An Index Theory For Quantum Dynamical Semigroups

W. Arveson showed a way of associating continuous tensor product systems of Hilbert spaces with endomorphism semigroups of type I factors. We do the same for general quantum dynamical semigroups through a dilation procedure. The product system so obtained is the index and its dimension is a numerical invariant for the original semigroup.

     

A sequential technique for the control of traffic intensity in Markovian queues

A sequential parameter control technique previously introduced by the author is modified in this paper so as to make it simple in practice. The detailed procedure involving two phases, a warning phase with control limits and a testing phase using an appropriate test is illustrated for a queueing system with an embedded Markov chain. Operating characteristics of the procedure are also examined.     

Mordenite-incorporated PVA–PSSA membranes as electrolytes for DMFCs

Composite membranes with mordenite (MOR) incorporated in poly vinyl alcohol (PVA)–polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSSA) blend tailored with varying degree of sulfonation are reported. Such a membrane comprises a dispersed phase of mordenite and a continuous phase of the polymer that help tuning the flow of methanol and water across it. The membranes on prolonged testing in a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) exhibit mitigated methanol cross-over from anode to the cathode. The membranes have been tested for their sorption behaviour, ion-exchange capacity, electrochemical selectivity and mechanical strength as also characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Water release kinetics has been measured by magnetic resonance imaging (NMR imaging) and is found to be in agreement with the sorption data. Similarly, methanol release kinetics studied by volume-localized NMR spectroscopy (point resolved spectroscopy, PRESS) clearly demonstrates that the dispersion of mordenite in PVA–PSSA retards the methanol release kinetics considerably. A peak power-density of 74 mW/cm² is achieved for the DMFC using a PVA–PSSA membrane electrolyte with 50% degree of sulfonation and 10 wt.% dispersed mordenite phase. A methanol cross-over current as low as 7.5 mA/cm² with 2 M methanol feed at the DMFC anode is observed while using the optimized composite membrane as electrolyte in the DMFC, which is about 60% and 46% lower than Nafion-117 and PVA–PSSA membranes, respectively, when tested under identical conditions.     

Spectrophotometric determination of ruthenium(III) and iridium(TV) with 8-hydroxyquinoIine N-oxide

The spectrophotometric characteristics and the stability constants of the yellow to brown 1:1 and 1:2 complexes of platinum metals with oxine N-oxide (existing as chloro mixed-ligand complexes) have been investigated. Oxine N-oxide can be used as a spectrophotometric reagent for ruthenium(III) and iridium(IV).     

An Unusual Reaction of Methyl 3,5-Dimethoxybenzoate with Thallium(III)Trinitrate - Trifluoro Acetic Acid

Thallium(III)trinitrate trihydrate (TTN) is known to be a useful and extremely versatile reagent in organic synthesis.^1-5 Its use has been exploited mainly in oxidation and oxidative rearrangements of chalcones, aromatic ketones and phenols. In this communication, we report an unusual reaction of polyoxygenated methylbenzoates with TTN.     

Viscometry in the study of molecular complexes

Viscometric method has been used to study the interaction between the weak interacting systems such as benzene-CCl₄-cyclohexane, toluene-CCl₄-cyclohexane ando- xylene-CCl₄-cyclohexane. The equilibrium constants and other thermodynamic parameters have been reported and compared with literature data.     

Tuning the bandgap of ZnO by substitution with Mn, Co and Ni

ZnO doped with Mn²⁺, Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ have been prepared by the decomposition of acetate solid solutions. Electronic absorption spectroscopy has been used to measure the bandgaps of the doped ZnO samples and the variation of the bandgap with dopant concentration has been examined.     

Orthogonal surface-grafted polymer gradients: A versatile combinatorial platform

Orthogonal polymer brush gradients are assemblies of surface-anchored macromolecules, in which two material properties of the grafted chains (e.g., grafting density, molecular weight) vary independently in orthogonal directions. Here, we describe the formation and applications of two such orthogonal assemblies, involving: (1) molecular weight and grafting density (MW/σ) gradients of a given polymer and (2) molecular weight gradients (MW1/MW2), of two different polymers. Each point on orthogonal gradient substrate represents a unique combination of the two surface properties being varied, thus facilitating systematic investigation of a phenomenon that depends on the two said properties. We illustrate this point by employing orthogonal structures to study systematically: (1) formation of polymer brush-nanoparticle composite assemblies, (2) protein adsorption and cell adhesion, and (3) chain conformations in tethered diblock copolymers exposed to selective solvents. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 3384–3394, 2005     

Ionic liquid-based sodium ion-conducting composite gel polymer electrolytes: effect of active and passive fillers

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - We report the studies on composite gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) comprising 0.5 M solution of sodium trifluoromethane sulfonate (Na-triflate or...     

High-throughput miniaturized microfluidic microscopy with radially parallelized channel geometry

In this article, we present a novel approach to throughput enhancement in miniaturized microfluidic microscopy systems. Using the presented approach, we demonstrate an inexpensive yet high-throughput analytical instrument. Using the high-throughput analytical instrument, we have been able to achieve about 125,880 cells per minute (more than one hundred and twenty five thousand cells per minute), even while employing cost-effective low frame rate cameras (120 fps). The throughput achieved here is a notable progression in the field of diagnostics as it enables rapid quantitative testing and analysis. We demonstrate the applicability of the instrument to point-of-care diagnostics, by performing blood cell counting. We report a comparative analysis between the counts (in cells per μl) obtained from our instrument, with that of a commercially available hematology analyzer.