Synthesis of 8-hydroxyquinoline functionalised DO3A ligand and Eu(III) and Er(III) complexes: Luminescence properties

The synthesis of a new DO3A-based macrocyclic ligand bearing a 8-hydroxyquinoline residue together with the preparation of its Eu³⁺ and Er³⁺ neutral complexes are described. In a previous report [F. Rizzo, A. Papagni, F. Meinardi, R. Tubino, M. Ottonelli, G.F. Musso, G. Dellepiane, Synth. Met. 147 (2004) 143], we have shown that lanthanide complexes display very high stability combined with a good luminescence in aqueous solution under UV radiation, which indicate an energy transfer process from the excited 8-hydroxyquinoline moiety to the metal. In this work, we correlate the ability to transfer the energy from the sensitizer to lanthanide ion with pH behaviour of the antenna. Furthermore, the variation of pH in Eu³⁺ complex supports the hypothesis of presence of charge-transfer transitions. The good solubility and sensitized emission in different solvents (organic and water) are very important aspects for their technologic applications as luminescent probes or NIR-emitting devices.     

Towards Systematic Achievement of Compliance in Service-Oriented Architectures: The MASTER Approach

Service-oriented architectures (SOA) have been successfully adapted by agile businesses to support dynamic outsourcing of business processes and the maintenance of business ecosystems. Still, businesses need to comply with applicable laws and regulations. Abstract service interfaces, distributed ownership and cross-domain operations introduce new challenges for the implementation of compliance controls and the assessment of their effectiveness. In this paper, we analyze the challenges for automated support of the enforcement and evaluation of IT security controls in a SOA. We introduce these challenges by means of an example control, and outline a methodology and a high-level architecture that supports the phases of the control lifecycle through dedicated components for observation, evaluation, decision support and reaction. The approach is model-based and features policy-driven controls. A monitoring infrastructure assesses observations in terms of key indicators and interprets them in business terms. Reaction is supported through components that implement both automated enforcement and the provision of feedback by a human user. The resulting architecture essentially is a decoupled security architecture for SOA with enhanced analysis capabilities and will be detailed and implemented in the MASTER project.     

The effect of an innovative atmospheric plasma jet treatment on physical and mechanical properties of wool fabrics

This work concerns the study of some important physical and mechanical properties of a wool fabric treated with a roll-to-roll atmospheric plasma jet equipment. The plasma pilot unit, based on a post-discharge technology, was equipped with an innovative plasma-to-fabric contactor, which promotes a relevant penetration of plasma through the fabric structure and geometrically defines the atmosphere. Wool fabrics were processed at three different velocities (1, 3 and 6 m/min); the other process variables were kept constant. Tensile strength, elongation at break, surface thickness, wettability and air permeability increased after the plasma treatment, while several low-stress mechanical properties, strictly related to the handle, were not modified. SEM analysis was also carried out to better interpret the above macroscopic results.     

Variations of iridoid oleuropein in Italian olive varieties during growth and maturation

This research paper reports on the concentrations of oleuropein in fruits of seven Italian olive cultivars. These oleuropein levels, during fruit growth and maturation, were monitored by taking olive samples from the same olive trees grown in Middle Italy. A novel high‐resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) oleuropein quantification method and a new high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method were developed. The olive fruits showed high contents of oleuropein, which were greatly influenced by the olive cultivar (genetic store) factor. The stage of fruit growth and maturation was another factor strongly affecting the contents of iridoid oleuropein in olive drupes, whatever the olive cultivar considered. Green olives had much higher concentrations of this biofunctional glucoside, which decreased regularly during fruit growth and ripeness. No differences were observed between the two developed oleuropein quantification methods, which gave, for all the olive cultivars, average values of fruit oleuropein contents that were not statistically different. These two reliable repetitive methods, noticeably the HPLC one (which also showed a lower running time), could be used for routine determination of oleuropein in olive drupes. We observed that, in general, olive cultivars having high oleuropein concentrations in the fruits were also characterized by marked oleuropein contents in the leaves.     

Evaluation of elemental profile coupled to chemometrics to assess the geographical origin of Argentinean wines

Traceability of wines requires knowledge of their characteristics, which are associated with the geographical origin of grape, soil, water, climate as well as the winery techniques. The aim of this work was to classify wines and soil from three production areas of Argentina according to multielement data. The influence of the provenance soil on the wine element composition was also investigated.Eleven elements were determined in 31 wine samples and 137 soil samples from regions under study. Stepwise discriminant analysis allows us to correctly classify 100% of the wines analysed from the three regions using only seven parameters (K, Fe, Ca, Cr, Mg, Zn and Mn) and 92% correct classification for soils using seven variables (Ca, Cr, K, Fe, Cu, Zn and, Mg). Canonical analysis between soils and wines datasets affords a correlation coefficient of 0.85 (P-value < 0.001). Thus, almost 85% of variability observed amongst wines could be attributed to the soil in which the vines were cultivated.The analysis of elemental concentrations in the wines and soils, in combination with chemometrics, provides a powerful tool to verify the geographical origin of wines.     

The OECD software tool for screening chemicals for persistence and long-range transport potential

We present the software implementation of The OECD P_OV & LRTP Screening Tool (The Tool) that is used to assess the environmental hazard of organic chemicals using metrics of overall persistence (P_OV) and long-range transport potential (LRTP). The Tool is designed to support decision making for chemical management and includes features that are recommended by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) expert group on multimedia modeling. The Tool is useful for screening the environmental hazard potential of non-ionizing organic chemicals whose environmental partitioning can be described by absorptive capacities of environmental media estimated from partitioning between air, water and octanol in the laboratory. The software includes data storage functionality, and a user interface that is designed to facilitate simple data input and straightforward interpretation of the model results. The effect of uncertainties in input properties describing chemicals can be assessed with a Monte Carlo analysis. The software is evaluated and illustrated by comparing results from The Tool with those from other models and by evaluating four substances that are candidates for regulation or ban under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.     

Solid–Liquid Equilibria for the CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> + R23 and N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O + R23 Systems

A recently built experimental setup was employed for the estimation of the solid–liquid equilibria of alternative refrigerant systems. In this paper two binaries, i.e., carbon dioxide + trifluoromethane (CO₂ + R23) and nitrous oxide + trifluoromethane (N₂O + R23), were studied down to temperatures of 117 K. In order to check the reliability of the apparatus, the triple points of the pure fluids contained in the mixture were measured, revealing good consistency with the literature. The results obtained for the mixtures were interpreted by means of the Schröder equation.