Electrolytes

Fusarium circinatum is the causal agent of pitch canker disease affecting Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga menziesii worldwide. Under strict quarantine measures, alternative approaches for disease control are necessary. Phosphite (Phi) salts are known for their fungicidal activity and as plant resistance elicitors; however, its potential is yet to be acknowledged in the Pinus-F. circinatum model. The main aim of this study was to assess whether the application of a Phi-based commercial formulation would delay the progression of the pitch canker on Pinus radiata plants, and on the in vitro fungal growth. In vitro assays were performed using different Phi concentrations (1% and 4%) and a non-treated control (0%), and repeated in vivo using inoculated and non-inoculated plants. Plant physiological parameters and hormonal content were evaluated. Phi was effective at inhibiting in vitro mycelial growth in a dose dependent manner. Regardless of fungal inoculation, Phi application induced positi...

A new circuit was designed to automatically compensate for measurement errors of an electronic apex locator in various electrolytes. Thirty-one root canals were clinically tested for accuracy. A file was inserted into the canal until the apex signal was obtained, at which point the file was immobilized with glass-ionomer cement. After extraction, the apical area was exposed and the position of the file tip was examined under an operating microscope. Distances from the major foramen and cemento dentinal junction (CDJ) were recorded. The average distance from the major foramen was -0.13 mm with a range of -1.28 mm and +0.46 mm. The average distance in 26 detectable CDJ samples was +0.18 mm with a range of -0.98 mm and +0.65 mm. The measurements, which were within +/- 0.5 mm, were 94% (29/31) from the major foramen and 92% (24/26) from the CDJ. Measurement consistencies within one SD were 81% for the major foramen and 65% for the CDJ, respectively. Measurements within two SD were 97% f...

We study the liquid structure and solvation forces of dense monovalent electrolytes (LiCl, NaCl, CsCl, and NaI) in a nanometer slab-confinement by explicit-water molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, implicit-water Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, and modified Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) theories. In order to consistently coarse-grain and to account for specific hydration effects in the implicit methods, realistic ion-ion and ion-surface pair potentials have been derived from infinite-dilution MD simulations. The electrolyte structure calculated from MC simulations is in good agreement with the corresponding MD simulations, thereby validating the coarse-graining approach. The agreement improves if a realistic, MD-derived dielectric constant is employed, which partially corrects for (water-mediated) many-body effects. Further analysis of the ionic structure and solvation pressure demonstrates that nonlocal extensions to PB (NPB) perform well for a wide parameter range when compared to MC simulations, whereas all local extensions mostly fail. A Barker-Henderson mapping of the ions onto a charged, asymmetric, and nonadditive binary hard-sphere mixture shows that the strength of structural correlations is strongly related to the magnitude and sign of the salt-specific nonadditivity. Furthermore, a grand canonical NPB analysis shows that the Donnan effect is dominated by steric correlations, whereas solvation forces and overcharging effects are mainly governed by ion-surface interactions. However, steric corrections to solvation forces are strongly repulsive for high concentrations and low surface charges, while overcharging can also be triggered by steric interactions in strongly correlated systems. Generally, we find that ion-surface and ion-ion correlations are strongly coupled and that coarse-grained methods should include both, the latter nonlocally and nonadditive (as given by our specific ionic diameters), when studying electrolytes in highly inhomogeneous situations.

Objective. This study aims to distinguish blood gas changes in horses with colic syndrome in which small or large intestine is affected. Materials and methods. Thirty Mangalarga Marchador horses were assessed, divided into groups according to the affected intestinal segment in episodes of colic syndrome (ECS): a group (N=10) of horses suffering from ECS with lesions only in the small intestine, a group (N=10) of horses suffering from ECS with lesions only in the large intestine and a group (N=10) of healthy horses (control). All the animals with ECS were submitted to exploratory laparotomy in order to establish the intestinal segment affected. Blood samples were collected by venipuncture, before surgical procedure to determine sodium, potassium, chloride, urea, glucose, hematocrit, hemoglobin, pH, carbon dioxide partial pressure, total carbon dioxide concentration, bicarbonate, base excess and anion gap. Results. No significant changes were found in plasma levels of Na+, K+, Cl-, pCO2 and anion gap in any type of ECS. Horses with small intestine injuries presented higher levels of tCO2, urea and bicarbonate compared to those with large intestine injuries and to the control group, as well as higher levels of glucose and base excess than the control group. Conclusions. Horses with colic syndrome bearing small intestine injuries show wider variations in the blood gas parameters than horses with large bowel lesions.

The electrochemical behavior of Cu–Ni alloys with different Ni contents (5–65mass%) in acidic sulfate solutions was investigated. The effects of working conditions e.g. concentration of sulfate ions, immersion time and temperature were studied and discussed. In this respect, open-circuit potential measurements, polarization techniques and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used. Potentiodynamic measurements revealed that the increase in the Ni content

Pyridine Boron Trifluoride (PBF)-based electrolyte additive blends for Li[Ni0.42Mn0.42Co0.16]O2 (NMC442)/graphite pouch cells have been systematically investigated. Other additives investigated in the blends included methylene methane disulfonate (MMDS) and ethylene sulfate (DTD). Ultra-high precision coulometry (UHPC), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), gas evolution and long-term cycling experiments were made. The results obtained in this work indicate that MMDS and DTD have good compatibility with PBF-type additives and some of their combinations showed significant improvements in coulombic efficiency, reducing impedance and maintaining good capacity retention during high-voltage cycling compared to PBF-type additives alone.

The stability of a total nutrient admixture (TNA) has been postulated to be less than 7 days in refrigerated storage. When a TNA destabilizes, lipid particles coalesce and enlarge. Liposomes larger than 6 microns can obstruct pulmonary capillaries. A TNA containing 1500 ml of 7% Vamin, 1000 ml of 50% dextrose and 500 ml of 10% Intralipid, including the usual electrolytes, minerals and vitamins, was studied. Liposome size was measured in the original Intralipid and the TNA at intervals up to 14 days at 4 degrees C followed by 2 days at 22 degrees C. There was a small increase in liposome size up to 16 days. However, the number of particles larger than 6 microns was insignificant (by light microscopy, 3.9 +/- 2.4 [+/- SD] per 20 high-power fields; by Coulter counter, 99.8% smaller than 1.9 microns, with 0% larger than 6 microns; and by electron microscopy, 100% smaller than 2.0 microns). The osmolality and pH of the TNA were 1472 +/- 31 mOsm/kg and 5.5 +/- 0.1 respectively (mean +/- S...

The general solution to the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation for two parallel charged plates, either inside a symmetric electrolyte, or inside a 2q:-q asymmetric electrolyte, is found in terms of Weierstrass elliptic functions. From this we derive some exact asymptotic results for the interaction between charged plates, as well as the exact form of the renormalized surface charge density.

The aqueous solubility of BaSO 4 and SrSO 4 in salt-containing solutions plays a crucial role in process industries and oilfield operations. Small variations in thermodynamic conditions result in precipitation and co-precipitation of these salts, mainly owing to their limited solubility in aqueous solutions. Understanding the environmental chemistry of BaSO 4 and SrSO 4 requires accurate knowledge of their solubility and thermodynamic behaviors. In this study, a general solubility prediction model based on a least square support vector machine and differential evolution algorithm was developed that is able to handle solubility predictions for BaSO 4 in single salt solutions containing NaCl, CaCl 2 , MgCl 2 , KCl, KBr, Na 2 SO 4 , and Na 2 B 4 O 7 , and for SrSO 4 solubility, it can handle predictions for single, binary, and ternary salt solutions containing NaCl, CaCl 2 , and MgCl 2 over a wide range of temperatures and pressures. Model predictions agree excellently with experimental measurements, yielding an overall correlation coefficient (R 2) of 0.9911 and an Average Absolute Error of 6.24%. A comparison of the general solubility prediction model with the Pitzer ion-interaction model revealed that both the models perform well in single salt solutions, while the Pitzer model fails to produce accurate solubility predictions when the aqueous system is extended to binary and ternary electrolyte mixtures.

This review presents data from the literature on oral adverse reactions from the perspectives of subjective feelings of dry mouth (xerostomia) and objective measures of salivary gland hypofunction during and after cancer therapy. Special emphasis is paid to the mechanisms behind xerostomia, impaired saliva secretion and changes in the composition of saliva and to how these relate to radiation therapy involving the salivary glands and to systemic chemotherapy. The oral complications that relate to such iatrogenic changes in salivary gland function are also discussed.

The physical basis for electrical stimulation of excitable tissue, as used by electrophysiological researchers and clinicians in functional electrical stimulation, is presented with emphasis on the fundamental mechanisms of charge injection at the electrode/tissue interface. Faradaic and non-Faradaic charge transfer mechanisms are presented and contrasted. An electrical model of the electrode/tissue interface is given. The physical basis for the origin of electrode potentials is given. Various methods of controlling charge delivery during pulsing are presented. Electrochemical reversibility is discussed. Commonly used electrode materials and stimulation protocols are reviewed in terms of stimulation efficacy and safety. Principles of stimulation of excitable tissue are reviewed with emphasis on efficacy and safety. Mechanisms of damage to tissue and the electrode are reviewed.

A comparative proteomic approach has been adopted in combination with physiological and biochemical analysis of tomato leaves responding to waterlogging stress. Waterlogging resulted in increases of relative ion leakage, lipid peroxidation and in vivo H2O2 content, whereas the chlorophyll content was decreased. Histocytochemical investigations with 3,3′-diaminobenzidine to localize H2O2 and Evans blue to detect dead cells suggested that oxidative stress has a significant role to leaf senescence. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), the most abundant leaf protein, was successfully reduced from the samples by a fractionation method based on 15% polyethylene glycol (PEG). Elimination of Rubisco was further confirmed by Western blot analysis. To elucidate the temporal changes of the protein patterns in tomato leaves, the total soluble and the PEG-fractionated proteins were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and visualized by Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining. A total of 52 protein spots were differentially expressed, wherein 33 spots were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry or electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) analysis. The identified proteins are involved in several processes, i.e. photosynthesis, disease resistance, stress and defense mechanisms, energy and metabolism and protein biosynthesis. Results from 2-DE analysis, combined with immunoblotting clearly showed that the fragments of Rubisco large subunit were significantly degraded. This could result from a higher production of reactive oxygen species in leaves under waterlogging stress. Furthermore, four differentially accumulated proteins were analyzed at the mRNA level, confirming the differential gene expression levels and revealing that transcription levels are not always concomitant to the translation level. A number of novel proteins were differentially expressed or appeared only in the PEG-fractionated protein samples, indicating that PEG fractionation system can be used as a versatile protein fractionation technique in proteomic analysis to identify novel or low-abundant proteins from all kinds of plant species.