Development of a Chitosan/Nickel Phthalocyanine Composite Based Conductometric Micro-sensor for Methanol Detection

Thin-film composite of chitosan/nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc) was electrochemically deposited on the fingers of interdigitated gold electrodes, applying chronoamperometric polymerization technique. The presence of crystallized NiPc in the chitosan was confirmed by EDX and FTIR analysis. Acetone, ethanol, and methanol gas-sensing properties of the films prepared at optimum conditions were studied at atmospheric temperature, through differential measurements at an optimized frequency of 10 kHz, using a lock-in amplifier. The conductometric sensor presents the highest sensitivity of 60.2 μS.cm⁻¹(v/v) for methanol and 700 ppm as the limit of detection. For validation, the methanol content of a commercial rubbing alcohol was determined.     

The behavior of capillary suspensions at diverse length scales: From single capillary bridges to bulk

Liquid-liquid-solid systems are becoming increasingly common in everyday life with many possible applications. Here, we focus on a special case of such liquid-liquid-solid systems, namely, capillary suspensions. These capillary suspensions originate from particles that form a network based on capillary forces and are typically composed of solids in a bulk liquid with an added secondary liquid. The structure of particle networks based on capillary bridges possesses unique properties compared with networks formed via other attractive interactions where these differences are inherently related to the properties of the capillary bridges, such as bridge breaking and coalescence between adjacent bridges. Thus, to tailor the mechanical properties of capillary suspensions to specific requirements, it is important to understand the influences on different length scales ranging from the dynamics of the bridges with varying external stimuli to the often heterogeneous network structure.     

Diffusion Model of a Non-Integer Order PIγ Controller with TCP/UDP Streams

In this article, a way to employ the diffusion approximation to model interplay between TCP and UDP flows is presented. In order to control traffic congestion, an environment of IP routers applying AQM (Active Queue Management) algorithms has been introduced. Furthermore, the impact of the fractional controller PIγ and its parameters on the transport protocols is investigated. The controller has been elaborated in accordance with the control theory. The TCP and UDP flows are transmitted simultaneously and are mutually independent. Only the TCP is controlled by the AQM algorithm. Our diffusion model allows a single TCP or UDP flow to start or end at any time, which distinguishes it from those previously described in the literature.     

PSO-LSSVM对LIBS定量分析精度的提高

针对土壤定量分析受基体效应影响大，LIBS定量分析精度不佳等问题，采用粒子群算法对LSSVM进行优化，提高模型的精确度。选取Pb Ⅰ 405.78 nm和Cr Ⅰ 425.44 nm作为分析谱线进行分析。采集十二个不同浓度样品的特征光谱，每个浓度样品在不同点采集20组数据，将其中17组数据设为训练集，3组数据设为预测集，用LSSVM和PSO-LSSVM两种方法建立定标模型。对比两种模型的拟合相关系数（R2）、训练集均方根误差（RMSEC）和预测集均方根误差(RMSEP)。由于自吸收效应的影响，随着浓度的增加，预测值逐渐低于实际值，LSSVM定标模型的拟合程度较低，无法达到实验要求，模型性能有待提高。利用粒子群算法对LSSVM的模型参数惩罚系数和核函数参数进行优化，得到最佳的参数组合，Pb元素为(8 096.8, 138.865 7)，Cr元素为(4 908.6, 393.563 5)，用最佳的参数组合构建LSSVM的定标模型。相比于LSSVM，PSO-LSSVM定标模型的精确度更高，Pb和Cr元素的R2提高到了0.982 8和0.985 0，拟合效果明显提升。Pb和Cr元素的训练集均方根误差由0.026 0 Wt%和0.027 2 Wt%下降到0.022 4 Wt%和0.019 1 Wt%，预测集均方根误差由0.101 8 Wt%和0.078 8 Wt% 下降到0.045 8 Wt%和0.042 0 Wt%，模型的稳定性进一步提高。说明PSO-LSSVM算法能够更好地降低土壤基体效应和自吸收效应带来的影响，提高分析结果的精确度与稳定性。     

X-ray emission for Ar11+ ions impacting on various targets in the collisions near the Bohr velocity

X-ray emission from the collisions of 3 MeV Ar¹¹⁺ ions with V, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn is investigated. Both the x-rays of the target atom and projectile are observed simultaneously. The x-ray yield is extracted from the original count. The inner-shell ionization cross section is estimated by the binary encounter approximation model and compared with the experimental result. The remarkable result is that the Ar K-shell x-ray yield is diminished with the target atomic number increasing, which is completely opposite to the theoretical calculation. That is interpreted by the competitive consumption of the energy loss for the ionization of inner-shell electrons between the projectile and target atom.     

Negative thermal expansion in NbF_3 and NbOF_2:A comparative theoretical study

Thermal expansion control is always an obstructive factor and challenging in high precision engineering field. Here,the negative thermal expansion of Nb F_3 and Nb OF_2 was predicted by first-principles calculation with density functional theory and the quasi-harmonic approximation(QHA). We studied the total charge density, thermal vibration, and lattice dynamic to investigate the thermal expansion mechanism. We found that the presence of O induced the relatively strong covalent bond in Nb OF_2, thus weakening the transverse vibration of F and O in Nb OF_2, compared with the case of Nb F_3.In this study, we proposed a way to tailor negative thermal expansion of metal fluorides by introducing the oxygen atoms.The present work not only predicts two NTE compounds, but also provides an insight on thermal expansion control by designing chemical bond type.     

对称向量拟均衡问题有效解的存在性

利用标量化方法建立对称向量拟均衡问题有效解的存在性定理。作为标量化方法的应用，利用这一方法得到向量变分不等式和拟向量变分不等式有效解的存在性定理。     

Removal of single and dual ring thiophene’s from dodecane using cavitation based processes

Utilising cavitation for enhancing oxidative desulphurization has been investigated for nearly-two decades with recent investigations shifting focus from low-capacity acoustic cavitation (AC) to scalable hydrodynamic cavitation (HC). This work focuses on developing a viable means for removing thiophene’s from fuels. In the first phase of this work, use of vortex based HC devices for removal of single and dual ring thiophenes from dodecane was investigated. HC was shown to be able to remove single ring thiophene from dodecane without using any external catalyst or additives. However, in absence of catalyst or additives, it was not possible to remove dual ring thiophenes such as dibenzothiophene using HC. Therefore, in the second phase of this work, various strategies based on use of catalyst or additives to augment cavitation based process were investigated. AC based experiments were opted for shortlisting suitable catalysts and additives for intensifying cavitation based processes. The influence of using oxidant (H₂O₂) and carboxylic acid catalysts on efficacy of removal of dual ring thiophenes is presented. Several conditions were tested, and the optimal volumetric ratios of 0.95 v/v % H₂O₂ and 6.25 v/v % HCOOH was identified and utilised throughout the remainder of the study. Regeneration of extractant which accumulates oxidised sulphur species from dodecane was also investigated using AC. The additives and process conditions reported in this work are useful for enhancing desulphurization performance.     

Stability of Multiplier Ideal Sheaves

Chinese Annals of Mathematics, Series B - In the present article, the authors find and establish stability of multiplier ideal sheaves, which is more general than strong openness.     

Particle manipulation via integration of electroosmotic flow of power-law fluids with standing surface acoustic waves (SSAW)

Standing surface acoustic wave (SSAW) based microfluidic devices have shown great promise toward fluid and particle manipulation applications in medicine, chemistry, and biotechnology. In this article, we present an analytical model for investigating continuous manipulation of particles (both synthetic and biological) within electroosmotic flow of non-Newtonian bio-fluids in a microfluidic channel under the influence of standing surface acoustic waves (SSAW). The particles are injected along the center of channel into the electroosmotically driven flow of power-law fluids, wherein their transport through the SSAW region is dictated by the hydrodynamic, electrophoretic, and acoustic forces. We first present a mathematical model to analyze the characteristics of electroosmotic flow of non-Newtonian power-law fluids in a hydrophobic slit microchannel. Next, we investigate the trajectories of particles in the flow field due to the combined effect of electroosmotic, electrophoretic, and acoustophoretic forcing mechanisms. The effect of key parameters such as particle size, their physical properties, input power, flow rate, and flow behavior index on the particle trajectories is examined while including the effect of the channel walls. The presented model delineates the methodologies of improving SSAW-based particle separation technology by considering the fluid rheology as well as the surface properties of the channel walls. Therefore, we believe that this model can serve as an efficient tool for device design and quick optimizations to explore novel applications concerning the integration of electroosmotic flows with acoustofluidic technologies.