Wide Variety Of Different Applications Research Articles

Some Results on Submodules Using (μ,ν,ω)-Single-Valued Neutrosophic Environment

The use of a single-valued neutrosophic set (svns) makes it much easier to manage situations in which one must deal with incorrect, unexpected, susceptible, faulty, vulnerable, and complicated information. This is a result of the fact that the specific forms of material being discussed here are more likely to include errors. This new theory has directly contributed to the expansion of both the concept of fuzzy sets and intuitionistic fuzzy sets, both of which have experienced additional development as a direct consequence of the creation of this new theory. In svns, indeterminacy is correctly assessed in a way that is both subtle and unambiguous. Furthermore, membership in the truth, indeterminacy, and falsity are all completely independent of one another. In the context of algebraic analysis, certain binary operations may be regarded as interacting with algebraic modules. These modules have pervasive and complicated designs. Modules may be put to use in a wide variety of different applications. Modules have applications in a diverse range of industries and market subsets due to their adaptability and versatility. Under the umbrella of the triplet (μ,ν,ω) structure, we investigate the concept of svns and establish a relationship between it and the single-valued neutrosophic module and the single-valued neutrosophic submodule, respectively. The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of the algebraic structures of single-valued neutrosophic submodules under the triplet structure of a classical module and to improve the validity of this method by analyzing a variety of important facets. In this article, numerous symmetrical features of modules are also investigated, which demonstrates the usefulness and practicality of these qualities. The results of this research will allow for the successful completion of both of these objectives. The tactics that we have devised for use in this article are more applicable to a wide variety of situations than those that have been used in the past. Fuzzy sets, intuitionistic fuzzy sets, and neutrosophic sets are some of the tactics that fall under this category.

Quantum dots synthetization and future prospect applications

Abstract Quantum dots (QDs) are nanocrystals of a semiconductor material that exist in a size regime less than 10 nm. QDs have become promising nanoparticles for a wide variety of different applications. However, the major drawback of QDs is their potential toxicity. This review reports on some recent methods for the synthesis of QDs and explores their properties, structures, applications, and toxicity. QDs are extraordinary because their minute size produces a physically confined electron cloud, an effect known as the quantum confinement. Certainly, because of their special properties as they had a great unique optical, electronic, and chemical properties that were not observe in other materials. These unique properties of the QD are an attractive material for a variety of scientific and commercial applications, most of them recently been realized, such as biosensors, bioimaging, photodetectors, displays, solar cells, wastewater treatment, and quantum computers. Finally, but not the end, an interesting potential QD application in future perspectives will expect as light-emitting diode products, biomedical applications, and Li-Fi.

Probabilistic modelling of nanobiomaterial release from medical applications into the environment

Nanobiomaterials (NBMs) are currently being tested in numerous biomedical applications, and their use is expected to grow rapidly in the near future. Many different types of nanomaterials are employed for a wide variety of different applications. Silver nanoparticles (nano-Ag) have been investigated for their antibacterial, antifungal, and osteoinductive properties to be used in catheters, wound healing, dental applications, and bone healing. Polymeric nanoparticles such as poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) are mainly studied for their ability to deliver cancer drugs as the body metabolizes them into simple compounds. However, most of these applications are still in the development stage and unavailable on the market, meaning that information on possible consumption, material flows, and concentrations in the environment is lacking. We thus modeled a realistic scenario involving several nano-Ag and PLGA applications which are already in use or likely to reach the market soon. We assumed their full market penetration in Europe in order to explore the prospective flows of NBMs and their environmental concentrations. The potential flows of three application-specific composite materials were also examined for one precise application each: Fe3O4PEG-PLGA used in drug delivery, MgHA-collagen used for bone tissue engineering, and PLLA-Ag applied in wound healing. Mean annual consumption in Europe, considering all realistic and probable applications of the respective NBMs, was estimated to be 5,650 kg of nano-Ag and 48,000 kg of PLGA. Mean annual consumption of the three application-specific materials under the full market penetration scenario was estimated to be 4,000 kg of Fe3O4PEG-PLGA, 58 kg of MgHA-collagen, and 24,300 kg of PLLA-Ag. A probabilistic material-flow model was used to quantify flows of the NBMs studied from production, through use, and on to end-of-life in the environment. The highest possible worst-case predicted environmental concentration (wc-PEC) were found to occur in sewage sludge, with 0.2 µg/kg of nano-Ag, 400 µg/kg of PLGA, 33 µg/kg of Fe3O4PEG-PLGA, 0.007 µg/kg of MgHA-collagen, and 2.9 µg/kg of PLLA-Ag. PLGA exhibited the highest concentration in all environmental compartments except natural and urban soil, where nano-Ag showed the highest concentration. The results showed that the distribution of NBMs into different environmental and technical compartments is strongly dependent on their type of application.

Laser Etching of Gold Conductors for RF Applications

Abstract Thick film customers who require fine line resolution for their circuitry typically utilize wet chemical etching as a means to reduce conductor's lines and spaces when fine line definition cannot be reliably attained with screen printing alone. Wet chemical etching typically has the means to reduce conductor line widths from a printed definition of 3 mil (75 μm) to as low as 1 mil (25 μm) lines and spaces. The process of performing this chemical etching is time consuming and costly when factoring in the necessary process limitations. With the issues presented by wet chemical etching, thick film customers are presented with a high process cost, yield loss due to the imaging process, and costly wastewater/environmental treatment regulations. Therefore, laser etching will be presented as an alternative method to wet chemical etching for various thick film conductor products. For many years, specialized gold formulations have been etched using typical wet chemical etching processes. Standard and less costly conductor alloys that typically would not be suitable for wet chemical etching will be explored, possibly opening the doors for a wide variety of different applications which would benefit from utilizing this laser etching method. By being able to utilize different conductor alloys (Ag, Cu, etc.), laser etching offers alternative solutions for some of these applications with the added benefit of improved cost and increased throughput. As an example, wet chemical processing of silver conductors has proven to be very challenging in some cases due to the metal form-factor and specialized glasses required. By having the option of laser ablating the silver, a potentially advantageous and cost-effective option would now be possible. Taking into account that laser etching of thick film conductors on ceramic is a relatively new method, this paper will concentrate on some of the opportunities/advantages it can offer. It will illustrate the boundaries of laser etching and how it compares to wet chemical etching while determining/comparing the impact on several properties including adhesion, signal propagation, line definition, and other important defining characteristics of the fired film in the final application.

A sensitivity‐based approach to solving the inverse eigenvalue problem for linear structures carrying lumped attachments

SummaryThis paper presents an efficient algorithm for designing dynamical systems to exhibit a desired spectrum of eigenvalues. Focusing on combined systems of linear structures carrying various lumped element attachments, we apply the assumed‐modes method and the implicit function theorem to derive analytical expressions for eigenvalue sensitivities, which are used to efficiently determine the minimal set of structural modifications needed to achieve a set of desired eigenvalues. The proposed algorithm employs an adaptive step size, performs significantly better than existing approaches, and can be easily applied to a broad range of structures. Convergence properties and limitations on achievable eigenvalues are also discussed, and a number of case studies demonstrating the performance of the algorithm in a wide variety of different applications are also included.

Implementing the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers for Big Datasets: A Case Study of Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator

The alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) has been extensively used in a wide variety of different applications. When large datasets with high-dimensional variables are considered, subproblems arising from the ADMM must be inexactly solved even though they may theoretically have closed-form solutions. Such a scenario immediately poses mathematical ambiguities such as how these subproblems should be accurately solved and whether the convergence can still be guaranteed. Although the ADMM is well known, it seems that these topics should be deeply investigated. In this paper, we study the mathematics of how to implement the ADMM for a large dataset scenarios. More specifically, we attempt to focus on the convex programming case where there is a quadratic function with extremely high-dimensional variables in the objective function of the model; thereby there is a huge-scale system for linear equations needing to be solved at each iteration of the ADMM. It is revealed that there is no need, indeed ...

Carboxypeptidase E and the Identification of Novel Neuropeptides as Potential Therapeutic Targets.

Peptides and small molecules that bind to peptide receptors are important classes of drugs that are used for a wide variety of different applications. The search for novel neuropeptides traditionally involved a time-consuming approach to purify each peptide to homogeneity and determine its amino acid sequence. The discovery in the 1980s of enkephalin convertase/carboxypeptidase E (CPE), and the observation that this enzyme was involved in the production of nearly every known neuropeptide led to the idea for a one-step affinity purification of CPE substrates. This approach was successfully used to isolate hundreds of known neuropeptides in mouse brain, as well as over a dozen novel peptides. Some of the novel peptides found using this approach are among the most abundant peptides present in brain, but had not been previously identified by traditional approaches. Recently, receptors for two of the novel peptides have been identified, confirming their role as neuropeptides that function in cell-cell signaling. Small molecules that bind to one of these receptors have been developed and found to significantly reduce food intake and anxiety-like behavior in an animal model. This review describes the entire project, from discovery of CPE to the novel peptides and their receptors.

Improving the economy-of-scale of small organic rankine cycle systems through appropriate working fluid selection

Organic Rankine cycles (ORC) are becoming a major research area within the field of sustainable energy systems. However, a major challenge facing the widespread implementation of small and mini-scale ORC systems is the economy-of-scale. To overcome this challenge requires single components that can be manufactured in large volumes and then implemented into a wide variety of different applications where the heat source conditions may vary. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether working fluid selection can improve the current economy-of-scale by enabling the same system components to be used in multiple ORC systems. This is done through coupling analysis and optimisation of the energy process, with a performance map for a small-scale ORC radial turbine. The performance map, obtained using CFD, is adapted to account for additional loss mechanisms not accounted for in the original CFD simulation before being non-dimensionalised using a modified similitude theory developed for subsonic ORC turbines. The updated performance map is then implemented into a thermodynamic model, enabling the construction of a single performance contour that displays the range of heat source conditions that can be accommodated by the existing turbine whilst using a particular working fluid. Constructing this performance map for a range of working fluids, this paper demonstrates that through selecting a suitable working fluid, the same turbine can efficiently utilise heat sources between 360 and 400K, with mass flow rates ranging between 0.5 and 2.75kg/s respectively. This corresponds to using the same turbine in ORC applications where the heat available ranges between 50 and 380kWth, with the resulting net power produced by the ORC system ranging between 2 and 30kW. Further investigations also suggest that the same pump could also be used; however, the heat exchanger area scales directly with increasing heat input. Overall, this paper demonstrates that through the optimal selection of the working fluid, the same turbomachinery components (i.e. pump and turbine) can be used in multiple ORC systems. This offers an opportunity to improve the current economy-of-scale of small ORC systems, ultimately leading to more economical systems for the utilisation of low temperature sustainable heat sources.

Structure of Rabindrik human values

Principal component analysis is probably the oldest and best known of the techniques of multi variate analysis. It was first introduced by Pearson (1901), and developed independently by Hotelling (1933). The central idea of principal component analysis is to reduce the dimensionality of a data set in which there are a large number of interrelated variables, while retaining as much as possible of the variation present in the data set. This reduction is achieved by transforming to a new set of variables, the principal components, which are uncorrelated, and which are ordered so that the first few retain most of the variation present in all of the original variables. Computation of the principal components reduces to the solution of an eigenvalue-eigenvector problem for a positive-semi definite symmetric matrix. Thus, the definition and computation of principal components are straightforward but, as will be seen, this apparently simple technique hasa wide variety of different applications, as well as a number of different derivations and here we demonstrate it for gaining important insights on Rabindrik values.MethodParticipantsIt is widely claimed that the diversity factor is one of the major reason for promotion of learning at an institute like that of HM. In such an environment it is useful to understand in what factors the population differs at an IIM, what are the major factors of differentiation and if we can classify them into logical sets with reduced dimensions. The factors which we considered for our study were data collected on Rabindrik values which are collection of attributes referring to the way of self-awakening through the use of therapeutic postulates extracted from the literary works of Rabindranath Tagore. Here based on the set of the attributes for which data is collected on a Likert scale of 1-14 the attributes were ranked from most desirable to least desirable. PC A analysis was then performed on the attributes to identify reduced groups of attributes which can be used to represent the varied population analyzed with minimum loss of variance. SPSS was used as a tool for performing the analysis which makes it easy as the tests for necessary prerequisites are also performed automatically in the tool. The steps to perform the analysis in SPSS can be summarized in the steps as below. This is done in order to allow the users of the paper to reproduce the results at a later point in time. Of the data collected for the 28 variables the first 14 variables viz.Self-awakening, emotional control, systematic, self-insulating less, fearless, cleanliness, no work-family conflict, niskam principle, challenging, self-understanding, doubtless, free from fear of failure, resolute, active are measuring path oriented human values whereas the remaining 14 variables, i.e., Peace, universalization, Enlightenment, positive feeling, family security, Sense of Accomplishment, Pleasure, Inner harmony, Self-Respect, Salvation, Self-Empowerment, Security, Significance in Life and Altruism are goal oriented human values. The steps followed for analysis for either group would be same but the analysis would be performed separately for both groups as both are measuring different attributes viz. the path andthe goal. We would begin with the reliability analysis for the data and we would be using the Cronbach's Alpha for the same.Data collection and exploratory analysisThe data for the effort was collected from the participants of the PGP and FPM program of Indian Institute of Management, Shillong for the academic year of 2013-14 and 2014-15. The data was collected through an online google form before which an explanation about the purpose and use of data was communicated to both the batches through formal sessions. This was a necessary step as some of the path and goal variables may not be clear to the participants which may led to data inconsistency. The participants were advised to fill the data form at their own convenience in a time gap of about five to seven days so that they could understand self and then fill the requisite information. …

Building DNA Nanostructures for Molecular Computation, Templated Assembly, and Biological Applications

CONSPECTUS: DNA is a critical biomolecule well-known for its roles in biology and genetics. Moreover, its double-helical structure and the Watson-Crick pairing of its bases make DNA structurally predictable. This predictability enables design and synthesis of artificial DNA nanostructures by suitable programming of the base sequences of DNA strands. Since the advent of the field of DNA nanotechnology in 1982, a variety of DNA nanostructures have been designed and used for numerous applications. In this Account, we discuss the progress made by our lab which has contributed toward the overall advancement of the field. Tile-based DNA nanostructures are an integral part of structural DNA nanotechnology. These structures are formed using several short, chemically synthesized DNA strands by programming their base sequences so that they self-assemble into desired constructs. Design and assembly of several DNA tiles will be discussed in this Account. Tiles include, for example, TX tiles with three parallel, coplanar duplexes, 4 × 4 cross-tiles with four arms, and weave-tiles with weave-like architecture. Another category of tiles we will present involve multiple parallel duplexes that assemble to form closed tubular structures. All of these tile types have been used to form micrometer-scale one- and two-dimensional arrays and lattices. Origami-based structures constitute another category where a long single-stranded DNA scaffold is folded into desired shapes by association with multiple short staple strands. This Account will describe the efforts by our lab in devising new strategies to improve the maximum size of origami structures. The various DNA nanostructures detailed here have been used in a wide variety of different applications. This Account will discuss the use of DNA tiles for logical computation, encoding information as molecular barcodes, and functionalization for patterning of other nanoscale organic and inorganic materials. Consequently, we have used DNA nanostructures for templating metallic nanowires as well as for programmed assembly of proteins and nanoparticles with controlled spacings. Among other applications, we have used DNA nanotechnology in biosensors that detect target DNA sequences and to affect cell surface receptor clustering for communicating with a cell signaling pathway. We used DNA weave-tiles to control the spacing between thrombin-binding aptamers which resulted in very high antithrombin and anticoagulant activity of the construct. We believe that the tremendous progress in DNA nanotechnology over the past three decades will open even more research avenues in the near future for applications in a wide variety of disciplines including electronics, photonics, biomedical engineering, biosensing, therapeutics, and nucleic-acid-based drug delivery.

Linking Interfacial Step Structure and Chemistry with Locally Enhanced Radiation‐Induced Amorphization at Oxide Heterointerfaces

Nanostructured materials and their interfaces have attracted recent interest for their functionality in a wide variety of different applications. However, the origins of these properties in several instances remain unknown. One promising aspect of nanomaterials is their role in materials design for mitigating radiation damage. In particular, engineered radiation tolerant materials would exploit the presence of internal interfaces to act as recombination centers and suppress damage accumulation. Realizing this promise, however, requires a fundamental understanding of how radiation‐induced defects interact with interfaces. Thus, studying the interfacial atomic structure and chemistry before and after irradiation is critical. In this study, we have performed transmission electron microscopy on a series of pristine and ion‐irradiated oxide interfaces to probe radiation‐induced effects. The CeO2/SrTiO3 interface, chosen as a model system for these studies, is characterized by differences in SrTiO3 terminations or steps. Our salient result is that steps are centers for preferential amorphization in SrTiO3, which we attribute to defect flow across the interface induced by non‐stoichiometry in CeO2. The study concludes the interfacial atomic ordering in the form of steps thereby modifies the response to ion irradiation and suggests interface patterning as another parameter to functionalize radiation tolerant materials.

Magnetically Coupled Microcalorimeters

Magnetic calorimeters have been under development for over 20 years targeting a wide variety of different applications that require very high resolution spectroscopy. They have a number of properties that distinguish them from other low temperature detectors. In this paper we review these properties and emphasize the types of application to which they are most suited. We will describe what has been learned about the best materials, geometries, and read-out amplifiers and our understanding of the measured performance and theoretical limits. While most magnetic calorimeter research has concentrated on the use of paramagnets to provide the temperature sensitivity, recently magnetically coupled microcalorimeters have been in development that utilize the diamagnetic response of superconductors. We will contrast some of the properties of the two different magnetic sensor types.

Dynamics of end grafted DNA molecules and possible biosensor applications

AbstractPolymers that are terminally attached to solid supports, so called brushes, form the basis for a wide variety of different applications in colloidal and biophysical sciences. For grafted charged chains a conducting surface allows to manipulate the brush structure by applying electric fields across the brush. The dynamics of oligomeric DNA molecules under the action of repulsive and attractive surface electric fields is studied by Brownian dynamics simulations including hydrodynamic effects and compared to experimental results. The difference in flexibility between double and single stranded DNA molecules leads to a change in the switching dynamics when repeatedly reversing the surface charge. This effect allows to detect hybridization of surface anchored DNA. Similar kinetic changes occur when other molecules bind terminally to DNA, opening the possibility to use end grafted polymers for general biosensing applications. We in particular discuss the influence of the adsorbate size and change on the switching dynamics. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

An Electrochemically Driven and Electrochemically Regenerated NOx Trap

Absorption traps are used in a wide variety of different applications to prevent potentially harmful chemicals from entering the environment and/or from coming into contact with sensitive downstream equipment. Many of the materials in use cannot be regenerated so that concerns relating to sustainable usage and environmentally acceptable disposal are important; in other cases, regeneration can only be accomplished with relative difficulty. Herein we describe a new principle that can be used to address both these issues. A key application where chemical traps have found widespread use is in the control of NOx emissions generated by fuel-efficient automotive engines which, by reducing the atmospheric CO2 burden, can significantly mitigate the impact of road transport on global warming. Unfortunately, such engines produce much higher concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx) than conventional gasoline engines [1] with attendant adverse impact on human health and the environment. As a consequence, conventional “three-way” catalytic converters are inadequate and a post-converter NOx trap is required. These traps consist of an alkaline-earth component (usually barium) that is able to store NOx species as various nitrates and nitrites under the oxygen-rich conditions typical of “lean” engine operation. Precious metals, usually platinum, are also used as they aid in the uptake of NOx by providing sites for the adsorption and catalytic oxidation of NO to NO2. To restore the trap the engine is momentarily switched to “rich operation”, generating a large concentration of reducing species that cause reduction of the adsorbed nitrate/nitrite species to nitrogen thus regenerating the active BaO/BaCO3 component. A disadvantage of this procedure is that relatively high temperatures ( 900 K) are required for complete regeneration. Although the current generation of NOx traps is very effective when run under these conditions, a number of significant problems remain, especially the need for regular high-temperature excursions, the requirement of periodic rich engine operation (which partially defeats the object of lean operation), and susceptibility to poisoning by sulfur compounds present in the fuel. Herein we report a novel electrochemically driven NOx trap that can operate effectively over a range of temperatures and can be regenerated as required in a controlled manner, without the requirement for temperature excursions or changes in gas-phase composition. Although NOx trapping is used herein to illustrate the technique, the general method employed could be applicable in a wide variety of different applications, including, for example, removal oxides of carbon and sulfur. The trap consists of a thin porous layer of a precious metal (Pt, Pd, or Rh) deposited onto the surface of a solid electrolyte wafer that is biased to deliver the active species to the metal surface where it encounters the adsorbed NOx. We used sodium and potassium ionic conductors although a variety of other solid electrolytes could be used, depending on the application. NOx-trapping and trap-regeneration measurements were performed in a well-mixed microreactor operated at atmospheric pressure and described in detail elsewhere. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were carried out with a VG ADES 400 spectrometer system and in situ infrared spectroscopy measurements were performed with a Perkin Elmer GX2000 spectrometer utilizing a Harrick Refractor Reactor specular reflection accessory. The performance of the trap is illustrated in Figure 1 which shows the effects of 1) electrochemically trapping NOx

Trends and new developments in gaseous detectors

Almost one century ago the method of particle detection with gaseous detectors was invented. Since then they have been exploited successfully in many experiments using a wide variety of different applications. The development is still going on today. The underlying working principles are today well understood and with the help of modern simulation techniques, new configurations can be easily examined and optimized before a first experimental test. Traditional wire chamber ensembles demonstrate that they are still up to date and are well prepared to meet also the challenges of LHC. Applications will be discussed using TPCs in high multiplicity environments with standard Multi-Wire Proportional Chamber (MWPC) as readout as well as drift tubes in a muon spectrometer for a Large Hardron Collider (LHC) experiment. Triggered by the evolving printed circuit technology, a new generation of gaseous detectors with very high position resolution and rate capability has emerged. Two representatives (MICROMEGAS, GEM) have proved their reliability in various experiments and are promising candidates for future projects. Performance and results will be discussed for these detectors. Furthermore, achievements in RPC-based detectors will be discussed. The standard Trigger RPC is a reliable low-cost semi-industrial manufactured device with good time resolution. Thin gap RPCs (Multigap-, and High Rate Timing RPC) show very fast signal response at high efficiency and significantly increased rate capability and will be applied in TOF detectors.

Trends and new developments in gaseous detectors

Almost one century ago the method of particle detection with gaseous detectors was invented. Since then they have been exploited successfully in many experiments using a wide variety of different applications. The development is still going on today. The underlying working principles are today well understood and with the help of modern simulation techniques, new configurations can be easily examined and optimized before a first experimental test. Traditional wire chamber ensembles demonstrate that they are still up to date and are well prepared to meet also the challenges of LHC. Applications will be discussed using TPCs in high multiplicity environments with standard Multi-Wire Proportional Chamber (MWPC) as readout as well as drift tubes in a muon spectrometer for a Large Hardron Collider (LHC) experiment. Triggered by the evolving printed circuit technology, a new generation of gaseous detectors with very high position resolution and rate capability has emerged. Two representatives (MICROMEGAS, GEM) have proved their reliability in various experiments and are promising candidates for future projects. Performance and results will be discussed for these detectors. Furthermore, achievements in RPC-based detectors will be discussed. The standard Trigger RPC is a reliable low-cost semi-industrial manufactured device with good time resolution. Thin gap RPCs (Multigap-, and High Rate Timing RPC) show very fast signal response at high efficiency and significantly increased rate capability and will be applied in TOF detectors.

Soluble High-Molecular-Mass Poly(ethylene oxide)s via Self-Organization

High-molecular-weight poly(ethylene oxide)s are utilized for a wide variety of different applications. Here we present a new strategy for the large-scale synthesis of modified metallosupra- molecular poly(ethylene oxide)s on the basis of the metal-induced self-assembly of bis(2,2':6',2''-terpyrid- 4'-yl)-poly(ethylene oxide)179. The influence of different metal ions (cadmium(II), copper(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), iron(II)) on the degree of polymerization and the resulting molecular weight were evaluated. Elaborated reaction conditions allow easy access to high-molecular-weight iron(II) coordination polymers via self-organization. The polymers were characterized in detail utilizing 1H NMR, UV/vis spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF-MS, and viscosity measurements. The molecular weight was estimated on the basis of concentration-dependent viscosity measurements to about 80 000 g/mol. Furthermore, the morphology of the utilized telechelic bis(2,2':6',2''-terpyrid-4'-yl)-poly(ethylene oxide)179 and the corresponding coordination polymer was investigated using atomic force microscopy. In particular, the influence of complex formation on the morphology was investigated.

Improved background compensation in atomic absorption spectrometry using the high speed self reversal method

The latest generation of atomic absorption spectrometers allows the quantitation of low and ultralow element concentrations with flame and furnace atomization in a wide variety of different applications. Nowadays, analytical procedures require instruments obtaining reliable and reproducible results with a minimum effort in time-consuming sample pre-treatment. In order to fulfill these items, automatic sampling systems and background compensation techniques are widely used to solve interference problems generated by samples. Furthermore, digital control of heating rates and gas flows as well as intelligent system control allows the accurate and full automatic measurement of multielement sequences up to 20 elements including the changeover of the atomization unit itself. During evaluation of different background compensation methods in flame and furnace operation deuteriumlamp-, high speed self reversal-, and Zeeman- effect based methods have been used. Data have been collected for various samples with typically high background levels. Analytical results for Zn, Cd and As are different according to the selection of the background compensation method. Additionally, differences in sensitivities must be considered. Problems and limitations of the deuterium background compensation method will be discussed and compared with experimental data generated using the high speed self reversal method and literature data.

Recent developments in differential scanning calorimetry for assessing oxidative deterioration of vegetable oils

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is one of the most frequently used analytical instruments in the field of oils and fats. Today, it is already an established technique for characterizing the physical properties of many materials. The possibility of using DSC to characterize oils and fats has been realized for over 50 years. The wide variety of different applications investigated during this period reflects the diversity and complexity of oils and fats materials, as well as the versatility of the DSC technique. The main purpose of this article is to review the latest developments in the use of DSC to evaluate the oxidative deterioration of vegetable oils.

Electrostatic powder gun design

A review is given of the differences between corona and triboelectric gun design. Different charging systems are described for the corona gun including multiple corona needles and the effect of their location at the gun extremity. Measurement of charging efficiency is made among these types of guns. The basic design features of the triboelectric powder gun are reviewed and a measurement system is described to obtain a quantitative efficiency of the coating equipment. Novel triboelectric guns are described to enable the use of a wider range of powders. A comparison is made between the relative merits of the two systems and the utilisation of the optimum system is explained for a wide variety of different applications and workpiece geometries. The technology and the plant solutions in correlation with the types of gun are constantly being developed in order • -to improve the total installation, e.g. the plastic booth, • -to open up further fields of applications (workpieces of glass, ceramics, plastics) and • -to find out novel and more effective working principles. In the years to come systems engineering in big plants will be making distinct progress from partial to full-scale automation of the coating lines. For these automatically controlled powder applications the tribo guns, with their charging current are of great importance, which indicates the faultness operation of the gun and can be used as control parameters, e.g. the powder output.