Surfactant-aided catalytic copolymerization of carbon monoxide with ethene in water as a solvent

The perfectly alternated ethene-carbon monoxide co-polymerisation to poly(1-oxotrimethylene) was in the last decade an important topic in the field of catalysis [1]. Since we have focalized our research on the influence of solvent on this reaction [2], we are also interested to study the possibility to use green solvents such as water. In fact, water is cheap, readily available, non-toxic, non-flammable, and safe to environment [3]. The use of water may be interesting for many other reasons, in particular for the possibility to obtain very high molecular weight polymers [2]. The catalytic polymerization is efficiently carried out in methanol by using the [Pd(OAc)2(DPPP)] complex in the presence of an acid (ptoluenesulfonic, TsOH) [1]. By replacing methanol with water it is necessary to use the more expensive but solvable [Pd(OAc)2(DPPP-S)] complex as precursor (DPPP–S is the sulfonated ligand) [4]. As an alternative to the sulfunated ligand we propose to carry out the catalysis in water with the aid of surfactants. Here we report our preliminary results on the preparation of alt- poly(1-oxo-trimethylene) by using the [Pd(OAc)2(DPPP)] complex in water containing a surfactant above the critical micelle concentration. The performance of various surfactants are highlighted

Predator decline leads to decreased stability in a coastal fish community

Fisheries exploitation has caused widespread declines in marine predators. Theory predicts that predator depletion will destabilise lower trophic levels, making natural communities more vulnerable to environmental perturbations. However, empirical evidence has been limited. Using a community matrix model, we empirically assessed trends in the stability of a multispecies coastal fish community over the course of predator depletion. Three indices of community stability (resistance, resilience and reactivity) revealed significantly decreasing stability concurrent with declining predator abundance. The trophically downgraded community exhibited weaker top-down control, leading to predator-release processes in lower trophic levels and increased susceptibility to perturbation. At the community level, our results suggest that high predator abundance acts as a stabilising force to the naturally stochastic and highly autocorrelated dynamics in low trophic species. These findings have important implications for the conservation and management of predators in marine ecosystems and provide empirical support for the theory of predatory control

Recent Activities in the Center for Membrane Biosciences

poster abstractThe Center for Membrane Biosciences (CMB) is active in facilitating collaborative research among center members and other IUPUI community members. A number of seed grants have been made and the results from two will be presented. Recent major funding from the NSF supports a CMB-centered program that promotes intensive undergraduate research opportunities. Project 1: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is characterized by the slow growth of fluid-filled cysts in the kidney tubules and liver bile ducts. We identified LPA (lysophosphatic acid) as a component of cyst fluid that stimulates secretory Cl- and compensatory water flux into cysts through binding of receptors on the basolateral membrane of renal cells. LPA concentrations measured in ADPKD cyst fluid and in normal serum are sufficient to maximally stimulate ion transport. Thus, cyst fluid seepage and/or leakage of vascular LPA into the interstitial space are capable of stimulating secretion from epithelial cells resulting in cyst enlargement. Project 2: Upon the recent acquisition of Center-supported high-resolution mass spectrometers at IUPUI, methods for the analysis of lipid and protein samples to support nascent research endeavors within the CMB are being developed. Identification and quantification of sphingolipids in biological samples as well as other lipidomic experiments will be presented. Project 3: The IUPUI URM Immersion in Interdisciplinary Research in Biological Signaling program targets underrepresented minorities in the biological sciences, and through early and sustained undergraduate research experiences that are intensely mentored at multiple levels, aims to increase the number of underrepresented minorities achieving graduate degrees in the Biological Sciences. The first cohort will begin research in the program during the summer of 2011 and are currently in the selection process

Application of coconut battery waste to graphic as an alternative electrode on primary battery cells

Coconut shell is one of the potential biomass as carbon sources. Coconut shell is converted to charcoal through the carbonization process. The potential of charcoal from coconut shells can be synthesized into graphene. Graphene is a derivative of one of the carbon allotropes, namely graphite, where carbon is in the form of thin plates with sp2 orbitals arranged hexagonally. The process of making graphene which is coconut shell dried in the sun then pyrolysis into charcoal then mixed with activated carbon as a reducing agent at 600 ° C for 1 hour to produce graphene. The graphene produced is characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-Ray (SEM-EDX). The results by XRD analysis showed the resulting peaks were not sharp and slightly widened at the diffraction peaks at 24 ° and 44 °. The results of SEM-EDX analysis at 4000x magnification show the surface size and shape of the structure that is smaller, thinner and reduced buildup on the graphene structure. graphene that has been successfully synthesized was tested on a coin battery. The coin battery cathode which was replaced with graphene succeeded in turning on the light. &nbsp

Protótipo de sistema de segurança criptográfica via porta lógica quântica.

O cifrador XOR não é considerado completamente seguro, pois não há chaves de criptografia verdadeiramente aleatórias, dado que as chaves são geradas em geradores de números pseudorrandômicos a partir de sementes que não podem ser negligenciadas. No entanto, uma chave que destrói a própria semente que a gerou, pode ser considerada verdadeiramente aleatória, pois o seu estado inicial é definitivamente ignorado. Neste trabalho, nós apresentamos um modelo de chaves verdadeiramente aleatórias que podem ser obtidas a partir da porta quântica denominada controlled-NOT (CNOT) usada para emaranhar estados EPR

Uso do R na implementação de um modelo baseado no indivíduo para simular a dinâmica de propagação do HLB do citros.

RESUMO - A citricultura mundial tem sido afetada pela doença conhecida como Huanglongbing (HLB), considerada a mais séria por trazer grandes prejuízos aos citricultores e não possuir cura até o momento. No Brasil, o inseto-vetor responsável por transmitir a doença é o psilídeo Diaphorina citri. Estudos sobre a dinâmica de propagação da doença vem sendo desenvolvidos no âmbito do projeto HLB-BioMath2. Este trabalho apresenta uma implementação em R e Shiny de um modelo baseado no indivíduo (MBI) para estudar a dinâmica espaço-temporal do HLB no Recôncavo baiano. As simulações têm permitido observar o rápido espalhamento da doença pelos pomares, devido à grande capacidade de migração do inseto e ao grande período de incubação da doença nas plantas de citros. O simulador encontra-se em desenvolvimento e tem sido observada a necessidade de otimização do código-fonte pois, devido às características do MBI, o tempo de execução no R é um fator importante a ser observado.CIIC 2017. Nº 17604

Severe leptospirosis in tropical Australia: optimising intensive care unit management to reduce mortality

BACKGROUND: Severe leptospirosis can have a case-fatality rate of over 50%, even with intensive care unit (ICU) support. Multiple strategies-including protective ventilation and early renal replacement therapy (RRT)-have been recommended to improve outcomes. However, management guidelines vary widely around the world and there is no consensus on the optimal approach. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: All cases of leptospirosis admitted to the ICU of Cairns Hospital in tropical Australia between 1998 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients' demographics, presentation, management and clinical course were examined. The 55 patients' median (interquartile range (IQR)) age was 47 (32-62) years and their median (IQR) APACHE III score was 67 (48-105). All 55 received appropriate antibiotic therapy, 45 (82%) within the first 6 hours. Acute kidney injury was present in 48/55 (87%), 18/55 (33%) required RRT, although this was usually not administered until traditional criteria for initiation were met. Moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome developed in 37/55 (67%), 32/55 (58%) had pulmonary haemorrhage, and mechanical ventilation was required in 27/55 (49%). Vasopressor support was necessary in 34/55 (62%). Corticosteroids were prescribed in 20/55 (36%). The median (IQR) fluid balance in the initial three days of ICU care was +1493 (175-3567) ml. Only 2/55 (4%) died, both were elderly men with multiple comorbidities. CONCLUSION: In patients with severe leptospirosis in tropical Australia, prompt ICU support that includes early antibiotics, protective ventilation strategies, conservative fluid resuscitation, traditional thresholds for RRT initiation and corticosteroid therapy is associated with a very low case-fatality rate. Prospective studies are required to establish the relative contributions of each of these interventions to optimal patient outcomes

A novel multivariate STeady-state index during general ANesthesia (STAN)

The assessment of the adequacy of general anesthesia for surgery, namely the nociception/anti-nociception balance, has received wide attention from the scientific community. Monitoring systems based on the frontal EEG/EMG, or autonomic state reactions (e.g. heart rate and blood pressure) have been developed aiming to objectively assess this balance. In this study a new multivariate indicator of patients' steady-state during anesthesia (STAN) is proposed, based on wavelet analysis of signals linked to noxious activation. A clinical protocol was designed to analyze precise noxious stimuli (laryngoscopy/intubation, tetanic, and incision), under three different analgesic doses; patients were randomized to receive either remifentanil 2.0, 3.0 or 4.0 ng/ml. ECG, PPG, BP, BIS, EMG and [Formula: see text] were continuously recorded. ECG, PPG and BP were processed to extract beat-to-beat information, and [Formula: see text] curve used to estimate the respiration rate. A combined steady-state index based on wavelet analysis of these variables, was applied and compared between the three study groups and stimuli (Wilcoxon signed ranks, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests). Following institutional approval and signing the informed consent thirty four patients were enrolled in this study (3 excluded due to signal loss during data collection). The BIS index of the EEG, frontal EMG, heart rate, BP, and PPG wave amplitude changed in response to different noxious stimuli. Laryngoscopy/intubation was the stimulus with the more pronounced response [Formula: see text]. These variables were used in the construction of the combined index STAN; STAN responded adequately to noxious stimuli, with a more pronounced response to laryngoscopy/intubation (18.5-43.1 %, [Formula: see text]), and the attenuation provided by the analgesic, detecting steady-state periods in the different physiological signals analyzed (approximately 50 % of the total study time). A new multivariate approach for the assessment of the patient steady-state during general anesthesia was developed. The proposed wavelet based multivariate index responds adequately to different noxious stimuli, and attenuation provided by the analgesic in a dose-dependent manner for each stimulus analyzed in this study.The first author was supported by a scholarship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT SFRH/BD/35879/2007). The authors would also like to acknowledge the support of UISPA—System Integration and Process Automation Unit—Part of the LAETA (Associated Laboratory of Energy, Transports and Aeronautics) a I&D Unit of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal. FCT support under project PEst-OE/EME/LA0022/2013.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Protocolo de criptografia simétrico baseado em permutações unidirecionais.

Neste artigo, um protocolo de criptografia simétrica utilizando o conceito de permutação unidirecional é apresentado. Os resultados mostram que a probabilidade de inversão da primitiva criptográfica se aproxima de zero mais rápido que o recíproco de um polinômio positivo indicando que uma permutação unidirecional é um gerador eficaz de (pseudo) aleatoriedade e pode ser utilizada na construção de um sistema de criptografia seguro