Discovery of the potential of minimum mass for platinum electrodes

Electrochemical quartz-crystal nanobalance (EQCN) analysis of the behavior of Pt in aqueous H(2)SO(4) reveals that the interfacial mass reaches a minimum, the potential of minimum mass (E(pmm)), at 0.045 V. A similar behavior is observed for Pt in aqueous HClO(4) and NaOH. E(pmm) is a new parameter describing the electrochemical interface. The value of E(pmm) coincides with the completion of the saturation layer of electroadsorbed H (H(UPD)) and the commencement of H(2)(g) generation or H(2)(g) electro-oxidation. The value of E(pmm) and the structure of the Pt/electrolyte interface are discussed in terms of the interactions of the anions H(3)O(+), H(UPD), H(OPD), and H(2)O with Pt. The layer of H(UPD) embedded in the Pt surface lattice minimizes the surface dipole-water dipole and surface charge-water dipole interactions, thus reduces the wetting ability of Pt. Consequently, the discharge of H(3)O(+) in the electrolytic formation of H(2)(g) or the dissociative adsorption of H(2)(g) that precedes its electro-oxidation to H(3)O(+) proceed easily on Pt, because the species do not have to displace H(2)O molecules. Effective and inexpensive non-platinum electrocatalysts for the electrolytic H(2)(g) generation in water electrolyzers or H(2)(g) electro-oxidation in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells should mimic the interfacial behavior of Pt by minimizing the interaction of H(2)O molecules with the electrode.     

Development of ultrasound-assisted emulsification solidified floating organic drop microextraction for determination of trace amounts of iron and copper in water, food and rock samples

A simple and efficient liquid-phase microextraction technique was developed using ultrasound-assisted emulsification solidified floating organic drop microextraction combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry, for the extraction and determination of trace amounts of iron and copper in real samples. 2-Mercaptopyridine n-oxide was used as chelating agent and 1-dodecanol was selected as extraction solvent. The factors influencing the complex formation and extraction were optimized. Under optimum conditions, an enrichment factor of ~13 was obtained for both iron and copper from only 6.7 mL of aqueous phase. The analytical curves were linear between 40–800 and 20–1,200 μg L^?1 for iron and copper respectively. Based on three SD of the blank, the detection limits were 8.6 and 4.1 μg L^?1 for iron and copper respectively. The relative SDs for ten replicate measurements of 500 μg L^?1 of metal ions were 2.9 and 1.2 for iron and copper respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for determination of iron and copper in environmental waters and some food samples including chess, rice, honey and powdered milk. Finally, method validation was made using rock certified reference material. A student’s t test indicated that there was no significant difference between experimental results and certified values.     

Nonenzymatic dopamine biosensor based on tannin nanocomposite

A dopamine (DA) biosensor was developed based on polypyrrole/tannin/cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (PPy/TA/CTAB) nanocomposite and central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was employed for the optimization of conditions. Chemical polymerization of the PPy/TA in the presence of a cationic surfactant, CTAB, reduced the particle size of composite and a rod-like structure with a lumpy surface and high porosity was observed for nanocomposite justifying the highest current response for the modified electrode. Amperometry and differential pulse voltammetry analyses were applied for all electrochemical measurements and DA detection in the range of 0.5–100 μM. The good adhesion of nanocomposite on the electrode surface, as well as porosity and high surface area of the modified electrode, enhanced the diffusion of DA molecules inside the matrix. Amperometry analysis of the Screen printed carbon electrode/PPy/TA/CTAB modified electrode displayed a good sensitivity of 0.039 μA (μM)⁻¹ toward DA with the limit of detection of 2.9 × 10^–7 M. The modified biosensor also excludes the interfering species of ascorbic acid and uric acid which makes this sensor appropriate for DA determination. The proposed biosensor showed an acceptable reproducibility and repeatability with low relative standard deviations of 4.8% and 4.4%, respectively.     

Application of ionic liquid-based ultrasonic-assisted microextraction coupled with HPLC for determination of citalopram and nortriptyline in human plasma

In this paper, an effective and environmentally friendly method of ultrasound-assisted ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (UA-IL-DLLME) combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)–photodiode array detector was applied for extraction and determination of two antidepressant drugs citalopram hydrobromide and nortriptyline hydrochloride from human plasma samples. Several important parameters affect the steps and efficiency of extraction, some of which are sample solution’s pH, type and volume of ionic liquid, ultrasonic time, centrifuging time and rate, and the ionic strength of solution. Optimum conditions were obtained at pH?=?11, 1-octyl-3-methyl imidazolium hexafluorophosphate for ionic liquid, 55?µL for ionic liquid volume, 4?min for ultrasonic time, 5?min and 3,500?rpm for centrifuging time and rotation’s speed, due to ionic strength by the addition of NaCl 1%. Under optimized conditions, the linearity was obtained in the range of 0.02–2,000?µg/L, with correlation coefficients higher than 0.995. The limits of detection were 10?µg/L for citalopram and 6?µg/L for nortriptyline. Preconcentration factors were 920 for citalopram and 800 for nortriptyline. The present method of UA-IL-DLLME combined with HPLC was successfully used for the determination of citalopram and nortriptyline drugs in real samples of human plasma.     

Facile Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Descurainia sophia</Emphasis> and Evaluation of Their Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties

The objective of the present study was to evaluate efficiency of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) biosynthesis using Descurainia sophia as a novel biological resource. The resulting synthesized Ag-NPs were characterized using UV visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The UV–Vis spectra gave surface plasmon resonance at ~420 nm. TEM images revealed formation spherical shaped Ag-NPs with size ranged from to 1–35 nm. DLS confirmed uniformity of the synthesized Ag-NPs with an average size of ~30 nm. Following, the antibacterial and antifungal activities of the synthesized Ag-NPs were investigated. The concentration 25 µg/ml of the Ag-NPs showed maximum inhibitory effect on mycelium growth of Rhizoctonia solani (More than 86 % inhibition), followed by 15 µg/ml (55 % inhibition) and 10 µg/ml (63 % inhibition). The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of Ag-NPs against Agrobacterium tumefaciens (strain GV3850) and A, rhizogenes (strain 15843) were 4 and 8 µg/ml, respectively. The Ag-NPs were stable in vitro for 3 months without any precipitation or decrease of antifungal effects. Finally, it could be concluded that D. sophia can be used as an effective method for biosynthesis of nanoparticles, especially Ag-NPs.     

Salt Stress Mitigation via the Foliar Application of Chitosan-Functionalized Selenium and Anatase Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni)

High salt levels are one of the significant and major limiting factors on crop yield and productivity. Out of the available attempts made against high salt levels, engineered nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely employed and considered as effective strategies in this regard. Of these NPs, titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) and selenium functionalized using chitosan nanoparticles (Cs–Se NPs) were applied for a quite number of plants, but their potential roles for alleviating the adverse effects of salinity on stevia remains unclear. Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is one of the reputed medicinal plants due to their diterpenoid steviol glycosides (stevioside and rebaudioside A). For this reason, the current study was designed to investigate the potential of TiO₂ NPs (0, 100 and 200 mg L⁻¹) and Cs–Se NPs (0, 10 and 20 mg L⁻¹) to alleviate salt stress (0, 50 and 100 mM NaCl) in stevia. The findings of the study revealed that salinity decreased the growth and photosynthetic traits but resulted in substantial cell damage through increasing H₂O₂ and MDA content, as well as electrolyte leakage (EL). However, the application of TiO₂ NPs (100 mg L⁻¹) and Cs–Se NPs (20 mg L⁻¹) increased the growth, photosynthetic performance and activity of antioxidant enzymes, and decreased the contents of H₂O₂, MDA and EL under the saline conditions. In addition to the enhanced growth and physiological performance of the plant, the essential oil content was also increased with the treatments of TiO₂ (100 mg L⁻¹) and Cs–Se NPs (20 mg L⁻¹). In addition, the tested NPs treatments increased the concentration of stevioside (in the non-saline condition and under salinity stress) and rebaudioside A (under the salinity conditions) in stevia plants. Overall, the current findings suggest that especially 100 mg L⁻¹ TiO₂ NPs and 20 mg L⁻¹ Cs–Se could be considered as promising agents in combating high levels of salinity in the case of stevia.     

Development of DNA-Designed Avian IgY Antibodies for Quantitative Determination of Bovine Interferon-Gamma

Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), a cytokine produced by sensitized T lymphocytes, is one of the key elements in defining T helper 1 lymphocyte immune responses. Quantitative evaluation of IFN-γ expression could provide an important analytical tool for measurement of cell-mediated immunity and investigating immune responses to infectious diseases. Method of DNA-designed avian IgY antibodies was used for production of monospecific polyclonal antibodies that allows quantification of the recombinant bovine IFN-γ protein. IFN-γ cDNA was subcloned and expressed in mammalian expression plasmid (pcDNA3.1(+)) under the control of the human cytomegalovirus promoter. Chickens were immunized by plasmid DNA, and eggyolk antibodies extracted from eggs were collected after immunization. IgY-specific antibodies were evaluated by an antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using recombinant IFN-γ. Based on the results, developed bovine IFN-γ capture ELISA could detect up to 1 ng/ml of IFN-γ by 64-fold diluted IgY. Monospecific anti-bovine IFN-γ antibodies generated in chickens are useful for quantifying different concentrations of recombinant bovine IFN-γ, which is expressed in cell culture.     

Modelling the yield point phenomena during deformation at elevated temperatures: case study on Inconel 600

The discontinuous yield behaviour (DYB) of Inconel 600 was studied during hot compression tests at temperatures in range of 850–1150°C and strain rates of 0.001–1?s^?1. The yield point phenomena were observed in the temperature range of 850–1000°C and strain rates of 0.001–0.1 s^?1. The DYB was modelled by considering the evolution of dislocation density at the early stages of yielding. The opposite effects of dislocation multiplication, dislocation interaction (work hardening) and dynamic recovery (DRV) were considered. It was shown that the dislocation multiplication and DRV result in flow softening, while the dislocation interaction leads to work hardening. The model was established in a way to consider the effects of various microstructural evolutions on the σ(ε) function. The discontinuous flow curves were fitted by the developed model with acceptable precision. The variations of material constants with temperature and strain rate were found physically meaningful. The dislocation multiplication parameter was determined at various temperatures and strain rates. It was concluded that the rate of dislocation multiplication increases as temperature rises or strain rate declines. Accelerated dislocation multiplication leads to less drop in yield stress between the upper and lower yield points.     

Optimal economic load dispatch based on wind energy and risk constrains through an intelligent algorithm

This article focus on optimal economic load dispatch based on an intelligent method of shark smell optimization (SSO). In this problem, the risk constrains has been considered which has root in uncertainity and unpredictable behavior of wind power. Regarding to increasing of this clean energy in power systems and un‐dispatchable behavior of wind power, its conditional value at risk index considered in this article which consists of loss from load and "spilling" wind energy connected with unpredictable imbalances among generation and load. This problem has been considered as an optimization problem based on SSO that evaluate the balance between cost and risk. This algorithm is based on distinct shark smell abilities for localizing the prey. In sharks' movement, the concentration of the odor is an important factor to guide the shark to the prey. In other words, the shark moves in the way with higher odor concentration. This characteristic is used in the proposed SSO algorithm to find the solution of an optimization problem. Effectiveness of the proposed method has been applied over 30‐bus power system in comparison with other techniques. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 494–506, 2016