoltés ◽  
Hynek Hradec ◽  
Jiří Filip ◽  
Eduard Orviský

Two methods for the preparation of high molecular weight [3H]hyaluronic acid were investigated. In the first one, hydrogen atoms in the molecule were replaced by tritium. This isotopic substitution was performed in aqueous solution using Pd/CaCO3 as the catalyst. In the second method, the high molecular weight hyaluronic acid was alkylated with [3H]methyl bromide in liquid ammonia at a temperature of -33.5 °C. High-performance gel permeation chromatographic separation method was used for the isolation and characterization of the high molecular weight [3H]hyaluronic acid. Molecular weight parameters for the labelled biopolymers were Mw = 128 kDa, Mw/Mn = 1.88 (first method) and Mw = 268 kDa, Mw/Mn = 1.55 (second method). The high molecular weight [3H]hyaluronic acid having Mw = 268 kDa was degraded further by specific hyaluronidase. Products of the enzymatic depolymerization were observed to be identical for both, labelled and cold biopolymer. This finding indicates that the described labelling procedure using [3H]methyl bromide does not induce any major structural rearrangements in the molecule.


2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1228-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nagraj Mani ◽  
Christian H. Gross ◽  
Jonathan D. Parsons ◽  
Brian Hanzelka ◽  
Ute Müh ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Antibiotics with novel mechanisms of action are becoming increasingly important in the battle against bacterial resistance to all currently used classes of antibiotics. Bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV (topoIV) are the familiar targets of fluoroquinolone and coumarin antibiotics. Here we present the characterization of two members of a new class of synthetic bacterial topoII ATPase inhibitors: VRT-125853 and VRT-752586. These aminobenzimidazole compounds were potent inhibitors of both DNA gyrase and topoIV and had excellent antibacterial activities against a wide spectrum of problematic pathogens responsible for both nosocomial and community-acquired infections, including staphylococci, streptococci, enterococci, and mycobacteria. Consistent with the novelty of their structures and mechanisms of action, antibacterial potency was unaffected by commonly encountered resistance phenotypes, including fluoroquinolone resistance. In time-kill assays, VRT-125853 and VRT-752586 were bactericidal against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis, and Haemophilus influenzae, causing 3-log reductions in viable cells within 24 h. Finally, similar to the fluoroquinolones, relatively low frequencies of spontaneous resistance to VRT-125853 and VRT-752586 were found, a property consistent with their in vitro dual-targeting activities.


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