Implementations of PACMAN

Passive and Active Compensability Multicriteria ANalysis (PACMAN) is a multiple criteria methodology based on a decision maker oriented notion of compensation, called compensability. An important feature of PACMAN is a possible asymmetry of the connected decision procedure, since compensability is determined for each ordered pair of criteria, distinguishing the compensating criterion from the compensated one. Here we give a notion of implementation of PACMAN, which allows a concrete modelization of a multiple criteria decision problem. We study regular implementations of PACMAN and their monotonicity properties. We also examine several regular implementations, which satisfy some additional properties. Particular emphasis is given to a regular implementation of PACMAN that produces the lexicographic ordering.     

Polypropylene/polystyrene blends: In situ compatibilization by Friedel‐Crafts alkylation reaction

The application of Friedel‐Crafts alkylation reaction to the compatibilization of polypropylene (PP)/polystyrene (PS) blends was assessed. A PP macrocarbocation is chemically bonded to the PS benzene ring by aromatic electrophilic substitution. The graft copolymer formed at the interphase (PP‐g‐PS) showed relatively high emulsification strength, suggesting an effective behavior as in situ compatibilizer. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) was related to Friedel‐Crafts catalyst concentration. The amount of PS grafting and possible appearance of crosslinking and chain scission side reactions were also analyzed. The reaction products were characterized by a combination of size exclusion chromatography and Fourier transform infrared techniques applied after a careful solvent extraction separation. It was found, from the emulsification curve, that CMC was achieved when 0.7 wt % AlCl₃ was added. This value was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy observation of phase adhesion on fractured sample surfaces. Mass balances of extracted PS showed that at least 15 wt % of the initial PS resulted grafted at the CMC condition. Chain scission reactions, in parallel with grafting, were verified to occur for PP as well as for PS. Instead, crosslinking reactions were not detected. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 452–462, 2004     

Synthesis and structural analysis of 5‐cyanodihydropyrazolo[3,4‐b]pyridines

Several new 3‐aryl‐5‐cyanopyrazolo[3,4‐b]pyridines were easily prepared from 3‐amino‐5‐arylpyrazoles and α‐cyanochalcones. Structural analysis using NMR solution studies revealed the 2H‐tautomers as the preferred tautomer in solution (DMSO‐d₆). X‐ray diffraction confirmed the 2H‐tautomers as the unique tau‐tomer species in the crystalline state as well. Geometry optimization of 1H and 2H‐tautomers at semi‐empirical levels (AM1, MINDO/3) were performed, indicating that in all cases the 2H‐tautomers are more stable than the corresponding 1H‐tautomers.     

Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion Extraction for Analysis of Cypermethrin Residue in Cows’ Milk

A method of extraction based on matrix solid-phase dispersion has been developed, optimized, and validated by chromatographic analysis of cypermethrin pesticide residues in samples of cows’ milk. Milk (0.25 g) was fortified with cypermethrin and blended with 1 g each of C₁₈ (octadecylsilane) silica and Na₂SO₄ (anhydrous sodium sulfate), used to trap fats and water, respectively. The homogenized material was transferred to a commercial SPE cartridge containing 1 g activated Florisil with 5 mL acetonitrile. Cypermethrin was eluted under vacuum with 5 × 2 mL acetonitrile and the extract was concentrated to 1 mL and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The limits of detection and quantification of the method were 0.025 and 0.08 mg kg⁻¹, respectively.

     

Chemical optimisation of a sol-gel procedure for the development of fluorescence Cu(II) nanosensors

A template-assisted sol-gel procedure was developed and optimised for the preparation of silica thin films embedding the fluorescent dye 3-(dansylamido)-propyl-triethoxysilane (DNS-APTES) for Cu(II) sensing purposes. The different parameters involved (solution composition, nature of the template, deposition and annealing conditions, post-synthesis deposition of additional coatings, etc.) were independently changed in order to evaluate their effect on the final microstructure, composition and sensor performances of the films. The optimisation procedure encompassed also the choice of the suitable parameters to ensure stability of the sensing films and to avoid the leaching of the fluorescent dye.Films prepared by using the non-ionic surfactant F127, without an additional coating and with a post-deposition annealing at 100 °C for 2 h, were proven to be the best performing ones, characterised by the largest and fastest fluorescence quenching. In particular, the presence of a template was demonstrated to play a major role in determining the efficiency of the sensing device. The surface and in-depth composition of thin films was analysed by X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). The sensing performances of the films were tested by titration experiments with Cu²⁺.     

Direct visualization of surface-plasmon bandgaps in the diffuse background of metallic gratings

When a surface plasmon propagates along a microrough grating, it interacts with the periodic plus the random roughness and emits light into the diffuse background, which can present intensity maxima called diffuse light bands. We reexamine previous studies on these bands within the framework of recent studies on photonic surfaces and show that the phenomenon of diffuse light provides an experimental technique for directly imaging the dispersion relation of surface plasmons, including the gap that, under appropriate circumstances, opens in the reciprocal grating space.