Cathodic and anodic stripping voltammetry: simultaneous determination of As-Se and Cu-Pb-Cd-Zn in the case of very high concentration ratios

Arsenic(III), selenium(IV), copper(II), lead(II), cadmium(II) and zinc(II) are determined in environmental matrices. The voltammetric measurements were carried out using a conventional three-electrode cell and the ammonia-ammonium chloride buffer pH 9.3 as supporting electrolyte. The analytical procedure was verified by the analysis of the standard reference materials Estuarine Sediment BCR-CRM 277 and River Sediment BCR-CRM 320. The precision, expressed as relative standard deviation (s(r)), and the accuracy, expressed as relative error, were, in all cases, less than 5%; the detection limits, for each element and in the experimental conditions employed, were around 10(-9) M. The standard addition technique significantly improved the resolution of the voltammetric method, even in the case of very high metal concentration ratios.     

Trace level voltammetric determination of manganese, iron and chromium in real samples in the presence of each other

The determination of manganese in the presence of iron and chromium by differential pulse voltammetry and fundamental harmonic alternating current voltammetry was compared, including the case of very high element concentration ratios. The voltammetric measurements were carried out using a stationary mercury electrode in ammonia-ammonium chloride buffer (pH 9.6). The analytical procedure was verified by the analysis of the standard reference materials Portland Cement BCS 372, Spectrographic Zinc Spelter NBS-SRM 631, Stainless Steel (AISI 321) NBS-SRM 121d and Highly Alloyed Steel Eurostandard 281-1. Precision and accuracy, expressed as relative standard deviation and relative error respectively, were of the order of 3-5%, while the detection limit for each element was around 1 x 10(-9) M. The standard addition technique improved the resolution of the voltammetric methods, within a maximum experimental error of 5%, even in the case of very high concentration ratios, that is outside the non-interference concentration ratios 69:1 >c(Fe):c(Mn) > 1:74; 35:1 > c(Fe):c(Cr) > 1:30 and 63:1 > c(Fe):c(Mn) > 1:65; 32:1 > c(Fe):c(Cr) > 1:31 for the differential pulse and alternating current techniques respectively, extrapolating the linear section of the i(p) vs. concentration analytical calibration function for the element present at the lowest concentration. In contrast, the element with the greatest concentration was determined by the relevant calibration curve.     

Insights on the Modulation of SIRT5 Activity: A Challenging Balance

SIRT5 is a member of the Sirtuin family, a class of deacetylating enzymes consisting of seven isoforms, involved in the regulation of several processes, including gene expression, metabolism, stress response, and aging. Considering that the anomalous activity of SIRT5 is linked to many pathological conditions, we present herein an overview of the most interesting modulators, with the aim of contributing to further development in this field.     

Discrete negative refraction in photonic crystal waveguide arrays

We report a systematic analysis of anomalous refractive effects at interfaces between two photonic crystal waveguide arrays. Discrete negative refraction can be easily predicted from the sign of the coupling coefficient between adjacent waveguides, regardless of handedness of propagation.     

Quantitative model of price diffusion and market friction based on trading as a mechanistic random process

We model trading and price formation in a market under the assumption that order arrival and cancellations are Poisson random processes. This model makes testable predictions for the most basic properties of markets, such as the diffusion rate of prices (which is the standard measure of financial risk) and the spread and price impact functions (which are the main determinants of transaction cost). Guided by dimensional analysis, simulation, and mean-field theory, we find scaling relations in terms of order flow rates. We show that even under completely random order flow the need to store supply and demand to facilitate trading induces anomalous diffusion and temporal structure in prices.     

Non-invasive characterisation of SIX Japanese hand-guards (tsuba)

In this work we present a systematic study of Japanese sword hand-guards (tsuba) carried out by means of non-invasive techniques using neutrons. Several tsuba from different periods, belonging to the Japanese Section of the Stibbert Museum, were analysed using an innovative approach to characterise the bulk of the samples, coupling two neutron techniques, namely Time of Flight Neutron Diffraction (ToF-ND) and Nuclear Resonance Capture Analysis (NRCA). The measurements were carried out on the same instrument: the INES beam-line at the ISIS spallation pulsed neutron source (UK). NRCA analysis allows identifying the elements present in the sample gauge volume, while neutron diffraction is exploited to quantify the phase distribution and other micro-structural parameters of the metal specimen. The results show that all samples are made of high-quality metal, either steel or copper alloy, with noticeable changes in composition and working techniques, depending on the place and time of manufacturing.     

Diffusion dynamics during the nucleation and growth of Ge/Si nanostructures on Si(111)

We report a low energy electron microscopy study of the relation between self-organized Ge/Si(111)nanostructures and their local environment. By comparison with Monte Carlo simulations, three-dimensional islands are shown to display a substantial tendency towards self-ordering. This tendency may result from the diffusive nature of the nucleation processes. The size of individual nanostructures does not significantly correlate with the distance between neighboring islands. Thus energetic factors are thought to govern the competition among coexisting nanostructures to capture the deposited mass.     

Biodegradable PLGA-b-PEG polymeric nanoparticles: synthesis, properties, and nanomedical applications as drug delivery system

Liquid sodium containing titanium nanoparticles (LSnanop) of 10-nm diameter was prepared by dispersing titanium nanoparticles (2 at.% Ti) into liquid sodium with the addition of stirring and ultrasonic sound wave. The titanium nanoparticles themselves were prepared by the vapor deposition method. This new liquid metal, LSnanop, shows a remarkable stability due to the Brownian motion of nanoparticles in liquid sodium medium. In addition, the difference of measured heat of reaction to water between this LSnanop and liquid sodium indicates the existence of cohesive energy between the liquid sodium medium and dispersed titanium nanoparticles. The origin of the cohesive energy, which serves to stabilize this new liquid metal, was explained by the model of screened nanoparticles in liquid sodium. In this model, negatively charged nanoparticles with transferred electrons from liquid sodium are surrounded by the positively charged screening shell, which may inhibit the gathering of nanoparticles by the ??Coulombic repulsion coating.?? The atomic volume of LSnanop shows the shrinkage from the linear law, which also suggests the existence of cohesive energy. The viscosity of LSnanop is almost the same as that of liquid sodium. This behavior was explained by the Einstein equation. The surface tension of LSnanop is 17?% larger than that of liquid sodium. The cohesive energy and the negative adsorption may be responsible to this increase. Titanium nanoparticles in liquid sodium seem to be free from the Coulomb fission. This new liquid metal containing nanoparticles suggests the possibility to prepare various stable suspensions with new properties.     

Simple linkage: Analysis of a threshold-accepting global optimization method

In a recent paper the authors introduced an infinite class of global optimization algorithms based upon random sampling from the feasible region and local searches started from selected sample points, based upon an acceptance/rejection criterion. All of the algorithms of that class possess strong theoretical properties.Here we analyze a member of that family, which, although being significantly simpler to implement and more efficient than the well known Multi-Level Single-Linkage algorithm, enjoys the same theoretical properties. It is shown here that, with very high probability, our method is able to discover from which points Multi-Level Single-Linkage will decide to start local search.