Discriminant Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds data related to a new location method of entrapped people in collapsed buildings of an earthquake

Discriminant Analysis is used as a part of a research, which aims at using expired air analysis for the early location of entrapped people under the ruins of collapsed buildings in an earthquake. This work focuses on the possibility of distinguishing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the entrapment area which originate from different sources. Five categories of samples were analyzed by Thermal Desorption-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). Expired air samples from healthy humans (Category 1) and fasting people (Category 2) were analyzed for studying the VOCs attributed to entrapped people. Headspace air of urban waste disposal bins (Category 3), headspace air of bags with decaying human bodies (Category 4) and urban air samples (Category 5) were analyzed for studying the VOCs attributed to background sources. Discriminant Rotation, a specific type of Discriminant Analysis was applied on the VOCs concentration matrix of the five categories. Combinations of VOCs that best discriminated each category were determined. Cluster Analysis was used to validate the results of Discriminant Analysis. The advantages and limitations of the method are presented and discussed.     

Electrospinning of poly(lactic acid): Theoretical approach for the solvent selection to produce defect‐free nanofibers

In this study an integrated methodology was proposed for the selection of solvent systems to produce electrospinnable solutions that form defect‐free poly(lactic acid) (PLA) fibers with narrow diameter distributions. The solvent systems were chosen using a thermodynamic approach, combined with electrical and rheological property criteria. More specifically, the three step methodology includes (1) initial choice of solvent by solubility evaluation to meet thermodynamic criteria, (2) electrical properties, that is, conductivity and dielectric constant adjustment by using solvent mixtures to meet electrical property criteria, and (3) critical entanglement concentration (C_e) determination by viscosity measurements, supported by elastic and plastic moduli measurements, followed by concentration adjustment to meet rheological criteria. All three criteria need to be met to ensure defect‐free nanofiber morphology. The methodology was demonstrated using PLA solutions that were characterized in terms of thermodynamic properties, conductivity, surface tension, and viscosity measurements. These data were analyzed and related to the nanofiber morphology and diameter as determined from scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Measurements of the elastic (G′) and the plastic (G″) moduli of PLA solutions showed a sharp increase of G′ at the chain entanglement concentration. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1483–1498     

Singlet-Oxygen (1Δg) Production by Ruthenium(II) complexes containing polyazaheterocyclic ligands in methanol and in water

In the context of our studies on ruthenium(II) complexes containing polyazaheterocyclic ligands, we have determined the rate constants of quenching by molecular oxygen (k_q) of the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer-excited state of a series of homoleptic [RuL₃] complexes (where L stands for 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), 2,2′-bipyrazine (bpz), 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (dip), diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline-4,7-disulfonate (dpds), and 1, 10-phenanthroline-5-octadecanamide (poda)) in H₂O and in MeOH. These compounds are singlet-oxygen (O₂(¹Δ_g)) sensitizers, and quantum yields of singlet-oxygen production (Ψ_Δ) in both solvents are also reported. Values of k_q and Ψ_Δ depend on the nature of the ligand L and on the solvent, Ψ_Δ values showing a large range of variation (0.2 to 1.0). In MeOH, the only pathway for quenching of the excited [RuL₃] complexes by molecular oxygen is energy transfer: the fraction of quenched excited states yielding singlet oxygen (?) is unity for all compounds in the series investigated. Changing from MeOH to H₂O has several remarkable effects: higher k_q and lower Ψ_Δ values are observed; ? drops to ca. 0.5 except for [Ru(bpz)₃]²⁺. In fact, [Ru(bpz)₃]²⁺ is by far the weakest reductant in the series and behaves differently from the other complexes, with lowest k_q and Ψ_Δ values and a ? equal to 1 in both solvents. Results are interpreted on the basis of the role played by charge-transfer interactions between the sensitizer excited state and molecular oxygen in the quenching mechanism. Ru^II Complexes based on the 4,7-diphenyl-1, 10-phenanthroline (dip) ligand are very efficient and stable singlet-oxygen sensitizers with Ψ_Δ values close to unity in air-saturated MeOH.     

Zur struktur desWöhlerschen Silicons

Zusammenfassung Mit Hilfe fluoreszenzspektralphotometrischer und chemischer Untersuchungen wird auf den Bildungsmechanismus desWöhlerschen Silicons geschlossen und als wahrscheinliche Struktur dieses hochpolymeren Körpers Si₆-Ringe in einem Sauerstoffgerüst angenommen.

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The fluorescence spectrum and chemical investigations where used to deduce a mechanism of formation of the Wöhler-silicon. A possible structure for this high polymer substance appears to be Si₆-rings within an oxygen framing.

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Mit 2 Abbildungen     

Porous electrospun polycaprolactone fibers: Effect of process parameters

The effect of electrospinning process parameters (solution flow rate, applied voltage, spinning distance) on the size and surface morphology of porous electrospun poly(ε‐caprolactone) was investigated in this study. Response surface methodology was implemented for the design and conduction of electrospinning experiments. The feed solution was a 12.5% w/v poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) solution in a binary solvent mixture of 90%v/v chloroform/dimethyl sulfoxide. Spinning distance of 10–25 cm, applied voltage of 10–25 kV and feed flow rate of 0.5–5 mL/h were the range of limiting values of the independent variables used for the development of a central composite design. Second‐order polynomial equations, correlating electrospinning process parameters to relative pore coverage, and fiber average diameter were developed and validated. An increase in any of the investigated parameters (solution flow rate, applied voltage, spinning distance) resulted in the increase of both, pore formation on electrospun fibers, and produced fiber average diameter. Under the experimental conditions investigated, the relative pore surface coverage was 15.8–31.9% and the average fiber diameter was in the range of 1.6–3.3 μm. Applied voltage was proven to be the parameter with the strongest impact on both, fiber diameter and surface morphology. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1878–1888     

ON THE ACCURATE MODELING OF MILLIMETER WAVE FIXED WIRELESS CHANNELS EXCEEDANCE PROBABILITY

The ever increasing demand for high date rate multimedia services has led to the deployment of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) networks operating in frequencies above 10GHz. Propagation characteristics of such networks include line-of-sight (LOS) transmissions highly influenced by the presence of rain. In this paper a methodology for evaluating the outage probability of a FWA channel is introduced, making use of the forward scattering amplitude by distorted raindrops of transmitted signals. Expressions for the imaginary part of the scattering amplitude are derived through a regression fitting analysis on the results of the Method of Auxiliary Sources (MAS) to the problem of electromagnetic scattering from a Pruppacher-Pitter raindrop. These expressions are employed and an analytical method to evaluate the rain attenuation exceedance probability over a fixed wireless access link is presented. The derived exceedance probabilities are compared with experimental data from ITU-R databank with encouraging results.