A simple,rapid and sensitive method based on modified multiwalled carbon nanotube for preconcentration and determination of lead ions in aqueous media in natural pHs

In this study, multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) was modified by the pyridine group using a silane agent and characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermal analysis (TG/DTA), and elemental analysis (CHN) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The application of this sorbent was investigated in determination of lead ions in aqueous samples, using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Through this study, different parameters such as pH and sample flow rate on adsorption process and eluent concentration, volume and flow rate were optimized. The limit of detection (LOD), the relative standard deviation and the recovery of the method were 2 ng mL^?1, 1.3% and 99.7%, respectively. Two standard reference materials (NIST 1571 and NIST 1572) were used to verify accuracy of this method. Finally, the sorbent was successfully applied for extraction and determination of low levels of Pb(II) ions in aqueous samples.     

Gas-phase 21Ne NMR studies and the nuclear magnetic dipole moment of neon-21

Gas-phase ²¹Ne nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were measured at the natural abundance of ²¹Ne isotope for samples consisting of pressurized neon up to 60 bar at room temperature and applying the magnetic field of the strength B₀ = 11.7574 T. It showed that the nuclear magnetic resonance frequency is linearly dependent on the density of gaseous neon. The resonance frequency was extrapolated to the zero-density point, and it permitted the determination of the ²¹Ne nuclear magnetic moment, μ(²¹Ne) = 0.6617774(10) μ_N. The present value of μ(²¹Ne) is not influenced by the bulk magnetic susceptibility of neon and interactions between neon atoms; therefore, it is more precise and reliable than the previous result obtained for μ(²¹Ne).     

Stereological simulations of asymmetric polymerization in channels of bile acid inclusion compounds: A detailed analysis of the monomer arrangements in the channels

We studied simulations by computer graphics to estimate the steric mechanism of the asymmetric polymerization of prochiral diene monomers in channels of inclusion compounds of steroidal bile acids, such as deoxycholic acid (DCA) and cholic acid. We applied a hierarchization method to interpret the crystal structures of bile acids, clarifying that the chiral host molecules associated to form characteristic 2₁-helical assemblies with uneven surfaces. A detailed analysis of the uneven channels in a close-packing state indicated that there were many possible arrangements of the monomers in the channels. The plausible arrangements in the channel could explain a previous study, which showed that the polymerization in the DCA channel yielded chiral polymers with a predominant configuration from prochiral diene monomers, such as 2-methyl-trans-1,3-pentadiene. On the basis of such simulation studies of the arrangements of guest monomers in the channel, we examined a plausible steric mechanism for asymmetric inclusion polymerization. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4648–4655, 2004     

A note on minimization problems and multistep methods

Summary. We use the qualitative properties of the solution flow of the gradient equation to compute a local minimum of a real-valued function . Under the regularity assumption of all equilibria we show a convergence result for bounded trajectories of a consistent, strictly stable linear multistep method applied to the gradient equation. Moreover, we compare the asymptotic features of the numerical and the exact solutions as done by Humphries, Stuart (1994) and Schropp (1995) for one-step methods. In the case of -stable formulae this leads to an efficient solver for stiff minimization problems. Received July 10, 1995 / Revised version received June 27, 1996     

The convex hull property and topology of hypersurfaces with nonnegative curvature

We prove that, in Euclidean space, any nonnegatively curved, compact, smoothly immersed hypersurface lies outside the convex hull of its boundary, provided the boundary satisfies certain required conditions. This gives a convex hull property, dual to the classical one for surfaces with nonpositive curvature. A version of this result in the nonsmooth category is obtained as well. We show that our boundary conditions determine the topology of the surface up to at most two choices. The proof is based on uniform estimates for radii of convexity of these surfaces under a clipping procedure, a noncollapsing convergence theorem, and a gluing procedure.     

Asymptotic and boundary integral formulae for the computational reconstruction of small conductivity imperfections

In this paper we investigate the electrostatic problem of determining conductivity profiles from the knowledge of boundary currents and voltages. We obtain an improved estimate for the voltage potential of a two-dimensional conductor having finitely many circular inclusions and piecewise constant conductivity profile. We derive an asymptotic expansion for the voltage potential in terms of the reference voltage potential and the location, size, and conductivity of the inhomogeneities. This representation is used to formulate the nonlinear least squares problem for estimating the location and size of the inhomogeneities. Required boundary data for the voltage potential are generated numerically by solving a system of integral equations. Computational experiments are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of our identification procedure.     

Aldo Cossu’s Work in Finite Geometry

A survey of the contributions of Aldo Cossu in finite geometry is given. Dedicated to the memory of Professor Aldo Cossu     

On the existence of nontrivial extremal metrics on complete noncompact surfaces

In this paper, we consider the 2-dimensional local Calabi flow on a complete noncompact surface . Then, based on the Harnack-type estimate, we show the long-time existence and asymptotic convergence of a subsequence of solutions of such a flow on with and bounded from above by a negative constant on a ball. For its applications, this will lead to the existence of extremal metrics on a complete noncompact surface of finite topological type. In particular, there exists an extremal metric of nonconstant Gaussian curvature on or Received: 21 June 2001 / 18 January 2002 / Published online: 27 June 2002 Research supported in part by NSC and NCTS.     

Volume comparison and the σk-Yamabe problem

In this paper we study the problem of finding a conformal metric with the property that the kth elementary symmetric polynomial of the eigenvalues of its Weyl-Schouten tensor is constant. A new conformal invariant involving maximal volumes is defined, and this invariant is then used in several cases to prove existence of a solution, and compactness of the space of solutions (provided the conformal class admits an admissible metric). In particular, the problem is completely solved in dimension four, and in dimension three if the manifold is not simply connected.     

Lower Bounds for the Height and Size of the Ideal Class Group in CM-Fields

 We prove that, under the assumption of the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis, the exponent of the ideal class group of a CM-field goes to infinity with its absolute discriminant. This gives a positive answer to a question raised by Louboutin and Okazaki [4]. Received September 10, 2001; in revised form April 5, 2002