Three-State Opinion Model on Complex Topologies

We investigate opinion diffusion on complex networks and the interplay between the existence of neutral opinion states and non-trivial network structures. For this purpose, we apply a three-state opinion model based on magnetic-like interactions to modular complex networks, both synthetic and real networks extracted from Twitter. The model allows for tuning the contribution of neutral agents using a neutrality parameter. We also consider social agitation, encoded as a temperature, that accounts for random opinion changes that are beyond the agent neighborhood opinion state. Using this model, we study which topological features influence the formation of consensus, bipartidism, or fragmentation of opinions in three parties, and how the neutrality parameter and the temperature interplay with the network structure.     

Surface-pressure isotherms of monolayers formed by microsize and nanosize particles

The thermodynamic model of a 2D solution developed earlier for protein monolayers at liquid interfaces is generalized for monolayers composed of micro- and nanoparticles. Surface pressure isotherms of particle monolayers published in the literature for a wide range of particles sizes (between 75 microm and 7.5 nm) are described by the theoretical model with one modification. The calculations of surface pressure pi on area A provide satisfactory agreement with the experimental data. The theory also yields reasonable cross-sectional area values of the solvent molecule water in the range between 0.12 and 0.18 nm2, which is almost independent of particle size. Also, the area per particle in a closely packed monolayer obtained from the theory is quite realistic.     

High-performance liquid chromatography determination of phenyllactic acid in MRS broth

Phenyllactic acid (PLA) is an organic acid produced by some strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and concentrations higher than 7.5 mg/ml inhibit growth of moulds and yeasts. Since PLA can be used to select LAB, a rapid, simple and cheap method for its determination is desirable. Typical methods for its analysis in broth are time-consuming, analytically complicated, and have poor recoveries. Herein we propose a simple and rapid method that does not require extraction, but only microfiltration of broth before injection in HPLC. The improved chromatographic conditions allow separation and quantification of PLA with a recovery of 98.7%. The method is highly reproducible with an intraday repeatability of the total peak area of 2.00%, while an interday repeatability of 2.69%.     

Differential pulse polarographic determination of traces of iron in solar-grade silicon

Iron is determined, after volatilization of the matrix as hexafluorosilicic acid, by means of the polarographic iron(III) wave in a 0.1 M triethanolamine—0.1 M potassium bromate—0.5 M sodium hydroxide medium. Differential pulse polarography provides a detection limit of about 0.15 μg g^-1 with a precision of 1–2% and linear calibration graphs up to 0.5 μg Fe(III) ml^-1.     

Modifying the structure of dinuclear ruthenium complexes with antitumor activity

In order to modulate the structure of a recently developed series of antitumor‐active, dinuclear Ru(II)–arene compounds, complexes 1c – 4c were synthesized. The complexes were modified with respect to their pyridinone moieties and the spacer linking the two metal centers. More particularly, the series of dinuclear ruthenium(II) complexes was extended to compounds with longer spacers, i.e. tetradecane and 3,7,10‐trioxotridecane, and the pyridinone ring was modified by replacing the methyl group by an ethyl group and by shifting the position of the methyl group. The organometallic ruthenium compounds were obtained from the reaction between [RuCl₂(η⁶‐p‐isopropyltoluene)]₂ and ligands 1b – 4b with yields ranging from 41 to 67%. All compounds were characterized by standard methods: MS, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Desorption kinetics of surfactants at fluid interfaces by novel coaxial capillary pendant drop experiments

Surfactants appear in multiphase fluid systems in which the interface and the adjacent bulk phase have been removed from equilibrium. Here, a new method is described for the measurement of rate constants of desorption of surface-active materials from fluid/fluid interfaces and the extent to which adsorption is reversible: the coaxial capillary pendant drop experimental technique.

Kinetic constants are determined by desorption experiments in pendant drops in which the interface adjacent to a surfactant solution is removed from equilibrium by replacing the subphase of the drop with pure water. Further, we demonstrate that although the rate of subphase exchange is comparatively slow with respect to the desorption timescale, it is possible to resolve desorption processes which occur under local equilibrium with the adjacent bulk phase from those that are determined in part by sorption kinetics. Experiments which measure the desorption kinetic coefficient, , using a homologous series of n-alkyl (C₈, C₁₀, C₁₂, C₁₄) dimethyl phosphine oxides are presented.     

Supercritical carbon dioxide: an inert solvent for catalytic hydrogenation?

Various surface species originating from the reaction between CO2 and H2 over Al2O3-supported Pt, Pd, Rh, and Ru model catalysts were investigated by attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy under high-pressure conditions. Two different spectroscopic cells were used: a variable-volume view cell equipped with ATR-crystal and transmission IR windows (batch reactor) and a continuous-flow cell also equipped with a reflection element for ATR-IR spectroscopy. The study corroborated that CO formation from dense CO2 in the presence of hydrogen occurs over all Pt-group metals commonly used in heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenations in supercritical CO2 (scCO2). In the batch reactor cell, formation of CO was detected on all metals at 50 and 90 degrees C, with the highest rate on Pt. Additional surface species were observed on Pt/Al2O3 at 150 bar under static conditions. It seems that further reaction of CO with hydrogen is facilitated by the higher surface concentration at higher pressure. In the continuous-flow cell, CO coverage on Pt/Al2O3 was less prominent than that in the batch reactor cell. A transient experiment in the continuous-flow cell additionally revealed CO formation on Pt/Al2O3 at 120 bar after switching the feed from a H2-ethane to a H2-CO2 mixture. The in situ ATR-IR measurements indicate that CO formation in CO2-H2 mixtures is normally a minor side reaction during hydrogenation reactions on Pt-group metal catalysts, and dense ("supercritical") CO2 may be considered as a relatively "inert" solvent in many practical applications. However, blocking of specific sites on the metal surface by CO and consecutive products can affect structure sensitive hydrogenation reactions and may be at the origin of unexpected shifts in the product distribution.     

A combinatorial characterization of quadrics

In this paper we prove that in a projective space of dimension three and orderq the two plane characterk-sets fork {q ²+ 1,(q+1)²} are of the same type as the elliptic or the hyperbolic quadric, respectively. As a corollary we obtain a characterization of the elliptic and the hyperbolic quadrics.