In-field monitoring of cleaning efficiency in waste water treatment plants using two phenol-sensitive biosensors

Two amperometric biosensors based on the enzymes cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) and quinoprotein-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (GDH), have been applied for monitoring the phenolic content in water samples, collected at different stages of a waste water treatment process, thus representing different cleaning levels of two waste water treatment plants (WWTPs). The biosensor measurements were performed in-field, compared with the results obtained by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and were further correlated with the cleaning efficiencies of the WWTPs. The effect of several potentially interfering compounds on the sensor response was also studied.The general purpose of the study was to evaluate the potential use of biosensors, not as quantitative tools for phenol analysis, but rather as screening tools indicating a certain trend, i.e. compounds present or not present, and potential correlation with sample toxicity. It was found that the biosensors and LC-MS results were not quantitatively comparable, however, both sensors could follow the decrease of the phenol content from the influent, primary treated and effluent waters. In addition, the correlation between biosensor inhibition and sample toxicity is discussed.     

Computation of products of phase space factors and nuclear matrix elements for double beta decay

Nuclear matrix elements(NME) and phase space factors(PSF) entering the half-life formulas of the double-beta decay(DBD) process are two key quantities whose accurate computation still represents a challenge. In this study, we propose a new approach of calculating these, namely the direct computation of their product as an unique formula. This procedure allows a more coherent treatment of the nuclear approximations and input parameters appearing in both quantities and avoids possible confusion in the interpretation of DBD data due to different individual expressions adopted for PSF and NME(and consequently their reporting in different units) by different authors. Our calculations are performed for both two neutrino(2 vββ) and neutrinoless(0 vββ) decay modes, for five nuclei of the most experimental interest. Further, using the most recent experimental limits for 0νββ decay half-lives,we provide new constraints on the light mass neutrino parameter. Finally, by separating the factor representing the axial-vector constant to the forth power in the half-life formulas, we advance suggestions on how to reduce the errors introduced in the calculation by the uncertain value of this constant, exploiting the DBD data obtained from different isotopes and/or decay modes.     

pH-sensitive nanostructured architectures based on synthetic and/or natural weak polyelectrolytes

This study aims to evidence the influence of polyelectrolytes structure and the number of double layers on the properties of some new nanostructured architectures formed by layer-by-layer self-assembly of complementary weak polyelectrolytes on planar surfaces. For this purpose, we used chitosan and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) as polycations, and poly(acrylic acid) and poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid–co-acrylic acid) as polyanions. To get a direct image on the polyelectrolyte multilayers formation and properties, gravimetry, infrared spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy have been used. The capacity of the polyions to overcompensate the complementary polyions charges, and thus to influence the swelling degree in water of thin films, was strongly influenced by the chain structure and flexibility. A special attention was paid to the responsiveness of the new composite materials to the pH of the swelling environment.     

Sufficient Poisson jump diffusion market models revisited

Motivated by financial market modeling with spike-like jumps spot prices, we present a simple characterisation of the complete two-dimensional Poisson jump-diffusion market models with possibly discontinuous and degenerate coefficients, extending the standard no-arbitrage and completeness working hypothesis for such markets.

     

The γ-attenuation problem for systems with state dependent noise

The general γ-attenuation problem is considered for systems with statedependent noise. It is shown that if a controller exists which stabilizes a system with disturbance attenuation then certain LMI's must have positive-definite solutions satisfying a complementary rank condition. If such solutions exist for the considered LMI's the controller is obtained also by solving an LMI. In the absence of the noise the LMI's involved reduce to the ones introduced by Gahinet and al in [7]     

Weak Laws of Large Numbers in Some Non-Commutative Spaces

We prove weak laws of large numbers for freely independent,uniformly bounded and non-identically distributed random variablesbelonging to non-commutative Ciach and, in particular, LorentzL^p-spaces. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification 60B11, 60F25,46L54, 47N30.     

Silver nanoparticles obtained with a glucose modified siloxane surfactant

Journal of Nanoparticle Research - Silver nanoparticles were obtained in aqueous medium, at room temperature, by redox reactions, with or without glucose, in the presence of a glucose-containing...