Removal of arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) from sulfuric acid solution by liquid–liquid extraction

Extraction of arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) from sulfuric acid solution was studied. Cyanex^® 923, Cyanex^® 925, dialkyldithiophosphinic acids (Cyanex^® 301), hydrophobic glycol (2‐ethylhexane‐1,3‐diol), and hydroxamic acids were used as extractants. The efficiency of extraction depended on extractant, diluent, valency of arsenic, and sulfuric acid concentration. Acidic reagents extracted As(III) better than As(V), while the opposite order of extraction efficiency was observed for the solvating extractants. The use of an aromatic diluent (toluene) was preferred. Toluene was found to be a better diluent for the Cyanex^® 923 and Cyanex^® 925 than Exxsol D 220/230 and octane. In the case of neo‐decanohydroxamic acids, the type of diluent had no significant effect on extraction of arsenic. The extraction of both As(III) and As(V) increased when the concentration of the sulfuric acid in the feed increased. The co‐extraction of sulfuric acid was observed. The extraction with hydroxamic acids was significantly slower in comparison to the extraction with other reagents. Extractant: arsenic species: sulfuric acid molar ratios were determined and they confirmed the composition of extracted species. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Small Alterations in Cobinamide Structure Considerably Influence sGC Activation

Specially designed B‐ring‐modified cobalamin derivatives were synthesized and tested as potential activators of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC). Herein, we disclose the influence of substituents at the c‐ and d‐positions in hydrophilic and hydrophobic cobyrinic acid derivatives on their capacities to activate sGC. The presence of the amide group at c‐/d‐position in cobyrinic acid derivatives strongly influence the level of sGC activation. Removal of the d‐position altogether has a profound effect for hydrophobic compounds. In contrast, little differences were observed in hydrophilic ones.     

Surface chemistry of SnO2 nanowires on Ag-catalyst-covered Si substrate studied using XPS and TDS methods

In this paper we investigate the surface chemistry, including surface contaminations, of SnO₂ nanowires deposited on Ag-covered Si substrate by vapor phase deposition (VPD), thanks to x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in combination with thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). Air-exposed SnO₂ nanowires are slightly non-stoichiometric, and a huge amount of C contaminations is observed at their surface. After the thermal physical desorption (TPD) process, SnO₂ nanowires become almost stoichiometric without any surface C contaminations. This is probably related to the fact that C contaminations, as well as residual gases from air, are weakly bounded to the crystalline SnO₂ nanowires and can be easily removed from their surface. The obtained results gave us insight on the interpretation of the aging effect of SnO₂ nanowires that is of great importance for their potential application in the development of novel chemical nanosensor devices.     

Variable Fractional Delay Filter Design Using a Symmetric Window

In this paper a numerically efficient method for designing a nearly optimal variable fractional delay (VFD) filter based on a simple and well-known window method is presented. In the proposed method a single window extracted from the optimal filter with fixed fractional delay (FD) is divided into even and odd part. Subsequently, the odd part is discarded and symmetric even part of the extracted window is used to design a family of nearly optimal filters with varying FD. In addition to window extraction, the proposed approach requires filter gain correction which is dependent on the desired FD. Optimum values of the gain correction factor as well as the extracted window can be computed beforehand, which allows us to design a nearly optimal FD filter with arbitrary FD at low numerical costs during runtime. On the basis of the proposed filter design method, the universal structure of VFD filter allowing for change of filter type and length has been proposed. In the paper, three FD filter optimality criteria are considered, which are maximal flatness, Chebyshev (minimax), and least squares.     

Improvement of damage detection methods based on experimental modal parameters

The objective of this paper is to introduce a new method for structural damage detection based on experimentally obtained modal parameters. The new method is suitable for detection of fatigue damage occurring in an aluminium cantilever beam. The damage has been practically realised as saw cuts of different sizes and at different locations. The first step of analysis included an attempt of damage identification with the most often used damage indicators based on measured modal parameters. For that purpose special signal processing technique has been proposed improving the effectiveness of indicators tested. However the results obtained have not been satisfactory. That was the motivation for defining new damage indicators (frequency change based damage indicator, Hybrid Damage Detection method), utilising the change of natural frequencies and any mode shape (measured or modelled) as the measurement of frequencies is much less time consuming in comparison to total mode shape measurement. It has been shown that the proposed technique is suitable for damage localisation in beam-like structures.     

Rare cell separation and analysis by magnetic sorting

The separation and or isolation of rare cells using magnetic forces are commonly used and growing in use ranging from simple sample prep for further studies to a FDA approved, clinical diagnostic test. This growth is the result of both the demand to obtain homogeneous rare cells for molecular analysis and the dramatic increases in the power of permanent magnets that even allow the separation of some unlabeled cells based on intrinsic magnetic moments, such as malaria parasite-infected red blood cells.     

The Effect of Exogenous Application of Quercetin Derivative Solutions on the Course of Physiological and Biochemical Processes in Wheat Seedlings

Quercetin, classified as a flavonoid, is a strong antioxidant that plays a significant role in the regulation of physiological processes in plants, which is particularly important in the case of biotic and abiotic stresses. The study investigated the effect of the use of potassium quercetin solutions in various concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, 3.0% and 5.0%) on the physiological and biochemical properties of wheat seedlings. A pot experiment was carried out in order to determine the most beneficial dose of this flavonoid acting as a bio-stimulant for wheat plants. Spraying with quercetin derivative solutions was performed twice, and physiological measurements (chlorophyll content and fluorescence as well as gas exchange) were carried out on the first and seventh days after each application. The total phenolic compounds content and the total antioxidant capacity were also determined. It was shown that the concentrations of potassium quercetin applied have a stimulating effect on the course of physiological processes. In the case of most of the tested physiological parameters (chlorophyll content and fluorescence and gas exchange) and the total antioxidant capacity, no significant differences were observed in their increase as a result of application with concentrations of 3.0 and 5.0%. Therefore, the beneficial effect of quercetin on the analysed parameters is already observed when spraying with a concentration of 3.0%.