On-line solid phase extraction coupled to ICP-OES for simultaneous preconcentration and determination of some transition elements

An on-line solid phase extraction method coupled to ICP-OES was developed for the simultaneous determination of Ce(III), La(III), Sm(III), Y(III), Yb(III), Dy(III), Hf(IV), Zr(IV) and Th(IV) ions in aqueous samples. The ions forming hydrophobic complexes with 3,5,7,2?,4?-pentahydroxy flavone (morin) and were retained on an octadecyl silica (C₁₈) minicolumn. The adsorbed chelates were subsequently eluted from the column and directly transferred into the plasma with 80% (v/v) propanol:H₂O solution for the simultaneous determination of the metal ions. Different parameters affecting the ICP-OES signal intensities and extraction efficiency including pH of the solution, concentration of the chelating agent, flow rate and type of the eluent, loading rate and ionic strength were evaluated and optimized. The calibration graphs were linear in the range of 0.2–100 μg L^?1 and limit of detections for the extraction and determination of the ions in the aqueous sample (25 mL) were in the range 0.10–0.46 μg L^?1. The enhancement factors of the method for the metal ions obtained were in the range of 23 to 242 (V _Sample?=?25 mL) and the precision expressed as relative standard deviations (RSD %) was below 6.9%. Finally, the method was successfully applied to determine the target analytes in natural water samples.     

Zirconyl triflate, [ZrO(OTf)2], as a new and highly efficient catalyst for ring-opening of epoxides

A highly efficient method for the ring opening of epoxides catalyzed by ZrO(OTf)₂ was adopted. This catalyst efficiently catalyzed alcoholysis, acetolysis and hydrolysis of epoxides and the corresponding alkoxy alcohols, acetoxy alcohols and 1,2- diols were obtained in excellent yields. Conversion of epoxides to 1,2-diacetetes, thiiranes and 1,3-dioxolanes was also performed in the presence of catalytic amounts of ZrO(OTf)₂, and the corresponding products were obtained in high to excellent yields. The high catalytic activity of ZrO(OTf)₂ is due to the replacement of Cl with OTf, which makes the ZrO(OTf)₂ as efficient Lewis acid.     

Zirconyl triflate: A new, highly efficient and reusable catalyst for acetylation and benzoylation of alcohols, phenols, amines and thiols with acetic and benzoic anhydrides

Highly efficient acetylation and benzoylation of alcohols, phenols, amines and thiols with acetic and benzoic anhydrides catalyzed by new and reusable zirconyl triflate, ZrO(OTf)₂, is reported. The high catalytic activity of electron deficient ZrO(OTf)₂ can be used for the acetylation and benzoylation of not only primary alcohols but also sterically-hindered secondary and tertiary alcohols with acetic and benzoic anhydrides. Acetylation of phenols with acetic and benzoic anhydrides was achieved to afford the desired acetates and benzoates efficiently. This catalyst also efficiently catalyzed the acetylation and benzoylation of amines and thiols whereby the corresponding amides and thioesters were obtained in good to excellent yields. This catalyst can be reused several times without loss of its activity.     

Some considerations on instability of combined loaded thin-walled tubes with a crack

Instability of a thin-walled stainless steel tube with a crack-shaped defect under combined loading is studied in this paper. Furthermore, the effects of the tube length, crack orientation, and crack length on the buckling behavior of tubes are investigated. The behavior of tubes subjected to combined is analyzed by using the finite element method (by Abaqus software). For cracked tubes with a fixed thickness, the buckling load decreases as the tube length and the ratio of the tube length to its diameter increase. Moreover, the buckling load of cracked tubes under combined loading also decreases with increasing crack length.     

Synthesis and kinetic study on the thermal degradation of triblock copolymer of polycaprolactone‐poly (glycidyl nitrate)‐polycaprolactone (PCL‐PGN‐PCL) as an energetic binder

In this study, an energetic binder is synthesized via ring opening copolymerization of ε‐caprolactone with poly (glycidyl nitrate) (PGN) of low molecular weight (M_n = 1350 g mol^?1) as a macroinitiator to form triblock copolymer polycaprolactone‐PGN‐polycaprolactone (PCL‐PGN‐PCL) (M_n = 4128 g mol^?1). The effects of catalyst type and its concentration, reaction time, and solvent are investigated in this polymerization reaction. The resulting triblock copolymer is characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The DSC result shows that the glass transition temperature of triblock copolymer (T_g = ?50°C) is lower than PGN (T_g = ?35°C). Also, the decomposition kinetics of this energetic binder is studied by DSC, TGA, and its derivative (DTG). An advanced isoconversional method is applied for kinetic analysis. Activation energy is calculated by Flynn‐Wall‐Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger methods. The resulting activation energy from Kissinger method for the first and the second steps are 42.98 and 74.56 kJ mol^?1, respectively. Also, it is found from FWO results that the activation energy for the copolymer increases with degradation degree (α).     

A novel nano‐cotton‐like bismuth oxyfluoride (NC‐BiOF) and a novel nanosheet heterogeneous compound BiOF@ZIF‐8 as catalyst for the selective and green oxidation of benzylic alcohols

We describe here for the first time a new morphology of BiOF nanoparticles with a cotton‐like structure, made using a hydrothermal synthesis method. We also prepared heterogeneous nanosheets of BiOF@ZIF‐8 by a one‐pot synthesis under hydrothermal conditions. We demonstrate that in this method the morphology of BiOF and one‐pot synthesis conditions are the main factors for the preparation of the nanosheet BiOF@ZIF‐8. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray (EDX), thermogravimetry‐differential thermal analysis (TG‐DTA), and BET surface area were used to characterize the samples prepared. XRD, SEM, and adsorption–desorption analysis showed that the structure of ZIF‐8 and BiOF form intact only in one‐pot synthesis of BiOF (with nano‐cotton‐like morphology) with Zn(NO₃)₃, while spectral techniques show the successful encapsulation of the sheet BiOF on ZIF‐8. Nanosheet BiOF@ZIF‐8 was found to be a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the selective oxidation of alcohols. BiOF@ZIF‐8 could be reused several times although it got less active with recycling.     

Real-time propagators at finite temperature and chemical potential

We derive a form of spectral representations for all bosonic and fermionic propagators in the real-time formulation of field theory at finite temperature and chemical potential. Besides being simple and symmetrical between the bosonic and the fermionic types, these representations depend explicitly on analytic functions only. This property allows for a simple evaluation of loop integrals in the energy variables over propagators in this form, even in the presence of chemical potentials, which is not possible for their conventional form.     

Mechanisms,Anti-Quorum-Sensing Actions,and Clinical Trials of Medicinal Plant Bioactive Compounds against Bacteria: A Comprehensive Review

Bacterial strains have developed an ability to resist antibiotics via numerous mechanisms. Recently, researchers conducted several studies to identify natural bioactive compounds, particularly secondary metabolites of medicinal plants, such as terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, as antibacterial agents. These molecules exert several mechanisms of action at different structural, cellular, and molecular levels, which could make them candidates or lead compounds for developing natural antibiotics. Research findings revealed that these bioactive compounds can inhibit the synthesis of DNA and proteins, block oxidative respiration, increase membrane permeability, and decrease membrane integrity. Furthermore, recent investigations showed that some bacterial strains resist these different mechanisms of antibacterial agents. Researchers demonstrated that this resistance to antibiotics is linked to a microbial cell-to-cell communication system called quorum sensing (QS). Consequently, inhibition of QS or quorum quenching is a promising strategy to not only overcome the resistance problems but also to treat infections. In this respect, various bioactive molecules, including terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, exhibit numerous anti-QS mechanisms via the inhibition of auto-inducer releases, sequestration of QS-mediated molecules, and deregulation of QS gene expression. However, clinical applications of these molecules have not been fully covered, which limits their use against infectious diseases. Accordingly, the aim of the present work was to discuss the role of the QS system in bacteria and its involvement in virulence and resistance to antibiotics. In addition, the present review summarizes the most recent and relevant literature pertaining to the anti-quorum sensing of secondary metabolites and its relationship to antibacterial activity.     

Emergence of electromotive force in precession-less rigid motion of deformed domain wall

Recently it has been recognized that the electromotive force (emf) can be induced just bythe spin precession where the generation of the electromotive force has been considered asa real-space topological pumping effect. It has been shown that the amount of theelectromotive force is independent of the functionality of the localized moments. It wasalso demonstrated that the rigid domain wall (DW) motion cannot generate electromotiveforce in the system. Based on real-space topological pumping approach in the current studywe show that the electromotive force can be induced by rigid motion of a deformed DW. Wealso demonstrate that the generated electromotive force strongly depends on the DWbulging. Meanwhile results show that the DW bulging leads to generation of theelectromotive force both along the axis of the DW motion and normal to the direction ofmotion.