Polydiacetylene-supported silica films formed at the air/water interface

Mesostructured silica films have attracted interest as potential platforms for sensing, molecular sieving, catalysis, and others. The fabrication of free-standing silica films on water, however, is challenging due to the need for scaffolding agents that would constitute effective templates. We describe the assembly of thin film at the air/water interface comprising quaternary silicates and polydiacetylene (PDA), a unique chromatic polymer forming two-dimensional conjugated networks, and the use of these films for biological sensing. PDA exhibits a dual role in the system-both as the amphiphilic matrix facilitating immobilization of the silicate colloidal units at the air/water interface and additionally a chromatic reporter that undergoes visible blue-red transitions, accompanied by fluorescence transformations, in the presence of analytes. We demonstrate the application of the silicate/PDA thin films for the detection of bacterial proliferation.     

Experimental analysis on vortex tube energy separation performance

The present study reports the effect of several operating parameters on the thermal performance of the vortex tube. The experimental results indicate that the inlet pressure and the cold fraction are the most significant parameters influencing the vortex tube performance. The experimental data point out that insulation has minimal effect on the vortex tube performance. The same inlet pressure tests show that energy separation increases as number of inlet nozzle increases.     

Existence proof for orthogonal dynamics and the Mori-Zwanzig formalism

We study the existence of solutions to the orthogonal dynamics equation, which arises in the Mori-Zwanzig formalism in irreversible statistical mechanics. This equation generates the random noise associated with a reduction in the number of variables. IfL is the Liouvillian, or Lie derivative associated with a Hamiltonian system, andP an orthogonal projection onto a closed subspace ofL ², then the orthogonal dynamics is generated by the operator (I −P)L. We prove the existence of classical solutions for the case whereP has finite-dimensional range. In the general case, we prove the existence of weak solutions.     

The Elekes–Szabó Theorem in four dimensions

Let F ∈ C[x, y, s, t] be an irreducible constant-degree polynomial, and let A,B,C,D ? C be finite sets of size n. We show that F vanishes on at most O(n^8/3) points of the Cartesian product A × B × C × D, unless F has a special group-related form. A similar statement holds for A,B,C,D of unequal sizes, with a suitably modified bound on the number of zeros. This is a four-dimensional extension of our recent improved analysis of the original Elekes–Szabó theorem in three dimensions. We give three applications: an expansion bound for three-variable real polynomials that do not have a special form, a bound on the number of coplanar quadruples on a space curve that is neither planar nor quartic, and a bound on the number of four-point circles on a plane curve that has degree at least five.     

Novel applications of bipolar fuzzy graphs to decision making problems

Zhang introduced the concept of bipolar fuzzy sets as a generalization of fuzzy sets. Bipolar fuzzy sets have shown advantages in solving decision making problems than fuzzy sets. In this research paper, we study several different types of domination, including equitable domination, k-domination and restrained domination in bipolar fuzzy graphs. We present novel applications of bipolar fuzzy graphs to decision making problems. We also present an algorithm for computing dominating number in our applications.     

Certain Integral Transforms of Generalized k-Bessel Function

The objective of this note is to provide some(potentially useful) integral transforms(for example, Euler, Laplace, Whittaker etc.) associated with the generalized k-Bessel function defined by Saiful and Nisar [3]. We have also discussed some other transforms as special cases of our main results.     

Suppression of flavor symmetry breaking in B decay sum rules

While flavor symmetries are useful for studying hadronic B   decays, symmetry relations for amplitudes and decay rates are usually violated by first order symmetry breaking corrections. We point out two cases in which first order symmetry breaking is suppressed by a small ratio of amplitudes: (1) An isospin sum rule for four B→Kπ$B\to K\pi$ decays, where isospin breaking is shown to be negligible. (2) An SU(3)$\mathrm{SU}(3)$ sum rule for pairs of B→Kπ$B\to K\pi$ and B→Kη₈$B\to K{\eta }_8$, generalized to pairs of B→Kπ$B\to K\pi$, B→Kη$B\to K\eta$ and B→Kη^′$B\to K{\eta }^{\prime }$.     

Separation of organohalides from their microemulsions by the pervaporation technique: Application to the n-butyl bromide/SDS/n-butanol/water system

An n-butyl bromide/sodium dodecyl sulfate/n-butanol/water microemulsion system was chosen as a model of an organohalide-containing microemulsion. Two systems were prepared using the Bourayne method: a water-rich system and an n-butyl-bromide-rich system. The destabilization of this micro-organized system and the phase separation were investigated. This microemulsion, in which the oil phase in the feed is the lower layer, was successfully destabilized using the pervaporation technique with polydimethylsiloxane and poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes. In this way, different factors governing the separation process were investigated such as the mass transfer and the effect of time and operating temperature on the microemulsion destabilization.     

Estimation of background radiation levels and associated health risks in mineral rich district Chiniot,Pakistan

The mineral extraction activities may disturb the natural radioactivity, therefore current study aims to generate baseline data of natural radionuclides and anthropogenic ¹³⁷Cs before the start of industrial activities. Gamma spectrometry and gross alpha and beta counting systems were used for activity measurement in environmental samples. In soil, the mean activity of ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra, ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs were determined as 79 (66–117), 47 (34–80), 823 (602–1159) and 1.3 (1.1–4.5) Bq kg^?1, respectively. The average annual effective dose rate (128.7 µSv h^?1) in the study area was twice higher than world’s average value. Indoor hazard index was greater than unity at two places; therefore, proper ventilation is proposed during construction.