Controlled synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles from a Zn(II) coordination polymer: Structural characterization,optical properties and photocatalytic activity

A zinc coordination polymer derived from pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate (PDC), {[Zn₂(PDC)₂]}_n, was successfully prepared via conventional, sonication and microwave-irradiation methods. The composition and characteristics of the obtained coordination polymers (CPs) were investigated by elemental analysis, TGA/DTA, X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic techniques. The so obtained CPs were heat-treated in the air at 600 °C for 2 h to produce ZnO of nanosized particles (NPs). It is of interest to note that the synthesis approach of the precursor greatly affects both the nanoparticle size and the structure of the resulting ZnO NPs. Moreover, the smallest particle size was associated with the sample derived from the ultrasonically prepared precursor. TEM analysis revealed that all samples have sphere-like morphologies. Structural analysis of the prepared ZnO samples was conducted and compared using Rietveld analysis of their PXRD patterns. Optical band gap calculations based on analysis of the UV–vis spectra of ZnO samples using Tauc's power law were achieved. The highest band gap of 3.63 eV was observed for ZnO sample obtained from the ultrasonically prepared precursor. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of ZnO NPs for the removal of Eosin Y color was monitored. The highest removal efficiency was recorded for ZnO originated from the ultrasonically synthesized precursor. Enhancement of removal efficiency that reached 98% was attained in only a period of 8 min. Its recycling test showed that it can be reused without structural changes over four cycling experiments.     

Studies on basicity of alkali metal catron exchanged β and X zeolites by pyrrole-IR spectroscopy

The strength of basic sites has been measured by pyrrole-IR on alkali metal cation exchanged β and X zeolites, as well as NaOH loaded Naβ. The influence of cation type and the structure of zeolites on their basicity has been studied. The acidic and basic properties of the samples were investigated by NH3-TPD and isopropanol reaction. It was shown that the strength of basic sites on samples could be characterized by the shift of vNH band in the pyrrole-IR spectra. The framework oxygen charges were calculated from the Sanderson electronegativity. The changes in basic properties with various alkali metal cation are consistent with the changes of local oxygen charges of the zeolite framework.     

Rank-perfect and" weakly rank-perfect graphs

An edge e of a perfect graph G is critical if G−e is imperfect. We would like to decide whether G−e is still “almost perfect” or already “very imperfect”. Via relaxations of the stable set polytope of a graph, we define two superclasses of perfect graphs: rank-perfect and weakly rank-perfect graphs. Membership in those two classes indicates how far an imperfect graph is away from being perfect. We study the cases, when a critical edge is removed from the line graph of a bipartite graph or from the complement of such a graph.     

Stable multi-sets

In this paper we introduce a generalization of stable sets: stable multi-sets. A stable multi-set is an assignment of integers to the vertices of a graph, such that specified bounds on vertices and edges are not exceeded. In case all vertex and edge bounds equal one, stable multi-sets are equivalent to stable sets.  For the stable multi-set problem, we derive reduction rules and study the associated polytope. We state necessary and sufficient conditions for the extreme points of the linear relaxation to be integer. These conditions generalize the conditions for the stable set polytope. Moreover, the classes of odd cycle and clique inequalities for stable sets are generalized to stable multi-sets and conditions for them to be facet defining are determined.  The study of stable multi-sets is initiated by optimization problems in the field of telecommunication networks. Stable multi-sets emerge as an important substructure in the design of optical networks. Received: February 14, 2001/Revised version: September 7, 2001     

Commuting and stable feedback design for switched linear systems

In the paper, commuting and stable feedback design for switched linear systems is investigated. This problem is formulated as to build up suitable state feedback controller for each subsystem such that the closed-loop systems are not only asymptotically stable but also commuting each other. A new concept, common admissible eigenvector set (CAES), is introduced to establish necessary/sufficient conditions for commuting and stable feedback controllers. For second-order systems, a necessary and sufficient condition is established. Moreover, a parametrization of the CAES is also obtained. The motivation comes from stabilization of switched linear systems which consist of a family of LTI systems and a switching law specifying the switching between them, where if all the subsystems are stable and commuting each other, then the total system is stable under arbitrary switching.     

Fine Dry Grinding of Zeolite in a Laboratory Ball Mill

This paper presents the importance and usage of natural zeolites, which was recently recognized in the industry. Therefore, the grinding properties of natural zeolite were studied with the emphasis on a kinetic study in a ball mill. The experimental mill employed was laboratory sized, 200 mm diameter, 191 mm length, providing a total mill volume of 6000 cm³, with a total mass of 5.62 kg of steel balls of 25 mm diameter with a charge of 20% of the mill volume and with a rotation speed of 76 rpm. The breakage parameters were determined by using single sized feed fractions of ?850+600 μm, ?600+425 μm, and ?425+300 μm for the zeolite samples. The S_i (specific rate of breakage) and B_{i, j} (primary breakage distribution) values were obtained for those feed size fractions in order to predict the product size distributions by simulation for comparison to the experimental data. From the experimental results, S_i values increased as the feed sizes became coarser, i.e., the highest S_i value was 0.85 min^?1 for ?850+600 μm, while the lowest S_i value was 0.65 min^?1 for ?425+300 μm feed ground in the mill. The B_{i, j} values obtained for the zeolite sample were γ=0.84, ?=0.61, and β=4.25. The breakage parameters obtained showed that the zeolite is broken faster than quartz and slower than calcite and barite in terms of the a_T values reported previously at the same experimental conditions. The simulations of the product size distributions of zeolite were in good agreement with the experimental data using a standard ball mill simulation program. The slowing‐down effect was also seen in the mill after 4 min. of grinding.     

Probability Interpretation of the Integral of Fractional Order

We establish a relation between stable distributions in probability theory and the fractional integral. Moreover, it turns out that the parameter of the stable distribution coincides with the exponent of the fractional integral. It follows from an analysis of the obtained results that equations with the fractional time derivative describe the evolution of some physical system whose time degree of freedom becomes stochastic, i.e., presents a sum of random time intervals subject to a stable probability distribution. We discuss relations between the fractal Cantor set (Cantor strips) and the fractional integral. We show that the possibility to use this relation as an approximation of the fractional integral is rather limited.     

Stable Ergodicity and Frame Flows

In this note we show that all diffeomorphisms close enough to the time-one map of the frame flow on certain negatively curved manifolds are ergodic. As a simple corollary we deduce that the frame flows are ergodic for all compact manifolds with curvature pinched sufficiently close to –1, thus providing results in the case of manifolds of dimension 7 or 8 which were missing from the results of Brin and Karcher.     

The asymptotic behaviors of a stage-structured autonomous predator-prey system with time delay

In this paper, we consider an autonomous predator-prey Lotka-Volterra system in which individuals in the population may belong to one of two classes: the immatures and the matures, the age to maturity is represented by a time delay. By using eigenvalue analysis, principal term analyze method, reduction to absurdity, and iterative method, we obtain some simple conditions for global asymptotic stability of the unique positive equilibrium point. Moreover, a condition that the prey population in the system get extinction and the predator population in the system get permanence will be obtained. Meanwhile the theorems extend the corresponding conclusions in which there have no two stage structures.     

凸合成模糊对策的模糊稳定集

本建立了凸合成模糊对策的模型，并得到了凸合成模糊对策的模糊稳定集，可由子对策的模糊稳定集表达出来。从而解决了凸合成模糊对策的解的结构问题。