Natural Products as Source of Potential Dengue Antivirals

Dengue is a neglected disease responsible for 22,000 deaths each year in areas where it is endemic. To date, there is no clinically approved dengue vaccine or antiviral for human beings, even though there have been great efforts to accomplish these goals. Several approaches have been used in the search for dengue antivirals such as screening of compounds against dengue virus enzymes and structure-based computational discovery. During the last decades, researchers have turned their attention to nature, trying to identify compounds that can be used as dengue antivirals. Nature represents a vast reservoir of substances that can be explored with the aim of discovering new leads that can be either used directly as pharmaceuticals or can serve as lead structures that can be optimized towards the development of new antiviral agents against dengue. In this review we describe an assortment of natural products that have been reported as possessing dengue antiviral activity. The natural products are organized into classes of substances. When appropriate, structure-activity relationships are outlined. The biological assays used to assess antiviral activity are briefly described

Improvement of the corrosion resistance of electrodeposited Zn-Fe by sol-gel conversion films

An aqueous hybrid inorganic/organic sol-gel solution composed of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) and (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) was applied on ZnFe (14 wt.% Fe) electrodeposited on steel as a sacrificial layer. Two precursor contents were studied: 10 (SG10) and 30 % (SG30). First, the morphology and thickness of the films were assessed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observations. They revealed the presence of micro-cracks in the films without alkaline surface preparation due to the pyramidal shape of the ZnFe deposit. Then, the corrosion resistance of the systems was determined by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Neutral Salt Spray (NSS) test. All results indicated an improvement in the corrosion resistance thanks to the presence of the SG films. However, the protection provided by the SG10 film did not permit to durably protect the ZnFe deposit. The combination of surface preparation and a SG30 film provided promising protection to the ZnFe deposit with an increase of the low-frequency modulus and a delay in corrosion product appearance during the NSS test

Budgetary control for Paint Manufacturers\u27 Association of the United States

Budgetary control is urgently needed in the efficient administration of business for two well defined reasons, as follows: 1. To coordinate the activities of all departments. 2. To centralize executive control. Most concerns do not use a budgetary control system primarily because they either do not understand how to prepare and operate it, or else they do not realize the need of it. From the elementary description given and the reasons cited why the budgetary system should be operated, it is hoped that all members of the Association will review their own requirements and plan some type of budgetary control

A comparative study of different sol-gel coatings for sealing the plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) layer on AA2024 alloy

peer reviewedOwing to the inherent porosity of the coatings produced through the PEO process, the application of sol-gel coatings as a post-treatment has drawn immense attention thanks to their eco-friendly and reliable protective characteristics. Various parameters affect their performance, and the type of sol-gel precursors plays a significant role. In this study, various sol-gel precursors were used to prepare four types of PEO/sol-gel coating systems followed by an investigation of their sealing ability and corrosion resistance properties on AA2024 alloy. The corrosion prevention performance of the coatings was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) along with Scanning Vibrating Electrode Technique (SVET) analyzes. Some chemical characterization tests, such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and rheology measurement, affirmed the influence of the sol-gel chemical composition on its compactness and the network viscosity. The distinctive sealing ability of different sol-gel coatings for the defects and pore filling of the PEO layer was visualized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). To this end, different sol-gel formulations and various sol-gel network properties accordingly caused dissimilar sealing features for the PEO pores and, subsequently, the corrosion resistance of the duplex PEO/sol-gel coating is widely dependent on the used sol-gel precursors.4573 - SEALCERA - Corrosion and tribocorrosion performance of sealed ceramic coatings obtained by plasma electrolytic oxidation - Fédération Wallonie Bruxelle

Engineering Polypropylene-Calcium Sulfate (Anhydrite II) Composites: The Key Role of Zinc Ionomers via Reactive Extrusion.

peer reviewedPolypropylene (PP) is one of the most versatile polymers widely used in packaging, textiles, automotive, and electrical applications. Melt blending of PP with micro- and/or nano-fillers is a common approach for obtaining specific end-use characteristics and major enhancements of properties. The study aims to develop high-performance composites by filling PP with CaSO4 β-anhydrite II (AII) issued from natural gypsum. The effects of the addition of up to 40 wt.% AII into PP matrix have been deeply evaluated in terms of morphology, mechanical and thermal properties. The PP-AII composites (without any modifier) as produced with internal mixers showed enhanced thermal stability and stiffness. At high filler loadings (40% AII), there was a significant decrease in tensile strength and impact resistance; therefore, custom formulations with special reactive modifiers/compatibilizers (PP functionalized/grafted with maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA) and zinc diacrylate (ZnDA)) were developed. The study revealed that the addition of only 2% ZnDA (able to induce ionomeric character) leads to PP-AII composites characterized by improved kinetics of crystallization, remarkable thermal stability, and enhanced mechanical properties, i.e., high tensile strength, rigidity, and even rise in impact resistance. The formation of Zn ionomers and dynamic ionic crosslinks, finer dispersion of AII microparticles, and better compatibility within the polyolefinic matrix allow us to explain the recorded increase in properties. Interestingly, the PP-AII composites also exhibited significant improvements in the elastic behavior under dynamic mechanical stress and of the heat deflection temperature (HDT), thus paving the way for engineering applications. Larger experimental trials have been conducted to produce the most promising composite materials by reactive extrusion (REx) on twin-screw extruders, while evaluating their performances through various methods of analysis and processing

Controlling Lateral Size and Thickness of Layered Double Hydroxide (LDH) Used as Conversion Layer for Corrosion Protection of AZ31 Mg Alloy

peer reviewedIn the present study, Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (Mg-Al/LDH) was synthesized on the surface of AZ31 Mg alloy substrate via in-situ hydrothermal treatment. Synthesis parameters were changed to determine their effect on the lateral size of LDH. For this purpose, etching in nitric acid and anodizing in sodium hydroxide solution were performed as surface pretreatments. Moreover, the influence of LDH solution pH (10 and 11) on the lateral size of LDH coating was investigated. Morphology, chemical composition, and crystalline structure were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The corrosion resistance of the coatings was investigated by H2 measurements, salt spray, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Moreover, the epoxy coating was applied on the best anti-corrosive LDH sample for assessing the compatibility and effectiveness of LDH on the corrosion properties of the substrate with the epoxy layer. At pH = 11, the lateral size of LDH was smaller than samples at pH = 10. In addition, small-sized LDH, as well as LDH/epoxy coating, revealed enhanced corrosion protection

Corrosion mechanisms of AZ31 magnesium alloy: Importance of starting pH and its evolution

peer reviewedThis article aims at improving the understanding of the corrosion mechanism of AZ31 magnesium alloys during a long period of immersion in an aqueous electrolyte. In particular, the influence of the starting pH of the electrolyte on the oxidation of AZ31 alloy and its evolution due to corrosion phenomena were investigated. Several electrolytes with different pH values containing or not chlorides were used. The electrochemical properties of the metal substrate in these electrolytes were studied as a function of immersion time by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The kinetics of the reactions were determined by potentiodynamic polarization as well as dihydrogen evolution measurements by eudiometry. All these tests were carried out while the sample surface and electrolyte volume remained constant. The corrosion products generated on the alloy surface were analyzed by X-ray photoelectrons spectrometry. This study has shown that the evolution of the corrosion rate and the corrosion products depends greatly on the initial pH and the nature of the used electrolyte. Alkaline electrolyte leads to a passive protective layer that can be locally destroyed by chloride ions. For a neutral chloride electrolyte, the strong increase of the pH due to the magnesium corrosion is not able to form a protective layer by precipitation of corrosion products. The kinetic and the corrosion extent are affected by the pH changes

Influence of layered double hydroxide (LDH) lateral size on corrosion resistance of AZ31 Mg alloy

peer reviewe

Recent Advances in Production of Ecofriendly Polylactide (PLA)-Calcium Sulfate (Anhydrite II) Composites: From the Evidence of Filler Stability to the Effects of PLA Matrix and Filling on Key Properties.

peer reviewedThe melt-mixing of polylactide (PLA) with micro- and/or nanofillers is a key method used to obtain specific end-use characteristics and improvements of properties. So-called "insoluble" CaSO4 (CS) β-anhydrite II (AII) is a mineral filler recently considered for the industry of polymer composites. First, the study proves that AII made from natural gypsum by a specifically thermal treatment is highly stable compared to other CS forms. Then, PLAs of different isomer purity and molecular weights (for injection molding (IM) and extrusion), have been used to produce "green" composites filled with 20-40 wt.% AII. The composites show good thermal and mechanical properties, accounting for the excellent filler dispersion and stability. The stiffness of composites increases with the amount of filler, whereas their tensile strength is found to be dependent on PLA molecular weights. Interestingly, the impact resistance is improved by adding 20% AII into all investigated PLAs. Due to advanced kinetics of crystallization ascribed to the effects of AII and use of a PLA grade of high L-lactic acid isomer purity, the composites show after IM an impressive degree of crystallinity (DC), i.e., as high as 50%, while their Vicat softening temperature is remarkably increased to 160 °C, which are thermal properties of great interest for applications requiring elevated rigidity and heat resistance