Investigation for Differentiation of Bounding Strength Of Metals in Sediments

Only part of the metal present in sediments are involved in short-term geochemical processes and/or are bioavailable. Hydrous Fe- and Mn-oxides as well as organic matter partly as coatings on films on detail grains, are important substances for the interaction with dissolved metal species in aquatic systems.     

On the embedding of graphs into graphs with few eigenvalues

A graph is called of type k if it is connected, regular, and has k distinct eigenvalues. For example graphs of type 2 are the complete graphs, while those of type 3 are the strongly regular graphs. We prove that for any positive integer n, every graph can be embedded in n cospectral, non-isomorphic graphs of type k for every k ≥ 3. Furthermore, in the case k ≥ 5 such a family of extensions can be found at every sufficiently large order. Some bounds for the extension will also be given. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Comparison of Pore-Level and Volume-Averaged Computations in Highly Conductive Spherical-Void-Phase Porous Materials

A study has been carried out to compare results obtained from pore-level simulations conducted on three-dimensional idealized spherical-void-phase geometric models to similar results obtained from a solver based on volume-averaging and local thermal non-equilibrium. The purpose of the comparison is to establish closure coefficients for the viscous and form drag terms in the volume-averaged momentum equations and the interstitial convective exchange coefficient required to couple the volume-averaged energy equations for the solid and fluid constituents. A method is also described for determining the solid-phase conduction shape factor, which is shown to be important for accurate volume-average simulation of highly conductive porous materials. The shape factor has been addressed in previous literature (using various terminology) and accounts in a bulk manner for resistance due to the elongated conduction path and for changes in the effective heat flow area along the conduction path. The conduction shape factor is a function of the geometry only and is found herein from a detailed comparison between pore-level and volume-averaged simulations of conjugate heat transfer. The conduction shape factor vastly improves volume-averaged predictions of the overall heat transfer and the temperature distributions in the porous material.     

Transmission properties of electromagnetic metamaterials: From split-ring resonator to fishnet structure

We experimentally presented the electromagnetic behavior of transformative magnetic metamaterials: from the early invented split-ring resonator to its improvement, the cut-wire pair, for providing a negative magnetic permeability. By adding the continuous wire to cut-wire pair structure, the left-handed (LH) transmission made by doubly negative permittivity and permeability was demonstrated in combined structure. Interestingly, until the width of cut-wire pair increases to be physically merged with the adjacent continuous wire, in other words, to form the so-called fishnet structure, the LH behavior is still observed. This result indicates that in a broad sense, the essence of the electromagnetic response in the fishnet structure is similar to that in a combined structure. Our experimental results show a good agreement with previous theoretical study.     

Lamp-based native fluorescence detection of proteins in capillary electrophoresis

The potential of a recently developed lamp-based fluorescence detector for the analysis of underivatised proteins by capillary electrophoresis (CE) was investigated. Fluorescence detection (Flu) was achieved using optical light guides to deliver excitation light from a Xenon–Mercury lamp to the capillary detection window and to collect fluorescence emission and lead it to a photomultiplier. The performance of the detector was evaluated by monitoring the native fluorescence of the amino acid tryptophan and the proteins α-chymotrypsinogen A, carbonic anhydrase II, lysozyme and trypsinogen upon excitation at 280 nm. The test compounds were analysed using background electrolytes (BGEs) of sodium phosphate at pH 3.0 and 11.3. The results were compared to experiments of CE with UV absorbance detection. For tryptophan, a linear fluorescence response was obtained with a dynamic range of over 4 orders of magnitude, and a limit of detection (LOD) of 6.7 nM. This LOD was a factor of 200 more favourable than UV detection at 280 nm, and a factor of 20 better than detection at low-UV wavelengths. All tested proteins showed linear fluorescence responses up to 250 μg/mL. LODs were typically in the 10–20 nM range. These LODs were a factor of 25 lower than for UV detection at 280 nm, and comparable to UV detection at low-UV wavelengths. Overall, Flu yields much more stable baselines, especially with a BGE of high pH. The applicability of CE–Flu is demonstrated by the analysis of a degraded protein mixture, and of an expired formulation of the protein drug human growth hormone, indicating that protein degradation products can be selectively detected.     

New Quenching Procedure for Preservation of Initial Polymer/Catalyst Particle Morphology in Ziegler–Natta Olefin Polymerization

Preservation of initial polymer/catalyst particle morphology under air, was examined using stopped‐flow Ziegler–Natta polymerization with various quenching conditions and post‐chemical treatments. The exposure of the initial particles to air caused the fast formation of cracks on the surface, finally leading to significant reformation of the particle shape, when polymerizing particles were washed with heptane at ?65 °C under N₂ or under CO₂. On the other hand, when the particles were washed with heptane containing an appropriate amount of tetrahydrofuran under CO₂, the particle morphology under air was almost completely maintained even after 1 h exposure. The present results are useful for various ex situ characterizations of unstable initial polymer/catalyst particles.

     

Exponential stabilization for a class of hybrid systems with mixed delays in state and control

This paper proposes a switching design for the exponential stabilization problem of hybrid systems with mixed time-delays in both the state and control. By using an improved Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, a memoryless switching controller for the exponential stabilization of the system is designed in terms of linear matrix inequalities. The approach also allows us to compute simultaneously the two bounds that characterize the exponential stability rate of the solution.     

Liquid-crystalline bisadducts of [60]fullerene

A second-generation cyanobiphenyl-based dendrimer was used as a liquid-crystalline promoter to synthesize mesomorphic bisadducts of [60]fullerene. Liquid-crystalline trans-2, trans-3, and equatorial bisadducts were obtained by condensation of the liquid-crystalline promoter, which carries a carboxylic acid function, with the corresponding bisaminofullerene derivatives. A monoadduct of fullerene was also prepared for comparative purposes. All the compounds gave rise to smectic A phases. An additional mesophase, which could not be identified, was observed for the trans-2 derivative. The supramolecular organization of the monoadduct derivative is governed by steric constraints. Indeed, for efficient space filling, adequacy between the cross-sectional areas of fullerene (approximately 100 A(2)) and of the mesogenic groups (approximately 22-25 A(2) per mesogenic group) is required. As a consequence, the monoadduct forms a bilayered smectic A phase. The supramolecular organization of the bisadducts is essentially governed by the nature and structure of the mesogenic groups and dendritic core. Therefore, the bisadducts form monolayered smectic A phases. The title compounds are promising supramolecular materials as they combine the self-organizing behavior of liquid crystals with the properties of fullerene.