Quantitation of antioxidants in water samples using ionic liquid dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection

A simple and efficient method, ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV), has been applied for the extraction and determination of some antioxidants (Irganox 1010, Irganox 1076 and Irgafos 168) in water samples. The microextraction efficiency factors were investigated and optimized: 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [C(6)MIM][PF(6)] (0.06 g) as extracting solvent, methanol (0.5 mL) as disperser solvent without salt addition. Under the selected conditions, enrichment factors up to 48-fold, limits of detection (LODs) of 5.0-10.0 ng/mL and dynamic linear ranges of 25-1500 ng/mL were obtained. A reasonable repeatability (RSD≤11.8%, n=5) with satisfactory linearity (r(2)≥0.9954) of the results illustrated a good performance of the presented method. The accuracy of the method was tested by the relative recovery experiments on spiked samples, with results ranging from 85 to 118%. Finally, the method was successfully applied for determination of the analytes in several real water samples.     

Polynomial Root-Finding Methods Whose Basins of Attraction Approximate Voronoi Diagram

Given a complex polynomial p(z) with at least three distinct roots, we first prove that no rational iteration function exists where the basin of attraction of a root coincides with its Voronoi cell. In spite of this negative result, we prove that the Voronoi diagram of the roots can be well approximated through a high order sequence of iteration functions, the Basic Family, B _m (z), m≥2. Let θ be a simple root of p(z), V(θ) its Voronoi cell, and A _m (θ) its basin of attraction with respect to B _m (z). We prove that given any closed subset C of V(θ), including any homothetic copy of V(θ), there exists m ₀ such that for all m≥m ₀, C is also a subset of A _m (θ). This implies that when all roots of p(z) are simple, the basins of attraction of B _m (z) uniformly approximate the Voronoi diagram of the roots to within any prescribed tolerance. Equivalently, the Julia set of B _m (z), and hence the chaotic behavior of its iterations, will uniformly lie to within prescribed strip neighborhood of the boundary of the Voronoi diagram. In a sense, this is the strongest property a rational iteration function can exhibit for polynomials. Next, we use the results to define and prove an infinite layering within each Voronoi cell of a given set of points, whether known implicitly as roots of a polynomial equation, or explicitly via their coordinates. We discuss potential application of our layering in computational geometry.     

Microporous silica with nanolayer structure coated with renewable organic solvent film as a novel extracting phase: A combination of solid- and liquid-phase microextraction

A new method based on combination of solid- and liquid-phase microextraction was developed. For the first time, porous flower-like silica microstructures with nanometric layers were created on the surface of the stainless steel wire by a new facile hydrothermal process. The fiber, coated with a suitable organic solvent, was applied for microextraction of some organophosphorus pesticides from aqueous samples followed by gas chromatography-nitrogen phosphorous detection. Method detection limits were between 0.6 and 3 ng L⁻¹. Relative standard deviations for intra- and inter-day precision were 4.4–7.3% and 5.1–7.8%, respectively. Fiber-to-fiber reproducibility for five prepared fibers was 6.3–8.4%. Tap, river and waste water samples were analyzed for evaluation of the method in real sample analysis. Relative recoveries for spiked tap, river and waste water samples were in the range of 94–101%, 89–97% and 82–103%, respectively. In addition, the method was compared with two commercial solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers, single drop microextraction (SDME) and liquid-phase microextraction (LPME). The present method showed higher extraction efficiency as compared with SDME, LPME and commercial SPME fibers.     

Preparation and properties of a methacrylate-containing siliconized epoxy hybrid monomer and its emulsion copolymerization with styrene/butyl acrylate

The objective of the present work was the synthesis and characterization of a methacrylate-containing siliconized epoxy hybrid monomer and its emulsion copolymerization in the presence of styrene/butyl acrylate monomers. The purity and structural conformation of this monomer were ascertained from FTIR and NMR spectral studies. Thermal properties of the copolymers were investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis. The morphology of copolymers was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and then the effect of siliconized epoxy hybrid monomer concentration on the water absorption ratio was examined. The results show that the water-resistance of the terpolymer films was higher compared with the films of styrene-co-butyl acrylate copolymer.     

Optimal sliding mode control of single degree-of-freedom hysteretic structural system

This paper addresses the controller design problem of a nonlinear single degree-of-freedom structural system excited by the earthquake. Bouc–Wen model, as an efficient hysteresis modeling method, is used to model the system nonlinearity. Sliding mode control (SMC), due to its robustness in dealing with uncertainty, is utilized as the main control strategy. An optimal sliding surface is presented which minimizes the displacement and control force in terms of a quadratic cost function. Two numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy subject to three earthquakes of El-Centro, Rinaldi and Kobe. Simulation results show a significant and considerable reduction in structural response and indicate that the performance of suggested optimal SMC strategy is remarkable.     

Backstepping-based Lyapunov redesign control of hysteretic single degree-of-freedom structural systems

This paper considers the problem of active control design for a hysteretic single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) structural system which is exposed to an earthquake excitation. First, backstepping-based control is used to design a controller for the structural system neglecting the effect of the earthquake disturbance. Then, Lyapunov redesign is utilized to design a robust controller for the system in the presence of the earthquake excitation. The hysteretic part of the structural system is modeled by the well-known Bouc–Wen equation, and this equation is directly utilized in the controller design. The controller is proposed for two cases: (a) when the parameters of the structure and the Bouc–Wen model are known, and (b) when these parameters are uncertain. A Lyapunov function is introduced for the closed-loop system, which guarantees the stability of the system equilibrium point. Since the controllers use the nominal and/or minimum and maximum values of the system parameters, the proposed methods are model based. Numerical evaluations are conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed method. Seven different earthquakes are considered as the external excitations. Simulation results show that the displacement, velocity, and acceleration responses of the controlled structure are reduced significantly compared to the uncontrolled structure.     

Prediction capabilities of classical and shear deformable beam models excited by a moving mass

In this paper, a comprehensive assessment of design parameters for various beam theories subjected to a moving mass is investigated under different boundary conditions. The design parameters are adopted as the maximum dynamic deflection and bending moment of the beam. To this end, discrete equations of motion for classical Euler-Bernoulli, Timoshenko and higher-order beams under a moving mass are derived based on Hamilton's principle. The reproducing kernel particle method (RKPM) and extended Newmark-β method are utilized for spatial and time discretization of the problem, correspondingly. The design parameter spectra in terms of the beam slenderness, mass weight and velocity of the moving mass are introduced for the mentioned beam theories as well as various boundary conditions. The results indicate the existence of a critical beam slenderness mostly as a function of beam boundary condition, in which, for slenderness lower than this so-called critical one, the application of Euler-Bernoulli or even Timoshenko beam theories would underestimate the real dynamic response of the system. Moreover, there would be a roughly linear relation between the weight of the moving mass and the design parameters for a certain value of the moving mass velocity in most cases of boundary conditions.     

Quantitation of atorvastatin in human plasma using directly suspended acceptor droplet in liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection

A simple and sensitive methodology based on liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction (LLLME) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) has been successfully developed for the determination of atorvastatin (AT) in human plasma. AT was first extracted from 4.5 mL acidic aqueous sample (diluted plasma, donor phase, pH 1) at temperature 45 °C through 400 μL 1-octanol for 4.5 min, while being agitated by a stirring bar at 1250 rpm. Then, a 5.5 μL free suspended basic aqueous droplet (acceptor phase, pH 10) was delivered to the top-center position of the organic membrane. The mixture was stirred at 650 rpm for 7.5 min and the analyte was back-extracted into the droplet. Finally, the acceptor phase was taken into a microsyringe and injected directly into the HPLC. An enrichment factor of 187 along with substantial sample clean up was obtained under the optimized conditions. The calibration curve showed linearity in the range of 1-500 ng mL⁻¹ with regression coefficient corresponding to 0.996. Limits of detection (S/N = 3) and quantification (S/N = 10) were 0.4 and 1 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. A reasonable relative recovery (91%) and satisfactory intra-assay (4.4-7.0%, n = 6) and inter-assay (4.9-7.7%, n = 8) precision illustrated good performance of the analytical procedure. This technique was eventually applied for the determination of AT in human plasma after oral administration of 40 mg single dose of drug. The protocol proved to be highly cost-effective and reliable for the screening purpose.     

Assessment of nanotube structures under a moving nanoparticle using nonlocal beam theories

Dynamic analysis of nanotube structures under excitation of a moving nanoparticle is carried out using nonlocal continuum theory of Eringen. To this end, the nanotube structure is modeled by an equivalent continuum structure (ECS) according to the nonlocal Euler-Bernoulli, Timoshenko and higher order beam theories. The nondimensional equations of motion of the nonlocal beams acted upon by a moving nanoparticle are then established. Analytical solutions of the problem are presented for simply supported boundary conditions. The explicit expressions of the critical velocities of the nonlocal beams are derived. Furthermore, the capabilities of various nonlocal beam models in predicting the dynamic deflection of the ECS are examined through various numerical simulations. The role of the scale effect parameter, the slenderness ratio of the ECS and velocity of the moving nanoparticle on the time history of deflection as well as the dynamic amplitude factor of the nonlocal beams are scrutinized in some detail. The results show the importance of using nonlocal shear deformable beam theories, particularly for very stocky nanotube structures acted upon by a moving nanoparticle with low velocity.