Effect of non-aqueous solvents on stoichiometry and selectivity of complexes formed between 4′-nitrobenzo-15-crown-5 with Fe3+, Y3+, Cd2+, Sn4+, Ce3+ and Au3+ metal cations

The complexation processes between Fe³⁺, Y³⁺, Cd²⁺, Sn⁴⁺, Ce³⁺ and Au³⁺ metal cations with macrocyclic ligand, 4′-nitrobenzo-15-crown-5 (4′NB15C5), were studied in acetonitrile (AN), methanol (MeOH) and nitromethane (NM) solvents at different temperatures using conductometric method. The conductance data show that the stoichiometry of the complexes formed between this macrocyclic ligand and Cd²⁺, Au³⁺ cations is 1: 1 (ML), but in the case of Fe³⁺, Y³⁺ and Ce³⁺ metal cations, 2: 1 (M₂: L) and 2: 2 [M₂: L₂] complexes are formed in nitromethane solutions. The results show, that the selectivity of 4’NB15C5 for the studied metal cations in methanol solutions at 15°C is: Sn⁴⁺ > Cd²⁺ > Y³⁺ > Fe³⁺ ∼ Ce³⁺ > Au³⁺, but in the case of acetonitrile, the stability order was found to be: Y³⁺ > Au³⁺ > Fe³⁺ > Cd²⁺. The values of stability constants of the 1: 1 [M: L] complexes were determined from conductometric data using a GENPLOT computer program. The values of thermodynamic parameter (ΔH _c ^o and ΔH _c ^o) for formation of the complexes were obtained from temperature dependence of the stability constants, using the van’t Hoff plots. The results show that the values of standard enthalpy (ΔH _c ^o) and standard entropy (ΔH _c ^o) change with the nature of the non aqueous solvents.     

Theory of integer-valued data envelopment analysis

Conventional data envelopment analysis (DEA) models assume real-valued inputs and outputs. In many occasions, some inputs and/or outputs can only take integer values. In some cases, rounding the DEA solution to the nearest whole number can lead to misleading efficiency assessments and performance targets. This paper develops the axiomatic foundation for DEA in the case of integer-valued data, introducing new axioms of “natural disposability” and “natural divisibility”. We derive a DEA production possibility set that satisfies the minimum extrapolation principle under our refined set of axioms. We also present a mixed integer linear programming formula for computing efficiency scores. An empirical application to Iranian university departments illustrates the approach.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Co3O4 Nanoparticles by Thermal Treatment Process

The simple preparation of Co₃O₄ nanoparticles from a solid metallorganic molecular precursor [bis(salicylaldehydeato)cobal(II)]; [Co(sal)₂] has been achieved via two simple steps: firstly, the [Co(sal)₂] precursor was precipitated from the reaction of cobalt(II) acetate and salicylaldehyde; in propanol under nitrogen condition; then, cubic phase Co₃O₄ nanoparticles with the size of mostly 20–30 nm could be produced by thermal treatment of the [Co(sal)₂] in air at 500 °C for 5 h. The as-synthesized products were characterized by powder XRD, FT-IR, TEM and SEM. The results confirm that the resulting oxide was pure single-crystalline Co₃O₄ nanoparticles. The optical absorption spectrum indicates that the direct band gaps of Co₃O₄ nanoparticles are 1.53 and 2.02 eV. The optical property test indicates that the absorption peak of the nanoparticles shifts towards short wavelength, and the blue shift phenomenon might be ascribed to the quantum effect. The hysteresis loops of the obtained samples reveal the ferromagnetic behaviors the enhanced coercivity (H _c ) and decreased saturation magnetization (M _s ) in contrast to their respective bulk materials.     

Integrated separation of blood plasma from whole blood for microfluidic paper-based analytical devices

Many diagnostic tests in a conventional clinical laboratory are performed on blood plasma because changes in its composition often reflect the current status of pathological processes throughout the body. Recently, a significant research effort has been invested into the development of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) implementing these conventional laboratory tests for point-of-care diagnostics in resource-limited settings. This paper describes the use of red blood cell (RBC) agglutination for separating plasma from finger-prick volumes of whole blood directly in paper, and demonstrates the utility of this approach by integrating plasma separation and a colorimetric assay in a single μPAD. The μPAD was fabricated by printing its pattern onto chromatography paper with a solid ink (wax) printer and melting the ink to create hydrophobic barriers spanning through the entire thickness of the paper substrate. The μPAD was functionalized by spotting agglutinating antibodies onto the plasma separation zone in the center and the reagents of the colorimetric assay onto the test readout zones on the periphery of the device. To operate the μPAD, a drop of whole blood was placed directly onto the plasma separation zone of the device. RBCs in the whole blood sample agglutinated and remained in the central zone, while separated plasma wicked through the paper substrate into the test readout zones where analyte in plasma reacted with the reagents of the colorimetric assay to produce a visible color change. The color change was digitized with a portable scanner and converted to concentration values using a calibration curve. The purity and yield of separated plasma was sufficient for successful operation of the μPAD. This approach to plasma separation based on RBC agglutination will be particularly useful for designing fully integrated μPADs operating directly on small samples of whole blood.     

Preparation of core-shell and hollow fibers using layer by layer (LbL) self-assembly of polyelectrolytes on electrospun submicrometer-scale silica fibers

Herein, fabrication of hollow fibers made of polyelectrolyte multilayers is reported. Silica submicrometer-scale fibers were fabricated by electrospinning and layer by layer deposition of polyelectrolytes were performed to coat silica fibers with polyelectrolyte multilayers, which were prepared by consecutive deposition of poly(ethyleneimine) and poly(styrene sulfonate sodium salt)/sodium dodecyl sulfate onto the surface of the silica fibers. In order to obtain hollow fibers, the core removal was carried out by introducing the core-shell fibers to a hydrofluoric acid solution. The hollow fibers were stable in hydrofluoric acid solution and displayed pH-dependent structural changes. SEM microscopy indicated the formation of the glass fibers and the fibers coated with polyelectrolyte multilayers (Silica—polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) fibers). The diameter of the core-shell fibers was increased after layer-by-layer coating. ATR-FTIR was performed for characterization of the glass fibers before and after layer-by-layer coating as well as after selective core removal. IR spectrum of the Silica-PEM fibers indicates C-H stretching modes of saturated hydrocarbons, confirming multilayers formation. Core removal was also confirmed by IR spectroscopy as Si-O-Si band disappears for the IR spectrum of the fibers after core-removal.     

Semi-parametric Bayesian estimation of mixed-effects models using the multivariate skew-normal distribution

In this paper, we develop a semi-parametric Bayesian estimation approach through the Dirichlet process (DP) mixture in fitting linear mixed models. The random-effects distribution is specified by introducing a multivariate skew-normal distribution as base for the Dirichlet process. The proposed approach efficiently deals with modeling issues in a wide range of non-normally distributed random effects. We adopt Gibbs sampling techniques to achieve the parameter estimates. A small simulation study is conducted to show that the proposed DP prior is better at the prediction of random effects. Two real data sets are analyzed and tested by several hypothetical models to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed approach.     

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop for separation and preconcentration of malachite green before its determination by flow injection spectrophotometry

ABSTRACT

A simple and fast dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop has been developed for the separation and preconcentration of malachite green in water samples prior to its determination by flow injection spectrophotometry. Sodium lauryl sulfate, an anionic surfactant, was used for the ion-pair formation with malachite green. The factors affecting the ion-pair formation and extraction were optimized. Under the optimized conditions (volume of 1-undecanol as the extraction solvent, 40 μL; the volume of ethanol as the disperser solvent, 100 μL; sodium lauryl sulfate concentration, 7.5 × 10^?7 mol L^?1, and the pH of the sample, ～3.0), the calibration graph was linear over the range of 0.8–25 µg L^?1 with the detection limit of 0.3 µg L^?1 and the preconcentration factor of 750. The relative standard deviation at 7 µg L^?1 (n = 6) was found to be 2.1%. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of malachite green in river water and fish farming water samples.     

Holographic dark energy in Brans–Dicke theory with logarithmic correction

In the derivation of holographic dark energy density, the area law of the black hole entropy plays a crucial role. However, the entropy-area relation can be modified from the inclusion of quantum effects, motivated from the loop quantum gravity, string theory and black hole physics. In this paper, we study cosmological implication of the interacting entropy-corrected holographic dark energy model in the framework of Brans–Dicke cosmology. We obtain the equation of state and the deceleration parameters of the entropy-corrected holographic dark energy in a non-flat Universe. As system’s IR cutoff we choose the radius of the event horizon measured on the sphere of the horizon, defined as L = ar(t). We find out that when the entropy-corrected holographic dark energy is combined with the Brans–Dicke field, the transition from normal state where w _D > −1 to the phantom regime where w _D < −1 for the equation of state of interacting dark energy can be more easily achieved for than when resort to the Einstein field equations is made.     

Holographic Dark Energy in Brans-Dicke Cosmology with Granda-Oliveros Cut-off

Motivated by the recent works of one of us (Karami and Fehri, Int. J. Theor. Phys. 49:1118, 2010; Phys. Lett. B 684:61, 2010), we study the holographic dark energy in Brans-Dicke gravity with the Granda-Oliveros cut-off proposed recently in literature. We find out that when the present model is combined with Brans-Dicke field the transition from normal state where w _D >−1 to the phantom regime where w _D <−1 for the equation of state of dark energy can be more easily achieved for than when resort to the Einstein field equations is made. Furthermore, the phantom crossing is more easily achieved when the matter and the holographic dark energy undergo an exotic interaction. We also calculate some relevant cosmological parameters and their evolution.     

Covering and connectivity constraints in loop-based formulation of material flow network design in facility layout

The shortest loop covering at least one edge of each workcenter in a manufacturing facility layout is an instance of the generalized traveling salesman problem. The optimal solution to this problem is a promising design for non-vehicle-based material handling, typical of most types of conveyors and power-and-free systems, where the length of the path is the main driver of the total investment costs. The loop formulation is usually embedded within a larger problem of the concurrent design of the loop and the input/output stations for vehicle-based material handling typical of automatically guided vehicles and autonomous delivery robots. In these systems, it is not the length, but the total flow of the loaded and empty vehicles that drives the objective function. It has been shown that the shortest loop provides an effective heuristic scheme to achieve prosperous and robust solutions for the concurrent design of the loop and input/output stations. We review and compare covering constraints formulations, provide new insight into connectivity constraints, improve the model formulation and its solution procedure, and report computational results.