Artificial neural network for aspect ratio prediction of lignocellulosic micro/nanofibers

Cellulose - In this work a wide sample analysis, under similar conditions, has been carried out and a calibration strategy based on a careful selection of input variables combined with sensitivity...     

A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study on the Formation of Ag Filaments on β‐Ag2MoO4 Induced by Electron Irradiation

A combined experimental and theoretical study is presented to understand the novel observed nucleation and early evolution of Ag filaments on β‐Ag₂MoO₄ crystals, driven by an accelerated electron beam from an electronic microscope under high vacuum. The growth process, chemical composition, and the element distribution in these filaments are analyzed in depth at the nanoscale level using field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) characterization. To complement experimental results, chemical stability, structural and electronic aspects have been studied systematically using first‐principles electronic structure theory within a quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) framework. The Ag nucleation and formation on β‐Ag₂MoO₄ are a result of structural and electronic changes of the AgO₄ tetrahedral cluster as a constituent building block of β‐Ag₂MoO₄, consistent with Ag metallic formation. The formation of Ag filament transforms the β‐Ag₂MoO₄ semiconductor from n‐ to p‐type concomitant with the appearance of Ag defects.     

Photocontrol of supramolecular architecture in azopolymers: Achiral and chiral aggregation

The absorption spectra and circular dichroism responses upon irradiation with 488 nm circularly polarized light (CPL) have been studied on polymeric films processed from two nematic copolymers containing azobenzene chromophores. Influence of the aggregation and orientation of azobenzenes on the photoinduced chiroptical properties has been analyzed. Moreover, polymeric films and 4 μm planar cells filled with the copolymers were studied by polarized optical microscopy (POM) with the aim of investigating the change of macroscopic optical properties and textures of azopolymers upon irradiation with CPL.     

Inactivation of Virulent Burkholderia pseudomallei by Sunlight

The goal of this study was to determine the sensitivity of virulent Burkholderia pseudomallei to natural sunlight. We describe solar dosimetry calibrated to integrate radiation between 295 and 305 nm and an exposure system that minimizes thermal effects on bacterial cells. Burkholderia pseudomallei cells were either exposed to sunlight in UV transparent dishes or maintained in the dark covered by opaque foil. The cells maintained in the dark remained at constant levels for the duration of all experiments. The exposed cells nearby were killed with a kinetic studied through 5 Log₁₀ inactivation. We found that cells in stationary phase of growth were nearly two-fold more resistant to sunlight than cells in lag or exponential growth. A virulent strain of B. pseudomallei that produced mucoid colonies showed sensitivity to sunlight similar to both a virulent strain that produced nonmucoid colonies and a strain of B. thailandensis . The inactivation of B. pseudomallei by sunlight in different types of water of environmental relevance or inside amoebae was investigated. The sensitivity of virulent B. pseudomallei was calculated and its comparison with previous studies employing monochromatic germicidal light (254 nm) is discussed . This may be the first report in the open literature of the inactivation of a virulent biological threat agent by natural sunlight. These data should assist in estimating the risk for contracting melioidosis and in predicting the time period during which B. pseudomallei remains infectious after an accidental or intentional release in the environment.     

Situations in traffic — how quickly they change

Spatio-temporal correlations of traffic intensity are analyzed employing data collected for the motorway M-30 around Madrid during one week in January 2009. We found that the lifetime of these correlations is the shortest in the evening between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. This lifetime represents a new indicator for the amount of attention that is demanded by drivers in given traffic conditions.     

A Model for Inactivation of Microbes Suspended in the Atmosphere by Solar Ultraviolet Radiation

Solar ultraviolet (UV) light within 280–320 nm (UVB) is the primary cause for virus inactivation in the atmosphere. Only the effect of the direct component has been previously evaluated. We developed a simple regression model to estimate the inactivation of a virus due to direct (unscattered), diffuse (scattered) and total (direct + diffuse) components of solar UV (daily integrated irradiances). The model predicts the maximum number of radiation-days a virus will survive at a given altitude above the ground in rural and urban environments under clear skies. We explored the effect of several environmental variables: visibility, altitude and ground reflectivity. We found that the effect of diffuse radiation on virus inactivation was larger than the direct component. The diffuse irradiance increased with ground albedo (mainly due to reflection of the direct attenuated solar off the ground) and decreased with increased visibility (proportional to aerosol loading in the atmosphere). The diffuse component increased with altitude, but the ratio of diffuse to the total decreased with increased altitude, highlighting the importance of the diffuse component of UV near the ground. Our model may help public health studies in predicting and understanding the effect of environmental parameters on the survival of germs.     

Flip effect in the orientation of a magnet levitating over a superconducting torus in the Meissner state

The torque between a permanent magnet and a toroidal superconductor in the Meissner state is calculated using a model previously proposed based on London’s and Maxwell’s equations. A flip effect on the stable orientation of the magnet as a function of position is demonstrated. At large distances the magnet tends to be perpendicular to the axis of the torus, but when you approach it, at a certain point there is a flip and it tends to be parallel to that axis while being closer than a certain limit. This effect can be easily used as a binary detector for proximity.     

Macrocyclic 14-Membered Ring Diketal Dilactams: Evaluation of their Divalent Cation Binding Properties

The binding abilities of a new class of 14-membered ring ligands bearing diketal dilactam functions were explored by UV-visible spectrophotometry. Their formation constants, determined in THF solution, showed appreciable complexation with divalent cations (stability order: Sr²⁺≥Ca²⁺>Zn²⁺≥Mg²⁺>Ba²⁺) whereas no association was observed with monovalent cations. The stoichiometry of the complexes formed was essentially 1:1 although sometimes a low percentage (<10%) of 1:2 (cation–ligand) species was detected. The corresponding formation constants determined by computation (STAR program) were in the range 1.5<log?β ¹¹<4.8 and 4.4<log?β ¹²<7.1. They depend significantly on the nature of the substituents. In addition, solvent extractions carried out in a water–chloroform system showed the highest constants (log K ^ex) for the most substituted macrocycles 7b and 7c (norephedrine series) with a lipophilic skeleton.     

Copper-containing dendromesogens: the influence of the metal on the mesomorphism

The synthesis and liquid crystalline behaviour of the first and second generations of a dendrimeric structure based on poly(propyleneimine)(DAB-dendr(NH₂)_x) are reported. 4-(4-n-Alkoxybenzoyloxy)salicylaldehydes are used as mesogenic moieties attached at the peripheral amino groups of the dendrimers giving rise to dendromesogens with four and eight mesogenic branches. From these dendromesogens, considered as organic ligands, were prepared six metal-containing dendrimers which incorporate two or four copper atoms in their structures. All the dendrimeric ligands and three of the metal-containing dendrimers exhibit liquid crystalline properties which were studied by optical microscopy, DSC, X-ray diffraction and EPR spectroscopy.