Structural heterogeneities in starch hydrogels

Hydrogels have a complex, heterogeneous structure and organisation, making them promising candidates for advanced structural and cosmetics applications. Starch is an attractive material for producing hydrogels due to its low cost and biocompatibility, but the structural dynamics of polymer chains within starch hydrogels are not well understood, limiting their development and utilisation. We employed a range of NMR methodologies (CPSP/MAS, HR-MAS, HPDEC and WPT-CP) to probe the molecular mobility and water dynamics within starch hydrogels featuring a wide range of physical properties. The insights from these methods were related to bulk rheological, thermal (DSC) and crystalline (PXRD) properties. We have reported for the first time the presence of highly dynamic starch chains, behaving as solvated moieties existing in the liquid component of hydrogel systems. We have correlated the chains’ degree of structural mobility with macroscopic properties of the bulk systems, providing new insights into the structure-function relationships governing hydrogel assemblies

Thermodynamics of the iron-carbon-bismuth ternary system: 1473-1873 K

Because of the interest in steelmaking and recycling, the thermodynamics of the Fe-C-Bi ternary system has been studied. The solubilities of bismuth in liquid iron/iron-carbon alloys and solid pure iron have been measured by equilibrating iron/iron-carbon alloys with bismuth vapor. The experiments were conducted in the temperature range from 1473 K to 1873 K and in the range of carbon contents from zero to carbon saturation. Bismuth behavior abides by Henry\u27s law in liquid iron/iron-carbon alloys and solid pure iron. The solubility of bismuth in liquid iron/iron-carbon alloys increases with increasing temperature and decreasing carbon content. The solubility of bismuth in solid pure iron increases with increasing temperature. Thermodynamic modeling in the Fe-C-Bi ternary system was performed using the unified interaction parameter formalism .... The mutual solubility of bismuth and iron was discussed on the basis of the experimental data --Abstract, page iii

Liquid Solution Thermodynamics in the Alumina-saturated Fe-C-Pb System

The solubility of molten lead in alumina-saturated molten iron-carbon alloys was determined as a function of temperature and carbon content. Lead solubility in these melts decreases with decreasing temperature and carbon content. The results were applied to the unified interaction parameter formalisms of Bale and Pelton to develop expressions for predicting lead solubility in this system as a function of temperature and composition

Thermodynamic Properties of Alumina-saturated Iron-carbon-bismuth Alloys

Using direct and indirect equilibration methods, the solubilities of iron in molten bismuth and those of bismuth in molten iron-carbon alloys have been measured over the temperature range 1473-1873 K. the Henrian behaviour of bismuth in molten ferrous alloys allows the calculation of its activity coefficient, which in turn facilitates modelling as a function of temperature and carbon content, using the unified interaction parameter formalism developed by Pelton and Bale. the modelling results generate the expression: lnγ Bi = (15830/T - 1.578)+(-1.124·10 5/T + 74.762)X C + (7.823/T + 3.69)X C 2. a model has also been developed expressing bismuth content in molten iron-carbon alloys as a function of temperature and composition: log(%Bi) = (-2624.5/T + 0.066) + (22522/T - 9.59)(%Bi) + (-2269.5/T + 1.494)(%C) + (846/T - 0.54)(%C) 2

Plasma phospholipid metabolic profiling and biomarkers of mouse IgA nephropathy

IgA nephropathy is the most common form of glomerulonephritis (GN) and it Could progress to end-stage renal failure within 10 years. Participating in biological processes in various pathways, phospholipids as a class of important Constituents in the biomembranes have been paid increasing attention in many fields. However, phospholipids metabolism in glomerular disease was not clear, especially in IgA nephropathy. In this paper, the plasma phospholipid metabolic profile in mouse IgA nephropathy was investigated to discover the potential biomarkers on the progression of this disease by using high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) and the principal components analysis (PCA) as well as partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The experimental mouse models of IgA nephropathy were established by oral immune and BSA injection. It was found that expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the glomeruli had a significant correlation with proteinuria in mouse IgA nephropathy. The association between plasma phospholipids and expression of ICAM-1 in the glomeruli of IgA nephropathy suggested C18:0/CI8:0 PS (phosphatidylserine), C18:0/C22:5 PS (phosphatidylserine) and C18:0/ C20:4 PI (phosphatidylinositol) were possible biomarkers of IgA nephropathy. The results show that the plasma phospholipid metabolic profiles from HPLC/MS combining with PCA and PLS-DA can be used not only to differentiate the IgA nephropathy from the controls, but also to discover and identify the potential biomarkers

Effect of PA-MSHA vaccine on plasma phospholipids metabolic profiling and the ratio of Th2/Th1 cells within immune organ of mouse IgA nephropathy

Phospholipids as a class of important constituents in the biomembranes have been paid increasing attention in many fields. IgA nephropathy is now generally known to be the most common form of primary glomerulonephritis in the world. However, phospholipids metabolism in IgA nephropathy was not clear. Until recently, there was no effective treatment available for patients with IgA nephropathy. In this paper, effect of PA-MSHA vaccine on plasma phospholipid metabolic profile of mouse IgA nephropathy was investigated using high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLUMS) and principal components analysis (PCA). Female Balb/c mice were divided into four groups: model group, control group, PA-MSHA treatment group and medicine control group (dipyridamole + common threewingnut root). The experimental IgA nephropathy model was established by the immunity combination method of oral BSA and injection of SEB. It was found that combination of LC/MS technology with PCA can be successfully applied to phospholipids profile analysis, clearly classify the model group and normal group, and PA-MSHA treatment group is closer to the normal control group than medicine control group. The result showed that Th-2/Th-1 (=CD4+CD30+/CD4+CD30-) of the model group is 20.70 +/- 3.57, which is significantly higher than that of the control group (1.34 +/- 0.14) (P < 0.001). The Th-2/Th-1 ratio of the PA-MSHA treatment group and the medicine control group are lower than that of the model group (P < 0.01). It is suggested that mouse IgA nephropathy has the phospholipids metabolic abnormality, PA-MSHA vaccine cannot only regulate the abnormal phospholipids metabolism mouse with the IgA nephropathy, but also correct the over unbalance of Th-2/Th-1 proportion. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved