Determination of binding constants of cyclodextrins in room-temperature ionic liquids by near-infrared spectrometry

Near-infrared spectrometry has been successfully used to determine association binding constants between phenol and alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrin (CD) in [butylmethylimidazolium][chloride] room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL). It was found that adding CD into the RTIL solution of phenol resulted in an enhancement in the absorption coefficient of the stretching overtone of the aromatic C-H groups. However, the enhancement induced by CDs in RTIL is much lower (order of magnitude) than those corresponding in D20. The binding constants in RTIL are also much lower than those in D2O ((11 +/- 2), (16 +/- 2), and (40 +/- 6) M(-1) for phenol and alpha-, beta- and gamma-CD, respectively, as compared to 87 and 214 M(-1) for a- and beta-CD in D2O). The results obtained seem to suggest that in ionic liquid, the main interaction between phenol and CDs may not be inclusion complex formation but rather external adsorption. A variety of reasons may be responsible for relatively weaker interactions and lower binding constants in the ionic liquid, including differences in the polarity and viscosity of RTIL and D20. However, the main reason may be due to the possibility that the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium cation of the ionic liquid may form inclusion complexes with CDs either through its imidazolium moiety or its butyl group. Such complex formation would prevent phenol from being included in the cavity of the CDs.     

Smell, think and act: A cognitive robot discriminating odours

In this paper, we explore the integration of an electronic nose and its odour discrimination functionalities into a multi-sensing robotic system which works over an extended period of time. The robot patrols an office environment, collecting odour samples of objects and performing user requested tasks. By considering an experimental platforms which operates over an extended period of time, a number of issues related to odour discrimination arise such as the drift in the sensor data, online learning of new odours, and the correct association of odour properties related to objects. In addition to an electronic nose our robotic system consists of other sensing modalities (vision and sonar), behaviour-based control and a high level symbolic planner.     

Zero fringe visibility in the classical localization plane of a two-beam interferometer

In 1987 we published "Fringe localization depth" [Appl. Opt. 26, 5125 (1987)], where, with first principles, we generalized the van Cittert-Zernike theorem for two-beam amplitude-division interferometers illuminated by extended sources. In this generalization the complex degree of coherence between the interfering beams is equivalent to the Fraunhofer diffraction pattern of an aberrated optical system. In 1989 Hariharan and Steel [Appl. Opt. 28, 29 (1989)] commented on this paper and pointed out that the fringe visibility can be zero in the localization plane determined by the conventional pair-of-rays method. Now, we numerically and experimentally show a situation where the equivalent aberrations are such that this finding is verified and that the localization region splits in two, one ahead of and the other behind the classical localization plane.     

Validation of bacterial growth inhibition models based on molecular properties of organic acids

Organic acids occur naturally in foods and have been used in many food products as preservatives because they inhibit the growth of most microorganisms. The acids commonly found in foods differ greatly in both their structure and inhibitory effects for different bacteria. A way to represent relationships between different acids was previously described in which principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to 11 physical and chemical properties of 17 organic acids, to arrive at principal properties. These were used for development of regression models that related the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of organic acids to their principal properties. Separate MIC models were constructed for six different bacteria. The objective of the present study was to test the predictive capabilities of the organism models using different organic acids from the ones used to construct the original models. MIC predictions were made for three acids for each of the six bacteria for which models were previously constructed. MIC determinations for these acids were then carried out and compared with the predictions; these were in good agreement, thus validating the models. The new data were combined with that obtained previously to produce similar, but slightly stronger models. These had R(2) values between 0.861 and 0.992.     

Optimisation of the throttling system in a CO2 refrigerating machine

This paper is an answer to the need of finding the optimal solution for the throttling system in refrigerating machines using CO₂ as working fluid; such a solution must combine reliability, low installation cost and high energy efficiency. To this purpose, different expansion systems are compared by means of a simulation programme, including a new one, operating with a differential valve, a liquid receiver and a thermostatic valve. The typical compression refrigerating cycle performed by CO₂ involves transcritical operations and therefore the upper pressure needs to be adjusted to the optimal value, that, unlike the traditional cycle, is not determined by heat transfer. The innovative system here proposed shows an intrinsic self-adjusting capability that leads to COP values quite close to the maximum ones when a fixed suitable value of the differential pressure is chosen, even if the temperature of the secondary fluid varies to a large extent.     

Absorption of water by room-temperature ionic liquids: effect of anions on concentration and state of water

Near-infrared (NIR) spectrometry was successfully used for the non-invasive and in situ determination of concentrations and structure of water absorbed by room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs). It was found that RTILs based on 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium, namely, [BuMIm]+ [BF4]-, [BuMIm]+ [bis((trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl)amide, or Tf2N]- and [BuMIm]+ [PF6]-, are hydroscopic and can quickly absorb water when they are exposed to air. Absorbed water interacts with the anions of the RTILs, and these interactions lead to changes in the structure of water. Among the RTILs studied, [BF4]- provides the strongest interactions and [PF6]- the weakest. In 24 hours, [Bu-MIm]+ [BF4]- can absorb up to 0.320 M of water, whereas [Bu-MIm]+ [PF6]- can only absorb 8.3 x 10(-2) M of water. It seems that higher amounts of water can be absorbed when the anion of the RTIL can strongly interact and hence stabilize absorbed water molecules by forming hydrogen bonds with them or inducing hydrogen bonds among water molecules. More importantly, the NIR technique can be sensitively used for the noninvasive, in situ determination of absorbed water in RTILs, without any pretreatment, and at limits of detection as low as 3.20 x 10(-3) M.     

Resources for health: A primary-care-based diet and physical activity intervention targeting urban Latinos with multiple chronic conditions.

Objective: The Resources for Health trial evaluates a social-ecologically based lifestyle (physical activity and diet) intervention targeting low-income, largely Spanish-speaking patients with multiple chronic conditions. Design: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 200 patients recruited from an urban community health center and assigned to intervention and usual care conditions. Intervention involved 2 face-to-face, self-management support and community linkage sessions with a health educator, 3 follow-up phone calls, and 3 tailored newsletters. Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcomes measured at 6-months were changes in dietary behavior and physical activity. Changes in multilevel support for healthy living were evaluated as a secondary outcome. Results: After adjustment for age, sex, language, and number of chronic conditions, significant intervention effects were observed for dietary behavior and multilevel support for healthy lifestyles but not for physical activity. Conclusion: The Resources for Health intervention provides an effective and practical model for improving health behavior among low-income, Spanish-speaking patients with multiple chronic conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)