Modified Activated Carbon as Solid Phase Extraction Adsorbent for the Preconcentration and Determination of Trace As(III) in Environmental Samples by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

A simple and selective method was developed for the preconcentration, separation, and determination of trace amounts of As(III) in an aqueous solution by solid phase extraction combined with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Activated carbon (AC) was modified by sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (NaDDTC) and then used as a new, stable and easily prepared solid sorbent in a mini column for the extraction of As(III) in aqueous solution. Factors influencing the sorption and desorption of As(III), such as volume and concentration of eluent, sample pH, flow rate and effect of interfering ions on the recovery of As(III) have been systemically investigated. At pH 2.0 As(III) could be adsorbed quantitatively by NaDDTC‐AC, and then eluted completely with 2 mL of 3.0 mol·L^?1 HNO₃. The amount of eluted As(III) was measured using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The detection limit of As(III) was 0.04 ng·mL^?1 with enrichment factor of 100 and the relative standard deviation (RSD, n=8) was 1.58% at 10 ng·mL^?1 level.     

The multiplicity of solutions in non-homogeneous boundary value problems

We use a method recently devised by Bolle to establish the existence of an infinite number of solutions for various non-homogeneous boundary value problems. In particular, we consider second order systems, Hamiltonian systems as well as semi-linear partial differential equations. The non-homogeneity can originate in the equation but also from the boundary conditions. The results are more satisfactory than those obtained by the standard “Perturbation from Symmetry” method that was developed – in various forms – in the early eighties by Bahri–Berestycki, Struwe and Rabinowitz. Received: 13 August 1998 / Revised version: 6 July 1999     

Buckling of elastic columns with second-mode imperfections

Meccanica - The pin-ended, slender, Euler strut has been used as the archetypal buckling problem for many years (Euler in Additamentum I de curvis elasticis, methodus inveniendi lineas curvas...     

Dynamic fluid flow behaviour of a tank draining through a vertical tube

This paper describes the unsteady draining of a sealed tank partially filled with water. The water discharges via a vertical tube into an open tank at atmospheric conditions. The air inflow, compensating for the volume of the discharged liquid, enters the system in an oscillatory manner, much like the “gulping” seen in an upended beer bottle. A mathematical model, based closly on that derived by Dougall & Kathiresan [Chem. Engng Commun. 8, 289–304 (1981)], has been applied to predict the pressure fluctuations in the closed tank. The rate of water discharge from the tank has been predicted and gives a much closer agreement with experimental results than a prediction based on a steady counter-current flooding limitation approach. A drift flux model has been used to describe the two-phase flow effect in the tube and the Wallis flooding criterion has been modified for use in the slug flow regime to describe the boundary conditions at the bottom of the tube. The pressure fluctuations in the sealed tank have been measured and compared with results obtained from the mathematical prediction for a variety of tube diameters.     

Watson–Crick versus imidazopyridopyrimidine base pairs: theoretical study on differences in stability and hydrogen bonding strength

Matsuda and coworkers demonstrated that imidazopyridopyrimidine nucelobases (N ^N , O ^O , N ^O , tO ^O , and O ^N ) can mimic Watson–Crick nucleobase in forming H-bonds in DNA double helix. In the present study, we address the question about the strengths of the H-bonds in imidazopyridopyrimidine base pairs compared to those in Watson–Crick ones by focusing particularly on the nature of these interactions. Optimized structures of imidazopyridopyrimidine, imidazopyridopyrimidine–Watson–Crick, and Watson–Crick base pairs are obtained at the DFTB3LYP/6-311++G (d,p). The nature and strength of the intramolecular H-bonds in these base pairs have been investigated based on natural bond orbital (NBO method) to consider the effect of charge transfer, “atoms-in-molecules” (AIM) topological parameters, and decomposition of the interaction energies using the energy decomposition analysis (EDA). These investigations imply that N ^N –O ^O and N ^O –O ^N can form base pairs with four H-bonds (most stable than those of Watson–Crick base pairs) when they incorporated into DNA double helix. Furthermore, it can be deduced that O ^N and N ^N nucleobases form energetically more favorable pairs with adenine and guanine than the normal Watson–Crick counter parts. These results can be helpful for the stabilization and regulation of a variety of new base-pairing motif of DNA structures.     

Targeted Therapy of B7 Family Checkpoints as an Innovative Approach to Overcome Cancer Therapy Resistance: A Review from Chemotherapy to Immunotherapy

It is estimated that there were 18.1 million cancer cases worldwide in 2018, with about 9 million deaths. Proper diagnosis of cancer is essential for its effective treatment because each type of cancer requires a specific treatment procedure. Cancer therapy includes one or more approaches such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. In recent years, immunotherapy has received much attention and immune checkpoint molecules have been used to treat several cancers. These molecules are involved in regulating the activity of T lymphocytes. Accumulated evidence shows that targeting immune checkpoint regulators like PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 are significantly useful in treating cancers. According to studies, these molecules also have pivotal roles in the chemoresistance of cancer cells. Considering these findings, the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy can help to treat cancer with a more efficient approach. Among immune checkpoint molecules, the B7 family checkpoints have been studied in various cancer types such as breast cancer, myeloma, and lymphoma. In these cancers, they cause the cells to become resistant to the chemotherapeutic agents. Discovering the exact signaling pathways and selective targeting of these checkpoint molecules may provide a promising avenue to overcome cancer development and therapy resistance. Highlights: (1) The development of resistance to cancer chemotherapy or immunotherapy is the main obstacle to improving the outcome of these anti-cancer therapies. (2) Recent investigations have described the involvement of immune checkpoint molecules in the development of cancer therapy resistance. (3) In the present study, the molecular participation of the B7 immune checkpoint family in anticancer therapies has been highlighted. (4) Targeting these immune checkpoint molecules may be considered an efficient approach to overcoming this obstacle.     

Experimental and computational bridgehead C-H bond dissociation enthalpies

Bridgehead C-H bond dissociation enthalpies of 105.7 ± 2.0, 102.9 ± 1.7, and 102.4 ± 1.9 kcal mol(-1) for bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane, bicyclo[2.2.2]octane, and adamantane, respectively, were determined in the gas phase by making use of a thermodynamic cycle (i.e., BDE(R-H) = ΔH°(acid)(H-X) - IE(H(·)) + EA(X(·))). These results are in good accord with high-level G3 theory calculations, and the experimental values along with G3 predictions for bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane, bicyclo[2.1.1]hexane, bicyclo[3.1.1]heptane, and bicyclo[4.2.1]nonane were found to correlate with the flexibility of the ring system. Rare examples of alkyl anions in the gas phase are also provided.     

An Efficient and Clean Synthesis of Symmetrical and Unsymmetrical 3,3-Di(indolyl)Indolin-2-ones Using KSF

A facile and convenient protocol was developed for the synthesis of symmetrical and unsymmetrical 3,3-di(indolyl)indolin-2-ones in low reaction times (22–35 min) and high yields (85–95%) using KSF as an efficient recyclable heterogeneous catalyst.     

Jacobi polynomials and non-singlet structure function F2 （x,Q^2） up to N^3LO

In this paper we present the non-singlet QCD analysis to determine valence quark distribution up to four loop.We obtain the fractional difference between the 4-loop and the 1-,2and 3-loop presentations of xu v （x,Q^2） and xd v （x,Q^2）.     

The influence of stimulated temperature-dependent emission cross section on intracavity optical parametric oscillator

In this paper, the influence of temperature on the intracavity optical parametric oscillator(IOPO) is investigated by using the stimulated temperature-dependent emission cross section of laser crystal. The rate equations under plane wave approximation have been used for simulation of signal output pulse. Results show that the signal output pulse width is decreased by increasing the laser crystal temperature. Also, the signal output energy is increased by the increasing of the laser crystal temperature. The simulation results for IOPO based on Nd:YAG and Nd:YVO_4, show that the signal pulse energies are increased by 3.2 and 5.6 times respectively when the laser crystal temperature increased from 15℃ to 300℃. The presented model indicates that the temperature sensitivity of Nd:YVO_4-based IOPOs is more than that of Nd:YAG-based IOPOs which is expected from a physical point of view.