Physical and Chemical Characterization of Cellulose Based Textiles Modified by Periodate Oxidation

Conversion of dihydroxyl groups to dialdehyde by periodate oxidation is a useful method widely used in derivatization of cellulose to activate the polymer to further reactions as grafting polymerization. To investigate the cellulose behavior at different level of oxidation and to better understand the influence of the crystallinity on the effects induced by oxidative reactions on different cellulose materials, linen and cotton textiles have been oxidized with periodate solutions in different conditions. Oxidized cellulose samples have been characterized by several techniques: solid-state ¹³C NMR, Wide Angle X-Ray diffraction, and SEM. Moreover the mechanical properties of the untreated and oxidized yarns have been evaluated by means of tensile tests, the oxidation degree has been measured by means of the hydroxylamine hydrochloride method.     

Source apportionment of gaseous atmospheric pollutants by means of an absolute principal component scores (APCS) receptor model

A multivariate statistical method has been applied to apportion the atmospheric pollutant concentrations measured by automatic gas analyzers placed on a mobile laboratory for air quality monitoring in Taranto (Italy). In particular, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) followed by Absolute Principal Component Scores (APCS) technique was performed to identify the number of emission sources and their contribution to measured concentrations of CO, NOx, benzene toluene m+p-Xylene (BTX). This procedure singled out two different sources that explain about 85% of collected data variance.     

On-line monitoring of Au nanoparticles formation by optical spectroscopy

X-Ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism experiments have been conducted on a vanadium inorganic salt and a vanadium enamino-ketone complex. Measurements at the K edge of oxygen and nitrogen reveal the amount of magnetic moment transferred in the 2p orbitals of the ligand atoms from the magnetic V ion. Measurements at the L edge of vanadium show that the orbital moment is small and that J = L + S, contrary to the expected J = L-S coupling for a 3d metal with less than five d-electrons. This surprising inobservance of Hunds third rule emphasizes the need for more detailed studies and calculations on such hybrid molecules.Received: 19 November 2003, Published online: 20 April 2004PACS: 75.20.-g Diamagnetism, paramagnetism, and superparamagnetism - 75.70.Ak Magnetic properties of monolayers and thin films - 78.70.Dm X-ray absorption spectra     

Quantum Information as a General Paradigm

Quantum–mechanical systems may be understood in terms of information. When they interact, they modify the information they carry or represent in two, and only two, ways: by selecting a part of the initial amount of (potential) information and by sharing information with other systems. As a consequence, quantum systems are informationally shielded. These features are shown to be general features of nature. In particular, it is shown that matter arises from quantum–mechanical processes through the constitution of larger ensembles that share some information while living organisms make use of a special form of information selection.     

Quantum Information and Inferential Reasoning

Information may be extracted from a quantum–mechanical system only by means of inference. For this reason, the observer, although not required as such for obtaining an eigenstate of the measured observable on a given system, is necessary for obtaining information.     

Two-dimensional modelling of multifrequency piezocomposites

The multifrequency composites of 2-2 connectivity modelled in this work are made with groups of piezoelectric elements of different lateral dimensions, periodically reproduced in the structure. These composites have potential to improve the performances of standard piezoelectric composites with the same materials and ceramic fraction, on account that they have different resonators coupled mechanically along the structure. A one-dimensional model was developed to study their performances in a first approximation. In order to obtain a design model, a two-dimensional model, previously used to describe multielement array transducers, has been extended to the case of 2-2 polymer-piezoceramic composites. Several composite samples, having piezoceramic strips with different width-to-thickness ratios, have been built, and their resonance behaviour compared with the model prediction. Finally, the model has been extended to the case of 2-2 multifrequency composites. For multifrequency composites having in the same composite structure two or three piezoceramic strips with different lateral dimensions, the comparison between experimental and predicted results shows good agreement. The model has been used to optimise a double composite in comparison with a standard one with the same volume fraction and constituents.