Studies on long lasting optical properties of Eu2+ and Dy3+ doped di-barium magnesium silicate phosphors

Di-bariummagnesium silicate phosphors doped with europiumand dysprosium were prepared under a weak reducing atmosphere. X-ray diffraction pattern of the sample was also done that confirmed the proper preparation of the phosphor. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images confirmed that the sample has regular surface and uniform grain size distribution. Comparative studies of phosphorescence decay of Ba₂MgSi₂O₇:Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺ phosphors with different concentration of Dy³⁺ were done. The phosphor with 0.5/1.5 mol% of Eu/Dy, exhibited optimum green color afterglow properties. This emission is expected to arise due to transition of Eu²⁺ ions from any of the sublevels of 4f⁶5d¹ configuration to ⁸S_7/2 level of the 4f⁷ configuration. For a suitable trap depth, the trap concentration is expected to be proportional to the concentration of Dy³⁺. These traps are responsible for holding the charge career for a reasonable time, subsequently for increasing the time of afterglow. Hence, optimum Dy³⁺ concentration produces the longer afterglow duration with higher intensity of luminescence signals. Trap depth were also calculated using thermoluminescence glow curve which was indicative of formation of traps suitable for long afterglow.     

Laser Desorption Ionization of As<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ch<Subscript>3</Subscript> (Ch = S,Se, and Te) Chalcogenides Using Quadrupole Ion Trap Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry: A Comparative Study

Laser desorption ionization using time-of-flight mass spectrometer afforded with quadrupole ion trap was used to study As₂Ch₃ (Ch = S, Se, and Te) bulk chalcogenide materials. The main goal of the study is the identification of species present in the plasma originating from the interaction of laser pulses with solid state material. The generated clusters in both positive and negative ion mode are identified as 10 unary (S _p ^+/– and As _m ^+/– ) and 34 binary (As _m S _p ^+/– ) species for As₂S₃ glass, 2 unary (Se _q ^+/– ) and 26 binary (As _m Se _q ^+/– ) species for As₂Se₃ glass, 7 unary (Te _r ^+/– ) and 23 binary (As _m Te _r ^+/– ) species for As₂Te₃ material. The fragmentation of chalcogenide materials was diminished using some polymers and in this way 45 new, higher mass clusters have been detected. This novel approach opens a new possibility for laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry analysis of chalcogenides as well as other materials.

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Integrated quality by design (QbD) and design of experiments (DoE) approach for UFLC determination of telaprevir in rat serum

An ultrafast liquid chromatographic bioanalytical method was developed and validated for the determination of telaprevir in Wistar albino rat serum. Principles of quality by design (QbD) were implemented for enhancing the bioanalytical liquid–liquid extraction of telaprevir from rat serum. A Box–Behnken design was utilized in the studies by selecting extraction time, centrifugation speed, and vortex time as the critical method variables for evaluating their effect on the critical analytical attribute, i.e., %recovery of telaprevir. Chromatographic separation was achieved within a run time of 10?min using a C-18 column and mobile phase comprising of methanol:borate buffer of pH 9 (90:10 v/v) flowing at 1.2?mL/min. Photodiode array detection was performed at 270?nm. Results of validation studies were satisfactory. The method was linear over a concentration of 25–10,000?ng/mL. Limit of detection for the developed method was 10?ng/mL. Further, design of experiments (DoE) used for inter-day accuracy and precision study suggested superior method reliability. This integrated QbD- and DoE-based approach ensured the development of a validated and reliable analytical method for optimum bioanalysis of telaprevir in biological matrix.     

$$\mathcal {H}^+$$-multivalued contractions and their application to homotopy theory

Kikkawa and Suzuki (Nonlinear Anal 69:2942–2949, 2008) and Kikkawa and Suzuki (Fixed Point Theory Appl, 2008, Art. ID 649749) proved some fixed point results that are generalizations of Kannan’s, Nadler’s and Suzuki’s fixed point theorems. Here, we present fixed point results of this kind for multivalued mappings in the setting of \(\mathcal {H}^+\)-metric spaces. The theorems provided allow upgrading of some known results which is shown by examples. Moreover, we give a homotopy result as an application of our main theorem.     

Modified classification of non-self-adjoint second-order difference equations

This paper is concerned with the classification of non-self-adjoint second-order difference equations. The relationship between the number of summable solutions of non-self-adjoint difference equations and that of the discrete linear Hamiltonian system is discussed. A classification for non-self-adjoint second-order difference equations is established, which is independent of the choice of the rotated half plane and the fixed point.     

Calibration transfer between electronic nose systems for rapid In situ measurement of pulp and paper industry emissions

Electronic nose systems when deployed in network mesh can effectively provide a low budget and onsite solution for the industrial obnoxious gaseous measurement. For accurate and identical prediction capability by all the electronic nose systems, a reliable calibration transfer model needs to be implemented in order to overcome the inherent sensor array variability. In this work, robust regression (RR) is used for calibration transfer between two electronic nose systems using a Box–Behnken (BB) design. Out of the two electronic nose systems, one was trained using industrial gas samples by four artificial neural network models, for the measurement of obnoxious odours emitted from pulp and paper industries. The emissions constitute mainly of hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), methyl mercaptan (MM), dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and dimethyl disulphide (DMDS) in different proportions. A Box–Behnken design consisting of 27 experiment sets based on synthetic gas combinations of H₂S, MM, DMS and DMDS, were conducted for calibration transfer between two identical electronic nose systems. Identical sensors on both the systems were mapped and the prediction models developed using ANN were then transferred to the second system using BB–RR methodology. The results showed successful transmission of prediction models developed for one system to other system, with the mean absolute error between the actual and predicted concentration of analytes in mg L⁻¹ after calibration transfer (on second system) being 0.076, 0.1801, 0.0329, 0.427 for DMS, DMDS, MM, H₂S respectively.     

Synthesis of 6‐Fluoro‐7‐cyclic Amino‐substituted Dicarboxylic Acid Quinolones and their Antibacterial Activity

Novel 1‐carboxymethyl‐6‐fluoro‐7‐cyclic amino‐substituted‐4‐oxo‐1,4‐dihydroquinolone‐3‐carboxylic acids 7a , 7b , 7c , 7d , 7e , 7f , 7g , 7h , 7i , 7j , 7k , 7l , 7m , 7n were synthesized as a new class of quinolones. Ethyl‐6‐fluoro‐7‐chloro‐1,4‐dihydro‐4‐quinoline‐3‐carboxylic acid was prepared from conventional method and reacted with ethyl bromoacetate to furnish N‐carboxymethyl derivatives. The compounds were screed against various Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacterial strains. Antibacterial activity data is validated by molecular docking studies.     

Adhesion of nonplanar wrinkled surfaces

Topological patterns on polymer surfaces can significantly alter and control adhesion. In this study, the effect of surface wrinkles on a spherical surface on adhesion has been studied. Surface wrinkling induced by swelling of a crosslinked polydimethylsiloxane elastomer constrained by a stiff, thin surface layer (silicate) is used to produce topographic features of various length scales over a large curved area. By controlling the properties of the stiff layer and the applied strain conditions, surface wrinkles of varying amplitude and wavelength are obtained. The effect of wrinkle morphology on adhesion is quantified, and the results display a transition from enhancement of adhesion to decrease depending upon wrinkle dimensions. A simple phenomenological model is proposed that describes the change of adhesion behavior as a function of wrinkle morphology. Our results provide a critical understanding toward tuning the adhesion behavior of nonplanar surfaces consisting of periodic topographic structures. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Determination of penciclovir in human plasma by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry: application to a clinical pharmacokinetic study

A rapid, specific and sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method was developed for the determination of penciclovir in human plasma. The method involved simple, one‐step SPE procedure coupled with a C₁₈, 75 × 4.mm, 3µm column with a flow‐rate of 0.5 mL/min, and acyclovir was used as the internal standard. The Quattro Micro mass spectrometry was operated under the multiple reaction‐monitoring mode using the electrospray ionization technique. Using 250 µL plasma, the methods were validated over the concentration range 52.555–6626.181 ng/mL, with a lower limit of quantification of 52.55 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy values were found to be within the assay variability limits as per the FDA guidelines. The developed assay method was applied to a clinical pharmacokinetic study in human volunteers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.