Catalysis at Lower Temperatures

Operating heterogeneous catalytic reactions at low temperatures offers the prospects of improved selectivity, better catalyst durability and lower running costs. In practice, though, low-temperature catalysis can be unpredictable and transitory. It often arises from fragile nano-scale interactions, which can be difficult to induce,and even more difficult to measure. In trying to understand these interactions some of the long accepted tenets of catalysis are brought into question. We are seeing, however, the emergence of some generic patterns of behavior, which may ultimately allow us to custom-design durable low-temperature catalysts.     

Role of vanadium oxide on the lithium silicate glass structure and properties

The structural role of V in 28Li₂O–72SiO₂ (in mol%) lithium silicate glass doped with 0.5 mol% V₂O₅ was assessed using ²⁹Si and ⁵¹V Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopy techniques. Despite the low amount of V₂O₅ used, the structural information obtained or deduced from the statistical analysis of the NMR data could explain the evolution of glass properties after V₂O₅ addition. The XPS results indicated that all vanadium exists in 5+ oxidation state. Both the ²⁹Si NMR and FTIR data point toward an increase in the polymerization of the silicate network, caused by the V₂O₅ acting as network former, capable to form various tetrahedral units (for n = 0, 1, and 2) in the glasses. These units, which are similar to phosphate units, scavenge the Li⁺ ions and cause the silicate network to polymerize. However, in an overall balance, the entire glass network is depolymerized due to the additional nonbridging oxygens contributed by the vanadium polyhedra. The addition of vanadium causes the network to expand and increases the ionic conductivity.     

Adsorption studies on copper,cadmium, and zinc ion removal from aqueous solution using magnetite/carbon nanocomposites

Magnetite/carbon nanocomposites were tested as adsorbents for removal of metal ions from aqueous solutions. The effect of adsorption parameters such as solutions pH (ranging between 2 and 9), the nature and the quantity of the sorbent (10, 20, 40, and 60 mg), initial concentration of metal ions (10, 30, 50, 100, and 150 mg/L), and temperature (25, 45, and 65°C) was evaluated. The removal efficiency of metal ions depends on solution pH and increases with increasing carbon content, the dose of magnetite/carbon nanocomposites, and the temperature and decrease with initial concentration of the metal ions. The adsorption kinetics was described by pseudo-second-order model, and the equilibrium experimental data were well fitted to the Sips isotherm, yielding a maximum adsorption capacity of 41.11, 76.67, and 48.45 mg/g for copper, cadmium, and zinc, respectively. The thermodynamic parameter Gibbs free energy was determined to be negative, which indicated that the adsorption process is spontaneous. The optimum conditions (1 g/L adsorbent, 25°C, and pH 6) were selected for removal of metal ions from real wastewaters, with good results indicating that investigated nanocomposites could be used for the application in real systems.     

Hybrid networks based on epoxidized camelina oil

Lately, renewable resources received great attention in the macromolecular compounds area, regarding the design of the monomers and polymers with different applications. In this study the capacity of several modified vegetable oil-based monomers to build competitive hybrid networks was investigate, taking into account thermal and mechanical behavior of the designed materials. In order to synthesize such competitive nanocomposites, the selected renewable raw material, camelina oil, was employed due to the non-toxicity and biodegradability behavior. General properties of epoxidized camelina oil-based materials were improved by loading of different types of organic-inorganic hybrid compounds – polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) bearing one (POSS1Ep) or eight (POSS8Ep) epoxy rings on the cages. In order to identify the chemical changes occurring after the thermal curing reactions, FT-IR spectrometry was employed. The new synthesized nanocomposites based on epoxidized camelina oil (ECO) were characterized by dynamic mechanical analyze and thermogravimetric analyze. The morphology of the ECO-based materials was investigate by scanning electron microscopy and supplementary information regarding the presence of the POSS compounds were establish by energy dispersive X-ray analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The smooth materials without any separation phase indicates a well dispersion of the Si–O–Si cages within the organic matrix and the incorporation of this hybrid compounds into the ECO network demonstrates to be a well strategy to improve the thermal and mechanical properties, simultaneously.     

Conditions for multiple land use in large-scale urban projects

The implementation of concepts of multiple land use seems to be relevant in the context of large-scale urban projects, which are now predominately monofunctional. However, current governance settings at these projects seem to be unreceptive to this new planning concept. Our in-depth case study of the South Axis project in Amsterdam embraces an actor-centred institutional perspective and seeks to understand how more receptive conditions for norm alignment between key actors can be attained. We reconstruct the introduction of quite radical concepts of multiple land use in this project, which started as an office-development proposal. The implementation was severely hampered by the fact that ambitions were formed in a rather introvert local government – business setting. Only in the last stage, with the adoption of a more extrovert mode of governance that included a variety of national government departments, were more receptive conditions for multiple land use created.     

SEARCHING FOR LEUKAEMIA CLUSTERS USING A GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS MACHINE

ABSTRACT The paper describes a new approach to the graphical analysis of cancer data. A Geographical Analysis Machine is built which simultaneously solves the problems of post hot: hypothesis testing, handling data errors, and the task of generating and evaluating hypotheses in an exploratory environment. The methodology is demonstrated by reanalyzing cancer data for Northern England in such a way that for the first time the complex universe of all geographical hypotheses is enumerated, evaluated, and all the significant cancer clusters displayed.     

Selective digital filters with quadratic phase

A method for design of a new class of digital infinite impulse response filters realized as parallel connection of two all‐pass filters is presented in this paper. A new approach to approximation of quadratic phase of all‐pass filter at all frequencies is given. Chosen parallel structure offers opportunity for realization of filters with arbitrary shape phase. The presented algorithm is based on all‐pass filter phase approximation. Phases of both all‐pass filters approximate ideal quadratic phase in minimax sense at all frequencies. Such filters can be applied for chirp signal compression or expansion. Magnitude characteristic of described filters is very selective and elliptic‐like. Obtained filters are compared with elliptic filter and group delay corrector in cascade. For the same specifications, much better results are achieved by the proposed filters. Parallel connection of all‐pass filters introduces lower signal delay, and for a given maximal phase, approximation error demands less complex network. Examples to illustrate the proposed method are given. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gum arabic as a phytochemical construct for the stabilization of gold nanoparticles: in vivo pharmacokinetics and X-ray-contrast-imaging studies

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have exceptional stability against oxidation and therefore will play a significant role in the advancement of clinically useful diagnostic and therapeutic nanomedicines. Despite the huge potential for a new generation of AuNP-based nanomedicinal products, nontoxic AuNP constructs and formulations that can be readily administered site-specifically through the intravenous mode, for diagnostic imaging by computed tomography (CT) or for therapy via various modalities, are still rare. Herein, we report results encompassing: 1) the synthesis and stabilization of AuNPs within the nontoxic phytochemical gum-arabic matrix (GA-AuNPs); 2) detailed in vitro analysis and in vivo pharmacokinetics studies of GA-AuNPs in pigs to gain insight into the organ-specific localization of this new generation of AuNP vector, and 3) X-ray CT contrast measurements of GA-AuNP vectors for potential utility in molecular imaging. Our results demonstrate that naturally occurring GA can be used as a nontoxic phytochemical construct in the production of readily administrable biocompatible AuNPs for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in nanomedicine.