Rapid analysis of polymer homologues and additives with SFE/SFC-MS coupling

A rapid and easy analysis method for polymers is presented. The method involves sample preparation by SFE, separation of the extracted compounds by SFC and simultaneous quantitative detection by FID, as well as identification of unknowns by MS. The applications illustrate how structural research work and routine polymer analysis can be done with this time saving method.     

Representation and uniformization of algebraic transductions

This paper explores different means of representation for algebraic transductions, i.e., word relations realized by pushdown transducers. The relevance of this work lies more in its point of view rather than any particular result. We are aiming at giving specific techniques for obtaining, or perhaps explaining, decompositions of algebraic (and incidentally, rational) relations, relying solely on their “machine” definition rather than some complex algebraic apparatus. From this point of view, we are hoping to have demystified the heavy formalism employed in the present literature. Some of the novelties of our work are: the use of “stack languages” and “embeddings,” which eliminate the need of arbitrary context-free languages in our characterizations, the study of uniformizations for algebraic transductions and the use of the so-called stack transductions for exposing the anatomy of pushdown transducers.This work was supported by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada grants R220259 and OGP0041630.     

Detecting palindromes,patterns and borders in regular languages

Given a language L and a non-deterministic finite automaton M, we consider whether we can determine efficiently (in the size of M) if M accepts at least one word in L, or infinitely many words. Given that M accepts at least one word in L, we consider how long a shortest word can be. The languages L that we examine include the palindromes, the non-palindromes, the k-powers, the non-k-powers, the powers, the non-powers (also called primitive words), the words matching a general pattern, the bordered words, and the unbordered words.     

Note: Bending compliances of generalized symmetric notch flexure hinges

The bending compliances of generalized notch flexure hinges with transverse or transverse-and-axial symmetry are studied in two particular reference frames. For an end-point reference frame, the cross compliance and the rotary compliance are proportional. When the reference frame is placed at the flexure's midpoint, the cross compliance is zero. The translatory and rotary compliances of only half the flexure hinge are sufficient to calculate the overall compliances of a transverse-symmetry flexure configuration. Similarly, the overall bending compliances of a flexure hinge with transverse-and-axial symmetry require prior calculation of the translatory and rotary compliances of a quarter flexure solely.     

Facile Microwave Assisted Synthesis of Silver Nanostars for Ultrasensitive Detection of Biological Analytes by SERS

We report a very simple, rapid and reproducible method for the fabrication of anisotropic silver nanostars (AgNS) that can be successfully used as highly efficient SERS substrates for different bioanalytes, even in the case of a near-infra-red (NIR) excitation laser. The nanostars have been synthesized using the chemical reduction of Ag⁺ ions by trisodium citrate. This is the first research reporting the synthesis of AgNS using only trisodium citrate as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The key elements of this original synthesis procedure are rapid hydrothermal synthesis of silver nanostars followed by a cooling down procedure by immersion in a water bath. The synthesis was performed in a sealed bottom flask homogenously heated and brought to a boil in a microwave oven. After 60 s, the colloidal solution was cooled down to room temperature by immersion in a water bath at 35 °C. The as-synthesized AgNS were washed by centrifugation and used for SERS analysis of test molecules (methylene blue) as well as biological analytes: pharmaceutical compounds with various Raman cross sections (doxorubicin, atenolol & metoprolol), cell lysates and amino acids (methionine & cysteine). UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, (Scanning) Transmission Electron Microscopy ((S)TEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) have been employed for investigating nanostars’ physical properties.     

Gas Sensing of NiO‐SCCNT Core–Shell Heterostructures: Optimization by Radial Modulation of the Hole‐Accumulation Layer

Hierarchical core–shell (C–S) heterostructures composed of a NiO shell deposited onto stacked‐cup carbon nanotubes (SCCNTs) are synthesized by atomic layer deposition (ALD). A film of NiO particles (0.80–21.8 nm in thickness) is uniformly deposited onto the inner and outer walls of the SCCNTs. The electrical resistance of the samples is found to increase of many orders of magnitude with the increasing of the NiO thickness. The response of NiO–SCCNT sensors toward low concentrations of acetone and ethanol at 200 °C is studied. The sensing mechanism is based on the modulation of the hole‐accumulation region in the NiO shell layer upon chemisorption of the reducing gas molecules. The electrical conduction mechanism is further studied by the incorporation of an Al₂O₃ dielectric layer at NiO and SCCNT interfaces. The investigations on NiO–Al₂O₃–SCCNT, Al₂O₃–SCCNT, and NiO–SCCNT coaxial heterostructures reveal that the sensing mechanism is strictly related to the NiO shell layer. The remarkable performance of the NiO–SCCNT sensors toward acetone and ethanol benefits from the conformal coating by ALD, large surface area of the SCCNTs, and the optimized p‐NiO shell layer thickness followed by the radial modulation of the space‐charge region.     

Intuitionistic fuzzy system for fingerprints authentication

Using a fuzzy logic control system, we propose in this paper an optimized method to reduce the points number to be used in order to identify a person using fuzzy fingerprints. Two fingerprints are similar if n out of N points from the skin are identical. We discuss a criteria to choose these points. Our method compares two matching sets and selects the optimal set from these, using a fuzzy reasoning system based on intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. The advantage of our method with respect to the classical existing methods consists in a smaller number of calculations.     

ICI Reduction in OFDM Systems Using Phase Modified Sinc Pulse

This paper is focused on the problem of reducing the intercarrier-interference (ICI) power in the transmission over Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Systems (OFDM) using pulse shaping methods. A new pulse was proposed here and it was investigated in terms of ICI interference. It appears to be suitable for transmission in OFDM systems with carrier frequency offset. The results obtained by calculations show that the performance improvements are significant for reducing average intercarrier-interference (ICI) power and increasing the ratio of average signal power to average ICI power (SIR).     

Dual Coating Laser Cladding of NiCrBSi and Inconel 718

This paper presents an alternative approach to obtaining crack- and pore-free NiCrBSiFeCuMoC hard coatings on a low alloy steel substrate through coaxial laser cladding, by using Inconel 718 as a buffer layer between the hard coating and the base material. The presence of the buffer layer reduces the overall cracking susceptibility of the hardfacing material by reducing the compressive stresses developed during the cladding process and ensuring a more uniform heat distribution gradient at the surface of the material than the base metal alone, which provides an additional hardness and wear coefficient increase of 7% and improves the corrosion resistance of the obtained materials by 20%, in comparison with the reference sample obtained without an intermediate layer, by using the same operational parameters and minimizes elemental dilution with the substrate. Our method could prove useful in increasing the quality and life cycle of expensive high-performance hard-coated materials, especially those working under demanding operational and environmental conditions.