Ultrastable Liquid–Liquid Interface as Viable Route for Controlled Deposition of Biodegradable Polymer Nanocapsules

Liquid–liquid interfaces are highly dynamic and characterized by an elevated interfacial tension as compared to solid–liquid interfaces. Therefore, they are gaining an increasing interest as viable templates for ordered assembly of molecules and nanoparticles. However, liquid–liquid interfaces are more difficult to handle compared to solid–liquid interfaces; their intrinsic instability may affect the assembly process, especially in the case of multiple deposition. Indeed, some attempts have been made in the deposition of polymer multilayers at liquid–liquid interfaces, but with limited control over size and stability. This study reports on the preparation of an ultrastable liquid–liquid interface based on an O/W secondary miniemulsion and its possible use as a template for the self‐assembly of polymeric multilayer nanocapsules. Such polymer nanocapsules are made of entirely biodegradable materials, with highly controlled size—well under 200 nm—and multi‐compartment and multifunctional features enriching their field of application in drug delivery, as well as in other bionanotechnology fields.     

A decision support system for optimal deployment of sonobuoy networks based on sea current forecasts and multi-objective evolutionary optimization

A decision support system for the optimal deployment of drifting acoustic sensor networks for cooperative track detection in underwater surveillance applications is proposed and tested on a simulated scenario. The system integrates sea water current forecasts, sensor range models and simple drifting buoy kinematic models to predict sensor positions and temporal network performance. A multi-objective genetic optimization algorithm is used for searching a set of Pareto optimal deployment solutions (i.e. the initial position of drifting sonobuoys of the network) by simultaneously optimizing two quality of service metrics: the temporal mean of the network area coverage and the tracking coverage. The solutions found after optimization, which represent different efficient tradeoffs between the two metrics, can be conveniently evaluated by the mission planner in order to choose the solution with the desired compromise between the two conflicting objectives. Sensitivity analysis through the Unscented Transform is also performed in order to test the robustness of the solutions with respect to network parameters and environmental uncertainty. Results on a simulated scenario making use of real probabilistic sea water current forecasts are provided showing the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Future work is envisioned to make the tool fully operational and ready to use in real scenarios.     

Real-time risk monitoring in business processes: A sensor-based approach

This article proposes an approach for real-time monitoring of risks in executable business process models. The approach considers risks in all phases of the business process management lifecycle, from process design, where risks are defined on top of process models, through to process diagnosis, where risks are detected during process execution. The approach has been realized via a distributed, sensor-based architecture. At design-time, sensors are defined to specify risk conditions which when fulfilled, are a likely indicator of negative process states (faults) to eventuate. Both historical and current process execution data can be used to compose such conditions. At run-time, each sensor independently notifies a sensor manager when a risk is detected. In turn, the sensor manager interacts with the monitoring component of a business process management system to prompt the results to process administrators who may take remedial actions. The proposed architecture has been implemented on top of the YAWL system, and evaluated through performance measurements and usability tests with students. The results show that risk conditions can be computed efficiently and that the approach is perceived as useful by the participants in the tests.     

Oxidation of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid by means of hydrogen peroxide in aqueous goethite slurry

The oxidation by H2O2 of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (3,4-DHB) in aqueous/goethite slurry at varying operating conditions (catalyst load, temperature, pH, substrate and hydrogen peroxide starting concentration) is investigated. At adopted catalyst loads the observed kinetic developments are consistent with a non-radicalic oxidation mechanism involving the interaction between hydrogen peroxide and 3,4-DHB acid both adsorbed on the active sites of the catalyst. The temperature dependence of rate parameters for the proposed model is also assessed.     

Phase separation and gelation of epoxy resin/hyperbranched polymer blends

The structural buildup during reticulation of thermoset systems containing reactive modifiers can strongly influence the final properties of such blends. This was studied by considering the rheological behavior during cure of an epoxy/amine thermoset system blended with reactive dendritic hyperbranched polymers (HBPs). Depending on the chemical structure of the HBP used in the blend, a phase separation could be observed. The onset and offset of the phase separation process could be detected by observing the evolution of the viscoelastic properties. The phase separation onsets obtained by rheological measurements were compared with the values obtained by traditional cloud point observations. Good agreement between the two techniques was observed. Hyperbranched polymers that did not phase separate during the curing process were used to study gelation phenomena and its dependence on the reactivity and functionality of the HBP. The gelation of the homogeneous blend system using the Flory‐Stockmayer theory was also modeled. This highlighted the influence of both functionality and reactivity of the components, and the appearance of co‐operative polymerization mechanisms in homogeneous blends.     

Random amplified polymorphic DNA and amplified ribosomal DNA spacer polymorphism: powerful methods to differentiate Streptococcus thermophilus strains

66 inpatients who met the DSM-III-R and ICD-10 criteria for paranoid schizophrenia-active phase were assessed using the SAPS and CDS in order to establish interrelations between depressive and positive symptomatology. The results were then analyzed in reference do particular items of the scale CDS and the three stages of examinations. Numerous positive correlations were found between depressive symptoms and the symptoms from the subscale of Delusions and Hallucinations SAPS (Delusions of Sin or Guilt, of Mind Reading, of Being Controlled, of Reference, Somatic Delusions and Hallucinations) and negative correlations with the symptoms from the subscale of Positive Formal Thought Disorder.     

Kinetics of thermal liquefaction of coal

A model is presented for the kinetic study of the thermal liquefaction of Belle Ayr subbituminous and Burning Star bituminous coals with anthracene oil, hydrogenated anthracene oil and hydrogenated phenanthrene. All experiments were performed in a continuous-feed, stirred tank reactor, at a temperature of 450 °C and a space time of approximately 5 to 55 min. A kinetic model which includes a reaction: coal + oil→more reactive coal, correlates the data reasonably well. This reaction explains the net consumption of anthracene oil during the initial stages of liquefaction. Such a reaction may account for a portion of the swelling of coal at low space times and the sizable increase of viscosity of reaction slurry during these initial stages of liquefaction. It is also observed that the yield of oil increases when solvents of increasing hydrogen donor capacity are used.     

PCBs and selected organochlorine compounds in Italian mountain air: the influence of altitude and forest ecosystem type

Passive air samplers (polyurethane foam disks) were deployed on an altitudinal transect in the rural Italian Alps to investigate the potential influence of forest cover on air concentrations. Samplers were exposed overtwo periods, each of several weeks, either in clearings or in forests. In the first period, there was high leaf coverage (high leaf area index, LAI); in the second, the LAI was low after the autumnal leaf fall. PCBs sequestered in the PUF generally declined with altitude, for example, in the clearings PCBs-28, 52, 90/101, 118, and 138, all showed statistically significant declines (p < 0.05). The mass of HCB sequestered increased with altitude, evidence of cold condensation. Ratios of the forest:clearing concentrations were calculated; this ratio expresses the filtering ability of forests to deplete air concentrations compared to the adjacent clearings. During the high LAI sampling period, these depletion factors ranged between 0.93 and 0.54 and were inversely correlated with temperature-corrected log K0A. This relationship was notobserved during the low LAI sampling period. The depletion factors were normalized using the LAI to give a density independent depletion factor (DIDF). The slopes of the correlations with K0A were comparable for broadleaf or coniferous forests at different altitudes, suggesting that leaf surfaces determine the exchanges with air. Broadleaf forests at 1000 and 1400 m showed similar behavior, while a conifer forest at 1800 m gave depletion factors which were higher by about a factor of 2. It is suggested that DIDF can be used in regional environmental fate models to estimate the contribution of forests to contaminant fate.     

Twin mirrors for laser interferometric gravitational-wave detectors

Gravitational-wave detectors such as Virgo and the laser interferometric gravitational-wave observatory (LIGO) use a long-baseline Michelson interferometer with Fabry-Perot cavities in the arms to search for gravitational waves. The symmetry between the two Fabry-Perot cavities is crucial to reduce the interferometer's sensitivity to the laser amplitude and frequency noise. To this purpose, the transmittance of the mirrors in both cavities should be as close as possible. This paper describes the realization and the characterization of the first twin large low-loss mirrors with transmissions differing by less than 0.01%.