Spectroscopic Studies of Brooker\u27s Merocyanine in Zeolite L

Zeolites are porous, crystalline substances that have very unique atomic organizations which allow for the formation of complex channels within the crystals. Each type of zeolite has a distinct shape and structure. To better understand the properties of zeolite channels, a dye molecule known as Brooker’s merocyanine was inserted into Zeolite L. Maximum dye loading into the zeolite channels was achieved by altering different experimental variables, such as heat, solution concentration, stirring, cation exchange, and light exposure. X-ray diffraction was used to verify the synthesis of zeolites, the cation exchange process, and dye loading. UV-Vis spectroscopy was used to measure the amount of dye adsorbed by the zeolite. By using the UV-Vis absorbance values and Beer’s Law, the concentration of dye in the zeolites was determined. The results showed that an increase of heat and stirring correlated to an increase of adsorption of dye by the zeolite. Due to the light sensitivity of Brooker’s merocyanine, it was found that limiting the amount of light exposure of the dye solutions also resulted in higher dye adsorption by the zeolites. An increase of the concentration of the dye solution increased the rate of adsorption in the channels. However, exchanging the potassium ions found within the synthesized Zeolite L channels with smaller hydrogen ions did not have an affect on the adsorption of dye in the channels. Characterizing how to achieve a maximum of dye adsorption in the zeolites allows for a better understanding of how dye molecules interact within the zeolite channels

Financing the Response to AIDS in Low-and Middle-Income Countries: International Assistance from the G8, European Commission and Other Donor Governments in 2009

Analyzes 2009 data on international AIDS assistance by donor country, by funding channel, on aid as percentages of GDP, and on gaps between needs and resources and between commitments and disbursements. Highlights the impact of the global economic crisis

Financing the Response to AIDS in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: International Assistance From Donor Governments in 2010

Presents 2010 data on international AIDS assistance from donor governments, including trends by donor country and funding channel, aid per $1 million GDP by country, and gaps between needs and resources and between commitments and disbursements

Contextualized Measurement Scale Adaptation: A 4-Step Tutorial for Health Psychology Research.

Health psychology research is inherently context specific: Different health behaviors are executed by different target groups (e.g., gender, age) in different social structures, cultures, and environments. This asks for the adaptation of research instruments to enhance specificity. For example, when using measurement scales in new contexts, translation and psychometric validation of the instruments are necessary but not sufficient if the validity of the psychological concept behind a measurement scale has not been researched. In this study, we build on existing guidelines of translation as well as psychometric validation and present four steps on how to adapt measurement scales to a new context: Step 1 asks whether the psychological concept is found in the new context. Step 2 asks whether the measurement scale and its items are understood in the new context. Step 3 asks whether a measurement scale is valid and reliable. Step 4 asks how the items of the measurement scale perform individually. Following these four steps, measurement scales are carefully translated, adapted, and validated and can therefore be transferred to very different contexts

Dealloying Behavior of NiCo and NiCoCu Thin Films

Porous metals and alloys, such as those fabricated via electrochemical dealloying, are of interest for a variety of energy applications, ranging from their potential for enhanced catalytic behavior to their use as high surface area supports for pseudocapacitor materials. Here, the electrochemical dealloying process was explored for electrodeposited binary NiCo and ternary NiCoCu thin films. For each of the four different metal ratios, films were dealloyed using linear sweep voltammetry to various potentials in order to gain insight into the evolution of the film over the course of the linear sweep. Electrochemical capacitance, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to examine the structure and composition of each sample before and after linear sweep voltammetry was performed. For NiCo films, dealloying resulted in almost no change in composition but did result in an increased capacitance, with greater increases occurring at higher linear sweep potentials, indicating the removal of material from the films. Dealloying also resulted in the appearance of large pores on the surface of the high nickel percentage NiCo films, while low nickel percentage NiCo films had little observable change in morphology. For NiCoCu films, Cu was almost completely removed at linear sweep potentials greater than 0.5 V versus Ag/AgCl. The linear sweep removed large Cu-rich dendrites from the films, while also causing increases in measured capacitance