Ionic liquids breakdown by Fenton oxidation

Fenton oxidation has proved to be an efficient treatment for the degradation of ionic liquids (ILs) of different families viz. imidazolium, pyridinium, ammonium and phosphonium, in water. The intensification of the process, defined as the improvement on the efficiency of H2O2 consumption, by increasing the temperature is necessary to avoid high reaction times and the need of large excess of H2O2. In this work, temperatures within the range of 70-90°C have been used, which allowed an effective breakdown of the ILs tested (1 g L-1 initial concentration) with the stoichiometric amount of H2O2 and a relatively low Fe3+dose (50 mg L-1). Under these conditions conversion of the ILs was achieved in less than 10 min, with TOC reductions higher than 60% upon 4 h reaction time, except for the phosphonium IL. The remaining TOC corresponded mainly to short-chain organic acids. The treatment reduced substantially the ecotoxicity up to final values below 0.01 TU in most cases and a significant improvement of the biodegradability was achieved. Upon Fenton oxidation of the four ILs tested hydroxylated compounds of higher molecular weight than the starting ILs, fragments of ILs partially oxidized and short-chain organic acids were identified as reaction by-products. Reaction pathways are proposedThis research has been supported by the Spanish MICINN through the projects CTQ2008-03988 and CTQ2010-14807 and by the CM through the project S-2009/AMB-158

On Improvement of Detection of Obstructive Sleep Apnea by Partial Least Square-based Extraction of Dynamic Features

This paper presents a methodology for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) detection based on the HRV analysis, where as a measure of relevance PLS is used. Besides, two different combining approaches for the selection of the best set of contours are studied. Attained results can be oriented in research focused on finding alternative methods minimizing the HRV-derived parameters used for OSA diagnosing, with a diagnostic accuracy comparable to a polysomnogram. For two classes (normal, apnea) the results for PLS are: specificity 90%, sensibility 91% and accuracy 93.56%

Graphite and carbon black materials as catalysts for wet peroxide oxidation

This study explores the application of non-porous carbon materials, two graphites (G-F, G-S) and two carbon blacks (CB-V and CB-C) as catalysts for wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO). The activity, efficiency and stability of these carbon materials have been evaluated using phenol as target compound. The catalyst screening experiments were carried out batch-wise at CPhenol,0=1g/L, CH2O2,0=5g/L, Ccat=2.5g/L, T=80°C and pH0=3.5. The results allow concluding that CB-C was the most stable catalyst, although it showed a lower oxidation and mineralization activity than G-S and CB-V. Increasing the temperature up to 90°C allowed complete phenol conversion and around 70% TOC reduction with 100% efficiency of hydrogen peroxide consumption upon 20h reaction time at 5g/L CB-C load. As a consequence of the initial oxidation of the carbon surface, the electrochemical properties of CB-C were favorably changed upon CWPO and its catalytic performance was improved from the first to the second use and then maintained upon successive applications in a five-cycle testThe authors wish to thank the Spanish MICINN for the financial support through the projects CTQ2008-03988/PPQ and CTQ2010-14807. The Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid is also gratefully acknowledged for the financial support through the project S2009/AMB-158

Synchronization and resonance in a driven system of coupled oscillators

We study the noise effects in a driven system of globally coupled oscillators, with particular attention to the interplay between driving and noise. The self-consistency equation for the order parameter, which measures the collective synchronization of the system, is derived; it is found that the total order parameter decreases monotonically with noise, indicating overall suppression of synchronization. Still, for large coupling strengths, there exists an optimal noise level at which the periodic (ac) component of the order parameter reaches its maximum. The response of the phase velocity is also examined and found to display resonance behavior.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figure

Phase synchronization and noise-induced resonance in systems of coupled oscillators

We study synchronization and noise-induced resonance phenomena in systems of globally coupled oscillators, each possessing finite inertia. The behavior of the order parameter, which measures collective synchronization of the system, is investigated as the noise level and the coupling strength are varied, and hysteretic behavior is manifested. The power spectrum of the phase velocity is also examined and the quality factor as well as the response function is obtained to reveal noise-induced resonance behavior.Comment: to be published in Phys. Rev.

Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV. The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b, leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W' boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe

Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV

A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Bounds on the possible evolution of the Gravitational Constant from Cosmological Type-Ia Supernovae

Recent high-redshift Type Ia supernovae results can be used to set new bounds on a possible variation of the gravitational constant $G$. If the local value of $G$ at the space-time location of distant supernovae is different, it would change both the kinetic energy release and the amount of $^{56}$Ni synthesized in the supernova outburst. Both effects are related to a change in the Chandrasekhar mass $M_{Ch} \propto G^{-3/2}$. In addition, the integrated variation of $G$ with time would also affect the cosmic evolution and therefore the luminosity distance relation. We show that the later effect in the magnitudes of Type Ia supernovae is typically several times smaller than the change produced by the corresponding variation of the Chandrasekhar mass. We investigate in a consistent way how a varying $G$ could modify the Hubble diagram of Type Ia supernovae and how these results can be used to set upper bounds to a hypothetical variation of $G$. We find G/G_0 \la 1.1 and G'/G \la 10^{-11} yr^{-1} at redshifts $z\simeq 0.5$. These new bounds extend the currently available constrains on the evolution of $G$ all the way from solar and stellar distances to typical scales of Gpc/Gyr, i.e. by more than 15 orders of magnitudes in time and distance.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, Phys. Rev. D. in pres