Capacitated location allocation problem with stochastic location and fuzzy demand: A hybrid algorithm

In this article, a capacitated location allocation problem is considered in which the demands and the locations of the customers are uncertain. The demands are assumed fuzzy, the locations follow a normal probability distribution, and the distances between the locations and the customers are taken Euclidean and squared Euclidean. The fuzzy expected cost programming, the fuzzy β-cost minimization model, and the credibility maximization model are three types of fuzzy programming that are developed to model the problem. Moreover, two closed-form Euclidean and squared Euclidean expressions are used to evaluate the expected distance between customers and facilities. In order to solve the problem at hand, a hybrid intelligent algorithm is applied in which the simplex algorithm, fuzzy simulation, and a modified genetic algorithm are integrated. Finally, in order to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed hybrid algorithm, some numerical examples are presented.     

Measurement and modeling of osmotic coefficients of aqueous solution of ionic liquids using vapor pressure osmometry method

Osmotic coefficients of binary mixtures containing an ionic liquid, (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, [BMIm]BF₄, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate, [EMIm]ES, and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methyl sulfate, [BMIm]MS) with water were measured until about 3 molal concentrations using vapor pressure osmometry method (VPO) at temperature ranges 298.15–328.15 K and modeled using different electrolyte excess Gibbs free energy models including electrolyte non-random two liquids (NRTL), modified NRTL (MNRTL), mean spherical approximation NRTL (MSA-NRTL), non random factor (NRF), and extended Wilson models. The results show that osmotic coefficient data increase with increasing temperature. The calculated standard deviations of the studied systems show that the applicability of these models for the correlation of VLE properties of ionic liquid solutions. The average standard deviations for the models have the order σ(?) MNRTL < σ(?) Wilson < σ(?) NRTL < σ(?) MSA-NRTL < σ(?)NRF. The results show MNRTL model is able to reproduce experimental osmotic coefficients of aqueous solution of studied ionic liquids with good precision.     

Synthesis and application of a novel magnetic nanosorbent for determination of trace Cd(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) in environmental samples

In this work for the first time, Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ core–shell nanoparticles functionalized with isatin groups as a magnetic nanosorbent was applied for the simultaneous extraction of trace amounts of cadmium(II), nickel(II), lead(II), and zinc(II). The characterization of this nanosorbent was studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometer and thermogravimetric analysis. The effect of several factors such as pH, amount of sorbent, extraction time, type and volume of the eluent, sample volume, sorption capacity, and potentially interfering ions was investigated. In the selected conditions, it was observed that the limits of detection were 0.11 ng mL^?1 for Cd(II), 0.28 ng mL^?1 for Ni(II), 0.47 ng mL^?1 for Pb(II), and 0.21 ng mL^?1 for Zn(II), and the maximum sorption capacity of this suggested magnetic nanosorbent was 120, 112, 100, and 100 mg g^?1 for Cd(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II), respectively. Also, the precision of the method (RSD%) for ten replicate measurements was found 2.5, 2.5, 2.8, and 3.1%, for Cd(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) ions, respectively. Finally, the suggested procedure was applied for determination of cadmium(II), nickel(II), lead(II), and zinc(II) at trace levels in different water and agricultural products with satisfactory results.     

Headspace solid-phase microextraction of menthol using a sol–gel titania-based coating along with multiwalled carbon nanotubes on the surface of stainless steel fiber

Sol–gel coating technology for the preparation of solid-phase microextraction fibers involves a single-step procedure and allows for in situ creation of chemically bonded coatings which are characterized by high thermal and solvent stabilities. A novel titania sol–gel coating was prepared for the first time on a stainless steel fiber and applied for the headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) of menthol with gas chromatography and flame ionization detection. Important parameters influencing the efficiency of SPME process, such as extraction time, extraction temperature and ionic strength, were optimized by central composite design. An extraction time of 40 min at 60 °C gave maximum extraction efficiency, when NaCl (10% w/v) was added to the aqueous sample. The analytical characteristics of the proposed method were comparable with other reported fibers. Under optimized conditions, the linearity was between 0.05 and 100 µg mL^??1. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) determined at 0.5 µg mL^??1 concentration level (n?=?5) were as follows: intra-day RSD 7.26%; inter-day RSD 10.87%; fiber-to-fiber RSD 9.05%. The relative recoveries determined after spiking a mint distillate sample at three concentration levels from 0.067 to 50.0 µg mL^??1 varied from 86 to 102%. The proposed method was successfully applied for the analysis of menthol in peppermint samples.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose at a Ni-curcumin modified glassy carbon electrode

The electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose was investigated on a nickel-basedchemically modified electrode (Ni(II)-curcumin) prepared by electropolymerization of Ni-curcumin complex (curcumin=1,7-bis[4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl]-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione) in alkaline solution. Reaction kinetic and mechanism were investigated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) techniques and steady-state polarization measurements. Cyclic voltammetry studies indicated that in the presence of glucose the anodic peak current of surface redox mediator was increased, followed by decrease in the corresponding cathodic current. This indicates that glucose was oxidized at the surface of this modified electrode. The results were explained based on the concept of electrocatalytic reactions that occur in this chemically modified electrode. The diffusion coefficient of glucose and the rate constant of the catalytic oxidation of glucose were found to be 6.7×10⁻⁶ cm² s⁻¹ and 6.5×10³ M⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. It has shown that by using the Ni-curcumin modified electrode, glucose can be determined with good response and low detection limit.     

Dynamic modelling of milk ultrafiltration by artificial neural network

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been used to dynamically model crossflow ultrafiltration of milk. It aims to predict permeate flux, total hydraulic resistance and the milk components rejection (protein, fat, lactose, ash and total solids) as a function of transmembrane pressure and processing time. Dynamic modelling of ultrafiltration performance of colloidal systems (such as milk) is very important for designing of a new process and better understanding of the present process. Such processes show complex non-linear behaviour due to unknown interactions between compounds of a colloidal system, thus the theoretical approaches were not being able to successfully model the process. In this work, emphasis has been focused on intelligent selection of training data, using few training data points and small network. Also it has been tried to test the ANN ability to predict new data that may not be originally available. Two neural network models were constructed to predict the flux/total resistance and rejection during ultrafiltration of milk. The results showed that there is an excellent agreement between the validation data (not used in training) and modelled data, with average errors less than 1%. Also the trained networks are able to accurately capture the non-linear dynamics of milk ultrafiltration even for a new condition that has not been used in the training process.     

Self-assembled monolayers of a hydroquinone-terminated alkanethiol onto gold surface. Interfacial electrochemistry and Michael-addition reaction with glutathione

An electroactive self-assembled monolayer (SAM) was fabricated by covalent attachment of a novel hydroquinone-terminated dodecanethiol onto the gold surface and its electrochemical behavior was investigated using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The capability of the designed SAM in immobilization of organic molecules onto the gold surface was studied utilizing the Michael-addition as a model reaction. The results obtained from cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance and grazing incidence Fourier transform infrared (GI-FTIR) spectroscopy revealed that, upon applying an anodic potential to the Au-SAM electrode system in the presence of glutathione, the electrochemically generated p-quinone participated in a Michael-addition reaction with glutathione and the corresponding Michael adduct was formed at the solid–liquid interface. The kinetic parameters were then derived for this interfacial Michael-addition reaction.     

Potentiometric membrane sensors based on zirconyl(IV) phthalocyanine for detection of sulfosalicylic acid

A metallophthalocyanine complex with zirconium(IV) ion in the center (as an oxo-zirconium, Zr=O, group) was used in poly vinyl chloride (PVC) membranes for the selective detection of 5-sulfosalicylic acid (SSA). The resulting electrodes demonstrate Nernstian responses over a wide range of sulfosalicylic acid concentration (10⁻⁶ to 10⁻¹ mol dm⁻³) with a slope of about −29 mV per decade. The influence of lipophilic ion-exchanger sites on the response properties of the electrodes was investigated. The optimal potentiometric response was observed for the electrode in the presence of about 150 mol% of cationic additive (relative to ionophore) in the phase membrane. The electrodes have a fast response time, micromolar detection limit and good long-term stability (more than 2 months). The feasibility of the application of these sensors for the potentiometric titration of iron in solutions that were prepared from magnetite samples was investigated.     

Flow injection potentiometry by a new coated graphite ion-selective electrode for the determination of Pb(2+)

A new graphite coated electrode for the determination of Pb²⁺ based on a recently synthesized ionophore 1-hydroxy-2-{2-[2-(2-hydroxy-ethoxy)-ethoxy]-ethoxy methyl}-anthracene-9,10-dione (L) has been developed. The electrode was used in flow injection potentiometry by a home-made flow cell. Under both the batch and flow conditions, the electrode revealed a near Nernstian response over a wide lead ion concentration range (10⁻⁶ to 10⁻¹ M) and very low limit of detection. In flow injection potentiometry, excellent reproducibility (RSD%=0.49%), very high sampling rate (170 injections h⁻¹) and stable baseline was observed in the presence of 10⁻³ M KCl as ionic strength adjuster. The electrode showed high sensitivity and good selectivity for Pb²⁺ over a wide variety of alkali, alkali earth and transition metal ions and the electrode can be used for at least 3 months without any considerable change in potential response. The proposed sensor was successfully applied to the direct determination of lead in real samples and also used for the titrimetric determination of phosphate ions by both batch and flow injection potentiometry.