Determination of direct violet 51 dye in water based on its decolorisation by electrochemical treatment

The decolorisation process of a synthetic textile dye, direct violet 51, was investigated in an aqueous solution using an electrochemical method in a batch electrochemical cell. Graphite electrodes were used as the anode and cathode for the decolorisation process. The parameters such as applied current, initial pH, solution conductivity, interfering ions, and effect of electrodes were optimised. It was found that the dye with an initial concentration of 20 mg L^?1 could be removed after 50 min using a current of 100 mA with colour removal of up to 94 %. The UV-VIS spectra of the dye were analysed prior to and after treatment and these confirmed that the conjugated systems were decomposed at a current of 100 mA. The optimised method was successfully applied to real wastewater samples.     

High density cationic polymer brushes from combined “click chemistry” and RAFT‐mediated polymerization

A simple method for preparing cationic poly[(ar‐vinylbenzyl)trimethylammonium chloride)] [poly(VBTAC)] brushes was used by combined technology of “click chemistry” and reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Initially, silicon surfaces were modified with RAFT chain transfer agent by using a click reaction involving an azide‐modified silicon wafer and alkyne‐terminated 4‐cyanopentanoic acid dithiobenzoate (CPAD). A series of poly(VBTAC) brushes on silicon surface with different molecular weights, thicknesses, and grafting densities were then synthesized by RAFT‐mediated polymerization from the surface immobilized CPAD. The immobilization of CPAD on the silicon wafer and the subsequent polymer formation were characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, water contact angle measurements, grazing angle‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and ellipsometry analysis. The addition of free CPAD was required for the formation of well‐defined polymer brushes, which subsequently resulted in the presence of free polymer chains in solution. The free polymer chains were isolated and used to estimate the molecular weights and polydispersity index of chains attached to the surface. In addition, by varying the polymerization time, we were able to obtain poly(VBTAC) brushes with grafting density up to 0.78 chains/nm² with homogeneous distributions of apparent needle‐like structures. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Investigation of mass attenuation coefficients of water, concrete and bakelite at different energies using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code

The mass attenuation coefficients of water, bakelite and concrete sample defined in the simulation package were obtained using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code at 59.5, 80.9, 140.5, 356.5, 661.6, 1173.2 and 1332.5 keV photon energies. The results for the mass attenuation coefficients obtained by simulation have been compared with experimental and the theoretical ones and good agreement has been observed. The results indicate that this process can be followed to determine the data on the attenuation of gamma-rays with the several energies in other materials. Also, the deposited energy by 661.6 keV photons at several thicknesses of each media was determined as being an important data for radiation shielding studies.     

CHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS ON SOME HYPERICUM SPECIES GROWING IN TURKEY-I

The chemical composition of five taxa of the genusHypericumL. obtained from herbarium specimens has been investigated.Namely, H. adenotrichum Spach(endemic),H. calycinumL.,H. cerastoides(Spach) Robson,H. montbretiiSpach, andH. perforatumL. were subjected to microdistillation to isolate the volatile compounds, which were analyzed by GC/MS.     

Isomers of plamitoleic acid in lipids and volatile substances from the fruits ofZiziphus jujuba

Fatty acid from the dried pulp ofZiziphus jujuba Mill. Contain 33 components with a chain length from 7 to 28 carbon atoms and approximately equal ratio of total saturated and unsaturated, mainly monoenic, acids; among them, the isomers of palmitoleic acid 16:1(7) and 16:1(9) predominate, and sixteen fatty acids of the mixture, including 12:0, 16:0, 14:1(9).Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 4, 449–451, July–August, 1999.     

Korovkin type approximation theorem via Ka−convergence on weighted spaces

In this paper, we study the Korovkin type approximation theorem for K_a‐ convergence, which is an interesting convergence method on weighted spaces. We also study the rate of K_a?convergence by using the weighted modulus of continuity and afterwards, we present a nontrivial application.     

Improvements of Tolerance to Stress Conditions by Genetic Engineering in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae during Ethanol Production

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, industrial yeast isolate, has been of great interest in recent years for fuel ethanol production. The ethanol yield and productivity depend on many inhibitory factors during the fermentation process such as temperature, ethanol, compounds released as the result of pretreatment procedures, and osmotic stress. An ideal strain should be able to grow under different stress conditions occurred at different fermentation steps. Development of tolerant yeast strains can be achieved by reprogramming pathways supporting the ethanol metabolism by regulating the energy balance and detoxicification processes. Complex gene interactions should be solved for an in-depth comprehension of the yeast stress tolerance mechanism. Genetic engineering as a powerful biotechnological tool is required to design new strategies for increasing the ethanol fermentation performance. Upregulation of stress tolerance genes by recombinant DNA technology can be a useful approach to overcome inhibitory situations. This review presents the application of several genetic engineering strategies to increase ethanol yield under different stress conditions including inhibitor tolerance, ethanol tolerance, thermotolerance, and osmotolerance.