The distribution of stresses in rigid fractal-like aggregates in a uniform flow field

The distribution of stresses in rigid fractal-like aggregates moving in a uniform flow field was investigated for particle-cluster and cluster-cluster aggregates with fractal dimensions ranging from 1.7 to 2.3. The method of reflections was used to calculate the drag force on each monomer, while the internal inter-monomer interactions were calculated by applying force and torque balances on each primary particle. The stress distribution was found to be very dissimilar from that of the applied external forces. Although the highest external forces act on the monomers located at the periphery of the aggregate where the drag is more intense, the most stressed inter-monomer bonds are always located in the internal part of the aggregate. This phenomenon is a consequence of the structure of the studied fractal aggregates, which are made mainly of filaments of monomers: the stress generated by the external forces is propagated and progressively accumulated by such filaments up to their roots, which are situated in the inner part of the cluster. Such a behaviour is different from that exhibited by highly connected structures, in which the loads are absorbed locally by the structure and the largest stresses are normally found in the proximity of the highest applied external forces.     

Separation of alkamides from Echinacea purpurea extracts by cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Separation of nine important alkyl methylbutyl- and isobutylamides (known as alkamides) obtained from Echinacea purpurea extracts was investigated by using cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD-MEKC). Hydrophobic alkamides interact strongly with the micelles from the most common surfactants used in MEKC and this lead to predominant partition of the analytes into the micellar phase, resulting in poor resolution. The addition of neutral CDs to the alkaline (10 mM phosphate buffer pH 8.0) micellar system of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium cholate (SC) and sodium deoxycholate (SDC) was found to improve the separation of the studied alkamides. Among the several combinations surfactant/CD, three different systems showed to be particularly effective: SDS/hydroxypropyl-beta-CD (110 mM/100 mM) and SC/heptakis (2, 3, 6-tri-O-methyl)-beta-CD (200 mM/40 mM) which provided a complete separation of the studied compounds, and SDC/heptakis (2, 6-di-O-methyl)-beta-CD. The importance of appropriate surfactant vs. CD concentration ratio as well as that of total concentration of both surfactant and CD was considered. The optimization of the separation was performed by focussing the need for a rapid separation of nine alkamides diagnostically useful to define the fingerprint of Echinacea species.     

Development of an analytical method for the determination of the residues of four pyrethroids in meat by GC–ECD and confirmation by GC–MS

The development of an analytical method for the determination of four selected pyrethroid insecticides at residue level in beef meat is presented. Acetone and petroleum ether at 40-60 degrees C were chosen as extraction solvents. A two-step clean-up was performed using an Extrelut NT3-C(18) system followed by a Florisil column, with disposable, ready-to-use cartridges. Instrumental analysis was carried out on a gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD), using matrix-matched and internal standard calibration techniques. Confirmatory analysis by GC-MS was performed. Recoveries at the EU Maximum Residue Limit (MRL), 0.5 x MRL and 1.5 x MRL levels and the repeatabilities were widely satisfactory. The main advantage of the method was the reduction of analysis time as compared with previously published works. The applicability of the method to different matrices and pesticide classes will be investigated.     

Modifications of Newton’s method for even-grade palindromic polynomials and other twined polynomials

The paper describes some modifications of Newton??s method for refining the zeros of even-grade f(x)-twined (f(x)-egt) polynomials, defined as polynomials whose roots appear in pairs {x _i ,f(x _i )}. Particular attention is given to even-grade palindromic (egp) polynomials. The algorithms are derived from certain symmetric division processes for computing a symmetric quotient and a symmetric remainder of two given f(x)-egt polynomials. Numerical results indicate that the presented algorithms can be more accurate than other methods which do not take into consideration the symmetry of the coefficients.     

Simultaneous position and vibration control system for flexible link mechanisms

The control of lightweight and high speed manipulators requires special strategies to prevent and damp the vibrations caused by the inertial components of motion, especially when dealing with flexible-links mechanism. In this paper a constrained MPC (Model Predictive Control) system is proposed as an effective control strategy for position and vibration control of flexible links mechanism. Here this control system is applied to an electric actuated four-link planar mechanism with three flexible links laying on the horizontal plane. The effectiveness of this controller is evaluated by the means of exhaustive numerical simulations.     

Kinetic control of the direction of inclusion of nitroxide radicals into cyclodextrins

N-benzyl-tert-butyl nitroxide derivatives substituted at the aromatic ring form host-guest inclusion complexes with β-and γ-cyclodextrin. They were employed as probes to assess substituent effects on the geometry of the complex and on the kinetics of this complexation by combining EPR and (1)H NMR data.     

Algebraic conditions on non-stationary subdivision symbols for exponential polynomial reproduction

We present an accurate investigation of the algebraic conditions that the symbols of a non-singular, univariate, binary, non-stationary subdivision scheme should fulfill in order to reproduce spaces of exponential polynomials. A subdivision scheme is said to possess the property of reproducing exponential polynomials if, for any initial data uniformly sampled from some exponential polynomial function, the scheme yields the same function in the limit. The importance of this property is due to the fact that several curves obtained by combinations of exponential polynomials (such as conic sections, spirals or special trigonometric and hyperbolic functions) are considered of interest in geometric modeling. Since the space of exponential polynomials trivially includes standard polynomials, this work extends the theory on polynomial reproduction to the non-stationary context. A significant application of the derived algebraic conditions on the subdivision symbols is the construction of new non-stationary subdivision schemes with specific reproduction properties.     

High performance electrochemical sensor based on modified screen-printed electrodes with cost-effective dispersion of nanostructured carbon black

A novel sensor based on a screen-printed electrode (SPE) modified with a stable dispersion of commercially available carbon black (CB) N220 was developed. This probe showed significantly enhanced electrochemical activity relative to a bare SPE when tested with ferricyanide, epinephrine, norepinephrine, benzoquinone and NADH. When challenged in amperometric batch mode with NADH, the response was stable and revealed a linear dependence up to 2·10^?4 mol L^?1 with a detection limit of 3·10^?7 mol L^?1. The analytical performance, coupled with the low cost of the CB nanomaterial, suggests that this sensor holds promise for electrochemical applications.     

Dynamic reaction cell ICP-MS for determination of total As, Cr, Se and V in complex matrices: still a challenge? A review

Mass interferences, caused by atomic or polyatomic species and having the same mass/charge ratio of the analyte, can be a severe limit for a reliable assay of trace and ultratrace elements by ICP-MS. The DRC? technology uses a reaction gas to overcome these interferences. Reactions of charge exchange, atom transfer, adduct formation, condensation and analyte association/condensation are the main mechanisms. Interfering ions tend to react with the gas exothermally, while, the analyte reacts endothermally. Selecting the most appropriate reaction gas in DRC-ICP-MS is the very critical point for the determination of strongly interfered elements. A careful evaluation of the reaction mechanisms and the chemistry involved are required. The DRC allows the use of different gases, among them, ammonia (NH(3)), methane (CH(4)), hydrogen (H(2)) and oxygen (O(2)) are the most known, but there are other potentially useful gases like nitrous oxide (N(2)O), nitrogen oxide (NO), carbon dioxide (CO(2)), fluoromethane (CH(3)F), sulphur hexafluoride (SF(6)) and carbon disulfide (CS(2)). This paper provides a review on the analytical challenges for a reliable assay of As, Cr, Se and V by DRC-ICP-MS and illustrates different approaches and mechanisms involved in the analysis of polymers, biological fluids (serum, urine and whole blood), rock, soil and particulate matter.