Quantification of styrene–butadiene rubber swelling as a function of the toluene content in gasoline: A new method to detect adulterations of fuels

The swelling of styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) when exposed to organic solvents was measured and mathematically correlated to the toluene concentration in a complex mixture such as gasoline. This relation enables inferences to be made regarding the composition and quality criteria of the fuel and represents a new method to detect adulterations. Changes in the mass and volume were measured by gravimetric and hydrostatic techniques. A simplex‐lattice experimental mixture design was carried out in mixtures with toluene, heptane, and type C gasoline (a blend of gasoline with ethanol) and the mass swelling was statically analyzed for 5 and 15 min of continuous immersion in the mixtures of the solvents. For the experimental design two cubic equations were obtained with a high value for R²‐ajusted (>0.98) at 25°C ± 1°C correlating mass swelling of SBR and the content of solvents. For both immersion times, the greatest and most important effect over the mass swelling was the content of toluene, with the mass variations increasing proportionally with toluene content in the gasoline. The analysis of variance applied to the mass swelling data verified that it is possible to obtain good mathematical equations to associate the rubber swelling with the solvent composition and concentration. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Influence of acid and alkaline sources on optical,structural and photovoltaic properties of CdSe nanoparticles precipitated from aqueous solution

CdSe is a widely researched material for photovoltaic applications. One of the most important parameters of the synthesis is the pH value, since it determines the kinetics and the mechanism of the reaction and in consequence, the optical and morphological properties of the products. We present the synthesis of CdSe in solution with strict control of pH and the comparison of ammonia and KOH as alkaline sources and diluted HCl as acid medium. CdSe formation was monitored with photoluminescence emission spectra (main peak in 490 nm, bandgap of CdSe nanoparticles). XRD patterns indicated that CdSe nanoparticles are mainly of cubic structure for ammonia and HCl, but the hexagonal planes appear with KOH. Product yield decreases with pH and also decreases with KOH at constant pH value since ammonia has a double function, as complexing agent and alkaline source. Changes in morphology were observed in SEM images as well with the different alkaline source. The effect of alkaline sources on photovoltaic performance of hybrid organic solar cells with CdSe and poly(3-hexylthiophene) as active layers was clearly observed, indicating the importance of synthesis conditions on optoelectronic properties of promising semiconductor nanomaterials for solar cell applications.     

Removal of Remazol Blue RR dye from aqueous solutions with Neem leaves and evaluation of their acute toxicity with Daphnia magna

The removal of dyes present in industrial effluent has received great attention in the past few years. This is partly due to increasing environmental awareness and the implementation of ever stricter environmental rules. However, some treatments for color removal from these effluents do not guarantee the absence of other secondary toxic substances, often originating from the treatment process itself. The aim of this study is to evaluate the toxicity level of the adsorbent Neem, used in adsorption processes for color removal, as well as that of the dye solution before and after the adsorption process. The toxicity tests were carried out according to the Environment Agency FATMA regulation no. 017/02. They consisted of exposing representative microorganisms from the environment, for a certain time interval, to several concentrations of one or more substances, under different environmental conditions, and then evaluating the toxic effects. The results show that the Neem leaf extract had a harmful affect on the test organism used. Thus, it is recommended that the leaf extract is removed prior to effluent treatment, since the results of this study indicate that this will reduce the toxicity of the effluent and also improve the efficiency of the adsorption process.     

Encapsulation of Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Using Egg Yolk

Egg yolk is well known for its excellent emulsifying property. In this article, egg yolk was used as the encapsulating matrix to prevent the oxidation of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from fish oil. A 2 × 2 × 5 complete block design with three replications was used. Two levels of fish oil (1% and 5%) and two levels of esterification type (triglycerides or ethyl esters) of eicosapentaenoic/docosahexaenoic fatty acids were used. Time was considered a fixed factor with five levels. Emulsions were prepared by homogenization and stored for up to 4 weeks at 4–6 °C, with weekly sampling. Emulsions were analyzed for particle size and distribution, encapsulation efficiency, and surface oil. The oxidative stability of the emulsions was evaluated before and after cooking at 150–170 °C for 75 s. The addition of triglycerides resulted in a larger average particle size (234 ± 12.4 nm). All emulsions achieved 100% encapsulation efficiency and showed no significant change in the surface oil concentration during storage. After 4 weeks of storage, the concentration of eicosapentaenoic + docosahexaenoic fatty acids in nonencapsulated fish oil triglycerides and ethyl esters decreased by 20.32% and 14.74%, respectively, while the emulsions showed no significant differences. In addition, no peroxide or propanal formation was detected in raw emulsions over the storage period. Propanal formation was negligible in cooked samples, and the peroxide value showed no differences between the egg yolk control and the emulsions. Therefore, egg yolk was observed to be an efficient encapsulating food matrix that protects n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids against oxidation and degradation.     

Systematic design of a stable type-2 fuzzy logic controller

Stability is one of the more important aspects in the traditional knowledge of automatic control. Type-2 fuzzy logic is an emerging and promising area for achieving intelligent control (in this case, fuzzy control). In this work we use the fuzzy Lyapunov synthesis as proposed by Margaliot and Langholz [M. Margaliot, G. Langholz, New Approaches to Fuzzy Modeling and Control: Design and Analysis, World Scientific, Singapore, 2000] to build a Lyapunov stable type-1 fuzzy logic control system, and then we make an extension from a type-1 to a type-2 fuzzy logic control system, ensuring the stability on the control system and proving the robustness of the corresponding fuzzy controller.     

Online Identity Crisis Identity Issues in Online Communities

Minds and Machines - How have online communities affected the ways their users construct, view, and define their identity? In this paper, we will approach this issue by considering two...