Representing workloads in GI/G/1 queues through the preemptive-resume LIFO queue discipline

We give in this paper a detailed sample-average analysis of GI/G/1 queues with the preemptive-resume LIFO (last-in-first-out) queue discipline: we study the long-run state behavior of the system by averaging over arrival epochs, departure epochs, as well as time, and obtain relations that express the resulting averages in terms of basic characteristics within busy cycles. These relations, together with the fact that the preemptive-resume LIFO queue discipline is work-conserving, imply new representations for both actual and virtual delays in standard GI/G/1 queues with the FIFO (first-in-first-out) queue discipline. The arguments by which our results are obtained unveil the underlying structural explanations for many classical and somewhat mysterious results relating to queue lengths and/or delays in standard GI/G/1 queues, including the well-known Bene's formula for the delay distribution in M/G/l. We also discuss how to extend our results to settings more general than GI/G/1.     

Development and critical comparison of greener flow procedures for nitrite determination in natural waters

Two greener procedures for flow-injection spectrophotometric determination of nitrite in natural waters were developed and critically compared. Replacement of toxic reagents, waste minimization and treatment were exploited to attend the standards of clean chemistry. The flow system was designed with solenoid micro-pumps in order to minimize reagent consumption and waste generation. The first procedure is based on the Griess diazo-coupling reaction with sulfanilamide and N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine (NED) yielding an azo dye, followed by photodegradation of the low amount of waste generated based on the photo-Fenton reaction. The second procedure is based on the formation of iodine from nitrite and iodide in acid medium in order to avoid the use of toxic reagents. For Griess method, linear response was achieved up to 1.0 mg L^− 1, described by the equation A = − 0.007 + 0.460C (mg L^− 1), r = 0.999. The detection limit was estimated as 8 μg L^− 1 at the 99.7% confidence level and the coefficient of variation was 0.8% (n = 20). The sampling rate was estimated as 108 determinations per hour. The consumption of the most toxic reagent (NED) is reduced 55-fold and 20-fold in comparison to batch method and flow injection with continuous reagent addition, respectively. A colorless residue was obtained by in-line photodegradation with reduction of 87% of the total organic carbon content. The results obtained for natural water samples were in agreement with those achieved by the reference method at the 95% confidence level. For the nitrite–iodide method, linear response was observed up to 2.0 mg L^− 1, described by the equation A = − 0.024 + 0.148C (mg L^− 1), r = 0.999. The detection limit was estimated as 25 μg L^− 1 at the 99.7% confidence level and the coefficient of variation was 0.6% (n = 20). The sampling rate was estimated as 44 determinations per hour. Despite avoiding the use of toxic reagents, the nitrite–iodide method presented worst performance in terms of selectivity and sensitivity.     

Aerobic oxidation assisted by ligand-free palladium catalysts

Aerobic oxidation of electron-rich benzylic and phenyl allylic alcohols was achieved with high yields with only 0.1 mol.% of Pd(OAc)2 catalyst in the absence of any ligand. This procedure was expected to be valuable for realistic industrial-scale applications from both economic as well as environmental points of view.     

中药配方颗粒红外光谱法的快速鉴别

采用红外光谱法对中药配方颗粒及其辅料进行了鉴别研究。结果表明：不同生产厂商的配方颗粒中所添加的辅料类型及用量有较大差别；不同种的配方颗粒在辅料含量较低的情况下有较明显的指纹性，而辅料含量较高时，采用差谱技术可以提高谱图的指纹性，达到中药配方颗粒--鉴别的目的。该法简便、快速、可靠，是中药配方颗粒宏观质控的一个强有力的手段。     

Matrix elements of the Coulomb Green function between Slater orbitals

Analytic expressions are given for integrals of the Coulomb Green function with Slater type atomic orbitals. The results involve hypergeometric functions.Supported by the National Institutes of Health, Grant No. GM23223.     

Qualitative estimation of the dependence of the number of energetic compounds on their oxygen coefficient

The ratio between the numbers of structural formulas of C,H,N,O-containing energetic compounds belonging to the classes of fuels (low values of the oxygen coefficientA), explosives (mediumA), and oxidants (highA values) was studied by a computer generation procedure. The number of the theoretically possible structural formulas was found to decrease rapidly on going from fuels to explosives and then to oxidants; this observation agrees with the data on the numbers of various energetic compounds currently used and proposed. The strategy of the search for new compounds with the specified properties is described in brief, and its applicability to the search for explosives and oxidants with a small (up to 12) number of atoms in a molecule is evaluated. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1304–1310, July, 1998.     

Further solvent-free reactions of ferrocenylaldehydes: Synthesis of 1,1′-ferrocenyldiimines and ferrocenylacrylonitriles

Grinding of 1,1′-ferrocenedicarboxaldehyde with a 2.2 molar equivalent of an aromatic amine in a solvent-free environment provided excellent yields of 1,1′-ferrocenyldiimines. After mixing the aldehyde and amines, a gum or melt formed which eventually solidified to the product. An analytically pure sample of the product was obtained by cold recrystallization. Grinding of ferrocenecarboxaldehyde and 4-substituted phenylacetonitriles under solvent-free conditions provided good yields of the corresponding ferrocenylacrylonitriles. The yield in this reaction was very low when the substituent group para to the acetonitrile group was electron-donating.     

Concerning the Thermal Diastereomerization of the Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophore

Summary. Two model compounds for the green fluorescent protein chromophore were prepared. One of them incorporates the natural 4-hydroxybenzylidene group of the natural tyrosin derived chromophore, the other one bears a methyl group instead of the hydroxy group. Whereas the photochemically prepared (E)-diastereomer of the first compound very effectively reverted thermally (room temperature) to the thermodynamically stable (Z)-diastereomer, the (E)-diastereomer of the second derivative proved to be stable even at elevated temperatures for more than a day. This finding can be rationalized by constructing the appropriate resonance structures showing that only in the first case an effective delocalization enables partial single bond character of the benzylidene double bond. From the standpoint of chemical etiology, only Nature’s choice of the tyrosin derived chromophore of the green fluorescent protein provides an efficient radiationless thermal relaxation channel for the unwanted photo-diastereomerization product formed after excitation besides the dominating fluorescence channel of its chromophore.     

Profiling fatty acids in vegetable oils by reactive pyrolysis-gas chromatography with dimethyl carbonate and titanium silicate

A novel methodology in on-line pyrolysis-gas chromatography (Py-GC) for the fast analysis of fatty acids in vegetable oils with minimal sample treatment and the use of non-toxic reagents is described. Pyrolysis at 500 degrees C for 10 s of sub-microgram quantity of vegetable oil dissolved in dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and in the presence of nanopowder titanium silicon oxide resulted in the production of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) as unique products. Pyrolysis performed by means of a resistively heated filament pyrolyser interfaced to a GC-MS apparatus enabled the direct analysis of evolved FAMEs. The DMC/Py-GC-MS analysis was tested on soybean, coconut, linseed, walnut and olive oil and the results compared to the classical BF(3)-methanol as reference methodology. The DMC method exhibited a lower precision and was biased towards lower levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in comparison to the BF(3)-methanol method, but was more advantageous in terms of reduced sample treatment, waste generation and risk factors of employed chemicals.