Influence of Metal Salts Addition on Physical and Electrochemical Properties of Ethyl and Propylammonium Nitrate

In this work, we deepen in the characterization of two protic ionic liquids (PILs), ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) and propylammonium nitrate (PAN). With this aim, we determined the influence of inorganic nitrate salts addition on their physical properties and their electrochemical potential window (EPW). Thus, experimental measurements of electrical conductivity, density, viscosity, refractive index and surface tension of mixtures of {EAN or PAN + LiNO₃, Ca(NO₃)₂, Mg(NO₃)₂ or Al(NO₃)₃} at a temperature range between 5 and 95 °C are presented first, except for the last two properties which were measured at 25 °C. In the second part, the corresponding EPWs were determined at 25 °C by linear sweep voltammetry using three different electrochemical cells. Effect of the salt addition was associated mainly with the metal cation characteristics, so, generally, LiNO₃ showed the lower influence, followed by Ca(NO₃)₂, Mg(NO₃)₂ or Al(NO₃)₃. The results obtained for the EAN + LiNO₃ mixtures, along with those from a previous work, allowed us to develop novel predictive equations for most of the presented physical properties as functions of the lithium salt concentration, the temperature and the water content. Electrochemical results showed that a general order of EPW can be established for both PILs, although exceptions related to measurement conditions and the properties of the mixtures were found.     

Accuracy of a class of concurrent algorithms for transient finite element analysis

The accuracy of a new class of concurrent, procedures for transient finite element analysis is examined. A phase error analysis is carried out which shows that wave retardation leading to unacceptable loss of accuracy may occur if a Courant condition based on the dimensions of the subdomains is violated. Numerical tests suggest that this Courant condition is conservative for typical structural applications and may lead to a marked increase in accuracy as the number of subdomains is increased. Theoretical speed-up ratios are derived which suggest that the algorithms under consideration can be expected to exhibit a performance superior to that of globally implicit methods when implemented on parallel machines.     

Continued high or reduced interparental conflict following divorce: Relation to young adolescent adjustment.

Three groups of young adolescent subjects were compared on several measures of adjustment in the school setting. The three groups of subjects included (a) a group from recently divorced families in which high levels of interparental conflict prior to parental separation and after the divorce had been reported, (b) a group from recently divorced families in which high levels of interparental conflict prior to parental separation but low levels after the divorce had been reported, and (c) a comparison group from intact families. Adolescents from the first group were found to be functioning at a lower level than those from the other two groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Bentonitic Clay Assisted Method for the Preparation of 2-(R-Anilino)-1, 4-Naphthoquinones

A new and efficient protocol to prepare 2-(R-anilino)-1,4-naphthoquinones in quantitative yields is presented. This synthesis occurs under mild conditions by reacting the corresponding aniline and 1,4-naphthoquinone in the presence of a bentonitic clay. The role of the clay is explained in terms of a reaction mechanism in which an activated complex is formed by the reaction of 1,4-naphthoquinone with Lewis acid sites of the clay. Based on the chemical composition of the clay, with Fe³⁺ sites, the last step of the mechanism is proposed to involve an oxidation-reduction reaction.     

Analyzing the mechanisms of selectivity in biomimetic self-assemblies via IR and NMR spectroscopy of prepolymerization solutions and molecular dynamics simulations

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid were synthesized via a noncovalent approach with 4-vinylpyridine as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker in a methanol/water mixture. Templated polymers synthesized in this self-assembly approach rely on complex formation between the target analyte and functional monomers in porogenic solution prior to radical polymerization. Consequently, the achievable selectivity is governed by the nature and stability of these complexes. The nature of noncovalent interactions responsible for complex formation during imprinting of the template 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) with the functional monomer 4-vinylpyridine has been investigated. Fourier transform infrared and 1H NMR spectroscopies provide the fundamental analytical basis for rationalizing the mechanisms of recognition during the imprinting process probing the governing interactions for selective binding site formation at a molecular level. Molecular modeling studies in explicit solvent (chloroform and water) corroborate the importance of hydrogen bonding in aprotic solvents and of hydrophobic interactions in protic media in agreement with the experimental spectroscopic investigations of prepolymerization solutions. Furthermore, chromatographic studies of the synthesized MIPs provided insight on the importance of size, shape, and functionality during selective 2,4-D rebinding processes confirming the results obtained during the prepolymerization studies.     

A Framework for Evaluating Privacy Preserving Data Mining Algorithms<Superscript>*</Superscript>

Recently, a new class of data mining methods, known as privacy preserving data mining (PPDM) algorithms, has been developed by the research community working on security and knowledge discovery. The aim of these algorithms is the extraction of relevant knowledge from large amount of data, while protecting at the same time sensitive information. Several data mining techniques, incorporating privacy protection mechanisms, have been developed that allow one to hide sensitive itemsets or patterns, before the data mining process is executed. Privacy preserving classification methods, instead, prevent a miner from building a classifier which is able to predict sensitive data. Additionally, privacy preserving clustering techniques have been recently proposed, which distort sensitive numerical attributes, while preserving general features for clustering analysis. A crucial issue is to determine which ones among these privacy-preserving techniques better protect sensitive information. However, this is not the only criteria with respect to which these algorithms can be evaluated. It is also important to assess the quality of the data resulting from the modifications applied by each algorithm, as well as the performance of the algorithms. There is thus the need of identifying a comprehensive set of criteria with respect to which to assess the existing PPDM algorithms and determine which algorithm meets specific requirements. In this paper, we present a first evaluation framework for estimating and comparing different kinds of PPDM algorithms. Then, we apply our criteria to a specific set of algorithms and discuss the evaluation results we obtain. Finally, some considerations about future work and promising directions in the context of privacy preservation in data mining are discussed. ^*The work reported in this paper has been partially supported by the EU under the IST Project CODMINE and by the Sponsors of CERIAS. Editor:  Geoff Webb

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Free radical scavenging capacity and antioxidant activity of cochineal (Dactylopius coccus C.) extracts

Carminic acid (CA) is a natural red pigment produced by Dactylopius coccus C. insects. It is widely used in the food industry to replace synthetic colourants. Despite being known for a long time, its antioxidant properties have not been studied so far. The aim of this study was to determine CA activities by different methods namely, free radical scavenging capacity against DPPH and ABTS radicals as well as its inhibition ability of β-carotene bleaching enzymatically induced by lipoxygenase (LOX). CA exhibited a remarkable antiradical activity similar to that of known antioxidants such as quercetin, ascorbic acid and trolox. Effectiveness of CA to protect β-carotene in the co-oxidation with linoleic acid is attributed to enzymatic inhibition of LOX rather than peroxyl radical trapping.