Interaction of triton X-100 on silica: A relationship between surface characteristics and adsorption isotherms

Adsorption of Triton X-100 on various silica substrates has been investigated. A number of solids, including a natural quartz, this quartz washed with HCl acid and subsequently heated at 1273 K; two aerosils and one Kieselgel silicas were studied. These solids exhibit surface areas in the range of 5 to 430 m² g^?1. All the Triton adsorption isotherms display an S-shape at the adsorption temperatures studied (298 and 308 K). It has been found that the pretreatments of natural quartz (by water washing, impurities removed by acid and/or high temperature calcination) affect considerably the amounts of TX-100 adsorbed. Measurements of surface composition have been made by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with particular emphasis on the presence of impurities and on the number of OH groups at the surface of the samples. The nature of the surface hydroxyl has also been studied by infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, the specific number of hydroxyl groups on the surface of the silica samples has been determined by thermogravimetric analysis. Finally an attempt to correlate solid surface characteristics with adsorption isotherms has been developed.     

Expectations about counseling in Yucatán, Mexico: Toward a "Mexican psychology."

Conducted a study of client expectations of psychological services in Yucatán, Mexico, under the sponsorship of a grant from the Organization of American States. The Expectations about Counseling–Brief form (EAC-B) questionnaire was translated and administered to 488 subjects across age, sex, and experience with psychological services. Subsequent analyses supported the reliability and robustness of the Spanish EAC-B, with factor structure similar to the EAC-B in English. Some relation was found among age, sex, prior counseling experience, and expectations about counseling. Implications of these data for future research and comparison with U.S. subjects are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ultrasound‐activated Knoevenagel condensation of malononitrile with carbonylic compounds catalysed by alkaline‐doped saponites

α,β‐Unsaturated nitriles have been synthesized by Knoevenagel condensation of a carbonylic compound with malononitrile, assisted by sonochemical irradiation. Two alkaline‐promoted clays (Li⁺‐ and Cs⁺‐exchanged saponites) have been employed as catalysts. The influence of the carbonylic compound (benzaldehyde or cyclohexanone) and the use of a solvent on the catalytic activity have been studied. Remarkable increase in the conversion values has been found when the reaction is activated by ultrasound, as compared with the thermal activation. In this green, solvent‐free procedure, α,β‐unsaturated nitriles have been produced in very high yields (97%) when the Cs⁺‐saponite is used as catalyst. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Inhibition of sulfide on the simultaneous removal of nitrate and p‐cresol by a denitrifying sludge

BACKGROUND: Many industrial discharges, such as those generated from petrochemical refineries, contain large amounts of sulfurous, nitrogenous and organic contaminants. Denitrification has emerged as a suitable technology for the simultaneous removal of these pollutants in a single reactor unit; however, more evidence is demanded to clarify the limitations of denitrification on the simultaneous removal of sulfide and phenolic contaminants and to optimize the biological process. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of a denitrifying sludge to simultaneously convert sulfide and p‐cresol via denitrification. RESULTS: Sulfide was the preferred electron donor over p‐cresol, imposing a 5 h lag phase (required for complete sulfide removal) on organotrophic denitrification. Addition of sulfide (20 mg S^2? L^?1) to p‐cresol‐amended denitrifying cultures also decreased the reduction rate of nitrate and nitrite, as well as the production rate of nitrogen gas. Nitrite reduction rate was the most affected step by sulfide, decreasing from 35 to 21 mg N (g VSS d)^?1. A synergistic inhibitory effect of nitrate and sulfide was also observed on nitrite reduction. Despite the effects of sulfide on the respiratory rates monitored, complete removal of nitrate, sulfide and p‐cresol could be achieved after 48 h of incubation. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that simultaneous removal of sulfide and p‐cresol could be achieved in denitrifying reactors, but a large hydraulic residence time may be required to sustain an efficient process due to inhibitory effects of sulfide. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Single stage and double absorption heat transformers used to recover energy in a distillation column of butane and pentane

This paper presents the theoretical analysis of the use of single stage and double absorption heat transformers operating with the water–lithium bromide mixture coupled to a butane and pentane distillation column in a Mexican refinery. A mathematical model of the heat transformers was developed in FORTRAN and integrated as a user model to the Aspen Plus simulation code. Both components coupled to the column were modelled on steady-state conditions. The results show that it is theoretically possible to reduce the energy consumed in the reboiler between 26 and 43% by the use of single stage heat transformer at specific conditions, and between 28 and 33% with double absorption heat transformers for a wide range of operating conditions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

RECURSIVE GENERALIZED M ESTIMATES FOR AUTOREGRESSIVE MOVING-AVERAGE MODELS

Abstract. Outliers in time series seriously affect conventional parameter estimates. In this paper a robust recursive estimation procedure for the parameters of auto-regressve moving-average models with additive outliers is proposed. Using 'cleaned' residuals from an initial robust fit of an autoregression of high order as input, bounded influence regression is applied recursively. The proposal follows certain ideas of Hannan and Rissanen, who suggested a three-stage procedure for order and parameter estimation in a conventional setting.
A Monte Carlo study is performed to investigate the robustness properties of the proposed class of estimates and to compare them with various other suggestions, including least squares, M estimates, residual autocovariance and truncated residual autocovariance estimates. The results show that the recursive generalized M estimates compare favourably with them. Finally, possible modifications to master even vigourous situations are suggested.     

Crystal structures and phase transformation of deuterated lithium imide, Li2ND

Half-Heusler compounds of Sn-doped TiCoSb “TiCoSn_xSb_1−x (x = 0.0, 0.01, and 0.05)” were prepared and their thermoelectric properties were measured above room temperature. From the EDX analysis, all the samples have three phases: the TiCoSn_xSb_1−x, Co-rich, and Ti-rich phases. The values of the thermoelectric power increase with Sn doping, and a positive thermoelectric power is obtained in the sample of TiCoSn_0.05Sb_0.95. The thermal conductivity decreases both with increasing temperature and with Sn content. The maximum value of ZT for p-type material is 0.030 at 988 K in the sample of TiCoSn_0.05Sb_0.95.     

Machining characteristics and fracture morphologies in a copper-beryllium (Cu-2Be) alloy

The technology of materials removal is improved greatly by the introduction of advanced cutting tools like cubic boron nitride, ceramics, polycrystalline diamond and the more recent whisker-reinforced materials. In this paper, the influence of cutting temperature on machinability, mechanical properties, microstructure, and fracture morphology of Cu-2Be alloy using a polycrystalline diamond cutter is investigated. The information on machining, microstructure, and fracture morphology of Cu-2Be alloy are very useful to understand their fabrication characteristics and the basic mechanisms of its deformation and fracture. The machinability (in terms of surface finish) of Cu-2Be alloy is evaluated as a function of cutting temperature, resulting from wet and dry cutting. Machining is carried out on a Hardinge Cobra 42 CNC machine (Hardinge Inc., Elmira, NY), and the machining parameters used—cutting speed, depth of cut, and feed rate—are kept constant during both wet and dry cutting. The machined surface finish on Cu-2Be alloy is measured using a surface finish analyzer (Surftest 401, series 178) technique. The machined specimens are examined for their strength and hardness properties using a standard Universal Testing Machine and Rockwell hardness tester, respectively. Wet cutting (using coolants) produced a smooth surface finish when compared with dry cutting of the Cu-2Be alloy. The machined specimens are examined for their microstructural features using a Nikon optical microscope. The specimens are etched using a suitable etchant solution for revealing such microstructure constituents as grain size, phase proportions, and the possible overheated areas (especially in dry cutting). The fractured surfaces from the tensile and impact toughness tests are investigated for their fracture morphologies (dry and wet cutting) using a microprocessor-controlled scanning electron microscope (Jeol Model JSM 5910 LV). A detailed analysis is also made to understand and interpret the basic fracture mechanisms responsible for crack initiation and crack propagation. The Cu-2Be alloy showed relatively higher mechanical properties in wet cutting in comparison to dry cutting operations. Fracture studies demonstrated intergranular and ductile fractures as dominant modes of fracture mechanisms in Cu-2Be alloy.