6 Bipolar Electrochemistry for Synthesis

Bipolar electrochemistry has gained remarkable interest in recent years, especially in the fields of materials science and organic electrosynthesis. This is due to the interesting features of this particular electrochemical technology, such as the contactless nature of the electrochemical reactions, the use of low concentrations of supporting electrolytes, and the synergetic action of electrophoresis and electrolysis. In this chapter, the most important contributions regarding bipolar electrochemistry for the electrosynthesis of novel functional materials are reviewed. These contributions include the most traditional industrial applications and bipolar reactors for electroorganic synthesis, as well as innovative approaches for the fabrication of anisotropic materials and gradient surfaces. The peculiar characteristics of bipolar electrochemistry in these fields are emphasized.

Genetic background affects the mucosal SIgA levels, parasite burden, lung inflammation and susceptibility of male mice to Ascaris suum infection.

Ascariasis is a neglected tropical disease, widespread in the world and causing important socioeconomic impacts. The presence of various stages of worm development in the pulmonary and intestinal mucosa induces a humoral and cellular immune response. However, although there is much evidence of the protective role of mucosal immunity against various pathogens, including helminthes, there is still a gap in the knowledge about the immune response and the mechanisms of action that are involved in protection against diseases, especially in the initial phase of ascariasis. Then, the aim of this study was to evaluate the kinetic aspects of the immune parasitological parameters in intestinal and pulmonary mucosa in male mice with early ascariasis. Therefore, two mice strains showed a different susceptibility to ascariasis (BALB/c and C57BL6/j), when experimentally infected with 2,500 infective eggs of Ascaris suum from time-point 0 and the immune parasitological parameters evaluated each two days after infection, during the period of 12 days. The results were suggestive of a synergetic action of intestinal and pulmonary SIgA contributing for the protection against early ascariasis by reducing the amount of migrating larval as well as the influx of leukocytes in the lung and the consequent impair of the pulmonary capacity.

Potentials of the Extracts of Algerian Saharan Plant Cotula cinerea for the Management of Two Insect Pests, Aphis fabae and Tribolium castaneum

The insecticidal potential of the Saharan plant Cotula cinerea, was evaluated on two insect species namely Aphis fabae and Tribolium castaneum by topical application (contact toxicity) and repellency test. A crude ethanolic extract of aerial part of the plant was prepared and tested in the laboratory on adults of both species. For contact toxicity, five doses were tested on each of the two species 1.56, 3.12, 6.25, 12.5 and 25 mg/ml for A. fabae and 25, 50, 250, 350 and 500 µg/insect for T. castaneum. The repellency of the extract was studied at the dose 500 μg/insect for T. castaneum and 25 µg/ml for A. fabae. Results showed that the repellency of the extract increased with exposure time and the highest rates were observed after 4 h of exposure (72.33 ± 22% for T. castaneum and 87 ± 3.6% for A. fabae). For insecticidal activity, at the highest doses (25 mg/ml and 500 µg/ml), 100% mortality is obtained 72 h after treatment for A. fabae and after 48 h for T. castaneum. The extract of this plant was found to be more toxic against T. castaneum adults. LD50 calculated 24 h after treatment for the two species is estimated at 1.7 mg/ml for A. fabae and at 30.3 µg/insect for T. castaneum. The extract of this plant inhibited the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in both insect species. This result suggests that this plant has a neurotoxic effect on A. fabae and T. castaneum. The results of phytochemical study showed that the plant is mainly rich in flavonoids, gallic tannins, alkaloids, saponosides and glucosides. The insecticidal effect obtained in this study could be due to the synergetic action of all constituents of the extract. Results suggest the possibility of using the extracts of this plant in integrated pest management to replace the chemical insecticides.

Modeling of Synergetic Action of Radiation and Chemical Pollution on the Environmental Safety

The present paper provides a simple mathematical model that describes the synergistic interaction of environmental factors that occur in urban ecosystem. The model predicts the value of maximum synergistic action and the condition for its achievement, as well as implies the dependence of synergistic action on the intensity of the agents used and the proportion of irreversible damages after the combined effects. The developed mathematical model can be used to predict the accumulation of pollution in the ground layer of soil.

Laser-driven structural transformations in dextran-graft-PNIPAM copolymer/Au nanoparticles hybrid nanosystem: the role of plasmon heating and attractive optical forces

Structural transformations in D-g-PNIPAM/AuNPs hybrid nanosystem arise from the synergetic action of plasmonic heating and attractive optical plasmonic forces.

Suppression of oligomer formation in glucose dehydration by CO2 and tetrahydrofuran

The synergetic action of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and low-pressure CO2 (1.0 MPa) is favourable for effective inhibition of humin precursor (i.e., oligomer) formation in the conversion of glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF).