Recent advances on the use of active anodes in environmental electrochemistry

Active anodes, especially those consisting of metal mixed oxides (MMOs) containing Ru and/or Ir oxides, have been applied in the treatment of wastewater, especially when chloride ions are present. Their characteristics continuously drive the study of applications of these materials, be they in the degradation of different organic molecules, the preparation of new electrode materials and in the association of various processes to increase pollutant removal. Thus, this brief review aims to present some of the recent advances in the application of active anode materials in environmental electrochemistry. Focussing on the 2018–2020 period, it is possible to note many applied studies, using commercially available materials, covering a wide range of target pollutants. Still other studies aim to modify the catalyst surfaces to increase the mineralization capacity, and the use of these anodes in the production of free chlorine species to mediate indirect organic reduction is observed.     

Microextraction of metal ions based on solidification of a floating drop: Basics and recent updates

This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of solidified floating organic drop microextraction (SFODME) procedures for metal ions preconcentration and their contributions to green chemistry. In this article we focused on the modifications that have been performed in the recent years to improve this environmentally friendly procedure. Among the most important of these modifications are the inclusion of ultrasonic energy, vortex and air agitation to enhance the dispersion process. The article also discussed new challenges in the procedure by using more ecofriendly solvents as extractants such as ionic liquids, deep eutectic. and supramolecular solvents. The coupling of SFODME with solid phase extraction increases selectivity and efficiency of the preconcentration procedure.     

Fused vs. spiro: Kinetic,not thermodynamic preference may direct the reaction of α-carbonyl oxonium ylides

Rh(II)-catalyzed decomposition of certain cyclic α-diazocarbonyl compounds in the presence of cyclic ethers has been shown to give bicyclic ring expansion products. These are thought to arise from a [1,4]-alkyl shift toward the carbonyl oxygen atom and are in contrast with the recently observed spirocyclic products of a Stevens-type [1,2]-alkyl shift within the postulated oxonium ylide intermediate. Quantum chemical calculations performed at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory showed that the former reaction pathway (toward fused bicycles) is kinetically preferred.     

Spectroscopic characterization of core and shell regions in monolayer protected gold nanoparticles

We report studies on the structure of the metallic core and the alkyl cap layer in monolayer protected gold nanoparticles having sizes down to 1.6 nm. These particles are obtained by laser ablating gold targets in alkane-thiol solutions at different concentrations. The electronic structure of gold core and the vibrational properties of the capping hydrocarbon chains reveal effects connected with the nanosized nature of the particles.     

Global fit analysis including the ν9 + ν4 − ν4 hot band of ethane: Evidence of an interaction with the ν12 fundamental

The ν₉ fundamental band of ethane occurs in the 12 μm region. It is the strongest band of ethane in a terrestrial window and is commonly used for the identification of ethane in the Jovian planets. The ν₉ + ν₄ − ν₄ band occurs in the same region; neither can be analysed as an isolated band, since both are embedded in the torsional bath of the ground vibrational state. We report here two global fit models including data from both of these bands as well as the ν₃ fundamental and the ν₄, 2ν₄ − ν₄, and 3ν₄ torsional transitions. The first is restricted to −5 ? KΔK ? 15 in the hot band and gives an excellent fit to the included data. Three resonant interactions are identified in this fit—a Coriolis interaction with two resonant cases between the ν₉ torsional stack and that of the ground vibrational state (gs) and a resonant Fermi interaction between the ν₃ fundamental and the gs. Hot band lines with KΔK < −5 are influenced by a fourth perturbation, with a crossing at −11 < KΔK < −10, which has been attributed to an interaction with the ν₁₂ fundamental. A second fit, demonstrating a promising treatment of this interaction, is also presented.     

Reciprocating sliding wear behavior of laser-clad small amplitude Mo2Ni3Si/NiSi metal silicide composite coatings

Mo₂Ni₃Si/NiSi metal silicide composite coatings with a fine microstructure consisting of Mo₂Ni₃Si primary dendrites and the interdendritic Mo₂Ni₃Si/NiSi eutectics were fabricated on austenitic stainless steel AISI 321 by laser cladding process. Small amplitude reciprocating sliding wear resistance of the coatings is evaluated as functions of normal load and slip amplitude and the wear mechanisms were discussed based on worn surface morphology observations. Results showed that the Mo₂Ni₃Si/NiSi coatings have excellent small amplitude reciprocating sliding wear resistance.     

Towards molecular-scale electronics and biomolecular self-assembly

This paper provides an overview of recent research developments in the field of nanoelectronics with organic materials such as carbon nanotubes and DNA-templated nanowires. Carbon nanotubes and gold electrodes are chemically functionalized in order to contact carbon nanotubes by self-assembly. The transport properties of these nanotubes are dominated by charging effects and display clear Coulomb blockade behaviour. A different approach towards nanoscale electronics is based on the molecular recognition properties of biomolecules such as DNA. As an example, DNA is stretched between electrodes using a molecular combing technique. A two-step metallization procedure leads to the formation of highly conductive gold nanowires.     

长白山土壤腹足类物种多样性初步研究

自1993年5月至10月对吉林长白山森林生态系统定位站的土壤腹足类进行了多样性调查，据初步调查的结果显示，长白山地区土壤腹足类种类少而单调，采样区仅发现15种，隶属于腹足纲9科13属，采样区土壤腹足类物种多样性指数和丰富度指数都是5月份最低，8月份达最大值，之后逐渐减小；均匀度指数5月份最高，7月份最低；单纯度指数也是5月份最高，最低值出现在10月份，土壤表层的陆生贝类物种多样性指数高于上层。     

A MICROFOUNDATION OF PREDATOR‐PREY DYNAMICS

ABSTRACT. Predator‐prey relationships account for an important part of all interactions betweenspecies. In this paper we provide a microfoundation for such predator‐prey relations in afood chain. Basic entities of our analysis are representative organisms of species modeled similar to economic households. With prices as indicators of scarcity, organisms are assumed to behave as if they maximize their net biomass subject to constraints which express the organisms' risk of being preyed upon during predation. Like consumers, organisms face a ‘budget constraint’ requiring their expenditure on prey biomass not to exceed their revenue from supplying own biomass. Short‐run ecosystem equilibria are defined and derived. The net biomass acquired by the representative organism in the short term determines the positive or negative population growth. Moving short‐run equilibria constitute the dynamics of the predator‐prey relations that are characterized in numerical analysis. The population dynamics derived here turn out to differ significantly from those assumed in the standard Lotka‐Volterra model.